What a great card this Bill Sudakis 1975 Topps edition (#291) is!
Take a look:
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| The sun was blasting this afternoon! |
The colors of both the image and card design explode off the cardboard, and it left an impression on me to this day.
I remember as a kid it was almost a sin that the card wasn't of some superstar since it was so freaking cool.
The photo is also pretty sweet, showing Sudakis either on-deck or
between pitches while at-bat on a nice super-sunny day, shadow running
across his face.
I've always loved this card.
As for Sudakis the player, things were not so sunny as far as his career went.
1974 was actually his only year in pinstripes after playing for the Dodgers, Mets and Rangers between 1968 and 1973.
After a lackluster year in the Bronx, he found himself splitting
time between the Indians and Angels in 1975, appearing in only 50 games
and hitting .154 with two homers and nine runs batted in.
It would be his last year in the Big Leagues, finishing his eight
year career with a .234 average with 59 homers and 214 runs batted in
over 530 games.
But man, what a card he leaves us with to gawk over all these years later…