Upper Deck Hockey Card Day

National Hockey Card Day was close to a week ago, but I'm just getting around to talking about it now.

I went into my card shop, Jeff's Cards and Comics, on Tuesday since I was out doing errands. There were a few packs of the Hockey Day cards behind the counter, so I was able to get two packs and card 16 from the person behind the counter.

Above is the checklist and the #16 Connor McDavid. Of the cards I got in the packs, I had one duplicate: Taylor Hall. 

Here's the rest of them. So of this set, I'm missing 

CAN-1: John Tavares

CAN-2: Carey Price

CAN-8: Robby Fabbri

CAN-10: Nicolas Petan

CAN-12: Bobby Orr

CAN-15: Doug Gilmour

I don't normally collect hockey, but small sets like this I enjoy. I have some of the older McDonalds sets but I like these ones. 

2016

Well, as most people know by now, the 2016 Series 1 has been released.

I decided to buy a two packs today.

Here are the highlights from what I pulled

 

 

So here are the Jays I pulled, plus the 100 Years of Wrigley. Aaron Sanchez, Roberto Osuna, and Chris Colabello. The Colabello one I find has a little too much of the "smoke" effect, but it's not horrible. 

I'm really liking the Wrigley subset. I think I want to finish collecting that one.

Now, we have this one.. I think I'll just get the Jays one. I don't like this too much..

Overall, I really don't have strong feelings either way.

Mail. Always Fun

Today I got some cards in the mail from a couple people.

As always with mail days, let's go over it shall we??

First we have some Bowman Platinum. These were the first I've seen of the set. They're interesting but they've gone into the trade list.

Also in this group is two Upper Deck Pro Motions cards. Not a fan..

Here's a closer look at them. 

1990 Fleer has been one of those sets that I'm just not sure about. I think I'll revisit once I have some of the sets I want to complete finished. As for now: Into the trade pile.

Some Canadian goodness now.. Kirk McCaskill Score! I've talked about him before in my blog and while he identifies as American, his birth in Kapuskasing is Canadian enough for me.

Some Jays and Expos now. Nelson Liriano, Tim Wallach, and Greg Myers have a new home in my binders.

Sportflics always seemed rather gimmicky to me, but Jays and Expos will be enjoyed. The two smaller Jays logos have different backings. The Larger card is Tim Raines.

Three 90 Topps for that set. 

Some 1988 Topps I needed. I always enjoyed using Gary Thurman when I played Tony LaRussa baseball on the Genesis. I don't know why. 

Finally, a pile of 1987 Topps. Getting ever closer to finishing that set. 

Thanks to those who have traded with me! 

Canadians in the Majors: Denis Boucher

Today I want to mention a guy who had a rather forgettable career, but is still in the record books for being part of something that happened only 7 times before.

I speak of Denis Boucher. Denis was signed as an amateur free agent by the Blue Jays. He went through the Jays' minor league system from 1988-1991, when he had his first taste of MLB action.

In seven starts for the Jays, he was 0-3 4.58 ERA in 35.1 Innings. He both walked and struck out 16. He then found himself as part of the trade that brought Tom Candiotti to the Jays as Boucher, Mark Whiten, and Glenallen Hill were shipped to Cleveland for Candiotti and Turner Ward.

After his stint in Cleveland, he was taken by the expansion Colorado Rockies in the expansion draft, who then traded him to San Diego for Jay Gainer. In July 1993, Boucher got to go home, as he was traded to the Montreal Expos for a minor leaguer and cash.

Now, Montreal has always had a thing for their hometown players. Even in the bad years, a Montreal born player would bring out more fans. Boucher was no exception. 40000 people came to watch Boucher pitch and for the most part in 1993, he sent the fans home happy.

Now.. Here's the history making part. It has been a rarity for a Canadian-born pitcher to throw to a Canadian-born catcher. In fact, prior to September 6, 1993, it happened seven times, the last one being 1955, but most coming in the 1880s.

Now September 6, 1993 would be like every other day normally. However, in Montreal we had Denis Boucher, the hometown hurler, throwing to Joe Siddall from Windsor, Ontario. At the time, people knew it was rare, but nobody really knew the significance of it.

 “Before the game, Expos manager Felipe Alou was advised that the ball used for Denis Boucher’s first pitch would be immediately taken from the game. The ball was to be autographed by the Canadian battery of Boucher and Joe Siddall and sent to Canada’s Baseball Hall of Fame. ‘What happens,’ Alou asked, ‘if the ball is hit out of the park?’ Then Alou, in jest, offered a suggestion. ‘Maybe I should call for a pitchout.’ ” (An unattributed article in The Montreal Gazette, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 1993 page F3)

I took this quote from here

Now here's the significance: The were the first Canadian Battery since 1955. The first to start a game since 1885. They were the first to play a game in which their team won and the only one to originate in Canada. 

Boucher was the pitching coach for Team Canada for both the 2006 World Baseball Classic and the 2008 Olympics. He now develops youth baseball and scouts for the Yankees. 

 

Canadians in the Majors: Steve Wilson

Another installment of Canadians in the Majors.. This time is about left-handed pitcher Steve Wilson from Victoria, British Columbia.

He started out actually getting ready to play hockey once he left high school and would have but for a chance meeting with a scout/coach from the University of Portland. He agreed to a scholarship and went to school, eventually getting drafted in the 4th round by the Texas Rangers.

He was a member of the Canadian Olympic Baseball Team in 1984, then was drafted by the Rangers in 1985. He made his major league debut in 1988.

Jim Shearon recounts an interesting story in his book Canada's Baseball Legends about Wilson holding up a game briefly because he was negotiating the return of a home run ball hit by teammate Kevin Reimer.  He ended up getting the ball back between innings.

In December of 1988, he was traded with Paul Kilgus, Curt Wilkerson, Mitch Williams, and two minor leaguers to the Chicago Cubs for Rafael Palmeiro, Jamie Moyer, and Drew Hall.

In September of 1991, he was traded to the Dodgers for Jeff Hartsock, basically because Chicago had a number of left handed relief pitchers, and Wilson would not be used as much in Chicago. In fact, in 1991 he spent more time in Iowa, pitching 19 games between the Cubs and Dodgers.

1993 was his last year in the Majors, spending 1994 and 1995 in Triple A before going over to Taiwan. He played in Taiwan in 1997 and 1998 before retiring.

He now runs an English language elementary school in Tainan City, and scouts the Pacific Rim for the Cubs.

 

 

Canadians in the Majors: Bill Atkinson

Part of the reason I set out on this journey was to feature Canadian born players. I've tackled a few so far, with Kevin Reimer, Kirk McCaskill, Dave McKay, and Terry Puhl being previous subjects.

Being a baseball card blog, I prefer to show cards I own, meaning that for now, a couple players I really want to showcase are pushed to the side.

All that said, I have a new one to feature today. His name is Bill Atkinson. He from the same town as Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, in Chatham, Ontario.

Chatham is 53.2 miles (85.6 Km) from Detroit, in the southern end of Ontario.

Here's a map (thank you Google Maps!!) showing where Chatham is according to Detroit.

And Chatham compared to Toronto. 

The funny thing is, according to Canada's Baseball Legends by Jim Shearon, Atkinson and Jenkins lived on the same street, and would talk whenever the latter would come home in the offseason. 

Atkinson signed a contract with the Montreal Expos in October 1971. He was discovered when he and a group of friends went to Windsor, Ontario for a tryout camp the Expos were hosting. He did well enough to be asked to attend a prospect camp in Montreal in September. 

From 1972-1976, he played in Jamestown of the New York-Penn League, West Palm Beach of the Florida State League, Quebec of the Eastern League, Memphis of the International League, and Denver of the American Association before making his major league debut. 

1977 was his first and only full year in the majors. He went 7-2 3.35 ERA in 55 games. 

In 1978 he split between Denver and Montreal, going 2-2 4.37 ERA in 29 games in Montreal. 

In 1979 he split between Denver and Montreal again, starting in Denver, but relieving in Montreal. He ended up only pitching 10 games in Montreal in 1979. 

In 1980 he was purchased by the Chicago White Sox, playing for their American Association Iowa team. 1981 was spent in Edmonton. 1982 in Glens Falls as a player-coach. 1983 in Appleton as a player-coach as well. and Denver. 

By the end of 1983, he was faced with the choice of becoming a coach or going home. He chose to go home to spend time with his family. He works with minor baseball in the Chatham area still and is a member of the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame. 

Here is the one card I have of the gentleman. 1980 Topps. His O Pee Chee card has him listed as a member of the White Sox already. 

Mail Days

I've been under the weather for the last week or so, hence the lack of updates..

I've gotten some cards in the mail over the last week so I figured I'd write up a post about them tonight.

 

 

 

 Some 1980 Topps. I got more but these were the ones I needed out of the batch I received.


I have my 1980 list down to 8 wants.

70 Gary Carter
125 Tony Perez
147 Terry Puhl
235 Andre Dawson
375 Ross Grimsley
390 Fergie Jenkins
479 Montreal Expos Team Checklist
577 Toronto Blue Jays Team Checklist

 

 

 

1989 Topps. I've always liked and hated this set at the same time. Oddly enough, for the same reasons..

I'm still over half way from completing this set. 47.1% now

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, 1990 Topps..