Cards That Never Were #65

1988 Classic Red - Alfredo Griffin

From 1987 until 1991, Classic made quite a splash onto the hobby. The company got around the whole license issue by making a board game. The backs of the cards had trivia questions and even a place for the player's autograph.

Some collectors loved these cards and others hated them. I personally don't know anyone who actually played the game attached to these cards. I was always disappointed when my team did not get any cards in a release. Classic made two sets of fifty cards each in 1988. Two teams were absent from both releases. The Dodgers and the White Sox.

I can almost see the absence of the White Sox. The team was spiraling towards mediocrity. The Dodgers, on the other hand, won the World Series in 1988. It's harder to explain the lack of Dodgers cards in a 1988 release than the White Sox.

This entry and the previous will try to rectify that issue.

The fact that there are no Dodgers represented in a year where they won the World Series is atrocious. So, I asked myself who would I like to see from the 1988 Dodgers team on a card? The answer was obvious... Alfredo Griffin.

I've been a fan of Alfredo Griffin since he was in the first pack I opened in 1983. I always smiled when I pulled Alfredo Griffin, so this choice is purely selfish. It would have to be selfish reasons because Griffin had one of the worst seasons in his career in 1988, but he still came out a World Series champion in the end.

Cards That Never Were #64

1988 Classic Blue - Greg Walker

From 1987 until 1991, Classic made quite a splash onto the hobby. The company got around the whole license issue by making a board game. The backs of the cards had trivia questions and even a place for the player's autograph.

Some collectors loved these cards and others hated them. I personally don't know anyone who actually played the game attached to these cards. I was always disappointed when my team did not get any cards in a release. Classic made two sets of fifty cards each in 1988. Two teams were absent from both releases. The Dodgers and the White Sox.

I can almost see the absence of the White Sox. The team was spiraling towards mediocrity. The Dodgers, on the other hand, won the World Series in 1988. It's harder to explain the lack of Dodgers cards in a 1988 release than the White Sox.

This entry and the next will try to rectify that issue.

I chose Greg Walker as the White Sox card because Carlton Fisk and Harold Baines had cards in 1987. Greg was a popular local player, who was still decent. His life would be threatened on July 30, 1988 from an epileptic seizure. While he would come back strong during Spring Training in 1989, his '89 season was not up to his usual standards. After playing in two games in the 1990 season, the White Sox released Greg. Walker would sign with the Baltimore Orioles a few days later, but was released after fourteen games.

Cards That Never Were #63

1970 Topps - Van Kelly

Van signed with the Milwaukee Braves before the 1964 season. He stayed in their minor league system until a trade to the San Diego Padres on June 13, 1969. Kelly appeared in seventy-three games for the Padres in 1969, mostly as a backup to third baseman Ed Spiezio and a pinch hitter. He hit .244 that year for San Diego. Normally, this would warrant a card in next year's Topps set, but it never happened. In fact, the only cards listed for Van are both from 1971. A '71 team issue Padres card and a '71 team issue Richmond Braves card.

Kelly found himself in thirty-eight games with the Padres in 1970, now as the Opening Day starting third baseman. The love didn't last very long, as his last MLB game in the field was on June 1, 1970, for an inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. His last MLB game was a pinch hitting appearance on June 12, 1970 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1971, Van was on the Richmond Braves, but not the Padres. There was no transaction listed for that move, so I can only wonder how he came back to the Braves organization.

Sometime, during mid-season 1973, Kelly went from the Braves minor league system to the White Sox minor league system. Then in 1974, he was in the Montreal Expos system until 1975. In 1975, Van became the inaugural manager of the Lethbridge Expos.

In my research, I found that my initial card creation of Van's 1970 card came extremely close to another card creation by Giovanni Balistreri in April 2014, so I changed my card to the one above. My original card is pictured below, which you can see uses the same photo as the card from 2014, except for a few minor tweaks. Great minds think alike. Also, when creating custom cards using old designs for "Cards That Never Were", there are only so many good quality photographs out there to use and with players that have limited MLB time, there are only so many cards that can be considered lost without losing the integrity of this type of project.

If unbeknownst to me, if I create a similar card to one that I discover after the fact, I'll change it if I can, because I don't want to step on other people's toes. It's a fun project that we're all doing and it should be kept that way. If there's no other way around it, I'll still show off my card, but I'll definitely acknowledge the previous effort.

Cards That Never Were #62

1978 Topps - Bob Robertson

Bob was looked upon as "another Ralph Kiner", coming up in the Pirates organization. Those comparisons were valid, with Robertson leading the minor leagues in home runs for three seasons. He made his MLB debut for the Pirates in September 1967, but lost the entire 1968 season from a kidney obstruction.

In 1970, Bob came back to the Pirates and played alongside Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. He would have career highs in average, homers and RBI. In 1971, Robertson became a World Series hero, hitting a home run in Game Three by missing a bunt sign. After the World Series, Bob went into a slump. Knee surgery in 1974, reduced his role to a part-time player.

On March 31, 1977, Robertson was released by the Pirates. He missed the entire 1977 season, but was eventually signed by the Seattle Mariners on November 11, 1977.

Topps has one example of Bob on the Seattle Mariners, in the 1979 set. This would be Robertson's final Topps card. There was no card from 1978, so I made one. Interestingly enough, the 1979 O-Pee-Chee card shows the same picture as the Topps counterpart, but places him on the Royals with a note of signing a Free Agent on March 1, 1979. There is no record of that on the baseball reference site, but he did sign with the Blue Jays on April 23, 1979 and was released two months later.

Cards That Never Were #61

2012 Topps - Rich Thompson

Rich's last licensed MLB card came in 2002, as a prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays. Since then, he made his MLB debut for the Kansas City Royals on April 7, 2004. Thompson only appeared in six games for the Royals before he was sent down to the minors, where he was on the cusp of being called back up many times, for many teams.

Patience paid off and Rich was called back up to the majors in 2012, as a part of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. It was here that Thompson had his greatest success in the majors, collecting his first hit on May 17, 2012 against the Boston Red Sox, eight years, one month and ten days after his MLB debut.

Thompson broke his foot in 2013, while fielding a ball, which ended his career. Despite spending time with the Royals in 2004 and the Rays in 2012, Rich only has a Royals Police issued card from 2006 and a handful of minor league cards after his Blue Jays prospect cards in 2002. In 2014, Thompson competed on season six of American Ninja Warrior.

Cards That Never Were #60

1985 Topps - Tom O'Malley

The White Sox traded with the San Francisco Giants to acquire Tom O'Malley for players to be named later, which turned out to be Mike Trujillo and minor league first baseman Pat Adams, on August 31, 1984. Tom played twelve games with the White Sox in September 1984. While he hit a paltry .125, he did hit two singles with the Pale Hose, one on September 7th, off of California Angels pitcher Doug Corbett and the other on September 29th, off of Seattle Mariners pitcher Salome Barojas.

O'Malley wasn't released by the White Sox until April 1, 1985. It is entirely feasible that Tom could have been included in the 1985 Topps set as a White Sox player, given that he made it all the way through spring before being released. I don't think O'Malley was any threat to unseat Tim Hulett at third base, but Tim didn't exactly thrill the world with his previous season's efforts either. The mid to late eighties were a strange time for the White Sox and some of the players could not make it anywhere else but in Chicago with the south side team. Aside from a few names and splashy players, most of the others were just filling in or passing through. Roy Smalley had a card with the White Sox in the 1985 Topps set, and he was traded away in February 1985.

Cards That Never Were #59

1977 Topps - Rich Gossage

Topps likes to pretend that all teams except for the Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs don't exist sometimes. Case in point: Rich "Goose" Gossage. If you look at the history of Gossage only through the flagship Topps series, Rich went from the White Sox in 1977 to the Yankees in 1978. The problem? Goose was last on the White Sox in 1976 and didn't get to the Yankees until 1978, yet he played in 1977. Gossage likely would have gotten a Pirates card in 1978 from Topps, if he went to almost any other team but the Yankees.

I'll give credit where credit is due and let Topps keep the 1978 Yankees card, but I'll throw in a 1977 Pirates card to make up for skipping a team that Gossage was with for an entire season.

Cards That Never Were #58

1978 Topps - Puchy Delgado

Luis "Puchy" Delgado started out in the Red Sox organization, starting out in Winter Haven's A ball team in 1973. Puchy had a big year in 1976, when he jumped from A ball to AAA in one year. Delgado perhaps would have been in a Red Sox uniform in 1977, if not for the expansion Seattle Mariners picking him fifty-sixth overall in the 1976 expansion draft. Puchy was one of eleven cut in the last days of the Mariners' 1977 spring training.

Delgado did well enough to earn a September call up and Puchy made his major league debut with the Mariners on September 6, 1977 against the red hot Kansas City Royals. Delgado didn't get his first hit until September 9th, against Gaylord Perry and the Texas Rangers. It was a single to center that scored third baseman Juan Bernhardt. Puchy would get four hits, four runs scored and two RBI in thirteen games that season.

Puchy spent all of 1978 in the Mariners system, but never made it back to the show. He was traded to the Cubs in 1979 and the Cubs traded him to the Royals later that year. 1979 was Delgado's last year playing in organized baseball.

Cards That Never Were #57

1976 Topps - Bill Greif

Bill was traded from the San Diego Padres to the St. Louis Cardinals early in the 1976 season. Once the opening day starter for the Friars, Greif was regulated to bullpen duty at this point in his career. While only appearing in five games with the Padres in 1976, Bill would pitch in forty-seven with the Cards. Greif didn't have his best year in St. Louis but he was one of his better years.

Greif appeared in the 1976 Topps set as a Padre. After the 1976 season, on November 6th, Bill was traded to the new expansion team, the Montreal Expos. Greif never pitched for Montreal, having been released on March 30, 1977, but he has a card with the team in the 1977 Topps set. Bill sat out the '77 season and tried again in 1978, but only pitched in a handful of games with a Mets minor league affiliate before retiring.

Cards That Never Were #56

1984 Topps - Jim Kaat

The history of baseball cards is littered with players who appear on cards with teams which they never played for in a major league game. Some of these phantom players only appeared in spring training games. Some sat for a brief time on the bench, but never made it into a game. Some were traded away before they ever appeared in a game. There are thousands of stories for thousands of players.

Jim Kaat was released by the St. Louis Cardinals on July 6, 1983, almost a week after his last MLB game. Since he didn't catch on with another team during the 1983 season, this effectively ended a brilliant and long twenty-five year career that started back in 1959 with the Washington Senators.

Fast forward to 1984. Jim Kaat gets an invitation to spring training by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ultimately, Kaat did not make the team out of spring training, but this seems like the kind of story that would eventually lead to a phantom player card. There were photos of Jim from that spring training, but it wasn't until the last year or two that these decent photographs started to leak out. Nearly thirty years in the making... here's what the 1984 Topps Jim Kaat card most likely would have looked like.

Cards That Never Were #55

2013 Topps - Ryne Sandberg

The announcement of Ryne Sandberg as the new Phillies (interim) manager was less than an hour ago, and I'm sure that Topps will eventually put one out, but I'll be the one to present it before Topps.

Sandberg started his career with the Phillies, but came to prominence with the Chicago Cubs. He started his coaching career in the Cubs organization, but was shunned away from his dream position as manager of the Chicago Cubs, so he bolted to the Philadelphia minor league system, with the understanding that one day, the top job will be his for the taking. This day has come and I hope it's everything that Ryno expects it to be.

Good luck, Ryno!

Cards That Never Were #54

2012 Topps - Brent Lillibridge (Boston Red Sox)

The Chicago White Sox traded Brent Lillibride to the Boston Red Sox along with pitcher Zach Stewart for Kevin Youkilis on June 24, 2012. Since Lillibridge's trade over to Boston, he has appeared in ten games for the Carmines and was 2-16 at the plate. With Carl Crawford coming back from the disabled list, Brent was the odd man out and was designated for assignment.

The likelihood of Lillibridge rejoining the Red Sox in 2012 seems remote, at best. The most likely scenario seems to be another team picking Brent up. Many teams could jump at the chance to pick up a utility player who gives his all on the field. Being that Topps is currently the only game in town with all the licenses, the short time that Lillibridge was on the Red Sox and the probability that another team will pick him up at some point this season, the percentage that Brent Lillibridge will be included in the update series in a Boston uniform seems to be spiraling downward. I've decided to rectify that potential oversight by making this card. Lillibridge has very passionate fans and hopefully this will bring a smile to their faces.

Cards That Never Were #53

1984 Fleer Update - Bucky Dent

Well past the days of postseason heroics, Bucky Dent was released from the Texas Rangers on April 2, 1984. Later in the season, he signed a contract with the Yankees, where he became a household name years earlier. Finding himself released from a contract with the Yankees shortly after, without appearing in a MLB game, Bucky signed with the Kansas City Royals.

Appearing in eleven games, mostly as a defensive replacement at shortstop and third base, Bucky was able to manage three hits and one RBI between August and September in the 1984 season. After the 1984 season, Bucky was released from his contract with the Royals and his MLB playing career ended.

Dent ended his career with the team his Yankees defeated two years in a row to advance to the World Series, in 1977 and 1978. The Royals bested the Yankee team he was on in 1980, to advance to the World Series. The Royals did win the Western Division in 1984, but lost to the Tigers in the playoffs. Dent did not participate in any of those games. In fact, his last game was on September 11, 1984 against the Twins. Bucky came in as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning for John Wathan, who pinch hit for Buddy Biancalana. Dent was lifted in the eighth by pinch hitter Leon Roberts, who was replaced in the field by Onix Concepcion.

Cards That Never Were #52

1972 TCMA - Randy Poffo

There has been much interest in Randy Poffo's minor league career. Card sets are sketchy from the seventies regarding the minors.

Randy spent the majority of his baseball career with the Cardinals organization. I was able to find a Cedar Rapids Cardinals minor league set from 1972, which I have based Randy's card off of.

Poffo spent three years in the Cardinal minor league organization, from 1971 to 1973. I chose the 1972 card partly because the cards are available, therefore a record of design exists, and partly because this year puts Randy smack dab in the middle of his Cardinals stint.

The original set only had a player name and a black and white bust shot of the player, so these elements were mimicked for this card.

Cards That Never Were #51

1974 TCMA - Randy Poffo

Minor League sets in the seventies are very poorly documented, so there may be a Randy Poffo card out there, but somehow, I doubt it.

Before Randy made wrestling his full time profession, he tried his hand at baseball. Much has already been written about the organizations he was with and how an arm injury derails his Major League dreams. There has even been tales of how Randy loved baseball so much, that he taught himself how to use his other hand, in an attempt to keep his diamond dreams afloat. This led him to a Spring Training invite with the Chicago White Sox in 1975.

Before all that, he was in the Cincinnati Reds organization for the 1974 season. He mostly played the outfield during his time there, but found himself at first base and catcher as well.

I have been searching for many years for photos of Randy from his baseball days. Since his passing, a few have leaked out. All of them have been in black and white. No pictures have surfaced yet of Randy in a White Sox uniform though.

I'd like to make up for his lack of a baseball card by making one using the 1974 TCMA Minors design. As luck would have it, that set used black and white photos. One day, I'd like to make a White Sox card of him, but I am pleased to have any photo of Randy Poffo in a baseball uniform.

Cards That Never Were #50

1985 Topps - Rick Monday (First Draft Pick)

One of the watershed sets of my youth was the 1985 Topps baseball set. The layout was memorable and the subsets were fantastic.

One subset that always caught my eye, but I could never complete as a kid, was the First Draft Picks. To someone who was just finishing up third grade before summer vacation officially hit, the draft pick cards were a valuable history lesson. They taught me the importance of the draft, at an age where I didn't completely understand it.

One of the frustrating aspects of trying to collect the entire subset was that all the first draft picks weren't represented. Only the players who were active in the majors or moving up the farm system were included. I always wondered why some years were skipped and only looked it up recently.

There were quite a few players that didn't have a card in the subset because their careers has petered out before 1985. The first draft pick in the first ever draft hung up his cleats in the middle of the 1984 season. That player was Rick Monday and was chosen first in 1965, by the Kansas City Athletics.

This was one instance where Topps actually followed the headlines and didn't include a recently retired player in the next year's set. Out of all the first draft picks that were left out of the subset, Rick Monday was the closest to getting in. So in honor of the first ever draft pick and almost made the cut, here's a First Draft Pick subset card of Rick Monday.

Cards That Never Were #49

2011 Gypsy Queen - Paul Konerko

When I saw the original checklist for Topps Gypsy Queen set, Paul Konerko's name was among the many others. It wasn't an unusual sight. As the dean of the White Sox, Konerko is almost always included as part of the team set.

It came as a surprise to me, when I was finalizing the Gypsy Queen checklist for the White Sox, that Paulie's name was now absent. I'm aware that every player can't be in every set. That would be ludicrous. I do expect that a player gets at least one card per year, per team. I don't think that's too much to ask, considering all the sets that are released in a calendar year.

Still, it's odd not to see Paul Konerko among the names in a larger card set. Paul is the most consistent hitter in a White Sox uniform and that is very noticeable so far in the 2011 season. I can understand why Konerko was lost in the shuffle. The White Sox have a lot of highly paid players and some rookies that could make a splash. On a team with that makeup, worthy players are almost always going to get left out somewhere.

In the interest of getting the captain a card in the Gypsy Queen set, I went ahead and created one. Enjoy!

Cards That Never Were #48

1982 Fleer - Dwight Bernard

Middle relievers have the worst track record for cardboard immortalization. They are the unloved players in the hobby.

Dwight was drafted by the Mets in 1974 and made the team in 1978. He was traded to the Brewers at the end of the 1979 season. Bernard made it back to the majors at the tail end of the 1981 season, but it would be 1982 where he would make the most impact.

In 1982, Dwight pitched in a career high seventy-nine innings, finished nineteen games and saved six. He was one of the many reasons why the 1982 Brewers made it to the World Series that year. Bernard pitched in each of the three playoff series in 1982, culminating with an appearance in Game six of the World Series in St. Louis.

Dwight struck out David Green looking to start the eighth. A throwing error by Robin Yount allowed Ken Oberkfell to reach first base. He then got Keith Hernandez to fly out to right field, paving the way for George Hendrick to ground to short and force out Oberkfell at second base. Even though Bernard pitched a scoreless inning, the Brewers were down by thirteen runs at that point and a Game 7 was inevitable.

In 1983, Dwight had cards come out in Donruss, Fleer and Topps. It was too late by then. Bernard was cut from the team in Spring Training and that World Series appearance would be his last in the majors.

Cards That Never Were #47

1964 Topps - Bob Hope

In the history of baseball cards, there have been numerous instances of owners appearing on the famed cardboard. Charles Comiskey is probably the most used example that people remember today.

Topps isn't quite the same company it was back in 1964. Today, Topps relies on gimmicks to sell cards. I suppose that they do need that for their bottom line. How else do you reach the majority of kids that are used to state of the art video games and other forms of electronic stimuli? How did Topps reach out to the generation before? I'm sure there are other people more qualified than I to answer those questions.

Bob Hope had two stints as a partial owner of the Cleveland Indians. The first occurred in the forties when Bill Veeck ran things. The second is harder to determine exact dates. Most likely his second tenure started in the fifties and possibly ran into the sixties and maybe beyond. I used a Sports Illustrated cover story from 1963 as a reference point to determine this 1964 card creation.

While this card may not have fit in to the plans of Topps for their 1964 set, it wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility. Owners, particularly famous or infamous ones, have shown up on cardboard before and after 1964.

"I'd like to have more time with the Cleveland club," said Hope, "but why should I louse them up?"

Cards That Never Were #46

1974 Topps - Juan Jimenez

Proving that every player deserves their own card... here's Juan Jimenez.

Juan was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in 1969. Sometime before the 1970 season, he was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies. Before the 1973 season, Jimenez was sent to the Pirates. He made his debut on September 9, 1974. I've seen players that never made it to the majors on Topps cards in the seventies, so this would not be out of the realm of possibility. I've even seen players in uniforms that they never suited up in make Topps cards in the seventies.

Jimenez's last game was on September 29, 1974. In all, his MLB career spanned four games. He pitched his debut in Chicago, where he tried to keep the game within three, but ultimately let Don Kessinger score on a ground ball double play in the seventh inning. Juan next pitched on the 14th in Montreal. He went two scoreless innings, with the only blemish being a balk when Tim Foli was at the plate, causing Larry Lintz to advance to second.

Juan entered the game on September 25th, in St. Louis, to start the bottom of the eleventh, with the Pirates up 12-9. He faced three batters, giving up a single to Ted Sizemore, walking Reggie Smith, before surrendering a double to Ted Simmons, which scored Sizemore. Jim Minshall relieved Jimenez, who got Joe Torre to ground to second, but Rennie Stennett made an error on the play, which ended up scoring two. The Pirates went on to lose the game 13-12.

Jimenez's last game was on September 29th, in New York. The Mets were leading 7-1 when Juan entered the game in the bottom of the eighth. He got Don Hahn and Felix Millan to ground to the third baseman, Richie Hebner, then was able to get Rusty Staub to lineout to Rennie Stennett at second.

Juan hung around in the Pirates organization until he was sent to the Mexico City Reds before the 1976 season.