Burdick Award finalists

[Al C.risafulli]

I'm so thrilled to see Mike recognized this way. I have such an appreciation for SABR and all they do, and so I know how much diligence must've gone into this.

If you are of a certain vintage, as I am, the various TCMA issues were absolutely vital - so many of us kids in the 70s and 80s were infatuated with cards but didn't have the budgets for the real "oldies" (as we called them). It was through the TCMA issues that we learned about the '27 Yankees, the '60 Pirates, the great players and teams of yesteryear - and also the thousands of minor league players and teams scattered throughout the country that, in the days before cable TV and 24-hour sports networks, we would never have otherwise learned about.

I remember I would rip out old TCMA ads from hobby publications and circle the sets I wanted, so that my mom could pick out a few for my birthday every year. I still remember getting that 1927 Yankees set, the joy of owning a Babe Ruth baseball card, and reading the stats on the backs of players I'd never heard about before. From there, it was only a few steps away from trying to track down actual playing days cards of some of those guys.

I'd bet that Mike Aronstein and TCMA are probably responsible for creating more vintage collectors than anyone. I know that there were a lot of worthy candidates for this, so, bravo to SABR, kudos to Mike.

-Al