TTM autograph received: Lou Whitaker

Whitaker finished off my 1994 Fleer Superstar Special dual subset card with Alan Trammell - because Whitaker charges a little bit more than the usual $5-$10, maybe the stream of reported TTM successes tends to be a little more sporadic.

I probably got Whitaker through the mail 20 years ago, but had not really thought about getting him again - even though his name is thrown out as someone who should join his longtime teammate in Cooperstown.

The lure of getting a dual player card completed by an iconic keystone combination was too strong - I finally finally took a chance and sent Whitaker a request with $20.

Despite wondering if something would come back - it only took about three weeks to get a response.

1978 Topps Paul Molitor / Alan Trammell RC #707

Centering on this copy is off a bit and maybe the edges on the back show some imperfections, but this card was a scratch the itch add to my PC - maybe the card will look different once in-hand, but maybe the most important consideration is the yellow space above the red bottom border looks fairly clean without smudging.

As a manager, Molitor just got fired by the Minnesota Twins - but I’m trying to find a narrative as far as my recollections of him as an active player.

Seeing a loose junk wax era card of his, I might have thought 'The Ignitor' was a minor star at best, winding down his playing career with the Milwaukee Brewers through the end of the 1980s - he had a 39-game hitting streak in 1987, but there wasn’t as much attachment to him as any kind of ‘real star’ when I first started collecting.

With no particularly feelings attached to any particular player - I look at his numbers, how good he was, how many home runs hit, how high the batting average was and how many runners were driven in.

I thought there might have been a pronounced decline of some sort in his 30s, but Molitor was quite productive - looking at his stats from 1988-1992, he was putting up ‘Paul Molitor numbers’ and played in over 150 games in all but one of those seasons for the Brewers.

I noticed how he might have been a great player after all, because he was a hitting machine for the Toronto Blue Jays in the mid 1990s - the perennially contending Blue Jays finally won a championship in 1992 and in the organization’s defense of a World Series title, Molitor was another quality veteran added for repeat World Series championship run in 1993 [he was named MVP of the 1993 World Series].

After waiting for quite a while, Trammell was finally inducted the Hall of Fame this past year - he played through 1996 but his last hurrah as a star player probably ended through the 1980s.

As is, he was pretty familiar as a junk wax era guy - maybe it doesn’t mean anything at all but he was also pretty accommodating about signing, the times I’ve gotten him as a retired player, so he gets a thumbs up in my book.

When borderline HOF guys get their call

It's refreshing to see Jack Morris and Alan Trammell, a pair of longtime teammates whose accomplishments seem more recent and tangible [they starred in the 1980s and played through the mid 1990s, not the 1880s] - get elected the Hall of Fame through 10-name Modern Baseball Era ballot.

I didn't think either Morris or Trammell were getting into the Hall of Fame any time soon but their candidacy was given second life after falling off the ballot - in particular, I guess something had to give in Morris' case.

While Morris' numbers was scrutinized by the sabermetric movement as inferior to retired star pitchers who aren't getting any serious consideration - there was enough push back [particularly among the people that put him in now] that Morris eventually was able to sneak into the HOF.

Trammell was destined to become the next Bert Blyleven or Tim Raines among sabermetric inclined baseball experts - Trammell was a guy who was part of a shortstop evolution, putting up strong offensive numbers that combined with everything else, were too hard to dismiss.

Considering the Hall candidates - Barry Larkin and Alan Trammell

Hall of Fame

I don't have a vote, but just like every other baseball fan - I'd like to think my 'simple man' opinion counts for something and I'd like to go through candidates eligible and worthy of consideration.

Barry Larkin

Pro - he was a dynamic player who had the ability to do a variety of things such as hit for average, take a walk, run the bases, hit for power, be a good defender and generally be a good clubhouse influence for his Reds' teams, including the squad that won the World Series in 1990.

Con - in his 19 big league seasons, Larkin only played in 150 more games four times.

Yes/No - I'd lean towards 'no.'

His numbers are generally impressive - but maybe he just wasn't healthy enough, where he may needed a stretch of playing 150 games for at least five or six years to vault his final career totals as a slam dunk Hall of Famer.

Alan Trammell

Pro - there seems to be a lot more endorsement for Barry Larkin, but long-time Detroit Tigers fans are saying, 'wait a minute - what about Trammell?'

Trammell was a productive shortstop who won three Silver Slugger Awards, four Gold Gloves and was a batting title contender in 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988 and 1990 - he was also the 1984 World Series MVP, going 9-for-20 with two home runs, six RBIs in helping his Tigers win the WS over the San Diego Padres.

Con - like many Major Leaguers, Trammell's peak seemed to be in his late 20s. Once he hit his 30s, he was still a capable player, but the number of games played started to dwindle.

Yes/No - I'd lean towards 'no.'

Trammell's numbers were very good - but he wasn't able to finish stronger than he did.