Too many Mets in Topps Top 60? Blame Topps -- and go deeper to find other teams

Difficult accusations have been made about the legitimacy of our countdown of the Topps Top 60 Cards of All Time.

It appears there are some people, mostly my fellow cardboard crusader, who believe that my list is too Mets-centric, and that I have ignored cards of other players simply because they played for other teams.

This is shocking. Shocking, I tell you.

Upon review it does appear that the Mets have been blessed with a number of quality cards, at least in the section of the count between No. 60 and 31.

Hey, blame Topps! It’s not my fault the Brooklyn-based company apparently rises to the occasion when it has to produce a Mets card.

And it’s Topps fault that the company only listed its top 60. I’m fairly certain that there were a number of cards depicting non-Mets in slots from No. 61 to 80.
What? Trust, but verify?

Sigh. If you insist.

Let’s pause the count at No. 31, set back a little and see what might have been included in the countdown had Topps asked voters to rank cards starting at No. 80.


No. 80, 1973 Bob Didier.

See, there you go. The 1973 set had some amazing action shots, and some rather distant and unusual ones, too. This is one of the best, with the Braves catcher looking up to the umpire to see the call after attempting to put the tag on a player who looks suspiciously like Cleon Jones of the Mets.


No. 79, 1991 Roger Clemens.

Clemens used to be a good pitcher before he turned into an alleged roid-using, bat-tossing, wife-blaming, Canada-dissing, McNamee-bashing, All-Star-game trashing weasel. Allegedly. But this card is a classic.


No. 78, 1995 Larry Walker

The 1995 Topps set is both wonderful and terrible. The photos are among the very best the company has ever produced. Great portraits, awesome actions shots and even some collages. But the gold foil writing makes it darn near impossible to read the players’ names. This shot of Larry Walker going all Swoboda is magnificent.


No. 77, 1952 Gus Zernial

Will loves this card, and for good reason. “Ozark Ike” is posing with six balls stuck on his bat, commemorating the six homers he hit over the course of three games. Zernial is from Beaumont, Texas where I spent a week last year. But he retired to Fresno, Calif. in the early 1960s. Fresno, of course, produced some amazing players, which leads to:


No. 76, 1982 Tom Seaver In Action

Seaver is back at Shea, where he never should have left, in this action shot. True fact: Seaver doesn’t appear in a Reds home uniform in any of his base cards. Perhaps Topps was signaling that home was always in New York even if he played half his games in Cincy.


No. 75, 2005 Craig Biggio

Speaking of people who call New York home, future Hall-of-Famer Biggio also is depicted at Shea. The pride of Smithtown is attempting to put the tag on David Segui.


No. 74, 1973 Tommie Agee

In yet another game at Shea, Tommie Agee is seen patrolling centerfield. I don’t know how I missed this transaction, but apparently the Mets also traded Rusty Staub and Ken Boswell to the Astros, too.

No. 73, 1986 Tom Seaver All-Star set

These were cards that were included in rack packs. Topps didn’t use too many action photos of Seaver when he played for the White Sox, so this one is a rare treat.


No. 72, 1987 Tom Seaver

Seaver sure did find his way into some really great cards. Red Sox Nation embraced Tom’s mid-season arrival, and he led them all the way to the World Series – which the team lost to the Mets. Luckily for the Mets, Seaver was injured and couldn’t compete.


No. 71, 1971 Johnny Bench

Will loves this card, and it’s easy to see why. His man JB is in his classic batting pose in the quirky yet awesome 1971 set. It’s a beautiful card. And he was Tom Seaver’s catcher, too.


No. 70, 1992 Cal Ripken Jr.

My brother played catch with Cal Sr. Really. We had credentials for a game at Memorial Stadium, and Cal Sr. was hitting fungoes. A throw back got away and ended up at my brother’s feet. Cal asked him to throw it back. He did, and I’m forever jealous. This shot shows Cal Jr. about to break a record held by a Yankee, so that’s all good.


No. 69, 1982 Tom Seaver All-Star

Man, we are looking at a serious Mets drought here. The slackers at Topps are openly dissing the Mets at this point. Just like the Cy Young voters dissed Seaver, giving what should have been Tom’s fourth award to Fernando Valenzuela.


No. 68, 1972 Willie Mays

This a near-perfect card for a near-perfect player in a near-perfect set. And during this season, Willie would be headed to Shea.


No. 67, 1961 Bill Mazeroski World Series

Mazeroski was a phenomenal fielder, but his most glorious moment was a walk-off home run in the 1960 World Series that sent the vile Yankees packing. He earned his Hall of Fame plaque right there, even it took them years to give it to him.


No. 66, 1973 Hank Aaron

Card No. 1 in one of Topps’ all-time best sets is devoted to the home run king, the only time Topps has done a card like this.


No. 65, 1984 Traded Set Tom Seaver

After the ordeal of losing Seaver the first time, losing our hero through a front office blunder was just brutal. The 1984 base set card is probably a top-10 card, this late-season inclusion is good, too, uniform not withstanding.


No. 64, 1992 Frank Thomas

Frank’s awesome, and this card – using a photo from Sports Illustrated – is perhaps his very best. After the absolute disaster that was the 1990 set, Topps rebounded nicely.


No. 63, 1979 Tom Seaver

A great action pose, and a rare back shot, with the big 41 and last name there for all to see.


No. 62, 1972 Roberto Clemente

Talk about your heroes. Clemente would have a card in the 1973 set, but of course he died before the calendar flipped to that year. Head down and tossing a ball in the air, Roberto almost looks sad. Knowing what we know now, it fits. But I wonder what the reaction was in 1972.


No. 61, 1956 Jackie Robinson

Jackie’s a national hero, and a de facto Met given the front entrance to Citi Field. This card’s a national treasure, too. Jackie’s big smile and the background artwork all are brilliant.

Whoa! We made it all the way without a single Met in there. That was a long streak with a bunch of Reds, a couple Astros, a number of Sox both White and Red, some Braves and even Pirates, Dodgers, Giants and Astros! You guys shouldn’t have doubted me!

Happy birthday, Tom Seaver!

"The Franchise" turns 66 today. How are you celebrating?

Greg Prince of the always fabulous Faith and Fear in Flushing counts some of the reasons why this should be a national holiday.

Topps Top 60 Cards part 3: Music, milestones and a mascot

Continuing our march through the top 60 Topps cards of all time, it appears that this third installment also happens to include a fair number of cards from a certain, Queens-based baseball team.


No. 40: 1972 Jim Fregosi Boyhood Photo
Jim Fregosi: All-Star infielder, killer accordion player. Trading Nolan Ryan probably made a lot more sense to fans once this card came out and they learned that Fregosi was a man of many skills. Most of the boyhood cards in the magnificent 1972 set showed the players in their Little League uniforms. Not Fregosi. No, he’s brandishing that massive accordion, ready to burst out a lethal version of “Lady of Spain.” And the crazy thing is the back of the card details Jim youth league exploits and never once mentions his apparent musical skills.


No. 39: 2006 Oliver Perez
Perez is one of those players who seem to always have a sharp-looking action card. But I like this one best. Because if Ollie is on the bench, then he’s not in the game, walking the bases loaded and then giving up a grand slam. The odds of the Mets winning increase dramatically if Ollie is not playing.


No. 38: 1979 Ed Kranepool
In the days when card companies released only one set a year, Steady Eddie undoubtedly held the record for most appearances on cardboard by a Met. But 1979 was the last of his 18 seasons. This photo almost looks like Krane is tipping his cap to fans saluting him for a fine career.


No. 37: 1973 Yogi Berra
Topps rarely added coaches to the manager cards, and it was nice to see Rube Walker, Roy McMillin, Eddie Yost and Joe Pignatano getting some recognition in the 1973 and 1974 sets.


No. 36: 1989 Lenny Dykstra
I met Dykstra at a card show in Manhattan around the time this card came out. He seemed really nice when I asked him too sign my Mets book, and to add his nickname “Nails.” He did – and spelled it wrong, realized the error and tried to fix it. Sharpies are unforgiving. He sheepishly slid the book back across the table.


No. 35: 2007 Mr. Met
Topps started to give Mr. Met and less-worthy mascots some love the Opening Day sets. Note the assistant with the T-shirt launcher. I’m reminded of the television ad with Mr. Met sneaking into the empty stands before a game and launching shirts at an unsuspecting grounds crew member, then attempting to duck behind a seat. “Dude, I can see like 80 percent of your head!”


No. 34: 1964 Jim Hickman
The 1962 Mets were a collection of faded stars, the under-skilled and a few youngsters with some potential. Count Hickman in the last category. He was a solid player and holds some milestones, including being the first Met to hit for the cycle. He hit the last homer in the Polo Grounds and was the first Met to hit three homers in one game. He also was the last of the original Mets. Hickman later represented the Cubs in the 1970 All-Star Game and smashed the 12th-inning hit that drove Pete Rose around third and barreling into Ray Fosse.


No. 33: 1976 Rusty Staub
This portrait of a smiling Daniel Joseph Staub makes it pretty clear how he came to be known as “Rusty,” and “Le Grande Orange,” hero to Canadians. Alas, Staub was know by another name by the time this card came out: Detroit Tiger right fielder. Yet another bad trade by the Mets, and incoming Mickey Lolich didn’t even play the accordion.


No. 32: 2000 Robin Ventura
Ventura’s Grand Slam Single in the rain during the 15th inning of Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS is easily one of the Mets most glorious post-season memories. But there have actually been two other grand slam singles, though none as dramatic. In 1970, the Tigers’ Dalton Jones accidently passed teammate Don Wert while rounding the bases. And on July 4, 1976 Fox broadcaster and know-it-all Tim McCarver must have been too enthralled by the bicentennial celebration because he passed teammate Garry Maddox. As for Ventura, the lighting on this 2000 card is just perfect.


No. 31: 1969 Nolan Ryan
And we close out the first third of our countdown with Nolan Ryan, before he was traded for a musician. Look closely at Nolan’s glove. That would be the ball nestled in the webbing. Ryan was famous for his blazing fastball, supposedly throwing so hard that batters could barely see it. Or, as this card suggests, Ryan was just really good at the old hidden ball trick.

Top 60 Topps cards of all time, part 2

We’re back with Part 2 of the countdown to the top 60 Topps baseball cards of all time. So far, all of the cards happened to be of Mets players. Let’s see if this trend continues.


No. 50: 2007 Bowman Heritage Joe Smith
Smith became a fan favorite as a rookie, coming out of the pen with his unusual side-arm delivery and knee-buckling pitches. Alas, he went to the Indians as part of the great bullpen purge and has been steady if not unspectacular for the past two seasons –meaning the Mets have missed him greatly. This is a fun card because Topps inserted city scenes in the backgrounds. Joe has Coney Island’s glorious Wonder Wheel for all to see. And the end of the 2007 season made a lot of Mets fans want to hurl, kind of like after you hop into one of the swinging cars in the Wonder Wheel after downing a couple dogs at Nathan's.


No. 49: 1996 Pete Harnisch
Harnisch got points for being from Commack and being a decent enough pitcher on some crappy mid-90s Mets teams. He’s famous for a couple other things, like being one of only 26 pitchers to strike out a side on just nine pitches. He also went public with his battle with clinical depression while pitching with the Mets in 1997. He’s also got and unusual pitching motion, which this card captures perfectly.


No. 48: 2000 Brian Cole
Of course we’ll never know if Cole would have become the great ballplayer we all expected him to be. He died from injuries suffered on at the end of spring training in 2001, when his Ford Explorer Sport veered off State Highway 8 in Florida and rolled over. But we know for sure that even at his young age, Cole knew how to pose for a baseball card. This portrait is one of the best in the set.


No. 47: 1967 Mets Maulers
Topps would occasionally slip into sets neat shots of more than one player, based around a theme. Casey Stengel and Gene Woodling were on a “Veteran Masters” card in 1963, and the next year Casey was joined by Ed Kranepool for a “Casey Teaches” card. Kranepool must have been a prized student of the “Ole Professor” because he appeared again in 1967 with Ron Swoboda on a card optimistically called “Mets Maulers.” Truth be told, the Mets of that era were more likely on the receiving end of a mauling. But this is still a fun card of two young Mets.


No. 46: 1994 Stadium Club David Segui
Segui offered a somewhat subpar year for the Mets in 1994, hitting .241 with 10 home runs. The next year he improved nicely to a robust .309 batting average with a bunch more doubles and triples. Now sometimes when a player makes a nice little boost like that, people throw around an ugly word, and that word is steroids. Often, such players play for the Yankees. There are some people who run around saying Segui confessed to taking such things. I think Segui is mistaken, because everybody knows Mets would never take steroids. That said, I really like this dugout portrait.


No. 45: 1991 Sid Fernandez
Topps bounced back from the total disaster that was the 1990 set with one of the company’s better offerings in 1991. El Sid notched his best season with the Mets in 1986, going 16-6 and a masterful relief performance in Game Seven of the World Series. But the 1991 season of this card was a disaster, with Sid breaking his arm in spring training, returning in July then breaking down again with knee problems in September. The horizontal card from that season, however, is Sid’s best.


No. 44: 1997 Stadium Club John Olerud
The Mets starting rising from the 1990s slump late in the decade, and the 1997 arrival of John Olerud was one of the reasons why. His .358 batting average in 1998 is a team record, and his sparkling defense was one of the reasons by Sports Illustrated parked Olerud on the cover with Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordonez and Robin Ventura with the title “The Greatest Infield Ever?” Amazingly, Yankee hack Tom Verducci did not quit in protest.


No. 43: 2008 Shea Stadium
The Mets home, in its final year, was granted a card of its own in a special Mets set. A curious choice for a photo, we get an exterior shot with an empty parking lot, save for a couple of New York’s Finest walking through. It’s even hard to make out the iconic neon players.


No. 42: 1987 Randy Myers
Myers had cups of coffee with the 1985 and 1986 teams, but came into his own in 1987, even finishing sixth in the Rookie of the Year balloting. This pre-Nasty Boys era photo of Randall K. in is batting practice jersey shows just how good the Mets might look had they adopted blue alternative jerseys instead of the goofy black ones.

No. 41: 1976 Tom Seaver
You didn’t think some other player would be allowed to carry the honor of being No. 41, did you? There might be a couple Seavers on this list. The 1976 shot shows Tom in a classic spring training, baseball card pose. There might not even be a ball in his hand, but he’s probably not going to fire a pitch from the on-deck circle anyway. I remember pulling this card in the very first pack of cards I opened that year, and decided that I’d never have to buy another until 1977. That rule lasted maybe a day.

Picking the Topps top 60, part 1

Silly Topps.

The venerable baseball card maker is asking collector to vote on the company's top 60 cards of all time.

Sounds like fun, except the company made some serious mistakes. It limits voting to 100 pre-selected cards, and only five of them are Mets! Worse than that, there are a bunch of Yankees in there, even Derek F. Jeter!

This will not do.

So I’ve been sorting through my binders of Topps cards to create a true top 60, and asked the fine folks at the Crane Pool Forum to send their suggestions, too.

First we have to determine what, exactly, makes a baseball card great. Topps seemed to cling to its more valuable cards, or most notorious, in the case of the Jeter “error” with Mantle and President Bush photo shopped in the background. Clearly the shot was faked because it was taken at a day game, and Mick doesn’t look hungover.

But in my eyes, there are many factors that go into creating a great card. It can have a great player, but it can have a great photo of an average player. Sometime the design just pulls everything together like Lebowski’s rug. And sometimes a card just instantly transports you back to a special time or brings a smile to your face.

So here, working backwards, is the top 60 Topps cards of all time, part 1.


No. 60: 1962 Ed Bouchee

Bouchee certainly was not the best of the 1962 Mets, appearing in only 60 games and batting just .161. But his card is historic, marking the first time the Mets full uniform appeared in a Topps set. Since the team was new , Topps relied heavily on its “big head, no hat” shots for Mets that year. Only two players, who appeared in a later series, are shown wearing the beautiful Mets uniform. Don Zimmer, who lasted just 14 games, is wearing his Mets cap. But Bouchee has the only card showing a whole uniform.


No. 59: 1979 Nino Espinosa

This a fun card because it’s cool in a “so bad that it’s good” sort of way. There’s a lot going on here. It’s not Topps' best design, to be sure. And the brown design just doesn’t work for the Mets. Nino’s cap can barely contain his afro. But I want to know what’s going on with his uniform number. Why is there so much space between the 3 and the 9? It’s not like the clubhouse manager at the time was distracted with gambling and illicit memorabilia sales. Alas, now that Nino is regretfully playing ball in the Iowa cornfields, we'll never know.


No. 58: 2005 Mike Cameron

Cameron was an amazing centerfielder, and graciously tried moving to right when Carlos Beltran came on board. Their collision certainly ranks among the scariest moments in Mets history. But here’s Mike flashing some of his famous leather, diving in a great horizontal card.


No. 57: 1965 Warren Spahn

Warren Spahn was one of the greatest pitchers of all time and he was a Met. This is proof. And it’s a rare player-coach card, too. I always associate it with another player-coach card from that set, which would be…


No. 56: 1965 Yogi Berra

Typical Yankees. All Yogi did was complete his Hall of Fame career, then manage the team to the World Series – and get fired. Yogi then came to the Mets for a couple at-bats, then retired again to join the coaching staff, eventually to manage.


No. 55: 2005 Bazooka Matt Lindstrom

The Bazooka sets were one of Topps’ attempts to bring kids back into the hobby. And Lindstrom never made it to the Mets, traded to the Marlins with Henry Owens for Adam Bostick and Jason Vargas. Not Omar’s best deal. But Lindstrom has an absolute gun for an arm – some might say a bazooka – and here’s a batter’s view of a high hard one coming to the plate.


No. 54: 2007 Opening Day Orlando Hernandez

I love when teams wear throwback jerseys, and we all have a warm spot in our hearts for the racing stripes. This card of “El Duque” shows him saluting the 1986 champs, complete with the 25th anniversary patch. The base set that year had black borders. I chose the Opening Day set because I like the white better, especially with this photo.


No. 53: 1999 Stadium Club Rey Ordonez

Rey couldn’t hit a lick and said some stupid things near the end of his tenure, but he sure could field. This card shows it. This must have been John Olerud's point of view!


No. 52: 1966 Choo Choo Coleman

It is among the best quotes in the history of the Mets.

Ralph, exasperated: “So Choo Choo, what’s your wife’s name, and tell me what she’s like.”

Choo Choo: “Her name’s Mrs. Coleman, and she likes me, Bub.”

I love Choo Choo’s smile in this photo.


No. 51: 1988 Topps Big Gary Carter

Gary Carter was a smiling catcher, too. But he was a much better interview. These Big series recall the glorious 1956 set.

That’s the end of part 1, and we’ll pick up the pace of postings. I’ve love to hear what cards you think should be in the top 50.