hats off to reader mark

reader mark has certainly made his mark around the blogs with some nice trade packages, and he has been kind enough to include yours truly in on the fun.  i've received two packages from him to date with quite an assortment of cards.  here is a small sample.

this is the back of tim leary's 1989 topps big card.  look at all the different hats tim leary wears.

a sombrero (not unlike bip roberts or bill russell), some sort of viking helmet, and a mortarboard.  any one of these hats will work for a tip in mark's direction.

here's another 1989 topps big card.  it's the back of mike marshall's card 

marshall made his big league debut on september 7, 1981 by pinch running for steve garvey in the first inning after the garv hit an rbi single.  marshall came up a couple of innings later and did indeed double in his first big league at bat.  that would mean that ed whitson is shown here calling marshall a young punk.

here's a 1986 topps pedro guerrero box bottom card

not a bad hand cut specimen

1994 fleer flair tim wallach

i recall buying a single pack of 1993 flair.  i didn't bother with the 1994 release, so i am still playing catch up.

mark also included some cards of the players from the team of my youth, like davey lopes on a 1987 fleer card

and charlie hough on a 1989 fleer card

plus he sent along some double plays.  this is a 1995 topps mickey morandini card

with what i believe to be brett butler sliding in.  mark also sent the cyberstat parallel

a quick look at baseball reference leads me to believe that this play is from july 17, 1994, and that raul mondesi is about to be thrown out at first.

i'll post some other double plays that mark sent a little later.  stay tuned...

an initials memorial for the orioles' owner

edward bennett williams, the owner of the baltimore orioles since 1980, died from cancer in august of 1988.  for the remainder of the season, the orioles wore his initials on their left sleeve as a memorial.  the 'ebw' memorial can be seen in part on oswald peraza's 1989 topps big card

and on full display on this 1989 fleer bob milacki prospects card

the card in the binder, however, is this 1989 upper deck pete stanicek card

as the team's owner, williams was responsible for signing a long term lease with baltimore shortly before he died which secured the funding for a new stadium.  that stadium, of course, became oriole park at camden yards.  not a bad legacy to leave behind, although williams' is probably better remembered as an attorney and washington dc insider i would imagine.

bo goes big

bo from baseball cards come to life went big in a (not so) recent trade.  he sent me, among other things, some dodgers from the 1989 topps big set.  here's tim belcher running the bases in dodger stadium while simultaneously looking longingly into the stands at a vendor selling dodger dogs.

mickey hatcher is doing normal baseball activities on his card, for once.

and jim poole is reveling in his time as an olympian on his card

poole is listed as a member of the dodgers on this card (check the back)

unlike his 1988 topps traded card.  unfortunately, poole didn't appear in the olympics.

here's franklin stubbs' card to finish off the dodgers that i received

bo also included a couple of 1988 topps big cards, due to their double play awesomeness.  oddibe mcdowell tried to break up two on his card

but it looks like willie randolph (i assume) was able to make the relay.

the other card bo sent was of none other than randolph himself, again turning two

thanks bo - i've got some more of the cards you sent lined up to post today.  stay tuned.