Bruce Sutter was a perennial All-Star by the time the 1981 season revved up and got going. he’d just been to 4 straight midsummer classics and won the 1979 Cy Young award. In fact, he was credited with the win for the ’78 & ’79 All-Star games, and then got the save in 1980. That [...]
Scott Sanderson has one of the most boring poses I’ve ever seen on a baseball card. I am fascinated by how some poses in this set of cards seem to reflect the type of season the player had. I first noticed it with Steve McCatty‘s card, and now I’m thinking about it again. Scott was [...]
I’ve always thought this was a pretty cool shot of “Double Cheeseburger” Reggie Cleveland. A laid back guy in the dugout or the bullpen, sportin’ some big 80′s glasses, and a fine trimmed beard worthy of a country music star. Reggie didn’t have quite the career expected of him. He was 6 feet tall by [...]
A pair of Hall of Famers grace the final League Leaders card in this set. One lookin’ like the twin brother of Grizzly Adams, while the other looks like he just walked out of an old silent film. These were the days when relievers weren’t called closers yet, but firemen. They weren’t judged solely on [...]
Nolan Ryan was awesome, while Steve McCatty got credit for an ERA title he really didn’t win.
It’s funny how you view cards so differently now, than when they came out. In early ’82, getting this card in your pack, was gold. You had the NL ROY and a guy who’d just thrown a perfect game. They were both young enough, to think they were going to be great throughout the 1980′s. [...]
Every single one of the guys on this card had the exact same amount of wins in ’81, with 14. Another 4 pitchers were at 13, and could’ve easily had 14 too.
Whoever designed this card, had to be a perfectionist. Everybody’s facing the same direction like they’re some kind of singing group in the middle of a synchronized dance step.
Hopes were high for Steve Stone as 1981 began. He’d just won the Cy Young award on the strength of 25 victories, and looked like he was simply a late bloomer. Unfortunately that’s not the direction his story goes. Arm troubles quickly followed, chasing him from the game into the broadcast booth with a year and a half.
Bob Babcock chiseled out a 2.20 ERA in ’81, but he allowed 46% of inherited runners to score. He may not have been the best pitcher in the American League, but he shouldn’t be forgotten. He should be proud of his last time on a mound in the show. He played in the minors in ’82.
Poor Silvio Martinez. In November ’81 he was traded from a contender, to Cleveland. When it was time to fly back to the states in February for training camp, he couldn’t even get to there on time due to some problem with his visa. The guy pitched decently when he finally got to training camp, [...]
Interesting stuff about this card. This photo is from May 16, 1981, his first start after throwing his no-hitter. In fact, there’s good reason to suspect this card wouldn’t exist if he never threw a no-hitter. Unfortunately Charlie’s career was cut short by shoulder injuries.
I always liked this card, ’cause the name was unique and his look was different. A lot of cards in this set show guys with beards, mustache’s, and hair flying out from under their cap. This guy has none of that going on. He’s got his own look, and a concentrated stare.
The White Sox were a rising power in the American League at this time, culminating in their ALCS appearance in ’83. In ’82 they finished just 6 games back of the Angels, mostly due to a fine mix of veterans like Tom Paciorek, Carlton Fisk, and Greg Luzinski. The organization didn’t really have many realistic future stars for Topps to pick from yet, so they chose….
The Reds didn’t have much future in their major league club in 1982, losing 101 games. Only one of the guys on this card even played after October 2, 1981, but none of them made any impact. In the early 80′s, the Reds hopes laid in their draft choices.