Bob Zupcic, High-Five - 880

Be sure and check out the revisited Bob Zupcic feature from February 2011: Bob Zupcic, Good Opportunity

Bub Zupcic rounded the bases Sept. 20, 1991, having hit his first major league home run in a rout of the Yankees. He was met on the basepaths by an excited fan and Zupcic went with it.

"He was there," Zupcic said in the New York Times story on the game, "so I gave him a high-five."

Bob Zupcic didn't hit many major league home runs, he hit seven in parts of four major league seasons, but the few he did hit were memorable. Aside from the high-five to the fan, that first home run came on the tail end of back-to-back shots, the first hit by fellow 1990 CMC setter Phil Plantier. They were also hit on the first to pitches thrown by another fellow CMC setter Dave Eiland.

Two other Zupcic home runs in 1992 were grand slams, both proving the difference in the ball games.

Zupcic debuted with the Red Sox as a September call up in 1991. That break not only got him in the majors, but also put him on the alphabetical list of major leaguers fifth from the bottom. By 1991, Zupcic had been in the team's system since being taken as the 32nd pick in the 1987 draft out of Oral Roberts. He made the Oral Roberts Hall of Fame in 2008.

His break came with that call-up in 1991. For the next two years, Zupcic was a fixture in the Boston outfield, playing in 124 games, then 141 games. But for an outfielder, he didn't hit much. He hit .276 in '92, then just .241 in '93.

By 1994, he was on his way out. He played four games for Boston, before changing his sox, selected off waivers by the White Sox. But the new scene didn't change much. In 32 games, he hit .205. His final major league game was Aug. 4, 1994, the last game played before the strike.

Zupcic hung around in the minors until 1997, playing AAA ball for four clubs. In 1997, he had a brief stint with the independent Bangor Blue Ox, before announcing his retirement.

But what he is perhaps best remembered for, was those home runs. In one, Zupcic came to bat with the bases loaded and the Red Sox down by one, parking a 3-1 pitch over the wall.

"I was just looking for something to get in the air," Zupcic said in a Hartford Courant account, "something I could drive."

These days, Zupcic is apparently helping others find something they can drive, working at a car dealership in North Carolina.

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 64/880 - 7.3%
Made the Majors: 39 - 61%
Never Made the Majors: 25 - 39%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 16
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 21

Rocky Childress saw ML in 4 seasons, then tried for 5th

Having just been cut from AAA Tucson in 1991, Rocky Childress began contemplating life without baseball.

The California-native's plans included returning to Bend, Ore., where he'd met his wife playing for the rookie league Bend Phillies in 1981, and becoming a plumber, according to The Arizona Daily Star.

"The only thing I'm bummed out about," Childress told The Star, "is that I had a good year last year, and I didn't get picked up. I want one last chance. If I fail, fine. But I haven't failed yet."

Childress spoke at the end of a decade-long pro-baseball career, one that began after being taken by the Phillies in the 21st round in 1980 and being sent to the rookie league Helena Phillies, then Bend in 1981 and Spartanburg in the South Atlantic League in 1982.

It was with Spartanburg that Childress figured into the start of one 11-year-old fan's autograph collection, as featured in a 1999 article on that fan.

He made AAA Portland in 1985, the May getting the big call up. He got the call in mid-flight, informed by his manager, Childress told The Reading Eagle. He landed and he was on his way to Philadelphia, he couldn't even get through to his wife.

In Philadelphia, Childress quickly made it into a game. "I tell you," Childress told The Eagle, "my heart started to beat and my knees began to knock."

Childress pitched in 16 games for the Phillies that year, two the next. His high water mark would be in 1987, with 32 games pitched with the Astros.

As noted in the blog Never Too Much Baseball, in one 1987 outing, Childress cost a Hall of Famer a chance at a win. Also, for good measure, he got another Hall of Famer to fly out, giving another a single. On Aug. 23, Childress replaced Nolan Ryan in the bottom of the sixth, after getting Ryne Sandberg to fly out, Leon Durham hit one out, tying the game. Then came Andre Dawson, who singled to left.

Childress pitched in 11 more games for Houston in 1988. As The Star noted, Childress' final appearance came Oct. 1, in relief. That day, Childress came in for Bob Forsch, pitching 4.1 innings and striking out eight.

He spent 1989 at AAA Tucson, 1990 with the Mets at Tidewater, then back to Tucson in '91.

But he wasn't completely done. Back in Bend, Childress returned four years later for 15 more games, this time with the independent league Bend Bandits.

To The Star in 1991, Childress' wife Julie said there were two things that they always knew were going to happen. "One," she told The Daily Star, "was that we would die. The other was that, eventually, we would be out of baseball. Everyone in baseball has that fear. But it's not as bad as we thought it would be."

• Reading Eagle, June 2, 1985: Rocky Childress may find home in bullpen
• Arizona Daily Star, June 9, 1991: Former major-leaguer Rocky Childress learning to accept life without baseball (search archives)

More: The 1990 Tidewater Tides

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 63/880 - 7.2%
Made the Majors: 38 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 25 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 16
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 21

Steve Lankard, Wouldn't Quit - 152

Check out the revisited Steve Lankard feature: Steve Lankard, His Personality, 5/30/11

Drafted out of Long Beach State in the 20th round by the Rangers in 1985, Steve Lankard made it to AAA Oklahoma City by 1989.

In a feature story that July, Lankard told the Los Angeles Times about life in the minor leagues, and, the ultimate goal of making the majors.

"No way am I going to quit," Lankard told The Times. "I can taste it now."

Sometimes, quitting isn't the issue. The relief pitcher threw in 10 games for the 89ers that year, posting a 7.41 ERA. By the time 1990 came around, Lankard didn't do much better. In 26.1 innings, he posted a 5.13 ERA, not the mark a team wants in a relief pitcher and sometime closer.

Lankard made AA in 1988, having spent time as a closer at lower levels, sometimes not working out so well. In 1987, he took the loss in one July game, giving up three runs in the ninth to the Marlins, the old Florida State League Miami Marlins, Lankard was with the Charlotte Rangers.

Still, earlier that summer, he had been the only member of his team named to the Florida State League All Star Game, according to a Sarasota Herald-Tribune story.

That same story described Lankard has having hair so blond that it almost glowed. In his CMC photo, that hair almost looks gray, helping mak him look a good 15 years older than his real age of 27.

1990 proved his last recorded time in the minors. But, he would take another shot, in 1995, as a replacement player for the Phillies. Again, quitting wasn't the issue. The then-31-year-old was cut two days before the strike ended.

In the 1989 Times article, Lankard told of advice he would give to younger players, how talent isn't always enough to survive the minors.

"I would say, 'You've been told ever since you started playing the game, to have fun. If it's not fun, then get out of the game,' " he told the Times. "Work your butt off and strive for your goals."

Read the 1989 Times article: They Could Provide Some Major League Advice ... Just Ask

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 62/880 - 7.1%
Made the Majors: 37 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 25 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 16
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 20

Trevor Wilson, Rare Feats - 535

Just as in spring training, expectations with Trevor Wilson changed rapidly.

In spring training, the expectation was that he would make the Giants' rotation. According to the Houston Chronicle, he pitched himself back to the minors.

Called up May 30 after a Rick Reuschel injury, Wilson quickly moved expectations the other way.

In his second start of the year, his fourth appearance, Wilson not only made it to the ninth inning in that June 13 game, he made it to the ninth inning with a no-hitter. Only a fifth-inning wild pitch on strike three stood between him and a perfect game.

Then the Padres' Mike Pagliarulo put one in left-center, ending the no-hit bid.

"I didn't really expect to throw a no hitter," Wilson said in the Associated Press story on the completed one-hitter, "so when it didn't happen, it's not like a big panic. I really wanted to get it, but I guess I'll have to settle for a one-hitter."

Wilson had been with the Giants system since 1985, when he was taken in the eighth round. He made AAA in 1988, getting the September call-up to San Francisco.

His 1990 call-up, found Wilson making the rotation. He started 17 games in 1990; 29 in 1991 and 26 in 1992. His one-hitter aside, he had a respectable ERA, hovering around 4.00. But then a bad tendon derailed his career.

While all of baseball lost two months of 1994, Wilson lost the entire season. Surgery to repair the tendon meant he was waiting for 1995. He was ready again for the start of the year, making it clear in March that, if the strike was resolved, he would be ready to throw, but not necessarily at the plate.

"I'll remember - and I have the ball," Wilson said in controversial comments about replacement players in a Knight-Ridder story. "To me, if you cross, and you're a hitter, it's going to be hard to hit when you're always dodging."

But Wilson wouldn't be throwing for long. He started 17 games for the Giants in 1995. He missed 1996 and 1997 injured again, returning to the majors for 15 more games with the Angels in 1998 and his career was over.

Wilson returned to the Giants organization by 2000, serving as a pitching coach in the San Francisco system through 2006. By 2008, he was back with the Angels, serving as pitching coach for their rookie league team in Tempe, where he'll remain on for 2010. It was as pitching coach for Tempe, that Wilson saw three of his pitchers combine to complete a no-hitter, albeit a minor league one.

Wilson's playing days did include a completed feat several times more rare than a no-hitter. On June 7, 1992, in another ninth inning, Wilson was trying to complete a two hitter and struck out the side, doing so on nine pitches. There have been 263 no-hitters. The number of times the side has been struck out on nine pitches currently stands at 43.

• Rome News Tribune, Associated Press, June 14, 1990: Wilson one-hits Padres
• Houston Chronicle, June 23, 1990: Wilson swallows pride to improve

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 61/880 - 6.9%
Made the Majors: 37 - 61%
Never Made the Majors: 24 - 39%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 16
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 20

Mike Cook, Found Out - 556

Check out Mike Cook revisited, May 13, 2011: Sights Set

A first-round draft pick for the Angels only a year before, Mike Cook quickly found himself in Anaheim.

The Angels, according to the Los Angeles Times, were well into a new strategy, one where they nurtured young talent instead of letting it linger with free agent signings.

For Cook, that meant the jump from AA, and his then 4-6 record at Midland, to pitching in the major leagues.

"He's going to be a big league pitcher some day," Angels Manager Gene Mauch told the paper. "Why not find out now?"

Mauch soon found out. In three innings of work, Cook gave up five hits and five runs, The Times noted.

The rest of his major league career went in a similar direction. From 1986 to 1989, Cook appeared in only 39 major league contests, starting two games. In 1988, he appeared in only three games, but posting his best ERA still, it was just under 5, at 4.91.

The Charleston, SC, product, Cook's high school career with St. Andrew's High was good enough to get him selected by the Phillies in the sixth round in 1982. But Cook didn't sign, choosing to play at the other USC, the University of South Carolina for three years. In 1985, he was a Baseball America All-American. That's the year he was taken 19th overall by the Angels.

After his 1986 stint in Anaheim, Cook spent time at AAA Edmonton. He would see action at AAA every subsequent year through 1994.

In November 1988, Cook was traded to the Twins in a five-player deal, with future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven going the other way.

Cook made it to Minnesota for 15 games in 1989, but returned to AAA for three full seasons, 1990 with the Twins system, 1991 with Seattle's and 1992 with St. Louis'.

It wasn't until Baltimore picked him up for 1993, that Cook returned to the majors, pitching in the final two games of his career. In three innings, he walked two, struck out three and allowed zero runs.

One more minor league stop in 1994, with the Mets system and Cook was done.

Twelve years later, Cook found himself back in Charleston, being inducted into a Hall of Fame, just not the one that Blyleven will be inducted into. Cook is currently a member of the Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame.

• Los Angeles Times, July 2, 1986: Can't Keep 'em Down on the Farm

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Featured: 60/880 - 6.8%
Made the Majors: 36 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 24 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 15
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 20

Steven Bast, Student Athlete - 260

Check out the new Steven Bast feature from August 2011: His Dream

Sports is full of doctors. In basketball, there was Dr. J in Julius Erving. In baseball, there was Dr. K in Dwight Gooden. There was also the famed doctor of baseballs Gaylord Perry.

But none of them actually studied to be a doctor, much less while they were playing.

Steven Bast did.

During his final season in baseball, 1990, Bast tried to do both, pitch for the Red Sox top farm club and study for the Southern California's top medical school.

In the end, he made his choice: He wanted to be a doctor.

"I always liked to play the game, but that wasn't ever my dream," Bast told a University of Southern California alumni magazine in 1996. "I just always kinda used baseball as a stepping stone to get to where I wanted to go."

Where he wanted to go was the orthopedist's office.

Bast was taken by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 1986 draft, out of USC. While in school, he played summer baseball in Alaska with the Goldpanners.

His first year in the minors was good, posting a 1.87 ERA at short-season Elmira before being called up to AA New Britain. His first start at AA, Bast gave up two runs, but was pulled an out short of qualifying for the win.

In his second year, he was considered by one account a top prospect that could develop fast. But his ERA balooned that year to 4.46 at New Britain. By the end of the year, his arm was shot. He underwent Tommy John surgery, sitting out all of 1988.

But he returned in 1989, making it to AAA Pawtucket. He was also making his first moves back into medicine. Sports Illustrated picked up his story, putting in a note calling the minor leaguer a term usually reserved for college players, student athlete. Bast had been pre-med in his undergrad work, according to the feature, and he was already in the process of applying to med school.

In 1990, he posted a 7-16 record and a 5.65 ERA, while at the same time attending medical classes at USC.

In the movie Field of Dreams, the character Moonlight Graham, modeled off the real-life player-turned-doctor, explained how he was satisfied with his brief single game in the majors. If he'd only had a brief time as a doctor, that would have been the tragedy, he said.

Bast ended his career playing in one less major league game than Graham, but choosing the same path as Graham's, in medicine.

"I decided there's more to life than playing baseball," he told the alumni magazine.

• Sports Illustrated, June 19, 1989: Between The Lines
  
• USC.edu, Nov. 15, 1996: Alumnus and former Red Sox pitcher returns to USC as a physician
  

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 59/880 - 6.7%
Made the Majors: 35 - 59%
Never Made the Majors: 24 - 41%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 14
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 19

Karl Allaire, Baldelli's Mentor- 499

Be sure and check out the revisited Karl Allaire feature from September 2011: Karl Allaire, Journeyman Player

Karl Allaire has spent this past off season with his long-time friend Rocco Baldelli. Serving up batting practice, Allaire was playing his part to get Baldelli back on a major league roster after health questions derailed Baldelli's a once promising career.

"I definitely think it's worn on him,'' Allaire told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick in January. "He's put up a little bit of a shell. People are always asking him, 'How do you feel? What do you think is going to happen?' It's human nature to just get sick of hearing it. With all the stuff he's been through, it's been a tough ride the last few years.''

It's a feeling that Allaire never experienced himself, trying to get back to the majors. In a nine-season pro career, Allaire never got there for the first time.

Allaire was drafted by the Astros in the 17th round of the 1984 draft. He made AAA Tucson in 1987. He would stay in AAA for the next six years, never getting a call-up. By 1989, Allaire was with the Angels in Edmonton, the Astros having given up on him for infielder Eric Yelding, according to Astroland.net.

Allaire would eventually make the Tigers organization by mid-1990. It was with the Tigers that Allaire helped end Yelding's career. According to the Astroland account, Allaire got Yelding in spring training 1992 on a hidden ball trick, exacerbating previous views of Yelding's attentiveness. Yelding didn't make the team that year or again.

"When the Astros picked (Yelding) up from the Blue Jays," Astroland quoted Allaire as telling them, "they pretty much gave up on me and he took my job ... So there was a little revenge factor there."

Allaire played his last minor league game in 1992. After two years out of baseball, working mainly as a loan originator, he returned to the Tigers, as a replacement player. In one spring training game, he and fellow CMC setter Glenn Sullivan had the only two hits in the game. The strike over Lou Whitaker blew back into town, taking back the locker held that spring by Allaire.

It was after his playing days were over that Allaire began working with Baldelli. The two have the same hometown, Woonsocket, R.I. Allaire was there for Baldelli's major league debut in 2003. A year later, Baldelli counted Allaire as the person he learned the most from.

"I've learned a lot from the guys up here," Baldelli told Baseball Digest, "But the guy I've learned the most from is Karl Allaire, a friend from back home. He played 10 years of professional ball in the Astros and Angels organizations. We talk all season long and I spend every day with him in the off-season."

• Astroland.net: A Karl Allaire Story
• BaseballDigest, September 2004: Rocco Baldelli, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
  
• ESPN.com, Jan. 26, 2010: Out in the Cold

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 58/880 - 6.6%
Made the Majors: 35 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 23 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 14
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 19

Steve Smith's Amazing Race: Low-Key Leg

If it looked like Steve Smith and his daughter Allie had an easier time of it in Leg 2, there was apparently a reason.

According to a secret scene on CBS.com, the two found a local named Roberto who showed them around the local university, helping them with directions, Internet access and even buying them dinner. The scene is embedded above.

"It was awesome, that guy missed a class," Steve told the camera, saying he believed his son would do the same, though not necessarily for the same reasons. "I asked if he had a sinorita, he said 'no time, no time, study, study, study." He said he hoped his son would hear that.

The Greatest 21 Days is following Smith's progress on The Amazing Race as he is actually a part of the set. He is currently the third-base coach for the Cleveland Indians, but in 1990, he was the manager of the Oklahoma City 89ers.

On the episode itself, Steve and Allie were almost invisible, which can be a good thing. My wife hardly noticed them. They only got a few quick quotes, but no measurable screen time: "Dad, dad, let's go"; "We're going to go flying"; "Thank you, gracias."

It was a far cry from their Leg 1 performance, where there was worry they might not make it through after they began painting the wrong house.

But then came the only quote that mattered: "Steve and Allie, you are team No. 7." And in this game, anything but "last team to arrive" is a win.

Steve Smith Tally
Steve Smith: Amazing Manager
Episode 1, LA to Chile: Fourth Place
Episode 2, Chile: Seventh Place
Episode 3, Chili to Argentina: Second Place
Episode 4, Argentina to Germany: Second Place
Episode 5, Germany to France: Second Place
Episode 6, France: Third Place
Episode 7, France to the Seychelles: First Place
Episode 8, Seychelles to Malaysia: Eliminated

Skeeter Barnes, Detail Oriented - 138

Check out the new Skeeter Barnes feature:
Dream Realized, Jan. 6, 2011

A minor league instructor for the Rays, Skeeter Barnes tried to use his own slight stature convey to minor leaguers what was possible.

Attending at 5 feet, 10 inches tall, Barnes was no Randy Johnson. The key for shorter players, he relayed to one such player, 5 foot, 8 inch Michael Ross in 2007 was details.

"Coach Skeeter Barnes told me that as a little guy I needed to do all the little things and I'll get there, just use my speed," Ross told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

While it didn't work out for Ross, Barnes parlayed the little things into a playing career that spanned 15 years, touching nine big league seasons.

A native of Cincinnati, Barnes was taken by his hometown team in the 16th round in 1978. He hit .368 that year for the Pioneer League's Billings Mustangs. He made it to AAA in 1981 and Cincinnati in 1983.

Still a rookie in 1984, Barnes took the first pitch in the bottom of the 12th inning over the wall for a walk-off win against Houston. He would be the last Reds rookie to do that until 2008, when Jay Bruce did it.

By 1985, Barnes was with the Expos organization, picked up on a trade. The Expos had high hopes for the utility infielder, but he only got in 19 games for the Canadian club.

He didn't find a permanent home until 1991, when the Tigers picked him up as a free agent. He hit over .270 for the big club each of the next three years, never playing in fewer than 75 games.

Barnes' minor league career would be marked by parts of four seasons in Nashville, 1979 with the AA Sounds, then '88-'90 with the AAA Sounds. A fan-favorite, his number, 00, has since been retired by the club.

Since his playing career ended in 1994, Barnes has held multiple positions with the Tigers and the Rays organizations, including manager, coach and instructor. He remains a Rays minor league coordinator for 2010 with fellow 1990 CMC set members Jamie Nelson and Dick Bosman.

Read the Bluefield Daily Telegraph story: Ross among shortest, but swiftest, Appy League players

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 57/880 - 6.5%
Made the Majors: 35 - 61%
Never Made the Majors: 22 - 39%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 14
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 19

Wally Ritchie, Another Chance - 232

Check out the revisited Wally Ritchie feature from December 2011: Wally Ritchie, Tough Situations

Already two-and-a-half years removed from his last appearance in the majors, Wally Ritchie left baseball in 1995 for a career in construction and civil engineering, according to the Los Angeles Times.

That lasted two years, then the left-hander was back on the mound, taking one more shot with the independent Western League in Salinas in 1997, then Mission Viejo in 1998.

"I'm 32," Ritchie told The Times before the 1998 season, "but being left-handed and getting people out, it does give me another chance. That's one of the reasons we decided to come back. Before I got past the point where I could come back, we thought we'd better go ahead and try."

Ritchie broke in with the Phillies a decade earlier, coming into his first game May 1, 1987, pitching an inning and giving up just one hit. He had been drafted by Philadelphia in the fourth round in 1985.

Ritchie went on to pitch in 49 games in 1987, posting a 3.75 ERA and saving three games the year teammate Steve Bedrosian saved 40 and won the Cy Young.

He returned to Philadelphia for 19 games in 1988 before two years in AAA Scranton, including 1990.

Upon his return to the bigs in 1991, Ritchie what could perhaps be his most memorable moment, though not his finest hour. On June 4, after pitching the Braves' Otis Nixon tight, then coming back and hitting him, Nixon charged the mound, drop-kicking Richie, punching him and ripping his jersey. Ritchie denied intentionally hitting Nixon.

Ritchie pitched his final major league game in 1992 on July 28. He pitched 1993 at Detroit's AAA club in Toledo; 1994 stepping backward for the Reds' AA club in Chattanooga. He left baseball, according to The Times, when he was asked to be a replacement player.

He told the Times that, if he had another season in the Western League like his first, his playing career would be over. He did. And it was.

Ritchie is still in baseball, teaching it. He's currently listed as giving private lessons in Utah.

A 1991 wire story about the Nixon brawl, with photo: Does anyone ever get hurt in those brawls?
Read the May 1998 Los Angeles Times story: Major Dreams

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 56/880 - 6.4%
Made the Majors: 34 - 61%
Never Made the Majors: 22 - 39%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 13
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 18

Rob Ducey, Canadian Showcase - 347

When Rob Ducey returned from Japan in 1997, he had difficulty finding a major league organization that wanted him. He finally signing on with Seattle, playing 76 games for them that year.

Now working as a scout for the Rays, Ducey is working to make it easier for free agents to showcase their talent major league teams.

"It wasn't that I couldn't play anymore, but there was nothing in the system on me," Ducey told MLB.com earlier this month. "I'd played well over there, and still couldn't find a job."

Ducey spoke as the organizer of the Professional Free Agent Showcase, designed to do just that, help free agents find teams.

Ducey spent parts of 13 seasons in the majors, that season in 1997 was his ninth. A native of Toronto, Ducey was signed by his hometown team in 1984. He made AA in 1986 and AAA then the big club in 1987.

He debuted in Toronto on May 1, playing in 34 games for the Blue Jays that summer. He'd be up and down between Toronto and AAA Syracuse for the next five seasons, with a high of 41 games played in 1991.

Ducey was shipped off to the Angels in 1992, playing in an unremarkable 31 games. He was released at season's end, signing with the Rangers. After 1994, Ducey was off to Japan, playing two seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters.

After his return to North America, Ducey made stops in Seattle, Philadelphia, Toronto, Philadelphia again and Montreal.

Ducey's last two stops garnered the two big pieces of Ducey trivia: He was essentially traded for himself and was the first to play on the Canadian trifecta.

On July 26, 2000, Ducey was sent by the Phillies to the Blue Jays for minor leaguer John Sneed. Ducey played five games for the Blue Jays before being traded again Aug. 7, back to the Phillies, completing a trade for fellow 1990 CMC setter Mickey Morandini.

Then, on June 12, 2001, Ducey signed with the Expos, making him the first of only two native Canadians to play for the Blue Jays, Expos and the Canadian Olympic team, Matt Stairs being the other.

The MLB.com article from Feb. 2, 2010: Showcase aims to expose talent to teams
Read about another Ducey player showcase, a memorabilia wall at the Cambridge, Ontario Applebees

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 55/880 - 6.3%
Made the Majors: 33 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 22 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 13
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 17

Pedro Sanchez, Bad Combination - 624

Check out the revisited Pedro Sanchez feature from November 2011: Pedro Sanchez, Grand Slam

A good bat can make up for a bad glove and a good glove can make up for a bad bat. A bad bat and a bad glove is never a good combination, something Pedro Sanchez learned in 1990 with the Tucson Toros.

Sanchez was beginning his sixth season in the Astros system in 1990. He signed with the Astros out of baseball rich San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. A long list of major leaguers have called San Pedro home, including George Bell, Sammy Sosa, Robinson Cano and free-swinging fellow 1990 CMC setter Jose Offerman.

Sanchez began with the Astros in 1985, making steady progress, if nothing else. He moved to short-season Auburn in 1986, Sally League Asheville in 1987 and Florida State League Osceola in 1988. In September of that year, Sanchez helped Osceola to the league championship series, scoring the winning run in extra innings in the deciding game the semifinal series.

In 1989, Sanchez found himself at AA Columbus with the Mudcats. He hit a pair of run-scoring singles in April, helping the Mudcats to a win. Another extra inning thriller Aug. 18 saw Sanchez play a big role late. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Sanchez hit a grand slam, sending the Mudcats to a 9-5 victory.

But, through 198+, Sanchez' batting average never average never topped .270. He also was error-prone, muffing 27 in 91 games with Osceola and 37 in 122 games with Columbus.

In 1990, with Tucson, the bottom fell out of both his average, and his glove. By June 10, Sanchez was batting a horrid .177. He also had 17 errors. The Houston Chronicle, in a minor league report that day recounting roster changes, called Sanchez the odd man out.

His batting average that year only improved to .183 in 73 total games. He played 64 games at shortstop, dropping 22 errors - one every three games played. He did not return for 1991.

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 54/880 - 6.1%
Made the Majors: 32 - 59%
Never Made the Majors: 22 - 41%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 12
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 17

Minor League Moves - The Last Domino

Back in 2008, I remember hearing stories about the Richmond Braves and their deteriorating stadium. The Braves' AAA franchise was moving out, because Richmond's Diamond just wasn't up to the parent club's standards.

It's odd now looking back on that, because, while the team was 500 miles from our home in New York's Capital Region, the move would ultimately upset three teams within just a short drive of us, the last one coming in an announcement just this past week.

The Atlanta Braves had long called Richmond, Va., their AAA home. By 1990, they had already been in Richmond for 25 seasons, as evidenced by their barely legible 1990 CMC set logo. By 2008, that season total stood at 43.

But, for several years, the parent club had had problems with Richmond's stadium, The Diamond. According to one account, it was considered among the worst in AAA. Another account had it as a decaying eyesore. That's it up there, in a Wikipedia photo submitted from Flickr.

After talks for a new stadium broke down, the Atlanta Braves pulled out, making the AAA move to Gwinnett and leaving Richmond without baseball for the first season in more than four decades.

Then came September, Richmond was back. The AA Connecticut Defenders, who had called Norwich, Conn., home for 15 seasons, made the move, becoming The Richmond Flying Squirrels.

But Norwich wouldn't be like Richmond and go a season without baseball. On Jan. 27, it was announced that they would have a franchise, but just start the season a little later. The short-season New York-Penn League franchise that had called Oneonta, NY home for 44 seasons, would leave for Norwich.

As I mentioned earlier, my wife and I got to Oneonta for the first time in August, loving the experience and expecting to go back this year. We had also missed out on Norwich. The move put Norwich back on our map, but made us sad that Oneonta and its great old stadium lost its team.

But Oneonta went just 17 days without a baseball club. The wooden bat New York Collegiate Baseball League, admittedly much further from the majors than the NY-Penn, filled the void. The NYCBL franchise in Saratoga Springs, NY, the Saratoga Phillies, is moving to Oneonta, to become the Oneonta Outlaws.

My wife and I haven't done much with the NYCBL. There are a good five franchises within short drives. We went to a game in Amsterdam, NY, a few years ago. The Saratoga Philles, named for the local horse racing track, drew between 500 and 700 fans per game, so I can't say Saratoga's loss equals that of Richmond, Norwich or Oneonta's when their teams pulled out.

But it is interesting to see the line of dominoes fall, one that was put in motion by sub-par ballpark in Richmond.

Brian Meyer, Would-be Closer - 604

Check out the revisited Brian Meyer feature from November 2011: Brian Meyer, Hanging Slider

Relief pitcher Brian Meyer had spent parts of three seasons in the majors by spring 1991 and now he was being talked about for the coveted closer's job.

It was Meyer, Al Osuna and one of the newest Astros, Curt Schilling, up for the job.

"I'm satisfied with what we have in the bullpen," Astros manager Art Howe said in a January 1991 article. "We have a ton of arms. But what I'm really concerned about is finding a closer."

Osuna had 12 saves for the Astros in 1991; Schilling, a fellow member of the 1990 CMC set, had 8 saves. Meyer had none.

In fact, Meyer didn't even make the Astros roster, or any other major league roster again.

Meyer first made the Astros as a September call-up in 1988. He pitched in eight games and 12.1 innings that month, giving up only two earned runs.

Meyer was taken by the Astros in the 16th round of the 1986 draft, spending that year at short-season Auburn. The next year, at Osceola in the Florida State League, Meyer showed his closing skills, saving 25 games and posting a 1.99 ERA.

He got his first major league save in 1989 on Sept. 20. He pitched the bottom of the 14th, walked one, struck out one, closing out a 7-6 Astros win.

His second, and what would turn out to be his final, major league save came Sept. 12, 1990, also in an extra inning affair. He pitched a third of an inning, giving up one hit, but preserving the 3-1 Houston victory. That game was also notable in that the Astros went ahead in the top of the 13th on the first major league hit by CMC setter Mike Simms.

While he had been mentioned for the Astros closer slot in 1991, Meyer wouldn't play with the Astros, in the majors or minors, that year. He went on to sign with the Mariners, playing in 18 games for AAA Calgary. He also went on to the Indians organization that year, playing in 14 games for AA Canton, ending his baseball career.

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 53/880 - 6.0%
Made the Majors: 32 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 21 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 12
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 17

Jeff Mutis, Raked - 834

Check out the revisited Jeff Mutis feature from November 2011: Jeff Mutis, Another Shot

The reporter for the Allentown newspaper couldn't resist. Young Pennsylvania Legion pitcher Jeff Mutis had just allowed two hits and stuck out 10 in a 1-0 playoff win, pitching on two days rest.

But the reporter was still well within his rights in describing Mutis as getting "raked." He gave that outing after suffering a puncture wound to his right foot before the game - after stepping on a rake.

"My foot was swollen and it hurt in the beginning," Mutis told the Sunday Call-Chronicle in July 1984. "My arm is tired but I wanted to finish this game."

It was outings like that that got Mutis noticed. A year later, Mutis found himself drafted by the Indians in the 34th round. He didn't sign, instead opting to go to Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. That served to only interest the scouts more. By 1988, Mutis was drafted again by the Indians, this time in the first round, 27th overall.

He quickly dazzled in Rookie and Single A. In four starts, he had four wins and a 0.65 ERA. He made AA Canton in 1990, staying there for 1991. He made the jump all the way to Cleveland June 15 of that year.

As it turned out, it was too big of a jump, a jump that resulted in Mutis getting raked in the other sense of the word. He started three games, he game up 16 earned runs for a ghastly ERA of 11.68.

For 1992, he was sent to AAA Colorado Springs. On that Colorado Springs squad, he went 9-9 with an ERA that topped 5 at 5.08. But he still helped the club to the Pacific Coast League championship. He was also brought up for three games that year, doing slightly better than the year before. His ERA this time was under 10, at 9.53.

His finest outing came in 1993 on July 17. The left hander pitched a complete game, shutout. He was also the last Indians lefty to pitch a complete game shutout for a decade.

Mutis was done with the majors by 1994, he was claimed off waivers the previous off season by the Marlins, pitching his final game July 31, a week before the strike began. He came back the next year, skipping replacement ball for AAA. He hung on in AAA in St. Louis for 1996, and a couple games for his hometown independent league team in Allentown in 1997, but never returned to the majors.

"I'm not really out to get picked up by a team," he told the Morning Call after joining the Allentown Ambassadors. It was a part time job. He had already started his post-playing career with a computer company. "If I was, I'd be doing this full-time. I'm enjoying what I'm doing - getting my off-the-field career going and spending time with my family - and I'm playing because I like to play."

• Allentown Morning Call, July 26, 1984: Mountainville Zips Coplay 1-0 in Playoffs
• Allentown Morning Call, May 10, 1997: The Ambassadors sign Jeff Mutis
• IndiansProspectInsider.com, June 28, 2009: Ghosts of Prospects Past
  

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 52/880 - 5.9%
Made the Majors: 31 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 21 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 12
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 17

Marvin Freeman, Former Bow Maker - 228

Check out the revisited Marvin Freeman feature from June 7, 2011: Fine Arm

By the time 1994 rolled around, Marvin Freeman had been up to the majors for at least one game each of seven seasons. He had always had promise, but that promise was never realized.

It was to the point that an unimpressed Sports Illustrated pegged Freeman, who once apprenticed in a violin shop, a better violin bow maker than ball player.

"I was the middle reliever of bow making," Freeman told the magazine.

But in 1994, for one all-too-brief of summer, Freeman realized that promise, in, of all places, Denver.

He went 10-2 that strike-shortened year, posting a 2.80 ERA. That number would have placed him second in ERA, had he had enough innings to qualify. He still pitched 112.2 innings.

Nicknamed "Starvin Marvin" for his lanky frame, Freeman was taken by the Phillies in the second round of the 1984 draft. He made Philadelphia by September 1986, flashing a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings.

But he would languish, with the Phillies moving on in July 1990, sending him to the Braves for Joe Boever. (Perhaps they didn't like his team spirit, as evidenced by him wearing a hat on his CMC card when his teammates weren't. Thank The Phillies Room for pointing that out.)

Only two years removed from his stellar 1994 season, Freeman was released. A sore elbow in 1995 helped Freeman return to his old form. Radio host Jim Rome and his "Jungle Karma" takes credit for finally leading to the end of Freeman's career.

A poor showing on Rome's show, Rome believes, leads to a poor outing on the field. Freeman had a poor showing at a Rome event, one that can still sometimes be heard on the show as an inexplicable "wahhh" sound.

The event was July 18, 1996. Freeman was shelled days later and pitched his final game that September.

Freeman is currently listed as an assistant high school baseball coach south of Chicago. He's also a member of the board of the Chicago Baseball Museum.

A Reading Eagle story on Freeman from March 1990: Marvin Freeman Hopes to Pitch in

The 1994 Sports Illustrated story on the Rockies: The Scare of Thin Air

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 51/880 - 5.8%
Made the Majors: 30 - 59%
Never Made the Majors: 21 - 41%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 12
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 17

Steve Smith's Amazing Race: Volunteer Painter

Steve Smith's big introduction to The Amazing Race audience was as a father wanting to spend time with his daughter.

He'd been in baseball for more than three decades. By the time he managed Oklahoma City in 1990 (making him card 171 of the 1990 CMC set), his daughter was 3.

Steve Smith, Amazing Manager

"In baseball, you're gone seven months of the year," Smith told the camera. "We need something the rest of our lives that we can come back and say 'wow, we actually did that.'"

That was the take on Smith through the entire first leg of Amazing Race 16.

Bonus clip with Steve and Allie talking about their relationship:



But the Amazing Race can be an unforgiving competition. When the pressure's high, tempers can run short. And Race producers aren't shy showing those moments. It makes for good television, but also strains relationships.

As we saw earlier, Smith is no stranger to arguments. On the baseball field, he's been suspended multiple times for arguing with umpires. One time he inadvertently got tobacco juice in an ump's eye.

But, when Coach Smith is arguing with umpires, that done in defense of his team. I can't see Smith getting short with his daughter. But I can see him getting tobacco juice in other teams' eyes if they get cross his daughter.

Evidence of the former can be seen in the what-has-to-become a classic Race scene. Looking for a house to paint, Smith ushers them inside a house and they start painting, when the challenge was somewhere else entirely.

The bewildered resident finally said in Spanish, critiquing their job: "That is ugly. They don't know how to paint."

Then they realized their mistake.

"I went from 'genius' to 'are you kidding me, dad?'" the nice father said as Allie laughed and gave the universal sign for "loser."

At another point, Smith confirmed to other racers the location of the required form of transportation.

"I've been in team sports all my life, so I deal with teams, other players: 'I help you, you help me," Smith said in the voice over.

Parent-child teams haven't been that successful in past races. In the 12th installment, a father-daughter team came in second; the 14th installment a mother-son team came in third. In the first 11 races, no parent-child team finished higher than ninth.

The painting incident aside, Steve and Allie seemed to have it together in Episode 1. They still came in fourth out of 11 teams.

And, for the first episode, at least, Smith was just a father spending time with his daughter.

"Allie has the balance, great balance," Smith said before his daughter yelled a "Hi, Dad" while traversing a high wire in Chili, "and she' has courage and, uh, I'm going to start crying thinking of her. She's my little girl."

Steve Smith Tally
Steve Smith: Amazing Manager
Episode 1, LA to Chile: Fourth Place
Episode 2, Chile: Seventh Place
Episode 3, Chili to Argentina: Second Place
Episode 4, Argentina to Germany: Second Place
Episode 5, Germany to France: Second Place
Episode 6, France: Third Place
Episode 7, France to the Seychelles: First Place
Episode 8, Seychelles to Malaysia: Eliminated

Watch the full episode here. The painting episode is in the final segment.

Here's another bonus clip from CBS where Smith says another racer looks like Cole Hamels:

Steve Smith, Amazing Manager - 171

Be sure and check out the revisited Steve Smith post from March 2011: Steve Smith, Did A Lot



When you start a project like this, looking at 880 players and coaches from a 20-year-old set, you're bound to see things differently. You start to see set members everywhere.

They're managing and coaching teams, they're pitching against each other in the 2004 World Series, they're taking swings at umpires in Dominican league games.

Last night, I saw one on The Amazing Race.

Seriously.

Steve Smith, the sometimes volatile one-time manager of the Oklahoma City 89ers and current third base coach with the Cleveland Indians, is competing on the CBS reality travel show, the same show that happens to be among my favorites, if not my favorite show.

For those who aren't fans, the show pits teams of two in a race around the world. The teams have some relationship: relatives, friends and such. Smith is competing with his daughter, Allie. That's them up top, from a CBS slideshow.

But more on the race, later.

Smith made the 1990 CMC set as the manager of the Rangers' AAA club in Oklahoma City. It was his eighth year managing in the minors, helming clubs the previous seven with Padre farm clubs. But, in 1990, Smith put up a not-so-amazing record of 58-87.

Smith previously spent seven years as a player in the Padres system. He got as high as AAA as a player, playing four seasons at that level, never making the major league club.

He finally made the big leagues in 1996 as a coach for Seattle. On his Amazing Race Web site bio, he lists that as something that would surprise people: that it took him 20 years in pro ball to make the majors.

By 2008, Smith was with the Phillies as third base coach of their World Series winning team. Despite his success, the celebration didn't last long. A week after the Phillies beat the Rays, Smith was fired.

He'd had several on-field incidents, arguing with umpires and receiving suspensions. He was ejected for arguing a call, Sept. 3, 2008, suspended for two games. A year earlier, in June, he was suspended three games for arguing a call. The year before, in 2006, five games for arguing a call and inadvertently spitting chewing tobacco in the umpire's eye.

"I didn't spit on him," Smith told MLB.com after receiving his 2006 suspension as a coach for the Rangers. "I had a dip (of chewing tobacco) in and maybe I got a little bit on him, I don't know. It wasn't spit. There might have been two little pieces of dip that came out, if so, I might be in trouble. What happened to the good old days of arguing with umpires?"

He was also accused of just being a bad coach, sending runners when they shouldn't have been sent. Though, according to one account, the criticism abated with winning. Still, another account has Smith the only Phillie booed during the World Series victory parade.

He sat out 2009, but, by Nov. 19, he was confirmed as the Indians' new third-base coach. One Indians blogger liked the hire for the intensity it brought.

Also by Nov. 19, Smith was also deep into getting ready for his reality TV turn. Sunday's first episode was reported concluded on Dec. 2. Smith and his daughter made it through to episode 2.

Of course, I'll have blog updates on Smith and his daughter's progress every week, until they're eliminated, or they win. Watch for this week's Amazing Race review this evening, including a take on whether his on-the-field intensity will translate to an around-the-world race.

For now, here's a link to Episode 1: The Amazing Race

1990 CMC
Cards Reviewed: 50/880 - 5.7%
Made the Majors: 29 - 58%
Never Made the Majors: 21 - 42%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 11
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 17

Steve Smith Tally
Steve Smith: Amazing Manager
Episode 1, LA to Chile: Fourth Place
Episode 2, Chile: Seventh Place
Episode 3, Chili to Argentina: Second Place
Episode 4, Argentina to Germany: Second Place
Episode 5, Germany to France: Second Place
Episode 6, France: Third Place
Episode 7, France to the Seychelles: First Place
Episode 8, Seychelles to Malaysia: Eliminated

Minor League Moves, Olympic Edition: The Demise of Canadian Baseball

When Olympic curling takes the ice this Tuesday, it will do so with the help of the home of the short-season Athletics-affiliate Vancouver Canadians.

According to MiLB.com, the Canadians' Nat Bailey Stadium is being used as a support venue for the curling events being held next door at the new Vancouver Olympic Center.

That a Canadian major league-affiliated baseball team could offer any help to anything is remarkable, given the direction Canadian baseball has gone in the past two decades.

In 1990, there were no fewer than eight affiliated teams in the minors calling Canada home, a ninth was added three years later.

There were the Calgary Cannons, the Edmonton Trappers and the old Vancouver Canadians, all AAA members of the Pacific Coast league and the 1990 CMC set. There were also the AA London (Ontario) Tigers of the Eastern League, also represented in the CMC set. The short-season NY-Penn League had two teams in Ontario, in Welland and St. Catharines. The rookie-level Pioneer League had two teams itself in Alberta, one in Lethbridge, where HOFer Andre Dawson once made a stop on his way to the majors, and one in Medicine Hat.

Ottawa joined the party in 1993, with the AAA Lynx, making nine Canadian minor league teams that summer.

Then came the slow decline, all the teams relocating to the states. The Tigers left for Trenton, NJ, after 1993; The old Canadians to Sacramento after 1999; The Cannons for Albuquerque after 2002; The Trappers for Round Rock, Texas after 2004. The Trappers schedule to the right is one I sent away for when I was younger.

The Pioneer League was void of Canadian clubs by 1999, with Lethbridge moving to Missoula, Mt. after 1998 and Medicine Hat lost its team after 2002, when the Blue Jays pulled out.

Welland lost the Pirates after 1994, eventually making their way to Fishkill, NY. The St. Catharines team left after 1999, as well, eventually becoming the Brooklyn Cyclones.

By 2007, only the Ottawa Lynx and the reconstituted Northwest League Vancouver club remained in Canada.

When we heard that Ottawa was leaving after 2007 for Allantown, Pa., my wife and I got up for the second to last AAA game in Canada. A photo from that game is up top. There was a good turnout, but the crowd still looked sparse. Lynx mascot Scratch (Right) put on a brave face days before being put down.

Baseball, however, remains alive in Canada through the independent circuit. Edmonton and Calgary, along with Victoria, BC, each have teams in the Golden Baseball League. Thunder Bay, Ont., has a team in the Northwoods League, Winnipeg has one in the Northern League. Quebec City, also a one-time stop for Dawson, has its own team in the Can-Am League.

With the Canadians, minor league baseball is expected to keep its Canadian toehold for some time to come. The stadium has been updated in recent years. The Olympics have also brought an upgrade in the electrical systems. A long-term lease for Nat Bailey Stadium was signed in 2007.