By CHRIS OLDS | BECKETT BASEBALL EDITOR

Another of the charms of collecting Minor League Baseball cards are finding cards of players you perhaps once loved, once hated or once thought were going to be a much bigger deal than they were in the hobby.

Sometimes you’ll find relatives of those players. Or perhaps you’ll find cards from aborted comebacks made by players like Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd, who pitched in the minors from 1994-97 before coming back yet again — at age 45 — to pitch for the Brockton Rox in 2005. (He went 4-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 17 games, even throwing a complete game.)

Sometimes you’ll find familiar faces on rehab assignments or in managerial stints. We take a look at some of these unusual cards in this edition of In The Minors …

In 2006, Hideo Nomo pitched a single game for the Charlotte Knights — three innings, four runs (one earned) on two hits — but that didn’t halt his appearance on a Knights card. That star power probably sold some team sets (and tickets). We’d bet that this one’s a bit tougher to find than others out there, too.

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Baseball’s Iron Man, Cal Ripken Jr., may have retired but that doesn’t mean he still can’t add to his baseball card listings — this time as the co-owner/CEO of the Aberdeen IronBirds. He’s appeared on more than 12,100 different cards, but only a very few in this fashion.

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Boom! I bet you didn’t know John Madden had a baseball card and played for the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Wizards (who are now known as the TinCaps.)

… Oh … wait … it’s not him? Well, at least it’s an interesting design.

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Many baseball fans know all about the Lake Elsinore Storm and their unusual caps and uniform styles. Most might not know that Fernando Valenzuela Jr. played for the team — or even that he played minor league ball at all.

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Remember Curtis Pride? If you collected baseball cards in the early 1990s you probably do — he made his big-league debut in 1993 with the Montreal Expos and was the first deaf MLB player since the 1940s. What makes this card unusual? Well, Pride was still playing in 2006 with the Salt Lake Bees — 20 years after he was drafted. He actually continued playing until last season and is now a college coach.

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We’ve told you before that there are always unusual inclusions to be found in minor league sets. How about Vince and Larry, the Crash-test Dummies? Smashing!

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Minnesota Twins fans have to have a special place in their hearts for Frank Viola. Unfortunately, Frank Viola III didn’t make it past rookie ball — but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a baseball card. (Dad has 380 cards, while he’s apparently only got just this one.)

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New Yorkers definitely know the name, but this Mel Stottlemyre pitched just 13 games for the Royals in 1990. But he spent several seasons in the minors as a coach before joining the Arizona Diamondbacks as pitching coach in May. Like father, like son.

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It’s not his managerial Rookie Card so to speak, but Hall of Famer Gary Carter’s cardboard career hasn’t stopped since he joined the Cooperstown ranks. (Not like it would with the constant flow of retro sets, but … ) Carter has appeared on more than 2,500 cards — but not many as a manager. These days, he’s managing the Long Island Ducks. (Click the link — just for the big-league sound effect that will welcome you.)

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We hear that this guy is a training phenom — despite his affinity for McDonald’s. We hear he’s driven and loves round shiny gold objects with ribbons, too. (Wait, what? You mean he’s not a swimmer? It says Michael Phelps — it’s got to be Michael Phelps. Who do you think it is, anyway?

That’s all for now, but we’ll take another look in the minors soon.

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AND WHILE YOU’RE HERE, CHECK OUT THESE STORIES …

In The Minors: Mascot cards run rampant in minor league team sets

Preview Gallery: 2009 Donruss Americana celebrity cards

In The Minors: Are some minor league baseball cards really going to the dogs? Yep.

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

Last time we went in the minors, we examined the world of mascot cards — you know, those furry freaks that keep things lively at ballparks around the world regardless of playing level.

While there are still many more unusual minor league baseball cards to be found and discussed, there are five other mascot cards we’ve tracked down that stand out from the rest of the pack.

They feature other stars of the diamond — dogs. Retrievers who help out with the simple parts of the game like feeding baseballs to the umpires and collecting bats. You may have heard a thing or two about dogs in baseball in the past, but today we’re focusing on hard-working types like Dinger The Home Run Dog of the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Pelicans, Chase That Golden Thunder of the Trenton (N.J.) Thunder and Miss Babe Ruth of the Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers.

We know there are probably other hard-working friends of the ballfield, but these three have their own baseball cards — and even some other memorabilia, too.

Let’s take a look.

Dinger is a big deal for the advanced Class A Atlanta Braves team. He has his own biography on the team’s Website and even his own merchandise. His plush doll (above) sells for $9 at the team’s pro shop.

Here’s what his bio says:

“Dinger The Home Run Dog is not your ordinary yellow lab. Over the last eight years, Dinger has earned celebrity status in Myrtle Beach by serving as one of the mascots for the Pelicans. Dinger might just be the only dog in America that has his own sponsor (Jimmy Buffett‘s Margaritaville) and logo, his own baseball card, a ‘bobbletail’ doll, a reading club for kids, a line of custom dog treats, a mini-plan ticket package for dog owners, and he even has his own photographer!

“Dinger’s repertoire of tricks keeps Pelicans fans entertained at each and every home game. Twice a game he carries a basket of fresh Carolina League baseballs from the first base dugout to the home plate umpire. On top of that, after each Pelicans victory Dinger helps celebrate by running around the bases. When Dinger reaches home he rolls over the plate and is rewarded with a dog treat for his hard work. Needless to say, the Pelicans faithful fans love it. The soft-haired celebrity also has the ability to retrieve baseball bats, but he does not like the taste of pine tar.

“Fans can watch Dinger ‘The Home Run Dog’ in action at BB&T Coastal Field throughout the summer. The show would not go on without the big ‘yella fella.’”

Dinger appears on at least three baseball cards that we know of (likely more) and prospectors should be on the lookout for the first cards of an upstart retriever this summer — Dinger’s little brother, Deuce, made his debut this summer.

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In Greensboro, Miss Babe Ruth has her own line of items available in the team’s Hoppers Yard pro shop — everything from custom baseballs to dog bowls, leashes and postcards. (No word on whether she signs many autographs.)

The Class A Marlins affiliate, which was previously tied to the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox (among others,) has had the likes of Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly and Curt Schilling come through its doors. But we’re betting none moved as much merchandise as the Bambina does.

As far as we know, the 2006 Greensboro Grasshoppers Multi-Ad  card above (No. 35 in the set) is her only baseball card.

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The final all-star canine that we’ve found with a baseball cards is Chase That Golden Thunder, a star for the Class AA New York Yankees affilliate.

However, this past Sunday the team’s “batdog” wasn’t the only four-legged friend of man at the ballpark as it was the third annual Bark at the Park day where hundreds of fans brought their dogs to the game, a 4-1 victory over Altoona. (See photos from the event here — and let’s hope the post-game clean-up crew got bonuses.)

Chase’s presence in the team’s pro shop is a bit small — just a $4 key chain bears his likeness — but the 6-year-old Golden Retriever has another likeness ready to roam the ballpark. He has fathered his successor — a puppy born in 2008 named (by fans) Derby.

We’ll be looking for that baseball card soon, too.

Know of any other dogs making a big-league presence in the minor leagues? Let us know.

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

I’ve always wondered why Minor League Baseball cards, specifically those found in team sets, aren’t more popular than they are — even though, yes, there are many reasons why they just can’t compete with the standard traditional baseball cards made by Topps, Upper Deck or countless other companies through the years.

They’re often players’ first cards. (Real prospecting doesn’t start with the first busted packs of Bowman, you know.) They’re often the only place to find some players’ cards — you know, the high school or college star from your neck of the woods who just never made it to The Show.

They’re often more interestingly designed and checklisted more for the baseball fan than the investor — including cards of more than just superstars.

And that’s where we’ll start with this look at some of the unusual cards found …  In the Minors.

This time? The mascots… you might not think they’re  a big, big part of baseball, but there are more than 1,800 cards found on a search for “mascot” in the Beckett.com database.

Sure, minor league teams come and go (just like players), but it seems most minor league set include a card of their fuzzy team representatives like Cosmo for the Las Vegas 51s (above). That’s a pretty cool design, too — too bad there isn’t a player on the team that year who can rival Cosmo’s star power.

Let’s take a look at several mascot cards from around the minors …

The Savannah (Ga.) Sand Gnats have one of the coolest logos in all of baseball. This writer owns just two game-used minor league helmets — one from the Sand Gnats, the Class A affiliate of the New York Mets, and one from the New Orleans Zephyrs (worn by the once-esteemed Chad Hermansen but that’s another story). The team’s mascot, Gnate, has a pretty cool baseball card, too.

You might think you remember Wool E. Bull from Bull Durham, but this guy isn’t the same bovine that was beaned by Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh. This guy is apparently a distant relative (his baseball card says so), but the team and any of its mascots remain one of the most famous in baseball.

Not so famous? Clyde from the Quad Cities Swing (one of the cooler minor league logos from the past), which have since been renamed as the less abstract River Bandits. Clint Eastwood would be so proud (of both names, really).

Really, what makes the minors so unique are the teams’ ties to their towns — a connection that’s perhaps not there in the big business of those famous clubs stocked with millionaires. Sure, there are millionaires in the minors, too — those signing bonus checks often aren’t small these days –  but the ties to the community are often seen easily.

Want examples?

How about Auggie, the green jacket wearing mascot of the Augusta (Ga.) Greenjackets. If you don’t understand that community tie-in, then you probably don’t know who Tiger Woods is.

How about Ballapeno, just one of the mascots for the San Antonio Missions? Sure, one might expect a Padre (but they have those in San Diego), but if you’ve been to South Texas you probably know a thing or two about Jalapeno peppers. (This mascot is one I have seen in action — along with the Puffy Taco, who unfortunately doesn’t have a baseball card I have laid hands on.)

Look for some more location specific mascots in a gallery below.

Some mascots just seem a little off — which may make them more charming or terrorize children (that’s for you to decide). We’ve found cards of a few that seemed a bit unusual …

We haven’t kept up with the Lakeland (Fla.) Tigers recently — but we do know that they’re now known as the Lakeland Flying Tigers — but that’s not why this card is here. For those who don’t know, Lakeland is about an hour or so away from Orlando, home of Mickey Mouse and crew. Now, look closely at South Paw‘s face … look familiar? I’m just sayin’.

We’re not too familiar with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, either, but Tim Linceum once pitched for them and that’s good enough for us. The team’s mascot Crater, though? Just a bit on the creepy side.

Perhaps the saddest mascot card we found — and we don’t mean sad as in bad (there are plenty of those; some to come below) — is the Daytona Cubs mascot Cubby, who looks like he’s just been scolded for leaving a mess on the field or getting in the way of someone important. We’re sure Cubby has grown up to become a bear since this card arrived in 2006 but one thing’s for sure — he’s still not got a World Series ring (unless he was traded).

Some mascot cards just have great action photos. That shouldn’t be a surprise, should it? There are some serious athletes here who are able to perform in sweltering summers under some seriously tenuous conditions.

Here are a few action shots that stood out …

Look for more action shots below.

Many teams have more than one mascot, which is somewhat surprising as many of these teams are ultimately very small businesses counting every cent. Some have boy mascots, some have girl mascots. Some have entire groups of mascots. The cool thing? They all seem to get baseball cards, too.

Heater and Gem are mascots for the Dayton Dragons, also one of the best-designed team logos in the minors. The Cincinnati Reds farm team has had some name players on the field, but we’d bet that most kids remember this duo best. (Sure, they’re not valuable, but who can’t appreciate a well-designed mascot cards like these? (I’m sure Upper Deck likes that design, too … )

And what’s there to say about the Power Pack, the pack of mascots for the West Virginia Power? (Yet another cleverly named team that ties it to its location.)

Or how about this crew for the Staten Island Yankees?

Not all mascots are Hall of Fame caliber like Wool E. Bull, and here are a couple examples we were left wondering about …

Sherman the Shorebird was voted the 2005 No. 1 Public Figure on Delmarva? What’s that say about Delmarva? Where is Delmarva, anyway? (Ok, we know, we know… save your e-mails. It’s in Maryland.)

Sammy the Sausage would be a bigger hit in Milwaukee or Chicago, wouldn’t he? Well, we know Abe Frohman would approve of this guy, but this mascot just doesn’t say “Omaha,” does it?

It says Oscar-Mayer to us.

Last, but not least (before the gallery), we give you this guy. We say guy because, well, he doesn’t have one of those fancy suits but he’s got a painted beard and a baseball card.

Sammy Baseball, as the card says, is an “on-field personality” for the Tri-City Valleycats, a Class A affiliate of the Houston Astros. We’ll agree that we’re not so sure that a non-mascot mascot needs a card, but guess what?

He does.

And that’s not the half of it when it comes to the unusual and flat-out weird inclusions one can find when searching through minor league cards.

We’ll take a look at more of the odd cards you can find next time.

Until then, feast on more minor league mascot memorabilia …

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

Beckett Baseball‘s Chris Olds and Brian Fleischer ripped boxes of the new 2009 TRISTAR PROjections Series 2 baseball cards on Friday.

What will they find in their officially licensed boxes of baseball cards besides this Jason Heyward Yellow-foil parallel (#’d/25)?

Click here to find out in the latest installment of Box Busters.

TRISTAR released the first images and preview information for its 2009 PROjections Series 2 minor league baseball set on Thursday.

As with Series 1, which sold out before its street date, only 75 24-box cases will be produced and each will include 96 autographed cards and 24 Tailor Made game-used jersey cards (limited to 144 copies apiece) along with 96 serial-numbered parallel cards limited to 50 or less.

That breaks down to be four autographs, one jersey and four parallel cards per 20-pack box. Packs carry a suggested retail price of $4.99 and will arrive in hobby shops on May 6.

Each 12-box mini case also will include a Matt Wieters TRISTAR OBAK History of the Game preview card limited to only 150 copies.

Each 24-box master case also will include a Wieters T212 Mini OBAK card. Tim Beckham was the subject of Series 1.

Also new for this series will be dual Tailor Made memorabilia cards, limited to 18 copies apiece, that feature swatches from two star prospects’ jersey cards.

As with past sets and Series 1, there will be parallels on the autograph cards with greens limited to 50, yellows limited to 25, oranges limited to five and purples being 1/1s.

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

Yesterday, we sat down with TRISTAR‘s Jeff Rosenberg to open some boxes of 2009 PROjections minor league cards.

For that video, click here.

We also convinced him to bring along one of this newest cards — the 1869 baseball card (above) discovered by a 72-year-old California woman that he bought for $75,000.

What are his plans for the card? Watch a video here.

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

While TRISTAR‘s Jeff Rosenberg will be stopping by Beckett HQ next week to open some boxes for a Box Busters video and talk a bit about his latest baseball set, TRISTAR PROjections, we decided to give you a sneak peek a bit early.

Here are the results of a hobby box (No. 446/1,800) we just opened …

Packs per box: 20
Cards per pack: 5
Cards per box: 100
Base set completion: 90 of 100 (90 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Parallels: 4
Green (4) — Matt Wieters, Nick Romero, Everth Cabrera, Petey Paramore (#’d to 50)

Autographs: 4
Gold (1) — Alex Hale (#’d to 25)
Silver (3) – Tim Murphy, Brandon Crawford, Leyson Septimo

Memorabilia: 1
Tailor Made (1) — Nick Hagadone (#’d to 144)

Notes: TRISTAR is the only company officially licensed to produce Minor League Baseball cards in packs and each pack includes five cards inside to let you know. Each base card includes an “officially licensed” blurb stamped in foil below an MiLB logo. … The standard card design is a simple one, perhaps an upgrade from past years, that relies on simplicity and cleanliness to frame the action photos. Big thumbs up on that front.

… The colored-foil parallels return once again — Purple (1/1), Orange (1/5), Yellow (1/25) and Green (1/50)  — but are simple enough to distinguish (except maybe the orange, which sits right atop a red stripe). … The autographs in this product are signed on stickers, but they are clear and are cleanly placed in position. … The memorabilia cards are simple, yet sharply designed, and the set as a whole carries a crisper feel than Prospects Plus, the last baseball set the Houston company released, and that might translate into a positive reaction for collectors like it did for this reviewer. … Even the backs are tightly done with the card numbers prominently positioned and sized (easily sorted), while the names are stripped along the left. There are no stat lines on the cards, instead a paragraph recap below the basic bio information. … As a simple touch, each box includes a card-sized box-topper checklist so you know exactly what’s in store for the 100-card base set.

… There are only 1,800 serial-numbered hobby boxes of the set made, meaning there are just 75 cases to go around. … This box delivered exactly what it should have — four autographs, four parallels and a memorabilia card. … The box did not include any of the Tim Beckham Obak preview cards.

Final Score
Prospect Cards: **
Inserts/Parallels: **
Memorabilia: **
Autographs: ***
Design: ****
Box Value: **

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

TRISTAR released the first images of its 2009 Obak Preview Cards featuring Tim Beckham that can be found its upcoming PROjections Minor League set on Wednesday.

Set to arrive later this year, Obak is modeled after the design of the 1909 minor league set of the same name. The previews, which come as tobacco-sized minis (1.5 by 2.625 inches) and standard-size cards, are found one each per master case of PROjections, which arrives on March 16.

TRISTAR also announced Wednesday that PROjections Series 1 is now sold out.

Olds’ take: Tapping into the retro/vintage/tobacco card aesthetic with Minor League sets? Looks like something many collectors could get into.

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

TRISTAR released the first images and preview information for its 2009 PROjections Series 1 minor league baseball set on Wednesday.

Only 75 24-box cases will be produced with each including 96 autographed cards and 24 Tailor Made game-used jersey cards (limited to 144 copies apiece) along with 96 serial-numbered parallel cards limited to 50 or less. That breaks down to be four autographs, one jersey and four parallels per 20-pack box.

Among the autograph lineup are Orioles prospect Matt Wieters, Red Sox prospect Lars Anderson, Cubs prospect Josh Vitters, Cleveland prospect Chuck Norris Matt LaPorta, Royals prospect Mike Moustakas and several others. There also are autographed memorabilia cards limited to 10 or less in the set.

But that’s not all for big-name prospects…

Each 12-box mini case will include a Tim Beckham TRISTAR OBAK History of the Game preview card limited to only 150 copies. Each 24-box master case also will include a Beckham T212 Mini OBAK card.

As with past sets, there will be parallels on the autograph cards with greens limited to 50, yellows limited to 25, oranges limited to five and purples being 1/1s.

The standard set consists of 100 cards and the suggested retail price per pack is $4.99 and the officially licensed Minor League Baseball set is scheduled for a March 16 release.

Here’s a checklist of the Tailor-Made game-used cards:

TM-1      Jarrod Parker      P      South Bend Silver Hawks
TM-2     Carlos Gutierrez     P     Forty Myers Miracle
TM-3     James Leverton     P     Boise Hawks
TM-4     Brett Wallace     1B     Quad Cities River Bandits
TM-5     Cesar Valdez     P     Mobile BayBears
TM-6     Blake Tekotte     OF     Eugene Emeralds
TM-7     Lance Lynn     P     Batavia Muckdogs
TM-8     Sean Danielson     OF     Pawtucket Red Sox
TM-9     Josh Vitters     3B     Boise Hawks
TM-10     Jeff Beliveau     P     Boise Hawks
TM-11     Shane Peterson     OF     Batavia Muckdogs
TM-12     Nick Hagadone     P     Greenville Drive

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

TRISTAR’s Jeff Rosenberg stopped by the Beckett offices Tuesday to rip a few boxes of Prospects Plus baseball and TNA Cross the Line wrestling cards for Box Busters episodes you will see here very, very soon.

Among the several cards he brought to show off was this Tim Beckham Farm Hands autograph. The TRISTAR set is the only officially licensed Minor League Baseball set not produced by minor league teams themselves.

Look for more on the TRISTAR products here, on beckett.com and in the February issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly.

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

The first 2008 release featuring Jose Canseco has hit eBay and it’s, well…how do I put this? Okay, it’s terrible. You have to appreciate and even thank Tristar for even including Jose in it’s release considering he is perhaps the most hated man in baseball but couldn’t they have come up with something a little more creative than this monstrosity? How about buying the rights to one of his minor league photos and then have him sign it? Or better yet since these card companies don’t want to do that anymore, have him sign a sticker and then place it on the Minor League card.

This to me is not even a baseball card. C’mon guys, believe it or not Jose still has a pretty large hobby following and with a little extra effort Tristar could have put out a very nice nostalgic autograph instead of this ugly thing some Bowman Chrome/Rookie Addict is going to pull and get rid of the minute he logs on to eBay.

I am a little worried about Miller’s hits given up (39) compared to innings pitched (22.7), though. It’s also a little scary that he has allowed 21 runs but all should work itself out once Andrew gets in the groove. Hopefully by the end of May we should have a line-up that looks a bit like this: Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Jeremy Hermida, Mike Jacobs, Cameron Maybin, & Josh Willingham, among a couple of others. I hate to say it since it’s so early in the season but with a batting line-up like that, it’s clear to everyone that we are now contenders. It’s an insane reality considering Alex Rodriguez makes more money than our entire team but that’s the way it works out sometimes. Now if only Fredi Gonzalez would let Luis Gonzalez start every other game. I have a feeling with more at-bats he could easily be a 20-home run guy for the team. Unfortunately, there is just nowhere to put him.

Now back to Andrew Miller. Every time he wins a game I am going to feature one of his cards from my collection. The first win of the season means I have no choice but to feature the first Andrew Miller I have ever owned. It came in a pack of 2007 SPx that Tatiana and I busted a few months before creating Wax Heaven. It was an awesome box and I can’t wait for 2008 to come out. When I pulled it, not only did I not know who he was, I also had no clue that it had a $50 Beckett book value.

Growing up in the 80′s you had many interesting, larger than life characters to choose as your favorite baseball player. Some of us went towards the legendary Nolan Ryan, others went for the flash & hype of Bo Jackson, and some like myself went straight to the “Bad Boy” of baseball, the Cuban Babe Ruth, Jose Canseco. Drew on the other hand was a fan of two of the more classy ball players, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. One day while watching the 1989 World Series, against the Oakland A’s, Drew discovered Will “The Thrill” Clark and the rest is as they say, history!

Over the years Drew took a break from collecting while finishing up college but eventually returned full steam into the hobby and back to his one of a kind Will Clark collection. He even began a website to chronicle his collection. To this day, it is easily the best-looking player collection website I have ever visited. It’s clear that Drew is as dedicated to his collection as Will Clark was to the game and it shows. Currently Drew possesses over 1,900 different Will Clark baseball cards, including more than 100 game/used relic cards, and close to 90 autographed cards.

To check out Drew’s Will Clark tribute site click HERE.

Seaver won 20 or more games 5 times, won the Cy Young three times, and was in the top 10 in the M.V.P voting 4 different times in his 20-year career. Nolan on the other hand played 27 years, struck out over 5,000 batters, and threw 7 no-hitters. Game over. So as much as I like Tom Seaver, why did one of his rookie cards just sell on eBay for close to $50 when it clearly stated (sort of) that it was a reprint not once but twice? Also, why did close to 20 people bid on it? Am I missing something? Should I print out some 1986 Donruss Rated Rookie Jose Canseco cards and start throwing them up on eBay?