Cal Ripken Jr. 1990 Donruss MVP Bonus Card

Cal Ripken Jr. 1990 Donruss MVP Bonus Card

Donruss’ relatively short-lived ‘Bonus MVP’ subset allowed for collectors like me the opportunity to build insert sets and also pick up extra cards of the players we valued the most.

Typically featuring the team’s best and most popular players, the MVP set kind of felt like an All-Star set, with MVP graphics.

This is Cal Ripken’s card from the 1990 set.

 

I love the idea, and I actually don’t mind the loud background that Donruss employed with this 1990 version of the set.  I just wish that the photo selection was better – show me why this player was chosen to be tagged with the MVP title for his team.

Other than that, I like it!

1983 Fleer SuperStar Special ‘Home Run Threats’ With Ben Ogilvie & Reggie Jackson

1983 Fleer SuperStar Special ‘Home Run Threats’ With Ben Ogilvie & Reggie Jackson

Some of my favorite subsets from the 1980’s are Fleer’s ‘SuperStar Specials’ cards.  These cards often paired two or more All-Star level players that shared something in common.  The commonality could be anything – from name, to position played, to similar achievements.

Reggie Jackson was featured twice in the 1983 Fleer SuperStar Specials subset.  One card was actually a 2-piece card that he shared with teammate Rickey Henderson.

And the other card is one that he is on with Brewer’s player, Ben Ogilvie.

Here it is:

 

Tagged as ‘Home Run Threats’, this card features two players that could mash home runs.  In 1980, Oglivie connected for a career high 41 home runs.  Reggie’s career high came in 1969 when he blasted 47.

1975 Topps Set Card 299/660 – #271 – Jerry Moses, Tigers

1975 Topps Set Card 299/660 – #271 – Jerry Moses, Tigers

Progress: 299/660

Card Number:  271

Player Name:  Jerry Moses

Team:  Detroit Tigers

Position:  Catcher

Image Style:  Posed Hitting

Years In The Major Leagues: 9 seasons, 1965, 1968-75

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Jerry Moses appeared in just 15 games during the 1975 baseball season, splitting time between the Padres and White Sox.  In 15 games, Moses went 4-for-20 with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 runs scored, and 1 RBI.

Notes From Career:  Moses played for seven teams during his nine-year career in major league baseball.  He is a lifetime .251 hitter with 269 career hits.  Of his 269 hits, Moses connected for 48 doubles, 8 triples, and 25 home runs.  He also drove in 109 runs while scoring 89 times.  Jerry Moses was chosen as an American League All-Star in 1970.

Happy Anniversary Bill Buckner & Mookie Wilson!!!

Happy Anniversary Bill Buckner & Mookie Wilson!!!

On this day in 1986 you made the most famous error in baseball history.  Although many 1st baseman prior to you have seen ground balls accidentally roll through their legs, none was on a bigger stage than your error in game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

Errors occur all of the time in baseball.  But, in the bottom of the 10th inning with runners in scoring position and the game tied the impact of this accident was magnified.  Mookie Wilson’s ground ball would have been handled by Buckner with ease the next 100 times without question, but with the pressure on, it was Buckner that failed and Wilson that prevailed.

I remember watching this game as an 11-year old.  I was pulling for the Red Sox and wanted to see Wade Boggs win his first ever World Series title.  What I ended up seeing was baseball history of another kind that has no equal within the last 30 years.

This error made Bill Buckner and Mookie Wilson one of the most famous pairings in baseball history!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Buckner and Mr. Wilson!!!

1978 HEADLINE: Gaylord Perry Becomes First Pitcher To Win The Cy Young Award in AL & NL

1978 HEADLINE: Gaylord Perry Becomes First Pitcher To Win The Cy Young Award in AL & NL

On this day in 1978 Gaylord Perry was awarded with the National League Cy Young Award.  Winning this individual award marked the first time in major league history in which a pitcher earned that honor in both leagues.

Here is a quick peek at Perry’s two Cy Young Winning seasons:

1972 – AL – 24-16, 1.92 ERA, 29 complete games, 5 shutouts, 234 strikeouts

1978 – NL – 21-6, 2.73 ERA, 5 complete games, 2 shutouts, 154 strikeouts

Congratulations Mr. Perry!!!

1973 HEADLINE: Fergie Jenkins Traded To The Texas Rangers

1973 HEADLINE: Fergie Jenkins Traded To The Texas Rangers

On this date in 1973, Fergie Jenkins was traded from the Chicago Cubs to the Texas Rangers, of the American League.

The trade was a 2-for-1 deal with Jenkins going to the Rangers in exchange for Bill Madlock and Vic Harris.  At this point, the Cubs were in a major re-building phase as Ernie Banks was retired and their core of Billy Williams, Ron Santo, and Jenkins were all considered as being ‘too old’.

Florida Marlins 2002 Fleer Ultra Team Set

Florida Marlins 2002 Fleer Ultra Team Set

The Fleer Ultra baseball card product has always been a favorite of mine.  The card style features minimal graphics and larger, in-action pictures.  Each card kind of feels like a small photograph due to the border-less style that Ultra has employed since debuting in the early 1990’s.

I recently picked up the 2002 Ultra team set of the Florida Marlins, and like all Ultra products, the cards are sweet.

Have a look:

 

Just 6 cards deep, this set offers up a ton of various baseball scenes – all packed with action.

Of the six, my favorite is the Mike Lowell card that shows him scooping up a high-hopping ball as he prepares to make a play from third base.