The sorting of 5000: 1992 Topps

#14 Wes Chamberlain, not alot to say about him. I grew up around the corner from one of his teammates, Phil Bradley. For some reason he had a home in Columbia, Mo. None the less Wes had six mediocre seasons in the Big Leagues.

#15 El Presidente. 23 big league seasons, won 100 games in both leagues, first Nicaraguan player in the big leagues. Awesome. The year this photo was snapped he pitched the 13th perfect game in baseball history. He also lead the league this year in CG and SHO, 9 and five respectively. 5 shutouts, solid.

#16 Jeff Montgomery. I grew up in central Missouri loving this guy. He was the Royals go to closer for a large part of my youth. He distinguished himself by having four go to pitches, double what most relievers have. He is now broadcasting for the Royals on the station he sits as Vice-President. This guy is a mid-western ball player through and through. I am glad there are still gigs inside the game for guys like this.

The Sorting of 5000

I am back!!! I'm not going to buy any new cards  . . . alright maybe a few, but no seriously. I'm going to catalog this giant, semi-cool ebay purchase. I got 5000 cards. That's alot to sort, and file in my OCD way. That is actually part of this hobby I like, the sorting and organizing. I imagine Dewey, of Dewey Decimal fame, enjoyed the hobby of sport card collecting as well.

So I'm gonna sort, catalogue and record. Here goes, with the first of a ton of posts regarding 1992 Topps. I was in 10th grade, loved soccer, Primus, and driving.

The first is #5 Dave Winfield:

Nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career, Winfield had a descent year, becoming the oldest person in history to hit for the cycle on June 24th against the Royals. Breaking Honus Wagners record. When you're breaking a Honus Wagner record that is saying something! The very next year Dave hits a double to win the world series for his new team the Blue Jays. Well done sir, well done.

#7 Jim Olander fought for a spot 12 years in the minor leagues. In this card from 1991 Jim finally played 12 games in the big league. With 12 games, 9 at bats, and 2 Runs he had a good showing. A broken leg the next year spelled doom for the old goat, and he never played another major league game. He is a scout now for the Detroit Tigers, and considered a quality baseball guy.

#8 Bryan Hickerson pitched from '91-'95 in the Major leagues to an even record of 21-21. He recorded 279 strikeouts and traveled from the Giants to the Cubs to the Rockies. He stays involved with baseball via UPI, a christian outreach group using baseball to reach youth.

My First 3rd

I have never really understood the Jr. or III convention of naming children. How confusing must it have been at the Smalley house when "Roy" was called, and three generations of Smalley men turn around. By god, it's like shouting "Mom" at the grocery store.

Was the Smalley family of so little imagination that they had to use the same name time and time again.

Here and now I vow to never sire a Tim Graham Jr. Although, a wicked side of me could see skipping the Jr. and going straight to the third for my son. In some kind of manufactured nobility play, I would propel my son up the WASP ranks.

We'll see what the wife thinks of my plan. Could have some issues with it.

III here had quite a year during this cards release. The Twins win the Series, his second trip back to Minnesota finally yielded a ring in his second to last year in the Bigs.

III was an All-Star shortstop in 1979, having lit up the first half of the season with a .341 batting average.

Jr., III's father, was a shortstop in the Bigs as well.

Well you know how the saying goes:

Like Jr. like III.

Where's The Wood?

Putting away some of my 2012 Topps base cards I came across another card that made me beg the question: "Where's the wood?"

The card below is from 1987 Topps, a 25th anniversary reprise of the 1962 design. There was some speculation before this years Topps base design was spoiled, where it was thought that this year may have wood borders as well. Alas, nothing for the 50th anniversary.

This card is from one of the sets released during my first brief stint collecting baseball cards as a kid. Not only is it a sharp design (perhaps my favorite use of a team logo), it carries so much nostalgia I can't help but like it.

Dickie Ray Noles may best be known for brushing George Brett off of the plate in Game 4 of the 1980 World Series. This moment is identified as the turning point for the Phillies who had struggled against the Royals up 'til then.

The year this card was issued Dickie gained the dubious distinction of being traded for himself. He was dealt from the Cubs to the Detroit Tigers for a player to be named later. After four games as a Tiger, when the teams were unable to agree on the "player to be named later" Dickie was sent back to the cubs on October 24th, 1987. I'd call that an even trade!!!

Having returned to baseball cards only recently, I don't have that large of a collection of cards older than 2 years. I have bought some 30 dollar random boxes on ebay, and enjoy being exposed to different sets through that. I'm pretty sure that's where Dickie came from.

Here's where the design came from, the 25th anniversary homage:

Through the Topps online redemption last year, I managed to score two cards from the 1962 set. They are both in this glorious condition, however, I don't really care. To me they are still cool, and the oldest cards I have.

Does Jim's hat look strange to you? I think it is airbrushed, as he began the 1962 season playing for the Mets then was traded to the Pirates for the last 55 games of his major league career. Who knows which teams logo was to be on that hat? An M, or a P? The world may never know.

Jim's cool tale doesn't end there though. For after the 1962 season he played two years in the Japanese baseball league. That had to be crazy in the 60's?!? He is currently the Arizona Diamondbacks director of Pacific Rim operations. He probably has pretty good insight into the baseball culture in Asia, after being involved with it for 48 years. Perhaps he brought Takashi Saito, a little used reliever, to the team.

There it is. I look forward to sprinkling more of the '62's into my collection, and learning about players from quite a bit before my time.

Cards of Randomness #3

This guys name was the "Cobra", given to him during his rookie year for the way his bat struck. Wish I had a nickname like that.

Coolest fact about him is that he was the first ever National League DH used in a World Series in 1976. Other than that he played 18 years, starting as a member of the "Big Red Machine" with the last three being a "cup-of-coffee" with very limited playing time for the Expos. He is honored with being a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. The card is also cool because of the number at the end of the bat. His Jersey number until the last year of his career.

Cards of Randomness #2

This guy had a career spanning 18 years (although admittedly his last year in 1988 he only had one at bat for the Yankee's and struck out). Not too shabby. Elected to the All-Star game one time in 1976, arguably his finest year. That same year he hit a homerun in the ALCS series to send the Yankees to the Championships.

Never mind the blurry photo Fleer chose to use, apparently they were afraid of his 'stashe.

And now, like all great 80's cards he is a hitting coach. Although, Lee has found himself back in the Big's.

Some things change. The 'stache stays the same.

Cards of Randomness #1

I have decided that this will be the most prolific of my themes on this site for awhile. As I catalog the random piles of cards that I get, I will do a little research into them, and share the anecdotes of players that may have been forgotten.

Two cards from 1982 Donruss:

My bad . . . I didn't know who Bobby Murcer was. What a career, not only was his bat amazing, near the end of his career he became a valuable PH, but his defense was stellar as well. In 1974 he led all major league outfielders with 21 runner's thrown out. He then went on to become, for almost two decades, a broadcaster for the Yankee's. Too further the cool factor, and I will definitely be on the look out for more cards of Mr. Murcer, he recorded two country-western tunes ("Skoal Dippin' Man" and "Bad Whiskey").

Now I think that is a good start to the "Cards of Randomness". Let's see what the next holds.

Lee Andrew May

Lee did not have nearly the career that Bobby did above. However, he was pretty bad-ass in his own right. He was a very consistent slugger, averaging 95 RBI's from 1967-1977. He settled into a DH role at the end of his career with first the Oriole's and then Royal's. His son is the hitting coach for the Indian's AAA affiliate.

Bobby wins.

It isn't a contest. Let the randomness ensue.