1980 TCMA Peninsula Pilots Baseball #5, Don Carman

What's the best part of any minor league stadium? Did you say, "outfield fence advertising?" This card's background features both Col. Hawkins' Truck Service and Atlantic Char-(something, char-broiler?) Service.

Hey, it pays the bills.

Card front

Mid-Atlantic minor league fans know two incarnations of the Peninsula Pilots.

Single-A team, Carolina League (1976 - 1992): You can guess the circa-1980 Phillies connection from Mr. Carman's purple-and-pinstripe uniform. The parent club won their first World Series in 1980, which is probably still exciting for the minor league affiliates.

Amateur summer team, Coastal Plain League (2000-present). Summer leagues invite top college and high school players to relocate for a few months, play some baseball, and make it easy for pro scouts to find them. The 2010 Coastal Plain League season runs from late May to early August.

Card back

Dan debuted with the Phillies in 1983 and pitched in the majors through 1992. I loved this excerpt from his Wikipedia page.

Carman was also known for his sense of humor; tired of repetitive postgame questions from sports reporters, in the 1990 season he posted a handwritten list of 37 standard responses on his locker and invited reporters to take their pick. The list, including clichés like "I'd rather be lucky than good" and "We're going to take the season one game at a time," was eventually published in several newspapers in its entirety.

Fans don't like stock questions and answers either, so why do writers keep asking them?

Value: Most minor league singles cost a dollar or two on eBay or Becket Marketplace.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any out there, at least not from the 1980 TCMA sets.