The front: Wynegar having a laugh at Yankee Stadium.
The back: I found nothing online about Wynegar’s astronomy
hobby. Perhaps Topps made it up? You will see that Topps sometimes did that with the next card in this set.
Does this count as a night card?
The player: Wynegar was an excellent fielding catcher with a
little bit of pop in his bat. In 1976 he was the youngest ever All-Star (20
years, 212 days), and finished behind just Mark Fidrych in the Rookie of the
Year voting. He was solid for a while in Minnesota, but after starting the 1982
season hitting .209, he was traded to the Yankees. Wynegar did not adapt well
to the stresses of playing in the Bronx, and left the team in mid-season 1986.
He returned to baseball for the Angels, retiring in 1988. Overall he hit .255
with 65 HR and 506 RBI in 1,301 games.
The man: Wynegar stayed in baseball after his playing days,
coaching for various minor league teams, even returning to the Yankees
organization, now far better run, for seven years starting in 2007. He is
currently a minor league hitting coach in the Pirates organization.
My collection: I have 33 of his cards, from 1977 to 1989. I
would be interested in trading for 1982 Topps Traded #131.
I've never come across Topps making up facts like that, although I'm sure players made up their hobbies periodically.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a night card. Old Yankee Stadium had dark backgrounds, often making day shots look like night. It's possible but I don't trust it.
That's what I was thinking at first, but then I realized Bo was talking about the night cartoon on the back.
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