Common question

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

Yes, Roger Maris is a good example of one of the points I intended to make. He is considered a "star" eventhough he is a lifetime .260 hitter, who once hit over 40 HR in a year. Well, admittedly it was way over 40. But Jack Taylor (a non-star) pitched 187 complete games, in a row, that he started. Why is one a star and the other a common? Maris' stardom is predicated on a single season's achievement while that of Taylor is a career.

And Taylor is only one example of the fact that significant achievement does not necessarilly equate to stardom. To me, holders of noteworthy records are not "commons". Or more accurately, since they often are commons, their cards are bargains from a baseball historical perspective.