109 - Bernard Gilkey

Front photo: Safe at second.

Back photo: Looks like he's on his way to first at Wrigley.

SilverSig Parallel: First time scanning one of these in a bit.

Better photo?: It is hard to vote against the bricks of Wrigley Field.

Ties to my personal collections: Gilkey would go on to play the Mets.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 8

Wiki-facts: Includes a heading Gilkey had a small role in the 1997 film Men in Black (...) Gilkey appeared in his real-life role as a Mets outfielder. Gilkey was distracted by a massive spacecraft above Shea Stadium (...)and was hit on the head by a fly ball.

Google it: He's in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

How was his strike shortened 1994? 6 HR, 45 RBI with a .253 BA.

Birthday boy: September 24, 1966. A busy day for MLB alum, as Chris George and Kevin Koslofski were also born that day. The NBA has Morlon Wiley, while the NFL had Tim Worley and Willie Bouver,

Up Next: 110 - Chris Gomez

96 - Scott Erickson

Front photo: Looking super-casual during a visit to Oakland.

Back photo: Discussing something w/ Lenny Webster.

Better photo?: I love cards where the stadium also features prominently - the front.

Silver Signature:

Almost lost against the background of that jacket.

Ties to my personal collections: Pitched two games for the Mets in 2004, but never got a card for it. (0-1, 7.88)

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 11.

Wiki-facts: Middle name is Gavin! And yes, he's sorta already a greatest Gavin.

Google it: Watch him put the final touch on a no-hitter.

How was his strike shortened 1994? That no-hitter was 1 of his 8 wins to go alongside 11 losses. The ERA was 5.44.

Birthday boy: February 2, 1968. Sean Elliott, a former NBA champion whose number was retired by the San Antonio Spurs was born that day as well. Also, NFLer Huey Richardson and NHLers Ed Courtenay & Jean-Marc Rothier were 2-2-68 babies.

Up Next: Rikkert Faneyte

91 - Jim DeShaies

Front photo: Pitching.

Back photo: Jogging? Standing still?

Better photo?: A bland draw.

Silver Sig Parallel:

Ties to my personal collections:  None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 9.

Wiki-facts: "In 2001, Deshaies ran a tongue-in-cheek campaign urging Baseball Writers Association of America voters to elect him to the Baseball Hall of Fame, even though he knew that he was not qualified for the honor. His goal was to get one vote in the Hall of Fame election, which succeeded when Houston Chronicle writer John Lopez voted for him."

Google it: Watch him start a game with 8 straight strike outs:

How was his stike shortened 1994? 6-12 with a 7.39 ERA with the Twins. Lead the league in ERA and HR allowed. Ouch. But, he also lead the league with 25 starts with the Twins.

Birthday boy: June 23, 1960. Another former MLBer, John Rabb, was also born that day. Doug Rogers, who bounced around the NFL in the early/mid 90s, also claims that day. Finally, on 6/23/1960, Enovid, the first oral contraceptive (aka: the Pill) hit the market. That's quite a contrast to this section of the recap.

Up Next: 92 - Delino DeShields

81 - David Cone

Front photo: Pitching

Back photo: Holding the ball

Better photo?: I love the front photo. Great usage of the horizontal design to show the full stretch.

Silver Signature:

Ties to my personal collections: Played for both the Jays and Mets, having two separate stints with both teams.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 30 (his perfect game is a separate article)

Wiki-facts: "He attended Rockhurst High School, a Jesuit school, where he played quarterback on the football team, leading them to the district championship."

Google it: On the first page is a link that alludes to some of his 80s hijinx.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1077670-david-cone-cocaine-and-sexual-accusations-with-the-new-york-mets-kc-royals

How was his stike shortened 1994? Went 16-5 with a 2.94 ERA, picking up the Cy Young.

Birthday boy:  January 2, 1963. He shares it with another really good player in Edgar Martinez. The only other person across the *-reference world is Neal Coulter, who played a handful of games for the Islanders in the 80s.

Up Next: 82 - Jeff Conine

79 - Jerald Clark

Front photo: Stretching downward for a catch.

Back photo: Throwing the ball on the infield.

Better photo?: With the position of OF-1B on the front of the card, it is nice that both positions appear in the photos. Gotta go with the front image, though.

Parallel: Silver Signature

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 5

Wiki-facts: "In 1992, as a member of the Padres, Clark accomplished the rare feat of stealing home. Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia and manager Tommy Lasorda went to the pitcher's mound to discuss strategy. In the meantime, Clark alertly realized they did not call time and sprinted home."

Google it: He's a realtor now, and does include his baseball history on his linkedin.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Spent it in Japan, with the Yakult Swallows. Got 415AB, and went .293 with 20 HR and 53 RBI. So, maybe not so strike-shortened?

Birthday boy: August 10, 1963. No MLB alum other than Clark were born that date. From football, Derek Burton, who played a few games with the 1987 Minnesota Vikings was born that date, but that's it across the *-reference world.

Up Next: Royce Clayton

76 - Wes Chamberlain

76 - Wes Chamberlain

Front photo: Looks like a very desperate slide attempt.

Back photo: Swinging.

Parallel: Silver Sig

Better photo?: With his feet on the grass while running the bases, that is certainly some CC oddness.

Ties to my personal collections: He signed with the Jays in 1996, but never played for them. Was traded to the Mets as well, but also never played a game for them.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 4

Wiki-facts: "He also played one season in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 1996."

Google it: Nothing really notable on the first page, although his appearance in a World Series video earned him a credit at imdb.

How was his stike shortened 1994? 2/6 with a .275 average over 69 AB. This was his last season in Philly.

Birthday boy: April 13, 1966. Ken Hodge Jr is the only person listed at *-reference born that date. Marc Ford, formerly of the Black Crowes was also born that date.

Up Next: 77 - Archi Cianfranco

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

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

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

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

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

49 - Rod Beck

Front photo: Pitching photo

Back photo: The same.

Better photo?: The back of the card is more mullet-tastic than the front, and that's enough for me.

Parallel: Silver signature. There seem to be way more first half loops that you expect in a name like Rod Beck

Ties to my personal collections: See Google it.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 12

Wiki-facts: Was an all-star this season. Googling was far more interesting.

Google it: Helped start a (now annual) AIDS related event, "Until There's a Cure Day" with the Giants. A member of my 2/14 collection, Candice Wiggins, has appeared in ads for this organization. Her father, former MLBer Alan, died of AIDS.

How was his strike-shortened 1994? Really good, with 28 saves, and no blown saves. ERA was 2.77.

Rest in Peace: Passed away on June 23, 2007.

Birthday boy: I won't be doing this portion of the write-up for those that have passed on at the time I write their card up.

Up Next: #50 - Ken Griffey Jr Promotional Card

#42 - Rich Audé

Front photo: Playing the infield.

Back photo: Ditto.

Better photo?: This one is a draw. And in the dullest way imaginable.

Parallel: I recently picked up a lot of about 50 of the silver signature parallels. Of them, 2 have already been posted (Luis Ortiz and Kurt Abbott). Rich Aude is the first one to get posted, and he, at least in facsimile form, has pretty good penmanship. Plus, look for the accent on the 'E' to get the proper pronunciation of his name. This also means I have to use ALT+233 for two straight players to get their names right.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 1

Wiki-facts: "He is the brother of acclaimed producer, house DJ and remixer Dave Audé."

Google it: He auto completed as "Rich Audé bat flip".

Not quite Joey Bats, but still pretty impressive flip, especially considering its walk-off status.

How was his strike-shortened 1994? Spent it in AAA with the Buffalo Bisons. 15HR, 79 RBi with a .281 average.

Birthday boy: July 13, 1971. The only person on any of the other *-reference sites is 3 game NHLer Brian Wiseman. Although one of my frequent trade partners would note that Wiseman is a U of Michigan alum, and his only cards have him pictured with the Wolverines.

Up next: #43 - Brad Ausmus