- Baseball Talk
Baseball Talk was a set of 164 "talking" baseball cards that were released with much fanfare by
Topps Baseball Card Company and theLJN Corporation during the spring of 1989. Each card featured a plastic disk affixed to the back of an oversized baseball card. When placed in the SportsTalk player the cards would play two to three minutes of recorded audio. The player retailed for $24.99 and was labeled for ages six and up. It required four AA alkaline batteries to operate. [ [Beckett Mar. 89] ] The cards featured most of the better known players in baseball in 1988 and were sold in toy stores throughout the United States and Canada during the 1989Major League Baseball season. LJN and Topps planned to debut talkingNFL andNBA cards (it stated in print advertising "Coming Soon - NFL Football and NBA Basketball Talking Cards), but those plans, along with follow-up MLB editions, were canceled as the card players often broke or played with very poor audio quality. [ [Beckett Nov. 89] ] Stores were flooded with returned boxes of Baseball Talk and by the fall of 1989 many of the cards and players could be found in discount bins at places likeToys R Us and Target. At one point packs of cards that had been priced at $4 a piece were selling for as low as 50 cents by stores that were eager to move a failed product.The Cards
The SportsTalk player was sold with four cards (a checklist card that served as an introduction to the series, a
Hank Aaron card, and the cards of 1988 starsDon Mattingly andOrel Hershiser .) Additional cards were sold with four to a pack and were labeled in a manner that let the buyer know what cards were inside. Hall of Fame broadcasterMel Allen narrated eight cards that feautred highlights from historic games as well as 33 cards of former stars such asBabe Ruth andDuke Snider . Hall of Fame legends likeTed Williams ,Sandy Koufax ,Warren Spahn ,Willie Mays ,Joe DiMaggio andBob Feller were omited from the set as they did not agree to take part. [ [Beckett Mar 89] ]Don Drysdale interviewed the players of the National League for their cards andJoe Torre did the same for the American League players. Many of the cards featured amusing or humorous anecdotes, such as Mike Flanagan recounting how his Japanese baseball glove manufacturer (Mizuno) spelled his name "Mike Franagan" and that the company's executives told him, "Mr. Franagan, we're very grad you use our grub."Rare Collectibles
Due to the fact that the cards and players were on the market for a short period of time and that many of the players didn't work well, a complete set and a working player today are very rare and sell for a Beckett book value of $250-$300 (Beckett 2008 Almanac).
Text of Print Ad Campaign
LJN and Topps advertised SportsTalk and Baseball Talk in two-page ads in the 1989
Street and Smith Baseball Guide and in most baseball team programs in April and May. The following is the text of the ad;No Baseball Collection is Complete Without This Year's Hottest New Player.
"The incredible SportsTalk Player and Topp's Baseball Talk Cards."
"You've never seen or heard anything like the SportsTalk Compact Player. Each talking card features real voices with interviews, stories, and inside tips from today's Major League favorites to the all time superstars, plus cards featuring highlights from the most memorable games in baseball. Plus full color photos and complete statistics. Collect the entire Premiere Series. And bring heroes to life with baseball's hottest new player."
Street and Smith Baseball 1989 pages 104 and 105.
Checklist
The following is the numerical checklist for the only set of cards ever released for Baseball Talk.
Eight Classic Games
1. 1975 World Series Game 6 [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1975/B10210BOS1975.htm]
2. 1986 World Series Game 6 [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10250NYN1986.htm]
3. 1986 ALCS Game 5 [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10120CAL1986.htm]
4. 1956 World Series Game 5 [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1956/B10080NYA1956.htm]
5. 1986 NLCS Game 6 [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10150HOU1986.htm]
6. 1969 World Series Game 5 [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1969/B10160NYN1969.htm]
7. 1984 World Series Game 5 [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1984/B10140DET1984.htm]
8. 1988 World Series Game 1 [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1988/B10150LAN1988.htm]
33 Famous Former Players
9.
Reggie Jackson 10.
Brooks Robinson 11. Billy Williams
12.
Bobby Thomson 13.
Harmon Killebrew 14.
Johnny Bench 15.
Tom Seaver 16.
Willie Stargell 17.
Ernie Banks 18.
Gaylord Perry 19.
Bill Mazeroski 20.
Babe Ruth 21.
Lou Gehrig 22.
Ty Cobb 23.
Bob Gibson 24.
Al Kaline 25.
Rod Carew 26.
Lou Brock 27.
Stan Musial 28.
Joe Morgan 29.
Willie McCovey 30.
Duke Snider 31.
Whitey Ford 32.
Eddie Mathews 33.
Carl Yastrzemski 34.
Pete Rose 35.
Hank Aaron (b) Final season36.
Ralph Kiner 37.
Steve Carlton 38.
Roberto Clemente 39.
Don Drysdale 40. Robin Roberts
41.
Hank Aaron (a) Rookie season122 Present Day Players and Managers in 1988
By Team
Each team was represented by at least three players except for the lowly 1988 Baltimore Orioles (54-107) who had only two (Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray.) It is thought that the late season trade of Fred Lynn from Baltimore to Detroit did not allow time to find a third Oriole, though catcher
Terry Kennedy seemed like a possible replacement. The New York Mets had the most players with eight.New York Mets 8 "(Hernandez, Carter, Gooden, Darling, Jefferies, Myers, McDowell, and Strawberry)"New York Yankees 7 "(Winfield, J. Clark, Guidry, John, Mattingly, Henderson, and Righetti)"Boston Red Sox 7 "(Boggs, Clemens, Rice, Evans, L. Smith, Greenwell, and Hurst)"St. Louis Cardinals 7 "(O. Smith, Guerrero, McGee, Coleman, Worrell, Magrane, and Brunansky)"Los Angeles Dodgers 7 "(Hershiser, Gibson, Marshall, Tudor, Sax, Lasorda, and Valenzuela)"Oakland Athletics 7 "(LaRussa, McGwire, Canseco, Welch, Eckersly, Parker, and Lansford)"Minnesota Twins 6 "(Hrbek, Gaetti, Viola, Rearden, Blyleven, and Puckett)"Cincinnati Reds 6 "(E. Davis, Daniels, Larkin, Sabo, D. Jackson, and Franco)"Detroit Tigers 6 "(Anderson, Trammel, Whitaker, Morris, Tanana, and Lynn)"Toronto Blue Jays 5 "(G. Bell, Fernandez, Key, Henke, and Flanagan)"San Francisco Giants 5 "(W. Clark, Mitchell, Reuschel, Craig, and Maldonado)"Montreal Expos 4 "(Raines, Wallach, Galarraga, and Brooks)"Chicago Cubs 4 "(Sanberg, Dawson, Sutcliffe, and Gossage)"Pittsburgh Pirates 4 "(Bonds, Bonilla, Van Slyke, and LaValliere)"Houston Astros 4 "(Ryan, Scott, Bass, and G. Davis)"Cleveland Indians 4 "(Snyder, Carter, Butler, and D. Jones)"Kansas City Royals 4 "(Saberhagen, Brett, White, and Seitzer)"California Angels 4 "(M. Witt, Boone, C. Davis, and Joyner)"Texas Rangers 3 "(McDowell, Incaviglia, and Hough)"
San Diego Padres 3 "(Gwynn, Santiago, and Kruk)"Philadelphia Phillies 3 "(Schmidt, Bedrosian, and Samuel)"Atlanta Braves 3 "(Murphy, Perry, and Sutter)"Milwaukee Brewers 3 "(Molitor, Plesac, and Yount)"Seattle Mariners 3 "(A. Davis, H. Reynolds, and Langston)"Chicago White Sox 3 "(Guillen, Fisk, and Baines)"Baltimore Orioles 2 "(Ripken and Murray)"By Card Number
42.
Dave Winfield , New York Yankees43.
Alan Trammell , Detroit Tigers44.
Darryl Strawberry , New York Mets45.
Ozzie Smith , St. Louis Cardinals46.
Kirby Puckett , Minnesota Twins47.
Will Clark , San Francisco Giants48.
Keith Hernandez , New York Mets49.
Wally Joyner , California Angels50. Mike Scott, Houston Astros
51. Eric Davis, Cincinnati Reds
52. George Brett, Kansas City Royals
53. George Bell, Toronto Blue Jays
54.
Tommy Lasorda , Los Angeles Dodgers55.
Rickey Henderson , New York Yankees56.
Robin Yount , Milwaukee Brewers57.
Wade Boggs , Boston Red Sox58.
Roger Clemens , Boston Red Sox59.
Vince Coleman , St. Louis Cardinals60.
Jose Canseco , Oakland Athletics61.
Fernando Valenzuela , Los Angeles Dodgers62.
Tony Gwynn , San Diego Padres63. Doc Gooden, New York Mets
64.
Mark McGwire , Oakland Athletics65. Jack Clark, New York Yankees
66.
Dale Murphy , Atlanta Braves67.
Kirk Gibson , Los Angeles Dodgers68.
Jack Morris , Detroit Tigers69.
Ryne Sandberg , Chicago Cubs70.
Nolan Ryan , Houston Astros71. John Tudor, Los Angeles Dodgers
72.
Mike Schmidt , Philadelphia Phillies73.
Dave Righetti , New York Yankees74.
Pedro Guerrero , St. Louis Cardinals75.
Rick Sutcliffe , Chicago Cubs76.
Gary Carter , New York Mets77.
Cal Ripken , Baltimore Orioles78.
Andre Dawson , Chicago Cubs79.
Andy Van Slyke , Pittsburgh Pirates80. Roc Raines, Montreal Expos
81.
Frank Viola , Minnesota Twins82.
Don Mattingly , New York Yankees83.
Rick Reuschel , San Francisco Giants84.
Willie McGee , St. Louis Cardinals85.
Mark Langston , Seattle Mariners86.
Ron Darling , New York Mets87.
Gregg Jefferies , New York Mets88.
Harold Baines , Chicago White Sox89.
Eddie Murray , Baltimore Orioles90.
Barry Larkin , Cincinnati Reds91.
Gary Gaetti , Minnesota Twins92.
Bret Saberhagen , Kansas City Royals93.
Roger McDowell , New York Mets94.
Joe Magrane , St. Louis Cardinals95.
Juan Samuel , Philadelphia Phillies96.
Bert Blyleven , Minnesota Twins97.
Kal Daniels , Cincinnati Reds98.
Kevin Bass , Houston Astros99. Glenn Davis, Houston Astros
100.
Steve Sax , Los Angeles Dodgers101.
Rich Gossage , Chicago Cubs102. Roger Craig, San Francisco Giants
103.
Carney Lansford , Oakland Athletics104.
Joe Carter , Cleveland Indians105.
Bruce Sutter , Atlanta Braves106.
Barry Bonds , Pittsburgh Pirates107.
Danny Jackson , Cincinnati Reds108. Mike Flanagan, Toronto Blue Jays
109.
Dwight Evans , Boston Red Sox110.
Ron Guidry , New York Yankees111.
Bruce Hurst , Boston Red Sox112.
Jim Rice , Boston Red Sox113.
Oddibe McDowell , Texas Rangers114.
Bobby Bonilla , Pittsburgh Pirates115. Bob Welch, Oakland Athletics
116.
Dave Parker , Oakland Athletics117.
Tim Wallach , Montreal Expos118.
Tom Henke , Toronto Blue Jays119.
Mike Greenwell , Boston Red Sox120.
Kevin Seitzer , Kansas City Royals121.
Randy Myers , New York Mets122.
Andres Galarraga , Montreal Expos123.
Orel Hershiser , Los Angeles Dodgers124.
Cory Snyder , Cleveland Indians125.
Mike Witt , California Angels126.
Mike LaValliere , Pittsburgh Pirates127.
Pete Incaviglia , Texas Rangers128.
Dennis Eckersley , Oakland Athletics129.
Jimmy Key , Toronto Blue Jays130.
John Franco , Cincinnati Reds131.
Dan Plesac , Milwaukee Brewers132.
Tony LaRussa , Oakland Athletics133.
Hubie Brooks , Montreal Expos134.
Chili Davis , California Angels135.
Bob Boone , California Angels136.
Jeff Reardon , Minnesota Twins137.
Candy Maldonado , San Francisco Giants138. Mike Marshall, Los Angeles Dodgers
139.
Tommy John , New York Yankees140.
Chris Sabo , Cincinnati Reds141.
Alvin Davis , Seattle Mariners142. Frank White, Kansas City Royals
143.
Harold Reynolds , Seattle Mariners144. Lee Smith, Boston Red Sox
145.
John Kruk , San Diego Padres146.
Tony Fernandez , Toronto Blue Jays147.
Steve Bedrosian , Philadelphia Phillies148.
Benito Santiago , San Diego Padres149.
Ozzie Guillen , Chicago White Sox150.
Gerald Perry , Atlanta Braves151.
Carlton Fisk , Chicago White Sox152.
Tom Brunansky , St. Louis Cardinals153.
Paul Molitor , Milwaukee Brewers154.
Todd Worrell , St. Louis Cardinals155. Brett Butler, Cleveland Indians
156.
Sparky Anderson , Detroit Tigers157.
Kent Hrbek , Minnesota Twins158.
Frank Tanana , Detroit Tigers159. Kevin Mitchell, San Francisco Giants
160.
Charlie Hough , Texas Rangers161. Doug Jones, Cleveland Indians
162.
Lou Whitaker , Detroit Tigers163.
Fred Lynn , Detroit TigersOne Checklist card
164. Checklist
ources and photographs
[http://www.wfmu.org/MACrec/bbtalk5.html Photos and description of player and cards]
"Topps to debut Baseball Talk" Beckett Baseball Card Monthly, March 1989. No by-line.
"Baseball Talk Strikes Out - Sales Too Low to Continue Says LJN" by Steve Fleener. Beckett Baseball Card Monthly, November 1989.
Street & Smith 1989 Baseball Guide pages 104 and 105.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.