some all-time double play heroes

all right! back to double plays.  i have quite a few cards showing the turn from the 1993 upper deck all-time heroes set, which mimicked the 1912 t202 hassan triple folder cards.  these are the cards that were released in association with the baseball assistance team to raise funds and/or awareness of the needs of former players and others associated with the game.

here we go, starting with alvin dark and a staged dp turn

i always think of dark as the manager of the padres since that's how he was portrayed in the 1978 topps set.  as a player, he bookended his career with stints as a brave - first in boston (where he was voted rookie of the year in 1946) and then in milwaukee (where he ended his career in 1960).  the middle panel features a photo of him during his milwaukee days.  as you can tell by the other photo, he also played for the phillies - also in 1960.  before that, he played for the new york baseball giants, the cardinals, and the cubs.

this next one is not a double play card, but it features a well-known double play turner, johnny evers

here's the back, which goes into more detail about the merkle boner and evers' role in it.

i previously posted the card from this set that features the entire cub double play threesome, and i was hoping that evers' individual card might show him making the turn.  i was wrong.

this next card does feature a double play turning cub - it's glenn beckert

kessinger to beckert to banks/hickman just isn't the same as tinker to evers to chance.

ray boone is shown here with the same photo that upper deck used for the 1994 all-time heroes set

but bill mazeroski's card is all different.

primarily due to the fact that he hit a home run in the 1960 world series of some importance.  it's nice to see a guy known for his glove shown in a defensive play.

buddy biancalana was known for his name, but it's nice to see a guy like him in a set like this

the back addresses his popularity with a certain late night talk show host

who also had an interest in a 1978 topps dodger - terry forster.

of course, no all-time hero type set would be complete without a boatload of yankees.  at least a number of the yankees in the set are turning a double play.  like bucky freakin' dent

and frankie crosetti

and gil mcdougald

and even billy martin

martin is also shown in double play mode on his 1956 topps card

although it looks like the pivot has been successfully interrupted by the player sliding in.  i believe that the martin card was the last of the 56's that i needed to complete the double play turns from that set.  it's a good thing that mickey mantle's card didn't show him sliding into second trying to break up two.

here's another yankee middle infielder apparently unsuccessfully turning two, phil rizzuto and his 2000 upper deck yankees legends card

that's a lot of yankees.  i better balance things out with some dodgers.  and an oriole?

tommy davis gets some time as both a dodger and an oriole on his card from the 1993 all-time heroes set.

i should have used this card in my travels of tommy davis post.  check out the back

there is no uniform or team confusion on wally moon's card

i'm sure cardinal fans are disappointed.

finally, here are a couple of dodger leftys shown pitching in dodger stadium - johnny podres

who gets both la and brooklyn dodger photos, and tommy john

who is mercifully not shown as a yankee in either of his photos.

there are some nice dp turns in these cards.  i think i like the alvin dark one the best, even though it's staged.  there's something about his glove and the lumpy base and the close proximity of the second baseman.  plus, it's not a yankee.

i think i have just one more double play post before all of my dp cards are posted.  then i'll get to ranking them and i won't have to worry about double plays for a while.  at least until the 2013 cards are released.

some double play miscellany

yes, i'm still at it with the double play cards.  here's a card that i didn't own until a couple of days ago.  it comes courtesy of jeff at 2x3 heroes, and was part of his big giveaway.  it's a 2002 upper deck plus card of jose vidro

and i like it.  thanks jeff.

this is mike bordick on his 1993 upper deck card

this is the bordick card that i suggested depicts the same play as his 1993 donruss 'spirit of the game' card.  fairly positive.

here's another 2000 fleer tradition update card, this time featuring scott sheldon of the texas rangers

his claim to fame is playing all 9 positions in a september, 2000 game.  fleer chose to show him turning two which is nice, but the photo isn't from his historic game.  that game was played at chicago, so he would have been wearing away grays.  plus, he only played second base for two batters before moving to shortstop for a third of an inning, and had no involvement in any plays during that inning.  it's worth noting that his pitching appearance consisted of facing one batter (jeff leifer) whom he struck out.

although these next couple of cards don't show the double play turn at second base, they are still double play cards in my book - 2010 tristar obak tinker-evers-chance

here's the back, with the complete poem by franklin p. adams

the hall of fame double play trio also had a card in the 1993 upper deck all-time heroes set, although that card focused mainly on the middle infielders

they were certainly a well known group of infielders (here's the back)

but i can't help feeling bad for doc casey and harry steinfeldt - two of the third basemen that play alongside these three.  at least ron cey gets his due as part of the famous dodger infield that is the namesake of this blog.

back to some dp turns - here's delino deshields' 1995 score gold rush parallel

and a couple more walt weiss cards - 1994 pinnacle

and 1999 pacific

believe it or not, there are still some weiss dp cards that i do not own.

here's another double play turning brave - marcus giles on a 2006 upper deck card

and placido polanco does the same on his 2006 upper deck card

the double play stack is getting shorter, but there are still some more to be shown...