Weekend Countdown: Top 5 Larry Walker Cards

Remember when I said I was going to make a bunch of countdown posts?  Well, I did not really stick with that, so let's try again this year.  I already have topics picked out and everything.  I did not do that before.  

I was really pumped up to see Larry Walker get into the Hall of Fame this past week.  He was only on the Cardinals for a year and half, but he seemed like he had a pretty big impact on the team during that time.  Cardinals fans still talk about him, and I know he still shows up in St. Louis from time to time.  There have been other Hall of Famers who have made spot appearances with the Cardinals in the last twenty years, but none as popular as Larry Walker.  

Who remembers John Smoltz on the Cardinals?  

What about Dennis Eckersley?  

Eckersley was in St. Louis for two seasons, but clearly at the end of his career.  Smoltz pitched seven regular season games at the end of the 2009 season, and also a Postseason game in the NLDS.  The Cardinals got eliminated in the first round that season.  Matt Holliday eating sunflower seeds.  

The infield fly rule couldn't save him that time.  

Walker was always a fun player to watch before he got to the Cardinals.  Never minded him as an Expo or Rockie.  Once he got to the Cardinals he quickly became a fan favorite, which is saying something on a team with Pujols, Rolen, Edmonds, Chris Carpenter, and some others I am probably forgetting about.  It also did not hurt that Larry Walker played on the 2004 and 2005 Cardinals.  Neither team won the World Series, but they were both loaded rosters.  I'd say they are the best Cardinals teams to not win a World Series. A National League Championship and an appearance in the Championship Series are still pretty good set of accomplishments.  

Here are my rules for this week:  

• I am picking my five favorite Larry Walker cards from my collection 

• The picks are not based on value, popularity, or what I think other people think.  These are my favorite cards.  

• The cards are not in any order, just my five favorite Larry Walker cards.  

Shall we?  

2004 Topps Traded 

There are not many Larry Walker cards from 2004.  The Cardinals actually traded for him using waivers after the trade deadline.  I really don't like the 2004 Topps cards, but I will make an exception for this card.  Like all modern Topps cards, there are probably a few too many different parallel versions of this card, but I actually like two of them better than the base card.  

This is the Chrome version.  I believe that they came two per pack, or something like that. 

The Gold parallel is also nice.  

So, there will now be six cards in this post.  Make someone on COMC happy, go buy these two cards.  I am sure they are cheap.  

1992 Stadium Club 

There are some good action shots of Walker from the early 1990s.  His 1992 Topps card has a similar landscape perspective action shot, but he's playing first base on the card.  Larry Walker was a true five tool player, putting him at first base is wasting a few of those tools.  With what I imagine is a wide turn around first base, I love this photo of Walker.  Added bonus with the powder blue Expos uni.  

1997 Donruss Signature 

Love that there is a space on the bottom for the players to sign, and Walker autographed every single copy of this card vertically across his picture.  Some of the star players from the 1990s and 2000s literally have thousands and thousands of autographs.  How many products did Jeter and Griffey Jr. sign for over the years?  Walker signed virtually nothing in comparison.  The card is a little quirky with the signature location, but I dig it.  Definitely worth finding.  

Edgar Renteria also signed his Donruss Signature cards across his picture on the top of the card.  Although his autograph is horizontal.  I already broke my rules for the first card, not going to post an Edgar card tonight.  


1998 Stadium Club Co-Signers

I got this card before Walker was traded to the Cardinals.  The "Big Cat" was a former Cardinal, and both players have nice signatures.  Turned out nice that both of these players ended up appearing for the Cardinals.  Although, it would have been nice if Andres had been a little more successful with the team.  

1993 Donruss Elite 

It does not have Walker in a blue Expos uniform, but everything else about this card is incredible.  

Weekend Countdown: Top 10 Fernando Tatis Cardinals Cards

This past week was the twentieth anniversary of Fernando Tatis hitting two grand slams in one inning.  It does not feel like it has been that long, but here we are.....

Tatis has also gotten a few mentions recently too with the play of his son Fernando Tatis Jr..  Kid is off to a really good start.  

Here are this week's rules:

• This post is only of cards of Fernando Tatis on the Cardinals both in picture and in label.  No "now with Expos" or "now with Cardinals" cards.

• My actual favorite Fernando Tatis card is his 1998 Skybox EX Essential Credentials card. 

• The ten cards are ranked in order of how much I love them.  

10.  1999 Fleer Tradition - I like the St. Louis Stars uniform on the card. 

9. 1998 Fleer Update - I like the St. Louis Stars uniform on the card.  This is also the first card that Fernando Tatis had in a Cardinals uniform.  In fact, this is the only 1998 Cardinals card of Fernando Tatis.  There were not many update sets that year, no Topps or Upper Deck.  This was it.  Picture looks familiar.  

8. 2001 Topps - One of his last Cardinals cards.  Always liked this picture with the dark background and the white home Cardinals uniform.  Also like that the card is landscape.  

7. 1999 SP Signature Autograph - This was a good set for Cardinals autographs.  Love Fernando's signature.  You can clearly read the "F. Tatis", but it has a really unique.  

6. 2001 Fleer Autographics - One of Fernando's last autographs as a Cardinal.  I had a ton of these cards, always sort of liked these.  

5. 2016 Bowman - Remember when Fernando Tatis Jr. was a White Sox prospect.  Hard to believe that the Padres got him for James Shields.  

4. 2016 Topps Archives - The first year I collected was 1983.  Big fan of the design.  I am not sure how exactly it is connected to Fernando, but this is a great card.  

3. 2000 Fleer Tradition - Great looking card.  Complete rip off of the 1954 Topps set.  

2.  2000 Pacific Revolution - My favorite Cardinals autograph of Fernando.  I like the green background on this card.  Nice look.  

1. 2001 Topps Heritage - Glad that Topps found a way to squeeze Fernando into this set.  This had been released after he was traded to the Expos, obviously could have easily not been a Cardinal here.  Also has to be about his final Cardinals card.