Biggest Geek you've seen on a baseball card?

GoSoxBoSox · September 13, 2003 8:58PM

In the spirit of ABBAdads' post of you're favorite set and card I thought it be fun to post a picture of the biggest geek you've seen on a baseball card.

When I think of geeks I always seem to think of Cookie Rojas, Ed Brinkman, and Bob Veale. However, the 1968 Topps Dave Ricketts is a classic. Ricketts looks like the school bully just gave him a wedgy and stole his lunch money. What a goober.

Stump · September 13, 2003 9:01PM

Don Mossi

This guy had some gonzo ears.

Dave

toppsgun · September 13, 2003 10:20PM

Quick, somebody post a picture of Don Mossi, 1966 Topps #74. It's a classic.

I once sold that card to a guy at a card show who was building a set of The Ugliest Baseball Players. He even wanted the card to be beat up. Mine was.

dalew · September 13, 2003 10:37PM

Only from memory, what about the 1968 Milt Pappas card, wasn't that a beauty, and the 1959 Don Mossi card?

GoSoxBoSox · September 13, 2003 10:50PM

Somebody has to post this Mossi card. I've never seen it.

Attached is a picture of a Dick Hughes card. I think I had him for chemistry lab is high school.

norty · September 13, 2003 11:32PM

1965 Topps Football John Huarte. God what an awful transposition of a head on a body by Topps! That may be the ugliest, geekiest card I've ever seen.

GoSoxBoSox · September 13, 2003 11:39PM

<< <i>1965 Topps Football John Huarte. God what an awful transposition of a head on a body by Topps! That may be the ugliest, geekiest card I've ever seen. >>

POST! POST! POST!

Basilone · September 13, 2003 11:39PM

John

GoSoxBoSox · September 13, 2003 11:42PM

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

I can't stop laughing...

norty · September 14, 2003 12:06AM

Go Sox:

I don't carry football cards anymore so we'll need to rely on one of the football members to post one. Trust me though, he is one pencil neck geek on that card!

ABBAdad · September 14, 2003 12:25AM

Any Kent Tekulve card should suffice!!

fab4 · September 14, 2003 12:26AM

SportscardAdvocate · September 14, 2003 12:26AM

Here's my favorite:

How this guy made it out of high school is a wonder.

SayitaintsoJoe63 · September 14, 2003 1:04AM

It's scary to think that this guy actually made little league......let alone the majors.

GoSoxBoSox · September 14, 2003 1:21AM

These are great. Keep'em coming.

Virtualizard · September 14, 2003 1:36AM

How about Cecil Upshaw?

JEB.

GoSoxBoSox · September 14, 2003 1:53AM

<< <i>It's scary to think that this guy actually made little league......let alone the majors. >>

sayitaintsojoe63,

Sure that isn't Don Knotts' older brother?

Virtualizard · September 14, 2003 2:12AM

Has anyone noticed that almost all of the players listed are pitchers?

Bob Veale, Don Mossi, Milt Pappas, Dick Hughes, Kent Tekulve, Ron Willis, & Cecil Upshaw so far.

JEB.

Here's some Tekulves for you!

Virtualizard · September 14, 2003 2:47AM

Here's a non-pitcher:

5 years later, he has added a mustache, but still a geek in the same pose:

JEB.

toppsgun · September 14, 2003 4:44AM

Think Martinez may have gotten his nickname from his disabled orthodontist?

dalew · September 14, 2003 4:46AM

I had a chemistry teacher that looked like George Alusik. Is that a tumor on his neck?

BTW, I couldn't resist, so here is a link:

The George Alusik Statistical Summary

BTW, since you posted his name, watch his POP Report and SMR go "wwwwaaayyyy up"

Dale

Basilone · September 14, 2003 8:15AM

Buck Martinez's Porno Mustache is on par with Mike Schmidt and Wade Boggs.

Maybe that should be another thread....Best Porno Mustache.

John

tbub · September 14, 2003 8:21AM

I'm with Stump, Don Mossi ears instantly came to mind.

Mantlefan · September 14, 2003 8:34AM

Don't forget Whammy!

Virtualizard · September 14, 2003 8:47AM

Gonzo Ears and Porno Mustache. This is some good stuff. Is there a player with both?

JEB.

Edited to add: Throw in a nice afro for the trifecta, and we have a winner on both of the current threads.

FB · September 14, 2003 9:59AM

Wasn't there a 72 Topps card of Jay Wolt? I think it was #788???

Hope to see you at the Fort this week Jay!

Virtualizard · September 14, 2003 10:33AM

OK. I searched my inventory and came up with these super rare cards. I couldn't decide which I liked better, so I'm posting both:

JEB.

Wayne8348 · September 14, 2003 11:20AM

Jeb,

That is great!

Wayne

murcerfan · September 14, 2003 11:42AM

needs some bling-bling

SportscardAdvocate · September 14, 2003 11:48AM

Virtualizard,

You're a sick man...

But of course, while you're at it, how 'bout some horn-rimmed glasses.

Ev.

BTW, anyone know where one can learn about trades? I'm dying to know who George Alusik was traded for to go from the Tigers to the A's.

edited for typo...

pebblyjack · September 14, 2003 12:13PM

<<BTW, anyone know where one can learn about trades? I'm dying to know who George Alusik was traded for to go from the Tigers to the A's.>>

It was a cash transaction, May 7, 1962.

The Baseball Encyclopedia, edited by Joseph Reichler, has a section on trades.

Randy

(edited to correct typo).

The53Kid · September 14, 2003 12:26PM

The one that used to keep us up night's laughing as a kid was the 1981 Topps Joe Pettini #62. I'll try to get one out and provide a scan.

This is totally on memory from 20 years ago...but I remember it was a full head shot, with awful colors, I think pink and black for SF Giants, and a deer in the head lights look. Every time we opened a pack and got one it got tossed at the wall.

pebblyjack · September 14, 2003 12:29PM

While we are on the topic of Don Mossi, one of my favorite passages from Bill James appears at page 219 of his Historical Baseball Abstract (1985) and is about Mossi's appearance:

"I always kind of identified with Don Mossi. Don Mossi had two careers as a major league pitcher, one as a reliever and one as a starter, and he was pretty darn good both times. No one who saw him play remembers that, because Mossi's ears looked as if they had been borrowed from a much larger species and reattached without proper supervision. His nose was crooked, his eyes were in the wrong place, and though he was skinny he had no neck to speak of, just a series of chins that melted into his chest. An Adam's apple poked out of the third chin, and there was always a stubble of beard because you can't shave a face like that. He looked like Joe Torre escaping from Devil's Island.

"One of the problems with choosing ugliest and handsomest players is that a player who looks little short of grotesque in one pose or photograph will look fine in another. Susie [his wife] showed me a picture of Hoyt Wilhelm in which he looked positively handsome. I assured her that it was just a bad shot.

"You never have that problem with Don Mossi. Don Mossi was the complete ugly player. He could run ugly, hit ugly, throw ugly, field ugly, and ugly for power. He was ugly to all fields. He could ugly behind the runner as well as anybody, which made him a great ugly-and-run man. And you talk about pressure ... man, you never saw a player who was uglier in the clutch."

Thanks,

Randy

Boopotts · September 14, 2003 1:25PM

That '62 Tigers card (George somebody) has just got to take the keg. Still, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Ron Kittle. Or, for that matter, McGwire's '85 Topps card. Back in the day, when Oddibe McDowell was considered the blue ribbon prospect from the '84 USA Team, I used to dump the McGwire's in the drugstore trash can where I bought my cards just out of principle.

pc · September 15, 2003 1:41AM

<< <i>That '62 Tigers card (George somebody) has just got to take the keg. Still, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Ron Kittle. Or, for that matter, McGwire's '85 Topps card. Back in the day, when Oddibe McDowell was considered the blue ribbon prospect from the '84 USA Team, I used to dump the McGwire's in the drugstore trash can where I bought my cards just out of principle. >>

nice call.
btw the 58 mossi is no beaut either.

Cubfan · September 15, 2003 2:19AM

Ill try to find one and post it later.

But I remember a couple of the Spook Jacobs cards from either 55 or 56 Topps sets (maybe both) being either geeky or scary. But in no way did he look like a professional baseball player (at least from those pictures).

dalew · September 15, 2003 3:06AM

No card should have have "Spook" listed on it. Anyways, here is Mossi and "Spook."

Don Mossi 56 Topps

"Spook" Jacobs 56 Card

Have Fun

NickM · September 15, 2003 3:44AM

Where's Whammy?
Somebody has to have a scan of Whammy.

Nick

purelyPSA · September 15, 2003 7:18AM

One of the most overlooked geek cards has to be the 1978 Topps Phillies Team card. On it, the batboy is shown stifling a yawn, the Bull is busy checking out some chick off-camera, and I do believe Bake McBride is shown picking his nose. An all-around overlooked classic.

Don't believe it? Check for yourself. This scan shows it pretty well.

murcerfan · September 15, 2003 7:33AM

dalew · September 15, 2003 8:52AM

And if you had $10,000 you could afford this ball signed by the legendary "Spook Jacobs."

"Spook" Jacobs signed ball

dalew · September 15, 2003 8:54AM

Let's try that again.

"Spook" Jacobs Ball

murcerfan · September 15, 2003 9:07AM

dale,
thanks for the interesting link, well worth the side-track.
'Ole Spook is certainly an obscure player. Ironically his Rodeo meats card is probably the toughest one in the set, at least that has been a collective experience for a few of us over the past few years.
I would love to find a nice upgrade for my set.

dalew · September 15, 2003 9:28AM

The Ultimate Ebay Auction for "Spook" Jacobs

Spook Jacobs Autographed Card

I'm really sorry about this, I have "Spook" Jacobs on the mind.

Dale

Mantlefan · September 15, 2003 9:29AM

Nick

Whammy's on page one of this thread.

Cubfan · September 15, 2003 9:49AM

Guys,

Thanks for the Spook pics and for saving me time. He wasnt quite as bad as I remembered, but he is actually a little spooky looking.

I just pulled out his 1955 Topps card and I think the same picture was used for that one too.

Sorry to get you going on that one Dale

.

Virtualizard · September 15, 2003 11:04AM

<< <i>The one that used to keep us up night's laughing as a kid was the 1981 Topps Joe Pettini #62. I'll try to get one out and provide a scan.

This is totally on memory from 20 years ago...but I remember it was a full head shot, with awful colors, I think pink and black for SF Giants, and a deer in the head lights look. Every time we opened a pack and got one it got tossed at the wall. >>

Good call, 53Kid. I don't know how I overlooked this geek (plus, he has the porno mustache

)

JEB.

ABBAdad · September 15, 2003 12:08PM

<< It's scary to think that this guy actually made little league......let alone the majors. >>

sayitaintsojoe63,

Sure that isn't Don Knotts' older brother?

Sayitaintso and GoBoSox,

I am acqauinted with Ron Willis' family here in the Memphis area. They are very nice people and Ron had some decent years for the Cardinals in the mid to late 60s. He died in the late 70s of a brain tumor, but before he did (while he was still heathy), my dad asked if he would help my older brother with his pitching motion. He gladly did. I was there that day also at a rinky dink little league field. He was very kind and helpful. His family allowed me to view their home movies taken at Busch stadium during the 1968 World Series which was kind of cool. He does look sort of geeky on that '68 Topps card, but he was a nice man that died WAY too early.

David

The53Kid · September 15, 2003 12:17PM

JEB,

AWESOME! Thanks for digging up the Joe Pettini, it's almost worst than I remembered. Check out those cool glasses, he must have had a contract with Oakley.

And am I imagining things, or does he look like a blonde Father Guido Sarducci?

Thanks,
Bruce

purelyPSA · September 15, 2003 2:26PM

You'd think Topps would have at least airbrushed a chin on the poor guy.

Basilone · September 15, 2003 3:12PM

His glasses look familiar. Also...is that a mullet Im seeing?

John

Biggest Geek you've seen on a baseball card?

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