still working my way through the steve garvey oddball binder

i haven't posted any pages from my steve garvey binders lately.  my goal is to post my entire garvey collection (at least what's in binders which really only leaves a couple of prints/posters) by the end of the year.  i'd better get moving if that's going to happen.

here are a few more sheets from the oddball binder.  i call it the oddball binder because it contains not only oddballs (duh), but also non-traditional sized cards, and other types of garvey stuff.  case in point - this circa 1971 dodger team issue photograph and a 1971 ticketron dodgers card

the photo is blank on the back, but the ticketron has the team's 1971 schedule on the back

i find it interesting to see that so few day games were played, and quaint that the lone weekday afternoon game was a special event. i guess 'getaway day' didn't matter as much back then.  more likely, the union hadn't addressed the issue of travel yet.

here are a couple of oversized cards that i've shown before from the 1977-79 sportscaster set

garvey got his own card, and then showed up on the all-star game card with joe morgan and carlton fisk.  here are the backs (they are flipped, so the one on the left is the all-star back)

i appreciate garvey showing up on another card, and it seems that the point of the photo was to show division rivals playing together for one night.  newer fans might not think much about it, but the dodger/red rivalry was a big deal when i was growing up. the big red machine and the big blue wrecking crew in the same division made for some good games and a healthy rivalry.

here are garvey's four dodger police cards.

issued beginning in 1980, garvey showed up in the inaugural set (upper left), the 1981 set, (upper right) and then appeared on two cards in 1982 - the world series celebration card and his solo card.

the backs are pretty interesting.  i appreciate the dodgers using garvey's throwing problems as an example of a tough situation that garvey had to work his way through.  if this card were published today, i would say that there are a few other tough situations he's had to deal with that would be better examples.

now we have reached the padres portion of the post.  here are, clockwise from the upper left, a 1983 topps foldout card, a 1984 donruss action all-stars card, a 1984 donruss champions card, and a 1986 donruss all-stars card

here are the backs (again, they are flipped)

bill madlock makes an appearance on the reverse side of the garvey foldout.  the mad dog's .316 average was tied with george brett for the second best career average among active players behind rod carew's .331.  garvey was down at 13, tied with fred lynn at .301.  not sure why carl hubbell is on the back of garvey's 1984 donruss champions card though.

i mentioned up above that my bindered garvey collection does not include posters.  well, it does include one - this 1984 sports illustrated poster that folds nicely to fit in a one-pocket ultra pro page.

i received it from another garvey collector - mrmopar - whose garvey collection is superior to mine.  i still have a bunch of oddballs to show, however, so stay tuned.

there were no hello kitty fleece blanket giveaways in 1971, that's for sure

the dodgers released their 2013 promotional schedule earlier this month.  plenty of bobbleheads and other stuff going on and being given away at the ravine next year.  plus, the return of the old-timers game!  i went to one of those in the late 1970's and remember seeing hank aaron in right field for the opposition and jim campanis leading the charge for the dodger retirees.

i also remember attending over the years on helmet day, poncho day, camera day (you didn't get a camera - you were allowed on the field with your camera to take pictures of the players), baseball card night, and we even went to the hollywood stars night once.  some of those events are still around, although there are no cards on the giveaway docket unfortunately.

for a comparison, take a look at the promotions back in 1971 

not quite as extensive a list as we have these days.

that, of course, is the back of the 1971 ticketron dodgers 'cards'.  here's the front of that particular one, it's bill russell

too bad there's no black batting glove giveaway.

for your enjoyment, dodger baseball is on the air! the 1978 topps card that should have been

this is the penultimate card of my 1978 topps burger king dodgers/update project.  we've covered the players that topps ignored (or showed with their new teams or as a part of a 4-player rookie card), and addressed the coaches, so now it's time for the broadcasters.  yes, i already did a card for vin scully, but i couldn't let this get done without recognizing ross porter and jerry doggett.

the photo was from the team yearbook.  it was too much for me to try to colorize, although i imagine porter's jacket to be a nice wine-colored plaid and doggett is likely wearing a baby blue blazer.  at any rate, here's the back

since i first followed the dodgers in 1977, i didn't realize that it was porter's first year with the team.  he has a distinctive drawl, and i enjoyed listening to him although he got a little too deep into statistics sometimes.  porter stayed with the team for 28 years, but was not renewed in 2004.  instead, the dodgers brought on charley steiner (follow me to freedom!).  doggett, on the other hand, was with the dodgers for over 30 years, and left on his own terms.  he retired after the 1987 season, and was replaced by don drysdale. doggett and scully formed the longest running broadcasting duo in the major leagues during their partnership.

this type of card is not unprecendented.  topps included ernie harwell (a former dodger broadcaster) in one of their fan favorites releases, and in 1971, a 'card' was produced as part of the ticketron dodgers release that featured the then duo of scully and doggett.

fancy.

here's to you, guys.  thanks for bringing the sounds of dodger baseball into my parents' transistor radio.  and a pleasant good evening to you, wherever you may be.