The Goofy Set Revisited

minibeers · February 10, 2004 8:11AM

With the kind of posts on the board lately, perhaps this will spark some fun. Some of you may remember a couple weeks ago I asked for everyone's help to create a fantasy registered set called "The Goofy Set." This set is comprised of the goofiest cards from Topps baseball years 1952 through 1979. I've been working on the set list and I need more help for the Web site I'm building. I think I have some really good representative cards. Some of the years are weak choices as I don't have access to looking at all the cards of a given year. Anyway, below is the fantasy set list and I encourage anyone to post alternatives with scans and fill the holes. If we are going to argue, let it be about the goofiest baseball cards you've ever seen! Let the games begin. cheers, minibeers

Year Producer # Description Notes
1952 Topps 31 Gus Zernial "Baseballs"
1952 Topps 205 Clyde King "Fire Bad"
1953 Topps 69 Dick Brodowski "Brightest star…"
1953 Topps 169 Dizzy Trout name and glasses
1954 Topps 139 O'Brien Brothers "Brothers"
1955 Topps 189 Phil Rizzuto tragedy narrowly averted
1956 Topps 292 Luis Aparicio give me an "X"
1957 Topps 20 Hank Aaron photo reversed
1957 Topps 54 Elmer Valo odd name and TV camera
1958 Topps 306 Whammy Douglas name and cold sore
1959 Topps 356 Bob Mabe relief!
1960 Topps 5 Wally Moon unibrow
1961 Topps 157 Cal McLish ancient chinese secret
1962 Topps 261 George Alusik revenge of the nerd
1963 Topps 491 Harry Craft no team logo
1964 Topps 335 Don Mossi fugly
1965 Topps 519 Bob Uecker bats right - pictured left prank
1966 Topps 586 Claude Raymond fly open
1967 Topps 364 Claude Raymond fly open AGAIN!
1968 Topps 241 Felix Milan UFO
1969 Topps 653 Aurelio Rodreguiz batboy switcheroo prank
1970 Topps Jim Fregosi truck
1970 Topps Lowell Palmer cool shades
1971 Topps 554 Lowell Palmer cool shades AGAIN!
1972 Topps 19 Billy Cowen halo effect
1972 Topps 33 Billy Martin the finger
1973 Topps 530 Jim Kaat pitcher batting? WTF?
1974 Topps
1975 Topps 213 Oscar Gamble afro
1976 Topps Oscar Gamble afro AGAIN!
1977 Topps Bill Grief stoned
1978 Topps
1979 Topps

onegaucho · February 10, 2004 8:25AM

Cool post!

Along with my Baseball Card Encyclopedia, the 1985/1986 Topps Collection book (it's huge) is probably one of the coolest books on cards that I own. Along with a write up of each year and some trivia questions, it has EVERY SINGLE topps card from 1952 - 1985 along with clear color photos of each card.

I'll take a quick glance tonight and see if I can find anything from the years you have holes. I probably won't be able to scan them b/c of the sheer size of the book but I'm sure a quick check of ebay will suffice.

I'll keep you posted.

minibeers · February 10, 2004 8:35AM

onegaucho - if you see anything funnier for any of the years, let me know.

1963 is a lame pick. It is only wierd to baseball card nuts like us because there is no team logo on the card. I need something funnier than that.

1957 is tough. I looked at every card and could only come up with the famous reversed out photograph of Hank Aaron and the Elmer Valo card because of the TV camera. I don't think I'll do much better than that for this year.

The 1968 Felix Milan card I found on my own. Check it out. There is a baseball in mid air in the photo. odd

cheers,
minibeers

toppsgun · February 10, 2004 9:11AM

Mabe in '59 is a good choice, the guy is half asleep. Also, #440-Lou Burdette poses as a left pitcher when he is actually right handed (similar to '65 Uecker prank).

Any Don Mossi mug is goofy. But 1966 #74 takes the cake.

The '69 Ryan, he's making a follow-through pitching motion, but the ball is clearly visible in his glove.

1965 #413-Hal Reniff in pitching motion leaves a big bush of underarm hair exposed for the cameraman.
Also in 1965, #549-Beckert rookie, the cameraman is facing the sun, so Beckert's face is 80% shaded

toppsgun · February 10, 2004 9:24AM

1963 #273-Sammy Taylor looks a bit, uh, shall I say effeminate.

helionaut · February 10, 2004 10:40AM

I think 1963 should be #17 Ryne Duren. If he took those welder's goggles off, he might've been able to find the plate.

onegaucho · February 10, 2004 10:41AM

This is too funny...

Here's what I've found so far:

1964 #501 Bob "I can't see without these on" Veale

1979 #566 Nino Espinosa (he's a pitcher but has an infielder's glove on with a batting glove as well)

1978 several, but #544 takes the cake: Len "don't touch me there" Randle
Other choices would be #145 Rick "there's something on my chin" Monday
#385 Tito "it's also spelled on my headband" Fuentes

scottsusor · February 10, 2004 10:57AM

If you get a chance, take a look at what's in the background of Ray Sadecki's 1964 Topps card sometime. This is MY favorite "goofy" card of all time.

Scott

pebblyjack · February 10, 2004 11:00AM

How about 1985 Topps #497 Gary Pettis which is actually a picture of his younger and I mean really younger brother Lynn Pettis.

And I think Tommy John has a card from the late '60s where he is following through and the ball is clearly visible in his glove.

Thanks

Randy

purelyPSA · February 10, 2004 12:01PM

That would be the '69 John.

jaybyrd · February 10, 2004 12:46PM

1958 Red Wilson # 213 - Looks like he is missing most of his right arm. (Wanted to say stump, but knew that was not politically correct).

1959 Coot Veal - Coot?

1959 Rocky Bridges - Or just about any other card of him. I guess he refused to photographed by Topps unless he had a big wad of tobacco in the right cheek.

1959 Bob Mabe # 356 - "I am so stoned, dude" Oops you already had that one.

helionaut · February 10, 2004 1:04PM

I forgot my all-time least favorite card, 1981 Topps John Pacella. He was a Mets pitcher who had some sort of perm or something and a violent pitching motion so every pitch he threw made his hat fall off his head onto the ground. I only saw him pitch one game, but I'll always remember it driving me insane. Windup-throw-scoop cap off ground. The 1981 Topps shows this. Hairpins, man, hairpins!

liffeystynx · February 10, 2004 4:03PM

I don't know whether this qualifies because you could make the case that it is intentionally goofy -

Topps 1976 #564 shows Kurt Bevacqua winning the "1975 Joe Garagiola/Bazooka Bubble Gum Blowing Championship" (I'm not making this up). Apart from Kurt's enormous ... em, bubble, the goofiest thing is the device for measuring the biggest bubble. Apparently fashioned out of balsa wood to look like two bats and a ball (sort of), it looks more likely to burst a bubble than meaure it.

Still, it doesn't touch Oscar Gamble's extraordinary hair as the 1976 winner (though that is, strictly speaking, on a Traded card).

minibeers · February 10, 2004 8:25PM

Thanks for all the great posts! This helps a lot. I'll be looking those puppies up here this weekend and finalizing the list.
cheers,
minibeers

Boopotts · February 10, 2004 10:52PM

The '73 Topps Pete Rose just has to make the list.

minibeers · February 11, 2004 12:47AM

Scott-
That 64 Sadecki made me laugh out loud. That takes the 1964 crown away from Don Mossi. Now I can use Don to fill a hole in another year since every one of his cards are scary.
here is a link to an auction featuring that Sadecki card:
64 Sadecki
cheers,
minibeers

goodriddance189 · February 11, 2004 8:07AM

FINALLY FOUND IT- check this one out.

helionaut · February 11, 2004 8:17AM

God that Minton is ridiculous. But I believe I can explain the 1978 Len Randle card. I was watching I think that very game (on TV). Randle was leading off first base. When the pitcher threw over he dove back but in doing so jammed his hand under the bag and couldn't get it out. They had to call a groundsman to come and pry the base up to get his hand out. I can remember the announcer saying he had done that a couple times already that season, so maybe it wasn't that instant caught on camera, but it looked just like that.

Virtualizard · February 11, 2004 10:35AM

Helionaut,

Here's your Pacella:

I had to confirm the '78 Topps Minton for myself! I have 3 of them - I thought that scan was a joke, but all of mine are the same! What's the story behind that? Didn't Topps get a photo of him that season? Did he authorize a drawing? I'd be interested if anyone knew the answer.

Somebody mentioned this card in a previous thread (sorry, I can't remember who), 1981 Topps Joe Pettini (I believe he beats the Pacella card for this set):

And finally, the super rare 1976 Topps Traded Oscar Gamble with Don Mossi ears and Bill Buckner mustache variation!

Enjoy!

JEB.

1967topps · February 11, 2004 1:06PM

Great thread! Didn't Jim Bouton describe Don Mossi something like "looks like a cab
going down the street with both doors open"?

others coming to mind from 1967

21 most Dave Bristol cards I have show his face bright red like he got a killer sunburn in spring training
191 Mays checklist variations with/without a neck (no comment on 598 Walter Williams)
454 Marichal checklist variations with/without left ear (even got PSA to put on my card "J. Marichal - no left ear")
146 Steve Carlton bushy eyebrows and never in focus like he was drawn in (not quite to be confused with
many 1959 cards that look like paintings rather than photos)
385 Jim Fregosi bats right, but shown batting left

One year (forget which) they had Larry Haney as a left-handed catcher

And maybe it's just me but I keep thinking "cartoon head" for 1964 #546 Joe Christopher and 1967 #591 Ty Cline - like the Christopher face is too big for the rest of the head - check for yourself because my scanner is not at all great - look at the size of the head compared to the size of the neck- its like his head on
someone else's body?

now to the 1964s:

498 Dave Stenhouse looks like he just swallowed his tobacco, or is about to spit it up
345 angle of Frank Thomas shot looks like he has a 6" bat in his hands
312 Fred Gladding sees something really good
296 Ed Kirkpatrick shows with a bat how he holds his drinking glass
236 Bill Faul - from a 1936 photo?
146 Tommy John looks like a drawing
147 i don't get it about the Sadecki card
116 Tony Oliva "If I stick my tongue out it means I'm swinging at this pitch"

1967topps · February 11, 2004 1:17PM

OK I get it now. In the background on the '64 sadecki card:

-a sign on the wall, but only 3 letters show "ASS"
-looks like he's got a baseball on the back of his head

reminds me of a radio station compilation album WNBC in NY
did 20 years back. They wanted to street that it was NYC artists
so they had a picture of a subway train in the background..
With graffiti the "F word" in 4' high letters on the train!

pc · February 11, 2004 1:23PM

1958 Don Mossi

pandrews · February 11, 2004 2:47PM

<< <i>1977 Topps Bill Grief stoned
>>

i wanna see a picture of this card if anybody has it.

TheCARDKid · February 12, 2004 3:49AM

Hilarious cards. That Minton is off the charts in terms of goofiness.

BobS · February 12, 2004 4:52AM

GREAT THREAD. We need more pictures.

The only one I can think of is from a 70's card, maybe 72, where one of the players in the background is practicing his putting game. Anyone???

minibeers · February 12, 2004 5:34AM

I'll post Bill Grief when I get to my home computer. I'm building a web site that will have all the scans, btw. I agree, though, more scans!

If there is a card from the 60's or 70's with someone practicing their putting game I MUST SEE IT!

keep it coming. That Minton card wins for 1978 beyond a shadow of a doubt. That is worse than any 77 Mariner card.

goodriddance189 · February 12, 2004 5:36AM

i saw that Minton card (which redefines the word Comedy) in an article out of Collectors Sportslook from 95, and ive been waiting patiently to find a scan and unleash it on the "Goofy Cards" thread.

minibeers · February 12, 2004 8:06PM

pandrews - for your smoking pleasure, I give you Grief:

edited to fix link

minibeers · February 12, 2004 8:12PM

This one give Minton a run for his money:

minibeers · February 12, 2004 8:21PM

Just so everyone knows, since Don Mossi is on everyone's list for about every year he played, I'm creating a Don Mossi Tribute section to my site which will have every one of his cards pitctured. Is there a PSA Registry set for Don? Would Don in all 9s make him look better?

cheers,
minibeers

BobS · February 12, 2004 9:21PM

I Found It!!!! - 1972 Carew

The Goofy Set Revisited

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