Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps Traded #47T Wade Boggs

We reset the Topps Card Randomizer to come up with seven new cards to present for this week. Introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, May 31, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps Traded #47T.
• Player Name, position, team: Wade Boggs, third baseman, New York Yankees.
• Major League Debut: April 10, 1982.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Red Sox): 143 G, 514 AB, 62 R, 133 H, 22 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 50 RBI, 1 SB, .358 SLG, 74 BB, 31 SO, .259 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Red Sox #7th, June 1976. Signed with the Yankees as a Free Agent 12/15/1992. Bats Left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Boggs' twelfth regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only, not any combo, all-star, league leader cards). The 1993 Topps set was simple (set in a way that makes the picture look like it's being held by rubber bands. But thanks to that little design element, the picture becomes the primary focus of the card. And many of the 1993 Topps cards featured great action shots. This one included. And the vertical-oriented backs? Genius. The colored fields pop out, and even though the stats are hard to read unless you have a magnifying glass (or put the cards really close to your eyeballs), they are still pretty legible. I guess it's because he hit below .300 for the first time in his career, but it may be possible that the Red Sox didn't need Boggs' services anymore. And with Scott Cooper waiting in the wings, it may have been time to go. But shockwaves were felt throughout New England when it was announced that Wade Boggs, the Sox' All-Star third baseman, the hitting machine, the guy that ate nothing but chicken the entire time, had signed with the New York Yankees on 12/15/1992. What a Christmas present it was for New Yorkers everywhere. Because with Boggs in the fold, and the many players the Yankees had stockpiled in the minors, it was only a matter of time before the Yankees became relevant again. And when 1996 came roaring around, guess who finally got his first World Series ring??? And the curse continued. The blurb on the back recalls that in 1992, Wade achieved his 2000th hit on 05/17/1992 and that he belted a grand slam at Toronto on 06/12/1992. It also is revealed that Boggs was a shortstop in Little League. Who knew?
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 88 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1989 Topps #648. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. See you then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama