#272 - The 1969 No. 1 Draft Pick - Jeff Burroughs

What a card: This card commemorates the Senators' selection of Jeff Burroughs with the No. 1 pick in the 1969 MLB amateur draft. The Astros selected J.R. Richard with the No. 2 pick.

My observation on the front: This is a great old-time look on a card from 1985. It might be the first color photograph of a Senators uniform in a Topps set since the 1971 set (or the 1972 set if you count all those airbrushed Rangers).

More opinion from me: This was the coolest of the draft pick subset cards for me because I simply wasn't around for the Senators and to pull a Senators card was pretty fantastic.

Something you might know: Burroughs was a 19-year-old phenom when he made his major league debut in 1970.

Something you might not know: Burroughs hit a home run in his very first exhibition game, which thrilled his manager Ted Williams, who had been talking up Burroughs as the player who would follow him as the next .400 hitter.

My observation on the back: Zzzzzzzzzz ... he hit a home run in the '68 Legion regional final? Do go on.

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

#91 - Jeff Burroughs

What a card: Jeff Burroughs was scraping the bottom of his 16-year career at this point, batting .211 for the Oakland A's in 1984. He'd play for the Blue Jays in 1985 and that'd be that.

My observation the front: Who doesn't love a batting cage shot ... and an unstrapped batting glove shot?

More opinion from me: Burroughs was one of those guys who seemed to change his appearance every year on his baseball card. Long hair one year. Clean-shaven the next. Beard one year. Glasses the next. Not many where he looks the same in back-to-back years.

Something you might know: Burroughs, the No. 1 pick in the 1969 draft, won American League MVP honors with the Texas Rangers in 1974, just his second full year in the majors. He added a 41-homer, return-to-glory season for the Braves in 1977.

Something you might not know: Burroughs famously coached his son, Sean, to the Little League World Series in 1992 and 1993 as a member of the Long Beach all-star team. But he was also the Little League coach for current Phillies infielder Chase Utley.

My observation on the back: Bobby Grich was a senior at Wilson when Burroughs was a sophomore. At one point in the majors, five former students of Wilson High were in the majors -- Burroughs, Grich, Bob Bailey, Ed Crosby and Casey Cox.

The blog wants to speak now: The Ballgames, News and Pop Culture tabs are updated. An eerie preview of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and the Hulk in Sports Illustrated. Whatcha gonna do?