Paul Richards’ protege replaced his mentor as general manager and his tenure was marked by smart decisions (drafting Dale Murphy) and baffling ones (trading for Joe Pepitone).
Eddie Robinson’s first deal netted a future Hall of Famer, though no one much cared about Tony LaRussa back then. The Beeg Boy, Rico Carty, was among the more popular Braves, and Robinson traded him for a song. A very bad song. “Afternoon Delight” bad.
Jim Panther, acquired from the Rangers for Carty, was Elmer Dessens-like for the ’73 Braves. In what would be the final 30 innings of his big league career, Panther allowed 45 hits for a 7.