If You Build It, They Will Come

 We are down to our final two baseball teams this year, and just as expected it will be Houston vs. Atlanta ..... wait its actually Texas vs. Arizona?  Crazy year, the Twins won a playoff game and Max Scherzer is in the World Series with Texas instead of the Mets. As far as Iowa Connections go, we have 1 connection between the two teams, and its Dane Dunning of the Texas Rangers.  Dane pitched for the Waterloo Bucks back in 2014.   However, lets dig deeper and see who on these teams has those secondary connections.  By that, I mean players who played minor league ball for one of the Iowa minor league teams.  They include teams from Cedar Rapids, Burlington, Quad Cities, Clinton and of course Iowa (Cubs).   Note: I used Baseball reference to pull the list of players who played for each team this season Note: Italics for coaches, bold for current active roster/staff

 So last year, I wrote about the Field of Dreams game between the White Sox and Yankees, and spent a majority of the time complaining about MLB's issues with Iowa.  For those unaware, MLB.tv have a tough record with the state of Iowa and blacking out a large slice of their games every day due to every team that reasonable can claim Iowa has claimed Iowa in their viewing area.  (Once again, who wouldn't take Iowans if they could!) This year, the Cubs take on the Reds on Thursday at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville.  Its a matchup that looked good on paper before the teams decided this year didn't count, but it is still going to be fun to watch.  Game is on Fox and replayed on Fox Sports early the next morning. What's more important is that I have more Field of Dreams cards to collect next year!  This year across flagship set and in some other sets, Topps has inserted images from that game last year.  Some are easily accessible like the Craig Kimbrel f...

Baseball is updated in TCDB, and is the last major update. Baseball Iowa Connections will fall under three major categories.  MLB players, minor league players and the slim slice of players who were good enough to play in the Perfect Game high school showcase, but didn't have much of a pro career. I have 1627 Iowa Connections currently in my spreadsheet, by far the largest group.  This is due to the number of years baseball has been around (pre-1900) and the fact that there are probably 200 professional baseball teams in the US alone and not even considering foreign leagues. 789 players tracked do not have a single card in TCDB.  These are minor leaguers who didn't play in an era minor league cards or the team didn't have cards made (or yet tracked in TCDB).  These also include major leaguers who didn't play enough to have a card made, many in the early years of baseball.     I developed a ranking system for the player collections to determine which pl...

 This week is the official start of the 2022 MLB season with the drop of Topps Series One.  There is 330 cards in the base set, probably a bunch of SPs and SSPs that will become apparent soon.  Its always exciting to get the new Topps set because it always holds so much promise.  Rookie cards of players you haven't seen on cardboard yet, players on new teams, etc.  However, this year the common refrain online has been complaints about the weak checklist for Series One.  The complaint is that there is only one player to chase.  From what I can tell looking at the base checklist, I agree with this sentiment. THERE IS ONLY ONE IOWA CONNECTION AND HIS NAME IS MITCH KELLER! Now I know I've only seen the base and clear checklists, and perhaps Bob Feller (a often seen Topps staple) will be in an insert set or as a SP.  I doubt that we see any others until Series Two. The best Iowa Connections options for Series 2 are: Michael Wacha Nick Allgeyer Erik Swa...

 Congratulations to the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Sky on winning their championships this year...despite not carrying Iowa players and coaches on the their teams this year.  As we all know, having an Iowan on the team is always a winning strategy in life and in sports. In the MLB playoffs, this blog supported the Tampa Bay Rays and Michael Wacha in their pursuit of the title.  15 player and coaches this year had Iowa connections, with the Los Angeles Angels leading the way with 3 (Anthony Benboom :Iowa Western CC, Tony Watson: Sioux City, Jake Petricka : Iowa Western CC). The WNBA had 4 connections this year, and are looking forward to possibly adding Monika Czinano, Caitlyn Clark, and Ashley Joens over the next few years.  In this year's playoffs, this blog supported the Minnesota Lynx with Bridget Carleton. Fret not loyal blog reader. Despite things looking dour, there is still hope.  Perhaps one day Freddie Freeman takes over as the head baseball coach f...

 With the news last week that Fanatics was going to be taking over the sports card scene in a few years, everyone jumped online with their reactions.  My reaction at the time was similar to what I was seeing from a majority of people.  Sadness over the end of an era, worry that change will make things worse, and anger that money is at the root of this all. The most positive reactions to the news was, "Let's wait and see."  I didn't see anyone posting why they thought that Fanatics was going to be good (other than a couple notes on distribution).  I saw a few happy posts that weren't pro Fanatics, rather just reveling in the old power structure in the #thehobby crashing down. You'd think all this sadness would be accompanied by a bunch of posts reminiscing about Topps, but even the scorned lover of baseball was the target of our dismay.  Complaints about distribution, cost, poor design, overuse of vintage designs, and over-reliance on the same players every ...

  Profile Keaton McKinney was a pitcher from Ankeny who was drafted by the Mets in the 28th round of the 2014 MLB Draft*.   Keaton opted for college**, and he attended Arkansas for three years before retiring with arm issues. * Mitch Keller was taken in the 2nd round this year ** Apparently he had a high asking price and slipped this far.  We always applaud those who bet on themselves, but sometimes it doesn't work out as you intend.  I hope he has found a nice career now.  Heck, he might even be doing better than bouncing around the minor for a while. Personal Notes So Leaf put out these 2013 Perfect Game cards, and I'm not totally sure who the market is for them.  Well, me obviously as I needed this McKinney, but its got to be focused on prospectors.  But it takes years before you know if these guys hit, and the payoff seems pretty bleak.  The top player may be Jack Flaherty, and his card will cost you $4.00.  Even his auto is only $50...

Even more last minute roster changes, as Taylor Rogers gets the call and makes it to the festivities one hour and 22 minutes later (Rogers lives in Colorado).  Joining Rogers is Andrew Kittridge from the Rays Name, Team, Year(s) Taylor Rogers, Cedar Rapids, 2013  (New!) Andrew Kittridge, Clinton, 2012  (New!) Whit Merrifield, Burlington, 2010 Taijuan Walker, Clinton, 2011 Salvador Perez, Burlington, 2009 Mike Trout, Cedar Rapids, 2009/2010 Teoscar Hernández, Quad Cities, 2013 Carlos Correa, Quad Cities, 2013 Jared Walsh, Burlington, 2016 Lance Lynn, Quad Cities, 2008 Kris Bryant, Iowa, 2014/2015/2018 Max Muncy, Burlington, 2012 Kyle Schwarber, Iowa, 2015/2017 Chris Taylor, Clinton, 2012 Josh Hader, Quad Cities, 2013 Craig Kimbrel, Iowa, 2019

As with every All-Star game, players drop out due to injury or whatnot.  So we have replacement players, and we have more Fuzzy Iowa Connections.   Name, Team, Year(s) Whit Merrifield, Burlington, 2010 (New!) Taijuan Walker, Clinton, 2011  (New!) Salvador Perez, Burlington, 2009 Mike Trout, Cedar Rapids, 2009/2010 Teoscar Hernández, Quad Cities, 2013 Carlos Correa, Quad Cities, 2013 Jared Walsh, Burlington, 2016 Lance Lynn, Quad Cities, 2008 Kris Bryant, Iowa, 2014/2015/2018 Max Muncy, Burlington, 2012 Kyle Schwarber, Iowa, 2015/2017 Chris Taylor, Clinton, 2012 Josh Hader, Quad Cities, 2013 Craig Kimbrel, Iowa, 2019

 It's 4th of July weekend, which means we are getting close to the MLB All-Star game.  This years game features tons of first timers and old-timers, but does not feature a single Iowa Connection.  Iowa hasn't produced much elite baseball talent over the years, and this year continues the same trend.  However, we do have a bunch of what I will deem "Fuzzy Connections".  An Iowa Connection typically consists of one of three things: Born in Iowa, Lived in Iowa, or went to school in Iowa.  (Yes, all three typically mean live in Iowa as well.)  But sometimes a player has a connection to Iowa that isn't exactly a choice. (Yes, I know that Born in Iowa isn't a choice either).  Baseball players are sent to minor league teams at the discretion of their major league clubs, and typically spend a few summer months there one year and are off.  They may not have a residence there, but crash at a host family or maybe a hotel.   So, I don't count i...

Profile Dan Johnson was a 1st baseman in MLB playing most famously for the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland A's.  Dan played his way up through college as well, starting at Butler and ending up at Nebraska after a stop at Iowa Western*.  He was drafted in the 2001 MLB Draft.** * Mentioned in his Wikipedia page as "a junior college".   ** My favorite note on the 2001 draft is that 2 UNI Panthers went back to back in the 12th round.  Like one team drafted one and the next team was like, "Oh yeah, forgot about UNI.  Totally drafting one now!" Personal Notes Longish career means that Dan has a few cards under his belt, just under 400.  However, I was late to the game in discovering his Iowa Connection, so I literally have 2.  And this picture is not one of them (although I do have the gold version of this one).  Collection Notes I have 2/380 (1%) cards in my collection.

        Profile Mike Myers was pitcher for the Iowa State Cyclones who was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1990 Draft* and played for 9 teams.**  Mike won the 2004 World Series with the Boston Red Sox. * Mike Busch was the other Cyclone drafted in this draft, both in the 4th round. ** Though never with the Giants, he was taken by the Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft, joining the Marlins before they had even played a professional game.  Personal Notes Mike Myers had a role in baseball that is now been legislated out of the game, and that is the LOOGY.  LOOGY stands for Lefty One Out GuY.  Mike would come in for a fearsome lefthander, try to get him out, and then he'd be done for the night.  However, MLB instituted a rule in 2020 that required a pitcher to face 3 batters or finish an inning.  While there were more famous LOOGYs, and more recent ones, I'm still going to declare this the Mike Myers rule.   Collection Notes I...

        Profile Joe Decker was born in Storm Lake* and played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins for 9 seasons.  His best season was his 1974 season** in which he went 16-14 with 11 complete games. * Not the only professional baseball player from Storm Lake. Julie Gutz played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ** Also on that Minnesota team was Dick Woodson from Oelwein Personal Notes I'm pro card sets covering every league, every tv show and movie, historical event, etc.  Because, that gives us gems like Joe Decker's Senior Professional League card, and the world is better off with more remnants of history. Collection Notes I have 4/28 (14%) cards in my collection.

        Profile Chris Tritle was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 19th round of the 2000 MLB draft*.  Chris played a few years in the minors before retiring.  He was born in Cedar Rapids and played high school ball at Center Point-Urbana. * 2000 MLB Draft Iowa Connections: Joel Hanrahan (2nd Norwalk), Tritle (19th Center Point-Urbana), Jose Rodrigeuz (24th Iowa Western CC),  Ryan Danly (38th Cedar Rapids), Ryan Trytten (39th Ottumwa), Alan Abram (40th Des Moines), Sean Johnson (41st Clinton), Michael Laesch (43rd ISU), Ben Riley (49th Iowa Western CC) ** MLBers from Cedar Rapids: Mike Boddicker, Cal Eldred, Ben Ford, Bill Hoffer, Mitch Keller , Bruce Kimm, A.J. Puk, Dick Rozek, Scott Schebler, Shawn Sedlacek, Cy Slapnicka, Ryan Sweeney, Greg Thayer, John Wathan, Earl Whitehill Personal Notes Chris Tritle of one of many Iowa baseball players who played in the minors, but never really got close to the majors.  Many of them have minor league c...

        Profile Bobby Morris* is a for second baseball out of the University of Iowa who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 9th round of the 1993 MLB draft**.  Bobby had a decent minor league career, but injuries and father time caught up with him before he retired.   * His brother was Hal Morris ** Iowa Connections in 1993 Draft : Matt Perisho (3rd Burlington), Doug Walls (4th Muscatine CC), Benj Sampson (6th Ankeny), Morris (9th UofI), Derek Sutton (10th Indian Hills), Rafael Carmona (13th Indian Hills), Troy Schulte (15th Iowa Western CC), Brad Kaufman (16th ISU), Thomas Giles (18th Council Bluffs), Gabriel Mercado (18th Indian Hills), Scott Standish (24th ISU), Klint Klaas (28th Iowa Western CC), Brock Steinke (31st Cedar Rapids), Steven Eddie (33rd UofI), Matt Wagner (36th ISU), Joseph Robinson (37th Burlington), Bo Porter (40th UofI), Damon Miller (42nd Cherokee), Robert Landstad (43rd Indian Hills) Personal Notes Bobby Morris ...

Here's my initial cut at MLB players with Iowa Connections.  Much more sparse than the NFL, so I will just list the teams that have connections. Note: Coaches in italics . 3 - Los Angeles (Angels) :       Anthony Benboom (Iowa Western CC), Tony Watson (Sioux City), Jake Petricka (Iowa Western CC) 2 - Detroit :       Derek Hill (Des Moines),  A.J. Hinch  (Waverly) 2 - Kansas City :       Daniel Tillo (Sioux City), Cal Eldred (Iowa) 1 - Boston :      Ramon Vazquez  (Indian Hills) 1 - New York Mets :       Eric Langill (Des Moines Area CC) 1 - Oakland :       A.J. Puk (Cedar Rapids) 1 - Pittsburgh :       Mitch Keller (Cedar Rapids) 1 - Seattle :     Erik Swanson (Iowa Western CC) 1 - Tampa Bay :  Michael Wacha (Iowa City) 1 - Toronto : Nick Allgeyer (Iowa) 1 - Washington :      Dakota Backus (Sou...

        Profile Korry Howell is a baseball player from Kirkwood College*.  Drafted in the 2017 MLB Draft** in the 12th round by Milwaukee Brewers, he played a couple of years in their minor league system before playing in an independent league in the 2020 Covid year.  Korry also played summer ball for the Waterloo Bucks.   * Kirkwood players you can collect: Onix Mercado, Willie Collazo, Levi Usher ** Dan Tillo (3rd Sioux City/Iowa Western CC), John Swanda (4th Des Moines), Jake Adams (6th DMACC, UofI), Korry Howell (12th), Jake Scudder (16th Iowa Western CC), Nick Gallagher (16th UofI), Keaton Winn (20th Ollie/Iowa Western CC), Robbie Glendinning (21st NIACC) Personal Notes So there are a ton of baseball players from Iowa with cards available, and there is a substantial number of players that only have minor league cards.  Not exactly the easiest thing to collect as they tend to very local.  That's why I have to thro...

        Profile Harvey Kuenn was a MLB player for 15 years and a manager for 3 years.  Harvey was a 10 time All-Star, ending his career with a .303 average and just over 2000 hits. He won Manager of the Year in 1982 taking the Brewers to the World Series* (which they lost in 7 to the Cardinals).  Harvey played one year at Luther College** in Decorah, obviously the source of his success. * Get this.  Takes over the team mid-season when they were under .500, leads them all the way to the World Series and then fired after the next season in which they won 87 games. ** MLBers from Luther:  Ossie Orwoll (1928-29), Marv Olson (1931-33) and Kuenn (1952-66) Personal Notes Harvey Kuenn fits in this slice of my Iowa collection that feels a bit weird.  While I don't know for certain, it seems that Harvey lived in Iowa less than a year and didn't enjoy his time here. For whatever reason he left Luther for the University of Wisconsin.  It could ...

Profile Earl Whitehill was born in Cedar Rapids and grew up to be a major league pitcher with Detroit, Washington, Cleveland and Chicago.  Earl won 218 games throughout the 20s and 30s* and was often amongst the tops league in wins, games started, and hit batters**. * The decades 1920s and 1930s, or his twenties and thirties?   Both, as Whitehill was born in 1900! ** Whitehill knocked Lou Gehrig unconscious during his games streak.  Gehrig finished the game Personal Notes Earl Whitehill's Wikipedia page  mentions that he had a celebrity marriage to Violet Geissinger.  So what constitutes a celebrity marriage in the 1920s?  In 2020, its pretty fluid, I mean you could have a celebrity marriage between YouTube stars now.  Well, Violet was the The Sun-Maid Raisin Girl.   Collection Notes I have 1/25 (4%) cards in my collection.

  Profile Mitch Keller is a MLB pitcher from Cedar Rapids who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2014 MLB Draft*.  Mitch made his debut in 2019 and started 5 games in the goofy 2020** season.   * Iowa Connections in 2014 Draft: Derek Hill (1st  Des Moines), Keller (2nd Cedar Rapids), Jake Peter (7th Mason City), Jake Yacinish (8th UofI), Erik Swanson (8th Iowa Western), Damek Tomscha (17th Sioux City), Quinn Carpenter (17th Iowa Western), Dom Thompson-Williams (19th Iowa Western), Alec Crawford (25th DMACC), Scott Harris (27th Buena Vista), Keaton McKinney (28th Ankeny), Ryan Lillard (30th Urbandale), Taylor Zeutenhorst (38th UofI), Sasha Kuebel (38th UofI) ** We have yet to see how the 2020 season will affect the development of these players, something to watch  Personal Notes Mitch's brother Jon also plays in MLB as a member of the Baltimore organization.  There was a story about the two playing catch in 2020, and the precautions that ...