The 1975 Topps countdown, worst to best (No. 360-341)

 

Before I launch into the latest edition of the 1975 Topps worst-to-best countdown, I have another batch of '75 O-Pee-Chee cards to show. These also arrived from Poison75, just like the last batch.

 

 

Poison75 pointed out this was a wrapper variation from the first OPC wrapper he sent me. Notice how excited Topps still was about issuing all 660 cards at once. I didn't know any better, there was always 660 in one shot from the moment I started collecting.

 

 

 

 There were some MVP subset cards with this lot, including one I can put in my Dodger collection. Another Dodger, Doug Rau, is already in my team binder, so this goes in the '75 Topps/OPC binder.

The rest. A whole bunch of big names there and much-appreciated. Still not attempting to complete the full '75 OPC set though.

All right, on with the countdown. This round has some big-time favorites from when I was collecting in 1975. It pains me to see them in what's still the second half of the countdown, but that's how much I love all the cards in the '75 set.

Here we go.

360. 1975 Rookie Catchers-Outfielders (card 620)

The final rookie card foursome in the countdown is the first card up in this series. It's my worst-conditioned card, thanks to it being Gary Carter's rookie card and me not wanting to pay that when I already have the card. Maybe someday.

 

So now we're done with four people sharing the same card ... except for one.

359. Tom Murphy (card 28)

The last of the yellow-baby blue Brewers trio that also included Ken Berry and Eduardo Rodriguez. I don't know why I like this one more than those other two. Also, when I pulled this card for the post, it tipped me off to the fact that I had committed one of my biggest fears of writing this blog. And, yes, that's a post in the very near future. I've got dates, I've got names.

358. Jim Merritt (card 83)

OK, here we go with the major favorites in '75. My brother and I were bonkers for the Rangers cards in this set. This is one of them, although Merritt -- at the end of his career here -- isn't moving the needle now.

357. Tom Paciorek (card 523)

There are a nice number of '75 Dodgers cards in Dodger Stadium, which is a little surprising considering how many '70s shots took place in either New York or San Francisco. I don't know what that is in Paciorek's back pocket. A cap maybe?

356. George Medich (card 426)

One of the early Yankees cards that made an impression on me. Medich was the first baseball player with the "Doc" nickname that I knew.

355. Elliott Maddox (card 113)

Holy smokes, we loved this card. My youngest brother liked it so much that he adopted Maddox's last name for when we were pretending to be professional ball players out in the back yard. It's a different-looking card. Maddox is so close to the camera, it almost looks like he was pasted into the scene.

354. Ben Oglivie (card 344)

The tilted backgrounds are an epidemic in '75 Topps. I came across Oglivie's career when he was with the Brewers and finding Tigers cards of him were strange (and Red Sox cards even stranger).

353. Mickey Stanley (card 141)

One of those early Tiger cards that appeared in the first three packs I ever bought, so an instant favorite. Perhaps the card that taught me that players wore jackets under their jerseys in spring training -- it looked quite formal to me. Also, Stanley's bat looked tiny.

 

 

352. Gary Matthews (card 79)

Favorite, favorite, favorite. Not as strong as Gary Matthews' 1974 Topps card, nor even his 1976 Topps card, but I will save this card first if the flames are at the door.

 

351. Charlie Hough (card 71)

Some of the pitching poses look stilted, but Hough actually looks like he's moving here. Dodger Stadium is quite empty.

 

 

350. John Curtis (card 381)

A fair amount of pitchers-with-glasses cards are coming up soon on the countdown, either here or in the next one.

349. Paul Splittorff (card 340)

Here's another one. And another lefty, too!

348. Skip Lockwood (card 417)

I liked this card a lot in '75, and am puzzled by it now because it looks like Lockwood is airbrushed into an Angels uniform and hat, even though he played for the Angels in 1974. I didn't suspect any airbrushing as a kid then, I just knew this card was spectacular.

 

 

347. Graig Nettles (card 160)

 

Not terribly exciting and Nettles doesn't look terribly excited. Also have an attitude about this card because it was one of the last ones I needed for the set and I didn't like Nettles then or now.

 

 

346. Lee Lacy (card 631)

Another Dodger Stadium shot and Lee Lacy looks very happy. I like it when the Dodgers' red uniform numbers show up prominently on cards.

 

345. 1955 Most Valuable Players (card 193)

The second fake Roy Campanella card in the MVP subset. This one looks all off because the images are black-and-white and we all know that didn't happen in the 1955 Topps set (but I didn't know it then, which is what Topps was counting on).

 

 

344. Cesar Tovar (card 178)

The first card my brother pulled out of a pack of '75 Topps (I bet he doesn't remember that). It's always had a going-to-work vibe to me even though I think Tovar is simply posing.

343. '74 Highlights, No-Hitters hurled by Busby, Bosman and Ryan

Probably the second-worst-conditioned card in my '75 collection and again I won't be upgrading thanks to Nolan Ryan. Squeezing three-or-more images onto a card has not been my favorite look (see those league leaders cards Topps has forced on us for the last decade-plus). But I love a card dedicated to the no-hitters pitched in a season.

342. Rick Auerbach (card 588)

In terms of "atmosphere," this is a top-20 card in the set for me. I love the glow of the orange seats against the orange border, I like the shadow created by Auerbach's helmet. I like the "fish-out-of-water" vibe as Auerbach warily looks around, a Dodger in Candlestick Park. The No. 1 is cool, too, as Auerbach was one of the last Dodgers to wear the number before it was retired in honor of Pee Wee Reese.

 

341. Jim Kaat (card 243)

Jim Kaat appears to be positively beaming here although maybe he's squinting into the sun. Anyway, it's a nice happy card to end this segment of the countdown.

I hope to have one more episode of the countdown before the end of the year and then I will have reached halfway entering 2024.