#323 Mike Greenwell

About the Front: That's some unusual wristband placement for Mike Greenwell. Do you think his forearms were cold?

About the Back: The use of all-caps for "TOPPS" seems like a bit much. As you can see, injuries abbreviated Greenwell's 1992 season, making it by far the worst of his career.

Triple Play:

1. His first big league hit was a game-winning two-run homer off of Toronto's John Cerutti in the top of the 13th inning on September 25, 1985.

2. Mike set a record on September 2, 1996, driving in all nine of Boston's runs in a 9-8 win over Seattle. He went 4-for-5 with a double, a two-run homer, and a grand slam, wrapping things up with a tiebreaking single in the top of the tenth.

3. Greenwell has had a colorful life outside of baseball. He owns an amusement park in Cape Coral, FL, and a fruit and vegetable farm in Alva, FL. He also got into stock car racing, but gave it up in 2010.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I tended to lose track of players once they headed to Japan. In Mike's case, he signed a lucrative contract with the Hanshin Tigers in 1997, but played only seven games before breaking his foot on a foul tip and retiring.

Bill James Said: "Like his boyhood hero, George Brett, he often starts slowly, and drives his batting average upward."

On This Date in 1993: November 18. Puerto Rico residents vote by a narrow margin to maintain Commonwealth status, rejecting statehood.

#322 Pat Borders

About the Front: I assume this photo was snapped in the dugout, but it looks like Pat Borders could just as easily be sitting at a train station or in the waiting room of a doctor's office. I don't know why he would do that in full uniform, but maybe he's hoping for preferential treatment.

About the Back: Borders slugged .497 and hit .286 in 1990? That's shocking to me. He had a 120 OPS+ that year; his career mark was 77.

Triple Play:

1. Pat seemed to save his best for the postseason, compiling a career batting line of .315/.339/.414 in 32 career playoff and World Series games. He was named the 1992 World Series MVP after reaching base in 11 of 22 trips to the plate, doubling three times, and hitting a solo homer off of Tom Glavine in Toronto's 2-1 Game Four victory.

2. Though he was not a regular starter after the 1994 season, Borders hung around for parts of 17 big league years. In his final MLB game on July 27, 2005, the 42-year-old combined with Seattle starting pitcher Jamie Moyer (also 42) to comprise the oldest starting battery in major league history.

3. He spent all of the 2000 season with Tampa Bay's AAA Durham team, which afforded him the opportunity to represent Team USA in the Summer Olympics in Sydney. The veteran catcher was on the gold-medal-winning baseball team, making him one of four players to earn both a World Series ring and a gold medal (the others being fellow American Doug Mientkiewicz and Cubans Jose Contreras and Orlando Hernandez).

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: There is plenty of photographic evidence that says that I wasn't a fashion-savvy kid, but even I thought that Borders' dirt-'stache and mullet was a bad look.

Bill James Said: "His .285 on-base percentage was the lowest of any regular in '93, and is reflected in his runs scored total." Pat scored a whopping 38 runs in 520 plate appearances.

On This Date in 1993: November 17. The Mets sign free agent outfielder John Cangelosi. He stole 50 bases as a rookie with the 1986 White Sox, but was out of the major leagues entirely in 1991 and 1993. He will bat .252/.371/.288 in 132 plate appearances for New York in 1994 before reviving his career with a two-year stint as a reserve in Houston (.287/.413/.367, 38-for-52 in steals).

#321 Rusty Meacham

About the Front: I've been staring at photos of pitching grips for 10 minutes, and I can't tell whether Rusty Meacham is throwing a two-seam fastball or a curveball. I feel like Jim Palmer's famous quote about Earl Weaver applies to me - the only thing I know about pitching is that I couldn't hit it.

About the Back: Rusty vultured 10 wins out of the Kansas City bullpen in 1992; starter Kevin Appier (15-8) was the only other double-digit winner on a 90-loss Royals team.

Triple Play:

1. He had a 27-inning streak from April 21 through June 8, 1992 in which he did not allow an earned run, spanning 19 appearances.

2. According to his Baseball-Reference Bullpen wiki page, which appears to have been written by one of Meacham's fans, he used to turn the bullpen hose on appreciative fans on hot summer days, a la Dan Quisenberry.

3. Rusty coached at Class A Vermont in the Nationals organization in 2007 and 2008. He contributed to the instructional book The Physics of Pitching, which was published in 2011.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: The name "Rusty" will always make me think of the National Lampoon's Vacation movies.

Bill James Said: "After a wonderful 1992 season he developed a tender elbow, and was never able to pitch effectively."

On This Date in 1993: November 14. Sanzo Nosaka, one of the founders of the Japanese Communist Party, dies in his home at the tender age of 101.

#320 Tim Fortugno

About the Front: Tim Fortugno has something of an Alan Rickman look to him. That's my two cents anyway.

About the Back: I'm not sure how a 30-year-old rookie wound up with a card number ending in a zero. Maybe he was a last-minute replacement.

Triple Play:

1. On July 25, 1992, Fortugno tossed a three-hit, 12-strikeout shutout against the Tigers. He fanned each of the Tigers' 3-4-5 hitters (Travis Fryman, Cecil Fielder, and Mickey Tettleton) three times. This effort was more notable as it came in his second career big league appearance, earning him his first win.

2. He gave up a single to George Brett on September 30, 1992. It was the Royal great's 3,000th career hit. The southpaw subsequently picked Brett off of first base.

3. After hanging up his spikes, Tim became a scout for the Rangers. Among others, he signed Scott Feldman, C. J. Wilson, and John Mayberry Jr.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I always thought this guy looked much older than 30.

Bill James Said: Fortugno spent all of 1993 with the Expos' AAA Ottawa team, so James didn't include him in his book. He did resurface in the majors with the Reds in 1994 and the White Sox in 1995, though.

On This Date in 1993: November 13. In a matchup of the two top-ranked college football teams in the U.S., #2 Notre Dame squeaks by #1 Florida State, 31-24. Both teams had been 9-0 entering the showdown in South Bend.

#319 Paul Assenmacher

About the Front: Paul Assenmacher is 6'3", but he looks even taller here. It must be the horizontal photo and the pinstripes.

About the Back: I wonder if the children of ballplayers get a thrill out of being name-checked on the backs of cards?

Triple Play:

1. On August 22, 1989, Paul tied a major league record by striking out four batters in an inning. The quartet of opposing Cardinals was Terry Pendleton, Milt Thompson, Tony Pena (reached on a wild pitch), and pitcher Ted Power (swung through a two-strike bunt attempt).

2. Assenmacher tied with Mike Jackson for the most games pitched in the 1990s, totaling 644.

3. He has served as the pitching coach at St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta for eight years.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: It may be pronounced "OSS-en-mock-er", but that didn't stop my younger self from snickering.

Bill James Said: "People don't take him seriously because he's ugly, looks sloppy on the mound and doesn't throw 90, but he's never been easy to hit."

On This Date in 1993: November 12. H. R. Haldeman, Richard Nixon's former White House Chief of Staff and a key member of the Watergate cover-up, dies of abdominal cancer at age 67.

#318 Willie Wilson

About the Front: It's unusual to see Willie Wilson without a Royals uniform and a beard.

About the Back: I just spotted another error here. Wilson's 83 steals led the American League in 1979, and his total of 79 swipes was second behind Rickey Henderson's 100 in 1980.

Triple Play:

1. How fast was Willie? Of his 41 career home runs, 13 were inside-the-park jobs. In fact, all 13 came at the beginning of his career as part of his first 16 round-trippers.

2. After the 1983 season, Wilson and Royals teammates Willie Aikens, Vida Blue, and Jerry Martin all pled guilty to misdemeanor drug charges for attempting to purchase cocaine. All four served an 81-day jail sentence in Fort Worth, TX.

3. He retired after the Cubs released him in May 1994. His 668 career stolen bases are 12th all-time.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: His birth name is actually Willie. It's like his parents just didn't bother.

Bill James Said: "He is probably through in Chicago, where they have young outfielders who are better than he is, and I wouldn't bet on him to be on a roster at the end of spring training."

On This Date in 1993: November 10. Carlito's Way, a crime drama starring Al Pacino and Sean Penn, has its theatrical release.

#317 Kyle Abbott

About the Front: This is indeed the final Topps card of then-25-year-old Kyle Abbott's career. He spent all of 1993 at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, then a year in Japan, and back to the MLB in 1995 and 1996 for a total of 21 games (32.1 IP, 5.18 ERA) to close things out.

About the Back: That grisly 1-14 record for the 1992 Phillies includes an 0-11 start in his first 13 appearances. His offense didn't do him any favors, either, with an average run support of 3.23 runs per game. They tried to make up for it in his lone win, a 14-3 romp over the Dodgers on July 18. Naturally, it wasn't even a great outing for Abbott, who took a shutout into the sixth inning before tiring and allowing a pair of homers and three runs total to get the hook.

Triple Play:

1. Not more than two years after drafting him ninth overall, the Angels traded Kyle and Ruben Amaro Jr. to the Phillies for former All-Star outfielder Von Hayes, who played 94 games in 1992 with a .225/.305/.326 batting line (78 OPS+) before retiring.

2. His father Larry pitched in the minors from 1964 through 1970, spending all seven years in the Athletics' chain. He topped out at AA Birmingham and retired with a 40-40 record and a 3.09 ERA.

3. There have been 24 players in MLB history to go by "Kyle", and Abbott was the first. The caveat, of course, is that his birth name was Lawrence Kyle. Still, he blazed a trail for the 16 Kyles who are active major leaguers today.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I don't think I ever picked up on the fact that the Angels used consecutive first-round draft picks on lefthanded college pitchers named Abbott - Jim in 1988 and Kyle in 1989.

Bill James Said: "He pitched all right for Scranton in '93, and might have earned a major league callup had the Phillies not been busy winning their division." Kyle was 12-10 with a 3.95 ERA for the Red Barons.

On This Date in 1993: November 7. A joint congressional resolution, introduced back on October 21, designates the week beginning on November 7, 1993 as National Women Veterans Recognition Week. It will be signed into law by President Clinton on November 17.

#316 Dave Nilsson

About the Front: I like it when you can see the hitter tracking the ball with his eyes. Whether it's a pop-up or a home run, only Dave Nilsson knows.

About the Back: Baseball has really flourished in the Land Down Under over the past few decades. The Aussie roll call in the major leagues is up to 28 total; in 1993, reliever Graeme Lloyd debuted with the Brewers and he and Nilsson comprised the first-ever Australian battery in MLB.

Triple Play:

1. He hit the first home run at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on April 11, 1994 - a fifth-inning solo shot against Kenny Rogers.

2. Nilsson became the first Australian-born All-Star in 1999, when he hit .309/.400/.554 (141 OPS+) in 115 games with a career-high 21 home runs. He then retired from MLB at age 29, so that he might represent his native country in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He batted .565 and slugged .957 for the Aussies, who won only two out of seven games. In the 2004 Olympics, he posted an .885 OPS in eight games and threw out five of eight would-be base stealers, helping his country to a silver medal.

3. Throughout the 1990s Nilsson played winter ball in the Australian Baseball League, then bought the financially troubled league and replaced it with the International Baseball League of Australia. That league folded in 2002, but a new ABL launched in 2009 with sponsorship from MLB. Dave was the Brisbane Bandits' manager for their inaugural season. He had the highest career batting average in the original ABL, a .356 mark.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I remember Nilsson being something of a novelty because of his nationality. Not much has changed in that regard - current Rays reliever Grant Balfour is often identified first by his birth country.

Bill James Said: "He threw out only 23% of opposing base stealers, poorest in the American League, and there were other problems." Bill doesn't elaborate, but I'll assume that Dave's nine errors and seven passed balls in 91 games caught, along with the 23 wild pitches that whizzed by on his watch, were cause for concern as well.

On This Date in 1993: November 6. Ed Sadowski, a light-hitting backup catcher for the Red Sox, Angels, and Braves in the 1960s, passes away due to ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) at age 62.

#315 Edgar Martinez

About the Front: Thank the heavens that Edgar Martinez's bat is not literally on fire, as is the case in the photo atop this article about the former Seattle great.

About the Back: As you can see, the moribund Mariners didn't slot Edgar into the starting lineup until after his 27th birthday, and he won his first career batting title two years later. Imagine what he could've done if he hadn't been taking repeated tours of AAA in his mid-20s.

Triple Play:

1. Martinez was a two-time AL batting champ, with his other top season coming in 1995. That year, he led the loop with 121 runs scored, 52 doubles, a .356 average, a .479 on-base percentage, and a 185 OPS+. He played all 145 games for Seattle in the strike-shortened season, also setting career highs with 29 doubles, 113 RBI, and a .628 slugging percentage. All that, and he still finished third in MVP voting behind dubious winner Mo Vaughn (.300/.388/.575, 39 HR, 126 RBI) and runner-up Albert Belle (.317/.401/.690, 52 2B, 50 HR, 126 RBI).

2. Edgar played through 2004, retiring as a career-long Mariner at age 41. He batted .312/.418/.515 (147 OPS+) for his career, with 514 doubles, 309 home runs, and 1,261 RBI. His on-base percentage is 20th-highest all-time; four of the players in front of him played the bulk of their games in the 19th Century, and a fifth (Ferris Fain) played barely half as many games as Martinez. He was a seven-time All-Star and a five-time Silver Slugger, and his feats as a designated hitter were so prodigious that MLB created a namesake award after his retirement to honor the best DH in the American League each year. However, the pinheads in the BBWAA have let him languish on the Hall of Fame ballot for five years and counting, penalizing him for the dual crimes of not playing a defensive position and daring to play during the past few decades, when big, bad, scary steroids ruined the sanctity of baseball. Ugh.

3. He is a noted humanitarian and an entrepreneur, with his own namesake endowment for muscular dystrophy research at the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. In June 2007, he was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in Boise, ID, which I have just learned exists. In 2005, he was a cofounder of Plaza Bank, the state of Washington's first hispanic financial institution. In 2013, he collaborated with the Mariners and local chefs and bartenders on Edgar's Cantina, a bar and grill inside of Safeco Field.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I was thrilled when Martinez roped "The Double", a two-run walkoff hit off of New York's Jack McDowell in the 11th inning of the decisive Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS. It has become possibly the most memorable scene in Seattle's team history, securing a series win in the club's first-ever trip to the postseason. At the time, I was just a big Ken Griffey, Jr. fan who hadn't yet grown to strongly dislike the Yankees. But in hindsight, I enjoy that moment all the more.

Bill James Said: "Martinez, one of the best hitters in baseball, severely pulled his hamstring in April, tried to come back too quickly, and then a) didn't hit, and b) re-injured the hamstring." If you look back at Edgar's career stats, the 42 games played and .237 average in 1993 stick out like a sore, um, hamstring. Yet he still drew enough walks (28 in 165 PA) to give him a .366 OBP and a perfectly average 100 OPS+. I feel like most fans still don't grasp just how good a hitter he was.

On This Date in 1993: November 5. The back-to-back World Champion Blue Jays release Jack Morris. After going 21-6 with a 4.04 ERA in 240.2 innings in his Toronto debut in 1992, the longtime Tigers ace plunged to 7-12 with a 6.19 ERA in a rocky 1993 campaign. He will sign with the Indians for 1994, but find himself out of work again that August after putting up a 5.60 ERA in 23 starts in Cleveland.