TTM Success: Mark Grace!!!

In the last round of autograph attempts that I put in the mail I threw another envelope full of baseball cards to Mark Grace.

He has signed for me countless other times since I got back into collecting baseball cards and autographs, so I figured why not.

And now just 30 days later, my return envelope has arrived and once again Mark ‘Amazin’ Grace had delivered some great looking autographs for this loyal fan.

Check them out:

I told you that they looked great! 

This time I sent a horizontal card to Gracey.  I wanted to see how he would sign it, and personally of the cards that I have of him, this one from the 2000 Topps set showing him sliding into home plate is one of my favorites.

Mr. Grace – Thanks for the great memories.  And thanks again for the awesome autographs!!!

Dale Murphy 1987 Fleer

Dale Murphy 1987 Fleer

The uniform that Murphy is wearing on this 1987 Fleer baseball card is one of my favorites from my youth.  Each and every time that I see it I am first reminded of #3 himself.  And quickly after, my mind is filled with images of Bob Horner and Glenn Hubbard and Ken Oberkfell and many others. 

And while this card is not that exciting to look at, it is the exact reason why I collect – to recall and enjoy the incredible impact baseball and collecting baseball cards had on my youth!!!

Hey Fleer – Thanks for reminding me!!

1981 Topps ‘Record Breakers’ – Card #206 – Mike Schmidt

1981 Topps ‘Record Breakers’ – Card #206 – Mike Schmidt

“Schmidt Sets Home Run Mark For 3rd Sackers”

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 5, 1980

Phillies’ slugger Mike Schmidt led the major leagues with 49 home runs in 1980.  In the process he broke the all-time mark for round-trippers by a 3rd baseman.  The former record of 47 4-baggers was set by Eddie Matthews of the Milwaukee Braves in 1953.  Mike is especially proud of his 48th and final blast of the regular season as it came in the 11th inning and won the game which gave the Phillies the NL East pennant.

Happy Memorial Day!!!

If you have the day off from work, enjoy it.  If you have no school today, enjoy it. 

Take the time to relax a little today if you can.  3-day weekends do not come around often enough, so spend the extra time you have doing something you enjoy but can’t do as often as you’d like.

Happy Memorial Day to you all!!!

An Open Challenge To ALL Bloggers!!!

An Open Challenge To ALL Bloggers!!!

A very fun and interesting conversation broke out during lunch while at work the other day.  In fact, it continued throughout the remainder of the afternoon through emails, text messages, and phone calls.

Simply stated, the question was asked, “What is the greatest sporting event that you have watched?”  Not necessarily live, but the one that has permanently impacted you so much that you can vividly recall specifics about where you watched it, who you were with, and your emotional state as the story unfolded before your eyes.

Since this was a very general question, the stories ranged from the Tyson/Douglas fight to Michael Jordan’s shot to win his 6th NBA title to Mark McGwire hitting home run #62 and so on….  And the stories were funny and filled with emotion.

And of course I shared some of my favorites too.

And then I started thinking about this blog.  And baseball.  And the great bloggers that I have met.  And what their favorite moments in baseball may be.

And that all led me to this – “An Open Challenge To ALL Bloggers!!!”

Share your stories.  If you had to select the Top 10 baseball stories/moments that defined the sport for you as a fan what would the be?  Did they occur during your youth or just last season?  And since the Internet is a visual media, try to find an image of that moment that captures that event how you recall it.  Sources like Ebay, Flickr, and other web-based image hosting sites should make this task not too difficult to accomplish.

What I am proposing is that we all take some time, a week sounds good, to filter through our memory banks to find our ‘Top 10 Baseball memories’ and let’s all publish them next Sunday.  Stories, images, memories – let’s share.  And if you want to try to rank them, go for it.  If not, that is fine too.

And once you’ve posted your story on your blog send me a link.  I’ll offer up a directory of sorts at “30-YOC” to have 1 central place to visit to find other bloggers and their Top 10 lists.

Are you up for the challenge?  I know that I am.  And it will be just as fun, if not more fun, to see what others selected for their lists too.

What are you waiting for?  Get going and start digging through your years and years of baseball memories to filter down to your Top 10 moments.

In an effort to build this into a nice group of blogger participation, I would appreciate it if anyone could mention this challenge on their blogs as well to help spread the word.

Thanks.  See you next Sunday!!!

Andre Dawson Game-Used 2001 SP Legendary Bats Card

Andre Dawson Game-Used 2001 SP Legendary Bats Card

Hey, another game-used bat card for my Andre Dawson collection.

I really like the overall look of this card.  It has a subtle background that makes the piece of lumber really stand out as the feature of the card.  The picture that the card contains is nice, but I think if it were in color versus Black and White it would be much better. 

A nice vintage-look and feel from this 2001 SP Legendary Bats Card!!!

Tim Raines 1984 Donruss

Tim Raines 1984 Donruss

While I like the picture, and the colors of this baseball card are vivid and bright, I just don’t get very excited by too many of the 1984 Donruss base cards.

Raines had a great season in ’84.  He hit .309 while collecting 192 hits.  His on-base percentage that year was .393 which helped lead to his 75 stolen bases and 106 runs scored.  In 622 at-bats, Raines struck out just 69 times – exactly what you want from your lead-off hitter!!  Raines’ output was impressive in ’84 – he was selected again as a member of the National League All-star team and he also finished in 11th place for the MVP vote.

A nice addition to my Tim Raines collection, but not that great of a card…

Happy Birthday Manny Ramirez!!!

One of the most exciting players in the sport turns 38 years old today.

And even while he is slowed down by nagging injuries, Manny Ramirez stands alone as baseball’s biggest personality and one of it’s best players.  I cannot recall a time in this decade that Manny’s name has not been a headline.   He is an extremely talented player with a persona to match.

We all know that Manny can hit the ball as well as any of today’s superstars.  We also know that his dedication to the sport and his teammates has been in question for years.  But, we cannot argue that as a single player in a team game, he makes his team perform to a higher level when he is around, and his teammates excel when he is on the roster.

For Manny’s 38th birthday, I would love to see him get a fresh start for the second half of this 2010 season.  Watch out, because the Dodgers are coming and Manny will be the one driving the train!!!

Happy Birthday Man-Ram!!! 

Roy Halladay Throws A Perfect Game Against The Florida Marlins!!!

Roy Halladay Throws A Perfect Game Against The Florida Marlins!!!

I had been waiting for this match-up ever since the projected starters were announced 4-5 days ago.  Josh Johnson and Roy Halladay battling each other – it doesn’t get much better than that!

And this one was a masterpiece.  I watched every pitch of this game, and both guys were in control –  But Halladay was perfect!!!

I had fun doing a Twitter-esque report throughout the game, and now that it is over and Roy Halladay has thrown the 20th perfect game in major league history, I am thrilled to have watched it from start to finish.

Congratulations  ‘Doc’!!!!

 

Frank Robinson 1970 Topps All-Star

Frank Robinson 1970 Topps All-Star

I am thrilled to add this 1970 Topps All-star card of Frank Robinson to my vintage baseball card collection.

One of my favorite legends, I always want to learn more about a player that I consider to be one of the most dynamic and complete offensive players that the game has ever witnessed.

Let’s take a peek to see just how Mr. Robinson did during that 1970 baseball season.

During that season, Robinson collected 144 hits in 471 at-bats – good for a .306 batting average.   He smacked 24 doubles and 25 home runs while also scoring 88 runs and driving in 78 too.  His sharp eye at the plate led to his .398 on-base percentage. 

But, the biggest accomplishment that Robinson enjoyed during that season was winning the World Series with the Orioles.  This was Robinson’s second of three World Series championships, and his winning ways certainly elevated his status as one of the sport’s greats.

Such a great card!!!