Reinventing the Abbott

Jim Abbott has served as inspiration in the baseball world for decades.

Born without a right hand, he persevered to become a college, Olympic and MLB pitcher who threw a no-hitter for the New York Yankees in 1993.

Abbott once again inspired fans with an improbable comeback in 1998 that included five appearances with the Calgary Cannons.

In the Cards: Ian’s All Stars

In a pre-internet world, baseball cards served as a fantasy baseball type of resource that connected fans with players.

They provided stats, factoids, interesting graphic designs and photos that ranged from fantastic to hilarious. On occasion, the packs of cardboard collectibles even provided mouth-scraping gum that was capable of losing flavour faster than a card in bike spokes could drop its value.

Of course, baseball cards are still around – they’re even available in mobile app form – but the popularity of the memorabilia is nowhere near what it was in the sports card boom of the 1990s and before that era.

Here at Alberta Dugout Stories, we love our collectibles, so we’ve decided to unveil a baseball card-themed All-Star Team!