Card fact: Tommy Helms is in an identical pose on his 1974 Topps card. It's possible that both photos were taken at the same time.
What I thought about this card then: Tommy and I never ran into each other.
What I think about this card now: It must be lonely attempting to field ground balls out on the prairie, or wherever Helms happens to be in this photo.
Other stuff: Helms was the 1966 National League Rookie of the Year with the Reds, and made the All-Star Game a couple of times in the late 1960s. Then, in 1971, he was sent to the Astros in a blockbuster deal that basically transformed the Reds into the Big Red Machine. The Reds obtain Joe Morgan, Cesar Geronimo, Jack Billingham and Ed Armbrister in that deal.
Helms, who briefly managed the Reds during Pete Rose's gambling episode in 1989, is the uncle of Florida Marlins third baseman Wes Helms.
(EDIT: Tommy Helms died at age 83 on April 13, 2025).
Back facts: How cool is "Vann" for a middle name? I wish my middle name was "Vann."
Other blog stuff: I've yet to come up with a name for this color combination. But I looked over the suggestions for the red-yellow combination a couple of posts ago, and I like Johngy's suggestion of "strawberry cheesecake." It fits and that's what I'm going with. Plus, I have loved cheesecake since I was very little. You can't go wrong with cheesecake. You just can't.
