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1970 Topps Paul Edmondson (#414) - Card of the Day
February 13 is sort of a big day around our family, as it’s one of our “inner circle” birthdays. As it happens, events have conspired to push off our celebration until later in the week, but I can still do the day justice here in this space.
My first thought was to whip out a Donnie Moore card, since the Angels reliever figures prominently in my memories from that epic 1986 postseason. But you can’t really tell Moore’s post-Dave Henderson story without turning a bit dark.
So I went looking for another player to highlight, maybe one a bit less well-known.
That’s when I hit on Paul Edmondson. As you’ll see, Edmondson’s story isn’t all that sunny, either, but it’s another tale that shouldn’t be lost completely to the ravages of time.
So…
The White Sox drafted Edmondson out of California State University in 1965 — that was the very first amateur draft, the one that yielded Rick Monday as the very first overall #1 pick.
The first round of that draft also delivered future big leaguers Billy Conigliaro, Ray Fosse, Bernie Carbo, Joe Coleman, and others.
Del Unser and a few other then-less-touted youngsters came out of the second round. One was a kid named Johnny Bench.
So the 1965 draft had its moments, but the 21st round seems pretty inauspicious no matter how you look at it. Of course, it was the first of its kind, so no one really knew yet what the prospects of a low-round pick might be in the coming years.
For his part, Edmondson seemed undaunted by his low-rung beginning and jumped right in with three stops in Chicago’s minor league system that summer.
A 9-8 record with a sterling 1.94 ERA got him…another season in the Florida Instructional League in 1966.
Stints in rookie ball and at Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A followed in 1967 and 1968. During those years, Edmondson was used mostly as a starter, showing good durability, strong strikeout numbers, a bit of control trouble (as evidenced by high walk numbers), and ERAs in the 3s.
Even so, he was back with the Double-A Columbus White Sox in 1969, compiling a 7-3 record with a tiny 1.87 ERA. Coupled with a big league team heading for a 68-94 fifth-place finish in the first year of the new American League West, that was enough.
Enough to get Edmondson promoted to the majors, that is, and he debuted on June 20, 1969 (hey, that was my mom’s 21st birthday!).
By that point, the tall (6’5”) righthander was already 26, really old for a prospect. But he showed up like a veteran in Anaheim, where he held the Angels to two hits, three walks, and a single run in a complete-game win.
Edmondson made 13 more starts for the White Sox that summer, along with a single relief appearance. By the end of the season, his record stood at 1-6, but with a middling 3.70 ERA. It was tough to win games with that Sox team — Tommy John, for instance, went 9-11 with a 3.25 ERA.
Even so, Edmondson had shown enough that he was expected to compete — strongly — for a slot in Chicago’s 1970 rotation during Spring Training.
So things were looking rosy for Edmondson as a new decade dawned. Topps thought so, too, and slated his rookie card (above) as #414 in their 1970 set.
But like Topps’ borders, gray storm clouds were looming for Edmondson.
He turned 27 years old on February 12, 1970. The next day — February 13 — Edmondson was cruising around with his girlfriend in the California sunshine. Or, rather, driving through some California rain near Santa Barbara.
Something went wrong on the way to paradise, and Edmondson’s car went into a skid. He crashed into oncoming traffic, and both Edmondson and his passenger were gone.
Paul Edmondson was born 81 years ago yesterday. Two promising futures were lost 54 years ago today.
1970 Topps Scratch-Offs Luis Aparicio
The White Sox were even worse in 1970, finishing 56-106. You have to think Edmondson could have helped a little, though it would take Dick Allen-size moves to really change course for the southsiders.
One bright spot for White Sox fans that summer was one last Chicago hurrah for future Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio. A key member of the 1959 Go-Go Sox, Little Louie spent the mid-1960s with the Orioles before coming “home” in 1968.
Aparicio won a Gold Glove that first summer back, then another in 1970, the last of nine such fielding honors for his work at shortstop.
That same year, Topps included Aparicio in most of their “special” sets, including the 24-card Scratch-Offs set — that’s the TEAM CAPTAIN card you see above.
Aparicio was gone again after 1970, changing his Sox to finish his career with three seasons in Boston.
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Actually, the White Sox took a dramatic turn for the better when manager Chuck Tanner moved Wilbur Wood into the rotation in 1971. When Allen blew into town for the 1972 season, the ChiSox were ready to compete for real.
All stories for a different day, maybe.
For now, I have to go make a birthday call and fill out my Valentines for the class party tomorrow. Always tough to figure out who to give “You’re swell, Valentine!” to.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam
Don Gullett RIP