The Vintage Stack: 1977 Topps #152 Gaylord Perry

After showing some love for the oldest card in my Bay of E vintage stack of mystery, I believe it would only be appropriate to now check out the newest card in said stack.

Hello, Mr. Perry!

OH, where to start?!?!

The card is in pretty good shape.   Touched corners and a little low in the centering department, but overall the card looks great to me.   The colors are really vibrant and it is easy to forget that this card is nearly....wait for it......40 years old.   Dude?!

How about that ball cap?   The huge billboard-worthy front & bill give you the feeling that Perry is ready to:

- catch some bass
- clean his gun
- hurl a complete game
- kick someone's ass and steal their woman
- flip his hat, go "over the top", and drive away in a 16-wheeler
- all of the above

Glorious.   The giant "T" logo is superior and I only wish we could see more of the "TEXAS" scrawled across that baby-blue jersey.   How about the 'burns and hairdo?   I never noticed it before, but Gaylord could easily strut out into the middle of Fenway and belt out some "Sweet Caroline"...and I don't think anybody would be worse for wear.   A dead ringer for Neil Diamond!   But what really makes this card for me?   The subtle 4-seam grip that Mr. Perry is displaying so non-nonchalantly while he chuckles for the camera.

Here's the back:

Hello, giant font.   I don't have alot enough 1976 Topps in my collection.   In fact, my current set-building quests end much too abruptly in 1978.   However, please take a quick glance at my NEEDS list for '78 here.   As you can see, I'm nearing the end!   And what better way to extend the set quest than by simply rolling back through '77 and '76.....what do you think?

Anyways, GAYLORD PERRY is definitely the player on this card.   We have the usual bio-data below....6'4"!?!   Another great tidbit that I wasn't aware of regarding Mr. Perry.   Tall drink of water, particularly back in those prime Neil Diamond years.   My word, 2.91 career ERA after nearly 15 years.   That's eye-popping, almost as much as the 2670:999 K:BBB ratio.   Perry could certainly set them down, and a quick glance up his SO column show that he had 5 seasons of 230 or more strikeouts.   Another stat I like to review with these old pitchers are the IP totals.  Check it out -

- 12 seasons with 200+ innings for Gaylord.
- Eleven in a ROW when this '77 card was showing up in local drugstore
- SIX seasons with 300+ innings pitched, FOUR of those continuous from '72 - '76

My word.   Can you imagine?!?!

As a side note, the cartoon on this card might be one of the most depressing that I have ever seen.

"You okay, Darrell?"

"Whatever."

Another great card from the mystery stack!

Thanks for reading -

Ryan

One of My Favorite Cards - 2011 Bowman Platinum Michael Choice - Certified Autograph

Picked this card up for a couple of bucks.   I told you I was dabbling in prospects!   Michael Choice is another player I have picked up for my dynasty fantasy baseball team.   His power potential intrigued me as he worked hard in the A's organization last year.   The A's made another great run in the fall and Michael had an effective impact while he was called up for coffee towards the end of the season.

Choice was traded to the Rangers this winter and is competing hard for a starting slot on the roster under the careful eyes of Ron Washington -in fact, Mr. Washington has even noted that he expects Choice to have an impact on a daily basis.   Which is great but from a fantasy perspective......we'll have to see.   With Choo and Rios' arrival in Texas, it looks like Michael will have to compete with Leonys Martin for that final spot.   

Hopefully, he'll get his shot.   He comes with a record of both power and patience, a rare combination.   According to his card below, he went deep seven times in thirty games during his debut.   That's pretty stellar.

It will be exciting to watch and while this card might not last in my collection forever, I'm enjoying it for now.

Thanks for reading!

Ryan

My First Play At The Plate

Brian from over at Play At The Plate noticed a couple of months back that I had stumbled upon some blue Ranger parallels from Topps' Walmart offering this year.   As you all probably know by now, parallels for my Yanks or Braves have slowly grown on me but as far as the rest of 'em - it makes me happy to send them home!

SO....I procrastinated way too much and had the Rangers set off to the side for a wee bit.   I managed to find a couple more Texans for Brian and eventually sent them on their way.    Sorry it took so long, Brian!   He was certainly generous with what he sent in return - he was able to help me out with my NEEDS lists for 2012 Topps base and the few insert sets that I'm chasing.......I was worried I might never get off the ground with some of these but our blogging community has, as usual, graciously turned that frown upside-down.

Here's a little look at what Brian sent over:



I've said it before and I will undoubtedly say it again - I love these '87 minis!   They're simple, yes, but the wood-grained '87 release marked my first year in collecting.   I'm tempted to make a comparison of the special feeling towards my first set to the first girl I kissed but I think that would require me to also attend a support group.   Anyways, I'm making some decent progress with these inserts now.   Thanks for the help, Brian - and those guys are no slouches!

Some more of the Goldens from this year - Standards and Moments.   I think there's a TV radio station called Singers and Standards, yes?

Some help with the Series 1 base set.   It would be remarkable to wrap up this one before Series 2 hits the shelves.   Considering I just completed Series 1 and 2 from 2011 last month, this progress is already a shining example of the benefits to having a blog - communication is key!   I would encourage any of the readers out there to make the leap.  

Oh, gee....did I leave that Mantle on top for all of you to enjoy?   The Mick - always epic!   Nice touch, Brian.   Here are two of my favorite cards from the stack:

This guy is a beast of a ball player.   I'm playing fantasy baseball for the first time this season and Yadier fills my catcher slot for both of my teams.   Turns out, he's been one of the most productive players out there, so far in 2012.   Yes, Pujols - your former fellow Card is trampling all over your HR total through week 1.   Not hard to do when your sitting on a goose egg, Albert!   Way to go, Yadier.

 JERED MAD!

Thanks for the great trade, Brian!

Thanks for reading, guys.