1981 Topps Mike Ramsey

 

The front: The backwards batting helmet over the forwards fielding cap is a unique look.

The back: Is leading a low minor league in sacrifice bunts impressive? Ramsey's 12 were five more than teammate Tommy Herr. In fact, of the seven players in the league with 4+ sac bunts, six were Johnson City Cardinals. This was clearly an organizational strategy. A successful strategy, I guess, as they had the best record in the league.

The player: A good fielder with little power, Ramsey didn't contribute much offensively, but was a fine backup to Ozzie Smith, filling in well went the Hall-of-Famer was injured for two weeks in September of 1982. He also hit his first big league home run that year, a three-run game-winner off of Hall-of-Famer Don Sutton. He was one of several important bench players on that year's World Champions. Overall in 394 games over seven seasons, mostly with the Cardinals, he hit .240 with 2 HR, 57 RBI and 14 SB. He had 15 sacrifice bunts, 11 of them in 1982.

The man: He was a minor league manager and high school baseball coach for many years, but now appears to be retired.

My collection: I have 14 of his cards, from 1981 to 1985. I would be interested in trading for 1984 Nestle #467.

1976 SSPC Pete Rose

 

The card, in brief: Tight shot of the switch-hitter posing with his bat.

Playing career, in brief: One of the biggest talents and biggest personalities in baseball history, Pete Rose is the all-time hit leader (4,256 hits). He also played more games and had more at-bats than anyone else.

Post-playing career, in brief: In 1989 he was banned from baseball for life after it was revealed he had bet on games. Despite the ban, the 83-year-old Rose still makes $1M+ a year for paid appearances and autograph signings.

My collection: I have 84 of his cards, from 1966 to 1987. I would be interested in trading for 1963 Topps #537, 1964 Topps #125, and 1965 Topps #207.

1970 Topps Booklets: The Bob Moose Story

  

Starting off with a little foreshadowing.

 

 There can't be many baseball cards with a picture of a telegram.

 

Full circle with Forbes Field, which was in it's final season in 1970. 

The Bob Moose story ended tragically on October 9, 1976, when Moose was killed in a car accident driving to his own birthday party. He was speeding on wet roads. He left behind a wife and four year old daughter.

Cake or gum? 1976 Graig Nettles

Last time Topps rolled to a 9-3 win. Who will come out on top here?

Two shots of Graig Nettles in his home Yankees uniform in his home park, but neither are at Yankee Stadium. The Hostess photo is at Shea Stadium, the Yankees home park in '74 and '75, while Topps's photo was taken at spring training in Ft. Lauderdale.

Coincidentally this is my second Nettles post in a week, so I'll just copy and paste what I write for the '81 Topps post. Nettles has the highest WAR total of any third baseman not in the Hall of Fame, and the highest WAR total of any player with a batting average below .250. The six-time All Star was one of the big stars of the Yankee teams that won four pennants and two World Series between 1976 and 1981. He led the AL with 32 HR in 1976, and in 1977 had his best season, hitting .255 with 37 HR and 107 RBI. The Yankees traded him to the Padres before the 1984 season and helped San Diego win their first-ever pennant that year. In 2,700 major league games he hit .248 with 390 HR and 1,314 RBI. Nettles was also a terrific defender, with the most impressive highlight reel of postseason defensive gems since Brooks Robinson. Nettles was a scout and coach for a while but is now retired. He was known for his irreverent sense of humor - his autobiography was titled Balls.

Wood vs. Wood #215

Last time it was a 6-3 victory for 1987. Who will win this time?

Woody Held holds his wood at Yankee Stadium. The C on his batting helmet is mostly worn away. Usually known as Woodie, and born Woodson Heldt, he was originally a prospect for the Yankees, but was traded to Kansas City with Billy Martin in the Copacabana trade. A year later, the A's sent him to Cleveland in the Roger Maris trade. He had his best years with the Indians, with at least 18 home runs in each of his six full seasons with the Tribe. Held held the Cleveland record for career home runs by a shortstop with 85, until it was broken by Jhonny Peralta in 2009. Held's value was mostly his power; he had high strikeout and error totals and a low patting average. Overall in 14 seasons for seven teams, he hit .240 with 179 HR and 559 RBI. After his playing career he retired to Wyoming where he operated a dude ranch, owned a pizza place and coach Little League. He died of cancer in 2009.

 Mark Langston is in mid-delivery at Anaheim Stadium. Langston pitched in two day games there in 1986 and was roughed around by the AL West champs both times, allowing eight earned runs in 15 innings (4.80 ERA), walking eight and striking out five. Seattle lost both games. Langston came up with the Mariners in 1984 and became one of the franchise's early stars, leading the AL in strikeouts three of his first four seasons. However, he also had high walk totals and gave up a lot of home runs, so outside of strikeouts his numbers were not that outstanding. He was traded to the Expos in 1989 for young fireballer Randy Johnson. Though Langston pitched well for the Expos, they failed to make the playoffs, while Johnson became a Hall-of-Famer with Seattle. After the season he signed with the Angels. Though his strikeouts were down with California, he pitched well in his first three seasons there. He ended his career with stints in San Diego and Cleveland. Overall in 16 seasons he went 179-158 with 2,464 strikeouts and a 3.97 ERA. He is currently in his 13ths season as a radio announcer for the Angels.

1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Ron Bryant

Ron Bryant at Candlestick Park.

July 15, 1973.

Bryant did not pitch this day, but teammate Juan Marichal was masterful, pitching a 4-hit shutout, striking out six, as SF crushed the Pirates 12-0. Willie McCovey hit two home runs, including his 400th, and Garry Maddox and Ed Goodson also went deep for the Giants.

Perhaps this photo is from the same day?

Meanwhile, in Detroit, Nolan Ryan was even better than Marichal, pitching his second no-hitter of the season. In other news, a mudslide in the Kazakh region of the USSR killed dozens, Kinks singer Ray Davies checked himself into a hospital after a suicide attempt, quitting the band; and Byrds guitarist Clarence White was killed by a drunk driver.

TCDB/OBC roundup

Leading off with a really fun trade package from TCDB's rencherg. Starting off with three great pitching action shots from Sportflics. Two of them are sidearmers - the Eichhorn in particular gives some great looks not usually seen on a baseball card. Needless to say the cards look a lot better in person.

The rest of his trade package included legends, stickers, and a weird oddball where Pepsi airbrushed their product colors over Jose Canseco's green A's uniform.

Meanwhile, three cards from peach_was_here including the final card needed for my 1992 Donruss Rookies set, Hall-of-Famer Pedro Martinez!

Leading off the OBC section with an even bigger junk-wax-era set kill. 1986 Topps Traded Barry Bonds! This came from Erik Greenwood.

I got two 1954 PWEs from OBCers this week. This quintet came from Doug Smith . . .

. . . while Bob D'Angelo sent three '54s along with a '53 Yankee card of Ewell Blackwell, best known for his time with the Reds. Among these eight '54s, the two coach cards (Scheffing and Hopp) have some of the most active poses.

Michael Salinsky sent three Empire Strikes Backs cards for me. I haven't put wantlists for my Star Wars sets on my blog, but if you have extra Star Wars cards let me know, I might be interested.

Finally, a very nice vintage mix from Dan Williams.

 

1986 Spokane Indians at the mall - Warren Newson

 

Newson is at the same Orange Julius location that we earlier saw William Taylor. That's a lot of oranges!

Newson was a long-time Padres minor-leaguer who finally got his major league chance when he was traded to the White Sox in 1991. He could hit fairly well and walked a lot, so his OBP was always considerably higher than his batting average. However, he did not have notable power or speed, and was only 5 feet 7 inches tall. These qualities likely prevented him from getting more of a chance. He was traded to the Mariners in 1995 and signed with the Rangers in 1996. In Texas, he started hitting for more power, but his BA and OBP suffered as his strikeouts went up faster than his home run rate. Overall in 489 games over 8 seasons, he hit .250 with 34 HR and 120 RBI. Since his retirement he has done some youth coaching but has mostly kept a low profile.

1981 Topps Graig Nettles

The front: Nettles has launched a long fly ball at Yankee Stadium. The green shin-guard indicates the opponent is Oakland. There's even a fan who appears to be wearing an A's green hat and yellow shirt. In two home day games against the A's in 1980 Nettles was 3-for-8, including a home run off of Mike Norris in a 5-3 victory on June 21. Perhaps that is what we are seeing here?

The back: 14 years in the majors leaves no room for a back blurb.

The player: Nettles has the highest WAR total of any third baseman not in the Hall of Fame, and the highest WAR total of any player with a batting average below .250. The six-time All Star was one of the big stars of the Yankee teams that won four pennants and two World Series between 1976 and 1981. He led the AL with 32 HR in 1976, and in 1977 had his best season, hitting .255 with 37 HR and 107 RBI. The Yankees traded him to the Padres before the 1984 season and helped San Diego win their first-ever pennant that year. In 2,700 major league games he hit .248 with 390 HR and 1,314 RBI. Nettles was also a terrific defender, with the most impressive highlight reel of postseason defensive gems since Brooks Robinson. 

The man: Nettles was a scout and coach for a while but is now retired. He was known for his irreverent sense of humor - his autobiography was titled Balls.

My collection: I have 58 of his cards, from 1969 to 1989. I would be interested in trading for 1972 Topps #590.

1976 SSPC Ken Griffey

 

The card, in brief: His son was known for always smiling, but Griffey Sr. has a serious look shortly before the game. Lots of fans already getting to their seats.

The player, in brief: A .300-hitting outfielder with some power and good speed, Ken Griffey was a three-time All-Star and a key member of the Big Red Machine. In a 19-year career with the Reds, Yankees, Braves and Mariners, Griffey hit .296 with 152 HR, 859 RBI and 200 SB.

Post-playing career, in brief: Griffey was a coach in the Reds organization for many years, and was commissioner of the short-lived Florida Winter Baseball League. He is now retired.

My collection: I have 77 of his cards, from 1974 to 1992. I would be interested in trading for 1982 Topps Traded #40.

Vintage star card roundup

Two weeks ago from Greg Morris auction, got just a small number of cards but a few big stars, highlighted by the fantastic 1962 Topps #1, Roger Maris. Other highlights include two Al Kaline's including a Post.

 

 Then from last week's, a few more cards but almost no stars, except for another Post Kaline.

 

Other than that, just a couple of other cheap, rough stars. Looks like the only way I can get a cheap Koufax is if I don't want borders. Got a trimmed '59 a few weeks ago, now a trimmed '63:

This is one of the most popular league leader cards of the era, for good reason. Some inconsequential paper loss scared others away so I was able to get it cheap.

1970 Topps Booklets: The Bob Gibson Story

 

Two-sport star! In the 1940s, there was also a Harlem Globetrotters baseball team.

 

Nice image of the Gateway Arch. However, construction on the arch didn't start until 1963, four years after Gibson came up to the Cardinals.

Gibson was MVP of both the 1964 and 1967 World Series, winning a Corvette each time.
 

Cards from Diamond Jesters and Cards on Cards

Cards on Cards did another free card giveaway, with cards too "damaged" to trade on TCDB. Like last time, you would need a microscope to find any damage on most of these. The only exception is the '76 Brock, which looks like another August 4, 1973 photo like his '74 Deckle and base set cards!

I got some great cards from the latest Diamond Jesters Time Travel Trade. Sebastian Janikowski had a good career but he can't compare to Joe Montana. That Frank Thomas card has a nice shiny label for the big FRANK.

Cake or gum? 1976 Rick Monday

Last time it was gum with the 8-3 win. Will this one be closer?

Rick Monday with a batting pose, with blue sky behind him. With Topps, add a bit more background detail. These photos were probably taken at the same time, though one can't be 100% sure. Rick Monday had a solid 19-year career for the A's, Cubs and Dodgers, and would hit a career-high 32 home runs in '76. That year the ex-Marine made national news for foiling a flag-burning attempt in the Dodger Stadium outfield. Monday explained afterwards, "I’ve visited enough veterans hospitals and seen enough guys with their legs blown off defending the flag." To this day it is still unknown exactly what the two perpetrators were protesting. On the field, Monday's biggest moment came as a Dodger, with his ninth-inning home run in Game 5 of the NLCS giving the Dodgers a 2-1 over the Expos, a moment remembered by Expos fans as "Blue Monday". Monday remains in the Dodgers organization, currently in his 32nd season as an announcer for the team.

Wood vs. Wood #214

Last time we had a 4-4 tie. Will there be a winner this time?

Topps did a pretty good job turning Dom Zanni's Giants uniform into a White Sox. Zanni had already pitched in 18 games in parts of three seasons for the Giants, but still had rookie status when he was included in the trade that sent Billy Pierce and Don Larsen to San Francisco. As a rookie in '62 he pitched well, going 6-5 with 5 saves and a 3.75 ERA in 44 games, almost all in relief. He was traded to Cincinnati in '63 and pitched well in his limited appearances there, but retired after the 1966 season when one of his daughters needed a serious operation. Overall in 111 major league games, went 9-6 with 10 saves and a 3.79 ERA. On his '62 card, Zanni, who was born in the Bronx and grew up in Brooklyn, is listed as living in Rockville Centre, just one town over from where I live now. After his playing career he lived and worked (as an insurance agent) a little farther east in Massapequa. He died at the age of 85 in 2017, and per Baseball-Reference is buried in the same cemetery as some of my relatives.

"Hey Omar?" "What?" "Never mind." That kind of looks like what happened for this photo. Moreno was at the tail end of a fine career highlighted by becoming the first player ever with three straight 70+ steal seasons (1978-1980). His best years came with the Pirates, most notably his career year of 1979, when the Pirates won the World Series. Moreno hit .282 with 8 HR, 69 RBI and a league-leading 77 SB, scoring 110 runs. In the postseason he hit .311 with 7 runs scored. Speed was by far Moreno's biggest asset, and like many speedsters he struggled as he slowed down after age 30, with unsuccessful stints with the Astros, Yankees, Royals and Braves Overall in 1,382 major league games, Moreno hit .252 with 37 HR, 386 RBI, 487 SB and 699 runs scored. A beloved figure in his native Panama, he was named in 2009 as the country's first ever Secretary of Sport. Moreno currently lives in Florida, where he s a baseball coach at the Vaughn Sports Academy in Boca Raton.

1974 Topps Deckle Dating - Lou Brock

 Lou Brock at Shea Stadium.

August 4, 1973.

Brock was right in the thick of things as the Cardinals edged the Mets, 4-3. His 3rd-inning sac fly tied the score at 1-1. In the 8th inning, with the score tied at 2-2, Brock led off with a single, went to second on a sac bunt, and scored the eventual game-winning run on a single by Ted Simmons. However, the victory was a costly one for the Cardinals, as Bob Gibson was injured, tearing cartilage in his knee. Gibson didn't come back until September 29, and his absence may well have been the deciding factor in a division race where the Cardinals finished just 1.5 games behind the Mets.

I think his regular Topps card that year also features Brock at Shea Stadium, so perhaps these photos were taken the same day, though Brock is on the other side of the field here.

In other news, astronomers were able to get their first ever look through Venus's thick cloud layer to observe the surface of the planet; rising meat prices were triggering anger at President Nixon and, in some places, meat hoarding; and Juan Peron and his wife Isabel were nominated to be President and Vice President of Argentina.