hundley, on the other hand, is watching the ball he hit travel 50 feet to be caught by the third baseman in front of the pitcher's mound.
i guess swinging so hard that you kneel doesn't work for everyone.
nice hair. looks like a chia pet. cool that someone's in the dugout using a bat as a lap guitar, but the most perplexing part about this card is the fan just off of j.h.j.'s left shoulder. is it pat? whoever it is, it's sporting the same hairdo as j.h.j. which is fantastic, by the way.
clearly mr. calderon is a fan of the simpsons, and was trying to get into george steinbrenner's favor by going for the don mattingly 'no sideburns' look. 
the 1978 set is rife with fantastic hair. just take a look at the next card.
apparently, rick bosetti didn't get the 'mustache and muttonchop' memo.
it took him just under a month to sign and return. now, i wasn't too upset that ned traded laroche, especially after what he got in return performed so well and then re-signed with the dodgers, but i do know that we need a long-term solution at third base. who knows - if laroche pans out, maybe ned can swindle him back from the pirates.
#2 (1976 topps #5 tom seaver record breaker) thanks to sportlots, 
#5 (1974 opc #575 steve garvey) thanks to ebay, and #7 (1997 dodgers mother's bill russell) thanks to the beckett marketplace. #4 (1975 topps #473 ken mcmullen) is being held for me by captain canuck, so i hope to officially remove it from the list very soon.
topps has made cards of ernie harwell and bob shepard, but not of vin scully. fleer included him on a greats of the game insert (along with steve garvey) a few years back, but that's been about it. i am not even aware of any regional or sga issues that include him. the only thing close i can think of are the union oil portrait gas station giveaways, and those were 8x10 or so. at any rate, mr. scully took just shy of 3 months to sign and return the card (the dodgers website estimates at least 3 months, so i was not surprised). i did include his $10 fee - happily, i might add. 
if you're wondering, card 727 is al downing, and 728 is boog powell.
as a dodger fan, you can imagine how i feel about mr. scully. you can read about it here, actually. and while bobby cox is getting all the press about his retirement that may or may not occur a year from now, mr. scully has quietly announced that he, too, may retire then. we'll have to wait and see. 
nice that they left the umpire in the shot. i must admit - the new(er) angels stadium is a lot better than it used to be when they shared the facility with the rams. maybe the metrodome will improve once the vikings don't have to share it with the twins. maybe.
at least it's not a studio shot, i guess.
to me, it looks like jeter is explaining that minka kelly > manly looking bleach blonds. that would explain a-rod's conversion to kate hudson types.
can't believe he still has a job. he's not left-handed for crying out loud.
so boring, it might as well be a studio shot.
yawn.
thanks skoormit! hope you enjoyed the stuff i sent back your way.
parrish was included in the 1993 lapd dodgers stadium giveaway set. best known as a member of the detroit tigers in the late 70s and early 80s, parrish was signed by the dodgers as a free agent prior to the 1993 season. he had previously spent time in philadelphia, anaheim, and seattle after leaving the tigers, and had been fairly productive. the dodgers, meanwhile, had lost mike scioscia to free agency, and were going into the season with 23 year old mike piazza and 26 year old carlos hernandez behind the plate. with the veteran parrish waiting in the minor leagues, piazza started the season with an 11 game hitting streak and was well on his way to winning the rookie of the year award. suddenly, parrish was expendable, and he was released by the dodgers on may 7. he would play in just 10 games for the indians after signing with the tribe that same day. parrish then went to pittsburgh for the 94 season and finished his career in toronto in 95, after being signed by the royals prior to the season.
his 1978 card is kind of similar to the toby harrah/bob watson look where topps couldn't quite fit all of him in the picture. i also love the mustard sanitaries.
nuff said.
manny had retired following the 1979 season and immediately became the dodgers' hitting coach. he came out of retirement to make 7 pinch hit appearances (going 3 for 7 with 2 rbi) in the last month of the 1980 season before retiring again. two years later, the dodgers once again called upon mota to suit up. he made his only 1982 appearance, and the last of his career, on september 1, 1982.
the dodgers were playing against the cardinals at dodger stadium. they trailed the braves by just one-half game in the nl west going into the day, and were fighting to keep pace. with the game going into extra innings, tom lasorda was pulling out all the stops. he had used 7 pinch hitters and one pinch runner going into the bottom of the 13th. the dodgers were trailing 6-5 (ozzie smith had singled in a run in the top of the 13th), and after a ron cey single and caught stealing, followed by a steve garvey double, the rookie mike scioscia was due up. whitey herzog elected to make a pitching change, and brought in jim kaat, the crafty veteran lefty. it should be noted that the cardinals, who were in first place in the east, had already used 6 pitchers, including bruce sutter. lasorda countered with manny mota, who had signed a contract that same day, setting the stage for the 43 year old pitcher to face the 44 year old batter. it was a battle for the ages (ha)!
sadly for dodger fans, mota did not hit safely. he grounded out to second, but at least he got the runner over, dadgum it! that's how they did it in his day. the 9th and final pinch hitter of the day, dave sax, lined out to third to strand garvey and end the game. the dodgers would go on to overtake the braves for a short time, but would eventually finish second thanks to joe morgan's (boo!) 3-run home run on the final day of the season.
mota retired permanently after the season ended. he has remained with the dodgers organization since his retirement, and is deeply involved in many charity and relief organizations in latin america. i hope to get to spring training next year so i can wave to manny as he rides along on his bicycle.
here's to you manny mota!
'ph' is a bit different. even manny mota, one of the best pinch hitters ever, was listed as an outfielder (and coach) on his last card, a 1981 donruss.
this despite the fact that all 7 of his appearances in 1980 were as a pinch hitter. using the pinch hitter position is not unprecendented, though. take a look at lloyd mcclendon's 1992 donruss card.
in 1991, mcclendon had 183 at bats including 33 as a pinch hitter, yet donruss deemed it more fitting to list him as a pinch hitter. fair enough.
so, it would seem that we might expect to see 'ph' on thome's cards next year. heck, we could see it this year with the topps traded release. wouldn't it be nice if upper deck would update their o-pee-chee issue with this card?
awesome. and even though he's only 1 for 6 so far with the dodgers as the designated pinch hitter, gibson showed that it only takes one to make it count.
and a nice looking 1978 topps.
i have been targeting dodgers who also had a 1978 topps card for ttm lately, and this fits right in. i smell a monster post coming up soon, but for now, i'll let goltz have the floor to himself.
thanks dave!
this is one of my favorite cards - period. davis in the home whites, chasing a flyball down the right field line towards the low fence and the mustard field level seats. this is the same area where milton bradley famously spiked a water bottle a few years back. i used to sit in these seats (although usually on the left field side) and peek into the bullpen while pitchers warmed up. eric davis may have struggled to live up to the expectations coming home to la, but on this card, he's perfect. 
this card is interesting, not only because it features a play at the plate at dodger stadium, but because berryhill did not appear in a game at dodger stadium in 1990. i believe that this photo is from the game on may 7, 1989 - orel hershiser vs. greg maddux - and that's mike davis about to be tagged out at the plate in the third inning. the dodgers would knock maddux out of the game in the 4th, but lose 4-2 anyway. i don't think i was at this game - i am pretty sure i was recovering from seeing the replacements for the first time the night before or heading up to poly royal. 
i am really hoping brett butler beat the throw. kruk played in six games against the dodgers at dodger stadium in 1992. the first (and only one i checked at baseballreference) was april 29th. in that game, butler did beat out a bunt to second, so let's go with that. 
another phillie in dodger stadium. can't tell who's on deck though. 
the field level scoreboard is always a dodger stadium giveaway. gardner was the guy who had a no-hitter after 9 innings in 1991 against the dodgers, but lost the no-no and the game in the 10th. two days later, dennis martinez threw a perfect game against the dodgers. 
this card is painful to look at. too hard to tell who the dodger player being hammered in the groin is, but i secretly hope it was eric karros. upon further review, barberie got a putout at home plate in the bottom of the first on july 6, 1992 on a relay that went 2-5. the victim? mike scioscia.
there's that scoreboard again. power is a former dodger who was traded for mike ramsey. no, the other one. the one who was voted the most obscure dodger at jon weisman's dodger thoughts. 
two in a row. here's a good shot looking up at the different levels of dodger stadium. the best part about this card, though, is the ball next to power's head. it looks like he's about to use his laser vision to blast it to pieces. 
another pirate in dodger stadium. here you have the stands transitioning to the left field pavilion with the diamond vision screen and the good ol' unocal logo up top. this card comes with a bonus - check out the back:
more dodger stadium goodness! 
and another pirate. looks like lind was out at second base. he wasn't caught stealing at dodger stadium in 1989, so maybe it was a force or the front end of a double play. i'll let this one be a mystery. nice dodger stirrup, though. 
might as well stick with the pirates. this is the classic dodger stadium rhp shot with the visitor's bullpen in the background. i love how the bullpens at dodger stadium are set up so the pitchers and coaches can sit in a chair and watch the game. no benches parallel to the field level stands here. no sir. 
one more pirate, and a different shot of the right field side field level scoreboard with its own unocal 76 logo. 
not a pirate! here's the left field side field level scoreboard and its unocal 76 logo. 
just as 1981 donruss featured an inordinate number of wrigley field shots, 1987 and 1989 donruss seem to have a lot of dodger stadium shots. here dayley is outshone (?) by the beauty of the outfield pavilion in the background, and he knows it. 
a rated rookie padre in dodger stadium. 
here's a pretty standard 'right handed batter at bat in dodger stadium' card. 
ditto. i secretly wanted smith to pitch from the dodgers. he had ties to (and now lives in) the central coast where i grew up. one of the greatest beards, too. well groomed - it looked like the beard of the young kris kringle in those rankin & bass christmas specials. 
now we're down by home plate with the old dugout box seats where mike brito used to stand with his panama hat, cigar (unlit) and radar gun. good times. 
now we're getting into some great finds. bo must have really spent some time looking through the cards because the dodger stadium element is pretty tough to see at first glance. there's just a little bit of the pavilion, the main scoreboard and a light stanchion off to dibble's left. awesome. 
not much going on here, but turn it over
and you'll see oliver heading to the mound with the field level scoreboard in the background. fantastic. 
again, pretty nondescript until you flip it
now you see the right field pavilion with joe ferguson lurking in the background! 
not a dodger stadium shot (holman stadium, i believe). just curious about the person behind hubie. it looks like they're wearing the skirt uniform that the dodger stadium female ushers wore, but in shorts style. i am confused. 
it features a nice double play turn with dave winfield sliding in. 
bonus double play action on the back! 
and finally, the dodger back-up triumvirate from 1978 on their 1979 topps cards: 
jerry grote 
johnny oates
with steve yeager also in the set, the dodgers may be the only team to garner cards for 4 different catchers in one issue. who knows? 
no pirate hat - don't want to mess with the hair
