Night Owl Cards

I was intrigued by garveyceyrusselllopes' post this morning on early 1960s Jello cards because like many collectors I've never been able to tell the difference between Jello cards and the Post cards that came out at the same time. Oh, sure, there are lots of places you can go where they'll tell you how to figure out the difference, but that means actually having to reeeeaadd something that isn't a card blog and I'm so laaaaaaaaazy. So even though I have the information right in the next room in the form of the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, I just kept right on going, "maybe I have a Post card, maybe I have a Jello card, oh, well, I guess I'll never know, la di dah!" I'm glad someone finally put a stop to that. Jim's blog post referenced Wrigley Wax's blog post from a couple of months ago that had information on how to tell the difference. This basically concerns only the 1963 Post and Jello cards because with the 1962 Pos...

The schedule that I keep is one I have known for years. It suits me. Through all the jobs I have worked, not one has been 9-to-5. I sometimes think of what it would be like to work a 9-to-5 job, but more often I am grateful that I don't. Because I am not operating 9-to-5/Monday-through-Friday, commonly held truths/sayings/ideas lose their meaning on me. A couple of them are downright annoying. One of them just recently passed. Here it is: "While you are barbecuing/picnicking/at the beach/etc., take a few moments to remember why you have the day off." I understand the sentiments of this Memorial Day "lecture," and I think it's important to reflect on those who have lost their lives for our country, but here's the thing, and again, thanks for reminding me about what the day is for although I already know why it's here and have been aware of it for some 40-plus years now, but ... I DON'T HAVE THE DAY OFF!!!!! Thank you for reminding me ...

I don't mean Norm Larker and Fred Kipp. I mean the names "Norm" and "Fred." You don't see names like that anymore (although now that I think of it, I do know a kid named Fred). Today everyone is named "Alex" or "Ryan" or "Brett." "Ian" or "Zach" or "Josh." Perfectly fine names, don't get me wrong. It's just that I'd get a kick out of it if I saw a kid and asked him his name and he said ... "Hi. My name is 'Burt.'" "Fantastic," I'd say back. How many people do you know named Burt anymore? The first "person" I knew with the name "Burt," or "Bert," was a puppet. The first real person I knew with the name "Burt" was a woman, believe it or not. A neighbor across the street. Then there is Burt Reynolds, Burt Lancaster and Bert Bacharach. But, damn, all those guys are old ... or dead. Nope. No "Bu...

I received this book in the mail from Commish Bob at the '59 Topps blog . He thought it would be something I would enjoy. He's right about that. As you may have guessed, I hold the Dodgers teams from 1977-81 on a higher level than any other team from any other era. This was the period when as an 11-year-old boy, I really formed an attachment to a team, which also happened to be one of the best teams in baseball during that five-year span. The memories of the teams from that time are some of the strongest of any baseball memories that I have. And this is the exact time period, some of the exact moments, that are covered in this book by Paul Haddad. Haddad is a TV producer and writer. He's my age, and he grew up a Dodger fan. The book is filled with every memory you can think of from the Dodgers of that period -- the World Series games, Fernandomania,  Rick Monday's home run, the 1980 pennant race and the suckiness of Dave Goltz, everything. And it is all appro...

Who remembers the Bicentennial? Probably not a lot of you. But I do. I always felt blessed to experience one of our country's centennial celebrations. You kind of have to land on the right birth square to enjoy one. I was 10 years old in 1976 and even at that young age, I couldn't make a move without knowing that it was our country's bicentennial. I still remember receiving Ranger Rick magazine in the mail (anybody remember that? Anyone?) The subscription was a gift from my nature-loving grandmother, and it was my first subscription to a magazine ever. I treasured those once-a-month visits from our furry friends. And for July 1976, Ranger Rick featured a bald eagle on the cover. I swelled with the first stirrings of patriotic pride. I remember the grandest 4th ever, my horrific experience with red, white and blue ice cream (they had not perfected "blue food" back then), and the endless celebrations in my town. And every time I see a card from the 1976 K...

So, as you may know, I celebrated a birthday recently. I wrote a post about it, as I normally do. Some people may wonder why I do that. Well, it's my blog and I tend to touch on items that pertain to me on my blog, and my birthday definitely pertains to me. So that's why I write about it. But just so it doesn't get too egotistical, I try to tie it in with cards. This time, I wrote about the former Dodgers who share my birthday. There are three of them who spent any appreciable time with the Dodgers. I lamented that I didn't have a card of one of them, Norm Sherry. I mentioned that I did have a card (actually I have four) of another one, John Purdin. And I mentioned another player, Tommy Tatum. I brushed off ever getting a card of him. He played during the 1940s and in only 69 total major league games. I was pretty sure there wasn't a card of him. So, a few people read the post, the kinder ones wished me a happy birthday, and everyone moved on with their n...