Major League Dad

 

Tim Burke was drafted by the Pirates in the second round of the 1980 amateur draft.  He was traded to the Yankees and then to the Expos and was called up to the major leauges in 1985. That year he lead the league in games pitched, with 78.  He did start two games in 1986, but saw action in 66 others.  He was an All Star in 1989.  He stayed in the National Leauge, being traded to the Mets in 1991 and then from there to the Yankees that same season.  After that, he was granted free agency, signed with the Reds, but never played with them.  Instead, he quit baseball and spent time with his family.

He and his wife, Christine, wrote this book.  It tells the story of their lives before and after baseball.  It tells the story of the children that they adopted.

This book was published in 1994 by Focus on the Family.  Gregg Lewis helped the Burkes write it.  Skimming it, there is a message of hope and faith in God.  It may not be to everyone's taste.  I have only read the first chapter, but it is on my "to read" list.

And now for some Tim Burke baseball cards...

1987 Topps, Tim Burke (card #624)

1991 Donruss, Tim Burke (card #125)

1991 Score, Tim Burke (card #181)

Tim Burke ended his career with 699.1 innings pitched in 498 games over eight seasons.  He compiled a 49-33 W-L record (.598) and posted 102 saves while facing 2,908 batters.  No, those aren't Hall of Fame numbers.  But he went out on top, under his own terms.

 

Spitball

 

Spitball magazine was unleased on the masses in 1981.  I didn't become aware of it until late April when I found this book at the used bookstore.  I picked up my copy for $2.  Well worth it.  Inside are poems, artwork, interviews and some wonderful stories from the first seven years of publication.

I particularly enjoyed the interviews with W.P. Kinsella and Jim Brosnan.  Also the story about the space alien who becomes a major leaguer and breaks some records.

More information on Spitball can be found at their website.

 

Clean Sweep Auction Catalog

I received this Clean Sweep Auctions catalog in the mail two weeks ago. Full color and great glossy pages. 112 of them. About a quarter of them are actually sale items.

There are 837 lots in this auction that ends on June 3rd. The bulk of the items are baseball, but there are the usual smattering of football, basketball, hockey, boxing, entertainment and presidential items.

The centerpiece of this auction is a near complete set of T206 cards. This near complete set is missing six cards. It started at $10,000. Current bid is $19,489.

Nice, but too high-endy for me. This time around I'm going to focus on lower cost items. Clean Sweep offers quite a range of items, both for auction and for sale. I decided to stay with any item that started for $50 or less. I'm following my basic criteria: Would I want to have this item as part of my personal collection? I've selected five lots.

Lot #151
1922 Neilsons Chocolate Type 1 # 44 Waite Hoyt
Condition: PSA 4
Starting Bid: $50
Current Bid: $61

Lot #194
1941 W754 Cardinals # 13 Edward Lake
Condition: PSA 7
Starting Bid: $16
Current Bid: $16

Lot #232
1959 Fleer # 60 More Records for Ted
Condition: PSA 8
Starting Bid: $17
Current Bid: $21

Lot #276
1968 Kahns # 34.1 Torre (large)
Condition: PSA 8
Starting Bid: $36
Current Bid: no bids

Lot #673

1959 Topps # 514 Bob Gibson (Rookie Card) - Autographed
Condition: 9.5
Starting Bid: $50
Current Bid: $55


For $169 of opening bids, those five cards could be mine. Or yours. If the auction were to end right now, they could be had for $189. This does not include any sort of buyer's premium.

As far as the catalog goes, the pictures are nice, but small. A few typos here and there. Not terrible, but enough for me to wonder who was proofing it. They have a very nice collection of signed baseballs and they tend to focus on cards made before the 1970s.

If you really want to get in on an auction that you can afford, consider Lot #239, a 1959 Topps Ernie Johnson, graded/slabbed card that hasn't yet been bid on. You can start the bidding at $8.

* Note: Current bids are as of 10:00pm, KnoxVegasTimezone, Wednesday, May 27, 2009.

It is all the rage

There are new blog site designs popping up faster than fake patch cards.

So, I figured I'd make mine a bit cleaner, as well. I just used a standard Blogger template, Minima Stretch. I wanted to make sure that the images would fit. (See this entry for an example of how it should work.)

I'm headed out to Michigan for a nephew's High School graduation party on Thursday. I'll be back after the weekend. I've delayed-posted a few entries. That should keep my readers satisfied until my return.

Thanks for playing.

Mail Day from Dad

 

Actually it was from Estate Sale Liquidation, but I think that my dad is behind it.  It was a box of 17 baseball card packs and three rack packs.

Packs

1986 Topps

1987 Topps

1988 Donruss 

1988 Topps

1989 Bowman

1989 Donruss 

1989 Fleer

1989 Topps

1990 Bowman

1990 Donruss

1990 Fleer

1990 Score

1990 Topps Traded

1991 Fleer Ultra

1991 Leaf (Series 2)

1991 Topps Stadium Club (Series 1)

1991 Upper Deck

1992 Upper Deck

Rack Packs
1989 Topps

1990 Fleer

1990 Topps

I'll be opening them in the coming days/weeks.

Thanks, Dad.

 

Memorial Day

T206, Bill Chappelle

Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial, Belgium

What do Bill Chappelle and Memorial Day have in common?

They were both born in Waterloo, New York.

Bill Chappelle, a pitcher, was born in 1881 in Waterloo. He played for the Boston Doves in 1908 and 1909 before being selected off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds early that season. He played one game for the Reds before being purchased by Rochester club. He later played for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops in the Federal League in 1914.

In 1866 the village of Waterloo honored fallen Union soldiers by decorating their graves. In May of 1966 the US Congress and President Truman recognized that Waterloo was the birthplace of Memorial Day.

I selected the photo of the Henri-Chapelle Cemetery because of my grand-uncle, Orville Hodlin, who died in Europe during World War II while serving in the US Army. Orville is interred there.

Please don't forget those that have given the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country.

(Photo of the T206 card lifted from an ebay auction.)

Accountability Time

I have a tendancy to overextend myself. I have a lot of ideas. Some good. Some not so good. But I spend time thinking about each type. I've come to realize that I need to stop thinking up ideas. That will give me more time to do other things. Like things I should be doing.

I have stacks of cards scattered around the computer that need to be put away. I have an IOU to a blogger to send out some cards. I'm about six weeks late on that promise.

I wander the backstreets of ebay, hoping to find the next card I need. But I don't need them.

I did sort out my Hershiser cards that I'd like to scan and post to Zistle (as compared to the ones that I've already scanned or that they have). I'm making some small headway there. I came to the realization that I don't need to scan and post them all this week.

Releasing the hit counter from this blog has freed me up some.

No, I'm not OCD, but I do like things in order. Not my office, mind you, but cards. I'm struggling with how to organize my Hershiser cards in the binder. By manufacturer? By year? By team? I'm leaning towards year.

All that to say, I'm going to get the cards out this week for Sean. I'm going to clean up some of the cards around the computer.

I've also started to bid on HOF relic/auto cards on ebay and elsewhere. I won a few on sportlots.com. I need to be more discriminating when it comes to which HOF relic cards I pick up. I've seen some with a player depicted with a team that he spent one season with. I'd rather have the card showing them with the team that they entered the Hall for.

And now a card or two.

1987 Fleer Record Setters (card # 16)

1989 Baseball Wit (card #1)

The Fleer Record Setters card is from one of those Fleer mini box sets. There were 44 cards in that box. I'm not sure off the top of my head what record Orel set that year.

The Baseball Wit card is from a set of trivia cards. Similar to the Classic game cards.

So, to recap... I'm busy and need to focus. By sharing my thoughts with you here I hope to better fulfill them.

Auto Cards

 

No, not autograph.  Automobile.

I don't know where I got this pack, but I've had them for quite some time.  In honor of the Indy 500 and the Coca Cola 600 I thought I'd open it.

My guess is that these cards were issued in conjunction with Alex Gabbard's book of the same name.
The backs, though informative, don't give much clue to the set of cards.  The highest numbered card I pulled from this pack is V1-64.

From a google search I found Alex Gabbard's website (where he sells his books), that he is involved in a writer's guild in KnoxVegas, and that someone is selling a box of these cards on ebay.

I'm going to try to contact Mr. Gabbard to find out more about the cards.
 

New Shop ideas

--David (Indian Baseball Cards. And then some...) asked some questions about opening a new card shoppe. I thought I'd rework a comment I left several months ago on another blog. I thought it might be worthy of a blog entry.

1. Have reasonably priced cards. A few boxes of 10-cent and 25-cent cards. Little Timmy might like cards, but might not be able afford to buy the latest high priced pack for $5.

2. Have an area for younger collectors. They'll be the future of the hobby. Entice them now, keep them for life. Really, who cares if the 1990 Topps singles box gets dinged around while they paw through it?

3. Have a trading night every few weeks. A few tables where collectors/traders can come in and do actual trading. No money exchanges hands between the traders. Some oversight might be required so that new traders don't get taken by crafty, cunning types. Sure, in a trade, someone will get the "better" deal, but it is all perception. Be the referee/judge if asked. What you want to do is get the customer into your shop and keep them there.

4. Have a trading bulletin board so that collectors can see what others need. A physical cork board.

5. Sponsor "Bad Mustache Card" day. Customers need to bring in a card with a player's bad mustache in the photo for 5 % off all purchases. This can be expanded upon. "Bad Haircut Card" day. "Worst ERA" day. "Worst Batting Average" day. You get the idea.

6. Don't check the price guide on every card you sell. Especially singles from the mid eighties. And if you are going to use a price guide, then also pay very close attention to the condition of the card. Is it centered well? No? Then don't try to charge me a NMT-MT price.

7. Supplies. Have supplies.

8. Know what you're talking about. Or, if you don't, let me know that you don't have a clue about it. I'll respect you a lot more for that answer.

9. Have fun.

Personal Sports Card

 

This is my son, Edison.

He was starting center for the middle school team.  And starting linebacker.  And played on special teams.  I think that they went 1-5 for the season.

Tonight he graduated from the 8th grade.

He was the salutatorian of his class.  He won the school spelling bee.  He was a member of the Scholastic Bowl team.  They won the big tournament.  He received many individual class awards for excellence.  He was awarded the Lionheart award for Christlikeness.  

He likes sports.  He's a card.

I'm very proud of him.

 

New Huggins & Scott Auction Catalog

A new auction catalog showed up in the mail last week. Huggins & Scott, a fine sports memorabilia auction house is having their May auction. Online bids are being accepted now.

They have a two day auction, so I selected one item from each day that I'd like to add to my collection. Neither are going to happen, but a boy can dream, can't he?

Day 1, Lot Number 107, a 1953 Bowman Color Complete Set of (160) Cards. Yes, this is the set that includes the wonderful Pee Wee Reese action shot card. The bid opened at $900 and is now up to $1,200.

Day 2, Lot Number 831, a Beautiful Babe Ruth Single-Signed baseball. To me, nothing says "baseball memorabilia" like a nice Ruth signature on a baseball. The bid opened at $750 and is now up to $7,000.

The catalog is full of cards, bats, balls, autographs, uniforms from a variety of sports. Full color with concise descriptions. It took me several days to select the two items that I wanted.

I'd urge you to go to their site and peruse the lots. Download the catalog in .pdf format. Not quite like having a real copy in your hands, but better than nothing.

1989 Ralston Purina

Mike Schechter Associates worked with Ralston Purina for this 12 card set that was distributed in boxes of cereal. A complete set could be purchased as part of a mail-in offer.

For the longest time I thought that these were some sort of bootleg or unauthorized card even though they had the MLBPA logo on the back. Lack of team logos and lack of sponsor also helped to that conclusion.

Checklist:
1. Ozzie Smith
2. Andre Dawson
3. Darryl Strawberry
4. Mike Schmidt
5. Orel Hershiser
6. Tim Raines
7. Roger Clemens
8. Kirby Puckett
9. George Brett
10. Alan Trammell
11. Don Mattingly
12. Jose Canseco

Manny - on ice

Manny Legace, that is.

2007/08 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey, Manny Legace (card # 14)

I won a "leave a comment, win some hockey cards" contest over at Bad Wax. They showed up earlier this week. Here are just some of the 20 some odd cards from the Hockey Smorgasbord.

2007/08 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey, Stephane Veilleux (card # 41)

I love the bend in the Stephane Veilleux's stick. Power waiting to be released.

2007/08 Upper Deck MVP Monumental Moments, Evgeni Malkin (card #MM5)

Evgeni Malkin has six goals in the playoffs this year, with four of them coming during power plays. And one of the teams he played for in Russia? Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Gotta love that.

2006/07 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey, Ben Walton autograph (card # AF-BW)

Yes, some people consider relic and auto cards passé, but I still like them.

Thanks, chemgod, for the entertaining blog and the cards.

As Red Green often says, "Keep your stick on the ice."

All-Star Masks

Mr. Owl has a thing for masks. And Dodgers (too many posts to link to).  I think that I left a comment (somewhere) several months ago saying that I had this oversized book and would take some photos or scans and post them for Mr. Owl.

One of his favorite Dodger pitchers.  Mine, too.  The page is too big to fit on my scanner.

Here's part of the back of the book.  There are masks for all sorts of situations.

This was published in 1990 by Gallery books, an imprint of W.H. Smith Publishers, Inc.  I don't remember where I picked up my copy.

A word of warning from the publisher:

CAUTION: The use of the masks can obstuct vision.  Care should be taken while wearing the masks.  The masks should not be used while playing baseball.

So, take them off before going to bed and especially before playing baseball.

Blog Bat Around VI

Yes, time to assemble my thoughts and submit my entry for the sixth Blog Bat Around. Gellman, over at Sports Cards Uncensored, is hosting this time. The topic is:

... Why do you blog? What made you choose Sports Cards as your topic of choice? What got you started? What has been your favorite post from your own work?

Hmmm. I've been mulling this over for a few days, which has given me some insight into myself. At first, I couldn't find a reason. Then it turned into self doubt. In my opinion, there are several bloggers that have better wordsmithery, a better angle, a better insight, better cards. They've found their stride, their niche. At times, I still feel like a newborn foal, I can stand up, perhaps take a few steps, but I'm shaky. I considered putting up the keyboard for a while. Then, I get a heartfelt comment. I find that I'm on someone's essential reading list. I see that I get a mention on one of the big blogs and my visitor counter spikes for a day or two.

But this isn't about me getting noticed, getting a mention. It isn't even about visitor hits.

-- Sidenote: I've taken the visitor counter off the site. I'll still look at the stats, seeing if there are patterns, but I don't need to look at the number every day. It doesn't do me any good and I'm never going to catch Mario's numbers. This isn't a race.

I think I blog because it brings me pleasure. It is relaxing for me. I have an interest in the subject. Part of it is that I think I have something to bring to the discussion. Everyone does.

Returning to Gellman's questions, I think that I started blogging after finding Ben Henry's Baseball Card Blog. From there I found Punk Rock Paint. I don't know why I opened this blog.

My favorite post from my work? That's like asking "Who is your favorite child?"

Either Giving it away or Would the hat-check girl. Or the one with the books. Or the one with the catalogs. Or the Earl Wilsons. Or mail days. Or maybe the T206s or the T3 Turkey Reds. Or the card shops. No, the Earl Wilsons. Definitely the Earl Wilsons. Or the Hershisers.

I blog because I like to. I keep blogging because I like the people that I've met through this (and other) blogs. I blog because it keeps me off the streets.

Bill Virdon - Diamond Signatures

John, over at Boxes of Cards, sent me this signed Bill Virdon card for winning a contest.

These unnumbered cards were produced for the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society. Ernie Montella was kind enough to answer a few questions about the set. Ernie also said that the Society will be producing a second series of cards that is due out this summer. I have assembled this alphabetical checklist from their website.

Joe Astroth
Jack Baldschun
Matt Batts
Ray Coleman
Jose Cunningham
Joe DeMaestri
Bob Dillinger
Dom DiMaggio
Bobby Doerr
Carl Erskine
Dave "Boo" Ferris
Herman Franks
Bob Friend
Ned Garver
Joe Ginsberg
Don Gutteridge
Whitey Herzog
Spook Jacobs
Eddie Joost
George Kell
Don Lenhardt
Lou Limmer
Johnny Logan
Stan Lopata
Art Mahaffey
Bob Martin
Maje McDonnell
Gil McDougald
Sam Mele
Mel Parnell
Johnny Pesky
Gary Peters
Bobby Shantz
Roy Sievers
Curt Simmons
Pete Suder
Frank Thomas
Lee Thomas
Virgil Trucks
Mickey Vernon

Bill Virdon
Bill Werber
Ken Wood
Gus Zernial

More info on the cards can be found at PAHS's online shop.

John is doing an interesting project, trying to get signatures on all the Pittsburgh Pirates 1960 Topps cards. To me he's having great success. Pop on over to his blog and see for yourself.

Every Pitcher Tells A Story

 

My mom is a reader.  My dad is a reader.  Sometimes their interests cross, sometimes they don't.  Mysteries they share.  Baseball books, not so much.  While visiting one of the local used books stores in Knoxvegas dad came back to the house with a bag of baseball books.  They would be flying back to their home in the west so I didn't want to burden them with extra weight.  I accepted his offer to keep a few books, knowing that he'd return for them in a few months.  That and to see the grandkids.

This is one of those books.  Seth Swirsky wrote to people connected with baseball.  Not just pitchers, but wives, catchers, hitters, to gather their stories.  This book presents facsimiles of the letters that he got back.  Also included are telegrams and letters that he collected from the past.

I'm about three quarters of the way through it.  For me it isn't a book to sit down and read from cover to cover, but one to pick up and savor the letters.  Some of the stories are paired with events, others are about technique.  The letters are on club stationery, some on lined paper.  Some are elaborate, some are single sentence responses.  Steve Carlton, David Cone, Cy Young, Luis Tiant, Hub Kittle, Jim Bouton, Juan Marichal, Maury Wills and many others put pen to paper.

You can also visit Seth Swirsky's website to browse the book and get more information.

I'm glad that this book gets to be on my nightstand and then my bookshelf, even if it is only for a few months.

TheJUDGE

 

In the April 1991 issue of SCD's Baseball Card Price Guide there is an ad for TheJUDGE.

I'd never seen one, nor does a quick Google search provide much.  But, a more thorough Google search does.

Hopping over to Google Patents, I found this Card Gage.  Now you can know all the details about TheJUDGE.

According to their ad, TheJudge will help me find the best cards.  Some sort of device like a metal detector?  How does it know which cards are "the best"?

Maybe if I had just purchased TheJudge in 100 card lots 18 years ago, I could sell them now for a nice profit and sit back and enjoy my twilight years.  No, not the books and the movies.  I mean I'm getting old.

 

SCD Baseball Card Price Guide

When I picked up the 1998 Topps Stars "N Steel at the south Knoxvegas Antique Mall I looked in on booth 36. Lots of old magazines. Sports Illustrated. Beckett Hockey. Beckett Football. TV Guide. They are encased in plastic with cardboard stiffeners. $2 a pop. Then there's the stack of 'gently used' magazines. I found a copy of the April 1991 Sports Collectors Digest Baseball Card Price Guide in that stack.

It has no back cover, but it does still have the 5 FREE Cards.

Barry Larkin (card # 16)

Ramon Martinez (card # 17)

Ben McDonald (card # 18)

Roger Clemens (card # 19)

Jose Canseco (card # 20)

The backs have then current prices and a bit of commentary

The magazine is a vehicle for advertising and a price guide. A regular twofer.

Most of the ads deal with prospecting and investing. Lots of 100 or 500 card lots for single players.

But, one of the ads, from Sports Cards Plus (of Westminster, CA) had some items, including a chance to purchase a 1986 Donruss Factory Sealed baseball set for the low price of $225.

Ebay has one now for $20, plus $9 S&H. Glad I didn't spend my money then.

Ooh, Eric Lindros ads. And an ad for something called: TheJUDGE

Be SAFE when buying, saving or trading valuable cards!! TheJUDGE helps find the best cards for your money!

A Donald Honig Reader

I've been reading quite a bit lately.   Mostly books about baseball.

I moved the Bill Veeck book (The Hustler's Handbook) into my car so I can read it while waiting for my son to get out of football practice.

A Donald Honig Reader is just a joy.  If you're a fan of 'older' baseball and want to read stories of players from the 1920s through the 1950s, this is the book for you.

Donald Honig interviewed many players and lets them tell their tales.  

Fighting with teammates, contract negotiations, signings, bus rides, barnstorming, throwing at Babe Ruth, getting thrown at, going off to war, being released, playing in Mexico, fighting with Ernest Hemingway, getting pulled from a game, drinking, hitting homeruns.

I include the scan of the cover because I haven't been able to find it on the web.

Over the next few days I'll be sharing more books I'm reading, or plan to read.

Some may cry, "Foul.  Enough with the books.  And while you're at it, put the catalogs away." but this is my foray into sports card collecting includes many aspects and facets.

Thanks for reading

1998 Topps Stars 'N Steel

I stopped in at the south Knoxvegas Antique Mall Saturday afternoon. I found a product that I'd never seen before. I'd never heard of it either.

1998 Topps Stars 'N Steel.

According to The Catalog,

Stars 'N Steel was a 44-card set printed on four-colored textured film laminate bonded to a sheet of 25-guage steel.

You can use these cards to patch a small hole in your muffler.

Stars 'N Steel was available only to Home Team Advantage members and was packaged in three-card packs that arrive in a sturdy, tri-fold stand-up display.

I picked up an opened pack for $1.  The two other cards were Larry Walker and Jose Cruz Jr.  The scans don't do the cards justice, for they are ultra shiny.

You could also use them as martial arts throwing stars.  Or they'd be good for a straight edge for trimming old tobacco cards before sending them off to be graded and slabbed.

The checklist for the set (and other scans) can be found over at Zistle.

There are two parallel sets, one with a gold colored border and the second featured gold holographic technology.

They're interesting, but I'm not going to complete this set.

Trippin' Card

This is Dock Ellis...

This is Dock Ellis on drugs...

Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in 1970.  Years later he claimed that he was on LSD during that game.

The story is chronicled at Snopes, Wikipedia and The Psychedelic Shakespeare Solution (where I lifted the images).

Dock was an All-Star in 1971.  He played for five teams over his career, the bulk of it with the Pirates.  He pitched in one World Series game, with the Yankees (1976).  He lost it.

Dock Ellis died in December of 2008.

As dayf over at Cardboard Junkie says about his blog:

One man's tireless crusade to promote card collecting as an addictive alternative to more pharmacological pursuits. Remember kids: Do Cards, Not Drugs.

Kids, listen to your uncle dayf.

Darryl speaks out

1990 Starline - Darryl Strawberry (card #37)

I was reading the latest copy of Newsweek that was in my work's lunchroom. Darryl Strawberry has a new memoir - Straw: Finding My Way. There is a short interview with Darryl. One of the questions was:

Does it upset you that steroids have put such a stigma on the game?

His answer?

Why should it? If steroids were around in my day, would I have taken them? Of course.

Darryl, Darryl, Darryl.

Sure, it might sell books and get you a splash of press, but, come on.

Or, maybe he is telling the truth and it is refreshing to have someone do that.

Yes, if you are a devoted reader of this blog, you've seen that card before. I haven't seen it since I scanned it several months ago. It is still tagged for going to Lucy at Dinged Corners. I hope that Darryl's answer doesn't diminish your enthusiasm for him.

REA Auction update

Last week I posted about the REA Auction. I gave myself $10,000 in 'play' money, focusing only on the reserve (opening) price listed in the catalog.

Now that the auction is closed I decided to see what would have happened if I was the winning bidder (what the items actually sold for). As far as I know, these prices do not include any sort of buyer's premium.

Lot 33

1887-1889 N172 Old Judge SGC-Graded Collection (7)

Starting Bid - $300

Ending Bid - $1,400

Lot 73

1888 N28 Allen & Ginter SGC-Graded Complete Set of Baseball Players (10)

Starting Bid - $500
Ending Bid - $3,250

Lot 101

1887-1941 Prewar Card Collection (51) Plus P2 Sweet Caporal Pins (30)

Starting Bid - $500
Ending Bid - $2,500

Lot 289

Circa 1910 T3, T200, T201, T202, T207 Tobacco Card Collection (50)

Starting Bid - $200
Ending Bid - $1,500

Lot 361

1911 T3 Turkey Red Graded Partial Set (64 cards: 59 Different Plus 5 Duplicates)
Starting Bid - $1,500

Ending Bid - $8,500

Lot 524

1933 R333 DeLong Gum "Die-Cut" Complete Set (24)

Starting Bid - $100

Ending Bid - $800

Lot 605

1949 Leaf #8 Satchel Paige Rookie Card - PSA NM 7

Starting Bid - $4,000
Ending Bid - $14,000

Lot 685

1953 Bowman Color #33 Pee Wee Reese - PSA NM-MT 8

Starting Bid - $400
Ending Bid - $1,100

Lot 949

1934 Oversized Bat Presented to Mickey Cochrane - Signed by Over 140 Players including Gehrig, W. Johnson, Lazzeri, and Hornsby

Starting Bid - $1,000
Ending Bid - $3,000

Lot 980

1948 Bowman Complete Autographed Set (48)

Starting Bid - $500
Ending Bid - $3,250

In my fantasy had I been successful, I'd have spent $39,300 on those sets.

In real life, I didn't bid on anything. But I've got a great catalog, thanks to Robert Lifson, president of Robert Edward Auctions.

I'm a winner!

I enjoy the contests in the sports cards blogosphere. There are many generous bloggers out there.

The other evening I was playing BoBuBingo at Crackin Wax. I didn't win, but had a fun time.

My folks asked if I ever won any of the contests that I entered. I told them of the time I got the off-centered Dan Uggla jersey card from Dinged Corners. And that I just received an Antoine Walker card/jersey card combo from Shot Not Taken.

Then I walk back to the laptop to check my email. I received a note from Mike over at Bad Wax saying that I had won a "Hockey Smorgasbord" of cards. He also asked if we could exchange links on our respective blogs.

I had to think about that one for a while. Mike is a talented writer and has a great blog. His player Definitive Collections are a must read, as are the weekly Free Autograph Signing schedules. What I was having trouble with was his Craig's List Idiots posts. I think that they are an interesting look into sellers trying to make a quick buck. What I don't like is some of the language used in those posts. So, do I link to something that I don't like or set it aside, knowing that readers can get to his blog dozens of other ways? That is what I've been wrestling with in my mind the last day or so.

I tend to be conservative in many areas of my life. I don't use the type language that sometimes show up in the CI posts. I try to keep this blog as PG as possible. I do this for my readers, myself and my family.

I've come to a decision regarding this issue. I'm adding Mike's BadWax blog to my little blogroll. I'm not going to be reading the CI posts. I'm in favor of informed censorship. If you don't want to see/hear/read something, turn off the TV/radio/computer. Be responsible for your own actions. (NOTE: I'm not advocating that those avenues of information be firehosed with all sorts of content. I'm saying that I'm not going to tell Mike or anyone else what they can or can't say on their own blog. If I don't want to read a particular post, I know how to click to another one.)

I've also added Shot Not Taken to the blogroll.

So, thanks for the contest organizers. And thanks to the bloggers.

Update... I created this post this afternoon, but set it to 'be live' at 10:00pm. Since I originally wrote the post, I won another contest.

John, over at Boxes of Cards, held a contest for a TTM signed Bill Virdon card. I wasn't familiar with either his blog or Bill Virdon. But I entered and won.

John has been blogging since March of this year. He's got some very balanced insight and is engaging, with a good base of topics and a specific goal. Hop over there and read about it yourself.

Tales from the Dodger Dugout

I recently finished reading Carl Erksine's Tales from the Dodger Dugout. A delightful read in which the pitcher shares stories and remembrances from his playing days. The stories range in length from a few paragraphs to a few pages. This is not heavy reading. Your mind will not be taxed.

But, your heart will be warmed, your memory jogged and an occasional smile will come to your face.

Here's a scan of Carl's autograph from the front pages of the book.

If you need something to fill a quiet evening, this might be the book for you.