Paul Molitor 2003 Topps Tribute – ‘First All-Star Season’

Paul Molitor 2003 Topps Tribute – ‘First All-Star Season’

I have a small stack of these ‘First All-Star Season’ cards from the 2003 Topps Tribute set.  I like the theme a lot; very nice to see these players get recognized in this manner.

And Topps did it right – the photo selected for this subset (at least the ones I own) seem to feature images of the player during the time in which the first All-Star selection took place.

This is the card of Paul Molitor from the set:

Molitor’s first All-Star appearance came in 1980.  He would go on to be selected for the mid-summer classic seven times during his major league career.

NICE!!!

Paul Molitor 2012 Panini Cooperstown

Paul Molitor 2012 Panini Cooperstown

Here is another, of the very few, card from the 2012 Panini Cooperstown set in which Panini did not have to do anything to hide a team name or logo and take away anything from the action that the image offers.

I’m happy to see that they sought out images like these – I just wish that they did it more often than what they actually did.  I would think that it would be easier with players that starred in Molitor’s era simply because of the quantity of high-quality images taken during the 1980′s and 1990′s is sure to be greater than of prior decades.

Sure, the player might not be facing the camera or be providing the best angle for the photographer to give us a better shot, but at least we are getting real action, and no intentional cropping…

Thank you, Panini!!

1982 HEADLINE: Paul Molitor Sets Record With 5 Hits In World Series Game

1982 HEADLINE: Paul Molitor Sets Record With 5 Hits In World Series Game

On this day in 1982, Paul Molitor collected the first 5-hit game in World Series history!!!

In Game 1, and on the road in St. Louis, Molitor did everything possible to help put his Brewers in the best position to win.

His box score looking something like this – 6 at bats, 5 hits, 2 RBI, 1 run scored.  And most importantly, the Brewers won the game 10-0.

Happy Anniversary Mr. Molitor!!!

1996 HEADLINE: Paul Molitor Joins The 3,000 Hits Club

1996 HEADLINE: Paul Molitor Joins The 3,000 Hits Club

On this day in 1996, Paul Molitor collected the 3,000th hit of his major league career.

On the road playing the Kansas City Royals, Molitor and his Twins teammates took the field in front of 16,000+ fans at Kaufman Stadium.

For the game, Molitor went 3-for-4 hitting 2 singles and a triple.

Of the 3 hits he collected over the course of the game, #3000 was the triple he hit in the top of the 5th inning off of Jose Rosado.

Currently, Molitor ranks 9th in total hits in a major league career with 3,319 total hits.  It appears that Molitor’s space in the Top 10 of all-time is secure for quite some time!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Molitor!!! 

Happy Birthday Paul Molitor!!!

Happy Birthday Paul Molitor!!!

Paul Molitor turns 55 years old today.

Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, Paul Molitor had a brilliant 21-year career.  Never getting the opportunity to showcase his talents in front of a consistently large crowd, Molitor spent most of his career as an unheralded superstar.

With 3,316 career hits and a lifetime batting average of .306 Paul Molitor is one of the greatest hitters of the last 40 years.  For a player that was not classified as a ‘power hitter’ Molitor quietly bashed 234 home runs.  And while also never being classified as a ‘speedster’, Paul also accumulated 504 stolen bases.  This multi-dimensional player was a 7-time All-star, and he won 4 Silver Slugger awards as well.  Molitor finished in the Top 20 for the MVP award 9 times over the course of his career where his highest finish was coming in at 2nd place in 1993.

Happy Birthday Mr. Molitor!!!

2012 Topps ‘Timeless Talents’ With Paul Molitor & Ryan Braun

2012 Topps ‘Timeless Talents’ With Paul Molitor & Ryan Braun

While I fully understand the connection between Paul Molitor and Ryan Braun, I don’t know if Topps hit it on this head with this one.

Sure, the Milwaukee thing is important, but that fits more of a theme of ‘Then & Now’ for me than one of ‘Timeless Talents’.

In my eyes, a player that more represents what Molitor did on the field would be a guy like Ian Kinsler or Derek Jeter.

And as for Braun, his numbers resemble a player more like Frank Robinson.

But that is just one collector’s humble opinion…

Still, the card does look pretty sharp!!  Have a look:

Paul Molitor 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites

Paul Molitor 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites

Paul Molitor was stellar in 1982 and I am very happy to see that Topps honored that brilliant season by Molitor with a card in their 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites set.

During that season, Molitor led the American League in plate appearances with 751, at-bats with 666, and runs scored with 136.  He also amassed 201 hits that included 26 doubles, 8 triples, and 19 home runs en route to a .302 batting average.

Molitor’s achievements during the 1982 baseball season helped lead his Milwaukee Brewers all the way to the World Series.  Ultimately, his team lost in 7 games to the St. Louis Cardinals, but Molitor hit .355 with 11 hits and 5 runs scored in that Fall Classic.

Atta Boy Pauly!!!

Paul Molitor 2004 Fleer Greats

Paul Molitor 2004 Fleer Greats

Paul Molitor played in the majors for 21 seasons.  Of those 21, he spent three in Toronto.

The three years that Molitor spent as a member of the Blue Jays organization were full of great stats and winning ways.  Molitor collected 508 hits with the squad while compiling a .315 batting average.  He hit 98 doubles, 11 triples, and 51 home runs during that time while also stealing 54 bases, driving 246 runs, and scoring 270 times.  Molitor was an All-Star twice during his stay in Toronto and also won a Silver Slugger award with the team.  Most importantly, he was part of the 1993 World Series championship team – winning the World Series MVP for his amazing performance over six games.

Paul Molitor 2003 Donruss Team Heroes

Paul Molitor 2003 Donruss Team Heroes

‘Team Heroes’ is the theme of this set of cards issued by Donruss in 2003, and the card sure does a great job of representing the Milwaukee Brewers.

Have a look:

Just look at how well Donruss used the colors of the Brewers with  their design.  From the border colors, to the letters of the text – this card looks fantastic!

A great addition to my collection that honors Hall of Famer, Pauly Molly!!!

Happy Anniversary Paul Molitor!!!

Happy Anniversary Paul Molitor!!!

On this day in 1982, Paul Molitor collected the first 5-hit game in World Series history!!!

In Game 1, and on the road in St. Louis, Molitor did everything possible to help put his Brewers in the best position to win.

His box score looking something like this – 6 at bats, 5 hits, 2 RBI, 1 run scored.  And most importantly, the Brewers won the game 10-0.

Happy Anniversary Mr. Molitor!!!