Were they true prospects? - Torey Lovullo and Robert Palacios

Torey Lovullo

Career Years total: 8
Position: utility infielder
Batting average: .224
Hits: 165
Runs batted in: 60
Home Runs: 15
Teams: 8

•     Detroit Tigers (1988–1989)
•     New York Yankees (1991)
•     California Angels (1993)
•     Seattle Mariners (1994)
•     Oakland Athletics (1996)
•     Cleveland Indians (1998)
•     Philadelphia Phillies (1999)
•     Yakult Swallows (2000) (NPB)

MLB debut: September 10, 1988 for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance: October 3, 1999 for the Philadelphia Phillies


Robert Palacios

Career Years total: 3
Position: C
Batting average: .193
Hits: 22
Runs batted in: 17
Home Runs: 3
Teams: 1

• Kansas City Royals

MLB debut: September 8, 1988 for the Kansas City Royals
Last MLB appearance: September 14, 1990 for the Kansas City Royals




This is one of the examples where there is not much to say.
But I just have two points to make:
Torey looks like Andy Pettitte. And Robert is better known as Rey Palacios which made me go round a few times before knowing it was the same guy.

Simply because they look good - woman perspective wanna be

I'm just posting this Musselman card because he looks good.

Sometimes I simply like to play gily girl and look at my cards from a narrow woman perspective and imagine if I were a teen (just for the sake of my adulthood) which players would make me go yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy!

I think Musselman would make me look a lot to his card and his games...

But yet he's not quite there to fully apply to my Woman Perspective category. But almost.

Were they true prospects? - Lenny Harris and Marty Brown

Lenny Harris

Career Years total: 17
Position: 2B/3B/OF
Batting average: .269
Hits: 1,055
Runs batted in: 369
Home Runs: 37
Teams: 8

•     Cincinnati Reds (1988–1989)
•     Los Angeles Dodgers (1989–1993)
•     Cincinnati Reds (1994–1998)
•     New York Mets (1998, 2000–2001)
•     Colorado Rockies (1999)
•     Arizona Diamondbacks (1999–2000)
•     Milwaukee Brewers (2002)
•     Chicago Cubs (2003)
•     Florida Marlins (2003–2005)

MLB debut: September 7, 1988 for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance: October 1, 2005 for the Florida Marlins
Career highlights and awards:

•     World Series champion (2003)
•     MLB record 212 career pinch hits

Marty Brown

Career Years total: 2
Position: 3B
Batting average: .180
Hits: 11
Runs: 3
Teams: 2

• Cincinnati Reds (1988–1989)
• Baltimore Orioles (1990)

MLB debut: September 4, 1988 for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance: May 30, 1990 for the Baltimore Orioles



Well, this one is easy!

Harris wins it all. And not only because of the WS champ title and the pinch hit record but for a consistent career in the majors.

Were they true prospects? - Terry Taylor and Vance Lovelace

Terry Taylor

Career Years total: 1
Position: Pitcher
Win-Loss: 0-1
Earned run average: 6.26
Strikeouts: 9
Teams: 1

• Seattle Mariners (1988)

MLB debut: August 19, 1988 for the Seattle Mariners
Last MLB appearance: September 20, 1988 for the Seattle Mariners



Vance Lovelace

Career Years total:2
Position: Pitcher
Win–loss record: 0–0
Earned run average: 5.79
Strikeouts: 2
Teams: 2 different teams

• California Angels (1988–1989)
• Seattle Mariners (1990)

MLB debut: September 10, 1988 for the California Angels
Last MLB appearance: September 22, 1990 for the Seattle Mariners



 An example of prospects that were just that...

Were they true prospects? - Ken Hill and Dennis Cook

Ken Hill

Career Years total: 14
Position: Pitcher
Win–Loss record: 117–109
Earned run average: 4.06
Strikeouts: 1,181
Teams: 7 different teams

•     St. Louis Cardinals (1988–1991)
•     Montreal Expos (1992–1994)
•     St. Louis Cardinals (1995)
•     Cleveland Indians (1995)
•     Texas Rangers (1996–1997)
•     Anaheim Angels (1997–2000)
•     Chicago White Sox (2000)
•     Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2001)

MLB debut: September 3, 1988 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance: April 18, 2001 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Career highlights and awards: All-Star (1994)



Dennis Cook

Career Years total: 14
Position: Pitcher
Win–Loss record: 64–46
Earned run average: 3.91
Strikeouts: 739
Teams: 9 different teams

•     San Francisco Giants (1988–1989)
•     Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1990)
•     Los Angeles Dodgers (1990–1991)
•     Cleveland Indians (1992–1993)
•     Chicago White Sox (1994)
•     Cleveland Indians (1995)
•     Texas Rangers (1995–1996)
•     Florida Marlins (1997)
•     New York Mets (1998–2001)
•     Philadelphia Phillies (2001)
•     Anaheim Angels (2002)

MLB debut: September 12, 1988 for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance: September 18, 2002 for the Anaheim Angels
Career highlights and awards: World Series champion (1997)



Both have long careers but one was a starter and the other was a relief pitcher.
Ken Hill has an All Star call but none the same Dennis Cook wins because of the WS title.

To consider them as true prospects makes me think a bit.
I just have some doubts because they have so many teams. I always think that if you are good the team you are in tries everything to keep you. If you are traded a lot I always think there is some problem...

Super Star Specials - How an ASG card should be

A PED's card makes you seeing double

It's 40/40 in each eye.

No need for glasses.

Triple-A's Jedis

A bunt is always a bunt - Steve Lyons

Even if you bunt doing tricks like bunting in one leg only.

Will Clark - Woman Perspective Post (Vintage Edition)

Here I am with more woman perspective on the field.

And in vintage mood again.

Blame the fact I'm new to this hobby and to baseball history and I'm getting to know vintage stuff.

And back then there were a couple of players quite interesting.

By the title you akready know I'm talking about Will Clark.

I have cards of him from his early years in the ML so I got to know his younger side.

1988 Topps Big #9

Look at that gentle smile. He looks like the boy next door.

Still trying to grow some beard.

But then looking at the action photo we see a sports boy. One of those that never leave the field until the last minute.

That is one good looking sporty boy!

And there is always a special thing about dirty uniforms...and tight ones too.

1988 Donruss Diamond Kings No. 21

This card is not very flattering for Will but I've seen worse! But got to say that if it was for this single card I would not pay attention to Will.

I proclaim at this very moment that the Diamond Kings series are quite the enemy for women. It scares the hell out of us and keep us away from sports cards.

1990 Upper Deck #556

What is so good about early '90s in Upper Deck is that we get almost 2 full photos of the players. And that is a great example for Mister Clark.

On the front a giggling Will.

Yes.

That is giggling in my book.

Man giggling.

But giggling.

And that is what draws me to Will Clark. The fun going on. The good vibe he passes with his smile.

I think of Will like the vintage Hunter Pence.

All smiles most of the times but when he is at bat he has this serious and committed face.

Just look at the back photo. I think he was caught looking but the look on his face shows me he is up for quite the swing in the next pitch.

1986 Fleer Baseball's Best Sluggers vs. Pitchers #6

This is the rookie card of Will in my collection.

I know that the '87 cards of him are the ones regarded as his rookie cards. But this one is the one for me.

And it's from '86. A year before the ones released in '87. That's why the AVG stated in the card says it's from Minor League.

This card made me think if Will has something going on. Like a small accident or so that made him have the lip a bit turned upside down on the left.

But really. It makes me want to pat him.

Yep.

Pat him.

That twisted smile makes me want to pat him.

1987 Fleer Limited Edition #8

'87 was the true rookie year for Clark in the Majors and here he is in the dugout.

The first year is always scary. He seems a bit lost.

I want to pat him again.

And those black eyes...uhhhhhh Makes his face longer!

Can I say I want to hug him?

1988 Fleer Sluggers vs. Pitchers #8

Ahhh the sophomore year.

Even the black eyes are bigger! No more longer face but a man face.

Young Clark has grown up quite nice!

Except for the spectacles. Was it fashion back in the '80s?

But in Will everything looks great.

And he seems more accustomed with all the people.

But really, where are the women? With Clark in the field the women should be the majority in the stands!

Ahhhh ok. I understand. They have all fainted already.

1989 Fleer SuperStars #8

This is the last card of Will Clark I have in my collection.

I have saved the best for last.

I don't know why, and cannot really explain why I like this card so much.

There is no smile nor a great pose to the photo.

It's simply Will Clark.

The mighty hoover from doom

I bought a bunch of '89 Topps packs the other day.

I like to get vintage when I get the chance.

Even when vintage means going back to the '80s maximum.

The problem with the packs from back then is the gum.

What was wrong with those guys at the time, thinking that putting a gum inside a wax pack with cards would be just great!?

At least for the guys in Topps. We have the Fleer example with stickers. That does not mess up with the cards. Even getting the packs after so many years.

Of course I opened the packs looking for the Paul Molitor cards. Astonishing I didn't get it...

But I got good cards with no duplicates. But it does not make up for once again not getting a Molitor card.

So, the other day I was organizing the cards and taking note of them in my mighty notebook when they all scattered on the floor.

I didn't get much worried because I already had put them all into sleeves and I didn't mind putting them back in order.

The thing is that I didn't see that one of the cards went under the couch until...

...the mighty hoover from doom was put into action a few days later!

Oh my!

But astonishing again the card didn't suffer a scratch or not even a single line of bending.

The Cards Gods were with me in that very moment!

I already had the Cards Gods against me when I, inadvertently, folded a Sam LeCure RC corner.

This time around I couldn't take one more strike like that!

So what was the the card?

I knew at the time that the Cards Gods were trying to compensate me.

Why?

Because it was an other Reds' player and an other Rookie Card!

Mister Armstrong actually won the WS title in the next year with Cincinnati.


So be all you lot very carefully with spilling your cards on the floor. There is always an hiding hoover somewhere ready to swallow your cards.

More packs on the mail

Besides the packs I got as a birthday present from my parents, I also got more packs as a birthday present from me to myself.

I like to spoil my inner child.

These are the result: 7 '89 Topps packs plus 8 '88 Fleer packs.

Wax is just great!

I'll just hope the gum did not destroy the top card.

And since these junk wax came from one of my favourite eBay sellers he got me an extra.

Jorge Posada Topps Cracker Jack jersey relic!

I miss Posada.

Card Chase - 1989 Topps packs 1 and 2

This is the second last post of the Card Chase box I purchased a long long time ago...

What I've saved for last is not that big. The only reason is the last is because I forgot to take pictures of the cards yet.

But before that lets see what I got in these two '89 Topps packs.

And the first thing I noticed was that I knew this pack design from somewhere else...

Ohhhhh! This year Archives had the same design!

You might found it weird I get this epiphany moments so often but remember I'm a baby on collecting baseball cards.

Now lets see the cards.

Turn Back the Clock #662 Lou Brock OF@STL - Sorry but I don't like the photo not centered. For that I prefer the more modern 'Cards Your Mom Threw Out'.

#118 Checklist 1-132 - I prefer checklists with a photo. It seems more like an extra card than this with checklist in both sides.

#10 Andre Dawson OF@CHC - HOFer card is always welcome.

#242 Ed VandeBerg P@TEX - Ed ended his career in '88 but he was lucky and also got into the '89 set.

#251 John Dopson P@MTL - I like having Expos cards just because I've never saw them playing. And Dopson did the terrific feat of  balking 4 times in one game in '89. Now I do like this card!

#294 Juan Berenguer P@MIN - Why is the 'Topps' logo on that position? It's the only one.

#311 Chris Bosio P@MIL - A no-hitter Pitcher card.

#323 Gary Thurman OF@KC - I don't know if you think the same but...Gary looks like Puff Daddy (or other name he is calling himself now) a lot! At least in this photo.

#455 Johnny Ray OF/2B@CA - Nice swing!

#488 Kevin Coffman P@ATL/CHC - I prefer having this kind of cards with the 'Trade to' line than the photoshoped ones.

#621 Rick Mahler P@ATL

#625 Eddie Murray 1B@BAL - Actually in '89 the HOFer Murray played for Dodgers. But it's nice to have a card of him with his first MLB team uniform. And what a great photo!

#645 Jack Morris P@DET - I picture Verlander like that in a few years. I had to say that!

#682 Rick Leach OF/1B@TOR - Is he looking at the aircrafts? And an other player without the 'Trade to' line but he didn't play for Toronto in '89 but for Texas.

#745 Fred McGriff 1B@TOR - Swing all the way! And in '89 McGriff won his first Silver Slugger Award.

And that merchandising card to get a Topps t-shirt. But it is collectible if you want one per colour. You got see next pack cards to understand.

#17 Brian Downing DH/OF@CA - Brian ranks #219 in the 1K RBIs list with 1,072 RBIs.

#115 Jody Davis C@CHC/ATL - It's mirror of Coffman trade.

#188 Dennis Lamp P@BOS - Lamp is better known for allowing other 2 players to get milestones: "(...) he gave up Lou Brock's 3000th hit. He also surrendered Cal Ripken Jr.'s first major-league hit"

#287 Juan Nieves P@MIL - An other no-hitter Pitcher.

#384 Mark Salas C@CWS - He almost got a WS title...but instead got to wear a Yankee uniform. Is almost the same feeling.

#410 Jack Clark DH/1B@NYY - My first Yankee. Only played for Yankees on '88 so this card should state that he is now with the Giants. Clark rank #158 on the 1K RBIs list with 1,180 RBIs.

#444 Moose Stubing MGR@CA - A manager card that serves as a team checklist.

#494 Shane Rawley P@PHI - Former Yankee and in '89 he was with the Twins.

#575 Juan Samuel 2B@PHI - Samuel spent '89 with the Phillies and the Mets.

#636 Bill Wilkinson P@SEA - I never get used to this Seattle logo and uniform.

#666 Randy St. Claire P@CIN - The evil card of doom! Not because St. Claire but because it's the 666 card in the set! Hell yeh! And in '89 he played for Minnesota.

#671 Jim Gantner 2B@MIL - One team-player.

#676 Ernie Riles 3B/SS@SF - "Riles belted the 10,000th home run in Giants history" - This got to be a special card for Giants fans.

#688 Zane Smith P@ATL - Late '80s and '90s hair.

#744 Roger Craig MGR@SF - The second manager card this time with team checklist for SF.

And other Topps t-shirt merchandising card this time with red background.

That flowing design for the player's name is cool. I miss more action photos but maybe I was unlucky with the cards I got on that department.

Card Chase - 1989 Donruss pack 1 and 2

I'm missing half the box packs from that Card Chase box - if you still remember.

So today's post is for '89 Donruss packs.

The packs mentioned MVP bonus cards. Lets see if I can get lucky.

I like the '89 Donruss design! Not sure if the colour scheme is the best but I think they didn't intend to match the colours with the teams colours. Because Giants or Twins have nothing to do with yellow and green.

On with the cards.

David Wells P@TOR - The Perfect-Gamer for Yankees on '98 makes me like this card. One more to add to my trending list. I think that since everybody do a top-something I might do a top with this former/will-be Yankee players.

Dick Schofield SS@CA - It's the uncle of Jayson Werth.Ohhhh...

Ozzie Virgil C@ATL - I didn't know nothing about Virgil but when searching on the web I got confused because there is a Senior and a Junior. And the card doesn't state which who it is. This is the Junior. The Senior never played for Atlanta. But Senior was the first Dominican to play in MLB.

Steve Buechele 3B@TEX

Terry Steinbach C@OAK - '89 would give Terry his only WS title. Since in '88 he was named ASG MVP. Now is a coach in Minnesota.

Tommy Herr 2B@MIN - here he's with Twins but he would be with Phillies for '89 and '90.

John Moses OF@MIN

Mike Brumley SS@SF - Played eight seasons and only got 3 homers. Seems he was more a utility player that a regular one. Now is a coach in Seattle.

Dave Meads P@HOU - I need to get used to this kind of uniforms again...And Meads only played 2 years and both with the Astros.

Don Carman P@PHI - "In a 2011 article, Carman was listed as the second-worst-hitting pitcher of all time, behind only Ron Herbel, a pitcher for the Giants in the 1960s. In 239 career plate appearances, Carman had 12 hits (all singles), two walks and 75 strikeouts."

Bob Dernier OF@PHI - After his '88 Donruss card I got his '89.


Hensley Meulens 3B@NYY - My first Yankee in the pack!

Jeff Sellers P@BOS - Here still with Boston but he would be traded to Cincinnati but an injured stopped him playing for the Reds.

Darrell Evans IF@DET

Tim Leary P@LAD - WoW Pitcher with bat is always fun to have in a card. Still even if he's just posing and not really batting. A Yankee years later between '90 and '92.

And 3 Warren Spahn puzzle pieces.

On with the second pack.

DK Andres Galarraga - Not the best but didn't scared me. One thing is for sure, even if you don't like it, this is probably one of the most well known insert sets around.

MVP Kevin Gross P@PHI - One of those 26 MVP bonus cards! Pitched a no-hitter latter in '92.

MVP Wally Joyner 1B@ATL - And another MVP card! Wow! This pack is full! Just 24 more to go.

Erik Hanson P@SEA RC

Alex Sanchez P@TOR

Jeff Musselman P@TOR - I already had his '88 Donruss card and his Upper Deck '90 card. Now I have three consecutive years cards of him.

Rob Murphy P@CIN - In '89 he is with Red Sox but here still with the Reds. I prefer the first Reds.

Floyd Bannister P@KC

Jose Lind IF@PIT - I don't want to be mean but the first time I looked at the photo I though it was a Diamond King one. There. I said it.

Scott Garrelts P@SF - My favourite photo in all two packs. Why? Don't know. And it's not me to like that much a Pitcher's photo but...when you feel it you just know. Because Scott didn't have that much to say about his career but at least he got a pretty card in '89 Donruss set.

Danny Darwin P@HOU - That pose looks like Nolan...At first I though it was Ryan.

Pedro Guerrero 1B@STL - He was considered to MVP in '89. But it seems he didn't win it. Is that synthetic grass?

Charles Hudson P@NYY - My second Yankee card! One per pack is not that bad. Here is my second favourite photo. And it's not simply because he's a Yankee. I already had his '88 Donruss card and when I check id again I thought one thing: They look like the same pitch. Could they use the same pitch for two years? They look different in motion and the angle is a bit aside but they look almost the same.

Mark Clear P@MIL

Wes Gardner P@BOS

And to end the pack 3 more puzzle pieces but this time I got to know that Warren Spahn had 363 career victories and that for 13 times he got 20 or more wins.



Note: all extra info from wikipedia.

Black & White - Is that a bad thing? - take 2

I'm back.

Yesterday's post was me venting a bit.

All set to get back to the hobby.

I posted a couple of days ago a black and white Jeter photo that I liked and said I'd gimp it to be some kind of a card-looking-photo.

Actually I didn't gimp it but I paint it.

I really cannot get along with gimp like the way I did with photoshop.

So I reverted to basic tool that every windows PC has. Paint.

Here is the amateur result of it.

I like the diagonal design. I saw a few cards with it and have a few.

For example the 1993 Leaf set, the 'Godzilla' set, have only one corner 'cut'.

But I think the set that pop up always in my mind when talking about double-cut-corners is the 1989 Fleer set.

I like it. Even the gray background. Sadly I don't have any card from this set.

But I also like that year Fleer SuperStar look even with no gray.

This one kind of have both bottom corners on diagonal way. This set I have.

I like diagonal layout on cards because it gives somehow movement to the card.

Late 80's card party

YES! The people at customhouse took just 1 week to send me the package with all the 6 boxes of late 80's cards I bought last month.

Now that's a great way to end this week. TGIF plus this bonus is something I really wasn't counting on.

The problem is that I have to work for the rest of the afternoon and cannot check the cards. I'll only post about it later.

Smells like 80's!

Waiting for cards to arrive

When waiting for some cards I ordered to arrive is soooooooo bloody exasperating!

I think, if the post office works as usually that I'll have the 2009 T206 box by tomorrow, but that I ordered within Europe.
The other 80's cards I'm waiting are from US. The costume house must be checking it out. Hope they don't take much longer.

I really was hopping to having those 80's boxes by today...I do have the afternoon to wait for it. Please arrive soon!

Back from vacations

I'm back from some vacation days that I was needing like I'm needing baseball cards.

And to cure that I just ordered a bunch of old days boxes:

• 1 box of 1986 Fleer Sluggers VS Pitchers
• 1 box of 1986 Fleer Baseball Superstars
• 1 box of 1987 Fleer Superstars
• 1 box of 1987 Topps Stars of the Decade
• 1 box of 1988 Fleer Sluggers VS Pitchers
• 1 box of 1989 Fleer Superstars

I was interested in buying 1986 cards but the pack included the extra 87/88/89 boxes so I can have them too. It's an extra addiction to my baby baseball card collection.

Lets see if I can get some Yankee cards.