wait 'til next year

How to Impress a Lady

2010-12-21T01:00:00.001-05:00

Dealing Blackjack the other night the discussion at the table centered around drinking, vacations, couples, dating, marriage, divorce and the rules of the road surrounding each. Being newly single again (after 23 years of marriage) one of the guys at my table had some sound advice for me that I am going to pass on to all of you.

During one of the moments as I was shuffling the eight decks of cards, this kind gentleman reached in his pocket and gave me a 3" x 5" card which was titled "How to Impress a Lady", in an easy to read block style font, it read:

"Wine her, Dine her, Call her, Hug her, Support her, Hold her, Surprise her, Compliment her, Smile at her, Listen to her, Laugh with her, Cry with her, Romance her, Encourage her, Believe in her, Pray with her, Cuddle with her, Shop with her, Give her jewelry, Buy her flowers, Hold her hand, Write love letters to her, Go to the end of the Earth and back again for her." (I now know where I went wrong, haha)

He then said to turn the card over, I did such and it was titled "How to Impress a Man" and printed in a fancy script font it read: "Show up naked . . . Bring food . . . Don't block the TV".

Thanks to this kind stranger, I have learned so much and am happy to pass these words of wisdom along to all of you. You never know where or when you may learn something important as I did the other night while dealing Blackjack.

For those of you who may not know, my nighttime life is as a Las Vegas theme party planner / Casino dealer for Casino Nights .

Toast Your Team

2010-12-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

I received the ultimate gift from my daughter last night.

Because in our house we celebrate both Chanuka and Christmas, the exchange of our immediate family gifts is usually on a day between the two holidays (though we usually leave at least one to be opened on Christmas morning).

So, last night we had our Chanu-mas dinner and gift exchange. Naturally I did receive two packages of Pepperridge Farms Rapsberry Milano's (some family members actually read my blog), a bottle of Crown Royal (yes I have a dark side) and . . . drum roll please . . .

This toaster which has the Chicago Cubs logo on the inside to brand each piece of my toast.

Now my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will taste better and my breakfast egg and cheese sandwiches will be blazing in the Cubs trademark too.

My thought is that if the Cubs have a bad day, stink up the joint, lose a thriller, get shutout or worse yet be the victim of a no-hitter I can always burn a piece of toast beyond eat-a-bility.

But, if the Cubbies have a good day, win in a walk off, pitch a no hitter or even shall I say make a run for the World Series (and actually get there ?!), I shall be toasting plenty of slices of bread in honor of their success.

For now, thanks to my daughter, I can Toast the Cubs every day !

I have an addiction

2010-11-21T20:48:00.000-05:00

ok before anyone gets too worried, it is NOT one of those addictions that are serious nor require medications, support groups or a ten step process, I wont be invited on the Dr. Phil, Oprah or Jerry Springer shows either.

Now that I have set that record straight, my addiction is Raspberry Milano. Ok, one more clarification. It is NOT an infatuation with the one and only Alyssa Milano wearing a raspberry robe, though I could very easily be persuaded to be addicted to her. That would certainly be a more healthy addiction than the one I am about to confess to but she may not agree.

My (newest) addiction is one of the cookie sort, more accurately a Pepperidge Farm cookie called the Raspberry Milano. If you have not tried these, dont ! You too will become addicted very quickly. So I warn you - do not even try them !

The package begs us to "indulge in a little raspberry romance . . . " and continues to tell us to "embrace decadent cravings. Reward yourself. Open . . .Taste . . .Delight"

With a package so enticing it is no wonder that I have this addiction.

If you care to help me with my issue, go buy a package; at least then there will be one less for me to consume. If you dont care to help, leave them on the groceries shelves, I will be around your neighborhood soon enough to but them all and stock my entire home.

If neither of those options appeal to you, just let Alyssa know. She might be the only cure to my addiction.

Something you probably did not know

2010-11-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

CASINO NIGHTS is more than just your typical provider of Las Vegas style table games and professional dealers for your party.

One thing that separates us from the crowd is our connection to so much more. Yes Casino Nights is actually part of Apollo Amusements and Gameroom SuperStores along with Saturn 5 indoor amusement center in Bradenton Florida.

This allows us to offer YOU the largest selection of video and pinball games, foosball, air hockey, ping pong and even billiards for rental. All of these can add major FUN at any of your upcoming events.

If you only want to rent a few video games, have an air hockey or foos ball fun filled afternoon, reward your employees (or friends) with an evening of friendly competition without the "formality" of tuxedo wearing dealers, then calling Casino Nights and renting these other FUN games is all you need.

When you call 1-877/FLA-PLAY you get the full array of FUN for any sort of event you may want to plan. Ask for Steve or John and let us know you have read this blog for an extra discount.

See, this is something you probably did not know.

Fringe Benefit

2010-11-15T18:01:00.000-05:00

We all have fringe benefits at work, some are better than others.

Check out my new blog post at Casino Nights Blog and see what I mean.

This is a tease.

I love my job !

A new blog

2010-11-11T12:55:00.000-05:00

I have started a new blog . . . CASINO NIGHTS BLOG I hope some of you will follow along.

This is my new life, a FUN life it is . . . baseball cards are my hobby (a forgotten sole as it has been a rough year or so). I shall return to spending more time (and money) on my hobby one day soon, but for now my new venture as an event planner / casino dealer must take top honors.

If you have ever attended a casino night party, las vegas style event fund-raiser, poker tournament or have ever gone to a real casino to try your hand at "real" gambling then my new blog might be of interest. If not . . . I understand.

Thank you ALL for your loyal readership, generosity (baseball card collectors are some of the most generous bloggers out there) and friendship (yes I do consider some of you friends).

Here's the link to my website and new adventure . . . . CASINO NIGHTS

Thank you !

There's always next year

2010-09-18T11:30:00.004-04:00

It occurred sometime last week and I missed it. To be honest, it has actually occurred every year since 1908 at different times of the year so I sometimes just lose track of things. Not that I dont care but I do try (not) to "celebrate" this event.

Yes, you might have guessed it, the Chicago Cubs have been officially eliminated from the playoffs, let alone winning anything this year. In honor of this moment I have turned to a book that offers some levity to this situation, titled: "The Cubs Fan's Guide to Happiness" by George Ellis, circa 2007.

With chapters such as; Beer will make it better (Chap 2) and At Least You're Not a Sox Fan (Chap 7) to the 15 Habits of Highly Happy Cubs Fan's the theme of being "frustrated" for 100+ years is evident throughout out these pages.

So as the season winds down with some teams preparing for or pushing themselves for that last run at the playoffs and potential World Series celebration, other teams just go home ashamed of under-performing, I turn to a book.

We however as the eternal optimist called a Cubs Fan, we simply chant "wait til next year".

The Tao of Pooh

2010-08-28T17:56:00.006-04:00

I know this is supposed to be a baseball card blog, but it is my blog and I feel like posting a book review. To be perfectly honest, it really is not a book review. I am not a reader at all; nor am I a writer, an airplane pilot, doctor, lawyer, professional athlete or anything really worthy of anything. I am however a self-proclaimed Winnie the Pooh "aficionado".

That's right I like Winne the Pooh and all of his friends in the hundred acre wood forest. Winnie after all is the Bear with very little Brain and I can relate to that.

The book I now have read several times (ok I know what you are thinking but it IS a book for "adults") is titled The Tao of Pooh written by Benjamin Hoff. Hoff also wrote a second book called the Te of Piglet which is a natural continuation of the understanding of the connection between Taoism and Winnie the Pooh and his friends.

Hoff takes us on a journey that each of us can relate to. In actuality we all possess personality qualities of Pooh and all his friends; some more dominant than others and in understanding the basis for each of those traits we find a better understanding of ourselves.

Some of the Chapters are titled: The How of Pooh, Spelling Tuesday, The Pooh Way and Nowhere and Nothing. Who can pass up a book with chapters like that.

The back cover of the book sums it up perfectly; ". . . in which it is revealed that one of the world's great Taoist masters is not Chinese or a venerable philosopher, but is in fact none other that that effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear; A A Milne Winnie the Pooh".

". . . while Eeyore frets . . and Piglet hesitates, Rabbit calculates, and Owl pontificates . . . Pooh just is". To the right is a poem written to help you find your way.

I recommend everyone finding a copy, reading this book and finding out how closely each of you resembles one of thee characters. For me I am a mixed up combination of Piglet, Rabbit and Pooh.

Thanks to all for reading my blog and allowing me to review this book.

Happy Birthday Cal Ripken Jr

2010-08-24T17:49:00.004-04:00

Born in 1960 on August 24th, Cal Ripken Jr turns 50 today. The second "Iron Man" of major league baseball, Ripken deserves to have a special birthday.

Ripken's baseball feats are almost endless. Not withstanding the record that never will be broken of playing in 2632 consecutive games. The 1982 Rookie of the year who actually began his career as a third baseman was shifted to shortstop, played in 19, yes nineteen, consecutive all-star games, has one world series ring (1983), a member of the 3000 hit club and played his entire career in Baltimore, naturally having his # 8 uniform retired and inducted into Baseballs Hall of Fame as a first ballot inductee in 2007.

This 1982 Topps Future Stars Card #21 was one of my very first "big" purchases in 1984 when I bought five of these. If my memory serves me correctly they were less than $ 5.00 each at the time. I have since donated (gave away) two of them over the years, holding onto three of them for no apparent reason. If anyone out there is interested in a trade for one of them - let me know. I am still more of a Cubs fan !

Originally listed as a third baseman and sharing future star status with Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider (each of whom had incredibly short stints in the major leagues), Ripken certainly made up for it.

Happy 50th Birthday wishes go out to Ripken. Being a fellow 1960 baby, I feel slightly embarrassed in even having one thing in common with the "Iron Man".

a third time

2010-08-16T11:19:00.005-04:00

For the third time in three years my beautiful daughter is off on an adventure.

Two August's ago she embarked on the Rotary Youth Exchange program and headed to Finland (yes Finland) for ten months. Upon returning home last summer she then went off to start her college life (freshman year) at Flagler College in St Augustine Florida. While both of those experiences were positive (and not so positive) in many ways, my daughter was craving something different . . . again.

Just the other day she left again, for Chicago, our old home town, to attend Columbia College and pursue her creative writing aspirations. I wish her the very best in everything, am so proud of her and look forward to visiting her and taking her to a Cubs game.

Below you will find a song sung by Winnie the Pooh to Piglet that I have now sent my daughter three years in a row. Maybe this year it will inspire her to be "big" !

You can be a guiding star,
If you make the most of Who You Are.
And the sensitivity,
That you are now discovering to see
Can be developed even more,
So you can find the hidden doors
To places no one’s been before.
And the pride you’ll feel inside
Is not the kind that makes you fall -
It’s the kind that recognizes
The bigness found in being Small
as Pooh sings about Piglet in The Te of Piglet pg 51

Baseball "Lifer's"

2010-08-10T12:59:00.004-04:00

I recently came across a list that intrigued me.

The list was of ALL current Major League Baseball Players that have been with the same team for ten years or more (thanks to ESPN).

Here are the only eleven players currently that fit that category.

Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves 16
Mariano Rivera New York Yankees15
Derek Jeter New York Yankees 15
Jorge Posada New York Yankees 15
Todd Helton Colorado Rockies 13
Jason Varitek Boston Red Sox 13
Eric Chavez Oakland Athletics 12
Vernon Wells Toronto Blue Jays 11
Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies 10
Mark Buehrle Chicago White Sox 10
Michael Young Texas Rangers 10

Not sure how that number compares to other years but it seemed rather small to me.
With my heart still being stuck in the era of the sixties and seventies I do wonder how this compares to other years ? Anyone out there able to calculate this for the year 1970 ?

Three quarters (Santo, Kessinger, Banks) of the Chicago Cub infield were "lifer's" (that is from a long time ago)! It is a shame no Chicago Cub made this list this year ! Who will be the next Cub to play for Chicago for ten years ?

While I understand that baseball has changed drastically over (in so many ways, both for the good and bad) the commitment and loyalty of the game (from the players and owners) is one thing I wish would change back to the days of yester-year.

The Twenty Dollar Bill

2010-08-09T14:53:00.004-04:00

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by:

holding up a $20.00 bill.. In the room of 200, he asked,
' Who would like this $20 bill? '

Hands started going up.

He said, ' I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.
He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, ' Who still wants it? '

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, ' What if I do this? '

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

' Now, who still wants it? '

Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.

It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless.
But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know,

but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.
You are special
-
Don't EVER forget it

you may never know the lives it (this lesson) touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it can bring.

Count your blessings, not your problems...

' And remember: amateurs built the ark .. professionals built the Titanic.

welcome to the big leagues

2009-09-17T18:34:00.007-04:00

Today in baseball history (1955 that is) Brooks Robinson made his major league debut. Getting two hits on his opening day was a teaser of what was to come. Those actually would be his only two hits in 1955 after appearing in only 6 games and 22 at bats, but his first two of 2848 career hits.

His full time role would not officially start until 1958 playing in 145 games, and from 1960 until 1974 would appear in 15 consecutive all-star games and receive 16 consecutive gold glove awards.

Topps 1960 # 28; my birth year and a real "cool" card

Brooks Robinson began his storied Oriole career today, September 17, 1955; played his entire 23 year career in Baltimore and ended his career in 1977.

A career .267 batting average, 2848 hits, 1357 rbi's and 268 home runs is just the icing on the cake for this "vacuum" at 3rd base. Lee May nicknamed him "Mr Hoover" and it is well known that "while Brooks never had a candy bar named after him, in Baltimore, people named their children after him".

Topps 1969 # 550; a "happy" smiling card

The 1964 AL MVP, two time World Series Champion (1966, 1970), 1970 World Series MVP and Babe Ruth awardee, Robinson was inducted into MLB Hall of Fame in 1983 with 92%.

I remember watching the Orioles back in the late 60's and early 70's, secretly cheering for them (not so secretly, as they were my favorite AL team back in the day). Being a Cubs fan meant being an anti-White Sox fan and the Orioles were going to beat the Mets in 1969, emphasis on were. They sure did have some great pitching and fielding back then.

Brooks Robinson, a childhood "hero" of mine, started his career . . .today !

6 in 30: better late than never

2009-09-13T20:55:00.030-04:00

Exactly one week ago Dinged Corners offered up a challenge that many of you tackled quickly. For me, since I am "slow", have been called "a dollar short and a day late" many a time in my past, and just got busy with cleaning, organizing, and redecorating my home (it is for sale now and today was the first Open House)I am just getting to this challenge today.

But nonetheless here goes. The challenge was to pick a binder and find six cards in that binder that made you "happy" in 30 seconds. For those of you who did this, I don't have to tell you that 30 seconds goes quick.

My first challenge was to pick what binder. I could have easily picked my almost complete Topps 1970 binder, or any of my Chicago Cubs binders or my newest binder with the 1995 Cardtoon set or even the 1991 binder I put together for my daughter. All of which would have made for finding six "happy" cards easy. No instead I choose a binder I don't look at much; a miscellaneous binder of stars and set out to find six "happy" cards quickly.

For me, one of the first words I think of when someone says "happy" is smile. So I set out to quickly find six cards that had a smile. Here are my six "happy" (smiling) cards:

Bo Jackson; 1991 Upper Deck # 744

Kirby Puckett, 1993 Topps # 200

Ken Griffey Sr., 1988 Donruss # 2 02

Frank Thomas, 1993 Leaf Hotshots # 77

Barry Bonds, 1992 Upper Deck # 134
Ozzie Smith, 1990 Post # 6 of 30

So there you have it, my 6 in 30 "happy" cards . . . a nice challenge . . . better late than never.

When 500 HR meant something

2009-09-13T16:46:00.006-04:00

Today in baseball history two HOF'ers hit their 500th home run. Two of the greatest players of any era; Willie Mays and Frank Robinson.

Mays hit his 500th in 1965 while Robinson hit his in 1971. Back in the day when hitting 500 home runs was a commodity for a select few both Mays and Robinson were tops in their class.
September 13th certainly does mark a special day in baseball lore.

Willie Mays Topps 1970, # 600: the eyes awaiting a home run pitch
(I know it is a photo from spring training but I still love those intense "eyes")

Frank Robinson Topps 1967 #100: another shot of the "home run" eyes

Ranking 4th (Mays with 660) and 7th (Robinson with 586) in career round trippers, I salute Mays and Robinson for reaching that 500 HR club on the same day, albeit six years apart.

Someones "junk" is someone elses treasure

2009-09-12T10:56:00.015-04:00

Several months ago a most generous blogger John of Pursuit of 80's offered up a set he "did not like as much as he thought" and I because my thoughts are far less deep or poignant I asked and received this most unexpected treasure.

John had acquired the 1995 CardToons set of cards (copy written date of 1993 though not released until 1995).

For those not familiar with this set, it was a parody,simple as that. The base set of 95 cards spotlighted almost every star of the day in a caricature rendition with humor and sarcasm flowing freely. There were also several subsets printed including one aptly named Big Bang Bucks (showcasing the 20 highest salaried players on card currency) and Politics in Baseball ( an eleven card set focusing on the problems of baseball at the time).

My personal favorite subset is the Field of Greed (a nine card set) which describes the history of baseball (at the time) labor problems. The most interesting thing about this subset is that when completed and aligned (or put in a nine-pocket page) they make a complete Field of Greed picture.

The complete set has a comical approach to our national pastime and its players; fronts and back are very cleverly stated (or at least in my opinion) and gives me a chuckle every time I look at these cards.

A couple of my favorites are naturally the "Scrubs" (ie Chicago Cubs) cards:

Shawon (Tungsten Steel) Dunston

Ernie (Mr. Club) Banks

and if some remember this superstars' brief stint in baseball, Michael (Just Air) Jordan (sorry if the timing is perfect as he was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame (yesterday) as the GOAT (greatest of all-time) for a sport I rarely follow.

This 1995 Cardtoon set is fun, simple as that. Collecting baseball cards should be fun, simple as that. This set is now my "treasure". Thank you John !

We will always remember . . .

2009-09-11T10:10:00.008-04:00

We will always remember where we were eight years ago at 7:46 am . . . I certainly do and will never forget. That September day in 2001 that has changed our lives, country and world forever.

To reflect just a bit on the personal side of things; I was President of the Buffalo Grove Area Chamber of Commerce participating in our usual Tuesday morning networking group (yes back in the day I lived in Illinois and was a business owner). Our executive director walked in and whispered in my ear about what she was just saw on tv (very similar yet far from the scope of how President Bush was informed at Emma E Booker Elementary School in Sarasota Florida).

I excused myself from the group, walked to her small office and watched with horror on her nine inch portable television. Within moments, cell phones were ringing and about fifteen of us crammed into the space built for one watching in shock. There was silence among us, except for the few who stepped away to use their phones. Within a few short moments "chaos" occurred with our group - fear, shock, concern, horror.

For about an hour our group slowly shrank in size, many going to schools to pick up their kids, some going home to family and others going to their office to start a "new day". I stayed behind until all were gone and then headed to my office well after nine o'clock. I drove the one mile with indescribable emotions and met my six employees in the front office. Our day was not about "work". We stayed together for another hour or so and by 11:00 my office was closed and I was in communication with so many families, businesses and "officials" of our town that my mind was all about "whats next", the loss of lives and "where do we go from here".

Later that evening a networking event was to be held at a local restaurant and the Chamber of Commerce decided we should go ahead with it. I am today still so proud of the turnout and generosity of my fellow Chamber members and friends. We turned it into a fundraiser, handed out small American Flags (thank you to my still good friend Ron) and networking turned into hugs and tears.

I know this is a baseball card blog, so lets get to it. As an excuse, I was not collecting cards in 2001 (I had stepped away from the hobby in 1993), even though my collection from the 1960's and 70's and my flagship framed tribute to the 1969 Cubs were proudly displayed in my home.

Several months ago, I did acquire one card from a blogger (sorry I forgot who) that is appropriate for today.
This great shot of a 30' by 50' American Flag (Topps # 357) being help by the players,coaches and personnel of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies on September 17, prior to their first game being played after the horror of 9-11. America - United We Stand.

So today, as I write my 200th post, it is time to remember and never forget. It is a time to be thankful and grateful to those who serve and protect. It is a time to reflect on the lives that have been changed so drastically and be so proud of those who have stood tall and fought back.

It is a time we will always remember . . .

Happy Birthday Maz'

2009-09-05T09:14:00.007-04:00

September 5 marks the 73rd birthday of Bill Mazeroski - Happy Birthday Maz !

Mazeroski was one of my favorite non-Cub players of my youth. I toiled around youth baseball at second base for about a year, before I became a pitcher, third baseman and finally a bench warmer. But Mazeroski was the star NL second baseman of the day and I tried to be him.

Maz's Rookie Card, Topps 1957 # 24 was one of my first major star cards I remember cherishing and eventually put into a thick single screw plastic holder.

The 1960 card, Topps # 55, is really my all-time favorite for several reasons. First it is the year of my birth (yes 1960 is a looong time ago). The 1960 cards showcase the nice classic vertical style of cards and I like the contrast of background colors used for the two photos; blue sky in the color large head shot (got to love that bulging cheek) and the black and white half body shot with the yellow background (reminds me of day baseball when the sun shines). 1960 is also the year that Maz hit that most unlikely walk-off game seven ninth inning homerun to catapult the Pittsburgh Pirates to World Series Champions over the highly favored New York Yankees.

So today I salute a boyhood "hero", World Series star, perennial all-star (7x) and 8x Gold Glove winner on his birthday - Happy 73rd Birthday Maz !

Lifes Balancing Act

2009-09-04T10:01:00.007-04:00

Many of us, especially in my age bracket (going to be 50 next year), have experienced (or suffered through in some cases) the challenge of balancing family, work, home and community into ones life.

This balancing act of such has taken turns and shifts through the years and as I sit here in my quiet home (no wife, no child, no pets) fumbling through (actually the never ending task of sorting, organizing and storing of) my baseball cards I came across this 1991 Topps #659 of Oscar Azocar card that seemed pertinent to this balancing act of life.

While his career lasted all but 202 game, 439 at bats, a .226 BA over three seasons and two teams Yankees (1990) and the Padres (1991, 92), Azocars' skill of balancing seems remarkable.

Here's to lifes balancing act.

Just One Shy

2009-09-02T21:18:00.010-04:00

Today (Sept 2) marks the 37th anniversary of Chicago Cub Milt Pappas' razor thin close call with perfection (in 1972 for those math challenged). After retiring the first 26 batters in a row and reaching a 3-2 count on the 27th batter (Larry Stahl of the San Diego Padres) Pappas was one pitch shy of perfection. Unfortunately the call was a ball (lets not over react to a correct call made by then plate umpire Bruce Froemming) and perfection was "ruined". Pappas did however retire the next batter to secure the no-hitter and an 8 - 0 victory at Wrigley Field. Still today, Pappas has the unique honor of being the only pitcher to have a perfect game "ruined" by a base on ball to the 27th batter.

{1973 #70 love those "earmuffs"}

Pappas's career began in1957 with the Baltimore Orioles appearing in only 4 games, yet 1958 began a string of eleven years in a row of double digit victories. Prior to that infamous day in 1972, Pappas was probably best known for being traded to the Cincinnati Reds during the off season of 1965 for the "old" superstar Frank Robinson.

{1958 # 457 "oh so young"}

Two and half years in Cincinnati and a couple of stints with the Atlanta Braves, Pappas was traded to the Chicago Cubs in June of 1970. Arguably, his finest year was in 1972 as Pappas compiled a 17-7 win-loss record and a top ten in the Cy Young award voting.

Pappas finished his career in 1973 with a 209 - 164 record, 3186 innings pitched and a better than 2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio (1728 to 858). With 110 wins as an Oriole, Pappas came within one win shy of achieving 100 wins in the NL as well. Pappas would have been just the eighth pitcher to achieve 100 wins in both leagues joining; Cy Young, Al Orth, Jim Bunning, Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Ferguson Jenkins and Dennis Martinez.

Once again, Pappas was just one shy of being part of an exclusive club. So today I honor Milt Pappas and being just one shy . . .

Trying again

2009-09-01T09:55:00.007-04:00

Dear fellow bloggers, followers, baseball card junkies and baseball fans in general

I am attempting a comeback. Being that this is my first post in almost three months I will take it slow and do my due diligence in returning to your nightly reading lineup. It has been a "summer to forget" in my part of the woods and it is now time for me to get back on the playing field. Ok enough of the baseball analogies, I am going to give my blog another shot.

Just a bit of a recap of my personal life: my daughter returned from her year in Finland on May 24, and two weeks later my wife asked me for a divorce (and I agreed). We decided to put the house on the market and I would move out in 2 - 3 months (I thought we agreed). I packed up most of my "stuff" (including my baseball cards, binders, supplies etc) and within two weeks was "ready". Then my wife said she was "moving out" and out she went. I unpacked my "stuff" and she used my boxes and crates. She was gone by July 15 and I took the house off the market (never really had officially listed it). This past weekend I moved my beautiful daughter into her college dorm (she is attending Flagler College in St Augustine Florida and is an incoming freshman). My house is now empty, quiet and clean. No more dog, no more cat, no more wife, no more teenager. The house is too big for one so now I will try to sell it more vigorously. So that's my "brief" update of my summer . . .

Now for my baseball update: at the time of my last post in June the Cubs were 29-26 trying to find their groove. They never found it and now sit at 65 - 64. Another "summer to forget" as well. Quite coincidentally the day of my previous post the Cubs beat the Astros 7 - 1 (yesterday the Cubs lost to the Astros 5 - 3).

This past weekend I started reading a George Will book titled Bunts. In a rather poignant way Will concludes his introduction like this: ". . . baseball is a work in progress. If you dont believe me, just remember, and heed, the fans familiar cry, Wait til Next year".

A great big thank you to all of you who have expressed concern for me. I will try to get back to the basics of my blog (a personal salute to the Cubs of 1969 and baseball of that era), try to remember why I started this, try to get back into the trading mode and try to rekindle some blogger friendships I have ignored. I am going to try again . . .

Fathers Day came early

2009-06-09T21:50:00.001-04:00

I received an early fathers day "gift" and wanted to share with everyone my newest addition. Before I continue I must say that this "present" was given to me by . . . drum roll please . . . well to be honest, I bought it myself. That's right, I bought myself an early fathers day "present"; why, just because.

Here it is . . . weighing in at 6.2 pounds, 1848 pages worth of baseball cards; The 2008 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, 17th edition, edited by Don Fluckinger.

I have never bought a book that was this heavy nor had as many pages - except maybe my daughters huge SAT practice test book. My book will get opened much more.

This book boasts "the hobby's biggest and best price guide". However, I did not buy this volume for the price guide but for the vast collection of cards, over 140 years worth. This book catalogs sets, individual cards, errors, reprints, coins, stamps, rookie cards, short prints, double prints among its many different designations.

A 6 pound history lesson and for me an early fathers day "gift". Happy early Fathers Day to all you Dad's out there - may you be as nice to yourself as I have been for me. Thank you to me !

to tweet or not to tweet

2009-06-08T17:44:00.003-04:00

for some unexplainable reason I have decided to join Twitter and become a twit. For those of you who think I just flipped my lid and have no clue what I am talking about, I am proud of you and you can stop reading this post now.

For the two people left reading (ok maybe less than two if not only one or none) I can be found here: Wait til next year Twitter

Twittering, or as they say "to tweet", is the craze these days. Real-time short messages from people and organizations all around the world telling of what is happening "now". My life is certainly not exciting enough to be followed by too many but if you do have an account I would like to follow you.

Maybe I have lost my mind but with this blog, facebook and now twitter I think I have entered the 21st century of communication (albeit nine years late). Time for me to tweet.

They said this !

2009-06-07T21:03:00.003-04:00

I was going to title this post "who said this" and make a contest of sorts but I don't have any cards or really anything worthy of a winner so . . . the title stays as "they said this".

Recently I stumbled upon this website Brainy Quote filled with interesting and sometimes humorous quotes and there is a whole category of sports quotes.

Some of my baseball favorites:

1) Other sports play once a week but this sport is with us every day. Peter Ueberroth

2) The only way to prove you are a good sport is to lose. Ernie Banks

3) The triple is the most exciting play in baseball. Home runs win a lot of games, but I never understood why fans are so obsessed with them. Hank Aaron

4) Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field? Jim Bouton

5) One thing you learned as a Cubs fan; when you bought your ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth. Joe Garagiola (note needed here: between Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola quotes, an entire blog could evolve)

6) Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing. Warren Spahn

7) I went through baseball as a "player to be named later". Joe Garagiola

8) The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out your glass. Martin Mull (I just had to share this one with everyone)

Check the site out Brainy Quote you might get a laugh or two. Maybe one day there will be a site of the greatest quotes by bloggers ?

a shadow of a career

2009-06-06T16:25:00.000-04:00

in my Websters New Collegiate Dictionary copy written in 1973 (yes it is the only middle school graduation present that I still have) the word shadow has several definitions including:

a) an imperfect and faint representation
b) an imitation of something
c) a source of gloom and unhappiness
d) not functioning in a official capacity
e) of questionable merit

Knowing all of that I think this card of Kevin Orie (1998 Pinnacle # 71) and his shadow fits. Looks like Orie has a scared look on his face, is running from success and his career is well . . . all of the above work.

Orie was billed as the next Ron Santo for the Cubs after being drafted in the first round of the 1993 amateur draft. All those expectations lasted about a year as Orie never could produce numbers anywhere close to staying in major leagues.

Interesting to note is that Orie did have a respectable year in 1997, earning him enough rookie of the year votes to place 11th, yet from then on it was down hill. The Cubs traded Orie to the Marlins mid season in 1998, and Orie disappointed them too.

After appearing in just 77 games in 1999 the Marlins sent Orie to the Dodgers which began Orie's minor league travel odyssey; to the Royals, Yankees, Phillies and then back to the Cubs in 2002 to play 13 games with the big boys and then off for more travel signing with the Indians, Astros and Brewers yet never making it back to the senior circuit, finally "retiring" in 2006.

His career fits the above definitions of a shadow very well.

"Big Z" reaches 100

2009-06-06T09:20:00.001-04:00

Carlos Alberto Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs reached victory 100 last night ! Now I know that his 100 wins is over shadowed by Randy Johnson reaching 300 wins earlier this week but the Cubs and Zambrano should celebrate just a little bit.

Zambrano becomes only the fourth Chicago Cub pitcher in the last fifty years to reach that plateau with the club; thats right he is now in the company of HOF'r Ferguson Jenkins, soon to be HOF'r Greg Maddux and the powerful Rick Reuschel as the only Cub pitchers in the modern era to garner 100 wins wearing Cubbie Blue.

Zambrano also hit his franchise record 18th career homerun to help the Cubs win 2 - 1 while allowing only 2 hits through 6 2 /3 innings. He celebrated his 28th birthday last week; comes off his suspension, hits a homerun, pitches a gem and then announces he "wants to retire when his current contract expires" in 2012.

It bothers me that after a strong performance on the mound (and at the plate), reaching a minor milestone (100 wins is minor in the overall scheme of things) this three time all-star and two time silver slugger awardee is bombarded with questions concerning reaching 300 wins. I guess that is the state of the game these days - the constant comparison and pressure to achieve stratosphere status. Zambrano makes $ 16 million this year, will make upwards of $ 50 million more by the time his contract runs out . . . why should he even contemplate pitching after he turns 32 ? ! He is the state of the game - play hard, play to win, play with emotion and energy, get paid buckets of money and "retire" !

I like to celebrate "little" things like; a beautiful Florida sunset, an unsolicited hug or "I love you" from my daughter, finding an extra $ 20 in my pocket, receiving a bubble mailer with baseball cards from the mail box, and a Chicago Cub pitcher reaching 100 wins !

Congratulations "Big Z", this Cubs fan wants you to pitch strong, hard and win as many more games as you can. Never mind personal milestones, lets get the World Series Ring . . . then you can "retire".

the greatest singles hitter of his time

2009-06-04T19:28:00.001-04:00

the title of this blog might conjure up names like Cobb, Carew, Boggs or Ichiro but as great as they all were the hitter I am referring to has incomparable stats.

Have you ever heard of a young man named Kosman ? Maybe yes, maybe no. Well you should, he batted .929 his first year of organized ball and .893 his second year with only 1 extra base hit. That is right, I said nine twenty nine and eight ninety three. Ok, wait a second, truth be told it was in t-ball and this youngster was only six and seven years old, but who cares, his batting average is the highest I have ever seen anywhere.

He was promoted to the minors in 2007 and Kosman settled back to reality by hitting .327 and .382 the next two years respectively. With only two extra base hits out of his 38 minor league safeties, he just might be the greatest singles hitter of his time.

Before he could even swing a bat this year, 2009, an off season mishap with a trampoline has sidelined him a bit. A broken arm may slow this kid down but his coaches and trainers are sure he will continue where he left off; hitting singles when he gains his full strength back.

Thanks to his Dad, Paul of Wrigley Wax "little" Kosman will be a star for a long time. Keep hitting singles Sean, the record books await !

I was on the radio today

2009-06-03T20:25:00.001-04:00

I will try to make this short story long (or is it the other way around ?).

For starters, I dealt blackjack (yes I am a "professional" blackjack dealer) at a charity event this past weekend and on Monday I sent an email to the party planner / guy who hired me to say how well I thought the event was run and that I appreciated being involved. On the bottom of my email, as some of you may have noticed, is a tag line (signature) that promotes my blog (this blog that you are reading).

Unbeknownst to me this guy also does a sports talk radio show on AM 1490 in the Sarasota, Bradenton area from 5 - 7 pm on Wednesday called "Out of Bounds". He noticed my signature and called me to see what my blog was all about and then asked me if I wanted to be on the radio as a guest to talk about my collection and the Cubs. Naturally I said yes. This might be a good time to say that I have been told I have a face for radio - sorry for that old joke.

So this evening at 6:30 pm I called as instructed and was his guest for about ten minutes talking baseball, the 1969 Chicago Cubs and baseball cards. For me, this was exciting.

I think I did well (that is according to the two people who listened to me, my wife and daughter) since he did call me after his show was done and thanked me for being on. He also invited me back to talk "anytime". That only means he likes me or is desperate for guests. I would like to think that I did ok for my first time on the air.

The bulk of our conversation was about the cornerstone of my collection; the Cubs of 1969 pennant and the cards from 1970 that are framed, but he also asked me about the "Bartman" incident and our hopes for this year. He even plugged my blog on air !

I hardly doubt this will turn into anything regular but it was fun to be on the radio today.

Afro, Sideburn and Mustache

2009-06-01T20:10:00.000-04:00

three words that could describe 1974 perfectly:

AFROS, SIDEBURNS and MUSTACHES

One of the most knowledgeable and generous Cub bloggers around, Paul at Wrigley Wax sent me the complete Topps 1974 team set of the Chicago Cubs. Twenty-seven cards which also include the Jerry Morales in a Padre uniform # 258 and Rookie Infielder Bill Madlock # 600.

However, the three cards that stand out to me are the Afro (Jose Cardenal # 185), Sideburn (Randy Hundley # 319) and Mustache (Bob Locker # 62). Those were the days . . .

Thank you Paul for the complete set and bringing me back to 1974.

Moyer gets win # 250

2009-06-01T00:50:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Jamie Moyer for earning his 250th win today . . . some of us remember a younger Moyer wearing the big red "C" on his blue cap and pitching for the Chicago Cubs.

Moyers' major league debut AND first victory was on June 16, 1986 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Interesting enough win # 250 on May 31, 2008 he is wearing the colors of the Phillies.

You have come so far and it all started in Chicago . . . Congratulations Jamie Moyer !

An interview on cardboard

2009-05-31T10:44:00.001-04:00

As I was putting the finishing touches on the 1991 binder for my daughter I came across this card which caught my attention at first and after a bit of research warranted this post.

This 1991 UpperDeck of Dave Smith #704, depicts him sitting casually on a folding chair doing an interview for WBBM NewsRadio. He has a half smile, his shoes are untied, has a cup of water (I am guessing) and just seems to be his normal "likable" self.

The interviewer has his finger pointing at Smith, as if he might have just said "good answer", is wearing argyle socks and what look like velcro shoes (or slippers).

The back of this card can be deemed fair at best. Only five of his eleven years of stats appear and the horizontal photo of his almost release shows a good two finger grip and grimace on his face but UD 1991 was not known for their card backs (nor the fronts for that matter either).

This card intrigued me because I remember Smith as a "bust-out" for the Cubs in 1991 and 1992 (going 0 - 6 with 17 saves while earning over $ 2 million a year) and was amused at the "interview" being portrayed on the card.

Smith did have several "great" years as a member of the Houston Astro's from 1980 - 1990. A two-time All-Star ('86 and '90) Smith is number two on the Astro all-time save list with 199 career saves. His change-up was once unhittable and he was voted onto the All Astro Dome team in 1999 upon the closing of that stadium. Smith had then gone on to coach for the San Diego Padres for several years.

The sad part about this is that Dave Smith passed away from a sudden heart attack in December 2008 at the very young age of 53. I still like this unique card and wonder what questions would have been asked if one only knew how short his life would be.

Baseball's Book of First's

2009-05-30T16:25:00.000-04:00

I just bought this book as titled: Baseball's Book of Firsts.

An immediate qualifier is needed. I was at the book store looking for a high school graduation present for my most favorite teenager (other than my own daughter) and prior to checking out I stumbled by a bargain bin. As any baseball card show goer knows, we stop at all bargain bins anywhere and everywhere and lo and behold I found this most interesting book.

This book is NOT a novel of any sort, it has more space allocated to the photos than words and is filled with little appreciated "facts" describing more than 150 of baseball firsts. My kind of book.

A historical presentation as many of baseball's first were prior to the turn of the 20th century but author Lloyd Johnson does a very nice job of bringing in many "modern" day firsts as well.

There are only three chapters: 1 - Players; 2 - Leagues and Teams; 3 - The Game.

A couple of interesting (at least to me) firsts are:

The first Manager to endorse a nutrient drink ? answer: Charles Comisky in the 1880's as he led the St Louis Browns to four straight pennants with this unknown secret clubhouse drink.

The first player to wear his birthday on his back ? answer: Carlos May in 1968 wore uniform # 17 (his birthday is May 17).

The first player to wear a batting helmet ? answer: Willie Wells, a Negro League Hall of Fame shortstop, put on a miners helmet in 1905 to protect himself as he was known to lean his upper body (and head) directly over the plate in the strike zone.

This book has so many tidbits of baseball lore (firsts) that I just could not pass it up as I headed to the check out line. A bargain bin book purchase find at $ 1.99 was a baseball first for me.

Two returns in one week

2009-05-30T09:22:00.001-04:00

I start this post warning everyone that it has little to do with baseball cards and much to do about "nothing" (I say "nothing" sarcastically). It has been quite a week . . . for me.

It all started last Sunday, May 25 when my daughter returned to the USA from her almost one year in Finland. She left August 2, 2008 participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange program for high school students and after ten months of emails, IM's, Skype and old fashioned letter writing the HUGS we got at the airport at 6:25 pm last Sunday will be cherished forever. As our only child, we missed her terribly.

Jennifer, endured the cold and dark yet remarkable country of Finland. She attend the local University in Kuopio, stayed with four different families, traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, Sweden, Lapland and the Canary Islands and you all can read about her adventure if you so choose Jenny's Journal from Finland If any of you have children in high school, I highly recommend contacting your local Rotary club to get more information about this extraordinary program for your teenager.

This week has been a wonderful "reunion" with family and friends who all want to see Jennifer and more importantly for my wife and I getting to know our worldly and beautiful daughter all over again.

Monday was Memorial Day. We "celebrated and honored" our veterans which culminated with a red, white and blue food fest at our home with friends.

On Tuesday, after a day of rest and unpacking I gave my daughter her binder of 1991 baseball cards (thank you to the many bloggers who sent cards) and she was quite impressed. Her favorite color is yellow so naturally the 1991 Fleer is her "favorite" and she wants the complete set now. Though I acquired only about 100 cards, I may just have to spend $5 (or less) to buy the complete set for her. She also loves the "inappropriate" 1991 Score Dream Team and the 1991 Studio cards. She will never really be into collecting or really interested in baseball but she does like the color yellow and "cute guys".

Wednesday and Thursday were your non-descript regular weekdays though we are continuing to learn all about Jennifers year in Kuopio (the small town she lived in for ten months, five hours north of Helsinki).

Friday, my daughters bestest girlfriends threw her a party and all these teenagers had a wonderful get together; swimming, hot tub, food galore, silly string and laughter. A real nice reunion for my daughter who got to see so many she had missed.
Today is Saturday and my favorite teenager (besides my daughter) is graduating high school. She is a cancer survivor and my hero. I am so proud of her and is my motivation to continue participating in the ACS's Relay for Life for the rest of my life. Kimberly is a Harry Potter and now Twilight groupie, a lego, rubik cube and jigsaw puzzle genius, a superb photographer and has graduated with honors. Kimmy you are my hero !

and finally tomorrow, Sunday, will be here soon and I just heard that the re-broadcast of Ken Burns' Baseball will be on tv again. I remember watching this 18 1/2 hour historical and emotional mini-series in 1994 when it first premiered and highly recommend to any and all of you. It is not a highlight film of all the greatest moments in baseball; however it is the story of how our favorite game became our national pastime and is all about the personalities and "life" of baseball from the beginning.

So, for me, what a week it is: from my daughters return to the return of a Baseball classic . . .

Night(Owl) hits another homerun

2009-05-29T12:52:00.001-04:00

as generous bloggers go NIGHT OWL is right up there with the best of them.

A surprise package arrived in my mailbox a few days back (actually on May 16 my birthday, though Greg did not know that). I was extremely pleased to find this bubble mailer / surprise birthday present filled with Cubs cards galore.

Some of my favorites include the Sammy Sosa Christmas 2000 card (second from left in top row with red bow), the 2008 Goudey Kosuke Fukudome Rookie card (fourth card in top row) and two 1992 BCM cards depicting the 1970 style of Matt Williams and the Astro Rookie Stars; Bowen and Juden (fifth and sixth cards second row) .

I have to admit that since my scanner has not been working recently and my camera skills are less than adequate the above does not reflect the true appreciation of what was sent. Over 25 cards from 2008 Heritage to 1988 mini to to 1997 Pinnacle to 2009 UD. A great selection.

As birthday surprises go, it was the best. Thank you Night Owl !

my Bad(Wax) Luck

2009-05-28T17:35:00.001-04:00

in honor of a quarter million hits, BadWax held a rather random contest a few weeks back. Anyone could leave a comment and had to indicate the exact hit number we were at the time of our comment and share our most favorite post. In shear luck and randomness I won.

My luck and a most generous award was sent to me; the entire base set of the 2008 Allen & Ginter's includng SP's (350 cards) as well as the 50 state cards. Naturally I was and still am shocked yet very pleased.
This first picture showcases 11 inches of A & G (I was going to title this post "the 11 inch gift" but opted not to). These cards for those who are not familiar are an extra thick off-white card stock depicting artwork of every player.

A few of my favorite horizontal cards are the "Babe Ruth HR point" of Jim Thome, "leading off" of Ryan Braun, the "bat behind the back stretch" of Justin Morneau and the "airborne catch" of Eric Byrnes.

Most of the cards are actually the vertical style like "why are my eyes glancing to the left" from Greg Maddux, "in full gear" Jason Varitek and a nice "look over my shoulder" Edwin Encarnacion.

This set is extra special for a number of reasons and one of those are the non-baseball cards within the set. Such as top row of: Pablo Picaso, Jeff King (of Iditarod fame), Benjamin Franklin
and the bottom row of Billy Mitchell (Pac-Man champion), Joey Chestnut (hot dog eating champ) and Frank Morris (Rubik Cube fame).

A & G also had several sub-sets and one of the most popular are the state cards of which BadWax included. These cards are of even a heavier card stock than the base set and boast of a player from each state.
Three of special note are: Illinois - Curtis Granderson (I lived in Illinois for 42 years); Florida - Lastings Milledge (currently live in Florida) and Alaska - Curt Shilling (I never knew Alaska even had baseball).

This set is now going into a special binder, centered in my binder shelf and will be forever treasured as a most special set from a most generous "quarter million" blogger. Thank you BadWax !

two "special" cards

2009-05-19T20:30:00.001-04:00

for those of you who know me probably know I am a Cubs fan and prefer "vintage" cards to the "modern" cards (though I am a quiet Rays fan since I live the Tampa Bay area called Sarasota and am slowly coming around to appreciate some newer cards)

That being said, two cards came to me from Jim at GCRL that are worthy of a "special" designation. First of all they came from a very generous blogger and that always makes a card special - thank you again, Jim.

Secondly, both of these cards are Dodgers; ok true, not my favorite team by a long shot but coming from a Dodger fan makes them special as well. Many of us get flooded with cards of our favorite team's so when cards come from the senders favorite team, it should be noted as "special".

Probably not as important as the two reasons above but both of these cards are what I have termed as a "Clemente-ism" (look at some previous posts under my irregular special feature onthe right, if you need a explanation of what I mean).

This 1978 Steve Garvey # 350 showcases his batting average at the end of the '77 campaign at exactly .300 !

And this 1986 Steve Yeager # 32 after fourteen years as a Dodger has his total career homeruns at exactly 100 !

You will have to believe me because I purposely did not show the backs of these cards in hopes that some of you might look at your own collections and see if you can find any other "Clemente-isms", just to designate them "special" too.

And finally these two cards are special because they are Steve's . . . and anyone with the first name Steve in my book is "special".

a Motor City trade

2009-05-18T20:18:00.001-04:00

a couple of weeks back an email came across my path from a reader of my blog who was looking for some "vintage" Detroit Tiger card. Communication went back and forth a few times and a trade was easily agreed upon.

So, I sent out a handful of Tiger cards from the years 1966, 68, 71 and a Rusty Staub from 1979 any Tiger fan should appreciate (vintage or otherwise). In return I got a bunch of Cubs cards ranging in year from 1961 to 1975 including 5 cards from 1970 which is helping me put together another team set.

A couple of my other favorites are the "floating head" team photo from 1972 and the 1973 Batting Leaders with HOF'rs Billy Williams and Rod Carew.

This mystery reader also looked at my want list and included three Topps All-Star cards I needed; a 1966 Marcelino Lopez of the Angels # 155, a 1972 Chris Chambliss of the Indians # 142 and the 1973 Jon Matlack of the Mets # 55.

I really like readers of our blogs who make trades, regardless of whether they have blogs or not. Everyone participates in this blogging world in different ways and I only hope the cards I sent are finding their new home as friendly and safe as my new cards are. Thank you Tiger Fan.

way too busy of a card

2009-05-17T10:44:00.001-04:00

maybe it is just me but i like cards that highlight a player; especially those old fashioned posed photos from the "vintage" days of baseball cards (ie sixties and seventies).

Action shots are nice when players are turning double plays, sliding into home with a dust cloud or swinging for the fences but when I saw this "action card" (2004 Topps Kyle Farnsworth # 232) it made me think this is "way too busy" for my liking.

The 84 Lumber ad is larger than the Cubs logo and the red shirted bleacher "security guy" in the back row draws my eyes to the packed outfield (it is a nice left field stadium shot).

I realize the Farnsworths' pitching career is rather un-remarkable and should go unnoticed (career wins 30, career saves 27 with a 4.47 era) so maybe it is appropriate that he is a second thought and goes unnoticed on this card as well.

I think I am going back to my "vintage" binder to appreciate some old posed / air brushed photos.

Birthday Wishes for . . .

2009-05-16T13:50:00.000-04:00

Rick "Big Daddy" Reuschel, born on May 16 1949. Standing 6 foot four and weighing in at 225 pounds Reuschel was an intimidating figure on the mound.

A 3X all-star (1977, 87 and 89) Reuschel played for nineteen season and is most remembered for being a Chicago Cub (more than half his career was in Chicago). His only 20 win season came in 1977 as a Cub and was 3rd in Cy Young voting that year.

His career numbers of 214 - 191 with 102 complete games, 26 shutouts tell just a small part of his story. Reuschel pitched over 3500 innings; and in a eight year span form 1973 to 1980 he had more than 230 IP each year. His strikeout to walk ratio of 2.15 (2015 K's to 935 walks) and his career era of 3.37 are both very respectable. He did have two World Series appearances; 1981 with the Yankees and 1989 for the S F Giants.

Happy Birthday "Big Daddy" Reuschel . . . today I celebrate with you . . . oh did I mention that today May 16 is also my birthday and I got myself a new set of wheels.

20 % done 80 % to go

2009-05-16T13:40:00.004-04:00

Your first thought might be that this post is about a set I am trying to complete and letting everyone know how far I have to go but no, I would not be advertising if I had such a long road ahead.

What I am alluding to is that I can not believe that the baseball season is already 20 % complete (most teams have played 32 games, give or take) and it is already over one month into this young season. It does seem like just a few days from opening day.

Being a numbers guy as I am (that is the former math teacher coming out in me) I was looking at some statistics and am interested to know how some players and teams might perform, such as:

a) Evan Longoria has 44 RBI's . . . projected to 220 . . . will he break Hack Wilson's record of 191 ?

b) Aaron Hill has 54 hits . . .projected to 270 . . . can he break Ichiro's 262 hits ?

c) Zack Greinke . . . 6 wins . . . projected at 30 . . . will he be the first since McClain to see 30 Wins ?

d) Juan Pierre hitting .426 . . . Youkilis is at .393 . . . will either of them stay the course and threaten a year long average of .400 ?

e) Blue Jays and Dodgers . . . 22 wins . . . will they be able to flirt with the Mariners 2001 "record" of 116 ?

f) will either the Nationals or Indians continue with their losing ways and challenge the 1962 Mets futility of 120 losses ?

I am fairly confident the records mentioned above will stand pat though if I was a betting man I might put some money on Longoria to break Wilson's RBI record. The season is only 20 % done . . . lots of games to go . . .

P.S. I thought this had posted to my blog a few days ago but in error I guess I never clicked on the "publish post" button . . . this all might be old news by now, but because I wrote it I am now posting it . . . this season has a long way to go . . .

Was Harry Bright?

2009-05-12T18:08:00.001-04:00

It might sound like a strange question but Harry Bright had a rather quiet nine year major league career. Though originally drafted by the N Y Yankees prior to the 1946 campaign it would take him 12 years before he had his major league debut in 1958 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bright would also go on to play for the Senators in 1961 and 1962, appeared in one game only for the Reds in 1963, then being purchased by the Yankees in 1963 (appeared in four games in 1964) before signing on as a free agent for the Chicago Cubs in 1965.

His best and only year as a regular was in 1962, playing in 113 games and hitting 17 homeruns for the Senators. Bright also appeared twice as a Yankee, in the 1963 World Series, as a pinch hitter, striking out both times. In game one of the 1963 series, Bright was actually Sandy Koufax's 15th strikeout, a record strikeout at the time.

So this card, # 227 Topps 1960 stating his team as the Chicago Cubs was quite a mystery to me at first. When I was reviewing the team roster and stats for the 1959 (and 1960) Chicago Cubs, there was no mention of Harry Bight anywhere. So you may be asking yourself, how did Bright get on a 1960 Chicago Cub card if he never appeared as a Cub until 1965 ?

Simply put, the Cubs drafted him in November of 1959 in the "rule 5" draft and returned him to the Pirates in April of 1960. Obviously too late for correcting this Topps had his "right" team at the time, though his uniform is clearly that of a Pirate (note the banding around the collar and vest).

It was probably only a strange coincidence that Bright ended up in a Chicago Cub uniform in 1965, though he only appeared in 27 games with 25 at -bats getting seven hits and striking out eight times.

I think Harry must have been very Bright . . . having the ability to have a 1960 Chicago Cub card for my collection, though not playing for them until five years later.

Baseball's Greatest Hits from OH

2009-05-11T18:03:00.008-04:00

my wife came into the house this afternoon exclaiming "you have a package". I like getting packages. (I feel compelled to mention at this time, that even though I get home before the wife, she gets the mail - has done that for years and she just does it. I think she likes to get the mail, though I am not really sure because I never asked otherwise).

Anyways, today's bubble mailer was a rather pleasant surprise from "Baseball Dad" Jack of All Tribe Baseball a long time Cleveland Indian fan. In this package was a CD, yes a CD. He had mentioned a contest of sorts in a post a few weeks back and to be perfectly honest, I totally forgot about it, but am glad he did not.

This CD is a collection of 22 of Baseball's Greatest Hits (hence the title of the CD) and includes such classics as "Who's on First" by Abbott & Costello; "Say Hey" (The Willie Mays Song); "Willie, Mickey and the Duke"; "Casey at the Bat"; "Lou Gehrig's Farewell Speech" and Chicago Cub favorites like Steve Goodman's "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" and "The Land of Wrigley".

This is now playing in my computer and I really like this selection of music and baseball lore on a CD. Jack also included a few Cubs cards; and I especially like the larger than life bat in your face Julio Zuleta 2002 Topps Total and the Kenny Lofton 2003 Fleer depicting the 1963 Fleer design.

Jack, thank you very much for remembering me . . . and for sharing Baseball's Greatest Hits !

Happy Mom's Day

2009-05-10T11:58:00.009-04:00

An official Happy Mothers Day greeting to all the Mom's out there including my own Mom, step-mom and wife.

In honor of Mom's Day I thought I would write a post about children (more specifically two daughters) because without these two girls today would be very different.

To begin with, I present my own daughter, who for those of you who read my blog may remember that my Jennifer, graduated high school in May of 2008 and was accepted into the long-term Rotary Youth Exchange of Florida program that has sent her to Finland for this past year. If you want to read about her adventures please go here: Jenny's Journal from Finland Thankfully she gets her writing skills from her Mother.

"an american in Paris"

petting a real reindeer in Lapland Finland, in the arctic circle, during Christmas time

Jennifer will be returning to the USA on May 24th, it has been a looooong year without her and I do miss her terribly. She will be attending Flagler college (St Augustine Florida) in the fall to begin her "new" life as a college student. As Jenny has reminded me in many emails and IM's "Daddy, I am so much more grown up and independent now and so ready for college . . . but I will always be your little girl".

Jennifer was born in 1991 and as some of you may know (even have helped out) I am still putting together a binder of cards from 1991 as a surprise for her. She is still my little girl who hopefully will always be my little baseball partner. Thanks to my wife who is Jennifer's Mommy . . . today is for both of you.

While my daughter went off to Finland last summer, my wife and I "adopted" an exchange student as a replacement (that is one of the unwritten rules of the program) . We were blessed to be able to call Vivian our daughter this past fall. Vivian is from Taiwan and we now have two new countries we "must" visit. Today, I thank her Mom for allowing us to be "parents" to Vivian this past year. Of course I had to take her to a Rays game !

Today is a day to thank some very special Moms; especially Jennifers and Vivians.

Happy Mothers Day to all !

My Last Card Show

2009-05-09T17:15:00.001-04:00

I just got back from my last card show . . . not for ever but for the season. You see, down here in Sarasota Florida, cards shows are small and mostly organized by "northerners". They are all returning to PA, IL, NY, IN, OH or even the great country due north of us called Canada.

So the show I have attended each month since January will be taking a six month hiatus . . . my opportunity to "indulge" myself as fellow blogger Mark of Marks Ephemera likes to put it. I did just that and stayed away from the bargain bins and only bought a few "pricier" cards I really "needed" and stayed "vintage". My scanner is not working (which only compounds some other issues I have been having these past few weeks) but I did find a camera to take a photo of my finds.

top row: 1960 Chicago Cubs: Dick Gernert, Richie Ashburn and Dale Long (I now have 25 of 33 to complete my team set)

second row: ToppsAll-Star Rookie Cards: 1964 Gary Peters and Al Weis of the Chicago White Sox; 1966 Ron Swoboda N Y Mets, 1967 Dave(y) Johnson Baltimore Orioles and 1978 Gary Alexander of the S F Giants

third row: 1970 California Angels team card # 522 (being my 685th card of the set, missing only 35 now); 1972 Chicago Cub Glenn Beckert "in action" and a 1963 Fleer Clay Dalrymple (my real only big $$ card and I am still a long way from completing this set but getting closer by one is always nice)

bottom row: 1974 Chicago Cubs Pina, Mitterwald, Aker and Hiser . . . just because I they were there.

All in all I kept to my "want" list (mostly) and am very happy. Now I am off to a pre-Mom's Day celebration which gives me the opportunity to say Happy Mothers Day to all you Mom's out there !

While today was my last "traditional" card show for the season, I shall still search out for cards I like or need via more modern methods (ie blogger generosity and ebay). Now I hope to get my life in order and my scanner working again !

Today in Baseball History: the first black manager

2009-05-08T22:37:00.000-04:00

most of you are thinking that Frank Robinson was the first black manager in major league baseball but technically speaking it is actually Ernie Banks.

Coach Banks had to act as manager for one day, today May 8, 1973, when then manager Whitey Lockman was ejected in the 11th inning against the San Diego Padres.

No other coach was available on the bench so "Mr Cub" Ernie Banks stepped in for the final two innings as the Cubs outlasted the Padres 3 -2 in 12 innings. Banks never again "played" manager and left coaching a few years later with a 1 - 0 won/loss record.

It would be two years later that Robinson would become the first full-time manager in 1975 for Cleveland. The Sporting News Official Baseball Guide for 1974 states that on May 8, 1973 "Ernie Banks became the major leagues first black manager, yet only for a day".

I broke down

2009-05-08T16:12:00.000-04:00

if you are a horse racing fan I do not mean what you are thinking . . . for the rest of you . . . I made a set purchase I vowed not to do since I re-entered this hobby several months ago.

Some of you may remember that several months ago at a local card show I grabbed a bunch of Cubs cards from a bargain bin (20 cards for $ 1.00) and two cards (the 1995 Flair Mark Grace #332 and Sammy Sosa #334) made a unique impression on me. Being a vintage kind of guy, this set intrigued me for some odd reason. I was able to pick up a few other cards a month later in another bargain bin find (12 to be exact) and that just fueled my fire.

For the last few months I have been looking at ebay, craigslist, sportlots and checkoutmycards trying to decide how and where I could find or put together the complete set. I sometimes even asked myself "why".

Last week I broke down and found the complete set (432 cards) for sale on ebay, went ahead and put in a bid. After a few days of increasing in $ .50 increments the set was mine for under $ 12.00 (not including shipping). I am not sure if that s a good price or fair price - I dont really care . . . I like this set and am glad I "won".

Now a bit about this set: the 1995 Flair has 432 cards in the basic set; series I and series II with seven subsets (now my real hunt begins). The fronts feature a horizontal border less design with a dual photograph and the backs are the traditional vertical alignment and showcase a third mostly full body, though cropped at the knees, photo.

The stats on the back only show five or six years of play though do highlight some players minor league performances, if only in the bigs for a couple of years. That to me is the only down side from this set, because I do like looking at a whole career worth of numbers but I do like the photography. Every card, as much as I can tell, are single player photos - no one lurking, no one sharing space, no other player on any ones card except for the player themselves.

The Cubs have fifteen (15) cards, part in series I and part in series II. For those who remember, 1995 was the year Ryne Sandberg "retired" and is not included in this set. A disappointment for this Cubs fan but . . .

I will be putting this complete set in nine pocket page protectors sheets and start looking for those subsets. If any of you are interested in my "doubles" let me know (I only have 12 but they are fair game to anyone) . . . I have Garrett Anderson, Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Larkin, Alex Gonzalez, Ron Gant, Ryan Klesko, J T Snow, Javier Lopez, Randy Johnson, Bobby Jones, Dante Bichette and Jim Edmonds - my doubles of Grace and Sosa are going to a special young Cubs fan I know.

I dont breakdown very often and am still not sure why I have taken a liking to this "modern" set but . . . I did . . . break down that is.

Kudos to Longoria

2009-05-04T17:40:00.001-04:00

It was announced today that Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays won the AL player of the week award for this past week. Longoria went 7 for 19 with two round trippers including that grand slam in the season opener against Boston on Thursday.

Longoria is the first repeat winner this year and needless to say, Longoria is becoming the heart and soul of the young Rays and just might make a run for AL MVP (if the Rays can put together few more wins and make 2009 a repeat performance of last years AL Championship team).

Early in the week, Longoria collected his 100th RBI of his career, in only his 135th game. That ranks him third behind Ryan Braun (118 games) and Albert Pujols (131 games) as the fastest to reach that plateau amongst active players.

As an aside, being a Cubs fan living in Sarasota, the Tampa Bay Rays are the AL team I root for. I actually attended the game this past Saturday against the BoSox - being the only game the Rays lost as they took three out of four over the weekend. I probably will stay away from now on, maybe.

I still have a hard time grasping indoor/domed baseball, although Tropicana is very family friendly, being indoors is just not "right" (that is just the traditionalist coming out in me). I did have a great time though . . . (sorry no pictures).

Congratualtions to Longoria . . . Lets Go Rays !

Today is a special day

2009-05-03T16:30:00.001-04:00

for several reasons but most importantly for Chicago Cubs fans. Today at Wrigley Field is when uniform # 31 will officially be retired honoring pitching greats Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux.

Jenkins, already a HOF'r (1991 inductee) will be joined by Maddux in a few years (probably a first ballot inductee in 2013). A look at their careers provides us some insight into two of the greatest pitchers of their, or any, era.

Jenkins: 19 year career, 4500 innings pitched, 3192 strikeouts / 997 walks issued, 284 wins, 267 complete games and pitched over 300 innings five times (four consecutive from 1968 - 1971). Won his first Cy Young in 1971 as a Chicago Cub !

Maddux: 23 year career, 5008 innings pitched, 3371 strikeouts / 999 walks, 355 wins, 109 complete games won 15 or more games in seventeen consecutive years. Won his first Cy Young in 1992 as a Chicago Cub !

Some other noteworthy milestones / dates:
Ferguson Jenkins: hit 13 career homeruns; on May 7, 1969 pitched a 12 inning complete game (finally losing 4 -2 to the L.A. Dodgers); on June 4, 1971 earned his 100th win (an 11 - 0 shutout of the Atlanta Braves); threw 24 complete games in a 28 game stretch from July 21, 1970 to May 23 1971 and on May 25, 1982 became the seventh pitcher to record 3000 strikeouts; striking out Gerry Templeton.

Greg Maddux: hit five career homeruns; on Sept 13, 1988 became the first Chicago Cub pitcher since Jenkins in 1971 to beat every NL team in one season, beating the Phillies 9 - 2; on Aug 7, 2004 notched his 300th victory, leading the Cubs to a 8 - 4 win over the San Fransisco Giants; and on July 26, 2005: became the 13th pitcher to record 3000 strikeouts fanning Omar Vizquel.

So, today, Congratulations are in order for Jenkins and Maddux, the Chicago Cub organization for finally getting # 31 to hang from the foul pole, all Cubs fans and any other basbeall fan of solid control style pitching.

Today also marks my first post in over a week. I have just been rather busy with "life" and have had a lack of time to write "intelligently" (though I have read many many, and transacted a few trades). I will try to get back to my normal writing groove this week - I am sure I was not missed. In a future post I will explain in more detail what I have been up to instead.

Today is also a birthday of a friend of mine who is turning 49. We were college roommates and share many memories. He is "celebrating" his last year of his first half centrury . . . Happy Birthday Steve (yes we also share first names).

Today is a special day . . .

when colors work

2009-04-26T10:28:00.000-04:00

there have been several recent posts about color combinations on cards and what works and what does not work. I am learning how to look at cards differently because of some insight I have taken from numerous experienced bloggers and I thank you all for that.

For me, I am still an "old-timer", a traditionalist, preferring the simplicity of the "vintage" cards photography and as a numbers guy (former high school math teacher coming out in me) I tend to notice things on the back of the cards more readily. Check out my irregular special feature termed "Clemente-ism" for some of my discoveries. When it comes to the modern and action photography and use of colors on the front, I am still rather raw.

Since I started this blog in late December 2008, my collection has taken a drastic turn . . . I now have over 1000 Chicago Cubs cards from 1990 thru 2009 (now that may not seem like alot but prior to December I had only 28 post 1990 cards). So I am learning to expand my horizons, appreciate "modern" cards in a different light and starting to look at cards from a new angle.

In getting back to what this post is about "when colors work", I found this Donruss Studio 2002 Moises Alou. There is just something about the Cubs colors and the American Flag that work. I also like the film strip with sights from the Chicago skyline as a black and white contrast. The posed photo of Alou has a rather corny smile but the chest logo is completely visible and the old cubby bear logo on the sleeve is also half way showing.

Red, white and blue . . . the Cubs logo . . . the American Flag . . . colors that work !

"The Original" Frank Thomas

2009-04-25T17:12:00.004-04:00

for those of you to new to baseball to know, there was indeed a Frank Thomas who hit homeruns before the Frank Thomas you are thinking of. This Frank Thomas burst on the scene full time in Pittsburgh, in 1953, blasting 30 round trippers with 102 rbi's while finishing in the top twenty in MVP voting.

A solid power hitter, this Frank Thomas took over the reigns from HOF'er and legendary Ralph Kiner in 1953 and played the next six years with the Pirates, hitting 163 homeruns. 1958 was Thomas' best year blasting 35 HR's and driving in 109 (both ranked 2nd in the NL behind Cub great and HOF'er Ernie Banks) and finishing fourth in MVP voting. For his efforts, Thomas actually appeared on the cover of sports illustrated on July 28, 1958.

This Frank Thomas was a Chicago Cub in 1960 (coming over from the Cincinnati Reds in 1959, note his uniform) and part of 1961. One of the nicest guys in baseball, always smiling (note his slight smile in this 1960 Topps card # 95) and one of the most feared power hitters of his day.

His career spanned sixteen years, with seven teams ending up in Chicago once again in 1966 before calling it quits. His fianl numbers of 1671 hits a .266 BA to go along with his 286 HR's and 962 RBI's are not too shabby. If you are interested in learning more about this "original" Frank Thomas I highly recommend you check this out: the Original Frank Thomas .

Thomas did play for the "original" New York Mets in 1962 leading the team in HR's (34) and RBI's (94). This Frank Thomas was the "original" . . . . twice !

a Sandberg grimace

2009-04-25T12:33:00.001-04:00

I am not sure if I like seeing cards of players with a grimace on their face (especially a HOF'r or great Chicago Cub) but nonetheless this Ryne Sandberg 1997 Topps Stadium Club card certainly does.

Sandberg is obviously sliding into second base and that look on his face pains me just to imagine what actually hurts.

A second thing I am not sure of is whether Sandberg is safe or out (I would like to think he beat the throw and tag) and am also curious who that "other" player is on the card.

I much prefer seeing Sandberg with the "my head is too big for my body" look . . .

my first relic

2009-04-23T12:35:00.000-04:00

in a trade that was completed a couple of weeks back, Matt from heartbreaking cards of staggering genius sent me (4) 1970 Topps cards I needed from my want list - I had previously sent him (4) 1971 Topps from his list. However, that was not enough as Matt included a post-it note stating "here are some bonus Cubs for you".

The words "some" and "bonus" do not adequately describe what he sent: about 50 cards from some early eighties (1981 Fleer Jim Tracey; 1983 Donruss Gary Woods and Dave Henderson, and 1985 Donruss Leaf Jody Davis and Keith Moreland) to "modern" cards of today including: 2009 Topps Heritage (a new favorite of mine since they correspond to the Topps 1960's set, my birth year - this set is also on my birthday wish list given to my wife and daughter, birthday being in May). Hopefully they read my blog . . .

and my first A & G Relic bat card: Derrek Lee ! This mini card is in a single screw plastic holder which adds thickness to the scan so that is why it is a little blurry. I like this card, especially the colorful palm tree leaves in the corners (reminds me of my life in Florida especially while I am indoors writing and reading blogs).

All of the other cards Matt sent have now been added to my team sets, year by year binders and greatly appreciated.

Thank you Matt for adding a new definition to the words "some"and "bonus" ! And especially for my first relic card !

Rickey's 3000

2009-04-22T14:45:00.000-04:00

for so many Rickey Henderson will be remembered as the "greatest" base stealer of all time, the "greatest" leadoff hitter of all time and as being flamboyant and arrogant. Henderson holds many all-time records and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer after appearing on 94.8 % of ballots.

Of his 297 career homeruns; 81 were leadoff homers a major league record. His 1406 stolen bases will never be threatened - ever. He ranks first all time in runs scored with 2295 and 2nd all time in walks with 2190. A ten time all-star, 3 time silver slugger awardee and the 1990 MVP is all rather commonly known.

I like to think of Henderson is terms of one stat many times over looked; he did have 3055 hits, ranking 20th all time (as of writing this post).

Thanks to Jim at gcrl Rickey's 2002 Topps card arrived a few days ago amoungst all those Cubs cards. The front has him swinging for the fences though the back of his card indicates exactly 3000 hits at seasons end (something I have termed as a clemente-ism). This card will be proudly put right next to Clemente's 1973 card - backs facing front !

So for whatever reason you want to remember and think of Rickey Henderson, he is someone who knew how to get on base. Here is to him reaching over 3000 hits and having it highlighted on his card!

Born in 1960: Dave Valle

2009-04-21T09:58:00.001-04:00

since I have not written a post in a couple of days (no good reason or excuse plugged in here) I have been reading plenty and thought I would revert back to an "irregular special feature" of mine I have neglected: players born in the year I was born - 1960.

Today I present Dave Valle (pronounced "valley"); a 1978 2nd round draft choice held onto a thirteen year big league career who played the majority of his games in Seattle (1984-1993) and had short stays with the Red Sox, Brewers and Rangers until he called it quits in 1996.

Primarily a catcher though Valle did play a bit at first base. He caught over 100 games in only four big league seasons having played catcher in only 902 career games. Valle hit 77 HR's, drove in 350 runs had a career BA of .237 and would you believe also had 5 stolen bases (ok he got caught stealing seven times too).

Valle's biggest "claim to fame" might have been in 1993 when he led the league in being hit by a pitch with 17. Another story I read about Valle that in Seattle in the early 90's bars around Seattle would price beer based on his batting average - today that sounds like a great deal.

When Valle left baseball he became a color commentator for the Mariners and probably most importantly in 1995 he founded a non-profit organization called Espernza. Valle and his wife have strong ties to the Christian community (Valle is a strong student of the bible as well) and helps families in severe need in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Valle organizes golf outings, fund raisers and makes numerous trips to this area every year.

A not-so-spectacular major league career has brought Valle into a rather super-spectacular after baseball career.

Congratulations to Dave Valle . . . for being born in the same year as me and giving back more than baseball gave him.

Congratulations to Sheffield ? !

2009-04-18T10:45:00.000-04:00

Gary Sheffield hit home run # 500, on April 17, 2009 in a NY Met pinch hitting role; becoming just the 25th player to join that once exclusive club. Sheffield hit his first home run on September 9, 1988 as a Milwaukee Brewer.

It was twenty one years ago that Sheffield appeared in a major league uniform, with a gold chain, silver braces and a label of a "future star". Since then he has been mired in controversy and played in an era (steroids) that will be forever tainted. However, he has reached this "milestone" and should be given his due (for at least one day).

A career .292 batting average, over 2600 hits, 1600 RBI's and 450 doubles; 5 silver slugger awards, 9 time all-star, one world series ring (1997 Marlins), a batting title (1992) and now membership in the 500 HR club.

From his little league days to today . . . congratulations are in order for Gary Sheffield . . .Uncle Dwight is proud of you . . . your granddad is smiling and you finally made "the club" . . . now what ? !

Topps 1970: card # 14 Hank Allen

2009-04-18T00:12:00.003-04:00

Harold Andrew Allen will be most remembered as Dick (Richie) Allen's older brother. Hank did play seven years in the big leagues; with the Washington Senators (1966-70), Milwaukee Brewers (1970) and the Chicago White Sox (1972-73).

Hank played third base, second base, first base, outfield and even appeared in one game as a catcher. His best year was in 1969 as a Senator, playing in 109 games and reaching career highs in batting average (.277), hits (75), runs (42) and RBI's (17).

Having hit six home runs in his career he ranks second in the family; behind Richie's 351 and youngest brother Ron who hit one. This trio of brothers ranks 11th in most home runs by a brother combination with 358; albeit Richie holds the torch.

I found a quote by Hank from the Baseball Almanac that I thought was right on. "I enjoyed it (being a major league ball player & Washington Senator) but remember . . . baseball is what I did. It is not who I am".

sidebar for an editorial comment: maybe more sports and or entertainment stars should think more like Hank and understand that is "what they do" not who they are. We should all be defined by who we are and not by what we do professionally. Thanks Hank for reminding me of that.

Hank Allen . . . card # 14 in 1970 . . . Richie's older brother.

a "vintage" trade that is "birth-year" good

2009-04-17T12:50:00.000-04:00

when Adam of Thoughts and Sox offered some 1960 Cubs cards for trade, our email communication started. It was easy for me as being the Cub fan I am, preferring "vintage" cards from my youth and being born in 1960 this was a no brainer.

I sent Adam a couple of dozen Red Sox cards from 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1971 . . . and I got nineteen of the 1960 Chicago Cubs (yes the real old ones actually from 1960 not the Heritage version - although those are nice too). I am now only a few cards shy of completing the Cubs Team set from 1960.

here are just a few of "my birth year" cards: don't you just love that cute little cub bear face in the bottom left corner. I find it rather creative (for the year) in the use of different color backgrounds for the black and white player photos. I also like the horizontal look, though the manager cards were vertical, and the Rookie Star card with the red, white and blue stripe. I will scan more of these soon.

Adam was also kind enough to send a few "modern" Cubs cards "just because" he is a nice guy and I greatly appreciated them as well.

Thank you Adam for making this "vintage" trade Birth-year good !

1993 Upper Deck All Time Heroes

2009-04-16T13:35:00.000-04:00

It has taken some time but I finally have completed sorting, storing and logging in all the Cubs Cards that Jim at gcrl sent me and I found these three unusual (shaped) cards (at least they were to me).

A little bit of digging found these are from the 1993 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes set. This set includes 165 cards (130 regular and 35 in what is called "classic combinations"), measure 2 1/4" x 5 1/4" and feature a three panel look. These cards are patterned after the T-202 Hassan Triple Folder cards of 1912.

The regular set of cards have a candid or action shot of the player in the larger middle pane with a portrait style photo on the left. The right panel has the B A T (Baseball Assistance Team) logo.

The backs have a nice bio of the player, a nickname and career highlights to go along with a description of the BAT cause (an organization to help baseball families in need).
Ferguson Jenkins # 74: Mr Durability

Ron Santo # 113: Hot Corner Hero

The classic combination cards have center panels featuring artwork or photographs of the "all time great" and the side panels have portrait style photos as well. The backs have the side panels with the bio's and the middle panel describing the players association with each other.
Tinker - Evers # 147: Hall of Fame Infield

These are quite unusual cards in many ways and I think I like them. Thank you Jim, for introducing these cards to me. That is one of the great things about this blogosphere we participate in . . . learning, exploring new ground and enjoying new cards.

If anyone has these cards and have tips on storing them, please help me. If anyone has any of these cards and does not want to store them . . . I will find them a good clean safe home.

These 1993 Upper Deck All-Time Great (BAT) cards are now on my "look for" list.

4 reasons to celebrate today

2009-04-15T15:35:00.000-04:00

April 15th is designated as Jackie Robinson Day - the day baseball changed forever and is forever grateful for the courage, sportsmanship and athletic ability of # 42. The barriers of color were removed from the major leagues in 1947 and we do celebrate that !

Twenty five years later another barrier was broken - that of facial hair with Reggie Jackson appearing in a game on this date in 1972 with a mustache. Nowhere equal in its significance as Jackie Robinson but certainly worth celebrating.

Here are my latest mustache finds . . . thanks to Reggie.

April 15th also marks "tax day" - a reason to celebrate if you know any or are an accountant (I am not but do have friends that celebrate the end today)

And lastly today, April 15th, we celebrate a birthday; Woodie Fryman. A two time all-star (1968, 1976) Fryman played for 18 seasons; most notably with the Pirates, Phillies, Tigers and Expos. A career record of 141-155 with 1587 strikeouts, Fryman had a very solid career.
Fryman also played one season with the Chicago Cubs, 1978, going 2 - 4 and appearing in only 13 games. Fryman had four one hitters in his career and is my fourth reason to celebrate today.

April 15th . . . a day to celebrate for many reasons.

Topps 1970: card #13 Jack Hiatt

2009-04-15T10:37:00.003-04:00

a backup catcher who played nine seasons with six different teams having his only multi-year stay as a San Francisco Giant (1965-69). A career .251 hitter, limited power (22 career home runs) and had more strikeouts than hits in his career (295K's to 287 hits).
Hiatt did play for the Chicago Cubs, briefly as it was, in 1970; appearing in 66 games and belting 2 home runs.

Hiatt's "career day" was on April 24, 1969 when he hit two home runs and drove in seven; with a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 13th inning.

Jack Hiatt, card # 13 from 1970 . . .

an ebay find

2009-04-14T15:45:00.000-04:00

as a 1970's set collector (as in the "boring gray border" set from 1970) I could not pass up the opportunity to purchase the 1992 Baseball Card Magazine full panel cards portraying the 1970 design.

Finding these cards is difficult, let alone finding the panels in tact. I found a guy selling six of the eleven panels (the set has 8 cards per panel and is only an 88 card set) and I could not resist. I am still not sure if I am going to cut them (carefully) and store them as singles of keep the panels in tact.

For now I have cards numbered 25 thru 30, 39 thru 64, 73 thru 80 and 81 to 88 (uncut).

Here is my favorite panel because it showcases the only two Chicago Cubs in the set; Andre Dawson # 44 and Ryne Sandberg# 47. Pretty nice to have 7 HOF'rs and two future candidates on one panel.
The backs are equally interesting with "The Investment Advisor" (remember these were printed in 1992, back in the glut of the marketplace).

I like these cards and would like to complete the set if anyone knows of anyone with any of these cards . . . . I will keep on looking on ebay . . . because you never know what you may find there.

Ten Days Ago . . .

2009-04-14T00:22:00.001-04:00

was the official start of Major League Baseball for 2009; as the Braves beat the Phillies on Opening Night. Just ten days ago . . .

While there have been many surprises (both good and bad) on the field, it is the off field shockers that have been the center of our thoughts.

The most untimely and tragic death of Nick Adenhart to the most recent deaths of Harry Kalas and Mark "the Bird" Fidyrich. Each of these three individuals brought a unique flavor to the game we all love.

Adenhart with his youthful drive, strength and courage to work "harder than most his age" to become a top prospect and leave this world all too early, pitching a masterpiece in his last game on the mound.

Kalas, the "voice of the Phillies", sudden death after he collapses in the announcers booth prior to Mondays game - leaving the game he devoted his life to, a city, friends and fans all around baseball. It was only fitting that the Phillies played and won that day in his honor.

And Fidyrich, who played the game "like a kid", wacky,and quirky, a one year wonder thirty three years ago. He lived and now died in his quiet and simple (after baseball) life as he preferred.

All three of these men, so different as they are, will all be remembered for their accomplishments and long lasting images within the baseball world.

Just ten days ago the season started . . . so much is missing already. I just hope that there are no more off the field shocks like we have just had.

Opening Day at Wrigley

2009-04-12T21:45:00.000-04:00

Monday April 13, will mark the 73rd Opening Day baseball game at Wrigley Field as the Cubs will play host to the Colorado Rockies.

While I will not be able to be there, being as I live in Sarasota Florida . . . . I thought I would share a photo and recap of the very first Opening Day.

The Cubs won 4 -2 against the Cincinnati Reds. I find it interesting to see that the box score has the visiting team listed below the home team and that rbi's were not part of the box score, instead they highlighted the defensive moments of putouts and assists.
The article also says the Cubs "celebrated in grand fashion with a 4 - 2 thrashing" and that 33,000 were in attendance and the time of the game was 1:37. A fast paced game though the final score surely does not indicate a "thrashing".

The Cubs would end the season in fourth place with a 82-72 record, seven games behind the World Champion St Louis Cardinals.

I hope that Opening Day 2009 results are the same - with a Cubs win !

Happy Easter, Luke

2009-04-12T00:40:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and what better day of the year to honor former Negro League and Cleveland Indian "star" named Luke Easter.

While I never saw him play or even had heard of him prior to doing some Easter "research", it seemed only appropriate to do a post today on him.
Standing 6'4" tall and weighing in at 240 lbs, Easter was a powerful man who led the Negro League in HR and RBI's in 1948 and led the Homestead Grays to victory in the last Negro League World Series ever held. From there he was signed by Bill Veeck, the then owner of the Cleveland Indians.

Having a strong performance in the minors in 1949, Easter was called up briefly that year and then won the regular first baseman's "job" in 1950, prompting a trade of All-Star Mickey Vernon.

The next three years in Cleveland (1950, 51 and 52) Easter would hit a combined 86 HR's and drive in 307 runs. In 1952 Easter would finish 13th in MVP voting. Knee and ankle troubles allowed Easter to only play briefly in '53 and '54, eventually calling his playing days over in 1954.
Easter was known for his tape measure homeruns and according to Bill James in his Historical Baseball Abstract; Easter is ranked as the second best first baseman in the history of the Negro Leagues. James also goes on to say "if you could clone him and bring him back, you'd have the greatest power hitter in baseball today, if not ever."

Luke Easter died in 1979, but I find no other player worthy of today's post. So . . . Happy Easter, Luke and Happy Easter everyone !

Three different views from 1979

2009-04-11T12:44:00.008-04:00

the decade of the seventies made several strides in card photography; from the stand, squat, swing, throw or just pose from the 1970's set (note the framed Cubs team set on the top right of my blog or my card by card chronicling of the 1970's set) to the emergence of "action" shots (real game photos) in the mid-late seventies.

Here are the three different views I found from the 1979 Cubs:

the typical pose for the camera during spring training; Bobby Murcer #135

to an "action" shot of the day, as 6'6" Dave "Kong" Kingman # 370, approaches the plate ready to either strikeout or blast the ball into orbit (in 1979 Kingman led the league in both, striking out 131 times and hitting 48 HR's).
or a very interesting angle that produces a "solid blue background" of Steve Ontiveros # 299

There you go . . . three different camera views from 1979 . . . we certainly have come a long way . . .

Today in Baseball history

2009-04-10T18:19:00.004-04:00

. . . the year was 1989, April 10th, and Ken Griffey Jr hit his first major league homerun as Seattle beat the Chicago White Sox 6 - 5. Nicknamed "the Kid", "the Natural" and "the Franchise" Griffey Jr has not disappointed.

Today is also Ken Griffey Sr's birthday - born in 1950 !

So Congratulations are in order to both ! The Griffey family certainly should celebrate "today in baseball history".

Shock and Reality

2009-04-10T11:54:00.003-04:00

The death of Nick Adenhart was a shock but it is also today's reality. My heart goes out to his family, and the Angels organization; I feel sad for so many of his friends and fans. I never knew anything about Adenhart, do not own his cards nor even knew of him before Thursday, but that does not change anything.

I want mention right here that no one should forget the other three persons in this car; two of whom perished and one who is in serious condition. Their situations are no less important or tragic than what we are all focused on. This accident is affecting so many families and so many people inside and outside of baseball.

And maybe that is what bothers me most; outside of baseball circles you hear very little if nothing of this accident. That is the reality of such an accident - we as a society have become very hardened and this sort of accident happens all too often. We are all too willing to accept bad behavior and give second chances. The driver of the minivan was n his second chance.

Maybe it is time for Major League Baseball to take a stand across our nation. What better way to make a long lasting memory for the Adenharts, Angels and the other families than for MLB to send a message to the over 60 million fans who attend games every year and the hundreds of millions who watch and/or listen to games on tv and radio.

Make a stand Major League Baseball - send the message ! It is time we change this reality !

Where and how do I start ?

2009-04-09T01:25:00.001-04:00

Three and a half months ago I started this blog and had no idea what, where, how or anything about the blogosphere, bloggers or the "new" hobby I had so loved way back when. Today I can honestly say I still have no idea of so many things but one thing is for sure - baseball card bloggers are some of the most generous people around !

Opening Day 2009 (yes April 6th) was a day to remember. The Cubs won and I received a "small" box of cards from Jim at gcrl . A say "small" as sarcastically as I can - it was a 400 count box filled with CUBS cards ! On the day the Cubs win I won too !

From Sandberg to Dawson to Wood, Sosa and Grace- so many swings and smiles to make my heart go beat beat beat. Did you notice the Sandberg and Dawson 1988 Leaf pop ups ? Upper left corner in photos (The ones with the outline around their torso).
Check out Sosa running so fast in his powerful stride that his helmet flies off (1997 Topps # 305) and Kerry Wood showing off his "secret" grip on the ball (2008 UD # 327).
Jim also sent some "vintage", heritage, tradition, archives and cards of stars from yesteryear. A batting champ (Madlock) a Hall of Famer (Jenkins) and half an all-star infield (Santo - Kessinger) plus a few Cubs that could have been somethings.

Did I mention that Jim sent a few cards . . .

So many more Cubs cards and so many 1991's from Fleer, Stadium Club, Topps, Leaf, and Studio 91; all for my daughters binder and did I mention some Cubs cards ? !

Something only a Rangers fan may find interesting; in the Fleer 1991 set, there is a pitcher named Jeff Russell and a catcher named John Russell - did they ever appear together as battery mates making a Russell Russell battery ?

Jim also sent a stack of O-Pee-Chee 1986 Cubs cards and several 1988 Pacific Trading (series 1) to get me closer to completing that set.

All in all, Jim sent me so many cards that as soon as I though I was getting organized, I have more to log in and store.

For me Opening Day 2009 will be remembered for the generosity of a blogger named Jim of gcrl the Dodger fan from Minnesota. Thank you !

1970 Topps: #12 John Hiller

2009-04-08T11:42:00.000-04:00

(because of Opening Night and Opening Day, I have been remiss in posting my card by card chronicle of the 1970 set, but now that the season is in "full" swing, I am going to resume and try to get caught up again)

John Frederick Hiller, a 15 year veteran pitcher who spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. His career began in September of 1965, though he only pitched in six innings that year and 2 IP in 1966; but saw considerable action as a relief pitcher in years to follow. In 1968, he had a 9 - 6 record with 2 saves and a 2.39 ERA for the World Series Champs earning Hiller a ring.

In January of 1971, Hiller suffered a heart attack which would sideline him for the entire '71 season. His recovery was long (remember it was 1971 and medical rehab was much much different) but the Tigers did invite him to spring training for 1972. He was left off the roster and asked to remain as the batting practice pitcher "coach". He did that and eventually in July of '72 was to rejoin the 25 man roster and remain on it for nine more years.

In 1973, marking Hillers full recovery and return to the Tigers, he lead the league in games (65) and broke the AL record for saves with 38. 1973 would award Hiller with the Hutch award and AL Comeback Player of the Year.

John Hiller currently holds the Tiger franchise record for games appeared in with 545; a Tiger for "life", for his career in Detroit and his toughness to comeback.

Opening Day

2009-04-07T13:05:00.001-04:00

April 6, 2009, (yesterday) marked the day that "real" baseball started and as usual there was a mixed bag of everything.

There was a snow-out, cold, rain, empty seats, errors, strikeouts, poor individual performances and teams that have disappointed their fans already BUT . . . there was also a lead off first inning homerun, many pitching gems, shadows (from the sun) creeping onto fields, a first-at-bat HR and plenty of teams that have showed early (albeit one game) promise.

While weather always is an issue for the midwest and northeast, April games usually provide a good look into what we have in store for many months to come. Playoff contending teams can not win the pennant in April, nor can a struggling team count themselves out too early. The season is long for a reason . . .for all of us to enjoy our favorite team or player and "fantasize" and dream of games in October that matter.

For me . . . the Cubs won ! I am happy ! I will be very happy if they are the last team to lose a game (just for kicks, who do you think will go undefeated the longest ?), stay in first place throughout the year, win 100 + games and break all of the "curses" of 101 years.

But today is another day, as tomorrow and the next will bring . . . daily wins or losses create hope that the season continues again for another day . . . win or lose "real" baseball is here . . . for six more months !

On a different yet equally upbeat note; yesterday also brought the mailman to my home . . . a most generous 400 count box of cards straight from my "want" list and a few surprises all from Dodger Jim gcrl who lives in Minnesota. It may take me a few posts to share all that Jim has sent so please stay tuned.

Thanks to the Cubs and to Jim . . . Opening Day 2009 was a double winner !

more from the show

2009-04-06T10:30:00.002-04:00

this being my second (and last) post "showing off" my finds at the card show this past Saturday I want to remind everyone that I did remember my promise to stick to my budget etc . . . and most of my "to do" promises for the wife . . .

For starters, I did pick up several 1970 Topps cards (mostly mid-high numbers) in addition to the ever elusive Al Oliver # 166 (gold trophy topps all-star rookie card). Since I am chronicling this set card by card I will not post any scans . . . yet. I am now at 683 of 720 or 95 % complete; soon I will have to splurge on the Reggie Jackson (#140), Henry Aaron (#500) and the Nolan Ryan (#712). Those are my only missing big ticket cards. Getting closer I am . . .

At the last show I went to I was introduced to the 1995 Flair set with my the one only card, Sammy Sosa #334 - I really like this card / set and added them to my "look for" list. I found a small handful, actually 13 of these heavy card stock cards, in a bargain basket.

These three show off the fronts of my new favorite "modern" set. I really like the horizontal look, double photo, and scripted initials of the players (the scans may not be so clear for that ). Finding a future HOF'er (possibly two in Larkin and Johnson) as well as a Mark Grace was nice.

I also scanned a back for you to see. The backs show a third (different) photo of each player, is the traditional up/down orientation but only shows five or six years of stats (the only down side to these cards). I liked this Ryan Klesko photo . . . each hand holding a batting glove as he seems to be leading off of first base.

I also could not pass up on a few (actually found five) Ken Griffey Jr cards . . .

including two 1991's for my daughters binder and one for me with Griffey Sr and his two sons.

My real "splurge" came from the 1976 Topps set . . . The Sporting News All-Time All Stars !

This small (10 card) sub-set is a real classic. I added these three cards to bring me only one short of completion (missing Babe Ruth # 345). Who can resist these classic black and white photos of when baseball was so different.

I also picked up a few random Cubs cards to fill some gaps; including these two; a 1968 Lee Elia # 561, though more famous for his managerial days / tirade he did appear as a pinch hitting infielder for the Cubs (though appeared in only 15 games) and a 1968 NL Pitching Leaders #5 with Fergie Jenkins.

And I could not pass up three great mustache cards !

So, all in all, I kept all (most) of my promises, had a blast looking around, added cards to several parts of my collection and now Opening Day is here !

Thanks for allowing me to share my limited yet fun additions.

Opening Night

2009-04-05T22:41:00.004-04:00

Baseball has officially started !

Last years World Champions, the Philadelphia Phillies lose to the Atlanta Braves 4 to 1 !

The Braves pitching shut down the powerful Phillie lineup allowing only four hits and one meaningless run in the ninth. Last year the Braves ranked 14th out of 16 NL teams in homeruns - tonight they hit three within two innings.

So what does this all mean ? Not much excpet that BASEBALL has started ! !

The Phillies will bounce back and be a force to be reckoned with, the Braves may outperform their expectations. Tomorrow is another day . . . that is why each team plays 162 games.

Opening Day is tomorrow across our country and games will be won or lost . . . dont get too excited about the W or the L . . . they will all play 162 games and come October we will know who is best.

We do have 2429 more games to enjoy . . . Baseball has officially started !

Just a quick tease

2009-04-04T19:43:00.001-04:00

I kept all of my promises . . . in regards to the card show I attended earlier today; most importantly the budget side of things. While the show was a bit of a disappointment, with only ten dealers, and way too many basketball, football, hockey and golf cards to go along with the usual over priced fake walnut framed cards; I was able to find some goodies and here is just a sample.

To satisfy my Chicago Cub sweet tooth:

three Mark Graces': swinging, squatting and snipping (the leather with his teeth I presume)

and a couple of Andre Dawson's: his sweet swing and one in an Expo uniform but it is Wrigley Field in the background right ? !

and from my "want" list three 1969 Topps All-Star Rookies (I like those gold trophies) ; there are two World Series champions (Koosman 1969 Mets and Unser with the 1980 Phillies) to go along with the "error" gold trophy printed on Boswell's card.

So there you go . . just a bit of a tease from my card show adventure today. More later . . . I have a wifeless Saturday night to enjoy . . .

I promise . . .

2009-04-04T11:03:00.000-04:00

. . . to stick to my budget, to only buy what I "need", to not be influenced by the "new", to be a prudent shopper, be friendly to all and look around first, but most of all have fun.

Yes I am attending a card show this afternoon in Osprey Florida (about ten minutes from my home in Sarasota) and will try to keep all of my promises. I will shake hands on that.

I am equipped with my updated "wants" list, my limited budget and will promise to "show off"my findings later.

My wife has gone to Ft Lauderdale to visit some girl friends so time is not an issue . . . I have promised her many things also (ie the "to do" list while she is away) . . . and will do my best to keep those as well.

Wish me luck . . .

Reds' Heavy Artillery

2009-04-03T23:25:00.010-04:00

In my last post I mentioned that the Cincinnati Red played their last spring training game in Sarasota and for those of us living in Sarasota it is front page news.

Now I really need to confess that while it upsets me that the Reds are leaving to go to Arizona and Sarasota will be void of spring baseball for the first time since 1924, I have never really been a fan of the Reds or attended enough games to complain. It is just a sad commentary of the times.

That being said, I went looking through my binders for a Cincinnati Red card that would make me happy and I found this one: this 1961 Topps # 25 titled "Reds' Heavy Artillery" !

Vada Pinson, Gus Bell and Frank Robinson; showing off their lumber, each with smiles on their faces. For the record, the combined numbers for these three "stars" were rather modest in 1960 but did produce excitement for the Reds for many years.

1960 numbers were:
Pinson (a hitting machine) batted .287 with 20 Hr's and 187 hits (sandwiched between his rookie year in 1959 where he had 205 hits and 1961 with his career high of 208)
Bell (the oldest of the three) batted .262 with 12 Hr's and 135 hits (though in 1959 had 115 RBI's) and then there is . . .
Robinson (the future HOF'er) who led the team in BA and HR with .297 / 31 while scattering 138 hits (and in 1961 would win the MVP)

Even though neither of these players ever hit a spring-time ball in Sarasota, their combined career numbers made me smile; collecting 7523 hits, 3924 RBI's and blasting 1048 homeruns; certainly heavy artillery back in the day.

No More Spring Baseball in Sarasota !

2009-04-03T09:00:00.006-04:00

That's right, Thursday April 2nd marked the last major league spring training game played at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida the now former home of the Cincinnati Reds, since 1988. Major League spring baseball had been a tradition in Sarasota since 1924 (when John Ringling of the circus fame, lured the New York Giants here) and next year will be quite different.

In the last couple of years this "little" town has lost the battle to retain the Reds (they will now make Goodyear Arizona their home) and our city never really made a strong enough case to win over the Red Sox, Orioles or Cubs (the only prospects on the immediate horizon).

The last game was quite the non-event; only 2935 people were in attendance (stadium capacity is 6500 and was the lowest of the spring). The Reds lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 and the game itself was overshadowed by the mixed emotions.

Our towns Mayor, Lou Ann Palmer presented the key to the city to Reds owner Robert Castellini, who inadvertently dropped it. There were many boos for our cities officials and much applause for the players.

While spring baseball may not be on the top ten list of attractions for Sarasota, it has been part of this city for 85 years (and no the average age of our residents is not 85 ! ). To be perfectly honest, since moving here, from Chicago, in 2002, I have attended less than ten games (family, work, school, life took precedence) but am sad that this town has lost some of its historical connection.

As an aside . . . we still have the whitest and bestest beaches, culture and restaurants, theatre and concerts, the history of the Ringling Bro's and the circus, not to mention our 350 days of sunshine and beautiful weather. I wake up every morning saying: "just another day in paradise" (with or without spring baseball).

Maybe within the next few years Sarasota can attract a new major league team to make their home here but for now . . . there is no more spring baseball in Sarasota.

Topps 1970: card # 11 Nate Colbert

2009-04-02T23:52:00.004-04:00

Being the first San Diego Padre star it is very appropriate that he is the first Padre to show up in this 1970's set.

Colbert was an expansion team draft pick for the Padres (from the Houston Astros, having played in only 39 games in two years) but in 1969 (the Padres inaugural year) Colbert led the team in home runs (24), triples (9) and RBI's (66). The Padres only won 52 games in 1969 but Colbert was an emerging star first baseman.

A three time all-star (1971, 72 and 73), Colbert had his career day on August 1, 1972 - belting 5 home runs and driving in 13 runs in a doubleheader (tying Stan Musials HR record and breaking his previous record of 11 RBI's). His 1970's card shows his intense look and a very young clean shaven face; both of which would change drastically over the years.

Nate Colbert is the all-time leader in San Diego team history for home runs (163) and is in the top ten in many offensive categories including; 5th in total bases, 5th in at bats, 4th in slugging percentage and 7th in games played. The San Diego Padres have since recognized Colbert by inducting him in the team Hall of Fame in 1999.

Colbert's career spanned 11 years with his only productive years coming in San Diego (1969 - 1974); playing in 866 games and hitting 163 of his career 173 HR's and driving in 481 of his 520 career RBI's whle in a Padre uniform.

Nate Colbert . . . the first San Diego Padre star . . . the first Padre in 1970 . . .

Playing with cards

2009-04-02T11:20:00.000-04:00

Back in the day of buying baseball cards to "play with" I remember many an afternoon or early evening (always before the dinner bell rang) playing the traditional games of flipping, tossing or even colors (variation of war) until the parents would break "us kids" up and hop on my bicycle to ride home. Invariably the cards I "won" were strategically placed in my bike spots to "show off" to anyone who noticed.

As we got older, early teens, the game of poker came into our lives and many of us "invented" other games to play with our baseball cards and then the real playing cards came out. One of the first poker games we played with these new cards (of the 52 suited card) was indeed a game called "baseball". A variation of seven card stud with all cards face down had three's (outs) and nine's (innings) wild and if you get a four (walks) you have the option of getting a additional card.

Baseball cards were now stored away in the traditional shoe box of the day, rubber banded for security and shoved in the closet . . . poker and "real" card games took over our lives.

Today "playing with cards" involves sorting, placing in plastic (pages or holders), logging them into a catalog (or want list spreadsheet) and storing them carefully among many other rituals of collecting.

Interesting to note is that Topps began in 1951 issuing two 52 card sets, red and blue backs as they were called; simulating a deck of playing cards. The connection between baseball cards and playing cards has a long history.

For me, as some of you may know, I "play" with both. I still collect and now store properly the baseball cards of my youth (and now some "modern" cards) but I also am a blackjack and texas hold'em "dealer".

Every once in a while I get nostalgic and think of those days when both hobby's were taken less serious and "playing with cards" meant something very different.

"It's a beautiful day for a ball game . . .

2009-04-01T12:15:00.000-04:00

. . . lets play two". That is only one of so many "happy" quotes from Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks.

Today is April 1st (no pranks planned) and marks the 101st day of my blog. I do know 101 days is nothing to "shout about" in the world of the blogsophere but 101 is an important number (this year) for Cub-dome.

So I thought I would revert back to the reasons why I started this blog and do a post on a Chicago Cub of my youth, the one and only Ernie Banks.

This 1964 card, # 55 has several things I like about it. First, the 1964 set is appealing to me; the traditional white border and large team name offset by the usual portrait (or posed) photo of the day. This thoughtful head shot of Banks makes me think "what is he thinking about" ? Could it be that he is staring out to the horizon as he just completed his tenth year in the majors and saying to himself "awards mean a lot, but they don't say it all. The people in baseball mean more to me than statistics" (yes another quote from Banks himself).

The back of this card is that unusual orange (this scan does not do it justice, sorry) with a clever rub off question / answer panel. This card asks "Who was the last AL man to pinch hit 2 consecutive HR's ?" A rather odd question for the two-time NL MVP (1958, 59) and "super star" but . . . the answer is Johnny Blanchard of the Yankees in 1961 (as an aside, Blanchard recently passed away on March 25th, 2009 at the age of 76).
I also like the back of this 1964 card of Banks for this reason; he just completed his tenth full year in the majors and the stats are easy to calculate his career year-to-year averages (just divide by ten or drop the last number, you can do the math): 1500 games, 1617 hits, 250 doubles, 353 HR' and 1026 RBI's. Not too bad for the first ten years of his career.

While Banks would keep this pace up until age and injuries hit him during the 1970 and 1971 campaigns, his career numbers are pretty impressive; 2528 games, 2583 hits, 407 doubles, 512 HR's and 1636 RBI's.

Banks ranks fourth all-time for most homeruns hit for one team and playing for one team only. Only Mike Schmidt (548), Mickey Mantle (536) and Ted Williams (521) who spent their entire careers with only one team and hit more homeruns.

It is only natural to end this post with another quote from Banks himself: "Work ? I never worked a day in my life. I always loved what I was doing, had a passion for it."

1970 Topps: card # 10 Yaz

2009-03-31T09:45:00.001-04:00

Carl Michaal Yastrzemski, card # 10 in the 1970 set; the first Hall of Famer and true "super star" of this set.

The son of polish immigrants, bi-lingual, raised on a potato farm, star basketball player (yes basketball, attending Notre Dame for a short while on a basketball scholarship), then signing with the Boston Red Sox in 1959 to embark on his historic baseball career.

Historic it was as pressure mounted for Yaz to supplant the great Ted Williams in left field and have to deal with the famed "Green Monster" at Fenway. After a mediocre rookie campaign, batting only .266 in 1961, Yaz made it his mission to improve and improve he did.

(this is one of the first cards that I will upgrade after I complete the set, note the crease bottom right)

From winning he batting title in 1963 with a .321 average, leading the league in doubles and finishing sixth in the MVP voting that year to his Triple Crown {.326 BA, 44 HR, 121 RBIS} and MVP year of 1967, to his first ballot hall of fame induction in 1989 appearing on 94.6 % of ballots, Yaz certainly did not disappoint any.

With so many remarkable moments in his career and career numbers in the top ten in many offensive categories (except homeruns) Yaz spent his entire 23 year career in a Boston uniform (his #8 was retired in 1989 as well). That feat deserves repeating; Yaztrzemski played twenty-three years in the same city, no other player (besides Brooks Robinson of the Orioles) has had a longer career with one team - ever. A record I do not foresee being challenged in today's marketplace.

Yaz was the first player in the AL ever to be a member of the 3000 hit and 400 homerun club, eighteen (18) times an all-star, seven (7) gold gloves and receiving votes for the MVP in 14 different years.
As noted on the back of his 1970's card, Yaz was the only "regular" player to hit .300 or higher in "the year of the pitcher" 1968, winning his third batting title.

Known for holding his unique batting stance, keeping his bat unusually high, giving him a long and powerful arc with added power at the plate, Yaz was able to hit 452 career HR's, with 1844 RBI's, 1157 extra base hits (including 646 doubles) to go along with 1845 walks (ranking 6th all time).

Carl Yastrzemski . . . Topps 1970 card # 10 . . . Boston Red Sock . . . Hall of Famer . . .

Ted Lilly . . . the next Greg Maddux ?

2009-03-30T10:12:00.000-04:00

Don't even get me started . . . the answer is a resounding NO !

To be be fair, there may never be another Greg Maddux (355 wins, 8x all-star, better than a 3 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio, 4 Cy Young awards, 18 x gold glove and 17 consecutive years with 15 + wins, future first ballot HOF'er) but . . . I just read an article, published by a "reputable" resource (to remain un-named for their safety) that compared Lilly to Maddux in this regard.

Yesterday's spring training game against the Indians (Cubs lost 7-5) where Lilly gave up two home runs to DeRosa (almost had a third if not for that tall wall) it was mentioned that Lilly was "setting up" DeRosa for later on in the season as Maddux had done throughout his career to perfection.

May I just suggest that Lilly is NO GREG MADDUX. Lilly might have been rusty, having pitched only 3 + innings in the WBC and DeRosa is a solid power hitter but Greg Maddux, is one of the greatest students of the game and in the top tier of smartest pitchers of this or any generation.

So to those "reputable" journalists out there . . . Dont insult Maddux . . . and don't put unrealistic expectations on any pitcher.

For the record, Ted Lilly is a solid pitcher; has three consecutive years of 15 + wins, hopefully will win # 100 this year, has a $ 10,000,000 contract and wears uniform # 30 (close to Maddux's #31) . . . but is NO GREG MADDUX !

1970 Topps: # 9 Checklist

2009-03-29T21:59:00.001-04:00

Can you say boring ? Yes that is exactly what the 1970 checklists are . . . simply boring.

There are seven (7) of these boring cards, in this set, each having the same drawing of a batter in the upper left corner, each listing upwards of 132 player names.

The only one interesting note is the red/yellow header on the front with the players names printed in black ink whereas the backs are the "normal" blue ink and yellow background.

A traditional checklist with tiny tiny printing, minuscule boxes . . . the best thing you can say about the Checklists of 1970 is . . . well . . . maybe nothing. And growing up in the generation of "if you can't say something nice, just dont say anything" . . . enough said . . .

Onward to tomorrow and card # 10 . . . the first HOF'er (of this set) and true superstar of the Boston Red Sox . . .

Born in 1960: Mike Marshall

2009-03-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

for some of you (probably those over 40) I am speaking of the "other" Mike Marshall; not the 1974 Cy Young award winning relief pitcher for the Dodgers. This "other" Mike Marshall, born in 1960, was also a Dodger but throughout the eighties.

This Marshall spent the majority of his playing days in LA (1981-1989), was a one time all-star (1984) as well as earning a world series ring with the 1988 club.

Being born in 1960 is one thing he and I have in common. He was born in Libertyville Illinois and went to the local high school in Buffalo Grove, a town I moved to in 1987. No I never met him nor have anything else in common with him (kind of).

A career .270 hitter with 148 HR's, Marshall "greatest" accomplishment might have been in 1981 as a minor leaguer. He actually won the triple crown for the Albuquerque Dukes, the triple A team in the PCL; hitting .373, blasting 34 HR's and 137 RBI's. From there his promising career turned into a respectable utility role and 11 year MLB career.

A couple of footnotes to his career were:

a) he gained much unwanted "fame" for dating then rock-star Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go's (most currently of Dancing with the Stars)

b) when Harry Caray said that Marshall needed to get "back to LA to get some cocaine for his foot" . . . quickly corrected by booth partner Steve Stone saying "Harry, that's Novocaine"

c) and, in his very first at bat in September of 1981, he hit a rocket towards (over) the right field wall at Dodger Stadium. Being hit so hard, it bounced off the stairwell and right back onto the playing field where Jack Clark (of the S F Giants) scooped it up, threw it towards the infield and Marshall had a double. Not sure if it was days or years later but Clark did admit to Marshall that his first hit should have been called a homerun !

d) he also is included in my "duplicate initial" archive: M M

So there you have it . . . born in the same year as I, lived in the same town, dated a rock star (my wife was in high school and college theatre !) and hit a "homerun" in his first major league at bat. Not so bad for being the "other" Mike Marshall.

Somewhat new blog worthy of a look

2009-03-28T13:50:00.000-04:00

I have recently come across a blog that I think is most interesting. While the primary theme may not be about cards, it does have a "vintage" feel to it and will certainly capture your sense of imagination (at least it has mine).

If you have ever thought about what baseball was like "way back when", like in 1924, I encourage you to take a look at 1924 and you are there

The blog started on February 5, 2009, this is the opening photo and the first sentence reads: "Welcome to a most unusual website. It is for lovers of pure baseball . . . "

I, for one, am a "lover of pure baseball" and this blog is now a daily read of mine.

1970 Topps: #8 Jose Martinez

2009-03-28T10:00:00.002-04:00

Martinez had a short (ok short may be an over-statement, more like a blip) of a major league career. Born in 1942 in Cuba, being a speedy and reliable defensive infielder was not enough to keep his senior circuit membership.
While Martinez did have a reasonably sound year in 1969, helping out at second base for the injured Bill Mazeroski; hitting .268 in 77 games. He played in only 19 games in 1970 batting .050 and then baseball was in his past.

Jose Martinez, card # 8 from 1970; a Pittsburgh Pirate, a blip on the radar.

1970 Topps: #7 Indians Rookie Stars

2009-03-27T15:09:00.000-04:00

The first Rookie Stars card from the 1970 set highlights two players who never really "made it". Sorry to those Indian bloggers out there but there will be "better" tribe cards to come later on in the set.

Gary Boyd played only in 1969, appearing in 8 games; giving up 11 earned runs in 11 innings pitched (that would be an era of 9.00). He also walked 14 batters and struck out 9. To make matters worse, Boyd actually played in his first game on August 1st and his last on September 26 - giving him a total of 57 days in the majors.

His card partner, Russ Nagelson did somewhat better. As a 14th round draft pick (the 272nd overall pick) out of Ohio State University in 1966, Nagelson enjoyed a three year (partial as it my have been) major league career. Appearing in 62 games (34 with Cleveland in 1968 thru 1970 and 28 with Detroit in 1970); he had 78 career at bats, 16 hits including 1 (yes one) homerun ! One positive though, his fielding percentage was 1.000 ! (committed zero errors in 13 games, 24 put outs - playing all three outfield positions and first base)

So the first Rookie Stars of 1970 are far from stars but each did have a "sip of coffee" as it is said and are card # 7 !

"I dont know" plays third

2009-03-27T10:14:00.001-04:00

In that famous Abbott and Costello routine called "Who's on first", a guy named "what" is at second and "I dont know" plays third.

This 1974 Gary Matthews card # 386 has Matthews sliding into third with Coach McNamara either clapping his hands or has a look of disbelief and questioning Matthews' slide - I don't know.

I also don't know that guy standing at third. At first glance it looked like Ron Cey, floppy hair over the collar and a bit stocky, but in the seventies with the Dodgers, Cey wore uniform # 10 ! (though he did wear # 11 as a Cub, but not until the early eighties). So at second glance it might be a Chicago Cub, but Don Kessinger wore # 11 during those days and that is not Kessinger (he is tall and thin).

As an aside, this card arrived last week from Paul at Wrigley Wax, and is part of the 1973 Topps All-Star Rookie Team (cards of 1974) where Topps "accidentally" did not print that gold trophy on the cards in the 1974 set.

Can someone help me ? "I don't know" plays third !

Package from Michigan

2009-03-26T11:49:00.002-04:00

Last week I received a mailer from Paul at Wrigley Wax, a fellow Cubs fan, great contributor to the blogsophere and reader of many blogs. With the usual generosity of bloggers Paul sent me many cards from my "want list" and I am extremely happy to share this with all of you.

Paul helped out in two of my current conquests; the Topps 1970's set and the Topps All-Star Rookie cards (those with gold trophies) from the sixties and seventies.

He actually sent me nine (9) Topps 1970 cards, all of which I needed/wanted (you just have to really appreciate bloggers who actually look at ones "want lists") including the always hard to find Seattle Pilots team card # 713. I will be highlighting this card as I chronicle the entire set but as a teaser to say I really like the back of this card with the team leaders for the Pilots (alot of unknown players) along with the total team batting and pitching stats.

I dont want to share too many of these but I had to mention this Cubbie, Al Spangler # 714 (a member of the much cherished Cubs of 1969). While Paul knew I had this card, he also knows I am trying to put together a second set of the 1970 Cubs team as my first set is framed behind glass (note my first post and center piece of my collection).

Paul also sent eleven (11) different Topps All-star Rookie cards, 10 of which I needed (the only one I had was the 1972 Bill Buckner ad having an extra Buckner even though he is wearing Dodge blue is never a bad thing).
Here are a few:
1969 Gary Holman # 361: after his .294 BA in 1968 he deserved this gold trophy, however it must have gone to his head as Holman appeared in just 41 games in 1969 and called it a career.
1969 Dave Nelson # 579: a 10 year 4 team "journey man" and one-time all-star (1973 in Texas)
1969 Ken Boswell # 402: a "hated" Met ! That's all !

1975 Arnold Ray "Bake" McBride # 174: the NL ROY in 1974 did not disappoint; a career .299 BA, one time all-star (1976) and one World Series ring (1980 Phillie). Love those sideburns !

1975 Frank Tanana # 16: as Chris Berman dubbed him Frank Tanana "Daiquiri", had a 21 year career, 3X All-star (1976, 77, 78) and a 100+ mph fastball. His career numbers are impressive, 240-236 WL, 2773 strikeouts and over 4000 innings pitched.

Thank you Paul . . . for inching me closer to completing my 1970 set (currently at 675 / 720 or almost 94 %) and these Topps All-Star Rookies (some who made it !)

1970 Topps: #6 Grant Jackson

2009-03-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

one of the most accepted definitions of a "journey man" in baseball would be someone who plays for several years (usually over 10), for a few different teams (usually over 3) and is deemed "valuable". I think it is important to add that any and every player on the 25 man roster is valuable and one who spends several years on a teams roster must be valuable.

Having said that, I present card #6 from the 1970 Topps set; Grant Jackson.

An 18 year veteran who played for six different teams (Phillies 1965-70, Orioles 71-76, NYY 76, Pirates 77-81 and 82, Expos 81 and Royals 82). A one-time all-star (1969), where in that year he had career high in wins (14), losses (18), innings pitched (253) and strikeouts (180).

Jackson played in 13 post season games, including three world series' (having won one ring in 1979 with Pittsburgh). His post season record of 3 - 0 in 17 2/3 innings is highlighted by being the winning pitching of record for game 7 in 1979. Jackson ended his career with a 86-75 W-L record to go aong with his 79 saves.

Grant Jackson, card #6 . . . a true valuable journeyman.

Something is just not "right"

2009-03-23T09:39:00.003-04:00

While I am not disappointed at all that Team USA lost in the semi-finals to Japan last night in the WBC, it just seems not "right" that this most North-American of games is now being "perfected" by countries that "we" taught. {It is like the French with their wines, the Irish with their Beer, Scotland with golf, Belgium chocolate, Russian Vodka, English soccer, China Gymnasts and Canadian Hockey.} It is just not "right" that the country who created and taught the world can now be considered second fiddle. Not being "right" does not make it "bad" . . .

I was happy that Team USA lost. Now lets get all those MLB players back in their regular team uniform, training with their "real" team and getting ready for the long 162 game season that will capture our attention for the next six months.

Speaking of cards that are just not "right" . . . I found this 1973 Frank Robinson.

No offense to my blogger friends who like the Dodgers, but Robinson does not look "right" in Dodger Blue - he looked much more "perfect" in Cincinnati Red or Oriole Orange. And another thing, his uniform # ! The only year in Robinson's HOF career he wore a number other than 20 - in LA with this # 36 (I know Don Sutton had uniform # 20 in 1972, but still - Frank Robinson had hit 500 HR's by this time in his career, 11 times an all-star, twice the MVP, ROY and Triple Crown winner in addition to being on his way to having # 20 retired by both the Reds and Orioles).

Another thing not "right" on this card, has the team of the California Angels listed below his name while he is wearing Dodger blue.

The world may not be "right" or perfect all of the time but that does not make it "bad".

1970 Topps: card # 5

2009-03-22T11:04:00.005-04:00

Maurice Wesley Parker; the first legitimate "star" that appears in this set as card number 5. Playing first base for the Los Angeles Dodgers for nine years, six consecutive gold gloves (1967 thru 1972 and one World Series ring (1965) is only part of his story.

Parker had a career batting average of .267 had 1110 hits, 64 HR's while driving in 470 runs. His best offensive year was in 1970 playing in a league leading 161 games, batting .319 with 111 RBI's and 47 doubles; coming in 5th in MVP voting that year as well. Defensively, Parker was phenomenal; not only those six gold gloves but he had a career fielding percentage of .996 ! In 2007, Parker was named to the Major League Baseball All-Time Gold Glove Team, being the only eligible member of the team who is not in the Hall of Fame.

Parker was part of a string of outstanding first baseman for the Dodgers, being sandwiched between Gil Hodges and Steve Garvey.

In typical Topps fashion for 1970 , the back of his card notes a non-baseball factoid stating that Parker "is an excellent bridge player".

Interesting to note is that after his life in baseball, Parker had a successful stint as an actor, about 12 years worth. He might be most known (in the crowd aged under 30) as "that ballplayer" that appeared in a Brady Bunch episode promising Greg Brady "two tickets to a game if he gets an A in math". He also had appearances in several other show including being the "star" in All that Glitters a show that ran in 1977.

A star on and off the field . . . . Wes Parker the first "star"card of 1970.

More from David

2009-03-21T09:35:00.008-04:00

I have a long day (Saturday) ahead of me away from home - I am dealing in a (non-cash) poker tournament (yes I am a qualified texas hold'em and blackjack dealer) and there is this "big" event today in Sarasota. I know what you are saying, what is a guy in Florida dealing cards for (being indoors all day) when every day is sunshine . . . truth be told, beacuse everyday is sunshine it is ok . . . I still prefer cardboard to plastic.

So, I wanted to share a few more cards that came in the "goliath" of a package from David of Indian Baseball Cards and then some . . .

So generous was he that along with the many Cubs cards he sent he also sent about 20 Tampa Rays (Devil Rays) cards. Living in Sarasota gives me a "close" AL team to cheer for at times.

I like the 2007 A & G !

Is this a homerun swing or . . . is that ball speeding right over Crawford bat for strike three ? Nice Devil Ray card, 2006 Fleer Ultra # 50.

Two more favorites are:

a swell Rogers Hornsby(#137)

and a sliding Mickey Morandini (1999 Fleer Tradition)

Thank you again David !

MLB vs WGN ? !

2009-03-20T20:29:00.003-04:00

Somewhere, somehow, someway I got very confused early this evening. Maybe a fellow Cubs fan or anyone else with WGN can help me.

In my early Friday evening remote control scanning I ended up on the MLB Network and the Cub vs Padres game was on. I thought to myself good for the MLB Network, broadcasting a a Cub game !

The game was in the top of the third inning with the Padres leading 2 to 1. At the end of the inning I went remote control scanning again and after about 50 channels and finding news, news, stock market, history, drama, infomercials, more news and more financial stuff to bore me greatly (it was a Friday night just waiting to go out), I came across WGN.

The Cubs / Padres game was on and it was in the bottom of the sixth inning and the Cubs were leading 4 to 2. Had I really spent three innings of channel surfing ? It seemed to be only 45 seconds or so !

Both WGN and the MLB Network were broadcasting the game but about 30 minutes delayed. I have heard of a seven second delay on tv but not three innings worth !

Does anyone have a rational answer to why this has happened or am I going to just chalk it up to an odd programming thing that confused the heck out of me. By the way the Cubs did win 5 - 3 an if I was a betting man I could have made some money on those only watching the MLB Network.

Thanks to WGN and MLB I got to watch an unofficial doubleheader.

A Goliath package from David

2009-03-20T16:36:00.006-04:00

Yes it has taken me a little bit (too long and I apologize for that) to THANK YOU David from Indian Baseball Cards and then some . . . for the most generous of shipments I received last week.

Somehow he heard of my "want" of Cubs cards and satisfied that "want" with a load (over 100 cards spanning 47 years !)

Some of my favorites are:

Top Row: a 1962 Topps Jim Brewer # 191 (upper left corner); a great pose by Mitch Williams (top center) and my first Razor: Andrew Cashner.

Middle Row: three Alfonso Soriano's; 2007 Turkey Red, 2008 UD in black and white and 2008 UD Timeline. I hope you can notice the great eyeliner Soriano has.

Bottom Row: a 1991 Fleer Greg Maddux bunting and the 1993 Fleer League Leader with the Maddux powerful face pre-release, to my first O-Pee-Chee, 1991, of George Bell watching a lazy fly ball reach the Wrigley basket (or at least I think so).

Also included in the package were several Studio 1992's, Donruss 1992's, Donruss 1987's, several Topps Stadium cards of various years and many other cards including this 1985 Father-Son card of Dizzy and Steve Trout (got to love that hair !)

I will be posting another entry with more of my favorites from David, including some Tampa Bay Rays (Devil Rays) he sent along (living in Sarasota one must cheer for the Rays, sometimes).

Thank you David !

my "31" cents worth

2009-03-19T13:04:00.009-04:00

For us Chicago Cubs fans, May 3rd, 2009, will be a day for the history books. The Cubs are finally retiring uniform # 31. Though worn by several in Cubs lore, two pitchers who will now be forever remembered with this uniform are HOF'er Ferguson Jenkins and (soon to be HOF) 300 game winner Greg Maddux. Both boast over 3000 K's and fewer than 1000 walks !

This has been a long time waiting for Jenkins but having these two super stars in Cubs history share this honor is fitting. The # 31 will now fly proudly on the outfield pole along side; #10, #14, # 23 and # 26 !

Most would only pay a penny for my thoughts but I just gave you my "$ .31 cents worth".

1970 Topps: card # 4

2009-03-19T09:50:00.000-04:00

Tom Egan, California Angels backup catcher. Egan had a ten year major league career, all but two with the Angels (1971 - 72 with the Chicago White Sox) and played in total of 373 games; yes only 373 games in 10 years. The epitome of a backup - playing only when the regular needed a rest or as a late inning substitute.
Egan had a career BA of only .200, hit 22 HR's (ten of which were in 1971, when he appeared in the most games of his career in one year at 85). Egan struck out 336 times in his career, almost one per game (not a very impressive statistic at all). At 6'4" and around 220 pounds, he was a "giant" in those days. Maybe he should have stayed with football as he was a high school all-american running back.

The back of his 1970 card highlights his defensive ability with the cartoon in the upper right; at the end of the 1969 campaign he had only made four errors in his five year career - playing in only 88 games though. He would conclude his career with only 27 errors, 1861 putouts and a .987 fielding percentage (not so great by any standards for a "defensive star" or backup).

So that is card # 4 for this 1970 set . . . slowly but surely . . . and at this pace, I should be done chronicling this set by March of 2011 !

Action cards from 1971

2009-03-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

Back in the "old" days, action cards were rare. Most photographs of players were posed or portrait style (aside from the few playoff game or world series cards that were featured in many sets).

So, in looking at my 1971 cards (inspired by a fellow blogger Dinged Corners and their "best text found on cards" post), I present the following "action cards from 1971.

There is the solo action card: B. Robinson commits Robbery! # 331

There are two player action cards: Chris Short # 511 (yes that is Pete Rose leading off at second base) and Cookie Rojas # 118 (with Yankee Ron Wood sliding into 2nd too late) and Lee May # 40 guarding first base with an unknown Phillie leading of.

Then there is a three person card: F Robinson shows Muscle #329 (congratulated by an unknown Oriole and the Umpire making sure he steps on home plate.

And a four person action card: Tommie Agee # 310 (looks like he is being called out at second) with two players and an umpire all "in action".

Now with the five person action card: Bud Harrelson # 355; tagging out a runner at second with the close eye of the umpire looking close and Nolan Ryan seems to be signaling him out.

And then the famous group shot of a "celebration" that really is not an "action shot.

So there you have it . . . a few action shots from 1971 . . .

"The Heater"

2009-03-17T15:22:00.009-04:00

That was the nickname for Neal Heaton during his days at the University of Miami (1979-1981). Heaton was drafted 2nd by the Cleveland Indians (39th overall) in the 1981 draft and played for seven teams from 1982 until 1993. While his major league career record of 80-96, 4.37 era and 699 strikeouts do not accurately reflect his "heat" or potential; Heaton was actually the first UM player ever to be selected to a Major League All-Star game, 1990 (though did not play).
It was in college that Heaton was known to throw fire. The two-time All American won 42 games as a Hurricane and had 23 strikeouts in one game against Indiana State on March 10, 1981. He has had his #26 retired by the UM baseball team and elected to the UM Hall of Fame in 1992. With Coach Ron Fraser running the team like a "minor league show", attendance at Mark Light Stadium on the campus of UM was packed every night, especially when "the Heater" was on the mound.

At 6'1" and 200 lbs, Heaton was the "stud", "the sure thing", "a can't miss", a left handed fireballer who threw 93 mph. Originally drafted by the N Y Mets in 1979, they offered him a insultingly low signing bonus of only $ 35,000, and after rejecting it flat out, Heaton opted to attend Oklahoma State University in Stillwater OK. It was not very long until Ron Fraser (UM Coach) picked up the phone and coaxed Heaton into coming to Coral Gables.

Just one year prior to that unrelated event, in March 1978, I had visited the U and decided that is where I was going to spend "the best four years of my life". Living on fraternity row, which was right across the street from Mark Light Stadium, home games were "party time" in and out of the stadium. Many times we would sneak in during the between inning commotions (orchestrated by head coach Fraser, termed the P T Barnum of college baseball by Sports Illustrated in 1977) and watch our Hurricanes win day in and day out.

Back then . . . baseball was king in Coral Gables, Heaton was the stud on the mound and I did my best to survive the "best four years of my life".

1970 Topps: card # 3

2009-03-17T08:39:00.009-04:00

Darrel Chaney, primarily a backup shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds (1969 - 1975) and the Atlanta Braves (1976-1979), was a solid defensive glove man and posted a career BA of .217.

This 1970 card # 3 is his official rookie card and Chaney did earn a World Series ring with the "Big Red " Machine of 1975 as he was the functional off the bench utility guy for Dave Concepcion. Interesting to note is that Chaney had more career triples (17) than homeruns (14). That is about the most "exciting" thing I could find about Chaney.

The top row of my first page of my 1970's binder is now posted. It really amazes me how "random" Topps was after card # 1 (World Champions) and then no rhyme or reason for the next cards, until the subsets of League Leaders (#61-72), League Playoffs (#195-202), WS (305-310)and All-Star cards 450-469). In some years to follow Topps used the first few cards for an exciting subset; (ie 1974 Aaron Special card, 1976 Record Breakers etc).

My journey continues on to my second row with guys like; Tom Egan, Wes Parker, and Grant Jackson and some "humorous" backs to follow.

Topps 1970: card # 2

2009-03-16T09:23:00.006-04:00

Diego Pablo Segui (pronounced say-gee) Gonzalez; played in the majors for 16 years, six different teams (ok seven if you count the KC and Oakland Athletics as two).

I am sure that 99 % of you have never heard of Diego Segui and would only recognize the last name attached to a guy named David, his son who played from 1990 to 2004. But the father (Diego) had a very interesting career.

As a right handed pitcher, his career numbers are: 92-111 with 1298 strikeouts and a 3.81 era. Nothing to brag about but he did lead the entire AL in 1970 with a 2.56 era.

Diego Segui is also the only major leaguer ever to play for both the Seattle teams; the one-year wonder Seattle Pilots in 1969 (having his most productive year going 12 - 6) AND the then new expansion team Seattle Mariners in 1977. He actually was the starting pitcher in their inaugural game in 1977 but retired at the end of the season going 0 - 7. { an interesting foonote: the Pilots and Mariners had identical records in their first year going 64 - 98 }

Here is a good example of the backs of the 1970 cards: as I said in my pre-view post, I like the color combination of blue and yellow - reminds me of outdoor day basball (the sky and sunshine). The cartoon image in the upper right was sometimes "humorous" (haha fork in the ball) and sometimes hobby related as we will see in some later posts.

Diego Segui; card # 2 for 1970 . . . the first Pilot . . . and then the first Mariner . . .