Modern Monday - Topps pay tribute again

This rather lovely card came to me courtesy of Graham in the UK collector's group on Facebook. It's a high end card printed on 1mm thick stock that feels more like plastic than cardboard. 

Card Number 680: Topps Tribute, 2021; #58

The blue outline on this scanned card is silvery foilboard in real life.

I would guess this photo was taken around about 1986 and it felt familiar. It looks very similar to the photo on the Topps insert released in 2019 that used the 1975 template.

I would not be surprised if those photos were taken a split second after each other. The blurred out faces in the crowd behind look like they might be the same, particularly the guy in the blue cap by Tony's right hip.

The back is incredibly clean for a cardback and has some great factoids on it.

I didn't know about Tony's excellent hit rate against Hall of Fame pitchers. It goes to show how Tony wasn't in awe of anybody. He was happy to try and hit against the greats of his generation as much as against people nobody remembers. (To that end, I think it's really impressive that he recorded his 1,000th career hit off the legendary Nolan Ryan!)

When I discussed this card with Graham, he said he really liked the Tribute set this year and that it was one of Topp's nicer designs. I agree with him completely and am very pleased to have added this card to my collection.

Total: 680 cards

Modern Monday - Topps Tribute

Last week I signed off on hiatus with my 250th blog post featuring the last of my unblogged cards. I posted to the same effect on Facebook and Paul heeded my subtle cry for help and got in touch offering me some cards I didn't have. So, the hiatus didn't last long!

Card Number 575: Topps Tribute, 2020; #59

This isn't a set I saw that often in the Facebook card groups. The base cards are printed on 2mm cardboard so they are hefty!

There is a pearlescent sheen to the border on this, which means it scans very nicely. The photo is classic Tony-at-bat, presumably not his first at bat in the game given the muddy leg from a knee slide. The pinstripes and blue helmet combination means this is from the early-mid 90s. 

The back is impressive. There are four factoids and three of them are ones I didn't know before reading the back of the card. That's three bonus points for this card right there!

I think it's testament to Tony's prowess with the bat and his demeanour approaching the game that he didn't let a strike faze him. Even if he did give up a strike he would still make a hit over three times in every 10 at bats. 

However, there's a reason I didn't know that second factoid. It didn't actually happen like that. The only game when Tony struck out three times was on the 14th April 1986 against the Dodgers. (The pitcher was Bob Welch.) In the tenth inning, Tony reached second base on an error and then ran in the tying run off a John Kruk single, but it was Bruce Bochy who hit the home run that won the game for the Padres in the eleventh inning. Here's an article all about the game.

So, only the two bonus points. I have a feeling I should go and check the other statistics but I don't really want to be that guy.

Many thanks again to Paul, who also sent me a card to be featured tomorrow!

Total: 575 cards