1981 Topps Johnny Oates

 

The front: Nice photo of a happy-looking Oates at Yankee Stadium. What grabs my attention is the bill of his cap. Looks like three stickers, two with whatever is on them crossed out. I looked at other photos of Oates and didn't see anything like that. Any ideas what they might be? (I could possibly see doing a future blog series about things on players equipment, like unusual messages on bat knobs, gloves, etc.)

The back: Oates lined out in his only plate appearance in the 1977 World Series. In 1978, he had two plate appearances, with a single and a walk.

The player: Oates was a defense-first platoon catcher for several teams from 1970 to 1981. In 593 games he hit .250 with 14 HR and 126 RBI.

The man: Oates went on to a long career managing, first for the Orioles and then for the Rangers, with whom he won three AL West titles. Oates resigned from the Rangers in 2001 and was considering a return to major league managing when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He passed away in 2004.

My collection: I have 13 of his cards, from 1972 to 1982. I would be interested in trading for 1978 SSPC #72.