Burgers or gum? Sparky Anderson

Kicking off the 1985 Tigers set showdown. Which card is better - the one Topps used for the base set, or the Wendy's/Coca-Cola Tigers set?

These photos look like they were taken at the same time, from two opposite directions. Spring training photos of a very serious looking Sparky Anderson. The Coke card has some coaches visible, while the Topps card has the stands.

Sparky Anderson had won two World Series with the Big Red Machine, and in 1984 he sealed his Hall of Fame case by leading a much less star-studded Tigers team to a World Championship. The Tigers went off to a 35-5 start, and despite cooling off considerably were still easily the best team in a weak American League that season. In the ALCS they made quick work of the Royals (who would have finished 6th if they played in the AL East), and in the World Series they knocked off the Padres, who surprised the favored Cubs in the NLCS. Sparky kept the Tigers competitive for several more seasons, but they slid into mediocrity under his watch, as he ended his career with five sub-.500 seasons out of seven before retiring after the 1995 season. Anderson, who played in one major league season, for the Phillies in 1959, was involved in various charitable endeavors after he retired. He died in 2010.