tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30217041984628693992024-03-13T22:02:04.616-06:00Infield Fly RuleAdam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.comBlogger378125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-10258750062328376862024-01-21T16:08:00.001-07:002024-01-21T16:08:51.493-07:00The Trading Post #174: Dime Boxes (Part 3: Shiny)<p>One year later, I'll finally be wrapping up the <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-trading-post-172-dime-boxes-part-1.html">longest</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-trading-post-173-dime-boxes-part-2.html">post series</a> ever. I've had this last little pile of goodies set aside from Nick's 10th anniversary over at <a href="http://baseballdimebox.blogspot.com/">Dime Boxes</a>, which has now moved houses with me in the same little team bag.<br /></p><p>But wait, you might say. Didn't Nick just celebrate his <a href="http://baseballdimebox.blogspot.com/2023/12/twelve-years.html">12th blog anniversary</a> with another giveaway? Yes, yes he did. And I have a whole new stack of cards on my desk related to that, which I hope to get to before his 13th. </p><p>No promises.</p><p>But even with all the changes over the past year, weekends in mid-January still mean NFL playoffs, which make for some of my favorite background content while writing these posts. </p><p>What completely escaped my attention several days ago is that somehow I just passed my own tenth blog anniversary! As of the 15th, apparently I've kept this little thing going for a full decade. And looking back on my <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2014/01/its-about-time.html">first-ever post</a>, it was pretty much just an explanation about how Nick got me started on this whole thing in the first place.</p><p>We have truly come full-circle.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fldqeoZQKTuL2jX_fMfaDoFzBUrMPHclyrj8l29_zis8OXun_8XteiVNJ7kopEmwk-1LuDufjbesfR-CuJ7_QzdAQWOLiMRYbNVQy8StiC4tZcGEz_q47TTRSpeBTX68bJpzwQ-Q1cAaDbWcsJyECFR9c0449LH8yIdnJXaSGxJUOd5m7QG9QTiEMtY/s1032/IMG_012124_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fldqeoZQKTuL2jX_fMfaDoFzBUrMPHclyrj8l29_zis8OXun_8XteiVNJ7kopEmwk-1LuDufjbesfR-CuJ7_QzdAQWOLiMRYbNVQy8StiC4tZcGEz_q47TTRSpeBTX68bJpzwQ-Q1cAaDbWcsJyECFR9c0449LH8yIdnJXaSGxJUOd5m7QG9QTiEMtY/w284-h400/IMG_012124_0001.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2002 Topps Chrome Traded #T68 Sandy Alomar Jr.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>What hasn't changed in the past decade is my love for shiny cards. Part 3 of this blog series that has sprawled across the biggest period of change in my life will focus on the shiny, or at least the serially-numbered.</p><p>If any of my readers play the daily baseball-themed puzzle game <a href="https://www.immaculategrid.com/">Immaculate Grid</a>, take note of the above card for the next time Cleveland and Colorado intersect. Sandy Alomar, Jr., the 1990 AL Rookie of the Year (also a useful bit of info) briefly stopped by 20th & Blake for 38 games in 2002, as documented on this Topps Traded card. A true "Short-Term Stop", to borrow Nick's phrase.</p><p>Alomar was well into a lengthy career by 2002, so the short paragraph on the card back only has room to simply tell us that the White Sox traded the veteran catcher to the Rockies for Enemencio Pacheco, a pitching prospect who never progressed past Triple-A.</p><p>Speaking of the White Sox, the team where Alomar spent the second-longest portion of his career, I recently learned of a documentary available on YouTube called <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEnTXdLRXcu78ytNVyAmwGg">Last Comiskey.</a></i> I've only watched one of three parts so far, but it offers a look at the 1990 White Sox season, their last in the original Comiskey Park.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5mIrNaLy5ASrD1F7lGop3NdADs2_oX-YZhP6k5HgHV1vTvnmiHG_0ldwwtT7cIEd_4IG76l47VUK_Ns1FEuSs3JxW5MC8_KahvZdInKZ-sPasLUJb0TVglb-Aq6oXBPanJGeMN3mJeOiaIJhfEYJ92-boNcD5BQ9e2d0dDBuS5ZbmFQg3XXwGKPYchk/s1032/IMG_012124_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1032" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5mIrNaLy5ASrD1F7lGop3NdADs2_oX-YZhP6k5HgHV1vTvnmiHG_0ldwwtT7cIEd_4IG76l47VUK_Ns1FEuSs3JxW5MC8_KahvZdInKZ-sPasLUJb0TVglb-Aq6oXBPanJGeMN3mJeOiaIJhfEYJ92-boNcD5BQ9e2d0dDBuS5ZbmFQg3XXwGKPYchk/w400-h285/IMG_012124_0003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2017 Finest Breakthroughs #FB-NA Nolan Arenado</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Turning to 2017, when Nolan Arenado still covered the hot corner for the Rockies, we come to the Topps Finest insert set "Breakthroughs".</p><p>As best I can tell, this set was unique to 2017, but it absolutely has the look and feel of a mid-90s insert set, something like <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-trading-post-90-highly-subjective.html">Power Zone</a> from Stadium Club. It has all the elements. Huge block lettering in all capitals, an eye catching star pattern suitable for a comic book panel, a team logo that is bursting through an area of fractured rock or broken glass, and a close-up action shot. The player's name and the Topps Finest logo are squeezed into the corners like a mere afterthought.</p><p>How can you not love something like this? <br /></p><p>The theme does actually have a point, in that the card back gives us the player's "Breakthrough Moment". One of Nolan's mentioned was his second-ever Major League home run, a grand slam off of Cy Young winner David Price in early 2013. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQg9BWTpr4u5YFpauQtYnJgmzb4L0w3nx52axNkYteDUQ7Jp3BAP1i78ROLzFnEMAQZUPIyg2reNQPNqWKhfe1vmJ_OzDoRf59W3q4Uo8xbeQK2aeHgzv5eeplM4WmwfQCd-KZYao3boqgb56xJ8Zx5GC08nsIPVJFiHz3Y3wGvLZ9uZNoIHkr6W7Ius/s1036/IMG_012124_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1036" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQg9BWTpr4u5YFpauQtYnJgmzb4L0w3nx52axNkYteDUQ7Jp3BAP1i78ROLzFnEMAQZUPIyg2reNQPNqWKhfe1vmJ_OzDoRf59W3q4Uo8xbeQK2aeHgzv5eeplM4WmwfQCd-KZYao3boqgb56xJ8Zx5GC08nsIPVJFiHz3Y3wGvLZ9uZNoIHkr6W7Ius/w400-h283/IMG_012124_0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2017 Topps Chrome #92 Trevor Story</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'm not sure where Nick found all this 2017 Topps Chrome, but he sent me a base card that could possibly have come from the same pack as that great Arenado insert card. </p><p>Six years ago to the day, the Refractor version of this Trevor Story card appeared on the blog in <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-trading-post-112-cracked-bat-part-1.html">The Trading Post #112</a>, and then the <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-trading-post-125-cracked-bat-part-1.html">Prism Refractor</a> version about a year later, both courtesy of Julie at <a href="https://acrackedbat.blogspot.com/">A Cracked Bat</a>, whose blog has sadly gone silent.<br /></p><p>Surely I am nearing having the rainbow by now, right?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQQ6hGc5lkp6hBpAUfBjqnDMN8TjhA3oRQLkzODp4T1PJy0GLY1YsVI5lIqinJ5FtEM7Q5Zwj_4ZwTz84ji7kUL8j0CJY8Cyi57ggbseHOWv9ilLU5oboqh-rZT7J53sOJ3IEOtBZFBQDfphr0IQabGuWYrzUWAyVThsV293T4S-1S7OYXqv0ZYfeYNc/s1036/IMG_012124_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="741" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQQ6hGc5lkp6hBpAUfBjqnDMN8TjhA3oRQLkzODp4T1PJy0GLY1YsVI5lIqinJ5FtEM7Q5Zwj_4ZwTz84ji7kUL8j0CJY8Cyi57ggbseHOWv9ilLU5oboqh-rZT7J53sOJ3IEOtBZFBQDfphr0IQabGuWYrzUWAyVThsV293T4S-1S7OYXqv0ZYfeYNc/w286-h400/IMG_012124_0005.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Update Gold #US195 C.J. Cron /2021</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>To my eye, this C.J. Cron parallel from 2021 looks more bronze than gold, but there's a /2021 serial number to prove that this is indeed the gold parallel, serially numbered with a print run equal to the card's calendar year.</p><p>Cron, currently a free agent, finally found a spot to settle down for a few seasons after changing hands like a hot potato. The card back calls it "five homes in five years", bouncing between the Angels, Rays, Twins, and briefly the Tigers, before finally reaching the National League and spending a few seasons in Colorado. The Rockies traded him back to the Angels in late 2023 along with Randal Grichuk in return for a couple pitching prospects.</p><p>Guys like that are useful to keep in mind for Immaculate Grid. I can't tell you how many times I should have guessed Nelson Cruz.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSos4j5sRsaIuegEkU0Qz1N2kSLq-xxNzuMM9AJ3cHTif6abquPXQLUJsqW0HWURQqSi79ECsiHcOzpueIxVhXRFrBqWoLl54jts4JxgwHOx7NzNPlnc0dAvULPr4m4pRmE9gx9bs6QQpvh4qIxsQTT8TswMoysQzPUDr-BGTITJBsEZ1D6cGKgEUSw3Q/s1044/IMG_012124_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSos4j5sRsaIuegEkU0Qz1N2kSLq-xxNzuMM9AJ3cHTif6abquPXQLUJsqW0HWURQqSi79ECsiHcOzpueIxVhXRFrBqWoLl54jts4JxgwHOx7NzNPlnc0dAvULPr4m4pRmE9gx9bs6QQpvh4qIxsQTT8TswMoysQzPUDr-BGTITJBsEZ1D6cGKgEUSw3Q/w285-h400/IMG_012124_0004.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2003 Topps Traded Gold #T265 Clint Barmes FY (RC) /2003</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Going back to 2003, we find that Topps Gold had a slightly lower print run. Topps oddly decided to document their 52nd Anniversary on the card front, as well as adding a 1st-year Card stamp that I believe is unique to 2003. The <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-trading-post-134-blog-reader.html">Chrome</a> variety of this card has the same stamp in a non-foil version, and I've also seen it on a <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/10/an-lcs-survivor-bills-sports.html">Hanley Ramirez</a> card.</p><p>Thanks to Google Image Search for finding those. This is my 379th post. No one's memory is that good, not even mine.</p><p>Prophetically, in <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-trading-post-134-blog-reader.html">The Trading Post #134</a>, I pointed out exactly where on the card back I would expect to find a serial number if I had a rarer version of this Clint Barmes card. Little did I know that one would eventually find its way to me.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0n1mBdpR_3HFqrRaNYv9C8-p5w1iSVdRU3l8g_125Y1C1gNBaCrNJONpArf1CCWIOBud2lv4_Lus1DzsPzGQ-73Lmq9c6fxQH9mYxOt3p7jav3WVUIsUEM8RXQ14AEQtZuU7UVbfyILglUljW4OHBkALA0wuKKMaDRvjFedD8uEoDRPlyZ4oqkVSqHA/s1037/IMG_012124_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1037" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0n1mBdpR_3HFqrRaNYv9C8-p5w1iSVdRU3l8g_125Y1C1gNBaCrNJONpArf1CCWIOBud2lv4_Lus1DzsPzGQ-73Lmq9c6fxQH9mYxOt3p7jav3WVUIsUEM8RXQ14AEQtZuU7UVbfyILglUljW4OHBkALA0wuKKMaDRvjFedD8uEoDRPlyZ4oqkVSqHA/w281-h400/IMG_012124_0006.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2018 Topps Fire Hot Starts Gold #HS-19 Charlie Blackmon</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is not the first gold parallel from 2018 Topps Fire that has been added to my collection. In fact, it's <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-trading-post-125-cracked-bat-part-1.html">not even the first such card</a> of Charlie Blackmon. For a brand I can't recall ever purchasing at retail, I have a surprising number of Topps Fire cards filling my binders.</p><p>This one of Blackmon and his iconic beard is from the Hot Starts insert set, which highlights strong early-season performances. Topps got pretty specific on the card back, pointing out that Blackmon's first seven home runs of 2017 came in a mere 77 plate appearances, good for a "blistering" [note the fire pun] 9.1% Home Run Percentage.</p><p>Interestingly, for all you "Coors!" folks, those first seven home runs all came on the road, tying the team mark set by Ian Stewart in 2010. Even Trevor Story's white-hot 2016 debut included some shots at Coors Field. Refer to my <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-trading-post-173-dime-boxes-part-2.html">prior post in this series</a> for my fond memories of catching at least one of those at Buffalo Wild Wings.<br /></p><p>It seems quite rare for the Rockies to play at home on Opening Day. Their home opener is usually a few days into the season, and that trend will continue for 2024, scheduled for April 5th, on what would have been my dad's 77th birthday.<br /></p><p>The Rockies are indeed known for hot starts. More often than not, April and May is the best time to be a Rockies fan. No wonder I like spring so much. But by the time we reach the All-Star break, the team is usually out of the running.<br /></p><p>By the way, we know Blackmon will be a Rockie for at <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/09/rockies-sign-charlie-blackmon-to-one-year-extension.html">least one more year</a>, but to my knowledge he has not yet announced any plans for retirement.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijW2IpLt81uAEhwzW8zYLvsOlAhXaJb8mtq3bilR6ajtTrWUjXYWICS4_Hyfw43sLqk3dMT45QHWWaOt1hp6hZ_K3tcHSsXtreXh_IIp9_LAZXLVaeYmQhyphenhyphenGIPhRPpSS-36WNuZWP8kwkTgtk9y6WRBm2j1_wB4QM_meVibLhAXtctjd1xawA-sWlCWSk/s1036/IMG_012124_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijW2IpLt81uAEhwzW8zYLvsOlAhXaJb8mtq3bilR6ajtTrWUjXYWICS4_Hyfw43sLqk3dMT45QHWWaOt1hp6hZ_K3tcHSsXtreXh_IIp9_LAZXLVaeYmQhyphenhyphenGIPhRPpSS-36WNuZWP8kwkTgtk9y6WRBm2j1_wB4QM_meVibLhAXtctjd1xawA-sWlCWSk/w283-h400/IMG_012124_0007.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2016 Donruss Optic Pink #48 Jonathan Gray RR</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Jon Gray, who went by Jonathan on this 2016 Panini card, finally got a taste of the World Series and even won his ring with the Texas Rangers last year. If it's not going to be here, at least it's nice to see former Rockies find success somewhere.</p><p>In the 2023 Fall Classic, Gray threw 4.2 innings, struck out seven, and even got the win in Game 3 after taking over for Max Scherzer who had to depart with back spasms. That's the perfect way to get around the difficulty Jon Gray often had in the first inning.<br /></p><p>This shiny Donruss Optic card is the Pink parallel, unique enough to warrant a <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-shiny-donruss-group-break.html">second look on this blog</a>, but not rare enough to earn a serial number.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wN2Ff2Zds1-_-3s1wFYpx0a0E7p_DVRXW6o7JfV5O5PXJp63KcnwTEASaxCkWBjlf8R0VWzYQpr4JOX-42GHbJKMspKkdl85zWb_vL4QHOE8-w4OhnpbEARae5JZiphxZUS0QHmed3YcfTSptnt-KoWB8a8bDNI2ynHUQW0KkPP0KNSxu86HWmHyMJI/s1038/IMG_012124_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wN2Ff2Zds1-_-3s1wFYpx0a0E7p_DVRXW6o7JfV5O5PXJp63KcnwTEASaxCkWBjlf8R0VWzYQpr4JOX-42GHbJKMspKkdl85zWb_vL4QHOE8-w4OhnpbEARae5JZiphxZUS0QHmed3YcfTSptnt-KoWB8a8bDNI2ynHUQW0KkPP0KNSxu86HWmHyMJI/w285-h400/IMG_012124_0008.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-DM Daniel Montano (AU)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Nick was apologetic about this card's condition. He knew I'd enjoy an on-card Rockies autograph, no matter how obscure the player, and I'm glad he threw it in. The blue ink is a little smudged, and though I was able to clean it up somewhat well, I assume it once had something spilled on it. I probably could have done a better job cleaning it, but didn't want to further damage the autograph.</p><p>We'll see how Daniel Montano progresses, but he hasn't really spent much time above the High-A level yet and has dropped off the team's top-30 prospects list. It isn't looking too promising. Still, I'll never turn down a shiny autograph.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIMh4zpd_G9RVbHiMa4Y6vhS_LtPZDzx3GXlyzsVbKBNG4q2KWFvETZ2tFMsKIjzJXoLVYzB0JbDRrRRc7OW9aUJqThJptIuMEh-42AqI0m10SMG1gHOGdKKFEaoYyKmA4AyYJW27oIvt8UO4JuIxJjowR9NJ2XbhySRs_2VRSJEs1LwUZCLLp2VSSeE/s1049/IMG_012124_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIMh4zpd_G9RVbHiMa4Y6vhS_LtPZDzx3GXlyzsVbKBNG4q2KWFvETZ2tFMsKIjzJXoLVYzB0JbDRrRRc7OW9aUJqThJptIuMEh-42AqI0m10SMG1gHOGdKKFEaoYyKmA4AyYJW27oIvt8UO4JuIxJjowR9NJ2XbhySRs_2VRSJEs1LwUZCLLp2VSSeE/w283-h400/IMG_012124_0009.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #RA-DN Dom Núñez (AU)<br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The final card of this series is another on-card autograph which seems to have made it through the past few years in much better shape. Dom Núñez even cracked the code and made it to the Majors, though unfortunately he put up a -1.0 bWAR over three seasons, and despite showing a bit of pop for a catcher by hitting twelve home runs, he never exceeded a .200 batting average. Even in this day and age where a guy like Luis Arráez can hit .354 and be an <i>extreme</i> outlier, .180 for your career is not going to cut it.</p><p>In any case, I do remember seeing Núñez play, and I can at least make out his initials in his signature. I also enjoy the 2020 design. It's one of those designs I got quite familiar with, given how much time I spent on Topps Bunt when nothing was happening in the early years of the pandemic.</p><p>It's unlikely I'll ever match my high-water mark from 2015 of 72 posts in a year, but I certainly hope to beat 2023's total of just 6. I'm a third of the way there already, and looking forward to my second decade of baseball card blogging.<br /></p><p>Congratulations to Nick on on ten, eleven, and twelve years!</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-10217192935498663242024-01-13T22:19:00.000-07:002024-01-13T22:19:27.505-07:00A Wedding Present<p>It is a time of new beginnings. </p><p>The last time I posted, I was on the verge of getting married and moving into a new house. I'm happy to report that all went according to plan, though not without the ongoing state of chaos and expense that comes with moving households. </p><p>But as we enter 2024, I wanted to kick off the new year, pun not intended, with a football post. At the wedding in October, I was given a set of 1984 Topps Football cards by Roger, a longtime family friend of my wife's who graciously agreed to officiate our wedding. 1984 happens to be the year I was born, and Roger had the perfect gift ready to go.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNb32CYt0yTTyITLjE5-4nV4VOfpBmVNa-D9nhcqbdof8pn1TTbEW2Loras0-ME_tmM_ZytaqYvjWGFet4xrxeUNKW1oDh8dlW0qguv1Q6ScR1wOVi_1Tx616mka8fuGXEDoRKksh2qDYxSB3owtDvSeV02-qqYozR_fIqGS5y5g1wLbwPdhCKCAB4f-Q/s1040/IMG_011324_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNb32CYt0yTTyITLjE5-4nV4VOfpBmVNa-D9nhcqbdof8pn1TTbEW2Loras0-ME_tmM_ZytaqYvjWGFet4xrxeUNKW1oDh8dlW0qguv1Q6ScR1wOVi_1Tx616mka8fuGXEDoRKksh2qDYxSB3owtDvSeV02-qqYozR_fIqGS5y5g1wLbwPdhCKCAB4f-Q/w285-h400/IMG_011324_0001.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #63 John Elway (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As a native Coloradan, and now a resident of Denver proper, I've long been a fan of the Denver Broncos. And it just so happens that John Elway's rookie card is the gem of this complete set. Roger hand-collated it himself from a case of '84 he bought long ago, and all 396 cards are there and accounted for. </p><p></p><p>Elway is a member of the Ring of Fame, the list of retired Broncos greats that encircles the interior of Empower Field at Mile High. And he brought Denver its first two Super Bowls (after losing a few), even earning MVP honors in Super Bowl XXXIII.<br /></p><p>Prior to becoming an NFL legend, he was famously a baseball star at Stanford. The cartoon on the card back (this is still Topps, after all), tells us that he hit .318 in the Yankees farm system.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOCr_IRtfKGpwfGMdcfrdZToDpxXrppXAsd4LDtl6ZoYo330wVnK5lX0LITiFz2jKIsnuuDpPPgbprKIs6Kr3a6BWOFQMIvZSpKVqgPfFqItniUT4KgVve0L8JpdrAr7NAH7yHn8K-qrglCOaZktgkgr5vIBPR1Z99-R9aZDsTVowYe-BduxcJFqxZ8Y/s1040/IMG_011324_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOCr_IRtfKGpwfGMdcfrdZToDpxXrppXAsd4LDtl6ZoYo330wVnK5lX0LITiFz2jKIsnuuDpPPgbprKIs6Kr3a6BWOFQMIvZSpKVqgPfFqItniUT4KgVve0L8JpdrAr7NAH7yHn8K-qrglCOaZktgkgr5vIBPR1Z99-R9aZDsTVowYe-BduxcJFqxZ8Y/w285-h400/IMG_011324_0002.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #72 Louis Wright</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Elway was immediately preceded in joining the Ring of Fame by Louis Wright, a cornerback for the team from 1975-86. The card back points out that Wright led the Broncos in interceptions in 1983, with six. Wright at CB gave us an early sneak peek of the type of play we eventually saw from Champ Bailey.</p><p>I had the pleasure of meeting him once at a Christmas party. Very nice guy. My dad and I even played a few rounds of foosball with him.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rxV9EJFERj8rE5veLCbW2BmcFZSL7AIOmPemwG34mIuzg_0ZJlyvRmbnbOYuWYeB8lsOqx3pMcovxXSO758OpcYMVEM1LPetH6jYQ3gW1UuKiRWojM9JKEmFpU1oL4khSbrMwaoeBhjUu7-YXJ1g3UcZmZz3W2eNgoePPZhh0iWSozaQ-IvnBJTV724/s1048/IMG_011324_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rxV9EJFERj8rE5veLCbW2BmcFZSL7AIOmPemwG34mIuzg_0ZJlyvRmbnbOYuWYeB8lsOqx3pMcovxXSO758OpcYMVEM1LPetH6jYQ3gW1UuKiRWojM9JKEmFpU1oL4khSbrMwaoeBhjUu7-YXJ1g3UcZmZz3W2eNgoePPZhh0iWSozaQ-IvnBJTV724/w284-h400/IMG_011324_0004.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #163 Craig Colquitt</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'm turning 40 this year, and there has been plenty of NFL history that has gone by in that time. So much history, in fact, that we are well into the era of father-son NFL duos. I had never heard of punter Craig Colquitt before, but certainly recognized that surname. That's because his son, Britton, was the punter for the Broncos from 2010-2015. His older son, Dustin, also spent time in the NFL, as did his nephew, Jimmy.</p><p>I don't know if this held true for the remainder of Craig's career, but according to the card back, Craig had thus far never had the misfortune of having a punt blocked.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp27TvyxYWKG0xeATbFlLqkXQNVZq7EfYh17nBB0xENRwbGHJd4ZV2xdIfEzudIY2jg4k8iWXL1kXK1wALKT3hp4LczUnM3FNgBiWiOQKyi-aYRGSanOhWnQSdsTzhdgZCWrnlSC09nyp73KNOz2LwiYzEzD9ctkqzbhXBzlAb4b9fgdjKDVaXxrtz93A/s1032/IMG_011324_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp27TvyxYWKG0xeATbFlLqkXQNVZq7EfYh17nBB0xENRwbGHJd4ZV2xdIfEzudIY2jg4k8iWXL1kXK1wALKT3hp4LczUnM3FNgBiWiOQKyi-aYRGSanOhWnQSdsTzhdgZCWrnlSC09nyp73KNOz2LwiYzEzD9ctkqzbhXBzlAb4b9fgdjKDVaXxrtz93A/w285-h400/IMG_011324_0006.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #123 Dan Marino (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The other key rookie card in this set is Dan Marino, Elway's quarterback counterpart on the East Coast. They took a similar trajectory as contemporaries, but Marino consistently tops the list of best players who never managed to win a Super Bowl, joining similar ringless baseball legends like Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, and Ken Griffey, Jr.</p><p>Elway wasn't too far off from appearing on that list himself. He won Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, retiring shortly after winning his final championship. But he did lose three in four years, nearly sealing an unfortunate fate for the Quarterback Class of 1983.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxs8-43JbDVxEnQr-mtlrKi_qMxABC3s4eJuZM-jZ6aDuHSYE3bR8I2IcFbKEeNXkpJZeeycTMe24oxnDtIQ0gTnFfN72Yt66C8leFZM_gxcXaHtk41LmiByqUeiXaEMnoUPppyYI5guF-Ylws1a9YKRR_a0pOBZfk2a7Ey1CuEN4dcSm6U7p3Sak8Ug/s1036/IMG_011324_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="748" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxs8-43JbDVxEnQr-mtlrKi_qMxABC3s4eJuZM-jZ6aDuHSYE3bR8I2IcFbKEeNXkpJZeeycTMe24oxnDtIQ0gTnFfN72Yt66C8leFZM_gxcXaHtk41LmiByqUeiXaEMnoUPppyYI5guF-Ylws1a9YKRR_a0pOBZfk2a7Ey1CuEN4dcSm6U7p3Sak8Ug/w289-h400/IMG_011324_0003.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #55 Dave Logan</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Dave Logan is pictured here as a Brown, where he spent most of his career, but he did wrap up his career in 1984 as a Bronco. Despite that brief stint at Mile High Stadium, he's much better known in these parts for his broadcasting work, as he has been on the Broncos radio team since 1990, which is certainly as far back as my memory goes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthFuqS-AFdxF3uWAlzl7aNJ54xoL7w4ni-PxLww9MGNJnF0yRlvdggm41WQ6We84YmUyAwsTRse_Q5bUsBXIB0049vS9prgnew9ZOaSMLN6VJWXhbYQ4yN7e8cFYtizCJYxDjTAPT5IjvX4rBUt7eJ90F6AWMIXD1sg6whChjTs5TER0kMbYbL08JOQ0/s1052/IMG_011324_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthFuqS-AFdxF3uWAlzl7aNJ54xoL7w4ni-PxLww9MGNJnF0yRlvdggm41WQ6We84YmUyAwsTRse_Q5bUsBXIB0049vS9prgnew9ZOaSMLN6VJWXhbYQ4yN7e8cFYtizCJYxDjTAPT5IjvX4rBUt7eJ90F6AWMIXD1sg6whChjTs5TER0kMbYbL08JOQ0/w280-h400/IMG_011324_0005.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #37 Cris Collinsworth</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In fact, in thumbing through this set, I was struck by just how many of these guys ended up in broadcasting. Cris Collinsworth has been on the Sunday Night Football crew since 2009, and I'll tell you, his voice has become quite recognizable.</p><p>Of course we can add Troy Aikman and Tony Romo to that list, whose careers began quite a bit after this set was released. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01j-tdJSDl_6aB2IY_YNkTud7REH8SQ4RiKFaXstwMeN9JpsV-lVSDc7c9dzsT2W5f5mi0ap3zDRQDFiXHWPf7eqWuSGgCm7OQZCs49njtK7vThg0JtF0gebiwj7iSN09ano2FXzKv1YS3JDK1W5MOmdDtS33De9yRfaf2zwXRJ2jbiOa_jN0RVOFw58/s1044/IMG_011324_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01j-tdJSDl_6aB2IY_YNkTud7REH8SQ4RiKFaXstwMeN9JpsV-lVSDc7c9dzsT2W5f5mi0ap3zDRQDFiXHWPf7eqWuSGgCm7OQZCs49njtK7vThg0JtF0gebiwj7iSN09ano2FXzKv1YS3JDK1W5MOmdDtS33De9yRfaf2zwXRJ2jbiOa_jN0RVOFw58/w284-h400/IMG_011324_0009.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #162 Terry Bradshaw</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here's a once-spry Terry Bradshaw, who has perhaps overstayed his welcome at Fox.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguInY64EJ2irMuqlXqM1Zqq9DXx1oIXDfpe57Ltqqf0-f4DVpe9dce1k5s7M7T1hSGpFmk1Oqjh9mF2wHXjMyrMvkTDU2rnu8D8VguQx4C4OEa6P_gmBikekKOa7CWzycjc4wa5ogOTM4tgp5dbSrhfiBHCEDmuDGmu4BvMzErCqU12gTcuuOtivKaxx4/s1048/IMG_011324_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguInY64EJ2irMuqlXqM1Zqq9DXx1oIXDfpe57Ltqqf0-f4DVpe9dce1k5s7M7T1hSGpFmk1Oqjh9mF2wHXjMyrMvkTDU2rnu8D8VguQx4C4OEa6P_gmBikekKOa7CWzycjc4wa5ogOTM4tgp5dbSrhfiBHCEDmuDGmu4BvMzErCqU12gTcuuOtivKaxx4/w280-h400/IMG_011324_0008.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #111 Howie Long (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>And rookie Howie Long, who has shared the analyst desk with Bradshaw for many years.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuRKjyNhuL77DZRLW8dZc0GtVG1ULstrzR45CQzkM4UGu40NWLhz4_3Tcr3KawI8QqGXLMelHp1PEFZF4mqvMztQhyphenhyphenBlIpTZMQZubPl5IcmmpVrcww6x8LNRiQz8yCpg2owvxr_a7tqCCogsWUkGM8y3pJln9YGjEP7GIUztxJ5A6ExjGtDwTOA361kc/s1040/IMG_011324_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuRKjyNhuL77DZRLW8dZc0GtVG1ULstrzR45CQzkM4UGu40NWLhz4_3Tcr3KawI8QqGXLMelHp1PEFZF4mqvMztQhyphenhyphenBlIpTZMQZubPl5IcmmpVrcww6x8LNRiQz8yCpg2owvxr_a7tqCCogsWUkGM8y3pJln9YGjEP7GIUztxJ5A6ExjGtDwTOA361kc/w281-h400/IMG_011324_0007.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #390 Joe Theismann</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here's one more veteran broadcaster, Joe Theismann, who used to be in the booth for Monday Night Football. Long before that, he was QB on Washington, and wore a football helmet that doesn't look anywhere near strong enough.</p><p>His playing career goes back to the early 1970s, where he spent three seasons on the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. All three of those seasons are represented on the card back, squeezing out any room for a cartoon or fun fact.</p><p>No relation to the Heisman Trophy, which I questioned when I was young.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXWwL3MPEuiTb2qsc31w1IVf5kqxQ76IDEKyDZFtRBXGYPPt7e69jdQyMpo3U87RGKGrKAqfZNmqDVk8Qp3KRHT4ZaURkYzqqUptZNreiGAlNJMt_e95UoHp-LauLMbx2XXTJuZikwNkccCifRrmcke1IqJpRKD6HHjpk7soYLOuN0odmqlhOZJDZGK0/s1032/IMG_011324_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXWwL3MPEuiTb2qsc31w1IVf5kqxQ76IDEKyDZFtRBXGYPPt7e69jdQyMpo3U87RGKGrKAqfZNmqDVk8Qp3KRHT4ZaURkYzqqUptZNreiGAlNJMt_e95UoHp-LauLMbx2XXTJuZikwNkccCifRrmcke1IqJpRKD6HHjpk7soYLOuN0odmqlhOZJDZGK0/w284-h400/IMG_011324_0010.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #287 Jack Youngblood</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Jack Youngblood also did a little broadcasting work, but that was before my time. I mainly recognized him from one of the few other football-focused posts I have done, the <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/04/little-gridiron-on-prairie.html">Merlin Olsen blog bat-around</a>.</p><p>Youngblood doesn't look all that different in 1984 than he did in 1975. In fact, 1984 Topps doesn't look all that different from 1976, at least as far as the little football helmet design element. 1984 gives the helmet a bit more team flair, and assumes that fans have learned AFC vs. NFC teams well enough to omit that data point from the card front.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcpTT_jlD1BuTWfITsamb6jmJfKVmt6f80WNHAfmxjiGsTA0PAk-VHCIGlSGddUwt4h_ippV2_8KLRp47BOFIzIxUX8fAwbGIDnL8Z8_iVvZ0CtxL2qjVziMAKT4yW1yzU6ATSk8Q0AmzqUuJn7DONccONOkzgK3Ee1IklyxpnXdnzPWaM3KI3mQpxqk/s1036/IMG_011324_0011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcpTT_jlD1BuTWfITsamb6jmJfKVmt6f80WNHAfmxjiGsTA0PAk-VHCIGlSGddUwt4h_ippV2_8KLRp47BOFIzIxUX8fAwbGIDnL8Z8_iVvZ0CtxL2qjVziMAKT4yW1yzU6ATSk8Q0AmzqUuJn7DONccONOkzgK3Ee1IklyxpnXdnzPWaM3KI3mQpxqk/w284-h400/IMG_011324_0011.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #253 Doug English</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I know Doug English even less than I know Jack Youngblood, but I am always a fan of commemorative uniform patches. All Detroit Lions wore the team's 50th Anniversary patch in 1983. which we can see on English's left shoulder. The patch marks their inaugural season of 1934, as well as four styles of football helmets worn through the years.</p><p>Sadly, their many years of futility have continued for well over 50 years by now, but they play the Rams Sunday evening, and you know what they say about any given Sunday.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-I_s4FLunDC4QbU_g5ANQgkON9myP33gp5dNFrsZ1CURsIaXu8tX0nYATtA_2XBWdFW9LmZt9MLQVsgQI0FngYkaFn56hcQCzzILZOue1E3Tj-Ychrl0UsdGipX60k0WeeYZKUzESmp-1Cs9EpUWu8bAFCU3F1ULCG5F7BLPZ9s-Jm2G134ENVZz6O8/s1032/IMG_011324_0012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-I_s4FLunDC4QbU_g5ANQgkON9myP33gp5dNFrsZ1CURsIaXu8tX0nYATtA_2XBWdFW9LmZt9MLQVsgQI0FngYkaFn56hcQCzzILZOue1E3Tj-Ychrl0UsdGipX60k0WeeYZKUzESmp-1Cs9EpUWu8bAFCU3F1ULCG5F7BLPZ9s-Jm2G134ENVZz6O8/w283-h400/IMG_011324_0012.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #357 Ronnie Lott</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Ronnie Lott, on the other hand, that's a name I do know. He was on the winning end of one of those hearbreaking Broncos Super Bowl losses, he's a Hall of Famer in both the Pro and College institutions, and is among the best to ever play Safety. Notably, he didn't switch to that position until 1985, and he's still listed as a Cornerback on his 1984 card.</p><p>As a baseball fan, it has become jarring to see the number 42 on a uniform. MLB retired that number for Jackie Robinson in 1997, and I don't follow any sport nearly as closely as baseball, so it's just an unusual thing to see in my personal sports viewing habits.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQquyEcHgfeNBe1g4t-MN_BkHwUvayMZDFE3gl1ZLUmfF0cMa6g_rQP3_aiyrzUtgFfsZgLNh3U7XVCFGxQ5-VT1mBgVdVBFsyPXPMKuQx4-7k6boTmFDtFx88gVuOtSjHsqAiQWv4RoRrHgu-6jyfBQazMtuM8yyPkRM55JV9qSDoycfNiMuHoM519OQ/s1048/IMG_011324_0015.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQquyEcHgfeNBe1g4t-MN_BkHwUvayMZDFE3gl1ZLUmfF0cMa6g_rQP3_aiyrzUtgFfsZgLNh3U7XVCFGxQ5-VT1mBgVdVBFsyPXPMKuQx4-7k6boTmFDtFx88gVuOtSjHsqAiQWv4RoRrHgu-6jyfBQazMtuM8yyPkRM55JV9qSDoycfNiMuHoM519OQ/w283-h400/IMG_011324_0015.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #322 Lawrence Taylor IR</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Action shots were still a bit rare in these mid-1980s card sets. Jack Youngblood's photo is essentially unchanged from 1975, other than whether his helmet is on or off. A good action shot was notable enough that Topps put the best ones in a special "Instant Replay" subset. They even were kind enough to include the exact date of the photo, one of my favorite things to know about a sports card.</p><p>This one of Lawrence Taylor was taken on December 17th, 1983, as the New York [Football] Giants, lost to the Washington [Football Team]. The early part of this game went well for L.T. and the Giants, including this chaotic-looking tackle-for-loss, but the Giants were not good that year, and lost this game to the eventual NFC champions.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnf1kJifbTDBnXlAbdgmUZt0n72tN-4lr_8xU-qWoPPglBNH5lwLF_xsViY_RQ8Tfx7F7m08NHQ9Nbkdj3oASCPhuWmcvw8dxYMzAB2pQScOk8-CujU6KWfCHAFYXaK6DSBitEs_M_ZQ_6nlqHhMhyCmdLQFhyphenhyphenaPlyyR8buIldmDbsHSnvCmLOJJZNNyU/s1040/IMG_011324_0013.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnf1kJifbTDBnXlAbdgmUZt0n72tN-4lr_8xU-qWoPPglBNH5lwLF_xsViY_RQ8Tfx7F7m08NHQ9Nbkdj3oASCPhuWmcvw8dxYMzAB2pQScOk8-CujU6KWfCHAFYXaK6DSBitEs_M_ZQ_6nlqHhMhyCmdLQFhyphenhyphenaPlyyR8buIldmDbsHSnvCmLOJJZNNyU/w281-h400/IMG_011324_0013.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #280 Eric Dickerson (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Arguably the next most important rookie card in the set, after Elway and Marino, was Eric Dickerson. The Hall of Fame running back still holds the record for most rushing yards in a season (asterisk, when O.J. Simpson played, it was only a 14-game season). He set that record in 1984, a year after winning Rookie of the Year as noted on this card.</p><p>The glasses he's sporting on this card aren't just for looks. They were prescription goggles, needed to correct a condition of myopia.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7J5OvS9XOj89jjFdR9SdzF-tUbaGpqi4HcyYv9vCyO1YkwJnLSdyiIMeX1O1e9aUgLt5yTh_Nxkv4r_tdsdE1lCqRL6mlahAf6c58ghNswbIubQVbGD47NniQ6TOGsTfsBo61TZAeZzIEAdNXvjjwNaipTtF0kr0Jdo0V6_ublsmbyMuCOlc67zO2Eik/s1036/IMG_011324_0014.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7J5OvS9XOj89jjFdR9SdzF-tUbaGpqi4HcyYv9vCyO1YkwJnLSdyiIMeX1O1e9aUgLt5yTh_Nxkv4r_tdsdE1lCqRL6mlahAf6c58ghNswbIubQVbGD47NniQ6TOGsTfsBo61TZAeZzIEAdNXvjjwNaipTtF0kr0Jdo0V6_ublsmbyMuCOlc67zO2Eik/w284-h400/IMG_011324_0014.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1984 Topps #228 Walter Payton</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Today's last card is another all-time great running back, Walter Payton. No action shot this time, though he does have an "Instant Replay" subset card one card later in the checklist. I just really liked this close-up photo of him.</p><p>Much ink has been spilled debating the greatest baseball players of all-time, and it's hard to rank, say, Stan Musial vs. Ted Williams. The late Walter Payton easily finds himself at the very top of the RB rankings, right up there with Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Dickerson, and more. Notably, the card back tells us that he ranks 3rd all-time on the NFL rushing list. Even this late in his career, he had plenty more in the tank, and pushed his way up to #1 at the time of his retirement. Only Emmitt Smith has eclipsed him, and with the way the game has changed, the top NFL rushing list might be set in stone for a very long time to come.</p><p>Thanks to Roger for broadening my collecting horizons with this excellent wedding gift!</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-7881347375086878672023-09-27T21:04:00.000-06:002023-09-27T21:04:20.643-06:00What’s All This NOW?<p>Once upon a time, I did more posts during a single <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/12/eight-clubby-nights-stadium-club.html">Hanukkah</a> than I've done in all of 2023. There has been so little time for things like blogging during a busy year like this. So many of you read my <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2023/06/joel-kaningher-1947-2023.html">previous post</a> and offered condolences about the passing of my father, and I thank you all. </p><p>But beyond that, there are some big life changes in the works which will be coming to fruition over the next couple weeks. My <span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">fiancée and I are planning on buying a house together (so yes, I will have a new address), and that should be happening very soon. I just don't want to jinx anything because it's not a done deal quite yet. </span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">And shortly after that, yes, I said </span><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">fiancée! We are getting married in early October.</span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">So in other words, house hunting and wedding planning has been my focus this year, sadly coming along with quite a bit of grief. It has been a bittersweet year. My baseball card intake has slowed dramatically, but there have been enough to build a nice little blog post full of Rockies and one very personal oddball.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezNmMGhuJQOZo_zqaRd6sZWWj9dBMKe-0e6VIsvmxSD_-sedEK5Wil_mt6X4cbcLvpWT3sF-fwo1yB18ku9wRStyn0YCczQzysHwdAHKylMwA0iZ7sEn-RDwleZcUYnB_C_mvIZV0I3RXwWJDk27Ok4AG1_nnhZlwD3bcufyrq0oaZij1XNgYtFkxcS4/s1027/IMG_092723_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezNmMGhuJQOZo_zqaRd6sZWWj9dBMKe-0e6VIsvmxSD_-sedEK5Wil_mt6X4cbcLvpWT3sF-fwo1yB18ku9wRStyn0YCczQzysHwdAHKylMwA0iZ7sEn-RDwleZcUYnB_C_mvIZV0I3RXwWJDk27Ok4AG1_nnhZlwD3bcufyrq0oaZij1XNgYtFkxcS4/w285-h400/IMG_092723_0001.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2010 Bowman 1992 Bowman Throwbacks #BT14 Troy Tulowitzki</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Long ago, in the days before the Rockies never lost 100 games in a season (a record spoiled yesterday), Troy Tulowitzki was the starting shortstop for Colorado. He was quite the fan favorite, earning a spot not only in the Bowman base set, but also in this 1992-themed Throwback set. This huge 110-card insert set is a very accurate reproduction of the original '92 design. The only major change is that the team-by-team opponent stat breakdown is a much more crowded table than in 1992, simply because interleague play had not yet arrived. There are 20 teams crammed onto this 2010 card back, but it's still mostly readable. We've been squinting at card backs since long before I was born.</p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">Interestingly, with the new MLB schedule design, where each team plays at least one series against every other team each year, they'd need 29 rows on this table, as well as the season and career totals. I don't know how feasible that really is.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIBrnJnujRN0vRLOWYOYjTjphufPJVK9VuMZ5pPpPmzoByTvB0lVNal5u9rESIIPhUufyLxSYXXHRc-fMU3v0v7eoJP4hAlOEDmboD5bzQNVD4QiWXKZTr5OptTEPJoomUXinkPZdRqGFVKhTTyu9sD5Vh59JWmOi54_DpnAME3Oki2zjtEXGdCqEgE0/s1032/IMG_092723_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="737" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIBrnJnujRN0vRLOWYOYjTjphufPJVK9VuMZ5pPpPmzoByTvB0lVNal5u9rESIIPhUufyLxSYXXHRc-fMU3v0v7eoJP4hAlOEDmboD5bzQNVD4QiWXKZTr5OptTEPJoomUXinkPZdRqGFVKhTTyu9sD5Vh59JWmOi54_DpnAME3Oki2zjtEXGdCqEgE0/w286-h400/IMG_092723_0003.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2010 Bowman #123 Troy Tulowitzki</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">Here's that base card I mentioned earlier. A typical black-bordered Bowman card that I'd never be able to pick out of a lineup. It does have a nice action shot of Tulo in what was then called AT&T Park. That's an easy stadium identification, partly because I see NL West parks on TV constantly, and partly because the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kayos/3649358560">Chevron banner</a> with the happy-looking cars was quite distinctive.<br /></span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">Chevron does still have a banner out there in left field at Oracle Park, but it's not quite as cartoony as it was back then.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04aueoRLuKrzR5xsBopdyED8ytKNhiPAe2TGc9xgSJimaNRCObk4rTwNzPjN5UP6q6ZCnEMRaxB6p3ZfLtl64vgMs_HbGJvt9hb1vIB4Hv2Pv1PBGD2IzLSddpIH7I8g_qHpC9bCxQR_qM1-urTp3_b3lupOtpazIhruRWg0opL66mpSKf3JMKrHLUzo/s1036/IMG_092723_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="752" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04aueoRLuKrzR5xsBopdyED8ytKNhiPAe2TGc9xgSJimaNRCObk4rTwNzPjN5UP6q6ZCnEMRaxB6p3ZfLtl64vgMs_HbGJvt9hb1vIB4Hv2Pv1PBGD2IzLSddpIH7I8g_qHpC9bCxQR_qM1-urTp3_b3lupOtpazIhruRWg0opL66mpSKf3JMKrHLUzo/w290-h400/IMG_092723_0005.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2007 Fleer #338 Troy Tulowitzki (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">All these Tulo cards came from an assortment of Rockies my </span><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">fiancée found in a clear bag at the local thrift store. </span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">Why do you think I'm marrying her?</span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">It was mostly duplicates, but these three are new to my collection, and she only spent a dollar or so on the bag, so really it's much the same as if I found these in a quarter box. I haven't been to a card show since long before the hobby exploded, and I don't know if dime boxes are even around anymore.</span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">This card is from the very last days of Fleer, the 2007 set. An extremely young Tulowitzki, who at that point had only played in the Majors as a late-season callup in 2006, is wearing the highly unusual uniform number 63, presumably a spring-training shot. Dexter Fowler is the most famous Rockie to wear that number.</span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">Despite his young career, the card back still had good things to say about him, specifically his two-RBI, two-run performance on <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL200609230.shtml">September 23rd, 2006</a>.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1KJUrHLXRMVsV54Z6ghH3sO-mOknmIb7U_9a7Qaf5dpWSmIkxG6IG9z63rPzV6F9UV1AsveuD_dEKk4QNyNQFwDW1mjLGlam4cUrzFHAXYrGg2Yyjha35g5-eXGY_yOxX7rQIZiRiCKcFrZlJf8tdvROaYAkYxj3mZ-NbymXySENhiFPJ4WrAVRt5-8/s1036/IMG_092723_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="745" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1KJUrHLXRMVsV54Z6ghH3sO-mOknmIb7U_9a7Qaf5dpWSmIkxG6IG9z63rPzV6F9UV1AsveuD_dEKk4QNyNQFwDW1mjLGlam4cUrzFHAXYrGg2Yyjha35g5-eXGY_yOxX7rQIZiRiCKcFrZlJf8tdvROaYAkYxj3mZ-NbymXySENhiFPJ4WrAVRt5-8/w288-h400/IMG_092723_0006.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2023 Topps Now Card of the Month #M-JUL Vladimir Guerrero Jr.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">I did order a couple of Topps NOW cards this year. The first was July's Card of the Month, which ended up being of Vlad, Jr. who won the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle. He's happily hoisting the trophy after hitting 25 home runs in the final round of the Derby. The card back points out that he is part of the only father-son duo to win the Home Run Derby. Longtime fans might remember that his Hall of Famer dad won his Derby back in 2007.</span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">I ended up getting this card for free. Somehow I had enough Topps loyalty points to get a code for a 100% discount. I actually redeemed that prize a couple years ago, but had a pretty tough time figuring out how to actually use it. It was not obvious at all and it took me numerous tries. But I ended up figuring it out, and now have a nice reminder of another All-Star Weekend.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-zjK-DPLPqjVFrXHVgYwXwrZAnUkYc7mABELWPA4bTBzEhRxp48TG1xgZuLXZPu_SoT5ps-xiG7RYREensa9M2g3bSYohP3Sz1MZBgSSOtQAyOmwN3rlsqvea0FhtNc6hmJow4eNWBJU5a-5ciiSHuNKV4eq39o-Pgsv5JIkr5UwD5QD75VRy0kxkn0/s1028/IMG_092723_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-zjK-DPLPqjVFrXHVgYwXwrZAnUkYc7mABELWPA4bTBzEhRxp48TG1xgZuLXZPu_SoT5ps-xiG7RYREensa9M2g3bSYohP3Sz1MZBgSSOtQAyOmwN3rlsqvea0FhtNc6hmJow4eNWBJU5a-5ciiSHuNKV4eq39o-Pgsv5JIkr5UwD5QD75VRy0kxkn0/w288-h400/IMG_092723_0002.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2023 Topps Now #564 Elias Diaz /943</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The other Topps NOW card I picked up, and paid full price for, was this one of All-Star Game MVP Elias Díaz, the catcher who is the first-ever Rockie to win the award. He must have been inspired by all those power hitters the night before, leading to his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv7c4Swr8tU">8th-inning home run</a> finally giving the National League a win at the All-Star Game.</p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">He was beaming as he hoisted the Ted Williams MVP trophy in Seattle, and 943 collectors thought this was a worthy moment to immortalize on cardboard. It was also the highlight of the Rockies season, which, as I mentioned, is the first 100-loss season in team history.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBwyhSmzKk5vkBnDabmoTisA_SLc1hkcCfydwNq9XWlxAQgMc_Gh2gYbj4Xm91kSTpF6z8Bx9QfHk5MMktSWGsQerPipmOFoT-_0n5WQRqxWybWV0lOCxVuX7t1V-a4o3R810-UHZroeAMDSyTMiwGaa8l_vlt5dAxa_p9mG_fgd36uU10TGC4bWqxpA/s1032/IMG_092723_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBwyhSmzKk5vkBnDabmoTisA_SLc1hkcCfydwNq9XWlxAQgMc_Gh2gYbj4Xm91kSTpF6z8Bx9QfHk5MMktSWGsQerPipmOFoT-_0n5WQRqxWybWV0lOCxVuX7t1V-a4o3R810-UHZroeAMDSyTMiwGaa8l_vlt5dAxa_p9mG_fgd36uU10TGC4bWqxpA/w286-h400/IMG_092723_0007.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2023 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #RA-BS Brian Serven (AU)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">Even though I haven't been very active in the baseball card hobby this year, I'm still known for it. My </span><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">fiancée's friend's husband has recently gotten into card collecting, and when we went to visit over the summer, we had a great chance to connect over cards. He's more into football cards, which I know very little about, but still it was fun to find a fellow collector. He even gave me this Rockies autograph card of Brian Serven, another of the team's catchers.</span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">Serven, 28, has spent about a half-season of time in the big leagues since 2022, but in that time he has accumulated a negative bWAR, and he's not getting much playing time in Triple-A Albuquerque either. Players can always turn it around but we might not be seeing much more of him as a Rockie. Still, it's always nice to add an autograph to the Rockies collection, especially an on-card one.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TrbxPI7gBaKztaAP8mpi0TeQrZ4sj94v_Skd8JPAW0sQIJBukziFC_PGGMRk8zyhSgh2-qq6j4Bf8Oc_GPxEYzg7f-39StfnxZjb7v-V9VePzr7rDQgPYGNRhyphenhyphenjwd-tZ49396YnIN4KxMKiNT1PJRmwZ0OmWLxou0L1OV6X9auBkmsEX0V_CTQ0lWO0/s712/IMG_092723_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TrbxPI7gBaKztaAP8mpi0TeQrZ4sj94v_Skd8JPAW0sQIJBukziFC_PGGMRk8zyhSgh2-qq6j4Bf8Oc_GPxEYzg7f-39StfnxZjb7v-V9VePzr7rDQgPYGNRhyphenhyphenjwd-tZ49396YnIN4KxMKiNT1PJRmwZ0OmWLxou0L1OV6X9auBkmsEX0V_CTQ0lWO0/w216-h320/IMG_092723_0004.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1945 Roto-Panel Johnny McIntosh</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our final card is an eBay pickup, that oddball I mentioned at the beginning. I'm not too sure what this truly is. It's advertised on eBay as a "Roto-Panel" from 1945. It's certainly not in Beckett, and there is no card number. It's only about as thick as a magazine page.</p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">But I do know who it is. Johnny McIntosh (coincidentally wearing #63) goes by "John" now, but to me he's always been "Granddad".</span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">He played football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (not the "honeybees" - an oft-repeated family story), and even made it as far as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_Orange_Bowl">1945 Orange Bowl</a>, where he had a receiving touchdown. He was teammates with Frank Broyles, who ended up coaching the Arkansas Razorbacks for two decades.</span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">Granddad lives in Tennessee now, where he retired after a long career with Union Carbide. He's about to turn 100 at the end of November. It's been several years since I last saw him, but I'm glad to be able to have him occupy a very unique spot in my collection.</span></p><p><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading"><br /></span></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-1834773601070200892023-06-26T22:10:00.002-06:002023-09-27T20:38:48.804-06:00Joel Kaningher (1947-2023)<p>My dad passed away earlier this year.</p><p>It happened just a few weeks after I penned <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2023/01/this-is-all-because-of-my-dad.html">this post</a> about four new cards I found for my collection amongst the belongings he left behind here in Colorado. It has been a difficult several months to say the least, and is certainly part of why you haven't seen me write anything since then. </p><p>In mid-March, I flew down to Florida to settle his estate. My sister had already planned a trip down there to visit him, so I just tagged along on what we all expected would be a different kind of vacation. An old friend of mine who lives nearby helped me clean out his office and bedroom, and I flew back to Colorado a few days later with a few of his prized possessions. Watches, books, photo albums, things like that. A few fountain pens, which has turned into quite the little addiction, let me tell you. </p><p>And yes, baseball cards.</p><p>It wasn't much. His card collection from when he was a boy was long gone before I was even born. And most of the few hundred cards he kept from my duplicates box stayed behind in Colorado. But I did find three or four pages of his favorites from recent years.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzl-4iSb3fA-He9cyoNvWMDEFnacB1nXCWXeLmVexUuZsu84OA7p18NjE8ltUOLS3hi1oLrh3DObumfIYNI3juKjNFiCSgs4hxTa_hjJ1MhwOqqT4NRTy--GkPj8748oWdmTe3WHrbryapyUaTBW2SS3gcUi9pHPcMGivBemFgjrcIzmVMLPAbBzES9Q/s1036/IMG_062623_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="741" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzl-4iSb3fA-He9cyoNvWMDEFnacB1nXCWXeLmVexUuZsu84OA7p18NjE8ltUOLS3hi1oLrh3DObumfIYNI3juKjNFiCSgs4hxTa_hjJ1MhwOqqT4NRTy--GkPj8748oWdmTe3WHrbryapyUaTBW2SS3gcUi9pHPcMGivBemFgjrcIzmVMLPAbBzES9Q/w286-h400/IMG_062623_0001.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2010 Yankees Topps 27 World Championships #YC2 Lou Gehrig</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Over half of the cards I found came from this complete 27-card set that Topps released in 2010, documenting each of the 27 World Series the Yankees have won in their illustrious history. I remember giving this set to him as a gift, probably for Father's Day. I'm glad he liked it so much that he kept it nearby all this time.</p><p>Lou Gehrig was before Dad's time, as was much of the team's success that began with Babe Ruth. The Iron Horse also predated Topps itself, so for all the 1920s, '30s, and '40s guys, Topps simply added their photos to the 1952 design. Later on in the set they did true reprints of actual Topps cards, which you'll see later.<br /></p><p>DiMaggio is actually not in this set, surely a rights issue that Topps couldn't resolve.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrAauGeaFGEXqG8YWNuZbj9my-VpjSlFzzz5zzUZQRfoi72CH9yULZyGQK0drEHmfMDf_2OXov_zkRLabtC-iI6yZUSoU-arzZchBcsialBoAOfUNbaII-njlY5JA3BovyenOI0omZu6MWvszICCHU4G6U__WQZXVsEKlHFqyCeOcbFlzM81Rz71dYp8/s1036/IMG_062623_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrAauGeaFGEXqG8YWNuZbj9my-VpjSlFzzz5zzUZQRfoi72CH9yULZyGQK0drEHmfMDf_2OXov_zkRLabtC-iI6yZUSoU-arzZchBcsialBoAOfUNbaII-njlY5JA3BovyenOI0omZu6MWvszICCHU4G6U__WQZXVsEKlHFqyCeOcbFlzM81Rz71dYp8/w283-h400/IMG_062623_0006.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2010 Yankees Topps 27 World Championships #YC15 Mickey Mantle</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>But Mickey Mantle is. Three times, actually. </p><p>A reprint of Mantle's <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/07/all-star-week.html">mythical</a> 1952 Topps rookie card is #15 in this checklist, already over halfway through the set before The Commerce Comet even makes an appearance. </p><p>Even a casual collector knows this card front very well. But this particular reprint set is a bit different. The back is a dark blue with pinstripes, and it contains a decently long paragraph describing the Series (more or less like the lenticular mini cards found in 1991 Score), along with the overall World Series outcome, and the special championship logo unique to that year.</p><p>The 1952 World Series went the distance, with the Bronx Bombers taking the full seven games to defeat their crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. My dad was actually born in Brooklyn, but moved to Queens as a child, a decade or so before the Mets came into existence.</p><p>It should be obvious by now that my dad was a Yankees fan, through and through. And none other than The Mick was his favorite player.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2fEpEX1h9kl6WctQmj7z-sY5ThtIn7DXyMW9KDs9UBTJLWYJ4injon3v9w3YRg5L49sf_sPRPw7Xkx86OVMXXLKBbYcEUWyKVrm43A_v2RsOf-lDDq0awa4oYBGxEN8r05t3msEZyt8Di6CwPgrIWLcKSpyNedY7QF5LGq0hVT9uwClTqlSkarMuE-A/s1032/IMG_062623_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2fEpEX1h9kl6WctQmj7z-sY5ThtIn7DXyMW9KDs9UBTJLWYJ4injon3v9w3YRg5L49sf_sPRPw7Xkx86OVMXXLKBbYcEUWyKVrm43A_v2RsOf-lDDq0awa4oYBGxEN8r05t3msEZyt8Di6CwPgrIWLcKSpyNedY7QF5LGq0hVT9uwClTqlSkarMuE-A/w286-h400/IMG_062623_0002.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2010 Yankees Topps 27 World Championships #YC19 Roger Maris</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>He spoke fondly of Roger Maris, too. Dad would have been fourteen years old during the home run chase of 1961, exactly as old as I was when McGwire and Sosa had their own chase in 1998. I think he felt bad for Maris when remembering how much the media pressure got to him when he hit 61 in '61.</p><p>The Yankees did win the World Series that year, a year after their heartbreaking loss to Pittsburgh at the hands of Bill Mazeroski. Topps reprinted Maris's 1961 card, and noted on the card back that the new home run champion hit a World Series home run in Game 3 against the Reds.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzLHxZUSaNEQIJYy984JeBRoXkWBXLlO93ngWAlFmCc4hE5YhWN_RCCpRNazUkkJdnDXUwf7qGDIxQPAqtIq4QQDo4Rv4hwCvnRhtWlLp32qROt-NhUZxPQdU6dDsPyBsoAwAgCmHw66knmIUNPxEXQYIak7SjmLKNZ-NT2QVZ4g4TfktJMd8ybGHEng/s1041/IMG_062623_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzLHxZUSaNEQIJYy984JeBRoXkWBXLlO93ngWAlFmCc4hE5YhWN_RCCpRNazUkkJdnDXUwf7qGDIxQPAqtIq4QQDo4Rv4hwCvnRhtWlLp32qROt-NhUZxPQdU6dDsPyBsoAwAgCmHw66knmIUNPxEXQYIak7SjmLKNZ-NT2QVZ4g4TfktJMd8ybGHEng/w283-h400/IMG_062623_0003.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2010 Yankees Topps 27 World Championships #YC24 Derek Jeter</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I don't think Dad really followed the Yankees that much in the 1970s or '80s, although I did find a picture of him wearing the classic "NY" hat circa 1983. But when the dynasty re-established itself in the late 1990s, he and I were both excited to watch it. Derek Jeter was of course a huge part of that, reprinted here on his 1998 card. It's not quite a perfect reprint, but the only major difference is that the foil is silver instead of gold.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavKpgBVxq38ap1Uo-fIyigALS-xP8eKdhLyp__yAVKHB0CVRx7iUyUEhbBFsrN-gEyRbadlfwufO5MUQvj6PVPliloODhybSf9v1U8wJjbWAINRpxhQ6Azpd1CRToZhKVj2JkwHDyxmzsONoEM1ael1jKpaRdduYVESLHZmTZgIWaflgZ1O0EPmrjtGg/s1194/IMG_062623_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="756" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavKpgBVxq38ap1Uo-fIyigALS-xP8eKdhLyp__yAVKHB0CVRx7iUyUEhbBFsrN-gEyRbadlfwufO5MUQvj6PVPliloODhybSf9v1U8wJjbWAINRpxhQ6Azpd1CRToZhKVj2JkwHDyxmzsONoEM1ael1jKpaRdduYVESLHZmTZgIWaflgZ1O0EPmrjtGg/w254-h400/IMG_062623_0008.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2002 New York Yankees Pocket Schedule</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>He took my sister and I to Maine and New York City for a vacation in 2002, and he picked up this Yankees pocket schedule somewhere during that trip. One of these games in mid-June says the Yankees played in Colorado. June 19th, to be exact. He splurged on two Club Level tickets for that game, and we got to see the Yankees rout the Rockies in a 20-10 victory. Until last Saturday, that was the most runs I had ever seen an opposing team score against the Rockies.</p><p>You'll notice the schedule documents 26 World Championships. The 27th was in 2009, and coincidentally my dad and I went to see them play in Anaheim that year. He lived all over the country, and telling his story through a few baseball games barely scratches the surface of who he was. But, as Terence Mann says in <i>Field of Dreams</i>, baseball marks the time.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMm51B-D5W1lPLAk7Y-45z_6BvFWzH8PsLKcc-Wfd1NcZhlYUB1rHRxCWguyC1uTNzX1K22A2J4Iht46KdshLSHdQIKUXgYbn-a5r_EbULskbW563VL9ZAnhL0k1MjOzMh922chH7XXWOtHpDsvPbPCreinEGpIU5U_EJtiU3uxoZTLbHi1D51SnlthE/s1036/IMG_062623_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="739" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMm51B-D5W1lPLAk7Y-45z_6BvFWzH8PsLKcc-Wfd1NcZhlYUB1rHRxCWguyC1uTNzX1K22A2J4Iht46KdshLSHdQIKUXgYbn-a5r_EbULskbW563VL9ZAnhL0k1MjOzMh922chH7XXWOtHpDsvPbPCreinEGpIU5U_EJtiU3uxoZTLbHi1D51SnlthE/w285-h400/IMG_062623_0004.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2016 Topps #93 Charlie Blackmon</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The rest of the cards I found were more stowaways from my duplicates box, like this 2016 base card of Charlie Blackmon. Dad retired to Florida in early 2016, so I'm not quite sure how he got this card. I don't remember mailing it to him, but maybe it was a duplicate I gave him from my very first pack or two of 2016 Topps Series 1. If that's what it was, he moved to Florida very soon after.</p><p>In any case, he enjoyed the local teams here, and we watched plenty of Rockies games both on TV and in person together. He knew how much of a baseball fan he raised. He taught me how to keep score, he (and my mom) drove me to little league games and practices, they bought me cards for holidays and birthdays, they took me and my sister to the ballpark.</p><p>I remember he got home from work early one summer afternoon, and he said, "I drove by Mile High Stadium on the way home and the seats were starting to fill up. There's probably a game on." And I immediately turned on the stereo to find that he was right. And surely, <i>surely</i> he knew that I stayed up past my bedtime listening to the Rockies on my little clock radio.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6oLfQoBC8diPi3Nt0ljUuPuKSlt5ktath962fml4CK_edhPmeW10acuVIpJ3k25N1cBeWJA4qi5AXXXUnlSdtk50NW1RIgmpTN6mQQgPngjOGVRnOOhmwopwL98_K1FOm8EbDNTD14Oq4FxfGF1D4rw3SzxTktE8Izbk-_Xhf5p2Ir06xhIjEA5DOY0/s1036/IMG_062623_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6oLfQoBC8diPi3Nt0ljUuPuKSlt5ktath962fml4CK_edhPmeW10acuVIpJ3k25N1cBeWJA4qi5AXXXUnlSdtk50NW1RIgmpTN6mQQgPngjOGVRnOOhmwopwL98_K1FOm8EbDNTD14Oq4FxfGF1D4rw3SzxTktE8Izbk-_Xhf5p2Ir06xhIjEA5DOY0/w284-h400/IMG_062623_0005.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2014 Stadium Club #17 Michael Cuddyer</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>After all he gave me, I'm glad I at least got to share my love of Stadium Club with him. He picked this one out, and while he was never a Rockies die-hard like me, he knew a good card when he saw it.</p><p>I noticed the 20th Anniversary patch on Michael Cuddyer's sleeve on this 2014 Stadium Club card, the year the brand returned from a long hiatus. And this year the Rockies are wearing a <a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1639753938437038080?lang=en">30th Anniversary patch</a>. </p><p>Which means that memory I have of turning on the radio is either 29 or 30 years old. Not sure how I feel about that.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkGy1KzZLjZy6VJFeqfi4yW6wCXWSOYXsYbloVK9ISFXPRAfmQcltbJIQOYn6zW1gHBJzXzjqwCnLiUh69oR9T0eOTEz0rw6mUIdUB-FOSLju1-s9nRFSu5jYX1Ff5qDduwfuot4vu0Yj6I025U9rU254Kb6vkTjisvw8zCl1s-MnqvuWRWajxKADBkc/s1035/IMG_062623_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkGy1KzZLjZy6VJFeqfi4yW6wCXWSOYXsYbloVK9ISFXPRAfmQcltbJIQOYn6zW1gHBJzXzjqwCnLiUh69oR9T0eOTEz0rw6mUIdUB-FOSLju1-s9nRFSu5jYX1Ff5qDduwfuot4vu0Yj6I025U9rU254Kb6vkTjisvw8zCl1s-MnqvuWRWajxKADBkc/w285-h400/IMG_062623_0007.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2015 Topps First Pitch #FP-01 Jeff Bridges</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Dad picked out a fun card or two, such as this well-liked First Pitch insert card of Jeff Bridges. Along with baseball, my dad liked movies. And chess, and physics, and cooking, and a thousand other topics. But during those years when our interest in baseball waned a little bit, he introduced me to plenty of movies. <i>Blade Runner</i>, <i>Midnight Cowboy</i>, <i>Little Big Man</i>, other movies with and without Dustin Hoffman. Later in his life, he just enjoyed watching his favorites over and over again. <i>Charlie Wilson's War</i> was a particular favorite of his, and I think I remember him mentioning <i>Crazy Heart</i>, which would explain why he liked this Jeff Bridges card.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqjHTAaahxf6H4e-cIx9oBhyn5wIJW-uT926MjuZII8m1YFri3Lg6keBOU_uvvma3-YoQSojmeKSBwN3JEywyb96VQG0lwVfaN-B4O3g9v0hDlDpYugbR5g_IAMex5h-1kRC5awOgj5q6sR9ljlYjKmkEtVyOCAm6qwx0eGxeKJwizFh4ZcXs7k7Lc-s/s1049/IMG_062623_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="741" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqjHTAaahxf6H4e-cIx9oBhyn5wIJW-uT926MjuZII8m1YFri3Lg6keBOU_uvvma3-YoQSojmeKSBwN3JEywyb96VQG0lwVfaN-B4O3g9v0hDlDpYugbR5g_IAMex5h-1kRC5awOgj5q6sR9ljlYjKmkEtVyOCAm6qwx0eGxeKJwizFh4ZcXs7k7Lc-s/w283-h400/IMG_062623_0009.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1993 Yankees Team Stadium Club #5 Wade Boggs</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>But it always came back to the Yankees. That was his team no matter what. I asked him once who he would root for if it ever came down to Rockies vs. Yankees in the World Series. Without much hesitation, he told me the Yankees. I like them too, thanks to him, but I'd have to say the opposite. Mainly I grew to like New York because I wanted a horse in the race when the Postseason came around, and the Rockies, as we all know, are usually wrapped up by the end of September.</p><p>Losing <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/angels-vs-rockies-highlights-x3550?t=daily-recaps">25-1</a> like they did on Saturday doesn't bode well for this year, either.</p><p>But those pinstripes are timeless, and they look good on this Wade Boggs Team Stadium Club card.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPrcUS6L5KzIxJSfTuZMaltHL6d38dwOnreCZt5uRvYV25jsrzVHfUNa01Zy0VvjM5lTbVvqlk8WoS1wgwbXL_aLbRagQ42BF4UYADb1dlsF-6BOokneD4RSotzkyAehSshWxM3HbQhdFcy9Db5F212rsk-_ORW93apt338Nb-7Z3sJ3_2jYab6P9Y5g/s1035/IMG_062623_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1035" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPrcUS6L5KzIxJSfTuZMaltHL6d38dwOnreCZt5uRvYV25jsrzVHfUNa01Zy0VvjM5lTbVvqlk8WoS1wgwbXL_aLbRagQ42BF4UYADb1dlsF-6BOokneD4RSotzkyAehSshWxM3HbQhdFcy9Db5F212rsk-_ORW93apt338Nb-7Z3sJ3_2jYab6P9Y5g/w400-h281/IMG_062623_0010.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2011 Topps Lost Cards #60YOTLC-6 Whitey Ford</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's sad that 2009 was the last Yankees championship Dad got to see. But being alive for seventeen of them is pretty cool. He was still keeping an eye on them in these Aaron Judge years, and I think he would have liked Joe Posnanski's recent <a href="https://www.esquire.com/sports/a43899544/aaron-judge-yankees/">feature</a> in <i>Esquire</i> about the new Captain of the Yankees.</p><p>I'm wrapping up with this insert card of Whitey Ford, from "The Lost Cards" Topps insert set. Due to rights issues, Ford was never actually in the 1955 set, but this is what it would have looked like.</p><p>Whitey Ford, it so happens, is one of the later Yankees connections I had to my dad. During that awful year of 2020, Whitey Ford was one of the many Hall of Famers we lost. I talked to my dad not long after that, asking about more of his old baseball memories. The main thing I remember was him repeatedly using Ford's nickname, "The Chairman of the Board", and I'm sure he saw him pitch at the old Yankee Stadium. </p><p>Dad went to many Yankees games when he was young (somehow nearly always against the White Sox, he told me), and he idolized Mickey Mantle. I can't imagine how special it must have been for him to watch such a legendary superstar play just up the street. It's sad though, because we all know how much knee pain Mantle endured during his career, how "it about killed him", my dad said, when Mantle finished with a .298 lifetime batting average, how even though he's undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time, the knee injury The Mick suffered as a rookie made his career a what-if.</p><p>And my dad watched his childhood hero go through that, and the aftermath. I hardly ever saw him upset or bothered by anything he saw in the news, especially over something as inevitable as a celebrity death. But one of the few times I saw him shaken up was in 1995, when the newspaper came one morning and he learned of Mickey Mantle's death. It got to him. </p><p>I'll never know what it was really like to watch Mickey Mantle play, but I think at least maybe a little of how much time and effort my dad put into cultivating a love of baseball in his only son was to try to share some of that magic that he (and my grandfather) got to witness all those decades ago in the Bronx.<br /></p><p>Thanks, Dad.</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-64714082521491426282023-01-22T18:10:00.000-07:002023-01-22T18:10:05.556-07:00The Trading Post #173: Dime Boxes (Part 2: Nick’s Picks)<p>Picking up where I left off in <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-trading-post-172-dime-boxes-part-1.html">August</a>, here's a continued look at the stack of cards Nick at <a href="http://baseballdimebox.blogspot.com/">Dime Boxes</a> sent for his 10th Anniversary. I picked a solid stack of cards from his giveaway pages, but being the guy he is, Nick included an even larger stack of hand-selected Rockies cards that have been keeping me company on one corner of my desk for quite some time now.<br /></p><p>Seeing as how I'm still working my way through this shipment, I didn't think it right to make a claim during his <a href="http://baseballdimebox.blogspot.com/2022/12/eleven-years.html">11th Anniversary</a> giveaway in December. I simply made a congratulatory comment and left the spoils of that giveaway to my fellow bloggers (mostly because I didn't see it for five days).</p><p>True to his blog's name, getting a stack of cards from Nick is basically like having him look through a ten-cent box at a card show on your behalf. Which, I'm sure, is pretty much exactly how the magic happens.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7hdtVYsvD91jeRYavfF-qL8ZkpHhe1wd0R_xnKmX0V0Xopp9q_0_lGZlh3YoXp68DzMdYY3tIO8Hm3ZhoPU6_jB3T9DLjAD-8m3-HSG_4W2gboJa4oyM3w8AG17UCq4PrfkJLjcl1qIPa-n6Mpx4QTLPs3Ldtg5jggeBRKRV-f6oXxcXHkbQxEcC/s1041/IMG_012223_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7hdtVYsvD91jeRYavfF-qL8ZkpHhe1wd0R_xnKmX0V0Xopp9q_0_lGZlh3YoXp68DzMdYY3tIO8Hm3ZhoPU6_jB3T9DLjAD-8m3-HSG_4W2gboJa4oyM3w8AG17UCq4PrfkJLjcl1qIPa-n6Mpx4QTLPs3Ldtg5jggeBRKRV-f6oXxcXHkbQxEcC/w284-h400/IMG_012223_0001.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2017 Topps Gallery #16 Trevor Story</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I've seen some gorgeous cards from <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-trading-post-143-padrographs-abner.html">Topps Gallery</a> over the years, and if it were more available and affordable, I'm sure I'd chase some of it down myself. It carries on the spirit of the UD Masterpieces brand, something that remained in the hobby for far too short a time.</p><p>The artwork on this Trevor Story card is done by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mayu.mi.art_147/">Mayumi Seto</a>, who only recently <a href="https://www.beckett.com/news/mayumi-seto-retiring-from-topps-mlb-living-set/">withdrew</a> from her post as the artist on nearly 500 cards of the long-running Topps Living Set. As with this Topps Gallery card, her artwork graced Topps products prior to the introduction of the Living Set, a set which remains absent from my collection.</p><p>Maybe one of those would be a good candidate for my <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/p/eight-men-out.html">Eight Men Out</a> list.</p><p>Though Trevor Story has had a solid career, he made his biggest splash during his first week in the Majors, hitting seven home runs in his first six games. His pace trailed off significantly as April 2016 wore on, but he still hit a total of 10 that month. The card back tells us that was one better than Albert Pujols's mark for an NL Rookie.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysnByl8Egdg6wK8PbyVD7MIxn6xWjnOEuYBRwyKIZksGjP2S3UU0EJeXO3_O1iP87MGYjo6Sr2DpwrVefyCBrh-otStdJdQvZvYQBmTo3RjN5bhCqj-Y-nGniVtixoP6V2ij7RlTVG-TlMfuBe5DGk9Kq4Rc2lofH8qYlu5F27CwGdJnwtXFha2tD/s1028/IMG_012223_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysnByl8Egdg6wK8PbyVD7MIxn6xWjnOEuYBRwyKIZksGjP2S3UU0EJeXO3_O1iP87MGYjo6Sr2DpwrVefyCBrh-otStdJdQvZvYQBmTo3RjN5bhCqj-Y-nGniVtixoP6V2ij7RlTVG-TlMfuBe5DGk9Kq4Rc2lofH8qYlu5F27CwGdJnwtXFha2tD/w285-h400/IMG_012223_0003.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2016 Topps Heritage Rookie Performers #RP-TS Trevor Story</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I was personally pretty impressed with Story that month. In fact, I have a very specific memory of watching a couple of those homers from a Buffalo Wild Wings near the office. I snuck away for a quick snack as the Rockies home opener was getting underway, and watched Story launch one to left field. It was probably <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/trevor-story-homers-5-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-field-charlie-blackmon-scores?q=PlayerId%20%3D%3D%20%5B596115%5D%20AND%20HomeTeamId%20%3D%20%5B115%5D%20AND%20Season%20%3D%20%5B2016%5D%20AND%20HitResult%20%3D%20%5B%22Home%20Run%22%5D%20Order%20By%20Timestamp%20DESC&cp=MIXED&p=0">this highlight</a>.</p><p>That B-Dubs location is closed now, but I saw plenty of games there, including the start of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, and most of the 2007 Game 163 tiebreaker.</p><p>Topps was also impressed, as they included him in multiple insert sets in 2016 Topps Heritage, which went to print not terribly long after Story's Rookie of the Month-worthy performance. He appeared in the Rookie Performers insert set, looking ready to crush another home run. I saw more than a few of his homers in person over the years, and as far as Coors Field home runs go, his always somehow had just a little extra. And I'm not even talking about the 2021 Home Run Derby.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqYx4Rr7WeJxDpFtoqexuaTyucB7M68XNj6gffYAnPuv3-7WE1XnQZnm1nfMGCE1PnWou2lJzF0XkneLaZAMpapnsyroINp7pp-S9ox_0LuY55N0fZZIUclcGXnAZWx0Yuz2q0MXpTmm51tyM8xCSiTC9nqRGfuKZrg_lO2VnUfQIYzD5bJUghBjz/s1044/IMG_012223_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1044" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqYx4Rr7WeJxDpFtoqexuaTyucB7M68XNj6gffYAnPuv3-7WE1XnQZnm1nfMGCE1PnWou2lJzF0XkneLaZAMpapnsyroINp7pp-S9ox_0LuY55N0fZZIUclcGXnAZWx0Yuz2q0MXpTmm51tyM8xCSiTC9nqRGfuKZrg_lO2VnUfQIYzD5bJUghBjz/w400-h280/IMG_012223_0004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2016 Topps Heritage Now and Then #NT-1 Trevor Story</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Trevor Story's second insert set appearance came in the Now and Then set. 2016 Topps Heritage took us back 49 years to the 1967 set, and while insert cards weren't really a thing in 1967, this insert fits with the retro theme nicely. </p><p>The card back again documents Story's sizzling-hot April 2016 while somewhat awkwardly tying it into Mel Stottlemyre's <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS2/WS2196704100.shtml">Opening Day 1967</a> two-hit shutout of the Washington Senators.</p><p>He may be long gone from 20th & Blake, but I'm still rooting for him. Sadly, he'll miss most if not all of the 2023 season while recovering from elbow surgery.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGscZeuoEnVNDvO0h9im2J0TlY_lcpZ6ptCykFzzyikiEtF13qRfbIEXcDgKjDqvwoZfWIdP12xhTAtSqPdP2w6NqdAS41_TeG_UlufYudk-UCoiLMiOOmls6JevOxchHbTML3NZgybLQbOmWT9nJAmQKXVyvHcWRcLQDQGtkxsOsYeaUAbAoyKFK/s1032/IMG_012223_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGscZeuoEnVNDvO0h9im2J0TlY_lcpZ6ptCykFzzyikiEtF13qRfbIEXcDgKjDqvwoZfWIdP12xhTAtSqPdP2w6NqdAS41_TeG_UlufYudk-UCoiLMiOOmls6JevOxchHbTML3NZgybLQbOmWT9nJAmQKXVyvHcWRcLQDQGtkxsOsYeaUAbAoyKFK/w285-h400/IMG_012223_0007.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2017 Topps Golden Glove Awards #GG-10 Nolan Arenado</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Another Rockie that has departed for greener pastures is my favorite active player, Nolan Arenado. No matter where he lands, he's the best defensive player around. He already had four Gold Gloves to his name by the time this card was printed in 2017, earning a spot in the Golden Glove Awards insert set along with seventeen other players.</p><p>Apparently, due to trademark issues, Topps couldn't officially use the term "Gold Glove" anywhere on the card, but they did manage to sneak it into the card number, giving this one a prefix of "GG".</p><p>Call it whatever you like, but Nolan somehow took his game to an even higher level after this. In 2017, he won his first of what is now an active streak of six consecutive Platinum Glove awards, which is given to the best defender in each league, not merely the best defender at each position. The Platinum award hasn't been around that long, but Arenado's streak is truly unprecedented.</p><p>Incidentally, most of the other NL Platinum Gloves since its inception in 2011 went to Yadier Molina, Arenado's now-retired Cardinals teammate. There have been a variety of winners on the AL side, but only Anthony Rizzo and Andrelton Simmons have managed to crowd out the elite masters of Molina and Arenado on the NL side.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyAmQ1uGcGv7zPK0PsE2DNg6pnPfbu6MffvPdO5orsje6A5UCtjbzLZMC205lXRjDYD36LLpJXe0suiSBIWyKeXr4Au0q2LjbMXi5-ppkci8rMXP-nwzBPr7dH2sk6reNyip96eO3UxlYewoe9SNYB6d7zB6iNXnCSYXMfBZcovMQlpFFnKg0Y3vC/s1036/IMG_012223_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyAmQ1uGcGv7zPK0PsE2DNg6pnPfbu6MffvPdO5orsje6A5UCtjbzLZMC205lXRjDYD36LLpJXe0suiSBIWyKeXr4Au0q2LjbMXi5-ppkci8rMXP-nwzBPr7dH2sk6reNyip96eO3UxlYewoe9SNYB6d7zB6iNXnCSYXMfBZcovMQlpFFnKg0Y3vC/w283-h400/IMG_012223_0002.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2018 Topps Salute Series 2 #S-94 Nolan Arenado</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>One year later, Topps decided to tell us all about Arenado's continued defensive prowess, including him in Series 2 of the Topps Salute insert set. The card back of course talks about his "fielding award" and being "honored as the top overall defender in the Senior Circuit", a roundabout, lawyer-friendly way of saying he won the National League Platinum Glove.</p><p>Don't miss The Big Game in a few weeks.<br /></p><p>An insert set of this size (an absurd 250 cards across three series) requires some repetition, and Arenado also made an appearance in <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-trading-post-117-baseball-every.html">Series 1</a>. That one showed Nolan at the plate, while this one has Arenado reaching into the crowd for a foul pop in front of a bunch of smiling Padres fans, presumably at Petco Park.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5n8gHEaaRHgYKoLwdNQkk5x6-uzkke8SvYK7AqIbSctK8aAHpKwI5p9GemhKYHnNjNknZmndfoVxp_cIdAte6KC6_e-CXNVHHzUCd7nQe-7iABiiTkhN9TlvJUqCK8hn0N3AJAFUMLWZjvNtvLvYa8rpYfht3K8mioSJLCss8Bw2ouaNlZbpffq4/s1032/IMG_012223_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="1032" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5n8gHEaaRHgYKoLwdNQkk5x6-uzkke8SvYK7AqIbSctK8aAHpKwI5p9GemhKYHnNjNknZmndfoVxp_cIdAte6KC6_e-CXNVHHzUCd7nQe-7iABiiTkhN9TlvJUqCK8hn0N3AJAFUMLWZjvNtvLvYa8rpYfht3K8mioSJLCss8Bw2ouaNlZbpffq4/w400-h289/IMG_012223_0005.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Big League Defensive Wizards #DW-15 Nolan Arenado</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A couple more years of this allowed Arenado to reach Wizardly status, showing up in a horizontal insert card from 2020 Topps Big League. This is a set I bought a blaster of back in 2020, and it's been on my card shelf awaiting a blog post ever since. But this card jumped the line, thanks to the purple orb of arcane magic, as befitting a Defensive Wizard.</p><p>While I realize this card is color-coded to the Colorado Rockies, the color palette on this card looks like it's straight out of the <a href="https://www.diablowiki.net/Arcane_Power">Wizard class</a> of Diablo III. And, not to torture the metaphor, but there's a "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFpG7ApIWdE">Slow Time</a>" skill in that video game, which simply <i>has</i> to be how Nolan can make some of these plays.</p><p>Seriously, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/corey-seager-grounds-out-third-baseman-nolan-arenado-to-first-baseman-ryan-mcmahon-AyTnHD?q=PlayerId%20%3D%3D%20%5B608369%5D%20AND%20Season%20%3D%20%5B2019%5D%20AND%20Date%20%3D%20%5B%222019-09-04%22%5D%20Order%20By%20Timestamp%20DESC&cp=MIXED&p=0">watch the play</a> described on the card back from September 4th, 2019. Corey Seager didn't stand a chance, and Nolan barely looked like he was trying.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j-DS7gwy5gGS_iMsVI33DgHqlYkOrZyjndimVqchaEFQqhL1mLUI_AsdK0C6d-OQ0f2wPc9IbUu-xApC58T3brtPmKZoV35dckBtfpOpUApR84hgvocrtluxoSSJgsN9JDSakuI6O6FqTXy_ApQkXQ5meUBgYVg__m5DZZfaAitb1h98pngFilcV/s1046/IMG_012223_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1046" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j-DS7gwy5gGS_iMsVI33DgHqlYkOrZyjndimVqchaEFQqhL1mLUI_AsdK0C6d-OQ0f2wPc9IbUu-xApC58T3brtPmKZoV35dckBtfpOpUApR84hgvocrtluxoSSJgsN9JDSakuI6O6FqTXy_ApQkXQ5meUBgYVg__m5DZZfaAitb1h98pngFilcV/w400-h285/IMG_012223_0006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2015 Topps Gypsy Queen Walk-Off Winners #GWO-18 Carlos González</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>He might not have the superstar cachet of Story or Arenado, but Carlos González was certainly a well-liked Rockie during the ten seasons he spent here. Perhaps his most famous Rockies moment made it into a 2015 Gypsy Queen insert set called Walk-Off Winners, which should need no explanation. It's a 25-card set filled with players like Bill Mazeroski, David Freese, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpyJjecJnuI">Mookie Wilson</a>, not unlike the Historic Hits insert set from <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-worlds-champions-part-1-full-sized.html">2021 Allen & Ginter</a>.</p><p>CarGo, who last appeared in a Major League game in 2019, had a great day on July 31st, 2010. Not only did he win the game with a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z3CWkV7EYc">solo shot</a> in the bottom of the 9th, but he also completed the cycle with that swing. There was only one pitch thrown that inning, and that was all he needed. Topps also highlighted this achievement in one of their many "<a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-trading-post-77-sportscards-from.html">Golden</a>" insert sets from 2012.<br /></p><p>Look closely at his follow-through on that home run swing (hit to a pre-Rooftop upper deck at Coors Field), and you might notice something familiar.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51ZLiL7sqScWidT1Ns4I1tHbugJ6P8IgKMdVlx5q6-vrvI95b1zn2PvIy0BD3sCh6zvnJU432ZQu06GBhM91HHQwFBck6opZJqEnHuQnMAaenF-ZKZ8K0q1zBDWu1twZKEuR5QH3F9u_1xd1bpp-ABtlySTlTVaZUXQAuYbuMMjL5Jelkc3uF6wof/s1036/IMG_012223_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51ZLiL7sqScWidT1Ns4I1tHbugJ6P8IgKMdVlx5q6-vrvI95b1zn2PvIy0BD3sCh6zvnJU432ZQu06GBhM91HHQwFBck6opZJqEnHuQnMAaenF-ZKZ8K0q1zBDWu1twZKEuR5QH3F9u_1xd1bpp-ABtlySTlTVaZUXQAuYbuMMjL5Jelkc3uF6wof/w283-h400/IMG_012223_0008.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2017 Topps '87 Topps #87-4 Carlos González</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>According to the card back on this 1987 throwback 30th Anniversary card, González said that he modeled his swing and bat drop after Ken Griffey, Jr.</p><p>Being a power-hitting lefty with a clear love for the game has been a recipe for success nearly as long as this game has existed, and CarGo turned it into a solid career.<br /></p><p>I'm not sure why Topps had to omit all but two seasons of CarGo's stat
lines to squeeze that tidbit onto the card back, but that's okay. We
have enough 1987 reprints not to need total stylistic accuracy on each one of them. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcG689JlKBI7PyKKG78Xl-4Lla80wh8cKLKj2C7AFn9CyfEoJPvqdfHElPwvgqObKGMQJX_RUCXpNyDqaO3B8DvET3U3b_4s5JHj9EKE5M8IMAi45uvS1IHQ4a9dOgQXXmZ7UprsqecwFqZyewe-eILYfxB4HzdNyEnX6pmGXkY3F0cDEFK7Cpfe8/s1036/IMG_012223_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcG689JlKBI7PyKKG78Xl-4Lla80wh8cKLKj2C7AFn9CyfEoJPvqdfHElPwvgqObKGMQJX_RUCXpNyDqaO3B8DvET3U3b_4s5JHj9EKE5M8IMAi45uvS1IHQ4a9dOgQXXmZ7UprsqecwFqZyewe-eILYfxB4HzdNyEnX6pmGXkY3F0cDEFK7Cpfe8/w281-h400/IMG_012223_0009.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2017 Topps Update Salute #USS-49 Kyle Freeland</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Going back to the Salute insert set (well, a year prior), here's Kyle Freeland joining <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-trading-post-107-summer-of-74.html">another member of the Rockies rotation</a> in the massive checklist. Freeland pitched the home opener in 2017, an honor he has been given multiple times in his career, including 2022 which I had the good fortune of attending.</p><p>This one is actually from 2017 Update, giving Topps enough time to mention Freeland's home opener from the same season, as well as his first career home run a couple months later. Now that we've seen the last of pitchers batting, that one home run in Cincinnati is likely to be the only one of Freeland's career.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRpTsKhWg73S2-LO2eNOxxRkyaDj8A3SoD8S-QyHLtqwlTl763e3Viyr_MM8bJfEQhZbBdryMoTTmmTIQvddE4rj9An0H7kz8my9Z8KXqqE66WAWMFnoxLNRDQBg8xUmXuzq-wwqgJvAheItekrA2KmvmP0bmUIPRSGsJ-F0tZJORX1JPWJYoINrS/s1032/IMG_012223_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRpTsKhWg73S2-LO2eNOxxRkyaDj8A3SoD8S-QyHLtqwlTl763e3Viyr_MM8bJfEQhZbBdryMoTTmmTIQvddE4rj9An0H7kz8my9Z8KXqqE66WAWMFnoxLNRDQBg8xUmXuzq-wwqgJvAheItekrA2KmvmP0bmUIPRSGsJ-F0tZJORX1JPWJYoINrS/w286-h400/IMG_012223_0010.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2014 Topps Toys 'R' Us Purple Border #290 Chad Bettis (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>That's one more than Chad Bettis ever hit, though.</p><p>I received the base version of his rookie card <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-trading-post-63-cooperstown-exit-316.html">several years ago</a>, but I liked the 2014 set and this Toys 'R' Us exclusive colored border so much I thought I'd show it again. I started this blog in 2014 (wow, I just passed my own 9th anniversary), and I also got into Topps Bunt that year. I find it to be a familiar, almost comforting design, even though the base version of this card isn't brand-new to the blog.<br /></p><p>I actually put in quite a bit of effort to avoid repeating myself, which is hard to do with what is apparently approaching a decade of blogging. I don't like using the same card multiple times (except in rare cases like this), nor do I enjoy repeating my own written phrases, which comes across like I'm plagiarizing myself. But then again, when we have AI tools <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/openai-chatgpt-biggest-probelms/">confidently declaring</a> total falsehoods, maybe a little human error isn't such a terrible thing.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F7tfYalasYwxpF3BxyDF3PDhhDzuBny9zig_dJf_aWWTz-CzDgHCNxV9x5nNCWrTnV0Bqy7qwr0h5n9NXybmH8GcEuypr9g062of_J6nnYwoI8c-GH_XERHJOy7hLmDiFG_a6rVsKQr7OB3GeB679G7qr-3sOubvT8YlpmvQ2QqVxsC6W4D8RU3P/s785/IMG_012223_0013.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="433" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F7tfYalasYwxpF3BxyDF3PDhhDzuBny9zig_dJf_aWWTz-CzDgHCNxV9x5nNCWrTnV0Bqy7qwr0h5n9NXybmH8GcEuypr9g062of_J6nnYwoI8c-GH_XERHJOy7hLmDiFG_a6rVsKQr7OB3GeB679G7qr-3sOubvT8YlpmvQ2QqVxsC6W4D8RU3P/w177-h320/IMG_012223_0013.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2002 Topps 206 Piedmont Black #267 Chin-Hui Tsao (PROS)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>To make up for the repeat photo, here's a Rockies player that is making his first appearance on Infield Fly Rule. Chin-hui Tsao played part of three seasons for the Rockies, then jumped over to the Dodgers. He was in and out of independent and overseas leagues for many years, then returned to the Dodgers after an eight-year hiatus, finally retiring in 2016.</p><p>Tsao is the only Taiwanese player to suit up for the Rockies, and he was included in mini form as a parallel of the 2002 Topps 206 checklist. Specifically, this is a Piedmont-back parallel, reproducing the logo of one of the many early 20th-century tobacco brands that were marketed along with the first baseball cards.</p><p>Come to think of it, it's actually a little uncomfortable in this day and age when you think about how the history of baseball cards is inextricably linked to tobacco products. The actual brands in question have been defunct for well over a century by now, but it's not too far removed from having a Marlboro logo appear on one of these things. And we all recall how much effort Fleer put in to <a href="https://junkwaxgems.wordpress.com/tag/1989-fleer-randy-johnson-marlboro-errors/">scrubbing</a> Randy Johnson's card of any tobacco advertising.</p><p>Just a thought.</p><p>Anyway, the World Baseball Classic is coming up soon! Tsao's home country of Taiwan is hosting one of the round-robin sites in the first round, and will be competing as Chinese Taipei. This ambiguous name mirrors the country's identity in the Olympics and other international events, which is done this way due to ever-present geopolitical tensions with mainland China, far beyond the scope of this blog. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ4sRhzEyoRMC4KGQfQ7S2SxabwrsG5MLNvrYi8fsiLwTZNaqPJ2EWxeXe5_YHvrP76FBKeJkQHx2sQBm2BGp4XRbGdc65Ux2juI1aUz63EpWK6n6J9K7TFmy6TC73ZcAxObqyfvI6pv4j2rlMkI0BiWc7RdfyF8Fz7MKkSZRHp88uA1TxRd3crdQ/s1036/IMG_012223_0011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ4sRhzEyoRMC4KGQfQ7S2SxabwrsG5MLNvrYi8fsiLwTZNaqPJ2EWxeXe5_YHvrP76FBKeJkQHx2sQBm2BGp4XRbGdc65Ux2juI1aUz63EpWK6n6J9K7TFmy6TC73ZcAxObqyfvI6pv4j2rlMkI0BiWc7RdfyF8Fz7MKkSZRHp88uA1TxRd3crdQ/w288-h400/IMG_012223_0011.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2003 Fleer Platinum #5 Todd Zeile</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>One of the lesser-known Todds to play for the Rockies, third baseman Todd Zeile is seen here having some fun at Spring Training outside the batting cages.</p><p>Rather than use an exact reproduction of a legacy set, Fleer went in a slightly different direction for 2003 Platinum. It still has the unmistakable look and feel of an '80s Fleer card, right down to the card back with the vertical orientation and two-colored columns. The thick pinstripes on the front remind me of the unintentionally famous 1989 set, but it's not an exact match like the two prior years of Platinum. Of course, I had to look all that up.<br /></p><p>Fleer's names for their retro sets always threw me off, anyway. To me, "Platinum" implies not an '80s style design and card stock, but more of an extremely shiny and thick card laden with gold foil and lots of refractory rainbows. Something like Topps Finest. I suppose it is similar to Topps Archives, but it just never made sense to me. I was further confused by the company calling its true flagship set Fleer Tradition for a couple years, which itself evolved into a Topps Heritage competitor, going so far as to resurrect the 1961 Fleer set in 2003.</p><p>Frankly, I struggle with any changes the hobby made after about 1996.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiT32uKGNRlpthXLYDV_mgPMCFYCzsKnGMEK9rYPK89mnRdto1Av71mGOJO8KEEFCNaeCnA-tuNTnEpmtwcEo9FV7Ifd3TC4Gn9MJ0qaaLZEjCkv561bOdRMQ2NwKEaRCYU-b86jX-SeqQ-UvYS_aasv_ZGmD4Z68XSELKzK_lKnVyAVYwQwsL4hS/s1032/IMG_012223_0012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiT32uKGNRlpthXLYDV_mgPMCFYCzsKnGMEK9rYPK89mnRdto1Av71mGOJO8KEEFCNaeCnA-tuNTnEpmtwcEo9FV7Ifd3TC4Gn9MJ0qaaLZEjCkv561bOdRMQ2NwKEaRCYU-b86jX-SeqQ-UvYS_aasv_ZGmD4Z68XSELKzK_lKnVyAVYwQwsL4hS/w286-h400/IMG_012223_0012.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2012 Topps Opening Day #101 Todd Helton</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Which is right around the time Todd Helton burst onto the scene. He debuted in 1997, nearing the end of his career when this Opening Day card came out in 2012. He's by far the most famous Todd to ever play for the Rockies, and one of only two players with a retired number, the other being Larry Walker.</p><p>It remains to be seen whether Helton will one day join Walker in Cooperstown, but his chances are still looking somewhat promising. I hear Scott Rolen has the best chance this year, but it's far from a sure thing. We'll find out in less than 48 hours whether the BBWAA will be adding anyone to the Class of 2023 to join Fred McGriff.</p><p>Partly because Nick sends more great cards at one time than I could possibly fit into one post, and partly because I can't edit myself, there will be a part 3 of this post. All the shiny cards needed their own space.</p><p>If you've ever traded with Nick, then you know.</p><p> </p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-23563864257761382272023-01-18T23:05:00.000-07:002023-01-18T23:05:08.983-07:001993 is not yet complete<p>The Colorado Rockies joined Major League Baseball in 1993. I was nine years old, and I was growing up in a city that <i>finally</i> had a big league team.</p><p>Everyone was excited. There was memorabilia everywhere. Pennants, souvenir guidebooks, apparel, lapel pins, pocket schedules, and of course baseball cards.</p><p>I embraced it fully and without reservation.</p><p></p><p>There was another wave of enthusiasm when Coors Field opened two years later, another round of pennants and guidebooks and card sets and clipboards and little metal pails, mostly with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coors_Field#/media/File:Coors_Field_logo.svg">Coors Field logo</a>.</p><p>The thing is, the novelty has worn off quite a bit, at least according to my fellow citizens. The Avalanche and the Broncos were the ones who won the championships, and the Rockies descended into mediocrity. Other than some brief periods of excitement, like the magical World Series run in 2007 and a pair of All-Star Games, the Rockies are more or less an afterthought in this city. The joke is that Coors Field is one of the best sports bars in Denver.</p><p>Be that as it may, what it does mean is that a majority of the Rockies memorabilia I see to this day dates back to that early period. I'm one of the few who still follows the Rockies, and my friends, family, and acquaintances know this. So when they run across some old Rockies object in their travels, they know I'm the guy who would appreciate it. And I do. But it's been a lot of seeing the same guidebooks, the same lapel pins, and very often the same baseball cards over the years. Not to say I don't enjoy it. I do. Nostalgia is a powerful force, no matter how many times you experience it.</p><p>Which makes it all the more curious when something new comes my way.</p><p>Most weeks, my fiancée and her dad will go to an overflow site for <a href="https://www.arcthrift.com/">Arc Thrift Stores</a>, a local thrift chain. They're mainly on the lookout for surplus books to share with underserved communities and Little Free Libraries, but once in a while they unearth a gem or two I'd like. A birding guidebook, a vintage Apollo-era book about space, etc.... Recently, she found a small white baseball card album hiding in one of the crates and snagged it for my collection.</p><p>You may have seen albums like this. It's significantly smaller than a binder; about 6" x 8", with eight or ten pages inside. Each page only has room for four cards, arranged in a square.</p><p>This particular album had a cover printed with the Rockies logo, the 1993 Donruss and Leaf logos, and the Rocky Mountain News logo, a defunct Denver-area daily newspaper. I had seen similar albums, but never one with that exact combination of promotional logos. The album itself was beyond saving, as the clear plastic pages (really more of a vinyl) had started to yellow. </p><p>It did have about forty cards inside from three sets. 1993 <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-trading-post-46-cardboard-clubhouse.html">Rockies Team Stadium Club</a>, which is one of the more common relics from that era, 1991 Topps, which had no particular connection to the Rockies, and 1993 Donruss, matching the album cover.<br /></p><p>As luck would have it, two of the Donruss cards are new to my collection.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOf3hWrdaLtNRucAA2WURNpU7DAHR82AxodJM29KRGurBMGRpAYYXi7CsyYwYiLVekFegGI4LiklwjDrRZR1rmxDucLO48H3K-w2wUcsNO1uiDXfN9d0H7Hk_VVaybnfyaCuEqZN_Rh2Av2bgqzMnj_ptQyQD07dNIbaE1YPLx4ikMzBCOguiozXk/s1036/IMG_011823_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOf3hWrdaLtNRucAA2WURNpU7DAHR82AxodJM29KRGurBMGRpAYYXi7CsyYwYiLVekFegGI4LiklwjDrRZR1rmxDucLO48H3K-w2wUcsNO1uiDXfN9d0H7Hk_VVaybnfyaCuEqZN_Rh2Av2bgqzMnj_ptQyQD07dNIbaE1YPLx4ikMzBCOguiozXk/w284-h400/IMG_011823_0001.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1993 Donruss #38 Daryl Boston</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Collectors in 1993 had to wait for Series 2 before they got Rockies and Marlins cards. But lots of players that were selected in the expansion draft appeared in Series 1 with their pre-draft teams. That went for Daryl Boston, selected by the Rockies from the New York Mets. He played a single season on the inaugural Rockies as a platoon outfielder, but before that he was a member of the White Sox and then the Mets. He was one of many players whose career ended with the Strike.</p><p>As a Met in 1992, he wore a black "S" memorial patch on his left sleeve, which we can see here. This was for the 1991 death of William Shea, the New York lawyer who tried to form a third Major League in the late 1950s. The <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/10/nearing-closing-day-part-2-base.html">Continental League</a> was over before it began, ultimately leading to MLB expansion and the formation of the New York Mets. Shea Stadium was named for him.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrJEC2LhbZbmEKd_jr5rTfZ-Mqg7VTicAVmVN0DMA5XZe6yj2EPPcOYdn4vaVIEt9bl_qBWrJwSAdkhT821dV-EmBLjIQ82cGDvleMHEfYnSy0SEOln5SY8YdAOFTxE-Tlidi-1bPoaiTgfQ-eFmtLP-hHjRGr_5S4-uClB6cGy5fChsv4Bq-eIKe/s1052/IMG_011823_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrJEC2LhbZbmEKd_jr5rTfZ-Mqg7VTicAVmVN0DMA5XZe6yj2EPPcOYdn4vaVIEt9bl_qBWrJwSAdkhT821dV-EmBLjIQ82cGDvleMHEfYnSy0SEOln5SY8YdAOFTxE-Tlidi-1bPoaiTgfQ-eFmtLP-hHjRGr_5S4-uClB6cGy5fChsv4Bq-eIKe/w280-h400/IMG_011823_0002.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1993 Donruss #341 Jim Tatum (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The other new quasi-Rockies card in the album was of Jim Tatum, another expansion draftee from the Milwaukee Brewers, who were then in the American League. His position is listed as "IF", as he was a journeyman corner infielder during his career. He'd probably be a guy I wouldn't remember too well, except that he played on the inaugural Rockies, a team I watched and listened to as much as possible.</p><p>Tatum was no stranger to Mile High Stadium upon his arrival in 1993, as the Denver Zephyrs were the Triple-A affiliate of the Brewers. Other than his five-game call-up in September, he spent his 1992 season as one of the last Minor League players in Denver. He was a promising enough prospect to earn the coveted Rated Rookie logo on his Donruss card.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTfSn3iKORzu3KsxrZi73OOiJZBCPqCEBNu6NUL_Ch6fLDg_vGuaW4qVSk1iHvt6r-VJijSy2m2r5WEkZcw0MTjrYP13fNRzPlWUw1KsJpHgpC2shHVnvtwuRf8ewS6y6pzRxg5lY0Y8Rx2nDny86zTikt4z2hQL4uGRas4jo8erUtfP4tmv7IPyr/s1194/IMG_011823_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="454" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTfSn3iKORzu3KsxrZi73OOiJZBCPqCEBNu6NUL_Ch6fLDg_vGuaW4qVSk1iHvt6r-VJijSy2m2r5WEkZcw0MTjrYP13fNRzPlWUw1KsJpHgpC2shHVnvtwuRf8ewS6y6pzRxg5lY0Y8Rx2nDny86zTikt4z2hQL4uGRas4jo8erUtfP4tmv7IPyr/w153-h400/IMG_011823_0003.jpg" width="153" /></a></div><p>Also tucked away in a clear pocket on the inside cover were a pair of ticket stubs. These were for <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199307080.shtml">July 8th, 1993</a>, a day game against the Florida Marlins, the expansion brethren of the Rockies. The holders of these season tickets got to sit in the rows behind the Rockies dugout on the first base side, watching the Rockies win 3-2. Dante Bichette had all three RBIs that game, putting on a winning performance in front of 56,807 fans.</p><p>Yes, 56,807 fans for a Thursday afternoon game. That's how you get to nearly 4.5 million fans in a season.</p><p>You're going to pay a lot more than $14 for a ticket like this today, but there is a coupon on the back for a $9.99 large 1-topping pizza at Domino's. </p><p>Not everything goes up in price.<br /></p><p>It's getting more and more difficult to find cards new to my collection, especially from the overproduction era. I reached a point of diminishing returns a while ago, but it's not approaching zero just yet!</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-13878253321832756212023-01-15T17:14:00.000-07:002023-01-15T17:14:38.104-07:00This is all because of my Dad<p>As much as I've written about baseball cards over the years, I have to admit that my interest in collecting didn't start out of nowhere. It was something that was introduced to me and nurtured by my parents, particularly my dad. While mom is <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2023/01/another-year-another-hanukkah.html">continuing to carry the torch</a> these past few years, my dad is the one who kindled it.</p><p>It began when I was quite little. I got a pack of 1987 Topps, which lived in a prominent corner of my desk drawer for years. A few years later, a pack of 1990 Fleer went right on top of them. It wasn't much, but it was enough to forge some strong connections in my young brain. My collection exponentially grew when the Rockies began play in 1993, and I haven't looked back since.</p><p>All this to say that it should come as no surprise that my dad collected cards when he was a kid, too. He remembers the TV cabinet design of 1955 Bowman in particular, and also tells a story of flipping (and losing) some cards with cars on them, which I assume came from the 1961 Topps Sports Cars set. </p><p>I can afford blasters and visits to the LCS on my own now, but in those early days of my collection, he was usually the one to drive me around to various card stores and mall card shows. My little sister often came along, and I remember one time we were given a few piles of cards by another card show attendee (mostly hockey and football, as I recall), who had no interest in "commons" and only was looking for the special "hits".</p><p>At the time, this was a truly inexplicable turn of events. Why would someone just...not want cards they had paid for? It made no sense.</p><p>In any case, my dad would occasionally take the opportunity to buy a few cards for himself. He stocked up on 1994 Topps Archives (based on the '54 set), and some nice shiny ones of his favorite Yankees here and there.<br /></p><p>Anyway, that was all a long time ago. He has since retired and moved to Florida, but he did leave behind some possessions in a self-storage unit here in Colorado. He decided to let the contents go recently, and I cleaned it out last fall. Among many other family heirlooms, I found a binder full of baseball cards, as well as a couple other stacks tucked away in toploaders for safe keeping.</p><p>Despite being mere meters away from total incineration in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Fire">Marshall Fire</a>, they all survived in fine condition. As I looked through the piles and pages, I recognized nearly all of them as coming from my perpetually overflowing duplicates box, which I invited him to raid many years ago to build his own collection.<br /></p><p>Emphasis on "nearly".</p><p>I found close to five hundred cards, and I was virtually certain that all of them were already in my collection. But I did check just to be sure.</p><p>Four slipped through.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqNrDyTrI8RwWjXQkayyW2GLi-REZvNyQwWTwOgdQj1NZol-lqQri9HCsf6vPAaCFTgNcSKJY2cssESEMtcWops2twhfeO3hTC1eEqcaCGj12D8L2biodCGuKDau3nKGuP_y1yFX4rS-PoKMJ5WC7eOTb-FEhrV-Wja6-wk9Wyzf8A-qeDB7qOPk6/s888/IMG_011523_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="584" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqNrDyTrI8RwWjXQkayyW2GLi-REZvNyQwWTwOgdQj1NZol-lqQri9HCsf6vPAaCFTgNcSKJY2cssESEMtcWops2twhfeO3hTC1eEqcaCGj12D8L2biodCGuKDau3nKGuP_y1yFX4rS-PoKMJ5WC7eOTb-FEhrV-Wja6-wk9Wyzf8A-qeDB7qOPk6/s320/IMG_011523_0003.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2003 Topps Opening Day Stickers #5 Josh Beckett</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>First up is a very young Josh Beckett, who had recently begun his career as a Florida Marlin. This card is a miniature, measuring a neat 3" x 2". The photo matches the full-size version in the main 2003 Opening Day set, but the card back is actually a scratch-off contest thing, which expired May 30th, 2003. I don't often keep that sort of stuff in my collection, especially when it's just an advertisement card on both sides. This one is a bit more like a real card, but I'm not surprised I tossed this one into the duplicates box. I guess my dad liked the mini size.</p><p>Beckett (the price guide, not to be confused with this player himself) says this is a sticker, part of a 72-card partial parallel set. It's unnumbered, so I have no idea how Beckett decided it is card #5. Maybe that comes from a long-forgotten sell sheet somewhere.<br /></p><p>The back remains unscratched, and will perpetually live in a superposition of maybe once being a winning card and having much of its original value eroded by the passage of time.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacXbpst826Y2Zz4CzDtaoJOgKa1jxZ1z7dFWnuivDiEJcGq_xUstPcz-kMXPHdMZ6R6xlJjVLO7SzJvfKhC7AG10WSNkyAbsumCB3FZLoeKDRQKzg-dMD1MLOq45Ah7XeNYZZ0VgA0PG6qeHIRCso6ABZYw8uHSsv7rvVwE7z13DAByOAnbpQwO-B/s897/IMG_011523_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacXbpst826Y2Zz4CzDtaoJOgKa1jxZ1z7dFWnuivDiEJcGq_xUstPcz-kMXPHdMZ6R6xlJjVLO7SzJvfKhC7AG10WSNkyAbsumCB3FZLoeKDRQKzg-dMD1MLOq45Ah7XeNYZZ0VgA0PG6qeHIRCso6ABZYw8uHSsv7rvVwE7z13DAByOAnbpQwO-B/w211-h320/IMG_011523_0004.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2003 Topps Opening Day Stickers #11 Eric Chávez</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here's another card from the same set, featuring Eric Chávez of the Oakland A's. He's a player that shows up around here <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-trading-post-149-dime-boxes.html">surprisingly</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/11/rockin-retro-group-break-first-part-2.html">often</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-trading-post-101-baseball-cards.html">for a</a> non-Rockie. His card back also remains unscratched.</p><p>I used to have quite a few of those early-'90s Panini stickers that were
about this size. I let them go a long time ago, and can't say I really
miss them. I'm not really a sticker guy. Despite what Beckett says, I'm
not convinced these are actually stickers anyway, and I'd prefer not to
wreck the paperboard to find out. But I'm glad these survived,
especially now that I have binder pages that fit them.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBykZyWXELbtAqWeeR6RdmeJLdCPKQUOKpIywdJY69YXHT-oa40kI1fu5yyXZrkeHC1Bf2ws1jBJHRyjFTYdCVzPQf1fg-i4ScQ_Lg1pG-G1_DFOKXixUmx4IfdYtq-J97TcfpnyFZMG0SsoU6uxioCfBEc6Ob3iXUUjy9FBdnC1ph5b0GtlOme75u/s1040/IMG_011523_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1040" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBykZyWXELbtAqWeeR6RdmeJLdCPKQUOKpIywdJY69YXHT-oa40kI1fu5yyXZrkeHC1Bf2ws1jBJHRyjFTYdCVzPQf1fg-i4ScQ_Lg1pG-G1_DFOKXixUmx4IfdYtq-J97TcfpnyFZMG0SsoU6uxioCfBEc6Ob3iXUUjy9FBdnC1ph5b0GtlOme75u/w400-h281/IMG_011523_0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1996 Select #124 Wally Joyner</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This one's presence is far more baffling. Despite all the baseball we watched together in my childhood, I don't think my dad ever once uttered Wally Joyner's name. I doubt he had an affinity for this particular player. I have no choice but to assume he liked the gold foil mixed with the woodgrain look on the left-hand side of the card, perhaps a reminder of that '55 Bowman set he liked so much.</p><p>Fair enough, but where did he get it? I only have a page or two of 1996 Select in my own binders, and this card isn't among them, nor is any other Padre. I suppose he might have bought it on his own at a card show while he was keeping me company, but if so, why just this one? More likely this was a stowaway into my duplicates box. Maybe it stuck to another card.<br /></p><p>I'm glad to have a new addition to my collection, but I find this disconcerting.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvQjfJDlCVnuNZpLCSdNy-KVwiY9B4uVLwNyZ8eZb4WMW53NFWFhHRCbXCus8kIw4rZrJQgqSAWvuDovVXZVswl7mAGmB0-ubKrLbK-L1ZqjVx3g86BFauY1WHWz-dvuW7OteD_HidjZQfZ0pu_mmhB3nozIgnuSH3kD7PsofcT0kZ2siVN1Y4Bs-/s1032/IMG_011523_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvQjfJDlCVnuNZpLCSdNy-KVwiY9B4uVLwNyZ8eZb4WMW53NFWFhHRCbXCus8kIw4rZrJQgqSAWvuDovVXZVswl7mAGmB0-ubKrLbK-L1ZqjVx3g86BFauY1WHWz-dvuW7OteD_HidjZQfZ0pu_mmhB3nozIgnuSH3kD7PsofcT0kZ2siVN1Y4Bs-/w286-h400/IMG_011523_0002.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1997 Pinnacle Inside Club Edition #122 Mike Mussina</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Even more curious is this Pinnacle parallel of Mike Mussina. The former Oriole later joined the Yankees, which is my dad's favorite team. So the player selection makes a little more sense to me, but I still don't know the provenance of the card itself. </p><p>Well, since it's the Pinnacle Inside set, we know it came from a <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/11/two-years-of-change.html">steel can</a>. But I still don't know how Dad got hold of it.</p><p>Pinnacle was nearing the end in 1997 (probably at least in part because
of canning baseball cards), but they were still printing shiny cards
like this a year before their bankruptcy. I'm no expert on this set, but the foilboard finish did stand out to me. I have very little in my collection to compare it to, but the <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-trading-post-angels-in-order.html">base cards</a> just had a normal front. This one is the shiny Club Edition parallel, noted in vertical lettering on the card back.<br /></p><p></p><p>This design actually reminds me a bit of <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-trading-post-80-baseball-every-night.html">1994 Upper Deck</a>. It doesn't show up well in the scan, but the proportions are about the same, and the one narrow monochrome photo squeezed onto the left size certainly has similarities to that UD set. Of course, there's no copper foil, something that UD seemingly cornered the market on.</p><p>So we know it's a parallel, but that only raises the question of why it was in my duplicates box at all? I don't have Mussina's base card from this set, so I don't see how I would have made that mistake of thinking this was a second base card. And of course I didn't have the Club Edition already (who would have <i>two</i> of these, anyway?), nor the die-cut Diamond Edition parallel.</p><p>Again, maybe he bought it on his own, but this project ultimately raised more questions than answers. </p><p>In fact, finding these four cards that almost certainly came from my duplicates box makes me wonder whether absolutely everything in that 5,000-count box is truly a duplicate. <br /></p><p>Only one way to find out.</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-83435710090706240542023-01-14T21:38:00.000-07:002023-01-14T21:38:16.005-07:00Another Year, Another Hanukkah<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sometimes I wonder how I used to have time to write
forty posts a year. 2022 was by far my lowest post total since the inception of
Infield Fly Rule, where I managed to get a mere nine posts done. I’m not even sure I
can play the “quality over quantity” card, but I'll let you be the judge of that. It's not for lack of material, I assure you, as there are piles of cards continuing to grow, including a recent blaster of 2022 Stadium Club that had some nice parallels inside. </span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I also see that Beckett has changed their site significantly since my last post. <br /></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In any case, I still have that <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/p/eight-men-out.html">Eight Men Out</a> wishlist on my blog header, and it continues to pay dividends each holiday season, thanks to Mom. This year, she picked a couple going back to the very early days of the Colorado Rockies franchise.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nSBWVJEuXipkSvBZu7qnHl21HmDlXsf-o4tr17_3xeBkGfH8lqWWVytLeL_IQbEL47skN6jgJR3Z-DsOB4GkZwhyi5RSHSEh7NDOiwiOV4t4CdL2y7Cg-XvIjxXWs2M483wYGLqWWzpyx7ZuTghDezGsWZezJGrS3jl6vTlhhHnQYlPYQPemc5S5/s1040/IMG_011423_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1040" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nSBWVJEuXipkSvBZu7qnHl21HmDlXsf-o4tr17_3xeBkGfH8lqWWVytLeL_IQbEL47skN6jgJR3Z-DsOB4GkZwhyi5RSHSEh7NDOiwiOV4t4CdL2y7Cg-XvIjxXWs2M483wYGLqWWzpyx7ZuTghDezGsWZezJGrS3jl6vTlhhHnQYlPYQPemc5S5/w400-h281/IMG_011423_0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1993 Triple Play #127 Mile High Stadium</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When the Rockies joined Major League Baseball for the 1993 season, they didn't quite have a permanent home yet, though Coors Field was already under construction. They played their first two seasons at Mile High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos, just a few exits down I-25. It has since been replaced by what is now known as Empower Field at Mile High, but while it was still standing, it saw millions and millions of fans filter through to see the first MLB team in the Mountain Time Zone.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Officially, 4,483,350 fans attended home Rockies games in the inaugural 1993 season, filling the cavernous Mile High Stadium to the brim. I counted for two of those. In fact, the team's per-game attendance was averaging even higher in 1994, but the strike had other ideas, cutting short our fan base's chance at beating its own record. The 1993 count still remains the single-season record across the big leagues.<br /></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Triple Play included a nighttime panorama shot of Mile High in the 1993 set, mentioning the stadium's past role as home to various Denver-area Minor League teams on the card back. The stadium was built in 1948, and the Denver Bears and later the Denver Zephyrs called it home.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I don't know the actual release date of 1993 Triple Play, but unless it was toward the end of the 1993 season, I would guess this photo is actually from a 1992 or earlier Zephyrs game. The individual player Rockies cards in this set used the <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-trading-post-113-cracked-bat-part-2.html">old team logo</a>, which tells me they produced it in the narrow window between the expansion draft and the start of the 1993 season.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Still, the place is pretty packed for a Minor League game. I did go to a couple Zephyrs games as a young child, and I don't remember it being so full. It might be that this is a fireworks game, as you can see the right field seats (also known as the "South Stands" in Broncos parlance) are empty, which was done for safety on the few fireworks nights the Rockies put on for their fans. I'm just guessing, though. There isn't enough detail in this print job to really tell.<br /></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In case you were curious, the Florida Marlins got a similar card in the 1993 Triple Play checklist, a very orange card of what was then called Joe Robbie Stadium. Though it has since been renamed many times over, the structure currently known as Hard Rock Stadium remains standing, and still plays host to Miami Dolphins home games.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Longtime Colorado residents still lament the loss of old Mile High, and the orange and blue seats that used to fill the stadium are now scattered across various basements and man caves throughout the Denver area. It's a bygone relic.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb1ZrQPG4DvYMP8FxEafE2zn9r1pxEd3UCwyrM7zsqLcQtrX32-pI4xluvj6kE5eUpSubVf2vgWek_mzfBpmCjDxl2eXV29tD3R3tHoi80ZZmSKsTrlvsJzZkflQ7sWhSUDBhxJ-LW0kQqkFrO-RcfP1vgjtxICNfAyN6o2eHkVn3JGI2tc3I9oou/s1050/IMG_011423_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb1ZrQPG4DvYMP8FxEafE2zn9r1pxEd3UCwyrM7zsqLcQtrX32-pI4xluvj6kE5eUpSubVf2vgWek_mzfBpmCjDxl2eXV29tD3R3tHoi80ZZmSKsTrlvsJzZkflQ7sWhSUDBhxJ-LW0kQqkFrO-RcfP1vgjtxICNfAyN6o2eHkVn3JGI2tc3I9oou/w280-h400/IMG_011423_0002.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1998 Pacific Platinum Blue #425 John Flaherty /67</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So, too, is the idea of pitchers running the bases. With the arrival of the Designated Hitter in both leagues, the opportunity for a pitcher to be involved in a play at the plate is now as rare as hen's teeth. That makes this 1998 Pacific card of Padres catcher John Flaherty all the more special, as Rockies starting pitcher Roger Bailey got a cameo while sliding into home. </span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Even in 1998 when the DH was strictly an American League thing, that was a pretty rare play. Rare enough that it should be reasonably easy to pinpoint this card to an exact date.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the 1997 season, Roger Bailey started two games in San Diego. That would have been at Qualcomm Stadium, as long as we're bringing up defunct ballparks. The first of those was on <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN199706190.shtml">June 19th, 1997</a>. After building a 5-3 lead, Bailey led off the 5th inning with a full-count walk. He advanced to second on an Eric Young sacrifice bunt, then tried to score on an Ellis Burks single. That's this play.<br /></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Out at the plate! Bailey was cut down by Greg Vaughn via an outfield assist, a four-time All-Star who concluded his career with a very short 22-game stint with the Colorado Rockies in 2003.<br /></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At first the result of this play struck me as an odd photo selection, then I remembered this is actually John Flaherty's card, not Bailey's. It's too bad he didn't stop at third, because the next batter was Hall of Famer Larry Walker, who easily drove in Burks with a double to right. In another universe, Pacific would have had to pick another photo for this card.<br /></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Roger Bailey's story is actually quite a sad one. He was a top prospect for the early Rockies, and appeared in many 1992 and 1993 Minor League sets as an amateur draftee. Most other card companies ignored him for a few years, but Topps put him in multiple sets as a Rockie during 1993. </span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He debuted in 1995, appearing in the second-ever game at Coors Field. Over time, he worked his way into the rotation, and actually put up a respectable ERA in pre-humidor Coors. His 1997 season was his best yet, finishing with a 9-10 record, including two complete game shutouts. He was on track to be a key member of the Rockies rotation. </span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sadly, during spring training in 1998, Bailey was a riding in a car with fellow Rockies pitcher Mike Munoz when it was rear-ended. Just like that, his back was injured and he never recovered well enough to pitch again.<br /></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Pacific, ever the unappreciated innovator, was known for lots of colored foil parallels in their time. I have little idea which one is which, but there were lots of golds and silvers and blues and reds out there. In the 1998 base set, gold foil was the base variety, and then some of the parallels were silver. That seems backwards to me. But anyway, the foil on this one is a pale blue color, sort of the color of aquamarine.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I only had the base card on my list, which would have been fine. I knew upon first looking at this that the blue foil made this some kind of parallel, which is also fine, as my primary desire for this card was for the Roger Bailey cameo. But, not being an expert in 1998 Pacific, I had no idea until sitting down to write that this is actually the Platinum Blue variety, which had a stated print run of just 67 copies. 67! Way back in 1998!</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There's no serial number on the card, so I had to find out about this by checking Beckett.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Yes, indeed it does make me wonder whether I have any other hidden gems in my few Pacific pages that are far more rare than I thought.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1998 was a weird year for cards.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It was also 25 years ago, which is deeply unsettling.</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Happy New Year! </span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-65751494327212886802022-10-29T20:43:00.001-06:002022-10-29T20:46:09.043-06:00There Is NOW a Bird on the Field<p>I haven't been particularly interested in any 2022 product, beyond of course Stadium Club, whenever that hits shelves, and <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2022/04/opening-day-is-upon-us-part-1-base.html">Opening</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2022/06/opening-day-is-upon-us-part-2-inserts.html">Day</a>. However, Topps has managed to extract some money from me by printing up a couple Topps NOW cards that caught my attention.</p><p>Early in this crazy 2022 Postseason, while the 111-win Dodgers were hosting the San Diego Padres, a member of the avian community decided to pay Dodger Stadium a visit.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixydbkkTtJH4Yk9cQIGLoT9GuEPhZcwUVjJPIi1u9HpPE4luOflzrYQ00nQQ57g8r5aU8FynaxF5njENTgeTZm1FCzZ0igUMfWnSH79azi49WGrwIe6_EbgUN0Ihqe5tOlLSHef47PLJiK0YLs4szx9p9dpwYqQPWxKpXTO4ofOVWGachqpQp0py2n/s1036/IMG_102922_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1036" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixydbkkTtJH4Yk9cQIGLoT9GuEPhZcwUVjJPIi1u9HpPE4luOflzrYQ00nQQ57g8r5aU8FynaxF5njENTgeTZm1FCzZ0igUMfWnSH79azi49WGrwIe6_EbgUN0Ihqe5tOlLSHef47PLJiK0YLs4szx9p9dpwYqQPWxKpXTO4ofOVWGachqpQp0py2n/w400-h281/IMG_102922_0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps NOW #1066 Goose On The Loose /2889</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the 8th inning of NLDS Game 2, a Greater White-fronted Goose, initially misidentified on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-_TGMA5Gs4">broadcast </a>as a duck, took up a position in shallow right-center field. Play continued for a bit until the grounds crew managed to <a href="https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1580736938176180224">trap the exhausted animal</a> in a recycling bin and carry it off the field.</p><p>This is right up my alley. I've become quite the avid birder these past couple years (in case you're wanting an explanation for my dramatic drop-off in posting frequency), so <i>of course</i> I bought the Topps NOW card showing the goose as it flew around the infield. I must admit a touch of envy, as the only photograph I've ever managed to <a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/389549541">capture of this species</a> was far less sharp.</p><p>The goose became a <a href="https://www.nbcsandiego.com/local/photos-how-the-san-diego-padres-and-the-rally-goose-became-birds-of-a-feather/3076507/">mascot</a> of sorts for the Padres during the remainder of their run in the Postseason. They managed to upend the Dodgers to eliminate one of several heavily-favored teams that had an early exit this season. Perhaps their feathered friend helped them out a bit.</p><p>All kidding aside, this poor goose was in all likelihood scared out of its wits. Mid-October is roughly the tail end of the fall migration season, and its journey south was probably disoriented and interrupted by the bright beacons of light at Dodger Stadium. Most bird migration happens at night, which is better for the birds to avoid predators and take advantage of cooler, calmer air. But our well-lit cityscapes play havoc on their migration paths.</p><p>This bird ended up being lucky, all things considered. A frightening but brief visit to Dodger Stadium is a lot better than flying into a window, which sadly is how up to a billion birds each year meet their untimely demise.<br /></p><p> Fortunately, many cities in the busiest migration paths, or
"flyways", have recently implemented <a href="https://birdcast.info/science-to-action/lights-out/lights-out-texas/">initiatives</a> to encourage businesses and residents to turn out the lights during the busiest times of migration season. This is also done at the <a href="https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/how-nyc-audubon-helps-birds-disoriented-tribute-light-911">9/11 memorial</a> in New York, where they turn off the upward-facing shafts of light for several minutes to allow disoriented birds to scatter and continue on their way.<br /></p><p>Maybe playing Postseason games at 1:30pm on a Wednesday isn't so bad after all.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA4YdpaoIeflDoSwoA-9lMnsGRBIxHruePV55qpwDxCdY_AkSS6VkSwcDc-N3PjzOE69e4BoolwceQ-mihWRkaryUBKj_IjqnrMFVVxvNj8AhyrTZNxPzvTlwHAsx_IgokgQ_27OIHO4ud2NNSXjPA0-Hi7HrMxPZgzT_DejwoivT2u-5KNeiqLra/s1040/IMG_102922_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA4YdpaoIeflDoSwoA-9lMnsGRBIxHruePV55qpwDxCdY_AkSS6VkSwcDc-N3PjzOE69e4BoolwceQ-mihWRkaryUBKj_IjqnrMFVVxvNj8AhyrTZNxPzvTlwHAsx_IgokgQ_27OIHO4ud2NNSXjPA0-Hi7HrMxPZgzT_DejwoivT2u-5KNeiqLra/w283-h400/IMG_102922_0001.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps NOW #699 Wynton Bernard /787</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I did pick up a second Topps NOW card this year, this one of longtime Minor League player Wynton Bernard, who finally got his long-awaited call up in mid-August. He had been toiling away in the minors for a decade before making his Big League debut at the age of 31.</p><p>The Athletic did a <a href="https://theathletic.com/3526389/2022/09/15/wynton-bernard-rockies-minor-leagues/">great story</a> on him, detailing how he leaned on his mentors, including Ken Griffey, Jr., in his long, winding journey to The Show. His <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/wynton-bernard-s-emotional-call-up">FaceTime call with his mother</a> where he shared the good news was a bright spot in the social media world.<br /></p><p>His debut game was August 12th, and he tallied his first <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/wynton-bernard-pegs-first-mlb-hit?q=wynton%20bernard&cp=CMS_FIRST&qt=FREETEXT&p=0">hit</a> (following a replay review), <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/wynton-bernard-s-first-mlb-steal">stolen base</a>,
and run that day. It was a real heartwarming highlight of the Rockies
season, one in which they contributed mightily to the 111-win count of
the Dodgers. <br /></p><p>Topps didn't miss a beat, giving Bernard his first Major League card. Prior to that, he only had a few minor league cards dating back to 2014, although I'm not sure if Topps Now cards count as true Rookie Cards. The goose made an impression on oddball-loving collectors, earning a print run of 2,889, but only 787 collectors like myself picked up Wynton Bernard's quasi-Rookie Card.</p><p>So there you have it, those are the two most important highlights of the 2022 season according to Infield Fly Rule.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-16442321813178100512022-08-27T21:40:00.000-06:002022-08-27T21:40:55.526-06:00 The Trading Post #172: Dime Boxes (Part 1: My Picks)<p>As August draws to a close, we're getting pretty close to Nick's 11th Anniversary. But it's finally time for me to put my entry in for "latest blog post documenting Nick's 10th Anniversary".</p><p>Starting in December of last year, Nick at <a href="http://baseballdimebox.blogspot.com">Dime Boxes</a> did a series of generous giveaway posts for the first full decade of his excellent blog. I managed to get claims put in on three or four of his ten giveaways, but more often than not they were pretty picked over by the time I saw the post. No matter, I'm sure they all went to great homes across the blog community.</p><p>I ended up selecting a baker's dozen worth of cards from those pages, which arrived in the mail accompanied by a healthy-sized stack of Rockies hand-selected by Nick. That'll be part 2.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mb30rZlPthUWRUzis71fp_m-j7xFZ7HuSxyX4T7jegskXRETS3UxDV9JTWK1ga6SXziM2OZJh8s5PiIdZcQD8-L8YFE2Zn0AisQMdu19K_WGcnF1s6oBsalCHxOXKpgdcMMA5jl8Y0rzQKXIt6Uhdu8_cgSJ3-qVg2yIRjTTzVtpQK5_BIfOKrYn/s1032/IMG_082722_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mb30rZlPthUWRUzis71fp_m-j7xFZ7HuSxyX4T7jegskXRETS3UxDV9JTWK1ga6SXziM2OZJh8s5PiIdZcQD8-L8YFE2Zn0AisQMdu19K_WGcnF1s6oBsalCHxOXKpgdcMMA5jl8Y0rzQKXIt6Uhdu8_cgSJ3-qVg2yIRjTTzVtpQK5_BIfOKrYn/w289-h400/IMG_082722_0001.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1982 Donruss #195 Don Zimmer MG</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>These cards won't be in chronological order, but we'll still be starting with the oldest card in the stack, one from 1982 Donruss. That was when Don Zimmer was managing the Texas Rangers. He actually wrapped up his playing career with that franchise, back when they were the second iteration of the Washington Senators. As their skipper, he had a 95-106 record. He had better results when he managed the Red Sox and Cubs, leading them both to winning records overall during his tenure.</p><p>As many times as I've seen the famous <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULWKTpwidto">Bucky Dent home run</a> from 1978, I never realized Don Zimmer was the manager of that unfortunate Red Sox team. But Donruss pointed it out on a lengthy write-up on the back, a wordy paragraph approaching what we once saw from Score.</p><p>Many of us remember Zimmer as Joe Torre's right-hand man during the late-'90s Yankees dynasty, and we got a little footage of him in ESPN's recent Derek Jeter miniseries <i>The Captain</i>. But not many remember him as a coach for the inaugural Colorado Rockies, where he appeared alongside manager Don Baylor in those early days at Mile High Stadium and Coors Field.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA-OKXQICaVTc_5z3TRY_hua72y-_miNMME0Vn0bYeh88-Y0Yvf40FKbO6rtLufpE2Ir0kr4MPpZ6YSgnBeRSQ4hz5Tjz-RICkQyXepLN2GgiD0ystYe3ylhIRb8qe5Wd9xV_PPwvAJsl2iPg-KvEY_HnTBAvX1aJLrq86TWjgv2h0VUELWQ9gubT/s1040/IMG_082722_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA-OKXQICaVTc_5z3TRY_hua72y-_miNMME0Vn0bYeh88-Y0Yvf40FKbO6rtLufpE2Ir0kr4MPpZ6YSgnBeRSQ4hz5Tjz-RICkQyXepLN2GgiD0ystYe3ylhIRb8qe5Wd9xV_PPwvAJsl2iPg-KvEY_HnTBAvX1aJLrq86TWjgv2h0VUELWQ9gubT/w281-h400/IMG_082722_0002.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2015 Topps Archives #24 Cal Ripken Jr.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Rolling things back to very early in the Topps design library, here's a young-looking Cal Ripken, Jr. in 2015 Topps Archives, appearing on the 1957 design. I'll admit, I had to look that one up. Vintage, especially the more plain-looking designs, isn't always my strong suit. But 1992 vs. 1993 Fleer Ultra? I'm your guy.</p><p>We get partial career stats for Mr. Ripken on the card back, which has that not-quite-actual-cardboard smooth paper that Topps Archives is known for. The stats show his playing career between 1981 and 1996, but the final few seasons of his storied career are nowhere to be found, except of course in the overall totals. He played 3,001 career games, good for 10th all-time, although he was passed by Albert Pujols earlier this year, who is still going strong and trying to reach that 700 home run plateau before his inevitable retirement.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2iwYleBOIH-eKJJPmx5ikgpTLcxSJAcQl3P8CDESYlEruLEsyRJO0fFY_ZixjndUEHgwGjGPl9kqxt7oi05j2G3AnbbgqKQfp2yXpFPin_k2Xn497ncDRM65_1IMAb0vs5zn8H-pTh7flKsMLP40Ea2SKWI9xPv5bY4L0XPx8haAsOEdLrOA4AKP/s1036/IMG_082722_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2iwYleBOIH-eKJJPmx5ikgpTLcxSJAcQl3P8CDESYlEruLEsyRJO0fFY_ZixjndUEHgwGjGPl9kqxt7oi05j2G3AnbbgqKQfp2yXpFPin_k2Xn497ncDRM65_1IMAb0vs5zn8H-pTh7flKsMLP40Ea2SKWI9xPv5bY4L0XPx8haAsOEdLrOA4AKP/w286-h400/IMG_082722_0003.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2016 Topps Bunt #24 Roberto Clemente</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>When Topps Bunt moved out of the digital app universe and took corporeal form in 2016, it included a mixture of current and retired players. I have about three pages of this set in my 2016 binder, and this Roberto Clemente will complement those other players nicely.</p><p>There's a little line on the card back suggesting that I "Collect and trade this card in the Topps Bunt app today!" Unfortunately, I only have this physical version of the Clemente card, and they've long since reached "Sold Out" status in the app. But by searching the app for the "Bunt Physical 16" set, I did discover that I still have a handful of digital cards of this set hiding in a dark virtual shoebox, including a Topaz parallel version of Brooks Robinson's digital card, with a global card count (effectively a serial number) of 440 and Rare classification.</p><p>The more traditional portion of the card back makes reference to Clemente's "electrifying defense in right field", and if you haven't seen that before, there are a few brief clips in <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/mlb-central-roberto-clemente-c62416083">this video</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGVB4snGbMmts5n-dor97OODKU_7E5a7fu3jAWdxSO-k1xsYLzKdgdhomAF2VO-gKXIvCdEBXJn8yxt6HV9wqfLSno-J2bOT7xEK4sy9WFlfCyUL_Aznt5F7yDkKNBB_rPk71n6TNlkAM6VrCbo98KoCxB0bZXlyZ7dGn1o2ZSd8fATdU9rz4_lEx/s1030/IMG_082722_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGVB4snGbMmts5n-dor97OODKU_7E5a7fu3jAWdxSO-k1xsYLzKdgdhomAF2VO-gKXIvCdEBXJn8yxt6HV9wqfLSno-J2bOT7xEK4sy9WFlfCyUL_Aznt5F7yDkKNBB_rPk71n6TNlkAM6VrCbo98KoCxB0bZXlyZ7dGn1o2ZSd8fATdU9rz4_lEx/w288-h400/IMG_082722_0005.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2016 Topps 100 Years at Wrigley Field #WRIG-11 Andre Dawson</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This was totally unintentional, but somehow I ended up with a bunch of cards from NL Central teams. Well, of course there was no Central division during Clemente's days, nor Andre Dawson's Cubs tenure for that matter. But it was an odd coincidence.</p><p>This new-to-me insert set from 2016 Topps documents 100 years at Wrigley Field, which isn't entirely correct. The Cubs started playing there in 1916, yes, but the ballpark itself opened two years prior as the home park of the Chicago Whales of the ill-fated Federal League. </p><p>Andre Dawson's time at Clark & Addison included an NL MVP award in 1987, which this card points out is the only MVP ever given to a player on a last-place team.</p><p>That particular fact reminds me of a story concerning Ralph Kiner, who led the NL in home runs in 1952 despite being on the dismal 42-112 Pirates. <a href="https://joeposnanski.substack.com/p/rabbit-hole-we-could-have-finished">Apocryphally</a>, he was told by Pirates management during contract negotiations, "We could have finished last without you."</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzE9yijnJoqc-c1FvbO6Yewi-I6GnePOZAhd2NUVTN8G_GlvtAFfWAMSkfbcD82HnvlhznVrnqv82F8QVC7idgaem2wRmSjTtEhJPQT3mrBhUJ1jMteGy10X8uYqK92JIGkS3-_kBw7h2cznUD8HKa8esWuQNWnvMwhu5gtJ_xLMHuDa0ECLra_vI/s1036/IMG_082722_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="748" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzE9yijnJoqc-c1FvbO6Yewi-I6GnePOZAhd2NUVTN8G_GlvtAFfWAMSkfbcD82HnvlhznVrnqv82F8QVC7idgaem2wRmSjTtEhJPQT3mrBhUJ1jMteGy10X8uYqK92JIGkS3-_kBw7h2cznUD8HKa8esWuQNWnvMwhu5gtJ_xLMHuDa0ECLra_vI/w289-h400/IMG_082722_0006.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps '86 Topps #86B-83 Dylan Carlson</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the spirit of anniversaries, Topps kept their 35th Anniversary series going in 2021, affixing the special silver seal to the 1986 design. Also gracing the design is the Rookie Card logo for Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson, who is seeing quite a show being put on by his teammates this season. </p><p>The old veterans Pujols, Molina, and Wainwright are still making the highlight reels, Arenado is <a href="https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/1b1c0c97-59c0-4c53-a78f-5df31534b6fa.mp4">flashing the leather</a> as usual, and there's talk of Paul Goldschmidt winning the Triple Crown, something that hasn't been done in the NL since his long ago Cardinal predecessor Joe Medwick won it in 1937.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9f2dbaxuAXvnoOerSaWWhnb4Pl5Z0WDZCLesLaknx_qZ2CeJzwRtx-_PTA5_pejP99_hAOzxxci_qOGy8NZz4m0Onzu2ZU1CGvWf2R-5tuXDIn1jsqJ8PwshnUTs0qWPk4Ot8vKC-yP0HhpWJuatcFfF09vOuz0D1HioQlmrQaH4W1V416OeHid2c/s1046/IMG_082722_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9f2dbaxuAXvnoOerSaWWhnb4Pl5Z0WDZCLesLaknx_qZ2CeJzwRtx-_PTA5_pejP99_hAOzxxci_qOGy8NZz4m0Onzu2ZU1CGvWf2R-5tuXDIn1jsqJ8PwshnUTs0qWPk4Ot8vKC-yP0HhpWJuatcFfF09vOuz0D1HioQlmrQaH4W1V416OeHid2c/w283-h400/IMG_082722_0004.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1996 Stadium Club #299 Fernando Viña</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>1996 Stadium Club was one of the last sets I collected before I somewhat lost interest in baseball cards for a time, but I do recognize it well since little else went in front of it in the binders for several years. I'm still keeping the run of NL Central teams going, although 1996 puts us before Interleague Play began, and that catcher looks like a Texas Ranger to me, involved in an awkward play at the plate with Fernando Viña of the Brewers.</p><p>That would be explained by the fact that the Milwaukee Brewers were a member of the American League until switching leagues in 1998 to even things out with the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays expansion. </p><p>Now that we finally have the Designated Hitter in the NL, the split between leagues is effectively meaningless. That new reality has led MLB to design a less divisional-heavy schedule for 2023, where all 30 teams will face each other for at least one series next season. I'll finally get to cross the Minnesota Twins off my list, the last team I haven't seen play.<br /></p><p>Anyway, upon a closer look at this Stadium Club card, it actually looks more like a fight than a play at the plate. Viña appears to have his right hand formed into a fist, although I can't comment on the wisdom of getting into a fistfight with a player wearing a catcher's mask.</p><p>That catcher, by the way, is likely the Hall of Famer Iván "Pudge" Rodríguez, who is wearing a commemorative 1995 All-Star patch on his right sleeve. The Rangers showed off their year-old ballpark to the world then, although it was short-lived. It only opened in 1994, but the team has already replaced it with a Texas-sized enclosed stadium just across the street, which was the neutral "bubble" site of the World Series in 2020.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSApG9-4nYpkrRxdef8HfR9r_SPUl4RHP57bPGMIOR3QBgNlwQPM6dPe-GoTWkD5kGb2MQToRV5Qxmp4EQ8fwB6FuXs4ilx285zXbRAbwpR9kT-JzX2G8t6qUnQry-WSlnr2KbU-zx8_GjQJDnLvKlNDou1Di3Stebdqy47HxRyj5ogNq9OZm_yzVv/s1032/IMG_082722_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSApG9-4nYpkrRxdef8HfR9r_SPUl4RHP57bPGMIOR3QBgNlwQPM6dPe-GoTWkD5kGb2MQToRV5Qxmp4EQ8fwB6FuXs4ilx285zXbRAbwpR9kT-JzX2G8t6qUnQry-WSlnr2KbU-zx8_GjQJDnLvKlNDou1Di3Stebdqy47HxRyj5ogNq9OZm_yzVv/w283-h400/IMG_082722_0007.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1994 Pinnacle Museum Collection #481 Tim Pugh /6500</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Even when I'm picking images off a screen (and knowing how poorly most of our scanners do with shiny cards), I can recognize a shiny parallel when I see one, especially when it has this nifty Dufex technology that was exclusive to Pinnacle/Score at the time.</p><p>It's not serial numbered, but these Museum Collection parallels (not to be confused with the hyper-expensive Topps product of the same name) are known to have a print run of 6,500. There's also an Artist's Proof parallel that is even scarcer at just 1,000. Those print run ratios are approximately reflected in my collection. I have a single Artist's Proof, and this Tim Pugh card is my seventh Museum Collection. Unsurprisingly, five of those are Rockies, but somehow I've also ended up with two <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2016/08/buster-poseys-good-friend.html">Cincinnati Reds</a> and nothing else.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM054OyVfE-bQcogZOkI-MSrDZLWO4g1z3voB9lJPcoawtOSTNsJsO0Hp7bqu7dr_c-hA6eMf6ns4fnMB4az4TCQ5KNb_wptPKIghuWjEmCsIqobXPozSI8pn3AqK79-CDvE0chAAZQUig6I4iGrZ7SG5okSztaG13QlS7D8SDG3rvaSHc7Sbzjb_3/s1036/IMG_082722_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1036" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM054OyVfE-bQcogZOkI-MSrDZLWO4g1z3voB9lJPcoawtOSTNsJsO0Hp7bqu7dr_c-hA6eMf6ns4fnMB4az4TCQ5KNb_wptPKIghuWjEmCsIqobXPozSI8pn3AqK79-CDvE0chAAZQUig6I4iGrZ7SG5okSztaG13QlS7D8SDG3rvaSHc7Sbzjb_3/w400-h281/IMG_082722_0008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1999 Stadium Club Video Replay #VR2 Sammy Sosa</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>That covers all the NL Central teams, but we still have more to go in that division before we head further west.</p><p>When I selected this Stadium Club insert, I may or may not have realized that it was a lenticular motion card. But in any case, it's pretty cool. It's part of a tiny five-card insert set (40% Cubs by the way) called Video Replay, and it shows the motion of Sammy Sosa launching a baseball far into the distance. It's not quite as sharp as those <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/10/a-more-local-lcs-part-1.html">Screenplays</a> cards, which are nothing short of magic, but it's definitely an improvement over Sportflics. </p><p>The video, such as it is, shows Sosa facing off a right-handed pitcher wearing #42, which should narrow down the number of possible plays considerably, but I came up empty. I investigated the rabbit hole for longer than I probably should have, but Sosa hit 609 career home runs, so it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. </p><p>This card is from 1999, so I assume this is a video capture from 1998, and fewer and fewer players wore #42 after MLB retired it in 1997. José Lima is a candidate, and he served up numerous long balls to Slammin' Sammy throughout his career (more than any other pitcher besides Schilling, in fact), but that pitcher is clearly not José Lima. Nor is it Scott Karl, who is a lefty. My best guess was Jason Schmidt of the Pirates. Schmidt did give up a home run to Sosa during the 1998 home run race, but by then Schmidt had changed his uniform to #22. </p><p>Maybe just a random fly ball from a prior season? It sure looks like a home run even in this low-res format, though. Possibly Spring Training? I don't know. Like I said, I investigated the rabbit hole. I don't like not knowing these things.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBhnOhocnEqNuYsqqDvdzN0ZKr2pexGesZbTVZAVQnsD_v3EprZmOG5Tq9zja5Ml16TmMzBeQXh1Bvv11J9Q47-Q4wWQik_QJ0r88v9xz9M0FNqKbn_Vc5u-owllYFU9ZfVe9b1lNxlr7bGj6VjECBejCz7GwBqhYEuykV8lDUE7BRbCV8vjJ-o-n/s1032/IMG_082722_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBhnOhocnEqNuYsqqDvdzN0ZKr2pexGesZbTVZAVQnsD_v3EprZmOG5Tq9zja5Ml16TmMzBeQXh1Bvv11J9Q47-Q4wWQik_QJ0r88v9xz9M0FNqKbn_Vc5u-owllYFU9ZfVe9b1lNxlr7bGj6VjECBejCz7GwBqhYEuykV8lDUE7BRbCV8vjJ-o-n/w285-h400/IMG_082722_0009.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Fire #121 Nolan Arenado</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our last NL Central card is this Topps Fire card of Nolan Arenado, post-trade of course. You can tell because of that fire engine red jersey and helmet, which the Rockies don't wear.</p><p>I do have this card in the Bunt app, but the printed version has a proper card back. That card back tells us how Arenado rapidly made a splash with the Cardinals, hitting safely in his first nine games. That did one better than Roger Maris, who set the prior record in 1967.</p><p>Really, he's one of my all-time favorite players. It's just no fun seeing him on another team.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY90JQhX39DDdgLVlGf_vczI6_nCcjtDx2F2Tt_PVRQx6Ke_Etj_mbmjcK2CX5Ow4ZQSaYWSZ5U7Ncasoy7jyIx5au4ADLQjDcRFUyDFFu7ySuEChqjf5-T-s-RJrdhOzjzmW8oiQut8fTLutLG79xvL40g-v4ITNu7rB1_NgkXkkv_wfgYI_YvqWA/s1036/IMG_082722_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="743" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY90JQhX39DDdgLVlGf_vczI6_nCcjtDx2F2Tt_PVRQx6Ke_Etj_mbmjcK2CX5Ow4ZQSaYWSZ5U7Ncasoy7jyIx5au4ADLQjDcRFUyDFFu7ySuEChqjf5-T-s-RJrdhOzjzmW8oiQut8fTLutLG79xvL40g-v4ITNu7rB1_NgkXkkv_wfgYI_YvqWA/w286-h400/IMG_082722_0010.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2019 Panini Titan #22 Nolan Arenado</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>But it's also not so fun anymore seeing cards of him on his original team, because we all know how that played out.</p><p>At least I have a space theme on this shiny Panini card to take the sting away a little. The set is called Titan, and it's a 25-card insert set found in 2019 Panini Chronicles. I can't tell you much else about this unlicensed set, but the card back does tell us that Arenado is "a titan straddling the hitting and fielding worlds".</p><p>I can tell you lots more about the space theme, though. That's supposed to be Saturn in the background, and Titan just so happens to be the largest moon of Saturn, as well as the second-largest moon in the solar system. It has a thick atmosphere of methane, and the <i>Huygens</i> space probe landed on it in 2005.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlfsGFIjK99UEfQfi3VjwQneEE08Z0-iitD8A8Q_PN_DcAsfjR9X9rCWEhHaz0KYSUP4KY4B5aJs3K1VUsB_dl-ZwQnIS4fK1-F1XcTRxtXoQ707mxbKHJFIdFzJD-VyDBgIhSJAizUXpRBVA0G_nJKOOa05CubecnCxrzo6Dl76I-dKln00NsTvj/s1028/IMG_082722_0011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlfsGFIjK99UEfQfi3VjwQneEE08Z0-iitD8A8Q_PN_DcAsfjR9X9rCWEhHaz0KYSUP4KY4B5aJs3K1VUsB_dl-ZwQnIS4fK1-F1XcTRxtXoQ707mxbKHJFIdFzJD-VyDBgIhSJAizUXpRBVA0G_nJKOOa05CubecnCxrzo6Dl76I-dKln00NsTvj/w288-h400/IMG_082722_0011.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1999 Upper Deck MVP #190 Ken Griffey Jr.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's rumored that some of the baseballs from the 1998 Home Run Derby even landed on Titan.</p><p>But seriously, Ken Griffey, Jr. did win the 1998 Derby at Coors Field, and he's pictured lifting the trophy on his 1999 Upper Deck MVP base card. This is a perfect candidate for my Coors Field frankenset, and one that I've had my eye on for some time.</p><p>I didn't get a chance to experience the All-Star festivities in 1998 (although I do remember a blimp hanging around town for the occasion), but I made the most of it when the All-Stars returned to Denver in 2021. The Home Run Derby trophy has changed a bit since '98, as has the Coors Field scoreboard and several of the corporations with ad space on it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzE9NMzxKarwCWdkuxTKtKWC0bzpvyT-rWqJbjEn5POk5jpdwaP5_HrlnVl12oxPctwZARYfpqXNMwQiTbV9FiWrCP-Yrq7wiIMIgtMRX0ctj0XscKFi4NxXbWbDe5ez8_2Fu94rDuFPdp78rYuaWmSpKx_EkZHa54jQNZIVB65NuqoOOMEH686Tjv/s1035/IMG_082722_0012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzE9NMzxKarwCWdkuxTKtKWC0bzpvyT-rWqJbjEn5POk5jpdwaP5_HrlnVl12oxPctwZARYfpqXNMwQiTbV9FiWrCP-Yrq7wiIMIgtMRX0ctj0XscKFi4NxXbWbDe5ez8_2Fu94rDuFPdp78rYuaWmSpKx_EkZHa54jQNZIVB65NuqoOOMEH686Tjv/w281-h400/IMG_082722_0012.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1992 Classic/Best #383 Bob Abreu</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I don't usually go for Minor League or Bowman Prospect cards, but this 1992 Classic/Best set is one I've collected for a while. Surely they're not worth much, but I have early minor league cards of guys that went on to become huge stars or even Hall of Famers. Jim Edmonds, Shawn Green, Mike Piazza, Johnny Damon, and quite a few others. I can now add Bobby Abreu to the back pages of my 1992 binder, which is one I don't get a chance to see often enough.</p><p>This is more of a tenuous connection to the Rockies, but the Asheville Tourists were the Single-A affiliate of the Rockies until 2020. Prior to that, they were part of the Houston Astros' farm system, and following some shuffling among Rockies affiliates, they're back with the Astros again.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHjb5wUwwpT4tXSnZGDdUSCYy3pFxCLJwwRbKM4lsgNFy2WVbcfeJ1AZ3euE8sPsLb9yefleE1NwsAIma-vmkUoWJIsK-bg9-M8TndlETsXoMw40qFf5nscihV-YkNpphziAStvL-kbss57JqpZoX0M4rCQGJapkVmxeil8PzS0mDLf-Ab_C1TmcF/s1049/IMG_082722_0013.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHjb5wUwwpT4tXSnZGDdUSCYy3pFxCLJwwRbKM4lsgNFy2WVbcfeJ1AZ3euE8sPsLb9yefleE1NwsAIma-vmkUoWJIsK-bg9-M8TndlETsXoMw40qFf5nscihV-YkNpphziAStvL-kbss57JqpZoX0M4rCQGJapkVmxeil8PzS0mDLf-Ab_C1TmcF/w283-h400/IMG_082722_0013.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2008 Upper Deck Timeline #35 Roy Halladay</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The final card I picked from Nick's giveaway is another color-coded Upper Deck beauty, Roy Halladay's card from the short-lived UD Timeline. To be fair, pretty much everything Upper Deck was printing at that time was short-lived, even the fantastic UD Masterpieces set.</p><p>Roy Halladay in particular caught my eye because he was from my home state of Colorado. He went to high school at Arvada West, quite near me and not far at all from a few good birdwatching sites. The Athletic ran a <a href="https://theathletic.com/1956843/2020/07/29/moreheat-an-oral-history-of-roy-halladays-romp-through-high-school-baseball/">story</a> a couple years ago about his high school championship game, where he faced off against Brad Lidge's Cherry Creek High School team. </p><p>It's sad to talk about him in the past tense. But he was excellent all throughout his career, and as people all over Colorado know, long before he got to the Majors.</p><p>Congratulations to Nick on his first decade of blogging, and by now we know his second decade is already off to a solid start.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-48814427866261125262022-07-31T18:19:00.005-06:002022-08-01T18:08:31.848-06:00The Trading Post #171: Card Hemorrhage<p>Every once in a while, for no particular reason, one of my longtime readers will send me an envelope full of cards. There is always a nice mix of Rockies when that happens, but sometimes it includes vintage goodies that are great additions to my collection but that I would be unlikely to buy for myself.</p><p>That exact thing happened last December (sorry) with Jay from <a href="https://cardhemorrhage.blogspot.com/">Card Hemorrhage</a>, who sent cards ranging from active Rockies to vintage all the way back to 1967.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJd03p7P9tSLzMtohbwQZY7pqXVGbi18xHdXBCHEB-ndo1XOeGSlr2pnnP_j1g2reAfqC-xmVyYLZbpi0Ttwus1hEjJvSfFBfvIqhflZuHgKZ-AeCAjAeslPaDSueb1hbAckdC0gy4dNQpsTSxR4cATVAP03TDikeglzDcyMuOGKWjoNgg3snCuSs8/s1040/IMG_073122_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJd03p7P9tSLzMtohbwQZY7pqXVGbi18xHdXBCHEB-ndo1XOeGSlr2pnnP_j1g2reAfqC-xmVyYLZbpi0Ttwus1hEjJvSfFBfvIqhflZuHgKZ-AeCAjAeslPaDSueb1hbAckdC0gy4dNQpsTSxR4cATVAP03TDikeglzDcyMuOGKWjoNgg3snCuSs8/w283-h400/IMG_073122_0001.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1972 Topps #330 Jim Hunter</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Vintage cards of Hall of Famers don't just grow on trees, especially when they predate the overproduction era by well over a decade. This 1972 card of Jim Hunter is certainly not what I expected to find in my mailbox that day. Jim Hunter, better known as "Catfish", was a Cy Young Award winner, five-time World Series champion, 1987 inductee into Cooperstown, and made an appearance on my<a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2014/01/something-old.html"> second-ever blog post</a>.</p><p>The card back from this '72 does refer to him by his commonly known nickname (in fact his Baseball-Reference page doesn't even list his birth name), and mentions that he never played in the minors. He joined up with the Kansas City Athletics as a fresh-faced 19-year old, and stayed in the Majors up to his retirement in 1979. Sadly, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) and died at the young age of 53 in 1999.</p><p>The cartoon and trivia question on the card back digs deep into the baseball vault, "before baseball was even baseball" as one of my favorite sportswriters puts it when referring to the game in the 19th century. We're asked, "How many runs did Guy Hecker score, 8-15-86?"</p><p>Now, when I see a date like that, I of course jump to 1986, but since this card is from 1972, clearly they mean 1886. Card companies do like to make predictions about who will end up in the Hall of Fame, but even they wouldn't look at a specific date that far in the future.</p><p>In any case, seven. The answer is seven.<br /></p><p>Even in 1972, I can't imagine there were many who had a vivid enough memory to recall 1886.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZrIVP8Qz_URS__J8ogLEndHAcap6_qTpavI-7C_IgkrHSxcFLIDBX42urZ35cwrV6VGa9q87Lhg94CK2_97Bkapu_s1g1etBgYkMhYdfMD_he187PahY-eWr4LoaDizFs0DiZ5IGP42JyvLvTBLFEo-_eV8IAFHk4aCQy1KFKX5KK2J0kGF6UTBH/s1048/IMG_073122_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="743" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZrIVP8Qz_URS__J8ogLEndHAcap6_qTpavI-7C_IgkrHSxcFLIDBX42urZ35cwrV6VGa9q87Lhg94CK2_97Bkapu_s1g1etBgYkMhYdfMD_he187PahY-eWr4LoaDizFs0DiZ5IGP42JyvLvTBLFEo-_eV8IAFHk4aCQy1KFKX5KK2J0kGF6UTBH/w284-h400/IMG_073122_0005.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1972 O-Pee-Chee #229 Steve Blass WS</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>On the other hand, the 1971 World Series was fresh in everyone's mind when Topps printed the psychedelic tombstone set. And it still was when O-Pee-Chee printed their Canadian equivalents that same year, and this is indeed an OPC card.</p><p>Card #229 in both sets featured a photo of Steve Blass, who went the distance in Game 7 to secure the championship for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Notching the W in complete fashion during Game 7 of the World Series is something that hasn't been done since Jack Morris in 1990, and Blass is in some very elite company for turning in that kind of performance. Names like Bob Gibson (twice), Sandy Koufax, Johnny Podres who finally sealed the deal for Brooklyn in 1955, Dizzy Dean, and others. </p><p>Remembering that the flamethrowing closer Aroldis Chapman appeared in 2016's Game 7 with two outs in the 8th inning (only to immediately lose a three run lead), I think it's safe to say we have seen the last of complete games in Game 7.<br /></p><p>The card back simply contains the box score (as well as a couple section headings in both English and French). On it, you'll find names like Clemente, Stargell, and two Robinsons on the Baltimore side.</p><p>Simple and timeless.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8juGb3iLlIuOWDhZ7S7UDFdlpjsfMuIl5_gqzbZW1xKLgl8-iT6MgAy2qNY3ASEmAHMCoZmSWnmUNK0UPVL4dRoLMo_8Xcs5WP8-mMl12grwY84z3B9hDscsOXMdAw8YDOyClnpG60Cld6C-vKUqdWUqBPBIU50VfgzV4v_doBpcbPviO02XmqnhH/s1037/IMG_073122_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1037" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8juGb3iLlIuOWDhZ7S7UDFdlpjsfMuIl5_gqzbZW1xKLgl8-iT6MgAy2qNY3ASEmAHMCoZmSWnmUNK0UPVL4dRoLMo_8Xcs5WP8-mMl12grwY84z3B9hDscsOXMdAw8YDOyClnpG60Cld6C-vKUqdWUqBPBIU50VfgzV4v_doBpcbPviO02XmqnhH/w283-h400/IMG_073122_0002.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Heritage #151 Josh Naylor</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Topps reused the 1972 design in the 2021 Heritage set, and to my eye, they did a pretty nice job. Jay threw in a copy of Josh Naylor's card, Cleveland's Canadian-born first baseman/right fielder. Naylor suffered a bad leg injury last season, but has recovered well and has proven to be an entertaining, <a href="https://twitter.com/FanDuel/status/1542342403641823232">high-energy</a> player for the Guardians.</p><p>The trivia question on the back is a bit closer to the realm of recent history than we saw on Catfish Hunter's card. "How many intentional walks did Roger Maris get when he hit 61 homers in 1961?"</p><p>Famously, it was zero, because he had Mickey Mantle protecting him in the lineup. And Mantle hit 54 of his own that year, a career high. There was no easy way through that lineup.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLT1G4a6vBaI5lRbmJbkm1lOxx-aet3Zma7LiQ3u5gwu90hmm2OXMHrH5Qp8O83vVNBLGkNjO44muj3M0C3e1rBd6NAlbdl5KRILi99PR-Pw_O5lNbuDGkIui7hrZlMEHa2CWV3wF7toL8YzD7KPuqyUBvVH5EUzjQr53RloEZ4H_UW0uwnlaPIIdP/s1032/IMG_073122_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLT1G4a6vBaI5lRbmJbkm1lOxx-aet3Zma7LiQ3u5gwu90hmm2OXMHrH5Qp8O83vVNBLGkNjO44muj3M0C3e1rBd6NAlbdl5KRILi99PR-Pw_O5lNbuDGkIui7hrZlMEHa2CWV3wF7toL8YzD7KPuqyUBvVH5EUzjQr53RloEZ4H_UW0uwnlaPIIdP/w285-h400/IMG_073122_0004.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1980 Topps #104 Manny Mota</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Moving forward a few years in the Topps timeline, we come to 1980. This was near the end of Manny Mota's career, leaving his mark with a 20-year career. He spent most of that with the Dodgers and Pirates, along with brief stints as a Giant and Expo. His final season was 1982, if you can call it a season. Really it was just one at-bat in a September game against the Cardinals.</p><p>Manny went on to coach the Dodgers until 2013. His sons Andy and José both played in the Major Leagues in the early 1990s. You'll find each of them in a few of the many overproduction-era sets you have stashed away. Try 1992 Fleer.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLk-iZLFcJCJEYbyWdVYn0fC4YipnUSHo7gsLYAXCHGnx3LUV6NP5MaWqnHyI-ghylElbPkOuuMVOGkhXQ2KF-chVfAxSoobyPkXmniG2maplXNDwvlh8fGaDFRGACVcRm6nAELhzx1mLuAwJwkwSwZL1MqAdFquI8BfIA_MhZQ8IyEl4PoJKMgAvV/s1041/IMG_073122_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLk-iZLFcJCJEYbyWdVYn0fC4YipnUSHo7gsLYAXCHGnx3LUV6NP5MaWqnHyI-ghylElbPkOuuMVOGkhXQ2KF-chVfAxSoobyPkXmniG2maplXNDwvlh8fGaDFRGACVcRm6nAELhzx1mLuAwJwkwSwZL1MqAdFquI8BfIA_MhZQ8IyEl4PoJKMgAvV/w284-h400/IMG_073122_0003.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1980 O-Pee-Chee #38 John Milner DP</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Crossing the border again brings us to another Canadian-printed O-Pee-Chee card, this one of Pirates outfielder John Milner. He was fresh off winning his first and only World Series ring as a member of the 1979 "We Are Family" team that sported these bright yellow uniforms.</p><p>His cousin Eddie played for the Reds and Giants throughout the 1980s, and his 1987 card looks so familiar that I'm almost certain it was in the first pack of cards I ever got.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWDLkYCA4lLR8VBIGfIotmT6q8fYtomnsTBwXEj_UgwrQEKuG3Rp_rlWdQsO-bgmun-1mESXqnk2p4VCLle3PtZzPZRH--gtxksGQk7GdXdBUn4BLOIWrynjT65oWTdal5L0W9f8yi9aox9G0dWEy0Z8C3dv7KdFq8JDo886c8dOEWlIbt9YpO6W7/s1042/IMG_073122_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="745" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWDLkYCA4lLR8VBIGfIotmT6q8fYtomnsTBwXEj_UgwrQEKuG3Rp_rlWdQsO-bgmun-1mESXqnk2p4VCLle3PtZzPZRH--gtxksGQk7GdXdBUn4BLOIWrynjT65oWTdal5L0W9f8yi9aox9G0dWEy0Z8C3dv7KdFq8JDo886c8dOEWlIbt9YpO6W7/w286-h400/IMG_073122_0009.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1967 Topps #56 José Tartabull</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The oldest card in this envelope was of Cuban-born outfielder José Tartabull. He's pictured here on the 1967 set as a member of the Boston Red Sox, when he was teammates with Carl Yastrzemski. He was also teammates with Catfish Hunter for a few seasons during his time with the Kansas City Athletics. After his time in Boston, he wrapped up his career by joining the Athletics again, this time after they moved to Oakland. </p><p>He, too, is a baseball dad, as his son Danny played with the Mariners, Royals, Yankees, and others during the '80s and '90s, who is also in that 1992 Fleer set if you still have it out. Danny Tartabull was Derek Jeter's teammate during th 1995 rookie season, and I can definitely recommend the Jeter documentary "The Captain" on ESPN. I'm not entirely caught up, but I'd imagine you can see the younger Tartabull in some of that footage.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN6phfuzqstLLjVULMv7IYyCJqKTNjCyIQ8ajPLbO53_e7Aylyf6KOG6Iu3eRS0uPOA9UhDVp3rh95RUjUbwmo3MqC8_Kt7j7LIN1ffziLo7Ls7Be9YMFgIw37cSiShQkGAWeNv2CurgoZ_oe6h4ktSKiN2ps-ISFH_UrzX7oSDB04JUnREQdWeOl/s1040/IMG_073122_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN6phfuzqstLLjVULMv7IYyCJqKTNjCyIQ8ajPLbO53_e7Aylyf6KOG6Iu3eRS0uPOA9UhDVp3rh95RUjUbwmo3MqC8_Kt7j7LIN1ffziLo7Ls7Be9YMFgIw37cSiShQkGAWeNv2CurgoZ_oe6h4ktSKiN2ps-ISFH_UrzX7oSDB04JUnREQdWeOl/w286-h400/IMG_073122_0006.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1993 Rockies Team Stadium Club #8 Roberto Mejía</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>My baseball fandom began in earnest in 1993. Based on that, anyone in this community can probably guess I like the early 1990s influx of gold foil that overtook the hobby. That includes this Team Stadium Club card, a set that was a very early acquisition in my collection. It's from the same team set I completed a while ago with <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-trading-post-46-cardboard-clubhouse.html">help</a> from the blog community.</p><p>As stated on the card back, Roberto Mejía hadn't yet made his Major League debut. That would come a little later in 1993, specifically on July 15th while visiting the Cubbies. That is foreshadowed by what I think is a "WGN Sports" banner in the background, the longtime TV home of the Cubs.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgam1q_3johmqm8SPzASgLULNHpWLV4VMDHmgrKCwi3f4tsKwZinEHr6STEXHlqEWvtwf4LU9An1RwCj4ntKihU9AV2zuVytUSH34yH_pGrkoGerhVo624jBYieqPIn0HTptyMn812Ixc0EDR4yGPyHoQD65iZcjjsd7iSPbKn1c9KVzWbnbDTz2prB/s1044/IMG_073122_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="747" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgam1q_3johmqm8SPzASgLULNHpWLV4VMDHmgrKCwi3f4tsKwZinEHr6STEXHlqEWvtwf4LU9An1RwCj4ntKihU9AV2zuVytUSH34yH_pGrkoGerhVo624jBYieqPIn0HTptyMn812Ixc0EDR4yGPyHoQD65iZcjjsd7iSPbKn1c9KVzWbnbDTz2prB/w286-h400/IMG_073122_0007.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1981 Fleer #498 Broderick Perkins (AU)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our final two cards are graced by on-card autographs. They're not certified or anything, but will still be good additions to a special page I have in one of my first binders.</p><p>I must admit that I've never heard of Broderick Perkins. He played in the late '70s and early '80s for the Padres and Indians, but I can't recall crossing paths with one of his cards in my collecting career. Nevertheless, both Fleer and Donruss included him in their 1981 sets following the dissolution of the Topps monopoly. Which, of course, we now have again.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQqWZS2tHlJBWB4uOUYAssMeVx8aMNHDOTCPOtOKAuKx1d7WQPtn74bV5zt7zFayrigVHIrZ8lDRU3Avu2wDaZpxfmMwe0ZybMQH491bM6G4_LGd_No3cZT3m_BSgvCA3TuLBxFpnyWI-u763diXuf6qBBKh5QW3cNNyKuYsjW1vwcWB5aB6fcOdH/s1040/IMG_073122_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQqWZS2tHlJBWB4uOUYAssMeVx8aMNHDOTCPOtOKAuKx1d7WQPtn74bV5zt7zFayrigVHIrZ8lDRU3Avu2wDaZpxfmMwe0ZybMQH491bM6G4_LGd_No3cZT3m_BSgvCA3TuLBxFpnyWI-u763diXuf6qBBKh5QW3cNNyKuYsjW1vwcWB5aB6fcOdH/w283-h400/IMG_073122_0008.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1994 Leaf #172 Gerónimo Peña (AU)<br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Gerónimo Peña, on the other hand, I do remember. As pictured, he was a member of the Cardinals for nearly his entire career, and he was on the roster during my first visit to Coors Field on August 25th, 1995. I just ran across some family photos from that trip during this tremendous photo organization project I spent most of July on, and while Peña didn't appear in any of those pictures, I did find some distant snaps my dad took of Galarraga, Bichette, and lots of other Blake Street Bomber-era Rockies, along with Ozzie Smith's scoreboard graphic.</p><p>I remember Peña's 1994 Topps card, where on the back they mentioned a series of freak injuries he suffered. He once <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1992/03/09/cardinals-pena-injured-in-fluke-accident/">tripped over his glove</a> in spring training and broke his collarbone. Things like that.</p><p>He's healthy enough to be dancing down the third base line on his 1994 Leaf card, another strong candidate in the 1990s gold foil festival. The busy card back contains another action photo, a couple lines of statistics, a tiny rainbow foil Cardinals logo, a ticket stub design element that puts us in the Field Box at Busch Stadium, and a wide shot of said stadium with the Gateway Arch in the background. And the card number.</p><p>More is more with 1990s card backs.<br /></p><p>Thanks very much to Jay for thinking of me!</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-37616761951209515912022-06-23T22:56:00.000-06:002022-06-23T22:56:04.759-06:00Opening Day Is Upon Us (Part 2: Inserts)<p>Voting for the All-Star Game is well underway. If you haven't voted in the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/all-star/ballot">first round</a>, you have about a week left to do that. I did submit a few ballots during the first couple days, and it's so much easier now than when I was a kid. I remember the old paper ballots, and I used to vote so many of them at once that the kitchen table would be blanketed in tiny white paper dots. Things are a bit more environmentally friendly now.</p><p>Meanwhile, as the season approaches its halfway point, I'm still over here writing about Opening Day. Specifically, the inserts and other goodies from a blaster of 2022 Opening Day that I got shipped from Target. </p><p>I'll never be caught up again, will I?</p><p>And I'm sure I'll hold the record for the last post in the community about Nick's 10th Anniversary giveaway. Sorry, Nick.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP9sWPfvrzg5hfW5w1BiudrPplUfYoaRzV8rh2OxJtnBIMjlHgF0Kd4tjai3lB-EUeV0BITRsHaiPbE4dHebtZnn8969aRN87X7vIg2mxYhfHJ-NXaNZ6rzZq6CG3UbkT8Ssmqj90SPPOQzwE5j8NtV8__cNZDNg782U4ujVJIco45QqfT42SStLh/s1042/IMG062322_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP9sWPfvrzg5hfW5w1BiudrPplUfYoaRzV8rh2OxJtnBIMjlHgF0Kd4tjai3lB-EUeV0BITRsHaiPbE4dHebtZnn8969aRN87X7vIg2mxYhfHJ-NXaNZ6rzZq6CG3UbkT8Ssmqj90SPPOQzwE5j8NtV8__cNZDNg782U4ujVJIco45QqfT42SStLh/w284-h400/IMG062322_0001.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Mascots #M-19 Mariner Moose</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As promised in <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2022/04/opening-day-is-upon-us-part-1-base.html">Part 1</a>, and as longtime readers probably predicted, I did pull a card of a very patriotic-looking Mariner Moose. I've still yet to see one of these gigantic animals in the wild, but that chance is ever-present in the great state of Colorado. I hope that my <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-start-of-strange-season-part-2.html">repeated</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-trading-post-157-topps-cards-that.html">luck</a> in pulling Mariner Moose cards isn't negatively impacting my luck of seeing a real one, because I'd love to someday.</p><p>In the meantime, I'll rely on Topps to keep me in a steady supply of Mascot cards.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHFxxNfabCvqnc52nhps76wAmM-6C8xzjzX7G8xR4SBdvnq2f9srtNaCZZIntjJfjumgnqJNz-ZtcO6C1Oo8lKF9IwVGKhzCiMT0NtaYttjkI6WvuAROpQlnhNFQ1HZJewuwGfx6Ql_cd7CH_FfS8md6xzfKTFhL6cFT92dYWUjsYGl7ft6nHZ-iu/s1028/IMG062322_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="748" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHFxxNfabCvqnc52nhps76wAmM-6C8xzjzX7G8xR4SBdvnq2f9srtNaCZZIntjJfjumgnqJNz-ZtcO6C1Oo8lKF9IwVGKhzCiMT0NtaYttjkI6WvuAROpQlnhNFQ1HZJewuwGfx6Ql_cd7CH_FfS8md6xzfKTFhL6cFT92dYWUjsYGl7ft6nHZ-iu/w291-h400/IMG062322_0003.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Mascots #M-7 Dinger</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It goes without saying that I've never seen a triceratops in the wild, either. But Dinger makes plenty of appearances on my mascot cards and in person at Coors Field, too. Here's a shot of him all dressed up to host the Purple Carpet show prior to the 2021 All-Star Game at Coors Field. I'm not sure exactly, but this is probably in front of the new McGregor Square building, just across 20th Street from Coors Field.</p><p>Hard to believe that was almost a year ago.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1Tze7dyPKJaXTk90d5h_a88jPCgGohFa6kx4kNoLKRZ_WQSrFrrUb4zN9JuFGSG-Ut6HZRZfi7lM1_E8vNnSldDUWLeQ1b68NFqwdXEZsug4oXzjmpTmbISqoYAibbeL9gP5WzLuYYbPQd_SADmzYMgOFsPwK-lIzBiivyxYC9ebfrFFdDvoP2A7/s1040/IMG062322_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1Tze7dyPKJaXTk90d5h_a88jPCgGohFa6kx4kNoLKRZ_WQSrFrrUb4zN9JuFGSG-Ut6HZRZfi7lM1_E8vNnSldDUWLeQ1b68NFqwdXEZsug4oXzjmpTmbISqoYAibbeL9gP5WzLuYYbPQd_SADmzYMgOFsPwK-lIzBiivyxYC9ebfrFFdDvoP2A7/w283-h400/IMG062322_0002.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Mascots #M-9 Orbit</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The 2022 All-Star Game is being held in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. It was supposed to be there during 2020, but that of course was cancelled due to the pandemic.</p><p>There were lots of mascots on the concourse at Coors Field during the All-Star Game. I remember seeing Fredbird, the Phillie Phanatic, and of course Orbit. Though I'm not sure Orbit will be particularly welcome at Dodger Stadium considering the cheating scandal that happened during the 2017 World Series. As pictured on this card, maybe he's limbering up with squats to be able to escape angry fans.<br /></p><p>And where's the 2023 game going to be held? That would be Seattle, giving our friend the Mariner Moose a real opportunity to shine.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXRYwEF4WFwfduB6lk72cFaQQV1IfwSOe6tD2dMMYDyEFqGFYm4ccjXZVzthAgr5giivjkAUFJnjNMwirTV3fWKIdL79y0MggfudgfsGLVABgSsS71XETkdY-EhlVfpLZHXe4FXSoFGeWpFxcxN_59logm2I1ri36bfp-7rI-bPtzmBve6oRhm17P/s1040/IMG062322_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1040" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXRYwEF4WFwfduB6lk72cFaQQV1IfwSOe6tD2dMMYDyEFqGFYm4ccjXZVzthAgr5giivjkAUFJnjNMwirTV3fWKIdL79y0MggfudgfsGLVABgSsS71XETkdY-EhlVfpLZHXe4FXSoFGeWpFxcxN_59logm2I1ri36bfp-7rI-bPtzmBve6oRhm17P/w400-h285/IMG062322_0004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Opening Day #OD-2 Detroit Tigers</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The other insert sets found in Opening Day are never as fun as Mascots, but they're still worth a look. Here's the redundantly named Opening Day set, a fifteen-card set featuring half of the MLB teams and their performance on Opening Day 2021. </p><p>The Tigers, in particular, won their season opener in Detroit thanks to a home run from Miguel Cabrera. His turn at the plate began rather normally, but a sudden snow flurry rapidly picked up over the course of his at-bat, ending with the ball <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwZdUaWiZWI">just clearing</a> the right field fence.</p><p>The future Hall-of-Famer gave fans at Comerica Park memorable moments in two consecutive Aprils, as he got his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v2BhTjENUw">3,000th hit</a> two months ago against the Rockies.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPXpHmCIQTHwQQiGs6SqGQ-40Xh69-bP4RAW3QVF7ip9Ec8xoBfltbOCjYMBICejOj1FC37EmjlXJGGbmDs2xVjdOgQxW01nC6vmXtY1Jf8xDmiIxtVIx-rla3qli2WvoA7hd__XpVtRaPGBfWVhPDBAfLUHeH63IvnXJCkHPwR4XNsg-ewzCVOES/s1032/IMG062322_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1032" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPXpHmCIQTHwQQiGs6SqGQ-40Xh69-bP4RAW3QVF7ip9Ec8xoBfltbOCjYMBICejOj1FC37EmjlXJGGbmDs2xVjdOgQxW01nC6vmXtY1Jf8xDmiIxtVIx-rla3qli2WvoA7hd__XpVtRaPGBfWVhPDBAfLUHeH63IvnXJCkHPwR4XNsg-ewzCVOES/w400-h284/IMG062322_0005.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Opening Day #OD-9 Kansas City Royals</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I don't recall the Royals making the highlight reel that day, but they won their 2021 home opener in a 14-10 slugfest against the Rangers. The card back tells us that fan favorite Alex Gordon threw out the first pitch that day, all the way from his longtime station <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLe_abAcKbo">in left field</a>.</p><p>I saw the Royals visit Coors Field in May, the 29th team I've seen play. I missed my chance at the Expos, but only the Minnesota Twins remain to be checked off.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCgBYiTKmkaCB4wVzX1Tw2yQE5xtnThmnfFZL0qQ9sQLU48jxQaEhQV4BwQORD1ZqKKGXKg0qPaLlX0dtcM3PJLXa54RTe75xajf4N86HrvICpoUjMGGcvC9SXPmPfTGOH2-2kf_Ks78VFRa-_WWPU2b-ozsko7rAb0K2LdTbZfBuqF_gNgINCXLb/s1040/IMG062322_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCgBYiTKmkaCB4wVzX1Tw2yQE5xtnThmnfFZL0qQ9sQLU48jxQaEhQV4BwQORD1ZqKKGXKg0qPaLlX0dtcM3PJLXa54RTe75xajf4N86HrvICpoUjMGGcvC9SXPmPfTGOH2-2kf_Ks78VFRa-_WWPU2b-ozsko7rAb0K2LdTbZfBuqF_gNgINCXLb/w285-h400/IMG062322_0006.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Bomb Squad #BS-10 Giancarlo Stanton</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Nearly as plentiful as Mascots in this blaster were cards from the Bomb Squad insert set. This 25-card set features some of the game's best home run hitters, new and old. Giancarlo Stanton, one of many slugging Yankees, is frequently on the highlight reel for launching baseballs deep into the Bronx night. He is far off his league-leading pace of 59 from his 2017 season, his final as a Marlin, but he still has a respectable 14 so far in 2022. </p><p>The #16 patch on his pinstriped sleeve honors Whitey Ford, who died in 2020.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9zJtfbrJVvcqJlg-0x_Ny038QFulLdWeSEKIioM6MNDDVFAA_XtmSiSOup9fbQOxc8jdWFHiigKo6If807Ftu92efbI9RRDc3_wegN21TvgRXl1w8fG2c1n2eKvn_oRVGSjW3Gs0MlLwXd5zMwrm9KnCziRe6FFmynCQd1W5E3PJDYQKGCYYgj79/s1036/IMG062322_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="743" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9zJtfbrJVvcqJlg-0x_Ny038QFulLdWeSEKIioM6MNDDVFAA_XtmSiSOup9fbQOxc8jdWFHiigKo6If807Ftu92efbI9RRDc3_wegN21TvgRXl1w8fG2c1n2eKvn_oRVGSjW3Gs0MlLwXd5zMwrm9KnCziRe6FFmynCQd1W5E3PJDYQKGCYYgj79/w286-h400/IMG062322_0007.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Bomb Squad #BS-7 Babe Ruth</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Stanton traces his lineage as a slugging Yankee all the way back to the granddaddy of them all, George Herman "Babe" Ruth. Not much needs to be said about the Sultan of Swat, perhaps the greatest-known player to ever take the field. Nevertheless, the card back gives us plenty of unique statistics, starting off with his career total of 714. The Bambino also led the AL in homers twelve times, and two of those seasons were 35 ahead of the second-place finisher.</p><p>They didn't really call home runs "bombs" back in those days, but Ruth's colorful and alliterative nicknames like "The Colossus of Clout" more than make up for it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMF2u1fkU7_6v1U7JEpKrbrHLu8gRMcLQCkeVeatTdc3M9-AGBepSSFwwTIafADEue1-MwJB_a61OMe-fzNHwkEflLKml_lV2WeWFnsu4iXq178ZQ45YFXLAhuhpp1Lv9h04sCunRcGgQ2HY41mYir9GFscoN9SCft39boWKXPCBwTGvu0W_WRrOzV/s1032/IMG062322_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMF2u1fkU7_6v1U7JEpKrbrHLu8gRMcLQCkeVeatTdc3M9-AGBepSSFwwTIafADEue1-MwJB_a61OMe-fzNHwkEflLKml_lV2WeWFnsu4iXq178ZQ45YFXLAhuhpp1Lv9h04sCunRcGgQ2HY41mYir9GFscoN9SCft39boWKXPCBwTGvu0W_WRrOzV/w285-h400/IMG062322_0008.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Bomb Squad #BS-16 Jim Thome</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>He might not be on the Mount Rushmore of baseball players like Ruth, but Jim Thome is in the Hall of Fame, and he has 612 home runs to thank for it, good for eighth all time. He's pictured here as a Phillie, but he spent most of his career with Cleveland. He was the first Phillie to compete in a Home Run Derby, and the card back also tells us that 17 of his homers came on a 3-0 count.</p><p>I seem to remember the baseball world getting into quite a kerfuffle last year when <span>young stars like Fernando Tatís, Jr. and </span><span>Yerm</span><span><span>í</span>n Mercedes took pitchers deep on 3-0 counts, apparently violating the sacred unwritten rules. I don't remember hearing much about that during any of Thome's 17 blasts.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MbTVkq-h6ODo3YCaiRVbb_cDtGBtedsIRgGB4pl1CT6BTZsfw80rmNJvYHVRHT2Df3SJz01Ygrl_Yn7iaDOvU45EdIS7eH-5EyAEEwZmuPbvb5n7ByEtFgnFh9Ay1toSx-MPHc21gTg6b5xK5WxwXV64hlUyAeMhQD4QXD4JrYIHfHkhDJHOu3wY/s1040/IMG062322_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="1040" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MbTVkq-h6ODo3YCaiRVbb_cDtGBtedsIRgGB4pl1CT6BTZsfw80rmNJvYHVRHT2Df3SJz01Ygrl_Yn7iaDOvU45EdIS7eH-5EyAEEwZmuPbvb5n7ByEtFgnFh9Ay1toSx-MPHc21gTg6b5xK5WxwXV64hlUyAeMhQD4QXD4JrYIHfHkhDJHOu3wY/w400-h285/IMG062322_0010.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Triple Play #TPC-1A Mike Trout / B Shohei Ohtani / C Anthony Rendon</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A trio of Angels (though not the Russian ones from 1993 Topps #633) make up this odd-looking insert card from the Triple Play subset. Mike Trout (who possesses a Ruth-esque nickname of "The Millville Meteor"), Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon all make appearances, and the card includes a perforation between each player. If you were to separate these, they would be slightly smaller than an Allen & Ginter tobacco-sized Mini. This design also includes the same divot on the top border we saw in 2008 Topps, which everyone disliked for encroaching on the photo.<br /></p><p><span>There isn't much room on these card backs, but somehow Topps still left a ton of white space. Mike Trout's storied career is boiled down to eight All-Star Game selections, more than any other Angel.</span></p><p><span>Sadly, Anthony Rendon's season came to an end last week due to wrist surgery, but the Angels have added an exciting breakout star to their lineup in Taylor Ward, a five-season veteran who is finally finding his stride.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtHJ4gRN3OubsXIdtcRH9dsFfINYaZj8p4Ewzl6sYkZj-2XfuvjTn4R5Rr4W0U_GinMSPVH0LNzw5hSxiBIoIt-KznY8zdEwNsvT9HE7iBRfy1nyesWerqs4ixgfRqr_6cPT-q4D1YN53t5C2TgR3rqDpEQzNcbLM8lCB6xRbM4DmrmoGScWkOB0n/s1040/IMG062322_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtHJ4gRN3OubsXIdtcRH9dsFfINYaZj8p4Ewzl6sYkZj-2XfuvjTn4R5Rr4W0U_GinMSPVH0LNzw5hSxiBIoIt-KznY8zdEwNsvT9HE7iBRfy1nyesWerqs4ixgfRqr_6cPT-q4D1YN53t5C2TgR3rqDpEQzNcbLM8lCB6xRbM4DmrmoGScWkOB0n/w286-h400/IMG062322_0009.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day Blue Foil #72 Gavin Sheets /2022</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I didn't pull any cards from the exceptionally rare Walk This Way, Luck of the Irish, or Dugout Peeks insert sets, so we'll close with the only Blue Foil parallel I found, a Rookie Card of Gavin Sheets. No relation to former Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets, but he is the son of former Orioles outfielder Larry Sheets. I haven't heard much about him, as he only has 98 games under his belt, but he fits right in on a young White Sox team playing for the oldest manager in the game.</p><p><span>As is usual with Blue Foil parallels, their stated print run is equal to the calendar year, but there is no serial number to be found. <br /></span></p><p><span>That about wraps up Opening Day, just in time for summer. </span></p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-16601159042097381462022-05-27T21:22:00.001-06:002022-05-29T10:33:40.934-06:00 The Trading Post #170: The Angels, In Order<p>Due to inclement weather in our nation's capital, the Rockies have been rained out Friday night. But that's okay, because I still have a game to watch while writing this quick three-card post. The Colorado Avalanche were in St. Louis tonight for a Game 6 against the Blues, advancing to their first Conference Finals since 2002. </p><p>Hockey isn't always at the top of my list of sports, but it's a fast-paced sport that is a delight to watch. It's a good contrast to the chess match that is baseball. Don't count on me getting hugely into hockey cards, though. Baseball remains the #1 sport in my heart.</p><p>It's amazing that the MLB season is already a quarter over. It feels like just yesterday when I went to Opening Day. That much of the season has zipped by since my <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2022/04/opening-day-is-upon-us-part-1-base.html">last post</a>. It's been about that long since I claimed three cards from a generous <a href="http://angelsinorder.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-im-not-necessarily-back-giveaway.html">giveaway</a> run by Tom over at <a href="http://angelsinorder.blogspot.com/">The Angels, In Order</a>. He hasn't been particularly active lately, nor have I, but he did pop up long enough to spread some cheer through the blog community.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXPDzOlFO68ed5vehj78L-0wtFcEU-iFv2VpRRaMQhHt7QJNAA50BE1W6PonyPRVwzDBwqqyKKYRXNYnJkN3oAoBRfDWYfvKcnvNBafE4eVM3tjAoKGLFDgPdK1WN4ECq4w12-YcDxHoMOlf-qdwZg1JNYd7LrxMwzyrl9L-2gTE4vQX-DRmpbfx6/s1032/IMG052722_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXPDzOlFO68ed5vehj78L-0wtFcEU-iFv2VpRRaMQhHt7QJNAA50BE1W6PonyPRVwzDBwqqyKKYRXNYnJkN3oAoBRfDWYfvKcnvNBafE4eVM3tjAoKGLFDgPdK1WN4ECq4w12-YcDxHoMOlf-qdwZg1JNYd7LrxMwzyrl9L-2gTE4vQX-DRmpbfx6/w286-h400/IMG052722_0001.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2013 Topps Making Their Mark #MM-1 Yoenis Céspedes</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The first of my three picks is this insert from 2013 Topps, showing the not-quite-retired Yoenis Céspedes. The Cuban-born outfielder hasn't played in the Majors since 2020, when he appeared in eight games during the shortened season before deciding to opt-out. He put together a solid career, mainly for the Mets and A's, and also won the Home Run Derby in two consecutive contests, putting him among Ken Griffey, Jr. and Pete Alonso as the only ones to accomplish that feat.</p><p>Long before sending exhibition-game moonshots into the midsummer night, Céspedes hit his first major league home run in early 2012, giving Topps plenty of material for the Making Their Mark insert set. Céspedes's first Major League home run actually happened in Tokyo, facing off against the Seattle Mariners during an overseas opener. It was officially part of the 2012 regular season, a tradition the teams repeated in 2019.<br /></p><p>I haven't seen this insert set in years, but it was familiar enough for me to easily recognize it and give myself a chance to open the 2013 binder again. I haven't done that in a while.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7Ma007jPZMW_9NwzSqHLmJROl1yjPBxcykv_nQWem-AJdrIbmvlLu1rqeHdghp1kv3P1UOStASdQEfXXgDah2EBPEz5FzOPsk6Nk7MNzRkEHbbCcMgN1xtor1E6BqoKBWW69JjWDcD_Vms5cOaYqDSeLHTt625cANYNjY1KCp_v2w2q24iP8odm-/s1029/IMG052722_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="714" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7Ma007jPZMW_9NwzSqHLmJROl1yjPBxcykv_nQWem-AJdrIbmvlLu1rqeHdghp1kv3P1UOStASdQEfXXgDah2EBPEz5FzOPsk6Nk7MNzRkEHbbCcMgN1xtor1E6BqoKBWW69JjWDcD_Vms5cOaYqDSeLHTt625cANYNjY1KCp_v2w2q24iP8odm-/w278-h400/IMG052722_0002.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2017 Honus Bonus Fantasy Baseball #52 Ryon Healy</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Another green-colored selection was my first-ever Honus Bonus card. Among the oddest of all recent oddballs, this product briefly made a splash (maybe more of a gentle ripple) in 2017, never to be heard from again. The 500-card unlicensed set made the rounds back then, and still pops up from time to time on the more oddball-focused blogs around here.</p><p>If you're interested, there are some extremely affordable Honus Bonus 1/1s on eBay right now. I'm content to have just one example of this oddball in my collection, if only as a curiosity.</p><p>The green borders are about the only splash of color on this whole card, and that's the only clue that Ryon Healy was playing for the A's at the time. You have to flip the card over to check the team, which of course just says "Oakland", given the unlicensed nature of this set. The card back also has a small selection of 2016 stats, his uniform number which we clearly see on the front, and his position. The stats line omits hits, but we are given at-bats and batting average, leaving us to do the math ourselves. They did include his stolen base total (zero), as well as his OPS.</p><p>It's a strange one. <br /></p><p>Also on the card back is a barcode and a scratch-off section, meant for playing Honus Bonus Fantasy Baseball online. The URL is long-dead, although there are some fossilized fragments remaining at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170516125006/http://www.honusbonus.com/">archive.org</a>.<br /></p><p></p><p>Speaking of all this green, the Rockies unveiled their <a href="https://www.mlb.com/rockies/fans/city-connect">City Connect</a> uniforms today, set to debut on-field on June 4th against the Braves. The mostly-green uniforms are patterned after the retro Colorado license plates, which were mostly green with white lettering. Even the typeface is the same. There are other Colorado-themed elements, such as the GPS coordinates of Coors Field, a double black diamond meant to represent a ski slope sign, and a few purple accents scattered throughout.</p><p>In fact, in taking a closer look, the yellow patch containing the GPS coordinates and the diamonds looks a bit like the annual stickers that go on the corner of a license plate.<br /></p><p>I can't wait to see it appear on a card.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vraFJBL0KHBiTi5jIuLY2XoTjn6HFGBD4H6AxqLryAZJyhKdGnVxvt3Qb11-O1kvJkvsGIn3Oc1msSZA9_h-MjmgJH4HEnFewJ1oupm0H84aQHqDyGPnyxxWRMbe1sgX2l0UmVyPcZiqcaWB46aZ4YXoTQoi1w1FpXJpxygpToxfwiv6pEinJS7O/s1040/IMG052722_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vraFJBL0KHBiTi5jIuLY2XoTjn6HFGBD4H6AxqLryAZJyhKdGnVxvt3Qb11-O1kvJkvsGIn3Oc1msSZA9_h-MjmgJH4HEnFewJ1oupm0H84aQHqDyGPnyxxWRMbe1sgX2l0UmVyPcZiqcaWB46aZ4YXoTQoi1w1FpXJpxygpToxfwiv6pEinJS7O/w281-h400/IMG052722_0003.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1998 Topps Stars Gold #58 Masato Yoshii /2299</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Rolling things back to the late-'90s, our final collectible is a parallel of Masato Yoshii's Topps Stars card, serial numbered to 2,299. That print run identifies this as the Gold parallel. So does the gold lettering, of course. Even the <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-trading-post-40-2x3-heroes.html">regular base cards</a> are serial numbered to 9,799, making these on the scarce side.</p><p>As you can see, Yoshii's first team in North America was the New York Mets, where he stayed for two seasons. Following that stint, he joined the Colorado Rockies for one season, becoming the first Japanese-born player to suit up for the Rockies.</p><p>The card back has a five-star player rating system for a variety of metrics, from the easily measurable "Velocity" to the highly intangible "Savvy". He rates two and five stars in those categories, respectively. Below that is a trivia question, asking us which Met was the team's first Rookie of the Year in 1967. We have to check the next card in the checklist to find the answer, but in case you're not one of the fewer than 10,000 owners of card #59 (I am not), I'll tell you that the answer is Tom Seaver.</p><p>The trivia answer that carries over from card #57 is "Fernando Valenzuela in 1981", which was obviously asking about that year's Rookie of the Year Dodger. Card #57 is Hideo Nomo, cleanly tying it all together. I don't have that card either, but maybe Night Owl has it hiding somewhere and can confirm for us.<br /></p><p>Thanks to Tom for the giveaway and enjoy the next three-quarters of the MLB season!<br /></p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-17470904647726134062022-04-10T10:23:00.000-06:002022-04-10T10:23:59.404-06:00Opening Day Is Upon Us (Part 1: Base)<p>At long last, the 2022 MLB season has begun. The lockout, while it did delay Opening Day by a week or so, was ended early enough to salvage a full season. Baseball is back, though not without some notable changes.</p><p>The National League, nearly a half-century after the American League made the switch, is now using a Designated Hitter, although MLB carefully carved out <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/shohei-ohtani-rule-cba-angels-fans/rbnizewqfk93ku1muvnyvdwc">some exceptions</a> so as not to diminish Shohei Ohtani's unique strengths. The extra innings ghost runner rule is still intact. Playoffs have <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-expanded-playoffs-postseason-2022-teams/sayv4pysmmlopks7hg2o2lbv">expanded</a> to 12 teams, further eroding the value of playing a 162-game schedule. The TV streaming landscape continues to grow ever-more <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/03/apple-and-major-league-baseball-to-offer-friday-night-baseball/">fragmented</a>, and umpires are finally using the stadium PA system to <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/tzjk9p/toronto_goes_wild_as_the_umpire_announcers/">explain</a> reviewed calls. </p><p>But in speaking with more casual baseball fans in my circle, the thing I've been asked about the most (once they learn that the lockout is over, that is), is the electronic pitch-calling system that a few teams tested during spring training. After what happened with the Astros in 2017, the system for catchers calling pitches was definitely due for an upgrade. Teams throughout the league now have the option of using the new <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/pitchcom-approved-for-use-in-2022-regular-season">PitchCom</a> system, a button-operated device worn by the catcher that audibly communicates the selected pitch to up to five players over an encrypted radio channel. As baseball changes go, it's been pretty well-received.<br /></p><p>The game has changed a lot in the past few years, not to mention in the past century.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzhyGzZDepCg2vsOBZbcGEBZpxHmM0aiEyGPM1DpogamowmgTEyhQVZqqEGNfZi9W0uZKYEa_mFw0PCIGnW96ZfpmxxrmVKPDxmdosWNpHyOIGPynTVubeeZLtUDB9dNBaZvXO-TcL-TMxsRSRr3DiIktQ_HWmgVvVo8r2x7ZYp1SbiS19m_c3wuQ/s1040/IMG041022_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzhyGzZDepCg2vsOBZbcGEBZpxHmM0aiEyGPM1DpogamowmgTEyhQVZqqEGNfZi9W0uZKYEa_mFw0PCIGnW96ZfpmxxrmVKPDxmdosWNpHyOIGPynTVubeeZLtUDB9dNBaZvXO-TcL-TMxsRSRr3DiIktQ_HWmgVvVo8r2x7ZYp1SbiS19m_c3wuQ/w283-h400/IMG041022_0007.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #76 Eloy Jiménez</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>On the other hand, the game hasn't changed so much that it's lost its roots. The 1919-esque Field of Dreams game that took place last summer still has its place. And Topps picked a few photos from that evening's event for 2022 base cards (and thus the quasi-parallels of the Opening Day set). Eloy Jiménez, one of the stars of a young White Sox team, is pictured here in the throwback Sox uniforms worn by the team that night in Dyersville, Iowa. It's been jazzed up a little bit with modern touches like the Nike Swoosh, gold chains, and the helmet C-Flap, a piece of safety equipment that saved <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEZqx6hVSHk&t=337s">Francisco Lindor</a> from a serious injury on Friday night.</p><p>As we approach Easter, it's worth telling an amusing story about Eloy Jiménez. Late in spring training last year, he suffered a tendon injury and was projected to miss several months. Of course that was unfortunate, but the White Sox <a href="https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1377800578365939712?lang=en">tweeted about it</a> in such a way (granted, on April Fools' Day) that made it sound like he had died. After plenty of misunderstanding among the fan base, everyone started joking "He is risen" upon his earlier-than-expected return last summer, which came in plenty of time for him to emerge like an apparition from the outfield corn in Iowa.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb81GrLZhngaD6WZg3Qyudw0pBBhmVEExxQXdqgrpN6pZaC1gnb0p7deliu1geMDQShzGaoDjNwuA0C3P_obL8ooQUNwVH4EtzPb9L5hqxrr_gg4PEYfssq-f7N0G_2swT4xarReTkllMI6tl01MiOlVUXZbbVZ67rYoao5XuHy_7m2EoLuWVtL_tH/s1036/IMG041022_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb81GrLZhngaD6WZg3Qyudw0pBBhmVEExxQXdqgrpN6pZaC1gnb0p7deliu1geMDQShzGaoDjNwuA0C3P_obL8ooQUNwVH4EtzPb9L5hqxrr_gg4PEYfssq-f7N0G_2swT4xarReTkllMI6tl01MiOlVUXZbbVZ67rYoao5XuHy_7m2EoLuWVtL_tH/w284-h400/IMG041022_0008.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #120 Carlos Rodón</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In flipping through the surprisingly massive quantity of cards that came out of a single blaster (including not one, but <i>two</i> "Extra Packs"), I noticed just how many different uniforms the White Sox wore last year. Another throwback worn by pitcher Carlos Rodón is, um, thrown back but not as far, bringing us back to the early-mid 1980s. There sure is a lot of red on the sock for a team called the White Sox.</p><p>Rodón, who pitched a <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/carlos-rodon-throws-no-hitter">no-hitter</a> just under one year ago, has an "MR" memorial patch on the right sleeve of his uniform, something we'll see lots of throughout this post. The MR initials are for Martyl Reinsdorf, wife of White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. She passed away in June 2021.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWsqB7l892QGeasibNlALDCT8P5nNfqIwK-uqKmHOJL0EuX9zWVJkxClMYI-6N61NigBTCX6-eimxIwzooLn1Q0mGQbNcgHVbx-x4rbjfzaaXytrxGlGvehQVcSO-h_tzjrKU1TpFbZc0Ye9fCmlO8J9yi7ZA9vNVQk6K_tGMJqVtjcIrTKImepA3/s1032/IMG041022_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWsqB7l892QGeasibNlALDCT8P5nNfqIwK-uqKmHOJL0EuX9zWVJkxClMYI-6N61NigBTCX6-eimxIwzooLn1Q0mGQbNcgHVbx-x4rbjfzaaXytrxGlGvehQVcSO-h_tzjrKU1TpFbZc0Ye9fCmlO8J9yi7ZA9vNVQk6K_tGMJqVtjcIrTKImepA3/w286-h400/IMG041022_0001.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #192 Lance Lynn</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Of course, the White Sox often wore their normal black and white pinstriped uniforms too, but that's less interesting, so let's move on while pitcher Lance Lynn recovers from knee surgery.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgE5A2Eff6eKWZZrGav_v7djHIy3Ib1y037HpVNVnE-s0p3kYh_BRdF2tndU13Esg2_n2OrPOjYNDRJjN8-1vpAxq7Rp8J0wOkdgRmPzVn0hkScFzacZze-JSq9QtYoGeP0ZpDTX7D2LOsOdrELHO_zGflrRq4mls58UWN4QSuaqjqKfOPh1mC2dj/s1028/IMG041022_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="735" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgE5A2Eff6eKWZZrGav_v7djHIy3Ib1y037HpVNVnE-s0p3kYh_BRdF2tndU13Esg2_n2OrPOjYNDRJjN8-1vpAxq7Rp8J0wOkdgRmPzVn0hkScFzacZze-JSq9QtYoGeP0ZpDTX7D2LOsOdrELHO_zGflrRq4mls58UWN4QSuaqjqKfOPh1mC2dj/w286-h400/IMG041022_0003.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #194 José Abreu</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>That brings us to José Abreu, the MVP veteran of the White Sox, sporting the team's special City Connect uniform. By the end of 2022, about half the teams will have partnered with Nike to create these unique <a href="https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-mlb-nike-lead-off-year-two-of-city-connect-uniform-program">City Connect uniforms</a>, meant to "explore the personality, values, and customs that make each community and their residents unique", according to the press release. The White Sox, as you can see, have all-black uniforms with white pinstripes, and "Southside" lettering across the front, tying them into their particular area of Chicago.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwxrmkaQyYp5C9PRNMUEoef5enNk-Lqk5fZSb0otRsxUU698ywrHO_xhlCum4wLF5g_ox_f3inamkMZanvx_hdUTvpmrmmmHJ-sKKKU7lEFpefbh7F24AvYvNsinwUrNZFdDsrGzowo37waLC0kY5w1TdzSyyx-hg0Y6f2qmMinAYpj7UsXC6VET-/s1032/IMG041022_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwxrmkaQyYp5C9PRNMUEoef5enNk-Lqk5fZSb0otRsxUU698ywrHO_xhlCum4wLF5g_ox_f3inamkMZanvx_hdUTvpmrmmmHJ-sKKKU7lEFpefbh7F24AvYvNsinwUrNZFdDsrGzowo37waLC0kY5w1TdzSyyx-hg0Y6f2qmMinAYpj7UsXC6VET-/w289-h400/IMG041022_0010.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #147 Nico Hoerner</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Contrast that with their crosstown rivals, the Cubs, whose dark blue City Connect uniforms have "Wrigleyville" lettering. A mere eleven miles away up Lake Shore Drive, the Cubs have their own section of Chicago firmly locked up, and are next in line to play in Iowa for their own Field of Dreams game this August 11th.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbTF-XbNNhJS9LEnBb8OgHDSl1kLHFPKUMVLXDtBu14bwhK1ke6dZtFFxtH5v_HLR0uYro_rXIgo6aZix01wxWrx3cVOexZDEspq_lv9ErttGhbzHeA_a0KRBiR9cZxEhpChk6VxYOQR-oBgcHqMQ5sQJouN4btbW-jwld_-oi5j6t5O_82FoK-Zg/s1036/IMG041022_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="735" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbTF-XbNNhJS9LEnBb8OgHDSl1kLHFPKUMVLXDtBu14bwhK1ke6dZtFFxtH5v_HLR0uYro_rXIgo6aZix01wxWrx3cVOexZDEspq_lv9ErttGhbzHeA_a0KRBiR9cZxEhpChk6VxYOQR-oBgcHqMQ5sQJouN4btbW-jwld_-oi5j6t5O_82FoK-Zg/w284-h400/IMG041022_0009.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #98 Trevor Rogers</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Marlins debuted their own City Connect uniforms in 2021, featuring "Miami" in script lettering on a red background, along with a blue cap. These are the colors once worn by a Cuban-based Minor League team, the Havana Sugar Kings. That team's history came to a sudden end around the time of the Cuban Revolution, although they eventually evolved into the franchise that is today's Triple-A Norfolk Tides.</p><p>Even the patch worn on Trevor Rogers's right sleeve is a near-replica of the original Sugar Kings logo, slightly altered to include the Marlins name. The Sugar Kings may not be around anymore, but the Cuban connection in Miami very much is.</p><p>I'll always have a fondness for the turquoise uniforms the Marlins debuted with in their inaugural 1993 season, but these are pretty cool.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURQ4moOpWAQbmlhebRSXwwIoL3t7Uzhmg5PR8gMArqVeklZs7V2IVUdcLRFQ4HXmR6F2xUkqYeUJt5PlajcN4YjkPcZ_sbkMZzWbHCVHYyxeQEFm-6fzrx2fHONIt0VD-5l2PuW8sbTvwlqefI_yZ5pfQkkQZV1GpGE38hONVuiJJiiPYPTUBerwb/s1041/IMG041022_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURQ4moOpWAQbmlhebRSXwwIoL3t7Uzhmg5PR8gMArqVeklZs7V2IVUdcLRFQ4HXmR6F2xUkqYeUJt5PlajcN4YjkPcZ_sbkMZzWbHCVHYyxeQEFm-6fzrx2fHONIt0VD-5l2PuW8sbTvwlqefI_yZ5pfQkkQZV1GpGE38hONVuiJJiiPYPTUBerwb/w281-h400/IMG041022_0002.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #129 Max Scherzer</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Dodgers debuted their "Los Dodgers" jerseys in L.A. last summer, but this one wasn't as well-received among fans. It's a nice shade of blue, but isn't especially different from the team's usual uniform. Max Scherzer isn't even a Dodger anymore anyway. He's with the Mets now, and I find it surprising that neither New York team has been involved in this program yet. The Yankee pinstripes are timeless, but surely the Mets could come up with something.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWBeTrQwfTgpiEBuWGgI3fzkottF_CMZ0rlBWa9cBclpzKNvRAhb1DXAiMlE9Y_-dtjlCasNW-coD3J4rr6yssjxx8vFXKM04fd8oDHst8yEu0Bzl0m7l8KVg_gsz3cb4YQ8ClmJvFKCwi56ZyobEhQuv0yx0vbpllsrkgstd3VpueA96IjitLHPN/s1028/IMG041022_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWBeTrQwfTgpiEBuWGgI3fzkottF_CMZ0rlBWa9cBclpzKNvRAhb1DXAiMlE9Y_-dtjlCasNW-coD3J4rr6yssjxx8vFXKM04fd8oDHst8yEu0Bzl0m7l8KVg_gsz3cb4YQ8ClmJvFKCwi56ZyobEhQuv0yx0vbpllsrkgstd3VpueA96IjitLHPN/w286-h400/IMG041022_0005.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #86 Mike Yastrzemski</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Think of San Francisco, and you'll probably think of the Golden Gate Bridge. The designers of Mike Yastrzemski's alternate Giants uniform thought the same thing. They added what's meant to be a layer of fog on the all-white uniforms, and even a white gradient on the bottom of the "G", as though the logo is emerging from the fog the way the bridge towers do.</p><p>As a tech worker, the bridge design on the sleeves remind me of older <a href="https://aurus5.com/blog/cisco/cisco-logo-history-and-evolution/">Cisco</a> logos.</p><p>The Red Sox and Diamondbacks got in on the City Connect fun last year,
but I didn't find any such cards of theirs in this blaster. Several more
teams this year, including the Rockies on June 4th, will have a new
alternate jersey in the series with which to take the field. <br /></p><p>I have to admit that these kind of flew under my radar last year. I had seen them on highlight reels, but didn't really put together how inspired and creative these were meant to be. I'm excited to see more teams have their City Connect jerseys unveiled throughout the season. I've made it a point to put this year's release dates on my calendar, since clearly I'm into it. I've spent eight cards talking about little else but uniforms, and there's more where that came from.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxs9x1N59ImwIKgWDCk_a3nnA6Qxcu-RTw7w3YxMvYF7yg-k9uLXNHqhHGgrfYxm9ODQOK4sqozO7EaHy87i22WRY6ia0yY0jKHUln1VcvsdaNyPO80ubAatqX52NvAh4hISb79AIj58xyW2fzm7K81vEMqFZ4BtWLQWuXNDj4WyWFs4vih1lcRjf/s1029/IMG041022_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxs9x1N59ImwIKgWDCk_a3nnA6Qxcu-RTw7w3YxMvYF7yg-k9uLXNHqhHGgrfYxm9ODQOK4sqozO7EaHy87i22WRY6ia0yY0jKHUln1VcvsdaNyPO80ubAatqX52NvAh4hISb79AIj58xyW2fzm7K81vEMqFZ4BtWLQWuXNDj4WyWFs4vih1lcRjf/w289-h400/IMG041022_0006.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #166 Ernie Clement (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is a Photoshop job, but it is our first look at Cleveland's new team name and logo, the Guardians. Unfortunately, they lost their first game under the new banner. </p><p>I don't have much to say about rookie Ernie Clement, but I haven't said anything about the 2022 design yet, so here goes. </p><p>I like it.</p><p>It doesn't seem quite as much like a Bowman design as I first thought. I particularly like how the red line around the outer border swoops around and curves through the stitches of the baseball design element in the lower left. The team name and especially the position are pretty tiny and hard to read, but the size of the player's name is a huge improvement over the 2021 set, as are the photographs. </p><p>I do see how collectors are calling this the "wrench set" based on the lower design elements, but I don't see a wrench as vividly as I see the so-called sea turtle in 2013 Topps, at least not when the border is color-coded for a red team. Maybe it's a little more noticeable with a white border. The colored border carries over to the back, but the baseball stitch loop area is only halfway there. Where the other half would be is occupied by the card number.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU57oV0UTVBPtKHbTKxDdsc81seLsBDfqBRB9gOcdpvWpzq083b7QlbUoAy0StWRiQSYNzpHxfnJ-GTtpp4RAKWTOmy7HIjCjFVBgPRWlk0P-4XyrYcqUiMrEiE8A2MKdPLxP6kMgaiO8ZVcdXTwV8OJlkGBWTFxQ0Mv2G5mYOfxnk7EUqCyRlwOQ/s1042/IMG041022_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU57oV0UTVBPtKHbTKxDdsc81seLsBDfqBRB9gOcdpvWpzq083b7QlbUoAy0StWRiQSYNzpHxfnJ-GTtpp4RAKWTOmy7HIjCjFVBgPRWlk0P-4XyrYcqUiMrEiE8A2MKdPLxP6kMgaiO8ZVcdXTwV8OJlkGBWTFxQ0Mv2G5mYOfxnk7EUqCyRlwOQ/w284-h400/IMG041022_0004.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #219 Freddie Freeman</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Not counting something like Topps Update, the photos we get on baseball cards are typically one season behind. Printing technology has improved by leaps and bounds since I started collecting (really, go back and look at the photo quality on late-80s Donruss sets), but the constraints of creating, printing, and distributing baseball card sets have only gotten more challenging. We've only had Topps Now for a handful of years, and keep in mind you've never been able to buy that by the box.</p><p>I'm not expecting a current-year photo of Freddie Freeman on this card. That would be silly; the season is only a few days old. I'm just using that as a segue to point out the commemorative patch from 2021 on Freeman's sleeve, the 150th Anniversary of the Braves franchise. They can trace their lineage all the way back to 1871's Boston Red Stockings, which predated the National League itself by five years.</p><p>I happened to get a good look at Freeman on Friday when his new team, the Dodgers, visited Coors Field for Opening Day. Yes, some Opening Day tickets came my way this year, and it was a fun experience to be back at the ballpark, but the Dodgers sort of spoiled the fun. Their entire lineup is just one MVP after another, with some All-Stars peppered in there for good measure. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRkLbk0fBUTF03EC6Pgpw6OLCR9-g-OFmrkFpRJT5KWDGLQKF0b7J2uh68G8xKxKcovYPd8Io-QodC54GTg0oF9UAbIoL6xo1PUiwmEroI7mAxXtJIXjnn9qqodYUMSpS5pzOLPx2A2E0_iU4CaY8ZL97dQwSH0WtL8lsgj1YWnIcmeMm1ft1tEaL/s1032/IMG041022_0011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="743" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRkLbk0fBUTF03EC6Pgpw6OLCR9-g-OFmrkFpRJT5KWDGLQKF0b7J2uh68G8xKxKcovYPd8Io-QodC54GTg0oF9UAbIoL6xo1PUiwmEroI7mAxXtJIXjnn9qqodYUMSpS5pzOLPx2A2E0_iU4CaY8ZL97dQwSH0WtL8lsgj1YWnIcmeMm1ft1tEaL/w288-h400/IMG041022_0011.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #94 Adam Wainwright</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Adam Wainwright's stellar career is likely drawing to a close this season, along with that of his longtime battery mate, Yadier Molina. That's probably just who is ready to catch the pitch that Waino is winding up for on this photo.</p><p>Many of the Hall of Fame legends we lost in the past couple years were honored with memorial patches during the 2021 season. Bob Gibson and his #45...<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOhLP2--cIbC1YIqv8UEHQ1j0gWX3GQwo6yEMAObM_CXV_P5ssU_dH1uoq-ZU_RZxG_FurWSe3sYVk8sJmTIvP0FFd8S4CcjrQIWPcvVQtoWhWmER3mw-4ZzZBLI-jaB-TCMpu62PI2ijJLO3Xwwo4e4YMo7c-eCbC5tVH3lsmvbWNV0IBmMQQgN3/s1036/IMG041022_0012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOhLP2--cIbC1YIqv8UEHQ1j0gWX3GQwo6yEMAObM_CXV_P5ssU_dH1uoq-ZU_RZxG_FurWSe3sYVk8sJmTIvP0FFd8S4CcjrQIWPcvVQtoWhWmER3mw-4ZzZBLI-jaB-TCMpu62PI2ijJLO3Xwwo4e4YMo7c-eCbC5tVH3lsmvbWNV0IBmMQQgN3/w286-h400/IMG041022_0012.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #174 Christian Yelich</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>...Hank Aaron and his #44 (though he was only briefly a Brewer)...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1znFcIzysiLWrUN35RhfHZRQSMuxpb9JeTeB_AdTmtlxgWn4vzw1pRZF93KRC9jEbWF_hkecRGMAm5pv0g9BxnuoPtcAAD49gm0U8IeWWiv72qDw2b8NblSztueq-uLx-n4W75tNq-_vDy-ZGhzAEqdT_Us-sUE94oAE_cyfSbGjt2WnTSznUSjZ-/s1032/IMG041022_0013.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1znFcIzysiLWrUN35RhfHZRQSMuxpb9JeTeB_AdTmtlxgWn4vzw1pRZF93KRC9jEbWF_hkecRGMAm5pv0g9BxnuoPtcAAD49gm0U8IeWWiv72qDw2b8NblSztueq-uLx-n4W75tNq-_vDy-ZGhzAEqdT_Us-sUE94oAE_cyfSbGjt2WnTSznUSjZ-/w289-h400/IMG041022_0013.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #65 Julio Urías</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>...Tommy Lasorda's #2 and Don Sutton's #20...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AMQFq9316QuqiPlHNPUezw918EJtyNnZFmBzr8QKY8kCKDT4BGircfuoDBJXYvmB7QPlvEOWpOuPImS8WaHFMFF0xpB-SjlkKC54Jak_Ca8dSFBmV2263p14PYHTquax1Rd6N88RJLDiT6YRHHSC9ttWzgQQrwEy5uEFDn_X0gdwh2sIIH93EF6A/s1032/IMG041022_0014.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AMQFq9316QuqiPlHNPUezw918EJtyNnZFmBzr8QKY8kCKDT4BGircfuoDBJXYvmB7QPlvEOWpOuPImS8WaHFMFF0xpB-SjlkKC54Jak_Ca8dSFBmV2263p14PYHTquax1Rd6N88RJLDiT6YRHHSC9ttWzgQQrwEy5uEFDn_X0gdwh2sIIH93EF6A/w285-h400/IMG041022_0014.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #5 Joey Gallo</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>...Whitey Ford's #16...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrZm589xhZq5_4M_uEvEARVc2lUW-bK1ub_DRi4qd9Mk3_ZKRdoEkncUqv_cCib63iAqoCQb8bjmjNAl-mrDbTJLkbLGH4uQyTmOeO--FPimKj-9tSr_ofGiGFj--1Sl3dw4ky9-NZ9oWPJRfg6KEvc7owz5K6abfQOWQlWnx_1LBDqVa40Qe3qjP/s1040/IMG041022_0015.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="743" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrZm589xhZq5_4M_uEvEARVc2lUW-bK1ub_DRi4qd9Mk3_ZKRdoEkncUqv_cCib63iAqoCQb8bjmjNAl-mrDbTJLkbLGH4uQyTmOeO--FPimKj-9tSr_ofGiGFj--1Sl3dw4ky9-NZ9oWPJRfg6KEvc7owz5K6abfQOWQlWnx_1LBDqVa40Qe3qjP/w286-h400/IMG041022_0015.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #168 Josh Donaldson</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>...Mike Bell's initials, the bench coach of the Twins...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj805pXO1MCkBlYGp0iH736_2A4Ox_-v_qgOYjtnD2F7nOsdthUCIy_IIDtMumSSfRjFBMfvZukxroMLpTKNW-qCZgp-e4_nzXIye3mBTjMzaoQqLf3Py2SUacUX0fxLvKqtu4lSXacVY81aGQV9ib-y4mkQ7fDo6nc2xopP0cp1OJXMHEjtuJ-fAsc/s1028/IMG041022_0017.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1028" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj805pXO1MCkBlYGp0iH736_2A4Ox_-v_qgOYjtnD2F7nOsdthUCIy_IIDtMumSSfRjFBMfvZukxroMLpTKNW-qCZgp-e4_nzXIye3mBTjMzaoQqLf3Py2SUacUX0fxLvKqtu4lSXacVY81aGQV9ib-y4mkQ7fDo6nc2xopP0cp1OJXMHEjtuJ-fAsc/w400-h286/IMG041022_0017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #191 Pete Alonso</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>...and Tom Seaver's #41.</p><p>It's sad, that much loss. But it's always a nice gesture when teams honor their great legends. </p><p>Seaver's number is being worn by Pete Alonso, one of the exciting young stars whose name isn't mentioned nearly as much as Tatís, Guerrero, Soto, Acuña, and others. He was the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year and has two consecutive wins at the Home Run Derby. Alonso, aka Polar Bear, is a few years older than those vibrant young players, but I think he's a bit underrated. <br /></p><p>The card back mentions the whopping 74 home runs he hit at the 2021 Home Run Derby. He's likely to get plenty more great horizontal cards in future Topps sets if he keeps that up.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugZzhLHrljK8VzBIVF6An3z2C0SFthCPnsf_UFzjTBQg3XirVCcT6Y6xQowWndwUdoj_PgDXbWfmIdoiyA9Z-MZxIChp07tOWXR0H6fw8O-AgVUJSdDSC4DPmrVc1xvExEijAAPUbGk_-XQtEldWB9NPvK1A_F_m2YXJ6Vq-hh4hhR3xvA_bURMh2/s1032/IMG041022_0016.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1032" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugZzhLHrljK8VzBIVF6An3z2C0SFthCPnsf_UFzjTBQg3XirVCcT6Y6xQowWndwUdoj_PgDXbWfmIdoiyA9Z-MZxIChp07tOWXR0H6fw8O-AgVUJSdDSC4DPmrVc1xvExEijAAPUbGk_-XQtEldWB9NPvK1A_F_m2YXJ6Vq-hh4hhR3xvA_bURMh2/w400-h285/IMG041022_0016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #82 Manny Machado</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I really am not a fan of Manny Machado, but I have to admit that this a fantastic card. The cropping and pose is great, and the "wrench" design works especially well in horizontal orientation. I even noticed the tiny white dot between the team logo and the player's name, which I didn't spot on the vertical cards.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOCKjZH0PI_rrWOGvh9RO-6MGm53zj80Hj6TZHpxWcpaW3ZwlG8r3QNp-ORy0XfUe04rUXdZtBxktvTDZgWQOyOIrJQ8wNUSNzmQrXYwD8x4fQ-brI3SYt-WtdHmOImzyaZ3R8BhqP1Yjc53h-8o2ckfn9tE-hbUFJAY3LmdaI3UJEwQ6LeQNL_FS/s1032/IMG041022_0018.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="1032" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOCKjZH0PI_rrWOGvh9RO-6MGm53zj80Hj6TZHpxWcpaW3ZwlG8r3QNp-ORy0XfUe04rUXdZtBxktvTDZgWQOyOIrJQ8wNUSNzmQrXYwD8x4fQ-brI3SYt-WtdHmOImzyaZ3R8BhqP1Yjc53h-8o2ckfn9tE-hbUFJAY3LmdaI3UJEwQ6LeQNL_FS/w400-h289/IMG041022_0018.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #38 Byron Buxton</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Many of the best defensive plays, which I have a special appreciation for thanks to my Nolan Arenado fandom, really can't be depicted any other way than horizontally. Byron Buxton, now a Twin for the next seven years, shows us exactly why. </p><p>Home run robberies, on the other hand, would typically need a more traditional vertical orientation. </p><p>We've been seeing cards like these for a long time, but I have to wonder what a collector from fifty years ago would think, someone who had just started seeing "In Action" photos appear on baseball cards. We look back fondly on various baserunning and play-at-the-plate cards from that era and still write about them today. Will we still be talking about Byron Buxton cards in the year 2072?</p><p>I can't promise this blog will go on that long, despite my best efforts.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l7ZmlhnoenR8fAMaTnfxHPag8erMxGBVY9xcfCheADcyTlL2yEOo3p4UOYoNedJzw5f_5iIMublPS2p1iPUfN8nLfNagccM4MKJTYZ-OmWC4Q7rpzhRocuOZGl46CYzNMYlNynwSIymcNL6ctgEizuKu5_SLUpsV6PxCwhVF5VnK7r-VdH5dPuv0/s1032/IMG041022_0019.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="1032" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l7ZmlhnoenR8fAMaTnfxHPag8erMxGBVY9xcfCheADcyTlL2yEOo3p4UOYoNedJzw5f_5iIMublPS2p1iPUfN8nLfNagccM4MKJTYZ-OmWC4Q7rpzhRocuOZGl46CYzNMYlNynwSIymcNL6ctgEizuKu5_SLUpsV6PxCwhVF5VnK7r-VdH5dPuv0/w400-h289/IMG041022_0019.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #169 Ryan McMahon</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Only a couple Rockies were present in this blaster, chock full of over 150 cards. Ryan McMahon was the first among them, and he's holding down the starting third baseman job for the Rockies even after the team signed Kris Bryant, who is now apparently a left fielder. I never expected this <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2017/08/going-clubbing-part-2-hits.html">Stadium Club insert</a> from several years ago would end up being related to an eventual Rockies player, but I'm glad I held onto it. Bryant had a chance to tie the game on Opening Day in the 9th inning, but foul tipped the last pitch for a strikeout.</p><p>Clearly he is the big news in Denver this year, other than Russell Wilson joining the Broncos, who traveled a couple miles east to throw out the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nkhp8grrYg">first pitch</a> on Opening Day. All I'm talking about is Bryant in relation to RyMac's card. But McMahon is growing into one of the fan favorites around here, and he had an RBI and a double in Saturday's night game. Perhaps the All-Star Game patch on his sleeve is a sign for the future of his career.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGN701kcGFK9C35K_DO7Fq4mtfHWnIr558i90mrQWEHxig8jd0pWZrG1iP39n2V7LCFdJhvNMJkiR_xTEu9A1MdrtolTv4dq-kbgmGiZ93-8-YclvT1s6iGbvdpTrJOMyJySnA96u2zRtbIhxihnTVUxcebFCQbl8vRxm3BYqVPB_pJGY50BqKuCTS/s1040/IMG041022_0020.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="1040" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGN701kcGFK9C35K_DO7Fq4mtfHWnIr558i90mrQWEHxig8jd0pWZrG1iP39n2V7LCFdJhvNMJkiR_xTEu9A1MdrtolTv4dq-kbgmGiZ93-8-YclvT1s6iGbvdpTrJOMyJySnA96u2zRtbIhxihnTVUxcebFCQbl8vRxm3BYqVPB_pJGY50BqKuCTS/w400-h285/IMG041022_0020.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #177 Trevor Story</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Trevor Story, on the other hand, couldn't get out of here fast enough. He signed a deal with the Red Sox, and he's playing second base instead of his usual shortstop, a position that is currently occupied by Xander Bogaerts. As I understand it, the Rockies offered him more money than did Boston, but he still decided to venture out elsewhere.</p><p>Whatever happens now, at least us Rockies fans had six seasons of electrifying performance and monster home runs from Trevor Story to look back on. I don't know what it was, but somehow his homers just <i>felt</i> like they were bigger, even if they often traveled roughly the same distance as many others. He was a lot of fun to watch, and I wish him well.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAF_XseAZ0dVvvK03_2IATVOGCSKVkPNEvtt_MHr8nNXBMSeTMoxqWjoBadF7UP9yiQpPfdTNbT5hJeu-V_D9yAQZSPSDlVuTatOZgP6SxiisOZqqUG11JH5ATh0nOpomeNVV42ou8xjJpOtY9RHXvK53cd8UyWNigp89fIClo_suJmHa94SIXIeK/s1040/IMG041022_0021.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAF_XseAZ0dVvvK03_2IATVOGCSKVkPNEvtt_MHr8nNXBMSeTMoxqWjoBadF7UP9yiQpPfdTNbT5hJeu-V_D9yAQZSPSDlVuTatOZgP6SxiisOZqqUG11JH5ATh0nOpomeNVV42ou8xjJpOtY9RHXvK53cd8UyWNigp89fIClo_suJmHa94SIXIeK/w285-h400/IMG041022_0021.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #199 Trent Grisham</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Trent Grisham is one of the very few players in the MLB who chooses not to wear batting gloves, but the main reason this Padres card caught my eye is that it's obviously a candidate for my Coors Field frankenset. That much purple, especially in and on the dugout, makes it hard to mistake for anything else. Plus, as a player in the NL West, he's much more likely to play in Coors Field during a road game.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4nygRix39JwLT2N14q_7Nr0hajmZIbSI4bGpXVfZyuGjg98yPni4j-piVVNly5AFllw3iu0StDiRYMcp3spC2qWlWhIJhZt-1p7pSin4jRn65zQrkzlZ-RPbwfJvM6nr-G0cUmAtrgtyiEp7tLjYQpWx3Di2xZD0umeQohMB1skdML1FbN58f-8g/s1040/IMG041022_0022.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4nygRix39JwLT2N14q_7Nr0hajmZIbSI4bGpXVfZyuGjg98yPni4j-piVVNly5AFllw3iu0StDiRYMcp3spC2qWlWhIJhZt-1p7pSin4jRn65zQrkzlZ-RPbwfJvM6nr-G0cUmAtrgtyiEp7tLjYQpWx3Di2xZD0umeQohMB1skdML1FbN58f-8g/w286-h400/IMG041022_0022.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2022 Topps Opening Day #208 Wander Franco (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>And finally, this wouldn't be a proper post about a 2022 baseball card set if I didn't mention Wander Franco, this year's red-hot rookie whose cards are currently going for eye-popping prices. I'll end up with his Topps Series 1 rookie card later on once I buy the factory set, but the nearly-identical Opening Day version will hold me over until then.</p><p>The season is barely underway and I've already seen this card countless times, enough to notice that between the Topps Rookie Cup and the Opening Day logo, the design elements at all four corners of the photo are nicely symmetrical. That symmetry is slightly thrown off on his Series 1 base card since there's nothing in the lower right.<br /></p><p>This post was twenty-two cards, possibly a record for me. And this is just part one. Come back later for the Mariner Moose (yes, I did get the Mariner Moose because of course I did) and the rest of the inserts in part two.</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-37583370071229169132022-03-27T15:06:00.000-06:002022-03-27T15:06:54.942-06:00The Trading Post #169: More From Roger<p><a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-trading-post-168-roger.html">Roger</a> knows he has an outlet for cards now. I visited my girlfriend one evening recently and she gave me a small stack of four cards that he set aside for me, pretty much out of the blue. Unlike the <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-trading-post-168-roger.html">first cards</a> I got from him, these were from about ten years into the history of the Rockies. The turn of the millennium, as we don't often call it. </p><p>In any case, I wasn't doing much collecting circa 2000-2002, and it's unusual to run across cards from this comparative lull in the hobby. Pinnacle was a thing of the past, and it wasn't looking too good for the remaining survivors. The Rockies didn't have an especially memorable team during that time either, and 2000 was one of just two non-pandemic seasons in the team's history that I didn't attend a game in person.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdPblPdfXFZ2JaxTCyIP_w-nCWN6nxFy5QNX3umIFJHs3ZVyUMrRGBONKBCZxIIQOe6-UqzuBmJ4i9VT-z3Woatzocw06AIW7OEHUHJUcPOTqT8t_J-oYKeqXknoL8ht2-HjgH7Jx7LHdwVD0ue3p4Ktr9NdRQ2fifoverC5mm90HmfubwSrKTwOC/s1032/IMG032722_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdPblPdfXFZ2JaxTCyIP_w-nCWN6nxFy5QNX3umIFJHs3ZVyUMrRGBONKBCZxIIQOe6-UqzuBmJ4i9VT-z3Woatzocw06AIW7OEHUHJUcPOTqT8t_J-oYKeqXknoL8ht2-HjgH7Jx7LHdwVD0ue3p4Ktr9NdRQ2fifoverC5mm90HmfubwSrKTwOC/w285-h400/IMG032722_0002.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2001 Topps Chrome Traded #T15 Andrés Galarraga</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Andrés Galarraga had long since moved on from the Rockies by the time 2001 rolled around. Topps was deep in their period of experimenting with colored borders, and this 2001 Chrome example from the Traded set actually looks pretty good when given the shiny treatment. I didn't love the mustard-yellow 2002 borders, but this emerald green from 2001 was really nice. It does suffer from that annoying curl that has plagued Topps Chrome for decades, but it looks so good otherwise.</p><p>This card from the Traded set actually documents The Big Cat moving from Atlanta to the San Francisco Giants. 1997 was his last season with the Rockies, at which point Todd Helton took over at first base. Galarraga missed the 1999 season while battling lymphoma, but made it back to the Bigs for a few more seasons. Following this stint with the Giants, he returned to his original team, the Expos. Then it was back to San Francisco, then another battle with that insidious foe cancer, then a final appearance in the Majors with the Angels at the end of 2004.</p><p>He finished with 399 career home runs, falling just a hair short of 400 (and maybe a chance at lots more if not for his health issues). He was my favorite player as I grew into being a Rockies fan, and he's the guy whose batting stance I liked to emulate while playing little league.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PA3O2JgMjkPAbbKX_agtMxIWRjN9zkJX8wQaeAeu-xmdBZep7snRU7ASN29tMQw-5Vmvd0-jrpfpnu2Q-po8nmjTqouoQU3QXEseX-hwKIDcbJ2nQEMQsqzubt3-Vj9RYVtKpraRiWuczuihqSbk2ehxC85k4KmAJnwxOUeY7dnENbO73LbjfTG3/s1024/IMG032722_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PA3O2JgMjkPAbbKX_agtMxIWRjN9zkJX8wQaeAeu-xmdBZep7snRU7ASN29tMQw-5Vmvd0-jrpfpnu2Q-po8nmjTqouoQU3QXEseX-hwKIDcbJ2nQEMQsqzubt3-Vj9RYVtKpraRiWuczuihqSbk2ehxC85k4KmAJnwxOUeY7dnENbO73LbjfTG3/w286-h400/IMG032722_0001.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2003 Donruss Champions #93 Juan Uribe</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Prior to this, I had a grand total of six cards in my collection from 2003 Donruss Champions, so I certainly can't call myself an expert. In looking at the checklist, each team was grouped together by card number. The Rockies were #90-96, a mere seven cards. Coincidentally, seven matches the number of triples Juan Uribe hit in 2002 as the Rockies shortstop, somehow a decline from the eleven he put up in less than half a season during his rookie year of 2001. Baseball-Reference and the card back are in agreement on that number, which happened to be a tie for the NL lead in 2001.</p><p>The design of this set is a little cramped, taken up mostly by the giant National League logo, the shiny Donruss Champions logo, and the banner-like superlative that occupies the remaining space on the left-hand side. When you visit Coors Field, you'll find lots of banners like that suspended from the rafters over the concourse, documenting Silver Sluggers, lots of batting titles, a Rookie of the Year award, and so on. They didn't get quite as specific as Donruss Champions did, but the team does have at least a little bit of hardware to show for a quarter-century or so as part of Major League Baseball. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpRzNgzqsn1vNsF25dB4OOdD7Do1n1JPc0ESdwwu4l5x2iNDWfEsmTLPzEvZkOs-dLz53RZ7L9LSMWXa1IZ7zi7vc-fwPQMsfeJcT20jGh64D9WbtcXWNpRHrJmqXr1gI8rbzrpTP5f4VORTbx_a_sDr41N_0OrDGqqq-tXWXlT8wh86SVp-2OrET/s1024/IMG032722_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpRzNgzqsn1vNsF25dB4OOdD7Do1n1JPc0ESdwwu4l5x2iNDWfEsmTLPzEvZkOs-dLz53RZ7L9LSMWXa1IZ7zi7vc-fwPQMsfeJcT20jGh64D9WbtcXWNpRHrJmqXr1gI8rbzrpTP5f4VORTbx_a_sDr41N_0OrDGqqq-tXWXlT8wh86SVp-2OrET/w285-h400/IMG032722_0003.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2002 Fleer Tradition Update #U46 René Reyes SP (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I guess I was watching the Rockies with some regularity in the early 2000s, because I do remember the name René Reyes. His Major League career spanned part of two seasons with the Rockies for a total -0.6 bWAR. Nothing great, and he only slugged one triple, or "trifecta" as that Donruss card called it. But his Minor League career was promising enough to be included in this retro-themed Fleer Tradition set with "PROSPECT" billing.</p><p>Further investigation of his Baseball-Reference page reveals the only negative value I can recall seeing for OPS+. That's a ballpark-adjusted metric, where the average is normalized to 100. Barry Bonds was +263 in 2004. Reyes was -2. </p><p>So, short print or not, you can see why his career didn't last.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5xrnuMFGb8xdQPSnrFvgfDgWj7k_ZM-OuxJgC4XGkSUjQo1aqDOMxsESn42m6VmqfdhurCrxnAySAW1wPx6doyhAsllEBCA_ptOvouO1jGZfBdRlnrvB_W6UlO6njGyeP9g_as47d89aS68pX0HmmqTc_xOLcgYoA7BSVl9jzIW1TaGWL7a8flFP/s1036/IMG032722_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1036" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5xrnuMFGb8xdQPSnrFvgfDgWj7k_ZM-OuxJgC4XGkSUjQo1aqDOMxsESn42m6VmqfdhurCrxnAySAW1wPx6doyhAsllEBCA_ptOvouO1jGZfBdRlnrvB_W6UlO6njGyeP9g_as47d89aS68pX0HmmqTc_xOLcgYoA7BSVl9jzIW1TaGWL7a8flFP/w400-h289/IMG032722_0004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2000 Bowman's Best Year by Year #YY8 Juan González / Larry Walker</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The final card today is definitely new to my mental collecting encylopedia, and thus to my 2000 binder. I don't run across many inserts from this era, but here's one anyway from 2000 Bowman's Best. It's a two-player card featuring both Larry Walker and Juan González, who each made their debut in 1989. They're the subject of that year in the Year By Year insert set, which looks at players who debuted in the same season and followed a similar career arc. </p><p>González and Walker, for example, both hailed from outside the USA. Their careers peaked in the mid-1990s, each winning MVP honors around that time. González won the AL award in 1996 and 1998, and we're told that Walker captured his first in 1997. That ended up being a bit optimistic on the part of Topps, as Walker only had the one MVP to his name, which remains the only MVP award in Rockies history.</p><p>The card itself is a refractor, slightly textured, and I'm pretty sure it's acetate, although there are no transparent elements to confirm that.</p><p>Thanks again to Roger for the collectibles (he also gave me an old Rockies Magazine that was fun to flip through), and these will have a good home in my collection!</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-74067637184466577772022-02-27T19:03:00.000-07:002022-02-27T19:03:28.221-07:00The Trading Post #168: Roger<p>I can't even remember the last time I did an in-person trade. Most likely it was when I was in middle school. But I had the chance to rekindle that activity around the holidays this year. </p><p>Roger is an old family friend that my girlfriend has known forever. He and his wife Beth joined me, my girlfriend, and her sister to watch a late-season Broncos game on TV, which was the last game or two of the 2021 regular season. I can't quite place the exact week even though this was merely two months ago, but I did take the opportunity to give Roger a few cards from my collection. Roger is an avid card collector and often shares his extensive collection (including lots of graded vintage) on his Facebook page. He's one of the very few people in my immediate circle that speaks the language of card collecting.</p><p>I knew I wanted to surprise him with some cards for the holidays, but as nice as it is to chat with someone who knows about baseball cards, that does mean it's a bit tricky to put together an appropriate trade. I can't just come bearing a stack of recent Topps commons; that would simply shift duplicates I have seven or eight copies of into his stack of what is also likely seven or eight copies.</p><p>What to do?</p><p>I settled on a half-dozen or so duplicates from the oversized 1994 Fleer Extra Bases set. I originally got them from <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-trading-post-126-cracked-bat-part-2.html">Julie at A Cracked Bat</a>, one of the most entertaining blogs in this whole community. I haven't seen a post from her since October, so I hope she's well.</p><p>In any case, I felt reasonably confident that my extras from Fleer Extra Bases would be new to Roger's collection, and he certainly seemed to enjoy them. Many of us longtime Colorado residents remember all those early Rockies. Burks, Girardi, etc..., although I may have stumped him with Mark Thompson.</p><p>A couple weeks later my girlfriend gave me a stack of cards that Roger found for me in return. He knows I'm a Rockies fan (we've all been to a game together), and these cards from did not disappoint. Current Rockies, past Rockies, and even some yet-to-be Rockies. And football, to match the occasion.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBPlyF1qAsJXZknzabwEaMbCl5J2SMx773pKrMh7dli71GhgkWA8vgulrU1E7qWOPK0QZNtJwW9O7rrNzEC4HOFE3NEFcpv483dAKCfOPPJIrfgNkPhVqAuY5NJojyPdN_JfrJy4-kmm3wqIq161nnRGikn7nrUlUh2V4PGI8yb_bqNxCKQ7o7It-T=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1036" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBPlyF1qAsJXZknzabwEaMbCl5J2SMx773pKrMh7dli71GhgkWA8vgulrU1E7qWOPK0QZNtJwW9O7rrNzEC4HOFE3NEFcpv483dAKCfOPPJIrfgNkPhVqAuY5NJojyPdN_JfrJy4-kmm3wqIq161nnRGikn7nrUlUh2V4PGI8yb_bqNxCKQ7o7It-T=w400-h284" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1993 Upper Deck #481 Marquis Grissom / Delino DeShields / Dennis Martínez </b><b>/ Larry Walker</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>1993 Upper Deck is one of the best sets to come out of the entire (first) overproduction era, and for good reason. This team card of the Montréal Expos shows four of the team's Big Stars ("Les Grandes Étoiles" in French on the card front), conveniently arranged according to height. From left to right, these players are Marquis Grissom, Delino DeShields, Dennis Martínez, and Larry Walker. Martínez is one of just a small handful of MLB players to hail from Nicaragua, and is also on the similarly short list of pitchers who have thrown a perfect game. None other than Marquis Grissom <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JunDWY50C7U">chased down the 27th out</a> that afternoon in Los Angeles.<br /></p><p>And of course Larry Walker is now a Hall-of-Famer. His #33 is retired in Coors Field, numerals that are prominently displayed on his attractive blue jersey. You can also see the 25th Anniversary patch the Expos wore in 1993. It's sad that they didn't make it to fifty, and that we didn't get to see how the 1994 Postseason would have played out. It's very possible that Larry Walker would have done better in Hall of Fame voting had he had the chance to display some heroics that year.</p><p>Here's hoping the 2022 season doesn't leave us with similar question marks.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWf8oRw1sEebgHuY0-sTbNl9PbTQniM-XHswAp-Y4YHdabNV3fJyQuorYDHqNojGTlqUctiGZ_1BlH7_cXi8J6uH_bCXR1pkeNkIp-peEYVAOdKFdIsrLvdooZGx6mGXMP8oSlv2GWmmzdLRZJNuxgzebenzf_u6NzDS50jKhTmbVEQGXHjYWaw-Dk=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1036" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWf8oRw1sEebgHuY0-sTbNl9PbTQniM-XHswAp-Y4YHdabNV3fJyQuorYDHqNojGTlqUctiGZ_1BlH7_cXi8J6uH_bCXR1pkeNkIp-peEYVAOdKFdIsrLvdooZGx6mGXMP8oSlv2GWmmzdLRZJNuxgzebenzf_u6NzDS50jKhTmbVEQGXHjYWaw-Dk=w400-h286" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1992 Stadium Club #256 Larry Walker</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here's another of a <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-trading-post-16-nomos-sushi-platter.html">surprisingly</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-trading-post-113-cracked-bat-part-2.html">acrobatic</a> Larry Walker, this time a solo card from 1992 Stadium Club. This horizontal shot shows him in San Francisco's Candlestick Park, with Christy Mathewson's retired name banner in the background. Mathewson played in the days before uniform numbers, so just his name gets the special recognition. The Tigers gave Ty Cobb the same treatment on their wall of honor in left center at Comerica Park. </p><p>Larry Walker would eventually have his number retired by a team that didn't exist when this photo was taken, during a ceremony that took place in a stadium that wasn't built yet.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhukYMTKrJhCQIFjvkPLkfNLFJDCpQ5BfmWkZlVBkSJ7pCRKOqW8jqGJEQLotD-JGKa7i6xyQXkv-KuTCS6kxMUIktK2dMLr27alHYoFf0EISDT1y3y-_9X2zErp_vspDeH5PrQFaQ5L9Qm1mO5Hi6VDECpJ8El40DeW6WrXlcgzSfY-ysbWFPH544p=s1052" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1052" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhukYMTKrJhCQIFjvkPLkfNLFJDCpQ5BfmWkZlVBkSJ7pCRKOqW8jqGJEQLotD-JGKa7i6xyQXkv-KuTCS6kxMUIktK2dMLr27alHYoFf0EISDT1y3y-_9X2zErp_vspDeH5PrQFaQ5L9Qm1mO5Hi6VDECpJ8El40DeW6WrXlcgzSfY-ysbWFPH544p=w400-h281" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1991 Topps #610 Andrés Galarraga</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Few fans really think of this, but Andrés Galarraga and Larry Walker were teammates for three seasons on the Expos, long before they ever reached Blake Street Bomber status. Galarraga was even an All-Star in 1988, a fact I was surprised to learn when I thumbed through the All-Star subset in 1989 Topps at a young age. This posed shot makes for a great horizontal card, something we saw plenty of in 1991 Topps. </p><p>I miss the Expos. I never had a chance to see them in person, at least not until they became the Washington Nationals. Maybe someday we'll have them back in some form, although it seems unrealistically hopeful to think about expansion when the current labor dispute appears to be quite serious.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLvJVs8HvuIivuUmug19at3xZavO2VhyioEutlcaZVC80X_g9nUhFOc5Js-v54jkNwRCZju9j5UKgAHqzRN5dOUfCpNUcrCRvwqTqyCO2LKXo7n8ljDnYWqAjBk6GCqD0FRdbRe25Rg0fmFii9flbU92PaASmFcj5ydvZ86hBEXiYrxl3o0ra7D9MD=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLvJVs8HvuIivuUmug19at3xZavO2VhyioEutlcaZVC80X_g9nUhFOc5Js-v54jkNwRCZju9j5UKgAHqzRN5dOUfCpNUcrCRvwqTqyCO2LKXo7n8ljDnYWqAjBk6GCqD0FRdbRe25Rg0fmFii9flbU92PaASmFcj5ydvZ86hBEXiYrxl3o0ra7D9MD=w289-h400" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1992 Topps Gold Winners #371 Dante Bichette</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Moving on to a card that is new to my overall collection and not just a walk down memory lane, we come to former Brewer Dante Bichette. Like Galarraga, he was one of several players who had a rather unremarkable career going until he joined the Rockies. </p><p>1992 marked the year Topps made the move away from traditional cardboard, as well as when they added their first photographs to the card back. Those photos showed a panorama of the team's home stadium, in this case County Stadium in Milwaukee. I ran across a photo on Reddit the other day showing Miller Park (now known as American Family Field) under construction right next to County Stadium, which you <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/t1cjxe/aerial_photo_of_miller_park_under_construction/">might enjoy seeing</a>.</p><p>This is clearly a Topps Gold parallel, the first year of one of my all-time favorite parallel sets. Many of these were found as a one-per-pack parallel, but this particular card has a "Winner" stamp in the lower right. That's meant to differentiate it from a pack-pulled Gold card. Topps had a redemption program in place during 1992 where the reward was more Topps Gold cards, but unfortunately it was easily abused. Topps responded by including the Winner stamp on the redemption cards only, and they're generally more common than the normal Gold cards. This matches what I see in the ratio between the two types in my 1992 binder, but not dramatically so.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtIAE8FpGxl2GVnLsOGM_MTK8evpXIFCTxfwfPvNAcTrXL7hrGrvBg4QhH7HEdIfGTw1O23L4LwhZ3Ui2HtJNbKnpcF1AU0LlbRdkYu1wYNIO6H7i7pNteuIUvgefOn2K-PDghfOF5EIpFBxCOVe2qg_5VN8nUL_aPDoj6SmhY4FysMPaGcygUQQl7=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="748" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtIAE8FpGxl2GVnLsOGM_MTK8evpXIFCTxfwfPvNAcTrXL7hrGrvBg4QhH7HEdIfGTw1O23L4LwhZ3Ui2HtJNbKnpcF1AU0LlbRdkYu1wYNIO6H7i7pNteuIUvgefOn2K-PDghfOF5EIpFBxCOVe2qg_5VN8nUL_aPDoj6SmhY4FysMPaGcygUQQl7=w289-h400" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1991 Score #585 Joe Girardi</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Early Score cards were known to have write-ups on the back that fell somewhere between pamphlets and novellas. Joe Girardi's 1991 Score card is no different, as it tells us all about how he became the starting catcher, his defensive and offensive accolades, how he beat up on the Giants in 1990, and that he blocks the plate well. The card front verifies that, as we can see an incoming Atlanta Brave baserunner (possibly Lonnie Smith) bearing down at motion-blurring speed.</p><p>We can also see a commemorative patch on Girardi's right sleeve, which is the All-Star game host patch the Cubbies wore during the 1990 season. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgM8ZQLU9DUxrTfvfBl8iZukE3llHg4xZL3bYoIzpc1N0i1j1gcfTQz68Tj-_ftthv_dKU_HMJ5ZMdNp46TWO0J8VZ1K7ciITMtdW6MzkdOurTMgOUtTFKNKH2YEuC_I9zVYIpH1rlcq7l_uKupQu-vXPzXP7yuNWW8Go-R-_ndawFbHPMB8JLJO7-S=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgM8ZQLU9DUxrTfvfBl8iZukE3llHg4xZL3bYoIzpc1N0i1j1gcfTQz68Tj-_ftthv_dKU_HMJ5ZMdNp46TWO0J8VZ1K7ciITMtdW6MzkdOurTMgOUtTFKNKH2YEuC_I9zVYIpH1rlcq7l_uKupQu-vXPzXP7yuNWW8Go-R-_ndawFbHPMB8JLJO7-S=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1993 Upper Deck #706 Dale Murphy</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Even casual fans likely know that all the above players once suited up for the Colorado Rockies. Maybe not Girardi; he's probably better known for his managerial career, but surely the rest. But not many know that Dale Murphy, one of the most well-loved Atlanta Braves players in history, was once a Rockie. It only lasted for 26 games in the early part of the 1993 season, but it really did happen. It was real enough for Murphy to make it into Series 2 of that magical 1993 Upper Deck set, and he even got a photo on the card back of him wearing that most desirable of '90s apparel, the Starter jacket.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAi8OXuEPxLl97ZkepL01uuOSL2vCSfz5jamb1qe5TOg7zPLjPCQudIq_CVpDP_rd-8IkoKhU1_aSSZuloKEEsW1vOfWVlspmprgk3mLQGRTjmvEuR_lXFvtsvBzsCFeZ0beN2PjDJ2axqvHQn7NFVkAHc2SDa-6xxJnWBIzOnfJbZ3IFZmxMUfxNL=s1040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAi8OXuEPxLl97ZkepL01uuOSL2vCSfz5jamb1qe5TOg7zPLjPCQudIq_CVpDP_rd-8IkoKhU1_aSSZuloKEEsW1vOfWVlspmprgk3mLQGRTjmvEuR_lXFvtsvBzsCFeZ0beN2PjDJ2axqvHQn7NFVkAHc2SDa-6xxJnWBIzOnfJbZ3IFZmxMUfxNL=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1993 Donruss #357 Pat Mahomes</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Pat Mahomes never joined the Rockies, but he was a journeyman through 2003. Presumably, Roger included him in this stack because of the football connection. NFL fans all over recognize Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City as one of the game's superstars, but few know his dad spent about a decade as an MLB pitcher. </p><p>After all these years, it's pretty surprising how little 1993 Donruss I have in my collection. It's not tiny; I'd say six or so full pages front and back, but for a major brand's base set from the first year I collected, it's positively scarce. I'm pleased to add this one to my collection. I would have preferred a better-exposed photograph, but Donruss was not great at that for a number of years.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGj_QN_cAvARvrtcvyvPyTo8QtBdDrpJSpnyuDnGhCvUwBZA1E3OulyFqxTdMvolt2oKGCedX7nJNzjhmFlXb4naewDlm-TPsRh7nSp_23DYkvTuTG3RQHqRoRJvNk8_zUrpCXKqrqENXq7VsGSIti7kLFkHcQ91aqDiLRZBpvYZC-O7X2Lpnl3XWH=s1040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="741" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGj_QN_cAvARvrtcvyvPyTo8QtBdDrpJSpnyuDnGhCvUwBZA1E3OulyFqxTdMvolt2oKGCedX7nJNzjhmFlXb4naewDlm-TPsRh7nSp_23DYkvTuTG3RQHqRoRJvNk8_zUrpCXKqrqENXq7VsGSIti7kLFkHcQ91aqDiLRZBpvYZC-O7X2Lpnl3XWH=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Donruss Retro '86 Signatures Red #84 Peter Lambert /99 (AU)<br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Roger gave me one card of a current Rockie, which is right-handed pitcher Peter Lambert. This one from 2020 Donruss is a parallel based on the 1986 Donruss set, and it includes a /99 serial number as well as a sticker autograph. The purple uniform, the dazzling red design, and the Coors Field forest almost made me forget the lack of MLB logos. It's a well-done card of a young player we all hope will turn into a solid member of the rotation.</p><p>Lambert did get a couple games in as a late-season call-up at the end of 2021, but he hasn't had much of a chance to make an impression on Rockies fans yet. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, so hopefully 2022 will be a positive and injury-free season for him. Once the season starts, that is. We've blown well past the time when pitchers and catchers would have reported to Spring Training, with no real end in sight.</p><p>I'm not sure why there's a disconnect between the card number according to Beckett compared to the card back. This has "86S-PL" on the card back, so I don't know where #84 came from.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMHU-t50Q92WP403ByPlWzG4LhZZqbt_kYktLj-RidCCJff8UmaNARVrGcPCUieKyhOy3TmleRvUYBwH_rR9lTT41ksU5xuXpjGMpBBZX8X0jTGsETWAwKkrEQLwlirXKpttPsH5N32q3n8mRccVuxoPpoaYGLuK9ugYbnIon_xqCmzJOaclAGwO8B=s1043" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMHU-t50Q92WP403ByPlWzG4LhZZqbt_kYktLj-RidCCJff8UmaNARVrGcPCUieKyhOy3TmleRvUYBwH_rR9lTT41ksU5xuXpjGMpBBZX8X0jTGsETWAwKkrEQLwlirXKpttPsH5N32q3n8mRccVuxoPpoaYGLuK9ugYbnIon_xqCmzJOaclAGwO8B=w284-h400" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1977 Topps Football #100 O.J. Simpson AP</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Finally, digging back into the archives that's more consistent with Roger's overall collection (at least with what he chooses to showcase on his Facebook page), here's O.J. Simpson's 1977 Topps football card, printed long before his second, much sadder, period of life.</p><p>I'm far from an expert on football cards, but I have learned that the annual Topps football releases used different designs than the familiar baseball sets. I can't be confident that's true for every year, but 1977 Topps baseball didn't look quite like this. Regardless, Topps didn't stray far from their signature ribbons and chevrons when choosing design elements. </p><p>One of those banners on the top lists Simpson as a 1976 All-Pro, the NFL equivalent of an All-Star. There's also a little football graphic in the lower left noting that O.J. reached the 1,000-yard mark as a running back during the prior season. In fact, he made it well past that, with 1,503. Flipping the card over, we discover that he actually cracked the 2,000 yard mark once, which happened in 1973. 1,000 in a season is, you know, nice. Respectable. Maybe roughly equivalent to a 100-RBI baseball season. Not Hall-of-Fame material unless you string a ton of them together, but certainly enough to make you one of the most productive players on your team.</p><p>2,000 yards, on the other hand, is a different level. O.J. Simpson was the first to do it, and only seven others have done so since. Terrell Davis just got past that mark in the 1998 season, which is the same year the Broncos won their second Super Bowl. Some other names on that list are Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, and Adrian Peterson. Truly some of the greats.</p><p>I'll have to keep an eye out for more cards that Roger would like. This was a good trade, full of familiarity and also of surprises.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-4232969506337859572022-01-23T19:24:00.001-07:002022-01-23T19:31:22.235-07:00The Trading Post #167: Card Hemorrhage (Part 2: Vintage)<p>I don't know what feels normal anymore. Back pain is normal. Uncertainly is normal. </p><p>Writing a blog post with an NFL playoff game on in the background used to feel a lot more normal than it does right now. It's nice to still be able to bring that back every once in a while, although this blog is starting to take a back seat to other priorities. I did twenty-three posts in 2021, and while I still haven't missed a month, that is about half of what I was doing around 2017.</p><p>Not that I don't have enough material to cover, it's just that there is a lot that steals my attention these days. One example of that would be the Marshall Fire that tore through nearby Louisville, Colorado on December 30th. You may have seen it on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021%E2%80%932022_Boulder_County_fires">news</a>, but unfortunately I got a much closer look at it. My home is still standing, but I was caught in a smoky highway closure as the fire was spreading, was easily within walking distance of a frightening view of the flames that night, and found myself alarmingly close to the outer areas of the evacuation zone.</p><p>Seeing your hometown on the national news for this kind of thing is pretty unsettling. Watching the news crews broadcast from an intersection you've driven through a couple thousand times is quite scary. Trying to go about your workday while not being particularly confident that your home will still be there in a few hours is a very unpleasant experience. Knowing the office building you haven't been to in nearly two years (for obvious reasons) is directly in the path of destruction makes it very personal. That survived, although so much nearby was lost. Two lives. Pets. Homes. Businesses.<br /></p><p>So, that has given me a lot of emotions to work through, on top of everything else.</p><p>In any case, I was reminded of my collection a week or so ago when I got a direct message on Twitter asking about an old 2011 Topps Opening Day hit. A fellow Twitter user inquired as to whether I still had <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2015/11/and-now-we-wait.html">this Justin Germano autograph</a> from a 2015 blog post, and seeing as how it didn't go up in flames last month (one concern among a thousand others I had that day), I was able to help out his autograph collection. It might have been worth a solid amount in better condition, but Topps quality control being what it is, I shipped it off for $7 and got confirmation yesterday that it arrived safely.</p><p>Following that, I still want to review some vintage cards I got from Jay at <a href="https://cardhemorrhage.blogspot.com/">Card Hemorrhage</a>, which made up <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-trading-post-166-card-hemorrhage.html">the remainder</a> of a shipment he sent my way toward the end of 2021.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRCl5wugi30qWeTtiug-G3XO8qSCfBLxfvldFe9BPwyTC-wWzHfFXUf-m2SEy45jI9RRTksVjzfipGjCe8H5gcbP5MoBE3Y1nB_2h1ZlsxbyoBGUvsuXqIPXELM3l-ANcr5nXb_VcNg37pwxOhdFtBTGkKw5mgw7fAJsrHDidbigggCjFeYMy7wxIb=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRCl5wugi30qWeTtiug-G3XO8qSCfBLxfvldFe9BPwyTC-wWzHfFXUf-m2SEy45jI9RRTksVjzfipGjCe8H5gcbP5MoBE3Y1nB_2h1ZlsxbyoBGUvsuXqIPXELM3l-ANcr5nXb_VcNg37pwxOhdFtBTGkKw5mgw7fAJsrHDidbigggCjFeYMy7wxIb=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1991 Topps Archives '53 #324 Vern Law</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Now, this isn't really a vintage card, even though it looks like a '53. Experts of these early Topps checklists (including our favorite <a href="http://timwallach.blogspot.com/2022/01/sunday-edition_23.html">Tim Wallach supercollector</a>, who is nearing 1953 set completion) will know that Vern Law never made it into the original 1953 set. Neither did <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/01/rockin-retro-group-break-second-part-1.html">56 other players</a> who made up "The Cards That Never Were" subset at the end of the 1991 Topps Archives checklist.</p><p>Topps really took this theme seriously, writing a paragraph for the card back as though we were in early 1953 looking forward at the upcoming season. We're told, "This strong righthanded hurler rejoins the Pirates this year after spending the 1952 campaign in military service." </p><p>Those who don't know the 274-card checklist of 1953 Topps by heart can use several other cues to place this subset as an revisionist augmentation to the set rather than a pure reproduction of the original. </p><p>First, the images are black-and-white photographs rather than the full-color paintings we'd see on the originals. I have a mostly complete run of this set, and the only exception I could find was Hank Aaron's card #317. He did get a color painting, but it's not nearly up to the more lifelike standard found in the originals. The next clue is the background. It's usually a one of a few plain solid colors like this, or sometimes it might overlay a faint black-and-white background.<br /></p><p>On the back, you could just check whether the card number is #281 or above. There's no red-colored facsimile signature behind the write-up like you'd see on an original. And finally, the card back will have "The Cards That Never Were" printed on the very bottom.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXGSajGo4kS6eO9zs5cgriOTYcCIfDHW_tcA1VJ4a4WDFMml3k20NQTbB5js80ZGk8xkc3GzEJJmMPvgUfdUAeZ1aP_ep1ark2hh2nSTUkl03KoLLIJ51b81Gljmn4wOCN1H_5a0x3MiRRsAWvNcioGVi9FplT_K4gxhAlx1HuRZHlt8snWyTPKTG1=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXGSajGo4kS6eO9zs5cgriOTYcCIfDHW_tcA1VJ4a4WDFMml3k20NQTbB5js80ZGk8xkc3GzEJJmMPvgUfdUAeZ1aP_ep1ark2hh2nSTUkl03KoLLIJ51b81Gljmn4wOCN1H_5a0x3MiRRsAWvNcioGVi9FplT_K4gxhAlx1HuRZHlt8snWyTPKTG1=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1991 Topps Archives '53 #132 Tom Morgan</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here's a reproduction of an original '53, and the difference is quite obvious. The colors are vibrant, and there's even some festive little bunting in the background on the facade of the stadium. </p><p>This card is more of a review of Tom Morgan's 1952 season, as he served in the military during 1953, which the card back mentions. He was back in (baseball) action in 1954, wrapping up his career with the Los Angeles Angels in 1963.<br /></p><p>I don't know anyone who would call a 1991 card from the heart of the overproduction era "vintage", although one has to wonder. As disconcerting as this fact is, that was thirty-one years ago. And when I really got my collection going in 1993, I'd have to find something from 1962 to have something as old then as this is right now.</p><p>But still, 1991 is not vintage.</p><p>Is it?<br /></p><p>Or is "vintage" an ever-receding landmark in the rearview mirror, something that became fixed in place at some point, an idea that somehow manages never to keep pace with our world that's rapidly becoming more and more unpredictable?<br /></p><p>Maybe let's just not think about that.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUw0DAG6tf5FAGSYO4Uw7A9xUpA_or2UyLeU_Iyw4GLK_q3ytvnaxQ69AZgLI4UJKMUDntNcCy4NU1yOEcDEXsXJo8vnZFIU-9Ik0wD1IDMMjnm9RqvE3wFSTfYF0SrRzFfAiMcOOXFvPK9zHzJuVKThdcYamZOJcFYHeKv03iUuJMTo8Rb-47A0oh=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="749" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUw0DAG6tf5FAGSYO4Uw7A9xUpA_or2UyLeU_Iyw4GLK_q3ytvnaxQ69AZgLI4UJKMUDntNcCy4NU1yOEcDEXsXJo8vnZFIU-9Ik0wD1IDMMjnm9RqvE3wFSTfYF0SrRzFfAiMcOOXFvPK9zHzJuVKThdcYamZOJcFYHeKv03iUuJMTo8Rb-47A0oh=w290-h400" width="290" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1971 Topps #675 Dave Boswell</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here's 1971. This is vintage.</p><p>This shouldn't be very surprising, but when I go through cards from this long ago, there are a lot of names I don't know. Tons. Dave Boswell is among them. </p><p>He's pictured here as a Twin, which is where he spent his career from 1964-1970. However, the Twins released him in early 1971. He appeared in a handful of games for the 1971 Tigers and Orioles, but that was the end of his career. It was also the end of the line for his Topps issues, meaning this is his sunset card. He appeared in a few oddball sets after that, but Topps never documented either of his final pair of teams.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMC3avUHUP4HvoScSjhUCB1wBbxhaC4GYZ0370e_UhOll9uiN65bnUQczqD__7D8LI5rQwvhumSDHywvfIlV2jnl5xUfCqznmwqi4lkFWvF-2hTsO6r_igpyMA7YMfECJWt4rTDPbNpWH8DbCPP8RuN2-s5kTmw2X5R4fjzmhviwNz6HLHnLQ4tOVX=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMC3avUHUP4HvoScSjhUCB1wBbxhaC4GYZ0370e_UhOll9uiN65bnUQczqD__7D8LI5rQwvhumSDHywvfIlV2jnl5xUfCqznmwqi4lkFWvF-2hTsO6r_igpyMA7YMfECJWt4rTDPbNpWH8DbCPP8RuN2-s5kTmw2X5R4fjzmhviwNz6HLHnLQ4tOVX=w289-h400" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1971 Topps #499 Checklist 5</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Jay threw in a checklist from 1971, and it's stops just a little short of including Dave Boswell's card #675, ending at #643. Whoever had this before me had a long way to go before completing the black-bordered 1971 set, but they certainly had a few of the big names checked off. Hall-of-Famers like Ernie Banks, Carl Yastrzemski, Roberto Clemente, and quite a few others. It's marked in pencil, and it looks like #531 Mike Torrez was possibly erased. Maybe part of a trade?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8ffQZYgVT8nTdBwO75qBSYupLKmnTu2DEgHn8BMy0fp95tZk8QVgMrRTQaoqAWFKiRCUAaXedBOlgtSAhjKynyczdvsgby2yqTaRccIoECzvcTD36CTpggkAFBZHm8lCXGBKyihB_4RYNbeblERNF_UH8nWpRds8TKNEzgMs5koKMuq7btXQUb7mr=s1028" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8ffQZYgVT8nTdBwO75qBSYupLKmnTu2DEgHn8BMy0fp95tZk8QVgMrRTQaoqAWFKiRCUAaXedBOlgtSAhjKynyczdvsgby2yqTaRccIoECzvcTD36CTpggkAFBZHm8lCXGBKyihB_4RYNbeblERNF_UH8nWpRds8TKNEzgMs5koKMuq7btXQUb7mr=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1978 Topps #23 Bump Wills</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Fast forwarding a few years to 1978, perhaps a bit closer to that blurry vintage/modern dividing line, we come to "Bump" Wills, the son of Dodger great Maury Wills.<br /></p><p>Wills's true Rookie Card is a four-player card from 1977. This is his first solo card. He finished third in 1977 AL Rookie of the Year voting, losing out to Eddie Murray, but he did earn himself a Topps All-Star Rookie cup, clearly shown on the lower right of the card. It's a nice addition to this posed photo, taken inside the newly-renovated (old) Yankee Stadium.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_iuZtkIUm1oZAgauT7nnGeHhmGhj-qavty5Fw55NjJg_1-Y3ssvUtuPKCsLPCHpcnEkVKleb2GRxGpqWnBmer3_KcpTF-w9IpEEl2trP4jvRPRi1sUxakiR5yioIyoAsvubvPd5hGs9MNRNzVZ-Y-1vxQ8hi-yz8c6isfSFW7cHST2bS9jVO9tBP5=s1048" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_iuZtkIUm1oZAgauT7nnGeHhmGhj-qavty5Fw55NjJg_1-Y3ssvUtuPKCsLPCHpcnEkVKleb2GRxGpqWnBmer3_KcpTF-w9IpEEl2trP4jvRPRi1sUxakiR5yioIyoAsvubvPd5hGs9MNRNzVZ-Y-1vxQ8hi-yz8c6isfSFW7cHST2bS9jVO9tBP5=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1967 Topps #76 Jim Barbieri (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Jim Barbieri is another name I don't know, but this 1967 card was the oldest one in this shipment, so up it goes on the blog. The posed photo looks similar to Bump Wills's card, but this checks the box for the always-trusty bat barrel shot.</p><p>The card back says that Barbieri threw out the ceremonial first pitch in the 1954 World Series, the very same World Series where Willie Mays gave us "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrsg_-dV7Q">The Catch</a>" in Game 1, so it's very likely that this Dodgers rookie was on hand to witness that legendary defensive play as a thirteen-year-old. The card doesn't specify for which game Barbieri got the honors, but I'll go ahead and believe it was Game 1, because why not? Maybe the ceremonial first pitch used to be exclusive to Game 1 back then, anyway.</p><p>Barbieri's career spanned all of thirty-nine regular-season games in 1966, so this Topps card ends up being a combo Rookie Card and Sunset Card. </p><p>There was a 40th game before his career truly ended, though. Apparently no stranger to Game 1 of the World Series, he appeared as a pinch-hitter for the Dodgers in the '66 Fall Classic. He struck out swinging in the 4th inning and that was that.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHfm3JleNAG-jlhndB4du4FchK10Z0lJ3ILZJYkFWXz3t8qOtiJw0ggXNc0Dg5UZxfPlxF28Nqi965SIkKYRZ1dl43EhHFgI8860KA91y5ZqpUoz2-G4J5tIPUmSySHNRAz5e3UdnQC_p81S0OOir7iM2xvqqSJwOnDIp7fQZSYPKUGFr_UhmIX2pR=s1028" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHfm3JleNAG-jlhndB4du4FchK10Z0lJ3ILZJYkFWXz3t8qOtiJw0ggXNc0Dg5UZxfPlxF28Nqi965SIkKYRZ1dl43EhHFgI8860KA91y5ZqpUoz2-G4J5tIPUmSySHNRAz5e3UdnQC_p81S0OOir7iM2xvqqSJwOnDIp7fQZSYPKUGFr_UhmIX2pR=w288-h400" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1986 Negro League Fritsch #19 Martín Dihigo</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p>Jay included a few oddball cards focused on Negro League stars, including Cuban-born Hall-of-Famer Martín Dihigo, "a talented second baseman who was a superior hitter". And despite what you might think from this grainy black-and-white photo, he wasn't a 19th century contemporary of Cy Young or Old Hoss Radbourn. Dihigo played and managed right up through the mid-1940s.<br /></p><p>Sadly, by and large, oddballs like this release from Larry Fritsch Cards are about all that's out there for many Hall-of-Famers who played only in the Negro Leagues. Players like Dihigo, Oscar Charleston, Turkey Stearnes, and many others have been as ignored by the card industry as by pre-1947 Major League Baseball itself. For example, Dave Boswell has 28 search results on Beckett. Martín Dihigo has 26. Only one of them is in the Hall of Fame.</p><p>Perhaps now that the various Negro Leagues have finally been recognized as Major Leagues, that will start to change. Maybe there would be numerous legal difficulties Topps/Fanatics would encounter if they tried, but I'd buy a retro-themed Negro Leagues set if it were on the market.</p><p>Just saying, if there's room for the thousandth Dustin May card, maybe there's room for some Hall-of-Famers that remain far too obscure.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7E2MQWXt93GfH_pqbap5KKd2wStXJY5dqPJRqL_ksDcu22IREfQGhL5znQ8KSU5SWNih_R1BUMcCxCN-YWZL7ONUtnMimk-lhKLItWeBaCFFBoxHCI-DoKhBrcwvL7gvQhAyWkfRsj44flYVA8BQr2-D3jOQPtaOvu2xP4KbqdP9qkWlTXGf7s6jL=s1040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7E2MQWXt93GfH_pqbap5KKd2wStXJY5dqPJRqL_ksDcu22IREfQGhL5znQ8KSU5SWNih_R1BUMcCxCN-YWZL7ONUtnMimk-lhKLItWeBaCFFBoxHCI-DoKhBrcwvL7gvQhAyWkfRsj44flYVA8BQr2-D3jOQPtaOvu2xP4KbqdP9qkWlTXGf7s6jL=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1991 Swell Baseball Greats #9 Joe Black</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Another oddball came from the Swell Baseball Greats set, a 1991 release from a brand of the Philadelphia Chewing Gum Corporation. Joe Black, pictured here as a Brooklyn Dodger, joined the National League in 1952, winning Rookie of the Year honors thanks to a 15-4 record. He kept playing through 1957. He got his start with the Baltimore Elite Giants, playing for them from 1943-48.<br /></p><p>We'll keep the World Series history going with a fact from the card back, which is that he was the first Black pitcher to win a World Series game. That happened in 1952 versus the Dodgers' crosstown rivals, the Yankees. It was a seven-game battle, as were most of the matchups that decade between the Yankees and Dodgers.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2vjGhM6Q0ZtWCSuWN45Kf5C2-QJYOg-ill5ONRnA5YftCowuJitpWUENEyPkm5d9rX2-Px9NIsox3wZTpgwy-E8pwJgv_Bm7zypalJSLP0Dw6ybMQejbcuGk4tvtnJNqPQD2UuENGpPPyO5CyxQjEz6UoC_TLBGV2uQvuubS6sZHX1O6Gk9y5zjGV=s1047" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="746" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2vjGhM6Q0ZtWCSuWN45Kf5C2-QJYOg-ill5ONRnA5YftCowuJitpWUENEyPkm5d9rX2-Px9NIsox3wZTpgwy-E8pwJgv_Bm7zypalJSLP0Dw6ybMQejbcuGk4tvtnJNqPQD2UuENGpPPyO5CyxQjEz6UoC_TLBGV2uQvuubS6sZHX1O6Gk9y5zjGV=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1979 O-Pee-Chee #202 Gary Thomasson</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>To close, we'll head north of the border. This looks quite like a 1979 Topps card, but look closely inside the little baseball element and you'll see a fun O-Pee-Chee logo! The Canadian brand that licensed and distributed Topps sets for years throughout Canada actually made some noticeable changes to Gary Thomasson's 1979 Topps card.</p><p>In the USA set, Topps simply pictured and listed Gary Thomasson as a Yankee, but by the time O-Pee-Chee got around to it, they had time to switch the listed team to the Dodgers, as well as provide the date that Thomasson was traded. The Dodgers acquired Thomasson for catcher Brad Gulden, who bounced around the league until 1986.</p><p>I learn a lot when I get stacks of vintage cards. So many of these guys I've never heard of, but there's always a wealth of knowledge to uncover, from small offseason trades to World Series history.</p><p> </p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-50598326042314451852021-12-19T19:04:00.002-07:002021-12-19T19:10:25.962-07:00 The Trading Post #166: Card Hemorrhage (Part 1: Rockies)<p>Trading volume is down quite a bit. Intuitively I knew that, but in preparing to write this post, I was surprised to see that I hadn't added anything new to <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html">The Trading Post</a> page in nearly eleven months. Not that I've done much from my end either. Perish the thought of setting foot inside a post office unless absolutely necessary. But I have sent a few PWEs out, or at least I think I have. It's pretty much all a blur these days.</p><p>One blogger who's keeping that flame lit is Jay at <a href="https://cardhemorrhage.blogspot.com/">Card Hemorrhage</a>, winner of the most-difficult-to-spell blog superlative, stealing the crown from <a href="http://subjectiveandarbitrary.blogspot.com/">Highly Subjective and Completely Arbitrary</a>. He's sent a couple stuffed PWEs my way in the past couple months, full of a wide range of familiar Rockies and unknown oddballs. We'll start things off with a familiar face from the Rockies, the player who joined Dinger in the making of this year's official team <a href="https://www.mlb.com/rockies/fans/holiday-card">video holiday card</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinj7NM5jW0nyuaac8gss0ffkx1vvtVmft5gNO5uoKRYEoOqEksFk7yobf_59eCD9ObQcZQRfAvyAhcYYF-Lj1ZQR4Oml2bfmEcCgNb3NldG2TeR3bitx_h0M6UbAPJaQyCHNXUk5KN03c4BrhkGZiTf4X9gR_6nEC56W6wDsC1mycCmE1Dscd991X1=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinj7NM5jW0nyuaac8gss0ffkx1vvtVmft5gNO5uoKRYEoOqEksFk7yobf_59eCD9ObQcZQRfAvyAhcYYF-Lj1ZQR4Oml2bfmEcCgNb3NldG2TeR3bitx_h0M6UbAPJaQyCHNXUk5KN03c4BrhkGZiTf4X9gR_6nEC56W6wDsC1mycCmE1Dscd991X1=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1994 Topps Gold #163 Vinny Castilla</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Vinny Castilla was the cameo player in my <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/11/its-early-this-year.html">previous post</a>, but here he gets a parallel all his own. It's from 1994, the same year as my Hanukkah gift, and it's the Topps set I can most easily recognize at a glance. Longtime readers will know that 1994 Topps was the first factory set I ever bought, and a $50 expenditure at the young age of 10 is one that is seared into your memory for all time.</p><p>Even better, this is the Topps Gold variety, a one-per-pack parallel that felt like holding the actual metal in my hands back then. It hasn't really lost its luster after a quarter-century. Someday I might consider putting the whole 792-card set together, and I'm already about a third of the way there.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPCLw03qlozPj5dQymZX9JyeuB-X3O3-EGJJKljCTvaqDyKtOhf35OpzPaOfLqFzoHYzlwmegEzGAKPioW4huJjo5_as7n8lEGJ_r5vxkwhC2l5BbsF7zAIePFzbOrx72fNCpwy7lpWcYcQN4qLScCXlN1eoFuKwvcD7qEWBIBogCzjdguZRyoyCuY=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPCLw03qlozPj5dQymZX9JyeuB-X3O3-EGJJKljCTvaqDyKtOhf35OpzPaOfLqFzoHYzlwmegEzGAKPioW4huJjo5_as7n8lEGJ_r5vxkwhC2l5BbsF7zAIePFzbOrx72fNCpwy7lpWcYcQN4qLScCXlN1eoFuKwvcD7qEWBIBogCzjdguZRyoyCuY=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1996 Topps Profiles #NL-11 Dante Bichette</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A couple years later and a lot shinier, Topps featured some of Castilla's teammates from the Blake Street Bombers squad in the Profiles insert set. Twenty players from each league were gathered for the set, and then Topps sought opinions about each National League player from Tony Gwynn. Kirby Puckett provided the commentary for AL players. Sadly, both of those Hall of Famers passed away far too young, but their keen insight on their fellow players (and likely fellow All-Stars more than a few times), is documented for all to see on this shiny Topps set.</p><p>In particular, Gwynn says about Bichette, </p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"[I]t looks like confidence has made all the difference to him...Dante can put it out of any stadium...If he gets big numbers, they say it's because of [Coors] Field. If he doesn't, they say he can't hit. Well, he can hit, Period."</p><p>Tony Gwynn, arguably the greatest contact hitter in the expansion era, is certainly in a position to know. And that came a bit before we all really understood what a launching pad pre-humidor Coors was. He knew. But he also knew a great hitter when he saw one, regardless of the park. Hall of Fame voters are just now coming around to understand that, with Larry Walker finally entering the Hall of Fame and Todd Helton gaining some steam.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZ9QcMK2YPL4IGYTMSn7lxTug47Vor1DmIWzdJj5CmzX2HLwNRk3ITwmFnn9HFUKQ9pTsBZOLnX1Q8xD1Raz7WtXS4Lk3wT7AOZ4Vr3FdBiWoh8efNGowMEkFvVaHw1HbGoF5UK6XNCuNgijz2H7PdoySsZWRv2go5SAvsF63-uPrgObSfPhenFOK4=s1035" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZ9QcMK2YPL4IGYTMSn7lxTug47Vor1DmIWzdJj5CmzX2HLwNRk3ITwmFnn9HFUKQ9pTsBZOLnX1Q8xD1Raz7WtXS4Lk3wT7AOZ4Vr3FdBiWoh8efNGowMEkFvVaHw1HbGoF5UK6XNCuNgijz2H7PdoySsZWRv2go5SAvsF63-uPrgObSfPhenFOK4=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2017 Topps Chrome Update #HMT100 David Dahl RD</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Shinier still was 2017 Topps Chrome Update, a Target exclusive. The card number has an "HMT" prefix, something I've <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-trading-post-130-chavez-ravining.html">seen before</a> but still don't know what it stands for. Dahl, who will be reuniting with Jon Gray on the Texas Rangers next season (I'm hesitant to call it the 2022 season at this point, given the state of the current labor dispute), is pictured here running the bases as a Rockie. His card has both the Rookie Card logo and the specific date of his MLB debut, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL201607250.shtml">July 25th, 2016</a>. The Rockies lost that one in extras, but as the card back tells us, it was the beginning of a record-tying 17-game hitting streak for Dahl.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhs-6XFj2-L0ukEbVpmLMjE93AqEoziv_4LQR7t9U2ew_BctwmkwuoYYKJ8Qy7UcoczbxuH_J6wkrvpTWBLgIfTZzOs1fjxlth8vfTHwnJvE-ASRmSNEV_7h3zDHmLkSKYo_nnPPe6mh09y7S7oQ48v8uBZHsg6rrNPoWHFz7f04zzQF78J4yiOijxp=s1052" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhs-6XFj2-L0ukEbVpmLMjE93AqEoziv_4LQR7t9U2ew_BctwmkwuoYYKJ8Qy7UcoczbxuH_J6wkrvpTWBLgIfTZzOs1fjxlth8vfTHwnJvE-ASRmSNEV_7h3zDHmLkSKYo_nnPPe6mh09y7S7oQ48v8uBZHsg6rrNPoWHFz7f04zzQF78J4yiOijxp=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2012 Bowman #218 Wilin Rosario (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>2012 Bowman popped up again as it does from <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-trading-post-118-nachos-grande.html">time</a> to <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-trading-post-66-jaybarkerfans-junk.html">time</a>. This one is another Rookie Card, picturing catcher Wilin Rosario behind the plate. A little over two years ago, the autographed black-bordered version of this card <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-trading-post-137-big-sheps-cards_8.html">made an appearance here</a>, and now I have the regular base card to go along with it.</p><p>Wilin Rosario was the everyday Rockies catcher for four seasons or so, and he was on a whole slew of cards at the time, but seemed to disappear rather rapidly. He wasn't a great hitter, but fans of cards showing catchers in defensive mode might <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-pity-prize-group-break-part-1.html">find a few</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-trading-post-115-nachos-grande-part.html">to their liking</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7vyG_YIgmTXZEuAUrfd19NFoSSlna3gKKkBmTnqKHUTNHPLUkIExP-iG3bYzgVFTHsVqk6cPekC7hkN9w3kRGLE5OfidR2Ssi7WEzakYJFu-s8g4rCS3uWnjQbKPDicAh4s92pyYf5KWPwtOzVGmxFWnbQGyB_ITd5n4yNPqRsFLLOYjng1dW9AyP=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7vyG_YIgmTXZEuAUrfd19NFoSSlna3gKKkBmTnqKHUTNHPLUkIExP-iG3bYzgVFTHsVqk6cPekC7hkN9w3kRGLE5OfidR2Ssi7WEzakYJFu-s8g4rCS3uWnjQbKPDicAh4s92pyYf5KWPwtOzVGmxFWnbQGyB_ITd5n4yNPqRsFLLOYjng1dW9AyP=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2014 Topps Allen and Ginter #314 Nolan Arenado SP</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Jay included a couple 2014 Allen & Ginter cards, and this design is just different enough to make me think that I've never really seen it before. I do have a partially filled page in my 2014 binder, but the only record of it I can find in the blog archives was <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2016/04/infield-fly-rule-booster-club.html">Anthony Bourdain's</a> card, may he rest in peace.</p><p>A visibly younger Nolan Arenado entered the A&G checklist for the first time in '14, and the high card number of #314 puts this into short print territory. It's definitely a generous inclusion into this PWE.</p><p>The overall design looks similar to most A&G sets, but the one thing that really jumps out at me is the storybook fairy tale "The" preceding the "Colorado Rockies" team name. It gives it a feel of "Once upon a time in the land of 20th and Blake Street, Nolan Arenado played for The Colorado Rockies and slayed many dragons with his armory full of gold and platinum gloves."<br /></p><p>Not all fairy tales have a happy ending, though, as we came to find out. At least not for fans of The Colorado Rockies.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBZiUc-3pi0SqFQYsKGwXqmM32B8vNeKvD83I4xNKCWggtnb81msbJZBzXYXutcOqh-uI5JmwToALT1ltotGJa3vPmByZVV9PstY-a79wnAcQtTfQgW8q_Px2-DxIoUl9kV2Ii-aOREVyIE8x2EbwX7ETWB-bR1XoKUZRqm0pb1CQ5YUdLZ6pwUJBf=s1040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBZiUc-3pi0SqFQYsKGwXqmM32B8vNeKvD83I4xNKCWggtnb81msbJZBzXYXutcOqh-uI5JmwToALT1ltotGJa3vPmByZVV9PstY-a79wnAcQtTfQgW8q_Px2-DxIoUl9kV2Ii-aOREVyIE8x2EbwX7ETWB-bR1XoKUZRqm0pb1CQ5YUdLZ6pwUJBf=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2014 Topps Allen and Ginter #104 Troy Tulowitzki</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Don't give me that look, Tulo. Times have been hard.</p><p>At least Tulowitzki got his own storybook ending, hitting his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnw7uLm8xqU">final home run</a> in the Major Leagues as a Yankee shortstop, playing right where Derek Jeter played all those years. Tulo idolized Jeter, which is why he wore #2 for almost his entire career.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEix14UB8KJVlmEyYyraw7IndYGROi-ldpPABlAmG_i-EP7C_ce1zLsZExyg_bNMtmV9jW5XdEKjT1dmnNB0Q2QuIuL9IucoZ0Hrv5c8nwv_W2PaVbvDl_rxr0XjeCjZ7trAtVy4_gmV40mrr5Sr8pGjZLHc_9Uta9y6-oC0QfUpRK1dM5TzqcvFHpXJ=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEix14UB8KJVlmEyYyraw7IndYGROi-ldpPABlAmG_i-EP7C_ce1zLsZExyg_bNMtmV9jW5XdEKjT1dmnNB0Q2QuIuL9IucoZ0Hrv5c8nwv_W2PaVbvDl_rxr0XjeCjZ7trAtVy4_gmV40mrr5Sr8pGjZLHc_9Uta9y6-oC0QfUpRK1dM5TzqcvFHpXJ=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2019 Topps #74 Chad Bettis</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Chad Bettis got a card in the 2019 Topps Series 1 checklist, and it's a very similar photo to this insert from <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-trading-post-151-dime-boxes.html">Topps Update</a>. This base card gives us a slightly different angle on a different pitch (his grip is slightly different), and we get a bit of an extra look at the Coors Field forest and advertising banners behind the center field wall. That blue banner is an ad for Bachus & Schanker, a local injury law firm that definitely makes the most of their marketing budget.</p><p>Chad Bettis announced his retirement in the summer of 2020, following a seven-season career with the Rockies. He finished with an even 31-31 record, although he had a rough 2019 season. He signed with the Yankees in 2020, but announced his retirement about a month before the pandemic-shortened season got underway. Topps didn't include him in any 2020 product, so this is effectively a sunset card. You'll just have to go online to read his 2019 stat line.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZFvGNcHUhImxzI45A2Zk20whE8X4QzpbkJgwKbMlsNz5f4T_PfInfhHUv2O_NCHE-vXwr7rVf-FjQbUhJhc9sRv55Xg_eod9rHn6JjdKJasXz71aseB9M3dH89ojVwD1fJxrxy4KRu5OfNLpgb3LUG236JBWf324sde-koYuAmrq6CjZshaGL40lz=s1044" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="748" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZFvGNcHUhImxzI45A2Zk20whE8X4QzpbkJgwKbMlsNz5f4T_PfInfhHUv2O_NCHE-vXwr7rVf-FjQbUhJhc9sRv55Xg_eod9rHn6JjdKJasXz71aseB9M3dH89ojVwD1fJxrxy4KRu5OfNLpgb3LUG236JBWf324sde-koYuAmrq6CjZshaGL40lz=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps #116 Daniel Murphy</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Daniel Murphy fared a bit better. He retired in February, deciding to make the shortened 2020 campaign his last. The <a href="https://streamable.com/978y1">fun-loving</a> three-time All-Star was certainly enjoyable to watch during his brief time in Denver, although he put up a -1.0 fWAR during his two seasons here. At least Topps included him in the 2021 set, allowing Murphy fans to add a true sunset card to their collections.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCGpTc6iIUc-5kuM2gYbjxKvmsMB8LeHIRxV2bAGyA_tS0L7oD7YFUZsHTcXnjv1wPfnqbNC6Vw-T7_7cZUalJvhv8aRwI9hi2bEsrk8YkrHjnGXvveAixCkDW4O66tm18odlXPHbY4FGjq_jKWjER0UjrA-FTpOe9YuK0m04NoDWCMhFQpjl1lUVe=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCGpTc6iIUc-5kuM2gYbjxKvmsMB8LeHIRxV2bAGyA_tS0L7oD7YFUZsHTcXnjv1wPfnqbNC6Vw-T7_7cZUalJvhv8aRwI9hi2bEsrk8YkrHjnGXvveAixCkDW4O66tm18odlXPHbY4FGjq_jKWjER0UjrA-FTpOe9YuK0m04NoDWCMhFQpjl1lUVe=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2019 Topps Archives #157 Charlie Blackmon</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Charlie Blackmon is pretty much the only well-known Rockies position player left, at least among those who have reached free agency. Topps picked the iconic 1975 design for his card in 2019 Archives. Other than this <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-trading-post-141-cracked-bat.html">Robin Roberts</a> card, I completely skipped that set. I can't keep up with them all. </p><p>Speaking of, did they ever release 2021 Big League?</p><p>In any case, Topps tried make this card somewhat period-correct, as though it were really released in 1975. I'm sure 1975 Topps <a href="http://nightowlcards.blogspot.com/">superfans</a> can tell me whether this is a legitimate color combination, or at least as close as it can be for the six current franchises that didn't exist then. But what caught my eye was the trivia question and cartoon on the back. The card asks "Which future Hall of Famer won the first Outstanding DH Award?"</p><p>First of all, I learned that there's such a thing as the Outstanding DH Award, which is now known as the Edgar Martínez Award. It's not league-official, and especially as a National League fan, I can't remember ever hearing about it. 2021's winner was AL MVP Shohei Ohtani. </p><p>But the way they phrased this made it sound like it was a new thing and that they're referring to an active or recently-retired player destined for the Hall. David Ortiz maybe, or an early and bold prediction on Ohtani. But no, that award has been in place since 1973, the first year of the DH. The recipient of the inaugural DH Award was Orlando Cepeda, who reached the Hall of Fame in 1999. In that sense, Cepeda was a future Hall of Famer when this design hit shelves, but obviously not at any point during Charlie Blackmon's adulthood.</p><p>The 1975 design overall will be a good segue into Part 2, which included plenty of vintage. It was a stuffed PWE, believe me.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-49121594857851139322021-11-28T16:13:00.001-07:002021-11-28T16:17:33.584-07:00It's Early This Year<p>There have been the slightest of dustings in parts of town, but as of today, Denver has yet to record its first measurable snowfall of the winter. We've blown past the prior early 1930s record of November 21st, and there's nothing in the forecast that shows any sign of this changing soon.</p><p>So with Thanksgiving over and December looming, the fact that Hanukkah starts at sundown tonight (Sunday) caught me a bit off guard. I do have potatoes on hand for the appropriate <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/potato-latkes-7993757">seasonal treat</a>, but it just doesn't feel like I'm quite ready for the holiday to appear so early this year.</p><p>Mom, on the other hand, had this all squared away and ready for takeoff. <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2020/12/toppsgelt.html">As</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2018/01/two-men-in.html">usual</a>, she found a card from my <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/p/eight-men-out.html">Eight Men Out</a> want list and presented it to me inside a greeting card. </p><p>I know she always worries about whether she got me "the right card". Frankly, the fact that she frequently takes the time to check my specific want list in the first place is plenty generous all on its own. And getting baseball cards in general is no small feat in this supply-constrained era.</p><p>So is it "the right card"?<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuBcFfq_1N4jScN-J6I1xGm8vl-nXU12O2mO-PdMwH6SBIZUr4aea5nJbbUirinoNLQ2KerOhs-1gf_0xCBpVN2QBRza57lFuo32HVBHsEKiC4PvKGGm7V_jMBJv8JDhxhtAospbvzf_DwLLFRh7JogyiHoUr1X_mehawP0t2OL7a8vdtDzG8rQS3v=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1036" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuBcFfq_1N4jScN-J6I1xGm8vl-nXU12O2mO-PdMwH6SBIZUr4aea5nJbbUirinoNLQ2KerOhs-1gf_0xCBpVN2QBRza57lFuo32HVBHsEKiC4PvKGGm7V_jMBJv8JDhxhtAospbvzf_DwLLFRh7JogyiHoUr1X_mehawP0t2OL7a8vdtDzG8rQS3v=w400-h284" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1994 Stadium Club First Day Issue #372 Roberto Kelly /2,000</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Well, technically no, but (and I told her this), it's way better. All I did was put an overproduction-era Stadium Club card on the list, and she goes and finds me a First Day Issue parallel. They're quite scarce for the era, having a stated print run of 2,000. They aren't serial numbered, but as overproduction-era parallels go, this is a needle in a haystack. In checking my 1994 binder, this is is the fifth one I've been <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2014/12/join-stadium-club-part-1-hits.html">able to add</a> to the collection after all these years, and it remains one of my favorite parallels of the entire era.</p><p>My main motivation for wanting this card was the cameo. That's Vinny Castilla on the left, covering second base in an inaugural-year Mile High Stadium. I did see the Reds play the Rockies in 1993, but that was the final home game of the season. Unfortunately, Roberto Kelly, the main subject of this card, suffered a separated shoulder in mid-July and missed the rest of the season. That would mean this photo couldn't have been from a game I attended, but that does at least narrow it down to one particular series in June.</p><p>Roberto Kelly and his Reds had back-and-forth slugfests that week with the young Rockies, and I believe this photo is from the third and final game of the series, a 15-5 blowout win for Colorado. In the top of the 4th on <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199306230.shtml">June 23rd, 1993</a>, Kelly stole 2nd base with Chris Sabo at the plate. Castilla was playing short that day, and it looks like Kelly beat the throw quite easily. There might not have been a throw at all, actually. The speedy center fielder stole third base a few pitches later, but was stranded there.<br /></p><p>Interestingly, the card back mentions that Kelly, a two-time All-Star, stole third base nine times in his injury-shortened 1993 season, but doesn't quite manage to tell us that one of those SBs came mere moments after this photo was snapped. </p><p>That's the value I'm adding here at Infield Fly Rule.</p><p>That's all to report for today, a quick one-card post (thanks, Mom!) and the weather forecast. Thank you for stopping by!<br /></p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-66324236307683672592021-11-06T20:43:00.002-06:002021-11-06T20:52:19.331-06:00Two Years of Change<p>Two years and two days ago, I spent $28 at a Local Card Shop in Aurora, Colo. It was my first visit to <a href="https://allcscollectibles.com/">All C's Collectibles</a>, one of the few LCS survivors that had somehow flown under my radar all these years. They also specialize in comics, but as a lifelong baseball fan, I stayed on the periphery of the store where most of the MLB-related goodies were to be found.</p><p>I spent most of my time and money going through a discount box, picking out anything shiny or Stadium Club that I could find, including a pair of cards of a player who has stolen the spotlight the past couple days.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj--N73q80nz2E0LW5DgqysJfxoKtkM0vqeI550HMAOb_npjzVzmVy4sN_K_zi6KhQcqBXyUIYshBPLCBKK-kk7c8vv8JJfU1EOvjXykk1RNwXJL7N-QOO4Z5-V2SNOCB4-E6ZXPpu9-HAvXJzvOT0OG6Bo--b4QtUEh4Q2lh2WSyrxO6RcLcH2TMyQ=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="724" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj--N73q80nz2E0LW5DgqysJfxoKtkM0vqeI550HMAOb_npjzVzmVy4sN_K_zi6KhQcqBXyUIYshBPLCBKK-kk7c8vv8JJfU1EOvjXykk1RNwXJL7N-QOO4Z5-V2SNOCB4-E6ZXPpu9-HAvXJzvOT0OG6Bo--b4QtUEh4Q2lh2WSyrxO6RcLcH2TMyQ=w280-h400" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2016 Stadium Club Contact Sheet #CS-8 Buster Posey</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As you have likely heard by now, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/buster-posey-retirement">Buster Posey</a> announced his retirement. Spending his entire career as a catcher for San Francisco, he won three World Series with the Giants, as well as a Rookie of the Year award, an MVP award, and seven All-Star selections. Twelve seasons might seem like a relatively short career, but catcher is a grueling position, and the broken leg he suffered in 2011 led to the current rules we have around blocking the plate and the sliding lane.</p><p>Still, at just 34, he's not the only one to step away from his sport when he probably had some good years left. Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts comes to mind, and there's speculation that Posey just made a tremendous amount of money as an early investor in BodyArmor, a sports drink brand that Coca-Cola <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/01/coca-cola-buys-full-control-of-bodyarmor-for-5point6-billion-.html">just acquired for $5.6 billion</a>.</p><p>Back in 2016, Posey found himself in numerous Stadium Club insert sets. I picked up this one from the 10-card photography-themed Contact Sheet set, which I've seen <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2016/08/happy-national-baseball-card-day.html">before</a> (I'm at 50% completion!). One of the filmstrip photos of Posey shows the "LON" memorial patch the Giants wore in 2015 for Lon Simmons, the team's longtime broadcaster. The card back mentions his two grand slams in late June 2015, and if you're curious whether he hit either of those against the Rockies, he did not. They were divisional, though, as they came against the Dodgers and then the Padres.</p><p>Now is probably a good time to share the highlight of his final MLB hit, a <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/corey-knebel-in-play-no-out-to-buster-posey">two-out double</a> in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Dodgers.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQYTv0xkVB3OSBbLtfZJBwgQ9R7iYtxFOMRQStu1sC6MgTh7LNnXmbPer7kQKakJ7ZFfrWjSbcTNVQGmM2x9IwWmmPY7PmqzFdBJGo8UqIDKgKAwK6MWDE6PpNWClqZSoNzxnbBDeWWkO8A1XAu1Gif5CChI4g4DgraO_tGE_INfCjTjkbpCZvmaNf=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="735" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQYTv0xkVB3OSBbLtfZJBwgQ9R7iYtxFOMRQStu1sC6MgTh7LNnXmbPer7kQKakJ7ZFfrWjSbcTNVQGmM2x9IwWmmPY7PmqzFdBJGo8UqIDKgKAwK6MWDE6PpNWClqZSoNzxnbBDeWWkO8A1XAu1Gif5CChI4g4DgraO_tGE_INfCjTjkbpCZvmaNf=w284-h400" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2016 Stadium Club ISOmetrics #I-24 Buster Posey</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Elsewhere in the 2016 Stadium Club master set, Posey was included in the 25-card ISOmetrics insert set, heavily color coded for a Giants player. I've seen this set a <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2017/06/came-for-bunt-left-with-stadium-club.html">couple</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-trading-post-129-cracked-bat.html">times</a> too, although I'm far from completing it. </p><p>The season-specific stats Topps highlighted on the card front here are pretty representative of his overall career. His batting average dipped a bit since 2015, as is true for the entire league. 74 runs scored isn't even a career high for him, but is quite excellent for a catcher. And 6.1 WAR in a season is also excellent, although neither Fangraphs nor Baseball-Reference list 6.1 for his 2015 WAR. That complex calculation has evolved over time, and varies depending on whom you ask, so I won't say it's an error. For all I know, Topps has their own WAR calculation.</p><p>Posey's fWAR for 2021 was 4.9, ranking among the highest WARs any player has ever put up in the final season of their career, and many players near the top of that list were involved in the 1919 Black Sox scandal.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrMHswtxQEg4H3d5wBibKvQfxNigdAUXL47A7Nv06DxHaGX9Adr1PW9V6-cvjdzpgaYd3QDtIw801hp2vI_gBq3A17PCwILERHesa3bQSxJIbJxnedpKqQDELih7SIukesNt7dqmmg1OLyeZ0wYAW9wIGRe9SkunWjEYM25JVl1sCP6pl0HpwoTcqW=s1031" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="738" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrMHswtxQEg4H3d5wBibKvQfxNigdAUXL47A7Nv06DxHaGX9Adr1PW9V6-cvjdzpgaYd3QDtIw801hp2vI_gBq3A17PCwILERHesa3bQSxJIbJxnedpKqQDELih7SIukesNt7dqmmg1OLyeZ0wYAW9wIGRe9SkunWjEYM25JVl1sCP6pl0HpwoTcqW=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2019 Stadium Club #178 Bo Jackson</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Moving forward a few years in the history of Stadium Club, I found a couple base cards from 2019. First was a relaxed Bo Jackson at the height of his baseball career with the Royals, casually blowing a bubble in the dugout.</p><p>Bo Jackson's career will always be one of the great what-ifs in baseball lore. Without getting into the gory details, a freak injury he suffered in an NFL game led to the need for a hip replacement, ending his football career and impacting his MLB career. He attempted a comeback, but it was not to be. It's a real shame, because he could have been one of the all-time greats.</p><p>Buck O'Neil used to tell a story about a particular sound he heard once in a great while, a crack of the bat unlike any other. "Like a stick of dynamite going off," he said. In a lifetime around the game of baseball, he said he heard it three times. First from Babe Ruth. Second from Josh Gibson. And finally from Bo Jackson.</p><p>Joe Posnanski <a href="https://theathletic.com/1809715/2020/05/13/60-moments-no-46-buck-oneil-hears-the-sound-again">tells it better</a> than I could ever dream to.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQ5KfVHDcttM7e2WD5orTHd-nnv68s9G9X4v2r3mwfFbCCNh3ioXH6RCR_rtTC1N7Snmm5vKt1gBndklD8Wz5xQ7f3BNdjrdIfv1zsZT7S7ggYa8A1PzkA1Hc-HoopQ2yh-wSPAw9EBRYBBR_itI2VxbdFlduS6tagk5uzmX1prLqzfhjRes1d693J=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1036" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQ5KfVHDcttM7e2WD5orTHd-nnv68s9G9X4v2r3mwfFbCCNh3ioXH6RCR_rtTC1N7Snmm5vKt1gBndklD8Wz5xQ7f3BNdjrdIfv1zsZT7S7ggYa8A1PzkA1Hc-HoopQ2yh-wSPAw9EBRYBBR_itI2VxbdFlduS6tagk5uzmX1prLqzfhjRes1d693J=w400-h289" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2019 Stadium Club #54 Hank Aaron</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The last Stadium Club card I picked was of Braves legend Hank Aaron, who sadly passed away earlier this year. The Atlanta Braves were able to win the 2021 World Series in six games over the Astros, a fitting tribute to one of the greatest players of all time. The Braves won 88 regular season games this year, 44 before the All-Star Break, and 44 after. We also find ourselves in the 44th week of the year, which <a href="https://twitter.com/TheVinScully/status/1456688487814533128">Vin Scully pointed out</a> on Twitter.</p><p>And of course, Hammerin' Hank's uniform number was 44, which we saw mowed into the outfield grass at Truist Park.</p><p>This particular photo was from when the Braves were playing in Milwaukee, as you can tell by the letter M on Aaron's cap. That narrows this down to some point between 1954 and 1965, before the Braves departed for Atlanta in 1966. It would be another 20 years past that before they finally got rid of that logo on Aaron's left sleeve.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBVMTQWVa2u3bVhlStg1Ivw1OMhKaEzy9DRrMd4BLM8c-dkiB9MyFPZLmWvnBSfCfPXSDmK4mUOgf8iVYjPidMC0YCPpbZWFaaodyf-P9mPTvCHXkimbmSY2uVsmli9txIGq1ZZavLI2n9vVmy7NgtWbsF8O4qqHTgC32rqtLD5SaqIpjkasqNPcb3=s1028" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBVMTQWVa2u3bVhlStg1Ivw1OMhKaEzy9DRrMd4BLM8c-dkiB9MyFPZLmWvnBSfCfPXSDmK4mUOgf8iVYjPidMC0YCPpbZWFaaodyf-P9mPTvCHXkimbmSY2uVsmli9txIGq1ZZavLI2n9vVmy7NgtWbsF8O4qqHTgC32rqtLD5SaqIpjkasqNPcb3=w290-h400" width="290" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1990 Bowman #121 Dave Martinez</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We'll come back to the discount box in a bit, but first I wanted to cover a few other affordable collectibles I found scattered throughout the store. First was a factory set of 1990 Bowman, priced at around $5 or $6. I'll never turn down a complete set for those prices. </p><p>1990 was the year Bowman mercifully decided to get with the times and go with standard card dimensions, abandoning the 1950s-era size that won't fit in 9-pocket pages. It's a simple design, not deviating much from the 1989 design other than adding the player's name and team at the bottom in lieu of a facsimile signature.</p><p>It wasn't a particularly remarkable purchase otherwise except for one thing. This shopping trip was less than a week after the Nationals won Game 7 of the 2019 World Series. Then, as now, the team was managed by Dave Martinez, who once played for the Montreal Expos. The Nationals franchise, of course, was once known as the Expos, but that wasn't the weird part. The weird part was that there was one particular card facing the other direction inside the box. As best I could tell the set was still factory sealed, but somehow, after all those years, I found one card in the middle facing the wrong way, against the slight curl of the rest of the cards.<br /></p><p>Dave Martinez.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9GSfvaiCUFTzYlaxKNr7Ny9uS7uygiGzcjnrIB-LiG9oLBSeIN34mWauOjwssaZnZLU_6S4bJxOHM34b-JKdNFfrgHsP6fhE46kxhlu_jCWbbjo0P_beiVyWBIOVBrO5q9CqKyZ8zqmRl7OQyZdRbKsr7JhiI-fNn8x0wiTjF1uqT7tTajVnXS74E=s1046" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1046" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9GSfvaiCUFTzYlaxKNr7Ny9uS7uygiGzcjnrIB-LiG9oLBSeIN34mWauOjwssaZnZLU_6S4bJxOHM34b-JKdNFfrgHsP6fhE46kxhlu_jCWbbjo0P_beiVyWBIOVBrO5q9CqKyZ8zqmRl7OQyZdRbKsr7JhiI-fNn8x0wiTjF1uqT7tTajVnXS74E=w400-h283" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2019 Topps Opening Day #31 Nolan Arenado</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I found some current packs toward the front of the store, and I selected one from 2019 Opening Day. I always enjoy the set no matter how far we are from the actual occasion. And I've enjoyed several variations of this well-cropped horizontal photo of Nolan Arenado the past couple years, even though it is <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-trading-post-165-night-owl-cards.html">significantly less festive</a> than last time I saw it.</p><p>Little did I know at the time Nolan wasn't going to be playing for the Rockies by the time I got this post up. It's basically a foregone conclusion that Trevor Story won't be coming back, and the latest news is that Jon Gray isn't likely to reach a deal either, even though he's the only one of the three who actually wants to remain with the team.</p><p>At least Charlie Blackmon will be around for another year.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsLQHIsb5T1zIDYFSAvjH4xryJM0grP_xYyu26mw9nY62BqDRHUlxXGewNVU9corVScLXM7kMb4wyY9sPsLWDLYu9Q_nh-Xi-CjtlJZLnO3fFOyToYrmOjHjsu1T3rlyy4yCh1TMPwx9Z9iLJyWWI2gUHmFkb5_sdwEVFVqx-uoqHPjKTxz1AIot3Q=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsLQHIsb5T1zIDYFSAvjH4xryJM0grP_xYyu26mw9nY62BqDRHUlxXGewNVU9corVScLXM7kMb4wyY9sPsLWDLYu9Q_nh-Xi-CjtlJZLnO3fFOyToYrmOjHjsu1T3rlyy4yCh1TMPwx9Z9iLJyWWI2gUHmFkb5_sdwEVFVqx-uoqHPjKTxz1AIot3Q=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1998 Pinnacle Inside #109 Tony Clark</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Although none of that may end up mattering much anyway, because MLB is hurtling headlong towards another labor dispute. I only mention it here because former Tiger Tony Clark is now the executive director of the MLB Player's Association, so his name will likely be in the news plenty this offseason.</p><p>Shortly before their bankruptcy, Pinnacle released the Inside brand for a second year. This slightly blurry photo of Tony Clark is flanked by a few of his 1997 stats, much in the same style as Buster Posey's ISOmetrics card. I got a whole pack of these, and I still have the can they came in.</p><p>Yes, the can. Like a can of tomatoes.</p><p>Pinnacle was <i>out there</i>. So was Pacific. The hobby is poorer without them around.</p><p>Now, back to the discount box.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjGYzAm5XbJ7K1vlA-RQxxyNoEKOeJGyYOmcFjagTsTxyaGk4YnOqyIwAO_zCvHp0ycPI6DMK2i_IuE50g3-zwXd28Gc8OnQ2oVW0Xw_f2QFS-ERmEC6ePMlWYsZq2REBaIgYsAgSKldKP1KQhHckRS7MNO5U0k6-_YqP4DS615vUWXKWzI7W8JFeL=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="741" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjGYzAm5XbJ7K1vlA-RQxxyNoEKOeJGyYOmcFjagTsTxyaGk4YnOqyIwAO_zCvHp0ycPI6DMK2i_IuE50g3-zwXd28Gc8OnQ2oVW0Xw_f2QFS-ERmEC6ePMlWYsZq2REBaIgYsAgSKldKP1KQhHckRS7MNO5U0k6-_YqP4DS615vUWXKWzI7W8JFeL=w288-h400" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2001 Topps Archives #245 Al Kaline 54</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>By now, we've probably had our fill of Topps reprints, but in 2001, Topps Archives was pretty exciting. This isn't quite as alluring as the refractor-finish Archives Reserve set that year, but it's printed on actual cardboard and is surprisingly thick. In other words, it's a reprint that has the general look and feel of the original card, gold foil seal notwithstanding. Also the '54s were slightly larger than the standard size we know today. Just like '89 Bowman and Topps Big, which were my first exposure to the 3 3/4" x 2 5/8" size.</p><p>Sadly, like Henry Aaron, Al Kaline is no longer with us. He passed away on April 6th, 2020, and I wrote a <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2020/04/mr-tiger.html">tribute post</a> at the time. But back in 1954, he was a young rookie, destined for great things. He didn't make it into the 1953 set, so this '54 is his Rookie Card. It would definitely cost a few hundred bucks to get a relatively nice original, so I'm happy with a $1 reprint.</p><p>For now.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxXIc1XkaPOvjJRRRKRSM1i0rddsX4SpFAY-2FV6RYLz7lAZWUHbe2oEMAcRa75Y0c7uTT379x1tWOktayFKtgrW0yFL_KNe6jRyggIv1rzuHi8lG5vI-wx0MpjasWFPOkVJWmTY83Su0I33zcc-52vmMrOB6DFANVOHK7XAmVXtKKwRBFrGU9EIKy=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="724" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxXIc1XkaPOvjJRRRKRSM1i0rddsX4SpFAY-2FV6RYLz7lAZWUHbe2oEMAcRa75Y0c7uTT379x1tWOktayFKtgrW0yFL_KNe6jRyggIv1rzuHi8lG5vI-wx0MpjasWFPOkVJWmTY83Su0I33zcc-52vmMrOB6DFANVOHK7XAmVXtKKwRBFrGU9EIKy=w280-h400" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2019 Topps '84 Topps #T84-30 Frank Thomas</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Frank Thomas didn't get a ton of Postseason playing time during his Hall of Fame career, but he's a regular fixture on the broadcast team now, right next to David Ortiz and Álex Rodríguez. Topps gave him a card in their 1984-themed 35th Anniversary set in 2019, and this time The Big Hurt is holding an actual baseball bat, not that famed <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/08/gold-medal-club-part-1-base.html">piece of rebar</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzaQiN6O7zuS5zNZds-2DdJs-BLExL02US3pjp4bStUKBjza11Q8eqyLRTL68lImlxHXYjgVwWFRM8nuhI6oNtik146qIu7peHGT4iuh0Yehorrylsbw43IOLjfJSPanVLSO1IzN0DPX1WAhDvmAVYDBtmG_x4yOO0ixVOs8afFzFXCl-h4NjakBA5=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzaQiN6O7zuS5zNZds-2DdJs-BLExL02US3pjp4bStUKBjza11Q8eqyLRTL68lImlxHXYjgVwWFRM8nuhI6oNtik146qIu7peHGT4iuh0Yehorrylsbw43IOLjfJSPanVLSO1IzN0DPX1WAhDvmAVYDBtmG_x4yOO0ixVOs8afFzFXCl-h4NjakBA5=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2017 Topps Update All Rookie Cup #ARC-21 Anthony Rizzo</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>But as an example of reprints getting a bit out of hand, here's a 2017 card of Anthony Rizzo, a mere four years after the original came out. The gold foil clearly differentiates it from the actual 2013 base card it replicates, but Topps still saw fit to include the word "REPRINT" on the card back to avoid any confusion.</p><p>The card itself is from a 50-card insert set found in 2017 Topps Update, which focused on the history of the Topps Rookie Cup. Rizzo did get one on his card in 2013, and he shares the checklist with players new and old. Buster Posey, Stephen Strasburg, Lou Brock, and many more. The card back has large images of the two Topps Rookie Cup versions found on cards throughout the years, and an explanation of Rizzo's 2012 season that earned him one.<br /></p><p>I'm sure this is the 1990s kid in me talking, but I have to say I like the gold foil on the 2013 design more than the silver foil Topps originally used. Not that you could tell either way from the scan.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4ZZbtccpOngRC9rgzqWDNvdQmp_4hxnKOZ1_lVOTOuWoOCZ7Nsq7NGIKxd63Q-7h9e3plcat1Qg_ssxrDiCXaJRCzvghhVgzL9q5q9YroNWN0Wf1o0j9G4DsO_oyNgS22SVogeXAoVXioAy9S3KxA0yYfqcimnPX0EO0XSSBLGJd7DD8uFP7DrjVz=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4ZZbtccpOngRC9rgzqWDNvdQmp_4hxnKOZ1_lVOTOuWoOCZ7Nsq7NGIKxd63Q-7h9e3plcat1Qg_ssxrDiCXaJRCzvghhVgzL9q5q9YroNWN0Wf1o0j9G4DsO_oyNgS22SVogeXAoVXioAy9S3KxA0yYfqcimnPX0EO0XSSBLGJd7DD8uFP7DrjVz=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2010 Topps Cards Your Mom Threw Out #CMT-11 Mickey Mantle</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Reprints do have their place, and for the longest time I relied on them to learn the vintage designs and keep some of my dad's idols in my collection. I eventually <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-card-ive-always-wanted-and-now-i.html">remedied that</a>, but I still enjoy the 1962 Mickey Mantle in whatever form it takes. </p><p>This one is from the famous 2010 "Cards Your Mom Threw Out" insert set, something Topps put out with absolute confidence during the first year of their monopoly. It spanned 174 cards across three series, and features some of the most iconic Topps cards of all time, starting with the '52 Mantle at card #CMT-1.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA-RTW6RZVfu3ODxGXToe8tVFe3EefYad3eJsFs3Ag1MwAo-SfPoJiYzET7CMK0H9UPsACMOC3eFTHsSIB1-Dq_kz5JXDUP3VHX1RWDJx53NIvOqxjdqwlI8cL5AN6lQB4Izg2LTdOv5UtjwtGzlD1ymE5D_cyc1WUXXWfGfqfJxLc2VsNfeG2M3u-=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA-RTW6RZVfu3ODxGXToe8tVFe3EefYad3eJsFs3Ag1MwAo-SfPoJiYzET7CMK0H9UPsACMOC3eFTHsSIB1-Dq_kz5JXDUP3VHX1RWDJx53NIvOqxjdqwlI8cL5AN6lQB4Izg2LTdOv5UtjwtGzlD1ymE5D_cyc1WUXXWfGfqfJxLc2VsNfeG2M3u-=w284-h400" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2008 Upper Deck First Edition StarQuest #SQ-9 Derek Jeter</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Even as we get further away from a time where Upper Deck had a presence on the baseball side of the Hobby, I still can't <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-trading-post-15-angels-in-order.html">get</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-trading-post-6-catching-up-with.html">enough</a> of these green Starquest cards. It's such a pleasing shade of emerald and they will practically jump out of any discount box right into my hand.</p><p>Derek Jeter was officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame just a couple months ago, but the actual vote that put him there was about to get underway a mere two weeks after I visited All C's. No one was surprised that he was a first-ballot member, but the identity of the lone voter who left him off their ballot remains a mystery, and ensured that his longtime teammate Mariano Rivera would be the only unanimous inductee for the foreseeable future.</p><p>By the way, Derek Jeter has another connection to this post. He is the star player depicted on my can of 1998 Pinnacle Inside. I opened it on the bottom for display purposes, and a smiling Jeter in a warm-up jacket is pictured on the front.<br /></p><p>I mean, it's a cylinder, so there technically isn't a "front" of the can, so to speak, but nearer the seam on the "back", there's a nutrition facts-looking label called "Product Facts". The serving size is 10 cards, and there is 1 serving per container. The pack odds are given, and we are promised that we're getting 100% of our % Daily Value of Collectability (sic), Top Players, Inside Info, and Cool Inserts.<br /></p><p>Pinnacle very accurately and loudly proclaims that the Inside '98 set is "THE ONLY BASEBALL CARD IN A CAN!" It really was unique but it takes up so much space to package, ship, and store cards that way. It isn't particularly kid-friendly, either. Pinnacle was sure to stamp on the top of the can to "Open with adult supervision". I managed to do it without leaving a sharp edge, but this product was a lawsuit waiting to happen.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi395XfwPfkdycDHPz7OphIpdKtCsxg-2-225IDmWOWbe8iWxlVDayPhLa9TVs1VFySsG7FUydoyRm8PHk0oIAcidGMhgMHwKIaOjfPlq1qgysxuonnyZjl0JrHz4ruobh3GNqUiWrzwtFfI_io5j9GAOmXvp65knZ2cRuu_9YNbvMHY_s_b2zeeAs7=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi395XfwPfkdycDHPz7OphIpdKtCsxg-2-225IDmWOWbe8iWxlVDayPhLa9TVs1VFySsG7FUydoyRm8PHk0oIAcidGMhgMHwKIaOjfPlq1qgysxuonnyZjl0JrHz4ruobh3GNqUiWrzwtFfI_io5j9GAOmXvp65knZ2cRuu_9YNbvMHY_s_b2zeeAs7=w284-h400" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2001 Stadium Club Diamond Pearls #DP6 Vladimir Guerrero</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>After his son wrapped up his rookie season in 2019, I found a card of Vladimir Guerrero, Sr. He was part of the 20-card Diamond Pearls insert set from 2001 Stadium Club, the set that tends to have stickier cards than perhaps any other. This one doesn't seem too bad, but the surface does look a little bumpy to me. Maybe even slightly blistered.</p><p>In any case, this card became accidentally relevant during the 2021 Postseason, thanks to Joc Pederson's unique fashion choice of <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/23/joc-pederson-pearls">a string of pearls</a>. He's quite the character, and he now finds himself on a short list of players who won the World Series in two consecutive years with different teams.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhycv_s-0UCZwXvKwM2GZTEOp_yUMF6ol1VobzO2Lw3da9ucrUfObIVCb6u2t-VlKCQlKmqbR4tOaPKQgWrekvGxVD6Qfjf8s2RysDr7NuxIEjozZvij2wjQQW4gZK7Rj1s9HF26evvcavqdEdeMTpbtcWIZJOgjfpUMZyG-PN2Y0DGGim5LyPtBcZQ=s1040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhycv_s-0UCZwXvKwM2GZTEOp_yUMF6ol1VobzO2Lw3da9ucrUfObIVCb6u2t-VlKCQlKmqbR4tOaPKQgWrekvGxVD6Qfjf8s2RysDr7NuxIEjozZvij2wjQQW4gZK7Rj1s9HF26evvcavqdEdeMTpbtcWIZJOgjfpUMZyG-PN2Y0DGGim5LyPtBcZQ=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2019 Finest Blue Refractors #57 Mitch Haniger /150</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I've never opened a box of Topps Finest, but I seem to have no trouble
finding the occasional gem from the expensive set, like this beautiful
Blue Refractor numbered to /150.</p><p>Alas, despite all this talk of the Postseason and the World Series, the Mariners haven't quite been able to sneak in for twenty years, though they got tantalizingly close this year. Outfielder Mitch Haniger has been one of their stars, and even has an All-Star appearance to his name. </p><p>The card back tells us about his highlights on June 12th, 2018 against the Angels. Topps got the details...sort of accurate? Haniger did have a home run and an outfield assist that day, but they got the innings all wrong and they incorrectly imply that Haniger's homer was of the walkoff variety.</p><p>Incidentally, if you've ever been curious about how to pronounce my last name, it's pretty similar to Haniger. I have a couple extra consonants in there, but that's the general sound. It rhymes with Gallagher.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu_Ory9ALtuz6InqrHUNMwucoevh6eIhcOcjqjGOHpq3aRu37ibyySgjwUcHqjeEKZS-LMi5qTCqxJzPWM4gTsQEd8XTJFM4Ta2eKLBzcFYfjbhIJ-51sw6t-jn0IGDMBEAX9XXnOcc4vBMDefS7M6feMWf6jOXONWmYpAUskI2VElCOxC5cCBjqKV=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu_Ory9ALtuz6InqrHUNMwucoevh6eIhcOcjqjGOHpq3aRu37ibyySgjwUcHqjeEKZS-LMi5qTCqxJzPWM4gTsQEd8XTJFM4Ta2eKLBzcFYfjbhIJ-51sw6t-jn0IGDMBEAX9XXnOcc4vBMDefS7M6feMWf6jOXONWmYpAUskI2VElCOxC5cCBjqKV=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1991 Leaf Gold Rookies #BC26 Rickey Henderson DP</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Finally, I couldn't pass up any early '90s insert with this much gold foil. Leaf really pulled out all the stops for this bonus card. Believe it or not, it's actually the final card of a 26-card insert set called Gold Rookies. Lots of prospects fill out that checklist, like Ryan Klesko, Mike Mussina, and Mo Vaughn.</p><p>Sharp-eyed readers will notice that Rickey Henderson, was not, in fact, a rookie in 1991. Nor was Nolan Ryan, who is also in this checklist. But Leaf decided that honoring Rickey Henderson's record-breaking 939th stolen base and Nolan Ryan's 7th no-hitter were worth disrupting the overall theme of a Rookies set. I can't say I disagree.</p><p>A well-stocked LCS, especially one that's been in town for so long, always has surprises. Including some fresh, sealed 1998 air.</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-54925004560825704062021-10-26T08:59:00.000-06:002021-10-26T08:59:09.794-06:00The World's Champions (Part 2: Minis and non-Baseball)<p>The stage is set. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF53AUG6A1IJ3Un8bbY4_K_ldImzfUeDgWOD5JDeyMWuEfkaLZgVvgepSQi8J2-icVsJXAwmiZR2MiRqyE_KLuSJn6UCREUdOfv5Cz89fZ5ieFbKGkQVEPJ7WrY5E_aceWpYD4ZQAnKpTM8hrlGyjs895z7ytlJkW5rtZ8iTpz2JK2fIHQjyGrdSwh=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF53AUG6A1IJ3Un8bbY4_K_ldImzfUeDgWOD5JDeyMWuEfkaLZgVvgepSQi8J2-icVsJXAwmiZR2MiRqyE_KLuSJn6UCREUdOfv5Cz89fZ5ieFbKGkQVEPJ7WrY5E_aceWpYD4ZQAnKpTM8hrlGyjs895z7ytlJkW5rtZ8iTpz2JK2fIHQjyGrdSwh=s320" width="173" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Black Border #149 Ian Anderson</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>For the 2021 World Series, the Atlanta Braves will be facing the Houston Astros, beginning Tuesday night. Former Astro (and Ray) Charlie Morton will be taking the mound for the Braves in Game 1, but we can expect that rookie Ian Anderson will toe the rubber at some point during this best-of-7 series.</p><p>We're all familiar with how Allen & Ginter has all the numbers written out on the card backs, but when it comes to a Rookie Card, like this one, it's not quite so eye-crossing. Games: Eighty. Wins: Seventeen. That's easy to digest at a glance, although Three Hundred Seventy Seven and Two Thirds career innings pitched still needs a second look to really understand. And when it comes to advanced stats, A&G must be the only place in history where a pitcher has a WHIP of "One Point Twenty Three".</p><p>Anderson's Black Bordered Mini parallel leads off <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-worlds-champions-part-1-full-sized.html">Part 2</a> of this Allen & Ginter blaster, a card I had once set aside for its parallel-ness but not necessarily for any expectation it would be relevant for the World Series.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgburFTUeSQF6jE2YOUEuZP3LfZ_hP_FC2ecZIFwrTDcH0JUlmFxp2rDc54rcG-s-XeI6ceDqtXWGouV8SdKQeDy1mN4mvc6rJ4MMM2oWacCszA-r7J-lILFP_hrB02L-hnG2_7ST4d_lHH28Als-n1adR12hSGeNeGHvkW_mZ_57l31iqpiD2cZjJq=s797" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="439" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgburFTUeSQF6jE2YOUEuZP3LfZ_hP_FC2ecZIFwrTDcH0JUlmFxp2rDc54rcG-s-XeI6ceDqtXWGouV8SdKQeDy1mN4mvc6rJ4MMM2oWacCszA-r7J-lILFP_hrB02L-hnG2_7ST4d_lHH28Als-n1adR12hSGeNeGHvkW_mZ_57l31iqpiD2cZjJq=s320" width="176" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini #316 Yu Darvish</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In fact, even as late as the All-Star Break, it certainly looked like the San Diego Padres would be well on their way to a Postseason berth. They experienced quite an epic collapse, and will have to try again next year, although they did finally get their first no-hitter in franchise history. Yu Darvish is in a good place, teammates with veteran talent and one of the most exciting young players in the game, but he remains in a tough division. Time will tell whether he'll ever get to play in the World Series again, or if he'll fall just millimeters short like his two near-perfect games.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVdXGPHyzI3_LgQkbVh0gAHcQje1iKYRsBDtXcxREaLpK8ezj1QE1D79YhgZxD4AijdqDBE2gA3plOETgD4BgWlJFUKbC5RUKPTJ8pqF5jJaJVg2wf9kNbK_A29RID47eqPNutzd0z_OAZ7bWnW8d4jfv-sVNUCvorOSwSez-PLgKqkl3UiUDRyG55=s797" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="424" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVdXGPHyzI3_LgQkbVh0gAHcQje1iKYRsBDtXcxREaLpK8ezj1QE1D79YhgZxD4AijdqDBE2gA3plOETgD4BgWlJFUKbC5RUKPTJ8pqF5jJaJVg2wf9kNbK_A29RID47eqPNutzd0z_OAZ7bWnW8d4jfv-sVNUCvorOSwSez-PLgKqkl3UiUDRyG55=w170-h320" width="170" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini A&G Back #30 Rickey Henderson</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Throughout his long career, Rickey Henderson managed to get much closer to those elusive milestones. Of course, he became the career leader by a tremendous margin in Stolen Bases, and also got to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy twice. That first one, as pictured on this A&G parallel, came with the Oakland Athletics in 1989, and then again in 1993 with the Blue Jays.</p><p>We're long past the days of Rickey Henderson swiping bases left and right, but it's been good to see the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/ozzie-albies-steals-second-base">Stolen Base</a> (or <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/astros-double-play-ends-the-7th?q=maldonado%20caught%20stealing&cp=CMS_FIRST&qt=FREETEXT&p=0">Caught Stealing</a>) make an occasional clutch appearance throughout this year's Postseason.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb2bRzZKMFNq7yK6sTBUPP0zix9HDy_u5ii3QbFbS9sAd362R7y55cWUGhIag20l-Jlc1t89694zvjKXJm6RA2vyhSRk5xMLi8TxtqNRwOoRJnjYi7UWt0cezKOcqq1h7rJKW62Gvb0QEuWrZ_Ot98SjRGv0BwmuXAifk6_oFV71IcTKSV-r78J27L=s796" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="424" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb2bRzZKMFNq7yK6sTBUPP0zix9HDy_u5ii3QbFbS9sAd362R7y55cWUGhIag20l-Jlc1t89694zvjKXJm6RA2vyhSRk5xMLi8TxtqNRwOoRJnjYi7UWt0cezKOcqq1h7rJKW62Gvb0QEuWrZ_Ot98SjRGv0BwmuXAifk6_oFV71IcTKSV-r78J27L=w170-h320" width="170" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini A&G Back #30 Rickey Henderson (Reverse)</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It may not look like a parallel, but longtime A&G collectors know that back variations can come into play. Because, you know, there aren't enough ways to turn the front into a parallel.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrFGTg_f5p3YJ2IwvufjS2kG0FJNuC1OX_RlZjGGaiEFHIttXXthzIEc1FjJjbFSEyjWrqKPgZUVG-69G8by6OxdUu3mhnswiIdFVY3ET_z_iyBk0qnrX00nUweN6AY-CRgc3hnQhxs5zVEJ76E05Rzh3CYahRrj2xKkprGLy5Mzwdj1CS46Dx2uS4=s797" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="437" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrFGTg_f5p3YJ2IwvufjS2kG0FJNuC1OX_RlZjGGaiEFHIttXXthzIEc1FjJjbFSEyjWrqKPgZUVG-69G8by6OxdUu3mhnswiIdFVY3ET_z_iyBk0qnrX00nUweN6AY-CRgc3hnQhxs5zVEJ76E05Rzh3CYahRrj2xKkprGLy5Mzwdj1CS46Dx2uS4=s320" width="175" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini A&G Back #110 Daulton Varsho</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Daulton Varsho's rookie card has the same back variation, although his Diamondbacks finished tied for the worst record in the league. There's definitely no postseason magic in the forecast for Arizona's near future. The RC logo blends into the overall brownish-gold design, and it looks a little busy on this narrow-cut mini. These tobacco-style cards measure a very precise 2 11/16" by 1 1/2".</p><p>Daulton Varsho is part of the current crop of second-generation Major Leaguers along with Tatis, Guerrero, Bichette, and so on. He's the son of former National Leaguer Gary Varsho, whom I mainly remember as a Pirate. Gary signed with the Phillies for his final season in 1995, teaming up with catcher Darren Daulton. You'd be correct in assuming that his late former teammate is his son's namesake.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0zgSE9375WtXuzb4u5Hl3tdvJwEyA7sAuyc_8EWdFTHFATKgJcmf9j6GkYh4Wdq0AxTBRwBGOHKtxuLVQUWqNBmqxr9TpeixGTGtvfDBQmzSEzU2SJKgX40utlpA4EBaU4_rEpKB7C8FCT1djc9RoezUN9cIEGwDhZwUheVUB5sUM1PZCpOcleJlU=s796" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0zgSE9375WtXuzb4u5Hl3tdvJwEyA7sAuyc_8EWdFTHFATKgJcmf9j6GkYh4Wdq0AxTBRwBGOHKtxuLVQUWqNBmqxr9TpeixGTGtvfDBQmzSEzU2SJKgX40utlpA4EBaU4_rEpKB7C8FCT1djc9RoezUN9cIEGwDhZwUheVUB5sUM1PZCpOcleJlU=s320" width="172" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Rookie Design Variations #MRD-1 Casey Mize</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It doesn't seem like that long, but Allen & Ginter has been with us since 2006. Not counting the original 19th century product, of course. But that's long enough for Topps to bring back the original 2006 design as a 20-card insert set. Casey Mize of the Tigers led it off with card #1, reminding us of how minimal this brand used to look. And more colorful, somehow, at least as far as the Rookie Card logo goes. </p><p>For the most part, this was a rookie-heavy batch of Minis. Several appearances of the Rookie Card logo are going to be scattered across the page once I get these in a binder. And I'm sure we can expect to see at least some of these guys in the league for a long time to come.</p><p>But compared to the last Mini I found, they're all younger. So much younger.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkHgaS4Zev6rBEem9vMoOoXV5ldwL61OJEuRHwfoQ5ScVft32gUXnTDZXo_8Hax1vQXUYRA3ogywfUExP0_xw3kHyJ4tdzJj8ahFcc_ba29a7KrpD0QA8PiiRZEqnl6j-htuK6zsXgg2v9FXsvgKr6Y_H5KCjf-enst0imijNkYP4jfiQEZPte0hc_=s788" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="788" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkHgaS4Zev6rBEem9vMoOoXV5ldwL61OJEuRHwfoQ5ScVft32gUXnTDZXo_8Hax1vQXUYRA3ogywfUExP0_xw3kHyJ4tdzJj8ahFcc_ba29a7KrpD0QA8PiiRZEqnl6j-htuK6zsXgg2v9FXsvgKr6Y_H5KCjf-enst0imijNkYP4jfiQEZPte0hc_=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Far Far Away #FFA-2 Caldwell 5</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Eleven million years younger, to be approximate.</p><p>We keep coming back to A&G for all the fun non-baseball topics, and this blaster delivered as promised. Here's an image of the spiral galaxy Caldwell 5, discovered in 1892, not long after the original release of the Allen & Ginter set in 1887.</p><p>Part of the Far Far Away insert set available only in the mini size, this is one of fifteen cards that are cut far too small to truly display these wondrous celestial objects. This particular galaxy, as we're told on the card back, is known as "The Hidden Galaxy" due to all the cosmic dust obscuring its view. Fortunately, we have a new space telescope scheduled to launch before the end of the year, and its capabilities should help reveal Caldwell 5 a bit more thanks to its infrared-sensitive instruments.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2PYd0XwSc5KyQ7Z8PzEL7Euw-lBpNGHDgdtq-wo_25GWEz9Sw_XW5Rw1P30QX5Y5mf6b3vLebhtCv4wXEtdLrV_H33SgMTxbhnVGeSTWpe782N9zNZ2taePNkwYXN1spvNeGI-TPKmS_EFOMVoK9lvYi45YAZohugfiHf64SCtMDhBIQkU3u98ZJS=s1040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2PYd0XwSc5KyQ7Z8PzEL7Euw-lBpNGHDgdtq-wo_25GWEz9Sw_XW5Rw1P30QX5Y5mf6b3vLebhtCv4wXEtdLrV_H33SgMTxbhnVGeSTWpe782N9zNZ2taePNkwYXN1spvNeGI-TPKmS_EFOMVoK9lvYi45YAZohugfiHf64SCtMDhBIQkU3u98ZJS=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #206 Sarah Spain</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Returning back to the familiar 3.5" x 2.5" size, I did find a couple of non-baseball full-size cards. First is Sarah Spain, an ESPN host and reporter. I don't watch a whole lot of ESPN's news shows, so I can't say I'm familiar with her. I still watch a good deal of their other programming (such as Monday Night Football when I wrote most of this), along with their excellent 30 for 30 series. But for sports news, I get that mostly from <a href="https://theathletic.com/">The Athletic</a> and now Joe Posnanski's <a href="https://joeposnanski.substack.com/">Substack page</a>, since he's no longer writing for them.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioDEfe6-4GU0i3Z-Gnr4Jv_3jb8eW8qRn7n9o-pXAd1Xoi-oWo1CIGlZV6N_-1-LTNqesruUJGonAbFAyYtFdurMLUbnY-dpAgNLsvNHA2YCkRc9xlWqAPFo8lXjU8Dk_6467yunlNWyikPCRbCyBg_1SHIrIphA4gOrJlTwSO811Bd47l1vIqamcd=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioDEfe6-4GU0i3Z-Gnr4Jv_3jb8eW8qRn7n9o-pXAd1Xoi-oWo1CIGlZV6N_-1-LTNqesruUJGonAbFAyYtFdurMLUbnY-dpAgNLsvNHA2YCkRc9xlWqAPFo8lXjU8Dk_6467yunlNWyikPCRbCyBg_1SHIrIphA4gOrJlTwSO811Bd47l1vIqamcd=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #249 Rose Lavelle</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The other non-baseball but still sports-related card is of Rose Lavelle, a member of Team USA women's soccer, as well as an athlete in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She helped the national team to its 2019 Women's World Cup championship, and earned a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. </p><p>A&G has included a few other members of the dominant US Women's Soccer team over the years, including early stars Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers, along with more recent members like Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd.<br /></p><p>Our final few cards are from a variety of nature and wildlife-heavy insert sets, something that is right up my alley these days.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiT7fcgvLek57QM3ZwcsyqTDgh4YCnmD0ksedsWor1PVCCE4szwhoj5eUaO1Y_JzqIWH7TiMIIsdDUswSQXUOCCanqspDONwM_xzZ58m55lh937IU4t4wjPE1dRhzFyGjqSspXQIwTCiSefEpx9_CUzWxL4wZRXNENF4ywn31FnKpBLgz-CncAro2pg=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiT7fcgvLek57QM3ZwcsyqTDgh4YCnmD0ksedsWor1PVCCE4szwhoj5eUaO1Y_JzqIWH7TiMIIsdDUswSQXUOCCanqspDONwM_xzZ58m55lh937IU4t4wjPE1dRhzFyGjqSspXQIwTCiSefEpx9_CUzWxL4wZRXNENF4ywn31FnKpBLgz-CncAro2pg=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Birds of a Feather #BOF-8 Green-Wing Macaw</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Birds of a Feather is a ten-card insert set of birds. Beautiful, feathery, colorful, mostly tropical birds. And anyone who knows me well knows that I love birds. These are far from your backyard sparrows and wrens; you'd quite literally have to travel to the other side of the world to see them in the wild. Fortunately, Topps brought them a little closer with this insert set, and it's certainly a set where I'd consider chasing down the other nine.</p><p>This one is a Green-wing Macaw, also known as a <a href="https://ebird.org/species/ragmac1">Red-and-Green Macaw</a>. It's a parrot native to South America, and is among the most intelligent birds found in the world. Lego enthusiasts will probably recognize this as the <a href="https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=2546p01#T=C">Parrot</a> part, although that could possibly be a similar-looking Scarlet Macaw (also found in this insert set).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy2MsvtTVLYedVLljn1sJW1o8uULAkmUraTUTv2mWU_EE3LDdUORvvjZZWztdDUct7wsfxUY6pZsHvLxPgk_cHfA7q9z-FlqrzWKCBH8t8t-t1tGsBykKPNmlVUrsOC5DaZQet95ys2WCERwenPyMQuDzdP2Kau2mwKd85K1fIWM_0QIvlBtofAzmj=s1040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1040" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy2MsvtTVLYedVLljn1sJW1o8uULAkmUraTUTv2mWU_EE3LDdUORvvjZZWztdDUct7wsfxUY6pZsHvLxPgk_cHfA7q9z-FlqrzWKCBH8t8t-t1tGsBykKPNmlVUrsOC5DaZQet95ys2WCERwenPyMQuDzdP2Kau2mwKd85K1fIWM_0QIvlBtofAzmj=w400-h283" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Rallying Back #RB-7 White Rhino</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Ten more animals are found in the Rallying Back insert set, a collection of endangered or threatened species. The White Rhino is featured on card #7, or more specifically the Southern White Rhino subspecies. Poaching and hunting decimated its population last century, but protections put in place have allowed the species to recover to around 20,000 individuals. </p><p>No mention is made of the much unluckier Northern White Rhino subspecies, which is down to a mere two female individuals left in captivity. None are known in the wild. Not doing much better is the more distantly-related Black Rhino, which has a few thousand individuals remaining among several subspecies.</p><p>There are success stories in this insert set, like the bald eagle which has rebounded to well over 100,000 individuals, and humpback whales, which currently number around 80,000. But sadly, the state of the animal kingdom is far from secure.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihuL7HwLSDFyYgW9M_w-FZTquatoTbsCU1hNnGBzPOPBVfFvcZlRmDHJ5XyUrRzrlq93yCinxI3lC4mr7_8pq-LKAMLlu7tbKHKJ0W7HDffiBkCMwaUug8v9AVMNPNZqmlhopq0EXTL97sKTtdUH1uDywGNhG16EkjL6Gn5EFeg2VSDHjWco9XdyzB=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1032" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihuL7HwLSDFyYgW9M_w-FZTquatoTbsCU1hNnGBzPOPBVfFvcZlRmDHJ5XyUrRzrlq93yCinxI3lC4mr7_8pq-LKAMLlu7tbKHKJ0W7HDffiBkCMwaUug8v9AVMNPNZqmlhopq0EXTL97sKTtdUH1uDywGNhG16EkjL6Gn5EFeg2VSDHjWco9XdyzB=w400-h283" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Deep Sea Shiver #DSS-15 Silvertip Shark</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Sixteen more cards dive into the shadowy world of sharks, and near the end of the checklist is this fearsome-looking Silvertip Shark. Maxing out at about ten feet long, they generally live in shallow waters along continental or island shelves. They're apex predators and are clearly not to be trifled with. Unless, of course, you're a confident little Remora fish that likes to hitch a ride, which we can see on the shark's left pectoral fin.</p><p>Like most sharks, this is a species that is viviparous, meaning it gives live birth. Most other fish and a few shark species lay eggs, scientifically known as oviparous.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEle-F3RBSmrm1X-7ZQ75Iyo9XpiIrO1_UqNQkAY0fixAXwhiUkX3_I-sBuPCc-I3kMT5xWjSkeOQM1BmDq395NcxUfsMRQcEZuR5tuK_oK4ZbDrveGW68x8vconxggHq26g83ue5OUv6x_xccFlV03-J45VMRiTd_pEm9VOkeJHVlt_GFo4EUHcet=s1038" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEle-F3RBSmrm1X-7ZQ75Iyo9XpiIrO1_UqNQkAY0fixAXwhiUkX3_I-sBuPCc-I3kMT5xWjSkeOQM1BmDq395NcxUfsMRQcEZuR5tuK_oK4ZbDrveGW68x8vconxggHq26g83ue5OUv6x_xccFlV03-J45VMRiTd_pEm9VOkeJHVlt_GFo4EUHcet=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Arboreal Appreciation #AA-13 Holly</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Moving over to a different kingdom on the tree of life, we'll wrap up this blaster with the alliteratively named Arboreal Appreciation. It's fifteen cards depicting various trees, something I'm quite a bit less familiar with than birds. I'm learning, though. </p><p>We all know the Holly plant from its festive association with Christmas, thought that's just one or two species among hundreds. The bright red berries you're accustomed to seeing in Christmas wreaths are actually known to be rather toxic, perhaps fatally so for children and pets. Contrast this with another Christmastime plant, the poinsettia, whose alleged toxicity is merely an urban myth.<br /></p><p>A&G may have given us a fairly similar-looking set every year for a decade and a half, but the variety found in the non-baseball topics is truly limitless. Next year I hope to see a set showcasing the great variety of crustaceans in the ocean.</p><p>It's also worth noting in light of the Fanatics deal that Topps could very much keep the spirit of this set going after their MLB license expires.</p><p>Thank you for reading, and enjoy the World Series!<br /></p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-74670270714267259142021-09-19T17:10:00.001-06:002021-09-19T18:26:10.119-06:00The World's Champions (Part 1: Full-sized Baseball)<p>Along with <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/08/gold-medal-club-part-1-base.html">Stadium</a> <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/08/gold-medal-club-part-2-inserts.html">Club</a> and Heritage, Target has been keeping me well-supplied with blasters this year. Add to that list a blaster of 2021 Allen & Ginter that I got last month, plus the 2021 Factory Set that arrived a few days ago. I'm not really into Gypsy Queen or Fire, but Target has those for sale right now too.<br /></p><p>Variety! Availability! I almost forgot such things existed.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJLz2J_LT78/YUe5z_FmBNI/AAAAAAABHss/g2zI_sqE0ggfo9dM5UxUfkrNH22daQacwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1036/IMG091921_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJLz2J_LT78/YUe5z_FmBNI/AAAAAAABHss/g2zI_sqE0ggfo9dM5UxUfkrNH22daQacwCLcBGAsYHQ/w286-h400/IMG091921_0001.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #4 Eddie Murray</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Right off the bat, we can see the design for 2021 A&G is evolutionary. It's unmistakably Allen & Ginter, and it's clear there's a limitless variety of border styles Topps can produce for this brand without deviating from the overall look and feel.</p><p>The backs are even more familiar, with the same "spell everything out like you're writing a check" style, and a very slight difference to the frame around the card number at the top. It's right below the prominent "The World's Champions" banner that inspired the name for this post.<br /></p><p>I found myself more interested in the players I pulled rather than the design, mainly because I found a ton of Hall-of-Famers. Neither Larry Walker nor Derek Jeter were among them (although they are in the checklist), but congratulations to them both for entering Cooperstown. The other members of the 2020 Hall of Fame class were Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller, although they're in very few recent sets.</p><p>I did find legendary switch-hitter Eddie Murray from his early days with the Baltimore Orioles. He was the 1977 AL Rookie of the Year, World Series Champion in 1983, and is the all-time career leader in sacrifice flies, with 128, just one ahead of his longtime teammate, Cal Ripken, Jr.</p><p>Baltimore abandoned the smiling bird logo you see on Murray's cap for a while, but it's back now as the team's official logo. The anatomically correct Oriole logo we knew for a few decades is gone, but it can still be <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/adamk0310/51318775505/">spotted in the wild</a> on occasion.</p><p>OK, that's actually an Orchard Oriole, not a Baltimore Oriole, but you get the idea. They're a rather rare sighting. Colorado is outside the range of the Northern Cardinal, but <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/adamk0310/51152254339/">Blue Jays</a> are quite common here, and they'll let you know it, loudly.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wUPMOBJT3XM/YUe5zt21gjI/AAAAAAABHto/cGmJwSZOx-ETMJl3avnnGWMshdpypWYzACPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG091921_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="733" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wUPMOBJT3XM/YUe5zt21gjI/AAAAAAABHto/cGmJwSZOx-ETMJl3avnnGWMshdpypWYzACPcBGAYYCw/w283-h400/IMG091921_0003.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #127 Frank Thomas</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Frank Thomas briefly played for one of those bird teams, the Blue Jays, but he's mainly remembered as a member of the White Sox. That's the team he chose for his Hall of Fame plaque, but this photo is from earlier in his career. He looks generally younger than he does now during his broadcasting gig with Fox Sports, and I think it's from 2003. The Chicago White Sox hosted the All-Star game that year, and you can spot part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game#/media/File:2003_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game_logo.svg">commemorative patch</a> on his right sleeve.</p><p>Unfortunately, Thomas didn't get to participate in the Midsummer Classic the year his team hosted it. He was voted into a string of consecutive All-Star games from 1993-1997, but no others. At his peak, he was amazing. Between '93 and '97, he won two consecutive MVPs, had those five All-Star appearances, won two Silver Sluggers, and had a 184 OPS+.<br /></p><p>Oh, and one triple. It's right there in the box score. <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA199406190.shtml">June 19th, 1994</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8zabIjQ3t8/YUe50djA0hI/AAAAAAABHtY/ewjIE_3DlfQVFMgnaoTRK3vyiyDM3QSXQCPcBGAYYCw/s1040/IMG091921_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="745" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8zabIjQ3t8/YUe50djA0hI/AAAAAAABHtY/ewjIE_3DlfQVFMgnaoTRK3vyiyDM3QSXQCPcBGAYYCw/w286-h400/IMG091921_0005.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #78 Barry Larkin</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Joining these guys in Cooperstown is Barry Larkin, who spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds. An interesting fact I learned during this year's Hall of Fame induction ceremony is that other than pitchers, shortstops are the most well-represented position in Cooperstown. Derek Jeter is now on that list along with Larkin, Ripken, Yount, Ozzie Smith, and plenty of stars that were before my time.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-ht2PEangY/YUe50n3EfoI/AAAAAAABHtc/ZqZuXGc0K7IxP6gozL6Lt-UD6ssBo6EEgCPcBGAYYCw/s1040/IMG091921_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-ht2PEangY/YUe50n3EfoI/AAAAAAABHtc/ZqZuXGc0K7IxP6gozL6Lt-UD6ssBo6EEgCPcBGAYYCw/w285-h400/IMG091921_0006.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #348 Bob Feller (SP)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Moving a bit further down the checklist, we arrive at the short prints. All the card numbers above 300 fall into the short print category, annoyingly. Todd Helton is in the short print checklist this year, so I doubt I'll ever see that one. I'm pointing Bob Feller's card out mainly because it is a short print, not for any other particular reason. </p><p></p><p>If Fanatics ends up letting Topps wither on the vine, the short print is certainly one aspect of card collecting that I would love to see vanish. I somewhat understand the desire to generate more buzz and desire by putting intriguing rookies into the short print section, but seriously, who is PC-ing Bob Feller in 2021? There is ample opportunity for collectors to chase limited edition cards elsewhere in the set, but for base cards, please just print them.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqXZP-ORLYg/YUe5z1lf5SI/AAAAAAABHtg/wqHVgtpH5LEDeLsHkko0Q68MunUHLLD7wCPcBGAYYCw/s1042/IMG091921_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqXZP-ORLYg/YUe5z1lf5SI/AAAAAAABHtg/wqHVgtpH5LEDeLsHkko0Q68MunUHLLD7wCPcBGAYYCw/w283-h400/IMG091921_0002.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #339 Nick Castellanos (SP)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>And so that'll make it a 4-0 ballgame.</p><p>Also up in the short print section, we find Nick Castellanos with a nice bat barrel shot. A first-time All-Star in 2021, he's become a minor celebrity in baseball social media circles by virtue of swatting a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LECJbMDhJQ">perfectly-timed home run</a> last year, interrupting an on-air apology that former broadcaster Thom Brennaman was trying to stammer out after uttering a homophobic slur. It has become quite the meme.</p><p>Perhaps invigorated by the accidental social media stardom, Castellanos has eclipsed his season-high in home runs with 29 so far, sometimes even making it a 4-0 ballgame.</p><p>This joke just never gets old. See also: <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2012/1/4/2679318/gifs-20-16">Balk Rules (#18)</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AkAmaayZlbQ/YUe50HIhYMI/AAAAAAABHtk/6W6fn_4Al481nApU4OhFsrCWCWaD9_gTwCPcBGAYYCw/s1048/IMG091921_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AkAmaayZlbQ/YUe50HIhYMI/AAAAAAABHtk/6W6fn_4Al481nApU4OhFsrCWCWaD9_gTwCPcBGAYYCw/w283-h400/IMG091921_0004.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #44 Bryce Harper</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Back to the land of long (?) prints, we find Bryce Harper, who is quietly having an excellent season. He isn't making the highlight reels anywhere near as often as the young stars like Tatis and Guerrero, but he has a league-best OPS and OPS+, 33 home runs, and is keeping the Phillies hot on the heels of the NL East-leading Braves. His stats this year aren't far off from his 2015 MVP season, and he is certainly in the running to win that award once again.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pcQQKPLkCrE/YUe51Ns8B-I/AAAAAAABHtg/wd1ZhBl2ds46mC9rXN6cAYcLyBQEnlHigCPcBGAYYCw/s1032/IMG091921_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pcQQKPLkCrE/YUe51Ns8B-I/AAAAAAABHtg/wd1ZhBl2ds46mC9rXN6cAYcLyBQEnlHigCPcBGAYYCw/w286-h400/IMG091921_0007.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #105 Daz Cameron (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was just a <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/07/all-star-weekend.html">couple months ago</a> that I learned Ke'Bryan Hayes is the son of Charlie Hayes. And of course we all know about the new family dynasties of Biggio, Bichette, Tatis, and Guerrero. Well, upon opening this blaster, I wondered if this Tigers rookie happened to be related to Mike Cameron. Sure enough, yes. Daz Cameron is Mike's son, adding to the long list of familiar names that will be populating MLB rosters for some time to come.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cpYsEqKGK20/YUe51XlOL4I/AAAAAAABHtk/mb7T2efvWIgH7C1X4lZ0KgfrOYCVc4SrQCPcBGAYYCw/s1038/IMG091921_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="737" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cpYsEqKGK20/YUe51XlOL4I/AAAAAAABHtk/mb7T2efvWIgH7C1X4lZ0KgfrOYCVc4SrQCPcBGAYYCw/w284-h400/IMG091921_0009.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter #166 Germán Márquez</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The lone Rockie found in this blaster is their staff ace, Germán Márquez. He took a no-decision on Friday night against the Nationals, a game the Rockies ended up winning. It's highly typical of the Rockies to have a fantastic road trip this late in the season, long after having a terrible time away from Coors Field all season which cemented their hold on fourth place. It's a frustrating pattern nearly as old as the franchise itself.</p><p>Maybe next year. Likely without Trevor Story and potentially without Jon Gray.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zCQ4g6spbOA/YUe9GZQqATI/AAAAAAABHtw/wJuftzuOZrw8_Ipe64UE4bAGD7c7wEMggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1032/IMG091921_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zCQ4g6spbOA/YUe9GZQqATI/AAAAAAABHtw/wJuftzuOZrw8_Ipe64UE4bAGD7c7wEMggCLcBGAsYHQ/w285-h400/IMG091921_0010.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Historic Hits #HH-11 Roberto Clemente</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Several days ago, you saw Major League Baseball celebrate Roberto Clemente Day. It falls on each September 15th to coincide with the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Clemente's uniform number 21, clearly visible on this insert card, can be worn by certain players across the league. Not everyone gets to wear it like they do on Jackie Robinson Day, only players and coaches of Puerto Rican descent, as well as any past winner or current nominee of the Roberto Clemente Award.</p><p>It's hard to pick one particular hit out of 3,000 to feature on a baseball card, but Topps attempts to do just that in the Historical Hits insert set. It's a sizable 50-card insert set. Looking through the checklist, I feel quite certain knowing which Historical Hit is being featured on cards like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNvNxXrQFnw">Aaron Boone</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F5HwiGm7lg">Joe Carter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-OCXYjVL4U">Bill Mazeroski</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WRi6iZAl-I">Carlton Fisk</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1vDF0hSfoA">David Freese</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc2jX2OXNNY">Luis Gonzalez</a>. But for others like Ken Griffey, Jr., Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Ichiro, it could be anything.</p><p>Roberto Clemente's Historical Hit was his last one. On September 30th, 1972, Clemente got hit number 3,000, reaching a milestone that will always remain the mark of greatness. As this card tells us, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8PlUqzTRRg">it was a double</a> in the bottom of the 4th inning. Unlike all of those previous highlights, I don't think I'd ever seen the actual footage from this one before. It really got me when he tossed the ball to his coach for safe keeping, because we all know now that Clemente would tragically die in a plane crash on a humanitarian flight to Nicaragua before the next season could begin.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fvn8NPVZ-QI/YUe9GXnInGI/AAAAAAABHt8/9yCpGj04bh4hlHtbI8X1bKvlWFyzrn3XACPcBGAYYCw/s1040/IMG091921_0011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="748" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fvn8NPVZ-QI/YUe9GXnInGI/AAAAAAABHt8/9yCpGj04bh4hlHtbI8X1bKvlWFyzrn3XACPcBGAYYCw/w288-h400/IMG091921_0011.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Historic Hits #HH-17 Kirby Puckett</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The second Historical Hit card from this blaster is of another player who left us too early at just 45, Kirby Puckett. He didn't pass away during his career, but it too was was sadly cut short due to a sudden eye disease that forced his retirement at 36.</p><p>But before that tragedy, he was a beloved star for the Minnesota Twins, leading them to two World Series titles. The second of those came in 1991, thanks to his heroics mentioned on this card. In an extra-innings game on October 26th, 1991, Puckett hit a walkoff home run to force a Game 7, which the Twins would win. This was a little before I was following baseball, so I don't have any specific memory of it, but <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRD2IbYFf7o">here's the highlight</a> anyway.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RxglRbtzEkM/YUe51TjfdyI/AAAAAAABHts/z4JbFVw_DJM9kVJik1pz24htCYZSWh8YwCPcBGAYYCw/s1038/IMG091921_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1038" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RxglRbtzEkM/YUe51TjfdyI/AAAAAAABHts/z4JbFVw_DJM9kVJik1pz24htCYZSWh8YwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h284/IMG091921_0008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter T51 Murad Reimagined #MR-32 Ernie Banks</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>An equally-sized insert set found in 2021 is T51 Murad Reimagined, which are horizontal cards done in the style of an early 20th century tobacco set. The T51 designation signifies that it was originally issued by a tobacco company, the same classification as the famous T206 set. All this was devised by Jefferson Burdick, author of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Card_Catalog">American Card Catalog</a> in which those classifications could be found. Burdick later went on to donate his collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and spent a decade and a half cataloguing it for the museum.</p><p>One man quite literally spent a lifetime collecting and cataloguing what were mostly pre-war baseball cards. The hobby long ago ensured that it would grow far beyond what one person could handle in a lifetime. Sometimes I toy with the idea of putting my collection into a database, but it would truly be a massive undertaking and I simply can't imagine finding enough time to even put a dent in it.</p><p>In any case, Ernie Banks was one of the players selected for the T51 set. He shares the card front with a brownish-gold border, a circular Cubs logo, and a pennant that graces the front of all cards in this set. It's a design element that works particularly well for a Wrigley Field-dwelling Cub. On the back, we're told about a Historic Hit of sorts, Banks's final walkoff hit on April 13th, 1969, a bases-loaded single.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HUfkcdsjciE/YUe52Rp0mNI/AAAAAAABHts/eLU8Su5oTSsHIMXY93sai9AeJLs2g4cQwCPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG091921_0012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HUfkcdsjciE/YUe52Rp0mNI/AAAAAAABHts/eLU8Su5oTSsHIMXY93sai9AeJLs2g4cQwCPcBGAYYCw/w288-h400/IMG091921_0012.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Framed Relics #MFR-CYE Christian Yelich</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'll save the minis and non-baseball topics for Part 2, so I'll end with this quasi-mini relic card of Christian Yelich. It's a tobacco-sized mini sealed within a full-sized frame, and I do recall getting one of these via trade <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-trading-post-18-cards-on-cards.html">once before</a>. Topps hasn't changed the design of these since 2008, as it still has the same little window so you can feel the actual relic.</p><p>It's small, but you can see part of the 50th Anniversary patch the Brewers wore last year. Just look down and left of the Nike swoosh. None of that made it to the actual relic.<br /></p><p></p><p>The Brewers just clinched their fourth straight postseason appearance, and while they won't roll over the Rockies in three games like they did in 2018, they have a strong team, with or without the recently-retired Ryan Braun who did not play this season.</p><p>I've had a soft spot for Yelich ever since I got his foul ball <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2014/08/fun-fact-baseballs-float.html">way back in 2014</a>. It's nice to have a relic to go along with it.</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-41369152702501027122021-08-22T20:14:00.000-06:002021-08-22T20:14:16.256-06:00A Very Late Opening Day<p>For as long as I've been watching Major League Baseball, Opening Day happens in early spring. Topps built a whole set around it, and they helpfully list the date right on the Blue Foil parallels. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjouTeSiRGEpYCTB-XXvG9ZY8XecWtZO6PRGyEaUUo3TlMAXH08s054RR0C5JwpQv1BpUhpTa2ncwchI0Eoedyb1hoZsQ-q653p0-98UM5KChE8wbKHoMh8BMAkwE9oyHzmcyRiEfi0np9H75EtbrpIU0sX7mAZs7w5HdjKTd5YeaFTd6cCF3A2tykM=s1046" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjouTeSiRGEpYCTB-XXvG9ZY8XecWtZO6PRGyEaUUo3TlMAXH08s054RR0C5JwpQv1BpUhpTa2ncwchI0Eoedyb1hoZsQ-q653p0-98UM5KChE8wbKHoMh8BMAkwE9oyHzmcyRiEfi0np9H75EtbrpIU0sX7mAZs7w5HdjKTd5YeaFTd6cCF3A2tykM=w280-h400" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day Blue Foil #168 A.J. Puk</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>March 26th, 2020. That's when the season was supposed to begin.</p><p>Earth had other plans.</p><p>It ended up happening four months late, kicking off in late July 2020. I could be cheeky and call this A.J. Puk card an uncorrected error (along with all the rest in this parallel set), but really it's just disappointing and tragic. <br /></p><p>I suppose it's fitting that I'm just now getting around to blogging about this hanger box of 2020 Topps Opening Day, after a year and a half of it sitting on my card shelf. They got the season started on time this year, but a springtime Opening Day isn't something that's carved in granite, and isn't something you can always rely on, even though you always thought you could.</p><p>And now, so it goes with Topps as a whole. Ever since the early 1950s, collectors could count on having Topps baseball cards available for purchase. Over the years they've been for sale for as cheap as a nickel or as much as hundreds of dollars a box, and everything in between. But there was a seismic event in the baseball card world a few days ago.</p><p>On Thursday, it was announced that Fanatics, a sports apparel and memorabilia company with a less-than-stellar reputation, will have the exclusive license to print MLB trading cards starting in 2026. Even more shocking is that Topps will lose their MLBPA license to use player names and likenesses after 2022. </p><p>There has been much speculation in recent days since this news hit the wire, not to mention the sudden implosion of the deal Topps had with a SPAC to go public at a valuation of over $1 billion. That's <a href="https://spacalpha.com/n/mudrick-capital-acquisition-corporation-ii-announces-termination-of-hyyx3">off the table now</a>, replaced by a gaping void of uncertainty.</p><p>Using their MLBPA agreement, Fanatics can step in as soon as 2023 with unlicensed player-only cards like we've seen from <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/11/a-more-local-lcs-part-3.html">Panini</a> for most of the past decade. But as I understand it, that's an exclusive license, leaving Topps in the awkward position of being able to use MLB team names and logos but no players. </p><p>I can't imagine the powers that be will allow airbrushed cards from Fanatics to coexist for three years with, I don't know, Topps cards of nothing but batting helmets and stadiums and mascots. As it stands now, I believe that scenario would be contractually possible, but that certainly isn't what anyone has in mind.</p><p>My prediction is that either Fanatics will buy the rights to the existing MLB license from Topps, kicking off this transition even earlier than we had expected and leaving Topps to fend for themselves with little more than their various soccer and pro wrestling products, or my preferred option at this point, they'll just buy Topps and their vast stable of brands outright, albeit at a far lower valuation than Topps was supposedly worth just a few days ago.<br /></p><p>Business is war. </p><p>And monopolies are double-edged swords. Surely we all wouldn't be so concerned about the future of card collecting if Upper Deck had been able to compete with Topps since 2010.<br /></p><p>In any case, here's how I feel about it:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7uXk5daZdG0QafY71ovooAhFz1YwPf8MRA4SPqinUchhqJwIyPpKvEWr676ztCs4KurSPAdpU4VdiiDzLFUSsnzGke5OH-XYF3Y-DLcGg_WsBuXsLhx2qt7Imshe_e9HxftE4Rq0n9S_iJZSFKaObvI_rgcaGj_ynrgvfXVT3SLL4I1bcExtvTGN3=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7uXk5daZdG0QafY71ovooAhFz1YwPf8MRA4SPqinUchhqJwIyPpKvEWr676ztCs4KurSPAdpU4VdiiDzLFUSsnzGke5OH-XYF3Y-DLcGg_WsBuXsLhx2qt7Imshe_e9HxftE4Rq0n9S_iJZSFKaObvI_rgcaGj_ynrgvfXVT3SLL4I1bcExtvTGN3=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day #122 Jorge Alfaro</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Just add this whole saga to the ever-growing list of Things We Can't Count On Anymore.</p><p>Let's also not forget that the prospect of another labor dispute is clouding the waters. But regardless of what will happen in the future, Topps has quite a history, and it kept going all throughout 2020. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJOvbHSfBsys6hJ-dYfdhbaF3sFDli4iPFkWNRzaCs4o-QVZbfNwEaLAhTFAK63scuWlnG4E3zHMAlT6xPZIgHU9kxv9cPmAAGR_UFajgqwpWvfbOI0PevtmeH9pFB8bhAz2fqvmZIb6k4Jwkwjhc2lVfdCVRIgu1VaoGYqmNzFQg3AZ9OG85qLdv2=s1040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJOvbHSfBsys6hJ-dYfdhbaF3sFDli4iPFkWNRzaCs4o-QVZbfNwEaLAhTFAK63scuWlnG4E3zHMAlT6xPZIgHU9kxv9cPmAAGR_UFajgqwpWvfbOI0PevtmeH9pFB8bhAz2fqvmZIb6k4Jwkwjhc2lVfdCVRIgu1VaoGYqmNzFQg3AZ9OG85qLdv2=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day #89 José Altuve</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>"'José's the heart and soul of what we do,' says Astros manager A.J. Hinch", or so says the card back of José Altuve's 2020 Opening Day card. It would turn out that Altuve and other Astros were at the heart of the cheating scandal from 2017 and beyond, something that got shoved to the back burner by the pandemic, along with everything else. As you might imagine, there remains some pretty bad blood between the Astros and Dodgers, but all in all, it didn't really make the waves it might have during a normal season. A bunch of the players involved have since moved on to other teams by now anyway.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHJYuywMjJ311LBj6URpdyOPJdXymJo7_ev2yH1SaoY-Cfi9_ag-h3TexAHuvalwodXwOYMhSL3uLxysCp54RAnAf7bKWhcYTSshrUThcrdL0_iBUb7PAwNS2l4UgQY8qGEU6ky5lHlukTuZicCRhumoIO-Z7nj1JfsN9UhdL3bp0uWxVw86roj2ys=s1040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHJYuywMjJ311LBj6URpdyOPJdXymJo7_ev2yH1SaoY-Cfi9_ag-h3TexAHuvalwodXwOYMhSL3uLxysCp54RAnAf7bKWhcYTSshrUThcrdL0_iBUb7PAwNS2l4UgQY8qGEU6ky5lHlukTuZicCRhumoIO-Z7nj1JfsN9UhdL3bp0uWxVw86roj2ys=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day #14 Alex Verdugo</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Alex Verdugo wasn't on the 2017 Postseason roster, so he didn't get to see the Astros cheating scandal firsthand, but he did suit up for L.A. that year, and traditionally, that's enough to earn a ring. Despite being on some extremely talented teams, he has yet to appear in an actual Postseason game. That might change this year depending on where the Red Sox finish in the standings, which is where Verdugo plays now.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8LrJ0sM-X9OX3M3jvYp6gd_MGyhS-K5KbRh4btksR3EGwu2MH-j9Q1mgACJhaFRh8RqVoM_3B323YZRTQKXokA6dmEn0wsfLQx6FYaKMW_cST3OqSqlL3AFFltSCxe1dG4w-YmHPifEW--SSD9a6CXAz5zUSBlwRCqoYIz3Hq2TQDqjS5ylCwtvhH=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8LrJ0sM-X9OX3M3jvYp6gd_MGyhS-K5KbRh4btksR3EGwu2MH-j9Q1mgACJhaFRh8RqVoM_3B323YZRTQKXokA6dmEn0wsfLQx6FYaKMW_cST3OqSqlL3AFFltSCxe1dG4w-YmHPifEW--SSD9a6CXAz5zUSBlwRCqoYIz3Hq2TQDqjS5ylCwtvhH=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day #28 Mookie Betts</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In fact, he was part of the trade that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles. Consequently, as a Rockies fan, I've been seeing a lot more of Betts than Verdugo these days. It always surprises me how well I find myself knowing the Dodgers lineup. They play the Rockies a lot, they're often on the nationally-televised games, and they make the Postseason constantly. Like it or not, they're a force to be reckoned with.</p><p>And they have become the New York Yankees of baseball, <a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinYanks/status/1427077093196771332">according to A-Rod</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNqGLQvV-UMAVse7f8_TlF3eENVUyUMmbh-CAGA6nlhRHbhm8BB81768HQzdnVNuj9-u8Qu25JJ6imZuaKCz7_yTfiUWBWWXeeMhmT2_8YcFxmQLdbvlTbdd9RBy04uXehXc_2-VbV7bSQZrOFwMJCzezrk305YJoQVRQW4DuPx5msUu5Ty9_5O3pj=s1044" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNqGLQvV-UMAVse7f8_TlF3eENVUyUMmbh-CAGA6nlhRHbhm8BB81768HQzdnVNuj9-u8Qu25JJ6imZuaKCz7_yTfiUWBWWXeeMhmT2_8YcFxmQLdbvlTbdd9RBy04uXehXc_2-VbV7bSQZrOFwMJCzezrk305YJoQVRQW4DuPx5msUu5Ty9_5O3pj=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day #48 Francisco Lindor</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Those Yankees are not to be confused with the crosstown New York Mets, which is where Francisco Lindor is now playing. His career has taken a significant downturn, <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32061594/francisco-lindor-says-new-york-mets-owner-steve-cohen-right-criticize">much to the chagrin</a> of the new Mets owner.</p><p></p><p>The card back mentions that Lindor was an All-Star in four consecutive seasons, but that's a streak that was snapped this year. In future years, we'll have to remember that there was no All-Star Game in 2020, so seeing a gap in the list of All-Star seasons isn't necessarily indicative of a broken streak. Notice that Lindor is wearing the official Indians All-Star patch on his left sleeve, the one with the Rock & Roll-themed guitar.</p><p>This would be a good place to mention the new Cleveland team name, the Guardians. That will go into effect next season. I like the name, I understand why they're changing it, and the detail-oriented side of me appreciates that they'll keep their place in line on an alphabetical list of team names. I'm sure that was the lowest of priorities when choosing their new name, but maybe keeping the last four letters in place was intentional to maintain a degree of connection to their history.</p><p>Here's the Tom Hanks-narrated <a href="https://twitter.com/Indians/status/1418565355472101378">video</a> of their new identity, named for the Art Deco-style Guardians of Traffic statues on the Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkskAfuhPN5bFTTmydBlAzp0r1RUc7mk_lkv5f9DT44hIbwWVRZJ4BzZCAmGhmPtyxXmpi0gNs1lWsJLmv-3ObnxD6X4K8vnPpK5qxHuewzXbrsRbErFmjhJvJit5p4ETJOnG6_wsR8g0a3vP1owubXngqjHPVNpqGM00sf8BdNToeIF-00VSF0-yT=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1036" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkskAfuhPN5bFTTmydBlAzp0r1RUc7mk_lkv5f9DT44hIbwWVRZJ4BzZCAmGhmPtyxXmpi0gNs1lWsJLmv-3ObnxD6X4K8vnPpK5qxHuewzXbrsRbErFmjhJvJit5p4ETJOnG6_wsR8g0a3vP1owubXngqjHPVNpqGM00sf8BdNToeIF-00VSF0-yT=w400-h286" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day #162 Max Kepler</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I found some nice horizontal photos in this box, such as this one of Max Kepler's home run trot. I haven't said much about the 2020 design, and didn't really even post about the 2020 Topps base set until <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/07/what-difference-year-makes.html">last month</a>, but I have to say it works better in horizontal orientation than it did in 2017, when the design <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2017/03/yarrrr-matey.html">covered up</a> a lot more of the photo.</p><p></p><p>It's worth mentioning here that Topps has already released images of the <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/topps/status/1415672967502077957">2022 set</a> design, and while it's certainly more readable than this year's set, I don't know how well I'll be able to differentiate it from most of the Bowman sets we've seen in the past decade. <br /></p><p>Anyway, I like how the Twins are clearly making the most of all their
scoreboard graphics. It leaves little doubt as to what just happened on the field.
Kepler hit a career-high 36 dingers in 2019, so I'm not even going to
try pinpointing this photo.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwj_wciQPeG2EPvKsMrDgDyaJWJJY8EkFH82ipjdiPH1CxP43tsPvepsLYAxTT7Ze0ajaFHT_ZJu-HePFFt_hs0MkjjW48PN4bXovDlHmAVB20yeGXqItrisuy-F4CHoXMqu-6NtvZVQiPeb0hoCDCn43uteQ4eWp4c3-bCbySUNl1Deaq1KySjBkm=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1036" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwj_wciQPeG2EPvKsMrDgDyaJWJJY8EkFH82ipjdiPH1CxP43tsPvepsLYAxTT7Ze0ajaFHT_ZJu-HePFFt_hs0MkjjW48PN4bXovDlHmAVB20yeGXqItrisuy-F4CHoXMqu-6NtvZVQiPeb0hoCDCn43uteQ4eWp4c3-bCbySUNl1Deaq1KySjBkm=w400-h288" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day #131 Eddie Rosario</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>During what was definitely a different play, Eddie Rosario slid into home to put another run up on the board for the Twins. I can't tell who the blurry third baseman is in the background; if I had to guess I'd say a Kansas City Royal. If that's correct, you're looking at the only two active teams I haven't seen in person. </p><p>Eddie Rosario has since switched leagues, joining the Braves in return for Pablo Sandoval. It was a weird trade, because Rosario is currently on the IL, and the Indians promptly released the Kung Fu Panda the same day they acquired him. Really all Cleveland was trying to do was offload Rosario's contract. </p><p>Incidentally, Eddie Rosario was involved in one of my all-time favorite heads-up plays, where he <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/c-j-cron-singles-on-a-line-drive-to-left-fielder-alex-gordon-eddie-rosario-score">scored from first</a> on a single to short left field. That isn't the play pictured here, but the clip did feature current Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron at the plate.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs-4cKoIqNuMKEPc5Q1I1N7OTCXrhrwTbtIaR6S-PXeElYXj0yKeX24Sqnv_RUUtMzWUIzsv7ZXRCbOatYmT0j2qo27xOdJm7LzJqRuwytBDmYid_Wzvsyeq1DvaVGh0ClUmq-cmNjPVHO1S6h5auMl8R5xLeeiatZd7_xU_oqE8LWQT35yqIzQe5G=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs-4cKoIqNuMKEPc5Q1I1N7OTCXrhrwTbtIaR6S-PXeElYXj0yKeX24Sqnv_RUUtMzWUIzsv7ZXRCbOatYmT0j2qo27xOdJm7LzJqRuwytBDmYid_Wzvsyeq1DvaVGh0ClUmq-cmNjPVHO1S6h5auMl8R5xLeeiatZd7_xU_oqE8LWQT35yqIzQe5G=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day #127 Kirby Yates</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I used to go to a lot of games. Eight or ten a season was common. I haven't been to a regular season game since the pandemic hit. Yes, there was the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, and I do have tickets for one game in September, but that has been a serious adjustment. </p><p>I used to even fly to other cities to see games once in a great while. That also has not been happening, nor do I have any idea when it will again, but I did see Kirby Yates pitch for the Padres in San Diego in <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN201907130.shtml">July 2019</a>. He was asked to come in and get a six-out save, which he was unable to do. The game went to extra innings, and even though the Padres loaded the bases down two runs in the 10th inning, they had no choice but to send a pitcher in to pinch-hit with two outs. That ended the four-hour evening in predictable fashion, at which point I began hunting all over the Gaslamp Quarter for a late-night bite to eat.</p><p>I also used to eat in restaurants. It was nice.</p><p>As far as Kirby Yates, he's recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, and is out for at least the 2021 season. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwgESWjOE4r3JhQVOHJATlX5ZBSF00NYjxiqPpEAOJq2kWksgPzPN-sCIPxxoAjfh5TVOt6HRFQQ9nDKjYY-BKQmOhzXQpR-t9gNKVRTmEh0d9m4mzmgG6XWxk9B32-Qz-2SeeJr2225nFBiTzGc9ZskpwZXKNV_EIsIDPEGioZx1KaKuSi1cRTJxc=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwgESWjOE4r3JhQVOHJATlX5ZBSF00NYjxiqPpEAOJq2kWksgPzPN-sCIPxxoAjfh5TVOt6HRFQQ9nDKjYY-BKQmOhzXQpR-t9gNKVRTmEh0d9m4mzmgG6XWxk9B32-Qz-2SeeJr2225nFBiTzGc9ZskpwZXKNV_EIsIDPEGioZx1KaKuSi1cRTJxc=w284-h400" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day #33 Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Holding all else equal, which is a bold assumption these days, Yates will be teammates with Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. once he returns to the mound. Those Blue Jays are an exciting young team, currently sitting in fourth place in the AL East despite having a solid winning record. Vlad shares the infield with Bo Bichette, who sings his praises on this card back. </p><p>On the card front, the design is graced with the Opening Day logo, the well-deserved Topps Rookie Cup, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wearing a monogrammed elbow guard. That's when you know you've arrived.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioJHIfZlF1oPFRJNqHDShfWEsTlcdNUj1kqZaoVBec_XheLvwrzVCEEsQxqQGYp6n7f1MVsgSBrtKGJEwDNJSEEenmyxus90RZcsaFY-vkF9XZi97VwMJ53IIWiBVQ8epIHkLjelxJ7I0UlQcKQvbhdTt3VP7v0FECNbdeMWrpVCml6vyREyPsLrsP=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1032" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioJHIfZlF1oPFRJNqHDShfWEsTlcdNUj1kqZaoVBec_XheLvwrzVCEEsQxqQGYp6n7f1MVsgSBrtKGJEwDNJSEEenmyxus90RZcsaFY-vkF9XZi97VwMJ53IIWiBVQ8epIHkLjelxJ7I0UlQcKQvbhdTt3VP7v0FECNbdeMWrpVCml6vyREyPsLrsP=w400-h286" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day Opening Day #OD-14 Toronto Blue Jays</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>On to the inserts. I found four in this hanger box, plus the blue parallel shown at the top of this post. This one is from the redundantly named Opening Day insert set, documenting the actual outcomes of the first day of the 2019 season. The Blue Jays hosted the Detroit Tigers at the Rogers Centre on March 28th, 2019, losing 2-0 in 10 innings.</p><p>Speaking of the Tigers, Miguel Cabrera, who went 0-4 that day, was right back in Toronto today and hit his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt_mVbQUQmw">500th career home run</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXudjX5X0VAtvj0F5xYAlIcpQKgDsgB2ZL8qQpTi6eRA8jV6R4P6hLds3dlhH4eP4rOgX5NIgvDkvdhypJ6oTSkyRSKzPEIQ_ngjbLlwFwIAKgfq1bbAT2ZN9sVV6nl605aoatPxZJZ9oPWgUZb0vGTo3ddtDvBGd5v9eJ7ZByc_6pECZm5_f91R9x=s1036" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1036" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXudjX5X0VAtvj0F5xYAlIcpQKgDsgB2ZL8qQpTi6eRA8jV6R4P6hLds3dlhH4eP4rOgX5NIgvDkvdhypJ6oTSkyRSKzPEIQ_ngjbLlwFwIAKgfq1bbAT2ZN9sVV6nl605aoatPxZJZ9oPWgUZb0vGTo3ddtDvBGd5v9eJ7ZByc_6pECZm5_f91R9x=w400-h286" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day Opening Day #OD-15 Washington Nationals</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Fresh off their improbable World Series championship in 2019, Topps gave us a look at how that historic season began for the Washington Nationals. They opened at home, facing off against Jacob deGrom and the New York Mets. The Mets took game 1 of 162, part of what led to the Nationals starting off with a frequently-cited 19-31 record. As we know by now, they turned things around dramatically to win the first World Series in franchise history.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKNWPrP5zsRhQUzWqNuPNJb49kULrto8KKFBAasIbmsLkj6sGce2YaHwJm1rDkR35k2eGxgim8HxqfRMl_MqXGvE3HQU9nnAdVEOswigc2AmyXjQaQiwUyvfCfjej_j_P-dtYookN-MsRxZgomtIbyfhDsq8dF2LkMNLkHayHMZ2bt83MEqU8lSZVC=s1047" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1047" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKNWPrP5zsRhQUzWqNuPNJb49kULrto8KKFBAasIbmsLkj6sGce2YaHwJm1rDkR35k2eGxgim8HxqfRMl_MqXGvE3HQU9nnAdVEOswigc2AmyXjQaQiwUyvfCfjej_j_P-dtYookN-MsRxZgomtIbyfhDsq8dF2LkMNLkHayHMZ2bt83MEqU8lSZVC=w400-h281" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day Spring Has Sprung #SHS-20 Rafael Devers</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Opening Day is obviously preceded by Spring Training, and Topps gave us a look at that portion of the baseball season with this Spring Has Sprung insert set. </p><p>Spring usually springs a bit later than March in most parts of the country, hence why teams fly south to Arizona and Florida to shake the rust off. The set describes how certain players approach the preseason, such as Rafael Devers of the Red Sox joking around with teammates in between heavy training sessions. We're told he hired a personal trainer during the offseason, and he "showed up ready to dominate".</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtqYgWsKdN0O0KpLIcrAq5wTY8mP4bmTv5Frrv5wLz7UNyRqQO1LnUXV9MmnhaLTZU0wIo9PAWcLBfEpXrcm2eLUGfsOX6XCsHIP8foIIzXJBcVwKL6LchbWZwR5kKLApvO5PthlV1dhuo93y4LmyAUedFFz41VHX1JxymmcfMLR_mMYGqP6gBPOdt=s1032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtqYgWsKdN0O0KpLIcrAq5wTY8mP4bmTv5Frrv5wLz7UNyRqQO1LnUXV9MmnhaLTZU0wIo9PAWcLBfEpXrcm2eLUGfsOX6XCsHIP8foIIzXJBcVwKL6LchbWZwR5kKLApvO5PthlV1dhuo93y4LmyAUedFFz41VHX1JxymmcfMLR_mMYGqP6gBPOdt=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2020 Topps Opening Day Mascots #M-8 Bernie Brewer</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'll close this Topps Opening Day post as I usually do, with a Mascot card. I didn't find Dinger, or even the Mariner Moose, but I did at least get one Mascot card, a mustachioed Bernie Brewer, nowhere near his yellow slide in left field.</p><p>I was shut out of the other insert sets, including Team Traditions and Celebrations, Sticker Collection Previews, and a few others that have depressingly long odds to pull.<br /></p><p>I read in Joe Posnanski's column <a href="https://theathletic.com/2767919/2021/08/13/bryce-harper-trea-turner-and-a-report-on-the-ground-from-the-field-of-dreams-game-in-iowa-joes-week-in-baseball/">recently</a> that "The very best version of baseball is how the game was played when you were 10 years old." I think the same is true for baseball card collecting. 1994 Topps Black Gold, for example, ranks up there as one of my favorite insert sets of all-time. It was rare but possible to actually finish. There weren't a zillion of this, a zillion of that, 1/1s, things you'd never have any hope of seeing, especially as a 10-year old. On the other hand, collectors older than me might look at 1994 and cringe at how many sets there were, how some cards looked like a multicolored windbreaker got caught in the printing press, foil, and how even then there were parallel sets like Stadium Club First Day Issues that no one had any hope of completing.<br /></p><p>Of course, there are no guarantees that Fanatics won't take everything we dislike about the current hobby right now and make it even worse. Availability issues, high pricing, short prints, far too many variations and sets to collect, excessive focus on rookies, quality control, and so on.</p><p>Sometimes it feels like we'll be lucky to have cards at all in 2026. Not that I really have room for more anyway, and even if Topps collapsed tomorrow, I'll still have enough cards to keep this blog going for a lifetime, and I think that's true for all of us.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-45669355206946070802021-08-15T20:01:00.000-06:002021-08-15T20:01:21.657-06:00Gold Medal Club (Part 2: Inserts)<p>I wouldn't have to split my posts up into <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2021/08/gold-medal-club-part-1-base.html">multiple parts</a> if Topps didn't pack their blasters so full of blog-worthy cards.</p><p>Or if I didn't find myself writing at least 1,500 words every time I put a stack of cards together.</p><p>Either way, Stadium Club kept me interested for another year with fun inserts, new and old.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNMC6Esnv6k/YRm-dANwqrI/AAAAAAABHQ8/V8ubfPSHYioNASQ8a-emR7K6T18AHVqUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1036/IMG081521_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNMC6Esnv6k/YRm-dANwqrI/AAAAAAABHQ8/V8ubfPSHYioNASQ8a-emR7K6T18AHVqUgCLcBGAsYHQ/w281-h400/IMG081521_0001.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club Greats #SCG-23 Roger Clemens</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>If you dig out your old 1991 Stadium Club box, you'll find a card of Roger Clemens that looks nearly identical to this. The photo on this Stadium Club Greats insert is the same as on the 1991 original. The only difference you'll find is gold foil instead of silver, although it's less likely to be centered quite as well. That was a common issue with early TSC, the foil not lining up all that well with the rest of the design elements. This is a sample size of one, but it appears that they've made great strides in that department over the past thirty years.</p><p>Thirty years, yes, that's how long it's been since Stadium Club first hit the shelves. It's been on-again off-again since then, but I continue to enjoy its renaissance.</p><p>This isn't a straight reprint, as the card back has an entirely new theme. Instead of the green back with the so-called BARS System and a little image of the player's first Topps card, we get a lengthy write-up of the Red Sox portion of Clemens's career. It mentions three Cy Young awards, four times he led the league in ERA, and his massive career strikeout total that has him in third place behind only Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. It skips over additional awards earned during rest of his career with the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Astros, and makes no mention of his lengthy campaign to get into the Hall of Fame.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-icWv3STap48/YRm-dEqfqoI/AAAAAAABHRg/e3CGrlxXd0AIp23R3lG_n2HK0aFCC_B8QCPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG081521_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-icWv3STap48/YRm-dEqfqoI/AAAAAAABHRg/e3CGrlxXd0AIp23R3lG_n2HK0aFCC_B8QCPcBGAYYCw/w286-h400/IMG081521_0003.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club Virtual Reality #VR-7 Ronald Acuña Jr.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>For the 1995 set, Topps debuted a partial parallel set called Virtual Reality. It attempted to project the final full-season stats for 1994, which was cut short by the infamous strike. Sadly, the current state of the world gave Topps an opportunity to trot this theme out one more time, although that's one aspect of Stadium Club I would have preferred to never see again.</p><p>According to the Topps prognosticator, if the 2020 season hadn't been pandemic-shortened, Acuña would have finished with 124 runs scored, 38 homers, and a .250 average. His actual numbers during the 60-game season were 46 runs, 14 homers, and still a .250 average.<br /></p><p>By running a bit of math, it appears that Topps really didn't forecast anything beyond multiplying his actual stats by 2.7, which is simply the rate of how much longer a full season would have been than the shortened season. There was no factoring in a hot spring, a late-season surge, a midsummer slump, or the actual difficulty of schedule the Braves would have faced if they played the rest of the divisions. It's an interesting exercise, but take these numbers with a grain of salt.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hLDsJFnJcVI/YRm-djt972I/AAAAAAABHRc/Idtt3n1z21cSlLzY_cAzkx4tDcMyVNOqQCPcBGAYYCw/s1040/IMG081521_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="739" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hLDsJFnJcVI/YRm-djt972I/AAAAAAABHRc/Idtt3n1z21cSlLzY_cAzkx4tDcMyVNOqQCPcBGAYYCw/w284-h400/IMG081521_0005.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1995 Stadium Club Virtual Reality #94 Joe Girardi</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The 1995 Virtual Reality set didn't take things quite so linearly. In looking at the back of Joe Girardi's '95 VR card, Topps had some faith that Girardi would bump up his average with a "late-season rush", and would put together a nice four-game hitting streak in an alternate-universe Labor Day weekend of September 1994. Which, as we know, is quite typical of how Rockies seasons go.</p><p>They also thought Barry Bonds would tie Roger Maris's single-season home run record of 61. Clearly they put some thought into this project back in the mid-'90s rather than just put =[cell]*2.7 into a spreadsheet and filled down.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jYRo8glycSU/YRm-d03gHaI/AAAAAAABHRg/Sd7OGhMjyGczTmC9dEDizMkkIbjjswidgCPcBGAYYCw/s1040/IMG081521_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1040" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jYRo8glycSU/YRm-d03gHaI/AAAAAAABHRg/Sd7OGhMjyGczTmC9dEDizMkkIbjjswidgCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h285/IMG081521_0006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club Sepia #43 Evan White (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>My haul of colored parallels was right in line with stated pack odds. I felt like I got a nice mixture of what was on offer, starting with Evan White's rookie card in Sepia form. The young first baseman already has a Gold Glove to his name, but his promising career is on hold for right now while he recovers from hip surgery.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A1Vl_WjVT2M/YRm-dttcXKI/AAAAAAABHRY/Kw-LzLWnpCA6rBqAHxZPvJYonQoe3by4QCPcBGAYYCw/s1035/IMG081521_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1035" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A1Vl_WjVT2M/YRm-dttcXKI/AAAAAAABHRY/Kw-LzLWnpCA6rBqAHxZPvJYonQoe3by4QCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h286/IMG081521_0004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club Black Foil #183 Joc Pederson</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Back to the world of full color, here's Joc Pederson pictured (very briefly) as a Chicago Cub. Pederson only spent the first half of the 2021 season in the Windy City before becoming an early casualty of the Cubs rebuilding program. He was traded to the Braves in mid-July, shortly before most of his more well-known teammates were sent elsewhere.</p><p>The first game Pederson played as a Brave was against the Tampa Bay Rays, but that was a home game. He never played the Rays as a Cub, so I'd guess that this shot of him with a Mike Zunino cameo was actually taken during the 2020 World Series when he was still a Dodger, then given the Photoshop treatment.</p><p>This card is one of the Black Foil parallels, which is somehow even less shiny than you'd expect.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xkgZYX5MdgA/YRm-dxwTkwI/AAAAAAABHRk/gmuQlO9JfnYbj7RkTJAl_j1Uuk3AX1lgQCPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG081521_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1036" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xkgZYX5MdgA/YRm-dxwTkwI/AAAAAAABHRk/gmuQlO9JfnYbj7RkTJAl_j1Uuk3AX1lgQCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h286/IMG081521_0007.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club Red Foil #38 Cal Ripken. Jr.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Red Foil is much more striking, and is reminiscent of early Stadium Club sets like 1994. Of course, both Cal Ripken, Jr. and cameo player Wade Boggs were in that set, and between the two, we're looking at two Hall of Fame plaques, thirty-one All-Star appearances, sixteen Silver Sluggers, and more. Add to that a Rookie of the Year award for Boggs, and two MVP awards for Ripken, which is mentioned on the card back.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kb_BUzv346g/YRm-eLppnzI/AAAAAAABHRo/fhy8ZwhVUG0ol3ml3-uvvoNHdqf67SVigCPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG081521_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kb_BUzv346g/YRm-eLppnzI/AAAAAAABHRo/fhy8ZwhVUG0ol3ml3-uvvoNHdqf67SVigCPcBGAYYCw/w286-h400/IMG081521_0008.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club Red Foil #77 Jesús Sánchez (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Jesús Sánchez is clearly amazed by those accolades.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uMS3HZo3pkc/YRm-eWMW2mI/AAAAAAABHRs/6lvsZbBMEa0smbQc8I36o5o0IjcvTOrFgCPcBGAYYCw/s1041/IMG081521_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uMS3HZo3pkc/YRm-eWMW2mI/AAAAAAABHRs/6lvsZbBMEa0smbQc8I36o5o0IjcvTOrFgCPcBGAYYCw/w286-h400/IMG081521_0009.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club Autographs #SCBA-JM Julian Merryweather (AU) (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I was lucky enough to pull an autograph in this blaster, an on-card signature of Toronto Blue Jays rookie Julian Merryweather. He's appeared in twelve Big League games thus far, but has been recovering from an oblique strain for most of this year. When he does return, he'll pitch in Toronto for the first time. His home games thus far have only been played at his team's temporary homes in Buffalo and Dunedin, FL.</p><p>He's on the older side for a rookie, as he'll be turning 30 in just a couple months.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JOnm1zAbCtU/YRm-dEP0xkI/AAAAAAABHRs/5YjU5rgUQBAGcoX7jAadWGPvxxSHgXBSQCPcBGAYYCw/s1113/IMG081521_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1004" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JOnm1zAbCtU/YRm-dEP0xkI/AAAAAAABHRs/5YjU5rgUQBAGcoX7jAadWGPvxxSHgXBSQCPcBGAYYCw/w361-h400/IMG081521_0002.jpg" width="361" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club Oversized Master Photos #OBPDG Deivi García</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Concluding this 2021 Stadium Club blaster is the first card I found in it, the Master Photo box topper. It has unusual dimensions of 3 3/8" x 3 3/4", and is significantly smaller than <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2019/10/an-lcs-survivor-bills-sports_13.html">past Master Photos</a> I've seen from older Stadium Club sets. Compared to that, I'm unsure what makes this "Oversized".</p><p>I don't know much about Deivi García, who is probably the least well-known name in the entire collection of Master Photos, but it is nice to see an unfamiliar player on the 1993 Stadium Club design. There isn't much to be found on the back. It's mostly white like an old photo print. One of the corners is a little dinged, and there's also a little damage on the back of Sánchez's card. I escaped the worst of it, but I definitely heard some tales of woe regarding quality control of this beautiful set. I'm sure this not-quite-square thing would have gotten damaged eventually wherever I found a place to store it, but it's concerning.</p><p>I'm continuing to keep an eye on Target's website for Topps product, and it's actually somewhat consistently available. You have to be quick, but not as quick as when flippers were running rampant in the card aisle. They have A&G, Gypsy Queen, and Series 2 blasters available as I write this, so act fast if you want some!</p><p>And keep your fingers crossed for good quality control.</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3021704198462869399.post-10957271374616906402021-08-07T17:39:00.000-06:002021-08-07T17:39:37.885-06:00Gold Medal Club (Part 1: Base)<p>Despite all the chaos and disruption around us, one thing remains constant. </p><p>I still love Stadium Club.</p><p>Thanks to Target's recent policy of taking baseball cards out of their stores, I've actually been able to grab a couple products from their website at regular pricing. One of those was a blaster of 2021 Topps Stadium Club, and it's worthy of at least a podium finish in the 2021 Set of the Year race.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sI3AbqTscHE/YQ8SDhZRoyI/AAAAAAABHPk/ZIqGDW4VvasO2lzQdU0mcr04ErtWORb6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1040/IMG080721_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1040" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sI3AbqTscHE/YQ8SDhZRoyI/AAAAAAABHPk/ZIqGDW4VvasO2lzQdU0mcr04ErtWORb6wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/IMG080721_0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #57 Ronald Acuña Jr.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As usual, the set is full of baseball's brightest young stars, including the Venezuelan sensation Ronald Acuña, Jr. He was having a great season until about a month ago, when he suffered a season-ending <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/ronald-acuna-jr-injured">knee injury</a>. Sadly, that also meant he had to miss out on playing in the All-Star Game, though he did attend.</p><p>When he's not on the field, he's usually enjoying his time off it. His dreadlocks and #13 chain are on full display in this borderless photo. Obviously, the picture was shot through the screen, which detracts slightly, but getting such a candid shot of Acuña that's different from so many other action shots is refreshing.</p><p>About a half-century ago, action photos first started appearing in baseball card sets. That artform has advanced so dramatically that us collectors take special notice when a card <i>doesn't</i> have one. Almost every card in the Topps flagship set is an ultra-sharp closeup of a player batting, pitching, fielding, diving, leaping, etc.... Just hanging around on the sidelines has become a rare sight.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WId2vXl-tE0/YQ8SDpemxdI/AAAAAAABHQY/zTSKAQ7VY8wcRMOnFXZFBR8bTB7F1RiuwCPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG080721_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="1036" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WId2vXl-tE0/YQ8SDpemxdI/AAAAAAABHQY/zTSKAQ7VY8wcRMOnFXZFBR8bTB7F1RiuwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h286/IMG080721_0003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #172 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Not that perfectly-cropped action photos are boring. Far from it. I think we just like more variety. A set like Stadium Club needs shots of the All-Star Game MVP snagging a ball in his blue glove as much as any other. And that's not even what Vladimir Guerrero Jr. does best. He is second on the home run leaderboard for 2021, just three behind Shohei Ohtani.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkfaoXjjCv0/YQ8SEo7Pi-I/AAAAAAABHQc/-x8wEbS2mXIZ8RBvEc_s3cZE_vns6WqSwCPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG080721_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkfaoXjjCv0/YQ8SEo7Pi-I/AAAAAAABHQc/-x8wEbS2mXIZ8RBvEc_s3cZE_vns6WqSwCPcBGAYYCw/w288-h400/IMG080721_0005.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #241 Joey Bart (RC)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As young as they are, both Acuña and Guerrero have some service time under their belts by now. But there are lots of fresh rookies in the Stadium Club checklist, like Joey Bart of the Giants. Ostensibly the eventual replacement for Buster Posey, the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket is ranked #15 on the list of top MLB prospects. He got a little playing time in 2020 while Posey opted out of the season, but he's appeared just twice in 2021.</p><p></p><p>In any case, whether they're rookies or veterans, photos of catchers in full gear are great every time. Design-wise in 2021 Stadium Club, there is little to distract from the photo. There's just a little black banner in the lower left with the player's name in silver foil and the color-coded team abbreviation. The Stadium Club logo is in the upper right, and the Rookie Card logo in the lower right. That's about it, which makes the Nike Swoosh stand out that much more.<br /></p><p></p><p>And clearly he's a catcher, even though this design doesn't explicitly tell us the player's position.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWP2zaqWdLs/YQ8SDjbIx_I/AAAAAAABHQQ/tT0YuiZu_TM1OjolKdQpl1IBb_8QyC9DwCPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG080721_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWP2zaqWdLs/YQ8SDjbIx_I/AAAAAAABHQQ/tT0YuiZu_TM1OjolKdQpl1IBb_8QyC9DwCPcBGAYYCw/w286-h400/IMG080721_0002.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #41 Ian Happ</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The ivy wall at Wrigley Field also always looks good on cards, and here's Ian Happ tracking down a daytime fly ball for the Cubbies. The friendly confines have stood for well over a century, but Ian Happ's surroundings have changed dramatically in the past couple weeks. He's now part of a drastically different Cubs team, with stars Rizzo, Bryant, Kimbrel, Báez, and others traded to a variety of contending teams for a massive haul of prospects. Most of them, you'll recall, were part of that magical championship team in 2016.</p><p>We'll see what happens with the Cubs and their new prospects in 2026 or so, but the Cubs front office had to make sure that their fans were still intimately acquainted with heartbreak.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNyNxYcDzns/YQ8SEGh4ywI/AAAAAAABHQU/AR6w3EJShIUso4ttnmYmizlGPU91XQI5wCPcBGAYYCw/s1047/IMG080721_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNyNxYcDzns/YQ8SEGh4ywI/AAAAAAABHQU/AR6w3EJShIUso4ttnmYmizlGPU91XQI5wCPcBGAYYCw/w283-h400/IMG080721_0004.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #205 Kyle Lewis</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's only fitting that I get to blog about my favorite set on National Baseball Card Day. Of the many synthetic holidays that now fill the calendar, it's one of my favorites, right up there with International Chicken Wing Day, National Potato Chip Day, World Whisky Day, and of course Look For Circles Day.</p><p>And I found one, right behind 2020 AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis.<br /></p><p>In all seriousness, this is an excellent photo. It would require a lot of patience to get a snapshot of an outfielder right in front of his team's logo. It's definitely a shot the photographer prepared for. And if you look closely, you can see just how perfect the pocket is on Lewis's glove. The only way this could be any better is if the ball were in frame.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2IFtbtoMGGE/YQ8SFNPLiEI/AAAAAAABHQY/mhCcM15yZBk29w2BUGXS7BdlaQmiWdaMACPcBGAYYCw/s1040/IMG080721_0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="749" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2IFtbtoMGGE/YQ8SFNPLiEI/AAAAAAABHQY/mhCcM15yZBk29w2BUGXS7BdlaQmiWdaMACPcBGAYYCw/w288-h400/IMG080721_0006.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #185 Kirby Puckett</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Moving on from the current young players, we come to the retired legends that populate the Stadium Club checklist. It's been a while since I pulled a Kirby Puckett card out of a pack. And because players like Puckett built such a solid career, it's easy for us to forget that they were once young players with a promising but uncertain future. We've loved watching Acuña these past few years, but that ACL injury definitely puts a question mark or two out there.</p><p>When I first started watching baseball in 1993, the Twins were wearing pinstripes and had moved away from the "TC" lettering, so this photo is certainly from early in Puckett's career, maybe even from his rookie year of 1984.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_GxJZKdxCu0/YQ8SFjyvtBI/AAAAAAABHQc/hpCeCLzexdsFTiE7un5o0_xAD7WGzdw4ACPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG080721_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_GxJZKdxCu0/YQ8SFjyvtBI/AAAAAAABHQc/hpCeCLzexdsFTiE7un5o0_xAD7WGzdw4ACPcBGAYYCw/w286-h400/IMG080721_0007.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #116 Greg Maddux</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>More difficult to place in time is this clubhouse celebration photo of Greg Maddux. He's clearly wearing a shirt that says the Braves were National League Champions, but that happened numerous times throughout the '90s, both before and after Maddux's arrival in 1993. The Yankees won more World Series that decade, but the Braves had a longer streak of reaching the Postseason. </p><p>Greg Maddux, one of the greatest control pitchers of all-time, was there for most of it, and his Braves came away with the ultimate prize in 1995. As the card back tells us, he had a 2.84 ERA throughout the 1995 Postseason, part of which came in the NLDS against the Rockies.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-936HelZTl4A/YQ8SGCpZxUI/AAAAAAABHQk/6df_oNNP-8sEBEdpAV_FFZaDMCVWy0XcACPcBGAYYCw/s1032/IMG080721_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1032" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-936HelZTl4A/YQ8SGCpZxUI/AAAAAAABHQk/6df_oNNP-8sEBEdpAV_FFZaDMCVWy0XcACPcBGAYYCw/w400-h285/IMG080721_0008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #262 Frank Thomas</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Of these retired stars, Maddux is mostly out of the spotlight, and sadly Puckett is no longer with us, but Frank Thomas is still well-known to current baseball fans, as he's part of the Fox broadcast crew. David Ortiz is usually the one who is up to the most mischief at the postgame desk, but Thomas is a commanding presence.</p><p>Once upon a time, he was known as The Big Hurt, and he was as big a name as they came in the early '90s. The two-time MVP was a fearsome hitter, and it appears that he is using an actual piece of rebar to warm up in the on-deck circle. Apparently, he used this throughout his career, and it allegedly came from the demolished Old Comiskey Park.</p><p>If he could actually swing this thing, I'd love to see how far he could hit a baseball with it. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLJ-JYt3SHc/YQ8SGq-Y91I/AAAAAAABHQg/tDTET7OWQQ0utCW2oWjsUgvdEEvkyjydQCPcBGAYYCw/s1040/IMG080721_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLJ-JYt3SHc/YQ8SGq-Y91I/AAAAAAABHQg/tDTET7OWQQ0utCW2oWjsUgvdEEvkyjydQCPcBGAYYCw/w286-h400/IMG080721_0009.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #123 George Brett</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>George Brett appeared in this blaster too. His career wrapped up in 1993 along with Nolan Ryan's, so I didn't end up seeing any of it. Neither Brett nor Ryan made the All-Star team or the Postseason in 1993, and that was before Interleague play, so all I knew of them was from their legendary status, and in the case of Nolan Ryan, that orange and blue Pacific set.</p><p>On the card back, there's only a single line of stats for his career totals. Active players got another stat line for their 2020 season, but these retired players just have their gigantic numbers jockeying for position on the vertical card back. Brett's 10,349 at bats. Thomas's 4,550 total bases. Maddux's 999 career walks (!). Only the greats can stick around long enough to get that high up the leaderboards.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kiEvBV_CPx0/YQ8SHMl78HI/AAAAAAABHQg/ELLBS7IpnG0lZLw5-d_Zsq8UrE2IJpk2wCPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG080721_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="747" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kiEvBV_CPx0/YQ8SHMl78HI/AAAAAAABHQg/ELLBS7IpnG0lZLw5-d_Zsq8UrE2IJpk2wCPcBGAYYCw/w289-h400/IMG080721_0010.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #51 Willie Mays</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As impressive as those numbers are, a few players have true numbers that are even higher. Late last year, the Negro Leagues were elevated to Major League status, so that means some players, like Willie Mays, actually have statistics that aren't really what we thought they were. The card back says that Mays had 1,903 RBI, but thanks to six more that we know about during his 1948 season with the Birmingham Black Barons, that total is now 1,909 as per Baseball-Reference.</p><p>It remains to be seen what Topps will do with Negro League stats in future years on cards of Mays and Monte Irvin and Elston Howard and so many more, whether their traditional National League and American League stats will be used for the totals on card backs, or whether we start to see a more complete representation of what actually happened in their careers.</p><p>I'm also curious to see whether we'll start seeing more cards of players whose careers ended before Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers. It's been a while since I've pulled a Kirby Puckett card, yes, but I most definitely have never pulled a Martín Dihigo card. I'd like to see Topps change that.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hex-fRsSkFc/YQ8SHkp3iaI/AAAAAAABHQk/VecIDK6OCU0BiI-Sp2MIF6YXygLcH4-GACPcBGAYYCw/s1036/IMG080721_0011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hex-fRsSkFc/YQ8SHkp3iaI/AAAAAAABHQk/VecIDK6OCU0BiI-Sp2MIF6YXygLcH4-GACPcBGAYYCw/w288-h400/IMG080721_0011.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2021 Stadium Club #184 Jackie Robinson</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our final card today is Jackie Robinson's, one that I've seen frequently on the blogs this summer. Lots of bloggers have pointed out that this photo was colorized incorrectly, as the Dodgers have never worn red numbers on the back of their uniforms. The small numbers on the front are red, but the backs have always been blue. I wish Topps would just use the original black-and-white photos like they did in <a href="https://infieldflyrulecards.blogspot.com/2014/12/join-stadium-club-part-2-commons.html">earlier releases</a> of Stadium Club.</p><p>As the Tokyo Olympics draw to a close, I wanted to share a fun fact about the Robinson family and the Olympics. Due to World War II, Jackie never got a chance to compete in the Olympic games, though he was certainly talented enough. He was a multi-sport star at UCLA, and excelled in Track & Field. So did his older brother, Mack. </p><p>Surely you know about Jesse Owens, who famously won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. One of those races was the 200m, which Owens won in 20.7 seconds, setting what was then a world record. </p><p>Just a few tenths behind and winning the silver medal was Mack Robinson.</p><p>We'll never know what Jackie might have done in the 1940 or 1944 Olympics, had they occurred as planned. But we'll remember for all time what he did for baseball, and what his legacy is still doing for baseball. It's just worth remembering that to a degree, he was following in his brother's footsteps.</p><p><br /></p>Adam Kaningherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05604439081636666350noreply@blogger.com3