Vintage backgrounds: The Whitestone Bridge

The last couple of '71 background posts featured Yankee Stadium. For this post, we'll drive east on the Cross Bronx Expressway and south on the Whitestone Expressway to Shea Stadium, a drive that is less than half an hour with little traffic. To do that trip we have to cross over the Whitestone Bridge, which is visible in this, my favorite background shot in 1971 Topps. You can clearly see the bridge over the left field wall in the center of this photo. Before Shea's left field bleachers were constructed in 1980, the wide open outfield views led to some great card backgrounds, particularly in the '76 SSPC set.