Shortly after I did a post about Rocky Bridges, I did a little reading up on him. Apparently he's not only got a great sense of humor about some of the pitfalls of managing in the minors, but he's every bit the badass you think he'd be. I found a 1960 Topps to pair with the '61 Daddy D gave me.
Then they went in the mail. Rocky got them back to me almost immediately.
This is pretty cool. I've done a few TTMs at this point, but one of the things I'm starting to enjoy more and more is how different players take a lot of pride and care in signing for fans. Take this card for example. Mr Bridges signed between the lettering and the neckline on the jersey so that nothing got garbled by the sig. Everything is legible.
As for the other card straight up, I had thought about the fact that the 1960s are not ideal cards to get signed. They are great, but the horizontal orientation of the card and the predominance of the close-up portraits means they there's just not a great place for a sig. Check out this Julio Becquer card for comparison. He went with a BIG sig over the name, etc., but his portrait is also stepped back a bit which allows for a bit more space. It's a great sig, but there's a certain tension between the sig and the design.
As for the other card straight up, I had thought about the fact that the 1960s are not ideal cards to get signed. They are great, but the horizontal orientation of the card and the predominance of the close-up portraits means they there's just not a great place for a sig. Check out this Julio Becquer card for comparison. He went with a BIG sig over the name, etc., but his portrait is also stepped back a bit which allows for a bit more space. It's a great sig, but there's a certain tension between the sig and the design.
Mr. Bridges went with a tiny sig on the posed action shot. Really, really interesting, and I think it turned out great!
Thanks Mr. Bridges.
Have a good one and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!
Thanks Mr. Bridges.
Have a good one and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!
Mr. Bridges was very popular in Phoenix when he managed the Phoenix Giants in the 70s. It's cool that he still signs. Hopefully he's doing well. :)
ReplyDeleteHey MattR, it was your comment on the original '61 Rocky post that inspired me to look him up! Apparently there's a book on managing in the minors that has a GREAT chapter on him. It's on my list of things to read this year. Thanks for sharing that!
ReplyDeleteRocky Bridges: Awesome baseball name.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, sent you an email about a lonesome Niemann in my collection.