Random Topps Card of the Day: 1987 Topps #184 Bobby Bonilla

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, January 9, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1987 Topps #184.
• Player Name, position, team: Bobby Bonilla, outfielder-first baseman, Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Major League Debut: April 9, 1986.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1986 stats (Pirates): 63 G, 192 AB, 28 R, 46 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 4 SB, .307 SLG, 29 BB, 39 SO, .240 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Pirates as a Free Agent 07/11/1981. Traded by the White Sox to the Pirates 07/23/1986.Bats: both. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 18. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Bobby plays paddleball in his leisure time."
• Commentary: The 1987 was the first set, it seemed, that EVERYBODY collected as a first set. Or at least, one of the most memorable. It was 25 years ago that this wood-bordered card design (akin to the 1962 Topps set created 25 years earlier) was unleashed to the masses in such mass quantities that it seems that as a collector, something was wrong with you if you DIDN'T have cards from this set. In 2012, there are so many of these cards still in circulation (probably so many more still in packs) that this set should have been tossed in that infamous trash dump that saw countless 1952 Topps cards lost to the waters.But 25 years later, there has been a bit more of an appreciation for this set. So much so, that Topps is even honoring the set in 2012 by as its "vintage continuation" insert set (as mini cards) and including them in packs of the new product coming out in February. Bobby Bonilla originally signed with the Pirates in 1981, but was drafted by the White Sox as a Rule V draftee before the 1986 season. Somehow, they decided to trade him back to the Pirates before the season was out. But his first Topps card (from 1986 Topps Traded) depicts him as a member of the Pale Hose (I guess they couldn't stop the presses or airbrush the card fast enough to change the team affiliations, something companies have no problem doing now). But back in Pittsburgh for the rest of the 80's and early 90's, he became an offensive force, helped in large part with the development of another "BB," Barry Bonds. The alliterative duo helped the Bucs win the NL East division in 1990-1991. He left for greener pastures (literally and figuratively) after the 1991 season, signing a long term deal with the Mets. He was then traded to the Orioles as a deadline deal and signed with the Marlins before that team's first World Series championship in 1997. He was then traded in 1998 to the Dodgers (which saw Mike Piazza going to the Marlins for his one-week stint), and then traded back to the Mets. On 01/03/2000, the Mets released Bonilla, but for some reason, created a contract that would defer his final year (about $6 million) and pay him in installments (with interest) for 25 years starting in 2012. Well, those payments start now, and with interest, the Met will now have to pay Bobby Bo 1.2 million dollars every year in the next quarter century. Read all about that here.
• Beckett value: $0.15-$0.40.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 36 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2003 Topps #120. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama