Random Topps Card of the Day: 2008 Topps #159 Luke Scott

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, May 31, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2008 Topps #159.
• Player Name, position, team: Luke Scott, outfielder, Houston Astros.
• Major League Debut: April 5, 2005.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2007 stats (Astros): 132 G, 369 AB, 49 R, 94 H, 28 2B, 5 3B, 18 HR, 64 RBI, 3 SB, 53 BB, 95 SO, .504 SLG, .855 OPS, .255 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Indians #9th, June 2001. Traded by the Indians to the Astros 03/31/2004. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 8. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Luke overcame nagging injuries to be the Astros primary right fielder in 2007. "He's a solid professional hitter," GM Ed Wade says. "He's capable of playing a couple of spots and he can help the club win'."
• Commentary: When Luke Brandon Scott isn't on the DL, he does extremely well at the plate and is a pretty decent fielder in right. However, injuries have been an issue over the course of his career, he even started on the DL in the 2013 season. But we're not here to talk about his issue on and off the field. After four seasons climbing up the Indians' ladder in pursuit of big league dreams, the Tribe traded him to Houston for a pitcher named Jeriome Robertson. It had looked like the Indians were getting the better of the deal as Robertson was a ROY candidate the year before and finished with an 15-9 record the year before. But in 2004, injuries befell Robertson and after a disastrous 8 game run with the Indians, he was sent packing to the minors, never to be seen in the MLB again (he finished his MiLB career in 2008). But Luke Scott was just getting warmed up. In 63 games with the Round Rock Express in 2004, Scott hit 19 home runs and brought in 62 rbi's to go with a .298 average and an incredible 1.055 OPS. He made the Astros' roster out of spring training, but after struggling to a .154 average with no homers and rbi's to speak of, he was sent back to Round Rock. In his four month stint with the Express, Scott had hit 31 homers and driven in 87 rbi's to go with a .286 average and .966 OPS. He was called up at the end of August when rosters expanded. At the end of the 2007 season, Scott, along with four other players, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in the Miguel Tejada deal. With the O's, Scott became the primary left fielder, and in 148 games hit .257 with 23 home runs, 65 rbi's, and committed only two errors in left for a good .990 fielding percentage. In four seasons with the Orioles, Luke would bat for a cumulative .260 with 84 home runs, 236 rbi's, and an OPS of .826. He signed with the Rays as a Free Agent after the 2011 season, and became the Tampa Bay's designated hitter, a role he has returned to in 2013 now that he is off the DL.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.12-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 19.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1998 Topps #281. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1986 Topps #388 Dickie Noles

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, May 30, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1986 Topps #388.
• Player Name, position, team: Dickie Noles, pitcher, Texas Rangers.
• Major League Debut: July 5, 1979.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1986 stats (Rangers): 28 G, 110.1 IP, 4-8, 67 R, 62 ER, 59 SO, 13 BB, 13 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 1 SV, 5.06 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Phillies #4th, June 1975. Traded by the Cubs to the Rangers 07/01/1984. Bats: both. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 11. This is his eighth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: n/a.
• Commentary: In 1991, readers of Topps Magazine named the 1986 Topps set as the best of the decade. I'm pretty sure that if readers of other magazines were involved in the voting process, this would not have been the choice. But alas, the loyal followers of Topps' Magazine voted this as the main set? Why? Was it because of the unique font used for the team name? Was it because of the tough-to-keep-mint black borders that appeared on most of the cards? Was it because the traded set included hot rookie cards of guys named Bonds, Bonilla, Canseco, Clark, and Jackson? Personally, I voted for the 1987 set, but I digress. The first time I heard the name Dickie Noles (his given name is really Dickie Ray Noles), it was from his 1988 Topps card. It wasn't the man's name that stood out for me, it was the words floating on the card itself that said that Noles was "NOW WITH TIGERS." When I was just learning the game of baseball and sorted my cards by teams (I was 12, I didn't know better), I didn't know what to do with this card. Should he be added to the Cubs team set or the Tigers? Frank Lucchesi's MGR card included Noles on the team checklist, so I put it there. But the card also said he was playing for the Tigers, and the back of his card had his stats for the four games he pitched for Detroit. Whenever I could get my hands on the Tribune, back then the sports page included full statistics for all 26 teams. Sure enough in June, there was Dickie Noles' name...with the Orioles. What??! Remember, there was no Internet back then, and at 12 years old, I didn't really have access to that kind of information. So I had no idea that Noles signed with the Orioles after the 1987 season and spent most of the year with the O's AAA-team in Rochester. With the Red Wings, Noles went 10-5 with an ERA of 3.12, 59 strikeouts, 1 save (he did start 15 games), and a WHIP of 1.192. In June, the Orioles called Noles up to Baltimore to take a spot in the rotation. In two starts, he went 0-2, lasted a combined 3.1 innings of work, and allowed 9 earned runs to score for an ERA of 24.30. Needless to say, he was sent back to Rochester to finish the year. In 1989, Noles signed a minor league contract with the Yankees and spent the year with the Columbus Clippers. In 1990, he signed another minor league deal with the Phillies, and other than a May 8 appearance, spent the year with Scranton/Wilkes Barre Red Barons. It would be his final season in baseball as a pro. Today, Noles is a born-again Christian and works within the Phillies organization.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 11.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2008 Topps #159. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

P.S. One note that I never knew about Noles after the 1987 season. Yes, he played with the O's in 1988, but apparently, after the Cubs traded Noles to Detroit, he was returned to Chicago as the player-to-be-named-later. Thus, Noles was traded for himself. jba

Random Topps Team Set of the Week: 2009 Topps Milwaukee Brewers

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Team Set of the Week:

• Team: 2009 Milwaukee Brewers
• Record: 80-82, third place, NL Central Division.
• Manager: Ken Macha
• Card on the Top: Ryan Braun

The checklist consists of the following players:

• MIL1 Ryan Braun
• MIL2 Mat Gamel
• MIL3 Prince Fielder
• MIL4 Mike Cameron
• MIL5 Corey Hart
• MIL6 Dave Bush
• MIL7 Trevor Hoffman
• MIL8 Manny Parra
• MIL9 Rickie Weeks
• MIL10 Jason Kendall
• MIL11 J.J. Hardy
• MIL12 Jeff Suppan
• MIL13 Bill Hall
• MIL14 Yovani Gallardo
• MIL15 Bernie Brewer

The cards in order from the set (the checklist at the end was cut from the back of the package. What, you don't do that?):

Key differences between the team set and 2009 Topps eponymous set:

• The picture used for Prince Fielder's base card is bit different than the one used for the retail set:
  
  

• Did you know that Mike Cameron appears in two cards in the 2009 Topps set, one in each series? The first picture is card #162, the other #346:
  
  

• It's a different picture of Corey Hart, but you see more of him in the base set:
  
  

• Here's Trevor Hoffman sporting some Photoshopped Brewers duds (or were the retail ones altered?):
  
  

• Manny Parra also gets a different picture on retail card, as seen by what was used on the base card below:
  
  

• Rickie Weeks takes the field on his base card:
  
  

• Jason Kendall in his catcher's gear, but a different shot:
  
  

• Jeff Suppan is working on his sliding technique on his base card:
  
  

• Bill Hall flashes the leather on his eponymous card:
  
  

• Finally, Yovani Gallardo's card with another picture:
  
  

So of the 14 players included in this set, there are ten use totally different pictures on the retail set, and one player (Cameron) just happens to show up twice. You want variations, this set is for you Brewers fans. There was a ton here.

Next week's featured set will be the 2008 St. Louis Cardinals. Hope you'll be here when we compare the cards from the retail set to their counterparts found in Topps and Topps Updates and Highlights Series.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2007 Topps #336 Woody Williams

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, May 29, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2007 Topps #336.
• Player Name, position, team: Woody Williams, pitcher, Houston Astros.
• Major League Debut: May 14, 1993.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2006 stats (Padres): 25 G, 145.1 IP, 12-5, 68 R, 59 ER, 72 SO, 35 BB, 24 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 1.29 WHIP 3.65 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Blue Jays #28th, June 1988. Signed with the Astros as a Free Agent 11/24/2006. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 14. This is his fourteenth and final Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "The Astros signed Woody for 2007, hoping to benefit from his newest pitch, the knuckleball. The 14-year vet is one of 17 active RHPs with 2,000 IP."
• Commentary: One of these days, I'll have to bring back the 2011 Topps Archives Project back, but probably under a new name. Why? Because 2011 already happened, and when Topps brought back the Archives line in 2012 (which don't get me wrong, I like), the concept was just a quick rehash of what Topps Heritage will look like for a majority of the current players if they were around in 2003 (the 1954 design) or what they will look like in 2020 (1971), 2029 (1980), and 2033 (1984). As an aside, if you're curious, the 2013 version previews the 2021 (1972), 2031 (1982), 2034 (1985), and 2039 (1990) Topps Heritage sets. But back to the point. I don't think I can call them Fan Favorites because I'm using the actual cards instead of new pictures on old designs. Besides, I liked the 2001-2002 concept better anyway when the line consisted of retired players' first and last cards (2001) or the card from their best year (2002...to a point). Anyway, if I were to include Gregory Scott Williams in my project, this would be the "final" card of the pair. While I say that though, it turns out that he does have a 2008 Topps card with the Astros...that can only be found if you buy the 14-card retail set. By the time he signed with his hometown Astros for the 2007 season, Woody Williams (he's the second guy nicknamed "Woody" as an infielder from the 1930's-40's named Woodrow Wilson Williams shared the name and was nicknamed similarly) was a 14-year veteran with the Blue Jays, Padres (two stints) and Cardinals (All-Star in 2003). He led the NL in winning percentage thanks to a 12-5 record (.706). With the Astros however, Williams went 8-15 with a high ERA of 5.27 and 101 strikeouts. He also led the league in home runs given up with 35. He was released by the Astros before the end of the 2008 spring training session and retired as a player. He was part of the 2013 HOF ballot and as we all know, nobody was voted into the Hall via the BBWAA earlier this year.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 18.

Tomorrow's card will be 1986 Topps #388. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2009 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH163 Alejandro de Aza

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, May 28, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2009 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH163.
• Player Name, position, team: Alejandro de Aza, outfielder, Florida Marlins.
• Major League Debut: April 2, 2007.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2008 stats (Marlins): Did not play - Injured.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Dodgers as a Free Agent 05/01/2001. Drafted by the Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft 12/13/2004. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 3. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "A fast player with a great glove, Alejandro provides insurance at all three outfield posts. He was Florida's Opening Day starter in 2007, but then missed '08 with an ankle injury."
• Commentary: To ensure that Alejandro de Aza would return to his usual speedy self after spending the entire 2008 season on the DL, the Marlins assigned him to New Orleans to start the 2009 campaign. The Fish then called de Aza up in May to fill in their bench as their primary pinch hitter/runner - defensive replacement. But after two months in which he appeared in only 22 games, hitting a low .250 and stealing no bases, the Marlins returned Alejandro to New Orleans. He finished the year with the Zephyrs, hitting .300 with 8 home runs, 27 rbi's, and 11 stolen bases. The Marlins, seeing that there would be no room in their outfield, placed de Aza on waivers. The White Sox picked him up on October 21, 2009, and after travelling back and forth between Chicago and Charlotte from 2009-2011 (the Sox' AAA-affiliate), he has provided the Pale Hose a spark in the lineup that has not been seen since Scott Podsednik and a steady glove at center field.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.12-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 8 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2007 Topps #336. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 2007 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1982 Topps Traded #13T Tom Brunansky

(On this Memorial Day, the blog remembers the brave men and women of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives so that we may live in a free society. We also want to pay our respects to the families who understood and supported the decisions of their loved ones to join and serve their country with honor.)

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, May 27, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1982 Topps Traded #13T.
• Player Name, position, team: Tom Brunansky, outfielder, Minnesota Twins.
• Major League Debut: April 9, 1981.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1981 stats (Salt Lake City, AAA-Pacific Coast): 96 G, 343 AB, 61 R, 114 H, 17 2B, 10 3B, 22 HR, 81 RBI, 6 SB, .633 SLG, 57 BB, 74 SO, .332 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Angels #1st, June 1978. Traded by the Angels to the Twins 05/12/1982. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 15. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Hit 2 Homers including inside-the-parker, 5/28/82."
• Commentary: Although the backs of the 1982 Topps Baseball set were set to a green background, the cards that were made for the Traded set were red. The 1982 Topps Traded set would be the last that would have a different background than their regular counterparts and the last (at the time) that would come in a grey card stock. Beginning in 1983, Topps would use a white cardboard stock for their traded sets. After a brief cup of coffee with the Angels in 1981, Thomas Andrew Brunansky found himself in Spokane, WA, the new AAA home of the Angels (the team called Salt Lake City home the year before). After 25 games and a .205 average, the Angels traded their former #1 draft pick to the Twins with Mike Walters and $400,000 for Doug Corbett and Rob Wilfong. It was with the Twins that Brunansky would make his mark in the majors. The newly planted right fielder would go on to hit for a .272 average in 1982, with 20 home runs, 46 rbi's, and what would eventually be a career best OPS at .848. In seven seasons with the Twins, he would appear in 916 games, go on to hit a cumulative .250 with 163 home runs, drive home 469 rbi's, be named to one All-Star Team (he would be the lone Twins rep at the 1985 ASG and "host" as the game was played in Minneapolis), and in 1987, helped the Twins win the World Series over the Cardinals. Ironically, it would be those very same Cardinals that "Bruno" would be traded to on April 22, 1988 for second baseman Tom Herr. Brunansky would provide the power that the speed-oriented Cardinals lacked, hitting a combined 43 home runs in his three seasons in St. Louis. He would be traded by the Cards to Boston for Lee Smith, and thanks to one dramatic season saving play, endeared himself to Red Sox Nation by helping the BoSox win the 1990 AL East division title. He signed with the Brewers for the 1993 season, but he would struggle at the plate, hitting .183 in 80 games. He would be traded back to Boston the following year, eventually announcing his retirement around the time of the great strike. He returned to the Twins' organization in 2010, working his way up the ranks as a minor league hitting coach. At the end of the 2012 season, he was named the Twins' hitting coach.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $1.25-$3.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 23 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2009 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH163. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

P.S.: For a list of the baseball players, from the US and other countries, who served and died for their country, please click on the link here.

Random Topps Pro Debut Card of the Week: 2012 Topps Pro Debut #141 Kevin Quackenbush

It's Minor League Monday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Pro Debut Card of the Week:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2012 Topps Pro Debut #141.
• Player Name, position, team: Kevin Quackenbush, pitcher, Lake Elsinore Storm.
• Level-League, Team Affiliation: A-California League, San Diego Padres.
  
• Minor League Stats (stats with team depicted only): 18 G, 57.2 IP, 3-2, 9 R, 6 ER, 70 SO, 22 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 27 SV, 1.110 WHIP, 0.94 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Padres #8th, June 2011. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Major League Debut: n/a.
• Baseball America Organizational Ranking After Season with Team: San Diego Padres #29 prospect after the 2012 season.
• Blurb on the back: "The Padres unearthed a relief ace in the eighth round out of the U. of South Florida. Quackenbush divided his first season almost equally between Eugene and Fort Wayne, combining to allow only three runs and 25 hits while striking out 71 in 43 innings."
• Official Topps Rookie Card: n/a.
• Commentary: I had thought that the cards from these minor league sets featured players with their teams from the season before. Not the case with Kevin Quackenbush's Pro Debut card. Why? Becuase he played for both the Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League and the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League. So ideally, Quackenbush should have been pictured wearing the jersey of either team. It seems that Topps was able to get a 2012 picture into their 2012 set (figures, they do this all the time with their major league cards). The difference here is that I'm honestly not sure that Topps would have taken the time to Photoshop a Storm uniform on Kevin for his 2012 card. Anyway, it's not a matter of if Kevin Quackenbush gets to the majors, it's when. And when he gets his first major league card that includes his minor league statistics, I will guarantee that you're going to think that Topps fell asleep at the switch when you see his ERA numbers and his WHIP. But unless Topps really screws this up, his numbers are the stuff of shock and awe. Even as of right now in 2013, his ERA has never reached above 1.00. Let me share with you his ERA totals by team: Eugene: 0.44 (1 ER in 20.2 IP); Fort Wayne: 0.84 (2 in 21.1); Lake Elsinore: 0.94 (6 in 57.2); San Antonio: 0.39 (1 ER in 23.0). In two plus seasons, he's given up a grand total of 16 runs, 10 earned, in 122.2 innings of work. That leads to a mind-blowing 0.73 ERA. His WHIP in case you're wondering? In 122.2 innings of work, he has allowed 76 hits and walked 43 batters. That's a combined 119 hits and walks. His minor league career WHIP thus far is just under 1 (0.970). For the Missions, the Padres' AA-Texas League team, Quackenbush is 1-0. has appeared in 22 games, saved 9 of them, and has a WHIP of 0.783. Kevin is making the quick climb up the Padres' minor league ladder, and if not this year, by next for sure, this guy will be closing out games for San Diego.

Next week's featured card will be: 2010 Topps Pro Debut #227. Post will arrive at 9:00 AM CST. Hope you enjoyed this week's installment of Minor League Monday.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1969 Topps #181 Mel Nelson

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, May 26, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1969 Topps #181.
• Player Name, position, team: Mel Nelson, pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals.
• Major League Debut: September 27, 1960.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1968 stats (Cardinals): 18 G, 53 IP, 2-1, .667 PCT, 16 SO, 9 BB, 2.89 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Cardinals as a Free Agent before the 1956 season. Contract purchased by the Cardinals from the Twins 11/29/1967. Bats: right. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 5. This is his fifth and final Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "An experienced and well-traveled hurler, Mel pitched himself onto the St. Louis staff on the strength of his fine 10-3 record at Denver in 1967. He was used as a starter and reliever and posted a respectable 2.67 earned run average. Last season, Mel got his first starting assignment on June 23 and he responded by beating the Atlanta Braves 3-1."
• Commentary: What color would you use to describe the back of the 1969 Topps set? Salmon? Pink? It certainly wasn't red. But whatever you call it, it sure made it really easy to read the text on the back of the card. Melvin Frederick Nelson bounced between the majors and the minors throughout his playing career. But even though he had left the Cardinals' organization a handful of times, it seemed that he was always welcomed back with open arms. Case in point, after signing with the Cardinals in 1956, he traveled through the organization's minor league system, making stops in Rochester, NY; Billings, MT; York, PA; Houston, TX; Tulsa, OK; and Omaha, NE. By 1960, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and spent the year with their AAA team in Spokane with a 13-7 record and 3.69 ERA in 32 games. But he somehow was sent back to St. Louis, where he finally made his major league debut. It would be another three years before he would return to the bigs, spending his time once again in the Cards' farms system (Portland, OR, and Atlanta, GA). His contract was purchased by another LA team, this time the Angels. This time, he spent most of his season with the Halos, before being demoted to the Angels' AAA team in Hawaii (yes, Hawaii was an actual minor league stop...the travel must have been brutal) around the All-Star break before making his return to the majors in September. Nelson was traded to the Twins during the 1964 season. In 1965, Nelson not only made the team out of spring training, but he managed to stay in the majors for a full year for the first and only time in his career. After two seasons with the Twins' AAA affiliate in Denver, his contract was purchased by the Cardinals' organization again. It would be his third and final stint with St. Louis. In 1969, he spent time between the majors and Tulsa. He would appear in only 8 games for the Cards that year, finishing with an 0-1 record and an ERA of 11.81. It would also be his final season in the majors. He finished with a career 4-10 record, 4.40 ERA, and 98 strikeouts in 173.2 innings of work. The back of Nelson's 1969 card also has a cartoon sketch mentioning that Mel had won 13 games with Spokane in 1960. The player is holding up a sign with the number 13 and saying, "That's my lucky number."
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.60-$1.50.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 0.

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.

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 1982 Topps Traded #13T. 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

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1978 Topps #63 Don Zimmer

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, May 25, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1978 Topps #63.
• Name, position, team: Don Zimmer, manager, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: June 2, 1954. Managerial Debut: April 27, 1972.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1977 stats (Red Sox): 97-64 3rd (AL East).
• Any special information about manager: Promoted to Manager 07/19/1976.
• Any special information about this specific card: Zimmer's fifteenth regular Topps card, fourth as a manager (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards).
• Commentary: I love these manager cards that are found within the 1978 Topps set. Not only because Topps back then had room for managers, but because they were able to show us younger collectors (or those at least born after 1976) that many of the field skippers actually used to play baseball. I know that Night Owl recently posted an article featuring cards of many of today's managers when they were players. It's really hard to believe now that I have cards of the almost all of the managers when they were players. But my kids wouldn't remember, short of maybe guys like Robin Ventura and Mike Redmond, and possibly others, that these guys used to play. Heck, the first time I ever heard the name Don Zimmer was when he was promoted to manager of the Cubs, even though he was a coach for the Cubbies in 1984 through 1986. Back to the point. The back of Zimmer's card not only mentions when Zim was first hired as a manager (April 27, 1972), but that he "was San Diego skipper for two seasons, leading club to victory in 114 games." Please note that where these two tidbits of information were placed on the card was where you would play the "Play Ball" game that appeared on all the players' cards. The back of the card doesn't even mention anything about Zimmer's season with the Red Sox. In fact, what is on the back of his card is his complete batting statistics. In 12 seasons (1954-1965) with the Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, Dodgers again, and Senators, Zimmer appeared in 1095 games, with 3283 AB, 353 R, 773 H, 130 2B, 22 3B, 91 HR, 352 RBI, and a cumulative average of .235. In five seasons as Boston's manager, Zimmer led the Sox to a 411-304 record. In 1978, he led the Sox to a second place finish in the AL East with a 99-64 record. That's 163 games. Why? Because there had to be a one-game playoff to determine the winner of the division against the Yankees. I'm not going to continue on that track. He last managing job was with the Cubs, who he led to that magical 1989 season. But since then, he has been a valued coach to the Rockies, Yankees, and Devil Rays/Rays organizations. He is also the last remaining Brooklyn Dodger still active in some capacity in baseball, going into his 65th season in MLB as either a player, manager, coach, or senior advisor.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.25-$0.60.
• How many cards of this person do I own?: 13 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: 1969 Topps #181. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2000 Topps #377 Travis Lee

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, May 24, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2000 Topps #377.
• Player Name, position, team: Travis Lee, first baseman, Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Major League Debut: March 31, 1998.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1999 stats (Diamondbacks): 120 G, 375 AB, 57 R, 89 H, 16 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 50 RBI, 17 SB, .363 SLG, 58 BB, 50 SO, .237 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Twins #1st, June 1996. Signed with the Diamondbacks as a Free Agent 10/15/1996. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 9. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "A slow start and a disabling injury last season left Travis shy of the high standard he set as a 1998 rookie, but he is still considered one of the most promising young stars in the game. Not long after erasing his .233 start with a 24-game stretch of batting .341, he severely sprained his left ankle and endured a difficult second half. Two of Lee's nine home runs, however, were the first grand slams of his career."
• Commentary: The 2000 set featured the first vertically-oriented reverse for its regular cards since 1993. The only drawback for utilizing the portrait backs is that the statistics become hard to read, even with the alternating white and gray stripes. Even with the injuries he sustained in 1999, many in the Diamondbacks organization believed that Travis Lee could regain the form that made him the talk of Phoenix in 1998. Two years removed from winning the Golden Spikes Award, he was named the D-backs first ever Opening Day starter at first base. He finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting thanks to a 22 home run, 72 rbi campaign. In 2000, however, after hitting a low .232 with 8 homers and 40 rbi's in 72 games, he was traded along with pitchers Omar Daal, Nelson Figeroua, and Vicente Padilla to the Phillies for a pitcher who would become one of the key components to Arizona's first World Series winning team, Curt Schilling. Lee appeared in 56 games with the Phils, hitting .239 along with a homer and 14 rbi's. Lee would go on to be the Phillies' regular first baseman for the next two seasons, hitting for a cumulative .261 with a combined 33 home runs and 160 rbi's along with a stellar glove (combined 12 errors in 2756 total chances for a .995 fielding percentage). He signed with the Devil Rays after the 2002 season, and had a productive first season for them (.275, 19 HR, 70 rbi, career high .807 OPS). He signed a one year deal with the Yankees, with the hopes of taking over first for Jason Giambi. But Lee injured himself early in the season and appeared in only seven games. He returned to the Devil Rays in 2005, but seeing his averages decline, Lee was released before the end of the 2006 season. He signed with the Nationals to compete for the first base job, but after losing the starting nod to Dmitri Young, he requested an unconditional release from the team, citing that he "no longer had the passion to play the game."
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 16.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1978 Topps #63. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2003 Topps #705 Miguel Tejada American League MVP

(As this blog has been around for five years now, I thought that now would be a good time for an Extreme Blog Makeover. Hope you like the changes. Let me know if there are any problems. Thanks.)

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, May 23, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2003 Topps #705.
• Player Name, position, team: Miguel Tejada, Most Valuable Player, American League.
• Blurb on the Back: "Miguel's string of clutch September hits during the 2002 pennant race, added to his final .308-34-131 numbers, clinched his selection as the AL Most Valuable Player. The power-hitting shortstop followed George Bell and Sammy Sosa as the third Dominican to win the honor. When told of his distinction, Manny (yes, it says Manny, not MIguel) said, "I don't think there can be anyone on earth more happy than I am right now.'"
• Commentary: I don't know about you, but this picture makes Miggy (not Manny) look a lot shorter than 5'9". Tejada did not lead the AL in any hitting category in 2002 (he did appear in all 162 games, so there's that), but when you help lead your team offensively to a 103-59 record, and have a phenomenal second half to the season (.325 average, 19 home runs, 72 rbi's, and an .926 OPS in 74 games), you get a lot of consideration for MVP. Of the 28 voters who selected the MVP that year, 21 gave Tejada first place votes, which led to 356 points and a 102 point lead over the runner-up Alex Rodriguez of the Rangers (254, 5 first-place votes). The rest of the MVP field consisted of Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees (234, 2 first-place votes), Garret Anderson of the Angels (184), Jason Giambi of the Yankees (162), Torii Hunter of the Twins (132), Jim Thome of the Indians (69), Magglio Ordonez of the White Sox (59), Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox (39), Bernie Williams of the Yankees (32), David Eckstein of the Angels (24), Nomar Garciaparra of the Red Sox (24), Athletics teammates Barry Zito (22) and Eric Chavez (14), closers Eddie Guardado of the Twins (12) and Troy Percival of the Angels (12), defending AL MVP Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners (10), Billy Koch of the Athletics (8), Red Sox pitchers Derek Lowe (3) and Pedro Martinez (1), and Mike Sweeney of the Royals (1).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2000 Topps #377. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Team Set of the Week: 2012 Topps Miami Marlins

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Team Set of the Week:

• Team: 2012 Miami Marlins
• Record: 69-93, fifth place, NL East Division.
• Manager: Ozzie Guillen
• Card on the Top: Jose Reyes

The checklist consists of the following players:

• MIA1 Jose Reyes
• MIA2 Logan Morrison
• MIA3 Anibal Sanchez
• MIA4 Ricky Nolasco
• MIA5 Omar Infante
• MIA6 Hanley Ramirez
• MIA7 Josh Johnson
• MIA8 Emilio Bonifacio
• MIA9 John Buck
• MIA10 Mark Buehrle
• MIA11 Heath Bell
• MIA12 Mike Stanton
• MIA13 Gaby Sanchez
• MIA14 Matt Dominguez
• MIA15 Carlos Zambrano
• MIA16 Bryan Petersen
• MIA17 Marlins Park

The cards in order from the set (the checklist at the end was cut from the back of the package. What, you don't do that?):

Key differences between the team set and 2012 Topps eponymous set:

• Jose Reyes' regular Topps card uses the same picture, but is cropped a bit off to the left. And then of course, there is the issue of an SSP card inserted into series 1:
  
  

• It looks like Topps decided to photoshop the new Marlins duds on Anibal Sanchez' card. How do I know??? Here is the original card:
  
  

• Same goes with Ricky Nolasco:
  
  

• And here is a nice shot of Hanley Ramirez, before he was traded off to the Dodgers. His retail card is vertically-oriented. The base card? Horizontally-oriented:
  
  

• Hey, you know how Topps photoshopped the Miami duds on a couple of players for the retail set? They did the same thing for Emilio Bonifacio:
  
  

• On both the regular set and in this retail set, he is recognized as Mike. It's nice to know that when he decided to go by his real name that Topps added a second card with the name...Giancarlo (cue Fandango's music please):
  
  

• As it was with Sanchez, Nolasco, and Bonifacio, Matt Dominguez had a Florida Marlins jersey on his base card:
  
  

So of the 16 players included in this set, there are four cards that feature photoshopped Miami Marlins jerseys from their Series 1 cards, one with a different picture in the retail set that was used in 2012 Topps set, and one slight crop job (not counting the super SP).

Next week's featured set will be the 2009 Milwaukee Brewers. Hope you'll be here when we compare the cards from the retail set to their counterparts found in Topps and Topps Updates and Highlights Series.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH247 Scott Podsednik

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, May 22, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH247.
• Player Name, position, team: Scott Podsednik, outfielder, Colorado Rockies.
• Major League Debut: July 6, 2001.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2007 stats (White Sox): 62 G, 214 AB, 30 R, 52 H, 13 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 12 SB, 13 BB, 36 SO, .369 SLG, .668 OPS, .243 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Rangers #3rd, June 1994. Signed with the Rockies as a Free Agent 01/30/2008. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 8. This is his sixth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Scott added speed to the Rockies as a part-time outfielder in 2008. Between '03 and '06, his 212 stolen bases were exceeded in the Majors by only two players."
• Commentary: The reason why the White Sox were the best team in baseball in 2005 had a lot to do with the right combination of excellent pitching, fantastic defense, clutch power hitting, and getting on base by any means necessary. One of the sparkplugs of that offense was this man, Scott Eric Podsednik. By the time he was traded to the White Sox, he had earned a reputation as a formidable leadoff hitter who not only can get on base, but steal bases at will. He led the NL in stolen bases the year before with 70. But with the Sox in 2005, as everything just came together on the south side, the man known as "Scotty Podz" would hit a productive .290 with 25 rbi's and 59 stolen bases. He didn't hit a home run at all during the regular season, but in the postseason managed to hit two of them, one a walk-off in extra innings, helping the Sox win their first title since 1917. But after an injury plagued 2007 season, the White Sox released Podsednik. The Rockies signed him just as spring training was getting underway, with a chance to win a spot on the bench. In 93 games with Colorado, Podsednik would hit .253 with a homer, 15 rbi's and 12 stolen bases. He would go on to sign another one-year deal with the Rockies, but was released before the season started. The White Sox, probably feeling a bit of regret for letting him go in the first place, re-signed Podsednik to a minor league deal, placing him with their AAA affiliate in Charlotte. But due to injuries to three of their outfielders, Podsednik found himself back in Chicago two weeks later. Given the chance to play on a regular basis, Scott would hit .304 with 7 home runs and 48 rbi's while stealing 30 bases to give the Sox a much needed (and sorely missed) presence in the lineup. In 2010, he signed a deal with the Royals, who subsequently traded him to the Dodgers before the trading deadline. He signed a minor league deal with Toronto, but was released after appearing in only 17 games in their minor league system. He finished the rest of the 2011 campaign with the Phillies, but only appeared in 14 games due to injury. He was traded to Boson in 2012, but his stay in Beantown wasn't for long as he was traded in a deadline deal to Arizona. But because he was going to be assigned to the D-Backs' AAA team, he refused the assignment, and was eventually released. He would re-sign with the Red Sox nine days later. He was granted free agency after the season ended, but as of now, Podsednik is without a team.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.12-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 30.

Tomorrow's card will be 2003 Topps #705. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Happy 5th Anniversary to bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog!!!

I can't believe I forgot this. But on May 8, 2008, I wrote my first post on this humble, little blog. It is now May 21, 2013. That means that I've been around for five years!

Whoa!!!

This blog has been around for FIVE YEARS!!!

Happy Anniversary to Me!!!



(the words to the song for those who either can't access the video, or for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing)

(Gioacchino Rossini; arr. William Hanna / Joseph Barbera)
Practically a restaurant standard, most people don't realize that these lyrics, to the tune of "The William Tell Overture", were written by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera for the episode titled "The Hot Piano".

Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

Pour a cheerful toast and fill it
Happy Anniversary
But be careful you don't spill it
Happy Anniversary

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

(Fred and Wilma Talking)

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

(Fred Talking)

Happy she and happy he
They're both as happy as can be
Celebrating merrily
their happy anniversary

(Fred and Wilma Talking)

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

(Fred Talking)

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

We now state emphatically
its happy anniversary
Not another day could be
a happy anniversary

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy (slow)
Happy (slow)
Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy (fast) Anniversary!!!

Well, let's see what has happened to me and my collection in the last five years. When I first started this blog, I had 38,749 cards in my official collection. I had every set from 1976 through 2008 Topps Series 1, along with a number of complete insert sets from 1995 through 2008. I also owned the following sets that are part of my collection:

• 2001 Topps Archives, 2002 Topps Archives: Best Years;
• 2003-2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites;
• 2003 Topps Shoebox Collection;
• 2002-2003 Topps T206 series I, II, and III;
• 2003-2004 Topps T205 series I and II;
• 2004-2005 Topps Cracker Jack;
• 2005-2006 Topps Turkey Red;
• 2006-2007 Topps Allen & Ginter;
• 1986-1990 Topps Mini Leader Cards;
• 1984-1986 Topps Super;
• 1988-1990 Topps Big;
• 1983-1990 Topps All-Star Glossy Send-In Sets;
• 1984-1991 Topps All-Star Glossy Sets;
• 1987-1991 Topps All-Star Glossy Rookie Sets;
• 1990-1992 Major League Debut;
• 2005 Topps Rookie Cup;
• 2006-2007 Topps 14-Card Team Sets, all 30 of them;
• 2005 Topps Hot Button;

Since then, I have added 20,191 cards to the collection, which comes to 4000 plus per year. I now have all the base and traded cards from 2008 Topps 2 through 2013 Topps Series 1, along with almost all of the basic insert cards that come with these sets. I also have added the following sets to my ever growing collection:

• 2012 Topps Archives;
• 2009-2010 Topps T206;
• 2010 Topps National Chicle;
• 2007 Topps Turkey Red;
• 2008-2012 Topps Allen & Ginter;
• 2011-2013 Topps Gypsy Queen;
• 2010-2012 Topps MiLB Pro Debut;
• 2008 Topps 14-Card Team Sets, all 30 of them;
• 2009 Topps 15-Card Team Sets, all 30 of them;
• 2010-13 Topps 17-Card Team Sets, all 30 of them;
• 2011-13 Topps 17-Card All-Star Team Sets, all 6 of them;

In five years, this blog has gained 230 followers and over 354,000 pageviews (according to Blogger), and almost 200,000 hits (according to sitemeter). Thanks to the blog, I have also been interviewed by the Tampa Tribune and Sports Collectors Daily, and was part of the Topps Blog (when they had one) Roundtable. All this because I wanted to add my voice to what was then a very small but growing segment in the Hobby.

I am so happy to see that blogging about baseball cards, and sports cards for that matter, has grown into what it is today. The Sports Card Blogroll, which will also turn five years old in a couple of months, has seen well over 700 blogs in its lifetime listed in the main section (a post about the SCBR's anniversary will come when it is time).

I am not going to promise what I'm going to write about in the coming year. I have found that for one reason or another, I have not been able to keep my word on those (Topps Archives project...cough cough - Topps 300 cough cough). But I do know this. Whenever Topps, or anything else piques my interest in this Hobby that we all know and love, rest assured that it will be discussed here.

I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this one-trick pony of a blog. Thank you for your comments, your e-mails, for the cards sent via trades and gifts to me over the years (the Hobby Blogging Community is still one of the most generous I have ever had the honor of being a part of). Thanks to all those who gave me advice about writing a blog when I first started, and those of you who asked me for my own opinions on how a blog should be written. I have enjoyed the past five years and look forward to many more, especially since Topps has the exclusive license to themselves until the end of the decade.

Now it's time to get to work and put those retail sets in binders...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1989 Topps Traded #108T Juan Samuel

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, May 21, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1989 Topps Traded #108T.
• Player Name, position, team: Juan Samuel, outfielder-second baseman, New York Mets.
• Major League Debut: August 24, 1983.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1988 stats (Phillies): 157 G, 629 AB, 68 R, 153 H, 32 2B, 9 3B, 12 HR, 67 RBI, 33 SB, .380 SLG, 39 BB, 151 SO, .243 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Phillies as a Free Agent 04/29/1980. Traded by the Phillies to the Mets 06/18/1989. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 12. This is his eighth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "His first 6-RBI major league game: 6-23-86."
• Commentary: Juan Milton Samuel could well be the reason why the Phillies traded Ryne Sandberg to the Cubs. They probably felt that "Sammy" would make be the Phillies' second baseman of the future, and with Mike Schmidt entrenched in the hot corner for the Phils (remember, Sandberg was a primarily a third baseman), there was no place to put the man who would soon be known as "Ryno" anywhere. But Juan Samuel was no slouch at the plate either, and for six plus seasons, gave Phillies fans someone to cheer (or whatever it is they do in Philadelphia). He would hit a cumulative .263 with 100 home runs, 413 rbi's, steal 249 bases, was so fast that he even hit 71 triples, leading the league twice and had five straight years of double digit three-baggers. He was a two-time All-Star with Philly, and won a Silver Slugger in 1987 (probably his best season at the plate). But in 1989, with the Phillies going nowhere in the division, traded Samuel, who by now was playing centerfield instead of second base, to the Mets for outfielder Lenny Dykstra, pitcher Roger McDowell and a PTBNL on June 18. In 86 games for the Mets, Samuel would hit .228 with 3 home runs, drive in 28 rbi's, and steal 31 bases. Samuel would be traded off to the Dodgers at the end of the season for outfielder Mike Marshall and pitcher Alejandro Peña. He would play for LA for three seasons, returning to second base and be named to his third and final All-Star team in 1991. Juan Samuel's final Topps card as a player would come in the 1992 Topps set, and I'll be honest, I thought that he was done when he didn't appear in the 1993 Topps set. But Samuel continued playing until 1998. After being released by the Dodgers on July 30, 1992, he signed on with the Royals, finishing the season in KC. He would sign a one year deal with the Reds for 1993, and another one with the Tigers for 1994. He signed a second one-year deal with the Tigers for 1995, but was traded back to the Royals for a PTBNL. After a second stint with KC, he signed with the Blue Jays, spending three seasons with Toronto before calling it a career. But from 1993 to 1998, Topps didn't include him in any of their sets. He has since continued in baseball, coaching or managing at different levels over the years. He even managed the Orioles on an interim bases in 2010. In 2008, Samuel's contributions to the Phillies were recognized as he was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame at the new Citizens Bank Park. He joined the Phils as their third base coach in 2011, where he held the job until 2013. Why? Because in 2013, the Phillies promoted their AAA manager to a coaching job at third base. Samuel was more than happy to move over to the first base coaching box to accommodate the promotion. Oh, the guy that is now the third base coach for Philly? Some guy named Ryne Sandberg.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.01-$0.05.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 28 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH247. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1980 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2006 Topps #100 Barry Bonds

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, May 20, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2006 Topps #100.
• Player Name, position, team: Barry Bonds, outfielder, San Francisco Giants.
• Major League Debut: April 20, 1986.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2005 stats (Giants): 14 G, 42 AB, 8 R, 12 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB, 9 BB, 6 SO, .667 SLG, 1.071 OPS, .286 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Giants #1st, June 1985. Signed with the Giants as a Free Agent 12/08/1992. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 23. This is his twenty-second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: n/a.
• Commentary: As with the time his 2003 All-Star card was featured as a Card of the Day, I am not going to discuss the controversies, the scandals, the court trials for this reason: I am no expert on any of those things and so much has been written already about them, there is no need for me to repeat them or add anything that hasn't already been speculated on about the career of Barry Bonds. Instead, today's post will just be a brief review about his 2005 and 2006 seasons. After winning his fourth consecutive NL MVP award (and his seventh total...this would be his final one), his 2005 season was marred by a knee injury, multiple surgeries, and lenghty rehab. He did return in September, and the numbers you see in the "Last Line of Statistics" were his totals for the month. While it did put a dent in his quest to break the home run record, his 2006 season would make up for lost time. Even at 41 years of age heading into the 2006 season, Bonds still showed that he could hit...and hit well. Yes, he hit .270 with 26 home runs and 77 rbi's, the first time since his arrival in the Bay Area that he hit lows in both categories (not counting the 2005 season), but he still was a feared hitter, so much so that he led the league again in walks with 115, which contributed to a league leading .454 OBP. In 2006, he would pass Babe Ruth for second on the All-Time HR list, and Hank Aaron for the NL record for homers. It wouldn't be until August 7, 2007 that he would finally break the MLB record, hitting his 756th home run against the Washington Nationals. Barry Bonds would retire from the game after the 2007 season. He finishes as MLB's all-time leader in homers (762), walks (2558), and intentional passes (688).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.40-$1.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 167 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1989 Topps Traded #108T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Pro Debut Card of the Week: 2010 Topps Pro Debut #141 Sean Ratliff

It's Minor League Monday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Pro Debut Card of the Week:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2010 Topps Pro Debut #141.
• Player Name, position, team: Sean Ratliff, outfielder, Savannah Sand Gnats.
• Level-League, Team Affiliation: A-South Atlantic League, New York Mets.
  
• Minor League Stats (stats with team depicted only): 122 G, 468 AB, 64 R, 124 H, 28 2B, 7 3B, 15 HR, 68 RBI, 11 SB, 31 BB, 131 SO, .451 SLG, .312 OPS, .265 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Mets #4th, June 2008. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Major League Debut: n/a.
• Baseball America Organizational Ranking After Season with Team: New York Mets #22 prospect after the 2009 season.
• Blurb on the back: "Sean was drafted by the Mets in 2008 out of Stanford, where he led the team in home runs and RBI. The strapping, powerful outfielder was assigned to short-season Brooklyn. He blasted nine doubles and seven home runs in 59 games, then moved up a notch in '09 to become a South Atlantic League All-Star."
• Official Topps Rookie Card: n/a.
• Commentary: Sean M. Ratliff was one of the Mets' more promising prospects, and one that had the potential to be a future slugger and run producer. In three minor league seasons, a journey that began with the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2008, continued with Savannah (the team he is pictured with on his card), and then the FSL St. Lucie Mets and AA Binghamton Mets, Ratliff hit for an impressive .274 average with 43 home runs and 176 rbi's. Defensively, he committed only 14 errors in 642 chances (.977 fielding percentage), had 19 assists and participated in 6 double plays. His was on the quick path to the majors until he was struck in the face by a foul ball during a spring training game (a freak accident as he was standing on deck when the ball came towards him), breaking six bones. The injury ended his 2011 season. Although he managed to make a comeback, appearing in 7 games for the St. Lucie Mets, after hitting .136 (3-22) with a double, Sean Ratliff retired from the game as an active player on April 22, 2012.

Next week's featured card will be: 2012 Topps Pro Debut #141. Post will arrive at 9:00 AM CST. Hope you enjoyed this week's installment of Minor League Monday.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1973 Topps #78 Richie Scheinblum

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, May 19, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1973 Topps #78.
• Player Name, position, team: Richie Scheinblum, outfielder, Kansas City Royals.
• Major League Debut: September 1, 1965.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1972 stats (Royals): 450 AB, 135 H, 21 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 67 RBI, .300 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Indians as a Free Agent before the 1964 season. Contract purchased by the Royals 10/21/1971. Bats: both. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 8. This is his seventh Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Richie enjoyed his finest season in majors in 1972. Acquired by Royals after leading Amer. Assn. in Avg; Rbi's, Triples & Total Bases in 1971, he led AL in Batting much of the year."
• Commentary: The 1973 Topps set may have white borders on the front of the card, but its the back of the cards, thanks to its primarily black borders, that makes it one of the harder sets to find in excellent to near mint condition. And after perusing the cards in the BCCM, it looks like centering is a major league issue (see what I did there...) as the back of the sample card of Richard Alan Scheinblum (yes, they put his full name on the back, something I think should be done with today's cards) is so off-center there is no right border whatsoever. Now Schienblum wasn't a Royal heading into the 1973 season. But during his first stint with KC (he would experience the best season of his MLB career. Put it this way, if he was part of the 2002 Topps Archives set (the Best Years one), his 1972 card would appropriately be the one they'd include. On the strength of a .324 average, 7 homers and 43 rbi's, Scheinblum was named to his first (and eventually only) All-Star team. Anyway, after the 1972 season ended, the Royals traded him and pitcher Roger Nelson to the Reds for future Royals megastar Hal McRae and Wayne Simpson. However, Scheinblum's career with the Reds lasted only 29 games as he was traded off to the California Angels for players to be named later. He finished the year with a combined average of .307 with 4 homers and 29 rbi's. He was traded back to the Royals in 1974, but after 36 games and a .181 average, Scheinblum's contract was sold to the cross-state Cardinals. Although the six games he appeared for the Cards were to be his last in a major league uniform, Scheinblum continued his career in Japan, playing for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp for two seasons.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.20-$0.50.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 0.

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.

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 2006 Topps #100. 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

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1983 Topps Traded #79T Dale Murray

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, May 18, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1983 Topps Traded #79T.
• Player Name, position, team: Dale Murray, pitcher, New York Yankees.
• Major League Debut: July 7, 1974.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1982 stats (Blue Jays): 56 G, 111 IP, 8-7, 48 R, 39 ER, 60 SO, 32 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 11 SV, 3.16 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Expos #18th, June 1970. Traded by the Blue Jays to the Yankees 12/09/1982. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 10. This is his eighth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Was credited with Victory in 8-4 win vs. Rangers, 4-27-82. Hurled scoreless ball for Win June 1, 1982."
• Commentary: Dale Albert Murray (not to be confused with Braves legend Dale Murphy) was an extremely effective relief pitcher who pitched in the mid-70's through the mid-80's. He even led the league in games pitched with an unbelievable (probably at the time) 81 games in 1976, meaning that he made at least one appearance in half of the Expos' games that season. The native Texan really enjoyed his time in Canada as he played for both the Expos (1974-76, 1979-1980) and Blue Jays (1981-1982), combining for a 30-28 with 201 strikeouts, an ERA of 3.17, and a 1.355 WHIP. In between his stints with Montréal, he spent time with the Reds and Mets. The Blue Jays traded Murray and minor leaguer Tom Dodd to the Yankees in exchange for outfielder Dave Collins, pitcher (and future MLB traveller Mike Morgan), and a first baseman prospect named Fred McGriff. In Murray's first year in the Bronx, Murray appeared in 40 games and 94.1 innings of work. He earned a 2-4 record with 45 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.48. He stayed with the Yankees until 1985, when he was released and subsequently signed with the Texas Rangers. But after one game in which he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in one inning of work (what would wind up being his final major league appearance), he was sent down to the Rangers' AAA team in Oklahoma City, finishing his career with the 89ers and retiring after the season ended.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.08-$0.25.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 9.

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: 1973 Topps #78. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #108 Frank Thomas

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, May 17, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #108.
• Player Name, position, team: Frank Thomas, first baseman, Chicago White Sox.
• Major League Debut: August 2, 1990.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (White Sox): 141 G, 527 AB, 110 R, 184 H, 26 2B, 0 3B, 40 HR, 134 RBI, 1 SB, .626 SLG, 109 BB, 70 SO, .349 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the White Sox #1st, June 1989. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 20. This is his eighth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "His home runs make the headlines, but Frank's astounding ability to reach base pushes the envelope of baseball believability. He was aboard in the first 52 games of 1996 and through the All-Star break, had not endured consecutive hitless games. On June 4, he was walked five times, missing the ML record by singling on a 3-2 pitch in his final PA."
• Commentary: Many of Topps' designs since 1991 look fantastic when utilized horizontally. The 1997 Topps set is one fantastic example of this. The only drawback? When putting these cards in a nine pocket page, if you're trying to be consistent by having the cards line up on the back, the name on the front will be upside down. Now I know that I could easily flip the card over so that the name on the front appears right side up (and on top of the picture), but aesthetically, it would just throw off the look of the page. You can put the cards any which way you want. I'll just have to live with reading the name upside down. On an unrelated note, somebody just pointed this out on the Twitter feed yesterday. But Frank Thomas was an All-Star five times, from 1993-1997. For some reason, he was never selected to another All-Star team for the rest of his career. What??! Maybe the talent pool for first basemen in the AL was deep, but to me that's a slight. Okay, granted that Thomas' hitting numbers took a bit of a dip in 1998, and he no longer led the league in any of the major hitting stats after 1997. But there was no doubt that the Big Hurt was one of the best players to come out of the 1990 MLB Draft, if not THE BEST PLAYER. He was Mr. White Sox for me, long before he was supplanted by his replacement, Paul Konerko. Now Paulie has made a name for himself on the south side, and no doubt will be considered for HOF status when it is his time. But it would be a major travesty. A huge travesty, if in January of 2014, that this man does not make get inducted into Cooperstown. Okay, back to the point. By the time the 1997 season started, Frank Edward Thomas was a mega star! A four-time All-Star, a two-time MVP (1993-94), three-time Silver Slugger, and so feared by opposing teams that he led the league in intentional passes twice (29 in 1995 and 26 in 1996), which contributed to very high OBP's. In 1997, Thomas was named to his fifth All-Star team, and led the league in the slash categories (I heard the term "slash statistics" used to describe the OBP, SLG, and OPS statistics - because the numbers have a "/" after them when typed. Batting average can be considered a slash category too, if applied first. That's cool. I'll use that going forward). Okay, so he didn't lead in slugging (.611), but he did lead in the other averages: .347 batting average, .456 on-base percentage, and 1.067 OPS. He also hit 35 home runs, drove in 125 rbi's, and scored 110 runs. By the time he left the White Sox after the 2005 season, he was the all-time team leader in almost every hitting category. In 16 years, he hit 448 homers, 1465 rbi's, had a cumulative hitting average of .307, slash numbers of .427/.568/.995, scored 2136 runs, and walked 301 times more than he struck out (1466 to 1165). He also became a World Series Champion. Okay, I'll admit it, that other team won...only because Big Frank was a part of the team in 2005. He didn't play a single postseason game. So yeah, the "2005 season didn't happen" still applies. After a season with Oakland, and two with Toronto, Thomas retired on February 12, 2010. The White Sox retired his #35 uniform on August 29, 2010, and unveiled a bronze statue of the Big Hurt a year later. He presently runs W2W Records, a record label that he founded and was working with during his off-seasons. Now that he's retired, he is able to give the company his full attention.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.20-$0.50.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 141.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1983 Topps Traded #79T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2008 Topps #205 Gil Meche

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, May 16, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2008 Topps #205.
• Player Name, position, team: Gil Meche, pitcher, Kansas City Royals.
• Major League Debut: July 6, 1999.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2007 stats (Royals): 34 G, 216 IP, 9-13, 98 R, 88 ER, 156 SO, 62 BB, 34 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 1.30 WHIP, 3.67 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Mariners #1st, June 1996. Signed with the Royals as a Free Agent 12/07/2006. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 11. This is his eighth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "The Royals scored only 12 runs while Gil was on the mound in his 13 defeats in 2007. "I think you could conservatively say he could have won 16 to 17 games the way he's pitched," manager Buddy Bell said."
• Commentary: Regardless of how you feel about the 2008 Topps set, you have to admit that both the appropriately team-colored circles and the large letters above the picture made it easy to sort cards by team. I just wish that the Topps logo didn't dip into the picture (they could have done it like the NBA cards where the dip was at the bottom of the card and the name could be inside the picture) and they could have done away with the facsimile autograph too. But I digress. After six productive seasons in Seattle (when he was healthy - he was felled by shoulder injuries and subsequent surgeries took him off the field for the entire 2001 campaign), where he went a combined 55-44 with an ERA of 4.65, 575 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.439, Gilbert Allen Meche signed a five-year deal with the Royals. In his first year with the Royals, he was named the team's representative to the 2007 AL All-Star Team. In 2008, Meche led the AL in Games Started with 34 (he led the AL in the same stat with 34 starts as well the year before), and had his best statistical season in KC with a 14-11 record, a career high 183 strikeouts, a WHIP of 1.317, and an ERA of 3.98. But beginning in 2009, he began re-experiencing shoulder and back problems that affected his performance for most of the year, and in 2010, he spent more than 3 months on the DL due to the aforementioned injuries. He returned as a reliever at the end of the year. In 2011, the final year of his contract, he opted to retire instead of going in for another shoulder surgery to continue his career. He would finish with an 84-83 record, a 4.49 ERA and 1050 strikeouts.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.12-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 24.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1997 Topps #108. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama