Vintage Fridays: Gus Triandos, 1962 Topps #420

You might have heard by now that Gus Triandos passed away yesterday, dying in his sleep at age 82 after spending the past decade suffering from congestive heart failure. So it is that on the cusp of Opening Day, the Orioles say goodbye to the team's first true star, a slugging, slow-footed catcher who was rescued from the sprawling Yankees farm system by the savvy Paul Richards. He rewarded Richards and the Birds with seven strong seasons as the club's primary backstop, and was a four-time All-Star in his prime (1957-1959; this includes both All-Star Games in the latter year). Gus has already been eulogized quite expertly by Joe Posnanski over at Harball Talk. So I'll keep it simple here. Obviously, I never saw Gus play; his Oriole career had been over for twenty years before I came drooling and bawling into this existence. But I look at the photo on this card, and I see a strong man taking his stance. His bat is gripped tightly in large, calloused hands. His sleeves are roughly half the length of those on the uniforms of today's players, the better to show off his powerful arms. It may not be Ted Kluszewski and his famous vest, but Triandos' brawn must have been intimidating to many pitchers. He knew it, too. You can see the confident calm in his face as he stares out at the mound. The next pitch is leaving the yard on a line to left field.