1970 Card Back Follies, Part 1

In my last post, I featured the 1976 Topps Record Breaker subset, I was surprised (not surprised) to find that Night Owl also had featured them in the past. His particular focus was on the great information on the back of the cards. That got me to thinking.  I have to admit that I don't pay enough attention to the card backs as I should.  At least partially due to the fact that they are often very hard to read, combining small print and colors that don't necessarily contrast well.

1970 Topps is different, though.  My old eyes can actually read it well with the high contrast colors.  So, a couple Saturdays ago, while waiting for the sun come out and the ambition to get outside and do yard work to strike me, I paged through my 1970 binder backwards. As I did so, I tossed around ideas for posts around the card backs.  My genius (not genius) idea was to identify cards backs with interesting or odd cartoons and see if I can find any information on the internet that supports the cartoon.

So, without further ado, here is the first 4:

Tito Fuentes (#42) - Tito's hobby is playing ping-pong

I've not had much luck finding anything about Fuentes table tennis hobby. It seems as if the only relevant link goes to a post about this card on the defunct "Stats on the Back" blog from May of 2009.

I'm not off to an auspicious start here, am I?

Paul Casanova (#84) - In 1961, Paul played for the Indianapolis Clowns

After a short, and unspectacular, 1960 in the Indians chain that saw Casanova appear in 10 games and rack up 9 plate appearances for Class C Minot, he was released. He did spend 1961 with the erstwhile Negro League Indianapolis Clowns, by then a barnstorming team.  While he did come to the attention of some MLB scouts, he left baseball behind at the end of the season to pursue a more remunerative  career in construction.  However, a couple  years later, a scout for the Washington Senators brought Casanova into training camp. In 1965, after two years in the minors, Casanova was called up and embarked on a 10 year career as a catcher for Washington and, later, the Atlanta Braves.

Juan Rios (#89) - Juan has amazing speed

There isn't any metric that I am aware of that objectively measures speed, though I am not, by any means, a sabermetric guru. So, I made my own up: stolen bases divided by total bases.  It's not  perfect, but I also didn't want to spend any more time on it.  I also didn't do exhaustive research on modern era performance, but did look at the career stolen base leaders, under the assumption that they, at some level, set a benchmark for speed. Among those, I found  Vince Coleman at 40.3% (752 SB and 1863 TB), Rickey Henderson at 30.6%, Maury Wills at 23.3%, Lou Brock at 22.1%, and Tim Raines at 21.4%.  So, let's set 20% as the benchmark.

So, how did Rios do? Difficult to say. By the time this card came out, he had played his last MLB game. In a major league career spanning 87 games and 208 plate appearances, he had a total of 1 stolen base and 54 total bases, for a miserly 1.8%.  In 8 minor league seasons, he swiped 49 bases and tallied 706 total bases, for a 6.9%. So, Rios may have had blazing speed, but it didn't translate on the base paths.

George Culver (#92) - George likes to wear "Mod" style clothes

I didn't manage to locate any pictures of Culver in his finest, but I did find some wonderful text from an article written by Bob Broeg in the St.Louis Post Dispatch about him:

“Culver is a good-looking, green-eyed guy who resembles his idol, golf’s dashing Doug Sanders, in physical appearance and sartorial splendor,” Bob Broeg of the Post-Dispatch observed."

On the day they met, Broeg reported, Culver was wearing “white shoes, cream-colored trousers and a brilliant orange sweater.”

Culver told Broeg he liked to wear purple or pink. “I know those colors aren’t very manly,” Culver said, “but they’re beautiful.”

According to the Bakersfield newspaper, Culver had a “purple Edwardian-style suit,” but he said, “I don’t wear that purple outfit anymore. I favor all-white suits now.”

Culver said he had 150 pairs of slacks and 50 Banlon shirts. “I’d rather spend 50 bucks on clothes than on a date,” he told Broeg.

Good stuff.

Anyways, that is it for now.  It was fun researching this, so hopefully I'll keep the series going on the regular.

What I am listening to: Here and Now by Letters to Cleo

1975 Record Breakers

I don't know about you, but I'm struggling right now. It isn't so much the working from home. I did that for years on a previous job.  I think it is the non-stop grim news. I know logically that things are going to get worse before they get better. But, there is something about the situation that makes it hard to not live in the moment.

Though I hate the term, I am trying to exercise some level of self-care. I've stopped drinking alcohol as it degrades the quality of my sleep and, consequently, I tend to be distracted and more susceptible to negativity the next day.  I'm still not eating as healthy as I should, but I am trying.  The convenience store/gas station/bait shop across the street added a kitchen, so it is hard to not get junk for lunch a couple days a week. Though, to be fair, their Friday fried catfish special lunch is quite excellent.

Since I've cut out hobby spending, I am going to try to spend more time appreciating what is already in my collection. The other day, I just pulled a random binder off my shelf.  It was 1976 Topps and the first 6 cards of the set memorialized the record breakers from the previous season. It made me wonder how many of these records still stand. Someone else may have done this, but I am not going to look. I need something to do and this is as good as anything.

Hank Aaron is still the all-time career RBI leader, though he tacked another 35 on to the total in 1976, his final season.  I actually am surprised by this. I would have though Barry Bonds would have passed him, but he is actually 301 behind Hammerin' Hank. Speaking of the Bonds family...

It is hard to find statistics on lead off home runs. I am sure there is a way to figure it out in Baseball Reference, but I haven't figured it out.  All I can determine is that the all time leadoff homer hitter is Rickey Henderson with 81, followed by Alfonso Soriano with 54 and Craig Biggio with 53. Ian Kinsler is 4th with 48.  As near as I can tell, Bonds ended his career with 34.  Whether there is anyone between him and Kinsler is unknown to me.

Bobby Bonds is the all-time 30-30 Club co-champion, retiring with 5 such seasons. Who also has five 30-30 seasons? His son Barry Bonds. Keeping it in the family!

Mickey Lolich, currently 20th on the all-time strikeout leaders list, is now only 4th in that category amongst lefthanders.  He has been surpassed by Randy Johnson (4875), Steve Carlton (4136), and the recently retired CC Sabathia (3093.)

Lopes no long holds this record.  Vince Coleman had 50 in the 1988 and 1989 seasons, Ichiro had 45 between 2006 and 2007, Tim Raines swiped 40 in a row successfully over a three season span (1993-1995), and Jimmy Rollins had 39 successful steals in a row between 2007 and 2008.

Tom Terrific still holds this record.  He even managed to extend it to 9 seasons and came 4 strikeouts short of a tenth. Even Nolan Ryan, who had fifteen 200+ K seasons in his career, never managed to string together more than 5 in a row, though he did it twice including once between his age 40 and 44 seasons.

Stennett still holds this record, though he really is tied for it with Wilbert Robinson who did it on June 10, 1892.

What I am listening to: Dig a Hole by Marcel Botempi

Pandemic at the Disco

Life has gotten weird in a hurry, hasn't it?

In a way I was there at the beginning. No. That isn't quite right. I was there at the inflection point. It seems like forever, but it was less than three weeks ago. On March 11, I was at the Oklahoma City Thunder-Utah Jazz game. Or, more specifically, what was supposed to be the Oklahoma City Thunder-Utah Jazz game. My wife and are Thunder season ticket holders and this was an important game. After preseason speculation that they would be cellar dwellers, our Thunder were in the playoff picture. Firmly in the 5th seed in the Western Division, a win over the Jazz would move them up to the 4th seed.

Before that point, opinions on the coronavirus, COVID-19, were split. You could see it on the news, where political leaders downplayed the threat even while doctors and scientists were sounding the alarm. I even saw it on the Facebook page for my rural city ward. The ward, often described as a mélange of aging hippies and survivalists, was at each others throats about the severity of the situation.

Then, the Thunder-Jazz game happened. I got to the game about 15 minutes before tip-off, grabbed a hot dog and fries, and settled into my seat. The pregame ritual of introductions and the national anthem took place and then...nothing. I won't go into details. If you are a suscrcriber to The Athletic, there is a well written article about the evening.

Just a bit under three weeks ago.

The world has changed since then.  I am now working from home indefinitely and have cut back my hobby spending to almost zero. You see, I work in the oil and gas industry and, even apart from the global pandemic causing a collapse in demand, the Saudis have decided to open up the valves and start a price war to punish recalcitrant members of OPEC+ (mostly Russia) So, while the combination of the two don't represent an existential threat to my future, it does seem prudent to cut back on discretionary spending.

One thing that did filter in was this 1978 New York Yankees Picture Album that I snagged for $5 delivered.

As I built my Paul Blair player collection want list I would check eBay to see if any of the needs were for sale. I mostly struck out, but when I looked for something described as "1978 Photo Album", this came up.  I bid on it and won.

As I pulled this out of the shipping envelope, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. I realized immediately that I had this album when I was younger. I've always been a bit forgetful, so I have no idea how I got it or what ever happened to it. If I had to guess, my mother threw it away, along with my high school letterman's jacket sometime after I went off to college.  In any event, I have it again.

This copy is in great condition, which is probably a rare thing 42 years later.  It was not built for the long haul. The covers are thin cardboard and the binding isn't particularly sturdy.  In fact, it seems like it was designed for the pages to be pulled out individually easily. I won't open it up wide enough to scan a page as that would be a bit too much stress on the binding. I will however leave you with this picture of what I think is the 126th unique item in my Blair PC.

What I am listening to: We Take Care of Our Own by Bruce Springsteen

Player Collection Status

So, my recent new addition to my Paul Blair PC had me wondering how my collection looked in the larger scheme of things.  So, starting with the Trading Card Database, I decided to start to compile a list of cards and cross reference it against my collection. With the advent of unlicensed products, high quality custom cards, serialized parallels, a whole bunch of early 21st century Topps cards that look identical but are from different sets, and a set of similarly identical 1970s team post cards , it is really hard to come up with a comprehensive list. 

I am still working through it and trying to get my haves and wants buttoned down.  But, I am pretty close and, as of this moment, I have 123 unique Paul Blair cards in my collection and have constructed a want list of 58 cards.  Honestly though, I am not sure it is a real want list as there are several categories on there that I am ambivalent about:

1. Stamped Buybacks - 9
2. Cut Signatures - 7
3. 1 of 1s - 8

I am not necessarily ambivalent about 1 of 1s, but as a practical matter, I am unlikely to ever acquire any of them. So, I don't really count them.  I have actually seen one on eBay. But, it was a Four Barrel bat card from 2006 Upper Deck Epic where the 4 subjects where Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Chris Chambliss, and Paul Blair.  The seller wanted $5,000.  Nah, man.  That ain't happening.

Also,  have two team issued post cards that I haven't yet been able to figure out what year they are from. So, taking these four categories out, I get down to 31 cards on my want list.  As I have worked through this process, I spot checked eBay to see what is available and I've been able to add a few more cards cheaply.

I had been aware of the MCI (remember them?) Ambassadors of Baseball sets from 1992 to 1994.  But, I hadn't done a great deal of research and was blissfully unaware of the 1995 set. MCI, an erstwhile telecom company that became part of Verizon in 2006, issued these sets in conjunction with a tour of overseas military bases by retired baseball players. Paul Blair was the only player to appear in all 4 sets.

I swear I had this card. I've been overlooking it on eBay for years. Guess why.

That is why. Multiple, virtually indistinguishable cards issued during a short period of time using the image from Blair's half of the rookie card he shared with Davey Johnson in the 1965 Topps set.  I can only imagine how hard it must be for collectors like Night Owl when there are probably dozens of cards using the same image for all-time greats like Jackie Robinson.

I'll probably end up publishing my want list in the next few days, though I don't expect much luck in finding these needs that way. But, we'll see.

What I am listening to: Lady Labyrinth by Ludovico Einaudi

New PC Addition

It has been a while since I added anything new to my Paul Blair player collection.  If my blogging history can be believed, it has been over a year.  The last entry of an addition to this PC was November 27, 2018.  My blogging has been sporadic since then, so there may have others, but I don't think so.

Anyways, here is a new one:

Most hobbyists will recognize this as a (somewhat stained) 1966 Topps card.  The keen-eyed observer will recognize that this card isn't stained so much as printed on lower quality stock and is actually a Topps Venezuelan.

I recently won a lot of six 1966 Venezuelans on eBay. I only really wanted this one, but decided to add two others to my miscellaneous vintage binder.  I have already found a home for the remaining three.  This is my third Venezuelan card in my Blair PC.  I also have a 1967 Topps and a 1972 Photostamp.  I haven't fully researched it yet, but I am only aware of two other Blair Venezuelans: 1968 Topps and 1972 Winter League.

This is the 117th unique card in my Blair PC.  The Trading Card Database has 176 cards listed for Blair.  I am about to start working my way through that list and reconcile against my collection to make sure I have a good (though likely not comprehensive) list of wants. I hope it won't take too long. But, spring is sprung around here and the outdoor farm project season is ramping up.  So we'll see how it goes.

What I am listening to: Grey in L.A. by Loudon Wainwright III

Rant Incoming

Allow me to rant for a moment.

This encapsulates, for me anyways, what is infuriating about the modern trading card hobby. This card is a framed original buyback from the 2019 Topps Allen &Ginter set.  It is a 1/1.  What makes me mad about it? Let me count the ways:

1.   Artificial scarcity. Don't get me wrong, I am not unilaterally opposed to scarcity. Chase cards make collecting fun. But, in an era where player (or team) collecting is common, it gets to a point where scarcity devolves into a vehicle for separating people from their money.  When I see some of the prices rare modern cards go for, particularly for the player du jour or the current hot prospect, I have to shake my head because it is most likely going to be a depreciable asset.
   
   There is a reason players like Mike Trout are known as generational talents. Joe Shlabotnick, who hit .325 in A ball, maybe hot in this years Bowman, but he still is unlikely to make it to the majors. Let's not even talk about the odds of having a yeoman's career. And make the Hall of Fame? Forget about it. Go ahead and spend $1000s on that 1/1 and feel free to brag about it on the Blowout forum.  When Joe washes out after a mediocre season with the AA Chattanooga Lookouts two years hence, you can probably use that card to level out a wobbly end table.
   
2. Making old new.  I am mainly a set collector. But, I do have two player collections: Paul Blair and Johnny Antonelli.  When I look at the cards listed on the Trading Card Database, I see that I have well over half of the listed cards for these two men.  I don't expect I'd ever get to 100% because some of the cards listed were regional issues that are extremely rare. But, there is another things stopping me from getting there: vintage cards that Topps bought back, stamped it with some silver foil and sold it again in modern products.  I just don't get Buybacks.
   
   Similarly,  the card above is over 130 years old.  It is spectacular on it's own.  Is there really a significant population of modern collectors who think taking it and encasing it in a cardboard frame and stamping it 1/1 makes it even more valuable?  I guess there is. Just don't count me amongst them.
   
3. Prices. This is probably less a standalone issue as it is the manif estation of the two previous points.  While I won't pretend to being the most knowledgeable person about the 19th Century A&G issues, I can state that the card above is no more or less rare than any of the other cards in the 50 card Fans of the Period set.  And, in the condition shown, I would probably be willing to pay between $12 and $15 delivered.  So, what justifies the asking price?  Is the seller just showing off and not actually wanting to sell?  Does he think he'll actually get that price?  Is there anyone who would actually pay it?

I've stopped buying from COMC as the prices being asked for cards I need for my vintage sets are out of line with what I can pay at in-person shows.  But, I did see another "raw" Fans card on the site which is more in line with the current market. See for yourself:

There is no way I'd spend over 10 times what the card is worth just because Topps put a frame around it and stamped it as a 1/1.  If you want to, have at it. But, I will judge you harshly. Okay, rant over.  I've said this before, but I'll be glad when all the Johnny-come-lately investor/collectors move on to the next big thing.

What I am listening to: It's the End of the World As We Know It by R.E.M.

Johnny Antonelli - RIP

I saw on Twitter tonight that Johnny Antonelli passed away at the age of 89. As I am probably one of the only Antonelli collectors outside of the immediate family, I felt like I should post something. My connection to Antonelli is tenuous, at best. But,we'll get to that in a minute.

Johnny Antonelli was one of the original  MLB bonus babies, players who signed a contract in excess of $4,000 in 1947 or later.  Such players had to be carried on the MLBroster for two years without being assigned to a minor league team. As such, Antonelli never played in the minors.  His 12 year MLB career, interrupted in 1951 and 1952 by military service, was highlighted by a stellar 1954 season that saw him go 21-7 with a 2,30 ERA during the regular season. It was further capped off by a spectacular World Series performance against the Cleveland Indians where NY Giant  Antonelli pitched an 8 hit, 1 run complete game victory in Game 2 (he also had an RBI on a 5th inning ground out off HOF pitcher Early Wynn).He followed that up with a 5 out save to secure the win in the decisive Game 4.  He finished 3rd in the MVP race that year, two years prior to the introduction of the Cy Young award, which he surely would have won. As I am not a gifted writer, you can read more about his life in the excellent SABR biograph found here.

So, how did I come to be a Johnny Antonelli collector? I've related this before here, deep in the archive, I grew up in Rochester, NY and lived there until I graduated from college in 1988. I knew of Antonelli because, during my formative years, he owned the main Firestone tire store franchises in the greater Rochester area.  How specifically I decide to PC him has been lost in the dusty recesses of my mind. However, as it stands, I have 65 unique Johnny Antonelli items in my player collection. If the Trading Card is to be believed, there are 81 unique Antonelli items.  The major items missing from my collection are the various Jay Publishing Photos, as well as the several Armour Coins.

In memory of the noteworthy Giants hurler, lets take a look at a few:

Rookie Cards

1949 Eureka Sport Stamp

 1950 Bowman

Last Cards Issued during his playing career

1961 Topps

1961 Post

1961Kahns Wieners

Last Card issued overall

2011 Topps Lineage (Base, Black Diamond, and Autographed)

Cards Issued After his best year (1954)

1955 Bowman

1955 Red man

1955 Golden Stamps

Oddest Oddballs

2010 National Ethnic Heritage Foundation Sons of Italy

A Baseball Memoir Promotional Card

1984 National Sports Collector Convention Ticket

Personal Favorites

1954 NY Journal American

1953 Johnston Cookies

1954 Topps

1958 Hires Root Beer(with tab)

Banty Red Custom

What I am listening to: Temporary Nature by Lucinda Williams