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!

HOF Binder: Page 38

Here we are at the last page of the binder. Page 38 features another eight players I remember watching on television or in person. There is loads of variety in these eight pockets with cards from six different manufactures. Also, there are a couple of really well done cards here and it'll be tough for this collector to single out a favorite card by the end of the post.

Alright, let's dissect the HOF members from page 38!

1993 Topps, #573 -- Trevor Hoffman

 Trevor Hoffman was drafted by the Reds in 11th round of the 1989 draft as an infielder. He was a career 0.225 hitter in the minors before he started toeing the bump during the 1991 season. Hoffman earned 20 saves during the '91 season in the bush leagues, but the Reds tinkered with him as a starter in '92 and then left him available during the expansion draft and the Marlins selected him with the 8th pick. Fast forward and Hoffman finished with 601 saves (2nd all-time) and 2.87 ERA over 18 seasons. His devastating change-up helped him to two Rolaids Relief awards and seven All-Star games.

1992 Upper Deck - Top Prospects, #165 -- Chipper Jones

 Larry Wayne Jones was drafted first overall by the Braves in 1990. The switch-hitting third baseman flashed a solid glove at the hot corner, but it was his bat that helped him to stand out. During his first full season with the Braves he helped Atlanta win the World Series. He would go on to win the MVP in 1999, a batting title in 2008 at age 36, two Silver Slugger awards, and he was elected to eight All-Star games. Chipper finished his career with 468 homers, more walks than strikeouts, and a 0.303 batting average.

1981 Fleer, #475 -- Jack Morris

 Jack Morris was a horse. He was one of the last great starting pitchers who had a fair chance of finishing what he started. Eleven times he pitched from than 230 innings in a season and he finished his career with 175 complete games to go along with a 3.90 ERA and 254-186 win-loss record. Morris was a five time All-Star and he won three World Series titles (Detroit in '84, Minnesota in '91, and Toronto in '92). He was the MVP of the Fall Classic with the Twins when he pitched three games, including a ten inning complete game victory in Game 7 over the Braves.

1992 Pinnacle - Team 2000, #37 -- Jim Thome

 Jim Thome hit bombs during the Steroid Era and nobody ever questioned that he did it cleanly. Thome is a local product and his family, all big dudes, is known in the area for having light-tower power on the slow pitch softball fields. He came up as a third baseman, but as he filled out he moved across the diamond to first and eventually would settle in as the DH for his teams for a number of years. Thome was a five time All-Star and won one Silver Slugger (as a third baseman) over twenty-two years. During that time he hit 0.276 with 612 homers and a 0.956 OPS. I've said this before on the blog, but Thome is one of my favorite players of all-time.

1980 Topps, #232 -- Alan Trammell

 Alan Trammell played two decades at shortstop for the Tigers. The middle infielder could do a little bit of everything: four Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, six All-Star appearances, and a World Series MVP in 1984. For me, Trammell is in the discussion of "Who belongs in The Hall and who doesn't," but so are a couple others on this page. Overall, Trammell's numbers aren't anything to sneeze at as he finished his career with a 0.285 average, 185 homers, and 1,000+ runs and RBIs.

1982 Fleer, #336 -- Harold Baines

 Harold Baines was the first overall pick in the 1977 draft and spent about 40% of his time as an outfielder and the other 60% as a designated hitter during his 22 year career. Baines never hit thirty home runs in a season, but he finished his career with 384 round trippers. In total, Baines was a six time All-Star selection and he has one Silver Slugger to his credit. Baines finished his career with 2,866 hits and a 0.289 batting average.

1997 Bowman, #308 -- Roy Halladay

 Roy Halladay was another pitcher who could throw nine innings and it wouldn't surprise you. In fact, he led the league in complete games seven times during his sixteen year career. Halladay, known for being a fierce competitor, was elected to eight All-Star games and won two Cy Young awards. He was a great control pitcher and he topped the league in SO/W ratio five times during his career. Hallday's career record was 203-105 and he sported a nifty 3.38 ERA.

1989 Donruss - The Rookies, #15 -- Edgar Martinez

 It has been argued by some that Edgar Martinez is the best player in Mariner's history. That's quite a statement considering some of the other names: Junior, Big Unit, Ichiro and The Kid. Gar was a doubles machine who played all eighteen years of his career in Seattle. The fan favorite was a bit injury prone and eventually moved off of third base to DH during his age 32 season. Overall, he won two batting titles, five Silver Sluggers, and he was voted to seven All-Star contests. Martinez did not experience his first full season until age 27. Here are his batting averages at AAA in 276 games: 0.353 in 1985, 0.329 in 1987, 0.363 in 1988, and 0.345 in 1989. What were the Mariners thinking? He still managed to collect 2,247 hits, connect for 309 homers, and bat 0.312 for his career. 

Again, I really appreciate the variety of cardboard on this page. I thought at first the Thome card would be my favorite, but I can't get over the inaugural offering of Fleer and the Jack Morris card. It's a seldom seen action shot at the end of his delivery and the left field foul pole makes a cameo in the background. Very cool indeed. I believe all of these cards to be keepers, as they're all from pretty early in the careers of each player. Which one would you choose to be your favorite?

For the curious, here's a glimpse at the rest of the 2019 Hall of Fame class.

I won't offer an in depth post until the page is filled, which may take another couple years or so as I need to fill five more slots. Jeter is the only slam dunk for the 2020 class, but there are some holdovers from last ballot who will make it interesting.

Thanks for taking this journey with me through the my HOF Binder!

HOF Binder: Page 37

Some of the biggest names in cardboard from the last 30+ years are on this page. I think one of the reasons people love baseball so much is the history of the game. You have all of these numbers which helps one compare the greatness of Johnny Bench versus Pudge Rodriguez. I'm not sure which camp I belong in there, but I do know Pudge has way more cardboard offerings than Bench ever had.

Let's dive into this week's page and see which cards I chose to represent some of our more recent inductees into Cooperstown.

1990 Topps, #336 -- Ken Griffey, Jr.

Ken Griffey, Jr. is noted for having the sweetest swing of his generation. He was a tremendously gifted athlete and known for robbing sluggers of potential home runs. Griffey was elected to thirteen All-Star games, and he collected ten Gold Gloves and seven Silver Sluggers during his career. He won the AL MVP in 1995 when he helped carry Seattle to the post season for the first time in franchise history. The Kid finished his career with 630 homers, 2,781 hits and a 0.284 batting average. If he could have stayed healthy during the latter part of his career Griffey would have easily topped 3,000 hits and 700 round trippers.

1993 Donruss - Diamond Kings, #15 -- Mike Piazza

Mike Piazza might be known as the best slugging catcher of all-time. 396 of Piazza's career 427 home runs came as a catcher, which rank him #1 at the position. Piazza put together a six year stretch during the beginning of his career where he averaged 33 homers and 100+ RBI while batting 0.335. Those are some ridiculous numbers coming from any position player, let alone a backstop. Piazza, the 1993 Rookie of the Year, was a twelve-time All-Star and he earned ten Silver Slugger awards. He finished his career with 2,127 hits, a 0.308 batting average and an OPS of 0.922

1991 Donruss - The Rookies, #30 -- Jeff Bagwell

When I hear Jeff Bagwell's name the first thing that pops into my head is that weird crouch of a batting stance of his. It may have been different, but it provided results. Bagwell was the Rookie of the Year in 1991 and the MVP in 1994, when he had a slugging percentage of 0.750. He only played fifteen years, and if he would have stuck around a few more years his career home run total of 449 probably would have reached 500. Bagwell, part of the Killer B's in Houston, was twice a 30-30 performer and he finished his career with 202 steals and 0.297 batting average.

1982 Topps, #70 -- Tim Raines

Tim Raines, for my money, was an underrated ball player during his prime. There have been only a few ball players who could boast such numbers during their career and Rock Raines just happened to be playing north of the border when Rickey Henderson was starring in the Big Apple. Everyone talks about Rickey, but Raines, during his first seven seasons was as dynamic as any offensive player in the game. The switch hitter hit 0.310 with a 0.396 OBP and averaged 72 steals during that seven year stretch. Overall, he was a seven-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger recipient and he won the NL batting title in 1986. Raines finished his career with 2,605 hits, 170 homers and a 0.294 batting average.

1992 Topps, #78 -- Ivan Rodriguez

Ivan Rodriguez was a fourteen-time All-Star, an MVP in 1999, and he collected seven Silver Slugger awards. Pudge hit 311 homers and batted 0.296 for his career, but it was his defense that I remember best. He could block pitches, call a great game and handle a pitching staff . . . but that arm. Man, that arm. Rodriguez would send rockets down to any of the three bags, without warning, from his knees. In all, he threw out 46% of all would-be-base-stealers and he claimed thirteen Gold Gloves. He was truly a special talent.

1997 Topps, #5 -- Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero finished his career with 449 home runs and 0.318 batting average. Vlad was twice a 30-30 member, he won the AL MVP in 2004, he was elected to nine All-Star games and he was awarded eight Silver Slugger awards. Guerrero had a cannon for an arm in right field, but hitting was his calling card. He could hit anything thrown up to the plate from his nose to his toes. I always had a soft spot for Vlad the Impaler on my fantasy baseball rosters. Not only could the man rake, but he had an awesome nickname and seemed to be a fun loving dude.

My favorite card on the page this week is the 1997 Topps Vlad Guerrero. Sure, it's a posed shot, but it's so unique. Plus, a smiling Vlad for the win! Now, if I had an '89 UD Griffey, then that would surely be my favorite, but I've never broke down and bought one.

The '90 Topps Griffey and the '92 Topps Rodriguez both sport the Rookie Cup, which I'm partial to. Honestly, if I had nothing but Rookie Cup cards on any given page I think I would be okay with it.  The Donruss Bagwell serves as a nice nod to the many boxed sets from the '90s and I'm glad to finally add a Diamond King to the binder. Throw in a Tim Raines card where he's wearing the powder blue road Expos uniform and I think this page is truly a winner!

Thanks for stopping by this week!

HOF Binder: Page 36

Here. We. Go.  An entire page of guys we all remember from their playing days. And even better yet, two entire classes (with markers) fit perfectly within one 9-card page. Wonderful!

I think I'll try something a little different this week. I'll give you a brief rehash of the players' careers and throw a random stat at you as well. 

1997 Leaf, #40 -- Tom Glavine

 Tom Glavine will forever in my mind be remembered as the guy who was given four extra inches off the outside corner of the plate. And boy, would he ever pound that part of the strike zone! Glavine lead the league in wins five years and finished with a record of 305-203. His career ERA comes in at 3.54, and would look much better if you removed a couple of seasons at the beginning and end of his career. Glavine won two Cy Young awards, four Silver Sluggers and was elected to ten All-Star games. He won the World Series MVP in 1995 when the Braves captured the crown.
Did NOT Realize Stat: For as much as most people make of Glavine's control the numbers are kind of to the contrary. His career BB/9 mark is 3.6, which isn't bad, but not what I assumed. Also, his 5.9 K/9 mark is certainly atypical of most pitchers today. Perhaps not working deep into counts allowed him to top the 200+ inning mark fourteen times! To put that in perspective, only thirteen pitchers tallied 200+ innings in the 2018 season.

1989 Fleer, #431 -- Greg Maddux

 Greg Maddux was once a Peoria Chief, but unfortunately he played in Ptown before I started attending games. During his career he won four Cy Young awards, four ERA titles (twice under 1.70) and was elected to eight All-Star games. Maddux is tenth all-time in strikeouts and he finished with a career ERA of 3.16 and a win-loss record of 355-227 over twenty-three seasons. Oh yeah, I'd me remiss if I didn't mention the eighteen Gold Gloves.
Freaky Control Stat: During Maddux' most dominant stretch, 1992-1998, Maddux wasn't letting anyone take him deep or earn a free base. He averaged 237 innings pitched, 37 walks and only nine home runs allowed. Wow.

1990 Bowman, #320 -- Frank Thomas

 Frank Thomas was my introduction into prospecting. I missed the Ken Griffey, Jr. experience by this much, but it opened my eyes to the next big thing. At 6'5" and 240 pounds, he was rather big! Thomas was that perfect combination of average (0.301 AVG), power (521 HR), and patience (0.419 OBP). Thomas won two MVP awards, one batting title, four Silver Slugger awards and was elected to five All-Star games. The stat lines Thomas put up during the first eight years of his big league career were Gehrig-esque.
Eye Opening Stat: Thomas had 106 runs, 101 RBIs, and 109 walks, with 73 extra base hits and a 0.353 batting average in his second MVP season. That may not be as impressive as it sounds until one realizes this was the strike shortened 1994 season and he played in only 113 games.

1992 Upper Deck, #162 -- Craig Biggio

 Craig Biggio was my favorite of all the Killer B's in Houston. During his career he was an absolute menace. Biggio was in the lineup everyday, he could steal a base (5 seasons of more than 30) and he had extra base power (11 seasons with 50+). Biggio was a seven time All-Star, he won four Gold Gloves and was awarded five Silver Slugger awards. In all, he played twenty seasons, all with the Astros, and he finished his career with a 0.281 batting average and 291 homers.
Lesser Known & Painful Stat: Biggio lead the league in hit-by-pitches five times and is second all-time in the category, behind fellow Hall of Fame member Hughie Jennings.

1989 Topps, #647 -- Randy Johnson

 Randy Johnson may be my favorite pitcher ever. He was a thrower who figured it out and learned how to pitch. Throw in his genetic make-up and you have one heckuva Hall of Fame pitcher. The Big Unit won five Cy Youngs, the pitching Triple Crown, four ERA titles, was a World Series MVP with the Diamondbacks in 2001 and he was elected to ten All-Star games. Johnson finished his 22 year career with 303 wins and 166 losses, a 3.29 ERA, and he is second all-time in strikeouts with 4,875.
Aging Like a Fine Wine Stat: Johnson won four of his five Cy Young awards consecutively during his age 35-38 seasons. During that stretch he averaged 19 wins, 257 innings, 361 strikeouts and a 2.54 ERA. Zoinks!


1993 Fleer Ultra, #57 -- Pedro Martinez

 Pedro Martinez was about a foot shorter than Randy Johnson, but he was no less dynamic. Pedro won three Cy Youngs, a pitching Triple Crown, was elected to eight All-Star games, and won five ERA titles. During his career, he pitched for eighteen years and he boasts a career win-loss mark of 219-100, an ERA of 2.93. Martinez is also 13th on the all-time list of strikeouts with 3,154.
Winning Stat: Pedro has the third highest winning percentage (0.687) of any HOF pitcher behind Al Spalding (0.795) and Whitey Ford (0.690).

1990 Donruss, #121 -- John Smoltz

John Smoltz was more of a power pitcher than his craftier Braves counterparts. He lead the league in wins in 1996 and 2006, but was a closer for four seasons in between and recorded 154 saves during that span. Smoltz was an eight time All-Star and the winner of a Cy Young, Silver Slugger and Rolaids Reliefs award. He finished his career with a record 215-155 and 3.33 ERA.
Digging Deeper Fact: During his career, Smoltz was the winner of Roberto Clemente Award, the Lou Gehrig Award and the Branch Rickey Award.

Oh, this page makes me smile. Overall, there's just a bunch of great baseball talent I remember from my youth. How cool is it that Glavine, Maddux and Smoltz all made it onto the same page? I'm really glad that worked out the way it did.

Most of the cards are from early in the player's career, save the Glavine offering. Perhaps I'll go back into my trade box and see if I have any junk wax to fill the slot. Although, the Leaf card is shiny and I've always had a soft spot in my heart for shiny.

The Craig Biggio card is my favorite on this page for a number of reasons. First, it's a reminder of his versatility and how adept he was at three different positions up the middle. Second, what a unique picture! It reminds me of my catchers looking into the dugout when I'm calling pitches during a game. Very cool!
I'll give a hat tip to the Frank Thomas Bowman card. It just screams, "Welcome to spring!" Plus, it's difficult to bypass the Big Hurt's infectious smile.

That concludes this stellar page and there's only a few left.

Thanks for stopping buy!

HOF Binder: Page 35

As a Cub fan, this is one of my favorite pages as Dawson and Santo both make appearances. There's also a couple of guys (Alomar and Larkin) who I can remember playing during the length of nearly their entire career. Good stuff overall, and it'll look much better once I take the time to track down the missing card in the lower-right corner.

1983 Fleer, #280 -- Andre Dawson

 Andre Dawson had some bum knees. There are stories out there about him icing after every game and how the turf in Olympic Stadium was going to ruin his career. At age 32 Dawson signed a very team friendly contract to play in Chicago in 1987 to get away from the turf, and that season he hit 49 homers and won the MVP award for a last place Cubs team. He won over the hearts of Cubs fans that summer. During his twenty-one year career he spent eleven season with the Expos and only six with Chicago, but he'll always be a Cub in my book! Dawson was a 20-20 guy five times with Montreal and finished his career with 438 round trippers, 304 stolen bases and 0.277 average. 

1988 Donruss, #34 -- Roberto Alomar

 Roberto Alomar was a special talent. He was a 0.300 switch-hitter who could take a walk (0.371 OBP), steal a base (474 SBs), and knock in runs (200+ HR and 500+ doubles). Alomar was elected to twelve All-Star games, he won ten Gold Gloves, and he was also a Silver Slugger four times. This '88 piece of Donruss junk wax is a bit dinged up, but it works for this project. Plus, I'm sure I get bonus points for the Rated Rookie logo!

1974 Topps, #98 -- Bert Blyleven

 I pulled a lot of Bert Blyleven cards during the late 1980s and I didn't really think much of it. He never seemed like Hall of Fame material in my eyes, but here he is on Page 35. Blyleven pitched for 22 years and accumulated 287 wins, he punched out more than 3,000 hitters, and he recorded an ERA of 3.31. Blyleven was an All-Star in 1973 and again in 1985, and he won two World Series titles during his career. What I find interesting about Blyleven's career is that he was drafted out of high school in 1969 and he was a fixture in Minnesota's rotation less than a year later. That doesn't happen anymore!

1992 Leaf, #73 -- Barry Larkin

 Barry Larkin was one of those shortstops who helped bridge the old school mindset of (all field, no hit) to the current do-it-all shortstop we have in today's game. Larkin was a career 0.295 hitter who cracked 198 homers during his nineteen year career and is a member of the 30-30 club. He had trouble staying healthy from time-to-time, but when he was at full strength he was capturing Silver Sluggers (9), Gold Gloves (3), and All-Star appearances (12).

1964 Topps, #375 -- Ron Santo

Ron Santo's posthumous election to the Hall of Fame in 2012 was bittersweet for many Cubs fans. Santo retired a handful of years before I was born, so I never got to see him play. Yet, I knew a good deal about Santo from reading about the 1969 Cubs, watching This Old Cub and listening to Cubs broadcasts. The man wore his heart on his sleeve during radio broadcasts, which as a fan I truly loved. Santo was the best third baseman during the decade of the 60's in the NL. During his career he was a nine time All-Star, he won five Gold Gloves and he slugged 342 homers while batting 0.277.

No Card -- Deacon White
I think the HOF plaque sums up his career quite nicely, but I would like to add that Deacon White didn't play more than 100 games in a season until his 13th season. During his first two years in Major League Baseball he played in only 49 games total, which was EVERY game Cleveland played. He finished his career with 2,067 hits, but if he played a 162 game schedule for 20 years his career spanned, then he would have racked up 4,000+ hits. I understand that is a big "what if," but I think it should be noted White was an exceptional hitter.

I'm not sure why I didn't start doing this earlier on, but substituting a picture of the player's plaque when I don't have a card should have been a no-brainer. Sometimes I'm a little slow I guess. For what it's worth, Deacon White has a card in the 2012 Goodwin Champions set, which I'll certainly pick up next time I make a Sportlots.com order.

My favorite card from this batch: the 1983 Andre Dawson is fantastic. The '83 design is a little bland, but Andre is rockin' the Expos hat and that smile is contagious. Great photograph for a great man!

Thanks for stopping by!

HOF Binder: Page 34

Only six cards this week as the markers for the election years take up a third of the page. I, for one, really like how the markers make it super easy to track down players and HOF induction classes. Thanks again to Wrigley Wax for making such a great contribution to my project.

1992 Fleer, #711 -- Cal Ripken, Jr.

 I figure most of you are familiar enough with Cal Ripken, Jr.  After the strike shortened season in 1994, Ripken's consecutive games played streak put baseball back on the map. Ripken debuted in 1981, won the Rookie of the Year award in 1982, and then was an All-Star for the next nineteen seasons until her retired. Sprinkle in two MVP awards, to All-Star MVPS, two Gold Gloves, eight Silver Sluggers, 3,000+ hits, 400+ homers and a World Series title in 1983 and you've got a player who did it all.


2018 Gavin's Neglected Hall of Famer Custom Set, #3 -- Barney Dreyfuss

 Hmmm... I don't think I meant include Barney Dreyfuss in my HOF (Players) Binder. There are a number of executives and other contributors enshrined in Cooperstown, and I guess if I had to accidentally include one of them, then Dreyfuss would certainly be worth the pick. He's credited as one of the "Founding Fathers" of the World Series and installing the first upper deck, at Forbes Field.

1985 Topps, #90 -- Rich "Goose" Gossage

 Goose Gossage was one of the great early closers in our game. He was a Rolaids Relief Man and he lead the league in saves twice on the way to earning 301 saves overall. Gossage played twenty-two years and pitched for nine different franchises. He was a nine time All-Star and helped the Yankees to a World Series title in 1978. If you think Gossage enjoyed life as a closer, then you should compare his 1976 stat line as a starter with the White Sox and to how effective he was a closer with the Pirates the very next year. Night and Day difference!

2000 Upper Deck - Yankees Legends, #22 -- Joe Gordon

 Joe Gordon won five World Series with the Yankees during his eleven year career. He missed two years in the middle of his prime playing days due to military service during World War II. Gordon was a power hitting second baseman (253 home runs) who was an All-Star selection nine times and the AL MVP in 1942.

1982 Donruss, #113 -- Rickey Henderson

 Has there ever been more of an explosive runner than Rickey Henderson? He is to stolen bases (1,406 career steals) as Nolan Ryan is to strikeouts. Both will own those records forever. Henderson was a career 0.279 hitter, and he offered pop (297 homers) and plenty of patience (0.401 OBP) to be perhaps the greatest lead-off hitter of all-time. He won a pair of World Series titles, an MVP in 1990 with the A's, a Gold Glove, three Silver Sluggers, and he was elected to ten All-Star games. Plus, he had oodles of personality!

1978 Topps, #670 -- Jim Rice

Jim Rice played all sixteen years of his career patrolling Fenway Park for the Red Sox. He was an All-Star in half of his seasons, led the league in home runs three time, and he won two Silver Sluggers and the MVP award in 1978. Rice hit 382 homers and batted 0.298 during his career.

Card of the page? That's an easy one for me . . . how about that 1978 Topps card of a laughing Jim Rice? Most excellent!  Although, the Ripken card is a close second.

Overall, it's a solid page, but I'm leaning toward taking Dreyfuss out, which would move The Hawk to the final card slot of this page. I wanted to keep the binder player focused, because they are what makes the game go. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by and reading along!

Dyersville Card Show Team of Dreams Event

Maybe you recognize the town of Dyersville and maybe you don't. For the uninitiated, Dyersville is home to the Field of Dreams movie site. I believe this was the 4th annual "Team of Dreams" event and the local card collecting community has jumped on board by scheduling a show the morning of the main event.

This year the event was able to secure a few notable baseball names plus some cast members from A League of Their Own and The Sandlot to speak, sign autographs (very pricey!) and play in a celebrity softball game.

About two weeks ago I asked my buddy Jim (far left) if he'd like to go on a baseball themed road trip on the first day of September. He responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes!"

Oddly enough, when we arrived we parked right next to another one of our friends, Craig (center), who was enjoying a similar trip with his girlfriend. We had no idea he was going to be there, but it was really great to hang with him for a bit!  If you look above the cars in the picture you'll see the farm house from the movie.

Here's a better shot of it:

The field was in top form. I was afraid the grass would be brown, because of the dry weather we've had most of the summer. The corn was at optimal height, which was also a concern because of the really wet spring we experienced. 

Bleachers were brought in, but many people brought their own lawn chair. All kinds of people were enjoying a "catch" on the field before the festivities began.

At 4:30 a Q&A session was held with Mike Boddicker (an Iowa native) and David Ross. I ponied up for the good seats near one of the dugouts so we would have a good view of the interview and the celebrity softball game. Ross talked quite a bit about the 2016 team, the World Series, his role as an announcer for Sunday Night Baseball and his time on Dancing with the Stars. Boddicker did a nice job, too, although I was pretty unfamiliar with him until this time.

 Earlier in the day there were autograph opportunities, a silent auction, and couple of sports vendors selling their wares. I picked up this Josh Gibson bobblehead from the same dealer Henry visited at The National.

The vendor was very friendly and was impressed how Jim knew about how Hank Aaron used to bat with his right hand below his left. For what it's worth, Jim purchased the Hank Aaron bobblehead featuring this awkward bat grip.

After the Q&A session the grounds crew got the field ready for a game of slow-pitch softball. There were quite a few local players, sponsored by local businesses, who filled the last innings of the game after the celebrities exited.

But, here were the main attractions for each team.

Vladimir Guerrero and Andre Dawson were no-shows. Bummer.

I almost rubbed shoulders with Rickey Henderson!

 Here's a quick picture of David Ross getting ready to bat. This was before he and Boddicker were mic'd up to add further entertainment to the evening.

I think my favorite part was after a couple of the actors from The Sandlot combined for three errors in the same inning and David Ross questioned, "How did you guys ever beat that other team in The Sandlot!?!" That got a huge laugh out of the crowd.

 Here's a picture of the event from a drone that was flying overhead. Very cool!

The gap in CF was so the players could enter the field by coming out of the corn during introductions!

Earlier that morning Jim and I spent a couple of hours at the card show. I bought eighteen cards in all, but only seven were for myself. The other eleven are eventually going out in trade packages. There weren't any dime boxes, but there was plenty of discounted vintage and oddballs to look through, which accounted for much of what I purchased.

My mom gave me one of these Cubs glasses on Saturday. It was given to her by her cousin and had been sitting in a cabinet for many years. I found it's mate on Sunday (the very next day) for three bucks and couldn't pass it up! How 'bout that!

On to the pictures of grown men on little pieces of cardboard!

Deckle-edge vintage! Very nice!

 I found this Bryant die-cut to be too good of a deal to pass up.

I am now ONE card away from completing the master set of 2018 Topps Big League.

Has anyone seen the Bryce Harper from the Caricatures insert set?

How about some discounted vintage to upgrade my Hall of Fame binder?  The Rabbit Maranville is from 1961 Fleer and the Larry Doby is NOT from 2019 Topps Archives.

 Here's another card design from 2019 Archives... the All-Star card of Ernie Banks from 1958.

 I don't usually buy vintage Cubs unless I find a great deal, and this one could be called just that. Plus, that design!  Oh, my!

Jim and I spent about six hours in the car, but the time flew as we talked baseball most of the way to Dyersville and back. The card show was the best one I have been to this year, but that's only because I haven't made it up to Orland Park yet this year. The event at the movie site was very unique, and the weather was near perfect, but I don't know that I'll ever make the trip again. It was well done, but kind of one of those things you do once to check off your bucket list.

I hope you had a fun Labor Day weekend, too!