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: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #T47 Glendon Rusch

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Monday, March 25, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #T47.
• Player Name, position, team: Glendon Rusch, pitcher, Milwaukee Brewers.
• Major League Debut: April 6, 1997.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Mets): 33 G, 179 IP, 8-12, 101 R, 92 ER, 156 SO, 43 BB, 33 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 4.63 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Royals #17th, June 1993. Traded by the Mets to the Brewers 01/21/2002. Bats: left. Throws: left.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 8. This is his fifth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "It's easy to see why the Brewers pursued Glendon. In 2000 and '01, he won 19 games for the Mets. Over those two seasons, Milwaukee was able to coax only nine wins from all their left-handed starters combined."
• Commentary: Here is another SP card found in the 2002 Topps Traded and Rookie set. Now I just received the actual sell sheets for this product. It is clear as day on the sheet what the original plans were. In the heading for base cards, here is what was described for prospects: "These 110 first-year big leaguers have never been seen on a Topps card. ONE IN EVERY PACK!" At 110 players, this meant that in every regular and jumbo pack of Topps, you'd only find ONE prospect card. Topps would have you buy at least three regular boxes of their product in the HOPES of getting all 110 cards without duplicates. Well, we all know what happened upon production and distribution, right? Because instead of the 110 prospects getting the "one-per-pack" treatment (which would also include the "35 prospects"...didn't all 145 players wind up with the word "Prospect" down the side of the card?"), the 105 veterans and 5 managers wound up being inserted "one-per-pack." I even bought a box of jumbos back in 2002 and got ten veteran cards and a ton of prospects and Who Would Have Thought cards (which in the sell sheet was supposed to be 20 cards wound up being 10). Okay, history lesson over, time for today's subject. Glendon James Rusch was a good pitcher, but played for some really bad Royals teams in the late 1990's. With a record of 12-25 and an ERA of 5.80, including a disastrous 6-15 campaign in 1998, it was no surprise that KC would jump at the chance to trade him out of town. And what better team to send him to than one in New York City. The Mets took a chance on the hard luck pitcher, and were immediately rewarded. In 2000, Rusch went 11-11 with a 4.01 ERA and struck out 157 batters. The Mets went on to win the NL Pennant that year, and in the playoffs, Glendon went a combined 1-0 with an ERA of 1.08 in six relief appearances. After a subpar 2001 campaign, Rusch was involved in a three-team, eleven-player trade that would send him to the Brewers. With Milwaukee in 2002, Rusch went 10-16 (leading the NL in losses), had an ERA of 4.70, 140 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.438 in 34 games, all starts. He wasn't much better the following year, as he only won 1 game against 12 losses in 32 games (19 starts). He signed with the Rangers as a free agent in the offseason, only to be released by the team before the end of spring training. The Cubs took a chance on signing him in the hopes of using him out of the bullpen four days later. He wound end up with a career low ERA of 3.57 for the Cubs that year, to go with his first real winning record (6-2) in a year that would see him join the starting rotation as injuries would take a toll on the team's two young starters. All was great for him until September, 2006, when he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung that was considered life threatening. He was released by the team with one year left in his contract and took 2007 off to recover. He mounted a comeback in 2008, first with the Padres, and then the Rockies. He retired from the game for good after the 2009 season.
• Beckett value: $0.75-$2.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 9 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1978 Topps #705. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #T27 Kenny Kelly

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, March 22, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #T27.
• Player Name, position, team: Kenny Kelly, outfielder, Seattle Mariners.
• Major League Debut: September 7, 2000.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (San Antonio, AA-Texas): 121 G, 478 AB, 72 R, 125 H, 20 2B, 5 3B, 11 HR, 46 RBI, 18 SB, .393 SLG, 45 BB, 111 SO, .262 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Devil Rays #2nd, June 1997. Contract purchased from the Devil Rays by the Mariners 04/04/2001. 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: "Kenny, signed as a minor league free agent, could be a diamond in the rough for the Mariners. After hitting .351 and making the all-prospect team in fall ball, he was elevated to Triple-A for 2002."
• Commentary: Of the 110 "Veterans and Managers" that were inadvertently short printed by Topps in their "brilliant" idea of short printing cards back in 2002, the one player that just didn't seem to belong in all of this was Kenny Kelly. Why? Because up until the card was produced, he had only two games of major league experience. And believe it or not, Kelly didn't even spend the 2002 season with the Mariners. Even though the picture was taken during spring training, Kelly spent the 2002 season with the M's Triple-A team in Tacoma. If anything, Kelly should have been lumped with the rookie...I mean "Prospects"...section of the set. But then again, as his first card was in the 2001 Topps set, that may be why he was "promoted" to veteran status. With the Rainiers, Kelly hit for a .248 average with 11 home runs and 53 rbi's. Kelly would not return to the majors until 2005, as he made a combined 24 appearances for the Reds and Nationals. He ended that season in the bigs with a .308 average with 2 rbi's. The 2005 season would be his last in the majors. He remained in the Nationals' organization through 2006, and signed with the White Sox as a minor league free agent in 2007. It would be his last professional season as a professional baseball player.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.75-$2.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 2.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1992 Topps #138. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Happy Birthday Nate Teut!!!

There was a player on the Marlins named Nate Teut, a pitcher who appeared in only two games back in 2002. He has cards in Bowman, and cards from those other guys, but no cards in the main Topps product. In his two games, one which was a spot start, he pitched through 7.1 innings, allowed 13 hits, 8 earned runs (9.82 ERA), struck out 4 batters, and walked 3 in his extremely brief major league career. He spent nine seasons in the minors, mostly in the Cubs organization, hanging it up for good in 2005.

Well, today is his birthday. Happy 37th Birthday Nate. I hope you have a good one.

Now if you haven't left this article yet, you may be wondering why I'm wishing Nate birthday well-wishes.

You'll have to find out tomorrow at 9:00 am CST to find out why.

Unless of course, you can figure it out and leave what you think my reasons are in the comments.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #393 Pat Rapp

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, December 7, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps #393.
• Player Name, position, team: Pat Rapp, pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Major League Debut: July 10, 1992.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Angels): 31 G, 170 IP, 5-12, 96 R, 90 ER, 82 SO, 71 BB, 28 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 4.76 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Giants, #15th, June 1989. Signed with the Pirates as a Free Agent 02/09/2002. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 7. This is his seventh and Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Pat held the Marlins' career strikeout record until Ryan Dempster surpassed him in 2001."
• Commentary:  (Forgive the run-on sentence here folks...it's a doozy).  Thanks to Topps Magazine (which did a feature on the 1992 MLB expansion draft), every time I hear, see, read about, or even think about Pat Rapp, besides wanting to put two "t's" after his first name, I always think of a nickname that Topps Magazine bestowed upon Rapp in honor of Chris Berman:  Pat "beats the" Rapp.  (Yikes, that sentence was too long.)  Pat Rapp was exposed by the Giants for the draft to fill the rosters of either the Marlins and Rockies.  Rapp was the 10th player selected (the fifth pick of the Marlins) in the draft.  His best year with the Marlins was in 1995, when he went 14-7 with and ERA of 3.44 (his career best) and 102 strikeouts.  However, on July 18, 1997, he was traded BACK to the Giants for a couple of minor leaguers, and missed out on being part of the Marlins World Series team.  What began afterwards was a journeyman career that saw him play for four teams in four seasons (the Royals, Red Sox, Orioles, and Angels).  In those four years, he had a record of 32-44 in 131 games (116 starts), with an ERA of 5.07, 410 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.557.  He did sign on with the Pirates but did not play with the team in the 2002 season.  In fact, with 2001 being his last as a major leaguer, the career statistics in the back are complete.      
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 7.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2009 Topps #508. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #93 Esteban Loaiza

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, January 25, 2011:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps #93.
• Player Name, position, team: Esteban Loaiza, pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays.
• Major League Debut: April 29, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Blue Jays): 36 G, 190 IP, 11-11, 113 R, 105 ER, 110 SO, 40 BB, 30 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 0 SV, 5.02 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Pirates as a Free Agent 03/21/1991. Traded by the Rangers to the Blue Jays 07/19/2000. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 10. This is his fifth card.
• Blurb on the back: "On Opening Day '01 Esteban defeated the world champ Yankees, yielding one run in seven innings."
• Commentary: Readers of this humble little blog already know what I feel about the 2002 Topps design, so I will spare all the details about it. I have a hard time spelling this guy's last name. I know it's LoAIza, but because of how I heard it pronounced when he was with the White Sox, I always believed it was LoIAza. Speaking of which, his best year happened to come after signing with the White Sox in 2003. With a 21-9 record, a 2.90 ERA, and a league leading 207 K's, there wasn't a better pitcher in the American League. He even started the ASG that year...at the newly named US Cellular Field. With the Blue Jays, Esteban went 25-28, striking out 259 batters (this is a three year season total boys and girls), and really needed that change of scenery. Everything fell together in 2003. His run of success didn't last long, though, and by the middle of 2004, Loaiza was traded to the Yankees in the middle of their run for the playoffs.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 21 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1983 Topps #618. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1983 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #142 Jimmy Haynes

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, October 5, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps #142.
• Player Name, position, team: Jimmy Haynes, pitcher, Milwaukee Brewers.
• Major League Debut: September 13, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Brewers): 31 G, 172.2 IP, 8-17, 98 R, 93 ER, 112 SO, 78 BB, 29 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 4.85 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Orioles #7th, June 1991). Traded by the Athletics to the Brewers 12/13/1999. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Haynes' fifth regular Topps card (totals include regular and traded cards only). I've already shared enough about what I think of the 2002 set (worst design of the decade), so I'll just skip the hostilities. Jimmy Haynes joined the Brewers starting rotation in 2000 and became the Brew Crew's ace (or at least the team's most durable arm). The following year wasn't much better. With an 8-17 record, and an ERA just hovering below 5, he wasn't getting a lot of help from a team that had crashed downwards with a 68-94 record. The blurb on the back did mention that in May 2001, Jimmy "found his zone. After holding the Phillies scoreless for eight innings, he shut out St. Louis for 7 2/3 in his next start." He rebounded rather nicely when signed with the Reds as a free agent the following year. He was last seen in the majors in 2004, but played in both the Tigers and Devil Rays organizations before calling it a career in 2005.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 8 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1994 Topps #404. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1994 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #285 Bobby Cox

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, September 3, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps #285.
• Player Name, position, team: Bobby Cox, manager, Atlanta Braves.
• Major League Debut: April 14, 1968. Managerial Debut: April 07, 1978.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Braves): 88-74 managerial record.
• Any special information about manager: Served as both GM and Manager 06/22/1990.
• Any special information about this specific card: Cox' fifteenth regular Topps card, fourteenth as a manager (total includes both Topps and Topps Traded cards). Believe it or not, although Bobby Cox' official rookie card is from 1969 (named to Topps' All-Star Rookie Team to boot), he has a card in the 1967 Topps Venezuelan set. Did you know that this is his second stint with the Braves??? I sure didn't until I bought my 1978 Topps set. How were they able to get him into the set as the manager, if he didn't start managing until 1978?? By the time this card came out, Cox was more than 11 seasons into his second run as the Braves field general. Looking it up, it seems that after being let go by the Blue Jays (he was their skipper for a few years too), Ted Turned convinced Cox to come back to Atlanta. Cox served as GM for a time, and even hired the man who he eventually replaced at the helm of a lowly Braves team in 1990. Who knew that after that sixth place finish that Cox would turn the Braves' fortunes around, becoming one of the most successful franchises in the 1990's and early 21st century? The Braves won the division (including the strike season) 15 straight times. FIFTEEN!!! They even won it all in 1995. And now, in his 25th year as the Braves' field general, has decided to call it a career. There is a whole generation of young adults who have never known another Braves manager than Bobby Cox. And whenever the time comes for the Veterans Committee to elect managers, as soon as the name Bobby Cox is eligible for the ballot, rest assured that he will be enshrined into Cooperstown as one of baseball's greatest managers.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 32 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1992 Topps #757. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #114 Derek Bell

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, August 5, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps #114.
• Player Name, position, team: Derek Bell, outfielder, Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Major League Debut: June 28, 1991.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Pirates): 48 G, 156 AB, 14 R, 27 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 0 SB, .288 SLG, 25 BB, 38 SO, .173 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Blue Jays #2nd June, 1987. Signed with the Pirates as a Free Agent 12/10/2000. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Bell's sixteenth and final regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only, does not include his 1991 MLB '90 Debut card). As 2001 was his final year in the majors, the stats on the back of his card are complete. Despite my opinion of the 2002 Topps set (the inconsistency of the shade of orange on the cards, the fact that orange was even considered a color choice on the border, I could go on), many of the picture choices used by Topps for the cards were excellent for the design element. The card above is a great example of what I mean. Nice clear action shot of Bell here as he is watching to see if he's launched one into the seats, or at least hit the ball out of the reach of an infielder for a base hit. And by the look of the fans blurred in the background, they're watching for the same thing. Bell had an incredible career in the 1990's, with his best years with the Astros. In 1994, he finished the season with a .334 average, 8 home runs, 87 rbi's,and 27 stolen bases. He and the rest of the Astros' Killer B's (Bagwell, Biggio, eventually Berkman...what is it with this team and B-named stars...) kept the Astros dominant in the mid 1990's, and a fun team to watch (unless they were playing the Cubs, then it was brutal!!!) So much so did Bell like playing for Houston that in 1998 and 1999, he financed the construction of new baseball fields for the city's YMCA.
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 19 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1999 Topps Traded and Rookies #T108. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #623 Andy Pettitte

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, June 25, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1988 Topps #735.
• Player Name, position, team: Andy Pettitte, pitcher, New York Yankees.
• Major League Debut: April 29, 1995.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Yankees): 31 G, 200.2 IP, 15-10, 103 R, 88 ER, 164 SO, 41 BB, 31 GS, 2 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.99 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Yankees 22nd, June 1990. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Pettitte's eighth regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). In horizontal form, the 2002 Topps design actually looks nice. Yes, they've wasted a lot of room where the Topps logo is, and the ribbon where the name is located is a lot longer than if the card was vertically oriented; but it still looks good. Pettitte's looks like he's ready to throw a 90+ mph fastball at the poor batter standing at the plate. The blurb on the back mentions that Andy "was named MVP of the 2001 ALCS...when Pettitte starts in postseason games, the Yanks are now 17-5." By this time this card was out,, Pettitte was a four-time World Series winner, a two-time All-Star, and a perennial Cy Young candidate. And his best was still to come.
• Beckett value: $0.10-$0.30.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 45 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1983 Topps #514. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #17 Bobby Jones

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, June 9, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps #17.
• Player Name, position, team: Bobby Jones, pitcher, San Diego Padres.
• Major League Debut: August 14, 1993.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Padres): 33 G, 195 IP, 8-19, 137 R, 111 ER, 113 SO, 38 BB, 33 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 5.12 ERA.
• Any special information about players: Drafted by the Mets #1st, June 1991. Signed with the Padres as a Free Agent 02/15/2001. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Jones' eleventh regular Topps (total includes regular and traded cards only). I'm not going to go into specifics again about how much I'm not a fan of the 2002 set, so let's forget that. And for once, I'll try and look at the positives of this set. Let's see, nice use of ribbons, lots of picture space here, nice shot of Jones in spring training. It has to be. You can't look this relaxed when you're leading the league in losses (which he did with 19 in 2001). I had to make sure that the link to Baseball Reference had the correct Bobby Jones. Because there are at least four of them who played MLB, including Robert Joseph Jones (our subject for today), and Bobby Jones (Robert Mitchell Jones) who also happened to play around the same time (I think they even pitched a game against each other if I recall). There are also two other players named Bob Jones, but they played either in the early part of the century or in the mid 70's to early 80's, so it's not them. The back of the card reads that Bobby "was one of only eight pitchers to post a .500 or better record each year from 1994 to 2000." Which is great. But then you see his statistics for 2001 and find that it probably wasn't his best season ever. He did become an All-Star in 1997, something that I didn't even remember. And I like the All-Star Game.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 12 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1987 Topps #117. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #225 Ichiro Suzuki

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, May 22, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps #225.
• Player Name, position, team: Ichiro Suzuki, outfielder, Seattle Mariners.
• Major League Debut: April 2, 2001.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Mariners): 157 G, 691 AB, 127 R, 242 H, 34 2B, 8 3B, 8 HR, 69 RBI, 56 SB, .457 SLG, 30 BB, 53 SO, .350 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Mariners as a Free Agent 11/22/2000. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Suzuki's second regular Topps card (total includes base and traded cards only). Okay, I might as well put it out there. Why I'm not a big fan of the 2002 Topps design. Is it because of the large picture? No. Is it because of the ribbons used on the top left corner and the name banner? No. Is it because of the words 2002 Topps above the picture? No. Then why? Why? What's the matter with the 2002 design? The orange. Orange!!! The inconsistent orange color. Can you even call it orange? What color is it??! They could have picked any shade of color, and they came up with this? At least the 2001 set was the perfect shade of green, and the 2003 set was the perfect shade of blue. This set looks to be a few shades away from what orange should be. (And before you say anything, at least with the 1999 Topps design, the borders were so thin that the picture dominates the card...that's a good thing). There is also so much space at the bottom left where the "Topps" logo is, it just feels like there could have either been a better use of space, or at least even the positions of both the team logo and the Topps logo (so the word Topps is on the top left ribbon), but that might make having the words "2002 Topps" in white letters a bit too repetitive. Okay, enough discussion on the design. In the history of Major League Baseball. Nobody...and I mean NOBODY...carried great expectations coming into a season than Ichiro Suzuki. Already one of the greatest players in Japan, many wondered how he would adjust playing in the USA? Until he (and Tsuyoshi Shinjo showed up), the only Japanese players in MLB were pitchers. This guy was an outfielder. Meaning he'd have to hit and play the field. Already a legend in his homeland, how would he fare here? The media hounded him daily, and those were just of the Japan press. The pressure was on. How would he do? Well, by the end of the 2001 season, not only did the Mariners come away with one of the best records in baseball EVER (116-46), but Ichiro led the league in batting average (a staggering .350, 242 hits/692 ab's), and won every award possible. He became the first player since Fred Lynn in 1975 to be named the AL's Rookie of the Year and it's Most Valuable Player in the same season. He was also voted as a starter in the 2001 All Star Game, but also won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. And if you thought there would be a let down after that...you're still waiting for it because it hasn't happened, and nine seasons later, it probably won't.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.40-$1.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 127 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: 1973 Topps #412. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #335 Rickey Henderson Season Highlight

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, April 21, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps #335.
• Player Name, position, team: Rickey Henderson, outfielder, San Diego Padres.
• Special: Season Highlights: Henderson Reaches 3,000 Hit Plateau
• Any special information about this specific card: There really wasn't much else left that Rickey needed to do in baseball. He pretty much accomplished everything a legendary baseball player could possibly accomplish. He's won multiple World Series, he's a Gold Glove Winner, won a few 1981 Silver Slugger Awards, he was the 1990 AL MVP, and, oh yeah, he's the All-Time Stolen Base King!!! He also is the scored the most runs in MLB history, and for a while, was the MLB leader in walks too (and was the subject of another card in the 2002 Topps set)...but that's not what this specific card highlights. On October 7, 2001, on what was to be Tony Gwynn's final game in the majors, Rickey led off the bottom of the first, and hit the first pitch he saw to right field, stopping at second base. This double would become Rickey's 3,000th career hit. And for the first time ever, two National League teammates were members of the 3,000 hit club. Said Gwynn afterwards, "Of all the things I wanted to have happen today, Rickey getting his 3,000th hit was at the top of the list." This would also be Rickey's only plate appearance, thus ending his season as well. The card itself is printed on a foil board surface, which was not used for the regular players cards. This gives the card a reflective shine that makes the card look like it's a gold card. Ironically, for those looking to complete their 2002 Topps Gold card sets, this wasn't one of the cards the gold card treatment (quite frankly, any card printed using the same foil-plated surface didn't not get a gold card parallel).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.20-$0.50.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1976 Topps #481. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #T242 Garrett Guzman

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, April 16, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #T242.
• Player Name, position, team: Garrett Guzman, outfielder, Minnesota Twins.
• Major League Debut: n/a.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (GCL Twins): 39 G, 138 AB, 22 R, 49 H, 14 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 4 SB, .572 SLG, 9 BB, 16 SO, .355 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Twins #10th, June 2001. Bats: left, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Guzman's first (and so far only) regular Topps card. If there was ever a case FOR the Rookie Card rules mandated by the MLBPA, this would be one of them. In the battle to get the most rookies onto the regular cards, prospects like Garrett Guzman found their way onto the Traded and Rookies sets that came out at the end of the year. If Topps had followed the 2006 guidelines back in 2002, Garrett Guzman would have been included in the Bowman Prospects insert set instead of the Topps Traded set. Guzman has yet to make it to the major leagues, and is now a journeyman minor leaguer. A car accident almost ended his career in 2005, and off the field issues aside (I know what they are, and you might know what they are, but this is a family blog, so please don't post anything about it in the comments, got it??!) are among the number of obstacles that has taken him off the road to the majors. In 2009, he was last seen playing for Camden Riversharks of the independent Atlantic League. And there is no sign of him anywhere in the 2010 MLB or MiLB rosters.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.15-$0.40.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 1 card.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1995 Topps #188. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #T220 Andy Van Hekken

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, April 1, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies #T220.
• Player Name, position, team: Andy Van Hekken, pitcher, Detroit Tigers.
• Major League Debut: September 3, 2002.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (minors): 27 G, 158.2 IP, 15-4, 72 R, 64 ER, 111 SO, 41 BB, 27 GS, 2 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 3.64 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Mariners #3rd, June 1998. Traded by the Mariners to the Tigers 06/27/1999. Bats: right, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: Van Hekken's first (and so far only) regular Topps card. Where do I begin with 2002 Topps Updates and Highlights? The concept, if you didn't know, was that Topps decided that they wanted to short-print the rookies/prospect cards (165 cards, ten were of a subset called "Who Would Have Thought" featuring ten players who you would have never imagined playing for another team...it was an insert set in the 2001 Topps Traded set...). It was a 275-card set, and they wanted to short print almost more than ½ of the set. Somewhere along the way, somebody made a mistake. Because instead of printing less of the rookie/prospects (ALL THE ROOKIES AND PROSPECT CARDS HAD A HUGE "PROSPECTS" WRITTEN ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CARD, Topps printed less sheets of the first 110 cards in the set, which featured the veterans and managers who were traded/replaced during the 2002 season. Every 10-card pack of 2002 Topps Traded and Rookies card had one veteran card (#'d 1-110) and NINE OF THESE PROSPECT CARDS!!! I bought two hobby boxes, about 36 packs per box, and was, by the time I was done sorting through the damage, 38 CARDS SHORT!!! WHAT??! It was quite an adventure to complete the veterans set. I do remember when I was selling heavily on eBay that I was offering free shipping on a card I sold if they had any of the missing cards I needed. Eventually, I did complete the set. Back to the player. Van Hekken is one of just a handful of players who pitched a complete game shutout in his major league debut. He blanked the Indians 4-0 on September 3, 2002. However, because he played for the Tigers in the early 21st century, he didn't win another game afterwards. He finished the season with a 1-3 record, and a decent 3.00 ERA. He hasn't pitched in the majors since. Since 2002, he has bounced around the minor league systems of the Braves, Reds, Royals, and Astros. As of 2009, he was pitching for the Astros' minor league affiliates in Corpus Christi (AA-Texas) and Round Rock (AAA-PCL). As of 03/29/2010, he was signed by the Astros as a Free Agent. And with the injuries to some of the Astros pitchers, looks to make the team when they break camp this weekend. So after years of minor league ball, it looks like Van Hekken will be a major leaguer once more. Congratulations, and good luck to you Andy.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.15-$0.40.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 1 card.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2003 Topps #43. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 2002 End of Year All-Star Teams Simulated Games Results

I have finally finished simulating the All-Star Games using my 2002 End of Year All-Star Teams. For those wondering why it's taken so long to get this post up...let's just say that's it's been a very busy couple of weeks here and I haven't had much of an opportunity to run the simulations until this past weekend. But enough of that.

Anyway, after being shut out by the 2001 National League All-Star team (the second time in three years that the NL team blanked the AL), will the 2002 American League team recover and put the junior circuit back on the winning track? We'll see.

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: NL vs. AL, Randy Johnson vs. Pedro Martinez. The AL wins 5,889 games out of 10,000 simulations (using a DH).
• Game 2: NL vs. AL, Curt Schilling vs. Barry Zito. The NL wins 5,005 games (using a DH). Closest series EVER!!!
• Game 3: AL vs. NL, Derek Lowe vs. Roy Oswalt. The AL wins 5,386 games. Lowe pitched 13 no hitters in this series.
• Game 4: AL vs, NL, Roy Halladay vs. Tom Glavine. The AL wins 5,693 games.
• Game 5: AL vs. NL, Jarrod Washburn vs. Kevin Millwood. The NL wins 5,552 games.
• Game 6: NL vs. AL, Hideo Nomo vs. Mark Mulder. The AL wins 5,341 games (using a DH).
• Game 7: AL vs. NL, anything goes. The AL wins 5,476 games (using a DH).

The American League wins the series 5-2, and the ever important "anything goes" series. And the AL is now 9-7 in the seven game series. But the NL presently have a 9-6 lead in the one-game ASG. This seventh series seems to be a good indicator as to who wins the big one. Does this mean good luck for the junior circuit?

For the official All-Star Game, I decided to just simulate one game and one game only. The starting pitchers were Johnson and Martinez 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). The DH's (Ryan Klesko of the NL and Jason Giambi of the AL) were never replaced.

The starting lineups, first for the National League (I'm using 2003 Topps cards because these are the cards I used to represent the players on my All-Star teams):


Now the American League starting lineup:


Here is the result:


The 2002 AL All-Stars beat the 2002 NL All-Stars by a final score of 6-5 in a 10 inning game (what was it about 2002 and extra inning All-Star Games??? Were both leagues evenly matched???).

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


The scoring plays were as follows:

Bottom 2: Johnson pitching. Troy Glaus singles. Manny Ramirez strikes out. Jason Giambi draws a walk, Glaus advances to second. Jim Thome flies to Barry Bonds (7). Jorge Posada hits a home run, Glaus scoring, Giambi scoring.

Bottom 3: Curt Schilling pitching. Alfonso Soriano hits a double. Torii Hunter grounds out to Jeff Kent (4-3), Soriano advances to third. Alex Rodriguez grounds out to Jimmy Rollins (6-3), Soriano scoring.

Top 5: Derek Lowe pitching. Lance Berkman strikes out. Ryan Klesko hits a home run.

Top 6: Jarrod Washburn pitching. Edgar Renteria singles. Luis Castillo singles, Renteria advances to second. Larry Walker draws a walk, Renteria advances to third, Castillo advances to second. Albert Pujols singles Renteria scoring, Castillo scoring. Billy Koch pitching. Lance Berkman grounds into a double play (GDP 6-4-3), Pujols out by force (6-4), Walker advances to third. Ryan Klesko draws a walk. Paul LoDuca singles, Walker scoring.

Top 9: Eddie Guardado pitching. Aaron Boone hits a home run.

Bottom 9: Eric Gagne pitching. Jason Giambi strikes out. Mike Sweeney flies out to Chipper Jones (7). A. J. Pierzynski hits a double. Magglio Ordoñez hits a single, Pierzynski advances to third. John Smoltz pitching. Adam Kennedy singles, Pierzynski scoring.

Bottom 10: John Smoltz pitching. Miguel Tejada singles. Eric Hinske strikes out. Carlos Beltran grounds out to Aaron Boone (5-3), Tejada advances to second. Jason Giambi reaches second on an error by Brian Giles (E8), Tejada scores.

Your starters, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez. Troy Percival is the MVP.
In the first ever extra-inning All-Star Game simulation, the American League squeak by the National League in 10 innings. If this game actually existed, the MVP award would have gone to Troy Percival (W, 1.1 innings, three strikeouts). Percival takes the win , John Smoltz gets the loss, and the only players who didn't get in the game were pitchers Jose Mesa & Hideo Nomo from the NL and Mark Mulder from the AL.

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 NL .DAT file, then the AL .DAT file:




Now that the 2002 All-Star Games are officially over, at 9:00 AM CST on Tuesday, I will introduce the 2003 End of Year All-Star teams. Simulations for games with those rosters to come hopefully by Sunday night.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's End of Year MLB All-Star Teams: 2002 Edition

It's 2002 now, and my wife, my daughter, and I spent part of the year waiting for the new addition to our family, and the rest of the year taking care of our new baby boy. Our son joined us in July, a 6 pound, 3 ounce miracle. And the story of his birth will never be forgotten. Although as the years have gone by, the story has gotten wilder and wilder with every re-telling. Let's just say that nobody's mind is alert at 3:00 in the morning. My baseball card collection, some of which has already been manhandled by my daughter, is starting to grow at this point, thanks to being able to take her to card shows all over the area. And the card shop that I spent a lot of time (and money) in kept adding more kerosene to my wanting more cards. But 2002 is the year of a lot of changes. None bigger than bringing home my son, and the eventual reality of having to search for a new home.

Baseball in 2002 consisted of the Angels shocking the world by winning their first World Series. The Cubs didn't go anywhere...AGAIN. Neither did the White Sox. Both the Twins and Expos were on the verge of contraction. Thank goodness that never became a reality, although the powers that ran MLB really made it challenging for the team in Montréal. In between the diapers, pullups, baby food, baby toys, and all other things scattered around our apartment by now, I still named players for my All-Star Teams. Granted the time to do it was not always available, but in between morning wakeup calls, I was able to get this fun little endeavor done for the 16th straight year. Somehow, the paper I used to name my teams is still intact. So before it becomes more crumpled and illegible, I am ready to bring them to life, thanks to the internet and the baseball simulation.

This year's teams include 10 pitchers on each team (six starters, four closers), and the usual 3 players per position (1b, 2b, 3b, ss, c, 9 of), and because the 2003 ASG would be in Chicago (at the newly named U. S. Cellular Field), each team included a DH. The middle reliever position used last year was put on the shelf for now, keeping the rosters at 35 players per team.

Without further ado, for the first time online, I am proud to introduce my 2002 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams (in alphabetical order by position):

(Nothing to see here...really!)

American League First Basemen Rafael Palmeiro, Rangers Mike Sweeney, Royals Jim Thome, Indians Second Basemen Bret Boone, Mariners Adam Kennedy, Angels* Alfonso Soriano, Yankees* Third Basemen Tony Batista, Orioles Troy Glaus, Angels Eric Hinske, Blue Jays* Shortstops Nomar Garciaparra, Red Sox Alex Rodriguez, Rangers Miguel Tejada, Athletics Outfielders Garret Anderson, Angels Carlos Beltran, Royals* Robert Fick, Tigers Torii Hunter, Twins* Magglio Ordoñez, White Sox Manny Ramirez, Red Sox Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners Bernie Williams, Yankees Randy Winn, Devil Rays* Catchers A. J. Pierzynski, Twins* Jorge Posada, Yankees Ivan Rodriguez, Rangers Designated Hitter: Jason Giambi, Yankees Pitchers Eddie Guardado, Twins* Roy Halladay, Blue Jays* Billy Koch, Athletics* Derek Lowe, Red Sox Pedro Martinez, Red Sox Mark Mulder, Athletics Troy Percival, Angels Ugueth Urbina, Red Sox Jarrod Washburn, Angels* Barry Zito, Athletics* Manager: Mike Scioscia, Angels The Starters: 1B: Thome 2B: Soriano 3B: Glaus SS: Rodriguez OF: Hunter OF: Ramirez OF: Suzuki C: Posada DH: Giambi P: Martinez *First-Time All-Star

National League First Basemen Jeff Bagwell, Astros Todd Helton, Rockies Richie Sexson, Brewers Second Basemen Luis Castillo, Marlins* Jeff Kent, Giants Jose Vidro, Expos Third Basemen Aaron Boone, Reds* Mike Lowell, Marlins* Scott Rolen, Cardinals Shortstops Jose Hernandez, Brewers* Edgar Renteria, Cardinals Jimmy Rollins, Phillies Outfielders Lance Berkman, Astros Barry Bonds, Giants Brian Giles, Pirates Shawn Green, Dodgers Vladimir Guerrero, Expos Chipper Jones, Braves Albert Pujols, Cardinals Sammy Sosa, Cubs Larry Walker, Rockies Catchers Paul LoDuca, Dodgers Mike Piazza, Mets Benito Santiago, Giants Designated Hitter: Ryan Klesko, Padres* Pitchers Eric Gagne, Dodgers* Tom Glavine, Braves Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks Jose Mesa, Phillies Kevin Milwood, Braves Hideo Nomo, Dodgers Roy Oswalt, Astros* Curt Schilling, Diamondbacks John Smoltz, Braves Mike Williams, Pirates* Manager: Jim Tracy, Dodgers The Starters: 1B: Helton 2B: Kent 3B: Rolen SS: Rollins OF: Bonds OF: Guerrero OF: Sosa C: Piazza DH: Klesko P: Johnson

Twenty players are first-time all-stars (12 for the American League, 8 for the Nationals). One-person teams on my 2002 rosters include the Devil Rays (Winn), Indians (Thome), Orioles (Batista), Tigers (Fick), White Sox (Ordoñez), Cubs (Sosa), Mets (Piazza), Pirates (Williams), and Reds (Boone). Both the Angels and Red Sox send five representatives to the AL roster, leading both leagues. The Braves and Dodgers each send four players to the NL squad.

As always, seven regular games (10,000 simulations each, six with the same starting pitchers, one where lineups and starting pitchers change), and one All-Star Game will be simulated during the course of the week. I hope to have the results of all the games by the end of the week.

Now it's time for me to create the .DAT files before getting the games set. Game results coming next week.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 2001 End of Year All-Star Teams Simulated Games Results

I have finally finished simulating the All-Star Games using my 2001 End of Year All-Star Teams. Featuring a number of players who would dominate the headlines in the first decade of the new millennium, who would prevail? Keep on reading below.

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. Randy Johnson. The NL wins 6,203 games out of 10,000 simulations. As in previous series featuring Johnson, many 20-strikeout performances (11), and many no hitters (10). This series included a game where he struck out 23 batters.
• Game 2: AL vs. NL, Mark Mulder vs. Curt Schilling. The AL wins 5,214 games.
• Game 3: NL vs. AL, Matt Morris vs. Jamie Moyer. The AL wins 5,202 games (using a DH).
• Game 4: NL vs, AL, Jon Lieber vs. Freddy Garcia. The AL wins 6,016 games (using a DH).
• Game 5: NL vs. AL, Greg Maddux vs. C. C. Sabathia. The NL wins 6,043 games (using a DH).
• Game 6: AL vs. NL, Joe Mays vs. Russ Ortiz. The NL wins 5,770 games.
• Game 7: AL vs. NL, anything goes. The NL wins 5,313 games.

So the NL wins the seven game series 4-3, coming back from a 3-1 deficit. And they win the ever important "anything goes" series. We've seen how important this seventh series seems to be when predicting a winner in the one game ASG. Will this mean a win for the NL?

For the official All-Star Game, I decided to just simulate one game and one game only. The starting pitchers were Clemens and Johnson 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. Due to a bit of a glitch, (me forgetting to replace the defense in the seventh inning), pinch hitters are used in the bottom of the seventh, slowly inserting the third defensive unit into the game. Double switches were performed on both sides when the case allowed it.

The starting lineups, first for the American League (I'm using 2002 Topps cards because these are the cards I used to imagine my All-Star teams):


Now the National League starting lineup:


Here is the result:


The 2001 NL All-Stars blank the 2001 AL All-Stars by a final score of 4-0. The game was dominated by the pitching squads on both sides, but the NL squad takes the game, due in large part of a Roger Clemens meltdown in the first.

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


The scoring plays were like this:

Bottom 1: Roger Clemens pitching. Rich Aurelia doubles. Jeff Kent strikes out. Barry Bonds walks. Sammy Sosa walks, Aurelia advancing to third, Bonds advancing to second. Luis Gonzalez grounds into a fielders choice (4-6), Aurelia scores, Sosa out at second base, Gonzalez safe at first. Chipper Jones hits a double, Bond scores, Gonzalez scores.

Bottom 5: Freddy Garcia pitching. Gary Sheffield draws a walk, advances to second on a wild pitch. Vladimir Guerrero flies out to Mike Cameron (8), Sheffield advancing to third. Lance Berkman singles, Sheffield scores.

The MVP for the 2001 All-Star Game is Randy Johnson.
If this game actually existed, the MVP would have been Randy Johnson (2 innings, five strikeouts). Curt Schilling picks up the win, even though it should have been awarded to Johnson (the simulations does take into account the five inning rule for a win). Roger Clemens takes the loss, and the only players who didn't get in the game were pitchers Joe Mays, Mariano Rivera, and Kazuhiro Sasaki from the AL and Kyle Farnsworth, Jon Lieber, and Trevor Hoffman.

In fifteen All-Star Series, the AL has a 8-7 lead in series play, but the NL has a 9-6 record in the one-game All-Star Game.

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 2001 All-Star Games are officially over, on Monday, I will introduce the 2002 End of Year All-Star teams. Simulations for games with those rosters to come by next Sunday.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2002 Topps #489 David Ortiz

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, February 17, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2002 Topps #489.
• Player Name, position, team: David Ortiz, designated hitter, Minnesota Twins.
• Major League Debut: September 2, 1997.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2001 stats (Twins): 89 G, 303 AB, 48 R, 71 H, 17 2B. 1 3B, 18 HR, 48 RBI, 1 SB, .475 SLG, 40 BB, 68 SO, .234 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed by Mariners as a Free Agent 11/28/1992. Traded by the Mariners to the Twins 08/29/1996. Bats: left, Throws: left.
• Any special information about this specific card: German's fourth regular Topps card (total does not include parallels or cards from other sets). Before becoming the man we now know as "Big Papi" David Arias was just struggling to stay in the big leagues. Signed by the Mariners, he was the player to be named later in a trade that sent Dave Hollins to the M's. With the Twins (who were at the time on the precipice of contraction), Ortiz showed flashes of power that he would eventually be known for with the Red Sox. He went on a 10-RBI "indulgence...(Topps' word, not mine) from April 8 to 11, homered in four straight games in August, and launched four more bombs in a three game stretch in September. Alas, he was released by the Twins after the 2002 season, and signed with the Red Sox not long afterwards. The rest, as they say, is history. I know the Twins are doing rather well themselves, but I'm sure they're kicking themselves for letting this guy go.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.20-$0.50.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 84 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1991 Topps Traded #118T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Cards That Make You Go...What??! of the Week: 2002 Topps Archives Best Years Edition Gibson #68, Hernandez #85, Carter #105, and Dawson #147

Starting this week, we are bringing back one of my favorite segments of the blog, "Cards that make you go WHAT??! of the Week." It's been quite a while since this humble little blog had one of these kinds of posts. So with the new year comes a new WHAT??!.

For those of you who are new to the blog, whenever the word "WHAT??!" appears on any of my posts, it means, "What was Topps thinking???" I'll try to post a card or two that for any reason makes me wonder what went through the minds of the people working at the Topps company when they created or designed the cards in question. As the title suggests, I'll be discussing one of my favorite sets, the 2002 Topps Archives "Best Years" Edition, and four cards within it that make me wonder what Topps was thinking upon creating their cards.

Following the massive success known as 2001 Topps Archives, the Topps company brought back the Archives name in 2002, but instead of reprinting another 200 players' first and last cards, they picked 175 players, some who didn't even appear in the previous year's set, and reprinted the Topps card that represents that person's "Best Year" in the majors (hence the official name of 2002 Topps Archives: "Best Years" Edition). And what a job they did. In many cases, you can't argue with some of the choices. Roger Maris is in the set, and the card Topps reprinted was the 1961 Topps card (in honor of his 61 home runs plus MVP in 1961). Dennis Eckersley's best year (according to Topps) was 1992, when he not only won the Cy Young award, but the AL MVP award too. He deserved both awards, as he went 7-1, saved 51 games, and had an ERA of 1.91. In honor of his 1992 effort, they reprinted the Eck's 1992 card. What was cool about this set was that the card backs of each of the players not only had more easy to read card numbers (compared to 2001 Archives...magnifying glass anyone???), but in the ever so important statistics line, they even ADDED the stat year of that year's card. So in the case of Eck's card 1992 card, you could actually read his 1992 stats.

How cool is that???

It should come as no surprise that some players' best years came after their first year with a new team. In baseball, as in other sports, sometimes a change of scenery is all that is needed to bring out the best in an athlete's performance on the field. In the case of the four players listed above, that is exactly what happened.

Gary Carter's best year (according to Topps) was 1985. He was traded to the Mets after a 11 year stint with the Montréal Expos, and promptly hit 32 home runs, drove in 100 runs, and had a batting average of .281 for the Metropolitans. In honor of that "best year," Topps reprinted his 1985 Topps card. One problem though. I said that he played for the Mets in 1985. So why did they reprint his 1985 Topps card as a member of lés Expos???


Willie Hernandez was the star closer for the 1984 Detroit Tigers. And like Eckersley in 1992, he was not only the 1984 Cy Young Award winner, but also the AL Most Valuable Player. His numbers were a dominating (for 1984 standards) 9-3, 1.92 ERA, and 32 saves. The year before, Willie was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. During the offseason, the Phillies traded Hernandez and Dave Bergman to the Tigers for Johnny Wockenfuss and Glenn Wilson. Who do you think got the better end of this deal? The point is that even though the back of the card shows Willie's 1984 power numbers with the Tigers, his reprinted card shows him as a member of the Phillies!!!


Andre Dawson being named MVP in 1987 was impressive because he won the award while playing for a last place team, the Chicago Cubs. After spending many years playing on the carpet at Olympic Stadium in Montréal, he agreed to a blank contract with the Cubs. Basically, he told the team to choose how much to pay him. So what did a one-year, $700,000 deal get the Cubs? How about a player who hit a league leading 49 home runs and drove in 137 runs. Those numbers, along with the fact that he was a Cub when he had them, are on the back of the card (see below). But instead of showing "The Hawk" in Cubbie blue, his 1987 Topps card has him as a member of the Expos.



One more example before I begin my rant...Kirk Gibson is also in this set. His "best year," according to Topps, was 1988. Signing with the Dodgers after the 1987 season, he was named the NL MVP the following year. And who could forget that game winning home run in the '88 World Series, against Eckersley no less? If he played for the Dodgers in 1988, and looking at his lifetime stats, this was definitely his best year, why is he depicted as a Detroit Tiger?


You get the idea?

It's not like Topps couldn't reprint the TOPPS TRADED card of each of the above players. I mean, 2001 Topps Archives had a Traded card reprinted for Ron Cey (1987 Topps Traded), so why couldn't they reprint each player's "traded" card, and actually show each of them in the uniform of the team they had their career year?

Regardless of this tiny little oversight, 2002 Topps Archives is still a great looking set. I wish they could have continued on this theme in 2003. But then, we wouldn't have the Fan Favorites series that we all love so much (I mean that seriously, not sarcastically).

But Topps...

What were you thinking??!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

P.S. If I was smart, I would have scanned the actual Topps Traded cards of the four players mentioned. What was I thinking??! jba