double plays are a dime apiece

it's always fun to get a trade package from nick at dime boxes in part because he also collects double play cards, and so he sends me some that turn out to be new additions to my collection.

for example, i already had this 1968 topps game card of claude osteen in my dodger collection

but now i have one for my double play binders, too.  sure, it doesn't show the play at second base, but it still references a twin-killing enough to warrant a spot in the binder.

here are some more traditional double play turns that nick sent:

1991 leaf wally backman

1992 topps bill doran gold 'winner' parallel

1997 fleer alex gonzalez

2012 topps mike aviles gold parallel

2001 fleer tradition jay canizaro

2003 upper deck 40man junior spivey

and a 2004 mlb showdown 'hard slide' card

obviously, that's wes helms sliding in, but i'm not completely certain of the cub turning two.  2003 was helms' first season with the brew crew, so it is most likely either alex gonzalez or mark grudzielanek (and just by visual inspection i know that it's not grudzielanek).  it turns out that on may 7, 2003, keith osik of the brewers hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play with helms as the lead runner.  although the second baseman for the cubs that day was ramon martinez, the shortstop was indeed alex gonzalez.

thanks for the dp turns nick!

a pitcher's best friend

i once wrote a haiku for a local publication that was soliciting baseball themed writings:

a pitcher's best friend
is not dog or diamond
it's a double play

claude osteen knows what i'm talking about, as evidenced by this 1968 topps game card

this set, inserted into 1968 packs much like the modern day attax cards, was a modernization of sorts of the 1951 red and blue back sets.  still, i am kinda partial to the 'play ball' boxes on the backs of 1978 cards.  anyway, gomer induced a total of 394 double plays in his career.  he was, according to baseball reference, above average at this.
that's not all gomer was good at - his 17 wins in 1967 tied for 3rd most in the national league

of course, he also lost 17 games that year despite a 3.22 era.  he would lose 18 in 1968 despite dropping his era to near 3.00, but after that he posted his first 20 win season in 1969.  he averaged 17 wins for the dodgers from 1969 through 1973 when he was traded to houston for jimmy wynn.

i recently received a 'twin killing' of my own from osteen, as he returned two cards that i had sent off to be signed (for the second time).

1969 topps

 and 1972 topps

golllllllllllllly, sargeant.  those are swell.

by the way, that haiku didn't get published.  but this one did:

the suicide squeeze
is not as bad as it sounds
if executed

thanks claude!