Michael Schechter and Associates

 

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. 

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. 

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?" 

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.

I have a few more items that I got back recently from PSA and another grading company that I'll post about soon.

 

Dynamite!

 

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.

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.

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.

 

He's a picture of the back of the panel. The card numbers are the same as in the Topps set.

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.

Ryan Garvey gets drafted by the Phillies

Congrats 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.

Click here to view a video of him on MLB.com showing his pre-draft workouts.

Click here to read an article on Philadelphia's local CBS TV station's website about the Phillies drafting Ryan.

Bark in the Park 2011



My wife and I attended the Dodgers second annual Bark in the Park on May 28th. Just like the first time I attended,  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 high school baseball team. 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.

I'd note that Ryan Garvey's Palm Desert High School baseball team made it to Dodger Stadium 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.

That said, here are some pictures of the event that show Dodger Stadium from the field level.

Steve Garvey leading a "Pup Rally" prior to the game.

The start of the pre-game lap around the warning track at Dodger Stadium.

A shot of Diamonvision during the lap around the field. Ironically, Steve Garvey was on the screen.

Looking in from center field.

Close up shot of the Dodgers digital screen that's part of their outfield wall.

Here's a look inside the Dodger Bullpen through the outfield wall.

The Dodgers bullpen through the outfield gate.

The far end of the Dodgers dugout heading towards the locker room.

The Dodgers dugout. Plenty of interesting things in the trainer's medicine chest.

Last year when I attended this event the Dodgers were already on the field.

Steve Garvey, my wife and dog behind home plate.

My wife and dog posing right behind home plate.

The visitors dugout at Dodger Stadium.

My dog, Chloe, making a new friend.

The visitors bullpen at Dodger Stadium.

Chloe sitting in my wife's lap in the all you can eat right field pavilion.

Here's a view from our seats of the game. Andre Ethier is playing right field.

A shot of the smoke from the fire on the top deck at Dodger Stadium.

The entire Top Deck and Reserved levels were evacuated on the first base side.

Interestingly, the game was never stopped.

Jerry Sands and a Dodger Dog

One 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 "Bark in the Park" promotion at Dodger Stadium tonight.

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.

Not suprisingly, Jerry said signing a dog was a first for him.

If you look closely, you can see Jerry's finace in the photo on the far left.

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).

 All in all, it was an enjoyable start to our family Dodger Day!



Ryan Garvey hopes to follow in father Steve Garvey's footsteps and play at Dodger Stadium

Here's a feel good story from the LA Times 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.

Here's hoping he makes it.

Boogying with the 1986 Dodgers

The 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.

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. 

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.

That being said, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Baseball Boogie by the 1986 Dodgers