Friday, August 26, 2016

#569 - Ken Oberkfell


What a card: This is Ken Oberkfell's first appearance on a Topps card in an Atlanta Brave uniform. He appears as a Brave in an airbrushed helmet in the 1984 Traded set.

My observation on the front: "Put me in coach."

More opinion from me: I remember when I first became aware of Oberkfell in the late 1970s. What an odd name, I thought. It sounded like something I'd make up as an alias under duress.

Something you might know: Oberkfell was the Cardinals' starting third baseman on their 1982 World Series championship team and drove in the winning run against the Braves during Game 2 of the National League Championship Series with a ninth-inning single.

Something you might not know: Oberkfell grew up not far from St. Louis. His favorite team was the Cardinals and his favorite player was third baseman Ken Boyer. Oberkfell was drafted by St. Louis, played third base for the Cardinals, and his manager from 1978-1980 was Ken Boyer.


My observation on the back: Saves became an official stat in 1969 but didn't appear on the back of Topps cards until 1981.

The blog wants to speak now: The Pop Culture tab is updated.

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