So today I am at my in-laws house and I do indeed have internet. Albeit at a lower speed than I’m used to but I am not an elitist when it comes to this and I want to thank my in laws for having wireless internet at all. We are nearing the end of the first box and to be honest with you, I am pretty happy about everything so far. What is great are the stories people post after the initial post in the comment section. I think I learn more from that than anything else. Like the Curse of the Balboni. Looks like that ended right after the millennium. Let’s get a move on to pack 31.
1. Mike Pagliarulo – 3B – Yankees – 327 – Pags as he was known in the day was quite a popular Yankee in 1986 which was his second year. The previous year he hit 0.239/19/62, terrible as far as batting average but he could hit the longball and he was just 25. In 1986 it was more of the same as far as average, but his longball numbers jumped. He posted 0.238/28/71 but his strikeouts jumped all the way up to 120. That was just the kind of player he was though. He went up everytime to hit a home run, which I guess was his ultimate downfall.
2. Tim Flannery – 2B – Padres – 413 – He was just keeping it warm until Roberto Alomar came to town. Flannery was a little more than a part time player but not much. He brought a solid glove to 2nd as well as an average that wasn’t going to kill you. He didn’t have any of the other tools, that seperate the good from the mediocre, but he had what he needed to have an 11 year career.
3. Jim Presley – 3B – Mariners – 598 – He along with Alvin Davis was one of the bright spots for an otherwise awful Mariner team of 1986. In just his second year (1985) he pounded his way to 0.275/28/84, so it wasn’t any surprise at the age of 24 (1986) he put up 0.265/27/107 numbers. On a side not he was truly one of the good guys in the game. After getting shellacked in a game and going 0-4 he came out and signed some autographs after the game, not only that he spent about 45 minutes signing autographs and talking with fans. Super cool guy that I will talk more about as the years prgress.
4. Bob Kearney – C – Mariners – 13 – In 1985 Bob had one of his worst outings batting 0.243/6/27, so it didn’t come as a surprise whe he lost his starting role as C to a young up and comer named Dave Valle. In 1986 Bob dropped to just starting 80 games which was down from 135 and 108 the previous two seasons. His time was up and he won;t have too many more cards to review.
5. Jose Cruz – OF – Astros – 640 – This is the Jose Cruz Sr. to today’s Jose Cruz Jr. Sr. was towards the end of his career in 1986, one that spanned from 1970 – 1988. He was an outstanding player who excelled in getting on base, stealing some bases, hitting some home runs and driving in lots of runs. In 1986 he hit 0.278/10/72 and he was 38. As to who is better, he or his son? I guess we won’t know that for some time, but my guess would be Sr. Since Jr. isn’t even starting anymore and he’s only 31. Sr. has double the number of hits and home runs, not to mention stolen bases.
6. Ken Landreaux – OF – Dodgers – Ken had a lot of upside, he hit for average, he had some pop, some speed, and could knock in a run or two. So why haven’t you heard of him? I don’t know, he was one of those great players that flew under the radar. In reality tough he was on the Dodgers and they had a lot of stars back then, he was just another non superstar on that team.
7. Charlie Lea – P – Expos – At 25 Charlie put it together and became one of the best pitchers in the National League. He put together 3 back to back to back seasons of 12+ wins. Then the end of 1984 came around and he had a strain in his back. At least thats what they thought it was, unfortunately it was much more than that and he ended up missing 2 years 1985 and 1986. He came back in 1987 but only threw in one game, stay tuned for what happens in 1988.
8. Tim Teuffel – 2B – Twins – I should start off by saying that I am not a big Teuffel fan. The reason for this is that after the 1986 season, you know, after he won the World Series, he was doing a lot of autograph signings in the NY and NJ area, well, I caught him off guard in a mall one afternoon and I asked for an autograph. He not only gave me the brush off but he told me that he wouldn’t waste a signature on me or my friend. After that I put a mental hex on his career and I am happy to report he retired a few years later, with some bad years 
9. John Candelaria – P – Angels – 140 – Double, reviewed in pack 23.
10. Bill Buckner – 1B – Red Sox – 443 – Double, reviewed in pack 22.
11. Brian Downing – OF – Angels – 772- Double, reviewed in pack 22.
12. Gary Mathews – OF – Cubs – 485- Double, reviewed in pack 22.
13. Bill Madlock – 3B – Dodgers – 470 – Double, reviewed in pack 22.
14. Joe Niekro – P – Yankees – 135 – Double, reviewed in pack 22.
15. Wade Bogss – 3B – Red Sox – 510 – Double, reviewed in pack 22.
Overall this pack was not good. I mean what do I have here? A Jim Presley card? Pags and Cruz? I have to give this one a low rating like 1.0 star. Half the pack is doubles and the other half is crap. Bad wax indeed! I am sorry for the delay in getting this one out, but I had to take care of the internet situation in this house so now we are flying with a G router instead of a B. Yay! Keep an eye out for some more bad wax and bad hits.
