I have yet to post on the MASSIVE trade I pulled off last month with Bo at Baseball Cards Come to Life. This really isn't about the trade, either, but it's about something that came in the same box. Bo did a Little-Big Fun Game just before the trade-a-thon, and I happened to win a set of 1988 Donruss The Rookies. Not just Rookies, THE ROOKIES. Take the baseball out of that logo and it's the perfect word mark for a puss-rock band from the 1980s.
Unabashed junk wax weirdness! Just my style. Let's take a look at some the more choice items from the set, shall we?
Dave Stapleton is one of two Brewers in the set. Stapleton was coming off a short-but-awesome 1987 season in which he pitched 14 innings and allowed just three runs. He threw 13 more in 1988, but couldn't stick around, posting a 5.93 ERA. He played one more season professionally, but never appeared in the majors again.
Estelle (crying): I can't believe it, he was so young. How could this
have happened?
Steinbrenner: Well, he'd been logging some pretty heavy hours, first
one in in the morning, last one to leave at night. That kid was a human dynamo.
Estelle: Are you sure you're talking about George?
Steinbrenner: You are Mr. and Mrs. Costanza?
Frank (yelling): What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for?!? He had
30 home runs, over 100 RBIs last year, he's got a rocket for an arm, you don't know what the hell you're doin'!!
Steinbrenner: Well, Buener was a good prospect, no question about it.
But my baseball people loved Ken Phelps' bat. They kept saying 'Ken
Phelps, Ken Phelps'.
I was kind of stunned to learn that Pat Borders played 17 years in the majors. He never made an All Star team or led the league in anything, but he did win two World Series, a gold medal with the 2000 USA Olympic baseball team, and appeared in five different postseasons. In the 1992 Series with the Blue Jays, he batted .450 and won MVP honors. Not a bad career at all.
Doug Jennings. What a depressing photo on this card. It looks like its about 150 degrees out. Anyway, he played for a while in the majors and didn't do much. Next.
Roberto Kelly was actually one of the first TTM autos I ever got from a non-Brewer. He was a pretty decent player, too. He made two all-star teams and finished with a .280 career batting average.
Walt Weiss was a punch-n-Judy hitter wit a slick glove who was a part of the A's juggernaut of the late 1980s. He played in 46 postseason games with the A's, Rockies, and Braves.
Jeri-curl enthusiast Melido Perez lasted ten seasons in the majors. Perez was a member of the no-hit club for a few months in 1990 when he tossed a rain-shortened seven-inning no-hitter, only to lose the feat after the season when MLB changed its definition of an official no-hitter. He also gave up Manny Ramirez's first career homer.
I don't even feel like looking up Steve Peters' career numbers. He just looks so dopey on this card.
This guy, either. Although he does have an awesome name. Also, two guys in a row with the snuff can in their pocket.
Randy Milligan played for eight years and a regular with the O's in the early 1990s. He is seen here very, very sweaty. Did they take these pictures on the face of the sun?
Hey! A Hall of Famer! The only one in the set.
Personally, I don't think this guy belongs anywhere near the Hall of Fame. Seriously, not even close. I'm talking, of course, about Edwin Nunez... who is mistakenly pictured on Edgar Martinez's card in this set. 'Gar is a clear HOFer in my mind and its a shame that he has only this thing and his 1988 Fleer for rookie cards.
Joey Meyer is the other Brewer in the set. According to (probably incorrect) lore, Meyer once hit a 582-foot homer with the Denver Zephyrs in old Mile-High Stadium in 1987. This ranks unofficially as the longest homer in professional baseball history. He hit only 18 homers in the Bigs, but is the only player to ever his a walk-off homer against Roger Clemens.
I have nothing to say about Mike Capel. I just like that you can see a house in the background of this card.
Someone get Dubs! It's Ronnie Gant! As a second baseman, no less.
We'll wind things up with Mackey Sasser. I won't recount his story here, but look it up. It's an interesting tale.
It's about time I got around to posting about my haul from Gavin's recent BIG FUN GAME at Baseball Card Breakdown. The main part of my prize was an encased Charlie Hayes auto from 2005 Topps Retired. Not to sound like I'm denigrating Gavin's generosity, but this was a prize that was not exactly in dire threat of being stolen. Charlie had a decent career, but he never made an All Star game and was mostly role player. His biggest claim to fame was probably catching the last out of the 1996 World Series. He did, however, get some MVP votes in 1995. This is pretty baffling, actually. Hayes had a pretty run-of-the-mill season for the second-division Phillies and led the league in nothing more than grounding into double plays.
BUT! Charlie Hayes spend a year with the Brewers, the second-to-last of this career. He got into 121 games as a corner infielder and put up mostly pedestrian numbers. Still, he this prize allows me to cross another Brewer off my all-time autograph list. Charlie is my 208th Brewers autographed card, putting me at an even 25% of the all-time roster.
But I keep those cards in binders. And this fellow is in some big-ass case. Hmm.
A little help from the Milwaukee Tool Company will solve this.
I've broken the seal!
This case was actually a big harder to open than I anticipated. I switched tools at this point to avoid slicing off a finger.
Charlie is home! Right between a couple of other also-ran Brewers and just above Jamey Wright, who was still pitching as recently as 2014.
There were a few other goodies in the bundle Gavin sent. Including this oddball Mickey Mantle reprint. It has since found its way to a Yankees fan.
Gav tossed in some Brewers as well. Jeromy Burnitz was a pretty fierce slugger for a few years, and this card captures his helicopter swing nicely.
I cannot get enough oddball Brewers, and one-year stop oddballs are even better. Willie Randolph had a hell of season in 1991 for the Crew, batting .327 in his second-to-last year.
I really dig this Archives card of Beej, done in the style of the 1985 #1 picks subset.
And this Braunie, done in the 1991 style, is instantly one of my favorite cards of his.
Jeff Cirillo was one of my favorites on the cellar-bound Brewers of the late-1990s. I don't think I've ever seen a Gold Label card in person. They are very impressive.
And We'll close with a minor league card of Ben Sheets, who is by far the greatest right-hander to ever take the mound for the Brewers.
Thanks for the big fun, Gavin! I've actually got a PWE headed your way right now. Keep looking up!!!!!
Last week, I participated in my very first BIG FUN GAME. As promised, it was big fun. It was hosted by Johnny's Trading Spot, a blogger I had not yet had any interaction with. The prizes in the contest were great and I can say assuredly that Johnny's reputation as a very generous trader is well-deserved. Instead of picking, I went with a steal, first nabbing and Highland Mint '75 Topps George Brett and then, after being robbed myself, picking up a Highland 57 Topps Brooks Robinson. I got it in the mail today and was very impressed.
It came housing in its own little case, very similar to the type of box that Disney VHS tapes used to use. It even has a label on the spine, in case you want to stack these on the shelf, VHS-style.
But don't you dare do that! Cuz these bastards are gorgeous! It's hard to photog properly given the shiny (and very thick) case, but the "card" is very sharp-looking, front and back. It's also heavy, over 10 ounces.
Being my first BFG, I over-strategized a bit and missed out on a chance to nab a Robin Yount rookie Highland card. But as luck had it, the winner of that card, Trevor P of Bump and Run, was up for a trade. So Brooksie will be leaving me as quickly as he came. But I sure am looking forward to that Yount.
Not to ignore my Brewers-centric habits, Johnny also tossed in a handful of Brewers, including a number of oddballish cards that I didn't have. I'll leave you with a pair of them, to my mind the two greatest starting pitchers to ever wear the Brewers blue.
Thanks again, Johnny!
