What a card: This is Alan Bannister's first base card appearance in a Texas Rangers uniform (he appeared in the '84 traded sets with Texas). Bannister was playing for his fifth and final team.
My observation on the front: I've seen this card a lot as I pulled several copies in some repacks. Not as many as Jerry Dybzynski and Bob Watson, but too many for my taste.
More opinion from me: The semi-rare "2B-OF" position designation is a bit of an exaggeration. Bannister played just three games in the outfield in 1984. After second base, he "played" the most at designated hitter with 10 starts there.
Something you might know: Bannister was a highly touted shortstop out of Arizona State University and picked No. 1 overall by the Phillies in the January 1973 draft. He started at short a couple of seasons with the White Sox, but never stuck there for good and became more of a "play anywhere" guy.
Something you might not know: Bannister holds the Arizona State record for most hits (101) and RBIs (90) in a season, set in 1972. Of course, that was when college players still used wood bats, so Bannister's records are designated as part of the "wood bat era."
My observation on the back: I wonder if Bannister ever combined his two hobbies? Making stained glass boats, perhaps?
The blog wants to speak now: The Pop Culture and News categories are updated. I hope to update the Other Cards category later this weekend (Edit: It's been updated).
I think Bannister began the 1975 season as the Phillies' starting center fielder, but after a few weeks they traded for Garry Maddox, and Bannister became irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteI remember rooting for him because he came from ASU. He was one of the few American League guys that I followed.
ReplyDeleteStained-glass bottomed boats.
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