Where the Wild Things Are

I know it's corny, but I've wanted to do this post for a while now. There's nothing special about these cards besides depicting a pretty interesting player. 

Originally a Texas Ranger, Williams achieved a rare rookie feat in 1986 when he led the AL in appearances with 80. He earned his nickname "Wild Thing" as much for his control issues (79 walks in 98 innings) as for his chaotic delivery and follow-through. 

Williams was traded to the Cubs after the 1988 season and enjoyed his best year in 1989, saving 36 games with a 2.76 ERA as a National League all-star. He appeared in the game and tossed a scoreless eighth inning. 

In 1990, Cubs manager Don Zimmer experimented with Williams as one of history's first "openers," starting him on September 10 and 14. He pitched 3 innings in his first start and 3 1/3 in his second. Zim quickly abandoned the idea, but Williams remains a predecessor to the modern strategy. 

In my opinion, 1991 Fleer may be the ugliest baseball card set of all time, but I kinda like this card. It not only captures the beginning of Wild Thing's crazy follow-through, but I think it's cool when photos capture the ball in mid-air. In 1991, he won a career-high 12 games, including an incredible 8 in August. 

In 1993, Williams saved a career-high 43 games for the pennant-winning Phillies (and collected a walk-off hit against Trevor Hoffman in July), but it marked the beginning of his demise. He pitched well in the NLCS but lost two games in the World Series, surrendering Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in Game 6. 

Williams was traded to the Astros after the season and was never the same again. He pitched his last game in 1997 for the Kansas City Royals. He truly was a wild thing, issuing 544 walks in 691 1/3 career innings for a 7.1 BB/9 ratio. 

Fun fact about Williams: on April 28, 1989, he became the first pitcher ever to record a save without throwing a pitch, picking off Carmelo Martinez with two outs in the ninth against the Padres. 

Just a final thought to bring the post back to cards - 1987 Topps is actually a pretty nice set, in my opinion. It's true that the photos often leave something to be desired, but the backs are cool and I like the wood-looking border on the front. What do you think? 

The Cameos, Part 1

It's always fun to see cards of one player with another recognizable player in the background. Even the most boring cards can be livened up by a good old-fashioned cameo appearance. 

First up, it's Dave Concepcion featuring Herm Winningham. Concepcion, a nine-time all-star, was an integral part of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine, while Winningham was a part-time player who stole 105 bases from 1984 through 1992. 

Next, we've got Tom Pagnozzi featuring Mark Lemke. This might be mean, but the nickname my brothers and I used to have for Pagnozzi was Tom Bignozzi. 

Terry Kennedy featuring Mackey Sasser. Kennedy was actually a better player than most people remember. He's worth looking up. 

Walt Weiss featuring Joel Skinner. This is an absolutely incredible photo. 

Steve Sax featuring Jose Canseco. Goes to show that there's hope for little guys to beat the massive, steroid-fueled sluggers of the world. 

And last but not least: 

Terry Shumpert featuring Wayne Tolleson. It took a little more effort to find out who this player was, since there's no name on the back of his jersey. It turns out that Tolleson was out of baseball by 1991 and the Yankees had given his uniform number to Graig Nettles, back in a coaching role. 

That'll do it for part 1 of the cameos. Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Making Boring Cards Interesting, Part 1

Gonna start this post off by explaining something. The email address associated with the device I currently use is somehow linked to my mother's blogging profile, so I haven't been able to comment on other blogs using my own profile. For certain blogs, I can type in my credentials, but for many I cannot. So if I'm not commenting on your blogs, don't think I don't care - I just haven't been able to lately. 

Sometimes 1980's and 1990's cards are boring. Here's an attempt to spice 'em up. 

I love telling people that I have a baseball card of Mike Tyson. Before the legendary boxer captured the spotlight and became one of the greatest athletes of the 1980's, there was a different Mike Tyson who played for the Cardinals and the Cubs. Tyson batted .241 with 27 homers and 269 RBI's from 1972 through 1981. Although he came first, I can't say the 5'9", 170-pound middle infielder would beat out his much larger counterpart. 

A batter could totally read this pitch out of Guidry's hand (curveball). His fingers look pretty funny in this shot. Also, his second baseman needs to pay better attention during the play. Luckily for him, his face has conveniently been blurred, probably to avoid shame. 

Yes, Shane, you're safe. 

Lou Whitaker is one of my favorite candidates for the Hall of Fame. He was a Rookie of the Year, five-time all-star, four-time Silver Slugger, and three-time Gold Glove winner. His career statistics are better than those of many second basemen in the Hall, and he paired with Alan Trammell to form one of the best middle infield duos in history. Having Trammell in the Hall without Whitaker is like having peanut butter without jelly (whereas having neither was like fasting on Easter). 

His teammate Jack Morris, however, was a pretty bad pick for the Hall of Fame. If the Hall wanted to induct 1984 Tigers, I'd have preferred to see Whitaker, Lance Parrish, or even Darrell Evans get in first. I hate to bag on a good pitcher, but his election still irks me. 

None of those three above posts are my best written work, but they nevertheless convey my general thoughts. 

Oh yeah, and I got Tommy John. Just don't tell my baseball coach.