Wallet card with some abandoned railroad tracks in an unusual location

Last night was brutal. Still, if they hadn't made the errors they'd have found another way to lose. Dodgers were clearly the better team in every area. The silver lining - at least the Yankees laid this egg about a team I don't care about, and not the Mets.

In the long and convoluted history of the Long Island Rail Road there are a lot of train lines that ran and closed decades ago. As a result there are a lot of abandoned tracks in more remote areas (though there are not that many undeveloped acres in Nassau County). It is quite unusual, however, to see random railroad tracks in a busy shopping area. These tracks in Garden City, next to a BJ's and some medical buildings, are a remnant of the old Garden City-Mitchel Field Secondary, an offshoot of the LIRR's main line. This was discontinued as a passenger line in 1939 but remained in sporadic use for freight rail into the 1980s. Most of those tracks are long gone, but these have somehow avoided removal in the last few decades, which have seen a big construction boom. Cool little random remnant of Long Island's railroad history.

All Right For One Night

The Yankees clearly aren't going to win this Series but it was nice to be able to enjoy one game, at least. The Dodgers have a much stronger lineup, not top-heavy like the Yankees, and a better bullpen. They're starting rotation is clearly much better than advertised as well. The Yankees should look at L.A. as an example of the right way to buy a championship - build a balanced team around your big stars, not fill your lineup with several automatic outs. 

Great to see Volpe and Torres hit those big home runs, gave the crowd something to cheer about. Bullpen was excellent too. Now just got to do it three more times.

Blogger/TCDB/OBC roundup

Starting off with these cards from A Penny Sleeve for your Thoughts. He had a free cards tab on his blog for a long time and I was one of those who didn't notice until he pointed it out in a blog post. Some 1972 Sunoco football stamps, and lots of fun cards of vintage players. Some great photos there. But my favorite is the super-shiny Scott Rolen from 2000 Bowman. It just really pops in person.

It looks like Jon's updated that free cards tab so right after publishing this I'm going to go claim some more. Got to keep up my reputation as a grabber of free cards. As usual there are way more than nine that I'd want, so it's good he's got that restriction.

TCDB has been quiet lately but I had a nice trade with Abebauman. Some nice vintage including a '63 Fleer and a '72 high number. I love cards like Aspromonte's that look like they were taken in someone's backyard with the neighbor's house visible. Some fun modern cards in the mix too.

Lots from OBC lately. Byron Boyd sent four Fleer from '63: Face, Farrell, Freese and, er, Famalfitano. Two from 'Fifty-Five Bowman as well!

A fun modern mix from Gunny Musgrove, who's also on TCDB. Everything from FDR in WWI to early Candlestick Park.

Eddie Bankston sent some modern cards, mostly whittling down my 1990 Leaf set, but also with the last card needed for my 1994 Fleer set!

Andrew Goguen sent a nice all-Canadian mix.

Peter Mead sent these three old cards of even older players.

Four 1962 wooden headshots from Mark Talbot.

Newcomer Steven Buzil jumped right in sending two vintage cards including a '68 high-number with Luke "Sky" Walker.

Scott Jensen sent four '55 Bowman's. Two dark-paneled TVs and two light-paneled ones.

 

1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Brooks Robinson

Lots going on here. The palm trees and shadows make for a bit of an odd look in black-and-white, almost like there was a problem developing the photo. The chain-link fence and Robinson's shadow add to the cluttered look of the photo.

March 15, 1973. The dating seems accurate this time.

Assuming this is March 15, 1973, the Orioles fell to the Rangers, 4-1. Elliot Maddox homered for Texas and Toby Harrah drove in a couple of runs. 

In other news, President Nixon warned that the US would resume fighting in Vietnam if the Viet Cong broke their ceasefire; the Equal Rights Amendment was ratified in Connecticut but ratification was rescinded in Nebraska, and a 55-year-old woman was killed in an LIRR crash in Ronkonkoma.

The same, or almost the same, photo, was used for Robinson's 1975 Hostess card. It certainly looks better in color. It's either a longer shot than the deckle photo, or the deckle photo was cropped from this one. Not only can you see Robinson's shadow on the ground, you can clearly see the photographer's shadow, partially on the ground and partially on Robinson. What an unusual photo!

Vintage star card roundup

The Yankees continue to lose in infuriating ways, so instead of thinking about that, here are some vintage cards.

These are my latest from Greg Morris. Not much compared to what I used to get there but still some solid additions. The Ralph Houk is my favorite.

A couple of 1968 high numbers I got cheaply. Still got a ways to go (40 cards) but I'm getting closer to the end with this set.

I couldn't resist these trimmed 1954 Bowman cards. Other than missing the white borders they were fine. Great way to add cheap cards from this set. The same seller has a listing of 1955 Bowman's - with the TV's trimmed away! BIN of 67 1955 Bowman cards for $6 shipped, but even I can't bring myself to put TV-less '55s in my set. But maybe someone else will for a dime a card?

Finally, only one single card purchase recently. I spent $2 which is not bad for a 1950 Bowman common but not something I want to do all the time. However, I had to for this one. I can't think of another example of a filing-cabinet card! (It's Reds outfielder Danny Litwhiler.)

 

A lot of idiocy

The title doesn't mention the Yankees' infuriating manager, or their lack of focus on the basepaths or in the field. Nope, it's my idiocy in buying a couple more lots that I probably shouldn't have.

These were two by the same seller, at least he combined shipping to make it a little more palatable. In both cases I won with the only bid.

Starting with the one I bid on second, just because I always check a seller's other listings, saw it was a large lot with shiny refractors and stuff, and made a "what the heck" bid. And it is true that colorful shiny cards like this make me smile.

But too much of the rest of the lot was from the last couple of years, and I find it hard to get very excited about them. Perhaps in a few years I will appreciate them more.

Especially all of this Bowman, I should have realized how much Bowman there was and stayed away.

The second lot was much better. I was actually afraid when I opened it that it was another one that was mostly junkwax, but there was a lot beyond. Star cards mostly from the 80's and 90's. Enough variety that it was a lot more fun.

There were two oversized cards in the lot. It was all baseball except for this unusual hockey foldout thing. I don't collect hockey so it's available for trade. So is the oversized Clemens as I already have that complete set.

Lots of Jeters! I think there was even more than this. Two lots in a row with Jeters. I traded a few of them to Al the other day. But like last time most are keepers. Unusual to get so many Jeters at once. (Still seems next to impossible to get many Riveras.)

Some fun oddities like a Gary Sheffield Broder. I thought the Griffey "Fax Pax" was unlicensed too but it turns out to be a legit card, printed in the UK. A random jersey card is always nice too.

Closing off with a few more fun photos and cards. I got these the day Valenzuela died so I included his card in the photo. The card I was most excited about was the 1987 Nestle Frank Robinson. I collected about half of that set as a kid (I guess I ate a lot of chocolate bars), and unlike most cards of that era, I virtually never come across them. Adding another card to that set is a fun surprise.

Wallet card with some music posters from June of 1979

Construction at an NYU building at 27 West 4th Street has revealed three music posters that were hidden for decades. They appear to be from 1979.

Two of them are visible here.

Testors were a rock & roll band that were regulars at the famous Max's Kansas City on Park Avenue South.

George Gerdes was a folk-singer, and you can see 1979-dated review quotes from the New York Post, New York Times, Aquarian, Soho News, Village Voice and New Yorker. In the 1980s he became an actor, and appeared in many well-known movies and TV shows until his death in 2021.

One more, a little less accessible. I took a more zoomed-in photo but didn't realize until later it was blurry. The bands here are Tin Huey and Marble, and the dates are Friday June 29 and Saturday June 30, 1979.

The terrific website Forgotten New York has a post with better photos of the posters, and information and videos of the bands.

Street trade!

It's been quite a while since I did one of these. But I was in the city today so was able to cobble up some cards for Al (quite a few came from that Yankee lot I posted a few days ago). I was able to pull a very nice selection in return. These trades definitely make it more fun to come in to the city for work.

Just about all of the silver-pack cards I own I've gotten from Al. Cool to get a Jazz Chisholm even though he's been awful after a great first week as a Yankee. Maybe he gets it turned around in the World Series.

Some more Yankees magic. Two cards highlighting Jose Vizcaino's walkoff in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series. "Jose Who?" is a bit unfair, he wasn't a star but he was a veteran established big leaguer. Those three on the bottom are all from the Yankee team set, including current Yankee Tommy Kahnle.

Some legends! Even without logos those Yoo-Hoo cards are really nice.

No real way to categorize these, just other cool cards that I probably need.

1981 Topps Frank Tanana

The front: Just a simple spring training headshot. Some nice coordination with the green border, grass, trees, and bill of Tanana's cap.

The back: From 1972 to 1979 an Angel led the AL in strikeouts every year. 1975 was the only year that Angel wasn't Nolan Ryan.

The player: In the 1970s Frank Tanana was a hard-throwing, hard-partying Angels pitcher who was one of the most dominating starters in the AL in the mid-to-late 1970s. In the early 1980s he hurt his arm, became a born-again Christian, and reinvented himself as a soft-throwing finesse pitcher and leader in baseball's Christian community. He had some very solid seasons for the Rangers and Tigers, and was signed by the Mets before their disastrous 1993 season. He was OK for the Mets, and in mid-September they traded him to the Yankees as they were trying everything to keep up with the Blue Jays in their quest for their first division title in twelve years. Tanana pitched well but wasn't enough to keep the Yankees in contention. Overall in 638 games over 21 seasons, he went 240-236 with 2,773 strikeouts and a 3.66 ERA.

The man: During and after his career Tanana has been an active leader in baseball ministries and other church organizations. He has also coached youth baseball. 

My collection: I have 95 of his cards, from 1974 to 1994. I would be interested in trading for 1976 Hostess #101.

1976 SSPC George Foster

 

The front, in brief: Nice star pose for a star player. I like the background with the trees and lampposts too.

Playing career, in brief: From 1975 to 1981, Foster was one of the most feared power hitters in the game, hitting 221 home runs in those seven seasons, including 52 home runs in 1977 at a time when topping 50 home runs was extremely rare. He led the NL in RBIs three straight seasons from 1976 to 1978. The Mets acquired Foster before the 1982 season expecting him to continue his power hitting ways, but his average and power both tailed off significantly as soon as he got to Queens, and he is known as an all-time bust for the Mets. Overall, in 1,977 major league games, he hit .274 with 348 HR and 1,239 RBI.

Post-playing career, in brief:  Foster is very active today working with youth as a baseball instructor and motivational speaker.

My collection: I have 47 of his cards, from 1971 to 1986. I would be interested in trading for 1976 Hostess #106.

Two lots

Once again I've been tempted by some pretty cheap large lots on eBay. As fun as it is to get a big name vintage player, I also really love sorting and cataloguing and filing and trading large numbers of new cards.

Starting off with an all-Yankee lot. There were some interesting cards visible in the eBay photo and a large number of cards (~700) so I took a chance. I probably overpaid a bit because all that you see in the box below were junk wax. I should have known better.

Still, there were enough useful cards to make it an OK purchase. A few current Yankees including playoff heroes Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres. My 10-year-old has started getting into baseball with the Yankees in the playoffs, and he's latched on to Gleyber as a favorite. The Dodgers look unbeatable, but it's been a fun ride for the Yankees to get this far.

Some of the greats from the heyday of the late 1990s.

And some reprints from even greater Yankees from even longer ago.

Lots of Derek Jeter cards which was a big selling point for me. I need most of these because Jeters are hard to come by, especially locally.

I think I had most or all of these Mantles, but they're still cool to look at.

This was my favorite of the lot. A Yankee card with a 1940s New York skyline with the Empire State Building, Penn Station and a lot more.

The other lot was cheaper and had a lot more variety. Most of it was from the early 00s, useful for filling my own needs and for trade bait.

Some more great Yankees.

Shiny cards! These are all from the past few years.

Lots of fun photos. There was an extra of that Royal Futures card.

Finally, some unusual oddballs. Ukrop's is a Richmond-area food company. This was from a 1992 set. The cards are creased, but maybe someone can use that extra Justice? Maybe Johnny?