Friday, May 17, 2013

#177 - Dave Von Ohlen


What a card: This is Dave Von Ohlen's sophomore card, but he was released by the Cardinals by the time the card was issued. The Indians signed him as a free agent in January 1985.

My observation on the front: I'm just now realizing how much the old powder blue uniforms look like surgical scrubs. Minus the script and piping, of course.

More opinion from me: I feel guilty saying this as the operator of the 1985 Topps blog, but the design is not my favorite. The jumble of geometric objects at the bottom often makes me think I'm missing out on something in the bottom part of the photo. This is one of those times.

Something you might know: Von Ohlen, a native of Flushing, N.Y., was drafted by his hometown Mets and pitched for the organization for seven years in the minors, never hitting the bigs at Shea Stadium.

Something you might not know: Von Ohlen played in the Men's Senior Baseball League, a national organization for players of all ages, more than 10 years after his retirement from the major leagues. In a New York Times article, he admitted the fields weren't in great shape, so he brought a bottle of water with him and raked the field. That drew some ribbing from teammates who knew he was an ex-MLBer.


My observation on the back: I like it when I read about major league players bowling.

The blog wants to speak now: The News category is updated.

1 comment:

jacobmrley said...

You recently posted how the 1988 Topps design is your favorite from the decade. To me, the 85 is the best (with 81 and 88 right behind). I find that "geometric jumble" at the bottom both very indicative of mid 80's style and timelessly appealing. I also love the font on the back (if not the colors). My point is, I am always willing to throw down to defend the 1985 Topps design (and denigrate the derivative 1983 design that is so beloved, it is just 1963's design with different fonts and an extra border).