What a card: This is Don Slaught's first card immediately after his first season as the starting catcher for the Royals. But it would be his last card with the Royals as he was traded to Texas in January 1985.
My observation on the front: If this doesn't make you wish that Topps still used posed shots at spring training in their flagship set then I don't know what will. Just fantastic.
More opinion from me: Love the yellow advertising banners with this card. And the trees!
Something you might know: A solid contact hitter who once set a Rangers record for most homers by a catcher in a season (16), Slaught became known as one-half of the catching platoon (with Mike LaValliere) for the early '90s Pirates. It was the Sluggo and Spanky Show.
Something you might not know: Slaught's .345 batting average in 1992 was the best average for a catcher with more than 250 at-bats (Slaught had 285) since Elston Howard hit .348 in 1961.
My observation on the back: I know the term "quarterback" is sometimes used in other sports to describe someone who directs the play, but I believe football is the only sport where "quarterback" is an actual position. So "football quarterback" is like saying "baseball shortstop."
The blog wants to speak now: The News category is updated.
Love this card, always rooted for Don Slaught too - one of those "random guys" in your youth you liked for no specific reason...
ReplyDeleteHis setting the team record for HRs by a catcher in a season qualifies as a Don Slaught onslaught!
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Sluggo!!!
ReplyDelete2015 Topps, you could probably count the number of posed shots on two hands...a far cry from the ratio when I first collected back in the early 1990s.
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