Wednesday, June 29, 2011

to 100 faster than anyone before....

Name me some great Braves pitchers. From any season. C'mon, even you 7 Braves haters that gather in your mom's basement once a month to stick pins in a Chipper Jones voodoo doll can acknowledge some amazingly great pitchers in the Braves past.
Smoltz, Glavine, maybe a guy named Spahn... well out of all the boys who have taken the mound representing the Braves, can you tell me who got to 100 strikeouts the fastest?

Okay, the pictures may have helped you. But for those of you who don't know yet, it was The Baby Faced Assassin, Craig Kimbrel.
 100 K's in 59 1/3 innings. That's not bad. Can anybody besides dayf tell me who's record he broke???

All this from a kid who looks like he should be delivering my newspaper.
I'm not sure if he even shaves yet.

Go get 'em kid... I just hope Freddy doesn't wear your arm off....

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Look what I found! Part 356

As some of you know, I'm a very organized person. Neat and orderly. Except for my card collection. Go figure. But I've been working on it. And I am gaining on it. Slowly. But the key is that I am gaining.
One of the fun things about all of this, is coming across lost treasures in boxes and closets that I had forgotten about.
This is one of those. A Braves team set from the 1979 TCMA Baseball set. But we're not talking about Ted Turner's '79 Braves here. Oh no.

May I introduce you to Roy Hartsfield, 1950 and '51 Boston Braves 2nd baseman. Also the very first manager of the Blue Jays.
 Buddy Kerr 1950 and '51 Boston Braves shortstop. I love these photos.
 Del Crandall. Like dayf, I think up until Javy and BMac, Del was the greatest Braves catcher.
 Sam Jethroe. Sam led the NL in steals and runs scored during his first two seasons in 1950 and '51.
 Sid Gordon. Sid was one of the Braves sluggers for a few seasons after being acquired from the Giants. He was one of the ones who moved with the team from Boston to Milwaukee.
 As expected, not all of the vintage photos can be perfect. Such as the case with Vern Bickford here.
 Willard Marshall. Will only spent two season's with the Braves. Leaving for Cincinnati when Boston left for Milwaukee.
 Johnny Logan, one of the Braves best shortstops of all time.
 Some guy named Spahn. I think he was a pitcher.
 Mr Eddie Matthews. Can you imagine sitting in that one room school house learning about fractions or something and looking out and seeing Eddie Freaking Matthews taking some cuts? Class dismissed.
I love these cards.... I may try and find the rest of the set now.... just what I need, right?

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Payback!

A couple of weekends ago, I dragged the wife out of town to one of the local nurseries to look at some trees and greenery for the back yard. She agreed a little too readily, but I unfortunately didn't notice at the time. After picking out some shrubbery, (why do I feel like watching Monty Python right now?) she volunteered to drive home. The second warning sign I missed. I must be getting old. Or I've given up and haven't yet noticed.
Anyways... I'm sure a lot of you have been trapped like this. On the way home, she pulled off onto a different road and into a yard sale. All the signs in front of me and I missed all of them. Now I'm doomed for a morning of yard sales. Fantastic. Now what? Think fast man!

I did what any sane person would do. No, not cower in the back of the truck in the fetal position.... I got revenge. Payback if you will.

I bought stuff. Stuff I know would annoy the hell out of my wife. Want to see?

I bought books. Old books. Books about stuff she couldn't care less about. And I plan on leaving them laying around half read throughout the house.
 There's some beauties in there... .25 cents each! The bottom three on the left were a box set for .50 cents!
You should've seen her cringe when I asked her to hold some of them while I dug for more....

and then there's the cards! Oh yeah! Again, out of a .25 cent box. How come I can't find a card shop with a .25 cent box, or even a card show with one, but I can find one at a yard sale in rural Alberta?
That's Big Andruw, an unopened pack of 5x7 cards from an Esso gas station, a Pavel Bure Young Gun rookie card with a Pat Fallon Team Canada rookie card in one of theose double holder thingies.... and not one, but two Eric Lindros rookie cards in screw down holders.
I used to sell those for $40.... now I'm buying them for .25.... with a $2 screw down holder included.

The look on her face when I held those up and shouted to her from 30 feet away, "Honey! Look!"

I added a rusty old metal Coca Cola sign and a lantern from the wagon train days for $5 so I could put them in the garage where she parks. She sees them just sitting there every day, twice a day now.

And I no longer am asked to go to yard sales with her.

I need to write a book or something....

Monday, June 20, 2011

Does this make me one of "them"???

I caved. I relented. I gave in. I conceded. For the first time in just over 19 years, I fell off the wagon. There were no 12 steps to save me. My dealer merely smiled and took my money.

I bought....... a Beckett.
For the first time since spring of 1992, I bought a beckett price guide. Even typing the words price guide gives me the shivers.
Did you know these things are now $10??? And that's only because my dealer wants everyone to be hooked so he doesn't charge the $15 cover price?!!
Not only that, but they are now 3/4 " thick! I should be able to read for hours! But no. Out of 168 pages, 14 pages of advertisements, 8 pages of stories, and 144 pages of price guide. All in glorious black and white, blurry newsprint.
Does this mean that everytime someone offers me a trade that I'll go sprinting over to check to see if I'm giving up a $40 card and only getting $38 in cards back? No.
I needed a handy printed checklist to look up cards because there are waaaay too many sets out there that I don't know about. After perusing this...... it may or may not work. Too soon to tell.

So out of this, I have two questions.... #1 Does this make me one of them? You know the guy I'm talking about...... I don't think so, but we're entering perilous waters here....
and question #2.... How do I tell my wife? Confused? Here's part two to my story....

Because I always need a good laugh, I started to look up some of my cards in the .... "price guide" section. I'm sitting there, chuckling away, when my wife happens along. She asks what I'm doing, and then offers to help. Now she rarely helps with anything card related except opening packs.... so I accept her offer.

Spending time with her, check. Still playing with sportscards, check. Good times, check.

I soon realized that it was a huge mistake. As I continued to pull out cards, she kept looking up their "worth". I was in big trouble.
After an hour, my wife had figured out just by using this small sample size, then multiplying by what I had upstairs, that we were millionaires. She couldn't understand why I wasn't as excited as she was.... there was no bursting her bubble. Deep into her beautiful brown eyes were dollar signs.... lots of them.
The next day I came home and there were vacation brochures on the counter. Belize, Bora Bora, and Montenegro.

I don't even know where Montenegro is.....

Then she comes home with a new car.

After reviving me, she explained it was just a test drive, and would I like to take it for a spin?

So I ask you, how the hell do I explain to her reality. And that this price guide is the furthest thing from it???
Why do they even print a price guide that haas no prices even close to true value???

Monday, June 13, 2011

Hockey players are tougher than baseball players......

this is too true.......


Top 10 Hockey Tough Guys and Their Baseball Counterparts


hockey player ian laperriere slapshot to mouth10: Ian Laperriere, Philadelphia Flyers:  

During the first period of a game versus the Buffalo Sabres, Laperriere stopped a wicked slap shot with his mouth and lost seven teeth in the process. An injury this gruesome should require at least a few weeks eating through a straw and drooling all over yourself. Not for a hockey player. Laperriere sat out the second period while he received 100 stitches. He then returned to the ice for the third period and didn’t miss a game all season.
This led to what may be one of the greatest headlines in Philadelphia sports history: “Puck Out Indefinitely After Taking a Laperriere to the Face”

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

In 2004 Sammy Sosa spent 15 days on the disabled list with back spasms caused by sneezing too hard.

9: Martin St Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning:hockey player martin st louis losing teeth

During game one of the 2011 Eastern Conference playoffs vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, the diminutive Lightning winger got two teeth knocked out by a high stick. Of course, he finished the game and underwent a double root canal the next day.
In the next series against the Washington Capitals, he took two more shots to the mouth and the team's dentists had to cement three of his teeth back in. After each game he’d spend 40 minutes in the trainer’s room draining the pus and trying to re-stabilize his teeth so he could continue in the series.

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

Outfielder Kevin Mitchell and donuts were close friends. One night, in a fit of desperate craving, Mitchell microwaved a frozen donut just a little too long. The donut hardened and as he chomped down he broke his tooth. The broken tooth led to a root canal and a trip to the disabled list for two weeks of rest, relaxation and properly defrosted donuts.

hockey player eddie shore boston bruins8: Eddie Shore, Boston Bruins

Back in 1925 during practice (when practice wasn’t inspired by Allen Iverson) Shore’s ear was nearly ripped off during a confrontation with teammate Billy Coutu. Shore visited several doctors who all told him that the ear would have to be amputated. After an exhaustive search, Shore found one doctor who was willing to try sewing it back on. And near as I can tell from a Google image search, the ear stayed put.
Shore, the original tough guy hockey player, refused anesthetics, used a mirror to watch the good doctor work his magic and then played in the next game.

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

Spending a lot of time in the sun while wearing a baseball hat can lead to an awkward tan line. You know, the one where your chin, nose and cheeks are a perfect golden brown but your forehead stays as white as your bottom. This must have really annoyed Marty Cordova because the former Baltimore Orioles outfielder was known to spend a lot of his down-time in a tanning bed. During one visit, the 1995 Rookie of the Year got a little too relaxed, fell asleep and the resulting tanning bed burns forced him to miss a few games.

7: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightninghockey player steven stamkos puck to face

During game seven of the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, the 21-year-old Stamkos took a slapshot to the face that badly broke his nose and left a lot of blood on the ice. But this was game seven. A winner-take-all for a trip to the Stanley Cup finals and Stamkos wasn’t about to spend the rest of the game in the locker room.
Like Humpty Dumpty before him, the Lightning training staff worked feverishly to put the young center back together again. Stamkos returned to the ice only five minutes later with a nose packed with cotton, some temporary stitches and a full face cage.

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

Diamondbacks pitcher Brian Anderson ended up losing the feeling in his pitching arm after a 20-minute cab ride to shop on Rodeo Drive.  Anderson blamed the numbness in his elbow from laying his pitching arm across the top of the backseat. Quite possibly the first time a professional athlete was injured by the backseat of a cab.

hockey player jeremy roenick fixing broken jaw6: Jeremy Roenick, Phoenix Coyotes:

Roenick was once one of the scrappiest players in the NHL and he had his share of enemies around the league. One of those enemies was 6’5” 240 lbs Dallas Stars defenseman Darian Hatcher. Hatcher lined up Roenick behind the net one game and gave the winger a crushing elbow to the face and head that broke his jaw in multiple places.  Hatcher was immediately ejected. Roenick paused, skated to the bench, spit out some blood and stuck his fingers into his mouth to adjust the shattered remnants of his jaw. He took his next shift.

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

During a post-game interview, Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan tore the meniscus in his left knee while smashing a shaving cream pie into the face of teammate Wes Helms. Coghlan missed six weeks after surgery.

5: Paul Kariya, Anaheim Mighty Duckshockey player paul kariya knocked out by scott stevens

During game six of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs, New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Stevens lined up Kariya in the open ice and leveled the Ducks captain and star player. Kariya was knocked out cold and lay motionless on the ice. After several seconds Kariya regained consciousness and teammates helped him off the ice and into the locker room.
It was assumed that Kariya would be out for the remainder of the series, but just 11 minutes later Kariya skated back out onto the ice. Not only did he return to play, he also scored a goal to lead the Ducks to victory and force a game seven.

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

Braves outfielder Terry Harper separated his shoulder while waving a teammate home and subsequently high-fiving him. There is no excuse for this, unless the teammate rounding third was Brock Lesnar.

hockey player mario lemieux cancer survivor4: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins

While on pace to break Wayne Gretzky’s single season scoring record, the Penguins superstar announced that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and would have to undergo radiation treatment for at least two months.  Lemieux’s life and career were both threatened.
On the last day of his radiation treatment, Lemieux left a Pittsburgh hospital headed for the airport and flew directly to Philadelphia for a game THAT NIGHT. In his first game back he scored a goal and an assist and even got a standing ovation from the Philadelphia fans; fans who are best known for their accuracy throwing batteries at the opposition, not giving applause.
Despite missing two months of action, Lemieux captured the scoring title with 160 points on the year. To put that in perspective, Daniel Sedin led the league in 2011 with 106 points.

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Steve Foster injured his shoulder knocking over milk bottles during a segment with Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show”.

3: Bobby Baun, Toronto Maple Leafshockey player bobby baun toronto maple leafs

In the 1964 Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings, the Maple Leafs blue liner blocked a Gordie Howe shot with his ankle and fell to the ice in pain. Baun had to be carried off the ice with a stretcher and suspected the ankle was broken. In true hockey player style, Baun refused x-rays and instead opted for a "tight tape job". The game went into overtime and it was Baun who scored the game-winner forcing a game seven.
Still refusing to have the ankle x-rayed for fear the team wouldn’t allow him to play, Baun popped some painkillers and headed to the ice for game seven. He didn’t miss a shift and the Leafs cruised to a 4-0 victory. Afterward Baun finally had that x-ray which revealed a badly broken ankle.

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

Milwaukee Brewers knuckleballer Steve Sparks attended a motivational speaking seminar where the host ripped phone books in half! The session worked, Sparks was so fired up he tried to do the stunt himself…and dislocated his shoulder.

hockey player maurice rocket richard2: Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Montreal Canadiens

In game seven of the Stanley Cup semifinals between the Canadiens and the Boston Bruins, Richard was upended and landed on the ice head-first. These were the days before helmets, and Richard lay motionless surrounded by a growing pool of blood.  After regaining consciousness he was helped off the ice by teammates and into the locker room.
To the surprise of everyone in the arena, Richard came back to the bench in the third period with a bandage on his forehead and a jersey still soaked in his own blood. He bounded onto the ice, blood still tricking down his face, and took the puck coast-to-coast through the entire Bruins team to score the winning goal. Many still refer to it as “the greatest goal in the history of the game”.

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

Enigmatic Giants third baseman Chris Brown once asked out of the lineup because of a strained eyelid that made it difficult to blink. When asked the cause of his injury, he informed the skipper that “he slept on it wrong.”

1: Clint Malarchuk, Buffalo Sabreshockey player clint malarchuk bleeding from throat

One of the most gruesome injuries ever sustained in professional sports was back in 1989 when Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk was struck in the throat by another skate. The skate blade sliced open his interior carotid artery and a scene from a Horror movie played out before the fans eyes. Malarchuk rose on his own power and skated toward the nearest door off the ice.
It's odd to say that Malarchuk had luck on his side, but he did. The closest door led to the on-site emergency room where the medical staff was able to stabilize the bleeding enough for transport to a local hospital. Three hundred stitches later the wound was closed and Malarchuk was saved.
What makes this the ultimate Hockey player story? A mere four days later Malarchuk was back on the ice for practice, and a week after that he started in goal against the Quebec Nordiques.

Meanwhile, in Baseball ...

Just before the 2006 American League Championship Series, Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Joel Zumaya strained his arm and was unavailable for most of the series. How did he get hurt? Playing too much Guitar Hero.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

The Night Time is the Right Time

A little while ago the infamous Night Owl put up some cards on his blog from teh 2009 OPC baseball set. I love this set and have been trying to complete it for sometime now. I casually inquired (read: BEGGED) for any help with completion that he may be able to offer.

Well wouldn't you know, N.O. had the last card I needed to complete the set.
 Awesome. Owl also sent over one of the inserts I need as well. (I'm trying to complete all the insert sets also)
 32 Yankees in the picture but somehow it's Jeter that is saluting the crowd. This just in... there are other Yankees on the ballclub... and more talented ones too.....  over rated has been...

Of course Owl felt guilty sending over a Phillie and a Yankee. Who wouldn't??? So he softened the blow by including a bunch of Braves and a few random hockey cards. (I'm Canadian, you know, eh?)

Mr Murphy from that new fangled Gypsy set all the kids are talking about....
 and his friend JHey.
 Tommy Hanson about to unleash a fastball that is so fast it will strike you out. Last week. Before you even came to town.
 An old Chipper!!! You know this sucker is gettting peeled.
 A shiny of the best catcher in baseball. Odd how finally the sports "journalists" are now calling him that. I've been doing it for years.
 And a gold Frenchie! I miss Jeff. I'm glad he's playing really well for the Chiefs. I mean Royals.
 I now have the black, blue, and gold Frenchie's from that set. I only need the orange.

Among the random hockey cards was one of one of my all-time favourite players. Lyle Odelein.
I had the privilege of meeting Lyle a number of years ago. And it was a privilege. Lyle is one of those golly gee shucks kind of guys who is humbled and honoured that someone would even recognize him, let alone be a fan. Thanks for the beers Lyle.

And thanks to Night Owl for all of the cards, including those that I was waaay too lazy to scan. A return package is on the way to you.

Monday, June 6, 2011

My easiest trade ever.

I don't do a lot of trading with other bloggers much anymore. It takes a lot of time, which I always seem to have none of. I prefer the old way. I get a stack of cards of a certain team, then fire them off to someone as a surprise. It's fun, and does not take any time at all.
However, most of the kids trade nowadays, so time to get with it.

I was perusing my blogroll the other day when I found a post from Bo of Baseball Cards Come To Life fame.
Bo had issued a plea, NAY!, a cry for help. He was missing one card for his 1991 Fleer set. Ryne Sandberg. Well looking through my box, I found 8 or so and decided I could spare one. I put out an email to Bo saying I would send him one.
He told me to look through his tradelist for something I wanted. This made me a wee uncomfortable as asking for something in return for '91 Fleer is bad mojo. I said I would send him the Sandberg gratis, however if he really wanted to send me something, there was a card I liked.

Of course Bo sent it.
1983 Topps #411. One card closer to my Braves team set. Awesome.

Thanks Bo!!!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

I need '89 Topps! and other things.....

Yes... the phrase you never thought you'd ever hear from a card blogger... I need '89 Topps baseball. And some other years as well.
So if you have this card....
 or any of his friends that I need.... please dig through your closets, under your bed, the bottom of the recycle bin, and save them for me.
I finally got off my butt and finished my Topps Braves want list. Well, from 1952 through 1991 anyways.... '92 until now is going to be a bitch.
So if you have Topps baseball cards from 1952 to 1991, and wish to help, please go HERE to checkout my wantlist.
I thank you.