Monday, April 9, 2012
#35 - Graig Nettles
What a card: This is Graig Nettles' first base Topps card as a San Diego Padre. He's featured with the Padres in the 1984 Topps Traded set.
My observation on the front: Nettles is displaying the "RAK" memorial on his sleeve, which was for late McDonald's founder and Padres owner Ray Kroc. Kroc died in January 1984.
More opinion from me: It was very strange seeing Nettles in anything other than a Yankee uniform back then. I know he played for the Twins and Indians before he came to the Yankees, but that was before I knew anything about baseball. As far as I was concerned, he was always a Yankee.
Something you might know: Nettles earned a trade to the Padres after Yankees owner George Steinbrenner didn't take kindly to criticism of him in Nettles' newly released book "Balls."
Something you might not know: Nettles is mentioned at the end of Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" video. This is appropriate because "Glory Days" was released in 1985.
My observation on the back: It always surprises me that Nettles' brother played in the majors until 1981. I had no knowledge of Jim Nettles when I watched baseball as a kid between 1975-81. Of course, that's because he played in the majors after 1974 only in 1979 (11 games with Kansas City) and 1981 (1 game with Oakland).
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4 comments:
Nit Picking time! Ray Kroc did not found McDonalds, the McDonald brothers did. Kroc bought them out and made it a gigantic fast food juggernaut. Slight, but important difference.
OK. Fast-food historian.
"It was very strange seeing Nettles in anything other than a Yankee uniform back then. I know he played for the Twins and Indians before he came to the Yankees, but that was before I knew anything about baseball. As far as I was concerned, he was always a Yankee."
Pretty much my exact thoughts upon seeing the picture of the card at the top of the post.
Look at all those seasons in the .230's-.250's with batting averages. Yikes. Surprised me a bit.
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