tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36199988768609914222024-02-19T02:45:33.959-08:001207 Consecutive Gamessteeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-51964821674410064222023-11-06T20:25:00.003-08:002023-11-06T20:27:28.595-08:00TAG, You're It!<p>I attended the Burbank Show in September and decided to submit a few cards to each of the third party grading companies set up at the show. I submitted the most with PSA (a few have been show in previous posts) because I have a few sets I'm working on in their set registry. The Steve Garvey Master Set has been my main focus. It only includes cards issued during his playing career (1969-1988) though there are no 1969 and 1970 issues for him. </p><p>For cards that I collect of Steve Garvey that fall outside of his playing career (1989 to present) as well as cards of other players that I like, I decided to give TAG Grading a try. </p><p><br /></p><p>Below is a recap of the entire submission after it arrived back to me.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WTxujzhm2R5eDZfgKZaD7ExhEI-Q9IVJjiPSauP-H7t4r2ZMBLPujKrxNNDbqDtWNFUAFS0r-g8cZJgQZfznlQx0YZDG2SOkndNbk5xSHjOyi5O2xIH4MCr4niBQolWZqRLpZNvbaXLRCKZEJaqRKtQGqKqGrgcG483f_4fOC2YlvDPmhCkgLDTFgUU/s1080/tag%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WTxujzhm2R5eDZfgKZaD7ExhEI-Q9IVJjiPSauP-H7t4r2ZMBLPujKrxNNDbqDtWNFUAFS0r-g8cZJgQZfznlQx0YZDG2SOkndNbk5xSHjOyi5O2xIH4MCr4niBQolWZqRLpZNvbaXLRCKZEJaqRKtQGqKqGrgcG483f_4fOC2YlvDPmhCkgLDTFgUU/s320/tag%201.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The box the cards are packaged in.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbpfcXCLFeTiXVi8rrCZsf58dxuhhQ5SQN8GvxPd0EZhgo43hexdASXpiyv3iDRI7fyhopx0IwKihMYFPr9sSKEmtr7k5-b6s2VktBB4_F3fF_K5y88DrXnTSc-6cNCkAIxj9dCwAqdsDiT9aOopUqroh8V5TfDRx4aTYcrCWHgotgGzeYbdCxu0DDac/s1080/tag%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbpfcXCLFeTiXVi8rrCZsf58dxuhhQ5SQN8GvxPd0EZhgo43hexdASXpiyv3iDRI7fyhopx0IwKihMYFPr9sSKEmtr7k5-b6s2VktBB4_F3fF_K5y88DrXnTSc-6cNCkAIxj9dCwAqdsDiT9aOopUqroh8V5TfDRx4aTYcrCWHgotgGzeYbdCxu0DDac/s320/tag%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The inside of the box with the graded cards sealed in packs of their own, a TAG wristband and instructions on how to submit cards in the future.</div><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIGhfmxzfMvzBaPPCgagWclC-0NiEBJiw06kqE6DoaDwyZmsexAIL2zZkpbLDA2DqCzciI7uBVR3EwyWkYllforoGiuYD0D__7nhK9we4LNm01NtJmorvIZTm4DXANVPiEysctjidojTDmDLQSHY8V99Wk8I1CztvUEyTDjsFzZmvi1Io7kUUhWeeE2M/s1080/tag%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIGhfmxzfMvzBaPPCgagWclC-0NiEBJiw06kqE6DoaDwyZmsexAIL2zZkpbLDA2DqCzciI7uBVR3EwyWkYllforoGiuYD0D__7nhK9we4LNm01NtJmorvIZTm4DXANVPiEysctjidojTDmDLQSHY8V99Wk8I1CztvUEyTDjsFzZmvi1Io7kUUhWeeE2M/s320/tag%203.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's another shot of the wristband and instructions.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPhyu3_vvWB6j9SpFGoEoCNTxKkhyphenhyphenEEKDVAOnDvc1ABF6u_pvPTNkw2cNWtp7oFxii2EAe_KGTg8CmqI1GWyjGycTEgv47_Y5r9xgvAWLU4_UEyhUjDfkTsiZtrwlJeBH9TGTfghOgfpYDCDgrepCjUA6oq7MNkvGVpN0xMJb3XrguEp2NOZAeMIPpd0/s1080/tag%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPhyu3_vvWB6j9SpFGoEoCNTxKkhyphenhyphenEEKDVAOnDvc1ABF6u_pvPTNkw2cNWtp7oFxii2EAe_KGTg8CmqI1GWyjGycTEgv47_Y5r9xgvAWLU4_UEyhUjDfkTsiZtrwlJeBH9TGTfghOgfpYDCDgrepCjUA6oq7MNkvGVpN0xMJb3XrguEp2NOZAeMIPpd0/s320/tag%205.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I submitted three cards to get graded. Two did get grades. A third was rejected due to size restrictions.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDDNVPv6tqN0CfhNnxPC9NMi3nkO0iZCXUxiFEiotVzPAWdHqryPYzUJsoNimvUEUShgtIB9ypuqpgQdv3e9MOusv6zMavea2lV0u12XZJudgr1vkqCqXgzQefygc_y0U_bpHXbhjhc_o9aTciq5eW8a_oy9PtH_1qReWcW3HmoNLd-hQbRUSkUC2lCQ/s1080/tag%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDDNVPv6tqN0CfhNnxPC9NMi3nkO0iZCXUxiFEiotVzPAWdHqryPYzUJsoNimvUEUShgtIB9ypuqpgQdv3e9MOusv6zMavea2lV0u12XZJudgr1vkqCqXgzQefygc_y0U_bpHXbhjhc_o9aTciq5eW8a_oy9PtH_1qReWcW3HmoNLd-hQbRUSkUC2lCQ/s320/tag%204.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The card that had size issues and couldn't be graded was a Charles White 2013 Upper Deck 1995 SP Design Autograph. Charles was a favorite of mine when I was a kid. Sadly, he's no longer with us.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BUBWdHFid0r5-F-64wtGMcDky0aYhRJk1YeORKQwFDagUcX5Vb8zclk-nPzW6Rw-3mjl7YArY_7zMhVvQjCCLUIu5QpBMJxqe1ZjvMXmvQ5q4vJ8suWJbHPgxteLaaNeBzTM2SMrSoJweRfYgcj8YPR0ulWF6nNuKLf1PcL06VIN0CzZkzMhhF1ExQk/s1080/tag%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BUBWdHFid0r5-F-64wtGMcDky0aYhRJk1YeORKQwFDagUcX5Vb8zclk-nPzW6Rw-3mjl7YArY_7zMhVvQjCCLUIu5QpBMJxqe1ZjvMXmvQ5q4vJ8suWJbHPgxteLaaNeBzTM2SMrSoJweRfYgcj8YPR0ulWF6nNuKLf1PcL06VIN0CzZkzMhhF1ExQk/s320/tag%206.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The first graded pack I opened included a 2006 Upper Deck Legends - Legendary Signatures Charles White #72. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0liU0v0KiE7ZbTnmDvX3jHlNLRQQzi0yrRNG89NmcRHuv9SsmP9xv3Ha8XaWfAVFjvEIiVk-tvM4XRR-a8Z-gG8SdpKF6EkjDMnLk4wzy1jmR-DUzrjsWTSjywmhlqG9LpVU_SQpQYYZU3RyCzJq8n-V8GXccU39HkbvCFIC3Xt2XwApLi0eE7grUkzU/s1080/tag%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0liU0v0KiE7ZbTnmDvX3jHlNLRQQzi0yrRNG89NmcRHuv9SsmP9xv3Ha8XaWfAVFjvEIiVk-tvM4XRR-a8Z-gG8SdpKF6EkjDMnLk4wzy1jmR-DUzrjsWTSjywmhlqG9LpVU_SQpQYYZU3RyCzJq8n-V8GXccU39HkbvCFIC3Xt2XwApLi0eE7grUkzU/s320/tag%207.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It came back with a Gem Mint 10 grade (978/1000). According to TAG's website, this is a pretty strong grade and not far from a Pristine 10 grade (990/1000 or higher).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEfUYgP6usFYU0LBV0xoiMIYgNSxmM-0DqgcVa4Ch1XNAkNXj2DkZKKXBRMtjmA1zZbtE_rA_XaGUAx-xRSZjcCUOehEg7j-f_xsqHjS7DDq9q9sxMsQmTiG7JoGuKh-IPze2UYPz43aOf-j_-d5e1MiE_TvXM4zYASjrKGkQugju2kzlj7QOHn0weB4/s1080/tag%208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEfUYgP6usFYU0LBV0xoiMIYgNSxmM-0DqgcVa4Ch1XNAkNXj2DkZKKXBRMtjmA1zZbtE_rA_XaGUAx-xRSZjcCUOehEg7j-f_xsqHjS7DDq9q9sxMsQmTiG7JoGuKh-IPze2UYPz43aOf-j_-d5e1MiE_TvXM4zYASjrKGkQugju2kzlj7QOHn0weB4/s320/tag%208.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's a picture of the final pack I got back. I like the idea of putting the cards you submit for grading in an unopened pack. It adds to the suspense when you get the cards back in the mail.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37rQTnlw9wfLAatsD_O7ffoLwFZkCI07VWwLmtrQfFepZt5n6kPvDdao3Qzsz9JEtZAjckDc7kQxOo4y0n7jnp3KID9VDf8ReddLPISPPySlatRRYuiyTFKqF-KhoAIz3pRRZ8zUE-ZpZ62nNhISYLKUm7STGiFaTUrZjnTV-Z5ANS_tblwybSwqisrE/s1080/tag%209.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37rQTnlw9wfLAatsD_O7ffoLwFZkCI07VWwLmtrQfFepZt5n6kPvDdao3Qzsz9JEtZAjckDc7kQxOo4y0n7jnp3KID9VDf8ReddLPISPPySlatRRYuiyTFKqF-KhoAIz3pRRZ8zUE-ZpZ62nNhISYLKUm7STGiFaTUrZjnTV-Z5ANS_tblwybSwqisrE/s320/tag%209.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It's a 2021 Topps Stadium Club Signatures Steve Garvey Autograph #SCBA-SGA. This time I received a lower grade on this card. It was a Mint 9 (904/1000).</div><div><br /></div><div>I can see myself using TAG Grading again for my personal collection because I like their use of technology to eliminate the human portion of grading. I also like the quality of their holder, the way the grading results are etched in it and the packaging of the cards themselves.</div><div><p>I got a couple more items graded at the show including one that I submitted with Beckett that I'm still waiting to get back. I'll include them in future posts.</p></div></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-47346967805541750692023-10-01T10:46:00.002-07:002023-10-01T10:46:54.530-07:00Michael Schechter and Associates<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1slK-CtBxgkuwm3rVzEIQrX0zj1Tkt7NwCf1Nlr59p4uuHBbEb07pJWgfwxirfRBo-Ebe-aotiTzCOaETcrJw99dyUggCECm62q_LOEUrRV5Wgo_QwSvRhfbW2yRAzGvG2cW8peYi1ZyivrYMCQNH0GsiJwCeNJXCodsOJ0EpfD_8tPT9thjPOotRvV4/s589/msa%20cup%20lid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1slK-CtBxgkuwm3rVzEIQrX0zj1Tkt7NwCf1Nlr59p4uuHBbEb07pJWgfwxirfRBo-Ebe-aotiTzCOaETcrJw99dyUggCECm62q_LOEUrRV5Wgo_QwSvRhfbW2yRAzGvG2cW8peYi1ZyivrYMCQNH0GsiJwCeNJXCodsOJ0EpfD_8tPT9thjPOotRvV4/s320/msa%20cup%20lid.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I recently got back from PSA my 1977 MSA Cup Lid. It received a grade of VG 3. I wasn't
sure if PSA graded these so I was happy to find out that they did. </p><p class="MsoNormal">MSA stands
for "Michael Schechter and Associates". Michael Schechter had an MLB players association license to
produce trading cards from the mid-1970's until the early 1990's. Most sets
from that era without MLB logos on them were very likely produced by MSA. His
firm was based out of Florida and after doing a quick search on Google, it
appears that someone with the same name has a law firm in Florida today. I wonder
if it's the same person or if they're related because there are a bunch of
questions I'd love to know the answer to about their business. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Some that come to
mind include: "Where did you design and print your cards?", "Do
you have a master list including checklists of all your products?" and
"Is anybody that worked for MSA still involved in the hobby today?" </p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Below is an image of the back of the lid. I'm not 100% sure, though I do remember having one or two of these as a kid, but I believe these
were lids for drinks at 7/11 though if I'm wrong, please let me know. The
coolest part of this particular lid is that the straw hole hasn't been punched
through yet.<o:p></o:p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCeb7HxhbFaoBesI-ekZhH9MbGUCDV7drFa1DGM6t2LT8kBhny6Cz291TVgVgB6BFZ0SQRS2E_v5LSrZetOQwvyTABlkcpU816wJtdHeKvw64OV9XwRrYShC076OEWOWWELXc_wd-Zj-538f-TAF9fOF8EdfSt_SOBfHtYUZ1uh9KNj2ZA8uS-g7zC_8/s583/msa%20cup%20lid%20back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCeb7HxhbFaoBesI-ekZhH9MbGUCDV7drFa1DGM6t2LT8kBhny6Cz291TVgVgB6BFZ0SQRS2E_v5LSrZetOQwvyTABlkcpU816wJtdHeKvw64OV9XwRrYShC076OEWOWWELXc_wd-Zj-538f-TAF9fOF8EdfSt_SOBfHtYUZ1uh9KNj2ZA8uS-g7zC_8/s320/msa%20cup%20lid%20back.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I have a few more items that I got back recently from PSA and another grading company that I'll post about soon.</p><p> </p><div><br /></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-33639410769905377112023-09-29T20:45:00.002-07:002023-09-29T20:47:22.626-07:00Dynamite!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtgXdO51xTBmy1eycJoynsZqt710ATgewEjfxRbaoGCFnxi8USQZtTyzT2KgJM3wXMK8HMYxL0C1l-6ZsN-K8PPg9E9t-AXSfQY7yGfON-uID-Vse84fZceS6PU7yD2RplIuFXCZcFHA50P8tuUnhK-pqhAxopvapL_Of6L52NdKlsLgX04rDaziDYlM/s500/dynamite%20magazine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="397" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtgXdO51xTBmy1eycJoynsZqt710ATgewEjfxRbaoGCFnxi8USQZtTyzT2KgJM3wXMK8HMYxL0C1l-6ZsN-K8PPg9E9t-AXSfQY7yGfON-uID-Vse84fZceS6PU7yD2RplIuFXCZcFHA50P8tuUnhK-pqhAxopvapL_Of6L52NdKlsLgX04rDaziDYlM/s320/dynamite%20magazine.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>Haven't posted on this blog in a long, long time. I recently submitted this to PSA. It's a panel of six 1977 Topps cards that were inserted into the old magazine Dynamite. They did this from the mid-70's to mid-80's with quite of a few different panels released each year.</p><p>Wasn't expecting a high grade because the panel was inserted inside the magazine so that four cards showed up on one page and two cards showed up on another. It meant you were guaranteed to get a crease on the panel where it folded in the magazine. You can see the crease on this one beneath 1970's All-Name 1st Team member Bombo Rivera and Steve Garvey.</p><p>I actually remember having this one as a kid but sadly I did a horrible job cutting the panel up and my guess is that my mom threw that one away years ago.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m7AXzTipOKobg-h9DBzqBLvetx-b6-9R6aTlyEDF9V3hQq5XzCBO_Tt3Cb-BXLkHQ-xWDRvM2DJzhda-ekNppsZn9Q6ermkFn-KBgTAlIYh6TnXTygFdDmJsJm165uJ0YpLaqInSFY56JEwW3WbEgjemMVcPngkHZ9NaNIs80r25AYLnbvJ03o2feNc/s523/topps%20dynamite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m7AXzTipOKobg-h9DBzqBLvetx-b6-9R6aTlyEDF9V3hQq5XzCBO_Tt3Cb-BXLkHQ-xWDRvM2DJzhda-ekNppsZn9Q6ermkFn-KBgTAlIYh6TnXTygFdDmJsJm165uJ0YpLaqInSFY56JEwW3WbEgjemMVcPngkHZ9NaNIs80r25AYLnbvJ03o2feNc/s320/topps%20dynamite.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><div></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>He's a picture of the back of the panel. The card numbers are the same as in the Topps set.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1dBquoYCWzycOOC50Z02b3boSb8G2f1WS-3irOM-ORhbitLQYQBCOFO-zttdV94s9Eh_PBZrMaHWcfytvDwvA6mC5mt23lczF14HuSq9c-U3s6-OvoACUkVyq2v_Kou_Joh9iRinUitYtJUTsU8pD-T1WRdH2bs0W6_7cvrvGDR98T1JZajBFihZUfc/s522/garvey%20dynamite%20back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1dBquoYCWzycOOC50Z02b3boSb8G2f1WS-3irOM-ORhbitLQYQBCOFO-zttdV94s9Eh_PBZrMaHWcfytvDwvA6mC5mt23lczF14HuSq9c-U3s6-OvoACUkVyq2v_Kou_Joh9iRinUitYtJUTsU8pD-T1WRdH2bs0W6_7cvrvGDR98T1JZajBFihZUfc/s320/garvey%20dynamite%20back.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p>I received a few other interesting items back from PSA and another grading company as well. I'll save that for the next post. Hopefully, it doesn't take twelve years for the next one.</p></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-36876554211362790812011-06-07T21:19:00.000-07:002011-06-07T21:19:45.510-07:00Ryan Garvey gets drafted by the PhilliesCongrats to Ryan Garvey (Steve's son) on getting drafted by the Phillies in the 15th round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft. It'll be interesting to see if he signs with the Phillies or follows his college commitment and attends USC.<br />
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<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?topic_id=18674140&content_id=14893597">Click here</a> to view a video of him on MLB.com showing his pre-draft workouts.<br />
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<a href="http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/06/07/will-ryan-garvey-be-around-for-phils-in-june-draft/">Click here</a> to read an article on Philadelphia's local CBS TV station's website about the Phillies drafting Ryan.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFn5myKdtVW_KJz9yYMedQ2Olf_B95itGK2hQR2Iyw1jhw2yfQsgDgBhxfUDnGWYO_gQyhvQEwe0xIPSSgqwYkNCYOEQbTi8YbOzTmmIbCOGBrr6xu0Qgr9oUYzd_LsrojToxFXFcVC4/s1600/ryan-garvey-steve-and-candace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFn5myKdtVW_KJz9yYMedQ2Olf_B95itGK2hQR2Iyw1jhw2yfQsgDgBhxfUDnGWYO_gQyhvQEwe0xIPSSgqwYkNCYOEQbTi8YbOzTmmIbCOGBrr6xu0Qgr9oUYzd_LsrojToxFXFcVC4/s320/ryan-garvey-steve-and-candace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-32921124372651886362011-06-05T13:40:00.000-07:002011-06-05T13:40:19.990-07:00Bark in the Park 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevmgSKh2l3VKiPGWvihhQLPMy8v6yLnS20gQ_yglvk_ladDf8sR3-_K-T3xsU-Y-ggJs-7gz6lE0yvB8EflNuEDQ4X-5Ng1gDpp5KCLmrVAY7EB3TNnwSyUqu0yfYQpY9oowRsgWLLXk/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevmgSKh2l3VKiPGWvihhQLPMy8v6yLnS20gQ_yglvk_ladDf8sR3-_K-T3xsU-Y-ggJs-7gz6lE0yvB8EflNuEDQ4X-5Ng1gDpp5KCLmrVAY7EB3TNnwSyUqu0yfYQpY9oowRsgWLLXk/s400/018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
My wife and I attended the Dodgers second annual Bark in the Park on May 28th. <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2010/08/bark-in-park.html">Just like the first time I attended,</a> it was a well run event. Among the highlights was making a lap around the field, having my wife take a picture with Steve Garvey and taking to Steve about his son Ryan's <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2011/05/ryan-garvey-hopes-to-follow-in-father.html">high school baseball team.</a> The one lowlight was that the stadium caught on fire and the choking smoke led to half of the top deck and reserved level being evacuated.<br />
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I'd note that Ryan Garvey's Palm Desert High School baseball team <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/varsitytimesinsider/2011/06/baseball-bishop-amats-championship-moment.html">made it to Dodger Stadium</a> to play in California's Southern Section Division 4 finals but ended up losing to Southern California powerhouse Bishop Amat 7-0. It'll be interesting to see where he gets drafted this week since he already has a commitment to USC.<br />
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That said, here are some pictures of the event that show Dodger Stadium from the field level.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Garvey leading a "Pup Rally" prior to the game.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the pre-game lap around the warning track at Dodger Stadium.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shot of Diamonvision during the lap around the field. Ironically, Steve Garvey was on the screen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking in from center field.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up shot of the Dodgers digital screen that's part of their outfield wall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a look inside the Dodger Bullpen through the outfield wall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dodgers bullpen through the outfield gate.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The far end of the Dodgers dugout heading towards the locker room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dodgers dugout. Plenty of interesting things in the trainer's medicine chest.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year when I attended this event the Dodgers were already on the field.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Garvey, my wife and dog behind home plate.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wife and dog posing right behind home plate.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The visitors dugout at Dodger Stadium.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dog, Chloe, making a new friend.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The visitors bullpen at Dodger Stadium.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NElNl-aK-1mb5BkovGEDkPwoAwU1CEG2Dsz5_q6nCu24pUq8Jfc7vfnjDja_tnUYlokp7mvpYUnYiOiev8TQBHW8_GtQgxJ-S96XmtMCk5e2jNZKmnueG37-eDJJSc6WTwLniU15UGk/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NElNl-aK-1mb5BkovGEDkPwoAwU1CEG2Dsz5_q6nCu24pUq8Jfc7vfnjDja_tnUYlokp7mvpYUnYiOiev8TQBHW8_GtQgxJ-S96XmtMCk5e2jNZKmnueG37-eDJJSc6WTwLniU15UGk/s400/032.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe sitting in my wife's lap in the all you can eat right field pavilion.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPuJcRMwfk8Hfy3jRXtiiqRsN6iweqpGL7Igl_MURcWh3lGHQaHLTIvNFy8549dkI3i1YmduH7ZAiGqWRuU12cgXbrV_NtwoH1HfIqsHOmHhTh-X-5KLEE3uD9duQr5TC4ImAzUdxK5k/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPuJcRMwfk8Hfy3jRXtiiqRsN6iweqpGL7Igl_MURcWh3lGHQaHLTIvNFy8549dkI3i1YmduH7ZAiGqWRuU12cgXbrV_NtwoH1HfIqsHOmHhTh-X-5KLEE3uD9duQr5TC4ImAzUdxK5k/s400/033.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a view from our seats of the game. Andre Ethier is playing right field.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shot of the smoke from the fire on the top deck at Dodger Stadium.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entire Top Deck and Reserved levels were evacuated on the first base side.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interestingly, the game was never stopped.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-86963413221971168622011-05-28T13:45:00.000-07:002011-05-28T13:45:23.898-07:00Jerry Sands and a Dodger DogOne of the local card shops in my area had Dodgers' rookie Jerry Sands signing at their shop today. My wife and I decided to stop by since we're going to be attending tonight's second annual "<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1467743261"><a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2010/08/bark-in-park.html">Bark in the Park</a></span>" promotion at Dodger Stadium tonight.<br />
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While there, I had Jerry sign a few items for me (i.e. ball and photos) but the big highlight was having him sign my dog Chloe's Dodger jersey which he had fun doing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not suprisingly, Jerry said signing a dog was a first for him.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look closely, you can see Jerry's finace in the photo on the far left.</td></tr>
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Jerry brought his fiance to the signing and my wife being the female that she is struck up a conversation with her. She was super impressed with how nice both Jerry and his finace were. Once we left she filled me in on all the details of her girl talk (most of which I don't remember other than they're getting married in November).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTirY2ouw50bdBW5-6emyfGPYuqdFwOgI_oPm-xWSiNFUtBsKRGbsHIUvIhWSjjP3-4ADnNnoGRfktJFFQtCF8tcaB4iqCuEel0P9R7WaowOXpPMoLZnwtwDeXN8XJe3Kj2eRPPc9eSY/s1600/jerry+sands+signing+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTirY2ouw50bdBW5-6emyfGPYuqdFwOgI_oPm-xWSiNFUtBsKRGbsHIUvIhWSjjP3-4ADnNnoGRfktJFFQtCF8tcaB4iqCuEel0P9R7WaowOXpPMoLZnwtwDeXN8XJe3Kj2eRPPc9eSY/s400/jerry+sands+signing+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> All in all, it was an enjoyable start to our family Dodger Day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-2595390760234867862011-05-23T19:58:00.000-07:002011-05-23T21:59:46.886-07:00Ryan Garvey hopes to follow in father Steve Garvey's footsteps and play at Dodger StadiumHere's a feel good story from the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0520-sondheimer-column-20110520,0,2897408.column">LA Times</a> about Steve Garvey's son Ryan. He's a power hitter that's already committed to play at USC next year (pending the 2011 amateur draft results). His #1 ranked high school baseball team from Palm Desert, California is three playoff games away from playing at Dodger Stadium.<br />
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Here's hoping he makes it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0_AVBs_NyA99FhO9LjwQ7Bk-6C0S85A8lAk67A-B7tPdSTB1qyEJ3w8cp8ptuJsUbmeF6wbx4RSPXN-0fBHiEbJuWfs1oB0wyhUoEmQtqvQ5qcCwna2a0f7GX9OrLn8-JOoeMX2Jghs/s1600/ryan+garvey.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0_AVBs_NyA99FhO9LjwQ7Bk-6C0S85A8lAk67A-B7tPdSTB1qyEJ3w8cp8ptuJsUbmeF6wbx4RSPXN-0fBHiEbJuWfs1oB0wyhUoEmQtqvQ5qcCwna2a0f7GX9OrLn8-JOoeMX2Jghs/s400/ryan+garvey.gif" width="400" /></a></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-86419760929573521392011-04-09T00:26:00.001-07:002023-10-02T12:08:22.542-07:00Boogying with the 1986 DodgersThe Dodgers played the Padres tonight in San Diego and (as I'm writing this) the game has been delayed twice because of rain (which is pretty rare for any of MLB's three southern California teams). During the second rain delay, Fox Sports' Prime Ticket channel aired a program on the history of the Dodgers that was put together during their 50th season in Los Angeles in 2008 and provided a year by year synopsis of each Dodger season in Los Angeles.<br />
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When they got to 1986, they showed a snippet of a video that I have no recollection of the Dodgers ever making called "The Baseball Boogie Bunch" which is surprising because at the time I was a 17 year old Dodger fan living in Los Angeles who happened to also be very familar with music videos thanks to MTV. <br />
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Baseball Boogie appears to be the Dodgers attempt at making a music video along the mold of the 1985 Chicago Bears extremely popular Super Bowl Shuffle. Among the Dodgers featured in this classic (sic) were: Bob Welch, Bill Madlock, Ken Howell, Pedro Guerrero, Fernando Valenzuela, Rick Honeycutt, Mike Scioscia, Jerry Reuss, Mariano Duncan, Dave Anderson and many more. Needless to say, this video is loaded with unintentional comedy.<br />
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That being said, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XWQ1K4SVbA8" width="320" youtube-src-id="XWQ1K4SVbA8"></iframe></div><br /><div><br />
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</div></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-34771354679466100802011-03-16T23:48:00.000-07:002011-03-16T23:48:07.736-07:00Can you name the 1970 & 1975 Opening Day Lineups?I created four more quizzes on Sporcle.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/steelehere/1970-al-opening-day-lineups">Can you name the 1970 AL Opening Day Lineups?</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/steelehere/1970-nl-opening-day-lineups">Can you name the 1970 NL Opening Day Lineups?</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/steelehere/1975-al-opening-day-lineups">Can you name the 1975 AL Opening Day Lineups?</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/steelehere/1975-nl-opening-day-lineups">Can you name the 1975 NL Opening Day Lineups?</a><br />
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Let me know how you dosteeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-60187102925764549232010-12-09T00:57:00.000-08:002010-12-09T00:58:49.253-08:00Steve Garvey as would-be suitor for Dodgers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdEKHNigyga8KdxdY_XhYAyhuv7ddXz-c21xLmYsU6pnIVgl8HIGp50s2ocTlgQrnwV9ws3uCiYNNqIFwkr1rAbcHLSe7K536MYoBIVQd5x6WvIlMKn86Ls4BqfoHlYiCpjJNLxWptT4/s1600/58172832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdEKHNigyga8KdxdY_XhYAyhuv7ddXz-c21xLmYsU6pnIVgl8HIGp50s2ocTlgQrnwV9ws3uCiYNNqIFwkr1rAbcHLSe7K536MYoBIVQd5x6WvIlMKn86Ls4BqfoHlYiCpjJNLxWptT4/s320/58172832.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><br />
<br />
It's been a busy news week so far for Steve Garvey. <br />
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This past Monday, news came out that I didn't want to hear in which Steve didn't garner enough votes from the <a href="http://baseballhall.org/news/press-releases/pat-gillick-elected-national-baseball-hall-fame-expansion-era-committee">Expansion Era Veteran's Committee</a> to be inducted into the Hall of Fame which means I'm waiting at least three more years for the next Expansion Era Veteran's Committee vote to happen (the veteran's committee votes on the Golden Era and the Pre-Integration Era the next two years). Interestingly, the Baseball Hall of Fame didn't even announce how many votes Steve received other than to say it was less that eight. <br />
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On Tuesday, the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-1209-dodgers-mccourt-20101209,0,5895924.story">LA Times reports</a> that Steve Garvey has an investment group that wants to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers (should they become available from the fall out of the McCourts' divorce). Interestingly, Steve notes in the article that he'd take the role of managing general partner if a purchase were to happen.<br />
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Finally, I'd note two interesting eBay auctions being offered by the Topps Vault. One that's closed and one that's still live. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The first is the final negative for Steve's <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/1971-Topps-FINAL-BB-Card-Negative-Steve-Garvey-DODGERS-/200549399977?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item2eb1acfda9">1971 Topps Rookie Card</a>. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The second is the final negative for Steve's 1972 Topps high number card.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iZeRvC1tdJWvCBOZQ3uUE9cl_CEKP70_zFRBnAthIkmD3rJ3WEc0DVIHGvSjuaWiZ6rVvdn_JNQ-ZIkrSa90nchoXZ5cy0LkOKs4TIdMfPogg2e89JFZJDtzM7a7ZX7HlWjlau9WLWU/s1600/1972+topps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iZeRvC1tdJWvCBOZQ3uUE9cl_CEKP70_zFRBnAthIkmD3rJ3WEc0DVIHGvSjuaWiZ6rVvdn_JNQ-ZIkrSa90nchoXZ5cy0LkOKs4TIdMfPogg2e89JFZJDtzM7a7ZX7HlWjlau9WLWU/s320/1972+topps.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-89853038922370261762010-11-09T09:52:00.000-08:002010-11-09T09:57:40.343-08:00Steve Garvey inches closer to the Hall of Fame!!!I noticed something today on the Inside the Dodgers blog found on MLB.com that surprised me. Instead of writing a whole post with my opinions about it. I've provided a <a href="http://insidethedodgers.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/11/garvey_john_and_others_inch_cl.html">link</a> as well as copied the story below.<br />
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I will say though that I'm happy that the Hall of Fame has established an Expansion Era Committee that is dealing with the under-representation of 1970's - 80's players in the Hall. In my opinion, this era has been overlooked because players statistics 1) look small when compared to the steriod era and 2) were unfairly punished by voters who tend to apply modern methods of evaluating players (sabermetrics) even though the era didn't focus on some of these statistics (i.e. Walks).<br />
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To make things even better, the sixteen member committee established isn't going to include Joe Morgan since Johnny Bench gets the token 1970's Cincinnati Reds spot. (though the members of the media they've included scare me outside of Ross Newhan). <br />
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With that said, it's crazy to think that he might get inducted NEXT YEAR! Honestly, I'm an advocate of allowing more players into the Hall of Fame as it is more about the history and greatness of the game than some exclusive fraternity. In my opinion, all twelve of the candidates on the list made a major impact during their time. <br />
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<em>Below is the article</em><br />
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Expansion Era Committee to Consider 12 Candidates for Hall of Fame Election at December's Winter Meetings <br />
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-- Ballot Features Eight Long-Retired Players, Three Executives and One Manager for Consideration of Careers Whose Greatest Impact Felt from 1973-present --<br />
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(COOPERSTOWN, NY) - Eight former major league players, three executives and one former manager comprise the 12-name Expansion Era ballot for the Committee to Consider Managers, Umpires, Executives and Long-Retired Players for Hall of Fame election, to be reviewed and voted upon at the 2010 Baseball Winter Meetings by a 16-member electorate. The results of the Expansion Era vote will be announced on December 6 at 10 a.m. ET from the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. <br />
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Every candidate receiving votes on 75 percent of the 16 ballots cast will earn election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be honored during Hall of Fame Weekend 2011, July 22-25 in Cooperstown, New York. <br />
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The 12 individuals who will be considered by the Expansion Era Committee in December for Hall of Fame Induction in 2011: Former players Vida Blue, Dave Concepcion, Steve Garvey, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Al Oliver, Ted Simmons and Rusty Staub; former manager Billy Martin; and executives Pat Gillick, Marvin Miller and George Steinbrenner. Martin and Steinbrenner are deceased; all other candidates are living. <br />
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The 16-member electorate charged with the review of the Expansion Era ballot features: Hall of Fame members Johnny Bench, Whitey Herzog, Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Tony Perez, Frank Robinson, Ryne Sandberg and Ozzie Smith; major league executives Bill Giles (Phillies), David Glass (Royals), Andy MacPhail (Orioles) and Jerry Reinsdorf (White Sox); and veteran media members Bob Elliott (Toronto Sun), Tim Kurkjian (ESPN), Ross Newhan (retired, Los Angeles Times) and Tom Verducci (Sports Illustrated). <br />
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The Expansion Era ballot was devised by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) appointed Historical Overview Committee, comprised of 11 veteran members: Dave Van Dyck (Chicago Tribune); Bob Elliott (Toronto Sun); Rick Hummel (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau); Moss Klein (formerly Newark Star-Ledger); Bill Madden (New York Daily News); Ken Nigro, (formerly Baltimore Sun); Jack O'Connell (BBWAA secretary/treasurer); Nick Peters (formerly Sacramento Bee); Tracy Ringolsby (FSN Rocky Mountain); and Mark Whicker (Orange County Register). <br />
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The Expansion Era covers candidates among managers, umpires, executives and long-retired players whose most significant career impact was realized during the 1973-present time frame. Eligible candidates include: Players who played in at least 10 major league seasons, who are not on Major League Baseball's ineligible list, and have been retired for 21 or more seasons (those whose last major league season was no later than 1989); Managers and Umpires with 10 or more years in baseball and retired for at least five years, with any candidates who are 65 years or older first-eligible six months from the date of the election following retirement; and Executives who have been retired for at least five years, with any active executives 65 or older eligible for consideration. <br />
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The Expansion Era Committee is the first of a three-year cycle of consideration for Managers, Umpires, Executives and Long-Retired Players by Era, as opposed to the previous consideration by classification, with changes approved and announced by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors at the conclusion of Hall of Fame Weekend 2010. <br />
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The changes maintain the high standards for earning election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with focus on three eras: Expansion (1973-present); Golden (1947-1972) and Pre-Integration (1871-1946), as opposed to the previous four Committees on Baseball Veterans, which considered the four categories of candidates. Three separate electorates will now consider by era a single composite ballot of managers, umpires, executives and long-retired players on an annual basis, with Golden Era Committee candidates to be considered at the 2011 Winter Meetings for Induction in 2012 and the Pre-Integration Era Committee candidates to be considered at the 2012 Winter Meetings for Induction in 2013. The Expansion Era Committee will next meet at the 2013 Winter Meetings for Induction in 2014. <br />
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"The procedures to consider the candidacies of managers, umpires, executives and long-retired players have continually evolved since the first Hall of Fame election in 1936," said Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the board for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. "Our continual challenge is to provide a structure to ensure that all candidates who are worthy of consideration have a fair system of evaluation. In identifying candidates by era, as opposed to by category, the Board feels this change will allow for an equal review of all eligible candidates, while maintaining the high standards of earning election."<br />
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The 12 candidates for Expansion Era consideration: <br />
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Vida Blue spent 17 seasons pitching in the majors with the Oakland A's, Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants, compiling a 209-161 record, with a 3.27 ERA in 502 major league games/473 starts. Blue, the 1971 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, was named to six All-Star teams, and won at least 18 games five times in his career. <br />
<br />
Dave Concepcion spent 19 seasons as the Cincinnati Reds shortstop, compiling a .267 average with 2,326 hits, 321 stolen bases and two Silver Slugger Awards, along five Gold Glove Awards and nine All-Star Game selections.<br />
<br />
Steve Garvey compiled a .294 career average over 19 major league seasons with the Dodgers and Padres, amassing 2,599 hits, 272 home runs, 1,308 RBI and 10 All-Star Game selections. He hit .338 with 11 home runs and 31 RBI in 11 postseason series, was named the 1978 and 1984 NLCS MVP and won the 1981 Roberto Clemente Award. Garvey won four Gold Glove Awards and played in an N.L. record 1,207 straight games. <br />
<br />
Pat Gillick spent 27 years as the general manager for the Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners and Phillies, winning at every stop along the way, with his teams earning nine post-season berths and three World Series championships. In his 27 years as GM, his teams finished with a winning record 20 times. <br />
<br />
Ron Guidry pitched 14 seasons for the New York Yankees, compiling a 170-91 record, a 3.29 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.81-to-1. In 10 postseason starts, Guidry was 5-2 with a 3.02 ERA. Four times he won 18 games or more in a season, including a Cy Young Award winning 1978 season with a 25-3, 1.74 era record.<br />
<br />
Tommy John pitched 26 seasons for the Indians, Dodgers, Yankees, Angels and A's, finishing his career after the 1989 season with a record of 288-231 and 3.34 ERA. His 700 career starts rank eighth on the all-time list and his 4,710.1 innings rank 20th all-time. <br />
<br />
Billy Martin spent 16 seasons 1969, 1971-83, 1985, 1988) managing the Twins, Tigers, Rangers, Yankees (five different stints) and A's, compiling a 1,253-1015 record (.552). Martin's teams finished in first place five times, winning two American League pennants and one World Series with 1977 Yankees. <br />
<br />
Marvin Miller was elected as the head of the Major League Baseball Players Association in 1966 and quickly turned the union into a powerhouse. Within a decade, Miller had secured free agency for the players. By the time he retired in 1982, the average player salary was approximately 10 times what it was when he took over.<br />
<br />
Al Oliver compiled 2,743 hits in 18 seasons with the Pirates, Rangers, Expos, Giants, Phillies, Dodgers and Blue Jays. He finished with a .303 career average, 529 doubles and 1,326 RBI, recording 10 seasons with a .300 or higher average, including nine straight from 1976-1984.<br />
<br />
Ted Simmons played for 21 seasons, totaling a .285 batting average, 2,472 hits, 483 doubles, 248 home runs and 1,389 RBI for the Cardinals, Brewers and Braves. An 8-time All-Star, he garnered MVP votes six times in his career. <br />
<br />
Rusty Staub totaled 2,716 hits in a 23-year major league career, with a .279 average, 292 home runs, 1,466 RBI and six All-Star Game selections. He appeared in at least 150 games in 12 seasons, and his 2,951 big league games rank No. 12 on the all-time list.<br />
<br />
George Steinbrenner guided the New York Yankees franchise as principal owner from purchasing the team in 1973 to his death in 2010, with his teams winning 11 American League pennants and seven World Series titles.steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-55957011590354544352010-09-24T01:37:00.000-07:002010-09-24T01:37:52.841-07:00The Thomas Weiner Card Company?1981 is considered by many to be the year when baseball cards went from being a hobby to an industry. The main reason for this is that Topps' monopoly had come to an end thanks to the lankmark court case filed by <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2009/12/and-winner-is.html">Fleer</a>. The end result was that collectors were given three options to collect in Topps, Fleer and Donruss. Heading into the 1981 baseball season, I had been anticipating Fleer's entry into the baseball card market for a few years as the court case was covered regularly in <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLm42mGZxjIuYM4wibTZfsiLOqjuSNpv2pq9-7tcQSp2BuPtbSM_04hYBbehIhzvivM32p8SDlx__f5JytAHKIoVvDfurJPbGaKYq931zNNJSpXVlM1onqHd9KpOrIDDn0ngsKhNpeq_Y/s1600/Scan_Pic0001.jpg">Sports Collectors Digest</a>. Thanks to the heavy lifting done by the Fleer, a new and relatively unknown trading card manufacturer entered the baseball card market as well.<br />
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Donruss started out as a confectionary company in 1954 and was originally known as The Thomas Weiner Company. Somewhere along the way, I'm guessing the owners Donald and Russell Weiner probably figured that their last name was probably causing more harm than good since the products they were selling was targeting towards children. As a result, they changed the company's name to Donruss which was the combined short versions of their own names. Note: Looking back, it's a good thing that it happened. I don't see collectors dropping $50 - $100 in the 1980's for a 1984 Thomas Weiner Don Mattingy Rookie Card.<br />
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<div> </div>Below are images of all of Steve Garvey's cards from Donruss' base sets released during 1981-1987. <br />
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<div> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA5JpjC3-juCtUjzDF9asnv_bMgjOYgS7k00Isd02rwTJHQHHr6YAhq6pb-wCWILwDclGBsoxJT8dH8Us1k31HLMHswnDRz7jV0qw_6xhMCdXt14Fqcg58Tvn0p_PfxQdm9bPNb9amT4/s1600/1981+donruss+56+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA5JpjC3-juCtUjzDF9asnv_bMgjOYgS7k00Isd02rwTJHQHHr6YAhq6pb-wCWILwDclGBsoxJT8dH8Us1k31HLMHswnDRz7jV0qw_6xhMCdXt14Fqcg58Tvn0p_PfxQdm9bPNb9amT4/s400/1981+donruss+56+front.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1981 Donruss #56 (front)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
Here's my review of Donruss' initial effort in 1981<br />
<br />
Bad<br />
<ul><li>Release comes off as rushed as almost the entire set was photographed in Chicago (Commiskey or Wrigley)</li>
<li>Over half the cards in the set have one kind of error in it or another (Donruss arguably went out of their way to correct the errors in order to generate revenue)</li>
<li>Card stock is poor</li>
<li>Printing quality is bad</li>
<li>The cutting of the cards is uneven</li>
<li>Collation inside a pack is horrible. Often times, the 18 card packs consisted of just two or three teams worth of players.</li>
</ul><br />
Good<br />
<ul><li>The design was attractive</li>
<li>The card backs were inivative and maximized space</li>
<li>Multiple cards of star players</li>
<li>Their gum tasted the best of the three manufacturers</li>
</ul>I've always been curious on how Donruss' product development team produced their 1981 set. For a company that had been around since 1954 and had been producing popular non-sport trading cards (Kiss, Elvis, Monkees, Addams Family...etc) for twenty years, they really shouldn't have had as many mistakes with their initial set as they did. Was it a case where they got their baseball card license at the last minute? <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs2gi8EubrMxi55xZzHZ8Dr9HCmQLIBmZcmO3VoGUAvxg5Md-uaN2CE2WILfdOSxc9H46oxgc_ZQsYP1EavSR4rknP3zBsuhrUhUzEaCYvuI3rt_95gFvZ6alq7c7YmngvwrynvAJchA/s1600/1981+donruss+56+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs2gi8EubrMxi55xZzHZ8Dr9HCmQLIBmZcmO3VoGUAvxg5Md-uaN2CE2WILfdOSxc9H46oxgc_ZQsYP1EavSR4rknP3zBsuhrUhUzEaCYvuI3rt_95gFvZ6alq7c7YmngvwrynvAJchA/s400/1981+donruss+56+back.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1981 Donruss #56 (back)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
The career highlights layout is now used by <a href="http://dodgers.mlb.com/components/team/player/bio_iframe.html?is_mug_shot=true&roster_cid=la&cid=la&player_id=451532">MLB.com on their player bios</a>. For what it's worth, Donruss had a corrected (surpassed 21 HR) and error version (surpassed 25 HR) of the 1980 career highlight.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPgSzua8rzSahWtMQAtRBvGbUghJXep1P8J9PkpDxeJRf0HEumZNNIDWKqiQe2yB1v-GT6v0cYoPWEjcDrRMERQJsAahQotXohJW6rhZeA2158CpDPFjZQV5Gy-U-4KzXaHQrIRLwG4A/s1600/1981+donruss+176+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPgSzua8rzSahWtMQAtRBvGbUghJXep1P8J9PkpDxeJRf0HEumZNNIDWKqiQe2yB1v-GT6v0cYoPWEjcDrRMERQJsAahQotXohJW6rhZeA2158CpDPFjZQV5Gy-U-4KzXaHQrIRLwG4A/s400/1981+donruss+176+front.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1981 Donruss #176 (front)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div>This is the second of two Steve Garvey cards in the 1981 Donruss set. It was actually taken in 1980 and at Dodger Stadium since Steve is wearing his home uniform and has the 1980 All-Star Game patch on the left shoulder of his jersey.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYGfxi7HChFYPOLAd8jpobtMpa76wXAt0DKEKOmYs1TAoK1qTCqtVvoGDledutPyw2QJq2twPIUFLWmqMbpux8GwdkYFvFLa8Zzr8RGJjKnJ9R24GtJaQ6il-AWcwpBFXpPV9vZUs-Ek/s1600/1981+donruss+176+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYGfxi7HChFYPOLAd8jpobtMpa76wXAt0DKEKOmYs1TAoK1qTCqtVvoGDledutPyw2QJq2twPIUFLWmqMbpux8GwdkYFvFLa8Zzr8RGJjKnJ9R24GtJaQ6il-AWcwpBFXpPV9vZUs-Ek/s400/1981+donruss+176+back.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1981 Donruss #176 (back)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div>The back of the second Garvey card in the set is more of a highlight card. Unfortunately, multiple cards of the same player within a set wasn't received as well as Donruss liked and they nixed the idea. In it's place, they created the popular Diamond Kings subset.</div><div> </div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjBzSTbp154lfCepVqcvEG0jAA80qmETPUTkxuKuxTWRhOuBCaVIobtZRdaOJIWskXp5yAOjCEkgBItq6Hi7GVSPBYG6mSrQoAWE2Au0410KyMbQi3tW19I8pLF0lgsEyqqbmqDVZkdU/s1600/1982+donruss+dk+2+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjBzSTbp154lfCepVqcvEG0jAA80qmETPUTkxuKuxTWRhOuBCaVIobtZRdaOJIWskXp5yAOjCEkgBItq6Hi7GVSPBYG6mSrQoAWE2Au0410KyMbQi3tW19I8pLF0lgsEyqqbmqDVZkdU/s400/1982+donruss+dk+2+front.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1982 Donruss Diamond Kings #3 (front)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Steve was the third card in the inaugural Diamond Kings subset behind two of the most self absorbed players in baseball not named Reggie Jackson in Pete Rose and Gary Carter. <br />
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Diamond Kings were originally watercolor paintings created by Dick Perez.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6NPFJXk3zKoeueiwwYM8Ug7jb18cXqwcnw0XLW05J36ouI9dTiGN-N1CqOC_Htb6TZx-nWMPplgunJgMw-zzUTkfq3Qt0mU1xWqcaw6qs_UTGCGspDL9t-buBh2AsVHr7zqqAIZl-5Q/s1600/1982+donruss+dk+2+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6NPFJXk3zKoeueiwwYM8Ug7jb18cXqwcnw0XLW05J36ouI9dTiGN-N1CqOC_Htb6TZx-nWMPplgunJgMw-zzUTkfq3Qt0mU1xWqcaw6qs_UTGCGspDL9t-buBh2AsVHr7zqqAIZl-5Q/s400/1982+donruss+dk+2+back.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1982 Donruss Diamond Kings #3 (back)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div>Donruss corrected the card stock issues from the year prior and produced a thicker card in 1982. </div><div> </div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaPx3A1XGfO-gsKa_7CHamq6XT8yxCUxWgCwx6QEzrCsdlBLwAarS0XDPibDJLftwbAWAgaYJ6oo48QhbcP9QlRZV7N5mULJmlSGSvhtQG6vbnPlsx3EkASw4xHCRdY2H2GFSTFcpoy0/s1600/1982+donruss+84+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaPx3A1XGfO-gsKa_7CHamq6XT8yxCUxWgCwx6QEzrCsdlBLwAarS0XDPibDJLftwbAWAgaYJ6oo48QhbcP9QlRZV7N5mULJmlSGSvhtQG6vbnPlsx3EkASw4xHCRdY2H2GFSTFcpoy0/s400/1982+donruss+84+front.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1982 Donruss #84 (front)<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
The 1982 design was pretty forgetful (though that could be true for all three card companies). This appears to be a shot from Spring Training. I can't tell but I think that's a 1980 All-Star Game patch on his jersey.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHVQJNblPgsH4ZXLz6IdOCCf9sTukbMuXsnW0l00tRjk2gbuqb_8Fy_zWoCXktvlYhs8sNrJG4iOeN9ig8gptUyV5x179uM9IevMM83wmO3zmVo3Kio0a7dLOKAbEa1t0T_-RxBpDzMM/s1600/1982+donruss+84+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHVQJNblPgsH4ZXLz6IdOCCf9sTukbMuXsnW0l00tRjk2gbuqb_8Fy_zWoCXktvlYhs8sNrJG4iOeN9ig8gptUyV5x179uM9IevMM83wmO3zmVo3Kio0a7dLOKAbEa1t0T_-RxBpDzMM/s400/1982+donruss+84+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1982 Donruss #84 (back)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div>Donruss revamped their backs in 1982 to include more statistics and condensed the highlights. This design must have been a hit in their corporate office as they chose to do <a href="http://nightowlcards.blogspot.com/2010/09/card-back-countdown-36-1992-donruss.html">very little updates to their card backs for close to a decade</a>. Not to miss out on an idea, <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2009/12/and-winner-is.html">Fleer would do the same thing starting in 1983</a>.</div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpfstLSD0nTun_O68yYFKpyXQ2oreNO6Sir064hsCjuWPlcaRjF2MVNLysnzK_kT7UUI5oZ6d-hlGgdwoD6ySzEy_uSigCkWCBt1tN7Yo9AAukLaD1EIrdSI6DP465TihIKxN4twHaRk/s1600/1983+donruss+488+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpfstLSD0nTun_O68yYFKpyXQ2oreNO6Sir064hsCjuWPlcaRjF2MVNLysnzK_kT7UUI5oZ6d-hlGgdwoD6ySzEy_uSigCkWCBt1tN7Yo9AAukLaD1EIrdSI6DP465TihIKxN4twHaRk/s400/1983+donruss+488+front.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1983 Donruss #488 (front)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
1983 Donruss in my opinion is an underrated set. While it looks a lot like their 1982 set, Donruss did a lot to clean up their set quality-wise by improving the quality of their photography as well as creating a second subset that would take the hobby by storm in 1984 in their Rated Rookies. Note: If you're not aware, Greg Brock and Al Chambers were Rated Rookies in 1983 and Donruss noted so on the back of their cards.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHscOH8B2gIJg3jQ7av6uqJz8xRqZLpRBEuxmZjgg7ALxCv270VDnoaAS9SpYRAruSBNV3p0gwm4WnpUx8slfNbTs8953S3eDSCajxB8iqns8tq7MdJgfAcDGaSP3daThJon0M4USvens/s1600/1983+donruss+488+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHscOH8B2gIJg3jQ7av6uqJz8xRqZLpRBEuxmZjgg7ALxCv270VDnoaAS9SpYRAruSBNV3p0gwm4WnpUx8slfNbTs8953S3eDSCajxB8iqns8tq7MdJgfAcDGaSP3daThJon0M4USvens/s400/1983+donruss+488+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1983 Donruss #488 (back)<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For much of his time with the Dodgers, Steve lived in Calabasas. It's a suburb in the southwest San Fernando Valley that's part of Los Angeles. Calabasas gets a lot of airplay today because the Kardashians live and film their TV show there (unfortunately, part of being married is watching shows like these which means that <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2010/09/18/kim-kardashian-kourntney-khloe-inmate-prisoner-lawsuit/">I guess I'm not going to be able to sue for $75K like some people</a>). <br />
<br />
I didn't notice until this post that his contract status says, "Became a free agent after the 1982 season". I still remember the Dodgers excuse (in particular Al Campanis' excuse) for letting Steve go as a free agent. It was "It's better to let a player go one year to soon than one year too late". If I remember correctly, Steve actually was willing to take a hometown discount to re-sign with the Dodgers but Peter O'Malley/Al Campanis weren't really interested since future Hall of Famer (sic) Greg Brock had just hit 50 Homers in AAA Albuquerque in 1982 and was set to take over at first base.<br />
<br />
Without going on too much of a tangent, I'm as much a fan of what the O'Malley's (especially Walter) did for the Dodgers as anyone. With that said, Peter O'Malley unfortunately had one major character flaw that resulted in my two all-time favorite players leaving the Dodgers when in both cases they didn't have to go. <br />
<br />
That flaw was the inability to adapt to changes as the changes were happening. In the first case, the change was Free Agency. Instead of accepting it, he initially tried to low ball the system. It wasn't until he brought in an outside influence in Fred Claire that he was able to figure Free Agency out. In the second case, the change was cable television and the player was Mike Piazza. While sports was growing into a 24/7 industry, Peter O'Malley feel asleep at the wheel while Jerry Buss of the Lakers was starting a sports cable channel in Prime Ticket. The extra money and exposure from Prime Ticket helped the Lakers take over the Los Angeles market and dominate NBA in the 1980's (and arguably since then).<br />
<br />
The Dodgers on the other hand were missing out on this opportunity and soon would be taken over by a corporate entity that would establish a <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=DxTZdZ2xc2EC&pg=PA216&lpg=PA216&dq=news+corp+piazza+trade+cable+sports+channel&source=bl&ots=_NHbiVh3o0&sig=-_JoX4Mx7VGjKwHqX4UokgH5z7s&hl=en&ei=2VicTJ3UGJHksQPu_JXWAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false">local sports cable channel</a> (<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=DxTZdZ2xc2EC&pg=PA216&lpg=PA216&dq=news+corp+piazza+trade+cable+sports+channel&source=bl&ots=_NHbiVh3o0&sig=-_JoX4Mx7VGjKwHqX4UokgH5z7s&hl=en&ei=2VicTJ3UGJHksQPu_JXWAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false">see page 216</a>) but result in Mike Piazza getting traded in order for it to happen.<br />
<br />
That's enough reminiscing for one day.<br />
<br />
<div> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgV1k70gmdq4RNBj1U1Nwf-tojLTDbpzpkqZZW6ID19w1yWrAdS5c9Cy2fuuo8uQ_To4WEg4ZDSl_ZkrE1XZLlWj7Ofq4cxZPHichIcvL6dVXDmCJ3Fg41SrQn3A3nlE_1VqFmCWzylc/s1600/1984+donruss+63+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgV1k70gmdq4RNBj1U1Nwf-tojLTDbpzpkqZZW6ID19w1yWrAdS5c9Cy2fuuo8uQ_To4WEg4ZDSl_ZkrE1XZLlWj7Ofq4cxZPHichIcvL6dVXDmCJ3Fg41SrQn3A3nlE_1VqFmCWzylc/s400/1984+donruss+63+front.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1984 Donruss #63 (front)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
1984 saw Donruss issue their landmark set that's arguably the most popular release of the entire decade (sorry 1989 Upper Deck, 1984 Fleer Update and 1983 Topps). For Steve, it meant a chance to model his self-proclaimed "Taco Bell' uniform.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZff37dwYA4JlBjMTL7FO_SSSWVnvqWAUKZos3vSIWFpnD7kpqVZ6HbQ-z8DWInAxPaSynLmzSEbJn9l50bFPnHvXBy2LogHKI8YWntDvOLk2Vg8QrLswRpQNMgL5DM9E5zOATV32lu0/s1600/1984+donruss+63+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZff37dwYA4JlBjMTL7FO_SSSWVnvqWAUKZos3vSIWFpnD7kpqVZ6HbQ-z8DWInAxPaSynLmzSEbJn9l50bFPnHvXBy2LogHKI8YWntDvOLk2Vg8QrLswRpQNMgL5DM9E5zOATV32lu0/s400/1984+donruss+63+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1984 Donruss #63 (back)<br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Donruss started another ritual with their card backs in 1984 that continued on for the rest of the decade in numbering the major stars card backs right after the first two subsets (Diamond Kings and Rated Rookies). This was an attempt to replicate Topps' success of issuing cards ending in 5, 0, 50 and 00 for stars and superstars.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mvjFW1aqTOqOVF2pI-qrSIvs05BDVRbvu08jtPWeqJ3c-92NRScQZSaY6bYAfWlQDWRTAocruhY87SWXUUO_nL1c2fvEFDlj4438Da5r8Gn92YVbkLm9kPAeSxoukA3bamX0TcQntjE/s1600/1985+donruss+94+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mvjFW1aqTOqOVF2pI-qrSIvs05BDVRbvu08jtPWeqJ3c-92NRScQZSaY6bYAfWlQDWRTAocruhY87SWXUUO_nL1c2fvEFDlj4438Da5r8Gn92YVbkLm9kPAeSxoukA3bamX0TcQntjE/s400/1985+donruss+94+front.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1985 Donruss # 307 (front)<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Donruss recesistated black borders in 1985 and ended up doing a rather fine job of it. Two years later, they'd try it again but not be as successful. Fortunately for Steve, this is his last Donruss card in the Taco Bell uniforms.<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7hdhKot-L4vPInRKykAaKl1F0s6DlLYfxI5S7c7BuXmVoq-XwTn6fDgDdg16Zp8LBQX8venm21Uv9l8n6nb_NoMwPgnWmjcnN4ehGEgKHWsZ8oL7LZov0drJgZwfJbQTEfdiSWKUXmo/s1600/1985+donruss+94+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7hdhKot-L4vPInRKykAaKl1F0s6DlLYfxI5S7c7BuXmVoq-XwTn6fDgDdg16Zp8LBQX8venm21Uv9l8n6nb_NoMwPgnWmjcnN4ehGEgKHWsZ8oL7LZov0drJgZwfJbQTEfdiSWKUXmo/s400/1985+donruss+94+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1985 Donruss #307* (back)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
* I guess you could say I pulled a Donruss (circa 1981). In my rush to scan the cards for this post, I ended up scanning the 1985 Leaf version instead (as evidenced by the French writing on the back of the card).<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnUWySromCq7OxHHSQdvwhrFKCeScOFtfWA07gKRECWy-ZmDELhEWXFwl46BCapkGN6mOQWNSazDx2x3u-kA-3bcHLSvMrggvOH6SYlIXj71iD-soeZoFAw3g-Hs4-Vwctm_8BKovAS0/s1600/1986+donruss+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnUWySromCq7OxHHSQdvwhrFKCeScOFtfWA07gKRECWy-ZmDELhEWXFwl46BCapkGN6mOQWNSazDx2x3u-kA-3bcHLSvMrggvOH6SYlIXj71iD-soeZoFAw3g-Hs4-Vwctm_8BKovAS0/s400/1986+donruss+front.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1986 Donruss #63 (front)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div align="left">Judging by the look on Steve's face, reality has probably set in the he's a Padre. At least he can take comfort in the fact that the Padres changed their uniforms.</div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISRRUWdxuYJAy5GTsgTGm0e1pKytTqY4PidOEOPAKyb8A_I1s7BPwYPm9vL68S0iYXvHIVo6EP44OuAn6k9HmYvh0_OBKedmrCMlyxCrfx7SIkTnx_O2_hl2ddwJBoz5cgNOzSBTsWIQ/s1600/1986+donruss+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISRRUWdxuYJAy5GTsgTGm0e1pKytTqY4PidOEOPAKyb8A_I1s7BPwYPm9vL68S0iYXvHIVo6EP44OuAn6k9HmYvh0_OBKedmrCMlyxCrfx7SIkTnx_O2_hl2ddwJBoz5cgNOzSBTsWIQ/s400/1986+donruss+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1986 Donruss #63 (back)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>During his playing days as a Padre, Steve lived in La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya). It's known as the Beverly Hills of San Diego and has some of the richest real estate in the country.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1lmzoqIGO4kZseMiNTj0AI7BLvSGwLvsj7kViuVIoaT9CXwf3TcJ-K4IT4JFXiaSo6pTzY3-QnNZbBkAHdO_dnJNJunAtNnmT0oPqXRu772OtKOzsqI5JwlAb5_Ya_iaW1qCtBwsanA/s1600/1987+donruss+114+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1lmzoqIGO4kZseMiNTj0AI7BLvSGwLvsj7kViuVIoaT9CXwf3TcJ-K4IT4JFXiaSo6pTzY3-QnNZbBkAHdO_dnJNJunAtNnmT0oPqXRu772OtKOzsqI5JwlAb5_Ya_iaW1qCtBwsanA/s400/1987+donruss+114+front.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1987 Donruss #114 (front)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Steve's shown here wearing the Padres' jersey he made famous during Pete Rose's 4192nd hit on 09/11/1985. It's interesting to see that some of his cards show him wearing one batting glove and others show him wearing two.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmiuzvlG5qJ6LSknp8rRWyWOTfrTwbwwkk4zDR3HFEfKiunclL0ej7LojyX_PJatpLnKpSFVYl-iIn8pxVRUEeI6BV5eYtPQ9n9cslsv3VpiBk9ubN4zEmCo4VaQOQ9lRDhkTaDkwIhU/s1600/1987+donruss+114+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmiuzvlG5qJ6LSknp8rRWyWOTfrTwbwwkk4zDR3HFEfKiunclL0ej7LojyX_PJatpLnKpSFVYl-iIn8pxVRUEeI6BV5eYtPQ9n9cslsv3VpiBk9ubN4zEmCo4VaQOQ9lRDhkTaDkwIhU/s400/1987+donruss+114+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1987 Donruss #81* (back)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>* I dropped the ball again and scanned the 1987 Leaf version.steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-79662393994571786892010-09-23T19:55:00.000-07:002010-09-23T19:55:04.213-07:00From Collector to Investor (or so I thought)I've mentioned in previous posts that <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2009/10/topps-o-pee-chee-early-years.html">I started collecting baseball cards in 1975</a>. Like a lot of collectors that started in the 1970's/80's, I made the natural progression through the years from casual collector to trading card investor (or so I thought). Looking back, I'd say the progression started in 1979 because I discovered three things that's I've listed below.<br />
<br />
The first thing I discovered about baseball cards is that they could be valuable. One of the gifts I received for my tenth birthday in 1979 was the first annual Beckett Baseball Price Guide. It showed me that there were people that purchased cards individually and not just by the pack. This to me was amazing because up until now I only viewed them as a way to connect with the players and as a source of entertainment because of my experiences putting them in bicycle spokes as well as flipping them against the wall. The highlight of the book was the color pictures of very rare baseball cards (i.e. T206 Wagner, 1933 Goudey Lajoie...etc) from famed collector Barry Halper. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclBkOPJ2DA_1gpyLaoLP_NAXQWfSyq-MhU8pVZSr5RHkTo8J1sIRnWQKVzpACRRNNrawXPFFx10o2li6fnaVrazhdH8CyvIpidDLG71IEpaXRDwE3Dif_ZmWyvK-tm7kzv1IplxaBuMM/s1600/beckett+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclBkOPJ2DA_1gpyLaoLP_NAXQWfSyq-MhU8pVZSr5RHkTo8J1sIRnWQKVzpACRRNNrawXPFFx10o2li6fnaVrazhdH8CyvIpidDLG71IEpaXRDwE3Dif_ZmWyvK-tm7kzv1IplxaBuMM/s400/beckett+1.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The first Beckett price guide had two different covers. One with cards and one with artwork. This is the version I had.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
As I'm sure many of you know, the first Beckett price guide catalogued, price and checklisted many baseball sets. Additionally, there was a little bio on each set as well as a sample photo of a card from the set. I spent lots of time as a kid reading the guide more like an encyclopedia and learning about each set. While there were a few advertisements from dealers in the book, most of them seemed impersonal and most of the dealers appeared to be located on the other side of the country. Fortunately for me, I soon discovered another publication that helped reduce this problem some.<br />
<br />
In a previous blog, I've mentioned a childhood <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-favorite-cards.html">friend of mine</a> who created an iron-on T-Shirt of a 1975 Topps Steve Garvey. He opened my eyes up to the publication Sports Collectors Digest (SCD) and that a publication existed solely for buying and selling baseball cards. It was the second thing I discovered about baseball cards in 1979. To me SCD was an amazing piece of reading material that incredibly came out weekly. I actually still have the first issue I remember reading as a kid from July 1979. Among the interesting articles is one on Fleer taking Topps to Federal Court over their trading card monopoly. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLm42mGZxjIuYM4wibTZfsiLOqjuSNpv2pq9-7tcQSp2BuPtbSM_04hYBbehIhzvivM32p8SDlx__f5JytAHKIoVvDfurJPbGaKYq931zNNJSpXVlM1onqHd9KpOrIDDn0ngsKhNpeq_Y/s1600/Scan_Pic0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLm42mGZxjIuYM4wibTZfsiLOqjuSNpv2pq9-7tcQSp2BuPtbSM_04hYBbehIhzvivM32p8SDlx__f5JytAHKIoVvDfurJPbGaKYq931zNNJSpXVlM1onqHd9KpOrIDDn0ngsKhNpeq_Y/s400/Scan_Pic0001.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(With 30 years hindsight, I wonder if the results of this case caused more harm than good)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I also found an advertisement interesting for 1975 SSPC cards that shows <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizz4REhGPobxx2S9r1UQmFaKUoxU91n-E1gVUsVo_7KDkpKlFf30TBsCVec-v5_bLNZVaRkVc4K3EvnJ9zSTRzkL3wqK-AwXdnHH_IEZ2ay9Tm4AePe44dM6oSqeKbJuwDny3bTccv5oM/s1600-h/1976+sspc+front.jpg">Steve Garvey</a>. Above the advertisement is another one from Ken Goldin of ShopAtHome and Scoreboard fame.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7gXfR300f7pCdbEASwSVi39wthQv-dw-kcSYdZ31RX5sjJDNYzaiRSTCYx9V8hkfYIXINKz0AhZTT4MVYoU8OsGr2dalFJ7bNHPFEe_4FInqPPM9pSqaGgMiTl37eBk_LTlDExe-SOs/s1600/Scan_Pic0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7gXfR300f7pCdbEASwSVi39wthQv-dw-kcSYdZ31RX5sjJDNYzaiRSTCYx9V8hkfYIXINKz0AhZTT4MVYoU8OsGr2dalFJ7bNHPFEe_4FInqPPM9pSqaGgMiTl37eBk_LTlDExe-SOs/s400/Scan_Pic0004.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Unfortunately there were no Elite Dominators, 3200 Box of Commons or Gem Mint 10 McGwires in Ken Goldin's ad)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've also included a page that had an advertisement for 1979 Topps Baseball Card boxes for $5.00 each.</div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nV_39U3m-zJ3jmfO9UNxfx9K23wpcEvzF4ie4OVRso28LVtO4zXbsJPzg5v23ZYCqXP9lLrVdTc36Qqq2dhsxuQ82dkJuBxM79bkcgSvAiLlsdnH1ukl-jcfOjulmDOVEOYh8KJoDek/s1600/Scan_Pic0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nV_39U3m-zJ3jmfO9UNxfx9K23wpcEvzF4ie4OVRso28LVtO4zXbsJPzg5v23ZYCqXP9lLrVdTc36Qqq2dhsxuQ82dkJuBxM79bkcgSvAiLlsdnH1ukl-jcfOjulmDOVEOYh8KJoDek/s400/Scan_Pic0005.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">($5.00 for a box of 1979 Topps Baseball)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
As interesting as SCD's were to me, I don't know if I purchased more than a couple items (SSPC Dodgers and Yankees old-timers sets) from dealers because building my collection via mail order wasn't too exciting to me. Fortunately, SCD was able to turn me on to an experience that dominated the 1980's collecting world.<br />
<br />
I've mentioned that I grew up in the San Fernando Valley which is suburb of Los Angeles. The San Fernando Valley is actually comprised of numerous cities many of which have been made famous by the media. Some of the more well known cities include Burbank, Encino, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Studio City and Northidge. As a kid, I grew up near Northridge and fortunately for me this turned out to be a major center for collecting as the local Women's Club would rent out their hall once a month to the West Coast Card Club (who happened to advertise their shows in SCD) so that they could put on a card show. People actually meeting at once place to buy and sell trading cards was the third thing I discovered about cards in 1979. I immediately had to go to every show which i did until two things happened 1) the location of the show was moved because they had out grown the Women's Club and 2) I discovered baseball card shops (I'll save that for another post).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRhim5GjQZD2aGuVFtRVSacIPwGMuC41PqF_DQY55gnuN3fnQ01lq5FLPoxaN_CKPLwd0A2sqvRaGfZGQ-pJFm-srkq3cfjmb-TpSVPFrKYki9GP7yJC_wXZyH3xdlL1hXblLig78yAg/s1600/Scan_Pic0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRhim5GjQZD2aGuVFtRVSacIPwGMuC41PqF_DQY55gnuN3fnQ01lq5FLPoxaN_CKPLwd0A2sqvRaGfZGQ-pJFm-srkq3cfjmb-TpSVPFrKYki9GP7yJC_wXZyH3xdlL1hXblLig78yAg/s400/Scan_Pic0002.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>Members of the West Coast Card Club were sent out a newsletter every few months that detailed upcoming shows, provided a collector's spotlight and covered general administrative issues.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QjCnj6p6CBF0gfogX4_IeCXUNKUP5f4G9zoB8UbHHC07uz0thf_Ib2Z7yLRXIkUu80f-bkqa472ReJEhsdaoxOodd94MyGU3lSc8yW1rADR1rUY2OlNrtxsUp6jLx07-YoeMmZQSPXw/s1600/Scan_Pic0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QjCnj6p6CBF0gfogX4_IeCXUNKUP5f4G9zoB8UbHHC07uz0thf_Ib2Z7yLRXIkUu80f-bkqa472ReJEhsdaoxOodd94MyGU3lSc8yW1rADR1rUY2OlNrtxsUp6jLx07-YoeMmZQSPXw/s400/Scan_Pic0003.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I still remember attending my first West Coast Card Club. The main thing that stuck in my mind was that a dealer named Pepe told me that he'd pay me a dime each for every 1977 Topps Andre Dawson and 1979 Topps Pedro Guerrero Rookie Card that I found and purchased from other dealers common boxes (and in turn sold to him). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNW-5jXGCOCI8QAeHM0OfSvgBrSBEtskZYv89450rBy4KcP0TT_Mtcr94ZE_CVu34XYQGYTpVdM_H5qvFthyphenhyphent8wFo0U-tFSLGSp-irM9wngLbji2ev2o-vrO3RByJNIif0T2-SLf_h8A/s1600/1979+pedro+rc+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNW-5jXGCOCI8QAeHM0OfSvgBrSBEtskZYv89450rBy4KcP0TT_Mtcr94ZE_CVu34XYQGYTpVdM_H5qvFthyphenhyphent8wFo0U-tFSLGSp-irM9wngLbji2ev2o-vrO3RByJNIif0T2-SLf_h8A/s400/1979+pedro+rc+front.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(To some Braves fans, this is announcer Joe Simpson's Rookie Card)</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rookie Cards hadn't really taken off yet in the hobby because most collectors were relatively new and tended to gravitate to vintage cards (in particular Mickey Mantle). After three hours of work, I believe I ended up with around $3.00 from all of my hard work. I'm pretty sure my earnings were spent on 1979 Topps packs as this was the first set I ever completed as a kid. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd note that a few days after the show, I acquired a 1977 Dawson from one of my friends as well as quite a few 1979 Topps Pedro Guerreros. Below is the Dawson I received in trade.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP78rUjKW-ilVDS2dUa1fcI1IJF3YbZvS3vMqudpTb6Lagw4XpwgErTwPQ2g4zY186f-bT_2N1jeY0NackeL9MkP6WzJodjo9zcGEPEw-IS-HBme-NbYJR7eJ4zarYIOymiv3pfs4Uj_M/s1600/dawson+rc+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP78rUjKW-ilVDS2dUa1fcI1IJF3YbZvS3vMqudpTb6Lagw4XpwgErTwPQ2g4zY186f-bT_2N1jeY0NackeL9MkP6WzJodjo9zcGEPEw-IS-HBme-NbYJR7eJ4zarYIOymiv3pfs4Uj_M/s400/dawson+rc+front.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Obviously, condition wasn't an issue to me.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMIJN9WGcu-au_HqKgjsfa5S_m0SVt5D4CE2RpCeR7-Kk3fHxXwewpKHuCmPlNVusUKYJ_N8JLSieK5R1hTO-3nxT4DL3Naj0QDY9g7r8A0zTJrZqltYGUo0mvyKXPeJ6G6_zjPzToNk/s1600/dawson+rc+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMIJN9WGcu-au_HqKgjsfa5S_m0SVt5D4CE2RpCeR7-Kk3fHxXwewpKHuCmPlNVusUKYJ_N8JLSieK5R1hTO-3nxT4DL3Naj0QDY9g7r8A0zTJrZqltYGUo0mvyKXPeJ6G6_zjPzToNk/s400/dawson+rc+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(I don't remember if I traded with Ken Vikish or Kevin Kish) <br />
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</tbody></table>This experience eventually led me to becoming a rookie card prospector/speculator/investor in the 1980's. I can't really say my transition from casual collector to trading card investor paid off in 1980's as I sold my 100 count lots of obscure 1980's rookie cards years ago for pennies on the dollar. <br />
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It's probably the reason why I'm once again only a collector and don't worry about the value of my cards.steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-53092197488855764252010-09-06T15:49:00.000-07:002010-09-06T15:49:56.572-07:00Hope Springs Eternal - Part TwoA friend of mine and I got into a conversation recently about old baseball cards and some of the ones mentioned (<a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2010/02/hope-springs-eternal.html">Lou Piniella and Bill Davis' multiple Topps Rookie Star cards</a>) were covered in a <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2010/02/hope-springs-eternal.html">post</a> I wrote a while ago. He mentioned two other players that had multiple Topps rookie star cards that I found interesting. Details on each of them are listed below.<br />
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The first player is <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wolfwa01.shtml">Wally Wolf</a>. Wally was a right-handed pitcher for USC in college and was one of the very first players for the Houston Colt .45's organization when, as a 19 year old, he signed with them in June 1961 (one year prior to the .45's inaugural season). In 1962, he had an amazing season (16-3 W-L, 2.87 ERA, 172 K's in 160 innings) for Durham in Class B (the same as Single A today). This prompted Houston to move Wally all the way up to AAA at the end of 1962. He wasn't ready for the league as he ended up getting bombed (0-6 W-L, 9.93 ERA in 9 games). Regardless, Topps ended up including Wally Wolf on a 1963 Topps Rookie Stars card with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/herbero01.shtml">Ron Herbel</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/millejo03.shtml">John Miller</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tayloro01.shtml">Ron Taylor</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6hui56nrmJFlqY-Q7Q_u8ZTGOsSlcTto25UtcjVpDKVGa0wBzZpzAnHagcdpSwxbEM0Nr3xFpBK7dyJy6YrQldIW1orR8M6-6kQ2DEWijr08FD1oD3xp1uWBOZMAISLQ-2dU9PzqO64/s1600/63+wes+wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6hui56nrmJFlqY-Q7Q_u8ZTGOsSlcTto25UtcjVpDKVGa0wBzZpzAnHagcdpSwxbEM0Nr3xFpBK7dyJy6YrQldIW1orR8M6-6kQ2DEWijr08FD1oD3xp1uWBOZMAISLQ-2dU9PzqO64/s400/63+wes+wolf.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1963 Topps # 208 Wally Wolf and Friends</td></tr>
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In 1963, Wally had a strong season in Double-AA San Antonio for Houston (7-3 W-L, 3.13 ERA, 82 K's in 92 IP) but it appears to be abbreviated since he only made twelve starts. That would be Wally's last season with Houston as he was packaged along with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dicksji01.shtml">Jim Dickson</a> in a trade to the Cincinnati Reds for veteran infielder <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kaskoed01.shtml">Eddie Kasko</a> in January 1964. <br />
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Wally would spend the next three years in the Reds organization trying to regain the form he showed in 1962 and 1963 in the minors for Houston. Eventually, Cincinnati gave up and let the California Angels select him in the minor league draft in November 1966. <br />
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With a new team in a new organization, Wally righted the ship in 1967 while in AA El Paso (11-7 W-L, 3.55 ERA, 134 K's in 142 IP) and appeared destined for the Majors. Unfortunately, things didn't work out as planned and the Angels converted Wally to a reliever during the 1968 season as a result of a mediocre year split between AA and AAA.<br />
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1969 ended up being a great year for the now 27 year old pitcher as a solid season in AA El Paso (9-4 W-L, 3.38 ERA, 88 K's in 96 IP) resulted in a September call up with the Angels. On <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK196909270.shtml">September 27th, 1969</a>, Wally was called on to get the last out in bottom of the 7th inning against the Oakland Athletics and allowed an RBI single to Joe Rudi. He then proceeded to get Dave Duncan to fly out to Jim Fregosi. The results had little outcome on the game as future Hall of Fame Catfish Hunter was in the process of throwing a three-hit shutout. <br />
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<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA196909300.shtml">Three days later</a>, Wally would have his second and last appearance of 1969 against the Kansas City Royals. In that game, he ended up pitching the last two innings of a game started by Tom Murphy with the Angels. Trailing 5-2, he ended up giving up a three-run home run to Ed Kirkpatrick. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZXLWVYHUlQLW5hDV2mv0o-zgikYYKrEwADYdUgSUibBpV1Ceth4G_1dmBz1rf4MMUK7gmNXeHBQqH1oVTBFA2Gm3qkBOOD6KWXpFN4YeU5i-bV86WwhqKw8ltJgoEBZKFqOLHjas7TE/s1600/70+wally+wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZXLWVYHUlQLW5hDV2mv0o-zgikYYKrEwADYdUgSUibBpV1Ceth4G_1dmBz1rf4MMUK7gmNXeHBQqH1oVTBFA2Gm3qkBOOD6KWXpFN4YeU5i-bV86WwhqKw8ltJgoEBZKFqOLHjas7TE/s400/70+wally+wolf.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1970 Topps # 74 Wally Wolf and Friend</td></tr>
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Topps' took notice of Wally's 1969 season by including him on a 1970 Topps rookie stars card with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/washbgr01.shtml">Greg Washburn</a>. This resulted in what's probably the longest period of time (seven years) a player had been on two of Topps'rookie stars card. To make things even more ironic, Topps used the same photo on the 1970 card that was on the 1963 card.<br />
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His 1970 season with the Angels lasted all of four games. After that, he never reached the majors again and he soon retired. Wally's final career numbers were: 0-0 W-L, 7.04 ERA, 7 K's in 7 2/3 IP. Topps never produced another card of Wally outside of those two Rookie Stars cards.<br />
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The second player my friend and I discussed was <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/koringe01.shtml">George Korince</a>. George was a right-handed pitcher out of Ottawa, Canada with the nickname Moose that the Detroit Tigers signed as an amateur free agent in 1965. George quickly moved up the Tigers minor league ladder with two strong seasons in 1965 in Single-A and 1966 in Double-AA (9-8 W-L, 3.76 ERA, 183 K's in 182 IP). <br />
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He eventually caught the attention of the folks over at Topps (at least his name did) as they included him on a Tigers Rookie Stars card in their 1967 Topps set along with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/matchto01.shtml">John Matchick</a> (who went by his middle name Tommy). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4XUpdGqA79DS4qpNJGiiWBOTY7wkE3EO7R-K1Ut1XKkqZMhj59DE21sCfM_UlDOmH6mxpMAGWxAArTwKrD4XmrSApy-HKPu3Tk7_DJfqDfP31Ae4qpyqh-97sUbS0cAdqAJiPJRG7OU/s1600/67+george+korince+-+error.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4XUpdGqA79DS4qpNJGiiWBOTY7wkE3EO7R-K1Ut1XKkqZMhj59DE21sCfM_UlDOmH6mxpMAGWxAArTwKrD4XmrSApy-HKPu3Tk7_DJfqDfP31Ae4qpyqh-97sUbS0cAdqAJiPJRG7OU/s400/67+george+korince+-+error.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1967 Topps # 72 George Korince and Friend (Error)</td></tr>
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Unfortunately for George, Topps mistakenly put a photo <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brownik01.shtml">Ike Brown</a> on his card which is odd because George was Caucasian and Ike is African-American. What's even more interesting is that Ike didn't have his first Topps card until 1970 so this card pre-dated his rookie card by three years! <br />
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For whatever reason, this mistake (<a href="http://www.checkoutmycards.com/Cards/Baseball/1966/Topps/447/Dick_Ellsworth_UER_(Photo_is_actually_Ken_Hubbs)">unlike the Dick Ellsworth/Ken Hubbs fiasco from the year prior</a>) must have embarrased the folks at Topps because they chose to correct the card by issuing another George Korince Rookie Stars in the same 1967 Topps set. This time they included him with Pat Dobson and noted that this is a correct photo of George on the back of the card!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYlZAYW4sqPbCX6PcxaqrXLYi39mJjbyKPu8n3F5iVD1-DhLaKsG6aFj-KrgWGjS4KNsdIv52gCY99wYKrJqHZ0a-Nd7I7Qe67tESkZlSyMRok25wKKKdRR36ymb-vJM3KAt6aVdJmvU/s1600/67+george+korince+-+corrected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYlZAYW4sqPbCX6PcxaqrXLYi39mJjbyKPu8n3F5iVD1-DhLaKsG6aFj-KrgWGjS4KNsdIv52gCY99wYKrJqHZ0a-Nd7I7Qe67tESkZlSyMRok25wKKKdRR36ymb-vJM3KAt6aVdJmvU/s400/67+george+korince+-+corrected.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1967 Topps #526 George Korince (front - corrected) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFg94WmJ4Uxi1G2GvIxB0Rvh5Qq0bpI1z8QBBjDmnOxqEsX3VibdMw-8GbF6Gmmgc6AFCJennsNTR68FZrcWkUDpDiH-IULf1fbSlmYjbWkHlzVQg_zKaXASdcfLLMi_IFGl-hlKniVM/s1600/67+george+korince+-+corrected+-+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFg94WmJ4Uxi1G2GvIxB0Rvh5Qq0bpI1z8QBBjDmnOxqEsX3VibdMw-8GbF6Gmmgc6AFCJennsNTR68FZrcWkUDpDiH-IULf1fbSlmYjbWkHlzVQg_zKaXASdcfLLMi_IFGl-hlKniVM/s400/67+george+korince+-+corrected+-+back.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1967 Topps #526 George Korince (back - corrected)<br />
Note: Topps wants you to know this is actually George in this photo.</td></tr>
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In retrospect, I believe this is the only time an error has been acknowledged by a manufactuer and corrected with a different card. Because 1960's cards were produced in multiple series, Topps must have felt that issuing a low numbered correction in a high numbered set would have been confusing to kids.<br />
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I'd note that fifteen years later, Donruss would repeat the mistake of confusing persons of different race only this time they put a photo of a Caucasian player (Gary Lucas) on an African-American's card (Juan Eichelberger). When the error was corrected, it was done the more traditional way of updating the photo in later printings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jsXUaYcLt22cAhQA_SAag2GWSqtQCDax94kUH-NpQq853PlxZTjMVz155Z1slj2_z9h59CFIeIWgggMwcTwbs9mXYHuE5PaF15rdThPpkEm2-1CDn14FcVkHaSOVXiuezvIs9UYchjA/s1600/donruss+eichelberger+error.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jsXUaYcLt22cAhQA_SAag2GWSqtQCDax94kUH-NpQq853PlxZTjMVz155Z1slj2_z9h59CFIeIWgggMwcTwbs9mXYHuE5PaF15rdThPpkEm2-1CDn14FcVkHaSOVXiuezvIs9UYchjA/s400/donruss+eichelberger+error.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1982 Donruss # 422 Juan Eichelberger (error that pictures Gary Lucas)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOPPIHTTka0aSUz453pcTwzGYO3Q8KsbSuzmG4DC0wQzGDTU7jQjg_YURdIG3WnioLKKj0sp2wU_BjZ4nZAqKnmqFmHTsyikYQwin4KJX9wNxGIwjAHCs2OV3xMHTgLNUQrT1lG39UiU/s1600/donruss+eichelberger+corrected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOPPIHTTka0aSUz453pcTwzGYO3Q8KsbSuzmG4DC0wQzGDTU7jQjg_YURdIG3WnioLKKj0sp2wU_BjZ4nZAqKnmqFmHTsyikYQwin4KJX9wNxGIwjAHCs2OV3xMHTgLNUQrT1lG39UiU/s400/donruss+eichelberger+corrected.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1982 Donruss # 422 Juan Eichelberger (corrected)</td></tr>
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Going back to George Korince, he would pitch in nine games for the Tigers in 1967 highlighted by his first and only career win on <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?n1=koringe01&t=p&year=1967">May 13th</a> against the Boston Red Sox. Topps was impressed enough to include him on another Rookie Stars card in 1968. This time with Fred Lasher<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1yf-QiFGsqkCXEWOZ4krTl-crrTI4eRIvJd2mWKggWDNNVGBWyxeuzGCB-tE1KtoCxuUCqUWTOWWKHNcHiAd1Zdf7Olw-CGi5I02WdiXtjZwaTDs8VKr4WPuvcEEgWn4vY5chRi_Sm8/s1600/68+george+korince.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1yf-QiFGsqkCXEWOZ4krTl-crrTI4eRIvJd2mWKggWDNNVGBWyxeuzGCB-tE1KtoCxuUCqUWTOWWKHNcHiAd1Zdf7Olw-CGi5I02WdiXtjZwaTDs8VKr4WPuvcEEgWn4vY5chRi_Sm8/s400/68+george+korince.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1968 Topps # 447 George Korine and Friend<br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
A successful major league career would never happen for George. He would never appear in another major league game after 1967 and was out of professional baseball by 1970. George's final career numbers were: 1-0 W-L, 4.24 ERA, 13 K's in 17 IP and 11 Games. Ironicaly, the only cards Topps produced of George were these three Rookie Stars cards.steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-48005457816294397252010-09-03T21:50:00.000-07:002010-09-04T01:10:25.735-07:001970's & 1980's Topps Baseball TriviaI created two more Quizes on Sporcle.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/steelehere/1970s_topps_mlb_subsets">Can you name the cards included in these 1970's Topps baseball card subsets?</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/steelehere/1980s_topps_mlb_subsets">Can you name the cards included in these 1980's Topps baseball card subsets?</a> <br />
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Let me know how you do.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4xqt9TZfxYe7cjq4GBuCLyBRJknBbvOgvuMluE19xdOOV2GgowtDCq7rjGuXq1Ezuc31By8rQ-PIf2MALlNLfwtc0z63wQQHTLTM-C6WkXVkCSlXBe1_76xlTiss9-nnpIfQ7eyrXYE/s1600/sporcle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4xqt9TZfxYe7cjq4GBuCLyBRJknBbvOgvuMluE19xdOOV2GgowtDCq7rjGuXq1Ezuc31By8rQ-PIf2MALlNLfwtc0z63wQQHTLTM-C6WkXVkCSlXBe1_76xlTiss9-nnpIfQ7eyrXYE/s320/sporcle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-10263144936889982352010-09-02T21:23:00.000-07:002010-09-02T23:19:34.119-07:00My Virtual Card CollectionOne of the coolest features that I've seen on blogs is "Cards That Should Have Been". Being a player collector, it's great to see Steve Garvey in mocked up Topps trading cards from 1969 to 1988. This is especially true if he didn't have a card in a particular set/subset in the first place (though Topps I wish you'd make another All-Time Fan Favorites set). The author of one of the blogs that I read regularly, <a href="http://garveyceyrusselllopes.blogspot.com/">GCRL</a>, is particularly adept at creating these.<br />
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One of my favorites is his CTSHB of the 1977 Dodgers 30 Home Run foursome on a <a href="http://garveyceyrusselllopes.blogspot.com/2009/12/first-30-homerun-foursome-and-1978.html">1978 Topps Record Breaker Card</a>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslXFweodXqGSqARjlvVuULThyC1q1LIwNtYwHTSuFvAiJfX5jUoloLzlX4dRSHALaGtwF9rX8ah9LpoPvphQvOn2tKG3YIK5hG0BzeSQvikU2k-mt4Nhp016ezaLsnZkbr1tx9SMiSVs/s1600/sb_1978_topps_garvey-cey-smith-baker_rb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslXFweodXqGSqARjlvVuULThyC1q1LIwNtYwHTSuFvAiJfX5jUoloLzlX4dRSHALaGtwF9rX8ah9LpoPvphQvOn2tKG3YIK5hG0BzeSQvikU2k-mt4Nhp016ezaLsnZkbr1tx9SMiSVs/s400/sb_1978_topps_garvey-cey-smith-baker_rb.JPG" width="286" /></a></div><br />
He's also designed <a href="http://garveyceyrusselllopes.blogspot.com/2010/02/1985-and-1986-topps-steve-garvey-all.html">1985 and 1986 Topps All-Star cards of Steve Garvey</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLEi1ugrJtrWD6Fl3Pe9H2xsoktiwGtmhPB-2mS7vVBlbQw9BZO-L_IRTrTTg6MPwy7LFf3vrHickMTjVteD8iWoAa-LfhN5UOJTL-LfL6UJYlscOjHyNFO5enhtR2xvw7NzF14LyO4s/s1600/85+topps+garvey+as.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLEi1ugrJtrWD6Fl3Pe9H2xsoktiwGtmhPB-2mS7vVBlbQw9BZO-L_IRTrTTg6MPwy7LFf3vrHickMTjVteD8iWoAa-LfhN5UOJTL-LfL6UJYlscOjHyNFO5enhtR2xvw7NzF14LyO4s/s320/85+topps+garvey+as.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXpEyN9sCq73CYyhPGRcQu1EjFAUb__LJSsFdd7j5G7Vt7XbC3sCUe_qx-r11m5fPcfx1LOitl8PajmQCCKgkgpygr1ZBMc7iSdhXrgh3WgCyNcA3rqALNBaoauaKdEBibOP4o98_57g/s1600/86+topps+garvey+as.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXpEyN9sCq73CYyhPGRcQu1EjFAUb__LJSsFdd7j5G7Vt7XbC3sCUe_qx-r11m5fPcfx1LOitl8PajmQCCKgkgpygr1ZBMc7iSdhXrgh3WgCyNcA3rqALNBaoauaKdEBibOP4o98_57g/s320/86+topps+garvey+as.jpg" /></a></div><br />
In my opinion the two coolest concepts in CTSHB are cards that pre-date a player's actual rookie card (assuming the player did actually play in a year prior) and final tribute cards so that you can see the players final stats.<br />
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In the case of Steve Garvey, he played for the Dodgers in 1969 and 1970 prior to his 1971 Topps rookie card being issued. He played his final game in 1987 and never had a final tribute card in 1988 from Topps (newbie Score eased that pain somewhat). <br />
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The Internet has helped me fill in those holes and led me to start a virtual collection of Steve Garvey cards. Here are the mockups cards of Steve that I've found so far that use 1969, 1970 and 1988 Topps designs. <br />
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The first one I found has a 1969 design and was created by <a href="http://boblemke.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-finished-my-1969-style-garvey.html">Bob Lemke</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFvWe4LVVqdyW_vq8EBS_YTRVat2Bc7G4Z99aBNxs03y7KyeFQUzcrd5fQ5Ap06Ab2CFWn3_8wbdbSOpial8hdVf1wLfhPRG8yjuVVHEA6e8jpr1TIScXnbkfyJ-TobgKsEXPsGwXiFQ/s1600/69garveyfrontandback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFvWe4LVVqdyW_vq8EBS_YTRVat2Bc7G4Z99aBNxs03y7KyeFQUzcrd5fQ5Ap06Ab2CFWn3_8wbdbSOpial8hdVf1wLfhPRG8yjuVVHEA6e8jpr1TIScXnbkfyJ-TobgKsEXPsGwXiFQ/s400/69garveyfrontandback.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The second one I found has a 1970 Topps design and was created by <a href="http://1978theyearitallbegan.blogspot.com/2010/08/1970-steve-garvey-lost-card.html">Mr. Mopar</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QEaaMS-ugYKY9HIT64YDAayUoTlOeRDBeG8fUznadiPaQq6Qn72CaIOjh2Qsn3rLKVjRcXyI-BT6wtUDJegaw3pKZoyzS7g7il3AaIT4JGiYE4qADRh23eHxPpca6JcDxRFShUQ7ilY/s1600/70garv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QEaaMS-ugYKY9HIT64YDAayUoTlOeRDBeG8fUznadiPaQq6Qn72CaIOjh2Qsn3rLKVjRcXyI-BT6wtUDJegaw3pKZoyzS7g7il3AaIT4JGiYE4qADRh23eHxPpca6JcDxRFShUQ7ilY/s400/70garv.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The third one I found also has a 1970 design. Unfortunately, I don't remember who designed it (I believe I sourced it from a PSA message board). If anyone recognizes this, leave me a message with a link and I'll update this post.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P7uElFxP0nHu6frboFbzqMeW9qgc_885GLNXCRmYK6oF42x9fJslG1LELZ9CVzQfj7mZDF5cH35SiulbadLoeAfP8lU4LsSuwtRVYV5OsNyuKHTxShMZYgJ0geADcduesE54q_VgLsE/s1600/garvey70-1-250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P7uElFxP0nHu6frboFbzqMeW9qgc_885GLNXCRmYK6oF42x9fJslG1LELZ9CVzQfj7mZDF5cH35SiulbadLoeAfP8lU4LsSuwtRVYV5OsNyuKHTxShMZYgJ0geADcduesE54q_VgLsE/s400/garvey70-1-250.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br />
The fourth one I found has a 1988 Topps design and was created by <a href="http://punkrockpaint.blogspot.com/2008/12/shoulda-been-sundays-card-4.html">Punk Rock Paint</a>. Unfortunately, a back to the card was never created so you don't get to see Steve's complete career stats.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7v9DFSHu4Hjylks-W_ICxeJ7qViBkMvtSznhHQgswfRSzI8_hOjlAQ9ZZBVbYMFpm7SZ2b9txO6j24WoymBNkzi3FvfEGFwqaHDjIFfkxHTsouSLm5ebNHiDK03ON_uWeoQ3RyQVzVg/s1600/Garvey88.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7v9DFSHu4Hjylks-W_ICxeJ7qViBkMvtSznhHQgswfRSzI8_hOjlAQ9ZZBVbYMFpm7SZ2b9txO6j24WoymBNkzi3FvfEGFwqaHDjIFfkxHTsouSLm5ebNHiDK03ON_uWeoQ3RyQVzVg/s400/Garvey88.JPG" width="285" /></a></div>With that said, I'm assuming this can't be it so I was wondering if I could get your help. Are any of you familiar with any other Cards That Should Have Been for Steve Garvey from his playing career? Also, does anyone know if Baseball Cards Magazine (or any of their competitors) back in the 1980's ever produced a mockup Steve Garvey card using a Topps, Fleer or Donruss design?<br />
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Thanks in advancesteeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-30395321771123341542010-09-02T14:56:00.000-07:002010-09-02T15:10:25.887-07:001985 Topps Minis - What Could Have Been?As I've mentioned in previous posts, 1975 was the first year I started collecting baseball cards. Since it's release it's become a classic with collectors and <a href="http://75topps.blogspot.com/">bloggers</a>. In my opinion, it stacks up nicely with Topps' Classic sets from the 1950's. For many reasons, I've always been very fond of that set. <br />
They include: <br />
<ul><li>It was the first set I collected</li>
<li>An eye-catching design </li>
<li>A great set of rookie cards highlighted by George Brett, Robin Yount, Gary Carter, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn and Keith Hernandez.</li>
<li>One of Topps' best designed baseball card wrappers</li>
<li>1975 Topps (especially the wrapper) were mocked by Wacky Packages (anyone remember Beastball?)</li>
<li>The local ice cream van driver (we called him 'Van') that I bought cards from as a kid used to tell me that he put a case of baseball cards away every year and that the first year he did so was 1975 (and they were mini cellos!!!) Note: Decades later, I heard that he actually cashed out and made a nice chunk of change. Good for him.</li>
<li>Minis (These were smaller-sized versions of the regular cards. Topps released them as a test in the Michigan and California markets).</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwlKP1US0eGnf1dcHdIVd4xKA_bg1KX2uFx93pqpSks8fNMynrewhC0lBQAIFlPdP7eq6nZ58pPGlKXuFjTQsF0PsEKgQg8jV877J7eZN7G5BYNC5p4UcJXwoQZbAoImDqDoQpShDXqs/s1600/beastball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwlKP1US0eGnf1dcHdIVd4xKA_bg1KX2uFx93pqpSks8fNMynrewhC0lBQAIFlPdP7eq6nZ58pPGlKXuFjTQsF0PsEKgQg8jV877J7eZN7G5BYNC5p4UcJXwoQZbAoImDqDoQpShDXqs/s320/beastball.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only sticker remotely as popular to me as a kid was the Playboy Magazine spoof Playbug.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
During the 1980's, it seemed as the dual fascination with the Rookie Cards in the set as well as the Minis continually pushed the price of the set up in value. There was even a period of time where the value of the minis was more than 2-3 times the regular sized cards due to perceived scarcity.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJcl0lmnMqhOBBB2azznkh4jZnjds5nuuUmiPO6SClbRBsP6gfTCXO746HBP4ZsxZ86YIULwj7-OpMKy5YnTJFtw7vkH5LLyjzM6HOwwTAeVIAVVwmYJ5HXaHkf3epSCVOm31phHzRmk/s1600/75+topps+garveys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJcl0lmnMqhOBBB2azznkh4jZnjds5nuuUmiPO6SClbRBsP6gfTCXO746HBP4ZsxZ86YIULwj7-OpMKy5YnTJFtw7vkH5LLyjzM6HOwwTAeVIAVVwmYJ5HXaHkf3epSCVOm31phHzRmk/s400/75+topps+garveys.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1975 Topps Mini and Regular Steve Garvey</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
On the tenth anniversary on the 1975 set, Topps came out with arguably their best set of the 1980's from a popularity and collecting standpoint. 1985 Topps was highlighted by Rookie Cards of Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Dwight Gooden, Orel Hershiser, Eric Davis and Bret Saberhagen. Topps also release an identical all glossy parallel set called Topps Tiffany (for the second year in a row) that was the same size as the regular set and limited to 5,000 sets. At time of release, the Tiffany Set was only moderately popular with collectors because in my opinion they weren't available in pack form and they weren't what collectors were interested in at the time (That would be Minis).<br />
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Eventually someone in Topps' Product Development division (Fleer too) took a look at the hobby and realized that 1975 Topps and especially their Minis were all the rage. In an attempt to capitalize on this, Topps released a much smaller Mini set in 1986 that was a flop along the lines of a Ford Edsel. <br />
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The main reasons it failed was:<br />
<ul><li>Design was different that regular-sized 1986 Topps cards as well as unattractive</li>
<li>Number of cards in the set was much smaller</li>
<li>Size of the minis was even smaller than 1975 Topps Minis</li>
<li>The hobby hadn't positively accepted multiple sets in the same year from a manufacturer (outside of traded sets)</li>
<li>No must-have Rookie Card was included in the set (i.e. Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds)</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7u2Ijcjjf9hl22e2ecjgaxASabNZRoESQOPPY7LzBxMfA0ZwIjzqXVMc9Mcx6KQKQUlOADxlQYFmb1WuJkh67CUEvplK7T0IJ80qaaksoxuQUO8YOOCefBKCTBHZRMTrMg7aQJMqFDhM/s1600/86+topps+mini+welch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7u2Ijcjjf9hl22e2ecjgaxASabNZRoESQOPPY7LzBxMfA0ZwIjzqXVMc9Mcx6KQKQUlOADxlQYFmb1WuJkh67CUEvplK7T0IJ80qaaksoxuQUO8YOOCefBKCTBHZRMTrMg7aQJMqFDhM/s320/86+topps+mini+welch.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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If you collected in the mid-1980's, Topps coming out with this style of Mini set made all the sense in the world. Donruss and Fleer were regularly beating them to the punch by including better Rookie Cards in their base sets and their products were performing better in the secondary market. Sadly, they could have done better and in fact they almost did. <br />
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While doing the research for the 1986 Topps Minis set, someone at Topps considered making a 1985 Topps Mini set in the same fashion as the 1975 Topps Mini set. This led to 132 cards which constituted one 11x12 sheet being produced as a test. The cards were printed in Ireland (like Topps Traded sets of the 1980s) and only 100 of each set was produced.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5V8V1YSs44puilptgbUU67Y2cG2JgQ_cfzV-G2DcXFaVNB14e2D656d_41TYeV_E-KaICn4DcriSUYr1V5n1AGVSfKJ-6ngrMj8EW7TpDUN8b_XE4WfZqdlyEvGoH9-eN35-gTNeG93A/s1600/85+topps+garveys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5V8V1YSs44puilptgbUU67Y2cG2JgQ_cfzV-G2DcXFaVNB14e2D656d_41TYeV_E-KaICn4DcriSUYr1V5n1AGVSfKJ-6ngrMj8EW7TpDUN8b_XE4WfZqdlyEvGoH9-eN35-gTNeG93A/s400/85+topps+garveys.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1985 Topps Mini and Regular Steve Garvey</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I don't know how these were distributed or even if they were but for whatever reason Topps missed the boat on this opportunity because a 1985 Topps Minis in pack form would have been huge considering how many Rookie Cards were in the set. <br />
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Unfortunately, we'll never find out.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12U8C4wkBy5iYfqNDxDge3s-WlcLWaYAegV2jSUAxD9e47fiGCc-x7dxPI3NsJQULlueX7M35UwY_l-YzSXWW6l5MxGyLS4g2Ma4j8il3itBhrAJZQMzgABiND9YE3hP0IUwmocpOffY/s1600/gagasdgasdgag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12U8C4wkBy5iYfqNDxDge3s-WlcLWaYAegV2jSUAxD9e47fiGCc-x7dxPI3NsJQULlueX7M35UwY_l-YzSXWW6l5MxGyLS4g2Ma4j8il3itBhrAJZQMzgABiND9YE3hP0IUwmocpOffY/s400/gagasdgasdgag.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topps Baseball Cards. Now available in Tall, Venti and Grande!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
For comparisons sake, I've lined 1975 and 1985 Topps Minis up next to each other along with a 1986 Topps Mini.steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-17147291648318767212010-09-01T19:43:00.000-07:002010-09-01T19:43:13.989-07:00The Harts Strike OutI'd like to recap one of my favorite Television episodes of all-time; The Harts Strikes Out.<br />
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If you're grew up in the late 1970's/early 1980's, you probably remember ABC's Tuesday night television lineup of comedies from 8-10 pm. It included:<br />
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8:00 pm - Happy Days<br />
8:30 pm - Laverne & Shirley<br />
9:00 pm - Three's Company<br />
9:30 pm - Taxi and then later on Too Close for Comfort<br />
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These shows were ratings winners for ABC back then and are staples for TV Land today. <br />
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During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC had a successful drama in Hart to Hart that starred Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers. As a kid, I didn't often make it past 10 pm to watch television and when I did I rarely ended up watching Hart to Hart because I didn't find the show to be that interesting. <br />
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With that being said, on May 4th, 1982 when the 22nd episode of the third season aired, Hart to Hart was about to supply a first ballot inductee to my personal television Hall of Fame of the greatest television episodes that I have viewed.<br />
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With that said, I'd like to show you why (Spoiler Alert! It has to do with Baseball Cards). Here's goes my first ever attempt at reviewing/recapping a television show (watch out Roger Ebert).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NB8ZYrfqVhnIGDb2t2n-eU5_wZIYyCi0VgLucLwxNpcNfdoE53RvAAyciqheLk0ANNC7bgA2Z2eyphLYhOIH95RwPN_ug_MuIpE0ixHjM7mdNoQk85LqcSntcseYcdjQahJvULGsvF0/s1600/hso+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NB8ZYrfqVhnIGDb2t2n-eU5_wZIYyCi0VgLucLwxNpcNfdoE53RvAAyciqheLk0ANNC7bgA2Z2eyphLYhOIH95RwPN_ug_MuIpE0ixHjM7mdNoQk85LqcSntcseYcdjQahJvULGsvF0/s400/hso+-+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The episode opens with montage of a bunch of vintage baseball cards and memorabilia. Among the highlights are a Yankee and Dodger jersey next to each other (the Dodgers play a big part in this episode) as well as the following baseball cards: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, T-206 Christy Mathewson, 1951 Bowman Willie Mays, 1939 Play Ball Joe Dimaggio, 1954 Bowman Ted Williams, 1958 Topps Richie Ashburn, T-206 Ty Cobb and 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth.<br />
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Overheard is a Dodgers Radio broadcast from <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN198105200.shtml">May 20th, 1981</a> with Ross Porter calling Rick Monday’s game winning home run on a 3-1 pitch against the Phillies (He also mentions a spectacular diving catch made by Lonnie Smith hit by Reggie Smith). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqRFiFsCrrRfZS3a4JlSJsBg98wMjWg_f8waKgwa4OwhfKdvTW4mVyW8t27SeHhqPCXTGTgObKZb0cFRoAmqecWOca1V8n5Ra9ZbjgHB-eYZF7cAilFtWI3bpKD7t7jWtNon3oJFIJz8/s1600/hso+-+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqRFiFsCrrRfZS3a4JlSJsBg98wMjWg_f8waKgwa4OwhfKdvTW4mVyW8t27SeHhqPCXTGTgObKZb0cFRoAmqecWOca1V8n5Ra9ZbjgHB-eYZF7cAilFtWI3bpKD7t7jWtNon3oJFIJz8/s400/hso+-+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Once the opening credits are done, we seen the stars of the show Jonathan Hart (Robert Wagner) and Jennifer Hart (Stefanie Powers) in the middle of a 1980’s television style lovemaking session. Just as things are about to get hot and heavy, Jonathan receives a phone call that his old friend Jack Fulton has died of a heart attack.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhAaY98PQ0MW7WjZYcGgA0VsWAGS3qs1Orca2axJ2-hgbWhGGNSroQHAu4WUi8l17UG3O3LNu7w2YZD7odKgYU4V10wbUVTk-5p82HUF-4KI-uOJM9yf6aKQ5TywhpcZ0bsWNMqj4kd0/s1600/hso+-+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhAaY98PQ0MW7WjZYcGgA0VsWAGS3qs1Orca2axJ2-hgbWhGGNSroQHAu4WUi8l17UG3O3LNu7w2YZD7odKgYU4V10wbUVTk-5p82HUF-4KI-uOJM9yf6aKQ5TywhpcZ0bsWNMqj4kd0/s400/hso+-+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The next scene shows Jack’s estate being dealt with and we are introduced to Jonathan’s attorney Bill Westfield, Jack’s wife Valerie, his sister Dorothy and his son Jess. There we find out that Jack made a will and that Jonathan was the sole executor of Jack’s estate. Bill Westfield proceeds to read the will and it notes that all of Jack’s worldly possessions were to go to his wife Valerie. These include his life insurance, stocks and bonds, and cash on hand. In addition, Jack passed on his old collection of baseball cards to Jess because Jack collected them as a boy in his father’s memory. <br />
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After Bill concludes, Valerie notes that Jack left nothing for Dorothy. Dorothy then asks if there’s a way to give some of the stocks and bonds to Valerie. A few moments later Jonathan notes that there aren’t any stocks and bonds because Jack borrowed against the life insurance. Additionally, it’s discovered that Jonathan paid for Jack’s funeral.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWKpeY5IMCowDU_UlWjIazP8ZGHbU3Iux1Z8iGkaBuZrRkbwbgppacGf3vkPqGLBQOKjAryJQcmZVfvvUU1JeqQtHng-ZO1Dx7PpDfvuXeo1x1I2wdzhY9dP-WHWxzvj5CR-F0AnIF1U/s1600/hso+-+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWKpeY5IMCowDU_UlWjIazP8ZGHbU3Iux1Z8iGkaBuZrRkbwbgppacGf3vkPqGLBQOKjAryJQcmZVfvvUU1JeqQtHng-ZO1Dx7PpDfvuXeo1x1I2wdzhY9dP-WHWxzvj5CR-F0AnIF1U/s400/hso+-+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Dorothy calls Rex and says that Valerie got stuck with a mortgage and the kid with a pile of bubble gums cards (that’s all they’re worth). If you ordered Champagne for room service, cancel it.<br />
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After the commercial break, Jonathan and Jess end up got upstairs to look at the collection of baseball cards Jess inherited. Jonathan pulls out a suitcase from the closet and once opened notes that there must be ten thousand cards in there. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYUmPuX4h8QppGsX14Llq3hgC64mjni9VQklcr0kKw0m_Zbj7BL7ApLOdnSwZ_WJHqO3bsM57kdoSBJqIKRD1zCuao1xGtED6Ibw7kgm6J0R7Ft4cOnPsAdb4dYRJYC1fik_fpxLcO1A/s1600/hso+-+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYUmPuX4h8QppGsX14Llq3hgC64mjni9VQklcr0kKw0m_Zbj7BL7ApLOdnSwZ_WJHqO3bsM57kdoSBJqIKRD1zCuao1xGtED6Ibw7kgm6J0R7Ft4cOnPsAdb4dYRJYC1fik_fpxLcO1A/s400/hso+-+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> (I guess plastic pages hadn't been invented yet)</div><br />
Jonathan goes through the cards and notices Ted Williams (1955 Topps), Yogi Berra (1955 Topps) and Willie Mays (1958 Topps)..one of the all-time greats.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dLGzPYTM6vKt39ySgZIffppSyA9TDoLZhxLcX6K2Ody0E9l6Vv6m4cLI1Zx2uUyYMm52yv2r0RUX2SAAfaTWa6iTpTvDP7cEbsZO3YqI_3O8wxZB5SmxjH01scWyvZ6dov6SAhuh4F4/s1600/hso+-+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dLGzPYTM6vKt39ySgZIffppSyA9TDoLZhxLcX6K2Ody0E9l6Vv6m4cLI1Zx2uUyYMm52yv2r0RUX2SAAfaTWa6iTpTvDP7cEbsZO3YqI_3O8wxZB5SmxjH01scWyvZ6dov6SAhuh4F4/s400/hso+-+9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-xRzNc_y3LtqgqgKMGQzkNv6d9YpDZjgX_IM22efzba20uNA1Un8LbmuODtChIf1rrRtARNy7OKLJmQapa5ySdoQ4pCmrJU9nPU1O9Wh_kDFx3JozbNhkCBbXicZdKrjZPEXrEo8hw4/s1600/hso+-+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-xRzNc_y3LtqgqgKMGQzkNv6d9YpDZjgX_IM22efzba20uNA1Un8LbmuODtChIf1rrRtARNy7OKLJmQapa5ySdoQ4pCmrJU9nPU1O9Wh_kDFx3JozbNhkCBbXicZdKrjZPEXrEo8hw4/s400/hso+-+10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXgy3nzuawEwiJWoroJXBSQDhS4-B38YaIbSvFMRw091qIZJplnE6N3M-4xQiWqjdNPOYoYk-SIvOhVL2gzvbR3rbQ0nzgrMyh0VOnaMos499Z6xfG5NeWpAiglKnrzXcZwQ3mwT5kM8/s1600/hso+-+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXgy3nzuawEwiJWoroJXBSQDhS4-B38YaIbSvFMRw091qIZJplnE6N3M-4xQiWqjdNPOYoYk-SIvOhVL2gzvbR3rbQ0nzgrMyh0VOnaMos499Z6xfG5NeWpAiglKnrzXcZwQ3mwT5kM8/s400/hso+-+11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Jess still upset over his dad’s passing (and because he didn’t pass on anything of value) says he doesn’t have any use for the cards and suggests that Jonathan take them downstairs and put them out for the garbage man to take away.<br />
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Jonathan asks that before you throw them out could he have a chance to look at them. While Jonathan and Jess are looking at the cards, he notes that “if any of these cards are over 25 years old, they call them collectibles. They’re a terrific investment. They could be worth more than art, real estate, gold. You dad could be sitting on a fortune here.“ What Jonathan is mentioning all of this, Jack’s sister Dorothy is shown over-hearing the entire conversation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsQgnmeteq0SFTggs-RfMmlq9btkPi6BFQyYc4IiFjPPczvL3L5IE2PfY-HuvGVFCth6q2khZmGRUXbVa1IUdbM-MUk3p-C-yY_TKpt4hRb1Ls4XI1btuLuT3py9IjfJiv9KTkeKkpAg/s1600/hso+-+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsQgnmeteq0SFTggs-RfMmlq9btkPi6BFQyYc4IiFjPPczvL3L5IE2PfY-HuvGVFCth6q2khZmGRUXbVa1IUdbM-MUk3p-C-yY_TKpt4hRb1Ls4XI1btuLuT3py9IjfJiv9KTkeKkpAg/s400/hso+-+12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
After hearing this, Jess wants to tell his mom but Jonathan first decides to find out what the cards are worth by calling a sports memorabilia dealer. <br />
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What we’re shown next is interesting. <br />
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First is a shot of an early 1980’s strip mall with what appears to be a station wagon that my mother used to drive complete with the folding back seats.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkaOVj9rXn19An_YkzgiyHDO4OQkjwg72vvVlTneSpyZaoVGXuM5rqBSByRC-k1soKnXbax-wkUJvKtz2ZX8DBCz3247VrV35KtJ1LPGOjkqcpgfSXpjY0BuU3NbWCAySJqn7mri77fA/s1600/hso+-+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkaOVj9rXn19An_YkzgiyHDO4OQkjwg72vvVlTneSpyZaoVGXuM5rqBSByRC-k1soKnXbax-wkUJvKtz2ZX8DBCz3247VrV35KtJ1LPGOjkqcpgfSXpjY0BuU3NbWCAySJqn7mri77fA/s400/hso+-+13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Second is a television clip of a game at Dodger Stadium from <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN197907100.shtml">July 10, 1979</a> with the Dodgers pitcher (I believe Ken Brett because his uniform number is 34) throwing to what appears to be a New York Met (though at first I thought it was a Chicago Cub). The hitter (Richie Hebner) ends up hitter a home run to left field. The audio though is the same as during the opening montage and notes that Rick Monday is hitting a home run to right field and was from 1981!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NhMfdPYRIqvRLy99KtjX0ztBM00eZTk_nY8mpjDLQyyXNZwlQtFrMOFMaBBIN_AG2fB6VZTdx-eC6xDh__G6xs90dPyZ0Gi61_RQIVg6d0AkyK_5hSJe3u7CfnAuqQ0sdbqvuzg2LuI/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NhMfdPYRIqvRLy99KtjX0ztBM00eZTk_nY8mpjDLQyyXNZwlQtFrMOFMaBBIN_AG2fB6VZTdx-eC6xDh__G6xs90dPyZ0Gi61_RQIVg6d0AkyK_5hSJe3u7CfnAuqQ0sdbqvuzg2LuI/s400/00000.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Third is a shot of a sports memorabilia dealer wearing a Boston Red Sox cap watching television and sitting by the red phone (like the kind that the president has in case of a thermo-nuclear war). On the wood panel covered wall is a vintage Cardinals pennant and a vintage Dodgers jersey with what appears to be the letter T instead of a uniform number. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWCxml3zsqOe7lDBz_COEpeH7AjmRzbohyphenhyphenIpaA2_AX8p6zQzoqiGJbqX7w7lsX1nBXdBQb28RhiQj4_RYbNpRA8MmXSB9C91XQCFPvnWKt5jbqnqi9HKspW5WzqSnrvMy-JQoJBNBQUE/s1600/hso+-+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWCxml3zsqOe7lDBz_COEpeH7AjmRzbohyphenhyphenIpaA2_AX8p6zQzoqiGJbqX7w7lsX1nBXdBQb28RhiQj4_RYbNpRA8MmXSB9C91XQCFPvnWKt5jbqnqi9HKspW5WzqSnrvMy-JQoJBNBQUE/s400/hso+-+14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Getting back to the episode, the dealer answers the phone “McKenna? Sports Memorabilia” and Jonathan says “I’d like to get an idea what an old collection of baseball cards is worth?” The dealer says, tell me what you got, the condition and the years. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Cyn0VMHqS4TXEkValcY9dPucc5qo92L0Qigc9dwmUQAbDdWb_nTkVE4pQoVJiCfsuEVUWnTDuQv81jBOB5cUeDIL3PVj-nAGVoYsY70b4NG2U0HfXGRf52RQhfHDaq1171GI9a9TUQY/s1600/hso+-+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Cyn0VMHqS4TXEkValcY9dPucc5qo92L0Qigc9dwmUQAbDdWb_nTkVE4pQoVJiCfsuEVUWnTDuQv81jBOB5cUeDIL3PVj-nAGVoYsY70b4NG2U0HfXGRf52RQhfHDaq1171GI9a9TUQY/s400/hso+-+15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Jonathan says, “Well, they’re 30, 40, 50 years old and they’re in mint condition. Thousands of them. I’ve got Hank Aaron’s Rookie Card. An original Brooklyn Dodger. I’ve got a 1952 Topps card of Mickey Mantle.”.<br />
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Well that ’52 Mickey Mantle you’ve got is going for as much as a three thousand dollars.<br />
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Three thousand dollars for one card?<br />
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In 1952, you could buy six of those cards and a stick of bubble gum….<br />
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Dealer says “Not every card goes for that kind of money. Only the superstars and the old rare ones. Sounds like you’re sitting on $250,000 dollars<br />
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Jonathan..A quarter of a million. Well the owner is very anxious to sell. <br />
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Dealer, I can’t handle that kind of sale. Next Sunday at the Miramar, the annual baseball card convention..strictly cash…you’ll find plenty of eager buyers, traders and sellers.<br />
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Jonathan….Next Sunday..Miramar Hotel..Card Convention<br />
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Dealer…you’re lucky..most people throw out their cards or have them stuck up in the closet and not know their real worth.<br />
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Dorothy and husband/boyfriend discussing convention in hotel and that Jess have a bunch of very valuable and untraceable baseball cards which she deserves for the unpaid loans and bad stock advice left her. They eventually hatch up a plan to steal the baseball cards because they’re worth a quarter of a million dollars and it’s like “Money in the Bank”.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkwKNi6aC70LXBKRpN08FJGb50BMFUDN_NOBD2Vn6dK4RdGaaZ-IwGt72krYHYcmI95PtOsqfnC1zqWIEAwKM-yEq1j4pCr2FddJFXtNZwsHO0b_cpb2aFVSS8wXZpxw3Dwhm7ax0TtE/s1600/hso+-+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkwKNi6aC70LXBKRpN08FJGb50BMFUDN_NOBD2Vn6dK4RdGaaZ-IwGt72krYHYcmI95PtOsqfnC1zqWIEAwKM-yEq1j4pCr2FddJFXtNZwsHO0b_cpb2aFVSS8wXZpxw3Dwhm7ax0TtE/s400/hso+-+16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Our villan Rex is a dead ringer for Airplane's Robert Hayes)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The next scene shows Valerie and Jess returning home due to car problems. Jess goes upstairs notice a burglary in progress and screams for his mother. She comes upstairs and a fight ensues. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjK8i0p7ckos8uxtn6aDbuTO2Fs-YEScNrQe1-MnJ6MSHlTuauGzd5fjKFCz2QQ49zp3nY3RTJWjjIR0iVIsfGk8CTu9F2b96u5WuQjLGMjgdpTecR4vt9ApRz11foOco2RzM5-XyYJg/s1600/hso+-+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjK8i0p7ckos8uxtn6aDbuTO2Fs-YEScNrQe1-MnJ6MSHlTuauGzd5fjKFCz2QQ49zp3nY3RTJWjjIR0iVIsfGk8CTu9F2b96u5WuQjLGMjgdpTecR4vt9ApRz11foOco2RzM5-XyYJg/s400/hso+-+17.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The end result is that burglar leaves with a duffle bag.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQTV0kVvHcWAxlHlYJQ0k-v_uwyXyYa37_vvonhu8kovW-WpIYt0GLH1KUQlOtKlKmseJ6bJp2RC2V8paPLuMOg9K0xjuzAhsX5FPCmXclDm9xjUTHL05e2DOoRYHxML9IwmPpVQIOYg/s1600/hso+-+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQTV0kVvHcWAxlHlYJQ0k-v_uwyXyYa37_vvonhu8kovW-WpIYt0GLH1KUQlOtKlKmseJ6bJp2RC2V8paPLuMOg9K0xjuzAhsX5FPCmXclDm9xjUTHL05e2DOoRYHxML9IwmPpVQIOYg/s400/hso+-+18.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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When Jess and Valerie come to, Valerie tells Jess to call the police and hopefully he wasn’t able to take anything. Jess looks on the floor and notices a few baseball cards scattered including a 1957 Topps Don Drysdale Rookie Card, a 1952 Topps Phil Rizzuto and a 1953 Topps Ralph Kiner. Jess immediately goes to the closet and takes out the briefcase that the cards are kept in. While doing so he notes that the case weighs nothing.<br />
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Note: I guess condition wasn’t an issue. Does this guy own any common cards?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglEegLtzmZuM27DJsExRUAJxHV1_TunAsOWJx7xMxXuhBIvABucj5h-4NiJm2JBo2iEycXJUeOIyrHG9_h33KsOFt_fkUo4BEx2QQVY8Ibb61az1PEJTTEHICRUV0eTlgmfU4w18w1qo/s1600/hso+-+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglEegLtzmZuM27DJsExRUAJxHV1_TunAsOWJx7xMxXuhBIvABucj5h-4NiJm2JBo2iEycXJUeOIyrHG9_h33KsOFt_fkUo4BEx2QQVY8Ibb61az1PEJTTEHICRUV0eTlgmfU4w18w1qo/s400/hso+-+19.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The next scene shows Dorothy and boyfriend fan through a giant wad of money while sitting in a car. That’s followed by the Hart’s driving up to the Miramar Hotel in their yellow Mercedes Benz. As they park, both the Harts appear in early 1980’s satin LA Dodgers Baseball Jackets and proceed to head to the hotel which has a banner outside that says Baseball Card Convention Today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L4eZw-kdDZ0G2-viF1JKriKFluEejU_oU0hTR-1IIhyphenhyphena-0kQeqT1X88juKOELd9FgmduJtojIxi9xnA9knf78jXWDjPuZWp9WDOUcQalQJkHkG3FMoPNnPjGeUD9RAT7HvNtNTh1jeg/s1600/hso+-+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L4eZw-kdDZ0G2-viF1JKriKFluEejU_oU0hTR-1IIhyphenhyphena-0kQeqT1X88juKOELd9FgmduJtojIxi9xnA9knf78jXWDjPuZWp9WDOUcQalQJkHkG3FMoPNnPjGeUD9RAT7HvNtNTh1jeg/s400/hso+-+20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Note: The Harts appear to be parking in a Red Zone.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJti6ls-W27mn86zVMJ-AfN1TUiOJwPhn5Lp5QcFXUziXdTpkenum5g_VsaMbLb5ppupVhKIHpYvnGofhLHo8epQqAiRakGcXcLiwsD9W-4P1rfxtiBF3lFybwJcSXFIEI171hl0IWn-A/s1600/hso+-+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJti6ls-W27mn86zVMJ-AfN1TUiOJwPhn5Lp5QcFXUziXdTpkenum5g_VsaMbLb5ppupVhKIHpYvnGofhLHo8epQqAiRakGcXcLiwsD9W-4P1rfxtiBF3lFybwJcSXFIEI171hl0IWn-A/s400/hso+-+21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Seeing all of this, Dorothy and Boyfriend (Rex) are concerned that if the Harts come across the guy who bought the cards will be able to describe them perfectly.<br />
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Here we find out that Rex is a two-time criminal with Mug Shots from coast to coast has decided that he needs to FIND the buyer before the Harts do.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNfQHvcBzKDdRXfO5TOWIhpnUJuNI4JuDk8lT06he0JmK4x6tQIV2n11DLl_uQO58_jAKchpsLFjyNsvHU6_1HgSAfXGw56dQdBFGgNNCPu28bFGskGMSA-lkx4nlujcfXVQlzDqyVQU/s1600/hso+-+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNfQHvcBzKDdRXfO5TOWIhpnUJuNI4JuDk8lT06he0JmK4x6tQIV2n11DLl_uQO58_jAKchpsLFjyNsvHU6_1HgSAfXGw56dQdBFGgNNCPu28bFGskGMSA-lkx4nlujcfXVQlzDqyVQU/s400/hso+-+22.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next we get a bait n' switch from the producer of the show as we first get to see a wide screen panoramic of a massive convention floor. Followed by a sign that says “Welcome! California Baseball Card Collectors” in what appears to be a hotel ballroom. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwo6cLavdUy3wsfRmlBuBk95ToGgDwIN4DT8lmnPbhY33YozDNtSEusKsQC5_E3wIZMi_BUxeAu0MxCGnsDcan92eEluKhx8vkxXC_FTfFCRIIhTQoWmibwTcdrmHWPQAOQE7cYEJHic0/s1600/hso+-+23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwo6cLavdUy3wsfRmlBuBk95ToGgDwIN4DT8lmnPbhY33YozDNtSEusKsQC5_E3wIZMi_BUxeAu0MxCGnsDcan92eEluKhx8vkxXC_FTfFCRIIhTQoWmibwTcdrmHWPQAOQE7cYEJHic0/s400/hso+-+23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Playing in the background is a continuous loop of an organ playing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”.<br />
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Note: If I was a card dealer at a show, I’d go crazy if I had to hear this all weekend.<br />
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The Harts start walking the show. One of the first booths they come across has a 1945 Chicago Cubs Pennant that the dealer (named Bujie) is charging $95.00 because it’s the last year the Cubs won the pennant. Here we learn that Stefanie is a Cubs fan and that she finds the price of the pennant to be expensive.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihETau_GVk5jC4OCrDD6vUaNwlNud3cjTUg1Z1muUxGPjRR3SB9F5Y5Ijs75JDHoe9dWuog_tn6jgk-ZPnjZIWEEh1AjiNOH_iag3dhFuWjMzdGV26c6Eikl3aLV5JxwdCN9cFuoGOg0M/s1600/hso+-+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihETau_GVk5jC4OCrDD6vUaNwlNud3cjTUg1Z1muUxGPjRR3SB9F5Y5Ijs75JDHoe9dWuog_tn6jgk-ZPnjZIWEEh1AjiNOH_iag3dhFuWjMzdGV26c6Eikl3aLV5JxwdCN9cFuoGOg0M/s400/hso+-+24.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtoC-eisQezOF0QqlKAJ8vdGgFt2AHdQteNvnOXb0t1NlnN-fK0Ax1hPJM1KZGtdJ9s0i4vBEfrUKiFtGpmGrl5hkQAN7FMz6DMY7cGCt4TspBjDmE2ly4N43zrmkigFZoURmiv7_6_4/s1600/hso+-+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtoC-eisQezOF0QqlKAJ8vdGgFt2AHdQteNvnOXb0t1NlnN-fK0Ax1hPJM1KZGtdJ9s0i4vBEfrUKiFtGpmGrl5hkQAN7FMz6DMY7cGCt4TspBjDmE2ly4N43zrmkigFZoURmiv7_6_4/s400/hso+-+25.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The Hart that split up to walk the show quicker. Jonathan asked Bujie where Mr. McKenna is and he conveniently happens to be at the both next to her. After getting re-acquainted, Jonathan asks McKenna who would be able to purchase his cards and notes that the cards he called about were stock.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkgIvEGZfysx-LvmTWzZgN3AWsNvd4uTvhf5LOD8ci_MSGH3o4hzbGwgUyeI-bnsrYV3drThk5fXRQgyN169ftAyKIutUqmwpNNztxyrEpoQlnt1U4T0t12sNotTiLU3UMtF4zSsWVCo/s1600/hso+-+26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkgIvEGZfysx-LvmTWzZgN3AWsNvd4uTvhf5LOD8ci_MSGH3o4hzbGwgUyeI-bnsrYV3drThk5fXRQgyN169ftAyKIutUqmwpNNztxyrEpoQlnt1U4T0t12sNotTiLU3UMtF4zSsWVCo/s400/hso+-+26.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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McKenna bounces the idea off of Bujie and they conclude it was a guy named Wilbur who’s standing on the other side of the room. Jonathan then proceeds to head over to talk to Wilbur.<br />
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The next scene shows Rex at Bujie’s booth buying a 1947 Washington Senators Pen/Knife for $50.00 because she points out that the Senators are no longer a franchise so things are hard to get. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCr-d8mJEAfJHwZafk6Knj7L79M5ttKQ2ILn4uYKJOg24OPa9mBey5wCsE49GrdqecCBlkn1uUgvnTpQNhVbp_UCD77J7_TA4h7jyONw__f8H5ZD3aBIOCSPRubyAqcq2fEetHidSTcsQ/s1600/hso+-+28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCr-d8mJEAfJHwZafk6Knj7L79M5ttKQ2ILn4uYKJOg24OPa9mBey5wCsE49GrdqecCBlkn1uUgvnTpQNhVbp_UCD77J7_TA4h7jyONw__f8H5ZD3aBIOCSPRubyAqcq2fEetHidSTcsQ/s400/hso+-+28.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Note: Funny part is Rex pulling out $50 from a wad of money. Was that even impressive in 1982?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9O8zgD1OsvaG2Uzh-JT02Ij8L6OxWMXSm2Oc2hS-xjFm_1tOBpacAEV3PgSW83AZIVDvBaufFCbcZhciu_MvRxuklJ54uvCyEwbR0jlL78KEypY1DcHota7j-6o54akYlyj9ehrLibo/s1600/00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9O8zgD1OsvaG2Uzh-JT02Ij8L6OxWMXSm2Oc2hS-xjFm_1tOBpacAEV3PgSW83AZIVDvBaufFCbcZhciu_MvRxuklJ54uvCyEwbR0jlL78KEypY1DcHota7j-6o54akYlyj9ehrLibo/s400/00.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Jonathan finds Wilbur standing next to a curtain and explains that the cards are stolen. Wilbur points out that he purchased the cards for $260K and proceeded to sell them to a guy named Brooklyn for $300K who’s got a suite upstairs. Jonathan then asks who Wilbur purchased the cards from. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QC-MwqcGYuJqpHp3t55CradsRDy0jwbaVHE9k03dmcMPfmtCfjhQgRzXRGI7NacYnWQgHN6P9GgmeTXTAuIQLxvQthKY6W_r4UhcrP2WH_kUyMXKFPFBxzNrzRiGe9L7wGYp_FWc-a8/s1600/hso+-+29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QC-MwqcGYuJqpHp3t55CradsRDy0jwbaVHE9k03dmcMPfmtCfjhQgRzXRGI7NacYnWQgHN6P9GgmeTXTAuIQLxvQthKY6W_r4UhcrP2WH_kUyMXKFPFBxzNrzRiGe9L7wGYp_FWc-a8/s400/hso+-+29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> (Wilbur must have had a 'Killer Collection' of cards)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While this is going on, Rex works his way behind the curtain, pulls out the knife and proceeds to stab Wilbur before he can answer Jonathan’s question completely. He did note that there were two of them and that he was about 35.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPjsDxfKVvVgGlYgorW99I0vwG-X6XwO8LCxLsYqSi8u0spKRPiE3cSVVqbr038DYPy9zzVqQ9M7YHY9lW7iIhilEbOsBnhTQ3vrKzvA0lIe6ckD-0QTrbccc6S9tcOYAfxU3F1S8llw/s1600/hso+-+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPjsDxfKVvVgGlYgorW99I0vwG-X6XwO8LCxLsYqSi8u0spKRPiE3cSVVqbr038DYPy9zzVqQ9M7YHY9lW7iIhilEbOsBnhTQ3vrKzvA0lIe6ckD-0QTrbccc6S9tcOYAfxU3F1S8llw/s400/hso+-+30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Note: All it took was one stab move from behind a curtain to incapacitate Wilbur. Incredibly, Wilbur was now unable to talk because of a stab wound to his backside. Also, there was a door conveniently next to the curtain.</div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKjOyhbwuFpHNs79XicHAWzzwkxtE1VnCd2O0BwbWehUsUquMv0K8ckBv2P43s-RJzNc3cpjkOlEzl7s9kOgpb9VBlpiA2q96pD5UOwD7Hhe7g0jBlRMX3ioHWEfDPkggICQwExYNIq8/s1600/hso+-+31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKjOyhbwuFpHNs79XicHAWzzwkxtE1VnCd2O0BwbWehUsUquMv0K8ckBv2P43s-RJzNc3cpjkOlEzl7s9kOgpb9VBlpiA2q96pD5UOwD7Hhe7g0jBlRMX3ioHWEfDPkggICQwExYNIq8/s400/hso+-+31.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The Harts then proceed to Mr. Brooklyn’s room in an attempt to buy Jess’ cards back. His secretary Cary answers the door and notes that Mr. Brooklyn never sells his cards but if they choose to the Harts can attempt to come back tomorrow night and win their cards back by “Flipping” for them. In order to get into the game, the Harts will need a minimum of $1000 worth of cards and that to get in the password is “Ebbetts Field”. Since the Harts don’t have any cards in their collection, they decide to head down to the convention floor to get some.<br />
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After a commercial break, the Harts are at home and have Jess staying over. This leads to a melodramatic scene where Jess wonders where his dad is and Jonathan notes he’s in a special place (i.e. Heaven) and that his spirit will never leave you.<br />
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Note: Some lady wrote an interesting <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0597288/#comment">review of this episode on IMDB</a> that had nothing to do with the baseball card portion of the show in which she compares this scene to Robert dealing with the death of Natalie Wood. Uh, OK. <br />
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Next comes practice time. Jonathan and Max (the family limousine driver) are show flipping cards as well as explaining the rules. The way they played on the show was that each person dropped a card on the ground.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDQYSm-8NT_OsSskqkOZBYWzRzHv4r1OHt5TBnAnOxlpZNauVyEH7Tef9XfGU-L5zGtTV_8E2EQrOLvo4YaOcp2Hh1ONwiXnYZNHUtVOtwyPQkwmnY2urGhZiEulMgRZz4brad9hLFOk/s1600/hso+-+32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDQYSm-8NT_OsSskqkOZBYWzRzHv4r1OHt5TBnAnOxlpZNauVyEH7Tef9XfGU-L5zGtTV_8E2EQrOLvo4YaOcp2Hh1ONwiXnYZNHUtVOtwyPQkwmnY2urGhZiEulMgRZz4brad9hLFOk/s400/hso+-+32.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
If the second person matched the first person’s card by being face up or face down, he won. If they were mixed (one up and one down), the first person won. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZrB4bV8rznEYJ-8X6jPwbECaMFb2By72AIi4pjCMV9Uhe7blta3cW9ImAsMsnvGgUxp4st7uP51kuqCj3YV1LnD5HGhz4fJS5q0W0OwUGBpXRQGusiY0p3fPRuz5AC3ZLdELlPvxPA0/s1600/hso+-+33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZrB4bV8rznEYJ-8X6jPwbECaMFb2By72AIi4pjCMV9Uhe7blta3cW9ImAsMsnvGgUxp4st7uP51kuqCj3YV1LnD5HGhz4fJS5q0W0OwUGBpXRQGusiY0p3fPRuz5AC3ZLdELlPvxPA0/s400/hso+-+33.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>What’s interesting, it that this is the first use of modern trading cards (1982 Topps Fernando and Bench) in the episode. Don’t worry, they’ll be more. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByeKemUNmEhjStGembSRQg6Z5Q4ZTVoWEVBQ3TDFKTipt6Y0k6mB3RceUyaKVSoQOEdj7J41Sobil23ZLAxpjuUNCQdp7gBS6MtjSqdkpkxHNSIz9r7CO8ndMc4_j9okdjJ0WssTpGtA/s1600/hso+-+34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByeKemUNmEhjStGembSRQg6Z5Q4ZTVoWEVBQ3TDFKTipt6Y0k6mB3RceUyaKVSoQOEdj7J41Sobil23ZLAxpjuUNCQdp7gBS6MtjSqdkpkxHNSIz9r7CO8ndMc4_j9okdjJ0WssTpGtA/s400/hso+-+34.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Note: When I was a kid, flipping cards meant that each person threw their cards against a wall. The card that was the closest won both card. Due to the possibility of damaging cards, usually common players were used as a proxy for star cards.<br />
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After beating up Max a few times, Jonathan brags that he was a champ at school. Max isn’t convinced and tells Jonathan that was years and ago and that Mr. Brooklyn could clean him out. After watching one hand, Jess believes that Jonathan has got the hang of it.<br />
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A phone call interrupts practice and soon we have a conversation with Jess and his aunt Dorothy. In the conversation, Dorothy asks how the search for the cards is going. Jess proceeds to tell Dorothy the following:<br />
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1. The Harts found the cards<br />
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2. Mr. Hart was a champ in school and he’s going to win them back<br />
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3. A security guard and a password involved <br />
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4. It sounds like a pretty big deal .<br />
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Dorothy tells Jess to wish the Harts well and then sets up plans to see a double feature with him which will clean up her image (in Dorothy’s opinion). <br />
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After the call ends, Dorothy recaps the conversation to her boyfriend Rex and he devises a plan where he’ll steal all of Jonathan’s winnings (estimated at a million dollars in baseball cards) by kidnapping Jess. At this point, Dorothy fells that Rex has gone too far. Rex reminds her that she asked him to steal for her and that she owes him. Further, he says that he risked going back to jail for life when he broke into the Fulton house and that the cards are their passport to security as they can sell them all over the country. No questions asked.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5swbGl4RFz_Pj7275niC9JyNY2NYqkg6CHKtn2CqgQHBalIUWxW_fY5YnFZ70wkJwzVHmZn6Yr8faVcReStsXAIREtz1zrB_bylYP6NiXiex1pelQgvdwuTgFUU2vMhTgG2eHgNhx2ho/s1600/38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5swbGl4RFz_Pj7275niC9JyNY2NYqkg6CHKtn2CqgQHBalIUWxW_fY5YnFZ70wkJwzVHmZn6Yr8faVcReStsXAIREtz1zrB_bylYP6NiXiex1pelQgvdwuTgFUU2vMhTgG2eHgNhx2ho/s400/38.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Later that evening, Jonathan receives an anonymous call from Rex saying that Jess has been kidnapped and that Jonathan now has a partner in his high stakes jackpot game (of baseball card flipping). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmd6zzO7Ib1pkBSo5CumwoVXMAtZeOBxgNLJoHy-b5pbEen51IkcKoTkHmqst5a3C8kkHLkaq-1KflxEpCdUpWAq8tz5w4eQM5bDrBRnZWYWoguMW10ZhpjfxOcywMYvF9KPkYz4Zsdo/s1600/39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmd6zzO7Ib1pkBSo5CumwoVXMAtZeOBxgNLJoHy-b5pbEen51IkcKoTkHmqst5a3C8kkHLkaq-1KflxEpCdUpWAq8tz5w4eQM5bDrBRnZWYWoguMW10ZhpjfxOcywMYvF9KPkYz4Zsdo/s400/39.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Rex reminds Jonathan that he has until sunrise to win as many cards as possible. That he give Jonathan a time and a place to drop off the cards and that he wants to see Jonathan’s old school yard form. Further, the Harts are going to be watched so no cops. <br />
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The next scene shows the Harts in formal evening wear with a briefcase full of baseball cards walking inside a hotel. They’re greeted at the door by a security guard and after saying the password "Ebbett's Field". They head into the room to flip cards.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpm50Iltgo_dt5G9xaDjebvOCWBq0QOa2vqY0b9VDs1UcSaJwV8sCbMs5Hyomyg5EoRYpGelcVySPpkcgxl_YSRF3RY7NAgTj7TOi5U-Dw0YJYZLMj0qTDJs4yJi7FVbOEK2HKPaLADA8/s1600/41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpm50Iltgo_dt5G9xaDjebvOCWBq0QOa2vqY0b9VDs1UcSaJwV8sCbMs5Hyomyg5EoRYpGelcVySPpkcgxl_YSRF3RY7NAgTj7TOi5U-Dw0YJYZLMj0qTDJs4yJi7FVbOEK2HKPaLADA8/s400/41.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
After a few woods with his secretary Cary, the Harts are introduced to the man himself “Mr. Brooklyn”. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvk3lDs146qPiIReMwdWhtHzYfTLYRknpmFsVdMp4u8Nz7K-W0DIoiu0ulPZYxzgtGieEF14fYPN7pVpgg9Osv_vhG9eWBZirVezQWolCNzISeBP8JoG5dJq0NSCG6lCHCH70_pEzaJzI/s1600/43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvk3lDs146qPiIReMwdWhtHzYfTLYRknpmFsVdMp4u8Nz7K-W0DIoiu0ulPZYxzgtGieEF14fYPN7pVpgg9Osv_vhG9eWBZirVezQWolCNzISeBP8JoG5dJq0NSCG6lCHCH70_pEzaJzI/s400/43.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Upon introduction, Jonathan notices that Mr. Brooklyn is wearing an original Brooklyn Dodgers cap and even goes so far as to note that is before the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Mr. Brooklyn offended responds, “Moved Mr. Hart. The Dodgers never left Brooklyn”. Jonathan quickly retreats and says, “My mistake”.<br />
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Note: It might be just me but Jonathan sort of implied that an after a Brooklyn Dodgers caps existed after the move to Los Angeles with the way he phrased his sentence.<br />
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Jonathan then whips open his briefcase and shows Mr. Brooklyn a briefcase full of vintage cards. From what I can tell, the following cards are in his collection; <br />
1958 Topps Musial All-Star, 1957 Topps Clemente, 1957 Topps Drysdale, 1959 Topps Roy Sievers, 1958 Topps Willie Mays, 1953 Topps Ralph Kiner, 1952 Topps Phil Rizzuto, 1961 Topps Babe Ruth, 1953 Topps Pee Wee Reese, 1955 Bowman Roy Campanella, 1961 Topps Hank Aaron, 1955 Topps Yogi Berra, 1953 Topps Jackie Robinson, 1955 Topps Ted Williams, 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle and a 1956 Topps Sandy Koufax. Scattered on the table are a various 1956 and 1966 Topps commons.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CNEx7r4qxbYEY9eWE9CdtbuNKiQp7ZPfB8wVw1aoOGSObyxTTEi35HZkmd4cH6kBcccN97t6awCJduq3i0NW06ovRWe_PuJA2w5jbyMXhkjOY97YVVD7iK6gSpsUEwjJJya6PQG3m98/s1600/44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CNEx7r4qxbYEY9eWE9CdtbuNKiQp7ZPfB8wVw1aoOGSObyxTTEi35HZkmd4cH6kBcccN97t6awCJduq3i0NW06ovRWe_PuJA2w5jbyMXhkjOY97YVVD7iK6gSpsUEwjJJya6PQG3m98/s400/44.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Note: Based on the past scenes as well as what’s about to come up, it’s pretty obvious that the props department was working on a limited budget as the same cards that Jess had stolen are now in Jonathan’s briefcase. Further, these same cards are used by Mr. Brooklyn when he flips against Jonathan. This is especially true when you consider that vintage cards were a fraction of today’s prices in 1982. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1O_3zDs9kf3EeFu-RgefWRoV3YQtcb_cZNrD4KF68fxck76r2CVUWhKei1-bKHecbVZDhfA8fc3EUJSi2MIz-w6RVvJXxhGm-mTVqBO9Pt9SbB4p1CtMgE2HJxzHmgBlN25ncH800yYo/s1600/45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1O_3zDs9kf3EeFu-RgefWRoV3YQtcb_cZNrD4KF68fxck76r2CVUWhKei1-bKHecbVZDhfA8fc3EUJSi2MIz-w6RVvJXxhGm-mTVqBO9Pt9SbB4p1CtMgE2HJxzHmgBlN25ncH800yYo/s400/45.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(This might have been more believable if everyone dressed like baseball card dealers. For those you not in the know, the dress I'm referring to would be an oversized baseball tee shirt with stains, shorts and a big gulp. Note: Weighing 400 pounds plus is a bonus)</div><br />
Now satisfied, Mr. Brooklyn says, “Mr. Hart, let’s flip cards”. Both men then proceed to the corner of the room where they determine who goes first using a hand game that’s appears to be a precedent to “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1aOnuogSdvwCkKzvGvt0lLn0PMriO8WmLEZmDLZrhUIYg6HakKBaweOKmu2t-mTjDVa30Vfi6Cvbt85EWNtLR4Fw_whSA-MikmPpEYjtXCPZjZmZYTYirPIgx5quAZAJ4g1jkn0iXNQ/s1600/46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1aOnuogSdvwCkKzvGvt0lLn0PMriO8WmLEZmDLZrhUIYg6HakKBaweOKmu2t-mTjDVa30Vfi6Cvbt85EWNtLR4Fw_whSA-MikmPpEYjtXCPZjZmZYTYirPIgx5quAZAJ4g1jkn0iXNQ/s400/46.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
My take: This must have been a big deal in 1982 as we’re given a looking up from the ground camera angle to add to the suspense.<br />
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Mr. Hart wins and tells Mr. Brooklyn he can go first. Brooklyn leads with a 59 Topps Roy Sievers by placing it against the wall. Hart is taken aback and says “Off the Wall”. Cary responds, “You do know have to flip cards off the wall”? Hart confidently says, “I’ve flipped off the wall”. A nervous Stefanie mutters, “Jonathan?”<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmX5pNIjhDoYWGeC8z8X2bn3_P1O6Amg8F1TZEbgIOhJEEX2yee6F14j0QJ26rsBzAY8hbyFWduODue27HdwpsoOrN7kXhM_t40BOkW0IYKimEi9G4Pio_jiU7vBGyROyn5jl07i8ypI/s1600/47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmX5pNIjhDoYWGeC8z8X2bn3_P1O6Amg8F1TZEbgIOhJEEX2yee6F14j0QJ26rsBzAY8hbyFWduODue27HdwpsoOrN7kXhM_t40BOkW0IYKimEi9G4Pio_jiU7vBGyROyn5jl07i8ypI/s400/47.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
My take: How hard can that be to flip cards off the wall? That’s like asking are you a retard.<br />
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After dropping his Sievers card, Brooklyn explains the rules. Essentially, if you drop a card and it touches another card, you win. If you don’t, you take turns until someone does.<br />
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Note: Until the very final episode, not one time did a card land upside down. This includes during the robbery, practice at the Hart’s house and at the hotel while flipping cards. If I were a math whiz, I’d try and figure out the probability of that happening. My guess is that it would be mind-shattering. <br />
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On a different note, who’s the Roy Sievers fan? Every other vintage card that was zoomed in on this episode is of a Hall of Famer with one notable exception and he was at least a recognizable name in 1982.<br />
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Mr. Brooklyn proceeds to win the first match and from there goes on quite a run. The cards shown during this run include: <br />
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1958 Topps Willie Mays, <br />
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1956 Topps Sandy Koufax, <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi25fLT-8td_w45CcRtfmL3Xz_MFQvCmgQ2tORF_U9T-seWib5kQko3H3_2lUwZdOv-od13dUm1AZQYFJJKSxBmfSvD0EWApTezLPD3x4XRnCWTBcU_jqG0rUa85ubF4El1hmhSFaXDAQ/s1600/51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi25fLT-8td_w45CcRtfmL3Xz_MFQvCmgQ2tORF_U9T-seWib5kQko3H3_2lUwZdOv-od13dUm1AZQYFJJKSxBmfSvD0EWApTezLPD3x4XRnCWTBcU_jqG0rUa85ubF4El1hmhSFaXDAQ/s400/51.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
1957 Topps Roberto Clemente, <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw8SlGJMYWbodZM5nIyqZSebf6A4ht0SdhN6vRWG8uTYxSNtap1xavdbte70RFR80w_DSCey8AYoJ2akTxDXeT9TZR1yQHoFpgSiOCcXz-_tTdCAjeCy0hnamWvbyy9u2cHWdDisOb7o/s1600/52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw8SlGJMYWbodZM5nIyqZSebf6A4ht0SdhN6vRWG8uTYxSNtap1xavdbte70RFR80w_DSCey8AYoJ2akTxDXeT9TZR1yQHoFpgSiOCcXz-_tTdCAjeCy0hnamWvbyy9u2cHWdDisOb7o/s400/52.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
and 1953 Topps Pee Wee Reese.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg5QrLtCubia5Z3mZqAmLDq_YuFYkuAQfBpwO6I2-U3TXAvIUpMslIgZ2lbgqlsXCbWQsNBQA2NOKAqF3Ktar3ve5OBWZr-6UCJj-HpLmAvbdk0QWWk0J1Vfiv8ChnPd5qL5BNSOqphk/s1600/53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg5QrLtCubia5Z3mZqAmLDq_YuFYkuAQfBpwO6I2-U3TXAvIUpMslIgZ2lbgqlsXCbWQsNBQA2NOKAqF3Ktar3ve5OBWZr-6UCJj-HpLmAvbdk0QWWk0J1Vfiv8ChnPd5qL5BNSOqphk/s400/53.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Eventually a shot of a full briefcase of cards is shown....... <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWgf3AGqQ6av1hTLR8glIxiqHSnmjaYO9xtaQSPn_1HoCJqMGTI8FrIkt99t-dXvBRQmh4y7lUlbwb0dB5ccbuZbe0pr1untH0rGhGv8Z91QIF2wKxWZYF-9dqfWqMZo_1e9aOQhybYk/s1600/54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWgf3AGqQ6av1hTLR8glIxiqHSnmjaYO9xtaQSPn_1HoCJqMGTI8FrIkt99t-dXvBRQmh4y7lUlbwb0dB5ccbuZbe0pr1untH0rGhGv8Z91QIF2wKxWZYF-9dqfWqMZo_1e9aOQhybYk/s400/54.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
.....followed by that same briefcase empty. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2SqW2Noy-tWsal4_2nQDP9_XTvEcMJ8M2M3EaNa-UHrEVnxEq5oN_t-zOlXFS6idvHW2CKQETdCk9OPMEjcZWB-a6_ky-ff_Izv9p24XBmrygc01rqaW9mTdy6UAcTD7WdyYv4aGiUU/s1600/55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2SqW2Noy-tWsal4_2nQDP9_XTvEcMJ8M2M3EaNa-UHrEVnxEq5oN_t-zOlXFS6idvHW2CKQETdCk9OPMEjcZWB-a6_ky-ff_Izv9p24XBmrygc01rqaW9mTdy6UAcTD7WdyYv4aGiUU/s400/55.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
With much of the night passed, Jonathan suddenly feels his school yard form again as he goes on an amazing run. The cards shown during this run include: <br />
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1957 Topps Billy Martin, <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6iYH4MRfPAamXuHdbpr7Zvke_4Fx-q2sfIRk4_QB7Y_7P0EfxsTzjkFuml7mUy5ByI_5SPXtIIb5JJzlvT3MfPiaB2b2DG9DE7rr9HLwjr_dml44OvqL6Qd98uhNb4ptVuOn2PxzKPk/s1600/56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6iYH4MRfPAamXuHdbpr7Zvke_4Fx-q2sfIRk4_QB7Y_7P0EfxsTzjkFuml7mUy5ByI_5SPXtIIb5JJzlvT3MfPiaB2b2DG9DE7rr9HLwjr_dml44OvqL6Qd98uhNb4ptVuOn2PxzKPk/s400/56.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
1954 Topps Gil Hodges, <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDZqSQRCD7HZ0mrk7lkG7oZicWDIprmFkYvOnN_39WMfPIN-JiaingAs9xHPKwpG4GooZwBQItLDgNse1fXDyrhEob-9cvIplP-UjtJuXHpVYLhyphenhyphenq2dxuAMNtmJY9t5S95C9IYPOat68/s1600/57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDZqSQRCD7HZ0mrk7lkG7oZicWDIprmFkYvOnN_39WMfPIN-JiaingAs9xHPKwpG4GooZwBQItLDgNse1fXDyrhEob-9cvIplP-UjtJuXHpVYLhyphenhyphenq2dxuAMNtmJY9t5S95C9IYPOat68/s400/57.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjjBLZtIuZ4AbFVx60bATjiw6prUTJOrcuCNxuzkDP2hC8oqz9BLJQGwR5embhZUOH_EEFMawdF1ZiGZD7lrYVFtz2howTNwGxMec59oW0UfQAtDfJhP3ibcyfHjoaBPUXuCWM1yRN5w/s1600/58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjjBLZtIuZ4AbFVx60bATjiw6prUTJOrcuCNxuzkDP2hC8oqz9BLJQGwR5embhZUOH_EEFMawdF1ZiGZD7lrYVFtz2howTNwGxMec59oW0UfQAtDfJhP3ibcyfHjoaBPUXuCWM1yRN5w/s400/58.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
1958 Topps All-Star Stan Musial, <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4jAV0oy2q0FPOldLJiPSBboPZRK4qkTj3tvGLQeoLvl6AhPYpEDpP0bR8AFoqlnuigNGG5I1H17J-fhJCWFC6XeGqS0o8yHxLqVvmfeRcAmmqJDOgLxjhGZFiq_bfn6zmVtvKdsDvr4/s1600/59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4jAV0oy2q0FPOldLJiPSBboPZRK4qkTj3tvGLQeoLvl6AhPYpEDpP0bR8AFoqlnuigNGG5I1H17J-fhJCWFC6XeGqS0o8yHxLqVvmfeRcAmmqJDOgLxjhGZFiq_bfn6zmVtvKdsDvr4/s400/59.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmbtbzNo68Eh7jaIpcQseNxsvcWHnG8i-4MiVqpIbPRjb92UskFcF1NqkJ3WYBC9_ZlYz-pdGJPf57cofxZ9202a8Ez-EAaxHusYjZg93GVonPB6Gq5rq6GbsTnxHlgcNEFpdF57jhP8/s1600/60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmbtbzNo68Eh7jaIpcQseNxsvcWHnG8i-4MiVqpIbPRjb92UskFcF1NqkJ3WYBC9_ZlYz-pdGJPf57cofxZ9202a8Ez-EAaxHusYjZg93GVonPB6Gq5rq6GbsTnxHlgcNEFpdF57jhP8/s400/60.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
1954 Bowman Joe Garagiola and 1961 Topps Hank Aaron (badly miscut),<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_qMAn2URaLLK7iYHg1aUjIbasuu8l0O0s0Vsd5Pc7g-iPYspGdDrid8wrIdZngxzEdiVZ301RPr8SZjaQxr4cJvtF_JzTA5ZV8a5sia9ISptK_4Yv7-uA3x7q34wldTbR37bG146Z_c/s1600/61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_qMAn2URaLLK7iYHg1aUjIbasuu8l0O0s0Vsd5Pc7g-iPYspGdDrid8wrIdZngxzEdiVZ301RPr8SZjaQxr4cJvtF_JzTA5ZV8a5sia9ISptK_4Yv7-uA3x7q34wldTbR37bG146Z_c/s400/61.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
1960 Topps Whitey Ford , <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDtyFr1S3RDJc-8Ux2cEh9DYzlzWGWdUa3nO9745btfoFxN8fMKUL_9A0ZncbJQ4s_pxErYCCyR-j85JECFnjSn8RZxZKTr_lNfXtWwzm_XUBxqse7bY8Ws_zMhSDxalqfgfx87nYIYE/s1600/63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDtyFr1S3RDJc-8Ux2cEh9DYzlzWGWdUa3nO9745btfoFxN8fMKUL_9A0ZncbJQ4s_pxErYCCyR-j85JECFnjSn8RZxZKTr_lNfXtWwzm_XUBxqse7bY8Ws_zMhSDxalqfgfx87nYIYE/s400/63.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
1958 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1957 Topps Ernie Banks, 1955 Topps Ted Williams, 1958 Topps Duke Snider and a 1953 Topps Ralph Kiner.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_ZlVnlhRU35pkCsMRmQ141S1nUM-_B4flU2iOMQGaEiJkcfqtb6xQHKBMymDbd_qrVkKKBazVaIVOGd1sxVdvHAqoJZbvH_CNXaagdpHwJ_p57iKxnRn2ra5emtSWb9EHgFyNpc1NwQ/s1600/67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_ZlVnlhRU35pkCsMRmQ141S1nUM-_B4flU2iOMQGaEiJkcfqtb6xQHKBMymDbd_qrVkKKBazVaIVOGd1sxVdvHAqoJZbvH_CNXaagdpHwJ_p57iKxnRn2ra5emtSWb9EHgFyNpc1NwQ/s400/67.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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It’s at this point where the producers get a little sloppy because mixed in with all the vintage cards are 1982 Topps and 1981 Fleer cards. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZd-HLN2derBrsrl9kq5l-QSaXTFCfz8LaZ_NNyijCa4Y-zKFdRX2yHivxm1FMy55Rp_F2e3ogxd9ij-GIQuJCGeCYhoxAFjv9hKa_9HIAwCs94La7AFPz9dsJfM7EZrT-6pAdmpptPyQ/s1600/62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZd-HLN2derBrsrl9kq5l-QSaXTFCfz8LaZ_NNyijCa4Y-zKFdRX2yHivxm1FMy55Rp_F2e3ogxd9ij-GIQuJCGeCYhoxAFjv9hKa_9HIAwCs94La7AFPz9dsJfM7EZrT-6pAdmpptPyQ/s400/62.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Most glaring was Stefanie handing Jonathan what appeared to be a 1982 Topps card and when he places it on the wall a 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle shows up. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZlDv45MfvMbErRQWSs1iSdaNlD5LmXKeQtw3WS6ZKTud_J04MIToIyjpBN3BVQRS9c3Q8lu3v6ePatxIx9EDRlj-StoISjMumBEjE300XqzZXgbcz5OazyIygJUraWMCh_BdQYAZ_eo/s1600/65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZlDv45MfvMbErRQWSs1iSdaNlD5LmXKeQtw3WS6ZKTud_J04MIToIyjpBN3BVQRS9c3Q8lu3v6ePatxIx9EDRlj-StoISjMumBEjE300XqzZXgbcz5OazyIygJUraWMCh_BdQYAZ_eo/s400/65.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(Did someone say 'Bait n' Switch?)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQvOf48gzfJ024xQFaumJQnp96cscV7NH5CpfZ38pufpYtAjrfsRkp66Xo6HMY6dAswIPp3b7t1V0_bG8-zmhzeL2Bk_Ussym6JbAiqw-nevRgiHyCsXa9n6QRbKVQRVY7VPCLC4g1dQ/s1600/66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQvOf48gzfJ024xQFaumJQnp96cscV7NH5CpfZ38pufpYtAjrfsRkp66Xo6HMY6dAswIPp3b7t1V0_bG8-zmhzeL2Bk_Ussym6JbAiqw-nevRgiHyCsXa9n6QRbKVQRVY7VPCLC4g1dQ/s400/66.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The 1958 Mickey Mantle it turns out is a big winner as the next shot shows all the winnings being placed back into the briefcase. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7w6bP7qhzFJ_8BdAhfFtteBfF5oRWy0bnhg3ZTQmpgxofjEgmrEFMG7K5beqLPppxfmhJeNg9tgOSDTqWhyphenhyphenMCF30UEmMwzRgtO0uimTuBFZxD-znREirC_S6y1_JhXVAEwToH9cygjw/s1600/64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7w6bP7qhzFJ_8BdAhfFtteBfF5oRWy0bnhg3ZTQmpgxofjEgmrEFMG7K5beqLPppxfmhJeNg9tgOSDTqWhyphenhyphenMCF30UEmMwzRgtO0uimTuBFZxD-znREirC_S6y1_JhXVAEwToH9cygjw/s400/64.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Mr. Brooklyn hasn't been this upset since 1958)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It’s here where the producers placed an “Easter Egg” for fellow blogger Night Owl because you’ll notice a 1981 Fleer Ron Cey sitting on top of a bunch of late 1950’s/early 1960’s Topps cards. It’s quickly covered up by some recent winnings made up of a mixture of 1956, 1965 and 1982 Topps cards (most notably a 1982 Topps Dave Winfield All-Star).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmTC-9gNjNqKytB5zPJ3rn7cw3pIWlBnluRkPUTO5iWaM3dCb4dGdkvToylKH0dr2tepEwddiaqkg4VEBN3Vt8BtKNp1L1Vt4tGiAHp_BIO8b-BZBxeekWnYEqy6Ea1Of1Y_zcm1q2Kc/s1600/68+-+night+owl+easter+egg+-+ron+cey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmTC-9gNjNqKytB5zPJ3rn7cw3pIWlBnluRkPUTO5iWaM3dCb4dGdkvToylKH0dr2tepEwddiaqkg4VEBN3Vt8BtKNp1L1Vt4tGiAHp_BIO8b-BZBxeekWnYEqy6Ea1Of1Y_zcm1q2Kc/s400/68+-+night+owl+easter+egg+-+ron+cey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(What's Ron Cey doing in a High Stakes Jackpot Game of Card Flipping?)</div><br />
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After a dizzying spinning panoramic shot of the room, a final shot of the briefcase is shown. This time it’s loaded with almost exclusively 1956 Topps cards. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0H2WPcPwGF-zt0Qexwt_h_KOuaKBQHeLtK4ZpWmzcAOn0XGk3uFpzXdFpqY-DGSpiP2dNobBZU8m-oXgV4e4Rc1YWjkmhNzReUBGaUNAk3IBvXRU4pH_rV6tIzM5pAfIFg_sv1LPtJA/s1600/11111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0H2WPcPwGF-zt0Qexwt_h_KOuaKBQHeLtK4ZpWmzcAOn0XGk3uFpzXdFpqY-DGSpiP2dNobBZU8m-oXgV4e4Rc1YWjkmhNzReUBGaUNAk3IBvXRU4pH_rV6tIzM5pAfIFg_sv1LPtJA/s400/11111.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Note: The only one I recognized is Dale Long. A 1956 Topps expert would have a field day identifying these are they’re not too obscured. Next you see Jonathan dropping his final haul into the case and it appears to be a mixture of 1982 Topps and 1957 Topps cards.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpQmRcW_t8PJA1vCtBKx52Cyu60wnl2WwVF4FhdYt5IfbluvMvXQ0jrGV2FeUtLhNLjZlpFqLETZQVUJbq0iaiXn1ReOntzbFWFXGUMjZ9pxX_T2J1ewUuPhyphenhyphensfMwLVHjwz1Rn7tXbdk/s1600/01111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpQmRcW_t8PJA1vCtBKx52Cyu60wnl2WwVF4FhdYt5IfbluvMvXQ0jrGV2FeUtLhNLjZlpFqLETZQVUJbq0iaiXn1ReOntzbFWFXGUMjZ9pxX_T2J1ewUuPhyphenhyphensfMwLVHjwz1Rn7tXbdk/s400/01111.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Once all packed up, Jonathan gives a couple of cards to Mr. Brooklyn on the way out and says sarcastically, “A Steak” and turns to his secretary and says, “He’s very good”. He then wakes Stefanie up to share with here the news that he cleaned him out.<br />
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The security guard (actually Rex) asks if the Harts would like the cards taken to their car. On the way out, Rex suggests to take the service elevator because it’s faster. The Harts agree because they’re in a hurry and tired. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQskpS7jfBUhLMEvCfCVeC_CqLhdhz-Qj_JY1vosbRqAaPrpk7noWyD7IkydpyFtPCfX07g4Bes7sbPPOeBzHDMp2fzHbRvt-ZFSor7dJuIUX7GVO4v9DxMBUxdisS2O0i9gTUbIWgLbA/s1600/70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQskpS7jfBUhLMEvCfCVeC_CqLhdhz-Qj_JY1vosbRqAaPrpk7noWyD7IkydpyFtPCfX07g4Bes7sbPPOeBzHDMp2fzHbRvt-ZFSor7dJuIUX7GVO4v9DxMBUxdisS2O0i9gTUbIWgLbA/s400/70.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
He eventually leads the Harts into a broom closet. After covering all the 1980’s TV drama rules;<br />
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Rex identifying himself while holding a gun and explaining where Jess is, <br />
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the Harts trying to talk Rex out of what he’s doing, and a fight ensues between Jonathan and Rex. <br />
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Jonathan wins the fight but two more 1980’s TV drama rules ensue (Rex knocked out cold from the fight, Jonathan deciding to wear Rex’s police uniform in order to recover Jess). <br />
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The Harts now have to find Jess and after searching Rex they know just where to go, Room 724. <br />
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From there we see a bunch of good old fashioned 1980’s detective work that eventually leads to a showdown between Jonathan and Dorothy with Jess being as a hostage. <br />
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The final scene shows Jonathan mentioning that a dealer made a substantial off to Valerie (Jess’ mom) and she accepted. He then proceeds to reflect back to his childhood days when he there his card collection away because of some girl (who wasn’t as attractive as Mickey Mantle nor would she neck with him).<br />
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I hope you liked it as much as me. There are a couple of other baseball card episodes from the long ago past that I'd like to review but I'll save that for another blog. <br />
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If you're interested in watching this episode, here are the links to it on Youtube <br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7N33cWbvgU">Part 1</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QSLpv5A_YI&feature=related">Part 2</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QvQU-46a6Y&feature=related">Part 3</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK2HI8e4h8c&feature=related">Part 4</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S6EJj9ALoU&feature=related">Part 5</a> <br />
steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-50556291247972412522010-08-31T23:05:00.000-07:002010-08-31T23:05:51.617-07:00Trivia TimeI'd like to thank <a href="http://agiantblog.blogspot.com/">Matt R from "A Giant Blog"</a> for getting me hooked on Sporcle. Below are the three quizes I've created so far. Let me know what you think (as well as how you do). <br />
<ol><li><a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/steelehere/dodgers_nickname">Do you know the following Dodgers by their nickname</a>?</li>
<li><a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/steelehere/dodgers_hr_leaders">Can you name the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers All-Time Home Run Leaders</a>?</li>
<li><a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/steelehere/baseballamericatop10">Can you name the Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects for each of the past 20 years</a>?</li>
</ol><br />
Let me know what you think (as well as how you do).steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-81614089175683795002010-08-30T22:49:00.000-07:002010-08-30T22:49:11.042-07:00Bark in the ParkRecently, I took my wife for the first time this year to a Los Angeles Dodgers game. It was their inaugural Bark in the Park promotion. For those of you that aren't familiar with the event, MLB teams the past few years have been taking a page from Minor League Baseball's promotions department and designated certain games where you could bring your dog with you to the ballpark.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DjhYJySMaUSZA9XcibEC30EgrRfPlH6Xqu6e_IFkgjg7y7Gkc3yzozeULspzdsS6uADR8efukQdAnJYdCPU4cYm77yhFfup96La7P8C-QVROUWGwonWNnaljdUFUszPl4nk9pQ5Ql50/s1600/000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DjhYJySMaUSZA9XcibEC30EgrRfPlH6Xqu6e_IFkgjg7y7Gkc3yzozeULspzdsS6uADR8efukQdAnJYdCPU4cYm77yhFfup96La7P8C-QVROUWGwonWNnaljdUFUszPl4nk9pQ5Ql50/s400/000.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The Dodgers BITP event was very well run and unexpectedly the seats sold out weeks in advance (the event was capped at 500 dogs). In order to attend the game you had to purchase a $25 seat for each person attending as well as a $25 seat for your pooch. All the seats for the event were in the All You Can Eat Pavillion in Right Field. Note: If you haven't been to Dodger Stadium, this section has a reputation for being rowdy partly because the out of control LA Raider fans that used to start fights at the Coliseum seemed to have migrated there. This lead to many of my friends joking in advance that the section was going to be loaded with Pit Bulls. Needless to say, this couldn't have been further from the truth. <br />
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Most of the dogs at the event were small or medium sized with the exception of there being a lot of English Bulldogs due to a look-alike contest the Dodgers were running prior to the event. We brought our miniature dachshund named Chloe (she's shown on this blog on the right hand column). In order to get admitted, you had to sign a waiver (I'm guessing in case one of the aforementioned Pit Bulls attempted to eat your dog) and bring a current rabies certificate (another joke was that this should be required for all Dodger fans and not just dogs). <br />
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Once admitted, Natural Balance Foods provided a goodie bag for each dog. The Dodgers held a "Pup Rally" by the entrance of the Right Field Pavillion and it featured Tillman the skateboarding English Bulldog (he's why there were so many bullies at the game) as well as Dodger Legend, Steve Garvey. Unfortunately, Steve was swarmed by fans so I missed out on a photo opportunity during the Pup Rally. After the Pup Rally, all the dogs and their owners got to take a lap around Dodger Stadium along the warning track. Seeing 500 dogs walk arould the field with their owners and have the occasional "accident" was quite the scene. From a fan standpoint, I saw the Dodgers starting pitcher Chad Billingsley sitting in the bullpen rest area, Andre Ethier doing windsprints, Ronald Bellisario sitting by himself in thought in the Dodger Dugout and Chris Speier in the Reds Dugout checking all the dogs.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcz1KGFd-PII3klJvdFocf2RN7Qo93CXi0Gn7z19E8j8axhYu7_7XlZGu4x7y42SeQir8vS4Ldm0nsSjb4Apl8krxdKT69jOarGZ4P-AEl5Vqen2wcxJy2u7urNyFDRwsol2c_AQozwQ/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcz1KGFd-PII3klJvdFocf2RN7Qo93CXi0Gn7z19E8j8axhYu7_7XlZGu4x7y42SeQir8vS4Ldm0nsSjb4Apl8krxdKT69jOarGZ4P-AEl5Vqen2wcxJy2u7urNyFDRwsol2c_AQozwQ/s320/007.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Having not sat in Pavillion seats at Dodger Stadium in years, I'd have to say I went through a bit of a learning curve figuring out what to do next. Among my challenges:<br />
<ol><li>I had to figure out how the "All You Can Eat" section worked since I've been trained to spend $5 a hot dog in the seats I usually sit in. The AYCE section consists of Dodger Dogs, Nachos, Popcorn, Peanuts and Soda. The only rule was that you could only take two Dodger Dogs per person per visit in line. There were a few additional pay lines if you wanted beer or pay snacks (malts, chips, candy).</li>
<li>I had to figure out where the bathrooms were. They turned out to be underneath the field level. You had to walk around each team's bullpens in order to get there.</li>
<li>I had to figure out the numbering system of the seats in the Pavillion. </li>
<li>I had to figure out where our dog was going to do her business. NBF had potty patches set up underneath the seats as well as water stations.</li>
</ol>After I figured out and we took care of #'s 1-4, we got back into our seats just in time to watch Nicolette Sheridan of Desperate Housewives fame throw out the first pitch.<br />
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My wife has been to quite a few Dodger games over the years with me and she concluded that this was one of the best games she's ever attended because she spent most of the game looking at the dogs.<br />
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Chloe enjoyed the game as well. She wore here Dodger jersey and collar, had lots of treats, didn't have any accidents and fell asleep in my wife's arms halfway through the game.<br />
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As for myself, I got to see a great game. Coincidentally, it turned out to be Manny Ramirez's last LA Dodger home game. The Dodgers won a slugfest against the Reds and it was highlighted by four Dodger home runs including two hit not far from where we were sitting. <br />
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Finally, I'd note that during the walk around the warning track, my wife took this picture of Chloe, myself and Steve Garvey.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxJ4kL971mrJG3p2o3HrXJ8sLMQJQEHf-vvD4EfpAgC6qUSuyxYAd2hjU9jNZuOI7cslr1ykdSJeU98U6jmcRbQA_LVWzu-jS8JNjfg9mZ8zRifi9j65JC_nNVVUy-y3bbHf9S3a7TbE/s1600/010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxJ4kL971mrJG3p2o3HrXJ8sLMQJQEHf-vvD4EfpAgC6qUSuyxYAd2hjU9jNZuOI7cslr1ykdSJeU98U6jmcRbQA_LVWzu-jS8JNjfg9mZ8zRifi9j65JC_nNVVUy-y3bbHf9S3a7TbE/s320/010.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Chloe was super-thrilled to meet him.steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-46635857683447434722010-08-30T20:36:00.000-07:002010-08-30T20:36:41.224-07:00The Big Tipper?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I was a kid, I ate a ton of cereal. For the most part, it was the sweet stuff that a lot of kids enjoyed (Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops, Trix, Frosted Flakes, Cookie Crisp..etc). On days when I felt like I was suffering from sugar overload and I wanted to eat a <em>healthy</em> cereal, I'd have Raisin Bran. Usually though, it was the Kellogg's variety which was a major reason why I'm very familiar with <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2009/10/theyre-great.html">these</a>. Once every while my mom would make a mistake and purchase the Post Cereal version of Raisin Bran. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Post has had a few successful children's brands of cereal over the years. In my opinion, their most notably children's brands are Honeycomb, Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles. Even with those successes, I always perceived Post Cereal to be more of a second tier imitator of Kellogg's and cut from the same mold of other second tier imitators as Hunts Ketchup (Heinz) and Keebler Cookies (Nabisco). Note: I'm leaving Pepsi and Burger King out of this conversation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 1979, Post Cereal hired Steve Garvey as a spokesman and produced twelve different of premiums on boxes of Post Raisin Bran titled "Steve Garvey's Baseball Tips". The first six were available on fifteen ounce boxes and the second six were available on twenty ounce boxes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below is a breakdown of what each looked liked.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisw_4yOdtDBF4CX-IAZxuTAQma8cPllQr8WihjQfPoDTiFB35xARq7jZ4VwsCm5V_TE-uBE2A6-y8LVImEVehhphqxgsFZS6zxc1vGezpUPoWYjImAK514SfpQaBywqGS7TYVvveDUGic/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+1+the+batting+stance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisw_4yOdtDBF4CX-IAZxuTAQma8cPllQr8WihjQfPoDTiFB35xARq7jZ4VwsCm5V_TE-uBE2A6-y8LVImEVehhphqxgsFZS6zxc1vGezpUPoWYjImAK514SfpQaBywqGS7TYVvveDUGic/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+1+the+batting+stance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#1 The Batting Stance </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Instead of doing a breakdown of each card, I'd note the following specifics are found on each card.</div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The cards are hand cut from the cereal box</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There's no writing on the back of the cards</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Steve's picture is found on the top left of each card</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Each card covers a specific baseball skill</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Steve provides his tip on the specific skill in two to three paragraphs</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A cartoon showing the skill is on the far right.</div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUOFrVUlx8sbtY1iVCXYhYf-Vb9B2xKObeS5S3DtNlaLQXjZnkHWW9ugm89HA6PAZMB6FbXQAdWh2gAtXeRcWKXJ8hu6np06NBknGqxEFoDvZGoj6f-0jHUAKzKOUlO75V9HUUPt0pYs/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+2+bunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUOFrVUlx8sbtY1iVCXYhYf-Vb9B2xKObeS5S3DtNlaLQXjZnkHWW9ugm89HA6PAZMB6FbXQAdWh2gAtXeRcWKXJ8hu6np06NBknGqxEFoDvZGoj6f-0jHUAKzKOUlO75V9HUUPt0pYs/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+2+bunting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#2 Bunting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHfW1Km3wX9HTFw9cy7w6LFLHzsx2NEH95nEsV1jQAPbKcBzT5ByzWCdtP2FCSfj1CVREC2HrbXBOZVFTK5kYbguD-ZV8Ni0pdvoWjC3QubC-YypRstT86LBxcLDUt5L5v4HXbNE2Qh0/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+3+rounding+first+base.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHfW1Km3wX9HTFw9cy7w6LFLHzsx2NEH95nEsV1jQAPbKcBzT5ByzWCdtP2FCSfj1CVREC2HrbXBOZVFTK5kYbguD-ZV8Ni0pdvoWjC3QubC-YypRstT86LBxcLDUt5L5v4HXbNE2Qh0/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+3+rounding+first+base.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">#3 Rounding First Base</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrU8lz0HagNxJ1T9rXfhcWIezoXYNv07i6svFfCIFaQhdAGcHZeCkIBMRmv-Tr4mz2Ll7MpWev8EtpzdLVZrQzif2NnPpr0l2rVcZdSclvAh5szcXoTQOJWM2Gse-jlclmjwMBrL3XF0o/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+4+the+grip+in+throwing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrU8lz0HagNxJ1T9rXfhcWIezoXYNv07i6svFfCIFaQhdAGcHZeCkIBMRmv-Tr4mz2Ll7MpWev8EtpzdLVZrQzif2NnPpr0l2rVcZdSclvAh5szcXoTQOJWM2Gse-jlclmjwMBrL3XF0o/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+4+the+grip+in+throwing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">#4 The Grip in Throwing</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI8V4gGbBeNb1EqnmQTSOzm6RIZXUWWrlU0gjduvoG32QhpEe037bzTWgCHwLMlhWFGUjk0nLo6HJAXy9lrSQd_rqRRqxsyqoBtRyiboXdC8n1oBLAOMM2WBfU4lrWof8321FoBsbKAA/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+5+fielding+a+pop-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI8V4gGbBeNb1EqnmQTSOzm6RIZXUWWrlU0gjduvoG32QhpEe037bzTWgCHwLMlhWFGUjk0nLo6HJAXy9lrSQd_rqRRqxsyqoBtRyiboXdC8n1oBLAOMM2WBfU4lrWof8321FoBsbKAA/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+5+fielding+a+pop-up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">#5 Fielding a Pop-Up</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aBKwBfr32spqp5oppm8WYatu32qk_Bvojxny1LJNcO8PmRVJVAi4OBgxLXQdYKCSPhJkAqE55g7OEQj6bxIQVmZLCyP2uwaTp6AyEy-sUUt2MQf5MJ6USoyazva2sD73WJTpBK7-PT8/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+6+proper+fielding+stances.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aBKwBfr32spqp5oppm8WYatu32qk_Bvojxny1LJNcO8PmRVJVAi4OBgxLXQdYKCSPhJkAqE55g7OEQj6bxIQVmZLCyP2uwaTp6AyEy-sUUt2MQf5MJ6USoyazva2sD73WJTpBK7-PT8/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+6+proper+fielding+stances.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">#6 Proper Fielding Stances</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxjdM8DvxHIbinpn8ZT2ahgLUP57I0C_897hGcrX-T9S4MRZhFaBylUUH3tv1KIgclm4XKtyEnAeN9fUFT3TtNDVI6CHpMiHo4qzT6VK2Tbksq3UUsqR7eDvMOiwnApudGUGCY9O_sjs/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+7+on-deck+observation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxjdM8DvxHIbinpn8ZT2ahgLUP57I0C_897hGcrX-T9S4MRZhFaBylUUH3tv1KIgclm4XKtyEnAeN9fUFT3TtNDVI6CHpMiHo4qzT6VK2Tbksq3UUsqR7eDvMOiwnApudGUGCY9O_sjs/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+7+on-deck+observation.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">#7 On-Deck Observation</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygubwBz_Qga8K25HXtt7kLV-zBtafBsTO69wp1uuSENCCKP33Hd0g7ONDVne0IlULbEeDJT-C-H9q-cJD8KIFl4LOVQWVKe22VN0yaCugFrQSUle5gUS9BC0QsZszFEQhedR1_U83GVU/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+8+sliding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygubwBz_Qga8K25HXtt7kLV-zBtafBsTO69wp1uuSENCCKP33Hd0g7ONDVne0IlULbEeDJT-C-H9q-cJD8KIFl4LOVQWVKe22VN0yaCugFrQSUle5gUS9BC0QsZszFEQhedR1_U83GVU/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+8+sliding.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">#8 Sliding</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxP0yJZX0b18Rn2sk9jElpd2rcNb7KR4oCfzQBUwWU8grxp9aYxuFC-puFk_-VItVsskqLfQJAp4icSNOZ3OneWe-6Zwb1TH4IV1BhTr3wDMwRCT-D_MCOkE7IvhdZtYeB9brigbESiU/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+10+throwing+from+the+outfield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxP0yJZX0b18Rn2sk9jElpd2rcNb7KR4oCfzQBUwWU8grxp9aYxuFC-puFk_-VItVsskqLfQJAp4icSNOZ3OneWe-6Zwb1TH4IV1BhTr3wDMwRCT-D_MCOkE7IvhdZtYeB9brigbESiU/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+10+throwing+from+the+outfield.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#10 Throwing from the Outfield</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJp2hrB4Z1EMK45FAkx8k5YdueppZ0q5f2hViL1tIXMG7B-ih5i4kCrWm43d-kUNsjeZGCuRk6lI8nZhO5eBZfAj_pma8IJpDXMlNXnoPnG6OiZMv9j_unry4td-YBdQvAgMX42IOcP0A/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+11+mental+preparation+for+each+play.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJp2hrB4Z1EMK45FAkx8k5YdueppZ0q5f2hViL1tIXMG7B-ih5i4kCrWm43d-kUNsjeZGCuRk6lI8nZhO5eBZfAj_pma8IJpDXMlNXnoPnG6OiZMv9j_unry4td-YBdQvAgMX42IOcP0A/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+11+mental+preparation+for+each+play.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#11 Mental Preparation for each Play</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbUDvgvGIpqBZyDQN6GGzBtT2kQHKzey0g7pw4UhVMYY0P-SydIt7oH4QwJ7YAMXLnslR6I2TOFOgonL-85ZUPsuUs0_Vow5kraMUb8cPEvV3dE-y2yhtrCnD3mM9cjhJ27VWVmlyMKY/s1600/1979+post+steve+garvey+12+total+conditioning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbUDvgvGIpqBZyDQN6GGzBtT2kQHKzey0g7pw4UhVMYY0P-SydIt7oH4QwJ7YAMXLnslR6I2TOFOgonL-85ZUPsuUs0_Vow5kraMUb8cPEvV3dE-y2yhtrCnD3mM9cjhJ27VWVmlyMKY/s400/1979+post+steve+garvey+12+total+conditioning.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> #12 Total Conditioning</div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-88824323018616499822010-02-26T18:08:00.000-08:002010-02-26T18:08:01.438-08:00Moving on UpIt's been a while since my last post but it's for good reason. My wife and I purchased a new house (which should make President Obama happy) and as a result I haven't had access to my scanner for some time. Fortunately, I was still able to use my computer and after reading everyone's experiences with 2010 Topps Series 1, I figured I'd purchased some packs from my local card shop.<br />
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Since 2010 Topps has been out for a few weeks and it's been covered on plenty of other blogs, I'm only going to show the highlights out of the eleven Hobby Packs I purchased.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">#1 - My Favorite Photograph found on a base card (that I pulled)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Tie - Justin Upton and David DeJesus</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CLKArmG8VWz1V7MxWUbLRcN9igREXeZkuj58dWW94OGtn-nHsw8N9UBIQycemwvME0lBIrBUPaAwidLUu06n1kb6JnfinI3a3BnL6N8oHoz4T1pyBw3AHbC6sGCS5T-PY2OTT3z5lhs/s1600-h/upton+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CLKArmG8VWz1V7MxWUbLRcN9igREXeZkuj58dWW94OGtn-nHsw8N9UBIQycemwvME0lBIrBUPaAwidLUu06n1kb6JnfinI3a3BnL6N8oHoz4T1pyBw3AHbC6sGCS5T-PY2OTT3z5lhs/s320/upton+front.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Shades of 1971 Topps Brooks Robinson on this Justin Upton card. I can't tell if Justin's sliding into third base or back into first base on this photo. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIclLgERW72bQLW9OhCstsh3hNw1iaJ4NoT4RrhaJV2wvNSXm1lCRODw53_2_0SV3TmTPlxwjzawTH3VIDux56zSDwBUHpHbAriOvVNHPXygY5iQk5Wq-z7A4g5bDxAs2hcJvHkhrdH8/s1600-h/2010+dejesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIclLgERW72bQLW9OhCstsh3hNw1iaJ4NoT4RrhaJV2wvNSXm1lCRODw53_2_0SV3TmTPlxwjzawTH3VIDux56zSDwBUHpHbAriOvVNHPXygY5iQk5Wq-z7A4g5bDxAs2hcJvHkhrdH8/s320/2010+dejesus.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Is David DeJesus trying to catch a baseball or falling telephone rates? He appears to be at least two feet off the ground (no pun intended) in this photo.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">#2 - The Least Favorite Card I Pulled</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Reggie Jackson Tales of the Game</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUOASvVGsgEZBaOma-x_znnOGxGKIB4T74bgyK1Qn_7YbnxGtBhY_MqWN5GT4A5AgQHV_BnJCVGA51OVYxgiWn2osJGttICRC1rzD70YJU3ohUjGxYrK_AGKYzWMfNQEyJdmOgBION9Y/s1600-h/tales+of+the+game+jackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUOASvVGsgEZBaOma-x_znnOGxGKIB4T74bgyK1Qn_7YbnxGtBhY_MqWN5GT4A5AgQHV_BnJCVGA51OVYxgiWn2osJGttICRC1rzD70YJU3ohUjGxYrK_AGKYzWMfNQEyJdmOgBION9Y/s320/tales+of+the+game+jackson.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As a Dodger fan, the only good thing I can say about this highlight is that it's replayed slightly less that Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series Pinch Hit Home Run</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#3 - Best Parallel Card I Pulled</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Clayton Kershaw Black # 42 / 59</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DAXy9SFdutLxhUKWfbgiJPqL0l-p2ztX7rF-EbyySkCg80BP1Q89NLMZXQM8tcI-Mf-w-O3lLmftMYQS5GRMmV4_hs4zFWbg5YcaRuol9Z1PYssvXxaOAC7FDCXF83favXpDk0Cj7uY/s1600-h/kershaw+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DAXy9SFdutLxhUKWfbgiJPqL0l-p2ztX7rF-EbyySkCg80BP1Q89NLMZXQM8tcI-Mf-w-O3lLmftMYQS5GRMmV4_hs4zFWbg5YcaRuol9Z1PYssvXxaOAC7FDCXF83favXpDk0Cj7uY/s320/kershaw+front.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not much doubt in my mind which <a href="http://nightowlcards.blogspot.com/">blogger</a> is a big fan of Matthew Stafford's High School teammate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH35NEILdtH2f13MRRHDhKjlRltudZzqp4seznBlu4EACxU7ZEnRtEMZlNVQag9fOQneHslD3EPgENQNtTVLg7ChUS9cfyWoO_JRr3yuyKRUP90lcVKLROjeSh4vInxFYSNoXuwP3Iqb8/s1600-h/kershaw+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH35NEILdtH2f13MRRHDhKjlRltudZzqp4seznBlu4EACxU7ZEnRtEMZlNVQag9fOQneHslD3EPgENQNtTVLg7ChUS9cfyWoO_JRr3yuyKRUP90lcVKLROjeSh4vInxFYSNoXuwP3Iqb8/s320/kershaw+back.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Topps appearred to save a few bucks with the way they crash numbered their black parallels this year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#4 - Best Insert Card I Pulled </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cole Hamels Peak Performance Jumbo Relic # 03 / 20</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSySEgt9JDMfFqO8H4S2BckP_svho8l4RrnrqchQ9ycl3ljLNKYmju_nBABrBVbgjkk8domodUt5YCdqseybZ6qsZ2yuGakNLBFrJSf33c5x_AQXVHYamhTXYAxPYty3POmwHSY6TWuQ/s1600-h/peak+performance+hamels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSySEgt9JDMfFqO8H4S2BckP_svho8l4RrnrqchQ9ycl3ljLNKYmju_nBABrBVbgjkk8domodUt5YCdqseybZ6qsZ2yuGakNLBFrJSf33c5x_AQXVHYamhTXYAxPYty3POmwHSY6TWuQ/s320/peak+performance+hamels.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a pretty cool card. I'm still trying to figure out what part of the Phillies Jersey this came from. Note: Am I the only one that didn't care for that Holiday Inn Express commercial he starred in last year?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#5 - Best and only Million Card Giveaway I Pulled in 11 Hobby Packs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeb0nDxm6d58sqRIsnn8cYVOFG6cVx-moYc5_GXMCODjwn5zzEnZz0lcFLjwD0uj0kSPR57EiDx_yU6QsLJPiFUeMW4FdYYow2MkftWjmUGzetV_ai1_hkrYJBbEXrZJJInxL26jM88w/s1600-h/million+card+giveaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeb0nDxm6d58sqRIsnn8cYVOFG6cVx-moYc5_GXMCODjwn5zzEnZz0lcFLjwD0uj0kSPR57EiDx_yU6QsLJPiFUeMW4FdYYow2MkftWjmUGzetV_ai1_hkrYJBbEXrZJJInxL26jM88w/s320/million+card+giveaway.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1973 Topps Milt Pappas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0zr9N3SsQ52xUHWmOj0-Giu_9k8eLo_Jp6QGUlbgQMFcji_btOm6qb7yZgpEZ1ng3nPFT6xikCFZ6mq0eDJs1g2gML6Veu4aFTtDG9DX5vjnkxq-yU2oyNcMb15IQOY37jZpbZwqhJk/s1600-h/milt+pappas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0zr9N3SsQ52xUHWmOj0-Giu_9k8eLo_Jp6QGUlbgQMFcji_btOm6qb7yZgpEZ1ng3nPFT6xikCFZ6mq0eDJs1g2gML6Veu4aFTtDG9DX5vjnkxq-yU2oyNcMb15IQOY37jZpbZwqhJk/s320/milt+pappas.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Milt is probably best remembered for throwing a No Hitter for the Cubs against the Padres September 2nd, 1972 that was almost a Perfect Game. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you've never heard the story, Milt had thrown 8 2/3 perfect innings and had a 3-2 count to the final batter Larry Stahl who was pinch hitting for pitcher Al Servinson. The payoff pitch was arguably a strike but the home plate umpire at the time Bruce Froemming chose to call it a ball. The next batter Garry Jestadt then popped to second baseman Carmen Fanzone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-42255815722621583152010-02-03T02:04:00.000-08:002010-02-03T02:04:18.073-08:00Hope Springs Eternal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't know if the Guinness Book of World Records keeps track of such things but I feel like an interesting book (or blog at the very least) could be written about Topps' Trading Cards quirky facts and unique trivia. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the previous <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2010/02/next-versethe-same-as-first.html">blog</a>, I mentioned how Topps' didn't put a lot of effort into the photo selection of Bubba Smith's NFL trading cards during his career and as a result they used the same photo five times. Excluding reprints (otherwise the '52 Topps Mantle would win in a landslide), I'm pretty sure this had to be a Topps' record for the most times the same photo has been used on a trading card during a player's playing career. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With that said, this isn't the first time that Topps' repeated something on a player's trading card five times. The player below (who ironically also had only five Topps cards in his career) is featured five times in such a unique way that I believe he also owns a record of his own. Before I show you who he is, I figured I'd show you how I stumbled onto him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I was collecting as a kid in the late 1970's, I was a big fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Each year, I would try to collect the entire Dodger team set and would use the back of Topps Dodger Team Card as my guide to what I needed. For whatever reason in 1977, I wasn't able to make the connection that there wasn't an individual card of Kevin Pasley (shown below) and that he was actually found on a multi-player rookie catchers card that also featured Dale Murphy. As a result, I assumed that my team set was incomplete. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThyJ6FQOwvfJyeR71IaHNinzBoW0ztcCR3dyJqu0azEQnhtonT6nA3BGgqLdOt8kQyKufCsJbfOl2pzF5-0ud3SsCsMdhaIBqdXXptbs4FEQKTiOH0RhHyPHjROBDlMwvIhyphenhyphenB_kBqLZs/s1600-h/kevin+pasley+77+topps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThyJ6FQOwvfJyeR71IaHNinzBoW0ztcCR3dyJqu0azEQnhtonT6nA3BGgqLdOt8kQyKufCsJbfOl2pzF5-0ud3SsCsMdhaIBqdXXptbs4FEQKTiOH0RhHyPHjROBDlMwvIhyphenhyphenB_kBqLZs/s320/kevin+pasley+77+topps.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1977 Topps Rookie Catchers (featuring Kevin Pasley & company)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When 1978 Topps released, one of the first cards I pulled was the Rookie Catchers card (shown below) that featured Kevin Pasley again but this time as a Seattle Mariner. Once I got beyond the fact that why is a Dodger that I've never heard of now a Mariner, I asked myself, "Why was Kevin once again featured on a Rookie Catcher multi-player card?" and "How was this possible?" since Kevin was a rookie in my mind in 1977 because he was featured on a multi-player Topps rookie card. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPcgdzHKpaMg4cdtNaqIwhdP93C2LKRZFBuYgM7RnyKhVZ4W-jScC34lTJFxjn3QulaD18cDjvdnI25Mrbwg4N6A4nhm3Wa5urbryrU-wutACTwHIyZVCpiG6B2m_CoIDZ57m7a66jy0/s1600-h/kevin+pasley+78+topps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPcgdzHKpaMg4cdtNaqIwhdP93C2LKRZFBuYgM7RnyKhVZ4W-jScC34lTJFxjn3QulaD18cDjvdnI25Mrbwg4N6A4nhm3Wa5urbryrU-wutACTwHIyZVCpiG6B2m_CoIDZ57m7a66jy0/s320/kevin+pasley+78+topps.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1978 Topps Rookie Catchers (featuring Kevin Pasley & company)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I soon discovered that being featured on multi-player rookie cards wasn't unique to Kevin as Topps commonly rolled up and coming prospects from one season to another on multi-player rookie cards (i.e. Dale Murphy was also featured in 1977 & 1978). Having realized this, I wondered if any player had been featured on multi-player rookie card three times and right away I stumbled onto Lou Piniella.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lou Piniella was featured on three multi-player rookie star cards during the years 1964, 1968 and 1969. For many years, I assumed that this was the record as it seemed that too many variables (i.e. level of play of rookie in minors, limited amount of at bats in majors, no single card of player produced yet) were in play for someone to be featured on more rookie star/prospect cards.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As you'll soon see, I was very wrong.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLjmY9PSvqZu1YdmTy63MEswU0DlLB3jPFwlsOZ55AuHXO0iqNsQdjctBaIuxwJeB_J_US9wiMywy70GQw3yhZgXaR_YENbTLBx0xr6jBu8ZBDFIqOaaryDfWaApqes_xTGX1NPlKUkI/s1600-h/64+piniella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLjmY9PSvqZu1YdmTy63MEswU0DlLB3jPFwlsOZ55AuHXO0iqNsQdjctBaIuxwJeB_J_US9wiMywy70GQw3yhZgXaR_YENbTLBx0xr6jBu8ZBDFIqOaaryDfWaApqes_xTGX1NPlKUkI/s320/64+piniella.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1964 Topps Senators Rookie Stars (featuring Lou Piniella & company)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3bH0dA4AfsuxM3d4LxWq0DcFr5bEtkJciLWiAGBMuU421RQ4ZZB8lQgyRa6xwHPGLCdZ7_amCP5yHM2HgOYLg-s-MPGaCnB4E-PE58VKm5qcCAy6TCVb1OcI-DhOVCrVbbut212_up4/s1600-h/68+piniella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3bH0dA4AfsuxM3d4LxWq0DcFr5bEtkJciLWiAGBMuU421RQ4ZZB8lQgyRa6xwHPGLCdZ7_amCP5yHM2HgOYLg-s-MPGaCnB4E-PE58VKm5qcCAy6TCVb1OcI-DhOVCrVbbut212_up4/s320/68+piniella.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1968 Topps Indians Rookie Stars (featuring Lou Piniella & company)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCknU13mTlvCGE430BRvuMmciMkY7TnUQ6g63E7TagJFGySH0Bl89wRQCbrtZU8KQ7PaYgRYH2RK_HHqxrYGmKOujtxK87i_IvKaJCsAlKoDjJtVsL2o1lR_XK0hD1JzsYNTEAr2V3gG4/s1600-h/69+piniella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCknU13mTlvCGE430BRvuMmciMkY7TnUQ6g63E7TagJFGySH0Bl89wRQCbrtZU8KQ7PaYgRYH2RK_HHqxrYGmKOujtxK87i_IvKaJCsAlKoDjJtVsL2o1lR_XK0hD1JzsYNTEAr2V3gG4/s320/69+piniella.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1969 Topps Pilots Rookie Stars (featuring Lou Piniella & company)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm not an expert on 1960's baseball because I don't have any firsthand memories and for most of the decade I wasn't even alive but from what I've learned the Cleveland Indians weren't exactly one of the better teams during that era. Outside of Sam McDowell, Rocky Colavito and Leon Wagner, I don't know if I can think of anyone that played during the 1960's that I associate with the Indians.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With that said, the Cleveland Indians did have a pretty impressive first base prospect in Bill Davis. Bill, a 6'7" slugger that the Indians signed out of the University of Minnesota in 1964, proceeded to have a monster AAA season in 1965 (33 HR, 106 RBI, .311 AVG along with a sabremetric pleasing 74 BB's and only 94 K's in 592 AB's). Topps thought enough of him to include him on a 1965 Indians Rookie Stars card.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgjHiwByGzXeRBdA-xxZzJzSBJ-5vscX8r-A5zSkZlPyC5MkURJn1wNcQg4kgNB6REcxZrV81GPrnbkWZdy8lqLg8EpA-d8q9-IRIHBpu2sQrccR1I4m5HB7ZaOZWa82K4dCet-PN2HM/s1600-h/65+topps+bill+davis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgjHiwByGzXeRBdA-xxZzJzSBJ-5vscX8r-A5zSkZlPyC5MkURJn1wNcQg4kgNB6REcxZrV81GPrnbkWZdy8lqLg8EpA-d8q9-IRIHBpu2sQrccR1I4m5HB7ZaOZWa82K4dCet-PN2HM/s320/65+topps+bill+davis.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1965 Topps Indians Rookie Stars (featuring Bill Davis & company)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If someone asked you the trivia question, "What do Bob Chance, Fred Whitfield and Tony Horton have in common?" What are the chances you'd know that these were the Cleveland Indians starting first baseman from 1964-1968? My guess is that Topps wasn't completely aware either as they once again included Bill Davis on a multi-player rookie stars card in 1966 because they assumed he'd eventually take over the position.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7aOFNSOT79bc3L_8U1hVOZUEmxPVdYHCcUB8bcI7U7OgDoRCijaWbveNZEmutsi2aMrKJvCsZH3gv9_yeJ2ULiZVFj2t6ufazeAHDedpI8z-EgfpljBo11NOHFHIMjTrNK2zxypkKrc/s1600-h/66+bill+davis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7aOFNSOT79bc3L_8U1hVOZUEmxPVdYHCcUB8bcI7U7OgDoRCijaWbveNZEmutsi2aMrKJvCsZH3gv9_yeJ2ULiZVFj2t6ufazeAHDedpI8z-EgfpljBo11NOHFHIMjTrNK2zxypkKrc/s320/66+bill+davis.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1966 Topps Indians Rookie Stars (featuring Bill Davis & company)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bill followed up his incredible 1965 season by being shuttled between <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=davis-004art">AAA</a> and the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/davisbi01.shtml">majors</a>. Unfortunately, he was only given 38 at bats to prove himself. This is rather perplexing when you consider how many of today's top prospects are given on the job training in the majors once they give the slightest hint of being major league ready in the minors.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPsNB6CV64KSq-7qSbaYHwzLNEhxiUVwpSgiDS9JFG2g6DaPE635jHvaLNXaiToC0ySLZhM2ecNs31TW7uQ40NyWPJ_dOLZ8MTPwRzf3IBeYWm8RBKjG_nCltXj5Z1-1RliDGLMC8SrE/s1600-h/67+bill+davis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPsNB6CV64KSq-7qSbaYHwzLNEhxiUVwpSgiDS9JFG2g6DaPE635jHvaLNXaiToC0ySLZhM2ecNs31TW7uQ40NyWPJ_dOLZ8MTPwRzf3IBeYWm8RBKjG_nCltXj5Z1-1RliDGLMC8SrE/s320/67+bill+davis.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1967 Topps Indians Rookie Stars (featuring Bill Davis & company)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In 1967, Topps went back for a third time and included Bill on a multi-player rookie stars card based on his 17 HR/48 RBI partial season in AAA for the Indians in 1966. Bill hurt himself prior to the start of the 1967 baseball season and ended up spending the entire season on the disabled list. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgairUsrs0jMEHKTe3VDmvDQHpvk5GUy4oaac3WC_5HOWZh5e4Df8ANDhS9JvB7ZOwaRnswEhdrWPOWGhP4L4yXR8CC-hBctcWblHuCQ1Jdzp7WQYPiOYsYFxW9ZTwjsGSXWblJKeNrfoQ/s1600-h/68+bill+davis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgairUsrs0jMEHKTe3VDmvDQHpvk5GUy4oaac3WC_5HOWZh5e4Df8ANDhS9JvB7ZOwaRnswEhdrWPOWGhP4L4yXR8CC-hBctcWblHuCQ1Jdzp7WQYPiOYsYFxW9ZTwjsGSXWblJKeNrfoQ/s320/68+bill+davis.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1968 Topps Indians Rookie Stars (featuring Bill Davis & company)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
In 1968, Topps again included Bill on a multi-player Rookie Stars card with the hopes that he'd recover for the injury that sidelined him for the entire 1967 season. Unfortunately, a 12 HR / 66 RBI season wasn't what the Indians were hoping for and they traded him to the expansion San Diego Padres for a player to be named that eventually became former 1965 MVP Zolio Versalles.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPNdAevs-Bf6wvuse1jyuFLezu1F3e2pInxfXl9_nqrHAHSX-qTh8LMPOzSqpQbKyP-9jz3DCtK1nCnEnNM9PgZNNaWxkeL2TmfZaM2bMi46xBupcJdaaPzsMSXxc6jcdkU3xcUqiIeE/s1600-h/1969+topps+bill+davis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPNdAevs-Bf6wvuse1jyuFLezu1F3e2pInxfXl9_nqrHAHSX-qTh8LMPOzSqpQbKyP-9jz3DCtK1nCnEnNM9PgZNNaWxkeL2TmfZaM2bMi46xBupcJdaaPzsMSXxc6jcdkU3xcUqiIeE/s320/1969+topps+bill+davis.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">1969 Topps Padres Rookie Stars (featuring Bill Davis & company)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">A fresh start on an expansion team would seam like the ideal situation for Bill to finally establish himself as a major leaguer. Even though the San Diego Padres had an ugly 52-110 record, they were the possessors of two quality first base prospects. Once again, things didn't go Bill's way as he ended up backing up the first star of the Padres, Nate Colbert, when he wasn't manning first base in AAA. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Topps went back one last time and included Bill on his fifth and final multi-player rookie stars card (which was also his final card of his career) with future Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'd finally note that much like Topps' efforts with Bubba Smith, they didn't make much of an effort with photo selection. As you can see, the 1966 and 1969 images are the same and the 1967 and 1968 images are the same.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-42604154604378148912010-02-02T02:42:00.000-08:002010-02-02T02:42:45.670-08:00The Next Verse.....The Same As The First<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I figured I'd take a break from my Steve Garvey collection to write about about a couple peculiar trading card quirks that I've noticed through the years. The first has to do with former NFL Star and sometime actor Bubba Smith (who actually was a College Football teammate of Steve's at Michigan State).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be the first to admit that I don't have any recollection of Bubba Smith the football player as he stopped playing just as I was getting into trading cards. I remember him as a thespian and his great work in the Miller Lite commercials, Police Academy movies and guest appearance as Al Bundy's high school football rival on Married with Children.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the reasons I've always enjoyed collecting Baseball Cards (and even Basketball cards) as a kid is that Topps was able to include almost all the players on each team in each of the sets I collected as a kid (i.e. mid-70's to mid-80's). With football cards, there were too many players on each team for Topps to feature them all in a set. However, they always seemed to include Offensive Skill Players and Pro Bowl caliber defensive players in their sets. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bubba Smith ended up being one of Topps' chosen ones as they included him in everyone of their sets from 1970 to 1976 Topps (sans 1974) and even going so far as to give him three cards in their 1972 set. With that said, photos of Bubba must have been scarce as Topps was extremely lazy in their photo selection as you'll see below.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqE28ZAdjl2f6xKFMlu6cutvhx0suKFmHHrw6shShrhldfvRNiGzL0vmzaAKkavuM8iRK_dsIkh0i5zcgy34Fd_Gya74quxtcn4LaPXbssKT2AQrhAaDeBHos6PMEjwRMc6dXtZ46JquI/s1600-h/70+topps+bubba+smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqE28ZAdjl2f6xKFMlu6cutvhx0suKFmHHrw6shShrhldfvRNiGzL0vmzaAKkavuM8iRK_dsIkh0i5zcgy34Fd_Gya74quxtcn4LaPXbssKT2AQrhAaDeBHos6PMEjwRMc6dXtZ46JquI/s320/70+topps+bubba+smith.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1970 Topps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OuN1rd2CcQp4Wuo7lV9LIh_fYWGoC55nNkiABo8dF9gC0b-LoWPzPQQ9U5lUWNehp5QEljlj3GffN6_82r2aVQdKeTGo7M23l_tomtmwR7gYqL3sYR44eMxHEZYlNbmisRDm2RYtPZ0/s1600-h/71+bubba+smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OuN1rd2CcQp4Wuo7lV9LIh_fYWGoC55nNkiABo8dF9gC0b-LoWPzPQQ9U5lUWNehp5QEljlj3GffN6_82r2aVQdKeTGo7M23l_tomtmwR7gYqL3sYR44eMxHEZYlNbmisRDm2RYtPZ0/s320/71+bubba+smith.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1971 Topps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKH_IG43VIc6DyEGS7mEgL274KMry_a_QTTndkVRpQc9oBe8rPpSqizxgWBuw8YrWZYCMGk5bD6SUmlfzXDE5wJB7k02_CsNdYF-7yVVJwVMHscICXaYyglJDoXXfnflAcynrI3zTWPUg/s1600-h/bubba+72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKH_IG43VIc6DyEGS7mEgL274KMry_a_QTTndkVRpQc9oBe8rPpSqizxgWBuw8YrWZYCMGk5bD6SUmlfzXDE5wJB7k02_CsNdYF-7yVVJwVMHscICXaYyglJDoXXfnflAcynrI3zTWPUg/s320/bubba+72.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1972 Topps All-Pro (High #)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34g5XdzUWB3MwtvBhIxYxuQy_rEWNK58oKnPCEijAEurortdKqMcORrlEoCwJU7ykOMZXUi9QVvoS5Vjuk6OYH2LYAjQLWnxVUNskvpFEAMTsni7PvTcz0oErJniblt-vL77Bh4B81Pg/s1600-h/75+t+bubba+smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34g5XdzUWB3MwtvBhIxYxuQy_rEWNK58oKnPCEijAEurortdKqMcORrlEoCwJU7ykOMZXUi9QVvoS5Vjuk6OYH2LYAjQLWnxVUNskvpFEAMTsni7PvTcz0oErJniblt-vL77Bh4B81Pg/s320/75+t+bubba+smith.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1975 Topps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm2Ems-3FDcP2zzizraCnWK99mU0ZG7Z82b6XcJClSiVWy75Dtafu2pUFKSqK6KkzdR9P1laFAH3vMYkKPE4hz0zu4xhjMZt_GOhwAv6RQN6LZ413Glh756egf1VZuCPfNHH4zVLeHU0/s1600-h/76++topps+bubba+smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm2Ems-3FDcP2zzizraCnWK99mU0ZG7Z82b6XcJClSiVWy75Dtafu2pUFKSqK6KkzdR9P1laFAH3vMYkKPE4hz0zu4xhjMZt_GOhwAv6RQN6LZ413Glh756egf1VZuCPfNHH4zVLeHU0/s320/76++topps+bubba+smith.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1976 Topps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Blame it on scareness of sourcing his photos or Topps' laziness but five of Bubba's eight Topps cards used the exact same photo. Incredibly the first and last cards were released six years from each other. That wasn't the extent of this photo on trading cards as Kellogg's used this photo on their 1970 card (see below).</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVslMw2V8rRqKSX4lwfU6AJ922eg-jyqb71TST37sHQxy95thvVYY_BPP6l5UaijIJWRUCxAkk9p1di-pshSq6zSKH7fEp2OZSBVnk6KeEXSI8rEJIjaMJuKKmymq6XPVRxqeCVP0g9Q/s1600-h/70+kell+bubba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVslMw2V8rRqKSX4lwfU6AJ922eg-jyqb71TST37sHQxy95thvVYY_BPP6l5UaijIJWRUCxAkk9p1di-pshSq6zSKH7fEp2OZSBVnk6KeEXSI8rEJIjaMJuKKmymq6XPVRxqeCVP0g9Q/s320/70+kell+bubba.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">1970 Kellogg's</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The only Topps cards of Bubba's that didn't use the photo above were his 1972 base, 1972 In Action and 1973 base. You'll see below that Topps didn't exactly go out of it's way to make up for their repeat used of photos in 1970 & 1971 in terms of creatively as their 1972 and 1973 base cards were most likely taken from the same game.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxvfxb8uiIp0djyJkwuRLGD7mOHCeQkMKr_1jiDgvIH7dOhM_yb2Yt_vlKjq6lB15cAWbtaKXW-9JSum8lxlfISiEvoCWhtQ2wGuY3nmFs8Intn87ZvY07aoad2jSf1KaZhvto9rxpcM/s1600-h/72+bubba+low+%23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxvfxb8uiIp0djyJkwuRLGD7mOHCeQkMKr_1jiDgvIH7dOhM_yb2Yt_vlKjq6lB15cAWbtaKXW-9JSum8lxlfISiEvoCWhtQ2wGuY3nmFs8Intn87ZvY07aoad2jSf1KaZhvto9rxpcM/s320/72+bubba+low+%23.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1972 Topps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgTZMrvnOQSS9eTodjyygoVrL7nFPy9FEl3T949MbyjlyIgtG4jUCoECzSiSd3plKO1QhN9sl7Xf-c9U5QrQQkiOuboOcqBEBLE1HDOupm7U9HBYdfAfR-321_QSQOiWHH3hMQSWADTk/s1600-h/73+topps+bubba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgTZMrvnOQSS9eTodjyygoVrL7nFPy9FEl3T949MbyjlyIgtG4jUCoECzSiSd3plKO1QhN9sl7Xf-c9U5QrQQkiOuboOcqBEBLE1HDOupm7U9HBYdfAfR-321_QSQOiWHH3hMQSWADTk/s320/73+topps+bubba.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1973 Topps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bubba Smith is one of those old-time football players that makes the rounds signing autographs at card shows. For whatever reason, he isn't a name that would make me want to attend a card show alone. However, if he just happened to be signing at a card show that I was attending, I'd like to ask him how he felt about Topps providing an extremely limited photo selection on his NFL cards.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My guess is that he'd have liked more cards like his 1972 Topps In Action.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeTEuADpSBN3f2NSfWiTpKwzk3dNnhyMdR5C6DkdTFmkLygzYS3962Xj6xBqb-LCswT3UzmY3yfQOIkRPcUQNLBuEgcXSaWiwdfIT2O0o7XcU9lANTzDoaeQzQWW_Nvv22dSU1YMxuaQ/s1600-h/72+topps+ia+bubba+smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeTEuADpSBN3f2NSfWiTpKwzk3dNnhyMdR5C6DkdTFmkLygzYS3962Xj6xBqb-LCswT3UzmY3yfQOIkRPcUQNLBuEgcXSaWiwdfIT2O0o7XcU9lANTzDoaeQzQWW_Nvv22dSU1YMxuaQ/s320/72+topps+ia+bubba+smith.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1972 Topps In Action</div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619998876860991422.post-32207361050731455972010-01-26T23:50:00.000-08:002010-01-26T23:50:18.384-08:00Up All Night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I received a package from <a href="http://nightowlcards.blogspot.com/">Night Owl</a> recently and it must have given me good luck because after a week of heavy rains in Southern California, we suddenly had three sunny days. With that said, thanks for the cards as I was able to knock a few more Garvey's off of my wantlist. Below is a recap of what I received.<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPqeoeKbXTZYMJeH3kpFpkPa2ClCuMWYz3oR26sYOABYL3n92NN07Xn1_SMGClf9t26P00GLf4zs6A7iXBDUlZNhxtE1yQFJanBoTi8JinE8jJdwn_s4BeskD4Z2Cf7YYYfM5G5thAGE/s1600-h/1986+true+value+%232+-+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPqeoeKbXTZYMJeH3kpFpkPa2ClCuMWYz3oR26sYOABYL3n92NN07Xn1_SMGClf9t26P00GLf4zs6A7iXBDUlZNhxtE1yQFJanBoTi8JinE8jJdwn_s4BeskD4Z2Cf7YYYfM5G5thAGE/s320/1986+true+value+%232+-+front.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1986 True Value Hardware Stores #2 (front)<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was a premium set produced for True Value Hardware by Michael Schechter Associates (MSA). MSA used this photo in quite a few sets during the mid-1980's (i.e. Kraft, M&M's, Burger King, Meadow Gold, General Mills)<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjorFDNp7tGy6fQLfITFTezp3oSgyR005VxR_XU9yb1rDIzVpSt2B4ie4LbGpm2Bg17IGXxyObYwWgFvmi-6neTtl9hHXIAhQ5gurx5diLfP9TWWTRnYPp9pHrLgoTBOlgnNq4a_edFs/s1600-h/1986+true+value+%232+-+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjorFDNp7tGy6fQLfITFTezp3oSgyR005VxR_XU9yb1rDIzVpSt2B4ie4LbGpm2Bg17IGXxyObYwWgFvmi-6neTtl9hHXIAhQ5gurx5diLfP9TWWTRnYPp9pHrLgoTBOlgnNq4a_edFs/s320/1986+true+value+%232+-+back.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1986 True Value Hardware Stores #2 (back)<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If someone one hasn't written one yet, I think an interesting blog could be written about MSA. I myself don't know much about the company itself but they definitely produced a slew of MLBPA only licensed sets from the mid-1970's to early 1990's.<br />
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<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8T2wEaHWpcn7CfZI-pB_RIliWWdRWVkQWXa8GUMJ0d1NIrSTlV0KkaDaYnB-3s-WLXKkTBpG7-M_fTlczIDwYxFQjlRs0yoJhe5DFSPl5310ZXq1xrLInlJkDRIIWlnDmxH_RLPXjrE/s1600-h/1986+quaker+granola+%236+-+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8T2wEaHWpcn7CfZI-pB_RIliWWdRWVkQWXa8GUMJ0d1NIrSTlV0KkaDaYnB-3s-WLXKkTBpG7-M_fTlczIDwYxFQjlRs0yoJhe5DFSPl5310ZXq1xrLInlJkDRIIWlnDmxH_RLPXjrE/s320/1986+quaker+granola+%236+-+front.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1986 Quaker Chewy Granola Bars #6 (front)<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also received one of these from <a href="http://1207games.blogspot.com/2009/12/thanks.html">gcrl</a> recently. When it comes to Garvey cards, doubles are a good thing.<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAydmoppmGV-e0IfWFJQRxneAGFIfCuOFCgDseLLRWpJmJrtrzMe0sfI-nse_J5rLWXbxrvoZC3fFKfhz1vl1bi28C2eDQ9qRjjiy4V64_SDnjoyiMrvVtumbYUYOa9fcFop692eBWXc/s1600-h/1986+quaker+granola+%236+-+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAydmoppmGV-e0IfWFJQRxneAGFIfCuOFCgDseLLRWpJmJrtrzMe0sfI-nse_J5rLWXbxrvoZC3fFKfhz1vl1bi28C2eDQ9qRjjiy4V64_SDnjoyiMrvVtumbYUYOa9fcFop692eBWXc/s320/1986+quaker+granola+%236+-+back.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1986 Quaker Chewy Granola Bars #6 (back)<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Topps' produced a lot Premium Sets for other companies when Steve was a Padre. Unfortunately, I can't think of any that they produced for other companies when he was a Dodger.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbyt45kw5z24E1J2ZgTfPASSX39bm5eRlnfZqZ1Ueus4ovuRjoo9CR-KILTFXAJMYN4wv-RDFPrjPKUm124fc4v33dDMKq841Qro6E0_0oRLsVaYWVoAvuoyeanKQyB4fcZtfJe2kIsA/s1600-h/2002+upper+deck+world+series+heroes+%2333+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbyt45kw5z24E1J2ZgTfPASSX39bm5eRlnfZqZ1Ueus4ovuRjoo9CR-KILTFXAJMYN4wv-RDFPrjPKUm124fc4v33dDMKq841Qro6E0_0oRLsVaYWVoAvuoyeanKQyB4fcZtfJe2kIsA/s320/2002+upper+deck+world+series+heroes+%2333+front.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2002 Upper Deck World Series Heroes #33 (front)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nicely designed card produced by Upper Deck early last decade. My guess is that the photo was from around 1975.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFkASELnxUJF6Xk3lvvNnJOIHfSlwW6rJzxo0NwkGiX9Ta2i3i4POCPHQm0ckeoJ8VlmsKsQrsf_42YIE-Os-3yS9UkQNuG3hAw1x3OfDE0YCSN67-fDUHiHRq4yHoVT013_qoFiI7LE/s1600-h/2002+upper+deck+world+series+heroes+%2333+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFkASELnxUJF6Xk3lvvNnJOIHfSlwW6rJzxo0NwkGiX9Ta2i3i4POCPHQm0ckeoJ8VlmsKsQrsf_42YIE-Os-3yS9UkQNuG3hAw1x3OfDE0YCSN67-fDUHiHRq4yHoVT013_qoFiI7LE/s320/2002+upper+deck+world+series+heroes+%2333+back.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2002 Upper Deck World Series Heroes #33 (back)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Between licensors and Upper Deck itself, it's interesting to see that Upper Deck has five different logos on the back of the card. I'd have liked to see Upper Deck show statistics from each of Steve's World Series appearances as well as condense the space used for the copy.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XYLF6pVE2x0kYhtF5slzKKrGJ-Lxeki_pIqDNapPAI2e-BzxZ8o1GcuBsB6aLeQp0ytqsoGJBPwC9x76wO7uOriSVUA1KswpOier7eYhl7lHxmacnaEyWh8MTVKBsz5mA9nynS2pNbE/s1600-h/2005+topps+all-time+fan+favorites+%23118+-+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XYLF6pVE2x0kYhtF5slzKKrGJ-Lxeki_pIqDNapPAI2e-BzxZ8o1GcuBsB6aLeQp0ytqsoGJBPwC9x76wO7uOriSVUA1KswpOier7eYhl7lHxmacnaEyWh8MTVKBsz5mA9nynS2pNbE/s320/2005+topps+all-time+fan+favorites+%23118+-+front.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #118 (front)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm sure I'm not alone with this opinion but this is my favorite design of Topps All-Time Fan Favorites of Steve Garvey. The fact that they used a horizontal picture with the 1974 design along with taking a photo from Shea Stadium (which Topps' commonly did in the 1970's) are why I like this card.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuS6elJTmbbqladBkeu7ic1EpeIqySQjGqjFr1pYnsyQA1QOLujlbwI2Av6_wZddycwC4P66N5Kn9NYyN0FOxX6y-UfBZi7r66Qz0CMqtlZs9v8ynJjkBLeppttpLv9D8lhVQSaElMn8/s1600-h/2005+topps+all-time+fan+favorites+%23118+-+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuS6elJTmbbqladBkeu7ic1EpeIqySQjGqjFr1pYnsyQA1QOLujlbwI2Av6_wZddycwC4P66N5Kn9NYyN0FOxX6y-UfBZi7r66Qz0CMqtlZs9v8ynJjkBLeppttpLv9D8lhVQSaElMn8/s320/2005+topps+all-time+fan+favorites+%23118+-+back.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #118 (back)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Interesting to see that they included Steve's stats up to his last year in Los Angeles on the back of this card.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUY7JKFRVCLHWUBmaqYxivJ2tN4Pz1nr7BKNOF7rCUmbehzW9ufXZDPmceLQBMNK42ff-lexU7UklWVoQXxhekqnNNyjRU9X_7iPtE9KwSdQsfh1gp185HUkGSM2Ah-Uqlc48n-Socy4/s1600-h/2006+fleer+greats+of+the+game+dodger+greats+sg11+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUY7JKFRVCLHWUBmaqYxivJ2tN4Pz1nr7BKNOF7rCUmbehzW9ufXZDPmceLQBMNK42ff-lexU7UklWVoQXxhekqnNNyjRU9X_7iPtE9KwSdQsfh1gp185HUkGSM2Ah-Uqlc48n-Socy4/s320/2006+fleer+greats+of+the+game+dodger+greats+sg11+front.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2006 Fleer Greats of the Game Dodgers Greats #LAD-SG (front)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is an insert card from Fleer Greats of the Game. The card front has a documentary feel to it. I feel like this could be a screen shot from one of those ESPN Sports Century shows about Steve's career.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEBKfCe8ZTG9sgaeHgLkI4ry_pJ_xQ_Ih2b0CpgwTRjX38LTOoTmzhOZyNxvoaKL1fxeZmg4HQP7W28dix26nzkUmwUNBg5Is_dhkPxsFDcy-Jecikw9gtKSGEggbQld1bawgQaiYBL8/s1600-h/2006+fleer+greats+of+the+game+dodger+greats+lad-sd+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEBKfCe8ZTG9sgaeHgLkI4ry_pJ_xQ_Ih2b0CpgwTRjX38LTOoTmzhOZyNxvoaKL1fxeZmg4HQP7W28dix26nzkUmwUNBg5Is_dhkPxsFDcy-Jecikw9gtKSGEggbQld1bawgQaiYBL8/s320/2006+fleer+greats+of+the+game+dodger+greats+lad-sd+back.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2006 Fleer Greats of the Game Dodgers Greats #LAD-SG (back)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The back is pretty basic. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8DtQNP7kQm2GUlvFtKHCKQHKmD3eS0VKymJaGmnl5Yh3pq4tuKxv_U9XZbnGWONZhR_7_Jwzm62t2TBGMS5ujO4uqaeG5hcE8muX-MEgglaaRoeyA-LhncrjxP2pLve3At2h6hiIt2E/s1600-h/2008+donruss+threads+college+greats+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8DtQNP7kQm2GUlvFtKHCKQHKmD3eS0VKymJaGmnl5Yh3pq4tuKxv_U9XZbnGWONZhR_7_Jwzm62t2TBGMS5ujO4uqaeG5hcE8muX-MEgglaaRoeyA-LhncrjxP2pLve3At2h6hiIt2E/s320/2008+donruss+threads+college+greats+front.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2008 Donruss Threads College Greats # CG-11 (front)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is an interesting card from Donruss. In order to get around not having a MLB license, Donruss produced cards of players in High School, College and/or logo-less MLB uniforms. As a result, Donruss went the College Route with Steve which is a welcome change as prior to 2008 there hadn't been a lot of Michigan State cards of Steve outside of the 1990-91 Michigan State Collegiate Collection set.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTCpFA1cYWETkZhxnfTKBaR_cDhsh4rFLKxEVOS-w0WGC4T98W6S4WM7LAZfpJH4Q7VVnYpYPsGOfw_kTX0dWeAqd8t9M8ZbT6XMfj1artWpo3lXFda5bMZwMmsQ50yeo6hmffmLobtI/s1600-h/2008+donruss+threads+college+greats+cg-11+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTCpFA1cYWETkZhxnfTKBaR_cDhsh4rFLKxEVOS-w0WGC4T98W6S4WM7LAZfpJH4Q7VVnYpYPsGOfw_kTX0dWeAqd8t9M8ZbT6XMfj1artWpo3lXFda5bMZwMmsQ50yeo6hmffmLobtI/s320/2008+donruss+threads+college+greats+cg-11+back.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">2008 Donruss Threads College Greats # CG-11 (back)<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">The back is a bit of a disappointment though the information about being an All-American in football in 1968 was news to me. I'd have liked to see Steve's statistics for both baseball and football while in college.<br />
</div>steeleherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413236126581293109noreply@blogger.com1