Wade Boggs 1996 Topps

Wade Boggs 1996 Topps

There it is, one of my favorite left-handed swings in baseball history.

Watching Wade Boggs approach the plate and go to work was so much fun to behold. He was an absolute master of hitting.

 

What I really like about this baseball card is that Wade is sporting his road uniform while playing for the Yankees, but he is in his old home – Fenway Park.

Boggs spent the first 11 seasons of his 16-year career as a member of the Boston Red Sox.  I’m sure that it had to be a little odd when he returned to Fenway and had to head towards the ‘Visiting Clubhouse’.

In ’96, Boggs hit .311 for the Yankees as he connected for 156 hits in 501 at-bats.

Reggie Jackson 2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces

Reggie Jackson 2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces

Wow, of all of the modern baseball cards that I have encountered since getting back into the hobby in 2008, the one brand of card that I wish included Andre Dawson in the set is without a doubt Upper Deck Masterpieces.

Each card from the set is built to look like a work of art.  From the oil painting design, to the canvas style of cardboard used, these cards are truly special.

Sadly, both Andre Dawson and Fergie Jenkins never made the checklist in this short-lived set.

But, Reggie Jackson did!

And here is his Yankees card from the 2007 set.

 

I told you it was special.

The card is standard in size, but if you had one that was 16×20, it could certainly be hung on a wall and pass as a piece of art.

These cards are ‘Too Sweet’.

1975 Topps Set Card 282/660 – #425 – Cito Gaston, Braves

1975 Topps Set Card 282/660 – #425 – Cito Gaston, Braves

Progress: 282/660

Card Number: 425

Player Name: Cito Gaston

Team:  Atlanta Braves

Position: Outfield

Image Style: Posed Portrait

Years In The Major Leagues: 11 seasons, 1967, 1969-78

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Cito Gaston played in 63 games for the Atlanta Braves in 1975.  He hit .241 over the course of the year collecting 34 games in 141 at-bats.  Gaston scored 17 runs in those 63 games while also driving in 15.

Notes From Career:  Cito Gaston is a 1-time All-Star that played for 3 major league clubs during his 11-season career.  He is a career .256 hitter with 799 hits in 1,026 games played.  Of his 799 hits, Gaston connected for 106 doubles, 31 triples, and 91 home runs.  He scored 314 runs during his playing days while also driving in 387.

2010 HEADLINE: Roy Halladay Fires A No-Hitter Against The Reds In His Postseason Debut

2010 HEADLINE: Roy Halladay Fires A No-Hitter Against The Reds

On this day in 2010, Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds.

The game was played in Philadelphia at Citizen’s Bank Park and was Game 1 of the NLDS.

Halladay’s stat line looked like this – complete game, 104 pitches, 8 strikeouts, 1 walk, 12 ground ball outs, 7 fly ball outs, and 1 line drive out.

Halladay’s no-hitter was the first post-season no-hitter since Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.

Rickey Henderson 1988 Topps Glossy All-Star Send-In

Rickey Henderson 1988 Topps Glossy All-Star Send-In

As a youngster collecting baseball cards in the mid-1980’s, I remember one of the very few things that I could look forward to getting in the mail was baseball cards.

Sure, I got my Ranger Rick magazines.  And Beckett Magazine too.

But, it was baseball cards that excited me the most.

Topps did a phenomenal job in keeping collectors, both older and younger, happy and eager to wait for these mail-in sets to arrive.  And I was right there along for the ride too.

Known as ‘Glossy All-Star Mail Ins’ these sets were limited in production and always featured the best players and prospects in the game.  To get them, one had to obtain pull specially inserted redemption cards from wax packs of the 1988 Topps product.  Once obtained, that redemption card and payment of $1.25 would net you one of 6 10-packs that made up the 60-card set.  The results were random, unless you opted to send in 18 of the special offer cards and a payment of $7.50 which netted you the complete set.

This is the card of Rickey Henderson from the 1988 Mail-In set:

 

Man, those were the days!!!