2002 Topps Total Whatever... In Delaware!

One of my long time collecting goals has been to rip a box of 2002 Topps Total. While I’d love to have the complete set, I really just want to see a good sampling of who’s in the set. More importantly, where are they playing?

This story was started in October 2019. I don't know why l decided to finally finish it now.

Nearly five years ago, Laura and I went on vacation. I'll get into that later. The important part for right now, is that I found a box of 2002 Topps Total, on sale in a card store in Newark, Delaware, for $25. Was beyond excited to rip that box, for a price far below what I'd ever expected to pay. 

That little red burst in the upper right corner, reads: "For the SET builder". Which is further promoted by the "biggest set" claim, covered by the 990 card checklist. Topps had faced some criticism over downsizing their flagship sets after the 1994 MLB Players Strike. From around 800 cards to less than 500. Which even included the addition of two new teams in 1998. Topps Total was their answer to satisfying that disgruntled customer. Each of the 30 teams would have an average of 33 cards. Enough for the full 25 man roster, plus a selection of rookies and prospects. This is a product meant for me!

Topps Total was released in June 2002. Which coincidentally was right smack in the middle of when I wasn't able to buy many cards. Topps Total was also a low end product I didn't see my LCS carrying very much of. So I pretty much missed out on that line of cards back in the day. But it's such a novel concept, for a period of time lacking in my team collections, that ripping a box has always been high on my want list. 

In addition to the players I collect, and the teams I collect, there was one other big draw in ripping a box of 2002 Topps Total. Many of those cards would fall under one of two categories:

1. Wow! He played for THAT team?

-or-

2. Wow! HE played for that team?

2002 was an interesting point for a former Junk Wax Prospector. Roughly a decade after the players I was chasing in the early 1990’s, would have either established themselves in baseball, or have left the game after things didn’t work out. With the added caveat of an additional 17 years having passed. So this would be a fun experiment. With a set this big, which players from those days were still around in 2002? Who were stars? Who were hangers on? The same could be said for the rookies and prospects of 2002, compared to where they were in 2019.

36 packs of 10 cards each. For a 990 card set. With prefect collation, I’d still be only getting 1/3 of the set in this box. So I was mainly hoping for some part-timers and hangers-on for the Twins, Expos and Rockies. I got a decent amount of Colorado Rockies, but the box was scarce on Twins and Expos. There was one card I really wanted out of this box, the Joe Mauer Twins draft pick card.

I didn’t get it.

After sitting sealed in these packs for close to 20 year, I’d hoped they weren’t solid 10 card bricks that would be nearly impossible to separate. I didn’t want to see my “dream” box mirror the sad debacle ripping 10 packs of 1993 Pacific Baseball was a few years ago. Every single card in those were welded together and would not come apart without tearing. Glad those packs were only a quarter a piece.

Even this box, with 36 packs for $25, comes to just under 70 cents per pack. So as long as they’re not absolutely destroyed, I can live with non-mint cards. I’m not looking to sell them anyway.

Whatever...

Only means it's time for the long delayed 2002 Topps Total Whatever. A countdown of whatever size I feel like doing. Ranked in order of how much I liked each card. Slight biases can skew that in either direction. But since I'm the judge, I'm also the jury, defendant and prosecution. It's all up to me! So the amount of 2002 Topps Total cards in today's Whatever, is 136!

Which is a lot. So I'll do them in groups of three (mostly), to save time uploading this beast.

And without further delay, here's the...

Top 136 Cards from a 2002 Topps Total Sealed Hobby Box!

Which starts off with a bang!

#136 - Luther Hackman - St. Louis Cardinals

Hackman pitched with the Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres, between 1999 and 2003. He pitched in the KBO and Chinese League for a few years after his last pitch for the Padres. But that’s not the interesting part...

In March of 2023, Hackman pled guilty and was convicted of money laundering and conspiring to distribute cocaine. He fronted the cash for 20 pounds of meth, and 4 kilos of cocaine. Police arrested him when he showed up to take delivery. I looked for a while, and could not find what his sentence was for his crimes.

I don’t know how you follow that up...

#135 - Brandon Puffer - Houston Astros

#134 - Alan Benes - Chicago Cubs

#133 - J.M. Gold - Milwaukee Brewers

Well, there’s Brandon Puffer! Puffer shares a 2003 Topps card with Atlanta Braves (then) prospect, Jung Bong. So you have Puffer and Bong, side by side, on the same card! For some reason, I’ve never picked one up. I don’t know why that is.

Alan Benes was a Cardinals top draft pick in 1993. Spent six seasons in St. Louis, pitching in the rotation with his older brother, Andy, for a couple years. By 2002, injuries and ineffectiveness were taking over, and he was out of the majors, by May of 2003. 

Gold never made the major leagues, or above high A, after being a 1st Round Draft pick of the Brewers in 1998.  

#132 - Bill Ortega - St. Louis Cardinals

#131 - Dustin Hermanson - Boston Red Sox

#130 - John Burkett - Boston Red Sox

Ortega (shown wearing his 2001 MLB Futures Game uniform) managed only 5 plate appearance in the major leagues. All for the Cardinals, and all in September 2001. He did manage 1 hit. 

Dustin Hermanson was a dependable starting pitcher for the 1997-2000 Montreal Expos. After his run there, he bounced around for another six seasons, but never replicated the Expos success.

Burkett pitched with the Giants, Marlins, Rangers, Braves and Red Sox, from 1987-2003. Never a star, but a steady mid-rotation arm.

#129 - Ross Gload - Colorado Rockies

#128 - Joe Davenport - Colorado Rockies

#127 - Tim Spooneybarger - Atlanta Braves

Gload was a journeyman corner outfielder, that played in 26 games fro the 2002 Rockies. He then bounced around the majors for another 9 seasons. Gload was a decent role player.

Davenport pitched in 3 games with the 1999 White Sox, and another 7, with the 2001 Colorado Rockies. I was there for the 2001 Rockies, and I do not remember Joe Davenport at all. He walked 9 in 12 career innings, so it wasn’t very memorable. 

Tim Spooneybarger has one of the best names in the set. He was a promising young relief pitcher with the Braves, then Marlins, between 2001-2003. Then arm problems set it and finished him off. He tried for several seasons, but was unable to make it back.

#126 - Corky Miller - Cincinnati Reds

#125 - Ray Lankford - San Diego Padres

#124 - Chuck Finley - Cleveland Indians

Corky was the definition of journeyman, playing parts of 11 seasons in the major leagues, but never appearing in more than 39 games, in any of those seasons. Which does include a 12 game stint with the 2005 Minnesota Twins.

Ray Lankford will always be a St. Louis Cardinal to me. He started with them in 1990, stayed there until an August 2001 trade to the San Diego Padres, then returned to St. Louis for his final season in 2004.

Finley was a long time California Angel, pitching there from 1986-1999. He was always tough on the Twins, so I was never a fan, growing up. He signed with Cleveland for the 2000 season, and 2002 was his last in baseball. Finley retired with a career record of 200-173.

#123 - Raul Mondesi - Toronto Blue Jays

#122 - Fred Bastardo - Florida Marlins

#121 - Mike DeJean - Milwaukee Brewers

Why wasn’t Mondesi a superstar? He was a big name Dodgers prospect during the waning years of the Junk Wax Era. With big time power/speed potential, he put up really numbers through 2003, then fell off a cliff. By 2005, he was out of baseball. What happened?

Topps must have liked the name Bastardo as much as I did. He made it into pretty much every Topps set in 2002. But he couldn’t hit and was out of baseball by 2003. Never advancing higher than low A ball.

Mike DeJean was a former Rockies relief pitcher, who was enjoying his last good season in 2002. He’d bounce around through 2006, finding work, but not finding much success.

#120 - Rich Garces - Boston Red Sox

#119 - Rod Beck - Boston Red Sox

#118 - Kris Benson - Pittsburgh Pirates

Rich Garces debut for the Twins in September 1990. He was only 19 years old, which was quite a rarity for that day. Garces pitched in 5 games in relief, and wasn't bad. Even notching his first 2 career saves. But he didn't make it back to Minnesota until 1993, and that was for only three games. He didn't finally stick in the majors until 1996, with the Boston Red Sox. Going on a productive run through 2002, his last season.

Where he was briefly teammates with Rod Beck, and his glorious Fu-Man-Chu and Mullet combo. (Whom I forgot pitched for Boston. I remember him mainly with the Giants or Cubs.)

And Kris Benson. He had a decent career, but wasn't the second coming of Greg Maddux. As was predicted when he was drafted 1st overall in 1996.

#117 - Kurt Ainsworth - San Francisco Giants

#116 - Jay Witasick - San Francisco Giants

#115 - Randy Johnson - Arizona Diamondbacks

I got a serial numbered Kurt Ainsworth card out of a 2000 Upper Deck product, and decided to follow his career. He was a good prospect coming up for the Giants, and had some success in the major leagues. After a 2003 trade to the Baltimore Orioles, Ainsworth got hurt and wasn't able to fully come back. He pitched his last major league game when he was 25. 

Jay Witasick (Jr.) was a pitcher I followed back in the Junk Wax Era. Drafted in 1993 by St. Louis, traded to Oakland in 1996, and played for seemingly half the rest of the league. Witasick called it quits in 2007, as a Tampa Bay Devil Ray. Who didn't drop the Devil until the 2008 season. I miss it. Had character.

Randy Johnson is Randy Johnson. Probably my favorite pitcher not named Jeff Innis.

#114 - Marty Cordova - Baltimore Orioles

#113 - Travis Lee - Philadelphia Phillies

#112 - Doug Mientkiewicz - Minnesota Twins

What do these three players have in common?

They were all drafted by the Minnesota Twins.

Marty Cordova was the 1995 American League Rookie of the Year (shared with Garrett Anderson of the Angels).

Doug Mientkiewicz was the fiery first baseman that helped lead the Twins out of the dark end of the Cranky Tom Kelly era.

Travis Lee was the 2nd overall pick in 1996 (just after Kris Benson), but didn't sign with the Twins. His agent exploited a draft loophole. Per rules of the draft, a contract had to be offered by the drafting club, within 15 days after being selected. The Twins failed to do this, saying the had an agreement to wait for negotiations until after an US Olympic baseball tournament Lee was playing in at the time. After a few months of looking into the case (along with three other 1996 draft picks), Major League Baseball declared Lee (and the other three players) a free agent. He eventually negotiated an unprecedented $10 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Who wouldn't even be an actual team for another year. 

The Twins were left with nothing to show for the second overall pick in the 1996 draft.

A mistake that just added to the dark end of the Cranky Tom Kelly era.

******

Yo Honkass! Why are you in Delaware of all places?

For too many years, my only vacations involved either Minnesota or Colorado. I told Laura that I needed to go somewhere different, and I didn't care where. She is more of a traveler than I am, and had actually been to 48 of the 50 states. Laura wanted to cross the final two off her list, so she could say that she had visited all 50 states.

Well that's cool, so what are your last two states you need to see?

Maryland, Delaware and Washington DC for the bonus point. 

So here we are, airplane descending as we approach in Baltimore, Maryland. I don't know what we are looking at here, but it's probably expensive. 

After landing, we got our luggage and our rental car and drove the 2 or so hours to Washington DC, where we had a hotel waiting. Laura made the reservations but didn't tell me where we were staying, so I was utterly shocked when he directions brought us to...

The infamous Watergate Hotel!

Oh that's all sortsa awesome!

Our room on the 10th floor of the Watergate Hotel.

And on the ground floor, the Watergate offered a delicious breakfast buffet!

Looking down from our balcony at the Watergate's closed outdoor pool. The indoor pool in the basement was open, and was really nice.

We also lucked out in the the Watergate Hotel's most famous room, was open that day. One of the hotel's staff gave us a personal tour of the aptly labeled "Scandal Room". Walls featuring framed prints from news stories mixed with photos related to the Nixon scandal that took place right here. This desk overlooking the pool is filled with time specific items, that were described as used in the crime. 

The traffic in DC wasn't fun. Two days of driving in it was more than enough for me. That being said, it's a cool city, and all of the stuff to look at is incredibly distracting while navigating the narrow streets with too many cars on them. I really wanted to look around, but couldn't because a minivan would probably fall on us if I did. We'd need a whole lot more time here to do and see anything meaningful. But we got here Saturday night, and are leaving Monday morning. 

When we were planning this trip, we discussed what we'd want to do. Smithsonian was my vote, but you can't do that in one day. Anything else we thought of would be additional expense and sheer volume of stuff to see and do would have been impossible in such a limited time frame. We were only in Washington DC for two nights.

So here's the extent of our sightseeing!

Driving by the Capital Building...

Driving by the Washington Monument...

For all of the sites to see, we chose to do none of that.

We agreed on attending a Washington Nationals game.

Whatever...

#111 - Alex Ochoa - Milwaukee Brewers

#110 - Jim Mann - Houston Astros

#109 - Nick Bierbrodt - Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Alex Ochoa was a top Orioles prospect in the Junk Wax Era, And eventually logged time for the Mets, Twins, Brewers, Reds, Rockies and Angels. All over parts of 8 seasons. Not the star predicted when his first cards were released.

Mann saw action in 25 relief appearances, spread out between 2000-2003, for the Mets, Astros and Pirates. None of it was very notable.

Bierbrodt was the Arizona Diamondbacks first ever draft pick, 30th overall in the 1996 MLB Draft. He pitched for the D-Bags, Rays, Indians and Rangers, between 2001 and 2004. But too many walks led to him not finding a permanent job. In just under 145 career innings pitched. Bierbrodt left Major League Baseball with an absolutely evil career ERA of 6.66.

That’s all sorts of not good...

#108 - Shane Halter - Detroit Tigers

#107 - Damion Easley - Detroit Tigers

#106 - Mark Lukasiewicz - Anaheim Angels

A litter of Tigers coming up...

Halter was a late bloomer, who didn’t see regular playing time until he was 30 years old, with the 2000 Detroit Tigers. He didn’t hit much, but it’s not like the early 2000’s Tigers teams were even trying to win. 

Damian Easley had a much longer career than I remember, from 1992-2008. His run with Tigers (1996-2002) was his most successful stretch.

Mark Lukasiewicz was an Angels relief pitcher in 2001-2002. He also wasn’t very good. Despite being left handed, he didn’t get another opportunity in the majors. Which is odd, left handed relief pitchers can usually find work.

#105 - Cliff Floyd - Florida Marlins

#104 - Jose Vidro - Montreal Expos

#103 - Sterling Hitchcock - New York Yankees

Cliff Floyd was a first round pick (14th overall) of the Montreal Expos, in the 1991 MLB Draft. Which meant he was instantly one of my favorite players. The Expos called him up in 1993, when he was only 20 years old. It took a 1996 trade to the Florida Marlins (for Dustin Hermanson) for his career to fully take off. He didn’t become a superstar, but was a very good player for parts of 17 major league seasons. Today he's an MLB Network commentator.

Jose Vidro was one of the last Expos. A 1992 6th round draft pick, he debut with the Expos in 1997, and stayed in Montreal through the move to Washington. After 2 Nationals season, he logged 2 years with the Seattle Mariners.

Sterling Hitchcock was another of my Junk Wax Prospector follows. From his time as a top Yankees prospect, then 1 season in Seattle, Several with San Diego, then back to the Yankees. Parts of 13 major league seasons, but not the star I’d expected.

#102 - Dennis Tankersley - San Diego Padres

#101 - Michael Restovich- Minnesota Twins

#100 - Clint Nageotte - Seattle Mariners

Dennis Tankersley wasn’t even a poor man’s Dennis Eckersley, with a career record of 1-10. He hung around as a AAA starting pitcher through the 2008 season, but 2005 was his last appearances in the major leagues.

Restovich was a big time power hitting prospect for the Twins, but didn’t stick. They traded him to the Colorado Rockies, where I actually saw him play at Coors Field. He hit a double against the Dodgers.

There’s also something familiar about Clint Nageotte. I think I got one of his cards out of a Fairfield Repack, not too long ago.

#99 - Ken Griffey Jr. - Topps Total - Cincinnati Reds 

Topps Total only had three insert sets. All of them printed on that crappy foilboard, so they don’t look very nice and scan terribly. One of the inserts sets in Topps Total is uh.. Topps Total. Lame. So this is a 2002 Topps Total Topps Total Ken Griffey Jr. card. Got it?

Maybe call these Topps Total Total Topps?

#98 - Taylor Buchholz - Philadelphia Phillies

#97 - Mike James - Colorado Rockies

#96 - Scott Erickson - Baltimore Orioles

Taylor Buchholz ended up with the Colorado Rockies from 2007-2010, and had some success. Then he had some injuries and was out of baseball by 2011. 

Mike James was mainstay in the Angels bullpen in the late 1990’s, then arm problems, then 2 seasons in St. Louis, then 13 games with the 2002 Rockies (that I don’t remember), then retirement.

And I’ll always remember Scott Erickson from his early days with the Twins. From his debut as a 22 year old in 1990, going 20-8 in 1991, helping lead the Twins to a World Series victory, and then it went downhill. A no-hitter in 1994 was the high point of declining seasons, before an unexpected trade to Baltimore in 1995 (for the legendary Scott Klingenbeck). Durable but spectacular, through the end of the decade. Then the wheels fell off. He stuck around through the 2006 season, but missed a lot of time with injuries.

Kinda looks like my friend Dwayne. Whom I’ve never seen wearing an Orioles cap. I've never seen Dwayne and Scott Erickson in the same room.

Hmmmm....

#95 - Mark Little - Colorado Rockies

#94 - Luke Hudson - Cincinnati Reds

#93 - Brian Lesher - Toronto Blue jays

Little was mainly used as a pinch hitter and 5th outfielder, when he was in the major leagues. A run that spanned parts of 1998-2004. He appeared in 112 games during the 2001 and 2002 seasons with the Rockies. Little also suited up for the Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Mets and Indians, but did not appear in more than 15 games for any of them.

Hudson was a 4th round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies, in July 1998, then traded to Cincinnati, in December 2001. He played and was injured, for the Reds and Royals, until 2007.

Brian Lesher had more of a career than I remembered. Completely forgot the near 80 games he played for Oakland between 1996 and 1998. But that was about it. 5 games with Seattle in 2000, then 24 games as a Blue Jay in 2002. I just thought it was cool that Topps took his photo in his backyard. 

#92 - Matt LeCroy - Minnesota Twins

Matt LeCroy was a 1st round pick (supplemental pick) of the Twins in 1997. He started out as a catcher, though his body wasn't going to hold up to that position every day. He never was a major league regular, but his bat, and reputation as a clubhouse guy, kept him in the league. In over 1500 plate appearances between 2000 and 2007 (all but 1 season with the Twins, 2006 was spent as a Washington National), LeCroy slugged 60 home runs. That's a pretty impressive pace. 

As far as the card, I liked the little chair LeCroy is sitting on for the photo.

As well as the blurry Denny's sign on the outfield wall.

Washington Nationals Park

Laura consulted the Washington Nationals home schedule while planning our trip. We wanted to see a game while here, and actually based the vacation window on when the Nationals were in town. They used to be the Expos. I should see them at their new house. 

Panoramic photo, taken from our seats at the Washington Nationals game. This would be the last game of the 2019 regular season. Washington beat Cleveland, 8-2. The Nationals won their 8th game in a row to finish out the season, and were on their way to the playoffs. Where they would go on to win the 2019 World Series. Bittersweet for me, because I still think the 1994 Montreal Expos would have done it first. Oh well. At least the team did well for itself.

Seeing a game at Washington Nationals Park was really cool, as it's another Major League Baseball stadium, where I've seen a game. 

Another nearby stadium was my biggest goal of the visit to Washington DC.

I knew RFK Stadium was on the demolition list, and it was a place I wanted to see if we were this close. I just wanted one really good picture of the structure. Just to say I was here. I'd assumed the stadium had closed, so there wasn't any real chance of seeing it up close. Well, we found a way to drive into the parking lot, and blend in with a smattering of other cars.

We walked around a little before I figured that I'd try to walk around the perimeter of the stadium, until someone stopped me. Laura stayed back at the car and played with her phone. Workers were going in and out of several points, and were all friendly and didn't give me any problems as I walked around the massive structure. 

For all of its seemingly basic and ugliness today, RFK Stadium was a first of it's kind facility when it opened in 1962. The first multipurpose stadium, with movable stands to allow for both baseball and football configurations. 

I'm pretty sure that RFK Stadium was closed in that there would be no more events held here. It looked like the workers going in and coming out were in the process of shutting things down. There were also signs of soccer games still being held here. I've been looking into it for years and still cannot find any definitive information on the the very last event held at RFK Stadium.

Which may or may not have already been closed at this point.

The Washington Redskins left RFK Stadium in 1996. 23 years later, you can still kind of see the old helmet logo, opposite the main stadium entrance. After I finished walking the entire perimeter, I found a woman working in a security booth by an opened stadium entrance. I asked her if I could walk inside and take a couple of pictures. She gave me a stern "NO!" and told me to leave the property.

No problem... I've already gotten way more than I expected.

1970 Topps Washington Senators

I took well over 100 photos of the exterior of RFK Stadium. The plan is using some of the better ones in a future story. Envisioning some sort of combination with baseball cards I own, featuring photos taken inside RFK Stadium. Hopefully they aren't as miscut as this one, picked up at the Collector's Box. Doubt I paid more than $1 for it.

Whatever...

7 Eleven - Chester, MD

Our stop at RFK lasted longer than planned because it was so much more awesome than planned. We were now driving from DC, across Maryland and into northern Delaware. After a harrowing crossing of the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge, I needed to get off the highway from a few. We still had about 90 miles to our hotel in Newark, Delaware, but it was nice to buy a pack of smokes and a yummy Ham Sammich from 7 Eleven again. 

It was dark when we drove into Delaware and Laura got to achieve her goal, so we didn't get any pictures of the moment. I took one at the hotel, but it was pretty dark so...

Newark, Delaware - Biden Welcome Center

The Joe Biden Welcome Center (a percentage of my audience's buttholes just clenched) is a massive rest area, sandwiched between lanes of the freeway, just a few miles from our hotel. It's filled with Delaware themed shops and fast food options, a gas station, car wash and all sorts of other stuff that seems both just enough and too much, at the same time. 

Though it was a useful place for a traveler.

Whatever...

#91 - Pedro Martinez - Boston Red Sox

#90 - Jim Thome - Cleveland Indians

#89 - Roberto Alomar - New York Mets

And here's 3 Hall of Famers on rather boring cards.

There's really not much I need to say. They're some of the best to ever play the game. So here's their cards.

#88 - Barry Bonds - San Francisco Giants - 2001 Award Winner

And here's another one of the best to ever play the game. Who likely wont see the Hall of Fame, unless he buys a ticket. (But why would he?)

I'm mixed about whether I'd want him in the Hall. I know his defense, he never failed a test blah blah blah, but the circumstantial evidence is there. He did double in size for a decade. From all video appearances I've seen of Bonds in the last five years, he has deflated back to normal human sized Bonds. I also cannot buy into the whole "character" factor of the Hall. Not with some of the known questionable characters already enshrined. Then there's the cheating aspect. You can argue that P.E.D.'s are cheating, which is valid. But until testing was adopted in 2003, we can only guess at how many of his peers were also juiced up. 

I don't know. If I had a vote (and he was still eligible) I'd have to consider his case.

Probably leaning toward checking him on my non-existent ballot.

But not Roger Clemens. 

F... that guy.

#87 - Jaime Moyer - Seattle Mariners

#86 - John Olerud - Seattle Mariners

#85 - Shigetoshi Hasegawa - Seattle Mariners

A trifecta of Seattle Mariners that helped lead an unexpected team to an amazing 116-46 record in the 2001 season. Well,, not Hasegawa. He was signed as a free agent (from the Angels) to help build on that record for 2002. Which didn’t happen. Olerud continued being John Olerud, and Jaimie Moyer continued pitching until he was 49 years old. 25 years in the major leagues. Left handers never die.

#84 - Ugueth Urbina - Boston Red Sox

#83 - Cory Lidle - Oakland Athletics

#82 - Marlyn Tisdale - Cincinnati Reds

Ugueth Urbina remains my favorite former Major League Baseball payer to ever try to set a group of people on fire. I’m not sure there’s a second former Major League Baseball appearing on that list. Horrible crime to be certain. I'm not mocking the crime. The idea of that crime is worth mocking.

Cory Lidle was a promising middle of the rotation pitcher until he died in a plane crash, 10 days after the 2006 season ended.

As far as Marlyn Tisdale, I don’t know what happened there. He was a 44th round draft pick of the Reds in 1999, and pitched pretty well in Rookie League ball. But after the 2001 season, he was released by the Reds (well before this card was printed). He pitched the 2002 season for the Sioux Falls Canaries, of the Northern League. He didn’t do very well there. But that was it for his baseball career.

At least there's no tragedy with Tisdale (as far as I know), after the first two he was clustered up with.

#81 - Greg Swindell - Arizona Diamondbacks

#80 - Troy Glaus - Anaheim Angels

#79 - Brandon Backe - Tampa Bay Devil Rays

2002 was the end of Swindell’s great career. After being drafted in the first round by Cleveland in 1986, he was an excellent starting pitcher on bad teams until 1996, when he transitioned to the bullpen (with the Minnesota Twins). He then became and excellent relief pitcher with some good teams. Including a World Series ring with the 2001 D-Bags. 

Troy Glaus had a nice run as a high on base percentage, power hitting third baseman, from 1998-2010.

Brandon Backe’s career never really took off. He had a couple of decent seasons with the Houston Astros (2005 being his standout year as a starter), but injuries robbed him of a long run.

#78 - Rick White - New York Mets

#77 - Ismael Valdes - Texas Rangers

#76 - Orlando Cabrera - Montreal Expos

I remember Rick White from all of the rookie themed insert sets of 1993, when he was a promising Pirates relief pitcher. He became a journey man reliever, that pitched for 11 teams in 12 seasons. None of which stand out.

Ismael Valdes was a really good pitcher from 1994-1999, all with the Dodgers. Unfortunately he kept pitching until 2005. When he was a really below average pitcher, with 7 different teams.

I’ve talked about Orlando Cabrera fairly recently, so go look for that elsewhere. He was good. Helps that he was the Montreal Expos shortstop from 1997-2004, and the Twins in 2009.

Whatever...

After leaving Washington DC, we spent two nights in Newark, Delaware. Our hotel reminded me of our old apartment in Denver, so I just called it Greenwood Point. Not sure if I ever knew its real name.

About a mile away from psuedo-Greenwood Point, was the University Plaza Shopping Center. Home of Walgreens Pharmacy, Lumber Liquidators and whatever became of the Sears Outlet, after it closed due to bankruptcy. Most important, was a small store on the western side of the shopping center.

(Copied and pasted from Post 262: The Todd Helton and Joe Mauer Hall of Fame Whatever.)

The Collector's Box, in Newark, Delaware. I had saved up a big chunk of money for Laura and my 2019 vacation to the Washington DC area. A percentage of that would go to purchases at a worthy baseball card shop, if I found one.

The owner greeted me when I came in and asked if I was looking for anything in particular. "Expos, Twins and Rockies cards." He said that was an oddly specific combination, but he'd look for stuff behind the counter, and sent me off to the singles cases. 

Soon, he takes a phone call and I hear him acting rather dickish, then he says "I don't even take credit cards... I don't take debit cards either..." Which concerned me. The phone call goes on for another minute or two, and got rather funny just hearing his end of the conversation. After he hangs up he says, "I hate these credit card operations that want to sell you upgraded equipment and insurance."

"But you do take debit cards? Otherwise I'll have to find an ATM, and not be able to buy as much..."

Oh yeah, no problem, I was just f*cking with him!

Awesome dood! You win my vacation baseball card budget!

Later that afternoon, Laura and I made the 20 or so mile drive to Wilmington, Delaware, to check out the Wilmington riverfront area. Part of that new development included...

Daniel S. Frawley Stadium, home of the High A Wilmington Blue Rocks. In 2019, they were affiliated with the Kansas City Royals. A partnership that goes back to 1993 (with the exception of 2005-2006, when they had a 2 years partnership with the Boston Red Sox).

A little later that night, we had dinner at Docklands. Which was also on the riverbanks of Wilmington. The food and service was good, but a tad overpriced for what it was.

Whatever...

#75 - Marquis Grissom - Los Angeles Dodgers

#74 - Cliff Floyd - Florida Marlins - Topps Total

#73 - Delino DeShields - Chicago Cubs

Let’s move on to a trio of ex-Expos.

First is Marquis Grissom, who played with Montreal from 1989-1994, when the team had to be dismantled because the strike killed the game in Montreal. But Grissom continued playing until 2005, posting a some nice numbers over a 17 year career.

I already talked about Cliff Floyd, so there’s that.

Delino DeShields was a first round pick (12th overall) of the Expos in 1987. He played in Montreal from 1990-1993, then came his most important contribution to Expos baseball... A trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers for future Hall of Famer, Pedro Martinez. 

#72 - Fernando Tatis - Montreal Expos

#71 - Graeme Lloyd - Montreal Expos

#70 - Jeff Fassero - Chicago Cubs

Let’s continue of with the Expos segment of the Whatever, with Fernando Tatis Jr.’s father. He didn’t bring a whole lot of value to Montreal in the early 2000’s, but the franchise was fully under the downward Selig spiral by this point, so there wasn’t much he could have done to change the situation. Not even Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon or Graeme Lloyd could help Bud Selig’s mess.

Jeff Fassero was another former Expo, and key member of Montreal’s pitching staff from 1991 to 1996, when he made too much money and was banished to the Seattle Mariners.

#69 - Robert Averette - Colorado Rockies

A former 21st round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds, in 1997, Averette never made the major leagues, despite attempting until 2008. He was a part of the Rockies organization from 2000-2002, but I don’t ever remember hearing about him. Too bad this card is so badly chipped, since it’s his only major league card.

A perfect example of what Topps Total was meant for.

#68 - Greg Vaughn - Tampa Bay Devil Rays

#67 - Robert Fick - Detroit Tigers

#66 - Devon White - Milwaukee Brewers

Greg Vaughn was a big time power hitter for the Brewers and Padres, from 1989-1998. He started winding down after a February 1999 trade to Cincinnati, but was still slugging home runs. The decline was more pronounced after signing with the Devil Rays. They released him on my birthday in 2003, and he ended up in Colorado. But he lost the ability to hit by then, and the Rockies dumped him at the All Star Break.

Robert Fick was a decent catcher and utility player from 1998-2007, most of that time spent with the Tigers.

Devon White was a Gold Glove winning center fielder, with speed and power. He played from 1985-2001, and won 3 World Series during his career (2 with the Blue Jays and 1 with the Marlins). 2001 was his last season, so he was retired when his Brewers card hit the market.

#65 - Steve Trachsel - New York Mets

#64 - Matt Mantei - Arizona Diamondbacks

#63 - Scott Schoeneweis - Anaheim Angels

Steve Trachsel was another name from the earlier Junk Wax days. I wasn’t collecting him, but I had tons of his 1992 Upper Deck Minor League cards. He went on to pitch in the major leagues for 16 years. So I’d say that’s pretty good.

Matt Mantei was an often-injured closer for the Marlins and D-Bags. He lasted 10 years in the major leagues, but still missed a bunch of time.

Schoeneweis was a failed starting pitcher, that fared a little better in the bullpen. Being left-handed, he still found employment at the highest level through 2010. 

#62 - Barry Bonds - San Francisco Giants

#61 - Torii Hunter - Minnesota Twins

Look! I've assembled a tiny 2002 Topps Total tribute to the 2002 All Star Game! Barry Bonds hit what should have been a home run to center field... But Torii Hunter leapt up and reached over the fence to take that home run away.

Bonds retaliated by running up to meet Hunter in center field, jokingly picking him up and carrying him around on his shoulder.

Which should have been the lasting image in everybody's mind, from the 2002 All Star Game. But no... The only part of the 2002 All Star Game anyone can remember is Bud Selig, with the dumbfounded look on his face, and the umpires asking him what they should do.

Shrug your shoulders and call the game a tie.

Great job Bud. 

#60 - Greg Maddux - Atlanta Braves

#59 - Javier Vazquez - Montreal Epos

#58 - Derrick Turnbow - Anaheim Angels

Hate to admit, but Greg Maddux is one Atlanta Braves player I always did like. While I cant recall ever buying a Greg Maddux card as a specific purchase, I do keep his cards. Wait, a 2007 Upper Deck Greg Maddux was intentionally bought, along with 13 other commons, to complete that massive 1020 card set.

Montreal's version of Maddux, Javier Vazquez, debut in 1997 and stayed with the Expos through the 2003 season. When asked about a long term contract, Vazquez declined, as the future of the franchise was still (at that time) in doubt. Can't say I blamed him. He was traded to the New York Yankees a few weeks later.

Derrick Turnbow came up to the Angels and pitched well when he wasn't injured. Very briefly, he was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. Then more injuries, control issues and diminished pitch quality and he was out of the game, at 31 years old. Turnbow's 2008 Milwaukee Brewers numbers: 6.1 innings pitched, over 8 games. 12 hits given up, 13 walks, 11 earned runs... He did strike out 5... Ouch... 

#57 - Ricky Bottalico - Philadelphia Phillies

#56 - Mike Hampton - Colorado Rockies

#55 - Carl Pavano - Montreal Expos

Ricky Metallica was a pretty big prospect in the 1994 baseball sets. Like the 1994 Upper Deck card of Metallica standing in a snowbank, wearing his full Phillies uniform, getting ready to pitch a snowball. Very underrated great card.

Mike Hampton signed a (then) massive 7 year contract with the Colorado Rockies, after the 2000 season, because Denver has a good school system. Had Dan O'Dowd done ANY of his homework on Hampton, he would have understood that a pitcher that gives up a lot of walks, while not having a good strikeout rates, is a TERRIBLE idea for Coors Field. And Hampton was TERRIBLE. In order to get rid of him, the Rockies had to eat a bunch of money and send him (with Juan Pierre), to the Florida Marlins. The fish flipped him to the Atlanta Braves (for Tim Spooneybarger!) two days later. We got back a decent return, but O'Dowd traded them before they could do much, and Pierre was a key piece in the Marlins unexpected 2003 World Series victory.

Carl Pavano was an Expo (as shown), a member of the 2003 World Champion Marlins, dated Alyssa Milano, signed a massive contract with the Yankees, then pitched parts of 4 seasons with the Twins, sometimes wearing a strange mustache, to wrap up his career. Yeah... He did good. 

#54 - Alex Cora - Los Angeles Dodgers

#53 - Alfredo Amezaga - Anaheim Angels

#52 - Brian Reith - Cincinnati Reds

Noted trash can banger Alex Cora makes a curious surprise appearance this high on the Whatever. Something about this photo really works for me.

As far as Amezaga goes, I have to point out the Disney Angels Alternate Jersey on display. As awful as the Disney revamps of the Angels uniforms was in 1996, the alternate was a little better.

Brian Reith was really not good over parts of three seasons in Cincinnati. Like good sportsmanship Cora's card, I just liked the photo. Probably because it looks like he's going to develop some sort of arm problems, with as off balance as he appears.

#51 - Ichiro Suzuki - Seattle Mariners - Topps Total

These scan so crappy...

#50 - Reed Johnson - Toronto Blue Jays

#49 - Eric Milton - Minnesota Twins

#48 - Juan Gonzalez - Texas Rangers

Reed Johnson snuck into Brian Lesher's backyard to have his picture taken. Reed ranks higher because he lasted in the majors longer (13 years vs 3). Despite it being almost the same exact picture.

Eric Milton was the key return in the 1998 Chuck Knoblauch trade. (Sadly, I did not pull a 2002 Topps Total Chuck Knoblauch card, it was one I wanted.) Milton was a decent left-handed pitcher, who helped steady the staff during the lean years, and was traded to Philadelphia at the right time.

Juan Gonzalez was back with the Texas Rangers after that weird stint in Detroit. Never was a fan. Although I do like that golf cart behind him.

Whatever...

Part of my point in saving a stash of money for cards on this trip was to acquire singles that weren’t as easy to find in Minnesota. Or if they were, I wouldn’t be paying the hometown premium for Twins stars. The Collectors Box did have a nice selection of vintage Twins cards that had been missing from my collection up to that point.

1956 Topps - Harmon Killebrew

He didn’t have the Harmon Killebrew rookie card that I’d ben desiring, but his second year card (for $50) was incredibly sharp. I can accept the off-centeredness for a 1956 card this clean with great corners. Were I into grading, this would be one I might consider. (Though the screw down holder could be an issue, to those who have pointed it out in the past.) I don’t care, I love this card.

1963 Topps - Harmon Killebrew

Another desired Killebrew was the 1963 Topps High Number. I got it for $75, and like the 1956, am pleased with that price. There’s a couple of soft corners and some surface scuffing, but the color and registration is crisp, and the centering isn’t bad. 

1964 Topps Giants - Harmon Killebrew

Again, I’m not big into grading cards, but for something like this, I’d rather it have it graded. Secured safely by slab, I don’t have any issues with storing this large oversized card. I picked it up for $30, and looking at similar graded copies of this card, I think I got a good deal.

2002 Fleer Greats of the Game - Tony Oliva

Vintage with an asterisk. Olivia was not a Hall of Famer when I bought this card, but I needed a certified Tony Oliva autograph for the Twins collection. And those early-aughts Fleer Greats of the Game signatures are beautiful sets.

1968 Topps - Rod Carew

My hopes were to maybe pick up a Rod Carew rookie card, but being part of the High Number series, they’re not exactly cheap and affordable. I also was missing his second year card, but The Collectors Box had one that looked really nice, for $30. Sharp corners, acceptable centering, maybe a little faded, but otherwise a great pickup for $30.

1960 Topps - Jim Kaat

Like Oliva, Jim Kaat wasn’t yet a member of the Hall of Fame, so the $15 price was very reasonable. I see that now this card sells for significantly more than $15, especially for this condition. 

Just as our time in Washington DC, our stay in Newark was limited to two days. Before we were setting out another 100 miles south, for Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Laura had reserved a room on the second floor of the Broadway Plaza Hotel. Directly on Rehoboth Beach. With only the Boardwalk and a couple hundred feet of beach between us and the Atlantic Ocean. Our final three nights of vacation would be spent here, with nothing at all scheduled to do. Just going to kick back by the beach and take it easy. Before the mad dash back to Baltimore, to catch a flight back to the dreaded routine of our everyday Minnesota lives.

Since it was the beginning of October, and also mid-week, many of the businesses lining the Boardwalk were closed. Including the Beach Arcade North. Which I would have liked to have seen. Laura would have been a big fan of the 10 cent Skee-Ball, had they been open. She spent a lot of time resting in the hotel room, from the hectic pace of the vacation, and winding down from chaotic everyday life, so far. I spent a good amount of time wandering around the town while she did her thing.

I found this nicely restored old truck with seasonal flowers and American flags attached, parked on the street by where I had a cigarette break. Certain parts of the boardwalk extended several blocks inward. Usually coinciding with city streets that reached the boardwalk, every block or so. These areas were a little busier than the sections that were mainly accessible by foot traffic.

One of the nights we were in Rehoboth Beach, we had dinner at the 1776 Steakhouse, a few miles inland. Their food was excellent. We ate at the bar, and talked with the staff about the history of the town and restaurant. Which had their own “Wall of Fame” as you walked back to the restrooms.

Including Stanley from The Office!

Whatever...

#47 - Hiram Bocachica - Los Angeles Dodgers

#46 - Greg Colbrunn - Arizona Diamondbacks

#45 - Brandon Claussen - New York Yankees

Hiram Bocachica was drafted in the first round of the 1994 MLB Draft, 21st overall, by the Montreal Expos. So I was already a fan, and he had some cool Expos cards, despite never playing for Montreal. He was traded to the Dodgers in 1998, and I stopped following. Bocachica didn't develop into a star, but was instead what gets called a AAAA player. Too good for AAA, but not good enough for the major leagues. He played for 5 teams over parts of 8 seasons. Amassing only 584 plate appearances. With a line of just .215/.272/.355 over that span.

I talked a whole bunch about Greg Colbrunn a few months back, so I'm not recapping.

Brandon Claussen was being stashed away in the bullpen, on a far back spring training field. The Yankees were hoping that no one would find out that Claussen was just another overhyped prospect, before they would be able to find a superstar needed for a postseason run. In July 2003, Brandon Claussen was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for third baseman Aaron Boone. Boone hit that legendary home run in the playoffs, Claussen fizzled out for the Reds.

#44 - Vladimir Guerrero - Montreal Expos

#43 - Vladimir Guerrero - Montreal Expos - Total Production

Definitely happy for two Vladimir Guerrero cards from the box. Base and ugly foilboard!

#42 - Josh Kalinowski - Colorado Rockies

#41 - Todd Helton - Colorado Rockies

#40 - John Rocker - Texas Rangers

Not sure why Josh Kalinowski got a card in the set. He wasn't on any professional baseball roster in 2002. The Rockies let him go after the 2001 season, his second in AA. It wasn't very promising.

Todd Helton is a Hall of Famer. Nothing else needs to be said.

Legendary racist homophobe, John Rocker, was on the downside of a career that looked like he could dominate, from his 1998 start. Instead, after a mid-2001 trade to Cleveland, he rapidly declined and was out of the game by 2003. Wonder what kind of reaction he got when he came into a game at Yankee Stadium?

#39 - Luis Rivas - Minnesota Twins

#38 - Donnie Sadler - Kansas City Royals

#37 - Carlos Beltran - Kansas City Royals

Luis Rivas signed as an amateur free agent with Minnesota, in October 1995. He had just turned 16, a little over a month earlier. I remember this being a minor big deal in Twins coverage of that era. Rivas debut with the 2000 Twins, as a 20 year old. He was ok. Even with youth on his side, he didn't hit much and his fielding at second base was passable, but not exceptional. As he gained service time, he wasn't showing much improvement, the Twins non-tendered him after the 2005 season. He played another four years in four different organizations, including a brief stint with the 2007 Cleveland Indians, and a near half season run with the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008.

Donnie Sadler was another of those AAAA players. Five teams in eight years, with an awful .202/.262/.284 line over 861 plate appearances.

Alex Cora's trash can buddy, Carlos Beltran, practices for his future gig, by hitting his teammates hands. Which doesn't make the same sound. He'll still probably make the Hall of Fame. My opinion on that is just slightly above Roger Clemens.

#36 - Brook Fordyce - Baltimore Orioles

#35 - Royce Clayton - Chicago White Sox

#34 - Esteban German - Oakland Athletics

Fordyce was a Junk Wax Prospector target, as a young catching prospect with the New York Mets. Right market, good chance at playing time, I thought he would develop as he moved through the minors. Unfortunately, he was nearly 30 when he stuck in the big leagues, and on his third team. Fordyce never moved beyond an at-best 60/40 split for playing time. His hitting never developed and he was out of baseball after the 2004 season.

Royce Clayton always seemed to find steady work, after being a Giants first round pick in 1988. He played shortstop for 11 teams over his 17 year career. Not a spectacular fielder or hitter, he was just always starting for some team, seemingly every year from 1991-2007. Including 2004, when he was the starting shortstop for the Colorado Rockies. The only year between 1997 and 2018, that I wasn't living in Colorado.

Esteban German went on to be a utility player for the A's, Royals and Rangers from 2002-2011. I wonder if the dude behind him knows he's on this card?

#33 - Craig Kuzmic - Seattle Mariners

#32 - Brian Anderson - Arizona Diamondbacks

#31 - Shannon Stewart - Toronto Blue Jays

Craig Kuzmic played a lot of AAA baseball to never have made the major leagues. He put up a line of .254/.358/.426 over 9 seasons of minor league ball. Not bad, but not exceptional. And not enough for a cup of coffee.

Brian Anderson was a solid middle of the rotation guy for the Indians, Royals and D-Bags, for parts of 13 seasons. He was the Angels first round pick in 1993, and was in the major leagues three months later. Which may have delayed his development. He didn't pitch a full season until 1998, on his third team. But he still did okay for himself.

Shannon Stewart was the Toronto Blue Jays first round draft pick in 1992, and he started appearing in the majors by 1995. Didn't stick as a regular until the 1998 season. Stewart was a good hitter, not a major star, but a valuable lineup piece to a contending team. Which proved to be the case when he was traded to Minnesota in July 2003, and led the Twins into the playoffs. Where they lost to the Yankees, because of course they did. Stewart was a free agent after the season, but he left such a positive impression of the club that they signed him to a 3 year $18 million contract in December 2003. But all the years of playing outfield on the astroturf of both the Skydome and HHH Metrodome, that injuries started showing up and he missed significant portions of 2004 and 2006 seasons. 

#30 - Pablo Ozuna - Florida Marlins

#29 - Syketo Anderson - Chicago Cubs

#28 - So Taguchi - St. Louis Cardinals

Great broken bat shot on Pablo Ozuna's card. As mentioned earlier, Ozana was traded to the Rockies after the 2002 season. He only made it into 17 games with Colorado. He did have a run as a weak hitting utility player with the Chicago White Sox, from 2005-2008. Meaning he did get a ring (2005).

Syketo Anderson made it to the High A Lansing Lugnuts in 2001, and stayed there for a second year as a member of the Fort Wayne Wizards (Wow! Just 2 degrees from Sergeant Sweet Ass!), in the San Diego Padres chain. He never advanced beyond High A, but played an addition 4 years of independent league baseball.

Topps used this photo of So Taguchi on a bunch of his 2002 cards. Which I'm fine with. It's a cool photo. Looked better on a Stadium Club card, but whatever. He had a decent run with the Cardinals in the mid 2000's, 

#27 - Ryan Gripp - Chicago Cubs

#26 - Gene Stechschulte - St. Louis Cardinals

#25 - Jeff Reboulet - Los Angeles Dodgers

Gripp made it to AA with the Cubs, then the Brewers, but advanced no further. His last appearances in professional baseball came with the Saint Paul Saints of the (then) independent American Association, in 2007.

I remember hearing the name Gene Stechschulte from Rockies games in the early 2000's. But this may have been my first card of his. He was a Cardinals reliever  between 2000 and 2002. Slightly below average, but improving. Unfortunately a shoulder injury took him out of the game.

Cranky Tom Kelly had a thing for utility infielders that could only manage an OPS in the mid 600's. They'd get all sorts of playing time for his Minnesota Twins teams. He'd call them "scrappy". A better name would come from dropping the S. From 1992-1996, Jeff Reboulet was the Twins king of scrappy. He was a 10th round draft pick in 1986, and finally clawed his way to the majors in 1992, as a 28 year old. Well that type of player is like catnip to Cranky Tom Kelly! So Reboulet was always playing. Never really producing. I was surprised to see he was still working part time in the major leagues through the 2003 season.

#24 - Mike Piazza - New York Mets

#23 - Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

#22 - Rondell White - New York Yankees

Two Hall of Famers and an ex-Expo I really liked. The first two I really don't have to say much about, and the third guy I've already written about a few times. So let's just move on...

Back to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware!

The Atlantic Ocean was angry when we woke up today. Warnings were posted to stay out of the water, because of the large waves and strong current. While enjoying my morning cigarette(s), I watched a few people body boarding on the rough water. They appeared to be accustomed to the waves, and didn’t seem affected by conditions I wasn’t going near. I have a thing about drowning. I don't like it.

Laura wasn’t feeling well this morning, So I went into town to pick up some supplies.

Just for novelty’s sake, I had to stop by the...

Rehoboth Beach Kmart!

No sign of it closing yet! However, it wasn’t long after we got back to Minnesota that I saw this location listed amongst the next round of Sears and Kmart store closures. 

This was a really small Kmart, and inventory was rather sparse. There may not have been any “going out of business sale” banners posted, but the entire store looked like it wasn’t going to be open much longer. 

Kind of like their neighbor...

Directly across the street from our inevitably doomed Kmart, was a freshly closed Ruby Tuesday restaurant. So I got a nice bonus building for photos! Unfortunately all of the windows were covered by the interior blinds, so there was very little to see. 

Oh well… Off to the Rehoboth Beach Safeway for needed food. Haven’t been to a Safeway since we left Denver, a year earlier. But my Safeway Club discount card (that had never been removed from my wallet. post-move) still worked!

Whatever...

Let's go back and appreciate the Seattle Mariners some more!

#21 - Ichiro Suzuki - Seattle Mariners

#20 - Alex Rodriguez - Texas Rangers

#19 - Ken Griffey Jr. - Cincinnati Reds

These three cards should represent three Hall of Famers. Ichiro will be there soon. Griffey's already there...

But A-Rod? Barry Bonds can honestly say that he never failed a test. A-Roid can't. Which sucks because I was a HUGE fan of his during the Seattle Mariners days. I have 10 1994 SP Alex Rodriguez rookie cards. And another 4 of them are the die-cut parallels. Plus 5 1994 SP Blue Holoviews. I was all in on A-Rod being a Hall of Famer. Along side his Mariners shipmates, Griffey, Randy Johnson, and Edgar Martinez. But then Texas came in and ruined everything. (What a metaphor for life...) I never saw him as the same player after he left Seattle. He seemed to lose his humanity. 

And watching him broadcast on TV now just proves he never was human. I believe he was an alien experiment sent from another planet to study major league baseball. 

Could be...

#18 - Chan Ho Park - Texas Rangers

#17 - Jay Payton - New York Mets

#16 - Adam Kennedy - Anaheim Angels

Chan Ho Park was signed to a massive contract to play alongside A-Rod. I was a fan when his first cards started hitting packs in 1994. The South Korean import was a minor hobby splash in 1994, when he made a brief cameo with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was only 21. Took him a while, but he established himself as the Dodgers best starting pitcher from 1997-2001. But he was one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball, as a Texas Ranger, trying to live down a 5 year, $64 million contract. Park did find smaller success as a reliever, tacking on a few extra seasons coming out of the Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees and Pirates bullpen. 

Jay Payton was the New York Mets first round draft pick in 1994. So he was on my collecting radar, at the tail end of the Junk Wax Era. Payton would play a season and a half with the Rockies, and was really good before he left as a free agent. His line of .319/.359/.532 during his time with Colorado was likely Coors Field enhanced, as  he never put up numbers close to this anywhere.

And Adam Kennedy... Just because of those awful Anaheim Disney Angels uniforms.

Hmmm... Reviewing in clusters of three has really moved things along, and we're up to the top 15 in no time! (Well, in comparison to me writing one of these Whatevers...) So I think I'll go with showing these individually... Like an all new Whatever!

The Top 15 cards I pulled from a Hobby Box of 2002 Topps Total.

Based entirely on how much I liked them.

#15 - Paul Abbott - Seattle Mariners

Paul Abbott was drafted in the 3rd round, by Minnesota, in 1985. He was a top pitching prospect for an organization that was having a lot of problems developing starting pitching. Called up by the last place Twins, as a 22 year old, to make 7 starts in the late Summer of 1990. He couldn't find the plate. The amount of walks he gave up was frustrating and annoying. He got more chances in 1991 and 1992, before the Twins dumped him on Cleveland. They had less patience than the Twins, dropping him from the staff after only 5 starts in 1993. He drifted through the systems of the Indians, Royals, Cubs, Padres and Mariners, before resurfacing in Seattle in 1998. And he wasn't bad anymore. Unfortunately, he was almost 30, and didn't have that long of stay as a successful major league starting pitcher. Persistence paid off and he had a couple of good years.

#14 - Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals

For a long time, getting cards of Albert Pujols was something that just happened. hard to think this was only the second year of Albert Pujols cards in widely distributed packs. Sure makes the set seem older when you look at it from that perspective. I guess that's how time passes these days. Things become normal until they aren't.

#13 - Mark Prior - Chicago Cubs

Also the second year of Mark Prior cards in packs. Although that isn't nearly as big of a deal today, as it was with Pujols, in 2002. Not saying anything mean spirited or wishing ill will on anyone, but as I watch all of the hype aimed at Paul Skenes in 2024, I feel a little reflective on the career of Mark Prior. Not that they're connected, but I wonder if there's any Minnesotans left that are complaining we took Joe Mauer at #1 overall in 2001, instead of Mark Prior. 

#12 - Mark Grace - Arizona Diamondbacks

As a veteran of the Junk Wax Era, it's still a little jarring to pull a Mark Grace card that isn't showing him as a Chicago Cub. But this is a pretty cool photo. You've got half of the glove statue at whatever the corporate name of the San Francisco Giants ballpark is/was, next to the airbrushed giant Coke bottle. I wish this card wasn't so badly chipped. It would likely rank higher if it was in better shape.

#11 - Kevin Appier - Anaheim Angels

Why is Kevin Appier a Disney Angel and not a Kansas City Royal? I know he pitched a season with both Oakland and the Mets in between, but I wasn't expecting Disney Angel Appier from this box. He might want to try shorter sleeves as well. 

Before we get to the 2002 Topps Total Top Ten, let's go back to Rehoboth Beach. And rejoin me on my beach front walk on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. It's such a nice day after all...

The hotel we were staying at was on the north end of the boardwalk, which was pretty sparse. More activity could be found if you walked a few blocks south. Which still wasn't a whole lot for a Thursday morning.

Funland is closed.

According to the signs in the window, it will reopen on Saturday May 9th, 2020.

Something tells me those window signs lied.

That's not very fun.

Something that was fun was Yesterday's Fun. As I wandered around the boardwalk, I found a retro collectable toy store! Now we're talking! They sit next door to Grotto Pizza, a local chain that is pretty popular. We ordered from here the first night we were in town. I've had better, but it wasn't bad. 

I spent a good amount of time looking at all of the everything on the shelves and pegboards. The store was small, but absolutely filled with merchandise. According to the guy at the register, they have a larger store in town. Makes absolute sense to operate a location in the touristy beachfront area, while keeping the main operations at a different site. There was a bunch of stuff I liked, from old video games to He-Man and GI Joe to board games to Garbage Pail Kids stickers. 

And the one thing I would have considered buying from this case....

Original Generation 1 Transformers!

Hmmmm... I already have all of the ones in the case. (Except the yellow decoys up front, but I have little interest in those.) When I asked, he said they had more back at the main store, but nothing else here. Which kind of sucks. Even after my ridiculous baseball card purchase, I still had plenty of cash in my vacation stupid fund. Adding a new original Transformer would have been a nice vacation memento.

But the vacation Gods were not going to let me down...

Later that night, Laura needed to stop at the Rehoboth Beach WalMarts for something that I don't remember. I walked around the store while she was doing what she was doing, and in the toy department, I saw a new Transformers commemorative anniversary reissue had been released...

So buying this. I don't care what they're charging for it. Soundwave was the first Transformer I bought as a kid. Which came in suburban Los Angeles, while on a family vacation. Now I'm just a big kid, in Delaware, on a family (of 2, instead of 4) vacation, 34 years later. 

It's a sign.

That I should get something to eat!

Most of the fast food stands on the Boardwalk were either seafood, or something else I wouldn't trust eating from a sidewalk vendor. Not that I'd trust seafood either, I just don't like it. Finally I decided that I was going to turn and walk down the next street, and the first open food stand would be where I'd get lunch.

Hello, Shrimpy's Snack Shack!

Heheheheh... Clam Strip...

Nope, I opted for the standard basic cheeseburger. With pickles, onions and ketchup. And it was eff'ing scrumptious! I didn't get anything with it, and I still had the bottle of Mountain Dew from the convenience store earlier. The thing I didn't take into account, when I sat down on a sidewalk bench to eat, was the fierce winds coming off the ocean this morning, which blew the Styrofoam clamshell (see what I did there?) off my lap and way down the street. I saw someone about a block away pick it up and toss it in the trash can for me. Now I don't have to feel guilty.

Whatever...

Oh yeah! This story was about baseball cards!

In addition to a surprise box of 2002 Topps Total and the incredible stuff I pulled from the singles cases, the owner found a nice supply of quality singles from all three of my teams. He was digging through his boxes of stuff by the register. All the cards that just haven't made their way into the display cases yet.

2015 Topps Archives - Fan Favorites Autograph - Vinny Castilla

Vinny Castilla has an interesting signature. The dots above the i's are larger than any letter that isn't a V or a C. Castilla is a Rockies autograph that is a must add to the Top Loadered Colorado Rockies singles box. 

2017 Topps Clear - Trevor Story

As is one of the more rare parallels Topps puts in their flagship sets, Topps Clear. All cards are printed on clear plastic and serial numbered to 10. Not something you see everyday, and if I find one for one of my teams, it's a must buy.

2015 Topps Inception Blue - Nolan Arenado

As is an Arenado, serial numbered out of 25. He was even still a Rockie at this time!

2015 Topps Tier One - Kurt Suzuki - Dual Relic

Just a couple boring white napkins glued to a decent looking card. Too bad that one of the swatches wasn't a blue or red alternate, just to make the card look nicer. It is numbered out of 50, even though you probably can't read it. Suzuki quietly had a really nice career, and was an All Star with the Twins, during their lean 20-teen years. 

2004 Bowman Chrome Uncirculated - Kory Casto

Cool! One of those great Bowman Chrome Uncirculated cards! Not that Bowman needs anymore gimmicks, but I'm surprised these sealed and serial numbered cards haven't made a comeback. 

1971 Topps - Mike Marshall (High number)

That Topps airbrusher just wasn't even trying to draw an Expos hat. This is one of the worst I've ever seen. Not close to centered, the "e" is passable, but the "b" was drawn with closed eyes. This was one of the last cards I needed for my 1971 Topps Montreal Expos team set, and I'd never seen the card before buying it. Wow... You know that "b" could have been fixed very easily. Just make it larger. Already ruined the perspective and centering, but making the "b" match the other 2 letters would make this worlds better. 

Poor Mike... First his rough time with the Seattle Pilots, then he can't even get a reasonable Expos cap.

He hasn't even worked for Calvin Griffith yet...

2000 SPx - Barry Zito - Autograph

Found in The Collectors Box $5 box. Just a card I've always wanted. Never would have imagined in 2000 or 2001 that I would eventually buy it for only $5. 

Just as I was wrapping things up at The Collectors Box, he asked if there was anything else I was looking for. Which triggered something I hadn't thought of before we went on vacation. My 1975 Topps set is missing three cards. Unfortunately they are three of the most expensive cards in the set...

And now my 1975 Topps set is complete. He sold me the three for $60, because the George Brett is pretty beat up. 

The rest of my 1975 Topps set came from Mike at Mike's Sports Cards in Englewood, CO, before he closed his store in 2013. Years back I'd mentioned that I always wanted a 1975 Topps set. He said he had 2 complete sets, that were as close to mint as he could get. He bought one that way, but the other one was set he'd been working on for 20 or so years. Upgrading every card in the set when he found one in better condition. He said he'd sell it to me, missing the top 4 cards (which he had pulled out and graded), for $150. Done!

The near complete set was housed in an album. He was right, nearly every card is perfectly centered with sharp corners. It is beautiful. The four cards that were missing are the three above, and Hank Aaron's base card (which I bought at Pal's a year earlier). Nolan Ryan is there and mint. Same with Gary Carter and Jim Rice. Eventually I'd like to upgrade these three, but for now I'm happy to have a complete 1975 Topps set. 

Whatever...

We're up to the Top Ten 2002 Topps Total Whatever!

#10 - Eddie Taubensee - Cleveland Indians

Taubensee was a former Cincinnati Reds catching prospect, that was drafted by Oakland in the 1990 Rule 5 Draft. Meaning that Oakland had to keep him on the major league roster for the entire 1991 season, or he gets to go back to Cincinnati. Unless another team claims him of waivers first. And then proceeds to hold him on their major league roster for the entire season. The Cleveland Indians happened to do just that. He was safely tucked away on the Indians roster for the whole season and only played in 26 games. After all of that effort for little production, Taubensee was traded to the Houston Astros, in December 1991, for Kenny Lofton (who should be in the Hall of Fame). He was a productive catcher for close to a decade, with the Astros, Reds and finishing up in 2001 back with the Cleveland Indians.

#9 - Preston Wilson - Florida Marlins

The New York Mets 1st round pick in the 1992 MLB Draft was another specific Junk Wax Prospector follow. Wilson debut with the Mets in early 1998, then was shipped to south Florida, for long time Marlins star catcher, Mike Piazza. Preston starred as a fish, but the team needed to rebuild and sent him to the Rockies, in the Mike Hampton trade I talked about earlier. Wilson absolutely raked for the Rockies in 2003, then was injured in 2004, then was traded to the Nationals in 2005. His career fizzled out after that, with a disastrous half season in Houston. The year after with the St. Louis Cardinals not going much better.

#8 - John Flaherty - Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Flaherty was a long time American League East backup catcher, coming up with Boston in 1992, with stops in Detroit and San Diego, before long runs with the Devil Rays and Yankees. Flaherty wasn't much of a hitter, but he found work for 14 years at the major league level. 

#7 - Chris Truby - Montreal Expos

Topps did a pretty poor job of Photoshoppitizing an old Houston Astros spring training photo to look like Truby was a Montreal Expos third basemen. Photoshop was probably the best bet to find an Expos photo, since he was traded to the Detroit Tigers, a month and a half into the 2002 season. The Expos had just traded for him in the middle of March 2002.

At least Topps was in a hurry to do a bad job.

They would do worse...

#6 - Steve Reed - San Diego Padres

Submarining relief pitcher that arrived late and stuck around longer than anyone would have expected. Reed came up through the San Francisco Giants system, debuting in the major leagues in 1992, when he was 27 years old. Reed pitched well, and was picked in the third round of the 1992 MLB Expansion Draft, by the Colorado Rockies. Where he was a bullpen fixture for the Rockies first five seasons. His next five seasons took him back to San Francisco, then Cleveland, Atlanta, the San Diego Padres (as shown), and New York Mets, before returning to Denver for a Rockies reunion in 2003-2004. An attempt to keep it going with Baltimore in 2005 didn't go well, and Reed called it a career, going 49-44, 3.63 ERA, in 833 total games. None of them starts.

#5 - Wiki Gonzalez - San Diego Padres

Catcher in front of a chain link fence is good stuff. The guy standing behind him with just a Padres logo for a head, only adds to the quality. The light hitting backup catcher appeared in 269 games over five seasons with San Diego, before a dozen games with Washington and a little more than a dozen games with the Seattle Mariners. 

#4 - Doug Nickle - Philadelphia Phillies

Now we have chain link fence with the framework underneath bleachers going on. That looks pretty cool to me. Doug Nickle on the other hand was a completely forgettable major league pitcher. He found his way into 20 games. 10 with the Phillies over parts of 3 seasons, and another 10 games with the San Diego Padres at the end of the third season. He totaled just over 20 innings in those 20 games, and went 1-0 with a 7.84 ERA. 

#3 - Mike Lieberthal - Philadelphia Phillies

Mike Lieberthal was the Philadelphia Phillies first round pick (3rd overall) in the 1990 MLB Draft. Also being a catcher, placed him high on my Junk Wax Prospector sheets. He went on to a very good career, hitting .274/.337/.446 over 14 seasons, is pretty good. Especially for a catcher. And I'll always find room in my collection for interesting photos of catchers show making defensive plays. The greenish blue of the stands contrasts well with the red and white Phillies uniform.

#2 - Rick Reed - Minnesota Twins

Rick Reed was wrapping up an interesting career with 2 and a half seasons in the Twins rotation. 2002 was actually one of Reed's best years, as he went 15-7 for Minnesota. But he chose to retire after injuries and disappointment wrecked his 2003 season. Reed was a 26th round draft pick in 1986, by Pittsburgh, but didn't find any success as a Pirate between 1988 and 1991. After a good season with the Kansas City Royals in 1992, he struggled to stay in the majors with Texas and Cincinnati. He was actually on the Reds roster of replacement players had the owners evil plan gone through in 1995. Greatly conflicted because his career hadn't panned out, but he needed to pitch to take care of a sick family member. 1996 was spent stashed in AAA for the New York Mets, where something clicked. At 32 years old in 1997, went on a six year run as one of the better number 2 or 3 starters in baseball.

Well, we're finally at the 2002 Topps Total Whatever Number One Card.

And it's just who you'd expect it to be...

#1 - Brad Fullmer - Anaheim Angels

Oh this photo... Fullmer played the 2001 season as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. A January 2002 trade to the Anaheim Angels meant that he had to have a Disney Angels uniform painted on top of his old Blue Jays colors. Unfortunately they used an intern who came up some of the worst drawn on pinstripes even seen on a non-1970's Topps New York Yankees card. Just look at Fullmer's left leg. How are those stripes even physically possible? Too bad Topps didn't plan ahead and photoshop the NEW uniforms the now NON-Disney ownership came up with. A far simpler red and white color scheme, with a slight variation of the old haloed A, the Angels had used for pretty much every year that they weren't owned by a mouse. 

As far as Brad Fullmer goes, he was kind of a disappointment. He was the Montreal Expos second round pick in the 1993 MLB Draft. After extensive negotiations, he signed a contract with a signing bonus for over $500 thousand dollars. Which was big money for a draft pick in 1993, but he hit the ground running and was in Montreal less than 4 years later. He was developing into a power hitting first baseman, as all had predicted when he first signed with Montreal.

Unfortunately injuries struck him down and he had played his last game in 2004, with the Texas Rangers. 

And you know how I feel about the Texas Rangers...

******

So that about wraps it up for the long awaited 2002 Topps Total Whatever. 

And our fun vacation...

Where Laura got to complete her 50 state tour of America...

And I got to blow an evil amount of money on baseball cards.

How evil?

Couldn't have done that again if I tried...

Spent so much money on putting together the great 2002 Topps Total Whatever, we couldn't afford Crabby Dick's...

(No, not at all...)

They were closed anyway, and we had to get ready to pack up and drive to Baltimore and fly back to Minnesota.

Meaning there was another white knuckle drive across the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge. I have a fear of heights and claustrophobia, so driving on a two mile long bridge, high above Chesapeake Bay, in narrow lanes surrounded by traffic was not fun for me. 

As soon as we got back on solid ground, I exited the freeway and smoked cigarettes in the 7 Eleven parking lot, in Annapolis, Maryland, to calm rattled nerves. (And that sentence right there sums up the struggle of quitting cigarettes. At just over two months on this latest attempt, it's driving me insane at times.)

Across the freeway I saw an old Wendy's that had avoided multiple updates and renovations. We didn't go there for food, since we still had a ways to go to make the airport in time. Just thought it was cool to find a 1980's era Wendy's. 

A few hours later, were were back on the plane table. I wanted to sleep, but instead I listened to music on my phone while writing out vacation notes on my notepad.

The morning we left was the first that wasn't completely cloudy. So I able to take a photo of the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean. (Actually, Laura took this picture a few minutes after I took mine and went back to bed. Her photo was the best from all we took, so I used hers for the story.)

Which besides cool baseball cards, was one of the things I wanted the most from this trip.

And to be away from the 5-8's, for just a little while.

No karaoke, just career.