Happy Birthday Jim Rice!!!

Happy Birthday Jim Rice!!!

Jim Rice turns 61 years old today.

Jim Rice may be one of the best examples of a great hitter that could also hit for power or you can classify him as a power hitter that was a great contact hitter too.  Either way, it works!!  Although we cannot clearly say Rice was a better hitter for average than power or vice-versa, we can surely say that his numbers are mighty impressive.

After 16 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Rice ended his career with a .298 batting average while launching 382 home runs.  Rice’s best season came in 1978 when he won the Most Valuable Player award while hitting .315, belting 46 home runs, and driving in 139 runs.  Rice was a MVP candidate annually and finished in the Top 5 for voting in 6 total seasons.

Jim Rice competed in 1 World Series championship match-up in 1986 against the New York Mets.  Although his team ultimately lost in 7 games, Rice did extremely well as he hit .333 and scored 6 runs.

Jim Rice is a member of the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame class.

Happy Birthday Mr. Rice!!

Jim Rice 1986 Donruss

Jim Rice 1986 Donruss

You may have missed my announcement earlier in the week (shame on you) but I am going to take a small break from some of the vintage player collections I have been building in an effort to focus a little more time and energy into the modern player PC’s I am also working on.

The net result of this change in your ’30-YOC’ programming is that this will be the last Jim Rice baseball card post that I will launch for a while.

I’m sorry that it is the 1986 card that ended up being the final card, but at least Mr. Rice is smiling in this one…

Jim Rice 1981 Fleer – 3,2,1 SMILE!!!

Jim Rice 1981 Fleer

‘Ok, Mr. Rice, what I need you to do is hold your shoulders squared to me.

Great, now turn your head just a bit so I don’t have you squinting your eyes into the sun.

OK, Thanks.

Chin down just a tad.  Ok, more.  Just a little more. Yep – right there.

Lookin’ good.  Now hold it right there.

And.

3,2,1, SMILE!!!!’

Jim Rice 2013 Panini ‘Golden Age’

Jim Rice 2013 Panini ‘Golden Age’

*Hat-Tip to reader Jarred for sending this card over to me in a recent trade – Thanks Bud!!!

This card of Hall of Famer Jim Rice comes from the 2013 Panini ‘Golden Age’ set of cards.  As we all know, Panini is not allowed to use MLB team names or logos on their product – a huge disadvantage when trying to use real images and turn them into cards that look like art.

But, they did a pretty solid job with this one…

Nothing fake or forced about this card!

I like it!!!

Jim Rice 1983 Topps

Jim Rice 1983 Topps

I’ll never tire of showing off cards from the 1983 Topps set on my blog.  The ’83 release by Topps is widely celebrated as one of the best Topps issues of the last 50 years, and it is truly a ’30-YOC’ favorite.

The Jim Rice card from this set is pretty sweet.

Have a look:

 

I love the use of the Red and Blue that Topps employed for this card of Rice.  And while Navy Blue may be a more appropriate choice for Mr. Rice, I will say that the lighter shade of Blue allows for the Navy of Rice’s cap and uniform stand out a bit more.

And speaking of ‘standing out’ just look at that puny chain-link fence that separates the fans from the field.  You will never see a fence like that in a modern ballpark these days….

Jim Rice 1989 Upper Deck

Jim Rice 1989 Upper Deck

When Upper Deck made its debut in 1989 with their first baseball card set, it took the hobby by storm.  The set offered up a new kind of card stock, a high-gloss finish, superb images, and unique card backs.

Upper Deck built and executed the perfect recipe in 1989.

And now, almost 25 years later, the ’89 cards still stand out.

Have a look at this card of Jim Rice from the set:

 

The action captured here is perfect.  And the colors work extremely well.  Best of all the now-famous first base line that runs vertically down the right border of the card does not take away from any of the action while still supplying a fantastic baseball scene.

I LOVE IT!!!

Jim Rice 1982 Donruss – Another Bad One…

Jim Rice 1982 Donruss

Jeez, I don’t know what it is, but I am pulling in a lot of really awful Jim Rice cars for my player collection that honors his Hall of Fame career.

This is supposed to be a fun way to go back and enjoy a player’s career, but when the cards look like this, it is quite a challenge…

 

Jim Rice was a league leader quite a bit during his career.  In 1982, he led the league in just one category, and it is not one to be boastful about…  In ’82, Rice hit into 29 double plays – the most in the American League.

Fingers crossed that the next Jim Rice card I show off is a big upgrade…

Jim Rice 1986 Fleer – Seriously….

Jim Rice 1986 Fleer

I mean it – how close do you need to get to snap a picture like this?

 

Come on!?!?!

Show me the batting cage.  Show me the other players around the cage waiting with Rice.  Show me the coaches huddled with each other spitting sunflower seeds into the grass.

Sheesh.

Jim Rice 1985 Fleer

Jim Rice 1985 Fleer

Most commonly praised for his ability to hit home the ball over the fence and drive in runs, Jim Rice was also a pretty solid outfielder.  And he had a great, great arm!!

During his 16 seasons in the major leagues, Jim Rice spent more than 98% of his time defending right field for the Boston Red Sox.  He has a career fielding percentage of .980 and captured 137 assists with his cannon of an arm.

He never claimed a Gold Glove during his playing days, but I am very happy to see that he was celebrated for his defensive play on this card from the 1985 Fleer baseball card set.

Have a look:

 

Great picture, and a great background too!!

Jim Rice 1983 Fleer

Jim Rice 1983 Fleer

If you know your boy at ’30-YOC’ than you know that I really like cards that feature cards of players sitting in the on-deck circle getting ready to step up to the plate and go to work.

This card of Jim Rice features an image of that theme, but it looks like the photographer captured him at a time in which he was not ready to be photographed.

Check it out:

 

It’s one thing to get close to the action.  But, it is another thing to get so close that you annoy the player.  And that is not a good thing…