Joe Morgan 1965 Topps ROOKIE CARD!!!

Joe Morgan 1965 Topps ROOKIE CARD!!!

This one is long overdue…

I declared my desire to collect all of Joe Morgan’s baseball cards from his playing days more than six months ago.

That is when the wit began.  So, patiently, I waited.  and waited some more.  And then waited even more than that.

That patience finally paid off as I am now the proud owner of a 1965 Topps Joe Morgan rookie card.

Check it out:

In very good condition, I am so happy to finally bring this card into my collection.  When I start new player collections, I try to not let the money a single card may cost deter me from what I am trying to do.  I am trying to pay homage to my favorite players from prior generations so opting to not choose a player because his cards are too costly is not something I let affect my decisions.  Instead, I wait and hunt and seek out the best options. 

And that is what I did, and now I have a great, possibly the greatest Joe Morgan card for my collection that pays tribute to his magnificent career!!!

Thanks.

‘On The Road With psuGator02’ – Ozzie Smith & Lou Brock – January 28, 2011

‘On The Road With psuGator02′ – Ozzie Smith & Lou Brock – January 28, 2011

Roger Dean Stadium
Jupiter, Fla.
Friday, January 28
4:30-5:20 p.m.
Cardinals’ fantasy camp

I feel like I’ve been loafing because I haven’t done much graphing lately. I think today may have made up for all of that. I wasn’t at the stadium 45 minutes when I saw Smith. He came out of the clubhouse for a few minutes, then walked back in. He was with a driver when he exited the clubhouse a second time. There were only two other graphers with me and both were amateurs. They waved at Smith, and he stopped his car and signed.

Ozzie Smith: 2/2 (baseball book in blue Sharpie, ROMLB in blue)….both with “HOF” inscriptions. I doubt he could have been any coolor. I was hoping for a picwith but that wasn’t possible considering he was still in the car
Lou Brock: 0/1, 0/1, 0/1 even refused the $40 I waved at him. He signed all day for campers, but to me: “I’m sorry, sir, but I am done signing today.” I don’t even know why I waste my time with him. I should just fork out the $75 to get my Perez-Steele poster done and then never worry about him again

1988 Fleer Superstar Specials – Card #626 – Bret Saberhagen, Mike Witt, & Jack Morris

1988 Fleer Superstar Specials – Card #626 – Bret Saberhagen, Mike Witt, & Jack Morris

“All Star Righties”

Bret Saberhagen, Mike Witt, and Jack Morris are three of the most dominant starting pitchers in the American League.  Each is the ace of his team’s pitching staff and all three were selected to the 1987 American League All-Star team.

After a disappointing 1986 season, Saberhagen reverted to his outstanding rookie form.  He won 18 games and hurled four shutouts.  He enjoyed a particularly impressive first half of the season, winning 15 games by mid-season.  He was the American League’s starting pitcher in the All-Star game.

Mike Witt won 16 games in 1987.  He has now was at least 15 games in the last four seasons.  On September 30, 1984, Mike became the 13th pitcher in baseball history to pitch a perfect game.

In 1987 Morris anchored the American League East Champion Detroit Tiger pitching staff.  He won 18 games and registered 208 strikeouts.  He has won more games in this decade than any pitcher in major league history.

Happy Birthday Nolan Ryan!!!

Nolan Ryan turns 64 years old today.

One of the most dominant and competitive pitchers that the game has even seen, Nolan Ryan was a player admired by many.  His hard work and dedication to his craft made him a very well respected player with his teammates, peers, and fans.

It’s hard to believe that we will soon be entering the 18th season since ‘The Ryan Express’ derailed his baseball career.  For any collector and baseball fan in general that was active in the 1980’s, we all have a Nolan Ryan moment ingrained in our heads.  For me, it was the speech I did in 10th grade about Ryan’s incredible feat of 5,000 K’s.  I actually had the game taped and used the strikeout of Rickey Henderson as the ‘ice breaker’.  It was pretty cool and I believe I got an A for the speech.  I remember saying something along the lines of ‘Nolan Ryan has done this 5,000 times.  Nolan Ryan did this 1,500 times before any of us were born.’

Anyways, ‘Happy Birthday’ to one of the game’s ultimate competitors!!!  Nolan Ryan is and will always be remembered as the guy that was unbelievably dominant yet was never rewarded with an individual honor for his pitching performances. 

Happy Birthday Ernie Banks!!!

Amazingly, Ernie Banks is turning 80 years old today.  I have seen recent pictures of Ernie at various Cubs and baseball related events and he looks great!!

‘Mr. Cub’ will always be the most popular and respected player from the Chicago Cubs organization.  His 19-seasons of perfection in a Cubs uniform still remain as fond and vibrant memories for the ‘North Siders’.  Banks’ 512 career home runs and season after season of MVP caliber baseball earned him a Hall of Fame induction in 1977 on the first ballot.

Unfortunately Banks never played 1 single inning, never batted 1 time, never took the field 1 time in the playoffs.  For someone that means so much the sport of baseball and specifically to the city of Chicago, it would have been great to see Ernie Banks play when the games counted the most! 

‘On The Road With psuGator02’ – UNC Tarheels Basketball – January 26, 2011

‘On The Road With psuGator02’ – UNC Tarheels Basketball – January 26, 2011

Bank United Center
Coral Gables, Fla.
7:15-10:15 p.m.
Wednesday, January 26

Had no idea what to expect since this was my first time ever doing postgame in Coral Gables. Having to be up at 6 a.m., it’s just too far for me during the week. But I’ve decided to do the elite teams when I can. Let’s just say that I was pleasantly surprised with my UNC totals after hearing so many horror stories. The graphing part was amateur hour for me as I decided to try a silver paint pen on a few of the photos. In 25 years of graphing, my staple has been the blue Sharpie. I still like the paint pen, I guess, but I’m gonna have to figure out how to perfect it.

It couldn’t have been a better situation considering Harrison Barnes, the only player I really wanted, hit the winning three-pointer for UNC with only a few seconds left in the game. I thought I might have a chance at a few guys if I stood near the court’s exit. But not one person stopped, though coach Roy Williams did shake a few hands. Got to the bus a few minutes later and it didn’t take long before UNC started boarding. Luckily for me, players, for the most part, came out every few minutes, making them easier to graph. Every single person associated with the team stopped and signed autographs AND posed for pictures if asked.

Roy Williams: 1/1 (8×10) in silver paint, 1/1 (8×10) in blue Sharpie. The paint on the first ran because, and this is a guess, Williams pushed the pen into the photo when he finished signing it. I showed him the gob of paint at the end of his graph and he asked, “Did I do that?” I then gave him another photo and he signed that as well, this one in blue Sharpie. I asked him to inscribe “HOF” but his response was, “I don’t feel comfortable doing that. But you can go ahead and write that on there yourself.”
Reggie Bullock: 2/2  in blue Sharpie
John Henson: 2/2 in silver paint….the amateur that I am, I didn’t let the paint dry on the first so it smeared. I had him sign it again and this time he signed in the perfect spot. I just hope I can erase the smeared graph. The graph on the other 11 that he signed was beautiful but not in the best spot
Harrison Barnes: 1/1 in black Sharpie, 1/1 in blue Sharpie, 0/1…I knew he was going to do the ball because he kept eyeing it as he signed for others. He walked to the middle of the bus after he finished the ball. I told him that I would give him the custom if he would sign the two 11s. Instead of taking the custom, he signed it and gave it back to me. I tried for a third, but he would have no part of it. I was able to get two out of him, but I could see this guy becoming VERY difficult. I was shocked that he didn’t ask to personalize either item.
Other: Former Heat star Tim Hardaway, UM QB Jacory Harris (was sitting near me with a number of attractive, half-naked women), Desmond Howard and Jimmy Graham were also in attendance.

Fergie Jenkins 2004 Leaf Certified Materials Game-Used Jersey Card

Fergie Jenkins 2004 Leaf Certified Materials Game-Used Jersey Card

Oh yeah baby – another great looking addition to my Fergie Jenkins collection!!

This one is a game-used jersey card that features a beautiful Cubbie-Blue pinstripe.

The card, numbered 41/82, looks great and features a photo of Fergie from his second stint with the team back in the mid 1980’s. 

And according to the back of the card, the swatch of material used on this particular card came from a pair of Fergie’s pants.  Hopefully they were dry-cleaned…  LOL!

One thing that I am a little puzzled by is the significance of the ’82’ theme that this card has throughout.  The die-cut space where the jersey has been affixed is in the shape of ’82’.  The note directly under the relic says ‘1982’ and the card is serial numbered to ’82’.

If anyone knows the significance of this number ’82’ and why it was used to frequently in the card’s design, please pass that information along!

Enjoy!

The 2011 Phungo’s Are Here!!!

The 2011 Phungo’s Are Here!!!

Sweet – my first crack at some 2011 baseball cards!!

These cards come courtesy of Paul, author of the blog Phungo.  Along with being a dedicated Phillies fan, Paul is also a card designer and this is the third straight season in which he has sent over some of his custom issues for ’30-YOC’.

So, without further ado, here is my haul from Phungo 2011…

 

In random order, you are seeing cards of the following current and former players:  Shane Victorino, Derrek Lee, Mickey Morandini, Hanley Ramirez, Robin Roberts(SP), and an Opening Day card from the Phillies and Nationals game.

The cards are sweet – of them can you guess which one is my favorite??

It’s not Hanley…  It’s not former Marlin and Cub Derrek Lee either…  And it’s not Shane Victorino…

My favorite card from this pack is…  Mickey Morandini!!!

Yep, ‘The Mick’.  Why you ask?  Any time I think of or hear the name Mickey Morandini, I get flashbacks of listening to Harry Caray try to pronounce that name – FUN every single time!!

Thanks for the memories Paul.  And the great cards too!!!

Jim Palmer 2010 Topps ‘Cards Your Mom Threw Out’

Jim Palmer 2010 Topps ‘Cards Your Mom Threw Out’

It’s not very often that I have picked up a card from this 2010 Topps ‘Cards Your Mom Threw Out’ series where I also own the original version.  And if I do own the original, it’s probably pretty accurate to say that the 2010 replica version is a much better quality and conditioned baseball card.

So, for this one of Jim Palmer – Yes, I do own the original 1966 Topps card, and now I have the replica of the same card that was created 44 years after the original.

Can you guess which one I like best?

Here’s a hint:

🙂

Tony Perez 1985 Donruss Highlights

Tony Perez 1985 Donruss Highlights

Now this is a card that works for me.

I am a sucker for cards that highlight events and accomplishments that were obtained on the baseball field.

And back in the mid-1980’s, Donruss did one heck of a job paying homage to every historic event that occurred – regardless of how minor or major the feat was.

This card of Tony Perez from the 1985 Donruss Highlights set celebrates Perez as the oldest major league player in the history of the game to connect for a Grand Slam.

And while Tony probably didn’t want to be thought of as ‘old’, something tells me that he was probably thrilled to be celebrated nonetheless…

A great addition to my Tony Perez collection!!!