Card Spotlight: 6-13-08 (Late)

Only the second time that the Card Spotlight has been late. That's not a bad track record. In my defense, I was busier than usual on Friday. I attended a Joliet Jackhammers game. It was fun but you could definitely tell it was minor league baseball. The Jackhammers committed four errors, the manager was thrown out and the fans were debating about the "slaughter rule" until the home team managed seven runs in an inning.

The Jackhammers are managed by Wally Backman, the former Met, Phillie, Pirate and Mariner. His son is on the team. At least I hope it would be his son with a name like Wally Backman Jr. That would be dedication if someone legally changed their name to that. Floyd Youmans turned out to be the pitching coach and that answered a question of mine, which would be where he ended up.

It was Halloween night at the ballpark, because of the Friday the 13th thing. A lot of people were in costume. I think the best one was a fortune teller, complete with fortune teller stand from head to waist. He was part of the Jackhammers staff. I didn't catch any foul balls, but I did catch a package of french rolls. Don't ask. It was something they were throwing into the stands.

Of course I couldn't stop thinking about cards. Doc Brooks is on the team and I could only think of his 2007 Bowman card. Pretty pathetic, I know. Although I don't remember Juan "Big Pappa" Diaz, he played with the Red Sox in four games in 2002.

The night was filled with semi-recognizable names. Freddie Thon is the nephew of Dickie. Joey Gomes, is Jonny's brother.

But what does this card have to do with all this. Well, not that much. The year I kept thinking about was 1986, mostly because of Wally Backman and Floyd Youmans. This Harold Baines card was one of my favorites in 1986.

It made me believe that Harold had an angel on his shoulder telling him the right pitch to hit. The devil on the opposite shoulder must've got stuck in traffic.