This morning I had to drop off my wife at the airport. Which means that I am going to play Mr. Mom this week with my pets. 1 cat, 3 dogs(1 puppy) and 3 aquariums. So that should be fun. I do it to her more than she does to me, so I shouldn’t really complain about it. This set has been very kind to me so far and with no doubles through the first 6 packs I am amazed. We are already 100+ cards into the set, which makes it all the more sweeter. I do expect to find some doubles soon, but in the mean time I rejoice. Let’s get to pack 7.
1.Fred Lynn – OF – Orioles – 370 – Fred’s best years were behind him and his playing time was starting to go down. In 1987 he went 0.253/23/60, which was pretty much his average numbers for the last half of his career. Not a bad year but only played in 111 games.
2. Jim Slaton – P – Tigers – 432 – Jim’s final season was actually in 1986 when he split the year between the Angels and the Tigers. In his final season he went 0-0/4.05/1.500 in 22 games. His fun fact was that he spends most of his time living on his boat. Of course saying it on this card makes more sense, since he is retired, but prior to the season I would think he spent most of his time playing baseball. But that’s just my opinion.
3. Greg Swindell – P – Indians – 319 – This was Greg’s rookie card and I had plenty of them. He was a Univeristy of Texas guy and I always loved their pitchers. He only pitched in 3 minor league games before being called up to the majors. In 1987 he went 3-8/5.10/1.46, so not too wonderful but he always showed some flashes of brilliance, something we wouldn’t see consistently until the following year. His fun fact was that he set UT records with 19 wins, 204 strikeouts, and 172 innings in 1985. He fanned 10 or more batters 17 times in 3 years as a starter and ranked 3rd in NCAA history with 501 career strikeouts.
4. Earnie Riles – SS – Brewers – 523 – This was Earnie’s 3rd year on the Brewers. He only played in 83 games and went 0.261/4/38 in what would be a pretty mediocre season. His fun fact was that in 1985 he was the Brewer’s Rookie of the Year.
5. Floyd Youmans – P – Expos – 105 – The Expos were expecting big things from Floyd in 1987 as he won 13 games and struck out 202 batters in 1986. They would be disappointed though because Floyd put up a 9-8/4.64/1.37 season, very mediocre at best. His fun fact was that he batted 0.407 as a high school senior. Maybe he missed his calling in the majors?
6. Calvin Shiraldi – P – Red Sox – 94 – After a nice compaign in 1986 Calvin followed it up with a stinker in 1987 when he went 8-5/4.41-1.38 in what would be his last season in Boston. He never did live up to that 1986 season again. No fun fact for Calvin.
7. Jim Gantner – 2B – Brewers – 108 – Jim was a Wisconsin guy (born, college ball, and pro ball). He played his entire career in Wisconsin, but 1987 had to be one of his worst. He only played in 83 games. He went 0.272/4/30, in what would be his least productive season ever. Gotta love his glasses though! His fun fact was that his uniform number at Wisconsin – Oshkosh was retired.
8. Chuck Tanner – MGR – Braves – 593 – This would be Chuck’s second to last year as a manager. In 1987 he guided the Braves to a record of 69-92. One of the worst records in franchise history.
9. Tony Fernandez – SS – Blue Jays – 485 – This was right in the middle of Tony’s heyday. In 1987 he came in 8th in the MVP race and was named to his second All Star team. In 1987 he went 0.322/5/67/32. That would be one of his productive seasons and put his name on the map for years to come. His fun fact was that he came from a family of 11 and he and his wife have one son (Joel).
10. Ben Oglivie – OF – Brewers – 586 – Double, first reviewed in pack 1.
11. Manny Trillo – 2B/3B – Cubs – 732 – .Double, first reviewed in pack 1.
12. Fernando Valenzuela – NL All Star – 604 – Double, first reviewed in pack 1.
13. Mark Eichhorn – P – Blue Jays – 371 – Double, first reviewed in pack 1.
14. Phillies Leaders – 481 – Double, first reviewed in pack 1.
15. Moose Haas – P A’s – 413 – Double, first reviewed in pack 1.
16. Brad Havens – P – Orioles – 398 – Double, first reviewed in pack 1.
17. Mike Loynd – P – Rangers – 126 – Double, first reviewed in pack 1.
Overall, this pack was kind of a let down. If I had to rate it, I would give it 1.5 stars. Some of the cards were nice, but they were mostly doubles. It looks like Topps is still seeding them in packs of 8 and 9. I don’t anticipating finding lass than that amount as doubles from this box. Still though 111 cards in before In hit my first double, which is something to be proud about. Boy did they come with a vengeance today. See you tomorrow and keep your fingers crossed with no doubles. For some reason I can’t get my scans to show. I will rescan they tonight and get them on here. Sorry for no scans until then.
