And on the other side of the diamond: John Olerud!

So I do not think it is coincidence that in one of the best defensive infields the game has ever seen, and clearly the best defensive infield the Mets ever had, there were two of my favorite all time players.

When one thinks about John Olerud, if one remembers him, one thinks of him as a James Loney type player. However, upon closer inspection one realizes that John Olerud was a rich man's James Loney. While the homeruns might seem similar, that is where the similarities end. Olerud had some monster OPS years, his best coming in 1993 whn he played in 158 and had a 1.072 OPS and OBP of .473 (ridiculous) and also led the league in doubles and Batting Average (Johny O was never fast either, so those weren't cheap hits or doubles). Then again in 1998 with the Mets his full season OPS was .998. Loney has never topped .919 and that was playing only about 60% of a full season. Anyway, the point is Olerud was much closer to Will Clark and Edgar Martinez than James Loney as far as offense goes. Plus, he won the gold glove three times.

So, in light of his playing time with Fonzie I thought it appropriate to show Olerud's card from the same Metal Universe set. This time the backdrop is central park. Though the picture itself a bit blurrier than the Edgardo Alfonzo, on this one you can actually make out the mini portrait in the lower right hand corner which I think is interesting.



I also happen to own an Olerud card which was limited to a 5 card run, which I believe is my lowest run card.

Here it is with an enlarged close up (edited) of the imprint in the foil that makes it special. Even with my novice attempts at making the imprint clearer through digital editing it is hard to tell, but it reads "The National Atlantic City." I do not know much about it, though I would guess it has something to do with the national card show which was probably held in Atlantic City that year; however, if anyone knows more about it please feel free to share.















So along with these last two posts I have updated my have lists of these two players. Let me know if you have any of their cards not on my lists, as I would certainly be interested in trades.

Thanks!