‘The 40/40 Club’ – 1980’s – Card #25

‘The 40/40 Club’ – 1980’s – Card #25

Fred McGriff – 1986 Donruss

7 home runs separates Fred McGriff from making it to the next level on this list.  Still spot #25 is not too shabby when there is a ton of All-star caliber talent lower down on the rankings…

Fred McGriff rarely got the media attention that other sluggers with similar stats received.  Maybe it was due to the teams he played for during his 19-season career or maybe it was due to his quiet approach to the game.  Whatever it was, there is no doubt about it – Fred McGriff was a monster at the plate!!!

McGriff had an immediate impact during his rookie season and continued on that pace for the next 18 years.  An incredibly strong power hitter, McGriff hit 19 or more home runs in 17 seasons.  With annual counts of 34, 35, 36, 37, 34, 27, 28, and so on, McGriff was as consistent of a power hitting threat as there was in baseball.  And he did this when it counted most – with runners on base.  ‘The Crime Dog’ had 90 or more RBI in 12 seasons, and eclipsed the 100-RBI mark 8 times.  McGriff was a pretty good contact hitter too.  He hit .300 or better 4 times during his career which is very admirable for someone who batted in the clean-up position for most of his playing days.

Fred McGriff finsihed in the Top 20 for the MVP award 8 times.  He was a 5-time All-star and a 3-time Silver Sligger winner.  Upon retirement, McGriff finished his career with a .284 batting average while collecting 493 home runs, 1,550 RBI, and 2,490 hits.

Fred McGriff’s greatest team accomplishments came during the 1995 season while he was playing for the Atlanta Braves.  In the National League Championship series, Fred hit .438 in 4 games and earned the MVP award for that series.  In that same year, his Braves won the World Series which is McGriff’s lone title. 

Busting Open A Pack Of 1990 Donruss – Pack 4

I received 4 packs of 1990 Donruss in the contest I won on the Autographed Cards blog.

Here are the results from Pack #4

Fred McGriff, Dennis Rasmussen, Mike Brumley, Charlie, Hough, Bart Giamatti, Mike Boddicker, Todd Frowirth, Pau Sorrento, Rick Honeycutt,  Marty Clary, Dave Righetti, Neal Heaton, Dan Galdden, Trevor Wilson, and Jerry Reuss.

18 Autograph TTM Requests Have Been Shipped – Spring Training Style!!!

 That’s right I said 18.  18 envelops are in the mail and they’re going to Spring Training!!!  I have selected 18 more players to seek autographs from.  A select few are of current players but the remainder are of veterans that have now become coaches.

I’ve read often enough that Spring Training is a great time to start going for autographs so I am going to test that theory.  This will not be the only bunch to hit the mail stream this month but I can guarantee that most of these envelopes will be to the stadium prior to the players and coaches getting there.

The guys – Ken Oberkfell, Tony LaRussa, Ozzie Guillen, Hal McRae, Terry Pendleton, Matt Williams, Alan Trammell, Juan Samuel, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Gerald Perry, Tony Pena, Jose Oquendo, Fred McGriff, Roy Halladay, Joe Girardi, Mariano Duncan, and Will Clark.

Wish me luck!!! 

Ripping Into A Pack Of 1990 Donruss – Pack 3

I received 4 packs of 1990 Donruss in the contest I won on the Autographed Cards blog.

Here are the results from Pack #3

Mark Davis, Fred McGriff, Charlie Hayes,  Mike Davis, Kirby Puckett, Tom Foley, Ed Whitson, Luis Polonia, Andres Thomas, Terry Steinbach, Paul Sorrento, Todd Frowirth, Dennis ‘Oil Can’ Boyd, Rich Monetleone, Geno Petralli, and Ray Searage.

2 great stars in this pack that I am excited to add to my collection – McGriff & Puckett!!!

Busting One More Pack Of 1990 Fleer – Pack #3

 I received 4 packs of 1990 Fleer in the contest I won on the Autographed Cards blog.

Here are the results from Pack #3

Von Hayes, Ron Hassey, Fred McGriff, Devon White, Glenn Wilson, Dave Winfield, Sandy Alomar Jr, Danny Tartabull, Andres Galaraga, Scott Coolbaugh, Rick Dempsey, Scott Hemond/Mark Gardner, Tony Gwynn, Lou Whitaker, and Steve Wilson.

Doubles, Doubles, Doubles.  At least some of the doubles I got are of players I like, but this was a pack that contained only 3 new cards for me.  At least one of the ;newbies’ was a Tony Gwynn card!!!

Tearing Into Another Pack Of 1990 Fleer – Pack #2

 I received 4 packs of 1990 Fleer in the contest I won on the Autographed Cards blog.

Here are the results from Pack #2

Dan Gladden, R.J. Reynolds, Pat Borders, Von Hayes, Ron Hassey, Fred McGriff, Devon White, Glenn Wilson, Dave Winfield, Sandy Alomar Jr, Danny Tartabull, Andres Galaraga, Scott Coolbaugh, Rick Dempsey, and Scott Hemond/Mark Gardner.

Of the cards, the Winfield, McGriff, and Galaraga cards stand out.  In this pack, there weare a few doubles from this pack that I got in pack 1.

Baseball Card Show Purchase #10 – $1 Bargain Bin Card #2

 1986 Donruss Rated Rookie – Fred McGriff

I’ve sung the praises of Fred McGriff a few times on this blog.  He was a very good player and contributed solidly both on offense and defense during his career.  Although he falls just short of the 500 home run club that almost always guarantees Hall of Fame entry, I hope that the writers give ‘The Crime Dog’ strong consideration as he played extremely well and remained unquestionably ‘steroid free’ when his foes were ‘juicing’.

I’m Crossing My Fingers For Andre Dawson…

While 99% of the attention(and rightfully so) regarding the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has gone to Rickey Henderson, I am crossing my fingers for Andre Dawson!!!

In 2008’s vote, Dawson got 65.9% of the votes.  In 2007, it was 56.7%.  Andre’s vote counts have escalated each year and it looks like election into the Hall of Fame in 2009 or 2010 will happen.

Personally, I feel that his election is long overdue.  I admit that I am biased on this topic as Dawson is my favorite player from the last 30+ years.  But, I do feel that he has done more than enough offensively and defensively to get inducted into Cooperstown, even if it is on his 9th or 10th ballot.

So, now my thoughts take a different turn.  Would I rather see ‘The Hawk’ get voted in during 2009 or 2010??  I don’t want to jinx anything, but my little blog cannot compare to the Sports Illustraded or Madden video game jinxes… 

If Dawson gets in this year, all eyes(well at least 99%) will be on Rickey Henderson.  But, if Andre doesn’t get the votes this year and finally does for the 2010 election, I would argue that he is the best player getting in that year finally giving him the attention he deserves.  While I don’t feel like being in Henderson’s shadow is a bad thing, the enshrinement into baseball’s Hall of Fame puts players on a very large pedastal and I want Dawson to shine as bright as he can.  In 2010, the only new players that may get serious consideration would be Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin, and Fred McGriff.  I could easily argue that Dawson was a more productive and complete player than either of these guys and would take center stage if enshrined alongside either or all of them.

So, what do you think?  If Andre Dawson was guaranteed to be voted into the Hall of Fame in 2009 or 2010, which year would be better for him, for his fans, and for Cooperstown??

Happy Birthday Fred McGriff!!!

That’s right, the ‘Crime Dog’ turns 45 today!!!

Fred McGriff is possibly one of the most underrated baseball players from the last 20 years.  An extremely consistent hitter over the course of his 19-year career, McGriff added solid hitting and amazing power to the line-up.

For his 45th birthday, I give him 7 more home runs – giving him an even 500 for his amazing career.

Happy Birthday to the ‘Crime Dog’!!!

Hunting for Autographs…

If you saw the blog I posted last night you saw that I bought 9 cards at a local card shop.  You can read that post again here if you want to catch up. 

When you saw the scan of the cards I purchased you may have been a little puzzled as to why I would purchase such a diverse group of players.  These guys share little in common.  There is no player theme to be found.  There is no team theme to be found.

On the contrary my friends…  First off, all of these guys starred for their teams in the 80’s.  But the main thing that these 9 former players have in common is that each of them is affiliated with a MLB team today in some way or another.  Some are hitting coaches, bench managers, broadcasters, or special assistants. 

What I want to do is go back to trying something I was successful with 15+ years ago.  I am going to mail these former stars a letter asking for an autograph.  I’ll enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope too so they can just sign the card and return it to me.  Hopefully this works out well and I will update you as soon as the mail starts flowing back in my direction.

Everything will be out in the mail tomorrow.  I did this in kid of a rush as I wanted these to get to these former players before the season was over just in case any of them take their mail home during the off-season.

A special ‘Thank You’ goes out to Dinged Corners as their blog provides you with almost all of the info you would need to take on something like this.