no. 580 - tony perez

Who is the man: Tony Perez had just completed arguably his best season when this card was issued. In 1970, he hit a career-high 40 home runs, drove in a career-high 129 runs and batted .317.

Can ya dig it: Perez has some terrific cards. This one may not rank up there with his '66, '67, '70, '76 or '77 cards, but it's a nice reflective shot. I enjoy the bat on the shoulder, the helmet and the batting glove.

Right on: This would be the last time that Perez would be listed as a third baseman on the front of his card (he was still a third baseman for the '72 Topps set, but there are no positions on the front of that set). He would move to first base full-time in 1972, and his 1973 Topps card is his first at first base since the 1967 set.

You see that cat Perez is a bad mother: The Hall of Famer won the 1967 All-Star Game with a home run off of Catfish Hunter in the 15th inning.

Shut your mouth: When Perez was traded to the Expos, Perez's wife said that their sons, Victor and Eduardo, wanted to know if the Expos catcher (Gary Carter) could hold as many balls in one hand as Johnny Bench. (Both sons would go on to play professionally, and Eduardo reached the majors and then became an ESPN broadcaster).

No one understands him but his woman: Perez's wife's name is either Petuka or Pituka. I've seen it spelled both ways multiple times.

(A word about the back): Albert Pujols now holds the NL mark for most homers in April with 14, set in 2006.

no. 66 - 1970 national league home run leaders

Who is the man: Johnny Bench is once again the man. He hit 45 home runs in 1970. He hit 38 of those as a catcher, which at the time was second only to Roy Campanella's 40 hit in 1953.

Can ya dig it: Is that the same structure in the background in both Bench's and Perez's photos? If so, what is it?

Right on: You may be thinking I featured this card already. But actually, it's a different one. It's just that all three players were also featured on the National League RBI leaders card two posts ago. Only this time, Williams and Perez are swapped.

You see these cats are bad mothers: Saving it for later.

Shut your mouth: Sparky Anderson often credited Tony Perez for being the key player in the success of the Big Red Machine. When Perez was traded to the Expos after the 1976 season, many pointed to the trade as the reason why the Reds weren't the same after '76. All of this must've made Dan Driessen feel terrific. Driessen took over at first base for Perez and was Cincinnati's first baseman for the next seven-plus years.

No on understands him but his woman: Bench has been married four times. Most recently in 2006. Maybe this one understands him.

(A word about the back): I know Roberto Clemente wasn't really a home run hitter, but seeing him with just one more home run than Lou Brock and one less home run than John Bateman is a little odd.

no. 64 - 1970 national league rbi leaders

Who is the man: Johnny Bench is the man. His 148 RBIs in 1970 were the most for a player since Tommy Davis had 153 for the Dodgers in 1962.

Can ya dig it: I know the RBI is not the most respected stat among baseball number-crunchers these days, but when the top two RBI producers are each on the same team, that team is really racking up some runs. They didn't call them the Big Red Machine for nothing.

Right on: The Perez photo is a repeat of Perez's 1970 Topps card.

You see these cats are bad mothers: Later. We'll get to the bad mother business with these guys later.

Shut your mouth: I think Johnny Bench has done more commercials than any single living baseball player. He definitely was on more commercials than any baseball player when I was watching as a kid.

No one understand him but his woman: What could be considered Johnny Bench's two "co-stars" on the '80s kid show "The Baseball Bunch" were Tommy Lasorda and The Chicken. I bet the lunch breaks were interesting.

(A word about the back): Once again, please note Wes Parker's 111 RBI season in 1970. Also, it's nice to have a Coco Laboy sighting, even if he hit 30 fewer RBIs than he did in 1969.