Clapping. Clapping is a must. It shows appreciation, enthusiasm and spirit. Done properly, it can excite and motivate, as well as show your fan base how much you want the club to win.

Detroit Tigers Manager Hughie Jennings appears to the left on his 1915 Cracker Jack card. He must have been very good at clapping because the Tigers went 100-54 that year, good enough for second place in the American League. Philadelphia Phillies skipper Larry Bowa gives it a try on his 2002 Topps card, shown on the right. He did a good job of leading the Phillies from 2001 to 2004. If you look closely at these two Managers, you can see how hand clapping position has changed over the years, moving from Jennings’ horizontal hand placement to Bowa’s vertical approach. Either way, it’s still an integral part of any Manager’s job scope.

Holding the same position. This is a big one for the Topps Company. Maybe they assume baseball card collectors have a limited attention span, and cannot recognize their team’s manager if they are forced to identify him in a different pose from one year to the next. Royals teams weren’t among the best during Tony Pena’s years at the helm, but at least he had this essential mastered, holding this pose for his 2002, 2003 and 2004 cards.

Hollering. Every manager must show that he is a take-charge guy, and nothing spells M A N A G E R like a man holding his hand or hands to his mouth to pretend that he is hollering directions, or if you were out of the Billy Martin branch of managing, just hollering.

Above on the left, Bill Rigney demonstrates the two-handed approach on his 1963 Topps card. To his right, Johnny Keane is captured showing the exceedingly difficult “inverse L” technique, proving that he had the right stuff. He would pilot the 1964 Cardinals to the World Series Championship the year this card was issued. Shown below is Wes Westrum using his thumb for greater stability. The 1966 Mets responded well to his style, and for the first time in their brief history, they abandoned the National League cellar. In recognition of this staggering performance, Westrum is shown a bit larger than the others. If you were the gentleman who got the New York Mets out of last place, your card would be larger, too.

Modeling. Many Managers show off their team’s uniforms, and Harry Walker was a natural. I often think how grateful he must have been that he didn’t manage the team during the Astro’s “fruit loops” uniform era. He’s shown wearing the team’s uniform on his 1970 Topps card on the left, and his 1971 Topps card on the right.

Pointing. This is an essential because without being shown where to go, some players would get lost. Of course, sometimes a player comes along who gets lost regardless of directions. For an example of this, look no further than Manny Ramirez, whose managers always seem to  be grateful every time he does. I hear the Oakland Athletics have just signed him to a contract. That should be interesting for A’s fans, right Julio?

But let’s get back to managing. Just look at these bold examples of pointing; there’s no ambiguity here! Demonstrating their ability to point are Charley Dressen, shown on his 1951 Bowman card below left, and Rogers Hornsby, who cut a dashing figure on his 1933 Goudy card immediately to Dressen’s right.

Request Time. OK, you get the idea. Here at Grubby Glove, we’d like to ask those of you who attend spring training games next month to please keep a close eye on the managers. When you see new or unusual moves, please take a picture of them, and we’ll arrange to show them here. Your name will be listed directly beneath your photograph (s). Who can resist an offer like that?

Certainly not me. I’ll begin my slate of spring training games at Surprise Stadium on Sunday, March 4th when the Royals play the Rangers. If any of you would like to join me, please submit a comment and I’ll be happy to oblige.

Now if you would be so gracious, please submit your lineup cards, because it’s time to play ball!

As I read up on the old Giants, I started to wonder who my favorites would have been. High on my list was Christy Mathewson, a gentlemanly, college-educated, right-handed pitcher who won 373 games for the G men. His numbers are hard to believe. For example, in 1909, the average number of runs he gave up to the opposing team was 1.14 per game. If the Giants scored two runs every time “Matty” pitched that season, they were in great shape. Other statistics are equally staggering, such as his winning 30 games or more for three seasons in a row (1903 – 1905).

He was even better in playoff situations, when the Giants were playing for all the marbles. It’s difficult to top his performance in the 1905 World Series, when he shut out the Philadelphia Athletics three times in six days. It is incomprehensible to me how one guy could be that dominant against major league hitters, but that’s how baffling Mathewson could be when he was on his game. It was a stunning accomplishment. There’s a tiny snippet of him on You Tube that just blows me away. You can see it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unwlec-YNYI

The all too brief, grainy film seems to reach out across eternity, touching us with a brief glimpse of baseball immortality. I see pitching mechanics that remain in use to this very day: a slight backward bend at the waist, an arched back and an over the top delivery. The film was placed on the You Tube site by the good folks at the Dead Ball Era, which is a superb internet site that I find very helpful when looking for information on players from baseball’s early days.

Another big star in the New York Giants constellation I learned about was Manager John McGraw, the bullying, dictatorial power behind the team. He was a control freak who might be taking prozac if he were living today. He was a street smart guy, a fighter who would exploit any advantage in his zeal for victories. He argued frequently with Umpires. He wasn’t at all tentative about getting on his own players when they made mistakes, too. His winning formula consisted of  talent, bluster, strategy and fear. He was the engine that drove the Giants for over thirty years. I would have watched my step around him. Of course, if you played hard and smart, you’d have no better friend or supporter. I would have given him a great deal of respect, because his drive and determination contributed to the team’s many successes in the early twentieth century.

I was amazed to learn about Luther “Dummy” Taylor, a deaf-mute who was with the team for nine seasons. Mind you, there was nothing disabled about Taylor’s performance on the pitching mound, such as in 1906 when he went 17-9 with a 2.20 ERA. He was a gifted athlete who would have been among my favorites. Manager McGraw learned sign language to communicate more effectively with the right hander. When it proved helpful, he had the team’s players learn some sign language, too. I’ve read this was how the use of signs in baseball games got its start.

There were more, but they, along with a center fielder who hit .368 for the Giants during their 1922 World Championship season, a fellow named Casey Stengel, will have to wait for another day. I’ll close with the promise that those old Giants will get their day here at Grubby Glove. In the meantime, here’s a look at the Polo Grounds, their old yard.

]]> https://grubbyglove.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/i-meet-the-new-york-giants/feed/ 1 19mets62 New_York_Giants_Cap_(1948_-_1957) matty zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz LOC https://grubbyglove.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/trading-baseball-cards-with-another-baseball-blogger/ https://grubbyglove.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/trading-baseball-cards-with-another-baseball-blogger/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:35:25 +0000 Grubby Glove http://grubbyglove.wordpress.com/?p=2492 ]]> The best part of being a Baseball Bloggers Alliance member is the chance it offers its members to connect with each other. Over the past several months I have been working my way through the 350+ member blogs, taking a long look at many of them. They all offer something of value, but some resonate with me more than others. Among these is Broken Bats, where baseball and other topics are addressed through poetry by a gifted writer and all-around Montreal Expos guy, Steven Myers. Not too long ago we started to correspond. One email lead to another and we recently completed our first baseball card trade. How cool is that?

I sent my new friend in Canada a nice batch of Expos cards. It included a 1989 Donruss Randy Johnson RATED ROOKIE, a 1991 Topps Stadium Club Andres Galarraga, two 1984 Topps Gary Carters (one for trading with another collector later), a 1990 Bowman Larry Walker, a 1990 Fleer Tim Raines, a 1984 Ted Williams Card Company Steve Rogers and a host of other players ranging from commons to minor stars. I requested cards from the Twins, Giants and Mets in return.

Here are some of the Twins cards I received. I always liked Roy Smalley, who appears below left on his 1980 Topps card. He spent most of his career with the Twins but had a few innings with the Yankees, too. Manager Tom Kelly, shown in the middle, steered the Twins from 1987 through 2001. He was at the helm when the Twinkies won World Series titles in 1987 and 1991. The Pat Neshek card on the right, signed by the pitcher, is a 2009 Allen & Ginter issue. The back listed his career statistics.

Outstanding San Francisco Giants cards, many thirty years old or older, were also included. John Montefusco is a name that will forever resonate with Giants fans. That’s his 1981 Fleer card below on the left. The tall right-hander won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1975. His seven-year long stay in the city by the bay was highlighted by a no-hitter thrown against the Atlanta Braves. He would pitch for the Giants through the 1980 season.

Willie Mays was the best, all around baseball player I ever saw. Some older folks may say for them it was Joe DiMaggio, while some younger ones may select Barry Bonds. How about you, Troy? Who’s your man? For me, at the tender age of sixty (how did that happen?), it’s Willie Mays. Period. In my time, no player comes close to him for five-tool, all round excellence.

Here’s my favorite off-field memory of him. In 1989, my sister Nancy, well-known in this blog for her love of baseball “outfits,” her six-year old son Matt and I were on a San Francisco to New York City flight, bound for a long weekend at the family home, where the triumphant event would be Dad’s 70th Birthday party. We were all strapped into our seats when who should walk past us but Willie Mays and Reggie Jackson. I instantly turned to my young nephew, who had already discovered the San Francisco Giants, and told him, motioning to the Say Hey kid, “that man is the best baseball player I ever saw.”

The two Hall of Famers sat in the last row. After a short time, a brave woman made her way to the back of the plane, tentatively approached them and emerged several minutes later with two autographs. Several others followed. At some point Nancy decided to join the queue, which ultimately got so long I was surprised the plane kept its balance, with all that weight shifted towards its tail section. I’m sure she thoughtfully considered what she was going to ask the players to sign, which explains how Dad’s birthday card was signed by Nancy, Matt, Michael, Willie Mays and Reggie Jackson that year.

When the plane landed and the passengers disembarked, we quickly told him about the special passengers. When Mays exited the tunnel and stepped into the terminal, Dad’s reaction was instantaneous. The old New York Giants fan in him took over, resulting in a spirited “SAY HEY” shouted at the top of his lungs.

I see a lot of people are already putting their copies of this card up for sale on Ebay. Not me. This card is for Dad and me. Since Dad is no longer around, I’ll have to enjoy it enough for the both of us. I think I’m up to that. Say Hey, everybody!

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Play Ball 2011. Last March I invited some of my baseball cronies to voice their opinions on a series of predictions pertaining to the San Francisco Giants 2011 season. This took the form of responding to a series of statements with one of three choices, “under,” “the same” or “over.” For example, one statement said Tim Lincecum will strike out 223 batters. I was certain as the resident baseball expert that I would do very well, and possibly have the highest number of correct prophesies.

Ouch. Instead of winning, I came in ninth out of ten players. Only my good friend Ricky, a baseball rookie whose team won all the marbles in 2010, scored lower than I did. Some expert! Instead of besting my gang, I pulled a “1962 Honorary New York Mets.” This was very embarassing, and let me assure you, I got feedback. You don’t have to guess too many times to determine its exact nature.

Redemption Sought. It’s a new season and I’m back, ready to play once again. This time I mean business! I’m a man with something to prove. That’s where you come in, fellow bloggers. I suggest that we hold an over – same – under competition among ourselves. I’m open to whatever form this might take. Members of team chapters may wish to hold their own, team-centric contest, administering it themselves. But for those of us who take a macro rather than a micro view, a contest, league wide in scope, can be developed. One way to do this is for each chapter to submit a question or two pertaining to their team.

It’s Early. I know it’s too soon to develop meaningful statements. Now is a good time to introduce the idea to the membership, however. Spring Training is coming, and during those six weeks a great many story lines will be answered. Many of the issues teams face will be settled by the third week in March. For the major-league wide contest, this may be the best time to submit statements. They can be sent to a member of the BBA who is willing to put a document together and have it sent out by March 23rd. This would give all those interested the weekend to mark their choices and return them, before the season begins on March 28th.

Grubby’s Strenth. I am a good administrator and am willing to take this project on, although if anyone wants to join me I’m certain something can be arranged. I’m throwing this idea out like a pebble that’s tossed into a pond; let’s see where the ripples go. If any of you are interested in pursuing this idea, for now, please share your thoughts in the Grubby Glove comment section. Perhaps the chapter presidents can send this to their members, too, since I’m only sending it to about 35 to 40 bloggers. Maybe we’ll switch over to Google+, or our FB page sooner or later. Perhaps our leadership can weigh in on that. Thank you, and best wishes from the city by the bay.

Some people get nervous when their team is in the Super Bowl, right Susan? Others get nervous when it comes time to pick out baseball card packs. I’m in the latter group. I’ve been down this road so many times before that by now I know what to do, and asked Lee, the charming young woman behind the counter, to pick six packs for me. I turned my back to ease the agony of the moment, and when it was all over gladly handed over my VISA card, signed the receipt and went on my way.

Talk about a great day to go shopping! I ducked into SEE Eyewear on Union Street, where three people were available to assist me. From there, I stopped at the Real Food Market on Fillmore, where I rubbed elbows with the other ladies who were out doing their shopping. Then with my baseball cards and groceries in hand, I grabbed the 28 bus and headed home. The trip took half its usual time, because the roads were almost deserted. Once home, I turned on the TV to see how much time was left in the second quarter; about four minutes. This meant at least ten minutes in real-time, so I  did a few things around the house until 5:00 pm PST when the half-time show, featuring Madonna, got underway.

So I turned on the TV and watched Madonna. She’s a great artist, dancer and singer whose time-tested performances provided comfort and safety for network executives who fear a repeat of Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction during Super Bowl XXXVIII’s half-time show. This resulted in an unscheduled, guest appearance by one of Ms. Jackson’s breasts, which is not your usual Super Bowl fare. The NFL has taken no chances since that incident, and has featured more mature performers such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Prince. The Material Girl put on an uptempo, melodic and colorful show. When she sang “I’m sexy and I know it,” I wasn’t about to disagree. Thirteen minutes later it was over all too soon, so I shut off the TV.

Now for some serious entertainment. Yep, it’s the Main Event of the day! I’m going to open my baseball card packs. OK, don’t go away. I’ll be right back.

WHOA! What a haul. I owe Lee one big favor for picking out some great packs for me. The Topps 2012 cards are beautiful. The color is sharp, the images clear and the layout simple and uncluttered. The biggest prize of the day was a Willie Mays”Retired Rings” card that featured the top of a golden ring that’s engraved with his #24 on it. The ring is recessed from the surface of the very thick card that looks like it will hold up nicely as the years unfold. The lower left reads 154/736, so there’s only another 735 of these beautiful cards rattling around.

At 5:30 pm I turned on ABC World News. I find the race to select the Republican Presidential nominee very interesting so paid close attention to the report of  Governor Romney’s victory in the Nevada primary, as well as Speaker Gingrich’s statement that he will press on. After a few minutes of other news I realized I had seen about as much reality as I could handle, and decided maybe the rest of American had the right idea by watching something super on the TV after all.

So I switched to the Puppy Bowl. I’ll be doggone if I’m going to miss this entertainment! I barked with glee as these highly conditioned athletes ran across the field, completely oblivious to the game they were supposedly playing. These little guys played their tails off, too; there was no whimpering. I felt like they were pawing their way into my heart; I’m going to have to get a dog soon. In a way, this event was perfect for me, since the puppies and I share roughly the same amount of football knowledge. After awhile, I lowered the volume but kept the contest on in the background while I greedily rifled through the rest of my cards.

Stars galore! Troy Tulowitzki. Josh Hamilton. Ryan Braun. Chase Utley. Roy Halladay. Matt Kemp. Promising young players such as Dee Gordon, Freddie Freeman and Desmond Jennings. Golden Futures Mike Stanton, Brandon Belt, Eric Hosmer, Dustin Ackley and Mike Moustakas. A bunch of Golden Moments cards for retired Hall of Famers such as Red Schoendienst, Ryne Sandberg and Willie McCovey as well as current stars James Shields and Felix Hernandez. Several Golden Greats were on hand including Mickey Mantle, Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax and Tom Seaver. Since it doesn’t get any better than Tom Terrific for me, I’ll stop with him.

At 6:25 pm, it was time to make my dinner. I switched to the MLB network which was showing a program on the “Top 10 Shortstops Right Now” and headed into the kitchen. Troy Tulowitzki was ranked # 1, and I agree.

Dinner was over so at 7:05 pm, so I turned on the TV to see who won the Super Bowl.

The Giants won the game! How about that Susan? I mean Champ! My sister Susan is a huge New York Giants football fan. I’m at a loss to explain how that happened. My own flesh and blood! Nonetheless, I’m happy for her, and for me. I had a great Super Bowl Sunday, and I’m getting a bonus to boot! Thanks, Susan, for my new Giants SB XLVI Champions t-shirt. The one from SB XLII has gotten a lot of wear, and I’m ready for the next one. That’ll be an XXL, please.

Maybe football isn’t so bad after all.

The group below was among them. From left to right Ferris, her charming Mother Heather and Darren were a delight. Heather was the biggest Giants fan of this group, rooting for the G men since birth. Darren’s favorite team memory was J. T. Snow’s dramatic home run  in Game 2 of the 2000 Giants – Mets National League Division Series, a towering, bottom of the ninth inning, three-run blow that tied the game and sent it into extra innings. Heather cited Will Clark as her favorite Giant. A shy Ferris said she liked the Giants and was excited because she got her picture taken with Lou Seal. When asked about the upcoming season, Darren said he thought the Giants will win the National League West Division. Both Heather and Darren hoped the team picked up a lot of speed by acquiring outfielders Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera.

Heather and Darren were right on point. If Pagan and Cabrera repeat last season’s performance , when they combined for 52 stolen bases, the Giants stand a good chance of scoring a lot more runs this year. Last season’s offense, when the team was dead last in runs scored in the National League, was woefully inadequate. Pagan and Cabrera will need to take some walks, lay down bunts, steal bases, take the extra base when they can and in general create scoring opportunities for the heavy hitters who follow them in the lineup. Having productive table setters at the top of the lineup is an imperative for the Giants.

I happened upon Maya and Chad while they were  enjoying a leisurely lunch. Ordinarily I let people enjoy their meals in peace, but something inside me said these two, so I asked if I could join them, and they readily agreed. Life is uncanny at times. Of all the thousands of people in attendance, I had just sat down with one of the gentlemen featured on “The Torture Cast,” a weekly San Francisco Giants baseball podcast. How cool is that?

Chad has been a Giants fan for a long as he can remember, which roughly translates into 37 years. He recalled two favorite Giants memories. The first occurred at the age of five when he attended his first game at Candlestick Park, which he noted appeared immense from a child’s point of view. Will Clark was Chad’s favorite player when he was growing up, so it’s not surprising that his second memory recalls a “Will the Thrill” performance. “It would have to be watching him hit a grand slam in May of 1989, the year they went to the World Series,” he recalled.

Hearing him mention Candlestick Park reminded me of my only night game at the old yard. It was in the summer of 1979, with the Giants hosting the Astros. I was so cold I wished I was back at a New York Jets (football) game I attended years earlier, when the temperature was eighteen degrees. For me, a night game at Candlestick was that cold. There was fog on the field, and I don’t mean the kind that tiptoes in on little cat’s feet. The fog and howling winds at Candlestick announced “we’re here” like shots being fired from a cannon. You were immersed in a deep, enveloping, shivering chill. I had to ask Chad about his night-time experiences there.

He said there were “way too many” nights when he froze. “Layers were definitely the option, especially when you get there it wouldn’t be as cold as you think it would get. Then you would get to the seventh or eighth inning and it felt like it was thirty below. The wind is what made it cold.” Recognizing this, in the early 1980′s the team introduced the “Croix De Candlestick,” which was a pin given after extra-inning games to fans who stayed through the final out. Chad owns two of them.

He didn’t expect the team to go as far as it did in 2010, and cited some team failures in the past, such as its failure to win the 2002 World Series against the Angels, that caused him to stay grounded and not be too hopeful, especially during the World Series against the American League Champion Texas Rangers. As far as the team’s chances for 2012, Chad thinks if the players stay healthy, the team will contend. He recalled last season when both catcher Buster Posey and second baseman Freddy Sanchez suffered season-ending injuries, as occurrences that hit the offense, significantly undermining the team.

Chad knows his stuff. The first of these two significant injuries, the one to Posey, occurred on May 25th. Going into the game that night, the team was playing .574 baseball, good enough for a 27-20 record. At that pace, the Giants were on target to finish the season with 93 wins. Without Posey and Sanchez, who was lost for the season just a few weeks later, the team won 86. That’s an amazing number considering two of the team’s best hitters missed the majority of the season. Chad stated what many Giants fans accept as gospel. If those two had remained healthy,  the team would have easily made up the eight-game difference that separated them from the division winning Arizona Diamondbacks. We’ll soon see, because the reports from the team today stated that both players have recovered from their injuries and have returned to baseball activities.

I enjoyed some quality time with Aaron& Eliza, too. He’s been on board for twenty-four seasons and is well versed in the team’s history and its present situation. He’s bullish on the 2012 Giants, to say the least. In fact, Aaron is so confident of this year’s team that he said it’s “already won.” He cited the improvement in the team’s shortstop as a big reason. He was referring to Ryan Theriot, a free agent the Giants signed about a week ago. “He’s got a decent bat,” Aaron added.  ”Ever since we lost (Omar) Vizquel, shortstop has been a gaping hole, so now we actually have some substance (at the position).”

It was appropriate that Aaron raised the issue of the team’s defense. My friend John summarizes the team’s ability with the leather with this observation: “if you hit it to them, they’ll catch it.” That’s not exactly a rousing endorsement, but it’s grounded in reality. Aubrey Huff playing right field was so bad it was laughable. Recently retired Pat Burrell resembled a potted plant in left field. Long past his prime Miguel Tejada played 91 games at shortstop, which was about 90 games too many for most fans. In Theriot, the Giants have a  quality, veteran player, but at the age of 32 a young one by Giants standards. He’s a gritty type, the kind of guy whose uniform is always dirty due to his aggressive play. A winning team has to be strong up the middle; a healthy Buster Posey at catcher and a resurgent Freddy Sanchez at second base, combined with shortstop Theriot makes for a nice start.

I spent some time listening to several of the player interviews. The fans on hand went ballistic when several key players made their way to the interview table. The biggest applause was reserved for Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum. Lincecum is one of the dots beneath the KNBR sign, shown below. The team’s General Manager, Brian Sabean, was also greeted warmly. When he mentioned that AT&T Park will be paid off in 2017, fans howled their approval. Maybe the team will be able to afford to keep its best players as they get deeper into their careers. Imagine that! A thriving baseball organization whose team plays in a beautiful downtown stadium, with a fawning fan base supporting it, and no mortgage payments. Gary and Barry, I saw it with my own eyes.

During the affair I found who I really wanted to see, Mascot Lou Seal. He was very gracious, waiting patiently while I readied myself for our portrait, which appears below. When I asked him about the team’s chances for 2012, a member of the crowd reminded me that he doesn’t talk. He listens however, and uses his body and mannerisms to convey his feelings. I think he liked me.

I know the Panda liked me. Once he saw my Yogi the Bear pin on my jacket, a gift from my sister Jane, I had a friend for life. Now kindred spirits, Panda and I shared a nice moment, shown below.

The San Francisco Giants 2012 Fanfest was a magical affair, a fun time at the yard and a chance to talk with members of the team’s community. Giants fans are passionate, support their team and are chomping at the bit for the season to begin. They like the team’s chances. So do I, but that’s a matter for another day. I’ll weigh in on the team’s outlook for the upcoming season in another post.

Here’s one last photo that captures the joy of the day. The fellow wearing the glove on his left hand was celebrating his 39th birthday. Or was he? He seemed more excited about his team and the upcoming season. After my experience at Fanfest 2012, that’s a sentiment I understand.

Alcoholism is an equal opportunity disease, striking indiscriminately. There is no segment of society that goes without representation, including professional athletes. This brings us to Josh Hamilton, a star of the highest magnitude. There have been several credible stories in the press that he was observed drinking at a Dallas bar earlier this week. He has struggled with drugs and alcohol in his life, and has talked about it publicly.

On the other hand, he has had several extended periods of sobriety. One of them enabled him to earn the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award, when in 2010 he achieved a .359/.411/1.044 slash line. That, readers, is top of the mark.

As I write this, reporters await a press conference he has called for later today. His fans, and fans of the Texas Rangers team he plays for, surely want him sober. His teammates need Hamilton sober, and are willing to go to extreme lengths to support him in this pursuit, including celebrating their two recent American League Championships by dousing each other with ginger ale when tradition calls for Champaign. Hamilton has a wife and two children who need their husband and father fully present.

An image that illustrates how essential sobriety is for an alcoholic is one of a marionette. Unless the marionette is held by its topmost string, its efficacy is diminished. For alcoholics, sobriety is that top most string. It is a matter of life and death. Josh Hamilton is one of the lucky ones. He has a universe of people pulling for him. But in the end, it’s all up to him. Go to a meeting, Josh.

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This post is dedicated to Robyn, who I love and miss everyday. 

]]> https://grubbyglove.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/josh-hamilton-struggles-again/feed/ 1 19mets62 josh https://grubbyglove.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/baseball-card-sets-1963-topps/ https://grubbyglove.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/baseball-card-sets-1963-topps/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:54:04 +0000 Grubby Glove http://grubbyglove.wordpress.com/?p=2471 ]]> There’s a lot to like about the 1963 Topps set. The colors combine to produce a cheery, uptempo feel, and the patina has worn well. There is a dominant image and a different, smaller one in a circular inset. The player’s name, team and position are easy to read. The backs feature a user-friendly tan and black combination on white-card stock.

I’ll start with one of my favorite players from that era, right-handed pitcher Don Drysdale. I am drawn to the reflective moment the photographer captured. I wonder what the future Hall of Famer was thinking in that moment. Was he going to start that day? Was the game in the thick of the pennant race? I sense tension in his hands. He was a dogged competitor who had a mean streak, and if he didn’t like you an at bat wasn’t a pleasant experience. He had a side-armed fastball that was pure intimidation. The  grandstand shown in the background is an intriguing aspect of the card; where was the photograph taken? Was it the Los Angeles Coliseum, where the team played for their initial four seasons on the west coast, or Dodger Stadium, which opened in 1962? There’s no missing his small image either as it almost jumps off the card due to the yellow background. Drysdale would win the third game of the World Series that fall as his Dodgers waxed the Yankees in four games.

If you were a rookie player featured in this set you didn’t get a body. I guess you had to earn one back then. I’m not certain what’s going on with the card on the lower left. The banner reads 1962 Rookie Stars, the only one in the set to do so. I’ll admit to being confused. Jesse Gonder debuted in September 1960. Sammy Ellis and John Boozer broke in during the 1962 campaign. Ray Culp debuted during the 1963 season.

Several rookie from this set went on to have outstanding careers. The foursome featured on the card on the upper right combined to play 6,473  games, amass 5,794 hits, of which 638 were home runs. Wow!

Rookie cards from ’63 showcased all-time hit leader Pete Rose, outfielder and pinch-hitter extraordinaire Vic Davalillo, Baltimore Orioles pitching mainstay Dave McNally, Pitcher Gary Peters, Catcher Bill Freehan, “Le Grande Orange” Rusty Staub, and two future Hall of Famers, Willie “Pops” Stargell and Pitcher Gaylord Perry.

This set was loaded with terrific players. Here are some of them, in a section I’ll call the Topps 1963 cavalcade of stars.

Extraordinary is the word that comes to mind when I study Curt Flood’s photograph. He’s all business, gazing off into the distance, as if he was already aware that several years down the line he would be taking on what must have felt like the entire baseball establishment, for it was Flood who in 1969 chose to challenge baseball’s reserve clause, which bound a player to one team for perpetuity, rather than accept a trade to another team. He became embroiled in a legal proceeding against Major League Baseball, which he eventually lost. Even though he was never released from his contractual obligation, he paved the way for future big league players to become free agents.

Harmon Killebrew was in the middle of a Hall of Fame career. I like the little slice of the Yankee Stadium frieze on the card’s left. He was a fearsome slugger. He would hit forty-five home runs in 1963, and I guarantee you, sight unseen, most of them traveled a very long way.

Young Ron Santo has his gaze fixed on us. It was very fitting that his two pictures showed the dual aspects of his game, for he was a terrific hitter and a great fielder. He was a perennial all-star who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, albeit posthumously, this summer.

Juan Marichal, the Dominican Dandy, is shown in Candlestick Park on what I consider a beautiful card. He’s young, poised and handsome, with thirteen productive big-league seasons still in front of him. Most fans forget that he finished his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. How about that, Giants fans?

Sluggers are always exciting, and here we have two of the best to ever grace a ball field. In his first appearance for the New York Mets, Willie Mays hit the game winning home run. It came against his old team, the San Francisco Giants, as well. I know that made a lot of gray beards in the New York Metropolitan area very happy; they told me so. I was pretty happy about it myself.

Favorite Mickey Mantle cards are a lively topic; this is one of mine. This particular card has a bit of wear. I’ve seen others so sharp the color jumps off the cardboard, including mine, which is rattling around this house somewhere. The portrait shows a composed individual secure in his abilities. The inset Mantle looks like the player I saw swing the bat when I was a boy. On one occasion, my friend Paul and I wanted to go see the Mets, but they were out-of-town, so we went to Yankee Stadium instead. That game was played on Mother’s Day, 1967, so we were present when Mantle hit the 500th home run of his career that day. We clapped until our hands hurt. I recall that Joe Pepitone hit the game winning home run that day, as the Bronx Bombers defeated the Orioles.

These two Hall of Famers are shown on cards with crisp color and nicely centered portraits. Brooks Robinson was the best fielding third baseman I ever saw. Almost every major league player starts off in a minor league and works his way up to the majors. It was often said that Robinson was so good that he came down from a higher league to man the hot corner for the Baltimore Orioles. I like the bird on his cap, too. As for Bob Gibson, it’s hard to believe that he was a sub .500 career pitcher (34 wins – 36 losses) going into the ’63 season, but it’s true. That was about to change in a major way. He certainly was good at this time, but then he got very good. I remember when he made the transition from very good to great. It happened during the 1966 season. After that, he was feared big time.

Manager cards were well done, with crisp pictures and engaging, informative text on the back. Here’s Gene Mauch at the start of what would be a twenty-six year career as a big league manager. His teams got close many times but would never win a World Championship. He was at the helm of the hard luck, 1964 Philadelphia Phillies team that had a six-game lead with twelve games left in the season, only to see their pennant go up in smoke when they went on a disastrous ten-game losing streak. I saw the Phillies play that summer at Shea Stadium with my Dad, and they were very good. Mauch would go to on to have some heart-warming as well as some heart-breaking moments in a career that was a lot like life itself, with ups and downs, problems and solutions, conflicts and resolutions.

The seven-card, World Series subset on the ’62 fall classic is very well done, with action shots from the games shown on the card fronts, combined with brief comments and box scores on the card backs. This world series was a real nail

bitter, made all the more so when heavy rain storms postponed some games, drawing out the suspense. The Yankees ultimately prevailed, but the Giants came this close to upsetting the Bronx Bombers. This would be the last World Series Championship for the Yankees until 1977, which for them, was a long time between hellos.

No Topps set would be complete without a few clunkers, and this year’s issue does not disappoint. Here are two of them.

Donn Clendenon’s Mother must have been horrified when she saw her son’s card; what kind of expression is that? The grass on the Lew Krausse card looks all wrong; something is clearly going on here.

The first ten cards in the set highlight the 1962 League Leaders from ’62. Like the rookies, these guys have heads but no bodies. I always thought these little heads, which were more or less floating in the air, looked a bit weird. On the other hand, with or without bodies, these players were among the best ever. Get a load of this one, which has five players who are all enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Evaluating this set is easy. The pluses include a nice card design, graphics and photography, with card backs that are easy to read. The minuses include league leaders and rookies without bodies, too many pictures of players without hats (at least 10%) and several clunker cards. Even with these negatives, however, the 1963 Topps set comes up a winner.

#      Grubby Glove            Eric Karabell                     Mark Simon

1.      Rangers                    Rangers                           Angels

2.      Cardinals                  Yankees                           Yankees

3.      Yankees                   Angels                              Tigers

4.      Tigers                       Phillies                              Red Sox

5.      Phillies                      Rays                                 Phillies

6.      Angels                      Tigers                               Cardinals

7.      Rays                         Red Sox                            Rangers

8.      Giants                      Cardinals                           Rays

9.      Diamondbacks         Diamondbacks                   Reds

10.    Red Sox                   Braves                               Giants

The three of us had nine of the same teams in our top tens. Eric and I agreed on the Rangers in the first slot and the Diamondbacks in the ninth. Mark and I had the Phillies in fifth place. They each had the Yankees in the second slot, while I thought the Bronx Bombers were third. And so it went.

This was fun to do. With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in less than three weeks, most of the teams have their pieces for 2012 in place. However, six weeks of spring training often changes a team. Young players emerge. Some veteran players have lost a step and are no longer able to play a full, 162 game season, or even at the major league level at all. Pitchers who were successful in previous seasons suddenly have difficulty locating the plate. Still others, given a chance by a big-league club to make the team with a successful showing during spring training, work hard and make the roster. Developments of this nature will cause these rankings to change several times before the season opens on March 28th, when the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics get things going by locking up for two games in Japan.

In the meantime, we’ll monitor the comings and goings of the thirty clubs, and report out from time to time. We’re all excited here at Team Grubby, because spring training is just around the corner.

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And The Big “E” Lights Up On The Rheingold Score Board!

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