Cardboard Cousins: Alex

In the late 1990s and early 2000s Upper Deck put out a set called Vintage that ripped off old Topps designs. Here is an insert from 1999 that rips off the 1959 Topps look. Throwback Attack#6 is Alex Rodriguez. The actual 1959 Topps set also has an Alex at #6. Alex Grammas hit 12 home runs in a ten year big league career, mostly for the Cardinals. He was a long time coach for Sparky Anderson in Cincinnati and Detroit and managed the Brewers in 1976 and 1977.

Last time I was asked to try to connect the two players, which sounded like a fun idea. In Milwaukee in 1976 Grammas was Hank Aaron's last major league manager. In 2015 Rodriguez tied Aaron's record of 15 career 30-home run seasons.