Feeling The Love

Happy Feast Day of St. Valentine! There's nothing like pushing a post back a day to loosely connect it to a holiday that has nothing to do with the traditional overtures of said holiday! Sorry, no romance here, but if you're looking for the kind of love that stems from acts of kindness and selflessness, then I'm your huckleberry.

 

I'm a pretty lucky guy.  I've been on the receiving end of some free cards from wonderful collectors who are just looking to spread good feelings!

 

For example, Stuart (S.R Cards '75) sent me some cards to help me towards my 1977 Topps set goal. I'm 16 cards away now, so hopefully I'll be able to get this set knocked out before year's end.

 

 

Jim (Cards As I See Them) was also kind enough to send some extra Red Sox cards my way. Those 1999 cards finished off that year's team set for me!

 

 

 

Jim wasn't done there however! He messaged me asking if I needed this card for my Golden Sox Project since it wasn't listed on my page. He was right, some how this Kimbrel card was missing from the list entirely! I'm grateful Jim mentioned that, because I might never have discovered it on my own! One more gold parallel down from the last year the Red Sox won a championship!

 

 

Finally, a bonus card from Greg (Night Owl Cards) that he included in our most recent Time Travel Trade. O-Pee-Chee Yaz? Yes please!

 

 

Thanks again Stuart, Jim, and Greg. My heart is warmed by your generosity!

 

 

Repack Haiku #447 (Efrain Valdez)

For love of the game:

Made it back to the Majors

After seven years

 

1991 Topps #692 Efrain Valdez (RC)

 

There's are times I when I look at a card and fully expect to struggle in creating a haiku about the person depicted. With only 26 MLB games to his name, Efrain was one of those guys. I was wrong, because this guy has played professional baseball for over 20 years in 5 different countries! After pitching with the Indians in 1990 and 1991, Valdez went on a bit of a world tour:

 

• 1991 season: Blue Jays's minor league system
• 1992 season: Brewers' minor league system
• 1993 and 1994 seasons: Mexican League
• 1995 season: Taiwan League
• 1996 and 1997 seasons: Mexican League
• 1998 season: Mets' and Diamondbacks' minor league systems

 

It was during that time with Tucson that Valdez's contract was purchased by the Diamondbacks. After 7 seasons, Valdez returned to the Major Leagues pitching 6 games for Arizona. After that stint, he spent a year with an independent baseball league, and two more separate stints in the Mexican league sandwiched between some time in Korea. After initially signing as an amateur free agent with the Padres in 1983, Valdez was last known playing for the Vaqueros Laguna in 2003.

 

The All Cooking Team

Any of my readers listen to baseball podcasts?

 

One of my favorite sports writers, the legendary Tim Kurkijan does a podcast with his son Jeff called  "Is This a Great Game or What?" Kurkijan always has great stories about the game, and is a wealth of knowledge.

 

One of the fun things they occasionally do on their podcast is come up with a lineup based on players that fit a certain theme. I thought it would be a fun post to take one of those lineups and add some cardboard and commentary to it.

 

Tim and Jeff's "All Cooking Team" is filled with some humorous homophones of both well and lesser known players. The rule is they can't use the same surname more than once unless it is spelled differently. Here's who they came up with:

 

Catcher -  Eric Fryer

2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects
#36 Eric Fryer (RC)

 

 Fryer played 7 seasons in the MLB. He is one of those rare players that switched teams during a series where both teams were playing each other. All he had to do was walk across the field to the opposite dugout and meet his new team!

 

1st Baseman -  Seth Brown

2024 Topps #79 Seth Brown

 

Brown is one of a surprising number of current players to make this list. He signed a minor league contract with the Yankees last month.

 

2nd Baseman -  Eduoard Julien

2023 Topps Heritage #589 Edouard Julien (RC)

 

Julien is with the Rockies now. He'll be suiting up for Team Canada in this year's World Baseball Classic.

 

Shortstop -  Jeff Frye

1997 Donruss #241 Jeff Frye

 

Frye was a utility infielder who spent most of his career with the Rangers and Red Sox. He later became a sports agent.

 

3rd Baseman -  Cliff Cook

1962 Topps #41 Cliff Cook (RS)

 

Cook played 5 years for the Reds and Mets. He was once traded for Don Zimmer.

 

Outfielder - Buzz Boyle

1972 TCMA The 1930's
#94 Ralph Boyle

 

Boyle played for the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers. he later became the manager of the Muskegon Lassies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1946.

  

Outfielder - Dusty Baker

1981 Topps #495 Dusty Baker

 

Well, if the All-Cooking team needed a manager, you couldn't ask for a better one than a 3-time Manager of the Year. He was pretty good in the outfield too!

 

Outfielder - Bake McBride

1982 Topps #745 Bake McBride

 

The only member of the team not chosen for his surname, McBride was a fast but often injured outfielder who won a World Series with Philadelphia in 1980. 

 

Designated Hitter - David Fry

2024 Topps Heritage
#654 David Fry (RC)

 

Fry fits the Kurkijans' rules since his last name is spelled differently than shortstop Jeff Frye. Fry was an All-Star in 2024, but last season was an injury filled one that ended prematurely after being hit in the face by a Tarik Skubal pitch.

 

Pitcher - Max Fried

2021 Topps #9 Max Fried

 

The All-Cooking Team has an ace with 3x All-Star Max Fried. Fried led the league in wins last year.

 

 

Pitcher - Austin Kitchen

2025 Topps Update
#US320 Austin Kitchen (RC)

 

Kitchen made his debut with the Marlins in 2024, pitching in 4 games. He's currently trying to make his way back to the big leagues with Seattle.

 

Pitcher - Steve Grilli

1977 Topps #506 Steve Grilli

 

Grilli's claim to fame is being the losing pitcher in the longest professional baseball game in history. He is also the only member of the All-Cooking team to open up his own bar after his MLB career concluded.

 

Pitcher - Tom Butters

1965 Topps #246 Tom Butters

 

Butters' Major League career may have not been noteworthy, but afterwards he became the athletic director of Duke University and is the man responsible for hiring the winningest basketball coach in Division I history, Mike Krzyzewski.

 

Pitcher - JP Sears

2025 Topps Heritage #647 JP Sears

 

Sears was traded from the Athletics to the Padres in the same deal that netted the Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller.  

 

Of course, after hearing this list, I had to think of some others who could have made the list.  Here's who I thought of:

 

Corbin Burnes

2022 Stadium Club #129 Corbin Burnes
    

 

Although burns are not something you want while cooking, having a former Cy Young winner would be a big boost to the All-Cooking team!

 

Woodie Fryman

1977 Topps #28 Woodie Fryman

 

 The team could also use a two time All-Star and Expos' Hall of Famer!

 

Pepper Martin

1992 Conlon Collection TSN
#637 Pepper Martin

 

 A member of the famous "Gashouse Gang", our team could use a little seasoning!

 

Jonah Tong

2025 Topps Now #628 Jonah Tong

 

I tried to think of a good kitchen utensil-style name, and settled on this young Mets pitcher with a bright future!

 

It's your turn now! Can you think of any other cooking-related players? 

 

1991 Upper Deck Pack War

Back in November I attended a local card show and on a whim grabbed 3 packs of 1991 Topps. It's been awhile since I did a pack war, so let's get ready to rumble!

 

 

For me, it's all about star power. I'll award 1 point for every All-Star Game nod a player gets, plus additional points for the major awards (MVP, CY, ROY, etc.) and 3 points for a Hall of Fame player. Add a point for every Red Sox card, and subtract a point for every Yankee that makes an appearance!

The last time I did this, I awarded extra points for every card I needed. I'm not going to do that this time because I have a sealed factory set. Technically, all of these are dupes except for potential inserts. Let's see what the packs have for us!

 

Pack #1

Nolan Ryan (Baseball Heroes: Nolan Ryan insert) - 11 points (HOF, 8x All-Star)
Chuck Cary -  -1 point (Yankee)

Tom Pagnozzi - 4 points (All-Star, 3x Gold Gloves)

Roberto Kelly - 1 point (Yankee, 2x All-Star)
Brett Butler -  1 point (All-Star)

Curt Schilling - 7 points (6x All-Star, WS MVP)

 

Paul Abbott, Jim Acker, Scott Bradley, Mike Gallego, Bernard Gilkey, Mark Guthrie, Scott Lusader, Rick Mahler, Derrick May, Chicago Cubs (Team Logo Hologram insert) - 0 points

 

Points Scored: 25 points

 

Speaking of needed inserts, pack one starts things off with a bang! That Nolan Ryan insert is sweet. I've always liked Upped Deck's Heroes inserts. We get multiple points from Curt Schilling and Tom Pagnozzi, and neither would have any points at the time this set came out (Pagnozzi would earn his 1st Gold Glove after the 1991 season, while Schilling was a late bloomer who made his first All-Star team in 1997!)

 

Pack #2

Boston Red Sox (Team Logo Hologram insert) - 1 point (Red Sox)

Jesse Orosco - 2 points (2x All-Star)

Darren Daulton - 4 points (3x All-Star, Silver Slugger)

Marty Barrett - 1 point (Red Sox) 

Jack Armstrong - 1 point (All-Star) 

Bip Roberts - 1 point (All-Star)

Tim Naehring - 1 point (Red Sox) 

John Smiley - 2 points (2x All-Star) 

 

Luis Aquino, Dennis Cook, Jose de Jesus, Andy Hawkins, Mark Lewis, Brent Mayne, Tony Phillips, R.J. Reynolds - 0 points

 

Points Scored: 13 points

 

I angled the cards a bit to show off the hologram. If 16 year old me opened this pack he would have been ecstatic to get 3 Red Sox cards in it. I was a bit surprised that Orosco and Smiley made multiple All-Star teams!

 

Pack #3

 

Reggie Sanders - 1 point (All-Star)
Jerome Walton - 1 point (Rookie of the Year) 

Mickey Morandini - 1 point (All-Star)
Ryne Sandberg - 30 points (HOF, MVP, 10x All-Star, 9x Gold Glove, 7x Silver Slugger)
Kelly Gruber - 4 points (2x All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger) 

Jesse Barfield - 3 points (Yankee, All-Star, 2x Gold Gloves, Silver Slugger) 

Greg Vaughn - 5 points (4x All-Star, Silver Slugger) 

Tom Henke - 2 points (2x All-Star) 

John Wetteland - 4 point (3x All-Star, WS MVP)

 

Allan Anderson, Rob Deer, Lenny Harris, Bob Kipper, Ron Oester, Kenny Williams, St. Louis Cardinals (Team Logo Hologram insert) - 0 points

 

Points Scored: 51 points

 

Sometimes a player just takes control of a game and carries his whole team on his back. Ryne Sandberg alone would have won this pack war, but we also get multiple points from 5 other guys.

 

Pack #3 defeats all challengers!

 

For $1/pack, these were fun and enjoyable packs to rip. The Nolan Ryan and Red Sox hologram inserts were pleasant surprises, and there were a lot of great photographs throughout. 

 

 

Repack Haiku #446 (Robby Thompson)

As Giants' rookie

Set a single game record:

Four times caught stealing

 

1988 Fleer #98 Robby Thompson

 

In a game against the Reds (June 27, 1986), Thompson set a Major League record by getting caught stealing four times in one game. The first three times were all failed hit and run attempts, with the last one a pick-off while Thompson was on 1st base that was scored a caught stealing because he broke for second base before being tagged.

Repack Haiku #445 (Dwight Evans)

Back in Double-A

Manager called him "Dewey"

Rhymed with two teammates

 

1987 Donruss #129 Dwight Evans

 

The history of a nickname, per an interview with Evans:

It started way back when I was in Double A. The manager was Ron Locke, good guy, good manager. He gave Don Newhauser the nickname “Newie.” Then there was another guy on the team - I can’t remember his full name - but his name was Louis so Ron called him “Louie.” Somewhere along the line he called me “Dewey,” so it became “Newie, Louie and Dewey.” It followed me all the way up to the big leagues.

I remember one of the first games of my career at Fenway back in 1972, I was playing left field. We were playing the Tigers and we were fighting for first place. Dick McAuliffe hit a high fly ball to me, and the TV announcer, I think it was Curt Gowdy, said, “and there’s a fly ball to left to Dewey Evans.” Well, I lost the ball in the sun. Never saw it. It landed 20 feet behind me. We ended up losing the game 2-1. After the game I was talking to my father and I said, “Dad, I can’t believe I lost that ball like that.” He said “Never mind that Dwight. What’s with all this Dewey stuff?” (Laughs). I told him, “Dad, if you could have heard what those fans out in left field were calling me after I let that fly ball drop, believe me, Dewey would sound real good right now. (Laughs again).

But it’s a nickname that really stuck. Everyone still calls me Dewey. Even my wife. 

Hopefully someday, "Dewey" will get his plaque in the Hall of Fame. His 67.2 WAR is 15th among right fielders - higher than Ichiro, Dave Winfield, and Vladimir Guerrero among others!  

TCDB Trade Recap: Cards From Hanover, MD

Sometimes someone on the TCDB will offer a post looking for trades, and while I happen to have a bunch of cards they need, they won't have much that I could use. If I can help someone complete their set and decrease the amount of cards in my doubles box, then I'll find something to trade for, even if it's not exactly a want at the moment. That was the case with a member named Ian. Most of the Red Sox cards he had on his trade list were from the junk wax era, and cards I was pretty sure I had. However, that didn't stop me from making an offer for some cards:

 

The 1986 Topps set is a set I plan on completing someday, but right now it's not a high priority and something for down the road. When I do circle back to it, I'll be a little bit closer than I was before.

 

Favorite card: I always liked the Team Leaders cards from this time period, and liked how they mentioned the longest tenured player for each team. Bring back the deans!

 

Thanks for the trade Ian!