Pat Neshek: Article From St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Hey all.  Normally, I like to write my own stuff.  But, my excursions around the interwebs have led me to St. Louis (in a virtual sense), where reliever Pat Neshek has created a little collector's revolution with the Cardinals.  Or, he's trying.  Either way, it's a pretty good article and Pat is the king of the hobby when it comes to professional athletes.  He's the real deal.  Check out his web site at https://www.eteamz.com/PatNeshek/.

And here's the article.  Enjoy your Sunday, folks.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/redbirds-neshek-is-a-real-card-collector-that-is/article_fa2d86da-38da-5a9b-a476-8e27ef1ae4b1.html

Me and Jim Leyland

For the hundredth post on Can't Hit The Curve, I will recount the day I spent with former Tigers skipper, Jim Leyland. Truth be told, I didn't spend all that much time with Jim, but we had a couple of encounters that I should share.

Having to go to Orlando for a work-related conference, I realized that after the conference was over I could squeeze in a few spring training games.  So, I hit the Braves stadium at Disney for a game against the Nationals.  The Nats brought exactly two regular players and a whole host of minor leaguers.  Disappointing, to say the least.  But, I did get to see Heyward and J. Upton and Freeman play...so, at least the Braves put a starting lineup in that didn't disappoint.  It was freakin' cold that night, too.  Well, at least the wind made it seem cold in the outfield where I sat in the grass.  It was a good night.

A couple of days later, the conference was over and I could catch a day game.  So, off to my hometown of Lakeland to catch the Tigers play the Mets on a beautifully sunny day at Joker Marchant Stadium.  Now, I grew up going to this stadium.  To say that it's changed in the past twenty years would be a severe understatement.  Before, it was a little, shitty stadium that had charm and character.  Now, it's just as corporate as the rest of the stadiums.  So sad.  But, it's my hometown stadium so I still gots love for you!

Buying my ticket, I had the option of getting in early to catch Tigers batting practice.  For the few extra bucks, it was completely worth it.  I get to the stadiums wicked early and waiting inside was way more preferable to standing in the parking lot for an hour.  So, ticket in hand, I waited to get in to watch Detroit's BP.

Then, this old man tells us BP is cancelled.  But...but...Jim Leyland would meet and greet everyone that got themselves a batting practice option on their ticket.

Cool.  I get to meet Jim Leyland.  The line starting moving and I prepared the ball that I always bring to the stadiums (cuz you never know!) and the blue bic pen I wanted Jim to sign my ball with.  Well, that was a fruitless endeavor because Mr. Leyland was only signing with a black Sharpie.  I was bummed about that but, hey, a cheap Leyland autograph is nothing to complain about, I suppose.  Here's the ball he signed for me.  I hope it holds up over time.

That's when the fun started.  Here's my exchange with Jim:

Me:  Hey, Mr. Leyland, can I get a picture?

Jim:  Sure.  Come around.

Me:  No, not with you.  I want a picture of the World Series ring.

Jim:  Oh.  Ok.

Me:  Thanks, man.

Jim:  That's an easy one. You can take a picture with whatever you want.  Except my wallet.  That's off limits. (chuckles at his own wit).

Me:  Thanks, dude.  Take care.

Jim:  You too.

I moved along and let others get their opportunity with the skipper.  I put the ball in my pocket and looked at my camera.  Here's the ring...it's cool.

Nice, huh?

Anyway, I grabbed an adult beverage from the concession stand and headed to the berm to watch the Mets take BP.  It was uneventful.  However, watching Matt DenDekker was quite an eye-opener.  That dude can field the ball like a motherfucker.  Too bad, at this point, he can't really hit.  Eric Young Jr. came over to a bunch of fans and I passed on his autograph but had a chance to say hello.  

Game time.  Watched the game in the sun.  Truth be told, this has been a brutally winter and that glowing orange orb in the sky has been missing from my life for many months.  It took exactly three innings for me to be burnt to a crisp.  I made the executive decision to watch the rest of the game in the shade of the concourse.  Yes, I would have to stand but, man, I was friggin' roasted.  

Bottom of the fourth, I was watching intently as Mets phenom Noah Syndegaard was just dealing!  The kid is amazing.  He's gonna be a star, for sure.  It'll just take some time.  Anyway, I looked over as an older gentleman sidled up beside me to watch, too.  Hey!  It was Jim Leyland and nobody freakin' noticed.  But, I did.  At this time, I had a couple of early morning beers mixed with a heavy dose of sunshine, so I was feeling frisky.  

Leaning over, I whispered..."Hey Jim.  I don't want to call any attention to you, but will you sign my program?".  Jim Leyland, the class act, took my Sharpie and program on the sly, signed his name next to Max Scherzer's picture, and handed both back to me.  "Thanks, man", I whispered and continued watching the game.  "No sweat", he replied and then turned on his heel and beelined it back to the comfort of the clubhouse where no idiots like me would bother him.

All in all, it was a good day.  Two Leyland signatures (sorry, no pic of the program), a heady buzz in the morning, and a wicked nice sunburn to take home.

Good times, friends.  Good times.

2014 Donruss

I have to admit, I was a little bit excited to see that Donruss was making a comeback.  Back in the day, Donruss was a major player in the baseball card field.  Of course, they eventually folded under or disappeared or did whatever the did.  But, they were gone.  That's all that mattered.

Donruss is back, now.  So, I went down to the LCS with my limited pennies and bought myself a couple of packs for the sake of research.  For the price, which isn't too bad, I wasn't disappointed.  The cards are nice looking and there's a chance at some hits.  Donruss has what all price-conscious collectors are looking for.

Of course, the Diamond Kings (which I have always liked) and Rated Rookies have returned.  Which is a nice touch.  Each box promises two autographs and a game used relic card along with numerous short prints.  So, it looks like it could be a promising product.

The autograph checklists look pretty good.  The Donruss line will have cards signed by Trout, Glavine,   David Wright, Ken Griffey Jr., and a pretty well stocked stable of other Hall of Famers and star players.  The checklists didn't look like Donruss was skimping when signing up athletes to sign their cards.  This is very nice.

Check out the full checklist over at our friend's site, Cardboard Connection.

The two packs I bought didn't yield anything spectacular.  Just a Longoria for the old personal collection and a Hall-Worthy Ichiro insert.  But, it was fun to crack into a couple of packs of an old friend.

2014 Topps Heritage

So, my better half and I are seriously attempting to chip away at a huge mound of debt.  Therefore, copious packs of Heritage are not really in the cards right now.  But, out of the four people that actually read this blog, I needed to do something.

I rolled change.  Yes, I did.  Just for you dear reader.  Got just enough to buy two measly packs of Heritage so I could at least tell you what we think of the product around here.

Here's the verdict...

This little guy (who is a cricket) would be playing his little song right now, if someone asked me about Topps Heritage.  It's boring.  There, I said it.  Now, all the people in the collecting world that freakin' LOVE Heritage can crawl out of the woodwork to verbally kick my ass about how awesome their favorite product actually is.  But, it's not.  It's boring.

Sure, the Real One autographed cards are back.  I kind of like those.  But, everything else just kind of falls flat.  For seventy five bucks a box I want more than one autograph and a couple (maybe) of serial numbered cards.  That is no way to get the collective panties of collectors out there moist (is that too graphic?).  It really just seems to me that Topps really didn't give a shit when they put this product out.

Remember:  These are the opinions of Can't Hit The Curve.  This is for entertainment purposes only!  Don't be persuaded by things you read on the interwebs.  Just because you read it online does not mean it's true.  Any asshole can throw up a blog or website...I'm living proof of that!

In a nutshell.  Buy 2014 Topps Heritage.  Or don't.  If you do, hopefully you will not be as apathetic towards this set that I am.

In my two packs:  Nothing!  Twenty commons.  The biggest star was Giancarlo Stanton.  Nothing to write home about, at all.  In fact, there is a commons box right next to me that now has two packs of 2014 Topps Heritage in it.

Mt.Rushmore - AL East

Well, it's time to wrap up our Rushmores.  This last installment is the venerable American League East. So, let me tell you who made it and then we can get back to our regular installments dealing mainly with the hobby.

New York Yankees:  Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Yogi Berra.

Defense:  I will not defend this, at all.  I can say that only the Yanks would have a Rushmore that did NOT include Jeter, Mo Rivera, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, Phil Rizzuto, blah, blah, blah.  It seems that the greats always spend a good chunk of time in the Bronx.

Boston Red Sox:  Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Pedro Martinez, and David Ortiz.

Defense:  Two old timers, two not-so-old timers.  Yaz and the Splinter could hit the cover off of the ball.  Williams was probably a far better player but I believe that Yaz was far more beloved by the Sox faithful.  No one, and I mean no one, the size of Pedro could pitch as hard as he could.  Remember the years when he was the most dominant pitcher in baseball?  You should.  There were like ten of those seasons.  Just an amazing pitcher.  He punches old men, too.  Big Papi is the face of the franchise these days.  Hands down.  Talent, power, and charisma...he's got it all.

Toronto Blue Jays:  Joe Carter, Roberto Alomar, Roy Halladay, and Tony Fernandez.

Defense:  Carter was the lynchpin to some great teams back in the early 90's.  Joe could hit for average and power and play a pretty good defense.  Nice player.  Robbie Alomar, all spitting aside, is one of the top second baggers to ever play the game.  Period.  No discussion.  Roy Halladay was easily the best pitcher to ever play in Canada.  That's an easy one.  Just a dominant player and he had so few losing seasons (I think 2 total) in his career.  Tony Fernandez is the all time hits leader in Toronto.  Can you believe that?  I couldn't when I found out.  But, Tony was awesome.  Some of you whippersnappers are too young to remember.  But, I do...because I'm old.

Baltimore Orioles:  Cal Ripken Jr., Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, and Frank Robinson.

Defense:  Every single one of these guys is in the Hall of Fame. What is there to defend?  I can say that I think that Cal is one of the greatest players I have ever watched play in person.  There was no weakness to his game, I say.  The rest of the guys were pretty good, too.

Tampa Bay Rays:  Fred McGriff, Wade Boggs, David Price, and Evan Longoria.

Defense:  Another young franchise makes it hard to come up with a Rushmore.  But, McGriff, who should already be in the Hall, was an incredible player before he got to Tampa/St. Pete was one of the best.  A great hitter who was also an awesome guy.  Just loved in Tampa.  Boggs, who spent his last two seasons with the Rays (Devil Rays, back then), was one of the best contact hitters of his generation.  He could really just about hit anything.  Let us remember he hit his 3 thousandth hit in Tropicana Field (a homer).  I met him once and found him a little surly...I still like him, though. Price, a youngun, has the franchise's only Cy Young award.  He's a damned fine pitcher and I, for one, would love to see him spend his career in Tampa (ain't gonna happen).  David is a VERY nice dude, too.  Who could argue with Longo being on this list?  Fans love him.  Teammates love him. He's well respected around the league.  He plays great defense and hits well, too.  He stays on the Rushmore.

Well, that's it.  All of our Rushmore's are out into the internets world for posterity.  Argue amongst yourselves about who your Mt. Rushmore's are.  I am moving on to bigger and better things.

Mt. Rushmore - NL East

Picking up where we left off.  The NL East Mt. Rushmores.

NY Mets:  Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, and John Franco.

Defense:  I could have easily picked another slew of players for the Mets.  Could've gone with Captain America David Wright or Gooden or Straw or HoJo...but, nope, these guys are the Mets for me.  Seaver is a legend and Piazza will eventually end up in the Hall.  It'll only be a matter of time.  Carter was an awesome player and a great dude.  RIP, Gary.  But, to me the man that typifies the Mets the absolute most is John Franco.  The venerable pitcher was everything the Mets were about.  To me, he IS the Mets.  No offense to Keith Hernandez or Mookie or...

Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos:  Vlad Guerrero, Tim Raines, Dennis Martinez, and Ryan Zimmerman.

Defense:  For the Nats I had to dig into their old Expo days.  Vlad could hit anything.  He could hit the nutsack off a gnat with a chopstick.  Seriously.  I saw it.  Actually, I didn't but he sure was a great hitter.  Tim Raines, at that time, was the fastest man alive.  It's a shame he isn't in the Hall yet.  Maybe with time we will realize just how awesome he was.  El Presidente pitched for-freaking-ever.  I think he was 56 when he pitched his last game.  Finally, I had to give some love to the current Nationals and tip my proverbial cap to Zim.  Good player.  Good glove.  Good bat.

Atlanta Braves:  Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine.

Defense:  No defense needed here.  The greatest home run hitter of all time...that one's easy to defend.  The face of the franchise for a billion years (Larry Chipper Jones) and one hell of a third bagger.  And possibly two of the greatest pitchers of any generation.  Seriously, this Mt. Rushmore was ridiculously easy to compile.

Philadelphia Phillies:  Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Robin Roberts, and Chase Utley.

Defense:  For a team so entrenched in history, coming up with a Mt. Rushmore for the Phils was a bit difficult.  Sure, Carlton was an easy pick.  Just amazing stats in an amazing career.  One of the best pitchers of all time.  Schmidt, if you had to pick one player, just oozes Philly crimson.  Easily the all-time face of the franchise.  One dynamite player, too.  No other Phillie is more loved, for sure.  Roberts is another HOF'er that deserves to be up there.  Utley, while this may be a little controversial, has played at a high level for a very long time in Philly.  Except the last few years which have been riddled with injury.

Miami/FL Marlins:  Kevin Brown, Mike Lowell, Derek Lee, and Hanley Ramirez.

Defense:  I can't totally defend any of these.  With such a young franchise, it's kind of hard to pick who should be on their Rushmore.  But, Kevin Brown was the first really good pitcher that played in South Florida.  He was surly and kind of rough but he was a good pitcher.  Lowell might be the best loved Marlin.  Not flashy, not overly talented...Lowell just got the job done.  He was gritty and I like that.  Lee made his name in FL with his bat.  He was the pure hitter, for sure.  A good guy, too.  I had the pleasure of meeting him once and he was super nice.  Hanley has made his money in LA but he cut his teeth with the Marlins.  He's a hell of a ballplayer and deserves a spot up here.  Honorable mention goes to Giancarlo, who, in a few years, might become the best player to ever done the teal pinstripes.

ON DECK:  AL East

Mt. Rushmore - AL Central

It'll be hard to top the talent in the NL Central but, the good old American League Central will surely give it a shot.

Chicago White Sox:  Joe Jackson, Frank Thomas, Carlton Fisk, and Ozzie Guillen.

Defense:  I could have easily included Bo Jackson, Paul Konerko, or even Jack McDowell on this Rushmore.  The vote was pretty close.  Shoeless Joe gets on because he...well, because he was rad.  Fuckin' railroaded, that guy.  It's a shame.  The Big Hurt, newly elected to the Hall, gets on because he was a beast.  Literally and figuratively.  I met the dude when I was in college and he's friggin' huge.  Could've easily been a Defensive End for the Bears.  Fisk, well he was a great catcher.  He was gritty and dirty and a players-player.  Finally, a little controversy...Guillen.  Ozzie, no matter what you say about the guy, was the face of the Sox from the early 90's until he left in the late aughts.  He was quirky and controversial and, frankly, kind of an asshole.  It was real close between him  and Konerko.

Cleveland Indians:  Bob Feller,  Albert "Joey" Belle,  Jim Thome, and Omar Vizquel.

Defense:  The Heater From Van Meter, Bob Feller, needs no defense at all.  Big game pitcher, high heat, war hero...fuck, the guy was the perfect American.  Albert Belle.  You can't say "Cleveland Indians" and NOT think of Joey.  For all his quirks and attitude, Belle was a pure hitter.  The guy could just flat out kill the ball.  And the people in Cleveland loved him, too.  It wasn't too long ago that those Cleveland teams were pretty good...Belle was in that mix.  Jim Thome, while he has played with multiple teams, is synonymous with the city and the Indians.  So many home runs...so many RBI's.  Thome is a great player and a class act.  If, and that's a capital IF, he gets into the Hall he should go in as an Indian.  Finally, there's Vizquel.  The slick fielding SS that just about exemplifies everything about the Indians.  I just loved watching him play...a real joy.

Minnesota Twins:  Harmon Killebrew, Joe Mauer, Kirby Puckett, and Bert Blyleven.

Defense:  Killer-brew brought the hammer every night.  Just killed the ball.  No one, I will bet money on this, is more beloved by Twins fans than Harmon (even Kirby).  Joe Mauer.  Yes, he's a modern player.  But, he's also a hometown boy and a bonafied superstar.  Offense, defense, leadership...Joe does it all and has been paid handsomely to do so.  For christ-sakes the guy and his wife actually had TWINS...that's how much he loves this team.  Kirby Puckett.  A little round guy that could hit anything and play stellar defense?  What's not to love about that?  Kirby was so awesome to watch, just kind of an enigma.  He was taken from this world way too soon, for sure.  Bert is a butthole.  But, Bert was a great pitcher. Therefore, he makes the list...barely.

Detroit Tigers:  Ty Cobb, Al Kaline, Miguel Cabrera, and Sparky Anderson.

Defense:  Ty Cobb was a feared hitter, a killer on the base-paths, had fire in his eyes, and hate for
everyone (especially non-whites) in his little, shriveled heart.  But, that little fuckin Georgia redneck was one of the best pure hitters baseball has ever seen.  Al Kaline killed the baseball.  Period.  He hit the baseball like he just hated that thing.  He...as I learned as I got older...was kind of an asshole, too.  I have a story about Al and his surliness.  If you want to hear it, send me an email.  Miggy won the triple crown.  In the modern era, that's damned near impossible.  No one hits better in the game today than Cabrera. The Angels CF is close...but he's still miles apart from Cabrera.   I have put only players on the Rushmore's up to this point.  But, I make exception for Sparky.  I believe that no other person personifies a team more than Sparky did for the Tigers.  He was such an unbelievably nice man, too.  When I was a kid, the Tigers trained in our little FL town (still do, actually).  Every year we would get soooo excited.  Not to see the team, but because Sparky was coming back to town.  Love that guy.

Kansas City Royals:  George Brett, Brett Saberhagen, Bo Jackson, and David Cone

Defense:  I really can't defend any of these.  Brett was great.  He could hit but he was also a super-douche back in the day.  I don't say this off hearsay...I saw it first hand.  Their Spring Training was just up the road in FL.  I liked Saberhagen and he was totally the most valuable pitcher they have ever had. To this day, I think Royals fans are waiting for the next Saberhagen.  He just oozed intensity.  Bo Jackson was the best athlete I have ever seen.  Period.  The guy could do it all...hit, defense, fast...Bo was the fucking Mack Daddy.  Sadly, he was the only spark of offensive greatness on otherwise shitty KC teams.  Cone was a great pitcher but he made his name and fortune in other locales.  He just was getting started in KC.  But, I couldn't have a blank face on this Rushmore, could I?  Boy...the Royals have an awful history.

On Deck: NL East