3 On Card Autos: Baseball Outside of Anaheim

It started over at Dinged Corners and has since spread like wildfire through the card blogging world. The question they posed, "What are your 3 favorite on card autographs?". I was intrigued immediately, but realized right away, I'd never be able to narrow to just 3. So, being the rule breaker that I am, I decided to break mine into categories. My 4 categories: Angels autos, Baseball outside of Anaheim, Football and non-sports.

Today: Baseball Outside of Anaheim

I know it's hard to believe, but they do play baseball outside of Anaheim and over the years I've liked and respected a number of players who never donned the Halo.

1. Kirby Puckett

This card is one of my favorites for a number of reasons. The 1985 Topps Puckett was one of the first big rookie cards I ever got my hands on in my early days of collecting. It's almost impossible for a young kid to not be won over by a chubby guy named Kirby and when he ends up being an extremely exciting player at bat and in the field, you've got a perfect combination. This actual card is of course a reprint from the 2001 Topps Archives release and features a huge autograph from Kirby. This autograph couldn't be a better match to the man. Large, bold and rounded.

2. Bip Roberts

Readers of this gutty, little blog are well aware of my infatuation with Leon "Bip" Roberts. This card was sent to me by Rob of Padrographs and instantly became one of my favorites. Before Rod, I was Bipless in the autograph department, but thanks to his generosity I now have 2. Bold signature - Check. Hat placed lazily atop head - Check. The grin of a young man who knows he's destined for greatness - Check. What's not to love?

3. Ken Griffey Jr.

This card will get a more proper treatment in the near future, but I couldn't just ignore this card when it comes to favorite on card autographs. As you might be able to tell by the monolithic encasement, this card is my holy grail. At the age of 12 my father took me to my first baseball card show in Anaheim and the headliners doing the signing were Ken Griffey Jr. and his father. I had no interest in Sr., sorry to the old-timers, but he wasn't even on my radar. For me it was all about The Kid. This card went from Ken's hand, to mine and within minutes into this monstrosity of a case. Ever since that moment I've been paralyzed by fear every time I've even considered removing it. Because of the case, the scan is horrible, but trust me, this card is as good as it gets.


And so ends my on card autograph journey. Thanks to the ladies of Dinged Corners for making this all a reality with their fabulous idea.

Go Halos!

Fun With 95 SP: The Conclusion

What better place to start the conclusion of "Fun With 95 SP" than with the Cardboard God, Bip Roberts.

Once again, Bip shows off what makes him a legend. SUre, he could have mailed it in with just the million dollar smile, but he took it to another level by pulling off the ball balancing on a bat act.

But did Bip's presence end there? Of course not.

Bip showed up on a regular season card sliding back into first...


And from a spring training game trying to break up the double play. Props to Vinny Castilla on the athleticism.

If you think seeing Vinny Castilla jumping in the air seems a little out of place, this will make your jaw drop

Jim Thome looking like a skinny second baseman levitating in the middle of the Oakland infield. Definitely worth a double take.

Hairstyles also played a prominent role in 95 SP, we've already seen Will Clark and his combover, but we also have the stylings of Sammy.

Apparently Mr. Sosa had swimmer's ear, or maybe a tick that needed to be checked out. Digging the racing stripe down the side.


Mark Portugal showing off the mid 90s mullet.


Not to be outdone by the famous ginger mullet of some guy who seems to have disappeared from baseball all together. You gotta wonder if Will Clark was more interested in getting some juice to prolong his career or some hair styling tips.

Finally, the winner for Best Mullet in a 1995 baseball card set goes to...well let's him come on out and show it off to you.

As Juan prances in from the outfield, he lets us all know the source of his strength. It's nothing from the locker of Mr. Canseco, instead it's all about the locks.

If we're going to give Juan an award for that hair, how about an award for the most awkward card of 95 SP.

Director's chair on baseball field...check.
Pasty white skin accented by sleeveless shirt...check.
Odd expression from Mr. Nevin...check.
Officially awkward.


It's not often that you get a good run down captured on cardboard, however I'm more interested in the fact that the catcher has made his way out to the infield, displaying just how intense of a run down this was.

Random Oddities:

Ray Lankford, #1 Fave 4 Cardinal and aspiring gymnast.


The awful gray hats of the Baltimore Orioles. You will only find evidence of these caps on a few cards out there.


1st oddity, a time when Pedro Martinez needed the J. to help in identifying himself.
2nd oddity, Pedro is taking a vicious hack.


No one loves their fat guys quite like I do, but I really don't think Kirby should have been throwing himself around like this in a spring training game.

Finally, we take a look at the rookies of 95 SP. A chance for me to realize just how old I've become.


Yup, there was a time when Edgardo Alfonzo was a bright young rookie making his way onto the scene and not a washed up hitter barely holding on.


Nomo-mania!


I just figures Grudz began his career as a 6 year veteran.


Seriously, this guy was young once.


Even as a rookie Tony Clark looked like he was 40.

And thus ends our look back at the wackiness that was 95 SP. Feel free to look here, here and here for more of the fun. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

Go Halos!

It's Like Taking A Step Back In Time

1995.
The 49ers demolished the Chargers in the Super Bowl.
The Dow closed over 4,000 for the first time ever.
Yahoo! was founded. Selena was murdered by a crazed fan.
Cal Ripken Jr. broke the consecutive games streak.
Seamus Heaney won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

And a teenage Halo fan bought his last packs of baseball cards, until his interest was rekindled in 2006.

As part of my massive cleanout and organization project that I've been undertaking for the last few weeks, I came across the final cards I purchased back in 1995. There were very few cards that I found in the middle of one of many boxes. Although they weren't plentiful, there were some interesting cards in the stack and I began to regret not collecting more cards from those days, but of course I had a few other priorities back then.

The cards I came across came from three sets, Upper Deck, Stadium Club and Leaf. Here are a few of the highlights. I may have to begin scouring the ol' interweb for some 1995 wax just to see what I was missing out on.

UPPER DECK

Todd Hollandsworth, 1996 Rookie of the Year and well a whole lot of years of not much else. Congrats to Upper Deck on their prediction skills.


An actual Predictor card of Jose Canseco. Apparently if Jose would have led the AL in home runs in 1995, I would have been the recipient of some odd card or doodad. Unfortunately, Jose could only muster 24 dingers and was obliterated by one Albert Belle. Thanks for the lackluster effort Jose.


Mike Mussina Electric Diamond. I don't know what makes this card special other than the Electric Diamond logo, but I feel special having it.


Fred, always the team player, always quick with the congratulations for others.

LEAF
I only had a couple of packs worth of Leaf, but apparently I hit the motherload as far as star cards.

Kirby, oh how I miss the days of Kirby Puckett. These Leaf cards look pretty slick. I'm always a sucker for a Kirby card. Finding this made me miss the purest days of card collecting.


The Big Hurt doing his Big Hurt thing. There has never been a more contact conscious swing that was filled with that kind of power.


Any card with Rickey in an A's uniform and on the base paths is a winner to me.

TOPPS STADIUM CLUB

My man Ray Lankford. #1 St. Louis Cardinal of all-time. I feel like I've won the lottery discovering an extra Lankford and Puckett card for my collection.


Maybe my favorite Milwaukee Brewer card ever. How could I possibly have stopped collecting after pulling this gem? Stupid teenage priorities.

Ahhh, 1995. A year of many great moments and a very dark time for this collector.

Go Halos!

Fave 4: Minnesota Twins

The 1991 World Series will forever be one of my favorite baseball memories. I was obsessed with the lovable, chunky outfielder who became a hero and I'll never forget being in my living room, cutting up one of mom's white towels and using red marker to write Homer Hanky. I was still in my formaidable fandom years and held no true loyalties. I did however know that I loathed the Atlanta Braves and wanted nothing more than for the boys down south to lose.

Maybe it's because of that, or maybe it's just because they've never been a team of me-first prima donas, but I just have a really hard time rooting against the Twins. Heck, I almost felt some amount of sympathy for them after Adam Kennedy's 3rd homerun during game 5 of the 2002 ALCS. So, as I started to compile my Fave 4s, I was not surprised to find a glut of Twins making it difficult for me to come up with just 4. Number one was a given and I almost considered taking the easy way out and making him my 2-4 as well. Instead, after many long hours debating with myself and looking at all the angles, I've come up with my Fave 4 for the Minnesota Twins.

1. Kirby Puckett

The card above will receive its own special post someday, as it was and remains as one of my favorite baseball cards ever. Kirby was an absolute hero to me as a young boy. I can't fathom how many 1988 Donruss cards I sent off to Minnesota in hopes that they would be signed. While I never received one back, Kirby will always be one of my favorite baseball players of all-time.


2. Torii Hunter

Torii moved up to #2 partially due to his current Halo-ness. I've always enjoyed watching Torii play and absolutely love the way he plays the field, not to mention his string of amazing odd-ball baseball cards recently. Watching him for a full season in 2008 was a lot of fun. He has gotten older and isn't the same player he was in his prime with Minnesota, but his attitude and all-out style have gone nowhere.

3. Dan Gladden

A lot of the reason for this choice is sentimentality, but Gladden was a pretty decent player for the Twins. The 1992 Donruss card above shows off the golden locks flapping as Gladden takes a hack. Above all, the image from the Sports Illustrated cover below spent years on my childhood bedroom wall. Dan Gladden will always stick out in my mind when I think of the Minnesota Twins.


4. Jacque Jones

I agonized over who to put in this 4th spot and while Chuck Knoblauch almost got the call, he was disqualified for helping the Yankees to 3 championships. As for Jacque, my first memories of him are with the USC Trojans in the College World Series. I was hooked at that point and he always remained a player I watched and enjoyed. He never did anything spectacularly, but you gotta admit he looks beyond smooth in that powder blue uniform.

Honorable Mentions:
The fight for spot 4 was intense and unfortunately a few had to fall by the wayside.

If Chuck had only become a defensive headcase a few seasons earlier he would have sewed up position 4, unfortunately he became a part of the Yankee machine.

If Johan hadn't spend so many games mowing down my Halos and then bolting for New York, his chances would have improved ten-fold.

Mauer is one of the absolute best hitters in the game today and a lot of fun to watch with the stick.

The darkhorse. Shane Mack has no business among many of these players, but I can't help it. I'm a Shane Mack fan and I'm proud of this fact. Ask me to explain why and I'll stutter and stop repeatedly, but I am damn it!

So as the dust settles, 4 are left standing and it wasn't easy. Very few teams had this many players up near the top and it all started with that chubby center fielder who could do it all.

Go Halos!

Craptacular Pack Break: The Fleer Packs

In my boredom and desire to pick up packs from my childhood, I bought a 9 pack lot of late 80's/early '90s junk. And when I say junk, I say it with no anger. This is the stuff I grew up on, like so many others and it holds a special place for me. Plus, I like opening really cheap packs filled with about 15 cards and flipping through them with the daughter. We had a ball, here are the results of the 2 Fleer packs. 1990 and 1992.

1990 Fleer may be one of my least favorite sets from this time period. There are essentially no memorable cards from the set, the design is bland, and the photography is not exactly top notch. The saving grace...Stickers!

This was by far Hailey's favorite part of the packs. She has quickly absconded with them and they are slowly showing up around the home. The first one I ran across was the Twins sticker on the laundry hamper in the bathroom. I'd really like to see a company bring back stickers to the base product. The Upper Deck holograms were always a highlight to me.

The next card is appropriate mainly because today is a special day. Lemkepalooza 2009 has begun over at Cardboard Junkie.

I've never been much a Braves fan and I always kinda wanted to punch Lemmer in the face, but hey he was born in Utica, NY and I was born in Syracuse so we were basically neighbors until I moved to Texas 9 months later.

Next, a former Expos superstar.

A little baseball history for Hailey. I miss the Expos. Their stadium was hideous, I found watching their home games to be difficult, but I just can't get into the Nationals. As for Grissom, this guy was an absolute stud for a while. For a speedster, he hit a surprising 227 homeruns.

1985 NL MVP Willie McGee

Gotta love the contortion on this card. No disrespect for Willie, but he's not exactly the guy I picture when I think of MVPs of the past 25 years.

The Dual Prospect card of Matt Kinzer and Wayne Edwards

Kinzer - 9 games, 0-2 record.
Edwards - 62 games, 5-5 record
A prospector's dream.

The rest of the pack:
472 Bill Landrum
366 Allan Anderson
477 Rick Reed
510 Keith Comstock
267 Mike Boddicker
547 Steve Rosenberg
425 Rick Mahler
509 Darnell Coles
75 Matt Williams
406 Willie Randolph
192 Jay Tibbs

Now onto the pack of 1992 Fleer, it was slightly less lame than the pack of 1990.

Super Star Specials Barry Larkin and Kirby Puckett

It's weird, when I get a card like this in base Topps, I cringe and think why would you pair up this "Classic Combo", but for some reason I love this card. Maybe it's just the nostalgia and looking back at two '90s stars that I really liked, but it just works. The modern Duo cards just never seem to do it for me. This card was a definite highlight to the pack.

Ellis Burks

Although Burks had a really solid career, he always seemed like a disappointment to me. He was one of those guys whose cards I would horde away in my star boxes, expecting greatness and it just never happened. He had a couple of great years like 1996 in Colorado, but I thought he was destined to be a stud alongside Greenwell in Boston for years. Not so much.

Bo Jackson

Maybe my favorite athlete from my youth. This guy was just fascinating. His 1989 All Star homerun in Anaheim is still one of the coolest sports moments I've ever been a part of. Obviously the hip injury with the Raiders killed the momentum of his career, but I still remember being excited whenever he stepped to the plate.

Jim Abbott

How is this guy not a bigger legend? He pitched at a high level in the major leagues with one frickin' hand. I didn't even try to explain this one to my daughter. I just pointed out that he was an Angel and she was thrilled. He ended up 20 games under .500 in his career and certainly didn't live up to the expectations of the 8th pick of a draft, but the man was simply amazing.

The rest of the pack:
563 Joe Redfield
232 Scott Kamieniecki
405 Bill Doran
659 Pat Rice (Prospects)
207 Gene Larkin
342 Todd Stottlemyre
437 Xavier Hernandez
440 Rob Mallicoat
618 Bip Roberts
191 Dale Sveum
560 Llloyd McClendon
459 Orel Hershiser
620 Benito Santiago

Overall, the 1992 Fleer cards destroyed their 1990 brethren. The nostalgia factor was high for 1992 with cards of Bo, Kirby, Larkin, Orel, Abbott and Burks. Plus my boy Bip Roberts showed up, always a treat.

Still left to come, 1989, 1990 Donruss. 1992 Leaf. 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 Score. 1986 Topps League Leaders.

Go Halos!