My Kind of Collection

This is insane.

The Green Fields of the Mind

By A. Bartlett Giamatti
(abridged & told by baseball cards)

Fantastic Card of the Day & More

Here's a question: How many shots did it take for Al Oliver to settle on this bat?

Also, if he ran out of bats, would he have posed holding a metal folding chair?





You may have been wondering: what happened to Ben, and why doesn't he post as much as he used to? Well, a lot is going on. I work two jobs, I teach blogging at MIT on weekends, and I'm winding down as a baseball card blogger.

I know I've made a number of different assertions as to the future of The Baseball Card Blog, but here's the truth:

I will stop writing The Baseball Card Blog as of January 1, 2009, if not sooner. The blog itself will stay up as a fully tagged and searchable archive of everything I've written over the past three years.

I've thought long and hard about this, and I've decided that The Baseball Card Blog needs to end. In my opinion, the best card blogs are those with a finite topic. For example, the stellar 1988 Topps Blog, where Andy K posts something about each and every card in the 1988 Topps and Topps Traded sets. When the sets end, the blog ends. It makes sense. But an open-ended blog about one collector reminiscing and finding his way back into the hobby he once loved? Three years is enough of that for me.

I'm not really interested in writing about the latest hobby trends, or new cards that I can't afford. When I really think about it, those are the very things that caused my interest to wan in the first place. I will still collect, and will remain open to trading. I will remain as the admin contact at A Pack A Day, as well as our brand new vlog spin-off APADtv.


Finally, I know I've made it a point to stick to the script on baseball cards, but I thought I'd make an exception. If you are vegan or enjoy vegan food and live in the San Francisco Bay Area, do yourself a favor and take a look at this new blog: Vegansaurus!. And if you've never tried vegan food, it's better than you think!

The Tao of Fred McGriff

Dear Mr. McGriff,

First off, if you're reading this, let me just step back and say: Awesome. But, if you're reading this on a laptop with a flashlight under the covers in bed next to your wife, let me just step back and say: You are not seven years old. Turn off the laptop and make love to your wife.

Second, I think I owe you an apology. I started writing The Tao of Fred McGriff with the intention of posting daily for 99 days. But frankly, I don't think I have 99 things to say about you. Yes, you were a great hitter. Yes, you have a World Series ring. Yes, you'll get my vote for the Hall of Fame (though I technically don't have a vote to give. Let's just say I'm with you in spirit). Yes, you hit a ridiculous amount of home runs in an era when other feared sluggers were juiced. And yes, you had a failed TV pilot that I want to see.

If you've read this blog in the past, you know I like expounding on the intricacies of baseball and baseball cards ad nauseam. But 99 things is a lot. I'm not complaining, I'm just giving up.


Let's sum up The Tao of Fred McGriff:

1. Revel in your underratedness.
2. When faced with a silly nickname, accept it and make it your own.
3. If you make a TV pilot that someone might describe as "Major League meets Blade," prepare for it to end up on YouTube.
4. Each of us is worthy of a cult following.
5. Consistency should be rewarded.
6. Whatever it is, it's worth the wait.
7. Don't stress out about face fat. You too will end up with a turkey wattle.
8. Making a photo frame that's magnetic and that looks like a plaque in the Hall of Fame is not only a great gift, but probably the closest many of us will ever get to the real thing.
9. Most of us haven't realized it yet, but we all owe a great deal to Tom Emanski.

The Tao of Fred McGriff - Day 12

One of the basic tenets of the Tao of McGriff... Be consistent. Example: Fred McGriff performed in post-season play the same way he did during the regular season: consistently well. Or, I consistently get my hopes up, only for it to result in heartbreak.

Staying up late to watch the Red Sox crush the will of the Anaheim of Los Angeles of Interstate 5 of California Angels has given me ample time to contemplate Vlad Guerrero and the importance of post-season performance in the eyes of Hall of Fame voters.

For all that has been said about Guerrero's post-season drought, I am completely convinced that, when he is first eligible for the Hall of Fame, he will be elected with one of the highest vote percentages in recent memory. I'm thinking in the neighborhood of 92-94% on the first ballot.

I'm not entirely convinced that post-season exploits should weigh that much in the mind of the voter. Sure, it will help McGriff's case that his career postseason batting average is over .300 and he's socked 10 post-season home runs. Post-season success will also help someone like Curt Schilling. His performance with the Diamondbacks in 2001 and with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007 will bolster his resume in the eyes of the HOF voters.

But really if there's anything that should push Schilling into the Hall, it's his character; his playing through pain in clutch situations. I, for one, don't think I could walk around with a tendon stapled to my ankle, let alone pitch. (Well, I guess I could if I was allowed to bring a folding chair to the mound and pitch to Little Leaguers. And I was high on morphine.)

All-Time Red Sox 40-Man Roster

Lately I've been helping myself fall asleep by reciting my personal All-time Red Sox 40-man roster. Here's what I've come up with:

Catcher
Carlton Fisk (1969-1980)
Jason Varitek (1997-2008)

First Base
Jimmie Foxx (1936-1942)
Mo Vaughn (1991-1998)

Second Base
Bobby Doerr (1937-1951)

Shortstop
Johnny Pesky (1942-1952)
Rico Petrocelli (1963-1976)
Nomar Garciaparra (1996-2004)
Joe Cronin (1936-1945)

Third Base
Wade Boggs (1982-1992)
Frank Malzone (1955-1965)

Outfield
Ted Williams (1939-1960)
Carl Yastzremski (1961-1983)
Tris Speaker (1907-1915)
Harry Hooper (1909-1920)
Jim Rice (1974-1989)
Dwight Evans (1972-1990)
Manny Ramirez (2000-2008)

Designated Hitter
David Ortiz (2003-2008)

Starting Pitchers
Babe Ruth (1914-1919)
Roger Clemens (1984-1996)
Pedro Martinez (1998-2004)
Cy Young (1903-1908)
Lefty Grove (1934-1941)
Luis Tiant (1971-1978)
Mel Parnell (1947-1956)
Smoky Joe Wood (1908-1915)
Tim Wakefield (1995-2008)
Bill Lee (1969-1978)
Dutch Leonard (1913-1918)

Relievers
Dick Radatz (1962-1966)
Bob Stanley (1977-1989)
Ellis Kinder (1946-1955)
Jonathan Papelbon (2005-2008)

Wild Card Choices
Trot Nixon (OF)
Jackie Jensen (OF)
Fred Lynn (OF)
Bruce Hurst (P)
Oil Can Boyd (P)
Joe Dobson (P)

Hard to Leave Off
Dustin Pedroia (maybe in a few years)
Reggie Smith
George Scott
Rooster Burleson
Wes Ferrell
Big Bill Dinneen
Ernie Shore
Jim Lonborg