2009 Topps Heritage #306 - Scott LinebrinkI know what most of you are thinking. Why a Scott Linebrink card? You are not alone. I've been wondering the very same thing.
For the last decade, Scott has been one of the most dominant set-up men in the sport. I can understand why Kenny Williams targeted him. I can understand why the Sox wanted to lock him into a longer contract. The results just aren't there.
Sure, Scott has shown flashes of the same brilliance that got him the contract with the White Sox. More times than not, he's faltered. When he is on top of his game, he is lights out. When he's not, he can change the momentum of a game with a single pitch. Unfortunately, the latter has shown up with Chicago more than the former.
I really want to like the guy. He's a musician. He seems like a great guy. If nothing else, he may have helped sway Jake Peavy into landing with the White Sox. I can almost forgive Linebrink if that turns out to be the case. He even wears the number 71, in honor of a bullpen coach who had battled a brain tumor, I'm told. There are so many reasons to like him, until he trots out from the pen.
The card he is featured on is from the 2009 Topps Heritage set. It pays homage to the 1960 Topps set, or as I like to call it, the modern day birth place of the horizontal card. The retro sets are some of my favorite releases throughout the year. An update set of 2009 Topps Heritage is expected to be released in the near future. Chalk this set up to being one of my favorites from 2009. Not my absolute favorite (I'm still debating on that one), but it certainly is near the top.
Halfway through a four year contract, I'm hoping that Scott Linebrink steps it up and finds whatever inspiration he found with the Padres. It would be a shame to see such a talented setup man continue his downward spiral.
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