Seven Days of Salmon: Day 7

While on vacation, I've decided to treat you, the loyal readers of I Heart Halos! to seven glorious days of Tim Salmon cards. I do this to not only honor the greatest of all Halos, but to honor you.

SEVEN DAYS OF SALMON

Day 7: Rookie/Rookie-ish Cards, Along With My Favorite Tim Salmon Card of All-Time

1993 Donruss #176 Rated Rookie

For a collector who grew up in the the 80s, there's nothing quite like coming across a Rated Rookie in your pack. Even today it gives this card a little something extra. The card design is nothing special and the image itself lacks any excitement. It almost looks as if Tim hit a sharp liner to the second baseman and is looking on in a bit of disappointment as the catch is made. One cool part of this card is that Tim is wearing a uniform from the 1992 season, a season he only played 23 games for the Angels. In 1993 the Angels switched logos to an interlocking CA and overhauled their entire look. I miss this look.

1993 Fleer Ultra #523

Here we see a 1993 rookie card that features the 1993 uniform rather than the 1992 uniform seen on the Donruss issue. In 1993 Ultra was a "premium" set, so I rarely got my hands on these cards, outside of a few packs in 1991 and 1992. The 93 design was essentially a slightly different colored variation of the 92 design, but not of that's important now. There's nothing that amazing about this card, but I do like the small rookie ribbon in the top corner, always caught your eyes back in the day.

1994 Topps Rookie Cup #397

Although this isn't a rookie card of Salmon, it does carry the infamous Rookie Cup in the corner, which was always a bonus to me as a young collector. I remember being about as excited for these Rookie Cup cards as I was for any other cards when I was young. Sometimes you were left scratching your head as to how certain players made it onto the list. Here's a look at the other memebers of the 1993 Topps All-Rookie Team:
* Mike Piazza, C, Los Angeles Dodgers
* J.T. Snow, 1B, California Angels
* Carlos García, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates
* Mike Lansing, 3B, Montreal Expos
* Wil Cordero, SS, Montreal Expos
* Jeff Conine, OF, Florida Marlins
* Wayne Kirby, OF, Cleveland Indians
* Tim Salmon, OF, California Angels
* Greg McMichael, RHP, Atlanta Braves
* Steve Cooke, LHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Two Halos, always a bonus. Not exactly the future stars of Major League Baseball, outside of Piazza and Salmon, although Conine was a very solid player for a number of years.

1993 Upper Deck Star Rookie Checklist #1

This is by far, my favorite Tim Salmon card in the history of all cards featuring Tim Salmon. How can any right minded person not love this card? The majestic orange sky, the big A with halo over Tim's head, the shot making Tim look larger than life and the old school 1992 uniform. Just a perfect image and a great looking card. I desperately need to get my hands on this card in better condition, as this one has some chipping along the black border. I'm not one for hyperbole, but this may be the most perfect baseball card ever made.


Today's Tim Salmon Factoids:
Tim hit 2 home runs in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series. His second home run put the Angels ahead for good in an 11-10 slugfest against the Giants.

Enjoy #2.
Down 3 games to 2, the Angels had to win their final two games at home to clinch their first World Series victory. Salmon had a great series, hitting .346 with an OPS of 1.067. At the time, he was the active player with the most number of games played without reaching the postseason.
Tim Salmon is and forever will be, Mr. Angel.

So ends Day 7, the final day of the Seven Days of Salmon. I hope these actually posted and if they did, I hope you enjoyed them.

Go Halos!

Seven Days of Salmon: Day 6

While on vacation, I've decided to treat you, the loyal readers of I Heart Halos! to seven glorious days of Tim Salmon cards. I do this to not only honor the greatest of all Halos, but to honor you.

SEVEN DAYS OF SALMON

Day 6: Cards I REALLY Like (Creative, I know.)

1993 Flair #177

I love the minimalism of the design on this card. The classy Flair font adorns the brand name as well as Tim's last name on the card. The full bleed design is nice and I like the main image of Tim which shows Salmon admiring his shot to the opposite field gap. What takes this card to whole other level is the disembodied Salmon that appears to be looking down at himself in some sort of out of body baseball experience. Perhaps this is the secret to Tim's success, a sort of Angels in the Outfield approach to baseball.

1999 Topps Gold Label #29

I recently posted the Darin Erstad card from this set and remarked then on how much I like the design for 1999 Topps Gold Label. It just feels like a premium card, heavy card stock, a non-distracting rainbow shine, dual images of Tim that don't compete with each other, and the Angel logo in the background. Despite this being probably my least favorite Angel logo of all-time, it always looks good being slightly covered up by the player images. I need to get myself on eBay and purchase this set.

1996 Upper Deck V.J. Lovero Showcase #VJ16

Maybe one of the coolest cards made for a mid 90s Halo fan. The image of Garret Anderson, Jim Edmonds and Tim Salmon, the outfield that was supposed to bring championships and respectability to the Angels for years to become. They all did get their championships, although only the corner outfielders got theirs with the Angels. Besides bringing together the three biggest Angels stars of the mid 90s, the picture itself is cool, playing off the Angel theme, with each player bringing his hand and glove together in a prayer-like scene, looking off in deep contemplation. Just plain cool.

Today's Tim Salmon Factoids:
As a young man, Salmon's favorite players were Ryne Sandberg, Dale Murphy and Steve Garvey.
In Cal Ripken's record setting 2,131st straight game, Salmon went 3-4, with a home run and a double.
Tim hit a walk off Grand Slam in the bottom of the 11th against the Indians in April of 1997.
Tim made the most money in a single season of his career in 2005. He earned over 10 million dollars that season and played in zero games. In 2006, he made 400,000 dollars and played in 76 games.
Won the Silver Slugger Award in 1995.
Tim's favorite sports announcer is Vin Scully.
Quote from Tim: "Be a dreamer, that's where you'll find your passion for the game."

So ends Day 6 of the Seven Days of Salmon.

Go Halos!

Seven Days of Salmon: Day 5

While on vacation, I've decided to treat you, the loyal readers of I Heart Halos! to seven glorious days of Tim Salmon cards. I do this to not only honor the greatest of all Halos, but to honor you.

SEVEN DAYS OF SALMON

Day 5: Cards That I Like for Some Odd Reason (As opposed to yesterday's cards which were just plain odd)

Circa '96 #22

This card is definitely a cluster f*@$ of a design, there is just way too much going on in the background, with the text, etc. The back is a definite improvement, as it's much more sedated, but we're not focusing on that. So what's the odd reason I liek it? The quote from Tim in the upper corner, "I don't want to over-analyze things. I just want to react." It says it all about Salmon and his approach to the game and it's exactly how I like my hitters. No analysis, just see pitch, hit pitch. I admire the Tony Gwynns of the world and their study habits and constant breaking down of pitchers, but to me baseball is so much more pure when played like Salmon.

1999 Fleer Ultra #168

This card is on the surface a very boring shot, but I feel like every star player needs at least one of these cards in their catalog. The card that says, "Yeah, he's a star, but he's not so big time that he doesn't have time for the fans". That's just what we get here, Tim giving back to his loyal fans, signing autographs alongside the wall at the Big A.

1994 Upper Deck #111

The decision to reproduce the main image in the bottom corner of the card, distorting it into something uncomfortable, was ill-advised at best. But that's not what I like about this card. I just like the image of Salmon the hustler who goes all out. After sliding into the base, Tim kneels on a single knee and contemplates what has just taken place. The dirt on his pants is a nice touch, but it's his knees that really interest me. Not only are the pants torn at the knee, this doesn't appear to be the first time, as they seem to have previously been stitched back together. The essence of Salmon.

Today's Tim Salmon Factoids:
In 2000, Bill James described Tim as an "old-fashioned hard-hat kind of player, good arm, not too much speed, works hard and rarely goes into a slump."
Salmon's career bests: Average - .330, Home runs - 34 (twice), RBIs - 129, OBP - .429, Slugging - .594, OPS - 1.024, Runs - 111, Doubles - 37, Triples - 4 (twice), Hits - 177, Total Bases - 319.
Full name: Timothy James Salmon

So ends Day 5 of the Seven Days of Salmon.

Go Halos!

Seven Days of Salmon: Day 4

While on vacation, I've decided to treat you, the loyal readers of I Heart Halos! to seven glorious days of Tim Salmon cards. I do this to not only honor the greatest of all Halos, but to honor you.

SEVEN DAYS OF SALMON

Day 4: Cards That Are Odd

1998 Pacific Revolution #5

I'm not sure I own another card with this much sparkle, rainbowy goodness and weird tribal background design. There's a part of me that wants to hate this card, yet I'm oddly drawn to it. I wouldn't want to open a pack of this stuff or own more than 1 card from the set, but this one as a stand alone is pretty sweet. I even like the raised lettering of Tim's name down the side, with even more sparkly fantasticalness.

1993 Upper Deck Stars of Tomorrow #7

This card is just plain ugly. The fading purple sky, a sprinkling of stars, the generic stadium with spotlights shooting at Mr. Salmon's nether regions, the constellation made by the outline of Tim and lastly, Tim coming up on a ground ball, while in mid air, wearing a spring training jersey. It's an awful card. But here's the thing, I wasn't doing a lot of collecting in 1993, but I did still open the occasional pack and for me, getting a Tim Salmon card during his rookie season was a boon. At the time, I cared little for design or asthetics, as evidenced by complete set of 1991 Fleer. It's Tim Salmon being celebrated for his future stardom. Count me in.

1995 Studio #13

Admittedly, this is a pretty stupid idea for a baseball card. Apparently the Studio design had become so stale that they decided to go with the idea of baseball card as credit card. There's one redeeming thing about these cards. They didn't half ass it, instead they went all the way with the theme. How did they go about this? Well, American Leahue logo serves them well as credit card like background logo. The stats are effective as a credit card number and I really like the "MLB Member Since" and "Birth Date" taking the place of an expiration date. The holographic Angels logo adds to the overall look and "authenticity". They didn't quit when it comes to the back. By raising the writing on the front, you get the indentations on the back. The authorized Tim Salmon signature also graces the back along with a brief bio and stat line that replaces the legalese. Well done, Studio.

Today's Tim Salmon Factoids:
In 1992, Tim was awarded the Minor League Player of the Year Award by Baseball America.
Tim Salmon's debut consisted of two strikeouts, a pop-up and a walk. Day 2 brought Tim's first hit, a single. Day 3 brought Tim's first home run, a 3 run shot.
Tim was a unanimous Rookie of the Year winner in 1993, posting a 283/.382/.536 line, with 31 homers and 95 RBIs.
In 2002, Tim was awarded the Hutch Award, given to an active player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire to win.

So ends Day 4 of the Seven Days of Salmon.

Go Halos!

Seven Days of Salmon: Day 3

While on vacation, I've decided to treat you, the loyal readers of I Heart Halos! to seven glorious days of Tim Salmon cards. I do this to not only honor the greatest of all Halos, but to honor you.

SEVEN DAYS OF SALMON

Day 3: Cards That Are Just Plain Cool...Kinda

1993 Studio #114

Okay, I know what you may be thinking, "Studio isn't cool, sorry Halo fan". And you wouldn't be wrong in thinking that. However, I really like this card. I like the cheesy backgrounds of the past have been replaced by the team logo. But rather than just a giant logo, they used the uniform patch with all its stitching. Salmon is pictured in uniform, instead of some cheesy mock turtleneck with poorly styled hair. Finally, the addition of faux signature done in a holographic, color changing way is pleasing to the eye.

1994 Topps Stadium Club Dugout Dirt #8 of 12 (card back)

Illustrator Daniel Guidera is responsible for this card back. For the life of me, I can't really figure out how he came up with this design, but I love it. The obvious play on "Salmon", but notice the look of fright on each of the defensive fisheys. True terror, while Tim looks extremely pleased with himself as he floats in the water...or is he up in heaven? Don't know, don't care, just like.

1994 Topps Stadium Club #36

This one is all about the photo. Salmon, an instant after making contact and most likely driving the pitch of some stinkin' Yankee into the middle of a bunch of monuments. Catcher is still poised in hopes of the ball getting past the bat of Salmon, with the umpire also making a guest appearance. Beautiful.

Today's Tim Salmon Factoids:
Tim made approximately $70,677,500 in his career as a Halo.
While playing for the Angels his entire career, Tim was a California Angel, an Anaheim Angel and a Los Angeles Angel of Anaheim.
Despite many people thinking Tim's career was over after he missed the entire 2005 season, Tim made the team as a non-roster invitee to spring training in 2006. In 2006 he would go on to hit .265, had on OBP of .361, and slugged .450.
Tim had the most home runs of any player to never make an All-Star game, while playing his entire career after the All-Star game came about.

So ends Day 3 of the Seven Days of Salmon.

Go Halos!

Seven Days of Salmon: Day 2

While on vacation, I've decided to treat you, the loyal readers of I Heart Halos! to seven glorious days of Tim Salmon cards. I do this to not only honor the greatest of all Halos, but to honor you.

SEVEN DAYS OF SALMON
Day 2: Cards of the 3D Variety

1996 Sportflix #106

Staring at this card in an attempt to appreciate the eye-popping 3D effects, left me with a headache after 8.5 seconds. While Salmon does pop out to some extent, the out of focus crowd is just a mish mash of mind-bending ridiculousness. I find it odd that they would choose to have Tim's image so far to the left, leaving a giant void of anything in focus.

1995 Sportflix #14

While this card does less damage to my frontal lobe, it's also quite boring. The only part of the card that is 3D, is the vortex of grass and baseballs flying from the horizon. Salmon appears to be standing in front of a red hot baseball of flame, which would explain the need for sunglasses. Complete design fail here.

1995 Sportflix Cyclone Squad #CS 18

Here's a bright idea for a 3D themed set, let's put an image of the player in front of two gold, hypnotic spheres. Simply moving this card a fraction of an inch causes the "cyclones" to spin and for my eyes to be annoyed. I'm shocked these cards were being produced in the mid-90s after their failure in the 80s. Even as a kid I realized how ridiculous these cards were, but that didn't stop me from buying a few packs in the middle of Nebraska while on a family road trip. Perhaps Upper Deck can revive the Sportflix legacy in the same way that they've brought back O-Pee-Chee. Or not.

Today's Tim Salmon factoids:
Considered by many, including myself to be the greatest player to never play in an All-Star game. This still amazes me.
In his lone post-season, Salmon had an OPS of .908. His OPS in the World Series was 1.067.
Tim was drafted in the 18th round of the 1986 draft by the Atlanta Braves, but chose not to sign and instead attended Grand Canyon University. Chad Curtis was also drafted by the Angels out of Grand Canyon University in the same year as Salmon.

So ends Day 2 of the Seven Days of Salmon.

Go Halos!

Seven Days of Salmon: Day 1

While on vacation, I've decided to treat you, the loyal readers of I Heart Halos! to seven glorious days of Tim Salmon cards. I do this to not only honor the greatest of all Halos, but to honor you.

SEVEN DAYS OF SALMON
DAY 1: Cards that great in person, but scan quite crappily.

1994 Bowman's Best #25

In person, this card looks great. It's shiny, it's colorful, it's got fake granite. What's not to love. Also, lest you be unaware who is on the card, you get Tim's last name and uniform number front and center.

2000 Bowman #85

A mix of the vintage and the modern. The old TV set design from days of yore and the shiny chromeyness of today. Yup, in this first day of Salmon, I have used the words chromeyness and crappily. Webster, look out.

1996 Topps Finest Sterling Card 97 Theme S20

For whatever reason I never come across one of these cards without the protective coating, despite Topps clearly printing on the coating to "Peel and Remove". It's almost like they were hoping that everyone outside of a few oddballs would remove the coating and these would one day become scarce and desirable cards. I guess that plan backfired. Bonus points however for Salmon's bunny-like expression in this action shot.

Today's Tim Salmon factoids:
Nickname: King Fish
Salmon was a third round draft pick. In his first season of low-A ball, he hit a rather poor .245 and was hit in the nose with a fastball. The next season, he was again hit in the face with a pitch and spent 7 weeks with his jaw wired shut.

So ends Day 1 of the Seven Days of Salmon.

Go Halos!

Halos From the Cheap Seats

Dan from Cheap Seat Saints recently contacted me about trading Halos for Indians and I'm glad I accepted. Dan sent along a number of Angels that now have a very loving home here in Southern California. Here's a small sampling of the goodies. Thanks again Dan.

The only non-Halo in the bunch, Johnny Mize.

I've already mentioned multiple times how much I like this subset from 2009 Topps, so it's nice to add another legend to the group.


A chromey Torii. I like the sorta candid feel of this card. Definitely suits the laid-back and enjoyable nature of Torii.


Dan sent along a few 2008 Topps Chrome refractors which are really nice cards in person. I didn't have any chrome from last year, so these additions were welcome. I chose the Figgins to show off because I like the uniqueness of the photo. Leaves you wondering if he made the reach or if the ball ended up 8 rows back.


The Weav. Another card from a set I never collect. This is easily the best part of the blog trading circuit. So many people collect so many different sets that you come across cards you'd never get otherwise.


What a putrid design. Percy near the end of his Halo days. A moment of sadness.


Another design I don't quite understand. "The Nationals" is plastered across the card, for what reason I don't quite know. The positive, it's Timmy Salmon.


This may be my favorite set out there. I wasn't collecting in 1999 and only recently came across the set, but i think the cards are absolutely beautiful. I really need to find a set of these somewhere. Dan sent along three Halos from the 1999 Topps Gold Label set and each one is perfection.


I bought very little 2008 Heritage and continually saw this card staring at me on eBay. Nice to actually bring it into the collection.


Topps Finest, the home of middle reliever autographs. On the bright side, Rich's wife is a blogger, Everyday Life.

Thanks again to Dan for all of the Halos, they are much appreciated. Hopefully you'll enjoy the Indians I've sent your way.

Go Halos!

Halos From a Friar

With only a couple of days to go until I head off for a family vacation, I’ve got to kick the lazy habit for at least a few days and get some writing done. What better to inspire me than the kindness of other bloggers. Over the last few days I have been the very fortunate recipient of some great cards.

Today’s cards come from Rod of Padrographs. This is the second package that Rod has sent me and as always the card choices are well thought out. Rod is extremely generous and his packages are always filled with fun. This one included a postcard that scared the crap out of my daughter and a book survey/questionnaire/autograph holder that I completely misread and thus flubbed. My students would be thrilled. So here’s a small sampling of what the man sent along.

First up from the faithful Friar fan, a few 2009 Upper Deck cards. I chose these two to show off, because they both deserve a little love.

Mike Napoli


Naps is having a great offensive season, splitting time as the DH and catcher. You gotta love Napoli because he rarely has his jersey buttoned above the first three buttons and just looks like an 80s power hitter. Love his offense, wish some of it would rub off on Jeff Mathis, he of the better defense, but toothpick bat.

Kendry Morales


Much of the Haloverse was up in arms when Mark Teixeira bolted for the cash. I had a feeling from day one that he would be headed to the highest bidder, so even last August I was thinking about our future replacements. I’m a big Kendry Morales fan. Kendry hasn’t hit for a great average this year, although he’s hovering around .280. What’s been nice is that his power is definitely coming around and he’s on pace to hit somewhere in the high 20s. Not bad for a guy getting his first real run in the majors. And while few if any first baggers pick it like Tex, he’s been pretty steady in the field.

Next up, a current Halo, making his way back from injury.
Vladdy.


Vlad’s struggles the last couple of years can be frustrating, but when he’s on, there’s very few players that are easier to root for. When Vlad finally busted out of a slump last week, hitting his second home run of the season, he entered the dugout to no fanfare. Instead, every player and coach was sitting quietly on the bench. Vlad proceeded to head right down the aisle towards the clubhouse, cracking all of his teammates up as they chased after him. He returned to smiles, backslaps and camaraderie. Gotta love baseball.

From the current right field sensation, to the old right field sensation.
Timmy Salmon.


I never get tired of receiving Salmon cards in trades, etc. Salmon became the biggest of Angel stars during a time when I had quit collecting, so I’m seriously deficient in the cardboard of Mr. Salmon. For Angel fans, Salmon could do no wrong and it’s just enjoyable to have a player in your team’s history who never played for anyone else and never brought any kind of shame or shadiness to the team.

Going back a little further, just an 18-time all-star, no biggie.
Rod Carew.


1. This photo is just perfect for the card.
2. All of Rod’s career stats are on the back. Love it.

Now, it’s not a package from Rod if it doesn’t include some Padres, but they do serve a purpose.

Mike Scioscia


When looking at Scioscia’s career, it’s easy to remember his days as a gritty catcher with the Dodgers, or as the World Series winning manager of the Angels, but it’s about time Mike gets some love for his time with the Pads. Well, maybe not. The photo on this card is one of the few featuring Mike during his Padre days, as he tore his rotator cuff in spring training and never played with the Pads.

And of course, the highlight of any Rod package for me are the Bips!

Shiny Bip.


What’s shinier than this card? Only the infamous Bip smile. You gotta love this guy.

Tiny Bip.


On the right, regular sized Bip. On the left, tiny 1991 Cracker Jack Bip. This card is ridiculously small and is without a doubt in my top 5 favorite Bip cards of all-time.

Autographed Bip.


Just freaking sweet. Any cardboard featuring Bip is awesome, but a piece signed and touched by the man himself…LOVE IT!

Thanks a ton Rod. This package came out of nowhere and I’m thrilled to add all the cards to my collection. While I’m somewhat hard on the Pads, I do appreciate their shutting down the Rangers twice this weekend and helping my Halos get back into first. I guess the Pads do have a few redeeming aspects.

Go Halos!

Unexpected Awesomeness

After a long day of school today, I was really looking forward to getting away from students and coming home to relax. Sure, sitting on the couch watching King of Queens and waiting for the family to get home wouldn't cure all of my ills, but it was a start. I made the very wise decision of checking the mail on my way in and came across a bubble mailer. Happy happy, joy joy.

However, panic quickly sunk in. I haven't been on eBay in weeks, so barring a late night sleep walk purchase, it wasn't a card I bought. I've sent out some cards lately, but hadn't set up any trades, so again I was stymied. Perhaps I had set up a trade and completely forgotten about it. I would need to scour my e-mails and try to figure it out. In the end, a simple inspection of the mailer revealed that these cards were sent from the UK and that means one man. John from The Pursuit of 80's(ness).

What really made this package a bit of Unexpected Awesomeness is that it was completely unsolicited. John and I completed a trade back in February and this one was accompanied by a note telling me that he had accumulated another stack of Halos so he wanted to send them along. I of course, gladly accept.

Now just for you, here's an exclusive peak at the loot.


I love packages like this because I always end up with cards I don't have, but also cards from sets I've never gotten a card from. This Shawn Wooten Opening Day card is an example of that. I'm certain I've never opened a pack of Opening Day, mainly out of complete disinterest, but at the same time I really like getting these cards in trades and lots.


I've never really understood why a magazine gets its name slapped on a card like Sports Illustrated and Fleer did here or why ESPN had cards with Upper Deck. That being said, this is a pretty slick looking card, so I'm cool with it.


What was the obsession that Topps had with gold bordered cards for some time? I like the look of this, but that may be in part because of Percy's patented face clinch.


Seriously, the gold border thing was a little out of control. Awesome action photo of Jimmy Edmonds though.


Nothing brightens a day quite like floating heads.


This card is pure Mo. It combines his two loves, baseball and the shiny rainbow lights of a strip club.


This card is great on many levels. The high leg kick, the image being raised off the cardboard and the fact that I have no idea what Topps "tMB" is.


When did Bengie Molina transition from great defensive catcher who could hit for a decent average and was slower than a senior citizen to the best offensive player on his team?


I really, really, really miss Ersty. Really.

Thanks so much John for the Halos. After a long day, this was definitely a great way to soothe the pain.

Go Halos!