Saturday in the Park - Bumgarner near perfect

On Saturday night, I went to San Francisco and attended the Giants and Padres game with my daughter and son-in-law.  This was the second time that I've attended a game at AT&T Park.  The last time I was there, was in 2003, when the ball field was called SBC Park.   We arrived at the game early as we wanted to watch batting practice.  We got the chance to watch the Padres batting practice.    When a ball was hit into the stands, it seemed like adults were scrambling after the balls, and I believe that they would have bullied over anyone in an effort to get to a ball.

 

Our seats were in right field.  During batting practice, as kids stood around hoping that a ball would be hit to them, no ball came close to being hit near our seats.  However, one of the Padres players standing in the outfield tossed a ball to kids into the area.  It was cool to see how excited these children were as the held on their treasures.  The joy of these unforgettable moments were documented by photographs taken by parents.  This was a reminder to me that baseball is a kids game and how important it is to share the game with them and teach them to enjoy it.   The Padres player who tossed the ball into the stands was wearing a warm up jacket so I didn't know who it was.  I wish that I could have thank him personally and I also wish he could have seen how happy those kids were when they held into his and her ball.

 

We were fortunate to attend a great game.  That night Madison Bumgarner pitched a one hitter.

 

Bumgarner about to delivery a pitch early in the game.

Bumgarner had a perfect game going into the 8th inning as he retired the first 23 Padres batters.  The Padres' first hit was a single by pinch hitter Melvin Upton coming with two outs in the 8th inning.  Bumgarner retired the last four Padres batters he faced after Upton's single and he finished the night with nine strikeouts while facing only 28 batters. 

 

Bumgarner near perfect game  

 

The night of the game there was a Lego promotion.  

 

 

 

The Lego Group had created a life size Buster Posey that people could pose with.

 

 

 

It was nice to go to the game with my daughter and son in law.  My daughter likes Giant rookie infielder Kelby Tomlinson, as she and her husband had a chance to hear Tomlinson speak a few weeks ago.  Tomlinson has been playing second base while subbing in for Joe Panik, who has been out with an injury.  Saturday night, Tomlinson had two hits in four at bats, with a triple and an RBI, lifting his seasons batting average to .306.  He also made a fine play in the field during the 7th inning to keep Bumgarner's perfecto intact. 

 

Kelby Tomlinson looking at a pitch

 

Brandon Belt homered in the 7th inning.  Where our seats were, in right center field, I figured that no ball would be hit near us.  However, Belt "Ruthian" blast landed on a seat just behind us and was snagged by a guy who was sitting five seats from us.

 

                                 

 

Prior to the game we check out some of the statues of some all time great Giants.

 

Willie McCovey at McCovey Cove

Juan Marichal

Willie Mays at Willie Mays Plaza

 

I missed out on the Orlando Cepada statue.

  

We also stopped at a Baseball card shop in Rohnert Park and I acquired a few vintage cards.  I paid a dollar each for a Al Lopez card and a Rocky Colavito card.

 

Topps 1960 Al Lopez Card #222

Topps 1965 Rocky Colavito Card #380

 

On the drive home, we stopped in Santa Rosa, and I got a picture of my daughter with a life size Charlie Brown.  Santa Rosa was hometown of Peanuts creator, Charles Shultz. 

 

Card Show in San Francisco Part IV (nice vintage cards)

At the Tristar Cardshow in San Francisco last weekend I was able to find some nice vintage cards.  I like to add cards from the 50s and 60s to my collection.  I'm thinking that I might never complete any of the sets from these years, but I continue to plug away getting cards that I need. 

At the show, I looked at some boxes of one dollar cards was able to find two nice cards from the Topps 1968 set.

Topps 1968

 

1967 World Series - Game 2 Card #152 & Topps Game Al Kaline Card #27

 

I got a card of Game 2 from the 1967 World Series when Carl Yaztremski hit two homers in the Red Sox 5-0 victory over the Cardinals.  The victory even the series at a game a piece.  Jim Lonborg pitched a one-hitter hurling 8 2/3 innings without allowing a hit until Julian Javier doubled with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.

 

I was also able to find a game card of Al Kaline.  I can still remember my little league days sitting in the dugout playing a game with this set of cards as they could possibly be the best baseball card game ever.

 

At the show I was fortunate to find a table where a dealer had over a thousand cards from the 50s and 60s and he selling them for a dollar a piece. 
 

Here are some of the cards I got.

Topps 1958 Pitchers

I got cards of a couple of pitchers who started their careers in the 50s, and pitched into the 60s and the early 70s.

Camilo Pascal #219 & Milt Pappas #457

Camilo Pascual, a 18 year veteran, played for the Senators, who became the Twins in 1961 (1954-1966), then for the second Senators franchise (1967-1969), Reds (1969), Dodgers (1970), and Indians (1971).  Pascal was a 20-game winner twice, in 1962–63, while pitching for the Twins.  Pascual led the American League in strikeouts in 1961 (221), 1962 (206), and 1963 (202). He was selected to the American League All-Star team 5 times.

Milt Pappas, a 17-year veteran, pitched for the Orioles (1957-1965), Reds (1966-1968), Braves (1968-1970) and Cubs (1970–1973).  Pappas was named an American League All-Star in 1962, pitching in both All-Star games (from 1959 to 1962, Major League Baseball had two All-Star games).  Although, Pappas never won 20 games during any single season, he did win 10 or more games in every season between 1958 and 1972.  On September 2, 1972 he pitched a no-hitter against the Padres in the Cubs 8-0 victory.  He retired the first 26 batters in the game and loss his perfect game when he walked pinch hitter Larry Stahl.

A couple of Mets  

Topps 1964 Rusty Staub 109 and Topps 1966 Ed Kranepool 212

  

Ed Kranepool played 19 seasons for the Mets.  He begun his career as a 17 year old playing with the Mets in their inaugural season during 1962.  Rusty Staub, who played 23 seasons in the major leagues, was also teenager when debuted as a young 19 year old in 1963 with the Colt 45s.  Staub played in his first game on April 9, 1963 and his birthday in on April 1, 1944 (no fooling). 

 

Kranepool and Staub played together on the Mets during 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975.  The Mets won the National League pennant in 1973, losing the World Series to the A's in seven games.  During that season, Staub was the Mets regular right fielder and Kranepool shared time at first base with John Milner.   In December 1975, Staub was traded to the Tigers in a deal that netted the Mets pitcher Mickey Lolich and he returned and ended his career with the Mets, playing between 1981 and 1985 in New York.    

 

World Series Champion Managers

Topps 1965 Dick Howser #92 and Topps 1967 Dave Johnson #363

 

Here are a couple of cards of infielders who would later become the managers of teams that won the World Series in successive years during the 1980s.  Dick Howser was the manager of the 1985 World Champion Royals and Dave Johnson lead the Mets to their second World Championship in 1986.

 

The Announcers

 

Topps 1965 Mike Shannon #43 and Topps 1967 Ken Harrelson #188

 

Here are a couple of major league players who continued careers in major league baseball becoming announcers.

 

Mike Shannon was born July 15, 1939 in St. Louis.  He played nine seasons with the Cardinals beginning in 1962.  He was a part of the 1964, 1967, and 1968 teams that appeared in the World Series, winning World Series Championships in 1964 and 1967.  

 

Upon completing his playing career, Shannon moved to the broadcast booth in 1972.  He worked three decades with Jack Buck and has been broadcasting Cardinal games for the last 44 years.

 

Ken Harrelson played for four teams: the Athletics (1963–66, 1967), Senators (1966–67), Red Sox (1967–69), and Indians (1969–71).   In 1971, Harrelson retired at midseason to pursue a professional golf career.  He played in the 1967 World Series for the Red Sox, against Shannon's Cardinals. 

Harrelson turned to a broadcasting career beginning in 1975 with the Red Sox when he partnered with Dick Stockton.   However, after being publicly critical of player personnel decisions made by Boston co-owner Haywood Sullivan, he was fired at the close of the 1981 season.  Harrelson then served as a White Sox announcer from 1982 to 1985 and briefly left broadcasting in 1986 to become the White Sox's General Manager.

During the 1987–1988 seasons, Harrelson was the television play-by-play man for Yankees and he served as a backup color commentator on NBC's Game of the Week broadcasts from 1984–1989.  Harrelson returned to the White Sox in 1990 as their play-by-play announcer during television broadcasts, teaming up with Tom Paciorek until 2000 and then working with Darrin Jackson from 2000 to 2008.  In 2009, he began broadcasting with former Chicago Cubs color analyst Steve Stone and today they continue to broadcast White Sox games.

Harrelson is often credited with inventing the batting glove by wearing a golf glove while at bat with the A's.

 

Pitchers who are a part of making Yankee History

 

 Topps 1961 Don Larsen #177 and Tracy Stallard #81

 

Don Larsen will always have a part in Yankee lore (although this card pictures him with the Kansas City A's) for the perfect game he pitched against the Dodgers in the 1956 World Series.  Tracy Stallard was never a Yankees, but he will be remembered as the starting pitcher on October 1, 1961, when the Yankees played the Red Sox.   In the fourth inning of the game, Stallard faced off against Yankee right fielder Roger Maris.  Maris homered to right field which was his 61st home run of the year, breaking Babe Ruth's single season home run record when in 1927, he hit 60 home runs.  Maris' home run was the only run of the game.      

 

Bo Belinsky

 

Topps 1966 Bo Belinsky #506 & Topps 1967 Bo Belinsky #447

 

Bo Belinsky was a major league pitcher who made the most out of his 28 victories.  Belinsky major league debut was on April 18, 1962, and he became an instant southern California celebrity when he opened the season with four straight wins including a May 5 no-hitter against the Orioles.  Later Belinsky was romantically linked to such women as  Ann Margret, Connie Stevens, Tina Louise, and Mamie Van Dore.  Van Dore was his fiancée for a year.

 

                           

            Ann Margret                                                        Connie Stevens                                        

 

               

           Tina Louise                                                       Bo with Mamie Van Dore 

 

  

Alou Brothers

 

 Topps 1964 Felipe Alou #65, Topps 1965 Matty Alou #318 and Topps 1964 Jesus Alou #47

 

The Alou brothers played together with the 1963 Giants.  The brothers did play together in eight games, when Felipe, then 28, was a regular outfielder for the San Francisco Giants; Matty, 24, was a defensive replacement (he started only six games) and pinch hitter; and Jesus, 21, was a September call-up. They never started a game together but they did play in the same outfield for a few innings in September of that year.  These were the only times in major league history that three brothers were in the same lineup, and playing together in the outfield.

 

When Jesus made his debut on September 10, Manager Al Dark had the Alou brothers bat consecutively in the eighth inning, Jesus and Matty as pinch hitters before Felipe came up. The Alous went 0 for 3 against the Mets’ Carlton Willey.  On September 15, Felipe played all three outfield positions, and Matty and Jesus joined him in the outfield as late-inning substitutes.  Jesus entered the game in the 7th inning playing right field, and Matty entered the game in left field in the 8th inning, as Felipe moved to center field.  This was the first time in major league history that three brothers played in a game together in the same outfield.

Card Show in San Francisco

This past weekend I attended the TriStar Sportscard Show in San Francisco.  I have attended this show for the past five years.  Being from a small town in Northern California, there are never any cards shows here (please bring back the glory days of the early 90s when even in my hometown there were shows monthly).  Usually the only show I attend each year is this show in San Francisco, normally held at the Cow Palace.  For me it is about a five hour drive to San Francisco, but it is worth the time and expense as I get a chance to look at and buy baseball cards outside of my local card shop. 

I was excited about attending the show, as I was planning to go to the show on Friday afternoon/evening (I had never done that before) and Saturday.  I was a little confused on Friday when I first arrived as there was a long line of a couple of hundred people waiting to get into the show.  However, the reason that there was such a long line was cleared up minutes later when I found out that this year the venue at the Cow Palace was moved to the north side of the building, because there was a HempCon show also scheduled (link: Hempcon Show San Francisco) that was using the room that the card show normally occupied.  A couple of times when I went to my car to stash some of my purchases, I detected the wafting of smoke from a joint or pipe floating across the parking lot.    

The main reason I attend the show is to buy baseball cards.  Prior to the show I curtailed my purchases at the local card shop and on the internet so I would have more dollars to spend.  A couple of other reasons I like the show are: 

1. I get a chance to talk with dealers.  I like to talk with them about cards and ask how they are doing at the show.  This year, the dealers that I talked with said they were having a good show.  To me there seems to be more people at the show than in previous years.  I don’t go to the show to sell cards, but a couple of times I was asked if I had any cards for sell.  I also noticed many dealers were willing to purchase cards.  From what I could tell, a majority of those deals were for relic and signature cards or one-of-one issues.
2. I also like to talk with the children at the show.  Yes, a majority of the attendees were old farts like me, but if I get the chance, I like to talk with youngsters about their card collecting.  I was eight years old when I started to collect, and it is a hobby that I’ve enjoyed since then, and I know the future of the hobby is to have children interested in and enjoying the hobby.  On Friday night the few children I saw seemed to just be tagging along with their dad and/or mom.  On Saturday, I got the chance to talk with a few children, and those that I did talk with were excited about the cards they had, as they seemed most trilled about the relic or signature cards they were holding.  There was one young man, who couldn’t have been any older than twelve, who was working a table with his parents.  He seemed very knowledgable about cards and was having a good time, except when his older brother pissed him off after he stole his nachos.   He was a good salesman and looking back, I should have bought some of the cards he offered me.    

So when I entered the show, I had my lists in hand and started looking for dime boxes and $1 vintage cards.   I found dime boxes first. I was able to find two dealers who were selling cards for a dime.  One of the dealers had over 100,000 cards and the other dealer had about six or seven full 5000 card boxes.  It seems that I was elbowing for space with other card bargain hunters, as I wasn't the only one looking for dime card deals.  Yes, other collectors were polite and courteous and apologized as we kept bumping into each other in search of the best dime card.

In my next few posts I want to share some of the cards I bought at the show.  I am happy about the cards I got, maybe spent too much, but it was worth the travel time and spending a couple of days combatting the traffic of the city.    Later I will do posts on some of the non-vintage cards that cost more than a dime and about vintage cards that I bought for a dollar.

Dime Card Deals

One of the best things about going to a card show is looking through boxes of dime cards.  It is fun to look for a good deal, but I also enjoy looking at the cards, many that I’ve never seen.   Normally I will come home with anywhere between 500 to 1000 dime cards.  This show was no different, and now that I’m back home, I am wondering what I am going to do with all of these cards.  I’ve started to sort them and I am trying to figure out what I've got and now that I write this blog, I can share some of my purchases on my blog.  Here are some of the cards that I brought home with me.

 

 

1969 American League Co-Winners of Cy Young Award

 

I was able to find vintage cards of the Co-Winners of 1969 American League Cy Young award.  These cards are not perfect.  The Cuellar card is a Topps 1966 short print issue and the McLain card is from the Topps 1972 set, one of Topps first traded cards.

 

Mike Cuellar Topps 1966 #566 and Denny McLain Topps 1972 #753

 Negro League Stars 

I always interested in learning about the history of the game.  Baseball cards offered the chance to educate me about players from yesteryear.  Each of these Negro League star cards was issued in 2001. What could have been if these players would have had the opportunity to have a playing career in the major leagues?

 

Josh Gibson Topps 2001 What Could Have Been #WCB1, Andrew “Rube” Foster Fleer Tradition 2001 Stitches In Time #20, Satchel Paige, & 2001 Upper Deck Legends, The Foirentino Collection #F2.

 

 

The 1952 World Series Reprints 

The 1952 World Series was before my time but was a rematch of the 1949 Series between the Dodgers and the Yankees.  In 2002, Topps issued reprints of cards from their 1952 set that portrayed players from the 1952 World Series, which the Yankees won four games to three.  I was able to get five from the 2002 Topps regular set and two issued in the chrome set.

 

 

Topps 2002 regular set 1952 World Series Reprints 

 

Duke Snider #2, Bill Martin #6, & Gene Woodling #15,

 

 

Johnny Sain card #16 & Hank Bauer #19.  

Topps 2002 chrome set 1952 World Series Reprints

“Preacher” Roe #11 & Ralph Houk #17

 

 

 Topps 1998 Minted in Cooperstown set 

 

 

I don’t have many cards from the Topps 1998 Minted in Cooperstown set.  Beckett says the cards were seeded in one of every eight packs.  I didn’t buy a lot of packs in 1998, so the Minted in Cooperstown cards I have I purchased on the secondary market.  I was able to find a stack of about 40 common Minted in Cooperstown cards and I went ahead and snagged all of them.

Here are a few of those cards.

 

Carlos Delgado #384 & Bobby Bonilla #356

 

 

Jim Eisenreich #67 & Chili Davis #40

 

Ozzie Guillen #164 & Walt Weiss #96

 

 

David Wells #83 & Trevor Hoffman #57

 

 

Food Issues

I was able to find some nice odd ball food issue cards.

 

1987 M & M Star Lineup Mike Schmidt #3, and 1989 Hillshire Farms or Kahn’s Cooperstown Collection Brooks Robinson #9

 1994 King B Greg Maddux, Jr. #18 & 1994 Tombstone Pizza Cal Ripken, Jr. #26,

 

2001 Upper Deck Oreo/Ritz Ken Griffey, Jr, no # listed on card & 2006 Upper Deck Sunkist Alex Rodriguez #6

 

 

Minor League Issues 

It seems that in the early 1990s there were many minor league issues.  I was able to find some nice minor league cards.

 

1990 Star Ivan Rodriguez #26 & 1990 CMC Dave Justice #285,

 

1991 Line Drive Pre-Rookie Double AA Jim Thome #96 & 1991 Classic Best Pedro Martinez #355

 

1992-93 Fleer Excel Manny Ramirez #164 & 1996 Classic Sport Nomar Garciaparra #121

Some Rookies

 

 

I was able to get some early 90s rookie cards plus some rookie cards for current players.

Here are a 1990 Donruss Rated Rookie Juan Gonzalez, which is a reverse negative (note the 19 on Gonzalez's jersey is backwards and that he is batted left handed), and a 1990 Leaf of John Olerud.

 

1990 Donruss Rated Rookie Juan Gonzalez #33 & 1990 Leaf John Olerud #237

I found 2004 Topps Cracker Jack Yadier Molina rookie with the sticker issuance of the same card.

 

2004 Topps Cracker Jack Yadier Molina #204 and the same card as sticker

Here are a couple of current Red All-Stars, Joey Votto and Todd Frazier.  I am not sure if the Votto is his rookie card.  He made his major league debut in September 2007.

2007 Bowman Draft Future’s Game Prospect #BDPP98 Joey Votto and Topps Update 2011 Update Todd Frazier #US270  

 

Some Inserts

I found inserts from sets going back into the 80s.  Here are a few of them.

 1987 Fleer All-Stars Roger Clemens #11 and 1993 Upper Deck Then and Know George Brett TN2

 

1999 Upper Deck Wonder Years Mark McGwire #WY19 & 1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated Diamond Dominators Nomar Garciaparra #8

 

2001 Topps Gallery Alex Rodriguez #GH9 and 2001 Upper Deck Superstar Summit Deter Jeter #SS1

Watch for other of my blogs with more tales about the San Francisco card show.