1972 TOPPS CHUCK TAYLOR
No doubt it pales after the seventh or eighth time you’ve heard it.
“Oh, are you that guy?”
Of course you realize that most times people are kidding. You’re much too young to be that guy, or perhaps that guy is not even alive, or real.
But such is your lot in life when you share a name with a famous figure.
Chuck Taylor here probably did all he could to restrain himself from screaming more than once, “No! I’m not that damn sneaker guy!”
Our Chuck Taylor came to the Mets in late 1971 via a trade with the Cardinals, along with Jim Beauchamp and Harry Parker. As it happens, the Cardinals had traded Taylor previously, sending him and Beauchamp to the Colt 45s in early 1964.
Which bears out my grandpappy’s oft-stated maxim: “The Cardinals cain’t trade Chuck Taylor without trading Jim Beauchamp, too. It just ain’t fit and proper.” I confess I never knew what the old man meant by that until now…
Taylor had a decent 8-year career as a mop-up reliever, but his 1972 stint with the Mets was likely his low point. He racked up a 5.52 ERA before being sent down to Tidewater in June and placed on waivers in September.
In an April game against the Dodgers and a May tilt versus St. Louis, Taylor surrendered a combined 10 earned runs over the course of 5 innings, allowing an astounding total of 19 hits.
As it happens, 18 of the 19 hits that Taylor yielded in those games were singles, which I guess means that at least he had his sinker working…
I don’t know if Topps had a whole art department or if it was just one guy responsible for changing the colors when a guy got traded. But either way, I can imagine the grumbling that must have taken place.
You know they must have wondered why they didn’t take pictures with no cap at all…
And wouldn’t it have been fun if there was one picture of Mr. Taylor with one pair of Chucks tied together and slung over his shoulder.
Topps tried the no-hat approach, but it did not test well in their little-kid focus groups. Most of which no doubt ended like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPmDiOcDIpU
Chuck Taylor!!!! Love it. At least he didn’t get a boyhood photo card.