Reggie Jackson 2001 Fleer Greats ‘Dueling Duos’ With Carl Yastrzemski

Reggie Jackson 2001 Fleer Greats ‘Dueling Duos’ With Carl Yastrzemski

I don’t have too many cards of Reggie in my collection that feature him and another player.

This one, from the 2001 Fleer Greats ‘Dueling Duos’ set showcases Reggie and Red Sox legend, Carl Yastrzemski.  I like the card, and I really like the logo that Fleer created for this set.  Also, the shot of Reggie in the batting cage is very cool.

Have a look:

 

This card kind of reminds me of my ‘Hall of Fame Debate’ images – very similar look and feel…

Frank Robinson 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen – Brown Paper Frame

Frank Robinson 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen – Brown Paper Frame

Oh yeah, another great ‘Gypsy Queen’ for my collection.

This one comes courtesy of the 2012 set and it features Hall of Famer, Mr. Frank Robinson.  The card is the ‘Brown Paper Frame’ version and it looks very nice with the Orange and Grey of the Orioles uniform that Robinson is wearing in the image used on the card.

Have a look:

 

The scan came out a bit dark, it is nowhere near as offsetting as it looks above.

Sorry about that…

1990 HEADLINE: George Brett Becomes First Player To Win Batting Titles In Three Straight Decades

1990 HEADLINE: George Brett Becomes First Player To Win Batting Titles In Three Straight Decades

On this day in 1990, George Brett became the first player in major league baseball history to collect batting titles in three different decades.

A true testament to his dedication to the game and excellence as a hitter, George Brett separated himself from some of the game’s greatest hitters with this accomplishment.  To be able to remain at such a high standard for more than 20 seasons and in between three decades shows just how truly great Brett was at the plate.  Let’s not forget that the game changed, and the pitchers Brett faced during that time also changed.

A quick glance at the numbers shows this:

Year	Batting Average
1976	0.333
1980	0.390
1990	0.329

Now how awesome is that?

Congratulations on this magnificent achievement Mr. Brett!!!

1976 HEADLINE: Hank Aaron’s Legendary Career Comes To An End

1976 HEADLINE:  Hank Aaron’s Legendary Career Comes To An End

On this day in 1976, Hank Aaron played in his final game as a major league baseball player.

On the last day of the 1976 baseball season, Aaron and his Brewers teammates were at home in Milwaukee taking on the Detroit Tigers.  Sadly, there were less than 7,000 fans in the stands to see Aaron make his final appearance in the big leagues.

Aaron was hitless in the game until the 6th inning when he hit a single off of Tigers’ pitcher Dave Roberts.

That at-bat would be the final one of his career.  It was hit 3,771 of Hank’s amazing career!!

Happy Birthday Dennis Eckersley!!!

Happy Birthday Dennis Eckersley!!!

Dennis Eckersley turns 59 years old today.

The man simply known as ‘The Eck’ was one of baseball’s brightest stars in the 1970’s and carried his success through 24 seasons as a big league player.  Dennis Eckersley began his career as a starting pitcher.  In fact, one of the game’s greatest relief pitchers in the history of baseball was a starter during his first 12 seasons.  As a starter, ‘Eck’ did well as he had (9) 10+ win seasons in 12 years.  That all changed in 1987 when Eckersley was traded to the Oakland A’s and was converted into a closer for the Athletics.  ‘Eck’ began to dominate.  And in 12 seasons after that trade, he piled up 387 saves.  Eckersley’s best season came in 1992 when he won the league’s MVP and Cy Young awards.  In ’92 he pitched 80 innings and saved 51 games.  With an ERA of just 1.91 and the control to strikeout 93 batters while walking just 11 and it is easy to see why ‘Eck’ was tagged as one of the best closers in baseball history.  Dennis Eckersley finished in the top 7 for the Cy Young award 6 times in his career – 4 of which came as a closer.

Eckersley has played in 11 post season match-up and 3 World Series championships.  He won the title with the Oakland A’s in 1989 and finished his career with 1 championship ring and 15 saves in post season play.

Happy Birthday ‘Eck’!!!

Happy Birthday Dave Winfield!!!

Happy Birthday Dave Winfield!!!

Dave Winfield turns 61 years old today!

And if you’re a baseball fan, you have no doubt caught Winfield on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight program.  Winfield looks great for his age and appears to still be in very good shape.  It’s nice to see the baseball heroes of my childhood like Winfield, Dawson, and Henderson stay in good shape.  It really bothers me when a player is unrecognizable due to their lack of physical activity after leaving the game.

Happy Birthday Mr. Winfield!!

“The Shot Heard ‘Round The World”

“The Shot Heard ‘Round The World”

On this day in 1951, a baseball moment transpired that would be considered one of the greatest game-changing home runs of all-time.  And now, more than 50 years later, the replays and stories told about this historic moment in baseball’s history resonate even more with the recent passing of Bobby Thomson.

From Wikipedia:

In baseball, the “Shot Heard ’round the World” is the term given to the game-ending home run hit by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win the National League pennant at 3:58 p.m. EST on October 3, 1951. As a result of the “shot” (baseball slang for “home run” or any hard-hit ball), the Giants won the game 5–4, defeating the Dodgers in their pennant playoff series, two games to one. It is one of the most famous moments in Major League Baseball history.

A huge ‘Thank You’ goes out to Bobby Thomson, and Ralph Branca for that matter, for building a historic scene in this wonderful sport that will live beyond all of us!!

Bryce Harper 2013 Bowman Sapphire – 2011 Bowman Re-Print

Bryce Harper 2013 Bowman Sapphire – 2011 Bowman Re-Print

Kind of a neat one for my Bryce Harper collection, though I am not sure why Bowman felt the need to include a re-print of a 2011 card in a 2013 issue.

But, since it is Harper, I will let is slide as he is one of the most collected and collectible players in the game today.

Check it out:

 

I like the Blue Sapphire look – it offers a nice shine to the card, and the Blue looks great with Harper’s Red & White Nationals uniform.

🙂