1988 Topps Big Cartoon Deep Dive: Willie Randolph

 Willie Randolph goes up and over California's Brian Downing to turn a double play, exactly 38 years ago today (May 24, 1987). It was a wild game that saw the Yankees lead by scores of 5-0 and 8-2, but it was 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth, and Dave Righetti blew the save, allowing a double to Pettis and a single to Joyner to tie the game, then walked Brian Downing to put two men on base with nobody out. However he induced Doug DeCinces to hit into the double play you see here, then struck out Devon White to take the game to the 10th. There it was Randolph's turn to be the hero, singling Wayne Tolleson home to give the Yankees the lead again, and scoring an insurance run on Gary Ward's single. Righetti then pitched a 1-2-3 10th inning to nail down a 10-8 victory.

 Terry Randolph played for the Green Bay Packers in 1977 and 1978, mostly on special teams. The Randolphs, who moved from South Carolina to Brownsville, Brooklyn shortly after Willie was born, were some of the first residents of the Tilden Housing Projects there. It was at Tilden that Willie became a star at stickball and baseball. He was inducted in the Stickball Hall of Fame in 2004. Here is a video of Willie and Terry returning to the old neighborhood in 2018.

Wallet Card at Chin Chen Importers

I saw this interesting combination of signs on West 30th Street. A lot of boarded up storefronts make me think this building might be torn down soon.

The black sign over the door, Edro, turned out to be just the realtor, albeit one that sold the property almost 20 years ago. The other signs refer to the import/export business, of which there are a lot of businesses in this immediate area. I'm not sure which business was on the third floor, but I love the window signs with the various Latin American countries.

I do love when an old sign peeks through, as is the case here. I was able to find a 1980s tax photo of the building on the 80s.NYC website, and the sign was just clear enough to make out.

Chin Chen Co. was incorporated in 1976 and dissolved in 2003. I couldn't find anything else about the company, but it stayed in business for 27 years which is a solid run. Incidentally, it appears that the old-looking Latin American country signs aren't that old, as it appears they weren't there when this photo was taken.
 

Cake or gum? 1977 Phil Garner

Last time Topps pitched a 7-0 shutout. Will this be closer?

Hostess has Garner smiling for the camera before a game, while Topps has him at bat during a game, with the Bicentennial patch prominent. Garner must have gotten a perm because his hair is much curlier than in cards from other seasons.

A three-time All-Star, Phil Garner was a good defensive second baseman with speed and a little power. He played in 16 games for five teams, mostly the A's, Pirates and Astros. In 1,860 games he hit .260 with 109 HR, 738 RBI and 225 SB. He had a long career as a manager as well, for 15 seasons with the Brewers, Tigers and Astros, going 985-1,054, winning a pennant with the Astros in 2005. In February of 2024 Garner was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but has stayed active, throwing out the first pitch last month on his birthday at a game in Houston.

Wood vs. Wood #282

RIP former major leaguer Jason Conti, who shared baseball cards stories with this blog in 2013.

Last time 1962 won, 4-3. Will it win again here?

Dave Hillman came up with the Cubs in 1955 and was a swing man in their bullpen and rotation over the next few years. His best season was 1958, when he went 4-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 31 games (16 starts). He was traded to the Red Sox in 1960 and spent two years in their bullpen. The card lists him as a Red because the Reds acquired Hillman in a "conditional deal". He pitched in two games for Cincinnati before being returned to Boston, who promptly sold him to the Mets. He pitched in 12 games for the Mets, ending his major league career. Overall in 188 games (64 starts) he went 21-37 with a 3.87 ERA. After his playing career he worked in a clothing store for many years. He died in 2022.

Jeff Calhoun came up with the Astros in 1984 and put up some good numbers as a long reliever. He had a rough Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, losing that marathon game to the Mets, and was traded to the Phillies after the season. He had a good season in 1987 but not in 1988 (injured?). He retired after that season, with a career record of 6-7 with a 2.51 ERA in 118 games. He is now a pastor at the Second Baptist Church in Houston, where he has also coached the high school baseball team in the past.

1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Dave Johnson

Eyeblack alert! So rare for a posed pregame photo.

July 7, 1973.

It was a wild game at Shea Stadium. Johnson hit a solo HR in the fourth inning to give the Braves a 3-2 lead. In the top of the 7th, the Braves went up 6-3, thanks in part to a 2-run inside-the-park HR by Ralph Garr. However, the Mets came back in the eighth, with 2-run hits by Willie Mays and Wayne Garrett to take a 7-6 lead. In came closer Tug McGraw to close out the Braves in the ninth. However, McGraw gave up three hits and a walk, and was pulled from the game with the bases loaded and one out, the game tied at 7.

(One of the hits was by pinch-hitter Hank Aaron, who was then lifted for pinch runner Sonny Jackson. How cool is it that Hank Aaron and Willie Mays were both in this game! Must have been one of the very last times they played against each other.)

The Mets brought in Harry Parker to relieve McGraw. The good news for the Mets was he didn't give up a hit. The bad news was that a Dusty Baker groundout gave the Braves the lead, and two more walks (one to Johnson) gave Atlanta an insurance run. They would need that run as the Mets got one back in the ninth, but fell just short, 9-8.

In other news, President Nixon declared that he would not testify nor allow the Senate Investigation Committee access to his papers; 112 American Peace Corps members were held hostage at Entebbe Airport in Uganda, and in Ethopian elections Aklilu Habte-Wold was re-elected as Prime Minister.

Looks like Johnson's 1974 Topps Stamp was from the same photo shoot.

Considering that he is wearing eye black at Shea Stadium, it's quite possible the action shot on his base card was taken that day as well. This definitely wasn't the home run, though.

1981 Topps Woodie Fryman

 

The front: Relaxing in the dugout with a mouth full of chewing tobacco.

The back: Fryman had had a long career and looked older than his real age of 40 on this card, but he still had three more seasons in him.

The player: A two-time All-Star, Woodie Fryman pitched for six teams over 18 seasons, primarily as a reliever until joining the Expos for a second time in 1978. Fryman was twice traded for a Hall-of-Famer (Jim Bunning, Tony Perez) and had perhaps his best season in 1972, when he was waived by the Phillies after a poor start, and went 10-3 with a 2.06 ERA, winning the division clincher against second-place Boston on the next-to-last day of the season. Overall in 625 games (322 starts) he went 141-155 with 58 saves and a 3.77 ERA.

The man: Widely regarded as a "Kentucky Gentleman" and one of baseball's good guys, Fryman returned home after his career to run his family's farm. He died of complications of Alzheimer's and heart disease in 2011 at the age of 70.

My collection: I have 35 of his cards, from 1967 to 1983. I would be interested in trading for 1966 Topps #498.
 

1976 SSPC Tommy John

 RIP Chet Lemon, who shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2011.

The card, in brief: All of the card photos were taken at Shea Stadium during the 1975 season. John was out with his famous injury that year, but I guess at least sometimes he traveled and suited up with the team.

Playing career, in brief:  Tommy John pitched for 26 seasons in the major leagues, winning 288 games. A four-time all-star, he was twice a runner-up in the Cy Young Award voting. He was coming off of two straight seasons where he won the NL winning percentage title when he missed '75 with the arm injury that required revolutionary surgery. He continued to pitch at an elite level when he returned, winning 20+ games three of the next five seasons. He was still an effective pitcher well into his 40s; he was the ace of the Yankees staff in 1987 at the age of 44.

Post-playing career, in brief: After his career he spent some time as a broadcaster and a coach. He has also put his name on products as varied as joint cream and wine, and he is the chair of a foundation dedicated to suicide prevention. He shared his favorite card with this blog in 2013. 

My collection: I have 70 of his cards, from 1964 to 1989. I would be interested in trading for 1978 SSPC #75 and 1989 Classic #40.

1988 Topps Big Cartoon Deep Dive: Donnie Hill

 Nice, somewhat unusual photo choice. Looks like he's taking a relay throw from the outfield.

 

The 1980s were an era when there were still a lot of "characters" in baseball. I didn't realize Hill was one of those characters, he was out-flaked by others at the time. He must have done more than just imitate manager Jim Fregosi to get this quote out of him:  “Why, he’s goofier than a bedbug. I know he’s from a planet, but I’m not sure it’s ours. Maybe our solar system. But definitely not our planet.”

 

Hill, like some bloggers we know, grew up a Dodgers fan in the 1970s. He did impressions of lots of Dodgers, like Don Sutton, Davey Lopes and Ron Cey. As the middle panel notes, he started throwing lefty at age 11. That was because he dislocated his right elbow in a little league game and was told he never would play again. Instead, he started imitating Dodgers pitcher Tommy John and threw left-handed to keep playing.

Cake or gum? 1977 Luis Tiant

Last time it was Topps with a 9-1 victory. Will it triumph again?

For the first time in a while we have two photos from the same shoot. Hostess has a headshot, and like the other cards in this set the coloring for the hat and collar seem a bit touched up. Topps has a longer shot with Tiant posing like he's about to throw a pitch.

Luis Tiant came up with Cleveland in 1964 and had some good seasons pitching for a bad team, topped off by 1968 when he went 21-9 with a league leading 1.68 ERA. He got hurt the next year, lost 20 games and his ERA went up by over two runs. The next two seasons were lost seasons for Tiant, but he rebounded in 1972, changing his delivery to an extremely unusual, deceptive motion, and won his second ERA title. Over the next several years he put together some more good seasons for the Red Sox, and beat the Reds twice in the 1975 World Series. He signed with the Yankees in 1979 and had a couple of OK seasons for them, but was no longer dominant. He retired in 1982 after brief stints in Pittsburgh and California. Overall in 573 games he went 229-172 with a 3.30 ERA and 2,416 strikeouts. He has gotten some HOF consideration in recent years but poor showings from ages 28-30 doom him from having strong enough peak or career numbers. After his career he was a minor league and college coach. He died in 2024.
 

Wallet card with some functional old signs

 Late post as I was in the city today. While there I took some wallet card photos. These three are kind of a similar theme; some out of date elements on functional signage.

These automatic sprinkler signs are everywhere, for use of the fire department. If you look closely at this one, however, you will see an address for the Rael Automatic Sprinkler Company, Whitestone 57 N.Y. Rael still exists (now on Long Island rather than Whitestone, Queens). This sign predates 1963 and the introduction of the zip code, with the old postal zone instead (57 in this case). This sign is on the wall of a 7-Eleven on East 28th Street.

Nearby, outside a service entrance on East 26th Street I noticed an Elevator Alarm Bell box with an old phone number, EXeter 2-6400. Just like addresses, phone numbers as we know them today were a 1960s innovation. This box is no later than 1960s, then. In 2017 I actually posted a similar one. That one said EX 2-6400 rather than EXeter 2-6400. A variation to collect!

Nearby I came across this sign. I'd seen similar ones on other NYC sites before (like Forgotten New York) but never sought it out for a wallet card photo. Still, it looks very cool, an old Art Deco style. Like the elevator box it was too high up to get a good photo and still get the wallet card in. It says "Elevator Apartments Available" with "Air Conditioning" barely visible on the bottom.

 

Wood vs. Wood #280

Last time it was 9-0 for 1987, basically a forfeit by '62. Will this be closer?

Johnny Podres doesn't want to smile for the photographer at Wrigley Field. Podres was an unheralded third-year starter for the Dodgers in 1955, who catapulted to fame by beating the Yankees twice in the World Series to give Brooklyn their only World Championship. He missed the next season due to military service but came back in '57 to start a string of seven straight seasons with double-digit victories. His 2.66 ERA led the NL in 1957, and he was an All Star three times. He ended his career with brief stints in Detroit and San Diego. Overall in 440 games he went 148-116 with a 3.68 ERA. After his playing career he was a pitching coach for several teams. He died in 2008.

Jeffrey Leonard is hatless, long past the time that was common on cards. Like Podres, Leonard was a solid player with one outstanding postseason performance. In 1987, Leonard hit a respectable .280 with19 HR and 63 RBI. However, in the NLCS against the Cardinals he exploded for a .417 average with 4 HR and 5 RBI. It wasn't enough to help SF overcome STL, but it did earn him NLCS MVP honors. He is still the last player to win a postseason MVP award from a losing team. In fourteen seasons with five teams Leonard, a two-time All-Star, hit .266 with 144 HR, 723 RBI and 163 SB. After his playing career he was a minor league and college coach. Leonard, known for his "one flap down" home run trot at a time when individualized celebrations were rare, now runs the One Flap Down Foundation which helps single mothers with breast cancer.
 

Roundup

In no particular order, some recent incoming from the great folks at TCDB, OBC and the blogs!

Great '62 card from TCDB's AndyChaves9. Frank Howard cards are always a treat.

John of Adventures of a Baseball Card Collector and fellow OBC member sent these great vintage Topps needs.

OBC's Eddie Bankston sent three from '81 Fleer. I completed the set long ago but still need some variations. Fun to get those reverse negatives and put them next to their pair. Eddie's looking for a correct version of that Bevacqua, by the way.

From ric3870 on TCDB, a vintage card plus some oddballs from somewhat more recent times.

Finally, some more blogger generosity, these from View from the Third Floor. Nice baseball/football mix here, including new Yankee Cody Bellinger.

 

1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Jim Colborn

Very tightly cropped to fit into the odd shape.

March 19, 1973.

This date came up a couple of times already, including teammate George Scott's card. Big news was a two-homer spring game for top prospect Gorman Thomas and a passenger plane crash in Vietnam.

 

1981 Topps Broderick Perkins

 

The front: Perkins is all smiles before a game at Shea Stadium.

The back: Perkins rarely got off the bench in high school (Pittsburg, CA) but got a chance at Diablo Valley College and excelled.

The player: Perkins played parts of seven seasons for the Padres and Indians, from 1978 to 1984. In 516 games he hit .271 with 8 HR and 157 RBI.

The man: After his playing career he had a long career in the San Diego Fire Department, retiring as a captain. In 2020 he was one of several male firefighters implicated in sexually harassing a female firefighter, leading to a $525,000 payout by the city.

My collection: I have 17 of his cards, from 1979 to 1985. I would be interested in trading for 1982 Fleer Stamps #103.

1976 SSPC Charlie Hough

 

The card, in brief: Left field at Shea Stadium looks really sparse here, like a minor league stadium. The area was built up a few years later. In this photo it almost looks like there's a giant Dodger cap in the bullpen.

Playing career, in brief: A long-time reliever, Hough was traded to the Rangers in 1980 after just over a decade with the Dodgers. In 1982 the Rangers moved him to the starting rotation, reviving his career at the age of 34. From 1982 to 1990 Hough was a reliable member of the Rangers starting rotation, winning at least 10 games a year. He ended his career with two solid seasons each for the White Sox and Marlins. In 858 games (440 starts) he went 216-216 with 61 saves and a 3.75 ERA.

Post-playing career, in brief:  After his playing career he was a pitching coach for several minor league teams, as well as the Dodgers and Mets. He is now retired.

 My collection: I have 117 of his cards, from 1972 to 1995. I would be interested in trading for 1983 Fleer Star Stickers #163.

 

1988 Topps Big Cartoon Deep Dive: Mike Pagliarulo

Pags! My favorite Yankee when I started following baseball. I like seeing the old new Yankee Stadium bullpen in the background.

 The first cartoon seemed timely with what's been going on in the NBA. The other day the Yankees gave up a run and the crowd cheered, because at the same time it was announced that the Knicks had beaten the Celtics. I've never been a basketball fan and these days I couldn't even name one Knick, but I'm glad they're doing well. Meanwhile, I looked up Charles Pagliarulo and he actually played well in his one minor league season. At the age of 19 he played in C and D league teams in the Cubs organization, and hit .280 with 1 HR, 30 RBI and 13 SB. Unfortunately he hurt his back, ending his baseball career before the age of 20. The "I Like Ike" button is kind of funny, considering a Massachusetts senator would beat Ike's VP in two years. However in '56 Ike won MA as well as every other state outside of the deep south.

 

 

Cake or gum? 1977 Rod Carew

 Last time it was a 10-0 drubbing by Topps. Will this be closer?

Hostess has a headshot of Rod Carew at spring training, with partly cloudy skies and lots of trees. Topps has an action shot of Carew holding a runner on. It's an away game, but I can't tell where. Maybe Oakland? 

One of the greatest hitters of his generation, Carew won six AL batting titles. An 18-time All Star, he was the AL Rookie of the year in 1967. His best season was 1977, winning the AL MVP that year hitting a league-leading .388 with 14 HR and 100 RBI, also leading the league with 128 runs, 239 hits, 16 triples and a .449 on-base percentage. For his career he hit .328 with 445 doubles, 112 triples, 92 HR, 1,015 RBI and 353 stolen bases while walking almost as much as he struck out (1,018 walks to 1,028 strikeouts). Carew spent more than a decade in the front offices of each of the teams he played for (Twins and Angels) and has been involved in numerous charitable endeavors, mostly cancer-related (he lost a daughter to cancer, and had chewing-tobacco-related cancer himself). After a 2016 heart attack he received a heart and kidney transplant. The donor was former NFL player Konrad Reuland.

Wood vs. Wood #278

Last time it was a 10-0 drubbing by 1962. Will this be closer?

Ken Johnson is seen here in a KC A's uniform at Yankee Stadium. Johnson came up as a reliever with the A's in 1958, and was traded to the Reds in July of 1961. He was a surprise contributor to the Reds' pennant run, as Cincinnati moved him to the starting rotation where he went 6-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 11 starts. However, he only pitched 0.2 innings in the World Series and was left unprotected in the expansion draft, where he was chosen by Houston. He was a good pitcher for a bad expansion team, most notably in 1963 when he was just 11-17 despite a 2.65 ERA. In 1964 he became the only pitcher to lose a nine-inning no-hitter, making a ninth-inning error that led to the game's only run. In 1965 he was traded to the Braves. He had his best seasons with that club, going 45-34 with a 3.22 ERA over parts of five seasons. He ended his career with brief stints for the Cubs, Yankees and Expos. Overall in 334 games (231 starts) he went 91-106 with a 3.46 ERA. After his playing career he coached college baseball for 30 years and was a church deacon. He died in 2015.

Gary Pettis is all business as he poses at spring training. Pettis was one of the fastest men in baseball, stealing 354 bases over 11 seasons, and winning five gold gloves for his sensational play in the outfield. However, he was not much of a hitter and struggled to make contact, though he did take frequent walks. Overall in 1,183 games for the Angels, Tigers, Rangers and Padres, he hit .236 with 21 HR and 259 RBI. After his playing career he coached for several teams, most recently for the Astros for whom he won two World Series rings. However, he was let go after the 2024 season as the team wanted to improve their baserunning, which had been coached by Pettis.

Wallet Card at a mysterious vintage Cubs reference in a Long Island town

The other day I was going for a walk in my town (Oceanside, NY). I noticed a Chance Drive, and then an Evans Lane. 

Sure enough there was a Tinker Drive close by.

This was clearly no coincidence, but a reference to the famous 1900s Cubs infield of "Tinker to Evers to Chance", immortalized in song and popular culture. (It was Groucho Marx's answer when asked what was his favorite play.)

I couldn't find a definitive answer but the research was interesting. It looks like the streets were planned in 1950, and the houses were built in 1951. The three streets make up a tiny neighborhood called "Brower Manor", as Brower is the larger street they branch off of. The land was previously unbuilt, and appears to have been marshy/swampy land.

On the lower half of the map you will see that the land belonged to a golf course; that same year taxpayers voted to annex half of the golf course, including this land, to build a new, larger high school. (The golf course built nine new holes on filled in beach and remains to this day.) I didn't see a builder name or anything that might indicate the origin of this particular development. In a 1976 newspaper I found a mention of residents of that neighborhood having a party to celebrate paying off their mortgages (I guess it was 25-year mortgages then). The article called it "Brower Manor, the Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance streets". These days I doubt most residents even get the connection.

But why these names? Did the builder just like the sound of it? Or was there a deeper connection? The closest I could find sent me into a rabbit hole of semi-pro baseball on Long Island in the 1930s. There was a team called the Long Island Paragon which played their home games on the old high school field in Oceanside. That team was managed (owned?) by a local man named Ben Mulvey. According to some articles Mulvey had played for the minor league Providence Grays. (There was a 19th-century Grays star called Joe Mulvey, but I couldn't find any Ben Mulvey who played for them.)

In 1935, one of the big news stories in baseball was the saga of Alabama Pitts. Pitts was an ex-con (armed robbery) who proved to be a major-league-caliber talent on the Sing Sing prison baseball club. After his release from prison in 1935 he signed with the International League's Albany Senators, who were managed by the former Cubs star Johnny Evers. The President of the International League refused to approve Pitts's contract, so Pitts appealed to MLB commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Evers publicly declared he would quit if Pitts was not allowed to play.

While Pitts was awaiting Landis's decision, an article from the Nassau Daily Review, Ben Mulvey wired a contract offer to Pitts, via Mulvey's old friend, Johnny Evers. The offer was $30 a week to play for the Long Island Paragon. The columnist noted how unlikely Pitts would be to take the offer, as he could make double to play for the House of David traveling team, or take one of several Hollywood offers. Eventually Landis declared Pitts reformed and eligible to play. Pitts never made the majors but played for several minor league teams before being fatally stabbed in a bar fight in 1941.

So someone with Oceanside connections (Mulvey actually lived in nearby Freeport) was friends with Evers. That is the closest connection I could make. I don't know when Mulvey died but he was still living in Freeport in 1956. He seemed to be active in sports and entertaining but I saw no connection with him and homebuilding or real estate.

It's an interesting mystery, and led to some fun research. Also there was this old (replica?) Texaco gas pump in front of one of the houses on one of these streets. A 1950s Studebaker too, which for some reason the owner decided to paint a Deadpool joke on. Takes all kinds I guess.

 

 

1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Jeff Burroughs

Jeff Burroughs with a cameo appearance by #41, coach Chuck Hiller. 1973 was Hiller's only year with the Rangers, giving confidence to the date.

July 28, 1973, same date as Dave Nelson and Catfish Hunter.

Burroughs's two-run homer off of Blue Moon Odom in the second inning gave Texas a 2-1 lead, and his leadoff walk in the fifth started a rally that extended that lead to 4-1. However, in the bottom of that inning starter Steve Dunning and reliever Bill Gogoloewski combined to allow four runs to give Oakland a lead that it would not relinquish, with the final score 6-4 Oakland.

Time Travel

My Time Travel cards from Diamond Jesters this month had a very strong Washington Redskins flavor. Mark Z. had sent a lot of those, and I like to try to pick up football cards I don't have from the TTT, for my very casual football card collection. When I first started following football, Washington was the Giants' biggest rival. Now Philly and Dallas have both surpassed them so I don't even mind this team anymore. My favorites here are the cards from that era, the Rogers and Clark cards.

A couple of non-DC football cards, with Hall of Famers Raymond Berry and John Elway.

There was still some basseball that I could use. Weird to see Alomar and Gwynn as retired legends. The Jones is pretty comical with the missing circle (I have a few others from that set), while the '83 Richie Ashburn has some nice vintage appeal.

 

Cards and comics from Johnny

Johnny's Trading Spot surprised me with three fun PWEs.

Starting off with 15 Gleyber Torres cards. I think Johnny was borderline PCing him, but I guess now that he's off to Detroit and never lived up to the hype, he's letting some go.

Some other Yankees cards, including some shiny Clint Frazier parallels.

These three cards are #28, #29 and #30 in a Topps insert set "Around the Horn". When placed together the cards make up an infield. Cool idea ruined by the terrible execution, as the background design does not align at all!

Some vintage oddballs with two 1965 Topps Embossed.

These were the biggest surprise. My first ever 1979 Topps Comics! Almost a third of the set with a Yankee and some HOFers! I think I mentioned in a comment on his blog that I had never seen one live. These are bright, colorful and a lot of fun! They are very thin and waxy, like an old Bazooka Joe comic. So thin that I actually missed these in the first PWE I opened and threw it out with them still in there. Fortunately after the other two yielded these loose comics I went back and found the stragglers.

 

 

1981 Topps Lance Parrish

 

The front: Parrish hits one down the first base line at Yankee Stadium. Judging by the lack of fan reaction, it was a foul ball. Parrish played in one day game at Yankee Stadium in 1980 - Memorial Day, May 26. He went 1-for-3, with his 2-run HR in the first inning off of Tom Underwood giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Parrish played both 1B and LF. Despite Parrish's early home run, the Yankees struck hard in the middle and late innings to roll to a 13-5 win.

The back: Parrish's bodyguard gig was a single occurrence before his major league debut in 1977. His agent, who also had entertainment clients, got the muscular catcher a job escorting Tina Turner when she filmed an appearance on Hollywood Squares. 

The player: The slugging Parrish was one of the best catchers of the 1980s, with eight All-Star appearances for three teams between 1980 and 1990. He was a big part of the 1984 Tigers World Championship team. In 19 years, for 7 teams, Parrish hit .252 with 324 HR and 1,070 RBI.

The man: After his career he spent time as a broadcaster and a minor league manager. He is now a special assistant to the Tigers' GM.

My collection: I have 108 of his cards, from 1978 to 1996. I would be interested in trading for 1983 Fleer Star Stickers #255.