1993 Calbee Masaru Uno (#74)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
1993 & 94 Tomy Sets
While BBM was the first company to sell baseball cards the way they were sold in the US (10 or so cards to a pack rather than 1 being sold with some sort of food), they weren't the last. The next company to try it was Tomy in 1993. Their first set was 410 cards plus 81 puzzle cards (which made up nine different puzzles). Most of the cards show a photo surrounded by a colored border. Each card also has the initials "I.D." prominently on the front - I have no idea what they stand for. Like the 1993 BBM set, the most highly sought out cards are the rookie cards for Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui. Unlike the BBM sets of the time, the cards were the standard US card size - 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.
Here's a couple example cards of Susumu Mikoshiba (#125) and Takuro Ishii (#232):
A number of the cards feature border-less, multiexposure photos (a la some of the early Upper Deck sets), labelled on the back as "Action Series". Here's one of Jack Howell (#392):
Oddly enough, at least one of the "Action Series" cards commemorates one of the Hawks players who played for the Salinas Spurs in the California League in the early 1990's. I don't know if there are any more of them than this card of Motoi Ohkoshi (#401) who played for the Spurs in 1992, the final year they had an affiliation with the Hawks:
According to Gary Engel's "Japanese Baseball Card Checklist and Price Guide", the set also includes team checklist cards and four card Japan Series subset (don't know if the Series in question is the 1992 or 1993 Series - both of which were the Lions and Swallows). I don't have any those cards, so I can't show you them.
I got a question in a comment recently about whether or not the Tomy set had multiple series. I think the answer is no, but the set did have multiple printings. On the lower right side of the back of each card is either "I.D.69-001" or "I.D.69-002". This is sheer speculation on my part, but I suspect that set got issued in two printings with this value changed between issues. There are also three "error" cards from the first printing that appear to have been replaced in the second. Here's the back of Ichiro's card (#102) where you can see the "I.D.69-002" on the bottom right:
Tomy followed up in 1994 with a smaller (288 cards including 45 puzzle cards) set. The first 72 cards of the set were "Kira" cards showing the player superimposed on a sparkly silver background - a preview of the kind of thing that BBM would do a couple years later with the Diamond Heroes sets. Here's Kimiyasu Kudoh's card (#54) as an example:
The remainder of the cards (except for the puzzle cards) showed full bleed photos of the player. Here's Takahide Itoh's card (#106):
Oddly enough, although the set does not include a card for Ichiro Suzuki (Tomy not being as prescient as the Hilo Stars team set manufacturer), it does feature three cards (including two "Kira" cards) for Mac Suzuki, who at the time was playing in the US minors, having signed directly with Salinas in 1992 independently of any Japanese teams and played for San Bernardino (where Salinas moved to in 1993) and Riverside (after signing with the Mariners organization in 1994) in the California League.
For whatever reason, Tomy ceased to produce sets after 1994. I suspect that it is not a coincidence that in 1995, BBM increased their card size to the standard 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 size, same as Tomy's. Also in 1995, BBM had puzzle cards in their set for the first time (they would return in the 1996 set as well). And as I mentioned before, the "Kira" cards from the 1994 Tomy set resemble the kind of cards BBM would start producing in 1996 for the Diamond Heroes set and later the Touch The Game sets. So while Tomy may be gone, they may have had an influence on BBM.
Here's a couple example cards of Susumu Mikoshiba (#125) and Takuro Ishii (#232):
A number of the cards feature border-less, multiexposure photos (a la some of the early Upper Deck sets), labelled on the back as "Action Series". Here's one of Jack Howell (#392):
Oddly enough, at least one of the "Action Series" cards commemorates one of the Hawks players who played for the Salinas Spurs in the California League in the early 1990's. I don't know if there are any more of them than this card of Motoi Ohkoshi (#401) who played for the Spurs in 1992, the final year they had an affiliation with the Hawks:
According to Gary Engel's "Japanese Baseball Card Checklist and Price Guide", the set also includes team checklist cards and four card Japan Series subset (don't know if the Series in question is the 1992 or 1993 Series - both of which were the Lions and Swallows). I don't have any those cards, so I can't show you them.
I got a question in a comment recently about whether or not the Tomy set had multiple series. I think the answer is no, but the set did have multiple printings. On the lower right side of the back of each card is either "I.D.69-001" or "I.D.69-002". This is sheer speculation on my part, but I suspect that set got issued in two printings with this value changed between issues. There are also three "error" cards from the first printing that appear to have been replaced in the second. Here's the back of Ichiro's card (#102) where you can see the "I.D.69-002" on the bottom right:
Tomy followed up in 1994 with a smaller (288 cards including 45 puzzle cards) set. The first 72 cards of the set were "Kira" cards showing the player superimposed on a sparkly silver background - a preview of the kind of thing that BBM would do a couple years later with the Diamond Heroes sets. Here's Kimiyasu Kudoh's card (#54) as an example:
The remainder of the cards (except for the puzzle cards) showed full bleed photos of the player. Here's Takahide Itoh's card (#106):
Oddly enough, although the set does not include a card for Ichiro Suzuki (Tomy not being as prescient as the Hilo Stars team set manufacturer), it does feature three cards (including two "Kira" cards) for Mac Suzuki, who at the time was playing in the US minors, having signed directly with Salinas in 1992 independently of any Japanese teams and played for San Bernardino (where Salinas moved to in 1993) and Riverside (after signing with the Mariners organization in 1994) in the California League.
For whatever reason, Tomy ceased to produce sets after 1994. I suspect that it is not a coincidence that in 1995, BBM increased their card size to the standard 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 size, same as Tomy's. Also in 1995, BBM had puzzle cards in their set for the first time (they would return in the 1996 set as well). And as I mentioned before, the "Kira" cards from the 1994 Tomy set resemble the kind of cards BBM would start producing in 1996 for the Diamond Heroes set and later the Touch The Game sets. So while Tomy may be gone, they may have had an influence on BBM.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Card Of The Week August 22
Last week, Daisuke Yamai of the Dragons took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Giants. Hayato Sakamoto broke it up with a home run. This would be the second time Yamai would throw eight innings of no hit ball - the first was game 5 of the 2007 Nippon Series, where his eight perfect innings were followed by one perfect inning from Hitoki Iwase for the first perfect game in Nippon Series history (plus the first championship for the Dragons since 1954).
Despite these outings, Yamai has had a fairly mediocre career - currently he's 22-22 for his career with an ERA of 4.13. (Looks like his strikeout-to-walk ratio is pretty good: 349-161 in 427.1 innings, but he gives up roughly a hit per inning. I got the stats from NPB's site.) This is reflected in how BBM treats him - he hasn't had a card in the regular BBM sets since the 2008 1st Version set (although I expect that he appears in the Dragons team sets). Here's his rookie card from the 2002 BBM 1st Version set (#148):
Despite these outings, Yamai has had a fairly mediocre career - currently he's 22-22 for his career with an ERA of 4.13. (Looks like his strikeout-to-walk ratio is pretty good: 349-161 in 427.1 innings, but he gives up roughly a hit per inning. I got the stats from NPB's site.) This is reflected in how BBM treats him - he hasn't had a card in the regular BBM sets since the 2008 1st Version set (although I expect that he appears in the Dragons team sets). Here's his rookie card from the 2002 BBM 1st Version set (#148):
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Searching For Hoshino, The Finale
I did it.
I had a lousy day for most of the day. Our DSL went out last night and I spent two hours on the phone with Verizon, trying to get them to acknowledge there was a problem outside the house, not inside. I wasn't successful, but when I got up this morning, our DSL was working again. Obviously elves came in the middle of the night and fixed it. I almost missed my train and the rain made it take 40 minutes to drive the 10 miles from where the train drops me off to where I work. So I was tired and cranky when I made it out to Cal Sr's Yard this evening. The Japan/Mexico game was supposed to have started at 5, but rain had delayed the early games so that the Australia/Korea game was just ending when I got there a little after 6.
I kept scanning the crowd while the Japanese and Mexican teams warmed up on the field. I had lent my Sharpie to some teenage girls who were trying to flirt with some of the Australian players. Just as I got the pen back, I spotted this man walking from the hotel beyond the field over to the stands. I was pretty sure it was Senichi Hoshino. I stopped one of the Japanese fans who I knew spoke English and he confirmed it was him.
I walked up to him and said "Excuse me, Mr. Hoshino, but could you sign this for me?" I think he was a bit surprised and amused that someone knew who he was. I asked him if it was OK if I took a picture as he signed the card and he said yes.
Here's the card (2003 BBM 1st Version #94):
Once he handed the card back, I thanked him and moved away quickly. I had been worried that I was going to go all fanboy and I really didn't want to embarrass myself. I hung out for a little bit longer, but even though I had a little rush of adrenaline from meeting him, I was still pretty exhausted and I wanted to crash early tonight. I did take another picture of him from across the field while he was watching the team warm up:
So my day ended on a much brighter note than it started on.
Japan ended up beating Mexico 1-0 to go undefeated in pool play. This was the only game that they did not win via the slaughter rule. Their next game will be Friday at 5 in the first round of the championships. I can't make that game, but I may be able to be at the International Bracket's Final on Saturday at noon. I'll have to see.
UPDATE: Via Yakyu Baka, Hoshino was at an Orioles/Mariners game this week and met up with Ichiro, Koji Uehara and Alonzo Powell. Looks like he's wearing the same shirt in this photo that he was when I saw him.
I had a lousy day for most of the day. Our DSL went out last night and I spent two hours on the phone with Verizon, trying to get them to acknowledge there was a problem outside the house, not inside. I wasn't successful, but when I got up this morning, our DSL was working again. Obviously elves came in the middle of the night and fixed it. I almost missed my train and the rain made it take 40 minutes to drive the 10 miles from where the train drops me off to where I work. So I was tired and cranky when I made it out to Cal Sr's Yard this evening. The Japan/Mexico game was supposed to have started at 5, but rain had delayed the early games so that the Australia/Korea game was just ending when I got there a little after 6.
I kept scanning the crowd while the Japanese and Mexican teams warmed up on the field. I had lent my Sharpie to some teenage girls who were trying to flirt with some of the Australian players. Just as I got the pen back, I spotted this man walking from the hotel beyond the field over to the stands. I was pretty sure it was Senichi Hoshino. I stopped one of the Japanese fans who I knew spoke English and he confirmed it was him.
I walked up to him and said "Excuse me, Mr. Hoshino, but could you sign this for me?" I think he was a bit surprised and amused that someone knew who he was. I asked him if it was OK if I took a picture as he signed the card and he said yes.
Here's the card (2003 BBM 1st Version #94):
Once he handed the card back, I thanked him and moved away quickly. I had been worried that I was going to go all fanboy and I really didn't want to embarrass myself. I hung out for a little bit longer, but even though I had a little rush of adrenaline from meeting him, I was still pretty exhausted and I wanted to crash early tonight. I did take another picture of him from across the field while he was watching the team warm up:
So my day ended on a much brighter note than it started on.
Japan ended up beating Mexico 1-0 to go undefeated in pool play. This was the only game that they did not win via the slaughter rule. Their next game will be Friday at 5 in the first round of the championships. I can't make that game, but I may be able to be at the International Bracket's Final on Saturday at noon. I'll have to see.
UPDATE: Via Yakyu Baka, Hoshino was at an Orioles/Mariners game this week and met up with Ichiro, Koji Uehara and Alonzo Powell. Looks like he's wearing the same shirt in this photo that he was when I saw him.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Card Of The Week August 15
Via Yakyu Baka, former Orix Blue Wave pitcher Koo Dae-Sung (who is Korean and was most recently playing for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO and is a former New York Met) has announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season. He played for Orix from 2001 to 2004, departing them for his single season for the Mets. Here's his 2003 Calbee card (#165):
Hoshino Stalking Interrupted By Rain
My excitement over possibly finally encountering Senichi Hoshino at the Cal Ripken World Series was tempered by the fact that it had been raining all afternoon. Still, the website said that the games that were to be played at 2:30 would be played at 4:30 and the Japan/Australia game was still on for 4:30, so despite the downpour, I headed on over a little after 4.
The rain didn't let up after I reached the baseball complex and after waiting for an hour, I became more and more convinced that there was no way the game was going to get played. Here's a picture of Cal Sr's Yard, the nicest field at the complex and a mini-Camden Yards replica:
It's a nice field with lights and a tarp over the infield. Unfortunately, the Japan/Australia game was scheduled for the field that (generously) resembles the Nationals' Park, which has no lights and no tarp:
So I really don't expect them to get this game in today. I did see the Japanese team working out in one of the batting cages, but I didn't see Hoshino with them:
With that pesky work-thing interfering with my day time, I'm not sure I'll be able to make it to another game. I can probably catch the last half of their game against Mexico on Wednesday. Hopefully Hoshino will still be in town.
Oh, shoot - I just checked the tournament website. They're actually playing the game. After an inning and a half, Japan is already up 5-0. Australia is being no-hit so far. By the time I could run back over there, the game will probably already be over. I really didn't think they'd be able to get it in - they did postpone the games that were supposed to be played at 2:30.
The rain didn't let up after I reached the baseball complex and after waiting for an hour, I became more and more convinced that there was no way the game was going to get played. Here's a picture of Cal Sr's Yard, the nicest field at the complex and a mini-Camden Yards replica:
It's a nice field with lights and a tarp over the infield. Unfortunately, the Japan/Australia game was scheduled for the field that (generously) resembles the Nationals' Park, which has no lights and no tarp:
So I really don't expect them to get this game in today. I did see the Japanese team working out in one of the batting cages, but I didn't see Hoshino with them:
With that pesky work-thing interfering with my day time, I'm not sure I'll be able to make it to another game. I can probably catch the last half of their game against Mexico on Wednesday. Hopefully Hoshino will still be in town.
Oh, shoot - I just checked the tournament website. They're actually playing the game. After an inning and a half, Japan is already up 5-0. Australia is being no-hit so far. By the time I could run back over there, the game will probably already be over. I really didn't think they'd be able to get it in - they did postpone the games that were supposed to be played at 2:30.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
BBM 20th Anniversary Set
This past week, BBM announced plans to publish a 20th Anniversary set. This will be a pack-based set that will highlight the past 20 years of Japanese baseball. The set will contain 252 regular cards - 108 (9 per team) OB players (but active since 1991), 108 (9 per team) active players, 9 managers (I think - if so, I'd expect Nagashima, Oh, and Katsuya Nomura for sure, maybe Senichi Hoshino, Koji Yamamoto and Hiromitsu Ochiai also - except Nomura hasn't been doing OB sets lately) and 27 "Great Records And Highlights" cards. There will also be two insert sets featuring Best 9 squads for the 90's and the 00's (19 cards in each) as well as a nine card "90-00's Top Super" insert set. There will also be autograph and memorabilia cards as well (if I'm reading the google translation correctly, some of them are from Hideki Matsui). The back of the player cards will show that player's BBM rookie card which is kind of cool. The set will be out in late September.
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