Botts booted

Today's card is number 427 in the 2002 Bowman set, Jason Botts.

Just before last night's loss to Kansas City the Rangers cut Jason from the Big League team. Botts was 6-for-38 (.158) in 15 games this spring. He had two home runs and 18 strikeouts.

After designating him for assignment the Rangers have 10 days to trade or release Botts. If they don't, they will have to see if he clears waivers before sending him back to the minors. To replace Jason in the lineup the Rangers called up first baseman Chris Shelton from AAA.

There are a lot of folks under fire as the Rangers struggle in this season where they had set their goal as a .500 year. Some think that Ben Broussard should have been the one to get the ax before Botts. I am not sure but it seems to me that he too may well be on his way out. Shelton is now slated for most of the starting time at first. One thing is for sure, if something positive doesn't start to happen Jason won't be alone, manager Ron Washington is already about two thirds out the door.

2004 Topps - Hank Blalock

Ouch! The Rangers announced late last night that Hank will be on the disabled list for three to four weeks. Apparently he tore a hamstring sliding into second base during the Rangers win over Minnesota on Friday. The wheels sure seem to be coming off early for Texas. I guess when it rains it pours.

Blalock looks much healthier on card number 75 of Topps' 2004 offering. I like having the team name easily readable at the top of the card but it makes the logo on the lower right seem redundant. Too much foil but not a bad design overall. I do like that the player's uniform number is on the front of the card. The small icon on the lower left matching the photo of each player is also a nice touch.

1991 Fleer Update - Ivan Rodriguez

Ivan on Monday and today we have number U-62 in the 1991 Fleer Update set.

Pudge appears on this card to be throwing down to second. I would say it is probably at the end of the pitcher's warm-up. The ump is out of position and it looks like a member of the security team is standing in the background. Neither would be the case during play.

The back of the card informs us that, although just 19 years old Pudge was one of the most highly touted catching prospects in baseball. This after being signed by the Rangers only three years previous at 16.

1982 Donruss - Fergie Jenkins

Number 643 in the second year offering from Donruss is Fergie Jenkins.

In light of the recent pitching woes in Texas and the history of having weak pitching Jenkins looks good. Fergie pitched for four years for Texas from 1978 to 1981. This would be among the last cards of Jenkins in a Rangers uniform.

Donruss did a better job with this set than they did in their first year. There are several things about the design I like. Having the year of issue on the front of the card is a nice feature. The design is simple and most of the photos and colors are good.

On the downside these cards are often off-center. Perhaps the biggest problem with this particular card though is that it is from 1982. Texas could use a Fergie Jenkins caliber pitcher now.

1992 Dairy Queen - Bobby Witt

Number 5 in the 1992 Dairy Queen set is Bobby Witt.

By the time this card was issued Bobby had been pitching for the Rangers for six years. Dairy Queen was putting out an Olympic set though and so went back to Witt's tour with the Olympic Team. The purpose of the set appears to be to tout the support given to the 1992 Olympic Team tour.

According to the card back, Bobby was the youngest member of the 1984 team and led the team with a 0.69 ERA. He had 36 strikeouts and only 9 walks. Not a bad ratio.

Because Bobby would come up with Texas, I have this card in with my Rangers minor league cards. It is not exactly a true minor league card but it shows Bobby in his pre-major league days. A nice snapshot of history.

1976 Topps - Briles IP auto

Today's card is number 569 in the 1976 Topps set, Nelson Briles.

This is the oldest signed Rangers card I have. I didn't actually get it signed myself, I got it in a lot of in person and through the mail autographs that I bought several years ago. Still an interesting card though.

Obviously Topps didn't ask Briles what name he preferred to go by as the card says Nelson but he appears to have signed it as Nellie. Perhaps he liked Nellie because of the similarity to Nellie Fox. I am glad I picked this card up though since Briles passed away in February of 2005.

This signature is also neat for another reason. Nellie pitched alongside Bob Gibson for the St. Louis Cardinals. He snagged 14 wins in 1967 while posting a 2.44 ERA after replacing Gibby following his broken leg. Not a bad shoulder to have rubbed if you ask me.

Blogger trading?

I received an email from Rich at Out of the Mill, a very good card blog. He asked me and couple of other bloggers to post a link to an idea he had for an online card blogger trading meet. He is under the mistaken impression that many folks read this blog and he requested the help getting the word out. The idea sounds good to me and so I give you the link to his post:
http://outofthemill.blogspot.com/2008/04/just-idea.html
If you blog about cards, think you might be interested, and have the time then please leave a comment on his post letting him know. Thanks.