Bad Wax

It was a long weekend.  I decided to hold off on posting on Friday and Sunday.  Friday because that is the only day of the week my wife and I have off together and Sunday because my in laws are in town.  I figure this week I should get a few Operation Topps posts out.  This weekend I went on an autograph card spree on eBay.  Over the course of the next few weeks, I will try and get most of them posted.  I go through weird phases when I look at autographs, right now I am collecting James Shields and Zach Duke autos.  If you have any let me know and we can work out a trade.  Enough banter, let’s get right to pack 33

1. Ronn Reynolds

Position: C

Team: Phillies (Played with Astros)

Card Number: 471

Age: 28

1987 Stats: 0.167/1/7 with about 100 at bats.

Awards – None

Player Notes – Ronn got a lot of tail, I mean look at him, all those girls after the game and he comes out in his parachute pants (this was the 80s) and his cool gold chain.  The girls would look at his mullet and piercing eyes and just melt.  I mean it’s either him or Steve Jeltz right?

Fun Facts – Ronn was a member of the 1979 University of Arkansas team that played in the College World Series.

2. Craig Lefferts

Position: P

Team: Padres (also played with the Giants that year)

Card Number: 501

Age: 29

1987 Stats – 5-5/3.83/1.27

Awards – None

Player Notes – Another middle reliever.  What can I say they are so boring.  He was around the MLB for a long time.

Fun Facts – He is co-chairman of the SD Children’s Asthma League.  He was also a member of two College World Series Teams at the University of Arizona (GO CATS!)

3. Ed Nunez

Position: P

Team: Mariners

Card Number: 427

Age: 24

1987 Stats – 3-4/12 saves/3.80/1.33

Awards – None

Player Notes – when he was 22 he saved 16 games, he had some arm troubles in 1986, didn’t have it in 1987, and never really got back his velocity and movement.

Fun Facts – He enjoys TV, music, and basketball.  Le and his wife are the parents of a son, Marcus.

4. John Tudor

Position: P

Team: Cardinals

Card Number: 110

Age: 32

1987 Stats – 10-2/3.84/1.32

Awards – None

Player Notes – I like this photo.  It’s like the photographer said, John, let’s face facts, you are not an attractive man, turn your head and lets take an off profile shot to hide your deficiencies.

Fun Facts – His favorite pastimes include scuba diving.

5. Brewers Leaders

Offensive Leaders – Robin Yount and Rob Deer

Pitching Leaders – Teddy Higuera and Mark Clear

Card Number: 56

6. Tim Flannery

Position: 2B

Team: Padres

Card Number: 763

Age: 27

1987 Stats – 0.228/0/20 in 368 at bats

Awards – None

Player Notes – It’s sad that this is your 8th year in the league and the Padres finally give you the nod as starter and you turn in this pathetic statline.  As you have probably guessed this is one of his final years.

Fun Facts – None

7. Tom Foley

Position: 2B

Team: Expos

Card Number: 78

Age: 27

1987 Stats – 0.293/5/28/6

Awards – None

Player Notes – One of those oddball, throws righty but bats lefty guys.  He played a long time in the league working mainly as a backup.

Fun Facts – He was a left handed quarterback in high school.  So he can throw lefty too.

8. Bill Scherrer

Position: P

Team: Tigers (Played with the Reds in 1987)

Card Number: 98

Age: 29

1987 Stats – 0-1/4.36/1.79 in 20 relief appearances.

Awards – None

Player Notes – I picked his card to show you because the guy just looks sketchy.  He looks like someone who might have tortured small animals as a kid.

Fun Facts – He won All State honors in high school.

9. Chris Codiroli

Position: P

Team: A’s

Card Number: 217

Age: 29

1987 Stats – 0-2/8.74/1.77 in three starts

Awards – None

Player Notes – Spent most of the season (and career for that matter) in the minors.  Never really had major league stuff, but pitching was so bad in the mid 80s he got a shot.  He would never have made the bigs in today’s world.

Fun Facts – Went to San Jose State University and he and his wife have 2 children.

10. Dann Bilardello

Position: C

Team: Expos

Card Number: 577

Age: 28

1987 Stats – Played entore season in minors

Awards – None

Player Notes – Actually he played of of 1987 and 1988 in the minors, he doesn’t come back to the majors until 1989.

Fun Facts – He and his wife are parents of one son.

11. Dave Palmer

Position: P

Team: Braves

Card Number: 324

Age: 29

1987 Stats – 8-11/4.90/1.53

Awards – None

Player Notes – Dave was a 5th starter at best.  He only cleared 10 wins twice in his career.  Not a whole lot to say here.

Fun Facts – He listens to music in his spare time (cop out here, everyone does that).

12. Turn Back the Clock – 1982 Rickey Henderson

Team: A’s

Card Number: 311

Age: 23

1987 Stats – 0.267/10/51/130

Awards – 2nd All Star appearance / 10th in MVP voting.

Player Notes – Huge year for Rickeyy as he set the single season record. A record which may never be broken. He stole 2nd 95 times, 3rd 25 times and home twice.  He was caught stealing 42 times.  That’s insane when you think that he only had 143 hits and 116 walks.

13. Jose Rijo

Position: P

Team: A’s

Card Number: 34

Age: 22

1987 Stats – 2-7/5.90/1.79

Awards – None

Player Notes – This was still very early in his career, before he was taught how to really pitch by his father in law, Juan Marichal.  The story goes, that he married Juan’s daughter and Juan said that you can’t be in my family if you can’t pitch.  The next year he lands in Cincinnati and becomes an All Star pitcher.

Fun Facts – None

14. Glenn Davis

Position: 1B

Team: Astros

Card Number: 560

Age: 26

1987 Stats – 0.251/27/93

Awards – None

Player Notes – He was runner up in MVP voting in 1986.  A great hitting first baseman, he and Jeff Bagwell almost had identical beginnings of their careers.

Fun Facts – None

15. Tim Laudner

Position: C

Team: Twins

Card Number: 478

Age: 29

1987 Stats – 0.191/16/43

Awards – None

Player Notes – I had to do a double take at that batting average.  Even with 16 homers (out of 55 hits) that’s atrocious. Could you imagine if he was your starting catcher?

Fun Facts – Tim also went to high school in Minnesota (very similar to Joe Mauer, except, he can’t hit).

16. Jim Pankovits

Position: 2B/3B

Team: Astros

Card Number: 249

Age: 31

1987 Stats – 0.230/1/8/2

Awards – None

Player Notes -  He was a back up guy known mostly for his defensive skills.  Not much to say except he had a funny last name.

Fun Facts – None

17. Danny Darwin

Position: P

Team: Astros

Card Number: 157

Age: 31

1987 Stats – 9-10/3.59/1.29

Awards – None

Player Notes – First off, worst mustache in the major leagues, second, worst airbrushing job in this set.  The stripes are not even on the jersey, and the shadow doesn’t even match where the hat would cast it.  Just a bad picture.

Fun Facts – While in junior college he recieved All-American honors.

Overall, this pack didn;t give me any doubles, but still, it was a very boring pack.  I’m gonna give this one a 2.0 star rating.  It’s not that the pack was horrible, but really no big stars.  Check back again later, as I’m feeling another post or two in me today.