The slugger plied his trade with seven different teams over the course of a 17-year career, lasting from 1969 through 1985. "The Big O" bashed 200 career home runs in just over 4,500 at-bats, including a single-season high of 31 with the 1977 White Sox. Additionally, Gamble didn't strike out all that much, usually walked more than he K'ed, and his .265/.356/.454 career slash line shows him to have been quite a productive player, despite injuries limiting his time on the diamond. All that considered, typically, it is not for his on-field performance that most fans remember the name Oscar Gamble; rather, it's for what he futiley attempted to stuff under his cap:
Oscar Gamble's big afro played a key role in creating one of the most iconic baseball cards of all-time, the 1976 Topps Traded single that you see above. You have certainly seen this card on the blogosphere before, even if you do not have it in your own collection, and it's kept kids and adults alike entertained for 42 years now. How can you not crack a smile when you see that poor hat holding on for dear life upon a mass of thick, curly hair? There's enough bounce to make the eclectic lefty look more like a member of the Jackson Five than the Yankee Nine - it's just groovy, man! I mean, baseball cards are kid's playthings and are supposed to be fun; what's more fun than that?
Of course, this wasn't the first or last time that Oscar's folicular fortitude would show up on cardboard; however, I would say that this airbrushed Yankees pasteboard captured it's era-defining volume best. That's why, for several years now, the card has represented Gamble in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection, bringing me joy every time I flipped through the "G" section of said binder.
Yup, in case you didn't know it, the most famous hair in baseball history once rested under a Cubbie Blue cap - although, it was much tamer back then:
Oscar (sans locks) during his only Spring Training with the Lovable Losers.
Image courtesy of AAA Sports Memorabilia.
It's easy to forget, since he hopped around from team to team fairly often, but Oscar was originally drafted (scouted by the legendary Buck O'Neil) by the Cubs in the 16th round of the 1968 draft. The prospect would make his Major League debut in the Windy City the very next year, during a fateful 1969 season that saw the Cubs come oh-so-close to ending their World Series drought. At age 19, he appeared in limited duty for 24 games during August and September, batting .225 in 71 AB's and watching helplessly as the Miracle Mets dissolved an 8-game division lead and blew by the scuffling Chicagoans late in the campaign. Clearly Gamble was like Samson and his yet-unrealized skill was inextricably tied to his hair - remember, as a Cub, the rook had yet to let his inner Chia bloom.
That following November, in a futile attempt to plug a consistently gaping hole in the outfield, the Cubs front office dealt the promising young rookie and Dick Selma to the Phillies in exchange for the aging Johnny Callison and a PTBNL. Needless to say, that deal did not work out in my team's favor.
The other two major pieces of that November 17, 1969 trade.
Being that his stint on the North Side of Chicago was so brief and Topps was pretty much the only name in the baseball card game at the time, I'd long assumed that no cardboard rectangle existed which commemorated his short term stop in the Second City. Therefore, I was more than happy to let the famous 'fro be repped by a (fantastic) card from his Yankee days. Cursory research backed up this assumption. But, you know what they say when you assume....
Okay - if you truly wish to split hairs, this is technically a stamp and not a traditional trading card. Nevertheless, Dell Stamps have far more in common with contemporary bubblegum cards than the postmark you would include on the front of a letter.
At any rate, Dell released several team sets of stamps and corresponding albums in 1971, under the banner of "Today's Team." As you can plainly see in the scan above, stolen from the Trading Card Database, Mr. Gamble appears in one of these team checklists and is clearly sporting Cubbie Blue. However, while a few Dells populate my card collection, I had no idea that Gamble was included in this release. How could I miss this? Welllllllll.... it's not technically a Cubs card; just read the brief write-up on the card's... errr... stamp's backside:
"Signed off the sandlots by the Cubs. Traded to the Phils after the 1969 season."
Your eyes might deceive you, but this is officially classified as a Phillies card and was part of the Philadelphia booklet, despite it's photographic front. Lot's of technicalities with this bad boy, eh? Despite what the official catalogs might say, the photograph is the main course on a baseball card and, thus, this absolutely counts as a Cubs card, in my eyes. Though I am curious as a kitten as to why, in 1971, Dell had to dig back into the archives for a three-year old snapshot for use on Gamble's stamp. Weird, right? Licensing issues, maybe?
Now, here is where I really proved that when you assume, you make an ass out of "u and me." Shortly after I came across the Dell Stamp while Googling pictures of Oscar in a Cubs uniform, I discovered yet ANOTHER card of Gamble in Chicago digs:
Courtesy of a scan lifted from Ebay, here's our hero on the second Cubs card produced with his likeness (again, minus the big ol' floof of hair); there's no tom foolery with this one, that he shares with Larry Bowa, either.
In 1998, for the 13th annual Cubs Convention, the team offered a set of over-sized (3.5" x 4") cards for use in obtaining autographs - the massively popular event has always offered a great opportunity to meet team heroes. This pack of 30 cards included a selection of the current players, team personnel, and alumni who would be attending the con. Many of the cards forced the players to share real estate, in the manner demonstrated by Gamble and Bowa above. After all, paper doesn't grow on trees... wait a minute...
When I discovered an entry in this set for Oscar on TCDB, I frustratedly gave myself a hefty kick in the ass. First of all, this set was definitely not new to me and I had been aware of it's existence for many moons, though they aren't particularly common. Additionally, only a few months ago - at the 2017 National, I came across a thick stack of discount singles from this set, but neglected to give them my full attention as I was distracted by the sprawling pageantry of my first NSCC. Did I accidentally miss out on what would have been a rarely seen boon to my marquee collection? *Sigh* - the world may never know.
There was sooooo much to see and do - did I miss out on an uncommon opportunity?
Either way, both the 1998 Cubs Convention Gamble (plus Bowa) and the previously covered Dell Stamp are now each comfortably residing on my "want" list as highly desirable "Cubgrades." If anyone has a lead on either of these oddballs, I'd graciously appreciate any assistance with the matter. As much as I adore the outfielder's celebrated Traded card, a Cubs card still trounces a Yankees card any day of the week.
In the end, I'm just happy to be able to pay tribute to Gamble with my baseball card collection, even if I don't have one of his Cubs cards just yet. The man was a quality ballplayer, a good and gracious man, a large personality, and symbolic of an entire era of baseball history. Though his time as a member of the Cubs franchise was relatively brief, I think I speak for all of Cubs Nation when I say that the man under that massive afro was one of a kind and he was definitely taken far too soon.
R.I.P., Oscar Gamble
Good post. It’s funny how his popular cardboard pieces make many think of him as mostly a Yankee.
ReplyDeleteMy dad received that Cubs Convention set from a coworker a few years ago, which in turn was passed down to me. The Gamble/Bowa is easily my favorite card in there because I'd never seen anything else of Gamble on the Cubs. Gonna have to add that Dell Stamp to my want list as well now.
ReplyDeleteWow. Oscar looks so young on that Dell Stamp. Very cool collectible. Best of luck on your hunt to find one and a copy of the 1998 Cubs Convention Gamble to your collection.
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