#496 Reggie Jefferson

About the Front: Reggie Jefferson is intently focusing on his pine-tar duties.

About the Back: If you're like me, you probably don't think of Reggie as a triples hitter. He led the rookie-level GCL with his five three-baggers in 1986, but didn't hit his fifth major league triple until his 287th career game.

Triple Play:

1. The Baseball Reference Bullpen Wiki claims that Jefferson "would literally drag the entire top side of his foot with every step". We're going to classify that as a big ol' "citation needed".

2. The Indians made a savvy trade in December of 1993, sending Reggie and shortstop Felix Fermin to Seattle for shortstop Omar Vizquel. The duo played a total of 237 games for the Mariners, while Vizquel won eight Gold Gloves in 11 seasons in Cleveland.

3. He had a strong stint with the Red Sox in the late 1990s, primarily as a DH. In 1996, he batted .347/.388/.593 (143 OPS+) with career highs of 19 home runs and 74 RBI in 418 plate appearances.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Heh. That camera lens is pointing right at his butt. (Let's be honest, 35-year-old me is probably more responsible for this thought.)

Bill James Said: "I've never believed he had star potential, and since he is now competing for playing time with Manny Ramirez, who does have star potential, it may be a couple of years before he becomes a full-time player."

On This Date in 1993: February 13. Ah, what the heck, let's indulge my wrestling fandom. The regular Saturday morning airing of WWF Superstars featured Tatanka defeating Shawn Michaels and Giant Gonzalez squashing three "enhancement talents" (including Louie Spicolli) in an 81-second match. The Steiner Brothers, Lex Luger, and Crush were also featured.

#485 Glenn Davis

About the Front: Is it just me, or does it seem like Glenn Davis' pants are hiked up way too high?

About the Back: Topps done goofed again! Davis won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award in 1990, not 1991. The award is given annually by the Phi Delta Theta fraternity to the major league player who best exemplifies Larrupin' Lou's character and integrity, both on and off the field. So that's nice.

Triple Play:

1. He is the adopted brother of pitcher Storm Davis; the duo were teammates with the Orioles in 1992.

2. Glenn finished his career with a stint for Japan's Hanshin Tigers in 1995-1996, batting .252/.316/.460 with 28 home runs and 95 RBI in 153 games. In 1996, he became the first foreign player (and tenth overall) to hit a walkoff grand slam in a Nippon Pro Baseball game. Oddly enough, he holds the MLB record for most career home runs (190) without a grand slam.

3. Davis now lives in Columbus, GA, and serves on the city council.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Man, did I dislike Glenn Davis. The Orioles gave up Steve Finley, Pete Harnisch, and Curt Schilling for Glenn's 185 mediocre games spread over three injury-riddled reasons. In 1993, when I was at my most impressionable as a fan, he suffered a broken jaw while breaking up a bar fight in Norfolk on May 27. In August, as he was preparing to return to the active roster, he was hit in the head by a Jeffrey Hammonds foul ball that found the Baltimore dugout, and missed several more weeks. Now that I'm older and wiser (arguably), I know that Davis wasn't at fault. He didn't make that awful trade.

Bill James Said: "If he doesn't convince somebody that his power has come back, his career is over." He did manage to swat 27 homers for the AAA Omaha Royals in 1994, but never did play in the majors after the O's released him in 1993.

On This Date in 1993: September 23. John Burkett wins his 20th game, holding the Astros to three hits over eight innings in a 7-0 Giants victory. Barry Bonds has three doubles, two runs scored, and two driven in, which is hardly newsworthy for him.

#484 John Wehner

About the Front: John Wehner massages his trick knee while attempting to field a chopper.

About the Back: Hey, it's a hometown boy! It's always fun to see a local guy play for his team.

Triple Play: 

1. In parts of 11 MLB seasons, John played every position except pitcher. That includes three appearances each at shortstop and catcher.

2. On October 1, 2000, Wehner hit the last of his four career home runs. It was also the final homer ever hit in Three Rivers Stadium.

3. He coached for the Pirates' AA Altoona Curve team in 2003-2004, before taking an analyst gig with the big league club.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I don't care how it's pronounced, I'm still going to snicker at his name.

Bill James Said: "Wehner hit .340 in 37 games in 1991, which was a stone fluke." A .249 career average (68 OPS+) says that Bill wasn't lying.

On This Date in 1993: September 22. The Rockies conclude their inaugural home schedule with an MLB record attendance of 4,483,350 at Mile High Stadium.

#467 Lee Stevens

About the Front: Lee Stevens is rocking a sweatshirt underneath his jersey, so I'm guessing it's pretty chilly wherever he is. (Cleveland?) Maybe that accounts for the near-total lack of fans in the bleachers behind him.

About the Back: "Mark Snipp" sounds like a Harry Potter character. He needs a more outlandish first name though. I'd suggest Maurelius Snipp.

Triple Play:

1. After batting .262/.325/.495 with 43 home runs and 136 RBI in 222 games with Japan's Kintetsu Buffaloes in 1994-1995, Stevens returned to America and played another seven seasons for the Rangers, Expos, and Indians.

2. He hit 144 home runs in the major leagues, including three in one game against the Tigers on April 13, 1998...but never had a walkoff homer.

3. Lee has been the hitting coach for the Rookie-level Grand Junction Rockies since 2013.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I never had the opportunity to wear eye black in Little League. I have a hunch that the visual effect would have been hilarious.

Bill James Said: Nothing, since Lee spent the 1993 season with Toronto's AAA Syracuse club, batting .264/.328/.449 in 116 games.

On This Date in 1993: August 13. Johnny Gaudreau is born in Salem, NJ. In 2014, he would be the NCAA's Hobey Baker Award winner, recognized as the top collegiate hockey player for his efforts at Boston College. He would join the NHL's Calgary Flames that same year, making the All-Star team as a rookie.

#464 Greg Colbrunn

About the Front: What's up with the blank white panels on the wall behind Greg Colbrunn? My guess would be that Topps is covering up advertisements, but I'm not sure that they've ever done that.

About the Back: The Expos actually brought Greg up to the majors in September of 1990 so he could work on his defense as a catcher. He blew out his elbow throwing to second base, and missed the entire 1991 season.

Triple Play:

1. Colbrunn did his best work as a part-time player with the Diamondbacks later in his career, batting .310/.384/.527 (126 OPS+) in 337 games over parts of five seasons. He started at first base for Arizona in Game Six of the 2001 World Series, going 2-for-5 with a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI in a 15-2 rout of New York.

2. On September 18, 2002, he hit for the cycle against the Padres, going 5-for-6 with a pair of homers and four RBI.

3. He coached for the Yankees' Single-A Charleston club from 2007-2012, including a stint as the team's manager in 2010. Greg was the Red Sox' hitting coach in 2013-2014, resigning due to health concerns. In 2015, he returned to the Charleston coaching staff.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Colbrunn was one of the weak links on the Expos team that I favored in the SNES Ken Griffey, Jr. baseball game, probably due to his .255/.282/.392 batting line in 1993.

Bill James Said: "Although he hits well for a catcher he doesn't hit enough to be a regular first baseman, and when Cliff Floyd showed up the Expos released him."

On This Date in 1993: August 10. Mets pitcher Bret Saberhagen admits to having sprayed bleach at three reporters on July 27, and agrees to donate $15,384.61 - one day's pay - to the Eye Research Foundation.

#441 Don Lemon and Todd Pridy

About the Front: Here's our first multi-player Marlins prospects card. The pinstripe jersey with solid white pants makes me think that Todd Pridy assumed the photographer was shooting from the waist up.

About the Back: A couple of really bright lights here. Don Lemon was already a four-year minor league veteran at this time, having started out as an undrafted free agent in the Braves organization in 1989. Pridy was a 23rd-round draft pick in 1992 out of Cal State Long Beach.

Triple Play:

1. Don pitched professionally for 16 years, including stints in Australia, Mexico, Taiwan, and Japan. He had his greatest pro success in Taiwan, compiling a 36-32 record, 2.53 ERA, and four saves in six seasons in the CPBL. While pitching for the Yakult Swallows in 2000, he became the first foreign-born player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to strike out four batters in one inning.

2. Pridy also never made it to the majors, but extended his pro career with six seasons in the independent Western League. In 1998, he batted .408/.478/.665 in 90 games with the Sonoma County Crushers, clubbing 29 doubles and 21 home runs and driving in 94.

3. After retiring as a player, Todd became a social sciences teacher and head coach of the varsity baseball team at Napa High School in California.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I've always assumed that Todd's last name was pronounced "pretty". I'm fairly sure that my friends and I made fun of his name, because we were very mature like that.

Bill James Said: Nothing from Bill on these two.

On This Date in 1993: June 17. Al Leiter two-hits the Red Sox for his first career shutout as Toronto tops Boston, 7-0. The BoSox strand the bases loaded in the fourth inning after a Mike Greenwell single and a pair of walks; their only other baserunner in the game comes via a Billy Hatcher leadoff single in the sixth. Ivan Calderon bats next, grounds into a double play, and that's that.

#430 Eddie Murray

About the Front: If anyone could have made the afro-wide sideburns-mustache combo work in the 1990s, it would've been Eddie Murray. But he'd trimmed everything down into a more contemporary look by then. Alas.

About the Back: Would you have believed that Eddie Murray's single-season high in home runs was 33? Lesser lights like Steve Balboni reached the 35-homer mark, but not Eddie.

Triple Play:

1. In the Orioles' Game Five World Series clincher in 1983, he went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI.

2. Eddie was the third player in MLB history to reach the dual career milestones of 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, joining Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. He was the 1977 AL Rookie of the Year, an eight-time All-Star, and a three-time Gold Glover at first base. However, despite finishing in the top five in MVP voting for five consecutive years (1981-1985), he never captured a Most Valuable Player award.

3. Murray was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2003, and the Orioles have retired his number 33 and dedicated a statue in his likeness at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. After his retirement as a player in 1997, he went on to coach for the O's, Dodgers, and Indians.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: As someone who missed out on Eddie's prime, it was a thrill to see him return to Baltimore for the 1996 stretch run. He hit his 500th home run in Camden Yards on the first anniversary of Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game played, which is just too cool for words.

Bill James Said: "Has aged exceptionally well, being about 88% as effective in his late thirties as he was in his twenties." They didn't call him Steady Eddie for nothing.

On This Date in 1993: June 2. Jason Bere earns his first career win as the White Sox trample the Tigers, 10-1. The 22-year-old allows four hits and four walks in five innings, and is supported by home runs from Joey Cora, Robin Ventura, and Ron Karkovice. Karko's first inning grand slam is the first of two dingers on the evening for the veteran catcher.

#423 Ryan Klesko, Ivan Cruz, Bubba Smith, and Larry Sutton

About the Front: This is our first glimpse at the design for 1993's Top Prospects cards. In an interesting twist, Topps has selected one prospect per position from each minor league level, so you have some idea of how close the players are to the major leagues. They also chose to place these four player portraits over a background image of dirt, as a subtle way of telling you not to pin all of your hopes on unproven minor leaguers. Or maybe I'm reading too much into things.

About the Back: No minor league stats? Not even one line per player for 1992 or career numbers? That's weak sauce.

Triple Play:

1. Ryan Klesko was the only one of these four to have an appreciable big league career, batting .279/.370/.500 (128 OPS+) with 278 homers and 987 RBI in parts of 16 seasons with Atlanta, San Diego, and San Francisco. He was an All-Star with the 2001 Padres, as he bashed 34 doubles and 30 home runs, drove in a career-high 113 runs, and even stole 23 bases in 27 tries.

2. Ivan Cruz had cups of coffee with the Yankees (1997), Pirates (1999-2000), and Cardinals (2002), totaling 41 games. He was the first pro player ever interviewed by Night Owl, one of my favorite journalist/blogger types. In all, Ivan hit 281 home runs in professional baseball, which includes stints in Mexico and Japan.

3. Charles Lee "Bubba" Smith never reached MLB, but spent 16 years playing ball professionally. Some of his statistics from Mexican leagues are not available, but he clubbed at least 367 home runs, with a single-season high of 40 in 123 games for the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization in 1999. 61 of his 117 hits that year went for extra bases.

3a. Larry Sutton's big league career spanned from 1997-2004, but 111 of his 252 total games played came in 1998 with the Royals. Overall he batted .236/.302/.346 (67 OPS+) with 12 home runs and 78 RBI. Like Smith, he had a successful stint in Korea, leading the KBO with 35 dingers in 119 for the Hyundai Unicorns (!) in 2005.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I absolutely didn't think that Ivan Cruz was within three years of the age of the other three men on this card. Maybe it was the mustache.

Bill James Said: Klesko - "A young, white Fred McGriff - a lefthanded power-hitting first baseman, capable of hitting 25-30 home runs in a season."

On This Date in 1993: May 11. Miguel Sano is born in San Pedro de Macoris, D. R. Despite missing all of 2014 with Tommy John surgery, the third base prospect for the Twins would still be listed as Baseball America's #13 overall minor league player entering the 2015 season.

#422 J. T. Snow

About the Front: Nothing screams "rookie" like a position player wearing #60. Though in J. T. Snow's defense, the Yankees have retired almost every number from 1-50.

About the Back: Jack Snow caught 340 passes for 6,012 yards and 45 touchdowns in an 11-year NFL career (1965-1975), and led the league with an average of 26.3 yards per reception in 1967. In 2006, J. T. honored his father by wearing the elder Snow's football uniform number (84) during a 38-game stint with the Red Sox.

Triple Play:

1. From 1995 through 2000, Snow won six straight Gold Gloves at first base with the Angels and Giants.

2. His best offensive season was 1997, when he hit .281/.387/.510 (135 OPS+) with career highs of 36 doubles, 28 home runs, and 104 RBI for the Giants.

3. J. T. might be best-known for his quick reflexes in Game Five of the 2002 World Series, when he yanked Giants honorary bat boy Darren Baker (three-year-old son of manager Dusty) out of harm's way immediately after scoring on a Kenny Lofton hit.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Snow's reputation was mostly built around his defensive skills, so I'm surprised now to look back and see his .357 career OBP and handful of 20-plus homer seasons.

Bill James Said: "Switch hitter, good first baseman, should be a solid #5 hitter to back up Salmon until the end of the century." He may have been, but the Angels dealt him to San Francisco after the 1996 season for pitcher Allen Watson, who went 18-19 with a 5.28 ERA in two years with the Halos. D'oh!

On This Date in 1993: May 8. Four of this Saturday's 13 MLB games are decided in extra innings, highlighted by a brutal Yankees-Tigers tilt. Detroit starter Tom Bolton gets the hook from manager Sparky Anderson after allowing five straight hits to open the game, and the Tigers are trailing 6-0 before they even bat. But the home team claws back with runs in each of the first five innings to take an 8-7 lead. Mike Henneman blows the save by serving up a home run to Danny Tartabull on the first pitch of the ninth inning, and Matt Nokes adds a game-winning two-run shot off of Dave Johnson in the 11th. 10-8 final.

#401 Fred McGriff and Frank Thomas

About the Front: See, you can tell it's an All-Star card because of the starry sky background. You can also tell it's a 1993 product because of the fantastic drop-shadow effect on the "1992 Topps All Stars" header.

About the Back: All of that yellow isn't too easy on the eyes. Also, I'm not sure how Topps calculated Fred McGriff's OBP, but it was actually .426 at the break in 1992. Still very good, but not as ridiculous as .502 would be.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Fred McGriff and Frank Thomas were two of my favorite players. A couple of soft-spoken first basemen who just hit the snot out of the ball.

On This Date in 1993: April 7. The Indians signed Jason Grimsley as a free agent, a week after he was released by the Astros. The reliever would gain notoriety in 1994 when he crawled through the ductwork in Cleveland's clubhouse to access the umpire's room and retrieve Albert Belle's corked bat. You can read more about the caper here.

#397 George Brett

About the Front: This is a pretty good way to kick off Series Two. A Hall of Famer in a dynamic action photo. The iconic "BRETT 5" is fully visible on his back as he completes his swing, the crowd is visible behind him in the first-base-side stands of...Cleveland Stadium?, and the glove arm and left knee of the catcher (probably Junior Ortiz) are poking out from the right side of the card. As you can see from George Brett's batting helmet, he maintained his fondness for pine tar into the waning days of his career.

About the Back: As you can see, George is the only player in MLB history to win batting titles in three different decades, taking the crown in 1976, 1980, and 1990.

Triple Play:

1. His older brother Ken pitched for ten major league teams (1967, 1969-1981), including a stint as George's teammate in 1980-1981. Ken was an All-Star with the Pirates in 1974 (13-9, 3.30 ERA), and batted .262 with 10 homers in 373 career trips to the plate. The brothers faced one another 20 times, with little brother collecting six hits and doubling twice for a batting line of .300/.300/.400.

2. Brett is the only player to homer three times off the same pitcher in a postseason game, performing the feat against Yankee starter Catfish Hunter in Game Three of the 1978 ALCS. Alas, all three were solo shots, and the Royals lost 6-5.

3. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1999. He's remained active with the Royals as a vice president and special instructor, and served as an interim hitting coach for two months in 2013. He and his brother Bobby are partial owners of several minor league teams.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I wonder how my adolescent self would have reacted to this story about George Brett's momentary incontinence. With laughter, I bet.

Bill James Said: "It was time for him to go, which is not to say that I won't miss him." Brett batted .266/.312/.434 with 19 homers and 75 RBI in his farewell season in '93.

On This Date in 1993: April 1. The Vatican orders a group of Carmelite nuns who had established a convent in 1984 near the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp to move.

#378 Orlando Merced

About the Front: Orlando Merced wasn't much of a threat on the basepaths, as his three career triples and 57-for-86 lifetime stolen base rate indicate. What we see here is a pretty awkward attempt at a pop-up slide into third base.

About the Back: Interestingly, baseball is not listed as one of Merced's high school sports...but volleyball is. That's a rarity. Apparently his school had no baseball team, so he only played American Legion ball.

Triple Play:

1. In 1993, he ranked fourth in the National League with a .414 on-base percentage.

2. Orlando hit 103 career home runs. 11 of those were pinch homers, including a walkoff three-run shot on September 12, 1998 that gave the Cubs a 15-12 win over Bob Wickman and the Brewers.

3. He has had coaching stints with the AA Tulsa Drillers (a Rockies affiliate at the time) and the Class A West Virginia Power (a Pirates affiliate).

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Merced was the only Orlando in the big leagues in 1993. Of course, Orlandos Miller, Palmeiro, Cabrera, Hernandez, and Hudson all debuted in the ensuing decade. It was an Orlando Renaissance!

Bill James Said: "Merced hit .362 before the All-Star break, .242 afterward."

On This Date in 1993: February 19. Army of Darkness, the third movie in Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell's Evil Dead series, premieres.

#375 Wally Joyner

About the Front: We have a very artful view of the light standards at Kaufman Stadium at dusk behind Wally Joyner. I couldn't begin to tell you what Wally is looking at.

About the Back: Joyner's strong 1987 campaign created unrealistic expectations of his potential as a power hitter. He slugged only .440 for his career.

Triple Play:

1. He was nicknamed "Wally World", a nod to the fictitious amusement park from the film National Lampoon's Vacation.

2. Joyner's best season other than 1987 came a full decade later, when he hit .327/.390/486 and drove in 83 runs for the Padres.

3. Wally has served as hitting coach for the Padres and assistant hitting and first base coach for the Phillies. Currently, he is the Tigers' hitting coach.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Wally Joyner strikes me as a name I knew before taking a strong interest in baseball. Then again, it's a pretty distinct name.

Bill James Said: "He's as good a defensive first baseman as you'll see, and he's a surprising hitter, often looks overmatched for two or three pitches in a row, and then will turn on the pitch and hit it hard somewhere."

On This Date in 1993: February 11. The Angels sign free agent pitcher Scott Sanderson.

#357 Phil Stephenson

About the Front: I wonder if Phil Stephenson ever dressed as John Kruk for Halloween.

About the Back: This is Stephenson's entire major league stat record, as he never played in the bigs after 1992. With those dreadful numbers in his last season, it's no wonder.

Triple Play:

1. He played at Wichita State University for his older brother Gene, who was the Shockers' head coach for 36 years.

2. Phil set an NCAA record (later broken by Robin Ventura) with a 47-game hitting streak.

3. Stephenson managed the independent Texas-Louisiana League's Abilene Prairie Dogs to a championship in 1996, and also spent a year the Cape Fear Crocs, a low-level affiliate of the Expos. In 2006, he took a head coaching job at Dodge City Community College in Kansas.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: If I had researched Phil's collegiate career as a kid, I would've been shocked to learn that this dumpy-looking guy once stole 87 bases in a season.

Bill James Said: He did not say, as Stephenson split 1993 between AAA Omaha and the Mexican League.

On This Date in 1993: January 15. Musician Sammy Cahn, who cowrote "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", "Love and Marriage", and "High Hopes", among others, dies in Los Angeles at age 79.

#340 John Kruk

About the Front: Sadly, this isn't John Kruk at his grungy 1993 peak, with his long sweaty mullet, goatee, and uniform slathered in dirt and pine tar. It's funny to see how different he looked just one year earlier.

About the Back: Ah, that looks a bit more like the Krukker I remember.

Triple Play:

1. Here's one I just discovered. At AA Beaumont in 1983, John pitched in three games, totaling five scoreless innings. He allowed five hits, walked two, and struck out three.

2. In a losing effort in the 1993 World Series, Kruk batted .348/.500/.391 with four runs batted in.

3. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in the spring of 1994, and made a full recovery after having one of his testicles surgically removed. The following year, he abruptly retired from the White Sox after singling in his first at-bat on July 30. The base hit brought his career batting average up to an even .300, and his on-base percentage across ten seasons was .397.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: One of the first great baseball moments I witnessed live was Kruk's heart-stopping at-bat against Randy Johnson in the 1993 All-Star Game.

Bill James Said: "You probably know as much about him as I do, a fun guy with a bad body and a chaw of tobacco that would choke a T-Rex."

On This Date in 1993: December 12. Peter Boross becomes the prime minister of Hungary after the death of Jozsef Antall.

#305 Rafael Palmeiro

About the Front: Rafael Palmeiro is showing off what was widely regarded as one of the sweetest left-handed swings in the game.

About the Back: Palmeiro was born in Cuba, but his family immigrated to Miami when he was a child.

Triple Play:

1. At Mississippi State, he became the only player in Southeastern Conference history to win the Triple Crown. It's particularly impressive, considering that one of his teammates was Will Clark.

2. Despite never winning an American League home run crown or batting title, Palmeiro was one of the pre-eminent power and contact hitters of his generation. From 1993 through 2003, he averaged .288/.380/.555 (138 OPS+) with 42 home runs and 122 RBI per 162 games. He also holds the dubious record for most career games played without appearing in a World Series, with a total of 2,831.

3. In a 20-year career, Rafael totaled 585 doubles, 569 home runs, 1,835 RBI, and 3,020 hits. However, he retired under a cloud after testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol during the 2005 season. He was subjected to intense scrutiny and derision, particularly since he had famously and emphatically denied using steroids during a televised congressional hearing the previous spring. For Palmeiro's part, he has always maintained that he never intentionally used steroids, suggesting that former Orioles teammate Miguel Tejada provided him with a shot of vitamin B-12 that may have been tainted. Regardless, he received little sympathy from Hall of Fame voters, debuting on the ballot with an 11% showing in 2011 and losing his eligibility in 2014 after dropping to 4.4% of the vote.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I had a baseball card of my own in 1994, which was the first (and penultimate) year of my brief Little League career. As part of the biography that was affixed to the card back, I was asked to list my favorite major league player. I went with "Raphael" Palmeiro, the exciting new free agent acquisition of my beloved Orioles. Much like Raffy himself, I maintain my innocence when it comes to the misspelling of his first name. It must have been an error in transcription from the photographer.

Bill James Said: "Led the American League in runs scored, was fourth in total bases, fifth in homers, third in doubles, second in stolen base percentage (88%)." And yet the Rangers let him walk in favor of Will Clark.

On This Date in 1993: October 22. Future major leaguers Robinson Cano and Darren O'Day each celebrate their 11th birthday. It's strange to think of these guys as my contemporaries, at least age-wise.

#303 Brook Jacoby

About the Front: Brook Jacoby is pictured in a pretty classic third baseman's pose - knees bent, glove at the ready, throwing hand in position to pound the mitt expectantly. Off the top of my head, I can't recall ever seeing the glove-pounding action in a candid shot.

About the Back: This a complete major league batting record for Jacoby, who had a forgettable 18-game stint in Japan with the Chunichi Dragons in 1993 before retiring.

Triple Play:

1. On July 3, 1987, he hit three solo homers in four trips to the plate, but Cleveland was still outslugged by the White Sox, 14-9.

2. Brook was an All-Star in 1986 and again in 1990.

3. He has been a hitting coach in the Rangers' organization, and also served as Cincinnati's big league hitting coach from 2006 through 2013.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: One of the first Brook Jacoby cards I owned was a 1992 Fleer issue depicting him in the green and gold of the Athletics. I bet that was a strange sight for Indians fans.

Bill James Said: He did not say, as Jacoby was not playing in America in 1993.

On This Date in 1993: October 20. Records are set in an outrageous Game Four of the 1993 World Series. The Blue Jays eke out a 15-14 win over the Phillies, as the teams combine for the most runs in a Fall Classic game. It's also the longest nine-inning Series game at the time, taking four hours and 14 minutes to complete. There are six lead changes and seven half-innings featuring multiple runs. Toronto blows an early 3-0 lead, but rallies from deficits of 6-3, 12-7, and 14-9. Larry Andersen and Mitch Williams conspire to allow a decisive six-run Jays rally in the top of the eighth, with Devon White's two-run triple putting the visiting team ahead for good. The Phillies are put in a 3-1 hole in the best-of-seven championship.

#264 Paul Sorrento

About the Front: Good action shot, bringing a little photographic variety to the set. Paul Sorrento is either racing to the bag for an unassisted putout or to catch a toss from his pitcher. The glove appears to be clamped shut, so I think he has the ball.

About the Back: Rats! I was going to use that tidbit about the first Camden Yards home run later in this post. It was a three-run shot off of Bob Milacki, by the by.

Triple Play:

1. Sorrento was traded from the Angels to the Twins in the deal that sent future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven to the Halos.

2. He hit a career-high 31 home runs with Seattle in 1997.

3. Paul is now coaching in the Angels' organization; he spent some time on the big league staff earlier this season while Don Baylor was recovering from a broken femur.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I perceived Sorrento as a thorn in the Orioles' side, what with the links to Camden Yards history (his second-inning single on April 6, 1992 was the first-ever base hit in the ballpark), as well as his ninth-inning solo homer in Game Three of the 1997 ALDS, which helped delay Baltimore's clinching of the series. But over the course of his career, the first baseman wasn't so great against the O's: .215/.297/.341 in 293 plate appearances, with eight home runs and 38 RBI in 74 games.

Bill James Said: "He is 28 now, past the age at which players normally improve, although there have been cases where players needed a thousand at bats or so before reaching their full potential as hitters." Paul was roughly as productive from 1994-1997 as he'd been in his first two seasons as a regular, but fell off when he arrived in Tampa Bay in 1998 and was finished a year later.

On This Date in 1993: August 19. The Yankees signed 18-year-old Victor Zambrano as an amateur free agent from Venezuela. He went 45-44 with a 4.64 ERA in a seven-year MLB career (2001-2007), though his legacy is as the pitcher that the Mets inexplicably traded prospect Scott Kazmir to acquire.

#240 John Olerud

About the Front: That's a nice level swing by John Olerud. His blue-and-white batting gloves help you see that his fingers are lined up on the bat. I have very little idea of what I'm talking about.

About the Back: You can see Olerud's trademark flapless helmet that he always wore in the field. This provided extra protection after he suffered a brain aneurysm in college.

Triple Play:

1. His father, also named John, was a minor-league catcher for seven years, primarily in the Angels' system. He went on to become the head of the University of Washington's Division of Dermatology.

2. Olerud won three Gold Gloves and was a two-time All-Star.

3. John retired in 2005 with a career slash line of .295/.398/.465, 2,239 hits, 500 doubles, 255 home runs, and 1,230 RBI. He currently ranks 58th all-time in doubles and 67th in on-base percentage.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: It was kind of exciting to discover that a star major leaguer shared my birthday, though my enthusiasm was tempered somewhat because he played for the dastardly Blue Jays.

Bill James Said: "I'm a great admirer of Frank Thomas, but I think Olerud was probably more valuable in '93 than the MVP. He's a better first baseman, and he created more runs." John led the American League in 1993 with a .363 average, .473 on-base percentage, and 54 doubles.

On This Date in 1993: June 25. Kim Campbell is sworn in as the first female Prime Minister of Canada.

#232 Tino Martinez

About the Front: I think that Tino Martinez should have used some of that eye black to fill in his mustache.

About the Back: Tino hit ten more grand slams over the course of his career.

Triple Play:

1. His first name is "Constantino".

2. Martinez's career-best season was 1997, when he batted .296/.371/.577 with 44 home runs and 141 for the Yankees. He was a not particularly close second to Ken Griffey, Jr. in MVP balloting, and won his only career Silver Slugger award.

3. The Marlins hired him as their hitting coach last season, but he resigned on July 28 amid allegations that he had been verbally and physically abusive to the team's young players.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: If we jump ahead a couple years to 1995, I saw the benches clear at Camden Yards after Armando Benitez followed up an Edgar Martinez grand slam with a plunking of Tino. I think that's still as close as I've come to seeing an on-field brawl, though in 1998 Armando and Tino would be in the middle of a real donnybrook in the Bronx.

Bill James Said: "When he returns from the [knee] injury he'll play regularly for three or four years and might have one big season." Four years, a dozen...what's the difference?

On This Date in 1993: June 12. The White Sox score a run in their first at-bat against Kansas City, via a Tim Raines leadoff home run. They don't score again until the top of the 15th, when catcher Ron Karkovice takes reliever Rusty Meacham deep to lead off the inning. Roberto Hernandez earns his 11th save with a perfect inning, and Chicago takes the 2-1 victory. Time of the game is a crisp four hours, 13 minutes.