Ken Griffey Jr. Bobblehead

Here's my last post of 2011 and with it....the last post of bobblehead month on the Cincinnati Reds Baseball Card Collector blog. What better way to wrap up than with a sure-fire soon to be hall of famer......Ken Griffey Jr. I was so excited when Junior decided to come and play ball in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, injuries led to many disappointing seasons with him on the DL. Anyway, the Reds decided to honor Griffey on May 24, 2005 with his very own nodder. Again the Reds gave out 30,000 of these bobbleheads to fans in attendance. Fans were treated to a great game as the Reds won in extra innings 4-3. Griffey was traded from the Mariners to the Reds on February 12, 2000 for Brett Tomko, Mike Cameron, Antonio Perez, and Jake Meyer. While with Cincinnati, Griffey was a three time all-star (thirteen total) and was the 2005 National League Comeback Player of the Year. I won't mention his other accomplishments (number of Gold Glove, Silver Slugger awards, etc.) since it makes me sad to see what he couldn't completely accomplish in Cincinnati what he did in Seattle. I will say that it was great to see Junior pass 600 Home Runs while he wore a Reds uniform. The Kid will always have a special place in my heart since he too was from Cincinnati and had the sweetest swing I have ever seen.

Joe Morgan Bobblehead

On August 11, 2004 the Reds gave out 30,000 of these bobbleheads to fans attending the game. Those Reds fans in attendance also witnessed the shellacking the Dodgers put on the Reds with a final score of 11-1. I admit that I miss the rivalry Cincinnati had with Los Angeles when the Reds were part of the National League West. In fact, I think it was just as good as the rivalry the Reds have with St. Louis in the central now. Anyway, back to Joe Morgan. Morgan came to the Reds through a trade with Houston on November 29, 1971. In addition to Morgan, the Reds also received Cesar Geronimo, Jack Billingham, Denis Menke and Ed Armbrister for Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart who had such a wonderful life. Morgan was a ten time All-Star (eight of those with Cincinnati), a five time Gold Glove winner, two time National League MVP winner and was the 1972 MVP of the All-Star game. In 1990, he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility.

Frank Robinson Bobblehead

30,000 of these bobbleheads were given out to fans on July 25, 2007 when the Reds hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds defeated the first place Brewers 7-3 thanks in part to Jeff Keppinger's three RBIs. Robinson is probably my favorite Reds player of the past. When I mean past, I'm talking about the Crosley Field era of the team. He made his major league debut with the Reds on April 17, 1956 when the Reds took on the St. Louis Cardinals. In his nine seasons with the Reds, Robinson was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1956, the National League MVP in 1961 and an eight time All-Star (14 major league total). Prior to the 1966 season, Robinson was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Milt Pappas, Dick Simpson, and Jack Baldschun in what many observes believe to be one of the most lopsided deals in baseball history. Sad to think what might have been if Robinson had been playing with Rose, Perez and Bench! Makes me sad just thinking about it.

Tony Perez Bobblehead

The Reds handed out 30,000 of these bobbleheads on August 3, 2005 when they took on the Atlanta Braves. The Reds won the game 8-5 over the Braves due to the monster game Adam Dunn had with two home runs and driving in five of Cincinnati's eight runs. Tony made his major league debut with the Reds on July 26, 1964 as the Reds defeated the Pirates by a score of 7-2. He struck out once and walked once in his two plate appearances during the game. Sixteen of his twenty three seasons in the majors were spent with the Reds. As a member of the Big Red Machine, Tony was a seven time All-Star participant and was named the 1967 All-Star Game MVP. After retiring from the field in 1986, Tony briefly managed the Reds for 44 games in 1993 before being fired. In 2000, Perez along with form Reds skipper Sparky Anderson and Red Stockings player Bid McPhee, were elected to the Hall of Fame.

Sean Casey Bobblehead

These little nodders were given out on June 30, 2004 when the Reds took on the Mets. Cincinnati ended up winning the game 2-0 thanks in part to a Home Run by Dunn and an RBI by Ryan Freel. I miss Freel....he was a player that wasn't afraid to put his body on the line diving into a wall to make a spectacular catch. Very old school player that I wish Cincinnati would have held onto. Anyway, 30,000 of these bobbleheads were handed out to fans at the game...and if you ask me they kinda look like little Oscar statues. Casey made his debut with the Reds in 1998 and during his career and was selected to the National League All-Star team three times. On November 28th of this year, Casey was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame. Kudos to "The Mayor"!

Barry Larkin Bobblehead

On June 28, 2006 the Cincinnati Reds gave out 30,000 of these bobbleheads to fans who came for either a free bobblehead of Cincinnati's best shortstop of all time, or to watch the Reds take on the Kansas City Royals. The Reds ultimately won the game 7-2 with four Reds going yard in the game. This bobblehead is the second given out in 2006 in the Reds "Power of Tradition" series honoring the team's shortstops (Concepcion, Larkin, and Lopez). Barry made his major league debut with the Reds on August 13, 1986 against the San Francisco Giants as a pinch hitter. Larkin spent his entire nineteen major league seasons with Cincinnati where he was a twelve time all-star, won three Gold Glove awards as well as nine Silver Slugger awards and was the recipient of the 1995 National League MVP award. Hopefully Barry will be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this coming year!

Dave Concepcion Bobblehead

The Concepcion bobbleheads were given out on August 9, 2006 when the Reds hosted the Cardinals. Reds fans were treated to another dramatic finish when David Ross belted a walk-off homerun off Jason Isringhausen in the bottom of the ninth for an 8-7 Reds victory. Now, back to Concepcion and the bobbleheads. There were 30,000 of these little yes men produced for distribution, and this bobblehead was one in a series of three "Power of Tradition" series showcasing the past and current shortstops for the Reds. The other two in the series were Barry Larkin and Felipe Lopez. As for Concepcion, he made his major league debut with the Reds on April 6, 1970. One of the "Great Eight" of the Reds Big Red Machine, Concepcion was a nine time All-Star, five time Gold-Glove Award winner, and a two time Silver-Slugger Award winner. Why he's not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.....beats me.

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The Diamond King is hosting a 7 day Mega Contest with lots of cool prizes to choose from check it out here!

Edinson Volquez Bobblehead

These nifty nodders were given out on July 18, 2009 when the Reds were defeated by the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1. Again, there were a total of 30,000 bobbleheads produced for this promotion and like the others that were part of this series, just not enough to go around to all the fans in attendance. The Reds got Volquez (along with Daniel Herrera) in a deal with Texas on December 21, 2007 for outfielder Josh Hamilton (I still think Cincinnati got the short end of the stick with that trade!) Volquez made his Reds debut on April 6, 2008 against the Phillies going 5 and a third innings in an 8-3 win for the Reds. While Volquez had been a reliable starter for Cincinnati since joining the team, this past year was a nightmare for him...and the fans. With 5 wins, 7 losses and a 5.71 ERA, it was his worst season thus far with Cincinnati. Hopefully things will be different in 2012. Finally, here's a pic of all four bobbleheads in the 2009 series put together. Pretty sweet if I do say so myself.

Brandon Phillips Bobblehead

DatDudeBP came to the Reds thanks to a trade with Cleveland in April 2006. Phillips was the third Red to join the 30-30 club (behind Eric Davis and Barry Larkin) and is the second second baseman to join the club (behind Alfonso Soriano). He's a two time all-star with three gold glove awards and a silver slugger award. Did I also mention that he hates the St. Louis Cardinals? The Phillips Bobblehead was given away at Great American Ballpark on August 15, 2009 in which the Reds were defeated by the Nationals 10-6. There were a total of 30,000 of these bobbleheads produced and, as mentioned in my previous two posts, was part of a collection of four that when put together showed a backdrop of Great American Ballpark. Phillips is by far one of my most favorite Reds players to watch in the field especially when he's able to accomplish impossible feats such as this. That's just mad skills!

Jay Bruce Bobblehead

The Texan made his major league debut with the Reds on May 27, 2008 against the Pittsburgh Pirates going 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs in a Reds 9-6 win. In 2010, Bruce hit a walk-off home run on September 28th to clinch the NL Central for the Reds and on October 6th he was the only baserunner allowed during Roy Halladay's no-hitter in the NLDS. This past year, Bruce was selected to his first All-Star game and he became the third youngest Red's player to reach 100 home runs when he did so against the Mets on September 27th in a 5-4 Reds win. The Bruce bobblehead was given out on July 4th of 2009 and is part of the collection series that shows part of a mural of Great American ballpark when combined with the other three bobbleheads in the series (Votto, Phillips, and Volquez). There were a total of 30,000 Bruce bobbleheads given out. Fans that attended the game not only picked up a great bobblehead of Bruce, but also saw the Reds beat the Cardinals 5-2.

Joey Votto Bobblehead

Last year's National League MVP, Joey Votto made his major league debut with the Reds on September 4, 2007 against the New York Mets. He pinch hit and struck out, but that wasn't a sign of things to come. Votto has become one of Cincinnati's most disciplined and consistent hitters. He was second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2008, losing out to Chicago's Geovany Soto. This particular bobblehead is one of a series of four that the Reds released in 2009. The first 30,000 fans to show up on Saturday May 9th to watch the Reds take on the Cardinals were fortunate enough to take one of these home. Unfortunately, if they stuck around for the complete game, Cincinnati fans would have left heartbroken watching the Reds lose to the Cards in 10. Shouldn't have that problem now that Pujols left St. Louis! Woo-Hoo!

Contest Winnings from Plaschke

Last week I was the proud winner of a contest at Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle. And what did I get.....some very sweet cards. Greg sent me the Bosh relic card, the gently used vintage cards from 61 and 68, the Danny Peoples autograph card, and a ton of Cincinnati Reds cards. To say that I was thrilled with the package would be an understatement. A lot of the reds cards I have plans for sending them out for TTM autographs, which I'll start on in the next week or two. But my favorite card from the lot would have to be....a 1990 Leaf Todd Benzinger card. I had this set way back when I started collecting and, like so many, got rid of the set when I left the hobby. So, with my return to the hobby I've decided to build the set once more. I love the 1990 Leaf set and Benzinger was not only the Red who made the final out of the 1990 World Series, but also graduated from the same high school I did on the outskirts of Cincinnati. Thanks Greg for the awesome cards!

Joe Nuxhall Bobblehead

This Nuxhall nodder was given out on April 21, 2004 to the first 40,000 fans. Talk about limited production!!! Nuxhall pitched his first major league game for the Reds on June 10, 1944 at the ripe young age of 15 years, 10 months, 11 days. After retiring from baseball, Nuxhall became a broadcaster for the Reds beginning in 1967 and continued to do so for 40 years. This is probably my most favorite bobblehead of my collection because it depicts the young Nuxhall in the classic 1940s era Reds uniform. While I never saw Nuxy play ball, I did have the privileged of listening to him announce Reds games with Marty Brennaman while growing up on the outskirts of Cincinnati. Truly a classy guy!

Tom Browning Bobblehead

On September 16, 2008 the Reds gave out 30,000 of these bobbleheads to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the only perfect game thrown in Red's history by Tom Browning. Browning debuted with the Reds on September 9, 1984 and won 15 games for the Reds in 1990 when they went wire to wire to ultimately end up as World Champions. Browning is currently the pitching coach for the Dayton Dragons, the Reds Class A minor league team. Browning was also at this year's Red's Fest, which unfortunately I was unable to attend. Oh well, maybe next year.

Pete Rose Bobblehead

December is bobblehead month here at Redscardcollector and what better way to start out bobblehead month with none other than Mr. Red himself....Pete Rose. 40,000 of these nodders were passed out on September 23, 2002 at a charity softball event held at Cinergy Field that featured many players from the Big Red Machine, as well as other celebrity players including Steve Garvey and Ozzie Smith. The pose for the bobblehead was based off of Rose pointing upward from first base immediately after his 4,192nd hit to pass Ty Cobb as the all time Hit King. So I guess you could say that this wasn't an official Red's bobblehead since it was given out at a charity event at Cinergy and since Rose has been banned from baseball for life...but I still think it's a great bobblehead.

1957 Topps

I love these cards, even though they're expensive and they don't have all the design elements that I normally look for when critiquing a set. The 1957 Topps set just screams old. The photography, the white border, the gray backs with red ink...classic. Although I only have one Reds card from this set, that being Frank Robinson, I'll make sure that changes after the first of the year. Today's cards just can't stack up to the sets of the 50s, 60s, or even 70s that Topps produced. Sure, today's sets are gloss heavy on premium cardboard using thousands of shades of ink colors with numerous parallels that encompass all the colors of the rainbow, they just don't have the flavor of the old sets. On a different note, I'm taking a break talking about Topps sets for a while, mostly since I've covered everything with the exception of some sets from the 50s and two from the 60s. I feel that I can really review a set unless I have at least one card from that year forever encapsulated within my collection. So, until I pick up some vintage cards from those sets I'll be talking about something else. That's where I need your help. Not sure if I should talk about Reds bobblehead stadium giveaways that I'm collecting or the different autographs from past and present Reds I've acquired through the mail (which currently number 125+) So let me know what you would like to see.