Bad Wax

Well the migraine is gone and my physical is done as well. My day at work is wrapping up and I doubt I’ll get this posted before 6:00pm but I figured that I would write it. Just a little background on this box, there are a possible 612 cards per box (17 card packs w/ 36 packs), so far I believe I am at 34 doubles. With only 5 packs left to open we may be looking at 550 cards out of this first box and that would mean almost 70% of the set out of one box. That number is outstanding. You may not remember but out of my first box of 1986 Topps, I got about 35% of the set completed. This has been one of the best boxes I have ever bought and I thought I would give it some props. Anyways let’s look at pack number 32.

1. Len “Nails” Dystra – 295 – OF – Mets – 295 – 24 years old

1987 Stats – 0.285/10/43/27

Awards – None

Player Notes – Lenny is almost the invisible man in this card, as the 3rd base coach isn’t even paying attention to him. Dykstra was a pretty heavily collected guy in this time frame, I personally didn’t think his stats warrented it.

Fun Facts – Len’s grandfather and uncle played NHL Hockey.
2. Roy Lee Jackson – P – Twins – 138 – 33 years old – Retired

1987 Stats – None

Awards – None

Player Notes – Roy Lee actually retired after the 1986 season, I didn’t scan his card, but in the picture, he has his hat on backwards. This might be one of the first photos of a guy with his hat on backwards, who wasn’t a catcher.

Fun Facts – He was voted MVP in baseball, basketball, and football as a senior in high school.

3. Mike “Spanky” LaValliere – C – Cardinals – 162 – 26 years old – Played for Pirates

1987 Stats – 0.300/1/36

Awards – None

Player Notes – I always liked Mike, I thought not only was he a great hitter for a catcher, but he was a bit pudgy, and everyone likes a pudgy catcher.

Fun Facts – His originally nickname was “Smoky” for his similarity in build to former big leaguer Smoky Burgess. His father, Guy, played in the minors from 1952-1961.

4. Dave Dravecky – P – Padres – 470 – 31 years old – Traded to the Giants mid season

1987 Stats – 10-12/3.43/1.31

Awards – None

Player Notes – One of the saddest stories in baseball, do remember the “pop”. Definitely one of the most horrific videos I have ever seen.

Fun Facts – He went to Youngstown State University. He and his wife are parents of two children.

5. Steve Ontiveros – P – A’s – 161 – 26 years old

1987 Stats – 10-8/4.00/1.27

Awards – None

Player Notes – Steve was one of those guys I was pulling for in 1987. The A’s were an exciting team to watch and I found myself rooting for all their young players. Steve being one of them. Unfortunately he never panned out.

Fun Facts – He was All-Indiana shortstop in high school.

6. Will “Thrill” Clark – 1B – Giants – 420 – 23 years old

1987 Stats – 0.308/35/91

Awards – 5th in MVP voting

Player Notes – A classic card of the Thrill, at first I thought, how did he not get the 1st base nod for Topps All Star Rookie, then I remembered Mark McGwire. It is funny to see how little these guys were coming into the league.

Fun Facts – He was on the 1984 US Olympic team and was a 2 time NCAA All American at Mississippi State.

7. Floyd Bannister – P – White Sox – 737 – 32 years old

1987 Stats – 16-11/3.58/1.16

Awards – None

Player Notes – This was his last big season in the majors. If he wasn’t on the White Sox he may have even gotten a few votes for Cy Young that year.

Fun Facts – He wore the number 19 which was his number since college. He has two sons, Brian and Brett. I wonder what happened to Brett.

8. Don Slaught – C – Rangers – 308 – 28 years old

1987 Stats – 0.224/8/16

Awards – None

Player Notes – He was always a back up no matter where he went. Usually a solid hitter, this was definitely a down year for him.

Fun Facts – He spends his off seasons in Arlington, TX where he is a member of the Ranger’s Speaker Bureau.

9. Astros Leaders – 531

Offensive Leaders – Kevin Bass and Glenn Davis

Pitching Leaders – Mike Scott and Bob Knepper

10. Gary Gaetti – 3B – Twins – 710 – 28 years old

1987 Stats – 0.257/39/109/10

Awards – 10th in MVP voting

Player Notes – I forgot just how big Gary played for the Twins. He was definitely a major hitter on that team besides Hrbek and Puckett.

Fun Facts – He and his wife have 2 sons, Joseph and Jacob.

11. Tim Conroy – P – Cardinals – 338 – 32 years old – Final Season

1987 Stats – 3-2/5.53/1.80

Awards – None

Player Notes – This was Tim’s last year as a pro and if you look at his numbers you’ll know why. It wasn’t that those numbers were awful, although definitely not very good, but he was also on the wrong side of 30.

Fun Facts – He pitched his Hhig school to two Western PA titles.

12. Kevin “World” Mitchell – OF – Mets – 653 – 24 years old – Played for the Padres and Giants in 1987

1987 Stats – 0.280/22/70

Awards – None

Player Notes – When he arrived in SF, something was in the water, because his homer totals skyrocketed. This was the first of a few seasons where he hit more than 20 dingers.

Fun Facts – He devotes time to spends with NYC youths.

13. Phil Bradley – OF – Mariners – 525 – 28 years old

1987 Stats – 0.297/14/70/40

Awards – None

Player Notes – he was a pretty well collected guy in 1986, but he never lived up to those 1985 numbers. Definitely one of the more underated guys in the AL at that time.

Fun Facts – He was a Big 8 QB for 3 years at the University of Missouri. He had 6457 total yards.

14. Scott Garrelts – P – Giants – 475 – 25 years old

1987 Stats – 11-7/3.22/1.18

Awards – None

Player Notes – He was a big believer in those big glasses, as I think every sports card he has, has a nice picture of them. Would we even be able to recognize him without the glasses? I think not!

Fun Facts – He had a 16-4 career record in High School. He loves playing pool.

15. Jim Clancy – P – Blue Jays – 122 – 31 years old

1987 Stats – 15-11/3.54/1.30

Awards – None

Player Notes – One of the better starters in Blue Jays history. He averaged around 11 wins a season in those first 10 years.

Fun Facts – He and his wife are parents of four children.

16. Darryl Strawberry – OF – Mets – 460 – 25 years old

1987 Stats – 0.284/39/104/36 almost became the first 40 – 40 guy in MLB history that year.

Awards – 6th in MVP voting and his 4th All Star appearance.

Player Notes – What a tremendous waste of talent. He could have gone down as one of the best hitters in baseball history. Instead he threw it all away on Coke. Damn New Coke!

Fun Facts – Darryl graduated from Crenshaw (CA) high school (where he probably developed the habit). He and his wife have one son (What’s his name again . . . ).

17. Todd Worrell – P – Cardinals – 605 – All Star Card – 1st Appearance

Statistical Catagory – Saves

Category Leader – Worrell (36 saves)

Another pack and another pack with no doubles. This box is just amazing. Overall I am going to rate this one fairly high. Since we did have some big name guys on here. So let’s give this one a 4.0 star rating. Maybe it’s just because I am in such a generous mood. Check back later when I add the photos, work is crazy busy right now.