Random Topps Card of the Day: 1978 Topps #370 Rusty Staub

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, October 17, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1978 Topps #370.
• Player Name, position, team: Rusty Staub, first baseman, New York Mets.
• Major League Debut: April 9, 1963.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1977 stats (Tigers): 158 G, 623 AB, 84 R, 173 H, 34 2B, 3 3B, 22 HR, 101 RBI, .278 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Colt 45's as a Free Agent 09/11/1961. Traded by the Mets to the Tigers 12/12/1975. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 24. This is his fifteenth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: n/a
• Commentary: The Randomizer picks it's second Rusty Staub card (the first one was back in August, 20, 2010).  He was also featured as part of the 2011 Topps Archives Project (that maybe I'll get back to doing...even though we're careening towards 2013 now).  Anyway, the 1978 Topps design features a very unique font for the team name (which distinguishes it from the other rather plain looking sets that came between 1977 and 1980).  On the back of the 1978 Topps cards, you could play a game called "Play Ball" which is "Played by two."  Basically, you flip the card over, and a play is listed.  You could basically play a simulated game of ball with your '78 cards.  If playing the Staub card, you would "fly out."  As part of the Tigers in 1978, he reached career highs in runs driven in (121).  Along with the 24 home runs, 175 hits, and other intangibles, he placed fifth in the AL MVP voting.  Now I'm going to steal from my last Staub RotD post:  He is the last Colt .45 player to play in the majors. He was a member of the first Expos team in 1969, and endeared himself to the French-Canadian fan base by learning how to speak French. He became known as "Le Grande Orange" thanks to his red hair. During his second tour of duty with the Mets, not only did he serve as the team's first baseman, but he also became one of the team's coaches. Since his retirement, he was a restaurant owner, a Mets broadcaster, and more importantly, established the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund in 1986, which raises and distributes money to the families of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty.
• Beckett value: $0.50-$1.25.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 16 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be 1999 Topps #65. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama