Why this card is awesome: Because I love playing games to try to figure out who else is on the card. Who's that standing next to Bonilla? In 1987, the following Pirates had numbers ending in 9: Hipolito Pena, Jeff Robinson, and Mark Ross all wore 49, but they were all pitchers and would be very unlikely to take BP at the same time as Bonilla. Infielder Houston Jimenez and outfielder Terry Harper both wore #19 and Onix Concepcion wore #29. Based on the fact that the digit on the left looks to be pretty much vertical, I'd say it's got to be #19. Terry Harper didn't join the Pirates until June 26 and there would be unlikely to be in a 1988 Topps photo. Houston Jimenez, however, signed as a free agent in late 1986. So he's my guess. Interestingly, Jimenez has no card in the 1988 set because he got only 6 AB with the Pirates in 1987.
This card is also interesting because it pretty prominently features a cross on a necklace around Bonilla's neck. Although I'd bet there are others, I can't at the moment think of any other examples in this set of any prominent religious symbols.
Cool stat: I guess Bonilla was a bad base stealer and/or runner since for guys with no more than 45 career steals, he is tied for the most CS. 57 CS against 45 SB is dreadful.
3 comments:
bobby for deleon... a steal..
this card also on the cover of the 88 bucs media guide!
What about Kevin Elster's necklace?
With his ability, all he could do was pray for a hit! Hahaha.
But Elster's necklace is just a little baseball player, I think, unless that was his religion...
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