Tex Clevenger is the AL Wally Moon

I'm in Iowa until Wednesday with limited scanner access. Yesterday's card and today's are both Daddy D cards but I've had to get the jpgs online. I've done a couple of Wally Moon posts (here and here), and I think everyone agreed that Wally Moon had the all-time greatest unibrow. When I saw this 1960 Tex Clevenger while going through Daddy D's common box, I knew that a challenger for the title had emerged:

That brow is classic. But is it enough to displace Wally Moon?

As a player Clevenger had a solid 8 year career mostly as a reliever and spot starter, compiling a 36-37 record with a 4.15 ERA and a 94 ERA+. What's strange is that he retired after the 1962 season at the age of 29, a season which may have been his finest (he had an ERA+ of 133). Today he owns a car dealership in Portersville, CA, Clevenger Ford. Looks like that, at age 77, he could really kick you a@@ if he were so inclined.

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

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!

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?)

My Father-in-law Mooned Me

So, family is exhausting. These are the people to whom you are most connected, with whom you have the best conversations and the worst disagreements. My folks were in town for the past week (!) and I am happy to say it was a great time. Next week I'll put up some pictures of the Maris Museum and the Metrodome.

For now, one of the coolest things that happened (non-my parents division) was that I received a package from one of my fathers-in-law. He had recently been in town, was intrigued by the whole blogging thing, and sent some cards he thought were interesting. Ever the educator, he enclosed a scavenger hunt index with the cards, so I had to figure out why each was special.

Under "Google Wally Moon Shot" was this card of Dodger Wally Moon.

Down to the technicolor this card is a classic '61 Topps. The area around his head is practically glowing and his cheeks look like he had Tammy Faye do his makeup. Wally has an incredible uni-brow that contrasts beautifully with an incredible, "awe-shucks I'm in the Big Leagues" smile. Obviously Wally played in the days before many players got pedicures or made a habit of scowling. 

More importantly, the term "moon shot" refers to the homers Wally hit at back in the day over the left field fence in the Coliseum (article here). I'd always just assumed a moon shot was a heck of a home run and had no idea it referred to Wally. Even better, fearing he wouldn't make it in his new digs after being traded from St. Louis, he sought the advice of Stan Musial on how to best take advantage of the the fence in left!

I'll include the back of this card just because the '61s are cool.

Thanks again Daddy D.