Night Owl Cards

  One of the biggest things I miss about my baseball childhood is when the Pittsburgh Pirates were generally known as one of the best teams in the game.   This wasn't a brief-shining-moment thing, like when the Pirates made the NLDS in 2013 and then returned to irrelevance soon afterward. The Pirates were damn good when I turned on the television in the late 1970s and I read about how good they were in the mid 1970s. I don't remember the 1960 team that fought the good fight against the Yankees and won, and the early '90s Pirates teams weren't exactly as lovable as those previous teams, but I did root for them. All of this happened within a matter of 30 years and it was just known during that time: the Pirates are gonna be good. Just as it's known now: the Pirates are gonna be bad. Probably the best of those teams -- and this is from a guy who is really attached to that We Are Family team -- were the early '70s version, which reached the postseason three straight...

I had one of my biggest card show fears realized yesterday. When I know that a card show is coming, I suddenly reacquire all of the irrational feelings that I had when I was a kid. I can barely contain myself and want to be at the front doors as soon as it opens because "what if the card show isn't there when I get there?" This particular show is a two-day show. Saturday and Sunday. I usually go on Saturday because ... "what if?" What if the dog gets sick and we can't go Sunday? What if a vicious storm appears on Sunday and wipes out the building? What if all the dealers pack up a day early because Saturday sucked so much? What if? What if? What if? I'VE GOT TO GO ON SATURDAY!!!!! But I couldn't go on Saturday this time. I worked late Friday night. I had to work on Saturday. There were family activities late Saturday afternoon. Sunday, meanwhile, was free and clear. So, fine, we'll go Sunday. Make a day of it. The show ta...

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. ...

I came up with the idea for this post from this post . That's a lesson for all you young card bloggers out there: Read other people's card blogs! You never know where you'll find your inspiration. Or something to rip-off. Or plagiarize. I'll begin with the absolutely bizarre jacket that Grant Jackson is wearing. A diamond pattern down the sleeves? Who designed that? Dock Ellis? The Pirates were well-known for their wild uniforms in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1977, they unveiled five different uniform combinations that would replace the traditional home whites and road grays that they had worn for years. In the ensuing years, they would add more combinations and subtract others. The colors were very loud, but it was the '70s, so that in itself wasn't wild. The A's had their green and gold. The Astros had their colors of the rainbow. The Padres willingly wore brown and yellow, and did not commit whoever came up with that concoction to the insane...

(A few things that celebrating Steelers fans will appreciate this morning: antacids, coffee, and a little peace and quiet. Maybe some baseball cards will take your mind off of how many pieces of pizza you consumed last night. It's time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 16th in a series): I was suckered into believing in a lot of things when I was a kid: The Easter Bunny. Courderoy Pants. That writing on your hands was cool. That Erik Estrada was a real member of the California Highway Patrol (You mean there really isn't a Frank Poncherello?). My mom had me terrified that some guy in sunglasses and driving a black Cadillac would pull alongside me as I was walking to school, offer me some candy and then drag me away. I was looking for that guy every day on my way to and from school from third to fifth grade. He never showed up. But perhaps the biggest lie foisted upon me came during the 1979 baseball postseason. For two weeks in October, they had me believing that the guy...

(A few more "appreciation days": Ancestor Appreciation Day (Sept. 27), Birthday Appreciation Day (Feb. 24), Swimming Pool Appreciation Day (July 21). All that and still no Baseball Card Collectors Appreciation Day. On to more cardboard appreciation. These are my all-time favorites, and this the 11th in a series): I know this isn't the first or the only "reverse negative" error card. Or the first or only reverse negative error card that was later corrected. But it is my favorite "reverse error negative card that was later corrected." You know why? Because I own both of them, that's why! And I didn't track them down on eBay or find them in a card shop, or nab them at a card show. I pulled both of them from separate Donruss packs in 1982. And when I did, I thought it was the most fantastic thing ever (keep in mind Phoebe Cates was on the big screen in 1982, so that's saying something). Even if you discount the whole backward "3" an...

ESPN.com and MLB.com are reporting that former major league pitcher Dock Ellis died Friday of a liver ailment at age 63. Ellis had cirrhosis of the liver and had been on a waiting list for a liver transplant for seven months. Ellis was known as a wild man during his playing days. The most famous story is his claim to have been on LSD when he pitched a no-hitter against the Padres in 1970 (I'm sure that made the Padres hitters feel even better about themselves). He walked eight batters in that game. Ellis had many other controversial moments during his career. He was outspoken against the racism that he saw throughout baseball. In the minor leagues he once charged a heckler with a bat in Batavia, N.Y. (where many of wife's relatives live, by the way). In Cincinnati, he was maced by a security guard who wouldn't let him into the Pirates clubhouse. A moment I particularly remember reading about is when Ellis showed up at the ballpark with curlers in his hair. Commissio...

(2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate? CARD-BOARD! CARD-BOARD! Yaaaaayyyyy! ... Welcome to another edition of Cardboard Appreciation. These are the cards I appreciate the most: my all-time favorites. This is the second in a series): When I saw this card, it was love at first sight. Where do I begin? I loved the green-and-gold combo. I loved that this is one of several '76 Pirates cards that appeared to be photographed in the dead of night (actually, I think it was just poor photography in a poorly-lit Three Rivers Stadium). I loved the name Manny Sanguillen. Who doesn't? I loved the expression on his face. But most of all, I loved, absolutely LOVED, the fireball streak shooting behind Manny. Did a rocket ship just blaze past? A guy with a jet-pack? The young, impressionable mind whirred with possibilities. I still don't know what that burning flame is. Some scoreboard effect? Anyone? Please help me out. But I hope by knowing that I don't lose my appreciation for this card. I ...