there's a play at the plate!

i came across these cards while going through some 90’s stuff. i really enjoy the continuation aspect that the gaetti card brings to the play. i wish there were more cards like these – just imagine if other notable home plate plays or collisions had been captured this way – aj pierzynski/michael barrett, gary carter/brian downing, mike scioscia/jack clark, jeremy giambi/jorge posada, and, of course, pete rose/ray fosse.

if topps did a card like this today, it would be one of their ‘classic combination’ cards which just means these two players were photographed in close proximity of each other during a game.

mauer pauer

i haven't posted about the other team i collect - the twins. actually, i would say i semi-collect them. i moved to minny about 11 years ago. i laughed the first time i entered the metrodome to see a game - it seemed so fake and plastic. anyway, the twins are the easiest way for me to see games, although i do try to road trip once or twice a year.

joe mauer is the local boy done good - he's from saint paul and is the most popular twin locally, in my opinion. here, on his 2006 upper deck card, he revels in the dirt at home plate in dodger stadium during the twins first chavez ravine appearance since the 1965 world series.

i went to every game of the dodgers' series with the twins in 2006. mauer destroyed us, posting 5-rbi in one game and 5 hits in another. i couldn't help but applaud.

blogosphere participation, part one

way before i even thought about doing this, i read a few card blogs fairly regularly. i enjoyed reading about other people's opinions regarding cards since all of my card collecting pals have moved on.

i traded with ben henry a couple of times and began to feel the joy of trading again. i arranged a trade with william at budget sports card collector, and then participated in a 2005 playoff absolute box break with gellman at sportscards uncensored. as luck would have it, one of the 4 teams i drew was the dodgers! here are the two cards i received as a result - johnny podres and a shawn green/rickey henderson team tandems bat card. good times.

but it was jim at taste like dirt that really got me going. his passion for the a's was obvious, and i realized i could pull some cards from his want list, along with some a's, and help him towards completing a set or two. i sent him a bunch of cards blindly, and he soon reciprocated. thanks jim. so, as they say in philly, why can't us?

i have a couple of other trades in the works, and i can't wait to do more. my want/need list is linked to the right, so let me know if you need a certain team, player or set and let's trade!

let's turn two, part three

on his 1989 score card (above), dave anderson is shown throwing the ball to first as mark grace slides in to second. it's the double play turn - one of my favorite plays in all of baseball. score must like the way anderson turns it, because the very next year, on his 1990 score card (below), there's he is again, firing the ball to first as he avoids the slide of the lead runner. at least score used different games and plays.not sure if the same holds true for the next group of cards. i posted orlando cabrera's 2002 topps total card (below) in the second installment of 'let's turn two'. orlando is at dodger stadium, mid-air, having already made the throw to first.


here is his 2002 fleer premium card. anything seem familiar? the picture is taken from a slightly different angle, but it is the same play. cropped a bit strangely, but still a nice card.
topps goes to the same well again on his 2002 gold label card. it's a bit later in the play, as orlando is coming back to earth. i will assume that all other pictures of orlando that were considered for his 2002 issues showed him picking his nose or adjusting his cup.

then there is bret boone shown on his 2002 topps stadium club card as pudge rodriguez slides into second.and here is his 2002 fleer ultra (below), also taken at arlington with pudge rodriguez sliding in, cleats high. looks like it could be the same play.
so what's my point? i don't really have one. i like these cards despite the repetition.

what would hee seop do?

apologies to lennon/mccartney...

when i find myself in times of trouble, hee seop choi comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. and in my hour of darkness he is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

thanks hee seop. adios jeff kent. i don't blame you for striking out looking in your final at bat. it was a bad call. but you won't be missed. you'll be back chad - you'll get another shot. tim mccarver knows not of what he speaks, matt kemp. give it a ride everytime. to end, i was really bothered that fox synched the gibson homerun video to the radio broadcast audio. i would rather have heard vin scully's tv call than jack buck's radio call. i wonder if having joe buck in the booth was the reason for the swap. stupid fox.

the impossible has happened! [part 3]

after leary, it was brian holton and then alejandro pena who came in and held the a's while the dodgers pecked away at the lead. singles by mike (general soreness) marshall, john t-bone shelby, and mike scioscia brought the score to 4-3. my dad and i weren’t going anywhere.
pretty soon, it was the bottom of the 9th. that meant eckersley. automatic. scioscia pops out, hamilton strikes out. davis walks. a glimmer of hope! when we recognized that it was gibson coming up, we lost it. everyone was thinking home run. at least i was. then came the foul balls. the stolen base. the full count. and then the home run. the pavilion was rocking. both my dad and i had our cameras out with the zoom lenses and were trying to take pictures. i saw the fist pumps through my view finder. as soon as gibson scored, i stopped taking pictures and looked around. people were hugging each other indiscriminately. laughing. cheering. crying. it was fantastic. 20 years ago today. i still don't believe what i just saw. the pictures didn't really turn out - i was shaking too much and the pavilion was bouncing, so they turned out blurry. that's ok though. i have the cards.

the game right now is at the plate... [part 2]

we were sitting in the right field pavilion, about 7 rows up or so. we chanted "steroids" at jose canseco when he was in the field. he flexed his biceps for us. we did this partially because it was done by boston fans in the alcs. bud selig must not have watched any playoff baseball that year, since he had no idea until just a few years ago that steroids might be a problem in major league baseball. but i digress.
i remember the excitement as the game got underway, which quickly led to elation as mickey hatcher went deep in the bottom of the 1st, almost catching up to steve sax on the basepaths. we were quickly brought back down to earth as tim belcher walked the pitcher (dave stewart) en route to giving up a grand slam to jose canseco. this remains one of the hardest hit balls i have ever seen. top 3 easy. i really don’t remember what my expectations were. my nervousness was spent after the nlcs against the mets. i knew, obviously, that the dodgers were the underdogs against the a’s, but as a fan i had hope. sure, it was lessened after the grand slam, but as tim leary came in and held the a’s, there was still hope.
and there was still gibson on the bench...