Rich Lundahl on baseball cards

Infielder Rich Lundahl played in the Mets organization in 1986 and 1987. In 166 games he hit .251 with 12 HR and 65 RBI. He now lives in Alaska where he works in the oilfield industry and is also a pro golfer. He kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"I have never collected baseball cards but i grew up knowing Willie Mays and Barry Bonds but didn't think of getting any baseball cards signed by them. Oh well my loss. My favorite card of mine is with the Little Falls Mets."

 Thanks!

Kyle Duey on baseball cards

Kyle Duey pitched six seasons in the Blue Jays and Astros organizations, going 24-27 with a 4.04 ERA. His best season was 1992, when he went 7-3 with 7 saves and a 2.57 ERA for Dunedin. Now Director of Wholesale Lending for Valley Strong Credit Union in Bakersfield, CA, he kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"Myrtle Beach year many of us took error pics for cards, I was holding a bat yet I didn't hit, I think we had some position players doing pitching pics. And if I remember right there was an error card for Brent Bowers I believe, either pic of someone else on his card or vice versa. Found out a lot later I had a Syracuse Chiefs card that was part of a cereal promo, one of those perforated that you took off the box, kind of funny."

Thanks! I don't have that card, and couldn't find a photo of a cereal box card, but here is one from my collection.

Surprise cards from The Best Bubble

Got a nice surprise package of cards from Bob who writes the best bubble.

Lots of oversized cards of various kinds. The postcard-sized cards are interesting, hadn't seen their like before. They're blank-backed, but one is postmarked. They're not in TCDB but I consider them cards. The paintings are on silk glued to the paper.

A variety of legends on modern cards. That filmstrip-like card of Andres Galarraga doesn't look like much in regular lighting . . . .

. . . holding it up to a light gives it a much better effect. Fun card!

Several Yankee parallels and inserts A while back I had admired a Robin Venture card from this Score insert set, with cool red foil and a great photo of Comiskey. I hadn't thought to look at what a Yankee card from that set looks like. Great, unusual photo choice with the 161st Street subway station clearly visible behind the left field bleachers.

A couple of fun 1970s oddballs, a 1970 Kellogg's Bobby Murcer and a TCMA "War Years" card of Swede Johnson, who pitched for the Yankees in 1944.

There was one more item that was truly vintage, this fantastic matchbook put out by the Macke vending machine company with a contest to win free World Series tickets.

Here's the inside. Unfortunately there is no date, presumably the entry blanks at the vending machines would have had a date, but I couldn't find any information online. This style of matchbook is almost certainly 1930s, though.

Wallet card with some privilege signs

Regular readers of this blog know that I love finding privilege signs, those once-ubiquitous soda advertising signs used from around the 1950s to the 1980s. I personally like Pepsi signs the best, but didn't find any new ones this time around. While in Brooklyn I passed by the location of one of my favorite Pepsi signs, and was sad to see the signs covered by a "building for sale" sign, undoubetdly meaning those signs will be gone soon.

I did find some great Coca-Cola signs. My favorite was the Stella Maris sign in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.

Most I had read about online, but this one I discovered myself, under an awning in Ridgewood, Queens.

All the rest were in Brooklyn, like this one that was preserved by the restaurant now in this space in Bushwick.

This recently-revealed sign is in Bensonhurst.
 

This one was in Bay Ridge. I believe it's an old sign that was fairly recently installed here.

The same might be true of this one in Williamsburg.

However, this one, also in Williamsburg, is an original.

The only other privilege sign I found on this trip was an old 7-UP sign partially hidden by a not-much-newer sign at 82nd and Amsterdam on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

 

1981 Topps Eric Rasmussen

 

The front: Rasmussen strains through his follow-throw, having delivered a pitch with all of his might. Meanwhile, the 3B in the background has his back to the field, meaning this was just a warm-up toss. This is Shea Stadium, so this would be May 4, 1980. After shutting down the Mets in the first game of a doubleheader, the Padres turned to Rasmussen for the second game. Rasmussen struggled, however, allowing four earned runs in 4.1 innings as the Padres lost, 6-2. Rasmussen's record dropped to 1-3, in a season where he would end up 4-11. The third baseman we see in the picture is Barry Evans.

The back: Topps was tactful in omitting that the team Rasmussen shut out in his debut was his current team, the Padres.

The player: Originally known as Harry Rasmussen before legally changing his name early in his career, Eric Rasmussen was a decent, innings-eating starter for some bad Cardinals and Padres teams. He did return to the Cardinals in 1982 toward the end of his career, helping them in the bullpen for their pennant race push though he did appear on the postseason roster. His last big league game was with the Royals in 1983, though he pitched in the minors until 1987. Overall in 238 games, he went 50-77 with a 3.85 ERA.

The man: After his career Rasmussen was a coach in several organizations, most recently the Twins. He now does some youth coaching and is deeply involved with the NubAbility Athletic Foundation, a sports clinic for children who are missing limbs.

My collection: I have 14 of his cards, from 1976 to 1987. I would be interested in trading for 1987 ProCards #1908.

1976 SSPC Ralph Garr

 

The card, in brief: The photo is cropped to the side, which might offend some sensibilities but I like it. You can see in the background someone in the stands waving. Maybe trying to get a player's attention for an autograph?

The player, in brief: Garr was a speedy, free-swinging outfielder who had several good seasons and one great one, winning the 1974 NL batting title with a .353 average. Twice the NL leader in triples, Garr played in 1,317 games for the Braves, White Sox and Angels, hitting .306 with 75 HR, 408 RBI and 172 SB.

Post playing career, in brief: Garr has worked as a Braves scout since 1984.

My collection: I have 15 of his cards, from 1970 to 1980. I would be interested in trading for 1977 Hostess #108.

Incoming: TCDB and OBC

Lots of incoming mail this week, including two OCB trades.

 I've had a few great trades now with OP_Cards where I send him a lot of modern cards for a few big-name vintage ones. I sent him 100+ modern Bowman, Fleer etc and came back with these big six. Can't go wrong with any of them but the '53 Monte Irvin is definitely my favorite.

 A couple of vintage cards in this trade with twinscollector34 but I really love all the junkwax-era oddballs. My favorite here is the Smokey Bear card at Yankee Stadium with Mike Pagliarulo, who was my favorite Yankee when I first started following baseball. Also, check out the card of Dave Winfield pitching!

 

 Meanwhile, the OBC welcome wagon continues. To answer a comment from last time, this isn't anything special for me, this is how they greet all new members. Even though they tell me I don't need to, I've been trying to send something back to everyone who sends cards to me, though some have wantlists that are extremely tough to hit.

Tom Biggs sent this tasty lot of cereal and cake cards.

Two more Milwaukee Braves from Gunny Musgrove. That '62 Shaw is more Panini than Panini, but the Wrigley background on Del Crandall's card is fantastic.

Randy Griffin with two 1971 cards, including a high number in Tischinski.

Steve Sankner sent this great card of one of the two-sport O'Brien brothers.

More 59's from Brian Betza. I spy the Yankees' manager's grandpa.

Byron Boyd sent these five - I ended up with three 1959 envelopes on the same day. Some 58's too, including another Milwaukee Braves basketball player.

Jeff Grever sent this great mixed lot, ranging from vintage stars to current prospects. Quite a mix to get George Kell and Ke'Bryan Hayes at the same time.

Mike Jackson sent this great mixed lot. Fun to get the '72 Marichal right after getting the In Action a day before (that TCDB trade above).

Fun 1961 (Topps and Fleer) PWE from Tom Housley. A couple of HOF pitchers in Roberts and Chesbro, but I love how there was a Hal Woodeshick card, and then a Jack Wickersham card miscut with part of another Woodeshick clearly visible. (A while back I linked to a great Flickr site that clearly delineates the '62 green tints from the regulars. I only learned last night on an OBC Zoom call that Housley is the guy who made that site!)

Five from Rob Bessette. Some pretty big names for 1968, but my favorite is the '63 Bill Rigney, probably the best manager card of all time.

Ken Pillion with three 1970 needs including Jim Bunning.

Neal Thomas with some '68 and '69 needs highlighted by Gaylord Perry. Neal is working on a fun project - a '65 Topps set in as poor condition as possible, "downgrades" welcome. I have a few to send him, perhaps some of you have some lousy-shape '65s too?

These three PWEs were picked out to me by mentor Andy Huntoon. Andy is mentoring another potential OBC member and was sending us both '59s and accidentally switched them, so he had us send the cards to each other. I recognized the name that I was sending the cards too - it's another blogger, so I really hope this guy joins too!

Thanks everyone!

Cards from The Collector

 Chris, The Collector, had a nice giveaway recently and I was fortunate to be able to pick a few fun cards.

I think the retro Charlie Keller is my favorite. Herb Score, one of the best ballplayers to come out of Long Island, is great too. The other two look like teammates warming up in the bullpen.

Some chrome and shiny cards here. Hard to tell but the Morales is very shiny too.

I found some football cards I liked too. The thousand yard inserts take me back to my childhood, as does an Eric Dickerson sighting. Got to admit I don't remember Jerell Adams, but Jason-Pierre Paul had a good Giants career.

Expanded baseball cards XVII

Post cards through time

I picked up a lot of four 1962 Post on eBay for $5. More than I would usually spend per card but for four big stars, no problem.

These cards were cut from their cereal boxes in 1962, but the owner obviously held onto to them for a long time after that. He was still updating them in 1966, when Bobby Richardson retired . . . 

. . . and the Braves moved to Atlanta. (Getting a vintage Hank Aaron card always makes my day!)

Seven years after the cards were cut from the box, the owner was still updating them. Billy Martin was first named manager of the Twins in 1969.

At some point in the 1970s, however, I guess the kid lost interest. By 1977, when Brooks Robinson finally retired, he was no longer updating his baseball cards.

On a completely different note, this is a 1961 Post card I received in an OBC package I've yet to show here. However this card seemed to fit well with this theme. Not the team name change this time, that was only in 1962. Post, like rival Kellogg, was based in Battle Creek, MI (Kellogg still is). So it amused me to see that last sentence - "Ken hails from Battle Creek, Mich., Cereal Capital of the World."

Cake or gum? 1976 Rennie Stennett

Last time gum squeezed out a 4-3 victory. Who will win this time?

Topps's photo has Stennett at spring training, still early enough in the spring to need a warm shirt under the jersey. Hostess's photo has Stennett during the season at Shea Stadium. No need for an undershirt, and looks like he got a haircut too. 

A player going 7-for-7 in a game is a once-in-a-century event. Between Wilbert Robinson's 1892 feat and Brandon Crawford's in 2016, the only 7-for-7 game was accomplished by Stennett in a 1975 22-0 rout of the Cubs. The seven hits included two doubles and a triple. Stennett was the Pirates' regular second baseman for most of the 1970s, helping the team win a championship in 1979. In 1,237 games, including a late-career stint with the Giants, Stennett hit .274 with 41 HR and 432 RBI. After his career he did some youth baseball coaching in the US and his native Panama. He died of cancer in 2021.