#154 Jim Gantner, Brewers

 

 



Card Front: If you wanted to get the chicks in the 70's you needed to look like Jim here. The hair is a little longer and feathered, the small but "sexy" moustache, and make sure the ladies can see your eyes. One thing that I do miss from these days is the powder blue road uniforms that teams would wear. I think that the Brewers had one of the best road unis in these days. It never hurts when you put some empty seats in the background.

Card Back: Here is what the back of a young player's card looks like. Some time in the minors but a quick rise to the top. Jim was early in his long time with his hometown Brewers. I'm sure as a Wisconsin native, it was a dream come true for him to be drafted by his local team. It is always fun to go and research and find out more about these minor league clubs that you didn't know back then when we were kids.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Jim was a career Brewer. During the 1979 season we see on this card, Jim would play with HOF'er Paul Molitor. In his next to last year, Paul would be in Minnesota in 1997, and one of his Twins teammates was Torii Hunter. Mr. Hunter would find his way to the 2013 version of the Detroit Tigers and would have Matt Tuiasosospo on the team with him. Matt spent part of three seasons in 2008-2010 with his hometown Mariners where his dad once played football for the Seahawks. Matt will be in Baltimore in 2015, and Torii and Paul Molitor have reunited in Minnesota for the Twins for the upcoming 2015 season.

Next Card: #155 Dwight Evans, Red Sox

#153 Dennis Lamp, Cubs

 

Card Front: For a card with a posed shot there is so much right and so much wrong here. You have to love the simplicity and beauty of the Cubs hat and the always appealing look of pinstripes and a V-neck pullover of the 70's. The red of the Cubs banner goes well with the color scheme. I do have to admit though that the large moustache is a bit of a scary thing to most women and children. I don't know about you but when I see Dennis' glasses I think of Kelly Leak fro the Bad News Bears.

 

Card Back: Dennis is definitely an example of the tale of the tortoise and the hare. For him getting to the big leagues was definitely a story of slow and steady wins the race. Drafted in 1971 and finally six years later he finally got his shot. I love how in 1906 Jack Coombs could pitch all 24 innings of a game. If that was today he would be lucky to go 7 or 8 innings with today's pitch counts.

 

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Dennis was a guy who would last a long time and see many cities in his time. Dennis would be up north in Toronto with the Blue Jays in 1984 with Mitch Webster. It wasn't the other Mitch Webster that Toronto fans would love in 1993, but yet the extra outfielder Mitch. In that same season of 1993 Mitch had moved and was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After seeing time in only two games the year before, Pedro Martinez was a member of that Dodgers team also. Pedro as we all know had a long career and was part of those winning Red Sox teams. But, in 2009 he was in Philadelphia with the Phillies. Another young pitcher in the city of Brotherly Love was J.A. Happ. While he hasn't seen a game yet in Seattle, he was part of a trade that just brought him to town and will be part of the 2015 Mariners.

 

Next Card: #154 Jim Gantner, Brewers