Monday, June 3, 2019

1981 Topps Al Cowens

The front: Lots of Tiger Stadium shots lately. Here is another. I love cards where you can see what the player is looking at reflected in their glasses.

The back: Centennial High School in Los Angeles produced a lot of major league talent at the time. Contemporaries of Page and Cowens included Lenny Randle, Wayne Simpson and Lonnie Smith.
The player: Cowens was a speedy outfielder who was a regular for the Royals, Tigers and Mariners from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. In 1,584 games he hit .270 with 108 HR, 717 RBI and 120 SB. He had one monster season in 1977, when he hit .312 with 23 HR and 112 RBI.

The back: Cowens was known as a gentleman and good teammate, but may be best known for charging the mound after being hit by a pitch by the White Sox Ed Farmer at Comiskey Park in 1980. A warrant was issued for Cowens’s arrest and he had to stay out of Chicago until Farmer dropped the charges. After his career he was a scout and a youth coach. He suffered a fatal heart attack in 2002.

My collection: I have 25 of his cards, from 1975 to 1986. I would be interested in trading for 1984 Mothers Cookies #19.

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