The Mount Rushmore, non HOF edition

MLB Radio recently was discussing Mount Rushmores of MLB teams and it got me thinking about who the Pirates Mount Rushmore would be.  Many teams Mount Rushmores (including the Pirates) can be quickly identified by retired jersey numbers and bronze statues outside the ballparks.

The 4 best players for the Pirates are 3 guys who spent their entire career with the Pirates (Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente) and one guy who was pillaged from another team that it actually changed the team name to the Pirates (Honus Wagner).

All obvious choices, but what about the unsung legends of our favorite franchises lore?  

Who are the guys who likely won't be in the Hall of Fame, who won't have a statue outside a ballpark, and who won't have their number retired? 

Who are those guys that fans of the franchise will talk about for many years to come?

I think we all know who I'm going to lead off with on my Mount Rushmore of Pirates legends not in HOF, number retired, or bronze statues....

Andrew McCutchen

Pictured above is a canvas photo signed by Cutch that is hanging in the Cutch Cave.

Now for a pair of guys who were legends on the 1979 World Series Championship Pirates

As you descend into "The Pitt" my Pittsburgh sports theme bar area in my basement I have some great pieces of artwork by Dan Horine of Popflyshop.

Dave Parker

Another MVP winner, but also a member of the last time the Pirates won the World Series, Parker was a batting champion, All-Star MVP, Gold Glove winner with the Pirates before going on to be a member of 

Kent Tekulve

His most famous years were with the Pirates when he was the closer for the 1979 World Series Champions. He later went on to be in the bullpens of the Phillies and Reds. He also served as the post game analyst for the Pirates home games over the past few decades before officially retiring a few seasons ago.

Temporarily hanging up in the utility area of "The Pitt" is this canvas photo signed by Steve Blass and Manny Sanguillen.

Steve Blass

An odd choice I know, when you consider guys like Jason Bay, Jason Kendall, Barry Bonds (he will be remember more as a Giant), Al Oliver, Manny Sanguillen will be omitted, but I have to give it to Steve Blass who was the pitcher on the mound when the Pirates won the 1971 World Series and would later go on to broadcast for the Pirates for nearly three decades.  

Who are the top 4 non hall of famers on your favorite team?

Cobra Origins

I missed a post yesterday because I was just too exhausted from work and chose to go on hiatus for 24 hours and just recover.  

We are back with another installment in the 1st (and likely only) Karate Kid/Cobra Kai theme week on Collecting Cutch.

I finished Season 3 yesterday and the Cobra Kai season 3 is the best yet.  There is a fantastically filmed scene that looks to have been mostly shot all in one shot. 

I won't go into too many spoilers, but the most intriguing character development is the backstory of Sensei John Kreese. 

Kreese is the original sensei of Cobra Kai and we learn the origins of Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy.  The former Vietnam soldier had one hell of a origin.

Since I am not only looking at the Karate Kid trilogy, but also Cobra Kai I am a bit surprised it took me until Thursday to discuss someone named after a cobra because of how hard he struck a baseball and the serpent like motion he threw a baseball from the outfield.  I am of course talking about The Cobra, Dave Parker.  

I mentioned the amazing artwork that Daniel Horine is doing on his popflyshop where he sells prints of his comic book cover inspired baseball prints.  He is planning on releasing them as a 5x7 print set, but after the 7 day order window is up for the 8x10prints, no more will be printed.  It is very important to visit his shop at least once a week to see what the new art is.

There are so many easter eggs in each print he creates.  

For The Cobra print seen above here are some of the eggs I saw.

The price of the comic (79 cents) is a nod to the 1979 World Series Champions, Pittsburgh Pirates.  

The issue number (39) is Parker's Pirates jersey number.  

In the "floating head" box we see a hockey mask, a nod to when Parker wore a hockey mask due to a broken nose.

The image of Parker smoking in the dugout is a fairly famous image for the Two Time Batting Champ (which is mentioned on the cover)

The smoke from the cigarette forms a cobra, his nickname.

The text references a famous saying he wore on a t-shirt, which is also shown in upper corner. 

As both a comic fan and baseball fan, Daniel's art blows me away with every new print he puts out. 

He currently has a Babe Ruth print available (seen below),  Check his website often for more updates.

Here is the only licensed card of Cobra and Cutch I own.

It is from 2013 Topps Archives and is a Fan Favorites insert card.

I also have an unlicensed card featuring 1/1 patches and sticker autos of Cobra and Cutch from Hits Memorabilia.

What is your fondest memory of Dave "The Cobra" Parker?

What are your thoughts on Daniel's popflypopshop art prints combining comics and baseball?

Have you watched Season 3 of Cobra Kai and did you like the backstory for Sensei Kreese?

History Lesson: Rewriting History

Now that Crisis Week is over and some history has been rewritten in the DC Comics Television Universe, I am going to show a post I accidently published for a few hours back on Tuesday before realizing I had to get the Arrow Crisis post out prior to 8pm.

With the decade of the 2010s officially over, I thought it would be kind of cool to hop in the way back machine and look at an Andrew McCutchen card from 2010 that offered a prediction of Cutch heading into 2020.

The 2010 insert set had a small set size of 20 cards and the back discusses Topps prediction for how certain players will develop into the 2020 season.

The checklist is extensive in young upcoming stars.  It doesn't feature any prospects, only players who made their MLB debut prior to 2010.

Of the 20 players a few have already retired (Ryan Howard, Joe Mauer, David Wright, Andre Ethier, Ubaldo Jimenez), one has passed away (Tommy Hanson), and a few are currently free agents that may not appear in the majors in 2020 (Hunter Pence, Gordon Beckham, Matt Kemp).  Chris Coghlan appears in the set also but hasn't officially retired despite not appearing in a major league game since 2017.

The back of Cutch's card makes mention that he could have the most RBI and Home Runs by a Pirate Outfielder in a calendar decade if he surpassed Roberto Clemente's marks of 177HR and 862RBI set by Clemente in the 60s.

A few things about that jumped out to me as I normally don't think of Clemente as a big bopper RBI and HR machine.  I think of guys like Willie Stargell, Ralph Kiner, and Dave Parker.  Brian Giles and Jason Bay in recent memory also stand out, but neither of them had the longevity for a decade long run.

Stargell played a full calendar decade with the Pirates in the 70s, but the majority of that decade he was already transitioning to a full time first baseman.

Ralph Kiner mashed the baseball in his very brief career but that career lasted only from April 1946 to September 1955.  From his debut season in 1946 until 1952, Kiner lead the National League in HRs seven consecutive years (a feat that no other player in history has done).

Parker suffered a fate of not playing a calendar decade much the same way that many other players felt.  His prime in the late 70s rode into the early 80s and wasn't enough to match what Clemente did for the entire decade of the 60s.

Cutch played with the Pirates from 2009 to 2017, having been traded prior to the 2018 season.  That gives Clemente an edge in that he had 2 more full seasons to accumulate stats.

With that being said, Cutch outpaced Clemente in the Home Run department with 191 over 8 seasons versus Clemente's 177 over 10.  Clemente did have more RBIs though accumulating 862 RBI compared to Cutch's 671.

Those numbers look pretty drastic, but how would Cutch's numbers looked if he kept playing in Pittsburgh (and assuming healthy in 2019)?

Cutch averaged 84 RBI over his Pirates career along with 24 HR in the 2010s.  Those numbers are comparable with his "decline years" in 2016 and 2017.  Had he stayed healthy and finished out the 2019 season with the Pirates he likely would have hit 239 Home Runs for the 2010s along with 839 RBI.

To say that it would surprise no one that he would compare to an All Time Pirates Legend like Clemente is accurate, but what Topps didn't take into account was the Pirates financial situation of being a small market club.

Ultimately Cutch was traded and is on his third team since leaving the Steel City despite playing just 214 games since the close of the 2017 season. Much like so many other Pirates fan favorites before like Jason Bay, Cutch may not be a forever Pirate, but he will forever be remembered as a Pirate.

The Pirates three straight Wild Card finishes may not be on the same level as the Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith Buffalo Bills, but for a very brief window the Pirates with one of the smallest payrolls in baseball was a legit World Series contender for three consecutive years.  They also lost three straight Win or Go Home games much like the Never Dynasty of the Bills.

Many people forget this because of Mike Trout's quick rise, but Cutch became a face of baseball and was a top 3 player for four consecutive years.

He still lives in Pittsburgh and is an active member of the community.

The Cobra Strikes

These MLB Network feature documentaries can be so emotional.

It is a good reminder that we are all human and no matter how great of an athlete you once were, Father Time eventually catches up.  I am grateful for the opportunity to have seen Parker before his Parkinson's got bad.

God Bless You Mr. Parker!!!

Way back in 2013 I showed off a bunch of my autographs and relics of Dave Parker on my old blog Piratestreasureroom.  I jave since doubled that number.

Boppin With The Boys 1/1 style

I love adding multiple relics and/or multiple autographs featuring Cutch with other players.

Some players I wish that Cutch had either relics or autos with would include:
Barry Bonds (Pitt and San Francisco connection)
Aroldis Chapman (threw fastest recorded pitch to Cutch)
Russell Martin and Justin Morneau (combined to complete the final out to secure Pittsburgh's 1st Winning Season in 20 years.  A triple threads triple relic with 8-3-2 with a description of the play on back would have been awesome in 2013)

One player I always wanted a card of Cutch with was Dave "Cobra" Parker.  Both began their careers with Pittsburgh and won MVP awards while showing 5 tool talent skill sets.

Thanks to Hits Memorabilia "Throwbacks" release I can finally cross that dream card off my list.  Not only is it a card I always wanted to be made, but it's also a new 1/1 card for the collection.

The card features a warm up jacket worn by Parker during his California Angels years in addition to a Spring Training jersey worn by Cutch.

Now you may ask why I didn't show off a Valentine related card today.  Well...this Cobra (Commander) meme should answer that question.

Today, I'm boppin with the boys.  Being stuck at work and avoiding overpriced dinners and flowers.  It works out well.
Boppin with the boys...a phrase made popular by a Dave Parker t-shirt from the 70s.

Cutch's new teammate Evan Longoria is sportin the shirt

That said, the lady and I will be going out this weekend to enjoy each other's company.

Thankful for FujiSan

Everyone else has already posted about their packages received by Fuji over the past few weeks.

This dude flat out destroyed people's PC needs and wants.  

Fuji, your kindness to all of us is greatly appreciated and I am thankful to call you a hobby friend.

With Thanksgiving being just a week ago, I wanted to begin thanking Fuji for all he has done for the blogging card collectors.

Here's what he sent

Ryan Fricking Doumit!!!!

If you followed my old blog, Pirates Treasure Room you know that I was a big fan of Ryan Doumit.  He wasn't the best player even on the very bad Pirates teams, but he was a guy that was extremely easy to root for.

His entrance song was Mother by Danzig.

Mother by Danzig \m/

Fuji also hooked me up with a smorgasbord of Cutch cards

including this SP photo variant which I may turn into a custom using a  game issued wrist band in the center of photo.

But also this 2013 Bowman Gold which surprisingly I didn't own

The best cards though?
These two Kellogg's 3-D SuperStars of the Pirates Zooteam.
Mad Dog and the Cobra!!!!

David Gene Parker never looked so good!!!

Thank you so much Fuji.  You are truly a legend among our blogging community.

I am very thankful and grateful for your kindness.

Miles From McCutchen

Mark of the many blogs Miles From Miller, The Yount Collector, The Rollie Fingers Collector, etc sent me a care package containingsome  awesome Pirates cards.

Up first the two newest Cutch cards to be added to my collection.  I still need a bunch of the parallels for this release so if anyone has them please hit me up.

Hall of Famers are always welcomed.  The Clemente I had, but the others are all new.

Next up are some current Bucs.  Because I only get the flagship Topps release each year I have been missing out on many of the other releases of Buccos.

Some former Bucs.  Jack Wilson was a defensive wizard that NEVER got the credit he deserved.

And some failed Bucs prospects

To finish off we have some color parallels.  I have never seen the unnumbered orange parallel that Neil Walker is on.  Anyone know about them?