Background Noise - 1989 Topps Ozzie Guillen

From the first time I saw this Ozzie Guillen card, I have always wanted to know what was written on the sign behind him.

From the card, we can plainly see the words "other", "time" and "club."  We can also infer "closed."   Growing up, I had always hoped this was some cool sign in the dugout telling players not to spit their chew on the ground, cuss at the umpires, socialize with the ladies or not to play "pepper" in the infield.  You know something cool to a little kid.

Until recently, I thought the Guillen card was my sole proof of the sign until I saw this Mike Flanagan card...

Alright!  Definitely "Baseball" on the sign, too.  After running through the 1989 set a few more times, I couldn't locate any more "sign" photos, so I begrudgingly turned to the internet.  First off, where is this sign?  Obviously, the sign is not in Chicago or Toronto, since both Ozzie and Mike are in their road unis.  The slatted bench in Flanagan's card gave me a hint, and further review of the rest of the Blue Jay and White Sox cards in the 89 Topps set reveals most of their road game photos are in Tiger Stadium.  Bingo.

A quick search reveals this inside peek video of Tiger Stadium prior to demolition.  You get a few far away glimpses of the sign, but just when the we are about to get a close up view of the sign, a huge wall of flannel obscures the screen.  Interesting video though...

 

Finally, I just decided to type "sign in tiger stadium dugout" into Google and was rewarded with this image...

...of utter disappointment.  How boring and grammatically incorrect with the mystery comma!  Also, I have never seen DUGOUT spelled DUG-OUT in my life.  Wacky Mid-Westerners. 

Sometimes it is best to not look behind the curtain.

 

Background Noise - 1989 Topps Jeff Ballard

I am finally upright after a hellacious weekend of back pain.  I’ve had a trick back since I broke it back in 2001, and usually once, maybe twice, a year it will give out like it did on Friday.  Usually my back will give out when I’m doing macho things like moving sand bags or picking up lumber, but no, not this time.  This time my back gave out while I was bending over to take a clean plate out of the dishwasher.  How macho is that?

Anyways, the pain meds have done their job and I’m no longer in a cloud of opiates.  I think I posted yesterday, but I’m not quite sure.  Let me check… Yeah, Mariano Duncan post, eh?  Must have been high out of my mind.

Well, I won’t lie to you, this post isn’t much better.  I was searching through some cards looking for a Background Noise card to post, when I saw this Jeff Ballard card…

Pretty bland card, right?  Not much going on (like most cards in 1989 Topps) except for some spring training crowds, a dugout and a cop.  Then it hit me.  Is that a gun on a Topps card?

First off, breathe.  I’m not turning this baseball card into a 2nd Amendment debate, and I strongly encourage no comments about that either.  But, seriously, when is the last time you’ve ever seen a gun on a baseball card?  And why is there a police man standing at the top of the dugout in spring training game?  That sparse crowd does not seem unruly.  This card seems so odd.

Granted, Stephen Spielberg might have gotten a hold of this card, and that may be a walkie-talkie on this right hip, but since most officers are righties, I’m betting that is a service revolver.

I’ll keep an eye out for officer’s in future cards, but as of now, I’m naming this the one and only baseball card to feature a gun on it.  Has anyone else seen a gun on a baseball card before?

Cameo Cards - 1989 Topps Pirates Leaders

Some of you may be wondering, why is this card not under the Background Noise series or the Name the Game series?  Good question.  The best answer I can come up with is that I really like cards that feature more than one player, which is why I came up with the Background Noise and Name the Game serials.  Problem is, not every multiple player card has something going on in the background, and as I've found out, it is dang hard determining which game is portrayed on the card front.  

So, to solve this dilemma of potentially eliminating lots of cards that I love, I created a new series called Cameo Cards.  Now, if you're a big movie or video game fan, you're probably familiar with the term "cameo" or in some parlance "Easter Eggs."  What I hope to accomplish with this serial is to predominantly share "no-name" common player cards that feature All-Star or Hall of Fame players.  

As shown in the example above, this 1989 Pirates Team Leaders card #699 depicts Al Pedrique tagging out Tony Gwynn at second base.  Sweet.  Hence, a cameo card of a Hall of Famer on a common.

Spot the Ǝrror - 1989 Topps Jimy Williams

This is the first in a new series comparing error and corrected card versions.  If you spot the error, leave a comment.  First one to correctly identify the difference between the two cards wins the round.  "Standings" will be updated continually with an eventual prize.

No cheating, the honor system applies!