Now With.. 1984 O Pee Chee Edition

I just recently did a rather massive in person trade with Trading Card Database member sandyrusty.
I imagine I could feature cards from this for a month and a half (And I may in some ways) but I got close to three thousand cards from him.

One group of cards I got was more 1984 O Pee Chee.. This allowed me to see more of the "Now With..." cards that are in this set..

Amos Otis signed as a Free Agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Barry Bonnell was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Bryan Clark. 

Of course, it's this one:

Not this one:

Bill Caudill and Darrel Akerfelds were traded to the Oakland Athletics for Dave Beard and Bob Kearney

And speaking of Dave Beard.. He was part of the transaction I just mentioned above. 

Dave Geisel was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the Rule 5 Draft. 

Dave Parker signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds.

Gary Lucas was part of a three team trade

He was traded to the Expos by the Padres. The Expos sent Al Newman to the Padres. The Expos also sent Scott Sanderson to the Cubs while the Cubs sent Fritzie Connally, Craig Lefferts, and Carmelo Martinez to the Padres. 

George Frazier was traded with a Player to be Named Later and Otis Nixon to the Indians for Toby Harrah and a Player to be Named Later.

Cleveland later sent Rick Browne to New York while New York sent Guy Elston to complete the trade. 

Gorman Thomas was traded with Jack Perconte to Seattle for Tony Bernazard. 

.. And here is Mr. Bernazard. 

Jerry Koosman is an interesting case.. He was signed by the White Sox December 2 1983 after becoming a Free Agent. On December 5, they made a trade with the Phillies for Ron Reed. The famous Player to the Named Later was cited. 

On February 15, 1984 the PTBNL was in fact, Jerry Koosman. 

I wonder if it was done this way so it wasn't a blatant Sign-and-trade....

Jim Slaton was traded to the Angels for Bobby Clark. 

Jim Sundberg was traded to the Brewers for Daniel Scarpetta and Ned Yost. 

John Tudor was sent to the Prates for Mike Easler. 

...Who is right here. 

Jorge Orta was traded to the Royals for Willie Aikens. 

Lary Sorensen signed as a Free Agent with Oakland. 

Manny Trillo signed with San Francisco as a Free Agent. 

Phil Niekro signed as a Free Agent with the Yankees. 

Ray Burris was traded to the Athletics for Rusty McNealy and cash. 

Scott Sanderson was part of the three team trade mentioned above with Gary Lucas. 

Tim Foli was traded to the Yankees for Curt Kaufman and cash.

Ok.. Toby Harrah was part of the trade that sent George Frazier to the Indians. He was part of the return.  

Tom Seaver was chosen by the White Sox as a Free Agent Compensation Pick. 

I believe this pick was the catalyst to get rid of the Compensation structure they had in place to change to draft pick losses in the next year's draft. 

New York left Seaver unprotected thinking his contract and age would deter teams from selecting him.. Except.. Nope! Chicago took him and he got to wear the Beach Blanket uniforms. 

Tom Underwood signed with the Orioles as a Free Agent.

Warren Cromartie is another interesting one. He went to Japan after the Expos let him walk as a Free Agent. He signed with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japan Central League. 

Wayne Gross was traded by the A's to the Orioles for Tim Stoddard. 

So there will likely be more in this "Now With..." series as I have a bunch of OPC from the 80s now. 

Trade Clean-Up

I've had a couple packages come in over the last little while and I figured I should cover them.

First is a trade I made with Bruno162 on Trading Card Database (I'll have my stuff out to you on Friday) who sent me a group of 1992 Upper Deck Expos.

The funny thing is.. I know I had some of these cards before at one time, but I have no clue where they went to. I had the Walker and the Wallach.. In fact, that Wallach card was the inspiration for one of my Art Projects in OAC (a now defunct grade in Ontario.. Grade 13)

I know I had the Calderon as well.. I think I had the DeShields, but again, they vanished from this plane of existence. I'm glad to have these (some of them again for the first time lol)

The other one was a surprise from the Night Owl.

He also sent some Expos to me

I know I had none of these beforehand. 

I'm surprised at how much the 2016 Stadium Club looks like 1997 Fleer..

Brad Wilkerson spent time with both the Expos and the Jays. 

Carl Pavano was part of the deal that brought Pedro Martinez to the Red Sox.  

I remember making mention about the Bob Bailey on his blog when he said he got a second one. 

Also, a Balor Moore mini. This is also the first time I've seen one of the scratch offs in person. 

Thank you again for the cards, gentlemen!

Canadians in the Majors: Jeff Heath

Today I'm going to cover a guy I've wanted to for a while. I know as of right now getting a card of him will be next to impossible, so I'm using images from the Trading Card Database again.
(I really hate to do that)

Explanations out of the way, I'm excited to write about Jeff Heath.

Jeff Heath was born on April 1, 1915 in Fort William, Ontario.

I had to find a map that showed Fort William and Port Arthur to illustrate. 

Of course, now Fort William is part of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Jeff Heath was born in Fort William but moved to Vancouver, British Columbia before settling in Seattle, Washington. 

In 1935, he signed with the Yakima Bears of the Northwest League. After touring Japan with the team, he had issues re-entering the United States (some things never change) so he became a US citizen.

He was signed by the Cleveland Indians. The scout who signed him reportedly said "If this kid isn't a big leaguer, I don't know baseball."

He joined Cleveland in 1936 and 1937 for a few games, then was given the opportunity to start in 1938. 

He ended up batting .343 with 31 doubles, a league leading 18 triples, 21 home runs and 112 runs batted in. 

He had a drop off the next year and a further decline in 1940, ending with a .219 average 16 doubles, 3 triples, 14 home runs and 50 runs batted in. 

Part of the decline was due to clashes with the manager at the time to go along with him trying too hard to replicate his first full season.

In 1941 he was given a vote of confidence by the new manager and proceeded to hit:

.340 32 doubles, 20 triples, 24 home runs and 123 runs batted in. 

In the 1941 season, he made the All Star team, and made the 20-20-20 club (2B-3B-HR)

In 1943, he made the All Star team again and hit:

.274 22 doubles, 6 triples, 18 home runs 79 runs batted in.

In 1944 he was rejected for service in the War due to a knee problem. During the season, he was used primarily as a pinch-hitter. 

In the offseason, he had knee surgery then got into a contract dispute with the Indians. He returned in June of 1945 and made the All Star team again, though the game was not played due to travel restrictions. 

In 1943, he became the Second Canadian Born player to hit 100 Home Runs. The first was George Selkirk.

After the 1945 season, he was traded to the Washington Senators. He played part of the 1945 season with the Senators before being traded to the St. Louis Browns. 

In 1947, attitude issues that plagued him in Cleveland surfaced again in St. Louis. On the last day of the season, he was showering when his final at bat of the season came up. After the season, seeking to overhaul the roster, the Browns looked to the National League to trade Heath. 

Enter the Boston Braves.

In 1948, Heath hit:

.319 26 Doubles, 5 Triples. 20 Home Runs, 76 Runs Batted In.

At the end of the 1948 season, however, Heath had a major injury come up. 

This photo is from the book Canada's Baseball Legends.

He missed the remainder of the season and the Braves ended up losing the World Series to the Indians.

He spent part of 1949 in the minor leagues, playing 36 games with the Braves.

The Braves put him on waivers after the season and offered him a managerial position, but he declined. 

Before his retirement, he played 57 games for the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.

For his career, he ended with the following numbers:

.293 1447 Hits, 279 2B, 102 3B, 194 HR. 887 RBI.

He also had the distinction of having the most Home Runs by a foreign born player until Bobby Thomson passed him.

He passed away in 1975 at the age of 60 from a Heart Attack.

He is buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Seattle.

So there you have it. A major league player from the city I was born in. I hope you enjoy reading this 

:)

They Played for Canada: 2008

Yesterday I looked at the 2004 Olympics and the fourth place Team Canada. Today I will look at the 2008 team.

Again, I will mention what cards I own, otherwise card photos courtesy of the Trading Card Database.

James Avery was born in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. 

He never made it out of the minors. In 2008 he was playing in Chattanooga.

In competition: 3.2 IP 2 ER 4 SO

Chris Begg was also part of the 2004 team.

Born in Uxbridge, Ontario.

He was on the Norwich Navigators and San Jose Giants in 2008.

In competition: 1-1, 12.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 SO, 9 BB

T.J. Burton was born in Ottawa, Ontario

He never made it out of the minors in his career. 

In 2008 he played in Akron in the Indians system.

In competition: 3.2 IP, 4 SO, 3 BB

Stubby Clapp played for the 2004 team as well.

Born in Windsor, Ontario

In 2008 he was playing in Syracuse in the Blue Jays system.

In competition: 8/28 .286 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 Runs scored

I own this card.

Rheal Cormier was born in Moncton, New Brunswick

In 2008 he was playing in the New Brunswick Senior League on the Moncton Mets.

In competition: 2.1 IP, 1 SO, 5 BB

David Corrente was born in Chatham, Ontario

He never made it out of the minors, finishing in 2008

In 2008 he was playing for Dunedin in the Jays system.

In competition: 0-4

David Davidson was born in Richmond Hill, Ontario

Davidson played in the Majors from 2007-2009 for Pittsburgh and Florida.

In 2008 he was on the Altoona Curve in the Pittsburgh system.

In competition: 5.1 IP, 4 SO, 2 BB

Emerson Frostad was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.

He never made it to the Majors.

In 2008 he was playing for Frisco in the Rangers system.

In competition: 3/15 .200 2 RBI, 1 Run Scored

Emmanuel Garcia was born in Montreal, Quebec.

He never made it to the Majors.

In 2008 he was playing for Binghamton for the Mets.

In competition: 4/21 .190, 2 RBI, 4 Runs Scored

Steve Green was born in Greenfield Park, Quebec.

He played in the Majors in 2001 for the Angels.

In 2008 he was on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the Phillies system.

In competition: 6.0 IP  5 SO, 3 BB

Mike Johnson played in 2004 as well.

Born in Edmonton, Alberta.

In 2008 it looks like he was not in Professional Ball. In 2007 and 2009 he played for Edmonton in two leagues.

In competition: 0-1 9.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 SO, 6 BB

I own this card.

Brett Lawrie was born in Langley, British Columbia.

He currently plays for the Chicago White Sox.

In 2008 he was on the Langley Blaze Youth team.

In competition: 0/10 2 BB

Thank you eBay for the photo.

Jon Lockwood was born in Toronto, Ontario.

He never made the Majors,playing in the Seattle system from 2004-2007.

He did not play Professional Ball in 2008.

In competition: 0-1 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 SO, 1 BB

Brooks McNiven was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.

He did not make the Majors, playing in the Giants system from 2003-2009.

In 2008 he was on the Connecticut Defenders. 

In competition: 1-0, 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 SO, 2 BB

Ryan Radmanovich was on the 2004 team.

Born in Calgary, Alberta

In 2008 he was on the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League

In competition: 1/9 .111 

Chris Reitsma was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

He was able to play on the Canadian team because he has Dual Citizenship and was living in Calgary, Alberta. 

He played in the Majors from 2001-2007 for Cincinnati, Atlanta, and Seattle.

In 2008 he was not in Professional Baseball.

In competition: 0-2, 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 SO, 3 BB

Chris Robinson was born in Dorchester, Ontario.

Robinson played in the Majors for San Diego. 

In 2008 he played in Tennessee in the Cubs system.

In competition: 5/16 .313 1 Run Scored.

Matt Rogelstad was born in New Westminster, British Columbia.

He never made it to the Majors, playing from 2003-2011.

In 2008 he was on the Harrisburg Senators for Washington.

In competition: 2/25 .080 1 RBI, 1 Run Scored

I own this card

Michael Saunders was born in Victoria, British Columbia.

He is currently in the Majors with Toronto, playing previously with Seattle.

in 2008 he was in Tacoma in the Seattle system.

In competition: 8/28 .286 2 HR, 4 RBI, 5 Runs Scored.

Adam Stern was on the 2004 team.

Born in London, Ontario.

In 2008 he was playing in Norfolk in the Orioles system.

In competition: 4/22 .182 3 RBI, 4 Runs Scored.

R.J. Swindle was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.

He played in the Majors in 2008 and 2009 for Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

In 2008 he was playing for Lehigh Valley in the Phillies system.

In competition: 4.1 IP, 6 SO

Scott Thorman was born in Cambridge, Ontario.

He played in the Majors for Atlanta in 2006-2007.

In 2008 he was playing for Richmond in the Braves system.

In competition: 4/23 .174 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 Runs scored.

James Van Ostrand was born in Richmond, British Columbia.

He never made the Majors, playing from 2006-2013.

In 2008 he was in Salem and Corpus Christi in the Houston system.

In competition: 4/14 .286 2 RBI

Nick Weglarz was born in Stevensville, Ontario.

He never made the Majors, playing from 2005-2013.

In 2008 he played for Kinston in the Indians system.

In competition: 10/25 .400 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 Runs Scored.

Pete Orr and Scott Richmond were originally selected to the team but were called to the Majors by Washington and Toronto respectively.

In four years there will be baseball again. 

My next post will be number 100. I will be posting something I've been wanting to for a while.