Thursday, July 12, 2018

Emotion Recap - Page 18

Getting caught up, I already posted these cards individually, so here now is the completed page for those.
#154 Carlos Perez - PERFORMER
#155 Tony Tarasco - ALERT
#156 Rondell White - SURGING
#157 Edgardo Alfonzo - ON DECK
#158 Bobby Bonilla - COLOSSAL
#159 Rico Brogna - UNLEASHED
#160 Bobby Jones - CONSISTENT
#161 Bill Pulsipher - TORCH
#162 Bret Saberhagen - FIERY



Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Emotion Recap - Page 17

Somehow I missed posting this recap for page 17, so lets do it now even though I just finished posting the cards for page 18.

#145 Mike Piazza - PRACTICED
#146 Ramon Martinez - STRIDING
#147 Todd Worrell - PONDERING
#148 Moises Alou - CRUCIAL
#149 Yamil Benitez - APPRENTICE
#150 Wil Cordero - EXCEL
#151 Jeff Fassero - QUALITY
#152 Cliff Floyd - POWER
#153 Pedro Martinez - EXCITING



Sunday, June 24, 2018

#162 Bret Saberhagen


FIERY : adjective  fi·ery  \ ˈfī(-ə)-rē \
: full of or exuding emotion or spirit

Threw a no-hitter his senior year in high school 1982.
Drafted out of HS by the Royals.
Went 20–6 with a 2.87 ERA to win the Cy Young in 1985.
Had great seasons on odd-numbered years, and poor seasons on even.

3× All-Star (1987, 1990, 1994)
World Series champion (1985)
2× AL Cy Young Award (1985, 1989)
World Series MVP (1985)
Gold Glove Award (1989)
MLB wins leader (1989)
AL ERA leader (1989)
Pitched a no-hitter on August 26, 1991
Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame

Kansas City Royals (1984–1991)
New York Mets (1992–1995)
Colorado Rockies (1995)
Boston Red Sox (1997–1999, 2001)

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

#161 Bill Pulsipher


TORCH : verb \ ˈtȯrch \
to set fire to (something, such as a building) deliberately : to cause (something) to burn

Offered a full scholarship to Old Dominion University.
Chose the Mets instead after being chosen in the second round of the 1991 Draft.
Led the Binghamton Mets to the playoffs, where he threw a no-hitter.
Named the New York Mets Minor League Player of the Year.
Almost died from a dietary supplement which contained ephedra; battled depression.
Has two sons with the initials "LHP" for "left-handed pitcher".

New York Mets (1995, 1998)
Milwaukee Brewers (1998–1999)
New York Mets (2000)
Boston Red Sox (2001)
Chicago White Sox (2001)
St. Louis Cardinals (2005)
Uni-President Lions (2006)


Tuesday, June 5, 2018

#160 Bobby Jones


CONSISTENT : adjective  con·sis·tent  \ kən-ˈsi-stənt \
: showing steady conformity to character, profession, belief, or custom 

Traded to the Mets in 2000, meaning he and Bobby J. Jones were now on the same roster.

Colorado Rockies (1997–1999)
New York Mets (2000, 2002)
San Diego Padres (2002)
Boston Red Sox (2004)

Friday, June 1, 2018

#159 Rico Brogna


UNLEASHED : verb  un·leash  \ ˌən-ˈlēsh \
: to remove a leash from (an animal) so that it can freely run, attack someone, etc.

Sick 'em Rico, sick 'em!

All-State team quarterback and won the state championship for Watertown High School in 1986.
Hit the first home run out of the newly built Coors Field. 

Detroit Tigers (1992)
New York Mets (1994–1996)
Philadelphia Phillies (1997–2000)
Boston Red Sox (2000)
Atlanta Braves (2001)

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

#158 Bobby Bonilla


COLOSSAL : adjective  co·los·sal  \ kə-ˈlä-səl \
: of a bulk, extent, power, or effect approaching or suggesting the stupendous or incredible


Not selected in the 1981 draft and spent a semester at New York Institute of Technology before being signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates after being spotted by scout Syd Thrift at a baseball camp in Europe.

Since 2011, Bonilla has been paid approximately $1.19 million by the New York Mets each year, through 2023. The payments come every July 1, which some fans refer to "Bobby Bonilla Day".

6× All-Star (1988–1991, 1993, 1995)
World Series champion (1997)
3× Silver Slugger Award (1988, 1990, 1991)

Chicago White Sox (1986)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1986–1991)
New York Mets (1992–1995)
Baltimore Orioles (1995–1996)
Florida Marlins (1997–1998)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1998)
New York Mets (1999)
Atlanta Braves (2000)
St. Louis Cardinals (2001)




Friday, May 18, 2018

#157 Edgardo Alfonzo


ON DECK : noun  \ ˈdek \
: next in line : next in turn


Nicknamed "Fonzie"
Signed by the Mets as an undrafted free agent in 1991.
Part of the infield considered to be among the best in MLB history along with Rey Ordóñez, Robin Ventura, and John Olerud.

All-Star (2000)
Silver Slugger Award (1999)

New York Mets (1995–2002)
San Francisco Giants (2003–2005)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2006)
Toronto Blue Jays (2006)
Yomiuri Giants (2009)

Saturday, May 12, 2018

#156 Rondell White


SURGING : verb  \ ˈsərj \
: to move suddenly and quickly in a particular direction

 Atlanta Journal-Constitution's High School Player of the Year in 1990.
Hit for the Cycle on June 11, 1995.
Mentioned in the Mitchell Report in connection to steroids.

Montreal Expos (1993–2000)
Chicago Cubs (2000–2001)
New York Yankees (2002)
San Diego Padres (2003)
Kansas City Royals (2003)
Detroit Tigers (2004–2005)
Minnesota Twins (2006–2007)

Friday, May 4, 2018

#155 Tony Tarasco


ALERT : adjective  \ ə-ˈlərt \
 quick to perceive and act

Says right there on the back, "Quick bat..."

His dad was a vendor during summers at Yankee Stadium.
After moving to California became a member of a crips street gang, who persuaded him to pursue baseball.
Directly involved in the Jeffrey Maier incident.
Was recently a member of the Nationals coaching staff.

Atlanta Braves (1993–1994)
Montreal Expos (1995)
Baltimore Orioles (1996–1997)
Cincinnati Reds (1998)
New York Yankees (1999)
Hanshin Tigers (2000)
New York Mets (2002)


Tuesday, May 1, 2018

#154 Carlos Perez


PERFORMER :  \pər-ˈfȯr-mər, pə-\ noun
to entertain an audience by singing, acting, etc.


Kinda had an animated follow through, if I recall.

Brother of former major league players Melido Pérez and Pascual Pérez.

Once destroyed a dugout water-cooler with a baseball bat.

Montreal Expos (1995, 1997–1998)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1998–2000)

All-Star (1995)

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

#153 Pedro Martinez


EXCITING : adjective  ex·cit·ing  \ ik-ˈsī-tiŋ \
: producing excitement.

Nuff said.

8× All-Star (1996–2000, 2002, 2005, 2006)
World Series champion (2004)
3× Cy Young Award (1997, 1999, 2000)
Triple Crown (1999)
MLB wins leader (1999)
5× MLB ERA leader (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003)
3× AL strikeout leader (1999, 2000, 2002)
Boston Red Sox No. 45 retired
Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame

Los Angeles Dodgers (1992–1993)
Montreal Expos (1994–1997)
Boston Red Sox (1998–2004)
New York Mets (2005–2008)
Philadelphia Phillies (2009)

Sunday, April 22, 2018

#152 Cliff Floyd


POWER : noun, often attributive  pow·er  \ ˈpau̇(-ə)r \
(1) : ability to act or produce an effect (2) : ability to get extra-base hits (3) : capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect


Three-sport star in high school.
Drafted as the 14th pick of the first round of the 1991 draft by the Montreal Expos.
Doing well in his second career of broadcasting.

All-Star (2001)
World Series champion (1997)

Montreal Expos (1993–1996)
Florida Marlins (1997–2002)
Montreal Expos (2002)
Boston Red Sox (2002)
New York Mets (2003–2006)
Chicago Cubs (2007)
Tampa Bay Rays (2008)
San Diego Padres (2009)

Friday, April 20, 2018

#151 Jeff Fassero


QUALITY : noun  qual·i·ty  \ ˈkwä-lə-tē \
: peculiar and essential character

Drafted by the Cardinals in 1984 but didn't make his ML debut until 1991 with the Expos.

He's now working his way up the ranks as a minor league pitching coach.

Montreal Expos (1991–1996)
Seattle Mariners (1997–1999)
Texas Rangers (1999)
Boston Red Sox (2000)
Chicago Cubs (2001–2002)
St. Louis Cardinals (2002–2003)
Colorado Rockies (2004)
Arizona Diamondbacks (2004)
San Francisco Giants (2005–2006)

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

#150 Wil Cordero


EXCEL : transitive verb  ex·cel  \ ik-ˈsel \
: to be superior to : surpass in accomplishment or achievement

Um, I dunno about the use of EXCEL in this case.

1997 -  guilty to assault and battery against his former wife.
1997 -  restraining order was issued  for allegedly threatening his wife.
1999 - arrested in New York and charged with disturbing the peace.
2002 - arrested in Orlando, Florida and charged with battery.
2000s - made repeated attempts to reduce his court-ordered child support obligations.

1994 All-Star 
1994 Silver Slugger Award

Montréal Expos (1992–1995)
Boston Red Sox (1996–1997)
Chicago White Sox (1998)
Cleveland Indians (1999)
Pittsburgh Pirates (2000)
Cleveland Indians (2000–2002)
Montréal Expos (2002–2003)
Florida Marlins (2004)
Washington Nationals (2005)



Friday, March 2, 2018

#149 Yamil Benitez


APPRENTICE : noun, often attributive  ap·pren·tice \ ə-ˈpren-təs \
: one who is learning by practical experience under skilled workers a trade, art, or calling


19th player chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 1997 Expansion Draft.

Hit the first walk-off home run in Diamondbacks regular season history.

Montreal Expos (1995)
Kansas City Royals (1997)
Arizona Diamondbacks (1998)

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

#148 Moises Alou


CRUCIAL : adjective  cru·cial  \ ˈkrü-shəl \
: important or essential as resolving a crisis


Says right on his card, "Good clutch hitter."

From the famous Alou family, often a crossword puzzle answer.

Rather than using batting gloves, he urinated on his hands to make them tougher.
When exactly did he do this?

Bartman stole the ball he was about to catch in the 2003 NLCS.

6× All-Star (1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005)
World Series champion (1997)
2× Silver Slugger Award (1994, 1998)

Pittsburgh Pirates (1990)
Montreal Expos (1990, 1992–1996)
Florida Marlins (1997)
Houston Astros (1998, 2000–2001)
Chicago Cubs (2002–2004)
San Francisco Giants (2005–2006)
New York Mets (2007–2008)

Saturday, February 24, 2018

#147 Todd Worrell


PONDERING : transitive verb  pon·der  \ˈpän-d(ə-)riŋ\
: to think about


Worrell is clearly pondering something in that photo on his card, or, he's looking for the dog guy in the stands.

First relief pitcher to save at least 30 games in each of his first three full seasons.

Dodgers Career Saves Leader when he retired in 1997.

3X All-Star (1988, 1995, 1996)
NL Rookie of the Year (1986)
NL Rolaids Relief Man Award (1986)
2X NL saves leader (1986, 1996) 

St. Louis Cardinals (1985–1989, 1992)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1993–1997)


Sunday, February 18, 2018

#146 Ismael Valdes


STRIDING : verb  \ ˈstrī-diŋ \
: to run or walk with long even steps


Nicknamed "The Rocket" in Mexico

Signed by the Dodgers when he was 17.

Got in a clubhouse brou-ha-ha with Eric Karros once, after Karros criticized his pitching performance.

Los Angeles Dodgers (1994–1999)
Chicago Cubs (2000)
Los Angeles Dodgers (2000)
Anaheim Angels (2001)
Texas Rangers (2002)
Seattle Mariners (2002)
Texas Rangers (2003)
San Diego Padres (2004)
Florida Marlins (2004–2005)

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

#145 Mike Piazza


PRACTICED : adjective  prac·ticed  \ ˈprak-təst \
good at doing something because you have done it many times


See the ball, catch the ball.

Tommy Lasorda is the godfather of Piazza's youngest brother, Tommy.

Ted Williams personally instructed Piazza at his home when Piazza was 12.

12× All-Star (1993–2002, 2004, 2005)
NL Rookie of the Year (1993)
10× Silver Slugger Award (1993–2002)
New York Mets #31 retired
New York Mets Hall of Fame

Los Angeles Dodgers (1992–1998)
Florida Marlins (1998)
New York Mets (1998–2005)
San Diego Padres (2006)
Oakland Athletics (2007)

Friday, February 9, 2018

Emotion Recap - Page 16

#136 Craig Biggio - VERSATILE
#137 Jim Dougherty - FUN
#138 John Hudek - DEADEYE
#139 Orlando Miller - SCRAMBLIN'
#140 Phil Plantier - BALANCE
#141 Eric Karros - DEEP
#142 Ramon Martinez - SHINING
#143 Raul Mondesi - ATTENTIVE
#144 Hideo Nomo - TWISTING


Wednesday, January 31, 2018

#144 Hideo Nomo


TWISTING : verb  twist·ing  \ ˈtwis-tiŋ \: to wring or wrench so as to dislocate or distort

VERY appropriate for Nomo.

Silver Medal 1988 Olympics (for Japan)
1995 NL Rookie of the Year
Led league twice in strikeouts.
Threw 2 no-hitters.

NPB
Pacific League MVP (1990)
Eiji Sawamura Award (1990)
Pacific League Rookie of the Year (1990)

MLB
All-Star (1995)
NL Rookie of the Year (1995)
2× Strikeout leader (1995, 2001)
Threw two career no-hitters


Kintetsu Buffaloes (1990–1994)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1995–1998)
New York Mets (1998)
Milwaukee Brewers (1999)
Detroit Tigers (2000)
Boston Red Sox (2001)
Los Angeles Dodgers (2002–2004)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005)
Kansas City Royals (2008)


Saturday, January 27, 2018

#143 Raul Mondesi


ATTENTIVE : adjective  at·ten·tive  \ ə-ˈten-tiv \: heedful of the comfort of others


That's not how I remember him.

1994 NL Rookie of the Year 

2X Gold Glove winner

Elected Mayor of his hometown in the Dominican Republic in 2010.

In 2017 sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $1.3 million on corruption charges.

Los Angeles Dodgers (1993–1999)
Toronto Blue Jays (2000–2002)
New York Yankees (2002–2003)
Arizona Diamondbacks (2003)
Pittsburgh Pirates (2004)
Anaheim Angels (2004)
Atlanta Braves (2005)




Wednesday, January 24, 2018

#142 Ramon Martinez


SHINING adjective  shin·ing  \ ˈshī-niŋ \: possessing a distinguished quality


Youngest player in the NL (20) when he made his debut in 1988.

Threw a no-hitter against Florida in 1995.

HOFer Pedro Martinez's older brother.

Los Angeles Dodgers (1988–1998)
Boston Red Sox (1999–2000)
Pittsburgh Pirates (2001)

Saturday, January 20, 2018

#141 Eric Karros


DEEP adjective  \ ˈdēp \: having many good players / a deep bull pen

1992 NL Rookie of the Year.

Degree in Economics from UCLA.

Dodgers career HR leader with 270. Is that right?

Has really nice hair, depending on who you ask.