#223 Joaquin Benoit

Ok, so I took a much longer than intended break from posting. The season is under way. If you follow my other blog, Once a Cub, you ‘ll know there were a few new collection pickup s that needed sorting through. I should be back to posting fairly regularly now but I think going forward, this will be an evening time posting instead of earlier like my other blog.

#223 Joaquin Benoit

First impression of what’s going on: Another potentially great card almost ruined by a bad crop job. Great throwback uniform. Joaquin Benoit is working the high socks but the uniform seems a little too baggy to say it’s 100% accurate. But that could just be my perception as I wasn’t around back then. I spy an umpire cameo that I’ll be looking into as well.

DETROIT, MI - APRIL 27: Joaquin Benoit #53 of the Detroit Tigers pitches while wearing a Detroit Stars Negro League tribute uniform during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Comerica Park on April 27, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Braves 7-4. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: As usual, plenty of room to fit Benoit’s entire glove into the frame.  And I knew it going into this post, but this photo is from the same game as my last post, Kris Medlen’s card. So here’s the link again to the BOXSCORE and the same line score:

But now let’s see it from the Tigers’ and Benoit’s perspective.

Luckily, the Tigers were up by two when Benoit entered the game because he did end up giving up a home run to Justin Upton before the Tigers tacked on two more in the bottom half of the inning.

If Topps had cropped off Benoit’s feet, we would have missed a shot at some Free Advertising. Instead we get the New Balance logo on the tongue of Benoit’s cleat.

The background is too blurry to make out the advertisments on the outfield wall.

The umpire credited with working second base that game was Mark Carlson. According to his Wikipedia bio, Carlson has been umpiring in the Majors since 1999.

As I mentioned in the Medlen post, last season, the Tigers hosted the 11^th Annual Negro League Weekend for their series against the Braves. Here is a link from the Tigers website that talks about the weekend festivities. The Saturday game was the only one that featured the throwback uniforms though.

I probably should have spread these posts out rather than do them back to back since I’m using some of the same photos. Here again are the uniforms worn that day.

The Braves represented the Atlanta Black Crackers and the Tigers were the Detroit Stars.

And again, the high socks:

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Joaquin won his first game on the day he was recalled, 5/9/2002.

That game went pretty well for Benoit. Six innings pitched, just one run given up.

But I want to go back to his first game, a season earlier. As you can see on the back of his card, it doesn’t look like it went well. I did notice that despite giving up six runs in five innings, Benoit didn’t suffer the loss. Did his team rally and save him?

Nope. On the contrary. The Rangers gave up 13 runs in the top of the 9^th to Benoit’s future team, the Tigers.

I don’t know if it’s a normal thing for players making their MLB debut to give post-game press conferences, but Benoit would have had time to hit the showers and wait…and wait…and wait…

In this dream scenario, I wonder how long he would have waited before starting to think it was part of his rookie hazing.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #223

Player Name: Joaquin Benoit

Team: Detroit Tigers

Position: Pitcher

Game Date: April 27, 2013

Opponent: Atlanta Braves

Stadium: Comerica Park

Division: American League Central

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 7-4, Tigers over the Braves, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, throwback.

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 7/26/1977

Birthplace: Dominican Republic

Cameos by: Umpire Mark Carlson

Photographer: Mark Cunningham

Niche collections this card could fit into: Throwback Uniform, Free Advertising, High Socks

My Grade: The Kris Medlen card got a solid A. I do like the Stars uniform worn by Benoit better but not more than I liked the horizontal layout of the Medlen. Since it hit the same other niches, for that, it gets a slightly lower grade of A-.

#M-3 Baltimore Orioles

Even though I eventually found a connection from Friday's card to Saturday’s, I’m going to consider the streak over anyway. Monday, the beginning of the traditional work week is natural starting point and with a fresh start, I thought I’d change things up a bit. As long as I can keep adding them to my collection, the next bunch of Mondays will be “Mascot Monday” and feature cards from 2014 Topps Opening Day's Mascot insert set. Since they share the same front design aside from the added Opening Day logo, I don’t think this is too much of a stretch to include them in my ultimate set.

#M-3 Baltimore Orioles

First impression of what’s going on: These cards have been debated pretty much since their inception and this card is a prime example. Some cards in the set actually have the name of the mascot, while others, like this one, just have the team name. Any fan of the team, and probably millions of others could tell you the name of the Baltimore Orioles is simply The Oriole Bird.

As for the picture, Mr. Bird is standing atop a dugout. He could be taunting an opposing player or just up to some general tomfoolery with a member of the Orioles or ballpark staff. One thing I do find amusing is all of the fans that have their phones/cameras pointed at the mascot’s backside. Maybe he had just turned around, or they were waiting for him to turn back around, but it’s still funny. Also of note, I don’t detect a single kid in that crowd. Aside from the luxury suites, these are the priciest seats in the ballpark so the kids have been priced out of front row shenanigans.

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 04: The Baltimore Orioles mascot performs in the seventh inning of the game against the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 4, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: The caption says this came during the 7^th inning stretch which likes prime mascot time. But there’s no mention of how the Orioles fared against the visiting Mariners so let’s check out the BOXSCORE.

So the Orioles took a 2-1 in the 6th but the a rally by the Mariners probably took some steam out of the crowd. Who to call to get a little home team advantage back on your side? Queue the mascot!

Unfortunately, the Orioles went 9 up, 9 down the rest of the game.

I do see a kid in the uncropped photo and looking back at the card, you can see half his torso on the left side of the card.

On to the back:

There’s no Rookie Fact on these as it has been replaced by the Identifying Feature.

Identifying Feature: Giant Orange Beak

Hatched in 1979, this will be the Oriole Bird’s 35^th year as the mascot although a cartoon head first appeared on the Orioles caps in 1966.

Image courtesy of Chris Creamer's Sportslogos.net

The writeup on the back is good for a chuckle and great for the kids with some fun facts and good breakdown of his antics.

Here's an interesting article about being the Bird. Don’t tell the kids!

And an indication of the state of today’s journalism, an article about a tweet about the Orioles mascot from the 1950’s.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #M-3

Player Name: Baltimore Orioles (The Oriole Bird)

Team: Baltimore Orioles

Position: Mascot

Game Date: August 4, 2013

Opponent: Seattle Mariners

Stadium: Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Division: American League East

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 3-2, Mariners over the Orioles

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: N/A

Bats/Throws: With both wings! (According to the website)

Birthdate: Hatched: 4/6/1979

Birthplace: Baltimore

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: G Fiume

Niche collections this card could fit into: High Socks/Stirrups, Mascots

My Grade: While fitting into a whole bunch of niches, this is a pretty good looking card. No missing appendages, although this is one of the few that could have been brought in a little tighter. Maybe crop him at the waist?

I’ll give this card an B+ as the only detractor for me is the lack of mascot name.

#66 Kris Medlen

After yesterday’s “uncorrected error” disappointment, I wanted a palette cleanser. So the streak is over because as far as I can tell this card isn’t connected in any way to the Andre Rienzo.

#66 Kris Medlen

First impression of what’s going on: When I said palette cleanser, I meant something that I looked at and immediately thought it was awesome. While this isn’t necessarily the best of the remaining cards, it’ll probably be among them. The crop is a bit too tight, cutting of his foot in the upper right, It doesn’t necessarily take away from the photo but it will probably keep it from getting a A+.

DETROIT, MI - APRIL 27: Kris Medlen #54 of the Atlanta Braves pitches while wearing a Atlanta Black Crackers Negro League Tribute uniform during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on April 27, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Braves 7-4. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: With all that extra space, there’s no reason the crop needed to be that tight. This caption is actually pretty thorough as we get the teams involved, the date of the game, score, and which throwback uniform Kris Medlen is wearing. But let’s check out the BOXSCORE anyway.

As the photo caption said, the Tigers won 7-4. It looks like Medlen probably gave up the first five runs and ultimately suffered the loss.

Yep. Giving up five runs is one of those things that could go either way in the win/loss column. Some of the better teams can overcome that but the perennial contender Detroit Tigers held the Braves off. Maybe I’m just used to cubs pitching but the innings didn’t seem particularly bad for Medlen; the Tigers just kept chipping away.

A single followed by a home run accounts for two runs in the bottom of the second.

After the Braves battled back to take the lead, Medlen gave up three consecutive singles that plated a run.

And then one of those pesky walks was followed by another home run in the bottom of the fourth.

Let’s get back to the positive stuff, the niches.

Starting with the free advertising, we see two Nike swooshes. One of his shoe and one on his undershirt.

We can also see a Rawling logo on Medlen’s glove.

On to the uniform. Last season, the Tigers hosted the 11^th Annual Negro League Weekend for their series against the Braves. Here is a link from the Tigers website that talks about the weekend festivities. The Saturday game was the only one that featured the throwback uniforms though.

I’ll admit I’m way undereducated about the Negro Leagues but here’s a link I found interesting regarding the Atlanta Black Crackers.

And done properly are the high socks. Nice!

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Kris, a righty, held left-handed hitters to a .183 Batting Average.

I couldn’t find anything (with minimal effort) that broke it down but holding any group to a .183 batting average is pretty impressive, depending on the sample size.

Unfortunately for Medlen, it looks like he’ll be out for the entire 2014 campaign.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #66

Player Name: Kris Medlen

Team: Atlanta Braves

Position: Pitcher

Game Date: April 27, 2013

Opponent: Detroit Tigers

Stadium: Comerica Park

Division: American League Central

Home/Away: Away

Outcome of the game: 7-4, Tigers over the Braves, Loss for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, throwback.

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 10/7/1985

Birthplace: California

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Mark Cunningham

Niche collections this card could fit into: Horizontal, Throwback Uniform, Free Advertising, High Socks

My Grade: After filling in the Information I’ll Be Tracking portion of this card, I did find a link to Andre Rienzo from yesterday. Both pitchers were on the losing end of a 7-4 game. But I am officially done with the streak. Going random for a little while.

I also really wanted to like both cards, but what separates today’s card are the niches it fits into. The throwbacks are awesome. While researching them, I learned a little about the Negro Leagues which is an intangible part of this grading system. And I've already express my love of horizontal card and in spite of the crop, this was an excellent use of the format.

This card gets a solid A.

#317 Lonnie Chisenhall

I think going forward I’ll find something to tie cards together for consecutive posts and then link another card through a different attribute. Kind of a six degrees of Kevin Bacon thing but with cards. Let’s see how long I can keep it going. From Mike Leake (Reds) to Aroldis Chapman (also Reds) to…

#317 Lonnie Chisenhall

First impression of what’s going on: Bringing Chapman and Lonnie Chisenhall together are Throwback uniforms. As much as I like the Reds versions, this Cleveland Indians one is bad. So horrendous, it almost comes back around to glorious. We've got a couple of cameos but I don’t know enough about the Indians or umpires to recognize them. If I had to guess, this is probably a home run but could be just about anything. For the umpire to be where he is, it must be one of those “No Doubters” I mentioned in a previous post. Probably not a walk off though, as the on deck guy isn't jumping around or anything. Surprisingly, this is also one that Topps could have actually cropped a bit tighter.

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 13: Lonnie Chisenhall #8 of the Cleveland Indians runs the bases after hitting a grand slam home run during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on July 13, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Ok, a grand slam. You’d think the on deck guy would be a little more excited! But since the caption didn't give the final score, maybe the Indians were still down by five, even after the grand slam. So let’s check out the BOXSCORE.

Screenshot from Baseball-Reference.com

Nope, it actually quintupled the Indians lead.

Screenshot from Baseball-Reference.com

And as the top play of the game, it raised the probability of the Indians winning by a staggering 21% to 98%. That’s pretty high considering it was only the 6^th inning. That percent would creep back down after the Royals tacked on a few runs, but the end result was an Indians win.

Screenshot from Baseball-Reference.com

A peek at the inning summary shows that after a single, a double and an intentional walk (with two swinging strikeouts mixed in), Chisenhall drilled the first pitch he saw to drive everybody in. This was his first career grand slam.

As for the jersey, Chisenhall and the Indians are sporting the 1902 Indians jersey. This was the only game these were worn this season.

Screenshots from Chris Creamer's Sportslogos.net

Back to the boxscore, I’m concluding that the Indian in the background is Yan Gomes, the #9 hitter in the lineup behind Chisenhall. Any Indians fan care to verify that? Also according to the boxscore, the home plate umpire for the game was Dan Iassoga. The Royals catcher that was cropped out of the card but still shows up in the photo is Salvador Perez.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Though a lefty himself, Lonnie hit five of his seven homeruns off of southpaws.

I guess there’s some sort of statistical analysis about this, but as a lefty myself, I always liked hitting against left handers, too. Between the fact and the blurb there isn't much for me to look into. Oh well. Good thing the front was exciting. But for those curious, a pair of his first seven home runs came off lefty Mark Buehrle in the same game.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #317

Player Name: Lonnie Chisenhall

Team: Cleveland Indians

Position: Third Base

Game Date: July 13, 2013

Opponent: Kansas City Royals

Stadium: Progressive Field

Division: American League Central

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 5-3, Indians over Royals, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, throwback

Bats/Throws: Left /Right

Birthdate: 10/4/1988

Birthplace: North Carolina

Cameos by: Dan Iassoga, Yan Gomes

Photographer: Jason Miller

Niche collections this card could fit into: Partial Southpaws, Throwback, Cameo, High Socks, Career Milestone (First Grand Slam), Umpire

My Grade: This card is easily one of the best of the Series. It hits several of the bigger niche collections. The questions is, does it deserve an A+? The weak back side is the only thing keeping me on the fence. And to me, an A+ is a “No Doubter” so this card has to settle for merely an A.

#135 Eric Sogard

#135 Eric Sogard

First impression of what’s going on: I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite cards this year. I say that knowing some of you may not even think this to be the best Oakland A’s card this year. You've got a lefty bunting, fantastic eyewear and the tops of some high socks. Topps even did a great job on the crop this time.

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 1: Eric Sogard #28 of the Oakland Athletics bunts against the Tampa Bay Rays during the game at O.co Coliseum on Sunday, September 1, 2013 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: The full photo clarifies that they’re not just high socks but actually stirrups. I’m not real familiar with Sogard or the A’s uniforms but I usually associate stirrups with throwbacks. The caption doesn’t tell me whether this is a sacrifice bunt or Sogard is bunting for a hit so let’s go to the BOXSCORE.

In the second inning, the A’s tried a little small ball to get the runs flowing. It started to work, advancing a runner from first to third, but they ran out of outs.

There’s a newer statistical based line of thinking against sacrifice bunts, but I for one am still a fan. I like to think of baseball as a strategy game between managers as much as a duel between pitcher and batter. And small ball plays into that.

On Sogard’s batting glove we get a pretty good look at the Nike swoosh.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Eric’s first home run came off future teammate Bartolo Colon.

I don’t remember ever having a former opponent later become a teammate or even the opposite. I was a military brat growing up so even though I played Little League, I moved around between seasons so it didn't come up. Unfortunately, I’d probably be the guy who rubbed it in.

“Hey man, the best day of my life was my first home run. Well, you remember, you were there.”

The BOXSCORE shows his solo blast came in the 3^rd inning while Bartolo Colon was with the Yankees. It wasn't the game winner or anything but the A’s did win by a run, 7-6, so it definitely helped.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #135

Player Name: Eric Sogard

Team: Oakland Athletics

Position: Second Base

Game Date: September 1, 2013

Opponent: Tampa Bay Rays

Stadium: O.co Coliseum

Division: American League West

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 5-1, Athletics over the Rays, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Birthdate: 5/22/1986

Birthplace: Arizona

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Brad Mangin

Niche collections this card could fit into: Bunting, High Socks, Stirrups, Sunglasses, Partial Southpaw, Free Advertising

My Grade: Lots of niches for this card. Combine them with a great crop job, this card gets an easy A. If Sogard was wearing a throwback/alternate jersey or the photo was taken with the ball a little closer to the bat (and not cropped out), this would have been an even easier A+.

I'm giving the card Sunglasses credit, even thoough they are clearly glasses because I'm too lazy to go back and change the other tags to Eyewear in general.

#318 Luis Valbuena

This morning we had one hot corner representative from the Windy City. This evening we go across town to see the other third baseman in Chicago.

#318 Luis Valbuena

First impression of what’s going on: Luis Valbuena is trying to score. It didn't happen enough last season (for my beloved Cubbies, I’m not picking on Luis). I'd like to think Valbuena is flipping off his haters as he jump slides home, thus it’ll get some Unnecessary Censorship status. More on the throwback uniforms in a bit.

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 29: Luis Valbuena #24 of the Chicago Cubs scores on a single by Nate Schierholtz in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 29, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Can this really get a Play at the Plate designation since there is no one in the vicinity of the sliding Valbuena? In the uncropped photo, you can see Valbuena is holding his batting gloves and not shoving anything in the Seattle crowd’s collective faces. Also cropped out are third base coach, David Bell and the third base umpire. According to the BOXSCORE, the third base umpire for the game was Mike Winters.

The Cubs pulled one out in extra innings after Kevin Gregg blew the Save in the 9^th. Here’s the play by play of the 6^th inning.

Looks like Valbuena’s run tied the game at two and the Cubs took the lead on the next batter.

Since Nate Schierholtz advanced to second “on the throw”, I guess there was a play at the plate even though we can’t see it. The throw must have been up the line or cut off.

As for the uniforms, this was a Turn Back the Clock game, so the Cubs wore their 1909 throwbacks. Those with a little bit of baseball history knowledge will note this as the first year of the Cubs World Series drought. The Mariners wore a throwback uniform as well but since they were an expansion team from 1977, they opted to wear a Seattle Turks uniform. The Turks were a Northwestern League (Minors) team in Seattle at that time.

The screen grab above was taken from one of my favorite sites, sportslogos.net. They have a breakdown of each team by what uniform they wore for each game and the team's record while wearing each uniform during the season. I was only interested in this particular game, but I'll definitely go back when I have more time. What a great resource!

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Luis’ first and only 2-HR game occurred on 6/20/09 at Wrigley Field.

Wait. What? Valbuena wasn’t a rookie with the Cubs, which means….gasp! He was their opponent! I found the BOXSCORE for the game, which also happened to be an extra inning affair. His first home run of the day came in the 5^th to double the Indians lead to 2-0.

 

Later in the 13^th, Valbuena tried to put the Cubs away with his second solo home run of the day.

Luckily for the Cubs, it wasn't enough as they managed their own rally against former and future Cub and fan favorite, Kerry Wood.

C’mon, Kerry. A game winning losing wild pitch against your former team? Thanks!

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #318

Player Name: Luis Valbuena

Team: Chicago Cubs

Position: Third Base

Game Date: June 29, 2013

Opponent: Seattle Mariners

Stadium: Safeco Field

Division: National League Central

Home/Away: Away

Outcome of the game: 5-3, Cubs over the Mariners, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, 1909 Chicago Cubs

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Birthdate: 11/30/1985

Birthplace: Venezuela

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Otto Greule Jr.

Niche collections this card could fit into: Throwback/Alternate Jersey, Unnecessary Censorship, Play at the Plate, High Socks

My Grade: I may be biased towards the Cubs but I think most collectors would give this card an A. Not only is it a great shot of Valbuena sliding home, but it's a full shot of the throwback uniform. Valbuena is also sporting the high socks in this photo, not something he normally does.