Collecting and Translating the 1973 Calbee Flag-Backs (131, 163, 166, 169, 170)

First, another 1980 update: I managed to get two more cards for my 1980 Calbee Large run, these from the incredibly tough second series. 1980 is a scarce year to begin with, and these cards are the rarest of the rare given that Calbee changed the size midway through production, so not even the whole run was in the large size. Cards #66 and #67 feature Mitsuru Fujiwara of the Hawks and Yoshikazu Takagi of the Whales respectively. As one of the murky, cruddy low-exposure night game shots that plague vintage Calbee sets, #66 was a bit of a painful purchase for me at 3,000 yen (basically $30 in Japan), but it can’t be helped. Just happy to come across some of these. I’ve included both cards in the 1980 archive here. Now, on to the '73s.

 

#131  Aniya - Pitcher (Hiroshima)

Relive the Dream of Striking Out ON in Order

After playing for non-pro Ryukyu Tobacco out of Okinawa High, Aniya then joined the Carp in 1963. The following year he made the first team and has been there for 10 years now. He was splendid in ‘68, compiling 23 wins with the shootball as his special weapon, and contributing to the team’s first ever top three finish. It seems like just yesterday this Giant slayer sat down ON in order to the roar of the crowd.

 

 I’m something of what you might call a myoji otaku or “Japanese surname geek,” so Aniya’s rare and unusual family name intrigued me. According to Myoji Yurai, a nifty site that catalogs and provides data about Japanese surnames, there are around 790 Aniyas in Japan, most of whom are from this Aniya’s native Okinawa. For comparison, there are about 1.8 million Satos (Japan’s most prevalent name). 

 

#163  Takagi - Pitcher (Giants)

Supporting the Giants: Takahashi (Kazu) 

Kazumi Takahashi has been the backbone for flailing righty ace Horiuchi and the middling Giants, who are treading water around .500. He’s 16-10 (as of 8/24), and his 2.15 ERA is good for 4th place overall. He’s ridden his wide-tailing shootball to 175 strikeouts—currently number 1 in the Central League. It would be ideal for him to take the mound every fourth day, but overworking him is certainly a bit of a concern. 

 

#166  Shibata - Outfielder (Giants)

Player Directory

Notice the player photobombing this shot is none other than Mr. Giants himself!

 

#169  Shibata - Outfielder (Giants)

Shibata’s Batting Record Against Each Team

Shibata’s goal for this season is to hit .300 against Hiroshima. The fact of his low average in games against Hiroshima last year has stuck with him, and he had to swallow his disappointment over missing .300 overall on the season by just .007 because of it.

 

#170  Doi - Second Baseman (Giants)

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