Revisiting Baseball's Hallowed Hall

Hey guys, Drew back here! William has soared past me with this trip recap, however I've still got quite a bit to post. I'm not used to being as busy as I am but I'm trying to contribute to the blogosphere whenever I get around to it. With that said, here is my recap of our most recent visit to the Hall of Fame.

We originally went into the Hall before we went to the Induction Ceremony to get our tickets and hands stamped. We figured that after the Induction, many people would be checking out the museum, so rather than wait in line, we got stamped and returned later on, walking through the line like VIP members!

For any of you new to the Hall, normally the first thing you'll see in the Hall is their short little introduction video. If you aren't in the museum mood, this will change that. It's a nice beginning to the Hall, but I won't spoil it any more for any of you interested in checking it out for yourself.

After the intro, you're told to start from the very beginning of history in the Hall, but I don't quite understand why you wouldn't. The earliest stuff is in my opinion the most interesting in all of the museum, especially since I had already been there in the past. There are a lot of unique pieces in the earlier displays, while some of the later displays contain more jerseys/hats/equipment/etc. 

Babe Ruth's exhibit is one of the coolest in all of the Museum! The Hall owns many of The Babe's classic memorabilia, and it is almost overwhelming to see it all in the same place and take it all for what it is. However, they own his last ever autograph (above) along with some jerseys and bats from memorable moments.

When I visited the Hall... I had still not seen 42. They had a small display featuring some of the movie memorabilia, and I wish I could've enjoyed it more. However, the night we returned to my house we got to watch it, and as far as I'm concerned we all really enjoyed it.

Hate the Yankees all you want, but when you go to the Hall of Fame you need to expect to see some of their classic memorabilia. Being a Yankees fan, there was an awful lot of incredible memorabilia I got a chance to feast my eyes on.

The Pirates have been a lot of fun to watch in 2013, and I've gained more appreciation for the organization by the day (well, everyone but Bill Mazeroski). I hope to see them win the NL Central and compete throughout the playoffs. Having them as a second favorite team should add some excitement in October when the Yankees most likely won't (and probably shouldn't) be playing.

The first time I went to the Hall with my Dad in 2009, this Hank Aaron "Chasing the Dream" exhibit had been in construction. I remember they were working on the displays while we walked by, and we got to see one of Hank's game used bats outside of the glass. They did a really nice job paying tribute to Hammerin' Hank, and I found it interesting that the MLB records displays were right next to it...

William and I's teams don't seem to share much in common. Both the Orioles and Yankees have been around for a while, and both have their share of incredible players, but otherwise they don't have a lot to relate to. Well.. except for the "Iron" connection between Gehrig and Ripken, the "Most Consecutive Games Played" record, which Ripken now owns obviously. The Hall did a nice job showing off some cool pieces surrounding the hallowed record.

Even Eddie Gaedel's classic "1/8" jersey was on display! Gaedel, the legendary midget who had one at bat for Bill Veeck's St. Louis Browns in 1951, owns the highest On Base Percentage in MLB history (although he only registered one at bat)! His uniform was next to current MLB'er Jon Rauch's jersey, the tallest player to ever take the field in the Majors.

When I went in Spring 2009, this sucker wasn't in the World Series ring display, because it hadn't been won yet. The 2009 World Series has been the only Yankee World Series I've associated myself with throughout my life because I was far too young to understand their late 90's run. So, it was really neat to get to see one of the rings up close!

"Sipping from your cup til' it runneth over, holy grail". Justin Timberlake couldn't pay tribute to the 1909 T-206 Wagner any better. Whenever you're in a room with that card, you could almost taste the aura surrounding it. Simply put, it's the greatest baseball card ever created, and is a lot of the reason why we all still are able to collect today.

Also since our first trip, I began to start the 1961 Topps set! I'm now a little over halfway done with the set (including the high numbers), but I've really started to question whether I should bother with the high numbers or not. Of the 12 cards on display, I own 7, which isn't too bad considering I haven't focused on the set in a while.

William and I really enjoyed getting to see the Hall together this year. It was a great experience, and I'm glad I was able to see it with someone who appreciates it even more than I do. However, I have a little bit more from the Hall I'd like to share with you all, which I'm planning on getting to tomorrow.

See Ya!

2013 "Parade of Legends" Recap!

Hey guys, Drew back here! For as long as I've lived, I've wanted to see a parade. No, not one of those local town ceremonies highlighting the mayor and local boy scout troops, but a real top of the line parade (nothing wrong with boy scouts of course). When I first heard of the "Parade of Legends", the new Cooperstown Induction Weekend tradition, I knew the trip would be worth every penny. We didn't expect to get any autographs there, as the players all were atop beautiful new Fords. Apparently, a few of the players signed when they got off their cars, but I'm going to pretend I never heard that for my own sake.

Kicking off the parade were some of the Hall of Fame board of directors, followed by a car starring Tommy John along with the man behind "Tommy John Surgery", Dr. Frank Jobe, who was honored earlier that day. The parade went down Main Street and parked at the Hall itself, where the players gathered for a nice dinner. I could only imagine some of the stories they had to tell. After my experience with Tommy John earlier this year, I would have paid good money to get into the Hall that night.

The parade started from the earliest inducted players that attended all the way to the most recent electees. Whitey Ford was in town for the night, so he was the first player to stroll by! I was really glad to see Whitey, as he appeared to be looking relatively good for his age. I met him last summer, but he's one of those guys you can never meet enough.

Ralph Kiner followed up Whitey, and he appeared awake, which was a good thing. The marquee player of the event however, was the true Home Run King, Hank Aaron! Aaron looks great for his age, coming from a guy who has never seen him in person before. He looked really happy to be there, although had he done an autograph signing earlier that day, his attitude may have been a bit different.

Frank Robinson is in my opinion one of the most underrated players of all time. He just never seems to get the credit he deserves. William's son Chris was as loud as ever throughout the parade, screaming out the players' names. He probably won't remember it since he's only 7 years old, heck I'm 17 and I don't remember what I did when I was 7, but Chris got a reaction out of almost every single player there. At least one member of our group was spotted out by a majority of the Hall of Famers!

Johnny Bench

Joe Morgan

Jim Bunning

Tommy LaSorda

Ozzie Smith

Eddie Murray

Wade Boggs

Believe it or not, this has been the third different occasion I've gotten to see Cal Ripken Jr. in person this year. Every time I see him I gain more and more respect for him also. Chris screamed "CAL!" until he got his attention, and Cal talked to him a little bit. That had to have made his day.

I'm sure Goose Gossage has met thousands upon thousands of fans in his lifetime, but I have a funny feeling that he recognizes my Dad and I at this point! Each time we've gotten the pleasure of meeting him, my Dad has brought up hunting and got to talk a good bit with him. He thanked us for coming out, and posed for a pretty awesome photo. Maybe one day I'll have him sign this, who knows. 

Here's classic Rickey taking all the glory in, enjoying the fact that he's finally among the greatest of all time (although he may argue that he was the best). I'll give him a spot in my top 15 ever, but I don't know how much farther I'd be willing to go.

However, probably the most memorable moment in my eyes from the event came when Bert Blyleven passed us by! Sure, Roberto Alomar snapped a picture of the crowd next to us, Phil Niekro showed Chris his knuckleball grip, and numerous players waved to us and thanked us for attending, but this one took the cake. William recently bought a baseball signed by Blyleven with the "I Love to Fart" inscription, which exists because Bert frequently wore a shirt in the locker room saying just that. My dad yelled to Bert "Pull my Finger!" Bert looked puzzled for a second... and then cracked up. My dad made a Hall of Famer laugh! 

I'm so glad we took advantage of going to the parade, as we all seemed to really enjoy ourselves. I love collecting autographs but sometimes it's nice to take in a special event like this without having to worry about being at the right place at the right time. Before I go, I'd like to send my best wishes to Tony Gwynn and his family, because while he was there, he sure didn't look very healthy. It appears as if his cancer may have reappeared, and he also gained back a lot of the weight he lost when he underwent his radiation treatment. I'm not sure if we just made some assumptions or not, but he didn't look all that well, so I'd like to wish him all the best going forward.

Well, that'll officially conclude my recap of Day 1 of the Cooperstown trip! It was hard for Day 2 to top this incredible day, but I've got plenty more to share with you all. Stay tuned for the next part! 

See Ya!

Birthday Gift from William!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Well, my crazy friend William over at foul bunt still insists to treat me to birthday gifts, which is unnecessary, yet so nice of him at the same time. This year, he decided to really help me out with the set I'm putting together! Take a look:

First off, he caught me up a few products I barely opened, Archives & Heritage! I have hardly opened any products this year at all, mainly because of the high prices, so I definitely appreciate when he goes out of his way to keep me in the loop with all of you other guys out there. With that said, I can tell Archives seems to be a pretty fun product. I love the Mattingly card as well as the Rivera, which uses the 1971 Topps design. 

If I opened anything this year, it was Bowman, and that's only because I bought two rack packs in Yankee Stadium. Outside of that, I haven't even opened the flagship product. Although I did have some Bowman already, I didn't have any of these 4 cards, which was awesome! The Custodio blue refractor looks great, and although I don't really know who he is, I love the Yankees blue refractors. Dante Bichette Jr. has been sitting towards the top of my wantlist for a little while now and I'm glad I finally got my first cards of last year's first round pick!

William also picked up these two nice numbered cards of Thurman Munson and Bucky Dent at a LCS for me! I didn't have either of them and they both have very nice all around designs. I'm definitely a big Munson fan, and since he doesn't seem to have too much out there, this was welcomed nicely into my home!

But, the highlight of the package was without a doubt this Tier One dual relic of the true home run king, Hank Aaron! Aaron's relic was one that I did not expect to land for a long time because it certainly isn't pocket change for a guy like me, so this gesture was just way too kind by one of my best friends. Thank you so much William for the really awesome gift! 

With this card, I now have 45 of the 50 relics in the set! I'm planning on knocking off 3 of them really soon, which will then leave two more big names to complete the set: Mantle & Ruth. Wish me luck, and once again, thank you so much William, you don't know how much I appreciate all the great things you've done for me. 

See Ya!

Revealing the Mysterious Binder... A Little At a Time... Hammerin Hank!

Hey everyone, Drew back here. I've gone through the thickest jungle, sailed the highest waves in the ocean, and climbed the biggest mountain in the world to return to you guys. Over the past week, I've taken a load of tests and quizzes, played a ton of baseball, and have battled a pulled muscle in my back along with a very bad cold. However, while I'm still sick, and I still have to take tests, still playing baseball, I've got a little time to spare to write for you guys.

The newest installment of the series highlighting my unbelievable binder belongs to the true All Time Home Run King, Mr. Hank Aaron! Check out what I was able to pick up of his!

First were 2 cards from 1962 Post. Yes, the cereal brand. In the early 60's and scattered all around the later decades in the 20th century, Post was one of many oddball brand name companies to release cards. Obviously, cards used to come with gum, or even cigarettes or tobacco back in the early 1900's. These Post cards are hard to keep in good condition because it appears that they had to be cut out from a box of cereal for them to be free. While they don't have the value of early Topps cards from that time, the nostalgia is certainly there and I think they're pretty cool.

 

Next is one of the critical cards that I needed for my 1961 Topps set, Hank's base card! Of all the legends in the set, Hank Aaron is one of the top selling players, of course following Mantle, Maris, and even Clemente. It's a really nice card, based off of  a season in which he hit 40 home runs, which was just an average year for one of the best players in baseball history!

Finally, perhaps my favorite of the bunch is this 1959 Topps "Fence Busters" card of Aaron and fellow Hall of Fame slugger Eddie Mathews! Even in gem mint condition this card isn't worth as much as the 1961 card, but it is a gem to me. The photo isn't anything spectacular, but plain and simple, it is a card of 2 hitters who slugged a combined total of 1267 home runs, and 2 of the games greatest players.

I wish I could add an autograph of Hank to go along with these one day, and I know he'll be towards the top of my list. Stay tuned for the next segment of "Revealing the Mysterious Binder", and for now, I'm your host, Drew. See Ya!

Trip to the Card Shop- Nice Vintage Pickups!

Hey guys, Drew back here. A week or so ago, my dad and I went out to a card shop that we normally don't go to, because its often very unorganized and takes forever for them to find prices, etc. I've pulled that Dexter McCluster letterman auto from a month or 2 ago, as well as that Chipper Jones Baseball Heroes patch autograph numbered to only 15! So, we had a lot of time on our hands, so we decided to get a few packs and also check out the little boxes of mixed cards. First, I'll start with the packs. Dad bought a jumbo pack of 2010 Topps Update, and a pack of 2010 Panini Threads Football. Here are the results:

2010 Panini Threads Football:

- Kellen Winslow Jr.
- Felix Jones
- Rashard Mendenhall
- Adrian Peterson
- Steve Breaston
- Peyton Manning
- Devin Hester
- Thaddeus Gibson RC

2010 Topps Update Jumbo:

- A Bunch of Base

- Jeff Suppan Gold /2010
- Ryan Doumit Turkey Red
- Johnny Mize Vintage Legends
- Joe Mauer Topps Attax
- Dale Murphy Cards Your Mom Threw Out
- Carlos Pena Peak Performance
- The Truman Show Tales of the Game
- Barry Larkin Cards Your Mom Threw Out Original Back
- Million Card Giveaway

Not very impressive in my opinion, let me know if you're interested in any of these outside of some of the 2010 Topps inserts (ie: Turkey Red, Vintage Legends, CYMTO, Tales of the Game, Peak Performance). Which leaves the Larkin, Mauer, and Suppan inserts for trade and most of the base.

However, we weren't done. I bought 4 singles that added up to around $20.

First, a 1991 Upper Deck Heroes Baseball Hank Aaron hologram card! I don't have a whole lot of Hank Aaron cards and it was only a dollar and it looked really cool, so, I got it.

A 1957 Topps Hank Bauer! This card isn't in great condition by any means, but it's nice enough for me. Bauer was one of many parts that led to the Yankees World Series run in the late 40's and early 50's, and for only a few bucks, I couldn't turn it down. I'm not a huge fan of the 1957 design, I think it's kinda boring, but it's not a bad card by any means.

Next is a 1964 Topps Elston Howard! Elston was no Yogi Berra, but he could catch really well, and his number was retired by the Yankees in 1984, 4 years after his death. Elston made 12 All Star teams, won 6 World Series, and was the 1963 AL MVP. This card is really sweet looking, and it's in excellent condition! For only a few bucks, no doubt this was a great deal.

And finally, a 1961 Topps Duke Snider! Duke is becoming a player that I wouldn't mind collecting more of, especially after I got him through the mail and got that autographed card from dad. I saw this in the bin, and it looked really nice even the borders were damaged. So, for about $5, I got it!

Also in the bin, we saw a few 48 Bowmans, which certainly did not belong in there, so we put them in the pile, but dumbo at the card section decided why not check book value before I buy them. A half hour later, and they were re-priced to $30 a piece. I was also looking at a $5 Keith Hernandez auto, but that was repriced to $15, and I wasn't paying that for a Met.

Whatever, I think I did well, what do you think? See Ya!

Vintage Cards from Pop Popps

Hey all, Drew back here. Today I finished my social studies testing, next is Math Regents on Friday, and then a Spanish test on Monday... then field day... then graduation.... then a concert... then summer! So, I've been working hard in school to finish on a good note before I begin high school next year. My Pop Popps recognized my efforts and decided to reward me with some new cards, and here are the highlights-

It was hard to find 8 cards that I liked the most here, a lot of cool stuff, including Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Roberto Clemente, 3 of the best players in history. Next, 2 soon to be Yankees in Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson, and Yankees Rookies nobodies, Lindy McDaniel, and the team card! Pretty sweet!

Somebody got hungry!

Thanks Pop Popps! See Ya!

BCHOF Card #5

Hey guys, Drew back here, I posted the wantlist for Allen & Ginter under set wantlists under my PC's on the sidebar. Everyone should be able to be able to view it now, no more technical difficulties! Here is the next card in the series:

1954 Topps Hank Aaron Rookie Card

Well, it was during the time that he was known as Henry, or other racist names to most people. Today, he's the king of home runs. Say what you want about Jackie Robinson but I think this guy is the one that really ended the issue of being prejudice and opened the gates to all types of players! Hank hit 755 home runs in his career, and should still be known as the home run king, instead of Bonds. This is Hank's most legendary card and it sells for close to around $1000. I'd love to get my hands on it, but I'd have to get my hands on Bill Gates' wallet first!

So guys be sure to remember that there will be a different poll for the next card now. What will card #6? Will Shoeless Joe finally get the nod, or will Sandy Koufax prevail? What about the 1951 Bowman Willie Mays? It's your decision. See Ya!