Cards are becoming easier to find in retail stores in my area, so I have actually been buying occasionally. I am definitely going to have to get my tradelist updated so I can start trading again then because I have not been doing well with retail breaks. Maybe when I get through my trial in March.
That brings me to Archives. I already bought the best card in the set with the Fan Favorites auto of Eddie Bressoud, so I didn't think I was going to get anything too terribly exciting. I did okay though:
It is sort of interesting that all three cards I pulled were retired players. And they were some of the best homegrown players Boston has had during my fandom.
1. Wade Boggs. I have mentioned a lot that Boggs was my first favorite player. The Chicken Man had already had his best seasons by the time I started watching, but he still had something left, particularly in 1991. That year, he finished second in the batting race and hit .332/.421/.460. He had 181 hits, 42 doubles, eight home runs and 51 RBIs. He was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger. It was his last great season with the Red Sox. He had his first bad year in 1992, then left the Red Sox for the Yankees. I was pretty devastated.
2. Roger Clemens. Clemens quickly become my next favorite player after Boggs left. Clemens stuck around for a few more years, but by 1993, his best seasons with the Red Sox were also done. Clemens won the Cy Young Award in 1991, the first year I watched baseball. Clemens was 18-10 with a league-leading 2.62 ERA and 241 strikeouts. He finished third in the 1992 vote, but probably should have won as he was 18-11 with 208 strikeouts and led the league again with a 2.41 ERA. Dennis Eckersley won it that year after a terrific season as a closer and Jack McDowell was second after winning 20 games. Neither were as good as Clemens though. Clemens had a rough year in 1993, but was very good, but suffered injuries in 1994 and 1995. 1996 was his last season in Boston and he led the league in strikeouts with 257. He left for Toronto after the season. Again, I was not happy.
3. Nomar Garciaparra. After Clemens left, Mo Vaughn was my favorite player. After Vaughn left, there was Nomar. There was a TON of hype for Nomar when he was coming up. It was the first time I had experienced that as a Red Sox fan. There was hype for Phil Plantier and Mo Vaughn, but Nomar was another level. And he was good immediately. His rookie season saw him lead the league in hits (209) and triples (11). He hit .306/.342/.534 with 30 home runs, 44 doubles, 98 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. It is still the best rookie season for the Red Sox I have ever seen. I still think he should get another look by the Eras Committee for the Hall of Fame, particularly if they eventually elect Don Mattingly.
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