Vintage backgrounds: Argument at Wrigley Field

 The best cards in the 1961 set might just be the checklists, which feature action shots at Wrigley Field, the most action photography Topps had used to that point. One of them featured Cubs manager Lou Boudreau in an argument with the umpire, possibly the first manager-umpire argument on a baseball card. According to Baseball-Reference, Boudreau was ejected once in 1960, but I could not figure out which game. Don Zimmer once again makes a cameo - he is #17. (#10 is Ron Santo, #40 Glen Hobbie)

1981 Topps Greg Luzinski

 

The front: The most interesting thing in this photo is that you can clearly see the Shea Stadium scoreboard reflected in Luzinski's glasses.

The back: Luzinski had a grand slam and a three-run double in that game. Both gave Philly the lead in a see-saw game they ended up winning 13-10. Philly nearly blew a 7-run ninth-inning lead, as Atlanta scored four in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate in the inning.

The player: "The Bull" was one of the big stars of the great Phillies teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was twice a runner-up for NL MVP and led the NL in RBI in 1975. Though 1980 was a down year for him, he had some big hits in the NLCS to help propel the Phillies to their first-ever World Championship. After that season the Phillies sent him to the White Sox where he played for four more seasons.

The man: After spending several years as a high school baseball and football coach, the fan favorite returned to Philadelphia with a barbecue stand inside Citizens Bank Park.

My collection: I have 36 of his cards, from 1972 to 1985. I would be interested in trading for 1971 Topps #439.

Cardboard cousins: SSPC Baseball Immortals/'75 Topps

 A 1980's SSPC set called "Baseball Immortals" uses a lot of elements of the '75 Topps design. I have a few cards from this set. #57 Charley Gehringer matched up here with '75 Topps #57 Davey Johnson. Gehringer was a Hall-of-Famer and one of the best-hitting second baseman of all time. But his career-high of 20 home runs in a season pales in comparison to Johnson's 43 (42 as a 2B in 1973). Johnson's next-highest home run total was 18, a number Gehringer topped three times, and he topped Johnson in every other offensive category as well.

Cards and Vintage Things: August 27, 1968

 This matchbook is perfect for this series. It is from Blackstone Cigars, with a contest to win Red Sox tickets. There is no way to know what game the lucky contestant got to go to, but you had to enter by August 27, 1968.

On August 27, 1968, the big national news was the surrender of Czechoslovakia to the Soviet Union. In the US, headlines were dominated by the Democratic National Convention, in it's second day. The following day, Hubert Humphrey would secure the nomination and there would be rioting in the streets of Chicago.

As for the Red Sox, August 27 was a successful day for them, as they trounced the Indians in Fenway Park, 7-1. Young Reggie Smith opened the scoring with an RBI single in a four-run third inning. Smith went 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored that day.

Vintage backgrounds: Posing for a card photo while the game is going on

 There are probably other examples of cards with photos like this, but I can't think of another one offhand. On his 1959 Topps card, Reds catcher Ed Bailey is posing for a photo along the right field line, presumably in the bullpen area. The stands are full and you can see the right fielder waiting for a pitch to be thrown. Seals Stadium in San Francisco had a similar low grandstand in right field - was this actually taken in the middle of a game? 

1981 Topps Ken Forsch

 

The front: I believe this is Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, though I am not 100% sure, I don't know the NL parks as well as the AL. Forsch pitched in two day games in Pittsburgh, going 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA.

The back: The brothers of Cardinals' hurler Bob, Ken's no-hitter made the brothers the first in MLB history to throw a no-hitter. It was also the first no-hitter in baseball history as early as April 7.

The player: Ken Forsch never had quite the success of his brother Bob, but as both a starter and a reliever for the Angels and Astros, he was pretty effective for most of his 16 MLB seasons. Overall he went 114-113 with 51 saves and a 3.37 ERA. He had All-Star appearances for his work as a reliever for the Astros in 1976 and as a starter for the Angels in 1981.

The man: Forsch worked for many years in the Angels' front office and is now retired.

My collection: I have 30 of his cards, from 1971 to 1986. I would be interested in trading for 1982 Fleer Stamps #221.

Cardboard Cousins: 1986 Sports Design Products/1969 Topps

 In 1986 something called Sports Design Products produced a 24-card set of 1960s legends with photos by photographer JD McCarthy. I somehow ended up with the whole set in some bulk purchase many years ago. The set uses the 1969 Topps Design.

#20 of each set features a big-time Hall of Fame slugger from the National League. I like the way the bat lines up with the light tower in each photo. These two stars, who were second and third in the NL MVP voting in 1955, combined for 925 home runs in their storied careers.

Cards and Vintage Things: Taste that beats the others cold . . .

 This is something I got a few weeks ago and am really enjoying it. As you may know I really like the late 1960s yellow-bordered Pepsi signs, which can still occasionally be found on older stores. Actually owning one isn't really realistic, old signs even from that era are very expensive. However, I found this great item on eBay that really fits the bill.

This is a thick cardboard wall calendar mount - it would have had a monthly calendar hung under the Pepsi logo, and would have been on the wall of an establishment that sold Pepsi. Even this kind of "sign" can regularly go for well over $100, but this one is a little rough in condition and is missing the calendar and it's mounts, so I was able to nab it for under $30. I was more interested in it as a "sign" so wasn't bothered about the missing calendar. While deciding where to hang it I stuck it on top of a window frame. I then realized that was actually the perfect place for it. In my "office" - a small converted bedroom - it stands out quite nicely.

This was a 1970 calendar issued by the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Indianapolis. In 1970, Giants catcher Dick Dietz, who grew up near Indianapolis, had his best season and made the NL All Star team.

Vintage backgrounds: Elmer Valo on WOR 9

 These days seeing a TV camera on a baseball card is commonplace. They were pretty unusual to spot in the 1950s though. Elmer Valo's famous 1957 Topps card shows him in front of a camera for New York's Channel 9, WOR. New York fans my age will remember the Mets on Ch. 9 WOR and the Yankees on Ch. 11 PIX for decades. However, before the Dodgers and Giants moved to California, WOR carried both of their games. The red fence behind Valo indicates that this is Ebbets Field, not the Polo Grounds.

1981 Topps Jerry Royster

 

The front: Here's an understated but appealing photo that almost makes you feel like you are standing on the field, not removed from the action. It might be Shea Stadium, which had the same color outfield wall, but it might also be spring training.

The back: The Atlanta stolen base record is now the 72 bases swiped by Otis Nixon in 1991. King Kelly of the Boston Braves stole 84 bases in 1887.

The player: Infielder Jerry Royster played sixteen years in the major leagues, ten of them for the Braves. He was mostly a platoon and backup player. In 1,428 games he hit .249 with 40 HR, 352 RBI and 189 stolen bases.

The man: Royster had a long career coaching in the major leagues and had managerial stints with the Brewers and in Korea. He is now head baseball coach at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, CA. 

My collection: I have 34 of his cards, from 1976 to 1989. I would be interested in trading for 1985 Mother's Cookies #18.

'61 Topps: Wasted opportunity?

 I really like the design of the '61 Topps set. The clean, sparse border allows plenty of room for the picture, which should have made this an all-time great set like '57. However, Topps botched it by overwhelmingly using plain headshots. You can see this in this recent lot of '61s I picked up. I never got the $25 eBay coupon it seems everyone else did, but I was able to massage $1.40 of extra bucks and the sellers' combined shipping to win three five card lots of '61 for under a quarter apiece.

As you can see there are two copies of #212 Haywood Sullivan, if anyone wants to trade for one.

Most of these cards have some kind of scribbled word or name on the back. But I took this photo to highlight the cartoon. Jim Brosnan's book was the first baseball tell-all and was somewhat controversial; I'm kind of surprised Topps made a cartoon about it.

Ebay mixed lot

 It's getting harder and harder these days, but I am still able to occasionally get a lot of beat-up vintage for under a quarter a card, my self-imposed limit. Here's my latest win.

First, the trade bait. 
1957-1966

1966-1969. A few pretty good cards here including Cepeda, Marichal and two Aparicios.

The '67 League Leaders card I had already but I'm switching out the one I already had for this new one, because I love cards like these. I was actually able to find a reference to Lamont Morgan at this address in a 1952 directory of the US Army's Ninth Infrantry Division. I'm guessing that 15 years after the Korean War, Morgan was married with a kid who labelled his baseball cards so they wouldn't get lost in flipping or trading.

Here are the keepers from the lot. 1954-1959. My first 1954 Bowman card! A nice Yanke card in there too.

Some big names from the 1960 set.

That Haddix card in particular is a beaut. What a great photo. Here is a closeup.

1961-1967

My "biggest" time travel trade yet

 Diamond Jesters' regular time-travel trading series had a really interesting addition this week. I actually waited a day in case someone would have a better offer, as I didn't have anything really great to trade, but no one else seemed to want them, so I scrounged up my oldest cards for trade plus a few "newer" vintage stars, and got these in return from Matt.

This was the easy part, three standard vintage cards I needed. I really love the Burdette/Shantz card. Burdette had eight inches on the 5-6 Shantz. 

These were the big draw though. Three 5 x 7 Yankee photo cards, issued by Jay Publishing in 1963. Like the '30s Diamond matchbooks, these are in Beckett and the TCDB, so I'm happy to consider them part of my baseball card collection.

Here's Ford next to one of the cards, to give you a sense of size. In hand they are similar to magazine pages, thin and not shiny, but with a crisp and clear photo that would look great in a frame.

A surprise consolation prize

 During the ALDS I was having fun with Chris the Collectors' "predictions" about the Yankees, pretending that Chris, a Red Sox fan, could use his powers to help the Yankees. Of course, the Yankees ended up losing the series, but I was surprised by an envelope from Chris this weekend, with a note apologizing for "jinxing" the Yankees. Inside were these three great cards. Two reminders of the 1996 World Champions (25th anniversary next year! Where did the time go?), and a 1967 Topps need, of one of the far-too-many baseball legends we lost recently.

Like Chris I am rooting for the Astros tonight. In my case it is so the Yankees won't be the only team to have ever blown a 3-0 series lead. Right now that doesn't look too like, 3-0 Rays in the 6th inning. Looks a lot like game 5 of the ALDS, in fact. Chris, I'll send some Red Sox your way soon. Thanks!

All the way back in 2018

 I recently got a nice stack of cards for my 2018 Topps setbuild from Jafronius. 

Some big names in here like Trout, Yadi, Scherzer . . .

It's only two years old, but a photo like this already seems quite out-of-date. I'm surprised at how much I miss the home crowd reaction during games. When a Yankee would hit a home run in Yankee Stadium, you would expect to see everyone jumping up like this. I found it surprisingly disappointing not to see that in baseball games this year.

This photo could be 2020. Heck, it could be 1920. Just a great photo that looks more like a Stadium Club card then a standard base card.

More cracked goodness

 I got another great package this week from A Cracked Bat.

Part of it was my latest pick pocket picks. I went heavy on the shiny this time.

Julie also included these three '66 needs, which I don't remember asking for - what a nice surprise!

In my last pick pockets I had gotten a Panini White Wave Prizm of Gio Urshela. I loved the card - one of the most colorful shiny cards I had ever seen. Julie had a bunch of them in the pick pockets so I told her I would trade some cards for any leftovers. Here's what I got. Magnificent!

Cardboard Cousins: '56 Topps/'01 Fleer Tradition

 In 2001 the Fleer Tradition design was a ripoff of the '56 Topps design. This is the closest match I could find among cards I had. Moose Skowron was a prototype of the Aaron Judge/Giancarlo Stanton model the Yankees have today - big hulking slugger who is always pulling a muscle and losing playing time. Casey Stengel had him take dance lessons to improve his flexibility, maybe Aaron Boone can have his guys do the same. Enrique Wilson is pictured as a Pirate here but is best known as a Yankee. Primarily a backup, he was famed for his hitting prowess against Pedro Martinez, and was always in the lineup against the Red Sox Hall of Famer.

There's a surprisingly simple connection for Skowron and Wilson - both wore #14 for the Yankees. Personally I think of Lou Piniella with that number. It is currently worn by Tyler Wade.

 

Vintage backgrounds: Don Zimmer

 My original goal for this series was to include anything interesting in the background - could be unusual objects, people or famous lurkers. Here's a famous lurker. Even though Bobby Adams was pictured as an Oriole on his 1956 Topps card, he played for the Reds and White Sox in 1955. That infielder is the Brooklyn Dodgers #23, Don Zimmer, at the beginning of a very long career in major league baseball.

This appears to be the first game of a doubleheader, July 17, 1955 at Ebbets Field. In the second inning Adams singled, then went to third on a throwing error by third baseman Don Hoak. This was presumably a double play attempt where Hoak threw the ball past Zimmer who was setting up for the double play. It does appear Zimmer is looking for a ball that went past him here. Despite the error the Dodgers cruised to a 6-2 victory.

Almost free vintage

 I claimed quite a few cards from the recent Almost-Free Friday from Cards As I See Them. I made sure to send GCRL a lot of cards in return for this high-quality vintage acquisition.

From the 1970s. The 1970 Topps RBI Leaders marks a milestone for me - it completes my 1970 Topps Series I (cards 1-132), my first completed series from the pre-1974 years when Topps issued cards in series.

Some great early 60s cards, including baseball card legend Wally Moon.

Finally, I couldn't pass up a nearly free '55 Bowman or a star from the Yankees' dynasty days.

Cards and Vintage Things: Charlie Maxwell and the Baby Dolls

 Fortunately for me, the pandemic surge in baseball card pricing has not affected the matchbook market, and I've been able to acquire cheap lots at a steady rate. I'm not showing all of them here, though I will eventually show off the lot that this one came in as it had a lot of sports-related matchbooks. However, when I saw this one I realized it would be perfect for Collecting Cutch's annual Save Second Base event. It's not very vintage, '80s I guess by the hair. However it goes well with this pink 1958 Topps card.

Losses big and small

 Yesterday was a tough day for Yankee fans, first and most importantly with the sad news of Whitey Ford's passing. The greatest pitcher in Yankees history, Ford was a native New Yorker who grew up in Queens and lived on Long Island, by all accounts a gentle character with an old-time New York toughness underneath. Then in the evening Gerrit Cole pitched beautifully but ended up losing to the Rays, 2-1, ending the Yankees season. Cole's gallant effort in defeat was reminiscent of Ford's stellar outings in the 1955 and 1960 World Series, which the team lost despite Ford's fantastic pitching. Aaron Boone's questionable pitching decisions in the ALDS pale in comparison to Casey Stengel mishandling the rotation in 1960, causing Ford to pitch only twice instead of three times, which led to Stengel's firing. Hopefully Cole's Yankees will bounce back in 2021 the way Ford's did in 1956 and 1961.

 

It's all coming together?

 Last night, even without Chris the Collector's "help", the Yankees managed to force a Game 5 in the ALDS. The hitting, with home runs by Voit and Torres, was just good enough, and four pitchers pitched very well. They seem to be set up tonight with Gerrit Cole pitching. I'm feeling almost optimistic, which probably means they're doomed. It will be fun though . . . 

Momentum changes quickly

 Everything went poorly for the Yankees yesterday. Tanaka and the relievers provided the Rays another session of home run derby, the offensive outside of Stanton has forgotten how to hit, and Chris the Collector didn't even comment on my post. I'm starting to think he might not even like the Yankees.

Another clunker like the one Tanaka pitched yesterday and the Yankees are done until next season, whenever that may be. So much for the myth about "Playoff Tanaka" . . .

Chris giveth . . . Chris taketh away

Early in Game 1 of the ALDS Chris the Collector commented on my post that he thought the Yankees would score ten runs. They scored nine and won the game. Last night he commented that he would not predict for Game 2, and the Yankees scored just five runs and lost. Chris, since you obviously have magical powers over the Yankees, please predict something good for the Yankees tonight. If you do, and if they win, I'll send you some Red Sox cards.

Another reason the Yankees lost is Aaron Boone's attempt to be smart and "fool" the Rays by switching pitchers after the first inning. Though it's not like he has many good options; the Yankees have given up 15 runs in the two games Gerrit Cole hasn't pitched. Meanwhile, the Yankees hitters read all the headlines about what great home run hitters they are, ruined their swings trying to do home run derby and set a postseason record for striking out.

The real goat, of course, is Giancarlo Stanton. He only hit two home runs when the Yankees needed him to hit four.

The commenter is always right

While last night's game was still 4-3, Chris the Collector commented on my post from yesterday that he thought the Yankees would put up another 10 run effort. He was close - they ended up scoring 9 with a five run ninth. I don't know how much longer the Yankees can keep this together, but I wonder if this will be a more offensive-heavy postseason than usual, without the grind of a full season. The last few years the Yankees would peak in the midsummer - maybe this year October is the equivalent of midsummer, especially playing in warm weather sites. If so that would be a big help for the Yankees, at least until the big muscle guys inevitably start pulling muscles instead of fastballs.

Last night all four home runs were clutch - go-ahead blasts for Frazier and Judge, a game-tier for Higashioka, and the backbreaking grand slam by Stanton in the ninth. Gerrit Cole continues to carry the Yankees pitching staff. Someone else will need to step up and join him. Good thing they have got the steady veteran Masahiro Tanaka going ne - Deivi Garcia? What? OK, we'll see . . . 

ALDS preview

 The Yankees start their next round tonight against the best team in the American League. The Yankees lost eight out of ten to Tampa Bay during the regular season, but they have their injured players who missed those games back for the postseason, although some are probably due to pull a muscle or two during this series. Can the Yankees attack Tampa Bay's pitching the way they did Cleveland's? Can they get their own act together on the mound? We're about to find out. The biggest wild card might be the neutral site. We'll soon see who is helped more by playing in San Diego's Petco Park. 

1981 Topps Stan Bahnsen

 

The front: Here's Bahnsen in Spring Training at Daytona Beach. None of the ads on the wall have been scratched out.

The back: His fifteen-year career did not leave room for an information blurb.

The player: Stan Bahnsen, "The Bahnsen Burner", had some good years with some bad Yankee teams in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In five seasons he went 55-52 with a 3.10 ERA. He was traded to the White Sox and never really had the same success, despite lasting for another 11 years in the majors for five more teams. Overall in 574 games he went 146-149 with a 3.60 ERA.

The man: After his playing career Bahnsen went into the celebrity cruise industry, recruiting former teammates to appear on celebrity cruises for the MSC Cruise company.

My collection: I have 21 of his cards, from 1967 to 1982. I would be interested in trading for 1970 Topps #568 and 1972 Topps #662.

Cardboard Cousins: 1954 Topps/2000 Fleer Tradition

 Like Upper Deck Vintage, Fleer Tradition often stole from Topps designs. The 2000 set is a ripoff of 1954 Topps. I don't have many '54s but managed to find a team match with #202 - Pirates Bob Purkey and Pat Meares. The fielding poses are even kind of similar from card to card.

It was tough to find a good connection between these two. In 1965, Purkey was a St. Louis Cardinal, where one of his teammates was a rookie named Steve Carlton. Carlton's last season was with the 1988 Twins, managed by Tom Kelly, who also managed Meares when he made his big league debut with the Twins in 1993.

Wax Pack Wonders never cease

 I got another nice PWE from my newest trading buddy Wax Pack Wonders.

Some modern set fillers.

And some great vintage cards! Two from '71 Topps, one from '62 Post, and one each from 1970 Topps and O-Pee-Chee. The Ed Stroud O-Pee-Chee is a "perfect miscut", a term I just invented. The miscut occurs exactly along the top and left borders!

Here is a closer view on a dark background.