Random Topps Card of the Day: 2008 Topps #317 Cliff Lee

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, July 5, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2008 Topps #317.
• Player Name, position, team: Cliff Lee, pitcher, Cleveland Indians.
• Major League Debut: September 15, 2002.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2007 stats (Indians): 20 G, 97.1 IP, 5-8, 73 R, 68 ER, 66 SO, 36 BB, 16 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 1.52 WHIP, 6.29 ERA.
• Any special information about players: Drafted by the Expos #4th, June 2000. Traded by the Expos to the Indians 06/27/2002. Bats: left, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Lee's sixth regular Topps (total includes regular and traded cards only, and doesn't include any highlights, team leaders, league leaders cards) The 2008 Topps set was first greeted with a bit of relief (after all, the year before, the borders were all black), but then disdain (look at those circles...what is this, a circus). But this is one of those designs that after a while, it just grows on you. Yes, the pictures are smaller than in previous years, and yes, Topps could have done away with the dip in the middle where the Topps logo is, and once again, Topps had to put in the facsimile autograph. But the pictures themselves were great, and it was easy to sort cards by teams (if you're into that kind of thing), and the card backs were oh-so-easy to read, that it makes up for all of the design flaws. The year before this card came out, Lee was coming off a disastrous year (for him). He was hurt in the spring with an abdominal injury (says the back of his card), and just couldn't get it together during the year. The previous three years, he was 46-24 in 98 games (33, 32, 33 games started...basically didn't miss a start those three seasons). So what does he do in 2008? How about a phenomenal 22-3 record, 2.54 ERA, a WHIP of 1.11, an All-Star game appearance, the Cy Young Award, and become the pitcher that every contending team wanted to shore their lineup for the postseason in 2009.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.12-$0.30.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 21 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1985 Topps Traded #89T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. See you then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama