Why this card is awesome: Because as much as I admire Clark's on-the-field accomplishments, I don't care for the guy, and I like that he's got a doofy photo on his card. For pretty much every other major star card in this set (cards divisible by 50,) Topps went to the trouble of collecting a great action shot of the player. But not for The Natural. Ho ho ho!
Cool stat: Clark had an incredible season in 2000, his last. He hit well with Baltimore, but when he joined St. Louis for the final 51 games, he was absolutely on fire, slugging .655 with 42 RBI in those games. For the year (the whole year), he finished with a 144 OPS+ over 507 PAs. Guess how many guys have had at least a 140 OPS+ over 500 PAs in their final season? Just four. And Clark was the worst of the four (which is really saying something) AND two of them finished their careers early because they were banned from baseball. The only other guy to end his career naturally on such a high note was Mickey Mantle.
5 comments:
Ahhh the Legend!
It also looks like he has a unibrow. That makes him look like a jerk even more. HA!
Why 500 PAs as the threshold? Bonds will register just below (if 2007 is indeed is final season) at 477 PAs.
I used to pretend I was Will the Thrill when I played in my backyard as a kid. Not sure why - I was never a Giants fan, nor a Clark fan.
Anyhow, I read this site regularly and have done my best to spread the word! I run my own blog, www.badbaseball.blogspot.com... perhaps you could add a link on your site? Check it out - if you like it, I'd love a little help! If not, no worries there either. It's your page, so you gotta support what you believe is worth supporting.
Labor Day of 2000 a friend got he and I single seats in different rows in the lower level just foul of the foul pole in left field. I had my glove with me and put it on when Will came up because I thought he might bloop one that way. I'd moved up to sit by my friend, as another seat opened up. Will hit a screaming liner that got the 320 feet to where we were in a hurry. I stood up with my glove, followed the ball and when I realized it was getting close, I closed my eyes. The ball hit the seat I'd vacated and I realized that if I'd have still been sitting there, with my eyes closed, I'd have shown up on Sports Center as the guy who caught the ball with his teeth.
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