I'm well acquainted with the cards of the Overproduction Era, simply because I've seen them so many times. So when I think in terms of patterns or themes in cards, my familiarity with the 1988-1993 or so crowd comes to the forefront. Some patterns I've noticed:
Kirt Manwaring seems to always be the catcher in a play at the plate.
Jose Rijo and Roger McDowell are oftentimes doing something goofy.
Ken Griffey Jr. is often playfully smiling with his hat on backwards.
And Brett Butler always seems to be bunting, so much so that I have now dubbed him:
Brett BUNT-ler!
The pun is just too easy.
So I took my Brett Butler cards out and decided to see if my recollection was right. How often is he shown bunting? Surely it couldn't be on every card, but it happened often enough for me to notice a pattern. Here are my findings:
I have 43 different Brett Butler cards ranging from 1983 through 1996. 11 of those cards show him somewhere in the process of bunting.
Here's the lineup:
The 1995 Collectors' Choice Special Edition is my favorite of the bunch. Great shot of the ball hitting the bat.
Here's the final card, showcasing Butler giving advice on bunting! This was part of a six card subset from 1993 Upper Deck Fun Pack.
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| 1993 Upper Deck Fun Pack #210 - Brett Butler |
That's just over 25% of my cards showing Butler bunting. Pretty healthy incidence of bunting I would say. I always enjoy a good bunting card.
Are there any players that you picture doing the same thing on many different card issues?
Thanks for reading!
Great observation! I should look up his bunt stats. He must've been quite good. which leads me to wonder what player has the best bunt record?
ReplyDeleteHmm yeah I wonder!
DeleteI have loads of Dodger Butler cards. I should add up all the bunting ones.
ReplyDeleteRamon Laureano seems to always be jumping at the wall.
ReplyDeleteI truly thought bunting would become more prominent when teams started to radically shift their defenses. It's a lost art, and Butler was definitely among the best.
ReplyDeleteOne reason teams are able to radically shift their defenses now is precisely because bunting is a lost art, and modern players want (and are taught) to try to hit over the shift rather than bunt away from it. It's very frustrating watching someone like Giancarlo Stanton strike out over and over again rather than take the gift single.
DeleteI have one card of Brett Butler that I know of, and, yes, he's bunting.
ReplyDeletebaseball, just like any sports, involves the use of different equipment or gears to help the players realize their objective. Some of the gear may appear innocent-looking, like wristband for instance, but fact of the matter is that they help you stop perspiration from getting to your hands so that you may use them efficiently. There are also some gears which are really essential to game and that you should learn to master well in order to get ahead of your opponent.
ReplyDelete