Wanted! - 1973 Topps

Percent Completed: 100%

Red indicates pending trade...

#	Player		#	Player		#	Player

Cameo Cards - 1973 Topps Bobby Bonds

Again, I am pressed for time as a presentation looms, T-minus one hour to be exact, so I am sort of mailing it in today. 

The card above is from the ever glorious 1973 Topps set, which is world, no, make that galactically famous for it's "photography."  While this card does not feature the rear-end of an umpire, it is still epic. 

This shot is of a helmet-less Bobby Bonds scampering back to first base on a pick-off attempt.  Blocking the bag is none other than Pops, also known as Willie Stargell.  Although Bobby Bonds is not really a common, it is cool to see a Hall of Famer making a cameo appearance on his card.

All you Willie Stargell fans, be sure to grab a 1973 Topps Bobby Bonds to round out your Pops Player Collection!

Name the Game - 1973 Topps Steve Garvey

This card has always cracked me up because Steve Garvey appears to be making a cameo on his own card.  The frame is practically absorbed by Wes Parker with Garvey peaking out of the shadow of Mr. Steady's right shoulder.  Another quirk to this card is how much Wes Parker towers over Garvey.  While part of it is perspective, I find it funny that the official listed height for Wes Parker was 6' 1", and Garvey's was 5' 10".  Sure doesn't look like a 3-inch height discrepancy to me!

Anyways, I do love this card because it is one of the first home run celebrations portrayed on a Topps card.  Garvey is finishing his trot, while Parker is waiting with bat in hand to congratulate Popeye.  I also like the lurking catcher at the left of the card with his shin guards peaking out.  Is that orange I see...?  Let's dissect this card to Name the Game!

In 1972 Garvey hit nine home runs in 317 plate appearances.  Since the Dodgers are in their road greys, those nine dingers are whittled down to four.  One in Montreal, one in Pittsburgh and two in San Fransisco.  

Looking at the orange seats in left field, I could automatically knock off Montreal and Pittsburgh, but we'll do this scientifically.  Of the four games noted, Wes Parker batted in the order behind Garvey in only one game, the July 1, 1972 meeting between the Los Angeles Dodgers and their dreaded rival San Fransisco Giants (The peaking orange shin guard tells all!).

In this game, Garvey was batting clean-up with Parker in the 5-hole.  In the top of the first, Bobby Valentine (ugh) reached base on a walk, and then Garvey hit a home run off of Sam McDowell to jump the Dodgers out to a 2-0 lead that they eventually let slip away...

So, the featured card is the July 1, 1972 game between the Dodgers and Giants at Candlestick Park, and the play is Steve Garvey smacking a home run in the Top of the 1st off of Sam McDowell.    

Name the Game - 1973 Topps Pat Corrales

Every so often, a baseball card amazes me.  True, I find something to appreciate in almost every card, but some cards elevate themselves to a higher plane.  Some cards transcend.  Pat Corrales’ 1973 Topps release is one of those cards.

During last year’s Topps Diamond Giveaway, I tried for months to land this card.  While I already had one of these in my complete 1973 set, I was still working on completing the 1973 Padres Team set.  Either based on the shear coolness of this card, or the fact that it’s a high number and the “book value goons” were not letting the card go easily, it took a lot of bartering to finally land this card.  In fact, it took 36 separate trades to earn the “right” to pay 53 cents to get this card in 6 to 8 weeks.

Once the card arrived in the mail, I knew it was a perfect candidate for a Name the Game episode because of the play at the plate and the opponent’s jersey number is showing.  Before getting into the nitty gritty, let’s take a moment to absorb this card.

• Play at the plate.
• Cloud of dust and chalk.
• Home plate is scattered, smothered, covered and chopped.
• Awesome/ugly-ass Big Bird road uniforms.
• Ball clinched in Corrales’ bare right hand.
• Corrales’ look of pain and anguish.
• Ump with mask in hand.
• Base runner with cleats up and missing his helmet/cap. 

Phew!  That’s a lot of awesome.  Alright, now on to naming the game… (Un)fortunately, Corrales’ played in only 44 games for the Padres during the 1972 campaign.  Judging by the uniforms, we know it is a road game, and that knocks it down to 27 potential games.  Looking at the base runner, we can tell it’s either a Met or a Cubbie.  We can also tell the player’s number, which is either a 21 or a 31.

#21 on the Mets was Cleon Jones.  #31 on the Cubs was, wait for it, here comes the awesome, Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins.  Diligent review of Cleon’s box scores shows that he’s not the man inflicting gratuitous pain on Pat Corrales.  This leaves Fly as the lone culprit, who pitched in one home game against the Padres in 1972, which was on June 14, 1972.

Review of that box score reveals a play at the plate in the Bottom of the 2^nd involving Pat Corrales and Ferguson Arthur Jenkins.  Prior to this play, Fergie singled to leftfield off of Steve Arlin, moving Ron Santo to second base.  The next batter, Don Kessinger, hit a double to left field, scoring Santo.  Based on the box score, the leftfielder’s throw (Leron Lee) went to the cutoff man (Enzo Hernandez), who then threw out Fergie at home (7-6-2).

This is confirmed looking at the card.  Corrales’ has the ball in his right hand, Fergie is not touching the plate, and the home plate ump, Mel Steiner, is cocking his right hand about to fire the “Yer Out!”  So, the 1973 Topps Pat Corrales card depicts the Bottom of the 2^nd inning in a June 14, 1972 meeting between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Wow!

2013 MLB Tournament Prizes #6 through #10

This week reveals the next batch of potential prizes for the 2013 MLB Tournament.  As noted previously, there will be 30 prizes available, however, only the tournament winner will receive a prize.  The prizes consist of one card from my collection for each of the 30 teams.

Again, the seeds are not open for claiming, and the prizes are based on a sliding scale using Las Vegas' odds for winning the 2013 World Series.

For further information, check out the original 2013 MLB Tournament announcement, as well as the reveal of Prizes #1 through #5. 

Now, let's take a look at the next potential five prizes!

#6 - Odds 12/1 - NL Seed #2	1973 Topps Johnny Bench
#7 - Odds 12/1 - AL Seed #3	1972 Topps Ted Williams
#8 - Odds 14/1 - AL Seed #1	1975 Topps Thurman Munson
#9 - Odds 16/1 - NL Seed #3	1967 Topps Gaylord Perry
#10 - Odds 16/1 - NL Seed #4	1968 Topps Phil Niekro

PS - Seeds are not open for request, and will not be opened until all 30 prizes have been announced.

PPS - Here is the bracket...