One of the ‘newest’ releases is now mine.

I know that they have been out for a few months, but I have finally landed a baseball card from the new Topps Marquee set.  Maybe I would have tried a little harder if Andre Dawson or Fergie Jenkins had been included in the checklist, but that is just not the case.

But Jim Palmer is in the set – so the card became a ‘must-have’ for the new ‘Super Collection’ that I am working on!!

Here is the card:

Enjoy.

Now that my Bo Jackson collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #3 – 1990 Score All-Star

One of the many special All-Star moments that still sticks with me today is the start of the 1989 All-Star baseball game.

Bo Jackson led off the game and promptly launched a solo home run to start the game.  His shot gave the AL a 1-0 lead.  The very next hitter was Wade Boggs, and he too launched a home run, taking the lead up to 2-0.

This card, from the 1990 Score baseball card set, does a fantastic job of bringing that All-Star Game memory back to life!! 

There’s that smile that we saw so many times on the field!!!  Gotta love Kirby Puckett!!!

This does get me thinking though…  What player from today’s crew is always boasting a smile while on the field?  Torii Hunter?  David Ortiz?  For me, the answer is an easy one – Cody Ross!

Chris Sabo’s popularity took on a ‘cult-like’ following rather quickly around the Cincinnati area.  The reason for the instant popularity?  Well, he had a fantastic rookie season, and as you can see in the photo below, he wore some very cool specs.

Have a look:

This card of Sabo takes us back to 1991 - probably his best statistical season in the majors.  The numbers:  175 hits, .301 batting average, 35 doubles, 26 home runs, 19 stolen bases, 88 RBI, and 91 runs scored.  Sabo was an All-Star in 1991 and he finished in 20th place for the NL MVP Award.

Alright Guys & Gals, as the big game approaches, it is time to stage another contest at ’30-YOC’.

And why not give away some great baseball cards during a football match-up???

For this contest, the game is very easy.  All you have to do is predict (A) the winner of the game and (B) the total number of points scored by both teams.

So, leave your pick for the winner and the total combined points in the comments section of this post to get into the game.

And now on to the prizes…

The player that selects the winning team correctly and comes closest to the total number of points scored by both teams (without going over) will win these great Topps Archives & Fan Favorites:

Wow, that lot is chock-full of HOFers, ROYs, MVPs, and CYs!!!

And since I am in a very generous mood, let’s also have a second place prize, shall we???  To finish in second place, you must still correctly pick the winning team, and I will then take the player that was next closest to the total number of points scored (still without going over).

Here is the prize for second place:

Man, there are some great All-Star and vintage legends in that second grouping, huh??

Now it is up tp you – Make your picks and post them so you can WIN, WIN, WIN!!!

I will close the pool at midnight on Saturday.

Enjoy the game everyone!!!

Hey everyone, time to support a fan to the hobby and an autograph hunter as our very own Mark Cooper, aka ‘PSUGator02′, tries to earn a spot on the MLB Fan Cave.

Click the link below and show your support for Mark!!

I ‘Thank You’ and Mark ‘Thanks You’ as well!!!

I was able to scoop up this second-year card of Tony Gwynn for a bargain price of just $0.50.

As a young collector, I had a nice stack of these as my philosophy was that second-year stuff was almost as good as having rookie-year stuff.  Boy, was I wrong!!

Still, the card looks great – and I am happy to have it for my Tony Gwynn collection.

In 1984, Gwynn settled into his role as full-time major leaguer.  At the same time, he also established himself as one of the sport’s great, young talents.  Gwynn led the NL in hits with 213 and was the batting champion.  He also became an All-star, won the Silver Slugger Award, and finished in third place foe the league’s MVP Award.

Not a bad sophomore effort, huh?

Now that my Bo Jackson collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #4 – 1990 Score ‘Young Superstars’

Wow, just look at the burst of speed that Bo Jackson injected into each attempt at a stolen base!!

He was pretty successful too.

For his career, Bo stole 82 bases.  In 114 attempts, that equates to a 72% success rate.  Not too bad for a football player….

Josh Johnson turns 28 years old today.

My favorite Marlins pitcher is set to have the best season of his short career this year.  Fully healthy, and ready for the start of the 2012 baseball season, Johnson is at the cusp of becoming one of the NL’s best pitchers.

As someone that has gotten to see JJ pitch countless times, both live and on television, I have thought that he has had ‘ace’ stuff for some time.  His ability to dominate games from the onset, while allowing very few runs in the process, is rare.

All we need to do is keep JJ healthy.  As you may recall, each of the last two seasons have been shut down early due to injury.  You may also recall, that he was an early Cy Young Award candidate in each of those years due to his great starts.

I am hoping for another strong start, and an equally strong finish.

Happy Birthday Josh!!!