And some thoughts on Bud Harrelson, too
2023 TOPPS ORANGE FOIL KODAI SENGA Today’s COTW entry started out trying to figure out the most unusual Mets card of all time. While not of Mets’ players, my thoughts on unusual cards include the 1952 Topps Gus Zernial with the multiple balls tacked to his bat, while Zernial gives the OK sign. Or the [...]
1967 TOPPS GREG GOOSSEN Back in the 1970s, when I collected cards with my brother Gary and things weren’t as immediately available as they are now, we were looking for a Tom Seaver rookie card. The checklists of the day wouldn’t list who was on the card; it would just say Mets Rookies. We found [...]
1982 TOPPS ALEX TREVINO Ah, 1982, the hockey stick cards. My initial reaction to these cards was, well, not quite dislike but not very far from that, either. Kind of similar to my feelings about Alex Trevino. Our featured player couldn’t hit and there’s only so much goodwill Trevino’s ability to play in the infield [...]
2023 TOPPS NOW RONNY MAURICIO Is it possible for something to be both devastating and not-all-that important at the same time? That’s the question to ponder with the news that Ronny Mauricio is likely done for the year after an ACL injury. This Topps Now card shows why it might be devastating, as it highlights [...]
1970 TOPPS BUD HARRELSON I humbly submit this Bud Harrelson offering for consideration as the greatest in-stadium card Topps produced before they started doing live-action cards the following year. Typically cards of this era and earlier showed head shots or mock baseball poses. But here we have Harrelson signing autographs, in a familiar setting, assuming [...]
2000 TOPPS RICKEY HENDERSON Baseball cards taught me that Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Duke Snider and Warren Spahn played for the Mets. I have vivid memories of Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver playing for my favorite team. Yet, somehow, it’s not an immediate memory for me of Rickey Henderson [...]
1991 NOBODY BEATS THE WIZ BOB W. JOHNSON Card of the Week: Return of the Revenge of the Beyond the Valley of the Escape from the Card of the Week: Episode 1: Bob Johnson Well, it’s been over seven years since I’ve written one of these thingamabobs, so forgive the rust… In the intervening years [...]
2007 TOPPS WILLIE RANDOLPH With the Mets hiring a coach from the Yankees with no previous MLB managerial experience, my thoughts turned to Willie Randolph. The Mets hired Randolph following the 2004 season, in which he served as Joe Torre’s bench coach. The previous 10 years, Randolph was the team’s third base coach. And in [...]
1969 DECKLE JERRY KOOSMAN Most Topps inserts from the 1960s and 1970s get a big thumbs up from me. And then there’s this deckle insert from 1969. It would be curious to know the exec who greenlighted a glossy, black and white offering. And if that contrast wasn’t bad enough, we have the “deckle” edging. [...]
1981 DONRUSS MIKE JORGENSEN We all knew that the world of baseball card collectors was going to be turned upside down back in 1981, when Fleer and Donruss were allowed to compete with Topps. Their first offerings in 1981 weren’t the most-polished, as there were error cards galore in the two non-Topps sets. Additionally, the [...]
Mets, Padres, Angels and Yankees cards inside!