Classic card of the week

Oscar Gamble, 1976 Topps

In 1975, the New York Yankees took a gamble by acquiring Oscar Gamble. This move was a gamble not because Oscar Gamble was a) coming off a serious ACL injury, b) had once threatened to murder the Three Stooges, c) was not good at baseball, or even because he d) once lost $18,000 betting on the 1974 National Skeet Tournament. The move was largely described as a gamble because Oscar Gamble’s last name really was gamble, and thus, seemed to fit the criteria for local tabloid headlines. In reality however, the acquisition of Oscar Gamble posed virtually no inherent risk to the organization, and was actually made with the intention of improving the franchise’s overall image to more accurately reflect the times. During said “times,” many of the players took bong hits before batting practice, and opted to wear those little helmets that ice cream come in on top of their heads for laughs. Conflicted with his teams’ updated persona, new Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner demanded that Gamble “cut those sideburns,” to no avail. Regardless of his clashes with Steinbrenner, Oscar Gamble was a great teammate. He was renown for bringing in Munchkins for birthdays, and for sneaking underage teammates into the most exclusive New York nightclubs by hiding them in his side ‘fro. In 1977, Oscar Gamble met his future wife, Foxy Cleopatra, at a microwave oven convention in upstate New York. They would have three children together named Lady of Rage, Randy Moss, and, of course, Nick.

Did you know?
As a nominee for his supporting role in the film “Horses Don’t Cry,” the Daily News wittily described Oscar Gamble’s shot at an Oscar as “an Oscar Gamble.”

A big shout out to Ryan, for sending this card my way.