Random Topps Card of the Day: 1987 Topps #233 Russ Morman

(Before I begin, I would like to wish my parents, Leslie and Maridel Anama, a Happy 40th Anniversary!!!)

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, November 14, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1987 Topps #233.
• Player Name, position, team: Russ Morman, first baseman, Chicago White Sox.
• Major League Debut: August 3, 1986.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1986 stats (White Sox): 49 G, 159 AB, 18 R, 40 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB, .358 SLG, 16 BB, 36 SO, .252 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the White Sox #2nd, June 1983. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 1. This is his first and only Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Russ was All-American at Wichita State Univ.."
• Commentary: There is something about the 1987 Topps set that brings me back. Maybe it's because it was the first set of cards introduced to me by my mother when I first arrived in the US. Maybe it's because of the wood borders and circle logos. Maybe it's the unique fonts used by Topps on the front AND back of the cards. But there is something about this set that makes me think back to when I was younger. Even the 1989 Topps set, my favorite set of all-time, doesn't give me that feeling of retrospect. Many collectors I've met over the years have mentioned this set as a watershed product (turning point, something of important change was about to or was already occurring). It would turn out to be the beginning of the junk wax era, where everybody and their mothers (literally) thought that collecting cards would be the key to future financial growth (people were seriously planning their retirement on cards from this set...looking back now...you can only sympathize with them, nodding accordingly while laughing hysterically...at first...on the inside). This may be the only Topps card of Russell Lee Morman's playing career, but he did manage to stay in the professional game, and even make more appearances in the majors, all the way through 1999. The ultimate minor league journeyman, Morman's career path would take him to places from Glen Falls to Appleton, Buffalo to Hawaii (yes, I'll get to this in a minute...stay with me here), from Vancouver to Omaha, as well as Edmonton, Charlotte, Durham, and Calgary. In between his minor league travels, he'd join the big club for a few games with the White Sox, Royals, and Marlins. In 1987, after a nice cup of coffee with the Pale Hose, he was assigned to Triple A Hawaii of the Pacific Coast League. Can you imagine? "Honey, bad news. I didn't make it to the Chicago White Sox. Good news? Yeah...WE'RE SPENDING THE YEAR IN HAWAII!!! (I do not know if Morman what Morman's marital status was at the time...bare with me and enjoy the imagined conversation, will you?) With the Islanders, Morman appeared in 89 games, hit for a decent .269 average, with 9 home runs, 53 rbi's, and a OPS of .830. The next year though, the White Sox moved their AAA team from the sunny beaches of Hawaii to Vancouver. Morman would appear in 207 games as a major leaguer, hitting for a .249 average with 8 home runs, 34 rbi's, and percentages of .304/.366/.670. He made his final appearance in the majors with the Marlins in 1997, but continued his run in the minors first with the Bulls in 1998 as a first year Devil Rays minor leaguer, and then back in the Marlins' farm system with the Calgary Cannons. Upon retirement, Morman learned the craft of managing in the Marlins and Red Sox' organizations. He is presently working as a hitting coach in the San Francisco Giants' minor league system.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.01-$0.05.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 1.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2011 Topps #91. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama