Awesomely Bad Wax Packs

After reviewing Eckersley’s Game Used card, I only find it fitting to show this video of Vin Sculley’s call of the 1988 World Series, in which Kirk Gibson hits a home run. The catch? Well, this story is told by baseball cards. I think you are going to enjoy it. I know I did. I would love to hear your visions of this game. When I was watching it, I just had this feeling in my gut, that Kirk was going to hit it out. I was an Eck fan at the time and I just had this really bad feeling about that at bat.

Player’s Name: Dennis Eckersley

Player’s Position: P - Starter / Closer

Player’s Current Team: Retired (Pictured with the A’s)

Price I Paid for the Card: I got this off eBay for $1.25.

Set it’s from: 2007 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic.

What it’s Worth: Beckett has it listed for $10.00.

Why I like this card: Here is what I like about the Eck, not only was he an amazing closer with 390 saves in 11 seasons, but he was a very good starter with 151 wins in 12 seasons.  When you stop to think about the fact that he had a 20 wins season and a 50+ save season, that seems ridiculous.  He won the MVP and the Cy Young in the same year.  In 1990, one of his best seasons, and maybe the best single season of any closer he had an ERA of 0.61 and a WHIP of 0.614, that’s insane!  Of course a lot of people remember him for one thing, letting up the homer to Kirk Gibson, in game one of the 1988 World Series.  If I were picking a team and had my choice of any closer at the peak of their talent, I wouldn’t even hesitate, Eck in 1990.  Just to even make it more special, he was 35 when he did that.

Why it’s a Cheap Hit: It is what I card of who I consider to be the best closer of the late 90s/early 00s.  Sure Mariano in his prime might give him a run for his money, but I think overall Eck is the best hands down.  Mariano never put together a 0.61 ERA or 0.61 WHIP, and he played on better teams that the Eck.  To get this card of a Hall of Famer for $1.25 is a steal and what makes it better is that it’s the road uniform, which is one I didn’t have for him.

Will if ever be worth more? No, he’s done all he can do at this point.  His card prices are set in stone.

This isn’t mine, I found it while looking for some cool videos.  Ever wonder what it’s like to bust a $300 box of Upper Deck Ultimate Football?  16 cards is all you get, but just image finding what these guys found.  I think they at least covered the cost of the box in this one.  I’m not a huge football card fan, but I have quite a few.  Just always wanted to break a box and find something like this:

This not having a laptop business is really killing me. So far, this will be the second post without a picture and I am not going to be able to do a bad/cheap hit post today either, maybe I can find a video to put up there for your amusement. I am supposed to be getting my laptop back today, but so far nothing. I have an old g4 mac ibook, but I don’t know how to edit photos on it. Since I am also playing babysitter tonight, it makes it rough. So in the meantime, I hope you enjoy my review of pack 19.

1. Danny Tartabull - OF - Mariners - 476 - Ooooh another Topps All Star Rookie card, I believe this is 3 of 9. At the end of the 1986 season (after his first monster year) he was traded to the Royals, and he pounded the ball in 1987 going 0.309/34/101, finishing 7th in MVP voting. He even had some speed (9 stolen bases). His fun fact is that his 1979 American Legion team won the National CHampionship and his father Jose was an AL outfielder from 1962-1970.

2. Gary Redus - OF - Phillies - 42 - Gary was your classic one dimensional player. He could steal bases with the best of them. In the 1986 off season he was shipped off to the White Sox for Joe Cowley. He went 0.236/12/48/52 showing some rare power but lots of speed. His fun fact was that he has three daughters.

3. Kent Hrbek - 1B - Twins - 679 - Everyone was a Hrbek fan by 1987. How could you not be, he was a big ole jolly guy playing first base. In 1987 he was in the middle of his prime years and went 0.285/34/90 and was 16th in MVP voting. He is definitely one of my Hall of Very good guys. His fun fact was that he played American Legion ball in 1977 and 1978.

4. Garry Templeton - SS - Padres - 325 - I was thinking that 1987 was towards the end of his career, but really it was just toward the end of his peak years. He would end up going 0.222/5/48/14 in what would be not one of his best seasons. His fun fact was that he has three children.

5. Charlie Hough - P - Rangers - 70 - In 1987 Charlie was 39 years old and was in his 18th season, the best part is, that he’ll play another 8 years and that this will be the most games he won in a single season in his career. In 1987 he went 18-13/3.79/1.27, which are very solid numbers, even impressive when you take into account he was 39 years old. No funf act for Chalrie (I would doubt there will be any more fun facts for him either).

6. Indians Leaders - 11 - The batting leaders were Joe Carter and Brett Butler. The pitching leaders were Tom Candiotti and Scott Bailes.

7. Rob Wilfong - 2B - Angels - 241 - A terrible guy offensively but what a great last name, it’s one you just can’t forget because it’s so unique. In 1987, Rob was 33 and in his last MLB season. He was with the GIants and ended up going 0.125/1/2/1 in 8 at bats. Always Tough to go out like that. His fun fact is that his brother, James, played pro ball in 1978.

8. Sammy Stewart - P - Red Sox - 204 - Just like Rob Wilfong, his last season would be in 1987 as well. He finished his career in Cleveland, where he went 4-2/5.67/1.70 and 3 saves in 25 relief appearances. He has no fun fact.

9. Otis Nixon - OF - Indians - 486 - If anyone has ever played baseball simulator 1.000 for the nintendo NES, they know about Nixon’s speed. Every hit was a double and if you put it in the gap you could get a homer. Otis had speed and that’s it, in 1987 he had an injury plagued season that limited him to just 17 at bats and he went 0.059/0/1/2. I promise next year, you’ll hear all about Otis’s speed. His fun fact was that his brother Donell played in the Mariners farm and he has one child.

10. Alfredo Griffin - SS - A’s - 111- 1987 was right in the middle of Al’s prime years, it’s just too bad he didn’t do anything with them. In 1987 he went 0.263/3/60/26 in what would be his last season with the A’s. His fun fact was that he learned to switch hit in the minors. Now I know what that really means, but what a negative connotation that would have in today’s day and age.

11. Tom Hume - P - Phillies - 719 - I know, I know I have to stop showing pictures of guys with big glasses, but come on! Were they like bell bottoms? The bigger the better? This would be TOm’s last season in the bigs, he split time between the Phillies and the Reds and he went 2-4/5.36/1.57 in 42 games of relief work. His fun fact was that in 1972 he was named the best high school player in the country.

12. Dave Stapleton - 1B - Red Sox - 507 - Dave’s last season was in 1986, In 1987 Buckner was gone and Evans was primarily that first baseman. In his last season Dave went 0.128/0/3 in 39 at bats. His fun fact was that he has a son.

13. Brian Downing - OF - Angels - 782 - Brian was definitely a late bloomer, not getting this power thing down until he turned 31, in 1987 he was 36 and just mashing homers in the AL. He went 0.272/29/77, he might be another candidate for my Hall of Very Good. Did you knwo his nickname was “The Incredible Hulk”? After doing a little research I found out he was one of the first body builders in baseball turning himself into a hitting machine after spending a decade as a weak hitting catcher. Interesting stuff.

14. Sid Bream - 1B - Pirates - 35 - The curious case of sid . . . wait wrong story. This was his second season starting at first. He was a very plain hitter as his 0.275/13/65/9 would indicate. There was nothing exciting about seeing him play, but he did get big hits when he had to and I guess that’s why he managed to stay in the league so long. His fun fact was that former big league pitcher Al Worthington was Sid’s coach in college.

15. Paul Molitor - 3B - Brewers - 741 - 1987 may have been Paul’s best season in the pros. He won a Silver Slugger award (even though he only played 41 games at 3rd that year) and 5th in MVP voting. In 1987 he went 0.353/16/75/45 and only had a little over 450 at bats for the year. Not to bad at all, I knew there was a reason they let him into the Hall of Fame. His fun facts are he played for the U of Minnesota, has one daughter and is nicknamed the Ignitor.

16. Lonnie Smith - OF - Royals - 69 - He was mainly a backup in KC at this point in his career. He went 0.251/3/8/9 in only 169 at bats. His fun fact was that he went to one of the toughest high schools in the country, Centennial High in Compton California.

17. Rafeal Belliard - SS - Pirates - 541 - Raffy was a backup his entire career, in 1987 he went 0.207/1/15/5. His fun fact was that he made Eastern League All Stars at Lynn in 1983. He also plays in the Dominican WInter League.

Overall a great pack. This is a fabulous follow up to yesterday’s pack. I will rate it as such, I give this one 4.0 stars. Finding the Tartabull right off the bat was fun, but also the Molitor, Hrbek, Hough and Downing were fun to find as well. I am going to try and get some photos on here when my laptop is fixed, until then just sit tight and enjoy my posts.

Well another rough day today as my laptop died on me. So while I wait to get it fixed, I have very limited access to the net. I am actually doing this in Word and saving it for later to post. I just didn’t want to miss a day of Operation Topps. Because if I miss one day, I might miss multiple days and that’s not good. I just wanted to let everyone know about Stale Gum’s site, Chris always puts up some entertaining posts and this one from a few days ago is hysterical if you were a fan of MTV’s “The State”. I looked on youtube for a clip of this, but I came up empty, however if you go here, you can see it. Watch this clip, then read Chris’s post on a Beckett meeting and I think you’ll appreciate it more. Anyways, here is pack 18.

1. Ray Searage – P – White Sox – 149 – Ray was a career reliever with a very unimpressive resume. In 1987 he went 4-3/4.20/1.44 in just over 50 games. He was a lefty and we all know the lefties get to stay in the league as long as they can throw. His fun fact was that he enjoys scuba diving and fishing in his spare time. Also he has worked as a carpenter.
2. Vida Blue – P – Giants – 260 – He is an answer to one of my questions a while back. Who are the members of the Cy Young/MVP in the same year club. Well Vida won both in 1971. Vida retired in 1986 so no stats for him in 1987. His fun fact was that he threw 35 TD passes as a high school senior.

3. Luis Aquino – P – Blue Jays – 301- Luis may have spent some of 1986 in the bigs, but it didn’t translate into a call-up in 1987. He spent that year in Syracuse. His fun fact was that he was selected as Kinston’s (A+) MVP in 1984.
4. Mike Schmidt – NL All Star – 597 – This card has the NL leaders in home runs in 1986. Mike was on top of that list with a mere 37 homers. Could you imagine a person hitting 37 and being the league leader? I guess I’m just spoiled by the HGH era.

5. Joel Skinner – C – Yankees – 626 – Joel was a career backup catcher and this was his second year in the Bronx. He was known mainly for his defensive skills which is why he could put up 0.137/3/14 in 139 at bats and still have a job the next year. His fun fact was that he was one of four sons of fomer major leaguer Bob Skinner. He and his wife have one daughter.
6. Dave Henderson – OF – Red Sox – 452 – In 1987 Dave split the season between the Red Sox and the Giants and thanks to injury issues had one of the worst seasons of his career. In 1987 he went 0.234/8/26 in just under 225 at bats. This wouldn’t be the end for Dave, quite the opposite as we will see later. His fun fact was that he was an All American in high school football.
7. Ray Soff – P – Cardinals – 671 – Ray was a reliever for the Cardinals in 1987, his last season in the bigs, and only pitched in 12 games. His record was 1-0/6.46/1.50. His fun fact was that his biggest baseball thrill was the 1976 State Championship with the Blissfield (Mich.) High School. I would have thought it was his call up to the bigs.
8. Mike Maddux – P – Phillies – 553 – Want to see what the brother of a superstar looks like? I give you Greg’s substantially less talented older brother Mike. Mike may have broke into the bigs quicker than Greg but as a career spot starter, but that’s about a ll he had on Greg. In 1987 he put together a nice season when he went 2-0/2.65/1.29 in 7 games. Mike has no fun fact on his card.
9. Terry Puhl – OF – Astros - 693 - Terry’s days of starting were over by this point in his career. He was relegated to short backup duty and went 0.230/2/15 in 122 at bats. His fun fact was that he attended high school in Sask., Canada and that he and his wife have a daughter and a son.
10. Mitch Williams – P – Rangers – 291 – He looks like a very young Wild Thing in this picture. 1987 was his second season in the bigs and he was already carving out a nice niche as a setup guy. In 1987 he went 8-6/3.23/1.45, hey they didn’t call him Wild Thing for nothing. He also had six saves that year. His fun fact was that his brother Bruce played in the Brewer’s farm system.
11. Lee Lacy – OF – Orioles – 182 – This was actually Lee’s final year in the majors. He was a starter right up until this year. He went 0.244/7/28 not a bad season at all when you consider that he was 39 and in his last season. Even though his card is chuck full of stats, his fun fact says that he and his wife have a daughter.
12. Bret Saberhagen – P – Royals – 140 – An odd year for Saberhagen so you know he did pretty well. He had that whole odd year good, even year bad thing going for a while. In 1987 he went 18-10/3.36/1.16, and got to be in his first All Star game. His fun fact was that his son was born during the World Series and that he won the coveted Babe Ruth award (a little help here, I’m not sure what that is).

13. Curt Ford – OF – Cardinals - 399 – Not to be confused with Curt Flood, who started the whole free agent thing. Curt Ford was a career back up for the Cards and the Phils. In 1987 he was with the Cards and went 0.285/3/26, at least he was a one tool player. His fun fact was that he was All-District, All-State, MVP and All-Metro selection in high school. He majored in Recreation Administration at Jackson St. Is that a jock major or what?
14. Ron Darling – P – Mets – 75 – In the mid 80’s Ron was one of the most consistently good pitchers there was. It was completely overshadowed by Doc Gooden, but man he put up at least 12 wins a year from 1984-1989. Quite impressive, including in 1987 when he went 17-9/3.25/1.16, no Cy Young votes and no All Star appearance, how crappy is that? His fun fact was that he was co-chairman of the NY State Youth Drug Prevention Campaign. He played 2 years of football at Yale while working on his degree in history.
15. Juan Espino – C – Yankees – 239 – I had to check him out since I had never heard of him. It’s for good reason too, he only had 73 at bats, spread out over 4 years. He didn;t even play in 1987, 1986 was his last season. His fun fact was that he lead Eastern League (AA) catchers with a 0.987 fielding percentage in 1978.
16. Ron Guidry – P – Yankees – 375 – This was the year, that after a terrible 1986, you wanted to see if he could turn it around. I mean he did win 22 games in 1985, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. But in 1987 he had another bad season, he went 5-8/3.67/1.27 in what would be one of his worst seasons. His fun fact is that he is proficient in playing the drums.
17. Pete O’Brien – 1B – Rangers - 17 - Pete was a solid hitter all throughout his career and in 1987 he was 29 years old and right in the middle of his peak years. He went 0.286/23/88 in yet another fine season, definitely one of the overlooked guys from the 80s. His fun fact was that he works for the Cystic Fibrosis 65 Roses Club and makes appearances on behalf of the Rangers.

Overall this was a pretty good pack. Right off the cuff I’m thinking 4.5 stars. Which by my standards are pretty decent. I have to apologize, I am using an old laptop and don’t have any photo editing solftware. I am going to post the photos of these cards tomorrow when I get back my laptop. Hopefully you all understand and if not, Oh Well. Don’t forget to check out Chris’s stale gum site, he is after all the longest running blogger around.

Player’s Name: Justin Verlander

Player’s Position: P - Starter

Player’s Current Team: Detroit Tigers

Price I Paid for the Card: I got this card in a pack of 2008 Topps Series 1.

Set it’s from: 2008 Topps Series 1.

What it’s Worth: Beckett has it listed for $10.00.

Why I like this card: In his first two years as a full time starter, Justin has won 35 games and lost just 15. Before the season started I would have put him as a front runner for the Cy Young award this year, now that Santana is in the NL. However he is off to a horrible start (1-6). I have seen him pitch and it appears that his mechanics are off. His velocity is down and he just looks uncomfortable on the mound. Now it is still very early in the season and things could very well turn around for him (and they probably will), but this will not be a Cy Young type year for him. I do think since he is still quite young (25) that he will turn this all around and get back to the mountain top he was on after the 2007 season. The card is actually a highlight card, which glorifies his June 12^th no hitter. Throwing a no hitter is impressive and you can’t do it unless you are a good pitcher. This may be a one year aberration for Verlander, but I guess we will have to see.

Why it’s a Cheap Hit: I tossed and turned on this one, in the end though I classify it as a cheap hit. The truth is that he had two of the best seasons you could have to start off a career and he is so young, there is no reason why he can’t bounce back. I’ve reviewed hundreds of pitchers and I can see this going the other way as well, one where he becomes a reliever because he can’t handle the pressures of starting. I’ve also seen one year anomalies, where pitchers have one bad seas sandwiched between many good seasons. I think Justin is going to fall into the category. He’s having a rough start but he can overcome it over time.

Will if ever be worth more? He needs a few Cy Youngs (which I think he’s capable of) before his cards are going to go up. Let’s see if he can do it.

I’m late on this one just because I have a dentist appointment this morning and I didn’t realize I had it this early until I finished my prologue. Then to top it all off, I have 2 meetings one from 11:15-12:30 and one from 1:00 - 2:15, so I have to squeeze this review in, because I don’t want to miss a second day in a row of Operation Topps. We are up to pack 17 and as far as I can tell this is one of the most successful boxes I have ever had. Out of a possible 272 cards, I have only had 17 doubles. I know it will catch up to me at some point, but for now I’m having too much fun. Here is pack number 17.

1. Pete Rose - MGR - Reds - 393 - This was Pete’s first year as just a manager, and not a player manager. He had been fairly successful as a manager the previous three years and continued his success in 1987 guiding his Reds to a 84-78 record, good for 2nd place in the NL West.

2. RJ Reynolds - OF - Pirates - 109 - He was the other guy in the Pirate’s outfield. I mena you had Bonds and Van Slyke, then the other guy. He was the starter for the Pirates in 1987 and went 0.260/7/41/15. Not too bad for your third outfielder. His fun fact was that he got his nickname “Shoes” from teammates because of his large collection of footwear.

3. Chris Welsh - P - Reds - 592 - Chris was a seldom used spot starter and in 1987, he was not in the big leagues. 1986 was his last season. His fun fact was that he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of South Florida. I bet he was loving thier football run last year.

4. Jimmy Key - P - Blue Jays - 29 - Jimmy was one of my favorite Yankee pitchers growing up. He was definitely one of the most underated pitchers of his time. In 1987 he actually finished 2nd in Cy Young voting and went 17-8/2.76/1.06 in what would be the best season of his career. He lost the Cy Young to Clemens that year. His fun fact was that he graduated from Butler (AL) High School.

5. Reid Nichols - OF - White Sox -539 - Ried was a seldom played outfielder, whose career came to an end in 1987. In 1987 he was with the Expos and went 0.265/4/20 in just 147 at bats. No fun facts from Reid.

6. Randy Bush - DH/OF - Twins - 364 - Randy used to frustrate me as a fantasy baseball owner. I always felt as though he had the talent to become a solid player but he always ended up in the seat of mediocrity. In 1987 he was still with the Twins and went 0.253/11/46/10 in what would be one of his better seasons. His fun fact was that he was named as 2nd team All - American at the University of New Orleans. He and his wife have two sons.

7. Mike Greenwell - OF - Red Sox - 259 - I remember this card as one of the biggies in the set. At least in the late 80’s. 1987 was a big year for Mike since he became a full time starter that season. He went 0.328/19/89 and finished fourth in a very Competitive rookie of the Year voting. His fun fact was that he was voted the MVP of his little league team.

8. Thad Bosley - OF - Cubs - 58 - Thad was another one of those guys who carved out a nice little career (14 years) as a very little used backup. In 1987 he was playing for the Royals. He went 0.279/1/16 in very limited at bats. His fun fact was that he recorded a gospel contemporary album, “Pick Up the The Pieces.” He also enjoys writing poetry.

9. Ricky Wright - P - Rangers - 202 - Ricky pitched in 55 games over his career. Unfortunately for him none of those appearences were after 1986 because that was his last season. His fun fact was that his hobby is playing the guitar, and that he and his wife have one daughter.

10. Don Robinson - P - Tigers - 712 - Don’s nickname was “Caveman”, split time between the Pirates and Giants in 1987, he was a starter in the early part of his career, but by 1987 he was a middle reliever. He went 11-7/4.01/1.34, his best part of the year was with the Giants. He has no fun fact on his card.

11. Alan Trammell - SS - Tigers - 687 - One of the best short stops of his time, this was the peak of his career. He went 0.343/28/105/21 and finished 2nd in MVP voting (also the best finish of his career). He was always a must have on my fantasy teams, just because he was fun to watch play. His fun fact was that he was a baseball and basketball star in high school. and that he and his wife have two sons.

12. Al Newman - 2B - Expos - 323 - This was Al’s third season in the bigs and his first year as a starter, but not for the Pirates it was for the Twins. In 1987 he went 0.221/0/27/15 in 300 at bats, pretty much what his career average was. No fun fact for Al.

13. Jeff Stone - OF - Phillies - 532 - 1987 was the last significant (and by that I mean more than 100 at bats) year in the bigs. He was still with the Phillies and went 0.256/1/16 in 125 at bats. He never really developed into the player they were hoping for. His fun fact was that he was one of 15 children, and has a twin brother named Jerome who never made it out of the minors.

14. Mike Witt - P - Angels - 760 - The Yankee killer of the 80s. I never knew a pitcher who the Yankees had a harder time hitting off of. In 1987 he was still with the Angels and went 16-14/4.01/1.36, it was his 4th consecutive year with 15 or more wins in a season. His fun fact was that his high school team won a state title in 1978 and he was the winning pitcher in the championship game.

15. Angels Leaders - 556 - The offensive leaders were Wally Joyner and Gary Pettis. The pitching leaders were Mike Witt and Donnie Moore (hand over heart).

16. Bob Welch - P - Dodgers - 328 - Bob was already a good pitcher, but after having a rough 7-13 season in 1986, he made the leap morphing into a very great pitcher. It was his last season with the Dodgers and he went 15-9/3.22/1.15 and finished 8th in Cy Young voting. The next year he would be in Oakland where he would become one of the best pitchers in the game. No fun fact for Bob.

17. Jerry Hairston - DH/OF - White Sox - 685 - This was the last significant year for Jerry, he was on the White Sox the whole season. He went 0.2330/5/20 in 126 at bats. Even though he didn’t end his career on that note, he only had 5 more at bats, spread over 2 more seasons. So essentially this was it for him. No fun fact for Jerry.

This pack had some good players but for the most part it was a stiff filled pack. The cards that stood out were the Rose (manager though), Trammell, Witt, Welch, Greenwell, and Key. Like I said, nothing fantastic, all were solid non Hall of Fame players. Overall let’s give this pack a 2.5 star rating. I liked the fact there were no doubles, so that was nice. I do expect to start seeing many more doubles. It should get to about 35% at some point and right now it’s running 6%, while we are at the 34% mark for the set. Hey at this rate I should have almost 70% completed by the end of the box (yeah right!).

Player’s Name: Deion Sanders

Player’s Position: OF

Player’s Current Team: New York Yankees

Price I Paid for the Card: I bought this card on eBay for $1.75.

Set it’s from: 2005 Donruss Greats

What it’s Worth: Beckett has it listed for $10.00.

Why I like this card: In this Yankee Clippings set, you have Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle, Roger Marris, Ron Guidry and . . . Deion Sanders? What? Are you serious, you can lop his name in with all the Yankee greats? This is a ridiculous card and it’s so over the top wrong, that I had to have it.  Plus Neo Deion doesn’t have too many game used cards out there. On Baseball-Reference, his name is synonymous with the great Henry Cotto and Junior Felix. Plus he was only on the Yankees for 2 seasons and only had 180 total at bats for them.  How can you put him in a set like this.

Why it’s a Bad Hit: Could you imagine, pulling this from a 2005 Donruss pack?  Of all the Yankee Clippings to get, you nab this clown.  Imagine, you open up that magical pack, you see the thick card in the middle of all the commons, you see it’s a Yankee Clipping, then you turn it over and get to see Deion’s ugly mug. After you pick yourself up off the floor from laughing so hard, you realize, you just dropped a fiver on that pack and got a card of a backup Yankee.  I got it just so I could make fun of it.  It cheers me up after a bad day at work, because no matter how bad my day was at work, it wasn’t as bad as Deion’s Yankee career.

Will if ever be worth more? No a chance.  In my opinion it isn’t even worth the $10 Beckett says it’s worth.

I just downloaded the full version of Baseball Mogul 2009 and because of it’s pure addictiveness.  I am sure one of my readers out there has had the pleasure of playing one of the Baseball Mogul releases.  If you haven’t let me give you an idea of what the game is like.  First off if you like a visually stunning game, this one isn’t for you.  If you are into pure baseball simulation, this is the game you want.  When you start with the game it offers you several options.  The first is to play out any team from opening day 2008.  Next is the option to play any team from any season.  The third option is to simulate any expansion franchise, for instance, take the 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays and try to turn them into a winner.  Finally, there is an option to perform a fantasy draft and take that team to the pennant.

Also I want to let you know, I get nothing for mentioning this on my blog.  I paid for my copy and the people over a Sports Mogul have nothing to do with this post.  For my first forray into the game, I decided it would be cool to take what I consider to be the worst franchise from it’s inception and turn it into a contender.  I took the 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays and tried to see if I could turn that sorry franchise around.  I thought, hey this should be easy, I know who is going to be good, I’ll just trade for them. That doesn’t work, the trading option is very smart and you can’t get prospects for over the hill guys  So I decided, go by way of free agency and the draft.  Well my first draft netted me Albert Pujols.  I figured man what a great way to start off! The problem is this Pujols is taking a lot longer to develop than the real Albert.  So I figure let’s hit free agency hard.  Can’t do it, you have to stay within your budget.  Very tricky game.  So I’m 4 years in to my simulation and my minor league is stacked with studs. Kazmir, H Ramirez, Toluwitzki, Wright, you name it I have them.  I didn’t cheat, it just worked out that way since I am always the worst team.  So far the highest win total I have gotten was 70, and like I said I’m four years in.  It might very well take me four more to compete.  I’ll have to do a follow up.   Sorry about the no post for Operation Topps, but I had to try it out.  Visit  Sports Mogul for more information.

Player’s Name: Lance Berkman

Player’s Position: 1B

Player’s Current Team: Houston Astros

Price I Paid for the Card: I bought this card on eBay for $2.25.

Set it’s from: 2004 Donruss Diamond Kings

What it’s Worth: Beckett has it listed for $15.00.

Why I like this card: It’s funny how the Astros seem to produce one monster hitter just as one retires. In the 1990s Glen Davis retired and Jeff Bagwell stepped up to be the man. Then just 2 years ago, Bagwell retired just as Berkman started to become a monster hitter. Lance has evolved into an amazing hitter his career average is 0.303/35/116, that is over the course of 10 seasons. At the age of 32 he is sitting on 271 home runs, it is very believable to see him getting to 500 homers. I do think that he has at least 8 years left and at an average of 30 per year, we are looking at 240 more homers, which would put him at 511. That would put him in the Hall of Fame. Also, sitting at over 1300 hits, he has a shot (albeit an outside shot) of hitting 3000 total hits. The part of the card I like best is that it’s dual game used (jersey and bat). Plus I love the Diamond Kings portraits, something I have always loved about the Donruss product.

Why it’s a Cheap Hit: Since I really believe that he will be a Hall of Famer, this is a no brainer as far as picking it up for the price I paid. This is truly a buyer’s market in the world of eBay. You can usually get very good player’s game used cards for fairly cheap. If you are a devoted reader of my blog, you already know there are plenty of deals to be had on eBay. As a result, I have noticed that it has become harder to land these gems. I know that my little blog has very little to do with this, But I will have to wait a few more weeks for the activity to die down.

Will if ever be worth more? I don’t know, I think the closer he gets to the 500 HR and 3000 hit milestones, the price will go up. But it is very difficult to believe that it is going to up go much more than what it is worth.