∀ Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness.
FACES OF FOLEY
The Cards: Chris Mudd 2009 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #28 & Reading Phillies Update #34
The Buzz On This One: Between all of his personas -- Cactus Jack, Mankind and Dude Love -- pro wrestler Mick Foley has a lot of cardboard appearances but there are others out there that, well, might surprise you. These surprised me as they're from nowhere near a wrestling ring and they're more than a decade old -- and yet I had never seen them before. This card of a minor-league team trainer has a cameo for Foley who was at the Reading game for a guest appearance with his TNA championship that year -- April 22, 2009, to be exact -- and it's actually not even the only Phillies card to show wrestlers or others of note. Why are there two versions? One is from early in the year and toward the end of the season the team opted to release an update set with more players (hence the card number changes) and to change the typography. So, really, there were two Mick Foley baseball cards I didn't know about. You'll see more of Mudd here next month.
Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.
SOME RETRO STARDOM
The Card: Ozzie Albies 2017 Choice Gwinnett Braves #4
The Buzz On This One: There are a few big-leaguers where I'll stop and look if I spot them on MiLB cards and this is a perfect example. I like the feel of MiLB team set cards for established big-leaguers -- early cards in unusual uniforms appeal to me -- but unfortunately this one's value/interest is trumped a little bit by his Bowman stuff from 2015.
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OK, BOOMER
The Card: Boomer 2021 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers #39
The Buzz On This One: If this mascot reminds you of Dale Earnhardt, it's not an accident -- Kannapolis, N.C., is where he was from and the team was previously known as the Kannapolis Intimidators, which is a direct nod to the NASCAR legend. (The name change came in 2020.) It looks like the mascot's uniform is more of a Captain Marvel/Evel Knievel look now.
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MISSILE ... SON OF ROCKET PART 2
The Card: Missile, Kate & Rocket Wheeler 2011 Grandstand Mississippi Braves #18
The Buzz On This One: If you're a regular reader of this series, then you probably remember Missile Wheeler, who I mentioned awhile back, and here's a card I noted then. Missile is the son of Rocket ... and Kate, well, she doesn't have a nickname ... but she's in partial uniform and on the card. Rocket is a long-time manager (see stats mentioned on the card) while Missile is a bullpen coach.
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A TRAINER, A COACH AND A VIDEO GUY WALK INTO A PHOTO SHOOT ...
The Card: Chris Johnson, Sam Berks & Ryan Grose 2018 Choice Rochester Red Wings #30
The Buzz On This One: I've noted some of the oddball cards showing people you wouldn't expect to see in sets before but this one? It's a Triple Crown winner as it showcases a trainer, a conditioning coach and a videographer. How 'bout that?
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THE NAME GAME ...
The Cards: Assorted MiLB appearances from Ted Williams, Stephen Curry, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Mason Rudolph, Jose Fernandez, Allan Simpson, David Lynch & Jackie Brown
The Buzz On This One: If you don't know the players, well, I don't blame you. But the names? Well, we've got a legendary batter, a guy with a new NBA championship, the Big Unit, another legendary arm, a football star, a past ace, a politician, a filmmaker and a Quentin Tarantino star for starters ... or not.
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NO DOUBT I NEEDED THIS ONE ...
The Card: Spyder Webb 2013 Choice Everett AquaSox #32
The Buzz On This One: Good nicknames aren't limited to big-leaguers and this long-time trainer has a Hall of Fame-worthy nickname. Real name? Marion. He retired in 2013 and threw out the first pitch at a Mariners game that year -- a career that started in the 1970s and a life spent in the game.
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