105 - Carlos Garcia

Front photo: Bunting! Retro uniform! Holy Amazing!

Back photo: Some infield play.

Better photo?: No contest. The front.

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

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 8

Wiki-facts: "In 2018, he became manager of the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League."

Google it: Google seems to think I'm more interested in the former mayor of Pico Rivera, California, than the baseball player.

How was his strike shortened 1994? He was the Pirates lone representative at the All-Star game, batting .277 with 6 HR and 28 RBI.

Birthday boy: October 15, 1967. He's the only MLBer born that date, but former NFLer Greg McMurtry was born that day as well. As was the

current lieutenant governor of North Carolina.

Up Next: #106 - Jeff Gardner

102 - Darrin Fletcher

Front photo: A catcher confrontation in the dirt.

Back photo: Moment of impact.

Better photo?: It isn't the most flattering photo, as it almost seems like he hit the dirt for a wild pitch, but the front easily wins here.

Ties to my personal collections: He's an Expo here, and a future Blue Jay.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 8.

Wiki-facts: "Fletcher is the son of former major league player, Tom Fletcher, and the grandson of long-time minor league player Glenn Fletcher."

Google it: Looks like he's in the Illinois Fighting Illini Hall of Fame!

How was his strike shortened 1994? Was an All-Star (reserve), batting .260 with 10 HR and 57 RBI.

Birthday boy: October 3, 1966. It is the same date as Scott Taylor, who'd pitch for 3 games with Texas in 1995. In football, former Atlanta Falcon Tony Bowick, who spent 13 years in the Arena League, was also born then. There were no NBA or NHL alum born 10/3/66.

Up Next: #103 - Scott Fletcher

95 - Doug Drabek

Front photo: Happy about something.

Back photo: Pitching at Wrigley.

Better photo?: While the ivy doesn't look to be out in full force, I have to vote for the Wrigley photo.

Ties to my personal collections: Not directly, but his son Kyle would play for the Jays at one point.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 8. Seems low.

Wiki-facts: "He is the pitching coach for the Double A Jackson Generals."

Google it: Punked!

How was his strike shortened 1994? 12-6 with an ERA of 2.84. Was an all-star.

Birthday boy: July 25, 1962. Longtime Indianapolis Colts kicker Dean Biasucci shares a birthday with Drabek.

Up Next: Scott Erickson

84 - Scott Cooper

84 - Scott Cooper

Front photo: Looks like there's two out.

Back photo: At the plate.

Better photo?: I like the uniqueness of the front photo, but man, does Cooper look scrawny in that photo.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 12

Wiki-facts: "It was with the (Seibu) Lions that he was given the nickname "Super Duper Cooper Scooper" in recognition of his tremendous defense."

Google it: Only makes one appearance on the front page of the search engines, thanks to a more famous actor and a more famous director.

How was his stike shortened 1994? 13 HR, 53 RBI with a .282 average. Was an All-Star.

Birthday boy:  October 13, 1967. Baseball wise, both Monty Fariss and Trevor Hoffman (Card #494 in this set) were born that date. One definitely more famous than the other two. Football gives us Brad Goebel and Derrick Moore. Actress Kate Walsh (Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy) also blows out the same # of candles that date.

Up Next: 85 - Joey Cora

82 - Jeff Conine

Front photo: Looks like he's slowing up rounding third.

Back photo: Pick-off attempt.

Better photo?: Neither one is that interesting. A dull draw.

Ties to my personal collections: Was a Met for a small run at the end of the 2007 season, but didn't appear to get any cards out of the deal.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 21

Wiki-facts: "Griffin, his son, plays baseball at Duke University and was drafted by the Marlins in the 31st round of the 2015 MLB draft." That's actually a one-up on dad, who was a 58th rounder.

Google it: Looks like he, along with other Marlins employees, will run in 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Was an all-star, going .319/18/82.

Birthday boy:  June 27, 1966. Among the *-reference.com world, only RJ Kors, a former NFL safety was born that date. Also born that date was former Latvian PM Aigars Kalvītis.

Up Next: 83 - Scott Cooper

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

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

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

50 - Jason Bere

Front photo: Pretty generic pitching photo.

Back photo: Ditto.

Better photo?: If I had to pick between these two rather blah options, I'd select the back just for the visible patch.

Ties to my personal collections: Nothing.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 7

Wiki-facts: "Bere and his high school sweetheart, Dinelle (née Erwin), were married in November 1994"

Google it: He's now the bullpen coach in Cleveland, the team he played his last games for.

How was his strike-shortened 1994? Really good. Was an all-star, finishing with a 12-2 record and a 3.81 ERA. Then the injuries hit, and for the next 3 years with the White Sox, he had only 12 more wins.

Birthday boy: May 26, 1971. I can find a tie to my personal collections here, as he shares the day with Kitchener Rangers alum Steven Rice. Also born that date was Matt Stone of South Park fame.

Up Next: #51 - Sean Berry

50 - Ken Griffey Jr. (Promotional Card)

I figured that since zistle lists this as part of the main set, I might as well include it in this.

50 (Promotional Card) - Ken Griffey Jr.

Front photo: Close-up.

Back photo: Jay Buhner Fan Club!

Better photo?: Is it any competition? The back photo wins easily. But, that front photo might be seen again. Probably in 2019 at this rate. I'd love a reason as to why the back card photo was never seen in other portions of the set.

Ties to my personal collections: Nothing direct.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 58

Wiki-facts: "Griffey was named an American Public Diplomacy Envoy by then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on November 18, 2008."

Google it: Attempted suicide in 1988. Wow.

How was his strike-shortened 1994? Batted .323, with his 40 HR leading the AL.

Birthday boy: November 21, 1969. No other MLBers were born that date. In fact, nobody at any of the reference sites was born that day. Even on

wikipedia's November 21st entry, nobody else is listed that date. Strangely appropriate for a player of Griffey's abilities.

Up Next: #50 - Jason Bere

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

35 - Moises Alou

Front photo:  A great dugout photo with Alou rocking the Oakleys.

 Back photo: Standard at the plate photo, but it is enhanced by the Wrigley bricks.

Better photo?:  It is an easy win for the photo on the front. The only way this could be any better is if the photographer was visible in it.

Ties to my personal collections: Is an Expo and a future Met.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 17.

Wiki-facts: "Moises Alou revealed that during baseball season he urinates on his hands to toughen them up." There is nothing I could say that would enhance that sentence, so I'll leave it there in all its glory.

Google it: It isn't until the 10th entry that anything Steve Bartman related comes up, although that is #1 when you search for video. #3 is a nasty injury on the turf at Busch Stadium.

How was his strike-shortened 1994? Really good. Picked up a Silver Slugger and was an all-star as well as he hit .339 with 14 HR and 58 RBI.

Birthday boy: July 3, 1966. In another tie to my PC, former Ottawa Senator Jarmo Kekalainen was also born that date. Neil O'Donnell, who played for 13 seasons in the NFL is another 7/3/66 baby.

Up Next: 36 - Wilson Alvarez.

33 - Roberto Alomar

Front photo: A great defensive play.

Back photo: At the plate at Skydome.

Better photo?: I like the visible ball with the swing on the back, but I love photos where the players isn't touching the ground, no matter what the short.

Ties to my personal collections: He's a Blue Jay here. Although I'd like to forget his time as a Met, he was there as well. But, being the only Blue Jay with his number retired more than makes up for that forgettable time in his career. And he's also the only person with a Jays cap on Cooperstown. It means I can debut the Hall of Fame tag with this entry.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 24.

Wiki-facts: He's still with the Blue Jays, as a special advisor.

Google it: Has an entry at biography.com. That might also be a first for this set.

How was his strike-shortened 1994? Only 8 HR and 38 RBI over 392 AB. Still got a Gold Glove and was a All-Star.

Birthday boy: February, 5, 1968. Andres Santana, who had 2 AB over 6 MLB games in 1990 was also born that date. Also on 2/5/68 was Will Furrer, who made a couple appearances at QB for the Bears and Oilers.

Up next: 34 - Sandy Alomar Jr.