tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19552288720637070022024-03-13T16:18:55.610-05:00Highly Subjective and Completely ArbitraryCollected baseball cards from 1986-1995, and again from 2014 to Present. A simple blog to discuss the hobby. Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.comBlogger1164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-76597161291137687762024-01-23T19:02:00.004-06:002024-01-23T19:02:42.774-06:00Joe More Mr. Nice Guy<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFEY8XAAXuXS03cGleZ9Vtl8YY1oZ3bcYiC_ORrlMF6f6eRHjmH9LX11mUZYxjbHg4QCCjPkFe8nVPfnxLRhLwjqc38NBzZw_ysbBYLT9ve1GZsy8ZcPPNvolOPao_J1RY1PpzZhEgF3YSPD5DFCWmgWDOz9MD8cB-OD_woD4EkNg-IHs-Hsd7WlBUIs/s2090/IMG_20160521_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1480" data-original-width="2090" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFEY8XAAXuXS03cGleZ9Vtl8YY1oZ3bcYiC_ORrlMF6f6eRHjmH9LX11mUZYxjbHg4QCCjPkFe8nVPfnxLRhLwjqc38NBzZw_ysbBYLT9ve1GZsy8ZcPPNvolOPao_J1RY1PpzZhEgF3YSPD5DFCWmgWDOz9MD8cB-OD_woD4EkNg-IHs-Hsd7WlBUIs/s320/IMG_20160521_0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrr8BiKoPQp5aFGoYf305GOlbgMZbpHp5s91A2CvZlrzI41IWKLo2RohyphenhyphenWYu8D-Iqqn6BAFVU7yDqix2Sq_2iqPMUxHTD0KBbeTSEqELx4chdv3aGL6t7r_211xCZBZqPMnNNOc_eg6TBk2B5ExZOVNWlsWQ3rlA5HoxT3xJyaPvR4BtJgn7Fxg-AV0s/s1768/IMG_20160514_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1768" data-original-width="1256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrr8BiKoPQp5aFGoYf305GOlbgMZbpHp5s91A2CvZlrzI41IWKLo2RohyphenhyphenWYu8D-Iqqn6BAFVU7yDqix2Sq_2iqPMUxHTD0KBbeTSEqELx4chdv3aGL6t7r_211xCZBZqPMnNNOc_eg6TBk2B5ExZOVNWlsWQ3rlA5HoxT3xJyaPvR4BtJgn7Fxg-AV0s/s320/IMG_20160514_0002.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZtoUMnjBqhRCdKU4a2380HCos4DwG_iBCs2BsL5UjUY8d_gXnFtpicJ6HedWLTGx1XybIRMMurx38KflZPTwoUmeze5O1eqstfQb8MdNv6A3KNfO-5yFPC3eeqn9Xp7iB8y24a7s_CY9P74IxXBI9ehkApzVBAXX4ZL1jApnIjY92T1zYbHvLSMMg7o/s3142/IMG_20160314_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3142" data-original-width="1860" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZtoUMnjBqhRCdKU4a2380HCos4DwG_iBCs2BsL5UjUY8d_gXnFtpicJ6HedWLTGx1XybIRMMurx38KflZPTwoUmeze5O1eqstfQb8MdNv6A3KNfO-5yFPC3eeqn9Xp7iB8y24a7s_CY9P74IxXBI9ehkApzVBAXX4ZL1jApnIjY92T1zYbHvLSMMg7o/s320/IMG_20160314_0001.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSQaxUJaG6k0ipQcyAHJvfry0HVDTSFgfSaHuXB3hCvf1LJdvq8c4hYyYegnbGbl5aCuD4vifqoSoHohWsxlg_x5iQKBRl3VfV7pqdK21e_OERc7nv_Mht3OFHyauEvvj72ABOkLhvaNXZoE2h7OdnuHd_ZQZpho0P5vo9nLTr3V5JW-XmQecPboooLs/s2097/IMG_20160221_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2097" data-original-width="1479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSQaxUJaG6k0ipQcyAHJvfry0HVDTSFgfSaHuXB3hCvf1LJdvq8c4hYyYegnbGbl5aCuD4vifqoSoHohWsxlg_x5iQKBRl3VfV7pqdK21e_OERc7nv_Mht3OFHyauEvvj72ABOkLhvaNXZoE2h7OdnuHd_ZQZpho0P5vo9nLTr3V5JW-XmQecPboooLs/s320/IMG_20160221_0005.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiIKydfrLR9yq-FS9ES6oE54HYCzFzcf0UQLjRKQQUKVVlcSs_zCAjv_IYiNopjg2cM4pOJ50L2Y8vn3gANgrV-atIF6ykBMv4Ldc_NPebbh83JwQ4ZS-Tupj-nfWIXnmJ44Nn8tvZWxISL8b_tC4XKPCJpQvleKsPpY-XS_yUPqWYv8z-nI_air2T_o/s4787/IMG_20160131_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4787" data-original-width="3563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiIKydfrLR9yq-FS9ES6oE54HYCzFzcf0UQLjRKQQUKVVlcSs_zCAjv_IYiNopjg2cM4pOJ50L2Y8vn3gANgrV-atIF6ykBMv4Ldc_NPebbh83JwQ4ZS-Tupj-nfWIXnmJ44Nn8tvZWxISL8b_tC4XKPCJpQvleKsPpY-XS_yUPqWYv8z-nI_air2T_o/s320/IMG_20160131_0006.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Congrats to Joe Mauer, Hall of Famer. <p></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-37303008956356995682024-01-07T18:31:00.001-06:002024-01-07T18:42:02.651-06:00Happy 2024<p> Well, I guess the AI bots found this blog. I just removed about 50 fake copypasta comments left in the last half hour. </p><p>Had to lock down comments to followers only and enable moderation.</p><p>Anyway, here's "Wonderwall"</p><p>2024 Wallet Card</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKchOTwPrNns_n-HZa7C0wd5BfbZDRfqBs5Mf3nT28Q9qiDOs054N79neNTs7RoKto3SemL2itR-Ri2QmGoDrr7VvxBXd2HnAnul_XxCwu-Xza786bSqlX-2bckCGwEiOvtPar4Bt-TBVyFe6bEussf4RiavCorNXsMkwY9wqzQ6dBFYdfZF8Ely32cQ/s4000/IMG20240103153442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="24 for 2024" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKchOTwPrNns_n-HZa7C0wd5BfbZDRfqBs5Mf3nT28Q9qiDOs054N79neNTs7RoKto3SemL2itR-Ri2QmGoDrr7VvxBXd2HnAnul_XxCwu-Xza786bSqlX-2bckCGwEiOvtPar4Bt-TBVyFe6bEussf4RiavCorNXsMkwY9wqzQ6dBFYdfZF8Ely32cQ/w240-h320/IMG20240103153442.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Recent pickups</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufT3ZVCushk2hWFIc93nQ5ClFXvvX6flTozHHhmyXp0eMP_Glht7aR5rJuxTpXsO4vqUMLpxkxQp2gpuixBySTgdYWghEUECy15yHk7T6JnKcBt6iIZnR7fUgM2mUSL500HDOnATB7PPVjgbrsRaI5GQiuImhA_k3H-iRuimU0GS3ydnrIQDdBERug_c/s4000/1000000538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufT3ZVCushk2hWFIc93nQ5ClFXvvX6flTozHHhmyXp0eMP_Glht7aR5rJuxTpXsO4vqUMLpxkxQp2gpuixBySTgdYWghEUECy15yHk7T6JnKcBt6iIZnR7fUgM2mUSL500HDOnATB7PPVjgbrsRaI5GQiuImhA_k3H-iRuimU0GS3ydnrIQDdBERug_c/s320/1000000538.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8auCjE47UmiXK7zai-fcZa2hvR6_tPjJKe5wVGIXk_w70HqThgOd6sgzDbNMi-W8HGO9ByLFs32uTjw6OPlbgfzGOEF8Mq83U7SoyE606Xdaal_y6FQRvydAcXGbds5tFfxB9Z3yQ5xldNzr76o_bbk_Cg24HA_VKcrHlMqir9mBqyZZFV8jBJKm67ek/s4000/1000000539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8auCjE47UmiXK7zai-fcZa2hvR6_tPjJKe5wVGIXk_w70HqThgOd6sgzDbNMi-W8HGO9ByLFs32uTjw6OPlbgfzGOEF8Mq83U7SoyE606Xdaal_y6FQRvydAcXGbds5tFfxB9Z3yQ5xldNzr76o_bbk_Cg24HA_VKcrHlMqir9mBqyZZFV8jBJKm67ek/s320/1000000539.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAT7L2RTLkqAEeb2aQDscITl9kkzGKbIWNIVwpUr9lTF7rEoErM1a4iUhyOg2FUgDiLu8ifZD4-tMx0t3_jn_sXhhIzIY3Fbo_odg4wUC59WzGyoBb6wR47cw8ORhVZ6sTDkz2-eWpAxcVicepaIP4iqftGkq8CigN5883iTbWX-e_DNzANdy1C6Pn16E/s4000/1000000541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAT7L2RTLkqAEeb2aQDscITl9kkzGKbIWNIVwpUr9lTF7rEoErM1a4iUhyOg2FUgDiLu8ifZD4-tMx0t3_jn_sXhhIzIY3Fbo_odg4wUC59WzGyoBb6wR47cw8ORhVZ6sTDkz2-eWpAxcVicepaIP4iqftGkq8CigN5883iTbWX-e_DNzANdy1C6Pn16E/s320/1000000541.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Recent pickups of recent cards</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ULtM2VLh5uPjT9r5JjHa1Cn0z6WETC8lIz3lwc9ivmnhZHzAjbtpTPjt2P3jZNdwo5vPLlSG7QWFx6YiiZK99VkpfWokoGSudsQcUIW9lZUP5uHSBJuj5PVBphmDlXVZZ1MzwljYK5HjwZ2JQNNxJJgd2Rk9_gjSC9P1AMizp_6Lmj0KlfwP4kjzNkA/s960/1000000115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="711" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ULtM2VLh5uPjT9r5JjHa1Cn0z6WETC8lIz3lwc9ivmnhZHzAjbtpTPjt2P3jZNdwo5vPLlSG7QWFx6YiiZK99VkpfWokoGSudsQcUIW9lZUP5uHSBJuj5PVBphmDlXVZZ1MzwljYK5HjwZ2JQNNxJJgd2Rk9_gjSC9P1AMizp_6Lmj0KlfwP4kjzNkA/s320/1000000115.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbnVibetXuUUj-cbpXaq5BV_33NjORlWC4WJTbIimqLwyjk9BSwagmQBc71NR8YHS6aGUWXA0Kg9xp38lIEvdYSaPgRWuAgcJN_lnhvGMMEIoQhw1mb1pfNx7I-yR2ZEf8QB6GZNBcDRzpj8zUqQOxAdVngQSljYGcPRryo9e84vucBZKG75eUUAGJ8k/s3264/1000000243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbnVibetXuUUj-cbpXaq5BV_33NjORlWC4WJTbIimqLwyjk9BSwagmQBc71NR8YHS6aGUWXA0Kg9xp38lIEvdYSaPgRWuAgcJN_lnhvGMMEIoQhw1mb1pfNx7I-yR2ZEf8QB6GZNBcDRzpj8zUqQOxAdVngQSljYGcPRryo9e84vucBZKG75eUUAGJ8k/s320/1000000243.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWp3thQomwYvKPXKsXIQQZ4DCRWrMCNFybxOZtnXnGJreuvo2ne-w3oD80dZB6_z3y5I3sDmOU2XondUE8nv2owIxc6ZFHQPjt6IMhwvPesQwABqQTwnDbmBZ92OoEUVFqaIN8c4liA1o2NEw8E65QVTFYQ6ikSM_JZcUobMdGZHAwhhv-An7wiSKWO9A/s1280/1000000479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWp3thQomwYvKPXKsXIQQZ4DCRWrMCNFybxOZtnXnGJreuvo2ne-w3oD80dZB6_z3y5I3sDmOU2XondUE8nv2owIxc6ZFHQPjt6IMhwvPesQwABqQTwnDbmBZ92OoEUVFqaIN8c4liA1o2NEw8E65QVTFYQ6ikSM_JZcUobMdGZHAwhhv-An7wiSKWO9A/s320/1000000479.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p>Ok back to obscurity and arbitrary subjectivity. </p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-56976996821999005892022-04-01T19:38:00.001-05:002022-04-01T19:38:07.843-05:00Soup's On!<p> No, not Dave Campbell - </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnyaXI2koAm650nIBNCdGQPUy6lOrTzenCajVE0GBs9T_ciT6pixZHEGBNoKVwN8vdndUczp-Jbd6NRCQGPUwlc93bryViwFATqn4rokImLQwlbQeeTVxdheA4W1GX0T1U967rwE0WytXn4AeXhkRWPvh6roC13qHwqlMMNFAAzRUbcIVBkkmjleq/s1098/soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="832" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnyaXI2koAm650nIBNCdGQPUy6lOrTzenCajVE0GBs9T_ciT6pixZHEGBNoKVwN8vdndUczp-Jbd6NRCQGPUwlc93bryViwFATqn4rokImLQwlbQeeTVxdheA4W1GX0T1U967rwE0WytXn4AeXhkRWPvh6roC13qHwqlMMNFAAzRUbcIVBkkmjleq/s320/soup.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm talking the good stuff! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWH0IRjWzEeCp7-gE2h8V2ayNIFHfagPqESJgUBT9-l2vZq8Aczn7mzJDtT_M3J4-uwNRNuCGuyjFkcfcsny4oeULAkS74IIhvJ0HIyJFp9-tswfBlFY1tPBThJiJp2Hl4wDpE4itevVu9M5z7Zx6Bl4HYGDZZjqRV_Gwo62ZGfbBvtrUFt7CzGGu/s500/s-l500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWH0IRjWzEeCp7-gE2h8V2ayNIFHfagPqESJgUBT9-l2vZq8Aczn7mzJDtT_M3J4-uwNRNuCGuyjFkcfcsny4oeULAkS74IIhvJ0HIyJFp9-tswfBlFY1tPBThJiJp2Hl4wDpE4itevVu9M5z7Zx6Bl4HYGDZZjqRV_Gwo62ZGfbBvtrUFt7CzGGu/w480-h640/s-l500.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I'm taking the blog in a new direction! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeUvCZXtamdwrB4n20qaZSTujXwXDutfZCHpCmoK2I1nbeKZ6r_4DFl98Ywp6SRDYt2iDla38b-LRlJ1RoAmfRfYsHwCF9aPAkb72IR9WxGKRRZcjuoFLDTztuZd6dOWNpVlZgFMUfUbFm6_tg93YWwBsdoEfH3V39wDRFg9dSM10OtKTNIlDjBTp/s1104/s-l1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1104" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeUvCZXtamdwrB4n20qaZSTujXwXDutfZCHpCmoK2I1nbeKZ6r_4DFl98Ywp6SRDYt2iDla38b-LRlJ1RoAmfRfYsHwCF9aPAkb72IR9WxGKRRZcjuoFLDTztuZd6dOWNpVlZgFMUfUbFm6_tg93YWwBsdoEfH3V39wDRFg9dSM10OtKTNIlDjBTp/w400-h290/s-l1600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>From now on, it's SOUP - All day, everyday. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnHZsEL38b_6cV8zhxiTD0l3twg5HOQokuKzZ8Z6Uj7GMUUoqo_raTN32kwtq-n0E_AOC97nbv1bZWnvZCFvEZdfO1VtBTfdfMPGi0lkCnGv_Zfdls7Y8CJjLHlWQJR25XActjz65ArRnCcn2gOpn77Bh05Cg2XKswWDg6c4iWiOrLJ1xZbgAwXqt/s500/hot%20soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="359" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnHZsEL38b_6cV8zhxiTD0l3twg5HOQokuKzZ8Z6Uj7GMUUoqo_raTN32kwtq-n0E_AOC97nbv1bZWnvZCFvEZdfO1VtBTfdfMPGi0lkCnGv_Zfdls7Y8CJjLHlWQJR25XActjz65ArRnCcn2gOpn77Bh05Cg2XKswWDg6c4iWiOrLJ1xZbgAwXqt/w460-h640/hot%20soup.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Tired of those lazy Topps Heritage sets, I'm switching over to my Irish heritage with a nice potato soup!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYzw-n1InX2bYve7yD4C4o4swb5jLUOASNFAUpDDsZYS2MWFOBv5zSeB9CV_qXcXa_RAU8prTWYfUx6kB-2BljfN-rw4wIknJh1jYsaHCnOlUHawcIPTDj-3t1ohuQvkjHPOxdLudKKQQRhoyWd0s3mRXMF0P669VspvwbkDSgYHZSDu_xO9_7j87/s500/hot%20potato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="396" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYzw-n1InX2bYve7yD4C4o4swb5jLUOASNFAUpDDsZYS2MWFOBv5zSeB9CV_qXcXa_RAU8prTWYfUx6kB-2BljfN-rw4wIknJh1jYsaHCnOlUHawcIPTDj-3t1ohuQvkjHPOxdLudKKQQRhoyWd0s3mRXMF0P669VspvwbkDSgYHZSDu_xO9_7j87/w316-h400/hot%20potato.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I'm trading in my baseball cards for recipe cards!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSZyFOS5NfjpFl-U-8wC3MVsr29NxL77VMAOul_Ofv_1CC_upQS9am1Eflo5UZ0NeIrKjyOXh-VLsrWAf-xiqOZirTAEpZPwWlXhcdO27ZIOKhPkIzjVx-Y0feimE9Mf2e-UcS1kuqZHD92RoasuXYPNz7_v-mNG632jLyVBup6Tl0uGgToS-NPnV/s500/recipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="500" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSZyFOS5NfjpFl-U-8wC3MVsr29NxL77VMAOul_Ofv_1CC_upQS9am1Eflo5UZ0NeIrKjyOXh-VLsrWAf-xiqOZirTAEpZPwWlXhcdO27ZIOKhPkIzjVx-Y0feimE9Mf2e-UcS1kuqZHD92RoasuXYPNz7_v-mNG632jLyVBup6Tl0uGgToS-NPnV/w397-h223/recipe.jpg" width="397" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Pass the SOUP!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gqGHUmO3pcI4GqCP8Lg9gkfVD8VPcy8wzGyJMP-oOpIAhRYxB0MTvTYowGBZ5xaBPtB0LomOCUCLs8dK2wpi8JQlLht3sfDmuyyxejGXzWwG9Ru0Z_Ldg0q_NcQaFEHxhbnYysbltLaiM7c4WQNQ2Tg7FSPavhQVU--8s0MgYiDoFUxOCWJmnJ9u/s500/munster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="315" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gqGHUmO3pcI4GqCP8Lg9gkfVD8VPcy8wzGyJMP-oOpIAhRYxB0MTvTYowGBZ5xaBPtB0LomOCUCLs8dK2wpi8JQlLht3sfDmuyyxejGXzWwG9Ru0Z_Ldg0q_NcQaFEHxhbnYysbltLaiM7c4WQNQ2Tg7FSPavhQVU--8s0MgYiDoFUxOCWJmnJ9u/w404-h640/munster.jpg" width="404" /></a></div><br /><p>Next week - "CHOWDER!"</p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-23169650394737211882022-03-26T17:45:00.005-05:002022-03-26T17:45:50.968-05:00The Twins' Off-season Short Stop search<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFGvzwYRfLZjxSLET0Gp6tA9PT2UHZv0acMdBPzbBblEUqpl4MzeQVZZxV7HKrrxfOg-u041nG1qPQeGU-xUoGDs8erbte-tmqWJBq6Ql6A4B2oOYBZRDa7I7p2-AY30ou_V9CvXNZ2VEbVR4yG1cn0h33CRJzouqWqQdf2YrPo6dU1mFxSjnnSVY/s667/6a5445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="667" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFGvzwYRfLZjxSLET0Gp6tA9PT2UHZv0acMdBPzbBblEUqpl4MzeQVZZxV7HKrrxfOg-u041nG1qPQeGU-xUoGDs8erbte-tmqWJBq6Ql6A4B2oOYBZRDa7I7p2-AY30ou_V9CvXNZ2VEbVR4yG1cn0h33CRJzouqWqQdf2YrPo6dU1mFxSjnnSVY/w632-h354/6a5445.jpg" width="632" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The Twins certainly kept their fans guessing this off-season about how they would address the vacancy at SS. In 2021, it was Andrelton Simmons at the position, providing lots of defense, but not much in the way of offense. He was only signed to a 1 year deal, at the time it was assumed that he was just keeping the position warm for prospect Royce Lewis. Instead, Lewis had an ACL tear which ended his 2021 season in Spring Training. This was especially troubling because the 2020 season was lost for Lewis due to the pandemic and no Minor League season being played.</p><p>So what were the Twins going to do for 2022?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsbtSBK9mrHX0mZbHWDThsX1wiSBUwSeOMJ5BomsG7aDE5_Jwcmd_zJ2aU1lb_MrSfeSWozYJDyilKE83joYXXTj5tVoUKjJXe687MKRVDs1cYlKmjrG0vPQ_b7rzdtaBFToL9vXLW0hRZwzhH6cPZN4gw6d5xolg2HNEokWS6yTkPVfU2MF0okWC/s625/luis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="466" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsbtSBK9mrHX0mZbHWDThsX1wiSBUwSeOMJ5BomsG7aDE5_Jwcmd_zJ2aU1lb_MrSfeSWozYJDyilKE83joYXXTj5tVoUKjJXe687MKRVDs1cYlKmjrG0vPQ_b7rzdtaBFToL9vXLW0hRZwzhH6cPZN4gw6d5xolg2HNEokWS6yTkPVfU2MF0okWC/w478-h640/luis.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><p><b>Luis Arraez - </b>If you can't find a free agent or trade option, and the prospects aren't ready yet, you've got to turn to your 26 Man roster. Luis Arraez was used all over the field in 2021, though SS was not one of those places. He appeared at SS 8 times in his major league career, all in his rookie year of 2019, before a couple knee surgeries. The early rumors were that the Twins might try an infield of Donaldson at 3B, Polanco at 2B, and Arraez as the everyday SS. This thankfully for all involved did not happen. I love Luis Arraez, he's versatile in the field and an <a href="https://youtu.be/t7wZfYGYOdo">extremely entertaining hitter</a> but to play him at short is not putting him in a position to be successful.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvejMle3mA7U0_fXFqonn-wqr-n_J1klAcnl9wbDHFjm77e5MN8n5LLCQSfG7ZBgRogiTRGdD8q_qi9gx6RmyslTD5x-rugWx-fcnvgDn1--bLMMfhBcvLxZEGliF5PTIztHmm-BWCfvZqnEq-UANBvW7SgLdKpZCTnXLxiXQ9c4-AqsYlZAn9l33/s640/ploanco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvejMle3mA7U0_fXFqonn-wqr-n_J1klAcnl9wbDHFjm77e5MN8n5LLCQSfG7ZBgRogiTRGdD8q_qi9gx6RmyslTD5x-rugWx-fcnvgDn1--bLMMfhBcvLxZEGliF5PTIztHmm-BWCfvZqnEq-UANBvW7SgLdKpZCTnXLxiXQ9c4-AqsYlZAn9l33/w448-h640/ploanco.jpg" width="448" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b>Jorge Polanco - </b>Not so long ago, Jorge Polanco was the starting Shortstop for the AL at the All-Star Game. Why not have him go back to Short? Arraez can play 2B, Donaldson at 3B, and there you go! Well, not so fast... Polanco was moved off of SS for reasons very similar to Arraez. An ankle injury torpedoed Polanco's 2020 season, and his speed and defensive range were tested throughout the season, when he was healthy enough to play. For 2021, the Twins added Andrelton Simmons so Polanco's bat could stay in the lineup and provide defense at 2B. Even so, the off-season word was that the Twins might consider moving Polanco back, at least until the young guns were ready to go. Not ideal, to be sure, as Polanco proved he was able to capably play 2B and stay in the lineup for a full season, AND most importantly, put up big offensive numbers at the same time. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbpFJ3iN4WU-yXhv49BhmLYr-4ThHAHb7ddfBmDxH485y5HNOikBqaU_npqvcxPA2_1csvdZI-jCLBmnuKLoxz-Ttd17Yo6QYwDfSKTpyPQ0RVU9FZyqWvJDdTxuy4H574UtKULyGSw6Tii4jJPk3bywdKiuApH_3wieonbkhKuPuvZMnUblVC-dD/s1596/royce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1596" data-original-width="1174" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbpFJ3iN4WU-yXhv49BhmLYr-4ThHAHb7ddfBmDxH485y5HNOikBqaU_npqvcxPA2_1csvdZI-jCLBmnuKLoxz-Ttd17Yo6QYwDfSKTpyPQ0RVU9FZyqWvJDdTxuy4H574UtKULyGSw6Tii4jJPk3bywdKiuApH_3wieonbkhKuPuvZMnUblVC-dD/w470-h640/royce.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Royce Lewis - </b>All this talk about giving the prospects time to develop made some fans wonder . . . maybe don't? Royce Lewis was the #1 overall draft pick in 2017, and had been making steady progress through the minors when COVID hit in 2020 and wiped out the minor league season. Even so, the prevailing thought was that Lewis could debut in 2021, and presumably take the everyday gig by Opening Day 2022. That is, until he tore his ACL in Spring Training 2021. Even with that injury, there was talk that a strong Spring might convince the Twins to let Lewis loose on the league after all. It's for the best that they will let him learn and develop instead.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdeuzaLWBab4T0_jRk7ChXY4qaPyQz7DSMAC5A0cTVQU8YubYet2PEyngG_mYvkEJRA1cnKHeSXZ0n0aRSjvi6WRCNnnxL6D1Usj_xKCrhByWTIbMnKiFPF9Jh6vVdm7lVoQmpRpHsvLs9aQSmNTeksNmqAw09Y2bjkq2dX01fsAff_79v_0xBE8K/s1600/austin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdeuzaLWBab4T0_jRk7ChXY4qaPyQz7DSMAC5A0cTVQU8YubYet2PEyngG_mYvkEJRA1cnKHeSXZ0n0aRSjvi6WRCNnnxL6D1Usj_xKCrhByWTIbMnKiFPF9Jh6vVdm7lVoQmpRpHsvLs9aQSmNTeksNmqAw09Y2bjkq2dX01fsAff_79v_0xBE8K/w480-h640/austin.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p><b>Austin Martin - </b>arriving along with Simeon Woods-Richardson from the Blue Jays in the Jose Berrios trade, Austin Martin is listed as a short stop. The book on Martin, however, seems to imply that his big league position might be in the outfield or 3rd base rather than short. There wasn't really much chance of Martin being the Twins' everyday SS to begin the 2022 season, but it was still possible if they didn't want to go with Lewis, and didn't add anyone in a trade or free agency. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4REx1umAh5Y52HOlfFJF2eZ3lfhbcDDQwcvL0vzsrL1np-9e-NbpmTG0-cW38-jdr_HIbakg4uZ0aCIsjizBTik1bxISEQsTgEzxGd6oIGpKlFbUo5hIfg5t2iW3sP-Fqw3UbJw2G-zBKYY9MHyoBnejoVQb1gVu7Nqhn-PLm83oFsWvm49vjbsj/s1214/jermaine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="932" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4REx1umAh5Y52HOlfFJF2eZ3lfhbcDDQwcvL0vzsrL1np-9e-NbpmTG0-cW38-jdr_HIbakg4uZ0aCIsjizBTik1bxISEQsTgEzxGd6oIGpKlFbUo5hIfg5t2iW3sP-Fqw3UbJw2G-zBKYY9MHyoBnejoVQb1gVu7Nqhn-PLm83oFsWvm49vjbsj/w492-h640/jermaine.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><p><b>Jermaine Palacios - </b>Wasn't going to happen, but Palacios remains an interesting prospect. He was originally signed by the Twins in 2014 as an international free agent. He was included in a trade to Tampa for Jake Odorizzi in 2016, then came back to the Twins in 2020 as a minor league free agent. He spent 2021 in AA Wichita, and started showing some power for the first time in his professional career. He had 19 homers to go along with 18 stolen bases. He's been with the Major League club all spring in 2022, but he's likely going to start the year back in the minors. He's still only going to be 25 this season.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYcwQA2TyF8XdVQo3LDwmA4dgzDjK224FDqgQTdiMXC9-Gv7mrcSjAoPw1XuYFypFNjDEcLHqVKwvZjbYlP0V3qiMQ_5-eTeLP2Dwh3RNiD0rcuo0YRajKhRj1eV3nok2x4TJ0rY3nQce0Wdp1-1sZPNBzAvk3n6Js1khZ9p9xUoDoPzzm0ImrzTr/s514/kiner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYcwQA2TyF8XdVQo3LDwmA4dgzDjK224FDqgQTdiMXC9-Gv7mrcSjAoPw1XuYFypFNjDEcLHqVKwvZjbYlP0V3qiMQ_5-eTeLP2Dwh3RNiD0rcuo0YRajKhRj1eV3nok2x4TJ0rY3nQce0Wdp1-1sZPNBzAvk3n6Js1khZ9p9xUoDoPzzm0ImrzTr/s16000/kiner.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b>Isiah Kiner-Falefa - </b>If you're not comfortable with the internal options, it's time to make a trade. Adding Kiner-Falefa cost the Twins dearly, as they traded away arguably one of the best hitting catchers in baseball. The need for a steady defender at SS was obvious, and IKF certainly can provide that for the Twins. Throw in a minor league pitching prospect, and Texas, you've got yourself a deal!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHqQFY1ynQPIAwxd_MRo-KfruOuFB1T9cWODOlmwIBNt50uPta6j3R3yNpzkvbT1QLVryJQ6cPMV3i5oO98n13okmscwZ9b9T-Pns1MZm9TyLn4Ay09TIbCyo4qRrLGu3Ox1k6fnk8_ugqu21IubGmynvXfY46kgKuTsQcetCyr1hYXTYfCIjE3yu/s1078/Gio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHqQFY1ynQPIAwxd_MRo-KfruOuFB1T9cWODOlmwIBNt50uPta6j3R3yNpzkvbT1QLVryJQ6cPMV3i5oO98n13okmscwZ9b9T-Pns1MZm9TyLn4Ay09TIbCyo4qRrLGu3Ox1k6fnk8_ugqu21IubGmynvXfY46kgKuTsQcetCyr1hYXTYfCIjE3yu/w474-h640/Gio.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><p><b>Gio Urshela - </b>Um, ok then, just trade Kiner-Falefa away, I guess. So... now what? Gio Urshela is going to play SS? But who's playing at 3B, you also traded away Donaldson. Arraez at 3B? I guess that might not be the worst thing. Heck, I like Gio Urshela. I wanted the Twins to get him when the Yankees got him back in 2018 off waivers from Toronto. He was a great fielder in Cleveland, I was a reluctant admirer of his for years, so why not? Yeah, I can warm up to this plan. I bet Urshela can play SS just fine. But he's probably better at 3B. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhulxfO_EVqveU1-Go4vKSTGAkkTEuF14CijXUqWCekFD7VhYfgUIN_I3zJHIsFI_lfE1tGyeQ-lOYSk8cmjIguxnhFSrzE1eXgYR_GJZQNAhyvUPWDbeWx4QJZTZYywgxvfUox1JjdUzY1m_LdWoNkb-at9uj8WWKbWdLCThxTY7xJOobIfpiNRx/s640/trev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="452" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhulxfO_EVqveU1-Go4vKSTGAkkTEuF14CijXUqWCekFD7VhYfgUIN_I3zJHIsFI_lfE1tGyeQ-lOYSk8cmjIguxnhFSrzE1eXgYR_GJZQNAhyvUPWDbeWx4QJZTZYywgxvfUox1JjdUzY1m_LdWoNkb-at9uj8WWKbWdLCThxTY7xJOobIfpiNRx/w452-h640/trev.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><p><b>Trevor Story - </b>Now this is exciting! Rumor has it after the trade with New York that the Twins were still not done shopping. They've been linked to Trevor Story, which would maybe seem out of character for the Twins, but remember they overpaid to get Josh Donaldson a few years ago, so the old song and dance about the penny pinching Pohlads (Twins' team Owners) is officially played out. They spent to keep Buxton too, so there's some reason to believe they'd at least make an offer to Story. The type of deal he's looking for is very steep for the Twins (or most teams, really), but it would be hard to top this player in the lineup. There are questions about his bat away from Coors, so it might be an overpay, but I think of the total package. Story is not only a slugger. He's an excellent defender and an elite baserunner. He provides value regardless. If the Twins could sign Story, they'd instantly improve. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XMPdMyYooR8NoAQXKvqigRu1y0kF-1-jLyXPBmz6YWFQMl1H2p6X2JqRfZY-XKN2xgqKSj0D4dAzIiVsUg3PyKfeQzw6nMATsQNxbCJBkXh1HnJ2hCnO8yWOA0BceLVqgJ-gvQlgyEe9GY71Eb583vUIm1_om3mHeyJPNSFaJrErvN1ag_kObien/s1600/subzero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XMPdMyYooR8NoAQXKvqigRu1y0kF-1-jLyXPBmz6YWFQMl1H2p6X2JqRfZY-XKN2xgqKSj0D4dAzIiVsUg3PyKfeQzw6nMATsQNxbCJBkXh1HnJ2hCnO8yWOA0BceLVqgJ-gvQlgyEe9GY71Eb583vUIm1_om3mHeyJPNSFaJrErvN1ag_kObien/w400-h400/subzero.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Sub-Zero (Bi-Han) - </b>I ranked all of these in order of the likelihood of the Twins' starting each player as their Opening Day SS. Here's what I learned about Sub-Zero from the Mortal Kombat Wiki: <i>Before his death, Bi-Han was the original Sub-Zero, one of the most powerful and devout warriors of the Lin Kuei clan. While essentially neutral, he was a cold-blooded, vicious assassin whose soul had become corrupted from years of violence and remorseless killing. </i>All traits that lend well to the middle infield, I'd say. It might cause some issues with the League Office, though.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcrMRo_b92d8roq6bW9_FbOGIoSHjoAf5sYiK1J1-SLNhWIBKt9_TAO9Z8QIxcvqPctSurqgLGnTeWQ66FClmocIGV_UAK5xAeJyycjd37JZmeKq4L0w7C9TIWASCh7KV0WzDApxXZk5Dy8BaOH0imow-hyDml96NUaD1q5Ng6SU0rhB54XMyE6aC/s1600/correa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1168" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcrMRo_b92d8roq6bW9_FbOGIoSHjoAf5sYiK1J1-SLNhWIBKt9_TAO9Z8QIxcvqPctSurqgLGnTeWQ66FClmocIGV_UAK5xAeJyycjd37JZmeKq4L0w7C9TIWASCh7KV0WzDApxXZk5Dy8BaOH0imow-hyDml96NUaD1q5Ng6SU0rhB54XMyE6aC/w468-h640/correa.jpg" width="468" /></a></div><p><b>Carlos Correa - </b>This was by far the least likely possibility, at least in the minds of Twins fans. Correa was almost certainly getting a contract like Corey Seager (10 years, $325 Million), seeing as he's younger and has an even better track record. The #1 Overall pick of the 2012 Draft, Correa has won a Platinum Glove (Gold Glove plus the best overall fielder at any position in the league), is a 2 time All-Star (remember that Polanco beat him out in one of those years), was the 2015 Rookie of the Year, and is coming off a season in which he piled up a career best 7.2 WAR. He was the biggest name free agent this off-season, and somehow the Twins managed to sign him. His contract has an opt out after this season (and after next season if he decides to stay), but that only seems to make the deal better for both sides. If he opts out it means he had a great season, which is exactly what the Twins want. He makes his Spring Training debut for the Twins tomorrow!</p></div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-25258578779143583382022-03-25T17:37:00.002-05:002022-03-25T17:37:49.746-05:00More 1964 Topps Venezuelan Progress (and a little bonus find!)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilop-aqBFr5uAoXLcWSOcMUXjUAgarXnaku9vy9aa4sesr3rUnIrs-AV0SiDuwZzLgbsuenf1isDMhm-3_5JZ5NOUp6M8fCwupsB9DKOAr_12LgErGTnAvn2ItBH8WYd3vBsGPVFb_i_uBgwD_cHcroP7Z84w5NMrtvq2BAgZT-Ay6MEQmBUILSdie/s2346/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2346" data-original-width="1738" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilop-aqBFr5uAoXLcWSOcMUXjUAgarXnaku9vy9aa4sesr3rUnIrs-AV0SiDuwZzLgbsuenf1isDMhm-3_5JZ5NOUp6M8fCwupsB9DKOAr_12LgErGTnAvn2ItBH8WYd3vBsGPVFb_i_uBgwD_cHcroP7Z84w5NMrtvq2BAgZT-Ay6MEQmBUILSdie/w474-h640/001.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm still chipping away at this tough set, I am keeping my price at or below $10 a card, and limiting the budget month to month so I don't go broke doing this. It helps that I'm not going after graded cards and there seems to not be a ton of other collectors out there vying for these particular peculiarities. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBzu7CHquhCpmAHWvRD_lTkAhg4_eLdihzs2YswZi4gPOlpXg4s0LMMDIt8kHkXhBoFbCMD1orRZ45uSVyqVzfG4ir_LOY6oen8-P9w5qRM9R8RStHPbC5cF4fVr6ngbJLM-I859lHu3oMw78AMEuaVtSyx0abE8MJmAFBKoojLMX6Z9KhnFeRLJ9/s2355/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1754" data-original-width="2355" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBzu7CHquhCpmAHWvRD_lTkAhg4_eLdihzs2YswZi4gPOlpXg4s0LMMDIt8kHkXhBoFbCMD1orRZ45uSVyqVzfG4ir_LOY6oen8-P9w5qRM9R8RStHPbC5cF4fVr6ngbJLM-I859lHu3oMw78AMEuaVtSyx0abE8MJmAFBKoojLMX6Z9KhnFeRLJ9/w491-h365/002.jpg" width="491" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Really the only measure right now is glued backs / major paper loss. rounded corners are just fine, as these cards traveled a long way to get here. These cards have pushed me up over 200 for the set!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesUFBGHsoRIzofH65sPCXSNk5-0gNHw9ag5SzpF_wDOtulNTcWdjrbzv5IgX3g7qoJzxTAypZhYvV3UHCRWlvEHo8dMwIhOD0qmrEUZqGdcuyuE5ByhXeR1e_nlUfuaLheuwmVcLDqX-X5aF0lx4vM86iuLsHfUSW7CjWG-jACLgaue_anSTfLkCh/s2372/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2372" data-original-width="1743" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesUFBGHsoRIzofH65sPCXSNk5-0gNHw9ag5SzpF_wDOtulNTcWdjrbzv5IgX3g7qoJzxTAypZhYvV3UHCRWlvEHo8dMwIhOD0qmrEUZqGdcuyuE5ByhXeR1e_nlUfuaLheuwmVcLDqX-X5aF0lx4vM86iuLsHfUSW7CjWG-jACLgaue_anSTfLkCh/w470-h640/003.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I almost passed on Nelson Mathews there, as there is a helpful "CF" written on the front, but I figured I won't find the same card any cheaper in that condition any time soon. I don't know how much upgrading I'll do on this set, it will depend on how close I can get to completing the set as is. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8B4M-4CgQWCK60LX6DZpqqsLtxmaDTxdtYxQRwH-Y9mj1oWvX5sbf_jrolt5_UNMV3a2xzuhyAwisx5lUg25ClUr-3DYD9GKSkPZxXDaZI0H4JU6yEPxTMZAzgbyGDywK0V7aXClkXxa0HfPzhRDBwGn25M_jnuWa9cAc4rYgO8WX2e4yxU0t65oc/s2309/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1745" data-original-width="2309" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8B4M-4CgQWCK60LX6DZpqqsLtxmaDTxdtYxQRwH-Y9mj1oWvX5sbf_jrolt5_UNMV3a2xzuhyAwisx5lUg25ClUr-3DYD9GKSkPZxXDaZI0H4JU6yEPxTMZAzgbyGDywK0V7aXClkXxa0HfPzhRDBwGn25M_jnuWa9cAc4rYgO8WX2e4yxU0t65oc/w505-h383/004.jpg" width="505" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think the Tris Speaker trivia art on the back of Nelson's card is my favorite of this bunch too - another reason I'm glad I decided to add it. Mathews is <b><i>not </i></b>related to Ed Mathews, but Nelson's son T.J. Mathews was a middle reliever for 8 seasons in the 90s / 00s for Oakland and Saint Louis. FUN FACT.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKATLBP6cAcGQm7Su03I1WZRBIqEjCDP-v7JIo4K2Lke_VbZV-8qF7KEC4TKhprrQZIz-iK6djmQ3G65vxypOMIkK0gjHB4RbZPQUAG0UkVPRlSBXgceiNybwWgS6Ccs9_coE7MVwqZ0hNCE5BbnuFIrRpnKqRdwf0rADTnN-NPa5nhCzMhkHMtLzc/s1192/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="880" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKATLBP6cAcGQm7Su03I1WZRBIqEjCDP-v7JIo4K2Lke_VbZV-8qF7KEC4TKhprrQZIz-iK6djmQ3G65vxypOMIkK0gjHB4RbZPQUAG0UkVPRlSBXgceiNybwWgS6Ccs9_coE7MVwqZ0hNCE5BbnuFIrRpnKqRdwf0rADTnN-NPa5nhCzMhkHMtLzc/w472-h640/005.jpg" width="472" /></a></div> <p></p><p>The same eBay seller that has the 1964 Topps cards has a whole host of other random Venezuelan items like coins and paper money... and tobacco cards! This is one of several for sale from the same set, originally printed in 1943. This was the most interesting image of the group (in my highly subjective opinion). </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBVQtddiFec63GkwelH8vRvBscaVCel7ogqa_ttVADTJUtomA6SFohfV08DM40avwyQGnCzyAGPsRwUuVA-gTxZD1GcBD928P1cm4sWy-1GFimBvZMmIHJLsND2qLQmWp9y2Z-RlRRtVDvele2BDOUDYZcImolJ1sX3AAKfxDRgufRDQKT6lKeQiw/s878/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="553" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBVQtddiFec63GkwelH8vRvBscaVCel7ogqa_ttVADTJUtomA6SFohfV08DM40avwyQGnCzyAGPsRwUuVA-gTxZD1GcBD928P1cm4sWy-1GFimBvZMmIHJLsND2qLQmWp9y2Z-RlRRtVDvele2BDOUDYZcImolJ1sX3AAKfxDRgufRDQKT6lKeQiw/w253-h400/006.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><p>Any relation to José Briceño from the Rockies? The last names follow the mother's maiden name, rather than the fathers in most cases in Latin American countries, so this is probably <i>not </i>his great grandfather... who knows? Regardless, it was a fun little bonus to add to the collection!</p><p>Do you collect any cards from other countries (beyond the occasional O-Pee-Chee from Canada?)?</p>Thanks for reading!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-1970415928796303512022-03-24T18:29:00.002-05:002022-03-24T18:29:42.062-05:00Joy of a completed (sub)set - 1969 Topps Deckle Edge<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U3RjlTFI6GG-EewQClf97JB6QW2ltTf2mebP5dqndLvPKptfVS-qLdvbP3EWfM-j-mTjdvPH-d1nJtk8Ak1D-_a2k9Z9Lw6q_e6Kx_VSmy9a-34aLvrY-8BisU-3HN1XFg9KgqF9G7bhn0cXFNprjmLTtLzlYd-0DtbAajrOH4nevSnOgzzNf3Ru/s1042/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="718" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U3RjlTFI6GG-EewQClf97JB6QW2ltTf2mebP5dqndLvPKptfVS-qLdvbP3EWfM-j-mTjdvPH-d1nJtk8Ak1D-_a2k9Z9Lw6q_e6Kx_VSmy9a-34aLvrY-8BisU-3HN1XFg9KgqF9G7bhn0cXFNprjmLTtLzlYd-0DtbAajrOH4nevSnOgzzNf3Ru/w275-h400/001.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tell me if this has happened to you, fellow collector. You've checked everything off your checklist, and that last card (probably a shortprint, or a Yankee, or both) has just made its way into your collection. You did it! You finished the set! Time to put it all in a binder all nice and organized... wait. <i>Where's the Luis Tiant card?</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbAie6R3VIrr_4Neim1Rhu4E0SzGcGHe4YhmijBdwsHtQc5WdOsAhBM9BbH3fBz-14U5I_0OkEfUMqPeAEWIp5_i27fX7IiMQMd6ovTqjg6dAjIafWiwNqe5FcIkOqtb2UEURoLECjrI9nyvibC6ZLshXU0UbgLh2HqoNgz6RuVw-azvHRHjdPBil/s1003/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1003" data-original-width="753" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbAie6R3VIrr_4Neim1Rhu4E0SzGcGHe4YhmijBdwsHtQc5WdOsAhBM9BbH3fBz-14U5I_0OkEfUMqPeAEWIp5_i27fX7IiMQMd6ovTqjg6dAjIafWiwNqe5FcIkOqtb2UEURoLECjrI9nyvibC6ZLshXU0UbgLh2HqoNgz6RuVw-azvHRHjdPBil/w300-h400/002.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>I could have sworn I had this one!</i> Well, I was all ready to post this a couple weeks ago, but I was missing old "No. 7 of 33." After a careful search of stacks of Cleveland cards, and stacks of vintage oddballs, and going through several binders, it was time to bite the bullet and spend the $1.99 to fix this. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvnuX4CwmniOy8xqIFFUTadxTIf8eeosuN3BREDs3JMwZvXVCRX6Kf5-1MsdSIfpFhx4agaBGwnoOB3WjOKf6XspK5Pg5e4q9urykrf-jDrMacUJoa2AfPnoz_tpr0iQA3wYTvNR1ZNzE0GJpN5mwHTKQqFHUi6txkWjmlozDVeKlUfzVNh6hE6Lb/s3507/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvnuX4CwmniOy8xqIFFUTadxTIf8eeosuN3BREDs3JMwZvXVCRX6Kf5-1MsdSIfpFhx4agaBGwnoOB3WjOKf6XspK5Pg5e4q9urykrf-jDrMacUJoa2AfPnoz_tpr0iQA3wYTvNR1ZNzE0GJpN5mwHTKQqFHUi6txkWjmlozDVeKlUfzVNh6hE6Lb/w466-h640/003.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And now it's all done! I <a href="https://subjectiveandarbitrary.blogspot.com/2015/09/today-kurt-is-man.html">started this set build</a> back in 2015, around the same time I started pretty much all of my serious set building / collecting goals. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ5aItP9PJOafB0Ij1TbEMfRGRP71Hn_HC6UTp3u3qQNVNZr-dshg0so1l39uJBub5Qux3SgwpqRp7QOS_jqeIwnqGnTHqpoxY9dsTWIjaztAMhCorfi2YbUu4WwwCWKOgftG-fq1HOWiGTfN1O5XsqivXFyldr0LUiUKqVlkQZy2MM8M5d5k0oXN/s3507/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ5aItP9PJOafB0Ij1TbEMfRGRP71Hn_HC6UTp3u3qQNVNZr-dshg0so1l39uJBub5Qux3SgwpqRp7QOS_jqeIwnqGnTHqpoxY9dsTWIjaztAMhCorfi2YbUu4WwwCWKOgftG-fq1HOWiGTfN1O5XsqivXFyldr0LUiUKqVlkQZy2MM8M5d5k0oXN/w466-h640/004.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was very very casual about building it, too- I think I had most of it knocked out in a few card show trips back in 2015, but the two short prints ("11B" Jimmy Wynn and "22B" Joe Foy), eluded me for a long time.</div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YCCxu2QOGQokOAWcuWTvsPnKyHRN130hud3Kebnwz9jEG7Rzp5AU64SfCHLAisW--hng2H64VNkdqAPAu6AtFDmER9AArJ5CpLEf5REyRqcjWGCN8O5nDDAQC_enN3M5JYMqrdOHai2UMNXh3xR7zeDtQqChQI9DGE5pJUCdxkDhwihmhFtqJ4hV/s3507/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YCCxu2QOGQokOAWcuWTvsPnKyHRN130hud3Kebnwz9jEG7Rzp5AU64SfCHLAisW--hng2H64VNkdqAPAu6AtFDmER9AArJ5CpLEf5REyRqcjWGCN8O5nDDAQC_enN3M5JYMqrdOHai2UMNXh3xR7zeDtQqChQI9DGE5pJUCdxkDhwihmhFtqJ4hV/w466-h640/005.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><p>This was a pretty appealing set for a budget - most of the cards can be found for a dollar or two (less if you're buying in 2015), it's really just the short prints that can be pricey. I waited a long time to get a good price for the Jimmy Wynn. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hRCtdK7mvdX3pIvwjDaA3zpwvLvZond7Od78lBWv7ZXQY4-F7bi69SxBrUJnSOa8kVH28IqacmUCYF6y7LnQ8U4ncHTTDO5o1RT9QQKqIM7PRZTEani93E6k6OOyzw3fSuqdGyLKs5-6esqJfq4JGh8wlw2IstlBWnUhROxJLA76knDq9D_cqL8J/s3507/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hRCtdK7mvdX3pIvwjDaA3zpwvLvZond7Od78lBWv7ZXQY4-F7bi69SxBrUJnSOa8kVH28IqacmUCYF6y7LnQ8U4ncHTTDO5o1RT9QQKqIM7PRZTEani93E6k6OOyzw3fSuqdGyLKs5-6esqJfq4JGh8wlw2IstlBWnUhROxJLA76knDq9D_cqL8J/w466-h640/006.jpg" width="466" /></a></div></div><br />This last page packs quite a punch- with the exception of Al Ferrara, these are all legends of the game!<p></p><p>The set is "out of 33," but there are actually 35 cards in the set, as there are two #11s and two #22s. </p><p>I'm convinced I'm going to find that Luis Tiant in some random pile somewhere... </p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-11917230958831959272022-03-23T17:09:00.001-05:002022-03-23T17:09:38.296-05:00Hit 'em with the Heiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii(m?)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I opened some packs of 2022 Topps Series 1 a while back, and I saw this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyX7VbqU79sdCkn9W0KzsfJZrtE7ASdrdI9RHNPYQkBJBWUOMq4qjHvFfpKyJxWP0akGvOQp5oa3RWLJsYE2zcj3lJVIIGcgouunqg4RnzrP3a_jPS13b8fejHN1d9VBtl_V6r8jCm_j4p2qdF5-B-4XPa20pFjvPLvGdW4pJkHHoBkuSnxIdykECy/s1051/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="753" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyX7VbqU79sdCkn9W0KzsfJZrtE7ASdrdI9RHNPYQkBJBWUOMq4qjHvFfpKyJxWP0akGvOQp5oa3RWLJsYE2zcj3lJVIIGcgouunqg4RnzrP3a_jPS13b8fejHN1d9VBtl_V6r8jCm_j4p2qdF5-B-4XPa20pFjvPLvGdW4pJkHHoBkuSnxIdykECy/w286-h400/001.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Which made me laugh because it reminded me of this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DaAk7tB09S0NLl2GmmE0PvZGWmBhlOGQoeaP0OGKY7Li16T3xr3ubdDoza2oY078bkFk0xByqcvs-zvLuDPr_Awd5_v6AfoZdvx20XyEHZM5HUZa1W9zbagj9h_t102rG9FVutI_rpBHwy9Frj4tOPGlYfSiSIiEw1GJHRW3it733Bq2haiVVLUS/s480/1_UhiuYsswBeBC-mfjahHY4w.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="480" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DaAk7tB09S0NLl2GmmE0PvZGWmBhlOGQoeaP0OGKY7Li16T3xr3ubdDoza2oY078bkFk0xByqcvs-zvLuDPr_Awd5_v6AfoZdvx20XyEHZM5HUZa1W9zbagj9h_t102rG9FVutI_rpBHwy9Frj4tOPGlYfSiSIiEw1GJHRW3it733Bq2haiVVLUS/s320/1_UhiuYsswBeBC-mfjahHY4w.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, for some reason, I decided to do... this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbfb8OTUFCoIjVR8yKeahabfvH-W4c5rwRHdn7lJst2LeA2CqjwRvjgU5bn6VUBYyUuv4CU3tojVtBoQDXkcL7B46DMl3oJYWr2zue-tMMyyDMV8D-Cs2GWk6vZhgPi-jTxyT6VX4HufKsuwKWLb-lG7JmlVzAWTDr-Qw-Lc5Ii_kzO7L_kpsRWXX/s3507/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbfb8OTUFCoIjVR8yKeahabfvH-W4c5rwRHdn7lJst2LeA2CqjwRvjgU5bn6VUBYyUuv4CU3tojVtBoQDXkcL7B46DMl3oJYWr2zue-tMMyyDMV8D-Cs2GWk6vZhgPi-jTxyT6VX4HufKsuwKWLb-lG7JmlVzAWTDr-Qw-Lc5Ii_kzO7L_kpsRWXX/w466-h640/004.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">and if I do that... why not do this too?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUD6ZWbPD28PvOePcqPcbv15D-x_QR4B1fyiqQ1FdGbcxMLS3PH3KjY3FtkE59lCWAkIsEGDXct7jM1IUYxI5uakBVoEZz12ejqu1GOPlh73DOY1H7g6Ka2Ga4XWH1XUUND1NzZiqkAzAFrN_8fnddkUg-Aw5S-ifEvb4eLLM209a-ed3iyei254-/s3507/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUD6ZWbPD28PvOePcqPcbv15D-x_QR4B1fyiqQ1FdGbcxMLS3PH3KjY3FtkE59lCWAkIsEGDXct7jM1IUYxI5uakBVoEZz12ejqu1GOPlh73DOY1H7g6Ka2Ga4XWH1XUUND1NzZiqkAzAFrN_8fnddkUg-Aw5S-ifEvb4eLLM209a-ed3iyei254-/w466-h640/005.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><p></p><p>Still looking for the /50 and /25 "1st Edition" parallels, but here's /75 and /10 . . .</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7FkGfgZJokrAgsjpzX6v8kKhdqoQAvuJixECJaw9UqKFxV11I1j4eTV9oG9YLaEPgKrMJVdWqkb2AogZSXAsUKWSo34qsn09RTKoIujRiy_gXpbyLwqm0XF1HqA2dAgP1M0zF0Bi-Neu1p1TK1wOqhBb2a3QvElmb6hAxfUVc7m3TirWxkibKA3W/s3507/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7FkGfgZJokrAgsjpzX6v8kKhdqoQAvuJixECJaw9UqKFxV11I1j4eTV9oG9YLaEPgKrMJVdWqkb2AogZSXAsUKWSo34qsn09RTKoIujRiy_gXpbyLwqm0XF1HqA2dAgP1M0zF0Bi-Neu1p1TK1wOqhBb2a3QvElmb6hAxfUVc7m3TirWxkibKA3W/w466-h640/006.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><br />You know what I think? Go big or go home.<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiaTIz-vvrpn15yP8wRn_5sPOZBGW2C4f6-cDvkwnU07rU_wDR9ayfAC48DU9RE42lPekf_OUGB-4fMa0iVzhq8Ie6nbE1ENhwLHTMlkzDzHKM4AdHPZJAl_pZRRnboccyMgT-Q2uo8vwz3hrSl6GGp2bH8CSYrjihegEbhdTuV-yH-pEHfbPqowH/s2358/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2162" data-original-width="2358" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiaTIz-vvrpn15yP8wRn_5sPOZBGW2C4f6-cDvkwnU07rU_wDR9ayfAC48DU9RE42lPekf_OUGB-4fMa0iVzhq8Ie6nbE1ENhwLHTMlkzDzHKM4AdHPZJAl_pZRRnboccyMgT-Q2uo8vwz3hrSl6GGp2bH8CSYrjihegEbhdTuV-yH-pEHfbPqowH/w455-h416/003.jpg" width="455" /></a></div><p>Right?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9e7GelltSW54G7hlKJ6HhSePSuqSmmQCfgyDwt8XEfSsz-MTG50Ol7V7fxp0SW-aqWD2b2IlmLX1nZ1TkKcQk30cbXuOz3o99NU2dA1MLgand5QixGXolUFfDdig-NLlrjP0S8XsZGzDSd7eOwpl031wRrfj4KhO8YZfIL2otc22fmga6NSBh22F-/s2362/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2145" data-original-width="2362" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9e7GelltSW54G7hlKJ6HhSePSuqSmmQCfgyDwt8XEfSsz-MTG50Ol7V7fxp0SW-aqWD2b2IlmLX1nZ1TkKcQk30cbXuOz3o99NU2dA1MLgand5QixGXolUFfDdig-NLlrjP0S8XsZGzDSd7eOwpl031wRrfj4KhO8YZfIL2otc22fmga6NSBh22F-/w451-h410/002.jpg" width="451" /></a></div><p>This was made easier, I think, because the Rangers acquired a new catcher, Mitch Garver. This pushed Jonah pretty far down on the depth chart so I don't know how many other people are trying to get these. I was the only person bidding on most of these. </p><br /><br /><p></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-84451382460419377462022-03-22T17:02:00.004-05:002022-03-22T17:02:53.783-05:00eBay Impulsivity<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBo7XwdUfXs35z4PSHv-XW4fPC6mehWO1Hd6i__6wGhAOKvfxSloa6tpuEcTXK8YDkfrlUJtarWv_mB08TUl09uYI0R6Vhiy7Mf-ABpbfTi8Geu3m-iNPLlnuUe-7oqPfpEYWvZF8zARkkuaGC26tBlxMwkAIuRFEpsLzAkhOndjjJKjfjLQj8S0xD/s1132/Nolan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBo7XwdUfXs35z4PSHv-XW4fPC6mehWO1Hd6i__6wGhAOKvfxSloa6tpuEcTXK8YDkfrlUJtarWv_mB08TUl09uYI0R6Vhiy7Mf-ABpbfTi8Geu3m-iNPLlnuUe-7oqPfpEYWvZF8zARkkuaGC26tBlxMwkAIuRFEpsLzAkhOndjjJKjfjLQj8S0xD/w470-h640/Nolan.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><p>Just a few random cards to show today, trying to keep my streak of posts going a little bit longer. I miss card shows enough that I will sometimes jump on eBay and sort by ending soonest to find some fun deals. I snagged this Ryan for $10 (no one else bid on it!), for example. This card is notoriously off center like the example above.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn5IZgXtBGkWEY9vet30dkSiR9Z5LO6jTIIf5XrmqcyFN4gdOEwOXekHsDvUmV8uQ7NLqERWNhPWM49k-8vrEno0n1Hm5NoCp6KXSiXY7GK6Ql3XXgovWcH8aTfZtjpfohPyhcJGwCxp4Bv1-Wehx4FBu8dKOqwhd24OcbIUM3havQkL3sfeW51mZ/s800/Kirilloff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn5IZgXtBGkWEY9vet30dkSiR9Z5LO6jTIIf5XrmqcyFN4gdOEwOXekHsDvUmV8uQ7NLqERWNhPWM49k-8vrEno0n1Hm5NoCp6KXSiXY7GK6Ql3XXgovWcH8aTfZtjpfohPyhcJGwCxp4Bv1-Wehx4FBu8dKOqwhd24OcbIUM3havQkL3sfeW51mZ/w480-h640/Kirilloff.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Twins cards will often get a bid from me - I think this is my first Kiriloff autograph, when I am actively looking for them, they are too expensive!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5HgRUeloTKLIgEJ4tXg5HZ0NXMQdW5WzIalM1dPPCTEXNLq7rF_XHk3nryfFDWfFXaTf3QBXW3-F-I-9nNWxyDGB2X49itBo9LSfDlyQOSkd80fmMHcGO-yrYdg93cvV-mOZJ8ft5fzmL2WXaosp0BUUQhf7B4mBfOBsuuiXibb_GcFpFblI__Gw/s1600/griffey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5HgRUeloTKLIgEJ4tXg5HZ0NXMQdW5WzIalM1dPPCTEXNLq7rF_XHk3nryfFDWfFXaTf3QBXW3-F-I-9nNWxyDGB2X49itBo9LSfDlyQOSkd80fmMHcGO-yrYdg93cvV-mOZJ8ft5fzmL2WXaosp0BUUQhf7B4mBfOBsuuiXibb_GcFpFblI__Gw/w480-h640/griffey.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Last but not least, this Griffey card is one I've probably seen 100s of times but never tried to bid on before. It's a "pre-rookie" card from 1988. I was the only bidder this time though! </p><p>Do you impulse bid or impulse buy cards online? Find anything fun lately?</p><p>Thanks for reading!</p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-3590637658412731362022-03-21T18:36:00.002-05:002022-03-21T21:07:41.520-05:001999 Topps All-Star Rookie First Baseman Brian Daubach<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4EKZ4lN7nwps2ArWQ9gqdJ0uy2g1NC9ix8YWmLPPer7R5FX7KRz-0tMGuZ63rBYGqm74p5lwOUZHnm6h_UVNE_nOLPivSn9Av8jbGrlYGL0C7T_lxtZA0aiCb30nqJy5_85dbEFfslbWIt3f7P9S8GxOXLTaetAXj8jIbRx3ZBd8Wx4U1FGbX_OVv=s1047" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="755" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4EKZ4lN7nwps2ArWQ9gqdJ0uy2g1NC9ix8YWmLPPer7R5FX7KRz-0tMGuZ63rBYGqm74p5lwOUZHnm6h_UVNE_nOLPivSn9Av8jbGrlYGL0C7T_lxtZA0aiCb30nqJy5_85dbEFfslbWIt3f7P9S8GxOXLTaetAXj8jIbRx3ZBd8Wx4U1FGbX_OVv=w462-h640" width="462" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The path to the big leagues can be a long one - it was certainly the case for Brian Daubach, who was a rookie at the ripe old age of 27. It wasn't for lack of effort - in fact the slugger from Belleville, IL would become affectionately known as the charter member of the "Dirt Dogs," the role players that helped the early 2000s Red Sox finally overcome the Curse of the Bambino.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7fS4b0cQAfF0iMG9ypy-sDDZBHeJFfzwelr-SnCRYeGcjrs3xin9_o0XNerf2Y72bPGs-xMDXYGT3dJMQoYGXFEoQgbbnTXMw4K_gaF_gEd9KyCbOxNQJCBnGmW5Jii15WD1IKpzX_Cc3KNFYZZ8Hy2I63QsQOpyGzTzeIeMzh1WkUPjuYH18i8MU=s1048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="751" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7fS4b0cQAfF0iMG9ypy-sDDZBHeJFfzwelr-SnCRYeGcjrs3xin9_o0XNerf2Y72bPGs-xMDXYGT3dJMQoYGXFEoQgbbnTXMw4K_gaF_gEd9KyCbOxNQJCBnGmW5Jii15WD1IKpzX_Cc3KNFYZZ8Hy2I63QsQOpyGzTzeIeMzh1WkUPjuYH18i8MU=w458-h640" width="458" /></a></div></div> <p></p><p>Daubach hit 21 homers in his first full season in the big leagues, while hitting a robust .294/.360/.562 slash line. He had a torrid month of August which included 7 homers and a .327 average. His slugging pct for the season would have ranked in the top 10 in the AL if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. Pair that with his long road to the big leagues, and it's a great story - worthy of a spot on Topps' All-Star Rookie Team. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguclGHreLjlG1Wffly99Jx6fbyUSv9OpIdW2ZQ9oNUvW-URjX6TFeBSwjAVUnYpoSkW3f__1gLDmUb89iBadmIume2tw3NjtufLMjZIaNyYmMwrm21Xg8GhuqClKP4NjKbULG0KkxkjB8m8H72hWwzOLOpIjmIf26vf8AL43FfJJIZdff4xYngqNrt=s1052" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguclGHreLjlG1Wffly99Jx6fbyUSv9OpIdW2ZQ9oNUvW-URjX6TFeBSwjAVUnYpoSkW3f__1gLDmUb89iBadmIume2tw3NjtufLMjZIaNyYmMwrm21Xg8GhuqClKP4NjKbULG0KkxkjB8m8H72hWwzOLOpIjmIf26vf8AL43FfJJIZdff4xYngqNrt=w460-h640" width="460" /></a></div><p>Drafted in the 17th Round by the Mets in 1990 out of high school. He would spend several seasons in the minors in the Mets' org with less than impressive totals - his highest slugging percentage in his first 6 seasons was .401, and his career season high in homers to that point was just 10. Then, his reputation took a hit during the player's strike in Spring Training of 1995. Daubach was placed on the Mets' replacement players' roster with other minor league Mets, playing in Spring Training games while the MLBPA was still on the picket line. As a result of crossing the line, Daubach was barred from ever joining the Players' Association. Heading into 1996, he'd even been told by a manager that he'd never be a major leaguer, and perhaps that was enough to motivate him to prove the critics wrong. He was just starting to see some progress (22 Homers in 1996) when he became a minor league free agent. He contemplated playing in Japan, but ultimately took an offer with the Florida Marlins. He slugged over .500 for the first time in his professional career, and the following season had his breakout with the Charlotte Knights, the Marlins' AAA affiliate. He led the International league in Extra base hits, and earned a call-up to play for the big league squad in September of 1998. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLY9iJzvwt8zxrdDNHhJ65MJ_6A278nLuEiJwetX4ruNzJEKa86gGOGasNwRkWdmoJJ6gF-V19r9J7pFDw8dO5JMBSdNiNBO_JwTR-CPzPf8mvJJoDo-Dp2LcjHRIpEVOWP8joCPmp8kNlf0LNEIbGuqcNXTSXA2-wlPCvQ4MlY8xVuQHovMHYejwx=s1051" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="752" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLY9iJzvwt8zxrdDNHhJ65MJ_6A278nLuEiJwetX4ruNzJEKa86gGOGasNwRkWdmoJJ6gF-V19r9J7pFDw8dO5JMBSdNiNBO_JwTR-CPzPf8mvJJoDo-Dp2LcjHRIpEVOWP8joCPmp8kNlf0LNEIbGuqcNXTSXA2-wlPCvQ4MlY8xVuQHovMHYejwx=w458-h640" width="458" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Red Sox were intrigued by his power potential that had blossomed at the right time. Daubach would hit 20 or more homers for the Red Sox in his first four seasons - a feat accomplished just 4 other times in team history. Ted Williams, Tony Conigliaro, Jim Rice, and Nomar Garciaparra being the others. He was rewarded with a $2.325 Million Dollar deal for 2002, where he would once again hit better than league average (111 OPS+) with another 20 homers for Boston. The Team would have the choice between bringing back Daubach to play first, or they could take a flier on a young player just cut loose by the Twins. The Sox chose Ortiz, so Daubach was on the move again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYhhh47GONgtHa3bvk0LcdcFWrIv10yUCQXv2aWb_YdvUer6ZQjHMd0T7ASs_NFXn4sWqqjOxiFUR-UGaHFcxblIULz_CTuk9mO8ItDHDq1hYbrnMoxWH-nCkXPPvgM2d7441wYIdmZQvtQk_zpcTj15PjiOatx1w8oz9EZXuCqLCRXSWVhFXPS9d1=s1055" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYhhh47GONgtHa3bvk0LcdcFWrIv10yUCQXv2aWb_YdvUer6ZQjHMd0T7ASs_NFXn4sWqqjOxiFUR-UGaHFcxblIULz_CTuk9mO8ItDHDq1hYbrnMoxWH-nCkXPPvgM2d7441wYIdmZQvtQk_zpcTj15PjiOatx1w8oz9EZXuCqLCRXSWVhFXPS9d1=w458-h640" width="458" /></a></div><p>Daubach spent a season in Chicago, where he'd play first base, DH, and both corner outfield positions. He hit just .230/.352/.388 in his lone South Side season, and was left looking for another gig that offseason. 2004 would bring him back to Boston, ostensibly as an insurance/injury replacement. He'd find his way into the lineup just 30 times that summer, but Red Sox fans were happy to have him all the same. He would return to the organization that drafted him in 2005, splitting time between the AAA Norfolk Tides and the Mets. He hit pretty well in Norfolk, with 16 homers and a .325 average. He would spend one more season in the minors, moving over to the Cardinals' AAA team in Memphis before retiring and getting into coaching. He is currently the hitting coach for the AAA Rochester Red Wings, and was the manager in Harrisburg when the Nationals drafted Bryce Harper. </p><br /><br /><p></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-49286024262084989152022-03-20T13:36:00.000-05:002022-03-20T13:36:37.130-05:00I Love the 80s - 1982 Milwaukee Brewers<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">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!</span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">In 1981, The Brewers were 2nd half champs in the AL East, which bought them a ticket to the ALDS against the New York Yankees. It was a close and tightly contested series, but the Yankees prevailed in 5 games. It was a great season for the Brewers all the same, as they reached the post season for the first time in their franchise history. Rollie Fingers was the AL Cy Young Winner, and the league MVP, the first American League Relief pitcher to win MVP honors.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipfNztYG2ZhXfj0L6254h0KK5_dV2kOI5bsbHFGBpVa192OdJR05PvILOe8Nw27j5RvTe1BcqXBQqWpSxpw3x6A9guNu8FGLbHHHsYJLXF8QqXI6L7EiVDpO147UgWb1Sr6h0bz9LcYmxxw0Lfq3ADkLNNpMI34b89aX0RC0EdVJAb9FLLEdRHq19F=s3507" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipfNztYG2ZhXfj0L6254h0KK5_dV2kOI5bsbHFGBpVa192OdJR05PvILOe8Nw27j5RvTe1BcqXBQqWpSxpw3x6A9guNu8FGLbHHHsYJLXF8QqXI6L7EiVDpO147UgWb1Sr6h0bz9LcYmxxw0Lfq3ADkLNNpMI34b89aX0RC0EdVJAb9FLLEdRHq19F=w466-h640" width="466" /></a></div><p>The Brewers had quite the encore planned for 1982. A Brewer would win MVP again, this time it was Robin Yount, and the team would once again win the AL East. It was a close pennant race all season, and it would come down to one game against the rival Baltimore Orioles. After beating Baltimore and taking all 5 games to outlast the formidable California Angels, the Brewers took the St. Louis Cardinals to the limit as well. Game 7 would ultimately tip in the Cardinals' favor, but the Brewers proved to be a tough test and a worthy opponent.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRnvsTzhOxoYmc8VI8ifyPTALKViTsiRSr2UamjZ-7hT32swxNrfs36wYlorZEuiC_xoJ06UjTJsf3FkDPHpvfLqSMlU38bjDgJl9eNsF4eLUoF-NimXdh2BLbU_E2Y3hAYcoJbMIYL1J5hlrys1pk1IHAsxK9c-ywcU7gqG3QbqADKQiqpGfI8j-Y=s3507" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRnvsTzhOxoYmc8VI8ifyPTALKViTsiRSr2UamjZ-7hT32swxNrfs36wYlorZEuiC_xoJ06UjTJsf3FkDPHpvfLqSMlU38bjDgJl9eNsF4eLUoF-NimXdh2BLbU_E2Y3hAYcoJbMIYL1J5hlrys1pk1IHAsxK9c-ywcU7gqG3QbqADKQiqpGfI8j-Y=w466-h640" width="466" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>The Cards:</b></span><p></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>Fleer # 146 Paul Molitor - </b>The knock on Molitor early in his Hall of Fame career was his inability to stay on the field. Injuries limited him to just 64 games in an already strike shortened 1981 season, but he proved his durability in the Brewers' pennant winning 1982 campaign. Piling up base hits at the top of the Brewers' lineup, Molitor had the most plate appearances and most at bats in the league. More importantly, he led the AL in runs scored with 136, which was the highest run total in the American League since 1949! Molitor also hit .355 in the 1982 World Series in a losing effort. He would go on to win the WS MVP in 1993 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Molitor was a 7 time All-Star and finished his career with 3,319 hits which ranks #10 All-Time.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>Fleer # 141 Rollie Fingers - </b>Acquiring Fingers before the start of the 1981 season (along with fellow HOFer Ted Simmons), turned the Brewers into a contender nearly overnight. He demonstrated exactly what they were trading for when he posted an absurd 333 ERA+ (100 is league average), tallying 28 saves in 47 appearances. He allowed just 9 runs all season, for a 1.04 ERA and cruised to a Cy Young and a league MVP award. His final save of the regular season came in the team's final game, when he struck out Lou Whitaker to pinch the Brewers post season ticket. The 7 time All-Star won 3 World Series with the Oakland A's in the mid 70s, and helped the Brewers get very very close to two more. After his playing days, he allowed his name to be attached to<a href="https://subjectiveandarbitrary.blogspot.com/2019/07/highly-subjective-definition-of-vintage.html"> arguably the worst sports card repack product ever assembled</a>. But what a moustache!</span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>Donruss # 510 Robin Yount - </b>Had to get a card of Yount on this page, This one was my favorite of the options available. Yount of course was the 1982 AL MVP, leading the league in hits, doubles, slugging pct, OPS+ and total bases. He was the first SS to lead the AL in slugging, and along with Cal Ripken helped re-define the position from the offensive side of the plate. Yount's offensive outburst continued in the post season, hitting over .400 in the World Series, but it wouldn't be enough to beat the Cardinals in the end. Yount would win another MVP in 1989, and finished his career with over 3,100 hits. In some ways he was an underappreciated superstar, making just 3 All-Star teams in his 20 year career. He excelled both at SS and in CF, playing roughly half of his career at either position. </span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>Topps # 542 Ned Yost - </b>Better known in recent years for his time as a manager, Yost was a 3rd string catcher for the Brewers behind Simmons and Charlie Moore. He would have his most productive season with Texas in 1984, playing in 80 games. He would hit just .182/.201/.273 that season in 242 plate appearances, which resulted in the the Rangers granting him his release in advance of the 1985 season. Yost moved into the coaching ranks as a bullpen coach in Atlanta during their 1990s dynasty and worked his way up to becoming the Milwaukee Brewers manager in the early to mid 2000s. He would move to Kansas City where he presided over the team's resurgence as an AL Central power and led the team to back-to-back World Series appearances and a Championship in 2015. Yost retired following the 2019 season. </span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>Fleer # 150 Charlie Moore - </b>Moore brought creativity and flair to Male Pattern Baldness as the everyday Catcher for the Brewers for a several years, and in 1981 as the primary backup catcher to Hall of Famer Ted Simmons. Moore had several seasons with above average offensive production while providing some excitement behind the plate - leading the league in passed balls in 1977. To make room for Simmons, Moore moved from behind the plate to Right Field for 1982 and 1983. Moore also had sneaky speed for a catcher; he had double digit steal totals twice, and for his career hit more Triples than Home runs.</span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b>Topps # 93 Larry Hisle - </b>Larry seems to be saying, "Get your own helmet, this ones mine!" Hisle was a two sport star in high school, and opted for baseball despite a scholarship offer from The Ohio State University. He still attended the school in the off-season, while climbing through the minor league systems of several teams. Injuries would ultimately de-rail a promising career, highlighted by a 1977 campaign that saw Hisle lead the AL in runs batted in. He'd follow that up in 1978 with a 30+ homer and 100+ RBI season with his first season in Milwaukee. Hisle would tear his rotator cuff in 1979, which severely limited his productivity in the field and at the plate. Hisle would go on to serve as the Blue Jays hitting coach in 1992 and 1993 for a pair of World Series rings. Blue Jays batters finished 1-2-3 in the AL batting race in 1993.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b>Fleer # 146 Rickey Keeton - </b>Keeton appeared in 22 big league games in 1980 and 81 for the Brewers, winning 3 games and losing 2. In College, he pitched in the College World Series and earned a win in his first start. He moved quickly through the minors as a 3rd round pick in 1978 by the Brewers, winning 29 games in two full seasons. After being traded by the Brewers, he pitched for several more seasons in the high minors for the Astros and Royals. Following his playing career, he became a coach and was the pitching coach for several minor league teams in the 1990s. He returned home to Cincinnati and serves as a youth pitching instructor for a baseball academy. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b>Fleer # 145 Roy Howell - </b>A first round pick by the Rangers, Howell became an All-Star as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1978. He almost didn't make it to the big leagues, being shot(!) twice (!!) in two weeks (!!!) by strangers in two different off-season hunting accidents (no, really, <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/roy-howell/">read his SABR bio</a>). A starter in Toronto, Howell was a Free Agent following the 1980 season, and opted for a reserve role with an up and coming Milwaukee team. Howell filled in at both corner infield positions, RF, and DH as needed for the Brewers, and turned up in the 1981 ALDS against the Yankees with a pair of singles and a pair of walks in 7 plate appearances. He'd go hitless in the 1982 World Series but did score a run, the first run of Game 2, which the Brewers ultimately lost. After his playing days, Howell spent time working in the insurance industry before returning to baseball as a coach in the Padres system. He was a hitting coach as recently as 2020 with the Tacoma Rainiers.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b>Topps # 280 Ben Oglivie - </b>Oglivie was already a long time MLB veteran when he came to the Brewers in 1978, and had his best seasons in Milwaukee. The 3 time All-Star led the AL in homers with 41 in 1980, while hitting .304/.362/.563 as the Brew-Crew's middle of the order thunder. Born in Panama, he was the first foreign-born MLB HR king. For his career he posted a 118 OPS+, well above league average at the plate, even though his last few seasons were marred by nagging injuries and limited production. After his final MLB season, Oglivie spent two years in Japan with the Osaka Kinetsu Buffaloes, joining forces with his former Brewers teammate Dick Davis. He slashed .306/.375/.539 in Japan and hit 46 homers over the two seasons. </span></span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-14924471148927743282022-03-19T18:36:00.000-05:002022-03-19T18:36:46.889-05:00whoopSS<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-C7bD-pWXIvxlxJA433ia4-Isjp1SQat6cwRZXO9xTJSfgbuCPRDAyAGPan-3MOq7R44XUqV5WF9Cabnkwe-_yJAQdJcTW6Oz_fLmEN4cSyXFzCmmp7XQ3-7IpKXpqL-HAUYm0fbujTnk8PzRbL8TY4mTC0FUnnEVctbeE5Z-dS71TfH4zTOBDGzB=s1111" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1111" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-C7bD-pWXIvxlxJA433ia4-Isjp1SQat6cwRZXO9xTJSfgbuCPRDAyAGPan-3MOq7R44XUqV5WF9Cabnkwe-_yJAQdJcTW6Oz_fLmEN4cSyXFzCmmp7XQ3-7IpKXpqL-HAUYm0fbujTnk8PzRbL8TY4mTC0FUnnEVctbeE5Z-dS71TfH4zTOBDGzB=w514-h362" width="514" /></a></div><p>When you are a die-hard fan of a specific team, the urge to jump in with two feet collecting "the new guy" can be hard to resist. The Twins had a pretty glaring need this off-season to add a shortstop. Their 2021 option, Andrelton Simmons, brought the glove, but also had a career worst season at the plate. He signed with the Cubs as soon as the lockout ended, so that plan was out. The Twins made a tough decision to part with Mitch Garver, one of the best hitting catchers in the majors over the last 3 seasons, to get their guy. So, of course, I was happy that the Twins found someone to play SS and went right to eBay to stock up on the Isiah Kiner-Falefa hiiiiits!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlQfwLCw1sXxtG3bNF4aeWwwTDFXGZgUKM1QlNZk6pHOEYl1QCGMT6ylRVTMbT9a_L48koTCfjmqJD-QaN9kQUVCwEYq_5cXHMMYchrGEgy6zJYFwOChM18L0FRvG__cGWOQpdyHIujf011aZz_DEyjzed4VxQbJnt2L_S0apxOIVV64sKiSKSuvXM=s1066" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="773" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlQfwLCw1sXxtG3bNF4aeWwwTDFXGZgUKM1QlNZk6pHOEYl1QCGMT6ylRVTMbT9a_L48koTCfjmqJD-QaN9kQUVCwEYq_5cXHMMYchrGEgy6zJYFwOChM18L0FRvG__cGWOQpdyHIujf011aZz_DEyjzed4VxQbJnt2L_S0apxOIVV64sKiSKSuvXM=w464-h640" width="464" /></a></div><p>Get used to this clean shaven look, kid, you're headed to the Yankees!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1bNywE2eXM" width="320" youtube-src-id="Y1bNywE2eXM"></iframe></div><br /><p>Let's talk about IKF's Twins career. </p><iframe height="501" id="reddit-embed" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups" scrolling="no" src="https://www.redditmedia.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/tdndea/thank_you_isiah_kinerfalefa_for_your_1_day_as_a/?ref_source=embed&ref=share&embed=true" style="border: none;" width="640"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Ok, now that's out of the way.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglbff_uGJBEYkiVjvrXgyie9cmCBLqypcFf4Q-AXD-uofBZowvMWEpWACj5gBevxoZjKEyrFzCt9L65MmXBYi5I4OgSGc2dQ9zkZzAbCRVwWDHHfc3S5fd_UI3GKo8tYa84Z6Mfb5iEQtzTCzB7LC3tNSn6L3soYoj-DHytNf9QoYhqxSxiV8MiytP=s1066" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="760" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglbff_uGJBEYkiVjvrXgyie9cmCBLqypcFf4Q-AXD-uofBZowvMWEpWACj5gBevxoZjKEyrFzCt9L65MmXBYi5I4OgSGc2dQ9zkZzAbCRVwWDHHfc3S5fd_UI3GKo8tYa84Z6Mfb5iEQtzTCzB7LC3tNSn6L3soYoj-DHytNf9QoYhqxSxiV8MiytP=w456-h640" width="456" /></a></div><br /><p></p></div><div>Of course, Kiner-Falefa was here for just a short time, but without him, the Twins likely would not have been able to trade Donaldson to free up the necessary capital to sign Carlos Correa. Wait, the Twins signed Carlos Correa?!? I better get over to eBay!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/nQ7A89FQVA">pic.twitter.com/nQ7A89FQVA</a></p>— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_petriello/status/1505199148412379139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-64403461827327917832022-03-17T18:07:00.002-05:002022-03-17T18:07:43.285-05:00Byron O'Buxton and the Luck of the Irish<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJGbpI9aa-ZRNOX8v8g_n6INc-BWP7sc-0WhYSUBrIKm6ab4MTvTv9kUo5z0LKR_zBitGDruYh4flW76pj1J4DDsHKoaz5eM4t81zdD3lF7m03idVQSRVK94Nsdcq9XYgbHu7bX8-8xPqaVSnGVo5bY85AoJI-ysgd6IAcz92bVpQN0zC8Q-CqrV6d=s1117" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="1117" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJGbpI9aa-ZRNOX8v8g_n6INc-BWP7sc-0WhYSUBrIKm6ab4MTvTv9kUo5z0LKR_zBitGDruYh4flW76pj1J4DDsHKoaz5eM4t81zdD3lF7m03idVQSRVK94Nsdcq9XYgbHu7bX8-8xPqaVSnGVo5bY85AoJI-ysgd6IAcz92bVpQN0zC8Q-CqrV6d=w493-h356" width="493" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Major League Baseball is back - Spring Training games started today, and the first at bat of the first game was by Byron Buxton. A single and a stolen base in today's game against Boston, and it came on Saint Patrick's Day! If anyone is due for a little luck, it's Buxton - he's been snakebitten by a series of hard-luck injuries in his career. I'm glad Topps chose Buxton for this instead of Josh Donaldson for this Twins card.</p><p>Happy Saint Patrick's Day and happy first day of Spring (Training)!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rQ-UItNBoMw" width="414" youtube-src-id="rQ-UItNBoMw"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-4539519645352743182022-03-16T18:23:00.001-05:002022-03-16T18:23:25.559-05:00I Kennys See CLEAR-ly Now<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh8-cMZSk5yhNycU6B31YnlfIly3elOCvC240qAxUt3Mp-8lY_PBfs2ZqPCWK-v3M77LXHj-2WEv7HF4tCr-V1L1DQ0QsKDucsoXXsFZHUPqF4syxPKaohWXWUhY-PuwY88bCyFxEIqoQFl_w0cY3tP4W_Mbh0uj826fi4-pVTCA8xsad2kRu13_BZ=s1054" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="1054" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh8-cMZSk5yhNycU6B31YnlfIly3elOCvC240qAxUt3Mp-8lY_PBfs2ZqPCWK-v3M77LXHj-2WEv7HF4tCr-V1L1DQ0QsKDucsoXXsFZHUPqF4syxPKaohWXWUhY-PuwY88bCyFxEIqoQFl_w0cY3tP4W_Mbh0uj826fi4-pVTCA8xsad2kRu13_BZ=w400-h293" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>This has been a long long LONG time coming! I've had several different saved searches on eBay. "Kennys Vargas," "Kenny Vargas," "Kennys Vargas Clear," "Kennys Vargas Acetate," "Kennys Vargas /10" "Kenny Vargas /10" "Vargas Clear" "Vargas Acetate" "2015 Topps Clear" "2015 Topps Acetate" "2015 Topps /10" All of these searches would have no new results for months at a time. When results did pop up, I would be briefly excited, only to feel deflated soon after. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYQw70TN1BokFly2Sxg7IuJhkwt08v3TOf0RK72Tt4WpeYoffYSSIbw3JhxJecdcqgnM6dmolBrVG4Nir4gWcB3kgV_V0Ie6Ix7CZc4hikQRalcGhaJQMXbtySWViMsz39uT9Tdks_ktDBPKX8kx-jvs68h3_LRQaR3Tg63P7eF8iuQTSilujSDkVz=s857" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="857" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYQw70TN1BokFly2Sxg7IuJhkwt08v3TOf0RK72Tt4WpeYoffYSSIbw3JhxJecdcqgnM6dmolBrVG4Nir4gWcB3kgV_V0Ie6Ix7CZc4hikQRalcGhaJQMXbtySWViMsz39uT9Tdks_ktDBPKX8kx-jvs68h3_LRQaR3Tg63P7eF8iuQTSilujSDkVz=w400-h290" width="400" /></a></div><p>And then, finally! A new listing appeared! COULD IT BE? The listing was for "<i>2015 Topps Kenny Varga Clear 2/10</i>" Close enough! BUY IT NOW!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjk3jh2RcSgRYhd3nwm3elp0RyF9oZ-IRCitgLtJ1L1mzlflxdVRxx_ifD-or1ya1qgqQvdwpeTynCMyCetn3BAKaHpRaEy-VJbv48gU0L89ZuoT6ICLla6Ay5gRI2NMMQuv8mv1FHx2XyOT2_lsRPCwjVWUl6fQbi3H5ReDfu5iazRxAtyzA2McTV=s500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="500" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjk3jh2RcSgRYhd3nwm3elp0RyF9oZ-IRCitgLtJ1L1mzlflxdVRxx_ifD-or1ya1qgqQvdwpeTynCMyCetn3BAKaHpRaEy-VJbv48gU0L89ZuoT6ICLla6Ay5gRI2NMMQuv8mv1FHx2XyOT2_lsRPCwjVWUl6fQbi3H5ReDfu5iazRxAtyzA2McTV=w400-h296" width="400" /></a></div><p>My first post about trying to put together this rainbow was added on March 16, <b><i>2015</i></b> - <a href="https://subjectiveandarbitrary.blogspot.com/2015/03/someday-well-find-it-vargas-connection.html">no kidding</a>!</p><p>And now, just 7 short years later, the card appeared as though it was the most normal thing in the world to be listed for sale. In the comments section for that 2015 post I lamented that I waited too long to decide to try for the rainbow - 2 copies of the Topps Clear version had already sold, and none were available for purchase. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time this card was up for sale on eBay since then.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisjE5KEn_OZGDzlpvtw5yyPnwxUkJa6jbVNN5xwPaoUAiZZ6I3iQUIEm1GD-k7cqswUjPXdOWhyYcoJsfr8Y9QhfLa2IlZAPovioB2BilpzpFwIe-6slnjvaoplAsDIBY3O59GLmmXa7JL_ag-sAE4sOJL47KfoNoJhselHU0BWw4mUAk-d438oXlM=s2633" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2633" data-original-width="1235" height="672" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisjE5KEn_OZGDzlpvtw5yyPnwxUkJa6jbVNN5xwPaoUAiZZ6I3iQUIEm1GD-k7cqswUjPXdOWhyYcoJsfr8Y9QhfLa2IlZAPovioB2BilpzpFwIe-6slnjvaoplAsDIBY3O59GLmmXa7JL_ag-sAE4sOJL47KfoNoJhselHU0BWw4mUAk-d438oXlM=w315-h672" width="315" /></a></div><br />Here are the lowest print run Kennys I have in the various issues from 2015 Topps. A Chrome red refractor /5, an online only Topps Mini /5, and oh, yeah, I have the platinum 1/1 too. So... now what? Well, I missed out on the Chrome Superfractor about 6 years ago, maybe that will go on sale some day? I also have yet to see any 2015 printing plates of Kennys in the wild or online, I guess that would really complete the set. <p></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-44836840479915700332022-03-15T18:01:00.001-05:002022-03-15T18:01:09.307-05:00The InternationAlous<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI75g5oT6H86eNMrsDls3vuVOWNhJ-y7k7XSsezHgBQKypsYllxLqevFS0IyyjxYJAEjdSMgUGB3Q5rkX7EW-rbwHVGQcXeSep9PPYv0NN1UgY0sP9BFDRmit2-47uN6wViC5-dU-efsYcpThLNIWqhWMslxAz-Q6mgiS5cs7OYjHU-FL-cqzZS0HJ=s1050" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="762" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI75g5oT6H86eNMrsDls3vuVOWNhJ-y7k7XSsezHgBQKypsYllxLqevFS0IyyjxYJAEjdSMgUGB3Q5rkX7EW-rbwHVGQcXeSep9PPYv0NN1UgY0sP9BFDRmit2-47uN6wViC5-dU-efsYcpThLNIWqhWMslxAz-Q6mgiS5cs7OYjHU-FL-cqzZS0HJ=w464-h640" width="464" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While working on building the 1964 Topps Venezuelan set, I have run into several other sets from other countries. I'm not going to even think about building those sets (yet), but every once in a while I see something I can't ignore. I am a big fan of the Alou brothers - Felipe, Matty and Jesús.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxyDbo-QUBTae9m7L9RmRmTrFtzQb6Ht1Let820ip6gHJIvVL5t_98EfBircx0NCSMxyMPTAIv_0HpPqUfHmY7Qqc0gmleQ7XYjMfmFgjCxcUoj63FDYJPvcYvecxMTIfNLHCjNuK9hQ1BdwksCQSwHvKTp-EZz5N1xhelirFZ5iJsWkWIYCiJp_qe=s1059" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1059" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxyDbo-QUBTae9m7L9RmRmTrFtzQb6Ht1Let820ip6gHJIvVL5t_98EfBircx0NCSMxyMPTAIv_0HpPqUfHmY7Qqc0gmleQ7XYjMfmFgjCxcUoj63FDYJPvcYvecxMTIfNLHCjNuK9hQ1BdwksCQSwHvKTp-EZz5N1xhelirFZ5iJsWkWIYCiJp_qe=w400-h291" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found this 1962 Topps Venezuelan of the big brother Felipe. The original Topps version mentions his brother Matty Alou, but the Venezuelan version only includes the first factoid about Felipe, noting that he's getting better every year for the Giants, and became a "top star" in 1961. It also mentions his PCL betting title from 1958. The cartoon is the same for both, mentioning another batting title, this time for hitting .380 in the D-League in 1956. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_AYKAfFk9Ig-Ui3wuDiTIvPBam0LxijMqKR1fbSGOhxOVdwc__3JqON1GctJLeL7VewOekbcCkJtsjRq6nOQT5SfU7ax6DM-qZAtGupfqDs0ekH8lKQgHavHWc9R76dwnm2lmQ3mc7jS7Os-WjxGmzjUQ9_SW5cPNZ6u2B0y5PjPQQ4kiEKP5WYue=s992" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="992" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_AYKAfFk9Ig-Ui3wuDiTIvPBam0LxijMqKR1fbSGOhxOVdwc__3JqON1GctJLeL7VewOekbcCkJtsjRq6nOQT5SfU7ax6DM-qZAtGupfqDs0ekH8lKQgHavHWc9R76dwnm2lmQ3mc7jS7Os-WjxGmzjUQ9_SW5cPNZ6u2B0y5PjPQQ4kiEKP5WYue=w521-h401" width="521" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of brother Matty, after being released by the Padres in 1974, middle brother Matty traveled west to Japan. He played 50 games for the Taiheiyo Club Lions in 74, hitting .312 with 12 doubles and a pair of home runs. This card is from the 1975-1976 Calbee set, and features a full bleed photo like Stadium Club some 15 years later in the States. He actually has a pair of cards in this set, you can read about the other card on the blog "<a href="http://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspot.com/2016/10/">Getting Back into Baseball Cards . . . In Japan</a>" </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMk4rBf2f19Y8ByOtcakWTFK8Z3JuLuW6EGi5Eu7JccVF9yiLyOvIAXkDS52JzzMW9HaHW8KvaPtuKUqiPPwN2Ho58puxYwP_vl58Jb5V9f8H5SirE9P5zDU1ySG9WVjiJV6zSDdxKNPHEmAmDSaoWXutyL6pL35vvDziHq4HcDs10eKHgiZove0Ry=s994" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="745" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMk4rBf2f19Y8ByOtcakWTFK8Z3JuLuW6EGi5Eu7JccVF9yiLyOvIAXkDS52JzzMW9HaHW8KvaPtuKUqiPPwN2Ho58puxYwP_vl58Jb5V9f8H5SirE9P5zDU1ySG9WVjiJV6zSDdxKNPHEmAmDSaoWXutyL6pL35vvDziHq4HcDs10eKHgiZove0Ry=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's the back of the card - I don't speak or read or write Japanese, but I can tell you that this was card #602 in the set. I randomly stumbled across this card while waiting for a different eBay auction to end.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="743" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyVrxr_yUZXi7cc-tL7khodFEytpB8jlBSPT0BATWstvt1AsAzCIFHyNjvEGJOjkeaSKlM-7AwiDgCCz1j2Nf2l7fy_C5wmZKxMJOpR9x_tHAtA9Lcp1l1XQSnpoz7f8FK6EUjafOdvQLCXauVStJIda7l0SZ0m9rRuWuqBp6wKb0F8LsJ8kzeBElA=w454-h640" width="454" /></div><p><br /></p>And just for the sake of a full set of Alou brothers, here's an American Jesús. Overwhelming millions everyday, like the song says. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzEwgm0Z3_g-3qa_2Sd9W6V3Ge-3y89nB_j3fUj-KHnNWh8tF-6Xd_BESjilLIhTyKwgFa5p8admu2TqIRfYl5R0k4Lq62AdShO6lVA5XDaicKE4H2c28p4WQvuwGjCPTg9hxUOqXZ3Px8IWcJDAbpFzgifpYWVg6JU625xwf4sF8nTjEglv7SgHV0=s1042" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1042" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzEwgm0Z3_g-3qa_2Sd9W6V3Ge-3y89nB_j3fUj-KHnNWh8tF-6Xd_BESjilLIhTyKwgFa5p8admu2TqIRfYl5R0k4Lq62AdShO6lVA5XDaicKE4H2c28p4WQvuwGjCPTg9hxUOqXZ3Px8IWcJDAbpFzgifpYWVg6JU625xwf4sF8nTjEglv7SgHV0=w400-h284" width="400" /></a></div><br />Jesús may not have had the same statistical success as his older brothers - he didn't win batting titles like Matty, he didn't go on to managerial success like Felipe, but he did manage to win 2 World Series championships while playing with Oakland, more than both his brothers combined. <br /><br />I'll continue to keep my eye out for more Alous, no matter where their cards were printed. Thanks for reading!<br /><br /><br /><p></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-48504703024127584732022-03-09T18:36:00.000-06:002022-03-09T18:36:12.060-06:00Page 13 At the Bat Rack Frankenset <p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;">Rules -</span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><div style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9 different players</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">9 different card sets</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;"><strike style="font-family: inherit;">9 different teams</strike></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">player is at the bat rack (or bat pile) in or near the dugout</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have fun </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">(most important)</b></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">PAGE THIRTEEN</b></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii2cGs5_oILNewjtjGgd4jYCzYoT_60bu7CNZY3-tC-_UG2jgFCFpzj7zzMWPLGYxS140X-22A29xJKTBYZwaOFBlghmyp60M1WVTiN0M6qRlTwZM_8JcSVLzFuRQLndQLmxPWupHEliFnQhti2TwZ9-r4OZHcfDnWQHpxIPhSyXmb4CLNp1Dn5Jyd=s3504" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3504" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii2cGs5_oILNewjtjGgd4jYCzYoT_60bu7CNZY3-tC-_UG2jgFCFpzj7zzMWPLGYxS140X-22A29xJKTBYZwaOFBlghmyp60M1WVTiN0M6qRlTwZM_8JcSVLzFuRQLndQLmxPWupHEliFnQhti2TwZ9-r4OZHcfDnWQHpxIPhSyXmb4CLNp1Dn5Jyd=w466-h640" width="466" /></a></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">. . . and the backs</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_a1YHutTeCOdpw9Cz_rVaCT8wUal7RMfE61wqDBECR91QGCOIng8uQQ9fJ5oGya3wlhFHT_w7GLVY6fOJPbSOXf36c0cbl5J4hO1iolWlsVDgTOk__1VQWVb5fnaWIK5CmaMNXk17tm-wGBo78MP4D3Jx5ZgAuBnDaR8zN_EOwh-soUtxpmWyn9jZ=s3504" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3504" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_a1YHutTeCOdpw9Cz_rVaCT8wUal7RMfE61wqDBECR91QGCOIng8uQQ9fJ5oGya3wlhFHT_w7GLVY6fOJPbSOXf36c0cbl5J4hO1iolWlsVDgTOk__1VQWVb5fnaWIK5CmaMNXk17tm-wGBo78MP4D3Jx5ZgAuBnDaR8zN_EOwh-soUtxpmWyn9jZ=w466-h640" width="466" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>109 - Tom Underwood 1982 Fleer</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>110 - Wade Boggs 1999 Fleer Tradition - Warning Track</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>111 - "MEAT" of the Mets 2017 Topps Update</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>112 - Greg Luzinski 1972 Topps</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>113 - Steve Garvey 1983 Fleer Album Stickers</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>114 - Justin Turner 2019 Stadium Club </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>115 - Juan Gonzalez 2004 Topps Bazooka</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>116 - Walt Dropo 1979 TCMA Baseball History Series (the 50s)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>117 - Rich Becker 1997 Leaf</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Yet another page complete, thanks go out to gcrl for sending me that Garvey at some point. Juan Gone and the Mets cards are a bit of a stretch, but they are both right in front of or right next to the bat rack, it's just hard to see the bats themselves. I think the Luzinski is my favorite, bonus points for creativity in making the bat rack mobile in a rolling cart. How much farther can this Frankenset go? Who knows?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div></div></div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-80719632699188554042022-03-07T19:16:00.001-06:002022-03-07T19:16:27.177-06:001999 Topps All-Star Rookie Outfielder Carlos Beltrán<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzWEDCmKEond9SB9TAha0POLyBxJv_HLu3s5yDpDX9zbCZeSLTxBJKvtfE9jt4KqVn5siIPqC2Sk0pMNsyUCPp8Gm0xM4UndmkB0HtzsckuOBsup0--bJvpXSLm3fUO6I68a1NCMYY5LPkHjY2kyktLTyZcfuuhoIruhqkUI9MHCcyfSopbXaIbbUz=s1015" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="711" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzWEDCmKEond9SB9TAha0POLyBxJv_HLu3s5yDpDX9zbCZeSLTxBJKvtfE9jt4KqVn5siIPqC2Sk0pMNsyUCPp8Gm0xM4UndmkB0HtzsckuOBsup0--bJvpXSLm3fUO6I68a1NCMYY5LPkHjY2kyktLTyZcfuuhoIruhqkUI9MHCcyfSopbXaIbbUz=w448-h640" width="448" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok cats and kittens, let's talk Carlos Beltrán. The folks at Topps love a good overnight sensation story, and Beltrán was ready to deliver it. He skipped AAA and jumped to the big leagues to stay in 1999, shocking many by winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. So of course he was also headlining the 1999 Topps All-Star Rookie Squad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkcXb3kJVayRcqayE_RIiP4lrx9_9agwRsQITwzWmtJJntSAIWhD1vGBkSa41h1vFnxoL9gPQNNnZBIsIb18oNU1KscAdx2yckV-b02d46MqdVW5MjNlpwUkUdGDquTZ6bsAlzMDbTpi0_a7vhkTSWsJumP8FZNNp3TCwF-TMQ-_J2-RGOX4DFHF3f=s1017" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="734" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkcXb3kJVayRcqayE_RIiP4lrx9_9agwRsQITwzWmtJJntSAIWhD1vGBkSa41h1vFnxoL9gPQNNnZBIsIb18oNU1KscAdx2yckV-b02d46MqdVW5MjNlpwUkUdGDquTZ6bsAlzMDbTpi0_a7vhkTSWsJumP8FZNNp3TCwF-TMQ-_J2-RGOX4DFHF3f=w462-h640" width="462" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A 2nd Round pick in 1995 out of Puerto Rico, Beltrán was well-known in Kansas City circles, but not considered a major league prospect in his first few pro seasons. He had a great glove, and was even named KC's best defensive minor league player in 1997. In 1998, he forced his way into the Royals' future plans by making a meteoric rise through the system. Still just 21 years old, he was promoted mid season to AA Wichita, where he hit .352/.427/.687 in 47 games. He was also stealing bases and playing elite defense in Center field. The surprising totals earned him a September call-up. He had started the year as the 93rd ranked prospect in baseball and found himself as the 14th by the time spring training rolled around in 1999. He made the Opening Day roster and began making his mark in the big leagues from there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgURvBJsV0eaQQcdi2N6KDplq9iIx_1h7HJBk6thUEHyK3t7yhSbm-cA5yPOYtXI4Sha85X__Epkgsgvb4RzW4fg27blAliwzq-NHCL0R2CpOSQfHD1yLRye5nR10M2cL0_2eG1Ij8a6B_clM_USFf1mcTtc0iBytZusodlYyyiTvf93NUkGveuUv7P=s2061" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2061" data-original-width="1478" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgURvBJsV0eaQQcdi2N6KDplq9iIx_1h7HJBk6thUEHyK3t7yhSbm-cA5yPOYtXI4Sha85X__Epkgsgvb4RzW4fg27blAliwzq-NHCL0R2CpOSQfHD1yLRye5nR10M2cL0_2eG1Ij8a6B_clM_USFf1mcTtc0iBytZusodlYyyiTvf93NUkGveuUv7P=w458-h640" width="458" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The early 00s Royals were probably one of the most exciting cellar dwellers in baseball. The outfield alone consisted of Beltrán, Johnny Damon, and Jermaine Dye. Well, at least for a little while. The Royals weren't major players in free agency, and at the time really struggled to re-sign their talented youngsters. Damon was traded in 2001 before the season started, then by mid season Dye was off to Oakland to join him. Beltrán stuck around a bit longer, through some fairly lean years. His talent was enough to keep fans interested and invested in the Royals, where he could be counted on for 20+ homers, 30+ steals, and Gold Glove worthy defense for parts of 7 seasons. He was a legit 5-tool player, and coming up on his prime (and free agent) years, which meant it was only a matter of time before he was traded.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguZchySAbk4ALpqbEsFe5aseZ3O_SPA6BClYtFplFkgVJZ1rNhddoXy90eKILj3nyB8Lz7Fr45zcNRY8uBAnlWRvUW7vbs8VCNiAYjn3Vwlq2VL4XGbIjForRJ9f3ZyWgEtN5AHWNiwsmls9zVKuuBGjH7xwHXWg3dsFpxCM-KdSwKt2peLjyYLnLn=s2070" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2070" data-original-width="1503" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguZchySAbk4ALpqbEsFe5aseZ3O_SPA6BClYtFplFkgVJZ1rNhddoXy90eKILj3nyB8Lz7Fr45zcNRY8uBAnlWRvUW7vbs8VCNiAYjn3Vwlq2VL4XGbIjForRJ9f3ZyWgEtN5AHWNiwsmls9zVKuuBGjH7xwHXWg3dsFpxCM-KdSwKt2peLjyYLnLn=w464-h640" width="464" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 2004, the Astros spent big in the offseason to add Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte to their starting rotation. They already had future hall of famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell in their lineup, but there was one position that had been a glaring weakness for some time. The Astros needed a center fielder. When the team pulled off a three-team deal in June, they finally found the man they'd been missing. Houston execs gushed about Beltrán, and they got exactly the player they were hoping for. In 90 regular season games, he belted 23 homers, stole 28 bases, and had a 135 OPS+ to go with 4.5 WAR. That was just an appetizer for the post-season. In the NLDS against Atlanta, he went 10-22 with 4 homers and 9 RBI. He scored 9 runs and stole a pair of bases. He played equally well in the NLCS, hitting 4 more homers, scoring 12 times in the 7 game series and producing a WPA (win probability added) of .82 for the series, which trailed only the great Albert Pujols. The Astros were eliminated in that final game, but for that brief time, Beltrán made his value clear. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ9fok4v1LYcpy07V7pnic9nFIfFNRBuwrmSczM9g631xZ0CNReclBYpASv86FJaOV59MxoWLfEMpkLzVhBRcH_1f83U2r-TGc3Yr_tUUbgYbktdDkjq_9zUCMbNRhzs4MrHCDgeHQBfK_H7KxZz2a1Wa1Y-ZMDh8WOZ5LYUktt3iWZmR2gPSdfyjD=s2084" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2084" data-original-width="1481" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ9fok4v1LYcpy07V7pnic9nFIfFNRBuwrmSczM9g631xZ0CNReclBYpASv86FJaOV59MxoWLfEMpkLzVhBRcH_1f83U2r-TGc3Yr_tUUbgYbktdDkjq_9zUCMbNRhzs4MrHCDgeHQBfK_H7KxZz2a1Wa1Y-ZMDh8WOZ5LYUktt3iWZmR2gPSdfyjD=w454-h640" width="454" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now a free agent and just entering his prime at age 28, Beltrán made his way to New York to try to make a legacy for himself and the Mets. Things didn't go quite as he planned, though hindsight shows that he was even better in New York (129 OPS+) than he was in Kansas City (111 OPS+). He was undone again by the Cardinals in the post season of 2006, losing in 7 games in the NLCS. Beltrán had the the final at bat in the series, and was locked up by an Adam Wainwright curve ball, which some Mets fans still hold against him. All told, he spent 7 seasons in Queens. Despite 5 All-Star Appearances and 3 Gold Gloves, Beltrán was often blasted by the New York media for the team's inability to win titles. He was well respected by his teammates and coaches, but just like his time in KC, as his contract came to a close, the writing was on the wall that a move would be made.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh44_weZFOP054TuLSsk5zYeywJWEyyOKfkegymU1aMaIpMS7FISKa3HVEf9hass-DBXx9SuUosiqja5tB4kmjBwll5075JxPmD-JPrULgete4E2xzxMGFwt6jpW3GXpVhSHs3ypDZXIvBC4xk67w0DpTQzAyLxYe5sCaYOBrdJlUHEiQG0jYzQjJE=s2057" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2057" data-original-width="1478" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh44_weZFOP054TuLSsk5zYeywJWEyyOKfkegymU1aMaIpMS7FISKa3HVEf9hass-DBXx9SuUosiqja5tB4kmjBwll5075JxPmD-JPrULgete4E2xzxMGFwt6jpW3GXpVhSHs3ypDZXIvBC4xk67w0DpTQzAyLxYe5sCaYOBrdJlUHEiQG0jYzQjJE=w460-h640" width="460" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Just shy of the trading deadline in 2011, the Mets sent Beltrán to San Francisco in exchange for pitcher Zack Wheeler. Beltrán hit well for his new team down the stretch, slashing .323/.369/.551 with 7 homers, but the Giants finished 2nd in the NL West and missed the playoffs. A free agent again, Beltrán attempted the old fashioned "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" strategy and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He had a pair of All-Star campaigns, as well as more post season glory. In the 2012 NLDS, he hit .444 with a pair of homers. He tormented the Dodgers the following year in the NLCS with 6 hits including the Game 1 walk off winner. </p><p>He returned to New York in 2014, now as an elder statesman and reserve outfielder. He'd reach the post season in 2015 for a cameo appearance (1-4), then again with the Rangers in 2016 as a DH. The only thing left for Beltrán, with all his personal success in the post season and in his career, was to find a way to bring home a championship for his team.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2205" data-original-width="1587" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEis-OI0gDE6O-q8MoDClkkYUhYjCTuAVMkP2pbjQ4BX7wujE0D7TiUN6WVsq3mcCvC96N_VAOqBraN86mtkMtg39OQdfgIxSRQHncE4DnFjOKNJTQqKUh3A1lf18j3eWSfUQ9sbK69bjwF1eC-KzIiCB3wgnrEqLX_IVTza7uOtBonI6QrsITTgL_w0=w460-h640" width="460" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 2017, he'd get his chance. He was a well-loved and well-respected icon among his teammates, and they even jokingly held a funeral for his outfielder's glove in July, as Beltrán had become at that point more of a player/coach and pinch hitter. He was always a student of the game and like his coach Alex Cora, extremely adept at reading opponent's signs and tendencies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGj-CY17AiiUKYxpQHKYqNsWsioEH2ZNahXdDMncoeYlQ59DX03SmBCV2PevdjexGsQXeK2ZJrwCOEfh00CXd0E2yLJCmU8GPSKw6qz9dxnqXOyR_qRsdEfS0XJA3w1CWxMpCIbzEDCLhdhg_8tr-gl-AdvjxcqN4NA8gHyKuoASsxgC7V0Kbl1i5U=s1057" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="1057" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGj-CY17AiiUKYxpQHKYqNsWsioEH2ZNahXdDMncoeYlQ59DX03SmBCV2PevdjexGsQXeK2ZJrwCOEfh00CXd0E2yLJCmU8GPSKw6qz9dxnqXOyR_qRsdEfS0XJA3w1CWxMpCIbzEDCLhdhg_8tr-gl-AdvjxcqN4NA8gHyKuoASsxgC7V0Kbl1i5U=w400-h288" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R.I.P. Beltrán's legacy?</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Now at this point, we have only the various accounts of other teammates, coaches and opposing players to guide what Beltrán did as part of the 2017 Astros' sign stealing scandal. What seems most damning is that his name was only one singled out among the players in the official report of the investigation. What his exact role and level of involvement was, we might never really know. Certainly he was working to help his team win by any means necessary and certainly crossed a line. His coach Alex Cora would say as much - but also wanted to make it crystal clear when he said that this wasn't a two man operation. Cora shared responsibility for the scandal with the whole team, didn't say he was any less guilty, but also didn't think what happened with Beltrán after the investigation was totally "fair."<p></p><p>Beltrán was hired to manage the Mets shortly before the news of the sign stealing scandal was released. he would resign his position before ever taking the field as manager, and hasn't returned to baseball since. He did just get hired <i>by the Yankees of all teams</i> to be an analyst for their broadcasts in 2022 (if MLB has any broadcasts is still up in the air at the moment). </p><p>So, tally it all up - a Rookie of the Year, 2X Silver Slugger, 3X Gold Glove winner, 9X All-Star, and "World Series Champion" with some legit career numbers. His post-season career was quite impressive, earning him the nickname Señor Octubre. Out of all the people involved with the scandal, so far he seems to have been negatively impacted the most. It didn't hurt Marwin Gonzalez, George Springer, A.J. Hinch, or Alex Cora in the long term- it remains to be seen how Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve fare with their next contracts, but chances are they'll get paid well too. </p><p>Maybe we'll get to hear more from Beltrán in the future about his role in all of this. He's scheduled to appear on the 2023 Hall of Fame Ballot, so one way or another we're bound to hear plenty of other people talk about it. </p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-44559107706498661322022-03-06T15:30:00.000-06:002022-03-06T15:30:32.075-06:00I Love the 80s - 1982 California Angels<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">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!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The 1981 California Angels picked up where the 1980 version left off, with a slow start. Angels manager and "close, personal friend of Angels' owner Gene Autry" Jim Fregosi was let go. Replacing the Angels legend was Gene Mauch, who had a track record of successful winning ballclubs. The strike killed any momentum the team may have found under new leadership, and they finished a distant 5th place in the AL West.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2vMEX96L7FbnkDmoJAP1nPYnmyLQOfkyj663cj4dyQjFFXDmTYMhPcLIWi2yLsAAXIVDKmgSguSVRp0-cc9FR2ojTNSZJrQiN4sz4NZ6QgptLDzNdPscaUQeqortJsCDn7YrX7dC3D-xTpsI7gIzsX5IiNJ5mNJqPHs8r-0UuHIf17zuIMIK4850d=s7008" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7008" data-original-width="5100" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2vMEX96L7FbnkDmoJAP1nPYnmyLQOfkyj663cj4dyQjFFXDmTYMhPcLIWi2yLsAAXIVDKmgSguSVRp0-cc9FR2ojTNSZJrQiN4sz4NZ6QgptLDzNdPscaUQeqortJsCDn7YrX7dC3D-xTpsI7gIzsX5IiNJ5mNJqPHs8r-0UuHIf17zuIMIK4850d=w466-h640" width="466" /></a></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Angels' ownership group has never been shy about spending to acquire talent. While injuries limited the team in 1980 and a disappointing 1981 saw the team struggle to meet expectations, a new year meant another chance to make a run at a championship. 1982 very could have been that year, with the Angels going after one of the biggest free agents in recent memory, and locked up Reggie Jackson. They also added veteran Bob Boone, and traded for Doug DeCinces to fill in the infield. The result was another Division win for the Angels, and a playoff run that fell just short of the World Series.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiulgEiNuWIVf7sB6Wygz64_X6acVW3mpm4z3Z4boQBPLnYYBwx1rALJ2Cq5alx3JpLb2p_MqtqnqVMm9y15K3rVqLCnC2M6pDBI-yplmMPPFIw5AWH3t0kukmmWh5QEV6-WN4FWA-hpUa7H98lYmYFnFfo59gA_mOwnVE1_0Nv8pr_xypQ0f8rJj3J=s3504" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3504" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiulgEiNuWIVf7sB6Wygz64_X6acVW3mpm4z3Z4boQBPLnYYBwx1rALJ2Cq5alx3JpLb2p_MqtqnqVMm9y15K3rVqLCnC2M6pDBI-yplmMPPFIw5AWH3t0kukmmWh5QEV6-WN4FWA-hpUa7H98lYmYFnFfo59gA_mOwnVE1_0Nv8pr_xypQ0f8rJj3J=w466-h640" width="466" /></a></p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Cards</b></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Fleer #451 Don Baylor - </b>The 1979 AL MVP was up to his old tricks again in 1981 and 1982, serving as the Angels' everyday DH and providing a punch in the middle of the lineup. Baylor hit 26 homers and ended up gathering a handful of MVP votes again in 1982, helping to lead the Angels to the post-season. Baylor was a post-season magnet, reaching the playoffs 7 times with five different teams. His lone World Series win came as a late season waiver pickup for the 1987 Minnesota Twins. Baylor was an aggressive base runner in his prime before an injury riddled 1980 season sapped his speed. Baylor finished his career with over 2100 hits, and over 330 homers.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Fleer #459 Ken Forsch - </b>An All-Star for the Angels in 1981, Forsch led the AL in shutouts that season with 4. His claim to fame includes his brother Bob - the pair are the only siblings to both throw no-hitters in their MLB career. Forsch had 114-113 career record, which included 6 straight seasons with 10 or more victories. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Topps #134 Dan Ford - </b>Ford paired up with Baylor in 1979 as a formidable 1-2 punch in the heart of the Angels' lineup. Originally coming up with the Twins, Ford was consistent hitter and talented fielder, but it was his distinctive style that earned him the nickname "Disco Dan." Ford came to the Angels a year ahead of Twins teammate Rod Carew, and would depart prior to the 1982 season in a trade with the Orioles. Ford would rise to the occasion more than once with Baltimore, but most notably he hit a homer in Game 3 of the 1983 World Series off Phillies' great Steve Carlton. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Topps #702 Steve Renko - </b>Renko had many talents, he was drafted by the Raiders to play football, and started his pro baseball career as a two-way player, pitching and playing first base. He switched to pitching full time in the minors, and made his MLB debut as a member of the expansion Montreal Expos in 1969. Renko became the team's first ace, and he played the role of savvy veteran for the 1981 and 1982 Angels. He was known as a fast starter, often racking up victories and strikeouts in the first half the season. In 1982, he was 7-1 with 2.66 ERA in the first half. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Topps #47T Reggie Jackson - </b>The straw the stirs the drink switched from a Manhattan to a nice Napa Valley Sauvignon. Reggie returned to Southern California in 1982, after a successful run as a World Series hero in New York. The script was a simple one, join the Angels and make them a winner. In his 5 seasons with the Angels, the team won a pair of AL West crowns. He led the AL in homers in 1982 and won a Silver Slugger with a 147 OPS+. Jackson is MLB's all-time strikeout leader, but he more than makes up for that with 563 career homers. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Topps #465 Butch Hobson - </b>Hobson came to the Angels with Rick Burleson prior to the 1981 season. Hobson had a pair of very promising seasons in Boston, sandwiched between a not so promising one. His 1981 season with the Angels left much to be desired as he hit just .235/.321/.326 while leading the AL in errors among third basemen. His breakout season in 1977 came as member of Boston's "Crunch Bunch" - hitting 30 homers and driving in 112 runs. Hobson became a manager following his playing career, including a stint as the Red Sox skipper in the 90s. Hobson won a pair of Atlantic League titles in the 00s.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Donruss #587 Juan Beniquez - </b>Beniquez signed with the Angels as a free agent before the 1981 season and provided defense and the occasional timely hit. He won a Gold Glove in 1977 in center field, and known mostly for his defensive prowess. Something clicked in California, and the lifetime .257 hitter had 3 seasons hitting above .300 with the Angels and then another in Baltimore. His career year came in 1984 when he hit .336 and an OPS+ of 128 in 110 games. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Topps #503 Rod Carew - </b>18X All-Star. 7X Batting Champ. 1967 Rookie of the Year. 1977 AL MVP. Rod Carew was a legit all-time great, who was a magician with the bat and a fearless baserunner. He stole home 7 times in 1969 alone. 3,053 career hits in his 19 seasons. In 1982, Carew hit .319/.396/.403 with an OPS+ of 121, helping the Angels to their second division title in 4 years. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Topps #252 Fred Lynn - </b>The 1975 ROY and MVP was finding life on the West Coast a little rougher than Boston. The truth was that he was still a great hitter, but balls that would clear the fence in Boston wouldn't in Anaheim. In 1982, for instance, Lynn hit just 21 homers, but hit .299/.374/.517 with an OPS+ of 143. His rough 1981 season (his first in California) likely makes people think he was a flop, but it turns out that Lynn had decent numbers throughout his Angels career. He captured a little of that Boston magic in the 1982 ALCS, when he hit a blistering .611/.650/.889 with 11 hits in the 5 game series. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-29653804838658614152022-02-28T18:30:00.000-06:002022-02-28T18:30:31.835-06:001999 Topps All-Star Rookie Outfielder Preston Wilson<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrZrg8q54TXjjoeCGfabTVBSOa7zOfHlyO1xm949NKp7KjdDX8duoTEXIXZfJmgafE8OvI2MFNntGsKNxzxV7B7580jrSeob9MD20Y6u9ZLG3TaPqOFilo-PwzSUxw9ImOmVbKJ98CEPKKChis52Giy4oGthg8voOTvKFz21XMTOE_qt_IvZbsVGXl=s2842" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2842" data-original-width="2180" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrZrg8q54TXjjoeCGfabTVBSOa7zOfHlyO1xm949NKp7KjdDX8duoTEXIXZfJmgafE8OvI2MFNntGsKNxzxV7B7580jrSeob9MD20Y6u9ZLG3TaPqOFilo-PwzSUxw9ImOmVbKJ98CEPKKChis52Giy4oGthg8voOTvKFz21XMTOE_qt_IvZbsVGXl=w490-h640" width="490" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Preston Wilson arrived in the big leagues after a very long journey that took him from the first round of the 1992 MLB Draft, to 4 top-100 prospect listings, to a winter spent playing baseball in Australia. After a 5 year minor league sojourn, Wilson had arrived in Queens, only to be traded away after just 8 games for the Mets. Wilson was big time prospect coming to Florida in exchange for the Marlins' brand new catcher Mike Piazza. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8THld5MUTY7R7c0_a5OynAqivKvp8x-wF1O2ZVxEqXWjQO7N5SVDbVE7HI40iQquwHTQ82EK_N3X7BLHU_aekmQRGcQbwklB8TUX15eQNMlv4zqILmVj21JRxmAZlBGX6CRKlmnwJyyT6_gZn9ozDGvvL4_U8FeZV0JAJCilTF4dJshA63ti4VTJA=s3264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8THld5MUTY7R7c0_a5OynAqivKvp8x-wF1O2ZVxEqXWjQO7N5SVDbVE7HI40iQquwHTQ82EK_N3X7BLHU_aekmQRGcQbwklB8TUX15eQNMlv4zqILmVj21JRxmAZlBGX6CRKlmnwJyyT6_gZn9ozDGvvL4_U8FeZV0JAJCilTF4dJshA63ti4VTJA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>His first full season came in 1999, and he was able to show power and a little speed for an exciting and young rebuilding Marlins team. He'd finish 2nd in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and had a strong season, with a 119 OPS+ and hit 26 homers to go with 11 stolen bases. He was a great choice to join the 1999 Topps All-Star Rookie team.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeduA91N-JZW_VW2FwHySU8mptGvDKdA_iPdN-hMi4UIxtnkGT-Xia3q-SFW4cNmn0i_5lCIacIcwkUW7s65yD1gAPwRlceTyBvx8wUXpHwJnxddY1aC8GrMT6QzE6m5YFBlC8lB31Ld4UCeWg7rOSTlW4GLZU0rUJOEtscS48QIZAlipXcRlbeP8a=s3131" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3131" data-original-width="2393" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeduA91N-JZW_VW2FwHySU8mptGvDKdA_iPdN-hMi4UIxtnkGT-Xia3q-SFW4cNmn0i_5lCIacIcwkUW7s65yD1gAPwRlceTyBvx8wUXpHwJnxddY1aC8GrMT6QzE6m5YFBlC8lB31Ld4UCeWg7rOSTlW4GLZU0rUJOEtscS48QIZAlipXcRlbeP8a=w490-h640" width="490" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wilson was the 9th Overall selection in the 1992 MLB draft, picked by his adopted father Mookie's former team, the New York Mets. To get the potentially awkward subject out of the way, Mookie Wilson's brother Richard was Preston's biological father, but it was Mookie that became Preston's mother Rosa's husband and raised Preston as his own son. So Mookie is technically Preston's uncle, but was also his father as far as Preston was concerned, and officially adopted him. Families are complicated, but it is clear that Preston was well loved and well raised by his parents. Preston was just 17 when he was drafted, and started his pro career with the Kingsport Mets in 1993. Before joining the Mets, he was the 1992 High School player of the year, and hit well for the 1992 18U USA National team. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wilson had no trouble launching the ball out of the park, hitting 17 homers in his first pro season, then at least 20 a year after that. In 1996, he played in just 23 games because of injuries to his wrist and shoulder. This had little to no impact the following season, as he hit 30 homers across 2 levels in the Mets organization, and then traveled down under for the Australian Winter League. I couldn't find any stats for his time with the Newcastle Hunter Eagles, but by the Spring of 1998, Wilson was poised to make his long awaited big league debut. He played in just 18 games for AAA Norfolk Tides before being called up in May 1998. His debut consisted of a 3 for 4 game with a stolen base and a run batted in. Each base hit, he was able to briefly visit with his dad, Mookie, who was the Mets' first base coach at the time.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlyyrfcC7FfJ_w2hBW6SRikxe9Ob2KEqOzyPP99jnVBiQXybZdL1wD8Sqgm4oJDpnTKXcGmvFxFaBp40DOun3Wk1J-FIzJzueKfCIRnOBTScPimVXn51WzmpovtL1xx6pagWxemo5LlS4-y6QLVTiQgDhvJWkvkEjK5XkQOytlRkvKWmBAxoGbjE_L=s3247" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3247" data-original-width="1706" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlyyrfcC7FfJ_w2hBW6SRikxe9Ob2KEqOzyPP99jnVBiQXybZdL1wD8Sqgm4oJDpnTKXcGmvFxFaBp40DOun3Wk1J-FIzJzueKfCIRnOBTScPimVXn51WzmpovtL1xx6pagWxemo5LlS4-y6QLVTiQgDhvJWkvkEjK5XkQOytlRkvKWmBAxoGbjE_L=w336-h640" width="336" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wilson's trade to the Marlins included a demotion back to AAA, where he nearly hit 30 homers again, showing he was more than ready for a shot at the big leagues. Wilson would have an even better sophomore season, when he joined the 30-30 club in 2000. He was known for big power, but his swing also was conducive to strikeouts. In 2000, Wilson struck out 187 times, which was the most in the Majors, and nearly broke the long time record that Bobby Bonds held. Over his 4 full seasons with the Marlins, Wilson averaged 26 homers and 82 RBI per year. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1SQ0hfPLr1usRkVosd-mOh82rZIGhHqgCM2KbU8Op00ZqW7m1gGk-SG1_3mlgFg4ULqMc4luJKEIomqrnZUVgP6bx8Cg668Gl7EN7b2h0lKGy3l7NyzNahLH4vutyHHd4kQEgxSZWsZfJwYU1dVYyww8Y60tIGTp-gYrZQ39slauJ2Mh1b4WgpLW1=s2938" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2938" data-original-width="2267" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1SQ0hfPLr1usRkVosd-mOh82rZIGhHqgCM2KbU8Op00ZqW7m1gGk-SG1_3mlgFg4ULqMc4luJKEIomqrnZUVgP6bx8Cg668Gl7EN7b2h0lKGy3l7NyzNahLH4vutyHHd4kQEgxSZWsZfJwYU1dVYyww8Y60tIGTp-gYrZQ39slauJ2Mh1b4WgpLW1=w494-h640" width="494" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wilson was traded to Colorado prior to the 2003 season, and the Rocky Mountain air was kind to Preston. 2003 would include career highs for Wilson across several offensive categories, and he led the National League with 141 RBI. 2003 was also Preston's lone all-star season. Wilson went 1 for 2 in the Midsummer Classic.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnwdLahvpLZnyzFMDIYr-ETV9wVyrpT26vlJ7N58iTXGJJR9buGkiw_nzQzjG7QUf4uZAxG69puDu8Rz0OW71kY3mDVMYNYyNV44d-ql-THLGDfCFQGNiz7fJAhP7uzWautQE00TDLA-4_mjp0mPjPKNMv3ZMVofEdaSfA6cyCfARc47O-6Hhqb_h9=s3017" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3017" data-original-width="2155" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnwdLahvpLZnyzFMDIYr-ETV9wVyrpT26vlJ7N58iTXGJJR9buGkiw_nzQzjG7QUf4uZAxG69puDu8Rz0OW71kY3mDVMYNYyNV44d-ql-THLGDfCFQGNiz7fJAhP7uzWautQE00TDLA-4_mjp0mPjPKNMv3ZMVofEdaSfA6cyCfARc47O-6Hhqb_h9=w458-h640" width="458" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So, once a player has been a Topps All-Star Rookie, led the league in a few different offensive categories, made an All-Star team . . . what's left to check off? A World Series win, of course! Wilson started 2004 off slowly in Colorado, and was traded to the newly minted Nationals in Washington. He ended up playing what would amount to roughly one season with the Nats before being traded mid season to Houston, just in time to make a run at the post season. The Astros fell short, but the 2006 season would give Preston another chance to play the role of 2nd half star. Wilson was released at the deadline and picked up by the Cardinals, and he solidified the team's outfield rotation, providing a little power (9 homers in 33 games) and a little good old fashioned veteran leadership. Along with a strong cast of characters, the Cardinals would prevail in the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Wilson appeared in all 5 games and picked up a pair of hits, scored a run, and drove in another. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-wTad2FQiAg" width="320" youtube-src-id="-wTad2FQiAg"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Following the 2006 championship, Wilson returned to St. Louis for an encore, but injuries limited his effectiveness and he played in just 25 games. Wilson worked hard to get back, and even played for the Independent League Long Island Ducks for 48 games in 2009 before deciding to retire. After his playing career, the charismatic and outspoken Wilson became a regular on Houston Astros and Florida Marlins broadcasts, and has dropped in as an MLB Network analyst from time to time as well. <br /><p>Wilson was recently interviewed for a Sports Illustrated article about declining participation of African-Americans in Major League Baseball, and his experiences and insights bring an important story into focus. <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/07/17/preston-wilson-baseball-black-lives-matter">You can read the article here</a> - and there's quite a bit to unpack inside. Wilson is also active on Twitter, his handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/PrestonWilson44">@PrestonWilson44</a></p></div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-44439175243484167222022-02-27T18:48:00.003-06:002022-02-27T18:52:26.572-06:00I Love the 80s - 1982 Atlanta Braves <p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">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!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The 1981 Atlanta Braves had a mostly forgettable season. The highlights included acquiring absolute legend Bob Walk from the Phillies in March, debuting new uniforms in April, and falling out of contention by May. While other teams seemed to re-load, re-fuel, or re-tool after the work stoppage, the Braves stayed at roughly the same lethargic pace in the 2nd half. They finished in 5th place in the NL West (yes, Atlanta is in the West). They had been stuck in quite the rut, having finished 4th or worse (usually worse) since the mid 70s, and hadn't won their division since 1969. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G0uK6yWWQMw" width="320" youtube-src-id="G0uK6yWWQMw"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhszyNLOUatXx5S5lbcQhptB-zOH5KHtqEld_kiEkUu-GG9VGSliG-_wj8BKiNNMgyXEguvZpX1W2txaZVUELm8Aqc0_T-epL-WXc3bWxA0_uTBXZGappQGICcejyFHFESNLVwdR4kPFjV_Mj2Lml1zqb9bc3nUZ1ylcBN9aIP2UoWs2Rdo2vpbuG5S=s3064" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3064" data-original-width="2314" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhszyNLOUatXx5S5lbcQhptB-zOH5KHtqEld_kiEkUu-GG9VGSliG-_wj8BKiNNMgyXEguvZpX1W2txaZVUELm8Aqc0_T-epL-WXc3bWxA0_uTBXZGappQGICcejyFHFESNLVwdR4kPFjV_Mj2Lml1zqb9bc3nUZ1ylcBN9aIP2UoWs2Rdo2vpbuG5S=w484-h640" width="484" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The first move following the 1981 season was to fire that bum of a manager, Bobby Cox. (Cox found a job weeks later in Toronto, and of course is best known for his next stint in Atlanta as General Manager then Manager of an unprecedented run of excellence. For the time being though, a bum!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cox gave way to another unremarkable skipper, former Milwaukee Brave Joe Torre. Torre, like Cox, had presided over a cellar-dwelling team for several seasons, with Torre sporting a .405 winning pct as manager of the Mets. And yet, the front office looked like geniuses, as Torre and the Braves won 13 straight games to start 1982. The team continued to be known for both winning streaks and losing streaks. The rest of the season the team was just over .500, but would find themselves see-sawing up and down the standings all year. The hot start certainly helped, as they won the division by a single game over the Los Angeles Dodgers. They had one final streak left in them for the post season, but unfortunately it was a 3 game losing streak in the NLCS to the St. Louis Cardinals.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YES7zK8LLEk" width="320" youtube-src-id="YES7zK8LLEk"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFL7MxEAPK_5S3RgNtpF5_izHPGhsO6QCEOovLn8fUkzYwHMKzaO7kDd43AZtbPK0COfwme7sJt_vqh7GaHnovnZjTwQG5ot6Rr-cdWrL61Zflusqq3QaZPK4E47K0nXfEc6_JqACHH0YwqbIhX7OmoQpZGw35gX3XkRwivwO4y4gdmGVyDCb5NGit=s3198" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3198" data-original-width="2318" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFL7MxEAPK_5S3RgNtpF5_izHPGhsO6QCEOovLn8fUkzYwHMKzaO7kDd43AZtbPK0COfwme7sJt_vqh7GaHnovnZjTwQG5ot6Rr-cdWrL61Zflusqq3QaZPK4E47K0nXfEc6_JqACHH0YwqbIhX7OmoQpZGw35gX3XkRwivwO4y4gdmGVyDCb5NGit=w464-h640" width="464" /></a></div><br /><p><b>The Cards:</b></p><p><b>Topps #32 Gene Garber</b> - The team's closer in 1982, Garber had one of the best seasons in team history out of the bullpen. 30 saves and 2.34 ERA in 69 appearances will do that. Garber has a dubious record - he is the all-time losingest reliever in MLB history, having lost 108 career decisions out of the bullpen. The silver lining of course is that to earn such a record requires the talent and skill to be called upon on average 67 times a season to enter the ballgame. Garber had 218 career saves, and is the only reliever with over 200 career saves to never appear in an All-Star game. Garber was on the mound to snap Pete Rose's 44 game hit streak, striking out Charlie Hustle and earning his 16th save of the season. </p><p><b>Fleer #442 John Montefusco -</b> The "Count of Montefusco" was now a few years removed from his sterling debut as a Topps All-Star Rookie for the Giants in the mid 70s. Now 31 years old, Montefusco relied on a wiser skill-set than his early free-wheeling days. The Braves used Montefusco as a swing man, starting 9 games and appearing in 17 more as a reliever. His antics, which wore thin in San Francisco again reared their ugly head in Atlanta, and he was suspended for missing a team flight, ending his 1981 season and his Braves tenure prematurely. Montefusco requested his release following the suspension and he became a free agent that off-season. The 1975 NL rookie of the year and 1976 All-Star would finish his career with a decent season in San Diego and a trio of less decent seasons in New York with the Yankees. </p><p><b>Fleer #444 Phil Niekro -</b> When trying to come up with the MVP of the 1982 Braves, it helps to have a little context. The streaky Braves were streaking again, losing several games in a row, and their newly-acquired young gun Pascual Perez was a no-show on game day in mid August. It turned out that poor Pascual was going in loops, lost on the Fulton County freeways, so near but so far from the mound. Niekro, the long-time and long suffering Atlanta team leader, stepped in to take a spot start. For a Knuckleballer, pitching on 3 days rest is no big deal. Niekro made the August 19th start, and the team that had dropped 19 of 21 games started a new streak, now roaring back into first place with a 26-16 record for the rest of the season. Niekro won 17 games that season, out of 318 victories in his career. </p><b>Topps #482 Glenn Hubbard - </b>Not known for his power, Hubbard's 1982 season is ironically remembered best for a key home run. Midway through the season, the Braves went into extra-innings against the Padres and Hubbard's walk-off homer sealed a sweep of a key double-header. The team ultimately won the pennant by a single game. Hubbard was an All-Star in 1983, and was a steady defender who led all NL 2nd basemen in Range Factor 6 times and Double Plays turned 3 times. He debuted in the big leagues when he was just 19 years old, part of a mostly young lineup of Braves in the late 70s, that became the core of the 1982 division winning team.<div><br /></div><div><b>Fleer #445 Gaylord Perry - </b>Perry was determined to get 300 career wins, having pitched for 5 different teams between 1979 and 1982. His one year stop in Atlanta in 1981 was hit or miss, heavy on the hits. He allowed a league high 182 base hits, but also showed his trademark impeccable control, leading the league in fewest walks per 9 innings as well. Perry led the Braves in innings pitched, no small feat with Phil Niekro in your rotation. The strike in 1981 most likely was the reason win #300 came as a Mariner in 1982 instead of as a Brave in 1981. He was just 3 wins short at the end of the 1981 season. Perry's "signature" pitch was the spitball, though he would never sign off on that version of the story. He was only ejected once in his career for using the pitch, and he never once admitted to throwing anything illegal, though anyone that asked would get a coy grin before the denial.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fleer #438 Al Hrabosky - </b>The strategy for the Braves pitching staff in 1981 seemed to be to get the youngest guys and the oldest guys possible. Hrabosky, known in his wilder days as "The Mad Hungarian," was now closing out a solid career. In 1981 Hrabosky appeared in 24 games and had a career best 1.07 ERA. He'd follow that in 1982 with a career worst 5.54 ERA in 31 appearances and was released mid season. This card is version #2 of 3. The first attempt had his name on the back as "All" Hrabosky. This version, like the first, also incorrectly lists his height as 5'1" That's the kind of thing that will make a Hungarian (or anyone, really) Mad indeed. Version three has the right name <i>and</i> lists all of Hrabosky's 5'10" frame. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Topps #668 Dale Murphy -</b> While Phil Niekro was the heart and soul of the Braves since the mid sixties, Dale Murphy was certainly the face of the franchise by 1982. Murphy was the NL MVP in 1982 and followed it with a second straight MVP in 1983. He arguably had even better seasons in 1985 and 1987, capping off a very successful run of 6 straight All-Star campaigns. Had he held on for just a few more seasons at that rate, he would no doubt have been a Hall of famer. As it stands, his 7 year peak in the 80s ranks him among some of the very best hitters of all time. His 1982 season may look less impressive when compared to the post steroid and post launch angle eras, but he led the league in RBI and hit 33 homers. During his peak, Murphy averaged 110 runs scored, 174 hits, 36 homers and 106 RBI with a 145 OPS+. His career numbers place him squarely in the Hall of "Very Good" but few players could match him in the 1980s.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Topps #268 Bob Walk - </b> The Man, The Myth, The Legend! Bob Walk's time in Atlanta started with an off-season trade before the 1981 season. Walk had just pitched in the 1980 World Series for the Phillies, winning game one. Walk pitched sparingly in 1981 for Atlanta, with just 8 starts in the strike shortened campaign. In 1982, he came back with a solid 11-9 record, but was only used in relief in one inning of the three NLCS matchups against the Cardinals. Walk would be sent to the minors for additional seasoning in 1983, 84, and 85. The Pirates would come to their senses and call Bob up to the big league club where he flourished as a mid-rotation juggernaut. The 1988 NL All-Star finished his pitching career with a 105-81 record. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Topps #145 Bob Horner -</b> Horner skipped the minors entirely, being drafted #1 overall by Ted Turner and the Braves in 1978 and he responded with 23 homers in the 89 remaining games of that season. Horner was named NL rookie of the year, and his prodigious power remained throughout his time in Atlanta. He is probably best known today for being one of the few players in MLB history to hit 4 homers in a single game. Despite this feat in 1986, collusion made getting a free-agent contract in 1987 nearly impossible, and Horner instead spent a year in Japan, in which he crushed 31 homers and slugged a Ruthian .683. He returned to the states for one more season, now with the St. Louis Cardinals (who notably could have used a slugging 3b/DH type in 1987 against the Twins. Not saying, just saying). When he came back, things weren't quite the same and he was released after just 60 injury filled games.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-6417262498682216382022-02-26T12:25:00.002-06:002022-02-26T12:25:34.000-06:00Halfway Home! Building the 1964 Topps Venezuelan set<p> Just received a stack of 1964 Topps Venezuelan cards in the mail today. Still haven't solved my scanner issue, so posting from my phone. Sorry in advance for the not so great photos...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEdB9MFLReFSR-pWh0y5M5rF3ep_UWrFaX0QywP6fIgo6e46aLNcaKXGG6crYwcb8pt8ScA-A4c_6z1KGiFgr16qVA8vlPGt4XCIpt_gVIYjEQyipxzNEUcQ-Sh_CA4QPiPEcCZepI_nwnZdfF9mClzD_QpUa3PetvccbJ3YWA06d7wpsItebf3-Tm=s3263" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3263" data-original-width="2345" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEdB9MFLReFSR-pWh0y5M5rF3ep_UWrFaX0QywP6fIgo6e46aLNcaKXGG6crYwcb8pt8ScA-A4c_6z1KGiFgr16qVA8vlPGt4XCIpt_gVIYjEQyipxzNEUcQ-Sh_CA4QPiPEcCZepI_nwnZdfF9mClzD_QpUa3PetvccbJ3YWA06d7wpsItebf3-Tm=w460-h640" width="460" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I added 10 cards in total to my set build with this order, taking me past the 50% mark!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6xs5744d1qxV2br0CRfKVJ-ZsB-hI55eJ1ZYvsS73nbRopHSdHegnLXAovUqKqi0kl5_tu9ZTTqkF0_LBOtwH65uJt23yNTV8rmJyA-mNZ22TDY-eI1J1uo7SW2S_ZEmiaJJEO_yhSih5vXmtkVvvO9tiy8v82T9ZwzoKd5bMvWe5Mx91jpjZnTvj=s3209" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3209" data-original-width="2407" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6xs5744d1qxV2br0CRfKVJ-ZsB-hI55eJ1ZYvsS73nbRopHSdHegnLXAovUqKqi0kl5_tu9ZTTqkF0_LBOtwH65uJt23yNTV8rmJyA-mNZ22TDY-eI1J1uo7SW2S_ZEmiaJJEO_yhSih5vXmtkVvvO9tiy8v82T9ZwzoKd5bMvWe5Mx91jpjZnTvj=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Not sure that I will ever finish this set as I don't think I want to pay $100s (or $1000s) to get either of the 2 Mantle cards in this set. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheP2_RGhamIxj0145WA0Vc5SH79iH8DJVlO_wNoX34Kw9vwo4oUcEqDxmHvaZ8D78tY5cJHNg4GE1c3E2rskVbFlbA8Au9ytnYFm5KJsStWQOuEnO6S4bZmf_tOxkWUyvNFAhich-BuX1m2havcV4SG9CA15AJb3h3c-Cg4QJ4Lt9A1yoenmsW_VPf=s3263" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3263" data-original-width="2268" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheP2_RGhamIxj0145WA0Vc5SH79iH8DJVlO_wNoX34Kw9vwo4oUcEqDxmHvaZ8D78tY5cJHNg4GE1c3E2rskVbFlbA8Au9ytnYFm5KJsStWQOuEnO6S4bZmf_tOxkWUyvNFAhich-BuX1m2havcV4SG9CA15AJb3h3c-Cg4QJ4Lt9A1yoenmsW_VPf=w444-h640" width="444" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ironically, two MLB players from the 60s born in Venezuela are in the regular Topps set, but not in the Venezuelan version - Vic Davalillo and Luis Aparicio. Their cards are found after #370, the last card issued in Venezuela.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf_txzDx3Mk5lrIXqk1AnRURWQ6zAGWhxP4o3Nax34pk08hXycJsRo1SKaBdk7QyQthd8xd2Lc9D_Jxm5IS5TtxqXggG8wLrCXdfKO5CugMTTQ_-iuRxq1ZSNPHV9QYlviKl2ZLPkGc4827zAkNSvecPxMDUaOnkoBu_VB5Ntwau07S-qn9cuUvTBx=s3260" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3260" data-original-width="2445" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf_txzDx3Mk5lrIXqk1AnRURWQ6zAGWhxP4o3Nax34pk08hXycJsRo1SKaBdk7QyQthd8xd2Lc9D_Jxm5IS5TtxqXggG8wLrCXdfKO5CugMTTQ_-iuRxq1ZSNPHV9QYlviKl2ZLPkGc4827zAkNSvecPxMDUaOnkoBu_VB5Ntwau07S-qn9cuUvTBx=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>9 of the 10 cards were obtained for less than 10 bucks apiece, that's the price point I've set for myself for commons / minor stars. Right now, I'm only buying cards if they are free from glue residue on the back (When these were issued, Topps also sold an album for gluing the set into pre-printed pages, much like panini sticker albums.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmBxVbmHhyFncwWiTRqxSS8V6-GhBle_gWY6JGrM9JcVIPaVJ3kmW8PvIFyHBf1uRpGrRgEYtpzHch5MXS7ipf9mMsrJSXe-hecW_QAuzUZNV1TRO0IpMF-fhTDhI6lXK9NSqgZbUB9TIgbv7ubfDXUybQQ8zjWQR6nNNx1mWmbYkO92EMEQcDQlo9=s3249" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3249" data-original-width="2437" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmBxVbmHhyFncwWiTRqxSS8V6-GhBle_gWY6JGrM9JcVIPaVJ3kmW8PvIFyHBf1uRpGrRgEYtpzHch5MXS7ipf9mMsrJSXe-hecW_QAuzUZNV1TRO0IpMF-fhTDhI6lXK9NSqgZbUB9TIgbv7ubfDXUybQQ8zjWQR6nNNx1mWmbYkO92EMEQcDQlo9=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It might not look too pretty, but this was the big addition for this batch - Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixvLPxyiMFL0DTm0enOwu40ibKdErOKH73Ltn0QL_BTUQEqc7KBNnfUgm-plDsrsWEpMLpbfJ0y4ADOP3s3n6fN3Ix0o2IYkKTilpSWfLLf6OzqAJYmtImTIfdrZHsGQgkZMvh-fsxrQ7zrFkWV2O3sga5bYouHU6RnLbFMCqa64zmI6JoO2SiO8Ui=s3264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixvLPxyiMFL0DTm0enOwu40ibKdErOKH73Ltn0QL_BTUQEqc7KBNnfUgm-plDsrsWEpMLpbfJ0y4ADOP3s3n6fN3Ix0o2IYkKTilpSWfLLf6OzqAJYmtImTIfdrZHsGQgkZMvh-fsxrQ7zrFkWV2O3sga5bYouHU6RnLbFMCqa64zmI6JoO2SiO8Ui=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I'm not picky about condition, but I'm happy I found this card with no paper loss or glue residue. Sure, it's shape is more like an Oval than a Rectangle, but it's good enough for me!<br /><p>I owe everyone a bunch of Black History Month posts - I will be tinkering with some combo of phone, old broken laptop, and new laptop to try to get the scanner reconnected. I've had plans to talk about:</p><p>- The Birmingham Black Barons (think Willie Mays, but also Piper Davis and Artie Wilson among others) ,</p><p>- One of the lesser known / underreported baseball families (The Hairstons) ,</p><p>- MLB Labor pioneer Curt Flood,</p><p>- The Cool Papa Bell book I just finished, </p><p>to name just a few ideas I have cooking. I wanted to post more this month but I find using my phone to be about 150% less enjoyable for blogging. I might instead try to find appropriate dates throughout the year to post those, since Black History can and should be celebrated all year long!</p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-11323151540713599012022-01-23T21:16:00.004-06:002022-01-23T21:16:55.133-06:00I love the 80s - 1982 Baltimore Orioles <p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Orioles came about as close as you can come to the post season without making it in 1981. The strike started with the Orioles trailing the Yankees for first place in the AL East by just 2 games. It was poor timing for Baltimore, as they had been ahead of the pack in late May. In the second half of the season, they finished ahead of the Yankees in the overall standings, but the Yankees played in October instead because the strike determined that the winner of each half would play in the playoffs, regardless of the overall records. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_eoJ-pF6TdSucblSm9KAMqqtEW9p4tAqOBVS3HNW64onXrBv-4k3MLM5JpbseMb1WLhlc1kjJCzBMPkaYSYFmApF6BVEVThYmL5sHMTevuebgNx49zxN-xfW7JT6Zm06Jk1RIoYafLZvjrM9q-_cM3JdZI3x6Cn3Y0UBpJgFE9EyDUZfLmzT8WYWY=s3264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_eoJ-pF6TdSucblSm9KAMqqtEW9p4tAqOBVS3HNW64onXrBv-4k3MLM5JpbseMb1WLhlc1kjJCzBMPkaYSYFmApF6BVEVThYmL5sHMTevuebgNx49zxN-xfW7JT6Zm06Jk1RIoYafLZvjrM9q-_cM3JdZI3x6Cn3Y0UBpJgFE9EyDUZfLmzT8WYWY=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div>In 1982, Baltimore again would play the role of the bridesmaid, finishing just a game behind the AL east champion Milwaukee, taking the Brewers to task until the final game of the season. Despite momentum favoring the Orioles who had bludgeoned the Brew Crew in the first three games of the 4 game series to tie up the standings, it was the Brewers that made the statement. Facing Hall of Fame hurler Jim Palmer, the Brewers piled up the runs, taking the final game of the season and the pennant with a 10-2 victory. Among many other highlights for the Orioles in 1982, their young prospect Cal Ripken sat out the 2nd game of a doubleheader on May 29th, then came back to the starting lineup on the 30th and would stay there until September of 1998. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitjTzhHmk6QcKhJ0oUtHmbx2fkyy0UE-uavMBcAU9CqpODvDcKCxQhz5574u8wQP7ddundw-SIOKD-MXe4K_4xOsuIybRbedmznoMfT1TSBU33Q4bUwodTQV_o221i1fV2HsDpQ8zNtgjwEQy0_Q05I9g-76691S-a5aS3C6ZJfuLxPNwchTfTTz4H=w480-h640" width="480" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Cards</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fleer #175 Jim Palmer - </b>In 1981, Palmer had a disappointing season, finishing with a 7-8 record and looked nothing like the ace of the Orioles' staff as he had been for the last decade plus. He would rebound in 1982 with a 15-5 mark and leading the AL in WHIP. He was once again in elite company, posting an ERA+ of 129 for the year, which helped him finish 2nd in the Cy Young voting. He'd been the Cy Young winner 3 times in his career, as well as a 20 game winner 8 times. He won a game in the World Series in 1966, 1970, and in 1983, with his team taking the whole enchilada each time. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1990 with over 92% of the vote.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Kellogg's 3-D Super Stars #64 Eddie Murray - </b>Steady Eddie was feeling the 2nd Place thing quite strongly in the early 80s. 1981 started a strong of 5 straight top 5 MVP finishes, but not once resulting in winning the award. In '81, Murray led the AL in Homers and RBI and had an OPS+ of 156. In fact his OPS+ was 156 again in 1982, and 83. In '84. he led the AL with a 157 OPS+, while also leading the AL in Walks (and Intentional Walks) and OBP. He was durable and dependable, with 27-33 homers and over 100 RBI as a near lock every season. He'd finish with over 3,200 hits and 504 Homers in his career, and is Major League Baseball's All-Time Leader in Sacrifice Flies. The 8 time All Star was a tremendous defender at 1st base, and was also a first ballot Hall of Famer like his teammate Jim Palmer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fleer #169 John Lowenstein - </b>Lowenstein was known for his dry, witty banter with reporters and though he didn't make the National Baseball Hall of Fame, his 1982 Fleer Card shows he's a first ballot <i>Style Hall of Fame</i> member. 1982 was actually one of his best MLB seasons, coming towards the end of his 16 year career. He hit a career high 24 homers and 66 RBI while playing in a platoon with Gary Roenicke. The Lefty hitting Lowenstein got the lion's share of plate appearances and made the most of them. He was used as a utility man for a good portion of his career, which began in Cleveland. It was there that he generated some ironic attention when he publicly declared his disdain for "fan clubs." Some kindred spirits formed the Lowenstein Apathy Club, which involved sending the sardonic super-utility man letter signed in invisible ink that expressed their disinterest in his batting average and baserunning. Some expert-level smart-alecks even designed banners for home games that said "Hey Steiner" followed by 20 feet of blank white cloth. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Topps #712 Denny Martinez - </b>"El Presidente" was a fan-favorite and a very solid rotation option for nearly 25 years. In 1981, he led the AL in victories, and was the clear-cut heir apparent to the role of staff ace in Baltimore. He followed it up with another fine season with a 16-12 record. Early in his career, Martinez was a big time innings eater. His 18 complete games in 1979 led the AL, and in 2021 it would have been more than everyone in both leagues combined. He struggled with alcohol addiction in the mid eighties, but learned to control his addiction and reinvented himself on the mound. He would have a magical season in 1991 for the Expos, when he tossed a perfect game and led the NL in ERA and shutouts. His 245 career wins are the 2nd most by any Latino pitcher in MLB history, trailing only the legendary folk hero Bartolo Colon. Martinez was the first player born in Nicaragua to appear in a major league game, and he remains the most prolific major league player from that country. He has more complete games than Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux, and his 30 career shutouts ranks respectably high among his peers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fleer #182 Steve Stone - </b>The 1980 Cy Young Winner was out of baseball by 1982, and it was all thanks to his dominant curveball. Stone was a solid starting pitcher at the back end of the rotation for 4 teams in the 1970s - the Giants, White Sox, Cubs, and finally the Orioles all saw flashes of brilliance, but Stone put it all together in 1980 with a 25-7 record. He won 14 straight decisions at one point, and it was all thanks to his decision that spring training to go all in with his curveball. The fallout from his career high 250 innings pitched was severe elbow tendonitis that limited him to just 12 starts in 1981. He was retired from the baseball diamond by the time his Fleer card was in packs. Stone was done playing but far from done with the game. He became the broadcast partner of Chicago legend Harry Caray, and has been a mainstay with the Cubs and the White Sox on both radio and television broadcasts since 1983.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fleer #161 Rich Dauer - </b>A self proclaimed "tough out but easy out," Dauer was a light hitting middle infielder with a great glove. Primarily used at second base, Dauer had a streak of 86 games without an error in 1978. The streak included another record of 425 straight chances without committing an error. He was especially tough to strike out, but was a career .257/.310/.343 triple slash hitter, which translated to a below league average hitter for his career. He was actually a hitting star in College with USC, where he helped lead his team to College World Series wins in 1973 and 1974. He didn't have a ton of hitting highlights in the big leagues, but did hit a homer in game 7 of the 1979 World Series, which would be the Orioles' only run in a losing effort.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fleer #163 Rick Dempsey - </b>Dempsey was also known as defensive wizard just like Dauer. His skills behind the plate gave him the opportunity to play regularly for the Orioles in the 1983 World Series, and he responded with 4 doubles and a homer to earn MVP honors. Dempsey would play for another World Series winner in 1988 as a backup to Mike Scioscia in Los Angeles. His career OPS+ of 87 wouldn't impress many, but his 2 world championship rings certainly makes him the envy of all his peers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Topps #21 Bob Bonner / Cal Ripken, Jr. / Jeff Schneider - </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bobby Bonner was a great fielder at short, but unfortunately for him the prototype of the new "Slugging Shortstop" was coming up right next to him. The Orioles had its share of all-glove no hit guys on the team with Dauer and Dempsey. Bonner and Ripken were both up for the same spot to take over for long time Orioles Short Stop Mark Belanger, who was also famously fielding rich and power poor. Bonner couldn't keep up with Ripken's bat and ended up finding a different calling - he became a missionary and trains other missionaries and ministers in Zambia. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jeff Schneider saved one game for the Orioles in 1981, by giving up a walk and double but still managing to get the final out for a 6-5 squeaker of a win. That off-season, he was the throw-in player in a deal with the Angels for Dan Ford. Ford hit a clutch homer in the 1983 World Series for the O's, so Baltimore fans can thank Jeff Schneider for his small contribution there! Schneider was called up in the same transaction that resulted in Cal Ripken's call-up as well, so it's fitting to see him alongside Ripken on this card.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Cal Ripken played a bunch of games for Baltimore, most of them in a row. People think that's pretty neat.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Donruss #579 Cal Ripken, Sr. </b>- You may have noticed in recent posts that 1982 Donruss was not one of my favorites. I will say that what I love about that set is the inclusion of coaches (not just managers! individual <i>coaches</i>). It didn't hurt that Cal Jr. was the #1 prospect in game. Even though they didn't know he'd be the AL Rookie of the Year, they had a pretty good hunch that he'd be in the conversation. Ripken Sr. was a baseball lifer, long-time coach in the Orioles organization, and would even become the manager for a brief period in 1987 and 88. The elder Ripken was a catching prospect, but a shoulder injury that did not heal properly ended his playing career early on. He became a coach and scout for the Orioles in 1961, though he still played sparingly when teams in the org needed a catcher. He had a tough and competitive personality, and his ethos as a coach influenced generations of Orioles players from Jim Palmer and Eddie Murray to his sons Billy and Cal, Jr. to many many others. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXbIFUexkrQ8hEx6LYXzXPjUf0p_dPtEKOAIHgCcxqpm76wGbLL53OoYN8pPX9OEUcLaMtbqdCbxVCVCG050FgEVuxfaU9QBhj8tt7SZHOnYOtpteiczmtVnJ4JzpEfpASJQcjSg41pVUnBWynu5keVQeucNKMQh0ey6hmpTI6nR7CoOyL-7Djn0m0=s320" width="240" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ok ok here's the card I didn't put in the 9 pocket sleeve</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitjTzhHmk6QcKhJ0oUtHmbx2fkyy0UE-uavMBcAU9CqpODvDcKCxQhz5574u8wQP7ddundw-SIOKD-MXe4K_4xOsuIybRbedmznoMfT1TSBU33Q4bUwodTQV_o221i1fV2HsDpQ8zNtgjwEQy0_Q05I9g-76691S-a5aS3C6ZJfuLxPNwchTfTTz4H=s3264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhC18CdrAw_raHuhHNea-GywRMhmuSYdhyFmBHJyRyMwmpEzIBal4c6XbnYzyTORvy0thg38xN5s8qbavVO03uIGNlNezKAP3lsP3z-FrmKF6ks0oYW53jWa0XkqzvjEmZxGmmAOUjrL9JjfkLlNPXxMMVQuBrsOGN0AxFe-U7BheHRxaPggAHVUErg=s3264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhC18CdrAw_raHuhHNea-GywRMhmuSYdhyFmBHJyRyMwmpEzIBal4c6XbnYzyTORvy0thg38xN5s8qbavVO03uIGNlNezKAP3lsP3z-FrmKF6ks0oYW53jWa0XkqzvjEmZxGmmAOUjrL9JjfkLlNPXxMMVQuBrsOGN0AxFe-U7BheHRxaPggAHVUErg=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">that's what it would have looked like if I wanted to give myself a heart attack thinking about this card just chilling in a binder all loosey goosey - I couldn't even take a decent picture of it!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Note - my ancient laptop, which I've used with my scanner to post in this blog for the last 5 years or so, has finally bought the farm. </i></span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I decided to do this post using my phone's camera instead of my scanner, probably will not post again until I can find a more permanent solution.</i><br /><br /><p></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-30898078106970835322022-01-17T20:50:00.000-06:002022-01-17T20:50:21.255-06:001999 Topps All-Star Rookie Second Baseman Warren Morris<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkwHVJy36QM1IEJOc60cvjo04RMtcXroE5dQHpkLXc8BJvUqYTlJPRjX86xytIBYztkSg2bhTjaOijUURSCHKZwoMQmopE3b5yNK1zeQDlUl1hE21kIcGvWAMSORP_UJwMcDUastknzd7cbLkZkfWTdyHNFPKDeGKTjAwg8F7pihrX8t6B6MK-dMjU=s2072" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="1464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkwHVJy36QM1IEJOc60cvjo04RMtcXroE5dQHpkLXc8BJvUqYTlJPRjX86xytIBYztkSg2bhTjaOijUURSCHKZwoMQmopE3b5yNK1zeQDlUl1hE21kIcGvWAMSORP_UJwMcDUastknzd7cbLkZkfWTdyHNFPKDeGKTjAwg8F7pihrX8t6B6MK-dMjU=w452-h640" width="452" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Many Topps All-Star Rookies have a fun anecdote or two about their path to the big leagues, and Warren Morris is no different. He's best known for his College World Series heroics, and he was also an Olympian, helping Team USA Baseball win Bronze in the 1996 Summer Games. Three years later, he was the Pirates' everyday second baseman as a rookie. His offensive stats were just about league average for a second baseman, but coming in his rookie year, average is <i>very</i> good. His 73 RBI led all NL rookies and were the most by a Pirates' rookie since Ralph Kiner! He collected his first major league hit on Opening Day, a double. He had a torrid first half, hitting .301 with 11 doubles, 9 homers, and 47 RBI. All this made him the obvious choice for the Topps All-Star Rookie team.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4spw35BmwhgWxw0nzoccg7RFFp0JjETw4sy-yMoF3Xv_F0jT4vlG37-QkowwlEMXAn79s_Y-YcOwWKtzdP8CaF08BdMV1wZvk-gkjMnx6Bdu14ab_kIguHeqtAo23fszGUXsBANS89FyR-hb7rgOlrUQOIREE6hFXfvr1ZKPKOBzwoo5y4zmERHvW=s2088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2088" data-original-width="1464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4spw35BmwhgWxw0nzoccg7RFFp0JjETw4sy-yMoF3Xv_F0jT4vlG37-QkowwlEMXAn79s_Y-YcOwWKtzdP8CaF08BdMV1wZvk-gkjMnx6Bdu14ab_kIguHeqtAo23fszGUXsBANS89FyR-hb7rgOlrUQOIREE6hFXfvr1ZKPKOBzwoo5y4zmERHvW=w448-h640" width="448" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Pirates acquired Morris along with former top prospect Todd Van Poppel from the Rangers close to the Trade deadline in 1998. Morris would be given the chance to be the team's second baseman when the Pirates decided to part ways with Tony Womack before the start of the 1999 season. Morris made his case for the spot in the Arizona Fall League in '98, leading the short season league in slugging percentage, a stat that was never Womack's strong suit. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIVgcpsYUdma0PP-Wqwsm0_QMY8RKbo24Lc-2mB6kQjDngSiKHElK-Hiqi8dWhRkThT9t0kTbmnj1_7aY4W38esoHJKP6hqtMpI2yEN6odoXBPPcWDExBTlpukeDIcqG_ssE1aC9YswSEVVBm5ayhcp1Ua-plftQgR3vu3UrQccybkjMVaWMqwL1w4=s4184" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4184" data-original-width="1480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIVgcpsYUdma0PP-Wqwsm0_QMY8RKbo24Lc-2mB6kQjDngSiKHElK-Hiqi8dWhRkThT9t0kTbmnj1_7aY4W38esoHJKP6hqtMpI2yEN6odoXBPPcWDExBTlpukeDIcqG_ssE1aC9YswSEVVBm5ayhcp1Ua-plftQgR3vu3UrQccybkjMVaWMqwL1w4=w226-h640" width="226" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Morris was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers out of LSU in the 5th Round of the 1996 June Draft. Morris still found time to lead Team USA in homers in the 1996 Summer Games while hitting a robust .409. Before winning Bronze in the Olympics, Morris was the hero of the 1996 College World Series. He had missed two months of the season and was batting ninth in the order for LSU after breaking his hamate bone early in the season. The Junior would come to the plate in the bottom of the ninth against Miami with two outs, a man on third, and his team trailing by a run (which was knocked in by future Red Sox Skipper Alex Cora). Morris swung at the first pitch curve ball, hoping to make solid contact and keep the line moving, but the ball kept carrying and sailed over the fence for a dramatic walk off win. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1UyOvLOZ037g29wOa3tp9GJcJjYbUirW3R83opdWFXoTEbVzRPQdG7q8SmvblyrrNnx71fTqsrHh94fdhLbdKJz5_IdfQyQA00DNC6B-O-9BM-yhGnqtOGTmFumel83-IHyCuO9TxvhlUE5_GH11bh1eVB9Gr2kjtlFLCQVpE2SFf4vcsJAsRoVqY=s4184" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4184" data-original-width="2984" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1UyOvLOZ037g29wOa3tp9GJcJjYbUirW3R83opdWFXoTEbVzRPQdG7q8SmvblyrrNnx71fTqsrHh94fdhLbdKJz5_IdfQyQA00DNC6B-O-9BM-yhGnqtOGTmFumel83-IHyCuO9TxvhlUE5_GH11bh1eVB9Gr2kjtlFLCQVpE2SFf4vcsJAsRoVqY=w456-h640" width="456" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Morris' rookie season with Pittsburgh would be his best in the big leagues. After hitting 15 homers in his rookie year, he'd hit just 3 in 2000. Much was made of his slugging ability in his previous stops in College and the Olympics, and he also had 19 homers and 103 RBI in 1998 for the Rangers and Pirates' AA affiliates. He had a 5 hit game in June of 2000, and a 4 hit game in September, but he wasn't able to translate that to consistent success at the big league level. While he had a career high 31 doubles in 2000, the rest of his offensive stats dipped and the sophomore slump was enough for the Pirates to move on from Morris to former Twin Pat Meares at second in 2001. He would split the 2001 season between AAA and the Pirates, and hit well in the minors, with a .305 average and an OPS over .800, which made him an intriguing option for several teams the following year.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaURHM6Bdz3554kpN0tjBrXVa9aqy6jYFM7aORJAP75Q6QidhkNZzDziYuv5Rq5Zs92-0fzy68G-KuF0QDOrj1LldK5ZfwRYHDkmMT4nXLRZDCMuvGsIqHfYJj8tlqhAvnFSGD-xNwpUiDzQaL36YTsRZe-eu--q3KdYtnPib10Z1rM02lJEL3XA94=s2072" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="1464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaURHM6Bdz3554kpN0tjBrXVa9aqy6jYFM7aORJAP75Q6QidhkNZzDziYuv5Rq5Zs92-0fzy68G-KuF0QDOrj1LldK5ZfwRYHDkmMT4nXLRZDCMuvGsIqHfYJj8tlqhAvnFSGD-xNwpUiDzQaL36YTsRZe-eu--q3KdYtnPib10Z1rM02lJEL3XA94=w452-h640" width="452" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div>In 2002, the Minnesota Twins picked up Morris after being released by the Pirates, but he was used by the Twins in just 4 big league games. In June, he was traded from the Twins' AAA affiliate to the Cardinals minor league system, and by the end of the season had found his way to Pawtucket via waivers, now playing for Boston's AAA affiliate. He played well enough to pique the interest of the Detroit Tigers, who gave him the everyday 2B job for the 2003 season. He was still a sneaky power bat at the bottom of the order, and had developed into a very good defensive second baseman. He was helped along the way under the wing of Bill Mazeroski, whose tutelage helped Morris to lead the NL in Range Factor for 2B in 2000. For Detroit, Morris appeared in 97 games and added another 6 homers to his career totals. In 2004, he spent the entire season in AAA Toledo, again showing signs of a decent bat and a slick glove. Both Cleveland and Milwaukee gave him a look in the minors in 2005, but Morris decided to call it a career at that point. He returned home to Alexandria, LA to his wife and infant twin daughters and took a job with a local bank, where he's been employed ever since. His degree from LSU is in Zoology- Geaux Tigers!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NXtP385K9dE" width="320" youtube-src-id="NXtP385K9dE"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-61518921466449855502022-01-16T18:34:00.006-06:002022-01-16T18:34:44.306-06:00I love the 80s - 1982 Kansas City Royals<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I'd never suggest that the 1981 Baseball Strike was a good thing, but there were teams that took advantage of the break to change their fortunes. The Kansas City Royals had a miserable 1st half of 1981, falling 10 games under .500 and slipping to 5th place in the standings. The second half was another story. The Royals finished the second half in first place, securing a spot in the post season. They were bounced quickly by the Oakland A's in 3 straight games, but the Royals showed the fight that made them major players from the mid 70s through the mid 80s.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjv-4uiayAkHjQeiSuCCAme9rt-JpjY0ckH0kgGhmNNGiaBwZrCG22PMfILq8ZwI7UAP0BKxeCrHj4YKjoIn5X3hmQ8YKT_S2w_8j6xrMjW6qFc6dQALCRpgaUfIQdW3YYYSDHq_b1izPcU9oBnavM_8HkHRyspOZVHS-1_JR6lSy6GPAWrNk-wSBT4=s6792" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6792" data-original-width="5072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjv-4uiayAkHjQeiSuCCAme9rt-JpjY0ckH0kgGhmNNGiaBwZrCG22PMfILq8ZwI7UAP0BKxeCrHj4YKjoIn5X3hmQ8YKT_S2w_8j6xrMjW6qFc6dQALCRpgaUfIQdW3YYYSDHq_b1izPcU9oBnavM_8HkHRyspOZVHS-1_JR6lSy6GPAWrNk-wSBT4=w478-h640" width="478" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1982 was in many ways a more successful season than '81 for the Royals, with one big difference. This time, they would miss the post season altogether, though they finished with a 90 - 72 record. DH Hal McRae set a franchise record with his AL-Best 133 RBI, Dan Quisenberry paced all closers with 35 saves, and the franchise took a step towards securing a brighter future by drafting pitcher Bret Saberhagen. They missed the postseason in 1982, but were poised to return again soon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUROz4lqH__vP5czIAYkMxEdrwmHehQ8arAhLsOFz-FlInkoUvQ_rvWrthodo0Kh4nngP8otpVC2wMB8B4p-L5IBYx5GuEYvtWB_NH6kW-T2gqK4PNM8yleyFveWdgJ226gYsUlbbEsIQRey3VDlPot6IV2E2OkOsFPktQ8ha6nsSopTtgvWmLAyKy=s6808" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6808" data-original-width="5072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUROz4lqH__vP5czIAYkMxEdrwmHehQ8arAhLsOFz-FlInkoUvQ_rvWrthodo0Kh4nngP8otpVC2wMB8B4p-L5IBYx5GuEYvtWB_NH6kW-T2gqK4PNM8yleyFveWdgJ226gYsUlbbEsIQRey3VDlPot6IV2E2OkOsFPktQ8ha6nsSopTtgvWmLAyKy=w476-h640" width="476" /></a></div></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>The Cards:</b><p></p><div><b>Topps #495 Dennis Leonard - </b>Leonard was the Royals' Ace in the late 70s. He was a 3 time 20 game winner, leading the AL in Starts and Innings Pitched in 1981. He was the only AL pitcher to exceed 200 innings pitched that season, given the time lost to the strike. He was also 3rd in Strikeouts and had a pair of shutouts, both of which came during a stretch of 7 starts in 26 days following the strike. The heavy workload and a pair of broken fingers made for a less than stellar 1982, in which his ERA ballooned about 5.00 for the first time in his career. The following season, the injury bug struck again and he'd essentially be out of baseball until 1986. He tore his patella tendon in a 1983 start, missed all of 1984, and would only make a pair of starts in 1985 for the Royals. Leonard continued his rehab, and returned to the team to make 30 starts at the age of 35. He retired as the Royals' All-Time Leader in Games Started, Innings Pitched, Complete Games, and Shutouts.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fleer #408 Rich Gale - </b>Gale was a 1978 Topps All-Star Rookie, but didn't get a trophy on his card as Topps decided to leave out the Cup from 1979 through 1986. That season, Gale won 14 games and finished 4th in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He started a pair of games in the 1980 World Series, with a no-decision and a loss. He and Leonard were an effective one-two punch in the late 70s for the Royals, but Gale had a rough time in 1981. He would be traded to San Francisco that off season, and by 1985, found himself pitching in Japan. He was on the mound for his team (the Hanshin Tigers) in their 1st ever Japan Series clincher. Gale is probably known more readily today for his work as a pitching coach, both in the big leagues and for a handful of teams in the minors.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Topps #693 Cesar Geronimo - </b>Geronimo came to the Royals in 1981 as a role player after spending nearly a decade in Cincinnati as the primary Center Fielder for the "Big Red Machine." Geronimo was a 4 time Gold Glove winner in Cincy, and was closing out his career as a 4th outfielder for the Royals in the early 80s. His Gold Gloves weren't mirages or based on the success of his team. He passed the "eye test" in Center Field, sure, but also had favorable rankings in some of the new-school metrics as well. He was annually at or near the top of the leaderboard in Total Zone Runs and Range Factor. Geronimo joined the Reds from the Astros in the same trade that sent Hall Of Famer Joe Morgan to Cincinnati. Following his playing days, Geronimo co-founded a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic that focuses on teaching its students about life skills, English as a 2nd Language, and fiscal responsibility along with the standard fare of baseball training. He helped to establish a similar Academy in Japan for the Hiroshima Carp, that focused more specifically on baseball, as the students also attended a separate school. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fleer #422 Dan Quisenberry -</b> The Early 80s were the peak years for the Royals' closer. Dan Quisenberry was the AL Saves leader 5 times, and Royals' Managers loved to give opposing offenses a Pop "Quiz." He was known for his unorthodox submarine-style delivery to the plate, and for writing poetry off the field. For a detailed and engrossing biographical essay, check out this link from the <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/dan-quisenberry/">SABR Bio Project</a> He appeared in all 6 World Series games in 1980, and had 4 appearances in the 1985 World Series, including a victory in Game 6. He's the Royals' All-Time Leader in ERA, and is 2nd in team history in Saves. Quisenberry, like his former Manager Dick Howser, passed away from brain cancer. </div><div><b> </b></div><div><b>Fleer #427 Willie Wilson -</b> If you look up "triple" in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Willie Wilson there to help illustrate the concept. Wilson led the AL in Triples 5 times, and finished his career with 147. That's 56th overall in MLB history, but 3rd overall if you're looking at players whose photo is in color, behind just Roberto Clemente and Stan Musial. His 1980 season was historic. In addition to his 15 triples, he totaled 230 hits and scored 133 runs. Those figures all were best in the AL. He was 2nd in Stolen Bases with 79. He'd go on to win a batting title in 1982. He did all this while playing an elite Left field. Similar to Cesar Geronimo, Wilson was a regular visitor atop the league leaderboard in range factor and total zone runs. Wilson is the Royals' All-time leader in stolen bases, with 612. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fleer #426 Frank White -</b> The late 70s and early 80s were a who's-who of the greatest Royals of all time and I don't mean Prince Charles. Frank White was the Royals' second baseman throughout their decade plus run of contending for the AL West title, starting in 1973 until his retirement in 1990. White was a defensive dynamo, racking up 8 Gold Gloves. The 5 time All-Star wasn't a slugger like Brett or a burner on the bases like Wilson, but he was a steady presence up the middle of the diamond for nearly 2 decades. His 2,006 hits are 2nd all-time in Royals history. 1982 was probably his best offensive season overall, hitting .298 with 11 homers and 10 stolen bases and a 114 OPS+. He terrorized the Yankees in 1980, earning ALCS MVP honors by hitting .545 in the series including a homer and stolen base. It was his defense that made him an all-time great. Reggie Jackson quipped of White "he's saved as many runs as I've driven in."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Topps #429 John Wathan - </b>John Wathan was a rare breed - a catcher would could steal a base! In 1982, Wathan had a career high 36 steals, almost unheard-of for a backstop, and set a major league record for the position. Wathan was also able to hit for average, including a .305 mark in 1980, when he even garnered a few MVP votes. Following his 9 year playing career, Wathan was a coach and then Manager for the Royals and Angels. Since 2008, he's held the role of 'special assistant to the Director of Player Development' for the Royals. He's a baseball lifer, having worked as a scout, roving instructor, coach and a really fast catcher!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fleer #405 George Brett - </b>I won't share that infamous George Brett Story, or that other infamous George Brett Story - but suffice it to say, Brett is famous and infamous. He's Mr. Royal, leading pretty much every offensive category in team history, as well as being the leader of the team's first rise to prominence in the 70s and 80s. Brett's 3,000th hit is a bit of a funny story - he was picked off first base after getting it. But what was impressive to me is that it was his 4th hit of that game. That's on-brand for George Brett, going a bit above and beyond. Brett was a triples machine in his own right - when Wilson wasn't the league leader, Brett was leading the league in the late 70s / early 80s, including 20 triples in 1979. His 1980 season was even better, as the AL MVP led the league in all three triple slash categories, going .390/.454/.664 and an OPS+ of 203. Brett won 3 batting titles, in 3 different decades - 1976, 1980, and 1990. The 13 time All-Star was of course a first ballot Hall of Famer, joining the Cooperstown club with fellow 1975 Topps rookie Robin Yount in 1999.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Topps #625 Hal McRae - </b>McRae moved from outfield in Cincy to become a slugging DH in the American League, providing much needed balance to the Royals' offensive attack in the 1970s. McRae was a key member of the Royals through the 1986 season, and later became manager of the team, known for his fiery demeanor and will to win. While his homer totals don't appear eye popping, McRae was still the premier DH for the majority of his career. His Career OPS+ of 123 shows how he was a step above the rest of the league at the plate. McRae finished his career with over 2,000 hits and over 1,000 RBI. </div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-52872390025991492402022-01-10T21:28:00.000-06:002022-01-10T21:28:04.430-06:001998 Topps All-Star Rookie Right Handed Pitcher Kerry Wood<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZNulbuW12kTrVFD0VrcN9EamkPcoKM7lbsDvmMIqYgI_Wz1pHnD4pDMucd3FT8soprQq54l3uJ0l8N5SSXV0JYkuFtBYpUTmz74O9e6UQmHA8HIurA7mgpxEF1mnp1mIZW26cHlb9KqdJfVDupdIs6XNUWIaRWFJ8HiHEGdZhm5X3c3cFcG5TQO46=s2072" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="1464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZNulbuW12kTrVFD0VrcN9EamkPcoKM7lbsDvmMIqYgI_Wz1pHnD4pDMucd3FT8soprQq54l3uJ0l8N5SSXV0JYkuFtBYpUTmz74O9e6UQmHA8HIurA7mgpxEF1mnp1mIZW26cHlb9KqdJfVDupdIs6XNUWIaRWFJ8HiHEGdZhm5X3c3cFcG5TQO46=w452-h640" width="452" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>If you see this from the batter's box, you are in for a long day. Kerry Wood in 1998 was the NL Rookie of the Year, so of course he was Topps' first choice for right handed pitcher on their All-Star Rookie Squad. That season, Wood piled up the strikeouts (the most by a Chicago Cub since Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins in the 1970s), and won 13 games. He had one Complete Game, which was a shutout, but we'll talk about that game in a bit.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAVKI_jiAax7UvSmrKeCkMIZNEJt9NlyNSD032aQw8JFU9wQzuIsQXT06y3u_s4iVR-9nwlaqn-BtNoeSskmVJxHW7IBCXuVU_WCzq0EN-LGEBwC7kD37l8EBIpNQ52_oXXg9XiaDREvjA3MnrQvLuX7S6LoOmC_Om2Nxy9kCiFxomaYsyvrzC5vtY=s2056" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1480" data-original-width="2056" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAVKI_jiAax7UvSmrKeCkMIZNEJt9NlyNSD032aQw8JFU9wQzuIsQXT06y3u_s4iVR-9nwlaqn-BtNoeSskmVJxHW7IBCXuVU_WCzq0EN-LGEBwC7kD37l8EBIpNQ52_oXXg9XiaDREvjA3MnrQvLuX7S6LoOmC_Om2Nxy9kCiFxomaYsyvrzC5vtY=w400-h288" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Topps went as far as to say that Kerry's rookie campaign was comparable to Dwight Gooden's phenomenal debut season, and the story of Kerry's season was second only to his teammate Sammy Sosa's chase with Mark McGwire to un-seat Roger Maris as the single season Home Run King. He led the NL in H/9 and K/9, but his electric stuff could be a little tough to harness at times. His 85 walks ranked in the top ten in the NL that year as well as hitting 11 batters and uncorking 6 wild pitches. Sometimes a little wildness can go a long way towards baffling the opposing batters.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiywmoasaFkfVaNhH938tdkdmHU5U1F7w3CW6iJPK-XuQr4oKJqFdEI6_G6w39Vk_3KjLUddx2sFt0BXPLPwaqv95G6fRAdnZVrz2NvLPuSCXL2cgATMcGzvZtCaxpC2fQ_v506N3zT7-HCHp1sHl4mSqQ3oxB_d0dF_E4hLqPfQoUTQ-IeCNXsxhb9=s2072" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="1464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiywmoasaFkfVaNhH938tdkdmHU5U1F7w3CW6iJPK-XuQr4oKJqFdEI6_G6w39Vk_3KjLUddx2sFt0BXPLPwaqv95G6fRAdnZVrz2NvLPuSCXL2cgATMcGzvZtCaxpC2fQ_v506N3zT7-HCHp1sHl4mSqQ3oxB_d0dF_E4hLqPfQoUTQ-IeCNXsxhb9=w452-h640" width="452" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Cubs made Kerry a first round pick in 1995, selecting him out of high school in Grand Prairie, TX. Wood would start to show signs of the pitcher he'd grown into as a senior, when he fanned 152 batters in a little over 80 innings. He had a 0.77 ERA and was a perfect 14-0. His first full professional season came at the age of 19 for the High-A Daytona Cubs. He went 10-2 with a 2.91 ERA, striking out 136 batters in 114.1 innings pitched. The Cubs were willing to take the good with the bad, as the walks piled up alongside the Ks throughout his minor league career. In 1997 with the Orlando Rays and Iowa Cubs, he allowed a combined 131 walks in 151.2 innings. Despite the wildness, Wood returned in 1998 with a mission to make the big league roster. He would make just one start at AAA, striking out 11 of the 17 batters he faced before being called up to the Cubs.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhs98BIChZm5XaU4TFXnlMKSBxPBM79MRgtZ5T4FROJD8FUr0zRGNwO21i-KD-s43k1OZH0V8fi7tL1L2vBJXhHjaTDE5FtJMACSZvOizAB6RrvYs23UVNFn-B5ui_dS_5Uj-QGg_jKeg0cc1SARmhuMTWrE698hSsmLvujg7nozthGKkTBRqWTx1u-=s2072" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="1464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhs98BIChZm5XaU4TFXnlMKSBxPBM79MRgtZ5T4FROJD8FUr0zRGNwO21i-KD-s43k1OZH0V8fi7tL1L2vBJXhHjaTDE5FtJMACSZvOizAB6RrvYs23UVNFn-B5ui_dS_5Uj-QGg_jKeg0cc1SARmhuMTWrE698hSsmLvujg7nozthGKkTBRqWTx1u-=w452-h640" width="452" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wood's magical rookie season was curtailed by "elbow soreness" that kept him out of the rotation for the final month of the season. He'd return to make a start against Atlanta in the NLDS, taking the loss after allowing a single run over 5 innings. In Spring Training of 1999, Wood tore his UCL, nearly ending his career. A season of rehab and recovery was needed to get him back on the mound and he was able to rebound to have several excellent seasons in the Cubs' starting rotation.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgA8ap4HkgNZKDrUgh7EPu8av5kKn8PhRhRHQlgjVMiNV1xObq9mAky-S_p_ovVBqD3Z5lLRcAcpzkjFtpdmfiHpShxmx3L4bLqMQZ3CWCtVBvEPQIPpO0a6oZB4p3FhjyVki0p4KJz5cTPm-QX3FSxJG2vsAunAnwOtACh8ewD3F7lYiD9WkuCURWM=s4195" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4195" data-original-width="3006" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgA8ap4HkgNZKDrUgh7EPu8av5kKn8PhRhRHQlgjVMiNV1xObq9mAky-S_p_ovVBqD3Z5lLRcAcpzkjFtpdmfiHpShxmx3L4bLqMQZ3CWCtVBvEPQIPpO0a6oZB4p3FhjyVki0p4KJz5cTPm-QX3FSxJG2vsAunAnwOtACh8ewD3F7lYiD9WkuCURWM=w458-h640" width="458" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>From 2001 - 2003, Wood averaged 200 innings pitched with 700 Strikeouts and an ERA+ of 122. He pitched a gem similar to his rookie season masterpiece (which we'll get to in a bit), when he tossed a 1 hit, 14K shutout against the Brewers in May of 2001. Along with Mark Prior, Wood formed a fearsome 1-2 punch at the top of the Cubs' Rotation and helped propel the team to within one game of the World Series. Wood was the starter of Game 7 of the 2003 NLCS against the Marlins, and even hit a home run to try to help his own cause, but the curse of the Billy Goat was still lurking in the shadows of the Friendly Confines. The Cubs would lose an ugly 9-6 game to the Marlins, and the following season the injury bug would bite Wood again. He would miss nearly 2 months of the 2004 campaign with a strained triceps muscle. 2005 ended prematurely with an injury in August, and 2006 and 2007 were nearly lost completely due to knee injuries and then a torn rotator cuff. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wood made the decision to shift from the rotation to the bullpen, and in 2008, he made a big splash, saving 34 games for the Cubs and striking out 84 batters in 64.1 innings. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtuK2en6lR5yYTEmzTq5mVNw3U2SY7IhrOYkdZmPspCJcF7Tu3oAmuFBNhpPg4TPjGYfYKNEAxpM6DHvuDIBJONWtVMpNHExWpP1I8BsS__AUEm7mDl469sm-mDXBN5PKOxxJ4o9oAbR8sBqRzwKmJ1S9Wh_4YXJ0Udn1LAEz0qoqJGK3mxBcp4i_E=s4177" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4177" data-original-width="2999" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtuK2en6lR5yYTEmzTq5mVNw3U2SY7IhrOYkdZmPspCJcF7Tu3oAmuFBNhpPg4TPjGYfYKNEAxpM6DHvuDIBJONWtVMpNHExWpP1I8BsS__AUEm7mDl469sm-mDXBN5PKOxxJ4o9oAbR8sBqRzwKmJ1S9Wh_4YXJ0Udn1LAEz0qoqJGK3mxBcp4i_E=w460-h640" width="460" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Following the 2008 season, the Cubs opted not to sign Wood and he tested the free agent waters, landing in Cleveland. He would serve as the closer again, saving 20 games and sporting a league average ERA+ of exactly 100. He was traded at the 2010 trading deadline to the Yankees, where he pitched in middle relief setting up Mariano Rivera. He was his old electric self again with New York, recording a 0.69 ERA over 24 appearances. He allowed just 2 runs over 26 innings, striking out 31 batters down the stretch. In the Post-Season he allowed 2 more runs, 1 to the Twins and 1 to the Rangers, but overall pitched very well.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs8H0VqC3NKUuAmLXJHzg6UpvKp6UF-kWF0IxArTOJffy6PqpwM4GcW5kwrMASIXKIkOXu4pLMlloRJbSkHO0Qgt9GVHm7aXHjZyKc2yCzI_WevZU0H8zCRMGtdlcyq8wHRxG8lmzJf8hvUtbgk-xB0vKRbQJGl1l3fLBz0J70YYcSzbYxukMVnF4v=s2075" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2075" data-original-width="1479" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs8H0VqC3NKUuAmLXJHzg6UpvKp6UF-kWF0IxArTOJffy6PqpwM4GcW5kwrMASIXKIkOXu4pLMlloRJbSkHO0Qgt9GVHm7aXHjZyKc2yCzI_WevZU0H8zCRMGtdlcyq8wHRxG8lmzJf8hvUtbgk-xB0vKRbQJGl1l3fLBz0J70YYcSzbYxukMVnF4v=w456-h640" width="456" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Wood returned to the North Side in 2011, and pitched the final two years of his career in the Cubs' bullpen. He's 3rd All-Time in strikeouts for the Cubs, even though he's 28th in innings pitched. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgttaaDFKlWkTjl2CVAVIvbY95a92Eh5_05wbQ4ZNUoF0W5oG-GWf1QZJalWaSi6rfVe1eyywLXXT5DKO_Ue9K_KbDp73Wt7yAPe9UyI1f2ixdGdXryBOv35tI5PFAUuHbNyNnxmOs31MJAWjo4c-ThbYfuKGYUi21VMZxqDKtNEGNco9vuHH40Cydr=s2150" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2150" data-original-width="1568" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgttaaDFKlWkTjl2CVAVIvbY95a92Eh5_05wbQ4ZNUoF0W5oG-GWf1QZJalWaSi6rfVe1eyywLXXT5DKO_Ue9K_KbDp73Wt7yAPe9UyI1f2ixdGdXryBOv35tI5PFAUuHbNyNnxmOs31MJAWjo4c-ThbYfuKGYUi21VMZxqDKtNEGNco9vuHH40Cydr=w466-h640" width="466" /></a></div><br />Of course his <i>signature</i> moment came in his rookie season. Wood fanned 20 Astros in just his 5th career start. There are many tributes written about this game, but here are a few of my favorite tidbits:<p></p><div>-Out of 122 pitches thrown, only 7 were hit into fair territory. </div><div>-Only 3 of those made it out of the infield.</div><div>-The lone hit he surrendered was an infield single that kicked off the glove of 3B Kevin Orie. Arguably it could have been ruled an error.</div><div>-The very first pitch of the game was a wild fastball that bounced off the mask of home plate umpire Jerry Meals.</div><div>-Houston's Shane Reynolds actually pitched a great game himself, striking out 10 and allowing just one earned run over 8 innings.</div><div><br /></div><div>It has been argued that this was the greatest game ever pitched - even though he allowed a hit and also hit Craig Biggio (then again, who <i>hasn't</i> hit Biggio?). Bill James developed a formula to grade starting pitchers which is widely used and called the Game Score. </div><div><br /></div><div>Kerry Wood's game score for this outing was <b><i>105</i></b>, the highest score of any pitched game before or since. </div><div><br /></div><div>Compare that to Clemens in 1986, his 20K game had a game score of 96.</div><div>Clemens in 1996, his 20K shutout had a game score of 97. </div><div>Don Larsen's Perfect Game in the 1956 World Series? His Game Score was 94.</div><div>Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game in Sept of 1965 with 14 Ks - that game score was 101. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pulci_SBVHk" width="320" youtube-src-id="Pulci_SBVHk"></iframe></div></div><div><br /></div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1955228872063707002.post-30597325893147919662022-01-09T17:02:00.002-06:002022-01-09T17:02:08.013-06:00I Love the 80s - 1982 Philadelphia Phillies<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">1981 saw the Phillies attempt to repeat as National League and World Champions. A strong 2nd half vaulted the team into the playoffs, where they came up just short losing the 5th and final game of the NLDS to the Montreal Expos. During the year, Pete Rose passed Stan Musial as the National League's all time hits leader, and Steve Carlton recorded his 3,000th career strikeout. The individual accolades were nice, but the team had higher aspirations.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhm__UZIcLQRc7IzH8mUpYdHuFYzdUcNKzbl8aJ5qwlnhyCg8nXXU41vmWtEvnQCz8tAerbvAjZasgfdh4tSFwR9m656HbRfMds2Xmg5YBRQJoSwIYSEeO5SSU42gxMnATepE57r7m1Hy-13tyWsFJeFFh9V4BvLlBKTTnRChwWRgRV3I99QJ7ApLKx=s6840" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6840" data-original-width="5072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhm__UZIcLQRc7IzH8mUpYdHuFYzdUcNKzbl8aJ5qwlnhyCg8nXXU41vmWtEvnQCz8tAerbvAjZasgfdh4tSFwR9m656HbRfMds2Xmg5YBRQJoSwIYSEeO5SSU42gxMnATepE57r7m1Hy-13tyWsFJeFFh9V4BvLlBKTTnRChwWRgRV3I99QJ7ApLKx=w474-h640" width="474" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>With the window to win starting to close for the veterans like Rose and Carlton, the team would make a few moves to try to make another championship run in 1982. They cut ties with 33 year old Bob Boone, turning to Ozzie Virgil Jr and Bo Diaz to be the new every(other)day catchers, traded for starting pitcher Mike Krukow to solidify the rotation, and decided to turn to veteran SS Ivan DeJesus to bolster the middle infield. None of these moves would prove fruitful in the long run, with the last trade suffering mightily in hindsight as the return for that investment in DeJesus was future Hall of Fame Second Baseman Ryne Sandberg and veteran Larry Bowa, who provided roughly the same production as DeJesus in 1982. Still a strong presence in the NL East, the Phillies would stay close all season but ultimately finish in 2nd place. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvc263pxUB-E9LXWfo3zHYG68NV5gA71pJaoRp68i5d6hjFKhxVCilr3Sukw1LozfVHaa07TCO1452xeSRMpGfLQhinTQCUEmd7s491bUfCNTxA4NhK4SwafnEwgLHKRRR2Bsq4--YSftiHNoWOuKQXAwA7_vNfPn-4tZU3OlDC4QIoFe5x0H123lc=s6856" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6856" data-original-width="5072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvc263pxUB-E9LXWfo3zHYG68NV5gA71pJaoRp68i5d6hjFKhxVCilr3Sukw1LozfVHaa07TCO1452xeSRMpGfLQhinTQCUEmd7s491bUfCNTxA4NhK4SwafnEwgLHKRRR2Bsq4--YSftiHNoWOuKQXAwA7_vNfPn-4tZU3OlDC4QIoFe5x0H123lc=w474-h640" width="474" /></a></div><br /> <b>The Cards:</b><p></p><div><b>Donruss #42 Steve Carlton - </b>In 1982, Carlton was his usual superlative-laden self, winning the Cy Young Award (his 4th), on the back of a league leading 6 shutouts. He was also the NL's best with 23 victories, the last Phillie to win 20 games in the 20th Century, and led the NL in strikeouts for the 4th time. If you're more new school than old-school, you may be pleasantly surprised to know that not only were the counting stats good (Leading all NL pitchers in batters faced, innings pitched, complete games, and Games started), he also led the NL in FIP! Carlton was a no-doubt Hall of Fame case, pairing the 4 Cy Young awards with 2 World Championships. He was a 10 time All-Star, and is one of just 4 players in MLB history to surpass 4,000 career Strikeouts. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fleer #251 Tug McGraw -</b> McGraw was another of the Phillies 35+ year old veteran stars in the early 80s. Arguably his finest season came in 1980 as the 35 year old closer for the Phightin' Phils. He finished the regular season with a 1.46 ERA and an ERA+ of 260. He notched 20 saves, but finished another 28 games for the Phillies, striking out 75 batters. He was a member of the 1969 Miracle Mets (but did not pitch in the World Series), and an integral part of the 1980 World Champion Phillies. The 2 time All-Star was a solid to spectacular relief arm for nearly 20 seasons in the big leagues. He struck out nearly twice as many batters as he walked over more than 1,500 innings pitched. McGraw was best known for his signature pitch, a devastating screwball.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Topps #781 Pete Rose - </b>Few players can lay claim to establishing a team's identity the way that Pete Rose did for the Phillies. They were a very good team in the mid to late 70s, but were often on the losing end of battles with in-state rivals the Pittsburgh Pirates as well as Rose's former team, the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds. When Rose left Cincy for Philly in free agency, the fortunes of both teams flipped. As mentioned above, Rose became the all time leader in hits in the National League in 1981, but more importantly, his style of play and leadership helped get the Phillies over the hump against their NL East rivals and win the 1980 World Series. The team hadn't been to the World Series in 30 years, and hadn't won a world series game since 1915! Rose changed that culture in Philadelphia.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Donruss #606 Lonnie Smith - </b>Lonnie Smith is possibly the most underrated player of the 1980s. In the Phillies championship season, Smith led the team in Stolen Bases, but also sported an OPS+ of 130, finishing 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting. Used sparingly in 1980 and due to the strike-shortened 1981 season, his first full season would be 1982. He was traded to Saint Louis, where Smith would finally get the chance to play everyday. He was an All-Star and amassed 6.2 WAR, placing 2nd in the NL MVP race. He hit .307 with 68 Steals and scored a league leading 120 runs for the wild run and gun Cardinal offense that won the 1982 World Series. He'd win 3 World Series championships in the 1980s, for three different teams- the Phils in 1980, the Cardinals in 1982, and the Royals in 1985 - playing key roles on defense, at the plate, and on the bases. The last season of the decade was his best- leading the NL with 8.9 WAR, certainly an MVP worthy season. However, he compiled that season for the lowly Braves, finishing well out of contention and out of sight, out of mind for MVP voters. Time would catch up to Lonnie and his 1990s career paled in comparison to his 1980s numbers. He'd retire with a 118 OPS+, and a triple slash of .288/.370/.420. It amounted to a solid MLB career that doesn't get talked about that often.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fleer #258 Mike Schmidt - </b>Not too often do you see Schmidt sporting a full beard - nearly mistook him for Bill Walton! The Hall of Fame Third Baseman was right in the middle of his prime career years, the reigning NL MVP from 1980 and 1981. His 1982 season may have seen a slight dip in batting average, but he led the league (again) in OBP and Slugging. He was also right in the middle of a run of 9 consecutive Gold Gloves (he'd add one more before his career was over), and 5 straight Silver Slugger awards. In all, he'd be a 10 time All-Star, 10 Gold Gloves, 6 Silver Sluggers, 3 MVPs (80,81, and 86) and is generally regarded as one of the best third basemen of all time. He was the NL HR king 8 times, and his 548 career homers still ranks 16th, even after the steroid era saw 13 more members join the 500 HR Club. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Topps #581 Ron Reed - </b>Reed's career in many ways is reminiscent of Dennis Eckersley in miniature. Reed started his career in the Braves rotation and was pretty good. He was an All-Star in 1968 as a rookie, and followed it up with an 18-10 record in 1969. Reed transition from the rotation to the bullpen in 1976 for the Phillies, and became a mainstay in their relief corps until after his 40th birthday. Reed was essentially the team's closer in 1982, saving 14 games and sported a 2.66 ERA over 57 appearances. For his career he started 236 games and finished 300 as a reliever. He faced over 10,000 batters and still had a better than league average ERA+ of 108. Fun fact about Ron Reed - before playing baseball, he played for the Detroit Pistons for 2 seasons, averaging 8 points and 6.4 rebounds a game.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Donruss #441 Gary Matthews - </b>"Sarge" came to the Phillies after the 1980 World Championship season from Atlanta in exchange for the legendary Bob Walk. Matthews was known for a blend of power and speed and was extremely durable. He played all 162 games for the Phillies in 1982, and would go on to show his skills at their peak in the 1983 NLCS. His three homers against the Dodgers powered the "Wheeze Kids" to the 1983 World Series, earning him MVP honors in the process. Matthews was the 1973 Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star in 1979 with Atlanta. He'd go on to have a magical season with the Cubs in 1984, leading the NL in walks and OBP, scoring 101 runs to mark his career high. Matthews finished his career with 2,011 hits, 234 homers, and scored 1,083 runs.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fleer #260 Manny Trillo -</b>You have to be pumped when you can wear a "World Champions" patch on your jacket. Trillo was the Phils All-Star/Gold Glove/Silver Slugger winning second baseman in the early 80s, earning each accolade at least once between 1979 and 1982. Timely hitting in the 1980 NLCS made him the MVP of the Series. He hit .381 with 4 RBI for the Phils against Houston. He won all 3 of his Gold Gloves with the Phillies, but he was highly regarded for his defense throughout his career. He was best known for his rifle throwing arm, somewhat rare for a second baseman. His defensive prowess was so tantalizing that it was the subject of a controversy in Oakland during the team's three-peat in the mid 70s. In 1974, A's Owner Charlie Finley wanted Manny to be on the active roster so badly he tried to coerce infielder Mike Andrews to sign a statement saying he was injured to make room for Trillo on the roster. The move was met with a near team-wide mutiny, and it took a ruling from MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to re-instate Andrews and restore peace in the locker room. Trillo was then traded after the 1974 series to the Cubs in exchange for Billy Williams. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Donruss #189 Sparky Lyle - </b>Best known for his seasons in Yankee pinstripes. Lyle was a 16 year veteran pitching for elite teams in both leagues. He was a late season acquisition of the Phillies in 1980, and was not eligible for the post-season. His 14 innings of work down the stretch included a pair of saves and a miniscule 1.98 ERA. He's known as the first AL reliever to win a Cy Young award (1977), and one of the first to enter the game with a signature song playing to announce his arrival on the mound. (The same music used by High School graduations all over the country as well as Macho Man Randy Savage, "Pomp and Circumstance") Lyle credits Red Sox great Ted Williams with the advice that made him a big leaguer. Williams told him he'd never make it to the show without a slider. After perfecting the pitch in the minor leagues, Lyle would debut with Boston during the 1967 Impossible Dream Season. Lyle is quoted as saying "when Ted Williams told you something, you tried it."</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580716283983922689noreply@blogger.com9