Filling in Some Kellogg's Needs

My favorite online card emporium CardBarrel announced the other day that they'd restocked a bunch of Kellogg's cards, circa 1978-83, which of course made me more than ready to jump at the chance to load up on some favorite players at a good price. I'd imagine you can do the same, if you haven't already. 

Some of mine have cracks in them; some don't. I'm pretty indifferent either way. These are nice to haves, and they're well-done cards with stats and info on the back. I already have any & all Jack Clark cards done in these series, but I was definitely missing my McCoveys, my Vida Blues, a bunch of George Fosters, a Willie Wilson and some Bob Kneppers. I didn't totally mean to grab Knepper in a Houston uniform, but now that he's here, he's welcome to stick around. 

By the time these cards were coming out, my mom had stopped buying us Kellogg's cereals like she used to, and we were pretty much only eating Cheerios and "Kix". General Mills had obviously done a superior job of marketing the quote-unquote health benefits of their cereals to choosy 1970s moms, and thus, I missed out on all these cards in real time.

The Big Red Machine's Big Bopper

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:

A Few '72s - Because We Love '72s

Not sure if I'm ultimately going to go all-in on 1972 Topps and get the full set, but I really enjoy the look of these things. It was retro the day it was released, though I'm not sure that was the intention. I've already collected the entire 1972 Topps San Francisco Giants team, but there's a part of me that wants to pour it on with this set and go all the way.

It may be that I'm into this era because I was barely sentient when it was occuring. I turned 4 as the 1971 season was coming to a close. I missed Vida Blue's historic year, and Mickey Lolich's 25-14 record. I missed the Pirates beating the Orioles in the World Series. That said, when I did get really into baseball in 1977, I bought some used "preview magazines" from this era, and read them cover to cover. Guys who were totally out of baseball by the time I learned about them - Harmon Killebrew, Frank Howard, 1971 NL MVP Joe Torre - were absolutely still raking in '71. I was fascinated with these relics from another era then, and I'm still moderately fascinated now.

So here are a small handful of the 1972 Topps cards I have purchased or acquired, with many more to go. All picked up at Lefty's Sports Cards in Burlingame, CA - my local card shop. May it please open again soon.