Did You Know…

Only two brothers have hit home runs in the same World Series Game.  During the 1964 World Series, with the Yankees and Cardinals battling for the championship, brothers Clete and Ken Boyer each launched home runs.

Tom Seaver 2005 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic – Needs Just A Tad Of Red In It…

Tom Seaver 2005 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic – Needs Just A Tad Of Red In It…

Sometimes, and it does not happen that often, there comes a card in which it can go from a ‘Strong B’ to a ‘Super-Strong A’ with just one slight but very powerful change.

And this card of Tom Seaver from the 2005 Upper Deck Sweet Spot set fits into that group.

Imagine this card with Red coloring on Seaver’s cap, uniform, and stirrups.

It would go from ‘B’ to ‘A’ very rapidly!!!

Happy Birthday Yogi Berra!!!

Happy Birthday Yogi Berra!!!

Yogi Berra turns 88 years old today.

Still a very famous face of the franchise, Yogi Berra and the New York Yankees are bonded for eternity. Just as popular today with the Yankees as he was during his playing days, Yogi Berra is New York, and he is a Yankee for life.

In Berra’s 18 years with the team, he won an amazing 10 World Series titles. He was a 3-time Most Valuable Player, and a 15-time All-star. Berra is a member of the 1972 Hall of Fame class, and his famous plaque features him wearing his permanent Yankees cap.

Happy Birthday Mr. Berra!!!

Tom Seaver 2005 Donruss Champions – SWEET!!!

Tom Seaver 2005 Donruss Champions – SWEET!!!

Of all of the modern sets that I have discovered since coming back to the hobby four and a half years ago, it is the 2005 Donruss Champions set that keeps presenting new cards to me.

And each time I locate a new one, I don’t hesitate about adding it to my collection. 

My most recent score from the set is of ‘Tom Terrific’. 

And it looks great:

I think it is time for me to finally examine the checklist for this set.  I need to see who I may be missing because if they follow the same pattern as the cards I already own from the set, they should be celebrated too.

Stay tuned.

Hall Of Fame Debate: Rank ‘Em – Joe Torre VS Bobby Cox VS Tony LaRussa

Hall Of Fame Debate: Rank ‘Em – Joe Torre VS Bobby Cox VS Tony LaRussa

I think that it is safe to say that in time the trio of Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, and Tony LaRussa will all be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

If I was a betting man, and this was a bet with any kind of odds, I would bet the house on this one.  Each of these managers left an impression on the sport, on the fans of the teams that they coached, and maybe most important – they left impressions on the teams and fans that were battling against them.

I could comfortably state that Torre, Cox, and LaRussa are the cream of the crop as it relates to successful major league managers from their eras.

With that all being said – how easy is it to say which one is better?

It’s not.

Because what the manager does is not measured in numbers.  At least not in any numbers in which they are awarded for good decisions and penalized for bad ones.

But the good ones, the really good ones, seem to get the best out of their best players and the best out of the ones that are lower on the totem pole as well.

Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, and Tony LaRussa can all take great pride in the team and individual successes of the players that the managed as they certainly had a hand in that success.

For tonight’s ‘Hall of Fame Debate’ I am asking for you to give me the order in which these three great coaches should be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  They’re all going to get in – it’s just a matter of time before that happens.

But, who deserves to get in first, second, and third??

While you cannot judge all that a manager does by the numbers his teams put up, it is nice to compare both players and managers in similar categories.

So, here is a side-by-side-by-side comparison of the trio:

	Cox	Torre	LaRussa
Years	30	30	35
Wins	2504	2326	2728
Losses	2001	1997	2365
Win %	0.556	0.538	0.536
100-win seasons	6	4	4
1st place finishes	15	13	11
Last place finishes	4	4	2
Division Championships	15	13	11
League Championships	4	6	6
World Series Titles	1	4	3
Manager Of The Year	4	2	4

*

The numbers stack up pretty well for these three guys, huh?  For me, the only thing that really stands out is how close to a .500 winning percentage each manager is over the course of their careers.  Deemed as uber-successful, they are all very close to 50%.

And now, time for me to divulge my rankings.

First, a little chatter about each guy:

• Cox – you cannot ignore the consecutive seasons in which his Braves teams won their division.  I find it to be one of the most impressive feats in baseball history.
• Torre – he had to manage a ton of egos during his run as the manager of the Yankees. He did it with grace, and it looked like all of his players valued his style.
• LaRussa – he did it twice, with two clubs.  And he did it with the game’s greatest players on his roster both times (Canseco & Pujols).  His bullpen use is highly criticized, but it resulted in a lot of wins.

But who ranks the highest? 

If you had to select the order in three consecutive induction years in which these three former managers would be inducted, what order would you place them in??

Here is my ranking:

1. Tony LaRussa
2. Bobby Cox
3. Joe Torre

When I think back to LaRussa, I never saw him as a ‘losing’ manager.  He took hold of the A’s and Cardinals franchises and took them both to the pinnacle.  I witnessed both Cox and Torre manage losing clubs before they got their ‘breaks’ with the Braves and Yankees.  And while they both had a ton of success, they also had ridiculous lineups – Cox with his Hall of Fame pitching rotation and Torre with his All-World offenses.

For me, LaRussa did the most with the least.  He gets top-billing in my book!!!

How about you?  How would you rank these managers if you had to pick the order in which they entered the Hall of Fame?

Yes, it is splitting hairs as all are deserving – but it is fun nonetheless!!!

Thanks for reading.

Which Don Mattingly Rookie Baseball Card Is Your Favorite???

Which Don Mattingly Rookie Baseball Card Is Your Favorite???

He’s one of the most recognized players from the 1980′s.  And his rookie baseball cards helped take baseball card collecting to another level when the hobby went from faltering to exploding.

Don Mattingly has three recognized rookie cards, from all three top manufacturers from that time.

Here they are:

1984 Topps

1984 Fleer

1984 Donruss

A very nice selection of cards, and all three would be welcomed into most collections – especially of collectors that respect the 1980′s era of card collecting.

But, which one do you like the best?  Which one is your favorite??

For me, it is the one that I never had as a kid – 1984 Topps!  I have recently added this one to my collection, and I have to say that it helped make my collection of cards from that era feel a little more complete.

Which one would you select???

I Would Really Like To Add A Don Mattingly Signed Baseball To My Collection!!!

I Would Really Like To Add A Don Mattingly Signed Baseball To My Collection!!!

If you’re a baseball fan from the 1980′s, you have to respect what Don Mattingly brought to the game.

And if you’re a collector from that era, it is very hard to not recognize the value that Mattingly brought to the hobby as well as the revival that his rookie cards helped spur.

For myself, I have a few of Mattingly’s cards in my collection, but not many.  I do, however, have the desire to add a signed baseball to my collection.

In time, I will go after it.

Until then, I will wait for my best opportunity to bring one home!!!

Don Mattingly, #23

Don Mattingly, #23

In the offseason between the 1997 and 1998 baseball seasons, the New York Yankees made the decision to retire the jersey of #23.

Worn by Don Mattingly for fourteen seasons, Don Mattingly captained the team during their very long drought of the 1980′s.  He still took the field and played like a champion, eanring the name ‘Donnie Baseball’.

Mattingly was a fan favorite due to his dedication and determination to win.  His leadership while at the plate or from first base was the cornerstone of the Yankees offense and defense from 1984-1996.

At the end of his amazing career with the Yankees, Don Mattingly walked away from the sport as a 6-time All-Star, 3-time Silver Slugger winner, 9-time Gold Glove Award Winner, Batting Champion, and Most Valueable Player!!!

Don Mattingly Has 9 Gold Glove Awards In His Trophy Case!!!

Don Mattingly Has 9 Gold Glove Awards In His Trophy Case!!!

There is no denying Don Mattingly’s incredible play at first base!!

Long before playing ‘D’ was cool, Don Mattingly was heads and shoulders above all others that played the hot corner. And proof of that fact is that he collected nine Gold Glove awards – in 9 out of 10 seasons!!

Yessir – from 1985-1994, ‘Donnie Baseball’ was the best fielding first baseman in the league for a full decade.

Yeah, but who interrupted him in 1990? Slugger Mark McGwire won the award in 1990. But something tells me that it had more to do with Mattingly missing 60 games that year.. Sorry ‘Big Mac’.

Don Mattingly Has 3 Silver Slugger Awards

Don Mattingly Has 3 Silver Slugger Awards

As if you needed further proof that Don Mattingly was the best hitting first baseman in the American League during the prime of his career….

Mattingly won the Silver Slugger award during three consecutive seasons, 1985-87. In ’85, he hit .324 with 211 hits. In ’86, he hit .352 with 238 hits. And in 1987, he hit .327 with 186 hits.

Solid stuff right there!!

So, who ended Mattingly’s three-year reign? In 1988 the AL Silver Slugger Award for first base went to a man by the name of George Brett. Brett hit .306 with 180 hits in ’87 while Mattingly hit .311 with 186 hits. Close, very close…