2010 Topps Chrome Refractors #170 Raul Ibanez

Phillies 14, Braves 1
Game 91 - Sunday Afternoon, July 10th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils unloaded on the Braves with 20 hits and 14 runs, backing Cole Hamels on his way to his 11th win.

What It Means:  What a nice way to head into a four-day break.  The Phillies enter the symbolic second half of the season with a 57-34 record, 23 games over .500, and with a 3 1/2 game lead over the Braves.  The 57 wins ties the 1993 Phillies club for most franchise wins before the All-Star break.

What Went Right:  Micheal Martinez had a career-high four hits and he scored twice.  Jimmy Rollins, Domonic Brown and John Mayberry, Jr. each enjoyed three-hit days with Mayberry hitting three doubles and driving in four.  Raul Ibanez had two hits and six RBIs, including a 3-run home run in the eighth.

Hamels (11-4) pitched eight strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out six.  The eleven wins represent his highest career first half win total.

Featured Card:  This super-shiny card arrived recently in a package from Section 36.  We've gotten into the habit of setting aside cards for each other and every month or so, I'll ship my Sox cards up north and a nice envelope of Phillies cards arrives from Red Sox Nation.  I think it's interesting that Topps has featured Ibanez making diving catches on both his 2010 and 2011 base cards.  He's not really known for his defense, although he did make a nice leaping grab against the wall this afternoon to end the eighth inning.

Other Stuff:  Posting will slow down over the next few days as we head into the All-Star break.  I was extremely relieved when Ryan Howard wasn't chosen for this year's Home Run Derby, since now I have absolutely no reason to actually tune in to the thing.

1973 Topps Phillies

1973 Topps #189, #37, #119 and #424

Packs of 1973 Topps baseball cards were sitting on the shelves of Wawa, most likely gathering dust, when I was born in October of that year.  I often day dreamed/wished that my Dad had bought a box of these packs the day I was born and then ceremoniously presented the unopened box to me upon my graduation from high school, or perhaps on my 10th birthday, or maybe on just a random summer day . . . but I digress.

We started collecting the 1973 Topps set in the summer of 1988, and it took us just a few short years to polish it off.  I seem to recall dealers being surprised whenever I'd ask to see their '73 Topps commons, almost as if no one was really trying to put the set together.  Most of my lawn-mowing money went to a little baseball card store in Sea Isle City, where the owner had a huge, unsorted box of 1973 Topps cards featuring stars, Leader cards, checklists, high numbers, you name it.  I'd estimate over half my set came from that store.

The Set

1973 Topps #424 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  Topps scaled back to just 660 cards with this set.  If you're looking for a master set, you'll also need to track down the 24-card unnumbered, blue bordered team checklist cards inserted into series six packs and also available via mail order.  The set is notable for being the last to be issued in multiple series until Topps started the practice again in 1993.
My very brief thoughts on the set:  It's not one of my favorites.  We collected the 1973 through 1976 Topps sets in order of our favorites, starting with the 1975 set, then putting together 1976 and 1974 concurrently before going back to 1973.  Sure, it's got some quirky cards, but it still seems tame when compared to the 1972, 1975 of 1976 sets.
Notable competition:  There was just the usual Kellogg's set as Topps would hang on to its monopoly for another eight years.

1973 Phillies
Record and finish:  The Phils improved to 71-91, but they finished in last place again, 11 1/2 games behind the Mets.  They were only five games out of first as late as early September, but their fall swoon left them in the basement.
Key players:  After his amazing year, Steve Carlton slipped to 13-20 with a 3.90 ERA.  The starting trio of Wayne Twitchell, Ken Brett and Jim Lonborg each won 13 games.  The outfield led the offense as left fielder Greg Luzinski (.285, 29 home runs, 97 RBIs), center fielder Del Unser (.289, 11 homes runs, 52 RBIs) and right fielder Bill Robinson (.288, 25 home runs, 65 RBIs) all enjoyed fine years.  Rookies Bob Boone (.261, 10 home runs, 61 RBIs) and Mike Schmidt (.196, 18 home runs, 52 RBIs, 136 strikeouts) had decent enough years as the team's regular catcher and third baseman, respectively.
Key events:  After hiring Danny Ozark to manage the team, Paul Owens vacated the manager's chair and went back into the front office to try to right the Phillies' ship.  In October 1972, Owens acquired starting pitchers Brett and Lonborg from the Brewers for Don Money.  Another key deal saw Oscar Gamble and Roger Freed shipped to the Indians in November 1972 for Unser.

1973 Topps #97, #613 and #486

1973 Phillies in 1973 Topps
Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 31 Phillies cards in the 660-card set.  The tally is now 121 Topps Phillies cards from the '70s and 589 Topps Phillies cards overall.
Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 5 cards

#97 Willie Montanez (1b), #424 Denny Doyle (2b), #119 Larry Bowa (ss), #189 Greg Luzinski (lf), #37 Bill Robinson (rf)

The starting catcher and third baseman (Boone and Schmidt) appear on multi-player Rookie cards and the starting center fielder (Unser) appears with the Indians on his card.  

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 4 cards

#300 Steve Carlton, #227 Wayne Twitchell, #444 Ken Brett, #3 Jim Lonborg

1973 Topps #300, #227, #444 and #3

Twitchell, Lonborg and Brett get the airbrush treatment to switch over their blue Brewers hats to red Phillies hats.  Unser must have just missed the airbrushing cut, as he was acquired from the Indians a month after the Phillies' deal with the Brewers, yet Unser still appears in his Indians digs.

• Base cards of other players who played with the Phillies in 1973 - 12 cards

#6 Mac Scarce, #147 Mike Anderson, #166 Terry Harmon, #271 Tom Hutton, #326 Darrell Brandon, #405 Cesar Tovar, #467 Mike Ryan, #559 Barry Lersch, #590 Deron Johnson, #619 Billy Wilson, #632 Dick Selma, #659 Jose Pagan

• Phillies appearing on multi-player "Rookie" cards - 2 cards

#613 Bob Boone with Skip Jutze (Astros) and Mike Ivie (Padres), #615 Mike Schmidt with John Hilton (Padres) and Ron Cey (Dodgers)

• Base cards of players who never played with the Phillies - 2 cards

#246 Ken Sanders, #454 Tom Haller

Sanders came to the Phillies in the Brewers deal that brought over Brett and Lonborg.  They'd spin him off to the Twins a month later in a deal that brought Tovar to the Phils.  Haller, a 12-year veteran, was purchased from the Tigers in October 1972.  He didn't play a game with the club in 1973 and he was released in February 1974.

• League Leader cards - 3 cards, all Steve Carlton

#65 ERA Leaders with Luis Tiant (Red Sox), #66 Victory Leaders with Gaylord Perry (Indians) and Wilbur Wood (White Sox), #67 Strikeout Leaders with Nolan Ryan (Angels)

• Manager and coaches card - 1 card, #486

Features manager Danny Ozark along with coaches Carroll Beringer, Billy DeMars, Ray Rippelmeyer and Bobby Wine.

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1973 - 1 card, #509 Jim Nash
• Team card - 1 card, #536

1973 Topps Team
Checklists - Phillies

Who’s out:  The biggest omission is pitcher Dick Ruthven, who started 23 games for the Phillies and had a record of 6-9.  Other guys left out include shortstop Craig Robinson (46 games), outfielder Mike Rogodzinski (66 games, 2 home runs) and reliever Ron Diorio (23 games, 2.33 ERA, 1 save).
Phillies on other teams:  As mentioned previously, Unser appears with the Indians (#247).  Billy Grabarkewitz (#301 with the Angels) and George Culver (#242 with the Astros) were both late summer additions to the team.
What’s he doing here:  Topps fired up the airbrush a little too quickly for its cards of Sanders and Haller.
Cards that never were candidates:  Schmidt and Boone deserve their own cards and Unser needs an actual Phillies card.  Two pitchers who would would win rings with the 1980 Phillies should have cards as well - Ruthven, and Larry Christenson, who made his debut in 1973 and started 9 games.
Favorite Phillies card:  This one is hard.  Schmidt should get the nod, just given the iconic nature of his rookie card, but the Carlton, Luzinski and Montanez cards are also favorites.  I can't decide, so please make your pick in the rare Phillies Room poll now appearing on the sidebar.  It's a question so perplexing, Blogger's poll gadget decided to ask it twice.

1973 Topps #271, #559, #632 and #247

Other Stuff
Recycled:  I ran a post a few days ago detailing the various attempts Topps has made to reproduce Schmidt's rookie card.
Blogs/Websites:  1973 Topps Photography lovingly chronicles the unique and sometimes bizarre photos found within the set.  Check out Oscar Gamble's "Indians" card as a prime example.
Did You Know?:  A few years after I had completed this set, I noticed something cool about the pitcher's cards.  The silhouette on the front of the cards is handedness-appropriate with lefties getting a blue circle and righties getting a red circle.

Note: Coaches Beringer and Rippelmeyer will remain un-labeled in this post until Blogger develops the ability to have more than 20 labels in a post.

1976 SSPC #460 Larry Christenson

Braves 4, Phillies 1 (11 Innings)
Game 90 - Saturday Afternoon, July 9th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Despite Cliff Lee's best efforts on the mound and at the plate, the Phils fell in extras to the Braves, 4-1.

What It Means:  The lead in the East is down to 2 1/2 games and the Phillies record stands at 56-34.

What Went Wrong:  Lee hit his first career home run in the third inning, providing the only offense for the day.  He pitched eight innings, allowing just the run on three hits while striking out nine.

The offense managed six hits, including Lee's home run, and left seven men on base.

The Phils loaded the bases in the tenth, but John Mayberry, Jr. grounded out to first to end the threat.  In the eleventh, Michael Stutes allowed a lead-off walk to Eric Hinske.  Pinch-runner Wilkin Ramirez advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and came around to score the go-ahead run on an Alex Gonzalez single.  On the previous pitch, Gonzalez had hit a pop up into foul territory that was dropped by Ryan Howard.  Brian McCann's two-run homer sealed the win for the Braves.

Featured Card:  According to the Phillies Media Guide, Lee hit the 213th home run by a Phillies pitcher, and the first since Chan Ho Park hit one on April 25, 2009.  Here's a list of Phillies pitchers with at least five home runs -

• 11 - Larry Christenson, Rick Wise
• 9 - Steve Carlton, Schoolboy Rowe
• 7 - Al Orth
• 6 - Bill Duggleby
• 5 - Robin Roberts

I was hoping to come up with a card of Christenson swinging a bat, or at least wearing a batting helmet, but this baseball card is the best I could do.

2011 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #19 Juan Perez

Phillies 3, Braves 2 (10 Innings)
Game 89 - Friday Night, July 8th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Rain delayed the start of this game by nearly two hours and then the Phillies needed extra innings to defeat the Braves, 3-2.

What It Means:  It's way too soon to start thinking about the postseason, but this is an important series nevertheless.  The win increased the Phils lead over the Braves to 3 1/2 games in the division and their record is now 56-33.

What Went Right:  Raul Ibanez hit a solo home run to right off reliever Scott Proctor to deliver the walk-off win for the Phils.  The Braves and Phillies had previously traded runs in the second and fourth innings and the game remained tied 2-2 until Ibanez' heroics in the tenth.  Wilson Valdez (sac fly in the second) and Carlos Ruiz (solo home run in the fourth) drove in the team's first two runs.

Roy Halladay may have been a little out of sync because of the delay, but he still managed to pitch seven solid innings, allowing just the two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking none.

Featured Card:  Lefty reliever Juan Perez (1-0), pitching in just his third game for the Phillies, made a little history last night.  In the top of the tenth, Perez struck out the side - Jason Heyward, Nate McLouth and Wilkin Ramirez - on nine pitches.  He became the first Phillie to perform the feat since Andy Ashby did it back on June 15, 1991 against the Reds.

Perez, who has played professional baseball since 2000, was the pitcher of record when Ibanez hit his shot, giving him his first career victory.  This is his card from the 2011 Lehigh Valley IronPigs' team set.

Transaction:  Shane Victorino's thumb finally landed him on the disabled list, costing him a trip to Phoenix for the All-Star game.  Infielder Pete Orr was recalled to take his roster spot as Placido Polanco continues to battle back problems.

Congrats:  Congratulations to Mike Trout who made his Major League debut last night for the Angels.  Mike is from my hometown of Millville, New Jersey, and everyone back home has been pulling for the kid since his days as a Thunderbolt.

Braves at Phillies: July 8th through July 10th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:10, Sunday 1:35

Braves 53-36, 2nd Place in N.L. East, 2 1/2 games behind the Phillies
Phillies 55-33, 1st Place in N.L. East, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

So Far in 2011:  The Braves won two out of three when these teams first faced each other in Atlanta back in mid-May.  Since then, they've been the hottest team in baseball and they have the best road record in the National League at 25-18.  This should be fun.

Know Your Enemy: Manager - Fredi Gonzalez
Starters - Brian McCann (c), Freddie Freeman (1b), Dan Uggla (2b), Chipper Jones (3b), Alex Gonzalez (ss), Nate McLouth (lf), Jordan Schafer (cf), Jason Heyward (rf)
Rotation - Jair Jurrjens (rhp), Tim Hudson (rhp), Brandon Beachy (rhp), Tommy Hanson (rhp), Derek Lowe (rhp)
Bench - David Ross (c), Brooks Conrad (inf), Eric Hinske (inf), Julio Lugo (inf), Jordan Schafer (of)
Closer - Craig Kimbrel (rhp)
Bullpen - Cory Gearrin (rhp), Scott Linebrink (rhp), Eric O'Flaherty (lhp), Scott Proctor (rhp), George Sherrill (lhp), Johnny Venters (lhp)
Disabled List - Kris Medlen (rhp), Peter Moylan (rhp), Martin Prado (lf)

At the Ballpark:  Saturday afternoon is Photo Day when fans will be permitted to mill about the field, behind a roped off area, and take pictures of the players as they briskly walk by.  All fans will also receive a 2011 Phillies team photo.  If you're going to this game, and if you happen to have an unwanted extra team photo, I'd gladly take it off your hands.  And I'd then say pleasant and complimentary things about you on this very blog.

Braves Probables: Brandon Beachy (3-1, 3.23), Tommy Hanson (10-4, 2.52), Derek Lowe (5-6, 4.21)
Phillies Probables: Roy Halladay (11-3, 2.44), Cliff Lee (9-6, 2.92), Cole Hamels (10-4, 2.40)

The Mike Schmidt Rookie Card

1973 Topps #615

Perhaps the most famous Phillies baseball card in the sixty year run of Topps is the Mike Schmidt rookie card.  My Dad and I collected the '73 Topps set in the late '80s, and at the outset we knew the Schmidt rookie card was going to be fairly tough (and expensive) to obtain.  At that point, Schmidt was still playing, he was still popular, and his cards were among the most sought after in the hobby.

In the summer of 1988, my Dad purchased this Schmidt rookie card from Kit Young Cards.  We used to get the Kit Young catalogs, and I'd pore through them by the hour, always stopping to admire the page of rookie cards from the '60s and '70s.  Buying the card locally was out of the question, as there was an implicit home-team mark-up on any Phillies cards - especially Schmidt's.  My Dad thought getting this card from an out-of-town dealer was the way to go.  I was completely speechless when he handed me the envelope containing my new treasure the day it arrived in the mail.  He had called Kit Young Cards, spoke to the owner, and in his words, "got quite a deal."

I may have more valuable cards in my collection these days, but the memory of my Dad tracking this card down for me makes it far more valuable than any other Phillies card in my collection.

***

Topps has reproduced the iconic card several times over the years.  Some of the reproductions are either spot on or at least accurate while others (actually one in particular) have been complete failures.  If you want a true reproduction of the card, your best bet is the 1998 Topps Stars Reprint card (see all the way below), which is pretty close to the original.  It took me a while to see a few variances in the font between the original and this reprint, and the card has a glossy finish.  It's also nice to see Ron Cey and John Hilton on the card as they were both lopped off of future "reprints."

2001 Topps Archives #71, 2004 Topps Shoe Box Collection #62,
2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #50 and 2006 Topps Rookie of the Week #17

Topps released its first Archives set in 2001, featuring the first and last Topps cards of past All-Stars.  On the Schmidt card, Cey and Hilton are gone, although the legend at the top still advertises the card as featuring "1973 Rookie Third Basemen."  There's a Chrome version of the card as well released as part of the 2001 Topps Archives Reserve set.  The 2004 Topps Shoe Box Collection card corrected the legend, advertising the subject correctly as a solo "Third Baseman."  I wish Topps had dropped this part all together, because it really doesn't make sense without knowledge of the context of the original.

The 2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites card isn't a reprint per se, but rather a new version of Schmidt's 1973 Topps card using a photo from the same era and this time giving us the 1973 Topps silhouette of a third baseman.  It gets extra points for including Schmidt's entire career stats on the back.  However, we're back to the unneeded "Third Basemen" bit at the top of the card.  Finally, the 2006 Topps Rookie of the Week card just makes me sad.  This is simply a crappy card and I'm guessing it took the graphics guy at Topps all of three minutes to slap this one together.  The picture isn't from the correct era, there's way too much white space on the card and unless you knew Schmidt's rookie card was from the 1973 set, you'd have no idea what Topps was even trying to approximate with this card.

On Sunday, I'll take a look at the other Phillies cards featured in the 1973 Topps set.

1998 Topps Stars Reprint #4

1973 Topps #PR1 Mike Schmidt

I'm in the process of drafting a post for the 1973 Topps Phillies cards and I came to the conclusion I needed a separate post for perhaps the most iconic Topps Phillies card of all-time - The Mike Schmidt Rookie Card.  Until I get around to splitting the post into two parts, here's the Schmidt "solo" card that should have been, with all due respect to Ron Cey and John Hilton.

New Banner:  If you're reading this via Google Reader or your feed reader of choice, please take a moment to visit the actual blog and let me know what you think of the new banner at the top.  I had been toying with the idea of changing things up for a while now, and I kind of like the new look at the top.  (Perhaps a little too large?)  And if you look closely, you can spot the Johnny Wockenfuss card in its natural habitat.

1992 Fleer Excel #88 Matt Whisenant

Marlins 7, Phillies 6 (10 Innings)
Game 88 - Wednesday Night, July 6th in Miami

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies gave one away tonight, playing sloppy baseball in a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Marlins.

What It Means:  The Phils head into the off-day tomorrow with a 55-33 record and a three game lead over the Braves.  They'll open up a key three-game series with those Braves on Friday before breaking for the All-Star Game.

What Went Wrong:  After 5 1/2 innings, the Phillies held a 6-3 lead thanks in part to John Mayberry, Jr.'s two home runs and Jimmy Rollins' solo homer in the fourth.  Mayberry's second home run in the 6th was to be the last Phillies hit of the night.  The Marlins scored twice in their half of the sixth on Logan Morrison's two-run home run and tied it in the seventh.  Mike Stanton hit a walk-off home run off Danys Baez to end it.

1992 Classic Best #74

The game was littered with baserunning mistakes, misplayed balls and overall shoddy defense as the Phils were charged with three errors.  Starter Kyle Kendrick was pulled after five innings, having allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits.  David Herndon and Drew Carpenter coughed up key runs in relief to allow the Marlins to get back into this one and eventually win it on Stanton's shot.

Featured Cards:  I really wanted to feature a Mayberry card in the post, given his first career multi-homer game.  But I couldn't bring myself to do it because of the loss.

I spent the last few innings of this game inputting cards from my 1992 Phillies binder into my Zistle collection and I made it up through the 1992 Pinnacle set.  These cards are from the back of the binder, where I keep all the minor league Phillies cards for the year.  On November 17, 1992, the Marlins and Rockies held their expansion draft, selecting unprotected players from each of the other Major League teams.  The Marlins didn't pick anyone from the Phillies organization, but immediately following the draft they shipped pitcher Danny Jackson to the Phils for pitching prospects Joel Adamson and Matt Whisenant.

Adamson pitcher in 9 games for the Marlins in 1996 and he pitched in parts of the next two seasons with the Brewers and Diamondbacks.  Whisenant appeared in 189 total games between 1997 and 2000 with the Marlins, Royals and Padres.  He finished with a 9-8 career record, 3 saves and a 4.96 ERA.

2011 Chachi #40 Drew Carpenter

#48

Andrew James Carpenter

Relief Pitcher

Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 6'3"  Weight: 240

Born: May 18, 1985, Fairfield, CA

Home: Vacaville, CA

Drafted: Selected by Phillies in 2nd round of June 2006 draft

Teams: Phillies 2008-

Acquired: Via draft

Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

Complete Topps Base Set Checklist:

2009 Topps #12 - Phillies

2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Home Run Heroes #HH6 Ryan Howard

Phillies 14, Marlins 2
Game 87 - Tuesday Night, July 5th in Miami

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies pounded the Marlins in a laugher, banging out a season-high 18 hits on their way to a 14-2 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies needed a game like this.  Heck, I needed a game like this.  It was nice to sit back and watch the Phils cruise to the victory, raising their record to 55-32.

What Went Right:  The Phils were fighting each other to get to the bat racks.  Jimmy Rollins went 4 for 5 with three runs scored.  Ryan Howard went 4 for 5, including his 18th home run of the year, with four RBIs.  Raul Ibanez hit a two-run home run, his 10th, and finished with three hits and four RBIs.  And Michael Martinez, starting in center again, hit a bases-clearing triple in the ninth.  (Shane Victorino flew back to Philly today to have his injured thumb examined.)

Cole Hamels (10-4) was finally provided with some run support.  He went eight strong innings, striking out five and allowing eight hits.

Featured Card:  Martinez came very close for the second night in a row to being the featured card, but it's hard to overlook the Big Piece's four hit night with four RBIs.  This is an insert from the Topps Gypsy Queen set, featuring what I'll presume is about to become a Howard home run swing from a game last year in Atlanta.  Let's hope he saves some hits for the big pre-All Star break series against the Braves coming up this weekend.

Transaction:  Just to keep him on his regular starting schedule, Vance Worley was optioned back to Triple-A following last night's game and outfielder John Mayberry, Jr. was recalled today.

2011 Phillies Team Issue 2 #49 Vance Worley

Phillies 1, Marlins 0
Game 86 - Monday Night, July 4th in Miami

One Sentence Summary:  The pitching trio of Vance Worley, Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo combined to deliver an Independence Day shutout.

What It Means:  The Phillies improved to 54-32 and they currently have a 4 1/2 game lead over the Braves.  The Marlins fell further into the basement of the N.L. East, as they're now 15 1/2 games out.

What Went Right: Worley (4-1) continues to impress, pitching seven solid innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out six.  The Stutes-Bastardo tandem has to be the surprise of the season so far, as no one could have predicted the success both pitchers have had in the set-up man/closer roles.

The offense managed only six hits - two of which came from Domonic Brown.  The sole run was scored in the seventh when Brown scored from second on a Michael Martinez RBI-single.  It was a close play at the plate, with Brown appearing to just evade Marlins catcher John Buck's tag.

Featured Card:  I was a little torn with this selection.  As much as I wanted to feature a card for Martinez, solely because there may not be a good reason to do so for the rest of the season, Worley's performance was just too impressive to pass up.  This is his card from the "Series 2" team-issued set.

Phillies at Marlins: July 4th through July 6th

Sun Life Stadium - Miami, FL
Monday 6:10, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:10

Phillies 53-32, 1st Place in N.L. East, 4 games ahead of the Braves
Marlins 38-46, 5th Place in N.L. East, 14 1/5 games behind the Phillies

So Far in 2011:  The Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the Marlins a few weeks ago in Philly and they'll try to go for six in a row overall tonight.  The Phils lead the season series 7-2.

Meet the Marlins: Manager - Jack McKeon took over on June 20th following the sudden resignation of Edwin Rodriguez
Starters - John Buck (c), Gaby Sanchez (1b), Omar Infante (2b), Wes Helms (3b), Hanley Ramirez (ss), Logan Morrison (lf), Emilio Bonifacio (cf), Mike Stanton (rf)
Rotation - Anibal Sanchez (rhp), Brad Hand (lhp), Javier Vazquez (rhp), Ricky Nolasco (rhp), Chris Volstad (rhp)
Bench - Brett Hayes (c), Greg Dobbs (3b), Bryan Petersen (of), Dewayne Wise (of)
Closer - Leo Nunez (rhp)
Bullpen - Burke Badenhop (rhp), Jose Ceda (rhp), Randy Choate (lhp), Steve Cishek (rhp), Michael Dunn (lhp), Edward Mujica (rhp), Brian Sanches (rhp)
Disabled List - Clay Hensley (rhp), Josh Johnson (rhp), Ryan Webb (rhp), John Baker (c), Donnie Murphy (inf), Chris Coghlan (cf), Scott Cousins (of)

At the Ballpark:  A 4th of July Celebration follows the game today, complete with a patriotic fireworks display.  Tuesday night is Miami Herald Two for Tuesday, when fans can receive two tickets for the price of one.

Phillies Probables: Vance Worley (3-1, 2.57), Cole Hamels (9-4, 2.41), Kyle Kendrick (4-4, 3.81)
Marlins Probables: Ricky Nolasco (5-4, 4.08), Chris Volstad (4-7, 5.01), Anibal Sanchez (6-2, 3.30)

1972 Topps Phillies

1972 Topps #112, #751, #690 and #520

Of all the "vintage" sets I've completed from the '70s, this was probably the most difficult to put together.  It was a challenge finding some of the high numbers in decent shape and I collected the bulk of this set during a time of transition in my life when things weren't exactly rainbows and lollipops.  Thankfully, I had the majesty of the psychedelic tombstone set to keep me company when I found myself in times of trouble.

The Set

1972 Topps #520 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  Topps upped the ante once again, going with 787 cards in the complete set.  It would be ten years until Topps produced a baseball card set this large, when it released its 1982 set with 792 cards.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  I love it.  As difficult a set as it was to put together, it was a fun set to collect. Every time I asked a dealer if he had any '72 commons, inevitably the dealer would smile.  This is just one of the baseball card sets I could easily flip through on a grumpy day and not help but cheer up.  Completely off the top of my head, my favorite Topps sets would have to be - 1956, 1975, 1972, 1981, 1976.  (The order of this listing is subject to change without notice.)

Notable competition:  Not a darn thing really.  There were the usual oddballs, a Kellogg's set with no Phillies in it and 10-card locally issued Phillies Ticketron set.

1972 Phillies

Record and finish:  1971 was a bleak year, but 1972 was even worse.  The Phillies went 59-97, finishing 37 1/2 games behind the Pirates, securely in last place.  Things could only go up from here.

Key players:  A discussion of the team's key players in 1972 starts and ends with Steve Carlton.  Carlton put together perhaps one of the greatest seasons any pitcher has ever thrown, going 27-10 and winning almost half of his team's 59 total wins.  He finished 30 of his 41 starts, had a 1.97 ERA and 310 strikeouts.  Following the season, he was the unanimous pick for the Cy Young Award.  Young Greg Luzinski won the team's offensive triple crown, hitting .281 with 18 home runs and 68 RBIs.

Key events:  Following the 1971 season, Rick Wise and Carlton both wanted pay increases neither team's owner's were willing to grant.  A straight-up one-for-one deal was struck, shipping Wise to the Cardinals and Carlton to the Phillies on February 25, 1972.  Carlton would go on to help lead the Phillies to their World Championship in 1980 and he was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1994 as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time.

1972 Topps #768, #635, #69 and #377

Manager Frank Lucchesi was fired in July and general manager Paul Owens stepped in for the rest of the season.  In September, the Phillies recalled two of their top prospects - Mike Schmidt and Bob Boone.

1972 Phillies in 1972 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 30 Phillies cards in a master team set.  We're up to 90 Topps Phillies cards from the '70s, and 558 total Topps Phillies cards from 1951 through 1972.

Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 7 cards

#167 Deron Johnson (1b), #768 Denny Doyle (2b), #520 Larry Bowa (ss), #635 Don Money (3b), #112 Greg Luzinski (lf), #690 Willie Montanez (cf), #69 Roger Freed (rf)

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 4 cards

#751 Steve Carlton TR, #252 Ken Reynolds, #599 Billy Champion, #357 Woodie Fryman

1972 Topps #252, #599, #357 and #665

• Base cards of other players who played with the Phillies in 1972 - 11 cards

#139 Tim McCarver, #283 Darrell Brandon, #324 Mike Ryan, #377 Terry Harmon, #423 Oscar Gamble, #453 Barry Lersch, #482 Joe Hoerner, #528 Ron Stone, #587 Bill Wilson, #665 Chris Short, #726 Dick Selma

• 1972 Rookie Stars cards - 2 cards

#14 Pete Koegel, Mike Anderson and Wayne Twitchell, #741 Tom Hutton with John Milner (Mets) and Rick Miller (Red Sox)

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1972 - 1 card, #43 Rick Wise
• In Action cards - 2 cards, #44 Rick Wise and #168 Deron Johnson
• Boyhood Photo cards - 1 card, #345 Rick Wise
• Manager card - 1 card, #188 Frank Lucchesi
• Team card - 1 card, #397

1972 Topps #397

Who’s out:  Bill Robinson, one of the team's bright spots, was left out of the set, despite appearing in 82 games for the Phils.  Back-up first baseman Joe Lis and left reliever Mac Scarce also got left out.

Phillies on other teams:  Regular catcher John Bateman (#5) is featured with the Expos.  Relievers Jim Nash (#401) and Gary Neibauer (#149) are both featured with the Braves.  Carlton appears as a Cardinal (#420) before making his appearance as a Phillie in the final series.  Bobby Wine appears with the Expos (#657).  Wine was released by Montreal in July and joined the Phillies coaching staff.

What’s he doing here:  I can't really argue with any of the players selected.  Rick Wise ended up with a regular card and an In Action card in the first series, as well as a Boyhood Photo card in the third series.  One interesting tidbit (at least to me) - Jim Fregosi, who was traded from the Angels to the Mets in December 1971, appears as an airbrushed Met on his Boyhood Photo card (#346) but as an Angel on his series one base card (#115).  I guess the Topps airbrush artist didn't have enough time to replace Wise's Phillies hat with a Cardinals hat for his Boyhood Photo card.

Cards that never were candidates:  Robinson, Lis and Scarce are candidates.  I'd also add a card for interim manager Owens, who had to wait for the 1984 Topps set for his "rookie" card.  Hutton and Twitchell both appeared on multi-player Rookie Stars cards, but they should have their own cards.  And I'd add a Rookie Stars card featuring Schmidt and Boone. 

Favorite Phillies card:  Based on historic significance - Carlton's Traded card or the team card featuring The Vet scoreboard in the background for the first time on cardboard.  Based on pure aesthetics - Luzinski's first solo card.

1972 Topps #423, #168, #345 and #188

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Given the popularity of the Topps Heritage set, why not have an all '70s themed Heritage release as well?  The thought of waiting ten more years to see this design back in packs of cards is a little depressing.

Blogs/Websites:  It's been inactive for over a year, but there's a lot of good stuff archived over at the 1972 Topps Set blog.  I also miss the frequent postings from Dinged Corners on the glory of the '72 set.

Did You Know?:  This set marks Topps first foray into the world of Traded cards, as there's a 7-card Traded subset featured in the sixth and final series.  Topps would try the format again in 1974 and 1976 before making the set a permanent fixture in 1981.  (Barring a few years in the mid-'90s.)

1961 Golden Press #2 Grover Cleveland Alexander

Blue Jays 7, Phillies 4
Game 85 - Sunday Afternoon, July 3rd in Toronto

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee was rolling along as the best pitcher in baseball until the Blue Jays hit three quick home runs off him in the eighth and the Phils fell, 7-4.

What It Means:  The Phillies record is now 53-32 and they have a 4 game lead over the Braves in the East.

What Went Wrong:  The Phils jumped to a quick lead with four runs in the second off Blue Jays starter Jo-Jo Reyes.  However, the Blue Jays scored seven unanswered runs to come from behind and avoid the sweep.

It all happened so quickly.  Heading into the bottom of the eighth, Lee (9-6) was cruising behind a 4-3 lead.  With little warning, Eric Thames homered to center, Jose Bautista hit a bomb to left, Adam Lind singled and Edwin Encarnacion capped it with a two-run home run.  Just like that, it was 7-4 Jays and Lee's day was over.

Featured Card:  Lee's scoreless inning streak was halted in the third when he allowed the first Marlins run.  His 34 scoreless innings moved him past Larry Andersen's 32 2/3 scoreless innings for second place on the Phillies all-time list.  Only Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander's streak is longer, as Ol' Pete threw 41 consecutive scoreless innings in 1911.

I picked up this Alexander card a few months ago from CheckOutMyCards.com.  The 33-card Golden Press set was included in book form with perforations so that collectors could remove the cards from the book.  Each of the subjects featured are Hall of Famers.  It's a cool looking set and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we're seeing sell sheets for the 2013 Topps Golden Press set.

All-Stars:  It was announced this afternoon that Placido Polanco was voted by fans as the starting third baseman for the National League All Star squad.  Also making the team were three of the Four Aces - Lee, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels.  Shane Victorino will once again try to make it to Phoenix via the Final Vote, which is currently under way over at MLB.com.

1972 Topps #PR1 Mike Schmidt

The regular Sunday "Topps Phillies" post, featuring the 1972 Topps set, will run tomorrow in honor of our country's independence.  (The Founding Fathers would be proud.)  In the mean time, please enjoy this custom card of the 1972 Topps Mike Schmidt card that should have been, originally featured on this 2010 Chachi Mike Schmidt Special card.

Happy 4th of July!

2011 Topps 60 Years of Topps #60YOT-107 Roy Halladay

Phillies 5, Blue Jays 3
Game 84 - Saturday Afternoon, July 2nd in Toronto

One Sentence Summary:  Roy Halladay pitched a complete game victory in his first appearance in Toronto as a visiting player as the Phils won, 5-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies improved to 53-31 and they're now a season-high 22 games over .500.  They'll go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon as Cliff Lee tries to pitch his fourth consecutive complete game shutout.

What Went Right:  Halladay (11-3) received a lengthy, loud standing ovation when he first took the mound in the bottom of the first.  He didn't have his best stuff, but what he had was good enough.  He allowed eight hits and struck out eight.

The Phils gave Halladay the lead to work with three separate times and fortunately he managed to hang on to the last lead.  With the Phils trailing 3-2 in the top of the seventh, Carlos Ruiz doubled to start the inning, just missing a home run.  Fortunately, he'd come around to score when Chase Utley hit a clutch two-run home run to right field off Jays reliever Luis Perez.

There were some fireworks in the top of the ninth when Jays pitcher Joe Rauch and manager John Farrell were ejected by the home plate umpire.  I listened to the game on the radio and Scott Franzke described Rauch as becoming "completely unglued" after the Phils tacked on an insurance run in the inning.  Watching the ESPN highlights, I'd agree with Franzke's description.

Featured Card:  If you overlook the fact that the numbering prefix for this insert set is a bit ridiculous, I like the idea of Topps presenting its best cards over the past 60 years as reprints.  This is a reprint of Halladay's first solo card from the 1999 Topps set, and I thought it was fitting to post this today given Doc's emotional return to Toronto.  He appeared in the 1998 Topps set too, but he had to share his card with Matt Clement and Brian Fuentes.

2011 Topps Commemorative Patch #TLMP-RHO Ryan Howard

Phillies 7, Blue Jays 6
Game 83 - Friday Afternoon, July 1st in Toronto

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils came from behind - twice - defeating the Blue Jays, 7-6, on Ryan Howard's two-run, ninth inning single.

What It Means:  The Phils ruined Canada Day for the Blue Jays.  The win improved the team's record to 52-31 and they have a 4 1/2 game lead over the Braves.

What Went Right:  The offense showed some pop for a change, banging out 11 hits.  Howard's big hit was set up in the ninth when Placido Polanco walked and Chase Utley reached on a double to left that was badly misplayed by Jays left fielder Juan Rivera.  The MLB.com recap pointed out it was Howard's 12th game-winning RBI this year, tying him for the most in the Majors with Adrian Gonzalez and Torii Hunter.

Starter Kyle Kendrick pitched a decent game until he faced Jose Bautista in the seventh.  Kendrick threw a sinker that didn't sink down the middle of the plate and Bautista launched it into the stands for a two-run homer and a 6-5 lead for the Blue Jays.  The mistake pitch was thankfully negated by Howard's heroics in the ninth.  Get well soon, Roy Oswalt.

Antonio Bastardo pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.  Shane Victorino had a nice day at the plate, going 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored

Featured Card:  This is one of the manu-patch cards found within packs of 2011 Topps Series 1.  The fact that I actively pursued this card on eBay means I must (on some level) like these cards, although I have absolutely no idea what Ryan Howard and the 1954 Phillies team have to do with one another.

Other Stuff:  In his first visit back to Toronto, Roy Halladay delivered the Phillies starting line-up to the umpires before the game and received a long standing ovation from the grateful Blue Jays fans.

1999 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons Team Issue #28 Steve Schrenk

Red Sox 5, Phillies 2
Game 82 - Thursday Afternoon, June 30th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  The Sox took advantage of the Phillies shaky middle relief, salvaging the final game of the three-game set, 5-2.

What It Means:  After the loss, the Phils record is 51-31 and they have a four game lead over the Braves.

What Went Wrong:  It looked as if Cole Hamels was well on his way to finally notching his tenth win of the season when a line drive off the bat of Adrian Gonzalez knocked the glove off his hand and sent him to the showers after four innings.  Relievers David Herndon and Andrew Carpenter couldn't fend off the Sox offense, as they allowed all five runs in their combined four innings of work. 

X-rays on Hamels' hand were negative, although it's too soon to say if he'll make his next start or not.

The offense sputtered along, managing just four hits and going 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.  Two of those hits came from Ryan Howard, including his ninth inning two-run home run.

Featured Card:  The Phils failed to sweep the Sox at home in the three-game series, something they had done once before back in June 2000.  The winning pitchers in those three games were Jeff Brantley, Randy Wolf and Steve Schrenk.  I had Schrenk sign this card in the summer of 2000 during the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons' visit to Durham to take on the Bulls.  During an ill-fated two and a half year period in which I lived in Raleigh, I never missed a chance to catch the Red Barons when they came to town.  When I asked Schrenk to sign this card, he was honestly impressed I had it in my collection and he flipped it over to review the stats before signing and handing it back to me.

Schrenk is still with the Phillies organization as the pitching coach for the Low-A Lakewood BlueClaws.

Phillies at Blue Jays: July 1st through July 3rd

Rogers Centre - Toronto, Ontario
Friday, Saturday and Sunday 1:07

Phillies 51-31, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 4 games ahead of the Braves
Blue Jays 40-42, 4th Place in the A.L. East, 9 1/2 games behind the Yankees

First Game:  The first game played between these two teams was Game 1 of the 1993 World Series back on October 16, 1993.  The Jays won that game 8-5.  John Olrerud broke a 4-4 tie in the sixth with a solo home run off Curt Schilling.  I can't seem to recall how that series ended.

Meet the Jays: Manager - John Farrell is in his first season as manager of the Blue Jays
Starters - J.P. Arencibia (c), Adam Lind (1b), Aaron Hill (2b), Jose Bautista (3b), Yunel Escobar (ss), Juan Rivera (lf), Rajai Davis (cf), Eric Thames (rf), Edwin Encarnacion (dh)
Rotation - Ricky Romero (lhp), Jo-Jo Reyes (lhp), Brandon Morrow (rhp), Carlos Villanueva (rhp)
Bench - Jose Molina (c), John McDonald (inf), Jayson Nix (3b), Corey Patterson (of)
Closer - Frank Francisco (rhp)
Bullpen - Shawn Camp (rhp), Brett Cecil (lhp), Octavio Dotel (rhp), Jason Frasor (rhp), Luis Perez (lhp), Jon Rauch (rhp), Marc Rzepczynski (lhp)
Disabled List - Jesse Carlson (lhp), Casey Janssen (rhp), Jesse Litsch (rhp), Dustin McGowan (rhp)

At the Ballpark:  Gotta love three straight afternoon games!  For Canada Day today, there's a Canada Day Street Festival beginning at 10am with live music, games and other entertainment.  The first 10,000 fans will also receive a Jays Canada t-shirt.  The first 10,000 fans receive a Mr. Sub Sportsbag on Sunday afternoon.

Phillies Probables: Kyle Kendrick (4-4, 3.23), Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.40), Cliff Lee (9-5, 2.66)
Blue Jays Probables: Ricky Romero (7-7, 2.74), Carlos Villanueva (5-1, 3.15), Jo-Jo Reyes (3-7, 4.77)