Background Noise - 1990 Fleer Update Dave Hansen

This morning I sorted a 1990 Fleer Update box. I thought it was incomplete because the cards were terribly out of order, but after making a quick sort of 132 cards, I found that it was complete! There is nothing quite like finding a complete set in your collection and you didn’t even know it was there. Now if I could only find a complete 1956 Topps set in my collection, instead of a 1990 Fleer Update. Oh well, I guess this bumps me up to completing four sets in 2013… 

As I was going through the cards, I noticed this Dave Hansen card. There was nothing terribly spectacular, until I started checking out the background. What first caught my eye was Dodger’s 3B Coach Joey Amalfitano strutting in the background. Always cool to find a coach in the background, but what was even cooler was finding the bat boy.

Look just left of Hansen’s right forearm and you’ll see him. I bet that bat boy knew exactly what he was doing when he positioned himself in the background… "I’m going to get on a baseball card!” Well, he most certainly did make it onto a baseball card, although he looks like Eddie Gaedel. 

The kid is pretty blurry, but his uniform appears to be for the White Sox. The other two choices were the Angels and Indians, but they played in the Cactus League. So, this shot is before a Dodgers-White Sox Grapefruit League game before the 1990 season. A little research showed that this is Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. I was originally thrown when I saw the pictures because I’ve been to Ed Smith stadium… 

But apparently the park has had a few renovations over the years, with a major one in 2011.  Anyways, good job kid, you made it on a baseball card!

Oh, Wow...

Dodger Blew

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.