Operation Topps – Topps 1986 (Pack 10)

Pack number 10, we have hit the 150 card mark and I believe only 13 doubles which to me seems higher than it should be.  When you have a set of 792 cards, you wouldn’t think that by the 10th pack you would have that many doubles.  I wouldn’t expect too many doubles until I hit about halfway through the set.  In comparison if you’ve been keeping track of my 2008 series one set I am working on you’ll see that in 18 packs I’ve gotten 18 duplicates.  The 2008 set is also 330 cards so you would expect many more duplicates.  Anyways, there are still some big named cards out there so I hope I can find some of them soon.  Here’s to low duplicates.  Let’s open up this pack and see how we did.

1. Jack Perconte – 2B – Mariners – 146 – Damn I should have found some wood to knock on, this pack might be heavy duplicates. Previously reviewed in pack 8.

2. Kelvin Chapman – 2B -Mets – 492 – Not even good duplicates either!  Previously reviewed in pack 8.

3. Tom Foley – SS/2B – Phillies – 466 – Previously reviewed in pack 8.

4. Bob Welch – P – Dodgers – 549 – Previously reviewed in pack 8.  At least he’s halfway decent.

5. Al Oliver – DH – Blue Jays – 775 – Previously reviewed in pack 8.

6. Cecil Cooper – 1B – Brewers – 385 – Previously reviewed in pack 8. Not a bad duplicate either.

7. Moose Haas – P – Brewers – 759 – Finally looks like we are safe now.  The way Topps seeds the cards is in 2 parts, separated by a win a trip to spring training card.  If you get doubles usually you’ll get all of one part to be doubles. I don’t know if it’s his name but I always liked watching Moose pitch.  He was considered a good pitcher and after looking at his stats I see his career was cut short by injuries in 1986.  1987 would be the last year he pitched but only in a handful of games, before he hung it up.  This picture of him is funny because I can’t remember the last time I saw a player without a hat or helmet on in 80s cards.

8. Scott Garrelts – P – Giants – 395 – Scott was a closer for the Giants in 1986, actually he was a closer and spot starter.  I guess like Kerry Wood of late.  Anyways, he was a decent enough pitcher on some bad teams and his career, much like Haas was cut short by injuries.  He went 13-9 in 1986 pitched in 53 games, started 18 of them and actually had some nice numbers.  The more I read about him the more I respect his MLB work.

9. Garth Iorg – 3B/2B – Blue Jays – 694 – He would be considered a spot starter in the field for his whole career.  In the battle between Iorg brothers (Dane) he was the better player but that doesn’t say a whole lot.   You would think with a last name of Iorg, their parents would have gave them better names than Dane and Garth.  I see the kids of them have better names (Cale, Eli, and Isaac) hopefully they will turn out to be better than their old men.

10. Tom Brookens – 3B – Tigers – 643 – Tom was a starter and had a non descript career.  It wasn’t that he was a bad player, it’s just like finding a Geoff Blum card in today’s packs.  He plays, he isn’t the best, but he’s good enough to start.  In short, exactly what we wanted to be growing up.  Problem is he isn’t flashy and never got any attention.

11. Lee Smith – P – Cubs – 355 – Why isn’t he in the Hall of Fame? When he retired he was number one in saves.  I think if you are number one in any statistical category, you deserve a shot at the Hall.  I don’t know what  his last ballot was at but I’m thinking he may never get in, which is a shame, because as his career was winding down, I thought he was a shoe in.  I don’t understand why closers don’t get any respect in baseball, it’s probably the most difficult job in baseball and some of the best pitchers are closers.  Someday I hope to see Lee’s bust in the Hall until then I will just have to hope.

12. Pat Tabler – 1B – Indians – 674 – Was there anyone as clutch as Pat Tabler in the mid eighties?  He was possibly one of the best pich hitters of the era.  Now I know that might nit sound like a big deal but I remember he went in several trade just because he was so money off the bench.  You could call him in during the ninth if you desperately needed a hit and he would get it.  Pat may have never had great stats but he was money in the bank off the bench.

13.  Dave Rozema – P – Rangers – 739 – Who? He was the brother in law of Kirk Gibson. That’s who! He was actually not a horrible pitcher, his numbers remind me of Steve Avery.  Came off an incredible rookie campaign in 1977 at 15-7 as a 20 year old. Unfortunately he never re-gained that composure and pitched with up and downs until 1986 when he retired.  It’s somewhat sad to see these cards of guys that retired in 1986. I wonder if Topps will give him a card in 1987?

14. Frank White – 2B – Royals – 215 – Played in 18 seasons and only on the Royals, he was the starter for 17 of those seasons.  He wasn’t a superstar by any stretch of the imagination but he was definitely a solid player.  Kind of like Terry Pendleton (reviewed in a previous pack) and Benny Santiago.  They just kind of hung around for a long time.  Not superstars, but good everyday guys.  Today he is a broadcaster for the Royals.

15. Buck Martinez – C – Blue Jays – 518 – Buck was the backup of the 70′s and 80s.  He played for 17 seasons and racked up 618 hits, do the math it’s paltry. known more for his ability to call a good game than to be a good hitter, Buck stayed around a long time for his defensive prowess.  Turns out you learn a lot when you play back-up for that long because he ended up coaching the Blue Jays for 2 years in the earlier part of this decade.

Overall we are looking at a particularly brutal pack of cards here.  Other than Lee Smith and maybe Cecil Cooper, the pack was crap and filled with doubles.  Should have knocked on wood when I started this pack! I’m giving this one 1.0 stars, which is a lot better than it might deserve, but I do think Lee Smith will make the Hall someday even if it is during the Oversight Committee. Maybe my next pack will be better (can it get worse)?