Missing something, Mike?

This off season, I am going to do a bunch of posts on Sully Baseball about baseball cards and some of my favorite ones.

But I am going to jump the gun a little bit and break out this beauty... a 1977 Topps Card of Mike Torrez.

Now this was before Torrez was a Yankee and clinched the 1977 World Series.
This was before he served up Bucky Dent's homer.
This was before he basically derailed Dicky Thon's career.

Here he was, a member of the A's... part of the bounty from Baltimore from the Reggie Jackson trade.

Now I love the posed pictures that Topps used to do and this one is a beaut.

In the empty stadium, Mike is clearly asked to pose in midwindup. I am guessing this is before a game... but then again the A's drew fewer than 800,000 fans that year, so this might very well be during a game.

He of course is doing it along the first baseline. Why not on the mound? Or at least in the bullpen?

But my favorite element to how lazy this picture is... where's his hat?

Seriously. We know this isn't an action photo, but would it have KILLED Mike to put his damn hat on?

Then again look at that beautiful mane of blow dried hair.

I guess putting a bright green lid on that would mess it up!

VIVA THE LOBSTER!!!!! VARITEK IS BACK!

THE CAPTAIN IS STAYING!!!!

Jason Varitek realized that if he can't get $10 million a year, he might as well stay for a potential World Series contender where he has played his whole big league career, is worshipped as a hero by the fans, is the captain in the clubhouse and won't have to learn a whole new pitching staff... and still earn millions of dollars a year in the worst economy since the Depression.

(Hey Boras, nice job having him reject arbitration.)

So now that Varitek is back in a Red Sox uniform, let's do what we can to adopt a new nickname for Varitek.

'Tek is boring.
He should be the LOBSTER!

I covered this already, but I am going to make it my mission to have Varitek be dubbed THE LOBSTER by Red Sox fans everywhere.

Good to have you back Lobstah!

Now handle that pitching staff and let's dip the rest of the division in buttah!