2023 COMC BINGE - PART 5 SOME SEVENTY-ONES

AS I MENTIONED IN THE RAMBLING PREAMBLE TO THIS SERIES, THE LAST COUPLE CARDS I PICKED UP IN THE FIRST MORNING BATCH OF THE BINGE WERE THINGS I WASN'T PLANNING ON LOOKING FOR WHEN I STARTED. THAT ROTTEN PETE ROSE CARD WAS TORMENTING ME ALL DAY AND BY THE TIME I HAD DECIDED TO BITE THE BULLET AND BUY IT FOR FOUR BUCKS TO COMPLETE THE SET, THAT CARD WAS GONE. GRRR! I'M NOT PAYING $4.50! I SWITCHED GEARS IN A RAGE AND STARTED SEARCHING THE 1971 CARDS INSTEAD. EVERYONE LOVES 1971 CARDS! that's why they're so expensive

1971 TOPPS STEVE CARLTON

SINCE I'M NOW GETTING VERY CLOSE ON COMPLETING ALL THE SINGLE SERIES SETS FROM 1974 ONWARDS I'M STARTING TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT LOOKING AT FINISHING UP JUST ONE SERIES OUT OF ALL THE MOSTLY IMPOSSIBLE SETS 1973 AND BEFORE. REAL TALK HERE, I'M NEVER COMPLETING ANY OF THOSE SETS WITH MY CURRENT COLLECTING BUDGET. HOWEVER, FINISHING UP THE RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE FIRST OR SECOND SERIES ON SOME OF THESE SETS? THAT'S VERY DOABLE. THE REASON I PICKED 1971 TOPPS IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS BECAUSE I ONLY NEEDED TWO MEASLY CARDS TO FINISH SERIES ONE. LEFTY HERE WAS ONE OF THOSE CARDS. THIS ACTUAL HALL OF FAMER ONLY COST A BUCK THIRTY, OVER THREE DOLLARS LESS THAN THE HATED ROSE! MY PLAN TO SPITE A PIECE OF CARDBOARD WAS TO BUY SOME BETTER CARDS AT A LOWER PRICE AND I WAS OFF TO A GOOD START

CARLTON WAS A FAVORITE AS A KID AS I HAVE FAMILY IN PENNSYLVANIA AND STEVE WAS EXTREMELY IN THE MIX FOR SETTING THE ALL-TIME STRIKEOUT RECORD AT THE TIME. AS SUCH, IT'S STILL VERY DISCONCERTING TO SEE STEVE IN A CARDINALS UNIFORM.  WHITE SOX? HELL YEAH. TWINS? ALL RIGHT. CLEVELAND? SURE. GIANTS? WHY NOT. CARDINALS? WHAT IS THIS WITCHCRAFT, I'M SCARED. I NEVER HAD ANY OF HIS ST. LOUIS CARDS WHEN I WAS A KID, THOSE THINGS WERE EXPENSIVE! I HAVE MADE UP FOR LOST TIME SINCE THEN AND I THINK I HAVE THEM ALL FROM THE SEVENTIES AT LEAST NOW. I MIGHT BE MISSING HIS 1970 CARD BUT I KNOW I HAVE THE LEAGUE LEADERS CARD

COMPLETE PAGE! BILL LEE AND SOME LEADERS CARDS, AWW YEAH. SO NOW I JUST NEED CARD NUMBER 100 TO FINISH OFF THE FIRST SERIES, I WONDER WHO THAT IS. OH SON OF A- 

NEW PLAN. PICK UP A LEGENDARY HALL OF FAMER WHO IS WONDERFUL AND COMPLETELY NOT ANNOYING. I GOT MORE ACTION THAN MY MAN JOHN WOO AND I GOT MAD HITS LIKE I WAS

1971 TOPPS ROD CAREW 

OK SO IT'S BEAT ALL TO HELL. THE CORNERS ARE BAD. THERE'S A COUPLE CREASES. SOMEBODY TAPED THE TOP FOR GOD KNOWS WHAT REASON. WHO CARES, I FRIGGIN LOVE IT. THIS CARD RULES. AND IT WAS A BUCK SEVENTY! AAAAHAHAHHAA I GOT TWO OBJECTIVELY BETTER CARDS THAN THE HATED ROSE FOR TWO-THIRDS THE COST! A WINNER IS ME!

I BECAME A FAN OF CAREW AFTER GETTING THAT AMAZING 1983 TOPPS CARD IN A PACK AND WHILE I WAS USED TO HIM IN AN ANGELS UNI I WAS NOT UNFAMILIAR WITH HIS TWINS YEARS. ROD'S SEVENTIES CARDS WERE A LOT CHEAPER THAN CARLTON'S AND BESIDES, THOSE KMART MVP CARDS WERE EVERYWHERE SO I'D SEEN HIS 1977 CARD MAYBE A DOZEN TIMES BEFORE I PULLED AN ANGELS CARD. ROD CAREW CARDS ARE JUST FUN, THERE'S NO DREAD OR OBLIGATION TO THEM AND I ABSOLUTELY MADE THE RIGHT DECISION. GOTTA START YOUR CARD BINGES OFF RIGHT!

AND WE HAVE ANOTHER COMPLETED PAGE. I'M VERY CLOSE ON THE SECOND SERIES OF 1971 TOPPS AS WELL. WITH CAREW I ONLY NEED FOUR CARDS NOW: GAYLORD PERRY, TOM SEAVER, LARRY BOWA WITH THE COVETED ROOKIE CUP AND JOHNNY BENCH. A LOT OF THE USUAL SUSPECTS THERE WHEN YOU'RE FINISHING UP A SET. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I'LL PROBABLY STILL COMPLETE SERIES TWO BEFORE SERIES ONE. MAYBE SERIES THREE AND FOUR TOO AND I NEED LIKE 20 CARDS EACH FOR THOSE LOL