1976 SSPC Jim Crawford

The card, in brief: We are now finished with Cincinnati and move to Houston as we travel alphabetically through NL West cities. The #40 patch is in memory of Don Wilson.

The player, in brief: Jim Crawford pitched for the Astros in '73 and '75, and the Tigers from '75 to '77. In 181 games he went 15-28 with 13 saves and a 4.40 ERA.

Post-playing career, in brief: Crawford seems to have kept a low profile since the end of his playing career.

My collection: I have five of his cards, from 1974 to 1977. I would be interested in trading for 1973-74 Venezuelan Winter League Stickers #225.

Wallet Card at Hoboken Furniture

Not the oldest sign ever, but I like this quirky sign for the long-defunct Hoboken Furniture. After WWII this location was a diner called City Queen. The sign, with some decoration on top to look a bit like a crown, said City along the top and Queen down the bottom. In 1972 it became a furniture store. The lettering in Hoboken certainly gives off a 1972 feel. At some point in the 1980s or early 1990s the furniture store closed, but the sign still remains.

 

1970 Topps Booklets: The Pete Rose Story

 Roy Carlson's research revealed that this image was based on the photo that Topps would use for Rose's coin the next year.

Rose's father actually played semi-pro football, with the original semi-pro Cincinnati Bengals. A long career through the age of 42 - like father, like son.

I like the angle used for the drawing on the left. Gives some of the excitement of Rose the sparkplug.

Rose would hit .316 in 1970, 13th among major leaguers and 50 points behind Rico Carty.

Vintage star card roundup

Been almost a month since I did one of these posts. Four more Greg Morris auction results to show. Last week I skipped it for the first time since I started doing them about a year ago. I'll probably go back to it this week though.

Getting a cheap Mantle is a baseball thrill. So is adding a card of Al Schacht, Clown Prince of Baseball.

Another Mantle in here. He's not even on the card but it's still hard to get cheap. I like the photo of Griffith Stadium with the buildings around. Also two football checklists with the same Giants action photo cropped differently in '70 and '72.

The week before I snagged a whole lot of cheap '66 Venezuelans. The '67 Tony Perez is not a high number but people treat it like one, so glad to add that one.

Nothing too outstanding here. Did nicely on '72 high numbers, including an extra #683 that can be trade bait.

Speaking of trade bait I got this six-card lot of '57s. I needed the top three; the bottom are all available.

Only one other star card pickup in the past month, but it's one I'm very excited about! My first T206! It was trimmed so it stayed pretty cheap, I got it for about $15. Wouldn't have paid that much except it is a Yankee card. Actually my first Highlanders card!

Here it is unscrewed from it's prison. Bridie Cree was a solid outfielder for the Highlanders/Yankees from 1908 to 1915. His best season by far was 1911 when he hit .348 with 30 2B, 22 3B, 4, HR, 88 RBI and 48 SB.

Here's the back. A little rough but not too bad. I'm sure I won't be picking tobacco cards up very often but it sure is fun!

 

Cake or gum? 1976 Ted Simmons

Last time there was a 5-5 tie. Will we have a winner this time?

Hostess shows Simmons squinting at the camera. I'm not sure which ballpark this is. Topps definitely has their usual spot at Shea Stadium for Simmons's batting pose.

Ted Simmons was a fine catcher for many years for the Cardinals, Brewers and Braves. He was a nine-time All-Star who hit for a fairly high average (.285) and some power (six 20+ HR seasons). He is considered one of the weaker Hall-of-Fame selections in recent years (he had 50.4 WAR in 2,456 games, compared to Thurman Munson, 46.1 WAR in 1,423 games). After his playing career he was an executive, coach and scout for several teams.

Wood vs. Wood #229

Last time it was an 8-0 sweep for 1987. Can 1962 get on the board this time?

Orlando de Jesus McFarlane was usually known as Orlando, but is called Jesus here on his rookie card. Great photo at the old Forbes Field with the big catching glove. Born in Cuba, McFarlane made his MLB debut in 1962 with eight games for the Pirates. He also played for them in '64, the Tigers in '66, and the Angels in '67 and '68. Overall in 124 games he hit .240 with 5 HR and 20 RBI. He died in Puerto Rico in 2007.

Simple headshot of Mike Birkbeck. 1987 was the first baseball set I collected and I'm pretty sure this was one of my first cards. The Brewers had two pitchers whose names were fun to say out loud over and over - Birkbeck and Clutterbuck. (I have to admire someone like Night Owl who seems to remember every card from his childhood in the order he got them.) Birkbeck made his MLB debut in 1986 with seven games for the Brewers. He was a part-time member of their starting rotation through the 1989 season. He also had brief stints with the Mets in '92 and '95. Overall in 54 games (51 starts) he went 12-19 with a 4.86 ERA. In 1997 he joined Kent State as their pitching coach, where he remains to this day. 

Wallet Card with some more 100+ year old ghost signs

 Some more signs visible on a building at 7th Avenue and West 17th Street.

 Many of these have faded beyond the point where the business can be made out, including a neckwear business and a leather business. Two that are legible are Brandenstein Trimmings, which operated from 1907 to 1931, and Geo A. Powers Printing, which also operated in the early 20th century; their most notable book appears to be 1903's Lincoln in Caricature.

1974 Topps Deckle Dating - Luis Tiant

RIP Luis Tiant.

March 4, 1973. Seems right as he didn't have a mustache on 1973 cards.

The same day Tiant was posing, his Red Sox suffered an injury blow, as catcher Vic Correll broke his leg in a sliding drill. In other news, 34 American POWs were released in Vietnam, elections were held in Chile and France, and Yankees pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich held press conferences to announce that they were swapping wives.

1976 SSPC Merv Rettenmund

First off, RIP Don Ferrarese, who pitched for five major league teams, and died last week at the age of 95. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2022.

 

The card, in brief: The wad of chaw in Rettenmund's face gives him a goofy look.

Playing career, in brief: Rettenmund was a semi-regular outfielder for the Orioles in the early 1970s, with great seasons as a platoon player in 1970 and 1971. Injuries and tinkering with his swing led to decreased effectiveness as a hitter. Overall in 1,023 games for the Orioles, Reds, Padres and Angels, he hit .271 with 66 HR and 329 RBI..

Post-playing career, in brief: Rettenmund was a hitting coach for several teams, most recently the Padres. He is now retired.

My collection: I have 13 of his cards, from 1969 to 1980. I would be interested in trading for 1972 Kellogg's #11.

1981 Topps Charlie Hough

  

The front: Hough is prepared for the cold and for being sweaty. That towel sure looks dirty, though.

The back: Hough's stat line is too long for any comment or cartoon. And yet he wasn't even halfway through his career yet!

The player: At the time of this card, the knuckleballer was a long-time reliever, recently traded to the Rangers after just over a decade with the Dodgers. In 1982 the Rangers moved him to the starting rotation, reviving his career at the age of 34. From 1982 to 1990 Hough was a reliable member of the Rangers starting rotation, winning at least 10 games a year. He ended his career with two solid seasons each for the White Sox and Marlins. In 858 games (440 starts) he went 216-216 with 61 saves and a 3.75 ERA.

The man: After his playing career he was a pitching coach for several minor league teams, as well as the Dodgers and Mets. He is now retired.

My collection: I have 114 of his cards, from 1972 to 1995. I would be interested in trading for 1983 Fleer Star Stickers #163.

1970 Topps Booklets: The Denis Menke Story

 In the comments of the last post, Night Owl mentioned that Roy Carlson just did a deep dive on this set for Sports Collectors Daily. Carlson has been posting a lot of very interesting articles lately about the images in vintage Topps sets. Turns out the drawing of Menke here is based on the image later seen on his 1971 Topps coin.

Great cartoon there on page two.

The panel at the top of page 3 seems confusing to me. I wonder if it was originally meant to be part of the "Mr. Versatility"  bit on page 4? It doesn't match the part about batting .336.

Bad use of an apostrophe in the last panel.

 

Cake or gum? 1976 Denny Doyle

Last time it was an 8-0 shutout for Topps. Will Hostess get on the board this time?

The Hostess card has Doyle at Shea Stadium, with a dark blue sky behind him. I would guess this is a printing issue rather than the photo being taken near sunset. Meanwhile, Topps has a close-up of Doyle appearing to be following through on a swing, with the shadow of the batting cage on him. It would appear he is next to the cage, not in it.

Denny Doyle was a typical 1970s middle-infielder. He was a good, though not elite defender. He was an OK hitter with a little power, not an automatic out but not much of a threat. In 944 games between 1970 and 1977 with the Phillies, Angels and Red Sox, he hit .250 with 113 2B, 16 HR, 237 RBI and 38 SB. In 1978 he founded Doyle Baseball Camps, one of the earliest and most successful youth instruction organizations. He died in 2022.

Wood vs. Wood #227

Last time 1987 cruised to an 8-2 win. Will it win again here?

Bobby Tiefenauer was ten years removed from his major league debut when this card was issued, but he was still officially a rookie. He was a knuckleballer who excelled at AAA but struggled in the majors. He pitched in six games for the Cardinals in 1952, and another 18 games in 1955. He had brief cups of coffee with the Indians in 1960 and the Cardinals in 1961, and was sold to the expansion Colt .45's before their inaugural 1962 season. If you look closely you can see the STL logo airbrushed over in blue on his cap. As a 32-year-old rookie in 1962 he went 2-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 43 games. He was then traded back to the Cardinals, who sold him to the Braves. He had his best seasons with the Braves in 1963 and 1964, going 5-7 with 15 saves and a 2.40 ERA in 58 games. He struggled in 1965, and was traded to the Yankees, appearing in 10 games for them before being traded to the Indians. In 25 games for three teams in '65 he went 1-6 with 6 saves and a 4.22 ERA. He ended his career with brief stints with the '67 Indians and '68 Cubs. Overall in 179 games, all in relief, he went 9-25 with 23 saves and a 3.84 ERA. After his playing career he was a coach in the Phillies organization. He died of cancer in 2000.

Jamie Moyer looks pensive as he gets his rookie card photo taken at Shea Stadium. This was the first of a long line of cards for Moyer. In his 20s Moyer was a mediocre starting pitcher for the Cubs, Rangers and Cardinals, and seemed washed up at age 29, spending all of 1992 in the minors. However he came back to have his first really good season in 1993 with the Orioles, going 12-9 with a 3.43 ERA. However, he didn't really become a star until he was traded to the Mariners in 1996. In 11 seasons with Seattle, Moyer went 145-87 with a 3.97 ERA, twice winning 20 games in a season. Moyer struggled to start the 2006 season and the Mariners traded the 43-year-old Moyer to the Phillies for two minor leaguers. With Philadelphia Moyer had yet another comeback, and in 2008 he went 16-7 and won his only World Series ring at the age of 45. Moyer was injured in 2011 and missed the whole season, but came back for 10 games with the Rockies in 2012 at the age of 49. Overall in 696 games he went 269-209 with a 4.25 ERA. He is the all-time leader in home runs allowed with 522, a product of a long career, early struggles and the high-HR environment of his later years.

Laminated stamps

I got a lot of nine 1971 Dell Today stamps from eBay (actually it was 3 lots of 3). I don't have many from this set, and they look very nice.

One thing that attracted me to these stamps but kept the price low is that they were laminated. In my mind this improves the stamps, as it makes them thicker, more substantial like cards.

Here they are in groups of three - my groupings, not the lots they were broken up in.

Starting off with three solid hitters - Horton, Carty and Alex Johnson.

A trio of pitchers, all with interesting backgrounds. Cleveland Stadium on Sam McDowell's card, what I believe is Baltimore for Denny McLain, and my favorite, Bob Gibson with some of the most lush foliage I've seen on a card. Great photo.

Finally, three very powerful hitters. The Aaron photo is a little plain, but no photo of Hank Aaron is truly plain. The Mays and Killebrew look fantastic with some great backgrounds.

1974 Topps Deckle Dating - Felix Millan

Weird to see someone else wearing Dwight Gooden's #16.

May 5, 1973. Millan was new to the Mets in '73 so it's probably right.

On May 5 Millan went 1-4 but the Mets got clobbered by the Astros, 9-2. In other news, the US negotiated with Mexico to free Consul General Terrence Leonhardy, who was kidnapped by leftist rebels; a Led Zeppelin concert in Tampa set a new record for largest crowd at a concert, and Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby.

Wallet card with some old furrier signs

 Here's a group of long-gone furriers with visible signs on this building at 26th Street and 7th Avenue. It appears they date to 1923 - 101 years ago!

Thanks to Walter Grutchfield's terrific site, here are the furriers listed.

The top row is barely visible now, but Saretsky Raw Furs opened in 1908 and was at this address until 1923. The business closed with owner Victor Saretsky's death in 1976.

The next one is also hard to read, but it was for Samuel Kahn Furs and Skins. Started in 1917, the business was at this address from 1923 to 1925. The business lasted into the 1950s.

The next two are easier to read. Brucker & Biderman had a partnership from 1923 to 1927, before they went their separate ways to other furriers.

As Grutchfield puts it, "The Durable Fur Co. was not durable." It appears it was only in business for a short time in 1923.

Under the SmartWater ad is another ad for Schuman Bros., which lasted until 1970.

Blogger/TCDB/OBC roundup

 One from OBC this week. Chris Kodl knocked out nine of my 1979 Hostess needs.

From TCDB, a nice eclectic mix from Robogoalie.

Castle Anthrax hit a lot of 1990s sets, including some nature-themed 1998 Metal.

A little bit of everything from mac412, from vintage to fun modern to the last three cards for my 2009 Topps set! And he left me needing just one more from the 2007 Topps Update set. Amazingly it's a Yankee common, something you would have thought I'd have gotten a long time ago. Anyone have Kyle Farnsworth #84?

On to the bloggers! Jose Rijo delivers a pitch to Stan Musial on the two cards I got in this month's Diamond Jesters time travel trade.

Penny Sleeve for your Thoughts had some more cards to give away and I made sure to grab some. Some shiny cards, some vintage players, some NY Giants, and a great oddball.

1981 Topps Dave Winfield

 

The front: What a great photo of a great player. Really shows Winfield's distinctive batting stance. This is Shea Stadium, and that's Willie Montanez on deck. There were two day games at Shea where Montanez batted behind Winfield. The first was a 2-1 Padres victory on May 3. The second was an 18-inning game on August 26. In that game Winfield hit a game-tying home run in the seventh inning. The Padres took the lead later in the inning but the Mets tied it in the ninth. After eight scoreless innings, the Mets intentionally walked Winfield with a runner on third and one out in the 18th. Montanez made them pay with an RBI single, and the Padres went on to win the game.

The back: While Winfield's multi-sport skills were well known (taken in the MLB, NFL, NBA and ABA drafts), it is forgotten that he was also a terrific pitcher. Perhaps in another era he could have been a Shohei Ohtani type.

The player: Dave Winfield was one of the all-time greats. He was a five-tool player who excelled at every part of the game. He was certainly one of my favorite players when I started following baseball and the Yankees. Looking back, some of his struggles may have been pressure to justify his big contract. Still, he had great success everywhere he played, finally winning a World Series with Toronto in 1992. In 2,973 games over 22 seasons, he hit .283 with 465 HR, 1,833 RBI and 223 SB. He was a 12-time All-Star and 7-time Gold Glove winner.

The man: Winfield has been heavily involved in charitable and business adventures going back to his days with the Padres, and has always had a wide variety of interests beyond sports. He started charitable work in his rookie season, and in 1977 the David M. Winfield Foundation was the first charitable foundation founded by an active athlete. In addition to his numerous charitable adventures, he has numerous business interests. In addition to his own company, Winfield is an Advisor to the MLBPA, investor in a fitness startup, and is on the board of directors of a publicly-traded SPAC.

My collection: I have 224 of his cards, from 1974 to 1996. There are still a lot more cards from his Yankees days that I would be interested in trading for, including: 

1982 Drakes #31

1983 Fleer Star Stickers #39

1983 Kellogg's #15

1984 Nestle #6

1985 Yankees Police #4

1986 Burger King #2

1987 Action Superstars #10

1987 Classic #11

1987 Drake's #5

1987 Indiana Blue Sox #4

1987 Kay-Bee #33

1988 Baseball Stars Series 2 #5

1988 Donruss Baseball's Best #244

1988 Drake's #12

1988 Fleer MVPs #43

1988 Fleer Mini #44

1988 Gray Series 1 #4

1988 Yankees Unlicensed #4

1988 New York New York #4

1988 Pacific #2

1988 Red Stars Series 2 #5

1988 Score Box Bottoms #8

1988 Sportflics Gamewinners #7

1989 Classic #32

1989 Fleer All-Stars #44

1989 Pacific #4

1989 Topps Box Bottoms #P

1989 Topps UK #84

1989 Kay-Bee #32

1990 Sportflics #87

1990 Hills #17

1990 Topps TV #34

1976 SSPC Cesar Geronimo

 

The card, in brief: Great mid-swing photo of Geronimo, while a trio of Reds stand in the outfield.

The player, in brief: Originally a Yankees prospect, Geronimo was a Rule V selection by the Astros in 1969. After three years in Houston with little playing time, he was a throw-in in the trade that sent Joe Morgan to the Reds. Though never a star like Morgan, Geronimo developed into an integral part of the Big Red Machine. The center fielder won four straight Gold Gloves from 1974 to 1977. In his best years he hit for some average with doubles power and a little speed. His production tailed off significantly when he turned 30 in 1978. He ended his career with three seasons as a backup outfielder in KC. Overall in 1,522 games he hit .258 with 161 doubles, 51 HR, 392 RBI and 82 SB.

Post-playing career, in brief: He has been involved in many coaching and development endeavors in his native Dominican Republic. He is now retired.

My collection: I have 29 of his cards, from 1971 to 1984. I would be interested in trading for 1975 Hostess #121.

1970 Topps booklets Bill Singer

 I always liked his nickname: The Singer Throwing Machine.

A reference here to the famous Avis ad campaign - We're Only #2, So We Try Harder, which debuted in 1962.

The Golden West just looks like big piles of hay.

I don't know who Jenkins and Gibson are in front of Singer. They sure don't look like Fergie and Bob. Maybe it's Geoff and Kirk.

Cake or gum? 1976 Mike Ivie

Last time Hostess held on for a 6-4 victory. Who will win here?

Mike Ivie takes some cuts for the photographer  at Candlestick Park. I believe that is the Giants' #12 Gary Thomason in the background on the Hostess card. Some large ads for Chevron gas and Olympia beer are visible in in the background.

Ivie was the first overall pick of the 1970 draft, but his major league career failed to live up to expectation. This was partly due to emotional and mental issues that Ivie opened up about later in his career. Overall, in 857 games for four teams over 11 seasons, he hit .269 with 81 HR and 411 RBI. Ivie originally came up as a catcher, but developed a mental block about throwing the ball back to the pitcher and was moved to first baseman. After the 1979 season, when Ivie seemed to finally be putting it all together, (.286, 27 HR, 89 RBI), Ivie badly cut his hand with a hunting knife. The Sporting News Guide said, "The sensitive first baseman couldn't cope with the long rehabilitation process, and the injury also affected his brittle confidence." Ivie, who kept a low public profile after his playing career, died in 2023.

Wood vs. Wood #224

Last time 1962 eked out a 5-4 win. What will happen this time?

This is one of the more unusual rookie cards in the vintage Topps set. He came up with the White Sox for five games in 1957, and in 1958 Topps issued a card with this photo (wearing a White Sox cap) against a yellow background. In 1958 he pitched in 7 more games for the pale hose, and his 1959 card reused his 1958 photo, now on a gray background. Though Rudolph pitched for both the White Sox and Reds in 1959, he did not get a card in 1960. He spent the next couple of years in the minors, and was a Rule V selection by the Indians in November of 1961. Topps decided this warranted a card, so they airbrushed a Cleveland cap on the photo they had already used twice, put him on an orange background, and declared him a 1962 rookie. He pitched in one game for the Tribe before they traded him to the Senators in May. With Washington he finally got a chance to stick in the majors for good, with 102 appearances (57 starts) between 1962 and 1964. Finally an established major leaguer, Topps finally issued cards with new photos of Rudolph in '63 and '64. Overall in 124 games, Rudolph went 18-32 with an ERA of 4.00. He was best known for being married to burlesque star Patti Waggin. Rudolph managed her, with her appearances usually coinciding with Rudolph's baseball travel. They had a daughter in 1961. Rudolph retired from baseball in 1966 and started a contracting company, but was killed in 1968 when his truck overturned.

Wayne Tolleson at shortstop at Yankee Stadium. This was my first year following baseball, and the scrappy, spectacled little guy was easy for a little kid to root for. Tolleson was a two-sport star at Western Carolina, where he was an All-Southern-Conference WR. He came up with the Rangers in 1981 and was a utility infielder for them through 1985. He was traded to the White Sox in 1986, who in mid-season dealt him to the Yankees. He stayed with the Yankees through 1989. Tolleson was a good fielder with excellent speed, but could not hit for average or power. In 863 games he hit .241 with 9 HR, 133 RBI and 108 SB. After his playing career he was an executive for Centerplate, a food vendor at sports stadiums. He is now a consultant and coach for youth baseball organizations.

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.