I learned a lot about baseball — Major League Baseball — that is, from my first several hundred baseball cards, from 1981 through 1984.
Most of that knowledge came from Topps.
For instance, I learned that Barry Foote was a fine signal-caller who had once hit a Grand-Slammer from his 1981 Topps card back. So, Barry Foote went in the “good” pile from then on.
I learned that Paul Householder was a Future Star (1982 Topps) for my Cincinnati Reds, so I hung my hopes on him for a couple years there while the Big Red Machine rusted away down on the Riverfront.
Find 1983 Topps baseball cards on eBay (affiliate link)
Find 1983 Topps baseball cards on Amazon (affiliate link)
And I learned a whole bunch about who the superstars of the game were by virtue of their inclusion on special cards:
- Atlee Hammaker led the National League in ERA in 1983, says 1984 Topps card #137 … superstar!
- Dave LaRoche was a Super Veteran (1983 Topps #334) … legend!
- Amos Otis was “In Action” on 1982 Topps card #726 … Hall of Famer!
It was all right there for me to see and soak in.
Just like that 1983 Topps Record Breaker card of Greg Minton, card #3. I mean, you don’t get a Record Breaker card, and the third card in the greatest set of cards I had laid my eyes on to that point, without being something special.
And, Greg Minton was something special, right? I mean, the dude went 269 1/3 innings between home runs allowed, a Major League record … better than Dale Murray’s 247 1/3 by more than two full games.
Find 1983 Topps baseball cards on eBay (affiliate link)
Find 1983 Topps baseball cards on Amazon (affiliate link)
Since Minton was a reliever, that meant his homerless streak stretched all the way from 1978 and into 1982, a time when I was busy learning how to do things like write cursive, sit still in school for a full day, take a baseball to the forearm without running crying to my mom.
Yep, Greg Minton was a superstar, and that 1983 Topps Record Breaker shone a light on his stardom for all to see.
Heck, Minton’s regular 1983 Topps cards bore that out on closer inspection, too, revealing a 10-4 record with a sparkling 1.83 ERA in 1982 for the Giants.
I didn’t understand that the righty was already 30 by then, or that that was getting up there for baseball players.
And I didn’t understand that relievers — middle relievers, no less — weren’t the sorts of dudes who ended up in Cooperstown. (Though Minton had been San Francisco’s closer in 1982.)
And I sure didn’t understand that solid players, the kind who fill up a team and help determine their destinies but just don’t make headlines very often, could break records.
Nope, for me, Greg Minton landed in the “good” pile even long after I knew his cards didn’t really belong with the Mickey Mantles and Darryl Strawberrys (Strawberries?) and Dave Stewarts.
Didn’t really matter even when I figured all that out — Minton was a star. The cards told me so.
P.S. — In case you were wondering what Greg Minton looked like in 1978, when his streak began, Topps has the answer. Brace yourself …
Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)
Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)
If you liked this article, you just might love our YouTube channel. Check it out here!
1983 Topps Baseball Cards Selling sheet sales sheet vendor info rare MBX80
$9.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1983 Topps Baseball Cards Selling sheet sales sheet vendor info rare MBX80
$9.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1983 Topps Baseball Cards Lot (102) Gwynn, Valenzuela, Jackson, Rose
$18.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1983 Topps Baseball Cards Complete Your Set U-Pick (#'s 1-200) Nm-Mint
$1.09 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1983 Topps Baseball Cards Complete Your Set U-Pick (#'s 401-600) Nm-Mint
$0.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1983 Topps Baseball Cards Complete Your Set U-Pick #'s (201-400) Nm-Mint
$1.09 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1983 Topps Baseball Cards Complete Your Set U-Pick #'s (601-792) Nm-Mint
$0.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
(2) Rickey Henderson 1983 Topps Baseball Cards #391 Oakland A’s Athletics Hof
$1.25 End Date: Wednesday 12/11/2024 12:22:07 EST Bid now | Add to watch list |
Recent Comments