Saturday Night Five: World War II Veterans

I've always had a deep admiration and have been fascinated by athletes who set their careers to the side and risked their lives to help protect our country during times of war.  The take the word "sacrifice" to a completely different level.

Tonight, I thought I'd share five pieces of sports memorabilia from my collection of baseball hall of famers who happened to fight for our freedom during World War II.


#1:  Warren Spahn

1999 Century Legends Epic Signatures #WS

Spahn was involved in the Battle of the Bulge, where they were surrounded by Germans in the middle of one of the coldest winters on record.

#2:  Jerry Coleman 

Jerry Coleman Autographed Ball

(Tristar Authenticated)

Coleman flew 57 combat missions in a Douglas SBD Dauntless as part of the VMTB-341 (Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 341) against the Japanese in the South Pacific.

#3:  Yogi Berra

1999 Century Legends Epic Signatures #YB

Berra was on a boat 300 yards off the coast of Omaha Beach on June 6th, 1944.  D-Day.  Their task was to protect the troops landing on the beach with machine guns and rockets against the Germans.

#4:  Bob Feller

Bob Feller Autographed Ball

Feller served on the USS Alabama as a Chief Petty Officer from 1943 to 1945.  The USS Alabama was involved in a handful of battles in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

#5:  Ted Williams 

1987 Perez Steel Great Moments

(PSA/DNA Authenticated)

Technically Williams didn't see any active combat during World War II.  However he did spend three years during the war learning how to fly while setting several combat training records.  After the war, he returned to baseball.  In 1952 he was recalled to active duty and served in the Korean War where he flew 39 combat missions.

I'd like to thank all of these guys and the millions of other brave men and women who have served or who are currently serving in our country's armed forces to protect and keep our country safe.  Words cannot truly express how grateful I am for the sacrifices made for me, my family, my friends, my students, and all of the other people who live in this great country.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Overlooked and Underappreciated

Whenever collectors talk about iconic memorabilia cards, Ken Griffey Jr's 1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey card is usually part of the discussion and rightfully so.  It was a part of a historic set... the first baseball game worn jersey memorabilia card set ever produced.

Plus it featured one of the most popular baseball players of the era and arguably the best player in the game at the time.  And when you factor in how tough this card was to pull (1:800 packs), it's no wonder this card still sells in the $500 price range.

But often lost in Griffey's shadow are the two other players on this set's checklist:  Tony Gwynn and Rey Ordonez.

1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey #GJ3

Okay.  I understand why Rey Ordonez doesn't receive a lot of recognition.  Sure he was a 3x Gold Glove Award winning shortstop playing in New York, however he wasn't exactly the hottest rookie in the game.  That title should have gone to the other shortstop playing in New York.

But the third guy on the checklist is a bonafide first ballot hall of famer and was one of the best pure hitters of his generation.

1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey #GJ2

Yet I was able to pick up this jersey card a while back over at Dave and Adam's Card World for a little under $10.  Some of you might be thinking that spending $10 for a memorabilia card is a little outrageous, but compared to Griffey the Gwynn is a steal.

I'll never deny The Kid's greatness.  He was the driving force for the hobby for years... whereas Mr. Padre was buried in San Diego his entire twenty year career.  But is Griffey really worth 25 to 50 times more than Gwynn?  Well... based on what collectors are paying... I guess he is.

But that's okay, because that just means that Gwynn and Ordonez collectors have the opportunity to grab a really cool piece of history for a reasonable price.

In addition to advocating for Gwynn and Ordonez's 1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey card, I'm also using them for my Day 28 submission to Tony's 30 Day Baseball Card Challenge, which asks us to show off a favorite relic/manufactured relic card.

So there are two of my favorite relic cards.  What about you?

Do you have a favorite relic or manufactured relic sitting in your collection?

Happy Hump Day!  Have a great Wednesday and sayonara!

Guilt Is An Excellent Motivator

I'm not sure if I should be more thankful or apologetic to all of the bloggers and collectors out there who have been patiently waiting on a care package from me, so I'll go ahead and do both.

Thank you to all of you who have sent care packages to me throughout 2017. I'm sure many of you had given up hope of ever receiving anything in return and I personally don't blame you.  I wish I had a good excuse, but there really isn't one.

Sure... I ran into busy times, but I also had three weeks off during the summer.  I'd start putting together some packages and order some things off of COMC, then completely get distracted or lose motivation.

I became the kid who keeps pushing off their homework assignments until there's so many piled up that he feels overwhelmed and completely gives up. 

Eventually guilt was my biggest source of motivation, so about three weeks ago I forced myself to hammer out these packages.  When I was finished there were a total of 27 packages that were shipped out this afternoon:

Here are a list of zip codes I sent packages to:


50131, 45067, 76063, 99518, 05866, 07701, 26505, 80020, 07066, 85338, 79424, 35750, 07044, 10707, 55129, 35816, 97213, 33323, 77530, 48005, 60586, 83651, 77066, 93065, 44256, 48105, 66223

I have a package built for Kin (I Feel Like A Collector Again), but I need a mailing address.  So if you're reading this, shoot me an email and I'll get it shipped out hopefully by Christmas.

I'm also putting together a package for Woody over at CCW, but he knows that all of my Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics stuff will be headed his way.  It's just a matter of picking up some things for him.

If for some reason I missed anyone and I owe you a care package, shoot me an email and I'll put one together.  I went through all of my thank you posts and compiled a list, but there's a chance I missed someone.

Anyways... bottom line is that I'm sorry for keeping so many of you waiting.

Happy Monday and sayonara!

Saturday Night Five: Favorite Houston Astros

I had originally planned on publishing this post last Saturday right before Game 4 of the World Series, but I got distracted and never finished writing it.

I thought about shelving it for next year or deleting it altogether, but decided to go ahead and publish it as a way of honoring the 2017 World Series Champions and their fans.

So without further adieu... here are my five favorite Houston Astros from their all-time roster:

Current:  Jose Altuve

2017 Gypsy Queen Gum Back Auto #CBCA-JA

I'll keep it short and simple.  He's one of the best hitters in the league.  He consistently plays hard.  He's one of the leaders in the Astros clubhouse.  And he accomplishes all of this while being one of the shortest guys in the league.  He's truly the little engine that could and one of my favorite players in the game.


Early 90's to Mid 2000's:  Craig Biggio

2013 Five Star Autographs #FSBA-CB

For years, I was more of a Bagwell, than a Biggio kind of guy.  But when he became a member of the 3,000 hit club, I looked back at his career and was truly amazed at how his numbers added up over the years.  I also admire any athlete that sticks with one franchise over their entire career.  

Early 90's to Mid 2000's:  Jeff Bagwell

2003 Flair Sweet Swatch Autos #JB

I enjoyed watching highlights of Bagwell since 1991, the same year he took our hobby by storm.  I still have 20+ copies of his 1991 Upper Deck rookie card sitting in a box somewhere.  He had the popular combination of hitting for average and power, while even displaying some speed for a few years.  It was nice to see him get voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this year.

Late 80's to Mid 90's:  Ken Caminiti

1989 Donruss #542

When it comes to hitting, Ken Caminiti is hands down the biggest name to come out of my alma mater... San Jose State University.  For that reason alone... he makes this list.


Mid 70's to Early 80's:  J.R. Richard

2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-JR

I don't remember seeing Richard pitch in person, but I do remember being blown away by his statistics while flipping through my National League Green Books.  From 1976 until he suffered his stroke in the Summer of 1980, he was considered one of the premiere pitchers in the National League.  You gotta wonder if Houston would have been able to take down the Phillies in the NLCS had he been around to pitch that postseason.

What about you?

Who are your all-time favorite Houston Astros?

Hope all of you are enjoying your first weekend without baseball.  Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Burnt Out

I'm officially burnt out.  I love my students and classes this year, but I'm counting the days until Thanksgiving break.  I seriously need to recharge my batteries and spend some time with my collection and this blog.

Speaking of that... I apologize for the lack of posts.  In between watching the MLB playoffs and catching up on The Blacklist and The Walking Dead, I've been more interested in reading your blog posts instead of writing my own.

I've also been busy building long-overdue care packages that will be shipped out in the very near future.

In the meantime... here are a few cards from my collection that crossed my mind after watching Wednesday night's game...

2016 Five Star Silver Signatures #FSSS-JA

I jumped on the Astros bandwagon as soon as the A's and Padres were eliminated, which was fairly early in the season.  Why?  Well... pretty much to support one of my favorite players in the game who hopefully wins the 2017 AL MVP Award.

After Verlander took home the ALCS MVP Award, I was really hoping Altuve would win the Willie Mays World Series MVP Award.

2011 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects #81

But after seeing Springer's first two at-bats on Wednesday, I knew he had locked up the award if the Astros could hold onto the lead.

2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #YD

Yeah... I was rooting for the Astros... but Darvish was one of the Dodgers that I was quietly rooting for and I was excited to see him get the Game 7 start.  Sadly Springer ended his evening very, very early.

2013 Topps Update Rookie Commemorative Patch #TRCP-14

On the other hand, it was awesome to see Kershaw bounce back and pitch four solid innings in relief for the Dodgers.  He kept them in the game, but their offense missed out on numerous chances to put runs on the board.  I would have been pulling my hair out if I was an LA fan.

2015 Bowman's Best Hi-Def Heritage #HDH-CC

I'm sure Astros fans were nervous too, since both teams proved that they could bounce back from a three run deficit in Game 5.

But in the end, the Astros held on and celebrated their first World Series title.  It was really cool to watch the celebration and witness Showrrea propose to his girlfriend.

Congratulations Carlos!  Congratulations George!  And congratulations to the rest of the Houston Astros franchise and all of their fans!

Happy Friday and sayonara!