Monday, January 19, 2015

#370 - Bruce Sutter


What a card: This is Bruce Sutter's final Topps card as a St. Louis Cardinal. He signed with Atlanta as a free agent after the 1984 season.

My observation on the front: The birds on the bat appear to be admiring Sutter's extraordinarily thick beard.

More opinion from me: It's interesting how Sutter's beard was at its fullest when he was at his best with the Cardinals. There was something very Samson-like about it.

Something you might know: Sutter popularized the split-finger pitch -- a.k.a. "The Pitch of the '80s" -- and won the Cy Young Award for the National League in 1979.

Something you might not know: Sutter learned the split-finger pitch in 1973, but before that he struggled in the Cubs' minor league system. Sutter's manager in Quincy, Ill., Walt Dixon, once told the Cubs' minor league department, "When Bruce Sutter is ready for the big leagues, that will be the day the Communists take over."


My observation on the back: I have a feeling a number of collectors weren't down with OBP in 1985. I don't know if the stat has ever appeared on the back of Topps' cards.

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

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