UPDATED 5/9: Which Cards Made the 2014 Topps "Top 50 Rookies" Buyback Checklist?

2014 Topps is here and the past few weeks have seen multiple eBay sales of buyback rookie redemptions. The only thing is, Topps hasn't publicized which rookie cards have been included in their top 50. It begs the question: Which cards should make the "Top 50 Rookies" buyback checklist?

Here's my shortlist. I updated it to include recent eBay sales prices:

			eBay Sale $	Sold/Unsold?
1	1952	Willie Mays	$2,500.00	Unsold
2	1952	Mickey Mantle
3	1952	Ed Mathews
4	1954	Al Kaline
5	1954	Ernie Banks
6	1954	Henry Aaron
7	1955	Sandy Koufax
8	1955	Roberto Clemente
9	1955	Harmon Killebrew
10	1956	Luis Aparicio
11	1957	Jim Bunning
12	1957	Brooks Robinson
13	1957	Frank Robinson
14	1957	Don Drysdale
15	1958	Orlando Cepeda
16	1958	Roger Maris
17	1959	Bob Gibson
18	1960	Carl Yastrzemski
19	1960	Willie McCovey
20	1961	Billy Williams
21	1961	Juan Marichal
22	1962	Lou Brock
23	1962	Gaylord Perry
24	1963	Willie Stargell
25	1963	Pete Rose
26	1964	Phil Niekro
27	1965	Steve Carlton
28	1965	Joe Morgan
29	1965	Tony Perez
30	1965	Jim Hunter
31	1966	Ferguson Jenkins
32	1966	Jim Palmer
33	1967	Rod Carew
34	1967	Tom Seaver
35	1968	Johnny Bench
36	1968	Nolan Ryan	$899.00	Unsold
37	1969	Reggie Jackson
38	1972	Carlton Fisk
39	1973	Mike Schmidt	$127.50	Sold
40	1974	Dave Winfield
41	1975	Jim Rice	$46.98	Sold
42	1975	Gary Carter
43	1975	Robin Yount
44	1975	George Brett
45	1976	Dennis Eckersley
46	1978	Eddie Murray	$22.49	Sold
47	1979	Ozzie Smith
48	1980	Rickey Henderson
49	1982	Cal Ripken Jr.
50	1983	Tony Gwynn
	1984	Darryl Strawberry	$7.50	Sold
	1984	Dwight Gooden	$36.01	Sold
	1990	Frank Thomas	$51.00	Sold

Update 5/9/14 - Am I missing something here? Why is a Frank Thomas rookie card—usually $4 max—selling for $51?!? Seriously, what is wrong with this picture? The thing about all of these newer cards being included in this buyback program is that it means a more hallowed card from the Fifties (or Sixties or Seventies) is not included. Thomas I understand. Darryl Strawberry I do not.

Update 3/12/14 - Not only is it interesting that Dwight Gooden is considered a top-50 rookie, but that it sold for $36.01! If this is his card from 1984 Topps, we're talking about a $3 card, at best. Why would you pay 12 times that much for the same card? So with Gooden and Strawberry in the top 50, my thinking now is that a couple from the 1960s didn't make the cut.

Update 2/19/14 - It looks like Darryl Strawberry's 1984 Topps rookie made the cut. A redemption card recently sold for $7.50 on eBay (2/17/14). This means that (at least) one of the cards listed above is not included as a buyback.

Bolded entries are cards that have been offered for sale on eBay, confirming they're being offered as part of this buyback insert.

Taking into consideration that these cards are buybacks, that would lead me to believe that they'll all be vintage, and that Topps wouldn't go to great lengths to buy back a 1989 Topps Traded Ken Griffey Jr. card and release it as part of this set, even if you could make a legitimate case that Griffey's rookie is one of the company's top 50.

"Rookie" is a tricky word here, though, as Mays's and Mantle's 1952 cards are not technically rookies, as both players' rookies are in the 1951 Bowman set. That said, my list does not include Bowman cards; if we're including Bowman, then Albert Pujols's 2001 Bowman Chrome autographed rookie would definitely be included above.

Another point is whether Topps includes Pete Rose's rookie, or if it opts to go with someone safer, like Don Mattingly or Bert Blyleven. As a collector, you'd hope that they'd include Rose, as it's the right thing to do. But remember how Topps didn't mention Rose by name as the all-time hits leader on the backs of cards in 2013's flagship set? I distinctly remember the company line being that their action was the "right thing to do" (I'm paraphrasing here). So when it comes to Rose, the "right thing to do" has one meaning inside the walls of One Whitehall and a decidedly different meaning in the rest of the world.

It will be interesting to see whose rookies are included in the official checklist, and what sort of hoopla this set will generate.

Another update: What's also interesting about this buyback is how much these cards are reselling for. I think you can chalk the high Rice price up to a newness factor, and that the buyback redemption was pretty much unexplained at the time of the sale. I can't think of any other reason why someone would pay 5x the going rate for a Jim Rice rookie card. (In fact, the Schmidt went for about double the going rate for an ungraded version of this card.) The Ryan has been offered three times with no purchase: $1,499; $999; and $899, though all as a fixed-price "Buy it Now." The Murray, Rice, and Schmidt cards have been offered as straight auctions.

One final thing: It has not been advertised if the cards received will be raw or graded. I'm pretty sure Topps would announce the cards as graded if it were the case, so if the cards received are raw, what condition will they be in? Did someone just pay nearly $47 for a Jim Rice rookie card in very good condition?

Notes on 2014 Topps Heritage

I opened three boxes of Heritage yesterday, and here are my thoughts:

• The card stock is so much better this year than last year. A major improvement. They feel like real baseball cards, not like promotional post cards you get in the mail (see Heritage, 2013).

• A (probably) uncorrected error: There are two cards numbered 137, World Series Game 6 and Anthony Gose. From what I've found, there is no card numbered 138, though it should be Gose.

• Many packs I opened didn't have an insert or a high number or variation, but nine base cards. I like that. It puts emphasis on building the base set, rather than ripping for hits.

• There are supposed to be one relic or autographed card per box. In my three boxes I found three Clubhouse Collection jersey relics (Jose Altuve, Howie Kendrick, Fred McGriff) and one autograph (Chipper Jones). Not sure why that is.

• Box toppers: two advertising panels (which I will soon chop up and put in my set) and one original 1965 buyback (Jack Lamabe)

• I am really confused by the Photoshopped backgrounds for some of the recently traded players. What, the lasers backdrop wasn't available?

• The "1st Draft" insert set is lousy. Of the four cards in the set, two of them are of Johnny Bench. So far I've found only one of the two Benches, and Graig Nettles. Nothing against these players, but I've found three of each. No Ryans, and no other Benches.

• Going in, my thinking had been that all the variations (logo, action, uniform) would be dumb, and get in the way of collecting the base set. Not true. They're nice additions.

• I've completed about 90% of the base set, with 26 high-number SPs.

• It's interesting that Curtis Granderson is a Yankee in the Chrome insert set and a Met in the regular set. Maybe the Chrome cards went to print earlier?

• Last thing: This year's Heritage has got me thinking back to 2003's Upper Deck Vintage set, also in the 1965 Topps design. Which set is better? It's a toss-up.

Ben's First 5 Thoughts on the 2014 Topps Heritage Checklist

In anticipation of the release of 2014 Topps Heritage (now since delayed to March 14th), Topps made the set's checklist available on their website. Because I enjoy deconstructing checklists in my free time, here are my first five thoughts:

1. It's weird to me that Topps didn't follow their own checklist from the original 1965 set. In the original, the reigning NL MVP (Ken Boyer of the Cardinals) was put on card #100, and the reigning AL MVP (Brooks Robinson of the Orioles) was put on #150. Instead, the Heritage checklister went the straight team-to-team route, assigning #100 to Cardinal pitcher Adam Wainwright and #150 to the Orioles' current third baseman, Manny Machado. If they had followed the script of the original, reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates would be #100 and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers would be on #150.

By deviating from the original, the meaning of the set changes. It's no longer a retelling of the original 1965 set, but rather an ode to the idea of the 1965 set. This is especially weird considering...

2. Topps has hinted that there will be base-set errors and variations in the spirit of the original set. What's especially odd about that is that two of the most well known variations in the original are on checklist cards themselves. Checklist cards aren't even assigned checklist numbers in the Heritage base set, so I'm guessing that these variations won't be included in the new set.

3. There are no team cards, and only 17 managers are represented. Also, teams are not represented equally. The Cardinals clock in with 19 individual cards (18 players plus manager Mike Matheny). On the other side of the spectrum, the Astros have 10 players and no manager. The highest-numbered Astro is Dexter Fowler at #394, which means there are no Astros in nearly a quarter of the set, including the desirable on-checklist chase SPs.

4. The high-numbered on-checklist SPs (#426–#500) are all big-name players, including Miguel Cabrera, David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, and Yasiel Puig. As far as Topps went to deviate from the original 1965 set, they went even further away from the spirit of previous Heritage sets with this move. Honestly, I'd be surprised if future Heritage sets don't go the full Allen & Ginter rip-card route for the final 75 cards.

5. Finally, when did the idea of the "Real One" autograph subjects list change to include retired players not represented in the original set? Around 10 years ago, when the Heritage brand was a fresh idea, the autograph checklist was made up of players from the original set from that year, with only two or three current players. But guys like Bo Jackson? Bret Saberhagen? Rafael Palmeiro? Dave Concepcion? Isn't this why Topps rebooted Topps Archives? These players should not be all together in a Heritage set until the year 2036, for Topps Heritage '87. (I almost forgot: not one but two different Keith Olbermanns.... Sheesh.)

2014 Topps Heritage Checklist Hypotheses

Updated at 12:30pm Thursday: I spaced out and forgot that there are 32 MLB teams, not 30. Figures have been updated below.

One of my favorite things to do is put together checklists for custom sets. A checklist I've been

trying to figure out—before Topps announces it in the next few weeks—is that of 2014 Topps Heritage.

From on-checklist in-jokes to creative checklisting decisions, Heritage proves interesting on an annual basis. And as I've gotten back into collecting new cards, it's usually my favorite set of the year. 2014's offering is especially fun, as it will undoubtedly celebrate the 2013 Boston Red Sox. Plus, its basis (1965 Topps) is one of the few vintage sets I've completed. Needless to say, I'm ready to complete the master set and pair it with my '65 set.

So as I put together my Heritage checklist, a few questions arise. First and foremost, how many cards will Topps allot to each team? I see this resolving in one of two ways:

• Each team gets 15 cards (including a manager card, a team card, and one doubleheader rookie card)

This option allows for 384 individual player cards, 32 managers, 32 team cards, 32 doubleheader rookie cards, leaving 20 "free" cards, 12 of which are league leaders, at least 6 are World Series, and probably the final 2 are "MLB Rookies" or AL or NL–specific doubleheader rookies.

• The teams original to 1965 Topps (Yankees, Orioles, A's, Angels, Twins, Rangers (Senators), Twins, Red Sox, White Sox, Tigers, Indians, Reds, Cubs, Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Pirates, Phillies, Braves, Astros, and Cardinals) will get more cards than those teams that post-date the original set (Royals, Padres, Nationals, Brewers, Rockies, Marlins, Rays, Mariners, Nationals, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays)

In this second option, only those teams original to 1965 Topps would get team and manager cards, and only a manager card if that team had a manager in the original set.

Either way, I don't see Topps including actual checklist cards on its Heritage checklist, and instead including four different checklists randomly as pack loaders. The checklist space is too limited, and the pack value is too high to waste a card slot on a checklist.

Second: League leaders will be on #1–12. World Series cards will be on #132–138. But which players will be assigned the iconic numbers from the original set? There are only a few guarantees, I think. Here they are:

#100 - Andrew McCutchen (2013 NL MVP)
#140 - Max Scherzer (2013 AL CY)
#150 - Miguel Cabrera (2013 AL MVP)
#300 - Clayton Kershaw (2013 NL CY)
#340 - Wil Myers (2013 AL ROY)
#460 - Jose Fernandez (2013 NL ROY)

It gets murky once you're beyond the award winners. Here are a few more guesses:

#350 - Derek Jeter
#200 - Bryce Harper
#400 - Mike Trout
#500 - David Ortiz

Here are my guesses for the titles of each World Series subset card:

132	Sox Crush Cards to Take Series Opener	WS Game 1
133	Wacha Carries Cards to Victory	WS Game 2
134	Cards Win in Wild Finish	WS Game 3
135	Sox Tie Series on Gomes' HR	WS Game 4
136	Lester Wins Pitchers' Duel	WS Game 5
137	Victorino Powers Sox to Title	WS Game 6
138	The Champs Celebrate at Fenway	WS Summary

Another big question will be if Topps will put Yasiel Puig on a base-checklist SP number (somewhere between #426–500) or will have him floating on the regular checklist. He's the hottest name in the hobby going into 2014, and making him a base-checklist SP adds to the chase, though also makes it at least four times less likely that you'll get him in a pack.

Finally, it's a pity that the Japan/MLB posting system had to go through an overhaul prior to Tanaka immigrating to the MLB, because this set probably won't include his Yankee rookie. It would've been something special, as one of the cards the 1965 set is known for is the Masanori Murakami rookie, and I'm sure Topps would've found a way to honor that card. So, without a significant rookie like Tanaka, will Heritage include the new White Sox first baseman, Jose Abreu? I hope so.

Early Thoughts on 2014 Topps Heritage

Surprise, surprise—I've been thinking about next year's Topps Heritage set. This morning I had some time and put together a "probables" list for the Real One autograph set. It's fascinating to me that we as collectors will pay a premium for autographed reprints, rather than paying 30% to 50% of the cost for an autographed original. Is it really all about the Topps seal of approval?

That said, here is a first-draft list of who I think will be included on the Real One autograph checklist for 2014 Topps Heritage. Odds of their inclusion are in parentheses.

Stars
Joe Morgan (2-1) - Hall of Fame second baseman's rookie seems like a no-brainer
Jim Bunning (3-1) - Hall of Famer and former U.S. Senator with time on his hands
Al McBean (10-1) - All-star in 1964
Jim Bouton (10-1) - Is Bouton still a baseball pariah?
Mike Shannon (5-1) - Popular St. Louis Cardinals personality
Juan Marichal (3-1) - Hall of Famer
Jim Kaat (5-1) - Member of the "Hall of Very Good"
Willie Mays (2-1) - If he's still under contract with Topps, I see Mays being a cornerstone in this set, as he earned the MVP award in 1965
Sandy Koufax (5-1) - What would it take to get Sandy Koufax in this set?
Frank Robinson (10-1) - I'm on the fence about this one. He's participated in a few of Heritage sets in the past.
Yogi Berra (3-1): 1965 was his last card as an active player. Seems like a no-brainer to include him here.
Bob Gibson (5-1): Heritage regular in the last few years.
Whitey Ford (5-1): Mainstay of Heritage autograph lineups.
Al Kaline (2-1): Heritage mainstay. More of a shock if he's not included.
Common players (1-2) - Topps autograph insert sets for Heritage are usually chock'o'block with common players. Heritage '65 should be no exception.

I recognize that Topps does an autograph insert set in Heritage as a way to celebrate and remember the individual players included in the original set for that year. Stockpiling stars is not really the point. So with that in mind, here are the 1950s and 1960s original stars and notables included in Heritage autographs checklists, starting in 2001.

The 2001 and 2002 checklists featured a mix of original and current players, with all original players being stars. There was a shift for the 2003 checklist, where only three current stars were included (Lance Berkman, Jose Cruz Jr., and Jimmy Rollins). The rest of the checklist was filled in with common players from the original set. From 2004 on, Topps used a balanced checklist of original and current players.

'52 Heritage (2001): Pafko, Thomson, Snider, Groat, Dom DiMaggio, Slaughter, McDougald, Bauer, Sauer, Wilhelm, Garagiola, Sain, Irvin, Minoso, Rizzuto, Roberts, Schoendienst, Mays, Spahn, Law, Roe, Vernon, Joe Mays, Simmons, Shantz — 25 out of 50

'53 Heritage (2002): Rosen, Schoendienst, Feller, Shantz, Dom DiMaggio, Slaughter, Kell, McDougald, Wilhelm, Podres, Irvin, Minoso, Rizzuto, Ford, Mays, Spahn, Berra, Roe, Carey, Dark, Black, Boone, Face — 23 out of 28

'54 Heritage (2003): Kaline, Pafko, Skowron, Shantz, Groat, Snider, Banks, Aaron, Bauer, Podres, Irvin, Rizzuto, Roe, Face, Lasorda, Law, Ford, Mays, Berra — 19 out of 45

'55 Heritage (2004): Kaline, Newcombe, Snider, Banks, Killebrew, Podres, Musial, Mays, Berra — 9 out of 34

'56 Heritage (2005): Feller, Snider, Banks, Aaron, Irvin, Berra — 6 out of 23

'57 Heritage (2006): Rhodes, Snider, Banks, F. Robinson, Parnell, Musial, Ford, Berra — 8 out of 29

'58 Heritage (2007): Kaline, B. Robinson, Zimmer, Snider, Kell, Bunning, Podres, Aparicio, Schoendienst — 9 out of 36

'59 Heritage (2008): Kaline, Skowron, Erskine, Rhodes, Snider, F. Robinson, Brosnan, Zernial, Aparicio, Kaat*, Minoso, Cepeda, Wills*, Mazeroski, Berra, Tommy Davis* — 16 out of 57

'60 Heritage (2009): McDougald, Dark — 2 out of 48

'61 Heritage (2010): Rosen, Gibson, F. Robinson, Aparicio, Schoendienst — 5 out of 36

'62 Heritage (2011): Kaline, Gibson, B. Robinson, Banks, Yost, F. Thomas, Aaron, Koufax, Musial, Pierce — 10 out of 37

'63 Heritage (2012): Gibson, Turley, Virdon, Maxwell, Brosnan, Cunningham, Logan, Marichal, Aparicio, Minoso, Cepeda, Schoendienst, Musial, Mays, McCormick, McCovey, F. Torre — 18 out of 49

'64 Heritage (2013): Mays, Musial, Cepeda, Wills*, Minoso, Tiant, Marichal, Gibson, Pierce, Richardson, Shantz, Maxwell, Groat, Banks, F. Robinson, Aaron — 16 out of 63

*Not included in the original set.

These figures only included the Real One autograph insert sets, not dual or triple or any other insert set of autographed cards included in a Heritage product. Even still, note how the number of autograph subjects fluctuates from year to year. 2009's '60 Heritage set is clearly the loser in terms of original stars: just two out of a checklist of 48 subjects (and some collectors may not even consider Alvin Dark or Gil McDougald stars). This year's set includes the most subjects at 63, and 2002's '53 Heritage checklist provided the highest likelihood of pulling an autographed card of a Hall of Famer: 11 of its 28 autograph subjects are members.

What will next year's '65 Heritage give us? Probably as large an auto checklist as '64 Heritage (at least 60 subjects, comprised of current and original players). And probably as many Heritage regulars, stars, and Hall of Fame players, with one or two surprises. Steve Carlton? Duke Snider in a Giants uni? Lou Brock? And what about signatures that include more than just a name? Or an exchange card for a personalized auto? Or an exchange for an autographed buy back? With so many options not yet explored, it will be interesting to see how Topps approaches autographs next year, something they're probably thinking about right now down on Whitehall Street.

How To Save The Base Set

How long has the flagship Topps base set been dead? Since 1996? Maybe not that long, but it sure has felt like that. Instead of a checklist interspersed with All-Stars, team cards, and subsets, almost a generation of flagship base set checklists have been divided as follows: one or two series, each made up of 300 to 400 base cards of individual players, followed by a string of team cards, then designated rookie cards, then perhaps, if you're good, between five and ten "fun cards," that aren't all that fun, just action shots with different headlines. Fun subsets like Turn Back The Clock, All Stars, Record Breakers, Season Highlights, World Series, and even Father/Son are long gone. 

Instead, the base set checklist is overrun with short (or single) prints, and recently, super-short prints. Sure, finding an SP or SSP in a pack is fun, I'm not going to deny that. But when companies don't want to expand the base set checklist (thus SPs, variations, and SSPs hiding behind regular base card checklist numbers), the idea of adding a subset or two (or three or four) would mean removing a handful of rookie-card slots or end-of-the-bench players who might turn out to be diamonds in the rough.

Here's a solution. First off, don't touch the SSP idea; it's a draw for too many collectors. But instead of hidden base-checklist SPs, add subset cards as base-checklist variations. And don't short-print them, either—seed them 1:1 or 1:2, in a different pack position than inserts or SPs are traditionally placed. Packs will become livelier thanks to these accessible SPs. Although SPs in name only, the subsets would still be hidden off the regular base-set checklist. This way, the checklist holds steady at 600 or 700 cards, with a "master" base set checklist of 650 to 800 cards completely accessible to collectors not interested in spending lots of cash for expensive short prints. 

Of course, this idea may not work for all sets. A set I'm looking forward to is Heritage '65, due Spring 2014. Unless an asteroid hits Topps HQ in Lower Manhattan in the next few months, my educated guess is that the checklist will have at least 75 on-checklist SPs, with chrome and refractor parallel sets, plus the tired Heritage stable of inserts News Highlights, Highlights, Then & Now, and New Age Performers. It's incredible to me that these insert sets keep chugging along, despite wearing out their welcome years ago, but that's a topic for another day. Let's just focus on the base checklist. 

What if Topps shook things up? Like by removing most if not all of the base-checklist SPs. For clarification, I'm not talking about hidden variations. If anything, by unlocking these 75 or so numbers from short-print status, it opens the possibility of adding meaningful shadow SPs. 

Take the original checklist from 1965 Topps, for example. It's chock full of retiring legends, Hall of Fame rookie cards, and exciting stars. To revitalize the Heritage checklist, take a page from the All-Time Fan Favorites sets and create shadow SPs of players like Yogi Berra, Warren Spahn, Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Hank Aaron, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, and others on their original checklist numbers but using different photos than their original cards. 

This will allow collectors to be able to complete the regular set without breaking the bank, but also add a twist for master set collectors. And this is just the thing a set like Heritage needs—heck, like any set these days needs: a revitalization of the base-set checklist from the inside out. 

Card Critic: 2012 Topps Heritage Review

Are those braces on Escobar's teeth?
I feel old.

This time four years ago I argued that Topps should've killed off the Heritage brand with the 2008 Heritage '59 set. I stand by that sentiment. I understand that you don't kill a cash cow, but collecting a Topps Classic 1963 set would weigh better with my definition of the word "heritage." That said, I like this year's set—with a few caveats.

One thing I have to mention right away: The Topps checklister had one final chance to honor Stan Musial. One more chance. He or she could've put a worthy Cardinal veteran like Lance Berkman in Musial's final checklist-number slot. But noooooo. You want to know who got #250? Jon Jay. No, not him. This guy. What Heritage used to get right was the practice of checklist-matching current stars to their team-themed original-set counterparts. Number 1 in the 1960 Topps set was Early Wynn of the Chicago White Sox. Number 1 of the 2009 Topps Heritage set? Mark Buerhle of the Chicago White Sox. Number 20 of the 1957 Topps set is Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves. His checklist-matched counterpart in 2006 Heritage? Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves. I could go on, but you get the idea. There were very few heroes at the top of the Topps universe of the 1960s: Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial. And I'm sorry, but though he may be a St. Louis Cardinal, Jon Jay is not even a cardboard stand-in for Stan Musial.

Which leads to a larger question: Did Topps abandon the checklist-matching system for 2012 Heritage? Answer: Not really. They just abandoned their standard hero-worship model. They're not matching based on ability, but by team and field position. For example, Jay Bruce is on number 400. In 1963, another Cincy outfielder had that spot—Frank Robinson. Number 348 is Miguel Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers' hard-hitting first (now third) baseman. His original-set counterpart? Vic Wertz. Pick a card at random ... number 364 Jose Tabata of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the original set, #364 is Howie Goss of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Okay, another one, this time not from a team that was around in 1963: Desmond Jennings at #195. In 1963 that was Manny Jimenez, also an All-Star Rookie, from the KC Athletics. Milwaukee Brewers' outfielder Corey Hart is on #414. In 1963, that's Ty Cline, of the Milwaukee Braves. Very clever. It's a huge Topps checklist-history-matching in-joke.

Also, I love that players are in their new uniforms, simply because none of them appear to be blatantly Photoshopped (although most if not all have been blatantly Photoshopped). One of the few cards that looks off is Carlos Beltran's. It's not quite as bad as the old-school St. Louis airbrushings, but for some reason the Topps artists just haven't seemed to master the "STL" on a cap. But Mark Buerhle, Prince Fielder, CJ Wilson, Jed Lowrie, Michael Pineda, and others that I have seen look great. With the exception of a few cards, the maturation of airbrushing has been a boon to recent sets. It used to be that the Topps artists would try to obscure the old uniform, or break out the Cray-Pas and go to town (see the Airbrushing Invitational Rodeo I did a few years back). Now, with the sophistication of Adobe CS5, Prince Fielder on the Brewers easily transitions to Prince Fielder on the Tigers without too many hiccups.

I'm okay, for some reason, with there being variations up the wahzoo, though the specific types of variations seem lacking. Color swaps are alright, but image swaps? C'mon, that's kind of lazy. Also, super-short-printed error variations seem to taunt the average set builder, especially if it becomes generally accepted that they are part of the master set. I would've liked to see the incorporation of older players, original to the set. Maybe a Rookie Stars card featuring Bryce Harper, Jesus Montero, Nick Hagadone, and Pete Rose? That would be a variation worth chasing. 

And speaking of the Rookie Stars subset, why are the same players featured on different cards? And why do those players also warrant their own cards? Did I miss something? Is this 2003-04 Topps Basketball Rookie Matrix, or is it especially hard for a player to meet rookie status nowadays? There are so many great young players out there that it seems completely frivolous—and gives the impression that Topps doesn't really respect its customers—to showcase the same players in different permutations across multiple cards. I feel hoodwinked.

Also, I think the photography is worth a mention The original '63s have aged so well because the photography standards were higher. Kodachrome, or whatever the professional equivalent at the time, featured brilliant color and crisp images. For its Heritage line (since 2006's Heritage '57 set), Topps has tried to evoke an old-timey feel for its photography. I can't say that it's worked. Continuing with this year's set, some of the posed sideline images appear muddled, like the designers have been hitting the diffuse filter pretty hard in the color-correction process. 

Finally, the card stock feels leathery on the back. If you put a card under a microscope and magnified the back so that you got down to the very fiber, would it be thatched? It feels as if this would be true.

Overall, I'm excited for this set. It suffers a little out of the gate with the needless carousel of rookies and the muddy photos, but it gets points for the clever checklisting nods and for the (generally) clean airbrushing.

Oh, and one more thing: These cards don't stink like Sex Panther cologne, like the 2012 Topps flagship product does. They smell like baseball cards should smell, despite the lack of gum in the pack.

(RIP indestructible, disgusting Topps gum)

The Toppslopedia

I've been interested in checklisting for a few years now. Back in 2007, Dayf at Cardboard Junkie and I created a "fan set" using the Topps sets from 1980 to 1989 that we dubbed The 792. Clocking in at, yes, 792 cards, it featured the "best" card at each checklist number, choosing from the ten sets from the Topps 80s. It was a fun exercise, with the end product being a "new" best-of set that any collector could put together, cards 1 through 792, for under $150. [I will post a complete checklist of The 792 soon.]

This time I'm shooting a little larger. I'm a fan of the Alphabetical Checklist book that Beckett published about 10 years ago, and flipping through it got me thinking about those players who only appeared on one card (Like John Doherty in 1975 Topps). I'm also getting tired of the idea of collecting every set, or every card of a certain player. What about just one card… but of every player? 

I'm in the process of putting together what I'm calling the Toppslopedia, an alphabetic roll-call containing every player who ever appeared on a Topps card, with year and checklist number. With the exception of those players who only appeared on one card, I didn't necessarily choose a player's rookie year or last year, or even best year (all Topps concepts over the years). Instead I just chose a random card. I didn't include combo cards or all-star cards or even team cards. I did, however, include other subsets where players appeared individually, like All-Time Greats (1976), Record Breakers, Turn Back the Clock (1977), and Highlights. 

Conceivably a collector could put this "set" together, but I'm more interested in the comprehensiveness of a project like this.

I've done the 1970s and am halfway done with the 1950s. I'm planning on doing individually checklists for each decade, from the 1950s through to the 2000s, then a comprehensive, 60-year checklist when each decade's is complete. Then I will post it as a shared Google document, so anyone can access it. 

Surprisingly, for all their merchandising of their back catalogue, Topps has never done anything like this before. No coffee-table book, no special collector's set, nothing. I would love to see a large full-color hard cover like the Topps Baseball Cards: 1951–1990 book that I have, and though detractors may say that the Toppslopedia is just a different permutation of that book, I disagree. Instead of overwhelming the reader with every card ever made, it's a more intimate facebook. Because the population is much smaller than 30,000, or whatever the total individual cards add up to from all those sets, there's more space for stories or blurbs about a selection of the players, from one-card wonders like Bob Strampe and peripheral guys like Rick Sweet, to solid guys like Ralph Garr, perennial all-stars like Orlando Cepeda, and baseball lifers like Alvin Dark.

But because the likelihood of Topps doing anything suggested by a fan is slim to none, I should find a way to get this online as a searchable, browsable database and gallery. Maybe as a separate blog? Or a full-fledged Web site? Or as a part of the Baseball Cardpedia? 

As I mentioned above, I'll make the list available as a Google spreadsheet when it's finished.

Football Sidebar

Like everything else, I could be weeks, months, or possibly even years late on this. Well, probably not years, because as far as I can tell, this is something new for 2008. I'm referring to a new promotion Topps is going to roll out for their football products in 2008, called Topps Player Collection.

The gist of it is that the 30 best players will be found on the same checklist numbers in every Topps NFL set for 2008. It's an interesting idea, and you have to think that if it tests positive with dealers and collectors, something like this will end up as the practice for other sports.

The problem I see with it carrying over to other sports is that it throws off the meritocratic checklisting system Topps baseball really just put back into circulation. Let's say Albert Pujols is #500 in 2009 Topps. Does this mean that every Topps baseball set will have at least 500 cards? Or is it much more likely that cards #1 through #30 are super stars?

Also, here's a great piece by Tyler Kepner in today's New York Times about major leaguers and their fantasy football teams. [NY Times.com]

The Numbers Collector

Been thinking about this for a while:

These days, it feels like there are more cards with serial numbers on them than those without. This leads to a number of questions. Like, how many are there, really? Do there need to be this many? And finally, are serial-numbered cards the current hobby's equivalent to the common card from fifteen or twenty years ago?

I've long felt that the hobby's mantra is that the base set is for suckers: the real action's in the inserts. So what happens when there seems to be as many inserts as base cards?

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that I'd like to know if there are collectors out there who specialize in serial-numbered cards with the same serial number. For example, a collection made up of cards on the number 15 or 133 or 500, like 15/559, 15/1952, 15/150, and so on.

Also, are there collectors who go for a serial-numbered set of cards (like Topps Heritage Chrome) that all fall on the same number? Like checklist card #1 (15/1959), #2 (15/1959), etc.?

Finally, do numbers collectors assign a higher value to a card with a more glamorous serial number? Like would you expect to pay more for a card on number 0001/1959 than say, 1388/1959? Or is that irrelevant?

Regarding Links & The 792

Thanks to those of you who have sent in links. I'm just now putting the new list together (so far it's 76 links of sportscard-related reading goodness, and counting), so please check back at the end of today when the new list goes live.

To address comments regarding The 792: Thanks for letting me indulge my checklister introspection. I'm almost done with this project. And I won't post the other checklists I'm working on (I'll save those for The Baseball Card Book.

Hardest Working 792 in Show Business

Some great things this Monday night:

1. Light snow in the NYC
2. The Iron Man spot during the Super Bowl
3. Another installment of The 792


#551 - 600

551. Carl Yastzremski Super Veteran, 1983
552. Ken Singleton AL AS, 1982
553. Dave Winfield AL AS, 1982
554. Carlton Fisk AL AS, 1982
555. Cecil Cooper, 1981
556. Jack Morris AL AS, 1982
557. Rich Gossage AL AS, 1982
558. Greg Gagne, 1987
559. Ken Williams, 1988 (RC)
560. Rock Raines, 1989
Speaking of Iron Man, after the 1988 season, Tim Raines disappeared into the depths of Montreal's underground city, only to re-emerge four months later as 'Rock.' Cocaine reference? Maybe to you, but to me I always associated his nickname with his appearance.

561. Cardinals Leaders, 1983
562. Bryan Clutterbuck, 1987 (RC)
Why haven't they updated The Magnificent Ambersons yet as The Magnificent Clutterbucks? That's what I want to know.

563. Jose Guzman, 1988
I find it incredible that certain guys work their whole lives for something, only to have it thwarted by things completely out of their control. Poor Jose was destined to be confused with the much superior (and far uglier) Juan Guzman.

564. Ron Hassey, 1981
565. Leon Durham, 1984
566. Alfredo Griffin, 1986
567. David Wells, 1989
568. Willie Hernandez, 1983
569. Willie Randolph, 1982
570. Darryl Strawberry, 1985
571. Billy Ripken, 1989
572. Jack Morris, 1981
573. Jim Abbott #1 Draft Pick, 1989 (RC)
574. Manny Lee, 1987
Just for the record, I had about fifteen of this card.

575. Tony Perez, 1981
576. Frank Robinson, 1983 (MGR)
Have you noticed that Robby's always real close to the camera (and his mouth is open with teeth bared) in his managerial cards? Take a look at his cards from 1975, 1983, and 1989. It's a little unnerving.

577. Blue Jays Team, 1980
578. Bill Gullickson, 1981 (RC)
579. Mets Leaders, 1988
580. Nolan Ryan, 1980
581. Tom Seaver Super Veteran, 1983
582. Gaylord Perry, 1981
583. Junior Ortiz, 1987
584. Kurt Bevacqua, 1980
585. Garry Maddox, 1986
586. Frank Viola, 1983 (RC)
587. Rafael Santana, 1986
588. Luis Alicea, 1989 (RC)
589. Steve Crawford, 1987
590. Jim Palmer, 1980
591. John Lowenstein, 1981
592. Shane Rawley, 1983
593. Broderick Perkins, 1983
594. Bobby Valentine, 1988 (MGR)
595. Keith Hernandez NL AS, 1987
596. Onix Concepcion, 1986
597. Mike Schmidt NL AS, 1987
598. Ozzie Smith NL AS, 1987
599. Tony Gwynn NL AS, 1987
600. Dave Parker NL AS, 1987
Nothing says #600 like Dave Parker in a warm-up jacket. Inexplicably one of my favorite cards.


Scanning for the visual? Cardboard Junkie will help in that department.

Gimme a 7! (7!) Gimme a 9! (9!) Gimme a 2! (2!) Whaddaya Got?Uh... 18?

Because I'm a man of my word (most of the time), here's the next 50 numbers from The 792.

#501 - 550

501. Rod Carew In Action, 1982
502. Braves Future Stars, 1982 (RC)
503. Mike Fitzgerald, 1986
504. Dale Murphy, 1981
505. Pete Rose, 1989 (MGR)
I think this is Pete's final Topps card. Here he is, glancing over his shoulder with a hint of paranoia, as if he can smell Giamatti lurking just out of frame.

506. Kurt Manwaring, 1989
507. Ray Fontenot, 1985
508. Alan Wiggins, 1986
509. Lou Whitaker, 1983
510. Fernando Valenzuela, 1982
I picked this card of Valenzuela for two reasons. First, his head is gigantic. Second, he's got some mighty fine penmanship, with nice, thick lettering. You don't see that too often, like he was signing with a paintbrush or calligraphy pen. (That's probably what it was: Fernando had just finished a few studious hours with his calligraphy geisha when in walked the Topps man with his damned contract.)

511. Tug McGraw Super Veteran, 1983
512. Dave Magadan, 1987 (RC)
513. Dave Beard, 1984
514. Jeff Cornell, 1985
515. Robin Yount, 1981
516. Larry Bowa In Action, 1982
517. Milt Thompson, 1986 (RC)
518. Greg Walker, 1984 (RC)
519. Mariners Leaders, 1988
520. Steve Rogers, 1980
521. Nate Snell, 1986
This was always one of my favorite cards. Not sure why.

522. Paul Molitor, 1985
Paul Molitor never got any love from the Topps checklister in the 1980s. He's his generation's Roberto Clemente. That's not a comparison of statistics, but of checklist numbers. It took Clemente literally forever for the Topps checklister to reward his star power with a 2nd tier number. Similarly, here's a 7th year Molitor, toiling away on card #522.

523. Carney Lansford, 1983
524. Tom Brennan, 1983
525. Mike Torrez, 1981
526. Phillies Team, 1980
527. Doug Rau, 1980
528. Luis Medina, 1989 (RC)
529. Marc Sullivan, 1986
530. Rich Gossage, 1986
531. Astros Leaders, 1987
532. Dave Stewart, 1983
533. Jesus Figueroa, 1981 (RC)
534. Pete O'Brien, 1984
535. Lance Parrish, 1982
536. Kirby Puckett, 1985 (RC)
537. Mark Salas, 1986
538. Dennis Eckersley, 1986
539. Rodney Scott, 1981
540. Pete Rose, 1980
541. Cecil Fielder, 1989
It pained me that Fielder's 1986 rookie didn't make it into The 792 (it was bumped out by Rod Carew's 1983 All-Star card, #386). Actually, I'm going to make a change. I'm going to reverse that decision (not something I would generally recommend for would-be checklisters) and re-instate the Fielder rookie. My initial thoughts had been that the Fielder 1986 card didn't become iconic until after the decade ended, but who cares, right? I mean, is the world going to be worse off with one less Rod Carew All-Star card?

542. Paul Noce, 1988 (RC)
543. Damon Berryhill, 1989
544. Rick Sutcliffe, 1980 (RC)
545. JImmy Key, 1986
546. Reggie Smith In Action, 1982
547. Pete Rose, 1985 (MGR)
548. Shane Mack, 1988
549. George Brett AL AS, 1982
550. Carl Yastzremski, 1983


Visuals to be available at Cardboard Junkie.

The 792 That Wouldn't Die!

Time for another 50 cards from The 792.

#351 - 400

351. Cardinals Leaders, 1988
I couldn't say no to Tony Pena in aviator glasses. Especially since in 1988 I was wearing the exact same frames.

352. Dave Stewart, 1984
353. Marvell Wynne, 1989
354. Mario Soto, 1981
355. Dwight Evans, 1982
356. Padres Team, 1980
357. Len Matuszek, 1983 (RC)
358. Ricky Jordan, 1989 (RC)
This was one of those cards that I thought stockpiling would allow me to buy a new car when I got older. Unfortunately, this plan involved Ricky Jordan making it into the Hall of Fame. I should've known better.

359. Dave Collins, 1983
360. Steve Carlton, 1985
361. Greg Maddux, 1988 (FTC)
362. Jack Lazorko, 1989
363. Willie Fraser, 1988
364. Brett Butler, 1983
365. Bobby Murcer, 1980
366. Mark McGwire, 1987
367. Keefe Cato, 1985
368. Willie Aikens, 1980 (RC)
I love it that Aikens signed his full name for this card, and that his middle name is 'Mays.' I mean, how great is that?

369. Ken Caminiti, 1989
370. Vince Coleman, 1986 (RC)
371. Mark Eichhorn, 1987 (RC)
372. Matt Williams, 1988 (RC)
373. Urbano Lugo, 1986 (RC)
374. Terry Francona, 1986
375. Jeff Reardon, 1985
376. Jeff Newman, 1985
377. Joe Carter, 1986
378. Lee May Super Veteran, 1983
I'm including the Lee May Super Veteran here partly because it's a great card, and partly because I feel bad for May. I feel bad because for the most part, Topps had the SV cards checklisted on cards ending in 1 or 6, because many of the Super Veterans were still stars. But not Lee May. Peaking as #500 in the 1974 set, by 1983 not only was he officially retired, but he was near obscurity at card #377.

379. Bobby Meacham, 1986
380. Willie Stargell, 1981
381. Red Sox Leaders, 1983
Yes, I included this card just for Bob Stanley's mustache.

382. John Smoltz, 1989 (RC)
383A.+B. Pascual Perez, 1982
384. Dave Dravecky, 1983 (RC)
385. Tony Perez, 1984
386. Rod Carew AL AS, 1983
387. Phil Niekro, 1981
388. Dickie Noles, 1986
389. Rod Dedeaux USA Olympic Team, 1985 (MGR)
390. Eddie Murray, 1982
391. Kirby Puckett AL AS, 1988
392. Fred Lynn AL AS, 1983
393. Ozzie Smith, 1980
394. Roger Clemens AL AS, 1988
395. Danny Jackson NL AS, 1989
396. Kirk Gibson NL AS, 1989
397. Jack Clark NL AS, 1988
398. Manny Trillo NL AS, 1983
399. George Brett AL AS, 1984
400. George Foster, 1980


As always, head over to Cardboard Junkie for the visual checklist.

When We Last Left The 792...

The further I get into this checklist, the more I realize that this is actually a pretty easy set to put together. Dave over at Cardboard Junkie has been supplying the scans, in numerical order, and with his visual guide as a cheat sheet, you could put together the set for about $100. Not bad, considering it's supposed to be the 'perfect' set of the decade. Whether you want to invest the time is another matter entirely.

Speaking of time, here's the next fifty-card installment from The 792.

#301 - 350

301. Reggie Jackson In Action, 1982
302. Dodger Future Stars, 1981
303. Juan Berenguer, 1987
304. Mike Gallego (RC), 1986
305. Don Sutton, 1982
306. Dodger Leaders, 1984
307. Dave Sax, 1986
308. Jesus Vega, 1983
309. Mike Witt, 1985
310. Dave Parker, 1980
311. Rickey Henderson Turn Back the Clock, 1987
312. Reggie Jackson Turn Back the Clock, 1987
313. Gary Gray, 1983
314. Frank Pastore, 1986
315. Kirk Gibson (RC), 1981
316. Sammy Khalifa, 1986
317. Tom Nieto, 1988
318. Ted Simmons, 1985
319. Greg Swindell (RC), 1987
320. Barry Bonds (RC), 1987
I want to speak about the fact that not only was Bonds given a 2nd Tier number for his regular-issue rookie card, but in 1988 he was put on #450. That's just unheard of for a 2nd year player. Well, we can't call them inconsistent: The love affair between Topps and Bonds seems to have been a career-long infatuation.

321. Earl Weaver (MGR), 1986
322. John Smiley, 1989
Smiley always looked like he was wishing evil things on the photographer. He also resembled Jimbo from The Simpsons.

323. Bill Lee, 1982
324. Alejandro Pena (RC), 1984
325. Von Hayes, 1983
How come there isn't a well-known indie rock band called 'Von Hayes' yet?

326. Mark Gubicza, 1987
Or 'Gubicza'? "Hello, Cleveland! We're Gubicza and we've come to rock!"

327. Mark Lemke (RC), 1989
328. Twins Team, 1980
329. Kirby Puckett, 1986
330. Eric Davis, 1989
331. Alan Ashby, 1986
332. Lee Lacy, 1981
333. Willie Hernandez, 1985
334. Dave LaPoint, 1988
This card of LaPoint is in the Top 10 Greatest Achievements in the Field of Airbrushing.

335. Willie McCovey, 1980
336. Mariners Leaders, 1984
337. Pete Rose NL AS, 1982
338. Bob Owchinko, 1983
339. Mike Schmidt NL AS, 1982
340. Cal Ripken, Jr, 1986
341. Dwayne Murphy, 1981
342A.+B. George Foster NL AS, 1982
343. Gary Sheffield (RC), 1989
344. Gary Carter NL AS, 1982
This is a great card of Carter where he's sporting clown hair plastered underneath the bowl-cut Expos batting helmet.

345. Donnie Moore, 1986
346. Tom Seaver NL AS, 1982
My spellcheck doesn't recognize 'Seaver.' You'd think that there would be a few names Microsoft would've programmed in, like Seaver, DiMaggio, Ripken, Koufax, Clemente. Instead only names like Einstein, Rembrandt, and Gandhi make the cut. Not even Van Gogh. 'Blyleven' I understand, but 'Van Gogh'? Seriously?

347. Teddy Higuera (RC), 1986
348. Carmelo Martinez, 1987
349. Domingo Ramos, 1985
350. Will Clark, 1988

Don't you worry, there's plenty more where this came from.
More checklist from The 792 to come!

The 792: #251 - 300

I know it's only January 1, but this year I'm going to stick to my New Year's resolutions. What are they, you ask? First, no more soda. Second, this is the year I finish what I start. That means I'm not going to abandon a project part-way through, starting with The 792. It's been a while since my last fifty-card checklist post, so here's a little background on the project.

The 792 is my attempt to create the ultimate Topps set for the 1980s by determining the best card for each checklist number, 1 through 792. Though this project is a fan set, it's one that rivals Topps Archives in terms of capturing the best and most memorable cards from the decade. Plus, it's easy to put together for collectors of these sets (1980 through 1989 Topps)--they don't need to buy any new cards. Collectors can just pull them from the original ten sets.

Cards #251 to 300

251. Tony Gwynn, 1984
252. Fred Lynn In Action, 1982
253. Sid Bream, 1985 (RC)
254. George Bell, 1982 (RC)
255. Tony Armas, 1986
256. Gene Garber Super Veteran, 1983
257. Rennie Stennett, 1981
258. Ed Nunez, 1988
259. Mike Greenwell, 1987 (RC)
260. Dave Winfield, 1989
261. Ruben Sierra, 1987 (RC)
262. Tom Candiotti, 1984 (RC)
263. Stan Javier, 1987
264. Rob Dibble, 1989 (RC)
265. Robin Yount, 1980
266. Frank Viola, 1985
267. Paul Molitor, 1986
268. Jerry Royster, 1981
269. Ellis Burks, 1988 (RC)
270. Dennis Eckersley, 1983
271. Tim Foli, #1 Draft Pick, 1985
272. Andres Galarraga, 1987 (RC)
273. Bill Almon, #1 Draft Pick, 1985
For a #1 draft pick, Billy Almon sure bounced around a lot. He was included in Traded sets almost every year. Him and Joaquin Andujar. Those two guys are in almost every Traded set from the Eighties.

274. Dale Murphy, 1980
275. Kevin Seitzer, 1988 (RC)
276. Angels Leaders, 1984
277. Al Chambers, #1 Draft Pick, 1985
278. Sixto Lezcano, 1986
279. Dan Plesac, 1987 (RC)
280. Tim Raines, 1986
281. Reds Leaders, 1987
282. Mariners Team, 1980
283. Doug Drabek, 1987 (RC)
284. Jim Leyland, 1989 MGR
285. Oil Can Boyd, 1987
286. Chuck Crim, 1988 (RC)
287. Warren Cromartie, 1984
Cromartie always looked pissed on his cards, like he couldn't wait to get back to Japan.

288. Pat Pacillo, 1988 (RC)
289. Mickey Hatcher, 1981
290. Carlton Fisk, 1986
291. Tom Lasorda, 1986 MGR
292. Craig Swan, 1983
293. Charlie Lea, 1981 (RC)
294. Al Pedrique, 1988 (RC)
I don't remember why I got excited about Pedrique when this set came out; he never did anything that would've warranted my attention. I guess it probably had to do with the other stellar Pirate rookies from the year before. Residual hype, if such a thing exists.

295. Kirk Gibson, 1986
296. Ricky Nelson, 1985
297. Tim Lollar, 1986
298. Chris James, 1989
299. Andy Hawkins, 1985
There haven't been too many guys who've thrown a no-hitter and lost.

300. Don Mattingly, 1988
Arguably the iconic veteran card of late Eighties Topps.

The 792: #201 - #250

Time to retreat back under my rock. May I present the next fifty numbers of The 792, starting with card #201.

201. Vince Coleman, Record Breaker, 1986
You want a memorable baseball scandal? Vince Coleman, a crowd of fans and a handful of firecrackers.

202. Steve Carlton, Record Breaker, 1981
I believe this is the Carlton record breaker with him in a batting helmet. I always thought that Carlton in a helmet looked like Miss Finch, the villain from Follow That Bird. If you're not familiar with Follow That Bird, it was part of a trilogy of Sesame Street movies (though the only one that had a theatrical release). OK, there was no trilogy, but the other two are: Big Bird Goes to China and Don't Eat the Pictures.

203. Blue Jays Future Stars, 1982 (RC)
How do you argue with Jesse Barfield's rookie card? Especially when one of the other guys on the card is named Boomer Wells? You don't.

204. Ron LeFlore/Rodney Scott, Record Breaker, 1981
205. Tony Perez, Record Breaker, 1986
206. Andy Van Slyke, 1984 (RC)
207. Ozzie Smith, Record Breaker, 1981
208. Champ Summers, 1985
209. Dickie Thon, 1981
210. Steve Carlton, 1980
211. Mike Pagliarulo, 1989
212. Broderick Perkins, 1984
213. Dave Stewart, 1982 (RC)
214. Angels Team, 1980
215. Mark Langston, 1987
216. Tony LaRussa, 1983
There is no way you can pass up a shot of a dazed LaRussa.

217. Chris Codiroli, 1987
I always thought that in the off-season Codiroli was a Statler Brother.

218. Doyle Alexander, 1985
219. Cecilio Guante, 1987
Guante was always a favorite of mine. Mostly because he looked like he had led a hard life, like he escaped a De Beers diamond mine or was an actual pirate.

220. Tom Seaver, 1981
221. Joe Cannon, 1980
222. Ron Hassey, 1980 (RC)
Only one catcher has caught two perfect games. Can you name him?

223. Lloyd Moseby, 1982
224. Wayne Tolleson, 1987
225. Ramon Martinez, 1989 (RC)
Yeah, Ramon Martinez! Who knew you'd be the brother with less talent? This card was unstoppable in 1989.

226. Manny Sanguillen, 1981
Another of my favorite cards from a great, underrated set.

227. Jamie Moyer, 1987 (RC)
228. Tom Lawless, 1986
229. Phillies Leaders, 1983
230. Dave Winfield, 1980
231. Pirates Leaders, 1988
232. Alan Trammell, 1980
233. Gregg Jefferies, 1989 (RC)

The Top 5 Cards of 1989
1. Ken Griffey, Jr., Upper Deck
2. Billy Ripken, Fleer
3. Dale Murphy Reverse Negative, Upper Deck
4. Gregg Jefferies, Topps
5. Ken Griffey, Jr. Fleer & Donruss (tie)

234. Lou Whitaker, 1981
235. Andre Dawson, 1980
236. Frank Eufemia, 1986
237. Rusty Kuntz, 1982
If you're not familiar with this card, head over to Cardboard Junkie in the next few days and check it out. It features a photo of Rusty signing an autograph. Who wouldn't want a ball signed 'Rusty Kuntz'?

238. Jose Rijo, 1985 (RC)
This might be the only card of Rijo where he's standing still and not holding a SuperSoaker.

239. Rick Miller, 1981
240. Nolan Ryan, 1981
241. Danny Heep, 1987
242. Rick Mahler, 1987
243. Bob Boone, 1989
244. Cardinals Team, 1980
245. Jim Rice, 1989
This guy was so strong that he snapped a bat in two on a checked swing.

246. Mets Leaders, 1984
247. Terry Harper, 1986
248. Storm Davis, 1988
249. Larry Cox, 1981
This is probably one of the ugliest cards in existence. The yellow border. The powder blue Mariners uniform. And Frank Zappa, er, Larry Cox looking tired and bored in his catcher's crouch.

250. Dwight Gooden, 1986
If #249 shall be remembered for its ugliness, #250 shall forever be one of the most beautiful. Like a tornado about to strike, this is Gooden in his glory.


For the complete 792 experience, view card scans in numerical order at Cardboard Junkie.

The 792: #151 - 200

I can't seem to stay motivated to write about cards lately. Maybe it's because when I moved, most of my collection found its way into boxes currently sitting in my parents' basement. Or maybe it's because I've started watching Red Dwarf and I can't seem to stop. Or maybe it's because I'm too busy reading everybody else's card blog and can't make time for my own. If 2006 was the year of the re-emergence of the baseball card, 2007 is the year of the baseball card-themed blog. There's Cardboard Junkie, Stale Gum, Cardboard Gods, The Brill Report, Thorzul Will Rule, Indians Cards, White Sox Cards, the 1983 Fleer Project – hell, even Beckett has got into the act. Next thing you know, Topps is going to roll out Bazooka Joe's Blog. Hopefully by then blogs will be passe.

My not writing doesn't mean that I haven't been doing card-related things. I'm in the process of putting together an ebook as sort of a "collected blog." I've still got a lot of layout and editing to do, so it probably won't be ready for download for a while. I'm giving myself February as a launch date. My best guess is that it will be 200 pages or so. One of the obstacles will be figuring out how to keep the file size down for easy loading and viewing. I'm sure I'll work it out.

Before we get to the next installment of The 792 (with Checklister's Notes), I just want to add that I don't normally address comments left on the site. I welcome any comments you want to leave on any given post (as long as they have to do with the subject matter and are not vulgar), though if your only reason for leaving a comment is to tell me that my writing isn't up to par with your expectations, well, thanks for that. Sorry my writing about baseball cards has put a damper on your day.


The 792: #151 - 200

151. Dave Stapleton, 1986
It still gets me that Stapleton–the Red Sox late-inning defensive replacement–wasn't in the game at the end of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He was on the team for a good reason: he didn't have creaky arthritic knees like Bill Buckner. Instead, John McNamara left Buckner in and the rest is sad, torturous history. In any event, this is a great card of Stapleton.

152. John Urrea, 1981
153. Jerry Koosman, 1983
154. Dave Henderson, 1984
155. Yogi Berra, 1985 MGR
For some reason, I really like cards of players wearing old-school aviator style sunglasses. Oh sure, players wearing wrap-around shades are cool, but they're a little too sleek, a little too safe. The old aviators remind you how baseball equipment has matured over the years. Remember when Bob Watson got hit in the face and part of the glass in his glasses ended up in his eye? If he played today, he'd be wearing contact lenses and wrap-around shades. Sure, he'd still get beaned, but, well, it wouldn't be so traumatic.

156. A's Team Leaders, 1982
157. Tom Glavine, 1989
158. Fergie Jenkins, 1981
When did Ferguson become Fergie? Also, does this mean that we should call Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas 'Ferguson'? I understand that her name is Stacy Ferguson, but that would be awesome... her name would be Ferguson Ferguson. That's almost as good as Thurman Merman.

159. Ken Clay, 1980
160. Eddie Murray, 1980
It's actually kind of shocking that it only took Murray two years to get to a 2nd tier number (160).

161. Gregg Olson, 1989 (RC)
My friend also wanted to form a band called 'Greg Olson: Catcher.'

162. Home Run Leaders, 1982
163. Cal Ripken, Jr., 1983
164A+B. Greg Pryor, 1980
165. Robin Yount, 1988
166. Dickie Thon, 1986
167. Jim Deshaies, 1987 (RC)
168. Leading Relievers, 1982
169. Larry Parrish, 1984
170. Bo Jackson, 1987 (RC)
This is one of the most iconic cards of the decade.

171. Giants Future Stars, 1982 (RC)
172. Ron Hodges, 1980
173. Alex Trevino, 1987
174. Doug Rau, 1981
175. Bob Stanley, 1987
176. Lee Smith, 1984
177. Monty Farriss, 1989 (RC)
178. Luis Tiant, 1983
179. Steve Garvey, 1982
I chose the Garvey over the Tiant Super Veteran because the Tiant doesn't have a picture of him on the Red Sox, the team he is most associated with. And yes, I understand that it wouldn't include him on the Sox, as he started his career on the Indians.

180. Don Mattingly, 1986
181. Roger Clemens, 1985 (RC)
182. Darryl Strawberry, 1984 (RC)
183. Dick Davis, 1981
This card of Davis is one of my favorites. He looks like a hobo. Actually, 1981 Topps is full of cards of guys who look like hobos.

184. Bobby Bonilla, 1987 (RC)
185. Phil Niekro, 1982
186. Bob Lillis, 1985 MGR
187. Darren Daulton, 1989
188. Doug DeCinces, 1981
189. Kevin Mitchell, 1989
190. Rusty Staub, 1985
191. Wally Backman, 1986
192. Cory Snyder, 1987 (RC)
193. Jimmy Key, 1985 (RC)
194. Tom Kelly, 1988 MGR
195. Paul Molitor, 1982
196. Lance Parrish, 1980
197. Jim Eisenreich, 1983 (RC)
198. Lee Mazzilli, 1987
199. Chuck Rainey, 1981
200. Rod Carew, 1983
Diggin' the headband.

The 792: #101 - 150

Well, we're knee deep into The 792. Hope you're enjoying it. David over at Cardboard Junkie has been doing a great job supplying the scans. If you haven't been over there to see them, do so at once.

You know, it's funny, but I've been relying on my own memory for what these cards look like. Seeing them together reminds me again how well the ten different Topps designs go together, like a well-made mix tape.

As I said at the launch of this checklist, I choose a card based on a number of factors: whether it features a memorable photo, is of a memorable player (or a forgettable player with an unforgettable name or appearance) or is extraordinary overall.

Starting with tonight's portion of the checklist, I will include Checklister's Notes: editorial with some insight as to why I chose that particular card.

Let's get right to it.



101. Porfirio Altamirano, 1984
CN: This was a difficult decision. Super Veterans was one of, if not the cornerstone subset of 1983. Still, because they invariably fall on numbers that end in 1 or 6, they beat out common-level cards on star power alone. That said, Pete Rose's SV card is not really memorable. Porfirio Altamirano beat all comers based on his name alone.

102. Barry Larkin, 1988
103. Rick Aguilera, 1987 (RC)
104. Manny Mota, 1980
105. Kirk Gibson, 1982
106. Blue Jays Leaders, 1987
107. John Butcher, 1987
108. Fred Manrique, 1989
109. Mike Scott, 1981
110. Carl Yastzremski, 1981
CN: I've always felt that this is one of Yaz's great cards. Going in, I knew that there would be few open numbers for Yastzremski, Bench, and other Sixties and Seventies stars who retired early in the decade. Giving him his due, he beats out Fisk's first regular-issue card as a member of the White Sox.

111. Carlton Fisk In Action, 1982
112. Les Lancaster, 1988 (RC)
CN: I believe this card is in the Airbrushed Hall of Fame.

113. Neil Allen, 1987
114. Mike Brown, 1986
115. Rickey Henderson, 1985
116. Mike Stanley, 1987 (RC)
117. Pete Falcone, 1981
118. Expos Future Stars, 1982
119. Sammy Stewart, 1980
120. Kirby Puckett, 1988
121. Garry Templeton, 1989
122. John Denny, 1981
123. John Kruk, 1987 (RC)
124. Damaso Garcia, 1984
125. Andre Dawson, 1981
126. Joe Torre, 1983 (MGR)
CN: I've decided to make a concerted effort to include at least two team-related cards and one manager card per team. Plus, Torre looks so funny on this card that I had to include it.

127. Mark Gubicza, 1985 (RC?)
128. Rick Manning, 1984
129. Art Howe, 1981
130. Ozzie Smith, 1984
131. Batting Leaders, 1984
132. Father/Son Berra, 1985
133. Stolen Base Leaders, 1984
134. Carney Lansford, 1986
135. Dwight Evans, 1983
136. Strikeout Leaders, 1984
137. Chris Bosio, 1988
138. Roy Lee Jackson, 1987
139. Devon White, 1987 (RC)
140. Rich Gossage, 1980
141. Royals Leaders, 1988
CN: This one of Brett and Saberhagen is about as feel-good as you can get on a baseball card.

142. Father/Son Trout, 1985
CN: Familial subsets are great, and Father/Son from 1985 is no exception. I knew going in that I wanted to include the Berra card, simply because the text on the back of the card goes on and on about Yogi, but can't think of one nice thing to say about Dale. This one of Dizzy and Steve Trout gets in because both father and son are shown wearing glasses, and because Dizzy looks like a total nerd with the heavy post-war wireframes and Steve looks like he wandered out of a late Seventies drug party. I kind of half-expect him to be wearing a large astrological medallion around his neck.

143. Steve Boros, 1987 (MGR)
144. Doug Sisk, 1986
145. Dave Stewart, 1989
146. Don Sutton Super Veteran, 1983
CN: Another SV card ending in 6.

147. Terry Puhl, 1980
148. Mickey Klutts, 1982
149. Doug Dascenzo, 1989 (RC)
150. Wade Boggs, 1987
CN: I've committed the cardinal sin of unbiased checklisting: I included this card for sentimental reasons. I've never liked Wade Boggs. Never liked him when he was on the Sox, and really didn't like him when he jumped to the Yankees. He epitomized me-first, selfish baseball (a characteristic in great supply on those mid to late 1980s Red Sox teams). I included this card in The 792 simply because my copy had a gigantic, satisfying crease through the middle.

The 792: #51 - 100

Thanks to the work the Cardboard Junkie and friends are putting in, The 792 is moving pretty quickly from pipe dream 'fan set' to something Topps could easily put together as a specialty set (complete with little gold foil logo). David is up to #36 with scans. To whet your appetite, here are numbers 51 through 100.


51. Orioles Leaders, 1988
52. Onix Concepcion, 1983 (RC)
53. Len Dykstra, 1986 (RC)
54. Ivan DeJesus, 1981
55. Julio Franco, 1989
56. Brewers Leaders, 1987
57. Pete Vuckovich, 1980
58. Al Holland, 1983
59. Rich Gedman, 1982 (RC)
60. Johnny Bench, 1983
61. Johnny Bench Super Veteran, 1983
62. Alfredo Griffin, 1989
63. Ed Vande Berg, 1984
64. Joe Nolan, 1980
65. Jack Morris, 1983
66. Royals Team, 1980
67. Carmelo Martinez, 1986
68. Dave Dravecky, 1988
69. Jeff Ballard, 1989
70. Roger Clemens, 1988
71. Steve Carlton Super Veteran, 1983
72. Shawon Dunston, 1986
73. Jody Davis, 1984
74. Nick Leyva, 1989 (MGR)
75. Reggie Smith, 1981
76. Mario Mendoza, 1981
77. Dave Steib, 1980 (RC)
78. Mike Torrez, 1984
79. Juan Nieves, 1987
80. Wally Joyner, 1987 (RC)
81. Billy Martin, 1984 (MGR)
82. Tippy Martinez, 1986
83. Ryne Sandberg, 1983 (RC)
84. Curt Young, 1986
85. Tony Perez, 1986
86. Tom Hume, 1983
87. Pepe Frias, 1980
88. Darryl Hamilton, 1989 (RC)
89. Mike Smithson, 1984 (RC)
90. Nolan Ryan, 1982
91. Floyd Youmans, 1989
92A. Urbano Lugo (trademark wrong), 1987
92B. Urbano Lugo (trademark right), 1987
93. Don Schulze, 1985 (RC)
94. Calvin Schiraldi, 1987
95. Ozzie Smith, 1982
96. A's Team, 1980
97. Bill Lee, 1980
98. Clint Hurdle, 1981
99. Buddy Biancalana, 1986
100. Pete Rose, 1983

Collect all 792 and follow along at home!