86 - Tim Costo

86 - Tim Costo

Front photo: On the way to first base.

Back photo: Talking (yelling?) at somebody.

Better photo?: A dull combination.

Ties to my personal collections: He spent 1998 with the Jays minor league affiliate in Syracuse.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 2

Wiki-facts: "He had a nine-year minor League career."

Google it: He's now the head baseball school at McCallie, a boarding school in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Must have been hurt, as he only had 19 games with the Reds AAA affiliate. Batted .194 with 5 RBI and 0 HR.

Birthday boy: February 16, 1969. Nothing from the *-reference world that date, but my wrestling fandom notes that David "Gangrel" Heath was also born that date.

Up Next: 87 - Chad Curtis Oh boy...

85 - Joey Cora

Front photo: Making a tag from a sprawling position.

Back photo: Fielding a grounder.

Better photo?: The front photo is definitely a unique one for cards, especially for a non-catcher. The photo is a tad blurry, though.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 14

Wiki-facts: "Cora took over as interim manager for the Miami Marlins on April 10, 2012 in the wake of Ozzie Guillen's 5-game suspension for comments related to Fidel Castro." I have to admit I didn't think I'd be referencing Castro is any of these entries.

Google it: After Hurricane Maria, Joey has been writing messages referencing Puerto Rico on his helmet. He's the 3rd base coach in Pittsburgh.
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2017/09/26/Joey-Cora-s-helmet-P-R-needs-your-help-Pirates-Hurricane-Maria/stories/201709260209

How was his stike shortened 1994? 2 HR, 30 RBI with a .276 average in his last season with the White Sox.

Birthday boy: May 14, 1965. Isidro Marquez, who pitched in a handful of games in 1995 for the White Sox was the second MLBer born that date. There were 3 future NFLers that came into the world as well on 5/14/65, Dave Widell, Kelvin Martin and Darren Twombly. There's nobody else in the *-reference world from that date, but Irish author Eoin Colfer was also born that date.

Up Next: 86 - Tim Costo

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

83 - Steve Cooke

83 - Steve Cooke

Front photo: Pitching, but with a throwback uniform.

Back photo: The same, but with a regular uniform.

Better photo?: No contest. Throwback uniforms easily win this one.

Ties to my personal collections: None.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 2.

Wiki-facts: "He was named as the LHP in the Topps All-Star Rookie Team in 1993."

Google it: With the front page taken up by biologists and professors, this Steve Cooke shows up on the second page.

How was his stike shortened 1994? Not good. Went 4-11 with an ERA over 5.

Birthday boy:  January 14, 1970. Former NFL kick returner Tyrone Hughes was also born that date. The date is also shared with a pair of former NHLers, Tom Pederson and Eric Charron.

Up Next: 84 - Scott Cooper

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

80 - Royce Clayton

80 - Royce Clayton

Front photo: Seems to be staring back in disbelief at a call.

Back photo: Being waved home, but doesn't appear to be in a hurry.

Better photo?: The rear photo is nice that includes the coach waving him home at the side, and that gives it the slight edge over the closely-cropped front pic.

Ties to my personal collections: Played part of the 2007 season in Toronto. Got several photoshop special cards, although his Upper Deck card does look like it is a legit photo of him on the team. He finished that season with a handful of games in Boston, and got a World Series ring out of it.

Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 7

Wiki-facts: "Clayton portrayed Miguel Tejada in the 2011 film Moneyball"

Google it: Wanna buy his house?

How was his strike shortened 1994? 3 HR and 30 RBI with a .236 average.

Birthday boy:  January 2, 1970. The only person across the *-reference world born that day was 90s NFLer Glenn Cadrez.  Grammy-winning composer Eric Whitacre was also born that date.

Up Next: 81 - David Cone