In Rod We Trust

Rod Carew is an All-Star's All-Star. In 19 MLB seasons, Carew was an All-Star 18 times.

Topps made Carew an All-Star Rookie, but he was also an All-Star for the American League, and the AL Rookie of the Year. Carew's hitting really started to take off in 1969, when he hit .332 for the season to win the AL batting title. He'd win 6 more batting titles before his retirement in 1985, including 4 straight from 1972 thru 1975. 

Carew was traded before the 1979 season began. People point to the notoriously cheap Calvin Griffith for trading Carew before he had to pay him a free agent's salary, but the fact was that Carew already wanted to be traded. Articles at the time talk about Carew being comfortable in Minnesota, but contract negotiations going poorly between the two parties. What the vast majority of the articles do not bring up is Calvin Griffith's appearance at The Lions Club in Waseca, MN in 1978 when he said "I'll tell you why we came to Minnesota. It was when we found out you only had 15,000 Blacks here. Black people don't go to baseball games, but they'll fill up a rassling ring and put up such a chant it'll scare you to death. We came here because you've got good, hardworking White people here." A bit of context here - Calvin is the adopted son of Clark Griffith, who ran the Washington Senators for decades before turning over operations to Calvin. One of the main tenants of Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C.? The Homestead Grays, a Negro National League franchise that often outdrew the MLB Senators/Nats in the 1940s. Clark Griffith was opposed to integration mostly because it directly impacted him financially. Integration would cost him a profitable tenant. As a lifelong fan of Twins baseball, I have come to terms with how they arrived in Minnesota, knowing that their existence is a product of some warped thinking. That same warped thinking cost the Franchise several seasons of one of their best players. Carew knew about the comments, as a reporter attending the dinner recounted those comments, along with Griffith specifically calling Carew "a damned fool" for playing in 1978 for just $170,000. After reading this in the paper, Carew's response was "The days of Kunta Kinte are over" as well as "I refuse to be a slave on his plantation and play for a bigot."

Carew would appear in six more All-Star games after that trade, collected his 3,000th career hit against the Twins, and helped the Angels reach the post season in 1979 and 1982. In the 1983 All-Star Game, Carew started and hit lead-off. He collected his final 2 All-Star hits, going 2-3 with a walk, 2 runs scored, and an RBI in a 13-3 American League romp. For his career, Carew ranks behind just Aaron, Mays, and Musial for most All-Star games played. He set a record with 2 triples (1978) in the same game, and ranks 4th in runs scored, 3rd in stolen bases, and 4th in walks all-time in All-Star game history. 

Breakin' Series 2 Twins Boogaloo

I haven't been to a store that sells baseball cards in a few months, so getting Series 2 Topps was a tall order. Thankfully, we still have the Internet, so I went to the "electronic Bay" which is an online marketplace of sorts... and bid on a Case Break of Series 2 Topps Jumbo Boxes.

My goal was to try to cash in a lottery ticket for some of the more rare Eddie Rosario parallels so I could build my Rosie Rainbow, but I struck out there. 

Series 2 is a great place to catch up with the new kids on the block - Homer Bailey is still wearing his Royal blue cleats, Yadi Molina is making a cameo on Josh Donaldson's card, most likely with Donaldson still playing for Atlanta on this card. Dick Mountain is more than likely in a Dodgers uniform here.

There sure are a ton of horizontal cards in the Twins Series 2 set - and these aren't even the alternate / short printed variations! The only Rosario I pulled from the break was the base card, but that was good, I still needed it! 

This was a fun one, I like that the more recent issues are continuing the 50s / 60s combo card craze. 

Finally the rookie base cards - there's a Dobnak photo variation too - I'll be on the lookout for a cheap copy of it. Dobnak, you may recall, was famous for being an Uber Driver before getting the call from the Twins to be a minor league signee. 

Inserts include "Decades' Best" and a tribute to the 1985 set, which I think is just fine. Rod Carew has been getting some more love the last couple years, which is much deserved!

There were some good cards in the silver bonus packs that came with the Jumbo case - including chrome variations of Decades' Best. Pulled a couple parallels too!

Two cards could be called "hits" - first a Joe Mauer Gold Parallel numbered to 50. Mauer won three batting titles in the 2000s, and was a video game cover guy. The Twins weren't able to reach the World Series in the Decade, but they were AL Central Division Champs 6 times between 2000 and 2010. 

And finally this card made the break worth what I spent to win it - a cool 1985 design autograph of the hitting machine Luis Arraez. He hit .334 last year as a mid season call-up, subbing in for and overtaking Jonathan Schoop as the Twins' everyday second baseman. Arraez has been compared to Rod Carew and Tony Gwynn in terms of his batting stance and willingness to spray line drives all over the field. 

Have you tried a Group Break before? What did you think of it? Thanks for reading!

Buying Online Every NOW and Then

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOW showing: My First 2020 Topps Card

I'm curious to see what replaces the 150 years Online subset this year - maybe something already has? Anyway, I was happy that Rod Carew's 1977 MVP season made the cut for this checklist.

The post season awards did result in a few Twins getting recognition for a record setting season. Cruz won a Silver Slugger Award at DH, and was also named the 2019 ALL-MLB 1st Team DH.

The Silver Slugger Award also went to Twins Catcher Mitch Garver, thanks to a tremendous season that set team records for homers by a backstop.

I was hoping to find some 2020 Topps Series 1 at Target today, but I struck out again. I did finally add a 2020 Topps card to my collection, though. The Topps NOW design hasn't changed yet for the new year, but obviously from the date, this card came out in January.

There was another one for sale yesterday featuring Kenta Maeda as the newest Twin, but we'll have to wait and see if he really becomes one! Today's news was that the Red Sox were expressing concerns that Brusdar Graterol's injury history projected him as a reliever instead of a starter. The young pitcher frequently tops 100 mph on his fastball and has a wicked slider, but had Tommy John surgery a few years ago and a minor shoulder issue during the season last year. Personally, I was looking forward to Graterol being a regular in the Twins bullpen in 2020, but getting a pitcher like Maeda that can help the rotation this year is an opportunity that can't be missed.

LIVING to the Max

The Topps Living Set continues to grow, but the number of deserving subjects remaining, it can be a long wait between representatives from your favorite team. The Minnesota Twins now have seven cards in the set, two coming in the last two months.

Rod Carew is the first retired Twin to be featured. 1967 A.L. Rookie of the Year, a seven-time batting champ, 1977 A.L. MVP, eighteen-time All-Star, Hall of Fame Inductee, and the only member of the 3,000 hit club from Panama. Carew was in the Twin Cities earlier this season to attend the retirement of Joe Mauer's jersey number, and he continues to be an ambassador for the game. He also hosts an annual golf tournament in California to benefit Pediatric Cancer Research, which was held last weekend at the Pelican Hill Golf Club. He also partners with the American Heart Association to raise awareness about heart health.

This season Max Kepler has taken a big step forward. His 35 home runs are a career high, and he's slugging 100 points higher than his previous career best mark. He signed a 5 year contract extension with the Twins during Spring Training.

This dugout quiz artwork is a red herring - the flag says "Highest Batting Average" but the question is about Runs Batted In! Also, you'll notice that there's an asterisk on both cards for the lifetime totals. On Carew's card it is explained that his career totals are complete "as of 6/24/2019," but Kepler's card does not have a similar caveat. I think Rod's totals are probably not going to change much the rest of the season, but Max is likely to add on even more (he led off Saturday's game with a home run, the 91st of his career)!

Oddballs from Out West

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

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

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

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

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

Foldout (selected cuts)

the scanner cut this off at the bottom a bit

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

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

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

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

Day Twenty Five - 1976 SSPC Rod Carew #214

Day 25: A Favorite Oddball From the 1970s

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

Here's my pick - I'm a little conflicted about this - the big wad of chaw is really cool, but it's also a really dangerous habit. I remember on my high school team there were two players that dipped and I always declined to join in. I think it was one of many things that eventually pushed me out (the number one reason being that I just wasn't too good) from playing on the team after my junior year. It is digusting, but also it is a major cancer risk with prolonged use. Regardless of your opinions of chewing tobacco, the design and execution of SSPC cards in the 70s was excellent. A big full color photo with little to no text on the front of the card. Lots of personality and lesser seen moments around the ballpark were captured on these cards.  

Since these are basically one card posts, why not share the backs too? No text on the front, but plenty to make up for that on the backs! The text, as you may already know, was supplied by Keith Olbermann. The blog 1975 Baseball Cards has a great essay on the set.

Here are some honorable mentions:

I am a big fan of commemorative patches, and Luis Aparicio is rocking a unique one that was only worn for one season (but by two teams). This is a 1970 Kelloggs' Card, the patch is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the state of Illinois. The Sesquicentennial patch was worn by the Sox and the Cubs during the 1968 season, and they didn't show up on any of the 1969 or 1970 Topps cards. This Kelloggs' card and a handful of MLB Photostamps have the patch, though. Also from the SSPC set is the only card featuring Harmon Killebrew as a Kansas City Royal. The two Tony Os are examples of a couple fun food issue sets. on the left is the 1976 Hostess Set, with Red-White-Blue stripes in honor of the bicentennial. On the right is a 1971 Milk Duds card of Tony Oliva. The first card I picked up from this set was a Boog Powell, but I didn't even know what it was at the time. Once I figured out what the set was, I was able to track down Tony O!

I Love The 80s : 1981 California Angels

Just a quick refresher - 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!

Shifting gears from North of the Border to Sunny California, here are the cards of the 1981 California Angels. The Angels finished 6th in the AL West in 1980, and did not fare much better in 1981. They managed to grind out a winning record pre-strike, but the second half saw the Halos fade with a record ten games below .500.  

 Rod Carew led the offense, with contributions from DH Jason Thompson and Bobby Grich. The rotation in 1980 was led by Frank Tanana the 26 year old lefty ace. The following year saw the rotation undergoing a near complete overhaul as Tanana left the team that drafted him for the Boston Red Sox as the main prize in the Fred Lynn trade. The Halos had to depend on 20 year old phenom Mike Witt and 34 year old crafty veteran Ken Forsch. Andy Hassler was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise shaky bullpen.

The Cards:
Fleer #283 Freddie Patek - The 3-time All-Star closed out his career with the Angels in 1980 and 81. He played about half the 1980 season as the Angels primary shortstop, splitting time with the even older Bert Campaneris. A key member of the Royals playoff teams in the late 70s, he just missed the 1980 Royals' World Series appearance.

Topps #639 Carney Lansford - Moving from California to Boston in the same off-season as Tanana, Lansford may have proved the argument that a player's home park can make a guy look completely different. Carew didn't seem to struggle in any venue, but Lansford hit .261 for the Halos in 1980. Moving east to Fenway (along with another season of maturation as a major league hitter), Lansford tore the cover off the ball and won his first and only batting title in 1981. He did hit for some power with California, coming in second on the team with 15 round trippers in '80. Lansford may be best known for being the glue that held the flashy Oakland A's offense together at the end of the 80s. His 1989 playoffs were tremendous and a main reason why the team steamrolled to their only World Series title.

Drake's Big Hitters #2 Rod Carew - Carew was featured in last week's 1967 Topps Rookie All-Star Team post. In 1980, he hit .331 with a .396 on base percentage. Carew continued his climb up the all-time hitting charts in '81, rapping out 111 hits in the strike shortened campaign.

Donruss #171 Frank Tanana - In 1980, Tanana was a year removed from three straight All-Star appearances, A career record of 91-66 with an ERA of 2.93. As the defacto Ace of the Angels staff, Tanana struggled to win games and to strikeout batters. The arm woes suffered in 1979 seemed to be lingering and he was unable to regain his status as a fireballer in the mold of a left-handed Nolan Ryan. He was able to change his approach later in life and became a fixture in the Tigers rotation in the mid 80s and into the 90s.

 Fleer #268 Rod Carew -  This shot of Carew with the mountains in the background is one of my favorite cards of Carew of all time.

Topps  #263 Brian Downing - Downing is one of those very good major league players that tend to fall out of the conversation when talking about the greatest of all time. Downing wasn't as good a catcher as contemporaries like Bob Boone, or as good a hitter as guys like Reggie or even Don Baylor once Downing shifted to being primarily a DH. But Downing was a very good hitter for a very long time. He had a late start, too - used mostly in a backup or utility role in 1980 and 1981, he started a string of solid offensive seasons throughout the 80s, finishing his career with 2,099 hits, 275 homers, and over 1,000 RBI. Downing also had an exceptional eye at the plate, finishing his career with an OBP of .370 despite regularly hitting in the .250s and .260s.

Fleer # 290 Andy Hassler -  Andy was one of the Angels closers in 1980, finishing with 10 saves. Along with Mark Clear, Hassler anchored the back end of the bullpen, arguably as the better half. The lefty debuted with the Angels way back in 1971 as a 19 year old. He bounced around the league over the decade of the 70s, with stops in Kansas City, New York, Pittsburgh, and Boston before finding his way back to the Halos in 1980. The came over in June after having his contract purchased from the Pirates. Hassler followed up his much anticipated return with a solid 1981 as well.

Fleer Star Stickers #122 Don Baylor - The 1979 MVP had a rough year in 1980. At age 31, he played in just 90 games, and hit just 5 home runs a year removed from 36. Baylor followed that up with a disappointing 1981 as well, and some may have written him off at that point. He would go on to hit another 150 career homers, and became a mercenary of sorts, called in to be the big middle of the order bat on several playoff contenders, including a short stint with the 1987 Minnesota Twins, just in time to hit a home run in the World Series. He played in the World Series in 1986, 1987, and 1988 with three different AL teams. Not a bad way to close out a career!

Donruss #174 Joe Rudi -  Rudi was finishing up a 4 year stint in the California Angels' outfield in 1980. Better known for his thrilling run as the sparkplug in the Oakland offense during their 1970s three-peat, he came to the Angels in 1977 after becoming too costly for the frugal Charlie O. Finley. Along with Campaneris, Carew, and Freddie Patek on the team the 1980 Angels had a wealth of experience to help the young players coming up.

       Any requests for the next 1981 team to cover?

1967 Topps All-Star Rookie Team: Get Your Heart Checked!

Here they are - the Topps All-Star Rookie Team, selected "by the Youth of America" following the 1967 season and featured in the 1968 Topps set. 

I have completed the run of these up through 2016 Series one, at least all regular issue cards that bear the All-Star Rookie Trophy. 

Dick Hughes RHP, Rich Nye LHP, and Rick Monday OF were members of the team in 1967, but their 1968 Topps cards did not feature the trophy.

  Right Handed Pitcher - Tom Seaver
Hall of Famer
The Franchise is probably the greatest pitcher to be named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1967, and quickly became the Ace of the young Mets rotation that blossomed in 1969, winning the World Series. He began to assault the record books of the Mets immediately upon making the team:

 Seaver's career continued to deliver in the 70s and into the 80s, including a no-hitter in 1978, 5 strikeout titles, 3 Cy Young Awards, and 12 All-Star Appearances. He was the Opening Day starter 16 times, striking out over 3,600 batters in his career. He recorded 61 Career Shutouts - for comparison, the active leader in the majors is Clayton Kershaw with 14 (ahem, 15 after last night) . "Tom Terrific" was about as close to a unanimous Hall of Fame Selection as a player can get, named on 98.8% of all ballots. Until this year's election of Ken Griffey, Jr., no player had a higher percentage of votes. Seaver also has the rare distinction of winning two games in the same day. He finished a game suspended the previous night, then started the regularly scheduled game on May 9th, 1984. His 300th win came in New York, as a member of the Chicago White Sox, in August of 1985.
Tom's Rookie Card is the last one Mark Hoyle needs to complete his 1967 Topps Set.

 Outfield - Reggie Smith
Reggie was not a Hall of Famer like the guys before and after him on this list, but his career was still a productive one. He compiled over 2,000 career hits and was a doubles machine - racking up 363 two baggers in 17 major league seasons. He also belted 314 career home runs, scored over 1,000 runs, and drove in over 1,000 more. He made 7 All-Star teams between the Red Sox, Cardinals, and the Dodgers, and even picked up a Gold Glove in 1968. Hey- do you like advanced stats? Reggie's career OPS+ was 137, meaning that he hit 37% better than the league average over his career. The only switch hitter with a higher career OPS+ ? Why, that would be Mickey Mantle. You prefer anecdotes? Hall of Famer Don Sutton said that Smith was a more valuable player for the 1978 Dodgers than Steve Garvey, which may have contributed to a heated wrestling match between Garvey and Sutton in the clubhouse in L.A. Reggie would be quoted as saying his least favorite word was "potential" - a word the media used to describe heights that he did not reach in his career. His overall body of work was solid, and he contributed to some the strongest teams in the 60s and 70s. He was a member of the World Champion Dodgers in 1981, albeit as a bit player at this point, appearing in just two World Series games, and just 41 regular season games. The championship was icing on the cake for a great career.
Reggie's Rookie is #314 in the 1967 Topps set.

 Second Baseman - Rod Carew
Hall of Famer
Rod Carew didn't play baseball much as a teenager - he was born in Panama, and played sparingly with neighborhood kids. The family moved to New York and it wasn't until Rod was in high school that he once again picked up a bat. It turned out that he had a knack for hitting a baseball. Carew won 7 batting titles, won the AL MVP award in 1977, and was the 1967 AL Rookie of the Year. He never hit many home runs, but Carew managed to lead the league in Triples three times, averaged 200 hits and 29 doubles per year, and went to the All-Star game in all but one of his 19 seasons. The Hall of Famer reached the 3,000 hit plateau against his former team, the Twins, in 1985, his final major league season. This offseason, while taking in a round of golf, Rod suffered a heart attack. He has been making slow progress recovering, and likely will need a heart transplant to extend his life. He appeared at TwinsFest and urged everyone to talk to their doctor about their heart health. Carew was one of the game's greatest pure hitters.
Rod's rookie card is pesky high number #569 in the 1967 Topps Set

 Catcher - Dick Dietz
Dietz appeared in just 56 games in 1967. He, like many of other Topps All-Star Rookie Catchers, was the most promising of a thin group. It's rare for a catcher to excel in their rookie season, and they usually take some time to come into their own. For Dietz, that was 1970. Dietz crushed 22 homers and made his first and only All-Star appearance. In that game, Dietz was a reserve, and came into the game in the 7th inning replacing Johnny Bench. Dietz hit a home run that started a rally for the Senior Circuit. The comeback culminated in the unforgettable play at the plate with Pete Rose steamrolling Dietz's opposite number Ray Fosse. Dietz was the batter on deck when Rose scored the run. Dietz had another solid campaign in 1971, hitting 19 homers as the primary catcher for the playoff bound Giants. Dietz was released by the Giants following the 71 season (and the 72 players' Strike; Dietz was the Giants player Rep). The Dodgers picked him up, but he suffered a broken wrist which effectively ended his regular playing time. He appeared in his final major league game in 1973 as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
Dick's Rookie card was #341 in the 1967 Topps Set

 Third Baseman - Bobby Etheridge
Rookie Card
Bobby Etheridge played in just 40 games in 1967, and just 96 Major league games in his career. He managed 26 hits, with 1 home run. He spent most of the season behind Jim Ray Hart on the depth chart. He bounced around the minor leagues until 1973 and was out of baseball. Maybe Sal Bando would have been a better bet, but hindsight is 20/20...

 Outfield - Walt Williams
"No Neck" was short in stature, but he played big on the field. Built like he was hastily crammed into a suitcase*, Williams played the game like he was late for a flight. The reckless abandon on the field made him an instant fan favorite. While he hit for just a .240 average his rookie year, he rebounded and managed a career mark of .270, with a career high average of .304 in 1969. He had his best seasons in terms of average and on base percentage when given the chance to play regularly, which was a rare occurrence for Williams. Defensively, Williams was very very good, making just 19 errors in his career. He did not get the opportunity to play regularly in the States, finishing his career with stints in Venezuela, Mexico, and Japan. He also played in the short lived Senior Baseball League in 1989. Williams passed away in January of this year after a heart attack.
*(quote paraphrased from an unnamed scout, quoted in Williams' NY Times Obit)
Walt's Rookie Card was #598 in the 1967 Topps Set.

 Shortstop - Tim Cullen
Cullen had a career year in his first full season with the Senators in 1967. He had 95 hits, and a career high OBP of .306. His greatest success came as a bench player on the 1972 World Champion Oakland A's. Cullen has the dubious distinction of being traded back to his original team in one season - going from the Senators to the White Sox, then being traded back to Washington (for the same player, Ron Hansen). Both teams decided to have a do over on that one.
Tim's Rookie Card is #167 in the 1967 Topps Set

First Baseman - Lee May
Lee had a great rookie season with the Reds, and it was the start of a career that saw May playing for several teams in both leagues. May was prodigious slugger, though he hit only 12 homers in his first full season, he would go on to hit over 350 for his career. May, in addition to hitting a lot of homers, struck out at a high rate as well. May averaged 123 strikeouts per season - along with Reggie Jackson, Dave Kingman, and others, May ushered in a new era of  home run hitter in the 1970s. Striking out 100+ times in a season would be almost unheard of, but these players were also hitting more home runs on a consistent basis compared to the players of the previous generation. May was definitely consistent - he had 11 consecutive seasons of greater than 20 homers and 80 runs batted in. "The Big Bopper" had his highest total in 1971, hitting 39 big flies. May was a perfect fit in Baltimore, often providing the "3 Run Homer" that Orioles Manager Earl Weaver liked to wait for. His brother Carlos also played pro ball, and between the two of them they have hit the 6th most homers for a pair of brothers (even though most of those came from Lee).
Lee's Rookie Card is #424 in the 1966 Topps Set.

All The Way from France (via Washington State)

 Kevin from The Card Papoy shops smart. He doesn't let an ocean come between trade partners, and this time around he let COMC do the mailing for him, ordering some trade pieces online and then shipping them direct rather than having them cross the Atlantic twice.

 Big swatch from a Kennys uniform. If he wasn't a giant, I would believe that the 49 cards could make one complete jersey. I really like the Immaculate Collection, they are doing a real nice job making up for the lack of a license.

 If you touch your right ear to your right shoulder, the patch looks a little like the French Flag! This is an awesome looking patch in person. You can't be upset about no license here, the tri-color patch is practically the whole logo. Both of these Kennys are new additions to my collection, and very welcome ones at that.

Paul is definitely in a Brewers uniform and Rod is definitely in an Angels Road jersey, but if Panini says "Minnesota" who am I to argue? I am very happy to see a card with these two guys together - it's a pairing of guys you wouldn't necessarily group together but actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Hall of Famers and 3,000 hit club members. Very Very cool.

Thanks so much Kevin, sending some stuff your way very soon!