And Stay Outta Woolworths

Remember the scene in O Brother, Where Are Thou where George Clooney gets kicked out of Woolworths? Well, that's what popped in my head when I was researching these cards that were simply called "1986 Baseball Champion Superstars". It turns out these cards were available at Woolworth stores (which is why the random scene from O Brother popped in my head).

Here's the catch though, there are two different Woolworth stores. There's F.W. Woolworth's, which is the original chain of "five and dime" shops in the U.S. (which just so happens to be the store George Clooney gets kicked out of) and there's Woolworths Group which was a goods and general merchandise chain the U.K.

If you look at the bottom of the back of the box, it should hopefully give you a hint as to where the cards were distributed. Look closely and you'll see these were distributed by "Topps Ireland" and printed in Northern Ireland. So, it's entirely possible that these cards were only available in the Ireland branches of Woolworths. Like the Hills cards I've shown over the past few weeks, this is a 33-card set and features some of the top players in baseball.

I can't say I was expecting bright yellow cards to greet me when I opened the box but they did. The photos have the 1962 Topps deal going on with the lower right corner peeling up to reveal the words "super star".

For the most part, I'm seeing lots of posed photos but that's fine with me. Al Oliver looks like it's a picture from either Spring Training or batting practice. Plus, it's a short-term stop and a sunset card all in one as Al Oliver spent his final season in 1985 with the Jays.

I'm liking the variety of players that are featured so far. Yes, there are stars like Gary Carter, George Brett, and Mike Schmidt but there are also players like Al Oliver and George Foster who were on the backside of their careers.

Oh, look, two Reds ... neither of them look too happy to be included. Wille McGee also looks rather sleepy.

Last batch and it features probably my favorite card of the whole set with "Stormin" Gorman Thomas preparing to swing his shillelagh while donning a Mariners uniform. I honestly didn't know Thomas was a member of the M's but according to Baseball Reference, he clobbered 43 homers over parts of three seasons with the M's.

Also, here's what the back looks like. I like the fact it actually has stats and it's just the basics like average, HR, and RBI. That's pretty much all you need for a set like this. Much like the Hills sets, I put these in order and then put them in my oddball sets binder.

Around the Horn: Seattle Mariners

It's time for another entry in my "Around the Horn" series, this time the Seattle Mariners are up! The Mariners debuted in 1977 but it wasn't Seattle's first foray into the world of MLB. The first go-round was in 1969 with the infamous "one and done" Seattle Pilots. More on them another time once I get to the Milwaukee Brewers entry in this series.

When thinking of the Mariners, the first person that comes to mind, at least for me, is Ken Griffey Jr. Now, normally I would show only a few cards of player collections but with Griffey, I decided to show all the Mariners cards I have, aside from the two 1989 Bowman rookies. One day I would like to own a 1989 Upper Deck Griffey. I guess I could consider that one of those "white whale" type deals but for now, I'll settle with what I've got. 

During his time in Seattle, there were also four baseball video games that were put out with Griffey's name on them during his time in Seattle, "Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball" and "Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run" for the Super Nintendo and "Major League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr" and "Ken Griffey Jr's Slugfest" for the N64. At some point next year, I might do an article about those games as they were by far my favorites of any baseball video game.

I see no reason why Edgar Martinez shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame to be honest. He was a 7-time All-Star, finished in the Top 20 of MVP voting five times (including twice in the top ten), won five Silver Slugger awards, won the AL Batting Title twice, and is the Mariners all-time leader in doubles, total bases, and RBIs.

My grandpa used to call Randy Johnson "big ugly" because of the long hair and bushy mustache he always sported. I always enjoyed watching Johnson pitch. Occasionally, I'd get to see a Mariners game if it was on ESPN or on national TV but mostly I'd only know what was happening by the clips from SportsCenter. That being said, I really enjoy going back now and collecting his cards

Another young star of those 90s Mariners teams was A-Rod. While I'm not really a big fan of him with the Yankees or Rangers, I tend to keep an eye out for cheap A-Rod Seattle cards. These are the four favorites of mine that I have that chronicle his stay in the Pacific Northwest.

The Tino Martinez card I have here probably has to be my favorite one I have of him with the M's. It's just a flat out cool looking card with the teal jersey, gold foil on the bottom, and great picture of him finishing his swing.

For more modern fans, Ichiro is probably one of the other names people think about when someone mentions the Mariners (well, there's also Felix Hernandez). He debuted in 2001 as part of that legendary team that won 116 games and made it to the ALCS for the second year in a row. I really need to invest in more Ichiro cards as I've only got a handful but that card from this years Topps Big League set is probably one of the best ones I've got.

Going back to the beginning now, this 1978 Topps team card is showing what I'm guessing to be the inaugural Mariners team. There weren't many star players on that team but there were players such as Ray Fosse, Julio Cruz, Skip Jutze, Rick Honeycutt, and Doc Medich. One interesting player on that team was Diego Segui, who I believe was the only person to play for both the Pilots in 1969 and the inaugural Mariners team in 1977.

The Mariners in the early years had an interesting mix of players both young and old, including a number of players that I'm sure most had ever forgotten had played for Seattle. Larry Andersen spent two seasons in Mariner blue, going 3-3 with a 4.46 ERA in 81 games, mostly as a reliever. Tom Paciorek's only All-Star season came as a Mariner in 1981 but I best remember him calling White Sox games with Hawk Harrelson on WGN Superstation in the 90s. Former Reds manager Jerry Narron was a back-up catcher in 1980 and 1981 and then returned for four games in 1987. Jeff Burroughs was one of the early "short term stops" of the Mariners, having appeared in 89 games with the 1981 squad.

Gaylord Perry spent the waning years of his career up in Seattle as well. He spent the entire 1982 season and then the first part of the 1983 season before being released mid-season. He latched on with the Royals to close out his career. These are the only two cards I have that chronicle Perry's stint with the M's.

I showed these last summer when I found them in a yard sale haul my stepmom picked up but I wanted to show them here as well for mere curiosity sake. These are some 1984 O-Pee-Chee cards. While these aren't the most notable names, I still find early 80s O-Pee-Chee cards pretty cool.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Julio Cruz was probably the Mariners first homegrown "star". He was plucked from the Angels in the expansion draft and was promptly installed as the second baseman (and occasional SS and DH). He spent 7 seasons in Seattle and actually finished in the top 25 of MVP voting in 1983. I don't remember where I found this card but I think it's pretty neat to have an oddball card of a player withe the old school "trident logo" on their hat.

I can't go without showing some 1986 Topps cards (I swear one day I'm going to put that set together). But also the Danny Tartabull and Mark Langston cards can't be forgotten about. Both guys had some pretty decent careers. I don't know what it is but there's something about all four of these cards together that just makes me smile.

I should probably add Dave Burba to the list of players I collect. He was one of the Reds top pitchers in the mid-90s and I remember going to a game that he was pitching once where he lost a no-hitter with five outs to go.

Bret Boone debuted as a rookie for the Mariners in 1992 and played more as a backup until he was traded to the Reds along with Erik Hanson for Bobby Ayala and Dan Wilson. The trade worked out well for all, Boone and Hanson were key parts of the Reds success in the mid-90s, including a trip to the NLCS in 1995. Wilson became the longtime catcher for the Mariners and Ayala teamed up with another former Red in Norm Charlton in the Seattle bullpen.

Kevin Mitchell goes into the lore of Mariners "short term stops" as he spent the 1993 season in the Pacific Northwest before being traded to the Reds for the aforementioned Norm Charlton. What is it with all these Reds/Mariners trades in the 90s? The Mariners even got Lou Piniella as the manager after he left the Reds.

I forgot the recently retired Adrian Beltre was with the Mariners until I saw this card. I figured it was probably for only a year or two, but no, he stuck with them for five years and won two Gold Gloves there. 

Carl Everett though did only spend one season in Seattle, that being his final season in the bigs. He appeared in 92 games for a 2006 Mariners squad that finished 4th in the AL West.

I'd forgotten that John Olerud also had a tour of duty up north. This card is interesting as in has a box score of a random game in the bottom right. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it to be honest. I know it's the only card I have like that.

Hey look! It's a card of new Reds manager David Bell (again the Mariners/Reds connection is mind blowing). While the Reds haven't signed any players, they've completely started from scratch with a new manager and a whole new coaching staff. That's another story for another day though.

I'll round this out with a few more recent cards. By the time this posts, Robinson Cano may or may not still be a Mariner (there were rumors swirling about him being traded to the Mets as I'm writing this). Of the 2018 cards, I thought Archives was a bust this year but I really enjoyed the flagship cards and Heritage.

That puts the bow on this edition of "Around the Horn". Next up ... the Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns.

Single Card Post - 1977 Topps #492

Our subjects of examination today appear as a quartet on card #492 of the 1977 Topps issue. Everyone on the front of this card looks less than impressed, save for Carlos Lopez. Also, it looks to me that every hat is airbrushed. Three of these four I've never heard of so let's see how they did and if anything new is uncovered:

Tony Armas only made 4 games with the Pirates in 1976 before being shipped off to the A's with five other players for Phil Garner, Tommy Helms, and another player. Armas had six decent years with Oakland appearing in 694 games overall hitting .250, with 111 HRS and 374 RBIs. In the strike-shortened season of 1981, Armas was an All-Star and finished fourth in MVP voting. After the 1982 season, Armas was traded by the A's to Boston in a deal that landed Oakland Carney Lansford in return. With Boston, his best season (and probably best overall in his career) was 1984 where he played in 157 games, hit 43 homers, led the AL in RBIs with 123, and won the Player of the Month award for June. On top of that, he appeared in his second All-Star Game, finished in the top ten of MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger. After this power saw a relapse in both 1985 and 1986, Armas left Boston as a free agent and signed with the Angels before the 1987 season started. He would play three more years before retiring after the 1989 season and a 14-year career.

Steve Kemp was the first overall pick of the January 1976 amateur draft out of USC by the Tigers and was a bright spot on a Tigers squad that finished 4th in the AL East in 1977 with a .257 average, 18 homers, and 88 RBIs. Two years later, Kemp made is only All-Star team hitting .318/.398/.543 with 26 HRs and 105 RBIs and finished in the top twenty of MVP voting. After the 1981 season, he was sent to the White Sox in exchange for Chet Lemon. He only spent one season on the south side and then signed with the Yankees as a free agent. After two decent season, the Yankees traded him and Tim Foli to the Pirates for Dale Berra, Jay Buhner, and Alfonso Pulido. In Pittsburgh, he was a part-time player and was released by the Pirates in the middle of the 1986 season. He resurfaces for a few shots in 1988 with the Rangers but was released again in the middle of the season.

Carlos Lopez only played three years in the majors and all three with different teams. His MLB journey began when the Angels purchased him in 1973. He spent the 1974, 1975, and the majority of the 1976 seasons in the minors. At the end of 1976 he appeared in 9 games with 10 at bats and got exactly zero hits in those 10 at bats. The Mariners selected him in the 1976 expansion draft and he fared a bit better in Seattle and had his best season stat wise. After the season, the Mariners shipped him off to Baltimore along with Tommy Moore for Mike Parrott. After 129 games with the Orioles in 1978 he disappeared from the majors. 1979 was spent in the Orioles minor league system and by 1980 was back in the Mexican League where he played another five seasons.

Gary Woods debuted in 1976 playing in six games with the A's and after the season was selected by the Blue Jays in the expansion draft. With the Jays, he was primarily a backup outfielder, only appearing the 68 games over 1977 and 1978. After the season, he was traded to Houston for a minor leaguer and spent the entire 1979 season playing in the minors with Tuscon (AZ) and Charleston (WV) in the Astros system. The next year, he was back in the majors and again was primarily a backup outfielder, only getting in 73 games over the 1980 and 1981 seasons. After the 1981 season, he was again traded, this time to the Cubs for Jim Tracy. The best season of his career was the 1982 season, his first with the Cubs were he hit .269/.327/.388 but only mustered 4 homers and 30 RBIs. After that season, he had three more years with the Cubs as was out of the majors after the 1985 season.

Here's the back of the card for those who are interested. One thing I always liked about 1977 Topps is the back of the card as it's made to look like, at least in my opinion, a scoreboard you'd see at the local sandlot. Anyway, of the four players mentioned here, there's no doubt that Tony Armas had the best career of all involved. 

2009 Upper Deck Series 2 Value Box

The card section at my local Walmart is an absolute mess. To imagine this, think of everything you see in the card aisle, throw it all into a giant pile, and shove it back on the shelf. Or, maybe even more accurately, think of the Springfield tire fire ...

Actual picture of Walmart's card aisle

Anyway, I was trying to find a rack pack or a jumbo pack of anything interesting since I was in the mood to buy cards. But, alas, it was to no avail as the only things I could find were a few rack packs of basketball cards. I should've stopped there and called it a day. As I was about to give up my search, I looked down to the discount bin and amongst packs of Magic the Gathering and Pokemon strewn about, I saw a value box of 2009 Upper Deck baseball. "How in the heck did that wind up here?" I thought. I saw the price, $3.48 for 75 cards plus a "Starquest" pack, whatever that is. I felt that was justification enough for me to warrant getting it and I tossed it in the cart.

Once I got back home and tended to a few things before the in-laws visited, I had just enough time to tear into it. The 75-card brick was vacuum sealed I guess to prevent damage, not that damage would've hurt 99 percent of them. I thumbed through twice, found a few interesting cards, and put the rest in my sorting box to be paged up.

Here's a handful of the better of the base cards from the brick. The Montero card was the only horizontal card in the batch but I really, really dig it. 

Some cards from the award winners sub-set. I forgot about Cliff Lee's stint in Cleveland so I guess that's one thing that these old value packs can provide, cards of players with teams I'd forgotten they were with.

Three Reds were included in the 75-card brick. Bill Bray was a serviceable reliever for the Reds for a handful of years. I still think the Reds giving up Edison Volquez was a horrible idea.

These "sports" inserts of Derrick Lee and Nolan Ryan. were pretty much the only kind of inserts of any kind in there. 

My favorite base card of the entire box. It's not often that I come across a late career Ken Griffey Jr. card, and it's even less than that when it's a Mariners card. This, right now, becomes my favorite card of Griffey I have in my collection.

So, those are the highlights of the 75-card stack. There was also a three-card pack of Starquest cards. Let's see if I get anything good.

Yep ... just as I feared. Three minor stars. On the back, these are all labeled as "turquoise commons", not exactly best way to close out this box.

So, was this worth the $3.50? Probably not and 95% of the cards in the box I could've lived without but still, it was kind of fun to go back in time and gain some new cards for the collection.