baseballtourist

Opening Game - 6 Days Away

 

Yes, I am looking forward to the season getting started. Just a tad.

Dallas and Marse...perhaps, not so much? They, along with Kates did fight their way through 5 innings of frigid temps at Wrigley Field at the Cubs home opener in 2004. The hot dogs were cold, the beers were frozen and the guy selling lemonade freezies things in near-artic temps, was nuts!

At least they got to go to Fogo (mmmmm meat!)

This year, I will watch from the warmth of my living room. Atlanta opens up at Philly in a night game and the Jays begin at home on the 7th vs Detroit.

Hurry up already.

Rare 1908 "Shoeless" Joe Jackson Photo

A rare 1908 Greenville Spinners team cabinet photograph featuring the then 19-year-old Joe Jackson has surfaced.

Jackson is part of the team photograph capturing his first professional team, which played in his South Carolina hometown. It was brought forth directly from the family of one of Jackson's teammates, who were likely the only recipients of the photo when it was created. Upon a shabby ball field more dirt than grass, the teenaged Jackson stands with 11 of his Greenville teammates. The young mascot sits at his right foot. The value of the photo is estimated at over $20,000 US.

It is worthy to note that it was during a 1908 doubleheader pitting the Spinners against the Anderson Electricians that Jackson would earn his famous nickname. After suffering through the first game in a pair of new spikes that raised blisters on his skin, Jackson removed them for the second. In the seventh inning he laced a long line drive, sliding into third with a triple. As the dust cloud settled, an opposing fan shouted to him, "You shoeless son-of-a-gun!"

Jackson would not finish the season in Greenville, heeding Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack's call to join the Athletics in Philadelphia, where he would struggle to adapt to a life entirely different from the one he had known on the dirt farms and ball fields of the South. Here we see Shoeless Joe as the ultimate "diamond in the rough," a baseball prodigy just weeks from setting out upon a journey with all the trappings of a Shakespearean tragedy.

 Jackson, part of the notorious "Eight Men Out" that conspired to deliver a 1919 World Series victory to gamblers supporting the Cincinnati Reds at the expense of their own Chicago White Sox club. The famous center fielder actually improved upon his regular season batting averages during the tainted Fall Classic, while not committing a single fielding error.

What do 1950's comedians, Zack Hample and I have in common? Monster Gloves!

I stole this idea (not the glove..I paid for that) from Zack Hample. I love Zack's blog and really appreciated that he had a blast with this thing at a spring game in the sun last season (interacting with my Jays...none the less).

Zack used his charm and baseball smarts to add baseballs to his impressive collection...but he also employed the use of his "BIG GLOVE" (pictured here from Zack's site).

I'm bringing mine to San Fran at the beginning of May to the 3 Giants vs Rockies games (1st, 2nd and 3rd to be exact)  that Grant (aka wally or howie) and I are planning to watch.

Do I look like these guys? If so, It's OK...Fun is Good!

Classic Games on MLB.TV

Touch 'em all Joe!

I signed up for MLB.TV to watch the WBC and Jays games that aren't available here on the left coast, or air too early for me (damn work commitments!) and found out that I have access to some of the classic games in recent MLB history.....including Game 6 of the 1993 WS (thanks MLB...thanks Joe!)

UBC Baseball @ the Nat

It's not the Jays, but it will do....especially for a guy who missed the WBC final game between Japan and Korea.

You need to understand that missing a game described  afterward as "one of those games for the ages that will certainly grow in proportion with the passage of time" is kinda tough to take. Ichiro was the hero too...Kates will be pleased :)

The college players are opening up their home season this week (making up for a couple of rained out games) at good, old Nat Bailey Stadium. I only made it to one Thunderbirds game in the past...and it too was rained out.

Here's to clear skies this weekend.

19th Century Baseball Parlour Game - from Australia

From my collection - a c.1900, table top, BASE BALL / CRICKET parlour game of BIFFIT, made in Australia.

Comes with the original instructions and box. This may have been manufactured for sale to capture the interest Spalding and his Baseball Tourists started in their their tour down-under?

Canadians, Mounties, Beavers...Baseball in Vancouver is SO Canuck

I toured the BC Sports Hall of Fame last week and snapped some pics of various historical displays.

Vancouver Canadians - 1978-2009 (Moved from Triple A to Short Season, Single A Ball)

Game used/worn jersey, hats, balls and lots of stadium stuff..programs etc. Canucks hockey items in the same case? Why?

Vancouver Mounties - 1956-1962

Game? or souvenir signed balls, a game worn cap and a 1958 team presentation "trophy" bat plaque. I understand that the team used cracked bats to make these up.

Vancouver Beavers -Northwestern League 1908-1911, 1914-1917; Pacific Coast International League 1918, 1920-1921; Northwest International League 1919; Western International League 1922...with names like the "Canucks" and the "Vets" mixed in.

1913 NW League Champs Pennant

Vancouver Whitecaps FC to Play in MLS in 2011

From the Caps' wesite :

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER AWARDS VANCOUVER EXPANSION TEAM FOR 2011

March 18, 2009
Vancouver, British Columbia, will be the home of Major League Soccer’s 17th team, MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced today. The Vancouver MLS team will begin play in 2011 at the newly-renovated BC Place Stadium in the city’s downtown entertainment district.

 

Kates, Bo and I enjoyed a few Whitecaps games this past season...including the Championship Game in Vancouver ...sorry you missed that one KTV :(

 

I hope the new look team can bring the energy of the old Swangard Stadium to the renovated BC Place; but they can leave the long line ups for beer etc. at the well-attended games behind.

 

Some pics from the USL Championship Game...a great game btw. Bo and I watched the second half right behind the goal. Bet that won't be possible in the new digs?

 

 

Here's a pic from my recent tour of the BC Sports HOF (small Caps display...they need more, imo)

The Baseball Collector- Zack Hample- Heading to Toronto for Opening Day

(photo from zackhample.com)

I have recently posted about the gloves and bats in my collection, but I haven't mentioned that I also collect baseballs. Ok, I have a half dozen. Zack Hample has collected over 3,800 game used MLB baseballs!

Zack has caught some impressive taters - including Barry Bonds 724th career homer in San Diego, and the last home run ever hit by a Mets player at Shea Stadium and also two homeruns caught in consecutive games in the last week of MLB play in historic Yankee Stadium last year.

Zack is heading up to my old home town, Toronto, to kick off his own collecting season along with the MLB 2009 season in style. Toronto is hosting the Detroit Tigers for 4 games in early April and current Tiger, Gary Sheffield  is sitting on 499 career homeruns.

Check out Zack's Blog.

Baseball Mats...I mean Bats

Gotta love Mr. Tullett!

Matt and I took in a game at the Roger's Centre last April when I took a trip back to Toronto. This over-sized bat is on level 200 of the stadium, just below the Hard Rock Cafe. They need better security, as behaviour like this could wear off the names burnt into it - no one really....just the names of the 1992 World Series Champions.

Like gloves, I enjoy collecting vintage and game used bats. I've touched on index bats in a previous post.  Images of some others to follow in future posts....stay tuned!

Here's an over-sized "presentation" bat that Matt couldn't have his way with....

Baseball Glove Collecting. Do you like the smell of old leather?

This is a collection! "Mike**Mize" of Vintage Baseball Glove Forum fame is the owner of this amazing group of classic leather. Many eras of glove manufacturing are represented here.

I have framed and shadow-boxed a small group of my vintage gloves and Kates has used her installation skills to display them smartly in our apartment. I will add photos of some from my collection in later posts.

Baseball gloves were first used in the game of baseball in the 1870's, and even then the gloves were a far cry from the baseball gloves of today. At first, baseball gloves were designed only to pad the hands of the fielders so they could knock down the baseball - and were just a piece of leather padding that covered the palm of the hand (they had holes for the fingers to fit through!). The first players who wore gloves were even looked down upon for not being tough enough, but soon gloves became a standard piece of equipment. By the 1890's however, baseball gloves slowly began to resemble the larger gloves we are familiar with today.

 

 

Above: Fingerless baseball gloves from the 1870's - photo taken by baseballgloves.com

 

 

Above: A glove from the 1910's -1920's. Photo courtesy of Sports Artifacts

 

 

Above: A glove from the 1930's. Photo courtesy of Sports Artifacts

 

 

Above: A glove from the 1950's-60's. Photo courtesy of Sports Artifacts

Finished at approx 30 mins! Into the celebratory beer

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Off they go! - St Pats 5K

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Kates and Andrea are running in typical Van weather today - St Pats 5K

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At the BC Sports Hall of Fame ('80 Jays - Bailor, '80-Gretzky Oilers jerseys)

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Bob Brown - "The Father of Vancouver Baseball"

 

In the big picture of Vancouver baseball Bob Brown was a player, a manager, a scout, a club owner and a league president.

He operated teams in continuously in Vancouver rom 1910 to 1953.

He was revered as a shoestring operator, a shrewd promoter who held his franchise together with bailing wire and bank notes and hope.

This is a cheque/check from my collection, from the Capilanos baseball team, signed by Bob.

(story cut from a Dick Beddoes article in The Vancouver Sun, 1952)

 

 

Awesome, 1 of a Kind, 1927 Yankees Team Signed Photo

Originally given by Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert to James Hanes, manager of the Hollywood Beach Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, as a token of Ruppert`s gratitude for his many visits during the winter and spring training. Photo sold for $94K at a recent auction - shows you that there is no recessionary impact on the "good stuff".

Dubbed `Murderer`s Row,` the 1927 Yankees outscored their opponents by nearly 400 runs and hit a staggering .307 as a team. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig lead the New York powerhouse with Ruth setting his single-season home run record of 60 and Gehrig`s .373 batting average, 47 home runs and league leading 175 RBI`s. Coupled with a pitching staff that included four pitchers with 18 or more wins the Bronx Bombers won the American League pennant by 19 games and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.

Ciao Stubby! Ciao Canada - Canada out of WBC as they lose to Italy

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Close call - USA wins by one

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Phillippe Aumont loads em up and strikes em out -keeps Can in it

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Canada vs USA - in WBC action - 4-3 currently

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HOW DO YOU DISPLAY THE ITEMS IN YOUR COLLECTION?

I want to put my stuff on display, and Katie has been more than supportive of that, but I am stuck for great ideas to keep it interesting, tasteful and uncluttered (see above, for an example of what I would say is too much at one time...all though, I love the bat rack!).

I would love to hear ideas and see examples of how you have integtrated your collection into your home, office etc.

The Faceless Ballplayer

 

Who is this mystery man?

From my collection - a large (10" by 6"), sepia photograph of a circa 1910 ball player. The cap has a "P" (possibly for Pittsburgh) on the front. Do you recognize him?

Many teams of this era didn't have logos, lettering or numbers on their uniforms top. Rumor has it that uniform numbers were first used in the 19th century, the earliest verified instance in which a team experimented with numbering its players occurred in 1907. Early that season, Alfred Lawson, manager of the Reading (Pennsylvania) Red Roses of the Atlantic League, decided to number his club’s uniforms. He did so in an effort to help fans identify the players. The plan was a sound one, but it is unknown if the club ever took the field with numbered jerseys.

Inspired by hockey’s and football’s use of uniform numbers, the Cleveland Indians became the first big league club to experiment with numbered uniforms when they took the field at League Park in Cleveland, on June 26, 1916, donning large numerals on their left sleeves. The experiment lasted just a few weeks that season and, after a brief trial the following year, was abandoned altogether. The numbers and corresponding names were listed in the club’s scorecards, and so, perhaps, this date also marked the first time a ballpark vendor called out: “Programs, get your programs". You can’t tell the players without a program.”

Not only were the Cleveland Indians the first big league club to wear uniform numbers, they were the first to wear numbers on the back of their jerseys. The practice has often been credited as originating with the New York Yankees in 1929, as the reigning World Champions were scheduled to open the season donning uniforms with the new numbering style. However, rain cancelled the Yankees’ April 16 home opener, while the Indians were blessed with clear skies that same day.

Back to my mystery man - a knowledgeable Net54 collector has guessed - Claude Hendrix, 1913 Pirates. Hendrix had an interesting career, with tie-ins to the 1919 Black Sox scandal and the upstart Federal League.

Canada vs. "Canada's Team" - WBC warm up starts today!

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I am in a tough spot. Who to cheer for - the Jays or Team Canada? At least it just a friendly. The WBC games start soon in earnest (without the complication of the Jays in the mix).

Check out the tourney info here.

This is why I "junk"

Cache of 1930s Unopened Sports Card Boxes Found

 
"It seems impossible. Maybe that's why every card collector with an imagination dreams about the ultimate find: boxes and boxes of decades-old untouched, unopened gum boxes sitting in some long-forgotten place"

Read the story here

Now, why can't I find something like this????

(photo - sportscollectordaily.com)

Posting from cell and Grapefruit Baseball

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Posting from cell and Grapefruit Baseball

I am trying 2 new things (for me anyway) today -blogging from my cell phone and listening to the Jays game in Florida via MLB.TV.  This is on my lunch hour!