The Nitty Gritty Card of the Day

Last week my friend and fellow blogger Wicked Ortega put out a call to arms looking for cards of former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rennie Stennett. I have long been a fan of the 7-hitman and I went into my personal stash of Pirates cards from the 70s to send him some. I took a couple of scans before shipping and here is your Nitty Gritty Card of the Day. From 1972 Topps, card #219 of Rennie Stennett. This card rocks for several reasons. It is Stennett’s rookie card and the young infielder from Panama hit .353 in 51 games for the Bucs in 1971. He wasn’t a part of the postseason roster, but of course Pittsburgh went on to win the World Series that year. Stennet remained with the Bucs for 9 seasons and was a part of the We Are Family team that won it all in 1979. You can read his complete Wicked-Bio here so I won’t rehash all that. What I really love about this card is that it shows Stennett in Pirate City at the practice fields that are just a few miles from my home. This has long been the spring home of the Pirates and so many players got their first taste of the pros right there. Stennett first arrived at Pirate City in 1969 as an 18 year old. From there he went on to play for two teams that would win it all and set a modern day record that may never be broken. It all started in my hometown. I love this game, I love this hobby!!! 38 years LATER!