Folder of Fun Additions

 One of the reasons I love Sportlots so much is I can grab truly fantastic cards for only 18 cents apiece. 

Check out this one:

I don't remember Youppi, the mascot for the defunct Expos, but how could I pass this card by knowing it was out there?

I'm sure you've seen this Roger McDowell card from 1992 Triple Play. I was hoping we would see a pitcher take to the mound with a utility belt this summer as a part of practical joke. Some got really upset (Max Scherzer) but most were okay with it. I guess I'm a little disappointed the current MLB landscape doesn't have a big jokester like McDowell was known for being. 

Oh, Paul Noce. Poor guy!  Nah, I figure that ball is either glued to pants seat or perhaps some concoction of pine tar and gum has been applied?

Steve Sparks... wasn't he a knuckleball guy? Regardless, this card just makes me smile. I hope it put a smile on your face as well!

Enjoy the holidays!

Rooting for Buck

 Later this evening MLB Network will reveal the names of those players from the Early Baseball Era and Golden Days Era who are to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Each of the ballots consist of ten players, and 75% of the 16 person selection committee needs to vote for an individual to get the nod. You can find more information about the selection process and the different committees at the National Baseball Hall of Fame's website.

 I have opinions about many of the twenty combined names on the ballots, but I'm all-in on one particular individual: Buck O'Neil. 

 I visited the Negro League Baseball Museum in January of 2008, which started me down a rabbit hole about the often underrecognized Negro Leagues. I've learned a lot about many of the greats, like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and Cool Papa Bell, but Buck O'Neil has become my favorite. 

 I actually had a somewhat comprehensive write-up on O'Neil's career and influence when I was counting down my favorite bobbleheads in my collection back in 2012.  Buck O'Neil's name is all over the game of baseball. 

Since then I have been tracking down baseball cards which focus on the Negro Leagues and anything Buck O'Neil related which I may happen upon. Yes, in fact, he is represented in my Folder of Fun.

Dreams Fulfilled and artist Graig Kreindler produced a 184 card set celebrating the Negro Leagues during the summer of 2020. I wrote a blogpost after purchasing a copy of the set and the first two cards I spotlighted were of Buck O'Neil. 

Fast forward to this past summer and I read The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America.  This book was just the pick-me-up I needed after a year of pandemic teaching. Buck seemed to have had such a positive influence on everyone he met and he possessed a special talent of being able to put a positive spin on nearly every situation. 

 Recently, I've jumped back into blogging a bit by showing off Mail Day purchases. A particularly special one arrived a week ago, but I saved it for today's post. 

I never met Mr. Buck O'Neil, but Joe Posnanski's book resonated so strongly within me that I felt I needed to immortalize Buck within my own collection. I haven't been this excited about adding a singular card to my handcrafted storage box in quite sometime.  Assuredly, this card was a pricey acquisition, but completely worth it.  

Good luck today, Buck!

Cardboard Emotions

 I'm not sure about you, but when I reach into the mailbox I can have any number of emotions wash over me. For instance, my inner child is very much Oscar Azocar when an expected trade package arrives.

I had a PWE land in the mailbox the other day which left me more like Bret Saberhagen:

It was the unexpected variety of PWE, which often gives me pause. 

Then when I ripped it open I found a note.

The note left me all like John Wettleland:

Actually, I'm pretty sure I made that same face after reading Jeff's note.

Shortly after I was down in the card room flipping through the contents and I felt like a big fan boy, or Mickey Hatcher in this case. Gosh, I love fun cardboard!

The cards Jeff, from Wax Pack Wonders, sent me where very much en fuego 🔥🔥🔥, much like the Mickey's "hot foot" on the back of the very same card above. 

Sometimes the contents of a PWE or bubble mailer leaves me feeling like I'm a pretty big deal, like Mark Portugal.

Then I remember all those breakers with their fancy YouTube videos and BIG HITS and that puts me back in my proper place. 

I doubt very much I'll every need a camera like Doug Jones' or Bully Ripken's in my little corner of the hobby world. My trusty iPhone seems to do just fine for the blog.

My little corner is full of cards with guys wearing two gloves and players snuggling up to their bats.

And, I wouldn't change a thing.

Thanks for the much appreciated PWE, Jeff!

Folder of Fun: The Last Page

The Folder of Fun, as I like to call it, has been in the works for about three years. That's about the time I stopped buying retail and hobby packs and began tracking down cards which fit a certain general description: FUN.  Here's a link to the first post in this series if you'd like to go back and catch up. 

Page 28 brings us to the last page of the Folder of Fun. It's been fun showing off cards I've been squirreling away the last few years. Like Page 27, the last page also contains iconic cards and iconic players. Enjoy!

1990 Upper Deck, #34 - Nolan Ryan 5000 Strikeouts

I feel like cards of Nolan Ryan are littered throughout the Folder of Fun. I guess that's the result of being a kid when a generational talent like Ryan is breaking records left and right. He made quite an impression on me.

1996 Topps Mickey Mantle Commemorative Card Set, #2 of 19

This is a reprint of maybe the most recognized baseball card ever produced.

2011 Tri-Star OBak, #15 - Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn

When I was in middle school and trying to learn about as much baseball history as I could, I would flip through the pages of an old copy of the Baseball Encyclopedia looking for notable players, teams, and stat lines. When I got Old Hoss' 1884 season it blew my mind. It'll blow yours, too.

1991 Upper Deck, #744 - Bo Jackson

In downstate Illinois this card was one of the hottest back in 1991.

1976 Topps, #74T - Oscar Gamble

Off-centered, but I love my '76 Oscar Gamble card all the same.

1991 Topps, #170 - Carlton Fisk

This is artwork on a 2.5-inch by 3.5-inch canvas.

2011 Epoch, #PR6 - Sadaharu Oh

This card came to my collection through the generosity of Zippy Zappy. Sadaharu Oh hit 868 homers in his career. It's my only card of baseball's all-time home run king.

2016 Topps "Berger's Best" Insert, #BB-2 - Satchel Paige

This is a 2016 reprint of a card I would so desperately love to add to my collection. Maybe some day!

1990 Score, #697 - Bo Jackson

Bo Knows. Has there been a better sports marketing campaign in the last 30 years?

Well, that puts a wrap on my Folder of Fun. Over the past couple of years I've been more binder focused and I've centered my attention on adding to the pages of certain binders. I think if I had to assign a pecking order to my favorite binders it would look like this:

1. Vogelmonster player binder
2. Hall of Fame binder (one card for each HOF player)
3. Folder of Fun
4. Sandberg player binders #1 & #2
5. Cubs Frankenset binder

I'm happy I was able to show off on of my most treasured binders.

How about you? Are you a binder person? Which one is your favorite?

Folder of Fun: Page 27

The Folder of Fun, as I like to call it, has been in the works for about three years. That's about the time I stopped buying retail and hobby packs and began tracking down cards which fit a certain general description: FUN.  Here's a link to the first post in this series if you'd like to go back and catch up. 

Page 27 is our penultimate page (hat tip to Nachos Grande for teaching me the word) of the Folder of Fun. The last two pages focus on cards which I am simply attracted to for one reason or another. For the most part these pages feature iconic players or in some cases they are iconic pieces of cardboard in our hobby. 

2005 Topps Pristine, #128 - Buck O'Neil

The contributions Buck O'Neil made to the game of baseball cannot be quantified. I definitely needed to find a card of his to add to this folder.

2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces, #8 - Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig on the day he retired from baseball. What a sad moment.

1991 Upper Deck, #SP1 - Michael Jordan

This is arguably Jordan's most coveted baseball card.

2010 Topps National Chicle, #240 - Cy Young

Cy Young has an award named for him, which in itself is enough to qualify for inclusion into the Folder of Fun. Bonus points for the spider!  If the Cleveland Indians ever go through a re-branding I hope Cleveland Spiders is taken under consideration. 

2001 Topps "What Could Have Been" Insert, #WCB1 - Josh Gibson

Josh Gibson is my second favorite Negro League Player. You'll see my #1 at the end of this post.

Business Card for Sports Card Heaven

This is actually the backside of a business card for a sports card shop in Ft. Lauderdale, which shows the stars of Baseball's Sad Lexicon.

1998 Topps, #21 - Roberto Clemente

Clemente was such an amazing player and from everything I've read he was an even better human being. I love the flag of Puerto Rico in the background.

1990 Upper Deck "Baseball Heroes" Insert, #18 of 18 - Nolan Ryan

Seven no-hitters and 5,714 strikeouts over 27 seasons. Yep, Nolan Ryan was something else.

2016 Topps Gypsy Queen, #324 - Satchel Paige

Satchel Paige was such a character: Super talented, a total showman and he had plenty of moxie to spare.

Which card is your favorite from Page 27? If I had to choose one it probably be the Lou Gehrig card from Upper Deck's Masterpieces set. It's beautifully executed and documents such an important moment in baseball history.

Stay tuned for the last page of the ever growing Folder of Fun.

Folder of Fun: Page 26

The Folder of Fun, as I like to call it, has been in the works for about three years. That's about the time I stopped buying retail and hobby packs and began tracking down cards which fit a certain general description: FUN.  Here's a link to the first post in this series if you'd like to go back and catch up. 

Page 26 shows off nine more cards today from the "Tells a Story" section from the Folder of Fun.  

1991 Studio, #260 - Bud Black and Steve Decker

As a kid I found this card interesting because I believe we had a Black and Decker coffee pot or something in our kitchen. It's not as novel to me now, but it still makes the cut.

1991 Score, #841 - The Griffeys

Baseball at its best: a father-son duo playing on the same team. Does it get any better than that?

2009 Tri-Star Obak, #28 - Pat Venditte

I read an article about Pat Venditte, the switch pitcher, when he was in college at Creighton. I've always thought having him in the bullpen would be like rostering an extra player, one who could be both a lefty and righty specialist. Unfortunately, he was buried in the Yankees' system for far too long, because he didn't throw very hard, but he did put up good numbers in the minors. He made his MLB debut with Oakland at the age of 30 in 2015.
He's pitched a total of 68 innings in MLB, with his best run coming with the Dodgers in 2018.
Venditte was a volunteer at a couple of local winter camps hosted by Ben Zobrist. He can still be seen working out in P-town at a local indoor baseball facility from time-to-time.

1984 Fleer, #638 - The Pine Tar Incident with George Brett and Gaylord Perry

This card helps remind me that Gaylord Perry tried to hide the bat after the incident. What a crazy moment in baseball history.

1991 Donruss, #744 - Dr. Dirt and Mr. Clean with Lenny Dysktra and Dale Murphy

Dale Murphy feels like the poster boy for the straight-and-narrow. Lenny Dykstra is anything but.

1986 Donruss, #645 - Phil and Joe Niekro, the Knuckle Brothers

The knuckleball sure could extend the career of a pitcher. Phil is 45 and Joe is 40 years old in this picture. The two Niekros would pitch a total of 46 seasons between them before calling it quits.

2009 Tri-Star Obak, #44 - Steve Dalkowski

Steve Dalkowski passed away in April of 2020, so maybe you've heard of him. He is said to have been the hardest throwing pitcher ever and he was the inspiration for the character Nuke LaLoosh in the movie Bull Durham. If you have a second take a look at his 1958 or 1960 seasons, specifically the number of innings he pitched and how they compare to his walk and strikeout totals. You won't be disappointed!

2014 Panini Golden Age, #52 - Eddie Gaedel

Gaedel was 3'7" and walked on four pitches in his only plate appearance. Gaedel was one of Bill Veeck's more widely known publicity stunts and he was introduced to the baseball world between games of a doubleheader when he popped out of a cake wearing a baseball uniform with the number 1/8 on the back.

1992 Upper Deck, #82 - Cal Jr. and Billy Ripken

Brothers turning two. Just fantastic. 

For the next Folder of Fun post we'll focus on some of the more iconic cards and players in baseball's history.
Thanks for reading!

Folder of Fun: Page 25

The Folder of Fun, as I like to call it, has been in the works for about three years. That's about the time I stopped buying retail and hobby packs and began tracking down cards which fit a certain general description: FUN.  Here's a link to the first post in this series if you'd like to go back and catch up. 

Here's the second page of the "Tells a Story" section. Good stuff all the way around!

2015 Topps - Whatever Works insert, #WW-3 - Wade Boggs

Wade Boggs used to dine on chicken before every meal. Fun fact: Boggs' Twitter handle is @ChickenMan3010.

2011 Tri-Star Obak, #95 - Fred Merkle

You may have heard about the story of "Merkle's Boner." The boneheaded blunder benefited the Cubs and helped them secure the NL Pennant over the Giants in 1908.

1992 Upper Deck - Diamond Skills, #648 - Rickey Henderson

This card celebrates Rickey's swiping of career bag #939 and moving past Lou Brock to become to the all-time stolen base leader.

1990 Score, #550 - Dave Dravecky

I remember watching the replays of Dravecky breaking his arm pitching on ESPN. Ghastly stuff.

2017 Topps Stadium Club, #241 - Elvis Andrus

I'm going to miss the exploits between Andrus and Adrian Beltre. If you go to YouTube there are plenty of video compilations documenting the fun between these two players, but this one probably sums it up the best.

1992 Topps, #40 - Cal Ripken, Jr.

Ripken posing next to Gehrig's plaque. That's a spectacular card.

2010 Topps - Tales of the Game insert, #TOG-23 - Manny Ramirez

Honestly, I could probably add this whole insert set to the Folder of Fun, but this is the only one I own and I'm okay with that. Manny sure was a different character.

2010 Tri-Star Obak, #53 - Moe Berg

If you don't know about Moe Berg he is one of the more interesting and overlooked players in baseball's history. There was a book written about him, The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg. I was given a copy back in 2012 for my birthday. It's a good read, especially if you history and baseball.

1991 Conlon Collection, #184 - Moe Berg

Here's the backs of the two Berg cards:

If you're not into reading, there was also a movie put out in 2018, The Catcher Was a Spy.

There's one more "Tells a Story" page on deck. Stay tuned!