Wade Boggs 1986 Fleer League Leaders

Wade Boggs 1986 Fleer League Leaders

Since the theme of the card is ‘League Leaders’ and since it was issued in 1986 by Fleer, I thought it was only fitting that we check to see if Wade Boggs was indeed a ‘League Leader’ in 1986.

And after further review…

YES!!!

Boggs led the American League in three major offensive categories at the end of the 1986 season.

They are:

Walks – 105

Batting Average – .357

On-Base Percentage – .453

Atta Boy Wade!!!

1988 Fleer Superstar Specials – Card #640 – Billy & Cal Ripken

1988 Fleer Superstar Specials – Card #640 – Billy & Cal Ripken

‘The O’s Brothers’

It’s a family affair in Baltimore.  1987 was a long season for the Orioles’ manager, Cal Ripken, Sr., but he had to take pride in the play of two of his star infielders.  They happen to be his two sons.

Cal Ripken Jr. is one of baseball’s true superstars.  Last season, he hit 27 home runs and led the Orioles in runs scored (97), doubles (28), and RBI (98).  He was selected to the American League All-Star team for the fifth time.  Cal is also baseball’s Iron-Man.  He has now played in 927 consecutive games.  That is the 6th longest streak of all time.

Billy Ripken was called up from the minor leagues  in mid-season.  He played in 58 games – all as the starting second baseman.  Committing only three errors all season, he wound up with an impressive .990 fielding percentage to complement his .308 batting average.

If Billy can continue to progress as he did this past season, he and Cal Jr. should continue to make their father proud of his Keystone Kids for many years to come.

Happy Birthday Jeff Conine!!!

Happy Birthday Jeff Conine!!!

Jeff Conine turns 45 years old today.

Jeff Conine has been affectionately given the tag of ‘Mr. Marlin’ by the team’s fans.  A testament to his playing days in South Florida, Conine’s performance and winning ways as a member of the Florida Marlins has solidified him as their most decorated player and one of it’s favorites.

A member of both World Series championship teams in 1997 and 2003, Conine was a key cog in the Marlins franchise for 8 seasons.  Today, Conine holds a position in the front office with the team and also does some television work for the local channel that covers ‘The Fish’.

For his birthday, I think it would be fitting to give Mr. Marlin the honor of the first retired jersey in franchise history.  I know that these types of honors are normally held for players of a Hall of Fame type caliber, but Conine is certainly the greatest Florida Marlins player(so far)!!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Marlin!!!

Sparky Anderson’s No. 11 Retired In Emotional Ceremony

Sparky Anderson’s No. 11 Retired In Emotional Ceremony

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT — Not everyone has a Sparky Anderson story. Everyone seems to have something they learned from him, and more than just baseball strategy or work ethic. It generally revolves around the same idea.

“It’s not rocket science, as he used to put it,” former Tigers pitcher Dan Petry said. “It’s just to treat people like you would want to be treated. That’s pretty easy.”

On Sunday, the Tigers gave Anderson the treatment he deserved, retiring the Hall of Fame manager’s number 11 in an emotional pregame ceremony capped with the unveiling of his name and number along the brick wall beyond right field at Comerica Park.

Several of Anderson’s former players, including Petry, Lou Whitaker, Tom Brookens, Darrell Evans and Milt Wilcox, joined Anderson’s three children, his nephew and two grandchildren for the ceremony. Former Tigers greats Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson, two of the cornerstones of Anderson’s 1984 world championship team, watched intently from the D-backs’ dugout.

It was a celebration not only of Anderson’s career, but his contributions off the field.

“I think he’d be very, very happy and proud that we came together,” said his daughter, Shirlee Engelbrecht.

Anderson passed away last November. While everyone agreed that they wish they could have seen this while he was still alive, they were glad to see him recognized in the city that grew to love him.

“I worked with Sparky for 32 years,” said Dan Ewald, Anderson’s best friend and public relations representative. “That’s why I can confidently tell you that No. 11 belonged as much to all of you people as it does to him. … Sparky loved Detroit. He loved the city’s spirit. He said Detroiters never surrender.”

On the field, the resume stands on its own. His 26 seasons managing in the Majors included a World Series title in Cincinnati and Detroit. He won 1,331 games over 17 seasons leading the Tigers, and he brought along a generation of great players in Gibson, Trammell, Brookens, Petry, Whitaker, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish and others.

His legacy on the field continues with Gibson and Trammell leading Arizona. Off the field, his CATCH charity continues to raise money to help improve the quality of life for children being treated at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and Henry Ford Hospital.

It’s an expression of the lessons Petry says he tries to follow to this day. He isn’t the only one.

“I was an average ballplayer,” former outfielder Larry Herndon said, “and so my ability took me as far as it could. But being around Sparky taught me I didn’t have to be an average man or an average person.”

Anderson not only passed that generosity along to his players, but also his family.

“It doesn’t cost a dime to be nice to people,” Anderson’s nephew, Dan Polizzotto, recalled hearing from his uncle. “If you do that, everything will be good.”

Petry, who had four straight seasons with at least 15 wins under Anderson from 1982-85, spoke during the presentation along with Ewald, who worked as Tigers media relations director during Anderson’s early years as manager.

“I never wanted to pitch poorly,” Petry said during the speech, “because letting down Sparky was like letting down your dad.”

The Tigers had asked fans to be in their seats around 12:45 p.m., so much of the crowd was already in place by the time Tigers broadcaster Dan Dickerson began the ceremonies. They roared when Trammell and Gibson were introduced from the dugout. The timing of the ceremonies for the weekend the D-backs were in town was not a coincidence.

“I’m glad I was here,” Gibson said after the game. “I think the people that spoke represented what Sparky was all about. My team was out there and maybe they understand some things about my quirkiness. Certainly felt Sparky’s presence today.”

The dugouts were full as the presentation unfolded. The Tigers’ current stars, Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera, stood at the top of the steps, watched and cheered. Many of the current Tigers met Anderson at Dodger Stadium last year.

Sunday’s Tigers starting pitcher, Brad Penny, was in the bullpen warming up for the game as the ceremonies began, but he took a moment to appreciate it, especially the video presentation that included some of his interviews over the years.

“I was watching the thing when I was getting ready for the game today about Sparky,” Penny said. “What he said about the children he’d go see and stuff like that. He was like, ‘This is a baseball game, and those are human beings, and this is life.’ It was pretty inspiring.”

Tigers owner Mike Ilitch and president/general manager Dave Dombrowski, who represented the team in the ceremonies, presented Anderson’s family with a framed jersey of Anderson’s No. 11, as well as a plaque. Finally, Anderson’s grandchildren unveiled Anderson’s name and number along the wall, in between Ernie Harwell’s name and Jackie Robinson’s number 42.

Anderson joins fellow Hall of Famers Al Kaline, Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer and Hal Newhouser, as well as Tigers great Willie Horton, to have their numbers retired. Ty Cobb is also honored, but doesn’t have a number to retire from his era. Kaline and Horton were both on the field for the ceremonies.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Favorites Florida Marlins’

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Favorites Florida Marlins’

Man, my team has been making headlines of late – and very little of it is good.

So, I wanted to flip the script a bit and think of my ‘fish’ in a more positive light.

And what better way to do that than to present to you my ‘Top Ten Favorite Florida Marlins’.

And while some of these players may not have reached the peak of their career while suited up for my ‘home team’, they certainly did make me smile while playing in Miami.

Here we go:

Honorable Mention:  Hanley Ramirez, Benito Santiago, Devon White, Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Ivan Rodriguez, Livan Hernandez, Charles Johnson, Al Leiter, Miguel Cabrera, Cameron Maybin, Juan Pierre, Dontrelle Willis, Tim Raines, and Craig Counsell.

10 – Andre Dawson.  Come on, you know that he was going to be on the list…

9 – Logan Morrison / Chris Coghlan / Mike Stanton / Gaby Sanchez – Neither of these guys has done quite enough yet to earn a spot to themselves, but between the four of them I think our core of offense looks great for the future.  I could very easily picture each of these guys occupying a spot for themselves a few years from now…

8 – Luis Castillo.  A very solid defender who put up solid batting averages, on-base percentages, and stolen base numbers on a consistent basis.

7 – Jeff Conine – ‘Mr. Marlin’.  He is probably the team’s most recognized player of all-time, and he is worthy of the title.

6 – Dan Uggla.  I loved watching this guy club homer after homer into the empty outfield seats in Miami.

5 – Josh Johnson.  He will go down as the team’s greatest pitcher to date.  Now, JJ just needs to focus on maintaining his health.  When he is on, he is a Cy Young candidate with very few equals.

4 – Edgar Renteria.  This guy delivered offense at the best times, when they were needed the most.  Very soft-spoken and generally hiding from any form of spotlight, Edgar let his game do the talking.  It it spoke volumes!!

3 – Josh Beckett.  We got to see Josh when he was green.  But even back then, he showed us flashes of his great command and powerful stuff.  No player can single-handidly win you a championship, but Josh certainly played a big part of our 2003 title.

 

2 – Cody Ross.  Nothing but smiles from and for Cody.  A truly class act with a a respect for the game that is obvious with each act he completes on the field.  Probably one of the most popular Marlins players of all-time.

1 – Mike Lowell.  There was very little that Lowell couldn’t do.  He was a solid teammate, a vocal leader, and he backed up his words with great offense and supreme defense.  You cannot help but cheer for a player that has been through what he has been through – A class act all of the way!!!

And there you have it, my ‘Top Ten Favorite Florida Marlins’.

Did I miss anyone???  Let me know.

And week, I have a great idea… Think Long-Ball…  Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading!!!

Andre Dawson 2011 Topps Tribute Dual Game-Used Bat Card – Numbered To 20!!!!

Andre Dawson 2011 Topps Tribute Dual Game-Used Bat Card – Numbered To 20!!!!

Finally – an even more rare Dawson card from this year’s Tribute set!

I already own the Dual-Bat cards that are numbered to 99 and 75, so I am really happy to be able to nab the more rare version that has just 20 issues.

So nice to look at, and even nicer to see in person – these cards are very, very sweet!!!

Take a look:

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down??? Ernie Banks 2004 Upper Deck ‘Play Ball’

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down???    Ernie Banks 2004 Upper Deck ‘Play Ball’

I’m really on the fence with this one.  Please help push me in either direction….

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down???

Ozzie Smith 1985 Topps Glossy All-Star

Ozzie Smith 1985 Topps Glossy All-Star

It’s so disappointing that when Topps decides to make a special set of cards honoring the All-Stars of the sport that they use such crappy pictures…

Seriously, was there a more photogenic player during the decade of the 1980s that Ozzie Smith?  I challenge you to find one…

Whether it was running, playing defense, dropping down bunts, throwing the ball, or hitting at the plate – all of those scenes would have been better than this:

Bad Topps, Bad!!!

Bad Topps, Bad!!!

Happy Birthday Derek Jeter!!!

Happy Birthday Derek Jeter!!!

The Yankees’ captain turn 38 years old today.

And while it can be very easily argued that Jeter has never been the best shortstop in the league or entire sport at any point during the course of his career, I can easily say that he is one that I have the utmost respect for.  A true leader on the field, Jeter has a knack for making good things happen.  And whether it is luck or skill, his star seems to shine brightest when all eyes are aimed in his direction.

To date, I own own less than baseball cards of Jeter.  But I think that is going to have to change.  I want to start picking up cards for both of my boys – and I think that a few Jeter cards would be nice ways to get those collections going.

Happy Birthday Derek Jeter!!!

Fergie Jenkins 2002 Topps Finest “Certified Autograph Issue”

Fergie Jenkins 2002 Topps Finest “Certified Autograph Issue”

When I tell you that I have oohed and aahed over this baseball card for more than two years, it is not an exaggeration.

Heck, I even remember the first time I saw it.

It was on Wax Heaven.  Amazingly, someone sent the card to Mario as a gift.  And while Mario was, and is not, a Cubs’ or Fergie Jenkins fan, he was happy to have it.

Or so I thought…

More than a year after getting, Mario ‘Paid It Forward’ and sent it to Charlie, of ‘Hawk To The Hall’ fame.

And I have to imagine that Charlie still has the card, as he is a Cubs and Jenkins fan.

So, I immediately wanted one of my own.  And after seeing dozens come and go I got mine.

And I have to say the wait was certainly worth it – Hell, it made the journey that much more fun…

And here it is – FINALLY!!!