Cal Ripken Jr. 1988 KMart ‘Memorable Moments Of The Eighties’

Cal Ripken Jr. 1988 KMart ‘Memorable Moments Of The Eighties’

Oddball baseball cards from the 1980’s rank very high on the list of ‘cool’ at 30-YOC.

As a kid that was obsessed with collecting baseball cards during the mid-to-late 1980’s, I always wanted more than what the three main companies were issuing at the time.  Even with the bonus cards and send-in cards, I craved more.

Oddballs filled that void rather nicely.  And I tackled as many of them as I could gather.

While this card is new to my collection now, I am fairly certain that I picked it up sometime in 1988 as well.

Enjoy.

Reggie Jackson 2001 Upper Deck UD Decades ‘Bellbottomed Bashers’

Reggie Jackson 2001 Upper Deck UD Decades ‘Bellbottomed Bashers’

The 2001 Upper Deck ‘Decades’ set has given us some brilliant baseball cards.  And for as stale and sterile as their base set of cards is from that set, the inserts and subsets take the complete issue to a whole new level.

And it is Groovy!

Among the many subsets issued as a part of that 2001 product, UD gave us ‘Bellbottomed Bashers’.  And as you can expect with a name like that, it has a very 1970’s vibe.

Here is the card of Reggie Jackson from that set:

 

The border is great.  The font for the subset name is perfect.  And the image of Reggie is his vintage 2-pc A’s jersey is spot-on for that time period.

Yeah Baby!!

1975 Topps Set Card 295/660 – #617 – Rookie Infielders With Cubbage, DeCinces, Sanders, Trillo

1975 Topps Set Card 295/660 – #617 – Rookie Infielders With Cubbage, DeCinces, Sanders, Trillo

Progress: 295/660

Player Name:  Mike Cubbage, Doug DeCinces, Reggie Sanders, Manny Trillo

Card Number:  617

Team:  Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs

Position:  Infielders

Image Style:  Posed Portrait

How these players fared in 1975:

Mike Cubbage – Cubbage played in 58 games for the Rangers in ’75 hitting .224 with 32 hits in 143 at-bats.  Cubbage scored 12 runs for the team while connecting for 4 home runs and driving in 21.

Doug DeCinces – DeCinces hit .251 over 61 games for the Orioles in 1975.  He hit 6 doubles, 3 triples, and 4 home runs while also scoring 20 times and driving in 23.

Reggie Sanders – Sanders did not play in the major leagues during the 1975 baseball season.

Manny Trillo – Trillo finished in 3rd place for the ROY in 1975.  He hit .248 over 154 games as he connected for 135 hits including 12 doubles, 2 triples, and 7 home runs.  He also scored 55 runs while driving in 70.

Happy Birthday George Bell!!!

Happy Birthday George Bell!!!

George Bell turns 55 years old today.

One of the sport’s biggest sluggers during the late 1980’s, George Bell was a hitting machine during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Seen primarily as a slugger, Bell did have a knack for delivering the longball and driving in runs, but he was also a very talented contact hitter.  During his playing days, Bell amassed 1,702 career hits along with a batting average of .278.  He won three Silver Slugger awards and had two seasons (1986 & 1987) in which he batted above .300.

As for his power numbers, Bell crushed 265 homers in 12 seasons while also driving in 1,002 runs.  His numbers were so impressive in 1987 that he won the AL MVP award.  The numbers from that year were unreal – .308/47/134.

George Bell was a 3-time All-Star.  He competed in the postseason twice, but never advanced to the World Series.

Happy Birthday Mr. Bell!!!

Happy Birthday Ed ‘Whitey’ Ford!!!

Happy Birthday Ed ‘Whitey’ Ford!!!

Hall of Famer Whitey Ford celebrates his 86th birthday today.

One of the most celebrated and valued member of the New York Yankees franchise had a career like no other.  A pitcher on a team full of sluggers, Ford made his presence known with his command on the mound.

Ford spent his entire 16-year career in pinstripes, and he started in 438 contests.  During that time, he compiled a record of 236-106, good for a 69% winning percentage.

Ford won the Cy Young award in 1961 largely in due to his amazing 25-4 record.  He was an 8-time All-star, while also finishing in the Top 20 for the MVP award 6 times.

In his 16 seasons, Ford made it to the World Series 11 times.  He ended winning 6 championships along the way, and he has a 10-8 record in the Fall Classic.

Happy Birthday to a true legend, Mr. Whitey Ford!!!