I never saw Fred McGriff play in person. And yet, here he is in Fenway Park circa 1989-1990. A friend of mine used to have tickets about 20 rows behind home plate and I remember going to a number of games around that time.
Nor did I ever really watch games that McGriff played in. My family, like everybody else who got cable, got all the Braves games on TBS. But that didn't mean I watched them. So then here's my question: Can I legitimately call McGriff my favorite player if I a) never saw him play in person and b) never made much of an effort to catch his games on TV? I think I'm safe.
McGriff fit what I was looking for in a baseball hero. To me, he was obscure. And if you know anything about my values system, obscurity ranks very high. Oh sure, he wasn't a face in the crowd to fans of the game. But ask a random person on the street who McGriff was and I'd bet nine out of ten wouldn't know. And yet, here's the funny thing: if McGriff had spent his career in a baseball mecca like Boston or New York, I'm completely convinced that his national presence would've rivaled that of Boggs, Mattingly or any other of his more famous contemporaries.
I know it's only January 1, but this year I'm going to stick to my New Year's resolutions. What are they, you ask? First, no more soda. Second, this is the year I finish what I start. That means I'm not going to abandon a project part-way through, starting with The 792. It's been a while since my last fifty-card checklist post, so here's a little background on the project.
The 792 is my attempt to create the ultimate Topps set for the 1980s by determining the best card for each checklist number, 1 through 792. Though this project is a fan set, it's one that rivals Topps Archives in terms of capturing the best and most memorable cards from the decade. Plus, it's easy to put together for collectors of these sets (1980 through 1989 Topps)--they don't need to buy any new cards. Collectors can just pull them from the original ten sets.
Cards #251 to 300
251. Tony Gwynn, 1984
252. Fred Lynn In Action, 1982
253. Sid Bream, 1985 (RC)
254. George Bell, 1982 (RC)
255. Tony Armas, 1986
256. Gene Garber Super Veteran, 1983
257. Rennie Stennett, 1981
258. Ed Nunez, 1988
259. Mike Greenwell, 1987 (RC)
260. Dave Winfield, 1989
261. Ruben Sierra, 1987 (RC)
262. Tom Candiotti, 1984 (RC)
263. Stan Javier, 1987
264. Rob Dibble, 1989 (RC)
265. Robin Yount, 1980
266. Frank Viola, 1985
267. Paul Molitor, 1986
268. Jerry Royster, 1981
269. Ellis Burks, 1988 (RC)
270. Dennis Eckersley, 1983
271. Tim Foli, #1 Draft Pick, 1985
272. Andres Galarraga, 1987 (RC)
273. Bill Almon, #1 Draft Pick, 1985
For a #1 draft pick, Billy Almon sure bounced around a lot. He was included in Traded sets almost every year. Him and Joaquin Andujar. Those two guys are in almost every Traded set from the Eighties.
274. Dale Murphy, 1980
275. Kevin Seitzer, 1988 (RC)
276. Angels Leaders, 1984
277. Al Chambers, #1 Draft Pick, 1985
278. Sixto Lezcano, 1986
279. Dan Plesac, 1987 (RC)
280. Tim Raines, 1986
281. Reds Leaders, 1987
282. Mariners Team, 1980
283. Doug Drabek, 1987 (RC)
284. Jim Leyland, 1989 MGR
285. Oil Can Boyd, 1987
286. Chuck Crim, 1988 (RC)
287. Warren Cromartie, 1984
Cromartie always looked pissed on his cards, like he couldn't wait to get back to Japan.
288. Pat Pacillo, 1988 (RC)
289. Mickey Hatcher, 1981
290. Carlton Fisk, 1986
291. Tom Lasorda, 1986 MGR
292. Craig Swan, 1983
293. Charlie Lea, 1981 (RC)
294. Al Pedrique, 1988 (RC)
I don't remember why I got excited about Pedrique when this set came out; he never did anything that would've warranted my attention. I guess it probably had to do with the other stellar Pirate rookies from the year before. Residual hype, if such a thing exists.
295. Kirk Gibson, 1986
296. Ricky Nelson, 1985
297. Tim Lollar, 1986
298. Chris James, 1989
299. Andy Hawkins, 1985
There haven't been too many guys who've thrown a no-hitter and lost.
300. Don Mattingly, 1988
Arguably the iconic veteran card of late Eighties Topps.