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.

Gum or cake? 1977 Bill Buckner

Last time was a 12-1 romp for gum. Will it win big again here?

Topps has the Dodger star at spring training, posing in front of the dugout and the players inside. In January of 1977, Buckner was traded to the Cubs, and Hostess gave fans their first look at Buckner in a Dodger uniform, by airbrushing a Cubs hat onto a photo of Buckner at Candlestick Park. Looks like the red part of the C was giving the airbrusher a lot of difficulty.

Bill Buckner put up some excellent numbers over a 22-year MLB career. The NL batting champion in 1980, he hit .289 with 2,715 hits, 498 doubles, 174 HR, 1,208 RBI and 183 SB. Of course, despite all that success he's known for one bad play. After his playing career Buckner worked in real estate and was a minor league coach. He died in 2019.

1981 Topps Shane Rawley

The ranks of baseball card bloggers have been starting to grow again. I just came across a really fun new blog called Sir Nailhead's Frankensets. The Angels in Order is back as Batting Out of Order. And after an even longer hiatus, Red Cardboard is back, and celebrating by giving away a vintage Mickey Mantle card. Not on I need myself, but maybe you do? (And what other new blogs am I missing?)

The front: Shane Rawley delivers a pitch at Yankee Stadium. He pitched in one day game at Yankee Stadium that year. He relieved Floyd Bannister in the sixth inning of a scoreless game. (His photo is also from that day.) Rawley combined with Bannister on the shutout in a game Seattle won, 1-0.

The back: Rawley pitched in the Expos and Reds organizations without making the majors; he was traded to Seattle after the '77 season and was in the majors for good.

The player: Rawley was primarily a reliever for the Mariners, who traded him to the Yankees after the '81 season. The Yankees converted him to a starter, where he had success for the Yankees, Phillies and Twins. Overall in 469 games (230 starts) he went 111-118 with 40 saves and a 4.02 ERA.

The man: After his playing career ended, Rawley opened Shaner's Pizzeria in Sarasota, FL in 1991.  He has recently written three novels about a baseball player who fought in Vietnam. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2009.

My collection: I have 53 of his cards, from 1979 to 1990. I would be interested in trading for 1982 Topps Traded #95. 

 

1976 SSPC Charlie Williams

 

The front, in brief: It's hard to imagine that head of hair fitting into a baseball cap. Nice sunset sky behind Wiliams, too.

Playing career, in brief: Williams got into 31 games as a Met rookie in 1971. The local boy (born in Queens, grew up on Long Island) was back in the minors in early '72 when he was traded straight-up for Willie Mays. He was a regular in the Giants bullpen for several years. Overall in 268 games he went 23-22 with 4 saves and a 3.97 ERA.

Post-playing career, in brief: Williams was briefly a New York City cab driver before moving to Florida. He died in 2015.

My collection: I have eight of his cards, from 1972 to 1979. I would be interested in trading for 1972 New York Mets Long Island Mets Boosters Picture Pack #NNO.

Finishing off 2025

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I hadn't added a single card from 2025 Series II, so knocked it off with one $30 purchase. I got the cards this week, and the set is not too bad.

What I usually do in posts like this is go through the cards one by one and pull out photos that catch my eye. Some years there's barely anything. This one was better than some of the psst few years. 

Not a ton of variety but some interesting cards here and there. I like the purple bat.

I pulled out that at-the-wall shot of the Rays' Jonny Deluca because it seemed pretty unique, but then the next few cards showed me it's not that unique. The O'Neill card gets an extra point for all of the dings in the Green Monster.

The bubble-blowing card is going to be a lot of people's favorites. There are even cards of players looking a little awkward, which you rarely see these days.

I don't generally care for city connect uniforms, but I like the colors on that Kirk card. The "Mom" sign is something different, so that automatically makes that card a good one. 

I guess the Stars of MLB inserts are so common they're practically base cards - the full Series II of these were included. Some good young players, most notably Yamamoto who won the World Series for the Dodgers with his great pitching last year, that feels like a good card to get.

 

Trade with azdbacks252003

Had a nice big TCDB trade with azdbacks252003, aka former Diamondbacks minor leaguer Kellen Raab. I believe that's my first trade with a former pro ballplayer. Among his collections are players he played with or against, so I was able to send him a lot of early 00s Bowmans, among others. Got a lot of nice cards in return.

A little bit of vintage, with one Hall of Famer, the brother of another, and a mini card. 

Otherwise, a lot of modern cards, mostly Yankees. I really like the photo on that Whitey Ford card.

Some fun shiny inserts in this group.

Nice mix of current and former Yankees, plus a Pirate with a sword.

Some more variety here with some interesting Stadium Club photos and Heritage inserts.

Finally a few more mostly Yankees, with one older minor league card as well.

 

1930 Scrapbook variety

Next two pages, plus an extra.

The first page partly continues the wedding bells theme. Noell and Postell Cliett were married for almost sixty years when Noelle passed away in 1989. Her husband Postell, a floor refinisher and a Mason, died ten years later at the age of 93. Two articles about piano recitals by Connie Floyd, including a full-length photo with her sister. Finally, a note about the Valentine Ball hosted by Mrs. William McCrary Jr. Junior, like his father and son, owned Phoenix Oil, a motor oil company in Augusta, GA. A Phoenix Oil can from this era sold for over $400 at auction in 2014.

Tucked in these pages is a loose Counter Stock Order, on which our heroine appears to have drafted a thank you note. Certainly a good example of the Depression mentality, not letting anything go to waste.

You ought to meet Ginger - and Patty! Note the handwritten names, Ginger Ella Tolliver and Patty Sears. My first thought was more members of Florida-Georgia high society. Nope! Turns out they were the main characters in For Ginger's Sake by Ethel Hueston, a novel serialized in newspapers from coast to coast in 1930 and 1931. Carole Lombard's career was just taking off at this point - in 1930 the young star signed a contract with Paramount Pictures, and the next year she married William Powell. Two years later they divorced, and in 1937 she married Clark Gable. Sadly, she was killed in a plane crash in 1942 at the age of 33. Finally, a brief comedic anecdote about a mouse living in a phone switchboard, and a tug-on-the-heartstrings reminder to make sure that Santa can deliver on the faith of a child whose father is unemployed.

 

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly #11

Weird to see Mattingly in green and gold, but that was what the Yankees' Greensboro farm team wore. I guess Green for Greensboro makes sense. In his first full professional season, in 1980, Mattingly won the SAL batting title, hitting .358 with 9 HR and 105 RBI. He also led the league with 177 hits.

Does listening to music count as a hobby?

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.