I'll never forget it. 1977 Topps, my mom bought them for me. She gave me the pack while grocery shopping. I didn't understand what they were. She tried to explain that they had cards of all different players, and you could trade them with your friends until you got all the ones you liked, or the full set.
I had no clue what a "set" was, or anything. But I opened that pack, and inside there was a Rod Carew. To me, 8 years old or whatever, Rod Carew was the greatest player on earth, and that card was BEAUTIFUL, with the camera focused on Carew with the blurry player in the background, and "A.L. All Stars" emblazoned across the bottom of the card. It was fantastic, and it had all his stats on the back!
I was hooked. Baseball cards were all I thought about when I was a kid, 8-10 years old. I'm glad I've gotten over them.
-Al
|