1977 Topps Baseball #39 - Tom Griffin

• Tom Griffin was a fifth starter and occasional reliever for the San Diego Padres in 1977.
• 1977 Stats:
• 6-9, 4.46 ERA in 38 games (20 starts)
• 1977 Highlights:
• May 6 - Allowed two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings and got the win as the Padres beat the Montreal Expos 6-4
• May 12 - Pitched seven strong innings and hit a home run to earn the win as the Padres beat the New York Mets 5-2.
• July 27 - Pitched three shutout innings (7-9) and got the win in San Diego's 7-5 victory over the Expos.
• Other card  blogs: 1976, 1975, 1974, Cardboard Gods

1977 Topps Baseball #38 - Craig Kusick

• Craig Kusick was a backup first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter for most of his career
• He was originally slated to replace Harmon Killebrew at first base in Minnesota, but the Twins decided to move Rod Carew to 1B instead.
• Kusick was signed by the Twins in 1970. He was in the minors from 1970-1973 and put up some good power numbers. Craig got a September call-up in 1973 and batted .250 in 15 games.
• Craig started the 1974 season in AAA Tacoma and was batting .328 when he was called up in early June. Kusick batted .229 with 8 HR and 26 RBI in 57 games for the Twins in 1974.
• Kusick made the Twins club in 1975 but struggled. He was batting .213 when he was sent back to Tacoma in June. Craig batted .260 in 56 games at Tacome before being recalled in mid-August. Kusick ended up batting .237 with 6 HR and 27 RBI for Minnesota in '75
• Craig stayed with the Twins for the whole season in 1976. He batted .259 with 11 HR and 36 RBI in 109 games, splitting time between 1B and DH.
• In 1977 Kusick had his best season. His stats and highlights for the season are detailed later in this entry.
• Kusick had a rough time in 1978. He batted only .173 and he had 4 HR and 20 RBI in 77 games.
• In 1979 Kusick continued to struggle. Craig was batting .241 in 54 at  bats when he was sold to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 25. Kusick didn't do a whole lot in Toronto (.204 in 54 at bats) and he was released at the end of the season.
• Craig played in AAA in 1980 and in 1981, but he never got back to the majors.
• After his retirement from baseball, Kusick became a high school baseball coach and health/PE teacher at Rosemount High School from 1982-2004.
• Craig Kusick passed away on 27 September 2006. He had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a condition that can lead to leukemia.
• 1977 Stats
• .254, 12 HR, 45 RBI in 115 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• May 22 - Hit a 3-run homer as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning to put the Twins ahead 6-4. Minnesota ended up winning the game.
• Aug 3 - Drove in three runs to help Minnesota beat the Detroit Tigers 11-1.
• Aug 15 - Homered twice and drove in five runs as the Twins beat the Baltimore Orioles 13-9. The win temporarily put the Twins into first place in the AL West.
• Other card blogs: 1975, 1978, Cardboard Gods

1977 Topps Baseball #37 - Steve Hargan

• Steve Hargan pitched for three different teams in 1977. It was his last major league season.
• Here is a link to his SABR biography.
• 1977 Stats:
• Toronto Blue Jays: 1-3, 5.22 ERA in 6 games (5 starts)
• Texas Rangers: 1-0, 8.76 ERA in 8 games
• Atlanta Braves: 0-3, 6.87 ERA in 16 games (5 starts)
• 1977 Highlights:
• April 11 - Pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball and earned the win.
• May 9 - Traded to the Texas Rangers (with Jim Mason and $200,000) for Roy Howell
• June 15 - Traded to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later. In baseball reference, it shows that he was purchased instead of traded.
• Aug 29 - Walked in the winning run in the bottom of the 14th inning as the Braves lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2
• Dec 13 - Released by the Braves. Steve pitched for two minor league clubs in 1978 but never made it back to the majors.
• Other card blogs: 1976, 1975, 1972,  1971

1977 Topps Baseball #36 - John Ellis

• John Ellis had a nice career as a backup for Jim Sundberg in Texas.
• 1977 Stats:
• .235, 4 HR, 15 RBI in 49 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• March 22 - Hit two solo homers and showed that he could come back from the leg injury that sidelined him for most of the 1976 season.
• May 12 - Was fined for his part in a big May 8 brawl between the Rangers and the Kansas City Royals. A total of ten players and coaches were fined.
• May 18 - Helped Gaylord Perry get his 100th American League victory with two hits and two RBI.
• June 21 - Hit two solo home runs in the second game of a doubleheader.
• Other card blogs:
• 1980, 1976, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1971

1977 Topps Baseball #35 - Rennie Stennett

• Rennie Stennett had a nasty leg injury late in the 1977 season that pretty much killed his career. He played for a few more years after the injury (and even managed to get a big contract from the SF Giants), but he wasn't anywhere near as good.
• 1977 Stats:
• .336, 28 stolen bases, 20 doubles in 116 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• April 12 - Hit a tie-breaking double in the 9th inning, leading the Pirates to a 2-1 win over the Montreal Expos. It was the team's first win of the season.
• May 19 - Hit a bases loaded single in the 10th inning to lead the Pirates to a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• July 27 - Drove in his seventh game-winning run of the season, extending the Pirates' winning streak to seven games.
• Aug 21 - Fractured a bone in his right leg. The injury ended his season and he was never the same player again
• Other card blogs: 1982, 1981, 1978,  1976, 1976, 1975, 1973,

1977 Topps Baseball #34 - California Angels / Norm Sherry

• Norm Sherry managed the 1976 California Angels after replacing Dick Williams on July 23.
• The Angels had a 37-29 record under Sherry to finish the 1976 season
• The Angels were picked by many to contend for the AL West title in 1977
• Sherry managed the Angels for the first 81 games of the 1977 season and had a 39-42 record before being fired on July 11.
• Norm had a long minor league career in the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers system before  making it to the  majors at the age of 27 at the end of the 1959 season.
• He played for various minor league clubs from 1950-1959 (excluding the two years he spent serving in Korea)
• Sherry was a backup catcher for the Dodgers from 1959-1962. He was credited for helping Sandy Koufax become a great pitcher by advising him to take a little off of his fastball to get better control.
• Norm was sold to the New York Mets after the 1962 season.
• He spent one year with the Mets (1963) and another year with the Mets' AAA Buffalo ballclub before calling it quits as a full-time player.
• Sherry was a player-manager for the Dodgers' Class A club from 1965-1967.
• Norm coached for the Angels in 1970 and 1971.
• In 1972 Sherry started managing in the Angels' system. Norm worked his way up the organization  until he became the manager of the major league club in 1976
• Sherry never managed again. He was a pitching coach for several seasons under Dick Williams at Montreal and San Diego and under Roger Craig in San Francisco.

• Team Highlights:
• April 6 - Frank Tanana pitched a shutout as the Angels won their season opener 7-0.
• May 30 - Dennis Eckersley pitched a no-hitter against the Angels. The only run of the game scored in the first inning when Duane Kuiper tripled and Jim Norris squeezed him in. Frank Tanana allowed only five hits but took the loss.
• June 8 - Nolan Ryan struck out 19 Toronto batters in ten innings but didn't get the decision.  The Angels ended up winning the game in 13 innings.
• July 12 - Tanana was scheduled to start for the AL in the All Star Game, but he had to bow out due to an inflamed elbow.
• July 14 - The Angels pulled their first triple play in team history against the Seattle Mariners. With two runners on base, Seattle's Lee Stanton hit a hard ground ball to 3B Ron Jackson. Jackson stepped on the bag, threw to 2B Jerry Remy to retire the runner on first, and Remy threw to first to retire Jackson and complete the triple play. 
• July 19 - Nolan Ryan was selected by manager Billy Martin to replace Tanana in the All Star Game. Ryan refused to play in the game and Martin thought Ryan should be suspended for the refusal.
• Sept 6 - The Angels claimed Dave Kingman off of waivers. It would be the third team Kingman would play for during the season.
• Sept 15 - The Angels waived Kingman after ten games. Kong ended up with the New York Yankees (his fourth team of the year).
• Sept 22 - Bert Blyleven of the Texas Rangers pitched a no-hitter against the Angels.
• Team Leaders:
• Batting Average: Gil Flores (.278)
• Runs: Bobby Bonds (103)
• Home Runs: Bobby Bonds (37)
• RBI: Bobby Bonds (115)
• Stolen Bases: Bobby Bonds / Jerry Remy (41)
• Wins: Nolan Ryan (19)
• Losses: Nolan Ryan (16)
• Strikeouts: Nolan Ryan (341)
• ERA (starter): Frank Tanana (2.54)
• ERA (reliever): Dyar Miller (3.02)
• Saves: Dave LaRoche (13)
• Team Stats:
• Record: 74-88, 5th in AL West, 28 games behind the Kansas City Royals
• Attendance: 1,432,633 (6th of 14 in AL)
• Batting Average: .255 (12th in AL)
• Runs Scored: 675 (10th in AL)
• Home Runs: 131 (9th in AL)
• Stolen Bases: 159 (3rd in AL)
• ERA: 3.72 (4th in AL)
• Fielding Percentage: .976 (10th in AL)
• League Leaders:
• ERA - Frank Tanana (2.54)
• Strikeouts - Nolan Ryan (341)
• Shutouts - Frank Tanana (7)
• Bases on Balls Nolan Ryan (204) - this was more than double the #2 pitcher (Jim Palmer with 99)
• Awards:
• Nolan Ryan (TSN Pitcher of the Year)
• AL All Stars:
• Nolan Ryan (P), Frank Tanana (P)
• Other card blogs (Norm Sherry): Number 5 Type Collection, centerfieldmaz, Baseball by the Letters

1977 Topps Baesball #33 - Wayne Garland

• After having a career year (20-7, 2.67 ERA) for the Baltimore Orioles in 1976, Wayne Garland signed one of the first big free agent contracts on November 18, 1977. It was a 10-year, $2.3 million deal.
• Wayne was never able to live up to the big deal. He led the AL with 19 losses in 1977 and injuries shortened his career.
• 1977 stats:
• 13-19, 3.60 ERA, 38 starts, 21 complete games
• He did all of that while trying to pitch through a rotator cuff injury that would require surgery in 1978.
• 1977 highlights:
• June 23 - Shut out the Toronto Blue Jays on four hits. It was Cleveland's sixth straight win since Dave Garcia took over as manager.
• Aug 10 - Allowed one run and five hits in a complete game victory over the Chicago White Sox
• Sept 29 - Went the distance as the Indians beat the New York Yankees 4-1, preventing the Yankees from clinching the AL West.
• Other baseball card blogs: 1980, 1979, 1976, 1975 (Orioles Card "O" the Day)