1991 Donruss Greg Maddux

1991 Donruss Greg Maddux

Just another card of the great Greg Maddux doing what he did best!!

The 1991 Donruss design is nice, nothing extra special but not too bland either.  The bold, Blue, border(BBB) color works well with the Cubs’ team colors.  And while I can do without all of the multi-colored, multi-sized, multi-shaped designs on the perimeter of the card, they are not that big of a distraction.

A rather boring attempt by Donruss in my opinion.  Lucky for them that this great photo of Maddux on the hill at Wrigley Field gives them a little wiggle room!!!

One more card in my Greg Maddux collection – YES!

‘Same Card, Different Paths’ – Card #29

‘Same Card, Different Paths’ – Card #29

1966 Topps - Card #288 – AKA – ‘The Don Sutton Rookie Card’

Bill Singer – Singer, a 2-time All-Star and 14-year veteran, had a solid career as a starting pitcher.  With 308 starts to his credit, Singer finished his playing days with a 118-127 record alongside 94 complete games.  He compiled a 3.39 ERA while also tallying 1,515 strikeouts.  Playing for 14 years and with 6 different teams, Singer never made it to the post-season. 

Don Sutton – Hall of Famer Don Sutton started 756 major league games over the course of 23 seasons.  With a record of 324-256, Sutton took his teams to the post-season often.  Sutton played in 4 World Series contests; losing all 4 times.  He is a 4-time All-Star and finished in the Top 5 in the Cy Young Award voting five consecutive years from 1972-1976.

TTM Success: Bob Feller Delivers Again, And Again, And Again!!!

Meeting Bob Feller in December was a thrill for me.  And now, a month later, I am still very excited and proud to have been able to share a few minutes with this Hall of Fame legend!!

And when I saw how great this picture came out of me and Mr. Feller, I knew I wanted to try to get this photo signed.  So I sent this to Mr. Feller with the hopes of doing just that…

And now, 14 days later, this beautifully signed souvenir of this great occasion has been made even more memorable…  Check this out:

Nice, huh??  Well, Mr. Feller didn’t stop there.  The 2 cards I offered to him as a gesture of being thankful for his time were also returned back to me.  And you guessed right, he signed both cards as well!!!

As if I needed more confirmation that Mr. Feller was a class act, I am very blown away by his desire to make this fan happy.

Thank you Mr. Feller.  It was a thrill meeting you in person, and the memories and mementos you have provided me will last a lifetime!!!

1990 Upper Deck Darryl Strawberry

1990 Upper Deck Darryl Strawberry

Upper Deck was the innovator in the early 1990′s.  Their cutting-edge photography, high-gloss paper, and unique design captivated the hobby.  Collectors of vintage and modern cards were all impressed with the Upper Deck brand and were very excited to see their product.

Have I built this up enough???

I am so disappointed with this card of Darryl Strawberry.  While I am happy to add another new card to my collection honoring Darryl, this card does nothing for me.  The innovative and attractive new company failed me, Darryl, and all collectors with this one…

Did You Know…

Norm Cash had the biggest drop in batting average from one season to the next.  In 1961, his average was .361; the next year it dropped to .243.

**factoid courtesy of ‘Armchair Reader – Grand Slam Baseball.’

1980 Topps – ’1979 Highlights’ – Card #2

I was able to pick up this subset for a very low price.  It’s a 6-card set and it highlights some amazing accomplishments that occurred during the 1979 baseball season.

1980 Topps – ’1979 Highlights’ – Card #1

Headline – ‘Willie McCovey’s 512th homer sets new mark for NL lefties’

Text on the back – Pittsburgh, June 9, 1979 0 Giants’ Willie McCovey tonight belted a 3-run Pinch-Homer to highlight Giants’ 6-2 win over Pirates.  The wallop was the 512th of McCovey’s career, setting a new NL mark for lefties.  The record of 511 homers was held by Mel Ott.

30 years later – With 521 career home runs to his credit, McCovey ranks in 7th place on the all-time home run list for left-handed batters.

New Reading Material #10 – “Sixty Feet, Six Inches”

Possibly the most interesting book of the bunch, ‘Sixty Feet, Six Inches’ was co-authored by two of the most amazing baseball talents this game has ever seen – Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson.

These guys have done it all – Hall of Fame induction, World Series heroics, legendary status, and now writing of books!!!

Gibson and Feller have come together to offer the reader a unique chance to tell how the game was played from their eyes, their very talented eyes at that!! 

The book’s format is unique in that it looks like a 1-on-2 interview between the writer and these 2 Hall of Famers.  With chapters devoted to pitching mechanics, power hitting, and game play, this looks like a surefire winner to me!!!

New Reading Material #9 – “Big League Trivia”

While its facts and stories may be a little outdated since it was printed in 2006, ‘Big League Trivia’ should lend a big hand toward my being able to continue the ‘Did You Know’ series on this blog.

What I find most intriguing about this book is the oddities section….  I’ve always found that having a ton of useless information stored in your brain is a wonderful thing!!

 

New Reading Material #8 – “You Never Forget Your First”

While the title of this book can be misconstrued to cover several different topics, this book focuses on big league players and their debuts in the major leagues.

Chock full of stories from more than 100 big league players, this book will share their thoughts and feelings as they made their way onto baseball’s biggest stage - the Major leagues.  While some found success quick, some faltered just as fast…

This book has contributions from recent stars like Craig Biggio, Tony Gwynn, Chipper Jones, and Albert Pujols.  I also saw that the table of contents included some of my favorite old-school guys like Jim Palmer and Reggie Jackson.  Based on my first glimpse at the content, this one will be a quick and great read!!!

I also noticed that this book offers the box score from the player’s debut game.  What a great idea!!!

Newe Reading Material #7 – “Together We Were Eleven Foot Nine”

Written by Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer in 1996, this book offers a glimpse into the partnership between star player and manager.

Both Jim Palmer and his baseball manager Earl Weaver had very successful careers.  2 Hall of  Famers, the duo is linked together as they won games, won World Series championships, and fought each other every step of the way.

Before media explosions ruled the sports world, many stories have been left untold.  This one is being told by Palmer and it covers his relationship with his coach for more than the 20 years that their lives were intertwined.