#499 Chuck Crim

About the Front: Chuck Crim is one of 31 Angels players to wear #32 to date. Most notable among them is Hall of Fame outfielder Dave Winfield, who directly preceded Crim.

About the Back: To this point in his career, Chuck had averaged 65 games and 103 innings pitched per season in six years in the majors. His right arm might have been hanging by a thread.

Triple Play:

1. He earned the win in his big league debut on April 8, 1987. He tossed two perfect innings of relief, which included a strikeout of the first batter he faced - Hall of Famer Jim Rice.

2. Crim excelled as the setup man for Milwaukee closer Dan Plesac in 1988 and 1989, posting an ERA+ of 137 in each season while leading the American League in games pitched.

3. Chuck recently worked for the Dodgers for ten years in various roles, starting as a scout before spending four seasons as a minor league coach. He was also L.A.'s bullpen coach from 2013 through 2015.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Chuck Crim looked like he was holding his breath in this photo.

Bill James Said: "When Plesac lost his effectiveness Crim got a shot at the closer, but was burned out by then, and never could solidify the job."

On This Date in 1993: February 25. The Chicago Bulls edged out the Orlando Magic, 108-106, in Orlando. Leading scores were Michael Jordan, with 36 points for the Bulls, and rookie Shaquille O'Neal, with 30 for the Magic.

#498 Bud Black

About the Front: That's one unflattering photo of Bud Black. In general, I think he's better-looking now than he was in his playing days. Some guys just age gracefully.

About the Back: Daughter Jamie went on to attend Oregon State University and is now an interior designer. Daughter Jessie was a collegiate gymnast at the University of Maryland, and graduated in 2014 with a degree in math and kinesiology.

Triple Play:

1. Bud had a knack for historical moments. He surrendered Reggie Jackson's 500th career home run, and Mike Piazza's first.

2. His father Harry was a minor league hockey player.

3. He spent several seasons as the Angels' pitching coach before the Padres hired him to be their manager in 2007. His San Diego clubs peaked with a 90-72 season and a second-place finish in the NL West in 2010, earning him Manager of the Year honors. He was fired in mid-2015, but in 2017 guided the Rockies to a surprise Wild Card appearance in his first season as their skipper.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I loved the book Lords of the Realm by John Helyar, which detailed the long and contentious labor history between baseball players and ownership. Still love it, actually. Anyway, there was an anecdote about the supposedly exorbitant four-year, $10 million contract given by the Giants and GM Al Rosen to mediocre veteran Bud Black prior to the 1991 season. He was considered the poster boy for runaway player salaries, and that offseason was referred to sarcastically as the "Bud Black Market". If you're curious, that translates to $16.75 million in today's economy. Still seems comparatively tame to me.

Bill James Said: "Helped put the Giants in front with an 8-1 record through the All-Star break, but went out with tendonitis (which sportswriters for some reason spell "tendinitis") in his elbow." Yeah, why DO they spell it like that?

On This Date in 1993: February 22. The United Nations Security Council votes on Resolution 808, deciding to establish a tribunal to prosecute international law violations in Yugoslavia.

#497 Matt Petersen and Willie Brown

About the Front: Many of these Marlins and Rockies "future stars" cards feature photos that wouldn't be out of place on Little League trading cards. This one is a prime example. Matt Petersen and Willie Brown even have wispy adolescent mustaches!

About the Back: Willie Brown was drafted in the 55th round by the hometown Braves in 1989, but didn't sign. In 1992, the Marlins took him in the fourth round. That'd be a bit of an upgrade. Matt Petersen, meanwhile, was a 27th round pick, but led the Erie Sailors in innings pitched in his first pro season. By the way, that Erie club was managed by future Marlins and Braves skipper Fredi Gonzalez, who was already in his third season as a minor league manager at age 28.

Triple Play:

1. Willie Brown lasted four seasons in the minors, progressing to high-A Brevard County in 1995. He finished his career with a batting line of .225/.320/.400, 42 homers, and 146 RBI.

2. Matt Petersen was also in pro ball for four years, with AA stints in the Marlins and Cubs organizations. He won 32 games and lost 30, with a 4.35 ERA.

3. Brown played collegiate baseball at Florida A&M University. This HBCU also produced Hall of Famer Andre Dawson and star players Hal McRae, Vince Coleman, and Marquis Grissom.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I was a lot more credulous 25 years ago, but even then I probably would've looked askance at the "Future Star" label for a guy who batted .200 in the low minors.

Bill James Said: Zippo. These guys weren't within sniffing distance of the majors.

On This Date in 1993: February 20. The New York Islanders retire goalie Billy Smith's uniform number 31.

#495 Ken Hill

About the Front: Somebody tell Ken Hill that his black glove clashes with all of that royal blue.

About the Back: That ground ball single in the June 8, 1992 game stings even more because it was struck by opposing pitcher Anthony Young. The offending Montreal shortstop was Tom Foley, a 32-year-old utility infielder who had a career OPS+ of 79, so...you'd assume he was in the lineup for his defense?

Triple Play:

1. Ken was runner-up to Greg Maddux for the 1994 National League Cy Young Award, as the two tied for the league lead with 16 wins. The Expos righty also posted a 3.32 ERA and walked just 44 batters in 154.2 innings in his lone All-Star season.

2. He helped the Indians tie the 1995 ALCS at two games apiece with seven scoreless innings in a 7-0 victory in Game Four.

3. His son Kenny has quarterbacked for the Texas A & M Aggies and the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. In his first collegiate start, he broke Johnny Manziel's A&M record with 511 passing yards and threw for four touchdowns.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: As a kid, I probably didn't realize how unusual it was for a pitcher of Hill's prominence to have gotten his start as an undrafted free agent.

Bill James Said: "He missed some time with a groin injury, which prevented him from pulling near his 16-win season of '92." Ken was just 9-7 with 90 strikeouts and 74 walks in 184 innings in 1993, though his 3.23 ERA wasn't too shabby.

On This Date in 1993: February 12. The beloved romantic comedy Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, debuts in theatres. "I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life."

#493 Jeff Nelson

About the Front: Jeff Nelson switched from #40 to #43 in 1993, and wore the latter number for the duration of his 15-year career.

About the Back: 66 games pitched might seem like a lot for a rookie, but Nelson topped that total six times in subsequent seasons, with a high of 77 appearances in 1997.

Triple Play:

1. Jeff spent one-third of an inning in left field for the Mariners in Fenway Park on July 15, 1993. After coming on to pitch in the bottom of the eighth and retiring the first two batters, the righty gave up a single to Billy Hatcher. With Seattle clinging to a 3-2 lead and lefty batter Mike Greenwell due up, manager Lou Piniella summoned southpaw Dennis Powell to pitch. He didn't want to burn Nelson just yet, so he double-switched: Powell replaced left fielder Greg Litton, and Nelson "replaced" designated hitter Marc Newfield, who'd just made the last out in the top of the inning. Greenwell popped out to second, and Jeff returned to the mound in the ninth. He lost his shot at an unusual save on a two-out error by Tino Martinez, after which Mike Hampton took to the mound to retire Scott Cooper. Clear as mud?

2. He appeared in 16 World Series games in five Fall Classics with the Yankees, earning one win while striking out 18 batters in 16 innings with a 1.69 ERA.

3. Nelson underwent elbow surgery in 2002, and tried to sell bone chips that had been removed in the procedure on eBay; he planned to donate the proceeds to Bear Creek School (which his daughters attended) and to the Curtis Williams Foundation. Bidding reached $23,600 before eBay removed the listing. You can't sell body parts on eBay. A local radio station later conducted the auction, and matched the winning bid of $1,000, with all of the money going to the Curtis Williams Foundation. Williams was a former University of Washington football player who was paralyzed from the neck down in an on-field collision in 2000; he died two years later.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Hey, a Baltimore guy! He attended Catonsville High School and Catonsville Community College, both of which are a few miles away from where I work now (in 2015).

Bill James Said: "He's a ground ball pitcher, and Piniella uses him to try to get a double play, so he always comes in with men on base."

On This Date in 1993: October 14. The number one song in the U.S. is "Dreamlover" by Mariah Carey. Ugh.

#490 Omar Olivares

About the Front: The red cleats are a sharp look.

About the Back: Topps diplomatically chooses not to mention Ed Olivares' career batting line of .143/.139/.143 in 36 plate appearances. He did bat .317/.420/.602 with 35 home runs and 125 RBI for class B Winston-Salem in 1960, earning Carolina League MVP honors.

Triple Play:

1. Olivares was no slouch with the bat, with a career average of .240, five home runs, and 29 RBI in 263 plate appearances.

2. Both of his complete-game shutouts came in 1997 with the Tigers: he scattered three hits and five walks against the Indians on May 10 and followed with a four-hit, two-walk effort vs. the Angels on May 26.

3. Splitting the 1999 season between the Angels and A's, Omar had career highs with 32 starts and a 15-11 record. His 4.16 ERA translated to a solid 114 ERA+.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: In 1993, Omar wore "00" on his jersey to represent his initials. I thought that was amazing.

Bill James Said: "He was bothered by a strained groin muscle, and also pissed off his manager by saying something to the media about his arm being tired after he had pitched several days in a row." I'm stunned by the suggestion that Joe Torre would overwork a reliever. In checking Olivares' game log, he pitched eight times in a ten-day span, July 19-28. In the last of those games, he coughed up three runs on four hits while getting a single out as the Cards were crushed by the Phillies, 14-6.

On This Date in 1993: October 5. The Blue Jays kick off the ALCS with a 7-3 win over the White Sox in Chicago. Pale Hose ace Jack McDowell is pounded for 13 hits in 6.2 innings, including a two-run homer by Paul Molitor, one of the veteran's four base knocks on the evening.

#489 Scott Fredrickson

About the Front: Isn't that the guy who plays Cam on Modern Family?

About the Back: Kevin Towers should ring a bell. He climbed the ranks to serve as the Padres' GM (1995-2009) before holding the same job in Arizona (2010-2014).

Triple Play:

1. Scott made his big league debut on April 29, 1993 with two perfect innings of relief against the Cardinals.

2. Fredrickson's 1993 season didn't turn out as well it began. The Rockies shipped him out after he racked up a 6.21 ERA in 29 innings of relief; that turned out to be his only experience in the big leagues.

3. He posted an 11-3 record with a 3.45 ERA at AAA Colorado Springs in 1995, but it went downhill from there. After ERAs over 6.00 in the minors in 1996 and 1997, he called it a career.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I probably suspected at the time that a number of these Rockies and Marlins in the 1993 Topps set wouldn't ever be seen in a Topps base set again. I should put together a total count at the end of this all.

Bill James Said: "Another pitcher from the University of Texas, like Clemens, Swindell, etc. Well, not too much like them..."

On This Date in 1993: October 4. American League owners unanimously approve the sale of the Baltimore Orioles to attorney Peter Angelos and his minority partners. And so it begins...

#487 Jessie Hollins

About the Front: That's a lot of blue. Who knew that a Cubs uniform could serve as camouflage?

About the Back: Interestingly, Jessie Hollins wasn't the only 40th-round pick from the 1988 draft to reach the majors. Righthander Paul Fletcher was chosen two picks after Jessie (1,029th overall) and made a dozen relief appearances in 1993, 1995, and 1996 for the Phillies and A's.

Triple Play:

1. His final big league appearance came on September 28, 1992; he tossed a scoreless ninth inning in a 10-3 loss to the Pirates.

2. A torn rotator cuff essentially ended Hollins' career; he made four minor league appearances in 1994 and four more in 1997, and that was it.

3. Jessie drowned while fishing with his brother Stacy and their sons on the bank of the Trinity River in Polk County, TX, on July 9, 2009. He was 39 years old.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I never bothered to check this before, but Hollins' birth name is actually "Jessie". It's not short for anything.

Bill James Said: Nothing, because Jessie was sidelined for the entire 1993 season.

On This Date in 1993: September 29. In what must have been a thrilling contest, the Mets won their 55th game of the year against 103 losses, outlasting the Cardinals by a 1-0 margin in 17 innings. The game took just four hours and 21 minutes to complete, as the teams collected only six hits each. Ray Lankford, Mark Whiten, Ryan Thompson, and Kevin Baez each went 0-for-7 at the plate, and Cards third baseman Stan Royer (3-for-4 with a double) was the only player with a multi-hit effort. Naturally, Royer was pinch-run for in the tenth inning. Jeff Kent finally drove in Eddie Murray with a two-out double off of Les Lancaster in the bottom of the 17th, making a winner out of reliever Kenny Greer in his big league debut. Mets rookie starter Bobby Jones got a no-decision and a hearty pat on the butt for his ten innings of shutout ball.

#483 Brian Griffiths

About the Front: I always preferred this Marlins cap, with the teal crown and black contrast bill, to their all-teal and all-black looks.

About the Back: The Marlins acquired Griffiths and reliever Hector Carrasco from the Astros in exchange for another relief pitcher, Tom Edens. Feel the excitement!

Triple Play:

1. Brian was drafted in the ninth round in 1988; nine of the 26 players chosen in that round made it to the major leagues, though Brian was not among them. The most notable draftees were infielder Pat Kelly and righthanded pitcher Mark Clark.

2. At the end of spring training in 1993, Griffiths was swapped to the Giants
for infielder Andres Santana.

3. He went 5-11 with a 4.85 ERA at AA Shreveport in 1993, his final season in pro ball.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: The name "Brian Griffiths" makes me think of the offbeat comic strip Zippy, created by Bill Griffith. I used to read that strip on a regular basis, and it never made a lick of sense to me.

Bill James Said: Griffiths wasn't featured in James' 1994 player ratings book.

On This Date in 1993: September 16. The final season of In Living Color premieres on Fox. Nobody from the Wayans family is involved in this, the fifth season.

#478 Greg Cadaret

About the Front: Is Greg Cadaret following through on a pitch, or delivering a punch to a very short and invisible man?

About the Back: As you can see, those two shutouts were the only ones Cadaret threw in his career. By the time he wrapped things up in 1998, he'd appeared in 451 games and made just 35 starts.

Triple Play:

1. Greg appeared in three games in the 1988 World Series, totaling two innings of shutout relief.

2. Cadaret allowed three inside-the-park home runs in his career, and Mike Greenwell hit two of them.

3. He has coached and managed for several independent minor league teams, and is now the head coach of the men's baseball team at Simpson University in California.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I'm sure I've said something similar before, but there are some guys from this era that I completely lost track of - I can't believe that Cadaret pitched through 1998, pinballing around with six different teams after leaving the Yankees.

Bill James Said: "Do you realize that if his name was L. Cadaret and you spelled it backward, you would have the name of a dinosaur?" Get it? Teradacl = Pterodactyl? Hey, as a kid who loved dinosaurs, I always thought that line was funny.

On This Date in 1993: September 2. Russel B. Nye, an American English professor who pioneered Popular Culture Theory in the 1960s, dies at age 80.

#477 Jimmy Jones

About the Front: Even if we assume that Jimmy Jones is taking his pre-inning warmup throws, that's a surprisingly lackadaisical stance by the second baseman behind him. Heads up!

About the Back: Now there's a mugshot. Was this picture taken in the shower room?

Triple Play:

1. Jimmy made a powerful first impression, debuting on September 21, 1986 with a one-hit shutout at Houston. A third-inning triple by opposing pitcher Bob Knepper gave the Astros their only baserunner. Jones himself had singled off of Knepper an inning earlier in his first big-league plate appearance.

2. He finished his career in Japan, appearing in 20 games for the Yomiuri Giants in 1994 and 1995 and posting a 9-4 record with a 3.75 ERA.

3. Jones has coached in the minors for the Padres since 2009.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Jimmy Jones is the most generic ballplayer name this side of Joe Smith.

Bill James Said: "Has managed to keep his career record over .500 so far (43-39), and if he wants to keep it that way I would say it is probably time for him to retire."

On This Date in 1993: August 27. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. premieres on Fox. The Western/sci-fi hybrid stars Bruce Campbell and will last for 27 episodes, finishing its one and only season on May 20, 1994.

#476 Mark Voisard and Will Scalzitti

About the Front: Mark Voisard sort of resembles Michael Keaton. I hope some enterprising teammate nicknamed him "Batman" or "Beetlejuice".

About the Back: I never would've guessed that Voisard was 6'5" from his photo. After all, they cut him off at the waist. As for Scalzitti, he was a sixth-round pick in the 1992 draft. The most successful player chosen in that round was longtime Expos' second baseman Jose Vidro.

Triple Play:

1. In 1994, Voisard was 6-4 with a 1.70 ERA and 17 saves in 48 games split between Class A Central Valley and AA New Haven. But he stalled out there, and his last pro season was 1996.

2. Scalzitti's 1992 pro debut was also the peak of his career. Overall, he hit just .236/.287/.347 in five minor league seasons, and he too was out of baseball after 1996.

3. Fun fact about Will Scalzitti: he hit a grand slam for the Bend Rockies to clinch a win in the Colorado organization's first official game in 1992.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I never paid much attention to these expansion "future stars" cards. I couldn't have told you what position Scalzitti played, for instance.

Bill James Said: Nothing, since both guys were still in the low minors.

On This Date in 1993: August 26. Marlins reliever Richie Lewis earns a win the hard way, lacing a two-out walkoff single against Doug Jones in the bottom of the 13th inning in Miami. The Marlins beat the Astros 5-4 on the strength of eight and one-third shutout innings from their bullpen.

#475 Jeff Reardon

About the Front: Right-handed pitchers are never described as "crafty", but Jeff Reardon is assuming a very crafty pose and expression.

About the Back: By the end of the 1992 season, Reardon was the all-time leader in saves, having passed Rollie Fingers' career mark of 341. But Lee Smith was just two saves behind Jeff, and would overtake him in 1993.

Triple Play:

1. He was the first pitcher in major league history to have 40-save seasons in both the National League and the American League.

2. Jeff pitched 4.2 scoreless innings in four appearances in the 1987 World Series and recorded the save in Minnesota's Game Seven victory with a perfect inning of work.

3. Sadly, Reardon's 20-year-old son died of a drug overdose in 2004. The ex-pitcher spiraled into depression and also had a pair of physical health scares in the months following. Late in 2005, he was arrested for committing armed robbery at a jewelry store in the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Eventually, Reardon was found not guilty by reason of drug-induced insanity. It sounds like he's doing much better in recent years.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: The real shame of Reardon's 1993 stint with the Reds was that they compelled him to shave his trademark beard. Facial hair restrictions in baseball are stupid.

Bill James Said: "Pitched well the first half (2.08 ERA) but badly the second (6.67)."

On This Date in 1993: August 25. The Braves complete a three-game sweep of the Giants with a 9-1 blowout. Greg Maddux wins his 15th game by breezing through eight six-hit innings and Atlanta bashes six home runs, including two apiece by Fred McGriff and David Justice. San Francisco's once-comfortable lead over the second-place Braves in the NL West is cut to 4.5 games.

#470 Rob Dibble

About the Front: Oh man, that is an absurdly high leg kick. Do you think Rob Dibble was easy to steal against? Well, the numbers say that opposing runners stole successfully 99 times in 118 tries, for an 83.9% rate...so he practically turned every would-be base thief into Tim Raines.

About the Back: If you want to quibble over Dibble, he didn't pitch enough innings to qualify for any strikeouts-per-nine single-season records. The threshold is one inning per team game, or 162 IP in most cases. By that metric, Randy Johnson is the record holder with 13.4 K/9 in 2001.

Triple Play:

1. He was the co-MVP of the 1990 NLCS along with Randy Myers. In a six-game Reds triumph over the Pirates, Dibble allowed one walk and no hits in five innings across four games. He struck out ten batters and earned one save.

2. During his career, Rob frequently let his explosive temper get the best of him. Most famously, he brawled in the Reds' clubhouse with manager Lou Piniella after a game in 1992. However, he also hurled a ball 400 feet into the center field seats in Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium in April 1991 following a game. The ball struck a woman in the elbow, and he was suspended for four games.

3. He lasted less than two years as a color analyst on MASN for telecasts of Nationals games, getting the boot in September of 2010 after suggesting on-air that pitcher Stephen Strasburg should "suck it up" after the former #1 draft pick missed a start with a sore elbow; shortly thereafter, it was revealed that Strasburg needed Tommy John surgery.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Rob Dibble has been a running personal joke in my family for more than 20 years. My uncle got caught up in the great baseball card boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s, with his most foolhardy speculative purchase being 50 - yes, 50 - Rob Dibble 1989 Topps rookie cards. For this reason, I bought a Dibble Starting Lineup figure when I saw it on sale at a Kay-Bee Toys around this time. Years later, my uncle passed most of his now-devalued collection on to me, including that brick of precious Dibble commodities.

Bill James Said: "Had injuries and lost some off his fastball, got burned on changeups and bad sliders, finally lost command of the strike zone altogether." Yep. 6.48 ERA, 9.1 BB/9 IP in 1993, then he missed the 1994 season and had a 7.18 ERA and 46 walks in 26.1 innings in 1995, his swan song in MLB.

On This Date in 1993: August 18. The Kapellbrucke wooden covered truss bridge in Lucerne, Switzerland is mostly destroyed by fire. The bridge was originally built in the 14th Century. It would be restored in the years following the blaze.

#468 Matt Whiteside

About the Front: Say what you will about the changes in baseball fashions over the past two decades, but at least the jackets look nicer now.

About the Back: It's good to see such drastically different composition in the front and back photos. At least Matt Whiteside is facing in the opposite direction. So, which is his good side, do you think?

Triple Play:

1. His nickname is "Whitey", proving once again how inventive ballplayers can be when it comes to monikers.

2. Matt was a guest judge for the 1996 Miss USA Pageant.

3. Whiteside now lives in Missouri and is a pitching instructor and owner of All-Star Performance Baseball Camps and Clinics.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I seem to recall confusing him with Dan Smith, another Texas rookie pitcher with a dull card in this set. We'll see him on card #607.

Bill James Said: "Excellent control, best pitch is a sinking fastball, doesn't throw 90."

On This Date in 1993: August 14. The Smashing Pumpkins play their entire Siamese Dream album live in concert at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago, IL.

#463 Scott Aldred

About the Front: I'd like to imagine that Scott Aldred is pitching to a raccoon and receiving signs from a grizzly bear in a catcher's mask.

About the Back: Aldred didn't even have particularly impressive minor league numbers. I wonder what it was that compelled the Rockies to tab him in the expansion draft.

Triple Play:

1. Scott was a winner in his big league debut on September 9, 1990, somehow keeping the Brewers from scoring despite walking five and yielding four hits in five innings.

2. Aldred hung around for parts of nine major league seasons, with his best overall performance coming in a lefty specialist role out of the Devil Rays' bullpen in 1998 (3.73 ERA, 128 ERA+ in 31.1 innings and 48 games).

3. He has spent the last decade coaching in the Yankee farm system, including six seasons in his current position as pitching coach of the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre club.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I don't think it ever occurred to me just how strange it was to stage baseball card photos in the middle of the forest.

Bill James Said: "A hard-throwing lefthander who knows as much about pitching as a giraffe knows about NAFTA." Ouch. I guess the first part of that sentence answers my question about why the Rockies drafted him.

On This Date in 1993: August 6. Cecil "Tex" Hughson, a three-time All-Star who pitched for the Red Sox from 1941-1944 and 1946-1949, dies of kidney failure at age 77.

#461 Steve Reed

About the Front: Steve Reed is lost in the inky black abyss.

About the Back: What does it take for an undrafted submarine-style pitcher to make it to the big leagues? Just five-plus seasons in the minors with a sub-2.00 ERA - including his 12.1 scoreless innings at AAA Colorado Springs in 1993, Reed had a career earned run average of 1.99 and 110 saves in 261 appearances in the minors.

Triple Play:

1. His personal-best season was 1995, when he appeared in a career-high 71 games for the Rockies, going 5-2 with a 2.14 ERA and three saves. He struck out 79 batters in 84 innings and had three scoreless appearances in the NLDS.

2. Reed earned his first big-league save on July 11, 1993. He relieved Gary Wayne after the latter had allowed an RBI pinch single to Mark Whiten, cutting Colorado's lead to 2-1 with no outs in the eighth inning. Danny Sheaffer threw out pinch runner Ozzie Smith attempting to steal second, and Reed struck out four of the final five St. Louis batters.

3. Steve lives in Golden, CO with his wife and two sons. He enjoys golf, fishing, and hunting.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I'll defer to 20-year-old Kevin, who had the misfortune of watching a 40-year-old Steve Reed run out of gas with the 2005 Orioles. That year, the reliever posted a 6.61 ERA in 30 appearances, allowing 24 runs on 41 hits and 11 walks in 32.2 innings. The O's released him in mid-July, signalling the end of his career.

Bill James Said: "If anybody can succeed despite this park, he's the man." In seven years with the Rockies, Reed had a 3.63 ERA and a 140 ERA+. Once you account for the offense-heavy era and ballpark in which he played, he was 40% better than the league average.

On This Date in 1993: August 4. Happy anniversary, Robin Ventura! It's been 22 years to the day since your ill-advised mound visit with Nolan Ryan.

#460 Randy Johnson

About the Front: I think the horizontal format was necessary in order to fit Randy Johnson's massive wingspan on the card.

About the Back: Later in his career, the Big Unit topped that 18-K performance three times, culminating in an MLB-record-tying 20 strikeouts against the Reds on May 8, 2001.

Triple Play:

1. Johnson no-hit the Tigers on June 2, 1990, scattering six walks. On May 18, 2004, he hurled a perfect game against the Braves, striking out 13 batters.

2. An exhaustive yet non-comprehensive list of Randy's accolades includes: a 303-166 record, 3.29 ERA (135 ERA+), 100 complete games, 37 shutouts, and 4,875 strikeouts (second only to Nolan Ryan). His 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings is the best career ratio in MLB history. The towering lefty led his league in winning percentage and ERA four times each and was a nine-time league leader in strikeouts. He won five Cy Young Awards (including four straight, 1999-2002), and was runner-up in three other seasons. He was co-MVP with Curt Schilling in the 2001 World Series, when he earned the win in three of the Diamondbacks' four Series wins and allowed two runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out 19 batters in 17.1 innings. Just last month, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

3. After retiring from baseball, Johnson took up photojournalism, and can be seen plying his trade at rock concerts and NASCAR events.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: On June 5, 1995, I sat in Oriole Park at Camden Yards and watched Randy hurl a three-hit, one-walk, 12-strikeout gem against Baltimore. He got 18 straight outs to end the game.

Bill James Said: "His control has improved dramatically, his walks per game dropping by 49% in the last two years."

On This Date in 1993: August 3. 45-year-old Charlie Hough's knuckleball confounds the Cardinals, as he tosses eight scoreless innings while allowing six hits and a walk and whiffing five. A Benito Santiago home run off of Donovan Osbourne accounts for all of the scoring in a 1-0 Marlins victory. Bryan Harvey pitches a perfect ninth for his 32nd save.

#459 Derek Wallace

About the Front: Here's a very fresh-faced Derek Wallace, first-round draft pick (11th overall) of the Cubs. If you'll recall way back to the beginning of Series One, the Expos' first-round pick (third overall) was also a college pitcher with the surname of Wallace: lefty B. J. Eerie stuff.

About the Back: Derek shares his September 1 birthday with former big league outfielders Garry Maddox and Rico Carty, among others.

Triple Play:

1. He earned his first big league win on September 4, 1996, tossing two scoreless frames of relief as the Mets topped the Dodgers in 12 innings.

2. Nine days later - September 13, 1996 - Wallace earned an unusual save by striking out four Braves in the ninth inning of a 6-4 New York victory. He opened the inning by whiffing Terry Pendleton, but the veteran third baseman reached safely on a wild pitch on strike three. He then froze Chipper Jones for the first out before Fred McGriff doubled to put the tying runs in scoring position. The rookie responded by fanning Ryan Klesko and pinch hitter Mike Mordecai.

3. After an uneven debut with the Mets in late 1996 (2-3, three saves, 4.01 ERA, 1.74 WHIP), Derek didn't resurface in the majors until 1999, when he allowed four runs - three earned - in 8.1 innings for the Royals. That was his only other exposure to MLB.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I had never heard of Pepperdine University at that time, and didn't even know where it was located. Malibu, as it turns out. I'm not sure why I never did a campus visit there when I was college hunting.

Bill James Said: Zippo.

On This Date in 1993: July 27. The number of the day is five. John Kruk goes 5-for-5 with three RBI in a 10-7 Phillies win over the Cardinals. Tony Gwynn also has five hits in as many at-bats, doubling twice and driving in three runs in an 8-0 Padres rout against the Cubs.

#458 David Wells

About the Front: Check out the rear view of David Wells! (Heard it as soon as I said it.) Much like Bob Wickman, Wells is a pitcher who really, um, filled out later in his career.

About the Back: Man, am I entertained by the mental image of David Wells surfing.

Triple Play:

1. He idolized Babe Ruth, and wore his number 3 during a late-career stint in Boston. He also wore #33 with the Yankees and four other clubs, and once wore one of the Babe's old baseball caps for a start with the Yanks.

2. Wells was a late bloomer, making three All-Star teams and posting a 176-104 record in 13 seasons after turning 32. His prior career record to that point was 63-53.

3. David hurled a perfect game for New York against the Twins on May 17, 1998, whiffing 11 batters. He famously admitted in his autobiography to being hung over and "half-drunk" during the game from the previous night's activities.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: In 1996, during Wells' short stay in Baltimore, one of my classmates ended up sitting by the lefty on an airplane. He said that Wells really seemed like a nice guy.

Bill James Said: "Released by the Jays in the spring because Cito was tired of his overweight biker act, Wells signed with the Tigers and looked like a steal after a 6-1 start, but slumped in June and July and went down with a sore shoulder in August." He finished 11-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 1993, good for a 103 ERA+.

On This Date in 1993: July 24. Enjoy a Calvin and Hobbes strip, why don'tcha?