Tony Horton 1966 Red Sox Jersey (G/U?)

[AGuinness]

Interesting story about Horton. And it’s odd that a player who had a decent start to his career over a few years never made it into a Topps card while he was still active.


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[sayhey24]

That's a great estate sale find! Was it in the Boston area?

I remember Tony Horton from my childhood, but can't believe in all these years I never realized what happened to him.
Here is a pretty good SABR article on Horton:

Greg

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/e1dbb148

[MCyganik]

Originally Posted by sayhey24

That's a great estate sale find! Was it in the Boston area?

I remember Tony Horton from my childhood, but can't believe in all these years I never realized what happened to him.
Here is a pretty good SABR article on Horton:

Greg

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/e1dbb148

Yeah he’s got a fascinating story. Sort of reminds me of Jimmy Piersall, but whereas Piersall improved his functioning to play baseball, Horton did not and disappeared completely.

Edit: And yes, it was in the Boston area. There was very little in the way of other baseball stuff in the house and Tony is a lifelong California resident with a track record for being very distant and aloof. So how this jersey ended up where it did is a whole other mystery for me.

[MCyganik]

Originally Posted by AGuinness

Interesting story about Horton. And it’s odd that a player who had a decent start to his career over a few years never made it into a Topps card while he was still active.

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According to some research, Tony Horton has by far the most ABs for a player in the Topps era to never have a single card with Topps.

According to an article in 1985, the legendary Topps player rep Sy Berger was quoted:
“Only one player ever turned me down,'' Berger says. ''Tony Horton, a first baseman with the Red Sox and the Indians about 20 years ago. His father and grandfather advised him not to sign.''

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by MCyganik

According to some research, Tony Horton has by far the most ABs for a player in the Topps era to never have a single card with Topps.

According to an article in 1985, the legendary Topps player rep Sy Berger was quoted:
“Only one player ever turned me down,'' Berger says. ''Tony Horton, a first baseman with the Red Sox and the Indians about 20 years ago. His father and grandfather advised him not to sign.''

That SABR article implies/says that Tony had a ton of pressure on him, trying to live up to his father's expectations. This story is very consistent with an over-bearing, impossible to please father. I can see how a guy in that situation would just want to walk away from all that crap and proceed to live a good, happy life with a different career.