Random Topps Card of the Day: 1981 Topps Traded #835 Rusty Staub

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, August 20, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1981 Topps Traded #835.
• Player Name, position, team: Rusty Staub, first baseman, New York Mets.
• Major League Debut: April 9, 1963.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1980 stats (Rangers): 109 G, 340 AB, 42 R, 102 H, 23 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 55 RBI, 1 SB, .459 SLG, 39 BB, 18 SO, .300 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Colt 45's as a Free Agent 09/11/1961. Signed with the Mets as a Free Agent 12/16/1980. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Staub's nineteenth regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). Staub was featured in our 2011 Topps Archives Project last year (which I will probably bring back after this season is over going into next year's 60th anniversary). Funny, even though he played in the 1971 and 1972 seasons, he doesn't have Topps cards for the following year (that would be 1972 and 1973 Topps sets). Why is that? A commenter in my Archives post said it was a licensing disagreement. I won't dispute it, but can somebody verify this? Staub played for the Mets previously (from 1972-1975), and after the 1980 season, resigned with the team as a Free Agent. Much of what I would have written about Staub I covered before, but in the event that you don't want to click on the link, I'll go through some of the highlights. 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: $0.40-$1.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 16 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1976 Topps #556. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama