Random Topps Card of the Day: 1952 Topps #227 Joe Garagiola

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, January 31, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1952 Topps #227.
• Player Name, position, team: Joe Garagiola, catcher, Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Major League Debut: May 26, 1946.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1951 stats (Pirates): 99 G, 284 AB, 33 R, 68 H, 11 HR, 44 RBI, .239 AVG. Fielding stats: 336 putouts, 36 assists, 4 errors, .989 fielding average.
• Any special information about player: Signed by Cardinals as a Free Agent before 1942. Traded by the Cardinals to the Pirates 06/15/1951. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Garagiola's first regular Topps card (his only Topps card as an active player). Joe spent three years in the military before making his major league debut in 1946. Along with the height and weight specs were eye (brown) and hair (brown) color. Played a major role in the Cardinals' World Series win in '46, batting .316 in the series. Garagiola went on to better things as a sports broadcaster and host of the Today Show. The card itself has been reprinted twice. The first time was for the 1983 Topps Archives 1952 reprint set. The second time in the 2001 Topps Archives set. As this was Joe's only Topps card, and the 2001 Topps Archives set consisted of reprint cards of a player's first and last Topps card, this card was reprinted into the set twice.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $50.00-$80.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 2 cards.

In case you're actually wondering, I don't own this card, but was able to get a crystal clean copy of the image from the from the Baseball Card Cyber Museum. So thank you Joe McAnally and the folks at the BCCM. (By the way, loving the new features regarding viewing by card number!!!)

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 1979 Topps #35. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Come on back then to see what the Topps Card Randomizer gets us to look at then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Deadline for 2009 Topps Baseball ToppsTown Codes

Ladies and Gentlemen:

According to every 2009 MLB ToppsTown card, the deadline to enter the codes is 01/31/2010. That would be now!!!

Get those codes entered onto ToppsTown's website before the day ends. I will be at the local library entering about 150 plus cards because my home computer takes forever. I spent an hour there today as well.

February 1 begins a new year, and then you can start entering codes for 2010 Topps (or give them to a certain blogger who writes about Topps cards).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1994 Topps Traded #95T Dustin Hermanson

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, January 30, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1994 Topps Traded #95T.
• Player Name, position, team: Dustin Hermanson, pitcher, San Diego Padres.
• Major League Debut: May 8, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Kent State): 14 G, 79.2 IP, 5-5, 33 R, 30 ER, 76 SO, 21 BB, 12 GS, 4 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.39 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Padres #1st June 1994. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Hermanson's second regular Topps card (his rookie card was in last year's Topps Traded set as a member of the 1993 Team USA). What bothers me about this card is not about the player, it's the design. If you recall, in 1994 Topps, the draft pick cards were designed as if you were looking at a clipboard with the players picture attached by the clip. The draft picks in this set look as if they are standing in front of a garage door, or painted aluminum siding. I understand that that the players in the 1994 set were drafted in 1993, so I can see why they used a different design between the DP's in the regular and traded sets. And if I didn't tell you that this card came from 1994 Topps Traded, you'd swear that this card was from the 1995 Topps set. Why? Because the draft pick cards in 1995 Topps used the same exact design. Okay, that's fine. So why did the 1995 Topps Traded draft picks cards use the SAME EXACT DESIGN AS WELL? All Topps did was change the year between the words Draft Pick, and BAM! New card.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 15 cards.

Tomorrow is Retro Sunday, the one day of the week that we feature a card from 1951-1975. The card we will feature tomorrow is: 1952 Topps #227. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1985 Topps #514 Jeff Cornell

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, January 29, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1985 Topps #514.
• Player Name, position, team: Jeff Cornell, pitcher, San Francisco Giants.
• Major League Debut: June 2, 1984.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1984 stats (Giants): 23 G, 38.1 IP, 1-3, 30 R, 26 ER, 19 SO, 22 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 6.10 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Royals #8th, June 1978. Traded by the Royals to the Giants 02/18/1982. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Cornell's first, and only Topps card (rookie card). Cornell played in the majors for only one year, so the stats above are his lifetime MLB statistics. This is another reason why Topps should increase the size of its eponymous set. If he played in today's game, the only time we'd probably ever see a card of Jeff Cornell is if he was a member of the Yankees. He was a middle relief pitcher, and had played in the minors for a long time. That's a recipe for and gives reason for Topps not to create a card. The blurb on the back talks about his hobbies (listening to music, Tae-Kwon-Do, reading, bowling, and golf). It's as if Topps was really stretching to find something interesting about the guy.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 1 card.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1994 Topps Traded #95T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Join us then, won't you?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

More Yankees Pies Have Surfaced. And Frankly, I Don't Care!!!

I have officially decided...I am not going to collect these Yankees "Pie in the Face" cards. It's one thing to have a variation card where the player featured is wearing a different uniform, but when your short print set is just of Yankees players getting hit with A. J. Burnett pies after a walk off win...

If Topps only did this with one player...fine. I'd go for it. But seven???

• #65b Nick Swisher PITF
• #88b Jerry Hairston, Jr. PITF
• #120b Jorge Posada PITF
• #250c Mark Teixeira PITF
• #370 Robinson Cano PITF
• #422 Francisco Cervelli PITF
• #475 Johnny Damon PITF

And there could be more. There were 15 Yankees Walk-offs in 2009. I mentioned it before, but others who got Pied include:

• Alex Rodriguez
• Juan Miranda
• Melky Cabrera
• Hideki Matsui
• Joe Girardi

Heck, even Luis Castillo of the Mets, one of Burnett's old teammates, got hit with a pie as a "Thank you" of sorts. There could be more. Or they could all just pop up here in series 1.

But frankly, I'm not going to actively hunt these down. I never thought I'd say that about a card with a base Topps design. But there. I've said it. I figure, it's a Yankee thing, Yankees fans would appreciate it more than I do. Now, I'm not saying that I don't like the look of the cards. But...I just don't care for them.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1986 Topps #539 Glenn Hubbard

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, January 28, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1986 Topps #539.
• Player Name, position, team: Glenn Hubbard, second baseman, Atlanta Braves.
• Major League Debut: July 14, 1978.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1986 stats (Braves): 142 G, 439 AB, 51 R, 102 G, 21 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 39 RBI, 4 SB, .314 SLG, 56 BB, 54 SO, .232 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Braves 20th, June 1975. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Hubbard's seventh regular Topps card. Growing up, I always wondered how these cards were printed. I mean, black frame on top, white on the bottom, and I always assumed that all cards were printed right side up. It didn't occur to me that they could print one row of cards and have the row above printed upside down. The back of the card includes the card number of Glenn's first Topps card (1979 Topps #715), the date of his first major league home run (09/23/1978), the date of his first four-hit game (05/06/1979), and first major league grand slam (08/31/1981).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 15 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1985 Topps #514. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's End of Year MLB All-Star Teams: 2000 Edition

We've finally made it to the new millennium. What a year this was going to be. My wife and I were expecting our first child, and in April came a 7 pound, 6 ounce little girl. I couldn't believe that we brought this little angel to life. And so began the greatest learning experience of our lives...Parenthood. My baseball card collection, and a lot of other things, took a bit of a backseat. But it didn't mean I had to stop completely. Sure, I had to make sure she didn't grab my binders full of cards, but living in the apartment, just the three of us, was some of the happiest days of my life. By the end of the year, I discovered eBay...and my collection exploded from there.

Baseball in 2000 the Yankees win the World Series, AGAIN. This time, against their crosstown rivals the Mets. The Cubs didn't go anywhere...AGAIN. The White Sox won the division, but lost to the Mariners. But who cared...I had a daughter to raise. In between the diapers, and the bags, the toys, and all, I still named players for my All-Star Teams. This would be the 14th straight year for me doing this. And I have to say I've gotten a lot better at this now. With the papers that I used to write down the players' names back in 2000 (I ran out of room in my notebook if you recall), I am ready to bring them to life, thanks to the internet and the baseball simulation.

This year's teams include 10 pitchers on each team (six starters, four closers), and the usual 3 players per position (1b, 2b, 3b, ss, c, 9 of), and because the 2001 ASG would be in Seattle (at the brand new Safeco Field), each team included a DH. So the rosters were expanded back to 35 players per team.

Without further ado, for the first time online, I am proud to introduce my 2000 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams (in alphabetical order by position):

(Insert space joke here...)

American League First Basemen Carlos Delgado, Blue Jays* Jason Giambi, Athletics Mike Sweeney, Royals* Second Basemen Roberto Alomar, Indians Ray Durham, White Sox* Randy Velarde, Athletics Third Basemen Tony Batista, Blue Jays* Troy Glaus, Angels* Dean Palmer, Tigers Shortstops Nomar Garciaparra, Red Sox Derek Jeter, Yankees Alex Rodriguez, Mariners Outfielders Garret Anderson, Angels Jermaine Dye, Royals* Darin Erstad, Angels* Carl Everett, Red Sox* Matt Lawton, Twins* Magglio Ordoñez, White Sox Manny Ramirez, Indians Greg Vaughn, Devil Rays Bernie Williams, Yankees Catchers Darrin Fletcher, Blue Jays Jorge Posada, Yankees* Ivan Rodriguez, Rangers Designated Hitter: Frank Thomas, White Sox Pitchers Roger Clemens, Yankees Bartolo Colon, Indians Tim Hudson, Athletics* Todd Jones, Tigers* Derek Lowe, Red Sox* Pedro Martinez, Red Sox Mike Mussina, Orioles Mariano Rivera, Yankees Kazuhiro Sasaki, Mariners* David Wells, Blue Jays Manager: Jerry Manuel, White Sox The Starters: 1B: Giambi 2B: Alomar 3B: Glaus SS: Rodriguez OF: Dye OF: Ramirez OF: Williams C: Rodriguez DH: Thomas P: Clemens *First-Time All-Star

National League First Basemen Jeff Bagwell, Astros Andres Galarraga, Braves Todd Helton, Rockies* Second Basemen Jeff Kent, Giants Jose Vidro, Expos* Eric Young, Cubs Third Basemen Jeff Cirillo, Rockies Chipper Jones, Braves Scott Rolen, Phillies* Shortstops Rich Aurelia, Giants* Barry Larkin, Reds Edgar Renteria, Cardinals* Outfielders Barry Bonds, Giants Jim Edmonds, Cardinals Ken Griffey, Jr., Reds Vladimir Guerrero, Expos Geoff Jenkins, Brewers* Andruw Jones, Braves* Gary Sheffield, Dodgers Sammy Sosa, Cubs Preston Wilson, Marlins* Catchers Jason Kendall, Pirates Javy Lopez, Braves Mike Piazza, Mets Designated Hitter: Mark McGwire, Cardinals Pitchers Antonio Alfonseca, Marlins* Armando Benitez, Mets* Tom Glavine, Braves Mike Hampton, Mets Trevor Hoffman, Padres Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks Darryl Kile, Cardinals Al Leiter, Mets Greg Maddux, Braves Robb Nen, Giants Manager: Bobby Valentine, Mets The Starters: 1B: Helton 2B: Kent 3B: Jones SS: Larkin OF: Bonds OF: Griffey, Jr. OF: Sosa C: Piazza DH: McGwire P: Glavine

Twenty-four players are first-time all-stars (14 for the American League, 10 for the Nationals). One-person teams on my 2000 rosters include the Devil Rays (Vaughn), Orioles (Mussina), Rangers (Rodriguez), Twins (Lawton), Astros (Bagwell), Brewers (Jenkins), Diamondbacks (Johnson), Dodgers (Sheffield), Padres (Hoffman), Phillies (Rolen), and Pirates (Kendall). The Braves send six representatives to the NL roster, leading both leagues. The Yankees send five players to the AL squad.

As always, seven regular games (10,000 simulations each, six with the same starting pitchers, one where lineups and starting pitchers change), and one All-Star Game will be simulated during the course of the week. I hope to have the results of all the games by the end of the week.

Now it's time for me to create the .DAT files before getting the games set. Game results coming next week.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2004 Topps #31 Mike Piazza

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, January 27, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2004 Topps #31.
• Player Name, position, team: Mike Piazza, catcher, New York Mets.
• Major League Debut: September 1, 1992.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2003 stats (Mets): 68 G, 234 AB, 37 R, 67 H, 13 2B, 0 3B, 11 HR, 34 RBI, 0 SB, 35 BB, 40 K, .483 SLG, .860 OPS, .286 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Dodgers #62nd, June 1988. Traded by the Marlins to the Mets 05/22/1998. Bats: right, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Piazza's thirteenth regular Topps card (total includes base and traded cards except All-Star or League Leader cards). I love the 2004 set. White borders for the first time since 1997 were positively received by many collectors who were tired of easily chipped colored borders. Easy to sort team names at top, small picture (compared to previous years), but what really sets this design apart from the rest is the perfect silver silhouette found at the bottom left corner of each card. The silhouette matches the featured player on the card perfectly. Whether a batting stance, a fielding play, a pitcher's windup, or even a walk off celebration, the pose of the player below is exactly the same as the pose of the player in the large picture (can't describe it any better). And the player's uniform number is also on the card, so you can also sort the team by uniform number if you wanted. Back of the card includes a small head shot picture on the top-right corner. Blurb below the stats reads that Mike has six of the 17 35-HR seasons ever by catchers (as of 2003).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.30-$0.75.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 113 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1986 Topps #539. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 1999 End of Year All-Star Teams Simulated Games Results

I have finally finished simulating the All-Star Games using my 1999 End of Year All-Star Teams. In this simulation, it was the power hitters of the National League vs. the power pitchers of the American League. Who would prevail? Keep on reading below.

As previously stated, I simulated seven games (six series between starters, and one series where the lineups, starting rotations changed on a daily basis), by playing each one 10,000 times.

The first six games I simulated used each starting pitcher on both sides at least once, and all position players started a minimum of two games each. Here are the results:

• Game 1: AL vs. NL, Pedro Martinez vs. Randy Johnson. The AL wins 6,255 games out of 10,000 simulations. This series featured Pedro facing a lineup including Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds. Pedro had 29 games where he struck out 20 batters OR MORE (22 three times), and pitched 17 no hitters. Most dominant pitching performance ever!!!
• Game 2: AL vs. NL, Bartolo Colon vs. Mike Hampton. The NL wins 5,988 games.
• Game 3: NL vs. AL, Mike Mussina vs. Jose Lima. The AL wins 5,010 games (using a DH). Closest series...EVER!!!
• Game 4: NL vs, AL, Greg Maddux vs. Aaron Sele. The NL wins 5,277 games (using a DH).
• Game 5: NL vs. AL, Kevin Millwood vs. Orlando Hernandez. The NL wins 5,959 games (using a DH).
• Game 6: AL vs. NL, Curt Schilling vs. David Wells. The NL wins 5,705 games.
• Game 7: AL vs. NL, anything goes. The NL wins 5,539 games.

So the NL wins the seven game series 5-2, including the ever important "anything goes" series. This seventh series seems to be a good indicator as to who wins the big one. Will this mean a win in the ASG?

For the official All-Star Game, I decided to just simulate one game and one game only. The starting pitchers were Martinez and Johnson and I let them pitch two innings (unless they struggled badly). The rest of the pitchers would get one inning each (unless they struggled badly). The position players were replaced every three innings. No pinch hitters here, (as in previous tries, the pinch hitter is taken out of the game), and double switches were performed on both sides this year (after figuring out how to do it properly!!!)

The starting lineups, first for the American League (I'm using 2000 Topps cards because these are the cards I used to imagine my All-Star teams):


Now the National League starting lineup:


Here is the result:


The 1999 NL All-Stars blank the 1999 AL All-Stars by a final score of 9-0, on the heels of four home runs.

The box score is below (Just click on the picture to take a closer look.


The scoring plays were like this:

Bottom 1: Pedro Martinez pitching. Barry Larkin singles. Larry Walker strikes out. Sammy Sosa strikes out. Mark McGwire hits a home run, Larkin scores.

Bottom 2: Pedro Martinez pitching. Matt Williams draws a walk. Jeff Kent singles, Williams advancing to third. Randy Johnson grounds into a double play (GDP 6-4-3), Williams scores, Kent out on the force play (6-4).

Bottom 3: Bartolo Colon pitching. Larry Walker strikes out. Sammy Sosa hits a home run. Mark McGwire hits a home run.

Bottom 4: Aaron Sele pitching. Craig Biggio draws a walk. Chipper Jones strikes out. Mark Grudzielanek singles, Biggio advancing to second. Tony Gwynn singles, Biggio scores, Grudzielanek advancing to third. Brian Giles singles, Grudzielanek scores.

Bottom 6: Mike Jackson pitching. Mark Grudzielanek is hit by a pitch. Tony Gwynn pops out to Damion Easely (4). Brian Giles pops out to Jason Giambi (3). Jeff Bagwell hits a home run, Grudzielanek scores.

The MVP for the 1999 All-Star Game is Mike McGwire.
If this game actually existed, the MVP would have been Mike McGwire (2-2, two home runs, 3 rbi's). Mike Hampton picks up the win, even though it should have been awarded to Randy Johnson (must be recognizing that five inning rule for a win). Pedro Martinez takes the loss, and the only players who didn't get in the game were pitchers Orlando Hernandez and Roberto Hernandez (no relation) from the AL and John Rocker and Curt Schilling from the NL. One goof on my part...I had Greg Maddux ready to pitch the fourth inning, but inadvertently removed him from the game before he could even take a pitch, leaving Kevin Millwood to pitch two innings as I didn't have any pitchers warmed up.

As of right now, the AL has a 7-6 lead in series play, but the NL has a 8-5 record in the one-game All-Star Game.

If you want to see the .DAT files that I used (I still don't know how to download these onto the blog , so please just take a look at the screen caps below). If anyone can e-mail me instructions, please do so at bdj610@hotmail.com. Below is the AL .DAT file, then the NL .DAT file:




Now that the 1999 All-Star Games are officially over, on Thursday, I will introduce the 2000 End of Year All-Star teams. Simulations for games with those rosters to come by next Sunday.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

It Is Official!!! There Are 20 Legends SP's in 2010 Topps Series 1

On the far right, you'll see the last SP card found...Whitey Ford!!!

Ebay case breakers brentandbecca have opened up all their boxes, sorted out the cards, and have come up with a final tally of SP cards. And for a mere $379.99 via Buy it Now, all 20 cards can be yours!!!

The final checklist for the legends SP's in series 1:

• #1b Hank Greenberg
• #20b Warren Spahn
• #50b Cy Young
• #56b Whitey Ford
• #80b Christy Mathewson
• #85b Jackie Robinson
• #90b Rogers Hornsby
• #94b Carlton Fisk
• #95b Rickey Henderson
• #100b Stan Musial
• #110b Willie Stargell
• #116b Robin Yount
• #125b George Sisler
• #130b Reggie Jackson
• #165b Joe Morgan
• #175b Roger Maris
• #200b Walter Johnson
• #250b Lou Gehrig
• #294b Babe Ruth
• #300b Ryne Sandberg

Then you have one uniform variation (similar to the 2009 CC Sabathia card)

• #222b Curtis Granderson NYY

And then finally four Pie in the Face cards:

• #65b Nick Swisher PITF
• #120b Jorge Posada PITF
• #250c Mark Teixeira PITF
• #422 Francisco Cervelli PITF

And you now have 25 SP cards to chase in 2010 Topps. Whew.

Topps included 25 short prints in 2009 Topps U & H, so it should be safe to call the SP set in series 1 done at 25 cards. For me, my priorities will be tracking down the 20 legends and Granderson. The PITF's will be something to consider if I'm able to get all 21 of the cards I want.

Okay ladies and gentlemen, we know what's out there, we know what to look for. Good luck.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

How About We Separate the Pies from the Legends???

In an update to the previous post, hofmichael of the FCB has confirmed that Hornsby is card #90 and Sandberg is card #300.

And just recently, a Hank Greenberg card #1 was spotted on the Bay.

Can't miss him, he's on the top, middle card.

Why am I asking to separate the Yankees "Pie in the Face" cards from the Legends SP's?

Because according to hofmichael, there is a variation to card #120 of Jorge Posada...with Pie in the Face.

So let's get down to business. As it stands, we know of 24 Short printed cards. Of which, 19 are of legends:

#1b Hank Greenberg
#20b Warren Spahn
#50b Cy Young
#80b Christy Mathewson
#85b Jackie Robinson
#90b Rogers Hornsby
#94b Carlton Fisk
#95b Rickey Henderson
#100b Stan Musial
#110b Willie Stargell
#116b Robin Yount
#125b George Sisler
#130b Reggie Jackson
#165b Joe Morgan
#175b Roger Maris
#200b Walter Johnson
#250b Lou Gehrig
#294b Babe Ruth
#300b Ryne Sandberg

One is a uniform variation (similar to the 2009 CC Sabathia card)
#222b Curtis Granderson NYY

And the other four are "Pie in the Face" (or PITF) cards
#65b Nick Swisher PITF
#120b Jorge Posada PITF
#250c Mark Teixeira PITF
#422 Francisco Cervelli PITF

According to the NY Times, this "Pie in the Face" thing is new thing that started this year, thanks to A. J. Burnett. And this was done 15 times!!! Other Yankees who've been pied include:

Robinson Cano
Alex Rodriguez
Juan Miranda
Jerry Hairston
Johnny Damon
Melky Cabrera
Hideki Matsui
Joe Girardi
and
Luis Castillo (not a Met, but at this point, you never know).

I don't think I'm going to go after the Pie in the Face set (this opinion subject to change). But by all means, especially Yankees fans...GO NUTS!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And Then There Were 22...

Friend of the blog, frequent commenter, all around good guy, and now official eBay auction reported tdlindgren (unpaid position Tim, sorry...) has just found two more SP cards in 2010 Topps

The first is of Rogers Hornsby.


The second is of Ryne Sandberg.


That brings the total of discovered SP's in 2010 Topps to 22 (18 legends, 1 uniform variation, 3 pies in the face).

Now I definitely want the Sandberg. If I don't get any other SP's from anybody in this set, I want the Sandberg!!!

Period.

End of Story!!!

If and when you can spare them, Tim, can you relay the card #'s for both cards?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2006 Topps #145 Troy Glaus

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, January 26, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2006 Topps #145.
• Player Name, position, team: Troy Glaus, third baseman, Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Major League Debut: July 31, 1998.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2005 stats (Diamondbacks): 149 G, 538 AB, 78 R, 139 H, 29 2B, 1 3B, 37 HR, 97 RBI, 4 SB, 84 BB, 145 SO, .522 SLG, .885 OPS, .258 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Angels #1st June 1997. Signed by the Diamondbacks as a Free Agent 12/09/2004. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Glaus' ninth regular Topps card (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards). The first year of the new MLB Properties deal that saw only Topps and that other company putting out baseball cards. Topps decided to launch their "kid-friendly initiative" with this set. Note the two-colored borders, and the font used for the team name. It screams "kid friendly." They even put cartoons on the back of the players' cards, something not seen on a Topps card in decades. The cartoon on Glaus' card spotlights his career best 47 home runs in 2000. In his one year with the D-Backs, it is said in the blurb below the stats, he had tied the team record for home runs in consecutive games with four...on his first week with the team. Actually, 2005 was his only year with the D-Backs. The card itself is an error card as the stats on the back includes the 2005 minor league stats of Robinson Cano. To wit: just above Glaus' 2005 stats, there is a line for Columbus. Glaus didn't play in the minor in 2005, and Columbus is the AAA team for the New York Yankees. Checking Baseball Reference's website, and reviewing the Columbus Clippers' roster, the stats on the back match future Yankee Cano's 2005 numbers. The updated Blue Jays card does not have this stat line. And how Cano's stats got on Glaus' card is a mystery.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 36 cards.

One final note. In 2006, he played for the Toronto Blue Jays. He is included in the 14-card team set as #TOR9. As you can see on the card below, the picture used on his Blue Jays card is exactly the same as the one on his Diamondbacks card, except that he is now wearing the uniform of the Toronto ball club. His two cards in the 2006 U & H set feature him as an All-Star (#UH267) and as a Home Run Derby participant (#UH290) with the Blue Jays. He has no base card in that set.


Tomorrow's card will be: 2004 Topps #31. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back in time with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Midnight Madness with Reggie Jackson and the 20th SP Card.

Los Gatos posted this little message on the Topps Message Boards:

"I pulled a Reggie Jackson SP (Angels) tonight from a Target pack. Card #130. The regular 130 is Vladimir Guerrero."

If this is correct, then we now have 20 SP cards within the base Topps set for 2010 to look for. Seventeen cards are of legends, three are Yankees "Pie-in-the-face" cards. As of this moment, here is the SP checklist:

• #20b Warren Spahn
• #50b Cy Young
• #65b Nick Swisher "Pie in the Face"
• #80b Christy Mathewson
• #85b Jackie Robinson
• #94b Carlton Fisk
• #95b Rickey Henderson
• #100b Stan Musial
• #110b Willie Stargell
• #116b Robin Yount
• #125b George Sisler
• #130b Reggie Jackson
• #165b Joe Morgan
• #175b Roger Maris
• #200b Walter Johnson
• #222b Curtis Granderson NYY
• #250b Mark Teixeira "Pie in the Face"
• #250c Lou Gehrig
• #294b Babe Ruth
• #422 Francisco Cervelli "Pie in the Face"

And the beat goes on.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

More Pie Shots in 2010 Topps...And Rickey Henderson Too.

It looks like Mark Teixeira isn't the only one getting a card with pie on it.

Reports today include Nick Swisher getting the same treatment. For those keeping score at home, his card number is #65.

And also, from the number one source in the hobby...Francisco Cervalli. Pictures are above (thanks to Field Level View). Card #422...


WHAT??!
And finally, from Sooz of A Cardboard Problem, and the gentleman who runs Rickey Henderson Collectibles, word of a 2010 Topps Rickey Henderson SP card has surfaced. Picture of the front is above as well. Card #95.


That brings our tally to nineteen SP cards, three of which are Yankee Pie Faces. I'm not too sure if I want to get any of them, but that #422 might be of interest.

Will there be more?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1991 Topps Traded #83T Phil Nevin

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, January 25, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1991 Topps Traded #83T.
• Player Name, position, team: Phil Nevin, shortstop-third baseman, Team USA.
• Major League Debut: June 11, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1991 stats (Cal-State Fullerton): 56 G, 230 AB, 51 R, 77 H, 19 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 46 RBI, 18 SB, .483 SLG, 31 BB, 29 SO, .335 AVG.
• Any special information about player: At time this card was produced, he had finished his second season with the Cal-State Fullerton Titans. Bats: right, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Nevin's first regular Topps card (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards). Normally considered his rookie card, he wasn't drafted until the following year by the Houston Astros, who made him the first overall pick in the draft. Clean design, with the red, white, and blue borders, along with the Team USA logo on the front of the card. This was Topps third year of adding Team USA players to their sets, their second in their Traded set. This traded set was the first of three that would eventually include Team USA players within it's checklist. As the card was printed in white card-stock (printed in Ireland), back easy to read. Highlights Nevin's college career and achievements to date, including: Honorable Mention All-Big West Conference (1991), Sporting News Freshman All-American (1990), All-Big West Second Team (1990). Led the Titans to a berth in the 1990 College World Series. This was Nevin's second year with the USA National Team.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.30-$0.75.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 19 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2006 Topps #145. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. See you then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A Late Thank You to the Savages!!!

Glenn Savage, one of the winners of the big 2009 Topps Rookie All-Star Team Contest, sent in a bunch of 2009 ToppsTown cards for my kids and me to use (the expiration date to use the codes is 01/31/2010...or this Sunday!!!). Along with them, he sent three cards that I so desperately needed:


2009 Topps U & H Duke Snider #UH47.

2009 Topps U & H Nolan Ryan #UH232c.

2009 Topps U & H Johnny Mize #UH250c.

In exchange for these three SP's, I sent him a handful of cards that he needed from his want lists. So thank you very much Glenn for the cards.

That means of the 25 U & H SP's, I have...6. I am 19 short of finishing that set, and I still need 5 SP cards from series 2. Please look at the sidebar under Want list. If you have any of the SP's that I need to get 2009 in the books, please send me an e-mail. I have tons of cards (mostly from Topps base sets and inserts) that I'd be more than happy to part with in exchange.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Curtis Granderson...A Yankee???

Friend of the blog The Drizz added an eBay auction link to the comments section of one of my posts, and it looks like he has found a Curtis Granderson card #222 in a Yankees uniform. Which might not necessarily be a big deal. I mean if they can get Akinori Iwamura in a Pirates uniform (he played for the Rays last year), then why not Granderson in a Yankee uni?


That's why.

Nice huh? Not only did they photoshop the Yankees uni onto Granderson's body, they used the same picture (although the Yankee's card is horizontal, and you can see more of the picture than on the Tiger's card). Now this is more akin to the CC card I was talking about in the Teixeira post.

Somewhere, Detroit fans (and the guy at Grand Cards) are weeping.

That's 16 SP's. Sixteen, glorious short prints (ah ah ah...cue lightning sound effect).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1952 Topps #354 Fred Hatfield

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, January 24, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1952 Topps #354.
• Player Name, position, team: Fred Hatfield, shortstop, Detroit Tigers.
• Major League Debut: August 31, 1950.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1951 stats (Red Sox): 80 G, 163 AB, 23 R, 28 H, 2 HR, 14 RBI, .172 AVG. Fielding stats: 40 putouts, 124 assists, 7 errors, .959 fielding average.
• Any special information about player: Signed by Red Sox as a Free Agent before 1942. Traded by the Red Sox to the Tigers 06/03/1952. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Hatfield's first regular Topps card (his rookie card). Part of the high number series. "Hattie" served as a Army Paratrooper during 1943-45 reads the back of the card. Along with the height and weight specs were eye (hazel) and hair (brown) color. That's something we don't see anymore in our modern day cards. I don't have any 2001 Topps Heritage cards. Did they include eye and hair color for each of the players too? Fielding stats are on here as well.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $175.00-$300.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 0 cards.

In case you're actually wondering, I don't own this card, but was able to get a crystal clean copy of the image from the from the Baseball Card Cyber Museum. So thank you Joe McAnally and the folks at the BCCM. (By the way, loving the new features regarding viewing by card number!!!)

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 1991 Topps Traded #83T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Come on back then to see what the Topps Card Randomizer gets us to look at then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Last One for the Night...I Promise. Joe Morgan Has Been Found!!!

The Big Red Machine now has some representation on the SP Wantlist.


Add Joe Morgan to your SP Checklist as card #165. This brings the number of SP's found to 15 cards total.

I'm going to stop now. I need to get to bed. If anyone finds anymore, send a comment or an e-mail. But as of tonight, the checklist stands this way:

• #20 Warren Spahn
• #50 Cy Young
• #80 Christy Mathewson
• #85 Jackie Robinson
• #94 Carlton Fisk
• #100 Stan Musial
• #110 Willie Stargell
• #116 Robin Yount
• #125 George Sisler
• #165 Joe Morgan
• #175 Roger Maris
• #200 Walter Johnson
• #250b Mark Teixeira "Pie in the Face"
• #250c Lou Gehrig
• #294 Babe Ruth

Good night all.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Hey Stale Gum!!! You Want A Gimmick???

There's a gimmick for you. Courtesy of sruchris, the man who is running baseballcardpedia. Not only was this baby found on the Bay, but Chris has found four other legends SP cards (see pictures of the newly found four below). His tally:

• #20 Warren Spahn (first time announced on this blog)
• #50 Cy Young
• #80 Christy Mathewson
• #85 Jackie Robinson
• #94 Carlton Fisk
• #100 Stan Musial (first time announced on this blog)
• #110 Willie Stargell
• #116 Robin Yount
• #125 George Sisler (for you sruchris, you didn't have the number for this card)
• #175 Roger Maris
• #200 Walter Johnson (first time announced on this blog)
• #250 Mark Teixeira (pie in the face...the one above!!!)
• #294 Babe Ruth (first time announced on this blog)

Thirteen have now been found. The "Pie in the Face" card of Tex would be akin to the CC Sabathia SP card from last year (you remember that one...one card of CC in a Brewers jersey, the SP with a Yankees uniform photoshopped?).

UPDATE: BUT WAIT!!! THERE'S MORE!!!

Just found on the Bay is another SP card. This time it's of Lou Gehrig.


Here is the kicker people...the card number is #250...just like Tex.

So how do we number this?:

• #250b Mark Teixeira "Pie in the Face"
• #250c Lou Gehrig

Or should it be the other way around???

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

P.S. The 20 pack break from Friday will be posted either tomorrow or some time next week. I'll only announce one thing: I DIDN'T GET A SINGLE SHORTPRINT!!! jba

George Sisler...And Then There Were Eight!!!

First there was word of a 2010 Topps Robin Yount card making the rounds on eBay. Then Roger Maris. Stale Gum showed a Carlton Fisk. Cy Young showed up on the Bay. So did Christy Mathewson. Willie Stargell showed up on a Youtube video. And Jackie Robinson.

Now...


Meet George Sisler!!!

That's eight so far boys and girls.

Oh yeah, the seller of this card is also selling a 2010 Topps Mickey Mantle card, selling it as a "SP?" Let's review folks that since 2006, Mickey Mantle has been on every Topps set as card #7.

IT IS NOT A SHORTPRINTED CARD!!! IT IS NOT PART OF THE SP SET!!!

Keep on finding them folks. Sooner or later, we'll know how many we'd have to look for.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1989 Topps Traded #92T Spike Owen

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, January 23, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1989 Topps Traded #92T.
• Player Name, position, team: Spike Owen, shortstop, Montréal Expos.
• Major League Debut: June 25, 1983.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1988 stats (Red Sox): 89 G, 257 AB, 40 R, 64 H, 14 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 0 SB, .370 SLG, 27 BB, 27 SO, .249 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Mariners #1st June 1982. Traded by the Red Sox to the Expos 12/08/1988. Bats: both, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Owen's seventh regular Topps card (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards). It is no secret that I love...LOVE...the 1989 Topps design. I love the team-specific colored team name in script writing that doesn't clutter the picture. The light blue used behind the word Expos really jumps out on this card, especially because of the blue wall and green turf in the background of the picture. Because the card is printed in white card stock (printing was done in Ireland), the back of the card is really easy to read, although the black borders do make the cards in this set still susceptible to chipping. No room for a blurb on the back of the card, but we do have a monthly scoreboard that features the hits and runs by month Spike got in 1988. He also hit two game winning RBI's in 1988. To bad that they don't keep tabs on this stat anymore.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.01-$0.05.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 17 cards.

Tomorrow is Retro Sunday, the one day of the week that we feature a card from 1951-1975. The card we will feature tomorrow is: 1952 Topps #354. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Guess What's Back in Blasters of 2010 Topps Baseball?

Good news (for me anyway)!!! The Target near me had packs of 2010 Topps baseball. After the shock wore off, I bought a few (cough...20...cough) packs. Breaks coming soon.

Anyway, Steve at White Sox Cards also managed to get some 2010's at his local Target. But his big box store had blasters...something my hole-in-the-wall store did not. Take a guess what is making a comeback in blaster boxes of 2010 Topps baseball? See picture below, and take a good look at the top left corner:

Compliments to Steve at White Sox Cards for the picture.
Yes, the Throwback parallels are back at Target in 2010. And this time, instead of cramming a full box of this stuff in the blaster box, two packs out of ten will have the gray card stock cards with the old Topps logo on them.

Wait...does this mean Wal-Mart is getting black bordered (with black background) Topps cards?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

More and More 2010 Topps SP's Are Being Discovered Here and on the Bay!!!

The Topps Message Board reports of a member asking, "has anybody else gotten a 2010 brandon inge card? am i crazy or does it have ty cobbs face on it? also it shows his position as a pitcher..." (what???) Person has yet to put up a scan.

Reader Edgar Galvan sent an e-mail about a Willie Stargell SP with accompanying youtube vid (this before friend of the blog tdlindgren links an eBay auction for another example of the card).

Reader Sal pulls a Christy Mathewson card (found in the comments section)

Wicked Ortega pulls a Jackie Robinson card (found in the comments section)

We're up to at least seven confirmed with many more possibly out there. (Reviewing, we've seen Yount, Maris, Fisk, Young, and now Stargell, Mathewson, Robinson)

Keep the list coming. We might be able to compile a full list before the number one source in the hobby. (Ego, down boy. Down!!!)

I just have one question?

Is Alex Gordon the 2006 card in the "Cards You're Mother Threw Out" insert set? I have yet to see it come up anywhere.

And no, the Target by me didn't have any 2010 Topps out this morning.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1983 Topps #25 Hal McRae

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, January 22, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1983 Topps #25.
• Player Name, position, team: Hal McRae, designated hitter-outfielder, Kansas City Royals.
• Major League Debut: July 11, 1968.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1982 stats (Royals): 159 G, 613 AB, 91 R, 189 H, 46 2B, 8 3B, 27 HR, 133 RBI, 4 SB, .542 SLG, 55 BB, 61 SO, .308 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Reds #5th, June 1965. Traded by the Reds to the Royals 12/01/1972. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: McRae's fifteenth regular Topps card (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards). The long-time Royals veteran is seen in two pictures on his card. The main one is of him ready to swing for the fences. Below is a circle formed by the two colored borders that holds the headshot. Stats on the back are a bit difficult to read only because McRae has more than 14 lines of statistics to digest. The blurb below the stats features both his inside-the-park home run against the Yankees on 06/04/1982 and a grand slam on 07/06/1982.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 22 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1989 Topps Traded #92T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Join us then, won't you?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

2010 Topps Cy Young SP Spotted!

And then there were four.

An auction for a Cy Young SP card has been posted on the Bay.

I'm not linking the auction, just the picture of the card:


To review, there's a Carlton Fisk, a Roger Maris, a Robin Yount, and now Young. Four down, many more to go.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Short Printed 2010 Topps Cards are Starting to Pop Up on the Bay...And in Other Places!!!

It's not our imagination folks. Yes, there are short prints in 2010 Topps Series 1. And contrary to some people (okay, one person…) screaming to the high heavens that Topps is gimmicking up now that they have the exclusive license, I don't see a problem with SP's. It's just another challenge and a cool surprise for kids who open a pack of cards. It isn't as if, as one of his commenters posted, that it's super SP'd, or that they photoshopped the president (although I wouldn't be surprised if somehow he showed up again this year) into the stands with the ghost of one of their CMG exclusives in the dugout.

But somewhere along the line, one has to ask, "When will this all end???" They can't possibly continue this into 2011…could they? Now that Topps has the exclusive, couldn't MLB Properties allow them to create a set akin to 2003-2005 Topps Retired and create an all-legends set with the brand new modern day design??? That's probably a better idea.

Well, this means that we can look forward to more SP'd legends in Series 2 and U & H. In any event, I want to thank the man at Stale Gum for allowing me to swipe this scan of Carlton Fisk's SP card. Okay, he didn't actually let me, I went ahead and did it myself. So far, it has been confirmed that Roger Maris, Robin Yount, and now Carlton Fisk have SP's. I'll be scouring the Bay tonight to see if any more came down the pipe.

And I don't even have series 2 nor U & H SP's completed from last year. Oh well, then the want lists grow larger.

And don't be surprised if they pull off doing SP'd minor league cards of current players in their Topps Pro Debut set (high speculation…just saying).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1987 Topps #165 Jeff Reardon

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, January 21, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1987 Topps #165.
• Player Name, position, team: Jeff Reardon, pitcher, Montréal Expos.
• Major League Debut: June 17, 1979.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1986 stats (Expos): 62 G, 89 IP, 7-9, 42 R, 39 ER, 67 SO, 26 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 35 SV, 3.94 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Mets as a Free Agent 06/14/1977. Traded by the Mets to the Expos 05/29/1981. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Reardon's eighth regular Topps card (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards, not including All-Star or League Leader cards). The wood borders are what makes the 1987 Topps set unforgettable to many collectors. The 1987 set was also the last time Topps incorporated team logos into the design until 1996. The gray card stock with blue and yellow printing made it easy to read the backs of each card. Below the key stats, where room allowed, was an "On This Date" blurb. The back of Reardon's card celebrates July 3, 1968, the day Luis Tiant recorded 19 strikeouts in a 10-inning game. What was cool was not only did it tell you what happened that day, but what that player's Topps card number was for that year (Tiant occupied card #532 in the 1968 Topps set).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 30 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1983 Topps #25. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

MLB Legends Short Printed in 2010 Topps??? Here We Go Again!

Perusing the message boards, I came upon this quote:

"I am wondering if there are Variations because the Roger Maris card I have pictured is #175. The preliminary checklist shows Josh Hamilton as #175"

Then, friend of the blog, and all around good guy (can't say enough about the man) tdlindgren sends this e-mail:

Hey JayBee,

Just saw a 2010 Topps SP posted on eBay:

2010 TOPPS SP VARIATION ROBIN YOUNT BREWERS-116

Here we go again!!! Stay tuned for further updates.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Expansion and Contraction on the Sports Card Blogroll.

Before I begin, let me proudly say that there are presently 278 blogs in the big Sports Card Blogroll. That's quite an achievement. Bringing all these great writers together makes our community strong. Each one with different opinions, different collections, different stories to share. If you notice in the new section "New in 2010, I have added fifteen blogs so far this year, and we're only through January. Granted, a number of them started last year, but either I've never seen them until now, or I didn't get the e-mail asking to be added in until this year. So if you have a sports card blog not on the roll, or know of one that's not on here, you have to let me know!!!

However, when a blog hasn't been updated in six months, it probably means their stories have come to an end. Every month, I post the blogs that will be removed from the active blogroll here for posterity. So although I've added some this past month, these will now be removed:

• Treasure Never Buried
• Weekly Box Break
• The ProspectNation Blog
• 1988 Donruss
• Balmers Blasters
• NJ Devils Cards (at the request of John of Old School Breaks)
• Lance Johnson, Jeromy Burnitz, and more

The links to these blogs will now be moved to the Blogs Being Removed from the Sports Card Blogroll section in the sidebar. If any of these are your blogs, and you plan on working on them again, please let me know so I can add them back to the blogroll.

So keep on posting. It is on us to help promote the hobby in 2010 and beyond.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2003 Topps Traded and Rookies #T13 Ray King

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, January 20, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2003 Topps Traded and Rookies #T13.
• Player Name, position, team: Ray King, pitcher, Atlanta Braves.
• Major League Debut: May 21, 1999.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2002 stats (Braves): 76 G, 65 IP, 3-2, 24 R, 22 ER, 50 SO, 24 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.05 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Reds #5th, June 1995. Traded by the Brewers to the Braves 12/16/2002. Bats: left, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: King's first regular Topps card. You'd think that after pitching in 82 ball games in 2001 and 76 the following year that this man would have been on a Topps card sooner. I guess when you're a middle reliever for the Milwaukee Brewers, you're not high on Topps' radar. This is why I wish Topps brought back the 792 card set, or why not make two series of 440 cards (that's 880 cards for the main set, enough for all 30 teams to have a full roster included, along with highlights, managers, key rookies, whatever, even the All-Star subsets). But no. We're stuck with 660-card sets for a long time to come, with no hope in sight. I guess if he played for the Yankees, he'd have gotten a card sooner. (Rant over). Anyway, 2003. The blue-bordered set. With borders just as easy to chip as the 2007 black beauties, the set design is reminiscent of the one seen 20 years prior in 1983 (and 40 years prior 1963), featuring a main picture (for the action shot), and a posed, "head shot" in a smaller, baseball field-shaped frame. Yes, I know that Topps used the same "2 pictures" concept in 1984 (and in a way, also in 1996), but that throws off the 20 year cycle I'm working with here. This means, if Topps is still in the business, that we won't see another set that looks similar to this until 2023!!! The blurb below the stats talks about how King thrived his first few months at "pitcher-friendly Turner Field," posting a 2.35 ERA over he first couple months in 2003. The final sentence reads, "Ray's out pitch is a sweeping slider, which lefty hitters either wave at or beat into the ground." That must be some pitch.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 4 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1987 Topps #165. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

2010 Topps Pictures Stolen from the Bay!!!

Here's what we all get to look forward to in 2010!!!

(and please note that none of these cards are mine...YET!!!)


Can a Brewers fan please tell me what this is supposed to be???


The Turkey Red insert set. I don't know, I wasn't fond of the 2007 Turkey Red set...this might grow on me.


Oakland fans cover your eyes!!!


Rookies, rookies, rookies. Tiny rookie card logo. Maybe it's just the picture, but I thought that it would be a bit bigger.


Legendary Lineage makes a come back. This card, and others like it, remind me of that Pepsi commercial that shows images from the 60's/70's and now (that you stay....forever young).


And now I feel old.

They're out there. Good luck. Just do me the hugest favor won't you and save some for me???

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

If This Is True...Ladies and Gentlemen...START YOUR ENGINES!!!

Friend of the blog, and all around good guy Tim Lindgren sent me an e-mail this afternoon.

It reads:

"Hi JayBee,

They're out! At least at Target. Here's a link to one I found on eBay!

2010 Topps Target Exclusive 1951 Red Back Ty Cobb 5

TDLindgren"

If this is legit...then 2010 Topps is now on store shelves. If not now, then before the week is out!!!

Let the hysteria begin. Bring it on!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1985 Topps #265 Juan Samuel

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, January 19, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1985 Topps #265.
• Player Name, position, team: Juan Samuel, second baseman, Philadelphia Phillies.
• Major League Debut: August 24, 1983.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1984 stats (Phillies): 160 G, 701 AB, 105R, 191 H, 36 2B, 19 3B, 15 HR, 69 RBI, 72 SB .442 SLG, 28 BB, 168 SO, .272 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed by the Phillies as a Free Agent 04/29/1980. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Samuel's second regular Topps card (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards, and does not include the 1985 Record Breakers card). What a rookie campaign this man had. He went to the All-Star Game, finished second in the ROY voting (behind Dwight Gooden), and established the modern day record for stolen bases for a rookie. The 1985 Topps set was an easy one to sort, primarily because of the team name in big bold letters in a team-colored rectangle, along with the team logo in a circle to the right of the banner. The back of the card has a little note that Juan's brother Fernando plays in the Toronto minor league system. If space allowed for it, a baseball trivia quiz question was placed below the statistics. The question on Juan's card asks who holds the ML record for lowest ERA (1.12) in a season: Bob Gibson, Ron Guidry or Tom Seaver? The answer.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 26 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2003 Topps Traded and Rookies #T13. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash forward with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's End of Year MLB All-Star Teams: 1999 Edition

Baseball was popular again in 1999. The Home Run Derby from a year ago brought it back into the people's conscience, and everyone was looking forward to an encore. The year saw the Yankees win (again), the Cubs and Sox go nowhere (again), and everyone was getting ready for Y2K (remember that)?

My wife and I celebrated our first anniversary with a trip to St. Louis. One of these days, we have to go back. In fact, during our weekend in St. Louis, the Cards...were in San Diego, helping Tony Gwynn to his 3,000th hit. Go figure. We were both working, happy, young, and before the kids, carefree. Then the 2000's hit...but that's another story.

I did follow baseball a lot during the summer (who couldn't???), and I learned of a card shop in the area that would become my shop of choice for a number of years (Brian Proulx, you and your shop are still missed.) In fact, after three years of not producing one, Topps finally created a Traded set for the 1999 season. But that, too, is another story. Somehow, through all the hysteria, and looking forward to a new millennium, I still had time to make up my All-Star Teams. As has been tradition, there are 10 pitchers on each team (six starters, four closers), and because the 2000 ASG would be in Atlanta (at Turner Field), there was no DH needed. So the rosters contracted to 34 players per team.

So without further ado, for the first time online, I am proud to introduce my 1999 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams (in alphabetical order by position):

(Party like it's 1999 folks...)

American League First Basemen Ron Coomer, Twins* Jason Giambi, Athletics* Jim Thome, Indians Second Basemen Roberto Alomar, Indians Damion Easely, Tigers Randy Velarde, Athletics* Third Basemen Tony Fernandez, Blue Jays Joe Randa, Royals* Cal Ripken, Orioles Shortstops Nomar Garciaparra, Red Sox Derek Jeter, Yankees Alex Rodriguez, Mariners Outfielders Garrett Anderson, Angels* Albert Belle, Orioles Juan Gonzalez, Rangers Shawn Green, Blue Jays Ken Griffey, Jr., Mariners Kenny Lofton, Indians Magglio Ordoñez, White Sox* Manny Ramirez, Indians Bernie Williams, Yankees Catchers Brad Ausmus, Tigers* Ivan Rodriguez, Rangers Jason Varitek, Red Sox* Pitchers Bartolo Colon, Indians* Orlando Hernandez, Yankees* Roberto Hernandez, Devil Rays Mike Jackson, Indians Pedro Martinez, Red Sox Mike Mussina, Orioles Mariano Rivera, Yankees Aaron Sele, Rangers John Wetteland, Rangers David Wells, Blue Jays Manager: Jimy Wiliams, Red Sox The Starters: 1B: Thome 2B: Alomar 3B: Ripken SS: Garciaparra OF: Griffey, Jr. OF: Lofton OF: Ramirez C: Rodriguez P: Martinez *First-Time All-Star

National League First Basemen Jeff Bagwell, Astros Sean Casey, Reds* Mark McGwire, Cardinals Second Basemen Jay Bell, Diamondbacks Craig Biggio, Astros Jeff Kent, Giants Third Basemen Jeff Cirillo, Brewers Chipper Jones, Braves Matt Williams, Diamondbacks Shortstops Alex Gonzalez, Marlins* Mark Grudzielanek, Dodgers Barry Larkin, Reds Outfielders Barry Bonds, Giants Brian Giles, Pirates* Doug Glanville, Phillies* Luis Gonzalez, Diamondbacks* Vladimir Guerrero, Expos Tony Gwynn, Padres Gary Sheffield, Dodgers Sammy Sosa, Cubs Larry Walker, Rockies Catchers Mike Lieberthal, Phillies* Ed Taubensee, Reds* Mike Piazza, Mets Pitchers Mike Hampton, Astros* Trevor Hoffman, Padres Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks Jose Lima, Astros* Greg Maddux, Braves Kevin Millwood, Braves* John Rocker, Braves* Curt Schilling, Phillies Ugueth Urbina, Expos* Billy Wagner, Astros* Manager: Jack McKeon, Reds The Starters: 1B: McGwire 2B: Kent 3B: Williams SS: Larkin OF: Bonds OF: Sosa OF: Walker C: Piazza P: Johnson

Twenty-three players are first-time all-stars (10 for the American League, 13 for the Nationals). One-person teams on my 1999 rosters include the Angels (Anderson), Devil Rays (RHernandez), Royals (Randa), Twins (Coomer), White Sox (Ordoñez), Brewers (Cirillo), Cardinals (McGwire), Cubs (Sosa), Marlins (AGonzalez), Mets (Piazza), Pirates (Giles), and Rockies (Walker). The Indians send six representatives to the AL, leading both leagues. The Reds send five players to the NL team. So this year's rosters have an Ohio feel to them.

As always, seven regular games (10,000 simulations each, six with the same starting pitchers, one where lineups and starting pitchers change), and one All-Star Game will be simulated during the course of the week. I hope to have the results of all the games by the end of the week.

Now it's time for me to create the .DAT files before getting the games set. Results to come on Monday (unless we party too late).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1996 Topps #289 Roberto Alomar

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, January 18, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1996 Topps #289.
• Player Name, position, team: Roberto Alomar, second baseman, Toronto Blue Jays.
• Major League Debut: April 22, 1988.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1995 stats (Blue Jays): 130 G, 517 AB, 71 R, 155 H, 24 2B, 7 3B, 13 HR, 66 RBI, 30 SB, .449 SLG, 47 BB, 45 SO, .300 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed by Padres as a Free Agent 02/16/1985. Traded by the Padres to the Blue Jays 12/05/1990. Bats: both, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Alomar's tenth regular Topps card (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards). I love the design of 1996 Topps. Large picture, the only semblance of a design is the blue rectangle that contains both the player's name and a close up of the player's face (in blue tones, it's the same picture). Did you notice that players from the NL had a green colored line below the player's name, and AL players had a red line? Below the stats, it notes that he hit home runs immediately after being dusted by a close pitch in two consecutive games, one was a game winning homer, the other a game tying grand slam. This is also Alomar's final regular season card as a Blue Jay. He joins the Orioles for the 1996 MLB season.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 57 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1985 Topps #265. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. See you then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama