What Would Make Me Want to Buy 2017 Topps Archives...Maybe

I'd like to thank everyone who has left comments, sent me emails and DM's regarding my dad. He had his first chemo cocktail this past Tuesday, and seems to have been in great spirits since. Yes, he was in pain, and it was noticeable on Monday when my family did see him. But he put up a brave front and carried on as if nothing was going on. He's been a symbol of strength and we continue to pray that as the treatments continue, he will continue to fight this and, more importantly, win.

Now, this was what I was trying to write about last week.

The product called Topps Archives really tugs at my heartstrings. I loved the concept of it when 2001 Topps Archives was launched.

For those unfamiliar with the product, The first time the words Topps and Archives were put together, it was in 1983, when Topps created a set honoring their iconic 1952 set. With certain exceptions (because they could not get the subjects or his estate's permission) it was a standard-sized reprint set of all 1952 Topps cards. It was an alternative for those who could not afford the actual cards.

In 1991, Topps reprinted it's 1953 set, again with a couple of omissions. But this time, Topps added a number of "what could have been" cards had they thought doing them. Among the subjects were a young Hank Aaron (imagine if he had a card in the 1953 set).

Two more editions were unleashed to the masses. In 1994, Topps Archives put out a 1954 revival that needed help from that other card company. Because it had the rights to Ted Williams' likeness and images, Upper Deck included card #'s 1 and 250 in it's 1994 All-Time Heroes product. Along with these two cards, UD was nice enough to make a card #259 (Topps did create card #'s 251-258, including a "rookie card" of Roberto Clemente)...of Mickey Mantle.

Finally, in what was to be a foreshadowing of what would eventually the Topps Archives I'd come to love in the first part of the new century, 1995 saw the creation of a Brooklyn Dodgers commemorative set, featuring reprints of all the Brooklyn Dodgers (plus some new ones created just for this product) that graced its cardboard.

Fast forward to 2001, Topps' 50th anniversary. Part of its year-long celebration was the return of Topps Archives. The concept of recreating the first and last cards of 200 retired players was pure genius. Yes, there'd be reprint rookie cards of Hall of Famers (many of whom I'd never be able to afford), but there were also the "Fan-Favorites." Role players, as well as those legendary in the collective hearts and minds of their fans and franchises, were included in this production that took two series to complete. This is the set I loved and cherish so much that I have it stored in a Topps binder that has, what else, Topps cards on the front of it. The following year, Topps brought back the Archives name, featuring reprinted cards from 200 player's "best seasons." It was a great concept. It featured a number of players that didn't appear the previous year. The only drawback was the fact that Topps "included" the player's stats from that year's design. This was great for cards from the 50's through 70's. But cards of players who were "traded" or signed as free agents, and had actual cards from the Traded era were relegated to their cards before the transaction. So you had a 1987 card of Andre Dawson, not as a Cub, but as an Expo.

Now fast forward to 2011. Topps Lineage was introduced in 2011. Although the base cards included had a generic design, the big draw of the product was the tribute to past insert sets, cards included in packs from the 60's and 70's. Although Lineage was a one-year wonder, Topps thought to bring back the Archives name the following year. This time, the concept consisted of featuring four designs from the company's history, featuring a mix of current and past players, as well as featured inserts from the past as well. The insert sets featured throughout the years not only consisted of cards from the eponymous product, but from other brands as well (Stadium Club) and other sports (I think there was a basketball insert one year...and some were from Topps' NFL product).

This was all well and good. But Topps already has a Heritage line honoring past sets. Why create a second set that utilizes past designs with present players. I have the first two years' sets of this current revival. But after 2014, I stopped. It's become "Heritage Lite" to me. The inserts and autographs are fine (at least the first year's worth), and some of the inserts themes are great (one year included cards from the movie Major League), but I couldn't see my self continuing buying this set other than a few packs. I wasn't then, nor am I now, a Topps Heritage collector, and this set was just a reminder of it.

By now, if I haven't bored you with Archives' long celebrated history (at least you must be wondering what's my point??!), you're asking yourself why did I waste my time...

Well, I'll tell you (and now for more backstory).

From 1996 through 2000, Topps included a retrospective set of cards, honoring one player. In 1996, as he had passed away the year before, Topps included reprinted cards from Mickey Mantle's legendary Topps cardboard career. The set consisted of 19 Topps and Bowman cards featuring the Commerce Comet, split into two series. Card #20, a reprint of the Mick's 1952 Bowman card, was included in 1996 Bowman. Another 16, featuring Mantle and other players, were inserted the following year in packs of 1997 Topps. Not only did Topps include reprints of Mantle, but they also included reprinted cards from Willie Mays' career, split into two series, from 1952 through 1973. In 1998, reprints of Roberto Clemente's cards from 1955 through 1973 were inserted into packs. Nolan Ryan, and his 27 Topps cards, were featured in 1999. Finally, Hank Aaron was honored with a commemorative set of his own.

Last week, Topps announced that a 23-card Tribute to Derek Jeter will be among the inserts in its 2017 Topps Archives product. It will consist of reprinted cards of Derek Jeter's Topps cards from 1993 (the draft pick card) through 2015.

But there's a catch.

There will be 20 cards that will be easy to find. Three will be short-printed:

• His 1993 rookie card

• His 2015 card (his final card)

• His infamous 2007 card, complete with Mickey Mantle in the dugout and President George W. Bush in the stands

Remember that one?

Now, this isn't the first time Topps has honored Jeter in this way. A couple of years ago, Topps included "framed reprint" cards of the Yankee legend. These cards were more expensive individually than the cards they were honoring.

I think if anyone tried hard enough, he or she can get all of Jeter's cards, from rookie to final - including the Bush/Mantle version - for just under 100, and that's being liberal. It's bad enough that Topps is putting this set (with variations, parallels, and the like) in Archives, but as I have every Topps set since 1976, I have every single one of Derek Jeter's eponymous cards.

Now I know he's been retired for a couple of seasons now (and he'll be a first-time dad to boot). But is it too soon for a Jeter retrospective? Was there nobody available? Were there no other players whose name could have been uttered in the same breath as Mantle, Mays, Clemente, Ryan, and Aaron that could have gotten the reprint treatment? Is there not another player with enough of a card library that could have been featured?

So I have to ask myself: do I want to have a go at trying to complete this set (or getting one off the Bay)? Should I do it? Would it be worth the time, money, effort? If I find one on the auction site, should I just focus on the reprint set? Or should I swallow my pride and buy an Archives set?

It's early yet. The product doesn't come out until later in the year. Maybe I will...maybe I won't. I don't know.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #657 Mike Harkey

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, November 30, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #657.
• Player Name, position, team: Mike Harkey, pitcher, Chicago Cubs.
• Major League Debut: September 5, 1988.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Cubs): 7 G, 38 IP, 4-0, 13 R, 8 ER, 21 SO, 15 BB, 7 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 1.89 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Cubs #1st, June 1987. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 6. This is his fifth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Mike attended California State University-Fullerton 3 years. He registered 125 strikeouts in 129 Innings as sophomore and was Third Team All-American as junior. Mike made his big leauge debut in second game of double-header, 9-5-88."
• Commentary: There have been many players that the Cubs have hedged their bets on to lead the franchise to the promised land while I was growing up (and even now) that you could probably create a 25-man roster full of them and then have many extras as part of the taxi-squad. I'm not talking about those players who had a few good years and then were gone soon afterwards (like a Jerome Walton/Dwight Smith), but players who had many chances to prove themselves. However, whether it be not adjusting to major league level hitting/pitching, injuries, or just flat out bad luck, prospects that were once touted as the next big thing turned out to be busts. It's hard to call Michael Anthony Harkey a "bust" per se, as if you looked at his big league numbers (at least between 1988 through 1992), they weren't really that bad. Injuries were a factor as to why he didn't play in as many games as he should have (everything from shoulder to arm injuries, to a knee injury caused by an attempted cartwheel). Heck, his brief run in 1992 was fantastic. In 1993, he did get it all together and was part of the Cubs rotation. In 28 starts, he earned a 10-10 record, but with an ERA of 5.26. He did strikeout 67 batters in 157.1 innings of work, and had a WHIP of 1.462. But the Cubs brass had enough I guess, and allowed the former Future Star to enter the Free Agent market. His trip through the majors included stays in Colorado (1994), the Athletics and Angels (1995), a couple of seasons with the Dodgers AAA team in Albuquerque in which he became the Dukes' closer, before finishing for good with the Dodgers in 1997. His career numbers include an even 36-36 record, a 4.49 ERA, 316 strikeouts in 656 innings pitched, and a WHIP of 1.441. Sadly, you will not find any Topps cards of Harkey as a member of any other team since his last Topps card came out in 1994, still as a member of the Cubs. Since retiring, Harkey became a pitching/bullpen coach, learning the trade with the Cubs' minor league team in Iowa. He joined the Marlins as their bullpen coach in 2006, then joined the Yankees in 2008, first as a bullpen coach, then the team's hitting coach. After the 2013 season, Harkey was hired by the Diamondbacks to take over as their pitching coach.
• Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 8 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: 1974 Topps #487. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps Traded #81T Jeff Richardson

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, October 16, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps Traded #81T.
• Player Name, position, team: Jeff Richardson, second baseman-shortstop, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: July 14, 1989.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Buffalo, AAA-American Association): 97 G, 328 AB, 34 R, 95 H, 23 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 29 RBI, 5 SB, .399 SLG, 19 BB, 46 SO, .290 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Reds #7th, June 1986. Traded by the Pirates to the Red Sox 04/03/1993. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 1. This is his first and only Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Jeff's first major league Home Run occurred for the Reds at St. Louis, 8-29-89."
• Commentary: There were two players in the majors named Jeff Richardson (the only two players named as such) from the period of 1989 through 1993. And believe it or not, both shared the same middle name (Scott). So in effect, there were not one...but TWO Jeffrey Scott Richardson's during this time in MLB (and MiLB for that matter). Jeff Richardson of Wichita, KS, was a pitcher who appeared in only one game for the California Angels, faced two batters, the first man he faced hit a bases-clearing triple, the second grounded out (1-3). He wasn't charged with any runs (even though he did allow those three runs to score), but he never pitched in the majors again, so his final numbers include a 0.00 ERA. Jeff Richardson, born in Grand Island, NE (I didn't know they had islands in Nebraska), is the player who is seen above. In 15 games with the Red Sox, Richardson hit .208 with two rbi's during a two month stretch in the 1993 season. After May 28, he was sent down to the minors, and never returned to the major leagues. Richardson's final MLB stats include 74 games played, 171 plate appearances, a .176 average, 2 home runs, 13 runs driven in, 1 stolen base, and percentages of .235/.255/.490. Now the good news for either Richardson is that both made their MLB debuts during the time Topps created and distributed their MLB Debut sets. So regardless of how short each Richardson's career was, both men were able to get onto a baseball card and own a sliver of cardboard history.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 2 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH15. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 2008 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps Traded #73T Pete Incaviglia

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, June 11, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps Traded #73T.
• Player Name, position, team: Pete Incaviglia, outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies.
• Major League Debut: April 8, 1986.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Astros): 113 G, 349 AB, 31 R, 93 H, 22 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 44 RBI, 2 SB, .430 SLG, 25 BB, 99 SO, .266 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Expos #1st, June 1985. Signed with the Phillies as a Free Agent 12/08/1992. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 12. This is his eleventh Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Belted 2 Home Runs and had career0best 7 RBI in 15-7 win vs. Giants, 06-14-92."
• Commentary: After years of ensuring that the cards within Topps Traded are in numerical sequence by last name. Thus if the 1993 Topps traded retained the traditional sequential order, today's subject would have been Greg Maddux as a Brave. But instead, today's subject was one of Philly's unwashed heroes. Pete Incaviglia, the former #1 draft pick, found himself in search for a new team after a season   with the Astros. The Phillies took a chance and sign "Inky" to a one-year deal, and boy did he pay dividends. In 1993, the Phillies ran roughshod over every team in the National League, upset the Braves in the NLCS and found themselves in the World Series for the first time since 1983. For his part, "Inky" hit for a .274 average (would be a career high), 24 home runs, drove in 89 rbi's, and an OPS of .848. In the playoffs, he went a combined 3 for 19 (.158) with a solo home run in the NLCS. He played in Philly for one more season before taking his talents to Japan, playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Japanese Pacific League.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 23 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1994 Topps Traded #92T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1994 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #15 Marquis Grissom

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, April 11, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #15.
• Player Name, position, team: Marquis Grissom, outfielder, Montréal Expos.
• Major League Debut: August 22, 1989.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Expos): 159 G, 653 AB, 99 R, 180 H, 39 2B, 6 3B, 14 HR, 66 RBI, 78 SB, .418 SLG, 42 BB, 81 SO, .276 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Expos #3rd, June 1988. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 18. This is his fourth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Marquis smashed a Single, Triple and Home Run and threw out a baserunner at home plate in helping Expos to 6-3 win at Pittsburgh, 9-16-92. At Florida A&M in 1988 he hit .448 with 12 Home Runs."
• Commentary: The subject of a previous Random Card of the Day segment back in 2010, Marquis Deon Grissom at this time in his career was a pretty good hitter and a demon on the basepaths to boot. He had led the NL in stolen bases in 1991 and 1992 with a combined total of 154 bases. In 1993, he made the first of two All-Star appearances, won the first of four Gold Glove Awards and scored more than 100 runs for the first time in his career. He hit for a .298 average, had a .344 on base percentage (which led to a .789 OPS), hit 19 home runs, drove in 95 rbi's, stole 53 bases, and on the field, had a .984 fielding percentage (7 errors in 431 chances, including 7 assists from centerfield). In his six seasons with the Expos, he hit .279. scored 430 runs, hit 54 home runs, drove in 276, stole 266 bases, and struck out an incredibly low 373 times. When he was traded off to the Braves in 1995, it was pretty much the beginning of the end for the Expos as the franchise began dismantling a team that was leading the NL East before the strike of 1994. He helped the Braves win their lone World Series in the 1990's in 1995, and in 1996, reached what would be a career high in batting average with a .308 clip. He was traded to the Indians with Dave Justice, and contributed 12 home runs and 66 rbi's to the eventual AL pennant winners (he was also named the 1997 ALCS MVP). He was then traded at the end of the year to the Milwaukee Brewers in December, 1997. He spent three seasons patrolling centerfield for the Brewers, before being traded off to the Dodgers. After two productive years with the Dodgers, Grissom signed with the Giants for three years. Upon retiring as a player in 2006, Marquis hit for a cumulative .272 average, hit 227 home runs, drove in 967 rbi's, stole 420 bases, and had an OPS of .732. Believe it or not, his last card as a player does not depict him with any of the teams he plays for. While his last base card does show him in a Giants jersey in 2005, he appeared in an insert set from 2006 Topps (called Hit Parade) as a Chicago Cub. He had signed a minor league contract with the team and was invited to spring training. However, he did not make the club, and retired as a player on March 28, 2006. Since retiring, he was hired by the Washington Nationals (the former Montréal Expos) to be their first base coach in 2009, a position he held just for that season.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 31.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2010 Topps #523. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #579 Neil Garrett/Jason Bates

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, February 23, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #579.
• Player Name, position, team: Neil Garrett, pitcher, Colorado Rockies; Jason Bates, shortstop, Colorado Rockies.
• Major League Debut: Garrett: n/a. Jones: April 26, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats: Garrett (Mesa, Rookie-AZ): 11 G, 52.2 IP, 3-3, 36 R, 23 ER, 23 SO, 16 BB, 10 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.93 ERA; Bates (Bend, A-Northwest) 70 G, 255 AB, 57 R, 73 H, 10 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 18 SB, .420 SLG, 56 BB, 55 SO, .286 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Garrett: Drafted by the Rockies #40th, June 1992. Bats: right. Throws: right.; Jones: Drafted by the Rockies #7th, June 1992. Bats: both. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): Garrett: 1. This is first and only Topps card; Bates: 4. This is his first Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: n/a.
• Commentary: The 1993 Topps set featured the first ever cards of the Colorado Rockies.  Not only did they feature cards of the players selected by the expansion draft, but five cards were reserved for ten of the Rockies top prospects, two per card.  It was pretty tempting to cut the cards in half, giving each player their own "card," and looking back, seeing how many of these cards were produced. Yes, the value of the card would be worthless, but cutting the card in half doesn't sound like that bad of an idea now.  Both Garrett and Bates were drafted by the Rockies in the 1992 free agent draft.  Garrett never did make it to the majors.  While never making it past the Rockies' Carolina League (A) level, he did pitch for six years in the organization, going a career 24-23 with a 4.57 ERA and 323 strikeouts.  Somehow, I was under the impression that Bates was the first draft pick of the Rockies, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  Bates did make it to Denver, becoming one of the team's first prospects to do so.  In 1995, he became the team's primary second baseman, forcing Eric Young to the outfield, and making Don Baylor look good in his decision to plant him in second over Roberto Mejia. While he could hit at home (who couldn't in the Rocky Mountain air), his road numbers were not so good. EY would return to second base and Bates was relegated to pinch-hitting duty. In 1996, he was given the starting spot over Young again, but a slow start and an energized Young off the DL (EY would make the All-Star team) would put Bates back on the bench. Even after Young was traded off to LA, Bates could not maintain the second baseman's job, the team deferring to out-of-position Neifi Perez. He would remain with the Rockies in a bench role in 1998 as well. A foot injury sidelined Bates for part of the 1998 campaign, and during the off-season, he developed complications (a sever infection) after he underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his foot. It would knock him out for the 1999 season, and after trying to comeback with the Angels in 2000, he did not make the team out of spring training. He signed a minor league contract with the Orioles, but after 15 games in Rochester, he decided to call it quits. He worked as a minor league hitting instructor for both the Brewers and Diamondbacks, and has also worked as an instructor for a baseball training facility in Colorado.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: Garrett: 1; Bates: 5.

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

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #251 Mike Bielecki

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, January 24, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #251.
• Player Name, position, team: Mike Bielecki, pitcher, Atlanta Braves.
• Major League Debut: September 14, 1984.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Braves): 19 G, 80.2 IP, 2-4, 27 R, 23 ER, 62 S0, 27 BB, 14 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 0 SV, 2.57 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Braves #1st (Special), June 1979. Traded by the Cubs to the Braves 09/29/1991. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 8. This is his eighth and final Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "In perhaps his finest outing of 1992, Mike registered 9 Strikeouts in pitching 2-hit, 3-0 Shutout at Los Angeles, April 16. His first Shutout, 5-4-89."
• Commentary: I will always have a soft spot for the 1989 Cubs.  I know in Chicago that the '84 Cubbies hold a lot of reverence (surprisingly, they hold a lot more sway here than the guys that supposedly won the 2005 World Series).  But I bet you right now, more than 23 seasons later, I can still name almost everybody on that team (I say almost because it depends if you are asking for the players on the team before or after the Jackson & Schiraldi/Wynne & Salazar trade).  I think Mike Bielecki got a raw deal.  For some reason, the Cubs saw it fit to trade him a few days before the end of the 1991 season.  He and Damon Berryhill were traded to the Braves on September 29, 1991, (the season ended just a few days later), for Turk Wendell and Yorkis Perez.  I couldn't understand then why the Cubs couldn't wait until the end of the season to do this.  I still also believe that Mike had a certain Greg Maddux' ear and that's why when he (Maddux) became a free agent, he bolted for Atlanta.  He actually didn't pitch with the Braves in 1993 as he signed with the Indians in the offseason.  His run with the Indians ended in June as he was released after a 4-5 record and 5.90 ERA in 13 starts.  He signed on with the Orioles to a minor league contract, but was released by the team as well.  He returned to the Braves for the 1994 season and was entrenched in their bullpen.  He signed on with the Angels in 1995 (leaving right when the Braves would win the World Series) for the opportunity to start and in 22 games, 11 starts, he went 4-6 with a 5.97 ERA.  After a year in California, he then returned to the Braves in 1996 for the first of two one-year deals.  As a reliever, he found success as he went 7-10 with 4 saves and a decent ERA of 3.26.  He was granted free agency, but could not find a team to sign him, he retired from the game.  Believe it or not, after the 1993 season, I thought he was done.  I didn't even know that he went took that trip to Cleveland and had runs with the Braves and Angels.  Why?  Because the card chosen by the Randomizer today was his last Topps card.  There are no Topps cards of him with the Indians or the Angels.  It's like he was never there.  Regardless, whenever I think of Bielecki, I think of that magical 1989 season when he went 18-7, and along with Maddux, Sutcliffe, and Sanderson made for the best 1-4 starting staff that I had ever seen.  (Before you send me nasty comments, please remember that 1989 was only my third season of watching baseball, so saying that these guys were the best I had seen...I was young.  I didn't know any better.  This was all before Maddux moved to Atlanta and then joined an even more dominating rotation throughout the 1990's).  
• Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 11 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1980 Topps #313. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Tops Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #723: Kenny Felder

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, December 5, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #723.
• Player Name, position, team: Ken Felder, outfielder, Milwaukee Brewers.
• Major League Debut: n/a.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Florida State University): 28 G, 97 AB, 22 R, 26 H, 7 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 0 SB, .464 SLG, 8 BB, 31 SO, .268 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Brewers, #1st, June 1992. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 1. This is his first and only Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "An exciting player who can carry a team with his bat, Kenny is a power-hitting threat. A strong slugger, his checked-swing efforts at Florida State University often carried deep to the outfield. Kenny led FSU in Home Runs and Slugging Percentage as a freshman in 1990. One of his most incredible performances saw him belt 2 Home Runs in one inning vs. VMI, February 23. Kenny delivered a pinch-Grand Slam vs. Cincinnati as a freshman. He also competed in football at FSU as a quarterback."
• Commentary: Topps' foray into a whiter color stock now allowed for a larger color palette for the back of the cards that could not be utilized with gray-stocked paper.  Brighter color selections for every team plus the use of colored pictures on the back were nothing new to baseball cards, but it seemed that Topps was the last of the big 5 to finally catch up to their competitors.  Kenny Felder had the credentials to justify the Brewers to pick him in the first round of the 1992 draft.  He hit .258 with 21 home runs, drove in 99 rbi's, and had a slugging percentage of .485 in three years at FSU.  He climbed the Brewers' minor league system for five years, playing full seasons in each level (rookie, low-A, A, AA, and AAA).  In his year with the Triple A in the Brewers minor league system, he may have hit a low .216, but hit 17 home runs and 45 rbi's.  But injuries took its toll during the 1996 season, even though he was productive for the Zephyrs.  But a freak accident during his first batting session for rehabilitation ended any chances of returning to professional baseball.  I am only going to link the trial information that goes into further detail as to what happened to Felder.  Needless to say, it only shows some of the dangers athletes expose themselves to when participating in sports, professional or otherwise. 
• Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 1 card.

Tomorrow's card will be 1983 Topps Traded #61T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps Traded #80T Jack Armstrong

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, November 13, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps Traded #80T.
• Player Name, position, team: Jack Armstrong, pitcher, Florida Marlins.
• Major League Debut: June 21, 1988.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Indians): 35 G, 166.2 IP, 6-15, 100 R, 86 ER, 114 SO, 67 BB, 23 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 4.64 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Reds, #1st, June 1987. Selected by the Marlins in the Expansion Draft #39th, 11/17/1992. 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: "Jack was the starting pitcher for NL in the 1990 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field and pitched 2 scoreless Innings.  His 1st major league Shutout was 4-hit, 4-0 outing vs. Cardinals, May 19, 1990."
• Commentary: When the 1993 Topps Traded set came out, I was initially disappointed.  Why?  Because every other traded prior to this one sorted all the players in alphabetical order.  So if all went according to tradition, Armstrong's card would be #4T, not #80T.  So what did my rebellious 17-year old mind do when it was time to put this set in it's binder (before I ran out of room and consolidated all my sets, and before I went insert/master set crazy, my regular Topps set would be in a 3-inch binder and my traded set in a 1-inch binder)?  I sorted all the cards by player alphabetically and then put them in the binder.  Looking back, I have to wonder what the heck I was thinking?  I did this with the 1994 AND 1995 Topps sets as well.  After I got married, and reality hit, I went back to these three sets and re-sorted them by card number.  Jack Armstrong is one of those players who leave your head scratching.  At the All-Star Break in 1990, Armstrong was a dominant 11-3 in 17 starts (the Reds went 13-4 in those games), struck out 78 batters and had an ERA of 2.28 in 114.2 innings pitched.  It was no wonder why Roger Craig tabbed him to start the ASG in Chicago.  But after his two scoreless innings at the ASG, Jack went 1-6, couldn't find the strike zone (32 K's), and his ERA ballooned to 5.96 in the second half.  He was then removed from the starting rotation during the Reds' stretch run and finished the season in the Reds' bullpen.  By the end of 1991, he was traded across the state to the Indians.  A lackluster 6-15 record gave the Tribe enough reason to leave him available for the 1992 Expansion Draft, where he was selected by the new Florida Marlins as the 39th player selected overall.  So, how did the new Fish pitcher do?  As expected, the expansion Marlins did not fare well during the season.  For his contributions, Armstrong went 9-17 with an ERA of 4.49 and 119 K's.  Which in the grand scheme of things, wasn't that bad a year under the circumstances.  But the fall from grace continued, and after a 2-game stint with the Rangers in 1994, he no longer played in the major leagues.  It was a sad fall from grace for a player who just four years prior, was the toast of the town in Cincinnati and a key contributor as to why the Reds ran away with the NL West division on their way to the 1990 World Series. 
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 12 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be:  1994 Topps Traded #31T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1994 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #424 John Valentin

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, November 01, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #424.
• Player Name, position, team: John Valentin, shortstop, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: July 27, 1992.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Red Sox): 58 G, 185 AB, 21 R, 51 H, 12 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 25 RBI. 1 SB, .427 SLG, 20 BB, 17 SO, .276 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Red Sox, #5th, June 1988. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 9. This is his first Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Was signed for Red Sox by Matt Sczesny.  His HR accounted for game's only score in club's 1-0 win at Toronto, 9/30/1992".
• Commentary: The first Topps set since 1973 that was distributed in a series, this card showed up in series 2.  It made me a bit upset that Topps Magazine could not include a preview checklist in their 1993 Winter magazine like they did in 1990 through 1992.  I understand why they did it (they needed to make sure they got pictures of the players drafted and/or signed by the expansion Rockies and Marlins (can you believe it's been 20 seasons since these teams began playing ball???).  John Valentin was one of the players Boston looked to for offensive production once Wade Boggs left for the dreaded New York Yankees.  He, Scott Cooper (Boggs' replacement), and Mo Vaughn were the young corp that kept the BoSox competitive in the mid to late 90's.  In 1993, Valentin appeared in 144 games and hit a decent .278 with 11 homers and 66 rbi's.  In 1994, he hit what would be a career high .316, but that was only because he appeared in only 84 games, with 95 hits in 301 at-bats.  In 1995, he would have his best offensive season on the strength of 27 homers and 102 rbi's as he won his sole Silver Slugger award, and the Sox won the AL East Division.  It would be the team's last division title until 2007.  Valentin would  eventually sign with a New York team as well.  He signed with the Mets in January of 2002, and finished playing career with the Metropolitans at the end of the season.  He has been in the minor leagues as either a manager or hitting coach, presently with the Albuquerque Isotopes.
• Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 10 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1987 Topps #60. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

If This is His Topps Card, Then What Card is This?: Craig Biggio

I can't believe it's been almost two years since we last played this game.  You'd think between the differences between the retail sets and the regular cards from the last 6 years, I'd actually have written these more often.  But alas, the muse had left me...

UNTIL NOW!!!

Spurned on by the Night Owl's pack breaks, one of his comments made me dig out the pair for tonight's feature.

Craig Biggio was one of the best players ever to don the jersey of the Houston Astros.  An unselfish player, he would play whatever position he was given, and excelled!  Originally a catcher, he moved to second base, then centerfield (and having to play against that hill out in center at Enro...I mean Minute Maid Park), to left field (briefly), then back to second base.  Very unselfish, he knew when to take a pitch (holds the record for most times hit by a pitcher with 285 plunks). A five-time Silver Slugger, a seven-time All-Star (as a catcher, then at second base), in his 20 seasons in Houston, Biggio (half of the Killer B's with Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell, or a third of them if you add Lance Berkman) had 3060 hits, 291 of them home runs, drove in 1175 runs, stole 414 bases, and finished with averages of .281, .433, and .796 (batting average, slugging, and OPS).  He punched his ticket to Cooperstown upon retirement, and is the only player in the history of baseball with 3000 hits, 600 doubles, 400 stolen bases, and 250 home runs.

Funny thing is that I did include him in my mock 2011 Topps Archives Project as the second subject in what was supposed to have been completed in 2009 (this project stalled as well, but I promise it will make it's comeback during HOF induction - you can pretty much guess who the subject is at that point - but I digress). 

On to the cards.

So here is card number 1:

This is his 1993 Topps card #680. Now I loved this design because of its use of very minimal design elements on the front of the card (the color banner below makes it look like it's holding he large picture that takes up most of the card...again, a play on the scrapbooking element of card collecting).  Here he is possibly turning a double play against the Cubs, who did I mention he killed constantly?  That's current Yankee's manager Joe Girardi trying to break up the impending double play (possible game 05/07/1992).

Here is card number 2:

The picture is a bit brighter here than in card #1. And the name font is different in card #2 than in card #1.

So the question is, if card #1 is his Topps card, then What Card is This (card #2)???  Leave your answer in the comments. Have fun figuring this one out.  The answer (with commentary) to come later on today.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

UPDATE:  June 14, 2011.

Commenters were quick to point out that card #2 is from this year's 60 Years of Topps reprint set.

Now that we know the answer, it's time we find out the question we all want answered:

How could you guys screw up the font for the name???

Your reprint is not even close to the original, it's not even funny.  And don't try to say that you don't have the original fonts, because you've reprinted cards from this set over the years and the fonts were identical.  What happened here??!

jba

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #90 Scott Erickson

We reset the Topps Card Randomizer to come up with seven new cards to present for this week. Introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, October 18, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #90.
• Player Name, position, team: Scott Erickson, pitcher, Minnesota Twins.
• Major League Debut: June 25, 1990.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Twins): 32 G, 212 IP, 13-12, 86 R, 80 ER, 101 SO, 83 BB, 32 GS, 5 CG, 3 SHO, 0 SV, 3.40 ERA.
• Any special information about players: Drafted by the Twins #4th, June 1989. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Erickson's fifth regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only, does not include his 1991 Topps '90 MLB Debut card). I love the 1993 design for how the pictures really shine out against a very minimal design. This is where a simple design really makes a set stand out. The white card stock makes the text easier to read, even though the card backs are vertically-oriented. The team's colors accentuate the design elements of both the front and back of the cards. Scott Erickson was pegged to be the future ace of the Twins when he debuted in 1990. And by all accounts, he delivered. In 1991, he finished the campaign with a league leading 20 wins, 108 K's, and a decent 3.18 ERA. He also finished second in the Cy Young Award voting, and 17th in the MVP voting. And did I mention that he helped the Twins win their second World Series in five years? The following year, he finished with a 13-12 record and a 3.40 ERA, still decent numbers, but then things bottomed out the following year. In 1993, he led the league in losses (19), and hits allowed (266), and the next two seasons weren't any better. And by 1995, the Twins traded him off to the Orioles. Now this is one of those situations where a change of scenery really helps a player. Scott emerged from his funk to become the most reliable starter on the O's pitching staff. But back to the card. The back of his card mentions all three of his shutout victories in 1992: his first one-hitter against the Red Sox on 07/24/1992; a 4-hit shutout against the Brewers on 08/02/1992, and his final blanking of the Blue Jays on 08/23/1992.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 14 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1990 Topps #36. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. See you then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #695 Kent Bottenfield

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, August 17, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #695.
• Player Name, position, team: Kent Bottenfield, pitcher, Montréal Expos.
• Major League Debut: July 6, 1992.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Expos): 10 G, 32.1 IP, 1-2, 9 R, 8 ER, 14 SO, 11 BB, 4 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 1 SV, 2.23 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Expos #4th, June 1986. Bats: both, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Bottenfield's first regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). The way the pictures hang on to the ribbons that appear diagonally on either side of the bottoms of the regular cards reminds me of a photo album that has those decorative corners that you're supposed to put the picture onto, somehow holding said picture in place on the page. The pictures are huge, which I like, and in the case of Bottenfield's card, you can see how much power he puts to his pitches. Bottenfield was a journeyman pitcher who traveled around the majors in his ten season career. From the Expos to the Rockies, then the Giants, Cubs (being out for the 1995 season), Cardinals (where he became an All-Star in 1999), Angels, Phillies, and finally the Astros. However, if you're looking for a Bottenfield Topps card from his days as a Cubbie, or a Giant, or even as an Phillie? Good luck. Why? Because he was added to four Topps sets. Period. Of the 119 cards that Beckett lists of Bottenfield, only four come from the eponymous Topps set. You can easily find him included in Team cards sets given away, and the other companies were able to get him. But not Topps. Between 1994 and 2000, he appears on no Topps sets. The back of his card indicates that Kent "was signed as a 4th round Draft choice by Whitey DeHart."
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 4 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2006 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH177. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1995 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps Traded #37T Tyler Green

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, July 8, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps Traded #37T
• Player Name, position, team: Tyler Green, pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies.
• Major League Debut: April 9, 1993.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Scranton Wilkes-Barre-AAA): 2 G, 10.1 IP, 0-1, 7 R, 7 ER, 15 SO, 12 BB, 2 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 6.10 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Phillies #1st, June 1991. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Green's second regular Topps card (regular cards are just his base and traded cards only). We've already waxed poetic about what I think of the 1993 set, with the picture the main focal point of the card, and the simple multi-colored banners that hold the player's name and team affiliation. The card stock used here was an upgrade over the 1992 set, and seems to have been the paper of choice for future sets. Green's brief career with the Phillies included an All-Star selection during the 1995 season. But cardboard immortality came for Green because he made the roster for the 1993 Phillies out of Spring Training. Granted he didn't have the best MLB debut you could ask for (gave up two runs in his one inning of work against the Cubs), and he didn't appear after that game for the Phil's until August. But he made the team. And that team made it to the World Series, shocking the Braves, and the world for that matter. That's all one could ask for. He missed all of 1994 and came back in time for the 1995 season, where as mentioned earlier, he did indeed become an All-Star.
• Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 6 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1986 Topps Traded #102T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #213 Candy Maldonado

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, June 30, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #213.
• Player Name, position, team: Candy Maldonado, outfielder, Toronto Blue Jays.
• Major League Debut: September 7, 1981.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Blue Jays): 137 G, 489 AB, 64 R, 133 H, 25 2B, 4 3B, 20 HR, 66 RBI, 2 SB, .462 SLG, 59 BB, 112 SO, .272 AVG.
• Any special information about players: Signed with the Dodgers as a Free Agent 06/06/1978. Traded by the Brewers to the Blue Jays 08/09/1991. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Maldonado's thirteenth regular Topps (total includes regular and traded cards only). If it wasn't for the sole fact that the 1993 Topps cards were one of the more readily available cards in the "age of overproduction", even the commons of this set would be worth more than a penny. This was the first set since 1973 that Topps split their set into 2 separate series (a practice that is still in practice today). It made sense for the 1993 set, as cards of players from the Rockies and Marlins would be part of the second series. Candy (his first name is Candido) was part of the World Series winning Blue Jays in 1992, and as their primary left fielder, contributed with 20 home runs and 66 rbi's for the cause. In the playoffs, his clutch hitting helped the Jays to the first of two WS victories. The blurb on the back says that he "became the 5th player to wallop a home run into the centerfield bleachers since Yankee Stadium was re-opened in 1976." Before the 1993 season (actually in December of 1992), Candy signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs. But, as in many years in Cubdom, the northsiders weren't going anywhere, so they sent him off to Cleveland mid-season, in exchange for Glenallen Hill. Nowadays, he can be heard as the color commentator for ESPN Deportés, covering, what else, the Sunday night broadcasts.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 19 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: Thursday: 2000 Topps Traded & Rookies #T19. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps Traded #47T Wade Boggs

We reset the Topps Card Randomizer to come up with seven new cards to present for this week. Introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, May 31, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps Traded #47T.
• Player Name, position, team: Wade Boggs, third baseman, New York Yankees.
• Major League Debut: April 10, 1982.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Red Sox): 143 G, 514 AB, 62 R, 133 H, 22 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 50 RBI, 1 SB, .358 SLG, 74 BB, 31 SO, .259 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Red Sox #7th, June 1976. Signed with the Yankees as a Free Agent 12/15/1992. Bats Left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Boggs' twelfth regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only, not any combo, all-star, league leader cards). The 1993 Topps set was simple (set in a way that makes the picture look like it's being held by rubber bands. But thanks to that little design element, the picture becomes the primary focus of the card. And many of the 1993 Topps cards featured great action shots. This one included. And the vertical-oriented backs? Genius. The colored fields pop out, and even though the stats are hard to read unless you have a magnifying glass (or put the cards really close to your eyeballs), they are still pretty legible. I guess it's because he hit below .300 for the first time in his career, but it may be possible that the Red Sox didn't need Boggs' services anymore. And with Scott Cooper waiting in the wings, it may have been time to go. But shockwaves were felt throughout New England when it was announced that Wade Boggs, the Sox' All-Star third baseman, the hitting machine, the guy that ate nothing but chicken the entire time, had signed with the New York Yankees on 12/15/1992. What a Christmas present it was for New Yorkers everywhere. Because with Boggs in the fold, and the many players the Yankees had stockpiled in the minors, it was only a matter of time before the Yankees became relevant again. And when 1996 came roaring around, guess who finally got his first World Series ring??? And the curse continued. The blurb on the back recalls that in 1992, Wade achieved his 2000th hit on 05/17/1992 and that he belted a grand slam at Toronto on 06/12/1992. It also is revealed that Boggs was a shortstop in Little League. Who knew?
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 88 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1989 Topps #648. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. See you then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #49 Brian McRae

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, March 11, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #49.
• Player Name, position, team: Brian McRae, outfielder, Kansas City Royals.
• Major League Debut: August 7, 1990.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Royals): 148 G, 533 AB, 63 R, 119 H, 23 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 52 RBI, 18 SB, .308 SLG, 42 BB, 88 SO, .223 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Royals #1st, June 1985. Bats: both, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: McRae's third regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). Again, loving the 1993 design for it's really large picture, the team colord ribbons that hold the names of both the player and team. Simple, yet profound. I think even in the era of over produced baseball cards, 1993 was a good year for designs. I mean heck, even that other trading card company (and for those who don't remember, there were four other trading card companies not named Pacific) had their best design ever (before they started mailing the designs in...just an opinion...until the ESPN inspired design later in the decade). The back of the card, with its full color, vertical based backs, looked so good, I do remember from time to time switching the cards in the sheets so that only the backs showed (yes...I'm a geek!!!). The blurb on the back states that Brian completed "an unassisted Double Play from center field in the 8th inning at Chicago, 08/23/1992." Which means that he caught the ball, then ran to second base to double up the runner. The card also goes on to say that Brian "has distinction of playing for his father, manager Hal McRae."
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 11 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1978 Topps #498. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #24 Tim Naehring

We're giving the Topps Card Randomizer the week off so we can highlight seven cards redeemed from Topps' Million Card Giveaway. Introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, February 26, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2009 Topps #151.
• Player Name, position, team: Tim Naehring, shortstop, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: July 15, 1990.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Red Sox): 72 G, 34 AB, 7 R, 10 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB, .471 SLG, 8 BB, 6 SO, .294 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Red Sox #8th, June 1988. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Naehring's fourth regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded Topps cards). Played sparingly for the Red Sox for the first three years of his career, only reaching more than 100 games played twice (1995 & 1996). Tje 1993 Topps design is great. It's too bad that every time Topps has reprinted the card, they've used Derek Jeter's draft pick card. Which, while a great card in it's own right, clearly does not really represent what the actual design looks like (extra lage picture, team-colored ribbons holding the player's name, with the team name below). Blurb on the back does talk about Tim's 2-run home run in the 19th inning (not a typo) that gave the Red Sox a 7-5 victory at Cleveland 04/11/1992.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 11 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1985 Topps #30. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Join us then, won't you?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1993 Topps #63 Al Osuna

(Tonight's introduction is in honor of George Michael, the man who gave us national sports coverage before SportsCenter ever became relevant, who passed away on December 24, 2009.)

Now, through the use of the Topps Card Randomizer, the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, December 29, 2009:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1993 Topps #63.
• Player Name, position, team: Al Osuna, pitcher, Houston Astros.
• Major League Debut: September 2, 1990.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1992 stats (Astros): 66 G, 6-3, 61.2 IP, 29 R, 29 ER, 37 SO, 38 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 4.23 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Astros #16th, June 1987. Bats: right, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Osuna's third regular Topps card. 1993 saw the return of vertical-oriented backs to the player cards (something not really seen on players' cards since 1975). The design focuses more on the photo, as the only semblance of a design are the two diagonal ribbons that hold the player's name and team affiliation.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1995 Topps #379. Hope you'll join us tomorrow at 1:00 PM CST for that one.

On a totally unrelated note, growing up, I waited past the NBC 5 news at ten and the Sunday Sports show at 10:30, just so I can watch George Michael's Sports Machine. This was before our family had cable. And just hearing the sound effects and theme music to Michael's show got me read to watch an hour of non stop sports coverage. Of course, I didn't understand it all in the beginning, but to see highlights from games played in other cities (this is the late 80's people...) was a thrill. George Michael made watching highlights of even the most boring games interesting, and he somehow managed to give every game the same focus and energy, whether or not the games had playoff ramifications, or if they were just schedule fillers. I especially looked forward to the last Sunday of the month, because it meant that he would go through the world of sports (everything from baseball to WWF wrestling...yes, I know it's now WWE) for the "Plays of the Month!"

(cue Star Wars Theme)

The show ended in 2007 due to budget cuts. And what really impressed me was the fact that George Michael would rather cut himself than anybody from his staff. To me, that was a classy act. When it was announced that Michael was pulling the plug on his show, even the announcers on ESPN gave credit to him, noting that if it was not for him and the Sports Machine, there probably wouldn't be a SportsCenter the way it is seen today. His show was on nationally at a time when cable was still a brand new concept. And ESPN's franchise show definitely would not have any legs to stand on if it didn't take notes from the Sports Machine. Rest In Peace Mr. Michael. Watching sports highlights will never be the same again.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 1993 End of Year All-Star Teams Simulated Games Results

I have finally finished simulating the All-Star Games using my 1993 End of Year All-Star Teams. Of the seven years worth of seasons that I have been doing this, if there ever were a pair of teams so evenly matched, the two teams that comprise my 1993 AL and NL teams would be it.

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

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

• Game 1: AL vs. NL, Jack McDowell vs. John Burkett. The NL wins 5,687 games out of 10,000 simulations.
• Game 2: AL vs. NL, Randy Johnson vs. Tom Glavine. The AL wins 5,426 games.
• Game 3: NL vs. AL, Bill Swift vs. Kevin Appier. The AL wins 5,305 games (using a DH).
• Game 4: NL vs, AL, Mark Portugal vs. Jimmy Key. The AL wins 5,018 games (using a DH). In this series, the NL had a 100 game lead, and eventually lost it. By the 9,000th game, each team had won 4,500 and it was back and forth until all games were counted.
• Game 5: NL vs. AL, Bob Tewksbury vs. Pat Hentgen. The NL wins 6,248 games (using a DH).
• Game 6: AL vs. NL, Mark Langston vs. Andy Benes. The AL wins 5,317 games.
• Game 7: AL vs. NL, anything goes. The NL wins 5,155 games.

Yes, the AL wins the seven game series 4-3. But the NL wins the ever important "anything goes" series. Will this hold up for the one game ASG?

For the official All-Star Game, I decided to just simulate one game and one game only. The starting pitchers were McDowell and Burkett and I let them pitch two innings (unless they struggled badly). The rest of the pitchers would get one inning each (unless they struggled badly). The position players were replaced every three innings. No pinch hitters here, (as in previous tries, the pinch hitter is taken out of the game), and there was only one double switch.

The starting lineups, first for the American League (I'm using 1994 Topps cards because these are the cards I used to imagine my All-Star teams):


Now the National League starting lineup:


Here is the result:


The 1993 NL All-Stars beat the 1993 AL All-Stars by a final score of 6-2.

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


The scoring plays were like this:

Bottom 2: Jack McDowell pitching. Darren Daulton grounds out to Cal Ripken (6-3). Gary Sheffield flies out to Kirby Puckett. Barry Larkin doubles. John Burkett singles, Larkin advancing to third. Marquis Grissom hits a home run, Larkin scoring, Burkett scoring.

Top 3: Tom Glavine pitching. Ivan Rodriguez doubles. Jack McDowell doubles, Rodriguez scoring.

Bottom 3: Randy Johnson pitching. John Kruk hits a home run. David Justice triples. Darren Daulton strikes out. Gary Sheffield hits a home run, Justice scoring.

Top 7: Bryan Harvey pitching. Ruben Sierra triples. Travis Fryman grounds out to Jeff Blauser (6-3), Sierra scoring.

Starting pitcher John Burkett gets the MVP award not only because he pitched two scoreless innings but for his 1-1 performance at the plate.
If this game actually existed, the MVP would have been John Burkett (1-1, run scored, 2 inning pitched, no hits, no runs, one strikeout). He becomes the first pitcher to win the All-Star Game MVP award. He technically should have gotten the win too, but the fact that he didn't pitch five innings made the simulation award the win to Tom Glavine. McDowell takes the loss, and the only players who didn't get in the game were pitchers Mark Langston, Jeff Montgomery, and Duane Ward from the AL and Andy Benes & John Wetteland .

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




Now that the 1993 All-Star Games are officially over, on Tuesday, I will introduce the 1994 End of Year All-Star teams. Simulations for games with those rosters to come by Sunday night for a Monday morning recap.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama