I always liked George Foster. Even when he was a ex-San Francisco Giant who was
smashing 52 home runs for the Reds in '77, many of them against us, he always exuded class and a real competitive fire. I mean, look at this rookie card here. Would you bet against him becoming a star? (this is actually a 2001 Topps Archive card that kicks Mike Davison off of the '71 Giants Rookies card - a card I thought I had and which it turns out I
don't - and isolates Foster instead). I picked up this card recently and thought that maybe I might need to assemble a George Foster mini-collection. He's one of those players who was an MVP, but whose cards are quite affordable and easy to come by, as he didn't quite hit Hall of Fame status, attributed to
really good but not otherworldly stats in the 1980s, especially as a New York Met.
The guy was really something for the Reds, though, and was the cleanup anchor for one of the greatest hitting lineups of all time. Here are a few of his cards that I was able to grab ahold of. My favorites are the Topps 1972 playoff card, "Foster's run decides it" - this sent the Reds into the 1972 World Series that they would lose to the Oakland A's - and the 2004 Upper Deck "Timeless Teams" card, second from the last in this row:
Nice collection of Foster. I lump him in with Evans, Winfield, Rice, Lynn, and Parker as one of those star outfielders of the 70's.
ReplyDeleteLegendary sideburns.
ReplyDeleteI never realized that he had a 50+ HR season, guess I'm gonna have to go read up on him some more...
ReplyDeleteFoster's 52 home run season is really underappreciated considering the era and home park. These are some great looking cards, especially the 1975 Topps and UD Timeless Teams '79.
ReplyDeleteFoster's 52-home run season was EPIC. EPIC! Fans my age had never heard of such a thing. Mays' 50-home run season was so long ago in our eyes. ... It was so big I can't believe people have never heard of it.
ReplyDelete