1981 Topps Tom Hume

 

The front: Hume follows through on a pitch at Shea Stadium. Hume pitched in one day game at Shea, July 26, 1980. Hume pitched four shutout innings to save a 5-1 Reds win. 

The back: Hume went to Manatee after being drafted in the 35th round of the 1971 draft by the Dodgers. After one year at Manatee he was a first round pick of the Reds, with whom he signed.

The player: Hume was an ace reliever for the Reds for several years, winning NL Fireman of the Year in 1980. Overall in 11 seasons, 10 with the Reds, Hume went 57-71 with 92 saves and a 3.85 ERA.

The man: In November of 1980, shortly before this card came out, Hume, teammate Bill Bonham and their wives were staying at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas when a massive fire broke out, kiling 87 people. The Humes and Bonhams were among 300 guests that were evacuated off the roof via helicopter. They had been staying on the 24th floor, where 10 people were later found dead. After his playing career, Hume was a Reds bullpen coach for several years but is now retired.

My collection: I have 34 of his cards, from 1978 to 1988. I would be interested in trading for 1978 SSPC #120.
 

1976 SSPC John D'Acquisto

The card, in brief: Another night card. Looks like just about all of the Giants cards were taken at or after sunset.

Playing career, in brief:  John D'Acquisto pitched ten years in the major leagues from 1973 to 1982. In 1974, he was the National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year. Overall in 266 games (92 starts) for six teams, he went 34-51 with 15 saves and a 4.56 ERA.

Post-playing career, in brief: D'Acquisto was involved in a wide variety of business ventures after his playing career, and is a published author and artist. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2010.

My collection: I have 11 of his cards, from 1974 to 1983. I would be interested in trading for 1982 TCMA Richmond Braves #4.

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly #7

Even future major league stars took photos like this if they were a high school senior in 1980. Sears?

Once again reiterating that he was not really a big baseball fan. I think few big leaguers were growing up.

 

1988 Domino's John Hiller

 

One of the things I like about this set are the great photos. They can't all be winners, though.

The chubby young southpaw seen here pitched well during the 1968 regular season as both a starter and a reliever. On August 6 he set a record by striking out the first six batters of a game, and two weeks later he pitched a one-hitter. In January of 1971, Hiller suffered a heart attack, and everyone but him assumed he would never pitch again. In 1972 Hiller, who lost 40 pounds, was offered a minor league coaching job with the Tigers, but he was able to prove to them he was in pitching shape and was back on the team by July. The next year he had an extraordinary season, going 10-5 with a 1.44 ERA, and led the AL with 38 saves, earning Comeback Player of the Year honors. Hiller remained the Tigers closer throughout the 1970s, and when he retired in 1980 his 545 games pitched was most for the team all time, and it still is today. After his retirement he owned a farm and worked a variety of jobs. The 82-year-old Hiller has participated in the Mackinac Island 1880s Vintage Baseball Game for over 20 years - you can see him at the 2025 event here. 

I have 17 of his cards, from 1966 to 1980. I would be interested in trading for 1977 Hostess #28. 

Wallet Card with a Deadly Disease

I noticed some empty spaces for advertising posters on Track 18 at Penn Station. I've had surprisingly good luck with really old flyers that have been hidden underneath ads, stuck on for good with adhesives that are no doubt banned today. This one is a weird one.

Not much to go on but just a hunch that these were old. I actually was thinking they were probably just modern rat poison warnings, but it's actually more interesting.

While there's a lot to dislike about modern Google search, one great thing is that Google Images now automatically searches for text in photos, not just in the website the photo is on. I tried googling "Deadly Disease Stay Away From", with no luck in the regular results but a perfect match in Images.

This is a photograph by acclaimed photographer Louis Clyde Stoumen, called Deadly Disease, Times Square, New York. There are copies of the photo in the museums of Amherst University, who date the photo as 1980, and Duke University, who date it 1978. 

I couldn't find any more information about who was posting these flyers about tuberculosis around New York City in the late 1970s or early 1980s, but it's cool to know that at least a little bit of these 45+ year old amateur flyers are still visible today. 

Burgers or gum? Darrell Evans

Last time was an easy win for Topps, 6-1. Will this one be as easy?

Wendy's has Evans in spring training, with a nice view of the stands. It is clear that the Tigers logo on his helmet is a decal. Topps has him leaning on the Tiger Stadium dugout roof, signing autographs pregame.

The Tigers were slow to enter the world of free agency, and after the 1983 season finally made their first big-time free agent signing, bringing veteran NL slugger Darrell Evans to the Junior Circuit. Evans hit just .232 but walked more than he struck out, and hit 16 HR with 63 RBI. He hit .300 in the ALCS but was one-for-fifteen in the World Series.

Evans played 21 years in the major leagues, 10 of them with the Atlanta Braves. The other 11 were split between San Francisco and Detroit. He was the AL home run king in 1985 with 40 HR. Overall in 2,687 games he hit .248 with 414 HR and 1,354 RBI. Unlike many other sluggers from his era, Evans had an excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio (1,605-1,410). Since retiring as a player, Evans has coached professional baseball in the US, Canada and New Zealand. He also gives private instruction.
 

'52 Pick Up

I was able to snag a small 1952 Topps lot from eBay at less than $1 a card. Not the best shape but still good enough for me. I needed six of the eight cards. Seeing them all together makes me notice how colorful they are.

 Two of the cards I have already. Low grade '52 trade bait! Actually the Frank House card is in quite nice shape other than some staple holes.

 

Wood vs. Wood #321

Last time 1987 won big, 7-2. Who will win here?

Don Landrum strikes a contemplative pose pregame. Landrum was what would today be called a AAAA player. He played 13 years of pro baseball, with stints for the Phillies, Cardinals, Cubs and Giants between 1957 and 1966. In 456 games over 8 seasons, mostly for the Cubs in '62, '63 and '65, he hit .234 with 12 HR and 75 RBI. After his baseball career he worked in a variety of businesses. He died in 2003.

Al Newman hits one high in the air; judging by how high he's looking up, that might be a popup. This is in West Palm Beach, dual home to the Expos and Braves, so this must have been a Braves home game with Newman in the road powder blues. Newman was a utility player who started his career with the Expos and ended it with the Rangers but is best known for his time with the Twins, where he was a member of the '87 and '91 World Champs. In 854 games over 8 seasons, he hit .226 with 1 HR, 156 RBI and 91 SB. After his playing career he was a Twins coach for a while, and now does some occasional youth coaching. 

Cake or gum? 1977 Jerry Morales

Last time there wasn't much action, but Topps got the votes, 3-1. Will we see more interest here?

Two photos probably taken at the same time, at Shea Stadium. Hostess has Jerry smiling for the camera, his beaded necklace prominent in the photo. Topps goes for a more traditional look, with him all business in his batting stance, the Shea scoreboard in the background.

Jerry Morales was a solid-hitting outfielder for five teams over a fifteen-year career. His best years were with some bad Cubs teams in the late '70s, including an All-Star appearance in 1977. Overall in 1,441 games he hit .259 with 95 HR and 570 RBI. Morales was a minor league coach and scout for many years, and has been heavily involved in youth baseball in his home of Puerto Rico.
 

1981 Topps Bobby Brown

 

The front: Lots of people on the field before the game. Some big early 80s hair there.

The back: Brown had a long road to the majors and was released by the Orioles in 1976. However he impressively stuck with the game and would end up playing more than 500 games in the major leagues.

The player: Outfielder Bobby Brown played for the Blue Jays, Yankees, Mariners and Padres from 1979 to 1985. His best season was 1980 when he hit .260 with 14 HR and 47 RBI.  Overall, in 502 games he hit .245 with 26 HR and 130 RBI.

The man: After his playing career he owned a company with former Yankee teammate Jerry Mumphrey called "Major League Dairies", which distributed food to various outlets including ballparks and casinos. The company was based in Atlantic City and was eventually barred by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission for it's poor business record. The most recent mention of Brown that I saw was a 2016 post on Night Owl's 1985 Topps blog saying that Brown was working in "food consulting" in 2008.

My collection: I have 16 of his cards, from 1980 to 1986. I would be interested in trading for 1984 Smokey Bear San Diego Padres SGA #NNO.