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

heads up!

Wally Moon drops into the Aardvark Trading Company’s command center to remind all you stargazers to be sure to check out tonight’s total lunar eclipse- if local conditions allow of course.

Although the entire event is expected to last in excess of five hours during Monday night and Tuesday morning, the peak will occur at between 12:41 am and 1:53 am (mountain) when the moon will change from a burnt orange color to brick red. If you need assistance converting that to your time zone, the friendly folks at NASA will be happy to help.

Interestingly, the last time a total lunar eclipse coincided with the winter solstice was in 1554 AD (2098 for our Buddhist readers), believed to be the year Sir Walter Raleigh was born. One can’t help but wonder if tobacco cards would ever have existed without Raleigh’s efforts to popularize the New World plant in England.

– 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

topps 52s… dodgers blues

The focus of this blog post is simply to feature a few autographed Topps 52 Rookies baseball cards of former Los Angeles Dodgers players. I had originally planned a rant on the terrible trade that sent Tony Abreu to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the end of the 2009 season, then decided that probably the only people who even care about that deal wouldn’t want to think about it anyway. Besides, the Dodgers are not the only Major League team making bad trades. Thus, you are spared that discussion and rewarded with a few images of nice blue Sharpie signatures on baseball cards that are ideal for autographing.

Tony Abreu. (2007 Topps 52 – no. 9)

The chrome variant of these cards also takes a nice Sharpie signature after having the surface quickly treated with baby powder. Chrome cards signed without surface preparation have a tendency to bubble and smear, and generally look rather crappy, so do not skip that important step in your graphing routine.

Tony Abreu. (2007 Topps 52 Chrome – no. TCRC 10)

Eric Hull did spend a few days on the Dodgers bench during the 2007 season, but did not actually appear in a major league game until later in the season with the Houston Astros. I believe Hull is currently retired.

Eric Hull (2007 Topps 52 – no. 128)

One of the kool things about baseball cards is that they rarely fail to teach you something new, assuming you are willing to look for that information. For instance, did you know that Eric Stults was born exactly six days after Eric Hull?

Eric Stults (2007 Topps 52 – no. 106)

Eric Stults spent the 2010 season playing for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. I’ve tried following American ballplayers as they continue their careers overseas, but never successfully. Somehow those stats seem to get lost in translation.

– Kris

only the shadow knows…

I remember the 1970s. However, I do not claim to actually understand how many of the things from the 70s came to be. A perfect example would be Jerry Terrell’s 1974 Topps baseball card.

Jerry Terrell (1974 Topps – no. 481)

I remember having Terrell’s 74 Topps card in my collection as clearly as I recall eating jelly beans and drinking Shasta root beer in the back seat of my father’s 65 Chevy Impala while our family enjoyed a “Herby Rides Again”/”My Name is Nobody” double feature at the drive-in. Who knows… I may have even first seen this card while opening a pack during the 15-minute drive to the theater.

Interestingly, I didn’t think anything was strange about the card until I reacquired it for my collection earlier this year. I sort of wonder if anyone else has written about the odd “shadow” cast on the ground next to Jerry, but I find that I’m not so interested as to actually take the time to scour the interwebs to answer my own question. The bottom line is that I picked up a few blaster boxes of 2010 Allen & Ginter baseball cards during the baseball season when I didn’t have any spare time to open them, and have decided that I can only open a box after I post some sort of offering on this blog. Thus, you get this.

Although the shadow not only seems unnatural in that it is not varied from the dirt warning track to the raised grass surface, but also the shape of the shadow seems unlikely to have been cast from the same light source as is the shadow across Terrell’s face from his ballcap. Even with that in mind, I doubt I would have bothered to call attention to this card if not for the fact that Terrell’s shadow is cast in different direction from that of his teammate’s in the background. Here is a quickie Photoshopped version that illustrates a “truer” shadow that would have been cast off Terrell in keeping with the same light source as his teammate.

MODIFIED Jerry Terrell (1974 Topps – no. 481)

Without having access to the original negative, I can only speculate that this photo has been doctored. Even then I am left scratching my head as to WHY would anyone have bothered to do so in the first place.

– Kris

krismas day triple play

One of the neatest aspects of immersing oneself in minor league baseball is that doing so affords the opportunity to follow your favorite players for a longer period of time than if you had waited to “discover” them once they become an everyday player in the majors. Of course, this argument makes the assumption that your favorite minor league players not only make that leap, but also make it stick when they do.

Josh Wilson (2006 Topps 52 Rookies – no. 45)

Born within a Bill Mazeroski moonshot of Honus Wagner’s birthplace, shortstop Josh Wilson was destined to play ball. I first met Josh during the 2004 season when he joined the Albuquerque Isotopes. A completely likable fellow, Wilson approached both games and practices with determination to perform to the best of his abilities and to improve at every opportunity, making him one of my favorite players for the two seasons he was in town. The thing I like best about Josh’s character is that he even takes his clowning around seriously. Wilson would be a positive influence in any professional baseball clubhouse.

Josh Wilson (2006 Topps 52 Rookies – chrome no. TCRC12 1752/1952)

With that having been typed, the man himself has probably been involved in as many trades as have his baseball cards. Over a span of only five years, Wilson has donned major and/or minor league uniforms for the Marlins, Rockies, Nationals, (then Devil) Rays, Pirates, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Padres and Mariners.

Josh Wilson (2006 Topps 52 Rookies – chrome refractor no. TCRC12 305/552)

I hit the trifecta when Josh autographed all three versions of his 2006 Topps 52 Rookie card for me this past summer while back in the Duke City playing for the Tacoma Rainiers. If all goes well, he will return again in early April when the Seattle Mariners play a two-game Spring Training series against the Colorado Rockies at Isotopes Park. It will be a pleasure to watch him running, diving and making dazzling plays while wearing a Seattle uniform.

– Kris

mr. jones and me look into the future

Mitch Jones autographed his 2006 Topps 52 Rookie card for my collection during the first few days of his only season with the Albuquerque Isotopes. Over the course of the 2009 season, Jones launched 35 homers to capture the coveted Joe Baughman award and earned a $7,000 bonus in the process. You can bet that bonus was well spent on shelving to house all of the hardware Jones earned during the 2009 season including being named the Isotopes MVP, PNM Power Hitter of the Year, PCL All-Star and being added to the Topps Triple-A All-Star team. I probably forgot a few awards, but you get the idea…

Mitch Jones (2006 Topps 52 Rookies – no. 260)

In spite of the fact that Jones had a card in the 2006 Topps 52 Rookie set, he actually didn’t make his Major League debut until being called up to the Los Angeles Dodgers during June of the 2009 season. If Jones can heat up in the Florida sun this spring, chances are he will hit his first of many Major League bombs playing for the Atlanta Braves.

–  Kris