The Duke of Flatbush Has Passed Away...

Hey everyone, Drew back here. Today is another one of those sad days in baseball, as a legendary center fielder has passed away today. Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer Duke Snider passed away today at the age of 84, after battling some health problems over the past couple years.

Duke began his career in 1947 after being scouted by one of Branch Rickey's scouts in the early 1940's. He joined Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays to become perhaps the best trio of center fielders you could ever imagine. There was even a song having to do with that, called "Willie, Mickey, and the Duke" by Terry Cashman.

Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke) @ Yahoo! Video

Duke played 18 total seasons, 16 for the Dodgers, and 1 season with the Mets and Giants. He hit 40 or more home runs for 5 straight seasons, which is a pretty incredible streak long before the steroid era. While he may have not had the speed of Willie Mays and the popularity of the Mick, Duke was a phenomenal player and one of the greatest outfielders to ever live. With 2,116 hits, 407 home runs, and a life time batting average of .295, he may be considered one of the most underrated players in the Hall of Fame.

I was fortunate enough to get quite a nice little stack of nice Snider cards before his death. I first sent a TTM out to him and got my 2 cards back signed. Next, Dad gave me a certified Nabisco autograph for Christmas of his, and I recently picked up the 1961 Topps card shown above at a card shop for only $5. I definitely will be looking for more of his stuff in the future, to pay tribute to the wonderful life and career of the Silver Fox.

R.I.P. Mr. Snider, you will truly be missed...

Sparky Anderson- R.I.P.

Hey guys, Drew back here. If you didn't hear the news yet today, a great has left us today. Former Reds and Tigers manager Sparky Anderson has passed away at the age of 76. Anderson managed the Big Red Machine in the 1970's, with Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, and should be Hall of Famer Pete Rose. This team has been considered one of the best teams to ever play baseball. They won 2 World Series championships, in 1975, and 1976, and the team's legacy stretches beyond a few Hall of Fame plaques and World Series trophies.

George Anderson started his playing career in 1959, and ended it the next season. He did pick up his nickname of "Sparky" at that time, and the name stuck for the rest of his life. Sparky became the 1st manager to win 600 games in the American League and National League. He retired after the 1995 season, with a career record of 2,194 wins and 1,834 losses. His number 10 was retired by the Reds, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000 by the Veterans Committee.

Not only had Sparky known what he was doing when it came to managing a game of baseball, but he also was a great man. During his career in Detroit, he founded the CATCH Foundation, and he participated in raising money for it beyond his retirement. He was always an excellent TTM signer, until leading up to these final few months where he could barely spell his name anymore. I never got the opportunity to get his autograph while he was still living, and I truly regret not sending him a letter while he was still alive and well.

R.I.P, Sparky Anderson, you will truly be missed...