I take Nolan Ryan's Hand in Flushing

What is Nolan doing with his bare hand when the baseball is in glove? Is the camera person taking his hand in marriage?

This is the 1969 Nolan Ryan Topps card which seems to have photographed from the Shea Stadium on-deck circle. It looks like fans are starting find their seats in the top left corner of the card.

Nolan Ryan appeared in 25 games for the Mets in 1969 and finished the season with a 6-3 record. In the World Series Ryan recorded a save in game 3 at Shea Stadium.

Two years later the Mets made one of the worst trades in franchise history by sending Nolan Ryan, Frank Estrada, Don Rose and Leroy Stanton to the California Angles for Jim Fergosi. Fergosi hit .232 for the Mets in '72 and .234 for them in '73 before being traded for Texas. Nolan... tossed a few no hitters, struck out a lot of guys, won 295 games after the trade and finished with a pretty decent career. Brilliant move!