Stat Anomaly, 20 Losses in a Season List

Here is the list of base cards that would showcase the 20 losses in a season statline. I will trade for any of these. I realize this will be a difficult path, but there's only 40 cards. The goal is to get them all by the end of 2010. Any suggestions on how to go about searching for them?

2004 Topps Mike Maroth #513
1981 Topps Brian Kingman #284
1980 Topps Phil Niekro #245
1978 Topps Jerry Koosman #565
1978 Topps Phil Niekro #10
1976 Topps Wilbur Wood #368
1975 Topps Bill Bonham #85
1975 Topps Randy Jones #248
1975 Topps Steve Rogers #173
1975 Topps Mickey Lolich #245
1975 Topps Clyde Wright #408
1974 Topps Steve Carlton
1974 Topps Stan Bahnsen #254
1974 Topps Wilbur Wood
1973 Topps Steve Arlin #294
1972 Topps Denny McLain #210
1970 Topps Clay Kirby #79
1970 Topps Luis Tiant #231
1967 Topps Dick Ellsworth #359
1967 Topps Mel Stottlemyre #225
1966 Topps Jack Fisher #316
1966 Topps Al Jackson #206
1966 Topps Larry Jackson #595
1965 Topps Tracy Stallard #491
1964 Topps Roger Craig #295
1964 Topps Orlando Pena #124
1963 Topps Roger Craig #197
1963 Topps Al Jackson #111
1963 Topps Turk Farrell #277
1963 Topps Dick Ellsworth #399
1962 Topps Pedro Ramos #485
1961 Topps Glen Hobbie #264/393
1958 Topps Robin Roberts #90
1958 Topps Chuck Stobbs #239
1957 Topps Art Ditmar #132
1956 Topps Sam Jones #259
1955 Bowman Murry Dickson #236
1955 Bowman Don Larsen #67
1954 Bowman Harry Byrd #49
1953 Murry Dickson: none (substitute with 1957 Topps #71 which shows career stats)
1953 Bowman Art Houtteman #4

Stat Anomaly: 20 Losses in a Season, Brian Kingman

When I was a child, my favorite writer in the Philadelphia Inquirer was Jayson Stark (which everynoe no knows of from ESPN). Every Sunday, he would write his baseball week in review column and expand my exposure to the game with such categories as Kinerism of the Week or the now ubiquitous ESPN column title, Rumblings and Grumblings. It was an insight into the game beyond the box score that I was not able to normally receive.

He tended to hone in on certain feats and fumblings and follow these every year. One of these was the quest of Brian Kingman to prevent the next pitcher from obtaining what is a forgettable milestone, 20 losses in a season for a pitcher.

It is a rare feat now because pitchers now do not receive as many decisions or starts as they did before because the number of pitchers in the rotation has increased by one.

Brian Kingman's year of infamy was in 1980. He was 8-20 with a 3.83 ERA (98 ERA+), talk about no run support. A nearly league average pitcher on a pretty decent Bill Martin run Athletic team, he lost 9 quality starts and one relief appearance. He even lost games in which he gave up one run in a complete game, one run in 7.1 innings, and three runs in 8.1 innings.

His claim to fame really came later when he tried to hex whomever came close to his inglorious record, the last post-1979 20 loss obtainer. His hex worked on Omar Daal, Mike Moore, Scott Erickson, Matt Young, Tim Leary, Kirk McCaskill, Bobby Jones, and Jose Deleon (twice). His hex was finally broken by Mike Maroth of the truly terrible 2003 Detroit Tigers.

To document this achievement, I would like to collect one card from the year that documents all 20 loss seasons since the advent of baseball cards. I want the card with the stat line on it. You almost have to be a good enough pitcher to pitch so many games and lose so many times.

Here's my first entry into the list, a 1981 Fleer Brian Kingman.

Profil Derby Poll is Alive...Again

I posted the next poll awhile back, hoping it would get some voting before the deadline. Here are the players' career summaries for those who are on the fence because you need more information.

Note: Batting lines are expressed in AVG/OBP/SLG.

Darrell Evans: .248/.361/.431 (119 OPS+) over 21 seasons with 1344 R, 414 HR, and 1354 RBI, 1605/1410 BB/K ratio (12th all time in walks), played 3B most of his career

Willie Randolph: .276/.373/.351 (104 OPS+) over 18 seasons with 1239 R, 271 SB, 1243/675 BB/K ratio, played 2B, 6 time all star, 1 silver slugger

Buddy Bell:.279/.341/.406 (109 OPS+) over 18 seasons with 1151 R, 201 HR, 1106 RBI, 5 time all-star, 6 Gold Gloves, 1 Silver Slugger, played 3rd base

Jerry Koosman: 222-209 with 3.36 ERA (110 ERA+) over 19 seasons. 2556/1198 K/B ratio, 2 time all-star

Dan Quisenberry: 56-46 with 2.79 ERA (146 ERA+) over 12 seasons. 244 Saves, 3 time all star, 5 top 5 Cy Young award finishes, 1.4 BB/9

Happy voting!

non-HOF Profile Derby #9: Dwight Evans

Next (winning the last poll with 5 votes), s sometimes overlooked all-around outfielder of the Red Sox by the name of Dwight "Dewey" Evans , (1972-1991.)

Place on the WAR chart: Below Ryne Sandberg and Goose Goslin and above Harmon Killebrew and Dave Winfield.

Career Overview and Some Numbers:A cannon-armed RF with power and plate discipline. He played for Boston (72-90) and Baltimore (91). He had decent contact ability with power, especially in Fenway Park (.505 SLG at home vs. .437 on the road for his career). He was a middle of the lineup hitter and exhibited a remarkable batting eye, walking 80 or more times in a season on 7 occassions. He also was a consistently above average fielder, roaming the green corridors of the Pesky Pole side of Fenway Park and making runners regret trying to take the extra base (157 outfield assists)

He was a 3 time all-star, 2 time Silver Slugger winner, 8 time Gold Glove winner, and finished in the top 10 of the MVP balloting 4 times (twice in the top 5). He led the league in walks thrice, runs once, HR once, OBP once, total bases once and OPS twice. His most similar comparisons for his career were Luis Gonzalez and Dave Winfield.

Best Season: 1981, the strike season at the age of 32, when he hit .296/.415/.522 with a league leading .937 OPS (162 OPS+), 85 BB, and 22 HR. He also had 84 R, 32 HR, 71 RBI.

The Final Numbers: Finished with 1384 RBI, 1470 runs and 385 HR. Hit .272/.370/.470 (127 OPS+) for his career. Also finished 27th all-time in walks with 1391.

Why He Should be Remembered: Remembered as the best throwing outfielder of his era, but also one of the driving forces on two versions of successful Red Sox teams, 1975 and 1986, especially in the 1986 World Series (.308/.400/.615). He also led the AL in HRs hit for the 1980s.

HOF Balloting Performance:1997 BBWAA ( 5.9%), 1998 BBWAA (10.4%), 1999 BBWAA ( 3.6%)

Rookie Card: 1973 Topps #614
Modern Cards: 2007 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic Auto, 2004 Topps Legends Auto, 2002 Topps Archives Reserve #20, etc (there are many)

What Cures a Case of the Mondays for me?

I don't know about other people, but coming back from a weekend trip and having to go to work on Monday just puts me in a somber mood. The rest of the world is much more interesting compared to where I'm sitting now. Imagine a yellow hole....add a computer...and you have my office. Not that I'm complaining about it...it's just not an uplifting setting. This is when and why I turn to my uploaded scans and talk about Phillies cards. These cards are from the generous hand of Brian at Play at the Plate. One of these days I'll have some worthwhile Rangers to send you (I'm completely out after our last trade).

First, he included some cards from the much-maligned 2008 UD Documentary set (now going for $20 per hobby box online). Of course, it documents the most glorious of seasons, 2008 (not that I'm biased or anything). I would say that putting these cards together with the backs showing would be a better way to present them. The player photos on the front are superfluous.




Cole Hamels is dreaming about finding a way to get his BABIP down this year. Advanced stats say he didn't have a down year in 2009, but you could see he was struggling with something. It wasn't his command necessarily, but Hamels wasn't mentally all there for the latter part of 2009. Come back with another pitch for 2010, Cole.

And here's long-time Phillie Bobby Abreu in mini form from the original Topps 206 set in 2002. I was just thinking that Bobby Abreu (except for an all-star starting appearance in 2005) has been one of the most underappreciated players despite putting up consistent stats for 10 years. At his peak, he was a step or two below Vlad Guerrero in terms of production.

The Phillies traded him in mid-2006 to the Yankees in what could only be characterized as a salary dump trade, receiving nothing of consequence in return (this was pre-ordained at the time of the deal). Since that time, the Phillies have made 3 consecutive postseasons. While Abreu was with the team, they came tantalizingly close during the years 2001-2005 without success. Is this a coincidence or causation thing? Or is it because the Phillies just had terrible outfield defense for many years? Later (in the next couple of weeks), we will examine the "Abreu Effect"...in as complicated a manner as possible.


Thanks Brian!

1991 Stadium Club Series 1: Printed on Kodak Paper

Yes, that was the selling point of Stadium Club when it first emerged as the first "premium" Topps set in 1991. And it worked. Packs soon hit $3.00 in some areas especially with Griffey, Thomas, and the Nolan Ryan tuxedo card in the 1st series. I found this pack for $1.00 a while back, and it's the first time I've ever opened a series 1 pack of the premier Stadium Club edition....from the future. I will just let the images speak for themselves. Do you see 1990 Topps doing this? Didn't think so.

You don't see mustaches like Wayne Edwards's anymore. It must be out of style or something.


Two Hall-of -Famers here...the baby-faced Biggio and the Pudge-faced Fisk, looking especially vintage in this shot.


Do you miss the Expos? I'm not sure if I miss the team, but I do miss the hat, as modeled by a pensive Larry Walker.

You're safe Daryl Boston...sliding into third with a stand-up triple.

I'm off to the snow for the weekend. See you later.

non-HOF Profile Derby #8: Dave Stieb

Here's the middle finisher of the first poll (with 3 votes!), Toronto pitcher Dave Stieb (1979-1993, 1998)
Place on the WAR chart: Below Red Ruffing, Billy Pierce, and Joe McGinnity; Above Early Wynn and Eppa Rixey
Career Overview Power pitcher with a propensity to pitch inside, Stieb hurled for Toronto (1979-1992, 1998) and the White Sox (1993). He was a 7 time all-star and led the league in ERA, shutouts, and compete games once. He led in IP and ERA+ twice and in batters hit five times. He was not a control pitcher, walking 80 or more 5 times, but he was practically unhittable in some years, leading to a top ten WHIP finish 8 times in his career. His most similar comparisons for his career stats were Virgil Trucks and Ken Holtzman. I don't have a modern equivalent in mind.
Best Season: Let's say 1984: 16-8, 2.83 ERA (145 ERA+), 198 K in 267 IP.

The Final Numbers:He finished 176-137 with 3.44 ERA (122 ERA+), 1669 K and 129 hit batsmen. After 1990, injuries limited his pitching time and effectiveness. Came back in 1998 as a relief pitcher after five years away from the game.
Why He Should be Remembered: His W-L record doesn't reflect it, but he was a dominating pitcher for Toronto from 1981-1985 and a great one from 1987-1990. He achieved an elusive no-hitter in 1990 after having three broken up with two outs in the 9th inning in previous opportunities, including one near-perfect game.
HOF Balloting Performance:1.4% in 2004
Rookie Card: 1980 Topps #77

Other Key Cards: 2004 Topps Retired Signature #58, 1991 Topps Desert Shield #460

Card Love: 1968 Topps Minnie Rojas

Observe. A perfectly normal 1968 Topps Minnie Rojas card. Who is Minnie Rojas, you ask? It's spelled out clearly on the front of the card..."Pitcher Angels". These were the Angels that were supposed to represent the whole state, the California Angels. The Angels of "Angels in the Outfield" (though I think that movie had the Pirates in it). The Angels of Dean Chance and expansion team hood. He is looking up to the sky for a posed windup as if inviting or hoping for some sign that this spring training will yield some hope to build off a winning record and 5th place finish in 1967. Minnie Rojas was a part of that success, leading the league in games finished and saves (before it was an official statistic), and finishing 24th in the MVP voting. Alas, it was not meant to be in 1968. The Angels fell back to 8th place and Minnie Rojas pitched his last major league season.

The owner of the card was prescient as he expressed this fallout with a big "Z" in the middle of the back of the card. Does it stand for the end of the line? Is it an incomprehensible scribble? Why did he use a pen for the career stats and a black marker for the circled x below the number. These were not the marks of cataloguing. These are expressions that words could not express. Maybe he was frustrated by the disappearance of one Minervino Alejandro Rojas from the baseball world after 1968. Maybe this card was marked as a double and was therefore, expendable in trades....or maybe he was trying to recreate the cartoon on the back. Speculation can only get so far. Who knows the mind of a child in 1968?

Swapping Cards: A Trade with the Collective Troll

I recently completed a trade with Marck, the prolific poster and eponymous writer of The Collective Troll (rookie blog of the year, it was). It centered around this piece, a 1980 Topps Mike Schmidt. Since I am in the business of collecting all Mike Schmidts, and I was able to offer something he desired. Terms were soon met and cards were sent hurtling through the mailosphere.





He also sent some modern Phillies cards, which will all make fine additions to my ever-growing and never-finishing Phillies Project. He also sent some cards to help me on the way to completing yet another set that will not go to rest, 2009 Topps A&G.



2009 Topps Heritage Then and Now Bobby Richardson/Cole Hamels, highlighting the World Series MVPs of 1960 and 2008, respectively. Did you know Bobby Richardson is the only player to win MVP of the World Series in a losing cause? He also set the record for most hits in one World Series.

A brownish parallel of 2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes #d to 149, essentially highlighting the homegrown backbone of the Phillies squad.
This was one of those retail exclusive inserts inserted in blaster boxes depicting Ryan Howard.





Some 2009 Topps Heritage Phillies: JC Romero, a waiver wire pickup in 2007, who became the lead lefty of the bullpen for 2008....then was suspended for the first 50 games of 2009. Also, game recaps from the 2008 World Series.



Lastly, a 2009 Topps U&H All Star Gold Parallel (#d to 2009) of Chase Utley.

There were other cards, but they have been mixed in with my general collection.

Thanks for the trade Marck! Let's do it again sometime.

Prospect Valuation or Why Did We Sign Jason Bay For Such a Long Time?

This is a 2008 Prime Cuts card of Ike Davis. A "Phenom", if you will. He was the Mets 2008 1st round pick who has serious power potential, hitting 20 HR and 31 2B split between A and AA in 2009. A little worrisome is that he has been handled by LHP and had a high K% (29%) with a BB% (12%) that could use improvement, but that hasn't stopped a lot of power hitters from success in the MLB level (see: Ryan Howard and Jim Thome as extreme examples).

The Mets crave power; they need power. The power outage rolled through the major league club and what looked like a promising club at the outset of the season faded into the bright lights of summer. Daniel Murphy led the way with 12 HRs last year, David Wright struggled all season and ended with 10. Beltran and Delgado: hurt. Sheffield, Francoeur, and Tatis do not a potent offense make.

Enter Jason Bay. He has power (36 HRs and a .537 SLG). Has a decent batting eye (15% BB rate) with a high strikeout rate (25% K rate). He also plays left field...poorly and is 31 year olds. He has been signed for $66 million over 4 years...not a bad deal for a person of his skillset...if baseball were played in a vacuum.

However, baseball is a game in which context means plenty. He is going from a good hitting ballpark (Fenway) to a poor one (Citi) and from a short outfield to a spacious one. He's also going from a team with a lot of protection (Martinez, Youkilis, Ortiz) to one with less (Beltran, Wright, uncertain Delgado). He has not shown pronounced platoon splits or home/road splits before, so why the skepticism about the contract and signing?

There are three factors: state of the team, cost, and age.

1)The Mets are an incomplete team. They are not as good as the Phillies, Braves, or Marlins at this point. Jason Bay will not give them the production they need to overcome most of the shortfalls that they have. There are a lot of other weaknesses on the roster that are either coming off injury and have uncertainty attached to them or are just not reliable pieces. Examples of this are Castillo at 2B, Reyes at SS, Murphy/Francoeur in the OF, and the entire starting rotation except for Santana.

2)To that effect, the cost of $15 million per annum is reasonable on its face. However, it would be more economical and maybe even advantageous for the team to eat some of the sunk costs (Oliver Perez, anyone?) of the non-performing pieces and replace them with more cost-effective pieces. One prime example of this approach for a team with a similar budget has been the transformation of the Mariners since the end of 2008. They took a risk on some players (Russell Branyan) at minimum cost and concentrated on defense (Frankie Guitierrez) as the primary way to improve. Overpaying for relief pitchers would also be a practice left to others (see: JJ Putz, the remains of Billy Wagner, and K-Rod).

3)The other problem is that Bay has just left his prime years. He has pretty typical "old player" skills...good batting eye, power, no semblance of speed, that in many cases, portends a loss of production sometime during the course of the next 4 years. Also, the psychological effect of Citi field seems to affect even the best hitters (Wright/Beltran), though it's unclear how many HRs they actually lost by the ballpark on its own.

Will Ike Davis be a better player than Jason Bay in 2010?....no. Will he be more productive in 2014? Well, that's hard to say, but he could possibly offer a similar production at 1/20 of the cost. The Mets need to develop more Ike Davis/Fernando Martinez types to improve their fortunes within the next 3 years. Otherwise, unless they get no injuries from an old team, the best they can expect with their present team construction is to hope to challenge for a wild card spot.

This whole post was an excuse to showcase my first ever 2008 Prime Cuts autograph.

Poll Results and New Poll

Thank you to the five of you who voted in the first ballot-building poll. Ted Simmons was the most popular choice, followed by Bob Johnson. I know that Billy Pierce has a dedicated following too. No matter, all 7 will go on the ballot.

Up next is a new poll with 5 names. Of these five, 3 will proceed to the ultimate ballot. These will then be profiled in the same manner as the first 7.

The five are from varying eras and have varying skillsets. Here's a brief presentation of their careers.

Dave Stieb: 176-137 3.44 ERA (122 ERA+) over 16 seasons, 1669 K
Bobby Grich: .266/.371/.424 (125 OPS+) over 17 seasons,1033 R, 224 HR, 2nd baseman
Norm Cash: .271/.374/.488 (139 OPS+) over 17 seasons, 1st baseman, 377 HR, 1101 RBI
Jim McCormick: 265-214 with 2.43 ERA (118 ERA+) over 10 seasons (1878-1887), 1704 K
Dwight Evans:.272/.370/.470 (127 OPS+) over 20 seasons, 385 HR, 1384 RBI, rightfielder

So vote for your favorites! You have until the end of the week.

2009 topps 206: A new pack for the new year and impressions

I have not been in a pack buying mood lately. I´m starting to run out of space in my little storage area in my apartment, so for the last few months, I´ve been limiting my purchases to group breaks and Phillies card lots. I stumbled upon this in Target though a few weeks back...$4.99, are you out of your mind? ....for 12 cards (same amount of cards as two retail packs priced at $2.99 each)

Here´s the wrapper for those interested, it was packed in two sections with 6 cards apiece. Onto the break....


Jered Weaver stretching as he wakes up in the morning, Miguel Tejada practicing self-defense, and a Bobby Scales sporting the Lucky Cubs Hat.


The much-hyped David Price and one of the last of his RC issued this year? His task if he chooses to accept it, surpass Joba Chamberlain. Right now, his pitch count tendencies remind me a lot of Scott Kazmir, though the scouts say his stuff is top notch. Also, two starting pitchers from the Braves who have annoyed me.

What will Matt LaPorta become? As the key component to the CC Sabathia trade, he needs a position and an opportunity at this point in his career. Thurman Munson, a legend in his own time.



This is the thick bronze parallel. At least I got a retired HOF player.


Posed and ready....though it seems I´ve cut the names off with my magical scanning powers.


And lastly, the newly appointed saviour of the Metropolitans, Fernando Martinez in MINI form.

I have a few other scattered cards from this set and my impression is simple. The set is average. It has some memorable cards, but the faded color backgrounds and painted depictions and somehow a strange cross between A&G and Goudey. Don´t get me wrong, I like it, but I would not pursue it in box form (especially with 20 packs per box and 9 cards per pack). The SPs in the set are also discouraging.

I´m not sure if they did this in the sets in 2002 and 2003, but some retired players from the era would be a nice inclusion. I am happy they didn´t go the non-baseball player route in this set like the other sets of vintage variety from this year.

The framed relics and autos are a big plus (I have none though) as are the minis. Why can´t the entire set be done in mini form? That would be the ultimate tribute. Forget about these so called base cards.

Ok, then a hobby box should include packs plus a stack of the 15 pocket pages since not many people are aware that they exist.

Overall Rating: B-
Collectability Rating: C+
Fun Rating: B
Collation: C- for the shortprints
Innovation Rating: D, is a rehash of ideas from 6-7 years ago and also borrows heavily from other vintage sets this year. Needed something punchy to be a 100th anniversary set to hold onto. At least it´s one series.

More Phillies For a Sleepy Day

I´m still trying for all cards of 1980 Phillies (expect a checklist update this month). Here´s some more I´ve received recently. Sorry, feeling sleepy today,

Contest Winnings from Condition: Poor

I won Slangkos ¨Postseason Hootenanny¨ back in October (hosted on his blog Condition: Poor and received some of the Heroes of the Diamond cards he is now showcasing. I would just like to say that these are really nice in person: thick cards with a grainy texture. The images chosen were varied and pertinent and best of all, there is a write-up on the back for each subject (as modeled by Blake DeWitt and Dustin Pedroia). Just take a close look here and an even closer look at his blog. Thank you sir for these original pieces!

OPS+ and ERA+ Reference List

I know not everyone who reads this is a statophile like myselfa and is familiar with the statistics on Baseball-Reference.com. As I introduce more profiles, here´s a (estimated) reference list for OPS+ and ERA+. Notice the different scales for each of the statistics. This is important to consider because a 120 OPS+ is not the same in relative performance as a 120 ERA+.

OPS+ (career)
200: Babe Ruth
190: Ted Williams
180: Barry Bonds
170: Albert Pujols
160: Stan Musial
155: Hank Aaron, Joe Dimaggio, Manny Ramirez
150: Honus Wagner, Jeff Bagwell
145: Jim Thome, Vlad Guerrero
140: Miguel Cabrera, Gary Sheffield, Duke Snider
135: George Brett, David Wright, Al Kaline
130: Wade Boggs, Roberto Clemente, Jason Bay, Chase Utley
125: Yogi Berra, Bernie Williams, Derrek Lee
120: Harold Baines, Joe Gordon, Shawn Green
115: Gary Carter, Raul Ibanez, Robin Yount
110: Andruw Jones, Alan Trammell, Frankie Frisch

For OPS+, there are 650 players that have reached a mark of 110 or higher (100 is league average for a given time). Notice even in each value tier how the skills of each player vary even though they have the same career OPS+ value.

ERA+ (career for starters)
154: Pedro Martinez
145-150: Lefty Grove, Walter Johnson, Ed Walsh
140-144: Roger Clemens, Johan Santana, Brandon Webb
135-139: Cy Young, Randy Johnson, Christy Mathewson
130-134: Roy Halladay, Carl Hubbell, Greg Maddux, Sandy Koufax, Dizzy Dean
125: Lefty Gomez, John Smoltz, Dazzy Vance
120: Jake Peavy, David Cone, Don Drysdale
115: Steve Carlton, Chuck Finley, Ben Sheets
110: AJ Burnett, Tommy John, Jerry Koosman
105: Jamie Moyer

For ERA+, there are 504 pitchers that have reached a mark of 105 or higher (100 is league average for a given time).

Another thing to keep in mind is that both these stats are adjusted for ballpark and era. Great pitchers from the modern era have very high ERA+ because this is one of the highest scoring eras in baseball history.

Again, these are just examples of tools to evaluate players. I use it more as a first impression for a player. You have to look deeper at individual seasons, circumstance (ballpark and era), splits, and other aspects to get a better sense of how good a player was....statistically. Not all measures are perfect, but if you find enough that say the same thing, then what you think is probably true.

What do you primarily use to evaluate a player´s career?

New Year´s Resolution Retrospective: 1981 Larry Christenson and Randy Lerch

We, do so resolve, to be reliable starting pitchers. We will promise to wipe down the exercise bike after every use. We will promote the use of ice baths and other new technology instead of those pain pills. We will take our cortisone shots like men and not cry. We also resolve to pitch every 4th day with our off-days being productive for maintaining our bodies and minds with poetry readings and burlesque dancing. Lastly, we resolve to shave for spring training and only grow facial hair during the appropriate time period (i.e. playoffs)...all other superstitions are still valid.

Lerch: I will still wear the same pair of underwear for every home start.
Christenson: I will never, ever, ever, ever tie my shoes between innings.

New Year´s Resolution Retrospective: 1981 Bob Walk, Ramon Aviles, and George Vuckovich

We, as young baseball players, do resolve to not fall for the steak dinner trick anymore. Bowa did it to us four times during the season, and we´re sick of paying for that guy´s meals. We also do not want to wash anymore jockstraps or batting gloves. You have no idea how hard it is to find a laundromat that will let us in with that type of merchandise. Lastly, we resolve to be hard-working dedicated major league baseball players....

Walk: Also please don´t trade me. I like tastykakes.