#561 Dodgers Rookie Stars: Daboll, Mike Kekich, Jim Lefebvre, and Hector Valle

Wow, check out the Brady Bunch action on this four-player rookie card! If I were Lefebvre or Valle, I think I’d be a little miffed about getting smaller photos than the other two. Of course, it’s an honor just to be featured on a baseball card, blah bl…

Continue reading about #561 Dodgers Rookie Stars: Daboll, Mike Kekich, Jim Lefebvre, and Hector Valle »

Ah, the New York Mess. Sure, it’s an old and lame joke, but those first few Mets teams were pretty bedraggled, and they certainly look a mess with the orange and lime green color scheme that Topps chose for their team card.In just their third year of…

Continue reading about #551 New York Mets Team »

We’re nearing the end of the impressive run of cards that Max sent my way. The last few in this bundle are lesser lights, so please enjoy one more Hall of Famer for the road! Fun facts about Lou Brock: -Hailing from El Dorardo, AR, Lou played college b…

Continue reading about #540 Lou Brock »

At long last, we come to Ueck! I am not dealing in hyperbole when I tell you that this is my absolute favorite card in the set, the one that I have been waiting with bated breath to show off and discuss. Before I was truly wedded to the idea of acquiri…

Continue reading about #519 Bob Uecker »

Here we see young Houston catcher Jerry Grote auditioning for the role of Dick Tracy villain Flattop. Fun facts about Jerry Grote: -Born in San Antonio, TX, he attended nearby Trinity University for a year before signing with the Colt .45s in 1962. -De…

Continue reading about #504 Jerry Grote »

Just in time for spring training, we have a Hall of Famer standing in front of palm trees! But what’s this “Ed” Mathews business, anyhow? They got it right on the back of the card. Weird stuff. Fun facts about Eddie Mathews: -Hailing from Texarkana, TX…

Continue reading about #500 Eddie Mathews »

Just a week after posting Luis Aparicio, we come across his good friend and longtime double play partner! I love it when things work out that way. Fun facts about Nellie Fox: -A native of St. Thomas, PA, Nellie signed with the Philadelphia Athletics at…

Continue reading about #485 Nellie Fox »

That’s right, it’s a mighty young “Hawk”! One look at his beak, and you can see how Ken got his nickname.Fun facts about Ken Harrelson:-Ken was born in Woodruff, SC, and was a four-sport athlete in high school (baseball, basketball, football, and golf)…

Continue reading about #479 Ken Harrelson »

Wow. I’m sure I’ve talked about how hit-or-miss these multi-rookie cards are, but this is almost certainly the best of the bunch. The Braves Rookie Stars card with Clay Carroll and Phil Niekro is the only challenger, I’d say. It’s hard to beat six comb…

Continue reading about #473 Orioles Rookie Stars: Paul Blair and Dave Johnson »

In keeping with this week’s trend of Class of 1984 Hall of Famers with solid nicknames, today brings “Little Looie”. The half-obscured patch on his left sleeve was worn by the Orioles in 1964 to commemorate the sesquicentennial (that’s 150th) anniversa…

Continue reading about #410 Luis Aparicio »

THE KILLER! What a great card, and in such great shape. I know that of the 56 cards that I have yet to obtain from this set, there are some big names left to go, so I was surprised to consult my checklist and see that I have four of the five “Hero Numb…

Continue reading about #400 Harmon Killebrew »

Well, what do you know? It’s back-to-back World Series heroes, and they even experienced their shining moments in back-to-back years. I’m also in awe of Don Larsen’s haircut, which you could set your watch to. At least that’s what Abe Simpson told me.F…

Continue reading about #389 Don Larsen »

With this card, we move from a parcel of cards from Max to…another parcel of cards from Max! This one is pretty star-studded; when a World Series hero is one of the lesser cards, you know you’ve got a special group. For about the 50th time, I offer m…

Continue reading about #387 Johnny Podres »

It’s pretty rare to get an extreme closeup in this set in which the player is wearing a hat. I’m glad to see better detail on Chico’s Reds hat, as we can see the red pinstripes that match those on his jersey. I’m also grateful that the camera angle isn…

Continue reading about #554 Chico Ruiz »

I’ve wandered home after spending the weekend snowed in with my better half in Calvert County, so it’s time to get back on the horse with this now-45-year-old card set. Next man up is Gene Freese, who to the best of my knowledge was never nicknamed “Mr…

Continue reading about #492 Gene Freese »

Here’s the nattily bespectacled Frank Kreutzer, who the Senators scouted while he was working at the local public library. Full disclosure: This cheap joke is not to be interpreted as a dig at librarians. Why, my own girlfriend is a librarian. Fun fact…

Continue reading about #371 Frank Kreutzer »

This card gives one of the best looks at the Braves uniform in this entire set. Leaving aside any political correctness, I really think this is one of the more aesthetically pleasing designs in baseball, and I’m glad that Ted Turner came to his senses …

Continue reading about #346 Bobby Bragan »

Wow, check out Marty’s bulging right eye in this photo. This may be the first instance of the Evil Eye in the 1965 Topps set. Maybe he spotted Pete Rose makin’ moves on his old lady. Check yourself, Pete…Marty don’t play that.Fun facts about Marty Ke…

Continue reading about #263 Marty Keough »

Say, wait a minute! The Indians didn’t wear pinstripes in the 1960s, did they? Why, no! No they didn’t! Those are Yankee pinstripes, as Bud was traded to Cleveland on November 27, 1964. This is the veteran’s last baseball card, as the Tribe released hi…

Continue reading about #262 Bud Daley »

I think we can safely add “Lindy” to the list of names we may never see again in baseball. His birth name was Lyndall, by the way. I was going to make a Triple Lindy joke, but regrettably McDaniel never hit a three-bagger in his career. Que sera, sera….

Continue reading about #244 Lindy McDaniel »

The Tigers had a fair season in 1964, winning 85 and losing 77, but that was only good enough for fourth place in the American League, a distant 14 games behind the Yankees and a dozen back of the third-place Orioles. A 19-28 start buried the Bengals e…

Continue reading about #173 Detroit Tigers Team »

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the ocean…it’s another massive deposit of cards from Max! These originally arrived in my mailbox in late March of 2009, and there are some good ones yet to come. Um, not that I’m selling Doug Camilli sh…

Continue reading about #77 Doug Camilli »

Here comes the last card from my first trade with Kris. Thanks again! This might be the best team card in the set, between the wacky 45-degree angle and the snazzy Yankees emblem resting between the two bat boys. As a bonus, it’s waaayyy miscut. Two th…

Continue reading about #513 New York Yankees Team »

One thing you’ll notice about this batch of cards that Kris sent me is that they’re in very good condition with one exception: the original owner treated them as prototypes for Topps Traded. In this case, a youngster came across this card somewhere bet…

Continue reading about #475 Clete Boyer »

Do you think this counts for our ongoing series of players with two first names? Elston sounds more like a last name, but it gets the job done, I’d say. At any rate, this is a pretty nifty card featuring the first black player to be a regular for the Y…

Continue reading about #450 Elston Howard »

As I discussed with reader Max (aka jacobmrley) in the comments for the last entry, this is the third straight player featured who has “two first names”. It’s just uncanny, is what it is. Fun facts about Julian Javier: -Originally from San Francisco de…

Continue reading about #447 Julian Javier »

Continue reading about #127 Frank Lary »

Continue reading about #411 Roger Craig »

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Continue reading about #382 J.C. Martin »

Continue reading about #593 Tigers Rookies: Jackie Moore and John Sullivan »

Continue reading about #566 Yankees Rookies: Gil Blanco, Art Lopez, and Ross Moschitto »

Continue reading about #558 Tommie Sisk »

Continue reading about #539 Herm Starrette »