Philly Baseball Card Show Report - Rainy, Quick Trip

We weren't supposed to attend this show, as Doug had a travel baseball tournament scheduled for the weekend in the Toms River area.  The torrential downpour that started on Friday night scuttled those plans, so we pivoted and made the hour-plus drive to Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest Philadelphia Sports Collector Show, better known as The Philly Show.

Our goals were simple.  Doug wanted to add a Michael Lorenzen signature to the recently released Phillies scorecard celebrating the pitcher's August no-hitter.  Lorenzen may not return in 2024, and this could have easily been the only chance to get his autograph before he moves on.  I wanted to add at least one Diamond Stars card and hopefully a few 1969 Topps star cards.  My massive 1969 Topps haul from March is still mostly sitting on my project table, as life and work have forced me to step away from my 1969 Topps blog for a little bit.  (I hope to return to it in October.)

We drove through a hard, steady rain, navigated our way through the confusing admission lines, found the not-well-marked autograph pavilion, stood in line again, purchased our autograph tickets and waited our turn.  I made an impulse Jim Thome autograph ticket purchase, as I wanted to have the Hall of Famer sign his Phillies Alumni photo card.

For the first time ever, I spent all my allotted money at one table and one table only.  Technically, it was two tables, but the two dealers from the Buffalo area were working together and even provided me with a joint business card.  From the Ed Hans side of the table, I found a Paul Waner card needed for my 1934-36 Diamond Stars set build, which is steadily plugging along.  From the Gary Nuchereno side of the table, I first settled on four star cards needed for our 1969 Topps set - all in good shape and very reasonably priced.  After we secured Thome's and Lorenzen's autographs, I went back and found 11 needed commons and semistars from the same dealer's 1969 Topps binder.

Doug spent his money on Ultra Pro supplies with nary a new baseball card purchased.  We were on our way out in less than two hours, me with 16 new cards for my two current, primary set builds and a Thome autograph, Doug with his signed Lorenzen scorecard and some much needed supplies.  We'll now rest up and get ready to likely do a little more damage at the next show in December.

Recent Memory Lane

Valley Forge 12 - December 2021 - Huge haul of 1965 Topps, Jim Thome

Valley Forge 13 - March 2022 - Easy like Sunday morning, close to completing 1965 Topps

Oaks 3 - December 2022 - 1965 Topps set completed, dent made in 1969 Topps, Schwarber, Vierling and Stott

Oaks 4 - March 2023 - Huge haul of 1969 Topps and five Diamond Stars cards added

Oaks 5 - September 2023 - Thome, Lorenzen, only 26 cards purchased from two dealers

1992 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"

Description:  For the fourth year in a row, the card fronts feature a photo with the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  Medford Food Company sponsored the set for the second year in a row. 

In the spring of 1992, the new Phillies uniform were kept top secret and they didn't make their public debut until opening day.  The cards in this set feature portraits of all players, coaches and the manager in their new uniforms, and (in my opinion) this is one of the nicer team-issued photo card sets released by the Phillies.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card base set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the 1992 season.  The ten card update set was available for sale at some point beginning in late June or early July.  Pat Combs is the "newest" Phillie in the update set, having joined the team on June 18th.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards): 

1. Kyle Abbott (#47 - LHP) 2. Ruben Amaro (#33 - OF) 3. Andy Ashby (#40 - RHP) 4. Wally Backman (#6 - INF) 5. Kim Batiste (#5 - INF) 6. Larry Bowa (#2 - CO) 7. Cliff Brantley (#51 - LHP) 8. Wes Chamberlain (#44 - OF)            9. Danny Cox (#34 - RHP) 10. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 11. Mariano Duncan (#7 - INF) 12. Lenny Dykstra (#4 - OF)

13. Jim Fregosi (#11 - MG) 14. Tommy Greene (#49 - RHP) 15. Dave Hollins (#15 - INF) 16. Barry Jones (#50 - RHP) 17. John Kruk (#29 - INF) 18. Steve Lake (#30 - C) 19. Jim Lindeman (#19 - OF) 20. Denis Menke (#14 - CO) 21. Mickey Morandini (#12 - INF) 22. Terry Mulholland (Close up photo - #45 - LHP)     23. Dale Murphy (#3 - OF) 24. Johnny Podres (#46 - CO)

25. Wally Ritchie (#39 - LHP) 26. Mel Roberts (#26 - CO) 27. Mike Ryan (#25 - CO) 28. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP)        29. Steve Searcy (#24 - LHP) 30. Dale Sveum (#8 - INF) 31. John Vukovich (#18 - CO) 32. Mitch Williams (#28 - LHP)     33. Phillie Phanatic 34. Phillies Team 35. Veterans Stadium 36. Uniforms Through the Years

Complete Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards):

1. Bob Ayrault (#55 - RHP) 2. Brad Brink (#23 - RHP) 3. Pat Combs (#21 - LHP)        4. Jeff Grotewold (#48 - C)

5. Mike Hartley (#42 - RHP) 6. Ricky Jordan (#17 - INF/OF)        7. Tom Marsh (#9 - OF)

8. Terry Mulholland (Shoulders visible - #45 - LHP) 9. Ben Rivera (#34 - RHP) 10. Don Robinson (#35 - RHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Robinson

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (13):  Abbott, Amaro, Ayrault, Batiste, Brantley, Duncan, Grotewold, Hartley, Jones, Marsh, Rivera, Schilling, Sveum
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (21):  Ashby, Backman, Brink, Chamberlain, Combs, Cox, Daulton, Dykstra, Greene, Hollins, Jordan, Kruk, Lake, Lindeman, Morandini, Mulholland (two versions), Murphy, Ritchie, Searcy, Williams

Don Robinson's eight game stint with the Phillies to wrap up his 15-year career is commemorated with his sole Phillies baseball card in the update set.

Managers (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Menke, Podres, Roberts, Ryan, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  Like everyone else in the set, the Phanatic is posed in a studio setting, wearing his new uniform.

Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (1):  Uniforms Through the Years
Other Cards (2):  Phillies Team, Veterans Stadium

The Uniform Through the Years card is perhaps one of the coolest cards ever produced by the Phillies for its team-issued photo card sets.  It was originally given out on Opening Day as a poster.  Veterans Stadium gets its first card since the 1984 Tastykake Phillies set.

Set Composition:  The 25 players in the base set represent the entire opening day roster, which is a fairly impressive feat.  The nine new players in the update set feature players who made their season debut with the team between mid-April (Grotewold) and mid-June (Combs).  For some reason, Mulholland receives another card in the update set, with a different posed photo than the original base set.  

Omissions:  Those who could have had cards in the update set but were omitted are Julio Peguero, Darrin Chapin and Steve Scarsone.  Peguero was called up on the second day of the season after Dykstra suffered a broken hand on opening day.  Chapin was on the active roster for six games in late April/early May, and Scarsone was on the active roster for 18 games in May into early June.

Variations/Rarities:  In the original post for this set, fellow collectors Rick and Steve helped me piece together a checklist of photo cards available at the annual ALS Autograph Party.  The checklist below features four players who were on the active roster, but had not appeared on officially released photo cards by the time of the annual fund raising event, held on August 10th.  Mike Williams received a card, and must have been at the event, although the team's transaction log shows him being optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 29th.  Only Greg Mathews was omitted here, which is odd, as the pitcher had been recalled from Triple-A on July 17th and stayed with the team for the remainder of the season.

Along with these five "update" cards for recently added players, 12 more cards were produced for either returning Phillies alumni or other, non-alumni former players.

ALS Autograph Party 1. Dick Allen 2. Jay Baller (#56 - RHP)           3. Steve Bedrosian 4. Dave Cash 5. Joe Coleman, Jr.

6. Joe Coleman, Sr. 7. Stan Javier (#22 - OF) 8. Sparky Lyle       9. Garry Maddox 10. Tug McGraw 11. Joe Millette (#27 - INF)

12. Dickie Noles 13. Todd Pratt (#23 - C) 14. Bobby Shantz 15. Joe Torre 16. Elmer Valo 17. Mike Williams (#41 - RHP)

Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday: April 7, 1992; Uniforms Through the Years

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Rick (@rickphils) and Steve F.

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years.

1991 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1993 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Series Preview - Red Sox at Phillies: September 14th to September 15th

1971 Topps #649

1971 Topps #92

Saturday 7:05 and Sunday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

I haven't researched this, but I can't remember the last time the Phillies started a series on a Saturday after a Friday off day.  It has to be at least 15 years or more.

Red Sox 77-70, 3rd place in the A.L. East, 19 games behind the Yankees
Phillies 76-70, 3rd place in the N.L. East, 14 1/2 games behind the Braves

Red Sox Probables:  Eduardo Rodriguez (17-6, 3.73), Rick Porcello (12-12, 5.83)
Phillies Probables:  Aaron Nola (12-5, 3.70), Jason Vargas (0-2, 5.01)

At the Ballpark:  It's Childhood Cancer Awareness night at the ballpark tonight.  Tomorrow, all kids will receive the annual Phillies W.B. Mason collectible truck.

Red Sox Leaders
Average:  Rafael Devers - .314
Runs:  Mookie Betts - 131
Home Runs:  J.D. Martinez - 35
RBIs:  Rafael Devers - 107
Stolen Bases:  Mookie Betts - 15

Wins:  Eduardo Rodriguez - 17
ERA:  Eduardo Rodriguez - 3.73

Strikeouts:  Chris Sale - 218
Saves:  Brandon Workman - 12

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Jean Segura - .284
Runs:  J.T. Realmuto - 89
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 31
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 102
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 13

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 12
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.70

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 207
Saves:  Hector Neris - 26

Game 68 - 1992 Phillies Team Issue ALS Phillies Phestival Sparky Lyle

Diamondbacks 2, Phillies 0
Game 68 - Wednesday Night, June 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 38-30, 2nd place, 1 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A solid performance from Zach Eflin was wasted as the Phillies offense couldn't solve D-Backs starting pitcher Merrill Kelly in this 2-0 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies are now back in second place for the first time since April 25th.  After a Thursday off day, they'll head to Atlanta for a crucial three-game weekend series.

What Happened:  Eflin went eight innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out nine.  The offense managed three hits, two coming from Nick Williams who was starting in place of Bryce Harper.  Harper was not in the starting line-up for the first time this season.

Featured Card:  I spent Wednesday evening getting ready for the annual ALS Phillies Phestival, to be held on Thursday afternoon.  This is only the third year we've attended this event, which results in my now annual refrain to Jenna of, "I can't believe we didn't start going to this sooner."  It's a fantastic event, resulting in a great haul of autographs and most importantly raising money in the fight against ALS.

Since the Phestival began, 35 years ago, the Phillies have had a habit of producing special photo cards for players, alumni or guests in attendance who wouldn't otherwise have a photo card available.  Some of these cards have become my personal white whales, resulting in eBay saved searches for "Yorkis Perez Phillies" or even just "Phestival."

This Sparky Lyle card was made available at the 1992 event, and I'll be on the hunt for any new cards produced this year.  Candidates this year for an ALS Phillies Phestival exclusive card are:

• Jay Bruce
• Edgar Garcia
• JD Hammer
• Adam Haseley (currently on the IL)
• Ranger Suarez

Transactions:  Edubray Ramos returned from the Injured List, where he had been since mid-May.  Austin Davis took the shuttle back to Lehigh Valley.

Game 77 - 1982 Donruss #189 Sparky Lyle

Yankees 6, Phillies 0
Game 77 - Tuesday Night, June 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 41-36, 2nd place, 3 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Jake Arrieta's shaky outing, a dominant pitching performance from Luis Severino and a crucial error from Cesar Hernandez in the third inning led to this 6-0 Yankees win.

What It Means:  The Phillies will try to avoid the three-game sweep on Wednesday night.

What Happened:  Hernandez should have turned an inning-ended double play, but he threw wide to Scott Kingery and three unearned runs ultimately scored.  Arrieta also allowed home runs to Austin Hicks and Didi Gregorius.  Severino struck out 9 in his outing with the Phillies going 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  I'm sticking with the Sparky Lyle theme until the Phils can beat the Yankees.

Game 76 - 1981 Topps #719 Sparky Lyle

Yankees 4, Phillies 2
Game 76 - Monday Night, June 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 41-35, 2nd place, 3 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies were baffled by Yankees starter Jonathan Loaisiga and Aaron Judge hit his 20th home run in this 4-2 loss.

What It Means:  If the Phillies want to consider themselves a playoff contender, they'll need to perform better against the elite teams in the league.

What Happened:  Rhys Hoskins lost his cool and bickered with a fan behind the dugout after striking out in the 6th inning.  The offense had three hits, one of which was a solo home run (10) from Maikel Franco with two outs in the 9th.  Vince Velasquez pitched well, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out seven in his six innings of work.

Featured Card:  I've always thought Sparky Lyle's baseball cards were cool.  I featured the 1977 Cy Young Award Winner's 1978 Topps card within the series preview post, but here's one of his cards from his time with the Phillies from 1980 to 1982.

Transactions:  Prior to the game, Jesmuel Valentin was activated from the paternity list and Mitch Walding was optioned to the IronPigs.  Reliever Edubray Ramos was placed on the disabled list with a shoulder injury and Hector Neris returned from his brief exile to Lehigh Valley.

Series Preview - Yankees at Phillies: June 25th to June 27th

1978 Topps #35

1978 Topps #715

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Yankees 50-25, Tied for 1st place in the A.L. East, 14 games ahead of the Rays
Phillies 41-34, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

Yankees Probables:  Jonathan Loaisiga (1-0, 3.12), Luis Severino (11-2, 2.24), Luis Cessa (0-0, 3.00)
Phillies Probables:  Vince Velasquez (5-7, 4.82), Jake Arrieta (5-5, 3.42), Zach Eflin (5-2, 3.44)

At the Ballpark:  There are absolutely no giveaways or promotions for this series, as the Phillies rightfully assume they'll have no problems selling tickets.

Yankees Leaders
Average:  Miguel Andujar - .284
Runs:  Aaron Judge - 50
Home Runs:  Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton - 19
RBIs:  Aaron Judge - 51
Stolen Bases:  Didi Gregorius - 9

Wins:  Luis Severino - 11
ERA:  Luis Severino - 2.24
Strikeouts:  Luis Severino - 123
Saves:  Aroldis Chapman - 22

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .305
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 54
Home Runs:  Odubel Herrera and Carlos Santana - 13
RBIs:  Carlos Santana - 46
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 12

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 9
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.58
Strikeouts:  Nick Pivetta - 101
Saves:  Hector Neris - 10

Series Preview - Nationals at Phillies: April 7th to April 9th

Friday 3:05, Saturday 7:05 and Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Nationals 2-1, Tied for 1st Place in the N.L. East, 1 game ahed of three teams
Phillies 1-2, Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 1 game behind the Mets and Nationals

Nationals Probables:  Max Scherzer (0-0, 0.00), Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 2.57), Joe Ross (0-0, 0.00)
Phillies Probables:  Vince Velasquez (0-0, 0.00), Aaron Nola (0-0, 0.00), Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 1.80)

At the Ballpark:  It's the Phillies opening weekend!  All fans today will receive a Phillies knit hat and fans 15 and older will receive a Phillies Opening Night t-shirt tomorrow night.  On Sunday, all kids will receive a Phillies hooded sweatshirt.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .400
Runs:  Three tied with - 2
Home Runs:  Daniel Nava - 2
RBIs:  Daniel Nava - 3
Stolen Bases:  Odubel Herrera - 1

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 1
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 1.80
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff - 6
Saves:  Jeanmer Gomez - 1

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Matt Wieters - .500
Runs:  Adam Eaton - 4
Home Runs:  Ryan Zimmerman - 2
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 3
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 2

Wins:  Tanner Roark and Stephen Strasburg - 1
ERA:  Gio Gonzalez - 0.00
Strikeouts:  Gio Gonzalez - 7
Saves:  Blake Treinen - 2

1982 Topps #779

1982 Topps #285

1982 Topps Appreciation:  For today's series preview post, I'm featuring two players who both wound up their impressive 16-year major league careers in 1982.

Because of his long career, Grant Jackson has had a number of his Topps cards featured in these series preview posts throughout the years.  I wrote this about him back in 2012:

Jackson began his 18-year career with six seasons with the Phillies.  Initially a relief pitcher, Jackson developed into a semi-reliable starting pitcher for the Phils in the late 1960s.  Between 1965 and 1970, he went 23-43 with a 3.99 ERA.  Jackson was traded to the Orioles following the 1970 season in the deal that brought Roger Freed to Philly.  Not counting his 1 game appearance in 1982, Jackson spent five full seasons with the Pirates between 1977 and 1981.  He pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Orioles in the 1979 World Series.

Jackson spent parts of the 1982 season with the Royals and Pirates, appearing in 21 games and pitching to a 5.31 ERA.  He was released by the Pirates following the season, ending his 16-year career in the majors.

Sparky Lyle came to the Phillies on September 13, 1980 in a trade with the Rangers for a player to be named later.  (Kevin Saucier was shipped to the Rangers following the season.)  He helped the Phillies down the stretch with an impressive 1.93 ERA over 10 games but was ineligible for the postseason.  Lyle spent the entire 1981 season with the Phillies, appearing in 48 games and serving as one of the more reliable relievers for the team.

He pitched in 34 more games for the Phillies in 1982 before being being sold to the White Sox on August 21st.  Like Jackson, he was released that offseason, also ending his 16-year career.

1970 Topps - Phillies Cards

1970 Topps #336

1970 Topps #485

1970 Topps #665

1970 Topps #675

I've had fun the last few years putting together these season wrap-up posts, looking at all of the cards within a particular Topps set with a Phillies connection.  Anyone who has put on a Phillies uniform at some point in his career - as a player, coach or manager - qualifies for the list below.  I also included Woody Woodward's card in my tally as he briefly served as the Phillies General Manager in 1988. Most of these cards made their way into series preview posts throughout the year, but I wanted to show some of those cards that didn't make it.

National League East (45 - 16 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (4) - #105 Tony Gonzalez, #171 Jim Nash, #384 Gary Neibauer, #546 Ron Reed
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (7) - #26 Tug McGraw, #83 Don Cardwell, #99 Bobby Pfeil, #309 Jerry Koosman WS, #468 Jerry Koosman AS, #610 Jerry Koosman, #634 Bud Harrelson
Philadelphia Phillies (29)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (5) - #332 Bobby Wine, #417 John Bateman, #442 Gene Mauch MG, #632 Gary Sutherland, #666 Adolfo Phillips

National League Central (30)
Chicago Cubs (4) - #69 Fergie Jenkins LL, #71 Fergie Jenkins LL, #240 Fergie Jenkins, #375 Johnny Callison
Cincinnati Reds (12) - #61 Pete Rose LL, #63 Tony Perez LL, #115 Alex Johnson, #181 Sparky Anderson MG, #296 Woody Woodward, #380 Tony Perez, #409 Bob Tolan, #458 Pete Rose AS, #507 Pat Corrales, #580 Pete Rose, #602 Ted Savage, #683 Wayne Simpson/Hal McRae RS
Milwaukee Brewers (Seattle Pilots) (1) - #556 Dave Bristol MG
Pittsburgh Pirates (5) - #141 Dave Cash RS, #166 Al Oliver, #264 Rich Hebner, #532 Danny Murtaugh MG, #643 Jose Pagan
St. Louis Cardinals (8) - #40 Rich Allen, #67 Steve Carlton LL, #92 George Culver, #162 Jerry Johnson, #220 Steve Carlton, #482 Tom Hilgendorf, #569 Cookie Rojas, #673 Jose Cardenal

1970 Topps #116

1970 Topps #23

1970 Topps #380

1970 Topps #537

National League West (9)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (3) - #174 Ted Sizemore, #260 Claude Osteen, #446 Billy Grabarkewitz
San Diego Padres (3) - #44 Roberto Pena, #130 Ollie Brown, #284 Jack Baldschun
San Francisco Giants (3) - #77 Frank Linzy, #378 Jim Davenport, #583 Hal Lanier

American League East (15)
Baltimore Orioles (7) - #45 Dave Johnson, #182 Dick Hall, #319 Clayton Dalrymple, #344 Marcelino Lopez, #477 Roger Freed RS, #497 Eddie Watt, #601 Pete Richert
Boston Red Sox (4) - #116 Sparky Lyle, #144 Ray Culp, #627 Gary Wagner, #665 Jim Lonborg
New York Yankees (4) - #23 Bill Robinson, #416 Joe Verbanic, #437 Danny Cater, #568 Stan Bahnsen
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (0)

American League Central (6)
Chicago White Sox (0)
Cleveland Indians (2) - #59 Dick Ellsworth, #524 Alvin Dark MG
Detroit Tigers (1) - #313 Mayo Smith MG
Kansas City Royals (0)
Minnesota Twins (3) - #25 Cesar Tovar, #75 Jim Kaat, #194 Chuck Manuel

1970 Topps #106

1970 Topps #319

1970 Topps #663

1970 Topps #570

American League West (9)
Houston Astros (3) - #32 Harry Walker MG, #155 Denis Menke, #537 Joe Morgan
Los Angeles Angels (2) - #485 Jay Johnstone, #570 Jim Fregosi
Oakland Athletics (2) - #531 Ron Clark, #663 Tito Francona
Seattle Mariners (0)
Texas Rangers (Washington Senators) (2) - #106 Darold Knowles, #336 Del Unser

Memory Lane

1970 Topps - 114 cards with Phillies connections
1973 Topps - 107 cards with Phillies connections
1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more
1985 Topps - 153 cards with Phillies connections
1988 Topps - 154 cards with Phillies connections

1973 Topps - Phillies Cards

1973 Topps #535, #396, #572 and #394

We're entering that part of the season when it's time to tie up a few loose ends here on the blog, and set our sights on the better and brighter days that lie ahead for the Phillies.  The 2013 Chachi set uses the design of the 1973 Topps set, and I've enjoyed featuring 1973 Topps cards with some connection to each series opponent in my series preview posts.

Almost a year ago to the day, I posted a comprehensive list of cards from the 1979 Topps set that somehow had a Phillies connection.  This post will serve to do the same with the 1973 Topps set, and it will give me an excuse to show off some cards from teams the Phillies did not face during the 2013 season.

There are 112 (out of 726) cards in the 1979 Topps set with Phillies connections* and I've determined the 1973 Topps set has 107 (out of 660) cards with Phillies connections.

*My original post tallied 111 cards in the 1979 Topps set with Phillies connections, but when the team named Steve Henderson its new hitting coach last October, the number jumped up one to 112.

National League East (41 - 10 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (5) - #72 Ron Reed, #169 Ron Schueler, #237 Lew Burdette/Ken Silvestri CO, #550 Davey Johnson, #653 Joe Hoerner
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (4) - #30 Tug McGraw, #184 Jerry Koosman, #223 Bud Harrelson, #525 Jim Fregosi
Philadelphia Phillies (31)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (1) - #377 Gene Mauch MG

National League Central (24)
Chicago Cubs (2) - #180 Fergie Jenkins, #393 Jose Cardenal
Cincinnati Reds (9) - #28 Hal McRae, #52 Denis Menke, #130 Pete Rose, #202 Pete Rose NLCS, #208 Bobby Tolan/Denis Menke NLCS, #230 Joe Morgan, #275 Tony Perez, #296 Sparky Anderson MG, #335 Bobby Tolan
Milwaukee Brewers (7) - #71 Johnny Briggs, #74 Billy Champion, #332 John Felske, #386 Don Money, #451 John Vukovich, #526 Ollie Brown, #646 Harvey Kuenn CO
Pittsburgh Pirates (3) - #2 Rich Hebner, #225 Al Oliver, #397 Dave Cash
St. Louis Cardinals (3) - #128 Ted Sizemore, #269 Tim McCarver, #364 Rick Wise

National League West (10)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (3) - #239 Pete Richert, #490 Claude Osteen, #609 Davey Lopes RS
San Diego Padres (4) - #12 Johnny Podres/Bob Skinner CO, #57 Derrel Thomas, #133 Dave Roberts, #542 Pat Corrales
San Francisco Giants (3) - #121 Dave Rader, #322 Garry Maddox, #606 Gary Matthews RS

1973 Topps #9, #20, #301 and #362

American League East (9)
Baltimore Orioles (3) - #9 Johnny Oates, #362 Eddie Watt, #396 Grant Jackson
Boston Red Sox (1) - #317 Danny Cater
New York Yankees (5) - #68 Sparky Lyle LL, #116 Jim Hegan CO, #394 Sparky Lyle, #479 Hal Lanier, #535 Johnny Callison
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (0)

American League Central (18)
Chicago White Sox (6) - #20 Stan Bahnsen, #62 Dick Allen LL, #63 Dick Allen LL, #310 Dick Allen, #356 Joe Lonnett CO, #379 Cy Acosta
Cleveland Indians (4) - #247 Del Unser, #272 Ed Farmer, #372 Oscar Gamble, #425 Alex Johnson
Detroit Tigers (3) - #29 Tony Taylor, #146 Woodie Fryman, #369 Lerrin LaGrow
Kansas City Royals (3) - #188 Cookie Rojas, #428 Wayne Simpson, #593 Galen Cisco CO
Minnesota Twins (2) - #530 Jim Kaat, #622 Larry Hisle

American League West (5)
Houston Astros (2) - #242 George Culver, #572 Gary Sutherland
Los Angeles Angels (1) - #301 Billy Grabarkewitz
Oakland Athletics (1) - #274 Darold Knowles
Seattle Mariners (0)
Texas Rangers (1) - #138 Horacio Pina

1973 Topps #12, #208 and #606

Memory Lane

1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more

1979 Topps - Phillies Cards

1979 Topps #231, #253, #88 and #74

As the 2012 baseball season draws to a close, I'm getting closer to the end of my season-long appreciation of the 1979 Topps set.  Where possible, and when there's been a logical connection, I've featured the 1979 Topps cards of ex, current or future Phillies in my series preview posts.

There were several American League teams the Phillies didn't play against this year, so several worthy 1979 Topps Phillies-related cards didn’t have a chance to be properly featured. For posterity's sake, I decided to showcase some of those cards here and provide the full list of Phillies-related cards within the 1979 Topps set. (Please let me know if I’ve missed any.)

Of the 726 cards in the set, 111 have a Phillies connection, representing a little over 15% of the total set.  The list only includes people who actually played, coached or managed with the Phillies and it does not include those who passed through the Phillies minor league system.  So #243 Buck Martinez (drafted by the Phillies in 1967, but lost to the Royals via the Astros in the 1968 Rule 5 draft), #132 Rowland Office (played for the Phillies Triple-A affiliate in 1982), and several others aren’t included in the tally.

National League East (43 - 18 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (4) - #39 Dale Murphy, #85 Gary Matthews, #504 Larry McWilliams, #629 Gene Garber
Miami Marlins (0) - None (obviously)
New York Mets (5) - #305 Willie Montanez, #545 John Stearns, #566 Nino Espinosa, #621 Pat Zachry, #655 Jerry Koosman
Philadelphia Phillies (25)
Washington Nationals (9) (the team formerly known as the Montreal Expos) - #43 Wayne Twitchell, #124 Dan Schatzeder, #269 Woodie Fryman, #395 Dave Cash, #468 Stan Bahnsen, #495 Tony Perez, #581 Darold Knowles, #628 Del Unser, #673 Tom Hutton

National League Central (27)
Chicago Cubs (9) - #398 Ivan DeJesus, #412 Hack Wilson ATRH, #489 Larry Cox, #513 Dave Johnson, #579 Greg Gross, #592 Mike Krukow, #614 Willie Hernandez, #639 Manny Trillo, #693 Dave Rader
Cincinnati Reds (6) - #20 Joe Morgan, #126 Doug Bair, #204 Pete Rose RB, #259 Sparky Anderson MG, #301 Tom Hume, #650 Pete Rose
Houston Astros (1) - #49 Vern Ruhle
Milwaukee Brewers (4) - #180 Larry Hisle, #265 Don Money, #474 Dick Davis, #685 Sixto Lezcano
Pittsburgh Pirates (4) - #117 Grant Jackson, #223 Kent Tekulve, #264 Don Robinson, #637 Bill Robinson
St. Louis Cardinals (3) - #59 John Denny, #111 Roger Freed, #143 Tony Scott

National League West (6)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (2) - #104 Johnny Oates, #290 Dave Lopes
San Diego Padres (4) - #263 Oscar Gamble, #342 Dave Roberts, #616 Billy Almon, #679 Derrel Thomas
San Francisco Giants (0)

1979 Topps #199, #365, #61 and #544

American League East (8)
Baltimore Orioles (3) - #37 Joe Kerrigan, #102 Mike Anderson, #543 Kiko Garcia
Boston Red Sox (1) - #375 Bill Campbell
New York Yankees (3) - #365 Sparky Lyle, #558 Jay Johnstone, #626 Bob Lemon MG
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (1) - #64 Tom Underwood

American League Central (17)
Chicago White Sox (6) - #88 Bob Molinaro, #134 Alan Bannister, #169 Bill Nahorodny, #514 Mike Proly, #527 Lerrin LaGrow, #686 Ron Schueler
Cleveland Indians (4) - #61 Bo Diaz, #253 Rick Wise, #459 Sid Monge, #573 Jim Kern
Detroit Tigers (3) - #231 Johnny Wockenfuss, #272 Tim Corcoran, #469 Lance Parrish
Kansas City Royals (2) - #585 Hal McRae, #664 Doug Bird
Minnesota Twins (2) - #41 Gene Mauch MG, #709 Sam Perlozzo

American League West (10)
Los Angeles Angels (2) - #424 Jim Fregosi MG, #557 Ken Brett
Oakland Athletics (2) - #458 Jim Essian, #711 Dwayne Murphy
Seattle Mariners (2) - #74 Shane Rawley, #199 Larry Milbourne
Texas Rangers (4) - #391 Al Oliver, #463 Steve Comer, #499 Pat Corrales MG, #544 Fergie Jenkins

1979 Topps #499, #709 and #424

1981 Fleer Star Stickers #91 Sparky Lyle

In the late '70s and early '80s, two prominent relief pitchers were sporting amazing handle-bar mustaches. One was Rollie Fingers, and the other was Sparky Lyle, who pitched for the Phillies from 1980 until 1982.

Of course, Sparky gained his fame as the Yankees' closer and situational lefty reliever throughout the '70s. He won the Cy Young Award in 1977, compiling a record of 13-5 (all in relief!), an ERA of 2.17 and saving 26 games. He pitched in the Postseason for the Yankees in 1976, 1977 and 1978.

In September 1980, looking for bullpen help for the final few weeks of the season, the Phils acquired Sparky from the Texas Rangers. He'd pitch parts of 3 seasons with the Phils, going 12-9 with a 4.37 ERA in 92 games. In August 1982, Sparky was sold to the Chicago White Sox, where he would pitch 11 games before calling it a career. Sparky Lyle has been the manager of the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League since 1998.