The film the mafia wish never got made.

Yesterday, I received a screener in the mail from one of the makers of this film, The Notorious Newman Brothers, Brett Butler. It has been traveling around the festival circuit for a couple of months. This is the festival edition of the movie. This movie was pitched to me as This Is Spinal Tap meets The Sopranos. I can see that in this picture.

An inexperienced director named Max Chaplin (Ryan Noel) wants to make a documentary about the mafia. He seeks out anybody that responds to his ad to be a part of the movie. The well known mafiosos doesn’t want to be a part of the movie. They urge Max to not pursue it further. Until he recived a response to his ad.

The Newman brothers, Thunderclap and Paulie, played by real life brothers Brett and Jason Butler are lower end of the totem pole in the mafia. They are petty criminals that wanted to get their names out there and have more clout with the other members of the mob.

Max realizes that he is getting himself in too deep with him and his crew document the brothers crimes in progress. Apprehensive at first, Max was getting a rush from doing bad things.

To put a wrench in the middle of filming is a former associate of the Newman Brothers, Lucky (Mike Mackenzie). He tells Max that the brothers are not what they appears to be. Max questions the credibility of his subjects.

This movie was amusing. Better than most of the comedies that I have seen this year. I was grinning throughout the movie. The brothers were hilarious. This movie felt like it was improvised, which is a good thing.

I did have problems with Max. I know that he is supposed to be the self-indulgent annoying documentaerian like Michael Moore, but at times he was too much for me to take. I wanted to mute . It was the voice that got under my sking.

Lastly, the ending was a bit of a WTF moment. I cannot disclose it, but it was like a slap in the face to me.

Rating: ***1/2

Another round of letters are going into the mail tomorrow.  I just sealed these up and am ready to get them into the postal stream. 

My mailbox has been quite active lately and I am hoping my luck continues as I try a few of my older, sentimental players as well as a few more current guys.

Here are the guys I am sending to now:  Jim Lonborg, Bernie Williams, Al Downing, Don Baylor, Claudell Washington, Charlie Hough, Rick Reuschel, Glenn Beckert, Mike Mussina, Brett Butler, Marquis Grissom, Mike Cameron, Eric Davis, and Ozzie Guillen.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated as, good or bad, as these start to make their way back home to me.

Wish me luck… 

The 1980’s were pretty bleak for Braves fans.  There was the miracle year of 1982, when the Braves started the season with thirteen straight wins and never really looked back.  Though they lost to St. Louis in the playoffs, the incredible run after so much badness gave fans hope for the future.  But it was pretty much a false hope.

1983 saw the Braves finish three games behind the Dodgers, and the slide back to the bottom had begun.  Then management made one of its worst decisions ever, trading two quality players (Brett Butler and Brook Jacoby) for Len Barker, a pitcher from the American League that didn’t pan out, but whose uber-slow delivery was great when you needed a nap.

By 1985, it was like ‘82 and ‘83 had never happened, and the Braves were again firmly ensconced in the cellar, where they would remain until 1991.  But in the dark decade of constant defeat, there was one bright light.

Dale Murphy.

Born in Portland, Oregon on March 12, 1956, Murphy arrived at baseball’s top level as a catcher…and not a particularly good one.  But his terrific arm and deceptively good speed made him a natural for centerfield, where the mid-20’s youngster blossomed.  He won the National League’s MVP award in 1982 and ‘83, was a 7-time All-Star, and a 5-time Gold Glover.

In his prime years (1982-87), Dale was one of the most (if not the most) feared hitters in all of baseball.  His power to all fields was prodigious, he could hit for a reasonable average, he could steal bases, and his defense was outstanding.  In an era when 25 homers a year was a lot, the Braves centerfielder was in a class largely by himself.

But what really set Dale Murphy apart had little to do with his baseball prowess.  He was a class act.  Not in any kind of superficial, I-act-like-this-because-I’m-in-front-of-the-camera way, but through-and-through class.  Dale didn’t drink alcohol, didn’t smoke, and didn’t swear.  He was a deeply religious, devoted family man (with eight children) who didn’t slap his wife around behind closed doors and didn’t cheat on her when he wasn’t home.

There were no tattoos, no temper tantrums, and no tabloid pictorals.  There were no rumors, no heresay, no innuendo, and no raised eyebrows.  Dale Murphy was (and still is) just as plain-white-vanilla good as a person could be.

“The Murph” was my first real baseball hero.  As a baseball player myself, I tried to mimic his batting stance and his swing.  As an outfielder (I didn’t pitch until high-school ball), I watched how he played his position and tried to copy that, too.  And as a man, I’d like to hope that somebody respects me as much as I respected him.

Baseball’s ultimate prize, enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, has eluded Dale Murphy.  Murph’s career numbers are borderline Hall-worthy and look, by today’s standards, little better than average.  But today’s game is different than 20 years ago, as expansion has watered down pitching staffs to the point of mediocrity and hitters feast on minor-league pitchers throwing at the major-league level.  What we can safely assume is that Dale cares little about whether he’s given entrance or not.  His (lack of) ego simply doesn’t demand it.

But more than a few people, including myself, believe that Dale Murphy’s character, demeanor, and integrity should count for something, particularly with greats like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and now even Alex Rodriguez under the shadow of performance-enhancing substances.  If players who cheat are Hall-eligible (some have been, and some could be), surely Dale Murphy, one of baseball’s most upright players, deserves a bronzed bust, too.

Happy Birthday, Dale Murphy!!

(Left - Right) Brett Butler (MLB All-Star and Former Atlanta Braves Player), Lydia Mondavi (founder of 29 Spa), Paul Donahue and Suzanne Dils (Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty).

Brett Butler, former MLB All-Star and Atlanta Braves player, recently visited Atlanta to tour the new Residences at The Mansion on Peachtree and dine at NEO Unplugged with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty agents Suzanne Dils and Paul Donahue.

Eveline and Brett Butler, Holly Firfer and Tom Sullivan (co-hosts, WXIA-TV "Atlanta & Company"), Suzanne Dils and Paul Donahue (Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty).

 Lydia Mondavi, of the Mondavi wine family and founder of 29 Spa at The Mansion on Peachtree, was also in attendance at NEO Unplugged as well as Holly Firfer and Tom Sullivan from WXIA-TV “Atlanta & Company.”   

 

A Rosewood Hotel & Residence, The Mansion on Peachtree is a Robert A.M. Stern designed property located in affluent Buckhead in metro Atlanta. In addition to the Craft restaurant, 29 Spa and the English gardens on the property, there are 127 hotel rooms and 45 residences starting at $1.7 million.

Please call our on-site sales associates of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, Paul Donahue or Suzanne Dils at 404.816.4800, for a tour of our finished model on the 42nd floor.

 

Keeping you up to speed on all the latest action, these Verve Motorsports racers are taking Verve to the finish line!

Brett Butler and the #99 Verve Energy Drink Team Place in Top 10
Pacing the field for 44 laps, Brett and the #99 Verve Energy Drink Team secured a 9th place finish during this past weekend’s race at Jennerstown Speedway in Pennsylvania. 

Rolex Challenge Racer, Tommy Constantine and Mike Borkowski showing great promise with 13th place finish overall at Barber Motorsports Park
Coming off the July 18-20 Porsche 250 race held at Barber Motorsports Park, Tommy Constantine and teammate Mike Borkowski try out a new chassis and engine package for the #53 BMW M6 as they prep for this weekend’s race in Quebec. 

AMA-PRO Superbike Racer, Johnny Rock Page Preps for Top Position
The AMA-Pro Superbike Championship series rolls into Lexington, Ohio this weekend as #269 Johnny Rock Page competes for a top position, airing August 2-5 on SPEED TV.

And Vemma is sponsoring Johnny Benson’s NASCAR truck in this weekends Memphis race. It’ll be televised on the SPEED channel at 6 pm PST this Saturday night. We should have some cool pix to share from this.

START YOUR ENGINES! And get ready to build your Verve business at top speed! In our continuing effort to build the Verve brand and bring credibility to YOUR business and the Verve opportunity, Verve has entered the adrenaline-pumping motor sports arena. We want to introduce you to our star lineup. These three talented racers, competing in different series are going to kick the Verve brand into overdrive. First up are three Verve cars from Tommy Constantine Racing (TCR). The #28 and #46 are BMW M3s competing in the KONI Challenge Series GS class and the #53 BMW M6 competes in the Grand AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Depending on the schedule, you can find Tommy Constantine behind the wheel of the #46 and #53 cars pushing the edge and giving his competitors all they can handle. A resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, Tommy always manages to get Verve in the spotlight when he’s at the track working closely with the fans and media! Catch one of Tommy’s races and you won’t miss the bright orange, white and black Verve cars setting the pace. Next on the grid is the Verve Energy Drink #99 Ford Fusion driven by Brett Butler from Snellville, Georgia. This talented rookie is proving to be the one to watch as he competes in the 2008 Hooters USAR ProCup Series. Butler is part of a new two-car team that has been consistently running in the top ten and challenging for a win all year! Brett has been busy showing his competition the Verve logo on the back of his car as he slices his way to the front. His accomplishments on the track are not going to be slowing down anytime soon as he continues to run the full Northern Division and Championship Series schedules wrapping up in November. Rounding out the Verve Motor Sports team is #269 AMA-PRO Superbike Racer, Johnny Rock Page from Phoenix, Arizona. No seat belt or roll cages for these two-wheeled rockets. Fulfilling a childhood dream, Johnny won the Unlimited Superbike Expert and Unlimited Supersport Expert classes at the 2007 Daytona “Nationals” CCS Race of Champions. Johnny Rock Page embodies the spirit of Verve with the qualities this sport rewards; lightning quick reflexes, finesse and outright speed. He’s ready to spread the thrill and excitement of AMA Superbike racing and the Verve brand to race fans across the country and around the world. It’s time to fasten your seat belts because Verve is just getting started. The credibility of these racers combined with Verve’s results-driven, great tasting formula is a winning combination that will help pave the way to putting your business on the fast track. Make sure your entire team is making plans now to meet these drivers in person at the Las Vegas convention January 22nd – 24th, 2009. Don’t miss seeing these racers take Verve to the next level at their races. For complete TV broadcast listings, search the Speed Network to see Tommy Constantine or Johnny Rock Page master the road courses. Or tune in to the Versus Network to see Brett Butler and the #99 Verve Ford Fusion during the next televised race on Monday, June 23. Click on Full Listings or enter your local zip code to determine the cable channel and broadcast time. This is really getting to be fun! BK Boreyko President & CEO Vemma Nutrition

Brett Butler was a great player, no doubt about it. He ended his 17-year career with a .290 batting average and came pretty damn close to 2,500 career hits while stealing over 500 bags. Now, while those numbers may be impressive I can honestly say with a clear conscience that I have never, ever met a Brett Butler collector in my 10+ years in the hobby.

That being said, how much do you think a 1997 Flair Showcase Row 1 “1 of 1″ would sell for on eBay?

A. $0. Who would want it?

B. $30 or less

C. $40-$60

D. $263.88 with 10 bids

Well, if you answered D than you were right. So, if a “1 of 1″ from that set of freakin’ Brett Butler sells for that high how much would a Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, or Cal Ripken Jr. go for?

I am in shock…check the completed auction HERE.

Sheesh. Tinkering with the Chop it OFF post to include Lisa Festa’s photos and re-position the others took me hours, but it’s done.

And yes, hours. I’m still learning this blogware. In the words of Brett Butler as Joy’s mother on “My Name is Earl,” season one, “don’t judge me.”

Sheesh, sheesh. Now it occurs to me I could have called the post Haircut 100. Anyone else cool enough to remember that new-wave Brit band from the ’80s? (Good golly they look nerdy in their “Love Plus One” video! Well, I was a nerd in high school. Whatev.)

Well it took seven packs but, we were finally bitten by the doubles bug. The seeding is just like the 1986 Topps box. There are quite a few cards I am waiting to see. So far only one future stars card and no Topps All Star Rookie cards. Hopefully in the next few packs we might see some of those cards. So my wife is gone away on business, and I am on puppy duty for the next 96 hours. That sucks, but I’ll somehow get through it. Since work has been crazy lately, I have gotten to writing these posts at night when it’s a little more calm. The bully sticks I give the puppy give me about 15 minute windows to bang out these posts. Let’s open pack number eight.

1. Wally Joyner – 1B – Angels – 80 – There you go our first Topps All Star Rookie card. Actually Wally was one of my favorite guys of this era. Because of McGwire and Canseco, he never really got his due. In 1986, his rookie year, he went 0.290/22/100, so big things were expected from him in 1987. He didn’t disappoint, when he put up 0.285/34/117 and finished 13th in MVP voting. Fun fact – He attended BYU and has two daughters.

2. Marvell Wynne – OF – Padres – 37 – This was Marvell’s fifth season, he was a starter, but had to accept a part time role because he just couldn’t put up the numbers that were required to keep him as a starter. In 1987 he went 0.250/2/24 in 188 at bats. His fun fact was that he was signed by the Royals after the tryout camp and he enjoys Eddie Murphy.

3. Jose Oquendo – SS/2B – Cardinals – 133 – Really nothing more than a backup defensive guy. He never put up anything significant as far as stats. In 1987 he went 0.286/1/24, not mind blowing, but enough to keep him employed. His fun fact was that he played winter ball in Puerto Rico, and was a neighbor of Ivan DeJesus.

4. Larry Sheets – DH/OF – Orioles – 552 – Larry was a pretty good offensive hitter. The problem was he peaked and sloped down very quickly. 1987 was the peak of his offensive prowess when he went 0.316/31/94, which was easily the best season of his career. The next year he starts his quick regression down hill. No fun fact for Larry.

5. Brett Butler – OF – Indians – 723 – In 1987 Brett hit 30 years old and even though a lot of players start regressing at that point in their careers, Brett did not. He went 0.295/9/41/33 in 1987 which was just about his average. Amazingly his best years are yet to come. His fun fact was that in 1978 South Korea World Tourney.

6. Al Nipper – P – Red Sox – 617 – 1987 would be the last year of Al in Boston. Even though the Sox won the pennant in 1986 Al was not a major reason they got there. After a rough 1986 he put up 11-12/5.43/1.48 in 1987 which was just as bad. He would find himself on a new team in 1988. His fun fact is that he led his Legion team to titles in 1976 and 77. He attended NE Missouri St. U.

7. Zane Smith – P – Braves – 544 – Zane had a brutal year in 1986 when he went 8-16. The Braves were not sure what to expect of him in 1987. But at 26 he did a turn around and rewarded the Braves for their patience. he went 15-10/4.09/1.39. Thus redeeming himself as a starter! Hey guess what Zane enjoys listening to hard-rock music! I know it’s strange for a 26 yo to enjoy that in the late 80s.

8. Stan Javier – OF – A’s – 263 – Stan was one of those guys that I thought was going to do fairly well as a pro. Of course looking back at his minor league stats, I should have figured out that he would be a backup guy. In 1987 he went 0.185/2/9, it was still very early on in his career. His father, Julian played in the majors from 1960 to 1972.

9. Jeff Reardon – P – Expos – 165 – Did you know that both Jeff and Tom Henke were named Terminator? Jeff was in the prime of his career in 1987 and he moved over to the American League with the Twins. He went 8-8/4.60/1.22/31 saves. He was 8th in Cy Young and 11th in MVP voting. What a go getter, tearing it up in two leagues.

10. Dave Johnson – MGR – Mets – 453 – How do you follow up a season like Davey had in 1986? I guess you end up going 92-70 and finishing 2nd in the NL East. His team a year older and a year slower, just didn’t have enough to do the job.

11. LaMarr Hoyt – P – Padres – 275 – LaMarr actually retired after the 1986 season. He was a marginal pitcher and in 1986 he went 8-11/5.15/1.50. His fun fact was that his dad, Dewey, pitched in the minors.

12. Jim Fergosi – MGR – White Sox – 318 – Jim was in his 2nd year as the head coach of the Sox and didn’t fare too well, he guided his team to a 5th place finish with a record of 77-85. He’ll have one more year with them before they finally give up.

13. Gary Ward – OF – Rangers – 762 – He had a nice season in 1986 and the Rangers wanted him to squeeze out one more before his slide.0.248/16/78 in what would be his last productive season. Gary was actually a pretty popular player so the Rangers kept him on a bit longer than they wanted to but you have to keep the fans happy right? At least thats how it was back then.

14. Jeffrey Leonard – OF – Giants – 280 – Jeff had a few good season in the early 80s, then in 1986 tailed off for a year. Well he picked right back up in 1987 with a trip to the All Star game. He went 0.280/19/63/16 in a year that saw his rookie cards gain momentum. Remember those cards? His fun fact is that he relaxes by playing the drums.

15. Frank WIlliams – P – Giants – 96 – This looks like it was the same photo session as the 1986 card. Which wouldn’t be something new for Topps. In 1987 Frank went 4-0/2.30/1.23 in 85 games, easily his best season as a pro and a season that he would never end up duplicating . It says that he is employed as a construction worker and has one son (Tyler). I guess he can always fall back on that construction thing right?

16. Earnie Whitt – C – Blue Jays -698 – As solid a catcher as the Blue Jays ever had. They never really found anyone to duplicate his numbers ever since he retired. In 1987 he put up another solid season going 0.269/19/75, in what would be another average year for him. He and his wife have three children 2 boys and a girl.

17. Brian Fisher – P – Yankees – 316 – 1987 would be Brian’s first year as a starter and he faired pretty well. He went 11-9/4.52/1.387, of course it wasn’t with the Yankees, it took the vision of the Pirates to pull that out of him. He was part of the Doug Drabek deal. No fun fact for Brian.

Overall the pack didn’t have much power behind it. Other than a fairly old Jeff Leonard, Ernie Whitt, and Brett Butler, we did have the Joyner which was nice. But just not enough. I am going to rate this one 1.5 stars, just like the last pack. It was refreshing to get another non double pack. I hope I see many more of those! See you again tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed this one.

Just so you all know, any double I get is up for grabs (or for donation on Naxcom), so if you want it let me know. While I was walking my dogs last night I was trying to figure out how many packs it took to get to 100 cards (w/ no doubles) I determined that it was approximately 9 packs. If that’s the case, the box should yield 400 cards twoard the set. Obviously the big problem would come if the next box was from the same production run or not. If it is then this might prove futile. I’m hoping that won’t be the case. Maybe tomorrow I will open a pack from the other box and see what I get. For now though, let’s focus on pack 20.

1. Carney Lansford – 3B – A’s – 134 – Somewhere in my vast collection I do have his rookie card (1978 I believe). I didn’t become a fan of him until he landed in Oakland. I always liked him on my fantasy team because he had some pop, some speed and hit around 0.280, plus you could get him in the later rounds. In 1985 he had a couple of injuries which limited him to only 96 games so no one knew what to expect from him in 1986. He turned in one of his best seasons with a 0.284, 19, 72 and 15 stolen bases to boot! I hope there are a few more Lansford fans out there, he was fun to watch play.

2. Bob Knepper – P – Astros – 590 – Bob had back to back 15 win seasons in 1984 and 85 so when he finished 1986 with 17 wins no one was surprised. In 1986 he had one of the best seasons of his career, 17-12, 31.4 ERA and a WHIP of 1.140. That was a good year for pitching and the Astros. They had 4 pitchers with 12 or more wins (Knepper, Ryan, Scott, and Deshaise), some of them even had thier best seasons that year, just like Knepper.

3. Denny Martinez – P – Orioles – 416 – I always remembered Denny being a very consistent pitcher. The truth was, when I looked at his stats, he didn’t become that until after the 1986 season. It’s as if he suddenly learned how to pitch more effectively. In 1986 Baltimore gave up on him and sent him of to the Expos (with a player to be named later for a player to be named later) so basically they just wanted to get rid of him. Something happened though, like a switch went off in his head and he became one of the most effective pitcher in baseball. Speaking of off the head, usually photographer have you look into the wind, what happened here.

4. Ray Fonttenot – P – Cubs – 308 – Ray had a dismal year starting for the Cubs in 1985. He continued that bad streak into 1986 and midwway through the season he was traded to Minnesota. He didn’t fare much better there and was later released. He tried to comeback for 2 more teams on 2 more occasions, but it never worked out. This would be his last year in the majors.

5. Brett Butler – OF – Indians – 149 – Brett may have been one of the best lead off men in Indian history. He was also part of one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history. He went to the Indians along with Brook Jacoby and another minor leaguer for Len Barker. In 1986 he was doing what he did best, soring a lot of runs, getting on base often and stealing when he could. He always seemed to be around the 100 run mark, steal 35-45 bases, hit around 0.290, and drive in about 50 runs. Just a solid player!

6. Scott Fletcher – SS/3B – White Sox – 187 – I do remember Scott but for the life of I’m trying to figure out why his name stuck out in my head. I remember him from the Ranger days, this was fairly early in his career. He played for a while but really has no distinguishing stats in his career. Interestingly enough he was 17th in MVP voting in the AL in 1986. He hit a whopping 3 homers, 50 RBIS, and hit 0.300. How does that put you as 17th best player in the AL. Would he even be a blip on the radar in this day and age?

7. Joaquin Andujar – P – Cardinals – 150 – from 1982 to 1985 he won 62 games, including back to back 20 win seasons in 1984 and 85. So what happened in 1986? He turned 33 and started his down slide from his peak. He actually played in Oakland that year and went 12 and 7 he missed about 10 starts through the year and never really got ontrack. This would be the best of his final years. What’s crazy is He was the man when I started getting into collecting in 1984. So I went and got as many of his cards as I could. It was a fast slide for him because by the end 1988 he was done as a major leaguer.

8. Lee Lacay – OF – Orioles – 226 – Something very strange happened with Lee something I have not seen on any baseball cards since I have been reviewing them. Lee started playing in the bigs in 1972. However after he turned 30 he turned into a stolen base threat. He stole almost as many bases when he was 30 as he did in his 20s combined. Usually you see it the other way. You usually see lots of stolen bases at the beginning of a career and then slowly those go away by the time you’re 30. For Lee is was the other way around. In fact when he was 34 he stole his career best 40 bases. Kind of crazy if you think about it.

9. Walt Terrell – P – Tigers – 461 – He was an inconsistent sub 0.500 pitcher when the Mets traded him to the Tigers in 1985, but then something clicked for Walt as he rolled off a 15 win season. Still not the most consistent pitcher, but at least he was winning games. In 1986 he would go on to post another 15 win season, again not the most consistent but he did help his team. I remember him simply because he was good for wins in fantasy baseball. Unfortunately for me he wasn’t good for much else.

10. Bob Bailor – 3B/SS – Dodgers – 522 – Almost no difference in his stats than Scott Fletcher, except Fletcher got a few more hits. However, no one remembers Bailor, and rightfully so since his last big league season was in 1985. He was the reason Sid Fernandez ended up with the Mets (part of that trade). He was released from the Dodgers in 1986 almost making it to opening day.

11. Joe Beckwith – P – Royals – 562 – To continue on with the mid eighties reliever marathon that Topps seemed happy to parade out in these sets. We come to Joe. He is your typical 80’s middle reliever, an ERA around 3.50, WHIP at about 1.25, ecept something went horribly wrong with in 1986. Through 15 games his ERA skyrocketed to over 6 and his WHIP went to over 1.8. In other words, oh well, your career is done. And just like that, poof, no more Joe in the bigs.

12. Pete Vukovich – P – Brewers – 737 – Look at his card below, that is one mean SOB. He pitched like he looked too. He came at you with some great stuff. Culminating in 1982 when he won the Cy Young award. He pitched hurt that year and his arm never recovered. He re-injured it in 1983 and missed a year and a half because of the injury. His comeback attempt in 1985 didn’t go as planned and he re-injured himself again. In 1986 he tried one more time, but he didn’t have anything left in the tank so he retired. An interesting side note though, he played Clue Haywood the Yankees slugger in the original Major League movie.

13. Graig Nettles – 3B – Padres – 450 – Man it hurts seeing Nettles in a Padres uniform. He was one of my favorite Yankees growing up (right next to Thurman Munson). Cleveland thought he was done in 1972 so they traded him to NY. Where he became a cornerstone in the Yankees infield for 11 years. He did more damage statistically than most people do after they turn 27 and he really didn’t start to curl off until he was 38. I understand why the Yankees let him go. He was turning 39, his best years were behind him, it didn’t look like he had much left in the tank, but I wish he could have gone out as a Yankee. Instead he pulled a Steve Carlton, he had 3 decent years with the Padres, 1986 being his last of them. Hey at 41 can you really argue 16 homers and 55 RBIs? He still stayed in the league for 2 more years. I wonder if they will have his cards for those years?

14. Storm Davis – P – Orioles – 469 – In the early part of the eighties, it seemed like Storm was going to be the anchor of that Orioles staff for a long time. Then 1986 came around, he had won 37 games before he even turned 24, he had a rough seasons went 9-12, which when you think about it, for a 24 year old that isn’t bad. Well the Orioles traded Storm after that season to the Padres. Thinking back, I think if I were with the Padres organization I would have been ecstatic about this. Getting a 25 year old who had won 46 games already, instead they turned around and traded him again to the A’s who were smart enough to keep him and he rewarded them with 16 wins in 1987.

15. Willie Randolph – 2B – Yankees – 455 – Double, reviewed in pack 19.

This was a pretty nice pack. Not only did I dodge the doubles bullet, but I got 14 more cards to add to the set! I’m going to give this one a rating of 4.5 stars. Any time you can post 7 cards out of a pack is pretty damn good! The Lansford, Nettles, Butler and Martinez cards were always favorites of mine. So they were nice to see in this pack. Remember if you want the double from this pack of cards just send me an email. Pack 21 coming up maybe later today or tomorrow morning.

First off, what passes today for country music is not country music. It is southern pop.

A female country singer should not be better looking than Brett Butler, and IF a male country singer happens to be handsome, he must cover his face with at least a mustache if not a full Grizzly Adams beard or sport a mullet. That being the case, we can guesstimate that there has been no genuine country music made since 1995, when that little twat Shania Twain came along and made record execs everywhere cream their pants. Country AND pop?

And so began the decline of country’s more homely elite. Garth Brooks attempted to enter the pop universe with an alter ego ‘Chris Gaines’. Unfortunately this lowered his status from ‘untouchable god’ to ‘retarded bear’ and he was forced into hibernation. Reba McEntire had to take up sitcom acting to make a living. Billy Ray Cyrus ignored child-labor laws and sent his own daughter to work in the slave factory known as The Disney Channel. And as for the four-some Alabama, no one is quite sure what happened to them. Some speculate that they just went home, to New Jersey.

The loss of these unsightly angels has ripped the soul from country music. A country music song is usually about one of three things; A) a sad story; B) drinking because you are sad; and C) Jesus. And therein lies the problem. Sure anyone can sing about Jesus, but what do beautiful people have to be sad about? I would say nada, but I am not spanish so I will say nothing. Only someone who looks like Travis Tritt can sing about despair and keep it really real.

I hope that one day country will rediscover its slack-jaw, low-brow, beer-bellied roots. But until then you can find me drinking lots of Jim Beam and singing Garth Brooks ‘Night Rider’s Lament’ at the top of my lungs. Yoodle-lay-hee-dee-hoo-dee-hoo!

A ticket stub from the last A’s-Giants game of the 1989 exhibition season, closing out the Bay Bridge Series on April 1. Honeycutt and Brett Butler signed it after the game: Butler’s signature is in the middle, and Rick’s is to the left and upside down from this vantage point.