Today's post features the first half of the massive 1988 Topps Missing Link set. There were 20 players who suited up for the Phillies during the 1988 season who did not appear as Phillies in either the Topps regular or traded sets. Some of the omissions were justified and deserved (Salome Barojas), while other omissions angered me at the time (Bob Dernier).
When reflecting back on the 1988 season,
The Phillies Encyclopedia puts it best:
The club performed atrociously throughout, mixing one unethusiastic performance after another with injuries, season-long slumps, and a rash of player moves that did little else but give a lot of people a chance to tell their grandchildren that they once wore a big league uniform.
A few other notes:
- I almost didn't share the Barojas card here but I figured I was among friends so the snickering at my graphic design skills would be held to a minimum. (The Al Pardo and Bill Scherrer cards, which will follow shortly, almost didn't get published either.)
- Most of the photos used are from the 1988 Phillies Yearbook or the 1989 Tastykake Phillies set.
Look for the 1989 Topps Phillies post in 2012! (Or at some point in 2011, time permitting.)
2 comments:
Man, what a squad. This is what makes the current Phillies such a joy to watch, having lived (and died a little) watching teams like the '88 Phillies.
I didn't realize Bill Almon was a Phillie. He was a traded set staple in the '80s; for that reason alone, Topps should have included him in yet another Topps Traded set.
I think Bill Almon would deny his involvement with the Phillies too!
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