Cookin' Up Another Custom Card

Time for another look-alike custom card. First, here's the original.

1985 Topps #401, Bobby Ramos

 

It's catcher Bobby Ramos, enjoying a sunny afternoon by the batting cages. Does that face remind you of anyone?

Here are some hints:

 

For the past 25 years or so, the look-alike has been one of the biggest personalities in the culinary world.

 

If he were a baseball player, whenever he hit a home run, the signature call from the home-team commentator would simply be, "BAM!"

 

And if he hit a second home run in that game, the commentator's call might be, "HE JUST KICKED IT UP ANOTHER NOTCH!"

 

Okay, I think I've given the answer away, so here's the custom card.

 

 

 

 

It's Emeril Lagasse!

 

I suppose Emeril would be a good fit behind the plate (pun intended), but the "C" for catcher on Ramos's card can also easily designate "chef" on Emeril's card. So either way, it works quite well.

 

 

But let's talk about the guy on the original card for a moment.

 

Cuban-born Bobby Ramos was drafted by the Expos in the 7th round of the 1974 amateur draft. His first taste of big-league ball came in 1978 (two games), and then he'd have a little bit longer of a stay in 1980 (13 games) and 1981 (26 games). I guess it's tough to get playing time when Gary Carter is the #1 catcher in town. 

 

In 1982 he was traded to the New York Yankees. He'd only play 4 games for the Bombers, but had a memorable moment in that short time:

Ramos' one and only hit for the Yankees was a home run. It took place on September 12, 1982, at Yankee Stadium, where in the 8th inning he took a pitch from Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jamie Easterly over the fence. 

 

Soon, though, Ramos would be on his way back to the Expos for the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Even so, he only reached a high of 31 games played for a season. 

 

From 1985 through 1988, he played at the AAA level, and that was it for his pro career.

 

Here are Ramos's career numbers in the majors:

 

103 GP, 232 AB, 44 H, 7 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 22 BB, 38 SO, .190 AVG, .262 OBP, .280 SLG

 

His best season may have been 1983 with Montreal, when he put up a slash line of .230/.329/.311.

Ramos would eventually become a minor-league manager in the Astros and Rays systems (from 1993 to 1999). After that, he worked as a bullpen coach for the Anaheim Angels and Tampa Bay Rays (2006 to 2011).

 

As for Emeril? 

 

His show, Emeril Live, ran from 1997 to 2007 on the Food Network. The crowds were always energetic, and featured live music from Doc Gibbs and the Emeril Live band. 

 

The show also occasionally featured celebrity guests who'd sit right in front of Emeril's kitchen setup. To tie sports into the discussion here, one episode of the show featured New Jersey Devils Ken Daneyko and Scott Stevens, who entered the studio with the Stanley Cup and presented Emeril with a New Jersey Devils hockey jersey. I can't remember what dishes Emeril was cooking that day, but I'm sure Stevens and Daneyko scarfed all of them down with gusto.

 

Apart from the TV show, Emeril has also released numerous cookbooks, custom spice blends, and sauces bearing his name, and has promoted various kitchen products and cookware. He's also got restaurants across the US. Where does he find the time?

 

 

BONUS CARD

 

The 1985 Topps set begins with a whopping 10 record-breaker cards. A few of them were of the "lifetime achievement" variety, like this Pete Rose card:

 

 

 

I thought about how many times Mr. Lagasse must have exclaimed "BAM!" throughout his career, and an idea for a custom record-breaker card developed. Here it is:

I'm happy to have found an image that captures chef Emeril mid-BAM. And I couldn't just leave it at a card front. Here's the text I came up with for the back:

 

I used the back of the Pete Rose record breaker card as a template. Capitalizing "BAMs" makes it sound a little more like a baseball stat, like RBIs, which gives this card another nice connection to an actual baseball card.

So that's that. Another two custom cards finished. Hope you enjoyed the way they turned out.

Any Emeril fans out there? Anyone have some of his cookbooks, spice blends, or other products?

Leave a comment below, and thanks as always for reading.