Card #108: Another Big Relic

I planned on getting back on track with posting on this blog 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday).  Since that commitment I have been doing a fairly good job with it.  I missed a Monday post last week and the previous week.  (Evidently Monday deadlines are tough for me)

I currently have over 300 Clemente cards in my collection so I should be good for showing off my old cards while still acquiring new cards.  I am hoping that in July I will have some free time to actually get caught up and update my haves list.

When it comes to Clemente I don't have much of the modern parallel cards.  There's literally hundreds of his cards produced each year.

The current total of Clemente cards produced according to TCDB is 4,969 cards.

In the year 2020 there has already been 77 cards produced.  In 2019 there was 365 cards produced.

I have plenty of options to continue this life long goal.

My first options are always cards that feature Clemente with McCutchen.  These two players are my two main PCs so if I can get a card featuring both them it is an automatic "I need that card."

Such was the case with this 2015 Topps Heritage High Numbers quad relic featuring Clemente, Stargell, Marte, and McCutchen.

Had Marte and McCutchen won a World Series for the franchise in the 2013-2015 stretch I could certainly see them both being long remembered in future tales of All-Time Great Pirates in the way that Wagner, Mazeroski, Clemente, Stargell, and the Waner Brothers are remembered.  McCutchen might still fall into that category despite not winning a Championship for the Steel City.

I showed off a similar card back in February 2019 when I posted this card.

I like that Topps used different photos for all the players involved between the quad relic and triple relics.

Card #80: Archives

From 2015 Archives is a great looking card of Roberto Clemente that unfortunately due to his tragic death, we didn't get a chance to.

This 1976 design features all the great things about Archives that I love. A chance to see players on cardboard from designs they couldn't appear on using photos that aren't used for many other releases.

Card #66: Cutch, Pops, and the Great One

Yesterday on the MLB Network there was a few short clips about Willie Stargell and the impact he had on the game.  They ran these segments as part of Black History Month.

I realize I haven't shown as many of my Clemente hits on here as I do on Collecting Cutch, but this would be a good time to show off one of my favorites.

Topps Heritage is my favorite release now that Gypsy Queen has eliminated their miniature cards.  This card features some of the most beloved players to ever wear a Pirates uniform.

Card #46 : Gallery of Greats

Here's another insert set that Topps has produced in the recent 5 years with a title including Greats.

It makes sense for Clemente to be included as the bronze statue outside PNC Park recognizes Clemente as The Great One.

Card #10: Statcast in the 1960s

Could you imagine if Statcast existed in the 1960s?

The tape measure shot that Clemente hit off legendary pitcher Sandy Koufax would be analyzed in details by the spin rate of the pitch, exit velocity, launch angle, etc.

It would certainly be fun to analyze how one of the greatest pitchers of All-time surrendered a .905 OPS to the Pittsburgh superstar.  I would love to see the on field demonstration of how Clemente would be able to consistently hit one of the game's greatest.

Card #9: A Rare Feat of Feet

On July 25th 1956 Roberto Clemente was the first and only player in MLB history to hit a walk-off inside the park Grand Slam.

The rare event is celebrated on Topps 2015 Rarities insert as seen below.

Details of the event are on the back.

I really like the entire concept of this insert series.  The cards feature unique moments that many Hall of Famers have done.  Strange things like Ken Griffey Jr towering in 44 different ballparks or Rod Carew stealing 2B, 3B, and home all in the same inning.

Unfortunately Topps also included not so rare events which are still impressive in the set by non Hall of Famers.  Asdrubel Cabrera completed an unassisted triple play (14th in MLB history) and got the cardboard love.  Anibal Sanchez' 4 strikeouts to start an ALCS also got the production of a card for the rare but not 100% unique event.

The cards design is perfect as the background matches the player's primary team color as evidenced by the yellow in the Clemente above.  The back of the card giving a description of the rare event is perfect as well.

With so many unique things that Hall of Famers have done I think the only thing that could have made 2015 Rarities insert set better would be to limit it to strictly Hall of Famers and the rare and unique things they did in their careers.

Only 1% of all players become Hall of Famers.

The concept of a rarity should begin and end with only Hall of Famers.   Not Asdrubel Cabrera and Shawn Green.