mota mota mota (mota mota)

hey! it's the last binary day of my lifetime.  i don't plan to be around for 1/1/00 as in 2100, so let's get down to the elevens.  manny mota has worn number 11 since he joined the dodgers in 1969.  i will go out on a limb and guess that the number will be retired by the dodgers when mota retires or passes away, whichever comes first.  i can't imagine that they wouldn't honor the longest tenured coach in team history in that way.

mota, as you know, was a member of the 1978 dodger team - my favorite dodger squad of all-time.  so, i asked mota to sign some cards.  a few different times.  here's a run through my mota ttm successes.

first, 1970 o-pee-chee

contrasted with 1970 topps

1971 topps

is that photo from the same time as the 1970 shot?  i would say yes.
1972 topps

and 1974 topps

this is where mota starts taping his wrist
it's there again in 1975 (this is a mini, by the way)

(hello chavez ravine!)

here's a badly miscut 1978 topps card

and a scuffed up 1980 topps card

manny even got a card from fleer in 1981

donruss made him a card that year, too, and identified him as a coach which was cool. 
here's a 2001 upper deck decade 1970's card

i was pretty excited when this card came out, even though i was disappointed that he likely replaced davey lopes in the set.  we had garvey, cey and russell represented and were just missing lopes.  still, it's nice to see someone like mota getting some appreciation from the latter day card companies.

not to be forgotten, i figure i should show a tony mota autograph.  this one's from 2000 topps traded

i won't be around for 7/7/77.

not pictured, guillermo mota.

here's to you manny mota! thanks for signing all those cards!

just pretend this is a flip book

here comes dodgers' coach danny ozark with a bag of balls and a couple of bats.

so what if some guy is trying to take a photo of billy grabarkewitz for his 1970 o-pee-chee card? 

next we have ozark preparing to hit some fungoes

as jeff torborg smiles unknowingly on his 1971 topps card

and ozark again sizes things up as an infielder returns a ball to him

all the while torborg is unaware on his 1970 o-pee-chee card.

it's a shame, really, that topps didn't select more photos from this session.   we could have had ozark in midswing or even spitting.

some cranky dodger cards to assist my pursuit of dodgers-ness

i (not that) recently received some cards from jack at pursuit of 80's-ness.  i have watched with pangs of jealousy as many of you have posted about the cards you have received from jack, and i was not disappointed when my package arrived. all i had to do was send him some red sox and one or two 1980 topps cards for:

1957 topps charley neal

charley is looking pretty sullen, even though he is surrounded by that great 1957 color.  even though the card design is pretty simplistic, i really like this set because of the great color and vintage photography feel.

1961 topps don demeter

another sullen looking guy.  this photo is from wrigley field as evidenced by the scoreboard in center.  don got off to a rough start in 1961 for the dodgers, and was traded to the phillies in the jim bunning deal in may of that year.

1970 o-pee-chee manny mota

manny doesn't look too happy either, even though the dodgers saved him from his montreal purgatory.  i love that i received a card printed in canada from a guy in the uk.  awesome.

1970 topps jeff torborg

jeff isn't smiling either.  this photo is from the same shoot as the one used for his 1971 topps card, complete with danny ozark lurking in the background hitting fungoes.  1970 would be torborg's final year with the dodgers, and he would make it count by catching bill singer's no-hitter in july.

1972 topps jose pena

jose is at least showing some teeth, although he doesn't look too happy here.  pena was plucked by the reds from the mexican league in 1966, and the dodgers acquired him in the rule v draft in 1969.  after spending the 1970 and 71 seasons with the dodgers, pena was sent down to albuquerque after just 5 games with the dodgers in 1972.  baseball reference would seem to indicate that this photo is from 1970, as pena is wearing number 49.  he apparently wore 29 in 1971 and 72.

1981 fleer gary weiss

another irritated-looking dodger.  weiss is known (by me anyway) to be the last dodger to wear number 1 before it was retired in honor of pee wee reese.  weiss made 8 appearances in 1980, all as a pinch runner late in the season.  he was back with the dodgers at the end of the 1981 season, but was not included on the post season roster.  he walked in his first major league at bat (against al holland of the giants), but didn't collect his first major league hit until his 14th at bat (a single against mario soto of the reds).

1981 fleer pepe frias 

finally, a smile.  or at least a grin!  like weiss, frias played for the dodgers only sparingly in 1980 and 81.  frias had one career home run in his 9 years in the majors, a solo shot off of john candelaria in 1979.  i am left to wonder whether or not that is jerry coleman lurking in the background.

thanks jack for the great cards!