The front: If not for the iconic subject matter, this would
be a pretty boring card.
The back: Ryan was already enough of a veteran to not have
room for a blurb, but was only barely past the halfway point of his impressive
career.
The player: Nolan Ryan was one of the greatest pitchers of
all time. His 5,714 strikeouts and 7 career no-hitters are among the 51 MLB
records that he holds. He won 324 games
in his 27-year career. His record might have been better had he not spent his
peak years with some bad Angels clubs. Between 1972 and 1977 he lost 16+ games
five times despite sub-3.00 ERAs in four of those seasons. The one knock on
Ryan was the high amount of walks he issued; his 2,795 are another all-time
record.
The man: Perhaps the greatest testament to Ryan as a man is
the fact that at least ten of his former teammates named a son after him. After
the Astros’ controversial 2019 World Series, Ryan left his role as special
advisor to the team. He also sells Ryan Express Non-Tobacco Antioxidant Dip
& Snack, and Nolan Ryan’s All-Natural Beef. Ryan even has a blog about beef.
My collection: I have 145 of his cards, from 1973 to 1994. I
would be interested in trading for 1968 Topps #177 (wishful thinking!), 1969
Topps #533, 1970 Topps #712, 1971 Topps #513 and 1972 Topps #595.
This was actually a fascinating card at the time because it was Ryan's first Topps card as a Houston Astro. The bright colors! You could also find him as an Astro in the new Donruss and Fleer sets but Topps was a much bigger deal.
ReplyDeleteI only have 77 and my oldest is a 79. Poor pitiful me. I kinda like this card for its two orange hats.
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