2008 midland rockhounds team set review

2008 Midland RockHounds team set
Official Score – bases clearing DOUBLE
Manufacturer: Grandstand
SGA: Sunday, June 1, 2008
– Tulsa Drillers - 2 / Midland RockHounds - 0
Sponsor: Coldwell Banker Covenant, KMID abc 2, KODM98
Retail price: Best guess is $9.99 at the team shop, $12.00 secondary market

Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A’s for the past decade, the Midland RockHounds have earned the respect of fans and “baseball people” located hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles beyond the Texas League circuit. The RockHounds don’t just do baseball- they do it right. In fact, the RockHounds were honored as winners of Minor League Baseball’s John H. Johnson President’s award in 2007. That’s pretty impressive.

I was lucky enough to have made the trip to Midland, Texas last summer to watch the RockHounds take on the Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros). I can tell you first hand that they have a fantastic ballpark. One very kool feature of Midland’s Citibank Ballpark is Legacy Field- a wiffleball field that was opened on the centerfield concourse in 2007. My only complaint was that they didn’t schedule any extra inning games while I was there!

I really like the grey and white mottled three-sided borders on the front sides of this team set. I also like the concept of having all positions listed in the border while the appropriate one is highlighted in the same blue used for the player name, position and team name. Neat idea! It sort of reminds me of the gear selection display panel in my jeep. If I ever manage to hook up with a representative from Grandstand Trading Cards, I hope to be able to say something about the templates used in the creation of their cards.

One of the questions I will ask Grandstand is whether they even offer a checklist with their team sets as I have yet to review one that included one. The 2008 Midland RockHounds 27-card team set is no exception.

1 – [5] Cliff Pennington (inf)
2 – [9] Jon Zeringue (of)
3 – [10] Kristian Bell (p)
4 – [11] Myron Leslie (of)
5 – [14] Scott Emerson (pitching coach)
6 – [15] Brian Snyder (inf)
7 – [16] Nick Blasi (of)
8 – [18] Jesus Guzman (inf)
9 – [19] Justin Sellers (inf)
10 – [20] Aaron Cunningham (of)
11 – [22] Casey Myers (c/batting coach)
12 – [24] Andy Shipman (p)
13 – [25] Andrew Carignan (p)
14 – [28] Ryan Webb (p)
15 – [30] Jason Glushon (p)
16 – [31] Henry Rodriguez (p)
17 – [32] Vincent Mazzaro (p)
18 – [33] PatrickCurrin (p)
19 – [34] Justin Dowdy (p)
20 – [40] James Simmons (p)
21 – [41] Jay Marshall (p)
22 – [45] Anthony Recker (c)
23 – [46] Andrew Bailey (p)
24 – [49] Webster Garrison (manager)
25 – [50] Jose Rojas (p)
26 – [55] Tommy Everidge (inf)
27 – [‘08] Jeremy Smith (realtor)

Yes, the cards are thin, but they aren’t exactly flimsy. Both sides exhibit a semi-gloss finish, so graphers do need to employ a bit of caution to ensure that the fresh signatures don’t get smudged. A few nanoseconds of drying time in that warm west Texas air should be more than enough. Card backs exhibit four-color printing of player stats, team and sponsor logos, and other important data over a grey background with a stylized batter image in white. The cards are sharp and easy to read. Photos are credited to HotShots Photography and Greg Bergman.

Eight of the set’s thirteen pitchers are posed in right field with the scoreboard used as a nice background. Instead of coming off as monotonous, this strategy actually helped highlight each player’s unique personality. It was actually kind of difficult deciding which cards to include as an example. That said… this offering of Jason Glushon was a must. I like a card image that needs no description. The shadow cast by Jason’s extended arm is bothersome, but even that doesn’t really take away too much from this card.

I also selected Vincent Mazzaro as a representative sample of the posed pitchers cards in the set since he currently leads the Midland RockHounds with 8 wins and an ERA of only 2.29 over 17 starts this season. Mazzaro has only suffered three losses and given up three long balls while completing 106 innings on the mound.

Although the five remaining cards featuring pitchers are action photos taken from different angles, the quality and clarity of those photos simply fall a bit short of the bar that was set by the eight posed shots. James Simmons’ card is my favorite of the action photos used for the pitchers. Simmons is the only non-coach present wearing an orange jersey. Just to make it easier to sleep at night, let’s assume this photo was taken while Simmons was warming up, as a large portion of the crowd seated along the first base line seems to not be anticipating the possibility of a screaming foul ball heading in their direction.

This card of Ryan Webb is the only one with horizontal orientation with exception of the sponsor card that features realtor Jeremy Smith. Unfortunately, the photo of Webb is completely out of focus, resulting in that card being my least favorite in the set. On the other hand, this card does make you stop and take notice of the ultra KOOL RockHounds logo.

This set contains six cards of players batting. This card of Tommy Everidge gives you a good idea of what to expect in that department. It is worth noting that the focus on the other five is a bit sharper than this.

The remaining four player cards are a wonderful mixture of baseball randomness that goes beyond hitting and pitching. These cards include Brian Snyder running, Myron Leslie warming up on deck, and a well-framed shot of Anthony Recker in the process of throwing out a would-be base thief.

I really like this card of Jon Zeringue. Not only is he helping out a teammate by carrying his stuff back to the dugout, but he also appears to be lending a sympathetic ear as someone just off to the side explains that the first base umpire just blew a call. Isn’t that what teammates are supposed to do?

The RockHounds always schedule a large number of fantastic promotions for fans that show up at Midland’s Citibank Ballpark throughout the season, including the popular “Thirsty Thursdays.” Heck, for $2,400 you can sponsor your own half-inning! Of all the promos, it is tough to top Photo Wednesdays when the first 250 fans through the turnstiles receive a player photo packet. These photos are great to get autographed by players who stick around after the game. Of course fans that don’t arrive in time for a free player photo packet can always pop into the RockHounds’ gift shop and pick up one or more team sets to get autographed as well.

Overall this is a quality product that I believe should appeal to fans beyond those in Midland, Sacramento and Oakland. Without a doubt, all of you RiverCats and A’s fans need to grab up these cards so you’ll be ready when players get called up. I see that you can purchase various Midland RockHounds team sets (2000, 2001 and 2002) and Texas League Top Prospect card sets (2001, 2002 and 2004) and online for right around ten bucks each. However, I was unable to find where you can pick up a set of the 2008 Midland RockHounds cards directly from the team, so I would advise that you contact them directly to find out what other card sets are available.

- Kris

2005 charleston riverdogs team set review

2005 Charleston RiverDogs team set
Official Score – 2-6-5-4-2-6 CAUGHT STEALING
Manufacturer: undetermined
Sponsor: SunCom Wireless
Retail price: $6.00

Just under a quarter of a million fans attended games at the “Joe” to cheer on the Charleston RiverDogs as they finished the 2005 season with a record of 80 wins and 58 losses. Crowned the first half Southern Division champions of the South Atlantic League, the RiverDogs were unable to defeat the Kannapolis Intimidators in the first round of the SAL playoffs at the end of the season.

Outfielder Tim Battle led the RiverDogs in games played (134), at bats (525), runs scored (97), doubles (33), triples (11), homers (16), stolen bases (40), caught stealing (16) and strikeouts (195). I think those stats are deserving of having his card featured here.

It would be a mistake for me to not also feature the card of Phil Hughes from this set, if for no other reason than using his name recognition to help attract new readers. Philip Hughes led the RiverDogs pitching staff with a WHIP of 0.90 and winning 7 of his 12 starts. The fact that Hughes yielded only a single long ball in 68.2 innings helped keep his season ERA at 1.97. Hughes was one of three RiverDogs who hurled complete games during the 2005 season. The other two were Eric Hacker and Jeff Marquez. They both have cards in the set, so I will also include scans of them to give you a good idea of the sort of variation to expect with this set.

The design layout of the front doesn’t offend me, but I don’t feel that it is as interesting as the 2007 RiverDogs team set. “Minor league-thin” cards in this set have a semi-gloss finish on both sides. Card backs consist of black and tan printing over white. As expected, this is where you will find short player bios and stats. In addition to the RiverDogs logo, the back also contains a cartoon baseball player. Well, don’t get too excited over this news because there are only two variations of the cartoon- one for hitters and one for pitchers.

No printed checklist or any sort of # or # designators, so I have listed them alphabetically- with the nonessential cards at the end. Be sure to consult minors.baseball-reference.com to review the stats of all the RiverDogs from the 2005 season.

1 – Tim Battle (of)
2 – Saydel Beltran (p)
3 – Phil Coke (p)
4 – Jordan Devoir (inf)
5 – Christian Garcia (p)
6 – Mike Gardner (p)
7 – Cody Ehlers (inf)
8 – Edwar Gonzalez (of)
9 – Ryan Haag (inf)
10 – Eric Hacker (p)
11 – Estee Harris (of)
12 – Mario Holmann (inf)
13 – Philip Hughes (p)
14 – Ben Jones (inf)
15 – Jeff Marquez (p)
16 – Mike Martinez (p)
17 – Bill Mosiello (manager)
18 – Shaun Parker (p)
19 – William Plaza (c)
20 – Grant Plumley (inf)
21 – Steve Renko (pitching coach)
22 – Kevin Rival (p)
23 – Irwil Rojas (c)
24 – Torre Tyson (hitting coach)
25 – Marcos Vechionacci (inf)
26 – Chase Wright (p)
27 – Tim Lentych (trainer) & Orlando Fernandez (clubhouse manager)
28 – Ken Carrington (announcer)
29 – Charlie T. RiverDog (mascot)
30 – Chelsea (mascot)

All photos are credited to Brad Nettles, Sr. This shot of Mario Holmann is my selection for “best” card in the team set.

I also like this card of Irwil Rojas who seems to have removed his catcher’s mask to ask the home plate umpire if Holmann’s card truly is the best in the set- lobbying with the man in blue, “But it looks like it was taken directly from “The Sandlot!”

I know it’s crazy, but Ben Jones appears to have been caught between the moon and New York City, and is trying to make up his mind on what to do next… if anything.

Of course it comes down to a matter of your priorities, but I’d say an entire team set for about what you’d expect to pay for a single gallon of gas these days is a reasonable deal. Best deal is for you to purchase this team set directly from the Charleston RiverDogs.

Expect to pay in the range of $11 to $15 if you buy this team set on the secondary market. Or you could go nuts and buy a partially autographed set on eBay for approximately sixty to eighty bucks.

- Kris

all-star salute * triple-a

Congratulations to each of the following four Albuquerque Isotopes players named to the 2008 Pacific Coast League All-Star roster!

John Gall

2004 Upper Deck SP Prospects no. 177

Dallas McPherson

2006 Upper Deck Special F/X no. 6

John Baker

2002 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres no. 57

Chris Seddon

2005 Bowman’s Best Silver no. 99

Be sure to tune into ESPN2 on July 16th and cheer these guys on in the Triple-A All-Star Game at Louisville Slugger Field.

- Kris

2007 modesto nuts team set review

2007 Modesto Nuts team set
Official Score – TWO-INNING SAVE
Manufacturer: Grandstand
Sponsor: Krier’s Cards & Comics
Retail price: $ 10.00

I must confess that from the moment I first opened the envelope from the Modesto Nuts front office and began leisurely thumbing my way through this team set, I started wondering why it is exactly that I don’t have a Modesto Nuts jersey. What am I…. crazy?

The Modesto Nuts are the Advanced Class-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They do not play their home games against California League rivals in an almond orchard as you might suppose, but rather in John Thurman Field not far from the Tuolumne River in Modesto, California. Given that the ballpark was built by the Acme Construction company, it isn’t difficult to imagine giant cartoon anvils and pianos suspended overhead that can be dropped on unsuspecting umpires and bad 7th inning stretch singers at a moment’s notice.

Of course you didn’t come here for that! You are probably interested in finding out what players are in the set and what the cards look like. I’ve taken the time to type up a checklist since there isn’t one included in the team set.

Checklist: 31 cards (neither printed nor included)

1 – [2] Eric Young Jr. (inf)
2 – [3] Dave Hajek (hitting coach)
3 – [5] Neil Wilson (c)
4 – [7] Nick Haley (inf)
5 – [8] Chris Nelson (inf)
6 – [9] Jerry Weinstein (manager)
7 – [10] Phillip Cuadrado (inf)
8 – [11] Daniel Carte (of)
9 – [12] David Arnold (p)
10 – [13] Butch Hughes (pitching coach)
11 – [14] Kyle Blumenthal (c)
12 – [17] Travis Becktel (of)
13 – [20] Jeff Kindel (inf)
14 – [21] Nelson Robledo (c)
15 – [22] Brandon Hynick (p)
16 – [23] Brandon Durden (p)
17 – [24] Dexter Fowler (of)
18 – [25] Jonathan George (p)
19 – [27] Darric Merrell (p)
20 – [28] Alan Johnson (p)
21 – [29] Xavier Cedeno (p)
22 – [30] David Patton (p)
23 – [31] Cole Garner (p)
24 – [32] Edgar Huerta (p)
25 – [33] Justin Nelson (of)
26 – [34] Chaz Roe (p)
27 – [35] Jose Valdez (inf)
28 – [37] Lino Garcia (of)
29 – [41] Andrew Johnston (p)
30 – [43] Pedro Strop (p)
31 – [46] Tomas Santiago (p)

Ron Jackson is given photo credit for this shot of Eric Young Jr. In fact, he is given credit for every shot used in the team set. The result is consistent, quality photography and a nice looking set of cards.

The only two player cards that are not action photos belong to pitchers David Arnold and Jonathan George. I really like the spirit in which these cards were created, but am left with the nagging question of whether the background was Photoshopped in, or if the Nuts have a giant photo on a wall that they parade players past while snapping head shots. I would suspect the Photoshopping theory since George’s skin tone suggests that he may have been photographed while standing in front of a green screen.

You may have noticed that there is a Dexter Fowler card in this set. It isn’t particularly interesting. I suppose that Dexter cherishes those moments in baseball where he finds himself standing at the ready to swing a bat, as opposed to logistical nightmares that he sums up with, “That’s the grind of the Minor Leagues, but a priceless price to pay to get to the big leagues!” Trust me, Dexter Fowler’s MiLB player journal is far more interesting than is his card in this set.

It is next to impossible to create a decent team set without including at least one card with horizontal alignment. No, this isn’t a fact, but is my opinion. Jeff Kindell’s card represents the only such effort in this set, and I would categorize it as being in the top two or three overall.

At six-foot-three, this kid had to do some major stooping to squeeze into a space that measures only 2 inches high! This is a fantastic shot of a player anticipating a high hopper, but concentrating on keeping the glove low. Possibly it was shot between innings while the infielders warmed up, but it is a great photo even then.

Other contenders for strongest card in the set include this tight upper body shot of pitcher Alan Johnson…

catcher Neil Wilson on the move…

and Chaz Roe pitching with ripped pants…

Honorable mention goes to this Chris Nelson card. This card had potential to be the best in the set if not for what I suspect was the overzealous cropping efforts by a real go-getter in the Nuts organization.

Finally, I don’t know who this Jerry Weinstein cat is, but he looks like a guy who could tell you something about baseball that you didn’t already know in less time than it takes to drink a beer.

Card thinness is typical for a minor league set, and both sides have a semi-gloss finish. The backs consist of two-color (black and red) printing over white background that features a stylized image of grey baseball stitches. All you “figger filberts” will be jazzed over the short player bios and stats from the 2005 and 2006 seasons on the back.

Looking over the ’08 Modesto Nuts pocket schedule, I didn’t find any indication that they will be giving away team sets to fans before a home game this season. I did observe that Krier’s Cards & Comics, the sponsor on the ’07 Nuts team set, is sponsoring “Super Hero’s Night” on July 25, 2008 as the Nuts take on the San Jose Giants. Possibly there could be some sort of team set SGA that Friday evening? Either way, a heaping helping of fireworks will be served up for fans after the game.

The Modesto Nuts online team store has a kickin’ assortment of minor league baseball cards, including old Modesto A’s team sets, last year’s Carolina League All-Star set, a few different California League Prospects sets, and even the actual 2007 Modesto Nuts team set that you’ve just had the pleasure of reading about.

While you CAN pay $5.00 per single card for most of these guys on eBay, why on earth would you want to when you can order an entire set directly from the team for only ten bucks?

A word of warning… I will be jealous if I run into any of you readers wearing a Nuts jersey before I get one for myself!

- Kris

2008 mississippi braves team set review

2008 Mississippi Braves team set
Official Score – UNASSISTED DOUBLE PLAY
Manufacturer: Grandstand
Retail price: $ 10.00

The Mississippi Braves are the Double-A Southern League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, and play their home games at Trustmark Park in Jackson, Mississippi. As of this posting, the Braves maintain a three-game lead in the Southern Division in the second half of the season- after finishing 10 games out in the first half. They may very well lead the league in “most players named J.C.” for all I know.

Checklist: 34 cards (neither printed nor included)

1 – [1] J.C. Holt (inf)
2 – [2] J.C. Boscan (c)
3 – [4] Carl Loadenthal (of)
4 – [5] Jordan Schafer (of)
5 – [6] Matt Young (of)
6 – [8] Van Pope (inf)
7 – [9] Paul Bennett (inf)
8 – [10] Jose Camarena (c)
9 – [12] Jason Perry (of)
10 – [13] Javier Guzman (inf)
11 – [16] Mark Jurich (of)
12 – [17] Nelson Payano (p)
13 – [18] Quentin Davis (of)
14 – [20] Kala Ka’Aihue (inf)
15 – [22] Franklin Stubbs (coach)
16 – [23] Kris Medlen (p)
17 – [24] James Parr (p)
18 – [25] Greg Creek (inf)
19 – [27] Derek Botelho (pitching coach)
20 – [29] Tommy Hanson (p)
21 – [30] Phillip Wellman (manager)
22 – [31] Sung Ki Jung (p)
23 – [32] Dustin Evans (p)
24 – [34] Todd Redmond (p)
25 – [36] Jerome Gamble (p)
26 – [37] Ray Serrano (c)
27 – [45] Luis Valdez (p)
28 – [47] Ryan Basner (p)
29 – [48] Brad Nelson (p)
30 – [50] Carlos Sencion (p)
31 – [51] Michael Nix (p)
32 – [52] Dan Smith (p)
33 – [na] Ricky Alcantara (trainer)
34 – [na] Trusty (mascot)

Cards are thin, but not flimsy. Both surfaces are semi-gloss that require no preparation prior to autographing- not that I’m suggesting that anyone needs to get the back sides of their cards autographed. Photos are credited to Ed Gardner and Tom Priddy. Bob Smith shot the photo of Jo-Jo Reyes used on the ‘08 Mississippi Braves pocket schedule.

I do like the card designs, with their random blue and red curved borders, team logo and player name in red text highlighted by white drop shadows. That said, these cards are probably only a single design element away from being declared “busy.” The curved blue and red border theme is continued on the back, but with player bios and stats printed in black over a mottled grey background.

First up is pitcher Luis Valdez. One of the darkest cards in the set, this one still works because the photo is sharp, and there is plenty of room for a signature across the lower third.

Yes, I believe I really like these cards. I wonder how they would look with a horizontal alignment.

Very nice! This is the ONLY card in the set in which a player steps in front of any border, and it really stands out. Matt Young leads the Braves with 19 stolen bases out of 27 attempts. Young also leads the Braves by having appeared in 79 games so far this season, and scoring 45 runs in the process.

Another good example of the horizontal alignment of several of the cards in this set is the card of Paul Bennett. This card refuses to be “complete” until it is signed with a blue Sharpie!

Did I mention how good the photography is in this card set? Check out this offering of Dan Smith. See what I mean?

The 2008 Mississippi Braves team set provides an even mixture of position players batting or playing defense. The J.C. Holt card illustrates the importance of not making cards of every player swinging a baseball bat.

Catcher Ray Serrano demonstrates the art of framing a pitch to help make sure the home plate umpire “sees” it correctly. This card won’t help you identify Serrano in a crowd, but that is also why the players where numbers on their jerseys. Please don’t ask me who the umpire is since there is no number 11 listed on the official Southern League Umpire roster, or am I simply not seeing things?

As you realize that you are nearing the end of my review, you may be starting to wonder if I am going to include a scan of Tommy Hanson’s card in light of the fact that he recently hurled the first no hitter in Mississippi Braves history. I am not. Instead, you should pick up a set for yourself while it is still an option. The 2008 Mississippi Braves team set is available for purchase directly from the Extra Innings team store for $10.00.

They also have the 2007 Mississippi Braves team set still available as well. Actually, those are a STEAL at only three bucks a pop! I look forward to an opportunity to review that set at some point in the future.

If you are heading to the ballpark to take in a Mississippi Braves game, just wait and pick up a few sets in person. These cards will be distributed FREE to the first 2,000 fans attending the July 6, 2008 game vs. the Chattanooga Lookouts. Want to sort your new cards in style? I suggest dropping another $500 and renting one of Trustmark Park’s luxury suites for an evening. You can invite up to fifteen of your best friends or favorite blog writers to join you. Post-game fireworks will help draw a large crowd to that game, so arrive early.

- Kris

2008 hickory crawdads dav team set review

2008 Hickory Crawdads DAV team set
Official Score – GROUND RULE DOUBLE
Manufacturer: Disabled American Veterans*
Sponsor: Disabled American Veterans
Retail price: FREE SGA– not available for purchase

This particular team set is a limited edition subset of the 2008 DAV minor league baseball set, organized almost entirely alphabetically and numbered 37-70. These cards were handed out to fans attending the Hickory Crawdads’ May 26, 2008 game vs. the Rome Braves at L.P Franz Stadium. (Note that the home team won the game by a score of six to five.) Who is L.P. Franz anyway?

* I don’t know who prints all the cards that the DAV distributes for free, but I really appreciate the effort.

According to the handy Crawdads pocket schedule, they have a second team set to give away to fans on Sunday, July 20th when they take on the Delmarva Shorebirds. If you happen to find yourself in the Hickory, North Carolina area, you won’t want to miss that evening as the fierce rivalry between two Northern Division teams heats up over bragging rights in the South Atlantic League. I presume this will be a set produced by the likes of MultiAd or Grandstand. If I can get my hands on the July set, I will gladly post a review of it as well.

Checklist: 34 cards (no printed checklist)

1 – [37] Victor Alvarez (inf)
2 – [38] Carlos Amaro (p)
3 – [39] Harrison Bishop (p)
4 – [40] Tom Boleska (p)
5 – [41] Danny Bomback (inf)
6 – [42] Bill Burgos (strength/conditioning)
7 – [43] Matt Cavagnaro (p)
8 – [44] Marcus Davis (of)
9 – [45] Jose De los Santos (inf)
10 – [46] Rafael De los Santos (p)
11 – [47] Jared Destro (trainer)
12 – [48] Miles Durham (inf)
13 – [49] Michael Felix (p)
14 – [50] Gary Green (manager)
15 – [51] Emilis Guerrero (p)
16 – [52] Tom Hagan (inf)
17 – [53] Eric Huber (of)
18 – [54] Jeff Johnson (pitching coach)
19 – [55] Chris Jones (c)
20 – [56] Austin McClune (of)
21 – [57] Matt McSwain (p)
22 – [58] Dustin Molleken (p)
23 – [59] Ronald Pena (c)
24 – [60] Rudy Pena (coach)
25 – [61] Silvio Pena (inf)
26 – [62] Moises Robles (p)
27 – [63] Diones Rodriguez (p)
28 – [64] Adam Simon (p)
29 – [65] Keanon Simon (of)
30 – [66] Bobby Spain (inf)
31 – [67] Ronald Uviedo (p)
32 – [68] Andrew Walker (c)
33 – [69] Duke Welker (p)
34 – [70] Bradley Ingels (veteran’s advocate – appears to work for “Armstrong Ford”)

Card thinness is present, yet the cards are reasonably firm. Surface treatment is a semi gloss that doesn’t require preparation prior to autographing. This is a slick product!

I rarely include scans of the backs of cards, but feel that these are unique enough that you may not be familiar with the format. Absent is any mention of anything from the front of the card- other than an explanation of the DAV logo. Just know if you are looking to purchase or make trades for cards like these in the future, you aren’t going to get any Hickory Crawdads player stats or bios.

This Emilis Guerrero card is the only one featuring a pitcher that I am going to show out of 13. Matt McSwain is the only card of the dozen remaining pitchers that has a different pose- that being a tight portrait. Don’t worry; if your stomach begins to become upset due to the fact that many of the hitters’ cards share common poses, the cards have a very soothing Pepto-Bismol glow about them. What follows then are a few representative cards from the set to give you an idea of the team uniforms and a few faces.

Miles Durham… seriously? A photo of a guy named “Miles” in the act of running? How could I pass on that?

Chris Jones… okay, THIS is how you shoot a photo of catcher wearing all his gear. Furthermore, if you are currently editing a team set, this is an outstanding lesson in how you select photos that have been taken of catchers wearing all of their gear.

Silvio Pena… this set has a few cards that suffer from hat shadowing, but this is probably worst case.

Bobby Spain… I wonder if he is related to Madrid. The look on his face suggests that this photo was taken while he was warming up in the on-deck circle before the bottom of the seventh inning when he overheard some fan butchering “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Marcus Davis has a sort of puzzled look of surprise on his face as if questioning whether or not he actually just heard the umpire call that last pitch a strike, or has just made a mistake in his pre-at bat superstition routine.

Danny Bomback provides an interesting variation to the “approach to batting” theme, bringing the self-assured look to the plate.

The Hickory Crawdads are currently the Low A affiliates of the Pittsburgh Pirates. So there.

This is a fun, value-packed team set. If you follow the Pirates organization, or collect South Atlantic League cards, it would be worth your effort to attempt to track down this set for yourself. I would place a value of a complete set as at least $9.00 (the price of a box ticket), and would not be at all surprised to see them move on the secondary market for $15.00 or more.

Don’t forget to check the 2008 DAV baseball schedule and make a point of attending a ballgame specifically when they are in your area this summer!

- Kris

2008 iowa cubs team set review

2008 Iowa Cubs team set
Official Score – TRIPLE
Manufacturer: MultiAd Sports
SGA info: FREE to the first 1,500 fans through the turnstiles for the June 14, 2008 game vs. the Nashville Sounds
Sponsor: KRAFT Foods
Retail price: Good question! I’d say around $10.00 from the Iowa Cubs team shop.

Similar to the Omaha Royals, the Iowa Cubs went with MultiAd’s unobtrusive (Style C) template in the creation of their team set for the 2008 season. As pointed out previously, I am keen on this design that uses a sort of greyscale cigar-band strip across the lower margin of the cards to create a suitable position for the player name, number and position, along with the team name and logo.

One relatively simple thing that immediately sets the Iowa Cubs team set above the Omaha Royals was the inclusion of one extra card- a checklist. I am also impressed with the decision to use a swell team photo for the checklist. Having the team pose in front of the scoreboard adds a certain old timey touch to the set. Nicely done! (And I’m not just saying that because the Iowa Cubs took the opportunity to send a subliminal “shout-out” to the Aardvark Trading Company by including the Albuquerque Isotopes name on the scoreboard… or am I?)

Checklist: 30 cards
1 – Jose Ascanio (p)
2 – Justin Berg (p)
3 – Andres Blanco (inf)
4 – Mike Burns (p)
5 – Andy Cavazos (p)
6 – Neal Cotts (p)
7 – Nelson Figueroa (inf)
8 – Jake Fox (inf)
9 – Sam Fuld (of)
10 – Sean Gallagher (p)
11 – Kevin Hart (p)
12 – Koyie Hill (c)
13 – Micah Hoffpauir (1b/of)
14 – Matt Johnson (trainer)
15 – Von Joshua (hitting coach)
16 – Randy Keisler (p)
17 – Josh Kroeger (of)
18 – Pat Listach (manager)
19 – Sean Marshall (p)
20 – Mike Mason (pitching coach)
21 – J.R. Mathes (p)
22 – Casey McGehee (c/inf)
23 – Matt Murton (of)
24 – Eric Patterson (inf)
25 – Carmen Pignatiello (p)
26 – Tony Richie (c)
27 – Bobby Scales (inf/of)
28 – Andres Torres (of)
29 – Randy Wells (p)
30 – checklist (team photo)

Cards appear to have been treated with the popular Sharpie-friendly clear coat finish. The backs consist of two-color (black and red) printing over white matte, player stats and short bios. A grayscale thumbnail image showing either the entire front, or a cropped portion, is included on the back of each card except the checklist. Cardstock used for the team set is approximately one grade thicker than say, construction paper. I know, I know… I’ll stop harping on this fact as soon as one team gets it right.

Photo credits for this set include Chris Donahue, Earl Hulst, Scott Schutz and Larry Woolis. Essentially all action shots, the set contains a nice mixture of pitchers wearing either white or blue jerseys, and with enough different backgrounds so you won’t grow weary of looking at photos of the pitcher’s mound. The light-colored background on Randy Keisler’s card makes his perfect for autographing purposes.

Of the two catchers, Tony Richie’s is the better offering as you can actually see what he looks like. I don’t think Koyie Hill really enjoys signing autographs anyway, so maybe he prefers cards with his face being blocked by a mask and a mitt.

Eighty percent of the ten “hitters” cards feature I-Cubs in blue jerseys. This Randy Wells offering stands out though, as he is the only pitcher in the stack not shot in the act of pitching. Instead, he is laying down a sacrifice bunt.

I’ve mentioned before how fun it must be as a fan to be able to identify yourself in the background of a baseball card. Take the two fellows in the front row immediately to the left of Josh Kroeger for instance. One or both of them appear in the background of three additional cards in this set (Fox, McGehee and Murton). I’d say that’s a little much. As good as the photographs in this set are, a little more variability in the composition would be nice to see.

Fantastic photo of trainer Matt Johnson! I’m sure Matt is a great guy, but the card would be better if it contained a player. In all fairness, the portrait shots of Pat Listach, Von Joshua and Mike Mason are equally as good.

Although I am leaning toward one card as my overall favorite from the set, I am finding it a difficult decision. This is a great shot of Andres Blanco…

and this photo of Eric Patterson is stellar…

I find it interesting that both of my favorites are of non-pitchers who aren’t batting. Hmmm…..

Cubbies fans may (or may not) take delight in the fact that I will be reviewing an entire decade of Iowa Cubs team sets in the days to come. I won’t be submitting these reviews back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-etc. though, so I can do my best to stay on top of current team minor league team sets as they become available.

The Iowa Cubs ordering process could be improved as I only see the 2003 team set available online even though they have sets ranging all the way back to 1998 in their team shop. Don’t sweat it, call them at 515.243.6111. Don’t be shy, order some today. Tell them I sent ya!

I’ve seen these same sets selling on the secondary market for $15.

- Kris

2007 charleston riverdogs team set review

2007 Charleston RiverDogs team set
Official Score – DOUBLE STEAL
Manufacturer: Grandstand
Retail price: $ 6.00

One of the teams making up the southern division of the South Atlantic League, the Charleston RiverDogs are presently the Class A affiliate of one of the major league teams from New York. They play their home games at “the Joe,” or Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park located along the banks of the Ashley River in historic Charleston, South Carolina.

This team set lacks a printed checklist and uses player jersey numbers as card identifiers on the back (without benefit of a # of # designation). Of course I won’t leave you hanging, so here is the official checklist.

Checklist: 32 cards
1 – [2] Randy Martinez (p)
2 – [3] Chris Kunda (inf)
3 – [4] Mike Dunn (p)
4 – [5] Mitch Hilligoss (inf)
5 – [7] Eduardo Nunez (inf)
6 – [9] Kyle Anson (c)
7 – [11] Kevin Smith (inf)
8 – [12] Seth Fortenberry (of)
9 – [13] Torre Tyson (manager)
10 – [15] Jonathan Hovis (p)
11 – [16] Luke Trubee (p)
12 – [17] Chris Malec (inf)
13 – [19] David Robertson (p)
14 – [22] Edgar Soto (p)
15 – [23] Ferdin Tejeda (p)
16 – [24] Brian Aragon (of)
17 – [25] José Gil (c)
18 – [26] Josue Calzado (of)
19 – [28] Greg Colbrunn (hitting coach)
20 – [29] Wilmer Pino (inf)
21 – [31] Carlos Reyes (pitching coach)
22 – [33] Brian Baisley (c)
23 – [35] Garrett Patterson (p)
24 – [36] Grant Duff (p)
25 – [38] Austin Jackson (of)
26 – [39] Ivan Nova (p)
27 – [40] Hector Noesi (p)
28 – [‘07] Vinnie Colangelo (clubhouse manager)
29 – [‘07] Tim Lentych (trainer)
30 – [‘07] Jeff Zaba (strength coach)
31 – [‘07] Charlie T. RiverDog (mascot)
32 – [‘07] Chelsea (mascot)

Interestingly, I haven’t been able to located a website for Grandstand cards, so I’m unable to identify the template used in the creation of these cards. Card fronts consist of color photos framed by an eighth-inch blue and olive border. This border provides suitable locations for player name and position, as well as the team name, logo and the year of issue. Card thinness is average minor league fare. Surface treatment is a semi-gloss that requires no additional preparation prior to autographing. The backs also feature four-color printing, with easily read player stats and short bios in black text over an image of several baseballs and a glove.

The card for infielder Mitch Hilligoss is noteworthy due to his hitting streak between April 18 and June 1, 2007 that left him the all-time SAL leader in consecutive games with a lofty 38. This card is also provides graphers with a second opportunity to get Eduardo Nunez’s signature as he is featured prominently in the photo.

The card of Austin Jackson depicts the outfielder doing one of the things he does best- burning up the base paths. Jackson accumulated 33 stolen bases during the 2007 season while timesharing between Charleston, Class A Tampa and Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Four of the cards in this set turn the normal minor league baseball card mold on its side… literally. I don’t think it is any secret that I prefer horizontal alignments over portrait- assuming that the image works in that format. The card of pitcher Mike Dunn demonstrates that this concept is well understood by the designer(s) of the 2007 Charleston RiverDogs team set.

A few of the more aesthetically-pleasing cards included in this set include catcher Kyle Anson legging out a base knock…

pitcher Jonathan Hovis and an intriguing and well-captured mid-flight pitch…

and infielder Chris Kunda fixin’ to score. The drama captured by this shot is punctuated by the fact that everyone including Kunda is watching the batted ball. One gal in the stands is even waiting to see where the ball lands before she takes a drink of her beer. Perfect!

Several of the cards are a bit on the dark side, but overall, I believe that photographer Chrissa Stroh turned in some excellent shots. That said, there are three cards in the set (Greg Colbrunn, Hector Noesi and Garrett Patterson) that fall well short of the mark. Patterson’s card isn’t terrible, but there must have been better photos available of Colbrunn and Noesi that better show what these guys look like.

If you couldn’t tell from my “official scoring” whether or not I think this team set is “worth” the $6 price tag, my answer is “Yes, easily.” Cards from this set are currently available on the secondary market ranging from $3.00 each to 10-card single player lots for anywhere from $10.00 to $30.00 (depending on the player). You do the math… then order directly from the Charleston RiverDogs team shop. Keep your rss reader tuned to Cards in the Attic for reviews of older Charleston RiverDogs team sets that are still available from the team.

Subjectively yours,

- Kris

2008 beloit snappers team set review

2008 Beloit Snappers team set
Official Score – TWO RUN RAINMAKER
Manufacturer: Grandstand
Retail price: $10.00

I wish to begin by stating that it was an absolute PLEASURE to review this particular team set. The Beloit fans are fortunate to have such a quality product available to help them document the 2008 season as their Snappers continue in their winning ways in the Western Division of the Midwest League.

I must caution that this set lacks a printed checklist and utilizes player jersey numbers as card identifiers on the back (without benefit of a # of # designation), a small detail that I know will frustrate the most anal of completist collectors. With that out of the way, let’s move on to the official checklist.

Checklist: 32 cards
1 – [1] Rudy Hernandez (hitting coach)
2 – [2] Ramon Santana (ss)
3 – [4] Chris Cates (ss)
4 – [5] Joe Benson (of)
5 – [7] Ben Revere (of)
6 – [8] Garrett Olson (3b)
7 – [9] Daniel Lehmann (c)
8 – [10] Chris Parmelee (of)
9 – [11] Steve Singleton (ss)
10 – [13] Daniel Berlind (p)
11 – [16] Jair Fernandez (c)
12 – [17] Spencer Steedley (p)
13 – [18] Matt Williams (p)
14 – [19] Greg Yersich (c)
15 – [21] Charles Nolte (p)
16 – [22] Michael Tarsi (p)
17 – [23] Mark Dolenc (of)
18 – [24] Deibinson Romero (3b)
19 – [25] Gary Lucas (pitching coach)
20 – [26] Brad Tippett (p)
21 – [27] Steve Hirschfeld (p)
22 – [28] David Bromberg (p)
23 – [30] Michael McCardell (p)
24 – [31] Blair Erikson (p)
25 – [33] Ozzie Lewis (of)
26 – [35] Brian Kirwan (p)
27 – [37] Santos Arias (p)
28 – [39] Nelson Prada (manager)
29 – [40] Loek Van Mil (p)
30 – [‘08] Kazumasa Manabe (strength coach)
31 – [‘08] Alan Rail (trainer)
32 – [‘08] Snappy D. Turtle (mascot)

The Class Low “A” affiliate of the Minnesota Twins through 2010, the Beloit Snappers have sprinted to an early lead in the second half of the Midwest League’s Western Division after finishing the first half in third place. They play their home games at Pohlman Field in Beloit, Wisconsin. Home to just under 38,000 Snapper fans, the “Petunia City” is located at the confluence of the Rock River and Turtle Creek, and nearly straddles the mythical Illinois/Wisconsin border.

The cards in this set include a nice mixture of action and portrait shots featuring stunning photography framed by an eighth-inch white border. Player names along with the snazzy team logo and name are superimposed over the image of a bat rack along the lower margin of the cards. While not detracting from the overall appearance, this does lend itself for effortless reading of player names- even in low light situations.

This card of Brian Kirwan is fabulous not only because the photo is both in focus and well cropped, but also because the outfield signage helps capture the flavor of the ballpark. For instance, the Hormel Chili sign is likely significant to many Beloitians as they probably at least know someone with no more than a couple of degrees of separation from the Hormel plant. Beloit is also the birthplace of Korn Kurls, Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander and the speedometer. Both Chief Black Hawk and former Major League infielder Jerry Kenny once called Beloit home.

Another major plus with this set is the variety of backgrounds present. For example, the hibernating trees in the background of David Bromberg’s card not only provide a wonderfully neutral background ideal for autographing, but also serve as a stark contrast between the coldness of winter and the initial signs of spring- in this case, the onset of a new minor league baseball season.

Outstanding examples of the ten “portrait” cards included in this set are pitching coach Gary Lucas sporting his big league jacket, and catcher Jair Fernandez- apparently smiling after realizing that he will be one of few minor league catchers who will be recognizable on his baseball card rather than shot while completely covered with safety gear.

The 2008 Beloit Snappers team set also contains seven kool action cards that aren’t simply guys standing in the batters box waiting to take a hack. (Don’t worry, there are a few of those, but even they are well done.) A few good examples of these action shots include outfielder Ozzie Lewis about to grab a fly ball just shy of the warning track…

third baseman Garrett Olson judging a high hopper…

and catcher Greg Yersich playing first base and concentrating on a hit ball in an effort to make an inning-ending play to preserve a two-run lead for the Snappers. Sports photojournalists around the world over could take a lesson from this card and due their best to compose similarly creative shots that help tell the story they are helping preserve for the future.

Backs of the cards feature smart four-color printing with black stats and player bios over a grey and white background. Cards appear to have a semi gloss finish. Card stock is thin, but I would not characterize them as flimsy. Add thicker cards to the sparsely populated “wish list” for 2009.

I’ve encountered no evidence on the Snappers pocket schedule or website to indicate that these cards were given away to fans as one of this season’s game promotions. I believe the most interesting of the Snappers promotions has to be their “Must Win Miller Mondays.” According to the rules of that promotion, all fans attending games when the Snappers end up losing at home on a Monday receive free tickets to the next Wednesday home game. I wonder what will happen if the Snappers drop the final home game of the season on Monday, September 1st. Obviously, they MUST win that one! Right?

Fans of the Minnesota Twins, Midwest League baseball or simply well-designed baseball cards should not hesitate to snap up one (or more) of these team sets. 2008 Beloit Snappers team sets are available online directly from the team shop for $10 each. As of this posting, they also still have team sets from 2007, 2006 and 2001, in addition to Midwest League Top Prospects sets from 2008 and 2004. Order one for your collection today! I haven’t had the opportunity to review previous Beloit Snappers team sets, but I would not be surprised to discover that this isn’t the first time they’ve knocked this product out of the park.

The same set is moving at $14.00 on the secondary market, while a nearly complete autographed set recently sold for $38.00 on eBay.

Subjectively yours,

- Kris

2008 omaha royals team set review

2008 Omaha Royals team set
Official Score – one out DOUBLE
Manufacturer: MultiAd Sports
Sponsor: Brad Williams Photography
Retail price: $ ??? Rosenblatt Stadium team shop, $12.00 secondary market
Checklist: 29 cards

1 – Luke Hochevar (p)
2 – Justin Annin (strength coach)
3 – Mike Aviles (inf)
4 – Terry Bradshaw (hitting coach)
5 – Brian Buchanan (of)
6 – Tom Burgmeier (pitching coach)
7 – Shane Costa (of)
8 – Kyle Davies (p)
9 – Brandon Duckworth (p)
10 – Damon Espino (c)
11 – Jeff Fulchino (p)
12 – Roberto Giron (p)
13 – Damon Hollins (of)
14 – Mike Jirschele (manager)
15 – Joel Peralta (p)
16 – Chris Lubanski (of)
17 – Tyler Lumsden (p)
18 – Mitch Maier (of)
19 – Dave Matranga (inf)
20 – Neal Musser (p)
21 – Brad Salmon (p)
22 – Ryan Shealy (1b)
23 – Jason Smith (inf)
24 – Mike Stodolka (1b)
25 – Matt Tupman (c)
26 – Drew Van Dam (trainer)
27 – Matt Wright (p)
28 – Casey, Herman the Nut & Spike (mascots)
29 – Angel Berroa (ss)

The Omaha Royals opted to take advantage of MultiAd’s unobtrusive (Style C) template in the creation of their team set this season. I am unquestionably a fan of this design as the greyscale cigar-band strip across the lower margin of the cards creates a great spot for the player and team names and logo. Also present are the player positions and numbers- that I suppose many fans like to see on the front of the cards. I could care less, as long as the data does not compete with the photograph.

At risk of sounding like a corrupt mp3 file, card thickness is typical for a minor league team set. Perhaps I would be better off saying “card thinness.” Surfaces have been covered with a clear coat that gives the cards a shine without the hassle of true gloss. The backs consist of two-color (black and blue) printing over white matte, player stats and short bios. Cropped greyscale photos of the players also are located on the backs of the cards.

Taking this team set and spreading it across my desk, the one card that immediately stands apart from the crowd is Kyle Davies. A fantastic photo that appears to have been shot in that magical hour when the lighting is perfect, Davies is captured in the middle of his delivery to the plate. The blue tarps covering the unused seating provides excellent contrast to Davies’ snow white uniform, while the orange and yellow seating at the top of the photo combine with the green grass to provide warmth to the photo.

Unfortunately, the warmth present in the Davies card does not continue through the entire set as many of the photos appear to either have been over exposed, or over manipulated in Photoshop. Luke Hochevar seems to have been singled out to have an absolutely terrible card. Seriously, they couldn’t find a photo of the number one pick from the 2006 draft that was in focus? Perhaps he wasn’t in Omaha long enough, but I find that difficult to believe. If you are wondering why I don’t include a scan of the card to support my claim, it is because I feel that Luke deserves better. If you want to see the card, order a team set from the Omaha Royals team shop.

Normally, I’m not a fan of cards of strength and/or conditioning coaches and trainers, but this offering of Justin Annin is deserving of a little cyberpress. When I saw the card initially, I assumed it was a gag card with Annin performing some sort of Dorf routine to make the guys laugh. Upon closer examination, I realized that A) I was mistaken, and B) I had no idea what was going on in the photo. Eventually I decided that C) it was none of my business, and that it would be best to just continue with my review as if nothing had happened. (Oh, and I love that the upper left corner of this card contains the word “internet.” If this card had a walk-up song, it would surely be Saga’s “The Runaway.”)

Shane Costa waits on a pitch in order to demonstrate that the use of light colored uniforms in front of a dark background can result in a pleasing image. With an attitude like that, I’m almost certain that he drove a scorching liner back through the middle of the field for an RBI single immediately after the camera shutter closed.

I particularly like this card of Mitch Maier as you can clearly see Nashville Sounds hitting coach Harry Spilman standing motionless in the visitors’ dugout- not breathing and hoping that Maier doesn’t deliver a monster homer over the right field fence.

Speaking of hitting…. I wouldn’t want to be sitting in the outfield grass not paying attention when Ryan Shealy warms up and begins launching bombs. If he can stay healthy, it is only a matter of time. Along with the following scans of cards of Damon Hollins and Jason Smith, this card demonstrates one of the weaknesses of this set… lack of variety in action. I’m assuming that we’ve all been to enough baseball games to know that many other interesting things happen besides pitchers getting ready to throw and batters waiting on a pitch to arrive. Each of the 11 pitchers included in the set are shown on the mound.

Not counting the six non-player cards, the only non-pitchers shown in anything other than the classic batting pose include catchers Matt Tupman and Damaso Espino- and infielder Mike Aviles who is shown in the process of making a play under the watchful eye of the GEICO gecko.

I’m sure that Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium is a beautiful ballpark. The 2009 team set would prove an excellent opportunity to show off the facility by including different parts of it in the background.

Subjectively yours,

- Kris