Operation Topps – 1987 Topps (Pack 24)

I swear, tonight I am definitely going to sort out my 1987 Topps cards and finally know for sure how many cards I have.  Technically since this is the 24th pack there should be 408 cards and I know of 27 doubles.  So that means I have 48% of the set by this point in the game.  That’s crazy since I only had maybe 25% at this point last year.  This has definitely been one of the better boxes I have ever gotten, that’s for sure.  So I didn’t get any more comments about the idea of buying the sets and reviewing 15 cards at a time. Like I said, I’d like to hear what people think about that before I actually do it.  On to pack 24.

1. Steve Fireovid – P – Mariners – 357 – Steve was a seldom used middle reliever.  Just to let you know how seldom, in six MLB seasons, he appeared in 31 games.  He actually took a hiatus from MLB from 1986-1992, so there are no stats for him in 1987.  His fun fact was that he earned letters in baseball and basketball in high school and that he has one son.

2. Reggie Jackson – Turn Back the Clock – 312 – I was hoping to stumble across one of these gems.  If you look closely, you will see that the card (original 1977 one) was airbrushed.  His helmet looks almost like a cartoon.  This is something Topps did up until the 1987 season when they had a player on a team, but no photos of him on that team.  This card basically says that Reggie was the best player in baseball in 1977.

3. Alex Trevino – C – Dodgers – 173 – 1987 would be Alex’s last year as a Dodger, and right in the middle of his career.  He went 0.222/3/16 as a back up, which is what he was for most of his career.  His fun fact was that his brother played with the Angels  in 1968, and that he has a child.

4. Orlando Mercado – C – Mercado – Rangers – 514 – Orlando was another seldom used catcher.  In 1987 he went 0.222/0/2 in just 27 at bats.  His fun fact wasnt ath he let his Mickey Mantle League team to a world title.  He and his wife have two children.

5. Bob Sebra – P – Expos – 479 – This was Bob’s rookie card and I don’t know why, but I have a few of these in top loaders. In 1987 he went 6-15/4.42/1.42, which is why I scratched my head as to why the heck I was keeping these cards.  His fun fact was that he pitched in the Alaskan Summer League in 1982.

6. Kevin Bass – OF – Astros – 85 – This was Kevin’s third year as a full time starter.  In 1987 he went 0.284/19/85/21, which was a real solid season, only falling one short of a 20/20 year.  His fun fact was that he and his wife have one son.

7. Rod Scurry – P – Yankees – 665 – 1987 was a rough year for Rod, he was dealing with his drug problems and missed an entire year trying to get straight.  He did come back the following year, but he never did straighten his drug problem out and in 1992 he died of a drug overdose.  His fun fact (if you can have one after that) is that his hobbies include golfing.

8. Bob Kipper – P – Pirates – 289 – How funny is the stack hat the Pirates used to have?  He looks like the Cat in the Hat with that one.  Bob was a former first round draft pick and never really panned out.  in 1987 he was in his second year of starting and ended up going 5-9/5.94/1.53.  Since then he was converted to a middle reliever and retired by the age oof 27.  His fun fact was that he won 8 letters during his high school career covering 3 sports.  He also struck out 20 batters in a game in high school.

9. Ed Lynch – P – Cubs – 697 – Ed has a real bad sour puss on his face.  It like he was with a struggling team for years (Mets), then was traded to the epitome of struggling teams (Cubs), just when the Mets won the World Series.  I guess Iw ould have that face as well, in 1987 he was still with the Cubs and went 2-9/5.38/1.61.  Unfortunately though this would be his last stop in the majors. His fun fact is that his hobbies include reading and sailing.

10. Dave Concepcion – SS – Reds – 731 – Although I would have probably put his card on here anyway because of who it is, I find this card a bit funny because if you look in the background it appears as if they are playing in a town park, with a series of bushes lining the fence.  1987 was actually his second to last year in the bigs.  He went 0.319/1/33/4 in part time work.  He has no fun fact on his card.

11. Donnie Moore – P – Angels – 115 – The more of his card I see, the more I feel bad for him.  I mean I watched that homer he gave up in the ALCS in 1986 and to know that he committed suicide because of it is just amazing.  In 1987 he went 2-2/2.70/1.54 with 5 saves, he had been knocked from the closer role by De Wayne Buice.  His fun fact is that in 1973 he only lost 1 game (out of 19) at the university level.

12. Bill Caudill – P – Blue Jays – 733 – Bill is an interesting guy, first off he was Scott Boras’s first client and now works for Scott.  Second his fun fact says, his nicknames are “Cuffs” and “The Inspector”, I wish I got to hear those stories on how he got those names.  1987 was Bill’s final season in the bigs, he ended up going 0-0/9.00/1.38 in 6 games.

13. Juan Berenguer – P – Giants – 303 – Juan was in the bigs for 15 years, but was just average as far as his stuff.  In 1987 he was with the Twins and he ended up going 8-1/3.94/1.31 in middle relief work.  His fun fact was that he was a member of the Panamanian National Team from 1972-1974.  He and his wife have 2 children.

14. Tony Bernazard – 2B – Indians – 758 – One of those forgotten, solid players from the 80s.  In 1987 Tony split time between the Indians and the A’s and went 0.250/14/49/11.  Those aren’t terrific stats, but at least he is productive and not a complete dead stick.  His fun fact was that he and him wife have 3 children.

15. Walt Terrell – P – Tigers – 72  – For a few years, in the mid 80s, Walt was one of the btter starters in the league and in 1987 he had what would be his best season.  He went 17-10/4.05/1.42.  Up to that point he was mainly known for winning about 11 games a season and he really stepped it up for 1987.  His fun fact was that he and his wife have 3 children.

16. Sparky Anderson – Mgr – Tigers – 218 – One of the few manager cards I will show here.  Sparky was 53 in 1987 and guided his team to a 98-64 mark to win the AL west, but got beat by the Twins in the ALCS (4-1).

17. Mary Barrett – 2B – Red Sox – 39 – This card has a great background as well.  If you look closely, you’ll notice a basketball hoop behind the outfield wall.  Thinking about it now, it’s just funny to see those kinds of things.  Given the fact that today’s spring training stadiums are very posh and wouldn’t have something like that.  In 1987 Marty went 0.293/3/43/15 for the Bosox. His fun fact was Marty’s brother Tom is in the Yankees farm system.

Overall this pack was good for some laughs but the star quality was kind of low.  I would give it 1.5 stars, just for the humor factor.  Once again please let me know what you think about switching how I review cards.  To me it would still bad wax either way, at least this way I could have a set and not sweat it out. Until tomorrow . . .