Eddie Murray 1988 Donruss

Eddie Murray 1988 Donruss

Now this is a great looking card!!!

While the ’88 Donruss card will not win any awards for originality, this card of Eddie Murray may rank as one of the set’s best.  With a full action shot of Eddie batting lefty, this card shows Eddie Murray getting ready to jump onto the next pitch that comes his way.

I am very happy to add this card to my collection.  It has been quite some time since I last saw this one, and I am thrilled to add it to my player collection.

**notice how the toe of Eddie’s right foot is slightly off of the ground.  He’s getting ready to take a mean hack at the next ball thrown his way!!!

More Wicked Cards From Alfredo…

Always the generous blogger, Alfredo from the blog ‘My Past Time, I Love It’ sent over the below 6 cards.

And they’re all perfect fits for my player collections!!!

3 more Andre Dawson cards – 1 of which is a new addition to my collection.  The 1992 O-Pee-Chee base card is on its way into a top-loader as my Andre Dawson player collection adds its newest member!!!

3 cards of 3 other guys that I have tabbed as my favorites.  Fergie Jenkins, Eddie Murray, and the newest member of the Hall of Fame, Rickey Henderson!!

Thanks again Alfredo.  Your generosity is unmatched!

Marlins/Phillies Recap

Once again, the Florida Marlins did exactly what they needed to do by beating the Phillies 2-1 in their 3-game series.

After splitting games in a double-header on Tuesday, the two teams battled each other, and the rain, inning by inning on Wednesday during the ‘rubber-match’ of the series.  And as they have done many times before, the Marlins struck last as Brett Carrol delivered a game winning and series clinching hit in the bottom of the 9th inning.

With just 9 games left to go, it’s very clear that the Marlins will not catch the Phils for the top spot in the NL East.  And as they sit just 4 1/2 games out of the wild card race, the suddenly hot Braves are making this a 3-team race to catch the leading Rockies.

I’m still optimistic that a little more ‘Marlins-Magic’ may occur before the season ends, but as each day passes and the leader board stays the same the realist in me comes out.

Here’s to 9 more wonderful baseball games in the 2009 baseball season!!!

GO FISH!!!

Andre Dawson 2005 Upper Deck League Leaders

Andre Dawson 2005 Upper Deck League Leaders

Numbered 987/999, this 2005 Upper Deck card is a beauty!!! 

With a classic image of ‘The Hawk’ and his customary look of complete focus and concentration, Upper Deck captured what was a pitcher’s nightmare each and every time Andre went to the plate.

I think what I like most about this card is that the image of Andre really pops off of the background.  Other card companies have tried to gain this effect, but this card from Upper Deck conquered that mission - Great Job!!! 

Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee TTM Success!!!

206 days later, ‘Spaceman’ Bill Lee returned 2 very neat autographs to me.

I had seen for some time that Lee was a good signer through the mail.  I had also seen on several occasions in which he would add some odd inscriptions along with his signature.  And while it took much longer for me to get these cards back(with no crazy messages), I have to admit that Lee’s autograph looks pretty sweet!! 

Bill Lee had a solid 14-year career.  He has a career record of 119-90 along with a 3.62 ERA and 713 strikeouts.  Lee is a 1-time All-star and appeared in the 1975 World Series as a member of the Boston Red Sox. 

Thank you Mr. Lee!!!

I have to wonder if  the same photographer that took the photo on the left in 1974 came back in 1978…

Did You Know….

The youngest player to reach 3,000 hits was Ty Cob at age 32.

**factoid courtesy of ‘Armchair Reader – Grand Slam Baseball’

My take - I don’t know what’s more impressive: That Cobb was just 32 when he got the 3,000th hit of his career or that at the age of 32 Cobb was already appearing in his 15th major league season.  WoW!!!

On This Day, The ’40/40 Club’ Was Born!!!

On this day in 1988, Jose Canseco elevated his game to a place that no other player had been prior.

With 2 stolen bases against the Milwaukee Brewers, Canseco collected his 39th and 40th steals of the season and became the first player in major league history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season.

Canseco won the Most Valuable Player award during this season.  And it can be argued that this was the most impressive offensive season ever had by a player.  To date, only 4 players have gained entry into the ’40/40 Club’, with Canseco being the first.  And had it not been for Jose’s incredible year, it’s very possible that this baseball milestone never existed.

Congratulations to Jose Canseco – A Very Elite Player!!!

Darryl Strawberry 1987 Donruss Diamond King

Darryl Strawberry 1987 Donruss Diamond King

One can say that in the past I have been rather harsh and critical of the Diamond King series.  And they wouldn’t be too far off…

Let me preface this by saying that I do not have an artistic bone in my body.  My 3-year old can color better than me and I am not ashamed to admit that.

But there is something about a ‘bad’ Diamond Kings card that really makes me frown.  The design of the ’87 Donruss card is fine.  And I like the small action portrait of ‘Straw’ that was used for this card.  But the large mugshot of Darryl is just terrible.  Hell, it looks nothing like Darryl Strawberry and if you told me this was Dwight Gooden I would have nodded my head in acceptance.  You probably could have told me that this was Wally Backman and I wouldn’t have fought you either…

Thankfully I can now take this card off of my Darryl Strawberry needs list.  I don’t think that this one will be making it into my ‘Fab 5′…

Marlins & Phillies – 3 Games In 30 Hours!!!

Did you say 3 games in 30 hours?  How can that be?

Well, it’s simple actually.  The Florida Marlins are on the road to face the division leading Philadelphia Phillies.  They will play a double -header starting at 4PM on Tuesday and will wrap up the 3-game set the following evening on Wednesday.

And while the Phils hold a comfortable 8-game lead over the Marlins in the NL East, it would be a very improbable, but not impossible, that the Phillies falter enough in their last 12 games to allow the Marlins to make it a competition again for the lead.

Still, I cannot wait to watch and see what the outcome may be.  I enjoy playing against the Phillies because I like their style of play.  A nice mix of pitching, power hitting, speed, and luck seems to be some of the key ingredients to success.  And they do all of that very well!!

Bring it on!!!  GO FISH!!!

Happy Anniversary Andre Dawson!!!

On this day in 1990, Andre Dawson became just the second player in major league baseball history to achieve 2,000 hits, 30o home runs, and 300 steals.

The first player to be in that group??   None other than Hall of Famer, Willie Mays!!

Not bad company.  Not bad company at all!!!

Congratulations ‘Hawk’!!!!