Spotlight: Bob Lemon

In my last post, I briefly mentioned Bob Lemon, who was one of four men featured on a Cleveland Indians coaches card. However, I don't think it's right to brush over a Hall of Fame career, so I'll put the spotlight on him in this post. 

My local card store has a box of old photos and magazines signed by athletes of various sports. Most of the athletes are baseball players, including a few Hall of Famers. I got this certified authentic autographed photo for ten dollars, I believe - not bad for something I can just pick up and take home without paying for shipping. 

Once again, I apologize for the bad picture quality. I would take another one, but this picture is in a box and kind of a pain to get to. Although I am known as The Ignorant Collector, I should probably be known as the Collector Who Can't Take Good Pictures. 

Originally a third baseman, Lemon made his MLB debut at 20 in September 1941. He mostly played in the minors in 1942, and only made five at bats for Cleveland before spending three years in military service. When he returned, he worked with pitcher Mel Harder, the first modern pitching coach, to convert to the mound, and became one of the finest pitchers of his generation. Lemon won 20 or more games in six different seasons, leading the AL three times, and threw 10 shutouts in 1948. The highlight of his career came in that year's World Series, when he went 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA and helped the Indians take home the title, the most recent in franchise history. 

Due to his background as a position player, Lemon was an outstanding defensive pitcher and also a great hitter who clubbed 37 big-league homers. From 1947 through 1950, he batted .282 / .341 / .520 (128 OPS+) with 20 home runs, and was used as a pinch hitter throughout his career. 

This is the second Hall of Famer autograph I have blogged about so far, having previously shown a signed photo of Eddie Mathews. However, I have several more that I am excited to share with the blogging community. Stay tuned to see them, and thanks for reading! 

A Trip Down Memory Lane Featuring 1960 Topps

A few days ago, I found myself at my local card shop when I stumbled upon a binder of 1960 Topps cards. They were fairly cheap, so I decided to look through them. What followed was a trip down memory lane in more ways than one: I had forgotten how much I like this set, having previously traded for a few from a fellow blogger, and I couldn't resist grabbing cards of players I had previously written about on my other blog, The Cooperstown Advocate. 

Nicknamed "The Walking Man," Eddie Yost collected 1,614 of them in his career, which are the 11th most of all time. In addition to his plate discipline, Yost scored over 100 runs in five different seasons and led AL third basemen in putouts eight times. While he isn't the best third baseman outside of Cooperstown, he wouldn't be a bad pick. 

While I didn't advocate for his election to the Hall of Fame, I did write a post about Johnny Logan because I think he should be remembered. Despite not really having a case for Cooperstown, Logan was certainly a solid player, receiving MVP votes in six consecutive seasons and topping the NL in doubles in 1955. 

Mel Harder was a fine pitcher in his time, winning 223 games despite never pitching for a pennant winner. He was also the man who revolutionized the role of pitching coach, in the process helping future Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Early Wynn, and the above-pictured Bob Lemon, among others, find remarkable success. Also featured are Jo-Jo White and Red Kress. 

I almost wrote an article about Jimmy Dykes. He was a good player, collecting 2,256 hits and winning two World Series, and a long-tenured manager who skippered nearly 3,000 games. While I don't think he's a Hall of Famer, he is certainly an important part of baseball history. 

Also a former player, Bob Elliott was remarkably consistent on both offense and defense. A six-time all-star and 1947 NL MVP, Elliott had six seasons with over 100 RBI's and collected the most hits in the decade of the 1940's. He was also a steady third baseman who had a strong arm. 

I really love Elliott's picture on this card. His toothless smile and jovial expression make him look like a fun, trouble-making uncle. 

I thought it was cool to get a card of Gordon pretty cheap without going online. A nine-time all-star, Gordon was an incredible fielder and one of the greatest power-hitting second basemen of all time. Although he didn't live to see it, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. 

I also got a card of Al Lopez, a truly impressive manager who piloted both the 1954 Indians and the "Go Go" 1959 White Sox. He was also a top-tier defensive catcher in his playing days, ranking fourth in MLB history with a .541 caught stealing percentage over 19 seasons. 

I really like the backs of these manager cards: 

They're just so fun. 

While I picked up several cards of managers who had good playing careers, I also flipped the script and grabbed a player card of a future successful manager: 

Dick Williams was a journeyman utility player from 1951 through 1964, hitting .260 with 70 home runs. He was better known as a manager, winning four pennants and two World Championships. However, his career winning percentage was only .520, and he only had 1,571 wins. As such, he found his way into my Lucky Hall of Famers section. 

That'll wrap up my little trip down memory lane. It was very fun to find these cards and look back on the posts that I had written over time (and reflect on how much my writing has improved since 2021). Thank you all for reading and be sure to check them out! 

Cards On Steroids

In a time when players started growing at an alarming rate, some baseball card companies followed suit, and in 1994 Fleer released an Extra Bases set featuring 400 cards. Each card in the set measured 2.5 x 4.6875 inches. Here is a regular card for comparison: 

When I was younger, I used to frequent a card shop that sold 660-card boxes of for a couple bucks, and sometimes there would be good stuff in there. I'm pretty sure I got these in one of those boxes. 

Here's the back of the Martinez card: 

"Hamstrung" campaign? Ouch. 

I just love Willie McGee's expression in this picture. He looks very panicked, or could simply be complaining that one of his drives got caught. However, his look on the back might be even better: 

Just epic. 

Jose Rijo was actually a better pitcher than most people remember. He was one of the very best pitchers in the game for a seven-year span between 1988 and 1994, posting a 2.63 ERA. Rijo was the World Series MVP in 1990 and topped the NL with 227 strikeouts in 1993. However, he was soon plagued by arm troubles, and he missed five consecutive seasons due to injury. In 2001, months after receiving a vote for the Hall of Fame, Rijo made a comeback and posted a 2.12 ERA in 13 appearances. 

I find it amusing that it makes a point to mention Martinez's star potential. I doubt they could have foreseen what he would become. I also love baseball cards of pitchers batting. 

Welp, guess that'll about do it. Thanks for reading! 

More Texas Rangers Autographs (From Batting Out Of Order)

Last week, fellow blogger Batting Out Of Order sent me a package of autographs from old Texas Rangers fanfests. Since the Rangers are my team and autographs are a big part of my collection, I was pleased to see what was inside. 

Jeff Russell was a pretty good pitcher for a while. Active from 1983 through 1996, he made two all-star teams, one as a starter and one as a reliever. Russell collected 186 career saves, including four seasons with at least 30, and won Rolaids Relief in 1989. 

Not sure what 1956 refers to. 

Wayne Terwilliger played parts of nine seasons in the Majors between 1949 and 1960. His best season was in 1953, when he batted .252 with 24 doubles and turned 108 double plays as the Washington Senators second baseman. He also hit 10 homers and stole 13 bases for the 1950 Cubs. 

This Kinsler card is easily my favorite of the package. A Gold Glove second baseman, Kinsler was one of the Rangers' biggest stars for years, twice hitting 30 homers with the club and batting .293 in the World Series. 

This is actually the second Kinsler autograph I own, as I previously met him at a Frisco RoughRiders game on September 2, 2023. Four former RoughRiders (all of whom later played for the Rangers) were at a table signing autographs, and I was lucky enough to get a baseball signed, which may show up on this blog at some point. 

Thanks again to Batting Out Of Order and thanks for reading! 

Coins!

A few years ago, I found myself inside a cards and collectibles shop when I spotted something I had never seen before: several plastic player coins released by Topps in 2013 and 2014. I believe they were 50 cents each, so I picked out three of my favorite players: 

Here are the backs: 

Although these pictures don't do them justice, I think these are really nice looking coins, and they're in good shape. The Posey and Bumgarner coins were from 2013, and the Trout was from 2014. Anyone else have any coins from these sets? 

Although I am ultimately a Texas Rangers fan, my loyalties were previously with the Angels and the Giants, hence why these three players were my favorites. My grandfather was one of the last Ellis Island immigrants in 1950, and he spent his childhood years in New York, where he became a diehard Giants fan. He went to college in California, where he met my grandmother, and they settled down in the Bay Area, where he continued seeing Giants games at Candlestick. When he retired, he got a job as an usher at the stadium (then Pac Bell), which he enjoyed until his death. It was a really cool job, since he got to share it with my grandmother, and since he could get paid to watch all the Giants' home games. His love for the Giants passed on to my father, who passed it on to me, and I went to several Giants games as a little kid. As I got older, I got invested in the Giants' 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Championships and the insane performances from Posey and MadBum. And of course, Trout was the sensational player in the game at that point, and since my mother is an Angels fan, I loved him as well. 

What are y'all's thoughts on Buster Posey for the Hall of Fame? I always love a good Hall of Fame debate, and I personally think he belongs. Here is a list of his career accomplishments: 

-In an era when catchers rarely hit .300, Posey sustained a .302 / .372 / .460 slash line across his entire career, good for an OPS+ of 129. 

-He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2010 and MVP in 2012, when he led the Majors with a .336 batting average to go along with 24 homers and 103 RBI's. 

-He was a seven-time all-star, five-time Silver Slugger, and three-time World Champion in only twelve seasons, and to date is the only catcher ever to win a Rookie of the Year Award, an MVP, and a Batting Title. 

-He was excellent behind the plate as well, throwing out 32.9% of potential base thieves over his career and catching three no-hitters, including Matt Cain's perfect game in 2012. He beat out Yadier Molina for a Gold Glove in 2016. 

-He was twice the NL Comeback Player of the Year, once in 2012 after missing most of 2011 to a broken leg (which resulted in his very own rule change) and again in 2021, when he batted .304 after opting out in 2020 and led the Giants to a franchise-record 107 wins. 

While his counting statistics are somewhat low, he was still the best catcher in the league when he retired and could have kept compiling his record, but instead chose a higher calling, to retire and care for his medically fragile children. He had nothing else to prove on the diamond. 

Any other pros or cons for his case? 

Making Boring Cards Interesting, Part 1

Gonna start this post off by explaining something. The email address associated with the device I currently use is somehow linked to my mother's blogging profile, so I haven't been able to comment on other blogs using my own profile. For certain blogs, I can type in my credentials, but for many I cannot. So if I'm not commenting on your blogs, don't think I don't care - I just haven't been able to lately. 

Sometimes 1980's and 1990's cards are boring. Here's an attempt to spice 'em up. 

I love telling people that I have a baseball card of Mike Tyson. Before the legendary boxer captured the spotlight and became one of the greatest athletes of the 1980's, there was a different Mike Tyson who played for the Cardinals and the Cubs. Tyson batted .241 with 27 homers and 269 RBI's from 1972 through 1981. Although he came first, I can't say the 5'9", 170-pound middle infielder would beat out his much larger counterpart. 

A batter could totally read this pitch out of Guidry's hand (curveball). His fingers look pretty funny in this shot. Also, his second baseman needs to pay better attention during the play. Luckily for him, his face has conveniently been blurred, probably to avoid shame. 

Yes, Shane, you're safe. 

Lou Whitaker is one of my favorite candidates for the Hall of Fame. He was a Rookie of the Year, five-time all-star, four-time Silver Slugger, and three-time Gold Glove winner. His career statistics are better than those of many second basemen in the Hall, and he paired with Alan Trammell to form one of the best middle infield duos in history. Having Trammell in the Hall without Whitaker is like having peanut butter without jelly (whereas having neither was like fasting on Easter). 

His teammate Jack Morris, however, was a pretty bad pick for the Hall of Fame. If the Hall wanted to induct 1984 Tigers, I'd have preferred to see Whitaker, Lance Parrish, or even Darrell Evans get in first. I hate to bag on a good pitcher, but his election still irks me. 

None of those three above posts are my best written work, but they nevertheless convey my general thoughts. 

Oh yeah, and I got Tommy John. Just don't tell my baseball coach. 

2023 Texas Rangers Fanfest

In January of 2023, the Texas Rangers held a fanfest at Globe Life Field which I was fortunate enough to attend with my brothers. There were guest appearances, on-field wiffle ball, but best of all, autographs. 

The big stars like Semien and Seager were also at the event, but their lines filled up almost immediately, so we took our chance to get these three pitchers to sign. Jon Gray had come off a solid 2022 season in which he posted a 3.96 ERA, and Sborz would be the one to close out the 2023 World Series. 

These cards were made specifically for the event, so I don't believe they have a particular identification. If any of y'all know more about these, feel free to correct me. 

While I was at the stadium, I also grabbed some dirt from home plate (don't know if that was smart but I did it) and also a 2023 Rangers schedule: 

The 2023 season was absolutely magical. Nobody saw the Rangers coming, but they ended up having five all-star starters (six total) and winning the World Series. It was very fun listening to the Rangers every night on the radio, rooting against the Astros and Mariners, and having my hometown players on my fantasy team. Although the Rangers captured the championship in Arizona, I had the privilege of attending a watch party at Globe Life Field, where the game was playing on the megatrons. The stadium went crazy when the game ended, and I may or may not have been splashed with some beer from thrown bottles. 

Ain't nothing like it.