The 1984 design doesn't lend much for this series. 1985-1992 should be better, after which I'll probably cut it off. This series needs sets with close-up photos, and I'm not about to squint at all those little heads in boxes.
Just two quick ones here. First one from the base set. There's an error, but it's not on the card. I've been using Baseball-Reference to check for players' numbers. Ricky Adams is wearing the batting glove #31. According to B-R, Adams wore the number 3. I then go to Wikipedia to see the full roster for the team to see who wore the number in question. Went to the 1983 Angels and found that #31 belonged to . . . Ricky Adams. Looks like an error in the Baseball Reference.
I don't have many cards from the '84 Traded set, but I do have this one. Tim Teufel is wearing #11, but the number on the bat is not 11, looks to me like a 34. While Wikipedia just lists Teufel as #11, with no #34 in 1983, B-R has Teufel wearing both #34 and #5 in 1983 and then taking #11 in 1984. (#34 in 1984 was a rookie outfielder named Kirby Puckett.) This photo is from 1984 - its at Yankee Stadium, and Teufel didn't play against the Yankees in his '83 September callup. This is undoubtedly April 10, 1984, the Yankees' home opener. Teufel must have one of those #34 bats leftover from the prior year. (Puckett didn't make his MLB debut until May). Teufel went 0-for-3 with a walk as the Twins fell to the Yankees, 4-1.
Great job on the detective work. Wish I had the eyes to be able to read the numbers on those gloves and bat knobs.
ReplyDeleteAdams wore #3 in the Angels minors, and may have worn it in '82 when he came up, no one else was using it. However, Baseball Reference has him as #48 in '82 and #3 in '83. Baseball Almanac has him as #48 in 1982 and #48 and #31 in 1983.
ReplyDeleteThe Baseball Reference is up to their virtual eyeballs in wrong information.
ReplyDelete