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