Who is the man: Rusty Staub was in his final season with the Expos when this card was issued. He was traded to the Mets in April 1972.
Can ya dig it: This is also Staub's final Topps card until the 1974 set. He didn't appear in the 1972 and 1973 sets (except for a famously airbrushed appearance in right field) because of a contract dispute with Topps.
Right on: Staub seems mighty impressed with his pretend drive to right-center field ... or into the seats behind home plate.
You see that cat Staub is a bad mother: Staub received his nickname "Le Grand Orange" in Montreal, and his No. 10 was the first number the Expos retired.
Shut your mouth: Staub's manager in Montreal, Gene Mauch, said of his slugger: "I always knew Rusty had beaucoup power before I knew what beaucoup meant."
No one understands him but his woman: Staub won over Montreal fans by his willingness to learn French. Then during the offseason between 1969 and 1970, instead of returning to his native New Orleans, he worked the banquet circuit in Canada.
(A word about the back): Billy Williams' then-NL record playing streak would end in 1971. Meanwhile, Staub played in all 162 games in 1971.
This is another card that has two versions in the OPC set, I believe.
ReplyDeleteYa gotta love those caps abd unis. Had Staub not gotten hit by a pitch in 1972 after his trade to the Mets, he might have had reached 3000 hits. He was never the same after the injury, yet finished with more than 2700 hits ans almost 1500 RBIs.
ReplyDeleteTopps tried to play catch up by putting Rusty on two cards in the 1974 set - if you include the World Series card where he's hitting one of his 2 HRs.
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