TTM Success: Hall of Famer, Mr. Ed ‘Whitey’ Ford!!!

TTM Success:  Hall of Famer, Mr. Ed ‘Whitey’ Ford!!!

This is ball number three that I sent out a few short weeks ago.  Amazingly, it took all three pitchers very little time to return these signed baseballs back to me.

First was Gaylord Perry(class of 1991), and then was Phil Niekro(class of 1997), and now ball number three signed by Whitey Ford(class of 1974) has been returned to me.

For Yankees fans, and baseball historians with an affinity for the game during the 1950s and 1960s, Whitey Ford was the cream of the crop.  A mighty pitcher, with the ability to win in big games, Ford was a fan-favorite on a team loaded with superstars!

Ford played 16 seasons in the big leagues – all of them with the Yankees.  During that time, he started 438 games while compiling a record of 236-106.  He was the American League’s CY Young Award winner in 1961 and he made 8 All-Star teams.  Whitey played in 11 World Series match-ups during his playing days, ultimately winning 6 World Series championships.

I am very excited to add this autographed baseball to my collection!!!

Thank you Mr. Ford!!!

 

Ernie Banks 2010 Topps ‘Cards Your Mom Threw Out’

Ernie Banks 2010 Topps ‘Cards Your Mom Threw Out’

Man I wish that this one was the real deal – this card is a true piece of art!!

Coming from the very popular subset ‘Cards Your Mom Threw Out’ in their 2010 set, Topps did a great job by adding this Ernie Banks card to their release. 

A reprint of the 1956 Topps card, the original version of this card is in my ‘Top 5 – Cards I Would Love To Own’ list.

There is not much else that I can say – But if my mom did happen to throw this one out, I would be so very disappointed!!

Paul Molitor 1989 Bowman

Paul Molitor 1989 Bowman

Not too bad of a debut card of Paul Molitor in their 1989 premier set…

Bowman did a pretty good job with this one – and by the looks of it, Molitor has lined either a single or a double into the gap between the center and right fielders.  If the photograph was zoomed out just a bit more, I may even be able to tell you what stadium this photo was shot at too!!!

Did You Know…

During his famous 56-game hitting streak from May 15 to July 16 in 1941, Joe DiMaggio banged out 56 singles and scored 56 runs.

**factoid courtesy of ‘Big League Trivia’

Happy Anniversary Tony Gwynn!!!

Happy Anniversary Tony Gwynn!!!

On this day in 1997, Tony Gwyn won the 8th and final batting championship of his career.  This title also put him at the top of the all-time list with the legendary Honus Wagner for the most in a career.

Taking a look back, Gwynn’s numbers are staggering:

Year	# of Hits	Average
1984	213	0.351
1987	218	0.370
1988	163	0.313
1989	203	0.336
1994	165	0.394
1995	197	0.368
1996	159	0.353
1997	220	0.372

That’s classic stuff right there – and the fact that he did that over a 14-season span is remarkable.

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary to Hall of Famer, Tony Gwynn!!!