2001 Topps Traded & Rookies:

1. #T26 John Rocker
2. #T42 Hideo Nomo
3. #T15 Andres Galarraga
4. #T13 Eric Davis
5. #T171 Scott Seabol (Rookie)
6. #T149 Lloyd McClendon (Manager)
7. Gold #T151 Jared Abruzzo (Rookie) (Serial#0764/2001)
8. #T123 Greg Maddux
9. Topps Chrome Traded #T235 Justin Morneau
10. Topps Chrome Traded #T108 Lou Piniella

I remember seeing a post on bdj610’s Topps Baseball Card Blog a while back where he said his favorite Topps set was 2001 Topps.  After these past few days of opening 2001 Topps, I’d have to agree.  The Justin Morneau Chrome rookie card and Ichiro rookie card I pulled yesterday are as good as pretty much any “hit” I could have pulled from more recent Topps releases.

“A .302 hitter in the Gulf Coast League (R) in 1999, Morneau was reassigned to the circuit in 2000 for more seasoning.  His response: a batting title (.402), a league-high 58 RBI in 52 games and the GCL MVP Award.  On July 20, 2000, he unloaded on the GCL Orioles for five hits and 10 RBI.  “He’s as good a hitter as I’ve ever seen at this level,” said GCL Rangers manager Darryl Kennedy.  Justin, who’s been used as both a first baseman and catcher, kept on slugging in the Midwest League (A) in ‘01.  In April, he earned a Player of the Week award after smaking .474 with eight extra-base hits.“

2001 Topps Series 2:

1. #615 Pat Mahomes
2. #597 Mike Lansing
3. #726 Ichiro Suzuki (Rookie)
4. #577 Jesus Sanchez
5. #509 Keith Osik
6. #438 Tony Armas Jr.
7. #743 Brandon Mims/Blake Williams (Draft Picks) (Rookie)
8. #752 Anaheim Angels (Team Card)
9. #774 Pittsburgh Pirates (Team Card)
10. #739 Josh Axelson/Carmen Cali (Draft Picks) (Rookie)

My thoughts while ripping this pack:

::rip rip rip::

thinking, “2001 Topps is so fun to rip, but dang these cards stick so badly”

“Pat Mahomes”, ::skrat:: (the sound the cards make as they get unstuck), “Mike Lansing”, ::SKKKRRRAAAATTTT!!::, “Ichi… YES YES YES!  AWESOME!  MY FAVORITE PLAYER’S ROOKIE CARD!!!… wait a minute… NOOOOOOOOO!!! NO NO NO!”

That’s when I realized that the only card I’ve ever damaged by unsticking stuck cards from a pack happened to be the Ichiro rookie card!  While these are just for my private collection and I’m still happy just having my own copy, it still kinda sucks.  Hope I pull another one someday ::crosses fingers::

2001 Topps Series 1:

1. A Look Ahead #LA6 Nomar Garciaparra
2. #356 Scott Heard/David Parrish (Draft Picks) (Rookie)
3. #94 Chris Turner
4. #330 Don Baylor (Manager)
5. #242 Jeff Frye
6. #150 Ivan Rodriguez
7. #233 Mike Lowell
8. A Tradition Continues #TRC26 Manny Ramirez
9. #148 Chris Carpenter
10. #82 Gil Heredia

“Ramirez has transformed himself into a superstar.  His weight room results are obvious, while his gorgeous swing is the product of endless hours of BP.  In the late 1990s, he worked with a psychologist to improve his focus on defense and the bases.  It apparently helped him at the plate, too:  In ‘99, he batted .386 with men in scoring position.”

LOL, “His weight room results are obvious”… well the weight room among other things…

After a few failed launches in the 90’s, Topps began releasing a Traded & Rookies set again in 2001.  This time it was a success, and Topps has followed up its flagship brand with a Traded & Rookies set in the hobby box format every year since.

2001 Topps Traded & Rookies promised 24 packs with 10 cards per pack, 2 Chrome cards in every pack, and a relic in every box.  This configuration, along with Albert Pujols’ rookie card being in the set, made this the most expensive hobby box that I have ever purchased.  I think I paid about $110 for it, which I still think was a good deal.  However, I’d be a little irked if I didn’t at least get an Albert Pujols rookie card out of this.

Let’s see if we can get some Pujols in the first at-bat:

1. #T29 David Segui
2. #T218 Noel Devarez (Rookie)
3. #T233 Luis Montanez (Rookie)
4. #T259 Aaron Heilman (Rookie)
5. #T264 Chris Smith (Rookie)
6. Gold #T163 Phil Dumatrait (Serial#0684/2001)
7. #T143 Sean Burroughs (Reprint)
8. #T100 Carlton Fisk (Reprint)
9. Topps Chrome Traded #T42 Hideo Nomo
10. Topps Chrome Traded #T125 Dennis Eckersley (Reprint)

…and 2001 Traded Checklist 2 of 2

I am officially and undeniably impressed with 2001 Topps Traded and Rookies.  If every pack is gonna be like this, I can’t wait to open up the rest.  My only complaint is that there are a lot of reprints that confuse the numbering of the set.  I also hate reprints.

The story behind (the card of) Phil Dumatrait:

“Phil has come so far, so fast that his performance ceiling is difficult to project.  As a high school senior in 1999, he was such a soft-tosser that he wasn’t even drafted.  But upon attending junior college, he suddently responded to arm-strength training so dramatically that his velocity increased 10-12 mph into the mid-90s.  That was enough to make him a first-rounder in ‘00.  Dumatrait, who also has an outstanding curveball and an endearingly competitive demeanor, was lights out in the Gulf Coast League (R) that summer, allowing only three earned runs in a half-dozen starts.  And since he has plenty of room on his frame for extra weight and muscle, he could deveop into a rare power-lefty.“

2001 Topps What Could Have Been #WCB8 George "Mule" Suttles

2001 Topps series 2:

1. #518 Darryl Hamilton
2. #658 Rick White
3. #716 Ryan Dempster
4. #603 Henry Blanco
5. #575 Scott Sauerbeck
6. What Could Have Been #WCB8 George “Mule” Suttles
7. #667 Matt LeCroy
8. #635 David McCarty
9. #443 Jeromy Burnitz
10. #701 Tim Wakefield

“Only a handful of sluggers could stake a legitimate claim as the greatest home run hitter ever.  One of them is Suttles.  A former coal miner, Mule was 6-6, 230 pounds — gargantuan for ’20s-’30s era.  With a bat rumored to weigh 50 ounces, he bashed 20 homers in 57 recorded Negro League games in 1930.  One of them flew a reputed 600 feet.  And in 79 at-bats against Major League players, he clubbed 11 roundtrippers — a home run percentage of 15.3, which is far greater than Babe Ruth’s or Mark McGwire’s.“

2001 Topps #688 Sammy Sosa

2001 Topps series 2:

1. #555 Tom Goodwin
2. #789 David Wells (Golden Moments)
3. #486 Brian Meadows
4. #567 Scott Erickson
5. #523 Marlon Anderson
6. #702 Jim Edmonds
7. #688 Sammy Sosa
8. #453 Russ Ortiz
9. #430 Jose Rosado
10. #601 Greg Colbrunn

“From 1996 to ‘00, Sammy smashed 255 home runs — just one less than Babe Ruth’s greatest five-year stretch (‘26-30).”

What do you think?  Does this ‘roided up 600-HR Clubber belong in the Hall of Fame?  Maybe we should let Jose Canseco decide.

2001 Topps Noteworthy #TN1 Mark McGwire

2001 Topps series 2

1. #418 Mickey Morandini
2. #564 Alex Gonzalez
3. #605 Tony Eusebio
4. #686 Garrett Stephenson
5. #408 Brant Brown
6. Noteworthy #TN1 Mark McGwire
7. #521 Bernie Williams
8. #654 Rickey Ledee
9. #649 Brian Rose
10. #475 Cal Eldred

…and Series 2 Checklist 2/4.

Noteworthy achievements for Mark McGwire:

• “Slugged a record 70 home runs in 1998, shattering Roger Maris’s single-season mark of 61“
• “Has homered in a record-tying (Fred McGriff) 37 different big-league ballparks“
• “Stands seventh on baseball’s all-time home run list (554), nine behind sixth-place Reggie Jackson.“
• “Only player in history to hit his 400th and 500th home runs in consecutive seasons (1998-99)“
• “Has been chosen to play in the All-Star Game 12 times, including eight starts.“
• “Set NL record for walks in a season (162) in 1998.“

Did anyone else notice that on the card Mark McGwire’s name is spelled “mark mcgWire” with a capital “W”?

2001 Topps Combos #TC16 Cal Ripken/Lou Gehrig

2001 Topps series 2:

1. #558 Brian Moehler
2. #572 Joe Mays
3. #442 Rondell White
4. #595 Dave Mlicki
5. #704 Cristian Guzman
6. Combos #TC16 Cal Ripken/Lou Gehrig
7. #455 Eric Karros
8. #699 Chad Kreuter
9. #610 Bill Haselman
10. #416 Matt Mantei

“Some called Lou Gehrig’s streak of 2,130 consecutive games a record that would never be broken.  Then along came Cal Ripken a half-century later with a run of 2,632.  While no record is unassailable, the legacy of these two “Iron men” will last forever.  Each earned two Most Valuable Player Awards.  Gehrig won a Triple Crown in 1934 and compiled a .361 World Series batting average.  Ripken topped the 3,000-hit milestone and, in 2000, was selected to play in his 18th consecutive All-Star Game.“