Happy Veterans Day!

I wanted to say Happy Veterans Day to everyone who has or is still serving our country.  There is no greater thing to do to have to leave the ones you love to protect people you don't know.  I wanted to show you a near 4 minute video I made about the invasion of Iraq in which I was apart of.  I hope you enjoy!

SGT Pilarski Untied States Army Retired

Different Cards, Same Play! Joe Girardi

As a baseball card collector we have frequently seen the same photos used on different cards.  Today I seen something that has eluded me since 1995, two cards from different sets from the same play.  I found by accident two Joe Girardi 1995 Upper Deck cards, #409 Upper Deck and a #448 Upper Deck Collectors Edition.  Below you have two photos of the softest plays at the plate I have ever seen.  Both Girardi and the Cubs player could care less about the ball, but they both are more concerned with something towards first base.  Leads me to wonder, what are they looking at?

In the first photo before, the Cubs player doesn't seemed to concerned about being safe or out.  When I think of plays at the plate I think of these types of plays:

I guess this play at the plate was so inspiring that Upper Deck had to use another image to put on another card.

Now lets see these cards as they look in their designs.  The Upper Deck Collectors Choice card has thoughts of the 1973 Topps photos where if it wasn't for the name you wouldn't know what player's card this was.  You have a random backside and arm in the photo that covers up half of Girardi.

Between the card above and below, bad photos and you may wonder who's card is this?

I am guessing Upper Deck realized that the card above's photo was so bad, they had to redeem themselves by making another card from the same play at another angle.

Let the funny comments begin on what these two players were looking at, because it isn't like they were watching for a play at second base, because Girardi had the ball!  Here is my idea of why Girardi and the unknown Cubs player were looking at.

Hope you don't mind my 1960s Topps Airbrushing!

Vintage Book Review: Topps "The Home Run Book"

Before there was Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds, there were players like Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, and Yogi Berra.  In 1981 Topps created a pretty neat book simply called "The Home Run Book".  Today if this book was created many of these past great ball players would be overshadowed by the "Juice" ball era players.

This book is nothing super special, but is a good sized 96-pages, full of information, and dozens of black and white photos.  I found this book at an old book store many years ago for a quarter, without even opening the book I knew it was a must have for me.  The big appeal, it was made by Topps and the cover had some great photos of baseball cards.

Inside the very last page of the book is a short description of Sadaharu Oh who hit 868 home runs while playing in Japan.  Interesting notes about Oh, he also holds a tie with several others with the most home runs in a season at 55.  Oh managed several different teams in Japan in the 1990s and until retiring in 2008.  Oh reportedly would tell his pitchers to intentionally walk American batters who were nearing breaking his single season record.  Two times Oh's teams would be playing a player who held a tie at 55 home runs, in 1998 Karl Rhodes, and in 2001 Alex Cabrera.  (1)

This book not only has information on players, but it has sections such as season records, home run first timers, sizing up home run hitter, and even information looking into Babe Ruth's called shot.  Let us not forget the chapter about if anyone will ever break Roger Maris' single season home run record of 61.  I just read this book again last night and fell back in love with players that I have forgotten about from Hack Wilson to Boog Powell.  

If you are a card collector that also doubles as collecting baseball books, this is a must have.  Today you can find this online at Amazon for $4 with shipping, or better yet, maybe you can pick it up like I did for a quarter at an old book store!  I hope you find one of these books for your collection too!

Baseball Card's First Parallel - 1975 Topps Mini

1975 Topps Mini Wax Pack

Starting in 1951 Topps began making baseball cards for the mainstream collectors, and almost every year till 1975 they also experimented with many odd-ball or insert type sets.  In 1992, Leaf baseball cards began making black parallels of their base cards, which many see as the first true parallel card.

Since 1992, it has become a custom thing that card companies make limited parallel sets to their base cards.  Some newer collectors may not know this, but it was Topps in 1975 that experimented with this new thought of parallels.  Though there is a big difference between now and then, today parallels are inserted in random packs with the base cards.  For example, Topps would put a Gold numbered card inserted 1:8 packs.  In the 1992 Leaf issue, there was one black parallel per pack.  In 1975 you wouldn't find the parallel mini cards within a 1975 Topps pack, instead they created mini packs.  The mini cards were a bit smaller than the originals but they had the same photos and colors.

The 1975 Topps Mini set is a very popular set for many vintage collectors because it is a little more affordable than the 1975 Topps set.  Plus, it gives another key rookie card for two Hall of Fame players, Robin Yount, and George Brett.  Topps for the first time printed in equal 132 card sheets, so these sets had no short print or double print cards.  Baseball card vending machines were also popular in the 1970s, and the 1975 Topps Mini cards were sometimes found in them.  Regular sized Topps cards measured 2 1/2 x 3 1/2, while the Topps Mini's measured 2 1/4 " x 3 1/8.  

This set is a perfect affordable set for those collectors just starting out trying to build a vintage set.  Typically you could find key player cards about 25-50% below what the same card is full sized.  If you are looking for an affordable Yount or Brett rookie, this is your set!  

I only have 16 total 1975 Topps Mini cards, so if anyone has some doubles think of me in any trades!

Rockies Name Walt Weiss As Manager

Former Major League Rookie of the Year (1988) and also former Colorado Rockie from 1994-1997 was named tonight as the newest Rockies manager.  Weiss has been coaching high school baseball at a large school in the Denver area, and did work as an assistant with the Colorado Rockies.  Weiss is another manager appointed to a Major League team in which he has never coached in any professional level.

1991 Topps Walt Weiss Card

1989 Topps Walt Weiss Card

1995 Topps Walt Weiss Card (Rockies)

Congratulations Mr. Weiss, and good luck in 2013!