Card fact: We have another Buffalo native in the set with Danny Ozark. This Buffalo native takes notice of things like that.What I thought about this card then: (*sigh*) checklist cards were boring.
What I think about this card now: I am amused by the fact that the Phillies logo in the background is only partly visible, but the Mets logo is fully visible.
Other stuff: Danny Ozark seemed so old to me when he was leading those great late 1970s Phillies teams. He actually was in his early '50s and lived to be 85 before dying earlier this year.
Back facts: So, as kids, we sent away for all 24 team checklist cards, just like the ad says, and when we received them back, they weren't made from the same card stock. They came on a fold-out sheet, and they were flimsy and index-card like. The backs were white. It was disappointing. My brother and I split up the cards, 12 apiece, but I have only a couple of them left. I know I had the Phillies checklist, but it disappeared somewhere.When we get to one of the "send away" checklists I do have, I'll show it here.
Other blog stuff: Now it's time to see if Topps featured all of the prominent Phillies from 1974. After crunching the numbers, I've determined that Topps featured cards of 25 of the 40 players to participate in a game for the Phillies in 1974 (one player, Mike Wallace, was airbrushed into a Yankees cap).
That percentage (62.5) isn't close to the only other team I've done this for -- the Tigers (78.37). But the Phillies seem to have had a lot of fringe players on the '74 team, probably because it was a transition period as they built themselves into a perennial contender. The most prominent players left out of the Topps set were two relievers -- Frank Linzy, at the end of his career; and Jesus Hernaiz, a guy I've never heard of. So, Topps had it covered with the Phillies.
The standings so far:
1. Tigers 78.37% of players featured
2. Phillies 62.5%
I prefer this kind of checklist over the boring stuff they stick in packs now. I would have been upset that I spent 40 hard earned cents on that fold out sheet/checklist imposter. I imagine now they are harder to find than the real deal though.
ReplyDelete(I never noticed the Mets logo thing. Funny)
ReplyDeleteRegarding the low % of 1974 Phillies with cards:
ReplyDeleteWell, you'd have to expect that Topps is only going to print cards for about 25 players per team. Just because some teams have many fringe call-ups isn't going to warrant them getting a card in the same year.
I'm aware Jim. I'm merely trying to see if Topps left out anyone prominent. And while I'm at it, I'm seeing which team had the most percentage of their players featured in the set. It's not a true indicator of anything. It's just for my own amusement.
ReplyDelete