What a card: John Denny was coming off a frustrating season when this card was issued. After winning the Cy Young Award in 1983, Denny pitched fairly well in '84 but missed two months of the season with elbow problems.
My observation on the front: Denny is wearing a 100th anniversary patch that the Phillies wore in 1983 to commemorate 100 years of Phillies baseball. So this photo is probably older than your average 1985 Topps photo.
More opinion from me: Clouds figure prominently in Denny's cards. There's this one and this one and this one and this one and especially this one.
Something you might know: Denny led the National League in earned run average in 1976 and in victories in 1983. Both were something of a surprise.
Something you might not know: You did not mess with Denny. A black belt in karate, he was accused of assaulting a Cincinnati Reds reporter in 1986 and taken to court (Denny was not found guilty but entered a probationary program that erased the complaint from his record). And he's a prominent part of a memorable brawl between the Reds and Mets in 1986. Anyone willing to leap on top of Kevin Mitchell is not someone afraid of a dark alley.
My observation on the back: Denny finished seventh in the National League in complete games with 11 in 1978. In the last 14 years, the only player to even equal that mark is James Shields for Tampa Bay in 2011.
The blog wants to speak now: The pop culture tab is updated.
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