Friday, November 8, 2024

A Small But Ruthian Set

On one of my recent trips to my local card shop, I was leafing through the Red Sox cards when I came upon this cool oddball:
 
 
Babe Ruth, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox! I love these high quality black and white photos, and it was an easy choice to add it to my stack.

As I was entering it into my collection on the TCDB, I learned a little more about the set. The card is from the 1994 Megacards Ruthian Shots set, and it's a small set consisting of only 5 cards. According to Beckett, the set was given away at card shows when the collector purchased a 1994 Conlon Collection wax box. Looking at the set, I couldn't help but notice that despite it being about Babe Ruth, none of the cards feature him in a Yankee uniform. I don't know why one shows him in Boston, maybe the Yankees organization denied them permission.

I figured that despite this, if my LCS had any more of these cards, they would be among the stack of Yankee cards. Sure enough, when I went back and checked, I found the remaining 4 cards.
 
 
I now have the complete set! I must be slacking, because this little group represents the first set I've completed this year. 

The backs are very informative, and mention Ruth's Yankee years heavily. (You'll notice that Ruth's fishing buddy is Lou Gehrig too - bonus Hall of Fame content!)

Sometimes you'll never know what you'll find!

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Repack Haiku #384 (Carlos Rodon/Logan Webb)

Teammates for one year
Both earned Cy Young Award votes
While on third place team
 
2023 Topps - One-Two Punch
#12P-11 Carlos Rodon/Logan Webb
 
Rodon spent one lone season in San Francisco, but he made the most of it by earning an All-Star nod and finishing 6th in Cy Young voting. Webb also had a good year, finishing 11th in voting for the award. Despite having two great starters, the Giants finished 3rd in their division with a .500 record.

Friday, November 1, 2024

The All-Time Red Sox/Dodgers Lineup 2.0

One good thing about the Dodgers winning the first three games of the World Series is that I got to work on this post earlier than expected...

First of all, congrats to the Los Angeles Dodgers for winning the 2024 World Series! I didn't get to watch any of it this year, as Fox is not one of my streaming options. I did watch highlights though (and even some lowlights), so I saw all the good stuff! I now have a soft spot for the Dodgers, as they were the team on hand for both the Red Sox most recent win, and now the Yankees most recent loss. Way to wedge yourself into the rivalry, L.A.!

Speaking of that Dodgers-Red Sox World Series, back when it was going down I did a blog post where I made a lineup comprised of the best players that have donned both uniforms. I've done it for the World Series Championship team and the Red Sox every year since, with the exception of 2020. (Ironically because the Dodgers had won, and it didn't seem worth doing just 2 years after I originally had done them.)
 
Now we're significantly further removed from that 2018 Series, and enough time has passed where I feel an update is appropriate. You're welcome to read the original blog post obviously, but for simplicity sake, here's that lineup from 6 years ago:

Catcher: David Ross
1st Baseman: Adrian Gonzalez
2nd Baseman: Alex Cora
Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra
3rd Baseman: Adrian Beltre
Left Fielder: Manny Ramirez
Center Fielder: Reggie Smith
Right Fielder: J.D. Drew
Starting Pitcher: Pedro Martinez
Closer: Eric Gagne
Manager: Grady Little

Since the start of the 2019 season, 21 players have joined the list of honored individuals to have suited up for both teams.  From that list, I have determined 3 positions where my all-time team can get upgraded:
 

2nd Baseman: Enrique Hernandez replaces Alex Cora


2022 Topps #90 Enrique Hernandez



2020 Topps #135 Enrique Hernandez


Enrique isn't an All-Star level player, but he's often indispensable. He's had some big postseason moments for both teams! He's got a "leg up" on everyone else! (See what I did there?)

Right Fielder: Mookie Betts replaces J.D. Drew


2019 Topps Big League
#200 Mookie Betts



2021 Topps Heritage
#168 Mookie Betts (IA)


What more can I say about Mookie? He's a future Hall of Famer, fun to watch, and I'm genuinely happy to see him win his 3rd World Series ring. The scar from that trade won't heal for a long time...
 

Closer: Kenley Jansen replaces Eric Gagne


2024 Topps #267 Kenley Jansen


2022 Topps #396 Kenley Jansen

I could have gone with Craig Kimbrel here, but Jansen just felt like the right call since 14 out of his 15 seasons were played in one of these two uniforms. At 36, he still has something in the tank. He needs just 32 saves to pass Lee Smith for 3rd all-time, and just 53 saves to reach 500. A couple of average seasons should do it, and if he does, he's another Hall of Famer.

Designated Hitter: Added J.D. Martinez


2019 Topps
#96 J.D. Martinez (WS)


2023 Topps Archives
#106 J.D. Martinez

I realized I never listed a DH on the original post, so let's fix that. It'll give me a chance to add a personal favorite in Martinez. J.D. played a total of 6 seasons between the Red Sox and Dodgers, and the only year he wasn't an All-Star was in 2020 when they didn't play one. One of those types that makes everyone in the lineup around him better.

Congrats again, Dodgers! Hopefully we can do this again in another 6 years (and hopefully the Red Sox will stop trading good players to you - I can't shake the feeling Raffy will end up in Dodgertown on a salary-dump trade...)

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Repack Haiku #383 (Chris Sabo)

Night vision issues
Led Sabo to try "Rec Specs"
Famous for eye-ware
 
1993 Topps #245 Chris Sabo


Monday, October 28, 2024

Trapped In Time: Remnants From The 103rd and 104th Trades

 
Five more cards are being highlighted after spending over 3 years in Time Travel Trading purgatory. Warning - Action and an attractive actress ahead!
 
Trade #103 Ben (TCDB)
Traded 06/23/21: 1973 Topps #215 Dusty Baker, 1986 Donruss #580 Phil Niekro, 1986 Topps #405 Roger Maris (TBTC), 1994 Sportflics 2000 #113 Pete Harnisch, 1998 Score #74 Mark McLemore
 
Received 06/24/21:
  • 1991 Pacific (football) #97 Michael Irvin (See Trade #112)
  • 1991 Pacific (football) #166 Sterling Sharpe (See Trade #112)
  • 1989 Topps Back to the Future Part II (non-sport) #79 Next Stop ... 1885! (See Trade #111)
  • 1983 Topps The A-Team (non-sport) #20 Pretty as a Picture!
  • 1983 Topps The A-Team (non-sport) #49 Heavy Traffic!
  • 1983 Topps The A-Team (non-sport) #50 Crashing the Gates!
  • 1983 Topps The A-Team (non-sport) #54 Mad Man! (See Trade #111)
  • 1968 Topps #434 Ricardo Joseph (RC) (See Trade #134)
 

Man, my family and I loved watching "The A-Team". "Howling Mad" Murdock was my favorite. Pretty sure I even had the action figures once upon a time. I pity the fool who doesn't want to trade for these cards!

Traded 06/25/21: 1974 Topps #473 World Series Game 2, 1974 Topps #570 Ralph Garr, 1974 Topps #601 Rookie Outfielders
 
Received 06/24/21:
  • 1972 Topps #113 Rogelio Moret
  • 1970 Topps #12 John Hiller
  • 1970 Topps #257 Dennis Higgins (See Trade #111)

I have 3 copies of that John Hiller in the trade stack currently, so I don't think he'll be missed. As for Moret, it might be an upgrade to the copy I have now. Still, if anyone wants these guys, you know what to do!

All cards (plus many many more) are available for an older card in return!

Friday, October 25, 2024

2024 World Series Tale Of The Tape


 
Golly gee, I wonder who I'm going to root for!
 
It all the years I've done this precursory post to the World Series, I've never had one be so anti-climatic as this one. Yeah, I cannot in good conscious root for New York. Sorry, not sorry. But still, if I didn't have such a strong bias against the Yanks, would they have a chance according to the arbitrary benchmarks I've put in place? Here's the criteria I've used in the past: 

Former Red Sox Players

 
Dodgers: Mookie Betts, Ryan Brasier, Enrique Hernandez
Yankees: Alex Verdugo

2024 Topps
#424 Best Of The Best (CL, CPC)
 
If I can't root for my Red Sox, I can at least root for the guys who used to play for them. This year is a particularly painful one for Red Sox fans, as we got two of the principal players from an certain trade. Of course, the Dodgers have Mookie Betts, while the Yankees now employ the outfielder we received in return in Alex Verdugo. OK, here's the deal: If Betts wins World Series MVP, I'll no longer consider the trade one of the worst in Red Sox history. Instead, it will be a brilliant example of playing the long game and defeating the Yankees on a level the Red Sox never could. Watch out Yankees! We got sleeper agents everywhere!

Advantage: Dodgers
 

Shenandoah Valley Baseball League Alumni

 
Dodgers: none
Yankees: none
 

 
Do to various things in life, I didn't get a chance to attend a Valley League baseball game this year. My lack of support is probably not the reason there are no Vally League Alum playing in this year's Fall Classic, but hopefully I can pick up next year and see a few future Major League players in my hometown.

Advantage: none
 

University of Virginia Cavaliers Alumni

 
Dodgers: Chris Taylor
Yankees: none
 
  
2024 Topps #246 Chris Taylor

Go Wa-hoos! Living a short drive from Charlottesville, I've gone to a few UVa baseball games. Chris Taylor is probably one of the most successful former Cavaliers in MLB, and I wouldn't mind seeing the former NLCS MVP win some more hardware.
 
Advantage: Dodgers
 

Championship Drought

 
Dodgers: 3 years (2020)
Yankees: 14 years (2009)
 
2010 Topps Heritage
#312 Matsui Named MVP (WS)
 
My annual playoff rankings specifically state that the Yankees' World Series drought could never be long enough. But again, I'm doing this exercise as if I didn't have that particular disposition against pinstripes. Since the Dodgers won in 2020, technically I have to give the Yankees this one.

Advantage: Yankees
 

Personal Connection

 
I have zero connection to the Dodgers, outside of enjoying the blogs of a few Dodger fans. The Yankees however...

In one of the true opposites attract cliches, my wife is an avowed Yankees fan. It's actually pretty easy to tolerate her fandom because she doesn't even watch baseball. Outside of Aaron Judge, I don't think she could name another current player off the top of her head. Still she wears the garb, makes playful jabs at me when appropriate, and rolls her eyes at me when I cheer my team on. Heck, we even incorporated our fandom into our engagement picks:

 
We just recently celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary, so no matter how much I don't want to give the Yankees a point here, they're going to earn this one every time.

Advantage: Yankees
 

Spring Training Adventures

 
From 2017-2019, I went with my father-in-law and a friend to Spring Training in Florida every year. The Dodgers of course train in Arizona, so guess who gets another point. Like his daughter, my father in law is a Yankees fan (or was - he stopped watching baseball when politics, corporate sponsorships, and rule changes started lessening his enjoyment). That means I had a lot of opportunities to see the Yankees in action. Just because I root against them doesn't mean I don't appreciate their part in baseball history though. I'm actually proud to have this autograph of former Cy Young winer Ron Guidry.



Advantage: Yankees
 

Best 2023 Topps Base Set Card


2024 Topps
#619 Teoscar Hernandez


2024 Topps
#184 Anthony Rizzo

Since this is primarily a baseball card blog, I figured this post should have a card show-off! I decided to pick each team's best card from the 2024 Topps base set. Both teams have great horizontal cards of players celebrating after what I can assume are significant hits. Bat flips are bad-ass, so the winner here is clear.
 
Advantage: Dodgers


Final Talley: Dodgers 3, Yankees 3

 
It's a tie! I guess this means I need a complicated, no-doubt, fair and balanced tiebreaker to determine the winner... 

Nope.


Go Mookie!

 

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Repack Haiku #382 (Queen City Kings)

Total home runs hit
By Puig and Dietrich less than
Total by Suarez 
 
2019 Topps Update #US71 Queen City Kings (VC)
 
An odd choice for a card if you ask me. Dietrich hit a career high 19 home runs in 2019. Puig hit 22 that year for Cincinati, and was actually traded to Cleveland at the trade deadline. The real King of Queen City that year was Eugenio Suarez, who placed second in the N.L. with 49 home runs - more than both of these teammates combined!