Showing posts with label Moreland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moreland. Show all posts

Friday, April 17, 2020

1985 Game 8 - 1982 Donruss #119 Keith Moreland

Cubs 5Phillies 4
Game 8 - Wednesday Afternoon, April 17th in Chicago
Record - 1-7, 6th Place, 6 games behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A seventh inning rally capped by a bases clearing double from Keith Moreland led to this 5-4 win by the Cubs over the Phillies.

What It Means:  The Cubs completed the three-game sweep on my Mom's birthday.  These were two teams going in opposite directions.  The Phillies started the season at 1-7 while the Cubs were the inverse at 7-1 and tied for first place with the Mets.

What Happened:  The Phillies held a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh thanks to an RBI single from Steve Jeltz in the fifth and a two-run home run from Ozzie Virgil in the seventh.  Starting pitcher Shane Rawley yielded to Kevin Gross in the seventh after allowing the first two Cubs batters to reach on singles.  Gross allowed a third single before a passed ball scored Steve Lake.  Moreland then delivered his game-changing double to score Bob Dernier, Ryne Sandberg and Davey Lopes.  Moreland was thrown out at third by Glenn Wilson trying to stretch his double.

The Phillies would score again in the ninth off Cubs closer Lee Smith, but it wasn't enough.  Mike Schmidt had another 0 for 4 day and through the first eight games of the season he was batting .043.

Featured Card:  It was Moreland's turn to victimize his former team as he went 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs.  Moreland hit .307 with 14 home runs and a career high 106 RBIs in 1985, earning N.L. MVP votes at the end of the season.  I'm featuring one of Moreland's Phillies cards here, but a few years ago I took a look at the ex-Phillies featured on Cubs cards within the 1985 Topps set with this post.

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Limited Edition Chachi Insert Set: 1978 Topps Missing Links

I've needed a Phillies break since the conclusion of the Freefall of '18 wrapped up, but I wanted to break my hiatus to post these cards today.  My wife's birthday is approaching and 1978 was a big year for her so I thought I'd use her upcoming birthday as motivation to wrap up a project I've been working on for a while now.

There are several players who appeared for the Phillies during the 1978 season who never appeared on a proper 1978 Topps card in red pinstripes/baby blue.  In an attempt to right that wrong, I scoured the internet and my personal collection to provide suitable (?) cards for these 14 players and the Phillies coaching staff.

Some of these have already appeared throughout the past season atop series preview posts, but the entire 19-card, limited edition insert set is presented here.  And I'll gladly update the Kerry Dineen and Horacio Pina cards if Phillies pictures of either player ever show up.


1. Dan Boitano - The righty reliever appeared in one inning of one game for the 1978 Phillies.  He appears in the 1980 Topps set on a Brewers Future Stars card.
2. Todd Cruz - Cruz started his six-year career with 3 games for the Phillies as a September call-up.
3. Kerry Dineen - Dineen appeared in 16 big league games between 1975 and 1978 for the Yankees and Phillies.  He has a Phillies related card in the 1979 Oklahoma City 89ers team city that I've yet to track down.
4. Rawly Eastwick - Acquired from the Cardinals in June 1978 for Bobby Brown and Jay Johnstone, Eastwick appears in the 1978 Topps set with his former team.
5. Orlando Gonzalez - Gonzalez shows up in the 1977 Topps and 1981 Fleer sets, but there are no official cards marking his 26 games with the Phillies in 1978.


6. Bud Harrelson - Harrelson appears with the Mets in the 1978 Topps set.  The Phils sent Fred Andrews to the Mets in March to acquire him.
7. Dan Larson - Larson pitched in 21 games for the Phillies between 1978 and 1981.  He's in the 1977 Topps set with the Astros.
8. Pete Mackanin - The future Phillies manager appeared in 5 games for the 1978 Phillies and he's in the 1978 Topps set with the Expos.
9. Keith Moreland - Moreland made his Major League debut in the final game of the 1978 season.
10. Jim Morrison - A true omission from the 1978 Topps set, Morrison appeared in 53 games for the N.L. Champion Phillies.  He'd appear in the 1979 Topps set on a Phillies Prospects card with Lonnie Smith and Jim Wright.


11. Horacio Pina - The veteran Pina was purchased from the Mexican League on September 14th, appeared in 2 games for the Phillies, and was promptly returned to the Mexican League following the season.
12. Dick Ruthven - On June 15th, the Phillies re-acquired Ruthven from the Braves, swapping out Gene Garber.
13. Kevin Saucier - Like Moreland, Saucier made his big league debut in the final game of the 1978 season.  He allowed 4 runs on 4 hits in 2 innings of work.
14. Lonnie Smith - A September call-up, Smith appeared in 17 games for the Phillies down the stretch.


15. Carroll Beringer CO - Beringer departed following the season, having served as the bullpen coach since 1973.
16. Billy DeMars CO - The team's hitting coach between 1969 and 1981, DeMars also served as the first base coach (1969-1972) and the third base coach (1972-1979).
17. Ray Rippelmeyer CO - This was Rippelmeyer's final season as the team's pitching coach, a position he had held since 1970.


18. Tony Taylor CO - Taylor's first stint as a Phillies coach saw him serve as the infield coach (1977-1978) and first base coach (1979).
19. Bobby Wine CO - A Phillies coach from 1972 until 1983, Wine served as the infield coach (1972), first base coach (1973-1978) and bench coach (1979-1983).

Monday, May 1, 2017

Series Preview - Phillies at Cubs: May 1st to May 4th


Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 8:05 and Thursday 2:20
Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL

Phillies 11-12, Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 5 games behind the Nationals
Cubs 13-11, 1st Place in the N.L. Central, 1 game ahead of the Brewers and Cardinals

Phillies Probables:  Vince Velasquez (1-2, 6.33), Jeremy Hellickson (4-0, 1.80), Jerad Eickhoff (0-2, 3.56), Zach Eflin (0-0, 1.89)
Cubs Probables:  Brett Anderson (2-0, 3.54), Jon Lester (0-1, 3.68), Jake Arrieta (3-1, 4.66), John Lackey (2-3, 5.10)

At the Ballpark:  I double checked the Cubs' website, and there's not a single give-away or promotion for this four-game series with the Phillies.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .323
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 20
Home Runs:  Maikel Franco and Cesar Hernandez - 4
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 21
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez and Odubel Herrera - 3

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 1.80
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff - 28
Saves:  Hector Neris - 3

Cubs Leaders
Average:  Kris Bryant - .289
Runs:  Kris Bryant - 18
Home Runs:  Anthony Rizzo - 6
RBIs:  Anthony Rizzo - 17
Stolen Bases:  Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo - 4

Wins:  Jake Arrieta - 3
ERA:  Jon Lester - 3.68
Strikeouts:  Jake Arrieta - 34
Saves:  Wade Davis - 6
1982 Topps #384
1982 Topps #530
1982 Topps #215
1982 Topps Traded #76T
1982 Topps Traded #82T
1982 Topps Traded #59T
1982 Topps Appreciation:  Here's a before and after look at the Phillies-Cubs trade from December 8, 1981 that sent Dan Larson, Keith Moreland and Dickie Noles to Chicago in exchange for pitcher Mike Krukow.

Moreland would eventually assume the Cubs' starting catcher position, finding the greatest success of his 12-year career in Chicago.  In 1982, he hit .261 with 15 home runs and 68 RBIs while splitting time behind the plate with Jody Davis.  Noles was moved into the starting pitching rotation in 1982, going 10-13 with a 4.42 ERA.  Moreland saw postseason action with the Cubs in 1984, while Noles missed out, having been traded to the Rangers that July.

Krukow pitched just one season in Philadelphia, going 13-11 with a 3.12 ERA in 33 starts.  The Phils finished in second place in 1982, thanks in part to strong pitching from Steve Carlton, Larry Christenson, Krukow and Dick Ruthven.  Following the season, he was on the move again as the Phils traded him to the Giants (with C.L. Penigar and Mark Davis) for Al Holland and Joe Morgan.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

1982 Fleer #476 Dale Berra (and a New Blog . . . )

Marlins 4, Phillies 3 (11 Innings)
Game 152 - Wednesday Night, September 23rd in Miami
Record - 57-95, 5th Place, 28 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ken Giles' first blown save of the season and some sloppy defense by the Phillies led to the 11-inning loss to the Marlins, 4-3.

What It Means:  There are 10 more games left in the Phillies 2015 season.

What Happened:  It's a shame the Phillies couldn't pull this one out, as they battled back to tie the game in the 8th and take the lead in the 10th.  Giles allowed a single to Ichiro Suzuki to start the 10th and then committed an error on a sacrifice bunt from Dee Gordon, which was ruled a hit for some reason by the official scorer.  Another sac bunt and another error from Carlos Ruiz allowed the Marlins to tie up the game.  Gordon's RBI-double in the 11th off Jerome Williams broke the tie and won the ballgame.

Featured Cards:  I really wanted to pay tribute to Yogi Berra, who passed away at the age of 90 early Wednesday morning.  Several of the blogs I follow posted images of Berra's iconic baseball cards throughout the day yesterday and I really enjoyed seeing them all.

The closest I can come to a Phillies-related baseball card to pay tribute to Berra is this card from the 1982 Fleer set featuring his son Dale and Phillies catcher Keith Moreland watching a foul pop down the third base line at The Vet.

1956 Topps #110
And because it's Yogi, I'll break one of the blog's rules and show off his classic 1956 Topps card too. You may have noticed the 1956 Topps Del Ennis card on the left sidebar with the Coming Soon teaser.  I'm happy to announce that I'm finally working towards getting my 1956 Topps blog off the ground and the shell of it is up and running.  Semi-regular posting should begin in mid-October and my goal is to complete the blog is less time (about 20 years) than it took my Dad and me to build the set.  Please check it out and spread the word!

Friday, July 24, 2015

Phillies at Cubs: July 24th to July 26th


Friday and Saturday 4:05, Sunday 2:20
Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL

Phillies 34-63, 5th Place in the N.L. East
Cubs 51-43, 3rd Place in the N.L. Central

Phillies Probables:  Jerome Williams (3-7, 6.43), Cole Hamels (5-7, 3.91), Aaron Nola (0-1, 1.50)
Cubs Probables:  Jon Lester (5-8, 3.37), Jake Arrieta (11-5, 2.52), Jason Hammel (5-4, 2.82)

At the Ballpark:  It looks as if it will be a great weekend to be at Wrigley!  The first 10,000 fans this afternoon will receive a Billy Williams replica statue.  On Saturday, the Cubs are giving away a Jorge Soler bobble head and on Sunday the first 5,000 kids will receive a Cubs batting helmet.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Ben Revere - .300
Runs:  Ben Revere - 48
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 16
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 48
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 22

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 5
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.91
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 124
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 16

Cubs Leaders
Average:  Anthony Rizzo - .287
Runs:  Dexter Fowler - 58
Home Runs:  Anthony Rizzo - 16
RBIs:  Kris Bryant - 54
Stolen Bases:  Dexter Fowler - 15

Wins:  Jake Arrieta - 11
ERA:  Jake Arrieta - 2.52
Strikeouts:  Jake Arrieta - 133
Saves:  Hector Rondon - 12

1985 Topps #538
1985 Topps #484
1985 Topps #460
1985 Topps #189
1985 Topps #563
1985 Topps #124
1985 Topps #589
1985 Topps #210
1985 Topps Appreciation:  I've got a whole bunch of 1985 Topps cards featured today, as I thought I'd take a look at some the ex-Phillies who played for the Cubs in 1984.  When Dallas Green took over as the Cubs general manager in 1981, he began the process of bringing over as many former Phillies coaches and players as possible.

Along with the selected Phillies-related transactions detailed below, Green was responsible for bringing Lee Elia and John Vukovich over to the Cubs to serve as coaches.

12/8/81 - Acquired Dan Larson, Keith Moreland and Dickie Noles from the Phillies for Mike Krukow and cash.

1/27/82 - Acquired Larry Bowa and Ryne Sandberg from the Phillies for Ivan DeJesus.

6/1/82 - Signed Jay Johnstone as a free agent.

1/25/83 - Acquired Warren Brusstar and Steve Trout from the White Sox for Scott Fletcher, Randy Martz, Pat Tabler and Dick Tidrow.

5/22/83 - Acquired Dick Ruthven and Bill Johnson from the Phillies for Willie Hernandez.

1/5/84 - Signed Richie Hebner as a free agent.

3/26/84 - Acquired Bob Dernier, Gary Matthews and Porfi Altamirano from the Phillies for Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

1988 Topps - Phillies Cards

1988 Topps #714, #348, #156 and #683
I spent all of 2014 looking back at the 1988 Topps set.  I used the 1988 Topps design for my 2014 Chachi set and I used 1988 Topps Phillies-related cards in my game preview posts.  I wasn't able to feature all the Phillies-related cards from the 1988 Topps set either because the Phillies didn't play every team in the American League or certain teams just had way too many cards featuring ex or future Phillies.

Similar to what I've done with the 1973 and 1979 Topps sets, here's a look at all 154 cards in the 1988 Topps set featuring players, coaches or managers with a Phillies connection.

National League East (52 - 17 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (6) - #90 Dale Murphy, #549 Dale Murphy TL, #627 Joe Boever, #732 Dave Palmer, #755 Ozzie Virgil, #39T Ron Gant
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (7) - #8 Kevin Elster, #30 Sid Fernandez, #164 Dave Johnson MG, #333 Wally Backman, #355 Roger McDowell, #655 Len Dykstra, #787 Bill Almon
Philadelphia Phillies (35)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (4) - #93 Bob Sebra, #251 Tom Foley, #365 Floyd Youmans, #588 Jeff Parrett

National League Central (29)
Chicago Cubs (9) - #10 Ryne Sandberg, #36 Jamie Moyer, #171 Manny Trillo TL, #287 Manny Trillo, #416 Keith Moreland, #564 Frank Lucchesi MG, #642 Bob Dernier, #717 Jay Baller, #768 Dickie Noles
Cincinnati Reds (4) - #265 Bo Diaz, #475 Pete Rose MG, #686 Terry Francona, #55T Danny Jackson
Milwaukee Brewers (2) - #592 Dale Sveum, #670 Dan Plesac
Pittsburgh Pirates (3) - #168 Barry Jones, #349 Bob Walk, #539 Mike LaValliere
St. Louis Cardinals (11) - #59 Danny Cox, #133 Greg Mathews, #208 Steve Lake, #310 Tom Herr, #483 Rod Booker, #509 Bill Dawley, #536 John Morris, #562 Jim Lindeman, #612 Curt Ford, #34T Jose DeLeon, #70T Larry McWilliams

1988 Topps #171, #549 and #201
National League West (19)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (5) - #92 Len Matuszek, #149 Ken Howell, #481 Mariano Duncan, #489 Fernando Valenzuela TL, #780 Fernando Valenzuela
San Diego Padres (12) - #7 Benito Santiago RB, #148 Carmelo Martinez, #284 Larry Bowa MG, #404 Benny Santiago AS, #426 Randy Ready, #482 Mark Davis, #596 John Kruk, #693 Benny Santiago, #699 Benny Santiago TL, #72T Keith Moreland, #80T Mark Parent, #121T Dickie Thon
San Francisco Giants (2) - #52 Don Robinson, #445 Mike Krukow

American League East (6)
Baltimore Orioles (2) - #11 Mike Young, #142 Andy Van Slyke
Boston Red Sox (0)
New York Yankees (2) - #636 Charles Hudson, #741 Mike Easler
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (2) - #438 Rob Ducey, #24T Sil Campusano

American League Central (20)
Chicago White Sox (5) - #334 Dave LaPoint, #613 Bobby Thigpen, #634 Jose DeLeon, #657 Gary Redus, #714 Jim Fregosi MG
Cleveland Indians (4) - #82 Darrel Akerfelds, #293 Doug Jones, #374 Doc Edwards, #683 Julio Franco
Detroit Tigers (3) - #14 Sparky Anderson MG, #713 Willie Hernandez, #751 Jim Morrison
Kansas City Royals (5) - #324 Danny Jackson, #348 Jim Eisenreich, #597 Gene Garber, #724 Danny Tartabull, #777 Lonnie Smith
Minnesota Twins (3) - #218 Dan Schatzeder, #317 Tom Nieto, #49T Tom Herr

1988 Topps #777, 1988 Topps Traded #72T, 1988 Topps #636 and #713
American League West (25)
Houston Astros (7) - #24 Jim Deshaies, #226 Dave Lopes, #291 Billy Hatcher TL, #306 Billy Hatcher, #342 Larry Andersen, #643 Rocky Childress, #684 Hal Lanier MG
Los Angeles Angels (5) - #243 Mark Ryal, #420 Wally Joyner, #498 Bob Boone, #774 Gene Mauch MG, #97T Cookie Rojas MG
Oakland Athletics (4) - #527 Steve Henderson, #272 Steve Ontiveros, #424 Dwayne Murphy, #476 Dave Stewart
Seattle Mariners (5) - #55 Phil Bradley, #156 Gary Matthews, #332 Jerry Reed, #519 Phil Bradley TL, #129T Glenn Wilson
Texas Rangers (4) - #26 Mitch Williams, #201 Pete Incaviglia TL, #280 Pete Incaviglia, #369 Greg Harris

Other
Team USA (3) - #30T Pat Combs, #71T Mickey Morandini, #88T Jim Poole

Memory Lane
1973 Topps - 107 cards with Phillies connections
1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more

Friday, April 4, 2014

Phillies at Cubs: April 4th to April 6th

Friday, Saturday and Sunday 2:20
Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL

Phillies 1-2, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 2 games behind the Nationals
Cubs 1-2, Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. Central, 1 game behind the Pirates and Cardinals

Phillies Probables:  Roberto Hernandez (0-0, 0.00), Cliff Lee (1-0, 14.40), A.J. Burnett (0-0, 1.50)
Cubs Probables:  Travis Wood (0-0, 0.00), Jeff Samardzija (0-0, 0.00), Carlos Villanueva (0-2, 13.50)

At the Ballpark:  Today is opening day at Wrigley, and given my current work schedule (crazy bananas), I'll be daydreaming about sitting in the bleachers this afternoon.  The first 30,000 fans both today and Saturday will receive a Cubs schedule magnet.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cody Asche - .500
Runs:  Carlos Ruiz - 5
Home Runs:  Four tied with - 1
RBIs:  Jimmy Rollins - 5
Stolen Bases:  Domonic Brown and Ben Revere - 1

Wins:  Cliff Lee - 1
ERA:  Kyle Kendrick - 1.29
Strikeouts:  Kyle Kendrick - 4
Saves:  None

1988 Topps #287, #416, #642 and #768
1988 Topps Appreciation:  Featured are a quartet of Cubs who appeared with the Phillies during their first World Championship season in 1980.

Manny Trillo was dealt to the Indians following the 1982 season as part of the infamous 5-for-1 Von Hayes deal.  He spent time in Cleveland, Montreal and San Francisco before ending up back in Chicago in 1986 for his second stint with the franchise.  Relegated to mostly a back-up role, Trillo hit .250 in 76 games for the 1988 Cubs.

Catcher Keith Moreland spent the bulk of his 12-year career with the Cubs, appearing in 902 games over six season between 1982 and 1987.  He enjoyed his best season in 1985, hitting .307 with 14 home runs and 106 RBIs.

Phillies Room favorite Bob Dernier was already back with the Phillies by the time this card came out, having signed with his original team as a free agent in December 1987.  Dernier's career peaked with the Cubs and his finest season was 1984 when he won a Gold Glove for his outfield defense.

Finally, some collectors might not actually consider this Dickie Noles card to be a Cubs card.  As the little notation to the right indicates, Noles was "Now with Tigers."  But was he?  Baseball Reference documents Noles' long, strange 1987/1988 offseason as follows:


So in the month and a day Noles was property of the Tigers, the fine people at Topps decided to make the "Now with Tigers" notation on his card.  It retrospect, it should have been, "Was with Tigers, but you've already missed it."

Sunday, September 25, 2011

1981 Topps Phillies

1981 Topps #540 and #180, 1981 Topps Traded #800, 1981 Topps #470
I could be mistaken, but I think the 1981 Topps set represents the first set I ever hand-collated.  The cool thing about putting together this set back in the day is that I did it completely without the use of checklists.  I just knew which cards I needed.  I had studied and sorted and handled the cards so frequently that when a card came along that I didn't have (either in a pack, or in the form of a double in one of my friends' trade piles), I knew I needed it.  Looking back on this, I find it's amazing what the mind of a seven-year-old is able to retain.

1981 Topps #470 (Back)
The Set
Number of cards in the set:  For the fourth and final year, Topps included 726 cards in its base set.  And for the first time since 1976, Topps issued a "Traded" series.  The Topps Traded set consisted of 132 cards and started with card number 727.  Since the Traded set is an extension of the regular set, I'm including all 858 cards when tallying up my Phillies totals below.
My very brief thoughts on the set:  I love this set.  When I first started reading baseball card blogs three or four years ago, I was shocked to discover there are actually collectors out there who don't care for this set at all.  In my mind, among cards released from 1970-on, this set is second only to the 1975 Topps set.
Notable competition:  Fleer made its return to baseball cards in 1981, and upstart Donruss joined the fun as well.  Our local Wawa didn't sell the Donruss cards, but I clearly remember boxes of 1981 Topps and 1981 Fleer packs sitting next to each other on the shelves in the candy aisle.  (Also included on the shelf were packs of Topps Stickers.)  I didn't realize Donruss was on the scene until later that summer when we found packs for sale at a store down at the Jersey shore.  The thought of three whole baseball card sets to collect was very exciting at the time, and just a little daunting.  It was a simpler time.

1981 Phillies
Record and finish:  The Phils compiled a record of 59-48 during the strike-shortened 1981 season.  The owners decided to use a split-season format, with a best-of-three play-off series to determine the division winners.  The Phillies, who had won the first half (pre-strike) faced off against the second half (post-strike) winners - the Montreal Expos.  The Expos ended up winning the series, three games to two.
Key players:  Mike Schmidt won his second consecutive MVP award, hitting .316 with 31 home runs and 91 RBIs in the shortened season.  Pete Rose also enjoyed another fine year at the plate, hitting .325.  The newly acquired Gary Matthews provided some punch for the offense as he hit .301 with 9 home runs.  On the mound, Steve Carlton turned in another stellar year, going 13-4 with a 2.42 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 190 innings pitched.
Key events:  Prior to the season, the Phillies sent promising prospect Bob Walk to the Braves for outfielder Matthews.  A few days later, long-time Phillie Greg Luzinski was sold to the Chicago White Sox.  Rose broke Stan Musial's National League record for hits with a single off the Cardinals' Mark Littell on August 10th.

1981 Topps #290, #120, #160 and #90
1981 Phillies in 1981 Topps
Cards needed for a complete team set:  Including League Leader, Record Breaker and Postseason cards, there are a whopping 38 Phillies cards within the base Topps set.  There are another three Phillies cards within the Traded set, for a total of 41 Topps Phillies cards in 1981.  The running tally - 69 Topps Phillies cards from the '80s and 827 Topps Phillies cards overall.
Who’s in:

  • Cards of the eight starting position players - 8 cards
#290 Bob Boone (c), #180 Pete Rose (1b), #470 Manny Trillo (2b), #120 Larry Bowa (ss), #540 Mike Schmidt (3b), #800 Gary Matthews (lf), #160 Garry Maddox (cf), #90 Bake McBride (rf)

Perhaps as a result of their recent World Championship, each of the Phillies regulars received a "hero" number in the set - a card ending in 0.
  • Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 4 cards
#630 Steve Carlton, #691 Dick Ruthven, #346 Larry Christenson, #405 Nino Espinosa

1981 Topps #630, #691, #346 and #405
  • Base cards of other players who played with the Phillies in 1981 - 13 cards
#40 Tug McGraw, #131 Keith Moreland, #317 Lonnie Smith, #376 Ron Reed, #406 Dickie Noles, #426 Warren Brusstar, #459 Greg Gross, #566 Del Unser, #598 George Vukovich, #644 Ramon Aviles, #719 Sparky Lyle, #753 Dick Davis, #815 Mike Proly
  • Phillies appearing on multi-player "Future Stars" cards - 1 card
#526 Marty Bystrom, Jay Loviglio and Jim Wright
  • Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1981 - 4 cards
#53 Kevin Saucier, #270 Greg Luzinski, #494 Bob Walk, #584 Randy Lerch
  • Phillies appearing on 1980 Leaders cards - 4 cards
#2 Home Run Leaders - Mike Schmidt with Reggie Jackson (Yankees) and Ben Oglivie (Brewers), #3 RBI Leaders - Mike Schmidt with Cecil Cooper (Brewers), #5 Victory Leaders - Steve Carlton with Steve Stone (Orioles), #6 Strikeout Leaders - Steve Carlton with Len Barker (Indians)
  • Phillies appearing on 1980 Record Breaker cards - 3 cards
#202 Steve Carlton, #205 Pete Rose, #206 Mike Schmidt
  • Phillies appearing on 1980 Postseason cards - 3 cards
#402 N.L. Championships - Bob Boone, Greg Luzinski, Mike Schmidt and Larry Bowa, #403 World Series - Larry Bowa with Frank White (Royals), #404 World Series - Tug McGraw
1981 Topps #40, #376, #317 and #131
Who’s out:  Luis Aguayo appeared in 45 games as a reserve infielder with the Phils, but he's missing from the set.  Pitcher Mark Davis started nine games for the Phillies, but he'd have to wait until 1982 for his first Topps card.
Phillies on other teams:  The same players who appear as Phillies in the Traded set have cards in the base set - #83 Mike Proly (White Sox), #183 Dick Davis (Brewers) and #528 Gary Matthews (Braves)
1981 Topps #404
What’s he doing here:  Jim Wright makes his second appearance on a multi-player prospects card (the first appearance came in 1979), yet he would never play for the Phillies.  Jay Loviglio appears on the 1981 Future Stars card with Wright and Bystom.  He went 0 for 5 with the Phillies in 1980, although he scored seven runs as a pinch-runner.
Cards that never were candidates:  Aguayo and Davis should have cards, and Bystrom is deserving of a solo card.  I'd change up the Future Stars card to include Len Matuszek (made his debut on September 3rd, Bob Dernier and Ryne Sandberg (made his debut on September 2nd).
Favorite Phillies card:  No question - we all coveted and possessed multiple copies of the "Phillies Win First World Series" card, featuring a leaping McGraw.  Honorable mentions - Schmidt's card and the team card.

Other Stuff
Recycled:  I used the 1981 Topps design for my second Chachi set, "released" in 2006.  Topps included a reprint of Schmidt's card in 2001 as part of its Through the Years insert set.  Lonnie Smith appears on a 1981 Topps-style card in the 2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites set.
Blogs/Websites:  About a year and a half ago, the Ultimate Baseball Card Set blog took a look at the composition of the "ultimate" 1981 Phillies baseball card set.
Did You Know?:  As the Ultimate Baseball Card Set blog points out, a collector would need to obtain only John Vukovich's 1981 Fleer card and Dallas Green's 1981 Donruss card to possess a set of one released Phillies card per player in 1981.