Sunday, June 6, 2010

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1967 Topps #607 Mickey Stanley

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, June 6, 2010:

  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1967 Topps #607.
  • Player Name, position, team: Mickey Stanley, outfielder, Detroit Tigers.
  • Major League Debut: September 13, 1964.
  • Last Line of Statistics: 1966 stats (Tigers): 235 AB, 68 H, 15 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, .289 AVG.
  • Any special information about player: Signed by the Tigers as a Free Agent before the 1961 season. Bats: right, Throws: right.
  • Any special information about this specific card: Stanley's second regular Topps card. Found amongst the final series of cards Topps produced in 1967, it is not an easy one to track down. Once again, the Topps Card Randomizer picks its favorite retro set for today's subject, the 1967 Topps set. With it's extra large picture, with the team name towards the bottom of the card in big bold letters, the player's name and position above, and the facsimile autograph, can you argue with it? Anyway, in Stanley's second full season with the Tigers, he led the team in batting average (.289), even though he was on the DL for more than a month. The blurb on the back reads that against the Indians, "Mickey batted an incredible .459." It goes on to say, "As a pinch-hitter for the Bengals, Mick batted .333 last year." As with most of the players cards, the back features two cartoons. The first reads that Mickey led Syracuse (the Tigers minor league team) in Homers in 1965 (10). The second shows a tiger in a baseball uniform catching a ball, with the words "In 1966, he (Stanley) didn't commit a single error." Stanley stayed with the Tigers until his release in 1978. So in 15 seasons with Detroit, he hit 117 home runs, drove home 500 runs, and hit a decent .248. He was also a four-time Gold Glove award winner (in 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1973).
  • Lo-Hi Beckett value: $20.00-$50.00.
  • How many cards of this player do I own?: 4 cards.
In case you're actually wondering, I don't own this card, but was able to get a crystal clean copy of the image from the from the Baseball Card Cyber Museum. So thank you Joe McAnally and the folks at the BCCM.

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 1996 Topps #323. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Come on back then to see what the Topps Card Randomizer gets us to look at then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1980 Topps #160 Eddie Murray

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, June 5, 2010:


  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1980 Topps #160.
  • Player Name, position, team: Eddie Murray, first baseman, Baltimore Orioles.
  • Major League Debut: April 7, 1977.
  • Last Line of Statistics: 1979 stats (Orioles): 159 G, 606 AB, 90 R, 179 H, 30 2B, 2 3B, 25 HR, 99 RBI, .295 AVG.
  • Any special information about player: Drafted by the Orioles #3rd, June 1973. Bats: both, Throws: right.
  • Any special information about this specific card: Murray's third regular Topps card (total includes base and traded cards only). One thing I've learned through doing these Random Card of the Day segments is really looking at cards other than the ones normally associated with a certain set. For example, when one thinks of the 1980 Topps set, Rickey Henderson's rookie card instantly comes to mind. With the 2010 Topps Cards Your Mother Threw Out insert set (all 158 cards), not only did Topps include cards instantly recognizable by casual collectors, but they included cards that made me think, "Was this card part of the actual set, or did they give it the 'All-Time Fan Favorites' treatment?" Sure enough, they featured the actual card. Doing these segments, and actually writing about them, has given me a bit more of an appreciation for the Hobby. Case in point. Here is a great looking card of Eddie Murray. Pictured during his second year in the bigs, he has already been named the Rookie of the Year (the prior year), and was added to Topps' All-Star Rookie Team as a "designated hitter" because while he gathered enough votes to get onto the team, he didn't win in either position voted for (first base or the outfield). You look at this card, and you can see that he's ready to step up to the plate, waiting for the first pitch to come from whoever was pitching. Was this his first at bat of the day? Were there runners on base? Was the score tied before he got up there? Let your imagination run wild when looking at this card because unless you were at the game, or took the picture, you wouldn't know, would you? There's no scoreboard in the background, so there is no indication as to what day this was, or who the O's were playing. But imagining the situation before he got up there is part of the fun in this Hobby. Really look at the cards when you flip them, and just imagine (or remember) what was going on that day once in a while. That's what these cards are for.
  • Lo-Hi Beckett value: $2.00-$5.00.
  • How many cards of this player do I own?: 53 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: 1967 Topps #607. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Friday, June 4, 2010

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1991 Topps #712 Ricky Jordan

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, June 4, 2010:

  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1991 Topps #712.
  • Player Name, position, team: Ricky Jordan, first baseman, Philadelphia Phillies.
  • Major League Debut: July 17, 1988.
  • Last Line of Statistics: 1990 stats (Scranton Wilkes-Barnes-AAA): 27 G, 104 AB, 8 R, 29 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB, .346 SLG, 5 BB, 18 SO, .279 AVG.
  • Any special information about player: Drafted by the Phillies #1st, June 1983. Bats: right, Throws: right.
  • Any special information about this specific card: Jordan's third regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). In 1991, Topps celebrated it's 40th anniversary in the baseball card business. And to that end, the 1991 Topps design prominently features the "40 Years in Baseball" logo on the top left corner of every card in the base and traded set (why they didn't carry this over into the MLB debut set is beyond me...but that's not at issue here. It also saw the return of any semblance of an official team logo (although in name form only) as part of the design for the first time since 1987. Here is Ricky Jordan, 1b for the Phils, and his minor league stats happened to be the last line of stats on the back of his card. Because he doesn't have four lines of MLB stats yet (which is either four years with one team, or a combination of three years, one with two teams, or any combination of things that would lead to four separate lines of MLB statistics), his minor league stats show up. As the regular first baseman the year before, he hit a robust .285 with 12 home runs and 75 rbi's. The following year saw his production take a bit of a dive, which would explain his demotion to the Red Barons in 1990. The blurb on the back reads that Ricky "was signed as a 1st Round Draft selection of the Phillies, June 28, 1983 by Scout Eddie Bockman." Jordan continued his career with the Phils until 1994 before signing on with first the Angels for a year, then the Seattle Mariners the following season before calling it quits for good in 1997 after a year with the AA-Carolina Mudcats.
  • Beckett value: $0.01-$0.05.
  • How many cards of this player do I own?: 10 cards.
Tomorrow's card will be: 1980 Topps #160. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1998 Topps #197 LaTroy Hawkins

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, June 3, 2010:


  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2008 Topps #641.
  • Player Name, position, team: LaTroy Hawkins, pitcher, Minnesota Twins.
  • Major League Debut: April 29, 1995.
  • Last Line of Statistics: 1997 stats (Twins): 20 G, 103.1 IP, 6-12, 71 R, 67 ER, 58 SO, 47 BB, 20 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 5.84 ERA.
  • Any special information about player: Drafted by the Twins #7th, June 1991. Bats: right, Throws: right.
  • Any special information about this specific card: Hawkins' third regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). The 1998 Topps set began the six year period of using colored borders for their sets. Topps must not have saved the shade of gold used for this set as they've had a hard time re-creating the color for reprint cards (see the 2005 Topps Rookie Cup reprints). The pictures used appear to have beveled edges and above a name plate that also includes the team logo within it. LaTroy was used as a starting pitcher for his first few years with the Twins. Of course, now we know him as a journeyman reliever, playing for the Cubs, Giants, Orioles, Rockies, Yankees, Astros, and Brewers. The blurb on the back mentions that LaTroy "struck out eight consecutive batters for Fort Wayne, en route to setting a Midwest League record with 15 in the game."
  • Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.12-$0.30.
  • How many cards of this player do I own?: 13 cards.
Tomorrow's card will be: 1991 Topps #712. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1983 Topps Traded #40T Von Hayes

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, June 2, 2010:


  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1983 Topps Traded #40T.
  • Player Name, position, team: Von Hayes, outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies.
  • Major League Debut: April 14, 1981.
  • Last Line of Statistics: 1982 stats (Indians): 150 G, 527 AB, 65 R, 132 H, 25 2B, 3 3B, 14 HR, 82 RBI, 32 SB, .389 SLG, 42 BB, 63 SO, .250 AVG.
  • Any special information about players: Drafted by the Indians #7th, June 1979. Traded by the Indians to the Phillies 12/09/1982. Bats: left, Throws: right.
  • Any special information about this specific card: Hayes' second regular Topps (total includes regular and traded cards only). This is his first solo card, sharing his first Topps card in the 1982 Topps set with Chris Bando and Tom Brenan. The 1983 Topps set utilizes two pictures on the front of the card: the larger action shot, and a small headshot in a circle frame (using the two colored borders) on the bottom left or right of the large picture. There had to be something about Hayes that made the higher ups on the Phillies interested in him. Maybe it was his name. Maybe it was because he finished 7th in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Maybe it was because they needed an outfielder. Whatever the motivation was, he had to have been worth it. Because the Phillies traded five players (that's right...five guys) for him: Jay Baller, Julio Franco, Manny Trillo, George Vukovich and Jerry Willard. It was a five-for-one deal. Talk about mortgaging the future on one kid's potential (he was only 24 at the time of the trade). In nine years with Philadelphia, Hayes became an All-Star (in 1989), an MVP Candidate (in 1986), hit 124 homers, drove home 568 runs, and hit a decent .272. The blurb on the back talks about three highlights of his 1982 season (which is weird because other cards bring up highlights from the 1983 season): hitting a game winning RBI in the 14th inning against the Mariners on May 11; a 9th inning homer to give the Tribe a win on May 26 over the Twins; and a "key 3-run homer" against the Orioles on July 1.
  • Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.08-$0.25.
  • How many cards of each player do I own?: 20 cards.
Tomorrow's card will be: 1998 Topps #197. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The Monthly Comment Mailbag - May 2010 Edition (Now with April Responses!)

Okay, I blew it last month, and I would have done this on the other day had it not been for Memorial Day. But I have a few minutes, and a bit of time, so here goes the responses to the comments from the last two months. I swear upon everything good and holy to try and keep this going on a monthly basis.

Ahem.

To John: That's what I get when I don't look at what I'm writing.

To Anonymous: Really? That's strange. I'll take your word for it. He said that none of the remaining 2009 Topps All-Star Rookie Team members (Nolan Reimold, Travis Ishikawa, Omir Santos and Chris Getz) didn't get the trophy on their cards. Ummm, WHAT??! Which reminds me (and I don't know if Topps' Internet guy Mr. Mader still reads this blog...), who did win the 50th Anniversary All-Star Rookie Team voting? I don't think I've seen the results of the poll that was advertised in packs of 2008 Topps (and the ensuing 100 card insert set). Who won??! And why didn't these four guys get their trophies on their cards? Does this mean that ASRT collectors won't bother getting the cards because none had the trophy on them???

To dfwbuck2: Yes, that is Mitch Talbot (lower right corner).


You were nearby when this happened? That's awesome.

To nevermore: The original sell sheets for 2010 Topps Series 2 said that the 20 short-printed legends cards had a print run of only 3000 cards each. I hope this means that Topps has finally disclosed the number of SP cards in the entire line (including series 1). This only makes the search for these cards much harder and trading for them now becomes tougher because of this announcement. Regarding the number of PITF cards? I can only think that these are in much shorter supply (then again, I'm not collecting these...have at them).

To The Chop Keeper: You may be right. The 2010 UD MLS set could be a seen as a "screw you" to Topps, but I think if you've seen the 2010 Topps SP Nolan Ryan card, that is Topps' way of saying "Bite Me!!!"


To anonymous (again): Ummm, yes they do. If you're going to disagree with the comparison between the designs of 2010 UD MLS and 2010 Topps Baseball, you might want to back it up with something. Do you work at UD???

To Offy: With all the fuss I've been making about too many Yankees in Topps products lately, I didn't even want to point out that there were six Yankees cards of the 30 in Topps Attax "Battle of the Ages." No Cubs cards make for a disappointing product.

To PhilM: Were you the one who e-mailed me about that? He says that if you look closely at the back of the CYMTO cards (the regular ones, not the original backs), you'll notice amongst the Topps cards that you'll see what looks like faint images of 1991 Donruss, 1992 Score, 1992 Leaf, et. al. And wouldn't you know it, he's right...I do see what looks like a series 2 1991 Donruss and some other non-Topps cards. Somebody must have taken a picture of a bunch of commons at a card show and used it for the back of these cards. You've got a good eye Phil. After looking at the back of one of the cards I had laying around, my eyes are getting blurry.

To Brady James: I get you. Still doesn't make any sense to me. But then again, I'm not the one who gets paid the money to figure these things out.

Thanks to all who wished me a Happy 2nd anniversary (Stormy, friend of the blog tdlindgren, Single Daddy of 2, night owl, Play at the Plate, Chop Keeper).

To anonymous (different guy): I'd be lying if I said every card I have is meaningful, and there are only so few that come to mind that I can say are truly meaningful. I try to come up with something with my "Card of the Day" segments if the year's design, or the card itself, brings back wonderful memories. I'm thinking that if I do continue this into 2011, that I'll change it a bit to include other sets (like the Topps 206's, A & G, Big, whatever). I will tell you though that looking for these cards really makes me appreciate my collection a lot more than I expected.

To Bo: I wonder if Jorge Posada does the Moises Alou treatment as well. I'm not about to look. And bringing up George Brett into the mix...I'm not sure I really want to know. Hey, all three guys are great hitters, so something must be working.

To beefman: Am I hoping that they do away with the Classic Combo cards? I'm not really sure if I'm for or against them. I'll stay neutral on the issue as many of the cards are great (see the 2009 Topps U & H Texas Rangers card with the guys holding up their name cards for media day). There are admittedly some cards I question, like the Houston Astros one from this year. The combo cards have been around for a long time. I'm pretty sure that if Topps stopped including them next year, I wouldn't miss them.

To anonymous (another guy): When I scan cards for the blog, I do use holders. Why? I guess to keep the cards straight when scanning. I found it annoying just to put cards in the scanner directly, only to have them come out at an angle or crooked (see the Nolay Ryan cards pictured above as an example). I thought using the holders would keep the cards straight, and then after they're scanned, I'd crop the holders off. But then I realized that I'm the only one (that I know of) that scans the holders as well, so I thought I'd keep them in the picture. For my Random Retro Sunday cards, I copy the picture from the Baseball Card Cyber Museum (thanks to Joe McAnally), and paste them onto what I call an "empty frame" (a clear card holder) and fit the card into the holder.

To jacobmrley: You learn something new everyday. Who knew that Yogi was that close to being a Brooklyn Dodger or a St. Louis Cardinal?

And so ends this edition of the Monthly Comment Mailbag...oh wait. I almost forgot.

I received an e-mail the other day from a gentleman named Brian, looking for the 1999 Topps MVP Promo card that was inserted into packs of 1999 Topps Series 1. Now if you recall, these were similar to the regular '99 cards, but had that big MVP promotion logo on the front, and an entry form on the back (in the event that the player on the front was selected as Topps' MVP for the week). Sosa wasn't selected, and there were only 100 of each card produced. If anybody has the Sosa card, please e-mail Brian at Inruinzz@aol.com. He is willing to trade or buy it. I promised I'd throw this on here. If you have the card, he'd be happy to hear from you.

That's it. The Natural is on right now (the Robert Redford baseball movie), so I'm going to sign off and watch what's left of it. Until next time.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1989 Topps #648 Sandy Alomar

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, June 1, 2010:



  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1989 Topps #648.
  • Player Name, position, team: Sandy Alomar, catcher, San Diego Padres.
  • Major League Debut: September 30, 1988.
  • Last Line of Statistics: 1988 stats (Padres): 1 G, 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, .000 SLG, 0 BB, 1 K, .000 AVG.
  • Any special information about player: Signed with the Padres as a Free Agent 10/21/1983. Bats: right, Throws: right.
  • Any special information about this specific card: Alomar's first regular Topps card (total includes regular and traded cards only). I love the 1989 Topps set. The design, the colorful name and team banner. It stands out in my mind as one of the best designs EVER!!! Although the only drawback is the fact that the backs of all the cards are black (which make for easy chipping), the shades of pinks and reds used for the fields make for a unique combination. Now the art who would be future stars is hit or miss. And Topps has certainly their fair share of hits (Bo Jackson, Al Leiter) and misses (Tim Pyznarski? Joey Meyer?) In Sandy Alomar, they got at least this one right. He played for 20 seasons, not hitting it big until he was traded to the Indians (the Friars had Benito Santiago catching full-time). As MVP of the Pacific Coast League in 1988, it was no surprise that the Padres would want to call Sandy up to the bigs. He would go on to become the AL Rookie of the Year in 1990, a six-time All-Star, and one of the best catchers in the 1990's.
  • Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.15-$0.40.
  • How many cards of this player do I own?: 27 cards.
Tomorrow's card will be: 1983 Topps Traded #40T. 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