Stuck In the Middle: My Retired Baseball Greats base card collection

In my last post I showed off some of my base cards of Baseball Hall Of Famers. Now I'll list my base cards of retired greats who were considered stars in their playing days but are not enshrined in Cooperstown. 

Some of these players have not been retired for the requisite five years, while others are on the ballot and may one day be elected. 

Some have legendary statistics but are being excluded for different reasons - as I discussed in an earlier blog post. They won't be excluded here.       

Here are some of my favorite base cards of these retired superstars...



Don Mattingly was a PC player back in the day.

So was Sammy Sosa.

1992 Fleer Ultra was one of my favorite sets as a kid...but 1993 Ultra might be even better.

 Trois Expos (how about that outfield, Mike Matson?)

 

Bo!

Mo!

Jeff Bagwell in his ZZ Top days. He's knocking on the Hall Of Fame doors, and I think they'll let him very soon. I hope his plaque will show off this sweet beard.

A pair of pre-Papi cards from 1998 - Bowman Chrome & Bowman's Best. These are the oldest David Ortiz cards I own, for some reason I do not have either of his 1997 Fleer RC's.

 

Jeter and A-Rod in their rookie seasons. My vote for best baseball uniform of all-time goes to the mid-90's Mariners. What's your favorite?

 

 Le Big Mac.

 

 Barry Bonds was a hard player to root for. This 1994 Flair card is a lot more likeable.

I knew a guy in high school who called himself "the biggest Gary Sheffield fan you'll ever meet." He even wore a gold chain with Sheff's #10.

 

I dig those orange Orioles throwbacks Raffy's sporting on this 2005 Leaf card. (And did I mention I used to collect Sosa cards?) PEDs or not, there's nearly 1,200 career home runs between these two.

 

 I saw Todd Helton play for the double-A New Haven Ravens a time or two.

 

Why are there two Mark Teixeira cards in this 2011 Topps Heritage set? And how did I end up with both of them? (true story: my bff once mispronounced Tex's name. He called him "Max.")

 

A pair of Rockets. I won a pack war game with the Tri-Star prospects card; the pot went to the holder of the oldest prospect. How about this guy? He was born in 1962.

 Has there ever been a cooler home run celebration than this?

We'll end with this iconic Derek Jeter card from 2015 Topps (can a card from last year be called 'iconic' yet?)

Here's a complete list of every retired star player in the box, and how many cards I have of that player. (please note: this list does not include inserts, parallels, rookie cards, memorabilia, autographs, graded singles, Red Sox cards, etc...)


Jeff Bagwell (18)
Barry Bonds (18)
Roger Clemens (7)
Prince Fielder (9)
Nomar Garciaparra (5)
Vladimir Guerrero (20)
Roy Halladay (5)
Todd Helton (16)
Trevor Hoffman (13)
Bo Jackson (7)
Joe Jackson (1)
Derek Jeter (15)
Chipper Jones (10)
Jeff Kent (6)
Don Mattingly (54)
Mark McGwire (10)
Mike Mussina (15)
David Ortiz (3)
Rafael Palmeiro (9)
Tim Raines (5)
Manny Ramirez (7)
Mariano Rivera (6)
Alex Rodriguez (14)
Ivan Rodriguez (16)
Pete Rose (2)
Curt Schilling (25)
Gary Sheffield (12)
Sammy Sosa (49)
Mark Teixeira (7)
Jim Thome (15)
Larry Walker (10)


Now for the fun part!

Some of those players are all-time greats and belong in the box, if not the Hall Of Fame. Tim Raines cards were in my binders for years, and I promoted him when it started to look like he'd be elected to the HOF (then again, I did the same thing for Jack Morris.) I dont think anyone reading this would dispute Bonds, Clemens, Jeter, Rose, or A-Rod. But what about the other players? Are there any names on this list that you don't consider star players?


On the other side of the coin, there are some statistically comparable players who have been left out of the box. I flipped through my binders last night and realized that I have no good explanation as to where I drew the line. That's why I need your help...

The following 44 players are in my commons binders at the moment - but they're all borderline Hall Of Famers and/or were considered star players during their career. For your consideration:

• Albert Belle
• Kevin Brown
• Jose Canseco
• Joe Carter
• Will Clark
• David Cone
• Johnny Damon
• Eric Davis
• Carlos Delgado
• Dwight Evans 
• Cecil Fielder 
• Steve Garvey
• Jason Giambi
• Juan Gonzalez
• Dwight Gooden
• Tim Hudson 
• Torii Hunter
• Andruw Jones
• Kenny Lofton
• Fred Lynn
• Edgar Martinez
• Fred McGriff
• Jack Morris
• Dale Murphy 
• Graig Nettles
• John Olerud
• Dave Parker
• Andy Pettitte
• Jorge Posada
• Scott Rolen
• Bret Saberhagen
• Johan Santana
• Lee Smith
• Alfonso Soriano
• Darryl Strawberry
• Miguel Tejada
• Alan Trammell
• Fernando Valenzuela
• Mo Vaughn
• Omar Vizquel
• Billy Wagner 
• Lou Whitaker 
• Bernie Williams
• Michael Young

  Do any of these names jump off the screen (and into the box?)


There are also a handful of players who were stars before my time, and therefore I don't feel as qualified to determine their proper place: Vida Blue, Bill Freehan, Frank Howard, Jim Kaat, Mickey Lolich, Minnie Minoso, and Bill Skowron could be considered 'minor stars' but I think Gil Hodges and Roger Maris are star player box worthy for sure. What say you?
 



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Cooperstown Cardboard: My Baseball Hall Of Famer base card collection

As promised here's a look at all of the base cards of Hall Of Fame Baseball players in my star player box. I already used The Script/will.i.am track "Hall Of Fame" in a previous post, so here's some classic Bowie instead:

Or how about some Fall Out Boy? If you follow my personal blog you know I'm a huge FOB fan.

Now let's get to the cards.... I sorted through every baseball card and divided them into three piles: Hall Of Famers, Retired Greats, and Current Stars. I scanned a few of my favorites, starting with the very first card in the box - this 1980 Topps Phil Niekro:

Some assorted early 80's stars, including second year cards of Ripken and Gwynn.

I found these next two cards on COMC, they're from a 1983 Homeplate set called "The Al Kaline Story"

Some cards from 1986, the first year I started collecting. I don't remember where I got the Leaf Molitor - grab bag, maybe?

Rod Carew's 'sunset' card. I must have had a dozen of these as a kid.

 

I've contemplated starting the 1990 Leaf set; I already have graded RC's of Frank Thomas, Sammy Sosa, and Larry Walker - but only a few base cards besides the Ripken and Brett. One day, perhaps.

My brother-in-law asked me to sell his 1991 Conlon Collection set on eBay. Instead I gave him $10 and sold the singles on COMC - but I kept a couple for myself.

 

I'll spare you the early 90's junk wax you've probably seen in your sleep - and skip ahead to this electric Eddie Murray card:

 

 I have a Ted Williams card!!! ... of Walter Johnson (or: I have a Walter Johnson card!!!)

 

Why yes, I have a few Ken Griffey Jr. cards. Not as many as Corky at Pack War... but a few.

 

 I wish Topps would scrap those High Tek cards and revisit the HD set.

Here's a black and white Babe from Black Diamond:

 

 And a purple and white Randy Johnson from SP Authentic:

 

 This is one of my favorites in the stack. Ya gotta love that view of Camden Yards.

 

 A few HOFers from 2002 Topps Pristine, one of my favorite sets ever:

 

And a few of my Fleer Greats. I don't love the fact that George Kell gets star treatment in the box while my Roger Maris card sits among the commons... but rules are rules.

 

There's no disputing The Mick's place in my star box:

 

 Or Stan The Man:

 

Or Mr. Cub:

 This Honus Wagner kind of looks like a parallel, but it's a base card... I think.

We'll end this scan-fest with some of my newest additions: 2016 Topps Archives and Bunt:

Here's a complete list of every HOF player in the box, and how many cards I have of that player. I might use this as a checklist at some point, if I ever fully commit to collecting one card of all 217 Major League players in the Hall. (please note: this list does not include inserts, parallels, rookie cards, memorabilia, autographs, graded singles, Red Sox cards, or Robin Yount - another PC collection. I really need to expand my wantlist/current projects page.)

Hank Aaron (5)
Roberto Alomar (9)

Luis Aparicio (1)
Luke Appling (1)
Ernie Banks (3)
Johnny Bench (3) 
Craig Biggio (9)
Bert Blyleven (1)
Wade Boggs (6)
George Brett (32)
Lou Brock (1)
Jim Bunning (1)
Rod Carew (2)
Steve Carlton (4)
Gary Carter (4)
Roberto Clemente (1)
Andre Dawson (8)
Dennis Eckersley (8)
Bob Feller (3)
Rollie Fingers (1)
Carlton Fisk (7)
Whitey Ford (1) 
Lou Gehrig (2)
Bob Gibson (2)
Tom Glavine (9)
Rich Gossage (2)
Ken Griffey, Jr. (42)
Tony Gwynn (15)
Rickey Henderson (6)
Rogers Hornsby (1)
Carl Hubbell (1)
Reggie Jackson (1)
Randy Johnson (21)
Walter Johnson (1)
Al Kaline (4)
George Kell (2)
Harmon Killebrew (1)
Barry Larkin (6)
Tony Lazzeri (1)
Greg Maddux (8)
Mickey Mantle (3)
Juan Marichal (1)
Pedro Martinez (22)  
Eddie Mathews (1)
Willie Mays (4)
Bill Mazeroski (1)
Willie McCovey (2)
Paul Molitor (8)
Eddie Murray (11)
Stan Musial (4)

Phil Niekro (1)
Jim Palmer (3)
Gaylord Perry (1)
Mike Piazza (14)

Kirby Puckett (9)

Cal Ripken, Jr. (26)
Brooks Robinson (5)
Frank Robinson (2)

Jackie Robinson (4)
Babe Ruth (4)
Nolan Ryan (9)
Ryne Sandberg (6)
Ron Santo (1)
Mike Schmidt (10)
Red Schoendienst (1)
Tom Seaver (1)

Al Simmons (1)
Ozzie Smith (7)
John Smoltz (9)
Duke Snider (2)
Warren Spahn (1)
Bruce Sutter (2)
Frank Thomas (16)
Honus Wagner (2)
Dave Winfield (7)
Robin Yount (71 - PC player)

And I just realized something while doing this - I don't have any Hall of Fame managers in the star box. I have HOF head coaches in my football box though.

If you've read this far, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts:  Should I include managers in the box, or keep the "star player" box players only?

In my next post I'll look at the retired stars who are not in the Hall of Fame. Then maybe we'll decide the fate of my Roger Maris card.
 

What Hall of Fame players do you collect? And how do you store and/or separate your base cards?



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Counting Stars (and a surprise mailday)

I had an idea for a series of posts that combine two of my favorite things: cataloging my cards, and discussing star players. But before I start, I have some mailday deliveries to discuss.

A.J. (of the blog The Lost Collector) sent me a dozen Red Sox in exchange for the half dozen Yankees I sent him:

Some nice Nomars and a few SP Prospects I've never seen before.

A Carl Pavano auto, an SI for Kids Ortiz, and a very cool Fisk, plus some 2016 Topps Updates. 

Very cool stuff. Thanks for the trade A.J.!

I also received another package today, a box from Billy Kingsley. I guess this means I'm his Secret Santa. Billy, if you're reading this... should I open the box, or wait until Christmas? 

Thanks in advance. I'm sure I'll be thrilled with my 'present'!


Now.. let's start counting stars.

Don't worry, the music selections will improve

My base card collection is sorted thusly: all PC teams go in shiny, clean binders. This includes Red Sox, Devils, Whalers, Packers, my 700+ card Brett Favre collection, and my wife's 250+ card Brendan Shanahan collection. (Some of my complete/near complete sets are also in binders.) 

All of my commons from 1970-now are in binders as well -- alphabetical by city (Anaheim, Arizona, Atlanta...) then chronological within each team. I try to leave a space or two per team for the inevitable junk wax repacks my in-laws will buy me for Christmas.

All of my base cards of Hall Of Fame players automatically go in my "star player" storage box.

yes, even Larry Murphy

But what about retired stars who are not Hall Of Famers (like Jeremy Roenick, for example). What do I do with them?

I have been sorting this way for about a dozen years, so if a player was a star/superstar during his career then I keep him in the star box regardless of HOF status. Many such players are simply ineligible for various reasons, or they are still on the HOF ballot.

There's some gray area there, which I will get to in my 'active player' post - as in, how do I determine who is a star player? I might need your help with that, if you'd like to share your thoughts.


I'm going to go through the box tonight - starting with baseball - listing each player and counting how many base cards I have of that player (super thick commons from sets like Triple Threads, Exquisite, and The Cup are not included. They take up too much space.)

In my next post I'll have a complete tally of all my Baseball Hall Of Famer base cards. It has been a backburner goal of mine to own one card of each HOF inductee (not counting executives or Negro Leaguers - unless there are affordable cards easily available.)

After that I'll make a similar list for retired players who are not in the Hall, and then the fun will really start when I attempt to tackle active players. I'm already having an internal debate about which current players are worthy of the box, and which players should be demoted to the binders - but I want to hear your thoughts! 



Hope to see you back here tomorrow. This should be fun.



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Hall Pass (or "Let's Debate Something Fun like Baseball Hall Of Fame candidates")

The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame announced its list of 2017 Nominees earlier this week.

Earlier this month, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced ten nominees for the first-ever "Today's Game Era" ballot.

I'm a Hall of Fame junkie, specifically sports Halls of Fame. I'm fascinated by who is elected, who is considered, and how each Hall of Fame has their own criteria and selection process. None of the Halls of Fame get everything exactly right; if they did there'd be nothing to debate. Baseball comes the closest, its eligibility requirements and voting process are the simplest and most transparent. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the most confusing to me - which is why I seek a better understanding of the criteria.

I've been to both halls, having visited Cooperstown in 1991 and 1999 and Cleveland in 2004. (You can read my opinions about the Rock and Roll Hall - and this year's nominees - on my personal blog.)

The "Today's Game Era" is one of four veterans' committees designed to re-evaluate deserving candidates that 10-15 years' worth of BBWAA elections may have missed. In my own research (partially inspired by this article from MLB Network's Brian Kenny) I have identified at least 15 baseball players whose lifetime statistics compare favorably to players that have been inducted - so there is definitely a need for such oversight.

That said, the ten names on the ballot aren't exactly glaring omissions. There are only six players among the ten candidates, and the only one I'd strongly consider is a non-player:

• Harold Baines
• Albert Belle
• Will Clark
• Orel Hershiser
• Davey Johnson (as manager)
• Mark McGwire
• Lou Piniella (as manager)
• John Schuerholz
• Bud Selig
• George Steinbrenner

I feel a little sick to my stomach in saying this, but Steinbrenner is the candidate I'd vote for. I don't see any of these men getting 75% of the vote - Selig and Steinbrenner were both polarizing figures (The Boss was even banned for life at one point) and McGwire's well-documented PED use makes his induction even less likely.

There are two schools of thought when evaluating candidates with any kind of PED history or suspicion - the hard-liners refuse to consider anyone who has been suspected of using steroids, while the other side refuses to play "moral police" and considers all candidates based on the numbers alone. I suppose there are more nuanced voters who consider PED use/suspicion as a demerit but not a disqualifier. These are the folks who might justify voting for first-tier legends like Barry Bonds and/or Roger Clemens by saying they were already Hall of Famers with or without the stuff but do not vote for second-tier candidates like McGwire, Sammy Sosa, or Rafael Palmeiro.

While scrolling through baseball-reference.com for the top players of all-time who are not in the Hall Of Fame, I followed a four-tier system based on the career WAR totals sorted by position. I wont bore you with the specifics, but basically the top tier legends were Bonds, Clemens, and Pete Rose (whose lifetime ban is actually a lifetime ban - unlike Mr. Steinbrenner.)

Tier two consisted of players whose WAR totals were higher than the average of all Hall of Famers at his position. This included recent players you know such as Mike Mussina, Curt Schilling, Ted Simmons, Jeff Bagwell, Palmeiro, Lou Whitaker, Bobby Grich, Alan Trammell, Tim Raines, and Edgar Martinez - as well as some other worthy candidates whose names you may not know - such as Jim McCormick, Bill Dahlen, Jack Glasscock, Sherry Magee, and Bob Johnson.

The players listed in bold are still eligible for enshrinement and will appear on the 2017 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot. (Here's the complete list of 36 eligible players.) This year's BBWAA ballot is a bit difficult to predict; the first year-eligible candidates include:

• Manny Ramirez (known PED user)
• Ivan Rodriguez (suspected PED user)
• Vladimir Guerrero
• Jorge Posada
• Magglio Ordonez
• J. D. Drew
• Javier Vazquez
• Jason Varitek

Many baseball fans and experts (including Brian Kenny) complain that the BBWAA is only allowed to vote for a maximum of ten candidates - as opposed to however many the voter feels is deserving. This could be a problem if you are considering players with PED stink on them or if all of the top non-Hall of Famers could retain eligibility forever - as is the case with the Rock and Roll Hall.

Looking at the 2017 ballot, I don't see ten Hall of Fame players who aren't suspected of using steroids. My ballot would not include Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez, or Sosa - and I would have to think long and hard about Pudge Rodriguez.

Here are the eight players I would vote for:

• Jeff Bagwell
• Tim Raines
• Trevor Hoffman
• Vladimir Guerrero
• Mike Mussina
• Curt Schilling
• Edgar Martinez
• Larry Walker

Which players would you consider worthy of the Baseball Hall Of Fame? Do you think suspected (or confirmed) PED users should be disqualified? Am I overlooking a player you would vote for? Let me know in comments! 

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