1981 Topps Stickers

Before I collected baseball cards I had the 1986 Topps sticker book, which was how I first learned most of the players as a nine-year-old. I started collecting cards but kept up with the stickers for a couple more years. Eventually my card collection grew and grew and the sticker books were forgotten and lost. I did end up accumulating stickers over the years, and a few years ago bought a lot of all of the empty Topps books from the 80s to put my stickers in. (I still should get the Panini books.)

A couple weeks ago on eBay I saw a complete set of '81 stickers with a very low starting bid. I decided to go for it and end up winning the lot at about a nickel a sticker. I do not consider these part of my baseball card collection. But at that price it seemed relevant enough to be fun.

The photos are fun but not too different from the baseball card photos. Some interesting facial expressions, and for some reason a lot of airbrushed Cardinals.

Some good action shots too, mostly at Yankee Stadium. The Willie Wilson sticker is a reminder of the old "no pepper games" signs, something that is rarely seen on cards.

Some more fun photos I picked out. The cropping of the Tanana reminds me of the Fleer cards of the era, which generally had a little more personality and variety than Topps. (Also - you rarely see Rod Carew with a mustache!)

Putting in the stickers ended up being somewhat difficult. Some stickers came off their backing easily. On other, neither fingernail nor thin blade could fully pry them apart and I had to tape them in with some or all of the backing still in there. Putting ~200 stickers at once is probably less fun than a few at a time, but it's nice to have a complete album and to have done it myself. Here's a sample page with the pitching leaders, including two shots of Steve Carlton in throwing motion, as well as one portrait.

I actually had all the Yankees already, but good excuse to show them again along with the complete A's page.

The All Stars are a shiny fol section in the center of the book.

I already had a fair amount of stickers, so I have plenty to trade to those looking to fill their own album or incorporate them into their card collection!

 

1981 Topps Rance Mulliniks

 

The front: Mulliniks is captured pregame in Milwaukee.

The back: On July 4, 1977, Dave Chalk and Rance Mulliniks hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning off of Rick Langford to give California a 4-1 lead in a game they would win, 4-2.

The player: Mulliniks started his career with the Angels and Royals, playing parts of five seasons and struggling to make an impact. He was traded to Toronto before the 1982 season and there he developed into one of the best utility players in the majors. From 1982 to 1988 he played in 110-130 games a year, hitting around .300 with 10-12 HR most years. He was a solid defender with a good batting eye, and was good for 2-3 WAR per season, nice numbers for someone who was not a regular. Toward the end of his career injuries cut his playing time dramatically. In his final season, 1992, he was out for most of the year, returning at the end of the season for three games. He was on the World Series roster but did not play. Overall in 1,325 games he hit .272 with 73 HR and 435 RBI.

The man: After his playing career Mulliniks had a long stint as a Blue Jays announcer, and was also a realtor for Century 21. He is now a motivational speaker.

My collection: I have 56 of his cards, from 1978 to 1992. I would be interested in trading for 1978 SSPC #216.
 

1976 SSPC Glenn Adams

 

The card, in brief: This looks like it was a little earlier in the evening than some of the other Giants cards in the set. Adams looks quite happy to show off his bunting form.

Playing career, in brief: After brief appearances as an outfielder for the Giants in 1975 and 1976, Glenn Adams moved to the American League in 1977 with the Twins as a part-time DH and outfielder. He ended his career with a cup of coffee in Toronto in 1982.  In eight major league seasons, he hit .280 with 34 HR and 225 RBI in 661 games.

Post-playing career, in brief:  Adams was a minor league manager for many years but now appears to be retired.

My collection: I have 13 of his cards, from 1976 to 1983. I would be interested in trading for 1982 TCMA Syracuse Chiefs #19.

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly #21

Nice photo at spring training, interesting to see the batting cage behind the outfield.

Nice to see he helps out around the house.

1988 Domino's Joe Sparma

 

Great action photo here!

Joe Sparma was the quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, leading them to a Big Ten Championship in 1961. He quit the team after the 1962 season due to conflicts with coach Woody Hayes and decided to focus on baseball. He signed with the Tigers and got off to a fast start with the team, going 13-8 with a 3.18 ERA in his first full season in 1965. However, he was not able to sustain that early success and by 1968 Sparma was again having conflicts with leadership, this time Tigers manager Mayo Smith, who pulled Sparma from the rotation mid-season and barely used him after that. He was traded to the Expos after the 1969 season but pitched poorly for them, ending his major league career at the age of 28. In 183 games he went 52-52 with a 3.94 ERA. After his baseball career he worked for Buckeye Steel in Worthington, OH. He died from complications of a heart attack in 1986 at the age of 44.

I have six of his cards, from 1965 to 1970. I would be interested in trading for 1964 Topps #512.  

Bowman baseball - you'll love it

Al texted me the other day to entice me with something to trade for more Braves - "I have a new stack of Bowman baseball you'll love it". Well I did tell him I didn't need any more Topps base or late 80s cards. Bowman's not necessarily my favorite, but they're OK in small doses, and a card I don't have is a card I need. I picked them up today. His Braves guy didn't show up so we'll see if he ends up needing any more.

Turns out it was a stack of a few dozen cards from 2019 Bowman, mostly the base set but a few BPs and BCPs. I brought the whole stack home, along with a few other randoms he'd found. Here's the Bowman keepers. The big deal is that he had a Judge he let me take. Jazz Chisholm's in there too, I didn't know he started off as a Diamondback.

The pile had heavy duplication, though it was mostly stars which is nice. I'll bring most of these back in a couple of weeks when I'm in the city next, but hopefully there's some cards that may fit some readers collections. In particular check out all those Mike Trouts! Is he no longer such a big deal?

In the other little stack of cards I found some keepers, including a few from '18 Topps Update. Some really nice horizontal cards here.

And some more I didn't need, but maybe a reader does. Mostly Topps Update but there's also a nice silver pack Ozzie Smith.

 

Burgers or gum? Lou Whitaker

Last time gum cruised to a 6-2 win. Will it win again here?

Wendy's has Whitaker chatting with someone while posing for a photo, while Topps has him turning a double play over a Red Sox player in what must be a spring training game.

Whitaker had a good season in 1984, though not as good as '83 when he had a career year hitting .320. Whitaker hit .289 with 13 HR and 56 RBI, and after a poor ALCS showing rebounded to have a good World Series, reaching base 9 times and scoring 6 runs. Lou Whitaker was one of the better second baseman in the American League in the 1980s. The 1978 AL Rookie of the year and a five-time All-Star, Whitaker played in 2,390 games and hit .276 with 244 HR and 1,084 RBI. He was an excellent fielder and walked more than he struck out. His hitting numbers were not spectacular but he was an above-average hitter for a long time. After his playing days, Whitaker was an instructor for the Tigers for many years but is now retired.
 

Wood vs. Wood #344

Last time it was a 5-2 win for 1962. Who will win here?

Ed Bauta looks off to the distance on his rookie card. His last card would be the following year - and it used the same photo. The Cuba-born Bauta pitched for the Cardinals and Mets from 1960 to 1963. In 97 games, all in relief, he went 6-6 with 11 saves and a 4.35 ERA. After his retirement he worked in the moving business in New York and New Jersey. He died in 2022.

Joe Niekro delivers a pitch at Yankee Stadium. Knuckleballer Joe Niekro pitched for 22 years for seven teams. His best seasons were with the Astros, with 20-win seasons in 1979 and 1980. Overall he was 221-204 with 1,747 strikeouts in 702 games. After his playing career he coached for the Twins and Rockies. He died of a brain aneurysm in 2006.
 

Cake or gum? 1977 Rick Burleson

Last time it was a 5-0 shutout for gum. Will cake get on the board here?

Tough call here - do you prefer Burleson looking slightly to the left, or looking slightly to the right?

Rick Burleson was a scrappy second baseman with doubles power, especially effective at Fenway Park, who was a key member of the great Red Sox teams of the late 1970s. After the 1980 season the Angels traded Carney Lansford to Boston to get Burleson. Burleson had his best season by WAR (4.5) in the strike shortened 1981 season. Unfortunately, Burleson hurt his arm the next season, effectively ending his career, though he hung on for brief stints over the next several seasons. Overall in 1,346 games, he hit .273 with 256 2B, 50 HR and 449 RBI. After his playing career he had a long career as a scout, minor league manager and minor league coach. He is now retired.
 

1981 Topps Len Barker

 

The front: An awkward-looking delivery at Yankee Stadium. This must be June 29, 1980, same as Gary Alexander, Bo Diaz and Jorge Orta. Barker struggled that day, allowing 6 earned runs in 6.1 innings as Cleveland fell, 7-2. Barker allowed home runs to Bronx Bombers Jim Spencer, Joe Lefebvre and Brian Doyle.

The back: Barker won two games that week in 1979, beating the Red Sox 3-0 and the Rangers 6-2.

The player: Len Barker pitched eleven years in the major leagues. His best seasons were in Cleveland, leading the American League in strikeouts in 1980 and 1981. He pitched a perfect game for the Indians in 1981. He was traded to the Braves during the 1983 season, but injuries limited his effectiveness for Atlanta. Overall in 248 games he went 74-76 with a 4.34 ERA.

The man: According to a Sports Illustrated article after Barker’s perfect game, he improved when he went to Cleveland because they got him to lay off beer, which helped him lose ten pounds and improve his concentration from 50% to 80%. Said Indians President Gabe Paul, “When I see Barker watching a plane going overhead when he's on the mound, I know he's through.” He is now head baseball coach at Notre Dame College. He also participates in fantasy camps. In the 1990s, he met a fantasy camper named Mike Ferrante. They ended up going into the construction business together for a while, and Barker married Ferrante’s daughter.

My collection: I have 29 of his cards, from 1977 to 1986. I would be interested in trading for 1978 SSPC #91.