Joe Maddon, the Mad Scientist pt2

On Sunday Night, Joe Maddon had his Chicago Cubs team arrive in Houston wearing throwback basketball uniforms.  Since it's (Throwback) Thursday and the NBA Finals will kick off let's review what was worn.

We begin with Jon Lester sporting a Penny Hardaway pinstripe jersey and the old school Penny sneakers.

This may have been my personal favorite of the bunch considering that Penny was one of my three favorite basketball players growing up.  The others being Reggie Miller and Tim Hardaway.

I just showed off my Lester autograph last week when I questioned the impact prospects have on our hobby.

This wins best original concept award.  Cole Hamels as Jackie Moon sporting a Flint Tropics jersey made famous by Will Ferrell.  FANTASTIC CHOICE MR. HAMELS!

Here is another Just Minors dual signature card I have of Cutch, this time featuring Cole Hamels.

Also a printing plate featuring McCutchen and Hamels

Since it is Chicago, what kind of team would the Cubs be if they didn't support an All-Time Great and Chicago Bulls Legend, Michael Jordan?  Jason Heyward stepped up to the plate and he looks like he could actually ball.

Yet, another Just Minors dual auto card.

But wait, there's more...
Cutch, Heyward, another Maddon favorite, David Price

A dual History of Game card

And a printing plate from Just Minors

And a sexta jersey booklet

Want more basketball jerseys?  How about Albert Amora and Anthony Rizzo both sporting recently retired Dwayne Wade Miami Vice jerseys.

Plenty of Rizzo cards to go around which I've already shown off here.

And to wrap things up, the greatest act of all.  El Mago, the Magician Javy Baez, doing his checkups as the Doctor, Julius Erving.

And we finish with a sexta autograph booklet featuring autographs of Anthony Rendon, Javy Baez, Josh Bell, Ryan Zimmerman, Starlin Castro, and of course Cutch.

Who are you rooting for in the NBA Finals?

Future Hall of Famers, A Look Back From the Future

Back in 2013, CBS wrote a story about several players under the age of 26 and their likelihood of achieving baseball immortality in Cooperstown.

The link can be found HERE.

Many appear to still be borderline candidates, but it is crazy to look back at how much has changed in only 5 years.

Names like Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw will have done enough once they meet the 10 year minimum to be first ballot consideration.

According to them names like Jason Heyward and Starlin Castro were already on the right path.

As Adrian Beltre recently proved though, you may not appreciate how great a player was until their career is over.

Maybe Justin Upton, Andrew McCutchen, and Matt Kemp will go on to play until theyre 40 and 10 years from now we will look back and realize "these guys were always pretty good."

But is "pretty good" over 20 years worthy enough to get you in the Hall of Fame?

Adrian Beltre may prove that longevity and consistency is more important than having 10 great years and that is basically it. 

Only 17 3rd Baseman have been enshrined in Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame.  And yet here we sit on the week of Beltre announcing his retirement and it seems almost unanimously that most talk radio shows, sports writers, and the like think he will make it to the Hall of Fame.  At any point though was he the best 3rd baseman in the game?  Would you rather have had Beltre or a guy named Wright, Rodriguez, Rolen, Machado, Donaldson manning the hot corner if you starting a franchise?  Most wouldn't say Beltre is my guess. 

I am in no way saying Beltre doesn't belong in the Hall. I am merely pointing out that we should recognize greatness as it is happening and not after it is gone.

Good luck to Mr. Beltre on his post baseball career.  You were fun to watch.

Harpooned A Sex Whale!

Ever since I let the last 2012 Bowman Platinum Hexagraph booklet escape my clutches, I have been asking Bob Walk The Plank if he would ever part with his.

Only 10 exist and while they don't feature any big time hobby names, the card does feature World Series Champion Javier Baez.  Javy is my girlfriend's favorite player because she likes the passion he plays with and the way he showboats.

The card features a top draft pick of the 2011 draft along with some of the top players (at the time) with the same team.  The Cubs Starlin Castro is teamed up with Baez.  The Nationals Ryan Zimmerman is teamed up with Anthony Rendon and the Pirates have Cutch and rookie Josh Bell.

Far too often with cards like these you get a couple guys that didn't even make the majors or only got a cup of coffee.  This card looks to have some fan favorites that will last in the memories of those franchises for years to come.

Ryan Zimmerman was the first Nationals draft pick EVER and is having a good start to the season.

Cutch could be a borderline Hall of Famer if his career continues the way it started.

Castro is a 3 time All-Star and a singles hitting machine.  He started his career early enough that collecting 2,500 career hits shouldn't be out of the question.

The book has just been opened on Baez, Bell, and Rendon so there is plenty of time left to see how those young men's careers turn out.

Looking back at the 2011 draft it would have been nice to get Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley paired on this card, but it seems like they were going for a National League look with only position players.

This card is a huge get for my collection.  The seller was very patient with me getting the funds together to send him payment past the 5 day period.

I was nervous that it would take a very long time for the card to arrive since it was coming from New Zealand.  In only six days I received this six player autograph booklet that has been a whale for a few years.

Fun fact: the New Zealand accent makes six sound like sex.  Thus I got my sex whale title.