Cards from the Mall: '33 Goudey and Others

-

My wife and I went to a movie last weekend at a local mall. We went to see The Help, it was her choice. I wasn't that in to going, but we did get there early.

I'm glad we did get there early, because there was a table out selling baseball cards, and vintage at that. They also had a dollar bin.

I got to stand and look for a few minutes, while my patient wife went off to look at some other stuff. Then the movie time came. I didn't get anything then, but I did go back the next day.

And I got a bunch of good cards, including that card right there, a genuine 1933 Goudey Tom Bridges. The Goudey wasn't in the dollar bin, but I picked it up for a good (or Goudey?) price of $5.

I'd never heard of Bridges before but, according to the back, he came within one out of a no-hitter the previous season. Sheriff Harris singled to break up the bid.

The Goudey would have been my oldest card, but for my 1911 T205 find a week earlier in Vermont.

The cards I picked up fell into three categories. There were the vintage CMC players. Those are the coolest. Coaches and managers from the CMC set in their playing days. Sometimes they're hard to spot. I'll hopefully get to those in their own post.

There were also the CMC-related players. Players that have some connection to those in the set, either through interviews or are relatives.

Then there were the cards that I thought were interesting or might be CMC set members. A couple of them that I thought might be in the set turned out not to be. I'll get those out of the way here.

That 1974 Gary Matthews up top falls into the interesting category. There's three people there, all identifiable. There's Matthews sliding into third. There's Giants third base coach and future big-league manager John McNamara cheering Matthews on. Then there's No. 11. That's Wayne Garrett of the Mets.

It's a cool scene, especially for the mid-70s. I picked it up thinking it would be easy to figure out the game. And I'm sure it's been figured out somewhere before. But, figuring by the uniforms that the game was at Shea, I had it narrowed down to two games where Matthews made it to third base: June 12 and Aug. 25.

A Google News Archives search showed the Aug. 25 game was during the day, while the June 12 was at night. I believe the card shows Matthews sliding into third at Shea Stadium on a single to left by Tito Fuentes in the top of the fifth. He did not score.

This Indians 1967 Rookie Stars card caught my eye for Tom Kelley's name. It was similar to someone in the CMC set, but ended up not being. Kelley pitched parts of seven seasons in the majors, with the Indians and the Braves. Bill Davis only pitched parts of three, with the Indians and the Padres.

Lew Burdette was another possible CMC set member that didn't pan out. Burdette played 18 seasons in the majors. An interesting thing, Topps spelled his first name on his 1962 card as "Lou," but he spelled it "Lew." Topps seemed to have it right some years, but wrong others.

The card back called Burdette as "one of the best pitchers in baseball." It also noted that he beat the Yankees three times in the 1957 World Series.

Then there's the '74 Rick Monday, the '79 Bob Stanley and the 1975 Rookie Infielders with Phil Garner and Keith Hernandez, all up top.

Also on the '75 card are Bob Sheldon and Tom Veryzer. Sheldon played just three seasons in the majors, all with the Brewers. Veryzer, though, played 12, getting into just under 1,000 big league games through 1984.

The other two cards in this section have already been sent out. I got them for myself, then realized that they were on NightOwl's want list. I figured he would enjoy them more.

The first is this 1959 Don Drysdale. I found that in the dollar bin. Sure it's beat up, and missing a corner, but that's why it was in the dollar bin. Always makes me wonder how these cards get that way, why it's missing a corner and all.

Drysdale beat Milwaukee five times in 1958, the back of the card reads, as he "made the Braves holler, 'Uncle.'" Drysdale's nickname was also Airedale, according to the cartoon. "Grr."

This last one I was just proud to own and as proud to contribute to NightOwl's collection. Also from the dollar bin was this 1962 Wally Moon, the one with the No. 5 written on his shoulder.

The back of the card indicates Moon has the distinction of hitting a home run in his first major league at bat in 1954. It also turns out Moon his his own Web site (not mentioned on the card back) and a newly published book: "Moon Shots: Reflections on a Baseball Life."

Browse By:

-Player Name
-Player Team
-Date Featured

Players A to Z

Popular posts from this blog

Razor Shines didn't give up on self, made 4 ML seasons

-
Image
In his six pro season, having yet to make the majors, Montreal Expos farmhand Razor Shines not only continued playing, but he continued playing all out, The Memphis Commercial Appeal wrote . And Expos brass took notice, according to The Commercial Appeal . "Razor hasn't lost one bit of enthusiasm from the day we signed him," Expos farm director Bob Gebhard told The Commercial Appeal  that July. The Expos soon took notice enough to make him a September call-up. Eventually, Shines would see the majors over four seasons, all with Montreal . Shines' career began in 1978, taken by the Expos in the 18th round of the draft out of Louisburg College in North Carolina. Shines' given name was Anthony Shines. He got his nickname Razor at Louisburg, as a line drive of his cut the shin of a fielder, The Commercial Appeal wrote . Shines started at short-season Jamestown . He made single-A West Palm Beach in 1979, AA Memphis in 1981 and then AAA Wichita and major league Montre...
Read more

Roberto Petagine made bigs for Dad, saw 6 seasons, Japan

-
Image
When Venezuelan-native Roberto Petagine first signed as a pro, he and his father celebrated with a unique gold Astros chain, The Jackson Clarion-Ledger wrote  in 1993.  Ten months later, Petagine's father died .  "I said, 'Baseball, go away,'" Petagine told The Clarion-Ledger of his first reaction to his father's death, "but then I said, 'No, no, I'm going to make it to the big leagues for him." Petagine did make the big leagues. He saw the majors over seven seasons spanning more than a decade. On his way up, he wore the chain he got with his dad, a chain visible on several of his cards . Petagine's career began in 1990, signed by the Astros out of his native Venezuela .  Petagine started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He saw 55 games and hit .289. He made single-A Burlington for 1991, then high-A Osceola and AA Jackson in 1992. He made AAA Tucson and then Houston in 1994. Petagine saw eight games with the Astros ....
Read more

Luis Navarro helped high school no-hitter, saw 3 seasons

-
Image
The game may not have been pretty, but it still could be called a high school gem, helped along by Southwest High School's Luis Navarro , according to The Miami News . Navarro and a fellow pitcher combined on a no-hitter, in a five-inning game where Southwest won 14-4, The News wrote . The four runs were helped along by six walks and five errors. Overall at Southwest, Navarro pitched well enough to make the pros. He saw three seasons . He played all three in rookie ball. Navarro's career began in 1988, taken by the Astros in the 44th round of the draft out of Southwest Miami. At Southwest, Navarro participated in a three-hitter in a February 1988 win.  With the Astros, Navarro started in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He saw 15 relief appearances there in 1988. He went 0-2, with a 5.03 ERA.  He remained in the GCL for 1989, seeing seven outings , four starts. He again went 0-2, with a 3.16 ERA Navarro then saw one final season with the Astros in the GCL in 1990. He went 3-6...
Read more

Raphael Lanfranco caught in 4 minors seasons with Astros

-
Image
Asheville Tourists pinch-hitter Raphael Lanfranco came on in the bottom of the eighth in this April 1991 game with a chance to tie the game, The Asheville Citizen-Times wrote . Lanfranco then came through, knocking a single to center to score a run, The Citizen-Times wrote . Lanfranco got that game-tying RBI in his third season as a pro. He went on to see time in one more. He topped out at single-A . Lanfranco's career began in 1989, signed by the Astros as a free agent out of his native Dominican Republic . Lanfranco's name was also spelled Rafael Lanfranco. Lanfranco started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He saw 21 games at catcher and hit .190. He then returned for 26 games in the GCL for 1990 and hit .217, though he got hurt that August . Lanfranco played 1991 between single-A Burlington and single-A Asheville. He saw 49 games in all and hit .194.  He knocked a single in an April 1991 game for Asheville that helped Asheville to a lead. By late May, h...
Read more

Ken Bolek taught baseball skills as manager, instructor

-
Image
Ken Bolek worked in 2012 to help kids learn the fundamentals of the game . Bolek, the longtime director of IMG Baseball Academy focused this day on kids age 10 to 12 with a summer IMG wood bat league, according to Baseball The Magazine . "Here," Bolek told Baseball The Magazine , "we focus on the technical skill, not just having players show up to the ball park and go home. A very small percentage of players are getting individual technical instruction at the youth level." Bolek has served as baseball director with IMG Academy in Florida since 1995, helping teenagers learn the game. Before that, he helped pros learn the game as a coach in the minors and in the majors. Bolek's time in baseball started before that, as a player himself, taken by the Tigers in the 24th round of the draft out of the University of Arizona . At Arizona, Bolek helped his team to the College World Series championship .  He helped get them into the championship game with a tw...
Read more

Mike Lomeli tried to keep the ball down; Saw four pro seasons

-
Image
Saddleback College's Mike Lomeli threw a complete game for the win in this March 1984 game, The Los Angeles Times wrote . He gave up nine hits in the effort, but eight of those were singles, The Times wrote . "I don't strike out very many people," Lomeli told The Times afterward. "I try to keep the ball down and throw a lot of ground balls." Lomeli eventually made it from college to the pros. His pro career lasted four seasons . He topped out at short-season. Lomeli's pro career began in 1987, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of Chapman University. He also attended Saddleback. With Saddleback in May 1984, Lomeli the designated hitter hit two home runs in a playoff win. Lomeli started with the Braves at rookie Idaho Falls . He saw 23 relief outings and went 3-0, with a 3.02 ERA.  For 1988, he stayed in Idaho, but moved to co-op Boise . He got into 31 games there and started two. He went 3-6, with a 4.19 ERA. Early that July, Lomeli ...
Read more

A to Z: 1990 Minor League Players, Baseball Profiles

-
Image
What happened to your favorite minor league team in 1990? Find out here. Since late 2009, the players of 1990 have been featured at Greatest21Days.com, one at a time. Here, they've been ordered here alphabetically.  Every player has a story. With the help of contemporaneous newspaper articles, find that story here. Most recent players added Dec. 1, 2024 List of 1990 minor league players featured, in alphabetical order: Total: 4,457 A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z A  -  Bill Abare  got big hit at Dunedin, saw three pro seasons , 10/31/13  -  Glenn Abbott  saw bigs over decade, later turned coach , 7/27/14  -  Kurt Abbott 's first ML hit went for homer, saw 9 seasons , 3/22/15  -  Kyle Abbott  saw time in four major league seasons, Japan , 10/4/17  -  Paul Abbott  returned from injuries, made 11 ML seasons , 5/23/11...
Read more