Fergie Jenkins Collection Adds a Few More Friends

I was able to pick up 2 more cards for my collection today.  Check them out…

A 1970 Topps  – ’69 National League Strikeout Leaders card with Fergie Jenkins, Bob Gibson, and Bill Singer.  I love these old League Leader cards and to have one with 2 of the most dominant pitchers of all time on it is a nice addition to my collection.

A 1972 Topps – ’71 National League Strikeout Leaders card with Tom Seaver, Fergie Jenkins, and Bill Stoneman.  Another great looking card with 2 HOF pitchers that dominated the 70’s.

Is the Set Builder Endangered??

With all of the new styles and variations of cards out there today I have to wonder if set building is still a big part of collecting…

Back when I first started collecting cards it was fun to buy packs in hopes of landing more cards that would enable you to complete the set you were working on.  If packs didn’t give you what you needed, you always had a few friends willing to trade cards getting you closer to your goal.  And if that still failed there was the local baseball card store and their ‘box of commons’ that would surely get you to the finish line.

Does that excitement still exist among collectors today or has this gone by the wayside??  Has the thrill of completing a set that took work and effort been replaced by the hope of pulling a 1/1 jersey card?  With all of the new cards in the market toady is it possible to build sets anymore?  Does the old 792 card set from Topps even exist?  What about the 660 count sets from Fleer and Donruss?  Have these been replaced too?  What took over this part of the collecting world?  When did set building drop off of the radar??

The negative about set building was the extra common cards that came along with opening pack after pack searching for what was on your ‘Need List’.  Maybe this has caused the set builder to stray.  Too many extra cards that nobody wants is not a good thing.  Maybe it was getting to hard to find people or stores that had the cards needed to complete the sets. 

Who knows?  But, 1 thing I know for sure is that I do have the urge to build a set again.  I won’t do it now, but I will do it.  And like most of my hobby focus, I will probably build a set from the 1980’s.  I think it would be a great experience for my son to enjoy along with me.  Hell, it teaches some life lessons too – cherish what you own, keep things neat and organized, etc…

Happy Anniversary Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr.

On this day back in 1990, you guys became the first ever Father & Son dou to play in the same major league game as members of the same team.  Obviously this was a special time for the 2 of you – and each of you getting a hit in that game surely made it even more memorable.

Congratulations to 2 class acts!!!

Whatever Happened to Dale Murphy?

Dale Murphy was one of the most successful players in major league baseball during the 80’s.  His ability to hit for average while tallying home runs and RBI’s was rare for a player of that era.  Never regarded as a power hitter, Murphy surprised the baseball world by leading the league twice and finishing second three times in home runs during the 1980’s.

A consummate professional, Murphy was thought to be the perfect teammate.  Always willing to do what it took to help his team earn a victory was Murphy’s goal.  During the 1980’s Murphy won the MVP award 2 times and was a 7 time All-Star and 5 time Gold Glove winner. 

Known around the league as one of baseball’s most religious players, Murphy never let temptations get the better of him.  His beliefs did not allow for alcohol to be consumed or for him to appear on camera while not fully dressed.  If a player like this were to be playing the big leagues today, he would surely be the laughing stock of his teammates and peers.  But, for Murphy it was his way of life and he did a very commendable job sticking to his beliefs.

Today, Murphy works with several charities and also spends time helping prospective athletes achieve their goals.  Dale Murphy has been a very vocal player in the fight against steroids as well as other performance enhancing drugs and has even started his own non-profit organization to help kids to stay clean.

To support Dale Murphy and his pledge to keep kids away from steroids, check out Iwontcheat.com.

The King of Pop is 50 Years Old Today!!!

What is left to say about Michael Jackson that hasn’t already been said??  Probably nothing at all.

So I will just say ‘Happy Birthday Michael’. 

I remember seeing you in concert in 1984 when I was 9 years old.  I was in the last row of the upper deck at the Orange Bowl in Miami with my family.  I remember wearing my Silver glove to the show and staying out way past my bedtime.  At the time you were at the pinnacle of your career with the release of ‘Thriller’.

With everything that you have been through and supposedly put others through over the last 20 years, I will sit back and prefer to remember you this way and this was only…

Man I feel old!

Again With the Game Used Memorabilia Card…

So, by now you should know my story about being screwed when I bought my first Game Used Jersey Card.  If not, take a minute to read about my Fergie Jenkins Game Used jersey card.

But, I couldn’t resist trying this again.  With some of the feedback I got as well as doing a little on-line research I wanted to give it another shot as I find these cards very appealing and didn’t want one experience to ruin my feelings for the entire gimmick.

Check this out:

Pretty sweet huh?  I am a big Dave Winfield fan and when I saw this on Ebay for only $2.50 I figured the risk was worth the reward. 

Then I got it in the mail…  I was so eager to read on the back of the card that this piece of bat was taken from a bat used by Winfield during a Yankee game.  But again I have been fooled. “You have received a Dave Winfield game-used baseball card.  On the front of this card is a piece of memorabilia that has been certified to us as having been used in an official Major League Baseball game.  We hope you enjoy this piece of MLB history, as we continue to keep you as close to the game as you can get.”

Talk about an impersonal message.  Jeez, 1 once knew someone that dated someone that was the babysitter for your uncle.  I mean come on, this is ridiculous.  These cards are being peddled around as a piece of the game that the fan can own at a reasonable price.  But, truth be told, nobody knows where this piece of wood came from and there is no way that there could be any proof that Dave Winfield ever came within 100 miles of it.

That’s it.  I am officically done with all Game Used memorabilia cards!!!  100% DONE!!!  Am I expecting more than what I believe these cards are supposed to deliver?

5. That is my Final Answer….

…Well, at least for now it is.

Ok, I have been back into the baseball card collecting game for a little less than 1 month now.  After having been away from the hobby for 15+ years it took me some time to figure out where I wanted to focus my attention.  Although this is sure to change, I have settled on collecting specific players to start with.  I can’t say that I won’t bend the rules if something sparks my interest outside of these players.  But, my main concentration will be on them for a while.  I am also going to primarily stick with cards issued during the 1980’s and prior. 

So here we go.  These are the guys i will build collections of.  I have added ‘Categories’ for these players on my page so you can watch my collections of them grow…

1.  Billy Williams

2.  Fergie Jenkins

3.  Rickey Henderson

4.  Andre Dawson

5.  Dave Winfield

And there you have it.  5 guys that mean a lot to me and have meant a lot to the game of baseball.  I am eager to really put some energy into this.  I think that it will be a wonderful way to remember what some of these guys have accomplished over their careers.

I’m Sending One Out to Cameron Maybin too…

As a continuation to my earlier blog in which I am going to mail 9 letters out to former players in hopes of obtaining a few nice autographs to add to my collection…

I figured I might as well send my Cameron Maybin card out to him as well.  I have no idea where he will be playing next season(hopefully in South Florida for the Fish) so this may be my best chance to get his autograph before he joins in the Marlins.

I have no clue as to how much mail these minor league clubs get so I am eager to see how this goes too… 

I’ll keep you posted on how this turns out.

Hunting for Autographs…

If you saw the blog I posted last night you saw that I bought 9 cards at a local card shop.  You can read that post again here if you want to catch up. 

When you saw the scan of the cards I purchased you may have been a little puzzled as to why I would purchase such a diverse group of players.  These guys share little in common.  There is no player theme to be found.  There is no team theme to be found.

On the contrary my friends…  First off, all of these guys starred for their teams in the 80’s.  But the main thing that these 9 former players have in common is that each of them is affiliated with a MLB team today in some way or another.  Some are hitting coaches, bench managers, broadcasters, or special assistants. 

What I want to do is go back to trying something I was successful with 15+ years ago.  I am going to mail these former stars a letter asking for an autograph.  I’ll enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope too so they can just sign the card and return it to me.  Hopefully this works out well and I will update you as soon as the mail starts flowing back in my direction.

Everything will be out in the mail tomorrow.  I did this in kid of a rush as I wanted these to get to these former players before the season was over just in case any of them take their mail home during the off-season.

A special ‘Thank You’ goes out to Dinged Corners as their blog provides you with almost all of the info you would need to take on something like this.

It was shipped today….

I should get it early next week.  I’m pretty excited about what is coming in the mail…