Sad to hear today about the passing of Billy Pierce. Even though I've always been a Cub fan, I always lived on the Southside among White Sox fans.
When I was a kid I sent some cards for him to autograph through the White Sox I think. When I got the cards back they were all signed. He also included a postcard on which he wrote "We live about two miles apart". I still have that postcard.
At card shows in the 1980s and 1990s Mr. Pierce was a frequent guest. His autographs were always cheap or free and he spent lots of time chatting with everyone. That was a great part of the card show experience for me since I don't really collect autographs.
I mentioned Pierce in a post a few days ago regarding Hall of Fame voting. On Wednesday night at the National card show I purchased a 1952 Topps Pierce card that I saw in the $1.00 box. I couldn't pass that up even though I already have that card autographed.
He's another guy I hope to make a Kellogg's card for someday.
A look at Kellogg's cereal cards and related items from all sports.
Menu Note
Use the menu below if you'd like to search for posts that relate to your interests. Note - this was just created on 12-30-20 so I will need to link the posts in the coming weeks. Until then, you can scroll down to the labels on the right to find the same information.
Friday, July 31, 2015
The Least Amount of Money I've Spent at a National - and I Still Got a Great Kellogg's Item
For the second year in a row I didn't buy much at the National Card Show. I sped through the show floor in 2 1/2 hours so I certainly missed lots of stuff. Then I went through again without looking through boxes of cards. Now the focus would be on items on the tables and not in the boxes.
I only purchased two Kellogg's cards. They were less than a dollar each. At the last National in Chicago I bought a bunch of newer Kellogg's cards for 10 cents each.
At a booth without cards I spotted the Babe Ruth Display that accompanied the 1972 Kellogg's Baseball Greats card set. No cards were attached and there were a few crease, but the item displayed well. I was quick to make a deal on this item since I had one bought on ebay a few years ago and it was never delivered.
The earlier ebay purchase was made on the display which included the cards. First I was told that the package was lost, then it was damaged and returned to the sender. At that point I said I still wanted the item. That changed the story again, to something I can't remember. I'm sure that the seller wasn't happy with the winning bid and/or they received more money from someone else. Now, I finally have this display item.
One of my other goals at the show involved finding someone to talk to about Kellogg's cards. I hit the jackpot on this one. More tomorrow on this conversation and a non-Kellogg's card that I held at the show. I'm fairly certain I won't ever hold this card again.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Kellogg's Cards Seen at the National Card Show in Chicago
I had to hurry through the card show yesterday from 4 - 8 pm since I won't be able to attend the show on any other days. I'm sure that I missed plenty of cards in boxes, but I was wanted to see every table.
Usually I see a few dealers with high-priced cards and not very many. The cards tend to be located with all of the other oddball/insert cards. That held true again this year.
This year was different. Many vintage card dealers had Kellogg's cards as well. Here is what I saw without even spending much time on bargain boxes.
I saw about 10 unopened 1970 packs including a Willie Mays with a grade of 10. That's more pack than I've seen in the last 5-6 years combined. Prices seemed fair on the packs that had prices listed. I could have asked for prices on others, but that's not something I do unless I see a dealer with fair prices on other items.
The only factory sets I saw were two from 1980. I probably should have purchased them, but in my hurry I kept moving on without making an offer. I still don't see older (pre-1979) factory sets at any shows.
I saw at least six 1970 baseball sets and one dealer had sets from 1970 - 1981. A few other dealers had Kellogg's sets on display. Prices were much higher than my budget.
There were a lot more singles available than usual. Maybe Kellogg's cards are growing in popularity? Many dealers had 50 - 100 different singles from different years. Those with prices listed were not in my range, so I didn't look at too many cards.
I'm not against dealers charging whatever they need to charge, but since I've already got everything but variations now I can afford to be cheap. Sure, I need to upgrade some 1971s and 1975s, but that is not a big deal to me. Maybe prices will be better during the upcoming days. I can't blame them for trying to get a higher price on Wednesday at the show. That's why sometimes going on Sunday can be better.
Tomorrow I will talk about the only big purchase I made at the show. I'm certainly glad I was at the show on Wednesday for this item. It wouldn't have made it to Sunday.
If you get to the National let me know about all of the good stuff that I missed by hurrying through it.
Usually I see a few dealers with high-priced cards and not very many. The cards tend to be located with all of the other oddball/insert cards. That held true again this year.
This year was different. Many vintage card dealers had Kellogg's cards as well. Here is what I saw without even spending much time on bargain boxes.
I saw about 10 unopened 1970 packs including a Willie Mays with a grade of 10. That's more pack than I've seen in the last 5-6 years combined. Prices seemed fair on the packs that had prices listed. I could have asked for prices on others, but that's not something I do unless I see a dealer with fair prices on other items.
The only factory sets I saw were two from 1980. I probably should have purchased them, but in my hurry I kept moving on without making an offer. I still don't see older (pre-1979) factory sets at any shows.
I saw at least six 1970 baseball sets and one dealer had sets from 1970 - 1981. A few other dealers had Kellogg's sets on display. Prices were much higher than my budget.
There were a lot more singles available than usual. Maybe Kellogg's cards are growing in popularity? Many dealers had 50 - 100 different singles from different years. Those with prices listed were not in my range, so I didn't look at too many cards.
I'm not against dealers charging whatever they need to charge, but since I've already got everything but variations now I can afford to be cheap. Sure, I need to upgrade some 1971s and 1975s, but that is not a big deal to me. Maybe prices will be better during the upcoming days. I can't blame them for trying to get a higher price on Wednesday at the show. That's why sometimes going on Sunday can be better.
Tomorrow I will talk about the only big purchase I made at the show. I'm certainly glad I was at the show on Wednesday for this item. It wouldn't have made it to Sunday.
If you get to the National let me know about all of the good stuff that I missed by hurrying through it.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
PSA Graded 1989 Craig Biggio Cards and Grading Kellogg's Cards
My first PSA card is shown below. I bought this at the National Card Show a few years ago just to see how it compared to cards in my collection. Not many 1975s that I see show the color of this one. 1971s also seem to have lost their bright colors as well. In addition to 1971 not having a factory set, that's why both sets are expensive in nice condition.
The 1975 set is my least favorite set. Oops, I was supposed to save that for a separate post. Most of the cards that I see are just not colorful at all like the Brett. Many also have cracks.
At the National I usually see two types of Kellogg's cards. The first is the high-priced PSA 10 card. The other is usually stacks of damaged 1970 - 1972 cards. I will report back tomorrow on how that goes.
**************************
When PSA grading became popular I remember one of their full-page ads in a magazine. The add showed a large stack of 1989 Craig Biggio cards that had been graded. I thought that made no sense since the card was worth about 10 cents.
Now about 25 years later Craig Biggio is a Hall of Famer and that card is probably worth about 11 cents. My first thought was there is no way someone paid to have those cards graded. PSA must have been doing everything possible to get people to grade cheap cards. I'd love to hear some inside scoop on how PSA got everyone to jump onboard for cheap cards.
I understand how PSA has helped people with old cards, expensive cards, one-of-a-kind items and items that have been counterfeited. That is all great for everyone involved.
I went to PSA and checked their price report on 1989 Donruss cards. They don't even bother to list anyone except Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey Jr. A Johnson in PSA 8 is listed as being worth $2. So, one could only do well if the card graded as a 10.
Over 44,000 1989 Donruss cards have been graded including over 26,000 Griffeys and 1,695 Biggios. Really!
How does my rant relate to Kellogg's cards? I don't collect PSA cards, but I probably have about 15 in my collection. The only non-Kellogg's ones are ones that were thrown in when I bought some Kellogg's cards.
Here are my PSA cards that might go on sale soon since I'm not a big collector of them.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Kellogg's Cards at the National Card Convention in Chicago?
I will be attending the show tomorrow. I'm looking for odd Kellogg's items related to the card sets. Maybe sheets, advertising items, etc. I won't be in the market for expensive items, but I will take photos if allowed and post them here.
A few of the auction houses have some Kellogg's sheets and proof cards and I hope they display them at the show. We'll see.
Here is one sheet I bought recently, but it's not a proof sheet.
A few of the auction houses have some Kellogg's sheets and proof cards and I hope they display them at the show. We'll see.
Here is one sheet I bought recently, but it's not a proof sheet.
Getting all sheets would be a dream goal. Based on prices realized I think that will always remain a dream. I have two sheets which sounds like a nice start, but some years there were four different sheets for a given set.
Monday, July 27, 2015
No Inductees to the Hall of Fame This Year Had a Kellogg's Baseball Card. Will There Be Another One Someday?
This year's inductees were all too young to get on a Kellogg's card. Last year Joe Torre was inducted as a manager and in 2012 Ron Santo was inducted.
Tim Raines finished 7th in the voting this year with 55% of the votes. He seems to have a chance. He appeared in the 1982 Kellogg's set.
Is there anyone joining the ballot in the next few years that could get voted into the Hall of Fame? No, they are all too young for that. What about the Veteran's Committee or whatever they call that now?
Now they have divided that group into three groups. It looks like Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Dick Allen, Maury Wills and Tony Olivia are the only ones close for the group looking at players between 1947 - 1972. This is the only group of the three that has players who appeared on Kellogg's cards. It seems as those this Golden Era (1947 - 1972) Committee won't vote again until December of 2017.
The three groups rotate years for voting. In 2014 the Golden Era Committee voted in no one. Sorry Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Billy Pierce, Luis Tiant, Maura Wills and Bob Howsam (an executive).
In the 2014 vote Allen and Oliva missed by one vote and Kaat missed by two.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
A Surprise Kellogg's Card Find Before the National Card Convention Next Week
Before going to ride my bicycle today I decided to make a quick stop at a small card show near the bike path. I was happily surprised to find a stack of 1971 football and baseball cards at one table. The football ones had major curling and the baseball ones were amazingly flat. All show great color even though about one third are cracked.
There were a few other Kellogg's cards as well, but there was a catch. They were in a large box that was for sale as is. I didn't look at the other cards much since the price was already good for the Kellogg's cards. The other cards were late 70s and early 80s. When I got home I was surprised to find out that most star cards were there, minus key rookie cards. So, quite a fun purchase.
I've never gotten a card graded, but I do own a few graded cards. About 15 of the 1971 Kellogg's baseball cards are probably good enough to be graded. I may have to ask someone for advice on this one.
Since my 1971 baseball cards are not in great condition, I got about 15 upgrades for my set and one new variation. That gives me 152 cards toward the master set.
I will be heading to the National Card Convention on Wednesday. Normally I don't find many cheap Kellogg's cards, but I'll be looking. Upcoming posts will probably mention what variations I need.
I've never gotten a card graded, but I do own a few graded cards. About 15 of the 1971 Kellogg's baseball cards are probably good enough to be graded. I may have to ask someone for advice on this one.
Since my 1971 baseball cards are not in great condition, I got about 15 upgrades for my set and one new variation. That gives me 152 cards toward the master set.
I will be heading to the National Card Convention on Wednesday. Normally I don't find many cheap Kellogg's cards, but I'll be looking. Upcoming posts will probably mention what variations I need.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
These Stars Got on a Kellogg' Baseball Card and Later Won Manager of the Year
The MLB Manager of the Year Award was first presented in 1983, the last year that Kellogg's produced its main sets. Since inception of the award, Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa have each won it four times. Neither got on a Kellogg's card so I will ignore them.
The ten players are listed in order with the most recent winners listed first.
Davey Johnson won the award twice (2012 Nationals and 1997 Orioles). I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. After playing 12+ years plus two in Japan managed five teams over 17 years including the 1986 Mets. That's probably a big reason that I didn't like him.
Kirk Gibson won the award in 2001 with the Diamondbacks. I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. The 17-year veteran player managed the Diamondbacks for five years. About 50 people were in my small apartment when he hit his famous home run in the World Series.
Lou Piniella won the award three times (2008 Cubs, 2001 Mariners and 1995 Mariners), I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. After playing for 18 years he somehow managed for 23 more winning the World Series with the Reds in 1990. He did what most other Cub managers did, not win a World Series.
Larry Bowa won the award in 2001 with the Phillies. I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. He played for 16 years, but only lasted six years as a manager.
Dusty Baker won the award twice (2000 Giants and 1997 Giants). I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. He played 19 years and somehow managed to still around for 20 years as a manager. Former Cub manager - see Lou Piniella.
Larry Dierker won the award with the Astros in 1998. Hey, I don't remember him being annoying at all as a player. He played for 14 years and only managed for five years. On his 18th birthday he made his debut in 1964 - no one that young has entered the majors since that time.
Joe Torre won the award twice (1998 Yankees and 1996 Yankees). He didn't get as much credit as others since the owners game him the typical lineup of stars that were expected to win. He played for 18 years and managed for 29 years. His Yankee teams won the World Series four times.
Don Baylor won the award in 1995 with the Rockies. I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager but I didn't really have a reason for that. He played for 19 years and managed for nine years. Former Cub manager - see Lou Piniella.
Felipe Alou won the award with the 1994 Expos. I always liked the Alou trio, but Moises not as much, especially after an infamous play and hearing about his pre-game rituals. Felipe played for 17 years and managed for 14 years.
Frank Robinson won the award with the 1989 Orioles. He played for 21 years and managed for 16 years. Take away two of those years where he was a player-manager and that still adds up to 35 years.
More about these players and their managing ups and downs in future posts.
The ten players are listed in order with the most recent winners listed first.
Davey Johnson won the award twice (2012 Nationals and 1997 Orioles). I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. After playing 12+ years plus two in Japan managed five teams over 17 years including the 1986 Mets. That's probably a big reason that I didn't like him.
Kirk Gibson won the award in 2001 with the Diamondbacks. I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. The 17-year veteran player managed the Diamondbacks for five years. About 50 people were in my small apartment when he hit his famous home run in the World Series.
Lou Piniella won the award three times (2008 Cubs, 2001 Mariners and 1995 Mariners), I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. After playing for 18 years he somehow managed for 23 more winning the World Series with the Reds in 1990. He did what most other Cub managers did, not win a World Series.
Larry Bowa won the award in 2001 with the Phillies. I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. He played for 16 years, but only lasted six years as a manager.
Dusty Baker won the award twice (2000 Giants and 1997 Giants). I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager. He played 19 years and somehow managed to still around for 20 years as a manager. Former Cub manager - see Lou Piniella.
Larry Dierker won the award with the Astros in 1998. Hey, I don't remember him being annoying at all as a player. He played for 14 years and only managed for five years. On his 18th birthday he made his debut in 1964 - no one that young has entered the majors since that time.
Joe Torre won the award twice (1998 Yankees and 1996 Yankees). He didn't get as much credit as others since the owners game him the typical lineup of stars that were expected to win. He played for 18 years and managed for 29 years. His Yankee teams won the World Series four times.
Don Baylor won the award in 1995 with the Rockies. I never liked him when he was a player or when he was a manager but I didn't really have a reason for that. He played for 19 years and managed for nine years. Former Cub manager - see Lou Piniella.
Felipe Alou won the award with the 1994 Expos. I always liked the Alou trio, but Moises not as much, especially after an infamous play and hearing about his pre-game rituals. Felipe played for 17 years and managed for 14 years.
Frank Robinson won the award with the 1989 Orioles. He played for 21 years and managed for 16 years. Take away two of those years where he was a player-manager and that still adds up to 35 years.
More about these players and their managing ups and downs in future posts.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Kellogg's Cereal Box Dream # 15 - Can I Get Any Other Kellogg's Card Please?
I had trouble distinguishing the 1977 and 1978 Kellogg's sets when I was younger. I would constantly get them confused. Steve Carlton didn't help me at all.
I think I ended up with at least seven of these two cards during 1977 and 1978. Amazingly, I got three in one box of Frosted Flakes.
Carlton must have been one of the first students at Miami Dade College since it opened in the early 1960s. From baseball-reference.com I noticed that he was the first player from MDC to make it to the majors.
Carlton has been joined by 25 other players from MDC including Bucky Dent, Mickey Rivers, Kurt Bevaqua, Randy Bush, Tim Hulett and Warren Cromartie.
He managed 13 career home runs and a .201 average.
1977 Kellogg's Steve Carlton #57 and 1978 Steve Carlton #1
1977-78 Cereal Box rating -- 6 comment -- A star player, but I keep getting his cards.
2015 Rating -- 8 comment -- Nice cards, but they are still easy to find. They are not as popular as cards of other Hall of Famers.
Carlton actually appears on consecutive cards in the Kellogg's sets. If you hadn't noticed, he is the last card in the 1977 set and the first card in the 1978 set. That might be the norm now since players appear on multiple cards in every set, but in the 1970s that didn't happen much. Did it? I'll need to look into this more.
I think I ended up with at least seven of these two cards during 1977 and 1978. Amazingly, I got three in one box of Frosted Flakes.
Carlton must have been one of the first students at Miami Dade College since it opened in the early 1960s. From baseball-reference.com I noticed that he was the first player from MDC to make it to the majors.
Carlton has been joined by 25 other players from MDC including Bucky Dent, Mickey Rivers, Kurt Bevaqua, Randy Bush, Tim Hulett and Warren Cromartie.
He managed 13 career home runs and a .201 average.
1977 Kellogg's Steve Carlton #57 and 1978 Steve Carlton #1
1977-78 Cereal Box rating -- 6 comment -- A star player, but I keep getting his cards.
Carlton actually appears on consecutive cards in the Kellogg's sets. If you hadn't noticed, he is the last card in the 1977 set and the first card in the 1978 set. That might be the norm now since players appear on multiple cards in every set, but in the 1970s that didn't happen much. Did it? I'll need to look into this more.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Lou Gehrig Did This for the First Time on This Day in 1925
On this day in 1925 Lou Gehrig hit his first grand slam homer. He hit 23 in his career to easily be the MLB leader for years. No one got to 20 until Manny Ramirez, who ended with 21.
Alex Rodriguez passed Gehrig recently, recording his 24th.
Eddie Murray had 19 and Willie McCovey had 18. All of these guys were big home run hitters. Surprisingly to many, Robin Ventura is tied with McCovey with 18 grand slams.
Alex Rodriguez passed Gehrig recently, recording his 24th.
Eddie Murray had 19 and Willie McCovey had 18. All of these guys were big home run hitters. Surprisingly to many, Robin Ventura is tied with McCovey with 18 grand slams.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
What About U.S. Diplomatic Ties with Cuba - Will There be a New Market for Kellogg's Cards?
Recently the U.S. announced that the diplomatic relationship with Cuba is changing. I saw something on television about Cuban ballplayers. There have been at least 191 Cuban players in the majors.
I started to look for Cuban-born players in the Kellogg's sets. The following players were all born in Cuba. After 1975 there were only two cards of Cuban-born players in regular Kellogg's issues - Campaneris in 1977 and Perez in 1981. Cuellar, Campaneris and Minoso appeared in the 1991 Hispanic Legends set and Perez was in the 1991 All-Star set.
Bert Campaneris Luis Tiant and Tony Oliva all appeared in the 1970 set. Olivia was joined in 1971 by Tony Perez, Tony Taylor, Jose Cardenal and Mike Cuellar.
Olivia and Cuellar stayed in 1972 with newcomers Cookie Rojas and Leo Cardenas.
Oliva and Cuellar were the lone Cuban-born players in the 1973 set.
In 1974 Bert Campaneris and Cookie Rojas reappeared.
In 1975 Kellogg's brought back Jose Cardenal and Luis Tiant.
After none appearing in 1976, Campaneris showed up in the 1977 set.
Not until 1981 did Tony Perez continue the list of Cuban-born players. Perez on the Red Sox? He had his 7th and final 100-plus RBI season with the Red Sox in 1980.
None appeared in the 1992 and 1983 sets.
As mentioned above, a few players appeared in some of the later Kellogg's small sets. Minoso appeared regularly at White Sox team functions and at games. What a great ambassador for the team. He is surely missed.
As mentioned above, a few players appeared in some of the later Kellogg's small sets. Minoso appeared regularly at White Sox team functions and at games. What a great ambassador for the team. He is surely missed.
Is Kellogg's going to be selling Frosted Flakes in Cuba sometime?
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Forty Years Ago Today - Joe Torre Had Quite a Day And Kids Like Me Probably Traded His Kellogg's Cards
On this day in 1975, Felix Millan went 4-for-4 against Houston. All of his hits were singles and all came with less than two outs.
Joe Torre batted behind Millan on that day. Torre did something that hadn't been done before in the history of baseball. He managed to ground into a double play on four consecutive at-bats.
Torre grounded into 284 double plays in his career. He ranks 15th all-time in that category. That isn't a surprise for a guy with 23 stolen bases in 18 years.
Who does Torre trail in this category? Guys who played a long time and didn't run extremely fast. The leader in this category grounded into 350 double plays and only had 36 career stolen bases. That "honor" goes to Cal Ripken. Check baseball-reference.com to check out the list.
Kellogg's must have been impressed because they gave him another card in 1976.
Joe Torre batted behind Millan on that day. Torre did something that hadn't been done before in the history of baseball. He managed to ground into a double play on four consecutive at-bats.
Torre grounded into 284 double plays in his career. He ranks 15th all-time in that category. That isn't a surprise for a guy with 23 stolen bases in 18 years.
Who does Torre trail in this category? Guys who played a long time and didn't run extremely fast. The leader in this category grounded into 350 double plays and only had 36 career stolen bases. That "honor" goes to Cal Ripken. Check baseball-reference.com to check out the list.
Monday, July 20, 2015
Another Normal Day for A Knuckleball Pitcher - Give That Man Another Kellogg's Card
On this day in 1973 Wilbur Wood of the White Sox gave up six runs in the first inning of game one of a doubleheader. He recorded no outs in the game. So, what does he do? Wood starts game two and pitches into the fifth inning. He takes the loss again, giving up five runs.
While that is unheard of today, what I find interesting about the box score is that after these two games on July 20th Wood's record stands at 18-14. This was the year I mentioned in an earlier post (Pitchers to Loss 20 Games and Have a Winning Record) where Wood ended up with a season record of 24-20.
By July 29th he had 20 wins. As of 7/19/15 the leader this year has 13 wins.
While that is unheard of today, what I find interesting about the box score is that after these two games on July 20th Wood's record stands at 18-14. This was the year I mentioned in an earlier post (Pitchers to Loss 20 Games and Have a Winning Record) where Wood ended up with a season record of 24-20.
By July 29th he had 20 wins. As of 7/19/15 the leader this year has 13 wins.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
That's a Lot of Career Hits for a Father-Son Combination
Pete Rose had 4,256 career hits.
Pete Rose Jr. played 16 seasons in the minors and 11 games with the Reds. He managed two career hits.
That's quite a total for a father-son. Here are a few others.
Griffeys - they ended up with 4,924.
Bonds - they ended up with 4,821.
Rose, Jr. should have gotten a few more in the majors. He managed over 1,800 minor league hits.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
All-Time Home Run Leader on This Day - How Many Did Babe Ruth Have?
On this day in 1921 Babe Ruth became the MLB all-time home run leader. That was fairly early in his career.
How many career home runs did Ruth have when he became the all-time leader?
a. 39
b. 139
c. 339
d. 539
e. 714
Roger Connor was the former record holder. He played from 1880 to 1897 in the days before the A.L. even existed. Connor had a career high of 17 home runs. He hit 138 home runs so the answer is 139 for Ruth.
Connor had a solid career. He had 100 RBIs four times, he led the league in homers only once, he had 2,467 career hits to go with a .316 lifetime batting average.
Roger Connor held the home run record for a long time. I'll need to do more research to figure out how long, but it will be at least 25 years.
Ruth held the record from 1921 until 1974 when Hank Aaron passed him. I remember watching that game on a horrible television. I also used a cassette recorder to tape the event. The cassette didn't last long.
How many career home runs did Ruth have when he became the all-time leader?
a. 39
b. 139
c. 339
d. 539
e. 714
Roger Connor was the former record holder. He played from 1880 to 1897 in the days before the A.L. even existed. Connor had a career high of 17 home runs. He hit 138 home runs so the answer is 139 for Ruth.
Connor had a solid career. He had 100 RBIs four times, he led the league in homers only once, he had 2,467 career hits to go with a .316 lifetime batting average.
Roger Connor held the home run record for a long time. I'll need to do more research to figure out how long, but it will be at least 25 years.
Ruth held the record from 1921 until 1974 when Hank Aaron passed him. I remember watching that game on a horrible television. I also used a cassette recorder to tape the event. The cassette didn't last long.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Not Nearly as Many Players Wore #72 - Only One Famous One and He Didn't Want the Number
So, only 11 players in MLB history have worn #72. That's quite a difference from the 688 players that have worn #14. Heck, the count could even be 689 since the count for #14 was as of yesterday.
Sorry, but after six hours of sweating today I am sitting with the A/C on and a Fisk card showing him on the White Sox is two rooms away. Not today.
Fisk's number 27 was in use when he was signed by the White Sox. Even though the number was available before the season started Fisk stuck with his new number of 72.
None of the other players wearing #72 made it onto a Kellogg's card. None wore the number for more than four years either. Here is the short list. Enjoy.
Luis Aquino - Expos, Giants
Xander Bogaerts - Red Sox
Jason Giambi - Indians
Robert Machado - Cubs, Brewers, Orioles
Jack McDowell - Angels
Juan Miranda - Yankees
Pat Neshek - Twins
Carlos Rivero - Red Sox
Miguel Rojas - Dodgers
Adam Wilk - Angels
A future project might consider why some of them wore this number. Was this because of Fisk for any of them?
Sorry, but after six hours of sweating today I am sitting with the A/C on and a Fisk card showing him on the White Sox is two rooms away. Not today.
Fisk's number 27 was in use when he was signed by the White Sox. Even though the number was available before the season started Fisk stuck with his new number of 72.
None of the other players wearing #72 made it onto a Kellogg's card. None wore the number for more than four years either. Here is the short list. Enjoy.
Luis Aquino - Expos, Giants
Xander Bogaerts - Red Sox
Jason Giambi - Indians
Robert Machado - Cubs, Brewers, Orioles
Jack McDowell - Angels
Juan Miranda - Yankees
Pat Neshek - Twins
Carlos Rivero - Red Sox
Miguel Rojas - Dodgers
Adam Wilk - Angels
A future project might consider why some of them wore this number. Was this because of Fisk for any of them?
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Kellogg's Cereal Box Dream # 14 - That's Quite a Famous Number on Baseball Jerseys
It's the 14th post in this series so why not honor someone who wore number 14 for the longesttime.
Hey, I could do another post about Ernie Banks who wore than number for the Cubs. Nah, he's been in enough posts already. Banks wore #14 for 19 years.
Paul Konerko wore #14. He got into a post because of a magnet on my refrigerator, but he doesn't have a Kellogg's card so he's out. He wore #14 for 16 years.
Gil Hodges, Jim Bunning, Jim Rice, Andres Galarraga, Julio Franco and Gene Woodling all wore #14 for at least 15 years.
Baseball-Reference.com lists 688 players who have worn #14. This number was worn by one player for 24 years. He finished with a .303 batting average, won an MVP and a Rookie of the Year Award and earned two Gold Gloves as an outfielder.
If you need another hint, he finished his career with 4,256 career hits. One more hint? He's not in the Hall of Fame.
1977 Kellogg's Pete Rose #20
1977 Cereal Box rating -- 9 comment -- One of the best players in the game. Like anyone who wasn't a Reds fan, I despised his win-at-all-cost style of play. Little did I know.
2015 Rating -- 9 comment -- Nine for a different reason than the earlier nine.
Lots of air time for him this week at the All-Star game. His image is now stained in a few ways.
Lots of air time for him this week at the All-Star game. His image is now stained in a few ways.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Which is Harder to Do - Make the All-Star Team or Get on A Kellogg's Card?
I'll need to continue to research which is harder to do. I'm using two different database software programs to do my research. Only one of the two has my Kelloggs database linked to the baseball stats. I will need to add the other before easily finding out all of the Kellogg's players who didn't get into an All-Star lineup and all of the All-Stars who didn't get a Kellogg's card. Stay tuned.
I looked through my 1982 Kellogg's set and quickly found Neil Allen who didn't make an All-Star team. When I pulled his card from the 9-pocket sheet, I decided to check the card behind him. Sure enough, John Castino didn't make an All-Star team either. Now I want to get the stats going. It might take a few days since I am busy at work.
Both players made it to the big leagues in 1979.
Castino was the 1979 AL Rookie of the Year. He was born in Evanston, IL near Northwestern University.
I looked through my 1982 Kellogg's set and quickly found Neil Allen who didn't make an All-Star team. When I pulled his card from the 9-pocket sheet, I decided to check the card behind him. Sure enough, John Castino didn't make an All-Star team either. Now I want to get the stats going. It might take a few days since I am busy at work.
Both players made it to the big leagues in 1979.
Castino was the 1979 AL Rookie of the Year. He was born in Evanston, IL near Northwestern University.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
The Most Boring All-Star Game Ever....And I Was There
Ugh.
It was so exciting to get a seat to the 1990 All-Star game.
Then I went to the game.
Wikipedia has so little to say about the game. One of the first things that they mention is that it is first, and as of now only, All-Star Game to have two players with the same name. Both Greg Olson (Orioles P) and Gregg Olson (Braves C) were in the game.
Then the site mentioned that Ernie Banks threw out the first pitch.
Still nothing about the game. There were 9 hits in the game and a two-run hit by Julio Franco accounted for the only runs. Boring.
My biggest memory of the game was batting practice. Two of the leagues star players refused to throw and baseballs into the crowd. Interestingly, both hold famous all-time MLB records.
It was so exciting to get a seat to the 1990 All-Star game.
Then I went to the game.
Wikipedia has so little to say about the game. One of the first things that they mention is that it is first, and as of now only, All-Star Game to have two players with the same name. Both Greg Olson (Orioles P) and Gregg Olson (Braves C) were in the game.
Then the site mentioned that Ernie Banks threw out the first pitch.
Still nothing about the game. There were 9 hits in the game and a two-run hit by Julio Franco accounted for the only runs. Boring.
My biggest memory of the game was batting practice. Two of the leagues star players refused to throw and baseballs into the crowd. Interestingly, both hold famous all-time MLB records.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Has Anyone Ever Told You That You Look Like..... A Guy on a Kellogg's Card
I spent lots of my time searching for cards with one of my friends. We'd go about a mile in any direction on our bikes to see which stores had packs in stock.
Usually, the packs were kept on the counter near the register, but at a few places the cards would just be mixed in with all of the gum and candy. The quick scan of the candy boxes at those stores was fun. Seeing a box of cards between the Charleston Chews and Marathon Candy Bars made for a great day.
Whenever I see a Lance Parrish card it brings back great memories from my younger card collecting days. He entered the league in 1977 when I was already big on these bike trips in search of cards. I was never a big fan of his or anything but there was just something about his card that brought back great memories.
It turns out my friend grew up to look a lot like Lance Parrish. There are songs that remind me of people, but not many cards that do. Any time I see a Lance Parrish card I can easily think back to chasing cards at White Hen, Crestline Drugs, Dairy Queen and many other stores whose names elude me.
Thanks Lance.
Usually, the packs were kept on the counter near the register, but at a few places the cards would just be mixed in with all of the gum and candy. The quick scan of the candy boxes at those stores was fun. Seeing a box of cards between the Charleston Chews and Marathon Candy Bars made for a great day.
Whenever I see a Lance Parrish card it brings back great memories from my younger card collecting days. He entered the league in 1977 when I was already big on these bike trips in search of cards. I was never a big fan of his or anything but there was just something about his card that brought back great memories.
It turns out my friend grew up to look a lot like Lance Parrish. There are songs that remind me of people, but not many cards that do. Any time I see a Lance Parrish card I can easily think back to chasing cards at White Hen, Crestline Drugs, Dairy Queen and many other stores whose names elude me.
Thanks Lance.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
How Did My Younger Brother Get to an All-Star Game Before I Got to One? What DId He See?
The AL scored 13 runs on 15 hits to crush the NL in the 1983 All-Star game. I remember watching it on the old, horrible television at my parent's house. My brother had the luxury of going to the game with my sister, who wasn't much of a baseball fan.
My sister entered my 12-year-old brother in some kind of contest to win tickets to the game. I may have some of the details wrong, but either way the two of them were among the winners so they attended the game at Comiskey Park.
They saw an All-Star game record 13 runs by the AL. Not that I'm jealous, but when I went to an All-Star game at Wrigley Field I was the most boring game in the history of the All-Star game.
They also witnessed lots of ceremony since the game celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first All-Star game in 1933.
Dave Stieb was the winning pitcher in a 13-3 AL Victory.
The big news was Fred Lynn's grand slam off of Atlee Hammaker. Hammaker's name sounds like someone who would get a grade of at least 94.50 on every math test ever. Unfortunately for him 94.50 was his ERA for the game. He gave up 7 runs and recorded only two outs. Jim Rice also homered off Hammaker.
Hammaker did have a 15-year career in which he played parts of 12 major league seasons. His career record was 59-67.
Check out the list of pitchers who were selected for the game and those who played. Not many stars were involved at all. A future post will examine years when the All-Star game ended up without star players.
My sister entered my 12-year-old brother in some kind of contest to win tickets to the game. I may have some of the details wrong, but either way the two of them were among the winners so they attended the game at Comiskey Park.
They saw an All-Star game record 13 runs by the AL. Not that I'm jealous, but when I went to an All-Star game at Wrigley Field I was the most boring game in the history of the All-Star game.
They also witnessed lots of ceremony since the game celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first All-Star game in 1933.
Dave Stieb was the winning pitcher in a 13-3 AL Victory.
The big news was Fred Lynn's grand slam off of Atlee Hammaker. Hammaker's name sounds like someone who would get a grade of at least 94.50 on every math test ever. Unfortunately for him 94.50 was his ERA for the game. He gave up 7 runs and recorded only two outs. Jim Rice also homered off Hammaker.
Hammaker did have a 15-year career in which he played parts of 12 major league seasons. His career record was 59-67.
Check out the list of pitchers who were selected for the game and those who played. Not many stars were involved at all. A future post will examine years when the All-Star game ended up without star players.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Do You Still Love Your Less Than Perfect Kellogg's Cards?
If you looked closely yesterday you would have noticed that I pictured some cards that were in less than perfect condition. My binder with the damaged cards is easy to find, so I tend to use it for some photos. I love looking at these cards because they are survivors.
Some of my damaged cards come from my collection when we didn't have pages or Card Savers or 800-count boxes. Some cards looked good but they cracked due to the way they were created and/or the temperature/humidity where the cards resided.
This card has a lot going on. Today I printed it larger so you can see all of what I see.
How do I love thee. Let me count the ways.
1. Sure there are some cracks due to how Kellogg's did their printing but I think lots of these ones were because the card was in someone's pocket for a few weeks.
2. The discoloration can happen when the card is left out in the light. This is more likely for this card since George Foster is card #1 in the set. If the cards were sorted in order he'd be on top. The discoloration is too severe for just that. It looks like someone had some 5-Star Chili and used George for a napkin.
3. The edges of the card show all sorts of issues. This card was certainly loved in 1977.
4. The back of the card. I can't look at it yet until I find better gloves to protect myself. More on that later.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Kellogg's Really Liked All-Star Game MVPs
Every player who won the All-Star game MVP from 1963 - 1984 appeared on a Kellogg's baseball card at some point in their career. It must have been around that time that the folks at Kellogg's began selecting players for the next set.
The MVP Award at the All-Star game began in 1962 when there were two games. Maury Wills and Leon Wagner were the MVPs. Neither got a Kellogg's card. Wagner's final season was 1969 so he left too soon to get a Kellogg's card. Wills' career was winding down around 1970 and his final season was 1972.
That's quite a streak of MVPs getting Kellogg's cards. Let's see how many of these players appeared in the set the year after being the game's MVP.
The MVP Award at the All-Star game began in 1962 when there were two games. Maury Wills and Leon Wagner were the MVPs. Neither got a Kellogg's card. Wagner's final season was 1969 so he left too soon to get a Kellogg's card. Wills' career was winding down around 1970 and his final season was 1972.
That's quite a streak of MVPs getting Kellogg's cards. Let's see how many of these players appeared in the set the year after being the game's MVP.
1963 - 1968 MVPs couldn't be on a card since the Kellogg's sets began in 1970. But all of those players appeared on a Kellogg's card at some point later.
The only ones that didn't get a card the next year were Carl Yastrzemski (1970 MVP), Frank Robinson (1971), Steve Garvey (1978) and Ken Griffey (1980).
1972 MVP J. Morgan
1983 MVP Fred Lynn and 1984 MVP Gary Carter both appeared on earlier cards.
1985 MVP Lamar Hoyt didn't become a star until 1982 so it was a bit late for him to get into the 1983 set.
1985 MVP Lamar Hoyt didn't become a star until 1982 so it was a bit late for him to get into the 1983 set.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)