Bryce Harper 2014 Bowman – Base

Bryce Harper 2014 Bowman – Base

It’s not common that I grab a parallel baseball card before I grab the base card.

But, that is exactly what happened with Bryce Harper and his year’s Bowman flagship release.  The seller on Sportlots.com that I usually shop with had the parallel, but not the base.  So, I bought it and flagged the base as a ‘Next Time’.

Well, ‘Next Time’ came and now the base card is home with me and in my collection.

Check it out:

 

 

Harper has been hitting the ball really well lately, recording multiple hits in several games for the last few weeks.  It’s nice to see him hitting again, and even nicer to see that there appears to be no lingering effects from his thumb surgery.

I hope he and the Nats perform this well in the playoffs!  I’ll be watching.

Jose Fernandez 2014 Topps Series 2 – All-Star Rookie Card – Blue Border Parallel

Jose Fernandez 2014 Topps Series 2 – All-Star Rookie Card – Blue Border Parallel

The Jose Fernandez hits keep coming from 2014 Topps, Series 2.

This time around, I was able to haul in the Blue-border parallel of Jose’s All-Star Rookie card.

Have a look:

 

 

The card looks great, and the Blue border may be the best one used to match the Marlins color scheme.

I do kind of wish that the trophy Topps used for this series was a bit bigger…

1975 Topps Set Card 247/660 – #608 – Gene Michael, Yankees

1975 Topps Set Card 247/660 – #608 – Gene Michael, Yankees

Progress: 247/660

Player Name:  Gene Michael

Team:  New York Yankees

Position:  Shortstop, 2nd Base

Image Style:  Posed Fielding

Years In The Major Leagues:  10 seasons, 1966-75

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Gene Michael played in 56 games for the Detroit Tigers during the course of the 1975 baseball season.  He hit just .214 on the year, going 31 for 145.  Of his 31 hits, Michael connected for 2 doubles, 3 home runs, and 26 singles.  He scored 15 runs for the Tigers in ’75 while also driving in 13.

Notes From Career:  Gene Michael played for four different clubs during his 10-yer MLB career.  A lifetime .229 hitter with 642 hits on his resume, Michael was a solid middle infielder, spending a majority of his time at shortstop.  Michael has 226 RBI for his career and he also scored 249 runs.  He never appeared in the postseason during his 1-year big league career.

1975 HEADLINE: Tom Seaver Becomes 1st Pitcher To 200 Strikeouts In 8 Straight Seasons

1975 HEADLINE: Tom Seaver Becomes 1st Pitcher To 200 Strikeouts In 8 Straight Seasons

On this day in 1975, Tom Seaver became the first pitcher in major league history to collect 200 or more strikeouts in eight consecutive seasons.

Showing off the remarkable ability to be a consistent and healthy performer, Seaver’s ability to dominate batters was unmatched during this time.

Here is a closer look at the numbers from those eight seasons:
1968 – 205
1969 – 208
1970 – 283
1971 – 289
1972 – 249
1973 – 251
1974 – 201
1975 – 243

And just for good measure, Seaver collected 235 hitters in 1976 extending the record to nine straight seasons!

How did he do in 1977?  196!!!

Happy Anniversary to ‘Tom Terrific’!!!

Did You Know…

On July 1, 1990, Andy Hawkins of the New York Yankees threw a no-hitter but lost the game 4-0.  Unreal.

Frank Robinson’s Incredible 1957 Topps Rookie Card!!!

Frank Robinson’s Incredible 1957 Topps Rookie Card!!!

Man, oh man.  How nice would it be to own one of these bad-boys???

If I ever had a ‘Top Ten’ list of vintage cards to add to my collection, this one would surely land on it.  I am a huge fan of Robinson’s – from both his days with the Reds and with the Orioles.

I have a few re-print versions of his card, but it is nothing like owning the original…

Frank Robinson’s Hall Of Fame Plaque

Frank Robinson’s Hall Of Fame Plaque

Frank Robinson was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.  The headliner of that class, Robinson collected 370 of the 415 votes cast by the writers.

And while I have not been able to find a transcript of his speech, I have to guess that it was pretty empowering.

As for Robinson’s Hall of Fame plaque, it reads:

“First to be chosen Most Valuable Player in both leagues – – NL in 1961 and AL in 1966. Set records by hitting homers in 32 different parks and with pair of grand slammers in successive innings in 1970. Fourth in homers (586), Fifth in extra bases on long hits (2,450), Fifth in Total Bases (5,375), on retiring. Led NL in Slugging percentage in 1960-61-62 and AL in batting, home runs, runs batted in, total bases, and slugging percentage in 1966′.