2012 Topps ‘Career Day’ Subset – Card #14 – Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

2012 Topps ‘Career Day’ Subset – Card #14 – Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

I am working on this set because I find it to be the most appealing of the subsets issued by Topps in 2012.

The cards feature bold colors, great images, and a unique horizontal design.

I especially like the ‘Career Day’ theme as it pays homage to some of the greatest individual performances of baseball’s elite players.

Card #14 – Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

The Career Day – June 24, 2010.  On this day in 2010, Dustin Pedroia matched a feat that had been only accomplished one other time in major league baseball history; Jimmie Foxx in 1919.  Pedroia went 5-for-5 with three home runs, a double, a single, and a walk as his team battled the Colorado Rockies during inter-league play.  His third home run came in the 10th inning of the game, and gave the Sox the win with his 5th RBI of the game.

Progress – 14/25

Dave Parker ‘Fab Five’ – Card #5 – 1984 Donruss

Dave Parker ‘Fab Five’ – Card #5 – 1984 Donruss

Now that my Dave Parker player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #5 – 1984 Donruss

Just looking at this card gives me chills – Dave Parker is a bad dude!!!

Between the hard stare, diamond stud earring, and menacing presence, Parker more than likely struck fear in all of the pitchers that set out to get him out.

He fared rather well against them – a lifetime .290 hitter with seven .300 seasons and two batting championships to his credit.

I wonder what it would sound like if he said, ‘I Pity The Fool’!!!!

Mike Schmidt 1988 Score Baseball Card

Mike Schmidt 1988 Score Baseball Card

If my memory serves me correctly, the ‘Purple’ portion of the 1988 Score set contained a lot of baseball superstars.

If that memory is indeed fact, it is certainly fitting that Mike Schmidt be included.

His Score card from the 1988 set is great.

Check it out:

We got a lot of cards of Schmidt hitting home runs and swinging mighty lumber in the 1980’s.  It is nice to see a change, especially when he was a very high caliber defender at third base.

Great work, Score!!

1982 HEADLINE: Ozzie Smith Dealt To The St. Louis Cardinals!!!

1982 HEADLINE: Ozzie Smith Dealt To The St. Louis Cardinals!!!

On this day in 1982, Ozzie Smith was traded from the San Diego Padres to the St. Louis Cardinals.  Part of a 6-player deal, the 2-time All-star and 1-time Gold Glove winner was the focal point of the trade.

And as they say, the rest was history… 

For the next 15 years, Ozzie Smith was the centerpiece of the Cardinal team as well as the face of the franchise.  Amazingly enough, he captured the hearts of the Cardinals’ fans with his amazing defensive play, and not his career .262 batting average.  ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was truly a wonderful sight to see as he covered more ground, made more plays, and solidified the entire right side of the Cardinal infield for one and a half decades.

While Ozzie will never be noted as one of the better hitters in the Hall of Fame, he did excel in certain areas of offense.  A speedster, Smith tallied 580 career stolen bases which puts him in 21st place on the all-time list.  He also scored 1,257 runs in his career.

Ozzie went on to capture 13 Gold Gloves, 15 All-star selections, and 1 World Series Championship!!!

The Evolution Of My Collection – Part 14

The Evolution Of My Collection – Part 14

It has been a little more than five months since my last ‘Evolution’ post.

I still remain extremely organized with my collecting, and even as the size of my collection grows, I make sure that I take my time to keep things as neat and tidy as possible.

If you have read any of my prior ‘Evolution’ posts, you will notice albums have been recently introduced into the fold.  While my preference is to keep cards in boxes as they are easier to organize and move around, I have introduced albums for a few parts of my collection that do not change all that much.

First, let me show you what my full collection looks like today.  Then, I will offer a breakdown of what you’re seeing…

The picture:

And now for the breakdown…

Top row, box #1 – Willie McCovey, Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Jim Abbott, Gary Carter, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, Orel Hershiser

Top row, box #2 – Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn, Tim Raines, Kirby Puckett, Bo Jackson, Dale Murphy, Paul Molitor, Ken Griffey, Jr., Pete Rose

Top row, box #3 – Rickey Henderson, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Jr., Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Mike Schmidt, Wade Boggs

Top row, box #4 – Autographs, Subsets, Derek Jeter, Miscellaneous cards

Top row, box #5 – Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Lee Smith, Greg Maddux, Mark Grace, Cubs subsets, Red Subsets, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, George Foster, Ken Griffey Sr., Sparky Anderson

Bottom row, box #1 – Fergie Jenkins, Jim Palmer

Bottom row, box #2 – Dave Parker, Alan Trammell, Rollie Fingers, Eric Davis, Frank Thomas, Dave Stewart, Mark McGwire, Reggie Jackson

Bottom row, box #3 – Andre Dawson: 1977-1990

Bottom row, box #4 – Andre Dawson: 1990-2009

Bottom row, box #5 – Andre Dawson: 2010-2012, autographs, relic cards, cello and rack packs

Grey album – Florida/Miami Marlins team sets

Black album – Pete Rose 1985 Topps limited edition set

WHEW!!!  That was a lot of work!!!!

My Marlins team set album is bulging.  I am going to have to pick up another album and split them up soon.  Also, I am considering moving some more subsets into the one that holds my Pete Rose limited edition set.  This will free up some much needed space in my boxes, and also provide me with a lot more penny sleeves and top loaders to use for future player collections…  We’ll see.

That is it – my full baseball card collection.  With the exception of a few cards that are on my desk that are either to be traded or are going to be written about for the blog in the coming days, you are seeing the whole collection.

Thanks for reading.  I promise to try to do this a little more often.

Have a great night!!!