#184 - Jorge Orta

Card fact: I'll go with a player fact. Orta's name was pronounced "Jorj," not "Hor-hay."

What I thought about this card then: Never saw it.

What I think about this card now: Orta looks forlorn, like the guys in the background refused to let him play with them.

Other stuff: Orta is known mostly for his part in the controversial play in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. Orta led off the ninth inning with the Royals trailing the Cardinals 1-0 in the game and 3-2 in the Series. He  grounded a ball to Jack Clark, who tossed to pitcher Todd Worrell at first. Worrell tagged the bag before Orta, but umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe. The Cardinals did not take it well.

The Royals went on to win that game and then won Game 7 easily when the Cardinals, seemingly still wrapped up in the call from the previous game, imploded. It was ugly.

Cover your ears, Cardinals fans, but I was rooting for the Royals in this series, so I was quite pleased.

Aside from that, Orta was a fine hitter for the White Sox throughout the 1970s. He finished second in the American League in batting average in 1974 and was utilized at several positions. He was one of my more favorite players from the '70s.

After he signed with the Indians as a free agent, Orta gradually became a platoon hitter. He had one miserable year with the Dodgers in 1982, then finished up with the Blue Jays and Royals as a role player.

Back facts: Maury Wills stole a then-record 104 bases in 1962.

I was always intrigued every time there was a line that said "Not In Organized Ball." What was he doing? My mind reeled with possibilities.

Also, the blurb at the bottom of the card kills me. Especially in light of the controversial play in '85. "So fast that the umpire calls him safe when he isn't!"

Other blog stuff: This is just the seventh brown-tan combo card, but it pulls "brown-tan," or "chocolate-vanilla," out of a last-place tie with the red-orange combo.