Sorry I'm a bit late here...
My very generous Secret Santa sent me a variety of goodies.
One of them just arrived today. It was a bit too large to photograph properly; however, it is a tremendous Phillies outdoor banner. Tremendously large, too. I haven't had a chance to unroll it fully or enjoy it properly yet. It's so big, it actually has purposeful half-circle slits cut into it. That way, the wind didn't turn the banner into a Great Sail while it was displayed at the ballpark!
Along with this, Santa also sent me a ticket from the final game at Veteran's Stadium. This grand old multi-purpose facility opened in the early 70s and saw more than three decades of Phillies and Eagles games. For most people, it was a
rough place. Hell, it even had a jail cell...for real. For me, though, it was Nirvana. "The Vet" was the place at which I learned about Major League Baseball. My dad took me to every Sunday home game while I was growing up. Days which were, sadly, over too fast.
And then there were these. Three-card panels from the Topps Vault. They look remarkable. The cards are beautiful in their early 70s simplicity.
One of them features two players from (at that time) fairly new expansion teams. It also has a picture of the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL Rookie of the Year. Perhaps Topps purposefully grouped this trophy with players from expansion teams, subtly expressing the promise of both youth and of hockey clubs in new cities.
On the other panel, there are players from two Original 6 teams and the Norris Trophy. For those who may not know, it is the "Defenseman of the Year" award with (in my opinion) a much cooler name. The game was more physical in that era, and few players were tougher than those who patrolled the blue line. It seems fitting that Topps paired the Norris Trophy with players from two of the oldest (and most heavily battle-scarred) clubs in the league.
Thank you, Santa. I really do appreciate your generosity. Sorry it took me a little while to post this.