Thursday, January 18, 2024

Cake or gum? 1976 Al Cowens

Last time we had a 6-6 tie. Will we have a winner this time?

Looks both photos were taken at the same time, in Oakland. Hostess used the batting pose, while Topps went with the closeup. 

Al Cowens played 13 seasons in the major leagues, mostly for the Royals and Mariners. His best season by far was 1977, when he hit .312 with 23 HR and 112 RBI, winning a Gold Glove as well. He is best known for his feud with pitcher Ed Farmer. In a 1979 game Farmer broke Cowens's jaw and Frank White's wrist with pitches that Cowens felt were intentional. The next season Cowens rushed the mound and punched Farmer several times. Farmer pressed charges against Cowens but later dropped them. After his playing career he was a scout for the Royals. He died of a heart attack in 2002.


10 comments:

  1. Tough call, I'd love his Hostess batting pose with the photo clarity of Topps. Will go Hostess for its broader view of the stadium itself.

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  2. I'm going to vote cake. I'm pretty sure I wore the same style of glasses when I was younger..

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  3. Cake for the clearer stadium in the background view.

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  4. Still can't believe the '76 Topps Garvey didn't dominate -- you can tell when someone didn't grow up in the '70s. ... I'll pick Hostess in this case.

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  5. Cake. Not the best expression on his face on the Topps version.

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  6. Cake. Get a better view of the Coliseum.

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