My First Cards

On September 21, 1981, Steve Carlton passed Bob Gibson for the all-time strikeout lead in the National League. It didn’t come easy, but you don’t get 3,118 strikeouts by falling short in tough situations. Is it just me, or does he look like he’s missing part of his arm in this picture?

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Opening day starter for the ’82 Dodgers, Jerry Reuss, played a key part of the team’s pitching staff late in the season during a slump to help Los Angeles make a push for the playoffs. Most everyone knows about his near perfecto in ’80 in Candlestick, but did you know he nearly threw a perfect game against the Reds this season?

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The Jeff Schneider rookie card is the most valuable card of the whole ’82 Topps set. This is my least favorite card in the entire set, because I just don’t think any of these players should’ve been on this particular card. Seriously, I’d put 3 different guys on here.

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Another player who never made it back to the major leagues after ’81, is Bob Sykes. He was a key part of the Cardinals World Series victory in ’82 though and perhaps a key reason the Yankees never made it to the series during Don Mattingly’s career.

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The Chili Davis rookie card, yep…. but could there be anyone older looking than Bob Brenly to appear on a “future stars” card? Who in the world is Bob Tufts? The Giants AAA team was loaded with future major leaguers and these are the ones picked for this card? Heh

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Fernandomania was put on hold the day this photo was shot. His only start in Wrigley Field was a disaster in ’81. You’d never know it though from this classic shot of him in action, about to fire that pitch over home plate. “El Toro” had a great rookie season just as the card celebrates.

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Here, Scott McGregor looks like he couldn’t care what happens, as if success comes so easy to him that nothing bothered him. He also looks like he’s hiding tweety bird in his mouth. Don’t be fooled though, he was one of the toughest lefties of the early 1980′s, so it was no mistake he was an All-Star in 1981.

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When the only thing that Topps can think of saying about you on the back of your baseball card is that you hold a team record, for a team that’s only existed for 5 seasons, you’re probably not staying in the major leagues much longer.

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