Great things about this card:-Nothing to do with the card per se, but Rudy May's nickname was "The Dude". I wonder if he's ever seen The Big Lebowski.
-In looking through my vintage Topps cards, the company started using in-game action photos in the early 1970s. However, you still seemed to see more action shots with position players than pitchers. Even now, how often do you see this particular shot, with a pitcher preparing to field a hot comebacker? The dirt on the pitchers' mound that has just been kicked up by Rudy's left foot is the cherry on top.
-Rudy's inimitable sense of fashion. The glasses. The fat sideburns. The high, skinny, Frank Robinson stirrups. The black Adidas (?), with orange stripes. A masterpiece.
-The first baseman is visible in the background. I can't quite tell whether it's Eddie Murray or Lee May, but I'm sure one of you will know.
7 comments:
Looks like Eddie to me.
Looks like Lee May to me. For one thing, this picture was probably taken in '77 and Eddie DH'ed most of the time that year; Earl wanted to ease him in gradually. For another thing, Eddie's standard fielding stance was arms-folded-across-chest, even during the play.
Whoever he is, he has 'old school' stamped all over him. He looks more like somebody's dad in a father-son game than a professional athlete.
I had no idea this was going to stir up such a difference of opinion, haha. I'm leaning towards Lee May, for the reasons set forth by Mark. Thanks!
To me, he looks a little too thin to be Lee May, but a bit too heavy to be Eddie at such an early age. I did look through the games Rudy pitched, and Eddie did play first in a few of them - he even started in left field for one of them.
Asking for help on this - who thinks this is Memorial stadium? The tarp is in the right place, but I guess most (or at least many) stadiums keep them there. I can't tell from the photo if this is road gray or home white uniforms.
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