odd combinations

i don't have too many cards from the various topps co-signers sets in my collection.  i think they are kind of strange, actually.  still, i am open to picking some up if and when the opportunity arises.  like with this tommy john/bob welch dual-sticker auto card from the 2006 release.

there aren't too many certified auto cards of welch as a dodger, and that's a shame.  however, i find the pairing with john odd.  their dodger careers overlapped by just one season - 1978.  john moved on to the yankees for the 1979 season, and welch moved into the dodger rotation full time in 1980 after splitting two seasons between starting and relieving.

perhaps a better match for john would have been don sutton, who was john's teammate for six years.  and, while i am thinking about it, a better match for reggie jackson on this 2004 donruss leather and lumber 'rivals' card would have been bob welch

sutton did face reggie in four different postseasons (1974, 1977, 1978, and 1982) but i am pretty sure everybody recalls welch's strikeout of reggie to end game 2 of the '78 series over any sutton/jackson matchup.  but, then this card would be more of the 'classic confrontation' variety i suppose.

let's enjoy a few other combo type cards, like this 1997 bowman's best mirror image insert

i have this card because it features wilton guerrero, along with the suggestion that he might make some folks think of craig biggio.  the other side of the card features chuck knoblauch and donnie sadler, by the way.

this pairing makes some sense - todd hollandsworth and derek jeter on a 1997 pinnacle inside card

as they were both rookies of the year in 1996.  holly last played in 2006, and jeter is still (sort of) playing.

forget batman and robin, the real dynamic duo is delwyn young and andy laroche according to this 2007 topps 52 card

these two were teammates in la during the 2007 and 2008 season, and then were reunited in pittsburgh in 2009 and 2010.  laroche made an appearance for the blue jays this year, but young was released by washington prior to the start of the season.  as dodgers, they combined for 6 home runs and 26 rbi.

last, but certainly not least, here's a 1961 topps card featuring sandy koufax and johnny podres.

they're both leftys so why not put them on a card together?  it doesn't matter that koufax was only 8-13 in 1960 when the decision to make this card was made (podres went 14-12 in 1960).  poor danny mcdevitt, the dodgers' other southpaw in 1960, who went 0-7 and didn't make the cut for the card.