1978 Topps Card #15, Hall of Famer Tony Perez!

Today’s card of the day is card #15 of Tony Perez, shown here with the Montreal Expos. Tony looks like he is on the verge of tears in this picture. Perhaps this is because after 16 years, 7 All Star Appearances and 4 National League Pennants with the Cincinnati Reds, the Reds traded him to the Montreal Expos. The Reds picked up an iffy starter (Woodie Fryman) and a decent middle reliever (Dale Murray), but they ended an era of greatness by shipping Perez away, especially to the Montreal Expos. The Spos fielded a decent team in ’77, Tony Perez played first and hit 19 homers and another HOFer, Gary Carter was the catcher and team leader in homers with 31. They also had Ellis Valentine (25 HR), Andre Dawson (19 HR), Larry Parrish (11 HR) and Del Unser (12 HR). It wasn’t a bad team, they finished below .500 and in 5th place in the NL, but it wasn’t because of a lack of offense. In 1977, his first year in Montreal, he batted .283, hit 19 homers and also drove in 91 runs. It was the 11th straight season that Perez drove in 90 or more runs, his best year coming in 1970 when he brought 129 runners home. This is a pretty awful picture for such a great player… I don’t like seeing anyone without a hat on a baseball card, but seeing Perez at 35 years of age, wearing a uniform other than the Reds makes me want to cry to. Fortunately for Tony his sentence in Montreal wasn’t too long. In 1980 he would be a free agent and sign on with the Boston Red Sox and have career resurgence at age 38 playing on a team with 4 future Hall of Fame sluggers and leading that team in homeruns, RBI and hits. Perez would continue on and play for the Phillies, and lead them to an NL pennant in '83, and then returned to the Reds again before retiring after the 1986 season at age 44 on the team that he began his career with. His career lasted a remarkable 23 seasons and over that career he belted 379 homeruns (60th All Time) and drove in 1,652 runs (27th All Time). He never led the league in any one offensive category, he was never an MVP award winner (except for the ’67 ALL STAR game), but he was a fantastic fielding first baseman, a team leader, a winner and one of the classiest people to play the game. He was also one of the most feared hitters of the 70s. He averaged 23 homeruns and 90 runs batted in for the decade. He was also intentionally walked 150 times (including twice his final season), which is good for 42nd in baseball history. This is particularly impressive because Perez always played on strong offensive ball clubs with a lot of depth in the lineup. The “Big Doggy” hit a grand slam in 1985 (at age 43) becoming the oldest player to accomplish that feat, the 1986 Topps card #205 documented that. His 3 years in Montreal were just a part of his storied career. It’s over now Tony, you’re in the Hall of Fame (Class of 2000) and you don’t have to play for the Expos again, wipe away your tears… Now, it is time for the…
The Nitty Gritty
Name/Number: Tony Perez, number 24.
Position: First base
Age-Now and Then: 67, he was 35.
Team’s 1977 Record: 75-87, 5th in NL West
Topps Rookie Card: 1965 Topps, card #581, with Kevin Collins and Dave Ricketts.
Number of Topps Base Cards: 23, last card was 1986 Topps #85 (with Eric Davis) - I always considered this a changing of the guard card.
Playball! Foul out.
1977 Stats Line: .283/19/91
Awards in 1977: Neither the Expos nor the Reds made the Playoffs in ’77.
Distinguishing Feature: Sad face.
Similar Modern Player: Carlos Pena.
What I said about this card then: Why so sad Tony?
What I think about this card now: Seriously, you are one of the best players in baseball history, quit your crying and put on a hat!
Back of the card memorable moment: There’s no room with his stats… He had 296 career homers at the start of the ’78 season.
Back of the card “fun fact”: Again, no room. He was born on 5-14-42 in Camaguey, Cuba.
The condition: Near mint.
Grooviness factor: It’s difficult to simultaneously cry and be groovy, but the baby-blue uniform with the red, white and blue M is pretty groovy…
Wow! Factor: Sparky Anderson called Perez the “heart and soul of the Big Red Machine”; I can’t believe that they would trade him. Is nothing sacred?
What’s weird about this card: Well first off there is no crying in baseball; second, seeing Perez in an Expos uniform is pure weird.
Career Accolades: Won two World Series with the Reds. 7-time All Star. Hall of Fame in 2000.
Best Season: In 1970 Perez batted .317 with 40 homers and 129 RBI, scoring 107 runs, posting a .589 slugging % and winning the NL Pennant.
Nitty Gritty Fun Facts: Tony Perez won the Pacific Coast League MVP in 1964 while playing for the San Diego Padres. He batted .309 with 34 homers and 107 RBIs and earned a promotion to the Reds.
Where are they now?: Perez is currently a special assistant to the general manager of the Florida Marlins.
Well, after a long hiatus, the Nitty Gritty Train is moving right along again. Tony Perez is one of my all time favorite players, but this is one ugly card. On deck is card #16 of Yankees outfielder Roy White. 31 years LATER!

Card #14, Lerrin LaGrow!

It is now time for card #14 featuring big right-handed pitcher Lerrin LaGrow. I don’t know how to verify such things, but this is the only person named Lerrin that I can recall ever playing baseball… This card is one of those that I really need to upgrade; it’s creased down the middle and was probably traded back and forth many times before I finally ended up with it. LaGrow was 28 years old and in his 7th big league season in 1977. He had just come to the Chicago White Sox that spring in a pitcher for pitcher trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Sox got Lagrow and the Cards got Clay Carroll. Lagrow had spent the first 5 years of his big league career as a starter with the Detroit Tigers, but in ’77 he moved into the bullpen full-time and won the job as White Sox closer. This was arguably the best season he had in his 10 year career. He won 7 games coming out of the bullpen which was 1 less victory than the personal best he had set in 1974 when he won 8 for the Tigers. It took Lagrow 11 complete games to win 8, he lost 19 that year. When Bob Lemon decided to put him in the ‘pen full time and use him as their closer, it turned out to be a very wise decision. LaGrow had the finest season of his 10 year career in 1977, he was 7-3 with a 2.46 ERA in ’77; he appeared in 66 games, finishing 49 of them. He pitched 98 innings and earned 25 saves finishing in the top five in the AL in games, saves and games finished.
After the Sox LaGrow spent ’79 with the Dodgers and had a pretty good year (5-1, 3/41 ERA) and then signed with the Phillies in 1980. After going 0-2 in 25 appearances the Phillies cut him in July and that ended his 10 year career. He finished with a 34-55 record, a 4.11 ERA in 309 games-he completed 19 of those games and saved 54 of them (250th All Time). LaGrow runs a very successful real estate based business in his home state of Arizona and has had no association with baseball since his retirement in 1980. Now, let’s get into…

The Nitty Gritty
Full Name: Lerrin Harris LaGrow
Position: relief pitcher
Age-Now and Then: 61, was 28 in ’77.
Team’s 1977 Record: 90-72, 3rd in AL West
Topps Rookie Card: 1971 Topps, Card #39, with Gene Lamont.
Number of Topps Base Cards: 8
Playball! Triple
1977 Stats Line: 7-3 with 2.45 ERA. 25 saves.
Awards in 1977: The White Sox closer job
Distinguishing Feature: Ripped plastic sleeves.
Similar Modern Player: Bobby Jenks.
What I said about this card then: There are no kids in my class named Lerrin.
What I think about this card now: Man, I wish the Sox still held spring training in Sarasota AND how did this card get creased this badly?
Back of the card memorable moment: Was Tigers top right-handed reliever of 1973 campaign.
Back of the card “fun fact”: Lerrin ranked among the league’s top relievers last season. The condition is BAD. Soft corners and big crease down the middle. Definitely needs an upgrade!
Grooviness factor: What is groovier than his name, it rolls off the tongue-Lerrin LaGrow…I am pretty sure he is the only Lerrin to ever reach the big leagues that is GROOVY!
Wow! Factor: Was on the Phillies in 1980 but was given his release in July BEFORE they went on to win the World Series… He had 3 saves for the Phillies that year.
What’s weird about this card: Jerseys with collars are bizarre to me, so are the poses that photographers get players to strike.
Career Accolades: His 54 saves is 250th of All Time
Best Season: 1977 when he was 7-3 with 25 saves-3rd in the AL. Nitty Gritty Fun Facts: LaGrow’s most famous pitch during his career came in the playoffs in 1972. It wasn’t a big strikeout or the last out of an inning. It was game 2 of the ALCS, LaGrow was pitching for Detroit and they were facing Oakland. LL came on in the 6th inning in relief. He was the 4th Tigers pitcher of the night and they were down 5-0. In the 6th inning he retired the A’s 7-8-9 hitters in order, but when he started the 7th inning, chaos ensued. Bert Campaneris, the A’s leadoff batter and shortstop led off the 7th inning. Campaneris had a hit in each of his 3 prior at-bats and he had scored twice. The first pitch that LaGrow threw hit Bert Campaneris in the ankle. BC flung his bat at LaGrow on the mound. It was a pretty serious fling, but LL ducked and it went over his head. Of course this led to a benches clearing melee and (of course) Tigers manager Billy Martin flipped out and had to be restrained from going after Campaneris. LaGrow and Campaneris were both suspended from the remainder of the ALCS, Campaneris was replaced by Del Maxvill and the A’s went on to beat the Tigers in 5 games. Campaneris returned for the World Series, but his hot bat was cooled and he batted only .179, but he did win his 1st of 3 World Series rings. LaGrow would never return to the postseason, but he did remain a Tiger and became a starter for them in ’74 and ’75. I for one think it would have been interesting to see BC and LL go at it one on one. LaGrow was 6'5" and weighed about 220 giving him 75 pounds and 7 inches on the smaller shortstop. Campaneris may have been a lot smaller, but he was pissed and I think I would have put my money on Bert. I played in a charity softball game with BC about 10 years ago when he was around 60 years old. He played all 7 innings at shortstop and played the game like it was the World Series, they guy was INTENSE!
Where are they now? He sells real estate in Arizona.
That’s it for card #13. Funny names, collared jerseys and playoff stories oh my. On deck is (duh) card #15 of Tony Perez, then of the Montreal Expos. Thanks for reading, 31 years LATER!

Card Number 13, ART HOWE!

Goodness, it has been about a month since I have posted the card of the day over. Its been nice for Don Aase as he had a nice long run as the card of the day (3 weeks is a very long day), but now it is time to move on (finally!) and catch up with card #lucky 13 of Houston Astros infielder Art Howe. Take away the ridiculous rocket ship, Popsicle costume that they wore in Houston back then and there isn’t too much grooviness going on with this card. Sure he has sideburns, but they aren’t out of control-there’s no afro, no wild sun glasses, no hippies dancing in the background, just a gritty infielder wearing a shirt that he might possibly have borrowed from Rainbow Brite. Howe was signed by the Pirates out of the University of Wyoming in 1971 and he spent parts of 5 seasons in their minor league system compiling a .304 batting average. Before the ’76 began he was sent over to the Astros as the player to be named later in the deal that had sent Tommy Helms to the Pirates. Helms and Howe were very similar players, but Howe was 29 and Helms was 35 and on his way out. Howe split the ’76 season between the big leagues and AAA (where he hit .355 in 74 games) and was up to stay in 1977. The Astros were an even .500 team (81-81) and Art Howe became their everyday second baseman, but also played shortstop and 3rd base on occasion. In ’77 he hit .264 with 8 homers and 58 runs batted in. His total of 58 RBI would be his best over his 11 year career. He would spend 7 seasons in Houston’s infield, playing all 4 positions, but mainly 2nd and 3rd base. The Astros made the playoffs twice during his tenure, in 1980 and 1981. Both times they were eliminated in the ALCS. Howe didn’t have a very successful go in the playoffs-his career postseason batting average is .188 over 32 at-bats. He did hit a home run in the 1981 NLCS off of Burt Hooton in game 3. It would be Houston’s only run as they lost to the Dodgers 6-1 in that game. They lost the playoff in 5 games. That year (1981) Howe appeared on MVP ballots and came in 18th place for the award. He finished ahead of Tim Raines (.304/74 steals) somehow. Art Howe batted .296 with 3 homers and 36 RBI that year. He became a free agent and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1984 and played in 89 games at all 4 infield positions for them. He was released the following year after playing in just 4 games. Over his 11 year big league career Howe batted .260 with 682 hits, 39 homers and 266 RBI. After his retirement as a player Art Howe got into coaching in 1985 as the batting coach for the Texas Rangers. He held that post until 1988 and eventually became the manager of his former team, the Houston Astros from 1989-1993. His best season was his first when the Astros went 86-76 for a third place finish. They would also finish 3rd in his final season in Houston. After the Astros he managed the Oakland As from 1996-2002. The A’s made the playoffs in each of his last 3 seasons, but never made it past the ALCS. He would also manage the New York Mets in 2003 and 2004, but he failed to post a winning record. Now, onto…
The Nitty Gritty
Name/Number: Art Howe/18
Position:Second Base/Infielder
Age-Now and Then:62/31
Team’s 1977 Record: 81-81
Topps Rookie Card: This is it. 1978 Topps card #13.
Number of Topps Base Cards: 8
Playball! Groundout
1977 Stats Line: .264/8/58
Awards in 1977: Starting 2nd baseman job
Distinguishing Feature: His skippy sideburns.
Similar Modern Player: Jerry Hairston Jr.
What I said about this card then: Who wants it?
What I think about this card now: Your reading it…
Back of the card memorable moment: He hit a single in his first major league at-bat vs. the Braves on 6-10-1974.
Back of the card “fun fact”: In his first 71 at-bats at Charleston .1974, he had 17 extra base hits and a .451 average.
The condition: Near mint.
Grooviness factor: Calling that jersey anything other than groovy would be insulting.
Wow! Factor: There are actually a couple of fans in the stands in the background…
What’s weird about this card: That this is his rookie card. Topps normally issued one right after the cup of coffee.
Career Accolades: 11 years in the majors, a homerun in the playoffs. Won 1,129 games as a manager.
Best Season: 1978, .293/7/55
Nitty Gritty Fun Facts: Was the manager at the dawn of the Astros Killer Bs era.
Where are they now?: ??? He was the Texas Rangers bench coach through the 2008 season…
Okay, that wasn’t so bad. Glad that is out of the way, now we can move onto card #14 of Lerrin Lagrow! 31 years, LATER!

The Nitty Gritty on Card #12 of Don Aase!

Time for card #12 of pitcher Don Aase, the man at the forefront of the alphabetical order. I LOVED this card as a kid; it made me want to see Aase pitch. I figured if he looked this good on the card, he must have been one heck of a pitcher. I didn’t like the Red Sox at all as a child, I still don’t, but I sat through plenty of Red Sox games hoping to see this guy pitch as a 5-year-old. I think I watched a week’s worth of games and ended up learning a lot about the Sox. That was the first time I had really watched their epic outfield of Dwight Evans, Fred Lynn and Jim Rice, but I became fascinated with their infield of Rick Burleson and Jerry Remy more. I gave up the Sox watching experience after a week went by with no Don Aase. I think I forgot about his awesome card, too. It all came back to me when I got a copy of his ’82 Topps card, though, and I realized he had been traded to the Angels before that card had ever come out. Turns out he was traded for Jerry Remy. Remy would be an All Star for the Sox, but Aase led the Angels to their first Western Division Title in 1979. This card came out after Aase’s rookie season where he posted a 6-2 record in 13 games, all starts, for the Red Sox. It was his 3rd Topps card and probably the coolest. Aase had been exclusively a starting pitched from ’77 till 1981 when he switched to the bullpen. He served as the Angels closer for 3 years and saved 23 games over that period and then left California to sign a free agent contract with the Baltimore Orioles where he joined their pen in ’85. He enjoyed one of the best years of his career; he had a 10-6 record with 14 saves in 88 innings of work. The following year he would become the Orioles full-time closer and would go to the All Star game. He finished the season with 34 saves (2nd in AL) in 66 games. After the 1988 season he moved to the NL and made stops with the Mets and the Dodgers before retiring at age 35 after the 1990 season. Over his 13 year career Aase had a 66-60 record with a 3.80 ERA and 82 saves (161st All Time) in over 1,100 innings of work. Now it’s time for…
The Nitty Gritty
Name/Number: Don Aase, number 45.
Position: Starting pitcher
Age-Now and Then: Was 22, Is 55.
Team’s 1977 Record: 97-64, 2nd in AL East
Topps Rookie Card: 1976 Topps, Card #597
Number of Topps Base Cards:14
Playball! Double
1977 Stats Line: 6-2/3.13 ERA.
Awards in 1977: A really cool card in ’78.
Distinguishing Feature: The double A in his name.
Similar Modern Player: Mark Hendricksen.
What I said about this card then: Wow! This guy looks like he must be a great pitcher!
What I think about this card now: It’s perfect. Not much funny to say, this is just good photography…
Back of the card memorable moment: His Major League debut was against the Brewers on 7-26-77 and he fanned 11 batters to win the game 4-3
Back of the card “fun fact”: Don won his first 3 decisions for the Sox in 1977.
The condition: MINT
Grooviness factor: The moustache, high stirrups, and crazy looking delivery.
Wow! Factor: That the Sox would trade a promising young starter for an infielder.
What’s weird about this card: He has the number 13 written on his stirrups. Career Accolades: All Star in ’86, earned save in the game. 161st All Time career in Saves. Was Orioles single season saves leader till Greg Olson saved 36 in 1990. Best Season: 1978- Was 11-8 with 6 complete games.
Nitty Gritty Fun Facts: Traded for Jerry Remy after 1977 season. Is 4th among baseball players when listed All Time in alphabetical order.
Where are they now?: His son Kelby Aase plays college ball at Fullerton College. Where’s Don? I really don’t know…
I have to say that I blame Don Aase for making me waste time watching the Red Sox as a kid, but it’s probably not really his fault. It is the power of baseball cards. This card is awesome and I stared at it and it made me want to watch this guy play, that is the point, right? On deck is card #lucky 13, of Astros infielder Art Howe. Two things, real quick... I DO plan on posting 5 times a week from now on, but it would be nice to think people were reading, PLEASE consider adding this to your blog rolls! When it hits 25 followers, there will be a (simple) contest, along the lines of pick a number between 1 and 25 and there will be 1978 related prizes...Stay tuned. 31 years, LATER!

Doug DeCinces, The Nitty Gritty on Card Number 9...

Now this is a great example of why I love this set! The odd pose, the abundant lip fuzz and the odd shadows all come together on a card of the great young stars of this time. This is card #9 of Baltimore Orioles third baseman Doug DeCinces. The phrase “between a rock and a hard place” sums up DeCinces’ early years with Baltimore pretty well. Coming up through the minors he was a middle infielder, primarily a shortstop, but he wasn’t going to displace Gold Glover Mark Belanger any time soon, so the transformation was made. He had a great arm-as a 19-year old, in his first season in the O’s organization, he made 1 start for Bluefield in 1970 and during spring training in 1974 Bill Hunter and Jim Frey approached him and said they thought he was the one to replace Brooks after his retirement. DeCinces didn’t play third base until his 4th season in the minors, but he took to the position quick and discovered some power that he hadn’t exhibited before. 1974 would be his final season in the minors, he would spend most of 1975 on the bench, but in late May of 1976, he took over as the Orioles starting third baseman, the heir to the throne. Come opening day in 1977 the Orioles infield would consist of Lee May at first, Billy Smith at second, Belanger at short and DeCinces manning the hot corner. As the full time starter he set new career highs in every offensive stat and batted .259, his career average. He also chipped in 19 homers and played an above average third base and the Orioles would remain in contention all year, finally finishing 2.5 games out of first place in the AL EAST. DD would remain the Orioles constant at the corner for the next 4 seasons and in 1978 he would lead the team in homers with 28 homers. In 1979 he hit one of the most memorable homers in team history. It was June 22, 1979 and the Orioles were down 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth. The Orioles had been riding a 6 game winning streak, but Detroit Tigers pitcher Dave Tobik had two outs in the ninth inning and one batter left to face. That batter was Doug DeCinces and he creamed a two-run homer to make the Orioles walk-off winners. From that special homerun, the term “Orioles Magic” was born, a term still used today, stemming from a game that O’s fans still reminisce about. The Orioles went on to win the AL Flag that year, but fell to the Pirates in a hard fought 7 game Series. In a bit of irony, the man who replaced Brooks Robinson would be replaced himself by a legend in the making. After a 13 homer year in 1981, the 31 year old DeCinces was sent to the Angels for Dan Ford to make room in the infield for Cal Ripken Jr. DeCinces went on to have a career year in California winning his lone Silver Slugger Award and making the playoffs, but he missed out on the World Series in 1983 with the Orioles. Now onto…

The Nitty Gritty

Name/Number: Doug DeCinces #11
Position: 3rd Baseman
Team’s 1977 Record: 97-64 / .602 / 2.5 Games back.
Topps Rookie Card: 1975 Topps, Card #617 Number of Topps Base Cards: 15
Playball! Base on balls
1977 Stats Line: .259 / 19 homers / 69 RBI
Awards in 1977: The starting 3rd base job.
Distinguishing Feature: Giant ‘Stache in Orioles orange.
Similar Modern Player: Hank Blalock
What I said about this card then: What is he doing?
What I think about this card now: What an amazing ‘stache!
Back of the card memorable moment: Doug belted a 3-run homer against the Red Sox on September 18, 1977.
Back of the card “fun fact”: He became the Orioles starting 3rd baseman on May 17, 1976.
Best Season: 1982, Won Silver Slugger and AL West. Hit .301/30/97
The condition: Definitely near mint!
Grooviness factor: The giant stache matches his uniform and he seems to be scooping up his team’s name.
Wow! Factor: This guy replaced the most beloved Orioles player ever, then was replaced himself by another beloved Oriole, Cal Ripken Jr…
What’s weird about this card: The shadow monster….
Career Accolades: Is a member of the California Angels and Baltimore Orioles All-Time Teams. Inducted into Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 2006.
Where are they now?: Mr. DeCinces owns DeCinces Properties, a real estate development firm in Irvine, CA. Manages Strawberry Farms Golf Club, runs 8 restaurants and still builds and develops homes in Southern California.
Career Stats: .259 batting average, 237 Home Runs and 879 RBI.
Nitty Gritty Fun Facts: Was on the cover of Sports Illustrated on October 20, 1986. Had two 3-homer games within a week during August 1982. He hit double digit homers for 13 straight years. His teams made the playoffs in ’79, ’82 and 1986.
On deck is the first Hall of Famer to appear in the set, card #10… 31 years, LATER!

New Name, New Format, Totally Not A Drag Man...

This blog is obviously all about the great set produced by Topps Chewing Gum Inc. in the year of 1978. Here are some facts about the set that you should know before we get any farther along in our card a day journey to the ends of the earth and the set. After 5 years of issuing a 660 card set, Topps increased the number of cards to 726 in 1978. It was the most since the 787 card set of 1972. Unlike ’72, the ’78 set didn’t include “In Action” cards. This 726 card format would last for 4 years until they bumped it up to 792 cards in 1982. It was also the second consecutive year that Topps didn’t offer a regular traded set-this would return again in 1981. Of the 726 cards in the set, the first 7 are “Record Breakers”, cards 201-208 are duel player league leader cards and cards number 411-413 chronicle the playoffs. The set also includes 6 double sided checklist cards and cards #ed 701-711 were 4 player rookie cards that were separated by position. There are 4 rookie pitchers cards and two cards each for catchers and outfielders. All the other infield positions received one card each. This set has an incredible crop of stars and represents 33 different Hall of Fame players and managers. It also includes 26 manager cards with a current photo and a picture of the skipper as a player. There are 26 different team cards as well, most often with a team photo on the front and a complete checklist of cards depicted from that team on the back. These team cards are difficult to find properly cut and centered. Taking away these aforementioned cards, the set includes a total of 639 different single player cards, including the first ever Topps card of Eddie Murray and the final card of Lyman Bostock. This blog will show each and every one of the 726 cards of this amazing set in numerical order. The blog now has a new name and will follow a very strict, yet groovy format as we journey to the end of the set in 5 cards per week intervals. It will be a long and strange trip indeed. Aside from showing a new card every day (or so) there will be a number of special additional and reoccurring features that may or may not include: “Where were you in 1977?”, “Saturday Night Special ‘Staches”, “The Oscar Gamble Hair Watch”, “Jive Turkeys”, “1978 Season Rewind”, the “Sounds of ‘78”, “This Date in History”-a 1977 and ’78 version, “Wednesday Morning Upgraydez” and features on players with ties to this great and groovy year. You’ll have to trust me when I say that it will in fact be far out. We will, on rare occasion, showcase cards that aren’t from 1978, but have close ties and significance to that year. Just like on the Collective Troll, there will be contests. The first one will occur when this blog nabs its 50th follower and it will not be a drag, trust me… It won’t be corduroy, but the contests will have a 1978 feel and appeal to them. Hop on the “Nitty Gritty” card blog train and enjoy the ride! Mike Sadek is on deck… 31 years, LATER!

Nolan Ryan Record Breaker, Card #6

On July 16, 1977 Nolan Ryan fanned 12 Seattle Mariners en route to an Angel’s victory, it was the 98th time that Ryan had struck out 10 or more batters in a game in his career and this earned him a record breaker card. The previous record was held by Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax who whiffed 10 or more 97 times. This is the first of many pitching records that Ryan set in his career. He would go on to pitch for 16 more seasons and would also lead the league in strikeouts 6 more times. Once he broke Koufax’ record, he built on it and made it pretty much unbreakable. His final number of 10 K games after his retirement in 1993? He had 215 games with 10 or more Ks. That’s way more than double Koufax’ record, practically triple. Ryan did the bulk of his striking out in the American League, though. He had 148 10+K games for the Angels and the Rangers, but playing for the Mets and Astros he only reached the feat 67 times which means that Koufax is still the career leader in the NL. During his 27 year career Nolan Ryan struck out 5714 batters, good for first place all time and over 1,500 more than the guy in second place. In 1973 with the Angels Ryan struck out 383 batters to set a Major League Record which still stands 35 years later. With 24 in his career he holds the mark for most seasons with 100 or more Ks, with 15 he set the standard with most seasons at 200 plus and yes, he does hold the record for most seasons with 300 or more Ks with 6. He is tied with Randy Johnson for that last one. Those records aside, this card celebrates him breaking Koufax’ record for most games with 10 or more Ks. It is incredible that Ryan broke Koufax’ record, but more incredible that he broke it, doubled it and then got some more. In the end he bested the record by 118 games. In 1977 Sparky Lyle captured the AL Cy Young Award, but Ryan was named the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year. He was third in the league in wins with 19 and led the league with 341 Ks and 22 complete games while pitching 299 innings. He average 10.64 strikeouts per nine innings and led the league in that category, too. Ryan never won a Cy Young Award during his career and his SN Pitcher of the Year Award in 1977 was his only one. He finished in the top-5 in voting for Cy Young 6 times, but never took the prize. In 1973 he struck out a record 383 batters and won 21 games while completing 26 games, but Jim Palmer who had 220 fewer strikeouts took the honors. As far as the card goes, they did get a decent looking head on portrait of the guy, but why not have a pic of him doing what he did to break the record? A pic of him pitching, presumably striking someone out would have been much better. In 1990, at the age of 43 Ryan struck out 232 batters to lead the American League in that statistic for the 11th and final time. That year he went 13-9 with a 3.44 ERA. The year prior, he went to his final All Star game, struck out 301 and notched 16 wins, all at age 42. Ryan only topped 20 wins twice, he never won a Cy Young and he even led the league in losses one year, but he will forever be known as the most prolific strikeout pitcher of All Time. Ryan stands out even among the other record breakers for a lot of reasons, but most impressively, that he played 16 more seasons after breaking this record. Still, even with all of his records and amazing performances, when I think of Nolan Ryan, I still go right to him getting Robin Ventura in a headlock... Just one more record breaker to go. Go Baseball!!!

Card #4, Brooks Robinson Record Breaker

When I was making my needs list for this set I had all of the numbers written down and then I went to the checklist to figure out what star players (that would cost me) were on the list. This card was one that I needed, and the checklist listed it as such: “Brooks Robinson/Record Breaker”. That left a certain degree of suspense for me because Brooks owns so many records! In 1977 he owned the record himself of 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards (Jim Kaat and Greg Maddux have since tied it), he owns the career marks for games, assists, put-outs and double plays by a third baseman and he also owns (shared with Carl Yastrzemski) the record for most seasons played with one team. As it turns out, the latter is the focus of this record breaker card. The title reads “Most Consecutive Seasons, One Club”. When Brooks started the 1977 season it was his 23rd (consecutive) season with the Baltimore Orioles. He started out for them as an 18-year old rookie in 1955 and played there till he was a 40 year old pinch hitter in 1977. Along the way he played in 18 consecutive All Star Games (starting 11 of them), he led the league in fielding percentage 11 times, holds the AL career record for sac flies and was the American League MVP in 1964 when he played in all 163 games, batted .317, hit 28 homers and led the league with 118 runs batted in. He also earned two World Series rings with the Orioles (’66 and ’70) and has a career .303 postseason batting average with 5 homers and 22 RBI. Okay, back to the card, which is #4 in the set, it dictates that Brooks broke the All-Time record for longevity which was previously shared by National Leaguers (and Hall of Famers) Cap Anson, Mel Ott and Stan Musial. It goes on to mention that 2 American League players shared the mark, but doesn’t mention their names. I know that Al Kaline played 22 seasons with the Tigers, so that is one, but it doesn’t mention the other. This will probably keep me up at night till I figure it out… Some of these records that were set in this set were expanded upon, but Brooks’ final year was 1977, I think he had his final at-bat on August 5, 1977 and therefore the mark stood at 23 seasons. He only started 10 games at third base that year and only had 52 at bats total and his batting average was a painful .149. He did hit a homerun that year and I hope it was at home because I can imagine the ovation that would have earned him. He was a defensive specialist, nicknamed the “Human Vacuum Cleaner”, but still delivered at the plate, including 2,848 career hits. Like Musial and Kaline with their respective teams, when you think of the Orioles, you think of Brooks Robinson and you immediately envision him at the hot corner making a diving stop and a dead-on throw to first. This record that he set stood for only 5 seasons until Carl Yastrzemski played his 23rd season for the Boston Red Sox in 1983. That same year Brooks Robinson was inducted into the National Baseball of Fame on his first year of eligibility, receiving 92% of all votes. To this day those 2 share the record and in the current climate of free agency I don’t think anyone will come close to taking this mark from these two legends. I am glad that Brooks broke another this year because otherwise Topps would have completely overlooked this legendary player. As it stands, the greatest third baseman of All-Time, #5, Brooks “The Human Vacuum Cleaner” Robinson’s final regular issue Topps card is from the 1977 set, card #285. This leaves only 3 more record breaker cards to cover and then it is off to the regular set! Happy collecting…

Card #3, Willie McCovey '77 Record Breaker

Here we are onto card number 3. This one features Willie McCovey as a record breaker. He is actually more of a record establisher I think. In 1977 he became the first player ever to hit two-home runs in one inning, TWICE! I really don’t know if anyone else has matched this mark since, but my guess is no. McCovey is one of the greatest power hitters of all time. He ranks about the elite in home runs, RBI and he is third All Time in number of times intentionally walked. Take away the guy is first place who became a slugger via the needle and McCovey is second in that category, behind only Hank Aaron. Along his stellar career McCovey blasted 521 home runs (18th All Time) over 22 seasons, his final one coming as a San Francisco Giant at the age of 42 in 1980. He also had a 3 home run game on three separate occasions, but this card celebrates the second time he hit two homers in one inning. The record breaking occasion occurred on June 27, 1977 and one of his blasts was a Grand Slam. That was his 17th career granny and he hit his 18th later that year. He did all of this as a 39-year-old first baseman for the Giants who many had written off after a disappointing year at the plate in 1976 when he hit just 7 homeruns while splitting time between the Padres and the A’s. The 39-year-old slugger showed up his critics in ’77 when he hit .280 with 28 homers and 86 RBIs as the Giants first baseman. He also added in this 2 home run in one inning game, hit two grand slams while being walked intentionally 16 times that year en route to being named the NLs Comeback Player of the Year. McCovey’s career spanned 22 seasons and in that time he was an All Star 6 times and was named the NL’s MVP in 1969 when he had an explosive year at the plate. He finished 3rd in the league in batting with a .320 average, but he paced the league in homers with 45, RBI with 126, on base percentage, times intentionally walked (45) and slugging percentage with a .656 mark. In 1986 McCovey was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a first ballot inductee. The Giants have retired his number 44. There is probably a chance that someone someday will tie this mark, but I don’t see anyone in the near future belting 2 homers in an inning 3 times… The front of the card isn’t as groovy as I would like, although he does have a bat in his hand, he isn’t using it and the shadows on his face make him unidentifiable other than his number 44. Once again, the title of the record is great-“Most Time, 2 HR’s In Inning, Lifetime”. Hey, it is an impressive mark and could you blame Topps for trying to squeeze an extra McCovey card into the set? Card number 4 is coming soon…As a personal favor and an end note. If you are reading this blog, could you please add it to your blog roll? I thank you in advance!

Card Number 2, Sparky Lyle Record Breaker

Moving right along, here is card #2 in the ’78 set. Now I didn’t grow up in a Yankees household (fortunately) but living in Connecticut there are even more Yankees fans there than in Tampa. My parents were not Yankees fans, but my Mom’s Mom, my Gramma Phil and her family were huge Yankees fans. At Thanksgiving Dinner, the Yanks were often a topic of conversation and as a young collector looking for guidance on who to follow, my Great-Uncles were glad to give me advice. Had I taken it over the years, my collection would revolve are Steve Balboni, Mike Pagilarulo, Ron Guidry, Dave Righetti and this guy, Sparky Lyle. Albert “Sparky” Lyle was a favorite around the Tucciarone household and when the Yanks won it all in ’77 and he was a big part of that, he was anointed as a Saint by them. He had a spectacular year with the Yanks in ’77, he was an All Star, he won the Cy Young Award and he was lights out in the World Series. His final record in ’77 was 13-5 with 26 saves and a 2.17 ERA. He led the league in games (72) and games finished (60) and he pitched a whopping 137 innings, all in relief. He came to the mound in the late innings to the tune of “Pomp and Circumstance” and was sometimes driven to the mound in a pinstriped car, it was New York, it was ridiculous, but this guy delivered. This card celebrates Lyle breaking the record of most games pitched in relief. The headline reads “Lyle hurls in 621 games, all are in relief”. According to the card, the record had previously belonged to Bob Locker who pitched in 576 games in relief. Of course this record didn’t last long at all. When Lyle retired in 1982 after 16 MLB seasons, Goose Gossage had already broken his record. Lyle is still in the record books, just much further down the list. His 899 games is good for 23rd All Time and is just 7 games less than Cy Young had, who is 22nd place. The difference is Young’s games came mainly from starts, he started 815 games, pitched 749 complete games and threw 5,964 more innings than Lyle. The career leader in games is lefty Jesse Orosco with 1,252. Trevor Hoffman is the active leader with 985 (15th place).
Following Lyle’s record breaking, Cy Young Award winning, World Championship performance in 1977, the Yankees signed free agent Goose Gossage who took over the closer role for the Yankees. In ’78 Goose had 27 saves, Lyle had 9. After the ’78 season the Yanks traded Lyle to Texas. I think that it was Graig Nettles who coined the phrase “From Cy Young to sayonara”. Yet another reason to hate the Yankees-historically they just don’t take care of their players… Sparky didn’t have much spark in Texas and left for Philadelphia where he saved just 6 games over 3 seasons. He made one final stop in Chicago with the White Sox in 1982. He tossed 12 innings for the Sox and saved one final game and retired at age 37. He ranks 32nd All Time in saves with 238. He was passed on the All Time list this year by Francisco Cordero, K-Rod and Joe Nathan. My family felt that he was a sure fire Hall of Famer, but it hasn’t happened for him just yet. He still does have hope as he is on the Veteran’s Committee ballot along with names like Minnie Minoso, Ron Santo, Roger Maris, Luis Tiant and Gil Hodges. Aside from hearing how great he was from my family, Sparky Lyle was most famous to me for writing the book “The Bronx Zoo” which I read after his retirement and have re-read a few times over the years. Sparky is currently managing the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League. He has been their Skipper since their inaugural season in 1998. Going back to the card-I do love that Topps used a shot of Sparky in action, on the mound. 30-years ago my eyes were much better and his moustache jumped out at me, now I have to squint to see it, but its there! I am confused by why Topps had to say “Most games, pure relief”. Are there different types of relief or games? Are relief appearances sometimes cut with starts? Was this a common practice in the 70’s? Just throwing that out there… Although not as “far out” as 1975, in ’78 things were still a little far out there…Congrats to Sparky Lyle on holding onto history, even if for just a short time… Guess which card number comes next?

Post Numero Uno-Card Number One, Lou Brock Record Breaker!

Well here it is. The first post on the new blog. I gave myself two weeks to try and prep, but I am as nervous as can be. The idea of the blog is to post a card a day in order until I finish the entire set. I imagine I can milk this thing for 3 years… I hope these posts get better as my feet get wetter, but here we go:
Card Number 1 (One), Lou Brock Record Breaker. I can’t think of a better person to lead off the set than Lou Brock. I like card number one being of a spectacular lead-off hitter and base stealer. In current baseball, a person like Brock, who was head and shoulders above the rest in both those categories doesn’t exist. We have great base stealers like Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford and Michael Bourn and great lead-off hitters like Brian Roberts and Curtis Granderson, but no one person who did it quite like Lou Brock…
The Record that Brock in 1977 was the career stolen base leader title. The back of the card states that it was Ty Cobb’s record of 892 steals that Brock passed. Actually, it was Billy Hamilton’s mark of 912 that led all of baseball. Brock finished the ’77 campaign with 900 steals which would have put him in second place all time behind Hamilton. Brock stole 35 bases in 1977 and was still among the base stealing elite even though he was far past his prime and the years where he stole a then record 118 bases. That mark was set in 1974 which was the 8th year in which he paced the National League in steals. That was also the final year he would do so, in 1975 he stole less than half that, but still finished with a very impressive 56, which was good for third place in the NL behind Joe Morgan and the league’s leader Davey Lopes who swiped 77. Lou Brock would play two more seasons with the Cardinals before he retired at the age of 40 following the 1979 season. Brock went out on top, having a superb year in ’79 batting .304 with 21 steals. That gave Brock 938 steals in his career which actually was the record. This mark stood under Rickey Henderson came along to set base paths on fire. Henderson is the current career leader with 1,406. To give you an idea of how safe that record is, Juan Pierre is the active leader in steals with 459 steals. Lou Brock is pretty safe to remain 2nd place of All-Time for a long time as well. Brock was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 1985. He was a 6-time All Star, 8 time Stolen Base Leader, and during his career he had paced the league in runs, doubles, triples and at bats. He won two World Series rings with the Cards, in 1964 and 1967. In the World Series he had a .391 batting average with 4 homeruns and 14 stolen bases. Even though he wasn’t a legitimate record breaker in 1977, he did eventually break the mark set by Hamilton and held onto to it for many years. It was a great choice by Topps for card #1. Although they did use two different poses/pics for this card and his regular player card, #170 in the set, both cards are spring training portraits. I wanna see a base stealing card of the greatest base stealer of all time. That there is a ball drop Topps. That and prematurely calling him the career base stealing leader and completely forgetting about Hall of Famer Billy Hamilton. That said, this is the first card in my favorite set, one down, 725 to go. Thanks for reading and I hope that you all enjoy the ride…Since this is a totally new undertaking for me, I am nervous and lack confidence. I love this set so much and I know that my posts will not do it the proper justice. I hope that you will follow and read this blog anyway and trust that I will get better as time goes on... I love this card as a lead-off in the set, but there alot of funny things you can say about a legendary base stealing Hall of Famer.

Coming Soon!!!

I have literally been working on this set for over 30 years! Granted I took a decade or two off, but it is nearly done and I am lovin' it! The hair, the uniforms, the names, the mutton chops-the 70's were so bad, but oh so good! If you have seen my other blog, The Collective Troll, you know that I have been boring my readers (both of them) while gushing on and on about this awesome set. The 1978 Topps Baseball set is far too awesome to be just an occasional topic on another blog-no, it demands more attention than that. I will begin this journey on Wednesday 10/21/2009 (or maybe sooner) and I will cover 5 cards a week for the next 3 years until all 726 cards have been given their proper attention. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!!!!!