#500 Jose Canseco

About the Front: It must have been really strange to see Jose Canseco in a Rangers uniform when this card was released. He'd been traded the previous August after an eight-year stay in Oakland that included a Rookie of the Year award, an MVP, and three straight trips to the World Series.

About the Back: The aforementioned MVP season was 1988, when Canseco became the first member of the 40 HR/40 SB club. His OPS+ that year was 170, meaning that he was 70% better than the league average hitter.

Triple Play:

1. Arriving in Texas kicked off the itinerant phase of Jose's career. From 1992 through 2001, he played for the A's, Rangers, Red Sox, A's again, Blue Jays, Devil Rays, Yankees, and White Sox. He also had Spring Training stints with the Angels and Expos.

2. He finished his big league career with a batting line of .266/.353/.515, 462 home runs, and 1,407 RBI. Even with the overall home run spike of the last few decades, he's still 35th all-time in round-trippers.

3. Canseco has achieved infamy as a fame-chasing bonehead, from the release of two "tell-all" books that accused several of his peers of steroid abuse, to his forays into reality TV, to moonlighting in mixed-martial arts and boxing, to...I'll just link to this summary of his various legal troubles.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: The major story with Jose Canseco in 1993 was his disastrous relief appearance for Texas in a 15-1 loss in Boston on May 29. In one inning, he threw 33 pitches (12 for strikes), gave up three runs on two hits and three walks, and blew out his right elbow, necessitating Tommy John surgery. I didn't realize until looking it up just now, but this happened three days after Cleveland's Carlos Martinez hit a fly ball that bounced off of Jose's head and over the Cleveland Stadium wall for a home run! Talk about a long week.

Bill James Said: "His chance to be a star now is to be Cecil Fielder, to hit 50 home runs and drive in 130, but he has to stay healthy to do that, and he needs to grow up to stay healthy." I think we all know how that turned out. Canseco topped 113 games played one more time in his career, when he clouted a career-high 46 homers in 151 games for the Blue Jays in 1998. By the way, James lists his position as "Right Field/Relief Pitcher". Har har!

On This Date in 1993: February 27. The Rangers sign pitcher Allan Anderson as a free agent. Anderson led the American League with a 2.45 ERA for the Twins in 1988, but lost effectiveness over the next few seasons. He would split the 1993 season between the Texas and Cleveland AAA affiliates, posting a 5.79 ERA in 26 games, and then retire.

#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.

#451 Ramon Caraballo, Jon Shave, Brent Gates, and Quinton McCracken

About the Front: Woah, Brent Gates was only in A-ball in 1992? The A's pushed him hard in 1993, as he spent most of the year in the big leagues.

About the Back: Let me try to fill in the blanks on these prospects, and at least give you their 1992 minor league stats. Caraballo batted .287/.338/.382 with 29 steals (in 51 tries, yuck) while splitting time between AA Greenville and AAA Richmond. Shave hit .287/.343/.373 at AA Tulsa. Gates had a line of .321/.414/.465 with 39 doubles and 88 RBI at high-A Modesto. And McCracken batted .280/.347/.353 in 67 games at low-A Bend, with 18 steals in 24 attempts.

Triple Play:

1. Aside from a six-game stint as a pinch runner and defensive replacement with the Braves in 1993, Ramon Caraballo's lone big league experience came in 1995, when he batted .202/.269/.323 in 34 games with the Cardinals. In recent years, he's coached for the Orioles' Dominican Summer League club.

2. Jon Shave had an interesting stat line for his 17-game introduction with the Rangers in 1993. He batted .319, but drew no walks and had a pair of sac flies and three bunts, giving him an on-base percentage of just .306. He didn't re-emerge in the majors until 1998, when he played 19 games in Minnesota. He returned to Texas in 1999, batting .288 in 43 games while playing all over the infield. He spent the following two years at AAA (Oklahoma City in 2000, Pawtucket in 2001) before retiring.

3. Gates is the star of this group, relatively speaking. He jumped to the bigs in 1993 after a dozen games each at AA and AAA. Though he played seven seasons in MLB, he peaked as a rookie, hitting .290/.357/.391 with 29 doubles, seven homers, and 69 RBI. He had an OPS+ of 107, but didn't top 89 in any other season with Oakland, Seattle, and Minnesota. He managed the West Michigan Whitecaps, a low-level affiliate of the Tigers, in 2001. After leaving baseball, he began working in insurance in Grand Rapids, MI.

3a. Quinton McCracken actually played in parts of 12 major league seasons, spanning from 1995 through 2006 with the Rockies, Devil Rays, Twins, Diamondbacks, Mariners, and Reds. He was just a Marlins stint short of representing every 1990s expansion team. 2002 was his standout year, as he batted .309/.367/.458 (107 OPS+) in 400 plate appearances with Arizona. He also collected four hits in 11 at-bats (.364) in the Diamondbacks' NLDS loss to the Cardinals that fall. Quinton worked in player development for Arizona in 2011-2012, and has been the Astros' Director of Player Development since 2013.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Of all of the prospects on these four-player cards, I'm glad that somebody named "Quinton McCracken" was on the fringes of the major leagues for more than a decade.

Bill James Said: Caraballo - "Mark Lemke is not exactly Roberto Alomar, but Caraballo's batting average wouldn't be a lot better than Lemke's, he has no power, and his poor strikeout/walk ratio and stolen base percentages are significant liabilities."

Shave - "An unspectacular talent, 26 years old with no power and limited speed, but a good fielder with good work habits, and should hit around .275."

Gates - "An argument can be made that a good second baseman who hits .290 with collateral contributions has had a better rookie season than an outfielder who hits 30 homers." It certainly sounds like Bill would've considered voting for Gates (who finished sixth in Rookie of the Year balloting) over Tim Salmon.

On This Date in 1993: July 13. MLB Players Association chief Donald Fehr warns of a possible player strike in September if negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement between ownership and players don't start gaining momentum. The 1993 season remained intact, but we wouldn't be so lucky in 1994.

#438 Ritchie Moody

About the Front: Moody by name, moody by reputation. Look at that pout.

About the Back: 47 earned runs allowed in 60 innings in 1991? Woof, talk about a sophomore slump.

Triple Play:

1. In 1992, he appeared in a total of 28 games at Class A Gastonia and AA Tulsa, allowing two earned runs in 32.2 innings for an ERA of 0.55. He also allowed seven unearned runs, because minor league baseball is a fascinating sort of game.

2. Moody spent six years in the Rangers organization, with his only experience above AA coming in a disastrous eight-game trial as a starter at AAA Oklahoma City in 1994 (0-5, 6.00 ERA, 32 K/31 BB in 42 IP). He was out of baseball after the 1997 season, finishing with a 6-16 record as a pro with a 3.91 ERA and 30 saves.

3. After retiring, he operated a baseball academy in Centerville, OH.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I'm not sure why Ritchie is wearing a Starter cap with the "TEXAS" wordmark instead of an actual Rangers cap. I had a cap in this style, and it was teal with "DOLPHINS" across the front in orange lettering. I was such a fashion plate in my adolescence.

Bill James Said: Bill pleads the fifth, on the grounds that Moody was not yet close to reaching the majors.

On This Date in 1993: June 12. The first presidential elections are held in Nigeria since a 1983 military coup. Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the Social Democratic Party defeats Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention. However, military ruler Ibrahim Babangida later declares the election null, and it will be another five years before Nigeria has a civilian government.

#360 Ivan Rodriguez

About the Front: Zeroing in on the details again, we can see Ivan Rodriguez's number 7 on the knob of his bat. He wore #7 for his entire career, save for partial seasons late in his career with the Yankees (#7 retired for Mickey Mantle) and Astros (#7 retired for Craig Biggio).

About the Back: The Rangers had some interesting batteries in 1991, with teenager Rodriguez catching 44-year-old starting pitcher Nolan Ryan and 39-year-old reliever Goose Gossage, among others.

Triple Play:

1. On September 11, 1997, Ivan homered in three consecutive at-bats against the Twins, driving in five runs in a 7-0 Rangers victory.

2. Rodriguez was the American League MVP in 1999, when he batted .332/.356/.558 with career highs of 35 home runs, 113 RBI, and 25 stolen bases (while being caught 12 times, so he probably should've been given the red light). There were many worthy candidates, but my vote would've gone to Pedro Martinez (23-4, 2.07 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 313 K).

3. He retired after the 2011 season with an all-time record for games caught, squatting behind the plate for 2,427 games in all. He racked up 13 Gold Gloves and threw out 45.7% of would-be base stealers; in nine different seasons he led the American League in caught-stealing percentage

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: It used to annoy me that people called Ivan "Pudge", because that was already Carlton Fisk's nickname. I felt like he should have to go by something more original. Then people started calling him "I-Rod" at some point, and that was much, much worse.

Bill James Said: "He is still young enough and strong enough to develop 20-home-run power, but then I would have said the same thing about Tony Pena at the same age." From 1996-2004, Rodriguez averaged 22 homers and 83 RBI a year. Of course, offense was in a boom period during those years, for a variety of reasons.

On This Date in 1993: January 21. Here's an especially cynical daily strip from Calvin and Hobbes.

#332 Geno Petralli

About the Front: I didn't remember the "T" insignia on the Rangers' helmets being so razor-thin.

About the Back: Here's the box score from the game described. Geno's three-run blast was the go-ahead hit, and came against Mike Schooler. It was one of six pinch-homers in his career, and the only home run he hit in 1992. You might as well make it count!

Triple Play:

1. His father Gene was a minor league first baseman from 1948 through 1953. He batted .274 and slugged .434, and topped out at AAA, where he played 25 games in the Yankees and White Sox organizations.

2. Petralli set a dubious modern-day record in 1987 with 35 passed balls, including six in one game and four in a single inning. As you may have guessed, he had the unenviable task of catching Charlie Hough's knuckleballs that season...or trying to catch them.

3. Geno's son James is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band White Denim. They have released six albums and opened for Wilco on the group's Winter 2012 west coast tour.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Geno looks like somebody shrunk Rafael Palmeiro.

Bill James Said: "Has had a nine-year career as Texas' backup catcher, which is a rarity (the Jamie Quirk of the Rangers?)."

On This Date in 1993: December 2. A couple of big moves on the Hot Stove. Eddie Murray signs a four-year contract with the Indians, and the Phillies trade closer and World Series goat Mitch Williams to the Astros for pitchers Jeff Juden and Doug Jones.

#305 Rafael Palmeiro

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

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

Triple Play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

#279 Todd Burns

About the Front: Sometimes I look at photos of baseball players from the 1950s and 1960s and I can't believe how old they look. Attribute it to changes in fashion, lifestyle, upbringing, or what have you. It might just be an unflattering photo, but Todd Burns has got to be one of the most weathered-looking 29-year-olds to appear in the 1993 Topps set.

About the Back: Todd appeared in a total of five World Series games out of the A's bullpen, with four scoreless appearances. However, he was hammered in two-thirds of an inning in the 1990 Series opener, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk.

Triple Play:

1. Burns earned his first career win with 4.2 innings of shutout relief against the Blue Jays on July 3, 1988, pitching around five walks and two hits and hanging in there from the 12th inning through the 16th.

2. He was nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", due to his habit of frequently tugging at his cap while pitching.

3. Todd now operates the Todd Burns School of Baseball in Huntsville, AL.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: If I were more into wordplay as an adolescent, I would've noticed that "Todd Burns" is not just a name, but a complete sentence as well.

Bill James Said: "Made five starts in May and June, and was hit so hard (7.62 ERA) that his ERA was shot for the season." Burns went 0-8 with a 5.08 ERA for the Rangers and Cardinals in 1993, and never pitched in the majors thereafter.

On This Date in 1993: September 11. Ben McDonald tosses a four-hitter in a 3-1 Orioles win over Bob Welch and the Athletics. Chris Hoiles hits his 24th home run in the winning cause. It's the second of four complete games that McDonald will toss in September, part of a career-high total of seven for the season.

#253 Jose Guzman

About the Front: Maybe it's a trick of perspective, but it looks like Jose Guzman has a fairly short stride in his pitching delivery.

About the Back: Guzman won the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award for that strong 1991 season, which came after a torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder sidelined him for the previous two years.

Triple Play:

1. Jose signed with the Cubs prior to the 1993 season, and in his Chicago debut on April 6, 1993, he held the Braves hitless until Otis Nixon singled with two outs in the ninth inning. He settled for the one-hit shutout, a 1-0 squeaker of a win.

2. More shoulder problems resulted in Guzman throwing his last big league pitch in May of 1994, at age 31. He made a comeback with the unaffiliated Fort Worth Cats seven years later, going 5-2 with a 1.65 ERA. The righty came back down to earth in 2002, but was still competitive with a 6-8 mark and a 4.20 ERA in 17 starts for the Cats.

3. He's done Spanish language radio broadcasts for the Rangers, and attended the team's most recent spring training as a special instructor.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I haven't talked in this space about one of my other favorite sets from this time, 1994 Score. It remains incomplete, which I'm going to blame on A)not being able to focus on one set, instead buying packs from several different brands throughout that year and B)scaling back my interest due to frustration with the players' strike. Anyway, Jose had a pretty great card in that set.

Bill James Said: "In my opinion, Guzman will continue to be a fine pitcher for several years, but the Cubs need to be careful not to push him when the back acts up." How about the shoulder?

On This Date in 1993: July 17. Shawn Hillegas tosses a scoreless inning of mop-up relief for the Athletics in a 9-5 loss to the Yankees, who are tied for first with Toronto in a wild American League East. The Orioles and Tigers are each a half-game behind, and Boston lurks just two games back of the leaders. Why mention Hillegas? This is his final big league game, bringing to an end an uneven seven-year career (24-38, 4.61 ERA, 1.47 WHIP). Shawn is not featured in the 1993 Topps set, so I pounced at the opportunity to run Bill James' hilariously brutal assessment of him. To wit: "A truly dreadful pitcher, having none of the attributes of a major league hurler except for what they say is a live arm. He doesn't have a breaking pitch, his control is poor, and his record is consistently bad for a long period of time. To be honest, I really have no idea what in the hell he is doing in the major leagues."

#223 Roger Pavlik

About the Front: I'm betting that's a tin of chewing tobacco in Roger Pavlik's back pocket. Yuck.

About the Back: I'm really enjoying finding familiar names on these card backs. Wayne Krivsky was the Reds' GM from 2006 to 2008, and later worked for the Orioles. He's currently a big league scout and special assistant to the GM for the Twins.

Triple Play:

1. Roger was known for his unorthodox delivery; his left (plant) foot landed facing third base instead of home plate.

2. On May 4, 1996, he gave up only one hit in a complete-game, 3-1 victory over the Tigers - a fifth-inning home run by Mark Lewis. This feat came one day after teammate Ken Hill threw a one-hitter of his own.

3. Pavlik was chosen for the All-Star Game in 1996 despite a lofty 4.82 ERA at the break; American League skipper Mike Hargrove was clearly swayed by his 11-2 record. The righty finished the season 15-8 with a 5.19 ERA. He won only four games over the next two seasons before a bum shoulder finished his career.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I don't think I've ever met anyone named Roger.

Bill James Said: "He pitched 88 innings after August 1 with a 6-1 record and a 2.45 ERA." That was part of Pavlik's surprising 12-6, 3.41 stat line in 1993.

On This Date in 1993: May 28. Eritrea and Monaco gain entry into the United Nations. Congratulations, guys!

#197 Jeff Frye

About the Front: Jeff Frye's one-legged batting stance could be an homage to his Rangers teammate Julio Franco.

About the Back: At first glance I thought this picture could have been taken during the same at-bat as the shot on the front, but this time Frye is sans eye black.

Triple Play:

1. In 1997, Jeff played in a career-high 127 games for the Red Sox and batted .312/.352/.433 with 36 doubles.

2. On August 17, 2001, he became the second player in Blue Jays history to hit for the cycle.

3. Frye currently works as a player agent, representing second baseman Ian Kinsler among others.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I thought Frye was a fitting surname, since Jeff was something of a small fry at 5'9".

Bill James Said: "After playing well as the Rangers second baseman in the second half of '92 he missed all of '93 with a knee injury, casting his future into doubt."

On This Date in 1993: April 18. The Giants outlast the Braves 13-12 in a wild 11-inning contest in San Francisco. Each team uses seven pitchers, and the Giants rally from early 5-0 and 11-6 deficits. With Atlanta leading 12-8 in the ninth, Mike Stanton allows all four batters he faces to reach base, and all four eventually score. Matt Williams goes deep on Steve Bedrosian's first pitch in the bottom of inning 11 to win it.

#169 Kenny Rogers

About the Front: Do you see VBL (Visible Boxer Line) bisecting Kenny Rogers' uniform pants, or is it just me?

About the Back: The note about Kenny being named his high school team's defensive player of the year is interesting, as he went on to win five Gold Gloves during his big league career. I guess if you can pick it in center field, you have no excuses when you switch to the mound.

Triple Play:

1. On July 28, 1994, Rogers tossed a perfect game against the Angels. It came exactly three years after Dennis Martinez (then with the Expos) threw MLB's last perfecto against the Dodgers.

2. In an inexplicably boneheaded act, he was charged with misdemeanor assault in 2005 after bullying a pair of cameramen who had been filming his pregame on-field workout. An initial 20-game suspension was reduced to 13 games upon appeal.

3. He pitched in the majors for 20 seasons, retiring after the 2008 campaign with 219 career wins and 156 losses.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I was the kind of cool kid who knew of Kenny Rogers the country singer/fried chicken enthusiast long before I knew of Kenny Rogers the southpaw. So I thought it was a silly name for a pitcher to have.

Bill James Said: "He pitched fairly well, and 'won' 16 games because Gonzalez and Palmeiro hit about a hundred home runs for him."

On This Date in 1993: March 5. Larry Bird, who announced his retirement from the NBA's Boston Celtics the previous summer, undergoes back fusion surgery to soothe the sciatic pain that brought an end to his basketball career.

#143 Jeff Huson

About the Front: I know in an instant that the Rangers are visiting the Orioles. When Camden Yards first opened, one of its many retro touches was a Maryland Lottery ad on the right-center field fence that urged players to "Hit It Here". The I in "IT" and the H in "HERE" are visible behind Jeff Huson.

About the Back: I'm guessing that the Rangers' rookie class of 1990 was not a bumper crop if an infielder with a .600 OPS was their top freshman.

Triple Play:

1. Huson was Texas' shortstop for both Nolan Ryan's sixth and seventh no-hitters. In the former, he preserved the no-no with one out in the ninth inning by charging a slow roller by Rickey Henderson and gunning out the all-time steals leader by a step at first base.

2. Jeff was the Orioles' starting third baseman on September 6, 1995, when Cal Ripken started his record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game. That might help you win a trivia contest some day.

3. He is currently a commentator on Root Sports' TV broadcasts of Rockies games.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I'm sure that my feelings of nostalgia over the "Hit It Here" sign are largely tied to the Hardball III PC game that I played to death. It had 16-bit renderings of the MLB ballparks, including the then-new Oriole Park at Camden Yards...complete with that sign.

Bill James Said: "Huson's 1993 season was destroyed by a broken toe, which he tried to come back from too quickly and re-injured."

On This Date in 1993: January 16. Windsor Castle is reopened only two months after a fire swept through the historical British landmark.

#118 David Hulse

About the Front: "Alright, bat." David Hulse whispers. "I don't like you and you don't like me. But get a hit right here, and the next Bud's on me." I would also like to point out that David's last name is neatly printed on his left batting glove at the very least.

About the Back: Hulse appears to have a green-screen backdrop behind him.

Triple Play:

1. David still appears in blooper reels for his actions on October 3, 1992. Facing Joe Grahe of the Angels, the rookie outfielder fouled four straight balls into the same spot in the California dugout, sending Halos players and personnel scrambling.

2. In 1993, Hulse hit 10 triples but only one home run, victimizing Chicago's Alex Fernandez for his first career roundtripper.

3. Here's a juicy trivia morsel: David Hulse hit the only inside-the-park home run that Mariano Rivera allowed in his legendary MLB career, circling the bases against a rookie Rivera on August 1, 1995.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I took one look at David's superficially good .290 average in 1993 and assumed he'd be around for a while. The very next season, Rusty Greer supplanted him as the Rangers' homegrown outfielder of choice.

Bill James Said: "...His positives are his speed and the possibility that he could hit .300; his negatives are his lack of power, his lack of plate discipline, a just-fair arm and a long history of hamstring pulls." When you put it that way, you start to see why he was out of the majors after 1996.

On This Date in 1993: December 2. NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair an optical flaw in the Hubble Space Telescope.

#87 Kevin Reimer

About the Front: I wonder if Kevin Reimer's classy wraparound shades are taking up quite enough real estate on his face. I also wonder if it's possible for a 230-pound man to creep out to a modest lead on his tiptoes.

About the Back: O, Canada! Reimer actually had dual citizenship. His parents were Canadian, but he was born in the States while his father Gerry was patrolling the outfield of Cincinnati's AA Macon Peaches club.

Triple Play:

1. In 1991, Kevin came on like gangbusters in the second half, hitting 16 of his 20 home runs after the break and slugging .535 (.407 SLG pre-break).

2. Reimer was chosen by the Rockies with the ninth pick in the Expansion Draft, but they subsequently traded him to Milwaukee for Dante Bichette. You could say that Colorado won the hell out of that trade, but who's to say that Kevin wouldn't have put up big numbers in Denver?

3. He spent the final two years of his playing career (1994-1995) in Japan with the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. He batted .298/.368/.543 with 26 home runs and 97 RBI in his first season abroad before slumping badly in 1995.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Hey, add to our Kevin tally. I guess I'd better get a definitive count. There are 18 total Kevins in the 1993 Topps set, and Reimer is the third we've encountered.

Bill James Said: "It would be the understatement of the day to say that Reimer is not Phil Garner's type of player, but he is capable of better seasons."

On This Date in 1993: October 15. "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf gets heavy play on the airwaves. I've still never figured out what "that" is, but hindsight tells me that it was probably "age gracefully".

#64 Scott Chiamparino

About the Front: This is the first of two Scott Chiamparino cards to appear in the 1993 Topps set. He was chosen by the Marlins as the 41st pick in November 1992's expansion draft and would appear in the teal and black in Series Two. Oh, the thrill of it all!

About the Back: I missed posting this on Scott's 47th birthday by one day. Damn and blast. (This was true when I started writing on Friday. I didn't post it until Sunday...so it goes.)

Triple Play:

1. The Rangers acquired Chiamparino from the Athletics along with fellow pitcher Joe Bitker in a trade for Harold Baines. A year earlier, they'd dealt away Wilson Alvarez, Scott Fletcher, and Sammy Sosa to obtain Baines. Ouch.

2. Scott started his big league career with two starts comprising twelve scoreless innings, but failed to earn a decision in either game.

3. "Champ" had his career cut short by a pair of elbow surgeries. In fact, he never pitched in the majors again after 1992. More on that when he reappears in Series Two.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I always thought that the Rangers' road uniforms shown above were pretty dull. If only I had known of their early 1980's duds.

Bill James Said: Nothing, since Scott missed the entire 1993 season with elbow surgery number two.

On This Date in 1993: August 25. News outlets worldwide were buzzing about the charges of molestation against pop star Michael Jackson.

#34 Juan Gonzalez

About the Front: This card is proof that zooming in a bit on the action can improve a photo. Nothing is lost by cropping Juan Gonzalez at the knees. Instead, we get a closer look at his intense expression as he follows the path of the ball he just hit.

About the Back: The copywriter must have had a blast with all of the home run slang. In one blurb, we get "belted", "clout", "roundtrippers", and "walloped".

Triple Play:

1. Juan was voted American League MVP in both 1996 (.314/.368/.643, 47 HR, 144 RBI) and 1998 (.318/.366/.630, 45 HR, 157 RBI).

2. He was hampered by injuries throughout his career, as he topped 115 games once in his 30s and suffered a season-ending hamstring tear in his only at-bat in 2005, which ended up being his final major league appearance. In parts of 17 seasons, he batted .295/.343/.561 with 434 home runs and 1,404 RBI.

3. Just last month, Juan and longtime teammate Ivan Rodriguez were selected for the Rangers Hall of Fame, but Gonzalez curiously declined the honor. It is believed that he is still upset over being traded from Texas to the Tigers prior to the 2000 season.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I don't know if "chicks dig the long ball", as the classic Nike ad claimed, but kids sure do. One of my strongest memories from 1993 was seeing "Juan Gone" outlast Ken Griffey, Jr. in the Home Run Derby at Camden Yards. Griffey was the first (and still only) player to hit the B&O Warehouse on the fly, but Gonzalez was the first player to reach the upper deck facade in left field (est. 473 feet) and the green batter's eye wall beyond center field (est. 455 feet).

Bill James Said: "Absolutely the only issues which stand between Gonzalez and Cooperstown are health and conduct." You don't say.

On This Date in 1993: July 11. At age 53, Jack Nicklaus wins the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament for the second time.

#19 Ed Nunez

About the Front: One of the biggest visual changes to occur in my 20 years of baseball fandom is the cut of uniforms. Players today wear their duds much looser than they did in 1993. Ed Nunez was a big dude (6'5", 235-240 pounds), and he squeezed into those skintight pants. I'd call it a change for the better, but some guys go too far and seem to be wearing pajamas.

About the Back: Because I know you're curious...the trade that sent Nunez from the Brewers to the Rangers was for the infamous Player to Be Named Later. The PTBNL turned out to be minor league pitcher Mark Hampton. I'm sorry for sharing that.

Triple Play:

1. Ed was the youngest player in the league when he debuted with the Mariners in 1982 at age 18. In his second-ever big league game, April 13, he pitched the 12th-17th innings. He allowed one run and struck out five in six innings. The game was suspended in the top of the 18th and resumed the following day, and Gene Nelson took the loss in the 20th for Seattle.

2. In 1985, he was the fifth-busiest reliever in the American League. The righty appeared in 70 games for the Mariners, leading the club with 16 saves.

3. Despite finishing second on the Athletics with 56 games pitched in 1993 (with a 3.83 ERA), Nunez did not make the cut in the 1994 Topps set. He allowed 20 runs in 15 innings in 1994, was released in mid-May, and that was that.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Nunez was another one of those guys that Topps presented differently than other card companies. To Donruss, Fleer, and Score, he was "Edwin". Topps stubbornly stuck with "Ed". Baseball Reference lists him as "Ed", so maybe Topps was in the right here after all. But it was a bit confusing to a kid.

Bill James Said: "Opposing hitters hit .298 against him, but he gave up only two home runs, and his strikeout/walk data was good." Those numbers do seem to indicate that he was walking a tightrope, and fell off in 1994.

On This Date in 1993: June 11. This is taken from the Baseball-Reference Bullpen wiki: "The Yankees-Brewers game at County Stadium is interrupted by some 100 seagulls who swoop down onto the field‚ apparently in search of moths hatching in the infield and outfield grass. The Yankees eventually win the game by a score of 5 - 4‚ winning in the 9th on a two-run pinch homer by Kevin Maas. While no players or seagulls are hurt‚ Wade Boggs calls the situation "terribly dangerous". The seagulls will return for tomorrow night's game‚ but the Brewers will be prepared for the birds. Gus the wonder dog‚ on loan from the Wisconsin waterfowl association‚ will keep them away."