totally random, vol. 1

Today’s subject: Billy Cowan. Born in Calhoun City in 1938, Cowan played college ball at Utah (wow!) and went on to appear in 493 major league games from 1963-72 with six teams, most of them bad (Cubs, Mets, Phillies, Angels). Cowan, 6 feet and 170 pounds, hit 35 homers in one minor league season but managed just 40 total in the big leagues. His best year was 1964, when he hit 19 bombs for the Chicago Cubs as a regular outfielder. He batted .276 in 1970 and ’71 as a part-timer with the California Angels but dropped out of the majors in 1972. A .236 career hitter, Cowan would have a tough time making even the 40-man roster of the all-time Mississippi major league club. But, hey, he played in The Show.