the steve garvey binder moves into 1985

sweet sheet 16 of the garvey binders is chock full of brown and gold.  take a look.

for the record, those cards are:

1. 1984 topps tiffany
2. 1985 armstrong ceramics
3. 1985 donruss
4. 1985 drake's
5. 1985 fleer
6. 1985 fleer (nl all-stars superstar special)
7. 1985 fleer (nl pennant clinchers superstar special)
8. 1985 fleer limited edition
9. 1985 leaf

here are the backs

the armstrong ceramic card is pretty weighty. it really is ceramic.  not much to say about the other cards except that i was really disappointed in the lack of attention paid to garvey's 1984 nlcs heroics by the major card companies as well as his return to the starting lineup for the national league in the all-star game. kudos to fleer for acknowledging both of those accomplishments.

here's sheet 17:

1. 1982-89 louisville slugger
2. 1985 mother's cookies padres
3. 1985 o-pee-chee
4. 1985 o-pee-chee stickers (nlcs - batting)
5. 1985 o-pee-chee stickers (nlcs - posed)
6. 1985 o-pee-chee stickers
7. 1985 pacific cramer spokane indians greats
8. 1985 topps (record breaker)
9. 1985 topps

i put the louisville slugger card here in 1985 because why not.  and, after lamenting the lack of attention paid to the 1984 nlcs, there's a sticker of the garv hitting his walk-off home run against lee smith.

the lone dodger (sort of) card here is the seventh one - a 1985 pacific cramer spokane indians greats card.  that set is chock full of great dodgers from the 1970's who spent time at the team's triple-a affiliate.  garvey spent just one season in spokane (1970) and hit .319 with 15 homers and 87 rbi.

here are the backs:

i am pretty sure that 1985 continues for at least one more sheet...

alejandro pena was known for a slow delivery

maybe relaxed is a better way to describe alejandro pena's presence on the mound, but the slow delivery thing came in to play last week when i opened my mailbox and found a sase with an atlanta postmark.  inside were four cards that i had sent to pena prior to 2013 spring training.

1984 topps

1985 topps

1986 topps

1987 topps

pena is a pitching coach in the dodgers' system, and he spent some time at camelback ranch during spring training back when i mailed the cards.  he lives in atlanta, which makes sense considering his two stints with the braves.

a few things that i recall about pena - first and foremost, he led the national league in era in 1984, but injuries pushed him to the bullpen. second, he was the winning pitcher in game 1 of the 1988 world series following kirk gibson's walk-off home run in his first world series appearance (pena had been on the dodgers' 1981 postseason staff for the nlcs but didn't pitch in the world series).  conversely, he was the losing pitcher in game 7 of the 1991 world series after allowing gene larkin's walk-off single.  pena did wind up winning a third ring in 1995 as he helped the braves beat the indians in the fall classic that year.

i am very happy to have these cards in my collection, and very thankful for forever stamps - thanks alejandro!

1984, most of it at least, in the steve garvey binders

we were firmly entrenched in the steve garvey as a padre cards in 1984, and sheet 11 of my main steve garvey binder is proof.  there is one card of the garv as a dodger, however, but it's an island of blue.  have a look:

those cards are:

1. 1984 mother's cookies padres
2. 1984 topps nestle 792
3. 1984 topps nestle dream team
4. 1984-91 o'connell and sons ink
5. 1984 o-pee-chee
6. 1984 ralston purina
7. 1984 star (checklist)
8. 1984 star (regular season stats)
9. 1984 star (an all-star 9 times)

some things to note here - i've seen the o'connell and sons referred to as a 1984-89 issue as well as the 1984-91 issue that i used above. not sure which is correct, as i picked up my copy on the secondary market in the early 2000's.  the star cards are part of the 36-card set of which i have 3-card panels in my garvey oddball binder.  i took apart a second set for this part of the collection.

here are the backs, by the way:

the o'connell and sons has a blank back, as you can see.

sheet 12 is full of more cards from the star set, and they are all dodgers!

1. 1984 star (dodger club records 1)
2. 1984 star (dodger club records 2)
3. 1984 star (dodger club records 3)
4. 1984 star (dodger club records 4)
5. 1984 star (world series stats)
6. 1984 star (post season stats)
7. 1984 star (the 1970 season)
8. 1984 star (the 1971 season)
9. 1984 star (the 1972 season)

obviously, these cards don't feature photos that correspond to the subject of the card.  here are the backs:

lucky sheet 13 is more of the same, although the brown and gold is back...

1. 1984 star (the 1973 season)
2. 1984 star (the 1974 season)
3. 1984 star (1974 all-star mvp)
4. 1984 star (1974 championship series mvp)
5. 1984 star (1974 nl mvp)
6. 1984 star (the 1975 season)
7. 1984 star (the 1976 season)
8. 1984 star (the 1977 season)
9. 1984 star (the 1978 season)

i'd say that star began using padre photos prematurely.  for the record, i don't believe that they actually handed out mvp awards for the playoffs back in 1974, but surely garvey would have won it if they had.  here are the backs:

sheet 14 is all brown and yellow, although we are still in the dodger years for two-thirds of the page

1. 1984 star (1978 all-star mvp)
2. 1984 star (1978 championship series mvp)
3. 1984 star (the 1979 season)
4. 1984 star (the 1980 season)
5. 1984 star (the 1981 season)
6. 1984 star (the 1982 season)
7. 1984 star (the 1983 season)
8. 1984 star (the iron man)
9. 1984 star (national and major league records)

nice to see mike schmidt lurking in the background of the last card.  it's too bad that this set was released in 1984 instead of 1985, because there was another championship series mvp award won in 1984 that could have been the subject of a card.

here are the backs:

amongst garvey's records on the last card, his league-leading 25 gidp in 1979 is listed.

just a few more star cards to go - here's sheet 15 of the binder

1. 1984 star (100+ rbi's 5 times)
2. 1984 star (200+ hits 6 times)
3. 1984 star (4 gold gloves)
4. 1984 star (.300 average 7 times)
5. 1984 star (personal and career data)
6. 1984 star (the future)
7. 1984 topps
8. 1984 topps cereal series
9. 1984 topps rubdown

i've got the 5th card in the sheet in my memorials binder, too.  the topps cereal card features the same photo (and card design) as the ralston purina issue from earlier in the post, and garvey's infield pal bill russell shows up on the rubdown card.

here are the backs for this sheet:

i kept the rubdown instructions in case i ever wanted to transfer the images, i guess.

i'm not missing any cards from 1984 that would go in one of these sheets, i am pretty sure.  next time we'll move into 1985...

cards that should have been from the garvey binders

here are a couple more pages from my steve garvey oddball binder.  these two pages features cards that should have been of my favorite player. most i have created, but there are a couple that i have obtained from others - bob lemke and mrmopar.

the last 1969 topps card is the one that bob lemke made, while i lifted the first 1970 topps card from mrmopar.  i am partial to my 1970 topps card that should have been, as well as the 1978 topps record breaker.

telling the tale of a most bountiful repack

it had been awhile, so i went for a fairfield repack while at target the other day.  i chose one that had an unopened pack of 2012 topps and a 2001 topps heritage ray lankford

in the front windows.  i've been working on the 2001 heritage set since 2001, which is to say that i haven't been doing much with it since then.  i need to get my list posted, although it's a low priority set so i probably won't.

the two back windows of the package featured a 2010 topps tim lincecum card

and a 2010 topps brewers card of ryan braun and prince fielder.

based on that fact, my hopes were limited.

the 2012 topps pack netted the following:

jordan pacheco
mark kotsay
chris getz
jacoby ellsbury
st. louis cardinals
alfredo simon
andy pettitte/cliff lee timeless talents insert
ichiro golden moments insert

this is interesting because there was another 2012 topps chris getz card already among the loose cards.  speaking of which, here they are

1991 o-pee-chee premier carlton fisk
2014 topps john jaso - this is a series 2 card, so this was a very fresh repack
1990 topps ames all-stars keith hernandez

2011 topps jeremy jeffress
2009 topps allen & ginter james mcdonald - a dodger!
2007 tristar prospects plus trystan magnuson
1993 topps willie mcgee
2012 topps chris getz - told ya
this is where the repack gets streaky
1988 topps uk mini alvin davis
1988 topps uk mini mike schmidt

1988 topps uk mini eddie murray
1988 topps uk mini roger clemens
1988 topps uk mini wade boggs
1988 topps uk mini paul molitor
1988 topps uk mini nolan ryan
1988 topps uk mini dave winfield
1988 topps uk mini ozzie smith
1988 topps uk mini mike dunne
1988 topps uk mini mark mcgwire
2009 ud first edition vladimir guerrero

2009 ud first edition daisuke matsusaka
2009 ud first edition michael bourn
2009 ud first edition john smoltz
2009 ud first edition randy johnson
2009 ud first edition joey votto
2009 ud first edition stephen drew
2009 ud first edition mike aviles
2009 ud first edition randy johnson - second double of the repack
1991 upper deck steve bedrosian
1988 donruss ernie whitt
1988 score george bell
2009 ud first edition jorge posada
1989 topps glossy all-star rickey henderson
1987 topps rick reuschel
1991 topps glossy rookies todd zeile
1991 topps glossy rookies kevin tapani
1991 topps glossy rookies frank thomas

1991 topps glossy rookies robin ventura
1991 topps glossy rookies jose offerman - a dodger that i am pretty sure i need!

1987 topps roger clemens
1987 topps mike diaz
1987 topps mitch webster
2014 topps nl all-star team set clayton kershaw

a dodger that i know i need, and the star of the repack!  that card is worth the price of admission right there.

2011 topps phil coke
2011 topps doug fister
2011 topps carlos quentin
2011 topps paul maholm
2011 topps carlos pena
2011 topps john lannan
2011 topps jj putz
2011 topps leo nunez
2011 topps aaron rowand
2011 topps jonathan broxton
2005 fleer hot prospects alfonso soriano
1987 topps don carman
1987 fleer update john shelby
1984 topps jeff jones
1999 upper deck travis lee checklist
1990 donruss dave stewart diamond king
2000 bowman chrome jason romano
1986 topps rod scurry
2001 upper deck decade the '70s roberto clemente world series highlights
1989 topps terry puhl
1987 topps jorge orta
2014 topps yankees team set david phelps
2001 bowman luke lockwood
1997 fleer flair showcase charles nagy
2004 playoff absolute memorabilia rickey henderson

oh rickey!  how great to find a card of him as a dodger in a repack!

1986 fleer gary roenicke
1986 topps george bamberger
1995 score mark smith
2008 topps mark derosa
1990 donruss mel hall
2013 topps jeff francouer
1988 fleer mike schmidt
1984 topps mike schmidt

1991 fleer ultra robin yount
1991 leaf gary carter
1991 upper deck dennis eckersley
2007 topps update & highlights mickey mantle a life in baseball #4
1991 pacific nolan ryan fireball pitcher
1990 score bill kreuger
1985 topps glossy all-star rod carew
1989 topps david cone
2008 topps shane victorino
2013 topps jered weaver chasing history foil

2010 topps new york yankees 27 world series titles don larsen
2010 topps new york yankees 27 world series titles hank bauer
2010 topps new york yankees 27 world series titles yogi berra

i had not seen cards from this set before.

last, and probably least, there was a 1991 bowman norberto martin

i was really pleased with this repack.  that kershaw card representing some fine repack karma.  good times.  some of you might want to look for some of these cards in some upcoming trade packages...

35 gone at 57

i couldn't believe what i was reading yesterday afternoon.  bobby welch, the rookie pitcher from the team of my youth, had passed away at the age of 57.  definitely a need for black mourning crepe here on the blog.

there is no doubt that welch closing out game 2 of the 1978 world series was a huge moment for all dodger fans, but for me it represented the point of no return in my fandom, which at that time was barely a year old.  i had to wait until 1979 to get a card of welch, but once the packs hit the streets, i didn't wait long.  i remember opening about a dozen packs purchased at the 7-11 for a quarter apiece, and somewhere around the 6th pack, there was this card

let's take a stroll through welch's dodger career.

1980 topps

he suttons.

1981 fleer

my neighbor across the street was a yankee fan, and pulled this card from a pack.  i reminded him of how welch struck reggie jackson out to end the aforementioned game 2 of the 1978 fall classic, and he quickly handed the card over to me.

1981 topps

hatless and morose.

1982 topps

 1983 donruss

bad mustache.

1984 topps team leaders

welch is currently 9th on the dodgers all-time strikeout list, but is about to be passed by clayton kershaw.

1984 topps

similar to 1982 topps

1985 topps

similar to 1984 topps

1986 topps

what's with all the road uni photos?

1987 donruss

that's better - the ice white uniform with a dodger stadium backdrop

1987 fleer

back on the road

1987 topps

he was 15-9 in 1987, his final season with the dodgers, and he led the league with 4 shutouts.

1988 donruss diamond king

1988 donruss

1988 score

the yellow border fit in 1988, as he joined the a's as a free agent.

welch was 115-86 with a 3.14 era as a dodger, and 96-60 with a 3.94 era as an athletic, but 27 wins in 1990 means most will remember him as a member of the a's.  i'll remember him as the guy who made a young fan believe that the dodgers could beat the yankees, even if they didn't really get it done until 1981.

the evolution of the dodger second baseman, part 2

when we last saw the dodger second baseman, he (paul popovich) was on his way to the expansion montreal expos, so someone needed to step up in 1969.  that someone was…

ted sizemore (1969-1970)

sizemore (seen with his topps rookie team trophy on his 1970 topps card) actually started the season at shortstop (jim lefebvre was at second), but he moved to second when lefebvre got hurt in mid april.  even though he returned to short when lefebvre came back, walt alston eventually switched sizemore back to second when the club reacquired maury wills to play shortstop.  sizemore played 118 of his 159 games in 1969 as the dodgers' second baseman, and hit .271 as he was named the national league's rookie of the year.  in 1970, he appeared in only 96 games, but made 81 starts at second for the dodgers so he retains his title as their primary second baseman.  he hit .306 that year and was dealt following the season to the cardinals in the dick (rich) allen trade.

jim lefebvre (1971)

look who's back.  lefebvre, who had been the team's primary second baseman in 1965 and 1966 and is a former rookie of the year himself, was back at the position in 1971.  that's lefebvre's 1972 o-pee-chee card, by the way.  he played in 102 games as the dodger second baseman in '71 (98 starts) and hit .245 with 12 homers.

lee lacy (1972)

once again, lefebvre began the season as the team's second baseman, but hit a rough patch in early may and gave way to bobby valentine.  soon thereafter, lee lacy (shown on his 1973 o-pee-chee card) was called up from the minors, and he went on to lay claim to the position.  lacy made 58 starts at second - about a dozen more than valentine and 20 or so more than lefebvre.  he hit .259 and scored 34 runs, but didn't play much in september, as the dodgers called up another guy to play some second.

dave lopes (1973-1981)

lopes (shown on a very crooked 1979 kellogg's card) made 11 starts during the last month of the 1972 season, and i guess alston saw enough.  he handed the position over to lopes in 1973, giving him 133 starts that year.  he dabbled in the outfield from time to time, but otherwise held the position through the 1981 world series.  along the way, he led the league in steals twice, won a gold glove, made four all-star teams, and helped the dodgers to four pennants and a world series title.  he was the second baseman on the team of my youth.

steve sax (1982-1988)

like lopes, sax held the dodgers' second base position until they won a world series title.  lopes, however, was traded prior to the 1982 season while saxy left after the 1988 campaign as a free agent.  before that happened, he was the fourth dodger second baseman to win the rookie of the year award, and he made three all-star teams, including the 1983 squad as alluded to on the 1984 topps glossy all-star card above.  in 1986, sax finished second to tim raines in the batting title race, hitting a career high .332 (raines hit .334).  he twice led the national league in errors while with the dodgers and much was made about his difficulties throwing to first base, but he was still my favorite dodger after steve garvey left town.  besides, i don't think of him defensively - my lasting steve sax memory is of him hitting the first pitch of the 1988 season into the left field bleachers at dodger stadium.

willie randolph (1989)

the yankees and dodgers essentially traded second baseman for the 1989 season, although both signed with their new teams as free agents.  with sax gone to the bronx, the dodgers signed willie randolph (seen on a 1989 fleer update card).  randolph appeared in 145 games in 1989, including 139 starts at second.  he hit .282 and was selected to the all-star team.  however, the dodgers traded him to the a's early in the 1990 season for stan javier.

juan samuel (1990-1991)

following the 1989 season, the dodgers traded mike marshall and alejandro pena to the mets for samuel.  they moved him back to his original position of second base (the mets were using him as their center fielder), and he made 101 starts there for the dodgers in 1990.  the following year, samuel started 150 games at second for the blue, and didn't sniff the outfield.  he made the all-star team that year as well, hitting .271 with 74 runs scored and 23 steals.  samuel began the 1992 season as the team's second baseman, but was released in july.  eric young was called up to take his roster spot, but there was another player who actually played second more than anyone else that year.

lenny harris (1992)

yes, i am using cards from 1992 fleer ultra for both samuel and harris in this post.  it's what i had handy.  deal with it.  the second baseman position in 1992 looked something like this:  samuel, 29 starts; mike sharperson, 33 starts; eric young, 35 starts; harris, 65 starts.  harris had been the team's primary third baseman in 1991, and he played some third as well as short and outfield in 1992 as well.  overall, harris hit .271 while fielding at a clip below league average for second basemen.  many thought that young would be the dodgers' second baseman of the future, but they weren't convinced as he was left unprotected in the 1993 expansion draft and was taken by colorado.  as a result, the dodgers worked out a deal with the rockies to acquire one of their later draft picks to fill the hole at second.  that set into motion events that would lead to one of the worst (thanks to hindsight) trades in dodger history.  stay tuned...