What a card: Don Sutton had wrapped up his third and final season with the Brewers when this card was issued. He was traded to Oakland in the offseason and initially balked about going to the A's.
My observation on the front: This card is miscut two different ways.
More opinion from me: It is still a nicer card than the first time Sutton makes an appearance in the set.
Something you might know: Sutton was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998 and some people have been complaining about his election ever since.
Something you might not know: Sutton appeared as "guest star" on several episodes of the game show "Match Game". Here's one in which he is the first person you see.
My observation on the back: This is the first time since 1971 that Sutton's Topps base card has a card number that doesn't end in 0 or 5.
The blog wants to speak now: The Ballgames category is updated.
I will never understand the opposition to Sutton for the Hall of Fame. 300 wins, 3500 strikeouts...no brainer. You can call him a compiler if you want, but to stick around long enough to compile that much means he had to be pretty good. No, he's not a Walter Johnson-level pitcher, but definitely a Hall of Famer.
ReplyDeleteJT, The Writer's Journey
I'm one of those complainers, although not too loudly. I understand he was good enough to be able to compile those numbers. I just never saw him as elite. I want the HOF to be the absolute best. He would make my "close" list.
ReplyDeleteI was never a fan of him as a player. His 300 wins seems watered down when you take into the context the era he pitched in (High 30/Low 40 starts per season, suppressed offense and pre-specialized relievers pitching era). If Don Sutton pitched anytime between the 1990's to today, his career stats would look more like CC Sabathia, David Wells or Bartolo Colon's).
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm more for an open Hall of Fame because I believe that the Hall is about recognizing the greats from each era so Don Sutton being an inductee doesn't bother me.