My Hall of Fame Collection - 1951 Bowman #31 Roy Campanella

I recently opined on the twitter that "modern cards and prospecting are like one-night stands...vintage is true love."

I truly believe that and it appears that I am falling in love again thanks to this Campy! Introduce yourself, Roy...

I encountered a well-priced batch of graded '51 Bowman's on the Bay of E earlier this year. The Ryan's Pitch Collection welcomes all forms of vintage cardboard  - graded, non-graded, degraded, whatever the case may be - but my adrenal gland kicks in when a seller has numerous graded cards of players I really enjoy, at great prices, with combined shipping and (the kicker) a 'Make An Offer' option available.

I'm shy by nature and dislike the art of negotiation, but only because I wish I were better at it. And even when I decide to face this inner demon, the Bay is usually a hostile environment in which to attempt to do, particularly in the card market. Sellers are there to profit and the Bay is known to be full of buyers that are short of hobby knowledge but accompanied by deep pockets. This produces a beneficial equation for the sellers and gives them little reason to suffer through the entertainment of an offer from a spendthrift like me.

But this was true vintage love, you see....the stuff miracles are made of!

I quickly checked PSA's SMR database to ensure that my eyes were not deceiving me and formulated an offer amount on this Campy along with a few others. I wanted to cause deliberation without insulting and, after some quick emails, the Seller and I reached a mutually beneficial arrangement for the whole lot. I could barely contain my excitement then, and it persists today as I am very excited to share this particular card with you.

Campanella has a special place in the history of the game as one of its finest catchers, despite only playing for ten seasons. His Hall of Fame career, spent entirely with the Brooklyn Dodgers, was cut much too short due to a paralyzing injury suffered during a car accident in the winter of '58. Prior to that horrible twist of fate, Roy had earned a World Series ring (against my Yanks in '55), 3 National League MVP Awards, 8 All-Star appearances, led the league in RBI for a season and caught 3 no-hitters!  

"Campy" was one of the pioneers in breaking the color-barrier in baseball, joining Brooklyn during Jackie's sophomore campaign. He was one of the first four African-American players to appear in an All-Star Game, joining Robinson, Larry Doby and Don Newcombe. Yes, Roy, who passed away in 1993, holds a special place in the hearts of Dodgers and baseball fans in general, including myself. And now this card has joined him!

Where to start with this card?! It's pretty well centered and has excellent edges, two attributes that I really enjoy. The grade was most likely given for the corners, slight surface 'dent' in the upper right corner and border fading.

No problem.

A VG-EX "4" '51 Bowman is a GEM in my collection, any day of the week! The coloring of this card is amazing and the pose for this shot is baseball perfection. From my humble sampling, action shots appear to have been few and far between for '51 Bowman, so this look at Campanella tossing his old-school catcher's mask aside while he focuses on a pop-up is a real treat! How about that catcher's gear, though? I know many of you enjoy catcher's cards in particular and it's easy to see why. The chest protector, knee pads and backwards ball cap..... great coloring. Even the background calls your attention! The vivid green stadium seats in the background provide a very 'you are there' experience, enhanced by the depth perception provided through the stadium's deepening shadows as our eyes follow up into the stands......can anybody confirm if these green seats indicate Ebbets Field?

And who's that guy? Why only one spectator, a spectator wearing a mustard-colored shirt and sunglasses?    

Well focused.......the player and the card!

The back only adds to my enjoyment of this card, offering Bowman's traditional and simple approach: name, bio-stats, brief summary, card number. In 1951, he was coming off his third season in which he had surpassed the 30 HR mark (31) and approached 90 RBI (89) while batting .285. Bowman mentions that Roy held a .985 fielding percentage in 1949...he matched that in 1950 and would never drop below that mark for the duration of his career.

The back is in great shape, with no paper loss or markings to interfere with enjoyment of the information. The coloring is great, too.....just an all around great card, condition-wise. Interestingly, the write-up mentions that the Dodgers first noticed Campy when playing against him in an exhibition game. Hmmm, I wonder what the story is behind that statement? Well, as usual with the game we all love, here's the tale, according to SABR:

"In October 1945 Campanella caught for a black all-star team organized by Effa Manley against a squad of major leaguers managed by Charlie Dressen in a five-game exhibition series at Ebbets Field. Dressen, a Dodgers coach at the time, approached Campanella to arrange a meeting with Dodgers general manager and part-owner Branch Rickey later that month. Campanella spent four hours listening to Rickey, whom he later described as “the talkingest man I ever did see,” and politely declined when Rickey asked if he was interested in playing in the Brooklyn organization. Campy thought he was being recruited for the Brooklyn Brown Dodgers, a new Negro League outfit that Rickey was supposedly starting. A few days later, however, he ran into Jackie Robinson in a Harlem hotel. After Robinson confidentially told him he’d already signed with the Dodgers, Campy realized that Rickey had been talking about a career in Organized Baseball for him. Afraid that he’d blown his shot at the big leagues, he fired off a telegram to Rickey indicating his interest in playing for the Dodgers just before he left on a barnstorming tour through South America."    

Like I always say, all baseball cards are great pieces of history. Some have great players while others have great stories. And some, like this '51 Campanella, just seem to have both. I've only touched on the very tip of the iceberg that was Roy's contribution to the game and to the world, but this is a great way to start a conversation that I hope continues for a long time. I can't wait to add more of Campy's cardboard to my collection and learn more about his legacy, but I'll never lose my excitement and love for this card. I am thrilled to add it to my collection and could easily file this one under the "One of My Favorite Cards" title.

Either way - here's to you, Roy. Rest in peace and thank you for this walk into history.

Thanks for reading!

My Hall of Fame Collection - 2000 Fleer "Greats of the Game" Bert Blyleven Certified Autograph

I'm always game to add cards and memorabilia of Hall of Famers to my collection, regardless of teams or the player themselves.

In this case, I was able to scoop up this Blyleven autograph for just a couple of bucks.   The auto by itself is a really nice one, but Bert goes above and beyond with a "#28" inscription.   I think it looks great and is nicely slanted to fill up the 'auto-space' provided for Blyleven by Fleer.

Speaking of Fleer's design, I really dig the simplicity of this set.   The silver foil in the corner is sharp and the full color action photo with name and team logo make for a nice card, if not an ideal piece of memorabilia on its own!   Here's the card:

Blyleven is sometimes considered to be a controversial HOF selection.   Fans of other players who have not garnered selection, pitchers in particular, often cite Mr. Blyleven and his statistics for argumentative purposes.   He never won the Cy Young Award or an MVP but was a 2x All-Star and World Series Champion with one no-hitter to his name.   He wasn't elected until his 14th year of eligibility in 2011 and I believe it is his place on the all-time strikeouts list - 5th - that earned him his entry.

And rightly so!   Interviewed players that faced Bert have consistently praised him for his 'nasty' stuff and he was certainly a dominant pitcher during his time.

Here's the back:

Ho-hum :)

I'm ecstatic to add a Bert Blyleven autograph to my HOF Collection!

Thanks for reading!

My Braves and Hall of Fame Collection - 1998 Donruss Greg Maddux Statistical Standout #'d 23/2500

I collect vintage baseball cards, build a set every once in awhile....sample new releases here and there and chase after cards of my favorite teams and players.

Some of my collecting focuses on the collecting years of my youth - '79 through about '93 or so.....okay, my birth up through my youth.   I call it my FIRST collecting period.

Then, I began rediscovering the hobby in 2011 upon the discovery that I would be having a son.   It only seemed natural and I've really enjoyed it.   Every second of it.   A little TOO much, sometimes.

That leaves a gigantic hobby gap for my collection in the cardboard universe - nearly two full decades!   What happened during these years?   What were the cards like?   What did I miss?   I enjoy reading about and viewing cards from this 'missing' era of mine.   They usually range across the entire collecting spectrum - from horrible, silly and over-cooked to foily-sweet and action-packed.

I don't know the rules about when to use a hyphen.   Any tips, Night Owl?

Every once in awhile, I get the chance to add a card from this era to my collection.   I will usually ensure that it fits into one of my team or player collections or portrays a Hall of Fame player.   In this case, I was able to fit into two of those categories: 

As many of you are painfully aware, I am a Braves fan.   The Braves were the "local" (5.5 hours) team for me as a kid growing up in the Redneck Riviera and it was a BLAST!   Games tickets were cheap, the Murph was THE man and I was able to enjoy the "Bums to Pennants" transition that kicked off in 1991 with a Sid Bream slide.

Therefore, I'm a Maddux fan.   He wouldn't join Atlanta until '93 but the following 10 years resulted in some of the finest team pitching I've known in my lifetime.   I began watching Maddux in Fulton County Stadium whilst sucking down cokes and sighed heavily as he headed back north to Wrigley in 2004.   From starting high school to being underwater in a submarine.   That's quite a journey and Greg was a part of it when I combed the sports pages.

When I saw this 1998 Donruss-Leaf-50th-Anniversary-Statistical-Standout card, I knew I had to have it.  IN fact, I might have to find MORE of these cards!   I think they're fabulous.   The black and white (sepia?) background photo of a glove with a ball is perfection.   Yes, it has the worst looking Maddux signature EVER scribbled across it....but it works for me.   The "Leaf" and "Statistical Standout" foil stamps are just enough and placed just right on both sides of our post-delivery and colorful hurler.

How about the back?

Out of 2500 :)

Okay, the mug shot is a bit meh, but the Don Mattingly-jersey-number-serial-numbered-out-of-2500 aspect of this card makes me happy.   Illogically so.   20 walks in 1997!?!?   And there's that glorious ball & glove again....

Love this card.   Sorry I missed it the first time around, but that's what's great about our hobby - when it comes to cardboard, time is on our side.

Thanks for reading!

A Hobby Farewell, Ralph Kiner

A few years ago, I was very fortunate to get the wild idea of sending a bunch of baseballs to Hall of Fame legends in the hopes of achieving TTM success.

Systematically and for obvious reasons, I began with the oldest members first and worked my way forward in time.   As many of you can probably confirm, I enjoyed MUCH  more success with the oldest players and slowly saw my return success rate dwindle to NOTHING by the time I reached the players who retired in the late 70's and beyond.....

One of those earlier success stories was the late Ralph Kinder. Mr. Kiner passed away recently at the age of 91.   He played in the majors for an injury-abbreviated 10 years but completely OWNED the League with his slugging ability from '46 to '52 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Get this - Kiner arrived on the scene in '46 with a respectable 22 home runs but troubling 109 K's.   Hank Greenberg was set to retire but the Bucs convinced the slugger to stay on with the club, during which time he tried to impart some of his batting wisdom to the young Kiner.   It must have worked because Ralph blasted 51 home runs that very next season and struck out less than 100 times.  

Kiner's 51 round trippers led the League, a feat he would then continue for seven consecutive years. SEVEN!   He was known to deposit a fair amount of his homers into the short left porch at Forbes Field - an area that had been known as Greenberg's Gardens.   Rightfully, the landing pad was bequeathed to Ralph and acquired the name of Kiner's Korner, a name that Ralph would later use for  his own broadcasting show.

Mr.  Kiner was elected into the Hall in 1975.   He finished his ten years of playing with an average of over 36 home runs and 100+ RBI every year he played.   He was also a six-time All Star.   Ralph Kiner would go on to be a manager for several clubs before settling into the role of radio announcer for the New York Mets, a job he held and excelled at from the first game the Metropolitans ever played until the day Mr. Kiner passed away this month.

I am so glad I have Mr. Kiner as a part of my collection.   I am sad to say that I don't yet have any cards of Mr. Kiner but here is the baseball and signature cards that he signed for me:

 

Despite being in his late 80's, Mr. Kiner put a couple of great looking signatures on these items and I really appreciate his HOF inscription on the ball.   I'm going to make it a priority to add some cards of his to my collection.   I can't wait to begin my search.

By all accounts, Mr. Kiner was another one of those Greatest Generation, true gentlemen GOLDEN ambassadors for the game.    Everyone who knew him LOVED him and there doesn't seem to be a bad thing said about the man.   My grandfather helped to instill my love for the game and he himself was a product of PA - so he always had a soft spot in his heart for the Pirates.   I can recall that he was very excited to see Mr. Kiner's autograph in my collection.   At the time, I thought this was a little odd considering some of the other names on the other baseballs......but now, I kind of get it.

Yes....I will have to seek out some Ralph Kiner cards for my collection.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my letter, Mr. Kiner.   I am glad we were able to connect if but for a simple TTM so that I can now learn more about you and appreciate your contributions to the game.   Rest in peace, sir.

Thanks for reading!

Upper Deck Fingers Combo

Not sure how this happened, but I've managed to gather up two different certified autographs of Rollie Fingers?

I wouldn't normally go after two autographs of a player, even a Hall of Fame hurler like Rollie.   The list is too long and the budget too tight for such redundancy…..but this was a mistake I could live with!   If anything, it makes for a great comparison of card designs and "types" of signatures.

I like both of these designs.   This Upper Deck "Retro" offering is certainly minimalistic, but I can respect that.   It's a classic mid-delivery action shot of the very colorful, vintage Athletics uniforms.   Bonus points for the contrast of Rollie's ON CARD (cartwheel!), blue ink and perfectly slanted signature across his legs.   Player's name, position and team at the bottom…..Boom.

STIRRUPS

Then there's this "Etchings" card.   It has the whole time machine motif going for it with the golden gears of baseball days of yore spinning all around a black and white mug shot of Mr. Fingers.   The picture is a little lacking in my opinion, but with Rollie Fingers - you get the 'stache no matter WHAT.

The (cut?) autographed piece of paper is recessed into the card for a very, VERY nice mounted effect.   Seriously, I love this, even though some might say that it is disqualified from the Hall of On Card.

What do you think?

I have a Darryl Strawberry autograph from this same set and I dig it, too.   I wonder who else is in this set?

166/250

Rollie's signature here is nothing short of gorgeous.   Like, almost Killebrew-worthy - although, Killer would've docked him for legibility of individual letters.  But I love it.

If I end up reducing one of my Fingers, I am thinking it might be the UD Retro version.

Which one would you guys keep for your HOF autograph collection?

Thanks for reading!

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!

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!

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! 

My Latest Thoughts on The Hall

Ah!

I love sports.   I love passionate discussions about sports.   I love highly controversial debates about the best players in sports........and the annual discussion over who belongs in baseball's Hall of Fame is nothing short of a marquee example of just such a spirited conversation.   This post was inspired by an offering of just such a conversation from my good friend Brian over at his great blog, 30 Year Old Cardboard.  Thanks for the fuel, buddy!

This year's ballot of potential honorees is a big one.   Yes, the list is long.....but it's big in terms of how the baseball world (or at least a chosen few of us) will view a very controversial issue in comparison to the criteria by which they cast their votes.    This ballot includes several great baseball players who were, in one way or another, tied to the use of performance enhancing drugs - steroids, HGH, etc.   Not the first time an accused player has been up for election, but this is the first LARGE grouping.   And the grouping is as notable as they come!   These players were compiled very impressive stats over many years.   For the most part, these players were sluggers - known best for their prowess at the plate.   Their strength to display such prowess the very skill supposedly warped by poor decisions to break the rules of the game.   At the time though, we all cheered and marveled and followed....and then cringed in dismay as we were shown that gods could bleed.   The exact knowledge of when, where and to what extent will never be known for sure.   The exact contribution of the cheating towards results on the field can never be known for sure.   It is not an exact science.

This could only hurt...forever.

Fortunately, neither is the criteria for being selected for eternal enshrinement amongst the game's greatest players in the Hall of Fame.

At best, we have ourselves an annual challenge.   At its worst, we must be subjected to a very subjective nightmare.....and one that has some very objective outcomes; for the players, their fans and the sport as whole. 

What could possibly go wrong, right?

So, where do we start?   Well, let's look at two key facts: WHO is responsible for making these very subjective selections and HOW they are supposed to be making them.......

Wait a second...

The "who" are "...active and honorary members of the Baseball Writers Association of America".   Okay.   So, who is that?   Well.......it's these guys and gals.   I'll let you dive into the history, purpose and current existence as much as you dare.   Basically, the BBWAA is a bunch of sportswriters (OR former sportswriters).   There are, according to the BBWAA site, over 700 current members.   They not only vote for Hall of Fame selection, though.   They determine the winners of other annual awards such as the League MVP's, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year and the Cy Young Award Winner.  

Pretty cool right?   I guess so.   The system is just too ripe for......subjectivity.

Can you place faith in a journalist who had previously decided that a particular player was the Rookie of the Year or Cy Young Award winner to be as objective when considering that player's body of work for the Hall of Fame against another player for whom that writer did NOT consider worthy of that same award but is hypothetically just as worthy based on their the rest of their career accomplishments?   It can quickly become a self-fulfilling effect.   But is that wrong?   Perhaps.  

Let's say a BBWAA member was really taken with a particular pitcher one year.   Maybe that writer was a journalist for the pitcher's hometown newspaper?   Maybe that writer was fortunate enough to attend a home game where that pitcher tossed an extraordinary complete game.   The kind of game that united the fans and produced an electric feeling amongst the spectators....the likes of which that said writer had never felt before, even though he/she had followed that team their entire life.......that's an epic moment!   Maybe that kind of moment can be combined with a pretty solid season of stats for that same pitcher.   And maybe that single-season body of work elicits a confident opinion from the very astute sportswriter that the pitcher is, clearly, the Rookie of the Year for his league.

Not a Pitcher, but...

Those feelings, those impressions, that compiling and consideration of the facts and images and "eye tests" from the entire season would have been (and should be!) taken into account by the writer and their vote should be considered no less relevant or honorable than any other voter.   Right?

But what about the vote from a writer in another town, for another player, with a similar body of work for that season........they both count.  Heck, they ALL will count - all 700+ of them, if everybody always voted.   Statistically, there is the effect of cancelling out individual biases with larger sample sizes, right?   So, there's nothing to really, truly complain about.  Right?

What if I told you that a BBWAA member could continue voting even if they retire from the profession?   They would no longer be obligated through their employment to follow the sport.  How can we guarantee that they'll remain as objective and engaged in their analysis as they were?   What if they move to south Florida and become an objective fan of a different team?   What if they spend more time on the golf range in their new life than they do scouring the box scores every morning?   Doesn't matter.   The BBWAA utilizes an honor code, whereby they can bestow lifetime membership with the expectation that their members maintain an adequate following of the game.

...nothing wrong with that...

Heh.   Okay.   Well, in between their 6 iron and 7 iron......HOW will these writers be asked to make their selection?   This is my favorite part!  In the words of the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Incorporated:


"Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played."


Isn't that something?   We always talk so very much about the statistics compiled by potential candidates, comparing and contrasting with tremendous vigor and spite.   But the statistics of any particular player can only really lay claim to two, maybe three, of the criteria specified above.   A player's record and playing ability can be easily substantiated from the empirical evidence of the player's career statistics.   Career average, home runs, fielding percentage and other benchmarks are black and white.   They are what they are - and can't be disputed.

Just Barry

Unless......

You consider the impact of our earlier issue, performance enhancing drugs.   But this leaves the realm of black and white and quickly adopts a very solemn shade of grey.   From here, any debate reaches a fork in the road.   You can either go left or right.   You can either say that you don't consider the use (or non-use) of PED's to be an issue or you do.   There is no in between.   Well......we could jump really far down the rabbit hole and begin to dissect the possibility of PED use before there were testing programs.   We could say that testing programs are not absolute.   We could say that every offending player was not caught or, in some cases, ratted out by other players.   And our brains would quickly ooze out of our ears if we tried to ascertain any of this for any season prior to.....well, next season.   We'll simply never know for sure.   Which is a pretty strong argument for simply ignoring the PED issue in its entirety.   IS PED use 100% responsible for a player's performance?   Of course not.  I could start injecting myself right now but I won't be slugging homers into McCovey Cove on a regular basis!   But there are rules in life.   Baseball is a game of rules.   For the most part.  Sometimes fallible humans screw the rules up and cause a tremendous and biblical gnashing of teeth......but if we had seen it.......well, the rules would RULE.   You're out.  It's a fair ball.  Take your base.   You trapped it.   Get off the field.   Your banned for life.

Reasonable doubt, right Ray Kinsella?

Ouch.  It hurts.  But so does life every once in awhile.  And that's what baseball is sometimes - a beautiful parody of our lives.

So, you have the statistics.   We can stare at those all day and average them out.   We can extrapolate to simulate longer careers if a player's actual playing days were untimely cut short.   We can argue over the greatness of a stolen base or save in comparison to total runs batted in, error-free innings or - (gasp) one of those subjectively voted-for awards!   I won't even touch the issues with fan-based All-Star selections........I mean, many of us fans aren't even sportswriters!  How lame.

Awkward........

Back to the criteria.

My favorite elements of the voting criteria are.....ironically, the least objective of the lot: integrity, character, sportsmanship and contributions to the teams on which the player played.   How beautifully mysterious are these general qualifications?  It doesn't even say that players must have honorable integrity or fine character or positive contributions to their teams in order to be considered.  They must simply have them, right?   I know, I know.   I'll stop.   OKAY -  we'll assume that the spirit of the criteria for selection implies that players should meet these criteria in a positive light.   Sound character.   Exemplary sportsmanship.   Steadfast integrity.   If we do that, though - doesn't that make it impossible....in a black and white kind of way......for any of us to take the "other fork" in the selection road that we mentioned earlier?   This criteria makes it impossible to vote for anybody who has been connected to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.   Yeah, they had the skills that may, MAY have been enhanced by some 'roids here or there....but they lost their integrity, right?  They tried to gain an unfair advantage over the competition.   Isn't that poor sportsmanship and character? 

Criteria Antonym

And what of the players who refused to partake?   That is a clear example of integrity and honorable character and sportsmanship, yes?   I tend to think so but I know that many others do not.

How about contributions to one team?   What does that mean to everybody?   I'll tell you what it doesn't mean to everyone - the SAME thing.   A player's contribution to a championship team throughout a miracle season will live on in legends and highlight reels.   A player's league-leading contributions to a losing team?   Man, do I find that respectable and deserving of great admiration?   It's easy to try your best to the roar of approving fanatics as they cheer their beloved winners......but to go out and dominate your competition as an individual while your team wallows in the cellar of their division and your fans heckle with scathing disappointment?   That's legendary, too.   In my opinion.   But would that player have been able to perform and produce and dominate under the microscope and pressure of the sport's post season?   We'll never know!

Love ya, Murph!

Does "contributions to a team" even make sense?   The player's contribution to a team should be, uh, fairly quantifiable and identical to their statistics, right?   If we go that route, then we really need to be careful when considering any importance being placed on a player's record when it comes to post season records, championships won, etc.   A player does not make the post season.   Teams win titles.   But players are elected to the Hall of Fame........

You had to see this coming...

            

See!  I love this stuff.   Life is baseball and baseball is life for many of us.   Life is also a philosophical cornucopia of thought-provoking conversations and debate.   A beautiful disaster.   A perfect game in a not-so perfect world.   Ergo.......we chat about it from time to time.

Thanks for chatting about it here with me!   I'd love to hear what you think and in the meantime....

Here we are!   It's December of 2012 and the ballots for another year of consideration have been sent out.   Who would you vote for?  

One quick thing I'd like to add - please note that I do not harbor an unhealthy hatred for BBWAA members or even sportswriters in general (especially those that vote for Donnie Baseball......).   Some of them have provided some of the very best things that I have ever had the pleasure of reading....they are responsible for Sports Illustrated and Golf Digest.   Baseball Weekly.   ESPN.   The countless sports books that are scattered throughout my basement.   The newspaper clippings that adorned my childhood bedroom.   Basically........almost everything that makes life possible for us sports fans!   So I am grateful for their talent and gifts - and understand that they haven't asked for the responsibility described above, established more than a century ago.   But it IS theirs to protect.

And, in some small, minuscule way......don't we fans who have ever put pen to paper about the sports that we love......kinda sorta qualify as one?   I've never been into self-loathing.  

     

One of My Favorite Cards: 1974 Topps #456 Dave Winfield Rookie Card

I had a quick internal battle as to whether or not I should file my Winfield rookie card in my Yankees collection or in my "Vintage/Other" piles......in the end, I decided to honor the time, years, performance and passion that Winfield displayed during his epic career as a member of all his teams by choosing the latter.

Turns out - this card rocks no matter which collection it rests within, as did the career it honors the start of!

Yep.  It's a bright one, Dave.

Winfield's rookie card is from the 1974 Topps set.   As a kid in the late 80's, I often confused the '74 design with the '80 design - both of which I still enjoy to this day (though I don't own very many of.....yet).   The dual banner, symmetrical look is very basic but its simplicity plays to my inner engineer.   The team, position and name labels frame out a cameo shot of Winfield looking very optimistic about his future.

This particular card is in great shape for my liking.   There's no creasing on the front and the coloring is fantastic so the overall presentation is really nice.   Browns and yellows are usually not ideal, but the retro goodness of the old-time Padres uniform is simply undeniable.   Throw in the 'ol Winfield moustache and early 70's stadium upper deck background for good measure and you have the makings of a most excellent rookie card.

The edges and corners are not perfect - but the price was right, so I was ecstatic to add another HOF rookie card to the collection.   Here's a look at the back:

 
Ah, there's a tiny crease up there in the upper right hand corner.  No worries, as my usual point of contention starts when I can no longer read a portion of the card - which is certainly not the case here.   You get a nice look at Mr. Winfield's signature up top with the usual biometrics and even a noteworthy cartoon along the right side - turns out that Winfield was born on the same day as "the shot heard 'round the world", a.k.a. Bobby Thompson's home run.   Very poetic that big Dave would be destined for his own post-season legend more than 40 years later!   But more on that later.   The four college career highlights at the University of Minnesota are given in bullet point format.   A lot of good information and interesting tidbits squeezed onto this cardboard.   I dig that.

This card portrays Winfield as a proud young phenom for the San Diego Padres.   The Padres drafted Mr. Winfield as a Pitcher and was the 4th overall pick of that draft.   Of course, Dave was also drafted by THREE other teams in TWO other sports (basketball and football).   Keep in mind, Dave Winfield didn't even PLAY college football at UM!

Hear it comes!

That should give you an idea as to how incredibly gifted this guy was as an athlete.   The Padres quickly dropped their young star into the deep end of the major league pool - where he immediately shined.   Needing his bat more than an additional hurler, they placed Winfield in the outfield where he still utilized his rifle arm to produce many memorable defensive plays.   He batted .277 in the 56 games he played in '73 and only seemed to improve as his career marched forward.

That Uniform = Awesome

He would go on to hit the national scene during the '77 All Star Game in New York and became the Padres Captain in '78 before posting .308 AVG / 34 HRs / 118 RBI in '79.   Winfield landed in New York as a free agent in 1981 where he would be a constant offensive leader until he left in 1990.   Often at odds with Steinbrenner (which probably began when the Boss signed Winfield for $7M more than he thought he did - making him the HIGHEST paid MLB player), Winfield never allowed the off-field Bronx drama affect his performance between the lines.   He would be an All-Star for eight years in a row ('81 - '88) and win five gold gloves in New York to go along with his five silver slugger awards.   He lost a VERY narrow batting title race to teammate Don Mattingly in 1984 by .003, finishing at .340.   Interestingly, Yankees fans were divided in their loyalty to both sluggers, with a noticeable tilt in favor of Donnie Baseball.   Winfield handled this fact like a professional, citing an eerily similar situation endured by Mantle and Maris during the home run race of '61.   The Yanks, despite having two sluggers in the line-up at .340 or better, still finished 17.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers that season.   Yikes?!

The Masters

During Steinbrenner's two year stretch of being banned from managing the club's operations, Winfield was finally traded to the Angels in 1990 where he stayed only briefly before having his second career renaissance as a soon-to-be world champion for the Toronto Blue Jays.   Even as an aging star, Winfield served as a very powerful designated hitter.   What am I saying?!   Big Dave slugged with a .290 average and slammed 26 home runs along with 108 RBI.  He wasn't done yet, no sir!   Winfield helped to lead the team into October where he provided the clutch 2-run scoring double for the Jays in the 11th inning of Game 6 that helped to clinch the '92 Series for Toronto.   Unfortunately, this victory was over my Atlanta Braves, but it was truly something to behold as Winfield officially shrugged off those tired old and fictitious "Mr. May" labels from Steinbrenner during his pinstripe days and became the oldest player (41) to slug an extra base hit in the World Series.   No matter how you slice it - that's good stuff and Winfield now had the hardware to go along with his championship-worthy career!

Destiny - Worth the Wait!

Winfield would go on to collect his 3,000th hit off of Dennis Eckersley as a Twin in 1993, thereby cementing his enshrinement in Cooperstown.   Playing his final game as a professional in 1995 as a Cleveland Indian, Dave Winfield completed an amazing career that spanned thirteen years and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2001.   He remains a very active part of the game today in a return to his roots as the executive Vice President and Senior Advisor for the San Diego Padres, who also retired his #31 in 2001.  He is also very active and performs much great work through his foundation, The Winfield Foundation - and can also often be seen as a guest analyst on ESPN's Baseball Tonight.

Power for Good.

Atta boy, Big Dave!   Thanks for the memories and your contributions to the game of baseball (even the ones that might have occurred outside of your time as one of my beloved Yanks).   You're definitely one of my favorites and while I haven't been lucky enough to meet you or get your autograph yet, I'm honored to have your rookie card in my collection!

Thanks for reading.

My Mattingly Collection - 2012 Archives '56 Style Relic Card

Don Mattingly is my favorite baseball player of all time.

Period.

I sought him out as a collector in my youth and I continue to do so today (often enjoying very discounted prices) with a lot of enjoyment.   He'll always be a Yankee to me but I have no problem rooting for his club to take the NL West.   I might waver if they face my Braves for the NL Championship and it will most certainly be interesting, for so many reasons, to see a Dodgers - Yankees World Series match up.  

But like Scarlett says, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

For now I'll focus on the task at hand, showing off my Don Mattingly collection.   This will be the first entry in the series!   Which Mattingly to choose?   Would be very reasonable to start off with any of his classic '84 rookie cards.   There have definitely been some fantastic legacy releases since his playing days came to an end.   Hmmmm....

So where to start?!

How about with this one:

Perfection!

Combining one of my favorite all-time card designs with my favorite all-time player?   That's a recipe for cardboard success.   I'll let it go that the swatch is purely gray and that Donnie Baseball looks like somebody just told him the Boss wants him to cut his hair........I'll let it go.   I've got Mattingly in pinstripes with a piece of his jersey, his signature and a well-balanced retro '56 card.   The back is nothing special:

#s I knew before my own SSN - 6'0", 175, 4/20/61

But you still get a quick reminder of the greatness.   A career that was cut short, yet the facts remain:

- statistically, more than half of his hits drove in a run
- nearly a quarter of his hits were doubles
- the career average, plagued with a bad back , will always stand at .307

One day, the Veterans Committee will confirm what many of his fans already know!

But for now, I hope you can appreciate this card with me - my most recent Mattingly addition.

Thanks for reading!

Ever Wondered What Gem Mint Tasted Like?

Me too.

I will probably never know what it is like to own a "gem mint" rookie card of a baseball legend.   That's okay!   Condition is not the "end all, be all" for me when it comes to baseball cards anyways.   Yes, I would prefer them in the best condition that I can afford.   But as long as I can read the words, admire the statistics and enjoy the picture(s) - I'm usually good to go!   Still, seeing something historic in perfect condition is pretty special.   And while I will probably not have the chance to hold such a baseball card in my own two hands, I can at least gaze upon them in delightful high definition and watch as folks with a larger petty cash pile than myself bid away on these cardboard beauties.   You can, too!   What am I talking about?

Allow me to explain.

Dmitri Young is known to many of us as the former major league baseball player with quite the dramatic 13-year career.   He was a two-time All-Star amongst a plethora of chaotic personal issues but ultimately triumphed over his demons in 2007 with the Washington Nationals when he stepped in for the injured Nick Johnson and earned the "NL Comeback Player of the Year" honor.   I dig that because I prefer happy endings.  

Even better,   Dmitri shares our passion for the great hobby of baseball cards.   How sweet is THAT?!   Amassing shoe boxes of cards during his childhood years, his love for the hobby never truly left him and was rekindled over the past 13 years as he brought together one of the most impressive collections of Hall of Fame rookie cards that the world has ever known.

Why is it so impressive?

Mr. Young, along with his partner and fellow collector Dave Bailey, only pursued cards that garnered a "gem mint" grading by PSA.   While a lot of us do not consider condition to be imperative for ownership or cardboard appreciation (mostly due to cost), I am sure that we can all appreciate an amazing card that has survived in amazing condition.   Dmitri's collection contains more than 500 of these perfect specimens and has been featured on the MLB documentary, "Cardboard Treasures".   Here's his flawless copy of Roberto Clemente's 1955 Topps card, card #164:

If you enjoy a good drool session every once in awhile like I do, or are simply curious to see what these slabs of cardboard and plastic will fetch - I highly encourage you to check out the action here: SCP Auctions.   Dmitri's cards have about two more weeks to go.   There are already some impressive numbers being posted which is great when you consider how the funds will be used.

Dmitri Young's career and personal mission are moving on to the next level as he begins his own non-profit organization, the Dmitri D. Young Foundation.   His charity will host baseball and softball camps and clinics, support the Boys and Girls Clubs, and sponsor programs and scholarships for student athletes from Dmitri's hometown area of Ventura, CA.   I hope that he can still find time in his schedule to do some work with Card-Corner Club Radio for whom he has been a co-host for many years.   While I'v never caught a live broadcast, I've enjoyed the articles that Dmitri has written about his career, his collection and his passion for life.

Congratulations on your collecting achievements, Dmitri, and best of luck as you continue to work for the betterment of others.      

Long Live The Hobby!