By now you should know that I enjoy the players that have an all-around game. Sure I have my favorite power hitters and defensive specialists, but in my eyes nothing compares to the guys that havethe uncanny ability to excel at all aspects of the game.
And when it comes to Andre Dawson, this is certainly one of the factors that I enjoyed about watching him play during his career and is a big reason as to why he remains my favorite player more than 10 years after his retirement from playing professional baseball.
The tools are simple to understand, yet few players are able to put the complete package together. Andre Dawson is one of the players that was able to and here are the stats to back up that fact.
The Tools
Hitter for average - Dawson’s lifetime batting average is .279. He has collected 2,774 career hits in 2,627 games played.
Hitter for power – Andre has smashed 438 career home runs. With just one season with more than 40 home runs(he hit 49 in 1987), Dawson was the picture of consistent power for many of his years in the game.
Base Running skills – ‘The Hawk’ has stolen 314 bases in his career and is one of just 4 players to compile more than 400 homers and 300 steals in a career.
Defensive abilities – Dawson was all over the field while using his speed to track down balls that many other players would have let drop. Dawson retired with a career fielding percentage of .983 and committed just 93 errors in 21 seasons(less than 5 per year).
Arm strength and control – ‘The Hawk’ had a cannon for an arm and often threw out guys trying to take third base on what should have just been a double. Dawson has recorded 157 outfield assists due to his ability to throw the ball with power and precision.
Is Andre Dawson a ‘5-Tool Player’??? You betcha!!!
That supreme look of intense concentration prior to each pitch. I have no doubt in my mind that this very intimidating look on Andre’s face made more than 1 pitcher get nervous while preparing to throw a baseball by ‘The Hawk’.
As I watched Andre’s focus, both live at Cubs games and on television, his concentration level came across in the same manner – Intense. The power behind his swing. The speed of the bat whipping through the strike zone. The crack of the bat and ball colliding in mid-air. And that perfect follow through as he drove the ball… All of that started at each at-bat with ‘that stare’.
‘That stare’ has been brought to you by 1981 Donruss.
Any reader of this blog should already know what’s coming next – A full day of posts celebrating the amazing baseball career of my favorite player – Andre Dawson!!
I don’t share my blog with co-workers very often. For whatever reason, I guess that they will all become addicted to ‘30-YOC’ and somehow get in trouble for being on the site for hours and hours while our employer pays them. I’m just trying to look out for their best interest.
But sometimes I cannot help myself, especially when someone expresses an interest in what I am doing. With that being said, let me tell you now that I carry a notepad with me at all times. At work it is stashed away at my desk but is convenient enough to me if I need to quickly jot something down that pops into my head. During my lunch break, I am constantly scribbling down new ideas and thoughts as to what I can add to the blog and to my collection.
About a week ago, a fellow co-worker asked me what I was writing down every day and since I knew he was a sports fan he became the first one at my new workplace that I shared ‘30-YOC’ with. I told him the premise of the site, and since we’re the same in age he recalled several memories of the same era in baseball and players that he cared for during that time. I quietly passed him a link to the site and quickly forgot about it.
Yesterday at 7:52 in the morning he shows up at my cube and says, ‘Dude, you collect players from the 80’s but don’t have any cards of Cal Ripken, Roger Clemens, George Brett, Don Mattingly, Gary Carter…’ He went on for what seemed like minutes. In reality he probably mentioned 10-12 guys that were the stars of the sport during that glorious decade. But you know what, he is 100% right. For all of the Dawson, Henderson, and Winfield cards that I own, I have barely scratched the surface when it comes to obtaining cards of the players that I enjoyed watching and collecting during my youth.
So Thank you, employee ‘X’. You have opened my eyes, and I am already working on a few new goals for my card collection that will continue to honor the players that have left a lasting image on me.
There are 2 things that I can assure you: (1) I have shown my readers each and every card that I own through this blog - nothing has been skipped or passed over. (2) I will continue to show you all of my purchases as long as interest remains there. The players from the 80’s are special to a lot of us and I enjoy reliving many of those memories and sharing them with you.
Stay tuned as there is a lot more to come as the baseball card collection at ‘30-Year Old Cardboard’ continues to take flight!!!
I was able to grab this 1972 Topps Fergie Jenkins card for a very low price and am surprised as to how great the condition of the card is in since it’s 37+ years old!!
While the ‘72 Topps set is not on my ‘favorites list’, it’s nice to add another of the missing pieces to my Fergie Jenkins player collection. Now I am just 2 cards away from having every Fergie Jenkins card issued during the 1970’s. I am hoping to wrap up this decade’s set of cards within the next few weeks.
For me, the ‘72 design screams ‘Disco’. And although that may be premature by a few years before the disco craze hit the US, the color scheme and graphic details certainly are reminiscent and should remain in the 70’s.
Fresh off of his 2009 NBA championship, Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers headed over to Dodger Stadium to throw out the first pitch in front of the very excited home team and fans!!!
I can only imagine that during those awkward seconds before Gasol makes his way to the mound that they are showing highlights of him and the Lakers’ championship win on the big screen. Otherwise his pose, stare, and smile are a little creepy…
Always a class act, I wanted to pass along this story about Ken Griffey Jr. Enjoy!!!
From Yahoo Sports – July 8, 2009 – Written by David Brown
As Mariners slugger Ken Griffey Jr.(notes)strolled to the plate for his first at-bat Tuesday night, the sound system at Safeco Field grooved to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”
Griffey’s apparent tribute to the King of Pop, who was memorialized Tuesday, extended beyond the sonic. Close inspection of Griff Jr.’s grip on the bat showed a bare left hand and a white batting glove worn on his right.
Griffey usually wears dark blue gloves on both hands.
Before Tuesday night’s game at Safeco Field, Ken Griffey Jr. said he was going to honor Michael Jackson by wearing one white batting glove in his first at-bat, and I thought he was kidding.
“Man, you’re gullible,” Griffey said.
Tricky. Griffey’s tribute turned out to be earnest and effective. He drew a walk but — sorry — he didn’t moonwalk to first base (VIDEO). If he had, Griffey would have been the first big leaguer since Jimmy Piersall in 1963 to go backward ’round the bases.
In his subsequent at-bats, Griffey reverted to his usual two-gloved stance. He finished 1-for-2. No one wants to be defeated, but Griffey’s M’s were, 12-4, by the Orioles.
After the jump, check out a close-up of Griffey’s tribute and an old-school shot of Jackson with everyone’s Mommy and Daddy from the ’80s.
Griffey struck an accurate pose — MJ also wore his sequined glove on the right hand while going au naturel on the left.
Griffey was barely in his teens when Jackson, at his zenith of popularity, visited the White House in 1984.
Just barely past the half way mark of the 2009 baseball season and the Toronto Blue Jays sit 1 game above .500 and in 4th place in the AL East. And while this division is extremely competitive, it’s very curious as to why the Blue Jays would be making news now. Especially when it’s news about tearing apart the nucleus of their team.
First it was the Roy Halladay rumors that broke earlier in the week. From The St. Louis Dispatch to ESPN to The Toronto Star to Fox Sports - all of these media outlets ran with the story that the Blue Jays would listen to trade offers for the ace of their rotation. Halladay has been one of the best pitchers this decade and should rank in the Top 5 in everyone’s active pitcher lists. Why would the Blue Jays, who are a 6-game win streak away from heading back to the top of the division, even put that kind of news out there? As a player in that locker room, no one should feel safe if they’re considering moving their most valuable piece.
And then today news hit that former stud closer, BJ Ryan, has been released. While Ryan was not meeting the standards this season that he had set in prior years, he was still due roughly $15 million dollars over the next year and a half so the Jays cut him a check and let him walk. I would love to be in his shoes – he is now able to sign with anyone he wants and can literally pick where he would like to go and not have his contract terms limit his options. In 2005 Ryan notched 36 saves. A year later in ‘06 he rang up 38, and in 2008 another 32. You’ve got to believe that there will be a ton of teams ready to gamble to see if BJ can return to a very recent form in which he was one of the game’s best closers.
Right now I feel sorry for the Blue Jays fans that are out there. With 77 baseball games left in the regular season the team is well within reach of making it to the playoffs but it appears that their management team does not think that it will happen.
I hold a special place in my memory of living in Chicago for five years and watching Cubs baseball on a daily basis. And in that place is a spot reserved for Mark Grace.
To put it on a level that everyone can understand, I will make this announcement – ‘I have never seen a player enjoy playing the game as much as I have seen Mark Grace enjoy it!!!’ It’s just that simple. Now I know that I have not seen every baseball game in the history of the sport. And there may have been a player or there currently is a player that you’re a fan of that you may put in this class. I am fine with that. But for me, I cannot recall watching anyone enjoy the game while on the field in the way that I saw ‘Gracey’ do it.
Grace’s constant smile and fun-side were always on display when suited up for the home team. While always a professional on the field, Grace did not let his hard working attitude get in the way of knowing that the game was meant to be enjoyed, both by fans and the guys lucky enough to play it for a living.
So I have decided to work on my Mark Grace rookie collection. I want to round out the set and will go after the few missing pieces that have alluded me so far. This should be rather easy, and meaningful at the same time, since Grace’s rookie season of 1988 did not include the overwhelming number of inserts and parallel cards found in today’s rookie issues.
Here is where I stand today and I will share with you what I acquire as this small collection takes shape. Enjoy!!!
