Card fact: I'm back! And the pink-yellow combo is back, too! This is the first card with a pink & yellow combo in 36 cards. And with this card, pink-yellow retakes sole possession of the color combo race with 24 cards.
What I thought about this card then: I'm having a tough time remembering when I pulled this card, but I did have it as a 9-year-old. I thought Ron Fairly was OOOOLLLLLDDD! But he was only 36 when this card came out.
What I think about this card now: I don't know what it is that makes players of this era look a lot older than they are. I'm going to say it's the way they wore their sideburns.
Other stuff: I goofed on the last post when I referred to Fairly as a four-decade player. Fairly came to the big leagues in 1958 as a 20-year-old, but he retired after the 1978 season, so he didn't quite make it to a fourth decade.
Fairly was a college star at USC and didn't take long to reach the big leagues with the Dodgers. He was a consistent hitter, but not spectacular. He was known for his ability to get on base, but not having any speed once he got there. He enjoyed an outstanding performance in the 1965 World Series against the Twins, helping L.A. to the title. His career began to decline after that, and he was traded to the Expos in 1969 for Manny Mota and Maury Wills.
That trade worked out quite well for the Dodgers, but Fairly's career was revived in Montreal and he enjoyed five good seasons there. After that he bounced between St. Louis, Oakland, Toronto and Anaheim. He later became known as a broadcaster for the Angels, Giants and Mariners.
(EDIT: Ron Fairly died Oct. 30, 2019).
Back facts: I'm just noticing that Topps could have fit a stolen base column in there. Plenty of space there.
Oldie but goodie: That's the card that I pulled somewhere in 1975.
Other blog stuff: Both Charlie O. Finley and George Steinbrenner fired managers on this date. I suppose you could say that for several dates on the calendar.
