Top 5: Ron Cey Cards

Behind Steve Garvey, Ron Cey was the second most prominent member of the legendary Dodger infield of the '70s and early '80s . And yet, even though he received his share of accolades during his career, I still think his accomplishments are somewhat underappreciated. He had 10 seasons with 20+ home runs and swatted 316 long balls in his career. His batting average may not have been overwhelming (career .261). But he had a very discerning eye at the plate, as attested by his career .354 on base percentage. Plus, he had an excellent glove at the hot corner (go back and watch Game 3 of the '81 World Series if you need a refresher). One can make a very strong case that Cey was the most indispensable Dodger of his era.

Throughout his career, the Penguin certainly had his fair share of classic cards. Here are my five favorite.

5. 1978 Kellogg's

Of the many oddball baseball card sets that have been released over the years, the Kellogg's 3-D sets were my favorite (followed closely by the Hostess cards, about which I'll more to say in a later post). This Ron Cey from 1978 is a fine exemplar of those great sets.

4. 1978 Topps

As I've already said in prior posts, 1978 Topps was the first set that I religiously collected. Thus, a Ron Cey from this set was a lock to make this list. Not a lot of action in this card. But the All Star designation and that awesome mustache are more than enough more to make this a classic.

3. 1976 Topps

I always thought this was a particularly cool card, what with the Penguin wielding a piece of lumber before taking some hacks during pre-game BP. With those flexed forearms, he looks every bit the power hitter that he was.

2. 1974 Topps

After being part of 3-in-1 rookie cards in '72 and '73, Ron Cey finally got his first standalone card in '74, and it's a doozy. The full-body shot shows the Penguin uncoiling a monster cut, his upward gaze indicating he got all of the pitch. Whenever I look at this card, I always imagine Vin Scully exclaiming, "A high flyball to deep left center field! A way back! She is GONE!" Without question, the best action shot of Cey ever captured on cardboard.

1. 1975 Topps

This was the first Ron Cey card I ever owned, and it remains my favorite. The background at Dodger Stadium is sublime, with the colors of the grass, dirt, and stadium seats perfectly complementing the vibrant multicolor card border. And Cey's pose is perfectly regal. Add to this the All Star designation (which I always love), and you have all the ingredients for a classic card.

BONUS: Best 3-in-1 Rookie Card

One of the most sought-after cards of the '70s, this cardboard gem features the two best NL third basemen of the Me Decade (though it's a little odd to see Ron and Mike sans their trademark mustaches). And then there's the bespectacled Mr. Hilton (career OPS .564 over 161 games). At least he can brag to his grandchildren that his rookie card is one of the most valuable in existence.

 

Dodger Blue Treasure in the Lonestar State

I recently traveled down to Austin, Texas on business. When I had a little down time, I decided to saunter over to Card Traders of Austin, which at least according to Yelp is the best sports card shop in the area. And I'm glad I did because I had a great experience.

The fellow who owns the shop couldn't be a nicer guy: knowledgable, down to the earth, and a real student of baseball. After chatting with him a bit, he quickly realized I bleed Dodger Blue. So he showed me a large collection he recently purchased that featured a cornucopia of Dodger-related items: yearbooks, media guides, postcards, team and player photos, even a comic book! And all of it from the '70s and early '80s—the sweet spot for this particular collector.

The shop owner made a more than reasonable offer that I couldn't possibly refuse. So I walked away with a stash of Dodger loot that I will take great delight in perusing in coming days and weeks. I'm sure these will provide ideal fodder for many future posts. Stay tuned ...

 

Tiger Trove

When it comes to card collecting, I'm more of an old-fashioned set builder than I am a hit chaser. Thus, I can only scratch my head in confusion when I hear stories of someone opening a case or box of cards, compiling all the autographs, relics, inserts, parallels, etc., and then discarding all the base cards.

It's hardly the case, however, that I feel indifference when I pull a hit. This past summer, my son and I were opening a 2013 Topps Heritage baseball box when my son asked me why one of the cards from a pack he'd ripped open had no picture on it, only writing. I took a look and my eyes immediately widened: it was a redemption card for a dual autograph of Al Kaline and Miguel Cabrera. My son knows how good Miggy is. So after I explained to him about Al Kaline's greatness, he quickly knew that we had hit the jackpot ... that is, if it ever gets sent to us.

I had heard the horror stories of redemptions never being sent or receiving a different (and often inferior) item from the one promised on the redemption card. So I tried to leaven my son's enthusiasm (and mine) by explaining that until we actually had the card in hand, we couldn't assume it was ours.

That didn't stop my son from telling everyone he knew about his potential acquisition. But as the weeks added up from the time we entered the redemption code into the Topps website, he (and I) started to get a little antsy.

Well, I'm happy to say we no longer have to contemplate any worst case scenarios. Late this past week, our package arrived, and inside was this magnificent Kaline-Cabrera dual auto. This is easily one of the best hits I've ever pulled. While I still remain a set collector at heart, if I land a few more hits like this, my heart may start to look yonder.

 

The Bison is Back!

After a two-month stint on the DL, Matt Kemp finally rejoined the starting lineup last night, and he did so in style, going 4-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. A healthy Kemp completely changes the complexion of the Dodger lineup, making it one of the most formidable in the Majors. If he can remain on his feet, the Dodgers' chances at securing their first World Series title in a quarter century increase exponentially. So Matty, please stay healthy.

So in honor of the Bison's majestic return, here are a couple of retro cards I made of Matt Kemp a while ago. Enjoy!

 

 

The Quest for the Lost Rautzhan

During the summer of 1978, my pursuit of a complete Dodger team set began as enthusiastic, soon became frantic, transitioned to obsessive, and ended in despair. I had no trouble obtaining most of the Boys in Blue like Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Don Sutton, Dusty Baker, Manny Mota, etc. But after ripping open pack after pack, two cards continued to elude me: Reggie Smith and Lance Rautzhan.

Since Reggie Smith was one of the Dodgers' top performers, he was a known commodity to me. As for Lance Rautzhan, I had no clue who he was. But his card (#709) was on the Dodgers' checklist. So that alone lent it great relevance in my eyes.

Near the end of the summer, I finally pulled a Reggie Smith from a pack (as I described in a prior post, that was a day of elation for me), leaving Mr. Rautzhan's as the only unchecked box on my Dodger checklist. But as the lazy days of summer came to an end and the onset of fall was nigh, the supply of 1978 Topps baseball cards on the shelves of Seven-Elevens and other convenience stores and pharmacies began to dwindle until they had been completely replaced with that season's football cards.

This was many years before sports card shops were common fixtures in the community. So once the packs of a particular series disappeared from stores, the only hope for plugging holes in your collection was to trade with someone who had the card you wanted. Which worked great ... when you could find the card. The problem was, no one had Lance Rautzhan. Friends, cousins, new move-ins, basically anyone with even a rudimentary collection I would arrange trades with in my increasingly desperate search for #709. I would have happily traded a George Brett, a Robin Yount, or an Eddie Murray rookie for the now-mythical Lance Rautzhan card. But notwithstanding my persistence, this coveted piece of cardboard remained unobtainable.

For years, its absence from my collection stuck out like a sore thumb, and I'd begun to question whether it even existed. Then in 1983, a baseball card shop (aptly named The Baseball Card Shop) opened nearby, and suddenly, my mission to find the Rautzhan no longer seemed so futile. I got my older sister to drive me there soon after its grand opening. As I entered the store, I took a moment to soak up the surroundings. I had never seen anything like it. Cards were everything: on the wall, behind glass display cases, in dozens of albums, in stacks of boxes. This was heaven!

I walked up to the shopkeeper to ask where I could find the 1978 Topps baseball singles. He went over to the shelves, pulled down an 800-count white cardboard box, and handed it to me. I opened the lid, and with a sense of anticipation that had long been simmering, I zealously began flipping through the cards. As I neared the 700s, my excitement became palpable. The Quest for the Lost Rautzhan was nearly complete!

Finally, I got to #709. I had long wondered what this long sought-after card would look like. I can't remember what I was expecting (perhaps for beams of sunlight to warmly shine down on me or to hear heavenly choirs break out into song?), but I was a little taken aback when I saw that it was a 4-in-1 rookie card. But while it seemed somewhat anticlimactic that the object for which I had searched so diligently for so many years wasn't a stand-alone Lance Rautzhan card, I felt a tremendous sense of relief that I had finally achieved closure with respect to my '78 Dodgers set.

Looking back on my pursuit, I find it rather amusing that I invested so much time, effort, and energy into obtaining the card of a journeyman reliever whose modest career lasted less than three seasons. But such is the mindset of an avid card collector. Woody Gelman, the creative force behind Topps cards back during its heyday, once tried to explain what compels one to collect: "Part of collecting is the desire to complete something, to find everything in one category." He couldn't have explained any better what had driven me for so many years to find that elusive Lance Rautzhan.

As a postscript, it's a rather remarkable coincidence that Lance Rautzhan's career intersects with the name of this blog, for it was Rautzhan who recorded the final out in the bottom of 8th inning in Game 3 of the '77 NLCS, meaning that—following the heroics of of Vic Davalillo and Manny Mota and others in the 9th—Lance Rautzhan picked up the win in one of the most meaningful games in Dodger history. Funny how interconnected things are, isn't it?