Random Topps Card of the Day: 1979 Topps #600 George Foster

The ever popular Topps Card Randomizer has been in the shop since the end of January getting a much needed break/overhaul. Unfortunately, when I restarted it this morning, it still had a bit of a glitch,

Why do you ask?

Because the first card it picked was already featured on this humble little blog during the Randomizer's infancy (all the way back to January 12, 2010). Anyway, before I sent it back to the shop, it was able to give me a month's worth of cards to pick. And that's what we'll work with until we get something set so that it doesn't pick a card we've already had on here.

So bear with me as we kick off the summer with a repeat from last winter (ahem).

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, July 1, 2011:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1979 Topps #600.
• Player Name, position, team: George Foster, outfielder, Cincinnati Reds.
• Major League Debut: September 10, 1969.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1978 stats (Reds): 158 G, 604 AB, 97 R, 170 H, 26 2B, 7 3B, 40 HR, 120 RBI, .281 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Giants #3rd, January 1968. Traded by the Giants to the Reds 05/29/1971. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 18. This is his ninth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: Hit 3 Homers in one game for the Reds vs. the Atlanta Braves at Riverfront, 07/14/1977. Many of the players' cards also had a little section called "Baseball Dates" where the question of "What Happened" on a certain date in baseball history. In Foster's case, the date is 04/18/1899 (John McGraw makes his managerial debut).
• Commentary: Now the last time this card was featured, the comments focused on the lack of the Reds' logo on his batting helmet.  Either the helmet was airbrushed off from the picture during editing, or (and don't send me nastygrams for me being ignorant about it) did his helmet not get the sticker/print job that was supposed to be on it?  Was the picture to be used for some unlicensed set (like Kraft for instance using a commenter's example) and Topps just used the same photo?  This is the kind of picture that the other card company could have used. But then again, they'd still be in the baseball card business, and...let's not go there.  Up until 1981, Topps would include the words "All-Star" on a player's regular card instead of creating a second card with that sole purpose in mind. By the time this card came out, Foster was already a three-time All-Star and the NL MVP in 1977, and his cards from the past couple of years also included the words "All-Star." And looking back, with only 726 cards in the set, it made sense just to include the All-Star moniker on the regular player card. When sets expanded to the glorious number of 792, then they had room to have two separate cards (a regular one, and an All-Star subset). I've been clamoring for years to increase the number of cards in the base set. Because since 1979, there are four more team, 100+ more roster spaces, and 660 cards in the eponymous Topps set. And that leaves people out who should get a card, even if that player is the third string catcher or the situational lefty in the bullpen. And what makes me want to grab the pitchforks and torches in the 2011 Topps set (as much as I love it), is something that will be the focus of my What??! of the Week on Monday.
• Beckett value: $0.30-$0.75.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 28 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2004 Topps #689. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama