Hall Of Fame Weekend Part One: Vince Coleman

The Baseball Hall of Fame had their induction ceremony a few weeks back in Cooperstown.  There were a bunch players going into the Hall this year.  I really enjoyed watching some of those players over the years.  Chipper Jones was always on the wrong team, Cardinals fan here, but I definitely can appreciate his the impact he had on those 1990s and 2000s Braves teams.  Same can be said for Guerrero, Thome, and Trammell.

Although, I never Trammell play in person.  Still my in-laws are all Tigers fans, I have heard plenty of stories.  Good numbers too.

I disagreed with the two other players to various degrees, Hoffman and Morris.  Hoffman I can live with to some degree, not a fan of some of the closers.  Morris really irks me, long story, could be its own post.

Which brings me to this weekend.  This is Hall of Fame weekend for the Cardinals.  The team is inducting three new members in the their Hall.  Two of the players, Ray Lankford and Vince Coleman were core players on teams that I watched growing up.  The third player is Harry Brecheen who was a starting pitcher for the Cardinals in the 1940s and helped the team win two World Series titles.

For this post, I am just going to stick to Vince Coleman.

2018 #STLCards Hall of Fame inductees Vince Coleman and Ray Lankford join Mike Shannon & Mike Claiborne now on #KMOX for the next hour #TuneIn #HOF #Cardinals pic.twitter.com/7U5YWU34tP

— KMOXSports (@KMOXSports) August 18, 2018

I moved around a bit as a kid, but at some point during the summer of 1984 I moved to St. Louis.  Not a great summer for the Cardinals.  The next year however was the first time that I really liked a baseball team, not just some baseball player because I had their baseball card, or I saw them on a random Saturday Game of the Week.  

There was something pretty incredible about the 1985 Cardinals and it all started with their leadoff hitter Vince Coleman.  He stole a ton of bases, a lot more than any other player in baseball, and that was still an era where players still tried to run.  Teams actually used small ball to score runs.  Tim Raines, Rickey Henderson, Davey Lopes, Juan Samuel, Wille McGee, etc. 

The list could go on.  In my eyes, as a seven year old living in St. Louis, Vince Coleman was the greatest base stealer in the game.  Even thirty some years later, what is not to love about plays like this......

which broke Juan Samuel's rookie stolen base record, which had just been set the season before.  Coleman's only home run of the 1985 season?  You can almost guess what happens here..... (the video is the whole half of the inning, Coleman's home run is right away) 

           

Naturally as a baseball card collector I had to find a Vince Coleman rookie card.  I usually got baseball cards from Dierberg's when my parents went grocery shopping, or from the Ben Franklin in Webster Groves during the summer.  More than anything else during the summer of 1986, I wanted a copy of his Topps rookie card.  

There were plenty of popular cards during the mid 1980s, in my world the popular card was that Vince Coleman rookie card.  In fact, if I built my own list of personal iconic cards, his 1986 Topps would be on there and it's a no doubter.  

Still love this card even today.  

Vince eventually left the Cardinals for the Mets, which moved Vince Coleman's baseball cards from the "loved" category into the traitor category.  Jack Clark was banished there too in 1988.  Basically, Clark and Coleman were sorted away from Willie McGee and Terry Pendleton in my Cardinals cards, and forced into an area where the Mike Heath and Kurt Kepshire cards were stored.  

I was aware of Coleman's career after he left St. Louis, just could not ever really get behind him again.  Even when he was on the Mariners, a team I kind of enjoyed watching in the 1990s, it was still hard.  I really rediscovered Vince Coleman in the early 2000s.  He had an autograph in the 2003 Archives set, with a 1986 style design.  A card shop owner in South St. Louis County sold the card to me on the cheap......

I had to endure a lecture on him throwing firecrackers at people outside of Dodger stadium, but it was worth it to own this card.  Brought back some good memories of Vince.  Since then, he has popped up in a few other different card products along the way, and also appeared here and there in the news as a base running coach for several different teams.  

A few of my favorite Coleman cards from his post-retirement days, let's start with a pair of Panini cards from 2013.  

I cannot stand Panini cards, until they make something really nice, or they make some cards with people in their college baseball uniforms.  Oh, the USA Baseball cards too, those are nice.  This card with Ozzie Guillen, along with the card below with McGee, have to be my two favorites.  The card with Guillen celebrates the two 1985 Rookie of the Year winners, just in case you were scratching your head as to why these two players are on a basebll card together......

Then there is this card, which really needs no explanation.  Between these two cards out of the America's Pastime product, this McGee/Coleman dual autograph is an absolutely incredible baseball card.  I think of this as a must have for 1980s Cardinal collectors.  

Last card.  Topps put Vince Coleman in Tier One two years ago during 2016.  That marble background makes this card look really fancy.  It's on decent card stock, but this is probably one of those cards that you would be disappointed to pull, if you actually spent money to open some packs of cards from this set. 

It is nice to see a childhood favorite get a place in the Cardinals Hall of Fame.  I miss all of those running Redbirds from the Whiteyball era teams.  

and the 1985 Rookie of the Year Award goes to.....

Panini has put out a lot of booklet cards over the years.  It feels like the concept has lost a little bit of steam over time.  I remember a few years back I would frequently run into collectors who would trade their right arm, or half of the equity in their mortgage, for a chance at a booklet card.  Last week someone offered to sell me a Wil Myers booklet for $10 shipped.  Times have changed.

Just because demand has trickled off does not mean that there still aren't cool booklet cards to be found.  I have a few that I am always on the lookout for.  A few cool Cardinals ones, Durham Bulls, or just players I like to watch.  Two weeks ago I found a Cardinals booklet I have had my eye on for awhile....

From the Whiteyball era Cardinals.....

Stolen base artist extraordinaire Vince Coleman.  This card actually celebrates the 1985 Rookie of the Years in the American and National Leagues.  Coleman had a record setting 1985 becoming the first rookie in the history of the game to steal more than 100 bases as a rookie, ending the season with 110 thefts.

I have always liked Coleman's signature and have enjoyed collecting his cards over the years.  He's not a huge signer, but he's been in a fair number of products as a signer to keep 1980s Cardinals fans happy.  

The other side of the card is occupied by former White Sox player and manager Ozzie Guillen.  I am sure that most people remember his managing days over his playing days.  I am also sure that most people remember all the wrong things about his managerial career, which should definitely still be remembered, but ignores the fact that he ended the long World Series drought of the White Sox....

Back to Ozzie Guillen the player.  He was a defense first, offense second shortstop.  His offensive line from his Rookie of the Year season was .273/.291/.358 with 1 home run, 9 triples, and 21 doubles.  Not the strongest year, which brings me to a little something that I ran into while looking up a little information on both Coleman and Guillen.  

I am not entirely sure that either one of these players should have won the Rookie of the Year.  In Coleman's case I am sure that the stolen base record and a winning team went a long way in helping him win the award.  While the truly deserving player in the American League played on a terrible team, the rookie with the best season line in the National League played on a contender.  

The National and American League players who probably deserved to win were both pitchers.  The NL pitchers line: 20-9 record, 155 strikeouts, 1.20 WHIP, FIP 3,81, and an ERA+ of 106.  The AL pitchers line: 15-8 record, 127 strikeouts, 1.17 WHIP, FIP 3.77, and ERA+ of 107.  Any guesses?  

The National League pitcher.....

The American League pitcher.....