1983 Topps Super Veteran Subset

I am amazed at how many people came through on this for me.  In just a few short hours, I had 4 emails and 1 comment on the blog providing me with the full checklist of the 1983 Topps Super Veteran set.

I gues the set builder in you never dies, huh?  I’ve got my first piece to the puzzle courtesy of Wax Haeven and now I am starting on a new conquest to add to my collection. 

I have added a category link for this set to my page so you can track my progress as I attempt to build a set for the first time in 18 years.  Wish me luck….

1983 Topps Super Veterans
Card #	Player	Got it ??
18	Kent Tekulve
36	Rollie Fingers
61	Johnny Bench
71	Steve Carlton
101	Pete Rose
146	Don Sutton
151	Bruce Sutter
161	Dave Kingman
179	Luis Tiant
201	Rod Carew
231	Fergie Jenkins	y
241	Rich Gossage
256	Gene Garber
283	Reggie Smith
301	Mike Schmidt
334	Dave LaRoche
361	Nolan Ryan
378	Lee May
411	Phil Neikro
421	Al Oliver
451	Ted Simmons
464	Gaylord Perry
491	Jim Palmer
501	Reggie Jackson
511	Tug McGraw
551	Carl Yastrzemski
581	Tom Seaver
604	Joe Morgan
636	Graig Nettles
673	Jim Kaat
694	Sparky Lyle
716	Tony Perez
736	Tommy John
741	Rusty Staub
783	Bobby Murcer

Ticket Stub #18 – Florida Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays – 06/26/2008

Ticket Stub #18 – Florida Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays – 06/26/2008

Dolphin Stadium – Miami, FL

Rays 6, Marlins 1

This is the most recent game that I have been to and concludes this series of posts highlighting the baseball games that I have attended.  I have offered up 18 games, but in reality have probably been to 30 or so.  Careless moments and ticket stubs in the washing machine don’t mix when you are trying to relive past events.  I hope that you have enjoyed this series and I will certainly present to you any games I attend in the future.

On to game #18…

I scored these tickets using a 2-for-1 coupon.  I was able to get seats right alongside the Marlins bullpen so I made sure I arrived extra early to grab some up-close pictures.  When we arrived, Scott Olsen was was firing away in the pen and was quickly joined by most of the Marlin’s starters and several of the bullpen players.  It was nice to be there so early with little noise.  I clearly remember being able to hear the ‘zip’ of the ball as it raced 60 feet from Olsen to the bullpen catcher.

The game was great, if you were cheering for the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Rays’ bats were hot and were led by Evan Longoria’s 3 for 5 performance which was capped off by a home run.  I have to say that it is kind of cool to say that I saw the American League Champions play.  The Marlins were terrible, both on offense as well as pitching.  The bats were cold, cold, cold…

Now onto the big story of the game – Matt Garza!!!  This kid was awesome.  He was getting batters out at will and racked up hitless inning after hitless inning.  As the game went on, and the hits were not coming  and I started to get flashbacks of the Al Leiter no-hitter I witnessed several years prior.  4th inning – no hits.  5th inning – no hits.  Do I tell my buddy that I have seen a no-hitter before?  Do I mention thosewords?  How many people have been to 2 no-hitter in their lives??  WoW!!!  6th inning – no hits.  Oh my, it’s going to happen again; too bad there is noone at the park to enjoy this…  7th inning – CRACK!!!  Hanley Ramirez launches a deep home run to left field.  Gone is the no-hitter.  Gone is the shutout.  Gone is history.  This Marlins only accounted for 1 hit in this game.  1 pitch is what separated my second no-hitter in person from my 1 no-hitter and 1 1-hitter.  One hell of an effort by Matt Garza though…

 

Tampa Bay Rays	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	NOTES
Iwamura	5	0	2	1	0	0	0.274
Aybar	4	0	1	0	0	1	0.250
Crawford	4	0	0	0	0	0	0.279
Upton	3	2	1	0	2	0	0.284
Longoria	5	2	3	1	0	2	0.261	HR, (2)2B
Gomes	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.206
Gross	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.232
Riggins	3	1	1	3	1	0	0.246
Zobrist	3	1	1	1	1	1	0.292	HR
Garza	3	0	0	0	1	2	0.000
	33	6	9	6	6	6
Florida Marlins	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	NOTES
Ramirez	4	1	1	1	0	0	0.294	HR
Hermida	2	0	0	0	1	1	0.274
Cantu	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.280
Jacobs	3	0	0	0	0	2	0.236
Uggla	3	0	0	0	0	1	0.290
Gonzalez	3	0	0	0	0	1	0.272
Ross	3	0	0	0	0	2	0.217
Hoover	3	0	0	0	0	2	0.231
Hendrickson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.276
Waechter	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.167
Helms	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.248
	27	1	1	1	1	10

What Ever Happened To Danny Tartabull???

Danny Tartabull was another member of the great rookie class that took baseball by storm during the 1986 season.  As a rookie with the Seattle Mariners, Tartabull finished in 5th place for the Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .270 with 25 home runs and 96 RBI.  Tartabull spent the next 5 years of his career as a member of the Kansas City Royals and this is where he reached his greatest statistical output.  In 5 seasons with the Royals, he finished in the Top 20 for the MVP 2 times.  From 1987-1991, Tartabull smashed 124 dingers and amassed 425 RBI along with scoring 276 runs as well.  After the 1991 season, Tartabull signed a contract to play for the New York Yankees but was unable to duplicate his prior success and was traded to 3 teams in his final 3 years.  In his last season in 1997, Tartabull was with the Phillies.  After fouling a ball off of his foot, Tartabull quickly retired from the sport leaving his fans and teammates puzzled.

After 14 seasons in the major leagues, Tartabull retired with a .273 average and tallied 262 home runs and 925 RBI.  He appeared in only 1 All-star game and never made the playoffs in his career.

Danny Tartabull is no longer involved with baseball and his rare public appearances since his retirement have been limited to 2 guest-starring roles as himself on Seinfeld in 1994.

Gifts From Wax Heaven

Mario from Wax Heaven  recently sent over 2 cards that I received in the mail this afternoon.  No matter who the donor is, I am always very surprised and grateful that people think of me when they see a specific card.  On top of that, offering the cards to me for no fee or trade really lets me know that I belong to a great baseball card collecting community.

On to the good stuff…

1.  1983 Topps Fergie Jenkins – Super Veteran

Although I already owned this card as part of my player collection, this gift from Mario has inspired me to add a new subset to my collection.  I want to get all of the 1983 Super Veteran cards.  I am not sure how I can obtain a list of all of the players that were in this set, but starting with Fergie Jenkins is a great first step.  If anyone knows how I can obtain a checklist of this subset, please pass that information along as it would be greatly appreciated!!

2.  2008 Goudey Andre Dawson – mini

I love this card.   I love everything about this card.  First, it’s Andre.  Second, the design screams vintage which happens to be my favorite kind of card to shop for and admire.  I have had this card as well as the base version on my ‘mental want list’ for some time now and now thanks to Mario 1/2 of that task is complete.  I’ll have to find the base card to finish this little 2-card set off.

At this time, I would normally plug the person’s blog that sent these cards to me.  But, to be honest, I have to imagine at this point that all of the people that have found my blog are readers of Wax Heaven.  Hell, it’s likely that several of my readers found me by checking out his page first.  Either way, reading Wax Heaven has become part of my daily routine.  Checking emails, looking at the box scores from last night’s games, and reading Wax Heaven is a great way to start the day!!

Thanks again, Mario!!!

1985 Topps All-Star Dave Winfield

For some reason, Topps didn’t put much effort into their All-Star cards during the mid-80’s.  I don’t know why, as any card commemorating something special about the season is always a favorite of mine.  This card is supposed to announce that Dave Winfield was an All-Star for the American League. 

Instead, it just yawns….  Bad Topps, Bad.

Happy Birthday Sandy Koufax!!!

Today, Sandy Koufax turns 74 years old.

Koufax’s name is often mentioned in the same breath when people speak of the greatest pitchers of all-time.  Truth be told, during his 12-year career with the Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Koufax did not shine until the last 6 seasons he played.  But boy did he shine…  From 1961 to 1966, Koufax won 3 Cy Young awards and finished in 2nd place 1 time.  He also won an MVP award and finished 2nd twice for that honor.  It can be easily argued that Sandy Koufax was elected into baseball’s Hall Of Fame for this short, but incredible 6-year span.

So what do you get a guy that has so many accolades to his credit?  Sandy Koufax retired at the age of 31.  In today’s game there are players that have yet to hit their prime by 31…  I would love to see what Sandy could have done with 5 more seasons.  So that is my gift, 5 more healthy seasons as a pitcher for the Dodgers.

Happy Birthday Mr. Koufax!!!

New Feature Coming To ‘30-Year Old Cardboard’ – “31 in 31″

A new year deserves a new feature…

During the entire month of January, I will be ranking the Top 31 baseball rookie cards issued during the 1970’s.  “31 in 31″ is exactly that - a daily break down of the top 31 rookie cards from the decade that brought us Disco music, The Godfather, Happy Days, and Animal House.  In addition to this breakdown, I will also be ranking these cards as to how important the player and the card are to the sport of baseball and our beloved hobby.  The ranking will be based on the player’s entire career including individual awards earned, individual milestones surpassed, and team achievements.

Stay tuned.  This new feature arrives on the blog on January 1, 2009.

Thanks and keep reading!!

I LOVE What The New York Yankees Are Doing!!!

I am not a Yankee fan, although I do enjoy watching several of their players.  I love the sport of baseball; and I have for 25+ years now…

What the Yankees are doing is remarkable, and if I were a Yankee fan I would be thrilled with the product that they are putting on the field for us to watch.  Already with one of the most talented line-ups in all of baseball, what the Yankees have done in the last 20 +/- days should make any baseball fan drool…  Just imagine if your team added C.C. Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Mark Teixeira to the line-up of your favorite team.  For the non-Yankee fan and even the Yankee-hater, you would have to be pretty impressed by the talent being brought to your locker room to help bring more trophies to your team.

With a new ballpark opening in the Spring of 2009, the responsibility of the Yankee’s management is to put the best product on the field that they can.  Hell, that goes for all GM’s across the league.  It’s just that the Yanks are willing to spend with no limit to get that done.  You can’t really blame them for that.  If the Florida Marlins or Kansas City Royals had the same kind of money, they would certainly follow suit and bring in the high-demand guys too.

As we all know, just because the Yankees are spending the most money it does not guarantee wins or World Series appearances.  Games still have to be played, and 162 games per season leaves a ton of room and time for anything to happen.  Look at last year, how many players on the Yankee roster made more than the entire starting line-up for the Tampa Bay Rays??  8-10 is not a bad guess…

So, while I sit back and wait for the season to start, I will not cast my vote yet for which team I think will escape out of the American League East this year.  What I will say is that I expect the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays to field the best team that they possibly can with the resources they have.  If New York and Boston feel that their best chance is to bring in top-level free agents to get the job done than so be it.  And if the Rays feel that their minor league teams are the best places to find players to help them win, then I am good with that too.  I do expect that the Yankees will be more competitive this season, and I don’t expect much of a drop-off, if any, from the Rays or Red Sox. 

It should be very entertaining in the AL East in 2009 and with the additions of Sabathia, Burnett, and Teixeira more and more eyes will be watching!!!  I’m ready for April!!!

Stocking Stuffer #3

Stocking Suffer #3 – Andre Dawson jersey card

This is the last of the 3 cards I received for Christmas.  This card is numbered 73/75 and perfectly captures the world famous Blue pinstripe worn by the Chicago Cubs.

 

Stocking Stuffer #2

Stocking Stuffer #2 – Andre Dawson jersey card

This is the second card I received in my stocking on Christmas.  Numbered 202/250, I love how Dawson’s image jumps off the card in this design.  The jersey pieces represent what ‘Cubby Blue’ is all about!!!