1976 Topps Dave Parker
Who didn’t love The Cobra back in the 70s and 80s? I certainly did. Not only was he a great power hitter, but he had a great nickname! If he hadn’t have substance abuse problems, maybe he would have squeezed into Cooperstown.
His .290 average and 339 homeruns may not look crazy, but for his era, they were good numbers. Were they Hall of Fame numbers? Nope. Was The Cobra one of the most feared hitters of his era? Yep!
My best memory of Dave Parker happened in 1988 while he played for the Oakland A’s. I was attending the game with a buddy in Baltimore with maybe 7000 other fans. That was the year the Orioles lost 21 in a row to start the season, so attendance was not good. When Parker stepped up, my buddy said, “the Cobra is going to jack one.” Sure enough, Parker hit a long homerun and my buddy had his first “called shot!”
I don’t have any specific memories of this card, but I’ve always loved the follow through swing. Without a doubt, right before the picture was taken, The Cobra jacked one!
