What's your favorite Topps Mets card?

[batmagadanleadoff]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Must be. How many Mets cards show the Whitestone? That's sweet. The 78 Koosman is an action shot I'd bet was taken the same day (and by the same shooter) as the Millan one but there's no way to know for sure. That set had a nice mix of tight candids around the batting cage in addition to a few real action shots and your requisite Spring Training fake-poses.

I noticed of the same thing as soon as you discovered that Koosman started the game against the Pirates where Millan was pictured. I'm looking for cards with enough context so that you have some chance to figure out the specific details.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Post more Met action photos where we can determine the actual game from clues in the photo. That's fun! Boswell 1971 Topps, (in the style of Millan, '78 Topps) Is that Vic Davalillo, sliding into 2nd?

May 28, 1970

CARDINALS 6TH: KOONCE REPLACED KRANEPOOL (PITCHING); Hague singled to center; Shannon flied to right; Maxvill singled to right [Hague to third]; Gibson singled to center [Maxvill to second, Hague scored]; Davalillo reached on an error by Garrett [Gibson to second, Maxvill to third]; Javier grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Davalillo out at second]; 1 R, 3 H, 1 E, 2 LOB. Cardinals 6, Mets 0.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

The Matthews one is fooling me. There were only 2 road games where Matthews played the field and the Mets scored as many as 6 runs, but doesn't look like a match for either. Maybe that's not the score of this game (I guess knowing the park would help but they look all the same to me now).

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: The Matthews one is fooling me. There were only 2 road games where Matthews played the field and the Mets scored as many as 6 runs, but doesn't look like a match for either. Maybe that's not the score of this game (I guess knowing the park would help but they look all the same to me now).

It's fooling you because it's Photoshopped. That's in the first series -- issued before he played a game as a Met -- and he's actually wearing an Angels uniform.

[batmagadanleadoff]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: The Matthews one is fooling me. There were only 2 road games where Matthews played the field and the Mets scored as many as 6 runs, but doesn't look like a match for either. Maybe that's not the score of this game (I guess knowing the park would help but they look all the same to me now). It's fooling you because it's Photoshopped. That's in the first series -- issued before he played a game as a Met -- and he's actually wearing an Angels uniform.

I thought there was something odd about GMJ's uniform. The front uni # looks too small, and too high up ... like one of those knockoffs that resembles an official Met uniform, but isn't quite there.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Quite the ripoff, I tells ya.

[batmagadanleadoff]

But give Topps credit for improving their photo-altering methods.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Cleon out at the plate against the Braves!

[batmagadanleadoff]

Here's a competent example of Topps photoshopping -- no more tacky cap airbrushing:

Johan Santana -- 2008 Topps Heritage ('59 style Topps) -- two versions





I've seen the rarer Met non-refractor Heritage card sell for over $100.00. I don't own it. I'll pass.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: The Matthews one is fooling me. There were only 2 road games where Matthews played the field and the Mets scored as many as 6 runs, but doesn't look like a match for either. Maybe that's not the score of this game (I guess knowing the park would help but they look all the same to me now). It's fooling you because it's Photoshopped. That's in the first series -- issued before he played a game as a Met -- and he's actually wearing an Angels uniform. I thought there was something odd about GMJ's uniform. The front uni # looks too small, and too high up ... like one of those knockoffs that resembles an official Met uniform, but isn't quite there.

I thought that too, about the number.

[G-Fafif]

Post more Met action photos where we can determine the actual game from clues in the photo. That's fun! Ryan Thompson 1995 Pinnacle

Ryan Thompson was hit by a pitch four times at home in 1994 (note the Miracle Mets patch), twice in day games. Given the agony on display and the lack of long sleeves, I'm going with May 4, 1994. The other HBP came in the Home Opener of the season, when it was too chilly for all but the hardiest souls to go sleeveless. Plus, Thompson had to leave the May game when he was hit in the eighth inning and was absent from action for several games directly thereafter.

From the Times two days later:

Thompson, hit on the hand by Dave Burba, did not play in St. Louis Thursday night. Although X-rays were negative on Thompson's hand and he is listed as day to day with a contusion of his right index finger, he is worried that he may have cracked a bone higher up in his hand, near his wrist.

The Home Opener HBP was more lighthearted, by George Vecsey's reckoning:

Thompson does have a persuasive way. With 12 of his relatives, including his grandparents, up from Maryland, he figured in the day's most hilarious episode, when an inside pitch bounced off something, maybe his bat. However, Thompson displayed both hands to the umpire, Charlie Williams, who inspected them and awarded Thompson first base. The Cubs' manager then made brassy anguished noises from the well known Fugue for Tom Trebelhorn, but to no avail. Later Thompson insisted the ball had hit his right thumb and left knuckles, no easy task.

[G-Fafif]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Cleon out at the plate against the Braves!

The Fourth of July, 1971 (a Sunday, but not a holiday doubleheader), Cleon cut down trying to score from second on a fourth-inning Bob Aspromonte single. Seaver has, for him, an off outing (6 IP, 9 H, 2 R), while Niekro scatters nine hits for the shutout.

Both uniforms indicate it wasn't a 1972 game despite it being a 1973 card. The Braves had switched to the so-called softball tops in 1972 (plus Didier didn't play at Shea that year). Jones, meanwhile, would have been wearing a jersey with a black armband for Gil Hodges if it had been 1972.

[G-Fafif]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Bonilla 1995 Topps Stadium Club; "Best Seat in the House"

May 15, 1994, second inning, Rafael Belliard attempting to take third on a second-inning RBI double that scores Mark Lemke. Braves go on to beat Eric Hillman rather handily the day after John Cangelosi and Charlie O'Brien inadvertently posed for the cover of the May 23 issue of Sports Illustrated.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Here's an easy one. I scoped out the answer.

Pecota 1993 Topps Stadium Cluib



How come Prince didn't solve the GMJ card?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Charlie O'Brien 1994 Topps Gold

[seawolf17]

Sumbitch. That's Pete Harnisch grounding out on the Pecota. I need that in my collection.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Kent 1994 Topps
(JCL's a wizard on the pivot)

[batmagadanleadoff]

Kent 1994 Score -- another pivot pic

[Guest Edgy DC]

[batmagadanleadoff]

two 1994 Pinnacles:
Kent & Burnitz

[batmagadanleadoff]

Kevin Baez 1994 Topps Stadium Club

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Great picture on the Baez. TERRIBLE card design. (It looks like the lettering that they'd plaster on fake TV shows/movies in '90s satires about cheesy, "corporate", mock-"edgy" pop-cultural product.)

[G-Fafif]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Here's an easy one. I scoped out the answer. Pecota 1993 Topps Stadium Cluib

Of course it's easy. It's Bill Pecota Surrender Day. Look at him giving up.

Third inning, July 5, 1992, the more conventional answer.

[G-Fafif]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: 2010 Gary Matthews, Topps

May 2, 2009, MFYS III, Matthews settling under a fly ball in right from Hideki Matsui for the final out of the bottom of the eighth.

Roger Cedeno wants to know what GMJ is doing with his kid's shirt.

[seawolf17]

[Guest Edgy DC]

two 1994 Pinnacles: Kent & Burnitz

July 15, 1993, Mark Carreon hits a fourth inning double against the Mets in a home game with Jeff Kent playing second, but that hit went to left, and it looks here like Kent is fielding a thrown from right field. What he's probably doing, however, is follwing through on a sweep tag that has twisted his body around. The torque in his body seems right.

Another guess is that Vince Coleman overthrew the bag and Kent is looking behind him to the backup.

[G-Fafif]

seawolf17 wrote:

April 29, 2009, bottom of the first. Alex Cora would bring Reyes home, but the Mets would lose when Jerry Manuel decided Omir Santos needed to be called in from Douglaston to take the final swing of the game.

Irritating end to what had been a lovely afternoon at brand new Citi Field. Met Swan Swan H that day.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Alfonzo 2000 Topps Stadium Club Chrome

[batmagadanleadoff]

I know how Coney would've voted.


David Cone 1992 Pinnacle: The Idols

[Benjamin Grimm]

Wait... what??

Why is David Cone sharing a card with Jackie Gleason???

This is probably why I stopped liking baseball cards. They just got too contrived.