When an All-Star is not an All-Star: NL edition

If you were like me, you blindly accepted the Topps All-Star team subsets as factual representations of real life. In the Topps universe, Shane Rawley and Dwight Gooden were All Stars in 1987, since they were included in its 1988 All-Star subset. And yet, neither of them was an All Star in 1987.

Rawley was an All Star in 1986, and he did have a great 1987 season, posting a career-best 17 wins for the mediocre Phillies. But that's not the point. The point is that Topps unilaterally decided that the voters got it wrong when they put pitchers not named Rawley or Gooden on the team. Or maybe Topps didn't want to make an All-Star card of Sid Fernandez? It's all unclear, but it got me thinking.

Just how many of Topps's 1988 All Stars were actually on the 1987 teams? Let's look at the starting lineups.

1. Eric Davis                   LF       1. Rickey Henderson             CF
2. Ryne Sandberg                2B       2. Don Mattingly                1B
3. Andre Dawson                 CF       3. Wade Boggs                   3B
4. Mike Schmidt                 3B       4. George Bell                  LF
5. Jack Clark                   1B       5. Dave Winfield                RF
6. Darryl Strawberry            RF       6. Cal Ripken                   SS
7. Gary Carter                   C       7. Terry Kennedy                 C
8. Ozzie Smith                  SS       8. Willie Randolph              2B
9. Mike Scott                    P       9. Bret Saberhagen               P

For the National League, Dawson, Smith, Clark, and Steve Bedrosian got Topps All-Star cards, and over in the American League, Randolph, Bell, Winfield, Mattingly, Boggs, and Tom Henke got cards. Tony Gwynn, Juan Samuel, Tim Raines, and Tim Wallach, represented in the Topps All-Star lineup, were NL reserves, and Kirby Puckett, Matt Nokes, and Alan Trammell, all three Topps All Stars, were reserves for the American League. But Benny Santiago? Not an All Star. Roger Clemens? Not an All Star. Jimmy Key? Dwight Gooden? Nope and nope. And no Shane Rawley, either.

The other side of that meant that Eric Davis, Ryne Sandberg, Mike Schmidt, Darryl Strawberry, Gary Carter, Mike Scott, Sid Fernandez, Mark Langston, Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken, Terry Kennedy, and Bret Saberhagen weren't in the regular Topps All Star subset. (They were included in the Glossy All-Star mail-away set and the glossy All Stars found in rack packs, but so what? Not everybody had the cash to send away for the larger All Star set, and it wasn't a guarantee that your drugstore carried rack packs (which were also more expensive than wax packs).)

One of Topps's "things" would be to include an All-Star right-handed starting pitcher and an All-Star left-handed starting pitcher in their All Star subset. So for the NL, these should have been Mike Scott (RHP) and Sid Fernandez (LHP). And for the AL, Bret Saberhagen (RHP) and Mark Langston (LHP). So, because they should exist, here are your 1988 Topps National League All Stars.

 

Cap'n Red Hat and the Black Dirt Chronicles of Effort

Mike Schmidt, 1989 Topps Cap'n Crunch

What's left to say about Mike Schmidt? He played for the team with the red hats. He enjoyed/was sponsored by Cap'n Crunch breakfast cereal. These are the two most common things people know about Mike Schmidt. "Is there anything else I should know?" you ask. Great question. Not really.

Unless ... do you like the Internet? Because guess what? Mike Schmidt has a website.

Here is the header/tagline/whatever you call that thing that appears on the very top of the browser of Mike Schmidt's website:

The best of the Sports Stores is Mike Schmidt Fan Shop; compare to the other Sports Stores, Sports Stores, Sports Stores and see.

There is no doubt we are required to do some comparison here. But before we do that -- and we won't do that -- the homepage features a very important quote by Mike Schmidt which, judging from the picture, he first uttered while hitting a home run over the Liberty Bell and winning America her freedom from France or whatever.

"If you could equate the amount of time and effort put in mentally and physically into succeeding on the baseball field and measured it by the dirt on your uniform, mine would have been black." -- Mike Schmidt

This is a very long quote that I had originally and mistakenly attributed to Winston Churchill. I think we've all wished, at one point or another in our lives, that effort could be manifested through dirt on our bodies. Effort, however, is typically only manifested by results, and unfortunately for Schmidt, he has only his 500 home runs and Hall of Fame career to serve as an indication that he did, many times, practice baseball. I also was not aware that brown dirt on top of more brown dirt will become black dirt. I thought it would just mean more dirt.

The point is that: hey you -- dive for that ground ball! Don't stand there and let it go by you because you don't want your uniform to get dirty like so, so, so, so, so, so many other baseball players. When you do that it looks like you're not trying. Do you even like baseball? Oh ... you don't? Then why are we even out here? I'm sorry; this is my dream, not yours. Let's go to the movies.

(If you are skeptical as to Mike Schmidt's belief in dirt, scroll over the Mike Schmidt logo on the website and experience the puff of dirt that magically appears. Don't worry though -- you won't get dirty.)

The other point is that: hey you -- buy some sports apparel and memorabilia at Mike Schmidt's online store! Don't just be all browsin' around without getting your uniform dirty (metaphor for consumer purchase).

It's uncertain what role, exactly, Cap'n Crunch played in the creation of mikeschmidt.com. It's possible that this card and Mike Schmidt's website are mutually exclusive. But who knows? The long arms of Cap'n Crunch spread wide across corporate America.

Baseball Card Game: Casting Agent

One of my favorite games is called Casting Agent. You choose, based on the photograph on the front of their baseball card, the perfect candidate for each role. This morning the show I’m casting is an ensemble dramedy I’ve titled “Man Cave.” It's along the lines of The Wonder Years, only replace the family unit in the 1960s with six middle-age men living under one roof.

The back story is that six friends made a pact in college that if they're single when they're 40, they'll find a way to live together. Needless to say, hilarity sometimes ensues and lessons are learned on every show.

And while it sounds an awful lot like the premise of the film Old School, this show does not take place on a college campus. It's simply a device to get all the main characters to live in one place. 

'A' Plot: After his wife kicks him out of their house, Gorff decides to round up his five best friends—each down on his luck and still trying to figure it all out—to live together in the ultimate man's house: big-screen TVs, cigars and brandy, a billiards room, Lay-z-boys, the whole nine yards.

'B' Plot: Gorff's dad wants to move into the Man Cave.

Main Characters

George Brett as Walter "Gorff" Gorffalberger,
a lovable oaf who can't seem to get it right

 Steve Garvey as Dick, a model-train enthusiast
who keeps adding HO-scale train track around the Man Cave

Chuck Muncie as Books, a French teacher at the local high school. Known to his students as Monsieur Etienne.

Vincente Romo as Simon Jaffacake, a dance instructor

 Danny Frisella as Jerry - Most of his dialogue is unintelligible: he talks very fast and ends each bit of dialogue in uncontrollable laughter

Keith Moreland as Ronnie Limberger - just known as Limberger - job unknown

with Gaylord Perry as Dad

Other recurring characters

Amy Madigan as Alice Gorffalberger, Gorff's soon-to-be-ex-wife

Pete Rose as Pete, Alice's new live-in boyfriend and Gorff's old Army buddy

John Henry Johnson as Mario - a rival dance studio instructor and Simon's secret crush 

Pascual Perez as Stephon, their wacky neighbor

Jim Fregosi as Mr. Sneed, Gorff's boss 

Ken MacKenzie as Johnnie Limberger, Limberger's older, less successful brother

Mike Schmidt as Fran, Gorff's rival at his job

Rick Waits as Looks - Books' best friend and colleague at the high school

792 1980's Topps Cards Can't Be Wrong

It's Tuesday night, which can only mean one thing: time for numbers 401 through 450 of The 792!

For God's sake, try to contain your excitement!

401. Mark McGwire Team USA Olympic, 1985 (RC)
402. Tony Gwynn NL AS, 1988
403. Cory Snyder Team USA Olympic, 1985 (RC)
404. Phillies World Series Celebration, 1981
405. Roger Maris Turn Back the Clock 1961, 1986
406. Paul Molitor, 1980
407. Steve Bedrosian NL AS, 1988
408. John Mizerock, 1987
409. Marvis Foley, 1983
410. Phil Niekro, 1983
At the top of this checklist, I noted that my goal was not to create a Pete Rose's or Nolan Ryan's Greatest Hits type set. It turns out that some stars were consistently given off-numbers, like Paul Molitor, Ozzie Smith, and Robin Yount. Granted, I probably would have included more Roses and Ryans, but they fell on 2nd tier numbers almost across the board (1987 being a rogue checklist; Nolan Ryan on #757? WTF?). A guy who was given a 2nd tier number consistently was Phil Niekro. And how do you say no to Phil Niekro? You don't, that's how.

411. Houston Jimenez, 1984
412. Britt Burns, 1981 (RC)
413. Moose Haas, 1987
414. John McNamara, 1988 (MGR)
415. Ron Darling, 1985 (RC)
416. Fred Lynn, 1989
417. John Franco, 1985 (RC)
418. Alan Knicely, 1986
419. Tom Hume, 1981
420. Will Clark, 1987 (RC)
If I ever write a book on checklisting, there will definitely be a chapter entitled 'The Greatest Crimes in Checklisting,' and near the top of my list will be how Topps did not include Will Clark and Barry Larkin in the 1985 Team USA Olympic subset. His regular-issue rookie in 1987 was a huge deal in 1987. I thought I'd be able to retire from the riches bestowed upon me thanks to having doubles of this card. Alas, it was no to be.

421. Al Oliver Super Veteran, 1983
422. George Cappuzello, 1983
423. John Smiley, 1988 (RC)
424. Yankees Team, 1980
425. Tom Seaver, 1987
426. Orioles Leaders, 1984
427. Paul Kilgus, 1988 (RC)
428. Max Venable, 1986
429. Tim Pyznarski, 1987 (RC)
Pyznarski's only Topps card.

430. Mike Schmidt, 1987
The Mike Schmidt With A Boner Card. Classic.

431. Gary Gaetti, 1983 (RC)
432. Len Barker, 1981
433. Ed Hearn, 1987 (RC)
434. Harold Baines, 1984
435. Robin Yount, 1982
436. Andy Allanson, 1987 (RC)
437. Andy Benes #1 Draft Pick, 1989 (RC)
438. Joe Torre, 1985 (MGR)
439. Dave Righetti, 1982 (RC)
440. Steve Bedrosian, 1988
441. Whitey Herzog, 1986 (MGR)
The Whitey Herzog With The Kid'N'Play Flat-Top Haircut Card.

442. Tom Bolton, 1988 (RC)
Now that the Red Sox have held onto Bucholz, Lester, et al, which one of them will be known as the Tom Bolton of his generation?

443. Bill Buckner, 1986
444. Cal Ripken, Sr., 1988 (MGR)
445. Mark Fidrych, 1980
446. Chuck Finley, 1987 (RC)
447. Tom Brunansky, 1984
448. Darrell Porter In Action, 1982
449. Pat Dodson, 1987 (RC)
450. Barry Bonds, 1988
A few posts ago I hinted that it was unprecedented for Topps to reward Barry Bonds with a 2nd tier number in his rookie year, only to elevate him further in his second year. This is not the case. If you look at 1987 and 1988 more closely, Bo Jackson was on #170 for his regular-issue rookie, then given #750 in 1988, his second year. So really Topps's man-crush wasn't just on Barry Bonds. They spread the love around.


As always, luxuriate in the visuals with Cardboard Junkie.

Goudey Tradeaway #7: Glavine for Schmidt

This trade comes in from Scott in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Giving: Tom Glavine, #94 (red back)
Getting: Mike Schmidt 1982 Topps All-Star (wrong back)

Man, I love wrong-backs! They're the best kind of misprints, if you ask me. It looks like a card of Mike Schmidt...but...it's really...Del Unser! And a little bit of George Foster! To quote the esteemed cultural icon Flava Flav: Yeahhhhh boi-yee!