Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Rick Stelmaszek Saga:Part 19

I have written before about finding rare baseball pictures on Ebay.  Back in the day, you were lucky to find any such pictures of any players unless they were stars.  That's why finding these pictures now is so cool.
Recently, I came across the picture below of Rick Stelmaszek from his time with the California Angels (pre-Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles).  This is the first real photo I have seen of Stelmaszek in an Angels uni.  His 1974 Topps card is a decent airbrush of him from his time with the Rangers.  His 1975 card is a mediocre airbrushed Cubs card.
I don't know the origin of this photo.  Obviously, it was taken in 1973 (his only season with the Angels).  I am not good enough to pinpoint stadiums on a regular basis, let alone with this limited background view.  I am just guessing it is a home shot, because his uniform looks more like the home uni.  Since he is not wearing the full catcher's gear, other than the mitt, the picture was probably taken pre-game. 
His stance does not indicate he was playing long toss.  He looks more like he was preparing to field a bouncer or maybe an errant throw.
The picture does not tell a lot, but it does do a lot.  It brings back great memories and that childhood feeling when I first fell in love with baseball.
Rick Stelmaszek-Summer 1973.

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