Fun With 95 SP: The Continuation

It started here and continued here, now the saga continues.

The great thing about 95 SP is that the oddities are at times of the routine variety, example below:

Jose Rijo examining some pictures that I can only pray are of him, but likely they are pictures of Dominican embryos that he plans on signing illegally once he becomes a part of the Nationals front office.

But the oddities aren't always so obvious, occasionally they don't register immediately, example below:

What's so odd about a player making a leaping grab at the wall? Let me count the ways.
1. It's Gary Sheffield. A man not always known for his great effort.
2. This is a spring training game as evidenced by the peculiar wall/fence.
3. That is Gary Sheffield putting out maximum effort in a meaningless spring training game. Cats and dogs living together!

95 SP actually had a couple of nice wall shots outside of the Sheffield miracle.

Rickey Henderson with gold chain flying. Does Rickey ever not look smooth?


Maybe the most expected player to have a wall catch card other than Kenny Lofton in 1995. Finley seemed to make these plays regularly during the mid to late 90s.

Maybe my favorite card of the set is Rod Beck.

What could be better than a card that shows Beck lacing up the gloves? I know when I think of Rod Beck I instantly flash to his off-season workout regimen which by glancing at his physique, you instantly can determine that it is filled with intense sessions. So I return to the original question of what could be better? Well, just check the back.

Yup. Beck has graduated from the lacing up the gloves to absolutely annihilating the heavy bag. You can instantly see why Beck is the finely tuned professional athlete that he is. An absolute cardio beast!

The madness continues with the hairline of Nuschler.

Oh Will. Why oh why did you continually insist on doffing your cap? I certainly understand that the Star Spangled Banner is a justified reason to take off the hat, but it seemed like your hat was always off. Could you have done us all the favor of shaving it off or at least going with a different hairdo than the one you had when you were 6? And shame on the photo editors who decided to torture us with this sight.

Finally, we will round out today's action with a look at one of the best second basemen of our generation, Ralph Macchio, I mean Daniel LaRusso.

The secret to Roberto's great success wasn't natural talent passed down from his father. It wasn't hours spent on little league fields honing his craft. Nope, Roberto's success is due to the teachings of an elderly Asian maintenance man who fled to America in order to escape the wrath of Sato. Early on he took Roberto under his wing and taught him the importance of wax on, wax off. Unfortunately, Roberto spent a brief time under the mesmerizing tutelage of the Cobra Kai who influenced him to spit on an umpire in an act of disrespect that was difficult to live down. Thankfully, he returned to the teachings of Miyagi and lived happily ever after.

Thank you for this reminder 95 SP. Only one more installment is left, I know you're on the edge of your seat.

Go Halos!

Fave 4: Toronto Blue Jays

For most of my Fave 4s, the first couple have been obvious to me and then after that I've had to think about the players that will fill in the last couple of spots and at times I've had to go back and forth between two players for the last spot. Rarely have I found myself with a list of 8 or 9 deserving players who I liked from a particular team. For some reason, the Toronto Blue jays fell into this latter category.

Although the Blue Jays were winning championships in the early 90s, I certainly never classified myself as a Blue Jay fan. I didn't have a problem with their success, but I wasn't bowled over by it either. The thing about the Blue Jays for me is that they are completely inoffensive. I've never rooted against them and because of that I've come to like a number of their players through the years. It helps that they play in the AL East and aren't the Sawx or the Yanks. That and the Canadians are generally a peaceful group who say funny things like aboot and eh.

After much deliberation and card searching, I came up with Fave 4 and it was definitely one of the most difficult of all.

1. Fred McGriff

It started with the infamous "Boner" card above, as my friends and I called it. It continued with the nickname The Crime Dog. But ultimately, my love for McGriff was born out of that prodigious lefty swing. McGriff is one of the most likable and easy to root for guys around. Although McGriff bounced around to a number of different teams, ultimately I remember him and most admired him as a Blue Jay.


2. Carlos Delgado

Although he came up as a catcher, Delgado has become one of the great power first basemen of the last couple decades. Delgado was one of the few players who kept the Blue Jays relevant for a number of years. He was a good Marlin for a year, a productive Met for the last few, but to me he was a stud Blue Jay and my #2 Fave.

3. Roy Halladay

Very few current day players have made my lists for the team they are currently playing for, but Halladay is an exception. He is also one of the few pitchers who have made these lists. This guy is as good as it gets on the mound these days, a mainstay on fantasy teams and you've always gotta root for a Yankee killer.

4. Jesse Barfield

This was one of the toughest decisions yet and I'm sure as soon as I hit "Publish Post" I'll be rethinking it, but I'm ok with that. Barfield was a free swinger with power, but most amazing was that arm. He had an absolute hose out in the field and any time I watched him play, I was just praying that someone would test him. I've read and heard stories about Clemente's arm, but of course never witnessed it, so to me Barfield almost filled that role.

Honorable Mentions:
(They are aplenty)
Tony Fernandez and Roberto Alomar


2 slick fielders who were traded for each other, along with McGriff and Joe Carter. Alomar was one of the great second basemen of our day and just missed making this list. Although I try not to let what players did with other teams influence my decision, I just feel like the end of his career was so unremarkable that I've lost some of the love for him.

Glenallen Hill

Spiderman. A terrible case of arachnaphobia, combined with what can only be described as tremendously poor defensive skills and pretty good bat, made Glenallen a guy I always followed.

Devon White

Devo, a favored Angel and a great defensive center fielder who showed off all his skills on the biggest stage.

Vernon Wells

Another current day player who I really enjoy watching. It started out when I drafted him onto a fantasy team in 2002 and he had a break out year. Since then, I've always followed Wells and wished him the best.

The list is extensive and I think I'm pleased with the rankings, but that could change at any moment. The Blue Jays definitely go down as one of the most inoffensive teams around and it's hard not to have a soft spot for the boys up in America Jr.

Go Halos!