What's in a name?

What does one have to do to be remembered by a name?  Sure, we all know Ruth.  And Mantle.  And Earnhardt.  But what about those guys who do something, or have something done to them, that is so memorable that it becomes part of our vocabulary and can be used as a description for a thing?

There's the Mendoza Line, named after Mario Mendoza, known for not having a great Batting Average.


In NASCAR racing drivers celebrate their win by doing a Kulwicki Lap, named after Alan Kulwicki.  This is sometimes known as the Polish Victory Lap.  I call it, and have heard commentators call it, the Kulwicki Lap.  I'm sticking with it.

Dipping into the medical side of sports there's Tommy John surgery (ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction) and Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).

There are events that are specific to a single incident, such as Merkle's Boner.  Doesn't fit the category.  That was a one time event. 

Then there are the trophies.  The Lombardi Trophy.  The Stanley Cup.  The Heisman Trophy.  Etc, etc.  Those don't count either.

Who's name in sports am I missing?   Mulligan?  Tebowing? 

I'm Still Standing

Let me thank you all for the kind comments, support, and prayers.  You can't get rid of me so fast. 

I'm supposed to be in surgery right now, but the surgeon called yesterday.  He wants me to meet with another surgeon on Monday and we'll go from there.  Today has been postponed.  See, not too many details.

But, since I'm not on the table, I may as well post something.  Contest winnings.  That's right.  I won a contest.  From Matthew, over at the Number 5 Type Collection.

Let's see what Matthew sent....

1963 Topps
Robin Roberts (card # 125)

I haven't been entering many contests lately.  I've been fortunate to have won a few of them over the last couple of years, several from Matthew.  Maybe I'm trying to let others get a chance.  Maybe I'm lazy.  Maybe I don't need another set of Diamond King inserts from the late 1980s.  I don't know.

I snagged this image from Matthew's blog.  I haven't touched my scanner in a week.  I do like the back of the card, though.  Full stats for Rob Rob, including a year in the minors.  Who needs Baseball-Reference.com?  I've got baseball cards.

May Be Going Dark For A While

There's a fine line of sharing too much info and not enough info when it comes to our personal lives.

 I'm going to try to pull a Wallenda and share some. I'm off to see a surgeon today for a possible gall bladder removal. My guess is he's going to say, "Yep, see you tomorrow." This does not sit well with me as I have an irrational fear of all things medical. I know that it is not something to be afraid of, but I have it.

I probably won't be posting much in the coming weeks. I'll be fine, I'm sure, but I'd appreciate your prayers.

So, I'll leave you with everyone's favorites, racing cards. Not just racing cards, but Jeff Burton racing cards. 

I scanned these in last week and I don't even know what set/subset they go to. I picked up a great lot of JB insert cards on ebay. In round numbers, 150 cards, 58 different ones. I needed about 56 of them. I'm still trying to create a complete as possible checklist. I'm making headway and am realizing that I'm never going to be able to collect all of his cards. I'm okay with that.

So, enjoy the hobby and I hope to be back to blogging soon.

You're outa here

Story from MLB.

2012 Southern League All-Star Game

Tonight was the Southern League All-Star Game.  Got there at about 5pm.  Just in time to see long lines at the autograph tables.  Yes, that's the line going down the right side of the photo.

Because I have media access, I signed a form with the Smokies and MiLB saying that I won't get autographs or very bad things will happen to me.  I have no intentions of disobeying that, although it would be fun.

I went to the gift shop to see if they the All-Star baseball cards.  The answer is, yes, they did.  $12 per division, or $20 for the pair.  I decided not to pull the trigger on those but bought a hat.  Or a cap.  What do you kids call these things these days?

The autograph lines were divided by Division.  The North on one side of the concourse, the South on the other.  Knowing that a few of my readers like the Dodgers, I'll share some players from the Chattanooga Lookouts.

And so I don't alienate the Braves fans, here are a few Mississippi Braves.

After they players were done signing it was time for the Home Run Derby.

The two finalists were Justin Bour of the Smokies and Joe Dunigan of the Jackson Generals.

After multiple final rounds, Joe Dunigan was crowned as the Home Run Derby Champion.  That was the last thing that the North Division won.

The South went on to put the North down by a score of 6-2.

2012 Southern League All-Star Team
North Division

2012 Southern League All-Star Team
South Division

Still on the pregame ceremonies.  The Kingdom Heirs sang the national anthem while a large flag was displayed in the outfield.

What every good ball game should have.  A peanut vendor.

Sure, this looks like a staged photo, but it isn't.  The Southern Division dugout, down the third base side, had these sitting there.

I'll wrap this up with another typical photo.  I couldn't tell  you who is at bat or who is pitching.  The weather was warm and the baseball was good.

I left in the middle of the ninth.  The North did not rally.  Here are the Box Score and some pregame videos.  It was a great night and many thanks go out to Brian Cox, Smokies' GM and Adam Kline, Smokies' Director, Media Relations.

June Miscellany

As usual, way too much on my plate.  Let's see where to start.

I attended the Smokies/Barons game on Wednesday night.  Took some photos and some audio.  I think I'll try to put together a small photo montage video with the sound of the game.  But not today.

If you're in my Google + sportscards circle then you might have seen this picture. 

Pregame at one of the best parks out there

Matthew, from over at the Number 5 Type Collection blog, is having a 4th Anniversary Contest.  He also asked "Any good between-inning activities?" I'll answer him here. Yes, they are very fan oriented, with sponsorship, of course. Over the course of the games I've been to they've had:

• Chase the Chicken (kids get to chase a chicken mascot across the field) 
• Stack the Cans (kids get to stack cans of Bush's Beans) 
• Musical Power Balls (adults play musical chairs with large inflatable balls - sponsored by the Lottery) 
• Crazy Sumo Wrestling
• Base Race (kids race from home to 1st and 3rd and then to 2nd, replacing the bases for fresh ones)
• Three Legged Hot Dog Race (kids carry an oversized weiner while tied together at the legs)
• Tire Race (kids roll an inflatable pool tire from 3rd to 1st on the grass)

Oh, there are others, I've just forgotten what they are.  A kid leads the 7th inning stretch song.  Local little league teams join the Smokies on the field during player introductions.  The usual.  I should have looked at their website first.  But the Smokies do it in style.  Last year they won the prestigious 2011 Minor League Baseball Organization of the Year.

I bid on, and won, a lot of Jeff Burton racing cards.  While I figure out what they are you'll be seeing some of them appear on this blog.

I helped fulfill another blogger's wants, but I'll let them share that after it arrives.  I've still got a small stack of items to send out.  They've been in a stack for weeks.  Maybe tonight I'll look for some padded envelopes.  Maybe.

Another blogger has been added to Got it.  Got it.  Need it.  Welcome chunter from Chip 'n' Dale.

This is the son of one of my work suppliers. Ron is very proud of Lawrence, and he should be.



I have no cards scanned, so I'll leave you with this from the Sporting News of 1915.

Guess where I'm going tonight

Yep, to the ballpark.  I'll be watching the Tennessee Smokies host the Birmingham Barons in the final series before the Southern League All-Star Game.  Two teams with great baseball history.

Why the Taste of Chicago Series?  Well, the Smokies are the AA team of the Cubs.  And the Barons are the AA team of the White Sox.

If you've never been in downtown Chicago during July, walking through the food vendors, trying to find a turkey drumstick that is smaller than your child, you haven't experienced Taste of Chicago.  Food, music, and more food.  What more do you need to know?

Go Smokies.

Newly Scanned Hershisers

I was looking through my Orel Hershiser collection on Zistle today and came to the glaring realization that I have many cards that I haven't yet scanned. I thought I'd start correcting that error.

1985 Fleer
Orel Hershiser (card # 371)

1986 Fleer
Orel Hershiser (card # 131)

1986 Fleer - Limited Editoin
Orel Hershiser (card # 24)

1991 US Olympic Cards Hall of Fame Series

I went to the local flea market with Caroline on Saturday. Found one good card dealer. I picked this pack up for a buck from another dealer who didn't seem to interested in talking with any of his potential customers.

 I don't know anything about these cards, but I like them and will feature a few more of them in the coming weeks. Heck, I might even go back and pick up a few more packs. Maybe the dealer will say "Hi".

1991 US Olympic Cards Hall of Fame Series
Jesse Owens (card # 1)

1991 US Olympic Cards Hall of Fame Series
Wilma Rudolph (card # 7)

1991 US Olympic Cards Hall of Fame Series
1980 U.S. Olympic Team - Ice Hockey (card # 64)

Old Hoss 1K884 Base Ball

Charles 'Old Hoss' Radborn is a Hall of Famer. Apparently he was not quite the model citizen, frequenting all manners of things and place we don't talk about here at Mark's Ephemera.

I came across a baseball simulation game that puts you in the place of 'Old Hoss'.  It is tongue in cheek.  Warning: Some of the descriptions on the last play section of the game contain subject matter that you might feel a bit uncomfortable explaining to your young children. 

Here are some screen shots from a game I played this morning.  I think that I can guarantee that you'll spend minutes at this time sink.  Enjoy.

Rejected

Reader Jim thought that a true Hershiser collector must have this letter. So he sent it to me. Around 1990 he sent something off to the Dodgers to have Orel sign it. Not so much.

Thanks, Jim.

1993 Maxx Winnebago set

I picked this sealed set up on Listia a few weeks ago. This is not a stellar set, so I feel I must inflict all of the cards upon you. Without commentary. You're on your own.

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Checklist (card # NNO)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Sterling Marlin (card # 1)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Winston Cup Rookie Contenders (card # 2)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Bobby Allison & Jimmy Spencer (card # 3)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
The Brave on Parade (card # 4)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Bobby and Judy Allison (card # 5)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Vectra and Celebrities at Dayton (card # 6)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Ken Schrader (card # 7)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Tony Bettenhausen & Stefan Johansson (card # 8)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Stout / Winnebago Oldsmobile (card # 9)

1993 Maxx Winnebago
Keselowski / Winnebago Chrysler (card # 10)