A Surprise ’52 Topps Mantle?
Searching the background of a 1952 Topps common to find Mickey Mantle.
The Reigning AL MVP in ’93 Finest
Yep. MLB voters gave the 1992 American League MVP award to a relief pitcher, one who coined the term “walk-off” to describe homeruns he had personally given up.
The Non-Catcher
Kansas City Royals prospects are graded on a pretty steep curve. They’re either considered the next George Brett or on their way to a different team.
Ehhh…Close Enough
My octogenarian neighbor invited me to fight him this past summer, and it all started with a hat.
The Worst Pitcher in 1952 Topps
I had to change the axis on my player performance graph to capture just how awful Ed Blake’s MLB career was.
Opening a ’91 Donruss Wax Box
The joy of opening junk wax in search of Elite inserts. At least I got a Willie Stargell puzzle from the effort.
Fonzie Trivia
Here’s a bit of baseball bar trivia to store away: Infielder Edgardo Alfonzo put up more wins above replacement for the Mets than either Mike Piazza or Keith Hernandez.
Plan A: Play Baseball; Plan B: See Plan A
Education. Health. Duty to one’s country. These are the demons you must slay to be a baseball player if your name is Hoot Evers.
A Player Agent That Can Say “I’ve Been There”
Reggie Jefferson had several formative run-ins with MLB roster management led to his career as a sports agent.
2001 Finest Origins Scott Rolen
Playing an entire career with a single team does something to break the brains of baseball fans. Guys with “team loyalty” are given way more leeway and ranked higher than similar performers with a few more airline miles under their belt. I’ve always preferred it when players shuffle around more, going to where they can best perform and leaving dysfunctional organizations. That makes me a Scott Rolen fan.