#294 - Tom Nieto

What a card: This is Tom Nieto's rookie card. He also appears in the 1985 Donruss and Fleer sets.

My observation on the front: Nieto has gotten himself dirty already in this game judging by his right pant leg. I'd guess that'd make sense being a catcher and all.

More opinion from me: I dare one team -- just one team -- to wear powder blue road uniforms for an entire season. I'm willing to bet it would attract more fans.

Something you might know: Nieto was involved in a controversial play in the 1985 World Series. In the second inning of Game 5, with the Cardinals and Royals tied 1-1, Jim Sundberg tried to score from second base on a hit by Buddy Biancalana. Nieto came up the line to get the throw from Cesar Cedeno and then thought he applied the tag in time as Sundberg slid around him and swept his hand on the plate. Umpire John Shulock called Sundberg safe, causing Nieto to slam down his mask and Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog to come out of the dugout to argue. Herzog claimed that Sundberg missed the plate. The Royals would win the game 6-1.

Something you might not know: In a Sports Illustrated article written by Peter Gammons in 1986, which was titled "10 Traded That Should Be Made," he proposed a bizarre deal in which Nieto was dealt from the Expos to the Indians for Chris Bando, then dealt from the Indians to the Padres for Bruce Bochy, then dealt from the Padres to the Red Sox for Marc Sullivan, then dealt from the Red Sox to the Reds for Sal Butera, then dealt from the Reds to the White Sox for Marc Hill, then dealt from the White Sox to the Braves for Bruce Benedict, then dealt from the Braves to the Expos for Dann Bilardello, upon which the Expos send down Nieto and call up Mike Fitzgerald.

I don't know what the purpose of this bit of nonsense was other than to show how many backup catchers Gammons could name.

My observation on the back: Since Ray Knight, 18 other National Leaguers have hit two home runs in one inning, including Jeff King twice. The most recent is the Giants' Pablo Sandoval in 2011. When this trivia question was printed, the feat hadn't happened in almost five years. But in 1985, it would happen twice, by the Phillies' Von Hayes and the Expos' Andre Dawson.

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