2009 Topps Series 2 Legends of the Game Timeline

I don't have all the Target and Walmart exclusive cards yet (I still need tons, see my want list...I'd rather trade than buy at this point...any help please???), but I do have the complete series 2 set of Legends of the Game cards, so I can do a timeline based on them.

The difference between the 25 cards from series 1 and the 25 cards from series 2 is that while the S1 cards utilized Topps deal with CMG players (along with a few more recent legends like Ripken and Ryan), S2 cards featured 12 "Legendary players" and 13 active "legends" (active as of the end of the 2008 season). The timeline on the back of the 25 cards in the second series does not link to the series 1 list (it starts with Marichal in 1960 as you will soon see). And, if that doesn't make it more complicated, the numbering system does not continue from Series 1 (which ended at LG25), as the "card number" utilizes the player's initials after the "LG-." To bypass this little "problem," I placed each of the cards in the set in order by the year highlighted on each card (as you will soon see below).

Without further ado, here is the timeline that links the 25 cards from the 2009 Topps Legends of the Game series 2 set together (card "numbers" will be shown after the entry if it appeared on the card):

1960 - Juan Marichal MLB Debut (LG-JM)
1962 - Juan Marichal 1st MLB All-Star Game
1964 - Brooks Robinson AL MVP (LG-BR)
1966 - Frank Robinson Triple Crown (LG-FR)
1968 - Juan Marichal 26 Wins
1969 - Frank Robinson .300-30-100 (at this point, the timeline breaks here as the next card has a totally new entry)
1970 - Brooks Robinson World Series Champion
1971 - Frank Robinson MLB All-Star Game MVP
1972 - Steve Carlton NL Cy Young (LG-SC)
1973 - Jim Palmer AL Cy Young (LG-JP)
1974 - Robin Yount MLB Debut
1975 - Brooks Robinson 15th Gold Glove (at ths point, the timeline breaks again as the next card has a totally new entry)
1975 - Jim Palmer AL Cy Young
1976 - Jim Palmer AL Cy Young
1977 - Reggie Jackson World Series MVP (LG-RJ)
1978 - Reggie Jackson World Series Champion
1979 - Paul Molitor Breakout Year (LG-PM)
1980 - Reggie Jackson Silver Slugger
1980 - Mike Schmidt World Series Champion (LG-MS)
1981 - Tony Gwynn Drafted by Padres (LG-TG)
1982 - Steve Carlton 4th NL Cy Young
1982 - Robin Yount AL MVP (LG-RY)
1982 - Paul Molitor Leads Brewers to WS
1983 - Steve Carlton 300th Win
1984 - Ryne Sandberg NL MVP (LG-RS)
1985 - Wade Boggs 1st MLB All-Star Game (LG-WB)
1986 - Mike Schmidt 3rd NL MVP
1987 - Wade Boggs .363-24-89 (at this point, the timeline takes another break here as we now begin with the "active" legends)
1990 - Ryne Sandberg .306-40-10 (error, Ryno had 100 RBI's in 1990)
1990 - Greg Maddux 1st Gold Glove
1990 - Randy Johnson 1st No-Hitter (LG-RJO)
1991 - Tom Glavine 1st Cy Young (LG-TGL)
1991 - Ryne Sandberg 9th Gold Glove
1992 - Robin Yount 3000th Hit
1992 - Tom Glavine 2nd Straight ASG Start
1993 - Greg Maddux 1st ERA Title (LG-GM)
1993 - Frank Thomas AL MVP
1994 - Tony Gwynn .394 AVG
1994 - Frank Thomas AL MVP (LG-FT)
1995 - Chipper Jones 1st Full Season
1995 - Greg Maddux 4th NL Cy Young
1995 - Trevor Hoffman 1st of 13 30-SV Seasons (LG-TH)
1996 - John Smoltz Cy Young
1996 - Mariano Rivera World Series Champion
1998 - Vladimir Guerrero 1st Full Season (LG-VG)
1998 - Manny Ramirez Career High HR & RBI
1998 - Trevor Hoffman 53 Saves (at this point, the timeline breaks again as the next card has a totally new entry)
1999 - Tony Gwynn 3000th Hit
1999 - Chipper Jones NL MVP
1999 - Mariano Rivera World Series Champion (LG-MR)
2000 - Chipper Jones Silver Slugger (LG-CJ)
2001 - Ichiro Suzuki AL Rookie of the Year (LG-IS)
2001 - Albert Pujols NL Rookie of the Year
2001 - Randy Johnson World Series MVP (at this point, the timeline breaks again as the next card has a totally new entry)
2002 - Vladimir Guerrero 206 H, 40 SB
2002 - Randy Johnson 5th Cy Young
2002 - John Smoltz Saves Record (LG-JS)
2003 - Alex Rodriguez 300th HR
2003 - Albert Pujols Silver Slugger (at this point, the timeline breaks again as the next card has a totally new entry)
2004 - Ichiro Suzuki Hits Record
2004 - Vladimir Guerrero AL MVP
2004 - Manny Ramirez World Series MVP (LG-MRA)
2005 - Alex Rodriguez 400th HR
2005 - John Smoltz Postseason Wins Record (at this point, the timeline breaks again as the next card has a totally new entry)
2006 - Mariano Rivera 400th Save
2006 - Trevor Hoffman All-Time Saves Record
2006 - Albert Pujols Leads NL in HR & RBI (LG-AP)
2007 - Alex Rodriguez 500th HR (LG-AR)
2007 - Tom Glavine 300th Win
2008 - Manny Ramirez 500th HR

I didn't realize that there were so many breaks in the timeline. All together, there are 70 highlights within this timeline. It is a shame, though that the timeline couldn't be held together as there are a number of breaks (compared with the first timeline where it was almost fluid).

When I do get the remaining cards I need from the Walmart and Target sets, I will update the first timeline with the new highlights. And it's a safe bet that when the U & H set arrives that we'll do the same thing here. It was fun to go through almost 50 years of baseball history in 25 cards. Can't wait for U & H.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama