What’s that Turtle doin’? Just lettin' one fly on a nice sunny day in Oakland. This is the kind of baseball card that is perfect for Series One in that it is an excellent reminder of the Boys of Summer, something that is always nice to behold in the middle of winter.
Whereas many high quality action photos in Topps Baseball sets of the 21st century draw the eye along through the image and into the future, something I comment on regularly, this card has an opposite effect: Time has stopped when the shutter clicked.
That's probably due to the presence of the baseball, which you know is moving, but now on this baseball card, it is not. When your eye reaches it - Stop! A live action baseball is always a good thing on a baseball card, but are probably more rare on a live action Pitching card than on a Hitting or Fielding card.
Whereas many high quality action photos in Topps Baseball sets of the 21st century draw the eye along through the image and into the future, something I comment on regularly, this card has an opposite effect: Time has stopped when the shutter clicked.
That's probably due to the presence of the baseball, which you know is moving, but now on this baseball card, it is not. When your eye reaches it - Stop! A live action baseball is always a good thing on a baseball card, but are probably more rare on a live action Pitching card than on a Hitting or Fielding card.
Uniform Hero? Yes indeed.
Where’d the egg hatch? Ryan Cook was actually drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 27th round in 2008, probably one of the highest rounds we have seen so far in this set. After a cup of coffee in Arizona in 2011, he was traded to wheelin' dealin' Billy Beane's Oakland in a 3-for-2 deal that included fellow regular Sea Turtles Jarrod Parker, #32 - Craig Breslow, and Trevor Cahill, and insert-only Sea Turtle Collin Cowgill. Probably, both teams were happy with the results; I will consider those more closely on the Trevor Cahill card, perhaps.
How about the migrations? This card catches Cook at an early peak of his career, and the Topps card back writer has an easy assignment we will see next. In 2014, Cook would experience 2 injuries and struggle to ever return to the promising career arc it held on this nice bright baseball card. That would include a comeback attempt in Boston, a lost Tommy John season in 2017, another comeback in Seattle in 2018, a season in Japan in 2019, and now as Truck Day for the northern MLB teams has just passed and Pitchers & Catchers day is on the horizon, Cook will be in camp with the Miami Marlins for 2020 Spring Training.
For the last on-the-bubble Sea Turtle reliever I found in that particular career spot when composing his blog entry, #41 - Daniel Hudson, well, that worked out pretty good.
For the last on-the-bubble Sea Turtle reliever I found in that particular career spot when composing his blog entry, #41 - Daniel Hudson, well, that worked out pretty good.
Don’t flip over real Turtles.
The answer to that second question can be found in a little less than 40 checklist spots from this card.
Can the Turtle Catch the Rabbit?
CAREER CHASE: With 14 saves, Cook is 594 saves away from Mariano Rivera's all-time record of 608.
Subspecies? For such a promising MLB sophomore, I could possibly see inclusion on the tight checklists that use the Sea Turtle design, however neither Opening Day nor Chrome are going to have room for 2 relievers from one team, and this is the only Ryan Cook Sea Turtle card.
Bling That Shell Although it has only been two cards since I used this one, the binder page has turned and it is time for me to daydream about bubble gum again. Depending on what I can find for other cards on this page, this might not be my final selection, but for now I do particularly like this only-by-Topps creation of Pink&Green here:
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