#165 1981 Victory Leaders
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.
#342 All-Star George Foster
Could this be a clue that the “All-Star” & “In Action” subsets of the ’82 Topps set, were after thoughts?
#340 All-Star Dave Concepcion
Dave Concepcion, known for his fantastic skillz at shortstop, was having one of his best years at the plate in 1981. He even ended up finishing 4th in the MVP voting.
#351 Cincinnati Reds Future Stars
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.
#228 Sam Mejias
Here’s the only Sam Mejias baseball card in which he isn’t wearing a helmet, and I dug up why that is.
#401 Johnny Bench in Action!
Arguably the best catcher in history was winding down his career by 1982, but what a career it was! MVP’s, World Championships, All-Star games, and a variety of records to hold. This card is also awesome because it actually has just enough detail for us to figure out what game this might’ve been.
#159 Larry Biittner
During Larry Biittner’s 14 season career he was involved in a trade with Steve Renko, was one of the few position players to get some time on the mound, & played in one of the highest scoring games in history.
#31 Tom Seaver In Action!
One of the best “in action” cards, featuring Tom terrific with the ball just released from his hand. You can just feel the effort put into hurling a hard fastball to the plate. It’s a pure classic shot. It’s also on a historic day. Plus, did you know his delivery was just like Christy Mathewson’s?
#723 Junior Kennedy
Doesn’t he look like he was standing in his stance, but then he noticed something down towards 2nd base, and so he slooped to peer at it like he’s trying to look through the pitchers legs? Crazy stance. Beyond that, this card had just enough detail to help me figure out what game was being played when the photo was shot.