Ripken's Ruined Season

     I am almost entirely sure that Cal Ripken Jr. is the player whose cards I have the most of. Back when the card store sold quarter cards, I would stalk up on Ripken and some other big names from the '90s. But of all my Cal Ripken cards, this one is my favorite:

    I really like the design of the 1993 Classic cards, and especially like the picture on the front of Ripken's card.

    In 1992 Ripken certainly didn't have his best year at the dish, when he slashed .251/.323/.366 with 14 home runs in his usual 162 games. Though I wouldn't consider this a terrible year, he did win the MVP the year before (34 homers, .323 batting average).

    Now, there is one thing that's a little bit peculiar about this particular card. If you haven't noticed yet, it states that Cal Ripken had a measely four home runs in 1992 instead of the correct 14. Just a slight error, but enough to make me wonder: what would his season have looked like if that were indeed the case?

    If Cal Ripken Jr. had actually hit four homers in '92, he would have had 10 less hits. But since the card has the hit total right, I'll assume that these missing home runs were all counted as singles. If this were indeed the case for the Iron Man, then his slugging percentage in that season would have been .319 instead of .366, less than his batting average of the year before! If we're being particular, then he also would have had less RBI and runs, but both of those are correct on the card, so I'll hold off.

    Therefore, I would indeed say that Ripken would have been genuinely bad at the plate had this typo been reality. Thankfully, it wasn't so, and he ended up not quitting after this season and retiring at 32.

    This was the only error on the card. Everything else is correct, including the quiz questions, though some of them are now incorrect over 30 years later. I guess I can use it as ammunition to throw a pop quiz at some friends.

    So Cal, rest assured that 1992 wasn't as bad as Classic gives you credit for. I bet your manager would have appreciated it had you put up the same stats as in the year before, but he'll take what he can get (Ripken did win the Gold Glove in '92). 

    Now that I've finished, I shall leave y'all to the rest of your weekend. Make sure to enjoy the hour that you get back this week, have a great Sunday, and happy collecting!

It is November First

     And I wait to bring this up until November first because today's Fernando Valenzuela's birthday. 5:00 on his birthday, but better late than never. Valenzuela passed away on October 22nd, so I know it's a bit of a wait, but I wanted to give him a small tribute on his actual birthday.

    The first card I got of El Toro was his 1990 Fleer card. 

    Valenzuela put up impressive numbers in his 17-year career, accumulating 173 wins and an ERA of 3.54. He won the Cy Young Award and the Rookie of the Year in the same season, 1981, when at the age of 20 he pitched to a 2.48 ERA and went 13-7 in the strike-shortened season. He helped the Dodgers win the '81 World Series, defeating the Yankees. Thus Fernandomania was roused, and Valenzuela took off from there.

    In 2003, Valenzuela took a role in the Dodgers Spanish broadcasting booth and was partners with his interpreter. He spent more than 20 years as a broadcaster before stepping away due to health.

    Fernando's number, 34, is retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated the Yankees again in the World Series. Dodgers fans and baseball fans in general will miss the  pitcher from Mexico.

    I'm afraid I don't know all that much about Fernando Valenzuela. But I hope I knew enough to give him a good tribute. He deserves one.

You are not requred to start over, but you are required to keep going.

                                                                                        -Fernando Valenzuela