I'm a little discouraged by the outcome of the most recent Cardboard Appreciation vote off.
I don't dispute that the Vic Power card is a tremendous card. Just about every '56 card is tremendous. Vic is tremendous, too.
But, to me, the Lou Brock '76 card just stands out more. If you place it with cards from that set, it's easily one of the best. Just an awesome terrific card.
If you place the Power card with other '56 cards, it's a good one. But it doesn't stand out all that much. That's because ALL the '56 cards are amazing.
But the voters have spoken. Maybe if I have a chance to squeeze the Brock card in another vote-off I will. But I refuse to call it a "loser's bracket." Brock ain't a loser.
Here are is the voting results:
1. 1956 Topps Vic Power - 16 votes
2. 1976 Topps Lou Brock - 14 votes
3. 1981 Donruss Best Hitters (Brett and Carew) - 7 votes
3. 1981 Topps Juan Eichelberger - 7 votes
5. 1969 Topps '68 World Series Game 1 (Gibson) - 3 votes
5. 1980 Topps Bill Nahorodny - 3 votes
7. 1976 Topps Mike Schmidt - 1 vote
7. 1983 Topps George Cappuzello - 1 vote
Thank you, kind person, for voting for George Cappuzello. But only one vote for Mike Schmidt's best card? For shame.
Just for that, I'm going to present one of the most challenging vote-offs ever. Here is the third round and it's a dandy. Vote for one of these eight:
1. 1973 Topps Luis Alvarado: If you grew up in the 1970s and don't vote for this card, I'm coming to your home and breaking all your lava lamps.
2. 1995 Upper Deck Minors Wonderful Terrific Monds: I'm almost positive that this card sets the record for most letters ever featured on a baseball card (excluding checklists, of course). And Wonderful can take only part of the credit.
3. 1974 Topps Steve Garvey: If you grew up in the 1970s and don't vote for this card, I'm coming to your home ... oh, wait, I said that already. I called this card "The Dark Side of the Moon" of cards. I think that sums it up well.
4. 1991 Topps Oscar Azocar: One of the classic cards of the 1991 set. Rest in Peace, Oscar.
5. 1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken: This card has worn the crown as "The Most Valuable Card I Own" longer than any other card in my collection. That'll get some mojo collectors to vote for this thing.
6. 1954 Topps Junior Gilliam: This card is in mighty fine shape for being 57 years old. I have Wicked to thank for that.
7. 1975 Topps Bobby Murcer: One of the most obvious examples of Topps altering reality, since San Francisco Giants positively did not stand in Yankee Stadium in 1974.
8. 2010 Bowman Chrome Bo Bowman: I will never get tired of saying "here is my Bowman Bo Bowman." An absolutely epic card.
Now that is a tough choice. I know which one I would vote for, but I'd feel bad not voting for like six of the others.
Poll is up on the sidebar. I'm off to calculate Gint-a-Cuffs points.
Comments
I probably should've voted for the '82 topps traded card, but eehhh I don't like that card. Sure it's expensive, but that don't matter to me.
(1) The card is mysterious because the focal point for the picture is the prominent #38 in the foreground, who has just tossed the ball to an infielder covering what appears to be either third base or first. So who's who? Let's assume, by virtue of the palm trees and sunny wether in this picture, that the scene is Spring Training at Payne Field ( http://tiny.cc/yel44 ) in '73. It took me a little while, but some research has determined that #38 for the Sox at spring training in 1973 was Mr. Dan Neumeier (had to go to a program at http://tiny.cc/e2zoo ) who had pitched 3 innings for the Sox in SEP/OCT of the previous year, so Mr. Alvarado must be the out-of-focus background player on his own card - gracias, Topps! For the record, Alvarado was #1 for the White Sox in 1973.
(2) The card is an instant time machine. You can almost hear Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" drifting out of a car in the parking lot by the ball field.
(3) WAIT A SECOND - Dan Neumeier is this guy: http://tiny.cc/x2qt6 - who is the #38 in the Alvarado card? Did Dan get cut in spring ball, only to be replaced by another player who took his jersey number but didn't make the roster for the season anyways? We may never know......
Interesting Facts: Neumeier pitched in three different games (Sep 8th Sox loss, Oct 2nd Sox win and Oct 4th Sox loss) for one inning in each appearance. He walked in 1 run on 9/8, facing on ly the one batter. He earned a "hold" on 10/2 by getting the Twins' Tovar to fly out and then getting Hall of Famers Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew to ground out. He then relieved Goose Gossage on 10/4 (final game of the year) before giving up a double to the Twins' starting pitcher (and eventual winner), Bert Blyleven, that scored 2 runs! D. Thompson drove in one more run before Dan the Man got Killebrew to ground out into an inning-ending double play.
Thanks for the adventure this morning, night owl - have a great weekend everybody.
The Alvarado card is really a wide-angle picture of (as best as I can tell) a 1969 Buick Skylark. I really like Sylarks, but I'm not sure I should vote for it on that basis.
The Gilliam is great beacause it's a '54, which is the same issue as the last vote. If I were picking the card I wanted to take home, it wins hands down.
Bowman Bo Bowman is awesome, but is it enough?
But I vote Gilliam anyway.