Thanks, Jimmy

Over the summer, I happened across one of those typical "AMAZING SALE! BID NOW!" sports memorabilia tweets in my twitter feed.   I usually scroll on by, not willing to tempt myself unnecessarily or become angry over incredibly inflated prices....

But on this particular day, curiosity lay waste to the kitten and I perused the listing of autographed ROMLB's that all began with a $19.99 starting bid.   I quickly found three that I liked and, at $10 combined shipping for all three balls, I figured "why not?"

I put in a minimum bid for all three and went back to enjoying some quality time with the family.

In the end - it would be a young Braves hurler, a dapper HOF pitcher/commentator and one of the greatest baseball personalities to ever grace the diamond that rounded out what may have been one of the finest memorabilia "hat tricks" in some time.

Nobody else wanted these three items?   With the price of a ROMLB off the shelf weighing in at $15-$18.....I feel like I got a pretty good deal.   Yes, they came with a COA from a very reputable, high volume dealer.   No, it definitely isn't PSA/DNA - but I was willing to roll the proverbial dice.  

The first two I will save for a later date - but in light of Mr. Leyland's recent retirement from management of the Detroit Tigers, I figured this would be a great time to share.   I have no love for the Tigers....or for the Fish....or the Pirates....or the Rockies.   But I can vividly recall the excitement of Mr. Leyland when his Marlins pulled off their miracle season and his unfiltered dismay with Marlins management after they liquidated the team that winter.   I also recall the matter-of-fact interviews with him after Sid Bream's slide allowed the Braves to edge out Leyland's Bucs in the '91 LCS.

Then, there's just Jim Leyland - the dude.

I don't recommend anybody light up some tobacco, even though I myself enjoy a fine cigar and recently have even tried my hand at a pipe (tobacco, chuckleheads :)....but I always got a kick out of pictures of Leyland enjoying a smoke in the dugout.   Marlboro Reds, if I recall correctly.   It's a call-back to a simpler time, when everything wasn't so....sterilized for our consumption.   And I'm a big fan of that.

He was, and is, old school baseball management at its finest, in my humble opinion - even when that management bested my beloved Yanks over the past few years.   He respected the game and its players.   It was a very touching moment to witness his exchange with Mariano Rivera this past season, as Mo was saying his goodbyes.   Leyland pretty much teared up as he described their conversation!

I was very happy to add his autograph to my collection.   No, I was elated.   I wonder if he'll join the Hall of Fame one day?   I suspect he probably will - what  do you think?

Either way, he's part of what I love about this game.   Thank you for the memories, Mr. Leyland - enjoy your retirement!

One of My Favorite Cards: 2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball Max Scherzer Certified Autograph

A little something different today.

I can remember how cool the USA baseball team cards seemed to me as a kid.   Naturally, the most epic example of these was the '85 McGwire.   Big Mac was one of my favorite players back then, probably #2 behind Donnie Baseball.

Yes, another first baseman.   I really can't explain it.  

I can also remember picking up the complete USA team set during a trip to visit my Aunt in Maryland.   My sister and I stayed with her for a week and she treated me to a trip to a local card shop at some point.   SWEET!

The team set was the one thing I can remember picking up, though I am certain there was more.   It came in a nice little "2x2" collector's album.   You know, the 4-card pages?   I believe it was the '91 set.   Phil Nevin was the big prospect stud at the time and some guy named Giambi.   You can buy the set for $2.00 on eBay right now....I think I paid more than $2 at the time.   Bummer.   I'll have to dig it up out of my collection and revisit.   That should be some fun!

The Olympic team sets continue today, in all kinds of different formats.   One of them is displayed in this '05 card of Max Scherzer that I added to my collection recently:

Why do I have this card?

It's not a Yankee or a Brave or one of my favorite players - heck, I really don't like the Tigers.   But I couldn't resist this Scherzer!   You see, Max was a member of the pitching staff on a dynasty fantasy baseball team that I recently began managing.   So he's like....you know...one of my guys.   Sort of?

Scherzer was drafted by the Cardinals in the 43rd round of the 2003 draft but went on to play for the University of Missouri.   Good move.  He was later selected as the 11th overall pick in the '06 Draft by the Diamondbacks and would make his debut with them on April l29, 2008.   One day after my birthday.   How about that?  

On a sad note, Max's little brother, Alex, took his own life last year.   Alex had a serious passion for sabermetrics and Max has integrated the use of advanced statistics into how he prepares for his games.   Scherzer honors his brother by dedicating every start to his memory and, so far, the inspiration and mathematical analysis seems to have worked for big brother.

Scherzer has done pretty well for both me and Detroit this year.   He can throw some heat and can truly rack up some K's when he's in top form, with 106 thus far this year (2nd to Yu Darvish's insane 127).   He's 9-0, with a 0.87 WHIP.  

Pretty darn good.

In my opinion, there's lots of "incognito" potential for Mr. Scherzer to work his way up in the record books.   I say it like that because the Club in Detroit is more famous for one of their other aces and his ex-girlfriend.

Therefore, I picked up the card - my first "USA" card in quite some time.   It's a nice, clean design and the autogoraph shows up very well in black ink on the stark white paper.   I would take this construction over the sticker auto's any day.   For just a couple bucks, I think it makes a nice addition to my collection and could really amass more historical significance as Max's career marches on.

Interestingly, my quick internet research didn't yield much in the way of statistics for Scherzer as a member of Team USA.   Anybody know anything about that?   I know Team USA did NOT make the games in '04, being eliminated by Mexico in a qualifier game.

Thanks for reading and to all the dads out there - Happy Father's Day!

The Quest for '60: 1960 Topps #502 Jim Bunning

I haven't had too many opportunities to continue my 1960 set chase in awhile, so I was pretty excited to snag this Jim Bunning card recently.   The card is a bit off-center but its corners are sharp and is in overall great condition.

As usual for the '60 set, the main color mug shot is a bit dull but definitely provides a sharp close-up of Senator Bunning as a Tiger, the team with who he enjoyed much of his success.   I always love the vintage team logos and the Tiger in the lower left hand corner is no exception!

Jim Bunning was a solid pitcher who finished his career with 224 wins, 2,855 K's and a 3.27 ERA.   He made his debut with the Tigers in 1955 on July 20 and exactly three years later would fire his first no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway on 7/20/1958.   You gotta love that!   He was only two walks (both against Boston leadoff man, Gene Stephens) away from a perfect game but he would have a date with perfection at a later date.   Ted Williams was 0-4 in the game but did not have a strikeout......this no-hitter is mentioned on the back of his 1960 card:

Bunning is saying "A Boston Tea Party!" in the comic...which is awesome.

Senator Bunning was a key component of Detroit's staff and his contributions were featured on this other card in my collection from the Topps release in 1963:

Twirlers?   Thesaurus FAIL, Topps.

Color scheme was great to re-visit through last year's Heritage release!

Bunning was traded to the Phillies with Gus Triandos for Don Demeter and Jack Hamilton in December of '63......um, yeah.    At that point, Jim was a five-time All-Star (add the additional two for years '61 and '62!), had led the league in Wins (once) and Strikeouts (twice).   Not sure what spawned this trade idea......I'll have to do some more research into those guys, but none of the names really stick out to me.   Let's get on with it -

What better way to endear yourself to your new team than by hurling a perfect gem!   Senator Bunning did JUST that on June 21st in 1964 (Father's Day, wouldn't you know - and at the time, he was a father of 7 of his eventual 9 kids!) against the young Metropolitans of New York who were in their third season under Casey Stengel.   Jim helped his own cause that day by doubling in two runs with two outs in the 6th inning!   Even the Mets fans were cheering on Bunning's perfect quest by the end of the game.   He reached a "3-ball" count only two times throughout all nine frames.   Good stuff!

The 1964 season became a very infamous one for the Phillies organization and their fans.   The Phils led the National League for most of the season but fell apart in the final days.   Many critics cite Manager Gene Mauch's overuse of both Bunning and fellow ace, Chris Short.   Looking back at Jim's numbers that season, I can believe it.   Bunning appeared in 41 games, starting in 39.   He pitched 284 innings (though he would top that with 291, 314 and 302 IP the following three seasons!) and recorded 13 complete games.   Yowza.   The Phils blew a September 21st six and a half game lead, losing their final 10 games to finish in second place behind the Cardinals.   The Cards eventually bested my Yankees in the World Series, four games to three, and would go on to win two of the next four Series titles.   The Phillies wouldn't make an appearance in the post season until the Schmidt era in 1976.   A cool factoid?   Tim McCarver played for the Cardinals in 1964.....and then for the Phillies in 1976.   Timing is truly everything.

Bunning would also pitch for the Pirates and Dodgers before retiring as a Phillie in 1971.   They later retired his jersey (#14) in 2001 after he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996.   Being a Hall of Famer, Senator Bunning was on my list of TTM missions a few years ago, and I was very fortunate to receive a generous response from his office in his home state of Kentucky.   The Senator signed a baseball with his HOF-induction inscription for me in ball-point on the sweet spot.   He was also kind enough to take the time to sign my traditional "Autograph Card" in a really nice looking, bright blue sharpie.

Thanks a lot, Senator Bunning!

Here are some more great statistics regarding Bunning - some pretty cool names mentioned here, so I couldn't resist!

- Bunning's perfect game in 1964 was the first regular-season perfect game in baseball since 1922 (Charlie Robertson, White Sox)

- Bunning's perfect game was the FIRST in the National League in 84 years

- on 8/2/1959, Bunning became the 10th pitcher in MLB history to record the 9-pitch-3-strikeout inning (versus the....WAIT for it.....Red Sox!)

- Bunning retired with 2,855 strikeouts, which at the time placed him SECOND on the all-time list behind Walter Johnson.   Senator Bunning is now 17th on the all-time strikeout list.

- Bunning is one of only five players to throw no-hitters in both leagues, joining Nolan Ryan, Cy Young, Randy Johnson and Hideo Nomo

Thanks for reading!

Reflections: Virgil Trucks

Virgil "Fire" Trucks (1917 - 2013)

Baseball lost a great man nearly two weeks ago in Virgil Trucks.   It's been well documented by so many of my fellow bloggers with beautiful tributes and fantastic encounters - both 'through the mail' and even personally - that if there was any doubt as to how well he lived his life and how much of an accessible friend he was to baseball fans......it has certainly been laid to rest with 'ol "Fire" Trucks, himself.

I wanted to make my own contribution.   Not so much as to reiterate what others have already said so well, but to share my own little piece of baseball treasure from my own correspondence with Mr. Trucks.   I think it would be shame not to and not in line with how "Fire" treated the Game as something to be cherished, shared and learned from.

Mr. Trucks at Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama in 2012
(photo courtesy of Randal Crow)

A little background.....

As some of you know, I began my professional career as a naval nuclear propulsion officer in the submarine community.   I have a rich family history of military service but I was the first one crazy enough to go willingly underwater - on purpose.   Other than being a husband and father, I am certain it will be one of the most worthwhile things I'll ever do.

You also know by now that I am a huge baseball fan and collector of baseball cards and memorabilia.   I love the history of the game and have a great deal of respect for the players of the past that achieved greatness of a binary nature, both as professional ballplayers and citizen soldiers who put their lives on the line for the life and liberty of others.   In comparison with the prototypical professional athletes of today, the incredible nature of these heroes' stories become more unbelievable and more distant as society and time roll forward, but no less powerful.

Mr. Trucks at Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama in 2012
(photo courtesy of Randal Crow)

It was a natural progression, therefore, that my memorabilia pursuits and collecting goals leaned towards these veterans of the Game and the service.   I've reached out to dozens over the past six years with some terrific success.   Sadly, the timing of my pursuit has taken on tremendous urgency due to simple timing - our heroes are dying.

But that's okay.   These men and women lived full and meaningful lives, accomplishing so much to deliver the advanced and comfortable world that we live in today.   I've referred to my own grandparents on this blog from time to time.   Three of them served in the military, during World War II and the Cold War's first days.   They raised families and worked hard in successful careers that stretched more than 50 years.   They were baseball fans, too!

Like Mr. Trucks, all of my grandparents are now gone.   I lost the last three of them in a little more than three months towards the end of last year.   I miss them terribly - but it is certainly bittersweet.   I'll reiterate what I said above; they lived wonderful lives.   And now, more than ever, I understand that dying is simply a another part of life that we will all endure.   What's important is how you live and what (and whom!) you leave behind for the world to enjoy and, hopefully, become a better place.   So that's my urgency - to capture as much beautiful life experience from these heroes, whomever they may be, before they're gone with their stories that are OH so worth telling!

I like to think that I try every day to make the world a better place as a tribute to my grandparents and as a part of their legacy.   I also feel like I have a little piece of Mr. Trucks' legacy to share - so let's talk some baseball!

I reached out to Virgil Trucks with a letter and some pictures from my navy days.   He was a sailor himself, serving in the Navy towards the end of World War II in the Pacific theatre.   I would recommend to anybody that they check out some of the stories regarding the service league baseball tournaments held in Hawaii (and elsewhere) during the War (read more about that here: http://www.baseballinwartime.com/service_games/service_games_pacific_1944.htm ).   "Fire" Trucks utilized these opportunities to keep his hurling skills fresh, boost morale for his fellow servicemen and create terrific sports stories for an entire nation in war time.   Is there a greater gift?   He also has a GREAT story of how he re-joined the Detroit Tigers to pitch in Game 2 of the '45 Series only TWO WEEKS after being discharged from active duty!

Add all of these tales to his accomplishments on the diamond from 1941 through 1957 with the Tigers, Browns, White Sox, Athletics and Yankees.......and you have quite the legend!   I only wish I had enough time to go through his career and life in its entirety.   He did have one highlight for which he is very well k nown.   Rightfully, Virgil was a proud member of the elite club of pitchers to fire two no-hitters in the same season.   He adorned nearly every autograph he signed with custom-made stamps that reflected the dates of his two "no-no's" in 1952.   I am personally fascinated by this feat and have actually made a collecting goal of obtaining autographs and collecting cards of each of the pitchers that have achieved this feat:

• Johnny Vander Meer (1938)
• Allie Reynolds (1951)
• Virgil Trucks (1952)
• Nolan Ryan (1973)
• Roy Halladay (2010)

My first vintage Fire Trucks - 1956 Topps #117

I'll keep you posted on that quest, of course - but back to my letter to "Fire" Trucks!

I shared my own experience in the navy and the service connection to my grandparents with Mr. Trucks and thanked him for his own service.   I briefly described my favorite feats from his amazing career and peppered some questions about his experiences throughout my diatribe.   I thanked him for his contributions to the game, asked very politely for his autograph and even enclosed a donation to his church, something that I had been told, though not a requirement, would mean a lot to him.   Heck, it was the least I could do.

Mr. Trucks signing a baseball (photo courtesy of Randal Crow)

Within a week, Mr. Trucks replied with an amazing 'package' of baseball treasures.   He was quite generous with everyone who reached out to him over the years but I couldn't believe my eyes as his generous reply unfolded before me.   A picture, book jacket, cards and the ball I had sent - all fell out of the envelope with Mr. Trucks' inscriptions, stamps and well-wishes.  

"To Ryan M. LaMonica, My Navy Partner With Best Wishes Always, Virgil 'Fire' Trucks"

  

Most amazing to me though, was the personally written letter from Mr. Trucks, himself.   Two whole pages of kind words and incredible recollections from his playing days.And now I'd like to share his words with you!   I've partitioned the letter into paragraphs for ease of reading but left most of Mr. Trucks' own prose intact.

                                                  _______________________________

Dear Mr. LaMonica (mate),

It was nice hearing from you.   And my pleasure to sign your baseball, I hope I didn't mess it up with all the stuff I put on it.   Also enclosing a photo and four small cards for you.   I'm sorry my writing is bad and won't write much.   I'm having a carpal tunell done the 28th of this month and will write more after it heals which is estimated about a month.

Your whole family is service people and that's terrific.   I also thank you & family for your participation in the service for our country.   Bless you all.  

Well, as I pitched every game was treated the same.   But the two no hitters were special.   As for being calm in the bottom of the 9th inning against the Yankees was no more than the other 8 innings as it was a bad year for the "Tigers" & me.   We finished last that year winning only 50 games and losing 104 in a 154 game schedule.

As for Mantle being the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the ninth, I was just going to give him my best, power against power.   I struck him out.   I'm also enclosing a lineup of both no hitters.   I also had a 1 hitter that year.   I almost had three.   The leadoff hitter that game hit a clean single between 3rd and short.   I then retired the next 27 hitters.

Well Ryan, I hope you don't mind me using y our first name.   As I get a lot of mail and am used to doing that.   I also enclosed a cover of a book I wrote.   Which were sold out of 2 printings.   And may have a third.   Not sure yet.   Thank you for the church money.   And they do to.   I'm sorry I can't write more but hand is a little tired & weak.   My best to you and your family.

                                                                                 Sincerely,

                                                                                 Virgil Trucks

P.S. Thank you for the sub photo.   I had to patch up your envelope.   It  got scuffed up.   So I patched it up with tape of your address on the one you mailed me.

Congrats on the upcoming son.   Bless him.

                                                  _________________________________


No, sir.   Bless you.   Rest in peace, Mr. Trucks.   Your legacy lives on.  

I've included a couple more beautiful portraits of Mr. Trucks below.   These were taken by photographer (photo-journalist?) Randal Crow.   His website/blog can be found below and I would encourage you to view his work.   It's beautiful.   These photos were taken in 2012 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.   Wouldn't you know - Rickwood Field is the oldest standing professional ballpark in the United States.   It opened in 1910, just seven years before "Fire" was born.

Thanks for sharing, Randal.

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit(s):

http://www.randalcrow.com/blog1/category/image-blog/

One Of My Favorite Cards: 1953 Topps #138 George Kell

The 2013 MLB season is almost here!

Let's take a quick break from the modern day excitement and enjoy some 60 year-old cardboard, shall we?

I can't recall exactly how I acquired this old '53 Topps card, but I'm sure glad I did.   Yes, it's technically a Red Sox card......but hey, it's a '53 Topps card of a Hall of Fame slugger George Kell!

The Player

Mr. Kell played professional ball from 1940 to 1957 with the A's, Tigers, Red Sox, White Sox and Orioles.   He was one of the most successful players to emerge during the player shortage of World War II.   Though not known for slugging home runs (78 for his career total), the third baseman was a tough out and captured the batting title in 1949 - displacing Ted Williams from the top slot during the final week of play by a margin of .0002!   His "2 for 3" performance on the season's final day prevented Williams from earning his third Triple Crown.

He finished his career as a 10-time All Star with a .306 average, 2,054 hits and 870 RBI.   he is probably best remembered for his time in Detroit, where he played for six years from 1946 to 1952.   Replaced by some up-and-comer named Brooks Robinson, George decided to hang up his spikes and became a broadcaster for the Orioles in 1957.   He began his broadcasting career in Baltimore but soon returned to Motown and joined up with the likes of Al Kaline to call Tigers games almost continuously from 1959 to 1996.   He was elected into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee in 1983.

Two of my favorite stories about Kell showcase both his grittiness and humility.

Keeping in mind the 'delicacy' of our modern day heroes, George missed some games during the 1948 season when he broke his wrist on a Vic Raschi pitch.   A few weeks later - YES, a few weeks later - misfortune found Kell again when a line drive off of the bat of Joe DiMaggio busted his jaw.   Kell recalled the DiMaggio smash play later on, "...I got up, made the play at third and then passed out."

And all of that was without deer antler spray, I suppose....Can you imagine that timeline these days?   By the way, George Kell won that batting title the next season, remember?   The other memorable moment of humility came during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in '83:

    "I have always said that George Kell has taken more from this great game of baseball than he can ever give back. And now I know, I am deeper in debt than ever before."

   Awesome, awesome stuff.

The Card

It's a 1953 Topps card.   Classic design - a baseball card.   The painted portrait here doesn't give us any action but you can get a good sense of the country man from Arkansas who probably made a few folks smile in Boston back then.   It was a sunny day for this portrait, with the traditional puffy clouds drifting by in the skies beyond as Kell gazes forward.....we also get a sneak peek at the corner of the stadium's roof down the first base line.   A crumpled up Sox cap.......good stuff.   My favorite part of this vintage card is probably the old school Red Sox logo featured in the lower left corner:

Delightful

The card is pretty well centered with some touched edges and corners....okay, some rounding of the corners.   I don't really care too much.   The coloring is great too and the original gloss/surface of the card is fantastic.   No major creases that take away from the overall appearance either - I'm a happy camper.

Here's the back:

Efficient

My labeling of this year's card backs as efficient is not a slam!   I love everything we get here.   The biographical information up top (Clyde!) and quick synopsis of his career easily gives us a sense that Kell had already established himself as one of the game's highly regarded players by this time in his career.   The ode to his fielding abilities is a nice touch.   I love having the facsimile autograph but it makes it a tiny bit frustrating to read the write-up.......yeah, I'm nit-picking.   I just don't want to be 100% fan boy, you know?

The streamlined 'past year & career' stat columns is easy to review and a cartoon/trivia opportunity is ALWAYS welcome in my collection!   This one is no slouch, either, as the card quizzes the collectors of 1953 on who "participated in the greatest number of consecutive games?"

Of course, the answer to this question became outdated on September 6, 1995 when Cal Ripken Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive game.   But this is George's post - so I'll keep it at that.   The back of the card is in great shape for me, too.   Some hairline crease action in the top right but no paper loss and some more great color on that wonderful, wonderful old card stock.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!