Mark's Ephemera

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

2012-01-25T14:00:00.001-05:00

I was out running some errands with Caroline a week and a half ago. The University of Tennessee men's team was hosting Kentucky. We drove by Thompson Boling Arena in the final minutes. UT lost.

Then we tooled a few miles away to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

We didn't have time to take the tour. I did pick up some info on their admission fees and hours.And a BOGO coupon / Lady Vols schedule.

The Lady Vols have had a tough season so far. I think that they're 14-5 right now, with a low scoring loss to Notre Dame earlier this week. On a positive note, the recent outpouring of love and support for Pat Summitt from the SEC has been unbelievable.

I Back Pat. How about you?

These Winnings are Cool!

2012-01-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Ryan, that traveler to the west (or far east, depending on which way you look) sent me my winnings from his contest. No, not at all card related, but I like to show the kindness of others.

First up is that wonderful 2000 comedy, Dude, Where's my car? Follow the wildly hilarious adventures of Jesse and Chester as they try to locate their missing automobile.

Ryan also tossed in a matchstick garden. I hadn't heard of this before, but apparently you can grow a garden from a matchstick.

I'll wait until the threat of snow goes away and then Caroline and I will plant these indoors.

Thanks, Ryan, for your generosity.

Marty's Sports Card Exchange Superstore

2012-01-15T22:53:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, before the end of last year, I took my wife to Chattanooga for a few days away to celebrate our 22d anniversary. We got a nice suite and went our own ways. She brought her sewing machine and spent the time quilting. I headed to the library for some baseball research. Oh, we did some stuff together. Dinner at P.F. Changs. A bit of shopping. Dinner at Olive Garden and then the movie Moneyball. I was able to head out to a card shop not far from the hotel.

I've showed some of the packs that I bought there in posts earlier this month. Now I get to show you the store.

I got there about 45 minutes before they were scheduled to close. The store was spacious, with lots of memorabilia for sale.

Jerseys, helmets, prints, cards. Lots of cards.

The owner, Marty, asked if I was interested in anything. Standard line: "Hershisers". Then I added: "But I'm guessing that based on the selection of cards you have out that you probably don't have boxes sorted by players." Marty replied: "Yep. That's right. There might be a rookie or something in the baseball rookies box."

The baseball rookies box was near the boxes of vintage football, racing, and basketball. They were stuffed with more modern era hits. I don't quite consider cards from the 1980s as vintage. A few cards from the 1960s were sprinkled in, but nothing caught my eye. The prices seemed fair enough, but nothing really grabbed my attention.

Marty and his wife have plenty of modern wax, as well as boxes of much older product.

It wasn't quite closing time, but Marty asked if I wanted to buy anything because they had a meeting to attend and then were going on the road. I snagged a few packs from the dollar box. Marty included the tax in the price. I asked if I could take a few photos and put them up on the blog. His wife said yes. I asked if they had an internet presence. She said, "No. We use the internet sometimes, but not too often."

Based on the customer traffic I saw, which was considerable for the end of the day, right before a major holiday, this is one old school brick and mortar store that isn't going away anytime soon. Next time you're passing through Chattanooga, give them a call to make sure they're open and say "Hi" to Marty.

Marty's Sports Card Exchange Superstore
6851 Lee Hwy, Chattanooga, TN 37421
423-648-7037 (map)

The One Card Challenge

2012-01-11T23:42:00.001-05:00

Greg, the Night Owl, has nothing better to do than to juggle a few great blogs, work, blog some more. And devise the One Card Challenge.

He asked for some help in designing a graphic. I took a stab at it. I searched the web for images of checklists, found one at VintageCardPrices.com, snagged it and went to town.

1963 Fleer 1st Series Checklist

One-Card Challenge logo

I chose #7, Bill Monbouquette as the player that hasn't been collected because I like the name and I find it ironic that someone could find all the other players, including Hall of Famers, before they found Bill.

Greg was enamored by my graphic abilities and has decided to use it. I'm honored that he's using it for the One-Card Challenge. Look through your wantlists and see what you're lacking. Post a comment on the OCC and see what happens. In a few hours my card want was filled by Reader Jim. See, it works.

Tonight while I was looking for the site that I lifted the original image from I came across the Cards That Never Were blog. Just two weeks ago he used the same card for a fictitious card.

Some would cry, "Foul. Plagarism. Bidenism." But, truth be told, I have not visited this blog in many a moon. I should've, but I didn't. I just 'followed' it now and have added it to my blogroll.

Look at them celebrate ...

2012-01-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Kermit Kendrick (card # 28)

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Chris Mohr (card # 29)

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Vaughn Mancha (card # 36)

Big College Game

2012-01-09T22:27:00.001-05:00

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Billy Neighbors (card # 20)

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Willie Teal (card # 196)

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Paul Bryant (card # 1)

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Roy Winston (card # 189)

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Pooley Hubert (card # 34)

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Bert Joness (card # 199)

I picked LSU to win in Cards on Cards Fantasy Pick 'em. 31-27. It doesn't look good right now.

Rain of Error's First Book Club Book

2012-01-08T22:44:00.001-05:00

Jon, over at Rain of Error, has chosen the first book of his new baseball book club.

Grab a copy and start reading. All the cool kids are. Discussions start at the end of the month.

Bam-Bee-No Baseball Game ad

2012-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Illustrated World, vol. 36 - 1921

Heads Up!

2012-01-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

My last dollar pack from Marty's in Chattanooga. I opened this by slitting the top. I removed the card before I could get a good scan. The suction cup was causing major shadows.

I had to lay a file folder behind the back card scan. The white of the cardstock bled into the white of the scanner.

1990 Topps Heads Up! Baseball Stars
Harold Reynolds (card # 17)

At first, I thought that it was Ken Griffey, Jr. I was wrong. Harold is just as good a floating head as Jr.

2011 Press Pass Optima

2012-01-05T11:00:00.008-05:00

Another dollar pack from Marty's in Chattanooga.

I like the colors and I kind of like the front design. Lots of stuff without looking too crowded. These cards were issued the same year that Dale Earnhardt Sr. died at Daytona.

2011 Press Pass Optima
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (card # 5)

It is kind of hard to tell the players without a score card. For those very casual fans, it is almost too difficult to know who drives for who. Whom? Drivers change teams faster than Kardashians change husbands. They go up and down between classes of the sport. The classes of the sport change names faster than Sinead O'Connor changes husbands. It seems that there's a new main sponsor every race. With new featured sponsors comes new featured paint schemes. Great for the die cast car industry.

2011 Press Pass Optima
Bobby Labonte (card # 11)

When Jeff Green was sporting the Nesquik firesuit, he was driving in the Busch Series. No, wait. It was the Busch Grand National Series. It didn't become the Busch Series until 2004. Four years later it became the Nationwide Series.

2011 Press Pass Optima
Jeff Green (card # 28)

I haven't figured out Press Pass's subsets. I can't find a checklist on their site from this long ago. Whenever I see Mark driving the Viagra car I think of these photos (yes, they're family friendly).

2011 Press Pass Optima
Mark Martin (card # G14)

This G-Force insert doesn't do a whole lot for me. I like Kyle Petty and all, but ...

2011 Press Pass Optima
G-Force
Kyle Petty (card #GF 18)

Overall, I'm pleased with the pack. Wish that there was a Jeff Burton or two in there, but I'll live.

No race-used lugnut cards, either. Bummer.

Classic? Maybe. Best? Not Really.

2012-01-04T23:11:00.000-05:00

Another pack from the dollar bin Marty's Sports Card Exchange Superstore. I'll get to Marty's in a bit. Please be patient.

This is a pack from 1992. Not a wax pack, but a stiff, thin cardboard pack. Reversible Crush Proof Box.

I decided to show only the players that went on to the Majors. Just one quarter of the pack.

1992 Classic Best
Joel Adamson (card # 74)

1992 Classic Best
Mel Nieves (card # 94)

1992 Classic Best
Damon Buford (card # 120)

Not a whole lot of info on the back. That lends itself to a clean look. And no, I didn't find any autographed cards.

NHL Winter Classic, nah, just hockey cards

2012-01-03T20:22:00.001-05:00

I was able to sneak in a few minutes of hockey yesterday. We had some friends over to watch the Gator Bowl. I'm open to watching some college ball, but two 6-6 teams?

To celebrate the singing of the Canadian national anthem on US soil, I'll share some cards that came out of a 1991-92 ProSet Hockey, Edition Française. 15 cards in the pack. I picked this one up out of a dollar bin at the card store in Chattanooga. I'll feature the store later.

I realized that I featured three net minders. That's okay. They're great goalies. I like the pucks hanging in the air.

1991-92 ProSet Hockey
Grant Fuhr (card # 78)

It has been too many years since the days of high school French classes. If memory serves me correctly, Grant Fuhr had more pajamas than Patrick Roy did in the early 1990s.

1991-92 ProSet Hockey
Patrick Roy (card # 125)

I don't remember John MacLean. This is an All-Star card from the set.

1991-92 ProSet Hockey
John MacLean (card # 307)

Terry Sawchuk has a pretty face. Don't know if he kept it that way without a mask.

1991-92 ProSet Hockey
Terry Sawchuk (card # 343)

Louis, these cards will be coming your way. Eventually.

Cards from Santa

2012-01-01T14:13:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, when I woke up I raced out to see if Santa came to our house. He did. He left a rack pack of Topps 2011 Allen & Ginter's. That was the only card related gift that was under the tree.

This is only the second pack of A&G that I opened this year. Here are three of my favorite.

Aimee Mullins is a paralympian. One that is easy on the eyes. Don't take my word for it. Ask other People.

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter's
Aimee Mullins (card # 79)

Some bloggers don't like the horizontal cards. I think that Topp paired the subject with the correct rotation on Jurrjens. His name sounds like a hand lotion.

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter's
Jair Jurrjens (card # 126)

Kyle Petty. Well, he raced cars. His dad's a champion. Kyle helped start a camp in honor of his son, Adam. One day I hope that Caroline can attend Victory Junction Camp.

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter's
Kyle Petty (card # 135)

I got some other baseball related gifts, but I'll share them later. I can't use up my allotted posts for January in just one day.

I'm getting fat on it, too.

2012-01-01T00:53:00.001-05:00

The Commercial Appeal: Memphis - July 21, 1904

This is the time for reflection. Or bed. I'm going to choose bed, but before I do I thought I'd take a quick look back on what 2011 held for me with regards to sports cards.

I made major headway on organizing my cards.
I obtained more card that I really wanted.
I started to read a few more card blogs.
I strengthened friendships with some bloggers.
I found that it is okay not to blog every day.
I finished a few books on baseball.

Oh, I'm sure that there's other stuff to be said. Focus, refocus, trade, that sort of stuff.

And what do my readers have to look forward to this next year?

Santa brought me a rack pack that I'll show a few cards from later.
I went on a mini getaway with my bride of 22 years and I visited a card shop. Pictures and scans to come.
I spent the bulk of the time on the getaway with my nose in microfilm, researching the 1904 Tennessee-Alabama League. Maybe a new blog?
More book reviews.

I really don't know. This last year my blogging output was abysmal. About half of the posts from my first year in blogging. And you might have noticed that the quality slipped a bit. Well, that's a good thing. If the product fails, then you don't want to see it as often. Yes, I'm being critical of myself. My blog, I can do that.

2012 will be interesting. I make no promises so as not to break them.

Well, some. There will be cards. And more cards.

Good night, all. Happy New Year.

UT Vols Basketball Skeds

2011-12-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a sampling of the the University of Tennessee Vols and Lady Vols Basketball Schedules. I picked them up around town, at a local grocery store and my insurance agent.

Pat Summit is a classy lady. Go Vols!

Orel Goes Emo

2011-12-23T23:35:00.000-05:00

No, not Emo Philips. SkyBox E-Motion.

1995 SkyBox E-Motion
Orel Hershiser (card # 33)

Nice to see both home and road jerseys on the same card.

I think that Emo Philips is funnier than Orel Hershiser.

They Might Be Giants

2011-12-22T16:05:00.000-05:00

No, they are Giants.

At the same card shop that I picked up the gently loved Yaz I also picked up a pair of 1964 Topps Giants. I know that everyone's favorite Troll collects this set. I've sent him a few from his wantlist. I didn't have quick access to that list, so I bought them for a buck each, hoping he'd need them. He's got them already.

Then I realized that Matthew from the Number 5 Type Collection blog might not have the Milt Pappas. I was wrong. He's got it. I should have known. But this one is wonderfully miscut. Has to be a rare error 1 of 1.

1964 Topps Giants
Milt Pappas (card # 5)

1964 Topps Giants
Ed Brinkman (card # 27)

I do like this set, but not enough to want to start to collect it. I do like the narrative backs as opposed to just stats. And they're giants, so as not to feel that you're going to crush them in your hands. And they're vintagey. Can't go wrong with that.

Chrome Ain't Got Nothing On This

2011-12-15T11:33:00.003-05:00

I took a vacation day yesterday. I had to work on a computer for church and then needed to go do some Christmas shopping. One of the local card shops I stopped at gave me a great deal. I came away with early Chrome prototype.

No. I'm kidding. Get to know me. It is actually a 1970 Topps Super that has seen better days.


1970 Topps Super Carl Yastrzemski (card # 29)

The dealer had a stack of them. The former owner of these cards had decided that many of the players needed eye black. So he grabbed a ball point pen and gave it to them. Glue was rampant. The cards were possibly put into some sort of scrapbook or album and then ripped out. Unfortunately I'll never know where Carl played in 1959. Cucamonga? And was he dating Carol and then saw A.L. for nine years? Could that have been Ann Landers? Angela Lansbury?

I also picked up a Hershiser that I needed, a few other Orel dupes (all with the Cleveland Indians) and a few 1964 Topps Giants. All for $4. It is fun playing Santa for yourself.

Oh, and I got a gift for my niece and some things my lovely wife. It is also fun to play Santa for those that you love.

2009 Donruss Americana

2011-12-13T21:49:00.000-05:00

I picked this pack up many moons ago at a Dollar Tree store. Cost me a dollar. I never tire of hearing, "Price Check, toiletries" at the Dollar Tree.

A very nice gloss to these cards. The design works okay, but it it just a template. The subjects are what we're supposed to be drawn to.

ST:TNG. No, not the bass player from The Police. Picard. I liked him better sashaying as Alistair Burke in an episode of Fraiser.

2009 Donruss Americana
Patrick Stewart (card # 2)

Stephen Baldwin is the Tim Tebow of the Baldwin house. At least he knows when to turn off electronic devices.

2009 Donruss Americana
Stephen Baldwin (card # 44)

To me he'll always be Johnny Bravo.

2009 Donruss Americana
Barry Williams (card # 60)

Country singer Aaron Tippin. I got nothing.

2009 Donruss Americana
Aaron Tippin (card # 84)

Strike two. I got nothing here, either.

2009 Donruss Americana
Dean McDermott (card # 86)

I guess I'd be more inclined to buy more of these packs if I was more in tune with Americana. I'm off to watch Dr. Zhivago and then Reds.

Todays Post brought to you by the letters L, O, and C

2011-12-10T09:00:00.003-05:00

Poking around the Library of Congress has brought these baseball items to my attention. Enjoy and discuss.

Casey at the Bat - 1909

The Man Who Fanned Casey - 1909

Fascinating Base-Ball Slide - 1912

That Baseball Rag - 1913

Oddball Earl Wilson

2011-12-09T08:28:00.001-05:00

I was browsing ebay this morning and came across some oddball cards I'd never heard of. ZeeBall.

ZeeBall Test Game
Earl Wilson (card # 7977)

I lifted the image from this ebay auction. Apparently there are baseball and football cards aplenty, but I don't know anything about their origin. Can anyone shed some light on these cards?

Playing Classic Games with Orel Hershiser

2011-12-08T08:00:00.002-05:00

Way back in 1987 Game Time Ltd., out of Marietta, Georgia, produced a 'Trivial Pursuit' type game using baseball cards. They put out three Travel Edition update sets with new questions and new players. They skipped 1988 and plowed ahead in 1989 with a main set and two Travel Edition update sets. 1991 saw the game cards arrive in three series, a Collector's edition and a special Nolan Ryan set of 10 cards. 1992 brought two series and a Collector's edition. 1993 was the last set of a mix of players. 1996 brought another Nolan Ryan set, this time in embossed metal.

I've had these cards for some time and finally got around to scanning them.

1987 Classic Game
Orel Hershiser (card # 92)

1989 Classic Game - Light Blue
Orel Hershiser (card # 1)

I answered most of the questions correctly. How did you do?

Phil Garner - Bearden High Grad

2011-12-06T13:44:00.000-05:00

Because I haven't created a card in a while, I present to you Phil Garner from 44 years ago.

It was brought to my attention that Phil attended Bearden High School in Knoxville. Phil had a decent career in the majors, playing for 16 years and then managing for another 15 seasons.

I found his annual from 1967 on ancestry.com. Football and basketball were the only sports featured. I quickly slapped this together using some fonts from dafont.com.

Go Bulldogs!

Too Much On My Plate

2011-12-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

This time of the year tends to get busy. Very busy. Christmas parties, football banquets, children's musicals, high school concerts, funerals, meetings, tree trimming, more meetings, more parties. You know what I mean.

So, what am I doing about it? Adding another blog.

As I do research through old newspapers and books I often find a story that is interesting. Well, interesting to me. It doesn't quite fit in with this blog. Or Old Knoxville Baseball. Or 19th Century Baseball - Clinton Co., New York. So I created Baseball Nuggets.

The idea is that three times a week I'll post a find. Since I started it on Friday I only have two posts right now. It is very possible that the posts will have something to do with Black Baseball. Will this revolutionize research for future generations? No, but it will gather some items together that have been forgotten. I want to share them.

I'll get back to blogging around here soon enough. Baseball cards. Orel Hershiser. Perhaps Orel Hershiser baseball cards.

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars - Bill Wade

2011-12-01T23:52:00.001-05:00

I finally got another Bill Wade card.

1991 Hoby Cards SEC Stars
Bill Wade (card # 350)

How did I do that? I bought a box of Hoby Cards. I don't think they distinguished between retail and hobby, but it would have been fun to buy a Hoby hobby box.

Although the pack price tag says 99 cents, I was able to negotiate it down to just over 40 cents a pack for the box. $15 for a box of 36 packs. I've ripped not quite half the packs. Teams from all over the southeast. Wild hairstyles galore. No autographs. Yet.

Rubbing Salt Into The Wound

2011-11-27T20:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my father gave me this 2011-2012 University of Kentucky basketball schedule. He did not yet know about me losing the UT-UK wager with my friend.

I'm a good sport. I can post this without wincing.

Rivalry

2011-11-26T15:29:00.000-05:00

Today is the traditional end of the regular season UT vs. UK football game. I've got a friendly wager with a high school friend on facebook. If UT wins, he puts up UT's logo as his profile picture for a week. If UK wins, I put up UK's logo as my profile picture for a week. We also extended this wager for the two times that the schools meet for basketball in January.

1991 Hoby SEC Stars
The Beer Barrel (card # 393)

unidentified UT card set
Beer Barrel Stays Put (card # 123)

Things don't look good for UT or for me.

For The Good Of All, Do Not Destroy The Birds

2011-11-24T23:25:00.003-05:00

I took the day off of work on Wednesday. My dad and I went to downtown Knoxville to the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection to do some research. He was interested in family history and I tore into a microfilm from the summer of 1921, doing some research on the local black team, the Knoxville Giants. We were both successful.

After a few hours of research we left to visit a new old bookstore. Central Street Books was formerly The Book Eddy. They have a nice selection of sports books, but I didn't buy any. I did find a book in the humor section for my dad. the lives and time of archy & mehitabel by Don Marquis. It wasn't the title that caught my eye, but the dust jacket. Below is the scan of the front of it. Was it a German commentary on the Psalms? Don't really know. I don't read German.

There was a note that the dust jacket was from 1733. We asked the clerk at the counter. He said that they had received a three volume set that had very poor binding. It wasn't worth it for them to have the books rebound, so they removed the pages and used them for various things around the shop. This page ended up as a dust jacket. They were selling the prints from the book individually.

There was a wooden bowl near the register that had some small (approx. 1-1/2" x 2-1/4") advertising cards of some sort. I picked up three that caught my eye. Normally I scan cards at 300 dpi and reduce them down to 150 dpi to show on this blog. It keeps the images big enough not to strain the eyeball, but small enough in size that the page loads efficiently.

150 dpi

I liked these so much that I kept them at 300 dpi. After getting home and looking at them I did a quick search on the web.

Jefferson Burdick designated them as "J7". John Hodge designated them as "AH2211". T.K. Treadwell designated them as "G". The were issued in in several series, with a cornucopia of variations. (See what I did there? Happy Thanksgiving.) I found most of my information on these cards at Joe Lill's Soda Cards page.

After Dad paid for his books (and my cards) I noticed a stack of loose sheets on the counter. The clerk described them as pages from a 1716 edition of The Book of Common Prayer. We looked through the stack and found the corresponding Psalm, 68, verse 24. He bought that one, too.

The price on all these? $7.50 for the archy & mehitabel. 25 cents each for the bird cards. A dollar for the Book of Common Prayer page.

We then went to Five Guys Burgers and on to another used bookstore. I didn't buy any sports books there, either.

The German language dust jacket has that glassine cover over the dust jacket. I didn't remove it to scan the jacket. It is presented at 150 dpi. Click on it for a larger image. The Book of Common Prayer image is presented at 150 dpi. Click on it for a larger image.

NASCAR's Season is Over

2011-11-22T09:45:00.001-05:00

The NASCAR season finished up on Sunday. Tony Stewart was crowned the champion, dethroning Jimmie Johnson. Johnson has held the title for the past five seasons. There's a streak for you. Probably will never be equaled.

During my trip to Chicago this summer I stopped at a Target to pick up some snacks and a wedding card. What do you know, they had their bargain-bin-o-cards. You know the one. $1.59 a pack. I picked up five packs of 2010 Press Pass Premium. I don't have any Tony Stewart cards to show you. My brother is a fan of Tony so he got the three cards of 'Smoke' that I pulled and two of the packs.

2010 Press Pass Premium
Jimmy Johnson - Preseason Thunder (card # 82)

By now you should know that my wife's favorite driver is Jeff Burton. Only pulled one of his cards. With racing cards I've noticed that the manufacturers show the drivers, the cars, the owners, crew chiefs, and sometimes the pit crews or a memorable moment of the season. Here's Jeff's car.

2010 Press Pass Premium
Jeff Burton - Passing Game (card # 79)

And to keep Night Owl happy, here's a card with Danica. This is a retail only subset. If you line the back of the four cards up you get a photo of Danica. The backside of this one is the frontside of her backside. I felt it would be a bit creepy for me just to show that.

2010 Press Pass Premium
Danica Patric - Retail Insert (card # DP-3/4)

I'll forget about NASCAR until early next February when my wife starts planning our Sunday afternoons around when the race is on.

My Mom's Chemistry Partner

2011-11-21T12:30:00.005-05:00

My folks are in town for the Thanksgiving holiday. Last night my mom and I were talking about her high school and old friends connecting on facebook. I was retelling the story of how I met an alum of Beaver Falls High School at a mutual friend's book signing party. It turned out that the alum was in band with my aunt (my mom's sister-in-law) in the mid-1960s.

As I was recounting the conversation with the alum it was basically:

Me: So, what team did you root for when you were younger?
Alum: The Pirates.
Me: Were they the hometown team or did you just like them?
Alum: Hometown. I grew up in western Pennsylvania.
Me: Really? Where.
Alum: You've never heard of it. Beaver Falls.
Me: Yeah, that's where Joe Namath went to high school. The Tigers.
Alum (with a surprised look on his face): Yeah, that's right.
Me: My mom, aunt and uncles attended BHS.

As I was telling it to my mom, she interrupted and replaced "Joe Namath" with "Joe Walton". "He was my chemistry partner." I thought that she said "Bill Walton" and shook my head.

I had heard the name of Joe Walton, but couldn't quite place it. Joe Walton played football at Pitt and then was drafted in the second round by the Washington Redskins in 1957. He played for them from 1957-1960 and then for the New York Giants from 1961-1963. Later in his career he was the offensive coordinator for the Giants, Redskins, Jets, and Steelers. Oh, and he was the head coach for the New York Jets from 1983-1989, finishing up with a 53-57-1 record.

I've got a new player/coach to collect.

1960 Topps
Joe Walton (card # 127)

1961 Topps
Joe Walton (card # 126)

1962 Topps
Joe Walton (card # 103)

1969 Topps Mini-Album Inserts
San Francisco 49'ers (card # 15)

I'm a bit confused about the 1969 Topps Mini-Album Insert card. Clearly Topps reused the image from the 1962 card. I don't know why.

Some of Joe's other cards are:

1961 Fleer (card # 112)
1961 Fleer Wallet Pictures ( card # 145)
1964 Coke Caps Giants (cap # 35)
1989 Pittsburgh Greats (card # 11)
1989 Pro Set (card # 311)

Currently Joe just finished his 19th year as head coach of the Robert Memorial University Colonials.

A fantastic read

2011-11-20T16:12:00.000-05:00

The Baseball Researcher has a great post today. He tracks down some info about the ballpark (and more) in this photo...

Go read it now.

Potpourri for 100, Alex?

2011-11-13T23:22:00.002-05:00

"What is, 'Mark has too much time on his hands'?"

I've been poking around old newspapers and magazines and came up with a few articles that are interesting but don't quite make a whole post on their own.

I'm not quite sure where I found this. Could have been Google News archives, Paper of Record, I just don't recall, nor can I find it again. What caught my eye was two colored teams playing in 1878. Sure, the gunshot and beating was interesting.

Current intersection of Cumberland and Gilmor. (link)

An ad from the September, 1958 issue of Popular Science.

I can't find any other reference to this game.

This article is from an earlier issue of Popular Science. October, 1937.

Okay, either their copy is wrong or the images are reversed. The pitcher is not a left-hander. I don't know who the pitcher pictured is. Here's the 1937 Washington Senators roster from baseball-reference.com. Who is he?

Back in the middle of June, I was watching a baseball game on television. It might have been ESPN. Yankees at the Cubs, if I remember. The announcers were talking about how neat it was for AL teams to come play at Wrigley, since it is such an iconic park. They spoke of Gehrig and Ruth coming to Wrigley for the 1932 World Series, among others. I know that 1929 Philadelphia Athletics visited for the 1929 World Series, bringing Mickey Cochrane, Jimmy Foxx, and Lefty Grove. Mickey Cochrane returned to Wrigley in 1935 with Detroit. He brought Charlie Gehringer and Goose Goslin. The Yankees also returned in 1938, with Tommy Henrich and Lefty Gomez. Then the announcers mentioned that the Red Sox had never played at Wrigley in the Golden Era of Baseball so it was sad that Ted Williams never got a chance to play there.

This didn't ring completely true to me. The Red Sox have never faced the Cubs in the World Series, but the 1947 All-Star Game was played at Wrigley. Who batted third? Ted Williams. Yes, this is nit-picky, but I like to be right. I'll claim it where I can get it.

To wrap up I'll leave you with a fun photo from 107 years ago.

Phoenix Indian Industrial Training School, 1904
Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

In very broad terms, the school was set up to assimilate the Indians to the Anglo way of life. I don't know who these young men played against.

Nachos Grande's Autograph Survey

2011-11-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

In honor of Autograph Week, Chris, from the Nachos Grande blog has asked a few questions:

1. What is the best autograph you own?
I'd probably have to say Ryne Sandberg because I got that in person.

2. What is the best autograph that you've ever pulled from a pack of cards?
I don't buy or open enough packs to have ever pulled one.

3. What is the worst autograph you've ever pulled from a pack of cards?
See the answer to #2.

4. Do you try to get autographs through the mail? If so, what sort of success (or failure) stories do you have?
I've contemplated it, but have never actually done it.

5. Who was the subject of your first ever autograph?
Not sports related at all, but in July of 1971 Lt Col Eugene W. Loy, 4007th CCTS commander, piloted the first FB-111A to Plattsburgh Air Force Base. I do remember getting the crew's autograph on a promotional picture.

Probably the first sports related auto that I got was B.J. Armstrong.

6. Do you actively collect any autographs (certain players, teams, brands, etc)?
Being a Hershiser collector, I've got one of his and wouldn't turn down any more.

7. Which is better: Autographs or Relics?
I'm thinking that Autographs are better, especially based on the recent charges of fraudulent jerseys.

8. What do you think of cut autos?
It depends upon the design. Some are nice. Others... not so nice.

9. What is your favorite autograph design (say in the last 5 years)?
Allen & Ginters look nice with an auto. I don't have a specific design in mind, but I prefer on-card.

10. If you could get the autograph of any five people (dead or alive) who would you want a signature from (and why)?

This one took some time to ponder.

Alfred Hitchcock - I admire him as a director
Walt Disney - A true part of Americana and a neat signature
John Hancock - duh
Shoeless Joe Jackson - I don't think that there are that many of his signatures out there
William McKinley - just so I could give it to Beardy

Hershiser Venezuelan Stickers

2011-11-08T20:00:00.004-05:00

While scouring ebay today I came across these Orel Hershiser oddball stickers. Oddball in that I don't think that one would typically find them at their typical card shop.

2007 Venezuelan Panini Sticker
Orel Hershiser (sticker # 170)
image lifted from this ebay auction

2008 Venezuelan Panini Sticker
Orel Hershiser (sticker # 225/26)
image lifted from this ebay auction

I assume that the 2008 sticker numbers are actually 225 and 226.

The seller is offering them up for $5 each. A bit too rich for my blood, but good to know that these are out there.

Corey Hart and his vast collection

2011-11-08T12:05:00.001-05:00

I was poking around on my BlackBerry last night and came across a free app from the MLBPA. Somehow they collect tweets, news, videos, and player profiles then serve them up right to your mobile device. Interesting.

It isn't going to be the "go to" app on my phone, but I will use it. One of the news stories was about Corey Hart.

He talks about his collection of comic books, action figures, bobble heads, jerseys, signed baseballs, and other memorabilia.

"I like my original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers and He-Man figures."

Seriously? $6.8 million last season, $9 million next season and you're obsessing about TMNT and He-Man figures? If I was making that kind of green I'd be looking into some very nice vintage.

You can read the whole story on MLBPlayers.com.

Interesting ebay auction

2011-11-07T12:34:00.000-05:00

I've been looking at this auction for the last few days. I just can't pull the trigger.

More Women on Cards for the Night Owl

2011-11-05T23:49:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to clutter this up with a bunch of words. Well, maybe a few. I went to the Antiques and Collectibles store in south KnoxVegas this afternoon while running errands. I dropped a whole 80¢ on these cards. Marilyn Green was the first Miss Winston Cup. 1971 was the year. Now they have have a bevy of young lasses to be the Miss Sprint Cup.

1991 Pro Set - Legends
Marilyn Green (card # L6)

1992 Pro Set - Legends
Marilyn Green (card # L17)

1991 Pro Set
Miss Winston/Beth Bruce (card # 27)

1991 Pro Set
Miss Winston/Renee White (card # 125)

1991 MAXX - Red
Shawna Robinson (card # 65)

Enough women with long, flowing hair. Now on to some guys that have long, flowing hair.

1994 Action Packed
Kyle Petty and Aerosmith (card # 95)

According to the back of Derrike Cope's card "A knee injury had ruined his his chances at a professional baseball career". Derrike was the Daytona 500 winner in 1990.

1994 Press Pass
Derrike Cope art card (card # 138)

And finally a card for my wife. This Raybestos car was driven by Jeff Burton, her favorite driver.

1994 Action Packed
Jeff Burton car (card # 125)

Don't look at that last one too long. Go back to looking at the long haired beauties.

Feel the Guilt

2011-11-04T12:08:00.001-04:00

Last night I had to run down to the Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. Light bulbs, Italian bread, shredded hashbrowns, whey protein powder, storage box. Things of that nature. I try to look at the card aisle. I call it a card aisle. It is actually a small part of one aisle. Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, Beyblades, and the like take up most of the space. There are a few sports cards, but nothing really caught my eye. This whole baseball season I haven't purchased any new cards. New as in "off the rack". I've picked some singles up from ebay, JustCommons.com and I've been eyeing a few singles on SportLots.com.

I was drawn to the 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter feeder packs. They've already moved out the rack packs to make room for football cards. And some hockey cards. Not much left for baseball.

As assistant to the Commissioner of Gint-A-Cuffs III, I figured that I should at least pick up a pack. Let's see what I got, shall we?

A sketch card of Ryan Howard. I still can't figure out if the card should be shown in portrait or landscape mode. I'm going with portrait, since you can read the words more easily. The painting of Howard doesn't do much for me, but I do like the Monetified fans.


2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Ryan Howard (card # BHS-10)

One of those mini-cards chase sets. I don't think so.

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter
The Human Blockhead (card # SRU6)

I don't know anything about Madison Bumgarner. I was taken by his hat, which looks like it is camouflaged. Probably just part of the printing process.

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter
Madison Bumgarner (card # 304)

Delta Burke. Night Owl just posted about getting this card and how he has the hots for her. Or women on cards in general I think was the overall theme. She sure has slimmed down since her Designing Women days.

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter
Cheryl Burke (card # 242)

Another player I don't know much about. Pedro Ciriaco. Sounds like a car model. "Come test drive the new Volkswagen Ciriaco. A sports car that doesn't look like a sports car."

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter
Pedro Ciriaco (card # 34)

Robert Fulton. Commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to build a submarine. How cool is that?

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter
Robert Fulton (card # MMF21)

The pack cost me $2.98. That's 50 cents a card. I can get a few more Hershiser cards for that. They are what I collect. I should have saved the coin and put it towards something that I really wanted. I should have listened to my inner card collecting voice. I feel guilty.

Boo!

2011-10-31T10:31:00.000-04:00

In the past I've entered a holiday card creation contest or two. This year I didn't. But I did find a nice photo of David 'Boo' Ferris in an issue of LIFE magazine. I cranked it through the old paint dot net machine and this popped out.

For other Halloween fun, take a peek at my friend Ken Begg's review of the animated classic: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown…Worship It Before It Destroys You.

Boo!

More Cards from the Night Owl

2011-10-27T14:15:00.002-04:00

Sometime back, Greg sent me some cards from my Hershiser wantlist. Since life gets in the way for me, I finally made some time and scanned a few more in. You might recognize the first one from the Night Owl's post. But I go a step beyond and show the back.


1986 Fleer Star Stickers Orel Hershiser (card # 58)

I guess that Topps Tiffany cards were the refractors before refractors were refractors. They don't refract so much as they just are really glossy. You can't really see it in the scan, but it is a high sheen (no, not Charlie) similar to a midnight blue Olds 442 straight off the showroom floor.


1987 Topps Tiffany Orel Hershiser (card # 385)

The cardstock seems to have been bleached or is a higher grade as well. Look at that white. Not too long. You'll hurt your eyes.

Thanks, Greg, for letting me keep stringing this blog along. I might have another few posts by the end of the year.

According to Zistle, I have 402 different Orel Hershiser cards. I also have about 88 different Orel Hershiser cards that I'm willing to trade. That means dupes, people. See my Zistle Tradelist (then sort by player).

2003 Upper Deck Play Ball Reprints - Charley Gehringer

2011-10-25T12:30:00.015-04:00

A year and a half ago I featured some of these cards. This one was sitting in my draft folder. So it gets featured today. Not often do you get to see bunting and a full swing on a card.

2003 Upper Deck Play Ball Reprints
Charley Gehringer - Card # R-11 (originally # 19)

This card of the Hall of Famer evokes a quieter, simpler time. His stats are impressive and there are many anecdotal stories floating around. One is that Mickey Cochrane, fellow player (from 1934 to 1937) and his manager (from 1934 to 1938) said: "He says hello on opening day and good-bye on closing day, and in between he hits .350."

Actually, in 1935 Charley's BA was a paltry .330 and in 1938 it dropped to a horrendous .308. He ended up his 19 seasons with a .320 BA in over 10,200 plate appearances. Not bad for the six time All-Star and 1937 MVP.

I would have liked to have seen him play.

Canadian Baseball Humour

2011-10-24T14:16:00.001-04:00

Wayne and Shuster, a Canadian comedy duo, first performed this now classic bit in 1958. I think that it still holds up.

Scheduling Issues

2011-10-19T23:11:00.001-04:00

I've been a bit of a slacker. I haven't been consistent in my blogging. Well, I guess I have. Consistently not blogging.

I'll show some schedules of two local teams.

Knoxville Ice Bears

Tennessee Smokies

So, somewhere along the way, you might have asked yourself, w"Why hasn't Mark been blogging lately?" I could say that I just haven't felt it, that I've been too busy, that I'm easily distracted by small, shiny objects. All of these, and more, would be true.

What I have been doing is attending my son's high school football games. He plays starting Center and starting DL for The King's Academy Lions. Edison is #51.

TKA at Oakdale HS
October 14, 2011
Lions won, 21-12

The team travels to Chattanooga on Friday to play the Riverside Christian from Fayetteville, TN, at a neutral site. That neutral site just happens to be Finley Stadium, home of the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Mocs. TKA started out the season playing at Neyland Stadium, home of the University of Tennessee Volunteers. Finley is about one fifth the seating capacity of Neyland. Both are much larger than the field at TKA. Here are some screen shots from Google Maps.

TKA Football Field

Finley Stadium - UTC

Neyland Stadium - UTK

In other news, we had a very nice time at the Buddy Walk a week and a half ago.

World's Fair Park

And I've been having fun doing some old timey research. I'm looking into the 1915-1917 Tri-Copper League in Arizona. I've also been gathering data and photos of early baseball at Johnson Bible College and some of their opponents. If you visit my Old Knoxville Baseball blog you'll see that I haven't been blogging on a regular basis over there.

I've been updating a few entries at the SABR Encyclopedia of Baseball, or SABRpedia as it is known.

I'm so far behind on reading card blogs that I haven't commented on a post that Night Owl did last month that specifically mentioned me. I have cards to scan and post that came in trades. I've got a few packages assembled to send out, but haven't made it to the post office. I have emails from fellow bloggers that I need to answer. I hang my head in shame.

I haven't even made any World Series predictions. I'll take care of that now. I'd like to see the Cards win it in 7. Generally I'm a National League guy. I like Pujols. I need to start reading his biography. It is sitting next to my bed. Since my wife gave it to me for Father's Day I've read several others. Sorry dear. See, I've resorted to communicating with her via this blog. I don't think that she even reads this blog anymore.

I'll try to do better. Maybe the World Series will get me back in the groove. Maybe I'll read a time management book and deal with my scheduling issues. Maybe not.

Cabinet Size Phototypes of Base Ball Players.

2011-10-12T22:57:00.000-04:00

I was poking around the LA84Foundation.org site last evening looking for some info on the Tri-Copper League of Arizona. I stumbled across this advertisement for what we now know as the W600 series of cards.

Sporting Life - November 23, 1907

Interesting to note that in the above ad, Ty Cobb is listed as Tyrus W. Cobb. His middle name was Raymond.

W600 Sporting Life Cabinet
Tyrus R. Cobb

Cobb card image lifted from Goodwin & Co.

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month

2011-10-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

Since October of 1981, the Down syndrome community has been celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

The National Down Syndrome Society has issued a press release. I share a part of it here:

This October, the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) invites the country to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in recognition of the many achievements and abilities of people with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring genetic condition, one in every 733 live births is a baby born with Down syndrome, and it is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition. Advancements in education, research and advocacy have had a tremendous impact on the opportunities that individuals with Down syndrome have to live healthy and fulfilling lives. People with Down syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, and contribute to society in many wonderful ways.

I wrote a post last year about this time. Similar post this time, with updated photos.

First day of school

Caroline is my daughter. She has Down syndrome. She's seven years old. She's in first grade and loves to read. Last week she got a 111 on her written spelling test. She knew all the words. She got bonus points for using capitalization and punctuation correctly.

She's got a great sense of humor and loves to play pranks. She's involved in the children's choir at church. They're getting ready for their Christmas program.

She wants to play in the annual Hoops for Hope fundraiser for DSAG, but she's still too young. This year, Pat Summit was able to attend part of the festivities, along with the Vols and Lady Vols basketball teams.

2011 Hoops for Hope

Yes, Greg, I included this shot for you.

Caroline as the Night Owl at the Knoxville Zoo

Caroline at a Smokies game

Caroline's best buddy, Grandma. This was on the Fourth of July holiday.

Grandma and Caroline on Lake Loudon

Caroline at Emily's wedding

She's a normal kid. Except that she has three copies of the 21st chromosome. On Sunday my family will be walking on her behalf at the Buddy Walk sponsored by the Down Syndrome Awareness Group of East Tennessee.

This is where I go all selfish dad-like. If you'd like to be a part of Caroline's team, please visit her pledge page.

I haven't had to climb up on my respect soapbox lately. For that, I deeply thank you.

Harold "Red" Grange cards and such

2011-10-04T23:00:00.006-04:00

About two and a half years ago I did an interview with Red Grange's caretaker. This summer the family and I went back to Wheaton for a weekend. I made arrangements to have David B. Malone to give Edison and I a private tour of the Archives and Special Collections.

The photos mostly concentrate on the Harold "Red" Grange Collection. Other photos from the Archive can be found here.

Since this is primarily a sports card blog, I'll start with cards.

Misc. cards in the collection

From the collection description:
Sub-Series 13: Sports Cards
Box 37
Item 1: All American. #27, Harold "Red" Grange, Quarterback -- Illinois. no date
Item 2: Hall of Fame, Football Greats. #5 Harold "Red" Grange., 1989
Item 3: U of I, Illinois Football: 100 Years of Distinction. #1-45., 1990
Item 4: NFL Pro Set. Red Grange -- Chicago Bears., 1991
Item 5: Hall of Fame, #1-160. #49, Harold "Red" Grange., 1991
Item 6: Sports Illustrated for Kids. #322, Harold (Red) Grange., 1991
Item 7: The Coca-Cola Collection. Series 4, Red Grange., 1995
Item 8: Hall of Fame Art Series #12, 1989
Item 9: Sport Kings Gum – No. 4, Harold “Red” Grange (reprint), 1986

1926 Shotwell card #3

Cards are just one small part of the collection.

"Red" Grange football jersey

Red Grange Card Checklist (not complete):
1926 Exhibit Red Grange One Minute (green)
1926 Exhibit Red Grange One Minute (in sweater)
1926 Shotwell Ad-backed set (1-12)
1926 Shotwell Blank-backed set (1-24)
1926 Spaulding Champions #15
1928 anonymous candy #10
1930 Rogers Peet #31
1933 Diamond Matchbooks
1933 Goudey Sport Kings #4
1934 Diamond Matchbooks
1935 R31-2 National Chicle Premiums #4
1935 Wheaties Fancy Frames #4
1935 Shotwell Blank backs (1-12)
1937 Mayfair Candies #6
1937 Mayfair Candies #17
1937 Doughnut Corporation of America
1941 Gridior Greats Blotters #1
1955 Topps All-American #27
1974 Fleer Hall of Fame #15
1975 Fleer Hall of Fame #4
1977 Touchdown Club #1
1977 Sportscaster #06-13
1988 Swell Greats #42
1989 Swell Great #5
1990 Illinois Centennial #1
1990 Illinois Centennial #30
1990 Swell Great #5
1991 ENOR Pro Football HOF #49
1991 Pro Set #PSS2
1991 Pro Set #856
1991 Sports Illustrated for Kids #322
1994 Ted Williams Path to Greatness #PG2
1995 Coca Cola Sports Favorites (Series 4) #SF-3
2001 Topps Archive #89
2001 Topps Archives Reserve #89
2002 Donruss Elite Throwback Threads #TT-2 (#d/75)
2003 Donruss Elite Throwback Threads
2003 Donruss Gridiron Kings #173
2003 Donruss Gridiron Kings Silver #173
2003 Donruss Gridiron Kings Gold #173
2003 Donruss Gridiron Kings Heritage Collection #HC23
2003 Donruss Gridiron Kings Silver #173
2003 Gridiron Kings #173
2003 Gridiron Kings Heritage Collection #HC23
2004 Leaf Limited #139 (#d/799)
2005 Leaf Limited #139 (#d/599)
2006 Donruss Classics #259
2006 Donruss Classics Timeless Triples Bronze #8 Thorpe/Clark/Grange (#d/1000)
2006 Donruss Classics Timeless Triples Silver #8 Thorpe/Clark/Grange (#d/250)
2006 Donruss Classics Timeless Triples Gold #8 Thorpe/Clark/Grange (#d/100)
2006 Leaf Limited #148
2006 Leaf Limited Bronze Spotlight #148
2006 Leaf Limited Silver Spotlight #148
2006 Playoff National Treasures #27 (#d/125)
2007 Leaf Limited #178 (#d/249)
2007 Playoff National Treasures All Decade Cuts #1
2007 Playoff National Treasures #88 (#d/100)
2007 Playoff National Treasures Silver Parallel #88
2007 Playoff National Treasures Gold Parallel #88
2007 Playoff National Treasures Platinum Parallel #88
2008 Donruss Classics #114
2008 Donruss Classics Timeless Tributes Bronze #114
2008 Leaf Limited #106 (#d/499)
2008 Leaf Limited Silver Spotlight #106 (#d/99)
2008 Upper Deck Icons Immortal Lettermen Parallel #RG1
2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces #72
2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Framed Black #72
2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Preview #MPP9
2010 Plates and Patches Gridiron Cuts #16
2011 Tristar Obak #3

Not directly related to "Red" Grange but still interesting. David shared the story on the Archives' blog earlier this year.

Early local scorecard that was later used as a scrapbook
part of the Charles Blanchard papers

David, in his office, having a ball

Thanks, David, for your time and your friendship.

Old Mill Newspaper Advertisements

2011-09-28T12:30:00.004-04:00

I was doing a bit of research the other day for a fellow SABR member. I saw an unrelated newspaper ad for "Chinese Baseball". While looking at that page, I found an ad for Old Mill Cigarettes. We know them as the the cigarettes that came with the T-206 baseball cards.

The earliest ad that I found was from early March, 1910. The cards were positioned as "Baseball pictures". I've gathered a sampling of the ads from various states and present them in chronological order.

The Times Dispatch - Richmond, Virginia
March 2, 1910

Daily Public Ledger - Maysville, Kentucky
April 8, 1910

Daily Public Ledger - Maysville, Kentucky
June 10, 1910

Daily Public Ledger - Maysville, Kentucky
June 17, 1910

Daily Public Ledger - Maysville, Kentucky
June 24, 1910

In Texas, the ad copy varies. They are featuring "Texas League baseball pictures".

Palestine Daily Herald - Palestine, Texas
September 12, 1910

El Paso Herald - El Paso, Texas
October 18, 1910

In Honolulu, they drop the ad copy, but continue to show the picture of the pack with the cards.

Evening Bulletin - Honolulu, Territory of Hawai'i
July 20, 1911

Evening Bulletin - Honolulu, Territory of Hawai'i
August 17, 1911

There probably are other examples showing various sporting or manly type activities. Although women are featured in some of the ads, they are not shown smoking.

This is not a 'new' find. Guys on the Net 54 Vintage Baseball Card Forum were discussing this in December of 2008.

UPDATE: I found a site, jimonym.com, that has 26 different Old Mill ads. There is nothing new under the sun.

images from the Library of Congress's Chronicling America - Historic American Newspapers

1992 Mother's Cookies

2011-09-23T17:00:00.022-04:00

Back in 1992 the Mother's Cookies produced several sets of team cards. A's, Astros, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, Padres, and Rangers, as well as small sets of Jeff Bagwell, Chuck Knoblauch, and Nolan Ryan.

This particular card came to me from Greg at Night Owl Cards. He recently ~~whined~~ commented on wanting to see Mr. Hershiser in a Dodger uniform. Here you go, Greg.


1992 Mother's Cookies Dodgers
Orel Hershiser (card #6)

Author Interview - Joseph Wallace

2011-09-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

Ruby Thomas had never seen anything as beautiful as Ebbets Field, with its brick exterior and half-moon windows that reminded her of slices of jelly candy.

This is the first line of Joesph Wallace's Diamond Ruby.

Earlier this year I was introduced to this book by way of Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf. I picked up the sample chapters for my Kindle, devoured them quickly and then ordered a copy of the book from amazon. I contacted the author, Joseph Wallace, and he gladly sent a Diamond Ruby baseball card my way. I read the book, had more interaction with Joe (he lets me call him Joe). I asked for an interview, which he agreed to.

First, my review.

Prohibition is enforced. The Spanish Influenza epidemic is rampant. Babe Ruth is king. Ruby Thomas can throw a baseball. In the pages of Diamond Ruby Joseph Wallace transported me to Brooklyn in the late 1910s and early 1920s. His writing style is engaging and colorful. I got sucked in early and didn't know how the title character would overcome the hardships that were placed before her. If you're looking for a book about sugar and spice and everything nice, this isn't for you. If you want a book that can speak to you on several levels, let me suggest this one.

I have seen reviews that say that Diamond Ruby is an essential take-to-the-beach-on-summer-vacation book. One to laze around with. I'm going to one up that. Diamond Ruby is an essential book for fans of baseball, period pieces, good literature, and books in general. Read it. Buy a copy. Give it to your friends. Then buy another copy for yourself.

Joseph Wallace

Q: Diamond Ruby is set in Brooklyn. You obviously did a lot of research to be able to paint such wonderful word pictures. What sources did you use? How long did your research take before writing? Did you start writing the story line and then flesh out the details?

A: I couldn't write Diamond Ruby until I felt like I was living inside the 1920s Brooklyn world where it was set. To do this, I haunted the New York Public Library's Microfilm Room and read through at least half a dozen newspapers, day by day, one after another. By the time I was done, I'd learned so much about how people lived, what they worried about, what they did for fun. Their world did feel real to me, sometimes even more vivid than the one I was actually living in.

Q: Is your writing style more like "lock myself in a room every morning until I produce 1,000 words" or "writing at the dining room table with kids and pets running amok"? Maybe somewhere in the middle?

A: I need quiet to be able to write well. When I was writing Ruby, I'd go away for three days at a time every few weeks and stay in a motel. It was a kind of sensory deprivation, just me in that room with no distractions, and the words would come pouring out. Sometimes I'd write for fourteen hours a day. My reward would be one good meal in a local hotel.

Q: One of the characters, Helen, is blind. Were you consciously more descriptive in your writing because of that?

A: Helen, like Ruby, was modeled on a real person: a stunt diver who went blind after a tragic accident. I thought of my Helen as the kind of person--strong-willed, brave, plain-spoken--who could get past Ruby's reserve, her solitary nature. She was the kind of friend Ruby would need, so it was easy to write vividly, visually, around her.

Q: Since you weave real people (Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Judge Landis) into the book, did you have to overcome any fears of putting the right words into their mouths?

A: I was definitely nervous about making Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey into important characters! I'm usually suspicious of writers who put words into the mouths of real historical figures. My solution was to have readers see them only through Ruby's eyes. You're never inside their heads, listening to their thoughts. You see them as Ruby does, smart and funny, but never being too wild in front of this tough young girl.

Q: As a writer, does it bring you pain or grief when one of the characters you create dies?

A: Yes, sometimes it's difficult to kill off a character, especially ones who don't deserve it. In Diamond Ruby, Ruby faces some significant tragedies; those were very hard to write because they hurt Ruby (a character I was very fond of).

Q: You've mentioned that you are working on a follow-up book with Diamond Ruby. How's that going? Do you have a publication date?

A: I hope to be done with my sequel to Diamond Ruby, to be set in Hollywood in 1927, sometime next year. Before I get back to it, though, I'm finishing a big thriller, featuring dozens of characters and locations as far-flung as Australia, Panama, Senegal...and Brooklyn!

Q: What's your favorite flavor of frozen custard?

A: I love vanilla frozen custard, but I definitely won't say no to other flavors.

I'd like to thank the author for his time and permission to use his photograph. Yes, I asked. For more information about Joseph Wallace, visit his official website. To purchase a copy of Diamond Ruby go here.

Live Blog - Smokies vs Baybears - final innings

2011-09-17T23:41:00.000-04:00

In the eighth inning, things started to go in favor of the Smokies. Men were getting on, runs were being scored. What was 2-1 became 2-4, Smokies. A pitching change here, a pinch runner there and they end up winning.

Brian Harper

Just after the Smokies won, I swung my camera to catch a shot of the Baybears dugout. What my lens autofocused on was Roger. To see some real baseball photographs, visit his flickr page.

The end to a good night at the ballpark.

For baseballish details, go read the box score. Game time on Sunday is 5:00pm.

Many thanks go out to Adam Kline and the wonderful staff of the Smokies for a good time tonight, and the whole season.

Live Blog - Smokies vs Baybears - part deux

2011-09-17T21:12:00.000-04:00

Now it is the top of the 7th. Same score, 2-1. The Smokies had runners in scoring position but couldn't bring them in.

Back to Roger. He's a photographer. You might have seen his camera. A few weeks back, in trying to protect his camera from a hard hit foul ball, his hand took the brunt of the force. A broken bone, but he's back. Roger is one of four boys in his family. He and two of the older brothers collected baseball cards back in the 1950s and 1960s. He told me that the played some sort of fantasy game with them, so they were well worn / well loved. The three older brothers moved on to other pursuits and out of the house. When they returned they found that their young brother had traded them away for something. He doesn't remember what, but they weren't pleased with him for a bit. Roger acknowledges that the cards, being in the condition they were in, probably wouldn't be worth much today. My guess is that he misses them more for the nostalgia than for the value.

In the third inning there was a close play at first. The ball bounced but it looked to me that the runner, a Baybear, was out. Close, but out. The umpire agreed with me. We didn't consult. The Baybear players in the dugout took exception withe the umpire's call. All of a sudden they were rooting for Florida University. Which was strange, because the UT game was over and technically it is the University of Florida. Then all of a sudden, the home plate umpire decides that one of the Baybear pitchers should take the rest of the game off. I haven't heard that much language in concert in quite a while.

Turner Ward, Baybears Manager

Turner Ward, manager, was an outfielder for a number of teams from 1990 to 2001. I don't remember seeing his baseball card.

Now it is top of the 8th. Score still 2-1.

Win or lose, fireworks show after the game.

Live Blog - Smokies vs Baybears

2011-09-17T20:32:00.003-04:00

It is now in the top of the 4th. Baybears have a 2-1 lead. I was on the first base side taking some photos during the player introductions and then moved over to the third base dugout to take more photos. I think I spent more time talking to Roger than using the camera. More about my talk with Roger later

Roger

It is now in the bottom of the 5th inning. You can see what's happening in the game by visiting the MiLB Gameday broadcast.

Local HS ROTC Color Guard

One of the things that I love about attending baseball games is the patriotism.

Long hallway to the visitor's dugout

Everyone has to take a photo like this. Sort of like a publicity photo of your band in front of a brick wall.

Play at the Plate

Don

Don is part of guest services. He is stationed at the the elevator that goes up to the suites and the press booth. He's always smiling, always pleasant. Another thing I like about going to ball games.

Live Blog - Smokies vs Baybears - pregame

2011-09-17T18:26:00.001-04:00

I'm fortunate enough to be at Smokies Park for game 3 of the Southern League Championship. The Mobile Baybears are up two games to none over the Tennessee Smokies. The game is scheduled to start at 7:15pm. I arrived shortly after 6pm. Still plenty of parking. On the elevator ride up to the press booth Adam Kline, the Smokies Director of Media Relations, extended his hand and called me by name. The Smokies have a good staff.

Since this is Saturday and we are in Vols country, the CBS feed is being played on the scoreboard. Tennessee just scored. It is now 13-30, Florida.

I'm off to snap some photos. Back soon.

Nothing like football at the ballpark.

Bryan Steverson's excellent book, Amazing Baseball Heroes.

Bill's Dream Job. Except at another stadium.

I'm eating BBQ sandwich, corn on the cob, salad, and fried zucchini. Press booth food is good. They're getting ready for the pregame ceremonies. I need to finish my sandwich.

State of the Blog

2011-09-17T00:37:00.001-04:00

The state of the blog is good. For the past few weeks I've been sort of looking forward to this post. 33 months or so of blogging. And this is blog post number 600. I envisioned streamers falling from the rafters, balloons being launched, the champagne fountain never running dry.

Then I saw the Play at the Plate 1,000th post. And then the Night Owl's post about blogging for three years. About 1,700 posts on that fine blog. And then Brian's 30-Year Old Cardboard announced that he just completed post 5,000.

600 doesn't sound so significant, does it? Well, compared to those maniacs, no. But in my world, yes. I didn't know what I was doing when I started this blog. Hey, I still don't. My output has diminished. I stray from cards and indulge myself in a bit of research. There are days I don't even look at card blogs and I feel like a louse.

Then there are days like last week when I arrived home from work, knowing that a full evening lay ahead with the kids, preparation for a meeting, and a bit of housework. What do I find in the mailbox? An envelope from zip code 13601. I let it sit through dinner, through the bath and then the homework. I held it, contemplating putting off the other things I had to do. Later that evening I opened it and out came a team bag with a mess of Hershisers from my want list. Also tucked into that bag was this Ray Dandridge card. I'm not going to tell you about him. Look it up yourself. Darn, he was good.

2005 Upper Deck Classics
Ray Dandridge (card # 79)

This is one of the many Orel Hershiser cards in the envelope. There are several variants of these cards. I still can't tell what they all are. Sure, I can consult the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards or look to my reference sheets, but I'm too tired right now. This is my first Hershiser 1998 SPx card. Greg just wanted it out of his house. Something about black and orange. And the team name GIANTS.

1998 SPx Finite - Spectrum
Orel Hershiser (card # 318) (#d/2250)

But this isn't a trade post. I'll show you more Hershisers in the coming weeks. Back to the original topic.

Through this blog I've increased my knowledge of cards and card history.

I've made many acquaintances across many states and a few countries, some of which have turned into true friendships. For that I'm very thankful.

I've traded cards and given them away.

I've learned how to make a fake card well enough to fool another blogger into thinking it was actually part of a checklist.

I've sometimes turned the blog into a vehicle for respect, and I'll continue to do so.

This blog has helped me gain access to the Tennessee Smokies' Press Booth. That's where I'll be on Saturday night, covering the third game of the Southern League Championship Series. The Smokies are down 2-0 in a best of 5 series.

I'm happy with where I am and what I've done. I make no apologies for my slowing down. For the times I'm not blogging, I'm spending it with my family. I''m reading. I'm researching. I'm enjoying my life as a blogger.

Thank you all for accepting me into this club and supporting me in so many different ways.

I say Micro, you say ...

2011-09-14T14:05:00.001-04:00

Soft? Skirt? Scope? How about 1991 Topps Micro? Sure, I knew you could.

This first card came in the mail last week, from everyone's favorite Baseball Dad, Jack from the All Tribe Baseball blog. It arrived with a note that said that he had a "major addition" for my collection. Carefully ripping the package open, I saw this. I don't have the actual size of this card, but it is rather tiny.

1991 Topps Micro
Orel Hershiser (card # 690)

My initial thought was, "Great, another Cracker Jack card." I've been sorting my Hershiser cards lately and I didn't remember seeing the Cracker Jack. I checked Zistle. I had the Cracker Jack, but not the micro. Another one off the OH want list. Thanks, Jack.

1991 Topps Cracker Jack, 2nd Series
Orel Hershiser (card # 17)

For size comparison, here's the standard Topps card. I think that Orel is saying, "One win? That's all I got last season? One? Great. Just one loss, too. Remember that. I'm a .500 pitcher. Valenzuela and Belcher are also .500 pitchers. And Howell. And Cook. Ramon? He's a freak. Let's see how he does after tearing his rotator cuff. Wait. What? Oh, just one out in this inning? Okay. Never mind."

1991 Topps
Orel Hershiser (card # 690)

Now all three cards are tucked safely away in the binder, taking up the top three slots in the 1991 section.

Thanks, again, Jack.

Whitey Hawking Post

2011-09-08T09:00:00.012-04:00

I was not even four months old when this issue of LIFE magazine hit the newsstands. Always nice to see Mark Antony smoking. And Liz not wearing a wedding ring.

LIFE - April 13, 1962

On page eight of that issue we see Whitey Ford hawking Post Cereal Trading cards.

image lifted from this ebay auction

I didn't know about these Mantle and Maris cards with advertising backs until doing some searching for baseball related advertising images for a previous blog entry.

This is a far cry from the earliest baseball card advertising I've seen (here and here).

Smed's Still With Us

2011-09-07T21:39:00.000-04:00

Tonight I (and several other bloggers) received a short email from everybody's favorite blogger that is named Smed. If you follow Smed's Baseball Card Blog, you know that he's been a bit quiet as of late.

He wanted everyone to know that his relocation is going well. It will be another few weeks before he heads back to Minnesota to retrieve his collection, but to fill a yen to rip he did pick up a few packs of Gypsy Queen and A&G.

He sent this postcard along so he must be doing okay.

Hall of Fame Relic Card - Orlando Cepeda

2011-09-07T11:11:00.001-04:00

2003 Topps ARTifact, Orlando Cepeda (card # AR-OC)

Cepeda, a seven time All-Star, was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1958. It wasn't until 1967 that he won the NL MVP. In 1967 he led the NL in two categories: RBI - 111 and HBP - 12. He spent eight full seasons in San Francisco before being traded to St. Louis for Ray Sadecki. Then a series of trades, releases, and signings with Atlanta, Oakland, Boston, and Kansas City. He played three games with the Athletics. He went 0-3. There's a career stop over to be proud of. He was part of the 1967 World Champions team but batted rather anemically, just .103 for the series. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee in 1999.

I won this on ebay for $1.41, plus $2.50 shipping. Under my $5.00 self imposed limit. That was over two years ago. I don't know why I'm just now blogging about this. Perhaps because I haven't been showing too many cards recently.

Association Men

2011-09-06T12:00:00.002-04:00

The Young Men's Christian Association was formed in the United States in 1851. This was seven years after it had formed in England. The YMCA promoted clean living, physical exercise, fellowship, and Bible study. While poking around Google Books I came across this article from one of the Y's house organs.

Association Men - 1914

I guess one could interpret the stats in a variety of ways. Perhaps drinking and playing ball was good when you were young, but as you got older, drinking hampered your batting. Look who did the research. None other than Hugh Fullerton. A few years later he exposed the evils of baseball and gambling.

The lure of the drink is strong. Several players showed up in ads through the decades and some distillers used the game as a backdrop.

LIFE - May 12, 1952

I found a few other nice images from the pages of Association Men showing the young men playing the national pastime.

Association Men - July, 1904

Association Men - 1914

Star Skating Rink & Base Ball Grounds

2011-09-02T17:00:00.003-04:00

Back in July Paul H., a fellow member of SABR, asked about the location of the Star Park in Covington, Kentucky. Paul runs Project Ballpark.

A few members answered Paul, including me. I hopped on Google and searched. I found it. Clearly the Internet is paying off. Here's what I found.


from Green Cathedrals by Philip J. Lowry

As I looked at it the info was rather vague. "Just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio". Really? That's an awful lot of shore. I found a map of Covington from 1874, but it didn't show any ball park.

Wait. The Philadelphia Pearls? Was that really a team? A bit more research told me that from 1873 to 1875 the Philadelphia team in the National Association was named the White Stockings (also known as the Whites or the Pearls). Who did they play?

More searching led me to this 1883 map from HistoricMapWorks.com. Eight years after the ball game had been played.

Boone - Kenton - Campbell Counties 1883 published by D.J. Lake

A bit more poking around and I found this non watermarked version. I don't remember exactly from where I retrieved it.

So, there it was. On the northwest corner of Scott and Seventeenth.

I emailed Kevin at Seamheads of the good news so that they could update their BallParks database. They moved the pin on Google maps a bit closer from where they had it, but it still isn't right. I need to gently nudge them. UPDATE: I reached out again to Kevin at Seamheads and they said they'd move their pin based on this research, as it "is the best available evidence we have." He likes to use Sanborn Fire Maps.

On the family vacation that we took at the end of July, we were just minutes from Covington on our way back home. I asked my wonderful wife if we could take a short tour of the town "Just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio" and try to find the old ballpark, knowing full well that it wouldn't still be standing. She said, "yes" and didn't even roll her eyes. She's wonderful like that.

I've never been to Covington. Driven by it countless times. Parts of it seem really nice. They're doing some renovation, but the town, like scores of others across the land, has seen better days.

looking NW at the corner of Scott and Seventeenth

looking SE from the parking lot that was once the Star Base Ball Grounds

Back to 1875. September 21 was a Tuesday. What was a team from Philadelphia doing in Covington, Kentucky? And who did they play? Back to the Internet.

According to the Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky the White Stockings' opponents were the Hartford Dark Blues.

Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky - B

According to RetroSheet's Events of Tuesday, September 21, 1875 page, it was the only game played that day and the the score was 13-9, Philadelphia.

So, what did I learn? I learned that answering a question for a fellow SABR member can be interesting rewarding.

current map of Covington, Kentucky

UPDATE 2: Kevin from SeamHeads indicated that he trusts Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps a bit more than other maps. I did a bit more searching and found two Sanborn Maps at the Kentuckiana Digital Library.

I modified the first image by including the scale on 17th Street. The second image did not have street names near the block I cropped, but it is the same block as the first image. There is no ball ground listed, but I could imagine the vacant space in the southwest corner of the block could house a baseball field.

1896 Sanborn Map - Covington, Kentucky

1909 Sanborn Map - Covington, Kentucky

Do you know what time it is?

2011-08-31T23:41:00.000-04:00

images from someecards.com

Cards from my brother

2011-08-27T09:49:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I got to see my brother for a few hours. He lives in the Cincy area. We probably don't see each other as often as we should, especially since we live just about four hours apart.

He found some bright yellow cards at a flea market or yard sale or something. He bought them for me. Yep, Bags of 1991 Fleer. You know, the yellow ones. I thanked him, let him know that these are probably not worth what he paid for them, even if it was a few bucks and thanked him again. I brought them home and set them aside, not opening them.

Today a new blogger wanted to get in on the Got it. Got it. Need it. hoopla. Josh D. from Royals and Randoms sent his top five wants. They've been posted. I started looking through his wantlist. Hmmm. I was able to fill a few of his wants from the 1991 Fleer bonanza I had been blessed with.

As I sorted them out a few cards looked not quite right. Well, this set looks not quite right. But these were from a different card stock. Blank backs. Ah, Box Panels.

In 1991 Fleer celebrated the No-Hitters of the 1990 season.

1991 Fleer Box Panels
Nolan Ryan (card # 3)

1991 Fleer Box Panels
Dave Stewart (card # 4)

1991 Fleer Box Panels
Dave Stieb (card # 9)

I'm a completest. Here's a back. I'm not so much of a completest that I have to scan each back individually and show them to you. Trust me. They all pretty much look the same.

1991 Fleer Box Panels
back

They also added a few team logos.

Here's the checklist via Zistle.

Thanks, Steve, for the cards. I'm sure that they'll end up at Children's Hospital.

Assume the Position - 1984 edition

2011-08-23T10:07:00.000-04:00

This card is from the fifth year issue of the LA Police Department. This is also one of Orel's first cards. The oversized cards are 2-13/16" x 4-1/8". The card numbers correspond to the uniform numbers of the players. Convenient, isn't it?

1984 L.A. Dodgers Police

Orel Hershiser (card # 55)

With all the hoopla over keeping personal data safe this card sure does give a lot of it away.

Summer Books

2011-08-21T00:01:00.002-04:00

I've been taking stock of my recent reading. I recently completed:

I just started to read Pride and Prejudice this week and although good, it doesn't contain enough baseball. So I figured that I should find some other books to fill that void. One of my local used book stores fit the bill.

Dorothy Seymour Mills helped her husband Harold Seymour write this and two others in the Baseball series. SABR says: "No one may be called a student of baseball history without having read these indispensable works." It set me back a buck and a half.

I'm not familiar this title or Donn Rogosin's work, but it was another buck and a half book.

The title of the next book makes me uncomfortable. Art Rust, Jr. addresses that in the Author's Note in this, the second edition. He declares that he'd rather be honest than inoffensive so he didn't succumb to the political correctness that was calling him to change the title. I enjoy oral histories. I think that I'll enjoy this two buck book.

What are you reading this summer?

Buck-A-Box Break from Tribecards Show and Tell

2011-08-16T11:11:00.003-04:00

A few months back I got sucked into Tribecard's Buck-A-Box Break. Since he was breaking a box of 2009 Allen & Ginter I offered up a suggestion that I take the non-baseball team cards. I think I came out ahead.

First up are the checklists for 2011 Bowman. Whee, unmarked checklists.

Now the A&G cards. I came out okay on these. I was really hoping for some more Negro League players, but I can't be picky. Sure I can. Do I really need a Codebreaker card from two years ago? Nope.

Dick Gatling. Invented a steam driven plow. Liked to shoot.

Walton Glenn Eller. A man with the letter L in each of his names. Two in his last. He also likes to shoot.

Henry Hertz. Inventor of the Hertz Donut. I actually got to introduce the Hertz Donut to a seventh grader the other night. He thought it was cool as he was rubbing his arm, trying not to let the tears show. He ran off to ask his little brother.

Famed Australian Motorcycle Jumper. No, he uses the motorcycles to jump distances. He doesn't jump over motorcycles, although I guess he could.

Not to be outdone, Prince Fielder waves his own flag. Prince once tried to jump five boxes of donuts, but was distracted, stumbled and ate three dozen of them.

A gift from France in 1879, St. Patrick's Cathedral has two organs featuring "a combined 9,828 pipes." Michael Phelps, come on down. Cheap shot, I know.

Now on to the minis. This first one needs no commentary.

Chupacabra. Reminds me of the Merman of Tombstone. Or Dave Concepcion's uncle.

John Higby. Mr. Yodel. Nice hair.

Piltdown Man. A Hoax, Hoodwink, and Bamboozle. Also a foreshadowing of the 2011 Ascent of Man cards, another HH&B.

Chuck Ponzi. Everyone thought that perhaps space aliens made the pyramids? Nope. Chuck did. Not as big a hoax as the fabled Moonwalk card.

And we're back to where we started. Bowman. There is a local newspaper columnist named Sam Venable. I get the two confused quite often.

--David also threw in a card from the 1992 Prosport Specialties Peanuts set.

Speaking of compassion, he also tossed in a stack of 1988 Sportflics mini trivia cards. I'd scan one, but they're all leveling my wobbly tables and chairs.

Thanks, --David, for making my first group break participation fun.

Greg Bussineau Auction Catalog review - late

2011-08-13T15:35:00.001-04:00

At the end of June I heard about an upcoming Greg Bussineau Sports Rarities auction. I wasn't familiar with this auction house so I contacted them and requested a catalog. It arrived very quickly and was filled with such nice items that I was stunned.

They say that the three rules of serious collecting are quality, quality, and quality. This auction offered all three. Most of the 588 lots shown in the 112 page catalog are graded cards and sets. Not just any graded cards, but several are the highest graded cards known. Quality sometimes equals high prices.

The auction ran from June 30th to July 21st. I wasn't planning on bidding and GBSR knew that. But, time slipped by and my intentions for an auction preview went with it.

So, I'll offer a look back at three items that interested me.

Title: 1933 Goudey #119 Rogers Hornsby PSA NM-MT 8
Lot #: 147
Description: One of two cards featuring Hall-of-Fame legend Rogers Hornsby within the 1933 Goudey set. Hornsby was one of the finest players in Major League baseball history. His list of notable accomplishments is almost endless. Two that really stick out, his lifetime batting average of .358 is the second highest (behind Ty Cobb) in baseball history, and he was one of only two players (along with Ted Williams) to win two hitting Triple Crown Awards.
This is one of the most attractive cards in the '33 Goudey set. It features an amazing horizontal image of Hornsby leaning over to field a ball. The offered example is nicely centered with crisp vibrant artwork, great print quality, and a flawless surface.
Minimum Bid: $1,500
Closing Bid: $3,600
My Thoughts: I've enjoyed the 1933 Goudey set and Rogers Hornsby. I don't know that I've researched them enough to have ever noticed the horizontal image on the vertical layout. Or vice versa.

Title: 1967 Philadelphia #35 Gale Sayers PSA MINT 9
Lot #: 545
Description: The great Gale Sayers' second card. This example has beautiful yellow borders, four perfect corners, and absolutely pristine image and surface quality. Tied for the finest known PSA graded copy.
Minimum Bid: $300
Closing Bid: $540
My Thoughts: It is Gale Sayers. What isn't to like? The card is crisp and the pose is fantastic. This, boys and girls, is what a football player looks like.

Title: 1970-71 Topps #3 Bobby Orr PSA GEM MT 10
Lot #: 580
Description: This is the one and only example of Bruins Hall-of-Fame great Bobby Orr's 1970-71 Topps card to be graded GEM MT 10 by PSA. The card is an absolutely perfect gem. Dead-on centering, blazing sharp corners, bright snow-white borders, and brilliant orange background color.
The 1970-71 season was a sensational one for Orr. He set the all-time record for most points scored by a defenseman (139), a record he still holds today. He won his second Hart Memorial Trophy, and his fourth Norris Memorial Trophy. And for the fourth year in a row, he was named a first team NHL All Star.
A unique opportunity to acquire the best of the best.
Minimum Bid: $1,000
Closing Bid: $7,500
My Thoughts: With the oppressive heat that has been slamming the nation I decided to turn to something cool. What's cooler than a hockey card? A Gen Mint 10 Bobby Orr hockey card. I rooted for the Bruins during the time that this card was manufactured. I don't know that I ever collected hockey cards in my youth, but I'd like to have this one now.

Sorry that I didn't get this post completed before the auction ended, but Greg Bussineau Sports Rarities will be hosting their 2011 Fall Auction in November. I promise to do a better job next time.

Red Framed Hershiser Diamond King

2011-08-12T23:23:00.000-04:00

I've been a bad blogger lately. And I feel guilty about throwing this up just to tide both of my readers over until I get back into the groove of blogging. It is what it is.

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings
Framed Red
Orel Hershiser (#289)

It actually does have a frame around it. A bit of cardboard/paper that Donruss slapped over a regular DK card. Perhaps there's more to it than that. I do like how they show his previous Diamond Kings Appearances.

ebay by the numbers

2011-08-03T23:47:00.000-04:00

Some time back I had made some purchases for my company on ebay. That gave me a few ebay bucks. Credit for future purchases. The ebay bots reminded me that I had some ebay bucks and it was use or lose.

The end of July got a bit busy for me and I probably could have spent them in a wiser fashion (read: gotten more bang for the buck) but I pushed the button on these two "Buy It Now" cards from the same seller. I picked them up for $1.75 delivered, each. The seller delivered quickly. He's got a few more cards I'm eyeing to buy.

2004 Fleer Greats of the Game
Forever (#'d to 1983)
Orel Hershiser (card # 4 of 29 F)

2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition
Round Numbers (#'d to 500)
Orel Hershiser (card # RN-48)

Ah, the joys of knowing that only 499 other people can own this card. I did not know that Orel made his debut in Montreal.

Baseball Cards for Books

2011-08-02T23:57:00.002-04:00

A few months back I wrote about the Diamond Ruby card that author Joe Wallace sent me. In that post I said that I'd show my two other baseball cards/promotion cards for books. Some 10 weeks later I'm fulfilling that promise.

At the 2010 Jerry Malloy conference I purchased a copy of Martha Ackmann's Curveball. She signed the book and kindly gave me a card or two.

Orel Hershiser's Out of the Blue was one of the first books my wife gave me. I found this oddball at a card shop in Illinois back in the early 1990s.

In the past few weeks I've cleaned out some of my reading back log. A few more books to finish and then I'll reassess what I'll be reading next. Maybe these two will make the cut.

Celebrating my Local Card Shop

2011-07-19T10:45:00.005-04:00

Today is the 22nd anniversary for my local card shop. In this day when it seems that card shops are closing on a regular basis, Eddie Barkley at Sports Treasures keeps on going.

I've been his customer for the last 10 years or so. Since he's on the other side of town I don't get there as often as I like, nor do I spend as much as I'd like, but he's a great guy and a very good dealer. Even though I don't visit frequently when I do, I'm treated like an old friend. He knows my name and calls out to me when I enter his store. He has a range of items, from the latest boxes and singles to a nice collection of desirable vintage. Dollar boxes, lots of University of Tennessee memorabilia, signed balls, jerseys, banners, you name it, he probably has it or can get it.

I had the chance to do a quick interview with Eddie last evening. At his request, I've edited his answers for clarity. I also lifted the images from his facebook photo albums.

Q: What made you want to get into the sports card business?
A: I got into the card business because it was my Dad's love and I had just graduated from college so I had nothing else to do. I love sports so we started it.

Q: With many card shops closing across the nation, what has allowed you to remain open?
A: I think the biggest reason we survived is because we put money into the business and had a full inventory of old and new stuff, whereas most people opened because of one hot product and then faded out. They didn't have the inventory to survive. Plus we tried to make our shop open to women and children, not just adult males.

Q: I know that you've had at least two locations, your present one and then before that, across from Litton's. Anywhere else?
A: I've moved two times into three spots total. I started across the street from Litton's in Fountain City, to up the corner where the bridal shop was and then to where I am now.

Q: What is the biggest change you've seen in the hobby?
A: Wow, the hobby has changed so drastically over the last 20 years. It is hard to say. I guess the cost of packs, the autographed cards and the value of cards that come from packs.

Q: What is the most interesting item that you've had come through the shop?
A: Most interesting? Lots of stuff, the best I guess was a Babe Ruth Rookie $8,000 card!!!

Q: Do you have a personal collection? What do you like to collect?
A: I have a small personal collection now. I used to have more at home but now doing the shop alone, technically everything there is my collection and I just change it around some each month.

So, Happy Anniversary, Eddie, and Sports Treasures.

If you're in Knoxville, drop by and visit him at 4819 N. Broadway. Online he can be reached via the store's facebook page or his ebay store.

Tracts

2011-07-17T22:45:00.000-04:00

Religious pamphlets. Not the She's beautiful, she's rich, she's got huge... tracts of land! kind of tracts.

A few weeks ago a purchase from ebay came to me with this Mickey Mantle tract included.

American Tract Society

Good News Publishers

These tracts are about 3-1/2" x 5-1/2", being four or six pages in length. The American Tract Society has a few tracts with athletes sharing their relationship with God. I think that I picked the ATS Hershiser tract up at a card show in the early 1990s. The Good News Publishers tract I got about the same time. I worked at Tyndale Publishing House then and they shared a warehouse with GNP.

These are oddballs within my Hershiser collection. I don't even quite know how to categorize them. For now they share a four pocket page with some oversized Police Dodger issues.

Custom Cards and their Makers

2011-07-14T15:19:00.005-04:00

The other day, Bob Lemke wrote:

You might be surprised at the number of custom card makers out there, and the breadth of their efforts. If I was the organizing type, I'd try to get everybody together on one web site to share our creations, tips, etc.

So, I asked a fellow blogger who did some custom cards and then I went looking out on the net. I've assembled the list below. Some of the bloggers create cards to sell, some for TTM autographs, some just to play with.

These are in no particular order and I'm sure that I've missed a few. If I have, please let me know in the comment section and I'll add them to this list.

More Hershiser cards

2011-07-09T10:27:00.000-04:00

I'm going through my Orel Hershiser collection, making sure I know what I have and trying to collect what I want. That word "want" is generally interchangeable with the word "need" but I have a hard time reconciling the fact that I really need baseball cards. There are many more important things in life. But I digress.

As I organize using Zistle, I try to add scanned images to their database. I'll scan the cards in if they don't have them, but then rather than toss them to my recycle bin, they make it to this blog, which I guess is another form of recycling.

The Duracell Power Players cards were issued in two series of 24 cards each.

1993 Duracell Power Players, Series I
Orel Hershiser (card # 4)

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The 1993 Upper Deck Fun Packs were targeting a younger set of collectors. I think that the back cartoon is amateurish and knew guys in my college dorm that could draw better than that when they were three sheets to the wind. And I'm not sure what is happening with the green hat that Orel is wearing. Perhaps this is a St. Patrick's Day spring training game.

1993 Upper Deck Fun Packs
Orel Hershiser (card # 88)

So, as I scan more cards for my Orel Hershiser collection at Zistle, you'll be seeing them here.

Little Earl Wilson Cards

2011-07-07T23:49:00.000-04:00

These cards are not your "normal" baseball card sized cards. They're little.

The Globe playing card is 1-5/8" x 2-1/4". The paper stock is very thin. When this arrived from BargainBaseballCards.com I almost thought that it was a photocopy. But it was nice to pick up an oddball for just 15 cents.

1969 Globe Import Playing Cards (blank back)
Earl Wilson (5 of Diamonds)

This approximately 2"x3" Broder card came from ebay. A bit more pricey. $5 delivered. But I used some ebay bucks that I had accumulated by purchasing things for work. Free cards for me. And a fantastic ebay seller. Great communication and super quick shipping.

1974 Broder PCL "Popcorn"
Earl Wilson (card # 49)

I didn't know that Earl Wilson played for the San Francisco Seals. A bit of poking around old newspaper accounts indicate that he did play in some preseason games but went to serve in the military before the season actually started. My research there is not yet complete.

Jollification

2011-07-04T11:42:00.002-04:00

The ceremonial first pitch. I've seen musicians, local dignitaries, Little League champs, celebrities, presidents, and more toss out the first pitch. I've never seen royalty toss one out.

While doing research for a Fourth of July themed post I came across this gem from 1918. That led to more research and this blog. I went to Footnote and grabbed the images.

The Toronto World - June 27, 1918
image from Google

London Times - July 4, 1918
image from Footnote

Gorrell's History - AEF Air Service
images from Footnote

I can only think that the Brits were in on the jollification to pacify the American troops. Apparently the royal family didn't want us to open another can of Yorktown on their butt.

Happy Independence Day! Be safe.

Don Drysdale - fictitious card

2011-06-30T23:36:00.000-04:00

This was a quick slap job for a card to commemorate one of the greatest performances by an athlete on an early 1970s ABC Friday night sitcom.

When I say "slap job" I only mean "no more than 10 minutes and that includes looking for all the elements". I might do this again at a better resolution.

I guess that I'll also need to do the following cards:

1970 Wes Parker
1971 Deacon Jones
1973 Joe Namath

Thanks to Spike for the basic template and pointer on the script font.

Smokies beat the Mudcats

2011-06-30T08:00:00.006-04:00

Last night our family went to Smokies Park. Our church got some group tickets.

Here's our youth pastor, Nick, his daughter Elia and wife Tessa, with their friends, Braden and Braden's mom. I've forgotten her name already. We'll get back to Braden.

The game was sponsored by Halls Salvage. So, of course, big headed foam people must be there.

Not only big headed people, but Clucky the Chicken.

Yes, there's some wicked sun glare, but I like this shot. My family was sitting in section 117. That's the silver section of the seats, just behind the umpire.

The skipper and his minions.

The Smokies Press Booth. A bit more on this later.

This is Brooks Raley pitching. It was his 23rd birthday. He got the win.

Caroline lost a tooth this week. She enjoyed the game, even though it went way past her bedtime. I guess that is what summer is for.

Yours truly, sporting the Kaught Looking hat, just as I said I would.

Last pitch of the night. The visiting team's bullpen was right in front of us. James Skelton, 13, was catching the pitchers. Caroline was waving at him the whole night long.

After the game he gave her a ball. That really made her night. Thanks, James.

As the field cleared, one of the Mudcat players came from the dugout to where we were seated. Eric Campbell, 34, sauntered over to see his son, Braden, and wife. They drove over for the series. One of the best moments for me was seeing Eric and Braden having a catch.

Eric was kind enough to sign my ticket. Thanks, Eric.

Leaving the park, we get another toothless grin.

Wait, what about the Press Booth? Oh, yeah. I finally got a Press Pass. I guess they call it a Media Pass now. The Director of Media Relations, Adam Kline, hooked me up, explained a few dos and don'ts, showed me the secret tunnel to get to the visitor's dugout and was super helpful the whole evening. I'm planning to return to the park without the family so I can blog a game or two.

Thanks, Adam, Eric, family and friends. It was a great evening.

Katching Up

2011-06-27T22:21:00.003-04:00

There have been a myriad of things happening and I can't bring myself to do a proper card post.

I did receive a nice package in the mail late last week. I was expecting it, but I didn't know when it would arrive.

Kaught Looking is a sportswear brand and blog that is inspired by the sport of baseball. The man behind Kaught Looking is John Southee. Like any good entrepreneur he is trying to get the word out. He'd like to get his tee shirts and caps into every state in the nation. I came across his site as he is a fellow member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. Well, he's a member, I'm a friend.

He didn't have any product in Tennessee so I contacted him and he sent me a hat. Gratis.

I have to be careful where I wear it, as it looks very similar to the Chattanooga Lookouts logo.

Around here they would get them confused.

I already mentioned that John is an entrepreneur. He's offering a discount for my readers. By entering MARKS15 you can receive 15% off when checking out. This offer is good until Kaught Looking is in every state.

So, thank you, John. I wore it yesterday to a state park and will be wearing it on Wednesday when I go see the Tennessee Smokies host the Carolina Mudcats.

More Than A Game

2011-06-26T09:00:00.004-04:00

This Sunday starts a five week sermon series at the church I attend, Seymour Heights Christian Church. The main text is from Paul's letter to the Colossians.

Colossians 1:27-29 (The Message)

This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.

The pastor is using a baseball theme to emphasize the points that Paul wrote. I'm not quite sure how he's going to do that, but I could imagine some ways. Actually, since my wife is the worship leader and I sat in on a planning meeting, I do know some of the things in store, from songs to videos. It will be fun. Next week we'll be attending a Smokies game.

I was asked to create some cards of the staff and I wanted to share them here.

1974 Topps
Oscar Gamble
(card # 152)

1973 Topps
Enzo Hernandez
(card # 438)

1971 Topps
George Scott
(card # 9)

1964 Topps
Larry Jackson
(card # 444)

1955 Bowman
Randy Jackson
(card # 87)

1970 Topps
Wes Parker
(card # 5)

Baseball at Clinton Park

2011-06-23T23:45:00.000-04:00

Monday evening, July 11th at 7pm, Richard Leyden will be giving at talk about Clinton Park and the First Northern League 1901-1906. This is sponsored by the Clinton County Historical Association. Clinton county is where I was born and raised. I have a fondness for that area of the North Country.

I searched through some papers at the Northern New York Library Network and found notice of a game to be played at Clinton Park. The local team would be playing the traveling Cuban X Giants.

Plattsburgh Daily Press - July 28, 1904

Plattsburgh Daily Press - July 29, 1904

Another day of summer in 1904.

Some cards with Orel wearing a Dodger uniform

2011-06-21T12:44:00.001-04:00

Yes, another of the never ending show and tell posts from the my trade with the Night Owl. In a recent comment Greg mentioned that he did, indeed, send some Hershiser cards with Orel wearing a Dodgers uniform. Here are two of them.

The first is the last year of Donruss's Triple Play cards. First appearing in 1992, they only lasted three season. Orel has a card in each year of production (1992: 212, 1993: 121, 1994: 84).

1994 Triple Play
Orel Hershiser (card # 84)

The next card we have is the 1995 UD Collector's Choice, Special Edition, Gold Signature. These parallel cards were inserted 1 in every 36 packs. There are 265 cards in the base set, so it would stand to reason that every 9,540 packs would have one Gold Orel in it. I only had to wait 16 years to get it. Sweet.

1995 UD Collector's Choice
Special Edition - Gold Signature
Orel Hershiser (card # 89)

Another card that Greg couldn't wait to get out of his collection, a 1998 Upper Deck with Orel wearing that dreaded shade of orange. Fortunately Orel went to the Indians before heading to San Francisco. Took a bit of the sting away for Dodger's fans. I think.

Why it took me 13 years to get this base card still baffles me.

1998 Upper Deck
Orel Hershiser (card # 720)

So, not that many cards left in the pack that Greg sent my way. Soon you'll be done having to endure this Night Owl love fest. Then I'll turn my attention to the TribeCards.net buck-a-box dog and pony show. Hang on to your hats.

1963 Post - Earl Wilson

2011-06-18T14:34:00.001-04:00

1963 Post
Earl Wilson (card # 83)

Here's a card from my Elusive Eight list. I purchased this on ebay for a dollar, two dollars shipping, a total of three. Maybe a bit on the high side for a card in this condition. But as several bloggers have pointed out there's a certain appeal for non-pristine cards. Sure, when collecting, the adage is, "Buy the best condition you can afford." I agree with this, but I'd rather have some extra coin in my pocket to pick up some more cards.

I had $2.26 in an ebay gift card left over from last year that I had forgotten about. This one cost me 74 cents, then. I like to look at it that way.

I collect Earl Wilson cards because he played for the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings of the in 1953 Arizona-Texas League, a class C organization. The connection is that I graduated from a high school in that same county. There were scores of other players that played on teams in that county, but John, from The Pursuit of 80's(ness) blog sent me my first Earl Wilson card in a trade. Earl doesn't have that many cards so I figured it is much easier (and cheaper) to collect him than a major star.

The day after I made this purchase I received an anonymous tip that my Elusive Eight list would be severely shortened. Through some investigative techniques I was able to determine that this Earl Wilson card would be coming my way shortly. Doh!

I guess I'll have two, perhaps the seed of a contest prize. But I'll wait until it is in my hands.

Hoot! Hoot!

2011-06-15T14:40:00.001-04:00

So that any of my readers don't think that this is really turning into a love-fest for Mr. Night Owl, I have a restraining order with my name on it and I'm following it to the letter.

Here's some more cards that Greg sent my way. Oh, look, they all depict Orel in an Indians uniform. I'm not surprised.

The first one is a parallel of the ever popular 1995 Topps Stadium Club. Here's what the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards says:

Persons who redeemed a 1994 Stadium Club Atlanta Braves Super Team insert following the Tribe’s 1995 World Series victory received a set of 1995 Stadium Club cards, each of which bears a gold-foil World’s Series logo on front. The cards are otherwise identical to the regular-issue SC cards. The prize “set” contains only 585 cards, a note sent with the set explains 45 of the TSC cards - #496-523 (the Extreme Corps subset) and cards #614-630 (the Trans-Action subset) were not printed in the parallel version.


1995 Stadium Club - World Series Winners Orel Hershiser (card # 562)

The 1996 Pinnacle Starburst is not a true parallel, but a sampling of cards from the main set. Let's turn to the SCBC's entry:

For 1996 Pinnacle abbreviated its parallel insert set to just half of the cards from the base issue. Only 200 select players are included in the Starburst Dufex-printed parallel set found on average of once per seven hobby packs and once per 10 retail packs.

Got to love when you can use the word "Dufex" with authority.

1996 Pinnacle Starburst
Orel Hershiser (card # 148)

And a set that had plenty of inserts but no parallels, 1995 Flair. Since I'm liberally lifting from the SCBC, let me toss another entry here:

There’s no mistaking that 1995 Flair is Fleer’s super-premium brand. Cards are printed on double-thick cardboard with a background of etched metallic foil: Gold for National Leaguers, silver for American. A portrait and an action photo are featured on the horizontal front design. Backs are vertically formatted with a borderless action photo, several years worth of stats and foil trim. The basic set was issued in two series of 216 basic cards each, along with several insert sets exclusive to each series. Cards were sold in a hard pack of nine with a suggested retail price of $5.

1995 Flair
Orel Hershiser (card # 250)

And because the restraining order says nothing about images of owls, let me point you to two sites:

Oh, there are more posts coming. Bevare. Bevare! BEVARE!

Elusive Seven

2011-06-13T23:10:00.001-04:00

In the never ending series of blog posts that some might interpret as a love fest for Mr. Night Owl but really isn't, I present yet another card that Greg sent me.

2001 Fleer Boston Red Sox 100th Anniversary
Earl Wilson (card # 50)

This is one of my Elusive Eight cards. Well, now that list is down to seven. I'll have to find another Earl Wilson card to take the place of this one.

I think I put that page up because everyone else was doing it. Nefarious Nine. Sought-after Six. Flappable Five. Okay, now I'm making them up. But it worked. I can only assume that Greg found my narrow wantlist and helped me knock it down.

You know what else works? Zistle's new Customized Collections feature. Here are the Earl Wilson cards I own. Try it, you'll like it.

Thanks, Greg, for the Earl Wilson. Just a few more of these posts and you'll be released from me splashing your name all willy-nilly.

1995 Score variations

2011-06-12T23:57:00.000-04:00

Because Mr. Night Owl likes long trade posts and I don't have the patience to put one together, I'm stringing his recent trade with me out over a few weeks.

Greg sent me one of these cards. Can you guess which one it was? I had the other two already.

1995 Score
Orel Hershiser (card # 238)

1995 Score Gold Rush
Orel Hershiser (card # 238)

1995 Score Platinum Redemption Team Sets
Orel Hershiser (card # 238)

The Gold Rush parallel set was inserted at about a rate of 1 per pack.

The Platinum Redemption Team sets were available by sending in a complete team set of Gold Rush cards.

The Backs Are Back

2011-06-10T09:00:00.002-04:00

The other day I said that if I ever got around to scanning the back of the 1999 Fleer Ultra cards I'd show them to you.

I scanned them. Here they are:

1999 Fleer Ultra
Orel Hershiser (card # 144G)

1999 Fleer Ultra - Gold Medallion Edition
Orel Hershiser (card # 144G)

In case you didn't catch the differences here they are:

Note that they removed some trivia/filler to add the GOLD MEDALLION EDITION bit and they also added the special G to the end of the card number.

The addition of the G is what I wish other companies would do for a parallel set. Make the cards clearly distinguishable.

I'm not a total slacker.

Respect

2011-06-09T13:04:00.005-04:00

Yes, it is time for another one of my soapbox posts.

A.J. Burnett doesn't have respect. LeBron James didn't have respect. They both used the word retarded in a casual, demeaning way.

If you have followed my blog for some time you'll know that my daughter, Caroline, has Down syndrome. I am her advocate. When anyone uses the R-word in the manner that A.J. and LeBron did it hurts. I'm speaking up.

After watching the video of LeBron's press conference I sent an email to the NBA...

In a recent post game interview, LeBron James is heard using the word "Retarded".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZCwb6Mf5aE

For people with intellectual disabilities (such as my daughter Caroline) and those that love them, hearing the R-word is hurtful.

I would encourage Mr. James to find a different outlet for his frustration. I would also ask that he visit http://r-word.org/ and make a pledge to stop using it altogether.

Thank you for a good product. Help make it better.

Regards,
Mark Aubrey

And a few days later I received a reply...

Dear Mark:

Thank you for contacting the National Basketball Association with your concerns regarding LeBron James’s use of the word “retarded” at the press conference following Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Following this incident, we communicated both our disappointment and yours to LeBron.

At the press conference following Game 4 of the Heat’s series with the Boston Celtics, LeBron apologized for his remarks.

Through our longstanding partnership with the Special Olympics, the NBA has embraced the organization’s Spread the Word to End the Word campaign, which is dedicated to eliminating the use of the words “retard” and “retarded.” Several NBA players, including Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Dwight Howard, and Chris Paul have signed on to this campaign, and it is an important component of our NBA Cares initiative, which builds on the NBA's long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world.

Sincerely,
NBA Fan Relations

I was encouraged by their response.

Below is a Public Service Announcement about ending the use of the R-word. Please be advised that it contains contains language that others might find offensive or hurtful to make a point.

I'm stepping off of my soapbox for now. Thanks for listening.