Thursday, October 29, 2009

Ginter Project: Stanley "Doc" Glenn

This is the second most recent of the ttms I've gotten in the past few weeks: Stanley "Doc" Glenn. Mr. Glenn was a catcher in the Negro Leagues who caught Satchel Paige, so this is the second auto I have of one of Paige's former catchers, the other being Larry LeGrande. An unexpected story is that he made a cameo in Gene Conley's bio. Mr. Glenn was a catcher in the Braves minor league system when Conley was coming through, and even compared Conley to Paige when Conley threw a 1-0 shutout against Wilkes-Barre during to win his 20th game in 1951.

He put out a book a couple of years ago, and I hope to order it after the first of next month.

The scans won't come through. There are actually two cards there, but the scanner keeps cutting them in two. So here's a pic of both and neither of them.
This is also a really sweet card, from the follow through to the wry smile he's wearing here. Really, really well done, and a great sig. Thanks Mr. Glenn.

He was also gracious enough to answer a few questions. Favorite player growing up: Josh Gibson. Best moment in baseball: hitting four HRs in one game. AND, why is his nickname Doc? He is a physical therapist. Cool.

Have a great one everybody, and he a goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Don't Mess with the Mule: Mail from John "Mule" Miles

This is the first card I received from the 2007 Ginter Negro League project:

If I can complete the whole thing I'll put them all together in one big post.

There is tons of info out there on Mr. Miles if you Google it, so I'll just link to the search. He's probably most famous for hitting HRs in 11 straight games (eleven!), because of which his manager "Candy" Taylor said Miles "hits like a mules kicks"....and so a legend was born.

He was kind enough to also take the time to fill out the little question sheet I send out, which is always a pretty awesome gesture. Favorite player growing up: Babe Ruth. Toughest Pitcher he had to face: Satchel Paige. Favorite current player: Ryan Howard with the Phillies. If you are like me and semi-desperate for a reason to root for the Phillies against the Yanqis, I think that's sufficient reason right there: the image of an elderly gentleman famous for hitting like a mules kicks pulling for Ryan Howard.

He also included two sheets with further info one his career, which I scanned and have included here. A click and they should go full-sized.
And #2:
Finally, Mr. Miles said his favorite teammate was Clyde McNeal. I've done some research on Mr. McNeal, but am coming up empty so far. Any advice on where to look would be great appreciated!

A big "thank you" to Mr. Miles, opening up your letter was awesome! Have a great one, everybody and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Trading Post: Epic Part II: Freds Thanks to Great Sports Name HOF

First, we have a Cy sighting over at Mark's Ephemera. Go check it out!

Also, a great contest over at Play at the Plate.

So, having declared myself a Fred McGriff player collector, I got an email from Great Sports Name Hall of Fame. I've already had great experiences with other player collectors like Troll and Chris OK and our pursuit of CCs, and HOF was pretty stoked to meet another McGriff collector. Surprisingly there are very few out there. He sent me a link to his Crime Dogs, and only asked for me to send him any thing I had not on the list. Between my recent acquisitions from Chris OK and Play at the Plate I had about 5 I could send (including that sweet '87 Fleer Glossy) plus another 5 I have from my original old-school collection, 10 in all. To send or not to send?

I mulled it over, but ultimately bowed to the awesome thoroughness of that list and decided to cut my Crime Dogs loose. In return, HOF hooked me up with a whopping 39 (!) Crime Dogs I'd never seen before. Keeping it simple, these are the highlights.
Fred being fan friendly. Nice card, nice shot, nice guy, pretty much how I have always imagined him: a fan-accessible HOFer.
This is actually a 92 UD that my scanner decided didn't need a white border and would look much better cropped, photo-to-border, like Stadium Club. Nice call cheap scanner! Love the ump, love the crowd, the ball and the baserunner arriving at the bag at the same moment. People remember Crime Dog for his offense, but he was also a defensive whiz at 1st. Dude here says Eddie Murray is the only HOFer with a high fielding percentage, and yet Fred never won a Gold Glove. Go figure...
Here we have photographic evidence that Derek Jeter is not the only player to have ever chased a ball into or towards the stands in the last 20 years, much less in the history of baseball. Fred's chasing one into the camera well gives this card a pretty cool, mis en abyme feel to it. Cameras at both ends, infinite Freds and the meaningless of it all in between...nice touch. Don't worry, the one guy in the stand with his hands on his head is also just a spectator, miscomprehending like the rest of us.
Speaking of which, this card sums it up nicely, doesn't it? "A Tale of Two Players"...two potential HOFers, one guy who played his way out of every town he ever played in, including Atl., and a guy who showed up every day to the park, took his position out at first, and just played. Two players, indeed...you'd need staples like those in the middle of the card to pull together any coherent narrative comparing their careers, that's for sure...

And then we have some more excellent cards of Fred at the bat...
Can't get enough of that swing, even if it has apparently spawned a vortex that threatens to tear the universe asunder, with you, me and Fred in it. Wow.
This swing is pretty awkward, but check out what it says there on the front...yep, Fred's no longer with the Braves, as pictured on the card. Instead, he's now with the:
Devil?!? Man, someone really dropped the ball on that one. Unless, of course, Fred really DID sell his soul to the devil to squeeze in a few last years of ball and make a run at 500 HRs, in which case listing his team on the back of the card as "Devil" is entirely appropriate.

So there you have it, and those are just the highlights! Thanks again, HOF! Hope you enjoyed the Freds I sent over.

Have a great one, everybody and Pumpsie Green, wherever you are, goodnight!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

The Crime Dog Collection

35 from Great Sports Name Hall of Fame
11 from Play at the Plate

1986
Donruss, #28

1987
Donruss, # 621
Donruss HIghlights, #39
Fleer Update, # U-75
Topps, #74T

1988
Score, #107
Topps, #463
Topps, Team Leaders #729

1989
Bowman, #253
Donruss, #70
Donruss, DK-16
Donruss, MVP #BC-19
Fleer, #240
Score, #6
Topps, #745
Topps, mini #77
Upper Deck, #572
Upper Deck, Team Checklist #671

1990
Bowman, #513
Donruss, #188
Fleer, #89
Leaf, #132
Topps, #295
Topps, AS #385
Upper Deck, #108

1991
Donruss, #261
Topps, #140
Upper Deck, #33
Upper Deck, #775

1992
Donruss, #283
Fleer, #614
Score, #7
Upper Deck, #344 (thx HOF!)

1994
Donruss, Long Ball Leaders #2
Topps Stadium Club, #180
Upper Deck, #197

1995
Donruss, #232
Fleer, AS #15
Topps, #355
Upper Deck SP, #30 (thx HOF!)

1996
Score, #84
Upper Deck, #380

1997
Pinnacle, #8
Score, #9
Topps, #352

1998
Donruss Preferred, #54
Fleer Tradition, #130 (thx HOF!)
Score, #195
Skybox, #6
Topps, #349
Upper Deck, #730
Upper Deck Player's Choice, You Crash the Game #CG8 (thx HOF!)

2000
Fleer, #153
Topps, #31

2001
Fleer Platinum, #127
Fleer Tradition, Team Checklist #441
Fleer Triple Crown, #173
Topps Finest, #4
Topps Gold Label, #190
Upper Deck, Black Diamond #12

2003
Donruss Diamond Kings, #86
Topps, # T99
Upper Deck, #169

2004
Donruss Throwback Threads, #187

Trading Post: Epic Part 1: Crime Dogs Thanks to Play at the Plate

This will be a two parter full of intrigue. When I first put up that I was interested in McGriffs things picked up a bit trading wise, and Play at the Plate was quick to respond. I sent over a stack of Rangers, and he sent me a bunch of McGriffs, some neo-vintage Pops, and a couple of Rays. Here are some of the awesome highlights.
I'm also something of a Pedro collector, so this card is doubly awesome. It's a card commemorating the Crime Dog's posterizing of Pedro back in the day to a tune of a 462 foot HR. I hope at some point they also did a "Big K" series, of dudes like Pedro owning hitters back in the mid-1990's...but I get a feeling there is no such series. At any rate, it'd be awesome to see.
Now, there will be a trend here among the Freds I pulled. Along with Darryl Strawberry, he's got one of the most majestic swings I've ever see. It's also made for some consistently beautiful cardboards that show him having just raked another massive HR. This one's got Fred following through on a monster HR for the Rays, with what looks to be a Yankees catcher (Posada?) and by the looks of his barrel chest José Canseco lurking in the background. A couple of nice, scene setting details that really add to a great baseball pic. That said, what with the blurring and the letters and the logo, the design infringes a bit on the shot for my taste.
I'm thinking this ball went upwards of 500 feet. It's obviously a no-doubter. The catcher (looks to be a Cub) is standing up, his glove slightly betraying a sense of "WTF" was that pitch disgust. I like the bats in the dugout in the background, but again the design is intruding on a great shot. We have a mugshot of Fred top left, and massive lettering blocking the catcher. Man I wish I could see the look on his face as that 0-2 fastball he called for heads for the fringes of Fulton Co.
This is actually the back of a card (front to come). It's pretty awesome, but wait....follow his eyes...looks like this is a shot of Fred popping up to shallow left. Not quite as heroic, but still a shot of heroic failure, which has its own charm. And then the front:
Now, I know Mickey Tettleton played several positions in the OF, calling a guy who made his mark as a hard hitting catcher an "IF" is a bit much. It's like listing Fred as an "IF," when in fact the ONLY IF position he ever played was 1B. Why not just list him as that? There's no sin in being one-dimensional defensively, especially when some guys (I'm not listing names, you know who you are) don't even have that dimension.

And finally, the Goodwin Champions Upton.
This card says nightmares. This man isn't Bossman, Jr., he's THE Bossman. The stare, the gathering red storm behind him...this dude is just plain scary. Awesome, awesome card...almost so much that I came close to caving on the no-wax policy and buying a box at Target this afternoon.

Thanks again for the trade, Play at the Plate!

Have a great one, everybody and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Trading Post: Many Thanks to Wax Pack Relapse

I came across Wax Pack Relapse while surfing Troll's Blog one day. Dude's pretty organized with what he has to trade, and I had my eye on some cards in his extensive spreadsheets when he mentioned he had a few David Prices he could send my way. In fact, 8 total. I'm planning a post on my Price cards in the near future, but if there's one thing that's certain it's that Prices on the 'bay command value based more on hype than performance. I know, he's a big prospect, but still...it means folks that just want to collect his cards get priced out of the market pretty quick.

Long story short, it was AWESOME to get these in the mail:
I'm really digging these. I like the photo in general (BIG comeback year for Topps in that category) and will also cop to preferring the old school paper stock of the Target Exclusive on the left. Just something for the old schooler in me.

Then: Price as a collectible postage stamp:
Nice card, captures his intimidating mound presence. It's also pretty weird, given the United Peoples of Baseball-type feel to it. Almost like I could use it in lieu of international postage or something.

And these:
The card on the left is just plain goofy. He's waiting on a throw back to the mound, I get it, but it's the only card I can think of that depicts the pitcher waiting on a throw. Wild stuff.

But that's not all he sent. I also scored this Delmon Young:
That's another really great shot. You have the OF wall, the foul line, lots of color, the drama of the pick-off move...just a really well-put together picture. Moreover the design of the 2008 Stadium Club gives the photography plenty of room to just be itself. Nice card.

And then, this gem of The Legend, Jonny Gomes:
Being a Gomes fan, this card represents a lot of what I really dig about him. Dude is listed at 6'1'', 225 lbs., but he's one of those guys who, when you see him in person, has a looming presence. He's massive. That's only increased by the fact he seems to prefer outsizes jerseys, as seen in this photo. The crop makes him seem even bigger and again, the design stays out of the ways and cedes ground to the great photo. And he plays all-out, all the time. Jonny Gomes: Elmer Valo for the new millennium.

Finally, Kevin Slowey.
Slowey was the winning pitcher in the game the compa and I went to for our anniversary this year, he laid a great sig (with anniversary wishes!) on a card for us at the Twins auto day, and he went to the same school as my Moms, Winthrop College in Rock Hill, SC. He's also a heck of a pitcher whose year this year was sidelined by injury. Next year with Slowey back healthy the Twins should be that much better!

Thanks for the cards Wax Pack Relapse!

Have a great one everybody, and good night Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Trading Post: Priceless Gems from the Priceless Pursuit

So, a while back I caught this post over at the Priceless Pursuit. He had pulled this CC in a pack, and I left a comment asking if he's be willing to part with it.
He was game, and we got the deal done! Now, I really appreciate his willingness to part with a #'d card without asking for a king's ransom in return. I don't have too many #'d CC, and my collecting budget just can't hang with the guys who will throw down for #'d cards on the 'bay. Long story short, I don't actively seek them out or feel compelled to, but I'm INCREDIBLY stoked when a fellow blogger passes one along.

BUT that's not all sent sent. He also sent along a two more Peñas for someone else's collection:
For all the HRs one tends to forget that Peña is also a Gold Glove 1st Baseman, so the Fleer Platinum is a +1 in the compa's book.

Next, three Delmons, all of which actually sport pictures of the man in question, without any mystery men popping up.
That's my first Delmon #'ed card, and was an incredible bonus to get. Don't forget to check out the bottom of this post and help me figure out with this person NOT named Delmon Young could be.

Finally, he included a RC of the man, the legend, the off-again, on-again pro-wrestler and CCC fave, Jonny Gomes. Nice shot of Jonny running the bases in what looks to be a Spring Training Game.
Thanks for the Trade, Priceless! Hope you enjoyed the cards I sent as much as I enjoyed these.

Have a great one, everybody and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Trading Post: Many Thanks to the Troll and a Delmon Mystery!!!

Daddy D cleared out at about 5:30 this morning, so things are settling back down. The dogs no longer have a ready source of table food and multiple walks per day, and compa no longer has someone to keep me in line.

So, I can turn to some of the awesome packages I've gotten in the past week, starting with Msr. Troll. He sent a 13-inch stack of cards, so these will only be selections from the amazing number of Rays he hooked me up with.

First, he included several Peñas. These, of course, are for the compa's growing collection, and which she has promised will be organized...any...day...now. According to her, this one stands out because a) it give him a cardboard showcase for his great smile and b) it does not have Capt'n intangibles on the front screwing the whole thing up.

Next, he included some Jeff Niemann. I've posted about Jeff a couple of times, and can honestly say I'm real happy that he had a lot of success in the Bigs this year. Having haunted the Durham Bulls Athletic Park from 2003-2008, I've seen a lot of guys come through, and a lot of Jeff Niemann in particular. Moreover, he's a player I'll always associate with this epic trip the compa and I took up to Baltimore for a Rays/O's double header last September. Great guy, and a lot of great Durham memories.
Then, we have a couple of cards of Justin Ruggiano. Since I try to keep things focused on the Big club I haven't written about Ruggi before, Troll had no way of knowing the Ruggi is one of my favorite Bulls. Moreover, since I don't rip wax, I had exactly ONE Ruggiano card that I scores of ebay in my collection before this package. He's a player the Rays STOLE from the Dodgers a while back, and an unfortunate victim of the insane depth of the Rays farm system. His 2007 and 2008 numbers are solid and to be honest, he's never gotten a full shot to be an everyday player at the Big League level. His production in '09 dropped off, but his wife gave birth to their first kid in-season, so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

None of this is to say that he hasn't had some great moments in a Rays uni, because he has. It's just that with a starting OF of CC and BJ, then the pressure to play Pat Burrell (contract) and Matt Joyce (justify horrible, terrible, no good Edwin Jackson trade), as well as other minor leaguers like Fernando Perez and Desmond Jennings, things are pretty crowded in Tampa. Dude deserves a shot, but it probably won't come with the Rays.
And finally, Troll included a couple of Delmon Youngs. These are nice cards, but then I turned over the 2004 UD and became a little confused.
I keep taking a closer look, but can't for the life of me figure out who that is. It's NOT Delmon Young, which I find pretty hard to believe insofar as around 2004 D Young was the hottest Minor League player on the planet and everybody knew he he was. Can anybody help me out with this? Who is this man not named Delmon Young?

Friday, October 23, 2009

Frank Lary, "The Yankee Killer"

Another gem from Daddy D, I thought I'd bring it out for tomorrow's game. Frank Lary was known as "The Yankee Killer." He was also known as "Mule" and "Taters," but I'm thinking it's specifically his Yankee slaying ability that will be of use to the Angles this weekend.

Daddy D is heading home early tomorrow, so I'm wishing him a safe trip back and thanking him for the '59 Sievers (finally got it off of him!). We had a blast, he helped out with a lot of things around the upper mid-western house that I, as a southerner, am unqualified or incompetent to do. Much love and thanks Daddy D!

And finally, go Angles! Enjoy the games everyone.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Elmer Valo...Czech Patriot?

That's right. Elmer Valo (and here) was not only the kind of nail-eating OF valued by the folks in these parts, but he was originally from the town of Rybnik, in the present-day Czech Republic. He came to the U.S. at age 6 and went back Europe to fight against the Nazis and help liberate Eastern Europe in 1943. Daddy D gave me this 1956 classic, which shows Elmer slamming into a wall, one of his greatest talents.


I don't know if there was any intended humor with the pink elephant on the back there, but I've been in the presence of a few pink elephants in my day, and the image of Elmer carrying one in the pennant race struck me as pretty funny. Well, after I had regained my senses from having first recoiled in horror and suspecting that I had come unglued again, but that's a completely different can of beans.

Elmer also has this 2007 Topps Distinguished Service Cards (no idea from what set, etc.), which is also courtesy of Daddy D.
The crazy thing is that, unless that back is just poorly worded, Elmer began WWII fighting with Allied Forces in Eastern Europe, which I take to mean Czech insurgents or something. Pretty awesome.
I mean, that's the guy you want as your pinch hitting expert and designated wall-crasher: the guy who spent part of WWII fighting the Nazis as an insurgent. Might be the only ball player from the era not intimidated by Bob Feller.

Have a great one!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Enough with the Manny hating....

this is ridiculous.

Now, I generally like Jeff Passan, and I'm not necessarily a Manny fan, but c'mon. Do I think he behavior was bad/unprofessional? Sure. Are there players out there who would take Manny to the woodshed over this? You bet. But let's not forget: Kevin Mitchell was half way to SD when he was told he'd be hitting for Aguilera in the '86 WS. That's generally seen as charming and part of the "character" of the '86 Mets.

What I really take umbrage with is the fact that Passan brings up Manny's suspension. Without a hint of irony. At the same moment that another PROVEN ROIDER is tearing it up over in the ALCS. So what, exactly, are we to make of Manny's steroid use, given that he's largely been absent against the Phillies? Given the lack of outrage over A-Rod, steroids, and on-field performance, I can only assume Passan feels it's unprofessional that a) Manny got caught and b) he didn't do it in sufficient amounts to be a postseason god.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

R.C. Stephens, Pro-softball, and the Future of Carlos Peña

Daddy D is into weird sports stuff. And by weird I mean, "has competed and done well in big money wiffleball tournaments" weird. Anyway, he trotted out this 1959 R.C. Stevens because Stephens is a softball legend on the diamonds of Iowa.
Now, that's pretty cool. I guess he just really dug the game and decided to keep on lacing them up well after his pro-baseball career was over. It's one of those touches that, as a fan, makes you feel good, if only because it's nice to hear that the players love to play the game as much as us lesser talented folks like to watch it.

Later on, while Daddy D was going through the compa's Carlos Peña collection, he found this:
Were these cards separated at birth? More importantly, will Peña start mashing in the cornfields of Iowa when his career goes on the downswing? Pretty creepy: Carlos Peña will be the left-handed R.C. Stevens.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Everyone is a Comedian...'89 Ripken Flashback (PG-13 Language)

So, Daddy D hits me with this card from the vault:
Yep, that's Jim Nettles, younger brother of Graig Nettles, sporting the togs of a Senior League team circa 1990. Here's the DL from the back:
But I hear you, what is that written on the knob of the bat there? Here's a close-up:
In post-1989 Fleer Billy Ripken world, is this funny? Obviously it went largely unnoticed by the bb-card collecting world. Whereas the Ripken might have been stupidity, etc., this can only be intentional, right? Where was the outrage? The lamentations? The riots in the streets? The charges of "death panels"?

Old Man Update: Horse Trading with Daddy D

So, the old man has been here 72 hours. Pleasantries exchanged, Wally Moon gifted, a Chicago Whales T-shirt received, we're down to business. We don't know when he's leaving, he doesn't know when he's leaving. In the mean time, we're trading cards.

I dig Roy Sievers. He was the toughest batter Bobby Shantz had to face (per Mr. Shantz himself) and a he had some great lifetime numbers for the Browns, Senators, White Sox, and Phillies, and was ROY in 1949. He also laid some great sigs on these cards I sent him. First, the 1960:
The funny thing is that here he looks like a dude that eats nails for breakfast. In both of these he's about as serious as I've seen a ballplayer look. Pretty bad day, I guess. I mean, compare it to the 1956:
That's happy Mr. Sievers. And now, I know that about half of the 1956 set is in the running for "best card from the 1956 set." This card, however, is definitely in the top 10%. Those are some classic shades he's sporting there in the background, and I love the empty stands behind him as he makes the catch. Which leads us to the question of "What kind of catch is that?" Pretty strange, looks like he's about to break his back.

So, Daddy D gives me this card, but is holding out on a sweet 1959 he brought. We're currently in negotiations.
He also brought a small stack of "look but not for trade cards" he wants up on the blog for various funny reasons and I, as the dutiful son-in-law in want of a 1959 Sievers, will gladly oblige. I'll be getting to these over the next few days, and they are pretty awesome.

Finally, I'll be a little behind on trade posts as a consequence, but let me say to the folks I've traded with recently that y'all are awesome and I can't thank you enough for your generosity! I hope you dig the cards I sent you as much as I dig these, and they'll be up on the blog soon!

Have a great one!

Check out this giveaway...

over here at Omega Wax for a Dave Righetti ttm. Sounds sweet!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Moon over North Dakota: Daddy D Comes to Town

At some point today Daddy D will be coming to town. This post is a surprise for him when he checks the blog tonight.

You might remember this post from a while back. Daddy D had given me this card of Wally Moon and told me to look up the term "Moon Shot."
Well, since then I've done a ttm here and there, and since Daddy D is a big Dodgers fan I decided to try my luck with Mr. Moon. Well, here is the result:
It can go on your Dodgers wall with the Zimmer, Daddy D! It's going to be great having you in town. (When are you leaving again?)

Monday, October 12, 2009

The Motley Book Review Post

So, this post is painfully overdue, partly because I'm used to reviewing books for an academic audience made up of folks who do things like review books as a way to avoid writing articles on such thrilling topics as the sex lives of sea sponges and the neo-baroque turn in contemporary Eastern Appalachian roadside cooking. Translated: I have no idea how to do justice to the books in question. I don't want to be a cheerleader and I don't to be a jerk. Especially since I can't be bothered to proofread my own posts, which is absurd, since I spend my days proofreading others' work.

Anyway, we'll go with a three part system: The Good, The Great, The Silly, with an arbitrary number of CCs awarded at the end. Seems fair or completely unjust, but it's my imperfect way of dealing with books, and seems pretty fair given that I'm writing in God's pretty imperfect world.


The Good: Let's face facts, which are that right now, off the tops of your head, you'd be hard pressed to name the umps who called Monday's Phils-Rockies tilt. Which is as it should be, for the most part, only it means that we the fans loose sight of the umps and quickly forget them. Unless they screw up, in which case we remember them forever, not for the good calls they made but for the ones they blew. Although Motley was known as a charismatic, entertaining umpire, he takes pains to outline his experience and formation as one of the best umpires in the Negro Leagues. In other words, he considered himself an umpire before an entertainer, a professional plying his trade first and foremost. This becomes painfully clear when he chronicles his attempts to break into MLB as the league's first black ump. And let's be straight about this: as the head of the Negro Leagues' umpires and someone who graduated first in his class from the Al Somers Umpiring School, there are NO legitimate reasons as to why that did not happen. Which brings us to....

The Great: Motley's decision to abandon his dream of umpiring in the Majors in order to provide for his family is heartbreaking and makes it all the more poignant that he wrote the book with his son. Thus, this is not a book where the hero achieves his goals and we, as readers, (and especially those of us white readers) put the book down and feel good about ourselves. It deals with stark choices we all make, with options open and not open to us for reasons well beyond our control, be they just or unjust. In Mr. Motley's case this had simply to do with the color of his skin. Do the math: Jackie Robinson integrated baseball in '47....and it would be almost another 20 years before Emmett Ashford because the first Afro-American ump on April 11, 1966. Words fail. Which brings me to...

The Silly: Motley's attempt to break into the Negro Leagues as a pitcher when he's a kid. Absolutely had me on the floor, and an absolute must read. We've all been there at some point!

The grade: The book is an amazing read, fun, and full of great stories. You can pick this up on the cheap at Amazon, and Mr. Motley says he'll sign it is you send it with a prepaid envelope, and that only increases the appeal as far as I'm concerned.

I'll give it 95 CCs on a scale of 100 for it's unflinching account of life in the Negro Leagues, good and bad, as well as its frank portrayal of institutional racism in baseball well past 1947.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Moving Cardboard: Braves for Trade Edition

OK, so I am going to start listing more cards for trade by teams. First up: Atlanta Brave, with two #ed Chipper Jones cards from 2001. And don't forget, I'm also looking to move this Glavine auto. As always, looking to land some CCs!


Topps Archives Reserve Murphy RC
1989 Topps Tiffany Dale Murphy
2002 Topps Dave Martinez Gold, /2002
Maddux insert
Maddux insert
2001 Topps Finest Greg Maddux
1993 Classic Chipper Jones
2001 Topps Finest Chipper Jones Refractor, 30/399
2001 Topps Finest Chipper Jones, 352/1999
Bowman Heritage John Smoltz Shiny