What a card: This card recognizes Harold Baines as the first pick of the 1977 MLB draft by the White Sox. Chicago selected him just ahead of Bill Gullickson and Paul Molitor.
My observation on the front: I'd love to know when this photo was taken. All of Baines's early White Sox cards show him with a full beard, including his rookie card in 1981. This card appears to be taken during the same time as the photo on this card. But that still doesn't tell me when. Just curious whether this is a photo from before his '81 Topps picture.
More opinion from me: Baines is another victim of the "snow" that has appeared on some of the cards in this set. It unfairly portrays him as having a dandruff problem.
Something you might know: The White Sox picked Baines even though Gullickson was from nearby Orland Park, Ill.
Something you might not know: Baines was a participant in one of the more horrific "pitcher-hit-by-batted-ball" incidents in MLB history. In 1981, Baines' line drive up the middle caught A's reliever Bo McLaughlin in the face, fracturing McLaughlin's jaw, nose, cheekbone and shattering his eye socket in five places. McLaughlin was in such poor condition that doctors weren't sure he'd last the night. He'd never win another game.
My observation on the back: Well, we finally have an interesting little tidbit about Bill Veeck observing Baines on a Little League field, but it was already mentioned on Baines' base card.
The blog wants to speak now: The News category is updated.
Funny how memory works. Floyd Bannister seems like a long long time ago but I'm having a hard time believing that Baines was drafted in 1977, six years before I was married. Just seems like I was watching him play the other day.
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