ANNIVERSARY: 10 Years of the Washington Nationals. 2005 Topps Washington Nationals Inaugural Lineup

2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the Washington Nationals Inaugural season.

2005 Topps Update Nationals Inaugural Lineup #NI-TEAM

Topps marked the move of the Expos to DC and becoming the Nationals with a 10 Card insert set that was part of 2005T Update.

There was a card produced for each player in the Nats opening day lineup plus the above team card. The batting order for that game is presented on the bottom center of the card.

Can anyone tell why I love this card?

Check the main image on the card, now look at the cover image for the Phungo Blog above.

Yes both pictures were taken at roughly the same time at different angles. Notice the distance between Charlie Manuel and Jimmy Rollins in both pix.   
 
The Nationals started their history versus the Phillies on the Road, This is not uncommon, it gives the club extra time to work out the kinks of their new Headquarters before having a Home Opener. Team Phungo was enjoying the Phillies Home Opener on that day 10 years ago and as a bonus we got to see the First ever game of the Washington Nationals.

Of course the card is far from perfect.

The 2nd photo on the card is from the Nats Home Opener - note the different uniforms, the RFK stadium wall, and the players standing in a different batting order (Nick Johnson is in the 2 hole behind Brad Wilkerson rather than Christian Guzman)  

Another Quibble with the card is that it is dated April 2nd. The game took place April 4th 2005, which can be seen in the box score.

Flip

2005 Topps Update Nationals Inaugural Lineup #NI-TEAM (b-side)

The B-Side of the card contains a close up of the Nats lineup for that first game and a brief description of the comings and goings of DC teams.

First Pitch
As part of their 10th anniversary the Nationals have a series of events planned. One of their promotions is a bobblehead of their first ever starting pitcher Livan Hernandez. The giveaway is scheduled for May 4th versus the Marlins - No Phillies tie-in.

I do find it amusing that the Nationals have a bobblehead promotion related to a game that was hosted by the Phillies.


Phungo Games

2005 04 04 Game Ticket - Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies

The Nationals Team Card is going to go into one of my favorite Binders, the Phungo Games Collection of cards related to games that we were fortunate enough to attend. Above we have the ticket to that game another nice piece of memorabilia buried in the Phungo Museum.

Update 2019 0219
For a brief posting regarding this card and the great Frank Robinson click here.
For the SABR Games Project description of this game click here.

Sources and Links
Phungo Games
Frank Robinson Memorial
Frank Robinson HOF Index
SABR Games Project (Steven C Weiner)  
Cardboard Connection
Baseball-ref
Washington Post

Updates 
2019 0809 added Frank Robinson related content, added link to SABR Games Project.  

OSCARS: Boyhood and Jason Lane 2006 Topps #473

Our final Oscars film posting features the Richard Linklater film "Boyhood"

This the other nominee that team Phungo checked out this year. Linklater like Anderson is another filmmaker whose career I have followed. I have seen the the Before trilogy (including Waking Life which includes an obscure scene related to Before...) and I loved Slacker.

I saw Boyhood in the theater and look forward to seeing it again. A few years from now I see this film getting heavy rotation on the USA/TBS/TNT circuit - think Shawshank. I would have to see it again, but I think the scenes will keep the viewer there until the commercial, and get you to return afterward.

Boyhood has gotten press regarding how the movie was filmed over a 12 year period. I think this is a bit of diservice to the film. Yes the process is ambitious and complicated, but focusing on the method misses out on some of the films other qualities. There are several interesting stories with the "non-story" All the characters grow up, not just Mason. It is obvious that the father (Ethan Hawke) is a man-child, but we also get to see Patricia Arquette's character grow up as well.

When you think about it the filming over 12 years idea is really just a fiction version of the Seven up! documentary series. 

Boyhood on Card

 2006 Topps #473 Jason Lane (snagged from baseball Card database)

There is a scene in the movie where Ethan Hawke takes the kids to a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the hometown Houston Astros. It is apparent that they shot a live game. I did some research in an attempt to find out what game it was, but was unsuccessful.

Fortunately, I was not the only baseball/film nerd that needed to find out this information.  Spencer Bingol did the research and figured out that Linklater took a bit of creative license with the actual events.

Jason Lane really did hit a Home Run off of the Brewers but it was not a game winner. In fact it was in a game that the Astros lost.

The game was played on August 18th 2005, during Houston's NL Championship campaign. Roger Clemens had the Astros up 2-1 after 6, but the Rocket fell apart in the 7th. A mix of line drives and walks led to four Brewers runs and that was it for the Astros.

Richard Linklater 2015 
Prior to becoming a film director Richard Linklater went to Sam Houston State on a baseball scholarship. Later this year Linklater returns to the diamond for his upcoming film That's What I'm Talking About, about, yep college baseball - preview copy describes it as a spiritual sequel to "Dazed to Confused"

Jason Lane
The photo on Jason Lane's 2006T Card was likely taken during the 2005 season, which puts it in the time period of the Boyhood clip. Lane is in a road uni on the card so it is definitely not the same game as the film, but captures Lane in the the era.

After being out of Major League Baseball for seven years, Lane returned in 2014. However, he didn't make his return as a power hitting outfielder, he came back as a pitcher. In 10+ innings for the Padres Lane gave up only one run while picking up six Ks. He is among San Diego's non-roster invitees for the 2015 season.

Sources and Links
2015 Oscars Index
Washington Post - Michael Cavna
Slashfilm
imdb
Baseball Card Database
Baseball-ref

RoY 2005 Style and WAR Stories Phillies 2015+ Ryan Howard

Tonight with Jacob DeGrom and Jose Abreu getting the respective NL and AL Rookie of the Year awards we turn back the clock a decade.

10 Years ago Ryan Howard was still a Rookie. He had 19 games and 42 at bats under his belt. Only 2 homers in the sample but he also recorded a respectable .282 batting average. We still didn't know if Howard was the type of hitter who could replace the venerable Jim Thome at First Base.

2006 Topps #265 Ryan Howard Rookie of the Year

A year later Phillies fans would be excited to have Ryan Howard as Rookie of the Year. What a decade it's been. Today the Phillies fans are dealing with a significantly different player

Ryan Howard 2015+
There are still some things to get excited about when you see Ryan Howard play - He still hits majestic Home Runs that make you think of how things were.  Unfortunately he strikes out all the time, and performs poorly in the field and on the bases which reminds us of how things are.

In my heart of hearts I still think Ryan Howard has a big season left in him. I blame his struggles on his torn up ankle and other injuries. There is another more realistic me that thinks I am a dreamer or that this magic one more Ryan Howard MVP season will happen with another club.

The Verdict
I am giving Ryan Howard a 0 WAR for 2015. If he stinks next season I think the Phillies will feel more free to move on Darin Ruf or other options. Regardless a 0 WAR in 2015 would be an IMPROVEMENT over the -1.1 WAR Howard posted in 2014 (at the expense of $25M the same salary he carries in 2015)

Phillie 2015+
I am keeping a running track of the 2015 Phillies projected Win total as we analyze the roster. A link to those totals is here.

Sources & Links
WAR Stories Phillies 2015+ Index
Baseball-ref

Sunday Night Baseball: Alex Gordon 2010 Topps CYMTO #55

THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS ARE ON SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL!!!

I wonder if that sentence has ever been written before. The Phillies are out of it and Team Phungo will need to look elsewhere for playoff baseball this season. One of the teams we will be rooting for is the KC Royals. Hopefully their long playoff drought will end in 2014 and their fans will get to experience October baseball for the first time in about a generation.

2010 Topps CYMTO #55 Alex Gordon 

Beyond their playoff exile the other reason I can get behind the Royals is they have a local minor league (Lo-A) affiliate, The Wilmington Blue Rocks. In recent years I have made it to about one Blue Rocks game a year. Consequently the names of some of their players are familiar to me. Those players include Mike Moustakas, Chrstistian Colon, and Kelvin Herrera.

Alex Gordon bypassed Wilmington during his accelerated ascent to the majors, but he did play a handful of games with the Blue Rocks in 2010 when he was experiencing a prolonged slump. He has had an odd career. In 2005 Gordon was the #2 overall pick in the MLB draft, he was in the majors by 2007 (but not 2006 - see below). He was a big enough star that Topps made buffoons of themselves over him. After a decent sophomore effort in 2008 at age 24, Gordon's career tanked. This hit bottom in 2010 when he found himself all the way back in A ball.

Somewhere in there The Royals moved Alex Gordon from 3rd base to the left field. This is where he has become an all-star. He has won 3 gold gloves at his new position and his offensive production has reached a point expected of a high first round pick. Currently his 5.6 combined WAR ranks 3rd among AL position players. He has a healthy .283/.356/.457 slash line yielding a 124 OPS+. His 17 Homers and 61 RBI lead the Royals. Hopefully his offensive production continues down the stretch and he can help the Royals reach the Postseason.    

2006 Topps RC
It is hard for me to believe that the MLB/MLBPA Rookie Card guidelines  have been in effect for eight years. Basically the MLB rules stipulate that a player must have played in a Major League game prior to appearing on a baseball card. For reasons I don't understand minor league centered sets like Bowman fall outside this realm.

When the new RC standards were introduced in 2006 there was a controversy over the Topps #297 Alex Gordon card. The card was included in the base set, including Rookie Card Logo, but Gordon hadn't yet reached the majors.  Topps withdrew the card.

There are a bunch of odd cutout versions of the card floating around. Topps literally cut out the image of Gordon's yet still issued the card. This is discussed on the flip of the above card:

2010 Topps CYMTO #55 Alex Gordon  (b-side)


I believe Topps has stated "it was an honest mistake" when discussing the card. They didn't say that it was a Publicity Grab to whip the media into a frenzy in the hopes that billions of people will start buying baseball cards again.

Regardless Topps withdrew the cards which is unfortunate for set collectors, because unless they have very deep pockets for a singular card oddity (or they are Keith Olbermann) they will have a gaping hole in their 2006 Topps Complete set. Or they can just use this CYMTO card.

One oddity about the CYMTO Gordon is the 2nd Topps logo. The Red logo in the top right is what appeared on the original 2006 Topps card. The ghosted grey one just upward of middle left is on the CYMTO card only.

 
    

Sources & Links
2014 Playoff Previews
Baseball CardPedia
Baseball-ref
ESPN Darren Rovell

Phun Cards 2006 Topps Kenny Lofton: 2013 HoF Candidate

I have caught a Home Run ball on the fly. 

True story....sort of.

It was a Batting Practice Home Run ball. ...

But, for me it counts.  That ball was hit by Kenny Lofton.

2006 Topps #97 Kenny Lofton 

  

That fact alone makes Kenny Lofton a Hall of Famer to me.  Not sure if it will be enough for the BBWAA. 

Lofton was a member of the 2005 Phillies.  He had a good season batting .335 over 110 games.  The Phillies were one of 11 teams for whom Lofton played during a 17 year career.  He is likely best known for his jaw dropping catches while manning centerfield for the Cleveland Indians.   

He was an excellent leadoff hitter for most of his career and Lofton's numbers are right on the edge of Hall Worthy.  Unfortunately for the most part they are just a tick under Tim Raines who the voters have yet to put in the Hall of Fame.

I think Lofton will get some consideration over the next several years.  I see him staying on the ballot for several years perhaps gettting in at the end of his eligibilty which will be in 2028 using present rules.


2013 HoF Candidate Postings

Jeff Conine

Jose Mesa

Mike Piazza

Phun Cards 2006 Topps #UH20 Jeff Conine: 2013 HoF Candidiate

The Phillies traded for Jeff Conine in August of 2006 to give them a Left handed bat for the stretch run.  Conine got into 28 games for the 06 Phils who finished 3 games out of the wild card slot.

I was always a fan of Conine despite the fact that he basically beat the Phils single-handily in a critical game I attended in September of 2003. In addition to a double, Homer, and 3 RBIs, Conine was also a star in the field coming up with 2 big outfield assists. Overall it was one of the greatest all-around games I have ever seen a player have. To sum up his day a friend of mine who was also at that game quipped "If I had a gun I would have shot him"

2006 Topps #UH20 Jeff Conine

For His Career Conine had 1982 Hits and 214 Homers.  I am sure he is a member of several Marlins All-Time teams as he is one of the few members of both their 1997 and 2003 World Champoinship squads.  For his career Conine appeared in 6 Post Season series and was on the winning side of all of them.

Jeff Conine had a great career and will always be identified with the Marlins World Series teams.  His Numbers are good but not Hall worthy.  I do hope that he gets a goodguy vote out of the comittee, as he has always seemed like a class act.

2013 HoF Candidate Postings

Jose Mesa

Mike Piazza

Cards that Never Were

When one enters Citizen's Bank Ballpark via the Centerfield gate, you can find the games lineup on Gigantic Baseball cards. An oddity is that the Phils have not bothered to update the card template since 2006. This has resulted in some huge cards that never were. The Photo above is of the cards for Eric Bruntlett, who was with the Astros in 06, and Kyle Kendrick who was still in the Phils minor league system at the time.