2018 HOF Candidate: Jamie Moyer

Today's HOF Candidate has a bunch of local ties Souderton HS Alum, St Joe's University Alum, and Starting pitcher for the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

2008 UD WS #PP-7 Jamie Moyer (image swiped from trading card database)

To me Jamie Moyer is a baseball hero just for pitching until he was 49 years old. I will spare you the suspense - to me Jamie Moyer is an absolute Hall of Famer.

Deep down inside I realize the mans numbers are just to mediocre. His big number is his 269 victories, 56 of which came for the Phillies. Of course that is an accumulation in a stat category that is going out of vogue. Regardless his 50+ WAR is very respectable ranking 110th all-time, better than a handful of Hallers most notably Sandy Koufax. Of course Moyer doesn't have the accomplished Postseason of Koufax who was twice voted World Series MVP.

2008 Upper Deck World Series
The above card honors Jamie Moyer's only World Series appearance. With the series tied 1-1 Moyer took the mound in the Phillies first Home World Series game in 25 years.

The rain delayed game did not start until after 10pm and would not end until nearly 2 the next morning. Moyer the Veteran and True Professional did not let the inhospitable conditions bother him. He put together 6.1 innings leaving the game with a 4-2 Phillies lead. A lead the bullpen would relinquish, however the Phillies eventually won the game 5-4 on a crazy finish - Reserver Eric Bruntlett reached via Hit By Pitch, moved to 3rd on a throwing error by Rays Catcher Dioner Navarro, and scored on a Carlos Ruiz dribbler.  The Phillies scored the winning run without hitting a ball out of the infield. 
 

 

2008 UD WS #PP-7 Jamie Moyer (b-side)

The flip side of the card gives a brief synopsis of the game 3 of the 2008 series. 

For more information Upper Deck's 2008 World Series Box check out Cliff's posting over at Capewood's Collections. 

Verdict

As mentioned above Jamie Moyer is an Hall of Famer to me. YES

Sources and Links

2018 HOF Candidates

Jamie Moyer Player Index

Game Dated Cards 

Capewood's Collections

Trading Card Database 

Baseball-Ref

2018 HOF Candidate: Jim Thome

On December 6 2002 the Philadelphia Phillies announced that the long struggling club was ready for big time when they signed free agent slugger Jim Thome.

Things didn't work out as well as Phillies fans would have liked but the short-lived Thome era did have some fun moments. Over the course of his first two seasons in Philadelphia Thome hit 89 Home Runs including a league leading 47 in 2003. 

2004 Topps #1 Jim Thome (image swiped from Dean's Cards)

Topps honored the league leading season by putting Jim Thome on the #1 card of it's 2004 set (AL HR Leader Alex Rodriguez got 2004 Topps next hero card #100).

Good looking card and I am glad that Thome was recognized by Topps while he wore a Phillies uniform. The team didn't make the playoffs while Thome was here, but it is my opinion he was a key stepping stone to getting the team to a competitive level.

One of my favorite moments of Jim Thome's tenure in Philadelphia was his 400th career Home Run which came during a Phillies 10-7 victory over the Reds on June 14 2004. The game is briefly discussed in our 2006 Wall of Fame posting.  

2004 Topps #1 Jim Thome (b-side image swiped from Dean's Cards)

On the top left of the back of the card we can indeed see that this is the #1 card in the set. 
It also shows Thome's inaugural Phillies stat line which notes his league leading 47 homers in red (as well as his 182 Ks). The short text blurb touches on Thome's other strength, getting on base. The 60 game on-base streak was stopped by pitchers Kris Benson and Scott Sauerbeck during a 2-0 Pirates victory over the Phillies.

Phun Phact
Topps also put Jim Thome on the #1 card of the 2004 Heritage set.

Phungo Verdict
HOF - Big Fan, 600 Home Runs, Great Guy.

Sources and Links
2018 HoF Candidates
Jim Thome Player Collection Index
Dean's Cards
#1 Club

Baseball-Ref

2018 HOF Candidate: Kevin Millwood

The second installment of our 2018 HOF Candidates is on journeyman pitcher Kevin Millwood who had a pretty decent career. His two year stint for the Phillies was fair at best, however there were some big moments during those 2 seasons.

2013 Gypsy Queen No-Hitters #NH-KM Kevin Millwood

His biggest of those moments was on April 27 2003 when Millwood authored a 1-0 No-Hitter versus a San Francisco Giants team that was anchored by Barry Bonds batting clean-up.

Topps recognized the accomplishment in their 2013 Gypsy Queen No-Hitters insert set. Decent looking card which fits the GQ motif. I like that Topps added the uniform number to the front of the card. While looking at this card it occurred to me an awful lot of No-Nos have been tossed by players wearing #34. Within the 15 card 2013 GQ No-Hitter Insert Set alone there are several: Millwood, Felix Hernandez, Homer Bailey, the recently deceased Roy Halladay, and of course Nolan Ryan.

This card also hit on my continuity error nerve. Millwood pitched his No-Hitter at the Vet and yeah that is obviously not the Vet. In fact our here is shown here wearing a road uni - so this game was not even played in Philadelphia.

Flip

2013 Gypsy Queen No-Hitters #NH-KM Kevin Millwood (B-side)

Functional back text doesn't really bring out the excitement of a no-hitter. Topps first cover Millwood's No-Hitter much better in their 2004 offering which is discussed here. 

Phungo Verdict
In addition to Pitching the No-Hitter for the Phillies, Kevin Millwood also started the final game ever played at the Vet. Unfortunately the game was a 5-2 loss to Millwood's former team, the Atlanta Braves.

Obviously that is not the difference maker in Millwood's credentials. He is a respectable 30+ career WAR player, who racked up 169 Ws during a 16 years career. His Cy Young peak was #3  in 1999 (Randy Johnson). That season featured his sole All-Star and World Series Appearances.

Good pitcher, rough Phillies tenure despite some big moments. Verdict VETO. 

Sources and Links
2018 HOF Candidates
Kevin Millwood No-Hitter Index
Cardboard Connection
Kronozio
Baseball-Reference

1993 Phillies 25th Anniversary

This is an index to our feature on the 25th anniversary of the 1993 NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

1993 UD #485 Hammers and Nails

Folks
Larry Andersen
Wes Chamberlain
Darren Daulton
Lenny Dykstra
Jim Eisenreich
Jim Fregosi
Tommy Greene 
Dave Hollins
Pete Incaviglia
Danny Jackson
John Kruk
Mickey Morandini
Terry Mulholland
Curt Schilling
Kevin Stocker

Games
April 9 (Home Opener)
May 10 (Daulton hits Game Winning Slam)
July 28 (2 Grand Slams Cardinals Zeile, Daulton)




Sources and Links
Baseball-Reference 1993 Team Page

2018 HoF Candidate: Scott Rolen

Each of the last couple of years I have reviewed a couple of Hall of Fame candidates and gave my verdict. Tonight we return to the feature to look at the 2018 candidates. The first subject that we will look at is Scott Rolen.

I am not sure if "polarizing" is the word to describe Scott Rolen. He is kind of a low key guy but brings out a lot of opinions in folks. He was a great player in Phladelphia on bad teams - eventually he got tired of playing with the struggling clubs and pushed the Phillies to trade him.

That is where the story gets tough for Phillies fans. Baseball is a business and Scott Rolen as a player as a limited time to earn a living - regardless it hurts a little to see a player asked to be traded away from your favorite team.

2002 Fleer Authentix #86 Scott Rolen

For our Scott Rolen Profile I have chosen a card that falls under our Gamed Dated obsession.

Over the last 25 years I estimate that I have been to about a dozen opening day games including the one played on April 5 2002. The above Scott Rolen card is made to appear like a ticket to that 2002 Phillies Lid-Lifter (fun term I have seen in old school Sporting News headlines, but never hear anymore).

The Phillies defeated the Florida Marlins 6-2 in this particular opener. Not all of this info is given on the Fleer "Ticket". We can see "Florida Marlins" hidden behind Rolen's legs. Also Veterans Stadium.  The Date is pretty much screened but we can make out Friday and April. The full date was April 5th 2002. 

I am happy to say it was a good day for Scott Rolen who reached base all 5 times he batted.  His plate appearances resulted in a double, single and Three Walks. The Phillies other offensive hero was Bobby Abreu who logged a 3-Run Homer as one of his four hits. Brandon Duckworth got the W pitching six innings of 1-run ball and racking up 10 strikeouts. 

Flip

2002 Fleer Authentix #86 Scott Rolen (b-side)

Couple of things to note on the back of 2002 Fleer Authentix. The % of team totals line is an interesting stat idea, easily demonstrates what Rolen meant to the Phillies offense in 2002. The card finishes with Phillies franchise info. I suppose that feels somewhat connected to a card noting the teams Home Opener. Also note that the card represents a game played in 2002 but the stats on the back are for the 2001 season.

Lazy Phungo
Someday I will dig through the Phungo Ephemera Museum and get an image of a real ticket to this game and plop it into this posting, however right now I am to busy/lazy to go through that effort.

Phungo Verdict
YES
I think this will surprise folks who know me but Yes I think Scott Rolen deserves Hall of Fame recognition. He is borderline, but when I remove my biases against him, as a player I think his numbers are HOF worthy. 

I don't think it will happen but it would be nice if the Phillies and Scott Rolen could get together so that he could be recognized on the franchises Wall of Fame.

2002 Fleer Authentix
For another look at the game featured on this card check out our posting dedicated to the Bobby Abreu card from the set here.

Sources and Links
Phungo Scott Rolen Index
2018 Hall of Fame Ballot
Game Dated Cards Index
Baseball-Ref

Updates: 2019 05 28 - Added 2002 Fleer Authentix Bobby Abreu paragraph 

1970 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1971 Topps Set)

1971 Topps #233 Larry Bowa

C Thurman Munson New York Yankees
1B John Ellis New York Yankees
2B Dave Cash Pittsburgh Pirates
3B Al Gallagher San Francisco Giants
SS Larry Bowa Philadelphia Phillies
OF Bernie Carbo Cincinnati Reds
        Billy Conigliaro Boston Red Sox
        Roy Foster Cleveland Indians
RHP Carl Morton Montreal Expos
LHP Les Cain Detroit Tigers


1971 All-Star Rookie Set Proofs (SABR Basseball Cards Tim Jenkins)


Sources & Links
Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Master Index
Baseball-Ref

Roy Hallday (1977 - 2017)

Yesterday we got the news that Roy Halladay died in a plane crash.

2012 07 21 Roy Halladay at Photo Day

While the circumstances are horrible, it was good to hear all the reports of what a terrific person Roy Halladay was off the field. He appeared to be enjoying his post playing career spending time with his family and friends. During a press conference yesterday Cole Hamels showed tremendous poise, articulately discussing Halladay as a Mentor, Ballplayer and Friend.

For out tribute to Roy Halladay I went with a picture of him from the Phillies 2012 Photo Day rather than a card. After hearing so many folks talk about how great Halladay was as a person, I wanted to note the person rather than the ballplayer.

Here is an index of the many Roy Halladay postings that have appeared on Phungo. The NLDS No-Hitter in 2010 will always be one of my favorite sports memories, you can see some pix and read a few of my thoughts here.

Blogs are not as active as they were at one time, but I will be adding the Roy Halladay tributes to this posting as they arrive.

Memorial Postings
Phillies Room (2011 Allen Ginter #N43-RH)
Night Owl Cards (2009 UD OPC)
1960s Baseball (2011 Topps)
Not Another Baseball Card Blog
Ryan Cracknell Beckett
Wrigley Roster Jenga (2010 Heritage / 1961 Topps)
The Writers Journey (Twitter Compilation)
I Need New Hobbies (2007 Allen Ginter)
The Snorting Bull (1997 Bowman Autograph)
$30 a Week Habit (Donruss Studio)
Cardboard Greats (Topps National Chicle)
I Draw Baseball Cards (2013 Topps Custom)

High Heat Stats (1962 Topps Retro)

Sources and Links
Roy Halladay Index
Baseball-Ref

    

Andy Warhol

In June of 2018 I did a presentation for SABR regarding the Baseball Artwork of Andy Warhol. This is an Index of our Andy Warhol related postings.

Andy Warhol by Bernard Gotfryd

The audio from the presentation can be found here. 
The related slides can be downloaded here. 

Baseball - Roger Maris (1962)

Tom Seaver (1977)

Pete Rose (1985)

Joe DiMaggio

Stadium Sketch

Vittles Pop

Sources Links

Getty Images Bernard Gotfryd

Brad Lidge Index

This is an index to our postings related to the closer for the 2008 World Series Champions, Brad Lidge.


2009 Allen & Ginter's #AGHS23 Brad Lidge

DayF Original Lidge Retirement
DayF Original Collection of Game 5 Cards
2009 Topps #278 2008 World Series Game 5 Anniversary
2009 Allen & Ginter's #AGHS23 HOF Ballot Profile (shown above)
2009 UD #298 Phillies All-Decade Team
2009 Phungo #54 - Phungo Original
2008 Topps #UH304 Home Field Advantage in the World Series

2004 Heritage #353 Pack Break (1955 Topps Retro)

2009 06 13 Game Report - Lidge Long Tossing / Rehabbing pre-game
2008 World Series Champs Puzzle - Brad Lidge Photo

Rube Goldberg

In December of 2018 we put together a short presentation on Rube Goldberg for my local SABR chapter. The inspiration for the research was an exhibit on Goldberg at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.

This is an index of our postings related to Rube Goldberg.







The Fan Kid (1904)

PowerPoint Slides from my December 2018 SABR Presentation


Sources and Links
Rube Goldberg His Life and Work (1973) Peter C Marzio
The Art of Rube Goldberg (2013) Jennifer George

Rollie Massimino (1934-2017)

Yesterday we got the sad news that Rollie Massimino had died at the age of 82.

2010 Phungo #10 Rollie Massimino

I am not originally from the Philadelphia area but I will always remember the 1985 Villanova Wildcats championship team. Winning that game made me a fan of the team for life.

I never expected to live in the Villanova community, but life's twists & turns brought me to a place where I reside less than five miles from the campus. The team has now returned to prominence and it is fun to be able to follow the local team.

March Madness 2009
I have gone to the opening rounds of March Madness when it has been hosted in Philadelphia several times. In 2009 I was checking out the lower level prior to the game and talking to a friend when Rollie Massimino passed right in front of him. We mentioned to Rollie how much we enjoyed the 1985 Championship team. He was congenial said thanks, shook our hands, posed for a picture and signed our tickets - the smudge and the fact that it is signed upside down are my fault.

Regardless it is a cool memory to have and one of the more fun artifacts in the Phungo museum.

Phungo Card
The picture I took made it onto a Phungo card back when I still made them. This is pretty early in the Phungo canon so we have a pretty vanilla design with the text being a snapshot from an excel spreadsheet. Pretty primitive, but considering my minimal graphic arts skills at the time, I am pretty proud of the finished product.

Rollie Massimino Index
2007 Donruss Extra Edition #65 (February 2016 Villanova reaches #1 for first time since 1985) 
2010 Phungo #10 (25th anniversary of 1985 Championship)
Game Report March Madness 2009


Wiki
I have a posted a few dozen of my photos to Wikipedia, this is the first of those pictures.

Sources and Links
Sports-Ref

Darren Daulton (1962-2017)

Earlier this month we got the news that Darren Daulton had died.

The beloved catcher was the anchor of the 1993 NL Championship team.

 2003 Fleer Ultra All-Vet #2 Darren Daulton 

Ten years later he also beat out Bob Boone for the honor being the catcher on the Phillies All Veteran Stadium Squad.

The day the Vet closed the Phillies gave out 12 card packs of cards honoring the All-Vet team. Most of the players were either members of one of the three teams to play a World Series at the Vet (1980, 1983, 1993).

The Phillies lost to the Braves 5-2 that day, but it didn't matter. As fan I was there to say goodbye to the Vet and recall all the good memories I had at the venue. 

2017 Phillies Alumni Weekend

2017 08 13 - Three Catchers

Darren Daulton's passing occurred shortly before Alumni Weekend and the Phillies honored the All-Star catcher by painting his #10 behind the plate. Alum introductions closed with a about a dozen of his 1993 teammates entering the field wearing his #10 jersey and encircling the plate area in tribute.

The above photo is one that I have simply titled "Three Catchers". The pix was taken between innings, at the right you have Jorge Alfaro entering the frame while Cameron Rupp exits. The two were both on field at one time because Alfaro was either on-deck or on base during the previous half inning while Rupp was in to warm up the pitcher. The third catcher in the picture is Darren Daulton, memorialized here by the #10 behind the catchers box at home plate.  

Other Darren Daulton Memorials 
Phillies Room
Nick Diunte interview with Don Carmen (The Sports Post)

Sources and Links
Darren Daulton Wall of Fame Index
baseball-ref

Darren Daulton Index

This is an Index to our postings related to Darren Daulton.

 2003 Fleer Ultra All-Vet Team #2 Darren Daulton

1986 Topps #264 - Wall of Fame induction tease

1988 Topps #468 - Daulton and Todd Zeile both hit Grand Slams in same game (1993 07 28)
1989 Donruss #549 - Daulton batting righty (the Phillies Collector)
1989 Topps #187 - Card Show Tease
1990 Topps #542 - Daulton sells 1997 World Series Ring
1993 Opening Day Tix - The first home game for the 1993 Phillies (1993 04 09)
1993 Opening Day Tix - 25th Anniversary posting
1993 Upper Deck Team Stars #485 - 1993 NL Champs
1994 Topps Black Gold #28 - The 1993 Phillies may be for real (1993 05 10)

1996 Topps #85 - Daulton first reports brain tumor (2013 July)
2003 Fleer Ultra All-Vet - Darren Daulton Memorial

Card Show 2013 11 02 - Daulton breaks up a snit between Mitch Williams & Lenny Dykstra

1992 Topps #78 Ivan Rodriguez

In recognition of the Phillies Interleague matchup with the Texas Rangers this week we are going to take a look at 2017 Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez

1992 Topps #78 Ivan Rodriguez (rookie cup)

Twenty-Five Years ago Ivan Rodriguez made the 199 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. In 88 Games he batted .264 with three Home Runs. The numbers were good enough to rank 4th in the AL Rookie of the Year voting which was won by Chuck Knoblauch.  

Pudge spent the bulk of his 21 year career with the Texas and he will be the first player enshrined in the Hall of Fame with his primary team listed as the Rangers. He is also the Franchises first rep, as all the Senators inducted are from the DC->Minnesota squad.

Rodriguez was selected for the Hall in his first year of eligibility, although his 76% tally was just one point above the 75% Hall of Fame threshold. Regardless it puts Ivan Rodriguez in the inner circle of Hall of Famers. Of the 15 Catchers in the Hall, I think he and Johnny Bench are the only two to get in on the first ballot.  

 

Catchers are surprisingly under-represented in the Hall. The are 15 Backstops enshrined, which is the lowest of any Batting position other than 3rd Base. 

Flip

1992 Topps #78 Ivan Rodriguez (rookie cup)

I was to lazy to look up a Box for the FSL All-Star game referenced, perhaps I will add it to this posting in the future. I like the fronts of 1992 Topps, but I am not a fan of the wasted space on the back. Do we really need the same picture of the stadium for every player on the team? It is a pretty dumb concept when you think about it, I mean how do you capture a stadium in basically a landscaped thumbnail.

Ivan Rodriguez Index

2010 Phungo #7
2011 Phungo #21
2015 Topps Stadium Club (Blaster Break)

Sources and Links
1992 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Index
Baseball-Ref

1992 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Index (1991 Award 1992 Card)

This is an Index to our postings related to the 1991 Topps Rookie All-Star Team. The award is for the 1991 season with the cards issued in the 1992 set.

 1992 Topps #78 Ivan Rodriguez (Rookie Cup)

#	Pos	Player	Team
12	OF	Luis Gonzalez	Houston Astros
23	2B	Chuck Knoblauch	Minnesota Twins
78	C	Ivan Rodriguez	Texas Rangers
84	3B	Leo Gomez	Baltimore Orioles
288	SS	Andujar Cedeno	Houston Astros
292	OF	Ray Lankford	St. Louis Cardinals
520	1B	Jeff Bagwell	Houston Astros
522	OF	Milt Cuyler	Detroit Tigers
537	RHP	Mark Leiter	Detroit Tigers
614	LHP	Al Osuna	Houston Astros

  

Sources and Links

Topps All-Star Rookie Master Index

B-R Bullpen

Anniversary: 2007 UD Masterpieces

Just got the news that Ryan Howard has been released by the Atlanta Braves. Ten Years ago on May 9th 2007 Howard had a much better day. The events of that day are discussed in the following: 

When I returned to collecting Upper Deck Masterpieces drew quite a buzz. The set had a lot of appeal to me. The cards had a higher quality feel to them with an impressive design. The checklist was small but it had a good mix of current stars, prospects and retired stars. I particularly enjoyed the historical moments

2007 UD #71 Ryan Howard

The Phillies had five cards in the initial Masterpieces set. This is one of two dedicated to Ryan Howard. The two Howard cards are similar and we look to cover that in a future column.

One of the attractive aspects of the Masterpieces is the canvas-like feel of the cards. I believe the cards feature original artwork (based off a photograph). Unfortunately Upper Deck did not identify the artists on the Baseball Masterpieces. This was handled differently with UDs release which credited the artists and sometimes provided website info.

It appears a little dark here but this is one of the Green Parallels. These are the most common Masterpiece parallel and are not serial numbered.

Ten Years Ago Today

2007 UD #71 Ryan Howard

After a synopsis of Howard's accolades from his early career the card back goes onto mention a game played on May 9 2017. After being shutout by the Diamondbacks Randy Johnson for six innings the Phillies were able to put up a series of crooked numbers earn a 9-3 victory.

The comeback was all started by the Grand Slam mentioned on 2007 UD #71. Howard did not hit his blast off of Randy Johnson. In fact manager Charlie Manuel elected to not start Ryan Howard versus the Big Unit. However, in the 7th inning Johnson loaded the bases and was over 100 pitches. The situation forced Arizona manager Bob Melvin to go to his righty reliever Brandon Medders. Ryan Howard hit the first pitch for the Homer, tallying his fourth career Grand Slam.

According to Baseball-Ref the hit had a WPA(Win Probability Added) of +35%.



Sources and Links
2007 UD Masterpieces Index
Philly.com
baseball-ref
Baseball Cardpedia
USA Today / Andrew Bagato
Teams Sets 4 U
COMC

2007 UD Masterpieces Index

When I was posting more frequently I thought a Series to commemorate the tenth anniversary of UD Masterpieces would be fun. While I don't anticipate hitting all 90 cards, I would like to dedicate some time to the set during the course of the season.

This is an Index to the postings related to our 10th Anniversary Series on 2007 UD Masterpieces

2007 UD Masterpieces #71 Ryan Howard

1 Babe Ruth
2 Babe Ruth
3 Bobby Thomson
4 Bill Mazeroski
5 Carlton Fisk
6 Kirk Gibson
7 Don Larsen
8 Lou Gehrig
9 Roger Maris
10 Cal Ripken, Jr.
11 Bucky Dent
12 Ryan Howard
13 Brooks Robinson
14 David Ortiz
15 Hideki Matsui
16 Roger Clemens
17 Sandy Koufax (2015 posting: 50th Anniversary of Perfect Game)
18 Reggie Jackson
19 Ozzie Smith
20 Ty Cobb
21 Walter Johnson
22 Babe Ruth
23 Roy Campanella
24 Jackie Robinson
25 Carl Yastrzemski
26 Sandy Koufax
27 Daisuke Matsuzaka RC
28 Kei Igawa RC
29 Ken Griffey, Jr.
30 Derek Jeter
31 David Ortiz
32 Vladimir Guerrero
33 Chase Utley
34 Troy Tulowitzki (RC)
35 Joe Mauer
36 Travis Hafner
37 Miguel Cabrera
38 Albert Pujols
39 Frank Thomas
40 Mike Piazza
41 Josh Hamilton
42 Tony Gwynn / Cal Ripken, Jr.
43 Ichiro
44 Hideki Matsui
45 Ken Griffey, Jr.
46 Michael Jordan
47 John F. Kennedy (2013: Anniversary Assassination)
48 Randy Johnson
49 Albert Pujols
50 Carlos Beltran
51 Delmon Young (RC)
52 Johan Santana
53 Cal Ripken, Jr.
54 Jackie Robinson / Yogi Berra
55 Cal Ripken, Jr.
56 Hanley Ramirez
57 Victor Martinez
58 Cole Hamels
59 Bobby Doerr
60 Bruce Sutter
61 Jason Bay
62 Luis Aparicio
63 Stephen Drew
64 Jered Weaver
65 Alex Gordon RC
66 Howie Kendrick
67 Ryan Zimmerman
68 Akinori Iwamura RC
69 Chien-Ming Wang
70 David Wright
71 Ryan Howard
72 Alex Rodriguez
73 Justin Morneau
74 Andrew Miller RC
75 Richard Nixon
76 Bill Clinton
77 Phil Hughes (RC)
78 Tom Glavine
79 Chipper Jones
80 Craig Biggio
81 Chris Chambliss
82 Tim Lincecum RC
83 Billy Butler (RC)
84 Andy LaRoche (RC)
85 1969 Mets
86 2004 Red Sox
87 Roberto Clemente
88 Chase Utley
89 Reggie Jackson
90 Curt Schilling

Other UD Masterpieces Cards
2008 Football
14 Chuck Bednarik (2015: Obituary)

Sources and Links
Baseball Cardpedia

Sunday Night Baseball: 1965 Topps #137 Bouton Wins Again

It would not be a stretch to say that I learned math from the back of baseball cards, nor would it be any further from the truth say that Jim Bouton taught me how to read.

Tonight the Yankees are visiting the Cubs on Sunday Night baseball, while this week the Phillies will host a rare series with the Mariners.

The player I have chosen to tie together these two series is Bouton.

1965 Topps #137 Bouton Wins Again

Bouton is remembered for two careers. The first was as a baseball player in the New York Yankees organization. His other career was as an author while employed by Seattle's first MLB tenant the Pilots.

1964 Yankees

The card above is from an eight card subset (#132-#139) in 1965 topps. Each of the first seven cards in the set represents a game in the series. Card #137 above speaks to game 6 which the Yankees won 8-3 behind Jim Bouton's strong pitching and a trio of Home Runs by Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and Joe Pepitone.

Flip

1965 Topps #137 Bouton Wins Again (b-side)

The B-side gives a detailed box score which includes fielding stats but ignores RBIs (early SABRmaticians no doubt). In addition to the box the card text provides a concise synopsis of the games events.

After 1964 Game 6 the Yankees would not win another World Series game until 1977.


Ball Four
Jim Bouton is going to one of the guest speakers at this years SABR convention in New York City. In Preparation for the event I have just begun reading "Ball Four" for what I believe is the 3rd time. I first encountered the book when I was in my early teens. I re-read the book as an adult, probably in my 30s and now approaching my milestone 50th birthday I am giving the work a third pass.

I will always enjoy the anti-establishment humor of "Ball Four" and am looking forward to this reading.

I anticipate this will be my most enjoyable session with the book. Through my rediscovery of baseball cards I have become more familiar with the players and stories from the "Ball Four" era, hopefully this re-read will generate some fun posts.

May 7 1969
In his entry for May 7th Jim Bouton mentions a disagreement he had with manager Joe Schultz over his role on the team. Schultz (as well as pitching coach Sal Maglie) wants Bouton to mix in more fastballs and curves with his knuckler. Bouton counters that Phil Niekro throws mostly knuckleballs. The ensuing argument devolves into a petty negotiation over Niekro's pitch selection. 

That day Seattle lost 5-4 to Boston in a game that did not involve Bouton. Red Sox Shortstop Rico Petrocelli had a Home Run for the victors.  

not so Phun Phact
The pitcher who lost to Bouton in game 6 of the 1964 World Series was former Phillies southpaw Curt Simmons

Jim Bouton Index
1964 Topps (Fred C Harris)
1991 SI Greats of the Game Autograph
Seattle Pilots 40th Anniversary Reunion (2009)
50th anniversary of Ball Four (2019)

Sources and Links
Game Dated Cards
VittlesWords
Cardboard Connection
baseball-ref

VittlesWords

This is an index of our postings related to Books and Authors

1968 Topps #562 Jim Bouton

Eliot Asinof "Eight Men Out" (1962)
Jim Bouton "Ball Four"
Bill Conlin "Batting Cleanup" Signing 1997 07 xx
Stefan Fatsis Signing 2008 07 22
Stefan Fatsis (Word Freak Review by Nachos Grande) 
Rob Fitts (Masanori Murakami bio signing) 2015 06 27
Charlaine Harris signing 2010 05 25
Tim McCarver signing 2008 08 21

1961 Topps #262 Tony Curry

Last night with Cubs featured on Sunday Night Baseball we featured a Rookie Cup card of Hall of Famer Ron Santo. Tonight we feature one of the Phillies representatives from the same Topps Rookie All-Star squad that featured Santo.

1961 Topps #262 Tony Curry

Tony Curry was the second player born in the Bahamas to reach the majors (following Andre Rodgers 1957). Curry had a decent debut with the Phillies batting .261 with 6 Home Runs in 95 games. Unfortunately those would be the only six Homers that Curry would hit in the major leagues.

Due to a contract dispute and personal issues Tony Curry would only play 15 games with the Phillies after his rookie season. Prior to the 1962 season he was traded to Cleveland and would only return to the majors one more time for a brief stint in 1966.


Toons

1961 Topps #262 Tony Curry (b-side)

A few notes on the cartoons. I want to start on the last panel first. As mentioned in our Ron Santo posting yesterday, of the 10 Rookie All-Star cards in the 1961 Topps set seven of them have cartoons that mention the Topps award. Next I want to go to the middle frame. I realize those were different times but "One of the fastest men in the Big Leagues" stole a grand total of ZERO bases in his major league career. Minor league records are spotty but baseball-reference lists Curry's single season minor league high as eleven stolen bases.


1960 Topps Rookie Cup All-Star Team
This column will serve as an Index of our postings related to the 1960 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. The players were honored with cards in the 1961 Topps Set. Here is a checklist of the 1960 hoorees

35	Ron Santo (HoF RC) - 3B
77	Dick Stigman - LHP
144	Jimmie Coker - C
148	Julian Javier - 2B
168	Tommy Davis - OF
240	Ron Hansen - SS
262	Tony Curry - OF
280	Frank Howard - OF
395	Chuck Estrada - RHP
559	Jim Gentile - 1B

Sources & Links
Topps All-Star Rookies Index
Baseball-Ref Bullpen
Baseball-ref
SABR Bio - Rory Costello

Topps All-Star Rookie Index

This is an Index of the our Topps All-Star Rookie Card / Rookie Cup Postings

1965 Topps #460 Richie Allen

1960 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1959 Rookies: Phillies Joe Koppe; HOF: McCovey RC)
1961 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1960 Rookies: Jim Coker, Tony Curry; HOF: Santo RC)
1962 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1961 Rookies)
1963 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1962 Rookies)
1964 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1963 Rookies Set: Ray Culp; HOF: Rose)
1965 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1964 Rookies Set Dick Allen; HOF: Oliva; VG: Campaneris RC, Conigliaro, Carty )
1966 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1965 Rookies)
1967 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1966 Rookies: Davey Johnson, Woodie Fryman)
1968 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1967 Rookies)

1969 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1968 Rookies)

1970 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1969 Rookies: Hisle, D Money, Sizemore, HOVG A Oliver, Piniella, C May)

1971 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1970 Rookies: Bowa; HOVG: T Munson)
1972 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1971 Rookies)
1973 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1972 Rookies: Tommy Hutton, G Maddox; HOF C Fisk)
1974 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1973 Rookies)
1975 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1974 Rookies)
1976 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1975 Rookies: Tom Underwood, HOF G Carter, J Rice VG: F Lynn))

1977 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1976 Rookies: Mark Fidrych, Butch Wynegar, Chet Lemon) 
1978 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1978 Rookies)
1979 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1978 Rookies)

1980 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1979 Rookies)

1981 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1980 Rookies)
1982 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1981 Rookies)
1983 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1982 Rookies)
1984 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1983 Rookies)
1985 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1984 Rookies)
1986 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1985 Rookies)
1987 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1986 Rookies)
1988 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1987 Rookies HOVG McGwire, Mike Greenwell; PA/NJ: J Musselman)
1989 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1988 Rookies: Dave Gallagher, Ron Gant, HOVG Buhner, Grace)

1990 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1989 Rookies: Tom Gordon, HoF Griffey JR, HoVG Sheffield, Jim Abbott)
1991 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1990 Rookies: HoF L Walker)
1992 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1991 Rookies: HOF Bagwell, I Rodriguez)
1993 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1992 Rookies)
1994 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1993 Rookies)
1995 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1994 Rookies)
1996 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1995 Rookies)
1997 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1996 Rookies: Billy Wagner, HOF Jeter)

1998 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1997 Rookies: HOF ROLEN, HoVG Garciaparra, A Jones)
1999 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1998 Rookies: AJ Hinch HoVG: T Helton, K Wood)

2000 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (1999 Rookies)
2001 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2000 Rookies)
2002 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2001 Rookies)
2003 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2002 Rookies)
2004 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2003 Rookies)
2005 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2004 Rookies)
2006 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2005 Rookies)
2007 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2006 Rookies: Verlander, P Fielder, N Markakis, F Liriano)
2008 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2007 Rookies)
2009 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2008 Rookies: J Bruce, B Ziegler, J Lannan HoVG J Votto)

2010 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2009 Rookies)
2011 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2010 Rookies)
2012 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2011 Rookies)
2013 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2012 Rookies)
2014 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2013 Rookies)
2015 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2014 Rookies)
2016 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2015 Rookies)
2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2016 Rookies)
2018 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2017 Rookies)
2019 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2018 Rookies)

2020 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2019 Rookies)

2021 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2020 Rookies)
2022 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2021 Rookies)
2023 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2022 Rookies)
2024 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team (2023 Rookies)

Other Articles on the Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Team
Matt from Number 5 Type Collection Column on "Selected by the Youth of America"

Sources and Links

Cards from the Quarry TASR coverage

B-R Bullpen

FA Sports Cards Trading Card DB Topps All-Star Rookie Card List

Fan Attic Sports Cards Site