No disrespect to Mr. Morgan, but I'm getting a little tired of doing these tributes. Morgan became the 5th Hall of Famer to pass away in the past 6 weeks, passing away October 11th at the age of 77. In tribute to the greatest 2nd baseman in my lifetime, I offer my top 5 favorite cards in my collection:
1971 Topps #264
The oldest card I own. I love this photo with all three people tightly bunched together. It could be a Norman Rockwell painting.
1978 Topps #300
Most know Morgan by his time with the Reds. By 1978 he was a household name and one of the key cogs of the "Big Red Machine" He's practically wearing his All-Star shield like a badge of honor.
1985 Topps #5
It's not often a Hall Of Famer gets two sunset cards in the same set, but Morgan got this 1985 Topps Record Breaker in addition to a base card. Jeff Kent currently holds this record now.
2016 Topps Archives #182
This Archives card gives us a great look at a young Joe Morgan. It makes me wonder though if Topps would ever resurrect a long gone team name and put Morgan on a Colt .45s card?
2019 Topps Opening Day - 150 Years Of Fun #YOF-12
I didn't get to see Morgan play, but from what I've read he was the type of player who genuinely had fun on the field. I mainly remember him from his broadcasting days, which ironically he seemed almost curmudgeonly at times. Both on the field and in the booth, he was a highly intelligent person who often shared keen insight into the game.
R.I.P. Joe Morgan - You will be missed!
The '71 Morgan is a classic. The only "vintage" Morgan card I have is a '75 Topps - left over from an abandoned "World Series Heroes" frankenset.
ReplyDeleteI hope we don't have to do any more of these tributes for a while :(
That 71 Morgan is a really nice shot. I didn't remember owning it, but just checked and sure enough, I have it! Not as nice of condition as yours though.
ReplyDeleteI can't claim the image used here as mine. I pulled it from the TCDB. It's just easier than pulling out cards from my collection. Mine is probably in the Good-Very Good range.
DeleteThis post has made a lasting impression on me. I'll never be able to look at Joe's 1971 card without thinking Rockwell. Excellent call.
ReplyDeleteThat '71 card is fantastic. I was reading recently on another blog (I forget which one) that Topps actually had to stop using the Colt .45 name, not out of objections to the name, but due to a dispute with the copyright holder. There is one year where Topps just called them "Houston" in the sets, for that reason.
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