on July 27th, 2009 by 30-Year Old Cardboard
I cannot believe it, but Alex Rodriguez is turning just 34 years old today.
34 is one of those birthdays in which nothing really happens. But in the world of baseball it usually means that a decline is in the near future. Had it not been for A-Rod’s recent hip surgery, we would not even be [...]
Continue reading about Happy Birthday Alex Rodriguez!!! »
Posted in 30 Year Old Cardboard
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on July 27th, 2009 by T.S.
Keeping the Hall of Fame theme going, it was interesting to note the
circumstances surrounding the election of Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice,
two vastly different players linked roughly by the era in which they played and their
position in left field.
I loved watching both of them play. Rice because of the way he hit with
so much power and consistency, and Rickey and because of the way he disrupted the
opposition with his unique presence on the basepaths.
I have always been intrigued that a player with his immense talent and skill
could have moved about as much as he did throughout his career. As should have been
the case, there wasn’t all that much kibitzing the last couple of days about Rickey
the difficult superstar, but there certainly was when he was playing.
In terms of our hobby, I think all that moving around had an impact on
his stature with diehard fans. In the days before free agency, it would have been
unthinkable for a player with his abilities to play for so many different franchises,
but nowadays it barely raises an eyebrow.
In contrast to Rickey, Rice played sixteen seasons in relative anonymity
in Boston through the 1970s and 1980s. He was also the last man to top the 400 total
bases mark (406 in his MVP season in 1978) until 1998, when offensive numbers suddenly
took a major leap forward. I was always partial to the total bases statistic because
of the combination of power, durability and consistency that it personified. My guy, Henry
Aaron, did it in 1959 with a mere 39 home runs and in the 154-game season.
Obviously, total bases numbers require a lot of plate appearances, and
though I can’t immediately check it out, I’ll bet that no player with at least 45
home runs ever had as many at bats (677) as Rice did in that amazing 1978 season.
I don’t quibble with Flash Gordon getting the Veterans nod, but
I would still insist that the 1942 MVP Award that probably had an enormous impact
on his overall stature with fans was wrongly awarded. He had a wonderful season, but Ted
Williams won the Triple Crown and thus should have been the MVP. I know it begs
the debate about whether an MVP has to be on a winning team, but I reject that with
the observation that an individual award can’t fairly be dependent upon the efforts
and abilities of 24 other guys. Geez, it was the Triple Crown!
The other reason I wanted to blog about these dudes was to show off Dick
Perez’s incredible artwork. We can all be thrilled that he continues to create
artwork of the newest HOFers every year, producing it in the same style that he employed
for the coveted Perez-Steele Hall of Fame Art Postcards Series that ran from 1980-2001.
Continue reading about Rickey and Rice make everything nice at HOF … »
Posted in Infield Dirt
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on July 27th, 2009 by chemgod
Name: Dan Haren (3 color patch)
Position: Pitcher – Starter
Team: St. Louis Cardinals (now with Arizona Diamondbacks)
Set it’s from: 2004 Donruss Throwback Threads
Serial Number: 5/25
How obtained: via trade
Why this Card?: Dan Haren is one of those guys that you probably didn’t know just how good he was until he was traded. I started following [...]
Continue reading about Bad Wax World of Patches – Dan Haren »
Posted in Bad Wax
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on July 27th, 2009 by packaddict
Posted in Pack Addict
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on July 27th, 2009 by Tracy Hackler
Posted in Beckett Blog
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on July 27th, 2009 by Mario A.
You are getting an exclusive look at the very first Brock Lesnar certified autograph, which will be randomly inserted in 2009 Topps UFC. For a small preview of 2009 UFC, which hits stores in August, click HERE.
Brock Lesnar is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. He originally made a name for himself in the world of [...]
Continue reading about EXCLUSIVE: Brock Lesnar’s first auto »
Posted in Wax Heaven
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on July 27th, 2009 by 30-Year Old Cardboard
Now that my Rickey Henderson player collection is complete I wanted to take the time to show off my favorite 5 cards from this set.
Card #5 – 1988 Fleer
The 1988 Fleer card is not a classic by any stretch of the imagination. But with cards of the New York Yankees, the card look fabulous. The [...]
Continue reading about My Rickey Henderson ‘Fab 5′ – Card #5 »
Posted in 30 Year Old Cardboard
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on July 27th, 2009 by White Sox Cards
Posted in White Sox Cards
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on July 27th, 2009 by Dan
Posted in OMGAutos
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on July 27th, 2009 by chemgod
Posted in Bad Wax
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on July 27th, 2009 by gritz76
I apologize ahead of time, but check this short infomercial featuring baseball all-star Ryan Braun and then finish this sentence.
Ryan Braun is…….
Here’s a short list to choose from, or please make your own in the comments.
Continue reading about Ryan Braun Is……. »
Posted in Baseball Cards
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