2020 in Hindsight

 This post was probably better suited for late December or early January. If I were blogging regularly then it certainly would have appeared then. 

Early in January 2020, I had a similar re-cap of 2019 offerings, which was part of a Blog Bat Around that Matt from Diamond Jesters proposed. Take a single 9-pocket page, fill it with cards that summarize the year that was. 

Here's my page for 2020:

Of course, I have to share the backs as well:

1 - 2020 Topps Update Jose Iglesias - Just like last year, it was tough to pick one card from the Topps flagship design. Other contenders for this spot included Bryce Harper pumping his fist with his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle headband showing, or the uncharacteristic super close up shot of catcher Jason Castro, but I decided to go with this throwback pose of Jose Iglesias, with his bat offered up like a broadsword, ready to slay dragons (or sliders).  So much of 2020 felt to me like trying to hold on to nostalgic things, and fighting for normalcy where ever it could be found.

2 - 2020 Topps NOW Spring Training Alyssa Nakken - It was inevitable that at least one card on this page would feature someone wearing a mask. The pandemic nearly ended the season before it started in Spring Training, delaying further the first on-field female coach in Major League Baseball history. Her official title is "Special Assistant" but she's done a little bit of everything for the Giants since first joining the team as an intern in 2014. Nakken devised health and wellness programs for the team, and while interning also went to college to earn her master's degree in Sports Management. She was named to the Giants' staff as an assistant coach before the 2020 season, and served as the team's first base coach on July 20, 2020. 

3 - 2020 Donruss Diamond Kings Jake Rogers -  The obligatory Panini entry - Topps doesn't quite have a monopoly, but it can be easy to overlook the competition when the cards lack team logos and all seem to go above and beyond to wipe away the slightest hint of personality. Catchers tend to get the best breaks on these designs, so here's one of those.

4 - 2020 Stadium Club Xander Bogaerts - Last year I picked a Stadium Club card that featured Jose Berrios pitching in Hiram Bithorn Stadium in front of his fellow Puerto Ricans, so this year here's Xander Bogaerts in London playing in front of his fellow Europeans. Stadium Club consistently scratches the itch for more variety in subjects, and more experimentation in photographic choices. Letting the photo and it's subject carry the card, which has been the strength of this set every year.

5 - 2020 Topps NOW Turn Back the Clock Jackie Robinson -   Call it creative or call it a cash grab, when the season was put on hold, the daily "Topps NOW" brand had to find some way to keep calm and carry on. The decision to cover historical moments in baseball history was a savvy one. Getting a chance to commemorate Jackie Robinson again is always a good move, and hey- this one's also a bat rack card!

6 - 2020 Topps Big League Flipping Out Tim Anderson - Finding insert set topics must be tough. The sheer volume of subsets that have been trotted out since the 80s can make one's head spin. I'm surprised that bat flips haven't been featured before. Old-school adherents to the unwritten rules of baseball may turn up their noses at flipping your bat, but for me it just underscores the joy and excitement of playing baseball. Tim Anderson would probably be my favorite player if he played for the Twins instead of the rival White Sox. I don't have to root for the Sox to see what Anderson brings to the game. 

7 - 2020 Topps Utz Eddie Rosario -  Food issued cards were a common occurrence dating back to the 70s. It's probably a good thing that they are less common now, I shudder to think how many Twinkies I would be eating right now just to get the cards. Utz is a regional brand of potato chips, mostly in the Eastern part of the U.S., so I added cards online only, no empty calories with this cardboard. I liked the Utz design more than the flagship design. This reminds me of a re-mixed 1986 Topps design, with the big bold team name moving to the bottom of the card. 

8 - 2020 Topps Throwback Thursday (1954 World on Wheels)  Luis Robert - I had to make room for the big name rookie for 2020. Even though he did not win rookie of the year, Luis Robert certainly had the hype throughout the season for his ability to hit, run, and catch. This online exclusive set focused on the "wheels" figuratively and literally, as an homage to a car trading card set that Topps released in the mid 50s. 

9 - 2020 Topps Heritage Gary Sanchez - One of the pleasant surprises in recent years from Topps has been their willingness to dig deeper to find the aspects of their previous sets that resonated with collectors. The 1971 Topps set had several action shots, which the 2020 set emulated with varying degrees of success. Perhaps one of the more iconic cards from 1971 featured Yankees catcher Thurman Munson in his 2nd Year, making a tough and dazzling play at the plate. This image of Gary Sanchez calls that image to mind, if a bit removed from the gritty and dusty nature of its forefather.  

Thanks for reading!

Buying Online Every NOW and Then

Well, it sounds like the MLB season might happen after all, with a scheduled start date at the end of July (Assuming they don't have to delay further due to COVID-19). In the meantime, Topps has been determined to get a few dollars more out of us in the form of Topps NOW "Turn Back the Clock."

What can I say, I am simple man - I see a great card of Ichiro on Opening Day and my home(opener)sickness is too great to resist. I mean come on, there's balloons and everything!

Once you get a person started on Topps NOW, it can be nearly impossible to stop them completely. How could I be expected to pass up a Jackie Robinson bat rack card? Of course it also is a commemoration of Jackie's first MLB game, so it's a no-brainer why I would want it. At this point, I'm invested! Twins cards will pretty much seal the deal. Francisco Liriano tosses one of the least efficient no hitters in MLB history. It was also one of the more exciting ones! 

Rod Carew was still hitting .432 by the end of May in 1970 - Dave Winfield passed him on the All-Time hit list a few days (and 24 years) later. 

Of course the online exclusives don't end there - Topps Total is back again and there is no shortage of new Twins this year (in theory). Rich Hill was expected to miss the first 2-3 months of the season recovering from surgery, but now everyone has, so he might be close to ready to go when games begin. 

Josh Donaldson was the big free agent splash, and it's fun to see the new guy in the "right" uniform. Jose Berrios is of course not a new Twin, and he's hopefully going to get 10-12 starts this season out of the team's 60 regular season games. Here's hoping he ends the year with even a few more than that, if you catch my meaning. 

Have you been checking in on the Topps NOW Turn Back The Clock offerings? There have been some fun ones in there!

Free Stuff Friday #11 - Faster Than You Can Say . . .

Faster than you can say "jack robinson," it's already free-stuff Friday again. I have some 2010 Topps to choo choo choose from for starters...

Inserts featuring the Chairman of the Board, a Moose, Pops, and the masher formerly known as Mike.

Parallels! Tyler Mark is a refractor.

Hockey still going strong, folks are cleaning me out of this stuff quickly!

And in honor of his debut this week 73 years ago, here are some Jackie Robinsons from recent releases. To make it easier, let's say these are Jackie #1 through Jackie #9:

123
456
789

Make sense? If I don't know which one you mean, I'll ask for clarification.



Claim one or claim every card in the post if you'd like!

I have several small piles started from past weeks, I can start one for you too, or add on, or send it out!

If we haven't traded before, or in a long time, please verify your mailing address (you can contact me using the form on the right sidebar of my blog!)

Thanks!

"THIS IS NEXT YEAR!" The Brooklyn Dodgers 1956 Topps Team Set

One of the fun things about a completed set is deciding how you want to organize it. I have the 1956 Topps set in a binder, sorted by team, in the same order that the teams finished in the 1955 Standings. In 1955, the Brooklyn Dodgers were the National League champions, with a 98-55 record. They would win the World Series in seven games. 

Without Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers were Bums. They had 3 championship teams in the 1800s, but they had little success in the 20th Century. Just 3 National League titles from 1900 to 1947. Once Jackie joined the club in 1947, the team became a perennial contender, going to the World Series in 6 of Jackie's 10 big league seasons. Ironically, the only World Series game that Jackie would miss in his career would be Game 7 in 1955, the first and only Brooklyn World Series Championship victory.

The 1955 Dodgers' team had the best record of any team in MLB, scoring the most runs while allowing the fewest. And yet, they still had to feel like underdogs against the Yankees, a team that had bested them in the championship 4 times in a row since 1947.  The Dodgers had finished with better records in 1941, 42, and '53, but no championship. In 1942, they didn't even reach the World Series, winning 104 games but finishing in 2nd place in the National League. "Wait 'Til Next Year" was the common refrain in Brooklyn (Cubs fans came to embrace it as well.), but in 1955, it finally was next year.

The Dodgers' best hitter in 1955 was the Duke of Flatbush himself, Duke Snider. He was the team leader in hits, doubles, runs scored, walks, homers, RBI, OBP, SLG, etc. Snider would also provide power and clutch hitting during the World Series, adding 4 more homers to the 42 he hit in the regular season.

Snider was the NL leader in runs scored in 1953, '54 and '55. He was in the midst of a run of 7 straight All-Star appearances and would make it 8 overall by the end of his career. He slugged 40 or more homers every year from 1953 through 1957, and had 407 for his career. He'd score over 100 runs in a season 6 times, and drive in 100 or more runs 6 times. It took 11 years on the ballot, but he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.

The best pitcher for the Dodgers in 1955 was their ace for the majority of the decade, Don Newcombe. Newk won 20 games during the regular season, but only pitched in game 1 of the World Series. During the regular season he led the NL in WHIP, with the lowest walk rate (1.5 per nine innings) and the highest rate of strikeouts to walks. He pitched complete games in 17 of his 31 starts, and registered 1 shutout on the season. If he had more plate appearances, you could argue that he was also the team's best hitter- he had 7 homers and a triple slash of .359 / .395 / .632(!) in 1955, which is not too shabby for a pitcher.

Newcombe would have an even better season in 1956, going 27 - 7 and winning both the Cy Young award and the NL MVP award as the Dodgers returned to the World Series. For his career, Newcombe had impeccable control and was able to convert from a power to finesse pitcher later on. Battling personal issues and some career setbacks, Newcombe found success again on the field in Cincinnati and also re-claimed his path in life by dedicating himself to the service of others post retirement. As a recovering alcoholic, he mentored others on their own path towards sobriety.

Jackie Robinson was not in the lineup for Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, and didn't appear in the game as a defensive replacement, pinch hitter, or pinch runner. One teammate (Newcombe) later stated that it was an injured Achilles tendon, while another offered that knee injuries sidelined Jackie. For his own part, Robinson did not mention it in his autobiography. He only talks about the great pitching performance of Johnny Podres, Sandy Amoros making an incredible catch to preserve the lead, and how it was one the greatest thrills of his life to be on a World Series winning team.

The truth was that life for Jackie with the Dodgers hadn't been the same since Walter O'Malley assumed control of the team. The cool relationship between Manager Walter Alston and Robinson didn't help either. Alston benched Jackie about 1/3 of the time in 1955, and roughly the same in 1956. Robinson was not bitter about being benched, he too was aware that his skills had declined due to age and injury. But he would note in his book that Alston and O'Malley seemed to think there was mutual resentment. O'Malley for replacing (forcing out) Branch Rickey, and Alston for taking Chuck Dressen's job as Dodgers manager. I haven't read any O'Malley biographies, but if I extrapolate from Jackie Robinson's and Bill Veeck's books, I have a consistent picture of O'Malley as a powerful man that is suspicious of anyone that might challenge that power. If there's any bitterness, it certainly wasn't on Jackie's side. He stated in no uncertain terms that he benefited from Baseball, and was glad that Baseball had benefited from him. He had been looking for his post career landing spot since the end of the 1954 season, so the timing of his trade to the Giants after the 1956 World Series and the announcement of his retirement / new role with coffee house chain Chock Full 'O Nuts was (mostly) a coincidence. He was genuinely considering the Giants' offer before Dodgers GM Buzzie Bavasi told the press that Robinson was trying to leverage a higher salary. That was enough for Robinson to just retire like he had been planning.

The 1955 NL MVP was actually Roy Campanella, who edged out Snider in the voting by 5 points. There was a small controversy about this as there was a single ballot from a Philadelphia writer that listed Campanella 1st and also 5th. The assumption was that one vote was meant for Snider. The writer was ill at the time the votes were being counted, so they decided to go with Campanella as written as #1, and made #5 blank. Both players received 8 first place votes, and in terms of total points, Campanella won by 5 points. Another fifth place vote for Snider would have made him the points leader in the MVP race, making him the winner. But in the end, both players made compelling cases. Campy joined Yogi Berra as league MVPs, which they had done previously in 1951. 1955 and 1951 are the only two seasons in which both MVP awards were given to Catchers.

Johnny Podres was known as a humble guy in the clubhouse, a Brooklyn kid that was thrilled to be playing for the team he grew up cheering for. So when he saw the tension on his teammates faces (or maybe just felt the tension himself), he piped up before Game 7 - "Just get me one today, boys and I'll take it from there!" This immediately loosened the mood among the team, and Podres pitched a masterful game to back up his rare boast. He later revealed that he got a great deal of confidence when Walter Alston told him after his Game 3 victory that if the series went the distance, he'd be starting Game 7.
The bullpen was led by Clem Labine, who won 13 games and saved 11 in relief, and Ed Roebuck who led the team with 12 saves.

Don Bessent and Roger Craig both sported ERAs under 3.00, and youngster Sandy Koufax led the team with 2 shutouts despite only being asked to start 5 games. Don Zimmer provided some pop off the bench, contributing 15 homers to the squad in '55. It was Walter Alston's second year as manager, but he was already establishing his style as a close to the vest tactician. He did not show the outward passion of Dodgers managers of the past like Leo Durocher, or the future like Tommy LaSorda, but he would certainly find a way to succeed, winning 7 NL Pennants, 4 World Series titles, and over 2,000 regular season games.

Black History Month COMC Pickups

During the month of Februrary, I've been honoring Black History Month by posting about some of the prominent African Americans that have made contributions in the game of baseball (and beyond the field as well).

While making these posts, I would sometimes have to omit some cards because, well, I didn't have them (yet). I have been checking in to COMC throughout the month and picking up cards along the way. This Jackie Robinson card was featured in one of Fuji's posts, I have to say it's now one of my favorite Robinson cards too.

Frank Robinson was still managing in the 2000's, in a period of time when I wasn't buying cards. I was browsing through his cards and found these, I really love the Expos Manager card. I realized during my post on Dontrelle Willis that A) I didn't have his rookie card, and B) I didn't have a good card showing his big leg kick. Check and check.

Here's the back of that first Frank Robinson card - it has one of the factoids I heard most often the day Frank passed. He went to same high school as Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, and that they actually were teammates on the basketball team.

Had to check for more Denard Span needs, as I do most of the time when I log in to COMC.

For most of the posts this month, I've been checking my 56 set and my in progress 1959 Topps set for cards to post. I was surprised to find that I still needed a card for my '59 set of Sam Jones, the first African-American to toss a no-hitter in MLB history, and a member of the 20 game win club, the "Black Aces."

The back mentions his 1955 no-no, and also references his nickname, "Toothpick."

Last but not least, I am always looking for Kirby Puckett cards that will be new to me.

Jackie at 100

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.

On his 100th birthday, the impact of Jack Roosevelt Robinson on American Life is immeasurable.

His impact on the game of baseball can be seen in the lineups of every major league team.

When Jackie was a Rookie, there were no other Black players to commiserate with, no veterans to set the tone or to prepare him to the challenges that would be unique to him. 

Today there are no shortage of challenges for athletes- the smallest soundbite can be magnified 1000s of times over the matter of a few minutes. Robinson's tactful and measured approach to the indignities of daily life in the 1940s facing African Americans, showing how to navigate a world filled with people rooting for him to fail.

With the support of his wife Rachel, Robinson was able to endure what few men would dare face alone. Together, they blazed a trail that would widen to a flood of talented athletes and eventually men and women in all sectors finding doors open for them that had previously been closed.

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. Jackie Robinson showed all of us how important one life can be.  

Happy Jackie Robinson Day!

 Jackie should speak for himself - "At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion, when the national anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else. This is organized Major League Baseball, and I am standing here with all the others; and everything that takes place includes me."

"[ . . .] to myself I can say that, because progress is unalterable, many of today's dogmas will have vanished by the time [my children] grow into adults. I can say to my children, there is a chance for you."

"There is no Middle Ages logic so strong that it can stop the human tide from moving forward."

"I do believe - and with every fibre in me - that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us (no matter how slowly) the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today, and perhaps find the greatness of tomorrow."

"I believe in the human race. I believe in Man's integrity. I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that a society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it -- and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist."

Day Nine - 1956 Topps Jackie Robinson #30

Day 9: A Favorite Card From the 1950s

Taking the lead from Tony at Off-Hiatus Baseball Cards this will be the ninth of 30 posts, using the prompts provided. I won't necessarily post one every day, but I will do one for each card, toss in a few "insights" (as insightful as I can be, anyway), and usually include an honorable mention or two, just because I'm like that.

Here's my pick - and let me tell you, this was an easy choice, but also a very difficult choice. There are so many great cards from the 1950s; classics and icons and hidden gems literally of all shapes and sizes. The 1956 set is definitely my favorite set of the decade, and this card in particular is stellar. This is my favorite Jackie Robinson card, so it was an easy choice for this challenge.

Since these are basically one card posts, why not show the backs, too? A Dodger Immortal, indeed. This was his final Topps card from his playing career, but it doesn't show his full stat line. He retired when the Dodgers traded him to the Giants before the start of the 1957 season. Since his retirement came in December of 1956, it was early enough that Topps hadn't printed any cards of him for the 1957 set. I think I've seen a few customs out there using the 1957 design.

Here are some honorable mentions:

Yikes, where to begin? A quick and dirty ranking of the 50s Topps sets for me would be 56, 57, 59, 52, 54, 55, 53, 58. 51 gets an incomplete. I could probably make a case for any card from 1956 as an honorable mention, but I threw out a couple great defensive plays to counter Jackie's play at the plate. The 1952 set in my opinion is saved by the horizontal cards. Most of the vertical cards are very similar (not quite Donruss level boring), but the horizontal cards feel like carefully planned works of art. Vern Law's card makes him look like a giant. I had to include the Killebrew card as a shameless homer pick.

I think the 1957 set is the Stadium Club of the 50s. Yes, there's a border, but no other set from the 50s gives you more of the ballpark, or a bigger image. There are coloration issues, but I have to highlight the set in a post about favorites of the 1950s. The main reason that Elmer Valo isn't up there as the #1 pick is that I feel like a broken record about the greatness of his 1957 Topps card. Jackie is there because I love the card, and I haven't talked it to death. Bowman doesn't get as much love in this post, but a couple favorites might be the 1955 Eddie Waitkus card, the 1955 Aaron and Minoso cards are great as well. I have been focusing on Topps to this point, I should spend some time once I finish the 56 Topps set to stock up on Bowman.

I also want to point out that I am a little jealous of the Pirates - they've got so many great cards in the 1950s!

Happy Jackie Robinson Day!

 Jackie should speak for himself - "At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion, when the national anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else. This is organized Major League Baseball, and I am standing here with all the others; and everything that takes place includes me."

"[ . . .] to myself I can say that, because progress is unalterable, many of today's dogmas will have vanished by the time [my children] grow into adults. I can say to my children, there is a chance for you."

"There is no Middle Ages logic so strong that it can stop the human tide from moving forward."

"I do believe - and with every fibre in me - that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us (no matter how slowly) the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today, and perhaps find the greatness of tomorrow."

"I believe in the human race. I believe in Man's integrity. I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that a society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it -- and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist."