Sam who?

I'm still a Rangers fan and I'm still following the team. No bandwagon moves here. Still, it's hard to come up with positive things to blog about when the team is a game below .500, in fourth place, and eight games out of first. Sometimes finding a subject for a post can require some real creativity.

Makes things even harder when all the familiar names seem to be hitting the Disabled List and the team is grabbing guys from the minors to try and hold the line. Yesterday Alexi Ogando headed to the DL. Sometimes I listen to a game, hear a name, and think who?

Wondering who was the same reaction I had in 2008 when I got this signed 1997 Bowman card of Sam Marsonek in a trade. I had never heard of Sam Marsonek. Some quick research showed there was a reason.

Sam was the Rangers first round pick in 1996 when they drafted him right out of high school. Fans usually hear about first round picks but I wasn't really following baseball in 1996. Marsonek lasted in the Texas farm system until 1999 without ever getting above Single A. In December of 1999 the Rangers sent Sam to the Yankees in the Chad Curtis trade. He pitched in relief in one game for New York in 2004 and that was it for his Major League career.

Working on the lists.

Spiff Jr and I made our trek over to Duane's Sportscards today. Both of us have been putting back a little here and there for several months in anticipation of the trip. It did not disappoint.

Got to the shop without much trouble and arrived just as they opened at 1100. For most of our visit we were the only customers in the shop but a few others did drop in.

I left Spiff Jr to do his own browsing while I looked around and then picked up some supplies. Time to get out the checklists and start looking. I had two main goals, work on my Senators sets and try to pick up some cards of guys on the current roster for future posts.

Starting with the Senators I hit several vintage boxes. Duane's has a great selection of older cards if that's your game. A lot of card shops don't anymore and it's a delight to get to one that does. Managed to pick up a few Senators from 1965 - 1969 Topps. Made major headway on the 1970 Topps team set.

Moving over to the modern team I managed to grab some 2014 Bowman of a few of the current guys and a smattering of other brands. I also picked up this 2008 Upper Deck X Die-Cut card of Josh Hamilton which I thought was fitting. The card is cut in the shape of an X and I was busy crossing cards off my checklists. A 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen card of Bob Gibson rounded out my purchases.

Almost two hours after getting to the shop, Spiff Jr and I were on the way home. He seemed happy with his purchases, sitting in the back seat thumbing through the cards he picked up. Pudge, Blalock, Ryan, Fielder, a 1963 Topps Chuck Hinton, Choo. Choo? Where did he find that one? In a Rangers uniform? Yep. Augh! Out-searched by a nine-year-old. I never saw any Choo cards in a Rangers uniform.

Oh well, gives me a reason to go back as soon as my finances are recovered.

1978 Topps - Sandy Alomar.

By the time Sandy Alomar appeared on card number 533 of the 1978 Topps set he had been in the Major Leagues for all or parts of 14 seasons. Most of Alomar's time had been in the National League but he'd been with Texas in 1977 during their push for the American League West crown.

Nicknamed The Iron Pony, Alomar was aging by 1978 and served the team as a pinch-hitter and utility player. He would appear in just 24 games.

In the 32 plate appearances Sandy made he posted a .207 batting average and a .233 on-base percentage. His only extra base hit of the year was a double.

Aside from pinch-hitting and serving as the designated hitter, Alomar also put in time at first base, second base, short stop, and third base. In the 84 innings he played on defense Sandy made just two errors, both on the right side of the infield.

Sandy Alomar was still proud of his glove but his bat was obviously gone. The Rangers liked him because he was a good mentor for their younger players. That worked for Alomar since he wanted to move into coaching after his playing career. The way things were going it appeared that move would happen sooner rather than later for The Iron Pony.

Senators Saturday - Brant Alyea, 1970.

Wow, I'm not sure what happened to this scan of card number 303 in the 1970 Topps set. It looked a lot better in the scan preview and in person than it does here. The corduroy lines aren't on the card. Maybe the computer just doesn't like Brant Alyea.

Whatever the reason you can still see Brant showing off the red uniform of the late stage Washington Senators. He wouldn't be wearing the uniform during the 1970 season however.

Washington dealt Alyea to the Minnesota Twins on March 21, 1970. In return the Senators picked up Joe Grzenda and Charlie Walters. The trade was probably a wash for the Senators. Grzenda had one great season for them before they traded him and Walters never appeared in the Majors after the trade. Meanwhile Alyea had a decent 1970 season for the Twins before watching his numbers drop and being relegated to part-time roles for the rest of his career. He bounced around a bit and was out of the Bigs after the 1972 season.

Odds and ends.

Worked midnights last night and am supposed to go in this afternoon so this post is pre-scheduled since I figured I might not write well in a sleep deprived state.

Got a pretty much random post to go along with today's random Rangers game-used card. Get to see Hank Blalock on card number BF-L of the 2004 Donruss Elite Back to the Future set. The card features a piece of Hank's bat and is numbered 3/200. Somehow I ended up with lots of Hank Blalock game-used and autographed cards but I think this one is among the nicest looking.

As promised a couple of weeks ago, I have updated my links. I checked all the blogs listed and they appear to still be active. I will be keeping my eye on a couple to make sure they aren't slowly fading out but all still seem to be being updated at least occasionally. I also added three links to the set tours list: 1963 Topps, 1969 Topps, and 1970 Topps. I was a little let down that I was unable to add to the team blogs lists. Hopefully you will find the new additions entertaining.

On a final note, Spiff Jr and I are contemplating a trip to Duane's Sportscards in Arlington sometime next week. Due to a schedule change at work I have four days off between June 2nd and June 5th. Got called for jury duty on the 2nd so that's likely out. We haven't decided between the other days though. If anyone would like to try and meet up for a face-to-face trade or just to visit be sure and drop me a note. I know there's at least a couple of other Duane's customers who occasionally read here and I have yet to meet any other collectors since making the move to the area.

Royal delivery.

Got a text message from a friend of mine the other day. Always good to hear from Mark O and get his thoughts on the current baseball happenings. Mark's a rare find in the baseball world - a true blue dyed in the wool Kansas City Royals fan. He's why I have very few Royals cards to trade.

Mark wanted to let me know he sent me a few cards from my Rangers wantlist. That was a pleasant surprise. I have a couple of cards put back for Mark but haven't sent him anything in awhile.

I got the box yesterday and found Mark deceived me. I consider the 60 or so cards in the box to be more than a few. All but three or four filled holes in my Rangers wantlist. Took over an hour to update the wantlist and file the cards away.

One of the cards included in the lot was card number 183 of the 1992 Donruss Triple Play set. Rafael Palmeiro was the last card I needed to complete the set. Mark also finished off two other team sets for me.

Thanks a ton for the great package Mark, it really made my day. A word to the wise, if Mark O the Royals fan ever contacts you about a possible trade you would be best served to take him up on the offer.

1978 Topps - Doyle Alexander.

Doyle Alexander appears on card 146 of the 1978 Topps set to kick off the 1978 team set. Before we get to Doyle, I have a quick note I wanted to throw out there.

You can see a mourning band on Alexander's left sleeve. There are several other players in the team set with similar such bands visible. Because most of the photos featured on these cards were taken in 1977, I turned to the 1977 Texas Rangers Media Guide to answer the obvious question.

Turns out the Rangers acquired a player named Danny Thompson on June 1, 1976 from Minnesota in the Bert Blyleven trade. Thompson was apparently an all-around likable guy and quickly became popular with his teammates and the media. Danny lost his battle with Leukemia on December 10, 1976. The 1977 media guide was dedicated to his memory and the team donned mourning bands with Thompson's number 4.

Doyle Alexander was coming into his second season with Texas in 1978 and was working on solidifying his reputation as a strong starter down the stretch. The Rangers were hoping for a repeat of 1977 with a few less walks.

What Texas got from Alexander in 1978 was 31 appearances and 28 starts. That made him the third most used starter. Over the 191 innings he pitched he compiled a 3.86 ERA and a 1.408 WHIP. He struck out 81 opposing batters and issued eleven fewer free passes than the year before. For his trouble he ended the season with a 9-10 record.

Texas was going to be keeping an eye on Doyle Alexander. His totals in ERA, WHIP, and innings pitched all moved the wrong way from the 1977 campaign. He was still a solid starter and consistent stretch competitor but he could stand to improve a little in 1979 if he wanted to move into the top end of the Rangers rotation.