1969 Topps Fergie Jenkins

1969 Topps Fergie Jenkins

Very few cards have been on my ‘Needs’ list longer than this beauty from the 1969 Topps base set.

And now, after almost two years of chasing and waiting and chasing and waiting some more, I can proudly declare that I am the owner of a 1969 Topps Ferguson Jenkins baseball card!!!

It has been quite some time, and I have seen countless numbers of these cards fly through the Ebay machine, but I finally made my move on this one.  Over the last few months, my desire to get this card intensified, so I started bidding on quite a few of them.  Some went for way too much money, and many were not up to the quality standards I wanted.  This one is a happy medium for me – I paid just $13.00 and although it is not in MINT condition(centering is off), the corners are very sharp, and the coloring looks great!

See for yourself:

Good stuff, huh??

I am so pleased to be able to scratch this one off of my ‘Needs’ list.  The chase was long, but fun too!!!

Did You Know…

Willie Mays is one of only nine players to have two 50-homer seasons, but his seasons were unique in that they came an entire decade apart – he belted 51 homers for the 1955 New York Giants and 52 for the 1965 San Francisco Giants. 

**factoid courtesy of ‘Big League Trivia’

My take – the book was written in 2006, so the numbers may be a little outdated.  Still, quite an accomplishment by Mays – it proves his longevity as a dominant power hitter!

Tim Raines 1990 Donruss

Tim Raines 1990 Donruss

Hey, Donruss was so happy with their red-bordered 1990 set that they threw confetti all over it!!!

That’s about the only exciting thing going on with this card… 

But still, it’s another card for me to add to my Tim Raines player collection.  And that is a good thing!!!

Happy Birthday Don Mattingly!!!

Happy Birthday Don Mattingly!!!

Don Mattingly turns 49 years old today.

As time passes, my appreciation for Mattingly grows considerably.  From an offensive standpoint, there was nothing Mattingly could not do.  A blend of contact and power hitting were some of Mattingly’s greatest strengths.  And defensively at first base there was no-one better during his playing days.  9 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Slugger Awards, and an MVP Award later and you have an extremely solid career from one of baseball’s biggest stars during the 80′s.

When you talk about the most well-rounded players from his era, Don Mattingly has to be one of the first names mentioned.  Due to his incredible talents, Mattingly was wildly popular.  During his time with the Yankees, he was the team leader and captain.  And now more than 20 years removed, he remains a favorite of collectors today.

Happy Birthday to Donnie Baseball!!