Day Four - 1984 Fleer Update Kirby Puckett #U-93

Day Four: A Rookie Card of one of Your Favorite Players

Taking the lead from Tony at Off-Hiatus Baseball Cards this will be the fourth 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- big surprise, it's my favorite player from my childhood. This card more than any other was one I pined for as a kid, but thought I would never be able to afford. It brings up an interesting conversation, though... is this his rookie card, or is it his 1985 cards? There's only one major issue card of Kirby from 1984, and this is it. It came in the Update set, along with the first major issue card of Roger Clemens. The question then extends to whether or not the update or traded set is really a "major issue" set. Go back a couple years to 1982, and Cal Ripken, Jr. There are cards of Ripken in all the main sets, but a lot of people will point to the '82 Topps Traded card as the "true" rookie. It's definitely the most expensive of his rookie cards, and in my opinion the best looking one. He's not sharing any cardboard real estate with Bob Bonner or Jeff Schneider, either. A lot people count the 1987 Topps Barry Bonds as his rookie card, even though you can find Donruss, Fleer, and Topps sets from 1986 with Bonds cards.... Regardless of the debate on what is really truly a player's rookie card, I had to go with Puck. It was a White Whale card as a kid, and a fairly recognizable icon of the junk wax era.

 Since these are basically one card posts, why not show the backs, too? I still want the 1983 Visalia Oaks Puckett card, that's gonna have to wait for me to inherit some money from a distant relative or something . . . It's hard to think of Puckett as a speedy singles hitter, but that's exactly the player the Twins drafted. 40 plus steals in his two minor league seasons. 


Here are some Honorable mentions:

This was a pretty easy choice to go with Puckett, but picking honorable mentions was actually tough. I thought about some old school favorites like Elmer Valo, Minnie Minoso, or Harmon Killebrew, but for the sake of symmetry I decided to just use standard card sizes. Big Dave and Rickey are both clear cut rookie cards, but again on the bottom row it's a bit of a question. Especially with Kepler. It's his Rookie season in MLB, but he's been featured on baseball cards for years leading up to this appearance on 2016 Stadium Club. 

What do you think, would you call this Jim Thome's rookie card? 

Day Three - 2014 Topps Heritage Greg Holland #498 (SP)

Day 3: A Card From The First Set You Tried To Complete

Taking the lead from Tony at Off-Hiatus Baseball Cards this will be the third 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- you might be saying, 2014? Really? Well, to be honest, as a kid I really wasn't a set builder. When I returned to the hobby in 2014, the idea of putting together a set (something I never gave much effort or thought towards as a kid) seemed really appealing. Toss in a classic design, and high quality cardstock and I was sold. Oh. Why Greg Holland? A couple reasons. First, this seemed like a throwback pose, it reminded me of the original 1965 Topps set. Also, this was one of the last batch of cards that I added to the set, one of the dreaded Short Prints!

Since these are basically one card posts, why not show the backs, too? The cartoon is still there, they did a decent job of emulating the 1965 backs, even with all the extra small print that the modern era deems necessary. 

Here are some honorable mentions:

Another Holland Short Print- Derek seems to get what the whole Heritage set is all about. Jimmy Rollins has one of my favorite cards in the set - another classic / callback pose, and there's a sweet scoreboard with ads in the background. I was so pumped about completing the regular set that I also purchased the "High Numbers" set, which included the somewhat odd visual of The Shark from the other side of the Bay. At that point I was all in, so I also built the minor league set. I wonder if that Bryant kid is going to do anything interesting in the future....

Day Two - 1954 Topps Ed & John O'Brien #139

Day 2: A Card With More Than One Player On It

Taking the lead from Tony at Off-Hiatus Baseball Cards this will be the second 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 - This was the first time* Topps put more than one player on one of their cards. They hadn't started putting team cards in the set yet, so up to this point every Topps card featured just one player. The O'Brien brothers were twins, both basketball and baseball stars at Seattle University. In 1953 the brothers were signed by Branch Rickey for $25,000 apiece to come play for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Eddie was the short stop, Johnny the 2nd baseman. In 1954, both brothers served in the military, and returned to the Pirates and played sporadically for several more seasons. Eddie and Johnny returned to Seattle after their playing days - Eddie became the Seattle U. Athletic director and head Baseball Coach. In 2011, the University named their Athletics building the Ed and John O'Brien Center.

You may be wondering how it was that the 1954 Set, which is only 250 cards, had room for a pair of bonus babies like the O'Briens. At this point of the 1950s, there was still quite the competition from Bowman, as the two card giants fought over exclusive rights to the players. Topps had Ted Williams, but Bowman had Mickey Mantle - as well as Bob Feller, Roy Campanella, and several others. Topps filled its set with a combination of Managers, Coaches, and young players that had just started out (Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Al Kaline to name just a few).

Since these are basically one card posts, why not show the backs, too? Great info from the backs on 1954 Topps, and they found a nice way to share the stats between the two brothers.

Here are some honorable mentions:

Topps was the master of these in the 1960s - Alliterations like "Power Plus" or "Twin Terrors," as well as some favorite key phrases like "Fence Busters" or "Manager's Dream." In the 80s, the torch was passed onto Donruss and Fleer. Fleer's Super Star Specials became a personal favorite.

*Did you know that in 1948 Topps released several different multi sport and non-sport sets called Topps Magic Photos? The baseball series included a few cards with multiple players, some featuring the 1948 World Series, and one of Cubs Hall of Famers Tinker and Evers.

Day One - 2017 Topps Series 1 Tyler Naquin #203

Day 1: A Card From the Current Year With A Photo You Like

Taking the lead from Tony at Off-Hiatus Baseball Cards this will be the first 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 thought about waiting until Stadium Club comes out before picking a favorite, but I am convinced that this one is still going to be high on the list. What you're looking at is rookie Tyler Naquin heading home for a walk off inside the park home run. Fransisco Lindor is matching him stride for stride to kick off the celebration.You can see the fans in the first two rows, all on their feet, giddy and elated. Naquin had hit a walk off sacrifice fly the night before, so this was his way of increasing the excitement so his game winning RBI don't get stale or boring. It was win number 70 for Cleveland, and they rode the excitement and energy from that win all the way to game seven of the World Series.

Since these are basically one card posts, why not show the backs, too?

source

When I saw this card, I recognized the context immediately, though the image I associate with Naquin's walk off is throwing up horns after his head first slide into home.


Here are a couple honorable mentions-- I'm guessing that Stadium Club will offer a few more candidates for favorite photos of 2017 releases.

Great view of Oakland Coliseum. (p.s. - I think this was the May 22nd game Hahn started vs. NYY)

Another great moment- Team U.S.A. won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, thanks in no small part to plays like this one. All the mini U.S. flags in the background are a nice touch.

Happy Jackie Robinson Day!

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

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

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

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

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