Net54baseball Ages.....

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by thatkidfromjerrymaguire

No, I didn't go. And I regret it.

I believe it was the last 'Induction Weekend' that also included the 'HOF Game'. This one was between the Rangers and the Royals.

The great thing about THAT game was Gregg Zaun 'called his shot' - at the behest of a wonderfully loud left-field crowd. Zaun, normally a catcher, was playing left-field and received a HUGE ovation when he returned to his position after the shot. It was incredible to see!

At the time, the 50K crowd-size, was the biggest ever for an Induction- I believe it was surpassed with the Ripken / Gwynn crowd, but there sure were lots of port-a-potties there...and Ben-n-Jerry's trucks too!!

The ceremonies had to be moved to nearby soccer fields.

crowd at 1999 induction ceremony.jpg

That was the first and only return for me to the area where I had been born 44 years prior.

We were going to also take the time to visit Syracuse, where we lived back then, and Rome, where I was actually born...but...there was this thing called Woodstock '99 and we were all glad we didn't venter out that way.


.

[MVSNYC]

Derek, love that Rickey card...And "Rickey being Rickey", with the little finger flair. Great player, great showman. Used to love his Home Run trot, jersey flick, side step, etc. Awesome.

In 2003, he discussed his unusual phraseology, saying, "People are always saying, 'Rickey says Rickey.' But it's been blown way out of proportion. Rickey says it when Rickey doesn't do what Rickey needs to be doing. Rickey uses it to remind himself, like, 'Rickey, what you doing, you stupid. ... ' Rickey's just scolding himself." -Wiki

[Fetamore]

74 and enjoying life. Currently on a cruse ship leaving Belize and headed to the Panama Canal .

[Exhibitman]

I'd love to get a 1977 Henderson card. Amazing how he looked 40 years old in 1977 and in 1999. His stats are really fun. Check this out:

3,055 Hits
+
2,190 walks
=
5,245 times on base
-
299 home runs
-
66 triples
-
510 doubles
=
4,370 singles and walks

Henderson stole 1,406 bases.
-
3rd 344 times
-
home 4 times
=
1,058 steals of 2nd base.

1058/4370
=
24.21% of the time his single or walk became a de facto double. That's astounding...

[egri]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I'd love to get a 1977 Henderson card. Amazing how he looked 40 years old in 1977 and in 1999. His stats are really fun. Check this out:

3,055 Hits
+
2,190 walks
=
5,245 times on base
-
299 home runs
-
66 triples
-
510 doubles
=
4,370 singles and walks

Henderson stole 1,406 bases.
-
3rd 344 times
-
home 4 times
=
1,058 steals of 2nd base.

1058/4370
=
24.21% of the time his single or walk became a de facto double. That's astounding...

All the Rickey Henderson talk got me to look up some of his stats; in 2002, when he joined the Red Sox, he had more career stolen bases than the team had in its entire history.

[kailes2872]

I am part of the magical mystery tour set of 72. I turn 50 in about 90 days!

[mrreality68]

This is a Great Post/Poll

I actually surprised that the group is more towards the younger side.
I would have thought that it was more weighted more towards the older crowd.

Means the collectors are evolving and new blood is either coming in or coming of age.

By the way Love the Henderson Facts one of my favorite players. Loved how he used to snag fly balls with his showmanship

[Yoda]

What is older than vintage? Decrepit, I guess. I ,too, turned 78. My first pack opened was a "51 Bowman.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by egri

All the Rickey Henderson talk got me to look up some of his stats; in 2002, when he joined the Red Sox, he had more career stolen bases than the team had in its entire history.

Rickey is the man no doubt, but this one can't be accurate. Sox were over 100 years old by 2002.

Cool seeing this card posted earlier. I never realized my Chong Modesto Henderson had come from a board member. I was able to win it with a snipe bid from a fishing plant's galley in remote Akutan, Alaska. It was probably the only 30 second window internet worked for me on that entire trip. I'm roughly its age, 44, though born late December (like Rickey) 1976.

Collecting my whole life, got pretty serious around 11, off and on through HS, then really serious again late college when eBay had become a thing. It kinda felt like cheating back then, but it was amazing to chase all the stuff you'd never see in the local card shops.

[egri]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

Rickey is the man no doubt, but this one can't be accurate. Sox were over 100 years old by 2002.

Serves me right for posting before I had my morning coffee. From his wiki, he had more over his career than the Sox had over that same timeframe, so from June 1979 to 2002.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by egri

All the Rickey Henderson talk got me to look up some of his stats; in 2002, when he joined the Red Sox, he had more career stolen bases than the team had in its entire history.

Not sure where you got this from, but it isn't close to being correct. From baseball-reference.com, the Red Sox had a total of 7624 stolen bases from 1901-2001.

[jchcollins]

44. Actively collected /collecting between ages 9-15; 21-26, and now 37 to present. I guess I'm on "phase III", LOL.

[frankbmd]

I went to a 9 year old baseball tournament this weekend. I can assure you that a walk and two or three passed balls is better than a hit, because the kids were better on ground balls and throwing batters out at first, but a walk was as good as a triple and often resulted in a run.

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I'd love to get a 1977 Henderson card. Amazing how he looked 40 years old in 1977 and in 1999. His stats are really fun. Check this out:

3,055 Hits
+
2,190 walks
=
5,245 times on base
-
299 home runs
-
66 triples
-
510 doubles
=
4,370 singles and walks

Henderson stole 1,406 bases.
-
3rd 344 times
-
home 4 times
=
1,058 steals of 2nd base.

1058/4370
=
24.21% of the time his single or walk became a de facto double. That's astounding...

[thatkidfromjerrymaguire]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

I believe it was the last 'Induction Weekend' that also included the 'HOF Game'. This one was between the Rangers and the Royals.

The great thing about THAT game was Gregg Zaun 'called his shot' - at the behest of a wonderfully loud left-field crowd. Zaun, normally a catcher, was playing left-field and received a HUGE ovation when he returned to his position after the shot. It was incredible to see!

At the time, the 50K crowd-size, was the biggest ever for an Induction- I believe it was surpassed with the Ripken / Gwynn crowd, but there sure were lots of port-a-potties there...and Ben-n-Jerry's trucks too!!

The ceremonies had to be moved to nearby soccer fields.

Attachment 490384

That was the first and only return for me to the area where I had been born 44 years prior.

We were going to also take the time to visit Syracuse, where we lived back then, and Rome, where I was actually born...but...there was this thing called Woodstock '99 and we were all glad we didn't venter out that way.


.

Wow, I've not seen pictures from those angles before. More crowded than I imagined. One of my buddies went that day and brought me back some souvenirs, but it would have been cool to be there in person. Thanks for posting.

And I'm familiar with Greg Zaun...he spent a couple years with the Royals in the early 2000's. He was exactly the type of non-descript player that filled the Royals rosters between their World Series years of 1985 and 2014, 2015.

As for Cooperstown, I'm hoping maybe Salvador Perez will sneak in one day, and give me another opportunity to watch a Royals player get inducted.