TWiB: 80's Baseball, the Loss of a Legend, and More Slabs

This was a weird week.  I'm not just talking about what's going down in Washington D.C.  I'm talking about This Week in Blogging.

Normally I have tons of stuff to write about, but this week my notes were lacking.  Part of that has to do with the fact that I missed an entire day of reading blogs, but I think I just dropped the ball in documenting what was going on in our blogosphere this week.

Maybe this is for the better, since last week's post was a little too long for my liking.  This week's post we restore balance.

#1:  Another Sayonara Salute

After school yesterday, I hopped in my car and headed for Taco Bell... to grab some comfort food to cap off another week of teaching online.  That's when I heard the news about Tommy Lasorda.

2017 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-TL

There's something about managers from my childhood that made such a huge impact on my love for baseball.  Back then memorizing the names of managers was just as important to me as memorizing starting shortstops.

This morning I quizzed myself and was able to accurately name only eight current managers and their teams.  That's pretty sad.  I'm still kicking myself for forgetting Aaron Boone.

2005 Donruss Greats Blues Materials #DB4

Anyways back in the 80's, I enjoyed cheering for Fernando and Sax, despising Gibson, and watching guys like Garvey, Hershiser, and Guerrero... but everything started with Lasorda.  He was the face of the franchise.

2005 Donruss Greats Blues Materials #DB4

The news of his death might have been sad, but it was really nice sitting in my car in front of my place, eating nachos, and listening to radio personalities (who are San Francisco Giants supporters) reminisce on their favorite Tommy Lasorda memories.

One of them talked about this particular moment:

I had never heard of or seen this play before... but that's exactly how I remember Lasorda from my childhood.  You can just see and hear his love for baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers in his voice.  Rest in peace, Mr. Lasorda.

Oh I almost forgot, please check out these other Tommy Lasorda tributes written by actual Los Angeles Dodgers fans: Chavez Ravining, Night Owl Cards, and cards as i see them.

#2:  The Countdown Begins

Night Owl has revealed the first ten cards on his list of The Greatest 100 Cards of the '80s.  I've been excited about this series, because I love that decade.  Plus I'm way too lazy to actually sit down and compile my own list.

1986 Topps #85

Anytime people publish these sort of lists, there are going to be cards you agree and disagree with.  That's part of the fun.  Seeing this awesome Tony Perez card reminded me of a conversation I had with another collector a long time ago.  I can't remember who came up with the idea, but we both thought it would have been cool if Topps used the photo on Eric and Tony's 1986 Topps cards.

#3:  Shoebox Slabs

Shoebox Legends and I both enjoy collecting graded cards.  I realize this isn't for everyone.  In fact, it seems like most of my readers and fellow bloggers aren't fans of encapsulating cards.  That being said, Shane wrote two great posts this week and each featured a slabbed sports card.

1974 Topps #201

The first one featured an ALCS highlight card from the 1975 Topps set signed by Brooks Robinson and Tony Kubiak.  I thought I had at least a few dual signed slabbed signatures in my collection, but this Rod Carew and Pete Rose was the only one I found in my search.

The other card he featured on his blog was a graded 1935 Diamond Stars Kiki Cuyler that he paid less than $25 for.  One look at the card he purchase and you'll be in awe.  Not very often you can purchase a beautifully conditioned card of a hall of famer from a vintage set for that kind of price.

He was able to pick it up for a great price, because it's graded the same as my Steve Carlton rookie card:

1965 Topps #477

Both of our cards received these grades, because they were stabbed and slabbed.  So if you ever want to pick up a great deal on a graded card... try to find a copy with a pinhole in it.

#4:  OCD and Collecting

Although I've never been officially diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), I display many of the commons signs and symptoms.

Cardboard Hogs wrote a great post last weekend where he gave his readers a peek behind the curtain as he showed off how he sorts and stores his collection.  Even if you don't have OCD, it's still an interesting read.  I encourage you to check it out.

Well that's it for another This Week in Blogging post.  Hopefully this upcoming week I'll be more focused... and the week itself will be filled with more positivity and cheer.

I'll help kick things off by showing up a new and improved version of Tamlyn Tomita for my Celebrity Crush PC:

2011 Rittenhouse Eureka Autographs #NNO

I wasn't a big fan of the way Rittenhouse captured her beauty on the Heroes card I posted this past Tuesday, so I ran out and grabbed an autograph from a show I had never heard of or seen before.  But I think she looks much prettier on this card.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!