Random Topps Card of the Day: 1986 Topps #637 Rudy Law

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, June 16, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1986 Topps #637.
• Player Name, position, team: Rudy Law, outfielder, Chicago White Sox.
• Major League Debut: September 12, 1978.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1985 stats (White Sox): 125 G, 390AB, 62 R, 101 H, 21 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 29 SB, .374 SLG, 27 BB, 40 SO, .259 AVG.
• Any special information about players: Signed with the Dodgers as a Free Agent 09/01/1975. Traded by the Dodgers to the White Sox 03/30/1982. Bats: left, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Law's sixth regular Topps (total includes regular and traded cards only). The 1986 set was chosen by the readers of Topps Magazine as the best set of the 1980's (Topps Magazine, Fall, 1991, #8). And why not? The black and white borders, the unique lettering used for the team names, the red-dominated card backs. This is truly a set that screams 1980's. Rudy Law was one of the cogs that helped lead the White Sox to the 1983 AL Western Division crown, thanks to his 77 stolen bases and an OPS of .709. And for his efforts, Law was 21st in the MVP balloting that year. Law was actually released by the Sox before the 1986 season, but he quickly landed on his feet to play one year with the Royals. It would also be his last big league season. Baseball cards were our Baseball-Reference website before Baseball-Reference even had a website...before we had access to the internet. These cards are a wealth of information, and they come in 2½ x 3½ pieces of cardboard. I still try to take the time and read the backs of the cards, not only for the blurbs and other things on them, but for the numbers. Those with the highlighted stats (or appear in red) meant that they led the league in that category. And while 77 was a rather high number for stolen bases, and in this day and age would be heads and shoulders above the league leaders in that category, but in 1983, 77 was good enough for second (do I even need to tell you who took first that year???)
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 8 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1985 Topps #574. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama