Buyback Franken-set: A Word Association Experiment

Let's imagine we're engaging in a baseball card collector word association experiment.  The rules are simple; we state a word, and the subject of the experiment states the first player that comes to their mind.  In this context, I think there are a lot of test words that would elicit a different response depending on who you asked.  Different geographical locations, age difference, and allegiance to a favorite player or team are just some of the factors that would result in a variety of responses across a group of individuals.

Power?  One person might say Hank Aaron, another Frank Thomas.  Fast?  One man's Billy Hamilton is another man's Kenny Lofton or Rickey Henderson.  There's one trigger word that I think almost all baseball card collectors would give the same answer to in this experiment though.  Play along for a second and see who comes to mind.  Ready?

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Ears!

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...don't cheat and scroll down, just think on it for a sec...

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...all set?...

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...let's see if you agree with me...

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1962 Topps #105 - Don Mossi

If Don Mossi didn't come to mind for you, then I'm dying to know who did.  No, really, please leave a comment if there's another individual who popped up in your thoughts.  I first learned of Don's pair of Dumbo flaps courtesy of The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book (which, if you haven't read it, is an absolute must have if you can find a copy), and since then on just about every baseball card blog in existence (including my own).

I was pumped when I landed this one for $1.50 on COMC a couple of months ago.  It's an honor to welcome the greatest ears in the history of baseball to my humble franken-set!

Franken-set Progress:  108/792 (14%)