My Hall of Fame Collection - Class of 2015

That's IT. I'm done - and I couldn't be happier.

 

I've let go of my anger surrounding the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

I love a friendly and logical debate regarding the admittance policies for our game's highest honor. Like most things in life, black and white fades into gray for a great many things - including the comparisons between baseball players throughout history. Statistics can be mixed with memories, feelings and perceptions. Some things can be measured while other aspects are completely subjective. And when you only allow these musings of a select few to determine a very real, quanitifiable and final outcome?

 

Controversy will always ensue.

 

Heck, I've even jumped into the ring with my own two cents. My views have changed since then, and I consider myself to be a fairly steady and consistent person when it comes to my beliefs and views on the world around me. This personal shift alone has been enough to slap me in the face and say, 'let it go.'

 

And let it go, I have.

 

Now, I look forward to each and every Hall of Fame announcement. I fill in my own fictitious ballot and relish the great conversations and debates on TV and radio while the BBWAA have their votes tallied. I get to relive all of my childhood memories involving each of the players, whether they are elected or not. That's a precious gift that isn't dependent on votes.

 

In fact, for the first time in 15 years, I get to shrug off some weight and stress that has encumbered me since I first began to hope for something that always seemed a little improbable. I can make peace with that failure of fruition and move on, focusing on the positives instead of the negatives or, worse, the 'could have's' and 'should have's'.

 

More on that in a later post. For now, I'd like to honor this year's class with a little help from the Ryan's Pitch Collection!

 

The Unit. Randy Johnson. Man, this guy was larger than life for a young collector and baseball fan like me. Heck, he was larger than life for most of the guys he played with! I had a good buddy when I was growing up that was also a great baseball player. In fact, he ended up playing in college and made a trip to the College World Series. A great guy - and he was HUGE, too! So, for awhile, we all called him the Unit.

 

I can remember watching John Kruk make us all laugh in the '93 All-Star Game when a fireball from Johnson flew errantly over Kruk's head.

 

Or who can forget when Johnson's old Expo teammate and lefty, Larry Walker, turned his helmet around backwards and took a pitch as a right-hander in the '97 All-Star Game?

 

 

 

 



Randy Johnson was a helluva pitcher, one of the finest I was lucky enough to watch pitch as a youngster, and is very deserving of his election. Oddly, Johnson (as well as the rest of this class) never held much power within the hobby and by power, I mean card "value." Yes, a truly relative term in so many ways, but you all know what I mean. His cards were never "hot" or considered the "must have" items among my friends. We knew who he was and how awesome he was...and yet, the cardboard appreciation just never carried over for The Unit.

I wonder why that is? Because he was an Expo/Mariner/D-Back, perhaps? Doesn't explain The Kid's place in the Hobby. Of course, pitchers were/are always, in most cases, treated differently than home run hitters. Especially in The Unit's time...

Anyways, I went digging through my old collection and came up with these two beauties. 1989 Donruss was a colorful treat back then and these black/blue/purple bruisers are an EXCELLENT example. The hallowed "Rated Rookie" logo still makes me smile today - I love it. And int his case, it works really well with the Expos' blue. Not a great picture of The Unit by any stretch, but I dig this card. Wouldn't you know, I didn't even find these two (now) HOF RC's in my rows (upon rows) of top-loaded "good" cards from my youth. Nope, no room for one of the fiercest pitchers of the day when you have guys like Chad Mattola, Tim Salmon and Brien Taylor to reserve top-loaders for. Yep, found these two Johnson rookie cards completely raw, in a little 200 or 300-ct box of random cards. No penny sleeve. Nothing.

But not any more.

I'm sorry, Randy. Please forgive me and step out into the light...

Next, we have John Smoltz. Loved Smoltz as a Braves fan, of course. He helped guide us through the early years of nearly-but-not-quite dynasty success after years of mediocrity in the 80's. Part of a rotation for the ages, Smoltzy now joins Glavine, Maddux and Bobby Cox as wonderfully nostalgic reminders of my sports-crazy youth.

It's been just as wonderful to listen to Smoltz call ball games for Fox this past season, too. By all accounts, he is a great human being. Charitable with his time for good causes, he is also an avid golfer - my second favorite sport. While my claim to fame is an ancient high school match-up with Bubba Watson, Smoltz is a very close friend with Tiger Woods. I was watching MLB Netowrk the other day and he stated that he's probably played around fifty rounds with Tiger since they became friends. Tiger has been quoted as saying that he believes Smoltz to be the finest golfer he's played with that is not on the PGA. Powerful compliment, right there.

I could go down the long list of accomplishments from Smoltz's career but I'll leave you with this little factoid: he plays the accordion, just like my grandfather did. Need I say more?

After digging through the archives, I found these two Upper Deck cards - which I find to be very, very nice-looking cards. Man, Upper Deck really blew our minds in 1989, didn't they?! Unlike The Unit, these two HOF RCs were respectfully tucked into weird looking, yellow-tinted top-loaders.

Respect!

I don't know if I have any Pedro Martinez cards. Seriously, not a clue. I wish I did and I promise to be on the lookout for them when I conduct cardboard expeditions...but I make no promises. I can verify that there are no Pedro's in my rows of "top-loaded good players", but the fact that he's a Red Sox and not named Boggs, Yaz, Clemens, Greenwell, Fisk or Rice means that he very well might be drifting in the abyss of the dreaded COMMONS box!

Don't get me wrong, it would be great to discover some of his cards! I had the privilege of watching Pedro face Pettitte at Fenway back in '03. It was one of the finest pitching match-ups I've ever seen in person and extra special to witness in such a historic setting.

Doesn't hurt that the Yanks won, too.

Now, the Astros' KILLER B? That's a different story. I can vividly recall chasing down Biggio cards with gusto and relishing them in my collection. The Astros weren't my team but boy, were they fun to watch and collect! I can picture several in my head without even looking.

Here they are!

Oh my. Wait a second.....NO Biggio cards in the "top-loaded good players" section? This can't be!? Surely, I picked up some Biggio cards along the way. I remember the name. I remember the team...I remember...well, what exactly DO I remember? I know, let's check my alpabetized "Star Player Album"!

Here we are with Jorge George B-E-L-L.....

...so next should be....Boggs?!

Seriously!? Do I not have ANY Biggio cards, RC or not? Have my memories betrayed me THAT much?

My friends, a serious excavation into the cardboard tar pits is in order after this deficient HOF post. No Pedro and no Biggio is both unbelievable and unacceptable. I'm not sure what I'm most upset with- my memory or my adolescent baseball card judgment calls.

This is an OUTRAGE!

I take it back - my anger is NOT gone when it comes to the MLB HOF. It is back with a fervor! This will not stand! This injustice will not STAND! I want Pedro and I want Biggio and I want...I want....I want to step back and smile and enjoy this moment. This is the kind of faux-anger I can handle. Cardboard anger will trump current-event anger every time, and in so many ways. I can actually DO SOMETHING about my lack of Biggio's and Pedro's.

I can't, on the other hand, do a darn thing about the BBWAA!

And you know what? I'm finally okay with that. Congratulations to this year's inductees! I look forward to the induction ceremony in July and what looks like some fun pursuit of (affordable, for once) HOF cardboard to plug holes in my collection in the coming months.

Let the hunt begin!

Thanks for reading -

Ryan

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 - 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 Hall of Fame Collection - 1933 Goudey #134 Sam Rice

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Sam Rice:

I came across this card on the Bay of E whilst hunting down a more familiar "variation" card from the same set.   With all of the buzz earlier this spring regarding card variations in both flagship and Heritage, I geeked out and dove into the dusty days of hobby yore to see if I could find some real genesis-esque examples of this modern-day hobby excitement.

On a relatively reasonable budget, of course - which is hard to do when you start looking back in hobby time.   That being said, I was able to find one of the cards I was looking for AND while deciding if I was going to scoop up said ancient variation......I found Mr. Rice.   Once the thought of combined shipping gets into my brain, I start to doing crazy, out-of-the-box and many times DUMB things when it comes to my collecting.   But being dumb can be fun, too.....

Anyways, this '33 Rice caught my collecting eye and so I needed to educate myself.   Washington Senators....okay, don't really collect them in particular but they are always a welcome addition due to their baseball heritage.   A quick review shows that the Senators won the American League in 1933, though!   I like THAT connection with this card.   They lost the Series to the New York Giants in five games.

Let's see, Sam only hit ONE home run in 1933.   It came on August 27th off of Clint Brown, a solo shot.   It looks like Sam's career was winding down in '33.   He only had 89 plate appearances but turned out an impressive .294 average.

1933 Goudey.....I don't particularly collect 1933 Goudey's, but this is because cost is usually prohibitive for me.   I mean, would any of us be able to truly say that we don't collect T206 cards?   He was in the Hall of Fame, Veterans Committee class of 1963.

Wait, WHAT?!?!   Hall of Fame?!?!?!   I double-checked the starting bid price for this graded card and even ran a sanity check via PSA's SMR Report.    Out-of-the-box it is!

I added this card to my list of bids and won without a fight.   Perhaps I misjudged the perceived deal?   Now that I have Mr. Rice safely in my collection - I would argue that notion to the end of my days.

Here's the back:

I love old card backs and these Goudey's never seem to disappoint!   As you can see, Sam broke into baseball as a pitcher....but would wind up in the Hall of Fame as an outfielder?   How did this happen?   Well, we should start from the beginning.

Edgar Rice grew up on a farm in Indiana, married at the age of eighteen in 1908 and had two kids by the age of twenty-two.   While running the family farm, though, he had a dream to play baseball and would continuously try out for clubs in the region.   During his travels for one such tryout in neighboring Illinois, Mrs. Rice and the kids set off one day to spend some time with her husband's family in a neighboring Indiana town.   Unfortunately, severe weather set in and a tornado decimated the Rice Family farm, killing Edgar's wife, his two children, his mother and two younger sisters.   A week later, his father passed away from his injuries, too.

Are you kidding me?

Somewhere in the midst of his grieving, Edgar decided to join the United States Navy - another great connection for me with this player and this card!   He would serve aboard the USS New Hampshire (BB_25) and play on the ship's baseball team, finding a way to keep his dream alive.   Here is a picture of the New Hampshire:

  At some point in 1914, Edgar Rice tried out for a professional baseball team in Virginia, which makes sense as BB-25 was based out of Norfolk, Virginia.   Edgar made the team, owned by "Doc" Lee, and had a very successful campaign as a pitcher, going 9-2.

Here is where fate intervened, in my opinion.   Doc Lee owed a debt to Washington Senators owner, Clark Griffith (Griffith Stadium?), so Doc offered up Edgar's contract as payment.....folks, it was a $300 debt!   But Griffith ended up with a pretty good deal, I'd say - he accepted Edgar's contract as payment with two interesting conditions.   First, Doc Lee had changed Edgar's name to "Sam" and second, Lee convinced the Senators to allow Sam to play in the outfield.

There you go, a Hall of Fame outfielder named Sam Rice is born, a mere six years after the crushing loss of his entire family.   AMAZING!

As the card explains, through 18 seasons in the "Big Show" (love it!), Rice recorded a batting average over .300 in 15 different years, barely missing the mark in 1916, 1922 and 1927 (.299, .295 and .297 respectively!).   He led the American League in 1920 with 63 stolen bases, with George Sisler way back in 2nd place with 42 (Ty Cobb 15, Babe Ruth 14, if you were wondering!).   Goudey couldn't have known at the time, but Sam would end his career with 2987 hits, just thirteen short of the 3,000 milestone.   A couple of years after Rice retired, his old boss Mr. Griffith actually approached him and pointed this fact out, even offering the opportunity for Sam to return to the game, if just to collect those 13 remaining hits.   His 'salt of the earth' roots really shone through, as he admitted to Griffith and many more that he really wasn't aware of his hit total, nor was he interested in making a comeback to chase the mark.

But what about the line on the back of this card, "And, boy, can't he go and get 'em in the outfield!"

Well....it could be referring to Game 3 of the 1925 World Series, Rice and the Senators were leading the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 in the 8th inning.   For some reason, Sam moved over to right field from usual spot in center.   As luck would have it, with two outs, the Bucs' catcher drove a ball in Sam's direction, heading over the fence as a would-be home run until Rice snagged the ball at the last  moment, toppling over the fence and disappearing from view.   Sam eventually stood up, showing the ball in his glove, at which point the umpire declared Earl Smith the final out of the inning.   The Senators would win that game, and the next, before dropping three in a row to lose the Series in seven games.

But did he make the catch?   Sam wouldn't discuss it much with the press, often only reminding them that the umpire had called the batter out.   The intrigue persisted, though, which is amazing to me since the play would have only resulted in Smith tying up the game at 4 runs a piece with an inning to go.   PLUS, the Pirates ended up winning the Series anyways!   But hey, this is why I love baseball.   And how could this story get any better?   Well, Sam Rice penned a letter that was to be opened upon his death, which occurred in 1974 at age 84.   The letter explained his account of the controversial catch in the '25 Series and ended with his emphatic statement, "At no time did I lose possession of the ball."

Well played, Sam!   I'm sure you''ll understand when I say it is an honor to bring this Sam Rice Goudey card into my collection.   It is graded "GOOD 2" by PSA and, while it does have some staining and discoloration along the front borders and back, the front image of Rice is very sharp with strong coloring that is very nice to look at.   The corners are well-rounded and the edges have been "nibbled" on by time.....but these facts don't detract from the card's overall appearance (or enjoyment) in my opinion and the centering is solid.

I'm so glad that I stumbled upon this card in my search.   I learned a lot about Mr. Rice and now have some great stories to accompany this grand old card of a very interesting Hall of Famer.

Thanks for reading and keep collecting!

Ryan

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!