the next two pages in the steve garvey binder get us through 1978

here's the fourth sheet in the first of two steve garvey binders that contain the regular issue stuff, plus some oddballs that fit in regular sized 9-pocket sheets.

this sheet contains:

1. 1975 sspc
2. 1976 topps dodger team
3. 1976 topps
4. 1977 burger chef disc
5. 1977 hostess
6. 1977 hostess twinkie
7. 1977 kellogg's
8. 1977 o-pee-chee
9. 1977 topps

as you'll recall from the previous post, the 1975 sspc card is mixed in with the 1976 cards, since i used to catalog that set as a 1976 set.  now i call it a 1975 release based on the copyright date on the backs.  speaking of backs, here's the back of the sheet

which is best used to note the difference between the regular hostess issue and the twinkie version.  the twinkie card has that black bar on the back.

here's page number 5

which features:

1. 1977 topps dodger team
2. 1977 topps cloth sticker
3. 1977 topps cloth sticker nl all-star team/checklist
4. 1978 o-pee-chee
5. 1978 pepsi (trimmed)
6. 1978 sspc
7. 1978 topps
8. 1978 topps dodger team
9. 1978 wiffle ball disc

and the backs

the 1977 o-pee-chee card is more similar to the 1977 topps cloth sticker than the 1977 topps card due to the absence of the all-star banner, but you already knew all about those types of o-pee-chee variations, right?

there are a bunch of msa disc variations that i don't have from this span of garvey releases (with the others that i do own sitting in the oddball binder due to their size), but that's about all i'm missing here.  for some reason, both hostess and kellogg's left the garv out of their 1978 sets, which is unfortunate.

next up, 1979...

come on local card show, show me what you've got

it's been quite a while since i've been to one of the local monthly card shows.  but, if all is going according to plan, i will be en route when this thing gets posted.  1974 topps set completion is high on my to do list, as is random vintage bargain bin and dime box hunting.  we'll see how it goes.

the last time i went to this particular show, i found a bunch of 1995 topps brooklyn dodgers archives cards in a dime bin.  i was able to almost complete my set, thanks to that particular seller.  here are some of the cards manufactured specifically for the set - 1955 world series games 3

4

and 7

we've seen that podres image quite a bit, and the hodges is familiar too, although i think i am thinking of duke snider when i see it.  that image for game 3 is a new one to me.  i assume it's jackie robinson sliding in, although it could be jim gilliam - both advanced to third on plays that could have involved a throw.  here are a few more jackie's for the set - 1953 version

1954

and 1956

i also need ed roebuck for some reason

my want list shows that i still need the roberto clemente card that was created for the set (or for the 1954 topps archives set, i guess).  i am pretty sure that i have that card, though.  i need to do some investigating.

i also picked up some kellogg's cards the last time around.  this is the 1977 steve garvey

and this ron cey is from 1978

i had them both already, but a dime spent on dodger kellogg's cards is a dime well spent.

i also picked up a 1976 hostess garvey

and a 1982 drakes garvey as well

the hostess card i think i needed for the dodger team set. pretty sure i had a few copies of the drakes card though.

mid 90's dodger issues baffle me, even though i have a partial want list.  i grabbed a couple of 1994 topps finest cards from the dime box because i couldn't convince myself that i really had them already.  here's ramon martinez

 similarly, i threw down a dime for this 1995 leaf chan ho park gold rookies insert

and then there are the cards that i pick up for even less of a reason.  these three are from 1995 upper deck collector's choice, but as i recall they were mail-in 'trade' cards.  they feature the bulldog and steady eddie, both former dodgers of course

one of the cards that you would send in to upper deck to get these other cards featured another former dodger, fernando valenzuela

i am pretty sure that i mailed in one or two cards back in '95 but i don't think i had ever seen the fernando (i picked that card up online, not at the show).

anyway, traded and trade redemption cards are a good place to end this post.  i got some good news at work this week, so i'm in a good mood.  which translates to a good trading mood.  let me know if there is something you would like me to look for at the show.

the evolution of the dodger third baseman, part 2

first things first - there is still 1 slot open (at least there was about an hour ago) in my inaugural group break.  go here and join the fun with some 1983 fleer stickers!

now then.  this is the second installment of the revolving door that was and is the dodgers' third base position.  the first group of guys can be found here.  the funny thing about this is that while i was able as a youngster to quickly link bill russell to maury wills to pee wee reese, and steve garvey to wes parker to gil hodges, and davey lopes to jim lefebvre to jim gilliam to jackie robinson, i couldn't figure out how to get from ron cey back to the brooklyn days.  this post helps illustrate young gcrl's confusion.

john kennedy (1966)

kennedy appeared at third base in 87 games for the dodgers in 1966.  he started 52 games there, and had only 32 complete games at the hot corner that year.  jim gilliam, the previous primary third baseman, appeared in only 70 games at third in 1966 (his final season).  gilliam also started there 52 times, and he actually had 1 more complete game than kennedy at the position.  i gave the nod to kennedy, though, because he had about 15 more innings at third than did gilliam.  besides, gilliam didn't have any cards beyond 1964 (a situation i should rectify).

after all that, kennedy hit only .201 in 1966 with 3 homers and 24 rbi in 125 games played.  he did get one of the few (17) hits that the dodgers managed in the 1966 world series against the orioles, but was dealt to the yankees prior to the 1967 season.

jim lefebvre (1967)

frenchy took over at third in 1967 after having made 34 starts there the previous year.  the 1965 nl rookie of the year made 89 starts there in '67 and hit .261 with 8 homers and 50 rbi over the course of the season.  in 1968, he was back to being primarily a second baseman.

bob bailey (1968)

acquired by the dodgers in the maury wills trade with the pirates, bailey had split time at third with lefebvre in '67 (he made 65 starts there in 1966) and wasn't technically the full-time third baseman in 1968 either.  he started 88 games there however, so that makes him the guy in my book.

oddly enough, bailey hit .227 (73 for 322) in both of his seasons with the dodgers.  he did manage to double his home run output from 4 in 1967 to 8 in '68, but he was taken by the expansion montreal expos after the 1968 season ended.

others to spend time at third for the dodgers in 1968 included lefebvre, paul popovich, ken boyer, luis alcaraz, and bill sudakis, who took over the majority of the playing time in 1969.

bill sudakis (1969)

sudakis appeared in 132 games in 1969 - all as a third baseman.  well, that's not correct - he had 11 appearances as a pinch hitter, but the rest of his games included 118 starts at third.  he hit 14 homers with 53 rbi and a .234 batting average.

it looked like maybe, just maybe, the dodgers had found their third baseman.  instead, sudakis split time between third and behind the plate in 1970, while another youngster took his turn as the dodgers' third baseman.

billy grabarkewitz (1970)

hey - a 1971 kellogg's card!  you can see that billy g earned breakfast cereal super star status thanks to his 1970 campaign.  he made the all-star team after a torrid start to the season, and wound up hitting .289 with 17 homers and 84 rbi when it was all said and done.  he appeared in 156 games, which included 95 starts at third base.  he also played some shortstop and second base, but injuries and the emergence of the other infielders severely cut into his playing time. as did the arrival of dick allen.  sorry - rich allen.

rich allen (1971)

allen (shown on his 1971 o-pee-chee card) gets the nod here over steve garvey by virtue of a single inning.  in '71, allen played 561.2 innings as the dodgers' third baseman while garvey served there for 560.2 innings.  allen made 65 starts at third and had two additional appearances there as well.  garvey started 60 of 79 appearances as a third baseman in 1971, but even though he made more appearances, allen logged more time.  barely.

overall, allen hit .295 with 23 homers and 90 rbi in 155 games.  after the season, he was traded to the white sox for tommy john, and went on to win the 1972 al mvp award - while playing first base.

steve garvey (1972)

it was weird for me as a youngster see a card of garvey with a fielder's glove on (that's his 1971 o-pee-chee card, by the way), but the dodgers were eager to get his bat into the lineup and third base seemed like a reasonable spot.  after allen was traded, garvey started in 73 of 85 games at third base. he appeared in a total of 96 games and saw action at first base in 3 of them for the first time in his career.  he hit .269 with 9 home runs and 30 rbi, but most significant, perhaps, are the 28 errors he made at the hot corner.  that made it clear that someone else needed to play at third, and the dodgers had just the guy for the job.

ron cey (1973-1982)

another kellogg's card (that's cey's 1977 issue)!  the penguin took over at third in 1973 and didn't give the spot up until he was traded to the cubs after the 1982 season.  over those 10 seasons, cey never played anywhere but third, and he averaged 147 games per season, along with 23 homers and 84 rbi.  i'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it.

pedro guerrero (1983-1984 (first half))

petey was a guy without a position.  like garvey, the dodgers needed to find a way to get his bat into the lineup.  he had settled in right field after the injuries to, and eventual departure of, reggie smith, but with cey gone he was handed the keys to the hot corner.  he wound up starting at third in 156 of the 160 games in which he played, and he had a huge offensive year as well.  32 home runs, 102 rbi, and a .298 batting average got him his second all-star berth and a 4th place finish in the league mvp race.  he led the dodgers back to the playoffs, but they couldn't get past the phillies.

in 1984, guerrero began the season as the dodgers' third baseman, but he had hit only 6 home runs to go along with a .277 average when july rolled around, and he was moved back to the outfield.  so, the dodgers had two primary third basemen in 1984 - a different scenario than the platoons of the 1960's - but you'll need to wait for the third installment to find out who it was.

a nefarious 9 update

maybe you've noticed, maybe you haven't.  i've made some changes to the nefarious 9 over there to the right.  if you're viewing this in mobile format, it won't make sense, so here are the 9 cards i currently covet the most.

1 - 2000 upper deck ultimate victory #105 koyie hill

2 - 2007 upper deck sweet spot classic steve garvey/reggie smith dual auto

3 - 2007 fleer soaring stars nomar garciaparra

4 - 2011 topps update dee gordon target red border

5 - 1987 drake's steve sax

6 - 1996 upper deck hideo nomo highlights 1

7 - 1996 upper deck hideo nomo highlights 3

8 - 1996 upper deck hideo nomo highlights 5

9 - 2013 topps heritage don mattingly

bonus non-dodger cards - 2009 ud o-pee-chee #36 mike pelfrey

there is a new number one on the list, and four new cards in total.  that's because i picked up a second copy of this 2004 fleer greats announcing greats featuring steve garvey and vin scully

when i first put this card on the list, i had hoped to do a dual-ttm thing, but i am pretty sure that vin isn't signing ttm anymore, so this one will go in my dodger binder while the first one i picked up stays with my garvey pc.  speaking of which, this next card would have been added to the nefarious 9 if i hadn't stumbled across it a couple of months ago.  it's a 1985 cramer spokane indians greats card of the nl iron man

i had purchased a complete set a few years ago solely to get the garvey, and so my dodger binder featured the garvey-less set.  davey lopes, bill russell, bill buckner, and tommy lasorda are among the other dodger minor leaguers to be featured in the set which is now re-completed.

doug rau isn't in that cramer set, but he was included in the 1977 kellogg's release.  i used to have this card - not sure where it went.

anyway, it was on the list and now it's not.  i'm digging the muttonchops.

from sideburns to a fu-manch, the 1993 o-pee-chee premier mike piazza card was on the list for just a couple of months.

looks like tommy there in the background, too.  it's hard to believe that there are piazza cards that i still don't own - especially ones like this.

the last nefarious 9 card that i picked up recently was the 2013 topps andre ethier 'out of bounds' sp.

it came with a copy of his regular card

which i happen to like better.

so, the list has been updated with some new pursuits.  here is the current nefarious 9:


1 - 2000 upper deck ultimate victory #105 koyie hill
2 - 2007 upper deck sweet spot classic steve garvey/reggie smith dual auto
3 - 2007 fleer soaring stars nomar garciaparra
4 - 2011 topps update dee gordon target red border
5 - 1987 drake's steve sax
6 - 1996 upper deck hideo nomo highlights 1
7 - 1996 upper deck hideo nomo highlights 3
8 - 1996 upper deck hideo nomo highlights 5
9 - 2013 topps heritage don mattingly

bonus non-dodger cards - 2009 ud o-pee-chee #36 mike pelfrey

let me know if you can help a blogger out - you will be rewarded!