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This should gone out to you this morning but I mixed up my AM/PM in all the lovie-dovie, sugar-induced excitement. Oh well … Happy Valentine’s Day!
1983 Topps Traded Ellis Valentine (#120T) - Card of the Day
Today is February 14, which of course calls for celebration. Any reason to smile during the winter, right? Though, of course, the fact that pitchers and catchers start reporting to Spring Training this week should serve to lighten the mood of baseball fans everywhere.
But back to today…
There were any number of cards I could have chosen to commemorate today’s love fest. Baseball history is replete with Harts, Loves, Flowers, and, yes, even Valentines.
But Ellis Valentine is sort of a special case for anyone who was collecting baseball cards in 1981:
As a kid, I thought dude was wearing a bone across his face. Hardcore.
But by the time that 1981 Topps card (#445) was giving way to the 1981 Topps Traded set, Valentine was gone from the team that drafted him in the second round in 1972. The Expos traded him to the Mets on May 29, 1981, for Dan Norman and Jeff Reardon — in time for Topps to whip up card #849:
But for today’s foray into baseball card splendor, Valentine really hit his stride when the Angels signed him as a free agent in January of 1983. That was too late for any of the companies to switch out his duds, but Topps once again rode to the rescue with their Traded set that fall, as you see at the top of this post.
And so we have the perfect marriage for February 14 — (Ellis) Valentine, the cupid (OK, so he’s an Angel, but still).
It’s a pretty sharp looking card, too, with the California sun glancing off Valentine’s matte helmet, and the man himself looking pretty pleased about the whole thing in the circle insert.
Alas, Valentine’s run in Anaheim would last only one season, as a bruised heel kept him off the field in 1984. After a few minor league appearances late in the summer, the Angels released him.
He caught on with the Rangers on a minor league deal in 1985 and managed to get back to the bigs for a few late-season games before hanging up his spikes.
All told, Valentine played parts of 10 major league seasons and hit .278, with 123 home runs and 474 RBI.
Today, though, he’s here to help us all have a … Happy Valentine’s Day!
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1977 Montreal Expos Postcards
Long before his run as a cardboard cupid, Valentine was included in the team-issued 1977 Montreal Expos postcard set. The issue included 36 oversize cards, each measuring 4” x 6” — great for autographs.
That’s the Dick Williams entry above. You can usually find singles on eBay for under $10 each.
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I hope your Valentine’s Day is sweet and loving, and that you didn’t fall back in it by forgetting about it in the first place.
Either way, enjoy some chocolate or chalky hearts, but make sure you leave room in your blood sugar for some Big League Chew. It’s almost time to pack a cheekful, after all.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam