Cameo Cards - 1992 Donruss Jose Oquendo

This is the ninth entry of Cameo Cards, which is a serial focusing on Hall of Fame players making cameo appearances on common cards...

This week we have the second cameo appearance of Ozzie Smith, albeit a sliver of one.     

First, I will readily admit that I am a sucker for 1992 Donruss.  In fact, I'd rank it as my favorite product of 1992 out of the Big 5.  I just love the ice blue borders and the silver lettering.  And do not even get me started on the head shots featured on the back of the cards.  That will have to wait until a future homage post to the glory of 1992 Donruss.

But just look at this card.  Look!  Let me tell you why it is so awesome:

1. Rarely do cards feature three players (Oquendo, Galarraga, Smith).  Even rarer is three players at second!
2. It's the front end of a double play.  Given Smiths' position, it looks to me like The Wizard made a hard play up the middle and flipped to Oquendo on second.
3. Galarraga is great in this shot...looking over his left shoulder, wearing eye black and a batting glove dangling out of his right hip pocket.  Only thing he should have done was hit the dirt and try to bust up that double play!
4. Oquendo's leg kick with the his shoe lace cover flopping in the breeze.
5. The dirt kicking up over the bag.
6. The blue outfield wall of Busch Stadium fits perfectly with the '92 Donruss colors.
7. And my favorite...The pregame batting practice cage peeking over the top of the outfield wall!

What a great card for a plain old common!

Remember, every card has a story and it's waiting for you to tell it!

PS - My left hand is incapable of typing Gallaa...Galarraage...Glaragga...Galarraga correctly...

Cameo Cards - 1984 Fleer Al Holland

While it is not the greatest picture/card in the world, I will never turn down a chance to showcase Tony Gwynn in a cameo card.  What is there not to love about this card if you're a Gwynn or Padres fan?

Sure Gwynn is blurrier than a person viewed through a pair of six-pack beer goggles, but just look at that background.  All that yellow is gloriously mind numbing.  Yellow stirrups.  Yellow wristbands.  Yellow helmet.  Yellow lettering.  Yellow fence line.  Yellow outline to the Padres team logo in center field.  Ah, the old Padres logo.  I sure wish they'd bring this beauty back.  

What I also love about this card is how the outfield grass looks like it's deader than a Jim Bouton knuckleball.  There is no separation between grass, clay and grass.  Awesome card. 

So, if you're a self proclaimed Gwynn Player Collection Completest, run out and buy yourself a 1984 Fleer Al Holland!

Cameo Cards - 1978 Topps Roy White

This is the seventh entry of Cameo Cards, which is a serial focusing on Hall of Fame players making cameo appearances on common cards...

Finding a Cameo Card is never easy.  Finding one on a Topps card prior to 1987 can be downright difficult, as Topps was pretty stingy with the Action Shots from 1971 to 1986.  Luckily, I was able to spot this one relatively quickly when fanning through the 1978 Topps set, and I was even luckier considering Roy White's card is #16.  One turn of a 9-pocket page, and I have post-gold.  Sweet.

Anyways, today's Cameo Card is courtesy of Roy White who has a Hall of Fame catcher lurking behind him.  Who is that masked man?  Why it's Carlton Fisk of the Boston Red Sox!

Let's take a look at this card in detail, and see what makes this an awesome Cameo Card:

1. A rivalry game between the Yanks and Red Sox on a 35 year old piece of cardboard.
2. Roy White is rocking the wrist bands.
3. Judging by both Roy and Carlton's eyes, Roy has blooped one to short right-center.  Ok, this is a total guess, but it's my story to tell.
4. Fisk is in all red gear, and has on the old washboard chest protector.
5. Faceless fans courtesy of the Topps Airbrushing Department.
6. A dugout full of Yanks.
7. Real stirrups!
8. The motion/placement of Roy's feet is almost anti-gravitational...   

So, all you Carlton Fisk collectors, go out and get yourself a 1978 Topps Roy White to round out your player collection.  Unless you're a diehard Red Sox fan, and would projectile vomit having a Yankee's card in your player collection...

Cameo Cards - 1991 Topps Jose Uribe

This is the sixth entry of Cameo Cards, which is a serial focusing on Hall of Fame players making cameo appearances on common cards...

This week we have the second cameo appearance of that great Chicago player who wore #23.  No, not him, but Ryne Sandberg.  I am fairly confident that GCRL has featured this card on his blog, as he sure does like cards featuring the double play turn at second base.  If you haven't checked out his blog, I highly recommend it, especially his O-Pee-Chee side project.

Anyways, I'm sure the presence of Ryne Sandberg on this card has quadrupled its value all the way to 3 cents.  But heck, we're not in it for the money, right?  Well, most of us aren't.  Personally, I am in it for the cards, which is why I do like this card.  It has a lot going for it, such as:

1. The obvious turn at second. 
2. Albeit blurry, the outfield ivy of Wrigley Field.
3. The empty bleachers in left field (that seems strange to me!).
4. Uribe is rocking the flip shades and eye black.
5. The black batting gloves flapping in Uribe's left hip pocket.
6. Sandberg has his spikes slightly elevated, just high enough to let Uribe know he is there.
7. Cloud of dust...
8. If you look real close, Uribe is looking right at you.

Not a bad card for a plain old common that is probably passed over 99 times out of 100.  Remember, every card has a story and it's waiting on you to tell it.

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!

Cameo Cards - 1991 Topps Mariano Duncan

For today's Cameo Card, I'm venturing into the ever popular 1991 Topps set.  Unlike the previous two, three, oh eight Topps releases, the 1991 set features some spectacular photography.  While most of those awesome photos are staged, think Benito Santiago, Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, etc., this card features some action!

Yet, something is totally amiss in this card.  Granted, it's a cool cameo of Ozzie Smith, but check out Duncan's silhouette.  His jersey is black-lined.  On top of that, why are both Smith and Duncan wearing red jerseys?  

Either the depicted game is a spring training game, or Duncan has been airbrushed for some reason.  I mean, just look at his cap.  Well, it could be me and all the pain killers I'm on for tweaking my back.  Look unicorns...

So all you Ozzie Smith collectors out there, you might want to go land yourself a 1991 Topps Mariano Duncan to round out your player collection!

What do you think?  Spring training game or subtle air-brush?

Cameo Cards - 1983 Topps Reggie Smith

This week’s Cameo Card comes from the ever-celebrated 1983 Topps edition.  Next to the back to back sets of 1975 and 1976, the 1983 set has got to be in my Top 3 of sets I own.  The fact the set has Tony Gwynn’s rookie card may play a large part in that standing, yet, I’ve always loved the color schemes and inlayed head shot.

Another great aspect of the 1983 Topps set is the action.  I like action on my baseball cards, however, I don’t like cards dedicated to action like those from the 1972 and 1982 Topps releases.  To me it pads a set, although it was likely necessary for 1982 because of the strike shortened season that reduced the number of call-ups who could have had 1982 base cards.

Anyways, back to cameo card…The card is the final edition for Reggie Smith after a long and distinguished 17 year career.  Reggie is often overlooked when putting on our rose-colored glasses.  Reggie put up fantastic numbers like his 314 round-trippers, 2,020 hits and .287 lifetime batting average.  He also wasn’t too shabby with the mitt, winning a Gold Glove and appearing in seven mid-Summer Classics.

Also featured on Smith’s card is a young, scrawny Ryne Sandberg (Is a Trifecta in play?).  I distinctly remember this card being sold at card shops and shows solely for the fact that Ryne Sandberg was in the photo.  I guess it’s the first Cameo Card I became aware of.

I researched the box scores, and couldn’t figure out when this game occurred.  Too many match ups between these two teams with both playing, as well as the fact that Sandberg could have been on-base due to a hit, a walk, an error, a fielder’s choice, etc., which made it impossible to Name the Game.

So all you Sandberg collectors out there, you might want to go land yourself a 1983 Topps Reggie Smith to round out your player collection!

Cameo Cards - 1971 Topps Bud Harrelson

This week’s Cameo Card was almost a Name the Game card, but I couldn’t be 100% certain of the exact play depicted.  Hence, that is why this 1971 Topps Bud Harrelson (#355) card has been relegated to the Cameo Card Club.  My research on this card showed that it is the May 30, 1970 matchup between the Houston Astros and New York Mets.

I was able to deduce that nugget because of who’s on the mound.  #30.  The Ryan Express.  Nolan Ryan tossed one home game against the Houston Astros and that was the May 30th matchup.  Well, given all that information, you’re probably asking why I couldn’t name the exact play shown on the card.

It’s obviously a stolen base attempt, since Ken Boswell is backing up the covering Bud Harrelson, while Nolan Ryan is off on the 1st base side of the mound.  Problem is, there were two stolen base attempts in that game.  One by Jim Wynn and the other by Joe Morgan (both safe).  I’m almost positive that is Jim Wynn sliding into second because of the monster sideburns in the photo.  However, the distance is too far and the resolution is too low to correctly Name the Game.

Yet, this card fits nicely into the Cameo Card Club.  I love the action in the shot with Nolan Ryan appearing to clench his right fist in a “we got’em out” gesture.  But, if you look really closely, second base umpire, Ken Burkhart is beginning his “safe” motion.  Man, I would have loved to have seen Ryan’s reaction after the “safe” call was made.

By the way, this 1971 Bud Harrelson card is an inexpensive way to pick up a ‘71 Topps Nolan Ryan (cameo) card!!

Cameo Cards - 1989 Topps Pirates Leaders

Some of you may be wondering, why is this card not under the Background Noise series or the Name the Game series?  Good question.  The best answer I can come up with is that I really like cards that feature more than one player, which is why I came up with the Background Noise and Name the Game serials.  Problem is, not every multiple player card has something going on in the background, and as I've found out, it is dang hard determining which game is portrayed on the card front.  

So, to solve this dilemma of potentially eliminating lots of cards that I love, I created a new series called Cameo Cards.  Now, if you're a big movie or video game fan, you're probably familiar with the term "cameo" or in some parlance "Easter Eggs."  What I hope to accomplish with this serial is to predominantly share "no-name" common player cards that feature All-Star or Hall of Fame players.  

As shown in the example above, this 1989 Pirates Team Leaders card #699 depicts Al Pedrique tagging out Tony Gwynn at second base.  Sweet.  Hence, a cameo card of a Hall of Famer on a common.