This interested me

[Chris-Counts]

I remember Alan Lewis. It's amazing he never made it on a multi-player rookie card (I checked!), since he played for six seasons. I'm guessing he used up his rookie eligibility early, and Topps didn't deem him worthy of his card. A's owner Charley O. Finley was always trying to reinvent the game, and one of his ideas was a designated pinch runner. It's interesting to note that the A's let Lewis go when they signed track star Herb Washington for the '74 season. Washington got a ton of press, especially when he was picked off first base in the World Series that year. Lewis meanwhile, had a better track record (no pun intended!) as a base stealer, nabbing 44 to Washington's 31. Each was caught 17 times, proving that it takes more than speed to steal a base (see Maury Wills vs. Willie Davis) ...