Dodgers All Stars In Championship Years 1981 1988

Welcome, beloved readers and treasured trade partners, to the final installment covering the past Dodgers who participated in All Star games during their respective World Championship years.

The last time the Boys in Blue won the W.S. was back in the 80's.  We had bookend victories, at the start and end of the decade.  First up...

1981

 Gary Carter hit two HRs and he was MVP.   The '81 squad featured a whopping half-dozen Dodgers!  Bruce Bochy's head woulda exploded!  And I woulda loved it...

Garvey didn't start, but he had two ABs, and he hit a double.

Pay-Dro  Goo-Rare-Oh pinch hit and struck out.  No worries, as Pedro went on that season to become an MVP in the World Series. 

Happy Hooten pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning and struck out George Brett.   He got hammered in the sixth, giving up 3 small ball runs. 

Lopes started at 2B.  He came up once, and walked. No SB.

Fernando was the starting pitcher.  He gave up 2 hits, but no runs.

Dusty Baker entered the game in the 6th, and had two ABs, hitting one single.  At least he didn't jinx the National Leaguers, as they won 5-4.

1988

1988's contest was played in Oakland-Alameda Stadium.  The National Leaguers won 2-0.  The N.L. returned once again at the end of the '88 season in the form of the Dodgers...

Bulldog entered in the 5th inning.  He got Harold Reynolds, Kirby Puckett and Wade Boggs to ground out.  Now-Dodger Manager Damn Mattingly walked.

He went out and pitched the 6th as well, facing the minimum batters.  Tony Fernandez, George Bell and Dave Winfield went out 1-2-3 against the Bulldog.

Maybe Target will Start A "One Star Club"

hey everybody,

My Dodger buddy Night Owl wrote a great piece about topps' new super-elite, double exclusive club for "passionate" collectors.  in it, he referenced another great post from The Wax Fantastic. 

Being a sort of passionate blog reader, i followed the link, and was glad i did, because that was yet another great read.  as an aside, i'm glad to have discovered Andy's blog.  Since his is a perspective from "the other side of the atlantic", i get to expand my mind a bit further, and i get the quiet enjoyment of reading a blog with occasionally quaint spelling (i.e. programme).  ah, the simple pleasures.

suffice it to say, i am probably NEVER gonna be in topps' 5-star club, because i don't ever foresee meeting their requirements.  First of all, I don't have a minimum of $10,000 extra cash annually to spend on baseball cards.  heck, even if i hit the lotto and i had that much to burn on cards, i couldn't in good conscience sit down and write a required 500 word essay for topps declaring why i wanna be in that dopey club anyways. I wonder how the topps brain trust settled on 500 words being the right amount to establish passion?  i wonder if i could include citations in the 500?

as our friend Night Owl reminds us, we readers and bloggers are certainly passionate enough about our collections and collecting habits in our own ways, even without topps' blessing.  i may not have ten grand, but i can scratch together $3.99 to take a chance on this little package i spotted at my local target...

i'm passionate enough to spot that daryl strawberry card, and i know my fellow bloggers and readers are passionate enough to want (or need!) the assorted extras in the package.  as would be expected, there's plenty of set and team filler, and i'm happy to report, a few feature players and cards you all might want in trade.   let's see what i pulled...

young kirby !  and yet another addition for my mike schmidt collection!

there's 22 all-star cards in this set and i got about 10 of them.  the gloss and colors on these cards are shiny and gorgeous like they came out of a pack yesterday.  below are a few more...

Fernando pitched in this 1986 all-star game and he got 5 consecutive strike outs.  alas, no Fernando in this package.  however...

how's this?  one of my favorite yankees!  bernie williams RC!  nice.

any knoblauch fans out there?  this pacific card is sweet.  the photo is embedded and can be seen from front and back.

remember when jay buhner being traded away from the yankees was mentioned in seinfeld?

chromey goodness

gotta love this shot of gibby advancing to the plate. all business and getting zoned in.  i think gibby looked like this when he was seven, mustache and all.

CUBBIES !

i'm not a fan of this donruss set, so this schmidt is available...

this nomar card is a beauty. the shine is very refractory.

finally!  a Dodger.  and one i didn't have yet. :)

closing out with a pittsburgh legend. 

it just goes to show you don't have to spend $10,000 to enjoy your passion. 

THANKS for reading!