1981 Topps Al Holland

The front: Nothing but blue sky behind Holland in this spring training headshot.

The back: This is an error card! The game in the description occurred on October 2, not September 25. Holland pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

The player: Al Holland pitched ten seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Giants and Phillies. He saved 54 games for the Phillies in 1983 and 1984, but after his suspension for cocaine use at the end of the 1985 season, his career rapidly derailed, and he was out of baseball by 1987.

The man: Holland coached in the minor leagues for a while but now appears to be retired.

My collection: I have 21 of his cards, from 1981 to 1987. I would be interested in trading for 1985 Fleer Star Stickers #107.

Vintage backgrounds: Yankee Stadium monuments and flagpole

Moving into the 1971 set now. In '71 Topps finally got past whatever legal hurdle was preventing them from getting new photos, and there are lots of great action photos in big league ballparks. Just time for a quick post today on what has to be the best card ever to feature the monuments and flagpole when they were actually in the field of play in center field at Yankee Stadium. Visible in this photo are the plaque for owner Jacob Ruppert, the monument for Babe Ruth, and part of the monument for manager Miller Huggins.

1981 Topps Steve Nicosia

The front: There aren’t that many cards, especially from this time period, that show the catcher putting on his gear.

The back: Nicosia was 1-for-16 at the plate but excelled in the field, including a tag of Ken Singleton at home plate to preserve the 3-2 Game 3 win. Perhaps his most famous moment from the World Series was beating up a Baltimore fan who was trying to steal his gear after the last out of the Series – see 2:29:48 in this YouTube clip.

The player: Nicosia played parts of eight seasons in the major leagues as a backup catcher, six of them with the Pirates. In 358 games he hit .248 with 11 HR and 88 RBI.

The man: Nicosia worked in the hospitality industry for many years but is now retired. He was also a volunteer youth coach.

My collection: I have 14 of his cards, from 1980 to 1985. I would be interested in trading for 1984 Nestle #98.

Wallet Card with another Knickerbocker Hotel remnant

Revisiting another 2015 Wallet Card post (wow, five years of wallet cards already, time really flies). That one showed the long-shuttered entrance to the old Knickerbocker Hotel from inside the Times Square subway station. There are currently some major renovations going on in that station, and that sign is no longer visible. However, another sign has been revealed during that construction. You gain some, you lose some.