Game 46 - 2011 Topps Lineage 1975 Mini #93 Roy Oswalt

Braves 3, Phillies 1
Game 46 - Tuesday Night, May 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 27-19, 2nd place, 1 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Once again the Phillies couldn't solve Brandon McCarthy as the Braves won this game 3-1.

What It Means:  What's going on with Rhys Hoskins?  He's not had a multi-hit game since April 27th and his average has dipped down to .237.  In his last 21 games, since that multi-hit game, he's hitting .128 (10 for 78) with 31 strikeouts.

What Happened:  The Phillies offense managed 7 hits against McCarthy and four Braves relievers.  Vince Velasquez struck out 9 in his 4 1/3 innings of work.  He loaded the bases in the fourth with no outs only to wriggle out of trouble by striking out the side.

Featured Card:  Had the Phillies won this game, they would have held sole possession of first place at the latest point in the season since 2011.  Back on May 22, 2011, the Phils lost to Matt Harrison and the Rangers but Roy Oswalt pitched well, allowing a run on eight hits over seven innings of work.  The Phils stood at 28-18 following that game, with the Marlins 1 1/2 games behind them in the division.

2011 Topps Phillies

2011 Topps #300, 2011 Topps Update #US100, 2011 Topps #460 and #174

Trying to stay awake during the Phillies-less postseason gives me a good reason to look back to the last year the Phillies kept me up late at night in prior Octobers.  I'm going to try to get through my look back at the 2012 and 2013 Topps Phillies cards during this postseason so that this series is finally current.  I'll take a look at the 2014 Topps Phillies cards following the release of this year's update set.

The Set

2011 Topps #300 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  Omitting any short-print or gimmick cards, series one, series two and the update series all contained 330 cards, for a whopping 990 cards for the complete 2011 Topps set.
My very brief thoughts on the set:  The set has a nice, clean design allowing for plenty of room for the photography to take center stage.  As I wrote back in February 2011 after I had opened my first packs of 2011 Topps, the full team name circling the baseball in the lower right doesn't need to be there twice.  Other than that, it's hard to find fault with the design or this set in general.
Notable competition:  None to speak of, and this is the last post in which I'll even list this as a sub-category.  Upper Deck issued a logo-less set in 2010 and Panini would come along in a few years with more logo-less products.

2011 Topps #420, #219, #495 and #89

2011 Phillies
Record and finish:  For the fifth and final year in a row, the Phillies won the N.L. East, finishing with a franchise high 102 wins to just 60 losses.  The second place Braves finished 13 games back.  Unfortunately, the postseason ended prematurely as the Phils were defeated in five games by the eventual World Champion Cardinals.

Key players:  Pitching was the emphasis in 2011 as the Four Aces - Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt - came together to open the season.  Lee had been traded away following the 2009 season, but he re-signed with the Phillies prior to the 2011 season.  The four starters would finish with a combined record of 59-33 and a 2.71 ERA.  Halladay and Lee led the way with 19 and 17 wins respectively, and Halladay started the All-Star Game for the National League.  Ryan Madson assumed the closer's role with Brad Lidge missing significant time due to injuries.  Madson ended up saving 32 games and Antonio Bastardo recorded eight saves.

2011 Topps #656, 2011 Topps Update #US92 and 2011 Topps #638

Ryan Howard turned in another solid season, driving in 116 and hitting 33 home runs.  Unfortunately, his bat really hasn't been heard from since.  Raul Ibanez drove in 84 runs and Carlos Ruiz hit .283 while the rest of the offense had relatively mediocre years.  Hunter Pence provided a spark following his acquisition from the Astros in July.  In 54 games with the Phils, Pence hit .324 with 11 home runs.  Placido Polanco provided steady defense, winning his third Gold Glove and his first as a third baseman.

2011 Topps #359

Key events:  The key takeaway from the regular season is that the Phillies absolutely dominated the competition throughout the year.  However, it's hard to appreciate and look back fondly on their play during the 162 regular season games given their quick exit in the playoffs.  Halladay and the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter battled throughout the decisive N.L.D.S. Game 5, with the Cardinals emerging with a 1-0 victory.  In a play that's still hard to watch, Howard grounded out to end the game, rupturing his Achilles on the way to first.

In other news, utility infielder Wilson Valdez earned the victory in a 19-inning game against the Reds in May.  Valdez came in to pitch the 19th, holding the Reds scoreless and earning his own Chachi Highlight card to commemorate his feat.

2011 Phillies in 2011 Topps
There are 25 Phillies cards to be found within the base set, and another six within the update series for a total of 31 cards.  There are also veteran variation cards for Mike Schmidt and Robin Roberts.
Who's in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 8 cards

#219 Carlos Ruiz (c), #420 Ryan Howard (1b), #214 Chase Utley (2b), #199 Jimmy Rollins (ss), #89 Placido Polanco (3b), #656 Raul Ibanez (lf), #495 Shane Victorino (cf), #US92 Hunter Pence (rf)

2011 Topps #214, #199, 2011 Topps Update #US189 and 2011 Topps #341

• Cards of the starting pitcher rotation - 4 cards

#300 Roy Halladay, #US100 Cliff Lee, #460 Cole Hamels, #174 Roy Oswalt

The Four Aces are all represented and Joe Blanton (who was limited to eight starts because of injuries) has a card, but rookie Vance Worley who spent the majority of the season as the team's fifth starter, was omitted.  Worley's sole mainstream 2011 baseball card can be found in the Topps Heritage set.

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 2011 - 10 cards

#242 Brad Lidge, #267 Jose Contreras, #341 Kyle Kendrick, #379 Ben Francisco, #421 Domonic Brown, #469 Joe Blanton, #524 Michael Martinez, #638 Ryan Madson, #US117 Michael Stutes, #US189 Wilson Valdez

2011 Topps #232

• Base cards of players who did not play with the Phillies in 2011 - 2 cards

#232 Jamie Moyer and #325 Jayson Werth

Moyer missed the entire 2011 season due to Tommy John surgery, and he'd come back in 2013 to pitch with the Colorado Rockies at the age of 49.  Werth signed his mega-contract with the Nationals following the 2010 season, locking him up through the 2017 season.

• 2010 National League Leaders cards - 2 cards

#11 Roy Halladay (Wins) and #82 Roy Halladay (ERA)

• 2010 National League Award Winners cards - 1 card, #146 Roy Halladay (Cy Young)
• 2010 Highlights/checklist cards - 1 card, #359 Roy Halladay & Carlos Ruiz (Postseason no-hitter)
• Team card - 1 card, #511 Jimmy Rollins (Walk-off celebration from June 23, 2010)
• 2011 National League All-Star cards - 2 cards, #US85 Roy Halladay and #US154 Cliff Lee

Polanco, Hamels and Victorino, who also made the All-Star team in 2011, got left out of the update series.

Who's out:  There are three position players (John Mayberry, Jr., Brian Schneider and Ross Gload) and three pitchers (Worley, Bastardo and David Herndon) who were big parts of the 2011 team, but there wasn't enough room within the Topps checklist for their inclusion.

2011 Topps #511

Phillies on other teams:  Pence (#45) and Lee (#103) are featured with the Astros and Rangers respectively within the first series.  Pence has a Phillies card in the update series, but he also appears with the Astros on his 2011 N.L. All-Star card (#US304).
What's he doing here:  I can't fault Topps for including Moyer and Werth in the first series.  Although they may have wanted to hold off on Werth as it wasn't a guarantee he'd be back with the Phillies for 2011.  Werth's series one card was photoshopped to show him with the Nationals for the Topps Chrome release.

Cards that never were candidates:  I'll go with the six players I listed above under the Who's out section.  A case could also be made for a rookie card for pitcher Justin De Fratus who made his debut in 2011 and appeared in five games.

Favorite Phillies card:  The team card showing Rollins and a group of jubilant Phillies celebrating at home plate is cool, but my favorite Phillies card from this set is the card celebrating Halladay's no-hitter against the Reds in game one of the 2010 N.L.D.S.

Other Stuff

2011 Topps Silk Collection

Variations:  I liked the format I used for the 2010 Topps Phillies post, showing in chart form the different card variations to be found throughout the flagship, Chrome, Opening Day and Retail set, along with any variations to be found within the annual factory set.  Here's the 2011 chart, and it's interesting to note that Lee's cards in everything other than the flagship set most likely feature a photo from his first stint with the club in 2009.

Also of interest is the fact that Mayberry had a card within the Silk Collection insert set, which is his only card featuring him with the 2011 Topps design.  Why Topps decided to produce a silk card for Mayberry, but omit him from all other offerings is a mystery.

Memory Lane:  Here's a fun little post I did back in January 2012 showing Utley's various 2011 Topps cards all featuring photos taken within seconds of each other at Fenway Park in 2010.

2010 Topps Phillies

2010 Topps #590, #334, 2010 Topps Update #US245 and 2010 Topps #23

Why am I having so much trouble starting and finishing the last few posts in my ongoing Topps Phillies series?  I flew through the initial posts a few years ago, churning out a post a week up through the late 1990s.  And then I stalled out.  I dug back in and made my way up through the mid-2000s before stalling out again.  The 2008 and 2009 posts were fun to put together, but I haven't been able to sufficiently motivate myself to wrap up the series with a look at the Topps Phillies cards from 2010, 2011, 2012 and most recently, 2013. 

I think, and this is only a theory, it's because these cards hold no real historical or sentimental interest to me personally, at least not yet.  Maybe in ten or twenty years' time, I'll look back at the 2010 Topps set with a sense of nostalgia, but that's a long ways off.

2010 was the first full year I maintained this here blog.  It was the year we welcomed our second son Benjamin into our lives, and he's been amazing us ever since.  2010 was also the year we began to realize that my Dad's health was failing, and the Phillies and their baseball cards provided a welcome haven from the real world.

The Set

2010 Topps #334 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  Without counting the short-printed variations and gimmick cards, there are 660 cards in both series one and series two and 331 cards in the update series.  The extra card in the update series is the much sought after (at the time) Stephen Strasburg rookie card.
My very brief thoughts on the set:  I think this is one of my favorite Topps sets from recent years becuase (1) it's so different from any of the other generic, over-modern designs they've used recently and (2) the team logo is just freakin' huge on the fronts of the cards.  Revisiting the set for this post, I'm also struck by how good the photography is on most of the cards.
Notable competition:  This is the first year that Topps held its exclusive license with MLB, and it flaunted it by displaying large team logos on the fronts and backs of its base cards.  Upper Deck attempted to release a set with obscured or non-visible team logos on the photos, but it just wasn't an attractive or popular set.

2010 Topps #122, #300, #403 and #630

2010 Phillies
Record and finish:  The Phillies were flat-out awesome in 2010, and it was fun to watch them play every day.  They won their fourth consecutive N.L. East pennant, going 97-65 and finishing six games ahead of the Braves.  They swept the Reds in the N.L.D.S. only to have the Giants put an unceremonious end to their run in Game 6 of the N.L.C.S.  The card I created to memorialize the Game 6 loss is one of the most depressing cards in the entire Chachi series.  Why didn't Ryan Howard at least swing the bat?

Key players:  Despite his let-down in the N.L.C.S., Howard enjoyed a fantastic regular season.  He led the team with 108 RBIs and 31 home runs while hitting .276.  He was manager Charlie Manuel's choice as the starting designated hitter for the N.L. All-Star squad.  The outfield trio of Raul Ibanez (.275, 16, 83), Shane Victorino (.259, 18, 69, 34 stolen bases) and Jayson Werth (.296, 27, 85) could run circles around what the team plans to field in 2014.  Returning third baseman Placido Polanco and catcher Carlos Ruiz stabilized an already strong line-up and provided steady defense in the field.

The newly acquired Roy Halladay delivered one of the most dominant seasons by a Phillies pitcher in their franchise history.  On the way to winning the N.L. Cy Young Award, Halladay went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA and 219 strikeouts.  Cole Hamels pitched much better than his 12-11 record, striking out 211 and compiling a 3.06 ERA.  On June 29th, the Phillies acquired Roy Oswalt and he went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA in his 13 games with the club.  Brad Lidge bounced back from an awful 2009 with 27 saves and Ryan Madson continued to impress as one of the best set-up men in baseball.

2010 Topps #486, #134 and 2010 Topps Update #US100

Key events:  Following the 2009 season, general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. orchestrated two blockbuster trades, bringing in Halladay from the Blue Jays and inexplicably trading away Cliff Lee to the Mariners.  Lee would return to the organization via free agency following the 2010 season.  Halladay announced his arrival to the National League by pitching the 20th perfect game in Major League history on May 29th.  A few weeks earlier, on May 7th, Jamie Moyer became the oldest player in history to throw a complete game shutout.  And of course, Halladay started off the 2010 postseason by hurling a no-hitter against the Reds in Game 1 of the N.L.D.S.  (See below for links to all the 2010 postseason Chachi cards.)

2010 Phillies in 2010 Topps
Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 20 Phillies cards in the base set and another seven Phillies cards in the update series.  There are also three veteran variation cards for Richie Ashburn, Steve Carlton and Robin Roberts.
Who's in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 8 cards

#122 Carlos Ruiz (c), #590 Ryan Howard (1b), #300 Chase Utley (2b), #403 Jimmy Rollins (ss), #US245 Placido Polanco (3b), #486 Raul Ibanez (lf), #23 Shane Victorino (cf), #334 Jayson Werth (rf)

Topps has a nice little streak going at this point, as the last time they didn't include all regular eight starting position players was with its 2001 set.  That was the year starting catcher Johnny Estrada was completely overlooked by Topps.

2010 Topps #70, #474, #188 and 2010 Topps Update #US95

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 5 cards

#US100 Roy Halladay, #70 Cole Hamels, #474 Kyle Kendrick, #188 Joe Blanton, #US95 Jamie Moyer

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 2010 - 7 cards

#89 J.A. Happ, #424 David Herndon, #500 Brad Lidge, #630 Ben Francisco, #655 Ryan Madson, #US21 Roy Oswalt, #US318 Domonic Brown

• Base cards of players who did not play with the Phillies in 2010 - 2 cards

#132 Cliff Lee, #154 Pedro Feliz

• 2009 National League Leaders card - 1 card, #42 Ryan Howard (RBIs)
• Franchise History card - 1 card, #372 Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels

This was a nice little subset added by Topps in its 2010 set.  The front of the card features Howard and Hamels following the conclusion of the 2008 World Series and the back of the card contains a listing of the franchise's all-time, active and prior season leaders in various statistical categories.

• 2010 National League All-Star cards - 2 cards, #US30 Roy Halladay and #US265 Ryan Howard
• Team/Manager card - 1 card, #134 Victorino, Rollins, Utley and Howard on front, Charlie Manuel on back

2010 Topps #500, #655, 2010 Topps Phillies #PHI17 and 2010 Topps Update #US21

Who's out:  The bench guys were largely ignored in the set - Wilson Valdez, Greg Dobbs, Brian Schneider and Ross Gload.  Key bullpen cogs Chad Durbin, Jose Contreras, J.C. Romero and Danys Baez were also omitted, although Romero received a card in the Topps Phillies retail set.

2010 Topps #372

Phillies on other teams:  There's a bunch of these given all the moves made by the Phillies during the offseason and within the regular season.  Halladay (#200, Blue Jays), Polanco (#263, Tigers) and Oswalt (#586, Astros) would appear on Phillies cards within the Update set.  Short timers Nate Robertson (#84, Tigers) and Mike Sweeney (#157, Mariners) would not ever appear on a (non-virtual) Phillies baseball card.
What's he doing here:  I guess it's a little puzzling that Feliz was given a Phillies card in series one, as he became a free agent on November 9, 2009 and signed with the Astros in early December.  By then, the Phils had tabbed Polanco to be their new starting third baseman.

Cards that never were candidates:  If you want a team set featuring the 25-man postseason roster, cards are needed for Gload, Sweeney, Valdez, Schneider, Durbin, Contreras and Antonio Bastardo.
Favorite Phillies card:  It's a tie between the Franchise History card with Hamels and Howard, and the team card featuring key Phillies players following one of their many wins from this era.

2010 Topps #200, 2010 Topps Opening Day #89, 2010 Topps Phillies #PHI7 and 2010 Topps Phillies Factory Set Bonus #PHI1

Other Stuff
Recycled:  This was the year of the Halladay #32/#34 debacle.  Once Halladay was acquired from the Blue Jays in December 2009, the graphic guys at Topps went to work transforming the photo used on his series one card into a Phillies card for their Opening Day set.  Except they neglected to look up that Halladay's #32 was retired by the Phillies thanks to Hall of Famer Carlton's stellar career.  They remedied the issue with a third card found within the Topps Phillies retail set.  Finally, here's a handy little reference to the different 2010 Topps-related Phillies variations available across four different sets and the bonus five-card set found within the special Phillies-themed factory set.  Any variation from the card appearing in the flagship set is noted.

Updates to the Above Chart:  The Halladay factory set bonus card actually features a vertical photograph, unlike his base card.  Brown also has a 2010 Topps-style card in the Red Hot Rookie Redemptions set, featuring a different photo than his base card.

Memory Lane:  After each and every postseason game, I created a Chachi card (complete with backs!) and posted a game summary.

N.L.D.S. Game 1 - Phillies 4, Reds 0 - Doctober Begins with No-Hitter
N.L.D.S. Game 2 - Phillies 7, Reds 4 - Reds Deliver Gift-Wrapped Win to Phils
N.L.D.S. Game 3 - Phillies 2, Reds 0 - Hamels Shuts Down the Reds
N.L.D.S. Clincher

N.L.C.S. Game 1 - Giants 4, Phillies 3 - Phils Undone by Lincecum, Ross & Burrell
N.L.C.S. Game 2 - Phillies 6, Giants 1 - Phils Even Up Series Behind Oswalt & Rollins
N.L.C.S. Game 3 - Giants 3, Phillies 0 - Phils Offense Goes AWOL
N.L.C.S. Game 4 - Giants 6, Phillies 5 - Phillies Fall Short in Game 4
N.L.C.S. Game 5 - Phillies 4, Giants 2 - Doc Gives the Giants Their Medicine
N.L.C.S. Game 6 - Giants 3, Phillies 2 - Giants Stun Phillies

2011 Topps Diamond Duos #DD-1 Roy Halladay & Roy Oswalt

Mets 7, Phillies 2

Game 7 - Monday Night, April 8th in Philadelphia

Record - 2-5, 4th Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Roy Halladay continued his 1987 Joe Cowley impersonation as the Phillies lost the series opener to the Mets, 7-2.

What It Means:  It means I need to try to stay positive.  Halladay will figure it out again.  The offense just needs to get going.  It's still early.

What Went Wrong:  Halladay couldn't record an out in the fifth inning and was pulled from the game.  His final line - 4 innings, 6 hits, 7 runs, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.  Both of Halladay's runners inherited by Chad Durbin came around to score, meaning Durbin has allowed all of his seven inherited runners to score so far this season.

The offense managed four hits and went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  I haven't heard yet if these Tweets from Roy Oswalt's account were accidental or just really poor timing on his part.  Both came out a few innings after Halladay's unceremonious departure.  The 2011 season suddenly seems so long ago.

Reviewing the 2012 Topps Factory Set

2012 Topps #62

Happy New Year!

Mrs. Claus came through again this year with another Topps factory set under the tree.  This is becoming an annual Christmas tradition, and I spent the next several days after Christmas sorting through the cards and familiarizing myself with the base Topps cards that I overlooked during the year. I know this set has been picked apart and/or praised and equally celebrated or criticized throughout the blogosphere, so my observations are undoubtedly a little late.  But as I was looking through the 2012 Topps set and sorting it, a few random critical questions came to mind:

• Why doesn't Topps group subsets any more?  I love postseason cards, in spite of card #264 celebrating the Cardinals victory over the Phillies in Game 5 of the 2011 N.L.D.S.  By my tally, there are 10 postseason cards scattered throughout the set, and the games featured on the cards aren't even in chronological order throughout the set.  Why not group these cards together to present the cohesive story of the 2011 postseason?

• Same goes for the League Leaders cards, as these are scattered throughout the set too.  Why not just group them all together to present a snapshot of the leaders from the 2011 season?  And bring back the stolen base leaders and leading firemen cards while you're at it.

2012 Topps #29

• Did we really need the Active League Leaders subset?  Instead of these cards, we could have had stand-alone highlights and record breakers cards, instead of making those subjects share card space with the set's checklists.  I doubt collectors were clamoring for the Active N.L. Wins Leaders card, featuring two former Phillies.  I certainly wasn't.

• This is nit-picking, but were there really no better highlights or records broken in 2011 than Jose Valverde's franchise record 49 saves with the Tigers (#491) or Derek Jeter's most games played with the Yankees (#641)?

• Finally, and for all I know Topps has been doing this for the past few years, why give the Rookie Cup winners two separate cards?  I only noticed this when I came across two separate cards for the Phillies new center fielder, Ben Revere.  He has a base card (with no Rookie Cup) and a second card (with a Rookie Cup).  That seems silly.

2012 Topps #292

All in all, it's a good set, but not a great set.  I whole-heartedly agree with the assessment of many bloggers that the photography in the set is spectacular.  That being said, I haven't deemed a Topps set binder-worthy since their 2009 offering and that was mostly because there were Phillies World Series highlight cards in the set.  After I put the 2012 Topps set in order, I'll leave it in its box and stack it on a shelf along with the boxed 2010 and 2011 sets.  Perhaps the 2013 Topps set will break the non-binder worthy streak that Topps currently has going.

2012 Chachi Transactions #13 Roy Oswalt

Mets 6, Phillies 3
Game 51 - Tuesday Night, May 29th in Flushing
Record - 26-25, 5th Place, 4 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Joe Blanton got hammered again and the Phillies offense couldn't compensate, as the Mets won, 6-3.

What It Means:  Blanton continues to struggle, just when the Phillies needed him most.  Here's the hard, cold facts from a Todd Zolecki tweet: "Joe Blanton had a 2.81 ERA in his first seven starts.  He has a 12.51 ERA in his last three."

What Went Wrong:  Blanton gave up two home runs, including a solo shot to Mets starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner.  It was Hefner's first big league hit.

Featured Card:  The Phillies news came quickly on Tuesday afternoon.  First, we learned that Roy Halladay would miss 6 to 8 weeks with a strained muscle in his right shoulder.  The good news is that it's not structural, so Doc won't need to go under the knife.  The bad news is that the Phillies will be without Halladay's services until the beginning of August at the earliest.  The word is he's going to be shut down completely for next three weeks.  (Ironically enough, the dire news was delivered exactly two years to the day after this happened.)

Second, Roy Oswalt is officially out of the running to replace Halladay in the rotation as the semi-retired righty signed with the Texas Rangers.  Oswalt returns to the Lone Star state after his brief sojourn in Philly.  On a positive note, at least now Topps will stop including Oswalt Phillies cards in its 2012 releases.  Oswalt had his team option declined way back on October 24th, but that hasn't stopped Topps from including him as a Phillie in their Series One, Opening Day, Heritage, Gypsy Queen and Bowman sets.

Presented here is Oswalt's first unofficial Rangers card and the latest addition to the Chachi Transactions insert set.

2012 Topps #98 Domonic Brown

And on the third day, packs of 2012 Topps finally showed up at my local Target.

On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, I stopped at Target on my way home from work, only to be disappointed to find no packs of 2012 Topps on their shelves.  Yesterday, to my great delight, I found rack-packs, individual packs, blaster boxes and those hanger box thingers in the baseball card aisle.  I gleefully paid for the first new cards of the year and I opened my first few packs in my car in the Target parking lot.

This is how it's always been, starting back when my Dad and me would buy our first packs of Topps cards back in the day.  We'd buy the packs at Wawa or a local baseball card shop and then open our first few packs in the parking lot outside.  We would race to find "The First Phillie" of the year.  (Here's are the posts commemorating the first Phillies of 2011 and 2010.)

The first Phillie of 2012 was the card I've featured here - Domonic Brown.  I had to wait until half-way through my third pack (and multiple Derek Jeter cards) before coming to a card with the Phillies logo on it.  When I got home last night, Doug helped me open the rest of my packs and we added cards of Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard, among a few others, to the Phillies pile.

I like the Topps set this year.  I like them enough that I'm seriously considering hand-collating a Topps base set for the first time in probably over a decade.  It's not that I'm in love with the set's design - it's more that I just miss the fun of putting a set together.

And a few other things:

• It seems as if Topps is getting more ambitious with its photography.  This Brown card is a good example of the type of game-play action shots throughout the first series.  There are also a lot of celebratory shots featuring walk-off-win home plate gatherings or group hug shots.

• The backs are very plain this year, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  One of the first things I noticed (other than the lack of a player photo on the backs of the cards) is the use of all capital letters for the yearly team listing.  I don't know if Topps has ever presented the team listing in the past this way, so it really jumped out at me.

• The active leaders cards are kind of random, but I like the concept.  I just wish Topps had decided to group these cards together in the set.

• I got the Reggie Jackson Commemorative Retired Number Patch Card (#RN-RJ) in my blaster.  Send me an e-mail if you're interested in setting up a trade for this card.  I'm looking for the Mike Schmidt patch card from the same set.

• I have a suspicion that a lot of collectors will be putting together the 50-card 1987 Topps Minis insert set.  Here are the cards I have up for trade from this set:  1 Braun, 4 Young, 17 Kimbrel, 44 Tulowitzki, 47 Castro and 50 Granderson.

• My packs yielded no squirrel cards.

2012 Topps #92

Moving On - Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt

2011 Topps Heritage Black #C22 and #C41

As expected, the Phillies declined their options on the 2012 contracts of pitchers Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt yesterday.  I've added both their names to the Moving On listing at the bottom of this post, but the Phillies expect to at least try to bring back both pitchers albeit at lesser salaries.

If this is the end of Lidge's Phillie tenure, he'll forever be celebrated for his perfect 2008 season in which he converted 48 saves in 48 opportunities - 41 in the regular season and 7 in the postseason.  Through the 2011 season, Lidge has exactly 100 saves with the Phillies, placing him in fourth place on the team's all-time list behind Jose Mesa (112), Steve Bedrosian (103) and Mitch Williams (102).  He recovered nicely from off-season rotator cuff surgery and lingering elbow problems to post a 1.40 ERA over 19.1 innings this past season.

Oswalt, who was hampered by back injuries most of this year, started to show his old form later in the 2011 season.  He came to the Phillies via a trade with the Astros late last July and compiled a 16-11 record and a 2.96 ERA in 35 starts with the Phils.  In five postseason games, Oswalt was 2-3 with a 3.86 ERA.  The Phillies opted to pay Oswalt a $2 million buy-out in lieu of the $16 million he was scheduled to receive in 2012.

Moving On

Dane Sardinha 10/10/11 - Elected free agency

Brandon Moss 10/17/11 - Outrighted to Lehigh Valley and elected free agency

Pete Orr 10/17/11 - Outrighted to Lehigh Valley and elected free agency

Brad Lidge 10/24/11 - Team option declined

Roy Oswalt 10/24/11 - Team option declined

2011 Chachi #68 NLDS Game 4 - Roy Oswalt & Ryan Howard

Cardinals 5, Phillies 3
NLDS Game 4 - Wednesday Night, October 5th in St. Louis

One Sentence Summary:  After an exciting first inning, the Phillies just couldn't get anything else going as the Cardinals got to Roy Oswalt and forced a Game 5.

What It Means:  It means tensions are high in The Phillies Room as the series is now tied 2-2.  The good news is that Roy Halladay will be on the mound tonight for the decisive Game 5.  The bad news is that the Phillies offense has been shut down by a less than suspect Cardinals pitching staff.

What Went Wrong:  I'm not going to dwell on this game, so I'll make this quick.  Oswalt (0-1) lasted six innings and allowed five runs on six hits.  The big blow was a two-run home run from David Freese in the sixth inning.  David Freakin' Freese.

For more on the Phillies short-comings during this game, please refer to the quick reference card prepared by Dick Allen Hall of Fame.

Featured Card:  To date, this is my least favorite card in the entire 2011 Chachi set.

2011 Topps Kimball Champions #KC-38 Roy Oswalt

Phillies 5, Nationals 0
Game 124 - Saturday Night, August 20th in Washington

One Sentence Summary:  Roy Oswalt dominated the Nationals as the Phillies won, 5-0.

What It Means:  The Phillies were 81-43 following this game.

What Went Right:  Oswalt (6-7) pitched eight strong innings, scattering eight hits and a walk while striking out nine.

Wilson Valdez started the scoring with a two-run triple in the fourth.  Hunter Pence led off the sixth with a solo home run and Jimmy Rollins added a two-run single later in the inning.

Featured Card:  I haven't had many opportunities to feature Oswalt's cards this year, so I'm glad I finally get to feature his card from the Topps Kimball Champions insert set.  In my opinion, these mini cards are some of the nicer cards issued by Topps in 2011.

2010 Chachi #60 Leading Firemen - Brad Lidge & Ryan Madson

Reds 6, Phillies 3
Game 48 - Tuesday Night, May 24th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Madson had his first rough outing of the year, capped by Jay Bruce's three-run double in the ninth, as the Reds won, 6-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies record dropped to 29-19.

What Went Wrong:  Madson had a 13-game scoreless streak snapped as a result of Bruce's big hit.  The ninth got off to a rough start when Drew Stubbs laid down a bunt fielded by Madson.  Madson threw the ball past Ryan Howard at first and things unraveled from there.

Starter Vance Worley pitched well at the outset, but then sputtered in the fifth inning.  He began the frame by allowing a six-pitch walk to Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto.  Cueto and Drew Stubbs, who doubled to reach, both came in to score on Brandon Phillips RBI-single.

What Went Right:  Raul Ibanez continued his hot streak, going 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Featured Card:  Until this game, Madson had been wonderful in the closer's role so far this year.  Last year, things didn't go so well as he was seemingly easily rattled when handed the ball in big pressure situations.  He did manage to save five games in 2010, a distant second to Brad Lidge's 27 saves.  Also recording saves in 2010 - Jose Contreras (4), J.C. Romero (3) and Nelson Figueroa (1).  It was actually Figueroa's second career save.

Field Report:  Jenna and I were there and it was a gorgeous night for baseball.  The Phils are now 4-3 in games I've attended this year.  It was also Roy Oswalt bobble head night, and I've already added Roy to my bobble head shelf in the "real" Phillies Room.  Jenna has graciously agreed to allow her Oswalt bobble head to be offered as trade bait.  So if you're interested, please check out my wantlists and make me an offer I can't refuse.

Other Stuff:  JT, over at The Writer's Journey, made Bruce's three-run double the focus of his card commemorating the game.

2011 Topps Heritage #212 Roy Oswalt

Phillies 3, Padres 0
Game 18 - Late Thursday Night, April 21st in San Diego

One Sentence Summary:  Roy Oswalt and three relievers shut down the Padres as the Phillies used home runs from Ben Francisco and Brian Schneider to take the first game of the series, 3-0.

What It Means:  With the win, the Phillies maintained a half game lead over the Marlins in the N.L. East, improving their record to 12-6.  Only the Rockies, at 13-5, have a better record in the N.L.

What Went Right:  Oswalt bounced back after having to depart his last start early with back spasms.  He threw 106 pitches in his six innings of work, allowing just one hit while striking out seven.  Jose Contreras allowed a few Padres to reach in the ninth, but he managed to get out of the jam and record his fifth save.

The Phillies left too many men on base (12), but the homers from Francisco and Schneider were enough to defeat the punchless Padres.

What Went Wrong:  I fell asleep in the fifth, despite still operating on West Coast time.

Featured Card:  What do you suppose Oswalt is checking out in his 2011 Topps Heritage card?  I can't tell if he's just mumbling to himself or gazing at something interesting in the distance.

Other Stuff:  I'm back on the East Coast, but the semi-timely game summary posts are about to stop again for a little bit due to some much needed rest and relaxation.  Chachi cards #17 through #28 are scheduled to run throughout the week . . . Does anyone have a good, recent picture of Mike Zagurski I could use for 2011 Chachi card #29?  I'm coming up empty trying to find a decent picture of the lefty reliever . . . Oswalt struck out Jorge Cantu in the fourth after a 14-pitch at-bat, including eight straight foul balls.  The at-bat made me think of Richie Ashburn, as Whitey would have appreciated Cantu's efforts.

One year ago, this happened and I can't believe he's already a year old.  Happy birthday Ben!

See you real soon!

2011 Chachi #16 Roy Oswalt

#44

Roy Edward Oswalt

Starting Pitcher

Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 6'0"  Weight: 192

Born: August 29, 1977, Kosciusko, MS

Home: Weir, MS

Drafted: Selected by Houston Astros in 23rd round of June 1996 draft

Teams: Houston Astros 2001-2010, Phillies 2010-

Acquired: Acquired from Houston Astros with cash for J.A. Happ, Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar, July 29, 2010

Contract Status: Signed through the 2011 season, with a mutual option for 2012

Complete Topps Base Set Checklist:
2001 Topps #727 - Astros - Prospects (with Pat Strange and Jon Rauch)
2001 Topps Traded #T75 - Astros
2002 Topps #69 - Astros
2003 Topps #210 - Astros
2004 Topps #486 - Astros
2005 Topps #526 - Astros
2005 Topps Update #127 - Astros - Postseason Highlights
2005 Topps Update #130 - Astros - Postseason Highlights
2005 Topps Update #144 - Astros - Victory Leaders (with Dontrelle Willis and Chris Carpenter)
2006 Topps #575 - Astros
2006 Topps Update #215 - Astros - ERA Leaders (with Chris Carpenter and Brandon Webb)
2006 Topps Update #265 - Astros - All-Star
2006 Topps Update #298 - Astros - Team Leaders (with Lance Berkman)
2006 Topps Update #325 - Astros - Classic Duos (with Lance Berkman)
2007 Topps #390 - Astros
2007 Topps Update #248 - Astros - All-Star
2008 Topps #220 - Astros
2009 Topps #125 - Astros
2010 Topps #586 - Astros
2010 Topps Update #US21 - Phillies
2011 Topps #174 - Phillies

2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary #174 Roy Oswalt

As far as I know, no Yankees fan has ever sent me baseball cards through the mail.  However and once again, a die-hard Red Sox fan, seated in Section 36, has sent me a nice little package of Phillies baseball cards.  Because of this, I'm able to cross off several more cards from my 2011 Wantlist.  I'm (foolishly?) trying to collect parallels from this year's Topps releases and this super shiny diamond-y card of Roy Oswalt gets me one card closer to the Diamond Anniversary Phillies team set.

Thanks again, Section 36, and best of luck this year!

Except for the last week of June and last week of October.

2010 Bowman Platinum #78 Roy Oswalt

Rays 4, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 27 - Wednesday Afternoon, March 23rd in Port Charlotte

One Sentence Summary:  The game was inconsequential after a scary moment in the fourth when Roy Oswalt was smoked in the back of the neck by a screaming liner off the bat of Manny Ramirez.

What It Means:  Hopefully it just means a nasty bruise on Oswalt's neck and nothing else.  X-rays were negative.

Top Hitters:  Rule 5 selection Michael Martinez had two more hits to raise his spring average to .293.  It's getting close to decision time on Martinez.  He either has to remain on the Phillies roster all season or be shipped back to the Nationals.

Top Pitchers:  And speaking of Rule 5 players, David Herndon entered the game after Oswalt had to leave with his injury.  He pitched two scoreless innings, striking out two.

Featured Card:  This is Oswalt's card from the late-2010 release of Bowman Platinum.  Bowman Platinum is a high end set that exists solely to bury patch and autograph and 1/1 cards deep in packs of base set cards that are very shiny, but usually fairly boring.  I picked up the Phillies team set off eBay only because it came with another Phillies team set that I actually wanted.  On the plus side, this is one of the few 2010 baseball cards featuring Oswalt with the Phillies.

Other Stuff:  The Luis Castillo Experiment officially began today, and the potential opening day second baseman (wearing #3) went 0 for 4.

2008 Topps Heritage #235 Roy Oswalt

Yankees 7, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 11 - Monday Afternoon, March 7th in Tampa

One Sentence Summary:  Starter Roy Oswalt got hit around a little, the Phillies bats took the day off and the Yankees won, 7-1.

What It Means:  It means Oswalt made his third start of the spring and he's still working on some stuff.  He gave up a 3-run home run to Eduardo Nunez in the second and a 2-run home run to Curtis Granderson in the third.

Top Hitters:  The team managed just five hits against the Yankees, but Wilson Valdez' home run in the sixth thankfully broke up the bad guys' no-hitter.

Top Pitchers:  Relievers Drew Naylor, Brian Bass and Ryan Feierabend pitched scoreless relief.  Naylor recorded four outs - three with strikeouts.

Featured Card:  Not that he deserves it after today's iffy performance, but it's the unofficial 1959 Topps Appreciation Week in The Phillies Room, and this is Oswalt's card from the 2008 Topps Heritage set.

Other Stuff:  Where did Game 10 go, you may ask?  The split-squad game yesterday counts in the "official" exhibition season standings, so this is "officially" game 11 of the spring.  It's actually the twelfth game of the spring, but the first game with the Florida State Seminoles was not an "official" exhibition game.  It's all so confusing.

2007 Topps Heritage #423 Roy Oswalt

Phillies Room field correspondent Christopher wraps up his Clearwater sojourn with a final report from Wednesday afternoon's game.

I thought the view from the top would be better. To avoid frying in the Florida sun (again), I stood in the shade for the early part of the Phillies game against the Orioles on Wednesday. In doing so, I noticed that the Phils' chairman and partial owner Bill Giles was sitting sixteen rows behind the dugout near the aisle. I guess I figured he'd have much better seats than that, but a seat is a seat, I guess. I'm sure Mr. Giles wishes he had stayed to watch the end of the game, too.

The Phillies put a run across the board in the first after Ryan Howard doubled to deep right center field following a Raul Ibanez single. The Orioles rolled off six runs and sixteen hits against Roy Oswalt and six relievers. After the back-to-back hits in the first inning, the Phils' bats went practically silent (again), notching only three more hits through the seventh inning. Delwyn Young had an RBI single in the eighth to make it 6-2, Orioles, and the Phils really made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Michael Martinez and John Mayberry, Jr. led off with back-to-back home runs and Pete Orr quickly followed with a triple to the wall. Orr scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-5. Unfortunately, the Phils could not get any closer and the game ended with a ground-out to second with the tying run on second base.

As of when I left Florida, the Phillies were 2-3 on the young spring training season, but there are great expectations for the season for those who will make the team. I have great memories from my trip to Clearwater. Let's hope we all have some great memories of the season to come...