#558 - Carmelo Martinez

What a card: Carmelo Martinez was coming off a solid rookie season when this card was released. He played in 149 games, delivering 28 doubles and 13 home runs for the NL pennant-winning Padres.

My observation on the front: This might be the first case of someone rocking the flip shades in this set. And, no, I'm not going to look through all the previous cards to confirm that. You go look.

More opinion from me: I often get Carmelo Martinez confused with Carlos Martinez, who played at approximately the same time as Carmelo. Sadly, Carlos Martinez died 10 years ago, so I'm sorry for all the times I thought Carmelo was dead.

Something you might know: Martinez was the regular left fielder for the 1984 Padres, finishing sixth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. He and center fielder Kevin McReynolds were nicknamed "The M&M Boys" by Padres beat writer Phil Collier, a reference to Yankees outfielders Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.

Something you might not know: Martinez helped spark a minor-league brawl that led to one of his pitchers being jailed in 2008. Martinez was serving as acting manager for the Peoria Chiefs while manager Ryne Sandberg attended Baseball Hall of Fame induction weekend. Peoria pitcher Julio Castillo hit two Dayton batters in the first inning and nearly hit a third. That led to Martinez shoving Dayton manager Donnie Scott and the benches emptying. Castillo attempted to throw a ball at a Dayton player in the dugout but instead hit a fan in the stands in the head. Castillo was charged with felonious assault and sentenced to 30 days in jail.

My observation on the back: The Giants beat the Dodgers 8-0 in that first West Coast game. Eeesh.

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