What's your favorite Topps Mets card?

[Centerfield]

Edgy DC wrote: If that's not Carter, who is it? He seems to have Sasser's jaw, but I don't think it's him either. Faces can be tough at some angles. I think that card of Dykstra above looks more like Elster, but he's got Lenny's number. Warming up a pitcher between innings without gear on and his hat pointed forward --- that would seem to indicate a third-string catcher (Sasser) or a backup infielder, and he looks to bulky to be the latter.

It looks like Sasser to me.

[Centerfield]

Hat pointed forward, no catching gear? That's Mackey's MO.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I agree there. A lot of backups will come out to warm somebody up with no gear on if the catcher in the lineup was on the bases when the last out was made or made it himself (which Carter was doing a lot by 1988).

I would think that, by that time, if Carter was sitting, Johnson wouldn't want him doing the auxiliary warmups.

[HahnSolo]

Player on Carter card: wearing Nike.
Sasser on his own card: wearing Pony.

(Which proves nothing of course)

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

If anyone is curious about the 2011 Topps design....

http://magazine-exchange.com/product_downloads/pdf/2011ToppsBaseballSeries1SellSheet.pdf

[G-Fafif]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: If anyone is curious about the 2011 Topps design.... http://magazine-exchange.com/product_downloads/pdf/2011ToppsBaseballSeries1SellSheet.pdf

Very nice. I thought 2010 was one of the best Topps had done in ages. Loved coming up the JRR escalator and seeing the starting lineup posted cardways, including Ike Davis as No. 78 from St. Lucie.

[batmagadanleadoff]

That's Gary Carter squatting on the left side of his 1988 Topps Big card. No doubt about it.

[HahnSolo]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: That's Gary Carter squatting on the left side of his 1988 Topps Big card. No doubt about it.

I have a doubt. I don't think it looks at all like Gary Carter.

[batmagadanleadoff]

HahnSolo wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: That's Gary Carter squatting on the left side of his 1988 Topps Big card. No doubt about it. I have a doubt. I don't think it looks at all like Gary Carter.

Well you're wrong. So's the rest of this thread. What? Is everyone fucking nuts here? This isn't even worthy of a debate. You're probably not used to seeing Carter without his fake politician's smile, that's all.

[RealityChuck]

The first Mets card I got:

[stevejrogers]

BAM!




Defense rests your honor. If the 8 can be shown, The Kid is at the backstop throne!

(ducks rotten vegetables)

[seawolf17]

Nope. Not the same guy. See, they're facing different directions.

[DocTee]

I thought they were the same, but subtle differences (wristband, batting glove) lead to me to question this, since athletes are such creatures of habit.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Same quality ass.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Here's the next 10, with the reasons:http://metsguyinmichigan.blogspot.com/2010/11/top-60-topps-cards-of-all-time-part-2.html

No.50

No. 49

No. 48

No. 47

No. 46

No. 45

No. 44

No. 43

No. 42

No. 41

[Benjamin Grimm]

You have much more fondness for the recent cards than I do. Of the above, the only one that tickles me is the Mets Maulers one, which I don't think I had ever seen before.

That 1976 Tom Seaver is almost too recent for my tastes!

(Gosh, I'm old.)

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Well, we're still in the lower third of the list. I suspect the cards will get older as we get higher in the list.

Too bad I can't use some of the glorious Player of the Month retro cards!!!

[Guest Edgy DC]

metsguyinmichigan wrote:

Perspective can be a funny thing, but those cops look about 11 feet tall.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

The puddle creating the reflection is kind of cool.

[G-Fafif]

Yay on Mets Maulers. Not a lot of mauling, but a great idea.

Another '67 I adore:



I'm fond of the 1967 set since it was my first exposure of any kind to cards (my sister's, which I inherited when she remembered she didn't care about baseball) and because they were uncluttered and classy. Bud fell into my hands a few years later, and it said all that needed to be said: young shortstop, ready to grow. Note the World's Fair patch, an anachronism by 1966, but we'll allow it.

Great second ten overall (Shea card's inclusion a nice touch). Loving your series and the fact that it means you're blogging a little less infrequently!

[batmagadanleadoff]

The 2007 Bowman Heritage set (see Joe Smith against the Wonder Wheel, above) includes many secret pleasures.

Here's David Wright's 2007 Bowman Heritage card, an homage to the '52 Bowman Gil Hodges card:

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Oh sweet! I never made that connection!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Whatever they do to filter that photo makes that hat even more of a horror show, however.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy DC wrote: Whatever they do to filter that photo makes that hat even more of a horror show, however.

Plus, the artist gave Wright Ben Turpin's eyes.

[batmagadanleadoff]

[seawolf17]

[G-Fafif]

seawolf17 wrote:

Those both kick ass. In a more perfect Citi Field, there's a Casey on a bench statue greeting all comers in just that pose.

Pacella one, too, just to be cheeky about it.

A recent favorite from the Topps Heritage set of 2007 here, back when my scanner worked.

The Jose hamstring scare that inspired its scanning, incidentally, was a false alarm.

[DocTee]

If anyone is curious about the 2011 Topps design.... http://magazine-exchange.com/product_downloads/pdf/2011ToppsBaseballSeries1SellSheet.pdf

1. 330-ish cards? I recall sets from my youth with many more. Only 15 "team cards"? What about the other 15??
2. A real frickin' diamond embedded in the cards? Glad to see MLB doing its part to keep DeBeers in business, and Sierrra Leone in misery.

[seawolf17]

Topps has three series now, 330 cards each. They'll do the other 15 team cards in series two, which comes out around midseason; then they do an "update" series, which hits right around the end of the season, which sometimes includes "traded" players who have appeared in the first two series, but also just other players they haven't hit yet.

For example, the 2010 Topps Mets:

Series 1:
2010 Topps #60 David Wright
2010 Topps #103 Daniel Murphy
2010 Topps #104 New York Mets
2010 Topps #184 Jeff Francoeur
2010 Topps #218 Fernando Martinez
2010 Topps #227 Josh Thole RC
2010 Topps #249 Jon Niese
2010 Topps #278 Carlos Delgado
2010 Topps #299 Gary Sheffield
2010 Topps #314 Angel Pagan

Series 2:
2010 Topps #339 Jose Reyes
2010 Topps #394 Luis Castillo
2010 Topps #395 Jenrry Mejia RC
2010 Topps #416 Ruben Tejada RC
2010 Topps #436 New York Mets
2010 Topps #450 Omir Santos
2010 Topps #507 Francisco Rodriguez
2010 Topps #533 Gary Matthews Jr.
2010 Topps #567 Mike Pelfrey
2010 Topps #573 Johan Santana
2010 Topps #624 Carlos Beltran
2010 Topps #629 Oliver Perez

Updates:
2010 Topps Update #US4 Alex Cora
2010 Topps Update #US15 Ike Davis RC
2010 Topps Update #US20 Jason Bay (card 170 in the main set)
2010 Topps Update #US26 Jesus Feliciano RC
2010 Topps Update #US92 Pedro Feliciano
2010 Topps Update #US180 David Wright
2010 Topps Update #US223 Henry Blanco
2010 Topps Update #US316 Rod Barajas (card 224 in the main set)

[G-Fafif]

I didn't necessarily love the trades, but I sure liked the traded cards.

1972 Fregosi (big help, here.

1976 Lolich (recalled in the midst of Johan fever, Feburary 2008) here.

Traded was like In Action for the offseason, except way after the fact and with airbrushing run amok.