Oooooh, Lucy's My Friend, Right Dad?!

Recently, my daughter Hailey celebrated her 3rd birthday and she received an awesome package from Lucy of Dinged Corners fame. When I first told Hailey that she would be receiving cards from Lucy she was thrilled. She would randomly walk up to my wife and ask, "Is Lucy gonna play baseball with me?" My wife was a bit puzzled, but Hailey was excited each day waiting for the package.

Here is just a small look at the great stuff that has been added to Hailey's collection thanks to Lucy. Along with each scan is a reaction from Hailey.


"Hey, Howie's jumping. Does he think he's funny?"


"Can we go see a firetruck later?"


"Wooooow! Why does it do that? Is this guy cool? I like it. Can I organganize it?"


"He's silly. Birds don't play baseball...right Dad?"


"That's Adam? I like Adam. Do you like Adam? Lucy likes Adam, dad."


"Why is he laughing dad? Is he funny? I like that."


"Vladdy, Vladdy! Vladdy is an Angel. We like the Angels. Not the other guys."


Hailey - "Is that from Lucy's house?"
Me - "No, it's from Fenway Park where the Red Sox play."
Hailey - "No it's not, it's from Lucy!"


"That puppy is silly. I'm gonna put these on Dora. She thinks they're funny."

And there you have, the rantings of a 3 year old. Please keep in mind that her pronunciation of Lucy is a little more like "Looosheeee".

Thanks again to Lucy and everyone at Dinged Corners. Hailey has not stopped looking at these cards and talking about her baseball friend Looosheeee.

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!

Fave 4: Detroit Tigers

I figured I better get the Tigers out of the way before the government decides to just retract Detroit from America and we are all reprogrammed to forget it ever existed.

Detroit is one of those teams that falls right about in the middle for me. I don't remember actively rooting for or against the Tigers at any point. I do love the tradition of baseball, so I'm always happy to see when Detroit is at least competitive or relevant. So here we go, my Fave 4 Tigers from roughly the last 25 years or so.

1. Cecil Fielder

The man will never be nominated for Father of the Year, but there were very few players from the early-90's that caused you to sit on the edge of your seat and Cecil was without a doubt one of them. Some of the bombs he was hitting out of Tiger Stadium were just epic blasts and you often just sat in awe of what he was doing. On top of that, he had the heartwarming story of returning from Japan to become America's most feared slugger. Just an absolute beast. Added bonus, he was fat and I like fat guys.


2. Curtis Granderson

There's not much to dislike about Curtis Granderson. He has an infectious personality, he's a player who makes it easy to root for him with his style of play and he's one of a dwindling number of African American players in the majors. Any guy who can hit 23 triples in a season and become the player to garner the most write-in votes in All-star history instantly begins to sniff my Fave 4 lists. To make it even better, Curtis and I are myspace friends. Be jealous.

3. Lou Whitaker

Lou Whitaker will always be synonymous with Alan Trammell, but while Trammell is in general considered to be the superior player and rightfully so, for me it was all about Sweet Lou. The '92 Studio cards say it all for me. Above we have Lou, looking smooth as always, below we have Alan. Awkward, odd hairdo and t-shirt that Detroit 9 year-olds were wearing around town.

Case closed.

4. Milt Cuyler

Ahhh Milton, what could have been. After a very solid rookie season, Milty just never could get it together again. I seem to have a soft spot for flash in the pan, speedy black outfielders and I'm okay with that. As a chubby white kid growing up in Texas I needed role models.

Honorable Mention:
Dmitri Young

I was hoping to find a spot for Young on this list, but the nostalgia of childhood won out in this case. However, this does give Dmitri a chance to make another Fave 4, since I am limiting players to only appearing on one list.

Go Halos!

Exhaustion

I just got done scanning, editing and then posting every card from 1997 Topps Finest Series 2 break over on Weekly Box Break. Please check it out if you are so inclined. Just to tempt you, here is a slideshow of all the cards. I need a nap.



Go Halos!

Fave 4: Baltimore Orioles

It's that time again and today's recepient of the Fave 4 treatment is a team I have never rooted for. For some reason, the Orioles and I just don't mix.

I'm sure the fine people of Baltimore are a good lot and have reasons for rooting for this team, but they've just never captured me. What I think most angers me about the Orioles is the logo switch they made in 1989. The swinging Oriole was awesome. I hate the Orioles, yet to this day I want to get one of those hats. My other problem with the Orioles, well maybe all Baltimore fans should just turn away now.

Ok, I think they're gone., and if they're not, they will be after this. I don't like Cal Ripken Jr. I know, it's sacrilegious. How could any decent, self-respecting baseball fan not worship at the feet of the Iron Man. In my younger days I was definitely drawn towards flash and there was something about Cal that just left me cold.

So despite the misgivings of Oriole fans everywhere, I will go on with this Ripken-less edition of Fave 4s.

1. Melvin Mora

With the retirement and subsequent fading away of Ripken, I've found myself at least somewhat more interested in the Orioles and this guy is one of the main reasons why. I love utility players that do it all. Not just a guy who's a back-up middle infielder, but a guy who can play and excel anywhere on the diamond. This guy is impressive as a player and a person. His father was murdered when he was very young in Venezuela and his wife gave birth to quintuplets a few years back.

2. Mike Mussina

Although Mussina has gone on to wear the Pinstripes of Evil, I always think of him as an Oriole and easily my favorite. During the couple of years in the mid-90s when Baltimore would make it into the playoffs, he was the one player that consistently impressed me and made the three hours of Cal Jr. gushing bearable. Maybe one of the greatest pitchers to never win a Cy Young award, although I'll admit to doing absolutely no research on the topic.

3. Nick Markakis

While it seems like year after year the Orioles continue to make dumb moves, the drafting of Nick Markakis might be the best move they've made all decade. This guy is a stud and one of the few young players in the league that I look forward to watching against my team. His tools are amazing and his future looks extremely bright. However, if you're a Reds fan you have to hate this guy, as he twice turned down the Reds after being drafted by him.

4. Mike Devereaux

I can't really explain why Mike Devereaux made it into my Fave 4. He was never spectacular or even really stood out for the Orioles, but as soon as I made my list this week, he was the first name that popped into my mind. When I went searching for a card to scan in my box of commons, I found none. Instead, after 15 frustrating minutes, I found him in a binder of "Stars". Yup, you read that right, STARS. I can't explain it, but if he was good enough for me at 12 to be a star, he's good enough for the number 4 slot today.

Honorable Mentions:
Mickey Tettleton

His time with the O's was short, but I remember being fascinated by his swing and the way he hacked at the ball.

Chito Martinez

He had all of 111 hits in 3 seasons, but his play had nothing to do with his near inclusion. His name is Chito. My favorite snack food is Cheetos. At age 12 that's all it takes for someone to get stuck in your brain for the next 18 years.

So there they are, my Fave 4 Orioles of all-time. While I've spent years rooting against them, all it would take is a change in logos and a couple of more Moras and Markakises to make them palatable once again.

This weekend I'm hoping to churn out a few more of these and I'm even considering tackling the Brewers for Dubbs at Cheese and Beer. Then again, he may be the only person following this, so I need to keep him in suspense and coming back for more.

Go Halos!

Fave 4: Texas Rangers

If you don't know what I'm doing, click here.
One thing is becoming very apparent as I make my lists and start working on this project, I like baseball players from 20 years ago a lot more than I like the players of today. I didn't really see this coming. I love watching baseball and it has remained my favorite sport throughout the years and I just figured the cross-section of choices would be wider. So far, not so much. I like players here and there, but I just haven't made the same connections. Maybe this has to do with being a much more die-hard Angel fan these days. It's almost made me insulated from the rest of the league.

This has proven true of the Rangers, a team that despite being from the same division as my Halos, is a team I've followed since living in Texas and who I still enjoy watching.

So here they are. The Fave 4 from Arlington, TX.

1. Ruben Sierra

Sierra is part of a group of players that I would lump together as "My first favorite players". Although Sierra moved on to play for a number of teams and win with the Yankees, he will always be a Ranger to me. He was the epitome of those early 90's Ranger teams, full of power, not speaking much English, and did I mention full of power.

When I went back through my old baseball card binders I was a little surprised at just how many Sierra cards I had. I still think he got robbed by Robin Yount for the MVP award and that is probably one of the reasons you won't see Yount popping on my Fave Brewers list.


2. Julio Franco

The ageless one. It's weird to think that you once watched this guy when he was a young man. It's like finding out that your father watched Jackie Robinson play in person. One day I may be telling my daughter that I saw Julio Franco play...while he was in his 20's.


3. Pete Incaviglia

I have a soft spot for players who carry a little bit of extra weight around the middle. Incy certainly had a little bit extra and he played like it. He never hit as many home runs as you expected him to hit, but every at bat was an adventure. He just had the look of a guy who left the stadium after a Sunday day game and headed over to the softball field to pick up 9 more innings and a couple of 6 packs.

4. Geno Petralli

In the final spot comes a guy who probably isn't near the top of too many top 4 lists, but he landed in the spot with ease for me. His mustache alone is cause for celebration and instantly endeared him to me. He was a solid backup and decent starting catcher for a while, but definitely couldn't hold a candle to Pudge. Even so, I liked the guy. It's hard to explain, but for all the flash of Pudge, Geno was just sorta the good ol' boy who you had to cheer for. Had I not watched as many Ranger games as I did in Texas, I'd probably have no idea who he is, instead he lands here, a member of the Fave 4.

Honorable Mentions:
While Pudge was close and almost edged out Geno, another famous Texan was even closer.

While Nolan almost made the list, he had one thing working against him, he was a former Halo and I'm still bitter that he ever had to leave. One of the great pitchers of our era and instead of wearing the Halo for years upon years, he moved on and that makes me sad.

So ladies and gents, there they are, the I Heart Halos Fave 4 Texas Rangers.

Fave 4: Kansas City Royals

Again, all credit goes to Night Owl and his list inspiration which has led me to the start of this. I'd also like to hurl all of my aggravation at him as well. Coming up with these lists is already driving me nuts. I figured I would start with a team like Kansas City, one I have never really followed too closely and don't spend too much time concerning myself. I figured that finding 4 worthy of my list might be a struggle, but then I found myself having to make a couple of difficult decisions.

So here they are in order from 1st Fave to the 4th.

1. Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson

Bart Knows Bo


How could I go with anyone other than Bo for my favorite Royal of all-time? Sure, George Brett is the Kansas City Royals, but for me Bo is the ultimate athlete. I grew up idolizing Bo Jackson and one of my first actual authentic New Era baseball hats was a Royals hat, solely because I loved Bo. He was an iconic athlete and pop culture phenom. Bo easily comes in first place in this Fave 4 installment, and because of that he gets 3 cards displayed here. Lucky guy.


2. George Brett

This guy was the franchise for so many years. To this day when I think Royals, I think George Brett. Although I like Brett while he was playing, it's since he's retired that I've really grown to appreciate him. He is an all-time great and deserving of a top 2 spot on the Fave 4.

3. Tom "Flash" Gordon

Gordon's sensational rookie season in 1989 made this card an absolute must-have. And although the Griffey rookie from this set is one of my favorite cards of all-time, this card represents that set to me almost as much. The color combos mixed with the grin that is lacking from Griffey make this a great card. He never recaptured the magic of his rookie season as a starter, but he's gone on to be a top of the line reliever for a long while and I have rooted for him at every stop, even with the Yankees.


4. Brian McRae

This was my first really tough call of the series. A lot of names that were floating in my head were deserving of this spot, but for some reason I kept coming back to McRae. A look back at his stats reveals nothing to get excited about, but my fond memories of Brian go back to a simpler time. A time when I spent hours playing Strat-o-matic baseball. For some reason, Brian McRae was a beast for me. Every time I rolled the dice, my numbers would come up perfectly for McRae. So despite his not so great work on the field, he still stands out as one of my Fave 4 Royals of all-time.

Those who just missed the list:
Bret Saberhagen

Danny Tartabull


Both of these players are more deserving statistically and a true Royals fan would most likely have them much higher than Brian McRae, but that's not what this is about.

Recap:
I noticed very quickly when making my Royals list that it's been a long time since I gave a crap about a Royals player. Gordon's last season with the Royals was 1995 and since then I guess my interest has waned. A good young nucleus of Alex Gordon and my daughter Hailey's favorite Billy Butler may make them relevant again at some point, but it may be another 15 years before this list sees any changes from me.

So the first edition of Fave 4 is in the books. The Kansas City Royals are accounted for with only one major upset.

Coming Soon to I HEÅRT HÅLOS!

Yesterday Greg from Night Owl Cards had a post where he listed the 30 MLB teams in order of preference with a blurb about each and why they rank there. I found it really interesting and realized very quickly that I could never do such a list.

My list would look a lot like this:
1. Angels
2-29. The other teams in a somewhat random order with very little rhyme or reason.
30. Yankees

I don't think that would interest you much and it certainly would pale in comparison to the work done by Night Owl, but it did spark an idea in my starved for topics mind. While I don't like or loathe a lot of teams for a specific reason, I do have players I have liked over the years from every team. So, in that spirit I have decided to post my 4 favorite players from each MLB franchise from the years of 1985-2009. I consider 1985 to be the first year I really started to follow baseball and really start to get into it.

The choices will be easier for some teams than for others. While I've liked a number of Cincinnati players over the years, I've had a hard time ever rooting for a Brave or Oriole. Certainly some of the all-time greats will be included, but I tend to also like players for odd reasons and they make their way into my heart or at least into my collection.

So starting tomorrow...hopefully, I will start with the first ever I Heart Halos Fave 4's for each MLB franchise. I'm not sure where I'll start or how will it will turn out (I really should have mapped it out first), but hopefully it will be a fun way to kill some time while I wait for my Halos to begin their quest for the World Series or another first round burnout.

Go Halos!