a mish-mash of double play turns

i've allowed a number of new to the blog/collection double play turns to accumulate in my scanned folder, so today will be all about the pivot.

1984 topps traded tony bernazard

now granted this image is pre-pivot, but i consider second basemen waiting for the throw while standing at the base to be a double play turn. i remember waiting for these throws and wondering if i had enough time to turn and throw and not get bowled over.

1995 topps bret boone

ditto.

1992 topps stadium club manny lee

sorry - he goes by manuel here.  this is where i am thankful for others who collect double play cards, particularly jeff at 2x3 heroes and nick at dime boxes.  they will show off dp cards that they receive in the mail, and then i go and dig in my collection to see if i have those cards.  such was the case with this manuel lee card.  one of them showed it, and i didn't have it, so i went and bought it on sportlots for 18 cents.  this particular card shows a play from the first inning of a game played on june 30, 1991. harold reynolds has grounded to the first baseman (john olerud), who threw to second to force the lead runner (edgar martinez).  manuel lee is preparing for the relay throw, but reynolds is safe at first. thanks baseball-reference!

1982 o-pee-chee tim foli

not only was foli traded from the pirates to the angels (creating a team and text variation), but he's about to throw to first to complete a spring training double play.  i doubt that he's on the second base side of the bag for any other reason, so this is a double play turn.  now i just need another copy of his 1982 topps card for the dp binder.

1992 leaf mariano duncan

and 1992 leaf mariano duncan black gold

plus the back of another 1992 leaf card, that of terry shumpert

the photo on the shumpert back is very similar to the back of his 1992 fleer card.

my double play collection sometimes runs on duncan - here's his 1995 topps stadium club card

plus jody reed's card from the same set

nice junior griffey cameo, too.  i had previously shown a 1st day issue parallel of the reed card, but not the plain ol' base.

here's another couple of cards that have sort of been shown before - 1997 topps stadium club carlos garcia

i previously showed the members only parallel, which is really only different on the back due to some watermark text, and 1995 score rafael belliard

of which i have previously shown the gold rush parallel version.

last card of this post is brent gates' 1996 score card

thanks again to nick for showing this one on his blog. i couldn't believe that there was a brent gates double play card that i was missing.

some cards that should have been in 1984

i'm not talking about the 1984 topps traded roger clemens or kirby puckett cards.  no, i'm talking about cards that should have featured players who were a part of the 1978 topps dodgers.  like steve garvey, who played in his 1118th consecutive game in 1983, breaking the national league record held by billy williams.

i was at that game, and was hoping that the 1984 set would have a card commemorating the event.  fleer did issue a card, but it featured a generic batting photo of the garv.

here is the highlight card that should have been.

i used the photo that was on the cover of sports illustrated the following week.  it has been used in some of the 1990's fleer/si sets for a card, too.  here's the back

i made no note of the streak ending since the format of those highlight cards was similar to a news clipping.  the back of the fleer card kind of/sort of addresses the end of the streak, as they note his mark of 1,207 games.

however, they also use the word 'currently', so it's somewhat confusing.  garvey broke his thumb in july and was put on the disabled list for the first time since 1971, ending the streak.

here's another version i made.

it uses a photo from the sports illustrated article, with garvey posing in front of a printout of every box score from the streak.  it's more of the type of photo that i would have expected fleer to use.

don sutton also hit a milestone in 1983, recording his 3000th strikeout on june 24.  he was denied a highlights card because three pitchers passed walter johnson on the all-time k list which is apparently more worthy of a card than simply passing the 3000 mark.  here's my version of the card that should have been.

yes, i used a photo of sutton in a road uni even though the strikeout came at home.

of course, there was another card that should have been, the 1984 topps traded davey lopes card

(lopes went from the a's to the cubs in september) but topps would make us wait until 1986 to get a base card of lopes in a cubs uniform.

so, with that, i will soon be moving on to 1985 in the continuing evolutionary saga of the 1978 topps dodgers.  stay tuned!

the 1984 topps dodgers who were also 1978 topps dodgers

let's continue this evolution of the 1978 topps dodgers with the guys who were featured as boys in blue in the 1984 topps set.  we'll start with dusty baker

who left the dodgers as a free agent after the 1983 season.  he signed a deal with the giants, following in reggie smith's footsteps, and was given a card in the 1984 topps traded set confirming his treachery

i say that in jest, of course, even though it is always strange to see former dodgers - smith, baker, orel hershiser, etc. - wearing the black and orange.  baker appeared in only 100 games for the giants, and hit just 3 home runs.  the giants would trade him to oakland during spring training the following year.

the rest of these guys were still with the dodgers in 1984.  here's burt hooton

yes, he was still with the dodgers in 1984, but it would be his final season in los angeles.  he was used out of the bullpen, with 6 spot starts out of 54 total appearances.  he had a record of 3-6 with 4 saves and a 3.44 era.  his best two outings of the season came in september in back-to-back appearances.  on the 7th, he started against the reds and allowed just 1 run on 2 hits over his 8 innings of work.  he took the loss, however, as the dodgers fell to cincy 1-0.  five days later, hooton was summoned from the bullpen to relieve rick honeycutt to start the second inning against the padres.  hooton went on to pitch 8 innings, allowing one run and striking out five to earn the win.  it was his last win as a dodger.

tom lasorda

lasorda's 1984 topps card features a photo that reminds me of the one that slimfast used in their ads as the 'before' photo.  it's not quite as unflattering, however.  in 1984, lasorda guided the disappointing dodgers to a 79-83 record - good for fourth in the nl west and good for tommy's worst finish as a manager up to that point in his career as the dodgers' field boss.  he would do better the following year.

rick monday

mo's playing career came to an end in 1984.  he appeared in just 31 games, mostly as a pinch hitter.  his lone home run came in that role - a go-ahead 3-run shot against the pirates in may.  monday made most of his field appearances as a first baseman, including the last start of his career in which he turned in all 14 innings at first on june 6.  about two weeks later, monday was released, following a stretch where he struck out in 6 straight plate appearances - the final 6 of his career.

bill russell

russell gave up his claim to the dodgers' shortstop job in 1984, moving over for dave anderson.  russell did appear in 65 games at short, however, but also played some center field and even a bit of second base.  in the 89 games in which he appeared, russell hit .267.

steve yeager

like russell, yeager's place among dodger primary position players was supplanted in 1984 - mike scioscia was yeager's dave anderson.  yeager did provide some relief for scioscia as he caught in 65 games.  at the plate, yeager hit .228 with four home runs - the last of which was his 100th career blast, and the last of his career as a dodger.  his biggest home run of the season, however, was his 99th career home run - a pinch-hit, go-ahead grand slam against the reds on june 21.

so, there you go - the dodgers who remained dodgers from the 1978 topps dodger lineup, as they were in 1984.  and now, since we've seen them and the non-dodgers (in two separate posts), i'll go ahead and update the evolutionary stats.  there were 16/27 members of the 1978 topps dodgers featured by topps in 1984. here's the tally to date:

baker 14 (1971-1984)
burke 2 (1978-1979)
cey 13 (1972-1984)
davalillo 14 (1963-1974, 1978-1979)
forster 13 (1972-1984)
garman 8 (1971-1973, 1975-1979)
garvey 14 (1971-1984)
goodson 6 (1973-1978)
grote 15 (1964-1976, 1978-1979)
hooton 13 (1972-1984)
hough 13 (1972-1984)
john 21 (1964-1984)
lacy 12 (1973-1984)
lasorda 10 (1954, 1973-1974, 1977-1981, 1983-1984)
lopes 12 (1973-1984)
martinez 9 (1971-1976, 1978-1980)
monday 18 (1967-1984)
mota 18 (1963-1980)
oates 10 (1972-1981)
rau 9 (1973-1981)
rautzhan 2 (1978-1979)
rhoden 10 (1975-1984)
russell 15 (1970-1984)
smith 17 (1967-1983)
sosa 10 (1974-1984)
sutton 19 (1966-1984)
yeager 12 (1973-1984)

teams represented so far: 22 (dodgers, indians, colt .45's, pirates, white sox, astros, mets, a's, red sox, angels, expos, cardinals, braves, cubs, orioles, giants, phillies, yankees, rangers, tigers, padres, brewers)

two scoops of baseball tips

there are only about 12 weeks until pitchers and catchers report, so i am going to do my part to help the dodger players get to camp with a strong understanding of the basics.  we will discuss such things as how to prepare physically and mentally, as well as how to properly position oneself and even how to lay down that perfect bunt.  and, we will do all of that by using some cards that came from the backs of cereal boxes.

when i was growing up, we were pretty much a general mills household.  total. cheerios.  that sort of thing.  the only kellogg's brand that regularly found its way into our pantry was rice krispies.  what's worse, we only got the sweet cereals when we went on vacation in our rv and my mom bought the little cereal box variety packs.

so, it goes without saying that i did not collect the 1979 post raisin bran steve garvey's baseball tips cards in real time.  i may not have even known about them in 1979.  i did find out about them in the mid-1990's when i made the move to become a garvey supercollector, though.  i have since collected all 12, just as post told me to do.

here's the first one - the batting stance.

garvey basically says to do your own thing, but also do things the right way.  he notes the need for a firm grip on the bat, although i recall the garv taking his fingers off the bat during his swing preparation.  in fact, his 2001 upper deck minor league centennial card captures that very moment.

i did find this 1984 topps traded bob bailor card

that seems to illustrate what garvey is preaching.

good advice from the 'most hits nl' man!

coming next week - bunting!  get ready to see some brett butler cards!

topps dodger autograph project - 1984 through 1989

the mid-80's were still heady days in southern california.  the dodgers were in the postseason, in odd years at least (through 1985), and also if 1988. and, they still had a few members of the team of my youth kicking around through the middle of the decade.  let's take a look at some of my ttm successes from 1984-1989.  as usual, thanks to the lost collector for the inspiration for these posts.  these autographs were obtained through the mail for free, and the players shown have not shown up in the topps dodger autograph project before.

1984 topps, fernando valenzuela

fernando is a fickle signer, at least in my experience.  i'm not complaining, though - he has signed a few cards for me.  i also have received 1984 topps cards signed courtesy of dave anderson, candy maldonado, mike marshall, jose morales, tom niedenfuer, jerry reuss, derrel thomas, and pat zachry, as well as joe beckwith and rafael landestoy.

i only have one 1984 topps traded card signed, though, and it's mike vail.

1984 topps traded, mike vail

i don't count the traded sets towards the successful completion of this project, but if i have 'em i will show 'em.

1985 topps, burt hooton

hooton has signed for me a few times.  i have also had success with 1985 topps cards from dave anderson, greg brock, rick honeycutt, mike marshall, candy maldonado, tom niedenfuer, jerry reuss, steve sax, franklin stubbs, fernando valenzuela, and pat zachry.  plus sid bream.  i should show his cards sometime.

here's where the topps traded successes come to an end.  i would love to get al oliver to sign one of his cards, and i have sent a card to mariano duncan without success.  bobby castillo and ken howell are the other dodgers to appear in the set.  castillo has signed for me, with a fee, but i didn't sent his '85 tt card.  howell has also signed for me, but again, i didn't send an '85 card.

1986 topps, enos cabell

cabell was one of many who tried to replace ron cey.  he hit .292 down the stretch for the dodgers after they acquired him during the 1985 season.  in the nlcs against the cardinals, however, he was just 1 for 11.  1986 was the final season of his career - he went out a dodgers.  other dodgers who have signed their 1986 topps card for me include bob bailor, greg brock, rick honeycutt, jay johnsone, tom niedenfuer, jerry reuss, bill russell (dodgers leaders card), steve sax, len matuszek, and bill russell.  i also have a ken howell signed card that i picked up in a lot on ebay.

1986 topps traded is another shutout for me.  my options there are ed vande berg (sent, but not yet received), franklin stubbs (i should send - he's a good signer), and alex trevino (haven't sent - don't think he signs ttm).  if i get the vande berg back, i'll update the post.

1987 topps, steve sax

saxy!  when i first started sending cards ttm, sax didn't sign.  but then he started signing profusely.  i am grateful.  other 1987 topps cards i have successfully obtained with signatures through the mail came from greg brock, ron perranoski, mariano duncan, rick honeycutt, mike marshall, tom niedenfuer, jerry reuss, bill russell, steve sax (regular base card), franklin stubbs, reggie williams, ed vande berg, maury wills (with fee) as well as len matuszek, and bill russell and a fernando valenzuela card i picked up by trade.

1987 topps traded, matt young

back with a traded success in 1987.  there were 7 dodgers in the set, and i think tim leary and mickey hatcher might sign as well.  but, i only have the young card signed.  he signed some other cards for me, too.

1988 topps, len matuszek

matuszek's final season was in 1987, so this would be his final tribute card.  he's signed a couple of other cards for me, which i don't think i have featured here yet.  other dodgers who have signed their 1988 topps cards for me include phil garner, tim leary, ken howell, mike marshall, steve sax, franklin stubbs, matt young, and glenn hoffman.

i'm without a success from the 1988 topps traded set. kirk gibson, mike davis, and jesse orosco don't sign, but i might be able to get a tim belcher, alfredo griffin, or jay howell success.  i'll have to work on that.  not sure why mickey hatcher wasn't in the traded set that year; i'm sure he would sign for me.  oh wait, he did.

1989 topps, mickey hatcher

the stunt man has signed for me a couple of times.  i am glad to see him back with the dodgers even though i don't know exactly what he does.  i have also received 1989 topps cards signed by dave anderson, alfredo griffin, ricky horton, jay howell, tim leary, franklin stubbs, john tudor, tracy woodson, plus ramon martinez (with fee), and tim belcher.

no dice from the 1989 topps traded set.  the only dodgers in that set were eddie murray, willie randolph, and mike morgan.  i think my best chance would be to find a morgan card for sale somewhere.  maybe even around here, since he pitched for the twins (no surprise there) at one point during the latter years of his career.

until then, here's the list of each year's representative card (so far):

1951 topps - preacher roe (purchased)
1952 topps - rocky bridges
1953 topps - bobby morgan
1954 topps - billy herman (purchased)
1955 topps - don zimmer (purchased)
1956 topps - randy jackson
1957 topps - carl erskine
1958 topps - joe pignatano
1959 topps - fred kipp
1960 topps - chuck essegian
1961 topps - bob aspromonte
1962 topps - norm sherry
1963 topps - ed roebuck
1964 topps - ken mcmullen
1965 topps - dick tracewski
1966 topps - john kennedy
1967 topps - phil regan
1968 topps - jim campanis
1969 topps - jeff torborg
1970 topps - al mcbean
1971 topps - sandy vance
1972 topps - manny mota
1973 topps - wes parker
1974 topps - claude osteen
1974 topps traded - jim wynn
1975 topps - ron cey
1975 topps mini - joe ferguson
1976 topps - bill russell
1976 topps traded - dusty baker
1977 topps - steve garvey
1978 topps - dave lopes
1979 topps - charlie hough
1980 topps - jerry reuss
1981 topps - doug rau
1981 topps traded - ken landreaux
1982 topps - dave goltz
1982 topps traded - jose morales
1983 topps - ron roenicke
1983 topps traded - rafael landestoy
1984 topps - fernando valenzuela
1984 topps traded - mike vail
1985 topps - burt hooton
1986 topps - enos cabell
1987 topps - steve sax
1987 topps traded - matt young
1988 topps - len matuszek
1989 topps - mickey hatcher

mike vail through the mail success!

it's been almost two years since i received a couple of my cards back from mike vail.  he signed 'em in about a week.  being a dodger fan, i included the only two mike vail dodger cards i knew of (aside from the 1990 target card) - a 1984 fleer update card and a 1984 topps traded card, along with a 1978 topps card because i like to get those signed too.  he wound up keeping the fleer card, but he signed the topps traded

and the 1978 card.

he's got a little quentin tarantino thing going on in those photos.  i remember being disappointed in 1984 when the traded set came out and topps used the same photo for both the main image and the inset on vail's traded card.

he wasn't actually traded, either.  he had been released by the expos in march of '84 and signed by the dodgers in june.  that would explain why he didn't get a nice o-pee-chee variation, even though he was included in the set.  in fact, there were no 'now with dodgers' in the 1984 o-pee-chee set at all (where were you, bob bailor?) so i went ahead and made a card for vail, just because.

it would have been my favorite card in the set! vail had originally been drafted by the dodgers, way back in 1970. he chose not to sign and instead began his professional career in 1971 after being selected by the cardinals.  he went from saint louis to the mets while still a minor leaguer in a deal for future dodger ted martinez.  as a rookie in 1975, vail singled in his first big league at bat, and then a few games later started a 23-game hitting streak.  unfortunately, he was injured in an offseason basketball game and never really reached the level so many expected.

after a few years in new york, he split the 1978 season between cleveland and the north side of chicago.  then there were stops in cincinnati, san francisco, and montreal before vail ended his career in los angeles.  as a dodger, vail was used almost exclusively as a pinch hitter and was just 1 for 16 at the plate.  his lone hit was a big one though - a walk-off single against neil allen and the cardinals in the 12th inning on july 6th.

here's to you, mike vail!  thanks for signing my cards!

filling in the blanks with the gcrl cards that should have been

sadly, these are the last of my 'cards that should have been' for a while unless i get some good news about data retrieval...

i had a lot of fun documenting the evolution of the dodger infield using their respective topps cards.  i did pause when doing the 1982 post to wonder why there wasn't a highlight card dedicated to their longevity.  their reign together was quite a topic in southern california at least, and one would think that it might rate at least as high as ron davis striking out 8 straight in relief which was featured on a highlight card.  east coast bias, i guess.  anyway, here is the (front and back) of the 1982 topps 1981 highlight card that should have been:

and, just to complete things, here is the 1984 topps traded davey lopes card that should have been

along with the version of his 1985 topps card that should have been:

instead of the 'now with a's' text.  the cool thing about this card is that it works with the back that topps actually created for his 1985 card:

here's to you, gcrl cards that should have been!