Obak David Clyde

This is one ugly card. Another sticker autograph, too. Oh well. 

My brothers and sister went to high school with David Clyde at Westchester High in Houston (I was a couple years ahead of him). My dad and I would go watch him pitch at the high school field and the crowd filled the stands and would ring the field watching through the fence. 

Clyde was unbelievable. It was like watching a grown man mow down little leaguers. He had perfect form, looked like Sandy Koufax out there. Opposing players were lucky to foul a ball off at times. Then in 1973 he graduated and went straight to the Rangers to help Bob Short prop up his franchise. I listened to his first game along with a group of friends while we played a city league softball game.

David Clyde won that game but time showed he wasn't ready and he certainly would have benefited from some time in the minors and a chance to mature as a pro. But Short believed Clyde was the team's 'savior' and kept him in the bigs. The rest is well known. David Clyde fought demons and ended up a happier man when he finally retired and went into the lumber business north of Houston.

BTW... I also saw him play football for Westchester. He was a kicker and I'll never forget him kicking a field goal of better than 50 yards into the wind in a rainstorm. That kick was about as impressive as any ballgame I saw him pitch.