Sunday, April 5, 2026

Cake or gum? 1977 Dave Kingman

Last time was a 7-0 shutout for gum. Will cake get on the board here?

Hostess has Kingman posing for a portrait in spring training, while a llama in a blue sweater looks on. Either that or one of his teammates is about to peg a ball at his head. Meanwhile Topps shows Kingman in a follow through, tracking the progress of a fly ball to left. Judging by the way he's twisting his body, and the lack of reaction from the fans, this ball was probably well foul.

Dave Kingman was the forefather of today's big-HR, big-strikeout sluggers. He twice led the NL in home runs, hitting over 30 seven times and finishing with 442 in his 16-year career. He also struck out over 100 times in 13 seasons, back when 100 strikeouts for a batter was a lot for one season. As a rookie he played in the 1971 NCLS with the Giants, but never again made it back to the postseason as he was usually the biggest star on some bad teams, most notably with the Cubs and Mets. Overall in 1,941 games for seven teams, he hit .236 with 442 HR and 1,210 RBI. He was known to be one of the more difficult personalities in the league, especially when it came to dealing with the media. After his career he owned a tennis club in Lake Tahoe and continues to reside in the area, where he raised his family. His son Adam, a carpenter and designer, won season three of the reality show Making It.
 

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