One that immediately comes to mind is the 1972 Roberto Clemente "In Action" card which shows him upset at an umpires pitch call, or a card I profiled earlier on this blog: the 1973 Dick Green card that shows him muffing a grounder.
Well today we'll look at another one of those cards: the 1971 #300 card of Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.
Why, may I ask, did Topps feel it best to use an image of the Baltimore legend striking out!?
I mean, really? There was no other image to use?
Ever since I first laid eyes on this card as a kid I despised this image. It was just wrong in so many ways. Why show an all-time great failing at the plate?
Was Topps trying to teach us kids humility? Were they attempting to show us how the "real world" really is?
Thanks, but no thanks. I'll keep my legends as legends in the old noggin for as long as I can.
So I went ahead and did a simple redesign using a nicer shot of the "Human Vacuum Cleaner" at the plate.
You know, one where he isn't shown whiffing, body twisted up like a pretzel, with the crowd looking on in disappointment.
Enjoy...
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| A hero, a legend, a strikeout (???). |
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| A more appropriate photo for the Hall of Famer. |