“September 20, 1953 – Mickey’s 21st and final home run of the regular season, fittingly enough, topped 500 feet at Fenway Park.  It was a tape-measure year for Mantle.  The Yankees already had clinched the American League pennant, but the first-inning blast helped New York to a 10-8 victory.  It marked the second straight season Mantle topped the 20-homer plateau, a feat he would accomplish 14 times in his career.”

For some perspective, the player with the least career home runs to top the 20-homer mark at least 14 times in his career is Chipper Jones.  Chipper has 436 career home runs.

2007 Topps Series 2:

1. #553 Ramon Martinez
2. #347 Chicago Cubs (Team Card)
3. #614 Bob Geren (Manager)
4. #491 David Eckstein
5. Mickey Mantle Story #MMS26 Mickey Mantle
6. Generation Now #GN237 Ryan Zimmerman
7. Red Back #587 Brian Bannister
8. Red Back #653 Sean Casey/Placido Polanco (Classic Combos)
9. #465 Jhonny Peralta
10. #420 Jeff Weaver

2007 Topps Series 1:

1. #283 Drew Anderson (Rookie Card)
2. #69 Casey Fossum
3. #93 Mike Napoli
4. #221 Robinson Tejeda
5. Gibson Home Run History #JG10 Josh Gibson
6. Generation Now #GN20 Ryan Howard
7. Red Back #290 Matt Holliday
8. Red Back #187 Matt Cain
9. #210 Kazuo Matsui
10. #263 Kevin Kouzmanoff (Rookie Card)

“Some referred to Josh as the “Black Babe Ruth” as a testament to the length and frequency of his home runs.  Satchel Paige called him the greatest hitter who ever lived.  From the time he was called from the seats to catch for the Homestead Grays as an 18-year-old to his retirement 17 years later, Gibson hit close to 800 longballs — as many as 84 in one season — with a career batting average topping .350.”

Nobody really knows how many home runs Josh Gibson really hit during his career because the records weren’t as well kept and Negro League teams frequently played semi-pro teams in non-official games.  He died of a brain tumor in 1947 at the age of 35.

2007 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH53 Randy Messenger
2. #UH24 Brad Hennessey
3. #UH47 Scott Hairston
4. #UH317 Chris Schroder
5. #UH120 Jason Phillips
6. Red Back #UH290 Ryan Howard (Home Run Derby)
7. Red Back #UH140 Ryan Spilborghs
8. Generation Now #GN477 Kenji Johjima
9. #UH314 Craig Monroe
10. #UH216 David Ortiz (All-Star)

“With 79 four-baggers between the start of 2006 and the 2007 All-Star Game – 11 more than any other Major Leaguer — Howard was a natural choice for a spot in the State Home Run Derby.  In addition, he was the defending champion, having emerged victorious in ’06 in Pittsburgh.  However, Ryan could not find his stroke and did not survive the first round.”

I think they meant the “State Farm Home Run Derby”.  How dare they get a sponsor’s name wrong!

The home runs haven’t been coming as easily for Howard this season.  I guess that coaching from Barry Bonds didn’t help as much he had hoped.  So far he is hitting .277 and is on pace to hit around 34 home runs this season.

2007 Topps Series 1:

1. #63 Scott Proctor
2. #186 Grady Sizemore
3. #65 Dan Uggla (Topps All-Star Rookie)
4. Own the Game #OTG1 Ryan Howard
5. Generation Now #GN26 Ryan Howard
6. Red Back #112 Jeff Conine
7. Red Back #31 Jay Payton
8. #307 Torii Hunter (Gold Glove)
9. #143 Vicente Padilla
10. #86 Shannon Stewart

In 2006, Ryan Howard led the National League with 58 home runs.

This season, he’s leading the National League with 81 RBI’s.  However, he might be headed to the Disabled List soon for hurting his ankle on Sunday while running the basepaths.

I don’t have any Jumbo packs of 2007 Topps series 2, so I’ll be ripping 5 hobby packs of it.  Let’s see what treasures lie within:

Pack 1

1. #502 Brian Roberts
2. #448 Fernando Rodney
3. #446 Jaret Wright
4. #464 Omar Vizquel
5. Mantle Home Run History #MHR386 Mickey Mantle
6. Generation Now #GN268 Delmon Young
7. Red Back #617 Ned Yost (Manager)
8. Red Back #425 Tomo Ohka
9. #428 So Taguchi
10. #429 Carlos Zambrano

Pack 2

1. #649 Brian Barden (Rookie Card)
2. #599 Kansas City Royals (Team Card)
3. #476 Aaron Harang
4. #342 Bengie Molina
5. Trading Places #TP15 Aubrey Huff
6. DiMaggio Streak Before the Streak #JDSF8 Joe DiMaggio
7. Red Back #457 Mike Hampton
8. Red Back #383 Jon Lester
9. #391 Kelvim Escobar
10. #485 Tadahito Iguchi

Pack 3

1. #468 Kerry Wood
2. #539 Eric Milton
3. #341 Akinori Iwamura (Rookie Card)
4. #396 Chris Capuano
5. #399 James Shields
6. Hit Parade #HP3 Frank Thomas
7. Red Back #647 Juan Morillo (Rookie Card)
8. Red Back #616 Fredi Gonzalez (Manager)
9. #550 Trevor Hoffman
10. #483 Kris Benson

Pack 4

1. #392 Craig Wilson
2. #594 Angels (Team Card)
3. #610 Jim Leyland (Manager)
4. #473 Xavier Nady
5. Gold #532 Jose Vidro (Serial#0671/2007)
6. 1st Edition #577 Jason LaRue
7. Red Back #418 Boof Bonser
8. Red Back #559 Doug Mientkiewicz
9. #500 Pedro Martinez
10. #398 Jacque Jones

Pack 5

1. #552 Chris Woodward
2. #484 John Maine
3. #355 Oliver Perez
4. #586 Willy Aybar
5. #426 Jeff Francoeur
6. Red Back #625 Josh Hamilton (Rookie Card)
7. Red Back #634 Alex Gordon (Rookie Card)
8. #409 Khalil Greene
9. #350 Chase Utley
10. #459 Jeff Suppan

2007 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH81 Kelly Schoppach
2. #UH112 Henry Owens
3. #UH34 Paul McAnulty
4. #UH159 Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Rookie Card)
5. #UH107 Damion Easley
6. Red Back #UH171 Andy Sonnanstine (Rookie Card)
7. Red Back #UH222 Ichiro (All-Star)
8. Barry Bonds 756 #HRK Barry Bonds
9. #UH188 Ryan Rowland-Smith (Rookie Card)
10. #UH239 Mike Lowell (All-Star)

“Bonds’ epic pursuit of the all-time career home run mark was realized in a sea of cheers from San Francisco fans on August 7, 2007.  No. 756 – a long blast against Washington – gave him possession of one of the most hallowed records in all of sport.”

Booooooooo

2007 Topps Series 2:

1. #535 Jon Lieber
2. #595 Cleveland Indians (Team Card)
3. #651 Jason Michaels/Travis Hafner (Classic Combo)
4. #578 Dustin Pedroia
5. #540 Chad Billingsley
6. Red Back #582 Scott Thorman
7. Red Back #623 Alejandro De Aza (Rookie Card)
8. #338 Juan Pierre
9. #339 Jonny Gomes
10. #538 Wily Mo Pena

“Dustin, says manager Terry Francona, “does everything he’s supposed to.  He understands situations on the field.  You don’t have to explain to him three times.”“

2007 Topps Series 2:

1. #623 Alejandro de Aza (Rookie)
2. #630 Daisuke Matsuzaka (Rookie)
3. #441 Pat Burrell
4. #401 Matt Kemp
5. #411b Jason Bay (No Signature)
6. Generation Now #GN312 Hanley Ramirez
7. Red Back #433 Brandon Morrow (Rookie)
8. Red Back #626 Doug Slaten (Rookie)
9. #534 Terrmel Sledge
10. #492 Michael Barrett

I pulled a Jason Bay no signature “error” card.

“Jason experienced thrills in 2006 that, a few years back, he could never have imagined.  In March, he played in the inaugural World Baseball Classic and went 5-for-11 for Canada.  In July, he started in the All-Star Game, which was staged at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park.  Among NL outfielders, only Albert Pujols had garnered more votes in fan balloting.”

It looks like Jason Bay might have missed the cut in All-Star balloting this year.  We’ll know for sure when the teams are unveiled in a few days.