Hello everyone!
On
the blog today, we look closely at the image variations between the
Topps and OPC 1977 cards for trucker...er, I mean PITCHER Chuck
Hartenstein of the Toronto Blue Jays:
 |
| Topps Version |
Great stuff here!
The
OPC version of Chuck in a standing pose as opposed to the airbrushed
close-up just a bit better, but BOTH are classic era-perfect shots of
one of the "original" Blue Jays.
I've
written a few times on the blog about these photos, and Hartenstein
himself, who made the long road back to the Majors after a long stay in
the Minors.
Hartenstein last appeared in a Major League game in 1970 with the
Boston Red Sox, and would get drafted in the expansion draft in 1976 by the
Toronto Blue Jays, which would lead to the great cards you see above,
airbrushed, and a great job I might add, showing him looking like some
trucker ready to throw in a Merle Haggard 8-track while part of some
convoy somewhere.
I have always loved this card. The shades, the sideburns, and especially knowing what he looked like years earlier, it’s the perfect card reflecting the era.
His “comeback” would be short however, as he would get hammered over his 13 appearances, going 0-2 with a bloated 6.59 earned run average, giving up 20 earned runs over 27.1 innings.
I was always also into cards of guys that hadn’t appeared in a Topps set for a while. Brock Davis, Danny Murphy, Vincente Romo also come to mind.
Anyway, seems Hartenstein’s pro career was over with the last game he appeared in with the Blue Jays, as it seems he never even pitched in a Minor League game again.
But long live the original Topps card and all it’s 70’s glory!
I have always loved this card. The shades, the sideburns, and especially knowing what he looked like years earlier, it’s the perfect card reflecting the era.
His “comeback” would be short however, as he would get hammered over his 13 appearances, going 0-2 with a bloated 6.59 earned run average, giving up 20 earned runs over 27.1 innings.
I was always also into cards of guys that hadn’t appeared in a Topps set for a while. Brock Davis, Danny Murphy, Vincente Romo also come to mind.
Anyway, seems Hartenstein’s pro career was over with the last game he appeared in with the Blue Jays, as it seems he never even pitched in a Minor League game again.
But long live the original Topps card and all it’s 70’s glory!
