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1973 Topps Johnny Callison (#535) - Card of the Day
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In a lot of ways, Johnny Callison was the face of the 1964 Phillies.
After all, the slugging right fielder smashed 31 home runs and drove in 104 RBI in helping the Phils to a 92-70 record.
All of that could have added up to an MVP for a pennant winning team except, of course, for the fact that the Phillies stumbled on their collective faces down the stretch.
They finished second behind the Cardinals in the National League, and Callison finished second to the Cards’ Ken Boyer in the N.L. MVP race.
The next summer, Callison was even better, hitting 32 home runs with 101 ribbies while upping his walks and leading the Senior Circuit with 16 triples. But Philly slid back down to sixth place, leaving Callison a distant MVP also-ran.
Callison would continue to star in Philly through the rest of the decade, though his power waned and the team struggled to make much noise.
Still, when you think of the 1960s Phillies, it’s hard not to picture Callison.
That’s why the card above is a bit jarring, at least to fans and collectors who either weren’t in the 1970s or who lost track of Callison and the Yankees as other teams and players stepped into the groovy spotlight.
Wait, what? Callison and the Yankees?
Yeah, it’s not just some Topps hoax. It checks out in the record book.
First, the Phillies traded Callison and Larry Colton to the Cubs for Oscar Gamble and Dick Selma in November of 1969.
Two offseasons later, in January of 1972, the Cubbies flipped Callison to the Bombers for a Player to Be Named Later…who was eventually named “Jack Aker.”
In New York, Callison found playing time tough to come by, garnering just 300 plate appearances in 1972 and 142 in 1973.
And, of course, he also garnered an NYY pinstripe card in 1973 before hanging up his spikes at the end of the season.
Today, for all of us who think “Phillies” when we think of Callison, this card looks all wrong. But I’m still glad it exists.
Also today, the late Johnny Callison (“John” to his friends at The Real One) would have turned 85 years old.
1973 Topps Team Checklists
You can find Callison’s autograph on the front of the 1973 Topps team checklist. There were 24 of these — one for each team — inserted into fifth-series wax packs late that summer.
I always hated finding these in a box of old cards when I was a kid because they were so 70s and so utilitarian (an actual team checklist is on the back of each card).
Now I sorta dig them, mostly because they’re so 70s. Maybe not quite as 70s as the 1974 version, though, with their garrish green borders.
The 1973s aren’t that easy to come by, either, especially not in nice shape. Expect to pay $5 and up for each card on eBay.
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Those late-career player-team matchups can be pretty funky.
Why, just on that Yanks card above, I see the name of Graig Nettles, which reminds me that he landed on an unexpected career-capper.
And Sparky Lyle performed a sort of Callison end-around (to Philly) before winding down somewhere Windy:
And speaking of windy, I should probably stop yapping now and go sniff some gum stains.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam