Blog Archives
Fun cards: 2022 TWJ “One n’ Done”
Thirteen former big leaguers appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2022. One was elected, two received enough votes to stay on the ballot for next year. What about the other ten players?
This “fun cards” set is dedicated to those guys who appeared on the ballot, but did not receive 5% of the vote for a second year.
A.J. Pierzynski, Carl Crawford, Jake Peavy, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, Justin Morneau, Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, and Tim Lincecum all had fine careers, but all received less than 5% of the vote.
Fun cards: “Snubbed Baseball Immortals” Curt Schilling, Jeff Kent, Scott Rolen
If I was granted a ballot for the Hall of Fame, these are the only three players I would have voted for.
Curt Schilling will no longer appear on the BBWAA ballot. His fate is now in the hands of what used to be called the Veteran’s Committee.
Jeff Kent holds the record for most home runs by a second baseman. He has one year left with the writers, but it is unlikely he will see the increase in support he needs for induction.
Scott Rolen is one of the best third basemen to ever play the game. His percentage of the votes has increased every year, and he is almost certain to get the votes needed, if not in 2023, then the following year.
Fun Cards: SSPC “Baseball Immortals” David Ortiz
I don’t agree with this selection. I believe it smacks of hypocrisy. But, it is what it is. David Ortiz is a Hall of Famer.
Fun Cards: 1985 Donruss LL Cool J
LL Cool J oozed cool in the 1980s. He still oozes cool today. “Mama Said Knock You Out” is my jam.
Fun Cards: Foo Fighters! 1995 Topps Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel; 1997 Score Taylor Hawkins; 1999 Topps Chris Shiflett
Foo Fighters‘ 1995 debut album was groundbreaking. Not because it was radically sonically different; it was a rather straight-forward rock album. But the fact that Dave Grohl recorded the entire thing by himself for the most part, and so soon after the disbandment of Nirvana the year prior…honestly, Grohl is a musical genius. Nirvana didn’t deserve this man.
He is being inducted into the Rock Hall for the second time along with Foo-mates Pat Smear and Nate Mendel (who joined the band after the recording of the debut; both made their debut on 1997’s The Colour and the Shape), Taylor Hawkins (who sat down behind the skins in 1997, first appearing on 1999’s There Is Nothing Left to Lose), Chris Shiflett (additional guitarist since 1999, making his recording debut on 2002’s One By One), and Rami Jaffee (who came into the fold in 2017 on the Concrete and Gold album but won’t get a card because I’m not going to attempt a custom 2017 card).
Fun Cards: 1983 Topps Wayne Nordhagen and Garth Iorg (Blue Jays Team Leaders style)
This is the kind of stuff I do when my wife is out of town. Wayne Nordhagen and Garth Iorg. Wayne and Garth. Party on dude!
Fun Cards: 1990 Fleer “Super Star Special” Junior Felix/Felix Jose
Do you like listening to podcasts? I listen to a bunch of religious podcasts, but there is one baseball program that has been in my regular podcast rotation for quite a while. I’m talking, of course, of the Baseball Beyond Batting Average Podcast. For the past two weeks, BBBA teamed up with another baseball podcast, Two Strike Noise, to cover the 1990 season. And yes, Two Strike Noise has now been added to my podcast subscriptions.
I say all that to present a “fun card” inspired by the American League segment (which aired on the TSN feed)…a 1990 Fleer “Super Star Special” featuring Junior Felix and Felix Jose. Of course, they are not Hall of Famers like Steve Carlton and Carlton Fisk, but it is a card that definitely should have been in the early 1990s.
If you’re not already a regular listener of Baseball Beyond Batting Average or Two Strike Noise, pull up your favorite podcatcher (I use Stitcher, but they are available on all the major podcast apps) and subscribe right now!
Fun Cards: The Fictional Players of Pitch
I discovered the show Pitch on Tubi TV over the weekend. In the fictional baseball show, Ginny Baker makes history by becoming the first female big leaguer, playing for the San Diego Padres. What surprised me most about the show is that I had never heard of it before (at least not to my memory). Ten episodes aired on Fox beginning in September 2016. Despite winning the Critics’ Choice TV Award for “Most Exciting New Series,” Pitch was canceled before it found its audience.
Yes, as a primetime television drama with a female lead, there was plenty of chick-flickish romance stuff, but it wasn’t overly schmaltzy. The baseball scenes were actually very well done, and the actors (well, most of them at least) looked like they could have actually been ballplayers. I haven’t finished watching the series yet, but based on the first five episodes, I recommend it with the standard caveats: too much language and too many sexual situations that could have been omitted or portrayed in a tell-don’t-show fashion. And even though I haven’t seen the final episode yet, I’m sure I will wish it lasted longer than a few short months.
The main character Ginny Baker is played by Kylie Bunbury (When They See Us, Big Sky). Supporting cast includes Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved By The Bell) as aging catcher Mike Lawson, Mo McRae (Sons of Anarchy) as center fielder Blip Sanders, and Christian Ochoa as Cuban defector Livan Duarte who is out for Lawson’s job. Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years) is manager Al Luongo. Off the field, Ali Larter (Heroes, Legally Blonde), plays Amelia Slater, Baker’s agent, Mark Consuelos (All My Children, Riverdale) plays general manager Oscar Arguella, and Meagan Holder plays Blip’s wife Evelyn.
Several broadcasters and ballplayers appear as themselves, including Colin Cowherd, C.J. Nitkowski, Matt Vasgersian, Joe Buck, John Smoltz, Eric Byrnes, Kristine Leahy, Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Ken Roesnthal, Chris Myers, Dontrelle Willis, Matt Carpenter, and Salvador Perez.
One of my favorite guitarists is releasing a new album soon
This guy is hands-down one of the most under-appreciated guitarists of my lifetime. Hair metal gets a bad rap, and thanks to Beavis & Butt-Head‘s friend Stuart, Winger is the butt of many jokes. The band is really superb, though, and guitarist Reb Beach is a magician on the frets. His new album, A View from the Inside, is set for an early November release. The audio for “Aurora Borealis” just dropped this morning on YouTube, and it blows my mind.
The Writer's Journey 