2010 Topps, Joe Mauer

Card No. 150

One of my all-time favorite Joe Mauer cards comes courtesy of 2010 Topps....By all appearances, it looks like the Twins were playing at Tropicana Field in St. Pete....Check the rooster tail of rubber pellets that Joe's kicking up from that artificial surface....This is Mauer's ninth regular Topps card....He shares a "Prospects" rookie card with Minnesota teammate Justin Morneau in 2003 Topps....Joe collected an All-Star nod, a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award during the '10 season.

*MK*

2006 Topps, Brad Radke

Card No. 86

A Minnesota Twin for his entire 12-year major league career, right-handed starter Brad Radke is today's Jukebox hit....Put up double-digit Ws in all but two seasons....Finished third in A.L. Cy Young voting in 1997 after notching 20 wins....Yielded a staggering 72 HRs over his first two years in the bigs....This card is Radke's final entry in the Topps catalog....His rookie can be found in the 1995 Traded series....Brad wrapped up his big league career with a 12-9 ledger in 2006.

*MK*

1962 Topps, Billy Martin

Card No. 208

Perhaps remembered more for his chaotic days as George Steinbrenner's whipping boy as Yankee manager, Billy Martin is today's featured Jukebox hit.... Played seven of his 11 big league seasons for the Yanks and served five(!) separate stints as the club's skipper....This is Martin's final Topps card as a player....He would pop up in future Topps sets as a manager 11 more times....Billy's rookie appeared in the iconic 1952 set....Concluded his playing days the year prior to this card's release, batting .242 in 114 games between the Braves and Twins.

*MK*

1988 Topps, Frank Viola

Card No. 625

The pride of East Meadow H.S. and St. John's University, Frank Viola enjoys a carefree moment between starts in this dugout snapshot from 1988 Topps....Unquestionably my favorite Topps card of Frankie V....Viola's rookie card can be found in the 1983 Topps checklist....Dominated American League batters in '88 to the tune of a 24-7 record and a 2.64 ERA en route to his first and only Cy Young Award.

*MK*