CLOSED!! 1939-1959...$25 Progressive Lot Auction...Day 7

[HercDriver]

Since I had the 1959 stack out to get the Aaron card listed, and since I don't have a lot of them left, I'm going to do a few days of those, I suppose. We'll start with this six-pack, featuring Dale Long. Everybody pretty much knows the story of Long's home run legend, but the back of his card mentions that he caught in two games the year before. Nothing special about that, except that he's a lefty. That's a pretty rare feat, also, for Mr Long. Not counting one-game catchers, who were probably an emergency, there have been 23 players to catch multiple games, left-handed. Most of those were before T206 cards were printed, so is it possible to find a left handed catcher on a baseball card? Well, yes there is! In 1969, you can see the flipped image of Larry Haney, so that doesn't really count. But check out the 1955 Doubleheader card of Long. His card is the only one I know of, featuring a lefty catcher. It's funny that his actual catching duties didn't occur until three years later, with the Cubs. There may be other cards the late 1800 issues, but they generally don't have gloves, so it's hard to tell. Hopefully you found that interesting with your coffee this morning. If not, well then I just hope your coffee was tasty...

BTW...the catcher cards ARE NOT part of the auction.

[HercDriver]

A pair of cards added today, including a better Cimoli card than the one from yesterday. Cimoli had the distinction of being the first Dodger batter on the west coast, as well as scoring the final run in Ebbets Field. Pictured here as a Cardinal, he only stayed there a year, before joining Pittsburgh in time for their historic World Series. In Game Seven, Cimoli had been removed from the game, with the Pirates leading, so he was watching it in the clubhouse. I'm not sure why you would do that, in a World Series, with a great seat from the dugout. But anyway, that's where he was, when the Yankees tied it. He was so mad, he threw the TV against the wall, smashing it. Luckily Bill Mazeroski made sure that nobody would notice. He spent over twenty years as a UPS driver, after he retired. No such luck for Herm Wehmeier. After years of being booed by his hometown Cincy fans, he had a heart attack and died on the stand, at the ripe old age of 46, in an embezzlement trial for one of his employees. I hope everybody is getting their chores done around the house this week. Not much else to do. Have a great day!

[HercDriver]

When I watch Blackhawks or Cubs games, I always have to sit in the same spot on the couch. My wife told me I was rude one day, when I asked one of her friends to move over, so I could sit there for the game. I told her it wasn't rude, but that she just didn't understand how to watch sports. Like the volume. It always has to be on an even number. Usually 14, if the house is quiet, or 16, if people are yapping in the kitchen. I don't know how many times the other team has scored a goal, or hit a home run, and when I checked...sure enough, the volume was on 13 or something stupid. My daughter thinks it has to be on a five or zero, so when she's home, it makes my wife crazy, with the volume on 20, because 15 is odd. Anyway, that brings me to today's additions. Of course, it's highlighted by the really cool card of Frank Robinson, but there are also two cards of Whammy Douglas. There's a reason for that. He was one of only two pitchers in MLB history, that I know of, who only had one eye. Of course, like my volume rule, having an odd number of eyeballs is just not going to work for me. Therefore, adding a second Whammy keeps the auction at an even number of eyeballs. My wife might think this is ridiculous, but I'm sure you sports fans totally understand. Enjoy!

[1966CUDA]

Don't want to bid.... want to keep reading all the great info you add with each post. Always fun reads when you do these!! -Claude

[HercDriver]

Cal McLish...Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish. I would have loved to have seen that on one of those checklist cards. As for Sammy Esposito, he was one of those mediocre players that became great managers, like Lasorda and Sparky. Esposito left the GoGo Sox to manage at North Carolina State, leading the Wolfpack to a 513-253 record in his 21 seasons there. He won the ACC Championship three seasons in a row at one point, and is still the winningest coach in their program's history. Ron Hansen proved you can be on top one day, and mopping up the next. He pulled off an unassisted triple play in 1968, the first time it had been done since 1927, and the last one until Mickey Morandini managed it in 1992. It's a pretty rare feat, as only 15 have been recorded in MLB history. However, Hansen struck out out his next six times at the plate, dimming his glory somewhat. Later that year, he hit a grand slam to rise to glory again, only to be traded the next day for Tim Cullen. The odd thing about that, was that he had already been traded for Tim Cullen once that season, becoming the first pair traded for each other in MLB history.