Is Johnny Damon On Track To Make A Hall Of Fame Run???

Is Johnny Damon On Track To Make A Hall Of Fame Run???

Let me preface this by saying that I like Johnny Damon.  I like the energy he brings to the game.  And I like the fact that he has no problem showing off his excitement about being a professional baseball player.  But with all of that being said, I don’t see Damon as a Hall of Famer caliber player.

At no time during his playing career, which should have a few seasons still to go, has Damon ever been considered the best player on his team.  He has been an All-star just twice and has never finished higher than 13th in the MVP race.

If you would ask me to name other players in a similar group of talent, I would mention Garrett Anderson, Carl Crawford, and Derrek Lee.  All very good players.  All very nice offensive weapons.  But none of these guys are HOF worthy.

But then I took a second to look at his numbers.  And quite frankly, they are amazing.

Check them out:

Batting average	0.288
On-Base Percentage	0.355
Hits	2,425
Doubles	451
Home Runs	207
Runs Scored	1,483
RBI	996
Stolen Bases	374
World Series Titles	2

 

See what I mean??  All of this from an ‘above-average’ player???  WoW!!!

And at the age of 35, while playing for a potent offensive team like the Detroit Tigers, Damon should be able to thrive.  Already with 15 seasons of big league service under his belt, he can reach some baseball milestones over the next few years if he remains healthy.  1,000 RBI and 400 stolen bases will happen – easily.  So will 1,500 runs scored.  Now, what about 3,000 hits and 300 home runs?  Damon has collected roughly 160 hits a year over the course of his career – 3 more years of Damon-esque productivity puts him very close to 3,000.  And his power numbers have landed him close to 20 round-trippers a year over the last 6 seasons.  4-5 more like that and 300 career homers becomes a possibility too.

So, now I pose this question…  Can a 2-time All-star, a player that has never been awarded or labeled as one of the best in the game be rewarded and honored with election into Cooperstown?  It is very easy to just say ‘No, he does not belong’.  But if Johnny Damon reaches a few more of these milestones, doesn’t the conversation take a bit of a different turn??

What do you think?? 

‘On The Road With psugator02′ – March 26

Friday, March 26

Glendale, Ariz.
9:15-12:15

Like an idiot, I misread the schedule, thinking that the D’Backs were at the Sox while they actually played host to the Sox. But I made the most of it, trying to graph those White Sox players who stayed behind in addition to the Dodgers, who were on the backfields.

White Sox

Mark Buehrle: Didn’t make the trip to Tucson. Was in the clubhouse getting treatment but never made it to the practice fields
Bobby Jenks: Didn’t make the trip but I never saw him
Omar Vizquel: 0/1….wouldn’t stop on his way back to the clubhouse despite there being only five graphers
Alex Rios: 0/1…wouldn’t stop on his way back to the clubhouse despite there being only five graphers
Chris Chambliss: 2/2……he wasn’t this cool in ’93 when I got him in St. Pete
Ken Williams: 0/1

Dodgers

Chad Billingsley: 1/1 (’08 Ginter)
Clayton Kershaw: 0/1, 0/1….signed a lot but got mobbed and I kept missing him…but a good dude
Joe Torre: 1/1 (SS, ROMLB)…he got mobbed. to get his attention I yelled, “Can you sign one for a Cardinals’ fan?” at least three times

Andre Ethier: 2/2 (’08 Ginter, ’09 Ginter)
Manny Ramirez: 0/1…yeah right…but he did wave at me, which was neat
Don Mattingly: 0/1….he smiled at me

12:30-4:30 p.m.
Reds at Mariners
Peoria, Ariz.

Stadium is so inacessible that I doubt I’ll be returning. However, I loved the price of the tickets — no need to buy box seats when you can get a lawn seat for $6 and still sit behind home plate — and the strawberry smoothie from Maui-Wowi. On a tangent, I used to work at a Maui-Wowi in Deerfield Beach, Fla. I liked the work attire so much — it’s a loud Hawaiian shirt — that I often wear it to ballgames. It was funny when I ordered my smoothie because the two employees behind the counter looked at me as if I was their manager. On to the totals:

Chad Cordero: 4/4 (’07 Ginters)….got him in the bullpen about 15 minutes before the game. Has to be one of the friendliest players in all of MLB. Told him that he was a dominant closer and that I hope he makes it all the way back.
Erik Bedard: 1/1 (’08 Ginter)….Got him in the fifth inning as he exited the field for the clubhouse. Seems to sign a lot but has an AWFUL graph and I really can’t understand why
Eric Byrnes: 1/1 (’08 Ginter)…the only starter to sign leaving the field after the game..but his graph is scribble, too
Ichiro: Thought hanging out with angelsfan might bring me good luck. She had made a killer Ichiro sign written in Japanese that I was sure would get him to stop. But to no avail though he did point at the sign once in the stadium and then again as he drove away
Ken Griffey: 0/1 had his head down as he drove away. I’ve never even seen him acknowledge fans
Cliff Lee: 0/1

And the surprise of the day:

Jay Buhner: 1/2 (SI)….I grew up going to Yankees’ spring-training games — back when they were still in Fort Lauderdale — so getting to meet Buhner was a bit of a thrill for me. And the graph came out great, too

Glendale, Ariz.
5:30-6:15 p.m.

Left Peoria as soon as the game ended and made my way back to Glendale, thinking that some White Sox players may be returning from their game in Tucson. I didn’t see any White Sox players nor did I see any fans waiting for graphs so I drove over to the Dodgers’ side and was surprised to find out that there were some coaches and players still inside.

Blake DeWitt: 1/1 (’09 Ginter)
James Loney: 1/1 (’08 Ginter)
Rick Honeycutt: 0/1…I’m sure I could’ve gotten him but I didn’t know it was him until he had driven by
Joe Torre: 0/1..There were nine graphers remaining when he left at 6:15. It wouldn’t have been difficult to sign for everyone, but he chose to sign only for the three women who remained. And even then he signed the three baseballs in black Sharpie. I don’t think my theatrics from this morning helped my cause. Had I not made such a fool of myself earlier he may have stopped. Some images — 6’5, grey hair, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a Brewers’ cap — don’t leave a person no matter how many graphs they sign LOL

Other: Apparently I just missed Maury Wills, who signed a few minutes before I arrived to the surprise of the locals. I guess he’s become difficult. … George Brett made the trip to Glendale and actually signed, but of course I was at a different game. Can’t win ‘em all

If you would like to contact Mark, he can be reached at psugator02@yahoo.com.

1975 Topps Willie McCovey

1975 Topps Willie McCovey

While shopping for vintage cards on Ebay, I couldn’t resist throwing this one in my cart.  Bought for just $0.99, I found this to be a deal too good to pass up.

And while my enjoyment(or lack of) of the 1975 Topps baseball card set has been well documented on this blog, I have to say that ever since I started collecting the Reds team set from this issue, I have started to see the light.  If only I had listened to Night Owl sooner…

During the 1975 baseball season, McCovey’s 17th in the majors, Willie still showed that he had some pop left in his bat.  In 122 games with the Padres, McCovey smacked 23 home runs while collecting 68 RBI. 

An interesting fact about Willie McCovey.  He spent 22 seasons in the majors – playing for three different teams.  All 3 of them called California home: The Giants, Padres, and A’s.

Did You Know…

The 1936 New York Yankees are the only team to have five players with 100 or more RBI.  Lou Gehrig led the way with 152 RBI, followed by Joe DiMaggio(125), Tony Lazzeri(109), Bill Dickey(107), and George Selkirk(107). 

**factoid courtesy of ‘Big League Trivia’

My Take – Mighty impressive!  And when I think about some of the incredibly talented offensive teams that have played since that time, this record really stands out as an amazing accomplishment.

Tim Raines 1984 Fleer – Superstar Special

Tim Raines 1984 Fleer – Superstar Special

Fleer added their popular ‘Superstar Special’ subset into their base sets in the mid 1980′s.  A nice way to capture teammates and players with their peers, this set always offered up fun combinations of players and gave the set a nice 10-12 card subset to build.

Very early in this process, Fleer would make each of these ‘Superstar Special’ cards a 2-piece set.  To get the full picture and story, you would have to own both cards and lay them side by side to see the finished product.  Lasting just a few short years, they quickly, and rightly so, abandoned that idea and went to putting all of the players on 1 card in a condensed version of their original plan.

This card is from the 1984 Fleer set and it is titled ‘Letting Go Of The Raines’.  Starring Tim Raines as one half of the card, here it is: 

And here is the other half of that 2-piece set(which I do not own or want to own):

Sorry, this was the best picture I could find...

And there you have it!

Welcome To ‘The Dale Murphy Portrait Studio’

Welcome To ‘The Dale Murphy Portrait Studio’

To date I have added 23 cards to my new Dale Murphy collection.  More than 1/3 of the way done with this tribute to #3, I am very excited about the progress that I have made so far.  And I owe quite a bit of that to the generous readers of this site who have offered up most of the 23 cards that currently make up my collection. 

I just completed an order with www.sportlots.com last night that will add a few more cards too.

As I show off each and every one of the cards for this specific player collection, there is one thing that stands out about this Dale Murphy collection that is unlike any of the others that I have put together so far.

What is it?  Let me tell you… 

Of the 23 cards in this little group, 10 of them feature close-up or posed photography.  This number of 10 does not include the Donruss Diamond Kings I have picked up or the speical issues that are not part of my official checklist.

Think about that – 10 out of 23.  And I am not even half way done…

While a posed photo is ok, is shouldn’t consume half of anyone’s cards.  Especially when you’re talking about one of the most dynamic offensive and defensive players to put on a uniform during the 1980′s. 

Take a look at what I am talking about:

See what I mean??

Somebody must have had a little crush on ‘Murph’ huh???

So now I challenge you.  Go find another player that has more portrait-esque cards and show them to us…  Go on, Go!!!

‘On The Road With psugator02′ – March 24 & 25, 2010

‘On The Road With psugator02′ – March 24 & 25, 2010

Wednesday, March 24

L.A. Dodgers at Oakland A’s
Phoenix, AZ

After some problems with the rental car I was forced to take the city bus from the airport so I didn’t make it to the game until 7:30 p.m. Met up with angelsfan, who has to be the prettiest grapher on this board, and a friend from South Florida. The Dodgers brought the entire starting lineup, which was a shock to me considering that’s not something that usually happens in the Grapefruit League. Most of the Dodgers’ starters were pulled halfway through the game, which is when we decided to leave our seats for the bus. Shocked at how accommodating the players were:

James Loney: 1/2 (Ginter)…said he didn’t have time to sign the second
Casey Blake: 1/1 (Ginter), 1/1 with help (Ginter)..signed but didn’t seem too happy about it
Matt Kemp: 1/1 (Ginter)….wanted to ask him about Rhiana but I didn’t LOL
Hiroki Kuroda: Actually jogged around the fans waiting by the bus so he wouldn’t have to sign
Andre Ethier: 1/1 (Ginter)
Rafael Furcal: 1/1 (Ginter)
Joe Torre: 0/1…said there were too many people even though I only counted six. seemed to be in a bad mood

Other: Mattingly and the entire coaching staff wouldn’t even acknowledge fans

and the surprise of the night:

Tommy Lasorda: 1/1 (SS, ROMLB)…he only signed three. was with a handler who kept saying that “Tommy can’t sign anymore. Get him tomorrow at Camelback.” Well once the handler got in the car to pick up Tommy I shouted, “Hey Tommy, would you mind signing?” And he motioned for a friend and I to come over. I”ll just say this: Lasorda looked like death and I mean that in the nicest way. He had trouble walking and appeared to be out of it at least in the 5 minutes I interacted with him. Whatever is wrong, I wish him the best.

Next up on Thursday: Rangers at Angels (day) and A’s at Giants (night)

____________________________________________

Thursday, March 25

Texas Rangers at LA Angels
10:15-4:30

Got there at about 10:15 and Weaver, Wood and Santana were already on the backfields and the Rangers’ team bus had already arrived. Had to graph the stadium before the game started and I’m never a big fan of that. But all in all I did pretty well.

Josh Hamilton: 1/1 (11×14 in blue Sharpie) on the LF berm, 1/1 (8×10 in black Sharpie) on the berm, 2/2 (Ginters) after the game….also took a pic with…this dude is awesome. he actually parked in the public lot if you can believe that…..you can really see that after all he’s been through he really understand what’s important and that’s being cool to the fans
Nelson Cruz: 2/2 (8x10s) in public lot after game, 2/2 (Ginters) in public lot after game
Ron Washington: 1/1 (Senior League Baseball card)….We reminisced about the Senior Baseball League, which had a team only a few minutes from where I live. Wished him luck in 2010 and he said,”Thanks, babe.”
Chris Davis: 2/2 (Ginters) before game, 1/1 (Ginter) after game in public lot
Hideki Matsui: 0/1 just missed him as he signed about 20 in the sixth inning while leaving the field for the clubhouse
Tori Hunter: 1/1 (Ginter) in the boldest black Sharpie I have ever seen, 1/1 (’08 Ginter state card)…this dude is great..always smiling, chatting with fans and taking pictures
David Murphy: 2/2 (Ginters)

and the surprise of the day…………

Vlad Guerrero: 1/1 (’08 Ginter)…I purposely left my SI at home because I’ve never seen or heard of him signing. And then when I saw him doing SPs all I had left was the Ginter. But no regrets as I need him to complete the set. I told him that I don’t know anyone who can sport a goatee the way he does, but I’m not sure he understood me. I was finally at the right place at the right time

Oakland A’s at San Francisco Giants
5:30-11 p.m.

Mike Gallego: 2/2 (cards) before the game by the dugout….reminisced about the days the Yankees used to train in Fort Lauderdale. a GREAT dude…didn’t realize how short he is LOL
Travis Buck: 1/1 (Turkey Red) before the game by the dugout…..I don’t even collect Turkey Reds but this card looks great
Kevin Kouzmanoff: 1/1 (Ginter)…..he explained why players aren’t allowed to sign once the National Anthem begins….neat guy
Mark Gardner: 0/1..he would’ve done it but I didn’t recognize him until it was too late
Jonathan Sanchez: 2/2 (8x10s), 1/1 (8×10) with help….refused to inscribe his no-hitter, though he did for someone else…you should’ve seen the woman he was with..WOW
Bruce Bochy: 1/1 (card)…he stopped his car to sign for the dozen or so graphers left
Shawon Dunston: 1/1 (card)…he didn’t want to sign, saying, “It’s no longer my time.”
Mark DeRosa: 1/1 (card)
Roberto Kelly: 1/1 (card)
Bengie Molina: 1/1 (Ginter)…last player to leave the stadium
Buster Posey: 0/1 …didn’t think he was worth a ball so I gave him a whitesheet, which he refused to sign
Pablo Sandoval: 1/1 (SS, ROMLB)….asked him for the “Kung Fu Panda” inscription but he refused
Tim Flannery: 0/1 …wouldn’t even stop

and the biggest disappointment of the night ….

Dave Righetti: 0/1 ….last person to leave the stadium and the only reason I even attended the game. Asked him as he exited the clubhouse if he could sign and he said, “No” and then put his head down. Walked over to his car but he just drove past me

4th Spring Training TTM Return – Cameron Maybin – AGAIN!!!

4th Spring Training TTM Return – Cameron Maybin – AGAIN!!!

Wow, talk about a surprise!!  When I saw the postmark on the envelope I was thinking that another Marlins player had signed for me.  Maybe Josh Johnson or Dan Uggla or Cody Ross.  Any of those guys would have been great.

And then I ripped it open and out came this…

Nice huh?  And another full signature with his jersey number included!!

Maybin has really turned it around when it comes to providing a sweet signature.  Last year we saw everything from full name to initials, but this year he seems to be out to please his fans and he is providing a great looking autograph.

This return took just 18 days.  And like the first group of cards I got a few weeks back, I am thrilled to add another Cameron Maybin autograph to my collection!!

Thanks Cam!!

1975 Topps Cincinnati Reds Teams Set – Card #211 – Pete Rose, 1973 MVPs

1975 Topps Cincinnati Reds Teams Set – Card #211 – Pete Rose, 1973 MVPs

This card pays tribute to Pete Rose’s incredible MVP season in 1973.

During that campaign Rose was awesome!  He hit .338 while collecting 230 hits(a career high).  Pete had an on-base percentage of .401 during that year.  And while earning 65 walks in 752 plate appearance, he struck out just 42 times.  Other notable stats from that magical ’73 season include scoring 115 runs ans stealing 10 bases.  Rose connected for 36 doubles, 8 triples, and 5 home runs.   He also knocked in 64 runs for the club.

Pete’s solid season led to another All-star team selection and his 1st place finish as the NL Most Valuable Player.

Orel Hershiser 1986 Donruss Diamond Kings

Orel Hershiser 1986 Donruss Diamond Kings

To nab a Diamond Kings card after completing just two big league seasons is a big deal.  Orel Hershiser did just that!!!

So how, did he earn this coveted spot that is reserved for just 1 player per team??

Well, in 1985 Orel Hershiser was as dominant as it got.  Starting in 34 games, Hershiser went 19-3, good for an 86% win percentage.  He threw 9 complete games, which consisted of 5 shutouts.  His season ending ERA of 2.03 was 3rd in the league among starters.  He also struck out 157 batters while walking 68 in 239+ innings of work.

And that kids, is how you become a Diamond King!!!

This is one of the few issues from the 1986 DK set in which the portrait looks dead-on!!