Sunday, November 22, 2015

Mail!!

I got these in the mail from a fellow user of Tradingcarddb.com, Bobscardz.

As you may or may not have been able to tell, I collect the Jays. I've also branched off to the Expos and Canadian born players, but more current guys are going to be a royal pain to collect. BUT that's a topic for another day :P

I got these in the mail Friday. As a design, I'm neutral on the 2007 Topps issue. For me some of these cards are way too much black.. Black border coupled with the "Angry Birds" Blue Jay and alternate black uniform I find too much... 


 Gregg Zaun is still kicking around Toronto, doing the pre-game and post-game shows on Sportsnet TV.


Rapidly turning into a baseball version of Don Cherry with some of the odd suits he wears.. I sometimes wonder if he goes over to borrow outfits..


Lyle Overbay came to the Jays in December of 2005, traded with Ty Taubenheim for Gabe Gross, Dave Bush, and Zach Jackson. 2007 was a down year for Overbay but was sadly par for the course for the rest of his Jays tenure. He did suffer a number of injuries as well.

B.J. Ryan. Ugh.. Truth be told, I could probably write a post just on his injuries with Toronto. 2007 was one such injury-plagued year. He pitched in all of 5 games before going under the knife for a Tommy John procedure.

I can't remember if it was this time, or the next time he was injured that JP Riccardi tried deceiving the press by saying the injury was something completely different.



Reed Johnson was one of my favourite players on the Jays. He was one of those scrappy styled players. 2007 was the last year for Johnson on the Jays and arguably his worst as a Jay. There was a feeling through his tenure that he wasn't an every day player. Johnson trained harder than anyone else to be an every day player. In that respect, I see Johnson and Kevin Pillar in the same way. 




 There really isn't much I can say about Royce Clayton. 2007 was his last year in MLB and he split it between Toronto and Boston. He wasn't that great, but he was also 37.


The first go-around for John Gibbons started in 2004 and ended in 2008. In 2007 the Jays went 83-79. Gibbons' first tenure was coloured more by the confrontations with players than anything else.


Oh Frank Thomas, you deserved better. 2007 was his last good season. He hit his 500th home run. In 2008 he was released by the Jays during a slow start.

We know the rest.

















 


The rest listed. I find it funny how Wells and Rios' stances are similar.


There are still cards from this set I want/need

9 Ryan Dempster
180a Roy Halladay ERR
180b Roy Halladay COR
262a Ryan Braun RC, ERR
316 Vernon Wells GG
323 Justin Morneau MVP
411a Jason Bay
411b Jason Bay
430 Justin Morneau
463 Russell Martin
533 Erik Bedard

Monday, November 16, 2015

Canadians in the Major Leagues: Terry Puhl

 Today will highlight Terry Puhl. When I first started collecting in 1992 he was already retired. I started buying some cards from 1988-1991 and came across his card. It struck me at the time how there weren't many players from Canada.  For years I would actually take the annual forecast magazines and count the number of Canadians.













 Back to Mr. Puhl though. He signed with the Astros organization when he was 17, starting out for the Rookie League Covington Astros in 1974. In 1975, he was playing for the Single A Dubuque Packers.
In 1976 he split between Double A Columbus and Triple A Memphis.
 In 1977, he made his Major League Debut for Houston at the age of 20, also spending time with Triple A Charleston. His Major League debut came in July of 1977.

In 1978, he made his only All Star team. In 1980, he hit double-digit home runs for the only time.

He battled some injuries in 1985 and 1986 but rebounded for a good season in 1988. His final season as an every day player was 1989.

In 1990, he only played in 37 games. After the 1990 season, he was granted free agency. He signed with the Mets, but was released in Spring Training. He signed with the Kansas City Royals. He was released on June 9, 1991, ending his Major League career.
After his retirement, he was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995, and the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

He has also coached the Canadian National team as well as for the University of Houston-Victoria.













My Terry Puhl Wantlist

1975 TCMA Dubuque Packers #2 Terry Puhl
1977-78 Venezuelan Winter League Stickers #216 Terry Puhl
1978 Burger King Houston Astros #19 Terry Puhl
1978 Topps #553 Terry Puhl RC
1979 Kellogg's #33a Terry Puhl
1979 Kellogg's #33b Terry Puhl SP
1979 Topps #617 Terry Puhl
1980 O-Pee-Chee #82 Terry Puhl
1980 Topps #147 Terry Puhl
1981 All-Star Game Program Inserts #159 Terry Puhl
1981 Coca-Cola Houston Astros #7 Terry Puhl
1981 Donruss #24 Terry Puhl
1981 Fleer #62 Terry Puhl
1981 Kellogg's #42 Terry Puhl
1981 O-Pee-Chee #64 Terry Puhl
1981 O-Pee-Chee - Gray Back #64 Terry Puhl
1981 Topps #411 Terry Puhl
1981 Topps Home Team Photos Texas Rangers / Houston Astros #10 Terry Puhl
1981 Topps Scratchoffs #88 Terry Puhl
1981 Topps Stickers #171 Terry Puhl
1982 All-Star Game Program Inserts #65 Terry Puhl
1982 Donruss #370 Terry Puhl
1982 Fleer #223 Terry Puhl
1982 Fleer Stamps #44 Terry Puhl
1982 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #42 Terry Puhl
1982 Topps Stickers #42 Terry Puhl
1983 All-Star Game Program Inserts #157 Terry Puhl
1983 Donruss #167 Terry Puhl
1983 Fleer #458 Terry Puhl
1983 Fleer Star Stickers #209 Terry Puhl
1983 O-Pee-Chee #39 Terry Puhl
1983 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #239 Terry Puhl
1983 Topps #39 Terry Puhl
1983 Topps Stickers #239 Terry Puhl
1984 All-Star Game Program Inserts #65 Terry Puhl
1984 Donruss #476 Terry Puhl
1984 Fleer #235 Terry Puhl
1984 Mother's Cookies Houston Astros #10 Terry Puhl
1984 Nestle #383 Terry Puhl
1984 O-Pee-Chee #383 Terry Puhl
1984 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #67 Terry Puhl
1984 Topps #383 Terry Puhl
1984 Topps - Tiffany #383 Terry Puhl
1984 Topps Stickers #67 Terry Puhl
1985 All-Star Game Program Inserts #156 Terry Puhl
1985 Donruss #426 Terry Puhl
1985 Fleer #356 Terry Puhl
1985 General Mills Stickers #6 Terry Puhl
1985 Leaf/Donruss #80 Terry Puhl
1985 Mother's Cookies Houston Astros #7 Terry Puhl
1985 MSA JOX Thom McAn Discs #39 Terry Puhl
1985 MSA Subway Sandwiches Discs #NNO Terry Puhl
1985 O-Pee-Chee #283 Terry Puhl
1985 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #67 Terry Puhl
1985 Seven-Eleven Coins #C14 Terry Puhl
1985 Topps #613 Terry Puhl
1985 Topps - Tiffany #613 Terry Puhl
1985 Topps Stickers #67 Terry Puhl
1986 Baseball Star Buttons #85 Terry Puhl
1986 Fleer #308 Terry Puhl
1986 Leaf/Donruss #138 Terry Puhl
1986 Mother's Cookies Houston Astros #16 Terry Puhl
1986 O-Pee-Chee #161 Terry Puhl
1986 Topps #763 Terry Puhl
1986 Topps - Tiffany #763 Terry Puhl
1987 Donruss #431 Terry Puhl
1987 Fleer #65 Terry Puhl
1987 Fleer - Fleer Glossy #65 Terry Puhl
1987 Houston Astros Photocards #25 Terry Puhl
1987 Houston Astros Police Cards #15 Terry Puhl
1987 Mother's Cookies Houston Astros #7 Terry Puhl
1987 O-Pee-Chee #227 Terry Puhl
1987 Topps - Tiffany #693 Terry Puhl
1988 Fleer Update #U-90 Terry Puhl
1988 Fleer Update - Glossy #U-90 Terry Puhl
1988 Kenner Starting Lineup Talking Baseball Houston Astros #12 Terry Puhl
1988 Mother's Cookies Houston Astros #7 Terry Puhl
1988 Score #282 Terry Puhl
1988 Score - Glossy #282 Terry Puhl
1988 Topps - Tiffany #587 Terry Puhl
1989 Donruss #472 Terry Puhl
1989 Donruss Baseball's Best #294 Terry Puhl
1989 Fleer #364 Terry Puhl
1989 Fleer - Glossy #364 Terry Puhl
1989 Mother's Cookies Houston Astros #6 Terry Puhl
1989 Score #567 Terry Puhl
1989 Topps - Tiffany #119 Terry Puhl
1990 Fleer #233 Terry Puhl
1990 Fleer Canadian #233 Terry Puhl
1990 MLBPA Baseball Buttons #60 Terry Puhl
1990 Mother's Cookies Houston Astros #9 Terry Puhl
1990 O-Pee-Chee #494 Terry Puhl
1990 Panini Stickers #256 Terry Puhl
1990 Publications International Trivia Stickers #98 Terry Puhl
1990 Score #473 Terry Puhl
1990 Topps #494 Terry Puhl
1990 Topps - Blank Front Proofs #494 Terry Puhl
1990 Topps - Tiffany #494 Terry Puhl
1990 Upper Deck #201 Terry Puhl
1991 Barry Colla New York Mets Postcards #4491 Terry Puhl



1991 More Little Big Leaguers #36 Terry Puhl
2011 In The Game Canadiana #89 Terry Puhl