Sammy Sosa has the somewhat dubious honor of having been chosen as a Terrible Card and a Monster Card. Back in January, I posted his 1991 card on my Tuesday column, justifiably so I think.
Ten years later after Sosa made umm, certain changes to his training regimen, his stats improved greatly and his 2001 card looks markedly better.
Sosa’s 64 homeruns came in second to Barry Bonds’ 73 dingers and not surprisingly, came in second to him in the MVP voting as well.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Totals | 160 | 711 | 577 | 146 | 189 | 34 | 5 | 64 | 160 | 0 | 2 | 116 | 153 | .328 | .437 | .737 |
Slammin’ Sammy had lost his steal numbers from his 1991 card as well as his defense (OF-2 to a OF-1) but certainly gained in the power department. This card could be summarized easily in two phrases… “1-1-1-4-6” and “five 14s”. That about sums it up for this card. That’s not to take away from this card. Sometimes powerful APBA cards are nice and simple.
It should be noted that Sosa’s 2001 card does have four 8s. He also has a 61-22 due to six HBPs. Sosa only grounded into six double plays in 2001 so he got the 41-13, probably the only dice roll that APBA fans are happy to see that strikeout. He also received a 32-13 though.
A related question for those of you in leagues
How many of you let issues like alleged use of performance enhancers (or drug use in general) affect whether a player stays on your roster or if you will trade for or draft a player? In our league, we have a mix. Some of our managers have publically announced that a player will not play for them for these reasons and others say they have no problem with it (ahem, Barry Bonds).
Perhaps it’s becoming less of an issue with increased testing in the MLB but those of us who own Yasmani Grandal are suffering the consequences (I didn’t know, I swear!).
Thanks again to Pastor Rich for the card suggestion!
As a fantasy owner, PED usage is akin to injury risk (except you get better cards on PEDs :-). The Northboro Phoenix have Melky Cabrera and his WONDERFUL card this year, but only for about 2/3 of a season. If he gets caught again, he’ll be out for a year. It definitely lowers his value. Plus, when he’s not on the PEDs, he’s not as good.
That card is pretty awesome, but wow that’s a lot of K’s. Out of curiosity do they have anyone that can benefit from hit and run steals ahead of him?
Guilty as charged. I am an outspoken ILLOWA manager who will not have a steroid guy. When the news cam out about Ken Caminiti (he was a Marauder), I all but GAVE HIM AWAY in trade. Not on my team, you don’t. My trading partner was not limited by such scruples. So be it.
BTW: 13’s are out stealing on the modern APBA Hit&Run charts.
Shame about Cammy being a roider, but if you remember back in the early days of the outing of the roiders he said “I bet 3/4 of the players are taking” and everyone thought he was just upset because he got outed. Turns out he was telling the truth.
I was fortunate enough to meet him in SD and he really was a nice guy and did a lot for charity. That said, yes he was a roider and deserves any criticism for this.
Regarding the 13’s is that on 11’s too? Do they make it up elsewhere?
I’m not a fan of the steroid era, but have no qualms about playing any of those guys. Why? Because each era has its cheaters and unsavory characters – that’s part of the game and part of the history of the sport.
If one is so moral-minded, you shouldn’t play Ty Cobb (racist) or any number of other players for being terrible people or abusers of amphetemines (lots of guys in the 60s and 70s), serial adulterers and drunks (Babe Ruth), etc.
It’s unfortunate but true that Barry Bonds was both a cheater (at least at the tail end of his career) and one of the greatest players ever. You may not like him, but if he’s on your APBA team, it’s hard not to like what he does for you, especially if you’ve played is 2002 or 2004 cards.
Just my two cents.
Triple 1’s always deserves a look for Monster status.