RIP Tony Gwynn 1960-2014

I..I can't stand it.

It really doesn't seem that long ago that the man was on the field, hitting the ball with precision rarely seen in the game.

I actually did a double take when I saw this and now, I can't think straight.

I know that players come and go, and that eventually all will go to that baseball diamond in the sky.

But this man has left us so soon.

I just found out that Tony Gwynn passed away.

In 1996, along with celebrating the life of Mickey Mantle, Topps used both Gwynn and Kirby Puckett, two of the game's best hitters of the time, as spokesmen for their baseball cards. Both men did "scouting reports" on their respective league's best players of the time and Topps included insert cards featuring these reports.

Ironically, that means that both of Topps' eventual Hall of Fame spokesmen have now died.

Since retirement, Gwynn became the coach of the San Diego State Aztecs baseball team. He apparently was on leave since March due to the effects of oral cancer (due to years of chewing smokeless tobacco). And he even had to endure two operations for cancer in his right cheek.

During his 20-year, Hall-of-Fame career, all with his hometown San Diego Padres, the man who would become known as "Mr. Padre" appeared in 2,440 games, made 10,232 plate appearances. He hit for a .338 career average, had 3,141 career hits, walked 790 times while striking out only 434 times (in 20 years!!!). His percentages were .388/.459/.847. He was a fifteen-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger winner, four-time Gold Glover, and considered for the NL MVP twelve times.

In 2007, Gwynn was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame with a high 97.6% of the vote (only 13 writers denied him a vote) in his first year of eligibility.

And now, he's gone.

My condolences go out to the Gwynn family, the Padres organization, Major League Baseball, and fans everywhere.

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #308 Stan Javier

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, March 26, 2014:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #308.
• Player Name, position, team: Stan Javier, outfielder, San Francisco Giants.
• Major League Debut: April 15, 1984.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Giants): 71 G, 274 AB, 44 R, 74 H, 25 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 14 SB, .383 SLG, 25 BB, 51 SO, .270 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Cardinals as a Free Agent 03/26/1981. Signed with the Giants as a Free Agent 12/08/1995. Bats: both. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 13. This is his tenth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Stan had no desire to play 2B like ex-ML star Julian, his father. Why? "I was afraid of the ball," he confesses."
• Commentary: It seems that Topps may have forgotten to change the Acq(uired) information on the back of Stanley Julian Antonio Javier's 1997 Topps card because Javier signed with the Athletics, the team he played for two stints, recently 1994-1995, on December 7, 1993. He signed with the Giants two years and one day later, on December 8, 1995. That makes this card...AN ERROR CARD!!! With the exception of a cup of coffee with the Yankees in 1984 and half a season with the Phillies, Javier's career up to this point has seen him play for California teams (all except the Padres). In his second season with the Giants, Stan appeared in 142 gams, hit for a good .286 with 8 homers, 50 rbi's, and percentages of .368/.395/.764. He would stay on with the Giants until August 31, 1999, when he was traded to the Astros, keeping the team in the pennant race and helping them into the playoffs as the franchise was decimated by injuries. After finishing the 1999 season with Houston, he signed with the Mariners, where he finished his career two years later. He was named the GM for the Dominican Republic team for the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and again in 2009 and spent some time working for the MLB Players Association as a special assistant.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 17.

Tomorrow's card will be 1980 Topps #456. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #283 Jamie Moyer

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, January 9, 2014:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #283.
• Player Name, position, team: Jamie Moyer, pitcher, Seattle Mariners.
• Major League Debut: June 16, 1986.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Mariners): 11 G, 70.2 IP, 6-2, 36 R, 26 ER, 29 SO, 19 BB, 11 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.31 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Cubs #4th, June 1984. Traded by the Red Sox to the Mariners 07/30/1996. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 25. This is his ninth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Jamie led the ML's in WIN% last year - not bad for a guy who, four years earlier, had one foot in civilian life. Cut by the Cubs in '92 spring training, he was offered a job as a pitching coach in their farm system, but persevered and worked his way back through the minors."
• Commentary: A couple of quick notes about the back of the card. Topps normally shows an "Acquired" line, to show how he arrived with his "current team." The problem is that it shows that he signed as a free agent on 12/19/1992. Well, Jamie Moyer did sign with a team on that date (if you believe baseball-reference, it says it was five days earlier), but that team was the Baltimore Orioles. Funny, I didn't realize that after the Cardinals released him in 1991 that he went back to the Cubs only to be released. Notice that 1992 is missing from the stat box? That's because he spent the entire season with the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers' AAA team, earning a 10-8 record to go with a 2.86 ERA and 80 strikeouts. After bouncing around from team to team, it would be with the Mariners that he would find not only success, but a home as well. In 1997, Moyer proved everybody that he still belonged in the majors. In 30 starts, Moyer earned a 17-5 record, an ERA of 3.86, struck out 113 batters, and achieved had a WHIP of 1.219. In his 11 seasons with the M's, he would earn his first All-Star gig (in 2003), finish in the top 10 voting for the AL Cy Young Award three times, start 323 of the 324 games he appeared in, achieve a cumulative record of 145-87, an ERA of 3.97, and strikeout 1239 batters. In 2006, at the age of 43, Moyer was traded to the Phillies for two minor leaguers. He would stay with the team for another 4 seasons. After a year off to recover from Tommy John surgery, he attempted a comeback with the Colorado Rockies, becoming the oldest player in MLB history to earn a win, record an RBI (2 of them on May 16), and pitch in his 50th Major League stadium. Upon finally hanging up his cleats for good, Moyer has spent time focusing on his philanthropic work. The Moyer Foundation (which you can follow on twitter @moyerfoundation), whose mission statement is, "Provide comfort, hope and healing to children affected by loss and family addiction."
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 36.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2006 Topps #529. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #60 Andy Pettitte

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, January 6, 2014:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #60.
• Player Name, position, team: Andy Pettitte, pitcher, New York Yankees.
• Major League Debut: April 29, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Yankees): 35 G, 221 IP, 21-8, 105 R, 95 ER, 162 SO, 72 BB, 34 GS, 2 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.87 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Yankees #22nd, June 1990. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 19. This is his third Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Andy, the youngest pitcher to start on Opening Day for the franchise since before it was renamed the Yankees, won his 1996 debut - and many more. Eventually, he became the first Yankee 20-game winner since fellow left-handed Louisianan Ron Guidry did it in 1985."
• Commentary: Well the kids' vacation got a bit extended thanks to the polar vortex, or whatever they're calling it, that has placed an icy grip in our area. It's so cold, not even raising the heat in the house is going to matter much. If you don't have to go out today, stay home. When this card came out, Andrew Eugene Pettitte was just coming off the year of a lifetime. Opening Day starter a year ago, 21-game winner, World Series Champion. The Yankees had finally returned to the promised land, and not even they knew how great they were going to become. And Pettitte, along with other young players that the Yankees had stockpiled, were finally going to show the world what they could do. For his part, Pettitte's 1997 numbers were just as good, if not better, than the year prior. He did go 18-7, but also had a 2.88 ERA, struck out 166 of the 986 batters he faced, a 1.240 WHIP, and finished fifth in the Cy Young voting. However, Pettitte could not convert his regular season success into postseason victories that year, going 0-2 in his two starts against the Indians (the Indians would eventually win the American League Pennant). But as we all would know, this would not be the last we'd hear from the Yankees.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 63 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1996 Topps #325. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #353 Charlie O'Brien

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, December 20, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1994 Topps Traded #92T.
• Player Name, position, team: Charlie O'Brien, catcher, Atlanta Braves.
• Major League Debut: June 2, 1985.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1993 stats (Mets): 67 G, 188 AB, 15 R, 48 H, 11 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 0 SB, .378 SLG, 14 BB, 14 SO, .255 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by Athletics #5th, June 1982. Signed with the Blue Jays as a Free Agent 12/15/1995. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 10. This is his tenth and card.
• Blurb on the back: "When Charlie was with Atlanta, Greg Maddux called him, "the best in the league" at handling pitchers. Not coincidentally, O'Brien has caught nine hurles who have won Cy Young Awards, including Pat Hentgen last year."
• Commentary: So much has been discussed about Charlie O'Brien on this humble little blog as he his cards were previously featured as a Random Card of the Day before (including his 1994 Topps card...TWICE) that today's comment will focus on his time with the Blue Jays, specifically in 1997. Now the back of Charles Hugh O'Brien's card features the veteran catcher wearing his invention, the hockey-style catcher's mask, now seen protecting catchers all over baseball. It was with the Blue Jays that he came up with the design. Now I would have probably preferred this picture to the one on the front, because it would showcase the inventor and his creation, and I'm sure Topps would have done the same. But you really didn't see many shots of a player at the ballpark signing autos for fans on a card. O'Brien appeared in 69 games for the Blue Jays in 1997, hitting .218-4-27 in a limited role (primarily because the Jays signed Benito Santiago to be their main man behind the plate). He would go on to play for three more seasons with the White Sox, Angels, and Expos before retiring as an active player. So although this is his last appearance in a Topps set, the career numbers are incomplete.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 10 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1981 Topps #207. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #354 Darren Bragg

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

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #354.
• Player Name, position, team: Darren Bragg, outfielder, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: April 12, 1994.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Red Sox): 58 G, 222 AB, 38 R, 56 H, 14 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 6 SB, .365 SLG, 36 BB, 39 SO, .252 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Mariners #22nd, June 1991. Traded by the Mariners to the Red Sox 07/30/1996. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 4. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Center field had been a fluid situation for several years in Boston - until Darren arrived in a trade last July. It was former manager Kevin Kennedy who insisted Bragg be included in the deal that sent pitcher Jamie Moyer to Seattle, saying, "I've always liked his fight." Almost immediately after his acquisition, the Red Sox turned their season around by winning 52 of their final 84 games. "The day Bragg joined us and showed he was a tough leadoff hitter was the day we seemed to start really picking up, assessed Kennedy. On August 24th, Darren hit the first HR by a left-handed hitter of ex-teammate Randy Johnson since 1992 - a grand slam."
• Commentary: When your regular outfield consists of Ken Griffey, Jr. in center and Jay Buhner in right, and you have a platoon system in left field, playing time would be at a premium at best to show that you have what it takes to play every day. Then it was fortunate for Darren William Bragg that the M's gave him that opportunity by trading him to Boston in a deadline deal in 1996. In 1997, Bragg's first opportunity to be an everyday player, he would appear in 153 games, hit for a .257 average, with 9 home runs, 57 runs driven in (usually batting second, eighth, or ninth) and stealing 10 bases. During his two-plus years in Beantown, Bragg would hit for a combined .264, score 154 runs, hit 20 homers, drive in 136 rbi's, steal 21 bases, and have percentages of .346/.395/.741. He would sign on with the Cardinals for the 1999 season, then continue his major league journey with the Rockies, Mets, Yankees, Braves, and Reds before calling it a career in 2004. Since retirement, Bragg has worked as a hitting coach and opened his own company helping out youngsters with their hitting.
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 4 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: 1956 Topps #88. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1998 Topps #281 Livan Hernandez '97 World Series Highlight

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, June 1, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1998 Topps #281.
• Player Name, position, team: Livan Hernandez, pitcher, Florida Marlins.
• Special: World Series Game 5, Florida 8, Cleveland 7.
• Blurb on the back: "A 22-year old in the World Series. A Cuban pitching in 35-degree wind chill. A guy who walked eight in a 142-pitch stamina-strainer. The planets didn't seem to be aligned for a Livan Hernandez victory, but they were as Florida took a three games-to-two lead with an 8-7 win over Cleveland. Supported by Moises Alou's third home run of the Classic, he settled in after a rocky start to become the first rookie since 1947 to win a second World Series game. Hernandez also topped the Indians in the opener."
  
• Any special information about this specific card: Sorry for the really bad scan. I don't know if you can describe the front of the card as total foil (akin to the 2002 Topps America: United We Stand cards), but other than the featured player (in this case Livan Hernandez) and the logos of the Indians, Marlins, and Topps, it's very hard to see the words numbers "'97" ghosted above and "World Series" along the edge of the card from a distance. You'd really have to get up close to see the details, down to the what I'm thinking is the runner on the base paths. Topps' description on the back of the card perfectly and dramatically describes the game situation and the eventual result, that of the Marlins winning game 5. Now there were seven cards in the '97 World Series subset, one for each game. But unlike previous years, there is no mention about which game is featured on the front of the card. You'd either have to assume that each card looks back on a specific game in order (when the cards are sorted in numerical sequence), or read the back of the card to find out for sure. On the back of the card as well, behind the text and the picture of Hernandez, there is a sketch of a newspaper with the headline of World Series! and the two teams' logos, but again, it would be hard to see either of them unless you took a really close look at the card.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.

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: 1960 Topps #377. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #226 Todd Worrell

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, May 7, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2007 Topps #567.
• Player Name, position, team: Todd Worrell, pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Major League Debut: August 28, 1985.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Dodgers): 72 G, 65.1 IP, 4-6, 29 R, 22 ER, 66 SO, 15 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 44 SV, 3.03 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Cardinals #1st, June 1982. Signed with the Dodgers as a Free Agent 12/09/1992. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 10. This is his tenth and final Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "So complete has been Todd's comeback from four years of arm woes that his saves totals the last two seasons are the two hightest in Dodger franchise history."
• Commentary: If and when the 2046 Topps Heritage product finally comes out (this is the one that should be honoring the 1997 design), I wonder if Topps will put the Astros players in red backgrounds and the Brewers green backgrounds to signify their present league allegiances. Will they honor their original legacies by leaving them as they were in 1997, or will they do a mix of both, creating SP variations?  I'll be seventy by then, probably long out of the Hobby. I hope someone would tell me about it though when the time comes. Most young players who are called up to the majors and are told that their role will be to replace one of the best closers in the game would either prevail or panic. When future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter left for Atlanta for the 1985 season, the Cardinals relied on a "closer by committee" bullpen with Jeff Lahti and Ken Dayley doing most of the wok, and they did very well (19 and 11 saves, 1.84 and 2.76 ERA's respectively). But when Todd Worrell was called up to the majors, Whitey Herzog believed that he had somebody special. Earning five saves down the stretch and striking out 17 of the 88 batters he faced, Herzog tabbed Worrell to be the closer during the Cardinals' run in the postseason. In seven postseason appearances, Todd went 1-1, finished three games, saved one in 11 innings of total work. The following year, he was named the teams regular closer. Still a rookie under the rules, Worrell went 9-10 with an ERA of 2.08 and a saved an NL leading 36 games. He was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 1986 (also won the Rolaids Relief Man Award), and by 1988, became the first pitcher ever to save more than 30 games in his first three full years of MLB service. All went well for Todd until September 4, 1989, when he felt a ligament snap during the game. He underwent elbow surgery which took him out for the 1990 season, and then was diagnosed with a rotator cuff tear which ended his 1991 season. By then, the Cards had signed Lee Smith as their closer. So when Worrell came back in 1992, he moved over to be the teams' top set-up pitcher. Wanting to return to the closer role, he signed with the Dodgers before the 1993 season. He struggled initially in his first two years with LA, but in 1995, pitched well enough to be the Dodgers' closer. After two solid years in the role, in which he saved a combined 76 games and earned two All-Star berths, Todd's final season in the majors was not necessarily the best, but still effective. Worrell went 2-6 with an ERA of 5.28, but saved 35 games and still struck out 61 batters. Since his playing days ended, Worrell has been active with both the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the ProHunt Charities . His brother Tim was a pitcher for 14 seasons, doing most of his best work with the Giants from 2001-03. All three of his sons were baseball players for Indiana Wesleyan University. Todd also owns the Firesteel Creek Hunting Lodge in Plankinton, SD, the site can be accessed by clicking the link here.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 18.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2000 Topps #324. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 2000 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #450 Mo Vaughn

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, November 6, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #450.
• Player Name, position, team: Mo Vaughn, first baseman, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: June 27, 1991.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Red Sox): 161 G, 635 AB, 118 R, 207 H, 29 2B, 1 3B, 44 HR, 143 RBI, 2 SB, .583 SLG, 95 BB, 154 SO, .326 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Red Sox, #1st, June 1989. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 13. This is his seventh Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Mo continues to pile up numbers that compares favorably with any of the great phantoms of Fenway.  Consider these comparisons:  First ML player with 40 HR's and 200 H's since Jim Rice in 1978...Most HR's (27) at the Fens since Fred Lynn and Rice in '79...Only Red Sox LH'er other than Ted Williams to hit 3 HR's in one game there...Most HR's by a Sox lefty since Yaz in '67...Most XBH's (74) by a Sox ince Tony Armas and Dwight Evans in '84...Highest AVG at Fenway (.381) since Wade Boggs in '91."
• Commentary: Look, it's another Mo Vaughn card!!!  We highlighted his 1999 Topps card just 19 days ago and now the Randomizer chooses his card from two years prior.  Love the fact that there is a lot of red featured on this card, thanks to the tradition of using Red for the AL books.  Also like the horizontally-oriented picture that features Vaughn's powerful swing.  Just two years removed from his magical MVP season of 1995, Vaughn, although not chosen for the AL All-Star Team, still put up incredible numbers in the '97 campaign even though he went on the DL due to knee surgery.  With a .315 average, 35 homers, 96 RBI's, and a .980 OPS, he still got votes for MVP.  
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 32 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be:  1991 Topps #85. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1991 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #15 Andy Ashby

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, October 22, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #15.
• Player Name, position, team: Andy Ashby, pitcher, San Diego Padres.
• Major League Debut: June 10, 1991.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Padres): 24 G, 150.2 IP, 9-5, 60 R, 54 ER, 85 SO, 34 BB, 24 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.23 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Phillies as a Free Agent 05/04/1986.  Traded by the Rockies to the Padres 07/27/1993.  Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 12. This is his sixth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Andy has quietly fashioned three consecutive outstanding seasons since 1993, a juncture at which his career ERA stood at an unencouraging (yes, that was the word Topps used) 6.77 after 50 ML games.  His improvement can be traced to junking his slider, adding a cut fastball and improving his control.  He has also improved his hitting.  A .146 swatter entering '96, he became (on April 16th), the first pitcher to record a four-hit game since 1993."
• Commentary: The 1997 Topps set combined the both a glossy (the picture) and matte (the border) finish to the cards, giving them a unique look and feel upon close inspection.  While a little more subdued with the 1996 Topps design, the reason why the cards of players from NL teams are in green while those in the AL were red were because for many years (and I don't know if they still make these now), MLB published press books for both leagues and they were called National League Green Book and American League Red Book.  The camera used to take this picture must have some long range zoom to get a shot that close.  I'm sure he was able to catch the ball, but the ball appears to be coming to him in slow motion in this picture.  After two years of travelling between Philadelphia and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Andy Ashby was selected by the Rockies in the 1992 Expansion Draft.  But when he went 0-4 for Colorado and an 8.50 ERA, he was traded to divisional rival San Diego before the July trading deadline.  In 1997, he went 9-11 with a 4.13 ERA and 144 strikeouts.  It was the following year when Ashby finally hit his stride holding his own with a 17-9 record and 3.34 ERA.  He was selected to the first of two consecutive NL All-Star teams that year as well.  At the end of the 1999 season, he was traded to the Phillies, but his originally team let him go again, this time sending him to the Braves (where he did rather well with an 8-6 record) for their annual playoff push.  He spent three seasons with the Dodgers later, he finished his career with the Padres in 2004.
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 13 card.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2001 Topps #349. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Jackie Robinson Day 2012

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

Thank you.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1989 Topps #710 Dave Cone

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, January 27, 2011:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1989 Topps #710.
• Player Name, position, team: Dave Cone, pitcher, New York Mets.
• Major League Debut: June 8, 1986.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1988 stats (Mets): 35 G, 231.1 IP, 20-3, 67 R, 57 ER, 213 SO, 80 BB, 28 GS, 8 CG, 4 SHO, 0 SV, 2.22 ERA.
• Any special information about players: Drafted by the Royals, #3rd, June 1981. Traded to the Mets from the Royals, 03/27/1987. Bats: left. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 18. This is his third card.
• Blurb on the back: "He earned his 1st major league Win: 05/12/1987. Recorded 1st major league Shutout: 05/03/1988."
• Commentary: Just two weeks ago, Cone appeared on this little segment thanks to the Randomizer. Now another Cone card shows up, and it's from my favorite set of all-time, the 1989 Topps set. The card from two years ago showed how great a pitcher Cone had become over the years. This card features Cone as he was making a name for himself as a pitcher to be reckoned with in the National League. A dominating 20-3 record, a stellar 2.22 ERA, 213 strikeouts, the Mets couldn't have asked for anything more from a young pitcher who seemed to be going nowhere the year before. He made his first All-Star team that year, placed third in the Cy Young voting, and even finished 10th in the NL MVP balloting. Because he only had three lines of major league statistics, his complete minor league stats are on the back of his card as well. We learn here that Cone was on the DL the entire year while assigned to Jacksonville in 1983, that while he showed visions of things to come in the lower leagues (including as a member of the Sarasota Royals "B" team), his stints with Memphis and Omaha didn't do him any favors. But he was called up anyway in 1986. But in a year where Orel Hershiser kept runners from scoring, and Danny Jackson would pitch a perfect game, the man my brother came to know as "Enoc" paced the Mets to the NL East division title.
• Beckett value: $0.02-$0.10.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 27 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1984 Topps #89. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #360 David Cone

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, January 6, 2011:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #360.
  Player Name, position, team: David Cone, pitcher, New York Yankees.
  Major League Debut: June 8, 1986.
  Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Yankees): 11 G, 72 IP, 7-2, 25 R, 23 ER, 71 SO, 34 BB, 11 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 2.88 ERA.
  Any special information about players: Drafted by the Royals, #3rd, June 1981. Traded to the Yankees from the Blue Jays, 07/28/1995. Bats: left. Throws: right.
  Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 18. This is his thirteenth card.
  Blurb on the back: "Among pitchers with 750 or more IP since 1992, only Greg Maddux (2.13) has a lower EAR than David's 3.15."
  Commentary: One of my brother's favorite memories of Harry Caray was when Cone faced the Cubs and Harry, who always liked to spell players' last names backwards, promptly announced on the air, "Cone, spelled backwards, is Enoc." For some reason, I enjoy it when my brother relates that story, even many years after he first heard it. It just reminds me when we were younger and just enjoying the summer at home. Cone made it to the other side of New York just in time for the stretch run. The Yankees may not have made it far into the playoffs (although he did earn a victory in the ALDS against the Mariners). But the following year, Cone helped the Yankees get to the World Series, including a win in the WS vs. the Braves in game 3.
  Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
  How many cards of this player do I own?: 27 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1989 Topps #559. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #191 Terry Adams

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, August 25, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #191.
• Player Name, position, team: Terry Adams, pitcher, Chicago Cubs.
• Major League Debut: August 10, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Cubs): 69 G, 101 IP, 3-6, 36 R, 33 ER, 78 SO, 49 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 4 SV, 2.94 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Cubs #4th June, 1991. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Adams' first regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). What was Topps to do. Certainly, they were going to continue making horizontally formatted cards, and looking at it this way, the way the name is set up so that it faces the picture makes sense aesthetically. But when putting it in a sheet with other cards, most of the vertically oriented variety, the name is upside down. Adams was a starter in the minor leagues, and upon was converted to a relief pitcher upon reaching the majors. And what a job he did. Deemed the closer of the future, Adams had a very successful run as one of the Cubs key setup men in 1996. And who can argue with a 2.94 ERA to go with 78 strikeouts? According to the blurb in the back (which for some reason is written in rather small text, which makes it even harder to read in the green background of the card back), "...Terry had a promising rookie year in a set-up role...despite some apprehension when first converted...'I thought it was like a punishment,' he recalls." At the end of the 1999 season, he was traded to the Dodgers, and thus began his journeyman career. From LA, he signed on with the Phillies for a couple of seasons, then the Blue Jays, traded to the Red Sox (in time to win a World Series ring), re-signed with the Phillies, and ended his career within the Pirates organization.
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 5 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: Thursday: 2000 Topps Traded and Rookies #T36. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

For Those Wondering Where I've Been...

I've been on vacation, and apparently did not set the Random Card of the Day posts properly while I've been out. That will be rectified this weekend. Hopefully.

When things go back to normal, here are a couple of the things I want to discuss on this humble, little blog:

• I went to the Schaumburg Flyers/Andre Dawson & Friends Celebrity Softball game on Wednesday, and have a number of pictures to post (have to sort through the blurry ones though). While I didn't get any autographs (lines were too long, and I don't really go for that kind of thing anyway), it was fun, and I want to share some comments about it when I get back.
• There seems to be a lot of Hobby related hatred lately. Why is that? Mike Mader, who runs the Topps Company's twitter account was hit with some criticism after he had suggested that there be some kind of forum at the National. The hatred (maybe the word is too harsh, but it's almost 3:00 in the morning, and I can't think straight right now) I've witnessed has been going on for a long time now, and it makes me wonder if there are people who really don't like what's happening in the Hobby, why even be in it??? I might be a bit naïve (okay, a lot naïve) when it comes to certain things related to the Hobby, but isn't what Mader is trying to suggest a good thing???
• And to continue with the "Hobby hatred," it seems that the blogosphere is all a-twitter (get it...) with the latest box break from the number one source of the hobby...to the point that it got pretty heated (from my vantage point) on the old "140 character" site. That will be discussed as well.
• Writing this blog has been a journey, and I received two e-mails from readers this week that I would like to share on here. Very positive stuff, not about what I write on this humble little blog, but about realizing what makes this Hobby of collecting great in general and the memories that the cards bring to people (which is kind of the point about collecting the stuff we do, isn't it???).

My vacation runs through the weekend and into the middle of next week, so I am sorry for the lack of posts lately. A lot of things have been going on (not bad at all...good things...) personally, so I've been focusing on that. Again, when life gets back to normal (depending on your definition of normal), I'll be posting again on a regular basis.

In the mean time, if you want to see the cards that the Topps Card Randomizer picked for this week, here you go:


The pictures have already been saved, it's just a matter of getting the posts in. I'll try and catch up during the vacation (which actually started last Saturday...) and be back with abandon by the middle of next week. Take care all.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #242 Mike Grace

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, July 29, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #242.
• Player Name, position, team: Mike Grace, pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies.
• Major League Debut: September 1, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Philless): 12 G, 80 IP, 7-2, 33 R, 31 ER, 49 SO, 16 BB, 12 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 0 SV, 3.49 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Phillies #10th June, 1991. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Grace's first and only Topps card (regular cards are just his base and traded cards only). The 1997 Topps set made it easy to distinguish which players played for which league. All National League players had green frames superimposed over the player's picture, while the American League players had red frames. The pictures themselves were glossy, while frames and borders surrounding left unglossed, a matte finish if you will. Grace played for five years in the majors, all with the Phillies. His 1996 season was his best one, with his 7-2 record in twelve appearances his career best. The blurb on the back reads that Grace had arm problems which held him out for the majority of the season. But when he was health, "he made some noise. On May 12th, he shut out the Braves on four hits, beating Greg Maddux..." which if you think about it, in the mid-1990's, that would have been the only way to do it! He would pitch for three more seasons, finishing with an even career record (16-16) and a 4.96 ERA.
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 1 card.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2004 Topps #410. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #133 Randy Myers

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, June 23, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #133.
• Player Name, position, team: Randy Myers, pitcher, Baltimore Orioles.
• Major League Debut: October 6. 1985.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Orioles): 62 G, 58.2 IP, 4-4, 24 R, 23 ER, 74 SO, 29 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 31 SV, 3.53 ERA.
• Any special information about players: Drafted by the Mets #1st (Special), June, 1982. Signed with the Orioles as a Free Agent 12/14/1995. Bats: left, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Myers' fifteenth (and final) regular Topps (total includes regular and traded cards only). The 1997 set used red and green frames depending on what league the player's team is from. Why red and green? Because for many years, the annual MLB League guides were called the Red Book for the American League and Green Book for the National League (which is also why they used those colors for the trim line along the player name box from the prior year's set). Randy had just finished his tour of duty with the Chicago Cubs, where he had gained quite a cult following, and signed with the Orioles to give the team an established closer. He had a very good year in 1996, with 31 saves, helping lead the O's to second place in the AL East, and the Wild Card berth. He would play for one more year with the O's, before finishing his career with the Blue Jays and Padres in 1998.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 17 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: Thursday: 1981 Topps #375. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #282 Darryl Strawberry

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

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #282.
• Player Name, position, team: Darryl Strawberry, outfielder, New York Yankees.
• Major League Debut: May 6, 1983.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Yankees): 63 G, 202 AB, 35 R, 53 H, 13 2B, 0 3B, 11 HR, 36 RBI, 6 SB, .490 SLG, 31 BB, 55 SO, .262 BA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Mets #1st, June 1980. Signed with the Yankees as a Free Agent 07/07/1996. Bats: left, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Strawberry's fifteenth regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only, not including all-star, combo, team leader, league leader, and draft pick cards). The 1997 Topps design was unique in the way they glossed the cards. Since 1994, Topps protected their cards with a little protective coating, akin to what was being used on their Stadium Club cards, to prevent fading, among other things. And while it makes the cards look all shiny, if cards are left alone for a very long time in stacks, or pressed together in boxes, they tend to stick. A LOT!!! In 1997, they found a way to alleviate the problem. They did use the "gloss" on the pictures, but the borders were left alone (in a matte-type finishing). You could literally feel the difference on the card. Too bad they couldn't replicate it whenever they did reprints utilizing this design. All NL players had the green framed-borders, the AL players shared the red ones (probably to match the annual green and red books that came out before each season). Darryl, at this point, was many years removed from his All-Star glory days with the Mets. Injuries and off the field problems limited him to no more than 50 games a season between 1991 & 1995. In fact, it looked like the Yankees gave up on him too. In 1996, he was playing for the Northern Leauge (Independent) St. Paul Saints before the Yankees re-signed him just in time for the playoff push, helping the Yankees get to, and win, the World Series. The back of the card indicates that he, as of the time of printing, and could possibly still be (can anybody double check), "the only man to play for the four original New York franchises (Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Yankees). I'm sure in this age of free agency, there may have been others who can make this claim in the last 13 years. Maybe, maybe not.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 50 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1979 Topps #157. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 1997 End of Year All-Star Teams Simulated Games Results

The holidays are finally over, and I have finally finished simulating the All-Star Games using my 1997 End of Year All-Star Teams. And for the second year in a row, the NL wins the seven game series. Will this translate to a victory in the one game All-Star Game???

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, Roger Clemens vs. Greg Maddux. The AL wins 5,219 games out of 10,000 simulations.
• Game 2: AL vs. NL, Brad Radke vs. Denny Neagle. The NL wins 5,262 games.
• Game 3: NL vs. AL, Shawn Estes vs. Andy Pettitte. The AL wins 5,858 games (using a DH).
• Game 4: NL vs, AL, Pedro Martinez vs. Randy Johnson. The NL wins 5,079 games (using a DH). Closest series of the seven. Back and forth lead changes between the two sides, and sixteen no-hitters between the two pitchers.
• Game 5: NL vs. AL, Darryl Kile vs. Jamie Moyer. The NL wins 5,111 games (using a DH).
• Game 6: AL vs. NL, Pat Hentgen vs. Curt Schilling. The NL wins 5,569 games.
• Game 7: AL vs. NL, anything goes. The NL wins 5,138 games.

So the NL wins the seven game series 5-2, including the ever important "anything goes" series. This seventh series seems to be a good indicator as to who wins the big one. Will this mean a win in the ASG?

For the official All-Star Game, I decided to just simulate one game and one game only. The starting pitchers were Clemens and Maddux 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 per side done this year (after figuring out how to do it properly!!!)

The starting lineups, first for the American League (I'm using 1998 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:


In what seems to be foreshadowing actual events, the 1997 AL All-Stars beat the 1997 NL All-Stars by a final score of 6-5 thanks to a ninth-inning comeback against a pitcher who would eventually become one of the most dominant in ML history.

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


The scoring plays were like this:

Top 2: Greg Maddux pitching. Albert Belle singles. Manny Ramirez flies out to Barry Bonds (7). Cal Ripken doubles, Belle advancing to third. Ivan Rodriguez grounds out to Jeff Kent (4-3), Belle scores, Ripken advancing to third. With Roger Clemens at bat, on a passed ball by Mike Piazza, Cal Ripken scores.

Top 3: Denny Neagle pitching. Roberto Alomar grounds out to Jeff Bagwell (3UP). Frank Thomas singles. Ken Griffey reaches on an error by Kent (E4), Thomas advancing to second. Albert Belle doubles, Thomas scores, Griffey thrown out at home trying to score (7-2).

Bottom 3: Brad Radke pitching. Chipper Jones singles. Denny Neagle strikes out. Barry Larkin singles, Jones advancing to third. Jeff Bagwell triples, Jones scores, Larkin scores. Sammy Sosa grounds out to Derek Jeter (6-3), Bagwell scores.

Bottom 5: Randy Johnson pitching. Vinny Castilla singles. Pedro Martinez walks, Castilla advancing to second. Mark Grudzielanek reaches on an error by Chuck Knoblauch (E4), Castilla advancing to third, Martinez advancing to second. Andres Galarraga strikes out. Larry Walker doubles, Castilla scores, Martinez scores, Grudzielanek thrown out at home trying to score (7-2).

Top 6: Darryl Kile pitching. Rusty Greer doubles. Paul O'Neill walks. Jeff Cirillo walks, Greer advancing to third, O'Neill advancing to second. Sandy Alomar singles, Greer scores.

Top 7: Jeff Shaw pitching. Chuck Knoblauch reaches first base and advances to second on an error by Moises Alou (E7). Tino Martinez strikes out. Jeromy Burnitz doubles, Knoblauch scores.

Top 9: Trevor Hoffman pitching. Omar Vizquel singles, advances to second on an error by Moises Alou (E7). Damion Easely walks. Mo Vaughn walks, Vizquel advancing to third, Easely advancing to second. Juan Gonzalez strikes out. Matt Stairs singles, Vizquel scores.

The MVP for the 1997 All-Star Game is Matt Stairs.
If this game actually existed, the MVP would have been Matt Stairs (1-1, game winning RBI). Doug Jones gets the win, Trevor Hoffman takes the loss, and Randy Myers earns the save. The only players who didn't get in the game were pitchers Jamie Moyer and Mariano Rivera from the AL and Rod Beck and Curt Schilling from the NL.

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 1997 All-Star Games are officially over, on Monday, I will introduce the 1998 End of Year All-Star teams. Simulations for games with those rosters to come by next Sunday.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama