Is Your 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen Set Complete?

By Wednesday, unless you plan on dropping $135 plus on a box Topps Tribute WBC edition at the National, being held down the street in beautiful Rosemont, IL, it no longer will be.

Why you ask?

Because one of the pack/box break promotions Topps is throwing (literally) is that if you buy and break a box of Topps' WBC Tribute product, you can get,

THIS!!!

That's right. A 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen card of Dodgers phenom (and ESPN darling) Yasiel Puig. The plan is to distribute 100 of these cards per day, 500 cards total, during the National's five-day run in the Chicago area.

If I was a certain gum enthusiast, I'd be swearing up and down a storm, on my blog, or on a certain radio program. But I'm not. It looks really nice on the computer. I'd love to get my hands on this card. But I think I'll wait. I can be patient. I can even put this on my want list on the sidebar of this humble little blog, to remind me of cards that are for now, impossible dreams to add to my collection.

One question though...

Is this card #351?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

To Show That the Blog Has Not Died...Yet...

Thank you to all the people who have sent me emails asking if I am all right. I know that I haven't posted much on this humble little blog lately, and if you see the history (like last year), you will see that I didn't post much from the time after the All-Star Break until I became unemployed.

But rest assured that I am fine, and that things are actually all right on the personal side of things. Really. A couple of bits of good news may come soon.

Anyway, I have had a number of requests lately to add more blogs to the Sports Card Blogroll. Yes, I've looked at them (when emailed to me at bdj610@hotmail.com). I just have not had the opportunity to add them to the big blogroll yet. I am hoping to do so this evening/weekend.

Rest assured that the collection has grown a bit in the last couple of weeks (finally saved enough to buy for 2013 Topps Series II, Topps Archives, and Topps Pro Debut).

So I'm sorry for the lack of posts. I don't know if I can catch up to the last seven plus weeks of missing Random Cards of the Day...maybe I'll scale it back a bit and put a scan of the card front and back and scrap the bio/commentary (too much involved in research I guess).

And yes, I'm going to the National. Saturday for sure, maybe Sunday, but Saturday is a sure bet.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And Now, Your Starting Lineups...

As announced yesterday afternoon:

For the American League:

1. Mike Trout, LAA, lf
2. Robinson Cano, NYY, 2b
3. Miguel Cabrera, DET, 3b
4. Chris Davis, BAL, 1b
5. Jose Bautista, TOR, rf
6. David Ortiz, BOS, dh
7. Adam Jones, BAL, cf
8. Joe Mauer, MIN, c
9. J. J. Hardy, BAL, ss

And the National League:

1. Brandon Phillips, CIN, 2b
2. Carlos Beltran, STL, rf
3. Joey Votto, CIN, 1b
4. David Wright, NYM, 3b
5. Carlos Gonzalez, COL, lf
6. Yadier Molina, STL, c
7. Troy Tulowitzki, COL, ss
8. Michael Cuddyer, COL, dh
9. Bryce Harper, WAS, cf

The starting pitchers for the 81st ASG are Max Scherzer of the Tigers and Matt Harvey of the Mets.

Enjoy the game everyone.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Mujica Replaces Wainwright on NL ASG Roster

Even before the All-Star rosters were announced, Adam Wainwright convinced manager Mike Matheny to shuffle the rotation around so that he would pitch on the last day before the All-Star break. It didn't matter if he would be named to the NL's All-Star team or not, he was more focused on keeping the Cardinals on top of the NL Central Division.

So on the night in which his Cardinals beat the Cubs to salvage a series split, Wainwright's replacement was named. Cardinals' closer Edward Mujica was officially named an All-Star, announced on the air during the broadcast. Mujica, now a first-time All-Star, is the Cardinals' fourth closer in four seasons, and he's been successful during the first half, even if he did blow the save this evening. He has saved 26 games in 28 opportunities for the Redbirds, along with an 2.20 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 41 innings of work. He is the sixth Cardinals player to punch his ticket to New York, joining fellow All-Stars Yadier Molina, Carlos Beltran, Matt Adams, Matt Carpenter, and Wainwright.

Now all this time, I was stating that there was this "Sunday Starting Pitcher" rule that indicated that any All-Star starting pitcher who pitched on the Sunday before the game was no longer on the roster. That really isn't true. Here is the official rule thanks to the recent CBA between the Player's Association and MLB:

"Pitchers selected for the All-Star Game who start on the Sunday prior to the game have the option of pitching a maximum of one inning or bowing out of the game."

So all these guys who started today (Verlander, Iwakuma, Colon, Wainwright) could have opted to be on the active roster anyway, but chose to "bow out," leaving MLB and the All-Star managers to find replacements. Now the Cubs' Travis Wood was tonight's starting pitcher for the Cubs. I have yet to see a name announced as his replacement on the All-Star Team roster. MLB.com did report that he would take an early Monday morning flight to New York to participate in the festivities.

In the meantime, please go ahead and add your 2013 Topps card #96 to your All-Star binder (Mujica is not on the 17-card team set).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Colon, Iwamura, and Freeman out of the ASG, Balfour, Holland, and McCann Named Replacements.

Aussie Grant Balfour is one of three more players just recently added to the AL and NL All-Star Team rosters.

No sooner than I finish my last post to go to the Taste of Park Ridge (think Taste of Chicago Lite, but with Mrs. A's Cupcakes), and it is announced that three more replacements were named because of injury or because of that nasty "Sunday Starting Pitcher" rule that says that any pitcher who starts on Sunday is now off the active All-Star Roster, even though they will get all the honors, bonuses, benefits, and recognition that comes with it (and there's nothing wrong with that...they've earned it). So buckle up, grab your All-Star binder (do it...do it...do it...) and follow along. You can't get the cards without a card number, right?

Bartolo Colon pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two runs, in a game against the Red Sox that went into extras (the A's won 3-2 in 11). Because he started the game, he is not going to be able to pitch at the ASG. So in his place, AL manager Jim Leyland has tabbed teammate Grant Balfour to take his spot on the roster (depending on who you believe, Colon was added to the team as the lone A's representative because Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz was on the DL). So Balfour, who many believe was one of the biggest snubs for this year's ASG, is now going to New York. Balfour, orignally from Sydney, Australia, has converted 41 straight save opportunities, dating back to last year. He has 25 of them heading into the break, including one from today's game against Boston, along with a 1.63 ERA in 38.2 innings of work.

Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma started and earned the win against the Los Angeles Angels, pitching 7 innings of 3-run, 7-hit ball as the Mariners won 4-3 over their division rivals. Like everyone else, the Tokyo native will be flying to New York with teammate Felix Hernandez. But he won't be on the active team. Taking his spot is Royals closer Greg Holland. In his first season as the Royals' closer, Holland ends the first half of the 2013 campaign with 22 saves, a 1.80 ERA and a whopping 60 strikeouts in 35 innings of work. With fellow Royals Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon, this will be the first time since 2003 that KC sends more than one player to the ASG and the first time since 1988 that three Royals players are named All-Stars.

Freddie Freeman just won the election of a lifetime, beating out some phenom out of LA to earn the Final Man vote. But a thumb injury on Saturday dashed his chances on playing at Citi Field. Because he was a first-time All-Star, his manager, Fredi Gonzalez, told him to go to New York and have a good time anyway. He won't be alone. Because along with lights out closer Craig Kimbrell, catcher Brian McCann was named as Freeman's replacement on the team. It will be McCann's seventh ASG appearance, having hit .291 with 12 home runs, 32 RBIs and a .910 OPS since opening the season on the DL and not making his season debut until mid-May.

Now for more important information, the card numbers. Balfour is card #616 in the 2013 Topps set, and #OAK11 in the retail set. Greg Holland (not to be confused with Derek Holland of the Rangers) is not in the regular set, but should be making an appearance or two in the Update Series. However, Holland can be found in the retail set under card #KCR14. McCann is card #116 in the 2013 eponymous set, and #ATL6 in the retail set.

In the final game heading into the break, All-Stars Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals squared off against Travis Wood of the Cubs. While Wainwright asked his manager to shuffle the rotation so he pitches on Sunday, Wood was making his regularly scheduled start. Both guys are now off the active roster. And while I did hear who was taking over for Wainwright, I have yet to hear who takes over for Wood. Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Verlander, Locke, and Zimmermann out of the ASG, Tillman, Melancon, and Romo Named Replacements.

Sergio Romo is one of three players just recently added to the AL and NL All-Star Team rosters.

With the ASG coming just two days away, the roster moves have been coming in rather quickly, especially since there are All-Star pitchers who made their scheduled starts today. Because of this, they can no longer be part of the All-Star Roster, even though they will still attend the festivities and line up with their fellow All-Stars. They just won't be part of the "active" roster.

Such is what has now happened with Justin Verlander. Presently, he and the Tigers are taking on the Rangers, and as of this moment, Detroit is up on Texas 5-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth. Because Verlander pitched 7 strong innings of 1-hit, shutout ball, he can't pitch at the ASG. So in his place, AL manager Jim Leyland has tabbed Chris Tillman of the Baltimore Orioles to take his place. Tillman is 11-3 with an ERA of 3.95, and 89 strikeouts in 111.2 innings of work. It will be his first All-Star Game appearance, and now the Orioles have 5 players going to Citi Field, the most since 1997. Tillman joins starters Chris Davis, J. J. Hardy, Adam Jones, and reserve Manny Machado on the 34-man squad.

Just recently, Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke announced that he would be taking himself off the NL team because of lower back tightness. He was scratched from his scheduled Sunday start, so even if he was healthy, he wouldn't be able to play the ASG anyway. So NL manager Bruce Bochy replaced one Pirate with another. Reliever Mark Melancon has been tabbed to take Locke's place on the roster. Right now one of the best middle relievers in all of MLB, Locke entered Sunday's contest with an NL-best 0.81 ERA, holding batters to a .193 average and striking out 46 in 44 1/3 innings. Locke will still go to the ASG, and counting him and Melancon, the Bucs now have five players heading for New York, along with 3B Pedro Alvarez, outfielder Andrew McCutchen, and closer Jason Grilli.

It's been known for a while now that Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann would not play in the ASG due to tightness in his neck. But that doesn't mean he won't be going to NY to take part in the festivities. Replacing Zimmermann is going to be a pitcher Bochy has seen very often with much success, Giants' closer Sergio Romo. Romo presently has 21 saves to go with a 2.86 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 34.2 innings of work. He even racked up nine saves in last year's World Series. Romo is now the fourth Giants player to be named an All-Star, with teammates Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, and Marco Scutaro being the other three.

So if your All-Star Binder hasn't been filled yet, start adding three more cards to the pages (come on, I can't be the only person doing this). Chris Tillman does not have a card in the regular 2013 Topps set, but is featured in the Orioles retail set as card #BAL16. Melancon doesn't have a card in either the eponymous set or in the 17-card retail set. He should now have a couple of cards in the Update Series set (along with Tillman). Until then, I'll just use the card of PNC Park to represent Melancon. Sergio Romo appears as #154 in the base set and #SFG11 in the retail set.

What are you waiting for? Put them in now. And make sure to leave plenty of room. There could be more players becoming All-Stars by the end of the day.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Delabar and Freeman win the Final Man Vote!!!

Steve Delabar and Freddie Freeman, your 2013 Final Man Winners. If Delabar had a 2013 card, that's what we would have used.

Votes for this year's Final Man balloting came fast and furiously from the moment that the ten players were announced. Add posts with twitter hashtags, and you had record numbers of votes being counted. And when the dust settled, two more players were named All-Stars.

The fans have voted. Over 79,200,000 votes were cast. Twitter feeds and hashtags were trending. And in the end, relief pitcher Steve Delabar of the Blue Jays and first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Braves won spots on their respective All-Star Teams as the winners of the Final Man Ballot.

Yes, alliances were formed once again, (the Yankees and Nationals tried something with their players), and thanks to mobile voting and twitter, many famous fans put their two cents in. But a new record 19.7 million votes were cast for the Braves young slugger, who had to compete for votes with Dodgers wunderkind Yasiel Puig, with Hunter Pence (Giants), Ian Desmond (Nationals) and Dodgers teammate Adrian Gonzalez, who even publicly voted for Puig, rounding out the NL Ballot.

On the AL side, Delabar, who is going to be one of this All-Star Game's biggest stories (something akin to Jim Morris of The Rookie movie fame), went wire-to-wire in the lead, taking in a cool 9.6 million votes. As the rest of the ballot consisted of relief pitchers, David Robertson of the Yankees, Joaquin Benoit of the Tigers, Koji Uehara of the Red Sox, and Tanner Scheppers of the Rangers took second through fifth.

Delabar joins a handful of Blue Jays, including starter Jose Bautista, pitcher Brett Cecil, and reserve DH Edwin Encarnacion. Freeman becomes the second Braves All-Star for 2013, joining lights-out closer Craig Kimbrel.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Moore Replaces Darvish on AL ASG Roster

On Thursday, Rangers' pitcher Yu Darvish was placed on the 15-Day DL due to a slight strain of the right trapezius muscle. While it is being considered a minor injury, it will prevent Yu to participate in the actual All-Star Game. To replace Darvish, AL All-Star Team Manager Jim Leyland has addedRays' pitcher Matt Moore to the roster.

The announcement was made right after Moore pitched a near no-hitter against the Twins this afternoon. Moore is heading towards the All-Star Break with a 13-3 record,  a 3.44 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 107.1 innings pitched over his 19 starts. It will be Matt's first time as an All-Star and he joins second baseman Ben Zobrist on the AL squad.

For those adding cards to your All-Star Game binder (what...you're NOT??!), Moore's 2013 Topps card is #419, and from the retail exclusive team set, his card is #TAM7.

More players will inevitably have to be replaced on these rosters, so stay tuned.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1962 Topps #277 4th Series Checklist #265 to #352

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, February 10, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1962 Topps #277.
• Special: 1962 Fourth Series Checklist #265 Joe Adcock - #352 Frank Sullivan
• Commentary: The Randomizer has finally done something it has not done since it made it's debut back in 2010: that's select a checklist of any kind. This one is from the fourth series from 1962 Topps and gives the collector a place to check off the cards they have from the 88-card series. The nine Action Cards (#'s 311 through 319) were of that famous subset featuring Tony Kubek, Warren Spahn, Roger Maris, Rocky Colavito, Whitey Ford, Harmon Killebrew, Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, and Mike McCormick. For posterity, this is the first time that I am also showing the back of the card, so you can see the names of the players on the back of the list. Bet many kids were disappointed when they opened their one card pack to find this card staring at them instead of say Hank Aaron (#320), or Willie Mays (#300), Billy Williams (#288), or even Frank Robinson (#350). Looking back, it would not have been such a bad thing to have.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $8.00-$20.00.

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: 2007 Topps #515. 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

The 2013 All-Star Rosters Have Been Announced...What Do You Think???

The MLB All-Star Game rosters have been announced. Here are the players who are going:

American League Starters (with 2013 Topps Card # and retail team set if applicable. Note #US numbers are subject to change, but the player is presently scheduled to appear in the 2013 Topps Update Series at that card number.)

1B-Chris Davis, Orioles (#119, BAL9)
2B-Robinson Cano, Yankees (#612, NYY2)
3B-Miguel Cabrera, Tigers (#660, DET2)
SS-J. J. Hardy, Orioles (#533, BAL5)
OF-Jose Bautista, Blue Jays (#441, TOR2)
OF-Adam Jones, Orioles (#10, BAL1)
OF-Mike Trout, Angels (#27, LAA2)
C-Joe Mauer, Twins (#107, MIN1)
DH-David Ortiz, Red Sox (#595, BOS1)

American League Pitchers

P-Clay Buchholz, Red Soxº (#503, BOS6)
P-Bartolo Colon, Athleticsª (#259, OAK3)
P-Yu Darvish, Rangers (#11, TEX1)
P-Felix Hernandez, Mariners (#34, SEA1)
P-Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners (#403, SEA5)
P-Justin Masterson, Indians (#63, CLE6, selected by MGR)
P-Chris Sale, White Sox (#49, CHW1, selected by MGR)
P-Max Scherzer, Tigers (#37, DET4)
P-Justin Verlander, Tigers (#35, DET1, selected by MGR)
RP-Brett Cecil, Blue Jays (selected by MGR)
RP-Jesse Crain, White Soxº
RP-Joe Nathan, Rangers (#236, TEX14)
RP-Glen Perkins, Twinsª (#547, MIN11)
RP-Mariano Rivera, Yankees (#600, NYY8)

American League Reserves

1B-Prince Fielder, Tigers (#28, DET14)
2B-Jason Kipnis, Indians (#267, CLE5, selected by MGR)
2B-Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox (#15, BOS3)
2B-Ben Zobrist, Rays (#218, TAM3, selected by MGR)
3B-Manny Machado, Orioles (#270, BAL2)
SS-Jhonny Peralta, Tigers (#327, DET8)
OF-Nelson Cruz, Rangers (#650, TEX8)
OF-Torii Hunter, Tigers (#565, DET16)
OF-Alex Gordon, Royals (#204, KCR2)
C-Jason Castro, Astros (#640, HOU11, selected by MGR)
C-Salvador Perez, Royals (#655, KCR13)
DH-Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays (#310, TOR4)

American League Final Man Candidates

RP-Joaquin Benoit, Tigers (#495, DET11)
RP-Steve Delabar, Blue Jays
RP-David Robertson, Yankees (#230, NYY15)
RP-Tanner Scheppers, Rangers
RP-Koji Uehara, Red Sox (#618, BOS7)

National League Starters

1B-Joey Votto, Reds (#19, CIN1)
2B-Brandon Phillips, Reds (#386, CIN4)
3B-David Wright, Mets (#400, NYM1)
SS-Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies (#453, COL2)
OF-Carlos Beltran, Cardinals (#527, STL3)
OF-Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies (#5, COL1)
OF-Bryce Harper, Nationals (#1, WAS1)
C-Yadier Molina, Cardinals (#4, STL7)

National League Pitchers

P-Madison Bumgarner, Giants (#379, SFG4, selected by MGR)
P-Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks (#502, ARI10)
P-Jose Fernandez, Marlins (#589, selected by MGR)
P-Matt Harvey, Mets (#577, NYM10)
P-Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (#22, LAD3)
P-Cliff Lee, Phillies (#33, PHI3, selected by MGR)
P-Jeff Locke, Pirates (#372, PIT16, selected by MGR)
P-Adam Wainwright, Cardinals (#50, STL2)
P-Travis Wood, Cubs (#391, CHC15, selected by MGR)
P-Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals (#588, WAS5)
RP-Aroldis Chapman, Reds (#396, CIN2)
RP-Jason Grilli, Pirates (#174, PIT14)
RP-Craig Kimbrel, Braves (#46, ATL1)

National League Reserves

1B-Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks (#454, ARI5)
1B-Allen Craig, Cardinals (#321, STL15, selected by MGR)
2B-Matt Carpenter, Cardinals (#193, STL17)
2B-Marco Scutaro, Giants (#597, SFG10, selected by MGR)
3B-Pedro Alvarez, Pirates (#517, PIT5)
SS-Everth Cabrera, Padres (#412, SDP7, selected by MGR)
SS-Jean Segura, Brewers (#387, MIL4)
OF-Domonic Brown, Phillies (#625, PHI13)
OF-Michael Cuddyer, Rockies (#449, COL3)
OF-Carlos Gomez, Brewers (#619, MIL2, selected by MGR)
OF-Andrew McCutchen, Pirates (#122, PIT1)
C-Buster Posey, Giants (#128, SFG1)

National League Final Man Candidates

SS-Ian Desmond, Nationals (#120, WAS6)
1B-Freddie Freeman, Braves (#105, ATL9)
1B-Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers (#228, LAD1)
OF-Hunter Pence, Giants (#3, SFG14)
OF-Yasiel Puig, Dodgers

Notes:
º Injured, will not participate
ºº Elected not to participate
ª Named as replacement

If you notice, not counting those injured, there will be two 34-man rosters here (including the Final Man winners). In 2010, a new rule was implemented to allow for one "re-entry" player...somebody who can go leave the game and then possibly later on get back in at another position. Previously, only catchers were allowed to leave the game and be re-inserted later. While I can see the AL has a utility guy this year (Zobrist), who is the NL's utility player?

Including the players on the Final Man balloting, five players do not have any cards from either the eponymous Topps set or the retail sets. This year, they include All-Stars Jesse Crain of the White Sox (who is on the DL and will not be participating) and Brett Cecil of the Blue Jays, as well as AL final men Steve Delabar (also of the Jays) and Tanner Scheppers of the Rangers. On the NL side, only one player doesn't have a card in either product, and that is Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig. All five should be getting cards in the Update series in one way or another. To alleviate their slights, I will be using the team's stadium cards to fill-in for them (found only in the team retail sets although that would be hard if somehow Delabar wins the final man...I don't have two Rogers Centre cards).

Lots of youth on both rosters. And a ton of first-time All-Stars to boot. If you look at the Final Man Nominees, all five AL candidates are relief pitchers. Besides Delabar and Scheppers, Joaquin Benoit, David Robertson, and Koji Uehara are on the ballot for that final AL spot. On the NL side, besides the Dodgers' wunderkind, you have vets Ian Desmond, Hunter Pence (who I think has been through this before), and first basemen Freddie Freeman and Adrian Gonzalez.

On a final note, Clay Buchholz is injured and will not participate. So in his stead (as requested by AL skipper Jim Leyland) will be the A's Bartolo Colon (who ironically, is the ONLY member of the Oakland squad on the All-Star Team). The aforementioned Crain is being replaced by Twins reliever Glen Perkins. I read somewhere earlier today that the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright, ASG be darned, has asked manager Mike Matheny to move the rotation around so that he pitches on Sunday. Now the rule for pitchers is that if they are set to pitch on the last day before the All-Star break, they become ineligible to appear in the game. They still get to participate in the All-Star festivities, are still officially All-Stars, but just won't play. If that is the case, there is no word on who his replacement would be if it comes to that point. I have not yet seen any news about All-Star pitchers that could be affected by this as of yet.

Let's hear the answers to these questions:

Who do you think should have been chosen that wasn't (not even for the Final Man ballot)?

Of the players selected, who shouldn't be going to the game?

Were the guys you wanted from your team chosen?

If not, then who should have represented your team?

Let the debates begin.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2006 Topps #332 Orlando Cabrera

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, July 6, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2006 Topps #332.
• Player Name, position, team: Orlando Cabrera, shortstop, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
• Major League Debut: September 3, 1997.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2005 stats (Angels): 141 G, 540 AB, 70 R, 139 H, 28 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 57 RBI, 21 SB, 38 BB, 50 SO, .365 SLG, .674 OPS, .257 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Expos as a Free Agent 06/01/1993. Signed with the Angels as a Free Agent 12/20/2004. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 16. This is his ninth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Orlando has caught the broadcasting 'bug.' After hosting a 2005 edition of This Week in Baseball, the sociable shortstop said he would like to do more."
• Commentary: There is only so much you can say about the 2006 Topps design, the first Topps came out with after the hammer was struck down by MLB Properties and the MLB Players Association. Yes, it was a draw to bring the kids back (by bringing back cartoon sketches), and the colors used by Topps for the design were meant to attract kids. But the blue doesn't seem to fit with the Angels. Not with their present color scheme anyway. By 2006, Orlando Cabrera was a Gold Glove Award winner (with the Expos in 2001) and because he was traded to the Red Sox just in time for their remarkable postseason run, a World Series Champion. He signed with the Angels to shore up their infield, and for three seasons, did just that. In 2006, Cabrera appeared in 153 games for the Halos, hit .282 with 9 home runs, 72 rbi's, and had an OPS of .738. Quick on the basepaths, he also stole 27 bases while only being caught thrice. Defensively, he committed 16 errors in 645 chances for a .975 fielding percentage and was part of 100 double plays. After one final season in Anaheim in which he hit a career high .301 and won his second Gold Glove award, it was off to Chicago for the 2008 campaign. The journeyman phase of his career followed with Cabrera travelling to Oakland, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Cleveland and San Francisco between 2009 and 2011. He announced his retirement in January, 2012, on a radio program in Colombia. He did become a naturalized US citizen in May, 2011.
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 38 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: 1962 Topps #277. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama