Jose Fernandez 2014 Topps Heritage – Black Border Parallel

Jose Fernandez 2014 Topps Heritage – Black Border Parallel

I have no shame in the fact that I am still working on bringing cards into my collection that were released both months and years ago.  Part of being a steady player collector is knowing when and how to go after things, and I prefer a more methodical and disciplined approach with most of the stuff that I go after.

After not doing any searches on Ebay for Jose Fernandez cards from the 2014 Topps Heritage set for more than two months, I decided to see what was out there that was still categorized as a ‘Need’ on my list.

And surprisingly, I found this sweet, Black bordered card:

 

I’m digging it!  The Black perfectly complements the shadow under the Marlins flag on the card along with the trim of his undershirt.

I’m very excited to add this card to my collection of 2014 Heritage cards.

As long as they are out there, I will keep chipping away!!

1975 Topps Set Card 263/660 – #474 – Luke Walker, Tigers

1975 Topps Set Card 263/660 – #474 – Luke Walker, Tigers

Progress: 263/660

Card Number:  474

Player Name:  Luke Walker

Team:  Detroit Tigers

Position:  Pitcher

Image Style:  Posed Portrait

Years In The Major Leagues:  9 seasons, 1965-66, 1968-74

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Luke Walker did not play major league baseball in 1975.

Notes From Career:  Luke Walker’s big league career spanned nine seasons and two teams, the Tigers and Pirates.  Walker appeared in 243 games during his career, making 100 starts.  He has a career record of 45-47 with 16 complete games, 7 shutouts, and 9 saves.  In 825 innings of work, Walker allowed 763 hits while giving up 375 runs and striking out 558 batters.  Walker is a member of the 1971 World Series championship winning Pittsburgh Pirates.

1996 HEADLINE: Paul Molitor Joins The 3,000 Hits Club

1996 HEADLINE: Paul Molitor Joins The 3,000 Hits Club

On this day in 1996, Paul Molitor collected the 3,000th hit of his major league career.

On the road playing the Kansas City Royals, Molitor and his Twins teammates took the field in front of 16,000+ fans at Kaufman Stadium.

For the game, Molitor went 3-for-4 hitting 2 singles and a triple.

Of the 3 hits he collected over the course of the game, #3000 was the triple he hit in the top of the 5th inning off of Jose Rosado.

Currently, Molitor ranks 9th in total hits in a major league career with 3,319 total hits.  It appears that Molitor’s space in the Top 10 of all-time is secure for quite some time!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Molitor!!!

1993 HEADLINE: Dave Winfield Joins The 3,000 Hits Club

1993 HEADLINE: Dave Winfield Joins The 3,000 Hits Club

On this day in 1993, Dave Winfield joined the ‘3,000 Hits Club’.

Playing for the Twins and at home, Winfield entered this game with 2,999 hits on his resume.  With just 3 weeks left in the season, this was a match-up of a 6th and 7th place team so it was a relatively small crowd of just over 14,000.  But for those that showed up, they got to witness baseball history!!  Winfield collected 2 hits in the contest, both singles, in this 13-inning marathon.  Hit #3,000 came off of fellow Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley in the 9th inning.

Baseball History – Winfield finished his career with 3,110 hits.  He presently ranks in 19th place on the all-time list.

Happy Birthday Tim Raines!!!

Happy Birthday Tim Raines!!!

Tm Raines turns 55 years old today!!

One of the scrappiest and most entertaining players to debut during the 1980’s, Tim Raines was magical on a baseball field.

I don’t know if it was because he was undersized (5 feet, 8 inches tall), but Tim Raines dominated baseball games to most people’s surprise.

Raines had a knack for contact hitting and he retired with a .294 lifetime average alongside 2,605 hits.  And on the base paths he was a monster.  One of the sport’s greatest runners, Raines has 808 career stolen bases and he has also scored 1,571 runs.

A constant threat to win the league’s MVP award and a 7-time All-star, Tim Raines was a steady contributor to each of the 7 teams he played with during his 23-year career.

Yet, Tim Raines is still a player that is hardly collected in today’s hobby.  And he is rarely celebrated in baseball.  Much of this has to do with his best years as a professional be ing played in Montreal for the Expos.

Happy Birthday ‘Rock’!!!

Happy Birthday Orel Hershiser!!!

Happy Birthday Orel Hershiser!!!

It is amazing to think that today Orel Hershiser is 56 years old today!!!  It makes me feel older just thinking about it…

Hershiser will be remembered most for his outstanding 1988 season.  With 23 wins, 15 complete games, and a Gold Glove award, he was the unanimous choice for the National League’s Cy Young award.  Orel led the Los Angeles Dodgers into the playoffs that season as well.  In the National League championship series, Hershiser pitched in 4 of the 7 games and earned the NLCS MVP award.  In the World Series against the heavily favored Oakland Athletics, Hershiser again dominated 2 games and won the World Series MVP award.

His most notable individual accomplishment may be the 59 straight innings pitched without giving up a single run during the 1988 season.  This record still stands today and should remain in tact for quite some time.

Hershiser enjoyed some success after leaving the Dodgers in 1994.  He was a big part of the Cleveland Indians pitching crew that took the Indians to the 1997 World Series.  But for me, and many others, Orel Hershiser will always be remembered as a LA Dodger.  And in the last year of his career in the majors, 2000, Orel returned to LA but was nowhere near as effective as he was during his first stint with the club.

Happy Birthday Orel Hershiser!!!

Happy Birthday Robin Yount!!!

Happy Birthday Robin Yount!!!

Robin Yount turns 59 years old today.

Everything Robin Yount did, he did exceptionally well.  A hitter for power, a hitter for average, a base runner, you name it and he did it very well.  Yount was an offensive machine for 20 years as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.  In 20 big league seasons, Yount finished his career with 3,142 hits.  With those hits came 251 home runs and 271 stolen bases.  And if you add to that his 1,406 RBI and 1,632 runs scored you’ve got a potent mixture that creates the perfect offensive threat.

A 2-time MVP winner with 5 more Top 18 finises, Yount was widely accepted as one of baseball’s best players for 2 decades.  Yount is a 3-time All-star and a Gold Glove winner as well.  Yount reached the World Series in 1982 and lost to the Cardinals in 7 games.  In that series, Yount hit an amazing .414 as he collected 12 hits with 6 RBI.

Happy Birthday Mr. Yount!!!

SIGNING RESULTS: Hall Of Famer & Orioles Legend, Mr. Jim Palmer

SIGNING RESULTS: Hall Of Famer & Orioles Legend, Mr. Jim Palmer

This one has been in the works for 6+ months as the original signing was supposed to take place during Spring Training.  But, due to schedule conflicts and busy schedules, it did not take place until late August.

Thankfully, I am a patient man who has a lot of respect and trust in the organizer of this signing.

So, now more than six months later, I can finally show off my newest addition to my Jim Palmer memorabilia collection – Signed baseball number 4.

Have a look:

 

As you can see this is the Rawlings Black baseball, with Gold stitching.  I opted for a Gold paint pen, knowing how nice it looks when complete.  This is my third ‘Black Ball’ in my collection, and each one looks nice and clean!

Jim Palmer is such a highly decorated pitcher that I could probably go after a few more signed baseballs to help me commemorate his playing days.  And if the chance comes up for me to get a few more again, I will do just that.

Thank you Mr. Palmer, this one is a beauty!!