My First Cards

To me, this is one of the worst cards in the whole set. Mark Belanger, known for his glove for a generation, and this card shows him…standing at the plate. Sad. Although, he got a hit in his final career PA. He wasn’t even an Oriole anymore, by the time ‘82 began.

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At the beginning of ‘82, nobody viewed the Yankees as a team in need of talent. They either had it, or could buy it when they needed it. Of course, history tells us that ‘82 was the start of the Yankees playoff drought and time for some rebuilding of the franchise during some dark years.

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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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The first of a trio of related cards, Rick Burleson was a star shortstop entering the ‘82 season, having already been an All-Star 4 times and just won his first silver slugger award. But an injury during the April 17, 1982 game, would change his career forever.

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The Memorable Mario Mendoza was infamous for being unable to get a hit or even draw a walk, and his major league career finished in May ‘82 after 9 seasons. Little does anyone know though, that his career ended with great irony, thanks to a smart and daring manager, against a legendary closer.

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I love this card. Mark Wagner looks so deep in thought, perhaps thinking about how he’s going to hit this pitcher or how he’s going to make up for a misplayed ball when he was playing short. He looks like he’s talking to himself in his head. It’s another one of those classic baseball player moments. A quiet moment in the head of a man in the middle of a not so quiet place and time.

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Aviles was a man who’d lived a dream by playing for the 1980 World Series Champion Phillies, even if it was just as a backup role. When I looked further into this player, I found he had some surprising statistics and a nephew playing in the major leagues 20 years after himself. I love this card, as the photo really captures a part of what the game is all about.

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Who was Dave Rosello? I don’t remember having this card when I was a kid, but I must’ve, ’cause I had all the cards. First thing I notice is that he looks a little like he was trying to be a 1970’s ladies man, and his stats didn’t surprise me.

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By 1982, the Minnesota Twins had to look to the future. The previous season was their worst since 1957 and if that wasn’t worrisome enough, they started ‘82 going 15-52. The franchise had been crumbling slowly since 1975 and had to rebuild using the draft.

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