If You Build It, They Will Come

        Profile Buddy Biancalana was born in California and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals.  He played six years in the majors, finishing with the Houston Astros.  He had a  career WAR of -1.6, but also one World Series ring* of which he played a vital role.   ...scanning...no Iowa connection found... Now, I know that people typically don't move to Iowa unless they have some sort of connection. However, Buddy is a bit of an exception here.  Buddy moved to Fairfield** years after his MLB career was over, attracted by the chance for personal growth.  With his business partner Steve Yellin they formed Perfect Mind-Perfect Motion, a company that helps athletes get "in the zone".   * Won with John Wathan (Cedar Rapids) and Jim Sundberg (UofI) ** Discovered while I was writing the post of Matt Stutzman.   Personal Notes I don't know about you, but I've spent some of my pandemic time organizing.  I'm tr...

        Profile George Williams* was a catcher for the Oakland A's and San Diego Padres in the late 90s, mostly as a backup catcher.  He accrued a 1.5 WAR over his career.  He started his college career at Des Moines Area Community College** before ending up at the University of Texas Pan America.   *  Not George Williams , nor George Williams , nor the six other minor leaguers named  George Williams , nor George Williams , nor ... ** Four DMACC players played in MLB: Corey Koskie, Scott Schebler, George Williams, and Paul Wilmet.  Personal Notes DMACC is one of a ton of community colleges in Iowa, the largest of the CCs ahead of Kirkwood.  CCs remain a difficult piece to the Iowa Collection, as they tend not to be a person's last stop.  George Williams started there before MiraCosta College in California before ending up in UTPA.  CCs can't hold elite players as they move on to bigger schools for exposure, or they ma...

Profile Tim Costo was a shortstop for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1987-1990, an All-American* and 1st Round pick in 1990**, and played a couple of years for the Cincinnati Reds in 1993 and 1994 with a lifetime WAR of -0.7.   * Of the 22 All-Americans, 4 had productive MLB careers (Aaron Sele, Dan Wilson, Jeffrey Hammonds, Mike Kelly) and 6 others made it to the pros.   ** Of the 26 1st Rounds, 13 had productive MLB careers, most notably Chipper Jones and Mike Mussina.  9 others also made it to the pros.   Historical Significance Tim Costo had a fine career, and played for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and I had no idea until I had opened a Topps pack in 1991.  Up until 1989 Pro Set Football, you didn't see players in their college uniforms, and often had to wait a year of pro play before you'd see them even in their pro jerseys.  The only cards you would find were the sporadic team sets that some colleges would put out. With a little research, and discountin...