Roy Halladay Hall of Fame!!

Things have been busy around Phungo HQ with a myriad of activities that have kept me from posting regular columns here. Most of these distractions are good things including one hobby I have picked up in the last year - sketching.

 2011 Topps Roy Halladay NLDS No-Hitter

It may not be great, but it is mine - I had never drawn anything beyond a stick figure prior to last summer and I am pretty happy with some of the outcomes. The pictures never look like the people who I am trying to portray, however they do sort of look like people.  This particular drawing is inspired by a 2011 Topps card, click here for a better look.

I use color pencils and draw inspiration from folks like @Mosely_Mark and @Gummyarts who both put together some fun and exciting cardboard art.

This drawing commemorates one of my favorite games and I am glad to see Roy Halladay get honored by the Hall of Fame.



 

 

sources and links
Roy Halladay HOF Index
Phungo Artwork

Swag from Night Owl Cards

Recently I received a nice package of cards from Night Owl Cards, Here are some of the Highlights:

1972 Topps #453 Barry Lersch
1970 Topps #324 Tony Taylor

NOC was able to knock a couple of cards off my vintage checker. I don't really have a current list posted but I do have a checklist that I do take to shows. Both of these early 70s cards are in great condition and are welcome additions to the collection.

Night Owl recently his best vintage discover of 2015 was the Bat Rack photos scattered throughout 1970 Topps. The Tony Taylor card is one of four cards that NOC featured in this post - you have to scroll down pretty far to get to the relevant text, but as always the remainder of the column is pretty interesting.

2011 Topps #219 Carlos Ruiz (Cognac Parallel)

There was a team bag full of cards which consisted of many recent Phillies, however so many players have been traded recently many of those players are no longer with the club. Among the players remaining on the current roster Chooch and Ryan Howard were the biggest names.

In 2011 Topps celebrated their Diamond Anniversary (60th) and had a couple of Diamond Parallels. The Cognacs are a variation on the Diamonds, they sort of look like they took a Diamond card and dipped it in Coca Cola. 

2010 Topps #MTOG Tales of the Game Roy Halladay

This card notes a series where the Phillies at Blue Jays series was moved to Philadelphia. Roy Halladay pitched game 1 of the series. I love cards that can be tied to specific games and we may take a longer look at this one in the future.

Chase

2009 UD O-Pee-Chee #OPC-10 Chase Utley

Yes I have a Chase Utley Player Collection. I have no formal "Have/Need" list for the collection - I am guessing it is less than a hundred cards.  This UD 1975 Topps knock off is a fine addition to the collection.

2015 Topps Stadium Club #99 Chase Utley


The more I see of 2015 Stadium Club the more I am impressed. Love this shot and glad to add it to the Phungo Collection.

Sources and Links
Night Owl Cards

Baseball-ref

Bobby Abreu to represent Phillies at 2015 Hall of Fame Classic

The Hall of Fame Classic is an Alumni game played at Doubleday Field in downtown Cooperstown.

1998 Topps #351 Bob Abreu

Like the Major League All-Star game the HoF Classic gathers players from each Major League Team to play in the contest. In addition to the Bobby Abreu several other Phillies Alums will be on hand representing other teams including Tony Perez, Bob Dernier, Jim Eisenreich, Aaron Rowand, Roy Oswalt, and David Delluci.

There are six Hall of Famers scheduled to be on hand for the day. The Team Captains are Ozzie Smith and Phil Niekro with Perez, Tom Glavine, Robin Yount and Rollie Fingers acting as coaches.  

For further information on the classic click here.

1998 Topps
This is the first Topps issue Bobby Abreu on a Phillies card. He was known as Bob Abreu to Topps until 2003.

2011 60 Years of Topps #60YOT-47 Bob Abreu (right)

The 1998 Abreu card made the cut for the 60 Years of Topps series.  The name plate on the cards is different. The same style of Phillies logo shows up on both cards but on the 60YoT version on the riht the liberty bell is white, while on the original it is red.

The Flip side of the card mentions Roberto Clemente - I assume the connection is both are Latin American players. But they could have gone with a more direct connection of one of Clemente's countryman like Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez, or Carlos Delgado.

2011 60 Years of Topps #60YOT-47 Bob Abreu (b-side)

Of course my other less likely thought is that Topps mentions Roberto Clemente here because they used to call him Bob, just like they at one time referred to Bobby Abreu as Bob.

Below we have a picture of the box Top referred to in the text of the 60YoT card. 

1998 Topps Box (image swiped from Baseball Cardpedia)

Sources and Links
Baseball Hall of Fame
baseball cardpedia
Topps Baseball Card Database

SNB & 2014 Playoff Contenders: Cardinals Matt Holliday 2011 Topps #US324

Sunday Night Baseball is in St Louis monitoring the Cardinals as the host their Division foe Cincinnati Reds. 

The Cardinals are the reigning NL Champions and once again find themselves atop the NL Central. As our Playoff Contenders series rolls on tonight we take a look at veteran Matt Holliday.

2011 Topps #US324 Matt Holliday HRD

There are some players I dislike for good reason, off the field problems, Hot Dogs, the play for the Mets etc. Then there are players I have disliked for a decade and can't remember why. Matt Holliday falls into the latter category.

I can't for the life of me figure out why I dislike him. Maybe it is East Coast bias, Maybe I think of him as an overrated Rockies player, Maybe he got a game winning hit vs the Phillies that I never shoook, Maybe somebody I thought knew nothing about baseball mentioned him favorably - probably a combination of the above.

Regardless the 34 year old outfielder has carved out a nice career. If he stays in baseball for a couple more season he will likely enter the 300 HR and 2000 Hit clubs. The six time All-Star has won a World Series (2011 Cardinals) and participated in 2 other Series. He has 59 postseason games under his belt with a healthy 12 playoff Homers.

Matt Holliday is not a Hall of  Famer, but if he is fortunate enough to play until he is in his 40s, he could become one.  

2011 Topps Home Run Derby
The last couple of years Topps as put the All-Star related cards in Update or TS3 as I sometimes refer to the set. Baseball cards are forgotten by most collectors by the time S3 arrives, they have either had enough or moved on to football or other interests. I have an affection for the last set of the annual flagship. It typically contains an eclectic mix of rookies/long awaited prospects, cup o coffee players, and veterans in odd unis - that is all good fun for me. I never build the set, but do enjoy the few odd packs I pick up.

Each of the eight participants in the 2011 Home Run Derby hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks is represented by a TS3 card. Robinson Cano (Card #US299) won the competition over Adrian Gonzalez (#US 126). Matt Holliday had 5 Homers in round one but was eliminated via tie-breaker to Prince Fielder and David Ortiz.  



Sources & Links
baseball-ref
baseball cardpedia
2014 Playoff Contenders
Arizona Diamondbacks
mlb

2011 Topps #359 Roy Halladay

2011 Topps #359 Roy Halladay Postseason No-Hitter (black parallel - checklist)

Today Roy Halladay announced his retirement, it is a really sad event for this Phillies fan. We were really fortunate to get to see two great seasons out of Halladay, before baseball, pitching, and age all took their toll on the once dominant right hander.

I have been to 200+ ballgames and the game featured on the above card is the best of them.  For the final three, four or maybe even five innings the crowd hung on Doc's every pitch - it was an absolutely amazing night, the Reds never had a chance.


During Halladay's tenure in Philadelphia, I got to see him pitch several times and he had great outings in each of them. I will miss the excitement he brought to the ballpark in each of his starts - baseball is just not going to be as much fun without him

October 6 2010  

Team Phungo's original account from the no-hitter
Baseball-ref BoxScore

InOtherWords - Halladay Retirment Postings from around the cardworld
Funner Here - Philadelphia Daily News Halladay Farewell
Brad's Blog - Topps 5 Star Relic
The Phillies Room - Chachi Original (1988 Topps Retro)
Sports Card Info - 1997 Bowman Chrome International Refractor (RC)

Contrary Guy - 1972 Topps Retro
Mint Condition - 1977 Topps Retro

Cardboard Connection - Roy Halladay Card Buying Guide (RCs)
30 Year Old Cardboard - Gregor Chisholm MLB.com article
High Heat Stats - Statistical Analysis

2011 Topps Opening Day PFP- 9 John F Kennedy

This is the other JFK first pitch card I wanted to post.

2011 Topps Opening Day PFP- 9 John F Kennedy

Not sure what is with the goofy proportions.  This is from a few months after the earlier post and is at the 1962 All-Star Game which was played on July 10th. The Home AL All-Stars took a 3-1 loss in the game.

At the top of the frame we see the note that #24 is at-bat - that refers to Dick Groat who represented the Pirates in the 1962 Series.

More JFK
2007 UD Masterpieces #47 - First Pitch April 9 1962
2013 Phungo #65 John F Kennedy - JFK Museum Statue
Night Owl Cards channels Billie Joel


   

TRENDY: 2011 Topps USA Baseball #21 Michael Wacha (pre-RC)

2011 Topps USA Baseball #21 Michael Wacha

In only his 9th career start Michael Wacha came an out away from a no-hitter. One has to wonder if he will ever get the opportunity again. The Cardinals have a mess of good young players on their roster. Among those players are three pitchers Wacha, Lane Lynn and Joe Kelly.

2011 Topps USA Baseball
Topps USA is a small 61 card set with a couple of players that have already emerged. The most notable (other than Wacha after Yesterday) is Mark Appel along with the Orioles Kevin Gausman. There is a retail version of the set (one autograph card per box) which I see for $15 and under occasionally. In 2010 Topps produced a similar set that included Gerrit Cole and others.

Other Voices
Cardboard Connection Michael Wacha RC/Procpect Price Guide (2013 10 07)

Sources
www.sportscardradio.com
baseball-ref.com
cardboard connection

2011 Topps Opening Day #16 Max Scherzer

Tonight the Detroit Tigers Max Scherzer is attempting to become the first member of the 20 win club in 2013.

2011 Topps Opening Day #16 Max Scherzer

The Tigers Max Scherzer has put together an amazing season. Going into tonight he is 19-1. Sometimes Win Loss records are seen as empty numbers. Certainly each season there seems like there is one Phillies pitcher that gets no run support (Hamels in 2013), and one who gets a lot of runs (Kendrick every season). In Scherzer's case This isn't true. He may not of racked up 20 wins with less offense, but he was still destined to get a bunch.

The current WAR leader among AL pitchers is Chris Sale. I am not sure why this is. Scherzer and Sale have comparable innnigs, ERA, ERA+, Strikeout and WHIP numbers.In fact Scherzer wins All of those categories. I checked around on Twitter and Dan M @_LeftField  (blog = Left Field) specified higher competition, ballpark factors, and the Whilte Sox mediocre defense as reasons that Sale's WAR rating is better than Scherzer.

This amounts to a WAR calculation for Sale of 6.2 while Scherzer stands at 5.8.

Regardless Scherzer is pitching for a team likely destined for postseason play, while the White Sox certainly are not.  There is still a month left to play and right now I would have Scherzer as unanimous Cy Young in the AL.

Another interesting aspect of Max Scherszer's season is his emergence as staff ace on a team that also has Justin Verlander. Verlander has been decent, but not nearly as dominant as his previous seasons.  He has struggled a bit his last few starts and overall his season has been average since Mid May.  Through his first 8 starts of the Season Verlander had an ERA of 1.93.  Since then his ERA has been in the middle 4s.  He has maintained a .500 record across both sets of starts and is still among the league leaders in Innings and Strikeouts.  However, both of those numbers are in the middle of the top 10 among his peers. He led the the league in both Ks and IPs in 3 of the last 4 years.

Justin Verlander is still a good pitcher on a good team and it will be interesting to see if he can return to form as October approaches.  If Max Scherzer can be the staff Ace in the playoffs it makes for some nice options for Jim Leyland at the top of the Tigers rotation.

Sources
baseballcardpedia.com
@_Leftfield

High Heat Stats

Phillies Cards that Never Were - Michael Young

The Phillies have officially bid farewell to Michael Young after a 126 game stint.

There have been only a few Michael Young cards with him representing the Phillies, and I don't think I have picked up any of them yet.  As a Phillies player I think Young can be found in 2013 Topps Heritage and A&G.

However there are Cards that Never Were

2011 Faux Topps Michael Young

This seasons Phillies starting lineup cards still feature 2011 Topps.
 
And

Scoreboard Card - Michael Young

This season the Phillies also feature these Scoreboard Bios that have a Baseball Card Motif.  The design echoes 2003 Topps.

Michael Young's is off to the Los Angeles to see if he can make get involved in the Postseason with Dodgers. A decade from not it will be hard to remember Young played for the Phillies at all.

Regardless best of luck to Mr Young in LA, at least we will have one Phils player to root for in October. 

Sources
ESPN bottom line

2011 Topps #US97 Cody Eppley - Joins the Twins organization

Today it was reported that Cody Eppley has hooked up with the Rochester Red Wings, the AAA Twins Affiliate.    

2011 Topps #US97 Cody Eppley (RC)
Eppley was a decent set up guy for the 2012 Yankees and even pitched in all four games of the ALCS versus the Tigers.  Unfortunately he did not fare well in 2 months of AAA ball with the Teams Scranton Wilkes-Barre affiliate this season and was subsequently released.

Cody Eppley is one of two players to make the majors out of my high school, and I hope to see him back in the big leagues at some point. Cody's brother Nate was in the A's system but was apparenlty released at the beggining of this season.


Ballplayers From Dillsburg Updates
Anthony Lerew 2012 05 11 (2012 Review)
Anthony Lerew 2012 02 28 (Joins Korean League)
Anthony Lerew 2010 11 22 (Venezeulan League No-Hitter)
Anthony Lerew 2009 09 24 (Returns to Starting w/ Royals)
Anthony Lerew 2008 11 25 (Major League Debut)

Snapshots 2013 04 20 Cardinals 5 @ Phillies 0

Team Phungo's first game of 2013 was pretty miserable. The night featured brisk cold, gusty winds, and Zero offense from the home squad.

Despite the crummy game and weather we had a decent night and did get a couple of pix worth noting.

Snapshots 

2013 04 20 Flags at Half-staff

The flags were at Hall-Staff as a memorial and tribute to the victims and heroes involved in the Boston Bombings.

Lance Lynn

The star of the game was Cardinals 25 year old pitcher Lance Lynn who tossed 7 innings of 1 hit ball. This is a photo of Lynn tossing a warmup pitch late in the game. The lone hit was a leadoff double by John Mayberry Jr on a 3-2 pitch leading off the 5th.  
  

 Cliff Lee

Cliff Lee pitched poorly - He only got in trouble in only one inning, the 3rd, when he walked the bases loaded in front of three consecutive singles, but that was enough.  He was never on the whole night, He went 2-0 on the first two batters of the game and went ball 1 for all four batters he faced in the first.  His fastball was high frequently throughout the evening. 

Hall of Fame

Ryne Sandberg

The Phillies new third base coach Ryne Sandberg chats with friends and fans pregame. With each passing game Sandberg looks like the next manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

 Cards that Never Were

2011 Faux Topps Michael Young

Two years in the Phillies starting lineup cards still feature 2011 Topps. 2011 was, of course, the last time the Phillies made the post season where they were eliminated by this weekends opponent, the St Louis Cardinals.

Scoreboard Card - Michael Young

This season the Phillies also feature these Scoreboard Bios that have a Baseball Card Motif.  The design echoes 2003 Topps. 

2011 Topps Baseball Cards Showing up on the Bay

There are a couple of 2011 Topps Cards appearing on Ebay.  Since these are photos, I don't think that they are images yanked from Topps promotional material.

 Photo of 2011 Topps Jimmiee Foxx (SP I think)



Link to this auction - the seller as well as at least one other have a couple of cards posted. 

Also wanted to remind everyone that the Spot the Sig! contest returns tonight 9:30ish PM phungo time.