The 625s, Part V

 

3-time MVP, 703 HR, 3,384 hits. Topps did a nice job with the Angels logo in this photo.

Two no-hitters including a perfect game. His last regular Topps card.

2013 AL Rookie of the Year. Nice camo uniform.

Opening Day starter for the Giants in 2018 and beat Clayton Kershaw. Almost looks like he's throwing the RC logo.

Won 104 games and the NL Pennant. First of three straight team cards with this number.

Won 96 games to make their first postseason in seven years. Looks like they're celebrating a great catch. The fans are just sitting in the stands like nothing unusual happened.

Started the season 7-3, though they ended up in last place. The Tigers season was so bad that Topps had to use a 2018 highlight for the photo on the 2020 card.

Had double-digit HR totals three straight seasons for the Cardinals, 2017-2019. A zero-year card and a final tribute. He signed with the Mets before the 2021 season but never played another game in the majors.

Fastest to reach 100 HR as a catcher. Now with his sixth team (Baltimore) and off to a 1-for-15 start. Card gives a good shot of his Sanchez tattoo, there to remind him in case he ever forgets his name, I guess.

Now in his fifth season, has 7.9 WAR for his career despite .187/.288/.290 slash line. He must be one heck of a defensive whiz.

Hit 30 HR and was an All Star in 2019. Now with his sixth team (Washington) and hitting .212. Black-bordered card of a player in a black uniform at night, with mostly empty dark stands and dark dugout.

My favorite: Star power and photo composition make the Pujols an easy choice for me.

Your favorite: ???

The 625s, Part IV

Had his best season in '04, hitting 26 HR. Nice classic pose, full body, fans visible.

Had three seasons of 30+ saves, also gave up the only walkoff HR I saw in person (Jason Giambi, 2008). Not many fans in the stands here.

30-save season for the Blue Jays in 2007. The lost art of the spring training action shot.

Five straight all-star appearances, in a nine-year career. I remembered him as a Rays draft bust and Rangers star. Forgot he made his MLB debut with the Reds.

Four straight Cy Youngs, 355 wins, 3,371 strikeouts. Another spring action shot.

612 HR in a 22-year-career. Not sure if this is a baseball swing or a golf swing, fun card either way.

Three straight All-Star seasons in Cleveland. Took over as White Sox manager last year and improved the team's winning percentage by 60 points, all the way up to .289. Nice diving catch in front of the scoreboard.

Hit .250 in 663 games. Hasn't played an MLB game since 2019 but remains active in independent leagues and Mexico. Looks like a foul ball here, based on everyone's body language.

Led the AL in winning percentage with the Rangers in 2010 (.765, 13-4). These days all card photos pretty much look like this one.

An All-Star in 2013, hitting ..272 with 27 HR and 83 RBI. Another nice full-body action shot with lots to see in the background.

My favorite: The Sizemore is pretty good, but the Thome has more character than the rest of the cards combined.

Your favorite: ???
 

The 625s, Part III

One of the great switch hitters of all time, one of only seven players with 3,000+ hits and 500+ HR. Nice day game shot at Yankee Stadium.

Won Game 7 of the 1986 World Series. Even conservative Topps couldn't avoid showing a little of McDowell's goofiness.

MVP of the 1988 All Star Game. Photos like this weren't used by Topps before this set. Unfortunately they don't do this kind of photo today either. Great close-up action shot.

In 1988 McReynolds set a record (since broken) for most consecutive steals without being caught (21). Looks like he hit a foul ball to left in Philadelphia.

Won Game 6 of the 1986 and 1991 World Series. Great card, I've loved it since I got it in '93. You can see how confusing high fly balls would be to outfielders.

Rangers all-time leader in wins and strikeouts. Cool to see what appears to be an in-game moment of Hough laughing and showing off the knuckleball grip.

Replaced Steve Carlton in Philadelphia in 1986 and finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year voting. The photo shows the power of his delivery.

Replaced Tim Wallach in Montreal in 1993 and finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year voting. This was Topps's return to longer sets after going short from 1996-2000. Solid action shot in Cleveland.

1995 AL MVP. In 2002 you could still get a nice spring training shot with lots of background detail.

Hit .364 in the 1998 World Series. Another great spring training shot, especially if you like trees.

My favorite: Several good junk wax cards here but 1993 is an easy pick for my favorite.

Your favorite???
 

The 625s: Part II

1976 AL Rookie of the Year. You can see the Big Bird resemblance.

Walk-off home run won the 1976 ALCS. Might be another home run here.

Won the NL batting title in 1980. Any card of Buckner fielding will elicit a chuckle.

484 doubles, led the AL twice. Great spring training shot with signs and trees.

Pitched a no-hitter in 1979. I like the high-school-style bleachers.

Was twice named Royals Pitcher of the Year. Interesting windup with his foot at an odd angle.

Led the AL in strikeouts in three of his first four seasons. This was a pretty big rookie card when he started off that well.

An All-Star in 1984, hitting 20 home runs. Looks like he just hit a line drive in San Diego.

Set the Mets' single-season and career stolen base records (since broken). Even a Yankee fan can't hate this guy. Great photo of a fun player. Funny to see both Buckner and Wilson here, two players forever linked.

AL Cy Young winner in 1988, and one of the best pitchers ever from Long Island. It's an awkward pose but nice to see a candid shot, and even some fans.

My favorite: I have to go with the action shot of a great Yankee. These are all great cards though.

Your favorite: ???
 

The 625s: Part 1

Diamond Jesters proposed a nice blog bat-around idea, ranking the cards with your birthday number. I have a June birthday so there are a fair amount of cards that fit the criteria. Every set from 1969 on except for the late '90s when the set size shrunk for a few years. Even better, my birth date is the 25th, and 25 has sometimes been a "hero number" for Topps, so star players would be well represented. 

I thought about doing a ranking, but instead decided on something a little different. There are 51 #625s in Topps flagship, so that breaks out into five 10-card posts (one with 11). I'm going to find something nice to say about each card and each player. Then I will pick my favorite, and invite the readers to pick theirs.

The first Expos star. Nice spring training shot.

The 1964 Cy Young winner. If an all-sand card is a Tatooine card, then this should be considered an Endor card.

HOFer, one of the best base stealers of all time. I like how on his jersey you can see the two birds but not the bat.

Former White Sox owner Louis Comiskey is on the award, renamed for Jackie Robinson in 1987. I like all the yellow on the card.

Hit a walkoff pinch-single in Game 4 of the 1972 World Series. Some more great yellow on this card.

One of the best right-field arms of his era. Zero-year-card - Traded to the Angels in October; bought by the Astros in March.

1970 AL MVP. Great shot of him saying "I've got it!" But why are the fans turned the wrong way?

Led the NL in strikeouts twice. Great jacket.

Five World Series rings, and the third and most recent no-hitter with zero strikeouts. Nice photo from the first year of the new Yankee Stadium.

The only Astro to be named team MVP four times. Simple head-shot but it goes well with one of Topps' best, most classic designs.

My favorite: The vintage era is tough, with players like Mack the Knife and Downtown Ollie Brown. But I can't vote against a great vintage Hall of Famer in Lou Brock.

Your favorite: ???
 

Wallet Card at a 1987 Ovation authorized dealer

Oceanside School of Music operated from 1957-2018, when the owners retired and the shop was acquired by a chain of music schools. Like many local storefront music schools they also sell instruments. I noticed some very old decals among the many on their door. I guess guitar companies would designate certain stores as authorized dealers. There are decals from Ovation for 1987 and 1988, and one for B.C. Rich Class Axe Guitars for 91-92. Looks like they tried to peel them off at some point, but once they're on, they're on. For nearly 40 years now!

 

1988 Topps Big Cartoon Deep Dive: Ozzie Smith

 Great photo on the front.

A couple of interesting cartoons on the back. 

The 1987 Ozzie movie was basically just a documentary about the Wizard.

I remember the reference to the casually-dressed list on the back of his 1987 Topps card. It was a pretty obscure list - put out by a small retailer called California Mart in 1982 to drive some publicity for their casual clothes. According to their fashion director, "the casual look is the style of the Eighties". Joining Smith on the list was a varied group - 49ers QB Joe Montana, entertainers Pat Boone, Johnny Carson, Cary Grant, Hal Linden, Luciano Pavarotti, Robert Wagner and Billy Dee Williams, and the recently resigned Secretary of State, Alexander Haig.

Cake or gum? 1977 Jim Palmer

Cake won the last 1976 matchup, 8-2. Who will kick off 1977 with a win?

Hostess goes with a simple spring training portrait of Palmer, while Topps gives us an action shot a Memorial Stadium with a red-orange Orioles jersey. One of the greatest pitchers of all time, Palmer won at least 20 games for eight out of nine seasons from 1970-1978. He twice led the league in ERA, and his 2.86 career ERA is third lowest since 1920. He was a six-time All Star and won three Cy Young Awards. In his 19-year career he never allowed a grand slam or back-to-back home runs. In 558 games he went 268-152 with 2,212 strikeouts. Well-known for a variety of advertising and commercial appearances, most notably for Jockey, Palmer has been an Orioles and national TV announcer since his 1984 retirement.
 

Wood vs. Wood #271

 Last time 1962 squeaked by with a 6-5 win. Who will come out on top here?

Hatless Ray Ripplemeyer poses in spring training in his Cincinnati Redlegs pinstripes. Originally signed by the Braves in 1954, Ray Rippelmeyer finally made his major league debut with the Senators in 1962. He pitched in 18 games in his only big league season, going 1-2 with a 5.49 ERA. After his playing career he was a long time minor league coach and owned a farm in Illinois. He died in 2022.

Mike Brown hangs out in the dugout of Tiger Stadium. He had been an August trade acquisition from Boston. Brown pitched for the Red Sox and Mariners from 1982 to 1987. In 61 games (42 starts) he went 12-20 with a 5.75 ERA. After his playing career he was a long time minor league coach and scout for several organizations. He retired after the 2020 season.