Ohhh that smell...

Some smells may remind you of a memory. I can admit anytime I smell one of those hard strawberry candies wrapped in the strawberry look-alike wrapper, I am transported back into the 80's and in my great grandmother's house where she kept a candy dish full of them in her living room. 

Recently, a reader of mine who emails me every so often sent me a bunch of 1989 Topps Jumbo packs (thanks Mike!) and a familiar smell whisked me away to a memory I had of when I was 7 back in 1989. There I was making my rounds with my dad on my birthday after I was picked up from the bus stop. When I stepped out, my dad saw me wearing a birthday hat which my 2nd grade teacher made for every kid on their birthday. It was almost like a crown, and I wore it proudly all day. When I got into my dad's truck, we then made a quick stop at our local Foodland to pick up a birthday cake. On our way back, we stopped by my grandparent's place of business where they sold RV's and RV accessories. When I got in the door, I remember grabbing a balloon from the many they had in the doorway for kids when they came into their place of business. I walked past the register and turned to my left and headed into my grandfather's office. Anytime I saw him I always took the hat he was wearing and turned it backwards. He'd always yell at me, "Dammit B.J.!" Another thing you should know about these grandparents was that they never called me by my first name. They told my dad after I was born that they HATED my name and refused to ever use it, so I was always referred to by my initials. Because of this, my cousins never actually called me Bryan either. It was always B.J. or Beej. Am I a bit upset by this? Maybe, but after over 40 years of it, it's the least of my worries. After I said "Hello" to my grandfather, I stopped in the kitchen which was right next to my grandfather's office and my grandmother was in there. She said "Happy Birthday" to me and gave me a small bag with a card in a blue envelope. Inside the bag was a jumbo pack of 1989 Topps. I know I noted in my 100 post that these grandparents didn't ever get me anything, well a certain smell from those 1989 Topps packs generated this memory from my brain and I have been mistaken. 

My grandparent's kitchen in their businesses building had a brown picnic table with 4 benches. I sat down on the bench near the window with the table always wrapped in an ugly yellow tablecloth, I pushed the birthday crown out of my eyes and began to tear open those packs. Afterwards, we would tear into my cake. We had a mini-birthday party for me that day because I asked for a birthday party with friends instead of family that year. My parents ponied up to get the McDonald's Play Place for me and 5 friends. 

Anyways, these were the first of many 1989 Topps packs I would open that year. Immediately I noticed the smell of the cards. It wasn't like that familiar smell from the previous year's Topps packs in 1988. No, this smell was different. I don't remember who I pulled from those packs that day, but I do remember that smell. Does anyone know what I'm talking about. The cardboard they used that year combined with the crappy gum, it just sends a wave of nostalgia through my body. 

Pictured: me with a stack of 1989 Topps, a birthday cake with 7 candles, birthday hat in my eyes, the yellow tablecloth and a killer Pittsburgh Pirates shirt!

So, I guess I will be diving back into the 1989 Topps set. When I sold my collection to that guy in New Jersey back in 2004, with it went my hand collated set of 1989 Topps Baseball. Thanks to Mike (who I don't even believe follows my blog, he just reads it), I will be heading back into the world of nostalgia. Smelling that familiar smell once again and being reminded of being 7 again and a time when my grandparents maybe cared about me a little more than I had remembered. Also, for the record, I pulled a Gregg Jefferies in the first pack! 

1989 Topps (note Keith Atherton is the last card in the box)

Thanks for reading.

He played there? Baseball Edition: Part 2

It seems the first "He played there?" that was posted was a success (views wise), so here is installment #2. 

When thinking about who I should start this post with, my mind instantly went to Cecil Fielder. A legend in my neighborhood growing up, Fielder was known for being a bit "husky" and also for his towering home runs. A big card back in 1990 on my street was his 1990 Topps Traded card which showed him in his Detroit Tigers uniform. My neighbor Tommy had it. I still don't know where he obtained it, but I tried my best to trade him for it (unsuccessfully I might add). After his 51-home run year, he followed it up again with another monster of a season with 44. Although it wasn't more than 50, when my neighbors and I were outside hitting the baseball, we were still trying to emulate Mr. Fielder. After his days with the Tigers were over, he ended up with the Yankees for 2 seasons before heading over to the Anaheim Angels in 1998 where he split his final season with the Angels and Indians. Unfortunately for my fellow blog friends reading this, I couldn't locate a card of Fielder with the Indians (I'm sure there might be one out there though), so for the sake of the "He played there?" portion, enjoy Cecil Fielder with the Angels which I purchased from a nice guy on Sportlots named Scott (whoops24).

How was he acquired? Cecil Fielder signed a 1-year contract with the Anaheim Angels on December 19, 1997. He was released by the Angels on August 10, 1998, and signed with the Cleveland Indians on August 13, 1998.

1998 Topps Chrome Cecil Fielder #374

Steve Carlton had a Hall of Fame 24-year Major League career. When Carlton was in his 40's, he did a little bouncing around between teams before calling it quits. In 1986, the guy played for 3 teams! In 32 games that season, Carlton would suit up for the Phillies, Giants, and White Sox. The very next year, he would play for Cleveland and Minnesota and end his career with the Twins the very next season in 1988. During one of his stops in 1986, he would collect a career milestone by notching his 4,000th strikeout of his career! This would be in one of the 6 games he played with the San Francisco Giants. Lucky for us, Donruss would commemorate this brief stop Carlton had with the team with a Highlights card for everyone to enjoy! 

How was he acquired? Carlton signed a 1-year deal with San Francisco Giants on July 4, 1986, which he would be released from by August 7, 1986, and he would sign with the White Sox 5 days later on August 12, 1986.

1986 Donruss Highlights Steve Carlton #35

Bret Saberhagen was a pretty big name back in the 80's and early 90's. He was a 3-time All-Star, Won 2 Cy Young awards, was a World Series MVP, Gold Glove winner and was named Pitcher of the Year a few times. He was just good. When I was thinking of writing this blog post, I had a large sum of cards in my card from a seller named Scott (whoops24) in my Sportlots cart, and I decided to add this one too just in case I decided to add Saberhagen to this list. Well darn it, I'm adding him! In 1995, Saberhagen would have a 9-game stint with the Colorado Rockies. He has a few cards picturing him with this team and below I am showing one of them.

How was he acquired? August 4, 1995, Saberhagen was traded by the New York Mets with David Swanson (who was the player to be named later) to the Colorado Rockies for Juan Acevedo and Arnold Gooch.

1996 Fleer Metal Universe Platinum Bret Saberhagen #157

When you think of Andruw Jones, you probably think of him as an Atlanta Brave, and rightfully so. However, Jones actually played on 5 teams in his career. I was shocked when I looked this up. In 2008, he left the Braves to continue his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is something that I vaguely remembered. Maybe because I had a lot going on at that time in my life, or maybe because my memory for sports transactions just isn't what it used to be. Anyways, Jones had the worst year of his career in 2008 with the Dodgers. He would only play in 75 games due to knee surgery, but he only managed to hit 3 home runs to go along with 14 RBI's and batted an abysmal .158. No wonder the Dodgers cut bait on him after that season. There are plenty of Jones Dodgers cards out there and I actually already happened to have one of them to use for this post! When my wife and I were celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary, we decided to venture out to the place where we had our reception. It's a mansion that is themed like Gone with the Wind (my wife's favorite movie). We stayed the weekend and had a few nice (expensive) dinners out there. While we were out there, we ventured around town and found a comic book/sports card shop there. I bought the only pack of baseball cards the place had which was a 2008 Bowman Chrome and ended up pulling the card you will see below. First let's look at how Jones ended up on the Dodgers in the first place.

How was he acquired? Andruw Jones signed a 2-year $36.2 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

2008 Bowman Chrome Andruw Jones Refractor #87

Anytime I think of Al Oliver, I think of him as a Pittsburgh Pirates. I can picture him now wearing that yellow Pirates hat. When I was opening one of those awesome Fairfield re-packs I love so much (that the Rite Aid near my house no longer carries), I pulled an Al Oliver card, and I passed right by it. I didn't even realize it was him! When I went back through my stack of commons one rainy day, I had to look at the back of the card to make sure it was the same Al Oliver. Well, holy crap, it was! I had no idea at all that Al Oliver played for the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1984, Oliver split time between the San Francisco Giants (91 games) and the Phillies (28 games). Oliver would only play 1 more season in the Majors in 1985 when he would play 96 total games split between the Dodgers and Blue Jays. Since I only have his Phillies card, enjoy it below.

How was he acquired? August 20, 1984, Oliver was traded by the San Francisco Giants with Renie Martin (player to be named later) to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kelly Downs and George Riley.

1985 Topps Al Oliver #130

Catchers are my favorite. I played catcher myself when I played baseball, and I respect the heck out of anyone who can play that position for their entire career. It's literal hell on the knees. It's part of the reason I have bad knees to this day. Pudge Rodriguez was one of the best catchers out there. He played 21 seasons in the majors and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017! Most people remember him playing for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, his brief stop with the Yankees, and of course you remember when he played for the Astros....right? Right? Well, if you're like me, you had no idea or recollection of this, but Pudge suited up for 93 games with the Astros back in 2009. Of course, our awesome friends at Topps commemorated this with a baseball card that season to remember his brief stop in Houston.  

How was he acquired? March 20, 2009, Ivan Rodriguez signed a 1-year deal with the Houston Astros.

2009 Topps Update and Highlights Ivan Rodriguez #UH1

 

I was pretty big into the Mets when I was younger in the 80's, but I was never a big Keith Hernandez fan. Not sure why, I just wasn't. Maybe because Strawberry, Gooden and Jefferies were more fun to root for? Who knows. However, Hernandez was a great player and had some hilarious cameos in Seinfeld, and I remember him being on an episode of Sesame Street when I was younger (I think?) When I was talking to a co-worker a few years back, he had told me that I had to check out a book Hernandez wrote and I've been meaning to pick it up, I may just have to sooner or later. When I was deciding to do these posts, I looked through stacks and stacks of commons looking for anyone that I didn't remember they played for a certain team and this one definitely stuck out to me. Back in 1990, Keith Hernandez retired from baseball, but before he retired, he played 43 games for the Cleveland Indians and hit only 1 home run, with 8 RBI's and batted .200. Upper Deck was there to show you it actually happened, so thanks Upper Deck!

How was he acquired? On December 7, 1989, Hernandez signed a 1-year deal with the Cleveland Indians.

1990 Upper Deck Keith Hernandez #777

Why don't I just stick with former Mets for this post? Darryl Strawberry was one of my favorite players growing up. I had a Strawberry t-shirt, his Starting Lineups, cards, Mets hat, you name it. I was all in. It probably helped he had the last name of one of my favorite fruits, but the fact that he was an All-Star was just icing on the cake. I'm not saying Strawberry was the complete inspiration behind this post idea, but he was a big part of it. When my wife and I were at a card show years back, I picked up a Darryl Strawberry parallel. I didn't even think about what team he was playing on pictured on the card, I just saw his name and threw it in my pile of cards to buy. Of course, when you think of Darryl Strawberry, you think of the Mets, Dodgers or Yankees. That's where my mind goes, but back in 1994, Straw had a short stint with the San Francisco Giants by suiting up for 29 games. If you look up Straw's time with the Giants on the internet, you might not want to read what you see. He did some awful things between innings when he was there. I just finished his book, "Turn Your Season Around - How God Transforms Your Life." I'm happy Strawberry found God and turned his life around because from the things I have read about him on the internet, the man sure needed it. 

How was he acquired? Darryl Strawberry signed with the San Francisco Giants on June 19, 1994.

1995 Select Artist's Proof Darryl Strawberry #5

When I see someone do a heel click, I always think of Ron Santo. From everything I have read in the past about the guy, he just seemed like a great person overall. Between his charities, his broadcast career, and his major league baseball career, Santo certainly was deserving of his Hall of Fame induction. When I read more about him some time last year, I found out that he didn't play his whole career with the Cubs like I had initially thought. In 1972, Santo became the first player to invoke the ten-and-five rule that ended the baseball strike that year. The rule states a player with 10 years of service and the last 5 years being with the same team could decline any trade. With the Cubs trying to shed Santo's salary, he vetoed a trade with the California Angels. He then asked Cubs management to try to swing a deal with the White Sox so he could stay in the City of Chicago. In December of 1973, that trade came to fruition and Santo would spend his last major league season playing for the crosstown Chicago White Sox.

How was he acquired? Ron Santo was traded by the Chicago Cubs on December 11, 1973, to the Chicago White Sox for Steve Stone, Ken Frailing, Steve Swisher and Jim Kremmel (player to be named later)

1975 Topps Ron Santo #35

This one made me do a double-take when after watching Moneyball one night, I decided to look up Jason Giambi. Apparently, in 2013 and 2014, Giambi was a Cleveland Indian and my mind either blocked it out, or it was just that insignificant. When glancing at his stats, he actually played 97 games as an Indian. That's 14 more games than he played in Oakland, but a lot of people remember him in Oakland due to his name being mentioned in the movie Moneyball. Giambi's time with Cleveland did not go well. He smacked 11 home runs and 36 RBI's but batted an abysmal .183 in 2013 and .133 in 2014. Giambi would retire as a Cleveland Indian after the 2014 season. This card was bought on Sportlots from Scott (whoops24).

How was he acquired? Signed by the Cleveland Indians on February 9, 2013, and again on November 1, 2013. 

2014 Topps Update Jason Giambi Gold /2014 #US-38

Recently I heard a story about how John Kruk, George Brett and some BBQ Ribs. I guess Kruk had a guy who would get him some BBQ ribs all the time when he was in KC in the broadcast booth. However, his BBQ guy was going to be out of town the next time he was in KC, so he gave Kruk a phone number of a guy named George who could also cook some mean ribs. So, the text back and forth and one day when George was going to deliver the ribs, Kruk asked him if he needed any clearances to get to the booth and George said, "No, I think I'll be alright." When he came to deliver the ribs, Kruk was like, "What the hell? I've been texting George Brett about BBQ ribs for the past few months and had no idea??" I thought it was pretty amusing, and I think I got the story about 75% accurate. Well, growing up, I always liked Kruk. He seemed like a silly goofball. After I heard the story above, I went down a rabbit hole about John Kruk and found out he ended his career with the Chicago White Sox. I thought he retired as a Phillie, but I was dead wrong. Also, Topps of course commemorated his stop in Chicago with a nice Topps Finest card I also purchased from Scott.

How was he acquired?  John Kruk signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox on May 18, 1995.

1995 Topps Finest John Kruk #319

Is it Graig or Craig? I never understood this guy's name as a kid. My dad told me he was a really good player though. I got to see him play when he was with the Padres when they visited the Pirates once. I was really young and don't remember much from the game other than eating nachos and having to wait in a long line to pee. The first time I heard of Nettles was when my dad, brother and I were sifting through the cards in the "boot box" full of cards my grandfather found in a field and my dad was telling us who was good and who he had never heard of. Nettles was one of the guys my dad said was good. The card I had back then of him was a 1986 Topps card of him with his throwing hand in his glove waiting for a ground ball, I guess. Not exactly full of action, but I owned it. As time went by, I picked up his Rookie Card and when researching for these posts I am making, I figured I'd look into Nettles. I knew he had played for the Twins, Indians, Yankees, and Padres. I had no idea though that he had played 1 season for the Braves and finished his career with the Expos! In his last year in 1988, Nettles played 80 games for the Expos and swatted 1 measly home run with 14 RBI's and batted .172. It sounds like he knew it was time to hang 'em up. At the age of 43 though, who could blame the guy. This card comes from Scott (whoops24) from Sportlots as well.

How was he acquired? Graig Nettles was sold from the Atlanta Braves to the Montreal Expos on March 24, 1988. 

1988 Score Traded Graig Nettles #25T

Finally, I show someone who started their career with the Pirates. I have a feeling most will already know that this guy played for them, but oh well. Moises Alou would be a 1st Round Draft Pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates (2nd overall) in 1986. He would make his debut in 2 games in 1990 and collect his 1st Major League hit for them. Shortly thereafter, he would be traded to the Montreal Expos and begin a long 17-year Major League Baseball career with 6 All-Star selections, a Home Run Derby Championship and 2 Silver Slugger awards. Well, here you go, let's see him in his Pirates gear. (Thanks Scott - whoops24).

How was he acquired? Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 8, 1990 with Scott Ruskin and Willie Greene to the Montreal Expos for Zane Smith.

1990 Bowman Moises Alou RC #178

This last player is someone I couldn't stand because my mom had a crush on him back in the day. All my friends knew, and it was kinda weird. It was all my fault too. I was watching a baseball game on our living room tv instead of downstairs and Mike Piazza stepped up to the plate and my mom says, "Oh, who is that player?" So, I told her, and she said, "Well, he's cute." YUCK! Any time my friends would come over before we headed out to a Pirates game, she would ask if Piazza played for the other team. My friends soon caught on and thought it was hilarious. My one buddy actually gave her a Piazza card. I wonder if she still owns it. Anyways, Piazza is a Hall of Famer, we all know that, but did you know he spent 5 games as a Florida Marlin? You did? Well, I did too, but I'm here to remind you! Here goes. Enjoy! P.S., Mom, if you ever read this...ewwww.

How was he acquired? Mike Piazza was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers with Todd Ziele to the Florida Marlins on May 14, 1998, for Manuel Barrior, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson and Gary Sheffield.

1998 Fleer Ultra Pizzazz Mike Piazza #485

Well, that's it for the latest installment. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed going down memory lane. I have a few more of these posts lined up, so I hope you guys keep reading and digging it.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Turn Back The Clock: Shipy shipped back to Russia

It’s fantasy hockey time once again and it reminds me of my biggest draft day blunder of all time. Some of you don't know the name Vadim Shipachyov...and why should you? His NHL career only lasted 3 games. Well, if you don't know about this guy, I will tell you, his story. Shipachyov was an elite playmaking center in the KHL (Russian League). In 456 games, he totaled 137 goals and 276 assists for 413 points. If you don't know, the KHL is a league where goals and points are hard to come by. Before the 2017-18 NHL season, he was the big free agent that teams in the NHL were looking to sign to a contact. After the Vegas Golden Knights signed their first free agent in Reid Duke, their focus quickly turned to Shipachyov. 

With Vegas being the expansion franchise, then General Manager George McPhee looked to make a splash when he signed Shipachyov to a 2-year deal with an annual value of $4.5 million. Surely with that kind of cash being assigned to a player who never played in the NHL, the Golden Knights were hoping their new playmaker would help put buts in seats. Now that their new franchise center was signed, the Golden Knights front office looked to add to their roster heading into the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. They soon added more depth at center with selections of Erik Haula, William Karlsson and Cody Eakin. 

Training camp of 2017 rolled around, and Vadim was placed on the top line between Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. When preseason hit, Shipachyov couldn't adjust to the smaller NHL surface, clashed with coaches, wasn’t defensively responsible and didn't really gel with his teammates and rumors had spread that he didn't enjoy his time spent in North America. 

On opening night, the Golden Knights scratched Shipachyov from the lineup in the game vs. the Dallas Stars and quickly decided to send him to the AHL. However, Shipachyov never reported to their AHL affiliate (Chicago Wolves). Later on, in the month of October, he was called up for his first NHL game against the Boston Bruins on October 15th, 2017. In the 2nd period of this game with 2:14 left, he would pot his first NHL goal against Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask. 

He would play in 2 more games for the Golden Knights before being sent back to the AHL again once Jonathan Marchessault returned from an injury. This time, Shipachyov would report to the Golden Knights AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. However, he would only participate in 1 practice before leaving the team for good. This led to a suspension from the Golden Knights, and he demanded to be traded.

George McPhee tried to locate a trade partner for the disgruntled Russian center, but there were no takers from any of the other NHL teams. In a weird turn of events, Shipachyov decided to retire from the NHL in order to have his contract voided by the Golden Knights. He ended up going back to the KHL where he currently plays for Minsk Dynamo. 

Why do I care about this guy enough to post on my blog? Well, I play in a hardcore fantasy hockey league. It's very involved and it's also a keeper league. We keep 6 players every year and there are trades involving multiple players, draft picks, with a lot of smack talk in between. In the previous season of 2016-17, I was the league champion and also had three 3rd round draft picks from previous trades. One of those was spent on Mr. Vadim Shipachyov. He did get me 1 point that season in 3 games played, but it turned out to be a wasted pick. I wanted so bad for this guy to be good, but it never happened. 

My league mates and I have an open chat and last night one of the guys asked, "Does anyone remember when Bryan took Shipy in the 3rd round of our draft?" After a lot of smack talk back and forth at my behalf, I actually thought about Shipachyov for the first time in a long while. This led me to this rabbit hole in the paragraphs above. I did have a bunch of Shipachyov cards that season, and actually kinda collected the guy. My collection sometimes is a lot of oddball stuff, but I am a bit of an oddball myself. One of the better cards I had of his was a SP Game Used Green Storm RC 1/1. When my wife and I were building the house, we currently live in, I did let it go when someone offered me $150 for it. I would have been stupid not to at that price. It can currently be seen on eBay for the low price of $499.99. Woof!

Oh, what could have been had Vadim Shipachyov lived up to his NHL potential. Maybe the Golden Knights would have won the Stanley Cup their first season rather than losing in 5 games to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final? And maybe, just maybe I would have been a back-to-back champion in my fantasy hockey league. It is what it is I suppose. So, for now, you get this blog post. Not the usual post from me, but a post, nonetheless. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I had fun recalling this strange turn of events from his 3 game "tryout" in the NHL. 

For your viewing pleasure, since this is after all a sports cards blog, the one Vadim Shipachyov that I still own and will probably own forever. It is his best card possible, and the first time I have ever really showed it off to anyone, so enjoy:

2017/18 UD The Cup Vadim Shipachyov Black RC 1/1

Thanks again for reading folks.