Playing with cards

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.

What is more important ?

Last night on the MLB Network they highlighted a segment called Prime Nine – counting down the nine greatest “something’s” in the history of baseball. They bill this show as “not to end any arguments but to start them”. I am not a confrontational kind of guy . . . and everyone is entitled to their opinion . . . but . . .

Monday night they showcased the greatest Center Fielders and greatest Home Runs of all time. Center Fielders I wont argue with; from #1 being Willie Mays to # 9 Kirby Puckett (see complete list below). But the homerun list . . .

Since when is winning a pennant more important or a greater accomplishment than winning the World Series ? The 1960 blast by Bill Mazeroski is the ONLY world series ending game 7 walk off homerun in the history of the game. I know that Thompson’s 1951 pennant winning homerun was “heard around the world” but it did only win the pennant for the Giants (who eventually lost in the World Series to the Yankees). Flip flop the top two and MLB Network got it right.

I highlighted Mazeroski’s 1961 card in an earlier post, take a look in December 2008.

As far as the Cub players go, no greatest moments in these two categories; we may just have to wait for 3rd baseman (Santo), 2nd base (Sandberg), 1st base (Banks), LF (Williams) and Pitchers (Jenkins). Former Cub Joe Carter and Wrigley Field (Ruth’s “called HR” at Wrigley in 1932).

Here is the MLB Network list of greatest CF’s and HR’s in case you missed it.
Center Fielders: 9. Puckett 8. Edmonds 7. Snider 6. Griffey Jr 5. DiMaggio 4. Speaker 3. Mantle 2. Cobb 1. Mays

HR’s: 9. Chambliss 1976 pennant winning 8. Boone 2003 Pennant winning 7. Fisk 1975 world series 6. Ruth 1932 “called HR” 5. Aaron # 715 4. Gibson 1988 game 1 3. Carter 1993 game 6 w/s 2. Mazeroski 1960 w/s 1. Thompson 1951 pennant

Between the MLB Network and my blog . . . my wife wants to know when I will come back to reality ? ! I gave her a prime nine count down with various dates. Now that is something to argue about.