I'd love to hear the story about this card! It has definitely seen better days. I received this card today, in a package from Jeff of On Base Autos and Whose Card Is It? fame.There was a good mix of commons, doubles and a few stars thrown in for good measure. Then, the third to the last card, I run across this beauty of Carlos Martinez. Creased, bubbled corners, unidentifiable gunk, partialy torn, and possibly slight water damage. I love it!
This card represents Carlos' career. There's a lot of promise, but it just gets blocked and tossed away before anything can really be appreciated. What was Carlos' block on the White Sox? Frank Thomas.
Who would you rather put out at first base, Carlos Martinez or Frank Thomas? Yeah, I thought so. Sure, Carlos was Topps 1989 Rookie First Baseman, but when you're blocking Frank Thomas, you have to get out of the way. If you don't you're going to get knocked the @*#! out!
Carlos put up decent numbers in 1989. He hit .391 in Vancouver and .300 with the White Sox. The hits were there, but the long ball was lacking most of the time and the RBI's just didn't materialize. When you have someone who could potentially be a Triple Crown winner (and almost did on a few occasions), you're going to get sent down or traded.
I liked Carlos when he was with the Sox, but you won't hear me complaining. I prefer Frank Thomas as the Sox first baseman in the early nineties. Who wouldn't?
Carlos Martinez probably got tossed aside when the newer, more powerful model came along. His card ended up in a shoebox, tossed carelessly on a shelf in a dank basement corner. Or he ended up in a stack of commons that got knocked over and was never missed when he didn't return to the pile. Whatever Carlos' story, he has found a home.
2 comments:
Carlos will always be most famous as the guy who dinked the home run off Jose Canseco's head.
I forgot that he was the one that did that! Thanks for refreshing my memory! :)
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