1972 JIM FREGOSI BOYHOOD PHOTO Is bigger really better? As if anticipating the excesses of the decade to come, the 1970 Topps set tipped the scales at 720 cards, besting the previous high of 664 cards from the 1969 set. The black-beauty set of 1971 swelled to 752 cards, reaching into the far corners of [...]
2011 TOPPS TOM SEAVER DIAMOND DIE CUT Topps created these die-cut, refractive, absurdly thick cards as part of its 2011 Diamond Anniversary celebration. They could be obtained by redeeming code cards found in packs. I was not fortunate enough to unlock this card with any of my codes, but I did amass a large enough [...]
2003 FLEER MYSTIQUE JOSE REYES Fleer took its initial steps into the baseball card market in the late '50s/early '60s, producing a set dedicated to the career of Ted Williams, and a couple of “all-time greats” issues that focused on retired players. Come 1963, they were suitably emboldened to attempt a run at the Topps [...]
1984 TOPPS TOM SEAVER A few weeks ago I ran across a TV listing for a documentary entitled “The Last Play at Shea.” The Verizon channel guide gave the following vague and syntactically challenged description of the film: “A look is taken at the iconic Shea Stadium before it was torn down.” So with visions [...]
HAPPY THANKSGIVING In the spirit of the season, here's a craft project that will add a fun and sporty dash of color to your holiday table. First, we'll need to acquire a card from a Tom turkey of a set. The 1997 Leaf offering will do nicely. Then we'll require a Meleagris gallopavo of a [...]
1964 TOPPS RON HUNT It's post-season awards week, or as I like to call it, The Week When They Give the MVP Award to Someone Other Than a New York Mets Player. I think we can safely say that this year will be no different than the previous 49, and rightfully so. I suppose there's [...]
THE JERSEY OF THE DAMNED Previously on Card of the Week, we established that my eight-year old son Sebastian is not much of a baseball fan. But there we were staring Halloween night in the face without a defined costume. I kept spitting out suggestions, which were shot down like clay pigeons. “Mario?” “No.” “Zombie?” [...]
1998 SCORE EDGARDO ALFONZO I was on my way downstairs the other day after a shower, when the path was interrupted by my 8-year old son. “Here, I've got something for you,” he said, handing me a card. Sebastian is not really a baseball fan. Gymnastics is his passion, and I have great admiration for [...]
1970 TOPPS WORLD SERIES CELEBRATION The 1970 Topps NL playoff and World Series cards are a joy to behold. There are 10 cards covering the Mets 1969 sweep of the Braves and their five-game victory over the Orioles. And there is barely a discouraging word in the lot, but for Don Buford's homer leading off [...]
1974 TOPPS HARRY PARKER I once had a Little League coach who called me “Dave.” He wasn't being clever, or even ironic. He was just enough of a baseball fan that when he saw “D. Parker” on his lineup card, the natural association was “Dave.” It must be told that I was not very Cobra-like, [...]
HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY FROM CARD OF THE WEEK A quick Columbus Day holiday greeting from COTW, in convenient card form... For those of you scoring at home, that would be NINo EspinosA Joe PIgNaTAno Johan SANTAna MARIo RAmirez Nino Espinosa Joe Pignatano Johan Santana Mario Ramirez
1984 FLEER UPDATE RON DARLING The mid '80s Mets were a lazy headline writer's dream. First off, it was a headline-worthy bunch: a winning team, chock-full of outsized personalities. And with (nick)names like Doc, Mex, the Kid, Strawberry, and Darling, the headlines pretty much wrote themselves. So if it wasn't “Doc Delivers Gem” it was [...]