#33 - Any Van Slyke

Interesting photo of Van Slyke. The photographer caught him on the backswing after what looks like a foul ball. It COULD have been a swing-and-a-miss judging by the look on Andy's face, but I'm going to stick with a foul ball. The shot makes him look like a real gamer, eye black and all, but it's also Stripe City, and we all know how I feel about stripes at this point. As for the guy on dick, (yes you read correctly, look at the guy), I'm not sure who it is, but Van Slyke batted 8th most of the season, so it could be that game's starter. However, the guy's right arm has a few too many to be a pitcher. So I'm guessing it was a game when Andy didn't hit 8th. If anyone has an idea, let me know.

Van Slyke had a pretty short career (he was done by 34) but he was a great player. He didn't come into his own until he was traded to the Pirates with Mike Dunne and Mike LaValliere for Tony Pena, but in 1990 he was one third of a fantastic Pittsburgh outfield of Barry Bonds in left, Andy in center and Bobby Bonilla in right. As we all know (and I'll talk more about when we get to Jose Rijo), that team lost to the eventual Word Series champion Reds in the NLCS. Van Slyke would go on to win 5 gold gloves (nothing to scoff at for a centerfielder) and was 4th in MVP voting twice. Great player.

#8 - Terry Pendleton

We all remember the MVP for Atlanta version of Pendleton, but here's a shot of the crappy .240 hitter with ZERO power version of TP. But this is actually a nice card. There's some nice symmetry between the catcher (gotta be Gary Carter, right?) and batter, and come to think of it, the fuzzy guy on deck, too. It's also another good example of the ridiculously stripey Cards' unis of the 80s. I hated those stupid striped waistbands, thank god they got rid of those.

I also just noticed something. In the Cards' jersey graphic/logo there are two cardinals. Which, when you think about it makes sense because the team is the St. Louis Cardinals (plural). Are there any other teams who used this strategy? The Red Sox have a secondary logo with two socks, but since the name is spelled with an "x" I don't think that counts. Anyone?

#7 - Todd Worrell Record Breaker

Ugh, another saves record? I'm ignoring it.

As for the card itself, it's pretty sharp, except for the fact that Topps felt the need to turn up the green on the entire background. Check out the lower left hand corner and you can see that the mound is...green! I assume this wasn't some weird spring training exhibition on St. Patrick's day and that Topps just wanted a lot of green on the card. I also wish they hadn't cut off his foot. I love the cards where you can see the player's entire body. But the photo captures a HUGE leg kick, killer '80s 'stache and a very stripey Cards uni. Love it.