what a difference 25 years makes...or not

ron perranoski may be the only non-manager to appear in both the 1962 and 1987 topps sets. 

i am happy to report that the former dodger reliever and pitching coach took the time to sign and return my 1962

and 1987 cards

issued 25 years apart, both cards have the wooden look (paneling and laminate, right night owl?) so that's not too different.  as far as perranoski goes, there's gray hair where there used to be black, and instead of a teammate lurking in the background there are pupils (alex trevino, for one).  the uniform is roughly the same, although the earlier roadies say 'los angeles' on the fronts rather than 'dodgers', but at least the cap is unchanged.

i can only hope that perranoski is boring trevino and the pitcher (i can't tell who that is - maybe rick honeycutt?) about his first big league game when he struck out the first guy he ever faced, and then got the third guy (roberto clemente) to hit into a double play.  maybe that's what he's thinking about on the 1962 card, too.

while red adams was the pitching coach for the dodgers when i first became a fan in 1977, perranoski is the one whom i consider as the pitching coach of the lasorda era.  he took over from adams in 1981 and stayed with the team through 1994.  sadly, he then went to the giants where he remains to this day, now as a special assistant to the gm.

thanks ron!