28 May 2011

please sir, i want some more.

i guess that means i am comparing nate oliver ttm successes to gruel.  sweet, nourishing gruel!  after receiving this most non-dickensian 1965 topps card signed by oliver, i did go back for one more
and soon thereafter received my 1968 topps card signed as well.
oliver burst on the dodger scene in 1963 as their starting second baseman coming out of spring training, and he singled in each of his first two big league at bats.  by the time may rolled around, jim gilliam had pretty much reclaimed his spot at second, and by the end of july, oliver was back in spokane with the dodgers' aaa indians.  as such, oliver missed out on the dodgers postseason romp over the yankees. 

he was back for a career high 99 games in 1964, but then appeared in just 8 games in 1965, and none of them in the world series against the twins.  oliver finished the '65 season batting 1.000 - he was 1 for 1 with a sacrifice in two plate appearances.  in 1966, oliver was back in the big leagues for most of the season, but was left off of the dodgers' postseason roster once again.  after one more year in dodger blue in 1967, he was traded to the giants in the deal that brought tom haller to la. 

after the 1968 season , he was sent to the yankees, and they traded him during the '69 campaign  to the cubs (after just one at bat) for future cubs manager and defender of ron cey, lee elia.

thanks mr. oliver!

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