#494 Kevin Young, Adell Davenport, Eduardo Perez, and Lou Lucca

It's about time to reboot this blog, now that time has marched on and we're a full quarter-century past the release of 1993 Topps. I'll try not to disappear for another two years and change this time.

About the Front: That is one stylish shirt that Adell Davenport is wearing.

About the Back: Eduardo Perez was, of course, born in Cincinnati while his father Tony Perez was in the prime of his Hall of Fame career with the Reds.

Triple Play:

1. Kevin Young spent 12 seasons with the Pirates and Royals, batting .258/.324/.438. His best performance came in 1999, when he batted .298/.387/.522 (128 OPS+) with 41 doubles, 26 HR, 106 RBI, and 22 steals in 32 tries.

2. Adell Davenport had just batted .288/.340/.510 in his first full season at AA Shreveport, with 19 homers and 88 RBI. His 14 games at AAA Phoenix in 1993 proved to be the former 18th-round pick's ceiling as a pro; he was out of baseball after a stint with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the independent Northern League in 1995.

3. Eduardo Perez had a 13-year MLB career with the Angels, Reds, Cardinals, Devil Rays, Indians, and Mariners. He batted .247/.326/.431 with 79 homers and 394 RBI. Since retiring, he's worked for ESPN as a Baseball Tonight analyst and broadcaster, and had brief coaching stays with the Marlins and Astros. He's had some success as a manager in the winter leagues, winning in Puerto Rico and Venezuela in consecutive seasons.

3a. A 32nd round draftee out of Oklahoma State University, Lou Lucca climbed steadily through the minor league ranks before stalling out at AAA. He spent six-plus seasons at that highest rung of the minors, batting .274/.318/.434 with 71 homers and 342 RBI. From 2002 through 2007, he made stops in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Italy, and a number of American independent circuits. In the winter of 1999-2000, Lou was one of the leading hitters of the Roberto Clemente League in Puerto Rico, topping all hitters with 10 homers, 37 RBI, 32 runs scored (tied with Felipe Crespo), and 15 doubles (tied with Alex Diaz).

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: For some reason, I thought Lou Lucca looked a lot like Luke Perry. In hindsight, not so much.

Bill James Said: Young: "The under-achiever of the year; he's a .280 hitter, but fell into a slump, put pressure on himself, and didn't start to hit until September." Kevin batted .236/.300/.342 in 1993, his worst performance in a full season.

Perez: "Should hit .250 or better with double-figure homers, still learning at third but could be OK." He pretty much pegged the homer total. Eduardo had four seasons of double-digit homers despite never being a full-timer, and spent the biggest chunk of his time in the field at first base.

On This Date in 1993: February 8. General Motors sues NBC for a misleading report that aired on Dateline NBC that claimed that GM's pickup trucks could easily catch fire in collisions. The TV network settled the lawsuit the next day.

#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.

#453 Victor Cole

About the Front: Victor Cole is wearing #61. Surprisingly, Baseball Reference says that a dozen players have worn that number for the Pirates, most notably relievers Sean Burnett and Chan Ho Park.

About the Back: Going back to Baseball Reference, it looks like Victor was actually the eighth Russian-born player in MLB history. He was also the first since Izzy Goldstein got a cup of coffee with the Tigers in 1932. There haven't been any more native Russians in the majors since Cole's debut, and he is the only player born in Russia when it was known as the Soviet Union.

Triple Play:

1. After getting rocked for four runs on three hits and four walks in 1.1 innings in his big league debut, Victor strung together three straight scoreless relief outings to earn a look in the Pirates rotation.

2. Cole's father was born in Sierra Leone, but studied medicine in Russia and married a Russian woman.

3. He never pitched in the majors again after 1992, but pitched professionally through 2002, spending stints in the minor leagues, independent leagues, Taiwan, and South Korea.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Two years before this card was produced, the city name of Leningrad was changed back to St. Petersburg. I probably didn't know that at the time.

Bill James Said: Nothing, since Cole was busy getting lit up in the minors in 1993 (combined 1-9 record, 7.24 ERA at AA and AAA).

On This Date in 1993: July 17. Guns N' Roses performs in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the final date of their Use Your Illusion Tour. It's the last time that the original band will perform together.

#416 Randy Tomlin

About the Front: Randy Tomlin's arms look disproportionately long, possibly even moreso than Mike Hartley's.

About the Back: Wow, somebody really mailed in the bio. Spun, spun, spun...get a thesaurus.

Triple Play:

1. Tomlin threw a "Vulcan changeup", so called because it was held between the middle and ring fingers, making a 'V' shape similar to the Vulcan salute.

2. He was the National League's Pitcher of the Month in June 1992, when he went 5-1 with a 2.22 ERA and walked only five batters in 44.2 innings.

3. After hanging up his spikes, Randy spent a decade at his alma mater (Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA) as pitching coach. Afterward, he coached in the Nationals organization for five seasons.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Tomlin is from Bainbridge, MD, but I have no idea where that is. Let me check...ah, Cecil County. I've heard the locals pronounce it as "Sissle" County.

Bill James Said: "Tomlin posted a 2.55 ERA as a rookie in 1990, but this has gone up each year since then, putting his career in jeopardy." His earned run average spiked to 4.85 in 1993, and settled at 3.92 in 10 appearances in 1994, which turned out to be his last year in the majors.

On This Date in 1993: April 30. The Phillies improve to an MLB-best 17-5 with a 7-6 win on the road vs. the Dodgers. Darren Daulton's eighth-inning two-run homer off of rookie Omar Daal provides the winning runs.

#407 Barry Bonds and Joe Carter

About the Front: That face that Barry Bonds is making? I feel like he wore that face for about 78% of his big league career.

About the Back: That .434 OBP seems pretty impressive. It's worth mentioning that Bonds posted a .476 OBP in the second half of 1992, putting him at a league-leading .456 for the year. Incidentally, Barry topped that .456 mark seven times in his superlative career, and had an overall mark of .444.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I always thought that Barry Bonds' dangly cross earring looked a bit silly.

On This Date in 1993: April 16. An Earth Day concert at the Hollywood Bowl features Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Steve Miller, and Don Henley.

#405 Andy Van Slyke and Ken Griffey, Jr.

About the Front: Couldn't Andy Van Slyke find a cap that would fit on his noggin?

About the Back: Van Slyke was en route to a league-leading 199 hits and 45 doubles in 1992. Ken Griffey, Jr. heated up in the second half, batting .330/.386/.556 to finish with a batting average above .300 for the third of five straight seasons.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Topps didn't distinguish the position that any of these All-Star outfielders played, but this card features the top center fielders. This is a slight annoyance; I always liked it when card companies specified that kind of thing. The same goes for starting pitchers vs. relievers.

On This Date in 1993: April 14. Brandon Finnegan is born. On September 6, 2014, he will become the first 2014 draftee to make his major league debut when he tosses two perfect innings of relief for the Royals.

#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.

#354 Jay Bell

About the Front: Here I'd thought that players wearing a single long sleeve was a more recent development, but Jay Bell took the field in just such a manner back in 1992. Maybe he was a trendsetter.

About the Back: Yes, Jay was an Air Force kid. He mentions it in this excellent interview/article.

Triple Play:

1. The Twins traded Bell to Cleveland as part of a four-player package that netted future Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven. The infielder made his big league debut with the Indians on September 29, 1986, facing Blyleven and Minnesota, and took Bert deep in his first at-bat.

2. He was a two-time All-Star, earning honors in 1993 (.310/.392/.437 in 154 games, with a Gold Glove to boot), and then again in 1999 as part of an anomalous year of power production with the Diamondbacks (.289/.374/.557, 38 HR, 112 RBI).

3. Jay retired after the 2003 season, and served as Arizona's bench coach in 2005-2006. He's also been hitting coach for the Pirates (2013) and bench coach for the Reds (2014-present), and in between did some coaching for Team USA in amateur competitions.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: My best friend Joe wasn't a huge baseball fan, but he dabbled in card collecting in the early 1990s. He used to complain about how often he pulled Jay Bell from packs.

Bill James Said: "I had him rated as the third-best shortstop in baseball last year, but since Larkin gets hurt all the time, Ozzie's pushing 40, Fryman's defense didn't come around, Blauser's only done it once, and Ripken goes through long slumps without coming out of the lineup, I guess he's got to be the man."

On This Date in 1993: January 12. 1960s British rock group Cream, fronted by Eric Clapton reunites to perform at their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ceremonies take place in Los Angeles; other artists enshrined include Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ruth Brown, The Doors, Van Morrison, and Sly and the Family Stone.

#334 Jason Kendall

About the Front: Why so sullen, Jason Kendall? The Pirates were still perennial contenders when they drafted you.

About the Back: Fred Kendall's big league career spanned from 1969 through 1980, primarily with the Padres, and he hit .234/.285/.312. He peaked with San Diego in 1973, with a line of .282/.320/.396, 10 homers, and 59 RBI. You may also recognize the name of Jack Zduriencik, who is now the GM of the Seattle Mariners.

Triple Play:

1. Jason was a three-time All-Star with the Pirates, all within his first five seasons (1996, 1998, 2000). In 1998, he batted .327/.411/.473 with 12 home runs and a career-best 75 RBI. He also stole 26 bases in 31 tries and led the National League with 31 times hit-by-pitch.

2. He broke his ankle in a nasty mishap while running to first base in July 1999 and missed the rest of the season. He returned to play another 11 seasons in the big leagues, but his offensive game soon declined. From 2001-2010 he batted .277/.350/.345 with 30 homers in 1,432 games, compared to .314/.402/.456 with 45 homers in 653 games in the first five years of his career. Ankle injury aside, Kendall had the heaviest workload among modern catchers, topping 140 games eight times. That almost certainly took a toll on his hitting.

3. While with the Royals in 2010, Jason and teammate Willie Bloomquist struck upon a dream of becoming a two-man bobsled team in future Winter Olympics contests. Earlier this year, Bloomquist claimed that they're still hopeful of competing in South Korea in 2018, despite the fact that neither man has begun training in the other sport.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: For whatever reason, it didn't occur to me that a lot of these draft pick photos depicted the young subject in a slapped-together uniform. With a more critical eye, I can now see that Kendall's mesh Pirates jersey with its yellow lettering on white fabric is a bit less than authentic.

Bill James Said: Jason batted .276 with a single home run and 40 RBI at Class A Augusta in 1993, which wasn't enough to put the 19-year-old in Bill's crosshairs for this book.

On This Date in 1993: December 4. A truce between the Angolan government and UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) rebels comes to an end. Civil war in the western African nation had begun in 1975, and will continue until 2002.

#326 Gary Varsho

About the Front: You normally don't see a player down in a crouch in the on-deck circle, bat knob resting against his shoulder. I'll give Gary Varsho the benefit of the doubt and assume that there's a pitching change or some other break in the action. I also can't identify the blurry teammates behind him. Both Don Slaught and Mike LaValliere had great bushy mustaches, so the catcher could be either one of them.

About the Back: Varsho is an example of the rare bats-left, throws-right player.

Triple Play:

1. In 1985 and 1986, Gary became the first back-to-back stolen base champion in the AA Eastern League, as he swiped a total of 85 bags in 104 tries for the Pittsfield Cubs.

2. He made 352 pinch hit appearances in eight big league seasons, with a .243/.296/.355 line and four home runs in those situations.

3. Varsho is currently an advance scout for the Angels. He was previously a minor league manager in the Seattle and Philadelphia farm systems, and coached in the majors for the Phillies and Pirates.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I never noticed before, but he appears incredibly close to the dugout in the front photo.

Bill James Said: "He's an excellent baserunner and a good outfielder, although he lacks a strong arm."

On This Date in 1993: November 21. Actor and director Bill Bixby, best known for his portrayal of Dr. David Banner on TV's The Incredible Hulk, passes away at age 59 after battling prostate cancer.

#299 Bob Patterson

About the Front: Bob Patterson's plant leg is bent in an uncomfortable position. Pitching is dangerous.

About the Back: Do you know who else graduated from ECU? Vince McMahon.

Triple Play:

1. Patterson didn't spend a full season in the majors until 1990, when he was 31 years old, but averaged 58 games a season from that point through the end of his career in 1998.

2. He earned his first career win with a rare early-career start on September 8, 1986, limiting the Cardinals to a pair of runs on five hits in seven innings.

3. Here's an unsourced Wikipedia tidbit that I choose to believe: "During his career, Patterson was known as the Glove Doctor: many players, even from opposing teams, would ask Patterson to repair their broken gloves. Patterson would spend his time in the bullpen during games repairing and relacing gloves, sometimes incorporating coat hangers, tongue depressers, and extra leather."

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: My only firm memory of Bob is that he pitched in Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game, giving up Rafael Palmeiro's second home run of the game and the Orioles' fourth overall.

Bill James Said: "Patterson mixes up an ordinary fastball and a pretty good curve, and also throws a screwball; he is regarded as an intelligent pitcher."

On This Date in 1993: October 13. Neither Greg Maddux (5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 5 ER) nor Tommy Greene (7 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 3 ER) is especially sharp, but the Phillies clinch the NLCS in six games with a 6-3 win. Dave Hollins' two-run homer in the fifth inning and Mickey Morandini's two-run triple in the sixth put the game out of Atlanta's reach.

#275 Andy Van Slyke

About the Front: Right about now, Andy Van Slyke is regretting his pregame meal of prune salad.

About the Back: What does an unassisted double play by a center fielder look like? Something like this.

Triple Play:

1. His son Scott is an outfielder with the Dodgers. He's having quite a good season so far in 2014 - .268/.377/.508 with 10 homers in 179 at-bats.

2. Andy became famous for his quick wit. During his first two seasons in St. Louis, he played 62 games at third base, and later claimed that he played like Brooks...Mel Brooks.

3. Van Slyke spent four years as the Tigers' first base coach. Currently, he's coaching first base in Seattle on former teammate Lloyd McClendon's staff.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I feel like this is a recurring theme with these posts, but man, Andy Van Slyke stunk it up in Baltimore. In 1995, he played a grand total of 17 games in orange and black and batted .159/.221/.317. I have such a sour impression of his brief time here that I'm surprised to see that he played so few games. Of course, he was also injured for a chunk of the season before he was shipped to the Phillies in mid-June.

Bill James Said: "Broke his collarbone crashing into a wall in mid-June, which put him out for eleven weeks." When he was able to play in 1993, Andy batted .310/.357/.449 with eight homers and 50 RBI in 83 games.

On This Date in 1993: September 5. The Mariners purchase 18-year-old pitcher Mac Suzuki from the independent San Bernardino Spirit for $750,000. When he debuted with Seattle in 1996, he became the third Japanese-born player in MLB history.

#244 Denny Neagle

About the Front: This is a pretty cool behind-home-plate angle of Denny Neagle winding up, with center field at Three Rivers Stadium looming behind him. I couldn't begin to guess whether the blurry quarter of a catcher in the foreground is Don Slaught, Mike LaValliere, or Tom Prince.

About the Back: Were there actually ten teams in the Big Ten in 1988? They're up to 14 members now. The NCAA drives me nuts.

Triple Play:

1. Neagle peaked in 1997, going a league-best 20-5 while posting a 2.97 ERA for the division-winning Braves. He walked only 49 batters in 233.1 innings and finished third behind Pedro Martinez and Atlanta teammate Greg Maddux in Cy Young voting.

2. Though Denny won just one postseason game in 13 career outings (seven starts), he had a solid 3.44 ERA in playoff and World Series action. That lone win was a four-hit shutout of the eventual World Champion Marlins in Game Four of the 1997 NLCS.

3. Here's a heading you don't want on your Wikipedia page: "Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and legal troubles". Most notably, in 2004 he was nabbed in Denver for soliciting a prostitute for oral sex (thereby allowing the Rockies to invoke a morals clause to void the last year of his five-year, $51 million contract).

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I took a good deal of pride in claiming Denny as a local player, even though I didn't know at the time where Gambrills was. Over the past few years, I've driven down Route 301 to visit friends in Southern Maryland way too many times. Now I can tell you that Gambrills is a hop, skip, and a jump away from Annapolis.

Bill James Said: "After briefly re-acquainting himself with minor league hotel rooms he remembered some things like throwing strikes and using his slider to change speeds, and pitched much better after his return (3.38 ERA over the second half)."

On This Date in 1993: July 3. "Curly Joe" DeRita, ancillary member of the Three Stooges, dies of pneumonia at age 83.

#190 Doug Drabek

About the Front: Doug Drabek's right knee comes down so low on his delivery that it looks like he's genuflecting.

About the Back: Drabek was part of a six-pitcher trade between the Pirates and the Yankees. New York sent him to Pittsburgh along with Logan Easley and Brian Fisher in exchange for Pat Clements, Cecilio Guante, and Rick Rhoden.

Triple Play:

1. He was the 1990 National League Cy Young, thanks in large part to his league-best 22-6 record. In the NLCS, he split his two decisions against the eventual World Champion Reds, absorbing a complete-game 2-1 loss in Game 2 before pitching into the ninth inning in a 3-2 Pirates win in Game 5.

2. Drabek has been a pitching coach in the Diamondbacks organization since 2010, and is currently on the staff of the Single-A Hillsboro (OR) Hops.

3. Doug's son Kyle was the Phillies' first-round draft pick (18th overall) in 2006. A few years later he was shipped to Toronto in the Roy Halladay blockbuster, and has struggled with his control in parts of four big league seasons as a starting pitcher with the Jays.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I remember having the sense that Drabek was older than his early 30s because he went prematurely gray. Of course, now I'm edging toward the Silver Club in my 30s as well.

Bill James Said: "Pitched a lot of close games and didn't win them, thus leading the league in losses." Here's a sampling of tough losses from Drabek's 1993 game log: 3-1, 2-1, 3-2, 5-4 (blown save), 2-1, 3-0, 2-1, 3-1, 4-3 (blown save), 3-1. That's 10 of his 18 losses right there.

On This Date in 1993: April 9. The Rockies batter the Expos 11-4 in the franchise's first-ever home game. An MLB-record 80,227 fans pack into Denver's Mile High Stadium to witness the first win in team history. Bryn Smith is the winning pitcher, tossing seven scoreless innings. Charlie Hayes and Eric Young set the tone with first-inning home runs off of Montreal's Kent Bottenfield.

#163 Tim Wakefield

About the Front: You can tell that Tim Wakefield is a classy gent because he pitches with his pinky extended.

About the Back: If you feel cheated by Topps' failure to show Wakefield's batting stats, here you go: he batted .189/.328/.308 as a 21-year-old for Watertown. So...learning the knuckleball was probably a good call.

Triple Play:

1. He made his first and only All-Star team in 2009 at age 42, thanks largely to an 11-3 record at the break.

2. Later in his career, Tim had a unique contract with the Red Sox that had a perpetual year-to-year team option. As long as Boston was happy with his performance and he wished to continue, he could come back for another season. He ultimately pitched until 2011, his age 44 season, and retired with exactly 200 wins.

3. Wakefield is part owner of Turner's Yard, a restaurant in Pembroke, MA.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: By the time I caught on in 1993, Tim had already gone from rookie sensation to afterthought. The 186 wins and two World Series rings that he earned from that point forward were a surprise to say the least.

Bill James Said: "He's not a 'safe pick', but I think he'll have a good career." Yeah, you could say that.

On This Date in 1993: February 17. A ferry sinks in Haiti, killing about 1,215 of its 1,500 passengers.

#136 Jeff King

About the Front: Do you think Jeff King ever tried to pick up women by telling them he was Don Mattingly?

About the Back: King was the first overall pick in the 1986 draft, chosen ahead of future stars such as Greg Swindell, Matt Williams, Kevin Brown, and Gary Sheffield.

Triple Play:

1. Jeff had a career year in 1996, bashing 36 doubles and 30 home runs and driving in 111. He slugged .497, had an OPS+ of 117, and even stole 15 bases in 16 tries.

2. In what might be the only trade of its kind, he was sent to the Royals in December 1996 with Jay Bell for Joe Randa and three other players named Jeff - pitchers Granger, Martin, and Wallace.

3. King was only 21 games into his third season in Kansas City when he abruptly retired on May 23, 1999. He had suffered from chronic back problems throughout his career, but sportswriter Joe Posnanski has long maintained that the infielder disliked baseball enough to walk away just one day after accruing enough service time to be eligible for a guaranteed MLB pension.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I read an article about first-overall picks and was surprised to see a player as seemingly ordinary as Jeff King among their number. But by the end of his career, I think he'd justified the selection.

Bill James Said: "His control of the strike zone improved dramatically in '93, as he struck out 24% less often, and walked 72% more often."

On This Date in 1993: January 7. The Detroit Tigers re-up with first baseman Cecil Fielder, giving him a five-year, $36 million contract to make him the highest-paid player in MLB for the time being.

#108 Jose Lind

About the Front: The deeper I delve into this set, the more I realize that I've taken the horizontal cards for granted. Look at this action-packed scene: Jose Lind blocking the bag, preparing to slap a tag on would-be base thief Delino DeShields as the Expos' speedster slides in head-first in a cloud of dirt. A vertically-oriented card wouldn't be able to capture that moment just so. Anyway, was he safe or out? I checked the box scores from 1992, and "Bop" only attempted one steal with Lind covering second in games at Pittsburgh that year. It was June 21, 1992, and he made it safely against the battery of Jeff Robinson and Mike LaValliere. Just going by the photo, I would have assumed DeShields was out, but I guess Jose still had the ball at eye level while Delino's momentum was carrying him ever-closer to his destination. Or he could've dropped the ball while trying to put down the tag.

About the Back: Lind's three home runs in 1991 constituted a power surge for him, but it was fleeting. In the remaining four seasons of his career, he had only one homer in 1,433 plate appearances.

Triple Play:

1. He was awarded the Gold Glove for his play at second base in 1992, breaking Ryne Sandberg's decade-long death grip on the prize. Ironically, it was Jose's misplay of a David Justice grounder that helped spur the Braves' ninth-inning comeback in Game 7 of that year's NLCS.

2. Lind was an unusual character who kept a set of big knives in his locker in Pittsburgh and would pretend to stab at teammates to startle them. He had problems with alcohol and cocaine that expedited the end of his major league career, but has reportedly been clean since 1997.

3. He managed the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League from 2003 through 2005, winning 200 games and losing 192.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I remember Lind being referred to often by his nickname "Chico", a moniker that was probably not given to him by WWF wrestler (and Tony Montana knockoff) Razor Ramon.

Bill James Said: "He's a fine second baseman, fairly good range and turns the double play as well as the next guy, but is a complete cipher with the bat." I assume that Bill's going for the archaic definition of cipher, which is a zero.

On This Date in 1993: November 15. Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera join the cast of The New Mickey Mouse Club, a series on the Disney Channel. And thus the Seventh Seal was opened.

#81 Lloyd McClendon

About the Front: This is one of the finest photos in the set. Lloyd McClendon is motoring around third base in Shea Stadium, trying to score the winning run in the top of the tenth inning as coach Rich Donnelly waves him around. All that, and some major air time for that Diet Coke billboard, too! There are enough context clues on the scoreboard to identify the date: August 12, 1992. McClendon pinch hit for Gary Varsho with two outs in the top of the tenth. Facing John Franco, he beat out a grounder to third for an infield hit. One batter later, Jay Bell tripled to score McClendon, and the Bucs held on for a 7-6 win.

About the Back: This is the first three-position designation we've seen. That's when you know a guy is a big star. Lloyd's catching days were effectively over by this time, though. He was behind the plate for only two games in 1991 and none from 1992 on through the end of his playing days in 1994.

Triple Play: 

1. He starred in the 1971 Little League World Series, hitting five home runs in as many at-bats. In the championship game against Taiwan, he hit a three-run shot in his first at-bat and was intentionally walked each time he stepped to the plate afterward. The strategy worked, as Taiwan prevailed.

2. McClendon was one of three players dealt from the Mets to the Reds in December of 1982, with Tom Seaver making his return to New York.

3. He returned to the Pirates as a coach (1995-2000), and was named the team's manager in 2001. His four-plus year tenure produced a 336-446 record and a paltry .430 winning percentage. In an infamous moment, he literally stole first base and walked away with it. He's currently the hitting coach of the Tigers.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: My tastes have changed a lot over the past 20 years, but one thing that hasn't changed is my dislike for diet soda. I can't stand the strong chemical taste of artificial sweeteners.

Bill James Said: "In the past, when his career has been in jeopardy he has come through with a big season, but that's harder to do at 35." Lloyd hit just .239/.278/.413 in 51 games in 1994, his final big league season.

On This Date in 1993: October 2. Greg Maddux wins his 20th for the second straight year, as the Braves pound the Rockies 10-1. The Giants also squeak by the Dodgers 5-3, so Atlanta and San Francisco remain tied atop the National League West Division entering the season's final day.

#54 Mike LaValliere

About the Front: Here's our first photo showing a catcher wearing all of the tools of ignorance. The brick facade behind Mike LaValliere and the headless umpire tells us that we're in Wrigley Field.

About the Back: I wouldn't have expected a player with Mike's...physique to have been a four-sport athlete in high school. I guess you can't judge a book by its cover.

Triple Play:

1. His father, Guy LaValliere, was a minor league catcher in 1952 and from 1955-1961. He hit .296 with 50 home runs in eight seasons.

2. LaValliere won a Gold Glove at catcher in 1987, when he led the National League with a 45% caught stealing percentage and committed only five errors and two passed balls in 112 games for the Pirates.

3. After joining the White Sox during the 1993 season, Mike threw out an astounding 24 of 32 potential base stealers - a 75% success rate.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I was greatly amused by LaValliere's nickname. Come to think of it, "Spanky" is still a funny moniker for a grown man.

Bill James Said: "Released by the Pirates because he, and his paychecks, had grown too fat." He went on to mention that Mike got into better shape after being signed by Chicago, but that's just cold.

On This Date in 1993: August 10. Billy Joel releases the album "River of Dreams". Now that the song is stuck in your head, I apologize.

#27 Carlos Garcia

About the Front: I miss stirrup socks in baseball. But white sanitary socks with a half-stripe, like those being worn by Carlos Garcia here, are the pits. They're not quite as bad as the solid-colored socks that players wear today, but seriously...don't be wishy-washy. Either wear the real thing, or don't.

About the Back: Carlos is one of seven major leaguers named "Garcia" who were born in Venezuela, though he does not appear to be related to any of the others. The most well-known is probably Freddy, who has pitched for a half-dozen big league teams over the past 15 years.

Triple Play:

1. Garcia was an odd All-Star selection in 1994; he was batting .267/.307/.332 with four home runs and 17 RBI at the break. I guess you can chalk it up to the "every team is represented" mandate, but I'd still say that Zane Smith (9-6, 3.19 ERA in the first half) was robbed.

2. He hit his first career home run at Dodger Stadium on April 16, 1993 off of Orel Hershiser. It was an inside-the-park drive to center field that eluded Brett Butler.

3. Since hanging up his spikes, Carlos has been a minor league coach in the Indians and Pirates organizations, and coached on the major league level for the Mariners and Pirates. Currently, he is managing Pittsburgh's AA affiliate, the Altoona Curve.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I'm fairly certain that I used to confuse him with Bucs teammate Orlando Merced.

Bill James Said: "His 1993 season was exactly what I would expect him to do again, but he might be able to improve it." Not exactly. After hitting .269/.316/.399 with 12 homers and 47 RBI in his first full season, Carlos topped out at six homers and 104 games played in subsequent years, and played his last major league game in 1999.

On This Date in 1993: July 1. A 55-year-old failed entrepreneur named Gian Ferri entered an office building at 101 California Street in San Francisco and opened fire, killing eight people and injuring six others before taking his own life.