1982 Topps Giants - Part 1

After three rough years, the Giants had a very nice year in 1982 and almost managed to steal the NL West title. On September 1 they were 9 games out of first place. The Giants went 20-7 in September and got to within 1 game of the lead on September 26. They finished 2 games behind but it was an exciting last couple of weeks. The most memorable moment for me was the final weekend of the 1982 season. The Braves, Giants, and Dodgers were all within two games of each other. The Dodgers knocked the Giants out of contention on Saturday. The Giants returned the favor on the last day of the season when Joe Morgan hit the game-winning home run to knock the Dodgers out.

The time between the departure of Willie Mays and the Roger Craig "Humm-baby" years was a tough time to be a Giants fan. The 1978 and 1982 seasons were the only rays of sunshine during that era.

The Giants managed to win 87 games despite not having many guys even in the top ten in statistical categories. As seen below, the Giants were fair at best in most of the team statistics. One thing that helped the Giants in '82 was their patience at the plate. They were first in the NL in walks and second in on base percentage.


Team Record: 87-75 (3rd Place in NL West, 2 games behind Atlanta)

Team Batting: .253 (9th in NL)

Team Home Runs: 133 (4th in NL)

Team ERA: 3.67 (7th in NL)

Team Fielding: .973 (11th in NL)

Awards: Joe Morgan (Silver Slugger - 2B)

NL All Stars: Greg Minton (P)



Milt May (#242) batted .263 with 9 HR and 39 RBI in 114 games.

Bob Brenly (#171) batted .283 with 4 HR in 180 at bats.

Others who caught for the Giants but did not receive a 1982 Topps Giants card:

Jeff Ransom (.159 in 44 at bats)

1980 Phoenix Giants

I was going through a box and came across this team-issued set from 1980. I don't remember if it was a giveaway or if I bought them. I was in 8th grade at the time. The backs have some vital statistics (height, weight, etc); a stat line from the previous (1979) season; and an offer for a premium team card. It was five coupons plus 75 cents.

• Mike Williams pitched in the minors from 1974-1981 but never made it to the majors. He spent his last two years in Phoenix.

• Mike Tufts spent parts of three seasons (1981-1983) in the majors. He pitched in the minors from 1977-1983.

• Doug Schaefer never made it to the majors. He pitched in the minors from 1975-1981. His last three seasons were in Phoenix.

• Mike Rowland pitched in the minors from 1975-1982 and was in Phoenix from 1978-1982. He played for San Francisco in parts of two seasons (1980 and 1981).

• Larry Prewitt pitched in the minors from 1975-1980 and didn't make it to the majors.

• Ed Plank had two September call-ups in 1978 and 1979 and pitched a total of nine games for the San Francisco Giants. He pitched in the minors from 1973-1980 and was in Phoenix from 1976-1980.

• Phil Nastu pitched in 3 games for SF in 1978, spent most of the season in SF in 1979 (25 games, 14 starts), and pitched in 6 games in 1980. He was in the minors from 1977-1982.
  
  
• Terry Cornutt spent time in the minors from 1972-1980. He was in Phoenix from 1976-1980. He spent most of the 1977 season in SF and pitched in one game for SF in 1978.
  
  
• Fred Breining was in the majors from late 1980 to 1984. He saw a lot of action for SF from 1981-1983. His only season in Phoenix was 1980.
• Bill Bordley was in Phoenix in 1979 and 1980. He pitched for Class A Fresno in 1983. Bill pitched in eight games for SF at the end of the 1980 season. He must have been hurt in 1981 and 1982--there are no stats for him in those two seasons.
  
  
• Chris Bourjous played in 13 games for SF in 1980. That was it for his major league career. He put up nice stats for Phoenix in 1979 and 1980 but didn't stick with the big club. His minor league career was from 1977-1983.
• Max Venable is a native of Phoenix. Max played parts of 12 seasons in the majors from 1979-1991. He played in Phoenix from 1980-1982.

• Casey Parsons played twelve seasons in the minors. He spent 1978, 1979, and part of 1980 with Phoenix. He played in the majors for parts of four seasons from 1981-1987.
  


• Craig Landis played six seasons in the minor leagues but never made it to the show.
  


• Bob Kearney played in the minors from 1977-1982 and again in 1987. Even in the minors he was a light-hitting catcher -- his lifetime minor league average was .233. He played in the majors in 1979 and again from 1981-1987.
  


• Dennis Littlejohn played in two games for San Francisco in 1978 (no at bats). He played in 63 games in 1979 and 13 games in 1980. Dennis spent a total of four years in Phoenix (1978-1981).
  
  
  Jose Barrios played in ten games for San Francisco in 1982. He played in the minors from 1975-1983. He put up pretty good offensive numbers but wasn't much of a glove man.
• Mike Rex played seven seasons in the minors but never made it to the majors. He played in Phoenix from 1979-1982. Mike had a lifetime minor league average of .289.

• Rich Murray is the brother of Eddie Murray. He played in the minors from 1975-1985. Rich played half of the 1980 season with the Giants and had a cup of coffee in 1983. He played a total of six seasons in Phoenix.
  


• Joe Pettini spent parts of four seasons (1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983) with Phoenix. He played for San Francisco from 1980-1983.

• Guy Sularz spent parts of four seasons (1980-1983) with the San Francisco Giants. He also spent a lot of time with Phoenix (1978-1984). He put up nice AAA stats but couldn't do it in the majors.
  
  Rocky Bridges was very popular in Phoenix. One of his memorable quotes was, "I can't spell Albuquerque, but I sure can smell it." He managed Phoenix from 1974-1982 and managed a total of 20 seasons in the minors.
  
• Ethan Blackaby was the longtime GM for the Phoenix Giants in the 1970s and 1980s. He played a total of 15 games for the Milwaukee Braves in 1962 and 1964.
  

• These two worked for the Phoenix ball club for a long, long time.

The Giants' system was pretty dry at the AAA level in 1980. That probably contributed to the poor years they had in the mid 1980s. Out of the 22 players pictured, 16 made it to the majors but most of them didn't stay long. Oh well--it was still fun to watch the games.