Happy Birthday Ichiro!!!

Happy Birthday Ichiro!!!

Ichiro turns 41 years old today!!

Easily one of the best hitters of the last 15 years, Ichiro Suzuki has proven to be an extremely talented contact hitter, maybe one of the best ever.

In 14 professional seasons in major league baseball, Ichiro has collected 2,844 hits.  In ten of fourteen years, he has accumulated 200 or more hits in those seasons.

For his birthday, I wish Ichiro perfect health.  And I want that health to hold until he gets into the 3,000 hits club.  Based on his average he will need just 2 more years to accomplish that task.  And while that means he will be 43 years old when that time comes, I do believe that he is conditioned to reach that mark with relative ease if he wants it.  He just needs to find a team that will use his talents and let him get the at-bats required to connect for another 156 hits.

I eagerly await the chase!

Happy Birthday Ichiro!!!

1990 HEADLINE: Two No-Hitters In One Day!!!

1990 HEADLINE: Two No-Hitters In One Day!!!

I can recall this day like it was yesterday…

On this day in 1990, both Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics and Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw no-hitters.

I remember checking the box scores the day after these two no-hitters and thought how cool it was to see two on the same page of the paper…

Let’s look a little closer at these two ‘No-No’s’:

Dave Stewart – On the road and in front of a crowd of just under 50,000, the A’s were in Toronto to battle the Blue Jays. Stewart pitched a gem while striking out 12 batters ang giving up just 3 walks. He threw 115 pitches during the game it took just 147 minutes for his A’s team to beat the Blue Jays 5-0.

Fernando Valenzuela – At home and facing the Cardinals, Valenzuela was awesome as he and his Dodgers teammates beat St. Louis 6-0 in 161 minutes. Valenzuela was brilliant – allowing just 3 base runners while striking out 7 batters. For the game, he threw 119 pitches. He also went 1-for-4 at the plate.

2 great pitchers. 1 amazing accomplishment. Baseball history!!!

1996 HEADLINE: Al Leiter Throws A No-Hitter For The Florida Marlins

1996 HEADLINE:  Al Leiter Throws A No-Hitter For The Florida Marlins

On this day in 1996, All Leiter threw a no-hitter for the Florida Marlins!!!

I happened to have been at this game, and it is by far the single greatest sporting event I have ever seen live in person. This game easily trumps being at the World Series, The NBA Conference Finals, and any other baseball, basketball, or wrestling event I have ever been to.

I thought it would be fun to go back and review that original post I wrote over a year ago when I told you about ‘The Greatest Baseball Game I Have Ever Been To’. And then being a bit of a risk taker, I sent the ticket stub from that game along with a baseball card and sent them to Al Leiter in hopes of getting him to sign them for me. That went pretty well too…

Thanks again Mr. Leiter. And Happy Anniversary!!!

Did You Know…

The record for the most singles hit in a single major league baseball season is held by Ichiro Suzuki.  In 2004, Ichiro connected for 225 singles.

My 2011 Topps ‘Prime 9 Players Of The Week’ Redemption Set Is COMPLETE!!! Come See!!!

My 2011 Topps ‘Prime 9 Players Of The Week’ Redemption Set Is COMPLETE!!!  Come See!!!

Well friends, another subset has been completed at ’30-Year Old Cardboard’.

And this one is superb!

Just like the ‘Prime 9 Home Run Legends’ set I built last year, this one boasts great color, sharp graphics, and a supremely high-gloss finish.

The 2011 Topps Prime 9 ‘Players Of The Week’ set features 9 players – 1 for each defensive position.  And the roster is loaded with major, major talent.

Here is a look at the whole set:

 

By completing this set, I have now finished both of the Topps ‘Prime 9’ redemption sets.  And I have to say that I wish that this was a series that never stopped.  The ‘Prime 9’ theme is one that could easily continue with new themes – and with solid production that matches the 2011 and 2012 sets that they already issued, the quality was definitely there!

Cheers to another completed subset!  Hip-Hip-Hooray!!

2011 Topps ‘Prime 9 Players Of The Week’ Redemption Set – Ichiro

2011 Topps ‘Prime 9 Players Of The Week’ Redemption Set – Ichiro

I had such a good time building the ‘Prime 9 – Home Run Legends’ set that as soon as it was completed, I jumped right into the ‘Prime 9 – Players Of The Week’ set.

The set was issued in the same manner – through exclusive redemption cards that could only be processed through hobby shops.

The set is ten cards deep, and features a great graphic display as well as a super-glossy finish.

This is the Ichiro card from the set:

The back of the card features ‘9 Prime’ facts about Ichiro.

A few of my favorites are:

• Was hitting 500 balls a day at age 7
• won seven Pacific League batting titles in a row
• second player to be ROY and MVP in same season
• only player in MLB history with 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons
• holds single-season record of 262 hits

Happy Birthday Ichiro!!!

Happy Birthday Ichiro!!!

Ichiro turns 40 years old today!!

Easily one of the best hitters of the last 15 years, Ichiro Suzuki has proven to be an extremely talented contact hitter, maybe one of the best ever.

In 13 professional seasons in major league baseball, Ichiro has collected 2,742 hits.  In ten of thirteen years, he has accumulated 200 or more hits in those seasons.

For his birthday, I wish Ichiro perfect health.  And I want that health to hold until he gets into the 3,000 hits club.  Based on his average he will need just 2 more years to accomplish that task.  And while that means he will be 42 years old when that time comes, I do believe that he is conditioned to reach that mark with relative ease if he wants it.

Happy Birthday Ichiro!!!

Baseball Card Show Purchase #5 – The Start Of A New Subset: 2011 Topps ‘Prime 9 Players Of The Week’

Baseball Card Show Purchase #5 – The Start Of A New Subset: 2011 Topps ‘Prime 9 Players Of The Week’

I was not seeking out the cards in this purchase, and to be honest I did not know that they existed.

But, since I did not have to dedicate any time to sifting through cards from the new Panini, Pinnacle, or Topps Chrome sets, I had a little more time to dig into some other things.

So, I looked for the ‘Silver Lining’ and I think that I did pretty well…

I was able to rescue two cards from the 2011 Topps ‘Prime 9 Players of the Week’ set.  These cards were obtained back in 2011 through a redemption process – buyers of 2011 Series 2 hobby boxes could obtain redemption cards that would be exchanged for these ‘Prime 9’ cards on a weekly basis throughout the second half of the 2011 season.

This set features one player for each position, and includes a mix of both former and current stars.

I fell upon two cards from this set – back to back – in a $1 box.  I bought both.

Here is the card of Ichiro:

And here is the card of Sandy Koufax:

As soon as I got home from the show, I researched the checklist.  This is a set I will be going after as it is star-studded.

Obviously Ichiro makes up one of the outfield spots in this set, and Koufax is the starting pitcher.

Consider this a new challenge for ’30-YOC’.  This set looks great and will be a perfect complement to my ‘Prime 9 Home Run Legends’ set that is nearing completion.

2011 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Wall Climbers’ Subset – Ichiro

2011 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Wall Climbers’ Subset – Ichiro

The 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Wall Climbers’ set is a piece of art.  The cards feature stunning graphics with images that capture some of baseball’s greatest action – the art of leaping into the air and bringing back would be home run balls.

The set offers just 10 cards, but each one is an amazing look at one of baseball’s great highlights.

This is the card of Ichiro Suzuki from the set:

In each of his first ten seasons in the major leagues, Ichiro captured a Gold Glove Award for his excellence at defense in the outfield.  His strong arm, throwing accuracy, and ability to make plays by covering an incredible amount of ground quickly made him one of the sport’s greatest and most exciting defenders.

1990 HEADLINE: Two No-Hitters In One Day!!!

1990 HEADLINE: Two No-Hitters In One Day!!!

I can recall this day like it was yesterday…

On this day in 1990, both Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics and Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw no-hitters.

I remember checking the box scores the day after these two no-hitters and thought how cool it was to see two on the same page of the paper…

Let’s look a little closer at these two ‘No-No’s’:

Dave Stewart – On the road and in front of a crowd of just under 50,000, the A’s were in Toronto to battle the Blue Jays. Stewart pitched a gem while striking out 12 batters ang giving up just 3 walks. He threw 115 pitches during the game it took just 147 minutes for his A’s team to beat the Blue Jays 5-0.

Fernando Valenzuela – At home and facing the Cardinals, Valenzuela was awesome as he and his Dodgers teammates beat St. Louis 6-0 in 161 minutes. Valenzuela was brilliant – allowing just 3 base runners while striking out 7 batters. For the game, he threw 119 pitches. He also went 1-for-4 at the plate.

2 great pitchers. 1 amazing accomplishment. Baseball history!!!