It’s a gimmick, but this card is notorious because it got so much media attention in 2007.  Mickey Mantle watches from the dugout as George W. Bush waves from the stands.  It’ll be a nice addition to my display case.

2007 Topps Series 1:

1. #287 Jose Garcia (Rookie Card)
2. #195 James Loney
3. #192 Matt Capps
4. #230 Barry Zito
5. Distinguished Service #DS4 Bobby Doerr
6. Red Back #40a Derek Jeter (Mantle-Bush Variation)
7. Red Back #50 Miguel Cabrera
8. #87 Alexis Gomez
9. #138 Adrian Gonzalez
10. #2 Nick Swisher

A-Rod’s 400th homer came on June 8, 2005 in Miller Park against Jorge de la Rosa of the Milwaukee Brewers.  It was a solo homer in the 8th inning.

2007 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH22 Jeff Salazar
2. #UH189 Lee Gronkiewicz (Rookie Card)
3. #UH194 Guillermo Rodriguez (Rookie Card)
4. #UH124 Lenny DiNardo
5. #UH322 David Murphy (Rookie Card)
6. Red Back #UH325 Jason Kendall
7. Red Back #UH124 Lenny DiNardo
8. Alex Rodriguez Road to 500 #ARHR400 Alex Rodriguez
9. #UH213 Trevor Hoffman (Season Highlights)
10. #UH238 Francisco Cordero (All-Star)

Mickey Mantle hit home run number 240 on August 12, 1958 off of Ken Lehman of the Baltimore Orioles in Yankee Stadium.

2007 Topps Series 1:

1. #294 Mike Rabelo (Rookie Card)
2. #309 Mark Teixeira (Gold Glove)
3. #238 Philadelphia Phillies (Team Card)
4. #39 Jim Edmonds
5. #312 Carlos Beltran (Gold Glove)
6. Mantle Home Run History #MHR240 Mickey Mantle
7. Red Back #210 Kazuo Matsui
8. Red Back #263 Kevin Kouzmanoff (Rookie Card)
9. #19 Alfredo Amezaga
10. #270 Alfonso Soriano

“Carlos not only swatted .320 in 2006, but he shone defensively at shortstop calmed pitchers at the mound.  In the postseason, he blasted .362 and filled in at 1B.  He was named Tiger of the Year.”

That’s one bad-ass looking autograph he has there!

2007 Topps Series 2:

1. #359 Jon Garland
2. #645 Angel Sanchez (Rookie Card)
3. #478 Octavio Dotel
4. #344 Kenji Johjima
5. #518 Esteban Loaiza
6. Gold #568 Carlos Guillen (Serial#0510/2007)
7. Red Back #567 Chris Stewart (Rookie Card)
8. Red Back #535 Jon Lieber
9. #579 Taylor Tankersley
10. #335 Brian McCann

Here’s five hobby packs of 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights:

PACK 1

1. #UH141 Cameron Maybin (Rookie Card)
2. #UH192 Terry Evans (Rookie Card)
3. #UH117 Jeremy Accardo
4. #UH320 Troy Percival
5. #UH51 Zack Greinke
6. Red Back #UH307 Kyle Davies
7. Red Back #UH183 Travis Metcalf (Rookie Card)
8. Barry Bonds Home Run History #738 Barry Bonds
9. #UH280 Carl Crawford/Carlos Guillen (Classic Combo)
10. #UH245 Takashi Saito (All-Star)

PACK 2

1. #UH3 Jason Marquis
2. #UH199 Yoel Hernandez (Rookie Card)
3. #UH169 Micah Owings (Rookie Card)
4. #UH62 Mike Fontenot
5. #UH63 Cesar Izturis
6. Red Back #UH233 J.J. Putz (All-Star)
7. Red Back #UH179 Jesus Flores (Rookie Card)
8. Mantle Home Run History #MHR470 Mickey Mantle
9. #UH275 Mike Fontenot/Khalil Greene (Classic Combo)
10. #UH226 Jose Reyes (All-Star)

PACK 3

1. #UH109 Jason Wood
2. #UH301 Bob Howry
3. #UH307 Kyle Davies
4. #UH103 Antonio Alfonseca
5. #UH156 Matt DeSalvo (Rookie Card)
6. Red Back #UH194 Guillermo Rodriguez (Rookie Card)
7. Red Back #UH253 Derrek Lee (All-Star)
8. Gold #UH135 Jose Molina (Serial#0767/2007)
9. #UH162 Phil Hughes (Rookie Card)
10. #UH218 Derek Jeter (All-Star)

PACK 4

1. #UH69 Claudio Vargas
2. #UH94 Al Reyes
3. #UH82 Rafael Betancourt
4. #UH52 Armando Benitez
5. #UH28 Olmedo Saenz
6. #UH207 Prince Fielder (Season Highlights)
7. Red Back #UH260 Matt Holliday (All-Star)
8. Red Back #UH43 Ubaldo Jimenez (Rookie Card)
9. #UH211 Randy Johnson (Season Highlights)
10. #UH221 Magglio Ordonez (All-Star)

PACK 5

1. #UH56 Jamie Burke
2. #UH186 Kyle Kendrick (Rookie Card)
3. #UH174 Curtis Thigpen (Rookie Card)
4. #UH27 Yusmeiro Petit
5. #UH32 Russ Ortiz
6. Red Back #UH22 Jeff Salazar
7. Red Back #UH266 Justin Morneau (All-Star)
8. Mickey Mantle Story #MMS32 Mickey Mantle
9. #UH271 Dan Haren (All-Star)
10. #UH232 Jonathan Papelbon (All-Star)

“After less than a year in the Minors, Tim broke in as a Giants force in 2007.  The ’06 first-rounder fanned 10 or more twice before the 2007 All-Star Game, including a 12-strikeout, no-walk shutout of Arizona on July 1.  He yielded just three hits in that win.  ”He’s not in awe of anything,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy says of the poised right-hander.”

2007 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH158 Tim Lincecum (Rookie Card)
2. #UH79 Adam Wainwright
3. #UH139 Casey Kotchman
4. #UH66 Aaron Miles
5. #UH26 Kameron Loe
6. Red Back #UH247 Hideki Okajima (All-Star)
7. Red Back #UH1 Tony Armas Jr.
8. Gold #UH297 J.P. Howell (Serial#0714/2007)
9. #UH247 Hideki Okajima (All-Star)
10. #UH228 Carlos Beltran (All-Star)

“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.