MiLB Madness: Mike Piazza, A-Rod, Rudy, mascots & more

Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

A HALL OF FAMER'S OLD SOX
The Card: Mike Piazza 1999 Arizona Fall League #29
The Buzz On This One: No, the Hall of Famer wasn't crafting his game on the side while playing for the Mets. This one is a flashback piece included in a 30-card set for the AFL where prospects get to work on their game in the off-season. I think I found this one -- the full set -- in a bulk lot that, for the most part, wasn't all that eventful ... so this one stood out. Who else was in this one? A who's who of "Who?" Maybe, maybe not ... Ryan Anderson, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Michael Cuddyer, Jack Cust, Jason Grilli, Jim Morris (The Rookie!), Corey Patterson, Vernon Wells and others ... actually, quite a few big-leaguers but not a lot of card-value guys all these years later. I bet there are some Piazza fans who might not have even seen this card before -- at least I hadn't -- so that's why it bats lead-off this time.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

RELATED TO RUDY!
The Card: John Ruettiger 2012 Multi-Ad Delmarva Shorebirds #23
The Buzz On This One: Odds are you don't know this past player, but his uncle is former Notre Dame football player Rudy Ruettiger whose story was told in the 1993 film, Rudy. This Ruettiger played five years in MiLB, hitting .264 with four homers and 97 RBI and 107 SBs in 413 career games. He does have other cards but I think this might be his first given how few games he played in 2011.

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KABOOM!
The Card: KaBoom 2015 Grandstand Lancaster JetHawks
The Buzz On This One: You know all those pricey Panini cards? Well, they just can't be worth as much as this guy ... and it's not even a KaBoom KaBoom! card.  The JetHawks' flight ended back in 2020 with MiLB cutbacks despite a history that went back to 1996 with affiliations for five franchises. This guy was there since the first season and that means he saw guys like Juan Pierre, Brandon Webb, Dan Uggla, Jose Altuve, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Correa, George Springer and Alex Bregman among many others on the field. That also means this card is one of quite a few for "KB."

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LET'S GO TO THE VIDEO ...
The Card: Austin Reed 2018 Grandstand Lakeland Flying Tigers
The Buzz On This One: At first glance with the clothes and cap you might think an ump made his way into the team set but with a closer look that's not a coffee cup in his hand ... that's a camera -- and that's a tripod over his shoulder, making this one of the few baseball cards out there for a team video professional. They're out there for all teams -- at least they'd better be -- but I have not seen a ton of them make it onto cardboard. As his card says, he was in The Show for a short time before this and also worked for the Toledo Mud Hens.

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THE INTIMIDATOR ...
The Card: Randy Long 2016 Grandstand Kannapolis Intimidators #35
The Buzz On This One: Is a baseball card for the team named after Dale Earnhardt extra intimidating when it's the team's GM? Probably not, but like the previous card I mentioned it's a little more interesting as general managers don't always get baseball cards. His resume is pretty much the card back here and then he became the team's COO the following year. The team's name came from Earnhardt being a part owner of the team that was in his hometown, though it changed its name to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in 2019 but with a mustached mascot who looks a lot like Earnhardt if he was dressed as, say, Super Dave Osborne or Evel Knievel.

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ROOT FOR THE L! (OH, WAIT ... )
The Card: Big L 2012 Multi-Ad Lexington Legends #32
The Buzz On This One: Speaking of mustaches ... check that one out. The mascot name here struck me as odd as that seems like more of a reference to losses than a guy who wants to help a team win. But that may just be me. The other team mascot's name is Pee Wee ... so maybe that's not so bad. Speaking of Ls here? The team lost its MLB affiliation and last year joined the Atlantic League as an independent team. At least it's all still around, including Big L.

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MAKING A COMEBACK FOR 700?
The Card: Alex Rodriguez 2018 Choice Down East Wood Ducks #34
The Buzz On This One: Will he or won't he make a comeback to try and get to 700 homers before Albert Pujols passes him and does it himself this season? We'll never know. Oh, wait ... wrong guy. This also is an example of the oddball cards you can find in MiLB team sets, though I have seen trainer cards in them for a long, long time. Typically they're often awkward stretching photos but this time it looks like he might be getting some infield work in or perhaps working equipment. One other quirky thing here? This is from the second year of the existence of the Down East Wood Ducks ... a Texas Rangers affiliate. That's the right team! (A-Rod played there -- 2001-03 -- for all the kids who read this far.)

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