1998 Topps Series 1:

1. #258 Randy Winn/Juan Encarnacion/Andrew Vessel (Prospects) (Rookie)
2. #259 Travis Smith/Courney Duncan/Kris Benson (Prospects) (Rookie)
3. #200 Dennis Eckersley
4. #125 Manny Ramirez
5. #201 Bill Mueller
6. #58 Tony Fernandez
7. #237 Chris Widger
8. Minted in Cooperstown #206 Quinton McCracken
9. #196 Luis Sojo
10. #90 Jay Buhner
11. #241 Bobby Ayala

Although they weren’t serial numbered, the Topps Minted in Cooperstown parallel insert set was 1998’s equivalent to the current Gold Border inserts.

“Projected as a utility outfielder/pinch runner when the 1997 season opened, Quinton wound up playing four of every five games in center field for the Rockies.  Speed, intelligence and a professional approach define the game of the former four-year starting cornerback for the Duke University football team.”

And I got a Man-Ram for my player collection:

2008 Topps Series 1:

1. #217 Josh Beckett (Postseason Highlights)
2. #99 David Ortiz/Manny Ramirez (Postseason Highlights)
3. #322 Scott Kazmir/Johan Santana/Erik Bedard (League Leaders)
4. #85 Jason Bay
5. #315 David Weathers
6. #172 Chris Ray
7. Gold Foil #245 Dan Haren
8. #83 Mark Reynolds
9. #21 Edwin Encarnacion
10. #38 Preston Wilson

“Though they couldn’t get a win to show for it, the Red Sox made a little history in Game 4 of the ALCS when Youkilis, Ortiz and Ramirez became the second trio to hit back-to-back-to-back postseason homers.  The Yankees did it, also against Cleveland, in 1997.”

…I won’t make the obvious steroid comment here…

When the Yankees hit back-to-back-to-back postseason homers in 1997, it was Tim Raines, Derek Jeter, and Paul O’Neill.

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH283 Alex Cintron
2. #UH176 Brad Wilkerson
3. #UH38 Carlos Villanueva
4. #UH304 Brad Lidge (All-Star)
5. #UH131 Manny Ramirez (Highlights)
6. #UH229 Adrian Gonzalez (All-Star)
7. #UH181 Runelvys Hernandez
8. #UH258 Arthur Rhodes
9. #UH186 Wes Littleton
10. Ring of Honor World Series Champions #RH-BS Bruce Sutter

“Sutter had a hand in three of the Cardinals four World Series wins over the Brewers in 1982.  He got the “W” in a tight Game 2, and saved Games 3 and 7.  In the latter, he spun two perfect innings.”

And Man-Ram squeezing another home run out of the juicer:

2009 Topps Series 2:

1. #622 Kurt Suzuki
2. #535 Ryan Doumit
3. #529 Fernando Rodney
4. #359 Jason Varitek
5. Topps Town #TTT41 Manny Ramirez
6. #373 Joe Martinez (Rookie)
7. #553 Jeff Karstens
8. #398 Cameron Maybin
9. #432 Wladimir Balentien
10. #509 Lou Montanez

“He’s widely recognized as one of the best righty hitters of all time, but Manny still takes swings on a batting tee every day.  The routine has produced nine Silver Slugger Awards and more than 500 homers.”

Earlier this month, Man-Ram committed to playing the 2010 season with the Dodgers.

1992 Upper Deck, to be integrated into my collection:

1. #3 Brian Jordan (Star Rookie)
2. #6 Jeff Juden (Star Rookie)
3. #9 Chris George (Star Rookie)
4. #10 Rob Maurer (Star Rookie)
5. #11 Donald Harris (Star Rookie)
6. #12 Ted Wood (Star Rookie) *x3
7. #14 Willie Banks (Star Rookie)
8. #15 Roger Salkeld (Star Rookie) *x2
9. #17 Arthur Rhodes (Star Rookie)
10. #19 Andy Ashby (Star Rookie)
11. #20 Tom Goodwin (Star Rookie)
12. #22 Todd Van Poppel (Star Rookie)
13. #26 Derek Bell (Star Rookie)
14. #27 Reggie Sanders (Star Rookie)
15. #28 Dave Winfield (Highlight)
16. #33 Fred McGriff (Team Card) *x3
17. #34 Willie McGee (Team Card)
18. #35 Shawon Dunston (Team Card)
19. #36 Delino DeShields (Team Card)
20. #37 Howard Johnson (Team Card)
21. #47 Mark Lemke
22. #51 Top Prospect Checklist (Checklist)
23. #54 David Zancanaro (Top Prospect)
24. #56 Mark Wohlers (Top Prospect)
25. #58 Dmitri Young (Top Prospect) *x2
26. #63 Manny Ramirez (Top Prospect) (Rookie)
27. #67 Joey Hamilton (Top Prospect)
28. #69 Jon Farrell (Top Prospect)
29. #72 Dan Wilson (Top Prospect)
30. #74 Rico Brogna (Top Prospect) *x2

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…

It was a battle between the best team in the league and the worst team in the league.  Last night however, Goliath won.  Not only did Goliath give David a sound thrashing, but he also beat him with a baseball bat while he was down.  It was kind of painful to watch, as the Washington Nationals were defeated on their home field 14-2.  And I was there…

It seemed like most of the audience consisted of Los Angeles Dodgers fans.  It’s a long way from California, so they were here looking for a dramatic display of power, and that’s exactly what they got.  The Dodgers scored 7 runs in the 4th inning and 6 in the 7th.  I stopped keeping count of their runs after the 4th inning.

The Nationals were already eliminated from playoff contention a few weeks ago, so I was at the game mainly to see the Dodgers in person before they go into the playoffs.  The Adam Dunn home run, coupled with the fireworks display that followed, was an awesome experience.  It was also pretty cool to see Chin-Lung Hu (胡金龍), the first Taiwanese infielder ever to play in the Major Leagues, make a plate appearance (and strike out).  Future Hall of Fame contender and 500-HR clubber Jim Thome also made a surprise appearance (and grounded out).  Then of course, there was Manny Being Manny, who drew boos at every plate appearance.

The box score for the game can be found here.  As I write this, the Nationals and Dodgers are playing game 2 of their 3-game series at Nationals Park and the score is tied 3-3 in the 8th inning.  Whether the Nationals win or lose tonight, I’ll look forward to seeing the Dodgers play in the playoffs next month on TV.

2008 Topps #72 Mike Piazza

2008 Topps archives, to be integrated into my collection:

1. #3 Jeff Suppan
2. #8 Stephen Drew
3. #20 Daisuke Matsuzaka
4. #25 Kaz Matsui (Postseason Highlights)
5. #26 Manny Ramirez (Postseason Highlights)
6. #29 Anibal Sanchez
7. #32 Howie Kendrick
8. #41 Rich Aurilia
9. #45 Dontrelle Willis
10. #53 Hank Blalock
11. #56 Seth Smith (Rookie)
12. #59 Grady Sizemore (Postseason Highlights)
13. #63 Jason Michaels
14. #64 Mike Lowell
15. #72 Mike Piazza
16. #82 So Taguchi
17. #86 Scott Podsednik
18. #92 Ross Detwiler (Rookie)
19. #93 Kenny Lofton
20. #98 Ryan Howard/Chase Utley (Classic Combos)


2008 Topps #258 Manny Ramirez/Kevin Youkilis (Classic Combos)

21. #104 Kevin Youkilis
22. #109 Joe Nathan
23. #115 Johan Santana
24. #119 Jeremy Hermida
25. #121 Mike Cameron
26. #123 Terry Francona (Manager)
27. #128 Kenny Lofton (Postseason Highlights)
28. #164 Nate Schierholtz
29. #169 Adam Lind
30. #183 Paul Byrd
31. #184 Tadahito Iguchi
32. #201 Matt Capps
33. #210 Mark Teahen
34. #216 Ryan Garko
35. #220 Roy Oswalt
36. #233 Jimmy Rollins (MVP)
37. #238 Shane Victorino
38. #250 Jonathan Papelbon
39. #258 Manny Ramirez/Kevin Youkilis (Classic Combos)
40. #269 James Loney (Topps All-Star Rookie)