Wednesday 28 December 2016

73 - Cris Carpenter

73 - Cris Carpenter

Front photo: Pitching.

Back photo: Pitching.

Better photo?: Pretty much a draw here. But if they are from the exact same pitch, that's an interesting pairing.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 4

Wiki-facts: "Cris Carpenter now works at Gainesville High School, in Gainesville, Georgia as a social studies teacher."

Google it: Only one of the options on the first page refer to fellow Cardinals alum Chris Carpenter.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Went 2-5 with a 5.03 ERA. Would not play in the majors in 1995, but would finish his career in 1996 with a one month stint in Milwaukee.

Birthday boy:  April 5, 1965. Nobody at any of the *-reference was born on that date. The only person at wikipedia's April 5th entry that was born that date was Turkish soccer player/manager Aykut Kocaman.

Up Next: 74 - Vinny Castilla

Wednesday 14 December 2016

72 - Ken Caminiti

Front photo: Sliding in, dirt flying, and beating the tag with the ball visible at the side of the photo.

Back photo: Casually throwing the ball.

Better photo?: Beautiful framing on the front to getthe baseball visible - an easy victory for the front.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 15

Wiki-facts: Died the same day as actor Christopher Reeve.

Google it: I'm going to link to a video of this defensive gem, since the rest of the stuff on the first page dealt with his death.



How was his stike shortened 1994? 18 HR and 75 RBI with a .283 average. He'd be off to San Diego for the next season.

Birthday boy: I don't write this up for players who have passed away.

Up Next: 73 - Cris Carpenter

Saturday 3 December 2016

71 - Rob Butler

71 - Rob Butler

Front photo: Heading towards first.

Back photo: The follow-through of a swing.

Better photo?: Nothing too spectacular for back-to-back posts, although both give the vibe of coming from the exact same plate appearance. A slight nod do the front photo.

Ties to my personal collections: Pictured as a Blue Jay - would also fit into my mini-collection of MLB Canadians.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 8

Wiki-facts: Spent 5 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Inter-County baseball league's Toronto Maple Leafs.

Google it: Runs a baseball academy in Ajax, Ontario. That's just a little bit east down the 401 from Toronto.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Batted .176 with 5 RBI over 41 games. Those were his last games with the Jays until 1999.

Birthday boy: April 10, 1970. That wasn't a good day for Beatles fans, as Paul McCartney left the group, effectively breaking up the band. NFLers J.J. McCleskey and Sean Gilbert were born that date as well. No NBAers were born that date, but NHL tough guy Enrico Ciccone was.

Up Next: 72 - Ken Caminiti

Friday 25 November 2016

70 - Brett Butler


70 - Brett Butler

Front photo: Against the Wrigley ivy.

Back photo: Doing the running man.

Better photo?: Close, but the ivy is always a good tie-breaker. Both also give a nice look at the '52' memorial patch for former Dodger Tim Crews.

Ties to my personal collections: Would go on to play for the Mets.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 19.

Wiki-facts: In May 1996, Butler learned that he was suffering from squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsils, a type of cancer which only rarely involves the tonsils. (...) he returned to the Dodgers' lineup in September of the same year—defying the predictions of those who had speculated he would never be able to play again.

Google it: 9 out of the 10 results on the first page refer to the comedienne. I don't think the baseball Butler ever allegedly said Walt Disney's last words were "Whatever you do, don't let the Jews get the place."

How was his stike shortened 1994?

Birthday boy: June 15, 1957. Nobody in baseball history matches up, although Wade Boggs would arrive in this world exactly one year later. The only person in the *-reference world to share that birthdate with Brett Butler is Frank Pollard, a running back for the Steelers in the 1980s.

Up Next: 71 - Rob Butler

Saturday 19 November 2016

69 - Jeromy Burnitz

69 - Jeromy Burnitz

Front photo: Casually fielding a ball.

Back photo: At the plate.

Better photo?: A rather bland competition. I guess the relaxed fielding photo is somewhat rarer.

Parallel: Silver Signature

Ties to my personal collections: Is a Met. Had an autograph in a recent Archives Fan Favorites set, but was a Brewer there.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 6

Wiki-facts: During a slump in May 2006, he held an interview in order to apologize for failing to run out a grounder, then joked about the challenges that his team would face during the rest of the season, saying, "I'm your Highest-Paid Free Agent. That, in and of itself, should tell you the big picture that the team's in.". I must say, if it were May and I heard a player on a team say that, it wouldn't inspire me to buy tickets the rest of the way through the season.

Google it: Hit a walk-off homer in the first interleague game at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Batted .238 with 3 HR and 15 RBI over 45 games. He'd be off to Cleveland for 1995, but return to the Mets in 2002.

Birthday boy: April 15, 1969. No other MLB alum were born that date. In hockey, Jimmy "Let's trade Hasek" Waite was. In the NFL, Mike Jones was born that date. He's best known as the guy who made the game-saving tackle of Kevin Dyson to give the game to the Rams, and is forever immortalized in the famous photo(s) of the Dyson's failed stretch to the end zone.

Up Next: 70 - Brett Butler

Sunday 6 November 2016

68 - John Burkett


68 - John Burkett

Front photo: Pitching.

Back photo: Pitching.

Better photo?: It looks like he's smiling in the front photo, so I'll vote for that one.

Ties to my personal collections: Was once part of a trade that included Ryan Dempster, who makes numerous appearances in my CanCon collection.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 3

Wiki-facts: "Burkett is also a part-time professional bowler, and has 12 perfect games to his credit." His bowling acumen was also featured on a 1992 Pinnacle card.

Google it: His twitter avatar is that 1992 Pinnacle card.

How was his strike shortened 1994? Went 6-8, but his ERA was a respectable 3.62, down .03 from the 1993 when he picked up 22 wins.

Birthday boy: November 28, 1964. Craig Wilson (the Cardinals guy, not the Pirates early 00's OFer) was born that date. NBAer Roy Tarpley, who sadly had basketball career derailed by drug and alcohol addiction, before his death in Jan 2015 was born that date as well. No NFL or NHLers were born 11/28/64. Outside the sporting world, the Mariner 4 spacecraft was launched on its way to Mars.

Up Next: Jeromy Burnitz

Friday 28 October 2016

67 - Dave Burba

67 - Dave Burba

Front photo: Pitching.

Back photo: Pitching.

Better photo?: Hard to go against any appearance of the Wrigley ivy. I didn't even need to change the sentence from my previous post. Back to back ivy appearances.
Parallel: Silver Signature

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 10

Wiki-facts: "He is currently the pitching coach for the Hartford Yard Goats."

Google it: More minor league stuff, this time as an Ohio State article that focuses on his coaching time with the Tri-City Dust Devils.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Went 3-6 with a 4.38 ERA over 57 games and 74 innings.

Birthday boy: July 7, 1966. Jeff Shaw, who would be a teammate with Burba for 1996 and 1997 with the Reds was also born that date. Jack Capuano, who played 1, 3 and 2 games for the Leafs, Canucks and Bruins respectively was born that date as well. In the NBA, Tom Garrick, who spent most of his time with the Clippers during the late 80s/early 90s is a perfect match. For the NFL, you have one game QB Jeff Francis (Cleveland). First time in a bit (if ever) I've gotten perfect matches across the board on *-reference. Outside the sporting world, you have comedian Jim Gaffigan.

Edit: He is the first one to get a match across all four of the sites.

Up Next: Jeromy Burnitz

Wednesday 19 October 2016

66 - Steve Buechele

66 - Steve Buechele

Front photo: Throwing the ball.

Back photo: A chat along the wire fence

Better photo?: Hard to go against any appearance of the Wrigley ivy.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 7

Wiki-facts: "At Stanford, his roommate was Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway."

Google it: 5 of the 10 results on the first page have to do with his son playing QB for the Texas Longhorns. Shane was the first freshman to start at QB for Texas since 1944.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Went .242 with 14 HR and 52 RBI.

Birthday boy: September 26, 1961. No MLB alum were born that date. Ditto for the NBA and the NHL. The NFL does offer a pair of players, "wild" Wes Hopkins, who spent 11 years with the Eagles, and Mark Behning, who spent a season in Pittsburgh. Cindy Herron, of the singing group "En Vogue" was also born that day.

Up Next: Dave Burba

Tuesday 4 October 2016

65 - George Brett

65- George Brett

Front photo: Standard batting photo, but a nice view of a 25th anniversary patch.

Back photo: N/A. Full stats!

Better photo?: N/A.
Parallel: Silver Signature

Ties to my personal collections: George owns the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. I have several hits of one of their alumni, Jared Cowan, in my Senators collection.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 35.

Wiki-facts: "George Brett is credited with making the term The Mendoza Line popular."

Google it: I was expecting references to the Lorde song, but those don't show up until the second page. There are several references to the pine tar game on page 1.

How was his stike shortened 1994? N/A. He retired in 1993. This was his farewell card. While this is nice, it isn't quite as nice as his 1994 Topps farewell card.

Birthday boy: May 15, 1953. No baseball birthdays, but the next May 15th birthday boy would join George in the Hall of Fame (1967, John Smoltz). NHLer Pat Hickey was born that date, and outside the sporting world, musician Mike Oldfield was also born 5/15/53.

Up Next: Steve Buechele

Tuesday 20 September 2016

64 - Jeff Branson

64 - Jeff Branson

Front photo: Throwing.

Back photo: Batting.

Better photo?: Neither is spectacular, but I'll give the nod to the back for the hint of a sleeve logo.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 4

Wiki-facts: "On November 18, 2013, Branson was named hitting coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates." He's still there.

Google it: The only reference to this Jeff Branson on the first page of results is the link to his baseball-reference page. Most are for a soap opera actor.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Batted .284 for 6 HR and 16 RBI over 109 AB.

Birthday boy: January 26, 1967. The only baseball player born that date is Tim Pugh, who was a teammate of Branson from 1992-1995 in Cinci. Pugh will make his appearance in this set at card #234. Rod Dallman, who played 6 games for the Islanders and Flyers is the NHL representative for that date. No NBA or NFLers were born that date. Col Needham, who founded the Internet Movie Database, was also born that date.

Up Next: #65 George Brett

Thursday 8 September 2016

63 - Ryan Bowen

63 - Ryan Bowen

Front photo: A pitcher at the plate! And laying down a bunt! I think this hits about 10 different bloggers mini collections?

Back photo: Does it matter?

Better photo?: Is there any doubt?

Ties to my personal collections: See 'Birthday boy'.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 3

Wiki-facts: "was chosen in the 3rd round of the 1992 MLB Expansion Draft by the Florida Marlins"

Google it: This particular Ryan Bowen is listed after a basketball player and a hockey player when googled. The hockey guy is playing in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, and the basketball guy's photo on wikipedia looks like he's wearing a stocking mask while robbing a 7-11.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Went 1-5 with an ERA of 4.94.

Birthday boy:  February 10, 1968. Eddie Zosky, former Toronto Blue Jay was born that date. They were teammates as Zosky played in 6 games for the 1995 Marlins. No NBA or NFL content, but Peter Popovic brings the NHL alumni.

Up Next: 64 - Jeff Branson

Wednesday 24 August 2016

62 - Daryl Boston

62 - Daryl Boston

Front photo: Swinging.

Back photo: Tracking down a pop-up, with a mysterious teammate losing his cap.

Better photo?: Not really a 1981 John Pacella, but I gotta go with the back image.

Ties to my personal collections: Former Met. Younger brother DJ was a former Blue Jays farmhand.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 5

Wiki-facts: "In 2013, White Sox manager Robin Ventura named Boston the team's first base coach." He's still there.

Google it: The first page contains an article about how he, Vince Coleman and Dwight Gooden avoided rape charges in 1992. Charming. That isn't in his wiki article.

How was his stike shortened 1994? He spent it with the Yankees, hitting 4 HR and 14 RBI with a sub-Mendoza BA of .182. His last MLB season was 1994.

Birthday boy: January 4, 1963. He was the only MLBer born that date. In fact, no alum of the major 4 teams sports was born that date. However, he does share the birthdate with Kids in the Hall/Newsradio's Dave Foley.

Up Next: Ryan Bowen

Sunday 14 August 2016

61 - Mike Bordick

61 - Mike Bordick

Front photo: Diving to make a stop.

Back photo: Looks like some random Twin is about to get tagged out on his leg.

Better photo?: Nice action shot with nice usage of a horizontal design gives it to the front.

Ties to my personal collections: Played for both my favourite teams, with stops with the Mets and Jays. Pretty much the definition of a rent-a-player as a Met, as he was traded to the Mets after an injury to Rey Ordonez, and was back with Baltimore for next season.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 5

Wiki-facts: "Bordick starred for the Hampden Academy Broncos and now the High School field is named in his honor."

Google it: The first pitch he saw at Shea was hit for a home run.



How was his stike shortened 1994? Batter .254 with 2 HR and 37 RBI.

Birthday boy: July 21, 1965. Mike is the only MLB-er born that date. In the NFL, Louis Berry, who punted for two games with the 1987 Falcons was born that date. No NHLers or NBAers were 7/21/65 babies. Guðni Bergsson, an Icelandic soccer player turned lawyer, is a 7/21/1965 baby. Although 7 years apart, Mike's former teammate, the late Dave Henderson, was born on 7/21/1958.

Up Next: Daryl Boston

Wednesday 3 August 2016

60 - Pat Borders

60 - Pat Borders

Front photo: Sitting on his arse.

Back photo: A rare defensive photo featuring the catcher.

Better photo?: The first photo just seems odd and unflattering. It doesn't look like a post-slide photo. It seems like it is post-brushback pitch instead. Strange. Back photo for the win.

Ties to my personal collections: He's a Blue Jay. I also have a Team USA relic of him.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 9

Wiki-facts: "Borders is one of only four players to have won both a World Series championship and an Olympic gold medal, along with Doug Mientkiewicz and Cuban players Orlando Hernandez and Jose Contreras."

Google it: In a 2011 post, bluebirdbanter.com listed Pat as #54 on the list of 55 greatest Jays of all time.

How was his stike shortened 1994? 3 HR and 26 RBI with a .247 average over 85 games.

Birthday boy: May 14, 1963. Former Mets farmhand Shawn Barton was born that date. Also, NFLers Kevin Lilly and Bob Beemer. In news, Kuwait joined the United Nations.

Up Next: #61 - Mike Bordick

Tuesday 19 July 2016

59 - Bret Boone

59 - Bret Boone

Front photo: Trying to turn a double play in spring training. Nice cameo, too.

Back photo: Generic fielding photo.

Better photo?: An easy win for the front photo. Even without a special guest.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 16.

Wiki-facts: "On the last day of the 1998 season, the Reds helped him make baseball trivia history by starting the only infield ever composed of two sets of brothers: first baseman Stephen Larkin, second baseman Bret Boone, shortstop Barry Larkin, and third baseman Aaron Boone."

Google it: If you have 9.5 million around, you can buy his place in California.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/former-baseball-player-bret-boone-relists-california-home-for-9-5-million-1444327899

How was his stike shortened 1994? He was in Cincy for this season, and batted .320 with 12 HR and 68 RBI.

Birthday boy: April 6, 1969. No other MLB alumni were born that date. In basketball, the late Bison Dele was a 4/6/1969 baby. From the NFL, former Philadelphia Eagle Andy Harmon was born that day. Staying in Philly, Jeff Harding, who played 15 games for the Flyers also matches up.
Outside the sporting world, actor Paul Rudd was also born that date.

Up Next: #60 - Pat Borders

Wednesday 6 July 2016

58 - Bobby Bonilla

58 - Bobby Bonilla

Front photo: Diving back to the base.

Back photo: Looking like he'll be late applying the tag to 3rd.

Better photo?: The second is more of a Mets-ish photo for that time.

Ties to my personal collections: Is a Met. In my DVD collection, he got referenced, albeit not by name, in the opening scene of the Season 3 Law & Order episode, The Corproate Veil, first airing on Oct 14, 1992.

(a police office throws a baseball back to some children)

Officer 1: They should put you on the corner at Shea.
Officer 2: I'd go for a hell of a lot less than 29 mil...guy's a bum. What's he hitting, .220? (He had finished the season hitting .249 in 1992)
Officer 1: He's better than the last guy they had.
Officer 2: The least he could do is break a leg. Can't hurt the team from the DL.

Ouch.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 17

Wiki-facts: "Bonilla's stay in New York was also marred by a number of incidents, such as threatening sportswriter Bob Klapisch that he would "show him the Bronx" in response to his book on the 1992 Mets, The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse Of The New York Mets".

Google it: Until 2035, he will get paid by $1,193,248.20 by the Mets.  http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/happy-bobby-bonilla-payday-mets-fans/

How was his stike shortened 1994? Batted .290 with 20 HR and 67 RBI. Also struck out 101 times, just 2 behind his career high, but with over 200 fewer plate appearances.

Birthday boy: Feb 23, 1963. NHLer Doug Kostynski, who spent 15 NHL games in a Bruins uniform was born that date. No NBA of NFL call that their birth date. Outside the sporting world, Polish politician Radoslaw Sikorski was born that date.

Up Next: #59 - Bret Boone

Thursday 23 June 2016

57 - Ricky Bones


57 - Ricky Bones

Front photo: Post-game interview? Pre-game interview?

Back photo: Playing with his invisible telescope.

Better photo?: The invisible telescope is rarer than the interview shot. So there's that. Of note, he's the first Brewer I've posted in this set.
Parallel: Silver Signature

Ties to my personal collections: Current bullpen coach for the Mets.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 7

Wiki-facts: His last name is pronounced Bow (as it bow and arrow) ness.. Imagine my disappointment back in the day when I learned it wasn't pronounced like you would in skull & crossbones.

Google it: The 4th result is for something called "Hideous Ballplayer Week".

How was his stike shortened 1994? Went 10-9 with a respectable ERA of 3.43.

Birthday boy: April 7, 1969. In another tie to my PC, original Ottawa Senator Rob Murphy was also born that date. NFL veteran Ricky Watters was born that day as well, as was former Pro-Wrestler Darren Drozdov. Wikipedia also lists April 7, 1969 as the symbolic birthday of the Internet.

Up Next: #58 - Bobby Bonilla

Monday 13 June 2016

56 - Tom Bolton


56 - Tom Bolton

Front photo: Generic pitching photo.

Back photo: Another generic pitching photo.

Better photo?:  A bland draw.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 3.

Wiki-facts: Other wiki Tom Boltons are a clown (4 paragraphs), a British politician (6) and an astronomer (4).

Google it: The only appearance of this Tom Bolton on the first page of Tom Bolton google search results are a link to his baseball-reference page. That's still better than Steve "I'm not the Making of a Murderer guy" Avery.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Went for 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA over 22 games as an Oriole. This was his last season in the big leagues.

Birthday boy: May 6, 1962. Dwight Drane, who spent 6 seasons as a DB with the Buffalo Bills was born that date. No ties to my PC though, as Drane had no cards over his career.

Other than coming across other Tom Boltons, that was pretty blah.

Up Next: #57 - Ricky Bones

Sunday 29 May 2016

55 - Tim Bogar

55 - Tim Bogar

Front photo: A tangled up mess at second on what appears to be turning two.

Back photo: Passing the ball along.

Better photo?: While the front photo is more Collectors Choice-y, that back of the card pic where neither of the player's feet are touching the ground is kinda interesting as well. In fact, neither foot might be touching in the front photo as well. While that might be common for basketball, that can't be true for baseball. The back photo seems more unique, so that will be the deciding factor.

Parallel: Silver signature. Looks like his middle initial is P. Wikipedia says it stands for Paul.

Ties to my personal collections: He's a Met.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 15.

Wiki-facts: He's now the bench coach for the Mariners.

Google it: The third result expresses regret that Tim was only named the bench coach as opposed to manager.

Birthday Boy: October 28, 1966. In another tie to my PCs, former Toronto Blue Jay Juan Guzman was also born that date. No NBAers were, but a pair of NHLers were. Ron Hoover, who played 22 games (and did get a card at the NHL level with #287 in 1991-92 UD), and Benoit Hogue (with more than 800 more games than Ron) was also born that date. In football, Kim Phillips, who had one game with the Bills was born that date. Not too impressive, but Steve Atwater, who has a pair of Super Bowl rings, and is on the Broncos Ring of Fame, was also born on that busy date. And he had an awesome nickname, "The Smiling Assassin". Outside the sports world, funnyman Andy Richter was born that day.

Up Next: #56 Tom Bolton

Monday 16 May 2016

54 - Mike Blowers

54 - Mike Blowers

Front photo: Throwing

Back photo: Batting

Better photo?: You see the batting helmet rack in the batting photo. That's enough for a narrow win.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 8

Wiki-facts: "He was the 13th player to hit grand slams in consecutive games"

Google it: Went viral after guessing correctly about Matt Tuiasosopo's first home run.
How was his strike-shortened 1994? Batted .289 with 9 HRs and 49 RBIs.

Birthday boy: April 24, 1965. No NBA, or NFL alum was born that date, and Blowers was the only MLBer. NHLer turned lawyer Jeff Jackson was born that date.

Up Next: #55 - Tim Bogar

Tuesday 3 May 2016

53 - Jeff Blauser




53 - Jeff Blauser

Front photo: Candlestick Park's fences in the background as some random Giant is tagged out.

Back photo: More defensive action.

Better photo?: Surprising use of two defensive photos as Blauser was coming off his first .300 season at the plate. Photo choice aside, this one is easily one by the front photo.

Ties to my personal collections: See the Birthday Boy portion of this.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 5

Wiki-facts: "Blauser went to Placer High School in Auburn, California and Sacramento City College." Yeah, his wiki article is pretty bland.

Google it: It is similarly bland, but you can find video on the first page of a three home run game at Wrigley Field.
How was his strike-shortened 1994? Batted .258 with 6 HR and 45 RBI.

Birthday boy: November 8, 1965. Jason Johnson, who spent two years in the late 80s in the NFL was born that date. However, Jason's only cards have him with the Frankfurt Galaxy of the WLAF. Former NHL tough guy Mike Peluso, who spent 1951 minutes in the sin bin, was also born that date. He spent a season in Ottawa, thus giving Blauser a tie to my Senators PC. Also on that date, the death penalty was abolished in the UK.

Up Next: #54 - Mike Blowers


Friday 22 April 2016

52 - Dante Bichette

52 - Dante Bichette

Front photo: Generic shot stepping into the batter's box.

Back photo: Arriving in safe at the bag.

Better photo?: An easy win for the action photo on the back.

Ties to my personal collections: Came to Colorado in a trade that sent Kevin Reimer, a member of my CanCon PC, to Milwaukee.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 10

Wiki-facts: Hit both the first home run in franchise history, and the first home run in Coors Field history, both off the Mets. Sounds about right for mid 90s Mets. Bret Saberhagen was the victim for first one in team history.

Google it: Here's video of the Coors Field shot, of which further googling lead to Mike Remlinger being the victim

How was his strike-shortened 1994? Was an All-Star, hitting 27/95 with a .304 average.

Birthday boy: November 18, 1963. Former Washington Redskin Todd Bowles was also born on that date. The late Len Bias was born that date as well, and according to wikipedia, the first push button phone went into use that day.

Up Next: #53 - Jeff Blauser

Thursday 14 April 2016

51 - Sean Berry

51 - Sean Berry

Front photo: Running the bases.

Back photo: Swinging.

Better photo?: While most running photos with the player running towards the camera have the player staring straight ahead, I really like the sideways glance as the reminder that he has to keep an eye on the batter as well.

Ties to my personal collections: Is an Expo here.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 4

Wiki-facts: "He was a member of the Houston Astros' original "Killer B's", along with Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Derek Bell.". Despite the last name, I never would have considered anyone other than Bagwell and Biggio to be Killer B's.

Google it: Despite being fired by Houston in 2010, his coach page with them is still on the front page of google results.

How was his strike-shortened 1994? Respectable. Batted .278 with 11 HR and 41 RBI with the division-leading Expos.

Birthday boy: March 22, 1966. Brian Shaw, who picked up 3 NBA Championship rings as a player, and 2 more as an assistant coach, was born on that date. NFLer Brad Edwards was also born that date, and on a sadder note, so was the late Todd Ewen, a former NHLer and children's book author/illustrator. Depression is a bastard.

Up Next: #52 - Dante Bichette