2011 Chachi #69 NLDS Game 5 - Roy Halladay & Ryan Howard

Why is this still in my draft folder?  Maybe if I make this public now, it will exorcise the demons of 2011 and cleanse the blog for 2012.  I need to put the past behind me and look forward to the start of a new season in a few short months.  And maybe if I sneak this one in on New Year's Eve, no one will notice.

Cardinals 1, Phillies 0
NLDS Game 5 - Friday Night, October 7th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Chris Carpenter outdueled Roy Halladay to stun the Phillies (and their fans) and send the Cardinals to the N.L.C.S.

What It Means:  In short, it means the season was a bust.  The 102 regular season wins were wonderful and enjoyable, but in the end the team fell short of its ultimate goal of winning a World Championship.

What Went Wrong:  The offense couldn't touch Carpenter.  Shane Victorino had a few hits and both Raul Ibanez and Chase Utley hit balls that died on the warning track.  The game ended with Ryan Howard grounding out weakly to second as his Achilles' tendon ruptured.  He had to be carried off the field as the Cardinals celebrated on the mound.

Halladay allowed a first inning run when Rafel Furcal tripled and Skip Schumaker doubled to start the game.  The ace locked it in after that, but the offense couldn't rally.

Featured Card:  What a drag it was to make this card.  I actually toyed with the idea of not having a Game 5 summary in the 2011 Chachi set just to aid an air of intrigue and mystery to the set.  At some point before Spring Training starts, I'll need to cap off the 2011 Chachi set with a checklist.

Continuing a Tradition

1933 Goudey #21

I spent a lot of time over the holiday break discussing family traditions with my five-year-old son, Doug.  He loves hearing about the Christmas traditions I shared with my parents and my sister while I was growing up, and we often talk about how our little family is starting its own Christmas traditions.  After he fully understood the meaning of the word, he informed me that, "Traditions make me happy."

One of the Christmas traditions that always made me happy was the annual "Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim" tradition.  As a younger lad, I'd attend baseball card shows throughout the year with my Dad and he would always manage to sneak off and make a few secret purchases that would wind up under the tree on Christmas morning.  He'd also procure cards via mail order or, in more recent years, he'd scour eBay for cards for my collection.  He and my Mom would spend all year squirreling away cards in order to make the annual "Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim" tradition possible.

My Dad had been sick over the past few Christmases, so this tradition quietly faded over the past few years.  He passed away in October after a long, courageous battle.

1949 Bowman #30

My Mom, a reader of this here very blog, decided that some traditions should continue.  So, without me knowing it, she familiarized herself with my wantlists and she started making a few calls.  With the help of Kit Young, Dean's Cards and Dave's Vintage Cards, and with my vintage Phillies wantlists and 1971 Topps list in hand, she went to work.

You can imagine my shock and surprise this Christmas when I unwrapped a shoebox from my Mom and opened it to find a few dozen individually wrapped items with the exact dimensions of what must be baseball cards in top-loaders.  I spent the next half hour unwrapping each treasure only to find several 1971 Topps cards that I needed for my set and a wonderful collection of vintage Phillies cards spanning from 1933 to 1955.

The two cards featured here were the oldest cards in the lot, and I'm going to feature the rest of the cards in posts spread throughout the next few weeks.  My Mom told me she actually had fun tracking down these cards and I'm certainly extremely grateful for the continuation of the "Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim" tradition.

Dad would be proud of her.  Traditions make me happy.

2000 Pacific Ornaments #14 Scott Rolen

There's an excellent chance this could be my last post of 2011, as I plan to tune out and spend the next week or so immersed in quality family time.  I have more than a few complete and total rest days planned.

Thank you for reading along this year and thank you for all your well wishes and comments.  I'm very excited for the new year and I look forward to another year of Phillies baseball - both on the field and on cardboard.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Non-Roster Invitees - 5 More

2008 Topps Update #UH93

Why do non-roster invitees fascinate me?  I think it's my natural desire to root for the underdog that makes me appreciate these guys and their admirable perseverance.  I highlighted the first eight non-roster Spring Training invitees in a post earlier this month and since then the Phillies have handed out five more invitations.

Player (position) - 2011 Organization - Last Major Cardboard Appearance
9.  Dave Bush (rhp) - Rangers/Cubs/Phillies - 2010 Topps Update #US269 (Brewers)
10.  Steven Lerud (c) - Orioles - 2004 Bowman #160 (Pirates)
11.  Hector Luna (inf) - Red Sox - 2007 Upper Deck #97 (Indians)
12.  Lou Montanez (of) - Cubs - 2010 Upper Deck #78 (Orioles)
13.  David Purcey (lhp) - Blue Jays/A's/Tigers - 2011 Topps Update #US285 (Tigers)

Amazingly enough, Purcey is the first of the 13 players to have appeared in a 2011 baseball card offering.

I don't have Phillies-related baseball cards for any of these guys, which is why I decided to feature a card of my all-time favorite non-roster invitee - Chris Coste.

2002 Phillies - Ten Years Gone

2002 Fleer Focus Jersey Edition #45, 2002 Topps #557,
2002 Topps Chrome #394 and 2002 Topps Ten #171

This time of year usually means there's a whirlwind of activity in my house.  The halls have been decked, Christmas lists have been submitted to Santa and (most of) the shopping is done.  Cookies have been baked, some have been sampled, and the Christmas ham is in the fridge ready to go.  The stockings are hung, the kids are bouncing off the walls and I'm counting down the hours until I can officially check out of work for the year.  And finally, as has now become a holiday tradition, the annual package of Phillies baseball card cast-offs has arrived from Section 36.  What a joyous time of year!

Each year, Ron from Section 36 begins the process of making room for the new year's baseball cards poised to arrive at some point in the coming months.  He keeps his unwanted baseball card doubles for exactly a decade and then they're shuffled off to fellow collectors willing to make room at the inn for them.   I've been the recipient of past packages containing Ron's 2000 and 2001 Phillies cast-offs, and this year I was thrilled to receive a package of 2002 Phillies cards.

I'll admit that I've been looking forward to this year's package as Ron makes room for his 2012 baseball cards.  2002 was the darkest of the dark years for me, and I didn't spend much time collecting.  What 2002 cards I have were acquired on a few eBay team set binges in the mid-2000's as I attempted to remedy the gaping hole in my Phillies collection from 2002 through 2005.  The cards featured in this post were all cards recently deleted from my 2002 Phillies Wantlist, and I'm happy to add them to my 2002 Phillies binder.

Thanks again Ron!  Only 365 more shopping days until the 2003 Phillies package arrives!

2007 Bowman Heritage #155 Jimmy Rollins

Jimmy Rollins officially returned to the Phillies yesterday, finalizing his new three-year, $33 million contract with a vesting option for a fourth year. Rollins, who has been with the organization since he was drafted in 1996, will hopefully stay with the organization through the 2015 season.

I'm a big Jimmy Rollins fan, and I'm glad this deal got done. He's been the face of the franchise and the team's leader from the dark days of the early 2000's through the golden age of today. I couldn't imagine him wearing a Cardinals or a Brewers or a Red Sox uniform, and I'm selfishly happy that none of those teams were willing to give Rollins the five years he initially sought. Jimmy belongs in Philadelphia and I look forward to adding his 2012, 2013, 2014 and perhaps 2015 baseball cards to my collection.

Moving On

Dane Sardinha (10-11) 10/10/11 - Filed for free agency

Brandon Moss (11) 10/17/11 - Outrighted to Lehigh Valley and filed for free agency (Signed with the Oakland A's organization)

Brad Lidge (08-11) 10/24/11 - Team option declined

Roy Oswalt (10-11) 10/24/11 - Team option declined

Ross Gload (10-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Raul Ibanez (09-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Ryan Madson (03-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Juan Perez (11) 11/2/11 - Became a minor league free agent

Scott Mathieson (06, 10-11) 11/29/11 - Released

Ben Francisco (09-11) 12/12/11 - Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Frank Gailey

Coming Back

Pete Orr (11) 11/3/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent with an invitation to Spring Training

Brian Schneider (10- ) 11/17/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies to a one-year contract

Jimmy Rollins (00- ) 12/19/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a vesting fourth year

New Additions

Jim Thome (03-05) 11/5/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians

Jonathan Papelbon 11/14/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox

Ty Wigginton 11/20/11 - Acquired with cash from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later or cash

Laynce Nix 12/8/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals

Dontrelle Willis 12/15/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds

1988 Topps Phillies - Missing Links (Part 2)

While we await the official announcement of Jimmy Rollins' return . . . presenting Part 2 of the 1988 Topps Missing Links set.

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1988 Topps Phillies - Missing Links

Today's post features the first half of the massive 1988 Topps Missing Link set.  There were 20 players who suited up for the Phillies during the 1988 season who did not appear as Phillies in either the Topps regular or traded sets.  Some of the omissions were justified and deserved (Salome Barojas), while other omissions angered me at the time (Bob Dernier).

When reflecting back on the 1988 season, The Phillies Encyclopedia puts it best:

The club performed atrociously throughout, mixing one unethusiastic performance after another with injuries, season-long slumps, and a rash of player moves that did little else but give a lot of people a chance to tell their grandchildren that they once wore a big league uniform.

A few other notes:
- I almost didn't share the Barojas card here but I figured I was among friends so the snickering at my graphic design skills would be held to a minimum.  (The Al Pardo and Bill Scherrer cards, which will follow shortly, almost didn't get published either.)
- Most of the photos used are from the 1988 Phillies Yearbook or the 1989 Tastykake Phillies set.

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Look for the 1989 Topps Phillies post in 2012! (Or at some point in 2011, time permitting.)

1993 Conlon Collection #734 Boom-Boom

It's time for another edition of Cool Stuff John Sent Me!  Please enjoy this fine card of Boom-Boom Beck, presented with no commercial interruption.

Click to enlarge and enjoy the enlightening tale of Mr. Beck's wonderful nickname.

2012 Chachi Transactions #6 Dontrelle Willis

There are certain iconic pitchers who, in their prime, I just couldn't imagine donning a Phillies uniform.  This list includes Fernando Valenzuela, Sid Fernandez and Pedro Martinez.  My reaction has always been the same the first time I saw one of those guys wearing red pinstripes - I never thought I'd see that guy in a Phillies uniform.  Well, go ahead and add Dontrelle Willis' name to that list.  I never thought I'd see that guy in a Phillies uniform.

(14,000 Phillies compiled a similar list a few days ago.  Andy Van Slyke and Jeff Conine are good examples of position players I never thought I'd see in a Phillies uniform.)

The Phils signed Willis to a one-year deal yesterday, and he'll be used strictly as a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen.  He and Antonio Bastardo will share lefty bullpen duties with Willis also possibly serving as a potential long-man or spot starter.

Moving On

Dane Sardinha (10-11) 10/10/11 - Filed for free agency

Brandon Moss (11) 10/17/11 - Outrighted to Lehigh Valley and filed for free agency (Signed with the Oakland A's organization)

Brad Lidge (08-11) 10/24/11 - Team option declined

Roy Oswalt (10-11) 10/24/11 - Team option declined

Ross Gload (10-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Raul Ibanez (09-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Ryan Madson (03-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Jimmy Rollins (00-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Juan Perez (11) 11/2/11 - Became a minor league free agent

Scott Mathieson (06, 10-11) 11/29/11 - Released

Ben Francisco (09-11) 12/12/11 - Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Frank Gailey

Coming Back

Pete Orr (11) 11/3/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent with an invitation to Spring Training

Brian Schneider (10-11) 11/17/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies to a one-year contract

New Additions

Jim Thome (03-05) 11/5/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians

Jonathan Papelbon 11/14/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox

Ty Wigginton 11/20/11 - Acquired with cash from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later or cash

Laynce Nix 12/8/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals

Dontrelle Willis 12/15/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds

2004 Bazooka 4 on 1 Stickers #4 Halladay/Martinez/Schilling/Myers

I was flipping through my sparsely populated 2004 Phillies binder recently and this card caught my eye.  I added the card to my collection back in '04 solely due to the fact that Brett Myers appears in the lower right quadrant.  However, the 4-on-1 sticker card also includes former Phillie Curt Schilling and future Phillies Pedro Martinez and Roy Halladay.

I wonder if there are any other instances where through pure luck a card features a former, a current and at least one future Phillie?

1951 Bowman #293 Ken Johnson

My Dad gave me this baseball card for Christmas last year.

His health wasn't that great a year ago, but he still managed to somehow purchase this card for me.  Slowly but surely, over the past three or four years, Dad had scoured eBay or local baseball card shows for the 1951 Bowman Phillies cards I needed to complete my team set.  And as I write this, I'm just three cards short of the 25-card Phillies team set.

This will be our first Christmas without Dad, and I'm bracing for the emotional wallop that will carry.  He loved this time of year - "Boy I love this time of year," I can hear him say - and I'm going to do my best to make sure my boys experience the warmth and joy of the season that my Dad always conveyed to me.

2012 Chachi Transactions #5 Ben Francisco

There has been a deal.  The Phillies cleared some roster space and freed up a little cash by trading outfielder Ben Francisco to the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday for left-handed minor league pitcher Frank Gailey.  The Phils opted to move Francisco rather than offer him arbitration before last night's deadline.  Francisco came to the Phillies from the Indians as part of the July 2009 Cliff Lee deal.  In his 2 1/2 seasons with the club, he hit .259 in 225 games with 17 home runs and 75 RBIs.  His most memorable moment in red pinstripes came during Game 3 of last year's N.L.D.S. when his pinch-hit three-run home run gave the Phillies a 3-2 victory.

Moving On

Dane Sardinha (10-11) 10/10/11 - Filed for free agency

Brandon Moss (11) 10/17/11 - Outrighted to Lehigh Valley and filed for free agency (Signed with the Oakland A's organization)

Brad Lidge (08-11) 10/24/11 - Team option declined

Roy Oswalt (10-11) 10/24/11 - Team option declined

Ross Gload (10-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Raul Ibanez (09-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Ryan Madson (03-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Jimmy Rollins (00-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Juan Perez (11) 11/2/11 - Became a minor league free agent

Scott Mathieson (06, 10-11) 11/29/11 - Released

Ben Francisco (09-11) 12/12/11 - Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Frank Gailey

Coming Back

Pete Orr (11) 11/3/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent with an invitation to Spring Training

Brian Schneider (10-11) 11/17/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies to a one-year contract

New Additions

Jim Thome (03-05) 11/5/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians

Jonathan Papelbon 11/14/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox

Ty Wigginton 11/20/11 - Acquired with cash from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later or cash

Laynce Nix 12/8/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals