Who is the man: Dick Williams spent the 1970 season as a coach with the Expos. He was hired by Oakland owner Charlie Finley to lead a bunch of hard-headed talents for the 1971 season. The A's would win 101 games in Williams' first year.

Can ya dig it: One of the most memorable painted caps in any baseball card set. That hat is straight out of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

Right on: You can see the hint of Red Sox lettering on Williams' jersey. Williams managed the Red Sox until 1969.

You see that cat Williams is a bad mother: Williams led three teams -- the Red Sox, the A's and the Padres -- to the World Series. Only one other manager can say that.

Shut your mouth: Williams looked at the Oakland A's as 25 versions of himself and said the animosity they held for the team's owner, Finley, worked in his favor. "It's impossible for even baseball players to truly hate two of their bosses at once," Williams said.

No one understands him but his woman: Williams was married to his wife, Norma, for 57 years. They died 28 days apart in 2011.


(A word about the back): Williams was on the verge of his second AL Manager of the Year award when this card was issued.

Who is the man: Sparky Anderson was the toast of the town after the 1970 season, leading the Reds to the World Series in his first season as manager. But when this card was issued, Cincinnati was struggling and wound up finishing fourth in the NL West in 1971.

Can ya dig it: Anderson looked managerly right from the start.

Right on: I've known most of my life that Anderson's given first name was George, but it still looks odd written out.

You see that cat Anderson is a bad mother: The first manager to win the World Series in both leagues. That's all I gotta say.

Shut your mouth: Anderson liked to talk and reporters liked him because he liked to talk. I remember being taken aback, reading my Bill James Baseball Abstract in either 1983 or 1984 and James criticizing Anderson (probably over using Enos Cabell). It was the first time I read an unkind sports word about Anderson! Anderson's response to James was that James was "a little fat guy with a beard ... who knows nothing about nothing."

No one understands him but his woman: Anderson met his wife, Carol, in the fifth grade. They were married for 57 years.


(A word about the back): That is an impressive line for your first year managing. I'd say he's a fine leader.

Who is the man: Leo Durocher, in his fifth year as the Cubs' manager, led Chicago to a second straight second-place finish in the NL East in 1970. The Cubs finished five games behind the Pirates, but one game ahead of the Mets, who frustrated the Cubs in 1969.

Can ya dig it: This card is way off-center, but it's much more obvious here. I don't even notice it when it's in my '71 binder.

Right on: Durocher looks like someone's drunk uncle in this photo. The photo also is suspiciously similar to his photo on this card.

You see that cat Durocher is a bad mother: Durocher managed the Dodgers to their first pennant in 21 years in 1941, the Giants to their first pennant in 14 years in 1951 and won the Giants a World Series in 1954. Oh, and he also said "nice guys finish last." That's pretty bad-ass, although not very nice. (He actually said something like "the nice guys are all over there, in seventh place" but why let a quote get in the way of a good story?)

Shut your mouth: Durocher was nicknamed "The Lip" early in his playing career because of his nonstop talking. He famously did not get along with his fellow Yankees when he started with them in the late 1920s. Babe Ruth called him "the All-American Out".

No one understands him but his woman: Durocher was married and divorced three times. His third wife, Laraine Day, divorced him in 1960, but accepted his Hall of Fame award on his induction day in 1994. Durocher had died three years earlier.


 (A word about the back): I mentioned on the last manager card how odd it was to see someone born in 1911 on the back of a card. Well Durocher was born in 1906!

Who is the man: Walt Alston managed the Dodgers to a second-place finish in the NL West in 1970, his 17th year as manager of the club. It was the team's highest finish since 1966.

Can ya dig it: Alston seems absolutely thrilled with whoever he spotted in the mezzanine.

Right on: This photo likely was taken at the same time as the photo on Alston's 1972 Topps card. Not only is he staring in the same general direction, but those two standing, jacketed people behind Alston are in both shots.

You see that cat Alston is a bad mother: Alston managed the Dodgers to their first World Series title in 1955. And he added championships in 1959, 1963 and 1965 for good measure.

Shut your mouth: Alston lasted longer as a manager with one team than everyone except Connie Mack and John McGraw. "He's not irritating," Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley once explained. "Do you realize how important it is to have a manager who doesn't irritate you?"

No one understands him but his woman: Dodgers player Tommy Davis once said of Alston: "He's a straight guy, know what I mean? Really straight. I respect the man. I just don't understand him."


(A word about the back): It's a little crazy to see someone born in 1911 on the back of a baseball card.

Who is the man: Bill Rigney was entering his second season as manager of the Twins when this card was issued. He led the Twins to the AL West title in 1970.

Can ya dig it: Rigney is featuring the tell-tale leather neck of old-timey managers.

Right on: Rigney's card is 10 cards after the Twins team card. That might be the shortest number of cards between team card and manager in the set. (Yes, I think of stuff like this).

You see that cat Rigney is a bad mother: Rigney took the second-year Angels to a third-place finish in the American League in 1962, behind only the Yankees and Twins. The Angels were in first place on Sept. 12 and Rigney was named AL Manager of the Year after the season.

Shut your mouth: Rigney has one of my favorite quotes about modern ballplayers who think they have all the answers: "They really don't want to know. All they say is, 'hey man, that was 40 years ago. Things are different now.' Oh really? How different? Do they run to third base instead of first? Come on."

No one understands him but his woman: Rigney was both the first manager of the L.A. Angels and the first manager of an MLB team in San Francisco.


 (A word about the back): When Rigney started his managerial career with Minneapolis, he also played several games for the team in 1954 and 1955.

Who is the man: Charlie Fox was coming off his first season as the Giants' manager when this card was issued. He'd go on to lead the Giants to the N.L. West title in 1971 and was named the league's manager of the year.

Can ya dig it: Fox's four manager cards for the Giants are very similar. About the only thing that changes is the shading on his glasses.

Right on: Fox appears to be in mid-conversation.

You see that cat Fox is a bad mother: Fox is often credited for helping to develop Hall of Fame slugger Willie McCovey.

Shut your mouth: Fox gained the Giants job when Clyde King was let go after the Giants squandered an 8-0 lead and lost to the Padres 17-16 in 15 innings. Fox, who was managing the Triple A team in Phoenix, was listening to the game on the radio when Phoenix GM Rosy Ryan walked in and asked how things were going. Fox told him about the Giants game on TV, explaining that King was using up his entire pitching staff and had a doubleheader the next day. "He's in real trouble," Fox said to Ryan. Then Ryan said, "Oh, no, you're in trouble. You're the manager tomorrow."

No one understands him but his woman: Fox punched out Expos pitcher Steve Rogers in the clubhouse during an argument in late July, 1978. Fox, the general manager for Montreal, loudly criticized shortstop Chris Speier for his game performance the previous night. Rogers, the team's player rep, took offense and an argument followed. Fox challenged Rogers several times and Rogers shoved Fox, causing Fox to belt Rogers in the jaw. After the season, Fox was demoted and the incident with Rogers was cited as the main reason.


(A word about the back): Fox really did manage way back in 1947. As the bio says, he was a player-manager for a decade in the minor leagues for the Giants.

Who is the man: Danny Murtaugh was entering what would be his second World Championship season when this card was issued. As an appetizer, he had led the Pirates to the NL East title in 1970.

Can ya dig it: I like how managers can just stand there in the dugout and that's good enough for a photo for a baseball card.

Right on: This photo was used again on Murtaugh's 1974 Topps card.

You see that cat Murtaugh is a bad mother: Murtaugh managed the Pirates to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971.

Shut your mouth: After Bill Mazeroski blasted the Pirates to the Series with his Game 7 walk-off home run in 1960, Murtaugh's wife, Kate, said he had never seen his husband so happy. Murtaugh said to her, "If you had been standing on one side of me and Bill Mazeroski on the other side and somebody said I had to kiss one or the other, it wouldn't have been you."

No one understands him but his woman: Murtaugh left the Pirates managing job only to return again three times.


(A word about the back): I may have mentioned this before, but "first game in majors" here applies to his managing career. Murtaugh played nine years in the big leagues, starting in 1941 and ending in 1951.

Who is the man: Alvin Dark was entering his fourth and what would be final season as manager for the Cleveland Indians in 1971. He was fired 103 games into the 1971 season.

Can ya dig it: I really like the red caps the Indians wore in the 1960s/early '70s.

Right on: The photo is such a tight crop on Dark's head that you can barely make out the famed Yankee Stadium frieze.

You see that cat Dark is a bad mother: Dark took two teams to the World Series. His 1962 Giants lost the Series to the Yankees, but his 1974 A's won it all against the Dodgers.

Shut your mouth: Dark lost his managing job with the Giants in 1964 after a controversial newspaper interview in which he accused his players of making "dumb plays." Dark said he was referring specifically to baserunning errors by Orlando Cepeda and Jesus Alou. But since the Giants featured a great number of minority players on the roster then, Dark was accused of blanketing the team as dumb and of being racist.

No one understands him but his woman: Dark worked for A's owner Charlie Finley on two separate occasions, causing some of his players to question his intelligence/sanity.


(A word about the back): This is the second straight manager card that mentions only his playing career.

Who is the man: The Senators bottomed out in Ted Williams' second year managing the team. Washington finished dead last in the AL East in 1970 after going 86-76 in 1969.

Can ya dig it: I saw this card during my early collecting days and it stuck in my brain. When I started collecting the 1971 set, I thought it would be forever before I acquired it. I was practically giddy when I bought it at a small card show in town with no trouble at all.

Right on: This is quite a difference from the photo Topps used of Williams in the 1970 set.

You see that cat Williams is a bad mother: In his first year of managing, Williams led the Senators to their only winning season in their 11-year existence between 1961-71.

Shut your mouth: When Williams reported to his first big league camp in 1938, the veteran Red Sox players knew he was a hot prospect but made sure to make him miserable that first year. His outfield competition, Ben Chapman, Joe Vosmik and Doc Cramer, gave Williams a hard time in particular. When camp broke, Williams saw the list of who was headed to train with the big league club and he wasn't on it. Enraged, he yelled at the three outfielders: "I'll be back. And I'll make more money in this f---ing game than all three of you combined."

No one understands him but his woman: In "Ted Williams, My Father," a 2014 book written by Williams' daughter Claudia, she remembers a time as a girl when she plugged the toilet while her father was on the phone. As water began to drip from the ceiling, a furious Williams ripped the phone from the wall and threw it across the room before realizing he now could not call a plumber.


(A word about the back): So far, Williams and Lum Harris are the only managers in which Topps writes about their playing careers instead of their managing careers. In Williams' case, I guess I'll give it a pass.

Who is the man: Lum Harris was entering the 1971 season after a disappointing 1970 with the Braves. He had enjoyed his best year as a manager in 1969 for N.L. West champion Atlanta only to see his team fall to 76-86 the following year.

Can ya dig it: Harris looks both mesmerized and terrified. A very odd expression.

Right on: Possibly the bluest eyes I've ever seen on a baseball card.

You see that cat Harris is a bad mother: Harris managed the Braves to their first title while in Atlanta. The Braves clinched the 1969 N.L. West crown on the second-to-last day of the season.

Shut your mouth: Harris was a good friend of Paul Richards since the 1930s when they played together. Through the following decades, as Richards rose through the ranks as a manager and then general manager, he added Harris to his staff, getting him jobs as a manager with the Orioles, Astros and Braves. But in 1972, Richards was reassigned and Harris fired. They never spoke to each other again.

No one understands him but his woman: Harris was the first manager to lead a team that played an entire season under a dome. The 1965 Astros finished in ninth place while playing on dead grass during the first year of the Astrodome.


(A word about the back): Topps goes way back to Harris' minor league pitching days in the bio.

Who is the man: Lefty Phillips was entering the 1971 season after guiding the Angels to their second straight third-place finish in the American League West.

Can ya dig it: Just a wonderful dugout shot. Towels resting neatly on hooks. Lefty poised over the bat rack.

Right on: As you can see by his signature, "Lefty" is a nickname.

You see this cat Phillips is a bad mother: Phillips came to the Angels from the Dodgers, where he was the pitching coach for the bad-ass 1965 rotation that included Koufax, Drysdale, Podres, Perranoski, among others.

Shut your mouth: Late in the '65 season, Johnny Podres was throwing shutout ball against the Astros. But after four innings, Phillips wanted to replace Podres with Howie Reed. Podres told Phillips, "Lefty, I know you don't like me, but I"m pitching another inning." Podres won the game for his final victory for the Dodgers.

No one understands him but his woman: Phillips didn't last with the Angels past the 1971 season. That was the year batting champion Alex Johnson and the Angels famously waged war against each other. Phillips suspended Johnson five times that season and the Angels finished fourth.


(A word about the back): That "first year in pro ball" refers to his managing career as he was a long time pro scout and coach before he became the second manager in Angels franchise history.

Who is the man: Gil Hodges led the Mets to a third-place finish one year after the team won the World Series in 1969. Sadly, the 1971 season would be his final season as a manager. He would suffer a fatal heart attack in April of 1972.

Can ya dig it: It's difficult for me to look at Hodges the player and Hodges the manager as the same person. Hodges the player looked youthful and vibrant. Hodges the manager looked haggard.

Right on: Hodges is no older than 46 in this photograph. That's scary to me.

You see this cat Hodges is a bad mother: Hodges was a powerful slugger for the Dodgers. For a time he held the National League record for both career home runs by a right-handed hitter and grand slams.

Shut your mouth: There's a famous moment in Hodges' managerial career with the Mets that took place during a game in July 1969. After seeing outfielder Cleon Jones fail to hustle after a ball, Hodges walked out of the dugout, onto the field, past the pitcher's mound and into left field. He led Jones back to the dugout and Jones didn't play the rest of the game. There is a video in which Hodges' wife and others talk about that incident, which some say turned the Mets into the Miracle Mets.

No one understands him but his woman: During an argument in which Hodges' wife, Joan, complained that he wasn't listening to her, she said, "I'm going to get uniforms for all the children, and I'm going to take the rugs out of this whole house and put Astroturf down. Maybe then I can have your undivided attention."


(A word about the back): The "first year in pro ball" feature is a little deceptive on these manager cards. 1963 was Hodges' first year of managing in the pros, but it obviously wasn't his first year in pro ball.

Who is the man: Ralph Houk was entering his sixth year of his second stint as manager of the Yankees as the 1971 card set hit stores.

Can ya dig it: It doesn't get any more managerial than that. Can we have some patriotic music to go with that photo?

Right on: This is one of Houk's better manager cards. He's got a lot of them that I like. The 1962 one is probably the best. Dated, but fantastic.

You see this cat Houk is a bad mother: Houk was known for his temper. Considering how combustible he was, he kept it relatively in check. He was ejected 45 times from games, which is good enough for 14th among major league managers all-time.

Shut your mouth: Houk was known for his gruff handling of players. He took no lip. "None of us questioned Ralph," said former Yankee Tony Kubek in the book "Sixty-One." "He was The Major."

No one understands him but his woman: As I wrote on the 1985 Topps blog, Houk once decked singer Gordon McRae for apparently dancing too close to his wife. Both decker and deckee denied that it happened.


(A word about the back): "An outstanding leader of men ..." If that sounds like military-style praise, it's because it is. Houk was a major in the Army during World War II, and "outstanding leader of men" would be a phrase used to describe him by people like Tommy Lasorda once he became a manager.

Who is the man: Frank Lucchesi took his first major league managing job before the 1970 season and guided the Phillies to a 73-88 record, good for fifth in the National League East.

Can ya dig it: There have been four manager cards so far. In every one, the manager is looking off to his left.

Right on: On both my '71 and '85 Topps blogs, the most recent post features a manager who was fired by Phillies GM Paul Owens and then replaced by him.

You see this cat Lucchesi is a bad mother: Lucchesi  is so bad-ass that he gives you answers to questions you didn't even ask.

Shut your mouth: Lucchesi was famously assaulted by second baseman Lenny Randle while managing the Rangers in 1977. Randle was upset about losing his starting job to rookie Bump Wills. Lucchesi reacted angrily to Randle's complaint, telling reporters: "I'm tired of these punks saying play me or trade me. Anyone who makes $80,000 a year and gripes and moans all spring is not going to get a tear out of me." Lucchesi was quoted in the papers. Shortly after, Randle told Lucchesi he wanted to talk to him. After an exchange of words, Randle punched Lucchesi in the face, breaking the manager's cheekbone in three places and putting him in a hospital for a week.

No one understands him but his woman: Lucchesi eventually lost his job with the Rangers because of the incident. Refusing to a settlement with Randle, he had the player arrested, which didn't go over well with the public. Lucchesi later filed a civil suit against Randle. The manager was fired three months after the assault.


(A word about the back): I already mentioned this on Twitter, but that has to be the freakiest floating head of all-time.

Who is the man: Bob Lemon was entering his first full season as Royals manager in 1971 after taking over for Charlie Metro during the 1970 season.

Can ya dig it: Some nice foreshadowing in this photo as Lemon would go on to two separate stints of managing for the Yankees in Yankee Stadium.

Right on: I remember Lemon during his glasses days with the White Sox and the Yankees. It's odd to see him without them.

You see this cat Lemon is a bad mother: Lemon made it to the World Series four times, twice as a player and twice as a manager. He's also one of the few former pitchers to have notable success as a manager in the last 50 years.

Shut your mouth: Lemon's managerial style was adopted from manager Al Lopez. Lemon's biggest attribute was his low-key nature. He didn't say much and didn't hound his players. Speaking about Yankees manager Billy Martin, who he replaced in 1978, he said "Where maybe I keep things inside, he lets them come out."

No one understands him but his woman: Lemon led the Royals to their first winning season in 1971. But after a below-.500 season in 1972, owner Ewing Kauffman fired Lemon, saying he wanted someone younger.


(A word about the back): If that's not the exact same photo as the one that's on the front, it's one click of the shutter away.

Who is the man: Gene Mauch was about to enter his third season of managing the expansion Montreal Expos when this card arrived. His 1970 season, in which the Expos won 73 games after winning only 52 in 1969, was considered something of a success.

Can ya dig it: Anyone know who is sitting in the background? He's slouching.

Right on: Some manager cards are absolutely terrific. This is one of them. Just a wonderful shot. I do wish I knew if Mauch has a bat in his right hand.

You see this cat Mauch is a bad mother: Mauch's hot temper was well-known. In a famous story, he threw spare ribs all over the clubhouse after a Phillies loss in 1963 because he thought players were taking things too lightly.

Shut your mouth: Gene Mauch didn't want to hear it when people praised him. "If you're in (baseball) for 40 years, you ought to learn something," he said.

No one understands him but his woman: Mauch is most famous for coming close to the World Series as a manager but never reaching it. He never won a pennant despite winning more than 1,900 games. He also managed teams that lost, respectively, 23 and 20 straight games. There's a lot there that no one else ever experienced. Fortunately.


(A word about the back): The Expos did not top the .500 mark in 1971. In fact, they didn't top the .500 mark until 1979, when they won 95 games.

Who is the man: Eddie Kasko was a former infielder who took his first major league managerial job in 1970, succeeding Dick Williams as the Red Sox's skipper. This is his first manager card. And this is the first manager card in the set.

Can ya dig it: Kasko has the honor of being on the first 1973 Topps card I ever saw. It was in my brother's collection.

Right on: I don't have a lot of pristine 1971s, and this card has a little chipping on the bottom, but it's in otherwise very nice shape. There is nothing more beautiful than a well-preserved 1971 Topps card.

You see this cat Kasko is a bad mother: A bad mother for wearing glasses his entire career! I originally thought it was only a "I'm the manager now, so I better put on some glasses and look authoritative" thing. But it turns out he wore glasses as a player, too.

Shut your mouth: Kasko was before my time, and I first came across him in a story by the great Roger Angell. He was writing about the 1972 pennant race in which the Tigers caught the Red Sox and won the A.L. East pennant. Kasko's response to a writer who had brought up some embarrassing Boston base-running play was the old classic line: "If 'ifs' and 'buts' were candied nuts, we'd all have a hell of a Christmas." This phrase has been repeated in one form or another many times, but it was the first time I had ever heard it when I read Kasko saying it. I thought it was genius.

No one understand him but his woman: Kasko was a gentle, quiet sort who replaced the brash, confrontational Williams. The players loved Kasko, but the clique-ravaged Red Sox were also able to get away with just about anything under his watch, and he was eventually replaced by Darrell Johnson after the 1973 season. Both Williams and Johnson led the Red Sox to World Series, so Kasko is the underachieving link between the two.


(A word about the back): The World Series that Kasko participated in was the 1961 Series as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.