Good day all!
On
the blog today, we take another closer look at an image variation
between OPC and Topps, this time the 1977 cards for the "Gravedigger",
Richie Hebner:
 |
| OPC version |
 |
| Topps version |
I'm
particularly fond of the cards where OPC just airbrushed the image
Topps used on their card into the new uni for their card, in this case
going from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Hebner played the bulk of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, with
whom he came up to the Big Leagues, and had some solid seasons lost amid
the years of the Roses, Stargells et al.
After
putting in the first nine years of his career with the Pirates, Hebner
signed as a Free Agent with the N.L. East rival Phillies in December of
1976, just in time for OPC to work their magic and airbrush the beauty
you see here.
A solid player who'd go on to play 18 seasons under the Major League
Sun, the third baseman hit as many as 25 homers, which happened in 1973,
while also driving in as many as 82 runs, which he did for the Detroit
Tigers in 1980.By the time he retired in 1985 after a couple of seasons with the Chicago Cubs, he finished with a .276 batting average, with 1694 hits over 6144 at-bats in 1908 games, while also hitting 203 homers and driving in 890 runs.
Those numbers are actually pretty good considering the era he played in!
After his playing career, Hebner went on to coach, as well as do some managing in the Minors, all the way through the 2010 season at last check, a baseball lifer with an admirable Big League career.