More Group Break Randomness

Merry Stras-Mas.  Very strange for a baseball card on many levels.  First, it's nowhere near Christmas.  Second, last time I checked, Strasburg is not Christ. 

I love that 2006 Julio Franco.  He was 48 when the card came out.  It has 22 years of stats on the back.  I loved him as a kid.  I was on the Rangers in little league, so naturally I liked the real Rangers, especially Ruben Sierra and Julio Franco.  There was nothing better than playing backyard baseball and trying to emulate Franco's stance.

I scanned that Castillo card because it's funny to see a Marlins play in winter gear.

It's a shame that '85 Cory Snyder isn't an '85 McGwire. However, Snyder was a stud for that Olympic team.

Speaking of Cory Snyder, that's some weird positioning of the ball on that Fleer card.

Speaking of '85 McGwire, here's a cool reprint from 2000 Topps.

Speaking of 2000 Topps Reprints, the Aaron is a reprint of his 1966 card.

"When I hit a home run, I usually didn't care where it went.  So long as it was a home run was all that mattered" -Mickey Mantle

The Basil Shabazz, aside from being an odd name, is an interesting card.  It's from the 1992 Stadium Club Dome set. The really strange thing, is that it appears painted, while the other cards from the set are just photos.  Interesting note, Basil Shabazz was a high school friend of Torii Hunter.  I came across this cool article.  Apparently Basil was a freakish athlete.

These cards were just too shiny to not scan.  The Grieve may look like it's just printed that way, but its actually an explosion of foil that scanned really well.

Aside from randomness, there were a few notable rookies and prospects:

Hamilton looks lanky, but I love a good BP picture.  Zim and Tulo are two of the better rookies you can get from late 2000s products.  The Mauer/Morneau is just a cool card, especially since they still play together.

I haven't decided who gets the gum, yet.  It's going in a package, though.

This last card is the most appropriate card we've pulled in the group break. 

If you don't understand how this card is appropriate for a Moneyball-inspired break, then you need to go watch Moneyball.