Shea or Nay?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Point of contention in today's Cardboard Gods installment. I don't see Shea here. Do you?

[soupcan]

I think its Shea.

Rightfield wall:

[Farmer Ted]

Looks like that old tan brick in the upper right. That brick is now hidden behind the banner wall and that weird lounge chair seating.
I say Shea.

[seawolf17]

Looks like Shea to me also.

A lot of cards pictures in those days were taken in New York or Chicago, because it was easiest and cheapest to get photographers there.

[G-Fafif]

Those short tan brick walls are one of the unremarked upon cues by which I always recognize Shea.

Edited to reflect the August game was a night game -- and that it wasn't '78 at all; E-Blg'r

[Guest AG/DC]

What year are we talking?

Up until the end of the 1977 season, I think, the extreme right field and left field walls were 15 feet, going to the top of that section where they have the painted banners. They pulled the wall up a few feet to give it a uniform height.

In fact, it's kind of wrong that the pole remains a few feet recessed from the wall. A ball could theoretiically be fair when it crosses the fence but go foul before it passes the pole.

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

AG/DC wrote: What year are we talking?

It's a 1980 card. Perry was in SD in 78 and 79.

[G-Fafif]

I'm having a Dan Uggla type day. Perry's appearance at Shea is clearly from July 8, 1979. I failed to recognize the card itself as being from 1980 (thought it was '79; been a while since I was in those shoeboxes and what year were what cards becomes a bit of a blur for me after '77) and I confused the Padre road uniform with that which they wore in '78 (it changed quite often).

Gaylord Perry pitched four times at Shea as a Padre. Three were day games, so it would have to be either June of '78 or July of '79 on the card. The uni gives it away. The last year of the big orange stripe as well.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Second time this week ([u:7514acc599]See[/u:7514acc599], Ozzie in Japan) this forum was able to date a photograph based upon the Padres one-year style 1979 road uniform.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Shea Stadium right field corner brickwork.

[Met Hunter]

Most cards were photographed in NY cause Topps operated out of Brooklyn. Any Chicago shots were probably taken from photog George Brace's massive inventory. I say it's Shea.

[batmagadanleadoff]

="Met Hunter"]Most cards were photographed in NY cause Topps operated out of Brooklyn. Any Chicago shots were probably taken from photog George Brace's massive inventory. I say it's Shea.

It's definitely Shea. FAFIF already nailed the photograph, down to the precise date. At the very top of the Perry card, you could also see the bottom of some of those vertical railings just underneath the Loge level near the end of the stadium rim on the fair ball side of the right field foul pole. Those railings are mostly obscured today but were in full view in the 70's.

A good number of photos for the Topps cards were also taken in the Bay Area (Candlestick Park & Oakland Alameda County Stadium) because like New York, the location was home to a stadium from each league and thus, provided coverage for all of MLB. I'd say that the number of shots from the Bay Area exceeded those from Chicago.