Happy Reds birthday, Juan Francisco!
June 24, 1987
Juan Francisco hit some towering home runs during his brief career, but they were too few and far between. He hit double digits in longballs twice, but his failure to hit for average hampered his ability to stay on a big league roster.
“Francisco…that’s fun to say!”
Fun Cards: 1988 Topps All-Star Danny Jackson
I have not purchased a single pack of 2017 baseball cards so far. I bought the Reds lot in a series 1 group break, and just placed an order for series 2 and Bunt on eBay last night. A few other 2017 issues have trickled my way via fellow collectors, and I appreciate each kind gesture.
In perusing the series 2 inserts last night, I got an idea pertaining to the 1987-style All-Star cards, which I promptly Tweeted.
What if instead of the same-old retired players, @Topps actually used 87 All-Stars on the 87 design? Ozzie Virgil, Bo Diaz, Mike Witt etc…
— Jason T. Carter (@REALjtCarter) June 23, 2017
By my count, there are only nine actual 1987 All-Stars among the 2017 Topps Series 2 1987 All-Stars: Ryne Sandberg, Rickey Henderson, Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield, Ozzie Smith, George Brett, Cal Ripken, Darryl Strawberry, and Mark McGwire. No Larry Parrish, no Sid Fernandez, no Mark Langston, no Hubie Brooks. But this year is done, mistakes have been made, so why not fix it next year?
And next year, 88 All-Stars on the 88 design…Sabo, Stillwell, Larkin, Bob Walk, Dunston, Gubicza, Gerald Perry…ALL the All-Stars!
— Jason T. Carter (@REALjtCarter) June 23, 2017
I fired up the laptop and hammered out a Danny Jackson in the 1988 Topps All-Star style. DJ didn’t actually play in the game, but he was selected to the team based on a stellar first half.
But I didn’t stop there. I decided to take a stab at the card back as well…
What do you think? Each player gets a card in the style of the All-Star subset from any given year. I already have four more “fun cards” created that I will post next week, and I might run with this idea a bit and create cards for some of the other All-Stars from 1988. Anyone in particular you would like to see?
Happy Reds birthday, Dave Bristol!
June 23, 1933
Dave Bristol played 10 seasons in the Reds’ minor league system; in five of those seasons, he doubled as his team’s manager. After his playing career ended in 1961, he continued moving up the Reds’ minor league managerial ranks until he finally reached the big league club in 1966. He stayed with the major league Reds for four seasons, and though he finished with a better-than-.500 winning percentage, his team never finished higher than third place. Bristol also managed the Brewers (1970-72), Braves (1976-77), and Giants (1979-80).
Happy Reds birthday, Dave Tomlin!
June 22, 1949
The Reds traded Dave Tomlin to the Padres after the 1973 season for Clay Kirby. He spent four years in San Diego before he was traded to the Rangers for Gaylord Perry. Before h threw a pitch in Texas, though, the Reds purchased his contract and he spent more years in Cincinnati. He later played for the Expos and Pirates.
Happy Reds birthday, Bryan Price!
June 22, 1962
Bryan Price is inexplicably in his fourth season as manager of the Cincinnati Reds. His ineptness as skipper has been on full display since his first season. While he was initially a welcome change to Dusty Baker, it is clear he was not the right option to lead this team. He was a fantastic pitching coach, and I hope when the Reds finally sever ties with him, he is able to fill that role for another team again.
Happy Reds birthday, Jackie Collum!
June 21, 1927
Jackie Collum showed signs of brilliance early in life. As a 10-year old sixth grader, Collum played second base for Newburg High School in Iowa. His older brothers were pitchers on the team. After they graduated, he moved to the mound, and for a time was the only pitcher on the high school roster. In one double header, Collum pitched and won the first game left-handed, then pitched and won the second game right-handed. In three years with the Reds, Collum went 23-22 with a 3.70 ERA.
I’ve Been Everywhere, Man
Well, not quite everywhere. I love visiting other teams’ ballparks and watching games there. This past weekend, my wife and I took a quick trip to California and caught the Angels hosting the Royals in Anaheim. Unfortunately, the Dodgers were out of town (in Cincinnati, actually), and we only had a few days in the Golden State. I was disappointed Mike Trout was injured, but I saw him play in the All-Star Game a couple years ago in Cincinnati, so it’s all good. We also took a stroll down Santa Monica Pier and spent Saturday at Disneyland. It was a pretty cool weekend.
Here is a list of all the current MLB teams, when I visited their stadium, and which stadium. I’m hoping to add another team and stadium next summer.
| Baltimore | 2010, 2011 | Camden Yards |
| Boston | 1991 | Fenway |
| New York Yankees | 1991 | old Yankee Stadium |
| Tampa Bay | 2016 | Tropicana Field |
| Toronto | ||
| Atlanta | ||
| Miami | ||
| New York Mets | 1991 | Shea Stadium |
| Philadelphia | ||
| Washington | 2010 | Nationals Park |
| Chicago White Sox | 1989, 1992 | old Comiskey, new Comiskey |
| Cleveland | 1988 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| Detroit | 1988 | Tiger Stadium |
| Kansas City | ||
| Minnesota | ||
| Chicago Cubs | 1989, 1992, 2001 | Wrigley Field |
| Cincinnati | many | Riverfront, Cinergy, Great American Ballpark |
| Milwaukee | ||
| Pittsburgh | 1988, 2011 | Three Rivers Stadium, PNC Park |
| St. Louis | 2014 | Busch Stadium |
| Houston | ||
| Anaheim | 2017 | Angels Stadium |
| Oakland | ||
| Seattle | ||
| Texas | ||
| Arizona | ||
| Colorado | ||
| Los Angeles | ||
| San Diego | ||
| San Francisco |
Obviously, I need to make a few more trips out west.
Happy Reds birthday, Gary Varsho!
June 20, 1961
Gary Varsho is only pictured on four baseball cards as a Cincinnati Red, and I’m not sure two of those really count. He has two cards in the 1993 Bicycle Playing Cards set, but both show him wearing blacked-out Pirates gear. The only two cards actually showing Varsho in Reds duds are 1993 Kahn’s (which I don’t have) and 1994 Pacific (which I also don’t have).
Happy Reds birthday, Paul Bako!
June 20, 1972
Paul Bako played in the majors for 12 years, and spent time with 11 different teams. He reached career highs in 2008 with the Reds, his second-to-last team, in games played, plate appearances, runs scored, home runs, and RBI.
Happy Reds birthday, Juan Castro!
June 20, 1972
Juan Castro played in part of 17 seasons in the majors, including two stints with the Reds (2000-2004 and 2006-2008). He also played for the Dodgers, Twins, Orioles, Dodgers again, Phillies, and Dodgers a third time. He was also a part of the Rockies organization for a few months in 2008, but spent that entire time in Colorado Springs.
