#471 Dave Gallagher

About the Front: Dave Gallagher's #8 is written on his bat knob, unless that's an infinity symbol. You never know.

About the Back: After his strong season at the AA level in 1983 (which included a .461 on-base percentage), you would have expected Gallagher to be on a fast track to the majors. But he spent the bulk of the next three seasons at AAA Maine, batting .247 and .242 before posting a .292 average in 1986 to finally earn his first callup.

Triple Play:

1. He was the center fielder on Topps' 1988 All-Star Rookie team, thanks to his .303 average and league-leading .994 fielding percentage.

2. On May 19, 1991, Dave went 5-for-5 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored in a 10-2 Angels rout of the Orioles.

3. After his playing career, Gallagher founded the Dave Gallagher Baseball Academy in North Trenton, NJ.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: If I looked at Gallagher's career with a critical eye at the time, I would've noticed that he batted .216 with one double and two RBI in 23 games with my Orioles, who promptly traded him to California for a pair of minor league scrubs, only to see him hit .293 with a .355 on-base percentage the following year. The O's made a lot of false steps at the beginning of the 1990s.

Bill James Said: "A useful player in the Henry Cotto/Stan Javier/Doug Dascenzo mold; when you have one you think they're a dime a dozen, but when you don't have one you'll notice it in a hurry."

On This Date in 1993: August 19. Expos lefty Jeff Fassero improves to 8-3 with a 1.89 ERA in a 10-2 win over the Cubs. He tosses a complete game, allowing six hits and three walks and striking out nine. Journeyman infielder Randy Ready and catcher Darrin Fletcher hit home runs for Montreal.

#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.

#399 Daryl Boston

About the Front: Daryl Boston has some sweet dance moves.

About the Back:  Stevie Wonder, eh? Video or it didn't happen.

Triple Play:

1. Bruce Dal Canton was the scout who signed Daryl for the White Sox. He pitched for the Pirates, Royals, Braves, and White Sox from 1967-1977.

2. On September 24, 1991, Boston went 3-for-4 with a double, a grand slam, and a career-high five RBI in a 10-8 Mets loss to the Pirates.

3. He's been coaching in the White Sox organization since 1998; he's currently the first base coach on the major league staff.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: It's a shame that Boston never played for the Red Sox.

Bill James Said: "Excellent platoon outfielder, not hopeless against lefthanders but has no power against them, good power against righthanders."

On This Date in 1993: April 3. Comedian and children's show host Pinky Lee dies at age 85.

#380 Todd Hundley

About the Front: That's a great action photo. Todd Hundley's chest protector and pants are streaked with dirt and grass stains, and he's ready to throw from his knees. I'm assuming this was a wild pitch or passed ball and he didn't have time to set himself.

About the Back: As you can see, there wasn't a lot of competition for All-Star Rookie honors at catcher in 1992. But Hundley would have better years ahead of him.

Triple Play:

1. He had a four-year streak of Opening Day home runs from 1994 through 1997.

2. Hundley had a breakout year in 1996, making the first of back-to-back All-Star teams while slugging 32 doubles and 41 homers and driving in 112 runs. At that time, he set a record for most single-season home runs by a catcher (bested by Javy Lopez in 2003) and by a Met (tied by Carlos Beltran in 2006).

3. Todd had an unfortunate homecoming to Wrigley Field in 2001-2002. The Cubs had signed the Illinois native and second-generation player (see below) to a four-year, $24 million contract just before his 32nd birthday, but he struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness, hitting .199/.285/.398 in 171 games. He also didn't ingratiate himself to the Chicago fans by flipping off some hecklers early in 2001. He was traded to the Dodgers before the 2003 season, and played only 21 more games in his career.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Topps didn't mention Hundley's father Randy, who caught for the Cubs and three other teams from 1964 through 1977 and had a Gold Glove and an All-Star appearance. I don't remember how long it was before I learned about Todd's parentage.

Bill James Said: "His batting average with runners in scoring position jumped from .157 to .276."

On This Date in 1993: February 23. Joey Lawrence's self-titled debut album is released. Whoa!

#352 Pete Schourek

About the Front: Did I say that Ellis Burks' photo was unflattering? Because Pete Schourek looks like he has jowls in this mid-delivery picture.

About the Back: Falls Church is in Northern Virginia, which is one of my least favorite destinations for driving because I need to brave the horrors of I-495 to get there. I've had rehearsals for community theatre plays at Pete's alma mater.

Triple Play:

1. His father Joe was a teacher and high school baseball coach for 33 years before retiring in 2008.

2. The only shutout of his career came in his fourth start, on September 10, 1991. He gave up just one hit (a fifth-inning single by Kenny Williams) and two walks, and struck out seven Expos batters.

3. He hit two home runs as a major leaguer, both off of pretty good pitchers - Ramon Martinez and Curt Schilling.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Schourek came out of nowhere to finish second in NL Cy Young voting in 1995 (18-7, 3.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIP for the Reds)...and promptly returned to nowhere. He was injured and ineffective for much of the remainder of his career, retiring after spending the 2001 season as a reliever for Boston.

Bill James Said: "He just got confused, like all of the Mets, and went three months in mid-summer without pitching any good games." That's how Bill cheekily explained Pete's 5-12 record in 1993, which included the following monthly earned run averages from June onward: 7.11, 6.95, 7.94, 4.23.

On This Date in 1993: January 8. The Braer Storm of January 1993, the most intense extratropical cyclone to ever hit the northern Atlantic Ocean, begins as a weak frontal wave.

#324 Willie Randolph

About the Front: This is the final Topps card of Willie Randolph's long career, as he hung up his spikes after spending his age-37 season with the Mets. He had grown up rooting for the Mets, and took #12 as a nod to Ken Boswell, the team's former second baseman.

About the Back: Topps didn't include on-base percentage on its card backs in 1993, so you can't see that Willie reached base at a .373 clip for his career.

Triple Play:

1. He was a six-time All-Star and was widely regarded as a strong defensive second baseman. However, Lou Whitaker and Frank White monopolized the American League's Gold Glove at the keystone during Randolph's prime.

2. Willie's younger brother Terry played defensive back for the Green Bay Packers in 1977.

3. He spent a decade coaching for the Yankees before returning to the Mets as manager. Though he led the team to a .554 winning percentage in three-plus seasons, including a trip to the NLCS in 2006, he was fired 69 games into the 2008 season. Randolph then coached for the Brewers and Orioles through 2011.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I never would have guessed back then that I would some day complete the 1975 Topps set, which features Willie's rookie card.

Bill James Said: No he didn't, since as I mentioned, Randolph retired after the 1992 season.

On This Date in 1993: November 19. Joey Gallo is born. The Rangers will draft him with a first-round compensation pick in June 2012, and he will go on to hit 104 home runs in his first 296 minor league games while striking out 429 times. Pete Incaviglia, eat your heart out.

#297 Jeff Innis

About the Front: Hey, it's sidearmer Jeff Innis! Thanks to the horizontal layout, we can see a blurry first base umpire, an Astros coach, and half of the Mets first baseman (most likely Eddie Murray). Whoever the other Met is, it looks like he's doing some sort of complicated dance, probably meant to confuse the first base coach, thereby causing him to give poor advice to any potential runners. If you ask me, they'd be better off trying the hidden ball trick. But what do I know?

About the Back: If Topps just wanted to cherry-pick a highlight from the previous season, they could have gone with Innis' effort on July 10, 1992. He shut out the Astros for three innings, and earned the win when Eddie Murray's three-run double erased a 6-4 deficit in the ninth.

Triple Play:

1. Jeff earned a degree in psychology from the University of Illinois, and reportedly kept things loose in the Mets clubhouse by doing uncanny impressions of teammates, team employees, and the like.

2. He honed his craft in the minors under the tutelage of a couple of ex-big league pitchers: Lynchburg coach Jim Bibby altered Innis' delivery from submarine to a low sidearm angle. Jackson coach Glenn Abbott taught him to throw a sinker.

3. Since retiring, Innis has sold commercial insurance to businesses. He and his ex-wife Kelly have two children, Keenan and Shannon.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Besides his unconvential pitching style, Innis stood out to me as one of the few major leaguers whose last name began with an "i". In the mid-90s, it was just him, Pete Incaviglia, Mike Ignasiak, Garey Ingram, and Jason Isringhausen.

Bill James Said: "Here's a question for you: did ground-ball pitchers, as a group, have a poor year in 1993?" Innis did, as he posted a career-worst 4.11 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in what turned out to be his final season in the majors.

On This Date in 1993: October 9. Scotty McCreery, winner of the tenth season of American Idol, is born. You darned kids better get off of my lawn.

#271 Wally Whitehurst

About the Front: By the time this card came out, Wally Whitehurst was a San Diego Padre. He was one of three players sent out by the Mets in exchange for shortstop Tony Fernandez.

About the Back: 46 strikeouts and 9 walks in 1990 - that's a very good 5.11 K/BB ratio.

Triple Play:

1. He earned his first big league save on May 7, 1990 with 2.2 scoreless innings in relief of Frank Viola, who was just featured on card #270. Now isn't that a coincidence?

2. Wally made two starts for the Yankees in 1996, allowing six runs in eight innings to cap his MLB career. I would've assumed that he was the most obscure member of that championship roster, but check it out. Matt Howard? Dave Pavlas? Dale Polley? I'm not even sure those are real people.

3. Whitehurst spent several years coaching in the minors with the Padres and the Pirates. Wikipedia tells me that he's now living in Houma, LA, where he's a salesman in oil and gas.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Is "Wally Whitehurst" the most cartoon character name in the 1993 Topps set?

Bill James Said: "He didn't win, mostly because of his team, and went on the disabled list three times with a strained rotator cuff."

On This Date in 1993: August 28. Juan Gonzalez hits three of the Rangers' five home runs in an 11-1 rout of the Orioles. Doug Strange and Dean Palmer also go deep, with Texas scoring all of their runs off of starter Fernando Valenzuela and reliever Kevin McGehee in the first six innings.

#242 Charlie O'Brien

About the Front: Here we see Charlie O'Brien doing his best impression of a flamingo.

About the Back: Who knew that Charlie was a collegiate slugger? He didn't exceed 25 career home runs in the majors until 1995, his tenth season.

Triple Play:

1. He pioneered and popularized the hockey-style catcher's mask while playing in Toronto, as this style offered better impact absorption for foul tips.

2. With the 1996 Blue Jays, O'Brien set career highs with 109 games played, 13 home runs, and 44 RBI.

3. Charlie hit his second (and final) career triple on April 27, 1997, a decade after his first three-bagger. Teammate Dan Plesac quipped that the games were still shown in black and white the last time O'Brien tripled.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I still identify Charlie most by his two years as Greg Maddux's personal catcher in 1994-1995 with the Braves.

Bill James Said: "He is an exceptional defensive catcher, better than Hundley, and would have had a good career if he could have hit .255 consistently." He couldn't; his lifetime average was .221, but he still made it into 800 games in 15 seasons and won a ring with Atlanta in 1995.

On This Date in 1993: July 1. The Braves sign a pair of international amateur free agents, pitcher Bruce Chen and outfielder Andruw Jones. Who would've thought that Chen would be the one from that pair still active in MLB today?

#238 Chris Donnels

About the Front: Chris Donnels' front foot is pointing at the visitor's dugout. That doesn't seem right.

About the Back: Donnels was the 24th overall pick. He didn't really pan out for the Mets, but they took Todd Hundley and Pete Schourek with their next two picks, at least.

Triple Play:

1. The Marlins selected Chris in the Expansion Draft in November 1992, but placed him on waivers a month later; he was claimed by Houston.

2. He played in Japan from 1996 through 1998, batting .288/.401/.507 with 42 home runs in 264 games for the Kintetsu Buffaloes and Orix Blue Wave.

3. Donnels hit five pinch home runs in his major league career.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: The spelling of his name always tripped me up. Double-n, single-l.

Bill James Said: "He'll be 28 in late April, so getting a regular job is probably out, but could have a good career as a pinch hitter/extra infielder."

On This Date in 1993: June 23. John Olerud goes hitless for the first time since May 25 in a 4-3 Toronto loss to the Yankees. His 26-game hit streak may be over, but he's still batting .401/.502/.694 on the season.

#215 Pat Howell

About the Front: Blue wristband, orange and white gloves. That's some proper team-color coordination.

About the Back: You're looking at Pat Howell's entire major league career, complete with one extra-base hit and one RBI in 79 plate appearances. He grounded into a force play at second base against Danny Jackson, plating Dave Gallagher and giving the Mets a 2-1 fourth-inning lead on August 4, 1992. Heady stuff.

Triple Play:

1. How does a player as offensively challenged as Howell make it to the big leagues? He was incredibly fast in the outfield and on the basepaths. He was an astounding 79-for-90 in stolen base attempts with the Class A Columbia Mets in 1990, despite an anemic .298 on-base percentage.

2. He had three two-hit games in his brief time in the majors. Naturally, one of them came against Greg Maddux.

3. Pat last played in the affiliated minors in 1994, but extended his career another decade by playing in Mexico, Taiwan, and in the independent minors.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: As a kid, I failed to grasp the gravity of cards like this. If I had known that I was holding Pat Howell's one and only Topps card in my hands, would I have looked upon it with any more reverence? Hmmm...nah.

Bill James Said: Bupkus. Howell hit .209 while spending the whole 1993 season with the Twins' AAA Portland club.

On This Date in 1993: May 14. David Cone and Mark Langston have a nine-inning stalemate, as the Royals and Angels remain knotted 1-1 through regulation. Wally Joyner's bases-loaded walk off of Steve Frey in the top of the tenth gives Cone his first K.C. win after a hard-luck 0-5 start; Jeff Montgomery handles the bottom of the tenth for the save.

#188 Sid Fernandez

About the Front: I guess the slimming effect of pinstripes is minimized when you have thighs the size of Luxembourg.

About the Back: I don't know if it was deliberate, but I like the parallels between Sid Fernandez' three-hit games at bat and on the mound.

Triple Play:

1. As a native Hawaiian, Fernandez honored his home state by wearing #50 throughout his career. He was also a fan of the TV show "Hawaii Five-O".

2. Sid appeared in three games in the 1986 World Series as a reliever. In the Game 7 clincher, he provided a crucial bridge between starter Ron Darling and the back end of the New York 'pen with 2.1 hitless innings, striking out four Boston batters.

3. Among all pitchers with at least a thousand career innings pitched, Fernandez ranks fourth for fewest hits allowed per nine innings, with 6.85. The three men ahead of him are Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, and Clayton Kershaw (who could slip from that spot before his career is through, of course).

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Sid Fernandez was the first free-agent bust of my Orioles fandom. There's nothing like an overweight, injury-prone veteran who gives up home runs by the bucketful to get your blood boiling.

Bill James Said: "If he is not in Shea Stadium in '93 (sic) his strikeouts will decrease and his ERA will increase, but his won-lost record may improve." See above. Pitching for a solid O's team, El Sid bumped his record from 5-6 to a grand 6-6 while his ERA ballooned from 2.93 to 5.15.

On This Date in 1993: April 7. The Braves outlast the Cubs 5-4 in 10 innings thanks to a two-run homer from Ron Gant. It's the first of a career-high 36 dingers in 1993 for the Atlanta left fielder.

#134 Lee Guetterman

About the Front: It looks like the Mets are hosting the Astros, judging from the ghost runner on first base. Also, Lee Guetterman is a tall dude. He looks every inch of his listed height of 6'8".

About the Back: This is one of my favorite two-sentence bios so far. We learn that Lee has a fallback career option of teaching, that Liberty Baptist College (now Liberty University, it was founded by Bible-thumping blowhard Jerry Falwell) somehow produced a pair of contemporary big leaguers, and that Guetterman is a European travel enthusiast. Much better than just listing off a handful of big home runs or complete games.

Triple Play:

1. In 1987, Lee won his first five decisions and eight of his first nine. Including his 5-1 start to the season at AAA Calgary, he posted 16 wins against five losses that year.

2. Pitching out of the Yankee bullpen in 1989, Guetterman was unscored upon in his first 19 appearances of the season. His record-setting streak reached 30.2 shutout innings before the Angels hung a five-spot on him in the ninth inning on May 24. Chili Davis' leadoff homer was the bagel-buster.

3. He now lives in Lenoir City, TN with his wife Drew.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: To my unrefined eyes and ears, his name was pronounced "Gooter-men". As I got older, I read it as "Gwetter-men". According to this site, it should actually be "Getter-men". Let's call the whole thing off!

Bill James Said: "I had Lee Guetterman, who was out of work, valued at $3. He pitched 40 times, and pitched well." Always nice to see a guy put up a 2.93 ERA (135 ERA+) as a middle reliever a year after being dumped by both New York teams.

On This Date in 1993: January 3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine premieres as a syndicated TV series in the United States. It is the third distinct series in the Star Trek franchise; at current writing, there are five total.

#132 Preston Wilson

About the Front: Hey, another pick who panned out! Preston Wilson is swinging that sweet Easton aluminum bat for Bamberg Ehrhardt High School in Bamberg, SC.

About the Back: No games played, steals, walks, or strikeouts? That's some shoddy records-keeping...and gathering.

Triple Play:

1. Preston is the nephew and stepson of former Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson. Clear as mud?

2. Wilson debuted with the Mets in 1998, but appeared in just eight games before heading to the Marlins in the blockbuster trade that brought Mike Piazza to New York.

3. In 2003, he led the National League in RBI, driving in 141 in his only full season in Colorado while also achieving career highs of 43 doubles, 36 homers, a .282 average, and a .537 slugging percentage.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I also used Easton bats around this time, while playing corner outfield for the Essex Yankees for two short seasons. Those bats had a grand total of six hits in them for me, none of them leaving the infield.

Bill James Said: N/A. An 18-year-old Wilson with 74 games of rookie-ball experience was not yet on Bill's radar.

On This Date in 1993: December 31. On the last day of the year, MLB's collective bargaining agreement with MLBPA expires. There is no new agreement imminent. The storm clouds gather.

#106 Howard Johnson

About the Front: I'm a big fan of the thick orange and blue piping down the sides of the Mets' uniform, as modeled here by Howard Johnson. It can't be a coincidence that the Mets haven't won a World Series in the years since they ditched it.

About the Back: Given the offensive explosion of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it shouldn't be surprising that Johnson's 117 RBI now put him in a fourth-place tie in Mets history. Mike Piazza and David Wright share the current team record with 124. HoJo and Darryl's 108 runs scored don't even place in the top ten any more; Carlos Beltran's 127 is the new mark to beat.

Triple Play:

1. Howard originally wore #5 as a young player in Detroit, but switched to #20 in 1983 when the Tigers retired #5 to honor Hank Greenberg.

2. As you can see above, Johnson had three 30-homer, 30-steal seasons. The only players to go 30-30 more often than that were Bobby and Barry Bonds and Alfonso Soriano.

3. HoJo coached in the Mets' organization for a decade, including four years (2007-2010) on the big league staff. As of 2013, he was the hitting coach for Seattle's AAA Tacoma Rainiers club.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Like any good young baseball fan, I knew of Howard Johnson the slugger before I had ever heard of Howard Johnson the hotel and restaurant chain.

Bill James Said: "There's no reason he shouldn't be Comeback Player of the Year." Sadly, even a move to the friendly confines of Mile High Stadium couldn't revive Howard's career. He batted just .211/.323/.405 with 10 homers in 93 games for the Rockies in 1994, and a similarly poor performance for the Cubs in 1995 signaled the end of the line.

On This Date in 1993: November 13. President Clinton gave a speech at the Church of God in Memphis, TN, the site of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last sermon. The president's speech touched upon the need for effective crime legislation.

#79 Dick Schofield

About the Front: Dick Schofield doesn't appear to be very sure of himself as he dances off of third base. Maybe he forgot his contact lenses and he can't make out the coach's signals. FYI, the "S" patch on his left sleeve is in honor of attorney William A. Shea, the namesake of Shea Stadium.

About the Back: NASA has had a team of scientists working around the clock for 27 years to figure out how Schofield ever hit 13 home runs in 1986.

Triple Play:

1. His father, who also went as Dick (or "Ducky") Schofield, was an infielder for the Pirates, Cardinals, and five other teams from 1953 through 1971. The younger Schofield is also the uncle of current Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth.

2. Dick was valued for his glovework at shortstop, leading his league in fielding percentage four times.

3. He has coached in the Diamondbacks and Angels organizations and spent 2013 serving as hitting coach for the Reds' AA Pensacola club.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: If I were a less mature child, I'm sure I would have taken great prurient glee in the father-son nickname combination of Ducky and Dick. If.

Bill James Said: "He's not Phil Rizzuto, and when he broke his forearm and the Blue Jays got Tony Fernandez to replace him he disappeared forever from the Blue Jays' starting lineup."

On This Date in 1993: September 30. Pittsburgh's Tim Wakefield blanks the Phillies on four hits and six walks in a 5-0 victory. It is the first time Philadelphia has been held scoreless in 174 games, a new National League record. It's also Wakefield's last game as a Pirate. The 26-year-old knuckleballer will spend the 1994 season at AAA Buffalo, and the Pirates will release him in the spring of 1995. He'll latch on with the Red Sox, for whom he will win 186 games over the course of the next 17 years.

#52 Bobby Bonilla

About the Front: New York, New York! That's a lovely cityscape behind Bobby Bonilla, complete with the Empire State Building over his left shoulder. Do you think they actually posed him in front of the skyline, or is that just a photo backdrop in a studio? I'm willing to suspend my disbelief if you are.

About the Back: Bobby originally signed with the Pirates as an undrafted free agent in 1981, and was claimed by the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft in 1985. He debuted with the Pale Hose in 1986 at age 23, but was traded back to Pittsburgh that July for pitcher Jose DeLeon.

Triple Play:

1. Bobby Bo's two stints with the Mets were something less than peaceful. In April of 1993, he challenged New York Daily News writer Bob Klapisch to a fight in the locker room due to a Klapisch column questioning the player's work ethic. Bonilla famously said, "I will hurt you...I will show you the Bronx". When Bobby returned to New York in 1999, he clashed with manager Bobby Valentine over playing time. The lasting image of the Mets' season came in Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS. While Atlanta was bringing New York's season to a close in an 11-inning nailbiter, Bonilla and teammate Rickey Henderson were busy playing cards in the clubhouse. The Mets were so desperate to be free of Bobby that they bought out his $5.9 million salary for 2000, with payment deferred for the next decade. From 2011 through 2035, Bonilla will earn $1.19 million per year from the team.

2. Bobby struggled overall in the postseason (.215/.320/.349), but he had a pair of crucial hits for the Marlins in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. His leadoff solo home run in the seventh inning cut the Indians' lead to 2-1 and was the first Florida hit off of Jaret Wright since the first inning. Bonilla also started the game-winning rally in the bottom of the eleventh with a leadoff single against Charles Nagy on an 0-2 count.

3. Bobby finished his career with the Cardinals in 2001, ultimately losing his spot in the lineup to rookie Albert Pujols. Before he left, Bonilla did make his pitching debut at age 38. He took the mound in the ninth inning of an April 17 game against the Diamondbacks, with Arizona leading 15-4. He was touched up for a pair of runs on three hits, a walk, and a balk. The big blow was a solo home run by Erubiel Durazo, but Bobby wriggled out of a jam by coaxing an inning-ending double play grounder off the bat of ex-Marlins teammate Craig Counsell.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I was ecstatic when my Orioles traded for Bobby Bo in midseason in 1995. He kept out of trouble during his year and a half in Baltimore and delivered a spark to the team's offense, hitting .300/.371/.506 with 38 home runs and 162 RBI.

Bill James Said: "The Mets moved him back to third base after Hojo's injury, thereby re-establishing the principle that if you ask a player to do something he's not good at, he will fail."

On This Date in 1993: August 7. Indians pitcher Bobby Ojeda allows two runs (one earned) in two innings of relief in an 8-6 loss to the Orioles. It marks Ojeda's season debut after he was injured in a boating accident during spring training that claimed the lives of fellow Cleveland pitchers Tim Crews and Steve Olin.

#25 John Franco

About the Front: In stark contrast to most of the pitcher photos we've seen thus far, John Franco does not look like he's exerting an extraordinary amount of effort in throwing the ball. He has a short, flat-footed stride, and his arm is cocked just enough that it appears as though he's merely lobbing the ball to the catcher. It might just have something to do with the precise moment at which the photo was taken.

About the Back: I didn't realize that Franco was drafted by the Dodgers. They traded him to Cincinnati in May of 1983 along with minor-league reliever Brett Wise for infielder Rafael Landestoy, who totaled 21 hits for L. A. before he washed out of the majors for good. Woof.

Triple Play:

1. John pitched for-freaking-ever, totaling 424 saves (fourth-most ever) with a 2.89 ERA in 21 seasons. He played out the string with the Astros in 2005 at age 44. Oh, the life of a lefty reliever.

2. His son J. J. was drafted by the Mets in the 42nd round of the 2010 draft, but chose to attend Brown University. The younger Franco batted .194 for the Bears and reached base at a .227 clip in 2013, and committed 12 errors in 39 games at shortstop. But hey, he's studying economics.

3. Franco was the third-ever team captain in Mets history, being tabbed for the honor in 2001.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I probably didn't know much about the vagaries of career arcs when I was younger, but I'm sure I would've been stunned to learn that the two Francos in the 1993 Topps set (John and Julio) would both still be active in the big leagues after I graduated college.

Bill James Said: (From Randy Myers' entry:) "Only 28 years old, it's hard to remember that he was once traded for John Franco, who is about 73." Of course, John was 33 at the time, but he laughed last anyway.

On This Day in 1993: June 20. John Paxson's three-pointer in Game Six of the NBA Finals helps the Chicago Bulls beat the Phoenix Suns, 99-98, to clinch their third straight league championship.