Card #48 - Nate Jones
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Cards That Never Were #46
1974 Topps - Juan JimenezProving 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.
Let's Compare: Jason Frasor
Are you a person that thinks that the current Topps monopoly is good for the hobby? Think again.
This is a picture of Jason Frasor's 2010 Topps card. It's a pretty nice shot of Jay in the middle of a pitch, in Oakland, on May 10, 2009.
I'm was psyched that Jay got into the 2010 Topps set somewhere, because Topps completely forgot him in 2008. Whoops!
Fast forward to 2011 and I become very excited to see Jay is in the 2011 Topps Series One set!
That is, until I see the picture Topps chose.
Look familiar?
Take a look at a side by side comparison.
It's not the same picture of Jay, but it looks like it was captured mere seconds later. You can tell it's the same game, on May 10, 2009, because the Cubs at the Brewers final score is still 4 to 2 in the Cubs favor and Jeff Suppan still started that game for the Brewers, Plus, Jay still has the same expression on his face. If it's not from the same pitch, it's definitely from the same game.
Like I mentioned before, this game was on May 10, 2009. Between that game and the end of the 2010 season, Jay has appeared in 117 games and pitched a total of 109.2 innings. Does anyone honestly believe that Topps couldn't find another picture of Jay in almost two years worth of games?
Yes, it is technically a different picture of Jay. That is the only saving grace though. This is just a hair better than what Topps routinely did the last time they had a monopoly on the hobby, when they would use the exact same picture year after year. Don't believe me? Check out the comparison of Sandy Alomar Sr.'s 1968 and 1969 cards.
This is a picture of Jason Frasor's 2010 Topps card. It's a pretty nice shot of Jay in the middle of a pitch, in Oakland, on May 10, 2009.
I'm was psyched that Jay got into the 2010 Topps set somewhere, because Topps completely forgot him in 2008. Whoops!Fast forward to 2011 and I become very excited to see Jay is in the 2011 Topps Series One set!
That is, until I see the picture Topps chose.
Look familiar?Take a look at a side by side comparison.
It's not the same picture of Jay, but it looks like it was captured mere seconds later. You can tell it's the same game, on May 10, 2009, because the Cubs at the Brewers final score is still 4 to 2 in the Cubs favor and Jeff Suppan still started that game for the Brewers, Plus, Jay still has the same expression on his face. If it's not from the same pitch, it's definitely from the same game.Like I mentioned before, this game was on May 10, 2009. Between that game and the end of the 2010 season, Jay has appeared in 117 games and pitched a total of 109.2 innings. Does anyone honestly believe that Topps couldn't find another picture of Jay in almost two years worth of games?
Yes, it is technically a different picture of Jay. That is the only saving grace though. This is just a hair better than what Topps routinely did the last time they had a monopoly on the hobby, when they would use the exact same picture year after year. Don't believe me? Check out the comparison of Sandy Alomar Sr.'s 1968 and 1969 cards.
Cards From Buccos
Recently, I was asked to do some freelance work involving custom cards. After Jay of Buccos.com fame, saw my Cards That Never Were creation of Coot Veal's non-existent 1962 Topps card, he asked if I could create a few Pirates cards for him. The first project was a 1973 Topps Pirates card of Jerry McNertney, who hung out for a few years in my original blog banner.Today, my payment came in the mail. A bubble mailer full of White Sox cards. Most were from between 2000 and 2003, but the crown jewels of the package were Fritsch One Year Wonder Series one cards. Both Ross Grimsley and Hal Trosky were there, so another pesky TCMA series has been completed.
Thank you, Jay! It was a joy to work on your Pirates cards. It was a lot of hard work, but it was also a lot of fun. The cards are just icing on the cake.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Card Spotlight: 3-18-11
1927 W560 - Willie KammThe White Sox (for the most part) were really nothing to write home about from the mid-twenties until the early fifties. Sure, there are hundreds of thousands of stories from those years, but as far as anyone who was not a fan of the team, the White Sox were the equivalent of today's Washington Nationals. They had their moments and had a few stars, but nobody seriously thought the Pale Hose had a shot at winning it all. This is one of the many reasons why White Sox cards from this period are difficult to find.
White Sox players would sneak in, here or there, but unless the checklist had a wealth of cards in it, chances are the White Sox would be shut out. The Yankees were in the midst of their glory years, so much of the focus remained on them and other winners of multiple World Series.
In the twenties, the White Sox were a team without much direction. The banishment of eight players, and the suspension of another, took a heavy toll on the team. They got progressively worse as each season passed. There were great players on those teams, but since they consistently landed near or at the bottom of the AL, not a lot of those players were featured on cards. It's always a treat to run across a Sox player in a smaller set in this period. In a medium dominated by Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb and a few select others, it is a revelation to run across stars of the Chicago South Side.
It was with great fascination that I discovered this strip card of Willie Kamm on eBay. It's priced well out of my comfort zone, but I can still enjoy the image of the card. I'm amazed on how popular baseball players of playing card designs were back then. There have been quite a few modern sets of playing cards with MLB players, but none have captured the same level of interest as these did in the twenties. I'm assuming they were popular, since I see different sets pop up all the time. It's not uncommon for these cards to appear with color variations or even card suit variations.
Book Review: It Ain't So
It Ain't So by Michael T. Lynch Jr.Anyone who knows me well knows that I love a good book. I even enjoy some bad ones on occasion. I'll devour anything Stephen King wrote. I'll pick up most books on baseball for a token read. I span many genres, from sports to horror, humor to history and just about everything in between.
To save money, I've been known to haunt my public library from time to time. I'll wander down the aisles and choose books that sound interesting. One such trip resulted in a book on Garfield's 25th anniversary, a Stephen Hawking book, a Roger Ebert book, a book on the 1959 White Sox and a Tori Amos CD. That's pretty varied reading (and listening).
My last trip resulted in running across this gem about the 1919 White Sox team. I've read countless books on the subject, but this one has a twist. Tell the actual story of the Chicago White Sox, tracking the roots of the key players of the 1919 team, and how they came to be and continue the true story through the 1932 season, chronicling the downfall of the White Sox team. At the same time, track the alternate history of the White Sox starting with the 1919 World Series, as if there were no shenanigans. In the simulation, the last Black Sox player retired after the 1932 season, which is why the actual history of the team is tracked that far.
Using computer simulation, it tracks the careers of each of the Black Sox players, except Fred McMullen, who was a utility player and was considered expendable in this exercise. It was decided that Dickie Kerr wouldn't take the break and pitch through the years that he wasn't in baseball and that Chick Gandil's most likely reason for retiring (his payment from the gamblers) was removed, so he continued to play in 1920 and beyond.
The results were very surprising and are likely results that you would not expect. I won't divulge the outcomes here, but I will share the comparisons that the author concluded after running the simulated seasons.
Eddie Cicotte = Mel Harder
Chick Gandil = Hal Chase
Joe Jackson = Tris Speaker
Swede Risberg = Dick Bartell
Buck Weaver = Rabbit Maranville
Lefty Williams = Tom Glavine
Interestingly enough, Chick Gandil's combined actual and simulated career are very similar to Hal Chase's, who was a notorious gambler and rumored to be heavily involved in the 1919 World Series scandal and suspended for his own game fixing accusations.
This is perhaps the most unique angle that I've seen in all the books I've read about the 1919 White Sox team. It is definitely worth a read to see how things may have played out. It will definitely surprise you!
To save money, I've been known to haunt my public library from time to time. I'll wander down the aisles and choose books that sound interesting. One such trip resulted in a book on Garfield's 25th anniversary, a Stephen Hawking book, a Roger Ebert book, a book on the 1959 White Sox and a Tori Amos CD. That's pretty varied reading (and listening).
My last trip resulted in running across this gem about the 1919 White Sox team. I've read countless books on the subject, but this one has a twist. Tell the actual story of the Chicago White Sox, tracking the roots of the key players of the 1919 team, and how they came to be and continue the true story through the 1932 season, chronicling the downfall of the White Sox team. At the same time, track the alternate history of the White Sox starting with the 1919 World Series, as if there were no shenanigans. In the simulation, the last Black Sox player retired after the 1932 season, which is why the actual history of the team is tracked that far.
Using computer simulation, it tracks the careers of each of the Black Sox players, except Fred McMullen, who was a utility player and was considered expendable in this exercise. It was decided that Dickie Kerr wouldn't take the break and pitch through the years that he wasn't in baseball and that Chick Gandil's most likely reason for retiring (his payment from the gamblers) was removed, so he continued to play in 1920 and beyond.
The results were very surprising and are likely results that you would not expect. I won't divulge the outcomes here, but I will share the comparisons that the author concluded after running the simulated seasons.
Eddie Cicotte = Mel Harder
Chick Gandil = Hal Chase
Joe Jackson = Tris Speaker
Swede Risberg = Dick Bartell
Buck Weaver = Rabbit Maranville
Lefty Williams = Tom Glavine
Interestingly enough, Chick Gandil's combined actual and simulated career are very similar to Hal Chase's, who was a notorious gambler and rumored to be heavily involved in the 1919 World Series scandal and suspended for his own game fixing accusations.
This is perhaps the most unique angle that I've seen in all the books I've read about the 1919 White Sox team. It is definitely worth a read to see how things may have played out. It will definitely surprise you!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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