C.A.: 1987 TCMA 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers Don Newcombe

(Not a lot sports-wise can take me away from baseball during the summertime, but there is one exception. No, sorry World Cup fans, it's Wimbledon, and it starts tomorrow. Summer is here! Time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 371st in a series):

 

Those of you with favorite teams, do you ever play this game? Do you think about what era that you were not part of -- either because you weren't born yet or were not aware of baseball -- that you wish you could have experienced for your team?

 

I am fortunate that I have lived long enough to have experienced most of the 1970s Dodgers glory days and their 1980s standout seasons. Thank goodness I'm not in my late 30s and can go back only to the '90s or '00s -- those were not fun Dodger times.

 

But I do wish I was around to witness two particular moments. The first is Sandy Koufax in his heyday, say, 1963-66. That would have been fun. The second is 1955 -- "next year" for Dodgers fans. I would have loved to see that team and experience that World Series.

 

I have plenty of cards to commemorate that season and a couple of sets even. Just recently I added the above Don Newcombe card from the 1987 TCMA '55 Brooklyn Dodgers set.

 

It was the last card I needed for that set. It's weird to me that it took so long for me to find this card. Among the nine cards in the set, it's among the least remarkable. But I think part of me thought I had it already.

 

Maybe you can see why.

 

But anyway, I'm happy to complete another TCMA set and another TCMA set that recognizes those old Dodgers. One of the very first TCMA sets I ever knew -- and ever completed -- contained famous old Dodgers.

 

I've had these cards for so long that they almost look like cards from the '50s and '60s as far as condition even though the set was produced in 1975.

 

And now I can add Don Newcombe to the rest of the 1987 TCMA set -- and they fit perfectly into one binder page:

 

TCMA knew what was up.