2001 UPPER DECK DECADE 1970s GAME USED BAT PART XXXI

                                      

                                                "Now batting #37 Keith Hernandez......." I know some of you will say uh.....why did ya say #37 he wore #17 the thing is Keith wore #37 2 years after wearing #18 from 1974 to 1976  then switched to #37 the 7 part is a tribute to Mickey Mantle while a member of the St. Louis Cardinals then when he was traded to the New Mets he couldn't wear #37 thats how he became #17 the Mets had retired #37 in honor of the Ol Perfessor aka Casey Stengel & in 2022 they honored Keith by retiring his #17. Then Keith went on to play in 43 games in Cleveland before retiring to join the broadcasting booth in New York.

           While Keith was in St. Louis he won the first of 5 of a total straight 11 Gold Gloves for them the other 6 was when he was with the Mets from 1978 to 1988. He was named to 5 All-Star Games. It was in 1979 when he came co-MVP award winner as this 1982 K-Mart states.

The other Co-Winner that year was Willie Stargell. 

                               Keith as I mentioned was traded to the New York Mets during the 1983 season, the reason is he couldn't get along anymore with manager Whitey Herzog plus according to Whitey he felt Keith was under the influence of cocaine. In 1985 he was accused of being in part of the Pittsburgh Drug Trials other players were Dale Berra,Lonnie Smith,Lee Lacy,Lee Mazzilli,John Milner,Dave Parker, Rod Scurry,, Willie Mays Aikens,Vida Blue,Enos Cabell,Jeffery Leonard,Tim Raines Sr., Alan Wiggins. It just amazes me that out of those names 2 still made the Hall of Fame what are your thoughts sure some cleaned up their acts while others like Scurry & Wiggins later died of Drug overdosing. In 1986 he won his second World Series Ring the first came in 1982 while he was still in St. Louis. He was named captain in 1987 then after the 1989 season the Mets a Free-Agent. He signed as I mentioned with the Cleveland Indians before injuries took over then called it a career after I mentioned 43 games as well. It was in fall of 1992 Keith made pop culture status when he dated Elaine Benes only to break her heart when he revealed to her that he was a smoker.                   

                 As a Seinfeld fan it was amusing he was only New York Met besides Roger McDowell to appear on there.

                          Now as this piece of the set theres about 242 more of them out in the market since like I mentioned at the very begining of this series there's only 97 possible sets that could be made & your reading one that is complete. So your asking me does Keith belong in the lineup sorta does if his bat piece wasn't a Short Print & his link with the Pittsburgh Trials he doesn't however being the MVP co-winner in 1979 & his Gold Gloves he does so while I flip Back n Forth on it what do you say next up in lineup is Manny Mota until then I leave you with a quote from Rogers Hornsby "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign Autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."

I STILL DIG WHY OTHERS AREN'T

 

                  Last month I was at my monthly show in Livonia,Michigan & here I'm 51 years old digging through the countless 5000ct boxes of cards trying to find some of the missing ones from my lists in trying to complete the sets. As well in hopes to maybe start something new to add to my collection should I not be able to find anything from my lists as well others lists usually its the other persons lists get more hits then I do with mine.  I am the same way when it comes to finding boxes that I can go through at a shop I remarked that sometimes the best things aren't always in the display cases at shows or shops its the 3200ct or 5000ct boxes I am going through where I can find the missing pieces or things that might spark me to build that certain set. 

                  Case in point I was at a show in 2024 going through some boxes when I stumbled upon some 1977 Burger King/Topps New York Yankees cards at first I thought they were the regular versions of the 1977 Topps set when I came across the team card cause I was having a debating conversation with the dealer at the time we couldn't remember if they showcased the uniform #s of the players cause as a kid I would recreate a baseball atmosphere like setting & those of you loyal readers have read my posts of the 2001 Upper Deck Decade 1970s Game Used Bat I usually start off by saying "Now Batting #42 Reggie Jackson....." when I flipped the Burger King card over I noticed the back was different then I looked at the card # it said 1 I said that ain't the regular version this is the Burger King card I then gathered the rest of the Yankees cards I could find in that box looking at them & well I found 19/24 of the set so naturally I got them then added to my lists the missing 5 I still need to complete it. I like to complete the set so I can naturally admire it. 

 

1977 Burger King New York Yankees Team card. 

 
                      1977 Topps New York Yankees Team card. Quite different ya think & am I correct when I said #42 Reggie Jackson not his familar #44 which he wore with the Yankees but before that he worn #20 during a pre-season game & he couldn't wear #9 like he did with the A's & the Baltimore Orioles cause Graig Nettles was wearing 9 at the time when Reggie joined the Yankees.


                      I keep digging through boxes yet most people at shops or shows don't want to take the time to rummage through stuff like that its beneath them or they don't have the paience to sit through a box like that to help a fellow collector out. Those that don't want to go through boxes like that are usually got the faces stuck on their phones to them they are supposely looking up information of a card mainly the price of the graded card they want to either purchase or trade off not look at the TCDB.com site for obscure information like the 1977 Topps New York Yankees team card cause when they flip a card over they see the back see notice a little change then they take a picture of it to run through an app to have them identify the card quicker to get a price faster or cause they don't have the time to do the research. I do the research especially when it comes to stuff I am not knowledgeable on when it comes to others lists on something I don't own myself & that plays a good role cause I hate to have someone request a 1985 Donruss card of Tom Seaver & not knowing if they want the error version or the corrected version.

The Corrected version in factory sets on the left & the Error made for packs on the right. 

             I also like reading some of my friends in the blogging world when they get a package from me or some of you point out after I make a comment on their post how they didn't know certain things that I mentioned. All right show of hands how many of you didn't realize at the begining of this piece that the 1977 Burger King New York Yankees team card had a different back then the regular version its alright to admit that you didn't know cause I guess that's a hidden reasoning I sometimes to like to gloat when I get a shout on things like that or in your posts or when I find something that you've been looking for in your collections case in point the other day Matt from California did a piece of the late Jerry Koosman by showing off his 1986 Donruss Diamond Kings card I made the comment which I said Jerry's Rookie card was in 1968 shared with a future Hall of Fame teammate & the card he featured the Diamond King came the same year as a player that also had a Diamond King card that same year as the first repeated Diamond King & Jerry gave up a Milestone hit to that same player then I revealed that it was Pete Rose was the first repeated Diamond King player & the milestone hit was #4000 of his career Matt instantly had a chuckle at it then said funny stuff & then Fuji double checking my facts (I wonder if he double checked the 1977 backs as well *lol*  tell me Fuji did ya check its nothing to shame you on) about who gave up Pete's 4000th career Hit & he was like damn your correct Jerry indeed do that. 

                        One of my dealer friends in Grand Rapids,Michigan & Owner of Legends Sports & Games Lou Brown in the black shirt in setting up his booth at the 2025 National Sports Card Convention. Lou always asks me what fun it is that I can spend hours on hand rummaging to find stuff & practically find nothing from my lists but others lists & I usually tell him I just enjoy the hunt.

         I don't mind standing while looking through boxes but sometimes after a while I need to sit to look through why cause I am old. I just wish others would dig more in helping me out there's a few people I know that will look through the boxes like me & they have been well rewarded as well. I think I am very envious of Johnny of Johnny's Trading Spot when he can get to a shop to sell him in bulk 5000ct boxes cause I love digging to find some nice things 1 of these years I need to get myself down to Florida to check some shops there heck if anyone lives in a place that offers stuff like that don't be afraid make an offer for that box I might be interested in making a trade for it since if ya don't want to dig buy the box for me send it to me & I'll dig for you & let ya know what I come up with. Ill get off my box now gotta get ready for another long week so Ill talk you all later until then I am reminded of what Umpire Harry Wendelstedt said prior to these ABS challenges "If they did a machine to replace us, you know what would happen to it? Why, the players would bust it to pieces everytime it ruled against them. They'd Clobber it with a bat."

A CENTURY HAS PASSED

 

                     It was 100 years ago today in Detroit,Michigan that the man shown on top of this post Harry Houdini (His real name was Ehrich Weiss) passed away due to a burst appendix after being hit with a punch to the stomach by a college student a few days earlier in Montreal,Quebec Canada. I know you were expecting to read something about cards on my blog but there's 1 thing that most people don't know about me.

         You see I am a firm believer in paranormal stuff I have seen ghosts in the past as well have had a couple of OBEs in my lifetime. For those who are wondering what is an OBE. OBE is Out of Body Experience, let me explain I would be in a sound sleep & suddenly I would leave my body as a ghostly spirit then reappear somewhere else & talk to someone & seem normal only when they would reach out to touch me I would disappear then I would have returned to my body wake from my sleep as if I was struck by lightning I would then take out a notepad write down the time I woke up & then later on reach out to the person who I was talking to asking for confirmation from them if they saw me at that specific time cause I would give them details that only they would known at that time cause it be usually around the same time when they tried to touch me & when I woke up. Let me give ya an example back in 2013 I was told by a friend of mine that claimed that I was with them during an accident that they were in I was unhurt but they were trapped under a car broken collar bone & 3 ribs I was able to get help to rescue them & all they wanted to do was check my injuries as they reach out to touch I vanished I woke up & wrote the time at 1:43am EST.  the thing was this friend who was in the accident lived at the time in Washington state & was in accident at 10:43pm PST the exact same time I woke up. How spooky is that have any of my readers believe that they have had an OBE let me know in the comments below.

                        I understand some of you might be skeptical tonight I wish I could be part of the many Seances that will be conducted on the 100th Anniversary of Harry Houdini's passing but instead I am working tonight if I was to attend I would only hope that for once that Harry would speak from the beyond instead I am reminded what his wife Bess said during the 1936 seance in trying the last 10 years to reach out to her late Husband.  "Yes. Houdini did not come through. My last hope is gone. I do not believe that Houdini can come back to me, or to anyone. After faithfully following through the Houdini ten year compact, after using every type of medium and seance, it is now my personal and positive belief that spirit communication in any form is impossible. I do not believe that ghosts or spirits exist. The Houdini shrine has burned for ten years. I now reverently turn out the light. It is finished. Good night, Harry....."  with that said she blew out the Candle that she kept burning every year for 10 years in hopes to reach him now tell me do you believe in the paranormal or do you believe that I am really good at telling you a tale on Halloween. 

   

NO USE IN CRYING FOR THEM

 

              As many people in the "collecting" world if you don't mind me saying it like that are in the midst of a major paranormal freaking out period in their lives all because of all the money they had for something looking forward to is gone. Please understand I know that every person has a different outlook on how they collect but I was at a shop on Friday when this customer was truly screaming at the shop owner about losing his stuff cause someone removed 2.5 pallets from FedEx vehicle. 

              First things first the shop owner didn't have anything to do with it so ya don't need to yell at them for losing your stuff after all this shop owner had no idea this was going to happen. Second this shop owner was helping you sorta save money for sending your stuff to be submitted to be graded cause he told you that he would submitted it so you can get more stuff at the shop while you enjoy your latest flips. Third thing don't blame the stupid driver from FedEx leaving his vehicle unguarded cause your precious Flips are gone. Fourth if you were 1 of those missing stuff don't try to lie about what you sent cause your in competition with many other people who are trying to do the same thing (I heard 6 guys going to say they lost some huge cards that were 1/1 status so they could benefit from the robbery even though they didn't have anything in the first place) I'm sure that PSA has all the information of what was on those pallets & they are trying their best to let shop owners across the country by submitting a list of the missing items so they can be found should the thieves not Crack open all those cases & then wait a while to resubmit them to see what grades they can be again. I'm also sure that PSA has let the other graded companies know what they had as well cause it be unfair for fellow blogger Ginko-5 submitted to PSA a Macklin Celebrini 1/1 5 colored patch/autograph that got graded a 10 for everything then some robber breaks it out of case cause it was 1 of cards that was stolen & resubmits it to SCG & gets a 10 as well claiming they own that card when it should be rightfully Ginko-5s. 

                   Let's face it you don't need to be crying or get upset about getting a voucher or anything except what you want. This is why I'm glad I'm not interesting with graded things its bad enough I have to struggle with the fact your thinking your doing a hobby a favor for getting a card graded when I am needing that same card you think is should be graded case in point I waited 16 years to complete my `05/`06 Upper Deck Hockey set to find a raw version of card #201 Sidney Crosby for my set cause I started the set the same year when it was released & everytime I would see the card someone figured it has to be graded right away. Understand this graded fans there's collectors that like to have a raw copy of a card to finish their sets or have a raw version for their collection. 

             So understand that I feel your pain that you are dealing with in this mess but blaming a shop owner,PSA,FedEx isn't going to get your stuff back any quicker. Also understand that we non-graded collectors are feeling the wrath as well cause we have to hear your whining about all is lost or why is hard to get my stuff back quickly or why can't get the best grade on a card I submitted I should take it out of the case & submitted to different company for the better grade. I will now step off my box but I will say this are you really a collector or just trying to jump ahead in getting rich if you are the type that just wants to get rich then do me a favor buy lottery tickets or spend money on the betting apps & get the out of my hobby your ruining it & am I glad your stuff is missing oh & HAVE A NICE DAY!!!!!!! Now I await to hear from you.  

FLEA MARKET FINDS

 

          On Sunday taking a page from Blogger friend Fuji I went to the last Flea market of the year at a Antique Mall in my area picked this up for $20 it wasn't a necessity for me to buy it but its rare to see a game used patch that wasn't a manufacturer's type patch. From there I picked up the 1990 Topps Major League Debut Set that has the 1991 design for $8 to give me all 3 years of the sets plus it beats having to people trying to find it on my wantlists then I get home put it away in the sleeves when it turns out I am missing 10 cards all the Detroit Tigers which shouldn't be a problem I have a friend who might have the team set for me others that are missing are Steve Avery,Carlos Baerga,Scott Erickson,Mark Leiter Sr. ,Charles Nagy, & of Course Frank Thomas. 

Not bad of a set for $8 that features that had a missing Frank Thomas but Jerry Goff Jared's Dad card was there.

 

His son might not have played this week but his dad's card played a role in my collection.

I featured Trevor cause his 1991 Stamp card I still need plus at $25 for the set was a steal or not.

             As I finished off my spending at the Flea Market again not a big need but for $25 I picked up the 1987 Jogo CFL set I did my research all 110 cards were there then I checked what eBay sellers were selling it for roughly $95 so you tell me was it worth it or not. Anyways that's my latest finds at my flea market buying so you tell me how I did & what of the 3 purchases would ya bought or would ya done like me gotten all 3 as well. Until then I am reminded of what Rogers Hornsby once said "I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it."

SORRY MR OWL & GRCL BUT HAD TO CUT THE MUSTARD!!!!!

 

             Thanks to my good friend Dave Gollnick in Wisconsin & huge Brewers fan I had the Gorman Thomas fan favorite autograph card but he earlier this year sent me some Gorman Thomas Stormin Sauce & yes thats sauce is autographed by Stormin Gorman himself.  I wanted 2 sauce bottles 1 signed not to be opened & 1 to try Dave said he'll try to send me another one if the Brewers should win the World Series. Well....the Brewers are returning to Fall Classic for the first time since 1982 When Gorman was the leading home run leader for that team but back then they were an American League team. How I wish they would return to American League & Houston back to the National League. I understand fully that Milwaukee was in the National League when the Braves played there but c'mon I can remember as a kid looking at the American League East standings in the 1980s seeing Milwaukee there as well watching guys like Molitor,Yount,Cecil Cooper,Ben Oglivie,Jim Gantner,Rollie Fingers,Pete Vuckovich,Moose Haas come for a series usually around in early June around my birthday to Detroit. While Ohtani is still wondering why he can't get a ring this year for the Dodgers.

What no ring for me why not!!!!

             Sorry Mr Owl & GRCL but its time for a new National League team to be representing the National League in the World Series even though I still want them in the American League. 

So as I type this the American League Championship Series is heading to Game 4 with Cleveland up 2-1. If the Guardians win the series I see the Brewers taking it in 5 games if the Rays should move on to make their 3rd appearance in the Fall Classic well.....then again I will say Milwaukee sweeps them. Regardless someone will break their curse of not winning a World Series title it all depends on who is the winner. So thanks again Dave for the sauce hoping you can send me some more to try & Dave is trying to complete his Topps run of Brewers Team Sets here's what he needs if ya can help him out he'd appreciate it just make a trade to me & I'll send it along to him. He also collects these guys in his PC Jackson Churio, Jonathan Lucroy, Paul Molitor, Christian Yelich, Robin Yount, and Ken Griffey Jr.

  

Dave's list of needs 

2009 Topps

595b Robin Yount

2010 Topps

116b Robin Yount

2012 Topps

US271 Ryan Braun SP

Topps Golden Moments #GMR-JLU Lucroy x2

2016 Topps

298b Ryan Braun

2017 Topps

220b Ryan Braun

2018 Topps

615 Thames SP Var

2019 Topps

100 Hank Aaron SP

287 Jesus Aguilar SP

300 Christian Yelich SP

330 Lorenzo Cain SP

676 Yount SP

US150 Keston Hiura RC SSP Var

2019 Topps Gold

300 Christian Yelich

330 Lorenzo Cain

2020 Topps

U269 Yelich SP Var

2021

100 Yelich SP

100 Yelich SS

521b K Hiura SP VAR

2024

Celebration of the Kid

3,5,7,9,11,12,13,14,16,18,20,21,24

2025

636 Tobias Myers

2026

379 Blake Perkins

409 L Henderson

518 Brandon Woodruff

542 Joey Ortiz

604 Jake Bauers

684 Quinn Priester

US67 Shane Drohan

US101 Gary Sanchez

US109 Brandon Lockridge

US136 Miz

US138 Tyler Black

US216 Joel Kuhnel

US218 G Mitchell

US229 Brian Fitzpatrick

US325 Luis Renigfro

           I hope someone can help him out until then I'm reminded of former Brewers Manager Dave Bristol once saying "There'll be 2 busses leaving the hotel for the park tomorrow. The 2:00pm bus will be for those of you who need a little extra work. The empty bus will leave at 5:00pm." 

YOU BE THE JUDGE

 

               On a recent blog post by Buckstore he mentioned the card featured on top of my piece is a bit uh..... bonkers I commented on it saying no I think this one is of San Diego Chicken & Smokey the Bear is more bonkers.

Kiss me ya big bear you 😘 😘😘😘 lol. 

                  To me Kurt is playing Smokey Claus with Smokey I even replied back with the same comment but you can be the judge on it. So let me know in the comments below on which one you think is more bonkers my incumbent of the San Diego Chicken or Buckstore choice of Kurt Bevacqua. Until then I am reminded of Rogers Hornsby once saying about signing autographs for kids "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."