Cooperstown : Looking Ahead To 2010

With thoughts of Cooperstown fresh on my brain, I thought it would be worth examining who is up for potential election into the Hall of Fame in 2010.  Per the HOF website, here is that list.

2010:Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin, Robin Ventura, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Kevin Appier, Ellis Burks, Ray Lankford, Pat Hentgen, Todd Zeile, Eric Karros, Mark McLemore, Andres Galarraga, Fernando Vina, Mike Jackson, Shane Reynolds, Dave Burba, David Segui, Andy Ashby

Of this group of guys there are 6 guys worthy of consideration, with 4 that should get some serious attention.  Those 6 players are: Alomar, Larkin, Ventura, Martinez, McGriff, and Galarraga.  And with no disrespect meant towards the outstanding careers of Robin Ventura and Edgar Martinez, their career achievements are not on par with players enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

So that leaves us with 4 guys.  4 guys that had remarkable careers.  4 guys that should get some major vote counts thrown their way.

Here is a Breakdown:

Roberto Alomar – 2,724 hits, 1,508 runs scored, 210 home runs, 1,134 RBI, 474 stolen bases, .300 batting average, 12 time all-star, 10 Gold Glove awards, 4 Silver Slugger trophies, 2 World Series championships

Barry Larkin – 2,340 hits, 1,329 runs scored, 198 home runs, 960 RBI, 379 stolen bases, .295 batting average, 12 time all-star, 3 Gold Glove awards, 9 Silver Slugger trophies, 1 MVP award, 1 World Series championship

Fred McGriff – 2,490 hits, 1,349 runs scored, 493 home runs, 1,550 RBI, 72 stolen bases, .284 batting average, 5 time all-star, 3 Silver Slugger trophies, 1 World Series championship

Andres Galarraga – 2,333 hits, 1,195 runs scored, 399 home runs, 1,425 RBI, 128 stolen bases, .288 batting average, 5 time all-star, 2 Gold Glove awards, 2 Silver Slugger trophies

In summary, I think that 3 of these 4 guys will get in.  Sadly I don’t think that Galarraga will be in that group.  My guess is that Barry Larkin will get the most votes of this rookie class of 2010, but I don’t see him as a first ballot kind of player.  Alomar on the other hand is a first ballot kind of guy, but his on and off the field problems are what people remember first about his career so I think he may have to wait a few years before he gets in.  And McGriff is worthy of a spot too, I just don’t see him getting un until a few other key guys go before him, notably Andre Dawson, Barry Larkin, Bert Blyleven, Tim Raines, and Roberto Alomar.

Your thoughts???

1974 Topps Fergie Jenkins

1974 Topps Fergie Jenkins

I am relieved to scratch this Fergie Jenkins card off of my ‘Need’ list.  This little beauty(is not that beautiful) is easily the worst looking card of my Fergie Jenkins player collection.

I have no idea how or why Topps would choose to run this image as part of their 1974 issue.  This zoomed-in shot of a hat-less Fergie Jenkins is one of the worst close-up pictures I have seen used on a baseball card.

But it does open this up for a fun question.

Where was Fergie Jenkins when this picture was taken?

A.  On a boat

B.  On horseback

C.  In a convertible

D.  In the middle of a tornado 

Celebrity First Pitch – Misty May-Treanor

Here is video of Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May-Treanor as she throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a Los Angeles Angels baseball game.

A pretty cool 3-minute video…  No word if Misty’s husband Matt Treanor, former Florida Marlins and current Detroit Tigers catcher, coached her for this performance.

My Rickey Henderson ‘Fab 5′ – Card #3

Now that my Rickey Henderson player collection is complete I wanted to take the time to show off my favorite 5 cards from this set.

Card #3 – 1982 Topps

Ah, good old ‘82 Topps. 

I am a big fan of this card.  The picture that Topps used for this issue is a perfect way to show off Rickey.  He’s seen here in a familiar stance as he prepares to launch for second base as soon as the pitcher throws towards home plate.  And the odds are very good that his attempt to steal second base were very good!!

The ‘82 design is fair, but what I like about the card is that the picture is large and is the complete focus on the design.  Yes, we have had tons of other cards with large images, but most contain other random graphic elements that draw your eye away from the image.  This one does the exact opposite and pulls you in…

And I have to say that even though Pink is not a color that is affiliated with any baseball team’s color scheme, it works very well on this card.  Is that wrong???  I think that the tubing Topps used that starts on the top left corner and wraps around the side and bottom of the card’s design looks great.  It also helps that the A’s uniform Rickey proudly wears is covered in tubing as well.