Wade Boggs 2005 Topps Turkey Red

Wade Boggs 2005 Topps Turkey Red

Another card of Wade Boggs playing defense…

But, with the vintage Topps Turkey design, I think that I would have preferred he be hitting.  For me, this style of card is better suited for a player holding a bat in a posed position rather than in an action, defensive spot.

 

Still, another nice card for my collection.  I really like the attention to detail on this card, from the shoe brand to the lacing on Boggs’ glove – VERY NICELY DONE!!!

1975 Topps Set Card 318/660 – #489 – Cecil Cooper, Red Sox

1975 Topps Set Card 318/660 – #489 – Cecil Cooper, Red Sox

Progress: 318/660

Card Number:  489

Player Name:  Cecil Cooper

Team:  Boston Red Sox

Position:  First Base

Image Style:  Posed Portrait

Years In The Major Leagues: 17 seasons, 1971-87

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Cooper hit .311 for the Red Sox in 1975 as he connected for 95 hits in 305 at-bats.  Of his 95 hits, Cooper collected 17 doubles, 6 triples, and 14 home runs.  He drove in 49 runs during the season while also scoring 44 times.

Notes From Career:  Cecil Cooper is a career .298 hitter with 5 All-Star selections, 3 Silver Slugger Awards, and 2 Gold Gloves on his resume.  Copper connected for 2,192 hits in 1,896 games played.  He is a 2-time league leader in doubles and RBI and also a former MVP candidate.

Wade Boggs 1988 Topps Glossy All-Star Send In

Wade Boggs 1988 Topps Glossy All-Star Send In

I’m always digging the cards of Wade Boggs from his early Red Sox years that feature him playing defense.

And this one from the 1988 Topps Glossy All-Star Send-In set is a beauty!

 

While Boggs was known for his hitting prowess, he was a sharp defender of the ‘hot corner’.  He has a lifetime fielding percentage of .962 at third base, and while that is not a record-setting number, it is fantastic for a player that is solely known for his offensive punch.

Gotta love #26!

1975 Topps Set Card 311/660 – #333 – Dick Drago, Red Sox

1975 Topps Set Card 311/660 – #333 – Dick Drago, Red Sox

Progress: 311/660

Card Number:  333

Player Name:  Dick Drago

Team:  Boston Red Sox

Position:  Pitcher

Image Style:  Posed Pitching

Years In The Major Leagues: 13 seasons, 1969-81

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Dick Drago appeared in 40 games for the Boston Red Sox in 1975.  He went 2-2 during the year with 15 saves.  In 72 innings of work, Drago gave up 69 hits and 31 runs en route to an ERA of 3.84.  He also struck out 43 batters while walking 31.

Notes From Career:  Dick Drago has a career record of 108-117 with 58 saves.  In 13 seasons of play, he pitched for five different clubs both as a starter and relief pitcher.  He has a lifetime ERA of 3.62 as he allowed 1,901 hits and 827 runs in 1,875 innings of work.

Happy Birthday Johnny Damon!!!

Happy Birthday Johnny Damon!!!

Johnny Damon turns 41 years old today.

While Johnny Damon is not named with the sport’s greatest players, he has certainly put himself into the category of ‘Winner’.  And some of the sport’s biggest stars cannot make that claim.

Relatively unknown until he joined the Red Sox, Damon was a quiet player that toiled around in both Kansas City and Oakland for the first 7 years of his career.  During that time, her perfected his craft as a solid hitter with a knack for collecting doubles and stolen bases.

When Damon arrived in Boston in 2002, his ability on the field as well as personality shined and he soon became a fan favorite.  Damon helped the Sox win the World Series title in 2004 and his new-found fame garnered him 2 All-Star team selections and MVP consideration.

Damon moved on to the Yankees in 2006, and again he helped them reach the pinnacle of the sport in 2009 as the Yankees collected another World Series title.

Johnny Damon has proven to be a very skilled baseball player.  His consistency on offense is remarkable, and his time in the major leagues has been relatively injury free – a true credit to a player that played as hard as he did!

Here’s to Johnny Damon!!  Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Dwight Evans!!!

Happy Birthday Dwight Evans!!!

Dwight Evans turns 63 years old today.

Evans wore the Boston Red Sox uniform for 20 years!  And in that time, he became known as one of the sport’s greatest defensive outfielders of all-time.  The winner of 8 Gold Glove awards, ‘Dewey’ was a fan favorite due to his desire to stop the other team from collecting hits and runs.

A 3-time All-star, Evans was also known for his power at the plate.  During his career he crushed 385 home runs – good for 4th place in Red Sox history.

Happy Birthday Mr. Evans!!!

Wade Boggs 1987 KayBee ‘Superstars Of Baseball’

Wade Boggs 1987 KayBee ‘Superstars Of Baseball’

I have to guess that the people at Kay-Bee Toystores though that creating a baseball card set like many other big-box retailers was simply a way to keep up with the competition.

But, they put out a set in 1987 that I think is one of the best oddball sets of the year.

Here is the Wade Boggs card from their 1987 release:

 

Yes, it may not be as lively as some others or feature some ‘Collector’s Edition’ attention grabbing headline, but the card is very nice and clean.

I like the look of the card with the 2-row headline, and the Kay-Bee logo on the bottom is pretty neat as well.

I especially like the large image that was saved to show off the player – and this picture of a young Wade Boggs is both neat and unique!

1986 Topps Sealed Cello Pack With Andre Dawson Card On Top!

1986 Topps Sealed Cello Pack With Andre Dawson Card On Top!

I am really excited about this pick-up for my ‘Ultimate Dawson’ collection.

Two weeks ago, I found a seller on Ebay that had listed hundreds of sealed cello and rack packs from the 1980’s featuring the game’s top stars and rookies right on top in the pack’s window.

I was able to but three for myself – and all of them feature Andre Dawson as the stand-out card.

The first one I will show off is from the 1986 Topps set release.

Here it is:

 

Pretty neat, huh?!?

While Dawson’s 1986 Topps baseball card is one of my least favorites from the 1980’s, I will let that pass as this is a very cool collectible for my collection.

And for now, it is the oldest, sealed pack of cards in my collection that features an Andre Dawson baseball card as the centerpiece.

I LOVE IT!!

Dustin Pedroia 2014 Panini Elite – Series 2

Dustin Pedroia 2014 Panini Elite – Series 2

I love action cards that feature Dustin Pedroia making plays at second base.

For me, he is one of the most exciting infielders in the game simply due to the way he treats each and every at-bat against his club.  He is truly invested in the game and helping his team win.

This card of Pedroia comes from the 2004 Panini Donruss Elite Series 2 release.  And as you can see below, the card features a nice shot of #15 as he appears to be heading towards a grounder that was hit to his right.

 

I do wish that we got to see more of the action though..  It’s nice to get what we got, but I would love to see the ballpark behind him as well as how close to the ball he is..

Still, as I mentioned with the Bryce Harper card from this set that I featured last week, I do like the oversized ‘E’ in the background.

Andre Dawson 2014 Topps ‘Rookie Class Of 1976’ Commemorative Class Ring Card

Andre Dawson 2014 Topps ‘Rookie Class Of 1976’ Commemorative Class Ring Card

When it comes down to it, I guess that I really don’t mind the manufactured relic cards that puzzle so many other collectors.

I find them to be kind of neat, and a nice way to commemorate a player or event.

What does puzzle me about these kinds of cards is how some of them continue to demand top-dollar while others can be had pretty inexpensively.

I have been able to snag a handful of manufactured relic cards over the last few years.  And while I know that the player being featured on the card is what ultimately drives the price and interest level of the public, I have been able to grab some great ones very affordably.

Like this one here of Andre Dawson from the 2014 Topps Series 1 ‘Rookie Class’ set.

 

 

I love it!  The card features a sweet, vintage photo of ‘Hawk’ from his early days in Montreal.  And the ring-looking metal insert is a nice touch for the ‘Class Of’ theme.

It took me a while to grab one of these for my collection, but my patience paid off and I was able to land one for my collection in my price range.

A great addition to my Andre Dawson PC.