Some newer card show recaps #3

I’m trying to make something out of what was left of my time, going around to see what may catch my eye - I ended up seeing a 1989 Donruss Baseball’s Best set I relented to pick up.

I remember being envious of a childhood friend in possession of a loose Ken Griffey Jr. rookie year card laying around loose in his room 30 years ago - I finally got a graded version of the Griffey Jr. back in 2006 and didn’t realize centering on the back of the cards were generally ‘off.’

Even though it’s a nearly worthless card of a big league pariah - maybe another highlight was an early MLB card of Sammy Sosa, his only big league card from 1989.

I thought the cards were still factory sealed, though that might not be the case with the outer packaging - the cards are still in bricks wrapped in plastic, though might have been banging around in the display box after all these years.

I don't know if I should try to keep things 'as is' and preserve the set as best as I can or if I should just break things up - so I can make sure the Sosa and Griffey Jr. cards are actually in-hand and see what they look like as far as condition goes.

I stumbled upon a table with a ‘3 for $1’ vintage box - I'm up for having real, old cardboard in-hand, but at this point just haven't been that collecting to gravitate to them.

At the table, maybe the three or four row box of cards were set-up too neat, where there isn't that lure of not knowing what I may find - when clearly it's commons separated by year [from something like 1969 Topps through some scattered early 1970s years].

For the just the rank-and-file commons, I think the 1969 Topps tends to be boring and generic, while other vintage years don’t quite inspire the right perspective in me - I grabbed a trio featuring a 1974 Topps Sonny Jackson #591 [possible TTM], a 1971 Topps John Cumberland #108 [possible TTM] and a 1973 Topps Bob Didier #574 that has a pretty definitive tools of ignorance, plays at the plate image pictured.

I have 1990 ProCards AAA cards for Jackson and Cumberland [Cumberland was a one-time Angel] but those are kind of ugly cards picturing them as coaches - I wanted actual cards from their playing days and kind of found what I was looking for.

Congrats Craig Biggio - my thoughts on the Hall

With 68 percent of the vote in 2013 - you are probably getting into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 or 2015 at the latest.

The fact no one is getting into the Hall of Fame this year except these dead guys and/or ones honored as writers and broadcasters is disappointing but not surprising - the writers have finally taken a stand [at least for one year] and have refused [at least for one year] to let numbers [boo hoo stats guys] bully their judgement of guys who played in the Steroid Era.

It doesn't mean guys like Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens won't eventually enshrined - but they aren't sailing in with the stats alone and even the guys fans / writers assume have done things the right way might be scrutinized because of the era they played in.

I think it's even sadder for guys like Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa - those two schmucks look like they'll never get any serious consideration despite 3,000 hits / 569 home runs for Palmeroids and 609 home runs for Sosa.

It might be unfair to the standouts of the mid 1990's through mid 2000's - but as much as I enjoyed watching Bonds personally and recognized others' excellence [even through suspected PEDs], it doesn't pain me to make any those guys wait.

Considering the Hall candidates - Mark McGwire

Mark McGwire

Pro - MCgwire was the dominant home run slugger of his era, the main attraction for a sport reeling from a strike in 1994. Along with baseball's Michael Jackson [well, that is who Sammy Sosa resembles these days], McGwire helped reinvorated the game with their home run hitting exploits back in 1998.

He hit 49 home runs as a rookie in 1987.

He finished with 583 home runs and drove in 1414 RBIs.

His lifetime slugging percentage was .588 and his on-base percentage is .394.

Con - he may have always had the ability to hit for power, but through nine seasons and the age of 31, he only had 238 home runs, his lifetime batting average was .250 with only 834 hits.

After injuries in 1993 and 1994, which seemed to signify his Major League career was basically over - it was suspicious, he would enjoy a career surge seems suspicious for a guy who had all-star ability from the beginning of his Major League career, but not quite the sustained greatness expected from a potential Hall of Fame
candidate.

There are fans, members of the media and baseball experts who probably believe while McGwire used something - he never touched one PED that helped him put up seasons where he hit 39, 52, 58, 70 and 65 home runs from 1995 through 1999.

His reluctance to speak at the congressional hearing back in 2005 seems like a smoking gun as far whether or not he used - "I'm not here to discuss the past," or, "I'm here to be positive about this subject."

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

Maybe the PEDS helped a player like McGwire sustain his health and a rational can be justified about wanting to be healthy to play a game one loves and is getting paid for - on the other hand, any possible drug use may have propelled a player like McGwire's career into unnatural heights during the Steroid Era.

If baseball fans and the media are really interested in holding the players accountable for cheating - someone like McGwire should probably be looked upon as the biggest fraud.

Sammy Sosa - no one really cares

1990 Leaf rookie card #220 - I bought one just like the one pictured for $30.

So Slamming, Corking Sammy Sosa tested for a performance enhancing drug back in 2003 and really no one really cares anymore - it is like Michael Jackson supposedly accused of molesting another kid.

All sorts of home run hitting sluggers juiced and Major League baseball fans are sort of desensitized to it - it is kind of sad that the people [outside of probably the Dominican Republic] who have strong feelings and care to talk about him, blog about him or Tweet about him are the only ones left to really care about his legacy.

As far as his Hall of Fame chances now, he is probably going to have to wait a year longer than Jim Rice did and I think Rice was voted in his last year - so I'm implying he may not ever make it in.

However, I'm not here to pass judgement - I was on the bandwagon, just as I was on the A-Rod's, Manny's, Barry's and Big Mac's among other prominent Steroid Era sluggers.

I would have thought I'd won the lottery back in the spring of 2002 at HoHoKam Park - when I was able to toss my ball over to some lady by Sosa's car and have her get Sosa's autograph for me among the 50-100 people who'd gathered to wait for him to leave during a spring training game.

Sosa was an exciting figure to watch and follow the exploits of - no matter how much you thought of his 'baseball has been berry, berry good to me' crap.

There was a point Sosa got too big [maybe literally] for his own good - where he couldn't be touched or approached, signed for just the cameras [basically signing when everyone is taking your picture to show you are 'fan friendly' when you could care less] and his image was nothing more than a crummy act.

In his latter years as a 'superstar,' Sosa still put up dominant numbers, but also corked a bat and also left a Cubs game early, during a regular season game - maybe if he didn't become such a douche in the years following the 1998 season, maybe wouldn't have such a big target on his back.

While I still kind of think it was a classless move when Rick Reilly challenged Sosa to pee in a cup - it seems Reilly's middle-age angst over this one particular Major League player and the particular era he played seems more than justified now and it is kind of sad if you think about it.

Jose Canseco was right again - Major League Baseball is a mafia that works to glorify players in their prime and tosses them out when the league has no need for them. Leak all the names now if you must.

I think if Major League Baseball outs A-Rod and Sosa as having tested positive for PEDS - then the rest of the names of the other players should come out. Let the hammer fall.

Fan reaction at Bleed Cubbie Blue - where those interested in the Cubs gather online.