Cake or gum? 1977 Jim Barr

Last time it was a huge win for Topps, 10-0. Will Hostess even get on the board here?

Brad's copy of Jim Barr's 1977 Hostess card shows the pitcher looking clean-cut at spring training. The Topps card has Barr looking a little scruffier mid-season at Candlestick Park.

Jim Barr had several good seasons as a starting pitcher for the Giants in the mid-1970’s. winning 80 games from 1972 to 1978. In 1972 he set a major league record by retiring 41 straight batters, a mark that held for 25 years. He was a “pitch-to-contact” guy with few strikeouts or walks. A free-agent signing for the Angels in 1979, he was one of many to disappoint the club in that era, going 11-16 over two seasons. He reemerged with the Giants as a solid middle reliever in 1982 and 1983. Barr had a long career as a college and high school pitching coach, but appears to now be retired. Both of his daughters, Betsy Barr and Emmy Barr, played professionally in the Women’s United Soccer Association. They faced each other in a San Jose-Washington game in 2003.
 

Wood vs Wood #354

Last time it was a 7-0 win for 1962. Will 1987 get on the board here?

Roman Mejias is hatless, as the Pirates outfielder was an expansion draft pick of the Houston "Colts". The Cuban Mejias was a little-used backup outfielder for the Pirates from 1955 to 1961. Drafted by Houston, he had by far his best season in the expansion year of 1962, hitting .286 with 24 HR and 76 RBI. He faded in the second half, and after the season was traded to Boston, where he failed to live up to the success he had in Houston. Overall in 627 major league games, he hit .254 with 54 HR and 202 RBI. After his playing career he worked in real estate. He died in 2023 at the age of 97.

Jamie Quirk poses before a game at Yankee Stadium. Quirk started his career as a utility infielder, but over time converted to catching. He played parts of 18 seasons in the majors, but only once topped 100 games played. 11 of those 18 seasons were with the Royals, spread over three stints. In 1989 he played for three teams (Yankees, Oakland and Baltimore). In 1984 he played in four major league games, three for the White Sox, and one for Cleveland, for whom he hit a walkoff home run in his only career at-bat with the team. Overall in 984 major league games, he hit .240 with 43 HR and 247 RBI. After his playing career he was a long time coach and minor league manager, but he appears to now be retired. 

 

1981 Topps Ken Reitz

 

The front: The underrated "balancing the bat on the backs of your shoulders" look. Probably spring training.

The back: That 1,000th hit was a big one - with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Reitz singled off of Cubs reliever Willie Hernandez. Youngster Tommy Herr pinch-ran for Reitz, and scored the winning run on Garry Templeton's sacrifice fly.

The player: Third baseman Ken Reitz played eleven seasons in the major leagues, mostly for the Cardinals. A Gold Glove winner in 1975 and an All-Star in 1980, he hit .260 with 68 HR and 548 RBI for his career. 

The man: After his playing career Reitz was a community services representative for the Cardinals. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2016. He passed away in 2021 at the age of 69.

My collection: I have 21 of his cards, from 1973 to 1982. I would be interested in trading for 1978 Hostess #106.
 

1976 SSPC Dave Freisleben

 

The card, in brief: No logo on the jacket. Today there would be the Padres' logo plus three advertisers.

Playing career, in brief: Freisleben pitched six seasons in the majors for three teams, mostly San Diego. A decent pitcher for some mediocre teams, in 202 games (121 starts) he went 34-60 with a 4.30 ERA.

Post-playing career, in brief: He worked for many years as a fishing guide in Galveston Bay, though it appears he is now retired.

My collection: I have 9 of his cards, from 1974 to 1980. I would be interested in trading for 1977 San Diego Padres Littlefield Special Events Schedules #NNO.

Roundup

Some great cards that have come my way in the past month . . . 

Two fun retro inserts and a really great card of Cal Ripken and Alex Rodriguez reading Superman and Superboy comics. I don't know if it's intentional or not but the back covers of both comics have trading card ads (Batman and Phantom, respectively). These are from griffey423, TCDB. 

Sir Nailhead is on TCDB but is also a great blogger. In exchange for some mostly trashed cards, he sent two pack fresh early 60s cards . . . 

. . . and 15 cards from the 1998 Metal set. I pretty much just need a few big stars. This is my favorite modern set to collect and it's exciting to get closer to the finish line.

While there is a lot to like about this set, my favorites are the ones that incorporate NYC photos. The Edgardo Alfonzo card has Radio City Music Hall in the background, and you can even read the marquee with the upcoming shows. It advertises singer Luis Miguel for several days in late September and early October. I looked it up and determined that the photo was taken in 1995.

 Finally, some recent eBay wins. Great photo of Dodgers star Duke Snider.

I love a cheap prewar card. 1939 Play Ball of Lew Riggs of the Reds. The back of the card notes that he was one of the best fielding third basemen in the league.

Finally, a lot of three card from 1960 Leaf that I won for a dollar. I had Grim already so that's available for trade. On the one hand, the cards seem a little boring because they're just black and white head shots. However, the cards were printed on stock that was more like photo paper than cardboard, and the photos seem much more detailed and lifelike than your typical baseball card. The Frank Herrera card, for example, really pops in person much more than you would think.
 

This week's street trade

Met Al again today to swap some cards. He had bought a couple of 2025 packs, I guess.

These are from 2025 Panini. A couple of legends and a couple of rookies. I guess Grady Sizemore counts as a legend. 

Three from 2025 Stadium Club. I miss the days this set had cool photography. The Seager card is pretty good though.

Finally, a couple of random shiny inserts from the '90s. Two great stars here. The Rodriguez card has kind of a bubbly texture, I think whatever coating it had didn't age well. I don't usually pick football cards from Al, but this card, randomly in with a bunch of basketball, was thick and shiny and partly see-through, with a great player on the card too.

 

Wallet Card with another Albatross Fence

Older looking metal fences are great places to look out for old-style telephone exchanges. This is the second time I've found one from Albatross Fence, which operated from the 1950s to the 1990s. This sign dates back to at least the 1970s, probably earlier. This sign is on the property of Lincoln Orens Middle School in Island Park, NY.

Albatross was the fencing division of Albert Bros. Hardware of Bellmore, NY. Albert Bros. Hardware operated from at least the 1950s until sometime in the 1990s; owner Artie Albert died in 2000. I'm not sure how long the fencing operation lasted; the only mentions I saw were from 1950s newspaper ads. The main hardware business does seem to have kept the alpha-numberic phone number in their advertising through the early 1980s, as many New York businesses were particularly protective of that style. (SU stood for SUnset, an apparently random designation.) Clearly this fence, and the sign, have lasted for decades.
 

Cake or gum? 1977 Rusty Staub

Last time it was a win for cake, 6-1. Vote totals are getting better as Blogger issues clear up. Will this one be another win for cake?

Hostess has a simple spring training portrait for Staub. Topps has an action shot. I think this is Baltimore, and there even appears to be a player in an Orioles uniform in the dugout. Staub played in two day games at Baltimore in 1976, going 4-for-9 with one double, two runs scored and three RBI. This could be his single to left field in a Tigers win on May 23, or a double to left field in their loss on August 1.

Everywhere Rusty Staub played – Houston, Montreal, Detroit and the Mets – he was a huge fan favorite. An All-Star five times between 1967 and 1976, he reinvented himself as an excellent pinch-hitter in the 1980s. Overall, in 2,951 games he hit .279 with 499 doubles, 292 home runs and 1,466 RBI. He walked 1,255 times, compared to just 888 strikeouts. Staub was known as one of the genuine “nice guys” on and off the field. After his career he opened two successful Manhattan restaurants and was deeply involved in many charitable endeavors. He passed away in March, 2018. 
 

Wood vs Wood #353

Last time it was a 3-2 win for 1962. Hopefully with the Blogger issues seemingly fixed, this one will get more votes.

Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski strikes a hitting pose before a game at Forbes Field. Considered one of the best fielding infielders of all time, Mazeroski won eight Gold Gloves. He was a good hitter, too: in 2,163 games, all with the Pirates, he hit .260 with 138 HR and 853 RBI. The back of the card mentions something about a World Series home run, too. After his playing career Mazeroski was a coach and spring training instructor for the Pirates. He died in February at the age of 89.

Cleveland pitcher Ernie Camacho warms up before a game at Anaheim Stadium. Camacho was the Indians’ closer in 1984, lost 1985 to injury, and returned to close again in 1986. Other than those two years his career was very brief, pitching for six teams in ten seasons, without pitching in more than 15 games other than those two years. Overall in 193 games he went 10-20 with 45 saves and a 4.21 ERA. Today, Camacho works for the Alisal School District in California and is involved in many charitable causes.
 

1981 Topps Jerry Reuss

 

The front: Where was this photo taken? Even Jerry Reuss doesn't know.

The back: No room for a blurb, and still a full decade of pitching ahead of him.

The player: Jerry Reuss pitched 22 seasons in the major leagues, winning 220 games. His best season was 1980, when he went 18-6 with a 2.51 ERA, leading the league with six shutouts (including a no-hitter), finishing second in the NL Cy Young voting.

The man: Reuss has been a broadcaster for many years, most recently for the Dodgers' AAA affiliate in Las Vegas. He is also an accomplished photographer. His flickr page not only has baseball card commentary, as linked above, but lots of his own professional-quality baseball photography, and lots of other great photos too. At one time he was also a reader of baseball cards himself, causing quite a stir when he commented on a Night Owl Cards post in 2010. He kindly answered some questions for my blog as well.

My collection: I have 59 of his cards, from 1970 to 1990. I would be interested in trading for 1976 Hostess #29.