more non-dodger dodger cards

it's weird that i consider a card a dodger card if it includes the dodger team name on it, regardless of whether the player is wearing the dodger uniform or not. for me, this goes back to o-pee-chee cards from the 1979 set, which were the first ones i encountered that forced me to make this sort of determination.  no one was going to tell me that the 1979 opc andy messersmith wasn't a dodger card.  later on in my collecting endeavors, i saw that cards from the 1960's often showed players in outdated uniforms, and my approach to these cards was confirmed by official team checklists created by other collectors.

more recently, i've been paying more attention to the opposite types of cards - cards with dodger players in uniform, but with a different team affiliation.  like this 2000 pacific paramount raul mondesi card

that's dodger blue that he's wearing, but the card says that he is a blue jay now.

other examples in my collection include a few gary sheffield cards.  here are his 2002 fleer platinum,

2001 fleer premium,

2002 leaf (complete with 'traded to' text)

and his 2002 upper deck authentics (which also has the 'traded to') text

cards.

kevin brown has a ton of dodger cards - the benefit of being the best pitcher on some pretty non-descript dodger teams, but his 2004 upper deck diamond collection all-star lineup card

is actually a yankee card

adrian beltre famously left the dodgers after leading the league in home runs in 2004.  the result were some non-dodger dodger cards in 2005 fleer classic clippings

and 2005 fleer national pastime

these are things that i didn't really think twice about, but when topps issued this 2006 card of jose valentin

i was surprised.  i don't recall a card like this in the flagship set since the 1979 bump wills fiasco.  before that, there were the 1974 glenn beckert and jerry morales cards, and to a lesser extent, the 1973 topps bill north card.  i only wish that topps had done the reverse with nomar garciaparra's card in the 2006 flagship set.

here's a 2007 upper deck greg maddux card

on which the words say 'padres' but the photo says 'dodgers'.

the most unusual example of these cards may well be this 1995 score summit antonio osuna card

except that it's an error.  osuna did not pitch for the tigers, nor was he ever a part of the tiger organization.  weird.  let's cleanse the palette with an actual dodger card from the same set

that's better.

i doubt that we'll see any of these any time soon with just one manufacturer licensed to produce cards that feature actual team names.  still, as that 2006 valentin card shows, topps may yet surprise me once again.

ravine-ous cards

it's time for dodger stadium on baseball cards!  here's one that i showed earlier today on the timeless teams blog (yes, i am slooooowly completing that 2004 upper deck legends set over there).  it's yogi berra in dodger stadium!

pretty sure the photo is from his coaching days during either the 1977 or 1978 world series.  berra was the yankees' manager for 16 games in 1985, yet he gets a card in the set.  meanwhile, tommy lasorda could not be convinced to sign for the set apparently.  

how about a 2002 fleer premium moises alou card?

stuck between the astros and the cubs, alou's card gives us a glimpse of jim gilliam on the outfield wall. i wish the dodgers would do this permanently like the cardinals and white sox.

here's another mural in the background of randy johnson's 2000 topps card

i think this was the world championship (or was it pennant winners?) mural.  that's ron cey's head - one of the three mvp's of the 1981 world series.

now it's pavilion time.  here's a 1985 donruss highlights dale murphy card

and now murphy and fellow brave bob horner on a 1986 fleer superstar special card

and then horner on his own on a 1986 fleer league leaders card

fleer liked dodger stadium.

more pavilion, courtesy of dante bichette's 1997 fleer ultra checklist card

with diamond vision visible at the edge, too.

back to the (plain) outfield wall on the back of brett butler's 1994 upper deck card

looks like the lurking cory snyder is playing tag, although he doesn't have the ball in his glove.  i also appreciate the visibility of both the tim crews and roy campanella/don drysdale memorial patches.

it pleases me greatly that dodger stadium will host some postseason play this year.  maybe we'll see some more photos of american leaguers in chavez ravine in next year's card releases...

this card almost made my header

when i was putting together the header for this blog just over 4 years and two months ago, i considered including a card of an expo.  specifically, this 2002 topps total orlando cabrera card.

that's why the first time i showed it, i used a photo (like the header) of it rather than a scan.  i considered using it in the header because i thought that it showed a couple other elements of my collection - cards featuring dodger stadium, and cards featuring the double play turn.  in the end, i decided against using it, mostly to keep the header free of non-dodgers.  besides, this version of the play, featured on cabrera's 2002 fleer premium card, 

shows dodger stadium better - that's sandy koufax's outfield wall retired number mural - but was strangely cropped and doesn't show the double play as well.

cabrera's 2002 topps gold label card is quite shiny and shows the same play as well

i know i have shown all three of those cards before, but i can't show one without the others.

here are some o-cab cards that haven't been featured here before.  like his 1999 skybox premium card

his 2003 donruss card

his 2003 topps opening day card

his 2006 topps card

and his 2008 topps chrome card

with refractor!

you may recall that cabrera was the guy who replaced nomar in 2004 and went on to win the world series as the red sox's starting shortstop.  that 'short stop' in boston kind of kickstarted the weary traveler stage of cabrera's career that saw him play for 7 franchises in the next 7 years.

another guy who bounced around a bit was roberto alomar, seen here on his 2003 topps traded card

here he is again on his 2003 fleer double header card

before he was traded to the white sox.  the first time.

cabrera is not alone in regards to his 2002 fleer premium card, either. here is rafael furcal's card from the set, which also has him turning two in dodger stadium

although he's turning two in philly on his 2001 upper deck card

other 2001 upper deck double plays include edgardo alfonzo

warren morris

and pokey reese

who also turns two on his 2001 fleer ultra card

that's not the last we'll see of pokey reese, either.  more double play cards coming tomorrow!

my gift to you

i've finished going through all of the double play cards in my collection, and over the next week or so, i will be showing off the ones that have not been featured on the blog before.  it will be a week long double play dump.  there are a lot of them, so i have many many posts scheduled.

it all leads up to the 'greatest double play card of all time tournament' which now might just be a top 50 countdown. i haven't decided.  but there will be a contest of sorts - i have to figure out a way to thin the herd that is my collection.

so, here we go.  let the double play displays begin.

2001 upper deck alex rodriguez

i like this card.

1997 pinnacle zenith

this card is not my favorite

1992 topps ryne sandberg all-star

1994 score ryne sandberg gold rush

1997 score hobby reserve ryne sandberg

2011 topps marquee ryne sandberg

ryno's dp form is pretty consistent when he doesn't have to leave the ground.

2002 fleer premium jimmy rollins

i like the look of this set.  there are a few dp cards in it which is always nice.

1994 fleer ultra barry larkin

it's a card of two barrys.

2010 topps chrome derek jeter

leapin' jeter batman! topps forgot to put the glossy coat on this chrome card!

2011 topps tsuyoshi nishioka

this might be the play in which nishi had his leg broken.  no, that happened in new york after the toronto series.

2011 topps opening day rafael furcal

this is a nice card.  some teams, like the a's, seem to have a lot of double play cards.  the dodgers - not so much.

get ready for an avalanche of double play cards - they're coming and there is nothing you can do to stop them.

random cards featuring dodger stadium

let's bask in the beauty of chavez ravine, just as these fine ballplayers are doing on their respective cards, shall we?

1989 donruss andres galarraga
the big cat's uniform goes nicely with the loge and reserved level seats.

2002 fleer premium moises alou.

a cub in an astros uniform in dodger stadium. nice shout out to jim gilliam, the only non-hall of famer to have his number retired by the dodgers.

2001 fleer platinum matt lawton.

another transitional player - an indian in a mets uniform. lawton was part of the 'soul patrol' out here in minny, along with jacques jones and torii hunter.

1988 donruss kirt (what's that) manwaring.

sure he's a giant and a rated rookie, but the only redeeming part of this card is the pavilion in the background.

1999 topps opening day dmitri young.

da meat hook rounding second with the short fence in right visible behind him. it's not quite the pesky pole, but i have always liked the low fence sections in fair territory. in related news, that's about where milton bradley melted down and threw a water bottle into the stands. good times.