106

The Dodgers just completed a 106-victory regular season, winning more games in a single season in franchise history, going all the way back to 1890.

The Dodgers have won 100 games in a season only eight times in their history. That sits them tied with the Braves and just behind the Cardinals, who have nine. The A's are in second with 10 and the Yankees are far-and-obnoxiously-away-the-leader with 20 seasons of 100 wins or more.

Some teams have never won 100 games in their history and that includes notables like the Brewers, Royals, Blue Jays and Nationals/Expos, as well as the usual suspects like the Padres and Marlins.

But even with that background, the Dodgers' achievement means little to the online judges, the trolls, the jealous fans and the "yes-but" crowd. As soon as the Dodgers won their 106th game, with a shutout victory against their biggest rival, some keyboard moron could barely wait to bring up the team's losses in the last World Series.

That's expected in today's snark-filled world. Something written as an online dig, if uttered in the real world, face-to-face, among witnesses or not, would be a punchable offense. I would punch people for half of the comments I see written online and I don't think I'm exaggerating.

I still deal in the real world. That means more to me than any internet quip or judge-and-jury sentence. And the Dodgers won 106 games in the real world, entering rarified air that's only been achieved by less than 20 teams in MLB history. I would never try to undercut that achievement with a snide comment even if it wasn't my team.

So in a tribute to that feat, I found 16 cards in my collection that are card No. 106 in their respective sets. Why 16? Well, 10 plus 6 is 106, duh.

Card No. 106 is nondescript in trading card culture. It's six cards away from 100. Some sets don't even go that high. Topps traditionally throws an easily forgotten player at 106.

But these 106's are pretty damn good, just like the Dodgers. They could surprise you.

Here they are in no particular order:

George Foster, 1976 Hostess, No. 106

Foster is giving some commenting hero the side-eye for questioning a real achievement on the real baseball field. Yeah, yeah, even the Dodgers will tell you that the World Series title is what matters, but we haven't even reached the postseason yet. The internet doesn't allow you to stop and smell the flowers. The real world does. George Foster knows that.

Gene Nelson, 1983 Topps, No. 106

One of the strangest airbrush jobs of the 1980s. Nelson appears to have been painted into his Mariners uniform after being traded from the Yankees on April 1, 1982. It's tempting to consider this a night card, but I think actually this shot was taken in Yankee Stadium, which always looked dark in photos like this.

Cal Ripken Jr., 1984 Donruss, No. 106

Topps may have reserved No. 106 for commons and scrubs but that didn't mean Donruss felt obligated. Ripken won the 1983 MVP award AND won a World Series a few months before this card came out and Donruss thought 106 was a perfectly logical number for him.

Steve Garvey, 1995 Upper Deck SP Championship Series (diecut), No. 106

Steve Garvey is the most clutch postseason Dodger hitter of my lifetime (save for one Kirk Gibson at-bat). He just killed postseason pitching and it's a huge relief as a fan to have someone on your team who you know will produce. Just because a player was a star during the regular season doesn't mean he'll do it in the playoffs. I know that as well as anybody after the last two years.

Nolan Ryan, 1989 Topps Traded, No. 106

This card marks Ryan's arrival with the Rangers. He spent just five years with the team, and the last season -- 1993 -- was limited. But I'm willing to bet there are loads of people (half of the blogosphere in fact) that remember him more as a Ranger than anything else.

That makes me sad (I remember him as an Astro, where he spent most of his time, and a little bit as an Angel, where he put up his best numbers), but I just think about that fight with Robin Ventura, in a Texas uniform, and this suddenly becomes the most bad-ass No. 106 card I know.

Jeff Leonard, 1980 Topps, No. 106

Maybe I spoke too soon.

This is Jeff Leonard's rookie card. The future "One Flap Down" king, who might have given Madison Bumgarner a heart attack on the mound Leonard he did what he did rounding the bases during Bumgarner's time, was as bad-ass as they come -- right down to his nickname as "Penitentiary Face".

He's also giving the trollsters his classic "you best behave" stare.

Roy Campanella, 2010 Topps Turkey Red, No. 106

I just looked up Campy's World Series stats. I was disappointed. He didn't hit all that well during all those postseason games with the Bums. I bet his catching was dynamite though.

Paul Konerko, 2008 Topps Heritage Chrome, No. 106

I've traded away most of my non-Dodger Heritage Chrome cards from '08 because I decided to just focus on the main set (still need those last few SPs). But I can't get myself to get rid of this shiny card of Paulie.

Thurman Munson, 2001 Upper Deck '70s, No. 106

There are a few cards of Munson around without his familiar mustache, most of them retro cards from around this period. I always find them weird. Munson is not Munson without a mustache. He's some other guy, that guy who drinks beer on the corner.

U2, 1991 Pro Set SuperStars MusiCards, No. 106

The Dodgers' equivalent in the music world. U2 has accomplished much in its genre, a darling of critics and the masses, a personal favorite of mine. Yet, there are people -- many who grew up long after the band's height of popularity, who say "they hate" U2.  I try not to think too much about it because they have no idea what they're talking about -- they weren't there when the band was about the most relevant on the planet -- but it's still irks me. I guess that's the trolls winning though.

Willie Davis, 1962 Post, No. 106

Willie Davis did not have a good time in the postseason. He will always be remembered for his three-error inning in the 1966 World Series. That's quite the indignity for someone who was called "Three-Dog" -- after his uniform number, not those errors.

Mike Hargrove, 1975 Topps, No. 106

The trading card debut of Mike Hargrove. He would go on to spend 28 of the next 34 years in a major league uniform. That's pretty good for a No. 106.

Clem Labine, 1954 Bowman, No. 106

For a relief pitcher -- during a time when relief pitchers were essentially dismissed -- Clem Labine sure has some terrific cards.

Pascual Perez, 1985 Topps, No. 106

I'm glad he's smiling here. Because in 1985, Perez went 1-13 with a plus-6 ERA. Still simply a

terrific card.

Alfredo Griffin, 1985 Fleer, No. 106

Now it's Alfredo Griffin's turn to ask what you just said about the Dodgers.

Anibal Sanchez, 2016 Topps Heritage, No. 106

 This is one of my favorite cards from 2016 Heritage. It's such a charming card, one of those ones you can an stare at for several minutes. And even the abysmal Tigers seem much more capable when they're the Tigres.


So those are 16 beauties at No. 106. I dug up a few more than these and discovered quite a few Dodgers at 106 (Panini Donruss, for instance, put a Dodger at this number for like four years running).

While doing this research, I noticed that most of the teams who won this many games were among the best teams in history -- the 1998 Yankees, the 2001 Mariners, the 1975 Reds, the 1954 Indians, the 1906 Cubs, the 1970 Orioles, the 2018 Red Sox, the 1909 Pirates, the 1986 Mets and the 1931 A's.

So that gives me hope for the Dodgers.

Unfortunately, one of those other few 106-plus win teams happens to be this year's Astros with 107, because my team just can't have nice things.

But that's the interesting thing about the real world.

The numbers say one thing.

The trolls say one thing.

The real world sometimes says something else.