My Greg Maddux ‘Fab 5′ – Card #3

My Greg Maddux ‘Fab 5′ – Card #3

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

Card #3 – 1991 Upper Deck

I enjoy when a photographer goes out of his way to capture a player in a more unfamiliar manner.  There are so many cards in my Maddux collection of him on the mound; this one of him in the batter’s box is instantly a hit with me.

We all know that Maddux enjoyed and took hitting very seriously.  And who can forget his ‘Chicks Dig The Longball’ commercial from his time with the Braves??  Classic stuff…

Here we have a very zoomed-in picture of Maddux as he squares himself at the plate ready to drop down a bunt. 

A lifetime .171 hitter, Maddux is one of his era’s best hitting pitchers!!

28 Balls!!!

28 Balls!!!

28 glorious signed baseballs are in my collection after securing Gary Carter, Rollie Fingers, and Rich ‘Goose’ Gossage all in the last month or so.

The wall is shaping up and looking very solid.  Yet I still find the desire to build, add-on if you will…  So that is what I will continue to do – build, build, build.

But in the meantime, here is how the ‘wall of balls’ looks today: 

And since I know that some of them are tough to make out due to the lighting, I will offer up this detailed list of what you are seeing:

Row 1 – Andre Dawson ’77 NL ROY’, Andre Dawson ’87 NL MVP’, Andre Dawson ‘HOF 2010′, Fergie Jenkins ‘HOF 91′, Billy Williams, Jim Palmer ’1973,75,76 CY HOF 90′, Dave Winfield ‘HOF 2001′

Row 2 – Ron Santo, Tim Raines 30, Pete Rose ‘#4256′, Mark Grace, Dale Murphy ‘NL MVP 82, 83′, Tony Perez, Gary Carter ‘HOF 03′

Row 3 – Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith #46 ’478 Saves’, Jose Canseco #33 ’40/40 Club’, Bob Feller ‘HOF 62′, Doc Gooden ’5-14-96 No Hitter’, Goose Gossage ‘HOF 2008′, Rollie Fingers ‘HOF 92′

Row 4 – Don Larsen ‘WSPG 10-8-56′, Jeff Conine, George Foster ‘NL MVP 1977′, Dan Uggla #6, Jim Abbott ’9-14-93 No Hitter!’, Kirk Gibson, Cameron Maybin #24

And there you have it.  28 great balls.

I’d love to add another row to this collection by the end of the year – let’s see if I can get it done…. 

Darryl Strawberry 1984 Donruss – Rookie Card!!!

Darryl Strawberry 1984 Donruss – Rookie Card!!!

While not the most appealing rookie card ever issued, a rookie card is a rookie card!  And of the three 1984 issues classified as rookie cards of Darryl Strawberry, I would rank them in this order – Topps, Fleer, and Donruss.

Straw had a fine year in 1984.  His first full year in the big leagues, Darryl collected 131 hits, 27 doubles, 26 home runs, 27 stolen bases, and 97 RBI.  Not too shabby for a 22-year old kid, huh???  And he also made his first All-star team in 1984 – his first of 8 straight.

A fine addition to my Darryl Strawberry collection!!!

Andre Dawson 1995 Score

Andre Dawson 1995 Score

This 1995 baseball card issued by Score can be used as a teaching aid for hitters.

Check this out:

• head down
• eyes on  the ball
• shoulders back
• even swing
• follow through
• balance

See what I mean??

Thanks for the batting tips ‘Hawk’!!!

Orel Hershiser 1987 Donruss – ‘Highlights’

Orel Hershiser 1987 Donruss – ‘Highlights’

I always enjoyed the Donruss ‘Highlights’ sets as a kid.  While their color choice for the borders of these cards may be questionable, there is no escaping the fact that this subset gave us a few more cards of the game’s best players to collect.

This specific card of Orel Hershiser pays tribute to him being named the National League pitcher of the month in June, 1987.  He went 5-1 in that month while throwing three complete games!

My Greg Maddux ‘Fab 5′ – Card #4

My Greg Maddux ‘Fab 5′ – Card #4

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

Card #4 – 1989 Bowman

This card literally stands out among my other Maddux cards.  The 1989 Bowman premier was just a bit taller than the ‘other’ card company issues in 1989 and 1990, making this one stand out while contained among my Greg Maddux collection.

But the image is what makes this bad-boy stand out even more in my opinion. 

Obviously taken at Wrigley, many of Maddux’s early issues were taken at his home stadium.  But in my opinion this picture captures that beautiful Ivy wall in the outfield the best.  And the photographer did a great job of capturing Maddux’s follow-through. 

The centering of the picture is near-perfect, and the sharpness of this photo is incredible!!

Still Obsessed With “The Big Red Machine”, I Want More!!!!

Still Obsessed With “The Big Red Machine”, I Want More!!!!

You would think that after working on and finally completing my 34-card team set of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds that I would be ready to pick up and move on.  In case you missed it, you can view that completed set of baseball cards here.

But now that the set is complete, I can honestly say that I want more – A LOT MORE!!!

Sure, I can fast forward a year and dive into the 1976 Topps team set, and I am pretty sure that I will end up doing that…

But first I am going to make a little pit-stop.

A few hints:

Hint #1 – The old Reds logo. 

Any guesses yet?  Ok, how about another hint???

Hint #2 – This one may give it away…

Pretty nice, huh??  Still puzzled??  OK, 1 final hint!!

Hint #3 – Ok, now I am really helping you out…

My next Cincinnati Reds themed quest will be the 2006 Fleer ‘Greats of the Game’ Reds team set. 

This set is a small 10-card set, but I have always been a huge fan of the design of these cards.  About  year ago, I completed the Cubs’ set from the same issue and I thought that the Reds’ set would make a sweet addition to my collection too!!!

I’m off to build the checklist!!!

Jim Palmer 1978 Topps

Jim Palmer 1978 Topps

Still a few years away from issuing separate cards that honored a player’s selection to the All-star team, this 1978 Topps card of Jim Palmer celebrates his All-star status with a nifty little logo in the upper-right  hand corner of the card.

And how did ‘Cakes’ fare in 1978?  Let’s take a closer look…

In 38 starts, Palmer complied a 21-12 record for the Orioles.  This was the 8th and final time that he would win 20 or more games in a season.  Of his 38 starts that year, Palmer threw 19 complete games, including 6 shutouts.  In 296 innings of work, he allowed just 94 runs, good for a 2.46 ERA.  He also struck out 138 batters during the course of the season. 

Certainly All-star worthy in every sense, this 1978 Topps card of Jim Palmer is a perfect addition to my collection that honors his fabulous career!!! 

1987 Headline – ‘Tom Seaver Retires’

1987 Headline – ‘Tom Seaver Retires’

On this day in 1987 Tom Seaver hung up his spikes.

On of the most decorated pitchers of his era, Seaver was a dominant force in the game of baseball for 20 seasons.  A Rookie of the Year award winner.  A 3-time Cy Young Award winner and 2-time runner-up.  A 12-time all-star.  A World Series Champion.  A member of baseball’s elite 300 wins club.  A member of the 3,000 strikeout club.  The list goes on and on. 

When a pitcher like Tom Seaver calls an end to their career, one has to wonder how someone will fill the very big shoes left by such an absence in the game.  It’s simple really, very few players could ever replace Tom Seaver in their pitching rotations.  Many have tried, and few have succeeded!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Seaver!!! 

My Greg Maddux ‘Fab 5′ – Card #5

My Greg Maddux ‘Fab 5′ – Card #5

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

Card #5 – 1988 Topps

While not Topps’ most innovative design, this card works well because of the team-themed color scheme(hey, that rhymes) used throughout.  All of the Red, White, and Blue elements of the card really mesh well, while still giving the card’s picture of Maddux the main focus. 

I am having trouble identifying the ballpark that this picture was taken at, but the blank background really gives the picture life as Maddux and his pitching arm appear ready to fire one right at us!!!