here's the next installment of sheet from the steve garvey binders

here are sheets 8 and 9 of the first of two main steve garvey binders keep us in his los angeles years, but just barely.  here's sheet 8:

these cards are:

1. 1981 o-pee-chee
2. 1981 permagraphic
3. 1981 squirt
4. 1981 topps
5. 1981 topps scratch-off
6. 1982 donruss (diamond king)
7. 1982 donruss
8. 1982 drake's
9. 1982 fleer

here are the backs:

the 'oddballs' on this sheet - permagraphics, squirt, and drake's - all have some topps influence to them.  the photo on the permagraphics card is the same on garvey's 1981 topps (and o-pee-chee) cards; the 'dodgers' text on the squirt card is the same as the 'dodgers' text on 1978 topps cards with the back being a firm reproduction of 1981 topps; and the back of the drake's card is clearly the same design as 1982 topps.

one thing to note - i maintain that garvey was not included in the team photo that appears on the 1981 topps dodger checklist/tom lasorda card.  so, i don't have that card in the garvey binder.  if anyone can prove me wrong, i'd be happy to add it.

sheet 9 looks like this:

those cards are:

1. 1982 kmart
2. 1982 kellogg's
3. 1982 louisville slugger
4. 1982 o-pee-chee
5. 1982 o-pee-chee (in action)
6. 1982 permagraphic
7. 1982 topps
8. 1982 topps (in action)
9. 1983 donruss

and here are the backs:

the louisville slugger card came attached to a baseball glove. it may be from 1981 (or 1980 even - garvey is wearing the 1980 all-star game patch in the photo as he is in the o-pee-chee and topps cards), but i put it here in 1982 since beckett lists these things as '1982-89 louisville slugger' tags.  there's one of the garv in padres gear, too, which we'll see in a future post..  i know i am missing the 1982 permagraphic gold card that would go on this page, bumping 1983 donruss to the next.  maybe someday.

two more pages from the steve garvey oddball binder

i have three versions of the 1979 topps comics steve garvey issue in my garvey oddball binder (here is a handy link to all garvey binder posts, by the way).  here are two of the three, along with a couple other oddballs.

so that would be a uncut garvey panel in the top left and the actual pack-pulled issue on the top right.  filling out this particular page in the binder is a 1981 msa blank-back disc and a 1981 topps scratch off panel featuring two of garvey's three fellow infielders, ron cey and davey lopes.

nothing exciting to see on the backs of those items, except for perhaps the scratch off

ninety cents and a wrapper for a ball-strike indicator.  such a deal.

this next page gets us into some oddball meat.  have a look at some garvey goodness, only slightly spoiled by one very visible padre item

what we have here is a 1981 all-star game program insert, a 1981 topps sticker, a 1982 all-star game insert, two 1982 o-pee-chee stickers, two 1982 topps stickers, a 1983 all-star game insert, a 1983 fleer stamp, a 1983 sleer sticker, and a 1983 o-pee-chee sticker.

here are the backs, which are the only way to tell the o-pee-chee stickers from the topps versions

the 1982 stickers showing garvey at the plate in dodger stadium features sweet 1981 world series action.  why topps included world series stuff in their sticker release but not the flagship really chaps my hide.

i used to have a 1980 all-star game program, but i don't recall any inserts similar to the ones that have been cut up and sold off like the ones shown here.  those are the types of oddballs that i once rejected (i still don't have any desire for the red foley oddballs), but i have somewhat arbitrarily softened my stance in recent years.

more garvey goodness to come - stay tuned...

what hurts the most...

is that they were so close.  card manufacturers, that is.  i can't think of a single card issued that featured all four of the dodger infielders (alone) together.  no record breaker or highlight or retrospective card.  none.  there have been commemmorative sheets, sure, but no cards.  a few have come close, though.

anyone remember the 1981 topps scratchoff set?  three cards to a panel, and one of the panel combinations featured steve garvey, ron cey and davey lopes. 

bill russell wasn't included in the set.

how about 2001 upper deck decade 1970's?  surely the dominant infield of the 70's would get some completist representation, right?  almost.  here's the dodgers' 4 player bat card.

garvey cey russell monday just doesn't quite have the same ring to it.  monday wasn't even a dodger for the majority of that decade. 

then, in 2003, upper deck came out with their sp chirography set.  i drooled over the checklist - so many dodgers, and so many from the team of my youth - garvey, cey, russell, lopes, yeager, sutton!  surely there would be a gcrl card!  well, almost.  there was garvey russell and cey,

and garvey lopes and cey,

but no garvey cey russell lopes.

finally, in 2004, upper deck released their awesome legends set.  the theme of the set was 'timeless teams' and, appropriately, the 1970s era dodgers got a lot of attention.  all four of the infielders were included in the set, and i picked up three versions of this card - a six player game used card

featuring steve garvey, ron cey, bill russell and davey lopes, along with dusty baker and steve yeager. 

i even got one signed by the foursome. 

no disrespect to dusty or yeager, but it would have been nice for them to have been left off at least one of the print runs.

well, until i find a card of the infield, i am left to my own devices.  here is the 1981 topps scratch off card panel that should have been.

a man can dream, can't he?