BACK TO THE GRIND ON MONDAY

            

               Just recently when I attended this months show at the Livonia VFW Hall (Feb. 9th) I had to do fast shopping cause I had to be back in time for work at my Dollar General job & not be able to watch the Super Bowl the first time in over 15 years cause my boss had scheduled me to work & then make matters worse I was starting to feel a little under the weather. I meant to do this post before the passing of my little brother whom I talked about in my last post. I want to thank you again from my family during this time. Anyways I am back to the grind today.  I have been updating my pages to help out on any missing names I needed to add to my long lists of items to find still. On Saturday I received my PWE from my Super Bowl winning contest from 3rd Floor where I guessed in saying Philadelphia would win with Jalen Hurts as my MVP so thanks again 3rd Floor I liked the Billy Sims heck I know my little brother is smiling from his view point cause that is one name he recalls as well Barry Sanders when watching the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

          On Saturday I had the day off & needed to get out of town so I headed to a shop in Ypsilani which is where the campus of Eastern Michigan is located & a few minutes away from Fanny Farbor the home of the Wolvewhiners who unfortunately have a 4 year winning streak against THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. I hadn't been to the Stadium Comics & Cards since last year. Mark the owner is a nice guy back in 2010 he helped me complete my 1975 Topps Mini set. As I was perusing through the singles for my needs I came across this fine of a set that seems very scarce to locate in the wild for $20 I couldn't pass it up. 

Not a bad pick up for $20 eh!!!!

            The cards look like the Michael Jordan featured on the top of this post I already had the `89/`90 Hoops Superstars set so I figured if I passed on it someone else would stumble on it & pick it up so after much debating in my head I went for it I am glad I did. Cause usually when I pass up on something I later kick myself in not going for it. After spending most of the time there I headed back to work on my post that your currently reading now about. With that said I am reminded of Rogers Hornsby who was managing the St Louis Browns when he reminded his players about signing autographs for kids "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist." 

A BROTHERS TRIBUTE

                 

               Normally this is one topic that I didn't expect to write about until next month when my baby brother turned 46 on of all days same day as Dr. Theodore Geisel,Mikhail Gorbachev,Moe Berg,Reggie Bush,Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy,Big Ben Roethlisberger,King Henrik Lundqvist,Desi Arnaz,Jon Bon Jovi celebrating his special day & make a huge post about it cause of all those names I mentioned were born on March 2nd his day. Unfortunately I was given some news I didn't want to hear. Sorry if I am seem misty eyed when I type this blog piece in a tribute to my brother Ethan. He passed away leaving behind a son named Caleb. I was glad Ethan was around to have Caleb in his custody during the holidays & was able to raise Caleb to fine young man he is. As well see his son Graduate from High School with honors 3 years ago despite Caleb having Aspergers syndrome. My little brother wasn't a pest like some in fact the only times I didn't like him cause he got to attend more proms then me as well have more girlfriends then me as well. Plus he was the only member of the 3 boys that's counting me in the mix to get married as well divorced later on. I talked about my older brothers passing last month.

                   It's hard for me to realize that I am lone brother left out of the 3 boys my parents raised being the middle child I got the bad genes handed down to me. Both of my brothers were smarter than me I was the only one interested in sports as well that's where I was a genius at compared to them. The joke was if they were on a trivia game show & a sports question would pop up & they needed assistance that's where I would shine on them tease in front of millions of viewers on television & they would have done the same thing to me if the topic of Comic Books came up for me.  I'll never forget one time in the summer of 1989 Ethan,his friend Josh & I were downtown taking in a festival where they had John Harvey that announced for the show Double Dare not Marc Summers cause Marc was back in Florida on his vacation. They had a Q&A session for John where we fans could ask anything about the show then they had raffle tickets & if you were 1 of 4 kids they did a mini double dare game well Ethans won the ticket to go on it. Ethans partner would later became one of his girlfriends they won the game & got to go on the Physical Challenge Course & they completed it winning a home version of the game to take home. We would played Double Dare alot that summer. 

                  The story about the 1988 Topps Card on top of my post of Turn Back the Clock with Bob Gibson #664  will now be a great memory for me when I look through that binder again. You see back in 1988 Ethan & I would spend our allowance every Friday at a comic/card store called Daggetts Comic & Cards he would get comics from his pull usually some MCU as for me the latest baseball cards which was some type of Topps pack either a wax,Rack Pack, The Jumbos which was I believe the 2nd year they came out with a Jumbo Pack. No matter what type of pack I bought I swear I had the magic touch in pulling that card out of the pack someway usually it was near the end of the pack I would say & oh look its again for the xxxx amount of cards I pulled Turn Back the Clock with Bob Giiiiiiiiiiibson. Ethan would then say I should try to find Bob Gibson & have him sign all them well I never did afterall I didn't want to have Bob Gibson not like me for sending him over 500+ of the same card for him to sign so I never did. This last year around September I was telling him about my blog site he mentioned I should talk about that card I said maybe I will on your 46th B-Day as my present to you little brother he said he looked forward to when it came to remember it well.....again Ethan sorry to disappoint you again little brother I have to do it earlier then expected.  I know he & my older brother David are perhaps talking about comics now as well discussing what David has observing from his place the last 4 years as well wondering what they might would have done this June when I reach my milestone year at my party & what they would have done to me to make me feel that milestone year. Ethan I am going to miss ya little brother Ill try to carry on in you & in David's memories with me until I join you again. It's not easy out living my brothers in age neither of them reach the milestone I am on the cusps of reaching in June later this year. I am sorry my readers I normally would leave with my famous parting words. Instead I want to say thank you for taking the time to read this post cause it wasn't easy for me to find the words to say about Ethan I am going to miss that little brother of mine & from my family to yours I want to thank you if you comment below know that I will continue to thrive to make both of my brothers proud of what I will accomplish in my remaining years ahead. Take care Ethan Ill see ya. 

Ethan in the tye-dye & Caleb 

I KNOW I WOULDN"T HAVE

                          

                On Friday February 7th I received an email from a member of the group that is profiled in my "What If......" series he reads my blog & recently shared with me a story at the last card show he attended in December. He told me about a deal that any set builder would kill to not pass up even if the stakes were very high. I for one know its one deal I wouldn't have passed up on so I told my friend that I would talk about the deal & see what my readers would do even if they aren't a set builder or not just to see what kind of readers do pay attention to this blog or not. 

                 The story he told me has to do with Willard Ramsdell featured on top of this posting as well the other 406 subjects featured in the iconic set that Willard is currently advertising.  What set you ask well....the iconic set I am referring to is that of Granddaddy of all sets the 1952 Topps set. My friend says he saw 4 dealers had passed on the offer before the seller left the show feeling disgruntled & he caught up with the seller to see what he was selling. The seller was in his Mid 70s & it seems the seller had about 406 out of 407 cards from a complete ungraded 1952 Topps set. The seller revealed to the dealers the only card that he was lacking due to the print run plus being a high number as well the legendary tale of what Topps did with them (Those who don't know the tale here's the 2010 Topps Insert card to explain what they did)

                 The seller went to explain he started making the set as a kid back in 1952 the only card he wasn't able to get was that of legendary #311. Yes you read that right the seller couldn't ever get #311 Mickey Charles Mantle's very first Topps card out of packs. The seller went on to say how always wanted to pull The Mick out of a pack. He collected most of his life but never was able to complete this set plus according to my friend he said this set was completely Immaculate with the only flaw being that Mantle spot empty. If he had the money he would have not passed on it my question for my readers would you have been like the dealers at the show passed on it or would you taken on the task on in completing the set by purchasing it & then find the Mantle sell it to a highly recommended Auction house or would ya keep it. Again there's no wrong answer to respond to this question. 

                Now I do apologize for not posting the last couple of days I have been under the weather as well working a lot of hours at my Dollar General job despite being under the weather I have still maintained working under the conditions I was dealt just when I get done working on my shift posting a blog entry has been the furthest thing on my mind & I am a firm believer that health issues come first over then posting about some rare set that a friend told me about. 

 

           So as I type this I am spending my Valentines night on the couch for the 5th night in a row so I can't spread my coughing spell to my girlfriend & make her sick. I now will publish this & wait to see what my readers think would you pass or make the deal you know my answer already.

           So I see my quote master Rogers made the post hard to believe I'm only 15 cards away from completing this set plus he reminds me what he said about signing autographs for little kids "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He a Communist."

ARE THESE 3 THE LAST ONES

 

             Are Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, & Pete Alonzo these 3 Gentlemen the last of a dying breed in Major League Baseball. What do these 3 men have in common. Well as of February 5th 2025 when Pete Alonzo came to terms with the Mets he marked his place of staying on the same team & not leaving to play elsewhere as of the time of this blog posting. 

                 All 3 of these men are in careers that have them heading to Cooperstown even though injuries in the case of Trout & Kershaw records reflect. All 3 still showcased being a valuable player for their respective teams by either being a MVP of a All-Star Game like Trout has won to Kershaw winning Cy Young Awards as well throwing a No Hitter as well being a World Champion with the Dodgers to Alonzo winning Rookie of the Year after hitting 53 Home Runs his rookie Season.

        So I think these 3 of these men will be the last to play for 1 team throughout their careers my question is for my readers do you see anyone else that might just do it or do you agree with the 3 players I mentioned. I know that sure Jose Altuve is a dark horse but I think he might jump to another team if the Astros were to struggle & not make a post season run & some team needed a "Little" pop to help them out.  I know that this post isn't a big one but I just thought I would see what others think of this topic. As I am reminded by the great Rajah when he was talking about signing autographs for little kids once said "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."

WHAT IF PART IV

             

             Welcome to another installment of the What If series the last one I did I asked you to tell me what you thought if Roberto Clemente had not passed away on New Years Eve in 1972. Well this time I am asking to make the deal that would have helped out these sluggers would they still been Hall of Famers only time would tell. 

         Our story begins with 2 General Managers in 1947 sharing a drink at a local watering hole they were discussing the 2 biggest hitters in how they wish they could trade for the others before they realize it they made the deal however 1 of the General Managers sobered up the next day & nixed the trade cause he didn't want to include a future Hall of Fame Catcher. Imagine if Ted Williams was sent to the Bronx for all people Joe DiMaggio to be sent to Beantown. Now the group made these notes about the trade & discussed the pros & cons first up was Joe D. 

       They Mentioned had Joe DiMaggio been sent to Boston one of the Pros was that Joe would have had played along his brother Dominic plus Joe was more of a Doubles hitter so the Green Monster would have helped him out on that. Plus Joe staying away from an injury plagued career would have only retired after the 1949 season instead of the 1951 season with a career average of .305 not at .325 like he did & only won 2 MVPs not 3. The only con they figured that Joe's Home Run total would been less than it was. Next up Teddy Ballgame.

       Ted Williams had a short porch in right field so hitting in Yankee Stadium would have benefited his stroke. Much like what current Slugger Aaron Judge has at the moment. The group also said Ted would have more than likely not played until 1960 instead retired in 1952 & not get offered the Managerial job with the Senators in 1968 instead he would just became more of a Pro Fisherman after his 2nd stint in the Military was over & had a career batting average around .380 not at .344 like he did & not won the triple crown in 1947 instead would have only led league in Home runs & RBIs but not average instead that would been reward to Phil Rizzuto. 

        Now my readers tell me what you think would have happened had the trade gone through as for that future Hall of Fame Catcher why that was Lawrence Peter Berra. So put your General Manger skills to work again until then remember that baseball season is 52 days away & that another former 2 time winner of the Triple Crown Rogers Hornsby once said about signing autographs for kids "Any ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, he's a Communist."

2ND SETS & THOUGHTS ON STARTING SOMETHING NEW

         On Friday last week I had it off from both of my jobs from Dollar General & at a school as an instructional assistant it's similar to being a tutor to kids the grades are kindergarten to 3rd grade. Up until April of last year I was working at a school that had 5th Through 8th grade students. The reason I said up until April was there was conflict between myself & the administration mind you I have been working with the district since 1998 & the school since 2009. So they gave me choice I could either quit,get fired, or transfer to another school well....sorry I need the $$$$$$ to support my hobby & interest as well pay my bills & such. So I moved onto another location. 

           This brings me to where I went on my day off.  I went to the same shop I went to the week before where I located the starter portion of the 1978 Jack Wallin Grand Slam Set. I spent a good 5 hours rummaging through the dime boxes as well the quarters finding some more of my needs which I was very excited to cross off as well get closer to completing some of my needs mainly in my hockey department. Then I thought of some of the sets I have made through the years in some cases I made more than 1 of the same set like I have 3 complete 1983 Fleer sets. Which also brings me to my thoughts currently I have a run in Topps baseball sets from 1971 (which I am still working on) to 2024 with the exception of my 1967 Topps set & the 1964 Topps Giant set. I saw 1 box that had a good portion of the 1970 Topps set I wondered if I should go for it & try to do it or not. I might make up my mind after I finish off 2 more sets on my wants in baseball. 

           I ask my readers of my blog I know most of you aren't set builders but this is for those that are I like to hear from you. Should I do the 1970 set or not & I am tempted to do the 1987 Fleer Set for the second time as well so which one should I do.  Stay tuned to the blog sometime in February I have a great contest challenge again I call BEAT THE CLOCK you'll have to wait & see what happens until then I am reminded of Rogers Hornsby talking about signing autographs for kids "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign for little kids ain't an American, he's a Communist." 

2025 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS in COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!

 

-I-O!!!!!! That's right the nay sayers can talk all they want in how they said THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY!!!!! didn't belong in the 12 field of contenders in the 2025 College Football Playoffs after the losses to Oregon & Muchigan. After listening to the game & watching on ESPN Game Cast cause I couldn't stream the game & I sure didn't want to go out in the cold weather (-4°F) to my parents house to see the game.  Now the Buckeyes are the answer to a great trivia question to the following question. 

What College football team has won a National Championship in the Pre-BCS games(1968 is 1 of many), a BCS game(2002),the first ever playoffs game(2015),12 team entry in the playoffs(2025)? 

                         Now I am not sure but if you ask me but Will Howard could play Mr. Beast of YouTube Fame in a movie cause they look so much alike. He just needs to grow his cheesy 'Stache. to be the perfect clone.

 

Tell me they don't look like.

             As Ryan Day had the boys focus on the game with his Mantra which I discussed on my January 13,2025 post about Plenty of Football left to play. As I type this piece up he's already getting to have the boys geared up for THE GAME in 311 days 11 hours 18 minutes & counting. Now as I bask in enjoying this championship. I leave you with Will Howard running for the sticks in the game so with that I am looking forward to getting a shirt that says 

2025 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY!!!!!!

also remember that Rogers Hornsby once said "Any ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."