JOY OF A MOSTLY COMPLETE PAGE

AN OPENING DAY MIRACLE! HOLY SHIT WHAT HAPPENED TO MARCH. FEBRUARY TOO FOR THAT MATTER

SO A HUNDRED YEARS AGO* @Carlsonjok ON TWITTER SENT ME A PACKAGE AND I SCANNED THE CARDS AND PUT THEM IN BINDERS AND UPLOADED ALL THE SCANS HERE AND THEN A TIMEWARP HAPPENED AND NOW IT'S OPENING DAY AND ROBBIE CANO JUST BOPPED A DINGER AND ALL IS WELL WITH THE WORLD** SO LET'S SEE IF i CAN FINALLY WRITE UP THIS BLOG POST BEFORE FIRST PITCH***.

I WAS SENT 4 CARDS FROM 1955-1956 TOPPS, LET'S SEE IF I COMPLETED ANY PAGES
IGNORE THE TITLE, IT'S NOT A SPOILER I ASSURE YOU

1955 TOPPS ALEX GRAMMAS

THE FUNKY TAPE RESIDUE ON THE TOPLOADER MAKES ALEX LOOK LIKE HE HAS A COOL SCAR OVER HIS EYE LIKE HE GOT SLASHED IN THE FACE WHILE SWORDFIGHTING A NINJA. I NORMALLY HATE THE CARDINALS BUT THE BLUE CAP LOOKS DOPE. GOTTA COMMENT ON THAT CARTOON THO:
1) THE COMPOSITION IS A MASTERWORK - THE PLACEMENT OF THE BAT AND ARMS SHOULD BE STUDIED EXTENSIVELY IN ALL PRESTIGIOUS ART SCHOOLS
2) ONE GUY HAS A PILLBOX CAP, THE OTHER DOESN'T, WHAT'S UP WITH THAT
3) THE STACHE ON THAT UMP - MAGNIFIQUE

LET'S CHECK OUT THAT BINDER PAGE

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SCAN A COMPLETE PAGE WITH THE INDIVIDUAL CARD SCAN BOUNDRIES STILL UP ON THE SCREEN. IT LOOKED COOL SO I POSTED IT ANYWAY.  THE ACTUAL PAGE

NOT A COMPLETED PAGE, BUT A PRETTY GOOD ONE. NEW YORK GIANT, RED SOCK, BROOKLYN DODGER AND YANKEE ALL ON THE TOP. ALL PAIN IN THE ASS TEAMS IF YOU'RE A 50'S CARD COLLECTOR EXCEPT INEXPLICABLY FOR THE NEW YORK GIANTS. ALSO A NICE PRINCE HAL DOWN ON THE CORNER. FULL DISCLOSURE: THE JACK PARKS IS A COLOR COPY OF THE CARD IN MY BRAVES TEAM BINDER. IF I FIND ONE CHEAP MAYBE I'LL PICK IT UP BUT THERE'S PLENTY OF OTHER '55 CARDS CARDS TO SPEND MONEY ON FIRST.

THE LAST CARD NEEDED FOR THE PAGE: BILL SKOWRON
ANOTHER DANGBLASTED YANKEE BUT STILL IN MY PRICE RANGE

1955 TOPPS HARVEY HADDIX

KITTEN! HARVEY HADDIX PITCHED A PERFECT GAME, I DON'T CARE WHAT THE MLB SCOLDS DECREE. PRETTY NIFTY RECORD FOR HARVEY IN '54, 18 WINS IS NO SLOUCH. I KNOW WINS ARE A MEANINGLESS STAT NOWADAYS, THIS WAS THE '50S. THEY HAD NO BABIPS OR FIPS BACK THEN, HAVE SOME SYMPATHY FOR POOR SNAKEBIT HARVEY. SPEAKING OF SAD SACKS, POOR NUMBER 3 JUST GOT HIS ASS FLATTENED IN THAT CARTOON. THE JERK WHO RAN OVER HIM GOT CALLED OUT BUT POOR NUMBER 3'S IN TRACTION. MAYBE HE'LL BOUNCE BACK LIKE THE COYOTE IN A ROAD RUNNER CARTOON.

NOT A COMPLETED PAGE. OTHER THAN HARVEY WHO IS ON MY LIST OF OBSCURE PLAYERS I AM WEIRDLY OBSESSED WITH THE CLEAR GEM ON THIS PAGE IS MVP HANK SAUER. BOB KENNEDY ALWAYS REMINDED ME OF THE DAD FROM A 50'S FAMILY SITCOM WITH CHUCK STOBBS PLAYING THE PRECOCIOUS TEENAGER. ALSO ON THE PAGE IS WINDY AND CORKY AND I EVERY JOKE I THINK OF INVOLVES FARTS SO LETS' MOVE ON.

MISSING CARDS: TED KAZANSKI WHO SHOULD EVENTUALLY SHOW UP IN A DOLLAR BOX AND HARK AARON WHO I WILL NEVER EVER GET UNLESS I SELL A KIDNEY OR SOMETHING. I'LL STICK ONE OF THE 90'S TOPPS REPRINTS IN THERE ONE DAY

1955 TOPPS FRANK SULLIVAN

NACHO. SCOTCH TAPE RESIDUE. FREAKY BUG EYED SOCK MONSTER. THIS SCAN IS GLORIOUS. I WISH I HAD BOUGHT UP ALL THE RED SOX PLAYERS 15 YEARS AGO BEFORE THEY STARTED WINNING AGAIN BECAUSE THEY'RE STARTING TO GET THAT YANKEE PREMIUM ON THE PRICE TAG. MOST SUCCESSFUL BOSTON EXPERIMENT SINCE THE TEA PARTY HAS A MUCH DIFFERENT MEANING IN THE 21ST CENTURY. AT LEAST THERE'S NOT A CARTOON WITH STEREOTYPE INDIANS ON THE BACK, INSTEAD WE GET A STERN WARNING ABOUT DOCTORING THE BALL. GOOD THING GAYLORD PERRY NEVER PULLED THIS CARD FROM HIS BUBBLE GUM PACK.

ANOTHER TWO-POCKET EMPTY PAGE, NOT SURPRISING SINCE 1955 IS THE SET I ALWAYS PASS OVER WHILE BUYING CARDS FROM 1953, 1954 AND 1955 OUT OF THE BARGAIN BOX. RUBE IS A BROOKLYN GUY BUT THE STAR OF THE PAGE IS CURT ROBERTS WHO GETS CREDIT FOR INTEGRATING THE PIRATES WHILE CARLOS BERNIER'S 1953 SEASON GETS IGNORED. CURT AND CARLOS SHOULD BOTH BE CELEBRATED. MISSING CARDS ARE ED LOPAT (DAMN YANKEES!) AND BOB MILLIGAN, BOTH EASILY OBTAINABLE ON MY BUDGET. AND SPEAKING OF GUS ZERNIAL:

1956 TOPPS GUS ZERNIAL

HEY THAT PORTRAIT LOOKS FAMILIAR. BUT CHECK OUT THAT KICKASS PLAY AT THE PLATE. THAT RIGHT THERE IS WHY 1956 IS BETTER THAN 1955. I GET IT, THE 55'S HAVE A CERTAIN MINIMALIST CHARM BUT THESE ACTION SHOTS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE GENERIC THROWING/SWINGING POSE. THE CARTOONS ARE BETTER TOO, ONE ARMED OZARK IKE MENACING BIRDS WITH DINGERS. THEY'RE LIKE A SUPER COMPRESSED FULL LENGTH GRAPHIC NOVEL BIOGRAPHY IN ONE PANEL. AND LOOKIT THAT STAT LINE, GUS WAS MORE THAN THAT GOOFY '52 TOPPS CARD.

LAST CHANGE FOR A COMPLETED PAGE:

DENIED. A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO CRAP ON THE 1955 DESIGN COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE '55 AND '56 SETS THOUGH. HARVEY'S PAGE ALSO HAS HANK SAUER AND WINDY MCCALL, GO CHECK IT OUT. HANK'S 1955 CARD HAS A GREEN BACKGROUND AND A STONED BEAR, WHICH IS NICE. THE '56 CARD HAS HIM BANGING OFF THE WALL FOR A CATCH. IS THIS THE FIRST OUTFIELDER BOUNCING OFF A WALL  IN A TOPPS SET? THERE'S AT LEAST TWO OR THREE IN FLAGSHIP NOWADAYS EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THEM ARE FAKES AND OTHERS ARE SHORTPRINTED. GOD NEW CARDS SUCK WHY DOESN'T EVERYONE BUY GOOD OLD CRAPPY VINTAGE CAR- OOPS I'M SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE 1955 DESIGN NOT THE NEW STUFF. ANYWAY BOTH WINDY MCCALL CARDS ARE DEADASS BORING WITH JUST A DIFFERENT ANGLE ON THE THROWING MOTION. WAIT ARE THOSE LIGHTS IN THE BACKGROUND?? OH SHIT IT'S A GIANT - DON'T TELL NIGHT OWL - PLAY IT OFF  LIKE THE STANDS ARE ON FIRE. THAT'S IT, IT'S A TRAGEDY, NOT A NIGHT CARD. ANYWAY, 1956 TOPPS IS SO COOL I SCANNED THE BACK TOO.

APPARENTLY A VAMPIRE GOT TO THE HANK SAUER CARD BEFORE I DID. I WON'T COMMENT ON ALL THE WONDERFUL CARTOONS, I'LL JUST LET YOU CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE AND READ THEM YOURSELF. I MUST ADMIT I NEVER BOTHERED TO FIGURE OUT THE WHOLE WHITE BACK/GRAY BACK THING WITH 1956 TOPPS. I KNOW ONE IS MORE SCARCE THAN THE OTHER AND THE SCARCE ONE CHANGES WITH EACH SERIES AND SOME HAVE NO VARIATIONS AT ALL AND WHO CARES. IF I HAD A BOX FILLED UP  WITH 1956 TOPPS CARDS LIKE IT WAS 1987 IT MIGHT MATTER BUT I DON'T HAVE DOUBLES OF THIS STUFF. IF ANYONE WISHES TO SEND ME A BOX OF 1956 DOUBLES TO FORCE ME TO LEARN, FEEL FREE. THANKS AGAIN TO CARLSON FOR FILLING IN A FEW BOXES ON MY CHECKLIST.

I GOT PLENTY OF MATERIAL, LET'S SEE IF I CAN POST AGAIN BEFORE MAY IS OVER. RIGHT NOW IT'S TIME FOR BASEBALL!

*JANUARY

**MOSTLY

***NOPE, WOULDA MADE IT HAD I NOT SCANNED THE BACK OF THAT 1956 PAGE