This almost isn't fair, but random is random. Today's entrant, Dick Selma, holds a special place in my heart. Last year at Ducksnorts I ran a series looking back at the Padres inaugural season. As it happens, Selma started the first game in franchise history on April 8, 1969, tossing a five-hitter and fanning 12 en route to a 2-1 victory at San Diego Stadium.

Selma made just three more appearances for the Padres before being shipped to the Chicago Cubs on April 25 in a deal that brought Joe Niekro to San Diego. Even so, Selma's contribution to the club will not soon be forgotten.

Before being selected with the fifth pick in the 1968 expansion draft, Selma plied his trade for the New York Mets. After signing as a free agent in 1963 (this was before the amateur draft), Selma first surfaced with the big club for a cup of coffee in 1965, at age 21, going 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA (94 ERA+) in four starts. He worked primarily out of the bullpen over the next two seasons before starting 23 games for the Mets in 1968. Despite pitching effectively (9-10, 2.76 ERA, 109 ERA+), Selma was left unprotected and grabbed by the Padres.

In 1969, splitting time with the Padres and Cubs, Selma went 12-10 with a 3.68 ERA (108 ERA+). He was 25 years old, and his list of similar pitchers through that age included some pretty good names, including Bobby Bolin, Pete Vuckovich, Bill Bonham, and Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers.

After the '69 season, the Cubs traded Selma to Philadelphia along with rookie outfielder Oscar Gamble (himself a future Padre) for a prematurely declining Johnny Callison. With the Phillies, Selma moved to the bullpen and finished fifth in the NL with 22 saves, fashioning a tidy 2.75 ERA (146 ERA+) in the process. The closer role, of course, was different in 1970 than it is today. Selma worked 134 1/3 innings that year and actually led his team with 153 strikeouts (finishing six ahead of Hall of Famer Jim Bunning).

The following season, Selma appeared in just 17 games -- I'm assuming there was an injury, because he never really pitched well after that. Selma made 46 appearances for the Phillies in 1972, going 2-9 with a 5.56 ERA (65 ERA+). He walked more than 6 1/2 batters per 9 innings that year while striking out fewer than 5 1/2.

Selma got into a handful of games for Philadelphia in 1973 before being released on May 8. Two weeks later the St. Louis Cardinals picked him up, but he never pitched for them. After the season, the California Angels purchased Selma from the Cardinals. He made 18 forgettable appearances for the Angels in 1974 before being purchased by the Brewers on July 29. Selma got into two games for Milwaukee before being returned to the Angels on August 12 and then disappearing from baseball.

Selma finished his career with a 42-54 record, 3.62 ERA (99 ERA+), and 31 saves. He essentially provided 10 years worth of league-average production, although that is a bit misleading. Selma actually pitched very well from 1967 through 1971 before struggling toward the end. His list of most comparable pitchers contains mostly forgotten names from the '50s, '60s, and '70s, including George Culver, Bruce Dal Canton, and Tommie Sisk -- a teammate of Selma's on that 1969 Padres squad.

Selma died on August 29, 2001, in Clovis, Calif., at age 57. For more information on Selma, please visit his page on Wikipedia.