I Love The 80s - 1982 Cleveland

This is a series of posts on a 1980's Frankenset. Each page features a different team, with 9 of my personal favorite cards from that year's team. You might find players repeated, you'll definitely see brands repeated, but hopefully you'll agree that there are some interesting selections from the 1980s!

In 1981, Cleveland hosted both the MLB All-Star Game, and the NBA All-Star Game. One of those All-Stars made history in May of 1981 by pitching a perfect game. Lenny Barker's gem is the most recent no-hitter for Cleveland. The team finished a game above .500 with a respectable 52-51 record. In the competitive AL East however, that still meant a 6th place finish. The starting pitching was a strength, but the team was let down by some especially bad offensive numbers. 

1982 started and everyone had cold bats - literally! The home opener required the removal of 500 tons of snow from the field and the game time temp was 38 degrees with a windchill of just 17! The rest of the year was marred by injuries to key members of the team, and the result was a 78-84 record, placing Cleveland squarely back in 6th place in the AL East. While they finished at the same place in the standings, they were 17 games back of the lead instead of just 5 games back in 1981. Manager Dave Garcia resigned at the end of this year, ending a tenure that began in 1977. One bright spot - the broadcast team was joined by Cleveland legend Bob Feller. The team at one point won 11 straight games that season, the longest winning streak for the team in the 1980s. 

The Cards:

Donruss #263 Bo Diaz - Diaz was the backup to Ron Hassey in 1981, but it was Bo that made the 1981 All-Star Roster along with Starting Pitcher Len Barker instead of Hassey. Diaz was the team leader in homers that season... with 7. He did actually have decent power, hitting 18 the following season along with 85 RBI for the Phillies in 1982. He would make another All-Star squad in 1987 as a member of the other Ohio team, the Cincinnati Reds. While he allowed the most stolen bases of any catcher in the NL in 1982, he also had the highlight of throwing out the Giants' Robby Thompson 4 times in the same game. He was from Venezuela, and playing in the VZ Winter League, set a record with 30 homers in the short season that lasted for several decades. Diaz was tragically killed in an accident on his roof in 1990, still just 38 years old.

Fleer #374 Rick Manning - I know they tend to play Fenway's left field shallow, but this seems a bit extreme for Rick Manning, who is obviously shown taking grounders. Throughout his MLB career, he was found all over the outfield, but was the everyday Center Fielder for Cleveland in 1981 and 82. Manning was known to be both speedy (25 stolen bases in 1981), and lackadaisical on the basepaths, being admonished frequently by manager Dave Garcia for not beating out more infield hits. His defense was well regarded, having won a Gold Glove in 1976, but he was not a particularly fearsome hitter, having a career OPS+ of just 85, well below league average. Manning found himself embroiled in scandal early in his career, involving Dennis Eckersley and the Hall of Famer's first wife. Following his playing career, Manning joined the Cleveland broadcast team, starting in 1990, where he still works today.

Donruss #198 Duane Kuiper - Cleveland seems to be a baseball announcer factory - Kuiper is a long-time Giants' commentator, beginning in 1986. Kuiper was Cleveland's second baseman and, similar to Manning, was more adept in the field than at the plate. His 14 RBI in 1981 is somewhat explained by the strike shortened season, but Nelson Cruz is already more than half way there following this weekend's series in Chicago. Kuiper was not expected to drive in runs, however, he was there to prevent them. Particularly in his heyday from 1977-1979, Kuiper was an outstanding defender, twice leading the league in Fielding pct. Kuiper's lone MLB home run came against future White Sox broadcaster Steve Stone. 

Topps #360 Len Barker - On May 15th, 1981, Len Barker threw a perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He was just 25 years old, but already in his 6th MLB season. The prior year, he finished with a 19-12 record for Cleveland, leading the AL in strikeouts. He'd repeat that feat again in 1981 and make his only All-Star Appearance, with the team hosting the festivities. The perfect game was somewhat surprising given Barker's penchant for wildness. While he sported a blazing fastball, it was at times erratic. His 1980 strikeout crown also came with a league leading 16 wild pitches and 92 walks. Standing 6'5", Len's nickname was "Large Lenny," and his big night in 1981 ended up as one of the team's highlights of the season. He would be traded to Atlanta mid-way through 1983, returning the speedy Brett Butler and third base prospect Brook Jacoby. Barker's career after his Cleveland tenure was rocky - bone spurs in his elbow suffered early in 1983 were never fully addressed medically, and he was not able to regain the success he had in the early 80s. 

Fleer #628 1981 All-Star Game - Less than 10,000 fans witnessed Len Barker's perfecto in May. Things were much different in August, with baseball returning from a strike that had lasted for months. The game set a record for the highest attendance ever at an All-Star Game, exceeding 72,000 attendees. Cleveland's Bo Diaz and Len Barker represented the host city. Fernando Valenzuela started for the NL, and they staged a come from behind victory behind 5 home runs. Montreal's Gary Carter won the MVP thanks to his 2 home runs, though the winning runs were driven in by Mike Schmidt in the 8th inning. Tigers Ace Jack Morris got the start for the AL, much to the chagrin of the Cleveland fans, who wanted their ace Barker to get the honor. Pete Rose set a record by starting at the 5th different position of his career. 

Topps #685 Bert Blyleven - To acquire Blyleven, Cleveland sent a small army to Pittsburgh after the 1980 season. The trade was somewhat bittersweet, as injuries in 1982 limited him to just 4 starts. He was hitting his groove again in 1985, making the All-Star team for just the second time in his career. He led the AL in complete games (24!), shutouts, innings, and strikeouts, departing for Minnesota in the middle of the season. He would finish his career with 60 career shutouts, by far the most of his era, and 3,701 strikeouts, thanks to a fastball that was paired with two different but equally devastating curve balls. Bert continues this team's announcing tradition, having been paired with Dick Bremer on Twins' telecasts since 1996. 

Topps #573 Rick Waits - Waits was known during his Cleveland tenure as a "Yankee killer," though his career splits show a 9-12 record against New York, he did have a 3.35 ERA in 28 starts, including 3 shutouts. He also was an accomplished singer, singing the National Anthem for Cleveland on several occasions. In 1982, Waits had terrible luck, pitching to a 2-13 record, and was done in by a high walk rate, and uncharacteristically shoddy defense behind him. His ERA was more than a full run higher than his FIP that season, which measures his pitching independent of fielding. Following that tough season, Waits was included in the trade that exchanged Rick Manning for Gorman Thomas. In Milwaukee, Waits was converted to the bullpen, and had decent success in the 1984 season, with a 109 ERA+ over 74 appearances. Waits has been a coach in Italy and China, as well as serving as a pitching coach for the Mets and Mariners in the minor leagues.

Topps #54 Ron Hassey - Bo Diaz and Ron Hassey were probably better described as a pure platoon rather than a starter and backup in 1981. Diaz caught 63 games, Hassey 61. Ron actually had more plate appearances, but Diaz was much more successful, hitting .313 to Hassey's .244. The low average was a surprise, as he hit .310 the year before, the highest average for any catcher in the AL in 1980. Hassey had a 14 year MLB career, usually serving as a platoon partner or backup. His best season came with the Yankees in 1985. He hit a robust .296 with 13 homers. He also led the AL in passed balls that year, in no small part to catching knuckleball artist Phil Niekro. He was known for his strong arm, and in 1981 led the AL in caught stealing pct. His career .993 fielding pct is top 50 all-time in MLB history. He caught 2 perfect games in his career, having been behind the plate for Len Barker's gem, later catching the perfect game thrown 10 years later by Dennis Martinez in 1991. Hassey was a member of the 1989 Oakland A's World Series Championship team, though he didn't play in the series. 

Topps #630 Joe Charbonneau - One of the more extreme "Sophomore Slumps" was suffered by Joe Charbonneau in 1981. Following a pleasantly surprising 1980 Rookie campaign, Charbonneau had back issues that sapped his power and speed. He hit just 4 homers and played in just 48 games for Cleveland in 1981, followed by 2 homers in 22 games in 1982. By 1983, Charbonneau was out of big league ball. He missed nearly all of 1983, playing in just 11 games for Cleveland's AAA affiliate, then tried to latch on in 1984 with Pittsburgh, but did not get a call up after 123 minor league games. In 1980 he finished 10th in the AL in OPS and was the AL Rookie of the Year, but the combo of high expectations and injuries made his return next to impossible. He appeared in the film "The Natural" as one of Roy Hobbs' teammates. 

I Love the 80s - 1981 Cleveland

This is a series of posts on a 1980's Frankenset. Each page features a different team, with 9 of my personal favorite cards from that year's team. You might find players repeated, you'll definitely see brands repeated, but hopefully you'll agree that there are some interesting selections from the 1980s!

In 1980, Cleveland finished in 6th Place in the AL East with a 79-81 record. The following season, the team finished above .500, but still finished in 6th place in the highly competitive AL East. 

The bright spot of the 1980 season was rookie Joe Charboneau, who inspired a hit song in the Cleveland area with his team leading 23 homers. Outside of his performance, not much went well for the Cleveland 9. 1981 featured a much improved pitching rotation, but unfortunately the team struggled to score runs. "Super Joe" was suffering through a sophomore slump, and the rest of the team offered very little power. The team hosted that year's All-Star Game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, held in August due to the 1981 Strike.

The Cards:

Topps #39 Tom Veryzer - Former Topps All-Star Rookie Tom Veryzer was Cleveland's starting Short Stop in 1980 and 81. In 1980, he had a career high .271 batting average over 109 games. He was a reserve on the 1984 Cubs Division Championship team.

Topps #697 Rick Waits - 1980 was the third straight 200+ inning season for Rick, who recorded a career high in season strikeouts. Over his peak, Waits hurled 10 shutouts and won 74 games for Cleveland.

Fleer #402 Gary Gray - Gray was an outstanding player in AAA, hitting .305 with 17 bombs in 1979. In 1980, he had a brief stint with Cleveland before moving on to the Mariners. They played  Gray in AAA Tacoma, where he once again showed power and hit for average. He was finally getting an opportunity to play regularly in Seattle in 1981 when the strike interrupted his season. He had hit 13 homers before the strike, but by the time the league returned to action, other players were inserted into the lineup as everyday players. He would also go on to play in the Mexican League for three seasons.

Topps #738 Bert Blyleven - A new addition to the Cleveland staff in 1981, Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven was the team's ace. He was not given the best run support in Cleveland, and finished with an 11-7 record. He had 9 complete games and tossed a shutout. He led the team with a 2.88 ERA and had a league best 5.6 WAR. Injuries would limit him to just 20 innings pitched in 1982, but he would come back strong and would have one of the best seasons of his career in 1984, when he finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting.

Donruss #82 Joe Charboneau - The 1980 AL Rookie of the Year Joe Charboneau had one of the best debuts of a player to have it all come crashing down. After his rookie season, Charboneau played in just 70 more MLB games over 2 seasons.

Fleer #404 Bo Diaz - Cleveland Catcher Bo Diaz led the team in homers in 1981, with 7. He split duties with Ron Hassey and Chris Bando, after being the backup in 1980. Diaz was named to the All-Star team in 1981, and had a great 1982 with Philadelphia. He came to Cleveland in a trade with Boston for Dennis Eckersley and Fred Kendall. He would become an All-Star again in 1987 with Cincinnati.

Kellogg's 3-D Super Stars #54 Joe Charboneau - In 1980, Charboneau hit .289 and cracked 23 homers with 87 RBI for Cleveland. He starred in the California League in 1978, then he hit again in 1979 in the Southern League, hitting .352 with 21 homers. He got his chance with Cleveland in 1980 because Andre Thornton was injured, but the injury bug would bite Charboneau back the following season. He was famously quoted saying that "Baseball has peaks and valleys - when you're hurt, it's even valleyer."

Topps #612 Duane Kuiper - Kuiper had 4 seasons as the everyday second baseman for Cleveland. In 1980, Kuiper played in just 42 games. He led the AL in fielding pct in in 1976 and 1979. He is probably best known today for his second baseball life as a long time announcer for the San Francisco Giants. His lone career MLB Home Run? He hit it off long time Cubs and White Sox broadcaster Steve Stone.

Fleer #401 Mike Paxton - A Memphis pitching legend, Paxton starred for Oakhaven High and then in College at Memphis State. He was named to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. He came to Cleveland in the same trade as Bo Diaz. In his first year with the club in 1978, Paxton struck out 4 batters in a single inning. The 5'11" hurler had a somewhat bowlegged gait and earned the nickname "Bulldog." He would pitch in just 4 games in 1980, and would retire after a pair of minor league seasons.

Which 70s Set Should I Build? 1971 Topps edition

I've been trying to decide which 1970s set to start building for my next vintage set build, but I can't seem to make up my mind. So, I'm going to take a little closer look at what I already have in my collection and try to narrow it down.

I have a 1971 Wantlist, but it's not to complete the full set, it's just a list of cards I thought I'd like to add to my collection at some point.

1971:  9, 14, 59, 77, 125, 129, 132, 135, 167, 230, 248, 278, 290, 310, 355, 367, 380, 445, 459, 480, 508, 509, 513, 514, 523,  544, 554, 560, 590, 640, 655, 659, 664, 688, 709, 744, 745

The key rookies in the set beyond this Bert Blyleven? Dave Concepcion, Ted Simmons, Bobby Valentine, Bobby Grich, Steve Garvey, Greg Luzinski, Al Hrabosky, Dusty Baker/Don Baylor,

I only have about 60 cards out of 752, so I am a long long way from being close to completing this set.

Speaking of a long way away, these shots are all pretty far away from the subject! Action shots were still a fairly new concept for cardboard, so I bet it was pretty jarring to see cards like these for the first time.

Here's a page of my favorites from my collection. You can probably tell I wouldn't be a stickler for perfect edges or sharp corners, which would be one of the biggest hurdles for this set. Chipping and dings are very noticeable on 1971 Topps, I imagine a person could go crazy trying to build a NM set. It hadn't really occurred to me before, but the 71 set feels like a slightly better version of the 1970 set. In my opinion, the black border combined with the colorful nameplate just works. They went back to 1959 all lowercase jam, and the facsimile signatures are a nice touch. The introduction of action shots and the re-introduction of horizontal images makes it stand out to me.

The inserts? Coins and a Scratch Off game, I happen to not have any of either one at the moment to show.

What do you think are the Pros and Cons of the 1971 Set? I'd love to hear your opinion!

Oddballs from Out West

Sunday night I was losing auctions for Willians Astudillo parallels (which I must say are selling much higher that they ought to, IMO), I switched gears and turned my attention to some older Player collections. Searching for Elmer Valo cards now usually has just one or two results for "new to me" cards, but this time I found this odd item - a magazine (?) page, promo photo (?) pasted onto a three hole punch scrapbook page. He's (I'm pretty sure) sporting a Philadelphia A's uni (might be KC, but I think they had a diff. hat), so my best guess is that this is from the early to mid 50s. He played for the A's through 1956 in KC. Not sure if there's anything on the back. The corners are a little loose, and can be peeled back a little, but I hesitate to do much more for fear of tearing it. ODD!

A season after the trade from MN to TX, Bert Blyleven posed for this Postcard. My gcrl research tells me that the #4 armband is in memory of teammate Danny Thompson, who was the other player Texas received in the Blyleven trade. Thompson died at the age of 29 in the 1976 offseason after succumbing to Leukemia. Blyleven would toss 11 shutouts for Texas over a season and a half, and was the AL leader in WHIP in 1977.

Here's the back of the postcard, printed in Los Angeles.

Mark Hoyle a while back sent some gorgeous 1963 Western Oil and Fuel company prints by artist Nicholas Volpe. Local grocery chain SuperValu got into the fine art act in 1970, producing a series of Twins prints by John Wheeldon. This is roughly an 8X10.

Here's the back of the print- All of these items came from the same San Fran based seller on eBay, who had an eclectic array of postcards, scorecards, prints, programs, pins and random miscellany. He combined shipping on all the items, and everything was well packaged. Here's the seller's page, if any of those items intrigue you...

Junior Senior - The 1989 Topps Traded Set

The 1989 Topps Traded Set has some of the more iconic cards in the Traded series of the 80s - and with the exception of the Ripken Rookie, the Ken Griffey, Jr Rookie is at the top of that list. I mean, it´s not even his most easily recognizable rookie card, but this was the card to chase from this set. He was already considered a candidate for all-time greatness, and he did not disappoint.

He wasn´t the only Hall of Fame player in the set - in fact, he wasn´t even the only Mariners Rookie Hall of Fame player! Rickey returns to Oakland, back where he made the biggest impact and where he would again bring greatness and glory to the Bay Area. Eddie Murray and Bert Blyleven both came home to Southern California- with Murray joining the Dodgers and Blyleven heading to the California Angels.

One more Hall of Fame homecoming - Texas born fireballer Nolan Ryan makes his last move and comes to the Texas Rangers.

Pretty good. Doesn´t even have a column for all the no-hitters, but they are still in there mixed in with those 55 shutouts.

Rookies! Omar Vizquel is still getting some Hall of Fame buzz, which I can see from a certain point of view, but right now I feel like there are still more than 10 candidates on the ballot I would rather have inducted first... Tom Gordon has an awesome delivery - he gets so low to the ground and just drives to the plate. Deion Sanders is an NFL Hall of Famer, and he had an eventful MLB career as well -- He played in parts of 9 MLB seasons, missing parts of the regular season for NFL responsibilities. He led the NL in Triples in 1992, even though he only played in 97 games. He also excelled in ¨Prime Time¨ hitting .533 with 5 stolen bases and 4 runs scored in the 1992 World Series against the Blue Jays. Which Kenny Rogers would you say is more famous? The pitcher, or the country singer?

3 Twins in the Traded Set - these guys were all added to the team in hopes that they would rebound from bad/sub-par seasons or breakout to their prospect glory... Long story short, that didn´t happen.

Some of my favorites from the set - I always think of Franco as a Ranger, even though he played seemingly everywhere else. A great candid shot of Bip Roberts, not really sure how he ended up in the Traded set again, he was already a rookie in the 1986 traded set... but that´s cool. Nothing wrong with more Bip! Steve Sax as a Yankee always makes me think of that Simpsons episode. ¨You don´t know when to keep your mouth shut, do you Saxy Boy?¨ I wonder if Jeffrey Leonard was a trendsetter for Griffey.. Hey, it´s Kent Tekulve´s birthday today! Happy 72nd, Kent!

Oh, maaaaan. Nice pinstripes.

I Love The 80's: The 1981 Pittsburgh Pirates

Last time, we looked at the Pirates' NL Rival for much of the 1970s, the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates entered the 1980s as the World Champions, and performed admirably in a tough NL East Division. Pops Stargell was still the team's leader, though his contributions on the field had regressed. The 1980 club finished 3rd in the division, led by a dynamic outfield of Dave Parker, Mike Easler, and Omar Moreno. On the Mound, 35 year old Jim Bibby was the team's ace, ahead of future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven and young hurler Rick Rhoden. The bullpen was led by closer Kent Tekulve and swingman Eddie Solomon.
The Strike shortened 1981 season was rough on the Bucs. Stargell played in just 38 games, Blyleven returned to the American League via trade, and the addition of 40 year old Luis Tiant did not tip the scales in their favor. Bill Madlock was the team's best player, with converted starter Eddie Solomon and Jim Bibby contributing on the hill. The 80s would see the Pirates reload and rebuild from the Stargell era Fam-A-Lee to start again with Bonds, Bonilla, Doug Drabek, et al.

Here are the Cards!

. . . and the backs

Manny Sanguillen Topps #226 - Sanguillen is one of a handful of players that were on both the 1971 and the 1979 World Series squads. By 1980, he had become the main Right handed bat off the bench for the Pirates, with 42 pinch hits in his career in that role. He was traded to Cleveland after the 1980 season along with Bert Blyleven. Sanguillen did not play after the 1980 season. The 3 time All-Star is a frequent visitor / ambassador for the Pirates at Spring Training and at PNC Park.

Dave Parker Kellogg's 3-D Super Stars #13 - The Cobra was in his prime playing years in 80/81, though he would have another decade of ballplaying ahead of him. 1980 would be the first time his average dipped below .300 since his first full season, but he still was a force in the middle of the Pirates' lineup. The 1978 NL MVP was a 2 time batting champ, a 7 time All-Star to go with 3 Gold Gloves and 3 Silver Slugger awards.

Willie Stargell Topps #380 - Stargell was the team's leader and provided them with their identity after the tragic loss of Roberto Clemente. He embraced the role and by 1980 he was influencing the team's fashion, handing out Stargell Stars that would be added to his teammate's hats like the stickers on Ohio State football helmets.

John Candelaria Donruss #374 - The Candy Man was just The Man in the late seventies as the team's best pitcher. He would run into injury issues in 1981 that limited him to just 6 appearances. The 1977 ERA champ would be traded in 1985 to California, and would end up playing for six different teams over the final decade of his career. His 1990 stint with the Twins was a bright spot on a cellar dwelling team, and his mid season trade would bring key OF bat Pedro Munoz to Minnesota. As a Twins fan, I am thankful for that trade!

Willie Stargell Donruss #132 - In 1980 and 1981, Stargell would play in less than 100 games combined. The Hall of Famer had turned 40, and was showing some of the wear and tear from carrying the team on his shoulders for nearly a decade. He led the majors in home runs hit in the 1970s, just one of the stats that would propel him to the Hall of Fame. I had to include a 2nd Stargell card on this sheet because his STAR hat is so good.

Bert Blyleven Donruss #135 - Bert only spent three seasons in the National League, and though he speaks highly of his teammates in Pittsburgh, and of course loved winning a World Series, he was not a big fan of the National League rules. He had 10 or more complete games in every season of his career before coming to the NL, and 1979 was the first time he did not throw at least one shutout. He was not a great hitter, but even if he were "good for a pitcher" he would probably still give way to a pinch hitter more often than not in a close game. The inability to pitch as deep into games as he was used to frustrated him and he basically orchestrated his own exit following the 1980 season. He was traded to Cleveland for a package of 4 players, none of which really made up for losing a Hall of Fame pitcher.

John Candelaria Topps #265 - Candelaria was a near instant hit in Pittsburgh in 1975 with his long shaggy hair and prodigious moustache. Of course, it was his play on the field that made him a star. He gave up a lot of homers early in his career, but his ability to limit walks made up for that. For his career he averaged 2.1 walks per 9 innings and had a nearly 3 to 1 strike out to walk ratio. He also was a good fielder, finishing with just 11 errors in his 2500+ innings pitched.

Phil Garner Fleer #364 - Garner represented the Pirates in the All-Star game in 1980 and 1981. He primarily played 2nd Base for Pittsburgh, though he also filled in at Shortstop. He was already an All-Star when he arrived in the Steel City from Oakland in 1977. He just missed Oakland's 3 World Series championships, on the regular season roster but not the playoff squad. "Scrap Iron" was a solid contributor to the Pirates' 1979 run, however, hitting .500 in the Series with 4 doubles and 5 runs batted in.

Kent Tekulve Topps #695 - Teke was the main bullpen option for Pittsburgh from 1976 through 1984 - appearing in 722 games with an impressive 2.68 ERA as a Pirate. With the exception of the Strike year of 1981, Teke finished at least 50 games for 7 straight seasons. He compiled 184 career saves in a time when saves were not necessarily the goal of the bullpen ace. Unlike his teammates Blyleven and Candelaria, he was especially stingy with homeruns, allowing just 0.40 homers per nine innings. In 1979 he was the NL leader in WPA (win probability added - the change in win expectancy based on a player's actions). In the 1979 World Series, he saved 3 of the team's 4 victories.

Foldout (selected cuts)

the scanner cut this off at the bottom a bit

Mark Hoyle sent out a message on Twitter that he had an extra set of 1983 Topps Foldouts that he was making into individual players. I jumped at the chance to add some Twins, but unfortunately, Topps did not. There were no current Twins in the set.

Here's Bert's 1983 Topps card for reference- The foldouts are roughly the size of a postcard.

Hall of Famer and former Twin Rod Carew. Love the background of various people milling around during batting practice. I wonder if this show was taken at an All-Star Game?

The back side also has a photo, as the foldouts came with 17 images on each "card" folded accordion-style. Mark will know why it was an odd number, there must have been a checklist or title card at one end of the accordion. 3 former Twins and an Iorg! Thanks to Mark for mailing these to me, I should have a PWE to send you this week.

Hey, It's the Minnesota Twins! (B is for BOOOOOOF)

 Here are the Twins with "B" last names. I'm on a mission this summer to get all my Twins sorted by Letter (done) then by player, then catalogued. I'm going to be able to sift through dime boxes in confidence knowing if I have that Rick Aguilera junk wax insert, or that Kennys Vargas variant or not! Above is a sampling of some of my favorite cards in the "B" category.

 Can't sleep on BOOF - I have lots of duplicates, and currently just 16 unique Boof cards as a Twin. I'll be slowly picking up more now that I know for sure which ones I already have!

The Best "B" hitters in Twins history - Steve Braun, Tom Brunansky, Earl Battey, and Washington Senator "Ossie" Bluege.

 The best "B" pitcher in Twins history, and it's not close. Blyleven has the best numbers of any pitcher to put on a Minnesota Twins uniform (only Walter Johnson surpasses him on the all-time franchise list, though the Big Train never rolled through the Twin Cities).

 Have to acknowledge the prospects as well - Jose Berrios is starting 2017 as the ace of the AAA team, and will be pitching in the bigs again at some point this season.

Super prospect Byron Buxton is now up in the big leagues to stay, and the only question is whether or not his bat can match his defense and speed.

Off The Wall and Back in the Game

It's been a while since I posted, the blog has taken a back seat to some important things on the home front - I won't belabor the details, things are good, baseball is just a couple months away (at least for pitchers and catchers in Spring Training).

I completed a trade with Shane from Off The Wall - the wall in question being the Green Monster. He's been working on some sets that I was happy to help him out with, and in return I was treated to an avalanche of vintage.

 Some 60s Twins!

 Some big time Twins!

 Some Hall of Famers! Frank Robinson in particular is really really sharp. I was excited to add these to my collection.

 Shane went to work on my vintage wantlist and covered a little bit of everything. Kitty Kaat!

Of course there were Twins from the recent past as well. Corey Koskie signed his card - he lost the prime of his career to concussion issues. but he was sneaky good - go ahead and look him up if you doubt it...

Shane, thanks so much for this trade! I hope to accumulate some more set needs for you in the coming months so we can do it again!

On This Day . . .

Willie Mays makes "The Catch" in 1954.

1920: Ruth hits home run number 54 to demolish the single season record for HRs
1927: Ruth ties his own record for HRs in a season; he would break his own record the following day.
1934: Ruth hits his final homer in a Yankee uniform, his 659th with the Bombers, the 708th of his career.

1978: Jim Rice hits a double and a single in a game vs. Toronto, becoming the 1st major leaguer to amass 400 total bases in a season since Joe DiMaggio did it in 1936.

1986: The Flying Dutchman serves up home runs number 47, 48, and 49 in a game against his former club in Cleveland - setting the major league record for most homers allowed in a season.

2013: Henderson Alvarez surprises the Tigers, tossing a no-hitter in the final game of the season. Tigers starter Justin Verlander tossed a shutout of his own in opposition, but the bullpen coughed up a run in the bottom of the ninth with a wild pitch that scored Giancarlo Stanton. It was the 6th time in baseball history that a no-hitter ended in walk off fashion.

Birthday buddies! Long time teammates Craig Lefferts and Tim Flannery, fellow Padre Heath Bell, and un-fellow non-Padre Jake Westbrook.

Other notable moments - 
Stan Musial made his MLB pitching debut, retiring the one batter he faced in 1952.

John Paciorek plays in his first and only major league game for the Houston Colt .45s, goes 3 for 3, and finishes his MLB career with a perfect 1.000 average. He fails to qualify for the 1963 batting title, however....

Hall of Fame Manager Casey Stengel passes away in 1975, at the age of 85.

The Expos play their final game in Montreal in 2004 - it was announced hours earlier that the team would move to Washington, D.C.

In 2008, rookie Alexei Ramirez hits a grand slam for the White Sox, forcing a one game playoff. The Sox would win that game and advance to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS.

Top Topps Traded (to me)

Just a short post today - showcasing some recent COMC pickups - all Topps Traded. I can find complete sets from time to time at shows, but sometimes a person just wants a few singles!

Having a hard time keeping a straight face looking at Kent Hrbek  and his teenager moustache.

Danny Ainge with the Marlboro ad in the background - take that, Fleer!

Dennis Eckersley and the awful airbrushing on the inset photo.

Of course Bert Blyleven and his orange beard is fantastic as well.

Let's make this a discussion post- what are some of your favorite Topps Traded cards?

I can picture the awesome Oscar Gamble card with the gigantic fro, the Keith Hernandez '83 Topps traded card with the Mets, Nolan Ryan's '89 Topps traded with the Rangers (maybe more memorable to me than the Griffey Rookie).

Or maybe this guy?