The 1975 Topps countdown, worst to best (No. 520-501)

 

Even though my 1975 Topps set has been completed for almost 20 years and the mini set completed for a decade, I do try to upgrade cards in both sets once in awhile.

That's been on my mind a lot since I'm scanning every last '75 card for this countdown series. It's kind of the updated version of what I did when I ran the 1975 Topps blog 10 years ago. And I found cards to upgrade back then.

I keep thinking I've done all the upgrading I need, and then I find a crease I didn't know about or a sketchy corner. Nothing is too good for my '75s, so I will keep upgrading -- in the middle of trying to buy every other card, of course. So it'll never been done.

I am definitely committed to finishing this countdown though and after this segment, I'll have gone through the first 200 cards. We've covered most of the airbrushed cards (but not all) and are now deep into stop-and-stare territory. Let's see the next 20.

520. Dodgers team (card 361)

The players are a bit too far away on this card but not far away enough that I can't identify many of them instantly. It's so much fun to recognize players I know so well from before I knew them. 

519. Rangers team (card 511)

Billy Martin with another team besides the Yankees or A's has always fascinated me. The photo is a little dim but that old-school Texas-shaped scoreboard I can spot a mile away. The Rangers' current stadium needs more character like that.

518. Yankees team (card 611)

Here are the Yankees now, making the bat boys hold up the Yankees logo. Again, not the clearest image, but a decent team card and I enjoy the crossed arms in the front, always classic.

517. Bart Johnson (card 446)

One of those cards in the set that horrified my brother and I. He had it, I didn't want it. Looking at it now, it's not bad at all. Clair Barth Johnson (yup, that's his name) is 6-foot-5 and looks it. 

516. Paul Popovich (card 359)

Popovich was better known as a Cub and, among card collectors, he's known for his 1969 Topps card, which was airbrushed about eight different ways. Great signature.

515. Vic Albury (card 368)

A color-coordinated card and devilish smile will get you pretty far with me. But I never heard of Vic Albury when I got this card so this is where it makes its stop.

514. Rick Wise (card 56)

Not a great card, the photo is dim, Wise looks a bit down and the off-centered nature of the photo bothers me a little. But as a kid, I loved this card. Wise fascinated me, a combination of his name and that I knew at an early age about him pitching a no-hitter while hitting two home runs (come on, Ohtani, what's stopping you?). I also like this red-yellow combo with the Red Sox cards.

513. Glenn Borgmann (card 127)

More red-and-yellow, plus a batting cage! Borgmann is a catcher's name.

512. Tom Grieve (card 234)

The batting cage backgrounds are saving some of these cards. Not that there's anything wrong with card with bright pink-and-yellow borders. In fact, this is tremendous.

511. Stan Bahnsen (card 161)

I like the day that Bahnsen is in. Looks sunny, looks hot, looks like Bahnsen is discussing how sunny and hot it is.

510. Ron Fairly (card 270)

The charm of this card is actually the stack of stats on the back, and Fairly would have cards for six more years!

509. Clay Carroll (card 345)

Another one of the red-yellow Reds cards that go so well with the team. The wind breaker helps, too. Unlike the Bahnsen card, it appears cold-and-windy where he is.

508. Phil Roof (card 576)

I have nothing against players in batting poses, lordy, there are so many more of those to come. But this card looks like the template for current Heritage cards, just photoshop in that empty field background! This card's generic feel has bugged me.

 

507. Jim Barr (card 107)

Here is the pitcher counterpart to the Roof batting card. I added the O-Pee-Chee version of this card very early in accumulating this set and it reinforced how little is going on here.

506. Mac Scarce (card 527)

As a kid, I knew him as Mac SCAR. It might've added a coolness factor to the card but it's hardly exciting. I don't see any scars.

505. Skip Pitlock (card 579)

Sensing a theme? There is a little more going on in this card and Pitlock possesses both a mustache and a nifty name. But speaking of upgrading, this card is so miscut it's barely scannable.

504. Chris Ward (card 587)

Chris Ward's lone card. He looks quite happy to be on it. 

503. Paul Casanova (card 633)

Just a pleasant card. I used to get Paul Casanova mixed up with the old Cubs star and manager from the 1940s and '50s, Phil Cavarretta. Yeah, I know, they have nothing in common outside of being ballplayers and owning the same initials. Sometimes that's all it takes.

502. Diego Segui (card 232)

This was kind of Segui's look in general but he does not seem like he's buying what the person off-camera is selling.

501. Maximino Leon (card 442)

Long hair and a mustache, that's what I lived for as a card collector in the mid-1970s. I've actually written a post about Maximino. That's how long I've been doing this.

OK, that's another 20. I can't believe I actually got this in with everything else going on this week.

Oh to be nine again. No responsibilities and there was 1975 Topps to open on store shelves.