Street trade hits and misses

Last week I did a little street trade with Al. Picked up a variety of cards, needed the first four but turned out I already had the last two.

Then yesterday a bigger trade. I never know what boxes he'll bring in. This one had a bunch of Yoo-Hoo cards. I picked out one of each except for the Yankees which I figured I already had all of. Big mistake, I should have taken a Yogi Berra because now that's the last one I need for the 1993 Yoo-Hoo set. I'll ask him to bring one next time but I don't know if he will.

These cards that I picked out were all new to me. Fun mix including some shinies. 

A few misses though, guessing wrong where it turned out I didn't need the card, so they'll go in the trade boxes.

 

Time traveling to the fights

I picked up three baseball cards in my latest Diamond Jesters time travel trade. That's certainly in character for me. Minor league oddballs and an early 2000s need.

This one was out of character for me, but I really like it. I'm not a boxing fan but I certainly have an appreciation for the legends of any sport, and Floyd Patterson, the Brooklyn-born former heavyweight champion, certainly fits that category. It's also just a great vintage photo, looking like he's in a cabin with a window looking out to the woods. The card is from a 1962 Dutch gum set, about the size of a "mini" cigarette card. Just a really cool vintage item!

 

1981 Topps Yankees Future Stars

 Skipping “front” and “back” for this card and just focusing on the players.

TIM LOLLAR 

The player: Tim Lollar had a solid 1980 season for the Yankees, appearing in 14 games, going 1-0 with 2 saves and a 3.34 ERA. Traded to the Padres after the season, he was converted to a starter and he had a great 1982, going 16-9 with a 3.13 ERA. He was unable to sustain that success, with losing records in 1983 and in 1984, when he also pitched very poorly in the postseason. He had stints with both Sox to round out his seven year MLB career, going 47-52 with a 4.27 ERA. He was one of the best hitting pitchers of his era - in 255 at bats, he hit .234 with 8 HR and 38 RBI.

The man: Baseballs were not the only little white balls Lollar was good at hitting. He reinvented himself as a two-sport star after his retirement, joining the PGA tour and serving as the head golf pro at the Lakewood Country Club in Colorado for 28 years, twice winning Golf Professional of the Year. He is now retired.

My collection: I have 22 of his cards, from 1981 to 1987. I would be interested in trading for 1980 TCMA Columbus Clippers #1
 

BRUCE ROBINSON

The player:  Catcher Bruce Robinson played ten years of professional baseball, including three years in the major leagues with Oakland and the Yankees. In 38 major league games he hit .228 with 0 HR and 10 RBI.

The man:  He is the brother of former Padres outfield Dave Robinson and the inventor of the hinged flap on the throwing shoulder of the catcher's chest protector, known as the "Robby Pad." Now a singer, songwriter and guitarist (check out his website Bruce Robinson Music), he answered my questions about baseball cards in 2012.

My collection: I have three of his cards, from 1979 to 1984. I would be interested in trading for 1980 Columbus Clippers Police #NNO.

DENNIS WERTH

The player: Dennis Werth played in parts of four seasons for the Yankees and Royals. In 117 games he hit .209 with 3 HR and 15 RBI.

The man: After his playing career he was a youth baseball coach, instructing several future major leaguers, including his stepson Jayson Werth. He is now retired.

My collection: I have five of his cards, from 1981 to 1982. I would be interested in trading for 1982 Topps Traded #126.

1976 SSPC Chris Arnold

 

The card, in brief: The twilight sky and the chaw in his cheek dominate here.

Playing career, in brief: Arnold was an unheralded middle infielder who played parts of six seasons with the Giants. In 273 games he hit .237 with 4 HR and 51 RBI. After his US career he played three seasons in Japan, displaying a power bat unseen even in the American minor leagues. Arnold whose minor league career high was eight home runs, hit double figures in HR all three seasons in Japan, hitting .274 with 43 HR and 174 RBI.

Post-playing career, in brief: After his playing career Arnold worked as an agent. He is now retired.

My collection: I have five of his cards, from 1972 to 1977. I would be interested in trading for  1977 Coke Phoenix Giants Premiums #NNO.

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly #12

Really nice minor league snapshot of Mattingly at bat. Not quite the familiar stance but he did tinker with it a lot.

According to the Google AI, Mattingly hit .313 in Fenway Park. He also hit .313 at Yankee Stadium for his career (.302 overall batting average in away games). I couldn't find anything about his average at the Big A.

1988 Domino's Tom Matchick

 

No action shot this time, but a nice simple, clean photo.

Tom Matchick was a rookie backup infielder for the Tigers in 1968, getting into 80 games, mostly at 3B. Highlights included a walkoff home run against the Orioles in July, and participating in a triple play in September. He was 0-for-3 in the World Series. Despite the home run, he never amounted to be much of a hitter; in 292 major league games for five teams over six seasons, Matchick hit .215 with 4 HR and 64 RBI. After his playing career he was a salesman at a sporting goods store and a car dealership, and was a VP at an aerial photography business. He and his wife had two children and were foster parents to over 30 more. He died from COVID-19 in 2022.

I have eight of his cards, from 1967 to 1973. I would be interested in trading for 1971 Dell Today's Team Stamps #NNO. 

Burgers or gum? Larry Herndon

Last time was a win for gum, 7-4. Who will take the prize this time?

Wendy's has a spring training photo of Herndon sporting a Fu Manchu mustache, while Topps has a regular season game photo of Herndon at Tigers Stadium with a noticeably smaller mustache.

Herndon made his big league debut with the Cardinals in 1974 but played almost all of his career with the Giants (1976-1981) and Tigers (1982-1988). With the Giants he was a decent hitter, good fielder with some speed. After he was traded to the Tigers he immediately developed into more of a slugger. After six seasons with 23 total HR for the Giants, he hit 24 in his first season in Detroit, though by '84 he was down to 7 HR for the season. He hit .333 in the 1984 World Series and caught the final out. Overall in 1,537 games he hit .274 with 107 HR and 550 RBI. After his playing career he was a minor- and major-league coach, and is now retired. 
 

More 1930 stuff

Next page.

Starting off with a dramatic photo of Niagara Falls, followed by the story of a stubborn Parisian, and on top right a somewhat comic story about a pair of drunk drivers. These kinds of human interest stories were syndicated nationally. The other two items are either pages from a booklet or some kind of cards. I can't find any reference to The Automation Corporation in Cleveland. That name makes me think they could have come from some kind of vending machine. They are dated 1929. Both give some advice, and then tell the reader to go ask grandmother for more.

Opposite page. Top left is the amazing tale of Zaro Agha, 156 years old! This would have been July of 1930 when he toured the United States; he died four years later at the age of 160. He had 36 children and outlived all except the daughter he had when he was 96. Wikipedia quotes a 1939 study that insisted he was only 97 when he died, but I believe this news story. No comment on the next one. On the top right we have some collected words of wisdom. The bottom of the page has three obituaries for George Bernell Greene, who died on December 29, 1930, after a two week illness. The 32-year-old Greene left behind a wife and two daughters. She remarried in 1938, to Augustus Hayden Britton in South Carolina. She died in 1982.

 

2026

As I mentioned I decided to just grab a $30 collated set from eBay rather than try to build by trades. Not a bad set, but I wish they had committed fully to the design. The more of the set I see, the less I even notice the jersey motif, but rather the big team letters.

Seems like a lot of the better photos go to the better players. Final tribute card for Kershaw - even with final tribute cards it seems like Topps has one theme they stick with and drive into the ground until it's meaningless. 

Jonah Heim is one of those players who regularly gets interesting cards. The superman pose card is pretty cool, I feel like that's the kind of card someone somewhere PCs. And happy to get my first Cam Schlittler card! Hope he's not a flash in the pan.

Two BFFs holding hands is definitely not something I expected. And maybe it's just the angle but Ian Seymour must be the most muscular pitcher I've ever seen.

Another superman for Bobby Witt. And the Carlos Estevez card is certainly unique for this set, showing a quirky photo where the player isn't in a hero pose. I guess someone at Topps has it in for Estevez?

 

 

Wood vs. Wood #330

Last time was a 7-2 win for 1987. Will this be closer?

Johnny Romano takes a swing during batting practice at Yankee Stadium. You can see the wheel of the batting cage angled down to lock the cage in place. Catcher Johnny Romano played ten seasons in the major leagues for the White Sox, Indians and Cardinals. His best seasons were 1961 and 1962 with Cleveland, hitting 20+ HR and driving in 80+ runs, making the All Star team both seasons. Overall in 905 games he hit .255 with 129 HR and 417 RBI. After his playing career he sold swimming pools. He died in 2019.

Mike Scott delivers a pitch in spring training.  Scott spent four mediocre years with the Mets, and was traded to the Astros after the 1982 season. There, pitching coach Roger Craig taught Scott the split-fingered fastball, and Scott quickly became one of the best pitchers in the league. From 1985 to 1989 he was the ace of the Astros staff, and his 1986 was one of the best pitching seasons of the 1980s (18-10, 2.22 ERA, 306 strikeouts). In the playoffs that year against the Mets, he pitched two complete games, winning both, allowing just one run in 18 innings. A rotator cuff injury limited his effectiveness after 1989. Overall, in 13 seasons he went 124-108 with a 3.54 ERA. Today, Scott does a little bit of youth coaching but is mostly retired.