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From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , here is a 2007 Sport Kings bubble gum card of legendary thoroughbred racehorse Secretariat, who won the coveted Triple Crown of horse racing in 1973 by sweeping the sport’s 3 major races – the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and the Preakness. A large chestnut colt who was nicknamed “Big Red”, Secretariat was owned by Penny Chenery, and their story will be documented in the upcoming Disney movie Secretariat. The legendary colt was euthanized in 1989 after developing laminitis, an incurable hoof condition.

As baseball’s playoffs begin, it’s a good time to highlight the baseball card of one of the game’s greatest postseason pitchers, Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers. His career earned run average in the World Series was 0.95, and in the 1965 Series against the Twins, Koufax pitched a complete game victory in game 5, then came back on just 2 days rest to throw another complete game, a 3-hit shutout to win the Series for the Dodgers. Despite being forced to retire because of arthritis at age 30,  Koufax is still ranked second among lefthanded pitchers for career strikeouts behind Warren Spahn. He pitched 4 no-hitters in his career, including a perfect game, won 3 Cy Young awards and was the National League MVP in 1963. That award is rarely given to a pitcher. When he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972, he was the youngest person to ever achieve that honor.

1985 O-Pee-chee hockey card of former Pittsburgh Penguins’ great Mario Lemieux. Wayne Gretzky had been dubbed “The Great One”, and Lemieux, under intense pressure early in his career to match Gretzky’s exploits, was called “The Next One”. Lemieux met the high expectations head on and had a great career under some tough circumstances, playing 17 seasons in the NHL and helping the Penguins win 2 Stanley Cups, winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP 3 times and Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer 6 times. He was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 1993 and forced to temporarily retire to receive treatments, and suffered from chronic back pain most of his career. Lemieux, who basically saved the Pittsburgh franchise from bankruptcy and is now the team’s principal owner, was inducted into Hockey’s Hall of Fame immediately upon retiring, as the traditional waiting period was waived.

1964 Topps football card of quarterback George Blanda, who passed away last week. Blanda was in his heyday as the top passer in the American Football League with the Houston Oilers in ’64 when this card was issued. He led the Oilers to the first 3 AFL championship games, winning the first 2. Blanda played pro football  in 4 decades, from 1949 until his retirement in 1976. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981, his first year of eligibility.

1977 Topps basketball card of center Robert Parish, who started his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors but was traded by the Warriors to Boston in 1980. In Boston, Parish joined forces with 2 other talented big men, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, to give the Celtics an imposing front line that became known as the “Big Three”. All 3 players were selected to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-time team. Parish, nicknamed “The Chief” by teammate Cedric Maxwell in Boston, was known for his defense and soft shooting touch, and helped the Celts to 3 NBA titles in Boston, then won a 4th title with Michael Jordan in Chicago. Parish was elected to the basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Long before he played for the New York Yankees, Reggie Jackson was “Mr. October”. From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , here is the 1969 Topps card of Jackson, his rookie card. Reggie was the marquee player on three consecutive World Series winning teams with the Oakland A’s in 1972, ’73 and ’74. After signing as a free agent with the Yankees, he led the Bronx Bombers to 2 straight titles in 1977 and ’78. In his career, Jackson was a 14 time all-star, AL MVP in 1973 and World Series MVP twice. He was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1993 and had his jersey number retired by 2 teams, Oakland (9) and New York (44). He currently serves as a special advisor to the Yanks.

1957 Parkhurst hockey card of the late Hall of Fame goaltender Jacques Plante. “Jake The Snake” was known for his longevity – his career lasted from 1947 until 1975 – and for being innovative – he was the first goalie to wear a mask in regular season play, and the first to play the puck outside the crease. He played for Montreal from 1953 through 1963, and the team won 6 Stanley Cups during that era. Plante “retired” in 1965, but when the NHL added 6 expansion teams for the 1967-68 season, he was persuaded to return to the game, signing with the St. Louis Blues for their second season in 1968-69. Amazingly, he won the Vezina trophy as the league’s top goaltender for that season. His name is always in the discussion of top netminders of all time. Plante was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978 and died of stomach cancer in 1986, at the age of 57.

1962 football card of the player who was the Dallas Cowboys’ first marquee star, halfback Don Perkins. Perkins was one of the first players signed by the team when they joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960, but a foot injury sidelined him for that season. He became the Cowboys starting halfback in 1961, and was the first player in team history to rush for over 100 yards in a game that year. He was an NFL All-pro in ’62, and had a solid 8 year career with Dallas in the franchise’s formative years as coach Tom Landry began to put together “America’s Team”.  He retired at the top of his game, after having his best 2 seasons in 1967 and ’68. Always an underappreciated player in the Cowboys’ long and storied past, Perkins still ranks third on the team’s all-time rushing list, behind Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.

1975 Topps basketball card of former NBA star Cazzie Russell. Russell played 12 seasons in the league and his most successful years were spent with the New York Knicks. He was chosen first overall in the NBA draft following a stellar college career at Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to the Final Four twice. Russell was with the Los Angeles Lakers at the time this card came out, but helped the Knicks beat the Lakers for the NBA title in 1970.

You just can’t beat good old 1970s baseball cards for a good laugh. This autographed 1975 Topps card of Oscar Gamble of the Cleveland Indians is a good example. Oscar’s baseball cap can barely contain his oversized Afro, which he was famous for during his playing career. That career lasted 17 seasons and he played for 7 different major league teams, including 2 different stints with the Yankees and White Sox. Gamble was nicknamed “The Big O” by broadcaster Phil Rizzuto during his time with the Yankees, and he once gave this famous quote when asked for advice about playing the game of baseball: “They don’t think it be like it is, but it do.”