Thursday, April 24, 2008

Random Card #13

Random card number 13 will have to go to number 13, Ozzie Guillen. This card is from the 1986 Topps glossy send-in All-Star set. I like this card for one reason, it would foreshadow the changes coming in the nineties, while being reminiscent of a company Topps won a lawsuit against in the seventies.

The card shows a simple action shot with all the identification on the back. Since Ozzie wasn't too much of a home run hitter, I'll assume that he is coming out of the batter's box after a bunt attempt.

Ozzie was always a bundle of energy during a game. Whether it was in the dugout, on the field or at the plate. His average wasn't the greatest, but he could work a count with the best. He always gave his team a chance to win, even on the lousy teams of the late eighties.

Ozzie was doing the little things from his first major league game. That philosophy just kept growing until he became a manager. He's still a bundle of energy in the dugout, but I think he's found a match in Nick Swisher. Every good play has a spark. Ozzie was that spark when he was playing.

4 comments:

Jason T. Carter said...

I have that card too! I enjoy seeing these random cards, reminding me of stuff I've got stashed away in one of my 5000-count boxes (which I am trying to organize now).

Would you mind explaining the comment of these cards "being reminiscent of a company Topps won a lawsuit against in the seventies"???

Rich said...

I think he means the cards put out by TCMA in '76. They had full-bleed photography with no player identification on the front.

Steve Gierman said...

SSPC issued some sets in the mid-seventies that featured active players. Topps had a court order demanding that the company stop distributing sets with active players. The company switched to minor leaguers and retired players and changed their name to TCMA.

The cards from the last SSPC set featured a borderless photo with no information on the front of the card.

Jason T. Carter said...

Gotcha...I have a few SSPC cards, my favorite being Tony Perez. I thought that might be what you were referring to, but wasn't familiar with the lawsuit.

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