30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Showing Some Lefty Love

Mad props to the bloggers out there who write daily posts on the fly.  Normally 75 to 85% of my posts are written the day they're published.  But a few weeks ago I started planning for this hectic time of the year and wrote a handful of pre-scheduled posts.

My
Thursday post was one of those pre-scheduled posts that I had written earlier in the week.  So when Ryan reminded me on Tuesday that Thursday was International Lefthanders Day, I made a quick edit to the post without changing anything else.

At least two other bloggers mentioned the special day on their blogsJohn Sharp wrote a nice piece on Tigers left-handed legend, Mickey Lolich, while Night Owl wrote a few sentences at the start of his Thursday post.

That brings us to today's post... which I decided to dedicate to all of my fellow left-handed bloggers and readers out there.  Did you know that only 10 to 12% of the world's population is left-handed?  And that we're more prone to allergies, migraines, and sleep deprivation?  I didn't.  But I learned about it from this article.

But keeping things real... you aren't here to read statistics and facts about left-handed people.  You're here to see sports cards.  My original plan was to look through my 70's and 80's binders to find cards featuring lefties throwing the ball.

Unfortunately this week has been insane and next week isn't going to get any better.  Time is limited and I need to write and schedule at least three posts by 3pm today.  That means the original plan has been nixed... and you get one card that I purchased three years ago, yet never bothered to write about until today instead:

2017 Topps Museum Collection Meaningful Material #MR-CB (#'d 06/50)

This card was one of those add-on purchases from an eBay seller who offered free shipping if you won any additional auctions.  The main card I purchased was this Rod Carew autograph:

2017 Topps Museum Collection Archival Autographs #AA-RCR (#'d 64/75)

This card set me back $13.82 (+ $3.95 shipping), but the Blackmon patch was only $2.25 extra.


Both Blackmon and Carew are left-handed hitters who have won at least one batting title.  However Carew isn't part of the Lefty PC, since he threw with his right hand.

Okay... I wanted to include at least one card from my 70's baseball binder.  Here's the first left-handed player in action I stumbled across:

1972 Topps #170

Vida Blue happened to be my response to John's question on his Thursday post.

I won't copy his exact question, but it's similar...

Who are your favorite left-handed athletes?

And...

What chance (percentage) do you give Blackmon ending the shortened season with a .400 batting average?

Happy belated International Lefthanders Day and sayonara!

17 comments:

  1. I only bat lefty (I throw right) but still get called "wrong-handed" for that all the time :D. So many lefties have been great, though, including the ones you and others mentioned. To you and Ned Flanders, happy International Lefthanders Day!

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  2. Don’t have any favorite left handers, but I have been enjoying left hander Matt Strahm from the Padres opening boxes at different stadiums while he is on the road. He had a YouTube channel. Great post today!!

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  3. I'm horrible at remembering stuff like this. I was a big Carlton fan growing up though.

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  4. My favorite lefty athletes would be koufax, stabler, kershaw, brunell, plus guys like Ruth, gehrig, and cobb.

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  5. The word "sinister" literally means left-handed. But you probably knew that.

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  6. I wouldn't call myself a lefty per say, but after hurting my right arm a few times with throwing and hitting, I trained myself to throw and hit that way somewhat decently.

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  7. Phillies' pitcher Chris Short threw lefty but bat righty. I wonder how rare that combo is?

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  8. Lefties are awesome. I would like to say I am left-handed, but I probably border on ambidextrous. Ray Lankford, John Tudor, Jim Edmonds, and Blake Snell are my favorite left-handed players.

    I would love to see someone hit .400. It would just be a cool accomplishment even if it's only over 60 games. Blackmon would be a cool player to pull it off.

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  9. Love the Vida Blue card. Can't remember who, or the exact quote, but back in the early 70's when asked what the Oakland A's colors were someone said kelly green, california gold, wedding gown white, and Vida Blue! Have a great school year!

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  10. You know me: Darryl Strawberry and John Kruk! I give Blackmon a 50/50 chance. He will. Or he won't.

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  11. Another left-handed blogger here. I'll give Blackmon a 25% chance. Do we even know what the minimum number of ABs is to qualify? Clint Frazier is hitting .636! (through twelve at bats . . .)

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  12. dennis - i'm the opposite. bat right, throw left. ned flanders is left-handed? nice.

    sumomenkoman - thanks for reminding me buddy. i'll have to look up his channel when i have some extra free time

    elliptical man - i'm horrible at remembering stuff in general

    gcrl - i have autographs of your first four guys for my lefty pc. as for ruth, gehrig, and cobb... only in my dreams

    jongudmund - i didn't. good piece of trivia

    sport card collectors - very cool. when i taught fifth and sixth grade, i'd have students who'd break their writing hand and eventually learn how to write with their opposite hand.

    jim from downingtown - i actuallly wrote a post on that topic a month or so ago. it's pretty rare. but rickey and i are part of that club

    the snorting bull - nice. i can hit from both sides of the plate, but that's about as close as i'm getting to being ambidextrous.

    cincicuse bill - great quote. i'll have to remember that

    peter k steinberg - didn't realize both of your main guys are lefty.

    bo - hello fellow lefty. not sure of the minimum at bats, but i'm guessing 12 isn't going to cut it.

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  13. Blackmon has a 40% chance of hitting .400

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  14. Probably gotta go with Leo Messi for favorite lefty here.

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  15. adam kaningher - i can live with that prediction.

    nick vossbrink - didn't realize he was a lefty. just received a set designed by him from topps. if and when i write up a post, i'll have to add that piece of trivia into it.

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  16. Favorite Lefty Baseball Player:
    Tim Tebow
    Chuck Nasty ends the season with a .400 avg.: 10% chance

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    1. xavier higgins - I should look into adding Tebow to my Lefty PC. as for blackmon, he's struggled the last four games which has sent his batting average from .405 to .362. i'd say 10% chance is a safe bet.

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