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02-12-2014 It's safe to say that, if you're reading this, you collect cards. Tastes in collecting vary, but something many people try to obtain is a complete run of a certain player. This was much easier before inserts, parallels, etc., but some still try even with modern players. Regardless of the era, by and large, the key to any player run is the rookie card. Almost without fail, it is the most prestigious and valuable piece of cardboard featuring your player of choice. Let's examine a real crowd-pleaser, Mickey Mantle, and then I'll make my point. Mantle cards run (outside of newly-issued retro cards) from 1951 through 1969. You'll notice something so simple, so obvious, on every one of his cards - regular issue, All-Star, MVP, League Leader, World Series, etc. - that we take it for granted: In every one, he's wearing Yankee pinstripes. Duh, you might say. What of it? Mick was a Yankee his entire career. What's cool about that is for anyone completing a run of Mantle cards, every last one will be a Yankee. He was never traded, never lost as a free agent. Didn't even spend the last year or two of his career trying to hang on with a different team (unlike Mays and Aaron). Often, collectors who put together a player run are also strong team fans too. Mantle collectors are Yankee fans. Brooks Robinson fans are Oriole fans. The list goes on: Ted Williams, DiMaggio, Feller, Bob Gibson, Banks, Kaline, Brett, Schmidt, Koufax, Musial, Gwynn, Puckett, Clemente, Ripken... A surprising number of HOF or star-caliber players were with one team for their entire career. (Excuse Ted for having manager cards with the Rangers later.) Many more at least started with the team they're most associated with. Like I mentioned with Aaron and Mays above, some players switched teams toward the end of their career. And most collectors and fans alike forgive players for this. I have a 1975 Topps Ron Santo card in my collection featuring him all puffy and bloated (and that's just his hair) on the White Sox. No big deal. Tom Glavine even pitched five seasons (including two All-Star selections, one postseason berth, and nearly 20% of his career wins) with the Mets. Oh well. Even Yogi Berra, unfortunately, had a measly 9 at bats with the Mets. A good number of players had equal parts success for two or more teams though: Frank Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Seaver, Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Rickey Henderson, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Dawson, and Maddux to name just a handful. Collecting all of their cards will knowingly span two or more teams, but looking at their rookie card next to all their subsequent issues doesn't feel too odd (with the possible exception of seeing Schilling in an Orioles uniform...and an ugly mustache).  Yikes! The card might be a 10, but the facial hair IS NOT! But what about those players whose careers exploits are indelibly tattoed on a franchise's history who didn't start with that team? For some players, their runs of cards will unfortunately include a rookie card with a foreign team name and uniform. In such cases, looking at those cards is so unnatural, it's as if the alphabet didn't start with A. In honor of that weirdness, here is a list of 7 players who have "off-putting," shall we say, rookie cards: 7) (Least Weird) Lou Brock  A World Champion and speed champion with the Cardinals, Brock also wears the St Louis cap in Cooperstown. However, his first three cards will all feature him in a Cubs uniform. Odd? Yes. However, the blow to collectors is minimal, as the trade that brought him to St Louis is largely considered one of the most lopsided in all of baseball history. 6) Norm Cash  Who? Norm Cash, that's who! Member of the beloved (at least in Detroit) '68 World Champ Tigers and spent 15 years with the team, as opposed to two seasons (and the equivalent of half a season's worth of games) with the White Sox. Aiding this selection is the fact that his rookie is a Hi# from the popular '59 set. 5) Roger Maris  The only reason Maris doesn't rank higher on this list is because he spent a few rather memorable years in St Louis (two World Series appearances that yielded one title) as well. But Maris is a Yankee, despite his rookie reflecting the Indians logo (and his 2nd year card featuring the KC A's). Five World Series appearances. 61. (Fun fact, with a salary of $32,000 in 1961, Maris made just over $750 per home run.) And finally, what might surprise you is that he won back-to-back MVP award in 1960 and 1961 while being on the same team as Mantle. Scary. 4) Babe Ruth  Remember, this isn't a list of the greatest ball players of all-time. This is the ranking of how odd that team name on the rookie looks compared to the rest of your collection of this player's cards. I'm not sure if it's right to put Ruth on this list, but he is the baseball's king, and he is forever linked with the Yankees. Murderer's Row. House That Ruth Built. 60 Homers. The Called Shot. All in Yankee pinstripes. Had he done nothing for the Red Sox, he would be #1 on this list, but that's not the case. He was a burgeoning slugger and many claim an HOF pitcher in-the-making with the Red Sox before joining the Yankees. And let's face it, I'm not exactly spilling a tear into my hot dog and beer if you have a run of Ruth cards and think the rookie looks a bit out of place just because it says 'Boston Red Sox.' 3) David Ortiz (Arias)  Mostest modernest player on the list, and the only one still active. It's possible he'll leave Boston before the end of his career, but look at what he would leave in his wake: 3 World Series titles that ended a mega-drought, 7 All-Star appearances, and 1 "This is our f***ing city" that ranks him as the most beloved figure in a sports-crazy city since Larry Legend. Bonus points for not just having a different team, but also a different name on his rookie cards. 2) Ozzie Smith  His 15 years with the Cardinals yielded 14 All-Star appearances (always one of the top vote getters), 11 Gold Gloves, and 1 very memorable World Series victory. Already with two Gold Gloves under his belt by the time he came to the Cardinals, unfortunately, Ozzie collectors "Go Crazy" dealing with a rookie card that features both a different team name and frequent centering problems. 1) (Weirdest) Joe Morgan  Forever remembered as an integral cog in the "Big Red Machine," Joe Morgan will no doubt always be tied to the Queen City. If you want to put together rookies of everyone in that lineup, they'll almost all be with Reds unifoarms. Perez, Rose, Bench, Concepcion, Griffey Sr. But not George Foster, Cesar Geronimo, or Joe Morgan. (And who cares about the pitchers? haha) But Joe Morgan won back-to-back MVP awards for the back-to-back World Series Champion Reds in 1975/1976. That shit is impressive. What's not impressive is that he spent 8 incredibly memorable seasons with Cinci and 10 forgettable seasons with Houston. That includes, unfortunately for collectors, his rookie season. So you'll have to sully that mix of Reds cards with a rookie (and others) from the Astros. This was a fun list to put together. These were all off the top of my head...definitely not scientific in any way. If you notice any glaring oversights, let me know! Have fun! -T You can now find me all over the web:  Like Monster Cards on Facebook (Frequent updates and scans of new inventory - graded and ungraded!)
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