Expos! Twins! Rockies! It's an ebay Team Set Bonanza!
The other night, boredom met impulse and I jumped on ebay. I know better than to do this, but occasionally the urge hits and I have to log on. Usually I'll search for a couple of things, answer some subliminal questions that never needed answers until RIGHT NOW, then go on with my day. As with most nights when the ebay urge kicks in, I'll turn it off and get away quickly. No cost incurred.
Wormhole in the form of looking at gaps in my Expos, Twins and Rockies team collections brought me to look for inexpensive team lots. When nothing of interest came up, I switched over to looking for team sets. My weakness... I can wipe out and entire team set in one fell swoop instead of looking for the additional 15-20 singles that I may need...
I'm not going to reveal the seller, but I found someone who added magic words to his ebay store: "First item ships for $2.75. Each additional item is no charge for shipping." Well then, that's a great offer. Let's see what your store has...
Okay, that is a great deal of team sets... 24 of them in fact! Plus one autographed Twins card! All that was shipped for $2.75. The cost of the 24 team sets, plus autograph card? Less than 4 Blasters at Target. A bit more than I wanted to spend... But once you start seeing all these team sets you need for $2-3 a piece, plus basically a dime to ship, it's easy to go a little overboard...
I still have yet to come up with any need-lists at all (with the exception of a few sets that I'd like to complete), so I can only rely on previously scanned cards and memory. Last Summer, I scanned all of my Twins, Expos and Rockies 3-Ring Binders for use here. I didn't consult any of those while looking at ebay.
Before I show off what I bought, I'm going to explain the order in which they are presented. Not gonna Whatever this... I will count the team sets down, from 24 to 1. They will be ranked by the highest percentage of cards needed, that each new team set brought to my collection.
This would be a mental mistake on my part. I picked this team set up from ebay during a similar impulse team set freak-out a couple of years ago... I don't remember what I paid for it then, but this copy set me back a whopping $2 now. So I'm not bummed out about owning an extra.
Matsui came to Colorado in a trade from the New York Mets. He fizzled out in his first two years after coming over from Japan, and came to the Rockies for a fresh start. While he never set the world on fire out here, he was very solid for three seasons, and was a key player in getting the 2007 Rockies to the World Series.
Day was traded to the Rockies from the Nationals in 2005. He played in Montreal for the Expos in 2003 and 2004. Back when I started this blog, I wrote about a 2003 Expos game at Coors Field in Denver, where Day was ejected for putting a foreign substance on his finger, to deal with a blister.
The national sports media will never give him credit, due to the effects of batting at the high altitude of Denver, but Helton was one of the best hitters of his generation. I watched nearly his entire career, from 1997 through 2013, and he was always steady and great. Even when his back was failing him.
This one puzzled me. I bought very little 1993 Score in my life, and I've never bought a team set. So how did I get so many Expos from it?
Wallach was actually a card I needed. After 13 years with the Expos, Montreal couldn't afford him any longer, so he was traded to the Dodgers for a sack of nothing, after the 1992 season. So this would be one of Wallach's last cards as an Expo.
I like Greg Colbrunn. And even though this picture is almost identical to his 1993 Pinnacle card, it's another chance to look at the Shea Stadium dugout pay phones between his legs...
Despite already having a complete set of 1982 Fleer all boxed up and locked away, I've been plinking away at trying to finish the Twins team set. I knew that I was missing some (turned out to be five cards), and I had my fingers crossed that at least one of them would feature a picture taken at Metropolitan Stadium, during the last year of it's use.
Jackson was a new one to me. Immediately the Twins road blues stood out against Yankee Stadium behind him. (Not certain, but pretty sure that is Yankee Stadium)
With that mustache, he really does look like a Sal... In my 1994 Bowman Top Whatever Countdown, I mentioned how distinctive the Twins current Spring Training home in Fort Myers, Florida looked on cards. However, as far as features that stand out on a card, Fort Myers has nothing on Minnesota's past Spring training home, Tinker Field in Orlando. Bright yellow wooden seats, all sorts of sheds and fences close to the field, and of course the hulking Citrus Bowl sitting just beyond Right Field.
Much like 1982 Fleer, I have my set of 1993 Bowman all boxed up and put away. Unlooked at for many years. Still, it's a very nice set. Not as highly sought after as 1992 Bowman, but an excellent follow up. Nice photos, decent color. Topps did a good job following up of 1992's success.
A sometime backup catcher for the Expos, went on to get more playing time with the Indians after a few up and down years in Montreal.
After that ridiculous assault on our senses that was 1995 Fleer, the company did a complete 180 for the next season, putting out a clean, borderless photo, on Matte stock. Where every other company was going thick stock and heavy gloss, Fleer put out a classic for 1996. Again, I didn't think I had this much of it...
What kind of pitch exactly is Carlos getting ready to throw? I don't recognize that grip as anything... One of the hot rookie sensation pitchers of 1995, though completely overshadowed by Hideo Nomo. Despite his little post-strikeout dance that would infuriate opposing batters. For his brief career, Perez was very memorable to me.
This card has so much goodness going on it's hard to comprehend it all... Trees... Chain link... Tarp covering chain link... Buncha guys standing behind it... Metal bleachers... Equipment bags... Multiple bats laying around... Some weird guy in street clothes just hanging out behind him...
After 1992, I felt that Topps went into a flagship funk that lasted well over a decade. 1992 Topps was great. 1993 wasn't... And they just got worse and worse each year, until about 2004 when I started liking flagship Topps again. Too many years of bland and uninspired designs. And 1994 was pretty bad, in the just trying to be too much category.
Boucher was born in Montreal, so it was a big deal when he got a chance to play for the Expos. (Previously, Boucher pitched for the Indians and Blue Jays.) Unfortunately, Boucher didn't last long for Expos either...
I know what Topps was going for with this home plate design, but they took away too much of the picture just to do it. It would have helped if Topps had taken all the plain colors used in the design and adapted them to feature more team colors. That would have helped a lot. But this is a nice photo...
This was another set where I didn't think I had more than maybe 5 cards from it. I bought very few packs of this, but ended up with over half of it. There's some great photographs, and also some bad head shots. So this team set is kind of a mixed bag.
Another former 1st round draft pick to start with the Expos, he seemed to be the third baseman for years to come in 1998. But his hitting never fully developed. He could draw a walk, and hit for power, but was batting only .181 when Montreal pulled the plug and released Andrews in September 1999.
Vlad looks rather awkward as he drops into his slide. Judging from the Cub in the dugout, it looks like he's about to be sliding into home. This card was new to me, I'd never seen it before. It's another great addition to the Vlad collection.
Love that Expos 30th Anniversary patch on his sleeve... Vazquez won 165 games in a 14 year career with 6 teams, from 1998- 2011. Six of those years were spent with the Expos, until have was traded to the Yankees. As all good Expos were at some point...
Something I noticed with the 1993 Score Expos set was how similar most of the images looked. This was also the case with the Twins. That tends to happen when a set goes too extreme in the all action direction. The best sets are always a good mix of action and either poses or head shots. Mix in some candid photos here and there and you've got a nice set.
It was nice to see Score honor Puckett by naming him as their Man of the Year (previous Score honorees include Cal Ripken and Ryne Sandberg), though I did think he should have been the clear cut "winner". Puckett had a nice season in 1992, but he wasn't the best player in baseball by any stretch. Minnesota won the World Series the year before, in 1991, so it couldn't be that... Oh well, it's cool even if it doesn't make sense...
And Davis was actually the MVP of that 1991 Twins team! I think that is Cranky Tom Kelly making a cameo next to Davis's shin...
One of the rare occasions where the Twins swam in the rent-a-player waters, trading for a true number one staff Ace. (The season before he'd be eligible for free agency.) Tabbed to be Jack Morris' replacement, Smiley came to Minnesota from Pittsburgh, in a rare mid-Spring Training trade. Smiley pitched well in Minnesota, but the Twins didn't win. Smiley left Minnesota for a large contract with the Cincinnati Reds after the 1992 season.
On top of the team stack in the poly bag, was brief Expo Eric Bullock. Who was also a brief Twins outfielder in 1988. Even getting a 1989 Fleer card in a Minnesota uniform! Bullock was a journeyman, who got a bit of playing time with the Expos in 1992.
The team set is a nice 32 card representation of the team. The 1992 card layout isn't as iconic as the 1991 design, but still puts the photos first. Seires One and Two feature photos taken during the 1991 season, and feature players all wearing the old Expos uniforms. Series 3 features Montreal's new acquisitions and rookies, in the new Expos pinstripes, which debut in Spring 1992.
One time New York Mets outfield prospect Reed became an Expos prospect after the 1990 season. He got hurt and missed all of 1991, then became a Twins prospect after a July 1992 trade (for Bill Krueger). Immediately he rubbed Cranky Tom Kelly the wrong way and found himself back in AAA, then traded back to the New York Mets. Reed never played in the majors again, after his 14 games with the Twins in 1992.
Future Hall of Famer Carter returned to Montreal for his 12th and final season with the Expos, after stints with the Mets, Giants and Dodgers. While there, he posed for this awesome photo!
Always remember first seeing Cianfrocco play during a Cubs Expos game on WGN in the Summer of 1992. Hearing a drunken Harry Carry trying to say "Cianfrocco" amused me. So as soon as his rookie cards started hitting the market in late 1992, I collected as many as I could. His Stadium Club edition won out because of the batting cage and sweet arm logo patch.
The painting of Viola's eyes peeking out over the label sticker is kind of creepy... 1989 Donruss was a nice set for the Junk Wax era, that I would probably rank second to 1989 Upper Deck as the best set of 1989. It had clear photos, bright color, a good variety of photographs, but the thin card stock and extra chippy black borders make them extra hard to keep in good condition.
Hrbek in Spring Training 1988, before his body went completely downhill. The navy blue Twins Spring Training jersey would have made a nice alternate in a day where they never did that...
After the 1988 season, the Twins immediately traded Herr (and Eric Bullock) to the Phillies (for Shane Rawley). A few weeks later, they traded a couple of minor league pitchers to the New York Mets for Wally Backman. But Backman wasn't the answer at 2nd Base for Minnesota either...
I never bought the 1989 Donruss Traded box set. Not when it came out and was retailing for $10. And not five years later when boxes of them were readily available at card shows for $2 a piece... Perhaps if they would have combined their Traded set WITH their Rookies set, they would have had something. (That sells for $5 today instead of $1...)
There's Charlie Lea. He was a good pitcher for Montreal, blew out his arm, attempted a comeback in 1988 with Minnesota and was absolutely not a good pitcher. But from 1980-1984, Lea was one of the top young pitchers in baseball, going 55-41, 3.32 ERA in 793 innings with the Expos.
1984 Topps is another of my favorite designs. I like the vertical block letters for the team name, and the little head in a square in the corner of each card.
The Expos starting left fielder from 1977-1983, Cromartie left the Expos to play in Japan from 1984-1990, then returned to the major leagues, for 69 game with the 1991 Kansas City Royals. 1984 Topps featured a lot of Expos in home uniforms at their West Palm Beach spring training park. Looks like he squared that ball up from the motion captured...
Another unheralded Expos pitcher that went on to a lengthy career elsewhere. It's too bad the Expos of the early 1980's couldn't get it all together before having to split up. A trend that would repeat itself until it no longer existed. They had a lot of talent come through the Big Owe throughout the years....
I've wanted this card (and the 1984 Fleer Update Rose) for many years. It's still strange seeing Pete Rose as an Expo, after decades of Reds and Phillies cards. Though Montreal is where he hit number 4,000 in his career!
And he does belong in the Hall of Fame. I find it really had to stomach listening to all of the MLB sponsored support of Draft Kings online "fantasy game" (which takes in and pays out money, based on the on-field accomplishments of major league players in major league games), while Rose isn't allowed to have a plaque in a museum dedicated to the greatest players and accomplishments in the history of baseball.
Yeah Rose is guilty of betting on baseball. That cannot be disputed, as he has admitted to doing it. But if betting on baseball is the worst thing ever, DON'T ACCEPT SPONSORSHIP DEALS WITH GAMBLING WEBSITES!!
Only 1 card included is from the Traded set (Frank Pastore), so that means there are 26 Twins cards in the 792 card 1986 Topps set. That seems rather low to me...
Weak average but good power hitting, decent fielding catcher for Minnesota from 1981-1989. Laudner was never the outright starting catcher in any of his 9 seasons, but was a great platoon half during his Twins career. His 1986 Topps card stood out to me because of the deep green background, and the cheesy script of the mid-1980's Twins logo.
There are very few standout photos in the 1986 Topps Twins set. However, I've always liked the card's layout. Black bar at the top, with the most 1980'sest font Topps could find. I liked this card because of the blue and silver of Yankee Stadium, and the 2-seam fastball grip shown in Filson's glove.
Batting cage! Hatcher was a big fan favorite in Minnesota from 1980-1986. While not the greatest hitter, he was a character guy that compliments a team more than contributes statistics... Is it telling that after the Twins decided to move on from Hatcher (releasing him at the end of 1987 Spring Training), and upgrading left fielders (to Dan Gladden), they won the World Series?
Not really... Hatcher signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 1987. With Hatcher on the team, the Dodgers won the 1988 World Series. So it's clearly not his fault... After wrapping up his playing career in 1990, Hatcher became a minor league coach and manager for the Rangers, then a coach for the Dodgers, and later the Angels. Good on him!
This is misleading of course. At one point, I had a great amount of 1991 Leaf. I really liked the set, and bought a lot of it. Especially once the price on wax started dropping. I liked the design and layout. Despite it bordering on overkill... (Ugh... Lousy pun...) Since I had a whole lot of it, and it was all but worthless thanks to overproduction, I also threw a whole bunch of it away over the years. I bet I could have probably put two Expos team sets together at one point. But I threw too much of it away, and still needed a bunch of it for collections I hadn't yet started...
The Expos road baby blues at Wrigley... Frey was a good situational lefty out of the bullpen for three seasons in Montreal, then logging time with the Giants and Angels and others over 8 years. Nothing great, and a little miscut, but still a card I needed.
The key return in trading future Hall of Famer Tim Raines to the Chicago White Sox, after the 1990 season. Calderon had one of his best seasons in 1991 for the Expos, but an injury in 1992 cost him nearly 2/3 of the season. The Expos traded Calderon to the Boston Red Sox before the 1993 season, but he never recovered. He barely hit, Boston released him in the Summer of 1993, he signed with the White Sox to finish the season, but left the game in 1993 at the age of 31.
Here's one of the most underrated photos to ever appear on an Expos card... The future manager of the team the Expos would become, is tenths of a second away from a painful crash into the brick wall. That Ivy isn't going to cushion a thing... To make matters worse, he missed the ball...
Again, most of what I pulled from packs of 1993 Bowman, went to putting the set together. So my teams collections are all doubles. And I didn't put the 1993 Bowman set together from wax. After a couple boxes and jumbo packs, I had enough of the base to put together a decent checklist. Which was quickly knocked out at card shows of the day. On the heels of 1992 Bowman, the 1993 set was hot upon release. I wanted to focus quickly to get it done, just in case it blew up like 1992. (It didn't, but still has respectable value today...)
Bates had one of the first Rockies cards I owned, a 1993 Excel Minor League card, picturing him as the shortstop for the Bend (Oregon) Rockies. At the time of it's release, none of the 1993 Spring Training photos had made it to cards yet. So all Rockies cards on the market were Rockies in logo only. Bates played parts of four seasons (1995-1998) with Colorado, but couldn't hold a starting job after a strong debut.
One of the established stars the Rockies took in the Expansion Draft, and didn't flip to another team. Girardi was tapped to guide the mismatched parts that comprised the Rockies pitching staff into respectability. Girardi tried hard in his three seasons with Colorado (1993-1995), and was rewarded after leaving with a Yankees World Championship in 1996.
Colorado's 2nd Round pick in 1992, out of the University of Kentucky. Set against a nice chain link and steel pipe backdrop. Thompson never developed into the ace the Rockies hoped. He did manage to pitch in parts of 7 major league seasons (the Rockies from 1994-1998, then two years with the St. Louis Cardinals).
1995 Score didn't impress me at all. Some weird image of dirt, with some bad green circle gradient thing, that doesn't work on it's own, especially not when set against the dirt. The photos were generally good, but I liked the design so little, I never bought any packs.
The New York Mets 1st Round Draft Pick in 1981 (3rd overall), was a floundering prospect by Spring Training 1988. The Mets sent Milligan to the Pittsburgh Pirates late that March, and he spent the year between the Pirates and the AAA Buffalo Bisons. Milligan was traded to Baltimore after the 1988 season, and his career took off in 1989 with the Orioles.
For the next four seasons, he had a steady job at first base. Though his production was slipping. Always able to draw walks, his power numbers declined greatly as he aged. His last season in baseball was 1994, playing in 47 games with the Expos. Milligan did not return to baseball after the players strike ended in April, 1995.
Score over-saturated this photo so much, Fletcher appears to be wearing pinstripeless home whites, instead of the Expos road greys, while playing at Shea.
In addition to the great MLB 125th Anniversary sleeve patch all teams wore in 1994, a matching gold pin of that logo was made available to place on the back of their cap. Few players wore them, but you'd occasionally see them on TV during games and later on a few cards. This card has one of the best photos of that pin I've seen.
Just like 1993 Bowman, 1994 Fleer was another set where as soon as I saw it, I knew this was going to be a set I needed complete. The design is so simple, yet classic. Works excellently with the photos. I didn't end up buying a bunch of wax, as my checklists were easily filled via Minneapolis area card shows and shops that Spring.
Much like every expansion team in the history of any sport. The first season or two is kind of an open audition for players who never made it in other organizations. Long time Blue Jays prospect Liriano was blocked at second in Toronto, then got traded to Minnesota in July 1990. The Twins game him every chance to become their 2nd baseman of the future, but his stay in Minnesota was over with thanks to the arrival of Chuck Knoblauch. Liriano was released just before Opening Day, 1991.
After bouncing around Kansas and Cleveland in 1991-1992, Liriano signed with Colorado for 1993 and played half the season with the Rockies. He lasted all of 1994 with Colorado, until Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers in October, during the strike. After three more years of bouncing around, Liriano popped up to play in 12 games for the Rockies in 1998.
J. is short for Jayhawk... Which would make for a great baseball name! He was a 2nd Round Draft Pick of the Minnesota Twins in 1990, and developed into a solid catching prospect. Feeling a numbers crunch on the roster, Owens was left unprotected in the expansion draft in November 1992, and was picked in the second round by the Rockies. He never developed into the catcher of the future the Rockies had hoped they'd drafted. Owens did play for Colorado in each of the team's first four seasons, but didn't see the majors after 1996.
One of the first Rockies stars was Castilla, also picked up in the 1992 Expansion Draft. Castilla would go on to play parts of 16 seasons in the major leagues. Parts of nine of those seasons were spent with the Rockies. Including a 15 game sunset tour in 2006. Castilla hit 239 home runs with Colorado.
Once again, all packs of this product were immediately spun into putting the complete set together. This is another great Fleer product where the photo is allowed to do all the heavy lifting. The name could be a little smaller, but it's nothing that ruins this set.
Another example I will hold up of the Rockies at least trying... Signing a top free agent pitcher to a five year mega-contract, in attempts to tame the altitude and atmosphere of Colorado... And Kile tried too... He did the best he could over the 1998-1999 seasons here, but it just wasn't going to work. Colorado had mercy on Kile and traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals after the 1999 season.
Clemente's first cards feature him with the last name of Velazquez, but he changed to his mother's maiden name of Clemente before the 1998 season. He is the nephew of the great Roberto Clemente. Edgard managed to get into 68 games with the Rockies over 1998-1999, and put up a .782 OPS in limited duty, during that time. Colorado traded him to the Angels in Spring Training 2000, but he didn't hit there at all, and never made it back to the major leagues.
This card has some great shots of right center field at Coors Field in Denver, a park not as often seen on cards... Bonus points for glove head!
1996 Fleer was again, great looking cards that I bought very little of. Borderless, with Matte stock, with a good variety of photos. This would be a very nice set completed and housed in album pages.
Newly signed by Minnesota to help bring Minnesota back to contention. However, the addition of Molitor wasn't nearly enough, as it came with the unexpected subtraction of another Hall of Famer, the forced retirement of Kirby Puckett, via eye injury. No fault of Molitor, who was very good in his (final) three years before retiring after the 1998 season.
Which is an extra added shame about Puckett, as Knobaluch was quickly developing into the best second baseman in baseball. With a healthy Puckett, Molitor and Knoblauch, that was three well above average hitters in the lineup. However, none of them could pitch. And that was the much deeper problem with the mid and late 1990's Twins teams.
Hollins playing for the Twins came as a surprise after playing a steady third base for Philadelphia. He put in a decent partial year, but Dave Hollins' biggest contribution to the Minnesota Twins came after his August 1996 trade to the Seattle Mariners. The player that Minnesota received in return for Hollins?
1995 Topps didn't interest me much. It's not bad, just didn't stand out amongst the seemingly hundreds of sets from 1995. But it was $2. I'll like 26 new Rockies cards for $2.
The first batter in Colorado Rockies history. Young bunted a 2-1 pitch from Dwight Gooden, and was thrown out, catcher to first. There's your key Colorado Rockies trivia answer...
The Rockies leadoff hitter former 1992 Expansion Draft pick from the Los Angeles Dodgers, was traded back to the Dodgers in August 1997, for Pedro Astacio. (Astacio pitched fairly well for a few seasons in Colorado.) Not sure which stadium Young is signing autographs at, but I'd love a team signed ball, which it looks like he's signing for someone who isn't me...
As a floundering starter with the Detroit Tigers, Ritz got a new lease on life after an arm injury and subsequent Expansion Draft pick with Colorado. Ritz didn't play in 1993 because of that injury, but when he came back, he gave the Rockies something they needed, innings. He never pitched overly well, as his 5.35 lifetime ERA in just over 750 innings would attest. But he kept the Rockies in games, as his 17-11 record to go with a 5.28 ERA in 1996 would show...
1986 was the year before I bought any cards, and also a year that I have never picked up many cards from. The Expos had better photos than the Twins did in their 1986 Topps set, so it was well worth the $2 for 35 cards I needed!
This card eluded me in both of Topps' 2010 Million Card Giveaway and again in their 2011 Don't Remember What It Was Called... Then I forgot all about it... Then it was in the team set... Just a picture I liked. Nothing special...
Wrigley Stadium has Ivy on it's brick covered outfield walls... So it makes sense that the former West Palm Beach Stadium would have Ivy on the chain link!
The only card I had from this set was former Expo, John Vander Wal, and his glorious blonde curly mullet. Just like I said about the Twins team set, I simply bought very little 1996 Fleer... Another $2 well spent!
One of only five players to log Major League service time with the Twins, Expos and Rockies. Reed was an excellent defensive catcher, that continues to coach in the Twins farm system today. This a great Spring Training photo, with that sweet black and purple catchers gear.
Despite having an awesome name, how can you argue with those outfield walls? Just a quick glance gives you Circle K, Exxon, Homer Simpson, Subway, possibly JC Penney. And whatever Ugly Duckling is...
McCracken had a brief 24 game cameo with the Minnesota Twins in 2001, that didn't go as well as anyone hoped... A .588 OPS in 70 plate appearances.
Colorado's mid-season superstar acquisition for their successful 1995 Wild Card run. Saberhagen wasn't as successful in Colorado. Pitching 43 ineffective innings, then getting hurt and missing nearly two full seasons. The Rockies paid over $7 million for this? Seeing the longtime New York Met and Kansas City Royal in Rockies colors is really strange...
The card I had before buying this for a cripplingly expensive $2, was Jeff Reardon. Which was picked up close to 30 years ago, when Reardon was the Twins closer. 1982 Fleer is also a really fun set as far as pictures go (I bought a complete set about ten years ago). I was very anxious to add this set to my Expos collection, nearly 30 cards that all need to be appreciated.
Dude's blowing a bubble... But that bat next to him? I know Photoshop didn't exist in 1982, but that bat doesn't look like it's there naturally. The shadows are wrong, and light is reflecting into the dirt... And then there that white outline on Mills right shoe... That doesn't look right either...
I'm starting to think this isn't a real human being, and is some weird Brad Mills imposter from a different photo, placed on top of something we're not supposed to see...
Montreal's First Round pick (22nd overall) in the 1980 draft, was rushed through the system and playing in Montreal before the 1981 season was complete. As a hitter, Francona never developed much beyond a 4th or 5th outfielder. As a manager, Francona won 2 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.
At one point, I had the full 330 card set. But I traded it for something I can't remember many years ago. I'd kind of like it back, as the bright orange replacing the blue borders of that tired 1988 Donruss gradient squares design, looks almost nice. And I hate the color orange. I much prefer the deep green of Donruss The Rookies boxed set better...
Here's everyone's neighbor standing in his backyard, wearing his Expos fan gear, ready to play catch...
Odd choice for a photo Donruss, considering Smith was a steady pitcher for 9 seasons with the Expos, and a few more with St. Louis, before wrapping up with a brief stay in Colorado with the Rockies in 1993. You'd think they would have come up with something better...
I'm featuring this card from the set because Heaton is managing to somehow aim his taint at the camera while also showing off his "O Face" in his wind-up. Perhaps I should blame Donruss for cropping the photo to include both...
Heaton pitched 2/3 of the 1986 season with the Minnesota Twins, after coming over in a trade with Cleveland. That offseason, the Twins swapped Neal in a package to the Expos (along with Jeff Reed) for Jeff Reardon.
A slightly below average southpaw, Heaton stuck it out for parts of 12 seasons in the majors before finishing off with the Yanks in 1993.
Nothing against that design. It's very simple and nice. Years ago, I picked up team sets of Twins and Expos, so I needed this to complete the trifecta.
I wasn't thinking and scanned this card, despite it being on top of the bagged team set, that I took the picture of... But that shot of Weiss was too nice to not scan...I should have swapped the top card in the team set bag and reshot the picture... Well, when you're already on day seven of trying to get this damn blog post written, you cut a few corners...
Manwaring first made the major leagues as a 21 year old backup catcher with the Giants. Unfortunately, he never developed beyond a backup catcher. Which is good work if you can get it... Manwaring played 12 seasons in the major leagues, the last three (1997-1999) with the Colorado Rockies. Which coincides with the first three seasons of Rockies baseball that I watched up close.
I really didn't want to include any cards of Larry Walker as a Rockie, since he already had that great Expos-dugout-high-fives photo in 1994 Topps. But then Upper Deck offered up a Rockies Walker with giant camera lens. Photos of cameras on cards nets you bonus points!
And that sums up all 24 team sets I bought from the guy with the smartest shipping policy for cards on ebay!
Hobby boxes of Gypsy Queen are through the roof... Retail packs of Gypsy Queen have quickly disappeared from shelves... There are autographed Ohtani Lottery cards out there by God!
Hell, I'd love one myself... Flip it for a few grand, I'm cool for that. If he flames out like I predict, I'll be able to pick an autograph up cheap in a few years. If he doesn't flame out, my loss. (Well, not really...) I mean, I really wanted an Ichiro Suzuki autograph 15 years ago, and thought they may come cheap at some point. They never have, so I don't own one!
That being said, I also wanted the Zack Granite autograph. That card will never fetch a few grand, but as a cheap thrown in on a big box of awesome...
Tonka's GoBots were the cheesy annoying little brother to Hasbro's Transformers. Most GoBots, were uninspired and simple, But some of the Super GoBots (the much larger, and more expensive, version of GoBots) were pretty damn cool. And Psycho was my favorite...
I never owned this one as a kid, as I was loyal to Transformers, and had very few GoBots. But I remember several friends having one...
And for the price I paid, which was not a whole lot more than what that original price tag still on the front of the box asks for, this one is mine!
Which reminds me, coming up very soon, amidst all the other sorting and packing going on, I have to pack up and secure my collectable toys. Psycho is about to join all of his new friends from the He-Man, G.I. Joe and Transformers families, locked away inside the "Treasure Chest".
That night I'm talking about didn't end up that way...
I'm not going to reveal the seller, but I found someone who added magic words to his ebay store: "First item ships for $2.75. Each additional item is no charge for shipping." Well then, that's a great offer. Let's see what your store has...
Okay, that is a great deal of team sets... 24 of them in fact! Plus one autographed Twins card! All that was shipped for $2.75. The cost of the 24 team sets, plus autograph card? Less than 4 Blasters at Target. A bit more than I wanted to spend... But once you start seeing all these team sets you need for $2-3 a piece, plus basically a dime to ship, it's easy to go a little overboard...
So what did I get, and more importantly, how much of it fit needs?
Which is dumb...
Each team set will then display my three favorite (or otherwise notable) cards from it.
But, I cannot duplicate players (with one exception).
It'll make sense as we go...
#24 - 2006 Topps Colorado Rockies (with Update) - 28 card set - 0% New Cards!
I previously had all 28, for 100% completion.
This would be a mental mistake on my part. I picked this team set up from ebay during a similar impulse team set freak-out a couple of years ago... I don't remember what I paid for it then, but this copy set me back a whopping $2 now. So I'm not bummed out about owning an extra.
2006 Topps - Kazuo Matsui
2006 Topps - Zach Day
Day was traded to the Rockies from the Nationals in 2005. He played in Montreal for the Expos in 2003 and 2004. Back when I started this blog, I wrote about a 2003 Expos game at Coors Field in Denver, where Day was ejected for putting a foreign substance on his finger, to deal with a blister.
2006 Topps - Todd Helton
The national sports media will never give him credit, due to the effects of batting at the high altitude of Denver, but Helton was one of the best hitters of his generation. I watched nearly his entire career, from 1997 through 2013, and he was always steady and great. Even when his back was failing him.
#23 - 1993 Score Montreal Expos - 26 card set - 8% New Cards!
I previously had 24 from this set, for 92% completion.
This one puzzled me. I bought very little 1993 Score in my life, and I've never bought a team set. So how did I get so many Expos from it?
1993 Score - Tim Wallach
Wallach was actually a card I needed. After 13 years with the Expos, Montreal couldn't afford him any longer, so he was traded to the Dodgers for a sack of nothing, after the 1992 season. So this would be one of Wallach's last cards as an Expo.
1993 Score - Greg Colbrunn
I like Greg Colbrunn. And even though this picture is almost identical to his 1993 Pinnacle card, it's another chance to look at the Shea Stadium dugout pay phones between his legs...
1993 Score - B.J. Wallace - 1st Round Draft Pick
Wallace (no relation as far as I know) never made it. Pretty sure I talked about that before...
#22 - 1982 Fleer Minnesota Twins - 21 card set - 24% New Cards!
I previously had 16 cards from the team set, roughly 76% complete.
Cards featuring The Met are one of my smallest subsets in my collection.
I'll have to write about that some day...
1982 Fleer - Darrell Jackson
Jackson was a new one to me. Immediately the Twins road blues stood out against Yankee Stadium behind him. (Not certain, but pretty sure that is Yankee Stadium)
1982 Fleer - Sal Butera
With that mustache, he really does look like a Sal... In my 1994 Bowman Top Whatever Countdown, I mentioned how distinctive the Twins current Spring Training home in Fort Myers, Florida looked on cards. However, as far as features that stand out on a card, Fort Myers has nothing on Minnesota's past Spring training home, Tinker Field in Orlando. Bright yellow wooden seats, all sorts of sheds and fences close to the field, and of course the hulking Citrus Bowl sitting just beyond Right Field.
1982 Fleer - Doug Corbett
See what I mean about Tinker Field?
The whole baseball complex was demolished in 2014 during renovations to the Citrus Bowl.
1982 Fleer had some really great photos. Unfortunately, a lot of them were very blurry...
#21 - 1993 Bowman Montreal Expos - 24 card set - 25% New Cards!
I previously had 18 of 24, meaning a 75% completion rate.
Nice round numbers make for simple math...
Much like 1982 Fleer, I have my set of 1993 Bowman all boxed up and put away. Unlooked at for many years. Still, it's a very nice set. Not as highly sought after as 1992 Bowman, but an excellent follow up. Nice photos, decent color. Topps did a good job following up of 1992's success.
1993 Bowman - Gabe White
I talked enough about White in my 1994 Bowman Top Whatever...
1993 Bowman - Tim Laker
A sometime backup catcher for the Expos, went on to get more playing time with the Indians after a few up and down years in Montreal.
1993 Bowman - Joey Eischen
Beginning to think Eischen has appeared in more Four Baggers posts than any other player...
#20 - 1996 Fleer Montreal Expos (with Update) - 30 card set - 27% New Cards!
I previously had 22 of 30, 73% of the team set.
1996 Fleer - Carlos Perez
What kind of pitch exactly is Carlos getting ready to throw? I don't recognize that grip as anything... One of the hot rookie sensation pitchers of 1995, though completely overshadowed by Hideo Nomo. Despite his little post-strikeout dance that would infuriate opposing batters. For his brief career, Perez was very memorable to me.
1996 Fleer - Cliff Floyd
Floyd takes great pictures... Maybe it's just how much I love the Expos jersey he's wearing...
1996 Fleer - Henry Rodriguez
This is one of my favorite cards ever!
#19 - 1994 Topps Montreal Expos (with Traded) - 30 card set - 40% New Cards!
I previously had 18 of the 30 Expos Topps made, a good 60% of the team set.
1994 Topps - Denis Boucher
Boucher was born in Montreal, so it was a big deal when he got a chance to play for the Expos. (Previously, Boucher pitched for the Indians and Blue Jays.) Unfortunately, Boucher didn't last long for Expos either...
1994 Topps - Mike Lansing
I know what Topps was going for with this home plate design, but they took away too much of the picture just to do it. It would have helped if Topps had taken all the plain colors used in the design and adapted them to feature more team colors. That would have helped a lot. But this is a nice photo...
1994 Topps - Larry Walker
Nice card with some Expos dugout celebration. This Walker card is new to me, and it rules.
#18 - 1998 Fleer Montreal Expos (with Update) - 25 cards - 44% New Cards!
I previously had 14 of these 25, surprising me that I already had 56% of the set.
This was another set where I didn't think I had more than maybe 5 cards from it. I bought very few packs of this, but ended up with over half of it. There's some great photographs, and also some bad head shots. So this team set is kind of a mixed bag.
1998 Fleer - Shane Andrews
1998 Fleer - Vladimir Guerrero
Vlad looks rather awkward as he drops into his slide. Judging from the Cub in the dugout, it looks like he's about to be sliding into home. This card was new to me, I'd never seen it before. It's another great addition to the Vlad collection.
1998 Fleer - Javier Vazquez
Love that Expos 30th Anniversary patch on his sleeve... Vazquez won 165 games in a 14 year career with 6 teams, from 1998- 2011. Six of those years were spent with the Expos, until have was traded to the Yankees. As all good Expos were at some point...
#17 - 1993 Score Minnesota Twins - 28 cards - 46% New Cards!
I previously had 15 from this set, or roughly 54%.
Something I noticed with the 1993 Score Expos set was how similar most of the images looked. This was also the case with the Twins. That tends to happen when a set goes too extreme in the all action direction. The best sets are always a good mix of action and either poses or head shots. Mix in some candid photos here and there and you've got a nice set.
28 cards where 26 of them are batters batting and pitchers pitching gets old after 600 or so cards...
1993 Score - Kirby Puckett 1992 Man of the Year
It was nice to see Score honor Puckett by naming him as their Man of the Year (previous Score honorees include Cal Ripken and Ryne Sandberg), though I did think he should have been the clear cut "winner". Puckett had a nice season in 1992, but he wasn't the best player in baseball by any stretch. Minnesota won the World Series the year before, in 1991, so it couldn't be that... Oh well, it's cool even if it doesn't make sense...
1993 Score - Chili Davis
And Davis was actually the MVP of that 1991 Twins team! I think that is Cranky Tom Kelly making a cameo next to Davis's shin...
1993 Score - John Smiley
One of the rare occasions where the Twins swam in the rent-a-player waters, trading for a true number one staff Ace. (The season before he'd be eligible for free agency.) Tabbed to be Jack Morris' replacement, Smiley came to Minnesota from Pittsburgh, in a rare mid-Spring Training trade. Smiley pitched well in Minnesota, but the Twins didn't win. Smiley left Minnesota for a large contract with the Cincinnati Reds after the 1992 season.
#16 - 1992 Stadium Club Montreal Expos - 32 cards - 53% New Cards
I also had 15 cards from this set, completing 47% of it.
On top of the team stack in the poly bag, was brief Expo Eric Bullock. Who was also a brief Twins outfielder in 1988. Even getting a 1989 Fleer card in a Minnesota uniform! Bullock was a journeyman, who got a bit of playing time with the Expos in 1992.
The team set is a nice 32 card representation of the team. The 1992 card layout isn't as iconic as the 1991 design, but still puts the photos first. Seires One and Two feature photos taken during the 1991 season, and feature players all wearing the old Expos uniforms. Series 3 features Montreal's new acquisitions and rookies, in the new Expos pinstripes, which debut in Spring 1992.
1992 Stadium Club - Darren Reed
One time New York Mets outfield prospect Reed became an Expos prospect after the 1990 season. He got hurt and missed all of 1991, then became a Twins prospect after a July 1992 trade (for Bill Krueger). Immediately he rubbed Cranky Tom Kelly the wrong way and found himself back in AAA, then traded back to the New York Mets. Reed never played in the majors again, after his 14 games with the Twins in 1992.
1992 Stadium Club - Gary Carter
Future Hall of Famer Carter returned to Montreal for his 12th and final season with the Expos, after stints with the Mets, Giants and Dodgers. While there, he posed for this awesome photo!
1992 Stadium Club - Archi Cianfrocco
Always remember first seeing Cianfrocco play during a Cubs Expos game on WGN in the Summer of 1992. Hearing a drunken Harry Carry trying to say "Cianfrocco" amused me. So as soon as his rookie cards started hitting the market in late 1992, I collected as many as I could. His Stadium Club edition won out because of the batting cage and sweet arm logo patch.
#15 - 1989 Donruss Minnesota Twins (with Traded & The Rookies) - 27 cards - 56% New Cards!
My albums had 12 of the 27, for a 44% completion rate!
The painting of Viola's eyes peeking out over the label sticker is kind of creepy... 1989 Donruss was a nice set for the Junk Wax era, that I would probably rank second to 1989 Upper Deck as the best set of 1989. It had clear photos, bright color, a good variety of photographs, but the thin card stock and extra chippy black borders make them extra hard to keep in good condition.
1989 Donruss - Kent Hrbek
Hrbek in Spring Training 1988, before his body went completely downhill. The navy blue Twins Spring Training jersey would have made a nice alternate in a day where they never did that...
1989 Donruss - Tommy Herr
For some reason, the Twins have yet to retire Herr's jersey number... Baffling...
1989 Donruss - Wally Backman
After the 1988 season, the Twins immediately traded Herr (and Eric Bullock) to the Phillies (for Shane Rawley). A few weeks later, they traded a couple of minor league pitchers to the New York Mets for Wally Backman. But Backman wasn't the answer at 2nd Base for Minnesota either...
I never bought the 1989 Donruss Traded box set. Not when it came out and was retailing for $10. And not five years later when boxes of them were readily available at card shows for $2 a piece... Perhaps if they would have combined their Traded set WITH their Rookies set, they would have had something. (That sells for $5 today instead of $1...)
So this Backman card is completely new to me... And I do like it...
#14 - 1984 Topps Montreal Expos (with Traded) - 36 cards - 58% New Cards!
I previously had 15 of this set, means I already had 42% of it!
There's Charlie Lea. He was a good pitcher for Montreal, blew out his arm, attempted a comeback in 1988 with Minnesota and was absolutely not a good pitcher. But from 1980-1984, Lea was one of the top young pitchers in baseball, going 55-41, 3.32 ERA in 793 innings with the Expos.
1984 Topps is another of my favorite designs. I like the vertical block letters for the team name, and the little head in a square in the corner of each card.
1984 Topps - Warren Cromartie
The Expos starting left fielder from 1977-1983, Cromartie left the Expos to play in Japan from 1984-1990, then returned to the major leagues, for 69 game with the 1991 Kansas City Royals. 1984 Topps featured a lot of Expos in home uniforms at their West Palm Beach spring training park. Looks like he squared that ball up from the motion captured...
1984 Topps - Scott Sanderson
Another unheralded Expos pitcher that went on to a lengthy career elsewhere. It's too bad the Expos of the early 1980's couldn't get it all together before having to split up. A trend that would repeat itself until it no longer existed. They had a lot of talent come through the Big Owe throughout the years....
1984 Topps Traded - Pete Rose
I've wanted this card (and the 1984 Fleer Update Rose) for many years. It's still strange seeing Pete Rose as an Expo, after decades of Reds and Phillies cards. Though Montreal is where he hit number 4,000 in his career!
And he does belong in the Hall of Fame. I find it really had to stomach listening to all of the MLB sponsored support of Draft Kings online "fantasy game" (which takes in and pays out money, based on the on-field accomplishments of major league players in major league games), while Rose isn't allowed to have a plaque in a museum dedicated to the greatest players and accomplishments in the history of baseball.
Yeah Rose is guilty of betting on baseball. That cannot be disputed, as he has admitted to doing it. But if betting on baseball is the worst thing ever, DON'T ACCEPT SPONSORSHIP DEALS WITH GAMBLING WEBSITES!!
The MLB/Rose/Draft Kings issue is always going to bother me until Rose is in the Hall.
#13 - 1986 Topps Minnesota Twins (with Traded) - 27 cards - 63% New Cards!
I previously had 10 of this set, and that's only 37% of it...
Only 1 card included is from the Traded set (Frank Pastore), so that means there are 26 Twins cards in the 792 card 1986 Topps set. That seems rather low to me...
1986 Topps - Tim Laudner
Weak average but good power hitting, decent fielding catcher for Minnesota from 1981-1989. Laudner was never the outright starting catcher in any of his 9 seasons, but was a great platoon half during his Twins career. His 1986 Topps card stood out to me because of the deep green background, and the cheesy script of the mid-1980's Twins logo.
1986 Topps - Pete Filson
There are very few standout photos in the 1986 Topps Twins set. However, I've always liked the card's layout. Black bar at the top, with the most 1980'sest font Topps could find. I liked this card because of the blue and silver of Yankee Stadium, and the 2-seam fastball grip shown in Filson's glove.
1986 Topps - Mickey Hatcher
Batting cage! Hatcher was a big fan favorite in Minnesota from 1980-1986. While not the greatest hitter, he was a character guy that compliments a team more than contributes statistics... Is it telling that after the Twins decided to move on from Hatcher (releasing him at the end of 1987 Spring Training), and upgrading left fielders (to Dan Gladden), they won the World Series?
Not really... Hatcher signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 1987. With Hatcher on the team, the Dodgers won the 1988 World Series. So it's clearly not his fault... After wrapping up his playing career in 1990, Hatcher became a minor league coach and manager for the Rangers, then a coach for the Dodgers, and later the Angels. Good on him!
#12 - 1991 Leaf Montreal Expos - 20 cards - 65% New Cards!
I previously had 7 of 20 cards, or 35% of the set...
This is misleading of course. At one point, I had a great amount of 1991 Leaf. I really liked the set, and bought a lot of it. Especially once the price on wax started dropping. I liked the design and layout. Despite it bordering on overkill... (Ugh... Lousy pun...) Since I had a whole lot of it, and it was all but worthless thanks to overproduction, I also threw a whole bunch of it away over the years. I bet I could have probably put two Expos team sets together at one point. But I threw too much of it away, and still needed a bunch of it for collections I hadn't yet started...
1991 Leaf - Steve Frey
The Expos road baby blues at Wrigley... Frey was a good situational lefty out of the bullpen for three seasons in Montreal, then logging time with the Giants and Angels and others over 8 years. Nothing great, and a little miscut, but still a card I needed.
1991 Leaf - Ivan Calderon
The key return in trading future Hall of Famer Tim Raines to the Chicago White Sox, after the 1990 season. Calderon had one of his best seasons in 1991 for the Expos, but an injury in 1992 cost him nearly 2/3 of the season. The Expos traded Calderon to the Boston Red Sox before the 1993 season, but he never recovered. He barely hit, Boston released him in the Summer of 1993, he signed with the White Sox to finish the season, but left the game in 1993 at the age of 31.
Ivan Calderon passed away in 2003.
1991 Leaf - Dave Martinez
Here's one of the most underrated photos to ever appear on an Expos card... The future manager of the team the Expos would become, is tenths of a second away from a painful crash into the brick wall. That Ivy isn't going to cushion a thing... To make matters worse, he missed the ball...
Great card!
#11 - 1993 Bowman Colorado Rockies - 26 cards - 65% New Cards!
I previously had 9, for 35% of the team set...
Again, most of what I pulled from packs of 1993 Bowman, went to putting the set together. So my teams collections are all doubles. And I didn't put the 1993 Bowman set together from wax. After a couple boxes and jumbo packs, I had enough of the base to put together a decent checklist. Which was quickly knocked out at card shows of the day. On the heels of 1992 Bowman, the 1993 set was hot upon release. I wanted to focus quickly to get it done, just in case it blew up like 1992. (It didn't, but still has respectable value today...)
1993 Bowman - Jason Bates
Bates had one of the first Rockies cards I owned, a 1993 Excel Minor League card, picturing him as the shortstop for the Bend (Oregon) Rockies. At the time of it's release, none of the 1993 Spring Training photos had made it to cards yet. So all Rockies cards on the market were Rockies in logo only. Bates played parts of four seasons (1995-1998) with Colorado, but couldn't hold a starting job after a strong debut.
1993 Bowman - Joe Girardi
One of the established stars the Rockies took in the Expansion Draft, and didn't flip to another team. Girardi was tapped to guide the mismatched parts that comprised the Rockies pitching staff into respectability. Girardi tried hard in his three seasons with Colorado (1993-1995), and was rewarded after leaving with a Yankees World Championship in 1996.
1993 Bowman - Mark Thompson
Colorado's 2nd Round pick in 1992, out of the University of Kentucky. Set against a nice chain link and steel pipe backdrop. Thompson never developed into the ace the Rockies hoped. He did manage to pitch in parts of 7 major league seasons (the Rockies from 1994-1998, then two years with the St. Louis Cardinals).
#10 - 1995 Score Montreal Expos - 22 cards - 77% New Cards!
I previously had only 5 Expos from this set... That's just 23%!
1995 Score didn't impress me at all. Some weird image of dirt, with some bad green circle gradient thing, that doesn't work on it's own, especially not when set against the dirt. The photos were generally good, but I liked the design so little, I never bought any packs.
1995 Score - Randy Milligan
The New York Mets 1st Round Draft Pick in 1981 (3rd overall), was a floundering prospect by Spring Training 1988. The Mets sent Milligan to the Pittsburgh Pirates late that March, and he spent the year between the Pirates and the AAA Buffalo Bisons. Milligan was traded to Baltimore after the 1988 season, and his career took off in 1989 with the Orioles.
For the next four seasons, he had a steady job at first base. Though his production was slipping. Always able to draw walks, his power numbers declined greatly as he aged. His last season in baseball was 1994, playing in 47 games with the Expos. Milligan did not return to baseball after the players strike ended in April, 1995.
1995 Score - Darrin Fletcher
Score over-saturated this photo so much, Fletcher appears to be wearing pinstripeless home whites, instead of the Expos road greys, while playing at Shea.
1995 Score - Wil Cordero
In addition to the great MLB 125th Anniversary sleeve patch all teams wore in 1994, a matching gold pin of that logo was made available to place on the back of their cap. Few players wore them, but you'd occasionally see them on TV during games and later on a few cards. This card has one of the best photos of that pin I've seen.
#9 - 1994 Fleer Colorado Rockies (with Update) - 36 cards - 86% New Cards!
I previously only had a lowly 5 Rockies cards from 1994 Fleer... That's barely 14% of the team set.
Just like 1993 Bowman, 1994 Fleer was another set where as soon as I saw it, I knew this was going to be a set I needed complete. The design is so simple, yet classic. Works excellently with the photos. I didn't end up buying a bunch of wax, as my checklists were easily filled via Minneapolis area card shows and shops that Spring.
1994 Fleer - Nelson Liriano
Much like every expansion team in the history of any sport. The first season or two is kind of an open audition for players who never made it in other organizations. Long time Blue Jays prospect Liriano was blocked at second in Toronto, then got traded to Minnesota in July 1990. The Twins game him every chance to become their 2nd baseman of the future, but his stay in Minnesota was over with thanks to the arrival of Chuck Knoblauch. Liriano was released just before Opening Day, 1991.
After bouncing around Kansas and Cleveland in 1991-1992, Liriano signed with Colorado for 1993 and played half the season with the Rockies. He lasted all of 1994 with Colorado, until Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers in October, during the strike. After three more years of bouncing around, Liriano popped up to play in 12 games for the Rockies in 1998.
He went 0-17.
1994 Fleer - J. Owens
J. is short for Jayhawk... Which would make for a great baseball name! He was a 2nd Round Draft Pick of the Minnesota Twins in 1990, and developed into a solid catching prospect. Feeling a numbers crunch on the roster, Owens was left unprotected in the expansion draft in November 1992, and was picked in the second round by the Rockies. He never developed into the catcher of the future the Rockies had hoped they'd drafted. Owens did play for Colorado in each of the team's first four seasons, but didn't see the majors after 1996.
1994 Fleer - Vinny Castilla
One of the first Rockies stars was Castilla, also picked up in the 1992 Expansion Draft. Castilla would go on to play parts of 16 seasons in the major leagues. Parts of nine of those seasons were spent with the Rockies. Including a 15 game sunset tour in 2006. Castilla hit 239 home runs with Colorado.
#8 - 1999 Fleer Colorado Rockies (with Update) - 25 cards - 92% New Cards!
I only had 2? Well, 8% is... It's a number!
Once again, all packs of this product were immediately spun into putting the complete set together. This is another great Fleer product where the photo is allowed to do all the heavy lifting. The name could be a little smaller, but it's nothing that ruins this set.
1999 Fleer - Darryl Kile
Another example I will hold up of the Rockies at least trying... Signing a top free agent pitcher to a five year mega-contract, in attempts to tame the altitude and atmosphere of Colorado... And Kile tried too... He did the best he could over the 1998-1999 seasons here, but it just wasn't going to work. Colorado had mercy on Kile and traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals after the 1999 season.
Darryl Kile died of a heart attack at the team hotel on June 22, 2002 in Chicago. He was 34 years old.
1999 Fleer - Edgard Clemente
Clemente's first cards feature him with the last name of Velazquez, but he changed to his mother's maiden name of Clemente before the 1998 season. He is the nephew of the great Roberto Clemente. Edgard managed to get into 68 games with the Rockies over 1998-1999, and put up a .782 OPS in limited duty, during that time. Colorado traded him to the Angels in Spring Training 2000, but he didn't hit there at all, and never made it back to the major leagues.
1999 Fleer - Jamey Wright
This card has some great shots of right center field at Coors Field in Denver, a park not as often seen on cards... Bonus points for glove head!
#7 - 1996 Fleer Minnesota Twins (with Update) - 26 cards - 92% New Cards!
I previously had only 2 Twins from this set, just 8% of it...
1996 Fleer was again, great looking cards that I bought very little of. Borderless, with Matte stock, with a good variety of photos. This would be a very nice set completed and housed in album pages.
1996 Fleer - Paul Molitor
Newly signed by Minnesota to help bring Minnesota back to contention. However, the addition of Molitor wasn't nearly enough, as it came with the unexpected subtraction of another Hall of Famer, the forced retirement of Kirby Puckett, via eye injury. No fault of Molitor, who was very good in his (final) three years before retiring after the 1998 season.
1996 Fleer - Chuck Knoblauch
1996 Fleer - Dave Hollins
Hollins playing for the Twins came as a surprise after playing a steady third base for Philadelphia. He put in a decent partial year, but Dave Hollins' biggest contribution to the Minnesota Twins came after his August 1996 trade to the Seattle Mariners. The player that Minnesota received in return for Hollins?
David Ortiz!
#6 - 1995 Topps Colorado Rockies (with Traded) - 28 cards - 93% New Cards!
I previously had 2 cards from this set. Only 7% of it complete.
1995 Topps didn't interest me much. It's not bad, just didn't stand out amongst the seemingly hundreds of sets from 1995. But it was $2. I'll like 26 new Rockies cards for $2.
1995 Topps - Eric Young
The Rockies leadoff hitter former 1992 Expansion Draft pick from the Los Angeles Dodgers, was traded back to the Dodgers in August 1997, for Pedro Astacio. (Astacio pitched fairly well for a few seasons in Colorado.) Not sure which stadium Young is signing autographs at, but I'd love a team signed ball, which it looks like he's signing for someone who isn't me...
1995 Topps - Dante Bichette
You can never go wrong with a bat rack... And an MLB 125th Anniversary sleeve patch...
1995 Topps - Kevin Ritz
Awesome throwback spring training pose... Great card that I don't recall ever seeing before today....
As a floundering starter with the Detroit Tigers, Ritz got a new lease on life after an arm injury and subsequent Expansion Draft pick with Colorado. Ritz didn't play in 1993 because of that injury, but when he came back, he gave the Rockies something they needed, innings. He never pitched overly well, as his 5.35 lifetime ERA in just over 750 innings would attest. But he kept the Rockies in games, as his 17-11 record to go with a 5.28 ERA in 1996 would show...
#5 - 1986 Topps Montreal Expos (with Traded) - 37 cards - 95% New Cards!
I previously had a whopping 2 of these... That's an astounding 5% of the set!
Hi, Andre Dawson!
1986 Topps - Jim Wohlford
Look at all the zip ties on that batting cage... Maybe they should just buy a new one...
They're the Expos... They can't afford a new one...
1986 Topps - Vance Law
1986 Topps - Hubie Brooks
Wrigley Stadium has Ivy on it's brick covered outfield walls... So it makes sense that the former West Palm Beach Stadium would have Ivy on the chain link!
#4 - 1996 Fleer Colorado Rockies (with Update) - 27 cards - 96% New Cards!
I previously had only one card. Only 4% of the set...
The only card I had from this set was former Expo, John Vander Wal, and his glorious blonde curly mullet. Just like I said about the Twins team set, I simply bought very little 1996 Fleer... Another $2 well spent!
1996 Fleer - Jeff Reed
1996 Fleer - Quinton McCracken
Despite having an awesome name, how can you argue with those outfield walls? Just a quick glance gives you Circle K, Exxon, Homer Simpson, Subway, possibly JC Penney. And whatever Ugly Duckling is...
McCracken had a brief 24 game cameo with the Minnesota Twins in 2001, that didn't go as well as anyone hoped... A .588 OPS in 70 plate appearances.
1996 Fleer - Bret Saberhagen
Colorado's mid-season superstar acquisition for their successful 1995 Wild Card run. Saberhagen wasn't as successful in Colorado. Pitching 43 ineffective innings, then getting hurt and missing nearly two full seasons. The Rockies paid over $7 million for this? Seeing the longtime New York Met and Kansas City Royal in Rockies colors is really strange...
#3 - 1982 Fleer Montreal Expos - 29 cards - 97% New Cards!
I previously had 1 card from this team set... 3% club!
The card I had before buying this for a cripplingly expensive $2, was Jeff Reardon. Which was picked up close to 30 years ago, when Reardon was the Twins closer. 1982 Fleer is also a really fun set as far as pictures go (I bought a complete set about ten years ago). I was very anxious to add this set to my Expos collection, nearly 30 cards that all need to be appreciated.
1982 Fleer - Brad Mills
Dude's blowing a bubble... But that bat next to him? I know Photoshop didn't exist in 1982, but that bat doesn't look like it's there naturally. The shadows are wrong, and light is reflecting into the dirt... And then there that white outline on Mills right shoe... That doesn't look right either...
I'm starting to think this isn't a real human being, and is some weird Brad Mills imposter from a different photo, placed on top of something we're not supposed to see...
Come on Fleer, what did you hiding? And what did you do with the real Brad Mills?
1982 Fleer - Bill Lee
I'll bet the Spaceman could get to the bottom of this...
1982 Fleer - Terry Francona
Montreal's First Round pick (22nd overall) in the 1980 draft, was rushed through the system and playing in Montreal before the 1981 season was complete. As a hitter, Francona never developed much beyond a 4th or 5th outfielder. As a manager, Francona won 2 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.
And one of those really hurt...
#2 - 1988 Donruss Baseball's Best Montreal Expos - 12 cards - 100% NEW CARDS!
(Kinda...)
I previously had none of these, so it goes without saying, I had 0% of the team set.
1988 Donruss Baseball's Best - Bryn Smith
Here's everyone's neighbor standing in his backyard, wearing his Expos fan gear, ready to play catch...
Odd choice for a photo Donruss, considering Smith was a steady pitcher for 9 seasons with the Expos, and a few more with St. Louis, before wrapping up with a brief stay in Colorado with the Rockies in 1993. You'd think they would have come up with something better...
1988 Donruss Baseball's Best - Neal Heaton
I'm featuring this card from the set because Heaton is managing to somehow aim his taint at the camera while also showing off his "O Face" in his wind-up. Perhaps I should blame Donruss for cropping the photo to include both...
Heaton pitched 2/3 of the 1986 season with the Minnesota Twins, after coming over in a trade with Cleveland. That offseason, the Twins swapped Neal in a package to the Expos (along with Jeff Reed) for Jeff Reardon.
A slightly below average southpaw, Heaton stuck it out for parts of 12 seasons in the majors before finishing off with the Yanks in 1993.
I jammed a whole lot of innuendo up there...
During Heaton's rookie season of 1983, he gave up 69 earned runs!
Ha!
1988 Donruss Baseball's Best - Andres Galarraga
Donruss chose a photo from that one afternoon the Montreal Expos all went to play Putt-Putt Golf...
#1 - 1997 Collectors Choice Colorado Rockies - 18 cards - 100% ALL NEW CARDS!!!
I previously had 0 (0%), because I never bought any.
Nothing against that design. It's very simple and nice. Years ago, I picked up team sets of Twins and Expos, so I needed this to complete the trifecta.
1997 Collectors Choice - Walt Weiss
I wasn't thinking and scanned this card, despite it being on top of the bagged team set, that I took the picture of... But that shot of Weiss was too nice to not scan...I should have swapped the top card in the team set bag and reshot the picture... Well, when you're already on day seven of trying to get this damn blog post written, you cut a few corners...
At least the awesomeness of this card makes up for it...
1997 Collectors Choice - Kirt Manwaring
Manwaring first made the major leagues as a 21 year old backup catcher with the Giants. Unfortunately, he never developed beyond a backup catcher. Which is good work if you can get it... Manwaring played 12 seasons in the major leagues, the last three (1997-1999) with the Colorado Rockies. Which coincides with the first three seasons of Rockies baseball that I watched up close.
1997 Collectors Choice - Larry Walker
I really didn't want to include any cards of Larry Walker as a Rockie, since he already had that great Expos-dugout-high-fives photo in 1994 Topps. But then Upper Deck offered up a Rockies Walker with giant camera lens. Photos of cameras on cards nets you bonus points!
And that sums up all 24 team sets I bought from the guy with the smartest shipping policy for cards on ebay!
Though, I did find one single card to have him toss in the team set box...
2018 Gypsy Queen - Zack Granite Autograph
Hell, I'd love one myself... Flip it for a few grand, I'm cool for that. If he flames out like I predict, I'll be able to pick an autograph up cheap in a few years. If he doesn't flame out, my loss. (Well, not really...) I mean, I really wanted an Ichiro Suzuki autograph 15 years ago, and thought they may come cheap at some point. They never have, so I don't own one!
That being said, I also wanted the Zack Granite autograph. That card will never fetch a few grand, but as a cheap thrown in on a big box of awesome...
Well, I'm cool for that too!
I sure as hell didn't want to buy packs to try and find it...
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Before I was done with ebay that night, I had one of those South Parkian "Hey, 'member GoBots?" moments, and had to change my current ebay search...
Collectable toys it is!
Hmmm...
There it is, the one I wanted...
Complete with original packaging...
At a price that is WAY less than I'd expected...
Tonka's GoBots were the cheesy annoying little brother to Hasbro's Transformers. Most GoBots, were uninspired and simple, But some of the Super GoBots (the much larger, and more expensive, version of GoBots) were pretty damn cool. And Psycho was my favorite...
Heheheheh... GoBotron...
And for the price I paid, which was not a whole lot more than what that original price tag still on the front of the box asks for, this one is mine!
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Which reminds me, coming up very soon, amidst all the other sorting and packing going on, I have to pack up and secure my collectable toys. Psycho is about to join all of his new friends from the He-Man, G.I. Joe and Transformers families, locked away inside the "Treasure Chest".
And that will likely make a good story to throw up here in the near future...
Collectables can't be limited to just cardboard!
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Oh yeah...
Don't worry, 99 Spillihp Part Two is still on it's way!
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