#146 Duane Kuiper, Indians

 

Card Front: There are so many things going on with this card that catch my eye. One of the things that you didn't see much of in the 70's was black batting gloves. Duane's look like the infamous OJ Simpson black gloves, but I'm sure Kuip is a much nicer guy. My other issue is with Topps using a pic of a uniform that was last worn in the 1977 season. With all the flack the Tribe has caught for Chief Wahoo, this would be a good compromise look to bring back full time.

Card Back: I don't think you could say these are any kind of eye popping stats, but they are definitely solid. Duane definitely was no power hitter with only one HR, but sometimes you need guys to get on base and Kuip did that. It looks like George Hall was able to get hit more homers in one game in 1876 than Duane could in five seasons.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Duane would eventually move on to be with the San Francisco Giants, a team that he continues to be with today as a broadcaster. During his time in Candlestick, one of his 1983 teammates was Atlee Hammaker. Atlee would spend time in the 1995 season on the south side of Chicago as a White Sox with Roberto Hernandez. Roberto would be part of the 2006 Pittsburgh Pirates with Oliver Perez. Both Oliver and Roberto would be traded together to the New York Mets during that season. Before the 2012 season, Oliver signed with the Mariners and spent two seasons in the M's bullpen before being let go to find a new team for 2014.

Next Card: #147 Dave Hamilton, Pirates

#144 Sandy Alomar, Rangers

 

 

 



Card Front: This is the look of  a player that has seen his time in the big leagues with the classic look away pose. Sandy did know how to make it look good and natural. There is something of the look of the Rangers in the late 70's through the 80's. I wonder why most teams have gone away from the two tone caps, is it because they aren't cool or don't sell to the kids?

Card Back: This is what it looks like when you've been around for awhile. What is strange that Sandy only was in 24 games during 1978 and had already left the game and wasn't even around for the 1979 season. Sandy did spend most of his time as an Angel, but also did the New York double dip with both the Mets and Yankees.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: During Sandy's last season on the south side of Chicago with the White Sox in 1969, he would play with the legendary Tommy John. After a famous surgery, Tommy would last for a long time making it all the way to be part of the 1987 New York Yankees. Another of those Bronx Bombers was Al Leiter. A man of many teams in many seasons saw Al be part of the 2001 New York Mets with Desi Relaford. While Desi was originally drafted by Seattle in 1991, he would see time in Seattle until being a Mariner in 2002.

Next Card: #145 Rick Rhoden, Dodgers

#123 Lou Whitaker, Tigers

Card Front: What a beauty of a card! We find Lou in action during a game as visitors at Yankee Stadium. Obviously Lou hit some kind of ball and is busting out of the left side batter's box for first base. I love the look of the tighter uniforms and the stripes on the top of the stirrups is SO CLASSIC!! You can even see his teammates in the dugout looking to see if the hit will get through. There is still nothing better than day baseball.

Card Back: We see the beginnings of what should have been a Hall of Fame career. Lou won the Rookie of the Year in 1978 for the American League. He was a five time All Star, and three time Gold Glove winner. Lou and Alan Trammell made up one of the best double play combinations in the 80's. Lou had great numbers defensively and was great with the bat too, but was only able to muster 2.9% of the vote in 2001. Conversely, a guy like Roberto Alomar had very similar career numbers and got into the hall.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Lou was one of those guys that I love that stayed with one team his whole career. During the 1992 season in the Motor City, Lou would team up with Kevin Ritz. Kevin saw time in 151 games in his career with the Tigers and Rockies. During Kevin's next to last season in 1997, one of his Mile High teammates was John Thomson who was a rookie for the boys in purple and silver. John was a bit of a nomad playing for 5 different teams in 10 seasons. During John's time as an Atlanta Brave in 2004, he shared locker room space with Nick Green. Nick is another nomad seeing time in 11 organizations and playing in the big leagues for 8 teams. In the 2007 season, Nick saw time in 6 games as a Mariner before leaving after the season to be in the Yankees minor leagues.

Blog related to the team: The Tigers are a long, and storied franchise. It surprises me that they don't have more fans in the blog world. One that I have recently found is doing an outstanding job. I hope that you have all gotten a chance in the last few months to check the home of Hot Corner Cards. He is working on a project similar to mine where he wants to collect all the Tigers cards out there. If you have some extras Detroit cards go over and see if you can help, and tell him I sent you.

Next Card: #124 Dan Schatzeder, Expos

#118 Bud Harrelson, Phillies

Card Front: It is nice to see that Topps did their homework and got a picture of a player with his new team and didn't airbrush it. I have to admit that I wasn't a Phils fan back in the 70's and 80's, but I did like the mix of burgundy and baby blue. There is so much going on here. You have to love Bud and his Top Gun aviator glasses. Maybe it's the batting glove that looks like a golf glove, or it could be the choking up on the bat to get the little guy a hit.

Card Back: All you have to do is look at Bud's card and you would have thought he would have been a Met for life. I don't know who really won in the trade, since Bud only did 2 part time seasons in Philly but his trade partner last saw the Majors in 1976 an '77 and was never back up. Obviously Bud had a long career in the big leagues for his defense, because those stats are nothing to write home about. I would assume that he was the typical #8 hitter in front of the pitcher.Hank Aaron was called out for stepping out of the box. You see it quite often today, but it is never called.  

Six degrees or less to Seattle: During Bud's long run in the Big Apple, he had many teammates come and go. During the 1973 season, Bud would play with John Milner as Mets. John would find fame and fortune in the Steel City. As a part of the 1982 Pirates, he would play on the other side the state from Philly and another of those Pirates was Junior Ortiz. Junior would catch many games, and was with a handful of teams, but in 1992 he was Cleveland Indian along with Reggie Jefferson. Reggie came to Seattle for the 1994 season with Felix Fermin in the trade that saw the Indians obtain soon to be HOF'er Omar Vizquel. The Mariners let Reggie go before the magical 1995 season.

Blog related to the team: So many Phillies fans out there. One blogger that has been at it for quite a while and does a great job gets the love today. How many of you read The Phillies Room? Jim is one of the authorities on all things Phillies related. He even does his own custom cards for the Phils. How about Twitter for a place to check him out? I say you must go to one or both today and see him, and tell him a ghost form the 1979 season sent you to see him.

Next Card: Don Stanhouse, Orioles

#109 Joel Youngblood, Mets

Card Front: I have to admit that this card is so simple, but so right! You have a player in his home white uniform in a posed batting stance. There is no one behind him but empty seats, and the on deck circle. I'm really surprised how well Topps did. They could have maybe had Joel have matching gloves but I still think this is a card of beauty!

Card Back: You have to wonder if old Joel was starting to think he would never make it to the big leagues. When you spend 6 years in the minors, and three of those at AAA, it looks like your career has stalled. Joel would turn that around to last for another 10 years finally hanging it up at age 37 with a second stint back in Cincinnati. The Expos and Pirates use 74 players in a double header, they must have made call ups to almost the entire 40 man to pull that off...

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Joel would be in the Big Apple until the middle of the 1982 season, when he would head to Montreal for a quick stay as an Expo. Another guy to be in Montreal at that time was David Palmer. David would eventually find himself as part of the 1989 Detroit Tigers. During that same season, Matt Sinatro saw a total of 13 games in his career as a Tiger. Matt would move on to spend the next three seasons and 53 games as a Mariner. Matt coached for 15 years under Lou Piniella in Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Chicago.

Blog Related to the team: Do you know Michael? I hope you do. He is a newer blogger that has been with us for the last six months or so. You say to yourself I think so, but which one is his blog? You know you heard of it before, he is known as The Card Raven. I know that you all have seen or read one or many of his comments on your blogs, as he is a good commenter, and a great blogger. I'm proud to give him a little love today and am really hoping you will read his stuff and some him some niceness too.

Next Card: #110 Vida Blue, Giants

#63 Jack Brohamer, Red Sox



Card Front: Here is Jack showing off his prowess as a left handed bat at Fenway Park. I don't know if you can say a .243 hitter has much prowess, but it works for Jack. How can you not love the Pullover jerseys and the classic Sox hat in all it's red beauty. I like that the banner for the Red Sox team name was actually red.

Card Back: It seems that the only time Jack was a full time player was his first year in 1972. Only three other years would he see 100 games, most years seeing platoon duty in the infield. I guess the Indians thought Larvell Blanks was a better infielder than Jack here. It is nice to see the Indians take a home state kid in the 32nd round of the draft.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Jack would not have a long career in Boston with being purchased by the Indians in mid 1980. One of the players that would spend time with Jack as part of the 1980 Red Sox was Reid Nichols. Reid would change the color of his Sox and be part of the 1986 Chicago White Sox. One of Reid's teammates was Jack Perconte who would spend the 1984 and 1985 seasons as the Mariners second baseman.

Blog related to the team: We all know that there are many fans and blogs that love the Red Sox. One guy that will tell where to sit if you love the boys from Beantown is Ron. Ron is the sole provider of the great blog Section 36. Ron is always coming up with informative and great posts about his team. Head on over and take a seat in his section, and tell him I sent you.

Next Card: #64 Tom Underwood, Blue Jays

#58 Bob Randall, Twins

Card Front: Thanks to astute reader Jeff, I now know that this was taken in Oakland. I didn't really recognize the cavern that is Alameda County Coliseum without Al Davis mountain in the background. The stadium was much nicer back then. I really with Bob would have stood more straight on because I don't need to see his man bump above his name.

Card Back: I seems like the Dodgers had Bob on the six or seven year plan to make the big leagues. I think it was a hard go with a guy like Dave Lopes in front of you. At least he got his chance when the Twins traded for him in December of 1975. I'm guessing that 1 HR in 1111 AB's isn't a good ratio. It's always nice to see Teddy Ballgame's name on any card for any reason.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: In Bob's time with Minnesota, he would share the infield with Rod Carew. The Hall of Famer would be part of the California Angels, and in 1985 play with a young Kirk McCaskill. Kirk would move on and play for the Chicago White Sox in 1996 with Mike Cameron. Mike moved to the Reds and would come to Seattle for Ken Griffey Jr in 2000. Mike spent 4 great seasons here, and officially retired as a Mariner this past Friday night, throwing out the first pitch at the home opener.

Blog related to the team: I recently ran a big ad on ECDG asking for blogs for teams. The Twins fans didn't step up, I wonder if anybody collects their cards? I guess we will have to pimp a blog that is full of Twins info instead. One of the first I found was called Twinkie Town. I don't know much about the site but it seems to have plenty of info. If you know of some Twins fans let me know, so I can feature those bloggers.

Next Card: #59 John Denny, Cardinals

#53 Mick Kelleher, Cubs

Card Front: Mick has great form when it comes to laying down the bunt. I'm not too sure on the high hat and that awesome moustache, but I'm loving the uniform. What did the Cubs do with the tight unis with the blue cuffs on the jersey and what happen to the bear on the sleeve??

Card Back: As you can see, Mick is usually one of the bench guys that can play the infield. The Cubs gave him a shot for the year in 1976 but obviously didn't think he was the best. Mick would leave the Windy City after 1980 spending 1981 in Detroit, and splitting the next year with Detroit and California before hanging it up.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: As you see Mick was a Seattle kid, even attending Shoreline HS. But for the Mariners sake, Mick was part of the 1981 Tigers along side a rookie named Kirk Gibson. Gibby would be part of the 1993 Tigers with David Wells. Boomer was a member of the 2007 San Diego Padres with Hiram Bocachica. Hiram was a part of the 2004 version of the Mariners.

Blog related to the team: As we all know if you like baseball, there are many fans that love the Cubbies. There are just about as many that blog about them too. One man that has done it for a long time and keeps himself very busy keeping us informed is JayBee. Not only does he keep us up to date with the Blogroll, he also runs bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog. He is one of the handful of blogs that inspired me to start mine.

Next Card: #54 Dell Alston, A's

#34 Rob Andrews, Giants

Card Front: Here is Rob sporting his best pose at Candlestick. You have to dig the nylon jacket WITH collar underneath his jersey. What is with the blue and red batting glove? Did he steal that from some Dodger player at 2nd base? Boy oh boy the Astroturf sure is green today dear....

Card Back: Rob decided to take the slow road to get the big leagues. After being drafted in 1970, it would take 4 full years in the minors to make the majors. Rob spent more games in the minors in his career, than in the majors. The Giants would release Rob after the '79 season, and he tried to make the Mets in 1980. He didn't last and he was done.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Since Rob had very little time in the bigs, this took work. Rob played with Jim Dwyer as members of the 1978 Giants. Earlier in 1978, Jim was a St. Louis Cardinal with Ken Oberkfell. Ken would eventually be a Giant in 1989 along with Russ Swan. Russ was a Mariner in the early 90's.

Blog related to the team: I didn't officially give give him due credit the first time. There a blog that was a little dormant until recently that talked all about Giants cards and players. He is back, and better than ever. I think everybody knows of Matt of A Giant Blog. He is a wealth of knowledge about the Giants, and baseball in the Phoenix area. Check out his good stuff.

Next Card: #35 Ed Figueroa, Yankees

#20 Joe Morgan, Reds

Card Front: The first card with the All Star ribbon. I liked these much more than the newer cards in the Update set. You have to love the old flapless batting helmet, those aren't legal anymore. Joe looks like a fireplug.

Card Back: Nothing like having 15 years of stats. There is so many numbers Topps doesn't even give any interesting factoids about Joe. It's not often you seen much reference to the Colt .45's anymore. It's too bad the Astros couldn't bring back that name. I'm sure it would be deemed violent and insensitive nowadays.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Joe would move around alot in the final years of his career. During his year in Philadelphia in 1983, Joe played along side "the Sarge" Gary Matthews. Gary would come to Seattle in 1987 and play with catcher Bob Kearney.

Blog related to the team: I know there are many Reds fans out there. One of the most well known, and home of many group breaks is the great Nachos Grande. Not only does he love his Reds, but he is also a huge Barry Larkin collector.

Next Card: #21 Kevin Kobel, Mets