The 1975 Topps countdown, worst to best (No. 400-381)

 

This is the point in the countdown where everything almost went off the rails.

I keep two records of my countdown aside from what has already been on the blog. One is in a document on my laptop and one is on pen and paper as a backup.

My backup isn't nearly as together as the desktop list. Well, I'm in the process of switching laptops as the old one isn't being cooperative anymore. In the process of transferring over, which has involved cursing every last password-dependent site and device to hell, I do not have access to the desktop document. The previous 24 hours has involved cross-referencing with my blog and my scattered notes, and, yes, that's why there was no post yesterday.

 

I think everything's on track now, although I'm aware with 660 cards there's always the possibility of skipping a card or repeating a card regardless of how accurate the records are. No worries, there's not a fellowship hinging on this countdown.

So let's get to it. We're about to enter the 300s now. All of these cards are golden in my eyes.

 

400. Manny Sanguillen (card 515)

Manny Sanguillen has a lot of great cards. In this one, he looks way too cold to be making a masterpiece and more concerned with spotting a hot chocolate vendor.

399. Gary Sutherland (card 522)

Batting cages automatically make for desirable cards and Gary Sutherland seems to be surrounded by them. Sutherland looks like the bully in A Christmas Story. No I don't see any yellow eyes, but that disturbed me a little.

 

398. Dale Murray (card 568)

One of the first cards I pulled out of a pack in my first year of collecting. Dale Murray is "pitching" in the outfield in Candlestick Park, which so many pitchers are doing in the '75 set. I've grown to love the look.

397. Charlie Moore (card 636)

A standard batting pose. Charlie Moore would be known more as a mustachioed catcher for the Brewers, things don't look quite right here on his first solo card.

 

 

396. Cleon Jones (card 43)

Cleon Jones aged rapidly on his cards, this is his final one. He looks very hot and sweaty for someone with long sleeves.

 

395. Dave Freisleben (card 37)

Another Padres pitcher posed near the dugout. Dave Freisleben seems very happy to be taking his baseball card photo, which I appreciate.

394. Jerry Johnson (card 218)

There's never very much grass at the Houston Astros' spring training complex in the 1970s. Also the Astros' uniforms of this time are pretty colorful, they just got overshadowed by what was to come.

393. Wayne Twitchell (card 326)

More pitching in Candlestick, although much closer to home plate this time. Wayne Twitchell was 6-6 and you can tell because they couldn't even get his feet in the shot.

392. Bob Forsch (card 51)

I am not done with the portrait closeups, some of them look quite good like this one, which is Bob Forsch's rookie card.

391. Von Joshua (card 547)

Here is one of those cards of a helmet-wearer that just sucked me in as a youngster. Loved those shiny helmets.

390. Bill Robinson (card 501)

The '75 set is the reason I became a closet Phillies fan, I really liked the Phillies cards in this set. Most of the super close-up shots in this set have already been covered in the countdown but this one arrives later because I thought Robinson looked like The Man.

389. Ted Sizemore (card 404)

One of my absolute favorite cards from the summer of 1975. Objectively, not a lot happening here, but such a favorite card and Sizemore would be a favorite player simply because of this card.

388. Ken Berry (card 432)

Another one of the Brewers cards in this set where the uniforms line up with the border color scheme.

387. Dave Hamilton (card 428)

Speaking of colors lining up, you can't go wrong with green borders and the A's, this combo will show up a couple more times in the countdown with more prominent players. Notice how the backdrop looks like some generic shot that would appear in a current Heritage set.

386. A's team (card 561)

One of the few team checklists remaining in the countdown, this is the Swingin' A's at the peak of their powers. It may not be as sharp as the 1974 team card.

385. Al Downing (card 498)

This card is comparable to when Black NFL players are drafted and walk onto the stage in the loudest suit you ever saw. They look fantastic, just like this card.

384. Bob Bailey (card 365)

The blue-orange cards in this set make the whole card pop, not a lot to go on with this card, but it looks great.

383. John Lowenstein (card 424)

I like the hands-on-knees fielding pose a lot -- it was my Little League photo one year -- there are several of these cards to come later on. This photo cropped off Lowenstein's lower section, so it could've been better.

 

382. Ron Schueler (card 292)

More Phillies pitcher-Candlestick Park content. Plus that great blue-orange border. And Schueler is actually near the bullpen area!

381. Joe Coleman (card 42)

A standard pitching shot, boosted by the chaw in Joe Coleman's mouth. Yeah, it's a nasty habit, try telling that to my younger collecting self.

That's a wrap on the latest round. I'll be tying up some loose ends behind the scenes on the countdown to make sure the whole laptop transfer didn't cause some sort of error in the rundown. But if you see the same card repeated, just know that I MEANT to do that.

You can say stuff like that when it's your countdown.