Dodgers Blue Heaven: 2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions

If you thought Upper Deck had completely stopped making cards with Baseball players in it then you'd be wrong. Last week, Upper Deck put out their 2014 Goodwin Champions set, and several Dodger players are available in it. BTW, this set is a multi-sport filled offering, so just about every sport imaginable is represented.

Like Panini America, Upper Deck does not have a MLB license, so there are no team logos. Heck, even notations about where a ballplayer played are not included. Instead, the base cards indicate only the sport they played, and as you can see below they use paintings instead of photos on the cards.

Overall, the cards in this set are aesthetically horrible. If there was an award for the ugliest set of the year, this one would be the favorite to win it. Its only saving grace is the inclusion of a couple of long forgotten former Dodger players... Oh, and the card I describe below.

Easily, the best Dodger card in the base set is the Ron Cey card directly below. He is shown in a tux and fancy top hat. Maybe it's an homage to his nickname as "The Penguin". After all, isn't that outfit often referred to as a penguin suit?

Base Set

#4 Ron Cey

#69 Steve Garvey

#129 Mark McGwire

Below is a card of old-tyme former Dodger Oyster Burns. He played for Brooklyn during the franchise's early years, from 1888 to 1895, and was one of the clubs earliest stars. Oyster batted .300, OPS'd .810 and stole 172 bases during those 8 seasons. He lead the league in home runs and RBI's in 1890 with 13 and 128, respectively. Also, during that season he became the first Dodger to hit for the cycle.

His real name was Thomas, but he was nicknamed Oyster because he sold shellfish during the winter. Oyster Burns was also an loud and obnoxious sort of fellow. He was described by the New York Clipper as:

"the noisiest man that ever played on the Brooklyn team. His voice reminds one of a buzz-saw."

Ouch! That hurts, eh? Of course, considering that he once stabbed a sleeping teammate during a break in a doubleheader the above description might be too soft.

Base Short Prints SP

#133 Oyster Burns

I decided to include the Joe Kelley card below as a Dodger even though he spent a majority of his Hall of Fame career with the Baltimore Orioles. He played in Brooklyn from 1899 to 1901, and batted .317 during that time period. Kelley was also an important cog to a club that won 2 pennants while he was with the Superbas.

Base Super Short Prints SSP

#178 Joe Kelley

I know Mark McGwire never played for the Dodgers, but he is our batting coach. So, I decided to include all of his cards in this post. Check out a couple of his Goudey cards below.