The Blacklist - Rafael Palmeiro

On August 1st 2005 it was hard to find another man more hated than Jose Canseco by the M.L.B, its players, and fans. Everything changed on August 2nd when the finger-pointing, wanna-be hard ass Rafael Palmeiro was suspended for Steroid use. If this didn’t come a shock to 99% of you then you are probably lying.

I collected, without choice, Palmeiro cards for over a decade and if I had one word to describe him before August 2nd, it would have been, “boring”. Today, he is still boring but there is a much better named to call Raffy, “cheater”.  Up until Bonds was caught cheating, this was the biggest name to ever be caught, STAT-wise, anyways. The guy was a season away from 600 home runs and his 3,000th hit celebration was not even dry on paper when he was caught.

It’s a shame because he was a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Fame member without getting caught. Today, Rafael has disappeared off the face of Earth. If you have seen Rafael Palmeiro, please contact Wax Heaven. Miguel Tejada is looking for him and he does not look happy.

The Blacklist - Wally Joyner

This one is a tough one not because I was a fan of him growing up, I wasn’t. Simply put, this man took Steroids for no other reason but to keep his job. Yes, it is wrong and it will land him in the Wax Heaven Blacklist but it provides another perspective into the Juiced Era. Not everyone who took Steroids took it to add another 15-20 home runs to their season totals. Some just took it to keep from being released and/or traded.

On a side note, the Mitchell report is getting closer and closer. Expect some big names dropping very soon.

Studying 1991 Fleer Pro-Visions

Without a doubt, one of the most memorable and well-done insert sets from the 90’s. Unfortunately, most of the players selected have not quite aged-well. One great thing you can say about this insert set is that if you were collecting cards in ‘91 you probably LOVED these cards. I know I did.

Don Mattingly & Darry Strawberry

Donny Baseball could do no wrong, with the exception of the length of his sideburns. He put together 3 seasons with 30+ home runs and 5 with 100+ RBI. Along with his 1985 MVP award he also batted .300 or better 7 times.

Darry Strawberry was one of the best in the game from ‘83-’91 and hit 30 or more home runs and 100+ RBI 3 times.Unfortunately, he has a rap sheet longer than any of Canseco’s marriages.

Roger Clemens & Eric Davis

The “Rocket” should of stayed retired because coming back in ‘07 was a big mistake and ended up tarnishing his Hall of Fame image. He is still one of the greatest pitchers of all-time, though. 350+ wins, 4,600+ SO, & a 3.12 ERA lifetime. Oh, and 7 Cy Young awards and 1 MPV trophy doesn’t hurt.

Eric on the other hand didn’t have quite the glorious career as many expected he would. He did put together two seasons with 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI and he did impress many when he hit 37 home runs and 50 stolen bases in one season but he never did the “40-40″.

“Doc” Gooden & Mike Greenwell

As you can see by the card, one of “Doc’s” crack pipes ignited the baseball he was about to hurl at the drug dealer that would not accept anything but money for another hit. Say what you will about Gooden but nothing will ever take away his ‘85 season when he won the Cy Young and 24 games. He also has a bit of a rap sheet as well.

Mike Greenwell? He’s nothing but a bitter, little girl. Go away, Mike. You will never be #1, not even to Jose.

Bo Jackson & Jose Canseco

I wonder if Bo ever got “Bo Knows Hip-Injuries” trademarked? Either way, Bo was the man in 1989 with 34 home runs and 105 RBI but he was a burning star that only played 8 seasons thanks to a devastating hit while he was playing for the NFL. Bo was just too damn greedy! He should have just stayed in basebal and he would have had a great career and maybe even went to the Hall of Fame.

Jose Canseco, oh boy—where to even begin? The King of Steroids, Home Runs Off Heads, and Lingery-Wearing Former Athletes. Can we just move on? Thanks.

Ruben Sierra & Mark McGwire

Ruben Sierra had tons of hype after hitting 30+ homers and 100+ RBI in his second season but not surprisingly, he never came close to those MVP-type numbers in a career that lasted 20 seasons. Sure, he hit 100+ RBI 4 times and was a 4-time All-Star but nothing compared to the expectations people had of him.

Mark McGwire’s photo makes you wonder if Canseco’s jealousy he expressed in his book was well-deserved. Maybe corporations and baseball owners really did want America to like Mark more than Jose but you and I know that never happened until Mark hit the Juice and broke the single-season home run record.

Kirby Puckett & Will Clark

How in the heck did two players who were also decent human beings get placed together? Oh wait, scratch Kirby off the list. Will Clark on the other hand might be one of the most popular players of the 90’s who never even reach 300 home runs.

So that concludes Wax Heaven’s look into the classic 1991 Fleer Pro-Visions inserts. If you have any comments/opinions, make sure to let your voice be heard by leaving a comment or dropping me an e-mail.

Someone just got screwed on eBay!

The t206 Honus Wagner of 2007, a graded Bowman Chrome SuperFractor 1/1 Joba Chamberlain just sold on eBay for $5,037.75! The problem? The winning bidder is a well-known non-payer with a 81.3% positive feedback. Check out this waste of space’s eBay profile. This eBay member has failed to pay $46 on a card, $900 on a Jet Sky, and $225 on a Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor and now he just won a baseball card for over $5,000. You think he’s going to actually pay up? Seeing as there was 31 bids for this card and he won out I would be very upset right now if I don’t get my money for the card.

Ebay is such a joke.

The origin of the autograph insert

Sure, you have a 1986 Topps Wade Boggs that he signed for you at a game ages ago and the history of autographed baseball cards probably goes all the way back to the very first baseball cards but what I am talking about is the origin of baseball cards signed and sealed into packs. Me, being naive and misinformed, I thought it all began with the sub-par 1997 Donruss Signatures but as it turns out it goes back much further than 1997. Actually, think back to the awful 1990 releases. There was the plain ‘90 Fleer, the ugly ‘90 Donruss, and the not so groundbreaking anymore ‘90 Upper Deck. Oh, I forgot ‘90 Score but that’s because they have never put out a good product in their entire history.

Well, this morning I got to work about an hour early and started going through my new issue of Beckett and was shocked to find out that there were cards being autographed and inserted into packs way back in 1990. The thing was, unless you or your parents were loaded with cash there was almost no chance to pull one of them. As far as I can tell, the very first autograph insert comes from 1990 Upper Deck and it is none other than 500 Home Run Club member, Reggie Jackson.

By 1992 Topps had gotten into the swing of autograph inserts and put some into the 1992 Topps Gold set, but again, out of reach of many young collectors. Score, also put out an autograph insert in packs of 1991 Score but as usual with them they failed miserably. Just look at that God awful Mickey Mantle photo.

By 1994 Upper Deck had control of the autograph inserts and released one of the greatest baseball cards of all-time, a dual-autograph Ken Griffey Jr. and Mickey Mantle card. Game over. In 1997, Donruss Signature was released and anyone with a $20 could finally pull an autograph insert but by then the gimmick was old news to many. Today, you can’t open a hobby box without getting 3 or 4 autograph signatures but to the true collenctor of baseball cards, the magic will always be there.

The Blacklist - Jose Guillen

Here was a man who with the Pirates was being hailed as the next Roberto Clemente, a hero who died at 38 in an airplane that was going to help victims of a destructive earthquake that ravaged Nicaragua. Jose Guillen was a hot prospect in the mid-90’s with a cannon for an arm and some pop in his bat. Unfortunately, Guillen wore out his welcome with the Pirates in just his third season and has since been on 7 different team in just 5 years. That says a lot about anyone, let alone a baseball player.

Surprisingly, or not, depends on who you ask, Guillen became somewhat of a power hitter in 2003 when he went on to hit 31 home runs. This was quite a feat for a man who never hit more than 14 in his first 6 seasons. Thanks to a recent news story, Jose Guillen has landed on a list that Roberto Clemente could never land on even if he tried. Jose, welcome to the Wax Heaven Blacklist. Enjoy your stay!

The Blacklist - Barry Bonds

Yeah, we already knew. It didn’t take an indictment by the Federal Government for us to know that you’ve been Juiced-up for almost a decade. How is it that that 15 seasons into your career and at the age of 35 that you never hit more than 49 home runs and the very next season you hit 73? How is it that even possible? Yes, you were a great player before Steroids but you were never more than a 40+ home run, 110+ RBI guy with lots of speed and the knack for winning one M.V.P award after another.

Barry, welcome to the Wax Heaven Blacklist.