Jim Rice 1980 Topps

Jim Rice 1980 Topps

Jim Rice’s card from the 1980 Topps set is a nice one.

And as you can se, it looks like Mr. Rice is prepped to unleash a fierce swing.

Check it out:

By most measures, Jim Rice has a nice season in 1980.  But by the standards he had set in prior seasons, it was a down year for him in 1980.  Still, the numbers are far from poor – .294 batting average, 148 hits, 81 runs scored, 86 RBI, 18 doubles, 17 home runs, and 254 total bases in 124 games played.

1977 HEADLINE: Andre Dawson Connects For First Major League Home Run

1977 HEADLINE: Andre Dawson Connects For First Major League Home Run

On this day in 1977, Andre Dawson of the Montreal Expos connected for the first home run of his major league career.

On the road and facing the Atlanta Braves in front of a crowd of less than 10,000 fans, Dawson and the Expos played in a high scoring affair ultimately won by the Braves by a score of 10-8.

In the top of the 8th inning, and trailing 9-5, Andre Dawson hit the first home run of his career off of Braves’ pitcher Buzz Capra to get the Expos a bit closer.

This home run would be the first of 19 that Dawson would hit in 1977 and the first of 438 that he would hit in his career.

Happy Anniversary ‘Hawk’!!!!

Cal Ripken 2013 Topps ‘Chasing History’

Cal Ripken 2013 Topps ‘Chasing History’

I’ll have to double-check, but I believe that this is the last card from the 2013 Topps Series 1 ‘Chasing History’ set that I have to show off. 

Ultimately, I was not that impressed with this year’s crop of subsets from the Topps flagship set.  But of them, I think I like ‘Chasing History’ the best.  The theme is solid, it is just that so many of the feats have been accomplished for decades so the word ‘Chasing’ doesn’t feel like a great fit.

The design is great though.  The cards feature sweet, action photography.  And the colors and logos look great.

Here is the card of Hall of Famer and Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken, Jr.

George Brett 1990 Donruss

George Brett 1990 Donruss

Donruss used a great picture of George Brett for their 1990 issue.

This shot has captured Brett’s beautiful left-handed swing right as he is ready to uncoil and whip his bat through the strike zone.

Brett always had a tight and compact batting stance and he connected for 317 career home runs reaching double-digit homers in 15 of his 21 major league seasons.

Hall Of Fame Debate: Rank ‘Em – Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson, Chipper Jones, and George Brett!!!

Hall Of Fame Debate: Rank ‘Em – Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson, Chipper Jones, and George Brett!!!

By now, you probably know how this works.  The discussion of best third baseman in the history of the sport is one of the more debated position-related debates between baseball fans.

The reason, I believe, that this discussion has so many varied opinions is that each of these players left huge impacts on the sport – and at one time or another, each of them held the title of ‘Best Third Baseman In Baseball’ for a lengthy time.

So, I will offer up some numbers.  And then offer up my rankings as well.

First, let’s look at the numbers:

	Robinson	Schmidt	Brett	Jones
Total Games	2896	2404	2707	2499
Games at 3B	2870	2212	1692	1992
Batting Average	0.267	0.267	0.305	0.303
On-Base %	0.322	0.380	0.369	0.401
Hits	2848	2234	3154	2726
200-Hit Seasons	0	0	2	0
Batting Titles	0	0	3	1
Home Runs	268	548	317	468
30-HR Seasons	0	13	1	5
HR Titles	0	8	0	0
RBI	1357	1595	1596	1623
100-RBI Seasons	2	9	4	9
30/100 Seasons	0	9	1	5
Stolen Bases	28	174	201	150
All-Star	15	12	13	8
Silver Slugger	-	6	3	2
Gold Glove	16	10	1	0
3B Fielding %	0.971	0.955	0.951	0.954
ROY	0	0	0	0
MVP	1	3	1	1
Postseason	6	6	7	12
WS Titles	2	1	1	1

There is no doubt about it – Each of these players was fantastic, and each of them stands out in a way that the others do not.

So, how do you judge?  When you’re talking apples-to-apples it is easier, but it is still not an easy process.

Because the discussion is about players that were primarily known as third baseman, I think you have to include defensive accomplishments into the conversation.  But, how much should that count?

Time for my decision….

For me, I really tried to take a look at the full career of each player.  Like I mentioned earlier in the post, each of these four elite players stands out in one or more aspects of the game – and these parts of the game are all deemed as important – from Brooks’ defense to Schmidt’s home run prowess to Brett’s batting skills to Chipper’s on-base percentage.

I will say that it is nice to see that each one of these great ballplayers had the chance to hoist a World Series trophy at one time (2 for Brooks) during their careers.

Who do you pick??

How do you pick??

Well, I tried.  And I had to re-do my rankings a few times.  But I think that I have settled in on this as my final list.

So, here is my list, in order:

1 – Mike Schmidt
2 – Brooks Robinson
3 – Chipper Jones
4 – George Brett

This was very tough – but ultimately for me, the defense that Robinson and Schmidt were noted for separated them from the pack.  After that, it was the consistent home runs and run production of Schmidt’s that propelled him to the top spot.  Choosing between Chipper Jones and George Brett for the 3rd and 4th spots was a lot tougher.  While Chipper had a more well-rounded offensive attack, it was Brett that amassed an amazing number of hits and batting championships.  Ultimately, I chose Jones simply due to the number of games he played at third base versus Brett.  If Brett had played 80% of his games at the ‘Hot Corner’ it would have made my decision a lot tougher to make.

And now, I am exhausted.  And if you ask me this same question in a week, I may have different answers to this question.

But I want your rankings on this too.  So, study the numbers and let me know how you’d rank these four legendary third baseman.

Have a great night!!!

Keith Hernandez 1987 Topps

Keith Hernandez 1987 Topps

Coming off of the 1986 baseball season and a World Series championship with the Mets, Keith Hernandez had a lot to smile about at the start of the 1987 baseball season.

Sadly, the happiness did not last long as the Mets would not live up to their championship winning ways and in-fighting on the squad began.

As a kid growing up in the 1980′s, the media coverage of daily non-field events was rare and nothing close to how things are covered in today’s social-media-first world.  But I do recall reading and hearing about a fight between Hernandez and Strawberry.  There were no pictures, there was no sound, and the story passed rather quickly.  If that happened today, we would have pictures, we would have sound, and we would discuss it for a week.

1989 Topps Rack Pack With Andre Dawson’s Card On Top!!!

1989 Topps Rack Pack With Andre Dawson’s Card On Top!!!

This new part of my Andre Dawson collection has been a slow going…  I have been trying to haul in both sealed rack pack and cello packs from the 1980′s that feature Andre Dawson on the top.

At first I was finding a good amount of them and my collection got off to a good start.

But lately, I have been running into sellers that are still trying to sell these for what they were going for twenty years ago.  And that does not work for me or my budget.

Still, I persist. 

Any my persistence landed me a 1989 Topps rack pack with Andre’s base card on top.

Have a look:.

Sorry about the horrible scan.

Dawson has three cards in the 1989 Topps set – it would be cool to be able to snag a rack pack with each of the three being featured on top.

So far, I am 1/3 of the way there!!!

Happy Birthday Josh Beckett!!

Happy Birthday Josh Beckett!!

Josh Beckett turns 33 years old today!!!

I cannot believe that Josh Beckett is turning 33. It seems like just a few days ago I was watching this baby-faced fire-baller suit up for my Marlins team. Man those were the good old days, huh??

Today Beckett is pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a quest to get the Dodgers back into World Series contention. He has dedicated himself to the art of pitching and the hard work he has put in has paid off immensely. A 2-time World Series Champion by the age of 27, Beckett still has several quality years ahead of him. And that should include many more opportunities to hoist more World Series Trophies as well!!

Happy Birthday Josh!!! A baseball superstar today, and always a Florida Marlin in my mind!!!

Happy Birthday George Brett!!!

Happy Birthday George Brett!!!

George Brett turns 59 years old today!!!

One of the greatest baseball players during the mid-1970′s through the 1980′s and a first-ballot entrant in the Baseball Hall of Fame, George Brett is a baseball superstar. With a career resume that can be envied by all of his peers, Brett offered a complete offensive package for the Kansas City Royals.

Boasting 3,154 hits, 317 home runs, 1,595 RBI, 1,583 runs scored, and a batting average of .305, Brett dazzled baseball fans for 21 years. Amazingly, he also has 205 career stolen bases, and for a third baseman playing in the 70′s and 80′s, that is a rare feat. In his 21 seasons, Brett was a 13-time All-Star, a league MVP, a Gold Glove winner, and a 3-time Silver Slugger winner.

Happy Birthday Mr. Brett!!!

‘Million Dollar Question’ – Better Card To Invest In: 1968 Topps Johnny Bench OR Nolan Ryan??

‘Million Dollar Question’ – Better Card To Invest In: 1968 Topps Johnny Bench OR Nolan Ryan??

I am not really one for making large investments in baseball cards.  I have tagged myself as a ‘budget collector’ but I am not naïve enough to say that I would not mind owning a few more ‘valuable’ baseball cards that have the potential to remain valuable in the future regardless of what direction the present hobby takes.

Amazingly, there are a lot of rookie cards of the players that I admired as a kid that can be had relatively inexpensively.  Rookie cards of guys like Wade Boggs, Andre Dawson, Tony Gwynn, Dale Murphy, Eddie Murray, and more can be regularly had for well under twenty dollars if shopped right.

And then there are the guys that are highly coveted but well out of my price range – Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, and Rod Carew.

If I had a big stack of disposable cash, I would surely invest in some of these great rookie cards.  They are cards that I have drooled over for more than 25 years and the intrinsic value that they would offer me and my collection would outweigh the hefty price tag.

That leads me to tonight’s Million Dollar Question – Which Card Would Be The Better Card To Invest In: 1968 Topps Johnny Bench OR Nolan Ryan??

Let’s take the dollar impact out of the equation.

Let’s say that you had a gift certificate that was redeemable for either (1) a 1968 Topps Johnny Bench rookie card or (2) a 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie card.

Which one would you choose?

For me, I don’t think you can go wrong with choosing either of them.  But, since this is a question with two choices, I feel that having to make a choice in either direction is mandatory.

Two Hall of Famers – One great question!!!!

On one hand, with Bench you have arguably the greatest catcher of all-time, a 2-time MVP, a 2-time World Series champion, and a member of the All-Century Team.  With Ryan you have a 300-game winner, the all-time leader in career strikeouts, the major league leader in no-hitters thrown, and a World Series champion.

But whose card would you rather have??

For me, the choice is a lot easier than what I expected it would be.  And you may be a little surprised with my choice…

For as much as I truly value and acknowledge the greatness of Johnny Bench, I would easily choose the Nolan Ryan rookie card.

For me, he is the more historic player, and if you know me and my passion for Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine”, this is tough to admit.  Ryan’s career spanned two generations and for as much as Johnny dominated the sport on both offense and defense, Nolan Ryan offered more noteworthy individual highlights with his 7 no-hitters, 300+ wins, and 5,000+ strikeouts.

If I was to invest in a card of this magnitude, it would have to be in one that tells a bigger, more grand story.  I can see in 10-15 years guys my age sharing stories of watching a specific Nolan Ryan moment or moments, whereas with Bench, I think that might not be the case.

I would choose the 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan card!!