The 1975 Topps countdown, worst to best (No. 40-21)

 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention on a post devoted completely to cards issued in 1975 that we recently lost two key members of the 1975 baseball postseason.

Both Pete Rose and Luis Tiant were critical parts of the two teams that reached the 1975 World Series. Both wily veterans by the '75 series, their abilities were trumpeted all over the playoff telecasts that year.

At least that's what I have learned. I've mentioned several times that the 1975 postseason is my first memory of baseball on TV. But I only remember glimpses of the ALCS and the World Series, specifically Game 6. There's nothing I could cite specifically except I do remember Luis Tiant on the mound doing his thing.

 

 

In the first few years of my baseball viewing, Tiant was a popular topic in our discussions as kids, with Red Sox fanhood dominating my family. When Tiant, his skills declining by this point, ended up on the Yankees in 1979, it was truly the end of an era. Except for his Yankee Franks commercial (sorry, can't find it on YouTube), we didn't talk much about him again.

Perhaps one of the nicest tributes I can give to Tiant is to say, his 1975 Topps card still hasn't shown up on the Worst to Best Countdown. Will it appear in this edition -- the second-to-last one? We'll just have to see.

Here we go: 

40. Bert Campaneris (card 170)

This countdown segment will be lousy with All-Star cards. They were the biggest and baddest cards in the set, hot to the touch and weighed more than your average card. You could also use them as a night light.

Here Campaneris is chilling in the bullpen area or maybe outside the dugout. He's quite happy. There's a glove nearby, just in case he has to go back to work.

39. Mike Schmidt (card 70)

I've long believed that Topps could have treated Mike Schmidt better with the photo choices over his career. But this is a very nice head shot with the first appearance of Schmidt's mustache. Considering there was never a time I knew Schmidt without a mustache, this card is epic.

38. Jim Palmer (card 335)

The cards in this countdown are proof that a mere head shot could still be a great card. Jim Palmer was the 1970s' matinee idol, a close-up was almost a must. The shadow along the face adds a touch of mystery. I also like the batting cage backdrop.

 

 

37. Joe Morgan (card 180)

The mid-1970s was a pretty good time to be Joe Morgan. He was part of two World Titles, won back-to-back MVP awards and his cards were very cool. I was a Morgan fan at this time, mostly because of his cards, '75 and '76 in particular.

36. Dick Allen (card 400)

Welcome to my most recently-upgraded 1975 Topps card. I just couldn't deal with the off-center card I've owned for so many years anymore. This card causes me to enjoy even more Dick Allen's stance at first base, including the helmet in the field. I had no idea in '75 that he wore it because fans were chucking things at him. It just made him look cool.

35. Rollie Fingers (card 21)

The Ultimate Shadow Card in this set. I've mentioned way back in the early days of this blog that this was one of my very favorite cards as a kid. You can't see Rollie Fingers' eyes at all -- I know, that's what made it so cool. The close-up on an action shot was an interesting choice, especially at that time, when they didn't have the technology to show details (like faces). But I believe you don't need that. You see his handlebar mustache, right? Nice and close, right? That's what matters.

34. Mel Stottlemyre (card 183)

For a card without an All-Star star or a hero number, this was still coveted. I didn't even really know why. I just liked the pitching pose and the angle. The pinstripes helped, too, as did the red-and-blue border. Mel Stottlemyre looked like he knew what he was doing out there.

33. Lou Brock (card 540)

I have always been a fan of the pink-yellow bordered cards in this set, I've long believed that this particular border was handed out to notable players who weren't all-stars. Here's a good example. I love the color on this card, Brock's red hat contrasting with the pink-and-yellow. I like '75 Topps because it's so damn bright and this is one of the brightest.

 

32. Pete Rose (card 320)

Outside of a couple rookie cards, 1975 Topps isn't known for having a lot of difficult-to-obtain cards. But here's one. All of Pete Rose's cards from the '60s and '70s contain a certain amount of effort, and I can see why with this card. Outside of the completely tilted field in the background, just about everything here is perfect.

31. Roy White (card 375)

One of four 1975 cards that were the first cards I ordered through a mail-order catalog. Two of the others will appear later in this post (the other was George Brett). I remember being shocked that Roy White was featuring a mustache because I didn't know him to look like that.

This is a great batting cage shot and I love the puffy clouds in the background. Really good stuff for my favorite Yankee (one of the few) from this time.

30. George Foster (card 87)

The wonder of the pink-and-yellow border again. Though George Foster would later produce much more-coveted cards (1977 and 1978 in particular), this has always been my favorite Foster card. It's from a time when he had only 28 career home runs and it's just a beautiful card.

29. Joe Ferguson (card 115)

One of the better action cards in the set. It's something you might even see in a more recent set. The Bake McBride cameo really boosts the card, too.

 

 

28. Cecil Cooper (card 489)

I recall coveting this card in '75. I'm sure my brother owned it because he was the Red Sox fan. I needed to get it. I just really liked that smile.

To this day, this is how I know Cecil Cooper, not as a world-weary manager, or even a high-average producer for the Brewers. I know him as a young smiler with the Red Sox, just waiting for his chance.

27. Gary Nolan (card 562)

An old-school look that could pass for a 1960s card but somehow works in this set. The actual picture is old-school, too. Gary Nolan missed the entire 1974 season and barely played in 1973. So this photo is likely from 1972, at the most recent.

26. Willie Stargell (card 100)

A classic slugger pose, showing him in mid-swing. This is one of the cards in the set that I need to upgrade. I owe it to Pops.

25. Ralph Garr (card 550)

Another one of the four cards I ordered in my first mail-order card purchase. This was the card I wanted the most, having seen it in a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975. It was the coolest card that I had ever seen and if you had asked me then to rank the '75 Topps cards, it would be in my top three, no doubt.

Unfortunately children must grow up and find out things like Topps reused this photo for the '75 set because it originally appeared on Garr's card in the 1974 set. So instead of being No. 2 in this countdown, it's No. 25.

 

24. Tito Fuentes (card 425)

The cards I pulled out of two packs of '75 Topps I bought from a grocery store/corner store during the summer of '75 remain titans in my collection. This is one of those cards. I've loved it since that moment. It's another pink-and-yellow border card. It shows Tito Fuentes at ease in the classing kneeling-with-bat pose. I don't think I even noticed the star dotting the 'I' in his signature. But it certainly helps this card's standing today.

 

23. Gaylord Perry (card 530)

One of the All-Star cards that I did not see in 1975. My first association with Gaylord Perry on cards is from the 1977 set and, wow, did he look old. So when I found out he started the All-Star Game as recently as 1974, it did not compute. They're making a 60-year-old guy start the game? (P.S., I really like the close-up angle on this card).

22. Barry Foote (card 229)

Has long been a favorite ever since I first saw it and that's why it's another one of the four cards I ordered in that original mail-order catalog. I needed it that much that I was willing to wait the six weeks to get it. It's odd to look back on it now and know that it's just Barry Foote walking on the field with his equipment on -- but that's all it took then.

 

 

21. Reggie Jackson (card 300)

Out of all the behind-the-scene card mysteries I wish I could know how it went down, on the very top of the list is how Topps failed to give Reggie Jackson his required All-Star star and yellow-red border in 1975 Topps. I want to go back in time and be there at the exact moment it slipped through the cracks so I could rectify it (P.S.: I do own a "corrected" card because that's how many people were disturbed by this).

With the All-Star treatment I'll bet this card makes the top 10, but it's still great. The ground-up angle of Jackson in the cage delivers a sweet image. And, heck, the blue-orange border is one of the best.

So there you are, just one more episode to go, with the greatest yet to come. And still no Tiant card.