1983 Topps - Willie McGee

Willie McGee is a St. Louis favorite. And with good reason. He was a star for the Whitey-ball Cardinals in the 80s - team that went to three World Series in the decade (and should have won two of them). Those teams were built on good all-around play, but especially on taking advantage of their speed on the astro-turf field of Busch Stadium. Willie was a great outfielder, a great base-runner, and a great hitter. He also had a great name and a distinct look. We knew about Willie McGee in Michigan in the 80s in large part because he stood out. We called him E.T. McGee because he had a long neck like E.T. I wonder if that was a national nickname or just something local. In '85 Willie led the league in hits, triples, and AVG. He won the N.L. MVP and his team went to the World Series (and they were robbed by an terrible call by the umpire). In 1990 he was leading the N.L. in AVG again but was traded to the A's at the end of the season (where he lost another World Series). But Cardinals fans got to see Willie again. He rejoined the team in 1996 and was part of the team that went to the playoffs. He was also there during the McGwire craze at the close of the 90s. He retired after '99 but was and is involved with the club in various ways, including as a coach.

1983 was McGee's rookie card year. Topps came out with one of their best designs. Action photos abound. The two-color border scheme with the inset portrait was well-done (I like the smaller square of the '84 a little better). This card (and all the Cardinals cards) would have ben better if it were blue or yellow instead of purple, but Topps will finally get the colors right very soon. Three other great rookie cards were in the '83 set - Gwynn, Puckett, and Boggs. I got this card in the bizarre Johnson/Hornsby/Ripken ebay purchase of 2011.