Blow Out the Candles May 28

One of the all-time greats Jerry West  is celebrating his 74th birthday today.

Career highlights and awards

NBA Champion (1972)
NBA Finals MVP (1969)
14× NBA All-Star (1960–1974)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (1972)
NBA scoring champion (1970)
10× All-NBA First Team (1962–1967, 1970–1973)
2× All-NBA Second Team (1968, 1969)
4× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1970–1973)
NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1969)
NCAA Final Four MOP (1959)
2×SoCon Player of the Year (1959, 1960)
2× Consensus NCAA All-American First Team(1959, 1960)
2× NBA Executive of the Year (1995, 2004)NBA 35th Anniversary TeamNBA 50th Anniversary Team
#44 Retired by the Los Angeles Lakers

Current D-Backs manager and 1988 NL MVP Kirk Gibson is celebrating #55 today.

1969-70 Topps Basketball

I've accumulated some basketball cards over the years in box lots but I haven't bought an actual pack since the Nixon administration.  I'm assuming I bought two packs in 1969 since I have a total of 18 cards from the 1969-70 set.  In honor of the opening of the NBA season here are a few of the best.

The quality control on these was terrible, as you can see.  The cards were only ten cents a pack but back then you could get a steak dinner for a buck and a half so that's no excuse.