Night Owl Cards

I'm looking for a way to turn this into a "business" card. The image was devised and sent to me by Mark from Mark's Ephemera . It's pretty cool, and I'm sure making a card out of it wouldn't be too difficult. The question is: will I have the time? That's always the question. To illustrate, I received an astonishing assortment of card packages today. Possibly the greatest mail since I've been doing this blog -- mostly because all three packages were tied together by one theme, but each unique in their own way. But I have no time to show them off. It would take too much focus (and too much scanning) and there isn't much of that available today. So I'll save that for another day and instead present you with another installment of "team colors." This is the final Team Colors in the series. I've now documented all 30 teams and I've decided I'm not going to extend the series by charting colors for defunct teams. O...

Today is Inauguration Day (observed) in the United States. So why not focus on Washington's representative in Major League Baseball? I suppose if I wanted to truly represent the uniform history of this franchise, I would include the clothing choices of the Nationals' precursor, the Montreal Expos. But I'm not going to do that, partly because I want to recognize only current teams, and partly because once this series is over, I'm considering recognizing bygone teams like the Expos. Besides, since the Nationals' history is nice and short, that means this post is nice and short. Everybody wins. So, when the Expos became the Nationals -- and no, I'm not really happy about it either -- the uniform colors remained the same, basically. Perhaps a little less emphasis on blue, and a little more emphasis on red, which works historically with the old Washington Senators' focus on red (circa 1961-71). Now, whenever I think of the Nationals, I think of red. St...

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a rant about the new Topps Heritage High Numbers set, a hunk of 100 cards that comes equipped with an autograph and sticker shock. Quantities are limited and there may be plenty left or none left. I don't know. I don't care. Topps' swift move has pretty much turned me off to modern cards, except for sampling here and there. And except for getting the Dodgers in every current set I can find. So, the way around shelling out 100 bucks for Heritage High Numbers, just for a handful of Dodgers, is to find a team break. I found one . And I'll be getting my Dodgers. But there are lots of good teams left in the break that Padrographs is holding. And you know you want the cards. Stick it to Topps! Don't give up all that cash for their lousy money grab, but get the cards you want! And it'll cost you less than 10 bucks. OK, the Ackley card is here for a two-fold reason. Pimp a break, and continue yet another regular series here...

The Astros' manager was fired late last night. Did you know? Do you care? I know that when it popped up on the news wire at 12:15 a.m. last night that I cared because it meant that I had to redo a page in the sports section of the newspaper. But it was the first time that I had thought about Brad Mills since probably the day he was hired as Houston's manager. (One of those reasons might be because Topps stopped including managers in its base set after 2009). The Astros just don't get a lot of attention from the general baseball public and get jerked around by Major League Baseball because nobody is paying attention. (Let's see MLB try to move the Cubs or the Cardinals to the American League West). If major league baseball operated like English Premier League soccer, the Astros would be easy relegation candidates. It makes me a little sad, because I remember when the Astros were not only worth noticing, but a significant force in baseball. I'm not talking ...

In the category of baseball history, I probably know more than most fans. But I am forever coming across basic facts that I never knew. And then I question whether I really do know anything about baseball history at all. For example, it took me about 30 years of being a fan until I knew that the Mets came up with their team colors based on the two teams that had vacated New York less than five years prior. The Mets wear blue for the Dodgers, and orange for the Giants. When I first learned that, I thought it was kind of cool. I'm fascinated with color and history and baseball, so this brought a smile to my face, that a team would pay tribute to the city's past and baseball's past through color. And then it hit me: The colors selected for the Mets also represented the product of combining the Dodgers and the Giants. If the Dodgers and Giants were to marry and give birth, the result of that unholy union would be the Mets! (**** shiver *****) Suddenly, my many...

About seven or eight years ago, the Blue Jays made one of my least favorite uniform changes of all-time. For a reason that may be only known at team headquarters or maybe Toronto proper, the Blue Jays -- let me stress, the BLUE Jays -- decided that their primary colors would be black and gray. I know their official team colors as of 2004 still list blue, along with black, white and "silver," but tell me where is the blue in the uniform that Brandon Morrow is wearing? Mostly what I see is black and gray, with a touch of red, which may or may not be on one of those patriotic caps that teams wear on Memorial Day and Independence Day. This is probably a better example. This is pretty much how it's been for the last eight years. Black helmet, black jersey, gray pants, and tiny touch of blue that makes it seem as if the BLUE Jays are embarrassed about the color. It is a depressing look. And as far as I was concerned, the team lost their identity when they made tha...

OK, let's get this out of the way. This is the funny thing about orange. I actually like it. A lot. Love orange soda. Always have since I was a little kid. Cherry has since passed it as a personal favorite, but for the longest time orange soda was the best. There's some in my house right now. I like orange flavor of any kind. Those chocolate oranges that emerge at Christmas time? Love them. Orange sherbet? Fantastic. Orange-flavored Chinese food? Yes, please. Creamsicles? I think the cafeteria ran out of them when I was in high school. Your common variety orange? Great stuff. I like all spin-offs, too. Tangerines, clementines, etc. As for the actual color? I like that, too. The old Tampa Bay Bucs uniforms were amazing. Bring them back. The new Miami Marlins' orange jerseys? I don't know why people hate them. They fit perfectly with Miami. I'll never be a Dolphins lover, but whoever picked orange and aqua for colors was a smart boy/girl. Nice work. Even when...

Three of the 10 people up for Baseball Hall of Fame election by the Veterans Committee on Monday have connections to the Twins. Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva and Luis Tiant. Even though Gil Hodges is also among the 10, I don't really care who gets voted in tomorrow. Just as long as it's somebody . With that in mind, it's time to see how Topps treated the Twins in terms of colors it used with Minnesota's cards. Did it stick to blue and red, or did it stray into strange colors that you'd never see in the frozen north? The rundown for the years in which Topps picked colors based on the teams featured on the card: 1964: green 1965: purple and yellow 1966: light blue 1967: green 1968: blue 1969: blue 1971: red 1972: light blue, blue and orange 1974: blue 1976: blue and pink 1977: blue and yellow 1978: blue 1979: blue 1980: orange, purple and red 1981: yellow, red and blue 1982: orange and brown 1983: orange and brown 1984: purple and green 1985: blue, p...

Yes, this is an attempt at jinxing a certain team ... Here is the breakdown of the colors Topps attached to Cardinals cards for the years when the colors used were based on the team featured: 1964: green 1965: red, black and yellow 1966: yellow and red 1967: light blue 1968: yellow and red 1969: yellow and red 1971: white, yellow and light blue 1972: blue, light blue and yellow 1974: blue and red 1976: red and green 1977: green, red and orange 1978: green and pink 1979: red, yellow and green 1980: red, orange and blue 1981: yellow and red 1982: pink and brown 1983: red and purple 1984: red and orange 1985: red and yellow 1986: red 1987: red 1988: red, blue and orange 1989: red and blue 1991: red and orange 1992: red, gold and yellow 1993: red and black 1994: yellow and orange 1998: red 2000: red 2002: red and blue 2003: red and yellow 2004: red and blue 2005: red and blue 2006: red and yellow 2007: red and blue 2008: red and gray 2009: red 2010...

Look at that fog looming in the background. Did Topps get the Rays out at 6 a.m. to take photos? Anyway, as you know there's still a wild-card race going on in the American League East. The Rays are trying to catch the morbidly inept Red Sox. I know there are a lot of fans snickering over the Red Sox's demise. And there are a lot of Red Sox fans covering their eyes. I'm doing neither. The sole reason I am paying attention to this thing, outside of the "general interest in baseball" reason, is that I need to know: which team has the best chance of eliminating the Yankees in the postseason? This is all I care about. Which team is going to take care of that problem of watching Teixeira, Martin, Swisher, A-Rod, Gardner, Posada, Burnett, Pajama Hamburger, gag, vomit, retch, puke, barf, spew, heave ... bleah. ... Excuse me for a second. .... ... OK, I'm back. Sorry. Automatic reaction. Anyway, which team is going to take care of that problem of ...

This was going to be a post about the one thing that I do like about the 2011 Allen and Ginter design -- the color-coded team logo in the corner. Add a splash of purple watercolor behind Huston Street and there is no doubt that this is a Rockies card. Very nice. I'll reserve comment about purple and sports teams. But after a little research, my post was derailed by the sight of this: That is not one, but two Topps 2011 cards of the Rockies' Jason Hammel, who got smacked around by the Dodgers last night. The card on the left is #338 and the card on the right is #642. BOTH of these cards are in Topps Series 2. Neither card is some sort of leader card or "season highlight card" (Hammel is a career 5.00 ERA pitcher, you know). These are two different BASE cards of a No. 4 starter from Colorado. Here are the backs: Except for the card number, the head shot at top left, and the blurb on the right about whatever random card shares Hammel's TWO card numbe...

There is one unmistakable truth about this major league baseball season: The Dodgers are a bad team. I'm OK with that. I expected it going into the season, although maybe not on this level. But it's OK. My focus is on seeing a brand new owner in the executive offices as soon as they can get McCourt to slither out of his gold-encrusted hole. What I'm not OK with is an unmistakable truth that has gone on for the last 15 years. The Dodgers cannot beat the Angels. Interleague play is bad enough without the Dodgers getting a six-game lesson in failure every year. How am I supposed to work up any enthusiasm for Selig's pointless gift to the fans when my team goes in the tank every June because they have a mental block over the Angels? The Dodgers just completed another futile series in Anaheim, scrambling to come back in the 9th inning to salvage one game of the three. They'll face the Angels again this weekend and we'll see what sub-.500 record they ar...

I redeemed this Topps Diamond Diecut card a couple days ago. If you're keeping track -- and you don't have to because I will not allow you to forget with my constant yammering -- this is the fifth Diamond Diecut I've redeemed. Don't worry. I am not tempted to go after the whole set. But there were times in my life when I would not have been able to say that. For review, here is what I've done with the Diamond Diecuts I've redeemed: 1. Babe Ruth: Swapped it on the Giveaway site for a much more desirable Jackie Robinson diamond diecut, which is now in my possession. 2. Marlon Byrd: Swapped it on the Giveaway site for a 1962 Larry Sherry, which is also here with me. 3. Roy Halladay: Traded it for several Dodgers cards from '50s and a Duke Snider autographed card. 4. Reggie Jackson: It's still on the Giveaway site, fending off idiot offers daily. That brings me to Tommy Hanson here. I've got no interest in Hanson. He is officially in "...

The Pirates and Dodgers play again tonight in Pittsburgh in a game between two scuffling teams that means next to nothing in the grand scheme of a season. Oh sure, the Associated Press will have something dramatic to say. But if the Pirates win, it's a victory over an injury-riddled, offensive-deficient team saddled with an inept owner. If the Dodgers win, it's a victory over a team that hasn't had a winning record in decades. I know we have to squeeze some drama out of these games, but, really, it's just a pleasant night at the ballpark here (and what's wrong with that?) I really need to get to PNC Park before my traveling days are over. I've been told by many that it is the best place to view a game in all of major league baseball. I have some relatives in the greater Pittsburgh area, so I don't know what's holding me up. Once I get there, maybe I'll figure out why all of their pro sports teams feature black and gold as their team colors. ...

Chances are that unless you're a Red Sox fan, or familiar with one of his many managerial stints, you don't know Steve Dillard. Well, let me clue you in. Steve Dillard was a member of The Resistance. He was new blood, joining the Forces Of The Just, which I watched from my underground bunker in Yankeeland. Dillard was going to boot Denny Doyle and his .240 batting average out of the Boston lineup, declare second base conquered territory, and most importantly, knock the hated Yankees on their can. A guy like Dillard was revered in a Red Sox-loving household like mine. Any new player who arrived with Boston was treated in the same way. They were new hope for a devoted fan base who had suffered a long, long time under the tyranny of an obnoxious pinstriped ruler (older relatives taught us about those '50s and '60s teams). Boston fans would plot their strategy in a desperate quest that their plans would get to their men on the field -- Freddy, Yaz and Dewey, Rice...

The Teal Phenomenon that swept the country during the early 1990s fascinated me. I've never seen one color emerge out of nowhere so quickly in the sporting world. It became the color of choice for expansion teams. The Marlins in baseball, the Jaguars and Panthers in football, the Sharks in hockey, and the Hornets in the NBA. The color signified excitement and daring. Come see the new team with wild colors! Those stodgy, old teams would never wear teal. Squares. People started displaying teal caps everywhere. Even I owned -- and wore -- a teal Marlins cap for a period (it was not pretty). The teal fad has pretty much faded away. Oh, there are teams that still feature the color. The Sharks and Jaguars still consider teal as one of their team colors. The Marlins prefer to call it "Marlin blue" now, whatever that is. The Panthers call their color "Panther blue." I've never seen a blue panther. But for my purposes here, I'm calling the color used wit...

From the time I started these Team Colors posts, the team I was the most interested in documenting was the White Sox. Until I did the breakdown, I had no idea which color that Topps would use most frequently on its White Sox cards. That's because the White Sox have gone through a few different color schemes in the last 60 or so years. A breakdown: 1945-48, navy, white/black, red 1949-63, black, red, white 1964-70: navy, white 1971-75: red, white 1976-81: navy, white 1982-90: navy, red, white 1991-present: black, silver and white I didn't even include the 1932-35 years when one of the White Sox's team colors was yellow. But you do have to give the south siders credit. White has been a consistent color in the White Sox's color scheme ever since the start of the 20th century. That's the other problem for Topps. The colors white and black -- if you consider them colors -- are not the colors traditionally picked to make a connection with a certain te...

Out of all the teams in major league baseball, it would be the most embarrassing for Topps if I evaluated all the colors that it used for Reds cards and determined that the majority color was NOT Red. What if it was green or brown or pink? Oh, the shame! The humiliation! The ignominy! They'd be disgraced! Mortified! Topps would issue their next set in black-and-white! Anyway, I think it's certain that after I look through all the years in which Topps used specific colors based on the team that was featured, that red is going to be the color that appears the most. That's because around the late '80s, Topps started paying attention to stuff like this. The 1974 set was the first time, but it wasn't a consistent thing until around 1985 or so. To illustrate, here is the color count for the Reds before the 1974 set: Light blue - 5 Yellow - 3 Light green - 2 Black - 1 Purple - 1 Orange - 1 Red - 1 The only red representative was in the 1965 set when th...

In honor of the Super Bowl, I thought I'd address the major league team that dresses the most like one of the two teams playing in what Martha Stewart-types call "The Big Game." The color green is not terribly common in professional sports, but it is particularly uncommon in major league baseball. Of the four major professional sports, MLB seems the most frightened of the color. A brief rundown: NFL: Teams that wear green are the Packers, Jets, Eagles and Seahawks. The Eagles have converted to something called "midnight green," which means "stare really hard and you might seen green in there." I prefer their old uniforms. NHL: Green-wearers are the Stars, Wild and Canucks. Of course, the dearly departed Whalers wore green, and I rather liked the Christmas red-and-green uniforms the Devils used to wear. It was the only thing good about that team. NBA: Teams featuring green are the Celtics, Bucs and Jazz. The Timberwolves once wore green as di...

We have arrived upon the Milwaukee portion of our team colors tour. This is not a veiled tribute to the NFL semifinalist Packers. I have no rooting interest in the remaining football teams, although I'd sure like to never see Rex Ryan's teeth again. But there is no disputing the dominance of the Packers' team colors. Mustard and spinach is hard to ignore. It is a definite fashion statement up there on the frozen tundra. But their baseball compatriots? I've always been a bit confused about their color scheme. Is it blue? Is it purple? Is it navy? And what about that other color? Is it yellow? Is it gold? Sometimes there's even some green thrown in there. If I think about it long enough, I think the Brewers' team colors are navy blue and a yellowish gold. It's a disappointing color scheme in my eyes. I always regarded that color combination as the default setting for high school teams. Every third high school team seems to be nicknamed the "Bulld...