I'm So Excited About Aaron Pointer's Rookie Card!

The man's a Hall of Famer, after all

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1967 Topps Astros Rookies (#564) - Card of the Day

To say Aaron Pointer has had an eventful and successful life may be the understatement of the 1967 Topps baseball card set.

The oldest of six children born to a pair of pastors, Pointer first made a name for himself on the diamond. Specifically, his star burned bright enough at McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, that the Houston Colt .45s signed him to a minor league deal before the 1961 season.

That’s even more significant given that the expansion club wouldn’t begin play for another year!

In the meantime, Pointer split the summer between the Class-D Salisbury Buffs and the Triple-A Houston Buffs, batting a combined .401 in 97 games. According to his Wikipedia page, that makes Pointer the most recent player to hit over .400 for a full season of organized ball in the United States or Canada (but not Mexico).

He also connected on seven home runs and stole 42 bases, giving him a quick leg up on “outfield prospect” status.

Even so, the Colt .45s left Pointer on the farm for more seasoning during their inaugural foray into National League play, finishing 64-96-2 without him in 1962.

For his part, Pointer found the going a bit rougher that summer, hitting .244 with eight dingers and 19 swipes in 128 games split between Class B and Triple A. It was mostly more of the same in 1963 — .264 with 18 home runs and 16 steals for the Double-A San Antonio Bullets.

Maybe it was the added power that convinced them, but the Colts called up Pointer late that season, and he made his major league debut on September 22, 1963. A one-for-five showing in two games didn’t move his stock one way or the other.

Indeed, Pointer spent all of 1964 at Double A, then did the same thing in 1965. Finally climbing back to Triple A in 1966, the 24-year-old posted solid numbers: .277, 10 HR, 62 RBI, 14 SB, and 8 triples.

That was enough for him to get another look at the bigs, and he hit a robust .346 in 11 games down the stretch for eighth-place Houston, who had become the Astros when they moved into the Astrodome in 1965.

That performance had both his bosses and the cardboard powers-that-were buzzing — so much so that, by Opening Day of 1967, Pointer was the Astros’ starting left fielder, and Topps was planning his rookie card.

In the third game of the season, Pointer grounded into an inning-ending double play against Cincinnati’s Ted Abernathy in the eighth. After the Reds batted in the bottom of the frame, Houston catcher Bill Heath led off the ninth with a single.

Trying to erase a 5-4 deficit, Houston manager Grady Hatton brought in 19-year-old rookie Alonzo Harris to run for Heath. Harris ended up at third after a couple of sacrifices, but Jim Landis struck out to end the game.

All of that is important because it finished the setup for Pointer’s RC — it would be Harris leading off, with Pointer there to drive him home. Or carry the card. Or something.

By the time that card saw the light of day, though, Harris had already played his last game in the majors (April 27), and Pointer was struggling to keep his dream alive. Sent back to the minors in May after hitting .152 in 18 games for the Astros, he did eventually make it back to Houston for another September run.

That would be the last one, though, as Pointer began 1968 back on the farm before the Astros traded him to the Cubs for Byron Browne in May. That change of scenery did him no good in his quest for another sip of coffee, and he landed in Triple A once again in 1969.

Apparently not content to spend the 1970s in the minors, too, Pointer flew the coop for Japan, plying his trade for the Nishitetsu Lions from 1970 through 1972. After a career-high 22 home runs in that first season overseas, though, Pointer’s power — and stock — began to wane, and he was done with baseball at 30.

Back home in Tacoma, Washington, Pointer took up a long career in Parks and Recreation, which led him to supervising youth athletics…which led him to officiating games…which led him to the PAC-10…which led him to the NFL, where he became a head linesman.

As he turns 82 years old today, Pointer can celebrate his birthday as a member of the Tacoma Hall of Fame.

And if the man looks familiar, or if his name sounds familiar, maybe you saw him play, or officiate. Or maybe you had his brother, a college professor, for a class or two.

Or, just possibly, maybe you’ve run into a sister or four of his. You know — the Pointer Sisters?

Another Decade of the Toy Cannon

The major — and pretty much only — power source for those 1967 Astros was Jim Wynn, the Toy Cannon. He was also arguably their best player, though fans of Rusty Staub and Joe Morgan might have other opinions on that front.

Wynn would go on to play another six seasons in Houston before wrapping up with the Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, and Brewers.

Those last two teams each came into the picture in 1977, but Wynn it was apparently apparent enough that Wynn was done that Topps didn’t give him a career-capper in 1978.

So that 1977 Topps card with the Braves was his cardboard swan song. You can find more on Wynn and his hobby finale right here.

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And so wraps another week of obscure hobby ramblings — if you’ve read this far, you’ve probably enjoyed at least some of them. Or have a headache. Or both.

But hey! You have the weekend to recover, and we’ll meet back here on Monday.

Thanks for reading.

—Adam