Blow Out the Candles June 14

Blow out the candles for:

Boys of Summer pitcher Don Newcombe turns 84 today.

2005 UD Signature Decades

August 22, 1955

Tennis great Steffi Graf celebrates number 41 today.

Classical pianist, Lang Lang is 28.

The Donald will no doubt celebrate his 64th birthday in style.

The iconic Boy George is 49 today.

Barry Melton of the 1960's band, Country Joe and the Fish is turning 63 today.

The late Burl Ives was born on this date in 1909.

1930 Speed

Back in April I posted this card of Lindbergh's "The Spirit of St. Louis" from a 1930 set from W.D. & H.O Wills called "SPEED". Here are another handful from the "air" portion:

2010 National Chicle

By design I haven't purchased many 2010 cards. I was intrigued enough to by one blaster of National Chicle. Like most of the painted sets this one is uneven but I did get a pretty nice assortment of cards that I did like and even one minor hit. Here's some of my favorites with a few comments.

#17

Number 4 all time on the home run list (for me). Will he enter the Hall in a Mariner's uniform?

#255

I can't get too much Babe Ruth. I like the simplicity of this one.

#93

Is he underrated? Maybe under the radar playing in Houston. His record is a terrific 141-78 with a 3.23 ERA. I like the purple background on this one and the determined look.

#297

#253

These 2 are of the Hall of Fame 2nd baseman of the Chicago Cubs. I like them for that reason. Is there a story behind the choice of 2 of him as a Phillie? I get that he started his career there but he only had 6 at-bats before being traded. Is this just a "what might have been"? I doubt Phillies fans feel too bad about it, ala the Cubs trading Lou Brock. Am I wrong?

#230

#95

I'm not a Brewers fan but I am a fan of "The Hebrew Hammer".

#323

This one has a sort of primitive "folk art" look to it. I just like it.

#233

Yeah, I like the legends.


Here's the hit, a #12/25 Topps back. I've seen a few of these on Ebay in the $10 range, but so far no actual sales.

The Name Game -- Battery Mates

Can you think of any interesting name pairings for battery mates? They can either be guys that actually played together (Cone to Cerone) or just be real players of any era. Here's a couple of examples:

Hands and Foot

Lamp to Lampkin

Before You Get Your Strasburg Tattoo...

I was happy to see Stephen Strasburg make history last night. He seems like a good guy and I have nothing against the Nationals. Also, after so many years of "chicks dig the long ball" it's a nice change to see pitching get the upper hand. On the other hand, before you name your kid after him or get his face tattooed on your ... arm I have two words for you---KERRY WOOD. I still like Kerry (even as an Indian) but he's a reminder that young pitchers, as great as they seem, can break down. Let's hope this doesn't happen with Strasburg and we get to witness the next really great pitching star.

The Shot Heard Round the World

Looking for a good baseball book to read this summer?

"The Echoing Green" tells the story of how a decision by Giant's manager Leo Durocher on July 19, 1951 changed a baseball season, affected the lives of millions of fans in New York and around the country and ultimately set up a moment that would forever link two players.

Thomson and Branca, both in their eighties, have had almost sixty years to sign so these cards can be had for very little.

Anyone else read a good baseball book lately?

This Bird Rocks!!

Have you all seen this video yet? It was new to me.

Is this Ebay Seller Kidding?

Fans of Craigslist idiots check this out.

I found it on Ebay today. In case you think the price is a misprint, check out his other items.

I just sent him a note asking if he was joking.

NBA Cheerleader Cards

Here's another group of cards that I guess the only good answer as to why I'm posting would be, "Because they're there". Put out in 1991 by a company called Lime Rock International, the set consisted of 41 cards of NBA cheerleaders from just three teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and Washington Bullets. The following year the company issued a similar set featuring NFL squads from New Orleans, Dallas, Miami and Oakland. Other Lime Rock sets I've seen listed are MAD magazine (might be interesting) and Bozo the Clown (what?).

Amy did not want to give her last name.

Not one to give up, Diane did become Miss Pennsylvania in 1993.

Marjorie Black was the black Twiggy.

"HELLLOOO NURSE!"

Looking at these cards also made me think of this video from a decade earlier:

And this one: