RIP "Kid"

Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter passed away last week. Although most of his cards appeared outside of the time frame focused on in this blog, he still had some that did. Rather than rehash what others have said, I'll just let the others speak.

His first card appeared in the 1975 Topps set, as a multi-player Rookie:

This card was shown by Slangon, who was one of the first bloggers to report the sad news (or at least...he was one of the first I saw on my Blogroll).

Soon after that, Big Hair and Plastic Grass featured this 1976 Kelloggs' card in its own tribute. The site is written by Dan Epstein, who has written a book about baseball in the 1970s and does a better job of saying what I would have come up with.

Of course, Night Owl also writes for a living...and offered up this post that examines the inevitable feeling of mortality that seems to accompany these sad bits of news as we get older. I was in the ninth grade the year the Mets won the World Series. Seeing the leader of that team pass away from cancer certainly makes me think.

But the reason I really need to mention "The Kid" in this blog is outlined on this little factoid that was placed on the back of Carter's 1981 O-Pee-Chee card in two languages. 1967ers from Diamond Cuts and Wax Stains remembered the decade Carter spent as one of the biggest baseball stars in Canada.

We didn't just lose a Hall of Fame catcher...but we also lost a person who was a fellow collector. One of my long-time collecting buddies is Bob D'Angelo, a Tampa-based journalist who talked with Carter in 1981 about his collection. Here, he shares that story, as well as Carter's reaction to seeing himself on cardboard for the first time in 1975.

Rest in Peace, Kid.

More 1970s Hoops Cards

Back in February, I featured an article showing some of the 1970s Topps basketball cards I was sent by a collector who'd been reading my posts. Last week, it happened again, and I'd be neglectful if I didn't squeeze an entry out of this somehow. With that in mind, here is a look at the 1975-'76 Topps basketball set.

The was the last year of the ABA's existence, which makes this set the last 300+ card Topps issue before they stopped making basketball cards in 1982. Like the earlier sets I mentioned in that blog entry above, the set is broken up by league. Cards #1-220 featured NBA players, and 221-330 were all from the ABA. League leaders cards start off each section, and playoff games get cards as well.

Like many basketball sets, there were elements taken from other sets. Here's an example of a card from the 1975-'76 set:

Card #21 -- Gary Melchionni, Phoenix Suns

(Love the sun graphics on the shorts.)

The stripe in the corner is reminiscent of the 1966 Topps baseball set. However, the two-color design is very much a 1970s thing. I didn't get any All-Star cards from this set so I can't show any off; the players who were named to the 1st and 2nd team All-Star squads also received a solid color stripe across the bottom of the card, and the stripe in the corner reverts toa  single color, but with five stars in it. One eneat effect, though, is the font Topps used for the player and team names. They don't appear to be borrowed from another set (unless there's a hockey set I missed).

The backs definitely make them look like basketball cards, with several images of game-action play:

Card #7 -- Tom Van Ardsdale, Atlanta Hawks

For players whose careers are shorter, there are additional cartoons below the highlight "ball," which forms a complete circle when it's not being obscured by stat lines. The blue/green design might be one of the best Topps used on its hoops cards during the 1970s.

For the first time, Topps included team photo cards. I only ended up getting two of them, but need to say that one of the others shows the Seattle SuperSonics getting off a 747 (Not a "supersonic" plane, but it's still a neat idea). While most pictures looked like this:

Card #217 -- Phoenix Suns Team Card
With the ususal assortment of unintentionally hilarious bad leisure suits, wide-bottom pants, gym gear and hairstyles, it's a reminder that entire cultures could make silly decisions from time to time.

But take a look at this:

Card #212 -- Los Angeles Lakers Team Card

Floating head cards! Since there are fewer players on a basketball team than baseball, it may not look quite as morbid as many 1970s Chicago Cubs team cards do. That said, it still looks like somebody running the guillotine was bored and decided to waste time rearranging the victims.

Topps Postseason Series: The 70s, Part II

Last time around, I reviewed the Playoff and World Series cards from the 1970-'72 Topps sets. Today, I'll continue the discussion.

When it comes to 1973 Topps, I could go on about the entire set. Actually, I do just that on another blog, three times a week. Now, with that shameless plug out of the way, I'll delve into the postseason sets:

One big difference over previous years was the way Topps just eliminated the honor of placing the previous year's World Series winner on Card #1. However, they did continue the postseason series the same method as in 1972: one card from each League Championship Series, one card from each World Series game and one celebration card. Actually, all three sets featured in today's post have that layout.

The 1972 American League Championship Series was the first that didn't feature the Baltimore Orioles. It was also the first one that didn't end in a sweep.

Card #201 -- Hendrick Scores Winning Run

I posted about this Series in my 1973 blog, if you'd like to read about it (Yep, another shameless plug). The two teams went to the full five games, and Hendrick's winning run sent the A's the the World Series for the first time since they were still playing in Philadelphia.

The National League Championship between the Reds and Pirates (who also met in the NLCS in 1970) was a little more dramatic:

Card #202 -- Foster's Run Decides It

The 1972 NLCS also went five games, and was decided at the very end. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they lost on a wild pitch, which allowed Foster to score the run shown above. Again, here's the link to read what happened.

Since both League Championship Series went the distance, it was only logical to see the 1972 World Series follow suit:

Card #206 -- Tenace Singles in Ninth

The card shows Gene Tenace taking his turn at bat during Game 4. One last time, here's a link to the description on my other blog. The A's won this World Series in 7 games, but they weren't done yet:

The 1974 Topps set continues the story:

Card #470 -- A.L. Playoffs

Reggie Jackson was injured in the '72 postseason. In fact, his injury led to George Hendrick being in the game shown in the '73 card above. However, the injury meant he sat out that World Series. He would prove invaluable this time around, however.

The Baltimore Orioles made it pack to the playoffs after one year away, and the Oakland A's returned as the A.L. West champions. It was a well-fought series, with each team splitting the first two games. An extra-innings affair in Game 3 was broken up when Bert Campaneris hit a walk-off homer in the 11th. When the A's moved in for the kill in Game 4, Andy Etchebarren and the Bobby Grich homered to keep it alive before "Catfich" Hunter pitched a gem in Game 5.

The '71 ALCS rematch had a different result this time.

Card #471 -- N.L. Playoffs

Over in the National League, that series went the distance, too, with the New York Mets (and Jerry Koosman, shown pitching above)taking the series from the Cincinnati Reds. Pete Rose -- not known for the art of the long ball -- hit two homers in the series but was better known for a fracas he and Met shortstop Buddy Harrelson engaged in during Game 3. These Mets were a different team than the 1969 Series winners despite having a few remaining players from that squad. They had been far out of first at midseason that year and heated up to win the division. 

Fun fact: All four managers in the '73 postseason (Earl Williams, Sparky Anderson, Dick Williams, Yogi Berra) are members of the Hall of Fame.

Card #477 -- '73 World Series Game 6

Reggie Jackson is shown on this card against a sea of fans. It's refreshing to see a daytime Series game. Jackson was the A.L. MVP in 1973, but went on to begin earning his nickname "Mr. October" after the season ended. The series went to the seventh game, and it was Reggie who practically sealed things in the deciding game with a 2-run shot in the third.

This was also the last time baseball fans would see Willie Mays take the field. However, the A's weren't yet finished.

Card #459 -- '74 A.L. Championships

Again, for the third time in four years, the Oakland A's were pitted against the Baltimore Orioles. This is the sixth year of the playoff series, and Baltimore was in five of them. The Orioles won the first game decisively, but the A's came back to win the next three.

Card #460 -- '74 N.L. Championships

Meanwhile, over in the National League, another perennial was competing: the Pirates, who were up against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was the Dodgers' first trip to a championship series, but it wasn't their first playoff (you may have heard about a guy named Bobby Thomson in 1951?). The games would include a pair that saw future teammates Jerry Reuss and Don Sutton take the mound. The Dodgers would win and advance to the Series.

Card #461 -- World Series, Game 1

Reggie Jackson is again shown taking his turn at bat on this card. He would hit a solo homer during that first game to start the scoring. On paper, the Dodgers appeared to be the better team; they were cohesive, they had a better record, they had a better skipper. The A's, on the other hand, were fighting each other and somehow winning despite themselves. In the end, the Series was over in five games and the A's would take their third straight title home.