Binder Page Heroes 8 Splendid Splinter Edition

happy friday, everbody.  here's to the upcoming weekend.

it's a cardinal rule that Teddy Ballgame cards are a MUST for any collection worth it's mettle.  Since  my current baseball card budget won't allow me to buy any cards from william's playing days, i have to settle for cards of williams as a manager, and reprints or tribute cards.

as the Binder Page Heroes series unfolds, we'll see those types of williams cards sprinkled throughout, but as is the case with other players i collect, he also gets his own page. this is what currently sits in my binder page featuring the greatest hitter who ever lived...

in 1941 williams hits .406.   in 1942 he wins the freakin' triple crown.  then he goes to WWII.  in his first season back from the war, 1946, he's understandably a bit rusty, yet he blasts 'only' 38 homers and 'only' 123 RBIs, earning AL MVP honors.  in 1947, he earns the triple crown AGAIN !  he missed 3 prime years in the war.  he later went on to fly 37 combat missions in the korean war ('52 and '53 seasons).  more on that later.

williams was the first manager of the washington senators, and actually was voted manager of the year in his first season at the helm.

this is a great card because it's one of the few times anybody ever saw williams smile.

let's see how epstein here did under the tutelage of the greatest hitter who ever lived:  epstein hit for 30 HR, 85 RBIs and .278 BA.  how about this...epstein apparently took hitting science so seriously, he developed a technique known as 'rotational hitting' that has apparently caught on out here on the west coast.  do you think that was a result of his being a student of williams?

 while i don't discount anyone's service in the military, i do question topps using the term "ace" to describe williams.  it's my undertanding in order to be an ace, you actually have to have 5 or more combat kills to your credit.  that said, teddy ballgame flew 37 COMBAT missions, and successfully landed his plane when it was damaged by flak.  so that certainly makes him a legitimate war pilot, patriot and bad ass in my book. 

speaking of books, this is one of those mini-booklets that fold open with stats and stories about the player.  these booklets are very affordable and fun little oddballs.  the lower half is covered up by one-third of another oddball release, a BAT card.

here's old school teddy wondering what the heck he's doing on a hippie psychedelic freak out designed card.  hey, he's got ex-Dodger Frank Howard playing for him. go rangers !

natch: ex-Dodger Howard topping the batting stats. 

this is the BAT tri-fold card.  i can't bring myself to fold it just so it will neatly fit in its sleeve.

thanks for reading, everybody.

Loot from a Dimwit Break (and a cool surprise)

hey there everybody,

let's take a break from griping about last night's MNF game long enough to check out these cool cards that i picked up in last month's break over at The Daily Dimwit.

before we get into that loot, let's check out the cool surprise i teased about in the title...

yup..its my long-awaited Koufax autograph that i caught in a group break over at Community Gum before summer.  it was a long wait, but worth it. 

O.K., now on to the group break loot from Sam over at the Dimwit.  I always feel so bad to refer to Sam as a Dimwit, but that's the name o' the blog, so i roll with it.  BTW - if you're an angels fan like Tom over at The Angels In Order - you might be interested in seeing the angels cards i got, as they were my second team.  i caught a hit from the break, and that was a pretty good angel... 

but first, let's see the Dodgers cards that came from the 2007 masterpieces box..

 boy, i love this set.

another fantastic addition for my Robinson collection.  i totally dig this card showing Jackie's history-making moment in signing with the Dodgers. the design of the set seems tailor made to match the moment.

there's always room for a new Piazza card !

this was a very nice surprise.  a Koufax box-topper !   i also caught the regular size version of this card.

i've seen this card bouncing around ebay but never pulled the trigger on it, been secretly hoping i'm gonna open a trade package and find it inside, been checking all your blogs to see if you're offering it for trade...nothing !  this break...finally...GOT IT !

that was just about it for my Boys in Blue.  everything else came from team 2, the angels.   hope you angel fans see something here you want (hint, hint)...

here's the base card AND green frame parallel of vlady

hint about the upcoming hit: it aint howie

2005 topps pristine legends was one of the other boxes in the break.   here's my lone Dodger from that box.  if pedro martinez ran into this incarnation of Zimmer, and not the 85 year-old version, i'm putting my money on this Zim to knock pedro on his skinny little fanny.

any joyner fans out there?  these would be great additions to a joyner collection.

finally, my hit.   the Dodgers had his big brother, jeff, who was pretty darn good in his own right.  presenting little brother, jered...

this is a very nice card.  well designed and a cool signature. 

that's my loot.  thanks for reading ATBATT everybody.

Binder Page Heroes 7 Johhny Bench Edition

hey everybody. happy monday!

Regular readers of ATBATT know that i consider johnny bench to be the greatest catcher to play the game.  while some might argue that point, bench is certainly the greatest catcher i ever had the privilege to see play.  so its a given that any johnny bench card is welcome in my collection.

what makes bench such a bad ass to me is he caught a heck of a game, blocked the plate like a man, and then could go out and beat your team with a big home run.  with bench at the plate and a good pitcher on the mound, that's all you really needed. 

we don't get a rear view of this card, as it's just a part of some larger puzzle image.  anybody out there know what the puzzle image is?  a boring card back, but i still love these sporting news cards.

how about some johnny bench stats: 14 time all-star, 10 times gold glove, 2 times MVP, rookie of the year, and later..a world series MVP. 

how about the condition of this '71 bench? pretty durn awesome IMO.

this is my favorite bench card.  i love the old time catchers gear and uni.  photo taken seconds after a play at the plate. the dust still in the air, and bench with a look that says "who else wants some?"

i love WS cards with WS heroes doing WS shite.  the '76 fall classic featured a 'show down' between 2 of the best catchers of the generation, bench and thurman munson.  here comes munson to the plate, and bench not giving an inch.  bench was MVP of the series.

...but why does his card have batting stats for the yankees on it?

i don't usually collect these kellogs issues, but i just couldn't pass this one up when i came across it.  classic card with a classic player, and a great portrait.  even the inevitable cracks on the face of the card don't distract and seem to be luckily placed just right. 

Binder Page Heroes 6 Tribute Cards Edition

hey everybody,

how you all doing? boy, my Dodgers are stinking it up these days.

i'm losing confidence in Mattingly as a manager.  i gave him lots of pass for being green, but he sure as heck doesn't seem to show any kind of knack toward learning and adjusting when it comes to managing a line up and making best use of the cards he done been dealt.

case in point:  Matt Kemp is officially batting like juan uribe - yes, THAT juan uribe.  sure, he's hitting .300, but that BA has been running on fumes for a month.  for the past month he's been an automatic out -  or, if someone's on base, an automatic double play - but Mattingly continues to blindly bat Kemp in the 3 spot or cleanup.   equally for the past month he buried one of the hottest Dodger bats, Luis Cruuuuz, low in the lineup with no opportunities to extend innings, knock in RBI's or generate any heat or momentum for the team.

That's only one (month long) example. He's mangled the line up throughout this season.
OK, venting completed.
 Today i'm presenting the Tribute Cards Edition of Binder Page Heroes.  These are cards paying tribute to past sets and past great players.  Just for fun, let's enjoy...

Most of you know i love vintage, and i love the old time sets.  i can never really buy any good condition cards from these releases, so tributes and reprints are my doorway in.

1905 WS.  Mathewson starts game 1.  Pitches shutout.  Pitches Game 3.  Another shutout win.  Pitches Game 5. Shutout.  3 complete games, no runs.  Bad to the Bone.

every time i'm flipping through my binder, i always stop and admire this little work of cardboard art.

how awesome is this card? does anyone remember that frank thomas card where he's giant sized and has one foot inside the stadium?  that's one of my favorites of his.

over 500 HRs. career .345 BA. 9 times all- star. 2 times WS champion. 3 times AL MVP.  not bad.

i love this set's design.  the green of outfield grass, faux curtain design along the top, and great photos of the old timers.

simple, classic beauty in design and color.  besides, this is the only way i EVER get close to a lou gehrig baseball card in my binder.

more art. i love that sky which reminds me of the times we would play baseball right up to the last minute as ribbons of sunset brought darkness and the inevitable final at bat.

 THANKS for reading, everybody !