2001 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  40 (with perhaps another 7 in an update set)
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  For the first time since 1988, the Phillies added a white border to the card fronts, with all the earmarks of an early 2000s baseball card design - too many different fonts, inexplicable geometric shapes and lines and several different design elements mushed together.  The player's name is featured twice and we also get the player's position and uniform number along with Phillies 2001 in red lettering running up the lower right corner.  The card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The 40-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  With 40 cards, this is the largest base set of team issued cards that I've chronicled so far.  Similar to the 2000 team set, and based on Rick's comment below, there are also 7 update cards available.

For now, I'm listing the 7 update cards under the Variations/Rarities section until I know for certain they were issued together in set form.

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

2 - Rob Ducey 4 - Gary Bennett 5 - Pat Burrell 6 - Doug Glanville 7 - Richie Hebner CO 8 - Marlon Anderson 9 - David Newhan 10 - Larry Bowa MG 11 - Jimmy Rollins 12 - Brian L. Hunter 13 - Tomas Perez 16 - Travis Lee 17 - Scott Rolen 18 - John Vukovich CO 21 - Greg Gross CO 22 - Jason Michaels 23 - Kevin Jordan 24 - Mike Lieberthal 27 - Ricky Bottalico 30 - Tony Scott CO

31 - Robert Person 33 - Rheal Cormier 34 - Paul Byrd 35 - Cliff Politte 37 - Omar Daal 39 - Bruce Chen 43 - Randy Wolf 44 - Vicente Padilla 45 - Chris Brock 46 - Vern Ruhle CO 47 - Amaury Telemaco 49 - Jose Mesa 50 - Ed Vosberg 53 - Bobby Abreu 54 - Eddie Oropesa 55 - Clemente Alvarez CO 57 - Nelson Figueroa 59 - Ramon Henderson CO 61 - Wayne Gomes Phillie Phanatic

One and Done (3):  Hunter, Oropesa, Vosberg
First Appearances (11):  Chen, Cormier, Daal, Figueroa, Lee, Mesa, Michaels, Newhan, Padilla, Politte, Rollins
Returning Players (17):  Abreu, Anderson, Bennett, Bottalico, Brock, Burrell, Byrd, Ducey, Glanville, Gomes, Jordan, Lieberthal, Perez, Person, Rolen, Telemaco, Wolf

Hunter, Oropesa and Vosberg receive their only Phillies cards in this set.  Hunter actually has a card in the 2001 Topps Traded set, but the front and back photos are of Brian R. Hunter, who had spent time with the Phillies in 2000.  This is Newhan's only Phillies card featuring him in a Phillies uniform.  His 2000 Pacific Omega card lists him as a Phillie, but features a photo of him in a Padres uniform.

Chen, Daal, Lee, Padilla and Politte appear on 2000 late season additions and I'll change their First Appearance designation above if I can determine whether or not the 2000 late season cards were issued together in an update set form.

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Bowa
Coaches (7):  Alvarez, Gross, Hebner, Henderson, Ruhle, Scott, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown strumming a guitar atop the Phillies dugout.
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

Bowa made his return in 2001 as the new Phillies manager.  Alvarez was the team's bullpen catcher, marking the first time anyone holding that position had been memorialized with a card in the team issued set.  Rolen's card celebrates his 2000 Gold Glove win with a picture of the award on the front of his card.

Variations/Rarities:  Here are the 7 late season additions to the set, courtesy of Rick's comment below.

3 - Todd Pratt 13 - Turk Wendell 19 - Johnny Estrada 40 - Jose Santiago

48 - Dave Coggin 52 - Felipe Crespo 56 - Brandon Duckworth

The Crespo card is intriguing to me, as it marks his sole appearance on a Phillies baseball card.  (I'm not counting his appearance here.)

Also See:  2001 Phillies Mini-Reunion; 2001 Topps Brian Hunter (Part 1 & 2)
Trivia:  Beckett and all other online resources omit this set from their databases, marking the third year in row this is the case for the Phillies team issued set.
Resources:  Phillies collecter Rick (@rickphils)