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| Cardboard Fenway - #35. 1984 Topps/Nestle Wade Boggs |
Showing posts with label Wade Boggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wade Boggs. Show all posts
April 20, 2012
Cardboard Fenway: 1984 Topps/Nestle Wade Boggs
Cardboard Fenway: 1992 Donruss Studio Heritage Wade Boggs
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| Cardboard Fenway - #62. 1992 Donruss Studio Heritage Wade Boggs |
December 07, 2011
Hot Corners; Cutting Corners
Wade Boggs / Carney Lansford, 1989 Fleer "Superstar Specials"
Fleer headquarters, 1988
Dave: Bill, check it out. Snapped a shot of Wade Boggs and Carney Lansford at the All-Star Game.
Bill: (Looks …) Okaaay. You want an award or somethin'?
Dave: Dude, let’s make a card out of it!
Bill: Sure. We’ll call it (looks again), “Two White Guys With Beard-Stache-Mullets Who Are The Exact Same Size And Play The Same Position And NOBODY CARES.”
Dave: First of all, that’s mean. Second of all, look how happy they are! Kids will want to buy this and share in the happiness. Plus, it’s got Boggs in it! I say we send it to production.
Bill: Fine. Whatever. Work with Dale. Dale! Get in here!
Dale: ‘Sup?
Bill: I need a writeup on Dave’s happy-joy-smiley card here. Call it, “HOT CORNER’S—HOT HITTERS” or something with “HOT” in it to draw attention away from the lack of baseball action displayed here. Boggs will write itself. For Lansford? Make some stuff up.
Dale: Done and done.
The two best third base hitters in the American League are Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox and
Don’t say it.
Carney Lansford of the Oakland A’s.
This is a 1989 baseball card, meaning it’s drawing its conclusions from the most recent season of 1988.
Carney Lansford, 1988: .327 OBP / .360 SLUG / .687 OPS
George Brett, 1988: .389 OBP / .509 SLUG / .898 OPS
Also,
Me: I’ll take “American League Third Basemen Who Were Better At Hitting Baseballs in 1988 Than Carney Lansford” for $200, Alex.
Alex: The answer: .353 / .551 / .905
Beep, beep, beep!
Me: Who is Gary Gaetti?
Alex: Correct!
Me: I’ll take “American League Third Basemen Who Were Better At Hitting Baseballs in 1988 Than Carney Lansford” for $400, Alex.
Alex: The answer: .384 / .452 / .836.
Beep, beep, beep!
Me: Who is Paul Molitor?
Alex: Correct!
In fact, they are the two best hot corner hitters in Major League Baseball.
This lede: Wrong statement. Scratch that—more wrong statement.
1988
Lansford: .327 / .360 / .687
B. Bonilla: .366 / .476 / .842
H. Johnson: .343 / .422 / .765
M. Schmidt: .337 / .405 / .742
One of the great coincidences is that they used to be teammates on the Boston Red Sox in 1982.
Indeed, one of the great coincidences of the modern American era is that Wade Boggs and Carney Lansford were once teammates, and then, coincidentally, they were not teammates anymore. Not mentioned here are the two incidences at work that collided in a case of karmic drama: 1) Wade Boggs was a better third baseman than Carney Lansford in 1982, and 2) the Red Sox were like, “Guess we don’t need Carney Lansford anymore, because of Wade Boggs.”
I’m still trying to figure out how Lansford made the ’88 All-Star Team. Although, a true coincidence as it relates to everything above is the fact that in ’89, Lansford turned things around to the tune of .398 / .405 / .803, and even finished in the top 20 of the MVP voting (and was still outperformed by Bonilla, Molitor, Johnson, et al).
But here’s my favorite:
{Lansford} has amassed 1,622 hits and has a very good shot at achieving the exclusive 3000 Hit Club before his big league career is ended.
That is just crazy talk. A very good shot? Lansford was 32-years old heading into the 1989 season and, as the card notes, coming off a 155-hit season. If he averaged 155 hits—thus displaying no regression or injury—for the next eight seasons, he still would have fallen more than 100 hits short of 3,000. As it were, Lansford reached the 2,000 hit plateau in his final season of 1992.
None of this is to disparage the career of Lansford, who was a very good player. I’m just trying to point out that this card isn’t as accurate or HOT as it claims to be. I have a full-time job, by the way.
May 11, 2009
Choose Your Own Adventure... Card 86
Warning: Parental advisory for violence, blood, foul language, and Bud Selig. This is a set of Choose Your Own Adventure cards by PunkRockPaint. If you have reached this page by accident and want to start at the beginning of the story click here.
You desperately need a weapon! A pile of bats lies ahead of you in the on-deck circle. Glancing over your shoulder, you see the blood thirsty Sox zombies, trailing closely behind. A quick look toward the field brings a lump to your throat - your beloved Brew Crew in blood soaked uniforms gnawing on limbs of the umpires. As you race to the on-deck circle, you notice Wade Boggs heading to the same place. Thankfully you arrive first and grab the nearest piece of lumber. The weighted donut gives it a satisfying feeling, and you assume your best Yount batting stance. Boggs-zombie has closed the gap between you to a few paces. Eyes meet lifeless eyes as he lunges for you. You plant, turn your hips, and swing away. The head of the creature rips and falls sideways, hanging on by a few strips of sinew. As the body sinks, without hesitating, you…
Swing again. Knock his chicken-eating face into the bleachers! Go to Card # 89
Head for high ground! Get to the mound! Go to Card # 587
You desperately need a weapon! A pile of bats lies ahead of you in the on-deck circle. Glancing over your shoulder, you see the blood thirsty Sox zombies, trailing closely behind. A quick look toward the field brings a lump to your throat - your beloved Brew Crew in blood soaked uniforms gnawing on limbs of the umpires. As you race to the on-deck circle, you notice Wade Boggs heading to the same place. Thankfully you arrive first and grab the nearest piece of lumber. The weighted donut gives it a satisfying feeling, and you assume your best Yount batting stance. Boggs-zombie has closed the gap between you to a few paces. Eyes meet lifeless eyes as he lunges for you. You plant, turn your hips, and swing away. The head of the creature rips and falls sideways, hanging on by a few strips of sinew. As the body sinks, without hesitating, you…
Swing again. Knock his chicken-eating face into the bleachers! Go to Card # 89
Head for high ground! Get to the mound! Go to Card # 587
September 18, 2008
The Tao of Fred McGriff - Day 6
I never saw Fred McGriff play in person. And yet, here he is in Fenway Park circa 1989-1990. A friend of mine used to have tickets about 20 rows behind home plate and I remember going to a number of games around that time. Nor did I ever really watch games that McGriff played in. My family, like everybody else who got cable, got all the Braves games on TBS. But that didn't mean I watched them. So then here's my question: Can I legitimately call McGriff my favorite player if I a) never saw him play in person and b) never made much of an effort to catch his games on TV? I think I'm safe.
McGriff fit what I was looking for in a baseball hero. To me, he was obscure. And if you know anything about my values system, obscurity ranks very high. Oh sure, he wasn't a face in the crowd to fans of the game. But ask a random person on the street who McGriff was and I'd bet nine out of ten wouldn't know. And yet, here's the funny thing: if McGriff had spent his career in a baseball mecca like Boston or New York, I'm completely convinced that his national presence would've rivaled that of Boggs, Mattingly or any other of his more famous contemporaries.
November 18, 2007
The 792: #101 - 150
Well, we're knee deep into The 792. Hope you're enjoying it. David over at Cardboard Junkie has been doing a great job supplying the scans. If you haven't been over there to see them, do so at once.
You know, it's funny, but I've been relying on my own memory for what these cards look like. Seeing them together reminds me again how well the ten different Topps designs go together, like a well-made mix tape.
As I said at the launch of this checklist, I choose a card based on a number of factors: whether it features a memorable photo, is of a memorable player (or a forgettable player with an unforgettable name or appearance) or is extraordinary overall.
Starting with tonight's portion of the checklist, I will include Checklister's Notes: editorial with some insight as to why I chose that particular card.
Let's get right to it.
101. Porfirio Altamirano, 1984
CN: This was a difficult decision. Super Veterans was one of, if not the cornerstone subset of 1983. Still, because they invariably fall on numbers that end in 1 or 6, they beat out common-level cards on star power alone. That said, Pete Rose's SV card is not really memorable. Porfirio Altamirano beat all comers based on his name alone.
102. Barry Larkin, 1988
103. Rick Aguilera, 1987 (RC)
104. Manny Mota, 1980
105. Kirk Gibson, 1982
106. Blue Jays Leaders, 1987
107. John Butcher, 1987
108. Fred Manrique, 1989
109. Mike Scott, 1981
110. Carl Yastzremski, 1981
CN: I've always felt that this is one of Yaz's great cards. Going in, I knew that there would be few open numbers for Yastzremski, Bench, and other Sixties and Seventies stars who retired early in the decade. Giving him his due, he beats out Fisk's first regular-issue card as a member of the White Sox.
111. Carlton Fisk In Action, 1982
112. Les Lancaster, 1988 (RC)
CN: I believe this card is in the Airbrushed Hall of Fame.
113. Neil Allen, 1987
114. Mike Brown, 1986
115. Rickey Henderson, 1985
116. Mike Stanley, 1987 (RC)
117. Pete Falcone, 1981
118. Expos Future Stars, 1982
119. Sammy Stewart, 1980
120. Kirby Puckett, 1988
121. Garry Templeton, 1989
122. John Denny, 1981
123. John Kruk, 1987 (RC)
124. Damaso Garcia, 1984
125. Andre Dawson, 1981
126. Joe Torre, 1983 (MGR)
CN: I've decided to make a concerted effort to include at least two team-related cards and one manager card per team. Plus, Torre looks so funny on this card that I had to include it.
127. Mark Gubicza, 1985 (RC?)
128. Rick Manning, 1984
129. Art Howe, 1981
130. Ozzie Smith, 1984
131. Batting Leaders, 1984
132. Father/Son Berra, 1985
133. Stolen Base Leaders, 1984
134. Carney Lansford, 1986
135. Dwight Evans, 1983
136. Strikeout Leaders, 1984
137. Chris Bosio, 1988
138. Roy Lee Jackson, 1987
139. Devon White, 1987 (RC)
140. Rich Gossage, 1980
141. Royals Leaders, 1988
CN: This one of Brett and Saberhagen is about as feel-good as you can get on a baseball card.
142. Father/Son Trout, 1985
CN: Familial subsets are great, and Father/Son from 1985 is no exception. I knew going in that I wanted to include the Berra card, simply because the text on the back of the card goes on and on about Yogi, but can't think of one nice thing to say about Dale. This one of Dizzy and Steve Trout gets in because both father and son are shown wearing glasses, and because Dizzy looks like a total nerd with the heavy post-war wireframes and Steve looks like he wandered out of a late Seventies drug party. I kind of half-expect him to be wearing a large astrological medallion around his neck.
143. Steve Boros, 1987 (MGR)
144. Doug Sisk, 1986
145. Dave Stewart, 1989
146. Don Sutton Super Veteran, 1983
CN: Another SV card ending in 6.
147. Terry Puhl, 1980
148. Mickey Klutts, 1982
149. Doug Dascenzo, 1989 (RC)
150. Wade Boggs, 1987
CN: I've committed the cardinal sin of unbiased checklisting: I included this card for sentimental reasons. I've never liked Wade Boggs. Never liked him when he was on the Sox, and really didn't like him when he jumped to the Yankees. He epitomized me-first, selfish baseball (a characteristic in great supply on those mid to late 1980s Red Sox teams). I included this card in The 792 simply because my copy had a gigantic, satisfying crease through the middle.
You know, it's funny, but I've been relying on my own memory for what these cards look like. Seeing them together reminds me again how well the ten different Topps designs go together, like a well-made mix tape.
As I said at the launch of this checklist, I choose a card based on a number of factors: whether it features a memorable photo, is of a memorable player (or a forgettable player with an unforgettable name or appearance) or is extraordinary overall.
Starting with tonight's portion of the checklist, I will include Checklister's Notes: editorial with some insight as to why I chose that particular card.
Let's get right to it.
101. Porfirio Altamirano, 1984
CN: This was a difficult decision. Super Veterans was one of, if not the cornerstone subset of 1983. Still, because they invariably fall on numbers that end in 1 or 6, they beat out common-level cards on star power alone. That said, Pete Rose's SV card is not really memorable. Porfirio Altamirano beat all comers based on his name alone.
102. Barry Larkin, 1988
103. Rick Aguilera, 1987 (RC)
104. Manny Mota, 1980
105. Kirk Gibson, 1982
106. Blue Jays Leaders, 1987
107. John Butcher, 1987
108. Fred Manrique, 1989
109. Mike Scott, 1981
110. Carl Yastzremski, 1981
CN: I've always felt that this is one of Yaz's great cards. Going in, I knew that there would be few open numbers for Yastzremski, Bench, and other Sixties and Seventies stars who retired early in the decade. Giving him his due, he beats out Fisk's first regular-issue card as a member of the White Sox.
111. Carlton Fisk In Action, 1982
112. Les Lancaster, 1988 (RC)
CN: I believe this card is in the Airbrushed Hall of Fame.
113. Neil Allen, 1987
114. Mike Brown, 1986
115. Rickey Henderson, 1985
116. Mike Stanley, 1987 (RC)
117. Pete Falcone, 1981
118. Expos Future Stars, 1982
119. Sammy Stewart, 1980
120. Kirby Puckett, 1988
121. Garry Templeton, 1989
122. John Denny, 1981
123. John Kruk, 1987 (RC)
124. Damaso Garcia, 1984
125. Andre Dawson, 1981
126. Joe Torre, 1983 (MGR)
CN: I've decided to make a concerted effort to include at least two team-related cards and one manager card per team. Plus, Torre looks so funny on this card that I had to include it.
127. Mark Gubicza, 1985 (RC?)
128. Rick Manning, 1984
129. Art Howe, 1981
130. Ozzie Smith, 1984
131. Batting Leaders, 1984
132. Father/Son Berra, 1985
133. Stolen Base Leaders, 1984
134. Carney Lansford, 1986
135. Dwight Evans, 1983
136. Strikeout Leaders, 1984
137. Chris Bosio, 1988
138. Roy Lee Jackson, 1987
139. Devon White, 1987 (RC)
140. Rich Gossage, 1980
141. Royals Leaders, 1988
CN: This one of Brett and Saberhagen is about as feel-good as you can get on a baseball card.
142. Father/Son Trout, 1985
CN: Familial subsets are great, and Father/Son from 1985 is no exception. I knew going in that I wanted to include the Berra card, simply because the text on the back of the card goes on and on about Yogi, but can't think of one nice thing to say about Dale. This one of Dizzy and Steve Trout gets in because both father and son are shown wearing glasses, and because Dizzy looks like a total nerd with the heavy post-war wireframes and Steve looks like he wandered out of a late Seventies drug party. I kind of half-expect him to be wearing a large astrological medallion around his neck.
143. Steve Boros, 1987 (MGR)
144. Doug Sisk, 1986
145. Dave Stewart, 1989
146. Don Sutton Super Veteran, 1983
CN: Another SV card ending in 6.
147. Terry Puhl, 1980
148. Mickey Klutts, 1982
149. Doug Dascenzo, 1989 (RC)
150. Wade Boggs, 1987
CN: I've committed the cardinal sin of unbiased checklisting: I included this card for sentimental reasons. I've never liked Wade Boggs. Never liked him when he was on the Sox, and really didn't like him when he jumped to the Yankees. He epitomized me-first, selfish baseball (a characteristic in great supply on those mid to late 1980s Red Sox teams). I included this card in The 792 simply because my copy had a gigantic, satisfying crease through the middle.
November 06, 2007
Goudey Trade-away #51: Ryan and Patterson for a stack of cards
This trade comes in from Scott in New Jersey.Giving: Nolan Ryan, #202; Corey Patterson, #115 (red back)
Getting: A stack of fifty cards
That's right. Scott sent me a stack of cards. And begged that he only get one or two in return. Um, okay. I can live with that. These scans are only the tip of the trade iceberg. In particular, check out the Post cereal cards that are completely non-sensical, not simply because the name of this set is 'First Collector Series,' as if either Post forgot that they created cards in the Sixties (with significantly more licensing) or that they considered these cards for newbie collectors. (As a side note, If I was just starting out collecting baseball cards, I probably would choose a set where I could figure out each player's team, not one that might lead me to believe there were only two teams: blue and red...)The other reason this set is non-sensical is because those baseball fanatics at Post came up with their own position shorthand. First base? FB. Second? SB. Check out this card of Wade Boggs of the Blue Team. Heck of a job, Postie. Way to teach those kids about this here game of baseball.
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