#147 Dave Hamilton, Pirates

 

 

 

Card Front: Another of your standard pitcher looking like he is on the mound poses. While we can tell Dave is near the dugout, There is just so much that looks great with him. I know many people liked to frown on the Pirates and their stripes in the 70's, but I liked the look almost as much as the black and gold interchangeables. I don't know if a young lady caught his eye, but Dave doesn't seem too interested in the photographer.

 

Card Back: Sadly, Dave was just one of those guys that was more of the situational lefties out of the bullpen. There is nothing in his stats that jump out and say WOW! You do have to give the guy some credit though, he did earn three World Series rings with the A's in his first three seasons in the big leagues. I would say a HR in the 18th inning to win 1-0 classifies as a pitcher's duel.

 

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Yes Dave went to Edmonds-Woodway HS north of Seattle, but he was never a Mariner. During his first season on the south side of Chicago, Dave played with Chet Lemon on those 1975 White Sox. Chet was a man that stayed around for quite awhile and was part of the champion 1984 Detroit tigers with Carl Willis. Carl would find himself slightly west as a part of the 1995 Minnesota Twins with a young LaTroy Hawkins. While LaTroy has been a man of many hats, during the 2010 season he would don a Milwaukee Brewers hat along with Corey Hart. Mr. Sunglasses at Night is expected to DH and platoon at 1B and OF for the Mariners in the upcoming 2014 season.

 

Next Card: #148 Bruce Bosclair, Mets

#117 Grant Jackson, Pirates

Card Front: Here comes a pitch from the lefty. There is just so much to love about the Pirates and their uniforms from this time. I once saw something on MLB Network that said the clubhouse guy had a running list of combos so they wouldn't repeat them soon together. I like the way the blue walls of Three Rivers go with the blue banner below Grant. I love the black flattop hats, but wish they would have worn the yellow ones a little more...

Card Back: That is one big fat stack of stats there. Back then it sounded like a long time ago to be signed in 1962, but now it was over 50 years ago! It seems the Phils had him start in 1969 and 70 but then decided Grant was more valuable in the pen. Unusual to see someone born in Ohio, but lives in Puerto Rico. It seems strange to see the Acquired line say Trade, Mariners in 1976, when they hadn't even taken the field yet. I guess Topps must have been searching for anything to put on the side with the fact that the Padres and Giants used 13 pitchers in a doubleheader.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Yes, Grant was drafted by the M's in November of 1976 only to be traded to the Pirates in December so he never saw the field with a trident on his cap(see below to see Topps offering of Grant as a Mariner).  During Grant's only season in the Big Apple in 1976, he was a Yankee with Otto Velez. I think Otto liked Maple Syrup so he went to Toronto and was a Blue Jay in 1979 with a very young Dave Stieb. I still think of Stieb as one of the faces of the Blue Jays franchise. Almost 20 years in 1998, after a short stop as a White Sox?? for four starts and a four year absence from the game, Dave was on the bump in Ontario with former Mariner Pat Lennon. Pat was one of those thought to be a future star in the outfield with Junior, but Pat saw 10 games in '91 and '92 before being let go from Seattle.

Blog related to the team: Ahh, Pirates fans are becoming more common. I'm glad to see it. They are one of those franchises that has a great history but have suffered for a long time now. I know how their fans feel to have lesser ownership that doesn't give you a chance to win. I think the Buccos are on the right track and could have a really good year. One of those fans is from south of the Steel City but loves his team. You may know him ad BigDaddyFilth. He also goes by Victor, and he writes about Gravediggers, Mooses, and such.  Go and see his work, and maybe send some Pirates his way, and he will definitely help you back.

Next Card: #118 Bud Harrelson, Phillies




Thanks Topps for giving us Grant for 1977 even though he never threw a pitch with a trident on his cap



#92 Jim Bibby, Pirates

Card Front: Here is Jim in all his pinstripe glory at Three Rivers. It is funny to see no one in the stands at all, but you can find people in the dugout. I wonder if something caught Jim's eye or if the cameraman thought it would look cooler on his card to look away.

Card Back: It is sad to see that until coming to Pittsburgh, Jim played with some not so good teams. It is cool that Jim threw a no hitter in 1973 and would also give up a lead off hit but then throw a perfect game in 1981. Jim would coach for quite a long time after retiring in 1984, but tragically lost a battle with bone cancer in 2010.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: During Jim's All Star season of 1980 as a Pirate, he would have a young catcher names Tony Pena. Tony would play many years in the Majors including a stint with the 1997 version of the Houston Astros with Jose Cabrera. Jose would stay in Texas and in 1998 would share time in the Astrodome dugout with John Halama. John was the PTBNL that sent Randy Johnson to Houston in 1998 because Mariner management thought the Big Unit was done and wouldn't pitch much longer. John was a Mariner from 1999-2002.

Blog related to the team: I'm really having a hard time finding my Buccos fans. I would think with them playing so well that maybe they would become more well represented. I decided let's see what other bloggers that have done set blogs think of Jim's cards. There was a blog for Jim's first card as a three player rookie for the Cardinals in 1972, but Jim's card was never written about. Mr. Bibby missed out on having his own card in 1973.  We would find that wobs would write about Jim and his 1974 card with the Rangers. In the far out 1975, night owl showed us Jim as a Ranger again. We would Jim in Cleveland thanks to Matthew in his 1976 version. Matthew hasn't gotten to Jim in 1977, and there was a 1978 blog, but they never got to Jim either.

Next Card: #93 Phil Mankowski, Tigers

#70 John Candelaria, Pirates

Card Front: John is showing one of the many uniform combinations that the Buccos would wear in the late 70's and 80's. While I never was a big fan of the Pirates pinstripes, sometimes it did look good. I'm not too sure about the mesh stove top hat though. It seems that something in the upper deck must have gotten the Candy Man's attention. Nice 'stache John.

Card Back: As you can see John was early in his career in 1979. He would end up playing for 8 different teams until the 1993 season. He would never spend more than 3 seasons with any of them except the Pirates which John spent a total of 12 seasons with. The Pirates didn't wait to make John go deep in games with 220 and 231 innings in his first two full seasons. I wonder what a $40,000 bonus equates to nowadays?

Six degrees or less to Seattle: While John would bounce around amongst teams, most of his career was in the Steel City raising the Jolly Roger. During the 1984 season with the Bucs, John would spend time with Mike Bielecki. Mike would move west and be a part of the 1993 Cleveland Indians with Reggie Jefferson. Reggie came to Seattle in one of the most one sided deals with Felix Fermin for Omar Vizquel and CASH! Dumb move on the M's part as Reggie was only here for the 1994 strike season.

Blog related to the team: I really like where the Pirates are headed as a team. I think that they are starting to get closer to respectability again. One of the new bloggers out there I think might be a Pirates fan. If not, he has a beautiful panoramic picture of PNC Park on his blog. Michael runs the new Six-4-Three DP blog. It seems like he does a bit of everything but he like us, loves baseball. Head over and tell him I sent you from the Emerald City.

Next Card: #71 Brian Downing, Angels

#55 Willie Stargell, Pirates

Card Front: Here is the player that started my love affair of baseball. I don't know what it was about "Pops," but watching his windmill of the bat and just the constant smile made me love him. I love how he brought the team together in 1979, created the Stargell stars for good plays, and always came through clutch.

Card Back: Now that's one impressive set of statistics!! All the way from 1962 through '78 and all with one team. It is amazing to think he was born in 1940, was drafted in 1958 at 18, and made the majors by 22 in 1962. By the '79 season Willie was starting to age but could still step when he was needed. His ultimate honor would come in 1988 when he would be inducted into Cooperstown. We lost Willie in 2001.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Willie never came to Seattle with the Pirates. In his final season in 1982, Pops played with Larry McWilliams in the Steel City. Larry would move to the mound in Atlanta in 1987, and play with a young guy named Tom Glavine. Tom would be part of the 1996 Braves when in late June free agent Mark Whiten signed with the Braves. Mark would be traded to Seattle in mid August and finish the '96 season as a Mariner.

Blog related to the team: I really wanted to be selfish and keep the blog love to myself since my son and I are both collectors of Willie. That isn't what this section of each card is for though. I have a feeling the Pirates will do big things this year. Another fan that is keeping that faith and flying the Jolly Roger high is the New Jersey host of Pirates Treasure Room. He even has his girlfriend who collects and loves baseball, what a LUCKY DOG!!

Next Card: #56 John Hale, Mariners

#28 Steve Brye, Pirates

Card Front: We see Steve and his long 70's style hair. He is really rockin the moustache everybody had to have in those days. How could you not have the Pirates without the pillbox hats of the late 70's? The pinstripe jeresy is the first of many combinations for the Buccos. It funny that in November of '78 he was released, and signed with San Diego in 1979.

Card Back: Steve had spent his time in Minnesota. It still intrigues me that players were bought and sold so much easier back in the day. After a year in Milwaukee, he came to Pittsburgh. As you can see, he got a hit about 25% of the time. Not much power, but singles and doubles do the trick. Steve would spend '79 at AAA Hawaii and retire at age 30.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: In Steve's one season in Steel Town in 1978, he would play along side John Candelaria. John would move around a bit near his end. For the 1990 season, the Candy Man was a Toronto Blue Jay with Pat Borders. Pat would eventually come and go as a Mariner 3 times from 2001 through the 2005 season.

Blog related to the team: I know the Bucs have been down for many years. There should still be more Pirates fans out there because they have a long rich history. One man that isn't afraid to fly the Jolly Roger is the Real DFG. He is a fan of all teams Pittsburgh. I think he is in for a good ride on the Pirates bandwagon this year.

Next Card: #29 Rick Langford, A's

#4 1978 Stolen Base Leaders

Card Front: Remember the days in the 70's and 80's when stolen base numbers were higher than home run numbers? Ron LeFlore was a speed demon for the Tigers, pictured here from Yankee Stadium. Omar would lead the NL in '78, '79, and just miss by one in 1980 stealing 96 while Ron would lead the NL with 97 as an Expo in 1980.

Card Back: The disparity in the numbers of the top 10 is amazing. Both #1 guys had more than double the #10 player. While there is only one guy in both leagues that is in the Hall, there are still some recognizable names top to bottom in both leagues. While the AL race was semi close, Omar blew the doors off teammate Frank Taveras by 25 bags.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Obviously Julio Cruz was a Mariner in 1978. Ron can be traced to a Mariner of a few years ago in Randy Messenger. Ron spent 1980 in Montreal with Bill Almon, who spent 1987 it Pittsburgh with Barry Bonds, and Barry played with Randy in 2007 in San Francisco. Randy spent parts of 2008 and 2009 in Seattle. Omar can also be tied to the Mariners. Willie Randolph was his teammate in Pittsburgh in 1975, Willie would spend the 1990 season with the Dodgers teaming with Dave Hansen, and Dave spent part of the 2005 season with George Sherrill in Seattle, and George is back with the team in 2012 for his second go around.

Next Card: #5 1978 Victory Leaders

#1 1978 Batting Leaders

This is the first card in the set of 726 cards. Unlike the modern cards that have the top three from each league, back in these days it was one card. The good thing with that meant more cards for players to be on.

Card Front: On the left is AL batting champ Rod Carew of the Twins. Rod would not play for the Twins in 1979, being traded to the Angels in February of '79. Rod led the AL hitting .333 in 1978. On the right is the NL champ in "the Cobra," Dave Parker. Dave would win the NL batting title at .334, and the NL MVP in '78 despite a facial injury in June.

Card Back: Do you like deep green? I hope so because you will see lots of it for the next 725 cards. The list of the top 10 for each league has three guys that are in the Hall of Fame. One that will be on Lou Piniella, and one that could be in Pete Rose. Many household names amongst all 20 players.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: The easy one is Leon Roberts. He was a Mariner. Obviously Lou managed in Seattle. Jose Cruz would have his son play in Seattle. Jeff Burroughs would also spend 1981 in Seattle.

Next Card: #2 Home Run Leaders