2011 Topps Archives: Bob Cerv

Unless you were grew up in the 1950's and 60's, or unless you are a die hard Yankees fan, you're probably looking at that name and going..."Huh???" Well, that's exactly what I thought when I opened a pack of 2002 Topps Archives: The Best Years. You remember that set? Of course you do. It was the product that was supposed to have carried on the success of the Archives product of the year before, but instead of reprinting the first and last cards of players, it reprinted the Topps card of that individual's "best year" in the majors. Oh come on, we talked about that set right here on this blog. Go ahead and read this post, then come back. Please come back.

Well, in amongst the Mays, the Dawsons, the Jacksons, the Ryans, and other stars that I did recognize, was a reprint card from 1958 featuring Kansas City A's Bob Cerv. Now the 1958 Topps set consisted of a player's cropped likeness in front of a colored background. Cerv's card featured him in a batting pose (which eerily looked like the one from 1957), in front of a lime green background. It looked like whoever cropped the picture took too much off the top as his cap looked flat on the player's right side. But that wasn't what I noticed. I just saw the name, and then asked (out loud), "Who is Bob Cerv???"

Well, Robert Henry Cerv was an outfielder on the New York Yankees who found himself on the Yankees-A's express. Let me explain.

You see, the guy who owned the Kansas City A's, Arnold Johnson, was the real estate partner of Del Webb, who owned the Yankees. Before buying and moving the A's from Philadelphia to KC, Johnson also owned Yankees Stadium and Blue's Stadium (it was home to the Yankee's minor league team at the time). Now according to Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, co-writers of the popular books Baseball Hall of Shame, Webb held a second mortgage on Johnson totalling 2.9 million dollars. And, to make it more interesting, Webb owned the construction company that remodeled the Kansas City's Blue's Stadium to meet Major League Standards.

Because of Johnson's former business ties to the Yankees (plus the fact that the Yankees' owners pretty much owned Johnson as well due to the mortgage), many of the good players on the A's team were sent to the Yankees for guys who either needed a couple of seasons away from the spotlight, or players who were struggling in the Bronx in trades. From 1955 to 1960, "a whopping 59 players were exchanged in a series of 16 trades lasting six years" between the A's and the Yankees. And the Yankees almost always got the better end of the deal, basically making the A's look like the Yankees'minor league team. One of the players involved in these deals was Bob Cerv.

(Thanks to the Scout.com, The Hardball Times, and Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo of the Baseball Hall of Shame for the information).

Bob Cerv was a Yankee originally, but his rights were sold to the A's in 1956. In Kansas City, Cerv was the A's primary left fielder. And in 1958, which was truly his best season, Cerv hit an astounding .305 with 38 home runs and 104 runs batted in. It was also the year he made the All-Star team, and was fourth in the MVP balloting. Because of his power numbers (he did hit .285, 20 HR's, and 87 RBI's in 1959), the Yankees traded Andy Carey for Cerv in 1960. However, he did not produce in NY the way he did in KC, so he was exposed to the expansion draft at the end of the '60 season, being chosen by the LA Angels.

He didn't stay with the Angels for long, because one month into the 1961 season, he was traded BACK to the Yankees for Ryne Duren in a five player deal. The expansion Houston Colt .45's bought his rights in 1962, but released him soon after that. He never played in the big leagues again.

So why Bob Cerv? I don't really know. Does he really belong in a set like this? Maybe...maybe not. But he was a part of a very bizarre time in baseball history. If what happened in the late 50's between the A's and the Yankees happened now, rest assured there would be a lot of backlash. But there was not any back then. The Yankees dominated the 50's, while the A's dominated the bottom of the AL standings. But Bob Cerv was one of the few bright spots on a few horrible A's teams.

He'll turn 85 when his cards appear in the 2011 Topps Archives set. And I noticed in our list of recommendations that we do have a real lack of players from the 50's and 60's (barely any from the 60's and 70's). So I say, "Why not???" Let's add Bob Cerv to the 2011 Topps Archives set.

First card: 1953 Topps #210. Last card: 1962 Topps #169.
Five in, 195 to go. Keep those names coming.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Got Me One Peach of a Card!!!

To paraphrase a famous baseball slugger, "Trading has been very, very good to me."

Last night, a card came in the mail, stating that I had to go to the post office to pick up a package. When I saw the name, I knew what it was for, and couldn't wait to go pick it up in the morning. But first, I looked back and remembered what an ordeal it was just to get the card.

Initially, this guy was asking for the 2009 Topps Legends letter patches. I offered him both my Ryan and Ripken patches, and asked him if he had some of the short prints that I'm looking for. The e-mails went back and forth (these is not conversation, rather than a summary of what each e-mail said).

Him: I have both the Ty Cobb and Jackie Robinson cards.
Me: I'll offer both of my patches and anything else that I got from the box break.
Him: Need the Ripken patch only, but also liked the Kunz auto and the Randy Johnson black card.
Me: I'll put it all together for both cards.
Him: Will take the Ripken and the Kunz for one of the SP's.
Me: Why? I want both.
Him: I know where you're coming from, but somebody else wants these too.
Me: I want both. What will it take to get both? Will offer other cards.
Him: Tells me to decide, not knowing if and when the other party responds.
Me: (after much thought and complaining), Have the other person decide. I'll take the other.
Him: Other party decided on Jackie. You get the Cobb.
Me: Fine with me. Thanks.

Cards were mailed on Friday. He receives on Monday. I have to wait because he put in signature confirmation on it. So I got to the post office, handed the clerk the pick up card, she hands me an envelope, has me sign that I received it, and here is the end result:

Ty Cobb #66.
To Tim Guillotte from the Topps Message Boards, thank you very much for the card. I really wanted both cards, and was willing to give you more than what you wanted. But that's me being selfish. At least someone else was able to get their wantlist down by one card.

I now have three on hand, two hopefully on their way, and many more to find. And so the quest continues.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Panini Has Bought the Donruss-Playoff Company

Steve of the Sports Card File has just confirmed that Panini has now officially bought Donruss-Playoff.

A couple of questions immediately come to mind:

How will this affect the pending litigation between MLB Properties and Donruss?
Does this mean that Panini will start the process of getting a license to produce baseball cards?

The story continues to say that Donruss has been for sale for at least a year, and that both Topps and UD, along with TCG/4Kids, were in the running to buy out the company. And once again, UD President Richard McWilliams tried to ruin the pending transaction by trying to get Anne Powell, now former owner of Donruss, to sign papers allowing UD to buy them out, even after Panini had signed a letter of intent. Go figure.

So congratulations to all parties. It seems that this works well for everyone involved, and that many people will be able to keep their jobs.

This should make things more interesting when the four-year Topps/UD and MLB Properties contract expires.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Because Somebody Doesn't Know How to Count...

Yesterday, I said that there would be 18 SP's in 2009 Topps Series 2. And I listed them (here they are again for review and as always, the checklist is always subject to change):

• 340 Wade Boggs
• 350 Ryne Sandberg
• 353 Cal Ripken Jr.
• 355 Jim Palmer
• 400 Frank Robinson
• 415 Bob Gibson
• 475 Mike Schmidt
• 476 Juan Marichal
• 490 Nolan Ryan
• 495 Brooks Robinson
• 515 Reggie Jackson
• 520 Tony Gwynn
• 595 Robin Yount
• 600 Greg Maddux
• 610 Paul Molitor
• 650 Steve Carlton
• 660 Carl Yastrzemski

Well, either I or the person who I stol...ahem...copied the information from doesn't know how to count. Because as friend of the blog Big Daddy correctly pointed out...I only have seventeen names above.


Another friend of the blog, and frequent poster, tdlindgren commented, "Here's what I don't get. Topps can use Ted Williams image on packaging and in inserts such as legends, etc., why can't they make a regular SP card of him? I would love to see Clemente as well have a regular SP. I just don't understand why they either can't or don't."

Well, I'm going to guess that he's number 18. Makes sense right???

And here I am giving my daughter a hard time about her math skills...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

2009 Topps Series 2 Shortprints...Already???

Okay, so people don't get confused by the time the product comes out in June...

The Topps Company announced today (you can see all of this on the blog of the number one source in the Hobby) that there will be 18 MORE short-printed cards to be found in packs, boxes, blasters, blisters, and other packages of 2009 Topps Series 2 baseball.

The list, for the curious, (and remember, the checklist is always subject to change):

• 340 Wade Boggs
• 350 Ryne Sandberg
• 353 Cal Ripken Jr.
• 355 Jim Palmer
• 400 Frank Robinson
• 415 Bob Gibson
• 475 Mike Schmidt
• 476 Juan Marichal
• 490 Nolan Ryan
• 495 Brooks Robinson
• 515 Reggie Jackson
• 520 Tony Gwynn
• 595 Robin Yount
• 600 Greg Maddux
• 610 Paul Molitor
• 650 Steve Carlton
• 660 Carl Yastrzemski

These cards, along with another 330 basic series, gold cards, black borders, 25 more Ring of Honor cards, 50 more Turkey Red Cards, 25 Toppstown and Toppstown Golds, 25 more Legends of the Game cards, 10 each for the Walmart and Target Exclusives (with an additional 10 refractor cards for the cereal boxes), silk cards, autographs, and relics will be back as well. Returning from last year will be the Red Hot Rookie redemption set, ten cards this time instead of 20.

New to series 2 will be four (count them) World Baseball Classic insert sets (hey, they got the license to produce them, why not milk them for all it's worth right???). There will be a 25 card basic insert set (players to be determined), 10 autographs (100 cards each), relic cards, autograph/relic cards (50 cards each), and stamps from other countries with a baseball theme (no relation to the WBC, but it's a common theme).

And to show that they haven't forgotten their little deal with Mickey Mantle estate, there will be a short printed 1959 Topps reprint card.

All this, and many more surprises, to come in June when 2009 Topps Series 2 arrives in stores everywhere.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

2011 Topps Archives: Mark Grace

Before I begin, I'd like to thank those who've left me suggestions as to who to include in this set. I can assure you that I can use many of them. Some of the suggestions though will have to be tossed because the players did appear in the 2001 Topps Archives set. So, players like Larry Bowa, Wade Boggs, and George Foster won't be seen here.

I now have suggestions for Managers to include. And while guys like Joe Torre and Bobby Cox were suggested, I think I'll keep the 10 spots restricted to retired managers. Bob Brenly, although not currently managing, would be a good person to use. But he's still quite young (for manager material anyway), and was last seen interviewing for the Brewers job. Maybe Cox and Torre will be in the 2021 set. Until then, I can't use them. I've been doing some research, and think I have a few names (bit of a preview, recently inducted HOF manager Dick Williams is one of them).

On to today's subject. When I first started watching baseball games, the Cubs had veteran Leon "Bull" Durham manning first base. In fact, the Bull had been the teams first baseman since 1981. But in 1988, he struggled at the plate with a .219 average, 3 HR's, and 6 RBI's. General Manager Jim Frey, ironically, Durham's manager during that magical 1984 season, thought that Durham needed a change of scenery to get back his hitting stroke. So, he traded "the Bull" to the Cincinnati Reds, and brought up from the AAA team in Iowa a 24-year-old kid named Mark Grace. And from 1988-2000, the Cubs didn't have to find another person to play first base.

Mark Grace was not your typical first baseman. He didn't hit for power, and even though he batted either third or fourth in the lineup, never drove in more than 100 runs in any season (98 was his high water mark). But what he did well was hit. And in his thirteen years with the Boys in Blue, he hit above the .300 mark nine times, with a .331 in 1996 his highest.

During the 1989 playoffs, Gracie was one of the bright spots in what otherwise was another disappointing post-season for the Cubs. He hit an astounding .647 (11 for 17) hit a home run, drove in eight runs during the five game series against the Giants. He reached the postseason only one other time with the Cubs in 1998. At the end of the 2000 season, after many years of signing one-year contracts, he was granted free agency, and signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. And what did the D-backs do in 2001??? Win the World Series!!! Gracie finally became a champion. In the seventh game against the Yankees, Grace went 3 for 4, and kept the Snakes in the game with a ninth inning hit to leading off against Mariano Rivera. Amazing indeed.

Grace ended his career in 2003 with a career batting average of .303, 173 home runs, and 1176 runs batted in. He was a patient hitter, walking over 1,075 times while being struck out 645. He placed second in the Rookie of the Year voting (behind Chris Sabo), was an All-Star three times, and was even in the running for MVP four times. This is why I am adding him to the 2011 Topps Archives checklist.

But now I have a problem...

Since the 80's, many players have rookie cards (or XRC's) within Topps' traded sets. Grace is one of them. Do I use his 1988 Topps Traded card or do I use his 1989 Topps card for the "first" card? I'm pretty sure I'll be coming up to this same problem later on with a lot of other players, especially since a majority of them will be coming from the 80's and 90's. So what do I do???

I guess I'll use this question as my first poll question ever on this blog. Should I use the Traded or Updates & Highlights cards of players to be used for this set as their "first" card? I know that in the 2001 Topps set, the reprinted "last" card of Ron Cey was his traded card, so I think I can get away with that? But how about the "first" card?

In the mean time, I'll put both his 1988 Topps Traded card and his 1989 Topps card along with his 2003 final card on display. Let me know which looks better, and for the rest of this series I will use whatever you suggest after the results of the poll are in.

So, in the meantime, here are the cards for Mark Grace. Option number 1:

First card: 1988 Topps Traded #42T. Last card: 2003 Topps #581.
And here is option number 2:

First card: 1989 Topps #465. Last card: 2003 Topps #581.
The choice is yours. The poll to vote is above. And there are 196 players to go.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

UPDATE: Monday, March 16, 2009.

The readers have spoken!!! jba

This Makes Me Want to Go and Buy a Webcam!!!

Courtesy of the New York Times.

Since the beginning of my internet life, I've been dead set against buying a webcam. Why??? I think the last thing anybody would like to see is me on a video. Or worse, my kids messing around with one (every parent's nightmare...and their both under 10).

Anyway, this news would make me change my mind:


Now I've seen previews of this on ToppsTown, and I thought it had something to do with the new Match Attax cards. Please read this story and catch the video...

Then, click here:


I guess those ToppsTown cards are worth holding on to after all...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama