Thursday, July 19, 2012

#75 - Willie Upshaw


What a card: Willie Upshaw was in the midst of his most productive period when this card was released. John Mayberry was probably the Blue Jays' first real power hitter, but Upshaw took over for Mayberry at first in 1982 and continued the slugging at that position.

My observation on the front: Just a great 1980s shot of a power hitter in action.

More opinion from me: There is almost no team that screams 1980s quite like the Blue Jays. And in a good way.

Something you might know:  Upshaw has been manager of the independent league Bridgeport Bluefish for the last three-plus years. Some former major leaguers on his team this year are Jorge Julio, Shea Hillenbrand, Jesse English, Luis Lopez and Prentice Redman.

Something you might not know: Upshaw used to hold the record for the most career home runs by someone with a last name starting with "U." He has since been surpassed by Chase Utley (who has since been surpassed by Dan Uggla).


My observation on the back: I was well aware of Gene Upshaw during his NFL career, but I have to admit, I never heard of Marv Upshaw. That's because Marv's NFL career ended in 1976, which was just as I was getting acquainted with football.

The blog wants to speak now: Just a simple update to the Ballgames category, as the opening days continue in Major League Baseball.

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