Cooperstown: 1985 Topps Trivia

I think I'll do something a little different with the post, that's start with a trivia question. Actually a Topps trivia question from the back of Mike Jeffcoat's 1985 card.

I'll just throw the question out there and leave the answer until later. Feel free to do your own research, but the answer will be listed at the end of this post. And remember, this trivia question is from 1985, so think 1985.

The trivia question: Yankee Stadium is home to what team?

I'll just move on to some other cards I picked up in my Cooperstown-purchased pack of 1985 Topps. If you want to go do your trivia research, I can wait.

First up, is the Hall of Famer. There's Ryne Sandberg's All Star card with Ryno hanging out at the batting cage. The card back highlights Sandberg's second-place finish in hits in 1984 with 200, behind Tony Gwynn's 213. Five of those hits came June 23. He had two home runs and seven RBIs that game.

There are a handful of players in the 1985 Topps set that were in the CMC set. This pack again didn't uncover any direct members. Like the last 1981 Fleer post, I have to look at a checklist to find a direct reference. Right there on the back of Dick Williams' Padres manager card is 262 Greg Booker. Booker was a member of the 1990 Phoenix Firebirds. I featured him back in July.

Spike Owen here is sort of a derivative CMC reference. Owen was traded with CMC set member Dan Gakeler to the Expos in December 1988. I mentioned the trade in my August feature of Gakeler.

Mike Jorgensen there is just interesting because, according to Baseball Reference's Bullpen, he is the only major leaguer born on the day of Babe Ruth's death. Also, according to the back of his card, Jorgensen enjoys crossword puzzles and TV soap operas. Who knew?

Among the personally interesting parts of this pack was that two of the players I've previously gotten autographs of. Gary Lucas and Ed Romero. The Romero card actually was one that I got autographed back in the day. I got autographs from both players back in the mid 90s when I went to Cedar Rapids Kernels games with my dad.

Romero was manager of the Springfield Sultans in 1994 and the Clinton Lumberkings in 1995. Lucas was pitching coach for the Quad City River Bandits in 1994.

We actually saw Lucas again this past summer in Burlington when he was pitching coach for Beloit. We didn't say hello or anything, he was just there. I'm not sure he would have remembered me. All I remember of him is that I have a couple of his cards autographed.

Last, before I get to that trivia answer, is another card back, the back of Joel Youngblood's card. If it looks like a scratch off thing, that's because it kind of is. That's the remains of the 25-year-old stick of gum after I pulled it off. The gum actually soaked through Youngblood's card and got Williams' card pretty good, too.

I actually had to scratch off part of the gum to find out what exactly Youngblood owned with the name of Sangre Joven. He actually owned a dog by that name. Apparently, that's his own last name in Spanish.

Now it's time for the answer to today's trivia question: Yankee Stadium is home to what team?

I'm sure you've already looked it up. But, here it is.

The answer?

Ulysses S. Grant.

56 - Dan Gakeler, Not Complicated, 8/7/10
536 - Greg Booker, Worst Year, 7/29/10