#102 Barry Larkin

Why this card is awesome: Because Larkin is another Red with the Cincinnati trifecta: born in, lived in, and played in. That must have been great.

Cool stat: Larkin is one of just 7 players since 1901 to have 900 R, 900 RBI, and 300 SB for one team. He hit the most homers of his career off Jim Deshaies. He had 21 4-hit games, including one 5-hit game. Larkin also had one career 3-HR game. Guess who he hit those 3 homers off of? That's right! Jim Deshaies.

#101 Allan Anderson

Why this card is awesome: Because of the mention of baseball lifer Floyd Baker.

Cool stat: Anderson was simply awesome in 1988. He had just one of 12 seasons in the 1980s with 200 IP and an ERA+ of at least 160. Any list a player can make along with Bret Saberhagen, Jimmy Key, Mike Scott, Roger Clemens, Dave Stieb, John Tudor, Dwight Gooden, Orel Hershiser, Steve Carlton, and Don Sutton can't be bad!

1988 O-Pee-Chee #88 Delino DeShields

Why this card is awesome: Because if you thought Minchey's hat looked goofy, you didn't know that this was coming. I figure inside that hat, Delino has his wallet, a brown-bag lunch, and either car keys or a bus pass. I also find it a bit odd that they put half a space between the "De" and "Sheilds" in his last name. It's all one name, just with the "S" capitalized. It's no different from McDonald.

Cool stat: DeShields has always reminded me of a poor man's Roberto Alomar. Just like Alomar, DeShields had several 3-5 year stints with a number of teams. But Delino did not hit like Robbie. He hit very well against some very good pitchers, including Sid Fernandez and Bret Saberhagen, but he was thoroughly owned by a lot more, including Tom Browning, Fernando Valenzuela, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Mike Hampton, and many more.

1988 O-Pee-Chee #6 Nathan Minchey

This is one of four cards in the 1988 O-Pee-Chee set that isn't in the regular Topps set.

Why this card is awesome: Because he's wearing what looks like a cheapie adjustable cap, like any 18-year-old kid should be. But wait until you see the next card.

Cool stat: Minchey, like all the other three draft picks in the 88 OPC set, made it to the big leagues. He was sent by the Expos to the Braves as part of the Zane Smith trade, and then sent by the Braves to the Red Sox as part of the Jeff Reardon trade. His first career major-league game was his best, a complete-game effort allowing just 1 ER with no walks and 5 K's.

1988 O-Pee-Chee diversion

Hey, let's take a look at the 1988 O-Pee-Chee set. For those who don't know, O-Pee-Chee was a Canadian company that produced baseball and hockey cards, candy, and other things. For their baseball cards, they had a licensing arrangement with Topps, and the cards were usually very similar.


So there's the O-Pee-Chee Chili Davis card on the left and the Topps Chili Davis card on the right. (I made that scan on the bottom [or right] a while ago when I was making crappy quality scans...the picture quality on the two cards is actually the same.)

So, notice a couple of the differences. First, there's the O-Pee-Chee logo instead of the Topps logo. And, as Davis changed teams in the off-season and O-Pee-Chee printed its cards later than Topps, they added a note saying that he was traded.

The back is even more different, including almost everything in both English and French.



This card back has all the same info as the Topps card, but it's written in a smaller font so that both language versions fit on there.

Here are the other differences between the 1988 Topps set and the 1988 O-Pee-Chee set:

• The O-Pee-Chee (OPC) set has just 396 cards as compared to 792 cards for the Topps set.
• OPC has no Record Breakers
• OPC has no All-Star cards
• OPC has no Team Leader cards
• OPC has fewer checklists since it has fewer cards
• OPC has manager cards for just the Expos and the Blue Jays. These cards (for Bob Rodgers and Jimy Williams) are pretty similar to the Topps versions, including team rosters on the back.
• OPC doesn't have cards for many lesser players. If you look at the checklist below, you can see that most of the players are better known players who got more playing time.
• OPC does have four cards that the Topps set doesn't have: the top two draft choices for the two Canadian teams. I'm going to feature each of these four cards on their own pages because they are pretty interesting.

So here's an example checklist from the 88 OPC set:



Anyway, there you have it. 1988 O-Pee-Chee.

Stay tuned for two things:

• I'll be posting the four top draft-choice cards
• And of course, I'm giving away this entire set. Keep your eyes out. This time, everybody's going to get a chance to get their hands on some of these cards.

88 Topps Cards Giveaway #4: JACKPOT!

Here's giveaway #4, entitled Jackpot! in honor of card #100, Jack Clark.

This is a simple giveaway. I want to finish it quickly so we can move onto the next one, which is a lot more interesting.

The prize this time around: Cards 51 through 100 of the 1988 Topps set. Click back through the last 50 posts to refresh yourself. Some of the highlight cards are Rickey Henderson, Ken Caminiti, Roger Clemens, Joe Carter, and Dale Murphy.

To enter, all you need to do is the following:

1. Go to Jack Clark's Baseball-Reference.com page. Pick out any number appearing anywhere on that page.
2. Add a comment on this post indicating your guess.
3. While we're at it, why don't you also tell me your favorite team? For some of you, I know already (Steve comes to mind, heh.) I like to throw in a few extra cards when I send them out, so I'll try to pick ones from your favorite team.
4. Post your comment by Monday, Feb 4, at 5 PM eastern.
5. I am picking a number from Jack Clark's page, and the closest person to my guess wins. Averages count as decimals. For example, a .300 batting average is 0.3, not 300.
6. If you win, I'll mail you the cards at no cost to you (not even a SASE!)
   

For those of you who haven't participated in a giveaway here yet, here's how it works:

1. One entry per person. If you make more than one guess, I will count only your first one.
2. This is basically a random drawing. You have no way of knowing what number I've selected, and so this contest can't really be tested for fairness. It's my blog, so just deal with it.
3. My decisions on this contest are final.
4. The contest closes Monday 2/4 at 5 PM eastern time. Comments must be timestamped by the blog before then.

And, as always, feel free to click some ads to help cover costs!

#100 Jack Clark

Why this card is awesome: Because of the strange people on the field in the background. In particular, who is that person standing on the right wearing blue jeans and a muscle shirt?

As you can see below in Clark's Gallery of Champions card, that person (as well as the others) was immortalized in embossed aluminum.



Weird.

Cool stat: Since 1901, just 21 players have at least 1200 walks and 1400 strikeouts, and they are many of the best power hitters of all time. Surprising names on that list include Tony Phillips and Rickey Henderson. Had Clark played 5-10 years later than he had, he might have been a massive superstar, and he would probably have hit as many as 100 more career HR than he did.

#99 Chuck Finley

Why this card is awesome: Because you can't look at this card without laughing. Finley looks like a 19-year-old college student with a fake mustache trying to convince a liquor store cashier to let him buy a six-pack of Bud Light. Finley's also got a great name for a Spoonerism.

Cool stat: Finley was really hurt by being on an Angels team that was pretty crappy for many of his years there. His real career record is 200-173 (.536.) His neutralized career record is 208-156 (.571.) Just 8 more wins, but also 17 fewer losses. Oh, and he was money for St. Louis at the end of his career in 2002, helping them go 9-5 in 14 games he started. Oh, and he was also once married to her.

#98 Rene Gonzales

Why this card is awesome: Because Gonzales is MR. 1988 TOPPS, wearing uniform number 88 long before high numbers were ever seen with regularity in baseball. I also dig the batting cage pose.

Cool stat: Gonzales had just 19 career homers, but he hit them off a lot of quality pitchers, including 2 off Dave Stewart, and 1 each off of Wilson Alvarez, Tom Henke, Ben McDonald, Jose DeLeon, Rick Honeycutt, Mike Jackson, Kevin Tapani, Dave Stieb, Frank Viola, and Kent Mercker. Not too shabby.

#97 Scott Garrelts

Why this card is awesome: Because of how Garrelts' arm is rippling right through the Expos logo. I also like the half-outfielder we can see at the ready in the distance. The card also notes that Garrelts threw a no-hitter with AAA Phoenix in 1983, meaning he had already appeared in the big-leagues before throwing a no-hitter. That must be a fairly rare feat (since most minor-league no-hitters happen in the lower minors way before pitchers ever get called up.)

Cool stat: Garrelts was injured a lot and had a short career. Unfortunately he got bombed in the post-season on the Giants teams that got eliminated in 1987 and 1989. However, his 1989 regular season was fantastic, and he squeaks into the top 10 for lowest WHIP in a season in the 1980s with at least 190 IP.

#96 Todd Benzinger

Why this card is awesome: Because Benzinger appears to be wondering, "Man, who made that f&#%ing smell over on Lance Parrish's card?" But seriously, folks: what I love is the great shot of the mostly-empty spring training stands behind him.

Cool stat: Benzinger had 7 career 4-hit games, and his team won 6 out of 7. In that game his team lost, something odd happened in Benzinger's last at-bat. Before he grounded out, Lenny Harris scored a run on defensive indifference. Weird.

#95 Lance Parrish

Why this card is awesome: Because this might be the most hilarious picture in the 88 Topps set. Let me tell you what Parrish said right before this photo was taken. To Von Hayes, sitting there on the left, he said, "Did you make that f#&%ing smell?" And right when the photo was snapped, Hayes was saying, "Oh man, see, I had this chili last night and, umm, and...yeah...anyway..."

Cool stat: Parrish had the most RBIs in a season by a catcher in the 1980s.

#94 Chuck Jackson

Why this card is awesome: Because this is the most rainbow-like card of ALL TIME. There's red on Jackson's shoulders. And we've got orange on his shoulders and in the "Astros" team name. We've got yellow also on Jackson's shoulders, in all the seats in the background, and in the border on the card. We've got green on the grass. We've got blue on the dugout and on the banner behind Jackson's name. And we've got colors like indigo and purple on Jackson's jersey, hat, and wrist bands. (But somebody needs to tell Jackson that when the pack has two wrist bands, one goes on each wrist, not two on one wrist.) Seriously, I love this card.

Cool stat: After cups of coffee with Houston in 1987 and 1988, Jackson disappeared but managed to make it back to the majors with Texas in 1994, getting two at-bats in a game. You can see what he did in the minors in between at The Baseball Cube. Jackson's two career homers came against Mike Capel and Dave Dravecky.

#93 Bob Sebra

Why this card is awesome: Because of the two very casual-looking Expos in the background. One guy near 2B (probably Vance Law) who's looking over at first base, and another guy who looks like he's boogieing down in the outfield. Also, I totally forgot that the Expos gave up Pete Incaviglia for Sebra. (And although Incaviglia was traded, he never played a day in the minors before debuting with Texas. But we'll come to Pete later in this set.)

Cool stat: Sebra bounced around a lot and managed only 1 season with an ERA below league average. But looking at his performance against individual batters, he did quite well against a few guys, including Darryl Strawberry (2-for-19), Wally Backman (o-for-18) and Jack Clark (2-for-14.)

#92 Len Matuszek

Why this card is awesome: Because of that very, very green tree/hill/shrubbery on the left side of the card.

Cool stat: Matuszek had 30 career HR, and 2 of them came in the same game. He also had a career post-season batting average of 1.000, thanks to a single in one career plate appearance in the 1985 NLCS.

#91 Joey Cora

Why this card is awesome: Because of the fascinating TV-insider moment of capturing a cameraman in action, sitting on a bright yellow pad of some sort, there on the left side of the card. Way to go Topps, going the extra mile to give us insight!

Cool stat: Cora, by all accounts a very nice guy, was a bad baseball player. Other than his fluke year of 1997, he didn't hit all that much, plus he wasn't a good fielder. Check out his defensive stats here, and notice that both his career fielding percentage and career range factor were below league average. From his career splits, we see he hit a lot better as a leader hitter than from any other slot in the lineup. Unfortunately, he wasn't a good enough hitter to really hit leadoff.

#90 Dale Murphy

Why this card is awesome: Because I think that's Ken Griffey we see right behind Murhpy in the on-deck circle. As you can see here, Griffey was the most common batter in the 5th slot for Atlanta in 1987, coming right after Murphy in the cleanup spot. But it might be Gerald Perry. What do you think? Also, I think it's kind of a travesty that Murphy got only card number 90. I probably would have given him a card ending in 25 or 50, personally.

Cool stat: Again lifting from an old post at the SOTD blog, Murphy was the five-year HR leader in MLB for the periods 1983-1987 and also 1984-1988. Like Joe Carter, though, he also has 2 out of 25 seasons in history with 20+ HR and a SLG under .400. Bonus stat: Murphy's most career HR came against Bob Knepper (8), Fernando (8), Ed Whitson (7), and the late Eric Show (6).

#89 Gary Thurman

Why this card is awesome: Because that's not Gary Thurman in the photo. It's actually late-night sensation, Arsenio Hall. If you agree, pump your fist in the air and make that stupid dog-bark call. What else makes this card awesome? The factoid on the back: two pregnancies, five children. Wow!

Cool stat: With a career OBP of .297, Thurman couldn't get on base to save his life. In fact, he had fewer than 250 total bases in his career. For players under that threshold, though, he has the third most stolen-bases of all time. See here.

RESULTS: Giveaway #3 for the 1988 Topps Gallery of Champions

Well, it's all over, and our winner is Casey B., who guessed 1.

I allowed my wife to pick the number this time, and for some odd reason she selected Bedrosian's 1984 batting average of .118. She's a bit of a baseball fan but knows nothing about statistics, and apparently picked the number totally at random.

Next closest was Tom T. who guessed 3.75, then David R. who guessed 6, and then Bo R. who guessed 7.

Interestingly, a lot of you guessed numbers from Bedrock's 1985 season as a starter, including 3 guesses of 37 and 2 guesses of 111.

Pissed off that you didn't win? Fear not. The next contest goes up on Friday for 1988 Topps cards 51 through 100. Then, starting next week, we have another special set going up (but giving you any more info would be telling!)

Thanks to everybody for your participation!

#88 Earnie Riles

Why this card is awesome: Because of the bizarre use of the name "Earnie." On most of his cards, he's Ernest Riles. So, not only did Topps see fit to give him a nickname (just like with Benny Santiago and Denny Martinez), but they didn't even call him "Ernie" but rather "Earnie." Bizarre. Oh and he was born in Cairo (Georgia, not Egypt.)

Cool stat: It tough to find much of interest about Riles' career, but looking at his best offensive numbers by pitcher, I noticed he had 7 RBI in 7 AB against Roger McDowell. They came on two homers.

#87 Mike Mason

Why this card is awesome: Before I tell you why this card is awesome, can you figure it out? Look really carefully at the card.

Give up? It's awesome because HOFer Ryne Sandberg is in the background. Am I adding him to the HOF count for this set? You'd better believe it.

Cool stat: Mason had one excellent year as a starting pitcher: 1984. He had 24 starts (36 appearances total), pitching 184.3 innings, allowing just 159 hits and 51 walks, with 113 K's. His ERA of 3.61 was good for an ERA+ of 115. But, he earned just a 9-13 record. If you neutralize his stats (go to this link and then click 'neutralize') with just average run support he would have gone 11-9 that year.

Hall of Fame count: 12

#86 Ron Karkovice

Why this card is awesome: Firstly, I am not sure if that purple blob on Karkovice's crotch is a printing error or what. Click on the card to see what I mean. Anyway, this card is awesome because Karkovice played in Hawaii in 1987. That's baseball + Hawaii, folks. I call it paradise. Read more about the Hawaii Islanders franchise right here. I'll also add that Karkovice has the most similar skin and mustache color I've ever seen.

Cool stat: Karkovice had 16 game-ending plate appearances, and they were all losses. He also had 77 go-ahead plate appearances, including 3 different games where he had 2 go-ahead jobs in the same game. One of those games was this crazy one, where he had two go-ahead plate appearances that were both reaches-on-error!

#85 Howard Johnson

Why this card is awesome: Because for all the color schemes Topps chose for its 1988 set, the Mets' was absolutely the best, perfectly matching the blue and orange of their uniforms. This HoJo is one of a series of 1988 Topps Mets cards that have great coloring. These days, when teams have 17 different jerseys they use during the year, HoJo's blue pullover doesn't look weird. Back then, though, it would mean that this photo was taken for sure during either batting practice or spring training.

Cool stat: Johnson didn't have a great or long career, but he is still one of just 4 guys with at least 3 seasons with 30+ HR and 30+ steals. Also, one time I saw him sitting on the team bus after a game, waved to him, and he nodded his head back at me.

#84 Cecilio Guante

Why this card is awesome: Because of the big "G" on his glove. Awesome!

Cool stat: Guante was a very good reliever, and I wonder why his career ended so early. Since 1950, he's one of just 6 relievers to pitch at least 500 innings, allow fewer than 550 hits, strike out at least 500, and have an ERA+ of 110 or better. (Active players excluded.)

#83 Jose Oquendo

Why this card is awesome: Because I swear it looks like Oquendo is standing on a farm.

Cool stat: Lots of interesting things about Oquendo's playing career. Firstly, he went to the Dave Magadan school of slugging, which teaches you NOT to slug. In fact, Oquendo's career OBP of .346 is nearly 30 points higher than his career SLG of .317. Wowsers. In fact, check this out: since 1901, for players with at least 3500 career PAs, Oquendo has the 10th lowest figure for total bases. And of the 9 guys ahead of him, all but 3 played at least part of their career no later than 1910.

#82 Darrel Akerfelds

Why this card is awesome: Because nobody told Akerfelds that when you only wear your warmup jacket for running and not for tossing, so everybody realizes that this is a staged shot.

Cool stat: Akerfelds was a hot prospect who didn't pan out, but he did have an amazing year in 1990, pitching 93 innings and allowing only 65 hits. That's a low enough rate to make the top 25 seasons in hits/9 in the last 20 years. Of course, he also walked 54 that year while striking out just 42. OK, so maybe it wasn't quite an "amazing" year. This reminds me of a problem the Phillies are likely to have with J.C. Romero in 2008. In 2007, he allowed just 15 hits in 36.3 innings with the Phillies, helping him to compile a 1.24 ERA. But he'll never be able to maintain that low hit rate, and I bet he gets hit hard this year. Shout out to Tim at MLBtraderumors.com for being the one to make me aware of that.

#81 Reds Leaders

Why this card is awesome: Because of the hilarious Happy Clown / Sad Clown action. Ron Robinson looks like somebody just gave him a puppy, while John Franco looks like somebody just killed his puppy. Of course, nobody in the entire 1988 Topps set looks more like a clown than Robinson.

Cool stat: Who do you think the highest-paid player was on the 1988 Reds? Check it out here, toward the bottom of the page. Not Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, Dave Concepcion, Kal Daniels, Paul O'Neill, Nick Esasky, Buddy Bell, Tom Browning, John Franco, or Rob Murphy. Nope, it was Leon Durham.

Franco's got a small (and I do mean small) chance at the HOF.

#80 Mark Langston

We're 10% of the way done with the set!



Why this card is awesome: Because it's such a great photo. Like the Clemens photo on card #70, I love that they got Langston's entire body in the shot, but he's also in such an interesting pose. I also like being able to see the warning track and the far wall. To me, this is a classic baseball photo.

Cool stat: Langston had a very nice career, although he's best remembered for two things that weren't his fault: being traded away by the Mariners to acquire a package including Randy Johnson, and for giving up a grand slam to Tino Martinez in the 1998 World Series, one pitch after he struck out Martinez but the umpire missed the call. A little love for Langston: he owned a lot of hitters. Check out the low OPS and crooked strikeout numbers among players with at least 50 career PAs against him.

#79 Ernie Whitt

Why this card is awesome: Because of all those game-winning RBI, 51. For those who don't know, GWRBI was an official stat for a relatively short period of time, until MLB finally realized that it was pretty stupid. But 51 is a very nice total for a part-timer like Whitt.

Cool stat: Whitt, one of the original expansion Toronto Blue Jays, was a remarkably consistent player from 1982 to 1989. His OPS was between .757 and .805 every year. In fact, for the 1980s, Whitt has the most seasons with an OPS between .750 and .810. He wasn't spectacular, but he was very dependable (especially in an era when catcher was not emphasized for offensive prowess.)

#78 Dan Petry

Why this card is awesome: Because is it just me, or does Petry look like a right-handed version of Jim Abbott in that photo? (If any readers don't know Jim Abbott, we'll be coming to him in about another 800 cards, in the traded set. And Petry does in fact have a left hand.)

Cool stat: Petry was an elite pitcher from 1982 to 1985. Over that period, he had the 4th-highest winning percentage among pitchers with at least 800 IP, and he pitched more innings than all three guys ahead of him on the list. Unfortunately, after 1985, he never again approached having a league-average ERA and he was finished in the majors after 1991 at age 32.

#77 Tom O'Malley

Why this card is awesome: Because of that unbelievably huge guy sitting in the first row wearing white. He kind of looks like a modern-day Tony Gwynn to me.

Cool stat: O'Malley has the 6th most-recent season batting over .500 with at least 10 at-bats.

Also, I didn't know this until just now, but after leaving the major leagues, O'Malley had a very productive playing-career in Japan.

#76 Denny Martinez

Why this card is awesome: Because this is the only card I can think of that features ACTUAL REAL wood paneling, unlike the 1968 and 1987 sets, which feature fake wood paneling.

Cool stat: Two interesting stats about El Presidente: Firstly, he finished 1 out shy of 4000 IP. Secondly, he went through a really weird period from 1983 to 1986, where he pitched very consistently, but also very poorly. Check it out: 4 straight years with an ERA+ between 72 and 79. Luckily for the Expos, they picked him up at the end of that streak, and he ripped off10 years with an ERA+ over 100 after that (though not all for Montreal.)

Next giveaway

Having reached card #75, you might expect me to give away cards 51 to 75. However, I've decided to increase the number of cards per giveaway to 50, so the next giveaway will be cards 51 to 100. I am also going to post more cards per day, though, so we might reach 100 by the end of this week.

#75 Joe Carter

Why this card is awesome: Because Louisville Slugger obviously paid a chunk of change to Topps to get prominent placement on this card. By the way, I always thought that if Joe Carter had a great sense of humor and told jokes all the time, we could call him "Joke Arter."

Cool stat: Joe Carter was tremendously overrated. Let's mine some of the content over at the SOTD blog. For starters, Carter has 2 out of just 25 seasons in history where a guy who hit 20+ HRs managed to slug under .400. He also had the worst OPS of all-time for a season with 100+ RBIs. There are lots of other lowlights as well. Of course, Carter will be best-remembered for his game-winning homer in the 1993 World Series, as well he should be.

#74 Tom Lasorda

Why this card is awesome: Because of the utterly hilarious photo. We all know Lasorda was a SlimFast representative, but he seems to be going out of his way here to look heavy and out of shape.

Cool stat: Well what more can be said about the 1988 Dodgers? We know that Hershiser had an amazing career year. But the two Tims, Leary and Belcher, also had career years. For Leary, 1988 saw his career high in wins, IP, Ks, ERA+, and WHIP (the last two ignoring his 1-game season in 1981.) For Belcher, his 1988 carried his best W-L%, and among his best in ERA+, K/BB ratio, and other stats too.

Hall of Fame count: 11 (for Tommy Lasorda, inducted as a manager in 1997.)

Reminder: 1988 Topps Gallery of Champions giveaway

Here's your final reminder of our 1988 Topps Gallery of Champions giveaway.

Click this link for directions on how to enter.

The contest closes this Wednesday.

#73 Randy Bush

Why this card is awesome: STIRRUPS!

Cool stat: Bush wasn't spectacular, but he was good and consistent. In fact, Bush is tied for fourth in all-time seasons with 35 to 55 RBIs and 10 to 14 homers. Interestingly, a lot of the guys on that list are catchers, which is to be expected.

#72 Dennis Eckersley

Why this card is awesome: This card might be the most awesome card of the 1980s. Seriously. Here's why: Eckersley had two careers. From 1975 to 1986, he was a starting pitcher, and often a very good one. He won 20 games for the Red Sox in 1978, and that came after he pitched a no-hitter for the Indians in 1977. By the end of 1986, though, he had lost his effectiveness and developed dependence on alcohol. Cast off, he joined Oakland to try to reclaim his career. The above photo was taken in 1987, when Eckersely's career seemed to be teetering on a knife edge and he was struggling with addiction. He looks very tentative in the photo, perhaps an accurate reflection of how he was feeling.

In 1987, Tony LaRussa experimented with Eckersley. He got a couple of game starts in 1987, but also finished 33 games and registered 16 saves. He had a beautiful WHIP of 1.00 and an ERA+ of 137. Encouraged, LaRussa converted Eckersley to a full-time closer in 1988, and all Eckersley did was become the prototype dominant reliever of the current era. By 1989, LaRussa developed the model that all managers use today: the closer is a 9th-inning only guy, except in emergencies where he comes in with 1 or 2 outs left in the 8th. Eckersley excelled in the role, and we all became accustomed to seeing his massive fist-pumps when he closed out big wins for Oakland.

Eckersley gets high marks in my book. He went through a ton of difficulties, worked extremely hard, took responsibility for himself, and achieved great things on the baseball field. To me, this card represents hope and determination, and reminds me that all of our lives hang in the balance of pivotal decisions we make and actions we take.

Check out a 1978 Topps Eckersley card here.

Cool stat: Check out this list of most career saves for pitchers who also had at least 100 complete games. Guess who's way out in the lead?

Hall of Fame count: 10

#71 Gary Pettis

Why this card is awesome: Because of the mention of a baseball lifer, scout Loyd Christopher. He played in the 1940s for the Red Sox, Cubs, and White Sox, and later became a scout. Plus, Pettis is less than 30 in this photo but looks about 50 to me.

Cool stat: Pettis was a great base-stealer. In fact, he's one of just 5 guys with fewer than 1200 games played but at least 350 stolen bases. And Juan Pierre will drop off the list in 2008.

#70 Roger Clemens

Why this card is awesome: Because it's the second-best card in this set. It's just an awesome photo of Clemens from head to toe, beautifully cropped with a great background. I'm not sure if the photo was taken at Fenway, but that green certainly feels like Fenway and he's wearing home whites. Simply fantastic and the way all cards should be. My only beef is that Topps gave him just number 70...I mean the guy was coming off back-to-back Cy Young awards and was 2 years removed from winning an MVP. Would a number like 100 or 250 be too much to ask?

Cool stat: Clemens has so many great statistical achievements. Here's one I borrowed from an old post I made at the SOTD blog: Clemens has the highest post-season game score of all time, with the Yankees in 2000 against Seattle. And you know how he loves pitching against Seattle. For more Clemens content, just search on his name on that SOTD page and you'll find all sorts of stuff.

#69 Mike Hart

Why this card is awesome: Because of all the time in the minor leagues. Just look at the back of his card! Other than a cup of coffee with the Twins in 1984, he was all over the minor leagues from 1979 to 1987. In the end, what you see below is Hart's complete professional baseball record, as he never played another game (majors or minors) after 1987. His last name should have been spelled "Heart."

Cool stat: Hart hit 4 career homers (in just 105 career at-bats) and three of them were off good pitchers: Jim Clancy, Mike Morgan, and Mike Witt. (The fourth guy, Bill Wilkinson, put up good numbers too but had a very short career. We'll come to him later.) And although Hart's career was short, it wasn't the shortest by a player named Mike Hart.