waiter, there’s a fork in my 75 topps

Well, it only took me four years after deciding to rebuild my set of 1975 Topps baseball cards to accomplish the goal. It was a ton of fun, and I am pleased with the fact that that I managed to pull together a great condition set pretty much only via trading. It is absolutely fantastic to be able to flip through my binder and look at the cards’ fronts and backs, much like a great book.

Dwight Evans (1975 Topps no. 255)

Although I do still plan on upgrading five cards due to condition issues, I consider the set complete with the trade I made for this Dwight Evans card. I do have a bunch of duplicates in fantastic condition, as well as a good number of cards from the set in less than ideal condition, so drop me a line if you have holes in your set. I will keep them as trade bait rather than dumping them off on eBay.

So now what? I toyed with the idea of building a set of 75 minis, but have decided instead to keep working towards the completion of my 65 Topps and 72 Topps sets as priorities, and hoping to one day stumble into an unopened box of 75 minis. I know there is a box out there somewhere with my name on it.

I will definitely continue writing players with cards in the 75 set and asking them to add their signature for my collection. I will even consider PAYING one of the dudes $30 to autograph his card the next time I find myself in Las Vegas.

– Kris

peaches and herb

Five out of four dentists agree that this 1975 Topps baseball card of Herb Washington is so sweet that it will likely cause cavities. In my opinion, if you can’t agree that this is one of THE finest baseball cards ever produced, you are in the wrong hobby. (Yes present day Topps staff members, I am suggesting that it is time for you to take a break from your calculated hijinx in order to shake your groove things.)

Herb Washington (1975 Topps no. 407)

Also in my opinion, the only thing that could possibly improve “Hurricane” Herb’s baseball card was to get it autographed… which I did… thru the mail. It took a while to get back, but eventually the card and I were “Reunited.” It was so worth the wait.

Washington is such a nice guy! It appears that he offered to show up early before the fans got to the ballpark to have his photo taken for his baseball card. When he noticed the photographer backing up to squeeze his entire body into the frame, Herb obviously stopped him, saying, “It’s cool… I’ll just lean forward like I’m thinking about making a break for second base.” Fun time!

–  Kris

silent moves

Having just returned from San Francisco, California, the birthplace of former Major League Baseball player and manager Jim Fregosi, I thought I might as well feature his 1975 Topps baseball card that I recently got autographed thru the mail. Isn’t it nice?

Jim Fregosi (1975 Topps no. 339)

Fregosi is listed as the Rangers’ third baseman on his 75 Topps card in spite of the fact that he played 101 games at first and only 36 at the hot corner during the 1974 and 1975 seasons. Ah heck, what’s in a title anyway?

While scouring the interwebs in search of a better nickname for Jim than “Skip,” I ran across Chris Berman’s reference of “Jim Bela Fregosi.” That’s funny in my book.

I always loved Jim’s sideburns on this card as it appears he has been growing them out for this photo for the better part of a decade. That reminds me that I need to upgrade my 1965 Fregosi so I can send that one to him to autograph as well. I better get to it as this year isn’t getting any younger.

–  Kris

the cardinal

Q: What began as a giant undertaking, sprouted a halo, slapped on some war paint, learned to sing like a bird, showed promise as a brewmeister before developing a fondness for hibernating, became the final number one in Philadelphia and moved into a giant apple before retiring as a king? Oh yeah, and is also cousin of Bert Campaneris?

A: Jose Cardenal

The fleet-footed outfielder moved so fast that he managed to play with nine different major league clubs over a period of eighteen years. Following his retirement as a player, Cardenal went on to coach first base for approximately half as many major league clubs as he played for. Fortunately, Jose has slowed down enough to respond to my request for an autograph thru the mail.

Jose Cardenal (1975 Topps no. 15)

While reading about Cardenal online, you are bound to stumble over the fact that his contract was once sold by the Phillies to the Mets between games of a doubleheader. While that is all fine, well and good, it is worth pointing out that although Jose wore the winning uniform for both games of that split on August 2, 1979, he did not appear in either game. Sometimes life is funny like that.

Also of interest is that Cardenal is credited for having developed the cupped bat.

– Kris

sixty-four candles

There is no question that former major leaguer Bill Lee enjoys a laid-back lifestyle. But did you know that while expected to be born in 1946, Lee nearly put off his arrival until the following year?

Lee turns 64 years old this Tuesday, December 28, 2010, tying the mark set by another Bill Lee, the singing voice of a number of Disney characters including Shere Kahn from The Jungle Book (1967), who did so in 1980 just before passing away. The Spaceman shows no sign of giving up the ghost any time soon however, after becoming the oldest player to pitch in a professional baseball game by winning a contest for the independent Can-Am League Brockton Rox on September 10th of this year. (The Rox made headlines in 2009 when they hired Justine Siegal as the first female coach in professional baseball.)

Bill Lee (1975 Topps no. 128)

Bill Lee is wonderful about answering requests for autographs thru the mail and he has a fabulous signature that sometimes includes the name of the planet he is on when he signs. If you’ve been thinking about dropping Lee a letter, why not make it a birthday card and get it in the mail immediately?

Are you aware that Bill Lee owns a bat company? It is called The Old Bat Company. Obviously, he needs a new website designer…

–    Kris

ol’ reliable

I never ask a player to personalize an autograph, but I certainly enjoy it when they choose to do so. I suppose the act implies that the player takes an interest in fans who take the time to write them a letter. Ken McMullen has to have one of the most consistent signatures in the modern era.

Ken McMullen – 1975 Topps no. 473

I enjoy that the cartoon on the back of McMullen’s card asks what a “portsider” is- especially since the man who hit right handed, threw right handed and signs autographs with his right hand never hurled a single pitch throughout his entire professional baseball career. If that isn’t irony, it is something else. Perhaps this is what Ken was pondering in his photo as he appears to have been posing for either a coin or a bust in the Oxnard, California Hall of Fame.

For those readers who find themselves mired in difficult financial times, let me suggest employing Ken’s jersey numbers while filling out your next multistate lottery card. Tossing out number 35 for McMullen’s dismal 1976 tour with the Oakland A’s, we are left with 14, 11, 7, 4, 5 and 17- the numbers sewn onto his jerseys when he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, Dodgers (again) and the Milwaukee Brewers. For the “power” or “mega” ball, I recommend employing the number 2- McMullen’s number from the period in his career when he flashed the majority of his power with the Washington Senators (1965-1970).

If I happen to hit the Mega Millions or Powerball jackpot with McMullen’s jersey numbers, you can rest assured that I will invest a portion of my winnings to purchase his 1963 Topps rookie card in mint condition send it to him for a TTM autograph.

–   Kris

make something grrrrrrrreat!

What’s this… back to back posts featuring superb defensive outfielders from the 1970s? Excuse me for attempting to finish 2010 strong. Obviously Mickey Stanley is on board with the notion that the best way for a player to get his baseball card featured on “Cards in the Attic” is to sign and return it after receiving it in the mail with a nice letter. Ol’ number 24 scores bonus points in my ledger for employing a blue Sharpie when autographing his 1975 Topps baseball card thru the mail.

Mickey Stanley – 1975 Topps no. 141

Apparently a fan of Yogi Berra, Stanley was quoted as saying, “Those were the best pitches I ever heard” when asked about having been struck out by Nolan Ryan.

One of my favorite things about vintage baseball cards is when you flip them over and see only a single team name in their stats. I guess that officially makes me a curmudgeon or something.

Say, don’t forget to check out the wise Night Owl for more about Mickey Stanley’s 1975 Topps baseball card.

– Kris

the bandit

You may be wondering why I selected a 1975 Citroën for the background of my image of Ken Berry’s autographed 1975 Topps baseball card. Then again, you may not. Regardless of whichever it may be, the car’s antennae reminded me more or less of how Berry held his bat in this photo. Actually, the logo of his brainchild, the Ken Berry League Southwest Youth Athletic Association, Inc. is also quite similar.

Ken Berry – 1975 Topps no. 432

Allen Kent Berry, no relation to Franken Berry, was kind enough to autograph his card for my collection honoring my thru the mail request. I am a huge fan of baseball cards that feature players in front of empty sections of ballparks. I’d like to imagine that someone asked the photographer if they should move the bat on the ground out of view, and he (or she) replied, “Nah… someone at Topps will simply airbrush it out later.”

Working as a technical advisor on the film “Eight Men Out,” Berry got into the movie near the end playing the fan that heckles Shoeless Joe Jackson during a minor league game. There’s your fun fact for the day.

– Kris

and then there were three… or four

Although my hobby goals are generally unwritten, one of them has been to complete my set of 1975 Topps baseball cards before the Night Owl completes his review of the entire set. While I haven’t reached the summit of that mountain yet, I have made fantastic strides toward that end this season almost exclusively via online trading.

As of this posting, I technically only need a single card- no. 255 Dwight Evans to complete the set. That said, I also have to replace two damaged cards- no. 393 Gary Gentry and no. 649 Jack Heidemann before my binder will be satisfied. There is also the situation of card no. 484 Glenn Beckert that I mailed for an autograph some eight months ago and haven’t gotten back. Possibly, I never will… I refuse to buy these cards on eBay because I would feel absolutely no joy in completing the set in that manner.

The vast majority of the 75 Topps cards I picked up this year have arrived as part of trades with collectors who are members of Vintage Card Traders (VCT). While not all 121 VCT members are as active as the rest (placing myself in the “relatively inactive category”), I would hazard a guess that their overall membership is likely a little more active in working card swaps that the current baseball card blogosphere. I would not hesitate to recommend any dedicated baseball card collector to check out the membership requirements of the 11-year old VCT. Just keep in mind that the group is primarily interested in vintage cards, just as the name suggests. Even if you aren’t collecting vintage cards, I would suggest that you check out various VCT member want lists and try to initiate trades of modern cards.

On a final note, I do have a considerable number of duplicate 1975 Topps baseball cards for trade, so feel free to contact me if you are working on the set and have cards to trade that I need from other sets.

– Kris

clines cornered

Although I probably owe all readers who have spent any amount of time in New Mexico an apology for the title of this posting, I just don’t see that happening. Instead, let’s check out some kool baseball cards. These are all 1975 Topps cards that I got autographed in person during the 2009 season.

Gene Clines – 1975 Topps no. 575

A hitting coordinator for the Los Angles Dodgers, Gene Clines made a few trips to Albuquerque during the 2009 season to help Isotopes hitters fine tune their approach at the plate. I was fortunate to have caught up with the “Roadrunner” after one of the games while he was hanging around outside the ballpark enjoying a smoke. Unfortunately, it was too dark for me to tell whether Gene was wearing the World Series ring he earned with the Pirates in 1971.

Glenn Abbott – 1975 Topps no. 591

I’ve gotten cards signed by Glenn Abbott before, but I never had his 1975 Topps card when I’ve seen him. One of the advantages of completing a set is having a card of every player contained within on hand in the event that you get an opportunity to meet them. I still need a few cards to complete my 1975 Topps set, but luckily, I was able to pick this one up in a trade before the Portland Beavers visited the Duke City near the end of summer. Abbott pitched a perfect inning on September 28, 1975 against the (then) California Angels in what proved to be the first four-pitcher combined no hitter in Major League history.

Don Money – 1975 Topps no. 175

Having set the major league record of consecutive errorless games at the hot corner at 86 with 257 opportunities during the summer of 1974, Don Money handled this card flawlessly after he agreed to autograph it for my collection. The four-time All-Star appeared in the 1982 World Series with the Milwaukee Brewers. Money is currently the manager of the Nashville Sounds. Don’s current signature is amazingly similar to the facsimile signature that was applied by Topps 34 years ago.

Jim Slaton – 1975 Topps no. 281

Jim Slaton served as the Isotopes pitching coach during the 2009 season, so I had a great number of opportunities to get this card autographed. That does not mean that I appreciate it any less. A teammate of Don Money and the Milwaukee Brewers, Slaton won Game Four of the 1982 World Series.

– Kris