1970 Topps Seattle Pilots

[Tomman1961]

Does anyone know where a lot of the Topps 1970 Pilots pictures were taken? many have a mountain in the background. Harper, Mincher especially. I would guess spring training. But where? Can anyone ID the "mountain"?

[MooseDog]

The Pilots were the first tenants of Tempe Diablo Stadium built in 1968. The only "mountain" in the Phoenix area is Camelback Mountain but that's not what is in the background.

There are numerous hills like that around the area.

This picture on Wikipedia shows two candidates.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Tempe_Diablo_Stadium.jpg

[67_Palmer]

The hill or mountain on Mincher card looks similar to the mound on the left.

[67_Palmer]

<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/9107129819_43a6ef3838_o.jpg" width="1025" height="812" alt="StadiumCard">

[Tomman1961]

Thank guys.

[nolemmings]

Those are the Tempe Buttes, and the resort between/around them is relatively new--built in the 80's.

Interestingly, I wonder if those photos were taken in 1969 or 1970. There were licensing issues/problems with the players' union that led to many 1969 Topps cards using older photos, and maybe these were taken but not available for use that year. If not, they were taken that ill-fated Spring Training of 1970, before the team began the regular season as the Milwaukee Brewers. Kind of a curiosity either way.

[MooseDog]

Great place to watch a game, by the way. The lawn area is cheap and you can spread out a blanket. Parking sucks though, mostly street and long walk.

Great access to the players.

[bobsbbcards]

Very interesting. Nice detective work! Here are some more '70s Pilots that have partial hills in the background:

http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps088PilotsRookies.jpg http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps111Hegan.jpg http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps224Barber.jpg

http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps323Comer.jpg http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps370Harper.jpg http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps499Lockwood.jpg

http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps533Stephen.jpg http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps574Bolin.jpg http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps596Hershberger.jpg

http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/baseball/1970/1970topps/70Topps688Kubiak.jpg

[Rich Klein]

was tekn in 1970. It is very possible all the 547-720 photos were taken early in 1970.

[nolemmings]

I agree that it looks as if the high numbers were taken with a different backdrop--perhaps the stadium had been improved or expanded before its second Spring Training. That would appear to make the others from 1969, as by the next Spring the uniforms had changed.

Incidentally, card #88 of Miguel Fuentes shows him in the updated uniform, so I googled him. Seems the young man was murdered in January, 1970 at the age of 23, so we know his photo was not from Spring Training of that year. He was a September call-up in 1969, and has the distinction of throwing the final pitch(es) of the 1969 Pilots season--and thus the final pitches ever for the team by that name.

EDITED TO ADD: Okkonen identifies the plainer uniform as what was worn during Spring Training 1969.