Lost Customs of 2009: Ivan Rodriguez

Jeez, I think I made this one in December. Oh well. Posting anyway.

When I think about people who should have been on a team I was rooting for long before they actually were, two people usually come to mind: Randy Johnson and Ivan Rodriguez.

By the time Pudge actually got to the Bronx, he was good enough to be a DH at best. No offense to Jorge Posada, but the Yankees would have kicked serious ass with Pudge. Hell, he would have been great on the Phillies as well. Can you imagine if it was Ivan Rodriguez instead of Mike Lieberthal back there for a decade?

But alas, all he amounted to for me was a half-season with the Yanks, and countless seasons playing for teams I despised, including the Marlins, Tigers, and yes, the Rangers. This was in the part of his career where I thought it was graceful landing back in Arlington on the later half of his career, but Pudge would spend two more seasons playing for the Nationals. Even more graceful than landing at your old team: landing at an awful team that'll praise you as their star.

Topps never made a 2009 card of Ivan on the Rangers, because he landed there as part of a waiver deal that shouldn't exist, as they mess up the update set. But they at least manage to ignore his signing with the Nats by giving him a 2010 card as a Ranger. Which...is...nice?

I make these as inconsistently as possible. So expect another one in July.

Lost Customs of '09: Nomar Edition

It's a bit infuriating that Topps never gave Nomar Garciaparra a card with the A's, or even a final tribute. It's even more infuriating that he never got a card in 2007 Topps or 2008 Topps either. Because of contract issues (read:bullcrap), his last Topps card was 2006 Update. And even as a Yankee fan, I still grew up knowing that Nomar was one of the biggest stars in the game, and I needed finality. I needed an ending. One of these days I'll customize a 2009 Topps card, but a 2009 custom is good enough.

It's mind boggling how I never made a custom of him in 2009, seeing as how I was still obsessed with his still playing. Either way, he gets a custom now, even though it's unlikely that he'll ever be a Hall of Famer, or remembered anywhere other than Fenway Park or Backyard Baseball.

Still, at least he has a custom.

Lost Customs of 2009: Martinez Edition

Pedro Martinez, if he plays his cards right, will eventually be done up in bronze next to all those other great Red Sox pitchers in Cooperstown. That decision is a few years away, but I'm optimistic that he'll end up in the Hall, because he deserves it. From 1994 to 2005, he was one of the best pitchers in the major leagues.

I'm proud that he got to end his career, not only with the Philadelphia Phillies, but as a member of a world series squad. And yes, I realize that the man has a ring with another squad, but he got to pitch in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series, as well as Game 6. And I was lucky enough to attend Game 2 (I will never tell you how, only hinting that it involves an ESPN columnist and friend), and see Pedro Martinez pitch live. And he's awesome.

My only regret is that he went out of baseball with a whimper instead of a bang. Nobody re-signed him in 2010, and he never got a 2010 Topps card, which he totally deserved. He just sorta vanished, and turned up as a Red Sox hall of famer or something. And I guess he deserves this custom, more than the other one, which, admittedly, was an early effort.

I'll try to do more of these, but I need to make some, and tomorrow's going to be very busy indeed. So, I'll see what I can do there.

Lost Customs of 2009: Randy Johnson

When I started customizing, it was 2009, and I was just doing the players that were hot, that were the stories of that day. I didn't take into account all the people that would be retired or with another team within the next few years, so there were a lot of customs I never made, yet wanted to years after. Four years later, I'm finally doing the ones I missed from 2009, using photos from 2009. So, I'm calling these the 'Lost Customs', because I really needed something to do during the offseason.

Randy Johnson played his last season in 2009, and while his numbers weren't spectacular, his highest achievement of the year was FINALLY hitting 300 strikeouts, and going out with a milestone. Johnson's name will come up for the Hall of Fame ballot in 2015. There is no question, he's getting in.

I'll try and do these consistently, though I don't know how often. Expect a veteran pitcher who ended his career with the Phillies.