1980 TCMA Spokane Indians Baseball #5, Joe Coleman

Joe Coleman, Jr. covered a lot of geography in uniform. Just 18 years old at his (Washington) Senatorial debut, Joe eventually pitched for 7 teams, wore 13 uniform numbers, and totaled 145 career victories. No longer able to find big league work in 1980, he signed to pitch and coach with Seattle's AAA squad, the Spokane Indians.

Card front

After 3 seasons in Spokane, Joe switched to coaching pitchers full-time. He's currently with a Detroit affiliate, the Flying Tigers of Lakeland, Florida.

Card back

These stats munge Joe's 1979 somewhat. He started the year with San Francisco, making 5 brief relief appearances before they released him in late April. Pittsburgh signed him to a AAA contract in May, where he proved an effective middle reliever. A final September call-up netted 10 big-league games with the eventual World Champions and he picked up an airbrushed 1980 Topps card for the effort.

1980 Topps #542

Value: TCMA printed their minor league cards in larger numbers by 1980, so you can find them for a few dollars on eBay or Beckett Marketplace.

Fakes / reprints: I haven't seen any reprints in the market and doubt someone would take the trouble for anyone other than a superstar.