In my failed attempt to find my baseball glove I found a buried treasure...

[TheMightyFavog]

An old three ring bainder containing a some of my old baseball (and football) cards...

The names...

John Kruk

Rueben Sierra

Paul Molitor

Mark Rypien

Christian Okoye

Cecil Fielder

Jim Everett

B.J. Surhoff..

Nolan Ryan.

[SCantiGOP]

1. John Kruk

He's still a commentator on one of the networks. I remember when he was still playing he was at one of those events where you pay $5 to get a card signed. As he was sitting there smoking a cigarette, a woman and her young son came up to him and she started scolding: "Don't you know you shouldn't be doing that! As a professional athlete you are a role model." He took a drag off his cigarette and said, "Hell lady, I ain't no athlete; I'm a ballplayer."

[The Midway Rebel]

2. Christian Okoye aka the Nigerian Nightmare RIP

Drowned while trying to save someone else.

[TheMightyFavog]

3. He's actually very much alive...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Okoye

[The Midway Rebel]

5. Right...I was thinking of this guy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Delaney

Heroic and tragic death.

[abq e streeter]

4. Ah- a bitter memory, but I'm not the only one

from The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book (opening lines of the epilogue) : " Your mother threw out your baseball cards, right? Your own mother. I know ,I know."
Apparently this is quite the common fate; you're one of the lucky ones. At least my old mitts are safe and sound. (And stiffer than hell from lack of use for years)

I had thousands....sniff...Back to 1954; Sandy Koufax rookie card; Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle and Ernie Banks... all-star cards... Eddie Mathews, Bobby Thomson,and Hank Aaron all the way to Coot Veal, Angel Scull and the legendary Choo Choo Coleman and Marvelous Marv Throneberry..


Been living in a AAA city (Albuquerque) for years, and it's been fun watching future stars (or even just solid major leaguers) on the way up, including Kruk, who I have clear memories of seeing with the Las Vegas Stars. Clear memories too of future Dodgers, and other teams obviously, (except for about 4 years with the Marlins, we've always been a Dodger affiliate) like Pedro Guerrero,Dave Stewart, Orel Hershiser, Ivan DeJesus...And guys past their major league years still hanging on; what a trip seeing Luis Tiant pitching for Portland. (game sold out all 15,000, and they turned another 15 K away.) Saw Rex Rundgren (Todd's kid) play here too (brillant defensive infielder but no bat)...

I loved my mom; I miss her after more than 40 years, but still wonder what it is about mothers that impel them to toss their sons' baseball cards .


P.S. speaking of Albuquerque and of Jim Everett; he played his high school ball just up the street from my apt. but supposedly never has come back here much.

[gratuitous]

8. A couple of thousand from the late 60s and early 70s - tossed

Every now and then I'll wander past a sports memorabilia display and see one of the baseball cards I used to own. Usually they're going for a couple of bucks or maybe ten bucks. Every now and then I'll see one valued in the triple digits. It's not painful anymore, but it used to really bother me 20 years ago.

I've made my peace with it, happy with the memories, and glad because I collected them for the sheer fun of collecting them, rather than as some kind of investment. My cards were handled a lot, statistics on the back memorized, faces etched in my brain. Not what you would call "mint" condition by any means.

[old mark]

9. Man, you could have been rich! ( at least a little) I saw the Phils after the '80 Series win,

but well before Kruk's time there.


mark

[LeftyFingerPop]

6. That's a great find! Topps? What year? n/t

[TheMightyFavog]

7. Mostly Topps from 86-92

Some old NFL Pro Set cards, a few Fleers, Scores, and Even a Donruss and Upper Deck or two.

I was mostly a Topps kid. 1. They were the cheapest at $.59 a pack, and 2. They came with bubble gum.