#159 Doug Linton

About the Front: Well, that must be Doug Linton. The snazzy personalized script on his glove says so.

About the Back: Woof. 8.63 ERA? That was the worst number for any member of the 1992 World Champs who pitched at least two innings.

Triple Play:

1. His first big league win came on August 13, 1992, when the righty held the Orioles to two runs on three hits and a walk in eight innings.

2. Linton has one of the more bizarre career paths, debuting in the majors at age 27 and not pitching particularly well in parts of five seasons. He missed all of 1997 with an injury, spent 1998 in the minors, and resurfaced with the Orioles in 1999...not pitching particularly well. He was in the minors and in Korea during the 2000-2002 seasons, and returned to Toronto for a brief stint in 2003, his last MLB experience at age 38.

3. Doug has served as pitching coach for the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Asheville Tourists, and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. In 2012, he was named the Rockies' minor league pitching coordinator.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Doug Linton was another one of those elusive Series One cards for me. No matter how many packs I opened or trades I made, it took me years to get around to wrangling ol' Doug. The nerve of a journeyman pitcher holding out on me like that!

Bill James Said: "Grade D prospect; could catch on somewhere."

On This Date in 1993: February 10. Lien Chan is named by Lee Teng-Hui to follow Hau Pei-tsun as Premier of the Republic of China.

#158 Kevin Koslofski

About the Front: This is a strange photo. Kevin Koslofski is staring in the direction of the pitcher (I think), he's holding his batting gloves while he runs, and he's awfully close to the infield grass. I would guess that he's already been put out and he's just jogging back to the Royals' dugout.

About the Back: Eight-plus years of riding buses just to get a peek at the big time. Those 55 games represented the majority of Kevin's MLB career; he totaled 42 games with K.C. and Milwaukee over the next four seasons.

Triple Play:

1. Koslofski hit his first career home run on August 27, 1992. It was a solo shot off of future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.

2. Kevin signed with the Royals out of high school and continued his education at Millikin University in Decatur, IL in the offseason, eventually completing his degree 11 years later.

3. In a 2007 interview, Kevin recalled the thrill of seeing himself on a Topps card. He said that he walked into a local hobby shop and the owner let him open packs from a box of 1993 Topps until he found his card.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I always got a kick out of some of the more offbeat minor league names. "Baseball City" was the Royals and Cardinals Spring Training complex and a baseball theme park near Orlando, I'm now learning.

Bill James Said: "As a Royals fan, I couldn't understand why he wasn't in the majors last year, since he provides a combination of things that the Royals need - speed, a lefthanded bat on the bench, and a defensive outfielder."

On This Date in 1993: February 7. 33 years after they first appeared on TV, Pebbles Flinstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble get married. My invitation must have been lost in the mail.

#157 Gary Disarcina

About the Front: Yeah, Gary, I don't think you're gonna get Kenny Lofton this time. If we're assuming Lofton was safe, which I clearly am, the game can be narrowed down to either May 1 or May 2, 1992.

About the Back: Though Disarcina (the "s" is not capitalized, Topps!) debuted in 1989 and appeared in the majors in 1990 and 1991 as well, he played sparingly enough that he didn't make it into Topps' flagship set until 1993. Even rookie-mania had its limits.

Triple Play:

1. Gary was an All-Star in 1995, batting .307 with 28 doubles in 99 games.

2. He wore #33 for five seasons as a nod to Celtics legend Larry Bird.

3. Disarcina will return to the Angels as third base coach in 2014.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: This wouldn't have occurred to me in those days, but Garys were already becoming an endangered species in the major leagues. As of this writing, there has not been a "Gary" in MLB since 2010, when reliever Gary Majewski and outfielder Gary Matthews, Jr. were last active.

Bill James Said: "He's pretty much Dick Schofield all over again, a good defensive shortstop but a .240 hitter without too much else to brag about." By the end of his career, Gary got that average up to .258 lifetime, but his noted lack of power and walks left his career OPS+ at a dismal 66.

On This Date in 1993: February 6. Tennis legend Arthur Ashe dies at age 49 due to AIDS-related pneumonia.

#156 Sammy Sosa

About the Front: Which looks more ridiculous - the cap lightly perched on Sammy Sosa's pumpkin head or that creepy pencil-thin mustache on his upper lip?

About the Back: It's pretty hard to imagine the slugging, lumbering Sammy of the turn of the century batting leadoff. But a younger, quicker Sosa led off for the Cubs 28 times in 1992.

Triple Play:

1. Sammy famously hit 66 home runs in 1998, 64 in 1999, and 63 in 2001...and did not lead the league in any of those seasons. Mark McGwire hit 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999, and Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001. Of course, Sosa' 50 homers in 2000 were enough to top the league.

2. George W. Bush was fond of joking that trading Sammy Sosa in a package for Harold Baines was the biggest mistake of his public life. Of course, I can think of a few larger-scale gaffes on his part.

3. Have you seen Sosa's sublime official Pinterest page? Go ahead. I'll wait.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: In 1993, it seemed like a big deal when Sammy joined the 30-30 (HR and SB) club. In the coming years, he'd make that look like child's play.

Bill James Said: (In regards to the 30-30 feat) "It's been done by at least one player every year since 1987."

On This Date in 1993: February 5. Belgium becomes a federal monarchy. The nation had previously been a unitary kingdom. Riveting stuff, eh?

#155 Dennis Eckersley

About the Front: I can't think of many pitchers whose deliveries are more suited to a horizontal card than Dennis Eckersley. He's all arms and legs, pointing in every direction, long hair whipping out from beneath his cap, white cleats and dark mustache contrasting. I don't think it was much fun to step to the plate against Eck.

About the Back: A 20-win season AND a 50-save season in the same career? John Smoltz is the only other pitcher in that rarified air.

Triple Play:

1. Dennis no-hit the Angels on May 30, 1977. He struck out 12 batters and allowed only two California player to reach base; Tony Solaita walked in the first inning, and Bobby Bonds reached base on a strikeout/wild pitch in the eighth but was wiped out on a double play.

2. His trademark high leg kick was a nod to Juan Marichal, as Eckersley had grown up rooting for the Giants.

3. Eck is currently a TV analyst for national games on TBS and Red Sox games on NESN.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Everything about Eckersley seemed larger-than-life. He had the hardware, the nickname, the distinctive delivery and look, and the demonstrative fist-pump after nailing down saves. Of course, his best days were behind him when I pulled this card.

Bill James Said: "It is my opinion that he will come back from his 'off season', that he will save 35-50 games again this year." Even without the strike shaving 50-some games off of Oakland's schedule, Eck would have had a hard time reaching 35 saves in 1994. He had just 19 (with a 4.26 ERA) when the season came to a premature close.

On This Date in 1993: February 4. Members of the right-wing Austrian FPO (Freedom Party) leave the group to form the Liberal Forum. The Forum founders are opposed to the FPO's growing nationalistic tendencies.

#154 Wes Chamberlain

About the Front: That's quite a power stroke by Wes Chamberlain. But I'm more interested in the blue Liberty Bell logo that's peeking out from his red stirrup sock. Nice touch!

About the Back: The writeup mentions a go-ahead home run that Chamberlain hit in Wrigley Field, and the photo on the back shows him playing in front of Wrigley's famous ivy-covered outfield fence. How's that for synergy?

Triple Play:

1. Wes starred in the 1993 NLCS, batting .364 (4-for-11) with a walk and three doubles, but had just a pair of pinch-hitting appearances in the World Series. He went 0-for-2.

2. The only walk-off home run of Chamberlain's career was also his last homer as a big leaguer, a ninth-inning tiebreaking shot off of rookie Armando Benitez in Fenway Park on May 9, 1995.

3. He last played in MLB in 1995, and had his last game in the affiliated minors in 1998, but continued playing in independent leagues through the 2004 season. Wes was a Winnipeg Goldeneye, a Schaumburg Flyer, a Long Island Duck, a Newark Bear, and a Gary Southshore Railcat.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: The most notable thing about Wes Chamberlain to a young collector was the erroneous variation of his 1991 Topps rookie card, featuring a picture of Wes' teammate Louie Meadows. I owned a factory set that featured the corrected version, so I've never seen the error card first-hand.

Bill James Said: "The Eisenreich/Chamberlain combination was among the most effective platoons in the majors last year, along with Incaviglia/Thompson and Wilkins/Lake." The Phillies had two of the three combos mentioned, which went a long way towards capturing the NL pennant.

On This Date in 1993: February 3. Major League Baseball suspends Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott for the upcoming season and levies a $250,000 fine due to her recent racially offensive comments.

#153 Greg Vaughn

About the Front: There's just something awesome about a close-up photo of a batter getting ready to take his shot. Greg Vaughn is the closest-zoomed hitter we've seen thus far. I also like being able to see the "23" on Vaughn's bat knob.

About the Back: As you may have guessed, Greg's 14th inning game-winner off of Rich Monteleone was the latest home run he hit by inning in his career.

Triple Play:

1. Vaughn was the 1998 NL Comeback Player of the Year, as he hit .272/.363/.597 with 50 home runs and 119 RBI for the pennant-winning Padres. The previous year, he'd had a line of .216/.322/.393 with 18 homers and 57 ribbies.

2. His 355 career home runs are the most all-time by a player whose last name begins with a "V". The closest active player is Joey Votto, who is nearly 200 dingers behind.

3. On February 2, 1999, Greg became the first (and to date, only) player to be traded immediately after a 50-homer season when the Padres dealt him to the Reds.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: 50 home runs seemed like an exotic number in 1993. The only player who'd reached that mark in my lifetime to date was Cecil Fielder. Greg Vaughn wouldn't have been one of the first players I would've predicted to get there in the near future.

Bill James Said: "His 1993 stats are extremely similar to those of Frank Robinson in 1973 (.266, 30 homers, 97 RBI, 82 walks)." Vaughn hit .267 with 30 HR, 97 RBI, and 89 walks in '93, though as James goes on to mention, he was 27 years old at the time. Robby was 37 in 1973.

On This Date in 1993: January 31. The Buffalo Bills are the first NFL team to ever lose three straight Super Bowls, as they are routed by the Dallas Cowboys 52-17 in SB XXVII.

#152 Rich DeLucia

About the Front: Here's another shotput-style pitching motion. Also, which is thicker: Rich DeLucia's eyebrow hair or his mustache?

About the Back: Notable MLB pitchers from the University of Tennessee include pre-WWII Tigers star Tommy Bridges, longtime lefty reliever Rick Honeycutt, and 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey.

Triple Play:

1. DeLucia pitched into the ninth inning on September 18, 1990 for his first big league win in a 7-3 triumph over the Rangers. A leadoff homer by Pete Incaviglia in the ninth spoiled his chance for the complete game.

2. His best full-season performance came in 1995, while pitching in relief for St. Louis. He set a career high with 56 appearances, posting a 3.39 ERA.

3. How does an athlete know when he's through? Giving up three home runs in the span of five batters in your final career game puts a pretty fine point on it.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I can't believe this guy was only 27. That cheesy 'stache really ages him.

Bill James Said: "Mike Boddicker-type righthander, changes speeds off a fastball that would itself make a fine changeup." So I guess my eyes weren't playing tricks on me; Rich really wasn't a flamethrower.

On This Date in 1993: January 30. How about another Calvin and Hobbes strip? I used to accuse my sister of operating under that philosophy.

#151 Archi Cianfrocco

About the Front: Hold your horses! It looks like the third base coach may have thrown up a hasty stop sign as Archi Cianfrocco rounded second base at San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium. Archi appeared in three road games vs. the Padres in 1992, and my best guess is that this photo was taken on Sunday, July 5. In the ninth inning, the rookie faced Mike Maddux with nobody out, Delino DeShields on first, and Montreal down 3-2. He lined a single to right field and moved to second on an unsuccessful attempt to throw out DeShields at third base. Spike Owen followed with a game-tying sac fly and the Expos won it in the tenth.

About the Back: There's a rare back photo cameo, by an unidentified catcher.

Triple Play:

1. "Archi" is short for "Angelo"...somehow.

2. In six seasons with the Padres, Cianfrocco played every position except center field and pitcher. His lone inning at catcher came on June 9, 1996 after San Diego manager Bruce Bochy subbed out regular catchers Brian Johnson and Brad Ausmus. Pitcher Ron Villone tossed a 1-2-3 ninth, and Archi received no defensive chances.

3. When the Padres traveled to Cooperstown to participate in 1997's Hall of Fame exhibition game, Archi was an unlikely winner in the pregame Home Run Derby.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: My favorite baseball book is Lords of the Realm by John Helyar. In a section detailing the Padres' infamous 1993 fire sale, he quotes a letter from a young fan to San Diego ownership: "I am very upset because you had the nerve to trade Gary Sheffield for a very bad player. You guys are stupid. I should know. I'm 11. And I'm smarter than you." Cianfrocco was acquired the day before Sheffield was dealt, ostensibly to take the star's place. That's one cold-blooded middle schooler.

Bill James Said: "(The Padres) wanted Cianfrocco to play third, but he doesn't look anything like a third baseman, and, as Dan Rather said, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it can't play third base."

On This Date in 1993: The Angels sign Jerome Walton, who won the 1989 Rookie of the Year award with the Cubs. He will appear in only five games for California, going 0-for-2 with a walk.