The Travels of "Large Ass" Herzog (photo log)

[Vol]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Frank that was awesome thank you for sharing.

+1
That was great Frank!
Good to see Buck travelling

[teetwoohsix]

That was awesome Frank!

Excellent pictures and write up, at this point I think it's safe to say the Buck has "been there, done that"!!

Thanks for the update-

Sincerely, Clayton

[wheitman]

I was having an amazing conversation with Buck about the early days of T206. how the various colors of the backs came about and why it took 18 years to discover the first T206 Wagner, and then I realized that Buck was pulling this stuff right out of his large ass!!!!!

Bill Heitman

[Leon]

Originally Posted by wheitman

I was having an amazing conversation with Buck about the early days of T206. how the various colors of the backs came about and why it took 18 years to discover the first T206 Wagner, and then I realized that Buck was pulling this stuff right out of his large ass!!!!!

Bill Heitman

Many folks didn't know the "Ass" part of Large Ass came from the partially obliterated word "Assortment" on the back.

Also, where is Buck? I would like to take him back to the National this year. He ate breakfast with us last year and I was hoping to break bread with him again this year.

[nebboy]

If BUCK showed up right way I would take him to the college World Series next week and have him to Leon by nationals.

[Michael B]

Buck came back from a week in Switzerland and after a week rest spent 4 days at the Boxing Hall of Fame inductions in Canastota, NY. I should be posting both adventures this weekend. If anyone can pm me and let me know how to put the words between the photos it would be appreciated. I like the way it looks, but not sure how it is done.

From Virginia he will be going to Ullmandds for a trip to Portugal at the end of July.

[Michael B]

We are a bit late on posting the recent travels of Buck Herzog. Buck decided he needed to leave the country in May. He has had a yen for chocolate and yodeling so it was off to Switzerland. We arrived at Dulles International Airport for our United Airlines Direct flight to Geneva, Switzerland on May 20th. There must have been some mojo going on as we were directed to the TSA Pre line. We kept on our shoes, belt and even the coat. That is a first. They did not even ask Buck to remove his cleats. We sat in coach, but in the seats with extra legroom. No one sat beside us so two seats to boot. That made it easier to sleep for most of the flight. Buck was tucked nicely into the magazine pouch and kept quiet.

Arriving in Geneva at 7:45am on Wednesday, May 21 we made it through Customs very easily. It was a only a 45 minute train ride to Lausanne and we could not check into the hotel until 2pm so we hung out at the airport for a while and then strolled into the train station which is connected to the airport. The Swiss train system is fast and efficient. You can even follow the movement of the trains on their website as they move along their routes. We finally jumped on a train a little before noon and after a fast trip along the lake and through the vineyards in the countryside, we arrived in Lausanne. The train may be a bit expensive at 52 CHF – Swiss Francs (US$58), but the ease of travel makes it easier to swallow.

A short cab ride and we were at our hotel. Our hotel room had a full kitchen and a 40 inch flat screen tv. They also had a decent fitness center with a sauna and steam room. Our first order of business was to find a grocery store. A short walk up a very step paved path behind the hotel led us to Ave. de Cour which had small shops, patisseries and two grocery stores. We chose to shop at Migros. A nice, compact store we were able to buy milk, yogurt, fruit, snacks and some ready-made meals. When I travel alone, or with someone like Buck, I enjoy relaxing in the hotel room and reserve the daytime for activities. With our goodies we went back to the room and relaxed for a full day to sightsee. The television choices were interesting, French, French from Switzerland, German, English, Russian, Italian, Algerian, Moroccan, Chinese, Turkish and a few others. A good selection of BBC/English channels. It was also amusing to see some of the U.S. shows with overdubs and different names. NCIS had a different name on the Swiss channel and the overdubs were mousy French voices.

Thursday was to be a day to visit a few museums and a 13th Century cathedral. Unfortunately, the weather was not the best. It was overcast and threatening rain so we walked across the street to the park on Lac Léman (also called Lake Geneva) to explore. It turned out to be a good choice as it eventually poured.

Friday was the first day of the Olympic Collectors’ Fair. It was a beautiful day in the 70’s. The fair did not start until mid-afternoon so we took the bus from the hotel up Ave d’Ouchy to Closelet. We stopped in Durig Chocolatiere and made some purchases. I had to hold Buck back from spending too much. We still spent 85CHF (US$95) which included a nice mousse to eat at the hotel. My friend Marc Levie drove down from Zurich and picked me up at the hotel to go to the fair. We dropped off my stuff and went to lunch, eating outside across from the lake. If you haven’t figured it out, Switzerland is EXPENSIVE!! Our lunch of two 10 inch chicken pizzas with one coke and one iced tea was 50+CHF ($58)!! We spent the rest of the day at the Olympic Fair on the Place de la Navigation. This is on the lake at the marina and where you catch the steamboat to Evian, France just across the lake. That evening we had a cocktail reception at the Musée Olympique and got to tour the museum. Buck behaved himself. He was a teetotaler, drinking pineapple juice. We had another torrential downpour that night after leaving the museum.

Saturday was another beautiful day in the 70’s. We spent the day at the Olympic Fair. That night we had a banquet at the Musée Olympique. Sunday was the last day of the fair. We discovered that Sid Marantz, an acquaintance from Los Angeles was taking the same flight from Geneva to Dulles on his way home. We made plans and met at the train station and rode together to Geneva. Again we had the coach seats with extra legroom and no one beside us. It was uneventful coming home and we arrived back home in Virginia by dinner time.

Frank told me how to put the captions above photos, but I decided to keep it simple
1. Buck looking out over Lac Léman towards the French Alps and the town of Evian.
2. Buck stops by Stade Pierre de Coubertin named after the founder of the modern Olympics
3. Buck gets ready to do a few laps around the track at Stade Pierre de Coubertin
4. Buck gets another view of the French Alps
5. Buck stops by the Musée Olympique to speak of his travels
6. Buck with his chocolate purchases. Must maintain that "Large Ass"
7. Buck’s Diploma for attending the Olympic Collectors’ Fair

[the 'stache]

This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

[Michael B]

After a little R&R Buck decided he was good to go for another adventure. He chose the International Boxing Hall of Fame inductions in Canastota, NY the weekend of June 5-8. Once we got off of the Beltway in Virginia it was a smooth 6 hour drive to East Syracuse, NY. We usually run into a rainstorm approaching Birmingham, NY or just after it. This year was different. One light shower, but nothing else. East Syracuse is a good place to stay as there are lots of hotels and it is a 20 minute drive down the NY Thruway to Canastota. Unless you want to visit the Boxing HOF or the Erie Canal museum, Canastota is pretty much an afterthought.

Having attended the inductions for almost 20 years we know the lay of the land. Buck had a great time meeting all of the boxing champions including George Foreman, Jerry Cooney, John Ruiz, Michael and Leon Spinks, Frank Tate, Iran Barkley, Andre Ward and a host of others along with renowned photographer Neil Leifer and actress Rosie Perez. He did not challenge any of them to a fight and arrived back in Virginia on Sunday morning in one piece.

Maybe a few quick adventures this weekend then off to Peter Ullman for his trip to Portugal.

The pictures are as follows:
Buck posing in front of the Hall of Fame sign. Most of the boxers pose here on their first trip.

Buck in front of the new Hall of Fame sign.

Buck with “Irish” Micky Ward, pride of Lowell, MA and the subject of the movie “The Fighter”.

Buck with Brooklyn’s own Zab “Super” Judah.

Bick with Olympic gold medalist and world champ Michael Spinks.

[clydepepper]

AWESOME Michael !

I never thought I would live vicariously through a beat-up 100-and-some-odd-year-old Baseball card...but I'm loving it!

p.s. - I'm glad to see Large A got encapsulated to protect his delicate nature from all of these many different environments.

[bnorth]

Really like the picture of Michael Spinks and his straw hat.

Thank you for sharing, this is an awesome thread!

[Michael B]

I wanted to get in one last adventure with Old Buck before I shipped him off to St. Paul, MN for the All Star game. Buck decided he wanted to connect with some of the past U.S. Presidents. On the 4th of July we took the short drive over to Mount Vernon. The 4th is always a special day at Mount Vernon and Monticello. The line was too long to take the house tour so we just walked out on the great lawn. Later we sat on the grand veranda and spoke with General Washington himself. We walked all over the property – down to the river and through the gardens. We visited the Washington family tomb. Just by asking a rather innocuous question about the inner gates in front of the tomb they decided to open them up. The outer ones are opened any time they have attendants there. The inner ones are almost always locked. They usually just open them for special wreath laying ceremonies. I was there one Veterans Day where they kept them open most of the day and asked about that. They thought I was crazy, but they made the decision to unlock them. Everyone behind us in line also got the special treat.

I work in downtown Washington, D.C. right behind the National Archives. I did not even think of bringing Buck to work since I usually do what I have to do outside of the office – courts and research facilities – and head back to the office. Also, this is tourist season and gets very hot and humid so there are few ‘quick in and out’ places to go. I decided to bring him to work on Monday, July 7th as I had to mail him out on Tuesday. We took the Metro into downtown as I do every day. I had to go do some research before going to the office. There was one place close to my office that was a good stop. We got off the Metro at the Verizon Center and walked the 3 blocks to Ford’s Theatre. Fortunately there was no crowd and I walked right in. Buck got to see the derringer used to shoot President Lincoln. We also went to see the Presidents Box where Mr. & Mrs. Lincoln, Maj. Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris were sitting that night. During the tourist season they keep the outer door closed to the box as the balcony aisle leading to it is narrow. They open it up when the tourists go home (Oct – Mar) and you can step into the anteroom and look through plexiglass into the box. We walked across the street to the Petersen House, but there was a wait outside and it was too hot to stand there in business attire so back to the office.

I was glad I got to share some adventures with you ‘card guys’. Thanks to Frank for sending him along. Perhaps some day in the future I will be able to share some more adventures Those who get to travel with Buck will get to see that I was able to add some special items to the pages of the log book. I hope others follow suit.

Buck in now resting in St. Paul, MN with Dr. Ullman.
Cheers!!!

The pictures are as follows:

Buck on the great lawn of Mount Vernon. You may recognize it from 'National Treasure, Book of Secrets'.

Buck and General Washington hanging out on the grand veranda. He asked if it was a present. I told him that the president who said 'The buck stops here' was Harry Truman, not him.

The Washington family tomb. The sarcophogus of George Washington in the background. Mistress B. in the fore. We did not want to be disrespectful so Buck stayed concealed.

Buck takes the Metro into town.

Buck find a seat on the metro and settles into my briefcase.

Buck looks at the derringer that shot President Lincoln.

Buck views the Presidential box at Ford's Theatre

Since I was holding him out, a flash would have messed up by bouncing off of his capsule.

[Paul S]

Michael, that photo of Buck and George totally cracks me up. Great job and thanks!

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Paul S

Michael, that photo of Buck and George totally cracks me up. Great job and thanks!

I thought the same thing. Buck with George is just awesome, even if it was pretty forward of George to ask if Buck was a present.

[frankbmd]

Buck SHOT. Prayers needed.

[milkit1]

Awesome!

[abothebear]

Any news of Buck? Did he make it to the All-Star Game?

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Buck SHOT. Prayers needed.

He should never have visited Ford's Theatre!

Tom C

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Buck SHOT. Prayers needed.

The police are circulating this picture of Buck's suspected shooter.

thZENHA0TR.jpg

[ullmandds]

Large Ass made it to the All star game...and the home run derby...as well as paul mccartney and pat benatar concerts.

here he is at the home run derby.

[milkit1]

Buck created a rainbow! I knew he was a saint! Great picture! Is someone going to put a book together when this is all done signed by everyone? I had the distinction of signing the first page of the book george included with the card. Is that still going around?

[Matvoo]

Very cool guys

[Mountaineer1999]

First time I've seen this thread, you guys crack me up. I lol at Pete putting in Sweeney to pinch hit.

[BicycleSpokes]

Same here. I just subscribed! If Buck ever wants to travel his ass to Denmark, I would be honored to show him around!

[ullmandds]

Buck and I just returned from a 2 week tip to Portugal with a weekend layover in Amsterdam.

I'll be sending Buck off to Marty Bluesky...Marty pls contact me with adress info ASAP.

Pics and travel log to follow.

[ullmandds]

I had the pleasure of spending the latter half of the summer w/Buck...we went to the all star game and hung out w/Lee Behrens of Sterling auctions and Brian Dwyer of REA.

Buck and I spent the weekend in Amsterdam(en route to Portugal)...this was our 2nd trip there...and needless to say we both love Amsterdam...we visited the Rembrandt house/museum, the Van Gogh museum...shared a spacecake and shot some pool.

We spent the 1st few days in Portugal in Albufeira...which is kinda touristy beachy destination in Southern Portugal. If I were to do it again...I'd go to a quieter...less touristy place! We had a good time...we bummed around the beaches...visited the southernmostpoint in europe and ate some awesome seafood. The water so damn cold it was tough to swim...just quick dips here and there.

I regret having slabbed Buck a few years ago...he is tricky to photograph! cellphone seems to work best.

[ullmandds]

We then headed North to Porto, the 2nd largest city in Portugal...where we explored the city...took a 12 hour boat cruise down the river Duoro, day tripped to Braga...visited the bom jesus...and ate tons of good seafood and drank lots of Vino Verde and Port!

[ullmandds]

We spent the last 5 days in Lisbon...we rented an apartment in Bairro Alta(that's buck on the balcony)...so we were in the heart of the action. We spent a lot of time exploring the city...we visited st jeromes Monastary, alfama neighborhood, st george's castle, the oceanarium where buck and I saw our first mola mola ...we just happened to be in Lisbon during the Vogue's fashion night out which amounted to the biggest street party with the hottest, best dressed women I've ever seen in my life...Buck was quite impressed too!! We day tripped to Sintra...saw the castle of the moors, pena national palace, visited quinta de regulareira(my favorite), visited the westernmost point in europe(cabo da roca).

It was a great trip...I'd recommend visiting Portugal to anyone looking for a european experience a little off the beaten path featuring great weather, awesome food...friendly attractive locals...and tons of interesting things to see and do.

[abothebear]

What is Buck up to in 2015?

[milkit1]

yeah really, what on earth has happened to Buck?

[sycks22]

I miss the guy

[btcarfagno]

Am I the only one slightly pissed off that Pete was at some sort of fashion model street party in Portugal and couldn't bother to snap up some pictures for the rest of us? I mean seriously. This isn't "what happens in Portugal stays in Portugal". Get with it man. Geez.

Tom C

[Leon]

Where is Buck now (or did I miss it?) Pete was the last one with him in this thread. Is Pete hoarding Buck?

[ullmandds]

Tom c...sorry man I am trying to post pictures but they are too high res or something... They Are failing to upload. You should see the pictures from Colombia!!

I sent large ass to Marty B months and months ago

[abothebear]

So who is this Marty B? and what has he done with our Buck?

[milkit1]

Yeah why ask for the card and not do anything with it? Short of him dying there is no excuse for having it this long.

[Econteachert205]

When my photos are too hi res I make a duplicate and in saving the duplicate can lower the resolution. This is on a Mac.

[ullmandds]

im sort of a technology moron...i'll work on it...where is Buck????

[Leon]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

im sort of a technology moron...i'll work on it...where is Buck????

Wherever you sent him? Can you follow up on him for us?

[wolf441]

Originally Posted by BlueSky

Hey Erick,

Buck is a local Maryland guy. If you don't make it to Camden Yards, do you think he would like to take a trip around his old town, B'more? He's part of the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame, I don't recall if he has anything in the Sports Legend Museum at the Yard. Also I am headed out to the Eastern Shore next week and would be willing to take him by Ridgely when he grew up and spent his later years, too. Might even be able to get the guys at the Eastern Shore Baseball Foundation over in Salisbury to open up for a visit, before he hits the road again for his next destination.

Shoot me a PM and let's see if we can work out the details.

Marty

Is BlueSky the Marty that currently has Buck?

[frankbmd]

His sky isn't going to be "blue" for long unless we see Buck soon. Fair warning Marty. Deploy the drones.

[ullmandds]

marty bluesky is all i know?

[wolf441]

Looks like he hasn't been logged into the site in almost a month (1/12/15). We may need to send in an extraction team!

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by wolf441

Looks like he hasn't been logged into the site in almost a month (1/12/15). We may need to send in an extraction team!

Covert Ops. Think of the visuals. Large Ass locked in the basement of a remote compound being freed by Special Forces in the dead of night and being flown to safety on a chopper and living to tell his story.

[BlueSky]

Hey guys,

Leon just emailed me. Buck is safe and sound. Sorry, I did not report in earlier, but got laid up a while back and have not had a chance to travel with him. My heads been elsewhere. I have not been logged in for a few weeks and did not realize you guys were looking for Buck. He's got a great following. It looks like I will not be traveling soon, so if someone wants to take him out on the road drop me a line.

Regards,
Marty

[t206hound]

Buck flies back to the States from Nassau today, but here are some photos from the beach.







Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ullmandds]

Nice to see buck again!

[sycks22]

Did he bring his life jacket this time?

[Leon]

Watch the beach, he doesn't care for the sun too much!! He does like to surf from what I understand!!

[t206hound]

Buck enjoyed three days at Universal. Favorite rides were the Hulk, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. He skipped the water rides this trip.

Here's a few photos... He will be at Disney World the rest of the week. Note that he will NOT be running the #wdw46 challenge on Sunday with me and my son.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk