Vintage players vs. modern guys

[Snapolit1]

Funny in that to me there is only an allure to collecting players I've never seen and who died many decades ago, wanting to somehow own a piece of their greatness. Ruth, Gehrig, Paige, Ty Cobb, etc. These guys seems like gods to me. But really great players like DiMaggio and Mays, who were alive during my lifetime either as players (if you can Mays that in 1973), or TV pitchman seem very human, more flawed, and, well, like real people. Ditto Koufax. Not gods but normal people with flaws. ("Hey, I met so and so once and he was a real jerk . . .") Obviously more modern card collectors and the legion of Mantle collectors feel entirely different. (If you judged Mantle by anecdotes from people who casually met him . . . . Ouch.) Interesting in what makes you want to collect things in the first place.

As my grandfather used to say, the world would be a pretty boring place if everyone liked the same thing I did. I'd be much more interested in buying a nice Zack Wheat card and then spending the next month reading everything I could about him.

[Fred]

Would love to have seen Babe Ruth on PEDs!

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Funny in that to me there is only an allure to collecting players I've never seen and who died many decades ago, wanting to somehow own a piece of their greatness. Ruth, Gehrig, Paige, Ty Cobb, etc. These guys seems like gods to me. But really great players like DiMaggio and Mays, who were alive during my lifetime either as players (if you can Mays that in 1973), or TV pitchman seem very human, more flawed, and, well, like real people. Ditto Koufax. Not gods but normal people with flaws. ("Hey, I met so and so once and he was a real jerk . . .") Obviously more modern card collectors and the legion of Mantle collectors feel entirely different. (If you judged Mantle by anecdotes from people who casually met him . . . . Ouch.) Interesting in what makes you want to collect things in the first place.

As my grandfather used to say, the world would be a pretty boring place if everyone liked the same thing I did. I'd be much more interested in buying a nice Zack Wheat card and then spending the next month reading everything I could about him.

Interesting point. I just finished Cramer's biography on DiMaggio and, while I still have interest in his cards, I have far less interest now in any of his memorabilia.

[Snapolit1]

Babe Ruth had a lot of flaws, but at least he seemed to enjoy the hell out of being famous. He had everything any red blooded American man dreamed of. DiMaggio acted most of his life like it was a big burden he was somehow unfairly saddled with. At least that's the impression I always got.