Happy Birthday Maz'

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 !

Birthday Wishes for . . .

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.

Today is a special day

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 . . .

Today in Baseball history

. . . 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".

03-06-09 12:15pm

I confess, I am a "numbers geek" - not really a statistical numerologist but I like looking for patterns and quirky things with numbers (that is the "old" math teacher coming out in me).

My wife was born on January 2nd and I do remember having a "quirky" celebration in 2003 (01-02-03). And on February 3, 2004 at 5:06 pm glasses were raised to celebrate "nothing".

So today being March 6, 2009 represents a similar oddity {03-06-09} and if I may suggest that all you bloggers out there do something quirky at 12:15 pm. Next occasion to pencil in on your calendar is July, 8th at 10:11 pm (get it ? 07-08-09 10:11). Ok enough already . . .

Today is also Willie Stargell Birthday. He would have been 69 years old but passed away in 2001. Stargell hit some of the longest homeruns in major league history; the only player ever to hit a homer out of Dodger Stadium twice, reaching the upper deck at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and hitting the furthest shot ever recorded at Veterans Stadium. Stargell ended his 21 year career (all with the Pittsburgh Pirates) with 475 career round trippers, most of which were considered monster shots.

One of his "secrets" to his Ruth-like power was warming up with a sledgehammer in the on-deck circle instead of just a lead weighted bat. Seven times an all-star, two times a World Series Champion (1971, 1979), the 1979 NL MVP award, and a first ballot Hall of Famer (inducted in 1988).

I like this 1970 card (Topps # 470); the double hat both looking too small for his head and that sleeveless vest style uniform. Happy Birthday "Pops", some of us do remember your power.

May all of you enjoy some quirkiness at 12:15 today . . .

Happy Birthday Ron Santo

Today; February 25, is Ron Santo's Birthday. Celebrating his 69th year (yes he was born in 1940), Santo has been a fixture in courageous Chicago sports lore since his rookie season in 1960. Santo has inspired hundreds if not ten of thousands of people with his athletic abilities, enthusiasm and work ethic while dealing with Diabetes since the age of 18.

Career numbers aside (though they ARE good enough) Santo should be elected to the Hall of Fame, soon, as only the 11th 3rd baseman,. Maybe the Veterans Committee will see it that way (at least the MLB Network has, in their most recent prime 9 special of the nine players who should be in the hall -Santo was tops on the list !).

Santo played 15 years all in Chicago, albeit his final year the southside; hitting 342 homeruns, 2254 hits, 1331 RBI's and a career BA of .277 in 2243 games ! In eleven straight seasons he played in 154 games or more !

But the numbers tell only one part of the Santo story and today we all should raise a glass and celebrate his birthday - Happy Birthday Ron . . . forever a Chicago Cub, forever a hero !

Happy Birthday Dale Long

I know . . . I know . . . most of you dont even know who Dale Long is and could care less that today, February 6, 2009 would have been his 83rd birthday (he died in 1991). Today is also Babe Ruth's birthday (he passed on in 1948) and is certainly more "popular". "Celebrating" somebodies birthday when they have passed away is more of celebrating and remembering their life . . . so today is a day to remember Dale Long, a Chicago Cub for the better part of three years (1957-59).

The year prior to coming to the Cubs, 1956, Long posted career highs in HR's and RBI's (27 and 91), was elected to his only all-star game and put his name in the record books for this feat: between May 19 and May 28 Long hit a homerun in eight consecutive games. Since then this has been matched yet never broken, twice Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey Jr (1993); however both were in the American League.


Long was traded to the Cubs in 1957 and hit 55 home runs in his two plus years at Wrigley. In 1959, Long put himself in the record books again by tying another home run record, hitting back to back pitch hit homeruns.

In his ten year career, Long hit 132 HR's, had 467 RBI's and hit .267 in just over 1000 games.

So . . . Happy Birthday Dale Long . . . you were a powerful force in the NL and for the Cubs and deserve to be remembered.

Happy (belated) birthday Fred Lynn

Frederic Michael ("Fred") Lynn was born in Chicago on February 3, 1952, Happy Birthday (one day late).

After a successful college career at the University of Southern California (USC), Lynn was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1973 and immediately had an impact. Impact is a mild term used to describe Lynn's rookie year, 1975, as he became the first player ever to win both the Rookie of the Year and League MVP. His 1976 card showcases his powerful swing and that gold trophy making him a Topps All Star Rookie.

His aggressiveness on the base paths (breaking up double play, stretching singles to doubles), courageous play in the outfield (crashing into the wall, diving for balls) made Lynn rather injury riddled but in 1979 actually had his "career" year looking at the statistics. In 1979, Lynn had 39 HR's, 122 RBI's, scored 116 runs, 177 hits and hit .333 - all career highs for him, yet coming in 4th in the MVP ballot that year.

Lynn was elected to nine all-star teams, earned four gold gloves and in his career had 306 HR's with a career BA of .283. A little statistical "fun"; Lynn played in exactly 1969 games (my favorite baseball year) and had 1960 hits (the year of my birth).

So Happy Birthday Mr. Lynn, you deserve to celebrate.

Happy Birthday to You !

Today, January 2nd, is my wife’s birthday (I will keep her age a secret, because that is something girls don’t like to tell). Let’s just say that we have been married for over 22 years, have one beautiful 17 year old daughter, a calm and friendly Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie, named Winnie) and we live in “paradise” (that is what we call life in Sarasota Florida).

For her present, she asked me to promise that today I will not look through my cards, go on the computer to read blogs, look for sales or cards online, write about anything sports related, refrain from watching the MLB Network and simply “spend a day with her”.

Well, I tried, lasted all of fifteen minutes . . . I have too many baseball cards and memories to ignore (most from before I ever met her), too many blogs to write (and stay on top of things), too much to learn and read about and today is just the second day of the MLB Network and Don Larsen’s perfect game in the ’56 World Series is on.

So . . . Happy Birthday Karen ! I will take you to dinner, I got you a card (non baseball related) and will spend some of the day with you (you do tell me that I drive you crazy most of the time anyways).

I am not a strong person and cannot stay away from my cards for an entire day, certainly not the second day of the year when there is so much cardboard to talk about.

My wife, she is not a “collector” so she really does not understand this disease. To be fair, she is a writer, reader and shopper. She collects books and clothes.

She has now promised me that she will leave me alone on my birthday (in May). Just goes to prove another difference between the genders. Happy Birthday, Karen !