the almost daily dodger - mike scioscia

today's card plucked from the scanned folder is mike scioscia's 1993 topps gold parallel

it shows the longtime dodger catcher getting knocked about, which was par for the course for the style of play back then - both on scioscia's part and in regards to the game in general.

the card is scioscia's final tribute, as he did not appear in a game after the 1992 season despite taking a shot with the padres in 1993 and rangers in 1994 as injuries prevented him from taking the field with either of those teams. the last game he caught was a 3-hit shutout by pedro astacio which is not a bad way to end a 13-year career spent exclusively behind the dish.

of course, scioscia did wind up spending more years in an angels uniform than he did in dodger duds as he served as their manager for 19 seasons. i thought that the angels would retire his number given the fact that he is the only skipper to lead the team to a world series championship and his longevity in that role is unmatched in team history. however, the angels redistributed number 14 a couple of years ago, so i guess they aren't planning to honor scioscia in that way. that's ok - the dodgers have retired 14 and even though it is in recognition of gil hodges, i think of scioscia too when i see the number on display.