These discussions mean more than you know
 

When I was a kid growing up in Wisconsin, I spent stretches of time where I'd have to stay in bed because of a broken elbow, arm or leg (damned ice!!). And while my friends would come and visit me, and my wonderful parents would doat on me, the thing that made me feel better than any medication was pulling out my baseball cards, my Brewers yearbooks, or the books I'd collected about the Milwaukee Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Boston Red Sox, or baseball history in general. I'd lose myself in baseball, reading about my heroes, and in doing so, I'd forget how I felt. My focus was elsewhere. In my mind, I was standing in the batters box, facing down Bob Feller. :p I had the 1949 Dell Major League Baseball Facts Figures and Official Rules book, with Lou Boudreau on the front, and the MVP of the All-American Girls Baseball League, Sophie Kurys, on the back cover.

https://78.media.tumblr.com/fa4dd170...w9y0o1_500.jpg
Sophie Kurys, the "Flint Flash"

I had Baseball Stars of 1962, with Roger Maris on the front, the 1965 version with Mickey Mantle gracing the front cover. I read about Dean Chance, Ken Boyer, Tony Olivia, and a slew of up-and-comers. Those books were my escape. The library was my haven; I had a stack of books checked out, and I constantly pestered the librarians to get more books about the Boys of Summer.

I may sometimes go a week, or more, not checking the forum, depending on how I'm feeling. But when I do load up the laptop, and see a thread like the one on Walter Johnson, I'm reminded once again of just how much I love our hobby. And, I feel like that kid again, losing myself in the wonderful history of the game. You share your collections because of a common passion we all have, and it makes this little corner of the internet a very special place, for me. Net54 has become my escape; the incredible eye candy, and the stimulating conversations that accompany them, mean more to me than you all can know. I'm a sentimental guy, at heart, but I think of all of you as being an extended family, and I thank you all for the wonderful hours spent here so far.

I agree wholeheartedly. Wonderful post.

Bill,

Completely agree! I just had surgery a few weeks ago and this forum has helped keep me distracted.
I always enjoy reading and seeing all the incredible examples on this forum.

Andrew

Kurys / Musial
 

FWIW, the Dell book with Kurys on the back has Musial on the front cover. Kurys stole a whopping 201 bases in 1946!!

If you don’t have this book any more, let me know and I’ll send my copy to you for free. Nice post.

https://photos.imageevent.com/derekg...%20_front_.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/derekg...47%20Kurys.jpg

Very nice post. I'm not even that much of a baseball fan and I keep coming back. You guys must be doing something right....or wrong depending on your perspective. ;)

I found myself enjoying the Walter Johnson thread as well, which is odd since I've never owned or even thought to buy any of his cards or memorabilia. The history of the game intrigues and I love hearing about it.

That pic of Sophie reminds me of Madonna in A League of Their Own. Great picture...the one of Sophie. Thought the movie was just so so.

Enjoyed reading your post. Thanks.

Thank you for the offer, Derek. I still have it. Most of my stuff is in storage, so I got the back covers mixed up. Audrey Wagner was on the back of the 1949 book. I should have known that.

Yeah, Sophie stole like 1,100 bases in her career. She was a regular speed demon.
https://i.imgur.com/zPCCfl6.png

Thank you.

A League of Their Own was based on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Being from Southeast Wisconsin, and studying the history of the game, I learned about them at a young age. Three of the teams were from very close to where I was born: the Racine Belles, the Kenosha Comets, and the Milwaukee Chicks.

Dilly Dilly!