What a card: This card arrived in packs fresh off of the Tigers' World Series title with Lance Parrish as the starting catcher. During that 1984 season, Parrish's offensive performance fell off slightly from the previous two years but he still hit 33 home runs.
My observation the front: The card is off-center and miscut. That annoys me.
More opinion from me: The photo is tremendous. A beautiful ballpark setting. I've often wondered whether Topps took special care with the photos of the previous season's World Series-winning team in order that they would stand out from other teams. Some of the Tigers cards do stand out in this set.
Something you might know: Parrish is considered one of the better hitting catchers in American League history. He did strike out a lot and didn't get on base a ton. But his defense was very good and he caught Jack Morris' no-hitter in April of 1984.
Something you might not know: Parrish was in contention for the Dodgers' catching job in spring training of 1993, but lost out to a rookie named Mike Piazza. The Dodgers sent Parrish down to the minors, where he backed up future Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu. Parrish later asked for his release and made it back to the majors with the Indians.
My observation on the back: Walter Alston won six All-Star Games. Joe Torre almost caught him, winning five -- the 2002 game in which he managed ended up a tie because (*ahem*) someone ran out of pitchers.
The blog wants to speak now: A quick update to the Music tab today.
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