1983 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  32
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/4"

Description:  This is the first team-issued photo card set featuring full color photos.  A color head shot of each player is on the front and the backs are either blank or contain an encouraging message "written" by the player.  Most of these messages begin with a standard, "Dear Fan: Thanks for your letter.  the Phillies and I appreciate your interest."  In the checklist below, I've indicated which photo cards have the "Dear Fan" greeting on the back, which are blank and which have a message variation.  This is the second consecutive year Tastykake sponsored the set, and the black Tastykake logo can be found on the backs of all cards with the exception of the card for Veterans Stadium.

Interestingly enough, the 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards lists Joe Amalfitano in the checklist instead of Porfi Altamirano.  The Beckett database entry for the set perpetuates this error.  As pointed out by 14,000 Phillies in his checklist entry for the set, both Beckett and the Standard Catalog omit the Dave Roberts card from their checklists.

How Distributed:  My guess is these photo cards were available to purchase in set form at Veterans Stadium and also available individually as players responded to fans' autograph requests.  I personally had a tough time tracking down the cards for John Denny, Von Hayes and Bill Robinson.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically, with Dear Fan inscriptions unless otherwise noted): 

1. Luis Aguayo 2. Porfi Altamirano 3. Marty Bystrom (blank) 4. Steve Carlton (blank) 5. Larry Christenson 6. Pat Corrales MG (blank)       7. Ivan DeJesus 8. John Denny 9. Bob Dernier 10. Bo Diaz 11. Ed Farmer

12. Greg Gross 13. Von Hayes 14. Al Holland 15. Garry Maddox 16. Gary Matthews 17. Tug McGraw (Support . . . )       18. Larry Milbourne 19. Bob Molinaro 20. Sid Monge 21. Joe Morgan 22. Tony Perez

23. Ron Reed (blank) 24. Dave Roberts 25. Bill Robinson 26. Pete Rose 27. Dick Ruthven (blank) 28. Mike Schmidt (blank) 29. Ozzie Virgil 30. Phillies Coaches (blank) 31. Phillie Phanatic  32. Veterans Stadium (blank)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (7):  Denny, Hayes, Holland, Milbourne, Molinaro, Morgan, Perez
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (21):  Aguayo, Altamirano, Bystrom, Carlton, Christenson, DeJesus, Dernier, Diaz, Farmer, Gross, Maddox, Matthews, McGraw, Monge, Reed, Roberts, Robinson, Rose, Ruthven, Schmidt, Virgil

Manager (1):  Corrales
Coaches (1):  There's one card featuring all five Phillies coaches - Mike Ryan, Deron Johnson, Bobby Wine, Dave Bristol and Claude Osteen.

Phillies Phanatic (1):  The more readily available version features the Phanatic on his ATV.

Other Cards (1):  Veterans Stadium.

Surprises:  There are no real surprises here, and I'm assuming the set was issued once with no updates made.  The entire 25-man opening day roster, with the exception of the two players discussed below, received photo cards.  The Phillies also had five players on the disabled list to start the 1983 season, and they all received cards too - Luis Aguayo, Marty Bystrom, Hayes, Al Holland and Roberts.

Omissions:  Len Matuszek and Alejandro Sanchez both made the opening day roster, but were omitted from the set.  Sanchez returned to the minors a week into the season when Hayes was activated from the disabled list.  Matuszek stuck around a bit longer, optioned down to Triple-A Portland on April 29th.  Kiko Garcia started the season at Portland, but was recalled on May 17th and he'd remain with the club through the rest of the season.  I wish the Phillies had considered an update set as Garcia and a number of players acquired during the season - Joe Lefebvre, Willie Hernandez, Larry Andersen and Sixto Lezcano - would have been obvious choices.  There were also a number of prospects who debuted during 1983, including Charles Hudson, Kevin Gross, Steve Jeltz, Juan Samuel and Darren Daulton, and update cards for those players would have been highly sought after by collectors.

Variations/Rarities:  According to the set's entry in the 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, several cards are available with different backs.  There's also a different Phanatic card available showing him walking around the field in the vicinity of home plate.  I've listed these variations below.

Fellow collector Bill e-mailed to let me know of a few other back variations.  The Greg Gross card can be found with both "Dear Fan" and "Support amateur baseball" backs.  And the ATV variation of the Phanatic can be found with "Dear Fan" and "Tell your parents" backs.

Back Variations       1. Greg Gross (Support . . . ) 2. Sid Monge (Quitters never win)      3. Pete Rose (A good eduction) 4. Phillie Phanatic (Tell your parents)

Phanatic Variation        1. Phillie Phanatic - Not on ATV

Resources:   14,000 Phillies, Beckett.com, Phillies collector Bill, 1984 Phillies Media Guide.

This set was originally featured in a post back in October 2014, and I'm going to slowly go through these team-issued set posts and update them with new information gathered (if any) over the past six years.

Standard Version

Variation

1982 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1984 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

1985 Game 19 - 1985 Fleer #256 Jerry Koosman

Phillies 11, Expos 0
Game 19 - Tuesday Night, April 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 8-11, Tied for 4th Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jerry Koosman pitched a complete game shutout, Von Hayes tallied a four-hit game and Glenn Wilson drove in four runs in this 11-0 blowout win against the Expos.

What It Means:  Not a great start to the season, but April wasn't a complete disaster.  The Phillies would enter May riding a four-game win streak and within striking distance of fist place in the N.L. East.

What Happened:  Koosman allowed 11 hits in his complete game effort, but the Expos offense went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.  The Phillies offense scored all 11 runs against Expos starter Bill Gullickson and reliever Rick Grapenthin.  First baseman Razor Shines pitched the eighth inning for the Expos, allowing a hit but not giving up any more runs.

The big blow in the game was a bases-clearing double in the first from Wilson.  The Phillies kept piling on with Hayes, Schmidt and Jeltz each enjoying 2-RBI games.

Featured Card:  This was the 33rd and final complete game shutout in Koosman's 19-year big league career.  He must have done something in this game to aggravate his bad left knee, as he'd go on the disabled list shortly after this start and not pitch again until June 8th.

I clipped the Phillies opening day roster from an April 1985 issue of TV Guide and preserved it within my scrapbook (see below). The listing didn't include Darren Daulton or Kent Tekulve, added to the roster after opening day, so I wrote them in with their uniform numbers.  Kiko Garcia and Luis Aguayo were on the opening day roster, but both had been used so sparingly I assumed they were also "New Players."

Looking at the coaching staff, manager John Felske's bench coach was Lee Elia.  Elia would eventually take over for Felske when his time as Phillies manager ran out in the middle of the 1987 season.  The 1985 Phillies media guide lists Elia's job as dugout coach and not bench coach, which is the term used more frequently today.  Claude Osteen was the pitching coach and Del Unser provided double duty as both the hitting coach and the first base coach.  Dave Bristol coached third, Mike Ryan was the bullpen coach and Hank King (pictured on the Tastykake coaching staff card below) was the team's batting practice pitcher.

Bristol, Ryan and Osteen were all holdovers from Paul Owens' coaching staff in 1984.  To start the 1985 season, Elia replaced Felske as the bench coach and Unser replaced Deron Johnson as the Phillies' hitting coach.

Series Preview - Phillies at Brewers: May 24th to May 26th

1971 Topps #49

1971 Topps #637

Friday 8:10, Saturday 4:10 and Sunday 2:10
Miller Park - Milwaukee, WI

Phillies 29-21, 1st place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Braves
Brewers 29-22, 2nd place in the N.L. Central, 1 1/2 games behind the Cubs

Phillies Probables:  Jerad Eickhoff (2-2, 3.23), Jake Arrieta (4-4, 3.77), Zach Eflin (5-4, 2.76)
Brewers Probables:  Chase Anderson (2-0, 2.66), Jhoulys Chacin (3-5, 4.65), Brandon Woodruff (6-1, 3.51)

At the Ballpark:  Flo Rida will perform at a postgame concert following Saturday's game.  Sunday is a Dollar Dog Day and kids can run the bases following the game.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Jean Segura - .325
Runs:  Andrew McCutchen - 35
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 11
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 38
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez and Jean Segura - 3

Wins:  Zach Eflin and Aaron Nola - 5
ERA:  Zach Eflin - 2.76

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 66
Saves:  Hector Neris - 8

Brewers Leaders
Average:  Christian Yelich - .325
Runs:  Christian Yelich - 40
Home Runs:  Christian Yelich - 19
RBIs:  Christian Yelich - 41
Stolen Bases:  Christian Yelich - 9

Wins:  Brandon Woodruff - 6
ERA:  Zach Davies - 2.43
Strikeouts:  Brandon Woodruff - 65
Saves:  Josh Hader - 12

Series Preview - Phillies at Brewers: April 22nd to April 24th

Friday 8:10, Saturday 7:10 and Sunday 2:10
Miller Park - Milwaukee, WI

Phillies 7-9, 3rd place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Brewers 7-9, 5th place in the N.L. Central, 5 games behind the Cubs

Phillies Probables:  Aaron Nola (0-2, 5.68), Charlie Morton (1-1, 3.86), Jared Eickhoff (1-2, 1.89)
Brewers Probables:  Zach Davies (0-1, 19.29), Chase Anderson (1-1, 2.25), Wily Peralta (0-3, 8.35)

At the Ballpark:  On Sunday afternoon, not only do kids eat free, but they get to run the bases after the game.  According to the Brewers website, the eat free part consists of a voucher for a hot dog, apple slices, ice cream and bottled water.  Not a bad deal at all.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .255
Runs:  Three tied with - 5
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 4
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 8
Stolen Bases:  Odubel Herrera - 2

Wins:  Jeanmar Gomez and Vince Velasquez - 2
ERA:  Vince Velasquez - 0.93
Strikeouts:  Vince Velasquez - 29
Saves:  Jeanmar Gomez - 4

Brewers Leaders
Average:  Ryan Braun - .333
Runs:  Scooter Gennett - 11
Home Runs:  Chris Carter - 4
RBIs:  Chris Carter - 13
Stolen Bases:  Keon Broxton and Aaron Hill - 2

Wins:  Jimmy Nelson - 3
ERA:  Chase Anderson - 2.25
Strikeouts:  Jimmy Nelson - 19
Saves:  Jeremy Jeffress - 5

1970 Topps #125

1970 Topps #556

1970 Topps Appreciation:  Deron Johnson and Dave Bristol were on the Phillies coaching staff together between 1982 and 1984 for managers Pat Corrales and Paul Owens.  Johnson coached first while Bristol coached over at third.  Johnson was let go following the 1984 season, and Bristol stuck around for one more season.  He came back briefly as a coach again in 1988.

In 1970, Johnson was in his second full season with the Phillies and his first full season as their starting first baseman.  He'd hit .256 that season with 27 home runs and 93 RBIs, with both marks leading the team by far.  Johnson would stay with the Phillies until May 1973 when he was traded to the A's where he'd contribute to Oakland's World Series run.

Bristol never actually managed the Pilots.  The Seattle Pilots played their first and last season in 1969 under manager Joe Schultz.  In the spring of 1970, Bristol took over with the Pilots ownership group actively looking for a buyer to save the cash-strapped franchise.  With just a week to go before opening day in 1970, the team was sold to Milwaukee car dealer Allan "Bud" Selig.  Selig moved the team to Milwaukee and the Brewers were born.  Bristol's tenure as the Brewers manager lasted until 30 games into the 1972 season when he was fired.  His record with the club as the first Brewers manager was 144-209.

Phillies at Nationals: May 24th to May 26th

Friday 7:05, Saturday 7:15 and Sunday 1:35
Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.

Phillies 23-24, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games behind the Braves
Nationals 24-23, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables:  Kyle Kendrick (4-2, 2.82), Jonathan Pettibone (3-0, 3.00), Cole Hamels (1-7, 4.45)
Nationals Probables:  Jordan Zimmermann (7-2, 1.62), Dan Haren (4-5, 5.54), Stephen Strasburg (2-5, 2.66)

At the Ballpark:  On Saturday, the first 15,000 fans will receive a Nationals Lunch Tote.  It's the perfect way to carry your lunch into work with a intense amount of Natitude.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Michael Young - .287

Runs:  Chase Utley - 21

Home Runs:  Domonic Brown - 8

RBIs:  Ryan Howard and Chase Utley - 25

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 8

Wins:  Cliff Lee - 5

ERA:  Cliff Lee - 2.48

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 57

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 8

1973 Topps #486 and #377

1973 Topps Flashback:  Today's flashback features two of the three men to have managed at least 1,000 Phillies games - the other of course being the current Phillies manager,  Charlie Manuel.

1973 was Danny Ozark's first season at the helm, and my guess is that there's a Dodgers hat somewhere underneath the airbrushed Phillies logo appearing on this card.  Prior to being hired by the Phillies, Ozark spent eight seasons as a coach for the Dodgers on Walter Alston's staff.  Ozark led the Phils to three division titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978, but his teams never advanced to the World Series. He was fired in August 1979 after 1,105 games with the Phillies and a career win-loss record of 594-510-1.

Three of his four coaches - third base coach Billy DeMars, pitching coach Ray Rippelmeyer and first base coach Bobby Wine - were hold-overs from the previous Frank Lucchesi/Paul Owens administrations.  Only bullpen coach Carroll Beringer was added to the staff  when Ozark joined the team, assuming the same coaching position he had previously held with the Dodgers.  Beringer and Rippelmeyer made it through the 1978 season, while DeMars and Wine would go on to win World Series rings in 1980 under Ozark's successor, Dallas Green.

Gene Mauch began his managerial career with nine tumultuous season with the Phillies between 1960 and 1968.  He joined the expansion Montreal Expos for their first season in 1969 and managed the club through 1975.  In his 1,127 games with the Expos, Mauch compiled a record of 499-627, never finishing better than fourth place in the N.L. East.

There are two other Phillies connections on Mauch's manager card.  Dave Bristol served as the team's hitting coach from 1982 until 1985 and again in 1988, and Cal McLish served under Mauch as a coach during the 1965 and 1966 seasons, following three seasons pitching with the Phillies from 1962 to 1964.

Nationals at Phillies: September 17th through September 19th

Friday & Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35

Records:  Nationals 62-84, 5th Place in NL East (23½ games behind the Phillies); Phillies 86-61, 1st Place in NL East (3 games ahead of the Braves)

Former Phillie Cal McLish passed away last month at the age of 84.  He's featured here as the Expos' first pitching coach under manager Gene Mauch.  (Also featured is former Phillies' coach Dave Bristol.)  McLish finished his 15-season Major League career with three seasons with the Phillies from 1962 until 1964.  Primarily a starting pitcher, McLish went 24-17 in 66 games with the Phils, compiling a 3.68 ERA.  Following his playing days, Mauch added him to the Phillies' coaching staff in 1965 and 1966, and he served as a Phillies' scout in 1967 and 1968.  When Mauch became the first manager of the Expos, he brought McLish with him and McLish coached with the Expos until Mauch's dismissal in 1975.

I'm very disappointed with the back of this 1974 Topps card as it doesn't feature McLish's full name.  On the back of this card (and on the back of the 1973 Topps' Expos manager and coaches card), McLish's name is listed as Calvin Coolidge McLish.  However, his full legal name was actually Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish.  You can look it up.

Nationals Probables: Jason Marquis, Jordan Zimmerman, Yunesky Maya
Phillies Probables: Roy Oswalt, Kyle Kendrick, Joe Blanton

Kendrick and Oswalt swapped their spots in the rotation, to allow Charlie Manuel to pitch the Big 3 (Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Oswalt) against the Braves in their upcoming series starting on Monday night.