Featured Card: 1991 Upper Deck Hank Aaron Hologram

Ghosted by the holographic technology and poised for the delivery, Hank Aaron demonstrates his oft-used batting stance that propelled him to success. Fittingly, this tribute was labelled as one of the original (2nd year) Upper Deck Heroes of Baseball. Aaron's professionalism and sheer statistical greatness earned him the title.

This was not the best scan that I had of the card, but it was the only one which was able to showcase both the foreground and background. Notice that the fans' expresssions are inscrutable behind their varied array of sunglasses while Aaron's is focused and tunneled towards the approach of the stitched spheroid.

This card was a surprise for anyone to receive in a pack in 1991; these were "special cards' inserted at rates never before seen (well, that's not exactly true) . In addition, this was a hologram, the multi-color 3D card tech that would keep me tilting and re-tilting the card until the entire image could be gleaned one piece at a time in my mind's eye.

Who needs superfractors when this type of card is there to tempt your optics?

Quick Weekend Pack Break: 2010 Topps Series 1 Retail Rack Pack

Have you ever noticed that the series 2 of the 'flagship' set is not usually as possible as series 1? Look at the difference in price for series 1 and 2 over the last few years (with 2009 and 2010 giving especially sharp contrast). Is it because they used up all the star power in the 1st series. Or does it just feel like the same set with higher card numbers? Even the insert sets have the same continuation feeling? Anyone else miss the mid-season traded box sets?

Since most people have seen the base set many times over, here's only a highlighted rendering of the cards received.

Card Your Mom Threw Out 1958 Topps Orlando Cepeda: The Giants had the foresight not to throw out Cepeda and decided to keep him and Willie McCovey during most of their prime years.
Tony Gwynn Jr and Ryan Doumit base cards: For some reason, the camouflage uniforms work with the Padres color scheme and I really enjoy the play at the plate depicted on the Doumit card.
Jackie Robinson History of the Game: April 15, 1947
Dizzy Dean Peak Performance: Jay Hanna (or was it Jerome Henry) Dean was as goofy as they came. Who else would get hit in the head with a ball while sliding into second in the World Series? Even so, he was a brilliant pitcher until he broke his big toe in 1937.
Zack Greinke/Nolan Ryan Legendary Lineage: Greinke has more Cy Young Awards than Ryan in his career.
Tales of the Game Jimmy Piersall: This reminds of the time when Germany Schaefer stole 2nd base and then 1st base on two consecutive pitches. Was that story in this set?

I'm not a Topps collector, but I enjoy buying packs of this diversionary set. Sadly, I have never pulled a Million Card Giveaway card.

Also, what do you think of the new layout and design? Is it readable? Easier or the same to navigate? Any suggestions?

2009 Topps Heritage Base Set Completion Journey : The First Three Trades

When I set out on the journey to complete the 2009 Topps Heritage Base Set, these were the first three people to heed the call. They were the proprietors of the blogs Nachos Grande, Roll out the Barrel, and Long Fly Ball to Because.... In addition to those cards, many Phillies cards were sent. The depth and breadth of trade packages always astound me. Please observe some of the highlights and cards that stood out to me.

2009 Opeechee Carlos Ruiz: Celebrating the shortest walk-off hit in World Series history.

2008 Upper Deck Heroes Jersey of Pat Burrell: I was happy to see Burrell recently get back on his feet with the Giants

1992 Topps Kids Von Hayes: I really don't understand this set; he has no legs.

2008 Goudey Mini, 2008 Upper Deck Heroes Charcoal, and 1987 Opeechee Michael Jack Schmidt: These are three Schmidts I didn't have, an increasingly rare occurrence to try and locate.

Here are some of the 2009 Topps Heritage cards traded to me. Every one was appreciated and put in its proper place in the set box.
2008 Stadium Club Jimmy Rollins: Jimmy shouldn't ever stop. Jimmy needs to get back on the field.
2006 Flair Showcase Wave of the Future Gavin Floyd: Traded to the White Sox for Aaron Rowand, and became a decent pitcher for a couple of years. One interesting type set to collect would be all of the Wave of the Future cards from 1993-2006. Achievable?
1986 Fleer Kevin Gross: This is what my childhood stadium looked like, the perfect concrete jungle.
2008 Upper Deck Timeline Ryan Howard: Ryan, bring back the power. You can can even gain back a few more pounds if that will help.
2008 Goudey Richie Ashburn: I remember him as an announcer. His voice just fit the Phillies.
2006 Fleer Ultra Diamond Producers Bobby Abreu: Oh yes, I remember, wasn't there an Abreu effect I should have written about months ago?
2009 Sweet Spot Pedro Martinez: Pedro was a wily old pitcher here.

2008 Topps Heritage Greg Dobbs: He's lost his magic touch; he couldn't hit a cockroach in a glass jar at this point (I read that somewhere today)

2008 Topps All-Rookie Team insert Jimmy Rollins: Too bad 2008 Topps didn't have much else going for it.

2007 Turkey Red Ryan Howard: Turkey Red looks much more elegant as an insert set rather than a stand-alone base set for some reason.

2008 Topps Gold Pedro Feliz: He had one great swing in the World Series last year.
2009 Goodwin Champions Dick Allen: Twilight dawns as a successful career begins. ROY 1964.
2008 Goudey Chase Utley: This is the first extended slump from Utley in awhile.
2007 Ultra Aaron Rowand: They call him fenceface...for that one catch against the Mets, still is incredible.
Lastly, for the scans 2003 Topps Heritage Travis Lee: I did not like him as a Phillie, but this is the first card of mine from this brand.

Thank you all. I hope you received the cards I sent to you. The journey will continue.

"It's MLB Draft Season!" or "I Just Wanted to Show a Couple 2008 Prime Cuts Cards

As most know, yesterday was the MLB draft. With prospects ranging from hyped (Bryce Harper, pick #1 to Washington) to the unknown (Biddle, pick #27 to the Phillies) and everywhere between. Already, pundits and bandits are making their grades and prognostications for these unfulfilled potentials.

Tools and skills are the focus at this point of the prospect evaluation. My favorite word in these exercises are "projectability" and "slot bonus". Unfortunately, you don't hear the term "upside" in the MLB world as much as the NFL and NBA ones.

Here is Rashun Dixon. He supposedly is very fast, though 10 3B in 45 games as a 17 year old can confirm this some. He has not harnessed his base-stealing ability at this time (at the age of 19).

Anyway, I'm too exhausted to continue this train of thought. 15 hour time changes are difficult to deal with. I hope to post some pictures soon of my trip. Let's just say that I'm happily jet-lagged and disappointed to find the Phillies fared very poorly during my absence. Luckily, the Flyers have hung in there in the Stanley Cup finals. I will be watching game 6 as long as I can before I collapse on the couch. And I missed the perfect game! I have to find it on MLB archives now. Was it exciting? Were there tense moments? Don't tell me the details.

There were 6 card packages waiting for me from various places (purchases, group breaks, the kindness of others, trades), so I really need to sort through them and find out what there is.



And here's Pete Rose. He had 4256 career hits or something. He hasn't been a prospect since 1963.


Now, I'm only two months behind for scanning cards.

Vacation

I am going on vacation for the next 12 days to a place where there will be limited access to internet and probably no phones (at least I won't be able to use mine). I can only hope that I will be able to have as much fun as Mark Whiten had on this day. Until next time, compadres! Drop me a line if something extraordinary happens.

Phillies Quarter 1 Report

As of the writing of this paragraph, the Phillies have played 43 games of the marathon 162 game schedule. This is essentially a quarter of the season. It's a good point to reflect, pontificate, and otherwise bask in the day-to-day operation of the baseball season.

Let's tier it up.

The Superstar Level

1) Chase Utley: Quite possibly the best player the Phillies have had since the days of Mike Schmidt in terms of all-around play. He is 4th in the NL in OPS (1.016) with 10 HR, 23 RBI and usually stellar play at 2B.

2) Jayson Werth: The beard gives powers which we have not foreseen. He is 2nd in the NL in OPS with 9 HR and 33 RBI.

3) Roy Halladay; He's 6-3 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.1 WHIP. He also likes to throw all the innings.

The All-Star Caliber Level

1) Ryan Howard: Hitting for average (.296) with some power (.473 SLG). Huh?? When did he become a rich man's Lyle Overbay? Still has a presence.

2) Carlos Ruiz: Before his shoulder injury, he was an on-base machine (.423 OBP). Also, they need him to control the running game.

3) Placido Polanco: This guy's contact skills are amazing. I also am encouraged by his fielding at 3B after the position conversion.

4) Jose Contreras: He has a 686 ERA+ and 20/2 K/BB ratio in 14 innings. Welcome, closer.

The Scrappy Level

1) Cole Hamels: The worry right now is the 1.39 WHIP; one still doesn't know which Hamels will appear for a given start.

2) Jamie Moyer; Essentially has had 3 or 4 bad innings all season. His 30/11 K/BB ratio and 1.1 WHP are great.

3)Shane Victorino: Filled in admirably for Rollins in the leadoff spot; has shown a lot of power (.463 SLG) and little patience (.309 OBP). Better suited for lower in the order.

4) Chad Durbin: The bullpen workhorse with 21 innings and 0.98 WHIP.

5) Raul Ibanez: He's borderline serviceable at this point. He has a hot streak still in him; I can sense it. Has had trouble catching up to fastballs.

The Guys Who Need a Push Level

1) Bullpen: Madson? disaster. Lidge? injured. Baez? wild. Herndon? inexperienced.

2) Bench: Schneider? Gload? Francisco? Dobbs? Castro? Valdez? Can any of these guys remember to hit? Highest OPS among them is .690. Not good

3)Kyle Kendrick: 4.0 K/9 is a not a good ratio; nor is the 3.1 BB/9 ratio. The sinkerball needs to well...sink more.

The Injury Train

1) Jimmy Rollins: Get well soon.

2) Joe Blanton: Does not have the same sing-and-miss stuff as last year.

3)Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson: Someone needs to get well to lend the bullpen some depth.



What to Expect and Where They're Going

Well, I'm not going to count the Mets series in this purview.....

The Phillies have a solid core of star and superstar players on both offense and defense. They need players to perform up to their historical norms (Howard, Ibanez, Polanco) to continue these winning ways. Werth and Utley have become elite players.

Halladay has been a revelation, though his heavy workload is worrisome. The rest of the starting rotation is balanced, but has no other potential dominant force at this point in time (until Hamels masters the cutter).

The bench is extremely poor at this point. No one is contributing anything positive. This is worrisome in the long run. The bullpen is also in shambles, though there could be reinforcements through a trade (Bobby Jenks?) or the minors (Scott Mathieson?). Brad Lidge becoming a mediocre pitcher would also help (after last year's experience).

Also, the energy must return. Whether it's Rollins who was providing it before or some unknown source. Everybody just seems so....stoic. Anyway, here's to a successful next quarter of 2010.

Pack Break; 2009 Topps American Heritage Heroes

Retro is in in the cardworld. No more so than in Toppsland where two heritage brands celebrating American history were released in 2009. Here's a break of a pack I bought in the heritage wayback machine.
August Wilson, 1962 Topps design: Best known for writing a ten play series called "The Pittsburgh Cycle", won two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama.

Herbert Hoover, 1966 Topps design: After his presidency, he started a meals program in the United States and England to help war survivors. One of the few presidents to live many years after leaving office.
An insert of Abraham's Lincoln's life: Picture the Mickey Mantle story without any bats.
Battle of Iwo Jima, 1961 Topps design: One of the greatest victoris for the American military during World War II in the Pacific.
Jackie Robinson, 1961 Topps design: A great moment, a great legacy.
Medal of Honor insert, George F. Shiels: Received the medal for "Voluntarily exposed himself to the fire of the enemy and went with 4 men to the relief of 2 native Filipinos Iying wounded about 150 yards in front of the lines and personally carried one of them to a place of safety." as an army surgeon.
Alexander Hamilton, 1986 Topps design: Besides being the first Secretary of the Treasury and noted dueller, he was on the of the progenitors of the fire department.
Medgar Evers, 1953 Topps design: Was first field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi. Was one of the leaders of the case against the segregation of the University of Mississippi. Like many other leaders of that tumultuous time, he was killed by opposing forces soon after his accomplishment.

Just felt like opening a pack, what can I say?

Stat Anomaly: 20 Losses in a Season: Steve Carlton, 1973

The surprising thing about the list of those that have compiled 20 losses in a season, is that many of them were not bad pitchers over the whole of their career. It's just that for one season sometimes your arm is tired from 30 complete games and 346 innings the previous year. Is that a viable explanation? Or you start, 40 games and get a decision in 33 of them. How many pitchers have 33 decisions in a season anymore? Suffice to say, Steve Carlton followed his 1972 ( I would put forth this is one of the ten greatest pitching seasons of the past 40 years) with a not so stellar performance in 1973. He had 20 losses, 3.90 ERA (97 ERA+), 113 BB, and league leading totals 127 ER allowed (and a league-leading 293 IP and 1262 batters faced), 293 Hits allowed, and 18 complete games.

Something was not quite the same. His K rate declined from 8.1 to 6.8 K/9 and his BB rate climbed from 2.3 to 3.5 BB/9. Was he unlucky? Well, not especially. He had seven losses from quality starts. Only 3 or 4, I would characterize as extremely unlucky. In the majority of his losses, he just did not seem to have the proverbial it. The league average was 4.15 runs/game and he allowed 4 or more runs in losses 12 times.

Welcome to the list, 1974 Topps Steve Carlton.

1961 Topps Phillies Team Set Chase: Part 1

Like others, I am not willing to spend a massive amount of money on the 2010 Topps Heritage brand. (Did I miss something? Are there no super short prints of dubious printing errors to chase this year?) Instead, like phellow Philliephiles phrom Phungo and The Phillies Room, I have decided to chase the 1961 Topps Phillies team set instead. Here is the first grouping of cards received.

Ted Lepcio: # of years on Phillies-1 (1960), Best Season as a Phillie (1960): .227/.315/.319 (75 OPS+) with 2 HR and 8 RBI

Frank Sullivan: # of years on Phillies-2 (1961-1962), Best Season as a Phillie (1961): 3-16 W/L with 4.09 ERA (95 ERA+), 55 BB., and 114 K

Gene Mauch: Managed Phillies for 9 years with a .486 winning % with 5 full seasons over .500.
Al Neiger: # of years on Phillies-1 (1960), Best Season as a Phillie (1960): 0-0 W/L with 5.68 ERA (70 ERA+), 4 BB., and 3 K in 12.2 IP (only major league season)
John Buzhardt: # of years on Phillies-2 (1960-1961), Best Season as a Phillie (1960): 5-16 W/L with 3.86 ERA (101 ERA+), 68 BB., and 73 K in 200.1 IP
Ruben Amaro: # of years on Phillies-6 (1960-1965), Best Season as a Phillie (1964): .264/.307/.341 (84 OPS+) with 4 HR and 34 RBI. Also, won a Gold Glove
Tony Curry: # of years on Phillies-2 (1960-1961), Best Season as a Phillie (1960): .261/.308/.408 (95 OPS+) with 6 HR and 34 RBI

So, far this is the makings of a below average team (which it most definitely was in 1960 and 1961). What classic uniforms those were! And no facial hair was to be seen on anyone as the fashion of the times dictated. I think I like collecting these more than this years/ Heritage after all.

The Return of Jimmy Rollins

Last night, the Phillies welcome back Jimmy Rollins from the DL due to his calf injury. Despite his less-than-stellar 2009, seeing Rollins's name in the lineup is a joyful sight for any Phillies fan. Before his calf injury, he was on a hot streak that hadn;t been rivaled since the 2007 MVP seaon. He was hitting .391/.516/.739 at the point of the injury. This, of course, is not a sustainable set of averages for the season, but the new patient approach could pay dividends, especially if he continues drving the ball with authority.

What did the Phillies miss with Rollins out? Well, offensively, they were still a great team. They get to move Victorino back down in the order (this was written before Utley got sick, who was hitting a very good .309/.347/.606 from the lead-off spot, the only downside is that he only drew 8 BB in those 29 games. In a way, he's then better suited to be another linchpin in the 6th or 7th spot of the order. He did have 21 RBI in 29 games after all...while hitting leadoff.

Of course, the other side is the shortstop replacements. Neither Juan Castro nor Wilson Valdez are long term solutions as evidenced by their .590 or so OPS. Also, Valdez had a penchant or grounding into double plays that I've never quite seen before. Also, I believe that neither are as good a fielder as Rollins.

But, he has returned and the lineup has essentially league average or better hitters at seven of the eight positions (Ibanez has to wake up). The keystone combination of Utley and Rollins has reformed once again.

Plus, who else would New York radio approach for a controversial quote?

Some Stadium Shots from an Attended Game and It's Card Show Weekend

I was fortunate to see Roy Halladay pitch as a Phillie when they visited San Francisco on April 26. Unfortunately, this was the outing where he received his only loss so far this year. I think I should seek to not see the Phillies anymore in other stadiums. Since 2007, I am 0 for 6. Therefore, I will speak not of the game on the field

Here's the view of the field and ballpark from my seats behind first base at the rear of the first level. I liked these seats for a number of reasons. First and foremost, there was a unvarnished view of the field. Second, for right handed batters, there was a great view of the strikezone. Third, the section was one step away from the tasty fajita and nachos place they have in the stadium. Last, we were shielded from the wind, which from those of you who have ever been to a game in San Francisco, know this is very important, especially at night.

I went with an eclectic mix of folks. People wearing Phillies hats, Giants hats, and A's hats. And in my group there were also a couple of Mets fans. It's easy to enjoy a baseball game with friends on a Monday evening.

Also, there's a card show in Daly City, CA (one of the Tristar ones)that I will be attending on Sunday morning (before my soccer game, of course). I haven't been to a real card show since 1999. I hope it's fun. Wish me luck!

Oh, and enjoy the images below. I am trying to get the rest from the friend who actually remembered to bring the camera to the game.

Arrivals from The Great Tribe Card Giveaway

A couple months ago I was a fortunate recipient of the many boxes of cards that Dave of Indians, Baseball Cards, etc (That last part of his blog title changes a lot.) sent out. I asked for Phillies (as a rule), Athletics (to trade with neighbors), and Cardinals (because I have a soft spot for them from my time living in St. Louis). There were many, many cards. Here is a representation of some I found interesting.

1994 Score Kim Batiste: He is remembered for one thing only: game 1, 1993 NLCS.

1995 Sportsflix Darren Daulton: I miss the multi-images of Sportsflix (cs).

2003 Fleer Box Score Jimmy Rollins: The back of the card does have a memorable box score on the back of it. It's time to revitalize that concept...as an insert set.

1993 Stadium Club Ruben Amaro: The current Phillies GM flying around the Vet's bases.

1992 Fleer Dale Murphy: I was really excited the day Dale Murphy was traded to the Phillies in 1990. I was at my cousin's house in South Carolina and suddenly I had dreams of a 4th place finish dancing in my head.

1992 Donruss Tommy Greene: Celebration of the no-hitter from May 1991, an unprecedented second in 2 years for the Phillies' pitching staff (Terry Mulholland in August, 1990)

1990 Fleer Lenny Dykstra: Besides his current plight, I enjoyed watching Mr. Dykstra play. When I was in Little League, my goal was to get my baseball pants as dirty as possible.

1988 Score Juan Samuel: Turning two with a glorious purple border. 1988 Score was revolutionary in many ways.

1987 Donruss Chris James: One of many "Rated Rookies" who didn't become stars, though I remember him as a decent player with some power.

2008 SP Authentic Frank Thomas: The 2nd most popular player of the early 90s had one last great year with the A's.

2008 Upper Deck Heroes Bob Gibson: 1.12, 1968, that is all.

2005 Topps Mark Mulder (gold foil or something): Remember when he was one of the big 3 of Oakland? And the A's would be forever ruined by trading him for Dan Haren and Daric Barton? Well, it wasn't until later that they were ruined when they traded Dan Haren.

2001 Donruss Adam Piatt: So this is 2001 Donruss. It's starry and ugly.

2000 Topps Gold Label Class 2 Mark Mulder: This is just a nice card. I appreciate multiple photos on the front.

1999 Victory Mark McGwire: 1998 was a summer of home runs and unexpected Cardinal and Cub hugging.

1999 UD Hologrfx Eric Chavez: I am sad that Chavez's career is reaching a tragic end. He was one of the more talented players to emerge from the 1997 Bowman Chrome rookie class.

1999 Upper Deck Ben Grieve: I'm not sure how he made history here, but he won ROY in 1998. What ever happened to him?

1998 Skybox Miguel Tejada Little Dawgs: Words fail me.

1998 Pacific Omega AJ Hinch: The current Diamondbacks manager in his previous life. Did you know his rookie card in 1993 Topps Traded was once a sought after commodity?

1993 Topps Stadium Club Todd Van Poppel: A cautionary hype tale that everyone remembers.

1997 Leaf Brian Jordan: This was the first Leaf set released under the Pinnacle banner. Good base design; horrible inserts. (anyone remember fractal matrix, fractal materials, and fractal matrix diecuts?)

1993 Studio Gregg Jefferies: 5 years, $25 million to sign with the Phillies in 1995. Who wasn't surprised he didn't hit .343 again?

1992 Fleer Dennis Eckersley: Classic shot of a classic pitching motion.

1990 K-Mart Superstars Ozzie Smith: Look an unlicensed card. The pose reminds me of 2010 Upper Deck.

1990 Fleer World Series Card: These were inserted only in 1990 Fleer factory sets.

1988 Donruss Stan Musial puzzle card: I'm glad Donruss inserted these cards in these sets; otherwise we would never see the whole thing. How many puzzle piece doubles was it possible to get in a box?

1986 Topps Willie McGee: The reigning 1985 MVP who is also the only person to ever win a batting title in a league in which he did not finish the season (1990).

Thank you, Dave, for the fun cards to collate and sort through!