Ben McDonald, Can't Miss - 302

Check out the revisited Ben McDonald feature from September 2011: Ben McDonald, High Expectations

Can't-miss prospects can still miss, something Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo noted last year to the USA Today.

Rizzo spoke as the Nationals were about to pick Stephen Strasburg, the can't-miss, hard-throwing college pitcher No. 1 overall. Twenty years earlier, the can't-miss, hard-throwing college pitcher-turned top pick was Ben McDonald. It was a comparison not lost on Rizzo.

"He had unbelievable stuff, too, just like Strasburg," Rizzo told the paper, "but he got hurt all of the time. He had a very lackluster career. … There's nothing guaranteed in this game."

McDonald came out of LSU in 1989, selected by the Orioles to anchor their starting rotation for years to come. He hit Baltimore Sept. 6, 1989, the second member of that year's draft to hit the majors, John Olerud being the first.

McDonald went on to have a respectable 9-season major league career, going 78-70. But for a pitcher who came with the hype that McDonald came with, it was still a disappointment.

In the baseball world, McDonald was on everyone's want list, something the makers of the 1990 CMC set knew well. It was McDonald's card that was featured prominently on the top of every box of cards. (McDonald wouldn't even be the most memorable player on his Rochester team, let alone the set. That mark would have to go to fellow 1990 Red Wing set member Curt Schilling.)

But the injuries that would define McDonald's career were what sent McDonald to Rochester in the first place. It was a pulled muscle in April 1990 that sent him to AAA for a rehab assignment.

In all, McDonald would land on the disabled list six times. The stuff that made him the expected next-Roger Clemens never really materialized.

McDonald told MLB.com last year of the injury that would lead to the end of his career.

"I didn't feel like my stuff was worse; I was just more sore than usual," he told the site. "Finally, I threw one pitch and got this burning sensation, and sure enough, I got an MRI [exam] and had a torn rotator cuff."

In the run-up to the 1989 draft, McDonald told Sports Illustrated of his plans to build a house near his parents in Louisiana. He spoke to USA Today from that house.

"Don't feel sorry for me," McDonald told the paper. "There were other things I wanted to accomplish but didn't. But I still got to play in the big leagues. I still made a good living. I could have been hurt and out of the game my first year."

McDonald was the Orioles' representative at last year's draft, the one where Strasburg was taken. According to the blog Orioles Card 'O' the Day this week, It looks like now he'll be an Orioles' representative on TV, adding his insight to O's broadcasts.

• Sports Illustrated, May 29, 1989: Time for Big Ben
• USA Today, June 3, 2009: 'There's nothing guaranteed in this game', only the money
  
• MLB.com, June 8, 2009: McDonald awed by Strasburg's stuff
• Ben McDonald's Web site: BigBenMcDonald.com
• The Orioles Card 'O' the Day post, March 29: Ben McDonald, 1990 Donruss
  

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 94/880 - 10.7%
Made the Majors: 57 - 61%
Never Made the Majors: 37 - 39%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 21
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 32

Geovany Miranda, Packages Home - 723

Check out the revisited Geovany Miranda feature from September 2012, Geovany Miranda, No Rest

Geovany Miranda regularly sent stuff home to his mother during his playing days. The Panama-native first sent part of his check home. When his mother insisted he keep the check, Miranda sent home newspaper articles of his work, according to The Eugene Register-Guard.

"In Panama," Miranda told The Register-Guard in July 1990, "being a pro baseball player is good."

Miranda was playing with the short-season Eugene Emeralds, after starting the year at the Midwest League's Appleton Foxes. The move saw his batting average improve from just .227 to .338. He was signed by the Royals out of Panama in 1988 as a free agent.

Miranda would return to Appleton for 1991. His batting average would return to its lows, as well, at .236. He didn't make AA until 1993, by then with the White Sox system. In 1994, he made it up to AAA Nashville for 16 games, but that would be as high as he would get.

Miranda went on to become a Panama scout for the Blue Jays in 1995. In 2000, he spent the year at the Blue Jays' short season team in Medicine Hat as hitting coach, the next year he was with the Devil Rays' South Atlantic League team in Charleston, S.C.

• Eugene Register-Guard, July 11, 1990: Miranda: The Ems' Best?

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 93/880 - 10.6%
Made the Majors: 56 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 37 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 20
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 32

Dave Trautwein, Brick Wall - 363

Coming off a spectacular year at AA Jackson, Dave Trautwein had high hopes for 1990. He was on the Mets 40-man roster. But with spring training virtually wiped out by the 1990 lockout, Trautwein found himself unprepared for the next step.

"A couple of times I had no one to throw to so I just threw at a brick wall," Trautwein told The Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Va., that April, adding later, "It got to the point where I didn't think I was going to get a chance to play this year."

Once the season started, Trautwein ended up hitting another brick wall, the proverbial kind.

Taken by the Mets in the 22nd round of the 1987 draft, Trautwein was the brother of would-be major leaguer John Trautwein. Despite spending six seasons in professional baseball, the younger Trautwein never followed his father to the majors.

He made AA Jackson that year in 1989, posting a 1.65 ERA. But by May 11, 1990, at AAA Tidewater, Trautwein's ERA had nearly hit 6.00, The Daily Press wrote.

"I got off to a slow start because I didn't throw due to a short spring training," Trautwein told The Daily Press that August. "What hurt me during the first month of the season is that I lost a little confidence. It's a different level up here. It's a lot tougher. I realized I couldn't pitch the way I pitched in Jackson."

He improved that to 3.80 mark in 51 games. But it was too late. He spent much of 1991 back at AA and 1992 in independent ball and his professional career was done.

These days, Trautwein is working with his father, former minor leaguer Jack Trautwein, instructing younger players in suburban Chicago with Professional Baseball Instruction of Illinois.

• Newport News Daily Press April 6, 1990: Tidewater Pitcher A Victim Of Lockout-shortened Spring
• Newport News Daily Press, Aug. 5, 1990: Tidewater Tides Report
• Arlington Heights Daily Herald, February 2008: Indoor baseball facility planned for Lake Barrington

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 92/880 - 10.5%
Made the Majors: 56 - 61%
Never Made the Majors: 36 - 39%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 20
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 32

Ray Lankford, Main Objective - 114

Read the revisited Ray Lankford feature from September 2012,  Ray Lankford, Some Kind

A rookie trying to make the big club in 1990, Ray Lankford found himself just trying to show he fit in, he told The Orlando Sentinel earlier this month.

"When you're a young man, your main objective was to come in and prove that you belong here, make the team," Lankford told The Sentinel after returning to his one-time spring training home.

Lankford, of course, did belong. He ended up playing in 14 major league seasons for the Cardinals and the Padres. He even made the Hall of Fame ballot in January 2010, an accomplishment in itself, though, as expected, he received no support for induction.

Taken by the Cardinals in the third round of the 1987 draft, Lankford made St. Louis on Aug. 21, 1990. His first outing was a strong one, he singled in his first major league at bat, doubling later in the game.

The Cardinals even traded Willie McGee to make room for Lankford to play full time. It proved a wise move. He soon became a fixture in St. Louis.

Lankford's first full campaign placed him third in the Rookie of the Year balloting. He made the All Star team in 1997 and put up 238 career home runs and 258 career steals. He had five seasons with 20 home runs and 20 steals.

But, by 2001, his numbers had begun to decline. The Cardinals even benched him, to help make way for a young rookie named Albert Pujols. It was something the veteran took as the Cardinals not showing him the respect he deserved. It was an assessment Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa disagreed with, according to a New York Times article.

''There isn't any other way we can show respect for this guy,'' La Russa said in The Times article. ''He gets all the respect he earns. He's just got into a rut the last couple years where the swings and misses are driving him to the bench.''

Soon traded to the Padres, Lankford played parts of two undistinguished seasons in San Diego. He apparently patched things up with St. Louis by 2004, returning to the club he played so long for.

It was on Oct. 3, 2004, that Lankford finally ended his career that had begun with a single in 1990, with a pinch-hit home run. It was his 123rd home run at old Busch Stadium the most anyone hit in that park.

• New York Times, Aug. 1, 2001: Lankford Granted Leave
• Orlando Sentinel, March 6, 2010: Spring training memories

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 91/880 - 10.3%
Made the Majors: 56 - 62%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 38%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 20
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 32

Steve Smith's Amazing Race: Reading Glasses

Last week's episode was another easy finish for 1990 CMC setter Steve Smith and his daughter Allie. The pair finished third, after several weeks finishing second.

In videos on CBS.com, Steve explained another secret to their success, the father-daughter angle. They just introduce themselves as a dad traveling with his daughter and hopefully whoever they're talking to will relate.

"There's something about, you know, your daughter, there's no threat or anything like that," Steve said.

The pair were also helped by Steve, the oldest competitor left, bringing his reading glasses, and not by Allie's French.

Allie spoke in the same video of not being a fan of her college French classes. But in another video, Steve talks of searching the winery for one marked bottle. The mark was small, something he couldn't see without his glasses. He's also better with patience challenges.

"I'm usually five minutes better at not panicking than she is," the dad said.

They go for another leg tonight at 8/7c, but make sure and watch for delays from the NCAA basketball tournament.


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

Scott Anderson, Solid Spring - 57

Scott Anderson had a solid spring. In three starts, he gave up four hits, struck out five and walked one. His latest start this spring went four shutout innings.

"Anderson has been very impressive in games and working on the sidelines," Royals Manager Bob Boone told The Associated Press. Boone had seen Anderson pitch in AAA. "If he's healthy, he'll be a quality pitcher in this league."

It was high praise for a pitcher. It was also March 14, 1995, the strike year. Anderson was making a bid to return to the majors for the first time since 1990. He pitched in four games for the Expos that year, 1990. That was after pitching eight games for the Rangers in 1987.

Outside those 12 games, the rest of Anderson's nine-year professional career had been spent in the minors.

Anderson was taken by the Rangers in the seventh round of the 1984 draft. He made AA Tulsa in 1985 and AAA Oklahoma City in 1986. By 1987, Anderson was being counted among the Rangers' possible youthful additions.

He did make the club that year, but it was a brief stay. Anderson posted a 9.53 ERA in those eight starts. He took his one loss in the 12th inning of an April 12 game. He walked the bases loaded, then gave up a two-run single.

Anderson spent the rest of 1987 at AAA, where he stayed through 1990. He was traded in between to the Expos. He made his first major league start Sept. 16, 1990, against the Pirates, going five innings and giving up one hit.

By the time spring training 1995 came around, Anderson had spent two years in Japan, 1991 and 1992. He returned stateside in 1993, playing AAA ball for the Marlins, he did the same the next year in Milwaukee's system.

With the strike still ongoing, Anderson believed his health would hold out. He had had elbow surgery the previous July. "So far, so good," he told the AP. "As far as pitching opening day, it's too early to look that far ahead."

The strike, of course would end by opening day. Anderson, however, stayed on, again at AAA. He still impressed enough for a July call-up. In his first outing, July 30, Anderson put up his first major league win. It would be his only win. His final game was Aug. 26.

• Lawrence Journal-World, Associated Press, March 15, 1995: KC wastes Anderson's effort

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 90/880 - 10.2%
Made the Majors: 55 - 61%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 39%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 19
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 32

David Hajek, Hitting to All Fields - 675

Read the revisited Dave Hajek feature from September 2012, Dave Hajek, Made Himself

Assigned to single-A Asheville, Colorado Rockies' 13th round pick from 2004 Matt Miller needed to learn to hit the ball to all fields.

He used the Tourists' ballpark to help. He also used the Tourists' hitting coach, Dave Hajek.

"Our hitting coach, Dave Hajek, helped me a whole lot," Miller told MLB.com in December 2005, "and a lot of my success came from hitting to all fields and not just the right-center field gap. I hope I can follow up next year with the kind of year I had this year."

With Hajek's help, Miller has followed up. He's spent the last two seasons at AAA Colorado Springs, knocking on the door of Denver. It is a career that, so far, has mirrored that of his old hitting coach Hajek.

It was even with the Tourists that Hajek spent his own first full minor league season, in 1990.

Hajek was assigned to Asheville after being signed by the Astros as a free agent out of college. He spent nearly six full seasons in the minors before the Astros called him up to Houston in September 1995. Hajek was on the same call-up list as Astros prospect Billy Wagner, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

Also, according to The Daily Star. Hajek got the call-up the day after learning his grandfather passed away. He dedicated his season to his grandfather. "I wish he could have had a chance to see me play up there," Hajek told The Daily Star.

On what he expected in his first trip to the big club, Hajek told The Daily Star he didn't know what to expect. "It's an experience I've looked forward to a long time.''

Hajek's playing time with Houston was limited that September to five games and five plate appearances. His first two appearances weren't even official at bats, they were sacrifices. The first runner he bunted over led to the Astros tying the game.

His first major league hit, however, didn't come until the next year, 1996. It came July 11, a double. The eight games Hajek played that year pushed his career total to 13, where it would end.

Hajek played three more seasons at AAA, in the Tigers, Padres and Rockies systems, playing his final year at the Rockies' AAA team in Colorado Springs.

Hajek is serving in 2010 as the hitting coach for the Rockies' AA team the Tulsa Drillers. But he returned to Colorado Springs in 2008 to model the Sky Sox' new uniforms.

• Arizona Daily Star, Sept. 10, 1995: Hajek's call-up is a sentimental one (search archives)
• MLB.com, Dec. 19, 2005: Millers claim Rox organizational honors
• Colorado Springs Gazette, Oct. 22, 2008: New Sky Sox uniforms a big hit

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 89/880 - 10.1%
Made the Majors: 54 - 61%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 39%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 19
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 31

Wilfredo Cordero, Memorable Moments - 682

Check out the revisited Wilfredo Cordero feature from September 2012, Wilfredo Cordero, Athletic Ability

Asked by The Times Herald Record of Middletown, NY, about his most memorable moment as a player, Wilfredo Cordero went right to the start, his first big league game.

"It is like a dream," he told Times Herald Record in 2007. "After all this hard work — I made it. Once you're there, all the real work begins because you don't want to go down to the minors."

The paper didn't ask, but Cordero's personal least memorable moment came five or so years later.

Cordero's first big league game came July 24, 1992, for the Expos. He had been signed by the team as a free agent, out of Puerto Rico, in 1988. He made AA Jacksonville in 1989 and returned for '90.

Cordero played 45 games for the Expos in 1992, 130 the next year. In 1994, the strike year, Cordero made the All Star team.

Two years later, Cordero was with the Red Sox, traded in January 1996. It was with the Red Sox that Cordero's career hit its low. Not only was he slowed by injuries, but on June 10, 1997, he was arrested on domestic abuse charges.

He pleaded guilty that off season. The Red Sox finally released him and Cordero signed with the White Sox. He returned to Fenway Park on May 19, 1998. Red Sox fans let him hear their displeasure with the previous seasons' accusations.

Accoding to The Hartford Courant account, Cordero was booed when he was announced, booed when he came to bat and booed when he made four consecutive outs.

The White Sox' then-manager Jerry Manuel was quoted as saying he had no thoughts of keeping Cordero from the lineup. "Wil's got to take care of himself,'' Manuel told the paper. "I'm not going to baby him.''

Cordero played until 2005, never really finding a home. He changed teams six times. He returned to Montrael in 2002 and became a National for his final year in 2005.

By 2007, Cordero was in Monticello, NY, teaching baseball to youths at a sports academy, hoping for a comeback that never materialized.

• Hartford Courant, May 20, 1998: Cordero silent, but crowd isn't
• Middletown Times Herald Record, July 4, 2007: Former major-leaguer Wil Cordero shares baseball knowledge

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 88/880 - 10%
Made the Majors: 53 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 19
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 31

Eddie Zosky, First to Footnote - 812

Check out the revisited Eddie Zosky feature from September 2012, Eddie Zosky, Confidence Builder

On draft day 1989, Blue Jays sports writer Bob Elliott recalled a couple years ago with Slam! Sports, the story on the Jays No. 1 pick Eddie Zosky was already in the bag when they heard about the third round selection, John Olerud.

The later selections then wern't as public as they are now and what they heard of Olerud was intriguing, more so than Zosky. Olerud became the lead, Zosky a footnote.

In the long run, it turned out to be the correct choice. Olerud hit Toronto that September, never playing a game in the minors. Zosky played almost his entire career in the minors.

Zosky was taken by the Blue Jays 19th overall that draft out of Fresno State. Zosky arrived in AA Knoxville that year, AAA Syracuse in 1991. It was in September that year that Zosky made his own way to Toronto, playing 18 games and batting just .148.

Zosky returned for just eight games in 1992. In one, Sept. 16, the gulf between the Jays first and third rounders from 1989 was evident. Olerud hit the game-winning two-run home run in the 10th. Zosky had already been taken out, for defensive replacement Alfredo Griffin.

"I had him batting in the eighth because I didn't want Zosky in there with his lack of experience," Jays manager Cito Gaston said in an Associated Press account, then noting a Griffin game-saving play. "The move paid off."

Zosky would go on to play parts of five seasons in the majors, small parts. His career game total hit just 44, ending in 2000 with four final games, these with the Astros. His final major league hit, of eight total, came a year earlier with Milwaukee.

Despite the years in the minors, Zosky kept his sense of humor. One time in 1993 bringing into the clubhouse bone chips that had been surgically removed from his elbow. Another time, in 1998, Zosky gave a mock answer to being the first Brewer in camp to be hit by a pitch in intersquad workouts.

"He apologized right away," Zosky told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that February. "I was going to charge the mound, but then he apologized so everything was OK."

• Tuscaloosa News, Associated Press, Sept, 17, 1992: Olerud pumped up over game-winner
• Milwaukee Journal, Feb. 19, 1998: Nilsson ailing
• Slam! Sports, June 9, 2007: Plenty has changed since 1989

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 87/880 - 9.9%
Made the Majors: 52 - 60%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 40%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 18
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 31

Carlos Garcia, Working on Next - 761

Check out the revisited feature on Carlos Garcia from August 2011: Every Time

Fresh off a full rookie year that saw him hit 12 home runs and hit .269, some saw great things ahead for Pirate Carlos Garcia.

In spring 1994, one writer even asked whether Garcia was the next great Pirate second basemen.

"Sometimes I think that I don't want to feel as confident, or as overconfident, as I do," Garcia told the Associated Press in an account from the Ocala Star-Banner. "I have my first year behind me and that's out of the way and I don't have to prove myself anymore. Sometimes I don't know if that's good or that's bad."

Garcia was signed by the Pirates as a free agent out of Venezuela, hitting AA in 1989, then AAA and the majors in 1990. He debuted with Pittsburgh Sept. 4, 1990, playing in four games.

His next two years were spent mostly at AAA Buffalo, before sticking in the majors through 1997. But Garcia never again matched that rookie campaign. Four more years, 1998-2001, mostly in the minors, and Garcia was done.

The answer to the "next great Pirate second basemen" question was answered, of course, with a 'no.' Of course, there haven't been many "great Pirates" since, so maybe the writer could be forgiven for asking.

But Garcia is now working to give some other writer the opportunity to ask that question. He was named last October as the Pirates' new first base coach and infield instructor. He'd spent the previous two seasons working as the club's minor league infield instructor.

His efforts so far have been switching former catcher Jeff Clement to first base.

"He's working hard, man,'' Garcia told Fanhouse.com March 7. "He's my project for the spring, and he really wants this.''

• Ocala Star-Banner, Associated Press, March 12, 1994: Garcia next great Pirate?
• AOLNews.com, Fanhouse.com, March 7, 2010: Jeff Clement Tackling First Challenge

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 86/880 - 9.8%
Made the Majors: 51 - 59%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 41%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 18
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 30

Pat Kelly, Great Relationship - 525

Read the revisited Pat Kelly feature from September 2012, Pat Kelly, How Good

Managing AA Harrisburg in 1996, Pat Kelly knew he had a good outfielder in Vladimir Guerrero.

"The thing that amazes you about Guerrero is that he can contribute in all facets of the game," Kelly told The Day of New London, Conn., adding later, "He does things other people just can't do."

It was high praise from a manager who'd already managed a decade in the minors, including 1990 in Las Vegas. Kelly's current managerial tally is 21 seasons, with this year his 22nd.

Kelly was named this past off season as the manager of the Reds single-A affiliate the Lynchburg Hillcats. He'd spent the past three seasons with the Reds' rookie-level Gulf Coast League team.

Kelly has been almost continuously in baseball since 1973. He was drafted in the third round that year by the Angels. He made it to AA in 1977 and AAA in 1978, by then with the Blue Jays system.

The catcher was called up to the big club May 27, 1980, debuting the next day at Fenway Park going 2 for 4. For a major league career that spanned a total of only three games, he played in the right parks. Two days later, he was in Yankee Stadium, going 0 for 3. His third, and what would be his final game, was June 3 at Exhibition Stadium. He got to bat in the 10th inning, grounding out.

Kelly has since returned to the majors. He spent part of 2007 in Cincinnati as a Reds bench coach.

These days, Kelly's baseball interests aren't limited to his own team, they also include his son, Casey Kelly. His son was taken by the Red Sox in the first round in 2008.

When the son was younger, he also often accompanied his dad on road trips, he told The Journal. He would even do his part in keeping the players loose. When he was six, in 1996, Casey Kelly told The Journal of testing his arm against the same Vlad Guerrero that so amazed his dad.

Casey Kelly described his manager dad to The Journal as a help, someone who's there to answer questions.

"That’s the kind of relationship we have," Casey Kelly told the paper. "We have a great relationship, and obviously I wouldn’t have the career I have if it weren’t for him and my family."

• Providance Journal's Jan. 22, 2010: Sox prospect Casey Kelly's roots run deep
• AP photo of Pat Kelly working this spring in fielding practice

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 85/880 - 9.7%
Made the Majors: 50 - 59%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 41%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 17
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 30

Ron Washington, Different Adversity - 165

Up to bat in the 11th inning of a 2-2 game, Ron Washington did on April 20, 1980 what he did only once the year before, hit a home run. This one would be a game winner for the AAA Toledo Mud Hens.

It was enough for The Toledo Blade to feature the 27-year-old who'd seen only 10 major league games in a decade of minor league service.

"I've had a lot of adversity," Washington told The Blade after the victory, noting a decade that included a late entry into baseball due to the draft, the military kind, and torn up knees that almost ended his career in 1978.

Washington is going through another type of adversity, now 30 years later, a kind that is entirely of his own making.

In July 2009, Washington, now the manager of the Texas Rangers, admitted at a press conference last week, Washington used cocaine. A random drug test prompted him to inform the Rangers of his cocaine use. He only used the drug once, he told the team.

"I had a very weak moment," Washington said at a news conference last week. "I did wrong and I take responsibility for that and I'm sorry."

He has since admitted to marijuana use in his early minor league career and amphetamines use during his major league career, according to ESPN.com.

Washington's was a playing career that spanned two decades. He got his first taste of the majors in 1977, playing 10 games for the Dodgers. He returned to the majors in 1981 with the Twins, playing each year following through 1989, the later three years with Baltimore, Cleveland and Houston.

By the time 1990 came around, Washington signed on with the Rangers for his final pro season. He played 101 games for the 89ers that year.

Washington managed and coached in the minors before making it back to the majors with Oakland in 1995 as a coach and instructor. It was in 2006 that the Rangers tapped him for their head job.

"I'm going to be a players' manager," Washington said in a USA Today story after accepting the position. "My job is solely to make sure that every player on the Texas Rangers feels like they are part of everything going on here."

Washington's gone 241-245 as the Rangers' manager.

As for his admissions last week, Washington was contrite.

"I'm just hoping and praying that people can forgive me and move forward," he said, according to MLB.com. "I am a good person ... no, I'm not a good person, I'm a damn good person, and I'm proud and I'm a fighter and I'm hungry and I made a mistake."

• The Toledo Blade, April 21, 1980: Washington's Homer Lifts Hens
• USA Today, The Associated Press, Nov. 6, 2006: Rangers hire ex-A's coach
  
• MLB.com, March 18, 2010: Washington admits drug use as a player
• ESPN.com, news services, March 18, 2010: Washington reveals past drug use

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 84/880 - 9.5%
Made the Majors: 49 - 58%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 42%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 17
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 29

Steve Smith's Amazing Race: Nice Mustache

Steve Smith and his daughter Allie showed their race skills again last week, coming in again in second place. Now Steve has told USA Today what may be their secret: his time in the minor leagues.

"I had 20 years in the minors," the member of the 1990 CMC set told the paper in a story Friday. "I made every ride. Baseball is a grind, you play 162 games. My daughter used to come and see me every summer, so she was used to traveling, too. We were perfect."

Last week's episode took them from Germany to France, picking up a baggette, taking part in a World War I reenactment, and donning mustaches for a bike ride. That's them in the picture above from CBS.com.

They escaped a U-Turn, having to do an extra challenge, when the lead team, Rhode Island police officers Louie and Michael chose another team, Joe and Heidi. However, from the outside, the better choice for Louie and Michael would have been Steve and Allie. They've proven to be a strong team, and they are uninjured. Joe of Joe and Heidi, had a bad knee. They would have been eliminated at some point soon on their own. Here's a video from CBS.com:

But Steve, at 57. remains in the race with his daughter. He is the oldest racer left in the field.

"So far in the race," Allie said of her father, "he's rocking it."

Steve commented his daughter later on her mustache.

Next episode is tonight on CBS tonight at 8/7c.

• Check out the USA Today story from March 18: Indians coach cherishes TV race with daughter

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

David Pavlas, Older the Better- 81

Read the revisited Dave Pavlas feature from September 2012. Dave Pavlas, That Feeling 

When David Pavlas signed with the Cubs in 1984 out of Rice University, he had no illusions of a long career.

"I figured it would last a couple years," Pavlas told his hometown paper The Victoria Advocate in 2002, "but I was going to give it a shot. I kept thinking this would be my last year and now, 18 years later, it's finally a reality."

That spring would be Pavlas' first out of baseball since he signed that initial contract. But it wasn't a steady trip through to retirement, one that The Advocate calculated took him through 12 organizations, playing in seven countries.

Pavlas even got himself a World Series ring with the Yankees in 1996, pitching in 16 games in August and September. He didn't pitch in the Series itself.

Pavlas showed early promise in the Cubs system, going 14-6 at single A Winston-Salem in 1986 and 6-1 the next at AA Pittsfield. Then the Cubs dealt him to Texas in exchange for Mike Mason.

He made it to AAA Oklahoma City in 1988, the Cubs took him back for 1990. That's the year he made his major league debut, taking the mound for the first time Aug. 21.

Then came the Braves and Pirates systems, and a couple years in Mexico.

Mexico, Pavlas told Nashville Scene in 2000, "was the true test of whether you wanted to play baseball."

In spring 1995, with 16 big league games under his belt, Pavlas attempted to get back through replacement ball. He did get back to the majors that year, for the first time since 1991, but his reception was different.

He pitched in four games for the Yankees that year, a year the Yankees made the post season. He had to wait for a player vote to see if he got a share of postseason money. He was the only replacement player to be voted a share. He received $250.

Pavlas played in Japan in 1997 for the Yomiuri Giants. He played 1998 with the Oakland and Arizona systems, rounding out his career back with the Yankees and Pirates systems. At one point, he even played in Taiwan.

"It just seemed like every year I never lost interest or desire to keep playing," Pavlas told The Advocate. "The older I got, the better I got. I just kept going."

• Nashville Scene, June 8, 2000: Baseball Odysseys
• Victoria Advocate, Feb. 14, 2002: Pavlas enjoyed pro career

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 83/880 - 9.4%
Made the Majors: 48 - 58%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 42%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 17
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 28

Dave Masters, Suspect Prospect - 77

Read the revisited Greatest 21 Days Dave Masters feature from September 2012, Dave Masters, Long Shot

Dave Masters was as accustomed to serving up fastballs as he was serving up cocktails during his playing career.

The pitcher, selected by the Cubs in the first round in 1985, worked as a bartender in the off season. It was out of necessity, he told the New York Times in 1989. The job of minor league pitcher didn't pay well.

''I don't know anyone in the minors who isn't really scraping financially just to exist,'' Masters told The Times. ''You always keep hoping you'll get called up to the majors. But you can go from prospect to suspect almost overnight.''

After a rocky start at single-A Winston-Salem, he went 1-11 with a 5.59 ERA, Masters made steady progress. He hit AA Pittsfield in 1987, making the Eastern League All Star team, then hit AAA Iowa in 1988.

He spoke to The Times July 5, 1989, after an injury that would place him on the shelf almost the entire year. The article was on athletes who went back to school. Masters at the time was attending De Paul, aiming for a degree in economics.

But he wouldn't need a degree just yet.

Masters returned to the mound in 1990, first with AAA Iowa. He then arrived in the Expos system, pitching at AA Jacksonville. The next year saw him with the Expos' AAA club in Indianapolis, then with the Giants, at AAA Phoenix.

It was in October 1991 that The Times caught back up with Masters, this time for a story on the University of California at Berkeley and its efforts at getting athletes back in school. Masters was to begin classes there that off season.

That schooling would soon come in handy. Masters tried for a spot on the Giants staff in spring training 1992, pitching four hitless innings in one outing. But he didn't make majors again.

Two more seasons, with the Giants system and the Mariners' and Masters was done, never making the big leagues.

• New York Times, July 6, 1989: Game Over, Athlete Hits the Books
• New York Times, Oct. 20, 1991: School Helping Athletes Return to the Classroom

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 82/880 - 9.3%
Made the Majors: 47 - 57%
Never Made the Majors: 35 - 43%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 17
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 27

Willie Greene, Quick Wrists - 849

Willie Greene put up power and average in high school, enough to get him taken by the Pirates in the first round. But his coaches didn't know where the 6-foot, 155 pound 17-year-old got it from, according to The Pittsburgh Press.

"I guess it's quick wrists," Greene told The Press after his selection, "I've been playing since I was little, 11 or 12. It took a lot of work. I just went out, took batting practice and fielded balls in my spare time."

The Pirates were looking for to make a difference, as their top pick from the previous year, Austin Manahan fizzled. Greene ended up making a difference for the Pirates, just not in the way they had envisioned.

On Aug. 16, 1990, the Pirates were closing in on their first of three consecutive division crowns. but they needed a pitcher. That pitcher was the Expos' Zane Smith. To get him, they only had to send Greene, Scott Ruskin and a player to be named: another fellow CMC setter, Moises Alou.

Smith went on to go 6-2 with a 1.30 ERA, helping the Pirates to the division crown. Greene went on to play parts of nine seasons in the majors, first getting there Sept. 1, 1992 with the Reds. Greene went 3 for 4 in his first major league game, becoming one of two Reds since 1958 to get three hits in a major league debut. Jay Bruce in 2008 was the other.

While Smith made a difference, the success of Greene and moreso Alou, the trade has been seen by some as one of the Pirates' worst.

Parts of eight of his seasons in the majors were with the Reds. His best year was 1997, when he hit .253, but hit 26 home runs. Traded to Baltimore in 1998, for Jeffrey Hammonds, Greene played 1999 with Toronto and 2000, his final year, with the Cubs.

• Read the June 6, 1989 Pittsburgh Press story: Pirates choose a little guy with power

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 81/880 - 9.2%
Made the Majors: 47 - 58%
Never Made the Majors: 34 - 42%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 17
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 27

Reed Olmstead, Bad Swings - 754

The Greatest 21 Days caught up with Reed Olmstead in July 2012, read the two-part interview: Reed Olmstead, That Confidence

Also check out the revisited Reed Olmstead feature from October 2011: Reed Olmstead, Extra Innings

Reed Olmstead took part in a ninth-inning rally to pull the Orlando SunRays into a tie. Then, in the 10th, he came to bat again, hitting a game-winning grand slam. Still, Olmstead wasn't happy with his swings, either of them.

''I was just looking for something to put the bat on, trying to make contact,'' Olmstead told The Orlando Sentinel after the game. ''I didn't take a good swing at it (the homer in the 10th). Actually, the first time up (in the ninth) I hit a good pitch, and I swung terribly at that one, too.''

Olmstead was in the midst of his best season of his six in affiliated ball. He hit eight home runs that year, hitting .266. But those six seasons were filled with other bad swings, ones that ended markedly differently than those two with Orlando. He never made it above AA.

Olmstead was selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 1986 draft, out of Blair High School in Pasadena. He spent three years in the Cardinal system, but never seemed to get any traction. He was sent directly to Johnson City. He played 58 games that year, hitting four home runs and batting .255.

On Aug. 3, 1986, Olmstead had a hand in a rare rookie league brawl. Fellow CMC setter Mike Walker brushed Olmstead back after giving up a three-run home run. The next pitch hit Olmstead in his hands. A brawl ensued, according to the account in the St. Petersburg Times, though Olmstead's role in the brawl itself wasn't mentioned.

But, after three years, it was time to move on.

''I feel comfortable now,'' Olmstead told the Orlando Sentinel in a July 1, 1990 article noting an Olmstead come back of sorts. ''All the years I was with the Cardinals, they worked with me so much that I didn't feel comfortable. I thought I was progressing, but the Cardinals didn't, so I asked for my release.''

After his release by the Cardinals, Olmstead caught on with the Phillies system. But he still hit just .238 with the Sally League Spartenburg team.

The Sentinel story on Olmstead's comeback included a not-so-ringing endorsement from a Phillies PR man. "We needed warm bodies at first base at the Class A level,'' Larry Shenk, vice president of public relations for the Phillies, told the paper. ''He became available, and Lee Thomas (Phillies' general manager) told me to sign him.''

Olmstead spoke to The Sentinel in the midst of his best minor league season in 1990. He hit .266 on the year. At the time of the July 1 story, he was hitting .293.

Olmstead spent part of 1991 back in Orlando, his batting average dropping below .200. He then caught on with Houston, playing the other part of the season at high-A Osceola, not doing much better.

Five years later, he's recorded playing in the independent Northern League with Thunder Bay, the next with the Prairie League's Regina Cyclones and Olmstead was done.

• Orlando Sentinel, July 1, 1990: Olmstead: It's Still 'I Think I Can'
• Orlando Sentinel, Aug. 1, 1990: Rays Win With Grand Slam In 10th

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 80/880 - 9.1%
Made the Majors: 46 - 58%
Never Made the Majors: 34 - 42%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 16
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 27

Don Vesling, Ball Control - 378

Check out the revisited Don Vesling feature from December 2011: Don Vesling, Too Fine

Don Vesling would eventually become a Detroit Tigers farmhand, pitching for six seasons, trying to put the ball where he wanted it, past batters. But on Sept. 20, 1986, Vesling was putting another ball where he wanted it - through the uprights.

Then a junior for Eastern Michigan University, Vesling kicked the game-winning 20-yard field goal with 1:09 left, beating the Akron Zips. Vesling had been a three sport star since high school, playing football, basketball and baseball at Midview High in his home state of Ohio. But it was baseball that he ultimately chose.

In the 1987 baseball draft, the Tigers took Vesling in the 14th round. Vesling spent that year with the Tigers' rookie league teams in Bristol and Lakeland. He made AA London in 1989 and AAA Toledo later that year.

He owned the Eastern League's best ERA into late May 1989 before losing to the Albany Yankees and fellow 1990 CMC setter Mike Christopher 9-6.

His 1990 stint with Toledo saw Vesling pitch in 35 games for the Mud Hens, for a 4.36 ERA. On June 8, he pitched for the first time after a long layoff, pitching seven innings and giving up just four hits.

"Vesling hadn't pitched for 10 days and I think his control was shakey early," Mud Hen Manager Tom Gamboa told the Toledo Blade. "But once he got going ... he kept us in a position to win."

Vesling made the Tigers' 40-man roster that year, but never got the call up to the majors. In 1991, Vesling bounced between London and Toledo, after an initial invitation to spring training. The next year, his last in pro ball, began at London and ended in AAA Las Vegas in the Padres organization.

Out of baseball, Vesling went on to be a steel broker. In 2001, he was inducted into his high school's Hall of Fame.

• Read Vesling's Midview High Hall of Fame entry

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 79/880 - 9.0%
Made the Majors: 46 - 58%
Never Made the Majors: 33 - 42%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 16
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 27

Manny Hernandez, Signed Baseball - 356

Check out the revisited Manny Hernandez feature from September, 2012: Manny Hernandez, Few Minutes

Manny Hernandez had just made the big club. He had also just got his first major league win, June 13, 1986, pitching 5.2 innings in a 4-1 Astros win.

"I'm so happy," Hernandez said in a wire account of the game published in the Miami News. "I've been waiting since 1979 to pitch in the big leagues. My dream has come true."

Hernandez had been signed by the Astros as a 17-year-old free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Hernandez worked his way through the minors, staying in A ball through 1983. In 1984, he made the jump to AAA Tucson, then to Houston in 1986.

His 1986 call-up came after an opening left by Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Ryan suffered an elbow strain and Hernandez was the beneficiary.

Hernandez pitched in nine games for Houston in 1986. He was a longshot to make the Houston rotation for 1987. He made it back, but not until September, pitching in six games, going 0-4. In one game, Sept. 10, Hernandez gave up the winning rally.

After a stint in the Twins system in 1989, Hernandez was picked up in August by the Mets. He also got a September call-up. The call-up would be his last. He only pitched in a single game that year. In one inning, he struck out one and gave up no runs. He hung on at AAA through 1991.

For his career, Hernandez only got two major league wins, both in 1986. That first win was notable in that Giants manager Roger Craig accused Houston closer Dave Smith of doctoring the baseball. Craig wanted to see the ball, according to The Associated Press wrote.

But it was Hernandez who ultimately got the ball. It also ended up with something on it, but it wasn't scuffs.

"I'll never forget this day in my life," Hernandez told reporters. "Right now I don't believe I'm in Houston with my first victory. I got the ball from Mark Bailey. I want all my teammates to sign it."

• Miami News, wire account, June 13, 1986: Astros' rookie pitcher follows orders well
• Ocala Star-Banner, Associated Press, June 13, 1986: Baseballs in Demand As Astros Top Giants

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 79/880 - 8.9%
Made the Majors: 47 - 59%
Never Made the Majors: 32 - 41%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 16
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 28