The Start of an Era

What were you doing 33 years ago today?

If you were a Tigers fan you were probably listening to Ernie Harwell describe the simultaneous debuts of a young Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell in Fenway Park. Or you were one day away from reading about it in the newspaper. It was, unbeknownst to us at the time, the start of an era that included a World Series victory (1984) and the most prolific double-play partnership of all time.

I won't go into how Tram has been under-appreciated by Hall of Fame voters. I certainly won't talk about how Lou was criminally disrespected by the committee when he was booted off the ballot in his first year. Are they Hall of Famers? Maybe. This is neither the time or the place. Do they deserve consideration, discussion and respect beyond what they have received in retirement? Absolutely.

The cornerstones (yes, two) of the Tigers for eighteen years, starting 33 years ago today:





A big thanks to 30 Year Old Cardboard for pointing out this Anniversary to the rest of us!

Card Cameos: Beware The Cameo Wormhole

Brace yourselves.

In my big box o' christmas goodies, I was able to find a couple of nice Tigers cameo cards from the early 90s that came as a pleasant surprise such as this nice little shot of Sweet Lou:

1994 Stadium Club #236 Juan Bell featuring Lou Whitaker

In contrast to many of the cameo shots I like--crucial action shots, nice Tigers pictures, unexpected player situations or pairings--this card is great for one reason and one reason alone: Juan Bell. I think the picture of him says it all. As a cameo shot then, this is pretty bland. Lou Whitaker is partially in frame, in a situation that doesn't appear to make much sense for a second baseman--is he putting down a tag? No. Why isn't Bell Sliding? What is going on here? The result is that we get a little bit of Lou and some flip-up sunglasses, but nothing to write home about.

So then why the cameo post? Please take your anti-head-asplode pills now.

1994 Pinnacle #281 Lou Whitaker

Heads intact?

Two cards. Same year. Two different brands. Same Two Players. Reverse Cameos. The wormhole has opened.

Mail Day!

A sheet of ice covering Baltimore has delayed the start of work for an hour, so I figured I'd fit in a quick post about some of the packages that came across my desk in the last couple days. I'll cover two here, but there are more to come!

Brian at 30-year old Cardboard sent me an unsolicited email last week asking for my address so that he could send me a package. I was happy to oblige and was handsomely rewarded! A pack of assorted Tigers, ranging from the late 80s all the way through the 2008 Topps set greeted me when I opened it up. Some highlights:

From Grand Cards

I don't have a lot of those late 80s Score or Donruss so they will fill out my collection nicely! Of course, the highlight of the whole package falls into this category.

From Grand Cards

I'm not going to get into a long diatribe about people being in the Hall of Fame, but I will say this: Tram should be getting more serious consideration that 17-18%. That is a joke--get with it people.

Thank you Brian for your extreme generosity! It was a very friendly "welcome to the blog-neighborhood!"

My second package came from StevieBurks32 over at the Detroit Sports Collectors forum. Steve was the beneficiary of my extra Topps Tigers Bonus cards. In exchange for those beauties, he obliterated my 1980's Topps Wants. He sent 46 cards off my wantlist--including 23 from the 1985 set that I needed. He also gave me 8 Gold Foil versions of 2008 Topps cards that I needed. I wasn't a big proponent of collecting those, but I kept getting them so I thought, why not? Here are the highlights from Steve's package:

1980 Topps "The Bird"

1981 Topps

1982 Topps

1983 Explosion!

1985 Topps

1986 Topps

White Sox GM Ken Williams in 1989

And of course, my favorite from the set: Sweet Lou.

From Grand Cards

The only thing more egregious than Tram's paltry Hall of Fame support is the fact the Sweet Lou didn't even make it past the first ballot. Look at his numbers. Seriously, look it up. He is Hall Worthy, in my opinion as much or moreso that Alan Trammell.

Well, that's all for now, off to Work. Thanks to Brian and Steve for the great cards!