the calendar turns with some double play turns

looks like we made it through another year, and what better way to celebrate than to show some double play turns.  i've found a few more that are new to my collection, and none may be better than this 1991 pacific senior league jerry terrell card

it's a coach card to boot!

i had overlooked this 1997 upper deck neifi perez

double play turn due to the over application of foil, but now it has had its status upgraded in my collection from monster box fodder to double play binder material.

similarly, i had previously failed to show the back of mike bordick's 1993 upper deck sp card

even though i had shown the front a long time ago.

here's a 1998 pacific online scott spiezio card

i've shown the red foil parallel before, but not the base.

how about some derek jeter for all the fan boys out there.  here's his 2005 topps card

plus a 2006 upper deck

and a 2008 upper deck superstar card

i'm actually looking forward to some decent final tributes in 2015.

alfonso soriano was, at one time, jeter's double play partner.  here's a 2001 leaf rookies & stars card of the former yankee second baseman

i had almost forgotten he was once an infielder.

now how about some trevor plouffe?  here's a 2012 topps golden sparkle parallel,

a 2012 topps walmart blue parallel,

and a 2012 topps mini card

of the twins' current third baseman.  now, instead of turning double plays, plouffe hits doubles - he had 40 in 2014, which was good for fourth in the league.

i picked up this 2010 topps robin yount short print a while back

it would have looked nice as a 1978 or 1979 topps card, i think.

fast forward to 2014, and we have the somewhat rare double play card whose subject is the base runner - jordan danks in this case

and a pretty standard double play turn, although it is a red hot foil parallel, featuring the marlins' donovan solano

i'm hoping to see some photoshopped dee gordon as a marlin double play turns in 2015.

dime box card show haul

i didn't only buy dodgers at the card show last weekend.  there were lots of nice cards to be had in the few dime boxes (and one 5 for $1 box) that i looked through a week ago.  here are some of them.

1996 upper deck ken griffey jr vj lovero showcase insert

this card fits in my collection a couple of ways.  even though i have discontinued almost all of my player collections (including griffey), this card shows him taking a hack on tatooine.  it also fits into my heretofore unmentioned 'number on back' collection, which isn't really a thing.  yet.

double plays abound in the dime box.  here's a 1996 pinnacle summit alex rodriguez card

arod's 1997 upper deck rock solid foundation insert may or may not show a dp turn on the front

but it does on the back

how about a lurker or two?

that's gil hodges and jerry grote on this 1992 donruss coca-cola nolan ryan card.  i'll guess that the other guy is bud harrelson.

we weren't done with double plays, though.  here's a 1992 leaf cal ripken black gold parallel

and a 1993 upper deck sp ripken

and a 1994 upper deck ripken electric diamond parallel

and a 1995 score ripken hall of gold insert

plus a 1997 pacific prism ripken gem of the diamond card

just for fun, i picked out this 1997 fleer sports illustrated ripken card as well

not too many double play turns as a third baseman, unfortunately.

now, i am not a pete rose apologist, but i am a fan of the player.  i have a hard time resisting his cards, especially in dime boxes.  this is a box card from 1986.

it's not from a topps box (those were in the style of the 1986 set, but with red tops instead of black).  instead, this one comes from the 1986 topps stickers box.  it's too bad that someone went back and figured out that ty cobb only had 4189 hits, and not 4191, meaning that rose actually broke the record a few days earlier at wrigley field.

here's a final dime box card - one that also fits into a as of yet unannounced mini collection - it's a 1996 upper deck cal ripken card

maybe someday i'll fully commit to my 'tip of the cap' collection.

tomorrow, i'll show off a few of the 110 mike piazza cards that i rescued from the dime box.  stay tuned.

another edition of same play? same play.

this double play post begins with carlos baerga suspended in mid air - not just on his 1992 upper deck card

but also on his 1992 leaf card

thanks to jeff at 2x3 heroes for pointing this out to me.  jeff also alerted me to many of the cards that are in this post, prompting a quick visit to sportlots.  anyway, i think we can all agree that this is the same play, right?  i mean, there's really not enough evidence to pinpoint the angels' baserunner that baerga is so acrobatically avoiding but it is pretty clearly the same guy.

unfortunately, this is not the case on these shawon dunston cards.  first, from 1993 topps stadium club, dunston doubles up some poor schlub in spring training

and then takes to the air on this 1991 fleer ultra card

over an anonymous expo at wrigley.  at least dunston is consistent with his long sleeves and red wristbands.

back to 1993 topps stadium club, here's tony phillips turning two in some nice throwbacks

back to wrigley, courtesy of 1991 score.  here's jose oquendo

standing triumphantly over mark grace.

now back to the detroit tigers, for whom lou whitaker is certainly making the turn on his 1991 upper deck card

even though we can't see the runner.  there's really no other reason for him to have his left foot on the base.

we get runner and base on jose lind's 1993 score card

plus the ball as well!

back to wrigley once again for craig biggio's 1993 upper deck sp card

with another mark grace cameo.  who was hitting behind grace, anyway?

and then to fenway and john valentin's 1994 topps card

where brady anderson and his famous sideburns make an appearance

now for a couple of 1994 topps stadium club cards - neither of which feature tigers, wrigley field, or mark grace.  instead, we get alex arias

 and biggio again

i'll finish up this double play post where it began - with carlos baerga suspended in midair.  this time, courtesy of his 1996 score select card

featuring game 6 world series action!  ryan klesko gets doubled up in a rare 1-6-4-3 double play.  i'm guessing dennis martinez deflected the ball to omar vizquel who relayed to baerga at the bag.  good stuff.

easley like sunday afternoon

i missed the target in getting this post done for this morning.  still, damion easley makes it look easy as he turns double plays.  have a look.

1993 upper deck sp - front

and back

1995 donruss top of the order

1995 upper deck collector's choice

and 1996 pacific

not to be outdone, easeley's double play partner gary disarcina gets into the action as well.  in fact, that may well be easley in the background of disar's 1995 leaf card

and that could be easley's arm on disar's 1996 pinnacle summit card

and then also on the foil parallel as well

but i am more intrigued by the appearance of a dodger trying to break up the double play turn.  looks like reggie williams to me.

finally, disarcina gets a double play card all to himself - his 1993 upper deck sp card

which is back where this post started.  i'll try harder for tomorrow, but no promises.

double plays don't turn themselves

i recently considered putting a moratorium on picking up new double play cards.  i really didn't know just how many there were until i started to more seriously collect them a few years ago.  now i am behind on adding them to my have list and the binder(s).

but, when i come across a card as cool as billy ripken's 1991 topps stadium club issue, i am not going to pass on it.

that ripken is the rare double play card that shows the first baseman.  i like it very much.

double play master brent gates is back on his 1993 upper deck sp card

as well as his 1997 upper deck card

the opposing player seems to be kneeling at the altar of the double play turn.

master leaper jose lind shows his skills on this 1994 score select card

while royce clayton returns for some dp action on the back of his 1994 upper deck card

chris snopek turns two on a 1997 pinnacle new card

while derek jeter gets parallel to the ground on his 1998 fleer tradition card

pirate time - kevin polcovich looks like he has made the turn at dodger stadium on his 1998 pacific crown collection card

i would guess that brett butler is the guy sliding in, by the way; and tony womack introduces his knee to ray lankford's back on his card from that same set

womack is at it again on his 1998 pinnacle card

with slammin' sammy trying to break things up

from pirates to braves, here is a 2002 upper deck keith lockhart card

and a 2008 upper deck first edition edgar renteria card

for the purposes of this post, i will ignore the fact that the card says 'detroit tigers' on the bottom.

more double play cards to come!  stay tuned!