Kirby Puckett ‘Fab Five’ – Card #1 – 1990 Topps

Kirby Puckett ‘Fab Five’ – Card #1 – 1990 Topps

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

Card #1 – 1990 Topps

I have mixed emotions about this full set of baseball cards.  But like many that fall into that category, it does have a few that standout for all of  the right reasons.

And I believe that this Kirby Puckett card falls into that category.

Have a look:

The right blend of Red, White, and Blue is offered up by this 1990 Topps design.  It matches with the team colors of the Minnesota Twins perfectly, and the photo is framed in a way that makes the image still the main event.

Great job by Topps on this one!!!

1990 Headline: Two No-Hitters In One Day!!!

1990 Headline:  Two No-Hitters In One Day!!!

I can recall this day like it was yesterday…

On this day in 1990, both Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics and Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw no-hitters.

I remember checking the box scores the day after these two no-hitters and thought how cool it was to see two on the same page of the paper…

Let’s look a little closer at these two ‘No-No’s’:

Dave Stewart – On the road and in front of a crowd of just under 50,000, the A’s were in Toronto to battle the Blue Jays.  Stewart pitched a gem while striking out 12 batters ang giving up just 3 walks.  He threw 115 pitches during the game it took just 147 minutes for his A’s team to beat the Blue Jays 5-0.

Fernando Valenzuela – At home and facing the Cardinals, Valenzuela was awesome as he and his Dodgers teammates beat St. Louis 6-0 in 161 minutes.  Valenzuela was brilliant – allowing just 3 base runners while striking out 7 batters.  For the game, he threw 119 pitches.  He also went 1-for-4 at the plate.

2 great pitchers.  1 amazing accomplishment.  Baseball history!!!

Today Is ‘Billy Williams Day’!!!!

On June 29, 1969, the Chicago Cubs held ‘Billy Williams Day’ at Wrigley Field.

While an event of this caliber is usually reserved for a player in his final year or final home stand as a member of the home team, I guess that the Cubs organization thought so much of Mr. Williams that they chose this day to honor him.

So, 41 years later I will carry on this tradition.  Today, I will celebrate the main player that brought me back to the hobby of collecting baseball cards – ‘Sweet Swinging Billy Williams’!!

The below pin was handed out to all in attendance at Wrigley back on June 29, 1969.

Happy Birthday Pedro Guerrero!!!

Happy Birthday Pedro Guerrero!!!

Pedro Guerrero turns 56 years old today.

Guerrero was a solid contributor to both the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals teams that he was a part of for fifteen seasons.

A 5-time All-Star with a knack for delivering power at the plate.  In his 15 seasons in the big league, Pedro collected 215 home runs while driving in 898 RBI.  In four seasons, he hit at least 27 home runs with his highest tally coming in 1985 with 33.

Guerrero also finished in the Top 4 for the MVP award on four different occasions.  He was a steady and consistent hitter from the time he made it to the big leagues in 1978 and throughout the course of his playing days.

Happy Birthday Mr. Guerrero!!!

Happy Birthday Harmon Killebrew!!!

Happy Birthday Harmon Killebrew!!!

Harmon Killebrew was a baseball superstar that played in a city that never quite got the attention of other major cities.  And because of that, Killebrew was kind of like a secret.

But what was not a secret was the fact that Killebrew could slug home runs at the same rate, and oftentimes greater, than the sport’s best sluggers.

Amazingly, Killebrew seemed to get better with age as he collected more home runs in the second half of his career than he did in the first half.  In 22 years, the Hall of Famer hit 573 round-trippers.  He currently sits in 11th place on the all-time list.

Happy Birthday Mr. Killebrew!!  Rest In Peace.

Derek Jeter Ties Cal Ripken Jr. On All-time Hits List

Derek Jeter Ties Cal Ripken Jr. On All-time Hits List

By Ray Monell | Yahoo! Contributor Network 

NEW YORK — Derek Jeter tied fellow shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. for 13th place on Major League Baseball’s all-time hits list with a one-out, seventh-inning single up the middle off Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Axelrod.

Jeter’s single marked career hit No. 3,184. Ripken, a 19-time All-Star who spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles, retired after the 2001 season. 

Besides inevitably taking sole possession of 13th place on the all-time hits list, the New York Yankees captain is closing in on two additional statistical milestones: Jeter is two appearances short of having played in 2,500 games since debuting in 1995; he also needs to score seven more runs to tie Boston Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski (1,816 runs scored) for 16th place all-time.

 

Contest Time: ‘MVP For A Day’

Contest Time: ‘MVP For A Day’

OK, time for another fun contest at ’30-YOC’.

This one should be fun.  ‘MVP for a Day’ goes like  this.  You select one player that you feel will be the most valuable player for the day.  On Sunday, July 1st, there are 15 games taking place – you can review the schedule here.

Your challenge is to pick the one offensive player that you think will be the most valuable to their team.

Here are the rules:

1. The player must be an offensive player(no pitchers allowed)
2. Once a player is selected, he is off of the boards and cannot be used again
3. All picks must be submit into the comments section of this post no later than 11:59 PM on Saturday

Here is how the scores will be tallied:

1. Hits = 5 points each
2. Home Runs = 8 points each
3. RBI = 10 points each
4. Walks = 3 points each
5. Stolen Base = 8 points each
6. Strikeouts = (-5) Points each

So take your time, but not too much time, and review the schedules.  And get your picks in so we can choose Sunday’s ‘MVP For A Day’!!!

And now for the prize…

How about a healthy stack of 2012 Topps baseball cards??  Over 150 beautiful cards!!!

Here are a few pics:

No matter how you slice it up, there are some great cards in these stacks.  The lot is full of future HOF’ers, Cy Young winners, MVPs, All-Stars, as well as cards of the stars of the future!!!

Now study those match-ups and make your selections.  When ready to enter, simply leave the name of the player you are selecting in the comments section of this post – and remember, once a player is taken he is off the boards!!

Good Luck and thanks for playing!!!