The Quest for '60: #412 Bob Anderson

One of my most enjoyable collecting moments is when I can cross off a card from a set-building list. I was able to do just that the other day when I scooped up this crispy and magnificently off-centered Bob Anderson from the 1960 Topps set: 

All smiles!

The corners and edges are really sharp on this Anderson card but the printing press gods stepped away from their desks when this one rolled off the assembly line at the Topps factory! No matter, it is another beautiful building block in my quest to complete the 1960 set. The colors on the front of the card are also really sharp.

But who is Bob Anderson?

The bullpen pitcher's lamentation in the cartoon is terrific!

Apparently, Bob Anderson was the professional fencer who played the part of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy during the light saber scenes......and he was also this Bob Anderson! There's a great chronology of Mr. Anderson's highlights from the '59 season for us to enjoy. I love the use of the term "safeties" to describe the number of hits Bob surrendered to the Dodgers on Independence Day. Apparently Mr. Anderson owned the Dodgers that year, had a personal best against the Braves and was well on his way to the history books against the Cardinals later on in the season.

But I think Topps missed a dandy.....TO THE WIKIPEDIA, BATMAN!

"Bob Anderson was involved in one of baseball history's most unusual plays. It occurred during a game played on June 30, 1959, between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. Stan Musial was at the plate, with a count of 3-1. Anderson's next pitch was errant, evading catcher Sammy Taylor and rolling all the way to the backstop. Umpire Vic Delmore called ball four, however Anderson and Taylor contended that Musial foul tipped the ball. Because the ball was still in play, and because Delmore was embroiled in an argument with the catcher and pitcher, Musial took it upon himself to try for second base. Seeing that Musial was trying for second, Alvin Dark ran to the backstop to retrieve the ball which had found its way into the hands of field announcer, Pat Pieper.

Pat Pipier

Dark retrieved the ball from Pieper. Absentmindedly, however, Delmore pulled out a new ball and gave it to Taylor. Anderson finally noticed that Musial was trying for second, took the new ball, and threw it to second baseman Tony Taylor. Anderson's throw flew over Tony Taylor's head into the outfield. Dark, at the same time that Anderson threw the new ball, threw the original ball to shortstop Ernie Banks. Musial, though, did not see Dark's throw and only noticed Anderson's ball fly over the second baseman's head, so he tried to go to third base. On his way there, he was tagged out by Banks, and after a delay he was ruled out." 

Is that awesome or what? This story alone makes me want to go digging through the Ryan's Pitch archives for some Musial, Ernie and Alvin Dark cards. I swear I just saw an Alvin the other day. Stay tuned for that! And as for Mr. Pipier - all I can say is, WOW. I was not aware of his story and am so grateful for the research induced by this card that has now brought him to my attention. If you don't know about Pat Pipier and the place he holds in Chicago Cubs history, I highly suggest you check it out!

As usual, I feel compelled to check out the box score on baseball-reference.com as well:

Top of the 4th, Cardinals Batting, Ahead 2-1, Cubs' Bob Anderson facing 5-6-7
t4	2-1	0	---		O	STL	G. Cimoli	B. Anderson	-2%	61%	Groundout: SS-1B
t4	2-1	1	---		O	STL	S. Musial	B. Anderson	-2%	59%	Walk; Musial out at 2B/3B-SS
t4	2-1	2	---			STL	H. Smith	B. Anderson	1%	60%	Single to SS
t4	2-1	2	1--		O	STL	D. Gray	B. Anderson	-2%	58%	Strikeout
									0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Cardinals 2, Cubs 1.

Ha! Glorious....."Walk; Musial out at 2B/3B-SS" - yeah, I suppose that one would've been a head scratcher for Topps design teams as they debated on what to list on the card. What might have been?

Welcome to the set, Mr. Anderson and thank you for today's great baseball history lesson!

Thanks for reading and have a safe weekend, everybody.

Ryan

A Red Rizzo from The Lost Collector!

My friend AJ (who runs the great blog The  Lost Collector) sent over a splendid card for my Anthony Rizzo Collection! 

Check it out.....

I love Heritage and am still slowly trying to BUILD this year's base set! Honest, I checked for a pulse and it's still there.....barely. I hope I can stick to it. Set-Building is something I do enjoy but view as a challenge for both modern sets and vintage. Vintage is tough because I lack a local shop for access to reasonable selections of commons....modern releases suffer the same handicap but I also don't find the math for packs/boxes of new releases to be very favorable for dinosaurs like me.

Maybe I'm just being a wimp? Sorry. Tangent.....

This Rizzo parallel won't be needed for the set-chase, but it is a WELCOME addition to my Rizzo PC! It's a simple head-shot of my favorite Chicago Cub. The red even works pretty well with the Cubbies uniform and logo. Love it!

I also appreciate The Lost Collector's use of the painter's tape. I try to do the same as much as possible. It gets the job done without leaving a sticky residue on the top-loaders. A win-win. Let's get that tape out of the way for a better view:

Fantastic - and how about those great Heritage backs:

NICE!

A great description of a "Rizzo Moonshot" is very apropos in light of his power surge this season. I also appreciate the reminder about just how young Anthony really is.

A great card. Thanks, AJ! Now where did I put that spare PWE.......

My Rizzo Collection - Autographed Ticket for 1st Home Run Game

Antonio, si stanno avendo un anno fantastico! Sapevo che si poteva fare - complimenti , mio fratello!

Yeah, I'm a little energized right now. It's been a tumultuous season for my favorite teams and favorite players. The Yanks' starting pitching has been decimated after such a glorious start, and yet they're definitely hanging around in a softer AL East - partially due to some consistent greatness from David Robertson (and another player I'll be announcing soon)! The Braves are pulling their usual stunt of mixing ecstasy with agony, though Freddie and The Kimbrel are certainly doing their parts and the Braves themselves are just a gant's ass behind the....gNats. Jagielo is coming back from injury but has already gone deep down in the Florida State League (A-Advanced). Mattingly's Dodgers are winning again, despite themselves and their critics. 

And then......and then......

There is THIS guy!

We're now into August, and Anthony Rizzo certainly APPEARS to be having the breakout season that his fans (and Cubs fans especially) have been waiting for! He's batting .283 with 25 HRs, 60 RBI and 70 runs scored! You can even add in a couple of stolen bases for good measure. While the Cubs don't find themselves in the hunt, Anthony's performance at the plate and in the field garnered him his FIRST All Star Game appearance (along with Fab-Fivin' Freddie Freeman and le Kimbrel)! He made good use of his single at-bat, Needless to say, I will be anxiously awaiting the late year releases for some All-Star cardboard.

In honor of his outstanding achievement, I would like to share one of my favorite pieces from the Ryan's Pitch Rizzo Collection. I picked it up on the secondary market last year and must admit that there was much inspiration for this addition from my good friend Brian, over at "30 Year-Old Cardboard". His legendary "Ultimate Dawson" Collection is a site to behold and I would highly encourage you to check it out. With so many types of memorabilia pieces that are absolutely swimming in interesting inscriptions and player gravitas.....it is truly amazing and serves as a great example of one particular way to enjoy our hobby.

In that vein, I saw this ticket and knew that I had to have it. The price was right and the PSA authenticity credentials instilled the confidence I needed.....and I've enjoyed it ever since! I am happy to share this ticket to the Padres/Nationals game on June 11th, 2011!

It was the Bottom of the 2nd inning when Rizzo stroked his first home run off of John Lannan into the right field bleachers at cavernous PETCO. It would be the only run scored by the Padres that day, and they would end up losing the game, 2-1. But it was surely a great day for Anthony and, coincidentally, for my wife and me as we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Big day!

Here's a closer look at the inscription, "First Home Run":

It probably wouldn't have affected my decision, but I am glad that Rizzo didn't go with "1st HR". I appreciate full words. Except for when I don't use them myself.....on this blog. Whoops.

Here's a close look at the unmistakable, short signature of Mr. Rizzo:

Overall, the ticket is really nice looking. An odd choice of picture, but it gives us a soothing look at what is probably a very comfortable San Diego evening. The color scheme and graphics don't lend themselves to an easy presentation for autographs and such, but I feel like the use of the silver ink helps to mitigate that effect.

Rizzo's really emerged as a star this season and I couldn't be happier for him or for Cubs fans. He seems to be a really good person (he sticks up for his teammates when opposing pitchers hurl 100 mph+ pitches at their heads, for example) and does a lot of great charity work off the field.  He's a lefty first baseman who looks like he's going to be playing some good baseball for many years to come. I love watching him play and find myself rooting just a little bit for the Cubbies in the NL Central.

I'm thrilled to add another Rizzo autograph to my collection, but especially ecstatic to add one that is unique and commemorates one of his early career milestones. He's averaged 26 long balls per 162 games so far in his blossoming career, so I'm ready for the next couple of decades!

Here's the back, complete with assurances from our friends at PSA.....

  

Thanks for reading!

My Hall of Fame Collection - 1961 Topps #141 Billy Williams Rookie Card

Billy Williams was one of the first legends of the game to respond to my Through-the-Mail (TTM) surge in 2007 and 2008.   I was reconnecting with the game back in those years, and while I wouldn't get back into cards or following current seasons until 2011, I was once again enchanted with the game's stories and history.   Specifically, I had started working with and befriended another fan who had enjoyed a lot of recent success with TTM requests.   He gladly shared mailing address information with me and I soon had a make-shift, cottage industry memorabilia pursuit factory running out of my office.

During breaks and after hours, of course!

Anyways, I organized a complete list of all living members of the Hall of Fame.   Working forward from the oldest, I began sending letters and cards and baseballs as frequently as my budget allowed (and often more frequently than that).   I would pick up Rawlings Official MLB's from the local sporting goods stores and send them off without a moment's pause....you see, I was always an optimist AND my wife and I were still enjoying the fruits of our DINK era.

(Sigh)

Sweet-Swinging Billy Williams was one of the first to respond and so he has always held a special place in my collection.   I'm not a Cubs fan, but with the combination of constant childhood WGN telecast exposure and my recent adoption of Anthony Rizzo as an official paisan....the Cubbies are right up there.   All this to say that I always try to pick up a Williams card when I can for my vintage collection.

Then I spotted this beauty for less than half the cost of blaster..... 

This card is gorgeous.   It was listed as GOOD/VG in its listing but I have a feeling it would grade out as a VG if that grading ever went down.   There is a hairline crease to the right of Billy's right hand.   It slants upward from left to right, ending where the edge of the photo meets the top of Wrigley's brick wall.   Hmmm.

No matter, this is a sweet copy of Billy's rookie card!   A Hall of Famer's rookie card!   These are few and far between for me, particularly when you start stretching back to the 60's.   The card itself is in great shape.   It presents very nicely with some excellent centering (a challenge for some '61s) and eye-popping color.   I know, the red and yellow standard that Topps decided to go with here does absolutely nothing in combination with the blue and white of Williams' uniform....but the color itself is nice and bright, which makes for an awesome vintage enjoying experience!   The corners aren't too bad, either.

The Star-Rookie logo is as simple as it gets, but it's perfectly placed in the top right corner.   IN fact, while action shots are always preferred over these posed nuances, the total outcome for the front of this card is fantastically balanced and suits my OCD-tendencies very nicely.   On top of everything is a great sneak peek at Wrigley Field in the background (I'm 99% certain....can anybody confirm?).   I'm sold!

Was the back mangled?

Let me know if you see something that I have missed (unless it's a fake....just let me go to my grave with that one), but the back looks just as sharp as the front!   Williams was a fairly tall fellow at 6'1" and, on an unrelated note, I had no idea there is a Whistler, Alabama.   I've been to a Whistler in Canada before, though.   It's a fabulous ski-resort town where did not skit one freaking bit!   It was a Valentine's Day getaway for me and Mrs. Ryan's Pitch after I returned from deployment back in....oh, it had to be 2004?   My God, 10 years.   She wasn't even 'Mrs.' yet.....but that trip was some of my finest campaigning!

Sorry.

As we can see, Billy's debut in Chicago for 18 games during the '59 campaign was quite the tepid cup of coffee.   He returned again in '60 for a nice showing, slugging 2 long balls and batting .277 over 47 plate appearances.   This was more in line with the domination he had displayed in the farm system, as you can see in both his stat line with Houston along with the always welcomed card back cartoon!

This back is well-centered, too and doesn't show any staining or discolorations that I can see.   Beautiful.

You just can't go wrong with a vintage card, that is a rookie card, that is in decent condition, that is of a player who is now in the Hall of Fame, for less than ten bucks.   You just can't.

Welcome to my Hall of Fame Collection, Sweet-Swinging Billy!   Mighty glad to have you home!

Thanks for reading and KEEP COLLECTING!

My Rizzo Collection - 2010 Bowman Draft Prospect Autographs

I love cheering for Anthony Rizzo.   

After learning that his ancestors hail from the same slice of Sicily that mine do, I will always feel a reasonable connection with the lefty slugger.   The revelation came out of nowhere, discovered by yours truly (no sleuth) during a previous World Baseball Championship.   Rizzo's presence on Team Italia got my wheels turning.....and the rest was history.

The great thing about cheering for Rizzo is that it has its good days and bad days.   He was a star prospect and held the hopes and dreams of the Padres in his hands before he was sent to the Cubbies in the Andrew Cashner deal.   Cashner is pretty good, serving nicely as the Friars' staff ace int heir cavernous ballpark.   Rizzo, on the other hand, is still a young player for Chicago about which the Cubs would VERY much like to build their organization.    Starlin Castro just hasn't quite panned out and the likes of Baez, Almora, Bryant and others are still just a teeny, tiny bit into the future.....

It's Rizzo's time to grab the reigns, if he so chooses - and I sure am hoping/cheering that he does!   SO far, he has had a quietly successful 2014 campaign, in my opinion anyways.   I know that Cubs fans yearn for more from the well-paid lad, but Anthony is batting .283 with a K:BB ratio of 1.   I believe this shows some pretty decent discipline.....he is also on pace for 24 HRs, 75+ RBI and nearly 100 runs.   Keep it up, Anthony! 

Either way, I will be a fan forever and always.

In the meantime, I've managed to add a few nice cards of Rizzo to my PC.   Here is one that I really love!   I know that it does not technically qualify as a 'rookie card' (bowman draft prospect cards are considered inserts), but I am calling this my gem mint Rizzo rookie.   Take a look:

Sticker auto, but I'm over it.   The card is flawless - with the exception of that awful uniform....but let's focus on the good :)   This card garnered a total 9.5 grade from BGS with all 9.5's in centering, edges and surface.   The one "9" subgrade was awarded to the card's corners....and I suppose you can detect a 'touched' look on the lower two.   No worries!   I love the card and the autograph is really bold, too (validated by the 10 auto grade, I suppose).

Absolutely thrilled to add this Rizzo to my collection, and for the price of a blaster, I think I got a pretty good deal.   I believe it is $10+ for a BGS submission by itself?

This also marks the second graded or "slabbed" card that I've featured here on the blog as a new addition to my collection.   There are several more that I've added that I can't wait to share with you.   If you remember, I last showed my 2001 Pujols rookie card, which was graded by PSA.   Do I have any consistency with my graded card acquisitions?   Is there a plan?

For the most part, yes.   I read a lot about card grading, tracked graded card pricing online and discussed the topic ad nauseam with many of you fellow collectors.   I've decided to, whenever possible, pursue PSA-grading for cards in my collection prior to 2000 and then BGS-grading for cards thereafter.   I am still working out the finer details of what my preference is for any pre-war cards (Goudey, T206, etc.) that I might be FORTUNATE enough to hold in my hands.....PSA and SGC will be the two options for me.

Because I'm a nerd:

 PSA/SGC <-----> WW2  <----->  PSA  <----->  2000  <----->  BGS

Now, if you've been keeping track, you'll notice that I already violated this strategy with the 2001 Bowman Gold Pujols.   The price was right and I decided to act - and those kinds of occurrences are A-OK for me.

I do appreciate the craftsmanship of the BGS 'slab', though.   The gold label with subgrades make for a very attractive and professional presentation.   The slab itself is much thicker and heavier than PSA, too.   But I'm okay with either one.   What do you guys prefer?   A great discussion and hobby debate, for sure.

Thanks for reading and keep collecting!

Ryan

The Vintage Stack: 1952 Topps #194 Joe Hatten

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a batch of vintage cards that I was able to pick up off the Bay of E for slightly more than the price of a couple of blasters.   I was able to to finally sit down and dig through my new treasure stack.   Here were the breakdown statistics [year and (# of cards)]:

1952 (one), 1954 (one), 1955 (one), 1959 (nineteen), 1961 (one), 1962 (eleven), 1963 (one), 1964 (sixteen), 1965 (twenty), 1967 (two), 1971 (three), 1972 (one), 1974 (one), 1977 (one) and one 1978 football card.

Kind of an interesting breakdown, right?   Heavy on '59, '62, '64 and '65.   Fifty-two cards total, which means I'm at about 84 cents per card.   I would say that most of the cards top out around 'VG', condition-wise.   No big tears or paper-loss, so I should be able to read and appreciate each one.   Hmmm.....for vintage, I'm pretty much okay with this already - but let's see what we have.

First up - the oldest card in the stack: 

You can never go wrong with a '52.   This is THE set for so many of us, so any example is typically a great card.   Joe's card appears to have some staining issues along both edges but is actually very well centered.   The vintage Cubs logo is terrific but I am not so sure what the glowing bands are above Joe's follow-through pose.   I am assuming that we're staring at the upper roof line of Wrigley behind home plate?   Is that the home uniform worn by Joe?   In '51/'52, should the "C" be there on the front?   Hopefully a Cubbies fan can help me out!   Regardless, it looks to either be a beautiful sunset in Chicago or Hatten is about to be beamed up by aliens.

Focus.....

Joe Hatten played in the majors from 1946 until 1952.   It looks like this may have been his last card?   I can't find anything from Bowman or Topps for Joe in 1953.   Mr. Hatten was a fellow Navy man, serving during WW2 (beginning in 1942), so this card is already highly coveted in the Ryan's Pitch Collection.

Upon returning home from war, Joe hooked up with the Brooklyn Dodgers and pitched for them until 1951.   During that time, he was their Opening Day starter twice -  in 1947 and 1949.   He went 6 innings against the Boston Braves on 4/15/1947 but ended up with a no-decision.   In 1949, he opened up against the New York Giants and tossed a complete game, beating the Giants 10-3 on 4/19.   Way to go, Joe!   His finest season came in '47 when he went 17-8 and he even started one game against the Yankees in the '47 Series - it was Game 3 and he would unfortunately (fortunately) give up 6 runs in only 4.1 innings....though the Dodgers would eventually win the game.

Joe was traded to the Cubs in 1951 and as you can see below, he was slowly losing control of his pitches:

I love the middle name, Hilarian!   The back of this card is in pretty good shape, too.  Most importantly -  I can read everything, so everything after that is icing.   The extra 1/2" on Hatten's height listing caught my eye and made me chuckle a little bit.   I don't know if I've ever noticed a "1/2" denotation before....but I'll probably be on the lookout for them from here on out.

The career BB:K ratio isn't looking so hot here, but out of a total of seven years in the big leagues, the back of this '52 denotes the ONLY losing season that Hatten ever had, his 3-6 campaign in 1951.   Not too shabby, Joe.

As you guys know, I love these old cards.   Each one tells such an amazing story, branching off into a million other baseball tales.   The fact that my first card from the E-Bay vintage stack is a WW2 veteran is a good sign.   I think I have some enjoyable cardboard appreciation on the way and this Joe Hatten gets us off to a great start.

Glad to add you to my collection, Joe.

Thanks for reading and keep collecting!

The Lost Collector - PWE SpecOp Extraordinaire

AJ over at The Lost Collector has a penchant for dropping sweet little PWE's in the mail when you think he's getting ready to welcome a new Little Lost Collector into the world.

Sure enough, my good friend managed a few weeks ago to pass along two Anthony Rizzo's that I needed for my Paisan Collection.   The blue Wally-World parallel is a really sharp looking card with an attractive color scheme and the ever-tantalizing rookie cup.   Ahhhhhhhhh......

The Prizm card is a tough-looking metallic Panini special with a raised image of Anthony that's pretty darn cool, too.

Two great cards from a great fellow collector - THANKS, AJ!   And more importantly, congratulations on the new addition to your clan.   So very glad to hear that all are well.

Cigars all around, fellow collectors - thanks for reading!

The Quest for '60: 1960 Topps #12 Milt Pappas

Ah yes - how about a nice vintage break?

The crusade to complete my old man's 1960 Topps set is marching on and today we add Mr. Pappas to the mix!

I like the Oriole perched on top of the baseball in the logo on the lower left hand side of the card.   The close-up, color mug shot of Milt is pretty typical of the '60 set but the posed action wind-up shot to the left is pretty nicely framed.   I like the front of this card.

Mr. Pappas was coming off of a pretty successful year in 1959 where he went 15-9, pitching 15 complete games (not all of his wins were CG's though!).   Can you imagine pitchers doing that on such a regular basis today?   Me neither.......He had made his debut with the club in relief against the Yankees in August of '57 and quickly joined the rotation as a regular for the start of '58.  

The Yankees won that game, by the way.

Admirably, Pappas began a streak of eleven straight seasons of double-digit wins in '58 by going 10-10.   He would become the ace of Baltimore's staff, demonstrating excellent control on his way to three All-Star selections.   He threw a no-hitter on September 2, 1972 - a year before retirement as he finished out with the Chicago Cubs!   Mr. Pappas no-hit Don Zimmer's Padres, a line-up that included Mr. Johnny Jeter, who went 0-3 that day.   And you know who Johnny Jeter is, don't you?!?!?!

The father of major leaguer Shaw Jeter, of course.

:)

Pappas' no-no was ONE OUT away from being a perfect game and would end up being the last no-hitter by a Cubs pitcher until Carlos Zambrano tossed one against the Astros in 2008.   Did I read that correctly?   Yo?!   There's even some pretty decent drama surrounding the walk issued to the 27th batter and the grudge between Pappas and umpire Bruce Froemming hat would last for years......

Here's the back of card #12:

Absolutely shocked that a guy named Milt likes to bowl!

The color scheme and layout of the 1960 set will always hold a special place in my heart - for obvious reasons - but I dig it!

You get the usual biographical information up top, including the player's height in a 6:03 format.....I found that to be kind of interesting.   I had never noticed it before?   Plus, Milt was pretty tall for those days.....Mr. Pappas was from Detroit which was where former star Hal Newhouser found him and got Milt in touch with the Orioles (or vice versa).  

I like the list of highlights, too.   My favorite part of this write-up is Topps' use of the thesaurus to break up consecutive uses of the word "hits" by replacing it with "Safeties".   There's also no bullet point for item #6 on the list (July 14 game)!?   Oh, wait a second......unless Pappas beat himself, it looks like we have another error for this card.   On July 14th, Pappas did indeed hurl a five hit, 3-1 win but it was against the Kansas City Athletics.   Huh........S$$$$P ERROR?!?!?
I kid.

Interesting note - Roger Maris hit the 12th of his final 16 home runs for the Athletics off of Pappas in the 2nd inning.   A deep solo shot to right field!   Good stuff, good stuff.......

Great card!   Welcome to the stack, Mr. Pappas!

Thanks for reading.

My Rizzo Collection - First Ink, Part One

Yeah, totally a shout-out to those fantastic Rambo movies of my youth with that title.

Happy Friday!   On to baseball cards.....

My last post announced my latest Player Collection (PC), Anthony Rizzo.   A bold move for me as Anthony doesn't play for the Yankees or Braves, my two favorite teams.   Have I betrayed myself?   Some may think so, but that's the great part about our hobby - collect what you like.

And I think Rizzo is pretty damn cool.   So, off I go.....

The collection started with one.

And, then a mini made two.

The next obvious move?   How about some ink on that third card?

YES!

Home Run

From 2013 Gypsy Queen, here's a sharp on-card autograph from the Cubbies' first baseman.   I am not the biggest fan of GQ this year though the 2011 inaugural version is a big part of how my tentative return to the hobby shifted into fifth gear.   Therefore, I still feel some set loyalty.

Rizzo's signature isn't winning any awards from me (I can see Killebrew shaking his head) but it is what it is.   What I DO love about this card is the way the blue ink works with the blue in the Cubs uniform.   It contrasts nicely with the sadly forlorn gray of the '13 GQ border.   AND, IT'S A RIZZO AUTOGRAPH!   For about half the price of a blaster, I was more than happy to scoop it up (30YOC nod).   Here's the back, just for kicks:

Thanks, Topps.

Love it!

Welcome to the collection.

Interesting Note:   Out of all of my official PC's (Mattingly, Freeman, Kimbrel, David Robertson, Rizzo), I lack autographs for the two I've had the longest - Freeman and Mattingly.   For Donnie Baseball, we're talking about 28, 29 years or so.   And while I have autographed cards for both Robertson and Rizzo, this Rizzo is the only CERTIFIED signature.

Funny how that happens.   Hopefully I'll be fortunate enough to remedy the voids soon enough.

But for now, I'm really excited to have a cornerstone for the Rizzo PC.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

It's Great to Have That Feeling Again

It happened.

I've mentioned several times on this blog how I yearn for the collecting days of old when we were all excited to pull plain old cards - the cards we now refer to in our after thoughts as "base cards" - of the best players of the day, rookies or our favorite teams.

Granted, what you feel is completely within your own control so I feel somewhat silly saying that I miss feeling a certain way...but you guys probably know what I mean.   As expensive as cards are nowadays and as exciting as the 'hits' and inserts can be to pull, it's tough not to feel a tad bit shorted when you manage to avoid pulling anything beyond what's promised to you on the wrapper.

Forget that - check out this sweet card I pulled from an Allen & Ginter blaster!

Well-Balanced

I'm not even a Cubs fan but I am really excited to add my first card of Anthony Rizzo to my son's collection.   I'm building the base set for him (please see NEEDS & FOR TRADE list in the side bars) so I would have come across this card anyways - but we all know there's something special about pulling a card you were hoping for from a pack.   There's no signature.   There's no swatch of jersey.   But I still dig this card.

I had been following Rizzo, his minor league offensive numbers and his potential call-up to the parent club all season.   You already know I'm a Yankees and Braves fan.   Am I a prospector?   Nah, but I AM playing fantasy baseball for the first time ever.   And loving it!   It has caused me to have some strange feelings:

"Okay.   Soriano just gave up a run.   That's okay......now he's eligible for the Save."

Twisted, right?   Yeah, it's weird but I'm enjoying the depth to which I've taken a dive back into the sport as a fan.   I haven't had a knowledge of current MLB players and their skills this comprehensive since I had recess five days a week.   And it feels great.   Mike & Mike in the morning on the drive to work?   Not anymore......my new friends are Scott, Adam and Cory - every morning on XM 87.   They fuel the statistical and fantasy sports fire.   The Roto Experts they're called.   I'm pretty sure Mrs. Ryan's Pitch thinks my brain has gone a little "roto"....but such are the tests of champions (wink).

WHOA - I've gone off course.   Let's bring 'er back.......

So I managed to pick up Rizzo in one of my two leagues as the moment approached for his call-up.   He came up and has really been a much-needed source of joy for Cubbies fans everywhere.  He represents the future and potential greatness: key ingredients as north-siders and Cubs fans everywhere await redemption.   For me, he's helped out my fantasy roster when I've dropped him into the line-up, so the guy's become a favorite for me as well (as long as it's not against my Braves!).

So I knew about him, followed him in the news and was aware that he had cards in this year's sets.   I hadn't seen one yet......but then, there it was!   Seriously, an actual "SWEET! A Rizzo!" escaped me as I thumbed through the freshly busted pack.    AH, sweet cardboard time machine.   Again - no ink, piece of clothing or fractorization required.

This Rizzo base card will probably not put my kid through college (cause it will be HIS after all, big daddy - duh).   There will be millions of them in gem mint condition in 40 years.......but for now, I am really stoked to have this card of a great ball player who may become an enduring star for the Chicago Cubs.   Oh yeah - here's the back!

Card #270: "Batting One Hundred Forty One" - Not Anymore.

And THAT is what this hobby is all about for me.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!