Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I attempt to rectify trading card omissions which bothered me over the years. It is a concept I have borrowed from many others, but generally speaking, I fill in the gaps for lesser known players.
Everyone knows I am a fan of backup catchers. Along with Cuzz Gekas, I created the Backup Catcher Hall of Fame. When Topps skipped deserving backup catchers in their baseball card sets, it was especially bothersome.
Today, I have featuring a 1973 Topps card I created of Charlie Sands. From 1967 through 1975, Sands played parts of six seasons with the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels and Oakland A's. He appeared in 93 games, hitting .214 with 6 home runs.
For his efforts, he received a Topps card in 1972 (Pirates), 1974 and 1975 (both with the Angels).
He did not have a card in 1968, after appearing in only one game for the 1967 Yankees. He did not receive a card in 1973, after appearing in one game for the 1972 Pirates. He did not receive a card in the 1976 Topps set after appearing in three games for the 1975 A's.
Because I love backup catchers, I would have created cards for Sands for all three missing years, if I could have found good pictures. Instead, I only found a workable picture of Sands with the Pirates, which I made into a 1973 Topps card.
Of course, I was a fan of his in the 70's. Despite that, I must admit that he still falls just a little short of being a candidate for the BCHOF. That doesn't mean he should not have had more cards. Now at least he has one more card (and I am still on the lookout for the other two possibilities).
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