1988 Domino's Mickey Lolich

Lolich gets a great photo here, a batter's view of Lolich's delivery. What a shame photos like these didn't appear on cards at the time.

Lolich had been a solid starter for the Tigers for several years, and actually had a bit of a down year in the regular season in 1968, at one point being demoted to the bullpen. He recovered big time in October, with one of the greatest World Series of all time, going 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA, twice defeating Bob Gibson, including in Game 7. Lolich won over 200 games in his 13 seasons in Detroit. After 1975 he was traded to the Mets for Rusty Staub. At that time he was fifth all time in strikeouts; his 2,832 career total is now 23rd. After one season in New York Lolich retired to open a doughnut shop and dabble in acting. He returned to the major leagues in 1978 and was an effective member of the Padres' bullpen. He struggled in 1979, however, and retired after that season. He returned to the doughnut business, running a shop in Michigan until he retired in the late 1990s. He passed away last month at the age of 85.

I have 25 of his cards, from 1964 to 1980. I would be interested in trading for 1973 Kelloggs #54.
 

Gum or burgers? Willie Hernandez

Last time was an easy 6-2 win for burgers. Will gum do better here?

The two photos here look like they should go together, even though they probably are not from the same time. The Wendy's card even looks like it could be a night card, though it's probably just a dark photo from a day game in a ballpark not conducive to lighting.

Willie Hernandez was an unremarkable middle reliever for the Phillies from 1977 to 1983, where he was traded to the Phillies mid-season. Right before the 1984 season, the Phillies traded Hernandez to the Tigers. With the Tigers, Hernandez started using two new pitches, the screwball and the cut fastball, that he had learned the previous year. They vaulted him to superstardom, as he was the AL Cy Young and MVP winner with his 9-3, 32 save, 1.92 season, helping the Tigers win the World Series (he had three more saves in the postseason). It didn’t take the American League too long to figure Hernandez out though, and by 1987 he had lost his job as Tigers closer. Overall, in 744 games he went 70-63 with 147 saves and a 3.38 ERA. After his playing career ended he was involved in a variety of business and coaching ventures. He died in 2023.

Wood vs. Wood #329

Last time it was an 8-0 shutout for 1962. Will 1987 get on the board here?

Bob Bolin was coming off a fine rookie season as a reliever when this card came out. I doubt there's really a ball in his hand. Bolin eventually cracked the Giants' rotation for good in 1964 and put together several solid seasons, most notably in 1968, the Year of the Pitcher, when he went 10-5 with a 1.99 ERA for the Giants. Overall in 13 seasons for the Giants, Brewers and Red Sox, he pitched in 495 games (164 starts) and went 88-75 with 51 saves and a 3.40 ERA. After his playing career he worked in sales. He died in 2023.

Ron Roenicke stands in the batters box at Shea Stadium. This is a special card to me as it was the last card I needed to complete this set, the first set I ever completed. Roenicke played in one day game at Shea in 1986, going 0-for-4 in the Phillies' 7-1 win on September 21. Roenicke was a journeyman outfielder who played for six teams over eight seasons, mostly for the Dodgers and Phillies. In 527 games he hit .238 with 17 HR, 113 RBI and 24 SB. He has since had a long career as a coach, winning World Series rings with the Angels and Red Sox. He managed the Brewers for five seasons, with one playoff appearance, and was the Red Sox manager in 2020 while Alex Cora served his suspension. He is currently a Special Assistant for the Dodgers.
 

Breakfast of Champions

Twice in the past couple weeks I won lots of 4 Kelloggs cards for about a quarter a card.

Three different seasons are covered by these four cards. Two Bills with five combined batting titles, three with the Cubbies. 

Here's four from '74. I had Goodson and Otis already so they're available for trade.

Speaking of eBay I went ahead and purchased a 2026 Series 1 set, won an auction for under $30 shipped.
 

1930 scrapbook: Wedding bells

Here's the first page of the album that Johnny sent. 

Several wedding announcements, and also a couple of poems. I'm guessing these were friends or acquaintances of whoever was keeping this scrapbook. Were they quiet, pious girls, or a wild bunch?

The two poems are loose in the scrapbook. Googling them came up empty, so I am guessing they are local poets. One of the poets has the byline W.O. Gibson. Googling that name comes up with a book called "Rambling Meditations of W.O. Gibson", published in 1973, in the archives of Valdosta State University.

Mary Ford Hernlen died in 1970, at the age of 62. 

Madeline Sallas married Frank Roberts on February 28, 1930, and died on 82 years later, at the age of 100, outliving her husband by 20 years. She had 13 great-grandchildren at the time of her passing. 

Martha and Nathaniel Turner did get married in 1930 and had a son the next year, Nathaniel II. Nathaniel died in 1974, Martha in 1996.

Finally, not a wedding announcement, but the charming Miss Waudelle Tucker, chosen the "most beautiful girl" at the University of Florida summer school. This local news seems to have made newspapers far and wide in August of 1930, as far north as Indiana and as far west as Missouri. She married Latimer Long, the only attorney in Auburndale, FL, and worked as his office manager. They had two daughters. Waudelle died in 2001 at the age of 89.
 

Time Travel 2026

My latest Diamond Jesters time travel trade had some fun early 80s stuff.

But as has been my tradition my past few years, I scoop up the leftovers from the first pack of the new year that gets added to the stack.

As just about the last person to get 2026s, I'll keep my thoughts brief. Obviously I like the Bronx Buddies card a lot, though I wish it wasn't so dark. I like how the stripes can line up with other cards, though it's spoiled a bit with the stripe being thicker on horizontal cards. I think the jersey-style design is a solid one, but it's annoying that Topps didn't fully commit on the front. They did on the back and I think that looks better.

So this means I'm officially on a 2026 Topps setbuild. As a sign of how disconnected I'm getting from modern cards, after finishing 2025 Series I last year, I never ended up with a single 2025 series II! I thought about putting a wantlist up here and TCDB, but I checked out eBay and saw that I could get 350-700 for $25, which seems cheaper than what the postage on many trades would be.

So should I do that again for Series I? Looks like 1-350 sets can be had in the $30 range or so. I think I'd only be interested in trading for all or nearly all the set at once. It might seem silly to claim the cards if I'm just going to buy the set anyway, but it's a fun tradition. So, open to any trade offers on substantial lots of '26s, otherwise I'll probably just look for a cheap enough full set on eBay. Some years I've built through TCDB trades but I doubt I'll do that this year, certainly not for hundreds of cards.

Cake or gum? 1977 Rick Manning

Last time there was a 4-4 tie. Will there be a winner this time?

Two cards that were quite probably taken at the same time but look very different. Hostess has a portrait of a contemplative-looking Manning, while Topps has him following through on his swing, looking like he's under a bridge (though I assume it's just an unusual spring training grandstand).

Rick Manning was a speedy outfielder who won a gold glove in 1976. He played 13 years in the major leagues for some bad Cleveland and Milwaukee teams, never making the postseason. He was never all that good himself. He didn't hit for average (.257 lifetime) or power (never more than 8 HR in a season). Only 11.7 WAR in 13 seasons indicates that he was little more than replacement-level during his career. His most notable accomplishments with Cleveland were stealing teammate Dennis Eckersley's wife (leading to Cleveland trading the future Hall of Famer to Boston) and for his 35-year ongoing run as Guardians announcer, the longest active streak in the majors.
 

1981 Topps Dan Ford

 

The front: Extreme closeup here, though there is enough background visible to see that this is Yankee Stadium. We do get a reflection of the photographer in Ford's glasses.

The back: From August 6-12, 1979, Ford hit .269 (7-for-26) with 2 HR and 7 RBI. Highlights included a grand slam on the 8th, and igniting a winning 9th inning rally, scoring the tying run, on the 11th.

The player: Outfielder Dan Ford played for the Twins, Angels and Orioles from 1975 to 1985. His best season was 1979, when he drove in and scored over 100 runs and earned an MVP vote in helping the Angels to their first AL West title. Overall, in 1,153 major league games, he hit .270 with 121 HR and 566 RBI.

The man: After his playing career Ford has devoted time to working with disadvantaged youth, as well as working in the real estate business and raising horses. He briefly answered my questions about baseball cards in 2011.

My collection: I have 30 of his cards, from 1976 to 1986. I would be interested in trading for 1977 Burger Chef Fun Meal Discs #NNO.
 

1976 SSPC John Montefusco

 

The card, in brief: Nice composition here, with the flag on one side and the scoreboard on the other.

Playing career, in brief: John Montefusco won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1975, going 15-9 with a 2.88 ERA. The following year he went 16-14 with a 2.84 ERA, leading the NL with 6.9 WAR. However, injuries hampered his effectiveness and he didn't live up to those first couple of outstanding seasons. In 298 games for four teams, he went 90-83 with a 3.54 ERA. 

Post-playing career, in brief:  John Montefusco won the NL Cy Young Award in 1975, going 15-9 with a 2.88 ERA. The following year he went 16-14 with a 2.84 ERA, leading the NL with 6.9 WAR. However, injuries hampered his effectiveness and he didn't live up to those first couple of outstanding seasons. In 298 games for four teams, he went 90-83 with a 3.54 ERA. 

My collection: I have 32 of his cards, from 1976 to 1986. I would be interested in trading for 1976 Hostess #41. 

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly #10

 Not much to say but a cool photo. Mattingly's 11 years old here.

One of the disappointments from the last World Series is that Mattingly, as Blue Jays coach, was so close to his first championship but denied again. Now he's a Phillies coach, maybe I'll root for them once the Yankees are eliminated. (Is it too early for pessimism yet?)