Happy Birthday Keith Hernandez!!!

Keith Hernandez turns 56 years old today.

Never quite getting the credit he deserves, Keith Hernandez was a stellar player for 17 major league seasons.

Probably most well known for his amazing defense at first base, Hernandez made playing the position cool long before Don Mattingly did so.  Hernandez won 11 Gold Glove awards for being the best defensive first baseman in the National League.  11 trophies during 17 seasons is extremely impressive as it shows just how consistent ‘Mex’ was at the hot corner.

Hernandez was also a league Most Valuable Player in 1979 when he played for the Cardinals.  Along with a Gold Glove award and his first of five All-star selections, Hernandez was also extraordinary on offense that year.  He batted .344 while collecting 210 hits, ripping 48 doubles, driving in 105 runs and scoring 111 runs as well.  A perfectly well-rounded season and one certainly worthy of being tagged as the MVP!!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Hernandez!!!

HUGE TTM SUCCESS!!! – Pete Rose Signed Baseball!!! Wow!!!

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!!!

I sent a 1985 Donruss card to Pete Rose more than 6 months ago and have yet to receive it back.  And between the many blogs I surf and the autograph websites I frequent, I continued to see successful returns from ‘Charlie Hustle’.  So this time I decided to send a ball and a check for Mr. Rose as I have been dying to add his great autograph to my collection.

And now I am thrilled to announce that ‘Mystery Package #2′ has returned home safely and it is AWESOME!!!!

With the help of a check that I wrote, Pete Rose signed this baseball for me and even added #4256 for his career hits total as an inscription.  I know that adding a check to my letter increased my odds of getting this ball back with Rose’s signature, but I hope that the emotional letter I sent also pulled its weight too.  In my head it certainly helped.

In just over a month I am thrilled to have this ball back home and will proudly display it with the rest of my collection.  This one certainly ranks near the top for me!!!

On to the spoils…

1990 Bowman Greg Maddux

1990 Bowman Greg Maddux

Wow, what a thrilling card huh??  Here is Greg Maddux’s 1990 Bowman card featuring his high school minor league Spring Training picture.

I’ve got nothing left to say about this card other than I happy I no longer have to hunt it down to add it to my Maddux Collection!!

Maddux had a solid year in 1990.  He started 35 games for the Cubbies and finished with a 15-15 record.  He won his first Gold Glove that year for defensive excellence and was en route to win 17 more in the next 18 seasons.

Enjoy the card…  YUCK!!!

1985 Topps #1 Draft Pick – Darryl Strawberry

1985 Topps #1 Draft Pick – Darryl Strawberry

What can I say, Straw was the man!!  Of all of the cards in this 12-card set, I believe that this is the highlight.

Darryl Strawberry made an immediate impact on the sport during his debut in 1983.  The league’s Rookie of the Year played like a seasoned veteran and quickly became the centerpiece of the New York Mets and their championship roster.

Equipped with the perfect blend of speed and power, Straw’s talents landed him on 8 consecutive All-star teams while he and the Mets took baseball by storm.  His career home run total of 335 and stolen base count of 221 along with his 1,000 career RBI show just how versatile and steady he was.

Strawberry had his share of setbacks during his career that didn’t allow him to become the MVP that he had the talent to be.  Yet he still found himself as a member of 3 World Series Championship teams!!!

Overall ranking - 9.5 out of 10.  Points earned for eclipsing the 300-HR mark and 200 steals plateau.  More points for 8 All-star nods and his amazing count of 3 World Series championship rings.   1/2 point deduction because there is still that lingering thought of ‘What Could Have Been’.

Andre Dawson 3-Card Set: 2004 Donruss Elite ‘Passing The Torch’

Here’s a nice little 3-card set featuring a certain favorite player of mine. 

The cards are from the 2004 Donruss Elite subset called ‘Passing The Torch’.  I don’t know how many color backgrounds are in this set, but I was able to stock up on the primary colored ones during this ‘go-round’.

Each of these is serial numbered, so it appears that the circulation of this set was fairly limited.  The Blue card is numbered as 206/250.  The Green is 83/500.  And the Red is 38/1000.

If there are more colors available, I will go after them.  Anyone know for sure about these???  If so, please educate me!!!

Thanks. 

Did You Know…

The only pitcher to save three All-star games was Dennis Eckersley, in 1988, 1990, and 1991.

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

My take – Just another cool stat about one of the most dominant and well-rounded pitchers from the last 30 years!  Eck is cool!!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. October!!!

On this day in 1977, you hit 3 consecutive home runs in the World Series and earned the nickname “Mr. October”.

Considered to be the greatest individual offensive performance in baseball’s World Series history, you became an even bigger star on this night!!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. October!!!

‘Same Card, Different Paths’ – Card #11

‘Same Card, Different Paths’ – Card #11

1967 Topps - Card #569 – AKA – ‘The Rod Carew Rookie Card’

Rod Carew – One of the greatest hitters in baseball history, Hall of Famer Rod Carew’s skills were not matched by many.  Carew ended his career with a lifetime .328 batting average and 3,053 hits.  He has also scored 1,424 runs, stolen 353 bases, and drove in 1,015 runs.  Carew is a former Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Award winner while also being an 18-time All-star.

Hank Allen – Allen played 7 seasons in the big leagues but never really found his groove as an everyday player.  While playing in 389 contests, he compiled a .241 batting average as he collected 212 hits, 6 home runs, and 15 stolen bases.  Allen eventually found himself in a reserve role getting into less than 50 games a year during the last 3 seasons of his career.

1988 Donruss Greg Maddux – Baseball’s Best!

1988 Donruss Greg Maddux – Baseball’s Best!

 You’re not going to believe this, but the King of the request for a ‘Full-Body Action Photo’ really does not care for this ’88 Donruss Baseball’s Best card of Greg Maddux.  Yes, it gives me everything I scream for in regards to photography.  I guess I just cannot escape that awful border.  It haunts me…

This is one of a few of the cards I have picked up from this Donruss subset, and while it features the best photo of the bunch, I have now seen enough of these to finally say that I don’t care for them at all.  I am happy to add it to my Greg Maddux player collection, and I am equally happy to throw in into a top-loader and put it into storage…

Focusing On My New Player Collections Has Really Paid Off!!!

To say that I have attacked my 4 newest player collections is a bold yet true statement.  It has been a ton of fun going after these guys, and it has been equally enjoyable to look back at some of the amazing things these baseball superstars did during their major league baseball careers.

I thought this would be a good time to review where I have come from since I took on the challenge of collecting the following:

1. Jim Palmer – All major brand issues from his playing days
2. Darryl Strawberry – All major brand issues from his days with the New York Mets
3. Greg Maddux – All major brand issues from his first stint with the Chicago Cubs
4. Eddie Murray – All major brand issues from his days with the Baltimore Orioles

Ok, on to the numbers…

Player	Started With	Currently Own	Left To Go	% Done
Jim Palmer	0	19	24	44%
Darryl Strawberry	4	11	43	20%
Greg Maddux	3	21	25	46%
Eddie Murray	10	32	11	74%

 

Looks like I have to go to the grocery store and pick up some Strawberries huh???

Stay tuned as I look to make some big dents in these player collections over the next few weeks.  I’ll keep you updated each, and every step of the way!!!!

As always, you can track my collections and check out my ‘Needs’ by clicking on my ‘Player Collection’ page too.