Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The Nitty Gritty Card of the Day

Today's Nitty Gritty Card of the Day comes from 1964 Topps. This is my least favorite set of the 1960's. The pale orange card backs and boring design don't do it for me. And who thought it would be a good idea to rub your cards with a nickel or dime? And what would have happened if you rubbed with a penny, or a quarter? I don't want to know... That said, vintage still rules and 1964 is most certainly vintage. This card is one of my favorite players of all time and is one of the few '64s I own. Anyway, without further adieu, today's Nitty Gritty Card of the Day is 1964 Topps card #310 of Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Jim Gilliam. Gilliam, who was nicknamed Junior, was not actually a Junior. He got the nickname because he started playing competitive baseball at such a young age. He spent his entire Major League career with the Dodgers. From 1953 when he was the Rookie of the Year, up till his untimely death in 1978 when the Dodgers won the NL Pennant. In 26 seasons with the Dodgers, they were NL Champs 10 times. As a player he won 4 World Series Crowns with them. His number 19 was retired by the team in 1978, days after his death. I love this game and I love this hobby and all of the stories it unlocks. Oh, as an endnote - I just noticed that Foul Bunt posted Gilliam's 1955 Topps card today. I love random coincidence... 46 years later!

2 comments:

  1. Troll,

    Even though Gilliam had significant playing time with the Dodgers in 1965 and 1966, the 1964 card was his last.

    I agree with you about the '64 design - blandest in the 1960s (followed by '62 and '61).

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  2. I have missed the Nitty Gritty Card of the Day. My days have been less gritty for sure.

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