Topps 1980 baseball card rookie card of San Francisco Giants Chris Bourjos, Al Hargesheimer, and Mike Rowland
Chris Bourjos – OF – 1980 – # 18
Al Hargesheimer – RHP – 1980-81 – # 40
Mike Rowland – RHP – 1980 – # 28
By Tony The Tiger Hayes
They Were Giants?
Unlike the “Chicago Eight,” the hirsute counterculture contingent of Yippies, socialists and Black Panthers that gained noterity for their arrests at the bloody Chicago 1968 Democratic Convention – this Giants’ “Chicago Three” were never accused of Inciting to Riot or Conspiracy.
Not unless you believe this trio – who were all born in Chicago -conspired to make their MLB debuts at the same time for old school, tobacco spittin’ manager Dave Bristol and the woebegone 1980 San Francisco club.
Then they would have been guilty as hell.
Why Were They Giants?
Two years removed from the revolutionary 1978 season, the Giants bottomed out in a big way in ‘80, finishing 17 games off the pace of the NL West Champion Houston Astros. In the process the Giants drained the minor league system looking for anyone that might help going forward.
Among the dozen or so call ups that season were this trio of Windy City natives who would have been in high school when Bobby Seale, Abby Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and the other four All-Star Protesters were running amok in the streets of Chicago in ‘68.
Before & After
Bourjos (free agent, 1977), Hargesheimer, (free agent, 1978) and Rowland (22nd round, 1975) were all signed and developed by SF.
Bourjos, a Pete Rose lookalike, played four seasons in the Giants minor league system and jumped around each year. After batting .295, 9, 86 for Phoenix in ‘80, Bourjos was called up to the parent club in September.
After his Giants cameo that month – 13 games – he was traded to the Astros, but never got another shot in the majors.
The athletic Hargesheimer made a similar swift rise to the Giants, debuting in the summer of ‘80 and winning his first two starts. He finished the season at a respectable 4-6, 4.32. He returned briefly in 1981, but was soon traded to his hometown Cubs.
The burly Rowland – with his unruly curls and droopy mustache looked as if he may have picked up a few style tips from Abby Hoffman – toiled in the minors six seasons before joining the SF bullpen.
“I want to get there, I want to get there bad,” said Rowland prior to his promotion. “But I don’t think I’m obsessed with it.”
Despite better than expected results, turns out the Giants weren’t obsessed with Rowland.
He would stay up with SF just parts of two seasons, despite fashioning a 1–2, 2.74 record in 28 contests.
They Never Got Their Own Bobbleheads. But…
In a game at Cincinnati late in ‘81, Hargesheimer was dominate, putting a major roadblock in the way of the Reds postseason goals, allowing just four hits in seven scoreless frames. Greg Minton pitched the final two frames to preserve the W for Hargesheimer and a 4-0 shutout (9/28/81).
“He kept them off balance all night. I think he was more relaxed tonight. He was a little bit more prepared for this start,” said Giants manager Frank Robinson.
Rowland and Bourjos’ top performances as big leaguers came in the same Candlestick Park game vs. the soon to be ‘80 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies (9/3/80).
After starter Allen Ripley and reliever Tom Griffin allowed four runs through six innings, Rowland came on and pitched a perfect three frames, in the process getting Pete Rose on a grounder and striking out Mike Schmidt.
Philadelphia starter Dick Ruthven took a 4-1 lead to the bottom of the ninth when SF’s bats suddenly came alive.
Joe Pettini, another of the rookie call ups led off with a line drive single to left. With Rowland due up next, Bristol called on Bourjos – who had yet to collect a big league hit – to pinch hit.
On a 1-1 count, Boujos connected with a Ruthven fast ball and slugged it high and far into the warm September night for a breathtaking home run.
Unfortunately the Giants would lose 4-3, but it was still a memorable night, especially for Bourjos, who in his excitement sprinted around third base and had to put on the brakes before bypassing Pettini.
“I just couldn’t trot. I was too exited,” said Bourjos post game. “Right now I just feel full of energy.”
Giant Footprint
In the psychedelic era, head shop owners couldn’t keep “Chicago Eight” posters in stock. They were staples of radical college students dorm rooms everywhere.
Now, you won’t find much Giants memorabilia in Haight – Ashbury stores that sell funny pipes, but the “Chicago Three” did something the bull-horn toting crowd never did.
They got their own baseball card.
Topps “Future Stars” card No. 502 of the 1981 set pictured in neat alphabetical order left to right Bourjos, Hargesheimer and Rowland in clear head shots taken on spring training fields.
Now that was something to shout about.
