Random Topps Card of the Day: 2005 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH301 Chuck James

(Today begins what is hopefully a year long segment called the Topps Card of the Day. Look for this segment to run every day at 1:00 PM CST. Let's hope it works...)

The Topps Card Randomizer (the TCR) was plugged in on Sunday night. And after 30 seconds of pressing the F9 key, came up with this card as the first subject for our new Random Topps Card of the Day installment. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is what the TCR chose as the first ever Random Topps Card of the Day (repetitive first couple of sentences...no?) for Monday, December 28, 2009:


Okay, so after the card of the day is revealed, the following information will be included:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2005 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH301.
• Player Name (with a link to his Baseball Reference page), position, team: Chuck James, pitcher, Atlanta Braves.
• Major League Debut (courtesy of Baseball Reference): September 28, 2005.
• Career Statistics (totals in last line of yearly stats at that point in time): 1995 stats (minors): 29 G, 13-7, 161.1 IP, 103 H, 44 R, 38 ER, 36 BB, 193 SO, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0.86 WHIP, 2.12 ERA.
• Any special information about player (how acquired at that time, Bats/Throws), Drafted #20th, June 2002, Bats: left, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: First regular Topps card (by regular, I mean either base or traded card). All cards from 2005 Topps Updates and Highlights include stats from 2005 season, which is the first time Topps was able to include same year stats onto their cards (normally, stats are from the previous year, even on the Traded/U&H cards).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value in (per the 2009 Beckett Annual Baseball Card Price Guide): $0.50-$1.25.

This is just the start. A new box will be added to the sidebar giving a preview of the upcoming cards of the week, which will be randomly selected every Saturday night. Write ups will begin in earnest. The last tidbit of information (in case readers MISS the sidebar) will be the next card of the day (remember, the randomizer picks seven cards, one for each day of the week). Tomorrow's card will be: 1993 Topps #63. Feel free to dig out the card, go to a website that has checklist information, or use your favorite search engine if you'd like. Otherwise, stay tuned.

In the mean time, please let me know if the format for these posts are all right or if I should try and add more information to it. I'm trying not to copy Hobby Blog Hall of Famer 88 Topps Cards. I don't want to write verbatim everything on the back of the card (plagerism). And I can pretend to know all about every player and their impact in the game and the hobby, but I would be lying. While it is easy to say that this player was great or had a great career, I will never say that this player stunk, or was bad, or had a lousy career. That player's numbers can speak for themselves without me making comments about it. Because let's face it, if I was better than the guys on the cards, don't you think I'd be playing the game for a living instead of writing about their cards???

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama