#658 - Mike Stenhouse

What a card: This is Mike Stenhouse's first solo card in a Topps set. He appeared in 80 games for the Expos in 1984.

My observation on the front: I tend to notice rows of Expos in the dugout more than rows of any other team in the dugout.

More opinion from me: This is the second card of Stenhouse in this set. You're living right if you're batting .171 for your career and feature two cards in the same set.

Something you might know: Stenhouse was a highly touted collegiate player from Harvard who ripped up the minor leagues but struggled to hit in the majors with the Expos, Twins and Red Sox.

Something you might not know: Stenhouse founded and is the CEO of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a think tank focused on public policy in the state.

My observation on the back: It's nice to see a trivia question that focuses on the team that's being featured on the rest of the card. This isn't 1968 Topps in which that happened all the time.

The blog wants to speak now: The Ballgames category is updated.

#141 - Father/Son: Dave & Mike Stenhouse

What a card: This card features the most obscure father-son pairing in the subset. Dave Stenhouse pitched for three years in the majors. Mike Stenhouse played for five years in the majors, never totaling more than 81 games in any season.

My observation on the front: This is an interesting pairing given what we know now. The Expos, of course, became the Nationals, who reside in the city where the Senators once played.

More opinion from me: The Senators' uniform from that period looks a lot like the Twins uniforms to me, which is interesting since the old Senators became the Twins, and then a new Senators franchise was begun. And all this franchise-swapping talk is making me wonder if any of this makes sense.

Something you might know: Dave Stenhouse was an All-Star in his very first season in the major leagues in 1962. He started the second of the two All-Star Games that were played that year.

Something you might not know: Mike Stenhouse and his brother, Dave Stenhouse Jr., were part of former pitcher Bill Lee's Grey Socks barnstorming team that also included Dave Stapleton, Jim Lonborg and Dalton Jones.

My observation on the back: Mike Stenhouse was traded to the Twins in January of 1985, so he was no longer an outfielder for the Montreal Expos by the time this set came out.

The blog wants to speak now: No, it doesn't. It's super tired. It needs rest for the Super Bowl.