1978 Topps Image Inventory

deweyinthehall · #1 03-18-2023, 05:22 PM

Thanks - this is a much clearer image. If I can update the dating I will do so later tonight.

deweyinthehall · #2 03-18-2023, 07:47 PM

Wow - this image complicates things a bit.

As best I can tell, these are the players, starting with the back row, l to r:
Blyleven, Fahey, Lindblad, Moret, Umbarger, Barker, Devine, Perry, ?
Mason, Henderson, Grieve, ?, Dock Ellis, Beniquez, Harrah, Hargrove
Ziegler, Miller, Ryan, Corrales, Hunter, Koenig, Hudson, John Ellis, ?
BB, Sundberg, Bevacqua, Wills, Briles, Campaneris, May, BB

This gives us 24 players, 1 below the limit. According to work I did previously, the Rangers never went below the 25 man line on their active roster that year, so someone is missing. I can't account for four guys who should have been there all year - Doyle Alexander, Sandy Alomar, Claudell Washington and Willie Horton (who arrived in April).

I have the Rangers yearbooks from 77 and 78, but I cannot ID the players denoted with ?

So what is clear is that Bevacqua arrived from Tucson on 7/25 when Henderson went to the DL.
Barker went to Tucson on the 29th to accommodate Grieve's return from the DL
Beniquez went to the DL on 7/31 and Keith Smith was brought up, but they passed each other going the other way on August 15.
Kirkpatrick went to Milwaukee and Barker was recalled on 8/20.
Umbarger was purchased from the A's on 8/25, and reportedly sent to Tucson. However, he never pitched for them, and was recalled allegedly on 9/1. So to were a good number of others, yet none are in this image.

Based on all of this, I am tempted to say the image was snapped on or about 8/31.

This would give us 24 players in the image with 2 - Henderson and Umbarger inactive, for a total of 22 active.

We're still missing Alexander, Horton, Washington and Alomar, none of whom, I'm convinced could be the 2 ? players in the image above.

So, while some things have been cleared up, there is still a mystery.

Cliff Bowman · #3 03-18-2023, 11:14 PM

On second thought I think it's Darold Knowles between Grieve and Ellis. I originally thought it might be September call up Bobby Cuellar but I noticed you didn't have Knowles in your list. ETA it blows my mind that the 1977 Rangers went 94-68, they sure could have used the Wild Card back then.

Cliff Bowman · #4 03-19-2023, 12:21 AM

The player on the back row right is Doyle Alexander, it fooled me too, I guess because he is actually smiling. Everybody in the photo is listed on this WorthPoint listing. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...berg-162821295

sthoemke · #5 03-19-2023, 01:24 AM

I must have bought 10,000-15,000 of the 1978's as a kid. (I can still taste the gum)

I think almost every kid on the block had thousands of the cards.

At one point, I had sorted the cards into team sets, and during the junk wax era I unsorted the team sets and put together maybe 10 complete sets.

I've since sold off a couple sets and most of the key cards, but probably still have a monster box of mostly commons.

Did any one play the game on the backs?

deweyinthehall · #6 03-19-2023, 07:34 AM

Wow - thanks. That REALLY surprised me to know that was Alexander.

OK - with this information, I still think the likeliest time for the photo was the very end of August. Knowles and Alexander's inclusion still makes sense for that time frame. It means that of the 24 players pictured, 2 are inactive (Henderson, comes off DL 9/1, and Umbarger, acquired 8/25, supposedly sent to Tucson where he never appeared in a game, recalled anyway on 9/1), and no additional September call ups (Miller, Bealey, Poloni, Putnam,etc.)

This leaves room for 3 active players missing, which would account for Horton, Alomar and Washington.

Fantastic!

UPDATE - Just checked - the Rangers played in KC on 8/31, then had an off-day before taking on Boston at home on 9/2. So I think 9/2 is the likeliest date for this photo - fans are in the stands awaiting the start of the game.

deweyinthehall · #7 03-19-2023, 07:36 AM

[QUOTE= Did any one play the game on the backs?[/QUOTE]

Same as you I once had thousands back in the day - ripped so many wax, cello and rack. It was the first set I ever collected.

Finally had to buy the complete set (for $14.25 - a bargain!) from Renata Galasso. I could never find Gary Ross.

As to the game, I think I can recall a friend and I sitting down once to intentionally see how it would be played and winding up very disappointed.

deweyinthehall · #8 03-19-2023, 07:58 AM

The 1978 Topps Montreal Expos

There are 32 Expo images in the set, not including the Knowles paint job but including Pat Scanlon, Dennis Blair and Bombo Rivera.

The team photo was taken at Olympic Stadium/Stade Olympique in September - owing the presence of the call-ups.

The small image of Dick Williams was shot while he was with the KC A's in 1959 or 1960.

A host of images were taken in the spring of 1977 at City Island Ballpark in Daytona Beach: Dawson, Valentine, Parrish, Morales, Rogers, Cromartie, Kerrigan, Mejias, Stanhouse, Garrett, Brown and Blair.

Some were taken at The Stick during either 5/3-5/5 or 7/24-7/25 - Perez, Carter, Speier, Mackanin, Cash and McEnaney.

Twitchell was taken mid-delivery on 7/24, the only date he pitched there that year - a complete game 3-0 loss for Wayne that day.

Scanlon was also take in Candlestick, but back in 1975, between 6/13 and 6/15. This was the only time he appeared on an active roster when the club was in SF.

A number were taken in Shea during 4/27, 5/30-5/31, 7/8-7/10 or 9/5-9/6 - Atkinson, Unser, Williams and Frias. Bahnsen and Alcala were taken in May, July or September, Blackwell in July or September, and Schatzeder in September.

Bombo Rivera is a mystery - it is probably a spring ballpark, but City Island Ballpark didn't have double-posted light standards from what I can see.

As a curiosity, the TV spit out these images of Blair a few years back:

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