#214 Danny Darwin

About the Front: Yep, it looks like Danny Darwin's skin was as leathery as I remember it being.

About the Back: Well, this is just plain weird. According to Baseball Reference, Darwin debuted on September 8, 1978. He retired the first three batters he faced, not four, and they were Mario Guerrero, Joe Wallis, and Bruce Robinson. September 24 was his first big league start, and he did retire the first four batters, all by strikeout. Top-notch fact-checking, Topps.

Triple Play:

1. His younger brother Jeff pitched for the Mariners and White Sox in the mid-1990s.

2. Danny's exceptional longevity (21-year MLB career) allowed him to team with a pair of fathers and sons: Sandy (1978 Rangers) and Roberto Alomar (1995 Blue Jays) and Bobby (1978 Rangers) and Barry Bonds (1997-98 Giants).

3. His 171 career wins are the most of any modern pitcher to never make an All-Star team nor pitch in the postseason.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I remember watching Darwin's August 18, 1993 no-hit bid against the White Sox live on ESPN. I was rooting for him because no-hitters are cool and he seemed like a veteran on his last legs. How was I to know that he'd hang around for another five seasons with varying degrees of effectiveness?

Bill James Said: "His control, always good, was exceptional, and he allowed only 9.7 baserunners per nine innings, best of any American League starter."

On This Date in 1993: May 13. George Brett hits a solo homer off of Cleveland's Mark Clark in the sixth inning of the Royals' 7-3 win. It is the 300th home run of his Hall of Fame career.

#213 Candy Maldonado

About the Front: It looks like Candy Maldonado is wearing a batting helmet without earflaps. Do you think he misplaced his own helmet and grabbed the one John Olerud always wore in the field?

About the Back: A 13-game hitting streak isn't particularly noteworthy; that's not even a quarter of the way to Joe DiMaggio's record.

Triple Play:

1. Since Topps had long since been superceded by Donruss in printing the player's full name on card backs, I'll answer the most pressing question. "Candy" is short for Candido.

2. He hit for the cycle on May 4, 1987 to help the Giants outslug the Cardinals 10-7.

3. Maldonado had just three hits in 19 at-bats in the 1992 World Series, but one of those was a walkoff single against Jeff Reardon in the bottom of the ninth in Game 3. He also hit a solo home run off of Steve Avery in the decisive Game 6, which Toronto eventually won in extra innings.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: This is yet another of the dozen or so cards that kept me from full completion of this set. When I was in middle school, I actually acquired it in a trade with my best friend, but as the transfer happened at school, I shoved it in my backpack and it got badly mangled in transition. Way to be responsible, younger self.

Bill James Said: "He's now 33, and not a good enough player that he is likely to last much longer than 35, plus the Indians have other players who will squeeze his playing time." Candy played his last major league game on September 29, 1995, a few weeks after his 35th birthday. Bill James may be a warlock.

On This Date in 1993: May 12. Hey, more TV nostalgia! The final episode of The Wonder Years airs on ABC after a six-season run.

#212 Rick Reed

About the Front: Rick Reed is giving the batter his best "disapproving parent" face. At least that's what it looks like to me.

About the Back: As you can see, Rick appeared in the majors with the Pirates every year from 1988 through 1991, totaling 31 games, yet Topps didn't get around to him until 1993. Kind of odd, especially since Donruss, Fleer, Leaf, and Score all featured him in their 1990 base sets.

Triple Play:

1. Reed was in camp with the Reds as a replacement player in the spring of 1995 during the MLBPA strike, and would have been the team's Opening Day starter if the work stoppage had not been settled.

2. He finally broke through with the Mets in 1997, going 13-9 with a 2.89 ERA. He made the National League All-Star Team in 1998 (16-11, 3.48) and again in 2001 (12-12, 4.05).

3. After retiring, he settled in Huntington, WV with his wife Dee to raise their daughter Madison and son Mason.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I just found out in a couple mouse clicks that Reed is the sixth-winningest pitcher born in West Virginia. Younger me would have killed to have a resource like Baseball Reference.

Bill James Said: "A 29-year-old minor league veteran, has a distinguished minor league record (67-37, 2.94 ERA), but has had difficulty getting major league opportunities because he doesn't throw hard."

On This Date in 1993: May 9. Mark Grace becomes the 14th player in Cubs' history to hit for the cycle, going 4-for-5 with three RBI in a 5-4 Chicago loss to the Padres.

#211 Doug Dascenzo

About the Front: It's an always-exciting bunting photo! At least Doug Dascenzo looks like he's got good form.

About the Back: As we saw 35 cards ago, Darren Lewis broke the record mentioned on the back of this card. Sorry, Doug.

Triple Play:

1. In 1990 and 1991, the Cubs used Dascenzo four times as a pitcher; he totaled five scoreless innings with three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.

2. On July 23, 1991, Doug laid down a squeeze bunt against doofus Reds' reliever Rob Dibble. Dibble deliberately chucked the ball at the outfielder as he ran down the baseline and was fined.

3. He spent many years coaching and managing in the San Diego organization, and is currently the Braves' third base coach.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I always liked the alliteration in Doug Dascenzo's name. It kind of rolls off the tongue.

Bill James Said: "Doesn't hit enough to play left/right field or be of much use as a pinch hitter, but can pinch run and play the outfield, which will keep him in the league if he can hit .250." He hit .199 with Texas in 1993, played 21 games with the Padres in 1996 (largely as a pinch runner and defensive replacement), and that was that.

On This Date in 1993: May 8. The Rockies experience some growing pains, blowing a 6-0 eighth-inning lead in an 8-7 loss to the Braves. The big blow is Sid Bream's pinch-hit, opposite-field grand slam to tie it, but the double-play combo of Vinny Castilla and Eric Young set the stage by combining for three errors in the span of two plays.

#210 Mark Langston

About the Front: Check out all of those shadows falling over Mark Langston's body. There's no question that this photo was taken during a day game.

About the Back: Mark was excellent in his 24 starts with the Expos, but they paid a heavy price to acquire him. You may recall that one of the three pitchers Montreal sent to Seattle in the deal was Randy Johnson.

Triple Play:

1. In September of 1988, Mark had a 34.1 inning scoreless streak. Jim Sundberg broke the skein with a one-out RBI single in the ninth inning on September 29, 1988. For the final month of that season, the lefty allowed just three earned runs in 53.2 innings for an 0.50 ERA.

2. On April 11, 1990, he threw seven no-hit innings against the Mariners. Teammate Mike Witt earned a save and preserved the no-no with two innings of flawless relief.

3. Langston is now a radio color commentator for the Angels.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Here's a goofy one. When I was a kid, I thought that Mark bore a strong resemblance to Taran Noah Smith, the child actor from Home Improvement.

Bill James Said: "A marvelous pitcher, has pitched 220+ innings for eight straight years."

On This Date in 1993: May 7. Dave, starring Kevin Kline as both the President of the United States and a presidential lookalike, premieres in American theatres.

#209 Jeff Parrett

About the Front: Jeff Parrett is sporting #38 in green and gold. Others who wore that number in Oakland before him include Rollie Fingers (rookie season only), Gene Tenace, and Jose Rijo.

About the Back: Paintsville is located in eastern Kentucky, as if you didn't already know that.

Triple Play:

1. Jeff did some impressive vulture work from 1987-1989, with all 31 of his wins in that span coming out of the bullpen.

2. He held Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg to four singles and a walk in 23 career meetings (.182 AVG and SLG, .217 OBP).

3. On August 10, 1989, he earned a relief win in a 16-13 Phillies triumph over the Cubs. Though the teams combined for six home runs, 11 walks, and 35 hits in total, Parrett tossed three perfect innings and benefited from Philly's four-run rally in the seventh. As you may have guessed, this one took place at Wrigley Field.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Jeff Parrett is another one of those names that never stops sounding silly.

Bill James Said: "Why a free agent pitcher coming off a 9-1 season would sign with an expansion team in a bandbox park, this I don't understand." Parrett joined the Rockies in '93 and saw his ERA jump to 5.38.

On This Date in 1993: May 6. Scott Sanderson of the Angels and Mike Witt of the Yankees are engaged in a 1-1 pitchers' duel through seven innings, but Steve Howe relieves Witt in the top of the eighth and promptly surrenders a walk to J. T. Snow and a two-run homer to Chili Davis, resulting in a 3-1 California victory.

#208 Mike Hartley

About the Front: I'm sure it's just the pose and angle, but Mike Hartley's arms look freakishly long.

About the Back: I wonder if Mike ever wrestled his teammates in the clubhouse, as Cal Ripken used to do.

Triple Play:

1. Hartley started only six big league games, but one of those was a shutout. On September 6, 1990 he three-hit the Braves to earn a 5-0 victory.

2. He did not take well to Japanese baseball, allowing 30 runs in 40.1 innings (6.69 ERA) for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 1994.

3. In recent years, Mike has managed professional teams in Germany and Italy. In 2008, he even pitched part-time for Heidenheim Heideköpfe in the German Bundesliga, going 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in eight games at age 47.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: When Hartley surfaced with the Orioles in September of 1995, I recognized him solely from his baseball cards. He made three relief appearances for Baltimore, gave up a single run in seven innings, and never pitched in the majors again.

Bill James Said: "Nobody who has him seems to want to keep him, which probably should tell us something."

On This Date in 1993: May 5. The final episode of the television series Quantum Leap airs on NBC.

#207 Paul Molitor

About the Front: Maybe it's a trick of the light, but this photo does a good job of de-emphasizing the dense thicket of fur on Paul Molitor's arms. I swear the guy was Robin Williams-level hairy.

About the Back: Caption: "HEEEEYYYY, you guys!"

Triple Play:

1. Molitor has admitted to using cocaine and marijuana early in his career, but has reportedly been drug-free since 1981. He subsequently visited schools to educate children about the dangers of drug use.

2. A partial list of his career highlights includes a 39-game hitting streak in 1987, a .418 batting average in World Series play, the 1993 World Series MVP (12-for-24 with a 1.000 slugging percentage, 10 runs scored, and no strikeouts!), 11 career steals of home plate, and 33 career home runs leading off games (third-most behind Rickey Henderson and Bobby Bonds).

3. Paul was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2004, having been named on 85.2% of all ballots cast. I can only assume that the 75 cretinous writers who didn't vote for Molly were either bozos who believed that nobody should be unanimous or they were moralizing scolds who didn't approve of his youthful indiscretions in his early twenties.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Molitor was a force of nature in his late thirties. The guy almost seemed to get better with age.

Bill James Said: "Is now almost certain to get 3,000 hits, and could become the seventh player to score 2,000 runs." Molitor got his 3,000th hit late in the 1996 season, his first with his hometown Twins; that year he led the league with a career-high 225 hits at age 40. He retired with 3,319 base knocks, tenth-most all-time. He fell short of 2,000 runs, finishing with 1,782. That's still good for 20th in MLB history.

On This Date in 1993: May 2. The Rangers stomp the Brewers, 13-2. Jose Canseco goes 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, and four RBI. Robb Nen earns his first big league win with six innings of two-hit ball, though he does walk five. Nen will make two more starts as a major leaguer before switching to relief and going on to save 314 games for the Marlins and Giants. Earning a goofy three-inning save is Jeff Bronkey, who keeps Milwaukee off the scoreboard the rest of the way. It is Bronkey's debut; to date, he is the only player in MLB history to be born in Afghanistan.

#206 Henry Cotto

About the Front: This is the most majestic pose I've ever seen from a runner standing on second base. Henry Cotto is stylin' and profilin'.

About the Back: Though Henry was born in the Bronx, his family was from Puerto Rico and moved back to the island three months after his birth.

Triple Play:

1. This should make you squirm. In May 1985, Cotto was sitting on the bench during a game and cleaning his ears with a Q-tip. Ken Griffey, Sr. bumped into Henry, who suffered a punctured eardrum.

2. In 1992, Henry was 23-of-25 in stolen base attempts, a league-best 92% success rate.

3. He began a coaching career in 1996, spending many years instructing players in the Mariners organization.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I remember Cotto signing with the Orioles prior to the 1994 season, but he didn't make the club. Google tells me that he was on a minor-league deal, so the O's released him from his contract in February when the Yomiuri Giants offered him a million dollars to play in Japan.

Bill James Said: "He can play all three outfield positions fairly well, is an excellent baserunner, and has hit .293 against lefthanded pitchers over the last four years (177 for 605)."

On This Date in 1993: May 1. Former Prime Minister of France Pierre Beregovoy dies at age 67 shortly after being found with two bullet wounds in his head. It is believed that he has taken his own life.