In the winter of 1975, the New York Yankees swapped their most popular player Bobby Murcer to the San Francisco Giants for Bobby Bonds in a deal that involved two terrific outfielders that were disappointments to fans of the respective teams.
Murcer was heralded as the "next Mickey Mantle", while Bonds was regarded as the "next Willie Mays" and despite becoming terrific players, neither was able to live up to those high standards.
After all, those are two of the greatest players ever.
Murcer arrived in San Francisco at the age of 29 and had made the American League All-Stars for the previous four seasons.
Murcer's 1974 numbers were down from three terrific seasons previously but the numbers could have been affected by the Yanks' temporary move to Shea Stadium.
The lefty swing of Murcer produced many homers down the short right field line in the Bronx but was not enough to leave the park in the larger Shea.
Murcer's power numbers fell from 22 to 10 and his average tumbled 30 points as well.
Murcer had spent the season in right field after spending his career in center and the move likely did not help his adjustment to the larger confines of Shea Stadium defensively either.
Bonds appeared in Gotham at 29 as well and was a two-time National League All-Star member.
Please remember though the NL was the far superior circuit at the time and it was much harder to make an All-Star team in the National League than in the younger league.
Bonds numbers had slid a bit in 1974, but one could not expect less after just missing by one homer being the first man to ever hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in one season in baseball history in 1973.
Bonds's average spiraled downward 27 points, his power numbers moved from 39 to 21 and his RBI totals dropped from 96 to 71.
So looking at this deal beforehand, Bonds hit more homers and would steal many more bases than Murcer, but Murcer generally hit for a higher average and struck out far less than Bonds.
Both are the same age and with the exception of the one-year stint in right for Murcer were center fielders.
Do you make this trade?
Honestly, looking at things from the 1975 perspective, I would be more likely to pull the trigger if I was getting Bonds than I would if I was getting Murcer, but I can see getting the more reliable Murcer than the boom or bust of Bobby Bonds.
Ironically, neither player was playing in their new home by 1978.
Bonds spent one season in New York in which his numbers looked great, but was never truly accepted by the Big Apple faithful in adding another 30/30 season with 32 homers and 30 steals and making the AL All-Stars.
Bonds was shipped to the California Angels after the season for two players that would figure prominently in the Yankees pennant-winning teams of the late 70s in Ed Figueroa and Mickey Rivers.
Bonds would travel from team to team for the next few years going from the Angels to the Chicago White Sox to Texas to Cleveland putting up his usual numbers at all stops before finishing his career as a backup for the Cardinals and Cubs.
Murcer would make the NL All-Stars in 1975 in a .298 and 91 RBI season but hit just 11 homers.
Murcer changed his swing in 1976 and increased his power numbers by hitting 23 homers but watched his average plummet almost 40 points in doing so.
Murcer was sent to the Cubs in 1977 as part of a multi-player trade where the main return for the Giants was Bill Madlock, where he hit 27 homers before eventually returning to finish his career as a Yankee as a backup outfielder and pinch hitter.
In the end, both of these players are excellent, top-of-the-line players, but if I had to choose between them-I give the edge to Bobby Bonds.
A one-for-one trade of superstars in their prime does not happen much anymore, but when they do they always are remembered fondly.
Bullpen Notes
I admit I was a Bonds fan more than a Murcer fan when I was a young baseball fan.
My fondest memory of Bonds was a pregame hand slap during my first visit to Cleveland Stadium in 1979 as Bonds was spending his only season with the Tribe in what proved to be his last good season.
Take a look at the airbrushed hats on the 1975 cards of Murcer and Bonds that are pictured.
The trade happened late in the Topps press run and they had to settle for that instead of cards that showed them with the new caps on.
An excellent blog by Joe Posnanski on the Bonds-Murcer trade can be found here.
Look for the next poll to be on the Bonds-Murcer trade.
Billy Packer is out at CBS and Clark Kellogg is in?
I know many hate Billy Packer, but I have always enjoyed the honesty and candor of his work.
Plus living in MD, ACC fans got Packer way before the national fans as part of his terrific team with the late Jim Thacker on the Pilot Life ACC network.
Maybe sometime during hoop season, I will reflect on Packer and Thacker.
On the other hand, Kellogg is the basketball model of Jim Palmer in sounding like he is almost asleep.
I don't hate Kellogg, but far from a fan either.
Photo Credits Topps
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