Sunday Night Baseball Rangers @ Yankees: Army Veteran Whitey Ford

It is Memorial Day Weekend and the Yankees are on Sunday Night Baseball.

2012 Cooperstown Collection With Honors #8 Whitey Ford

Between the vacations, barbecues and family get together it is a good time to remember the Veterans and servicemen and women who were less fortunate than Whitey Ford.

Ford Served in the Army from 1951-1952 during the Korean Conflict.

2012 Cooperstown Collection With Honors #8 Whitey Ford (b-side)

As noted on the back of his Panini card, his assignment Playing Baseball at Fort Monmouth was far less dangerous than say Ted Williams piloting fighter planes over the Pacific.

Cool fun fact on the card. Whitey Ford wore is Army uniform to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Yankees 1951 Opening Day game vs Boston. Now that would be a helluva shot for the the Topps First Pitch Series.

Sources and Links
Phungo Whitey Ford HoF Index
Baseball Hall of Fame
Panini card
Cardboard Connection

Sunday Night Baseball Cardinals HoF Whitey Herzog 1983 Topps #186

With Sunday Night Baseball in St Louis for the evening we take a look at Cardinals Hall of Fame Manager Whitey Herzog

1984 Topps #186 Whitey Herzog

Whitey Herzog led the Cardinals to three NL Pennants and a World Championship during 11 seasons as the clubs manager. His 822 wins with the Cardinals rank 3rd in team history behind fellow Hall of Famers Tony LaRussa and Red Schoendienst.

Flip

1983 Topps #186 Whitey Herzog (b-side)

This 1983 Topps card captures Herzog fresh off the Cardinals World Series victory. Note that the final line of the card tells us his 1982 Cardinals squad finished in first place in the East with a 92-70 record, but it does not mention the teams World Championship.

Herzog's additional HoF Qualifications  1985 Manager of the Year, 1281 career victories, 26 Post Season Ws, 6 division Wins, and two 100 win seasons.

Above in Whitey Herzog's playing stats one sees that his career lasted eight seasons with four clubs. He was primarily a backup outfielder who never started more than 100 games. In 1959 he had an impressive .446 OBP in 157 plate appearance, the following year he had career highs in HR (8) , RBI (38)  and Runs Scored (43).

1983 Topps Manager Cards
This non-sequential Managers subset of the 1983 flagship contains some interesting names, HoFs Herzog, LaRussa (White Sox), Frank Robinson (Giants), Joe Torre (Braves), Tommy LaSorda, Dick Williams (Padres), Earl Weaver, Bobby Cox (Blue Jays), and Sparky Anderson (Tigers). The Phillies manager in the set is Pat Corralles.

Whitey Herzog HoF Index 
1958 Topps (forthcoming)
1960 Topps #92 (HoF Election)

Sources and Links
Baseball-ref

1954 Topps #201 Al Kaline RC

The Tigers are on Sunday Night Baseball this week which is an excellent opportunity for Team Phungo to show off a nice recent purchase.

We have a card show circuit that runs on weekends at local malls. Often the selection is pretty poor and the trip can be a wasted couple of hours.

However occasionally you find something...

1954 Topps #201 Al Kaline (rc)

I first saw the Kaline RC a few weeks ago and wasn't sure if I was ready to take the big plunge into building 1954T, a set I have been slowly hoarding cards for over the last few years.

The nice thing about the card shows returning every week is that if I see a card week one, and I am undecided about picking it up I can think about it buy it the following week.

That is what happened here. I decided at some point during the week to pick up the card if it was still available. I also consulted one of the leading authorities on cards - Twitter.  I simply posted.

Off condition 1954T Al Kaline RC $75,  Buy or Pass?  Soft corners edges,  minor creasing scuffs.

— phungo (@phungo2008) May 1, 2015

and I got one response

@phungo2008 holy crap buy all day buy buy buy buy buy buy and ask 'em if they have a crappy Aaron too

— Ugly Hyena Junkie (@CardJunk) May 1, 2015

I would categorize that as an enthusiastic yes, and I appreciated the feedback. If I was on the fence, It felt good to know there was somebody out there as nuts as me - Even if it was just a ploy to get me to pick up a Aaron RC beater.


1954 Topps
This is a great set, I love the bright colors and the small B/W photo. Team Logos are prominent but not oversized.

Kaline is one of three prominent RCs in 1954 Topps, the other two are Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks. That is one of the primary reason I am considering building the set.

No one has to explain the specialness of the 1954 Rookie Card Class. All three are first ballot guys, Kaline and Banks both spent their entire careers with one club and they are identified as such, Mr Tiger and Mr Cub Respectively.  

1954 Topps #201 Al Kaline (rc b-side)

When this card was issued Kaline was just 20 years old. He was a bonus baby and went directly to the majors. His December 19 1934 birthday is likely the most recent in the 1954 set.

HoF profile
Al Kaline's 3007 career hits made him a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2007. His Credentials go far beyond that single number. The 18 time all-star Spent his entire career with the Tigers including the teams Pennant Winning 1968 season. He won a batting title in 1955, Led the league in slugging in 1959 and collected 10 gold gloves (Ranks #3 behind Mays and Clemente).  His 399 career Home Runs rank 52nd all-time.

Kaline never won an MVP award but he was runner up twice, both times to Yankees Catchers (Yogi in 1955, Elston Howard in 1963).  In each year Kaline at a higher WAR number then the winner but in neither year did he lead the AL in WAR.

Baltimore
I also wanted to note that Al Kaline has roots in nearby Baltimore where he was born and attended school. He was inducted into the Maryland State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1972, He was still an active im the majors at the time.

Sources and Links
Phungo Al Kaline HoF Index 
baseball-ref
SABR bio by  Nick Waddell
Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame

Sunday Night Baseball - Yankees @ Red Sox: Carlton Fisk

With the Yankees @ Fenway for SNB we take a look at Red Sox Hall of Fame Catcher Carlton Fisk

1975 Topps #80 Carlton Fisk (mini)

Carlton Fisk played 11 of his 24 seasons with the Red Sox. He was a member of their 1975 squad that took the Reds to seven games in that years very exciting series. His Home Run in game 6 of that series is when of the most discussed in the history of the game.

"Pudge" was not a one hit wonder,

The unanimous selection for AL Rookie of the Year in 1972 was an 11 time all-star, he cranked out 376 Home Runs (3rd among Catchers behind Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza) on his way to winning 3 Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove.

He returned to the Postseason one other time with the 1983 White Sox with whom he spent the second half of his career. He was inducted in the Hall in 1990 on his second ballot.  

1975 Topps #351 Bob Boone
1975 Topps #80 Carlton Fisk (mini)

Carlton Fisk played baseball at one of the games most grueling positions until past age 45. He hung around long enough to break Bob Boone's record for career games caught. The record game occurred on June 22 1993. It was Carlton Fisk's last career game. He went 0-2 with a sacrifice.  The last man to pitch to Fisk was Alex Ferrnandez.  

1975 Topps
There are many reasons that 1975 Topps is one of the classics, The design is colorful and instantly recognizable. One of my favorite details is the All-Star flair. Unlike the Rookie Cup which often remains unchanged for years Topps comes up with a new All-Star logo most releases.

Most years it is some sort of added icon. In 1975 it is a Star where the player position is located. Off the top of my head this is the only year that the AS Logo flat out replaces a design element.

I have presented FIsk here with the Previous Catching Games Record Holder, Bob Boone. I paired the two cards mostly to display the size difference for the mini, but we also get to see both record holders along with the AS flair compared to the vanilla Baseball Position log.

Both Fisk and Boone have been surpassed in the games caught ladder by Ivan Rodriguez (HoF Eligible 2017) 
 

Check My Math
If my count is correct this is the 3rd time the Yankees have been on Sunday Night Baseball, while the World Champion San Francisco Giants have yet to be featured.

Phungo Carlton Fisk HoF Index 
1982 Fleer #632 Carlton Battery
2008 Donruss Threads Century Collection Materials #CCM-37 Carlton Fisk (92/100)

Sources and Links
baseball-ref
SABR bio by Brian Stevens

Sunday Night Baseball Mets @ Yankees: Bernie Williams

Subway Series is on the Big Network tonight and we take a look at Yankees former Centerfielder Bernie Williams

2000 Topps Gold #57 Bernie Williams

Bernie Williams formally announced his retirement this week despite having not appeared in a game since 2006. It is a good thing that he finally retired, the Yankees are retiring his number in less than a month.

In reality the #51 has been unofficially retired since Williams last played for the Yankees. Not one but two future Hall of Famers who previously wore #51 took on new numbers when they joined the Bronx Bombers - Randy Johnson (#41), Ichiro (#31)

2000 Topps #57 Bernie Williams (b-side)

In addition to a nice portrait photo of Williams the flip also has a blurb noting Williams 1998 season in which he won a World Series, Batting Title and Gold Glove all in the same season. An accomplishment that was unprecedented.

Williams did make at least one competitive appearance after his unofficial 2006 retirement. In 2009 he played for Puerto Rico as part of the World Baseball Classic. He even threw out the first pitch for one of the games and Team Phungo is happhy to say that we were there.

 

2010 Phungo #21 Bernie Williams

Today Bernie Williams is a musician, His website http://www.bernie51.com/ includes his soon to be retired #51

Sources and Links
Bernie Williams 51
baseball-ref
New York Yankees

Sunday Night Baseball: Red Sox @ Yankees - 1962 Topps #475 Whitey Ford

Bosox and Yankees return to Sunday Night Baseball tonight. To mark this years matchup of the two rivalries we take a look at a Yankee that I believe to be under-covered by the hobby, Whitey Ford. 

1962 Topps #475 Whitey Ford All-Star

The Hall of Fame resume for Whitey Ford is built firmly on three of the stronger legs of the HoF qualfiers. Solid, if not exceptional Career Numbers, Hardware for the positions premier single season award - Cy Young, and an Incredible Postseason run including 6 World Championships. Ford has 10 World Series Game Wins, with 146 WS Innings across which he posted an impressive 2.71 ERA.

Whitey Ford lost two seasons to military service. Those two seasons early in his career most likely would have helped his already healthy career totals. 

Cy WAR
In 1962 Whitey Ford was coming off his only Cy Young Award. In a bit of an oddity Ford won the award despite not finishing top 10 in WAR that season. He did go 25-4 and led the league in innings. The oddity is further complicated when one considers Ford finished top 10 in pWAR eight times and
only received Cy Young votes one other season (1956). His best WAR finish was 2nd in 1964 when he received no votes (there was only one award for both leagues at the time). Dean Chance (9.3 WAR) rightfully won the award that season.

Whitey Ford HoF Index
1964 Topps Jumbo #7 
2012 Cooperstown Collection With Honors #8 

Sources and Links
baseball-ref

Sunday Night Baseball Cardinals at Cubs: 1966 Topps Ernie Banks

ESPN opens the 2015 MLB season with the Cardinals and Cubs on Sunday Night Baseball. Neither team participated in the 2014 World Series but they are division rivals each with storied histories.

1966 Topps #110 Ernie Banks

I am sure ESPN will turn a lot of attention to one of the greatest Cubs ever during their telecast. So great that they call him Mr Cub.

Sunday will be the first Official Cubs game since Ernie Banks died in late January.  There will be a pregame tribute to the Hall of Famer and Cubs players will wear a commemorative patch on their uniforms throughout the season.

1966 Topps
From 1954-1962 All of Banks cards list his position as Shortstop, The above 1966 card is the fourth to list him at first base. Nice portrait shot, Banks cap features Cubs blue on a bright blue sky. The Orange color striping that Topps chose for the Cubs works here as a complementary color those various blues. Despite all the creasing on this card it still pops - Part of that I attribute to Ernie Banks personality beaming through the card.

In 2015 Heritage Topps gave the honor of card #110 to Anthony Rizzo. In past years Topps sometimes tried to echo the photo from the companion set on the Heritage card, The Rizzo card is a  variation pair - neither of the images is similar to the Ernie Banks 66T card

Source and Links
Phungo Ernie Banks Hof Index
Phungo 1966 Topps/2015 Heritage Index
Chicago Cubs
Cardboard Connection

Sunday Night Baseball: Nick Markakis 2009 Topps Propaganda #PP23 (UER)

The Orioles host the rival New York Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball. As part of both our SNB and 2014 Playoff Contender's series tonight we take a look at long time Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis.

2009 Topps Propaganda  #PP23 Nick Markakis (uer)


Recently @HighHeatStats Twitter feed noted that the top six players in Active Games played with only one club were as follows: 

Derek Jeter 2730
Jimmy Rollins 2090
David Wright 1508
Chase Utley 1460
Nick Markakis 1353
Ryan Howard 1315

There he is Nick Markakis right in the middle of a couple of New Yorkers and a bunch of Phillies. He has made his way onto the list by keeping himself healthy. Since 2006 he has played in 147 or more games every season but one. The one year that Markakis did get injured was 2012 and it cost him his one previous shot at postseason play.  

Outside of an exceptional 2008 season none of Markakis' individual seasons have been outstanding, Markakis has been quite steady. He has put up double digit homers every year and never had an average below .271 - career BA .290.

The AL WAR of 2008
In 2008 Markakis Led all AL players and position players in WAR (7.5) yet he didn't get a single MVP vote. The Orioles were dreck that year (93 losses), but teammate Aubrey Huff got MVP votes (32HR vs 20 for Markakis, 108 vs 87 RBI). Huff's role as a DH limited his WAR to 4.1. Award winner Dustin Pedroia was 2nd to Markakis in AL WAR and AL Position WAR. The offensive WAR category went to A-Rod - Pedroia finished 5th but was tops among players that made it to the playoffs. Note the BoSox were not division winners in 08. They got in on a Wild Card behind the Rays, then lost to the Rays in a 7 game ALCS. 

2009 Topps Propaganda
Propaganda is a 30 card insert set of 2009 Topps Update.  I believe there is one card for each team, the Phillies representative is Ryan Howard.

The card design which evokes the propaganda posters of the 1940 was developed by Chris Speakman,  Speakman continues to do a lot of work with MLB and has a number of Seriagraphs and Posters for each MLB team. His Phillies subjects include Howard, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Chooch.

UER
The Uncorrected Error on the above Markakis card is that Orioles establishment year. The O's only date back to 1954 not 1894.  There is a second inception date for the Orioles but that is Pre-O's Pre-Browns Milwaukee Braves who played their inaugural game in 1901. Regardless that ain't 1894 either.

I am not sure where the 1894 date originates other than it was propagated from a similar card, except my hack research failed to uncover a team that joined baseball in 1894.

The error highlights an inconsistency in the propaganda set. Andrew Bailey's Athletics card specifies 1968, the year they moved to Oakland, rather than 1901 the year that the Philadelphia A's were a charter member of the American League. However, the crosstown Giants card of Tim Lincecum does not specify the year the team arrived in San Francisco, 1958. The card specifies 1883 which is the year they joined the NL representing New York as the Gothams - their nickname prior to becoming the Giants. 

Sources & Links
Baseball Cardpedia
Baseball-ref
Playoff Contenders Index
SportsPropaganda

Sunday Night Baseball: Yogi Berra 1959 Topps #180

The Yankees and Red Sox are featured one again on Sunday Night Baseball this week. Despite the Red Sox being the reigning World Champs, the rivalry just hasn't had as much juice the last couple of years. The Yankees are in the mix, but the BoSox are  currently way off the pace.

1959 Topps #180 Yogi Berra

Tonight we are building up some inventory in our HoF index by adding the quotable catcher. Berra and Johnny Bench are probably the two most written about catchers in the history of the game so I bother trying to add to that canon.

Instead I would like to mention a couple of things Berra related that folks might not know about. First off is that there is a Museum dedicated to Yogi Berra. I have never been there, but it is located in North Jersey just two hours from Philadelphia. If I am ever in the area I would like to try and visit. Card Collectors may be interested in one of their gift shop item - a Card Set representing the different eras of Yankees baseball. The set runs for $5 and contains 25 cards.

Secondly I wanted to mention baseball reporter and Yogi's grand-daughter Lindsay Berra who has a pretty interesting twitter account. Lindsay's unique perspective is enhanced by some terrific vintage photos of Yogi and other players from his era.

For the Collector
About a week ago I was asking Night Owl about cards that are shot from below subject with clouds in the background. He referred to it as the Hero Pose or Hero Shot, which I think I had heard of before but hadn't bothered to process the term.  This one of Yogi is pretty much a prototype. Solid batting stance, slight up angle, great set of clouds on a clear blue sky.

Among recent auctions the low sell was $8.50 for an off condition card. Ten different auctions ended for $12 or under. A PSA 3 VG card went for $22. $25 bumps one up to PSA 4 VG-EX. The card top ended at $1,317 for MINT.

The specimen above was picked up for $9 a while back. It is nice front, corners a bit soft. Unfortunately, the back has some issue - there is paper loss on the back, likely due to being taped to a binder, and somebody wrote $45 faintly on the card edge. 

Other Voices
1959 Topps one f/g card at a time

Phungo Yogi Berra HoF Index
1961 Topps #471 3 Time MVP 1951-54-55, (90th Birthday Posting)
2008 UD Yankee Stadium Legacy #1869 Yogi Berra
2009 Goodwin Champions Black Border Mini Gypsy Queen Back #62 Yogi Berra 

Sources Baseball-ref
twitter
ebay

Sunday Night Baseball: Dick Groat 1961 Topps #1

This week Sunday Night Baseball makes a rare visit to Pittsburgh. We are marking the occasion by taking a look at 1960s era Pirate.

1961 Topps #1 Dick Groat

I have been wanting to put together a column on Dick Groat for a while. He is an interesting sports figure who remains a Pittsburgh icon.

Dick Groat was raised in the Pittsburgh area prior to going to Duke on a basketball scholarship. At Duke Groat was a two sport athlete, and he was good enough to be an All-American in both hoop and baseball. During his senior season as a basketball player Groat led the nation in both points and assists per game. That same year Groat helped lead the Blue Devils Baseball team to a berth in the  College World Series.

After college Groat signed with the home town Pirates. The talented shortstop made the immediate jump to the majors and never played a day in the minors.  He debuted with the Pirates as a pinch-hitter on June 18 1952.  That same year Dick Groat was also selected 3rd overall in the NBA draft by the Fort Wayne Pistons. Less than 5 months after playing in his first Professional Baseball Game Groat played his first NBA game. Groat played a single season for Ft Wayne averaging just under 12 points per game.

1961 Topps #1
Dick Groat earned the #1 spot in 1961 Topps by winning NL MVP honors in 1960. His qualifications that year including winning the batting title and leading the Bucos to the NL Pennant. The 1960 Pirates are also the team that upset the Yankees in a seven game World Series despite being outscored 55-27. 1960 was the first of two times that Groat would play for a team that would beat the Yankees in seven - he was also a member of the 1964 Cardinals who were led by Bob Gibson's strong performance.  

Pittsburgher - Cager
Following his baseball playing career Groat returned home and to basketball. He is currently (at age 83) a color analyst for the Pitt Panthers. Despite choosing baseball as his sports playing career, Groat accumulated several hoop related accolades. His #10 was the first number retired by the Duke Blue Devils - thing about that for a second - all the great players to come out of the basketball powerhouse and the first to have their number retired was Dick Groat. In 2007 Groat was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the institutions 2nd class.

Sources & links
Topps #1 Club
Baseball: Past and Present
Pitt Panthers
College Basketball Experience
Duke Report
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Baseball-ref
SABR BioProject
Sports-Ref/CBB
The College World Series: A Baseball History 1947-2003

Sunday Night Baseball: Jim Abbott - 1990 Topps #675

The Angels are in the Big Apple facing the New Yankees. For tonight's SNB posting we take a look at an a player who spent the bulk of his career with the then California Angels and had some big moments with the Yankees.

 1990 Topps #675 Jim Abbott

Folks likely remember Jim Abbott as a pitcher with one hand. I hope that we don't forget that he was a fine pitcher regardless of his hand count and had several career highlights.

Abbott was the 8th overall pick of the Angels in the 1988 draft. That same summer he won a Gold Medal as a member of the US Olympic Squad - it appears 1988 was a demonstration year for Baseeball.

The Left-Handed Pitcher, Batter, and Fielder made his Angels debut in 1989, winning 12 games and finished 5th in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Orioles closer Gregg Olson. Olson also won that award over the Mariners Ken Griffey Jr.

At age 23 in 1991 Abbot had his best season, He won 18 games (4th AL) with a 2.89 ERA (4th) for the Angels. His work earned him a 3rd place finish in the '91 Cy Young Voting - If you are inclined to dismiss Roger Clemens for PED Reasons, Jim Abbot won the WAR title that season with a +7.6 (Clemens = +7.9)

In December of 1992 Abbott was traded to the New York Yankees. Ten months later On September 4th 1993, Abbott No-Hit the Cleveland Indians - The lineup he faced that day included Kenny Lofton, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Carlos Baerga (.317 at the time), and a young Jim Thome batting 8th.      

Jim Abbott has remained in the game as a Spring Training instructor for the Angels. Abbot has worked with The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and he has also developed a career as a motivational speaker.

Abbott's twitter handle is @jabbottue31  - it is a worthwhile follow.

1990 Topps
The Jim Abbot #675 Card is not his rookie card. Abbott shows up in both 1989T and he leads off 1988 Topps as card #1 and is part of the Team USA/Olympic subset. Regardless the 1990T card is significant for a couple of reasons. It has the rookie cup which  - an opportunity each player only gets once. Additionally The photo shows Abbott holding his glove up with his right forearm. It is a nice nod to Abbott overcoming tough odds to excel as a top tier athlete.   


Sources
Jim Abbott
Baseball-ref
Cardboard Connection
Topps baseball card database
twitter

Sunday Night Baseball:Bobby Doerr: 2003 Topps Tribute All-Stars #21

Bobby Doerr turned 96 a few weeks ago earlier this month and hasn't played a major league game since 1951. He was inducted into the hall of fame 28 years ago and I am guessing he is the oldest lving Hall of Famer. 

2003 Topps Tribute #21 Bobby Doerr

I think Doerr would fall into the borderline Hall of Fame category, He was on the ballot in various forms for close to two decades prior to falling off in 1971. Eventually he was inducted by the veteran's committee in 1986. His career Highlights include batting a slick .409 with a Home Run in his only World Series (1946) and being part of 9 all-star teams. In 1944 Doerr led he league in slugging, He was also s standout fielder who led the league in Defensive WAR in 1946.  He was never an MVP but the Sporting News named Doerr Player of the Year in 1944.

Bobby Doerr Retired #1

The Red Sox have a pretty basic policy regarding retired numbers. The player must have played for the team for a decade and be a member of the Hall of Fame.

Seven players fit this criteria and Bobby Doerr is among them.  Here is Doerr's number presented between Joe Cronin(#4) and Carl Yastzemski (#8)

2003 Topps Tribute All-Stars

I am a fan of these Chrome style Topps Tribute cards. The 50 Card set is made up almost exclusively of Hall of Fame players. A handful of the cards come as autograph variations - Doerr does not. Doerr, however is included in the Relic set.


Sources
Baseball-ref
Boston Red Sox 
Baseball Hall of Fame
Bob Lemke's Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards 

Sunday Night Baseball: Don Sutton 1968 Topps #103

Once again this week the Dodgers are featured on Sunday Night Baseball. If you count the the Australia globe trek it makes this the 3rd time the Dodgers have been the focus of the MLBs young 2014 season. Tonight we take a look at Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton

1968 Topps #103 Don Sutton 

Every time I debut a Hall of Famer here I think why haven't we gotten around to this guy before.

Don Sutton's career spanned 23 years, 16 of which were spent with the Dodgers. He amassed a total fo  324 wins. Among players born since 1940 there are a grand total of 5 pitchers with 324+ Ws: Maddux, Clemens, Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton. Despite this it took five election cycles for the BBWAA to put Sutton in the Hall of Fame. With the exception of Clemens the other four were all first ballot qualifiers with Lefty getting in at the lowest pct 95.6% - well above the requisite 75%.

The big differentiating factor for Sutton are:
1) Unlike the other four, He never won a World Series, or Cy Young Award. It should be noted that while Sutton didn't win a WS ring, he participated in four World Series including 3 with the Dodger    2) Sutton was often accused of scuffing the ball - but never suspended.

Brewers
With the Brew Crew coming into Philadelphia this week, I just wanted to note that one of the four clubs Sutton played for post-Dodgers was Milwaukee. He was part of the 1982 squad that won the American League pennant and took the Cardinals to 7 games in that years World Series.

Dodgers #20
Sutton left LA via free agency in 1980, after which several players wore #20, until 1997. The Dodgers officially retired Sutton's #20 on August 14 1998. 

Braves
Don Sutton has spent most of his post playing career in the Broadcast booth for the Atlanta Braves. This season he is the color commentary half of the radio team which is led by Jim Powell.

1968 Topps
For me this set ranks right at the bottom among vintage Topps offerings.  The dotted brown borders remind me of an old musty suitcase. That being said, I am fond of the Don Sutton card. So much so that he made the Paul Lynde square on my 68T HoF Page

Phun Phact
Topps first two Don Sutton solo cards both mention Sandy Koufax on the flip side. One in the text (1967) and one in the -toon (1968)

Sources
Don Sutton HoF Index
Baseball-Ref
ESPN
Los Angeles Dodgers
Atlanta Braves
Baseball Card Database

Sunday Night Baseball: Steve Garvey 1986 Fleer League Leaders #15

Yes the Dodgers may have already played a pair of games, but to me MLB Opening Day is still in progress. Tonight the Dodgers visit the division rival San Diego Padres to begin the domestic portion of the season.

1986 Fleer League Leaders #15 Steve Garvey 

I will always think of Steve Garvey as a Dodger, but he did have a significant stint with the Padres. Five years of Garvey's career were spent in San Diego. His tenure there was so successful that the Padres retired #6 in honor of Garvey.

1986 Fleer League Leaders
This is a special edition set that Fleer put together in 1986. The 44 card complete set boxes were distributed at Walgreen's. I think "Leaders" in the set name refers to being a team leader, the cards certainly do not point to any specific statistical category for which the player led the league.

Checker

The 44 card checklist for the set runs in alphabetical order by surname. #38 Juan Samuel is the sole Phillies player on the list, although the set does also include Mariano Duncan, Julio Franco, Keith Moreland, Dale Murphy, Pete Rose and Ryne Sandberg with other clubs. There are several Hall of Famers in there including Tom Seaver, Ozzie, Robin Yount, Carlton Fisk, Ripken, Carew, Gary Carter, Kirby Puckett, and Phil Niekro.

Since this is Fleer each Box contains six random team stickers. Keeping with today's theme, this pack happened to be a Padres Hot Box:

1984 Padres
This season the Padres who are struggling for current success are once again celebrating the 1984 squad, who they just honored in 2009. 2014 marks the 30th anniversary of the 1984 Padre, which took the NLCS from the Cubs despite losing the first 2 games of the 5 game series.  Steve Garvey was the MVP of the series, He batted .400 with a team leading 7 RBIs including 5 in game 4 which he also ended with a Game Winning Home Run.


Welcome back baseball - I hope to continue with the Sunday Night Baseball postings throughout the season. Perhaps the Phillies will find some success in 2014 and find themselves on the big show at some point.
 

Sources
Baseball-ref 
Padres
Bob Lemke's Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards
Gaslamp Ball
2009 Padres

Sunday Night Baseball: 2013 Topps #507 Lance Lynn

Once again the St Louis Cardinals are in the playoff hunt. They Cards minor league system continues to generate players that can contribute to the big club.

2013 Topps #507 Lance Lynn

Lance Lynn is one of these young players.  At least he was one of them.  Lynn started off the season 10-1 with a 3.42 ERA,  Since June 26th he has struggled compling a 6-11 record with a 4.690 ERA.

In past playoff runs the Cardinals have frequently used Lynn as a reliever. With his 2nd half struggles that may also be his postseason role for the 2013 Cardinals  

2013 Topps
I don't get the complaints regarding Topps photography in recent sets. The landscape version of the design fits the Pitchers from behind the plate well - the righty batter in the larger open area of the frame helps balance the shot. 

The hitter here also appears to be Andrew McCutchen, a star player who the Cardinals face frequently. This gives a little extra star power pop to the card.     

  

Sources
ebay.com
baseballcardpedia
baseball-ref.com

2008 Topps #232 Clay Buchholz (RC)

2008 Topps #232 Clay Buchholz (RC)

This is just one of several 2008 Clay Buchholz cards that reference the No-Hitter he threw in his second major league start.  

One of the things a Photo can do is to tell a story.  This image of Buchholz throwing the No-Hitter early in his career rewards the fan for their baseball knowledge. The moment you pick up the card you know the event it captures.

Tonight Buchholz takes the mound in another Sunday Night Baseball contest featuring the Yankees and Red Sox. There was a bit of a stir when the rivals met last month. This weekend they are back at Fenway and I am sure the fans will be watching for more drama.  

For the Collector
There are a couple of 2008 Cards that celebrate the Clay Buchholz no-hitter.  
2008 Topps Opening Day #211
2008 Topps Trading Card History #TCH5 (1956 Topps Retro)
2008 UD #384  

    

Source

ebay.com
Trading Card Database
baseball-ref.com 

2009 Bowman #BDPP2 Billy Hamilton (RC)

Tonight's on Sunday Night Baseball the Cincinnati Reds will attempt to sweep the Dodgers in what could be a NL playoff preview.

2009 Bowman #BDPP2 Billy Hamilton (Bowman 1st Card)


For at least the last two seasons Billy Hamilton has been a BuzzProspect due to his ridiculous base stealing numbers. He has a total of 395 SBs over 5 minor league seasons, including 155 in 2012 and a combined 230 the last two seasons.

Hamilton has only been in four games for the big club, but has already made an impact. On Tuesday night he pinch ran for Ryan Ludwick - Hamilton Stole 2nd and scored on a Todd Frazier Double.  It was the only run of a 1-0 Reds victory. Nice debut for the prospect. The following night the Reds were down a run in the 14th inning when Hamilton did virtually the same thing. PR for Ludwick, SB, score on a Zach Cozart single.  Unfortunately for the Reds the Cardinals had a young star of their own, Matt Adams who performed some heroics of his own that night, as Cincinnati lost the marathon contest 5-4.

Last night Hamilton had a similar impact for versus the Dodgers, once again PR for Ludwick, SB, score on Frazier single.  It should be noted that on Friday night Hamilton collected a stolen base, but was also doubled off 3B on a liner back to pitcher Brian Wilson.     

For the Collector

I am pretty sure this is the first card issued of Billly Hamilton, although it doesn't fall under the new "official MLB" RC designation - since Hamilton had not played in the majors prior to the products release.

Regardless I was very happy to find this card in a nickle box a few months ago.  It really doesn't sell for much on the auction market, but $2.50 is a lot more than a nickle.  The high end for Billy Hamilton right now is the Gold #d/50 version of this card which went for a tidy $102.


Sources
DodgersNation.com
baseball-ref.com
baseball Cardpedia
ebay.com

Sunday Night Baseball 2013 Bowman Platinum #22 Adrian Gonzalez

Tonight the Red Sox and Dodgers face off in a potential World Series Preview. A year ago the Red Sox were sellers at the deadline as they were out of the race early. The Dodgers were in it and made a push to make the playoffs but fell short.

A year ago today the two clubs pulled off a post deadline deal that sent Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers in a trade that was a largely a salary dump for the Red Sox.

2013 Bowman Platinum #22 Adrian Gonzalez

Ideally trades work out for both partners.  For the moment this trade appears to have worked out for both the Dodgers and Red Sox.  The Red Sox have returned to their pre-2011 playoff form, while gaining significant payroll significant payroll flexibility.  The Dodgers have surged to commanding NL West lead with under 40 games to play.  In the long term LA may have issues dealing with the future contract commitments they have acquired in the deal, but none of that matters in 2013.

Adrian Gonzalez is putting together another solid season. His batting average is just a tick below .300 and he has a shot at fourth consecutive 100 RBI season. A-Gon has been pretty consistent over the course of his career playing 156+ games every season since becoming a full time starter in 2006. How many are veratile enought to have had seasons where they have led the league in Hits (2011) Walks (2009) and also have a 40 homer season under their belts (2009).

The Dodgers have Adrian Gonzalez contracted out through his age 36 season in 2018.  He doesn't put up the power numbers that he did earlier in his career, but he does continue to rack up hits. If Gonzalez can stick around the game into his 40s he has a chance at 3000 hits.

2013 Bowman Platinum

This is our 2nd consecutive 2013 Bowman Platinum card. Topps had a promotional booth at the recent SABR conference Philadelphia or else I wouldn't even have these cards. This set isn't targeted for me, but once again, I have to admit that I enjoy how they photograph.  The rainbow effect on the chrome/mirror background makes for great effects. 

Sources
Baseball-ref.com

Sunday Night Baseball: 1960 Topps #132 Frank Howard (RC)

Night Owl Cards posted this card on Twitter this week to mark Frank Howard's Birthday (August 8th, 77th birthday). Tonight we are honoring the same card as the Dodgers host the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday Night Baseball.

1960 Topps #132 Frank Howard

The Sport Magazine 1960 Topps Rookie Star subset runs from card numbers #117-148. This is the 2nd time that Topps and Sport were on-card partners. The 1958 Topps All-Stars subset is a Sport Magazine collaboration. In 1959 Topps switched allegiances to the Sporting News for both the All-Stars subset and the Rookie Stars subset   

 Despite the muted orange background that dominates this sets presentation, I view the design as a winner. The confluence of the patriotic ribbon, bullseyed profile pic, and magazine cred combine to put this subset into the Win column.

And I must also note that Frank Howard wearing his cap slightly askew adds just a touch of cool to the head shot. 

2006 Topps Archives Reserve #34

Topps is apparently quite fond of the card as well.  They saluted the card by making a chromey reprint part of their 2006 Topps Archives Reserve set. 

1960 was a good year for Frank Howard who won the NL Rookie of the Year award over two Phillies (Pancho Herrera, Art Mahaffey) and future Hall of Famer Ron Santo. Howard tallied 23 Home Runs with 77 RBIs during his rookie campaign.  He would remain a power hitter throughout his career, leading the league in homers twice (1968, 1970) with the Washington Senators. 

Frank Howard spent 7 years in the Dodgers organization before being traded to the Senators following the 1964 season.  Along with his rookie of the year campaign the highlight of Frank Howard's Dodger career is their sweep of the Yankees in the 1963 World Series. Howard homered off of Whitey Ford in the final game of the series.


Howard stayed in baseball for a number of years after his career ended and I can recall seeing him as a coach with the Mets in the 1990s.  Despite being out of the game for 20-30 years he still dwarfed many of that eras current players (Baseball-ref lists Howard at 6'7", 255 lbs).

The last time I saw Frank Howard was at the final Washington Nationals game at RFK.  

2007 09 23 Frank Howard and Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals final game at RFK

This photo was a bit too blurry to make the cut as a Phungo card, and doesn't really show Frank Howard's commanding size, but I assure you that day he was a presence.


Sources
Vintage Baseball Cards  
Baseball-ref.com   
Night Owl Cards

Sunday Night Baseball: 1965 Topps #200 Joe Torre - A Hero Number Card!

A couple of division leaders going at it on ESPN this evening. A good night to feature a player that was an All-Star with both the Cardinal and Braves squads, Joe Torre.

1965 Topps #200 Joe Torre



Torre came up to the Majors with the Milwaukee Braves in 1960, in 1961 he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting to future Hall of Famer Billy Williams. He spent 9 seasons with the Braves (who moved to Atlanta in 1966) before being traded to the Cardinals for Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda. In St Louis Joe Torre won the MVP award in 1971 with a standout season that saw the catcher move to third base and hit a league leading .363. That year he also led the league in Hits, RBIs and Total Bases.

His career which he finished out in 1977 with the Mets Torre had 2342 hits and 252 Home Runs. He was a 9 time all-star but never played in the postseason.

Those all at up to Sub-HoF numbers, but Torre would make up for his lack of postseason playing as a manager with the New York Yankees. He racked up 6 AL penneants and 4 World Series Titles with Jeter, Posada, Mariano, Andy Pettittie and crew.  As the skipper to the Bronks Bombers he took Manager of the year awards in 1996 and 1998.

At some point Torre will enter the hall as a manager, but lets not forget he was an MVP caliber player.

1965 Topps

We are just getting you prepped for 2014 Heritage. Shortly I am sure we will all get inundated with images of the beloved set. The set is a favorite for good reason and the #200 Torre card is a fine example. Colorful and Vibrant design with the waving pennant and a decent photograph of the Young Joe Torre. 

Source & Links

Joe Torre HOF Index

Baseball-ref.com   

baseball card database