#367 Steve Sax

About the Front: Steve Sax looks like he's been hitting the Thighmaster. (Now there's a '90s reference for you.)

About the Back: "Verdict"?! That smacks of trying too hard. What's wrong with a 14-10 win, victory, or triumph?

Triple Play:

1. His older brother Dave was a catcher/outfielder who briefly played alongside Steve with the Dodgers in 1982-1983, and later had a few cups of coffee in Boston.

2. Sax was a five-time All-Star, and was the 1982 NL Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers. That year, he led his team in hits, runs scored, and steals.

3. His later pursuits include baseball analysis on TV broadcasts, financial consultancy, partial ownership of a nightclub/restaurant and a martial arts studio, and a one-year stint as first base coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Another member of Mr. Burns' ringer softball team at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. For the past 20 years, I can't think "Steve Sax" without thinking "and his run-in with the law".

Bill James Said: "He's 34, and after two straight off seasons it would be optimistic to expect him to bounce back." He played only seven games for Oakland in 1994, going 6-for-24 with a triple in the final season of his career.

On This Date in 1993: January 30. It's a Friday, so let's go back to the Calvin and Hobbes well.

#366 Craig Wilson

About the Front: Craig Wilson wore #12 for his entire Cardinals tenure. One of the more prominent Redbirds to wear that number was Bill White, a five-time All-Star who played first base in St. Louis from 1959 through 1965. By the time Wilson arrived with the Cards, White was the National League President.

About the Back: Another Maryland-born player!

Triple Play:

1. Since Wilson debuted in 1989, there have been three Craig Wilsons in the major leagues. In addition to our guy (1989-1993), there was a utility infielder for the White Sox (1998-2000), and an outfielder/first baseman who played most of his career for the Pirates (2001-2007). It's weird that none of their big league careers overlapped.

2. Craig hit his only MLB home run in his sixth-to-last game, a two-run shot off of Joe Magrane on September 24, 1993.

3. He spent all of 1994-1995 in the minors before hanging up his spikes. He briefly resurfaced in the Mexican League in 2003, playing 14 games for the Oaxaca Guerreros.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Sure, the year I start collecting, Topps doesn't use a photo of Wilson juggling baseballs. (See his 1991 and 1992 cards.)

Bill James Said: "Traded to the Royals as part of the Jefferies/Felix Jose trade, Wilson made the Royals out of spring training, but went on the disabled list just as the season began with undisclosed personal problems." I couldn't find any more details about these mysterious problems, but Craig was arrested on drug charges three years later.

On This Date in 1993: January 29. Matinee, a comedy set in Key West, FL and starring John Goodman, premieres in theatres.

#365 Tom Candiotti

About the Front: Tom Candiotti is pitching in San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium, where he made three road starts in 1992. He posted a 1-2 record with a 4.43 ERA in the Murph that year, allowing 10 runs (and five home runs) in 20.1 innings.

About the Back: The "Victoria" team that signed Tom in 1979 as an amateur free agent was the Victoria (British Columbia) Mussels of the Northwest League. They were one of two unaffiliated clubs in the low-A minor league. After he went 5-1 with a 2.44 ERA in 12 games, the Royals signed him the following year.

Triple Play:

1. Candiotti underwent Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery in 1981. When he debuted with the Brewers in 1983, he became the first player to pitch in the big leagues after having that surgery since Tommy John himself.

2. Tom had a brief cameo in Billy Crystal's movie 61*, which chronicled Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle's 1961 race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. He portrayed Hall of Fame knuckleball pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm.

3. In 2007, he became the second celebrity inducted into the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum, following ex-Steelers running back Jerome Bettis.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I didn't know just by looking at this card that Candiotti was a knuckleballer. There's no mention of his rare pitching style, and the photo on the front doesn't really capture his delivery.

Bill James Said: "His offensive support, 2.53 runs per nine innings, was easily the worst in the major leagues." That's how Tom went 8-10 with a 3.12 ERA (122 ERA+) in 1993.

On This Date in 1993: January 28. British actor Will Poulter (The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Maze Runner) is born.

#364 Trevor Wilson

About the Front: Trevor Wilson's five o'clock shadow says, "My name may be Trevor, but don't be fooled. I am a very dangerous man.".

About the Back: That June 7, 1992 two-hitter was the last shutout of Wilson's career. In the ninth inning, he struck out Jeff Bagwell, Eric Anthony, and Rafael Ramirez on three pitches each, making him the 27th pitcher in MLB history to record an "immaculate inning".

Triple Play:

1. On June 13, 1990, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning but had it spoiled by a Mike Pagliarulo leadoff single. Wilson retired the next three Padres batters to seal the shutout.

2. Injuries cost Trevor three full seasons (1994, 1996, and 1997) before he closed out his career with a 15-game stint out of the Angels bullpen in 1998.

3. Wilson has been a minor league coach for the Giants and Angels for more than a decade.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I might have assumed that he was related to a fellow lefty of his era, ex-Dodgers pitcher Steve Wilson.

Bill James Said: "Went on the DL three times with tendonitis and inflammation in his throwing shoulder, and pitched only 20 innings after the All-Star break."

On This Date in 1993: January 27. Legendary pro wrestler and actor Andre the Giant (born Andre Roussimoff) dies of congestive heart failure at age 46.

#363 John Smiley

About the Front: John Smiley is not smiling. Talk about false advertising!

About the Back: Smiley wound up being a one-year rental for the Twins, signing a free agent deal with Cincinnati prior to the 1993 season.

Triple Play:

1. He was a three-sport athlete in high school - football, basketball, and baseball. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

2. On September 22, 1996, John tossed the last of his three career one-hitters, with only a leadoff single by Royce Clayton in the fourth inning spoiling a would-be perfect game. He struck out eight Cardinals hitters.

3. After a midseason trade to the Indians in 1997, Smiley suffered a career-ending injury, breaking his left humerus while warming up prior to a start. That's a gruesome way to go.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: When I read that John Smiley had beaned Cal Ripken during the latter's career-worst 1992 season, the lefty pitcher made my enemies list.

Bill James Said: "Developed a bone spur on his elbow, and had his most difficult season."

On This Date in 1993: January 26. Actor Cameron Bright (Birth, Thank You for Smoking, X-Men: The Last Stand) is born.

#362 Luis Gonzalez

About the Front: Luis Gonzalez high-stepping it down the first base line in Shea Stadium is not the hippest-looking thing in the world.

About the Back: Gonzo's 24-homer effort at Columbus in 1990 shows that he always had power potential, but if you predicted he'd hit 57 four-baggers in 2001, you might have been on crazy pills.

Triple Play:

1. Luis was a high school teammate of future Yankee slugger Tino Martinez at Jefferson High in Tampa, FL.

2. On July 5, 2000, he became the first Arizona Diamondbacks player to hit for the cycle, boosting the Snakes in a wild 12-9 win at Houston.

3. Of course, his most famous hit delivered the walkoff win for Arizona in Game Seven of the 2001 World Series, and he hit that single up the middle against Mariano Rivera, who was quite good at baseball in his own right.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I always thought Gonzalez was a bit strange looking, with his narrow face, long nose, beady eyes, and everpresent toothy grin. He grew into his looks a bit as he aged, though.

Bill James Said: "He's a lefthanded hitter with a good, level stroke who makes contact, doesn't chase pitches over his head or a foot outside, doesn't bail out against lefties, runs well and hits the ball hard."

On This Date in 1993: January 23. At the 50th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Scent of a Woman wins for Best Film (Drama).

#361 Scott Bankhead

About the Front: Cincinnati is probably one of the most frequently misspelled city names in the country. Luckily for Scott Bankhead, whoever lettered the Reds' away jerseys was on point.

About the Back: Scott tied John Hoover, the Orioles' first-round pick in 1984, for the Southern League strikeout crown in 1985. But Hoover's big league career consisted of a cup of coffee with the Rangers in 1990.

Triple Play:

1. 1984 was a great year for Bankhead, as he went 11-0 for the University of North Carolina and 1-0 with an 0.93 ERA for the USA Olympic Team.

2. The Royals traded him to Seattle in the deal that sent Danny Tartabull to Kansas City.

3. Scott was the only Mariners pitcher to win double-digit games in 1989, when he went a career-best 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: "Bankhead" was a name that tickled my funny bone. It's like somebody just mashed together the first two things they saw. Try it. Gary Booknose. Joe Mugphone.

Bill James Said: "A useful pitcher in a middle relief role, could probably be a starter if his arm and back would hold up, but they won't."

On This Date in 1993: January 22. The Reds sign Jamie Quirk, 38-year-old veteran catcher. He will not make the club, and will end his 18-year big league career.

#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.

#359 Mike Stanley

About the Front: Mike Stanley settles under a pop-up with a proper two-handed technique.

About the Back: Stanley hit 26 home runs in a (then) career-high 491 plate appearances in 1993, more than doubling his career output in one season.

Triple Play:

1. He is a member of the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, and is still the Gators' all-time leader in runs scored and RBI.

2. Stanley hit a career-high 29 home runs in 1998, splitting the season between Toronto and Boston.

3. In 2005, Mike coached the Maitland, FL team in the Little League World Series. The roster included both his own son Tanner and Dante Bichette, Jr., son of Mike's former Red Sox teammate.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Because it slightly predated my years as a fan, it was always odd to see card depicting Stanley as a mustache-wearing Texas Rangers catcher.

Bill James Said: "The new Stan Lopata." Unlike 1950s Philly backstop Lopata, Stanley stayed healthy beyond his breakout season and posted a 120 OPS+ in his remaining seven years, primarily as a first baseman and DH.

On This Date in 1993: January 20. Bill Clinton is inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States.