Player Profile: Bob Brower

I have fourteen cards of Bob Brower. This one is from 1989 Bowman.

Playing career: Outfielder Bob Brower had a solid rookie season in 1987, hitting .261 with 14 HR and 46 RBI. His numbers may have been inflated by the unusual home run environment of 1987 though; he only hit 3 more in two seasons with the Rangers and Yankees afterward. A fuller account of his career can be found at the 1988 Topps Blog.

Where he is now: After his playing career he was one of the first agents hired by Scott Boras for his company. After many years with the Boras Corporation he left in 2013 to stay closer to his home, opening the Home Plate Club instructional facility in Hutchinson, KS.

My memories: I remember being somewhat excited about the Yankees getting him, as he had at least a decent reputation thanks to that 1987 season. Unfortunately he made very little impact on that disappointing 1989 team.

Google Autocomplete results: He is fourth when you type Bob Brow, between Bob Browne Northern Trust, the company’s Chief Investment Officer, and Bob Brown Football, a former offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles. Another prominent Bob Brower was the founder of Circle M Day Camp, one of the first desegregated day camps in the Chicago area.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Jim Brower.

Player Profile: Scott Brow

I have four cards of Scott Brow. This one is from 1993 Fleer Final Edition.

Playing career: Scott Brow pitched for the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks from 1993 to 1998. In 59 games he went 3-4 with 2 saves and a 6.06 ERA. A fuller account of his career can be found at The Greatest 21 Days.

Where he is now: Product Engineering Manager at ON Semiconductor in Phoenix.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is first when you google Scott Brow . There do not appear to be any other prominent Scott Brows.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Bob Brower.

Player Profile: Ben Broussard

I have thirteen cards of Ben Broussard. This one is from 2003 Fleer Tradition.

Playing career: First baseman Ben Broussard played seven seasons in the major leagues, mostly for the Indians and Mariners. He had four straight seasons of 15+ home runs from 2003 to 2006 and finished his career hitting .263 with 87 HR and 314 RBI in 705 games.

Where he is now: He is a professional musician who has recorded two albums of soft rock music, Ben Broussard and Renovated.

My memories: I remember him as a big slugger, one of many the Indians seemed to churn out those days. I would have guessed he had well over 100 home runs; didn’t realize how short his career was.

Google Autocomplete results: He is first when you type Ben Brou, ahead of Ben Broughton, a real estate agent in Illinois. Another prominent Ben Broussard is VP of Development at the LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Scott Brow.

Player Profile: Mark Brouhard

I have thirteen cards of Mark Brouhard. This one is from 1984 Fleer.

Playing career: Mark Brouhard was a backup outfielder for the Brewers from 1980 to 1985. In 304 games he hit .259 with 25 HR and 104 RBI. In his only career playoff game he had a single, double and home run in Game 4 of the 1982 ALCS. A fuller account of his career can be found at the 1983 Topps Blog.

Where he is now: Owns MB Painting in Camarillo, CA.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is the only entry when you google Mark Brouh. There do not appear to be any other prominent Mark Brouhards.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Ben Broussard.

Player Profile: Rex Brothers

I have five cards of Rex Brothers. This one is from 2015 Topps.

Playing career: Rex Brothers pitched for the Rockies from 2011 to 2015. In 286 games, all in relief, he went 16-11 with 20 saves and a 3.42 ERA. 19 of those saves came in 2013, when he was the Rockies’ closer.

Where he is now: He was traded to the Cubs in the off-season, and released in spring training. Does not appear to have signed on with a new team.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is second when you type Rex B, between Rex Begonia, a flower, and Rex Bunny, a rabbit. There do not appear to be any other prominent Rex Brotherses.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Mark Brouhard.

Player Profile: Terry Bross

I have eight cards of Terry Bross. This one is from 1992 Score.

Playing career: Terry Bross pitched in the major leagues for the Mets in 1991 and the Giants in 1993. In ten games he went 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA.

Where he is now: He is a major league players agent best known for using porn star Bibi Jones to attract clients. "He would kind of use me to get baseball players to sign with one of his agents," said Jones. "It was just like I was arm candy for him. I was the one that wanted to hook up with these guys.” Among the ballplayers Jones hooked up with after being introduced by Bross was then-Braves 2B Dan Uggla, who later hired Bross as his agent.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is tenth when you type Terry Bro, behind Terry Brock, a columnist. There do not appear to be any other prominent Terry Brosses.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Rex Brothers.

Wallet Card with Stikman

The mysterious Stikman has been posting street art in the form of little robot figures on NYC streets for over 20 years. From the Street Museum of Art website: "These small, robot-like figures found in pedestrian walkways are distorted by every tire mark and foot step that cross them.  Passed over by countless people each day, the pavement paintings often times go by unnoticed.  By hiding his work in plain sight, Stikman encourages the public to open their eyes and be observant to their surroundings."

Here is a Stikman at the intersection of 49th Street and 6th Avenue.

By comparison, here is the same Stikman in 2014 from flickr user Brecht Bug:

Player Profile: Jason Brosnan

I have one card of Jason Brosnan, from 1991 Line Drive.

Playing career: Jason Brosnan pitched eleven years of professional baseball, mostly in the Dodgers organization. In 340 games (95 starts) he went 50-42 with a 4.04 ERA.

Where he is now: Head Varsity Baseball Coach at California High School in San Ramon, CA.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is seventh when you type Jason Bros, between Jason Brostrom, a Financial Advisor at Edwards Jones, and Jason Brous, a knifemaker. Another prominent Jason Brosnan is Director, Mutual Fund Tax at Virtus Investment Partners.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Terry Bross.

Wallet Card at some old signs

The Trailer Park Lounge on West 23rd Street has some unique decor, including some old (or maybe just old-style signs that I like.

It's hard to tell in this long shot but their sign features a Pepsi "privilege sign" with the word Pepsi covered over with another sign that says "Good Food".

 Closer up (and you can tell this was taken on a different day) you can see a variety of signs on the door, including a vintage-looking Coca-Cola sign. If you zoom in on the door you will also see old 7-Up signs and a Bond Bread sign. Bond was a major baker throughout much of the 20th century - they even put out baseball cards in the 1940s - that appears to have gone out of business in the early 1980s.

As the decor seems to change regularly I will try for more (and better) pictures next time I'm in this area.

Player Profile: Scott Brosius

I have 61 cards of Scott Brosius. This one is from 1997 Pinnacle.

Playing career: Third baseman Scott Brosius played eleven seasons for the A’s and Yankees, hitting .257 with 141 HR and 531 RBI. His best seasons was 1998, when he hit .300 with 19 HR and 98 RBI, making the All Star team. His postseason was even better, earning World Series MVP honors by hitting .471 with two home runs, including one off of Trevor Hoffman to win Game 3. He also fielded the last out of the World Series that year.

My memories: He was a Yankee fan favorite as the third baseman for their 1998-2000 World Champion teams. (Though when he wasn’t going well he was occasionally referred to as Scott Atrocious). He kindly answered my questions on baseball cards for this blog in 2009.

Where he is now: Hitting coach for the Mariners’ AAA team in Tacoma.

Google Autocomplete results: He is tenth when you type Scott Br, behind Scott Braun, a reporter for the MLB Network. There do not appear to be any other prominent Scott Brosiuses.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Jason Brosnan.

Player Profile: Garrett Broshuis

I have one card of Garrett Broshuis, from 2004 Pepsi Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

Playing career: Garrett Broshuis pitched in the Giants organization from 2004 to 2009. In 150 games he went 54-55 with a 4.10 ERA.

Where he is now: He is an attorney at the St. Louis law firm Korein Tillery, where he has been leading a high profile lawsuit charging that Major League Baseball pays minor leaguers less than minimum wage.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is eighth when you type Garrett Bro, between Garrett Brown Facebook, referring to various people on the social media site, and Garrett Brothers, a home décor company in St. Augustine, FL. There do not appear to be any other prominent Garrett Broshuises.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Scott Brosuis.

Larry Shikles on baseball cards

Larry Shikles pitched eight seasons of professional baseball, mostly in the Red Sox organization. In 264 games he went 70-68 with a 4.10 ERA. Now the Chief Investment Officer at Mosaic Family Wealth in St. Louis, he kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"My favorite card and story was my 1990 Topps card.  I was in triple A with the Red Sox.  The major league players were compensated over $7,500.00 to be a part of the set while the minor league players in the card set received $750.00.   Apparently there was a lawsuit against Topps for the huge discrepancy in pay that was settled a few years later and I received a $7,000.00 check in the mail in 1995.   Since I knew nothing about the lawsuit or settlement, the check was a nice surprise.  

I have a small card collection from when I was a kid but have not bought any cards in the past 30 plus years."

Thanks!

Player Profile: Monte Brooks

I have one card of Monte Brooks, from 1989 Best.

Playing career: Outfielder Monte Brooks played in the Padres organization from 1987 to 1990. In 313 games, all in A ball, he hit .212 with 0 HR, 94 RBI and 61 RBI. A fuller account of his career can be found at The Greatest 21 Days.

Where he is now: He is in his sixteenth year as head baseball coach at Masters College.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is fifth when you type Monte Bro, between Monte Brough, a former LDS Church elder, and Monte Bromiley, a minister in Texas. The first entry when you google Monte Brooks is not the ballplayer but a TV producer.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Garrett Broshuis.

Player Profile: Hubie Brooks

I have 89 cards of Hubie Brooks. This one is from 1988 Donruss.

Playing career: Hard as it may be to believe now, but third base was once an impossible role for the Mets to fill. When Hubie Brooks came up in the 1980s he was the first legitimate regular third baseman to play several years for the Mets. After the 1984 season the Mets traded him to the Expos for Gary Carter. The Expos moved him to shortstop where he blossomed into an all-star, but injuries prevented him from putting together a really spectacular career. Overall in 1,645 major league games he hit .269 with 149 HR and 824 RBI.

My memories: I remember him as a regular on baseball cards and stickers but he spent most of his career in the NL and I don’t have any specific memories of him.

Where he is now: Anyone know where Hubie Brooks is now?

Google Autocomplete results: He is second when you type Hubi, between Hubie Brown, a retired basketball coach, and Hubic, an online storage company. There do not appear to be any other prominent Hubie Brookses.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Monte Brooks.

Player Profile: Eddie Brooks

I have one card of Eddie Brooks, from 1994 Stadium Club Draft.

Playing career: Infielder Eddie Brooks played in the Pirates and Mets organizations from 1994 to 1997. In 290 games he hit .229 with 14 HR and 100 RBI.

Where he is now: Head baseball coach at Bryan Station High School in Kentucky.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is fifth when you type Eddie Bro, between Eddie Brown Arena Football, a former AFL star, and Eddie Brock Marvel, a Spiderman character. There are no references to the ballplayer on the first page of Google results; most refer to Mel Brooks’s son, an actor.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Hubie Brooks.

Cards from Johnny's Trading Spot

Got some cool cards in a trade with Johnny's Trading Spot. He hit a variety of my want lists but also was looking to get move some of the many 1996 Fleer Updates he got in his recent big deal. I was happy to take a bunch of them off his hands. It's fun getting cards from a mid-90's update set and see players in very unfamiliar uniforms.

Pat Borders played for the Blue Jays for the first seven years of his career, then bounced around eight teams over the next ten years, including 26 games for the Cardinals in 1996.

 Stanky the Expo? Though he is best known as a Yankee, the fan favorite actually played in more games as an Expo than a Yankee, though he was never a regular in Montreal.

 Best known as a Padre and a Red, Bip Roberts ended his career by playing with four AL teams over three years.

 Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco were co-closers when the Mets won the World Series in 1986. Orosco was later a prominent member of the Orioles bullpen in the mid-1990s, but I didn't remember McDowell being there with him. He ended his career in Baltimore in 1996 and unlike Orosco did not pitch for them in the playoffs against the Yankees.

Player Profile: Cedric Brooks

I have one card of Cedric Brooks, from 2007 Bowman Prospects.

Playing career: Outfielder Cedric Brooks played six seasons of professional baseball for four different organizations. In 545 games he hit .266 with 56 HR and 247 RBI.

Where he is now: A youth baseball instructor in Georgia.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is sixth when you type Cedric Br, between Cedric Bru, CEO of Taulia, and Cedric Bright, Assistant Dean at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. There are no references to the ballplayer on the first page of google results; most refer to a saxophonist.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Eddie Brooks.

Player Profile: Billy Brooks

I have one card of Billy Brooks, from 1987 ProCards.

Playing career: Billy Brooks had a great season at Rookie-League Great Falls in 1986, going 5-0 with 6 saves and a 2.27 ERA. Over the next two years in A ball he was unable to match that success, however, going 14-17 with a 3.41 ERA.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Where he is now: Anyone know where Billy Brooks is now?

Google Autocomplete results: He is seventh when you type Billy Bro, between Billy Brown Alaska, referring to a character on a reality show, and Billy Brown Books, referring to a children’s book series. There are no references to the baseball player on the first page of results; most refer to a former wide receiver for the Bengals.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Cedric Brooks.

Player Profile: Antone Brooks

I have one card of Antone Brooks, from 1999 Just.

Playing career: Antone Brooks had a great season at Class-A Macon in 1996, going 9-4 with 10 saves and a 2.24 ERA. Over the next four years at AA and AAA he was unable to match that success, however, going 10-9 with 2 saves and a 4.30 ERA.

Where he is now: Now a Payment Representative at McKesson in Florence, SC.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is sixth when you type Antone B, between Antoine Bethea, a safety for the 49ers, and Antoine Blake, referring to Antwon Blake, a cornerback for the Steelers. Another prominent Antone Brooks is a national expert on fallout patterns and radiation biology.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Billy Brooks.

Wallet Card at the last Wheelies

In 1924 New York City introduced a new stoplight pole with a wheel decoration (nicknamed "Wheelies" by modern fans). The wheel resembled what automobile wheels looked like at the time - not very different from wagon wheels. Most were replaced in the 1950s and 1960s but the two at the 46th Street entrance to the Park Avenue Viaduct were landmarked, so they remain in place even though their traffic lights have been removed.

Player Profile: Tom Brookens

I have 42 cards of Tom Brookens. This one is from 1990 Upper Deck.

Playing career: Tom Brookens played for the Tigers from 1979 to 1988, and ended his career with brief stops with the Yankees and Indians. A part-time third baseman with a little bit of power, he hit .246 for his career with 71 HR and 431 RBI. In ten postseason games he went 0-18 at the plate.

Where he is now: Retired after being let go as the Tigers third base coach after the 2013 season.

My memories: I remember him vaguely as being pretty bad with the Yankees, nothing specific.

Google Autocomplete results: He is second when you type Tom Broo, between Tom Brooke, an actor, and Tom Brookbanks, Director at Starcom MediaVest Group. Another prominent Tom Brookens is a data processing tech for the State of Illinois.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Antone Brooks.

Player Profile: Jeff Bronkey

I have two cards of Jeff Bronkey. This one is from 1993 Fleer Final Edition.

Playing career: Jeff Bronkey pitched for the Rangers and Brewers from 1993 to 1995. In 45 games, all in relief, he went 2-2 with 2 saves and a 4.04 ERA.

Where he is now: A pitching instructor for Oklahoma Fuel Athletics.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is fourth when you type Jeff Bron, between Jeff Bronson, an attorney in New Jersey, and Jeff Bronchick, a banker in California. There do not appear to be any other prominent Jeff Bronkeys.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Tom Brookens.

Garage sale find: autographs

While I don't actively collect autographs, they always look nice on cards and it's fun to find them randomly sprinkled in a haul like this. These autographs generally stick to the theme of this collection, which was Mets and anything Topps 2010/2011.

I'm not a fan of Ron Darling so I'm kind of glad that the autograph is actually on a non-Mets card.

 Even better is Omir Santos signing a Yankee card. He was a Yankees prospect but played in the majors for the Mets, most famously hitting a game-winning home run in Fenway Park.

 A famous Mets disappointment.

  This card is interesting. Not for the front...

 but the back, where there is a note presumably indicating where the autograph took place. The Cardinals won the game 6-4.

 One more Mets auto, from 1992 Topps.

 Finally a couple of autos from 2010 Topps Peak Performance.

Neither guy was trying really hard to make a legible signature.

Garage sale finds: vintage

I am still going through these boxes and finding stuff. Yesterday I posted a Daniel Bard Topps 60 relic card - I found a second one yesterday so one is up for trade.

Not everything was 2010/2011 in these boxes - there was some 1970s-1990s stuff as well. I found this 1970 Harry Walker card early on and took a photo because I figured that would certainly be the oldest in the set.

However, there turned out to be a few much older cards in there! Amazing to find these for less than a penny tucked into a garage sale find.

Here is a 1961 Chuck Dressen card. On the back it says he expects the Braves to win the World Series that year. They ended up finishing fourth in the National League. 

 A 1959 Dale Long. He is famous for a record eight game HR streak (later tied by Mattingly and Griffey).

 

 Finally, two cards from 1958! Larry Jackson won 194 games in a fourteen-year career.

  And one more from 1958 - this Charlie Lau rookie card is so pristine I thought it was a reprint at first. He had a ten-year playing career but is best known as a very famous hitting coach.

Garage sale finds: game-used

There were a few game-used memborabilia cards among the many boxes from this haul. I know, the bat pieces are really left-over wood from some Topps vice president's home remodel, and the jersey cards are from clothes his kids outgrew, but it's fun to imagine...

This haul was primarily cards from 2010 and 2011, so are most of the hits, like this one.

 There were a few football jersey cards. Like this one of a rather infamous guy.

 Another infamous guy, this one from baseball. This was probably a very exciting pull a few years ago. Now, not so much.

 Some nice texture to this bat card.

 There were several Curtis Martin jersey cards. I'm pretty sure there were two of this one; meaning one is up for trade if anyone wants it.

 Another 2010 jersey card that slipped through.

 Nice to get a bat card of a current Yankee, even though he is in a Mets jersey.

 Funny to pull this out of the box the day he gets DFA'd.

More from the garage sale

This isn't even the good stuff yet.

I saw this card and figured I'd weigh in on the little controversy going on in the blogosphere. While I love Night Owl, I have to disagree with him on Chase Utley. In 30 years of hating the Mets, Utley's dirty slide was one of the very very few times I actually sided with the Mets in a controversy.

 Speaking of Mets, who are the Mets bloggers out there? (Who is the Mets supertrader?) I am going to have a ton of stuff to trade. Among the stuff in this guy's binders were a ton of Keith Hernandez cards, for example. There were often two or three of the same card in a pocket.

 There were also a ton of Johan Santana cards from his time on the Twins. I guess he had stocked up on his cards when he signed with the Mets.