Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #499 John Olerud

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, June 18, 2014:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #499.
• Player Name, position, team: John Olerud, first baseman, Toronto Blue Jays.
• Major League Debut: September 3, 1989.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Blue Jays): 108 G, 384 AB, 47 R, 114 H, 29 2B, 2 3B, 12HR, 67 RBI, 1 SB, .477 SLG, 61 BB, 53 SO, .297 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Blue Jays #3rd, June 1989. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 17. This is his sixth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "So fundamentally flawless is John's swing that none other than Don Mattingly once watched a videotape of it to break out of a slump. A scout tells the story of watching Olerud for 10 games at Washington State before seeing him swing at a pitch and miss."
• Commentary: Rare is the player that makes it to the majors straight from the draft without touching the minor leagues. Even rarer is that he plays above and beyond the expectations once he arrives to his major league destination when just a couple of months prior he was facing college competition. Yes, he only appeared in six games, but that was the start of John Garrett Olerud's major league journey. He suffered a brain aneurysm during his college days, but it never affected his play on the field or on the mound (he was a pitcher as well). But he would play with a helmet when on defense, which made him easy to spot on the field. Two years removed from his second World Series title and his first batting title (AL leading .363 average), John provided a steady bat on a potent Blue Jays lineup and a nearly flawless glove at first (.997 fielding percentage). He hit .291 with 8 home runs and 54 runs driven in. Patient at the plate, he drew 84 walks while striking out only 54 times. A trade to the Mets after the 1996 season ended his stint with Toronto. His 17-year career would see him spending time with the Mets, Mariners, Yankees, and Red Sox (including his first and only games in the minors) before retiring. He was a two-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 32.

Tomorrow's card will be 1992 Topps Traded #126T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #125 John Doherty

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, November 18, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #125.
• Player Name, position, team: John Doherty, pitcher, Detroit Tigers.
• Major League Debut: April 8, 1992.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Tigers): 18 G, 101.1 IP, 6-7, 75 R, 73 ER, 28 SO, 26 BB, 17 GS, 2 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 6.48 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Tigers #19th, June 1989. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 3. This is his third and final Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "John's family lived within walking distance of Yankee Stadium until he was seven, then moved a half-hour north to Westchester County. He's not, he says, "this tough kid from The Bronx. We had pick-up games from 10 in the morning until 6 at night."
• Commentary: Maybe it's just my mind wandering, or maybe it's the scanner that needs to be cleaned. Maybe it's the card itself, I don't know. But the borders of this card are a darker shade of white (is there even such a thing???). Maybe the card is just showing it's age...after all, it's almost 18 years old. John Harold Doherty's major league career lasted for about four-plus seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox (that's where the plus comes in). In 1995, his last with the Tigers, Doherty earned a 5-9 record, finished 18 games, saving six of them, had an ERA of 5.10, and struck out 46 of the 499 batters he faced in 113 innings of work. The following year, the Tigers placed him on waivers, with the Red Sox claiming him from the waiver wire. Although he did begin the year on the Boston roster, after 3 appearances and a 5.68 ERA, Doherty was sent to the minors, playing for both the Trenton Thunder (AA-Eastern) and Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA-International). But after doing well in Trenton to earn the promotion to Pawtucket (4 games, 1-1, 1.85 ERA, 14 K's), he couldn't keep it going in AAA. A 6.62 ERA, along with a 1-4 record as the PawSox's swingman did not earn him a contract with the Red Sox the following season. It would be his last year as a player in professional baseball. But at least he was able to get in on some cardboard history from 1993-1995.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 3 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2004 Topps Traded and Rookies #T46. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #558 Will Clark

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, October 11, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #558.
• Player Name, position, team: Will Clark, first baseman, Texas Rangers.
• Major League Debut: April 8, 1986.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Rangers): 110 G, 389 AB, 73 R, 128 H, 24 2B, 2 3B, 13 HR, 80 RBI, 5 SB, .501 SLG, 71 BB, 59 SO, .329 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Giants #1st, June 1985. Signed with the Rangers as a Free Agent 11/22/1993. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 19. This is his eleventh Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Will's batting average, seventh in the AL, was the third-highest ever by a Texas Ranger. He was selected to the All-Star Team for the sixth time in his career, and singled in each of his two at-bats."
• Commentary: William Nuschler Clark and the Giants dashed the dreams of this Cubs fan when he single-handedly (.650 average with 2 home runs, 8 rbi's, and a slugging percentage of 1.200) led the Giants to the 1989 World Series. Yes it was bittersweet that they got swept by the A's nonetheless, and earthquake aside, it was hard to watch the WS because I kept thinking that the Cubs should have been there. Regardless. Years later, The Thrill found himself deep in the heart of Arlington, TX, signing with the Rangers when his former college teammate Rafael Palmeiro left Texas for Baltimore. In 1995, Clark showed he could still hit, achieving a .302 average to go with 16 home runs and 92 rbi's. He provided a slick glove at first, achieving a .994 fielding percentage (7 errors in 1171 chances). Playing for the Rangers until 1998, Clark appeared in 609 games, hit for a cumulative .308 average, hit 77 home runs, drove in 397 rbi's, and had percentages of .395/.485/.880. He spent two injury plagued seasons with the Orioles before being traded back to the National League, this time to St. Louis to become Mark McGwire's injury replacement. While he performed well in the 2000 postseason, the Cardinals did not get past the Mets in the NLCS. Will Clark would announce his retirement shortly after the season ended. He made brief appearances in Topps sets over the years, and in 2013, found himself a subject in the Archives, Allen & Ginter's, and Gypsy Queen sets on base, auto, and relic cards.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.20-$0.50.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 51.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1986 Topps #642. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #218 Dave Hansen

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, March 21, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #218.
• Player Name, position, team: Dave Hansen, third baseman, Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Major League Debut: September 16, 1990.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Dodgers): 40 G, 44 AB, 3 R, 15 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB, .409 SLG, 5 BB, 5 SO, .341 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Dodgers #2nd, June 1986. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 4. This is his third Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "A chronic back problem traced to a 1988 auto accident has limited his ability to play on a regular basis, but Dave has wielded an extraordinary bat off the bench. He has hit .356 overall and .302 pinch-hitting the past two years. Dave plays the guitar."
• Commentary: In researching what kind of player Dave Hansen was like during his time in the majors, I came upon an article written by a person who played against him as a kid and grew up getting to know him. It seems that Hansen (and the writer) grew up in a hotbed of youth baseball in the cities of Long Beach and Lakewood, California. You can read all about it here. David Andrew Hansen upon arriving in the majors played an important role on those Dodgers teams in the early to mid 90's. In 1992, although he did lead NL third basemen with a .968 fielding percentage that year, Hansen hit a not too great .214 with 6 home runs and 22 rbi's. So the following year, the Dodgers used him primarily as a pinch hitter. And it is as a pinch hitter that Hansen excelled. In 1993, he appeared at third base 17 times, (15 starts). In those games, he hit .400 with 2 home runs, 12 rbi's and a 1.052 OPS. In 66 games as a pinch hitter, where he only got one shot to make an impact, he went 18 for 55 (.327 average) with 11 walks, 2 home runs, 18 rbi's, and an OPS of .894. That means in 29 of those 66 games, Hansen kept the game going by either getting on base or driving in runs. In 1995, as a pinch hitter, he hit .314 with 5 rbi's and 7 walks in 42 games. His grand totals for 1995 were .287 with 1 home run, 14 rbi's, and .743 OPS in 100 games. After the 1996 season, Dave signed with the Chicago Cubs and after one season with the Cubs, he became a gaijin, playing the 1998 season with the Hanshin Tigers. He re-signed with the Dodgers for the 1999 season, returning to his role as a pinch hitter. In 2000, Hansen set a Major League record with seven pinch-hit home runs. In 2003, Hansen signed on with the Padres and after a season was traded up north to Seattle. But after 57 games with the Mariners, he was traded BACK to the San Diego. He re-signed with the Cubs for the 2005 campaign, but then was released. The Mariners then re-signed him and after 60 games with the M's, he retired at the end of the season. At the time he retired, he ranked sixth in career pinch hits with 138. Post playing baseball, Hansen has found work as a hitting coach, first with the Diamondbacks organization, working his way up to minor league hitting coordinator the following year. He returned to the Dodgers organization after the 2010 season first as a hitting instructor, then as a hitting coach. After two seasons in Hollywood, the Mariners hired him to be their hitting coach heading into the 2013 campaign.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 5.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #27T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #438 Roberto Alomar

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, March 16, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #438.
• Player Name, position, team: Roberto Alomar, second baseman, Toronto Blue Jays.
• Major League Debut: April 22, 1988.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Blue Jays): 107 G, 392 AB, 78 R, 120 H, 25 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 19 SB, .452 SLG, 51 BB, 41 SO, .306 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Padres as a Free Agent 02/16/1985. Traded by the Padres to the Blue Jays 12/05/1990. Bats: both. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 20. This is his ninth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Alomar's love of the game ("Baseball is the greatest thing in the world.") runs in his family. In 1973, his Dad, Sandy, made the first out of Nolan Ryan's first no-hitter; 18 years later, Roberto made the final out of Ryan's 7th and final masterpiece!."
• Commentary: Back in January, the Topps Card Randomizer picked Robbie Alomar's 1994 Topps card. As cool as that card looked, the picture on this card is just as nice. Look at how he balances the baseball on one finger (or is it two, it's hard to tell). With most of what I would normally write already one two months ago, I'll just stick to facts about his 1995 season. Yes, it was a shortened season, but it would also be Alomar's final one in Toronto. In 1995, he would once again make the All-Star Team and earn another Gold Glove award. And that was on the strength of a .300 average with 13 home runs and 66 rbi's. In 703 games for Toronto, Roberto Alomar would hit a fantastic .307 batting average with 55 home runs, 342 rbi's, an OPS of .833, 5 Gold Glove Awards, 5 All-Star Game appearances (four starts), one Silver Slugger Award, and Two World Series Championships. Although he would sign on with Baltimore after the 1995 season, and would go on to play for the Indians (1999-2001), Mets (2002-03), White Sox (2003, 2004) and Diamondbacks (2004), and his final Topps card has him in a Devil Rays' uniform, he was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame as a Blue Jay, the first player to be inducted representing the Toronto franchise.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.20-$0.50.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 66.

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

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps Traded and Rookies #31T Todd Steverson

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, January 02, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps Traded and Rookies.
• Player Name, position, team: Todd Steverson, outfielder, Detroit Tigers.
• Major League Debut: April 28, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Knoxville, AA-Southern): 124 G, 415 AB, 59 R, 109 H, 24 2B, 5 3B, 9 HR, 38 RBI, 20 SB, .410 SLG, 71 BB, 112 SO, .263 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Blue Jays, #1st, June 1992.  Selected by the Tigers in the Rule V Draft 12/05/1994. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 2. This is his second and final Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Under the rules of hte Rule 5 Draft, teams are required to retain selections on their ML roster the entire season.  Todd, drafted from Toronto, didn't need the "grandfather clause" in 1995, proving he belonged.  The former Arizona State All-American and cousin of ex-Tiger Ron Leflore."
• Commentary: You can't call Todd Steverson, a veteran of 31 games in two major league seasons, a one Topps Card wonder.  He appeared in the 1993 Topps set as a Draft Pick of the Blue Jays, something you couldn't have in today's baseball card world.  Oh well.  As a Rule V draftee, the Tigers had to keep Steverson on their roster for the year or send him back to the team who left him out in the market.  With the Tigers in 1995, he appeared in 30 games, hit .262 with two home runs and six rbi's as a bench player.  He was out for significant amounts of time due to injuries though, but he did remain on the MLB roster for the year (nine games on a rehab stint not included).  The following year, he was traded to the Padres and struck out in his only at bat in 1996.  It would also be his final appearance as a major league player.  He ended his playing career in 1998 and since then has been a coach and manager in the minor leagues, and a first base coach for the Oakland Athletics.  He made headlines in 2012 when, as acting manager for the Stockton Ports, ordered an intentional balk in an attempt to end an 18 inning ballgame where even position players where taking the mound.  In his defense, he says he was trying to protect his players, and did not want either pitchers or position players hurt.  Noble, but he was given a one-year suspension.
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 2 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be 2006 Topps #274. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #211 Kirt Manwaring

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, December 10, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #211.
• Player Name, position, team: Kirt Manwaring, catcher, San Francisco Giants.
• Major League Debut: September 15, 1987.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Giants): 97 G, 316 AB, 30 R, 79 H, 17 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 29 RBI, 1 SB, .320 SLG, 25 BB, 50 SO, .250 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Giants, #2nd, June 1986. 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: "'If he only hits .250...' It's a baseball expression reserved for sharp-fielding catchers such as Kirt, who hit .250 in '94 & continued the play that earned him a '93 Gold Glove.  Kirt played in the '89 World Series."
• Commentary: Ah, the 1995 Topps set...sponsored by Mitsubishi Diamond Vision. I guess this was Topps' way of incorporating the technology at the time (no HD scoreboards in stadiums yet), so the backs of the cards include a headshot of the player with all these dots on them (or are they squares?)  Kirt Manwaring was the Giants primary catcher from 1988 through 1996, when he was traded to the Astros for catcher Rick Wilkins (long past his glory year with the Cubs).  But with the Giants, he was a decent bat (batted .246 in his Giants career), but an incredible catcher defensively.  He was a Gold Glove winner as stated in the blurb on his card, and had a fantastic career fielding percentage of .991 (50 errors in 5485 chances).  In 1995, he hit above the .250 mark (.251, 95-379) with 4 home runs and 36 rbi's in 118 games played.  He is presently the Giants catching instructor and he's also a Hall of Famer.  He was inducted into the Coastal Carolina University Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.    
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 11 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1991 Topps #169. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps Traded and Rookies #50T Mickey Tettleton

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, December 4, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps Traded and Rookies #50T.
• Player Name, position, team: Mickey Tettleton, catcher-designated hitter, Texas Rangers.
• Major League Debut: June 30, 1984.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Tigers): 107 G, 339 AB, 57 R, 84 H, 18 2B, 2 3B, 17 HR, 51 RBI, 0 SB, .463 SLG, 97 BB, 98 SO, .248 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Athletics, #5th, June 1981.  Signed with the Rangers as a Free Agent 04/12/1995. Bats: both. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 16. This is his fourteenth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "A three-time Sporting News Silver Slugger award-winner at catcher, Mickey hooked up with Texas in 1995 primarily to assume a DH role.  On 06/04/1995, he nailed 2HR's with 6 RBI."
• Commentary: With a picture that looks like it could have been torn from a magazine (check the borders and shadow) to the unique font used for the player's name, the 1995 Topps Traded and Rookies set was the first update set created by Topps that was not sold in factory set form (or at least the first since 1976).  It was a hard set to complete, with Orel Hershiser being my final card, and I didn't get that one until late in 1996 (or was it in 1997...I may have told this story before).  Mickey Tettleton was already an established catcher with two All-Star appearances, including the year before with the Tigers.  The Rangers already had a superstar catcher in Ivan Rodriguez.  Why in the world did Tettleton sign with the Rangers?  While he did get some games in at catcher (3), he was primarily used as a designated hitter (58 games) and played in right field for Texas (61 games). In 1995, he appeared in 134 games, hit a decent .248, with 32 home runs, 78 rbi's, and an OPS of .906.  He stayed with the Rangers for two more years, announcing his retirement in July, 1997.  He left the game as one of the game's best hitting catchers.  At the time he retired, he was 8th in home runs by a switch hitter, 10th among catchers in OBP (.369) and eleventh in OPS (.821).
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 19 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be:  1993 Topps #723. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1993 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #155 Mark Portugal

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, October 2, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #155.
• Player Name, position, team: Mark Portugal, pitcher, San Francisco Giants.
• Major League Debut: August 14, 1985.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Giants): 21 G, 137.1 IP, 10-8, 68 R, 60 ER, 87 SO, 45 BB, 21 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.93 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Twins as a Free Agent 10/23/1980. Signed with the Giants as a Free Agent 11/21/1993. 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: "Mark, who won 14 straight games between July 1993 and April 1994, often helps himself with the bat.  On May 2 he had as may hits in the third inning as he allowed in 7 IP."
• Commentary: The design of the 1995 Topps set was literally torn (notice the jagged edges on the picture and shadow) and was so good, that it was used for both Topps' football and basketball cards as well.  The photo quality was better and thanks to using the glossy white-card stock, the pictures really pop as it looks like Portugal is ready to chuck one just right by your chin (look at his eyes...tell me that's not what he's thinking).  Portugal, who will always be on teams whose players are named after countries, had his best two-year stretch in 1993 and 1994.  Going 28-12, including the 14 game winning streak mentioned in the blurb on the back of the card, he finished sixth in the Cy Young Award voting in 1993 and won the Silver Slugger award in 1994 (he went 17-48 for a .354 batting average and an .860 OPS).  He was traded to the Reds in a nine-player deal prior to the July 31 trading deadline that is memorable for sending Hall of Famer (for Pro Football) Deion Sanders to the Giants.
• Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 10 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1990 Topps Traded #75T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1990 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #189 Derek Lilliquist

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, January 19, 2011:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1982 Topps Traded #76T.
• Player Name, position, team: Derek Lilliquist, pitcher, Atlanta Braves.
  Major League Debut: April 13, 1989.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Braves): 36 G, 29.1 IP, 1-3, 17 R, 16 ER, 15 SO, 8 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 1 SV, 4.91 ERA.
• Any special information about players: Drafted by the Braves, #1st, June 1987. Selected off Waivers by the Indians from the Padres 11/20/1991. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 6. This is his sixth and final card.
• Blurb on the back: "When Bill Clinton traveled to Cleveland to throw out the first pitch of the Indians' 1994 season, he forgot to bring along the presidential glove. A major diplomatic embarrassment was avoided when Derek (a southpaw as is Mr. Clinton) loaned him his."
• Commentary: The era after the strike was a dark period for MLB, and the hobby. Topps wisely made less cards in 1995 (and even less in 1996-1997). Thus when people started coming back to the Hobby, these three years were not as easy to find. If there is anything that the bio on the back teaches us, it is that President Clinton is a lefty. Who knew? It wasn't Derek's best year in 1994. Two years removed from his best season with the Indians (probably to show the Padres that he still had it), Lilliquist's struggles didn't necessarily hurt the Indians (a second place finish in the AL Central before the strike). Sure didn't help them either. I wonder how much Mitsubishi paid Topps (or would it be the other way around) for the use of the three-diamond logo. Either way, almost every card in the set subliminally served as a Mitsubishi car advertisement (although the trademark is from the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation).
• Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 9 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1988 Topps #330. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #12 Gary DiSarcina

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, August 31, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #12.
• Player Name, position, team: Gary DiSarcina, shortstop, California Angels.
• Major League Debut: September 23, 1989.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Angels): 112 G, 389 AB, 53 R, 101 H, 14 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 33 RBI, 3 SB, .329 SLG, 18 BB, 28 SO, .260 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Angels #6th, June 1988 Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: DiSarcina's fourth regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only, not including his 1990 Topps '89 MLB Debut card). The more I look at it, the more it does appear that the edges of the pictures were torn. Gary DiSarcina was the last person to debut in 1989, appearing in 2 games towards the end of that campaign. At this point in his career, DiSarcina is now the Angels' regular shortstop. The back of his card reads that he and the Braves' Tom Glavine were teammates for Billerica (MA) High School. Their baseball team won the state championship in 1993. The blurb on the back also mentions that DiSarcina's 33, is in honor of former Celtics legend Larry Bird. Gary spent his entire MLB career with the Angels. After his playing days were over, he joined the ranks of minor league manager, taking the helm of the Lowell Spinners for three seasons. He currently is a roving minor league infield coordinator for the Boston Red Sox. In 2005, the University of Massachusetts inducted him into their Athletic Hall of Fame.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 11 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1979 Topps #218. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1979 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #116 Rob Butler

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, August 19, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #116.
• Player Name, position, team: Rob Butler, outfielder, Toronto Blue Jays.
• Major League Debut: June 12, 1993.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Blue Jays): 41 G, 74 AB, 13 R, 13 H, 0 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB, .203 SLG, 7 BB, 8 SO, .213 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Blue Jays as a Free Agent 09/24/1990. Bats: left, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Butler's third and final regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). Although you don't get to see a clear shot of Butler's face on the front of the card, you do get a "scoreboard" version on the back, thanks to Mitsubishi's Diamond Vision. A native of East London, Ontario, he became the sixth Canadian to play for the Blue Jays. The blurb on the back quotes Butler as saying, "I had tears in my eyes," upon reaching the majors for the first time. Although this is his final Topps card, Rob Butler returned to the majors in 1997 with the Phillies and returned to the Blue Jays for a few games in 1999. He played a total of 109 career MLB games, hit 0 home runs, drove in 21 RBI's, a .243 batting average, and a .630 OPS. But those are his numbers in the US. In Canada, he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club (not to be confused with the NHL Maple Leafs, although when looking for Rob Butler's cards, it comes up with a hockey player, not a baseball player), a semi-pro team. He led the Maple Leafs in a number of offensive categories, and finally retired from the game in 2005. Who says you can't go home again???
• Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 3 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1981 Topps Traded #835. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps Traded and Rookies #65T Marquis Grissom

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, August 11, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps Traded and Rookies #65T.
• Player Name, position, team: Marquis Grissom, outfielder, Atlanta Braves.
• Major League Debut: August 22, 1989.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Expos): 110 G, 475 AB, 96 R, 137 H, 25 2B, 4 3B, 11 HR, 45 RBI, 36 SB, .427 SLG, 41 BB, 66 SO, .288 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Expos #3rd June, 1988. Traded by the Expos to the Braves 04/06/1995. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Grissom's seventh Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only, does not include his 1990 MLB Debut '89 card). I've always wondered what the name of the font was that was used to create the name lettering for the 1995 Topps designs. Not only for baseball, but for football and basketball as well. Because it was pretty much the same design for each of the three sports, with the only difference being the name font. Otherwise, everything else, from the tear pattern of the picture and the font for the team name and position were exactly the same (somewhat). With the strike finally over, and spring training in full swing, the Braves realized that they needed a leadoff hitter. So a deal was made, sending the Expos' second-leading base stealer to the Braves for three players. Thus beginning the dismantling of the Montréal Expos. You'd think he'd be smiling, with the new environment and all. But based on this photo, he doesn't look too happy about coming to Atlanta. Cheer up Marquis, you're going to help this team win the World Series.
• Beckett value: $0.15-$0.40.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 29 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: Thursday: 1985 Topps #756. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #176 Phil Plantier

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, August 7, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #176.
• Player Name, position, team: Phil Plantier, outfielder, San Diego Padres.
• Major League Debut: August 21, 1990.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Padres): 96 G, 341 AB, 44 R, 75 H, 21 2B, 0 3B, 18 HR, 41 RBI, 3 SB, .440 SLG, 36 BB, 91 SO, .220 AVG.
• Any special information about players: Drafted by the Red Sox #11th June, 1987. Traded by the Red Sox to the Padres 12/10/1992. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Plantier's sixth regular Topps (total includes regular and traded cards only, not including his 1991 MLB '90 Debut card). If there was one company that benefited from free advertising within the 1995 Topps cards, only because it's name showed up on almost every player's card, was Mitsubushi Electric Corporation. Thanks to Topps' use of their "Diamond Vision" (an attempt to make the color picture on the back of the card appear as if it was on a scoreboard), the diamond logo was seen on the back of Topps cards, along with the usual MLB Players and MLB Properties logos. Plantier was to be the future of the Red Sox. So much so, that Topps Magazine did an article on him and included him as a subject for their insert cards within the magazine. And after successful stints with the BoSox in both 1990 and 1991, he was given the opportunity to stick with the big club in the 1992 season. However, injuries and a lack of production doomed him that year, and Plantier was traded to the Padres before the end of the year. With the Padres, he became the 21st player in MLB history to hit 100 rbi's while playing for a team that lost 100 games. He hit 34 home runs that year, and with a slugging percentage of .509, he was the Padres' primary slugger. But injuries curtailed his season the following year, and at the end of the 1994 season, Plantier wound up part of an twelve-man trade, that saw him and five other Padres (including earlier card of the week subject Derek Bell) to the Astros for six players (an even exchange, even if a quarter of your roster has now changed). Something must have happened with Plantier as an Astro because he was sent BACK to the Padres during the 1995 season. He would see limited action with the Athletics, the Padres (for his third go around with the team), and the Cardinals before ending his big league career with the Blue Jays organization. He was named the hitting coach, and then manager of the AA West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 9 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: 1971 Topps #30. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #542 Brian Anderson

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, June 15, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #542.
• Player Name, position, team: Brian Anderson, pitcher, California Angels.
• Major League Debut: September 10, 1993.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Lake Elsinore-A): 2 G, 12 IP, 0-1, 4 R, 4 ER, 9 SO, 0 BB, 2 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.00 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Angels #1st, June 1993. Bats: both, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Anderson's second Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). The 1995 Topps set, what I like to call the torn pages set because of the edges of the picture (and the shadow behind it) was so popular, that Topps' football and basketball cards shared the same design. While Anderson (Brian James Anderson) did play for the Angels in 1994, he did have to spend a couple of days doing what looks like rehab work with the team's California League affiliate in Lake Elsinore. Because his stats with the Storm were the last line of statistics (his major league stats were above them), that's what I listed above. Either it was a really poor year for rookies in 1994 or Anderson had a great year as he was 6th in the ROY Voting, and as you can see by the big trophy on the card (bigger than usual, it seems), he was named as the LHP for Topps All-Star Rookie team in 1994. His stats for that year? In 18 games, he compiled a 7-5 record, an ERA of 5.22, and struck out 47 batters. The blurb on the back of the card, which includes the Mitsubishi Diamond Vision portrait...think scoreboard in the 1990's, an action shot, and the MLB Players and MLB Properties logo, suggests that the Angels "pace their rotation so Brian pitches on his birthday this year." The story is that on April 26, 1993, he pitched a shutout for his alma mater, Wright State. Exactly one year later, he pitched 8.2 innings to lead the Halos to a 3-0 shutout of the Yankees. In 1995, thanks to the strike and how the Angels set their rotation, Anderson didn't get to pitch until April 30. He is one of the rare players to be drafted and reach the majors in the same year. He continues his career in Cleveland, then is drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 1997 Expansion draft (their first pick, second overall), and later on goes on to play for the Indians and Royals before ending his career in 2005. He now works for the Tampa Bay Rays as an assistant to the pitching coach, in the Rays' front office, and fills in occasionally as a broadcaster for the Rays.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 10 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1986 Topps #637. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1986 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #658 Giants On Deck Dan Carlson & Keith Williams

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, May 19, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #658.
• Player Name, position, team: On Deck: Dan Carlson, pitcher, San Francisco Giants; Keith Williams, outfielder, San Francisco Giants.
• Major League Debut: September 13, 1996 (Carlson); June 7, 1996 (Williams).
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats: Carlson (Phoenix-AAA): 31 G, 151.1 IP, 13-6, 80 R, 78 ER, 117 SO, 55 BB, 22 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 1 SV, 4.64 ERA; Williams (San Jose-A): 128 G, 504 AB, 91 R, 151 H, 30 2B, 8 3B, 21 HR, 97 RBI, 4 SB, .516 SLG, 60 BB, 102 SO, .300 AVG.
• Any special information about players: Carlson: Drafted by the Giants #33rd, June 1989. Bats: right, Throws: right; Williams: Drafted by the Giants #7th, June 1993. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: This card is the first and only regular Topps card for either Carlson and Williams (total includes regular and traded cards only). At the end of the 1995 Topps Series 2 set were 28 cards, one for each team, featuring two up and coming prospects who, according to Topps, were "on deck" and soon would be ready for the majors. And representing the Giants, were pitcher Dan Carlson and outfielder Keith Williams. The back of the card recognizes the card as the "rookie card" for both players, and has each of their minor league stats, a quick blurb about the player, and the scout that signed them. Carlson: has won 12 or more games each of his last 4 seasons, with a high of 16 in 1992. Signed by scout John Shafer; Williams: ranked 15th in the minors in total bases and led California League outfielders in fielding. Signed by scout Gary Robinson. Both had very strong seasons in the minors, and both wound up playing with the Giants in the 1996 MLB campaign, although not together. Carlson was called up in September of 1996, and saw limited action in two seasons with the Giants. He was drafted by the Devil Rays in the 1997 expansion draft (28th pick...didn't get a card in the 1998 Topps set...WHAT??!), pitched briefly for the D-Rays before signing with the Diamondbacks (coincidentally, the other expansion team) the following season. He continued on in the minors until 2001, playing in the AAA affiliates for both the D-Backs and the Cardinals. Williams, on the other hand, joined the team in June. He was used primarily as a pinch hitter, and then started three games in right field. He saw action in 9 games that month before returning to the minors. He never returned to the majors. Williams spent the rest of his career with the Giants' AAA team, first in Phoenix, then to Fresno before signing on with the Northern League's St. Paul Saints. He finished his professional career in 2002.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: Carlson: 1 card; Williams: 1 card.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2000 Topps Traded and Rookies #T72. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #54 Joey Hamilton

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, May 12, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #54.
• Player Name, position, team: Joey Hamilton, pitcher, San Diego Padres.
• Major League Debut: September 24, 1994.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Padres): 16 G, 108.2 IP, 9-6, 40 R, 36 ER, 61 SO, 29 BB, 16 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 0 SV, 2.98 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Padres #1st, June 1991. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Hamilton's second regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). The 1995 Topps set, with it's unique font used for the gold-foil letters, and pictures that look like they were literally torn from a magazine, stands out as one of the best designs of the 1990's. Hamilton was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team in 1994, hence the extremely large trophy included on the card. He also finished fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Hamilton was the NL's best rookie pitcher in 1994, says the blurb on the back of the card. "One of them (his starts) was opposite Marlins' Charlie Hough, who was pitching in the majors before Hamilton was even born." Joey would go on to a pretty good ten-year career, playing for the Padres, Blue Jays, and Reds.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 9 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1978 Topps #314. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #188 Billy Spiers

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, April 17, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1988 Topps #465.
• Player Name, position, team: Billy Spiers, second baseman-shortstop, Milwaukee Brewers.
• Major League Debut: April 7, 1989.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Brewers): 73 G, 214 AB, 27 R, 54 H, 10 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 17 RBI, 7 SB, .308 SLG, 19 BB, 42 SO, .252 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Brewers #1st, June 1987. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Spiers' seventh regular Topps card. What a picture on this card. How close was the camera when this picture was snapped? Was there a photographer at the shortstop position? It's fantastic. As Spiers is sliding towards the bag, you can see the dirt flying into his face (which is probably why he has his eyes and mouth closed). The 1995 set...with the "torn on the edges" look of the pictures, and the funky foil lettering that was used for the player's name...it was a unique looking set to say the least. And the cards that were designed horizontally in this set, as long as it was an action shot, were fantastic. It does look tacky when you have a horizontal card, and it's just a headshot. A lot of kind words were written about Billy on the back of his card. His "mental toughness has helped him become a quality player under circumstances that would have caused others to quit." The portrait on the back features Mitsubishi's "diamond vision," giving the appearance of what his picture would look like on a scoreboard. Spiers would not be seen on a Topps card again until 2000. Which means Topps missed his one year as a Met and his first three seasons with the Astros. Which makes no sense whatsoever because he played more than 100 games every season in those four seasons. But due to "space limitations," he was not added any of those sets. And they wonder why I've been clamoring for the return of the 792 card set.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 12 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 #657. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #244 Frank Rodriguez Future Star

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, March 24, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #244.
• Player Name, position, team: Frank Rodriguez, pitcher, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: April 26, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Pawtucket - AAA): 28 G, 186 IP, 8-13, 95 R, 81 ER, 160 SO, 60 BB, 28 GS, 8 CG, 1 SHO, 0 SV, ERA 3.92.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Red Sox #2nd, June 1990. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Rodriguez' second regular Topps card (his first card, incidentally was also a future star card in the 1994 Topps set). Is it just me, or does this card make it look like Rodriguez is pitching in front of some blinds??? Apparently there is a difference between the players in the Future Stars subset and Star Tracks subset. A converted shortstop, Rodriguez was "considered Boston's leading pitching prospect." They would have made him a closer (due to the Sox' belief that he had a lack of stamina), but he led the IL in complete games, innings pitched, and strikeouts (so much for that thought). He did indeed become a reliever, and was actually traded to the Minnesota Twins in the middle of the 1995 season.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 4 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2009 Topps #490. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1995 Topps #103 Mariano Duncan

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, March 4, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1995 Topps #103.
• Player Name, position, team: Mariano Duncan, shortstop-second baseman, Philadelphia Phillies.
• Major League Debut: April 9, 1985.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1994 stats (Phillies): 88 G, 347 AB, 49 R, 93 H, 22 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 48 RBI, 10 SB, .406 SLG, 17 BB, 72 SO, .268 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Dodgers as a Free Agent 01/07/1982. Signed by the Philles as a Free Agent 12/10/1991. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Duncan's tenth regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). I think the biggest memory I have of Duncan was that he was the first NL second baseman to start an All-Star Game after Ryne Sandberg retired for the first time in 1994. This card came out the following year. I didn't realize though that Duncan only played half of the season (must have been injured not long afterwards). The 1995 Topps baseball design (which was also used for their 1995 football and basketball design), features a picture that looks like it has torn borders (as if you folded a piece of paper and just cut it without scissors), or cut from cloth. Action shots aplenty that year. The back features two more pictures, a headshot picture akin to something you'd see on a scoreboard (compliments to Mitsubishi's Diamond Vision technology), and a cropped action shot. The blurb on the back talks about Mariano contributes "hoards of equipment to kids in the Dominican Republic" because he once played ball with "tree branches, cardboard gloves, and stuffed socks."
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 14 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1984 Topps #620. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama