I like that WHITE ALBUM installation--the variety of wear and fade.
That pennies guy--I dunno, but $5000 and change seems a small reward for 45 years of hoarding pennies. CSB: I worked at an elementary school a number of years ago that had a school-wide project to collect (and display) one million pennies over the course of the school year. The poor librarian was tasked with counting and keeping track of the hoard. She said she was never so happy to see the end of the school year as she was that year--and she never wanted to touch another penny again in her life!
Speaking of that...you've probably heard of Penny Harvest. (If not, check Wikipedia.) It started in 1991 and Jackie did it with her class and the other classes she was involved with. Of course, I ended up in charge of wrapping the pennies. Can't remember how many there were, but it was a lot. And then we had to find an appropriate place to donate them that didn't mind taking the money in (wrapped) pennies.
So I'm going to rant about #6, which describes Tim Wallach like this: "Wallach was a relatively obscure Dodgers bench coach for most of his career..."
Tim Wallach played in 2,212 games, mostly as a third baseman, with 8,908 plate appearances. he hit 260 HRs, made All-Star teams in 5 seasons, finished 4th one year and 10th another in the MVP voting (and 18th at age 36--his only good season after he turned 33), and won a Gold Glove. For his career--including a fairly long stretch in which he was past his prime--he was a league-average hitter (take that long tail out, and he was probably 15% better than average). I would guess that he ranks among the top 25 or 30 third basemen in major league history. I can actually see an Expos fan wanting to collect all his baseball cards. Not weird at all.
Oh, great. Now I have to rant about Curt Flood, who is not only not obscure, but is famous (mostly for his failed lawsuit to overturn baseball's reserve clause, but also because he was an excellent player for a fairly long time). Just because some young punk has a memory that does not go back before about 2010...
Flood received MVP votes in 6 straight seasons (1963-1968), and also won the old Glove award in all 6 of those seasons--and in 1969. Played in 3 All-Star games. His career was cut short by his refusal to accept being traded (treated, as he called it, "like a piece of meat") and missing a full season (1970). His comeback did not go well.
Anyone who knows much of anything about major league baseball would bot refer to him as obscure. Again, I can easily see why someone might collect Curt Flood material.
Incidentally, in 1964, Flood won the Gold Glove, made the AS team, was 11th in the MVP vote, and the Cardinals won the World Series. Maybe "nothing special" about the card...
By the way, here are some people (I'm not one of them) who think Flood has a marginal candidacy for the Hall of Fame, when one combines his performance--one of the top 40 or so center fielders in MLB history--with his challenge to the reserve clause.
I certainly remember Curt Flood and his fight against the reserve clause. And the Wallach comment was just idiotic. He wasn't just a coach.
It was ironic that Flood, such a great outfielder, may have caused the Cardinals to lose the 1968 World Series to Detroit by misjudging a fly ball that went over his head.
8 comments:
I have to admit that #10, the guy who bought every single that hit the charts from 1952 to his death in 2016, really interests me.
I like that WHITE ALBUM installation--the variety of wear and fade.
That pennies guy--I dunno, but $5000 and change seems a small reward for 45 years of hoarding pennies. CSB: I worked at an elementary school a number of years ago that had a school-wide project to collect (and display) one million pennies over the course of the school year. The poor librarian was tasked with counting and keeping track of the hoard. She said she was never so happy to see the end of the school year as she was that year--and she never wanted to touch another penny again in her life!
Speaking of that...you've probably heard of Penny Harvest. (If not, check Wikipedia.) It started in 1991 and Jackie did it with her class and the other classes she was involved with. Of course, I ended up in charge of wrapping the pennies. Can't remember how many there were, but it was a lot. And then we had to find an appropriate place to donate them that didn't mind taking the money in (wrapped) pennies.
So I'm going to rant about #6, which describes Tim Wallach like this: "Wallach was a relatively obscure Dodgers bench coach for most of his career..."
Tim Wallach played in 2,212 games, mostly as a third baseman, with 8,908 plate appearances. he hit 260 HRs, made All-Star teams in 5 seasons, finished 4th one year and 10th another in the MVP voting (and 18th at age 36--his only good season after he turned 33), and won a Gold Glove. For his career--including a fairly long stretch in which he was past his prime--he was a league-average hitter (take that long tail out, and he was probably 15% better than average). I would guess that he ranks among the top 25 or 30 third basemen in major league history. I can actually see an Expos fan wanting to collect all his baseball cards. Not weird at all.
Sorry. I couldn't help myself.
Oh, great. Now I have to rant about Curt Flood, who is not only not obscure, but is famous (mostly for his failed lawsuit to overturn baseball's reserve clause, but also because he was an excellent player for a fairly long time). Just because some young punk has a memory that does not go back before about 2010...
Flood received MVP votes in 6 straight seasons (1963-1968), and also won the old Glove award in all 6 of those seasons--and in 1969. Played in 3 All-Star games. His career was cut short by his refusal to accept being traded (treated, as he called it, "like a piece of meat") and missing a full season (1970). His comeback did not go well.
Anyone who knows much of anything about major league baseball would bot refer to him as obscure. Again, I can easily see why someone might collect Curt Flood material.
Incidentally, in 1964, Flood won the Gold Glove, made the AS team, was 11th in the MVP vote, and the Cardinals won the World Series. Maybe "nothing special" about the card...
By the way, here are some people (I'm not one of them) who think Flood has a marginal candidacy for the Hall of Fame, when one combines his performance--one of the top 40 or so center fielders in MLB history--with his challenge to the reserve clause.
I certainly remember Curt Flood and his fight against the reserve clause. And the Wallach comment was just idiotic. He wasn't just a coach.
It was ironic that Flood, such a great outfielder, may have caused the Cardinals to lose the 1968 World Series to Detroit by misjudging a fly ball that went over his head.
I'm not the fan I used to be, but even I remember Flood.
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