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So while cleaning upstairs I grabbed an over sized box of baseball cards from the last couple of decades. I told Carrie to reach in and pick a card and that this would be the latest report on remember for no reason at all.

Spike Dee Owen either holds the record for most dogs named after him or in fact he was named after a dog. Over the course of a 13-year career Owen played for five different teams, making his big league debut on June 25th, 1983. A switch hitter who threw right handed Owen was known more for his defense as he often struggled to hit higher then .240.

To the right is the card that Carrie selected, a 1990 Fleer card number 357 of the set. Never mind my crotch being in the photo.

It’s funny that I remember so much of Owen’s career as I was only five months old when he made his debut.

A strong defensive runner he lacked the speed normally associated with middle infielders Owen was the sixth overall pick of the 1982 amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners after attending the University of Texas.

His first big league homer came in Fenway Park off of Doug Bird on July 13th 1983. Owen hit just .196 in his first season. Still the Mariners stuck with Owen the next two years and while he rewarded them on defense their was never much to offer at the plate.

Before the 1986 season Owen was named the “Captain” of the Seattle Mariners despite hitting .236 over the course of his first three seasons. That summer he was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Rey Quinones and cash. Oddly he tied a major league record with six runs scored in a game during his third start with his new team. During the ALCS that season he hit .429 to help the Red Sox defeat the California Angels and later hit .300 in a losing effort during the ‘86 World Series.

After two more years of struggles with the team he was shipped to Montreal where he would spend the next four years of his career. Despite ranking his soft hands at short and strong range, Owen continued along hitting in the .230’s before having the best year of his career at the age of 31 in 1992. Owen hit a career high .269/.348/.381 and a career high 7 homers. During his stay with the Expos he led the National League in fielding percentage twice. The emergence of Wil Cordero pushed Owen out of Montreal.

In the winter of 1992 he signed a three-year contract with the New York Yankees. Owen collected $2.5 million in his only season in pinstripes hitting just .234. The Yankees then traded Owen to the California Angels for a minor leaguer.

As a back up infielder on the Angels he hit .310 in 82 games during 1994. He played one more season for the team before signing a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. After failing to make the team he played two games in Triple-A before retiring in April.

After his career was over Owen became the bench coach of the Round Rock Express in 2002 and stayed there until 2006.