One Off

I finally broke my hobby drought. After nearly 8 months of not adding a single card to my collection, I just bought what will be the 74th card in my signed 1961 Fleer project.  It isn't a particularly noteworthy player particularly considering that I have 14 Hall of Fame players among the 20 players I need to get through before I arrive at number 74.  But it is a significant addition in that the player in question, Hippo Vaughn, died in 1966 and the version I bought is the only one I have ever seen available. I am aware of a second copy in a friend's collection.  But that is it. I am sure there are more out there but given the short time between release and his passing, there probably aren't that many. The price was actually fairly reasonable but high enough that I am going to go back into hobby hibernation until after the holiday season.

Anyone who has read my blog for a while (and there may be as many as a dozen of you) know that I live just outside of Oklahoma City and my wife and I are fans of the OKC Thunder. We have a quarter season (10 game) package.  We generally make it to 8 or 9 regular season games each year.  The nice thing about the package is that we get a crack at playoff tickets for the early rounds before they go on sale to the general public.  So, this year after the Thunder romped through the regular season, we decided to attend one game per round.  We had to buy tickets for the Western Conference Finals at the same time as the general public but were able to snag a pair. 

The NBA Finals were a different story. The worst tickets, and I am talking about horrible no-good seats straight behind the basket and the last row of the upper bowl were over $700 each. There is no way we were going to pay that. So, we watched at home as the Thunder became NBA champions.

Not long afterward, we started getting solicitations for NBA Champions memorabilia.  One was for Panini Instant mini sets of cards.  I ended up buying three: one for opening, one for saving, and one to send to a friend.  And that is the subject of this post.  Talk about burying the lede. It took a while to get here. 

I had bought a new high speed scanner in order to digitize a lifetime of family photos.  It scans cards without damaging them, but it doesn't do a very good job scanning cards.  It works as intended, but it automatically crops images to the edges. That is fine for photographs, but not for cards where it doesn't really show the edges and corners. And you know how us card collectors like our edges and corners.

That said, these cards do nothing to change my general disinterest in modern card offerings.  The front design is fine though not particularly attractive.  And the back is completely uninspired.

There was a total of 30 cards in the set.  I won't show them all, but I will show my favorite players.

Lu Dort is my favorite player and my favorite type of player. He is one of the best defensive players in the league and draws all the toughest assignments.  Lebron James?  Put Dort on him. Giannis Antetokounmpo? Put Dort on him. He can run hot and cold on the offensive side of the court. But his defense is always on point.

Alex Caruso actually started his pro career with the Thunder's G League affiliate before moving up to the NBA with the Lakers and Bulls.  He is another defensive standout.  But his value is that he is one of those players that just brings energy to the game.

A veteran presence, Kenrich Williams is the second team anchor. He knows his job and he goes in and does it. No drama.  Just a solid player.

Ajay was a rookie last season and played will though his season was hampered by injury. He has been getting significant playing time this season in the absence of Jalen Williams (J-Dub) who is still recovering from an off-season wrist surgery. He has been playing well with the opportunity.

Just a nice shot of Chet Holmgrem from Game 7.

I'll be back next with another signed 1961 Fleer card of a Hall of Fame player.  It probably won't be until after Thanksgiving since we are going back to visit family. It has been years since we have traveled for the holidays, but the stars aligned and we were able to arrange boarding for our dogs and a farm sitter to take care of our horses.  So, to all of you, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

What I am listening to: Inamorata by Metallica

1961 Fleer Autograph Project - Part 51

 My last post was a reaction to hearing about the death of Bernie Parent, a star hockey player of my youth.  I guess it was a bit of foreshadowing as my mother passed away less than two weeks later.  She was 88 and was independent and active up until earlier this year. She continued to live on her own terms even as her health issues mounted and it was only over the last few months that it became obvious that she needed a higher level of support than my sister could provide. We had moved her into an assisted living facility in August and, even then, it seemed clear that her time was short.  I didn't expect it to be quite that short, but we don't get to choose these things, do we? 

I haven't done anything hobby related in a while, though that has been a familiar refrain. I did have a nice little hobby exclusive arrive that I ordered quite a while back. I'll try to post on that next.  But my plans to go to an October show were obviously set aside and with the holidays ahead I don't expect to go to another show until after New Years. Since the last time I did anything at all with my main collection was March, I am starting to wonder if I really am collecting anymore.  

I mean, I am still a collector. Just on an extended hiatus, I guess.  

Our next subject in my signed 1961 Fleer set is Hall of Famer Jessie Haines.

What  can we learn about Jesse:

1. Jesse was born in 1893 outside Dayton, OH.  He quit school after the 8th grade to take work as a well driller and played ball on town teams.  Raised by religious parents, he had to hide his uniform in a neighbor's corncrib in order to play on Sundays.
2. He graduated to industrial leagues as he grew older and was eventually invited to pitch a game for the Class B Dayton Veterans. Twirling a 10-inning complete game loss was the start of his professional career. He had a typical minor league career from 1914 to 1918, punctuated by a one game, 5 inning appearance for Cincinnati. He was on the Detroit Tigers roster for two months in 1915 but never appeared in a game.
3. He finally graduated to the majors in 1920 after then Cardinals manager and team president Branch Rickey borrowed $10,000 from a local bank to sign him.
4. He developed a knuckleball early in his career as a way to stay in the league as his fastball, and his effectiveness, began to degrade.
5. Throughout his career, Haines was effective if not spectacular. Today, he would make a solid 3rd or 4th starter.
6. His best season was 1927, when he pitched to a 24-10 record and a 2.72 ERA, which was good enough for 8th in the MVP voting.
7. He was one of the stars of the Cardinals improbable 1926 World Series victory over the Yankees. He made 2 starts and 1 relief appearance, notching a 2-0 win-loss record and a 1.08 ERA. Taking the start in Game 3, he pitched a 5 hit complete game shutout and contributed 2 of the Cards 4 runs with a two-run home run in the bottom of the 4th inning of Dutch Ruether.
8. His advancing age began to get notice in 1930 when the 36-year-old Haines only had a 13-10 record with an astronomical 5.71 ERA.  He bounced back the following year with a 12-3 and 3.02 performance in an injury shortened season.
9. 1932 saw him shift to a spot starter/relief pitcher role.  Through the end of his career, he was a solid contributor with modern sabermetrics showing him contributing between 1.0 and 2.0 WAR in 4 of his 6 remaining seasons.
10. In his final season (1937), in the 10 days after his 44th birthday, he pitched two complete game victories, though the remaining 6 appearances that season were less noteworthy.
11. For his first and only post playing days season, he was the pitching coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers under manager Burleigh Grimes. Incidentally, Grimes was the very first signed 1961 Fleer card in my collection.
12. After that single season as a coach, he returned home to Phillipsburg, OH and served as the Montgomery County Auditor for 28 years before retiring for good.
13. Elected to Cooperstown by the Veteran's Committee in 1970, his enshrinement is now somewhat controversial. Chaired by Frankie Frisch at the time, it is known that Frisch used his influence to have former teammates, like Haines, Dave Bancroft, and Chick Hafey elected despite an otherwise lackluster case.
14. He died in 1978 at the age of 85 and is buried in his hometown of Phillipsburg outside Dayton.

What I am listening to: The Sound of Silence by Disturbed

Mortality

 The dean of the (dwindling) population of card bloggers, Night Owl, has been musing recently on topics that derive from the advance of time and our position in that flow. He and I are of the same generational cohort.  My 60th birthday approaches rapidly, but I cannot really wrap my mind around it. I am healthy, active, and at the peak of my professional career (which is a source of great satisfaction.) I don't feel 60 and I don't expect I will in a few short weeks when that number becomes reality.

But there are events that give me pause to consider the advance of time.  Today brought one of those events: the death of Bernie Parent.

It has been a while since I followed hockey.  But, following it was part of my childhood, and it was mostly driven by collecting NHL stickers that were given away at my local Loblaws grocery store in 1974 and 1975. Bernie Parent was 80 years old. I struggle more that he was that old than I do with my own age. I suppose it may have something to do with having moved my mother into assisted living recently and seeing the recent decline in her health. Anyways, before this post becomes even more maudlin, I'll sign off.

What I am listening to: Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

1961 Fleer Autograph Project - Part 50

It's been a minute since I posted. So, without any extraneous commentary, let see who our next subject is in my continuing series about my signed 1961 Fleer set: 

Hall of Fame member Waite Hoyt.

Let's learn a little about "Schoolboy" Hoyt:

1. Born in Brooklyn in 1899, poor grades initially kept him out of scholastic baseball but not the amateur newspaper leagues where he gained a reputation as a hard thrower. Eventually getting his grades in order, where he continued to burnish that reputation.
2. While his first professional tryout was with the hometown Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League and he tossed batting practice the National League Robins, his first professional contract came in 1915 with the NY Giants. At the tender age of 15, he was the youngest player ever to sign a pro contract.
3. He started his pro career with the Lebanon team in the Penn State League, which folded before the season completed.
4. He made his major league debut on July 24, 1918 when he pitched the 9th inning against St Louis, striking out two of the three batters he faced, and popping out for the first out in the bottom half of the inning.  Sometime subsequent, John McGraw demoted him to Newark of the International League.  Hoyt refused to report and chose instead to play semi-pro ball in an industrial league in Baltimore. Despite the Giants machinations, Waite had no intent of returning to the minors and, eventually signed with the Boston Red Sox, with who (whom?) he pitched for the next two seasons.
5. He debuted with the BoSox on July 31, 1919 pitching a 12-inning complete game victory against Detroit, giving up 10 hits but only one run and holding Ty Cobb to a triple in 5 at bats.
6. Pitching ineffectually over the next two season, he was traded to the Yankees after the 1920 season, rejoining Boston teammate Babe Ruth. It was with the Yankees that Hoyt enjoyed the most success of a 21-year career that saw him suit up for 7 different major league teams.
7. When asked about his success, Hoyt quipped "The secret was to get a job with the Yankees and joyride along on their home runs.”
8. There is actually a lot of truth to that. Other than 1927, Hoyt never led the Yankees staff in wins and was generally a steady, if not spectacular pitcher.
9. He was pretty good in the post season, putting up a 6-4 record with a 1.83 ERA across 6 World Series with the Yankees and one with the Philadelphia Athletics.
10. As a 21-year-old, in the 1921 World Series between the Yankees and his former team the John McGraw led Giants, Waite threw 3 complete game (earned run) shutouts. His record was 2-1 in a series that the Bombers lost three games to five.
11. During his time with the Yankees, Hoyt was a prolific drinker and ladies' man whose proclivities were likely overshadowed by his larger-than-life teammate, Babe Ruth
12. In the off-season, he had experiences in both vaudeville and his fathers-in-law's mortuary business. This earned him the nickname as the "The Merry Mortician."
    
13. After the death of Miller Huggins, Hoyt clashed with new manager Bob Shawkey and was traded to Detroit. For the remainder of his career, he bounced around to 5 teams occasionally flashing brilliance but mainly putting in workmanlike performance. Through this time, he lost discipline resulting in weight gain, alcohol abuse, and divorce.
14. He ended his career back home in Brooklyn with the Dodgers in parts of the 1937 and 1938 seasons.
15. With a background in vaudeville, he launched a post playing days career in radio. First with a pregame show for the Yankees and, in 1942, as the play-by-play announcer for the Cincinnati Reds.
16. While is drinking continued early in his announcing career. However, in 1945, after a bender he checked into a rehab program and became a vocal advocate of Alcoholics Anonymous.
17. He retired from broadcasting in 1964, was elected to Cooperstown in 1969, and remained living in Cincy until his death in 1985.

What I am listening to: The Thrill is Gone (Live) by BB King and Gary Moore

1961 Fleer Autograph Project - Part 49

 I am back!   I was back in Ohio for a while to help my mother out while my sister was on vacation and I'm going back in a few weeks to help her move into an assisted living apartment.  I am finally seeing daylight ahead as I work past some of the issues that plagued me year to date.  I still have to make some repairs to my farm truck and put up some hay for winter, so I don't expect to actually go to a card show until October, but it is nice to be able to put a marker on the calendar.

                                              

Next up in this series is Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell.  Hubbell, who died in 1988, was a prolific signer and his signed cards are one of the more affordable ones in 1961 Fleer.  My version is not the most attractive and probably could stand to be upgraded, but it isn't a priority.  So, what do we know about Carl:

• He was born in Carthage, MO but grew up in Meeker, OK (about a 45-minute drive from my home) on a pecan farm. Although he passed away in Arizona, he returned to Meeker for his final resting place.
• Coming out of high school he started work at oil company and playing in the Oklahoma State League for the Cushing Refiners.  The league was considered Class D but doesn't appear to have been part of affiliated ball as there is no record of it at Baseball Reference. 
•  B-R shows Hubbell's minor league career starting in 1924 with 2 appearances each with the Class C Bartlesville/Ardmore Bearcats and the Class A Oklahoma City Indians.
• After a 17-13 season with OKC in 1925 his contract was purchased by the Detroit Tigers.
• His career almost derailed during the 1926 training camp when Detroit manager Ty Cobb told to stop throwing a reverse curve screwball for fear of a serious arm injury.  Carl was generally ineffective after giving up his signature pitch.  Despite creditable year with Decatur in 1927, he was sold to the Texas Leagues Beaumont Exporters.  
• The Beaumont manager allowed Hubbell to start throwing the screwball again and after putting up a 12-9, 2.97 record in 21 starts for the Exporters his contract was purchased midseason by John McGraw and he reported to the NY Giants.  He finished out the season with a 10-6, 2.83 record.
• This started a 16-year major league career, all with the Giants. While he was a great pitcher under McGraw, Hubbell blossomed underneath Bill Terry (subject of entry 31 in this series) who took over the Giants during the 1932 season.
• Hubbell ripped off 5 consecutive 20-win seasons from 1933 to 1937, which saw him winning the NL MVP in both 1933 (23-12, 1.66) and 1936 (26-6, 2.31)
• The 1933 season saw the Giants defeat the Washington Nationals in the World Series. In the series, Hubbell pitched two complete game victories in which he gave up no earned runs.
• In 1934, Hubbell surely gave one of the all-time great pitching performances in first inning of the All-Star Game by striking out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx on 11 pitches.
• Subsequent World Series appearances in 1936 and 1937 saw Carl throw an additional 4 complete games, though the Giants lost in both years to their crosstown rival Yankees.
• Starting in 1938 the strain of the screwball on Hubbell's arm began to take its toll and while still a workmanlike starter, he was only slightly better than a .500 pitcher.
• Following his playing career, Hubbell was the Giants farm director from 1944 through 1977 and a scout for an additional 11 years until his death as a result of a car accident.

Coming up: a series of 7 more Hall of Fame members.

What I am listening to: Glory Box by Portishead

Pet Collection Yet Again

 It has been a bit of a year here with our animal family.  We lost our 18-year-old cat Squeak (not unexpectedly) and my formerly feral cat Chester (quite unexpectedly) We have also been fighting a case of EPM (Equine Protozoal Myoencephalitis) with our senior horse Clyde.  We have not been able to resolve it but have determined that a continual treatment with anti-protozoals keeps the symptoms at bay  As it is, he is happy and active, so we'll just ride it out until infirmity wins out. 

It is a bit of a bummer, but having lived in the country for nearly 25 years, I have created a rule known as the Law of Conservation of Cats which states that the loss of a cat will invariably lead to another showing up in short order.  And so, recently, a small Manx cat showed up.

Meet Stubbs. He is still a kitten and is very friendly. So friendly that we think he may have been dumped out here.  After some initial upset, he has paired up with our other barn cat, Stripe.

I am working on the next installment of the Fleer Autograph Project, but it is taking time.  After months of regular rain, the weather has finally turned continuously sunny, and I am trying to catch up on my yardwork and pasture management.  But it is coming!

What I am listening to: I Never Cared for You by Tami Neilson

RIP - Cobra

 I just heard that Dave Parker died today at the age of 74, a month short of his Cooperstown induction.  His death came a bit over 13 years after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

Parker was a giant to me. He was at the top of his game at the time I was closely following the baseball season as a teenager.  He was MVP in the magical (to me) 1978 season that saw an early glimpse of the "We are Family" Pirates. In 1978, the Pirates didn't hit my radar. I was engrossed in the AL East, that saw transcendent seasons from Boston's Jim Rice and my Yankees Ron Guidry.  A race that culminated on the first Monday in October as Bucky "Fucking" Dent and my Yankees dispatched the Bosox in a one game playoff.  The Pirates didn't really occupy any space in my brain until the following year, with the Pirates seven game World Series victory over the Orioles.

This passing has given me a pause since my father had Parkinson's Disease. It is a cruel disease, slowly robbing the person of their coordination and, in the later stages, of their memories.  My family has never been particularly warm and close.  And living half a continent away, I didn't get to experience my father's slow decline. Since I didn't get back to visit but a couple times a year, the progression of the disease was more jarring to me. And, in the end, robbed us of a proper goodbye as he knew he had a son that lived in Oklahoma but he didn't recognize me for being that son.

I don't offer this looking for sympathy. What is done is done and I have made my peace.  I offer it only to say I am pleased that Parker was lucid enough to see his election into Cooperstown, even if he didn't make it to the induction ceremony. Certainly, not being able to attend the ceremony is a loss for him and the world. But, when I think of deserving inductees (specifically but not exclusively Ron Santo) that never even got to experience the joy of knowing they were elected, I take solace in knowing Parker was able to hear and understand the honor bestowed to him.

What I am listening to: Temporary Nature (of any Precious Thing) by Lucinda Williams