why don't we slide

hey - we are another week closer to spring training, and that means it's time for the next installment of steve garvey's baseball tips, as brought to you by post raisin bran back in 1979.  or is it the other way around?  either way, let's learn about sliding.

if only pedro guerrero had followed garvey's sound advice...

when it comes to sliding, there are lots of good examples on baseball cards.  one of my favorites is the 1977 topps 'turn back the clock' card featuring maury wills

on it, wills is sliding in to third base at dodger stadium during a game against the giants, presumably from the 1962 season when he set the record for most steals in a season.  that was also the year dodger stadium opened.  thanks to the field level scoreboard and the giants' third baseman, we should be able to pinpoint the play.  except for the fact that from 1961 through 1969, number 42 for the no-cals was pitcher bobby bolin.  the only other giants to wear that number during will's career during the dodger stadium era were also pitchers who were on the 1972 giants.  very strange.  unless that's a 12 on the back of the giant player, which would mean that it's jim davenport which makes complete sense.  and, the giants had 10 hits and 2 errors on october 3, 1962 when maury wills stole his 104th base of the season.  he stole third off of the battery of don larsen and ed bailey.  so, the photo topps used is the actual photo of his 104th stolen base.  i guess it's just a shadow that made me see 42 instead of 12.  glad that's sorted out.

there's no mistaking who's at third base on stan javier's 1992 topps card

that's former dodger mariano duncan.  there's a lot going on on that card - two umpires, including the first base umpire who is doing some lunges, and it looks like eddie murray is checking things out down the right field line as javier is kicking up some dust.

it doesn't have as much going on as chris gwynn's 1992 upper deck card, though

i first wrote about this card and identified the game the photo came from a while back.  it's one of my favorites, even if gwynn isn't sliding too gracefully.  it's actually a double play turn at third base, which doesn't get much airtime.

another thing those last two cards have in common, besides sliding dodgers, is that i have had both of them signed through the mail - here's the gwynn

and here's the javier

javier also signed a 1992 fleer ultra card

and a 1991 upper deck card

gwynn also signed his 1991 upper deck card

as well as his 1989 upper deck card

and 1990 upper deck card

plus his 1991 topps card

1992 fleer card

and the 1992 o-pee-chee

and 1992 topps combo

thanks to these two guys (and you too, maury) for showing us some sliding techniques.  and thanks for signing my cards!

a trade of traded trading cards from detroit tigers cards

i made a trade a while (and it has been a while - sorry about that) with rob at detroittigerscards trading tigers for dodgers. i would like to think we both came out ahead.

rob took the meaning of 'trade' seriously, and sent me a bunch of traded or update set singles. well done! here are just a few:

2007 topps update & highlights david wells. boomer just signed on as an analyst on tbs. should be good times. i always thought he would go the rod beck route and live in a trailer next to a minor league park somewhere. which reminds me, i need to get on that 2008 topps david wells final tribute. someday...

1985 fleer update bobby castillo i will go ahead and state the obvious here - he looks a heck of a lot like cheech marin. always good to see the dodger stadium field level scoreboard.

another dodger stadium shot, and another 1985 fleer update. this time it's mariano duncan. a homegrown talent, duncan was the heir apparent to bill russell and hair apparent to eriq lasalle in coming to america. let your soul glow!

yet another 1985 fleer update and dodger stadium background. say hello to al oliver. oliver spent just half a season in la before being traded to the blue jays for len matuszek. both teams made it to the postseason, so i guess everything worked out. baseball reference shows oliver's closest comparison to be steve garvey. get out!

1989 score rookies & traded john wetteland.wetteland was returned to the dodgers by the tigers (who had selected him in the rule v draft) prior to the 1988 season. i guess they didn't want him either. the dodgers wound up trading him a couple of years later in the eric davis deal (the reds flipped him to the expos). that makes 3 teams that didn't want him. he went on to save 330 games over the next 9 years, and was the 1996 world series mvp.

1990 score rookies and traded don aase. 3 and 1 with 3 saves for the dodgers in 1990. and with an era of almost 5!

1990 score rookies and traded hubie brooks. i am a fan of the photo from behind. maybe because that's how i usually see batters when i am at the stadium. the dodgers got a decent year from brooks before trading him to the mets for bobby ojeda.

1990 score rookies and traded stan javier.javier was a member of the 1988 a's. ha. the dodgers got him for willie randolph in 1990. he played for them for a couple of years (even showing up at 1st base a couple of times) before being sent to the phillies.

1990 score rookies and traded juan samuel.
i had high hopes for samuel. sure, he struck out a lot, but he could run and had some good years for the phillies. well, he still struck out a lot and didn't really bounce back from his poor 1989. for me, he was the epitome of the 180-degree departure from the dodger way of developing the talent from within. luckily, they would get back to that approach in the next couple of years.

thanks rob!