Lenny Randle---1977
There’s no telling how far back Lenny
Randle set Little League coaching
with his card from the 1977 Topps
set. Coaches and dads and
everyone in between have always to
youngsters to keep their eye on the
ball, yet here is Lenny pulling his
head and trying to see where the
stitched sphere is headed long
before he even makes contact.
Of course, Randle was good at
creating trouble on occasion during
his career. The switch-hitter is best
remembered for pummeling his
manager, Texas’ Frank Lucchesi,
during spring training in 1977 after
the skipper announced that Bump
Wills and not Randle would be the
starter at the keystone sack. Fined
and suspended, Randle wound up
being traded to the hapless Mets and
proceeded to lead the team in
several offensive categories that
year. Randle later attracted attention
at the Kingdome in 1981 when he
tried to blow a slow roller foul while
manning third base. That, too, is
something that causes coaches to
cringe when their young players see
the blooper footage.
Randle set Little League coaching
with his card from the 1977 Topps
set. Coaches and dads and
everyone in between have always to
youngsters to keep their eye on the
ball, yet here is Lenny pulling his
head and trying to see where the
stitched sphere is headed long
before he even makes contact.
Of course, Randle was good at
creating trouble on occasion during
his career. The switch-hitter is best
remembered for pummeling his
manager, Texas’ Frank Lucchesi,
during spring training in 1977 after
the skipper announced that Bump
Wills and not Randle would be the
starter at the keystone sack. Fined
and suspended, Randle wound up
being traded to the hapless Mets and
proceeded to lead the team in
several offensive categories that
year. Randle later attracted attention
at the Kingdome in 1981 when he
tried to blow a slow roller foul while
manning third base. That, too, is
something that causes coaches to
cringe when their young players see
the blooper footage.
