1978 Topps - hard to believe I didn't already have these cards. In general, the 70s are my favorite decade until you hit 1977. I'd entered junior high in mid-year 6th grade after a sheltered year and a half at Christian Heritage Academy. I felt lost and was truly a misfit. I'd always made friends easily and couldn't understand why I wasn't accepted by my new peers. This was the year I became a wallflower.
I hid between the pages of teen magazines and books. School became a place to prove myself. If the other kids didn't like me, it would be because I was the smart kid. 4.00 straight A. Wrong-o. My strategy backfired. I became the teacher's pet. Now they wanted to beat me up. In 1978, they tried.
A girl my age but a little smaller, punched me. In all my life, I don't think there have ever been so many eyes focused on me. Quite a crowd gathered around to watch the fight. This episode probably began my long streak of disappointing others. As she waited for me to throw a punch or tackle her.....I....did.....nothing. I stood there, staring right into her eyes. She said something like aren't you going to fight back? No. I was not. Little did she know, I was used to being knocked around.
I ran into her a couple years later when she was transferred to my high school...into my home room class. Oh goody. I had settled into my wallflower life - and did manage to remain mostly unnoticed all throughout high school - and here was my recent past sitting right across from me. She approached me one day only to ask if I remembered that afternoon she punched me. Uhm, well of course. She said she'd never been so scared in her life when I didn't hit her or defend myself. It wasn't what she expected. She never bothered me again. And I resigned from my position as teacher's pet.
Steve's a mad man. One look at his blog and you'll surely agree. I hadn't expected to take a trip down memory lane, nor to share this story until I sat down at the keyboard. The cards are wonderful and my 78 set is complete but for a Lou Whitaker rookie card. I have Jack Morris, Parrish and the Molitor/Trammell rookies. Steve threw in a few extra niceties, including a 78 Bucky. I love me some Dent!
