Blog Bat Around - Thinking Exercise

I don't know if this is an official Blog Bat Around but a bunch of people are posting about it so it is what it is. I believe Night Owl started the full post but it was inspired by Fuji. Since I didn't get anything in the mail the last couple of days and since it is just a touch cold here and work is closed for a couple of days, plus I know I'm not getting any mail today, since there is none getting delivered because of the cold, this will be a good time to post. If you're wondering if I'm serious about the cold, check out my post on Random Thoughts.

All the scans of cards come from My Personal Collections where I'm scanning all my cards. I may not be able to fill all the players but we'll see.

We'll start with the American League Central for obvious reasons.

• Chicago White Sox - Paul Konerko - He's my favorite White Sox of all time so that was an easy one. I could think of a ton of others players so I won't go there.
• Kansas City Royals - Bret Saberhagen - Not sure why my mind went there, the obvious choice would be George Brett. I always picture Saberhagen's 1985 Topps card when I think of him.
• Minnesota Twins - Kirby Puckett - Always respected his play and he seemed like a really good guy.
• Cleveland Indians - Jim Thome - Even though he played with us and works in the front office, I still think of him as an Indian.
• Detroit Tigers - Lou Whitaker/Alan Trammel - I put both because I don't think of one without the other. The other player that comes to mind is Kirk Gibson.

  

 

*I don't have any Jim Thome cards with the Indians yet.

Next up is American League West.

• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Vladimir Guerrero - I actually followed the Angels for a bit because a guy at my old job was a big Angels fan so we talked baseball all the time.
• Seattle Mariners - Ken Griffey Jr - I suppose that one isn't much of a shocker.
• Oakland Athletics - Rickey Henderson - I'm not sure we'll ever see another lead off hitter like him.
• Houston Astros - Jeff Bagwell - When I think of him, I think of his batting stance but it obviously worked for him.
• Texas Rangers - Nolan Ryan - he is the Texas Express after all.

None   

 

*I don't have any cards of Vladimir Guerrero yet.
*I don't have any cards of Ken Griffey Jr with the Mariners yet.
*I don't have any cards of Nolan Ryan with the Rangers yet.

Last and least in the American League, the East.

• Baltimore Orioles - Cal Ripken Jr. - I shouldn't have to explain that one. I also think of Eddie Murray.
• Toronto Blue Jays - Joe Carter - I mainly think of that HR in the World Series.
• Boston Red Sox - Roger Clemens. I would have guessed Wade Boggs but Clemens comes to mind first.
• Tampa Bay Rays - Evan Longoria - To be honest, I had to really think of someone and Longoria was the first to come to mind.
• New York Yankees - Babe Ruth - This one was tough because I think of the Yankees, I think of all kinds of legends.

  

 None

* I don't have any cards of Joe Carter with the Blue Jays yet.
* I don't have any other cards of Evan Longoria by himself.
* I don't have any cards of Babe Ruth yet.

First up in the National League, the Central.

• St. Louis Cardinals - Mark McGwire - I quit watching baseball after the strike, the HR race between McGwire and Sosa got me back into watching again.
• Cincinnati Reds - Tom Seaver - Even though he played for the Sox, I always think of him as a Red.
• Milwaukee Brewers - Robin Yount - I could also put Paul Molitor as they both come to mind.
• Pittsburgh Pirates - Andrew McCutchen - A modern player? I'm as shocked as you are.
• Chicago Cubs - Ryne Sandberg - He was a staple when I was growing up and around here, all you hear about is the Cubs.

  

None 

* I don't have any cards of Mark McGwire with the Cardinals yet.
* I don't have any cards of Andrew McCutchen yet.

Keeping up with the AL list, we'll do the West next.

• Los Angeles Dodgers - Fernando Valenzuela - I always picture his 1981 Topps with 2 other players on it.
• Arizona Diamondbacks - Randy Johnson - I remember watching the World Series in 2001.
• Colorado Rockies - Vinny Castilla, I don't know why him but he does.
• San Francisco Giants - Will Clark - I remember having a ton of his 1987 cards.
• San Diego Padres - Tony Gwynn - Probably no surprise there.

 None 

None 

* I don't have any cards of Randy Johnson yet.
* I don't have any cards of Will Clark yet.

Last but not least the National League East.

• New York Mets - Darryl Strawberry/Dwight Gooden - I grew up a Mets fan and they were my favorite players, until, well, you know.
• Atlanta Braves - Dale Murphy - My cousin was a huge fan of his so I always associate him with the team.
• Washington Nationals - Ryan Zimmerman - They are a newer team and I collect him so there you go.
• Philadelphia Phillies - Mike Schmidt - I always picture the powder blue uniforms and associate those with Schmidt.
• Miami Marlins - Mark Buehrle - I know, but I don't really think of anyone else. I think the only reason I think of Buehrle is because I was just shocked that he left the Sox.

  

 

What this exercise has made me realize is that I don't pay to much attention to the rosters of other teams anymore and I'm pretty sure that I know why. Back in the 1980's and 1990's, I bought packs and collected all cards and not just my pc cards like I do now. Makes sense doesn't it? I'd like to get back to collecting all cards but when I make that decision, I tend to go nuts and start spending a fortune at a time. I've started to lean this way with the Baseball collection, but even that, I'm only paying a dime a card. I really want to start buying packs again, but I haven't taken the plunge, yet.