Dale Murphy 1985 Topps
To honor Murphy’s retirement, I thought it would be fitting to show off a new card in my collection that honors him.
This is the base card of Murphy from the 1985 Topps set.
While not exceptional, the card does look pretty good. The color scheme works very well with the Braves’ uniform. And the centering of Murphy in this shot has been nicely done.
A great addition for my Dale Murphy collection!!
1993 Headline: Dale Murphy Retires!!
On this day in 1993, 2-time MVP Dale Murphy retired from the sport of professional baseball.
One of my favorite players as a kid, Murphy’s retirement in 1993 was the start of seeing some of my idols leave the sport of baseball.
My memories of watching Dale Murphy play are endless. Being a fan of the sport, and having no ‘home’ team to cheer for in Florida during my childhood, I drifted to the teams I was able to watch on television. WTBS, WGN, and WOR game me my baseball fix. And of the guys that I drifted towards – Murphy was prominent.
His skills as a player were endless. Whether it was delivering home runs or making incredible plays in the outfield, Dale Murphy was one of the best players in the game for more than a decade – and I enjoyed watching all of it!!
Happy Birthday Mr. Murphy!!
‘The Big Hurt’ turns 42 years old today.
I have to say that of all of the players in the 40-ish age group that are no longer active, I think that Frank Thomas still could be a great contributor in the majors today. Thomas was a rare player and his offensive abilities were limitless. Had it not been for injuries that effected his daily performance and eventually prematurely ended his career, Thomas would certainly have gone down as one of the greatest ‘Big Men’ in the sport.
His resume is impressive – a 2-time MVP, 521 home runs, .301 lifetime batting average, 1,704 RBI, 2,468 career hits.
Next up for ‘The Big Hurt’? Cooperstown!!!
Happy Birthday Mr. Thomas!!
My Newest Andre Dawson Signed Baseball Is Home!!!
And it’s a beauty!!!
Barely two weeks after sending another autograph request to ‘The Hawk’, I have been treated to a quick return and another great looking signature.
Take a look:
I told you – PHENOMENAL!!!
I finally have my ’1977 Rookie of the Year’ ball, and I could not be happier.
Flawlessly signed by my favorite player, this is a wonderful addition to the collection I am building that honors Andre.
Posted in Andre Dawson Collection, Autographs, Chicago Cubs, Stars from the 80's
Tagged all-star, Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson Collection, autographed baseball, autographed baseball collection, Autographs, baseball, baseball cards, boston red sox, Chicago Cubs, collection, collector, Cubs, Expos, Florida/Miami Marlins, gold glove, Hall Of Fame, hobby, HOF, Marlins, montreal expos, most valuable player, MVP, red sox, silver slugger
1975 Topps Cincinnati Reds Teams Set – Card #320 – Pete Rose
Pete Rose was the epitome of offense for most of his playing days. An absolute menace both at the plate and on the bases, Rose drove his opposition crazy. And coupled with his top-notch skills as a hitter, Rose was the ignition that kept the Cincinnati Reds firing on all cylinders.
Rose played 24 seasons in the big leagues, spending 19 of them in Cincinnati. The game’s all-time hits leader, Rose amassed over 3,300 hits with the club while also scoring 1700+ runs for the team. During his days with the Reds, Rose was selected as an All-star 13 times while collecting 2 Gold Glove awards. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1963 while winning the Most Valuable Player award ten seasons later in 1973.
Rose made it to the World Series four times with the Reds. He was part of both championship winning teams in 1975 & 1976.
Progress – 33/34
Posted in 1975 Cincinnati Reds Team Set
Tagged 1975 topps, 1986 topps, 4192 hits, all-star, baseball, baseball card show, baseball cards, baseball legend, baseball record, big red mahine, Cincinnati Reds, collection, hobby, most valuable player, MVP, pete rose, philadelphia, phillies, reds, topps, world series
Tim Raines 1988 Score
Another beauty from the 1988 Score baseball card set. And this time, it’s of Tim ‘Rock’ Raines.
By now you all know that the premier issue from Score has really gown on me since my return to the hobby. Of all of the cards that I have picked up from that time, it is the 1988 Score set that I find myself having the most consistent feelings towards.
I collected the hell out of this set when it debuted in ’88. If my memory serves correct, I had between 5-6 complete sets. The packs were easy to find and very affordable which made completing the set an easy task.
The card below, like many others in the set, looks fantastic!! A perfect picture, centered perfectly and very symmetrical, makes the card easy on the eyes. Score used a solid card stock for their cards, and did not apply too glossy of a finish which also helped with the cards overall look and feel.
A great addition to my Tim Raines player collection – 1988 Score!!!
Throwing Two Baseballs In The Mail!!!
The title of this post says it all. While on the way to work this morning, I am throwing two baseballs into the mailbox in hopes of some new additions to my signed baseball collection.
The recipients?? You want to know where these baseballs are headed???
How about a little more build up first.
2 guys that sign through the mail for a small fee…
2 guys that played during the 70′s and 80′s…
2 guys that pitched brilliantly during their careers…
2 guys with incredibly amazing facial hair….
2 Hall of Famers…
Any guesses???
The two baseballs I dropped off this morning are being sent to Mr. Rollie Fingers and Mr. Rich ‘Goose’ Gossage.
Wish me luck. As soon as these balls are returned back safely to me, I will share the results with all of you!!!
My Haul From “The Andre Dawson Firesale”
When Craig contacted me a few weeks ago and informed me that he would be breaking up his Andre Dawson collection, he also asked me to send over my Dawson checklist as he should have a nice stack of cards to help fill some voids in my collection. I obliged, and just a few short days later we struck a deal for a healthy serving of Dawson cards that would be heading my way.
At the same time, he listed 100 Dawson-related auctions on Ebay and I won 6 of them.
Everything has arrived, and it all looks incredible.
Here is the haul:
Tons of O-Pee-Chee cards.
Lots of Red Sox cards.
A great stack of Marlins cards.
A healthy dose of modern cards featuring old school images.
A few premium singles.
5 new autographed cards for my ‘Ultimate Dawson’ collection.
And 1 more certified autograph too.
64 glorious cards!!!
I told you that it was quite a haul!!!
This addition of cards take my Dawson PC to a whole new level.
And while I don’t want to be premature by calling this ‘Haul #1′, it is very safe to say that I will be bidding again when Craig’s next round of auctions near their close.
If you want to add some great cards of Andre Dawson to your collection from a trustworthy seller, check out Craig’s auctions here. And if you win, tell him that ’30-YOC’ sent you. He’ll hook you up with a shipping discount!!!
Thanks Craig!
Posted in Andre Dawson Collection, Autographs, Chicago Cubs, Stars from the 80's
Tagged all-star, Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson Collection, autographed baseball, autographed baseball collection, Autographs, baseball, baseball cards, boston red sox, Chicago Cubs, collection, collector, Cubs, Expos, Florida/Miami Marlins, gold glove, Hall Of Fame, hobby, HOF, Marlins, montreal expos, most valuable player, MVP, red sox, silver slugger
Certified Autograph – Marlins’ Ace Josh Johnson
This card comes from the 2006 Upper Deck ‘Special Endorsements’ set. Featuring an autograph from Josh Johnson, I couldn’t resist grabbing this on Ebay for just $2.50.
Johnson is one of the best young pitchers in the game today. Physically, he is impressive and his power pitching backs up his immense presence on the mound. While the Marlins have several ‘project’ pitchers in their rotation and bullpen, Johnson has been the picture of consistency and I am hopeful that he earns his second trip to the All-star game in a few months.
This is just the second autograph that I have obtained of Josh, but I have seen quite a few more. I have to say that he has one of the most consistent signatures in the game right now. Take a look at the ‘J’ and the ‘H’ in both his first and last name – they are exactly the same.
A great autograph for my collection from one of my favorite pitchers in the game today!!!
Posted in Autographs, Florida/Miami Marlins, Josh Johnson Collection
Tagged 2010 baseball season, all-star, autograph, autograph collection, autograph collector, autographed baseball card, autographed baseball cards, baseball, baseball cards, certified autograph, contract extension, cy young, cy young award, Florida/Miami Marlins, josh johnson, Marlins, pitcher, pitching staff, starting pitcher
‘On The Road With psugator02′ – May 22, 2010
Saturday, May 22
Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park
Coral Gables, Fla.
Virginia at Miami
12-5:15 p.m.
I roasted but at least I got to see a good game. Made the mistake of wearing my Gators’ shirt so I got a few comments for that (but at least they were in fun). I was told that my ticket cost $45 and thought the cashier was being serious until I realized he was poking fun at me for my UF allegiances. Saw Miami Heat coach Eric Spoelstra but didn’t have anything for him. Got lucky that it was Fan Appreciation Day and uncut sheets of team cards were being given out. I grabbed two. On to the totals:
Thomas Powers: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Joe Lovecchio: 1/1 (uncut sheets)
Steven Ewing: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Thomas Powers: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Chantz Mack: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
David Villasuso: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Taylor Wulf: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Frankie Ratcliff: 3/3 (uncut sheets, SG custom)
Eric Erickson: 2/2 (uncut sheets, UM program)
Chris Pelaez: 3/3 (uncut sheets, custom)….he went to JUCO for a year then transferred to U of Louisville, where I was born. Oddly enough never attended the Kentucky Derby. I guess the school always schedules away games during that week
Rony Rodriguez: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Michael Broad: 3/3 (uncut sheets, custom)…said he hadn’t read the wonderful story about him written in the local paper. told him that I’ve been to the Little League World Series and that I loved the electricity in the crowd and Broad suddenly got animated (remember that this is the kid whose Boynton Beach team won the LLWS back in 2003)
Zeke DeVoss: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Nathan Melendres: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
JD Arteaga: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Joe Mercadante: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Scott Lawson: 2/2 (uncut sheets)
Jim Morris: 2/2 (uncut sheets), 1/1 (UM baseball camp flier)…funny story: told him I saw UM recruit Nick Castellanos last night and Morris said he was awed by the kid’s play and that the kid would probably go pro if he were taken in the first round. Asked him if he had recruited Manny Machado, another local I’ve been graphing who is supposed to go to the Pirates with the No. 2 pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, and he replied, “No, he’s not a good student.” LOL
Harold Martinez: 9/9 (USA Olympic cards), 5/5 (USA Olympic cards)…actually apologized for not doing all of them the first time
Chris Hernandez: 4/6 (USA Olympic cards)…His dad told me the last time I graphed him that Hernandez always leaves two cards unsigned
Yasmani Grandal: 4/4 (8x10s)
Jerad Grundy: I had a custom but I’ll never get it done because, according to a fan, he was homesick and left UM (guess the girls in Illinois are hotter than those in Miami LOL)
