A collecting theory: the wife test

[skelly423]

My wife is not a sports fan, and hasn't watched a whole baseball game in her entire life. I've long held the belief that a good way to determine players with long-term staying power is to find players who have crossover fame and are known to the non-sports fan. Putting two and two together, I came up with something I call the wife test. Simply ask your wife to name every baseball player she knows.

Here are the five baseball players my wife could name, presented in order (with her corresponding comments):
1. Jackie Robinson (obviously)
2. Derek Jeter (ugh)
3. Babe Ruth
4. Lou Gehrig (the guy with the disease)
5. That guy who married Marilyn Monroe

It's not a perfect list, but you would probably do better than most by sticking to these five players.

Anyone else want to administer the wife test and report the results?

[swarmee]

My wife could only think of three on short notice:
1) Babe Ruth
2) Jackie Robinson
3) Nolan Ryan

[kmac32]

1. Mr Cub Ernie Banks HOF
2. Lee Smith HOF
3. Fergie Jenkins HOF
4 Ryne Sandberg HOF ( nice butt according to my wife)
5. Bill Buckner (again nice butt according to my wife)
6 Elmer Miller ( Great Great uncle of mine)


Note the cubs theme being married to me also honorable mention, Harry Caray and Pat Hughes.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I would immediately divorce any woman who did not know baseball better than that.

[MR RAREBACK]

Babe Ruth
Ichiro
Matsui
Darvish
Ohtani

[YazFenway08]

i met my beautiful bride at a baseball game…so she was up for the challenge. i asked her to quickly name 5 players

(1) hank aaron
(2) big Papi
(3) yaz
(4) jeter…but she strangely thought his first name was f**kin’, can’t imagine where she got that
(5) Pete Rose

bonus coverage…from my 16 year old daughter…

(1) ty cobb (school project)
(2) mookie betts (tennessee’s own)
(3) albert pujols
(4) mike trout
(5) dansby swanson (crush…and she’s a little bitter about him (a) getting married and (b) leaving the braves…in that order

interesting mix…i’m a little proud

[Tyruscobb]

No Mickey Mantle thus far?

[JimC]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I would immediately divorce any woman who did not know baseball better than that.

Nice flex, Peter. Here in North Carolina we have a one year waiting period so we can't divorce anyone immediately!

[Touch'EmAll]

My wife said:

Yogi Berra
Ichiro
Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa
Babe Ruth
Hank Aaron

Interesting to see all the replies.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by JimC

Nice flex, Peter. Here in North Carolina we have a one year waiting period so we can't divorce anyone immediately!

Separation then. No amount of other qualities could make up for not knowing baseball. Not knowing football, I could forgive, but we are talking about BASEBALL.

[sforaker]

My wife did great:

1) Babe Ruth
2) Joe DiMaggio
3) Mickey Mantle
4) Honus Wagner
5) Jackie Robinson
6) Lou Gehrig

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Separation then. No amount of other qualities could make up for not knowing baseball. Not knowing football, I could forgive, but we are talking about BASEBALL.

I'd hope you knew about the lack of baseball knowledge going into it.
Unless it was one of those "I did what?!" Vegas marriages....

[bn2cardz]

My wife knows baseball. There is certainly a home team bias on what she can name, however she can name outside that as well. Really our relationship is built on our love of the game as we first hung out at playoff games.

[Kzoo]

Here's my wife's answers, rattled off in order 3 minutes ago....

Mantle
Ruth
Lajoie
Miguel Cabrera
A-Rod
Trout
Judge

The Lajoie answer caught me a little by surprise, but it makes sense as I sold one of his professional model bats back in 2005 via Mastro to help fund her engagement ring.

[lgbbcards]

She had to think about it:

Derek Jeter
Bryce Harper
Ivan Rodriguez
Chase Utley
Cole Hamels

Yes, we are Phillies phans.

[Fred]

Ok, asked my wife if she could name players that started their careers over 50 years ago. To my surprise, the first player she mentioned was Yastrzemski. Then she gave me Wags, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Ruth. I told her that was enough.

As mentioned before, I could show her cards from different sets and she'd have no clue what sets they came from.

[nwobhm]

In order….

Babe Ruth
Mickey Mantle
Ty Cobb
Brooks Robinson
Gene Stephens
Lon Warneke

[UKCardGuy]

My wife didn't do too bad...

1. Joe dimaggio
2. Sandy Koufax
3. Honus Wagner
4. Babe Ruth
5. Jackie Robinson
6. The mean guy (e. g. Ty Cobb)

My wife is English so baseball isn't her thing. Her knowledge is based on listening to me talk about baseball and from watching some of Ken Burns baseball with me.

To her credit, she's a lifelong soccer fan. If you ask her to name soccer players, she'd exhaust the capacity of Excel.

[peterb69]

Asked for 5 real quick, she came up with:
Bo Jackson
Curt Schilling
George Brett
Robin Yount
Pete Rose

[todeen]

My wife's answers in this order, with comments. Context: We live in WA state.

Jackie Robinson
Jose Altuve (my son cheated and told her this one)
Bryce Harper
Alex Rodriguez
Edgar Martinez
Ichiro
Derek Jeter ("the guy we went to see, good looking guy")
Barry Bonds
McGwire
Ken Griffey Jr
Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig (my wife's favorite because of PRIDE OF THE YANKEES and Gary Cooper)
Ty Cobb
Cap Anson
Barry Larkin
Tris Speaker ("the guy you collect")
Mickey Mantle
The guy who hit 61 HR (could not name him)
Willie Mays Hays ("hahahaha")
Jimmie Dugan ("avoid the clap")
Felix Hernandez ("King Felix")
Keith Hernandez ("thank you Seinfeld")

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[Cooper1927]

This is the list I got in order with her commentary:

Don Mattingly
Lou Gehrig
Goose what’s his face
Derek Jeter
Kirk Gibson
Babe Ruth
Duke something
Arod
Ivan Rodriguez
Alan Trammel
Michael Jordan - he didn’t do it for long (she asked for bonus points on this)
Pete Rose
Whitey Ford
Christy Mathewson
Addie Joss

She ended with I’m done…


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[Bored5000]

I am shocked to see Cap Anson, Addie Joss and Christy Mathewson among the names listed. I would have thought Ruth, Gehrig and maybe Cobb would be the only pre World War 2 players known.

[rjackson44]

My sister is a big vintage collector and my mom art antiques. Runs in the family

[Kutcher55]

My wife:

JD Martinez
Mookie

That is it. She is Thai and moved here when the Sox won the 2018 WS. JD was always her favorite.

[Smarti5051]

Here is my wife's attempt:

Ty Cobb
Mickey Mantle
Babe Ruth
Joe Jackson
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron
Smoltz (technically "guy from the Braves named Smoltz")
Mike Trout
Aaron Judge
Nolan Ryan
Eric Hernandez ("Is that one?")
Alex Rodriguez
Barry Bonds
Clemens
Vlad
Salmon
McGwire
Honus Wagner
Michael Jordan (made clear she is remembering his one baseball game)
Cal Ripkin Jr.
Dave Ortiz
Cy Young
Jose Uribe
Justice
Roger Maris
Bo Jackson
Tommy Lasorda
Sheffield
That Japenese Angels pitcher guy (she kind of accidentally said "Ichiro")
The pitcher with the bloody sock
The guy that was all banged up and hit the home run for the Dodgers

And after 20 minutes, she surrendered. She is pretty competitive, so it killed her to give up.

[drcy]

I go by the family dog sniff test

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Kutcher55

My wife:



JD Martinez

Mookie



That is it. She is Thai and moved here when the Sox won the 2018 WS. JD was always her favorite.

What province or geographical area is she from? I lived in Thailand two years. I loved it. I lived in the East, North, and Bangkok Metro Area.

How did you meet? Were you in the Navy?

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[bswhiten]

In order...

1- Babe Ruth
2- Dale Murphy
3- Mickey Mantle
4- Pete Rose
5- Jose Canseco
6- Ken Griffey Jr.
7- Who was the guy married to Marilyn Monroe?
8- Hank Aaron
9- Sammy Sosa and the other steroid guy
10- Mark, his last name starts with an M
11- Randy, the tall guy with a mustache and a mullet. Reminds me of my sister's husband. He was good, I remember him.
12- The guy that hit the home runs this year? Aaron Judge
13- Cal Ripken
14- Lou Gehrig

Pretty good list! haha. I collect Dale and Mick, so I am sure that is why they are near the top of her list.

[darwinbulldog]

Roger Clemens
Altuve
Mickey Mantle ("I don't know if he counts. Your mother just mentioned him. Would you have thought of him anyway?" "Yes.")
Ty Cobb
Sammy Sosa
"The guy that we saw play, from the red team, St. Louis? He's really good. He's getting old now." [Albert Pujols]
"The guy with long hair from Boston who had blood on his socks" [Johnny Damon/Curt Schilling hybrid]
Derek Jeter ("Is he a baseball player? From New York. He seems like not a good guy.")
Honus Wagner

[Bridwell]

My wife quickly named these:

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Cy Young
Jackie Robinson
Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (was not expecting this one, but we are from Michigan originally)

After I laughed, she was distracted and started looking at baseball stuff in my office, so those names don't qualify for the list. When I complained she wasn't following the rules, she walked away. So I only have 5. My new "Big 5". Ha!

[Eric72]

My wife could have named many more; however, I asked her to name the first five baseball players she could think of. No warning, no time to prepare. Here was her list, in order:

Mike Schmidt
Babe Ruth
Mickey Mantle
Curt Schilling
Ty Cobb

We're both Phillies fans, so Schmidt and Schilling make sense.

[Bobbycee]

My girlfiend ran off three quickly:
John McGraw (old cell profile screen saver)
Ty Cobb (current screen saver)
Jim Thorpe (read his latest biography:"Path Lit By Lightning" in front of her all Summer)

Then Joe DiMaggio
ShaQ (buzzer: wrong!)
& needed hints for: Babe Ruth

[brian1961]

Let's cut to the chase; I will present to you my wife's test of a lifetime for me.

It was the winter of 1988, late January to be exact. My wife and I were evangelical missionaries to the Lakota Sioux Indians, living in Rapid City, South Dakota. Our work kept us pretty busy, but I needed a safety valve outlet to relax with, and so I chose collecting vintage baseball cards. At this point in time, I was concentrating on Mickey Mantle, collecting cards of him that had eluded me in the 1970s, when I was involved in what proved to be the ground floor of the burgeoning adult card collecting hobby. I was praying fervently for Mickey's anguished soul, after reading how much his father's early death had affected him so terribly. You see, I had lost my Dad when I was but 13. It's never a good time, as some of you know .....

I had been getting Sports Collectors Digest for a few years, and it was always a treat when it came. So, on this crisp, cold Saturday morn, the SCD arrived, and I took the issue downstairs to be alone with it. Back then, an SCD was about 240 pages chock full of good stories and ads. I marked a few pages, but was saving Mr. Mint Alan Rosen's 2nd. phone auction for last. The Mint Man always had the finest, choicest, and simply the most desirable cards on planet Earth. I had never dealt with him, but his weekly full-page ad(s) made it succinctly clear who was at the center of the hobby playing field.

Finishing the rest of the issue, I directed my attention to Mr. Mint's auction. He was using ground-breaking technology for the time: with each item, he included a postage stamp-sized (that's being generous) black 'n white photo of it. His lead-off, marquee items bore no such tinzy-weezie pix. He led off with a T-206 Honus Wagner, followed by the big 3 of the 1951 Topps Current All-Stars: Konstanty, Stanky, and Roberts. Wow.

Upon turning the page to see the other items, I audibly gasped and drew the magazine six inches closer to my face. I could scarcely believe what I was seeing----a 1953 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle! Moreover, Alan Rosen classified the rare gem to be in MINT CONDITION!

Really guys and gals, this will require a long time to convey. So, cutting to the chase of this virtually impossible chase card, I talked the situation over with my beloved wife, Esther. I told her in basic terms how much I wanted this card, that I never, ever thought I would see one this nice available, and I would use some funds I had remaining from the lawsuit over the wrongful death of my dear dad. This was in the days when a wrongful death lawsuit was much smaller than it is now.

Understand, my wife and I only earned $650 a month, plus rent-free housing. In essence, I had no business buying such an exotic, likely expensive card. Seven years earlier, I purchased Beckett 3 because it had several type card color sections, amongst which were small photos of the 1953 and 1954 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle. Ninety percent of the reason I bought that guide was to get the tiny photos of the Stahl-Meyer Mantles, figuring I'd never get to own one. Well, her response surprised me and moved me deeply---she encouraged me wholeheartedly to pursue the card! Her tender understanding and blessing is something I will treasure forever.

By the grace of God, I won it, for $2,200. It was by far the most money I had spent on one card. When I received it via UPS, I took the large, thinly-padded envelope downstairs to my office. I could hardly wait to see it, sure. BUT, I had to look at it closely to see if The Mint Man knew what he was talking about, condition-wise. It DID look good, and as I turned it over, and looked and scrutinized all around it, I tried my best to detect anything that would say to me it wasn't mint. Finally, my body relaxed and I began to smile as big as I could. It was mint, all right! Thrill of a hobby lifetime.

About 2002, I knew I needed to get the card PSA-graded. I went to the Chicago National. Long to short, when I got it back in the mail from PSA, and unwrapped the result, the great card umpire had given it a MINT 9. I was bawling all the way upstairs to show my wife, who was so happy for me.

As I researched my book, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, about the immediate post-war regional / food issues, I devoted chapter 13 to the promotion from whence it came, and the provenance of this particular card, of which I gave it the name: "The Maltese Falcon of Baseball Cards".

For those of you a bit curious what a graded-Mint Stahl-Meyer Mantle looks like, someone loaded up the specially-staged photo from my book. Google Stahl Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle images, and when I just did now, it appears on the fourth row. Look for the Maltese Falcon movie statue replica in the photo--that's it. The image will take you to a PSA forum thread I initiated to get advice on how to encourage them to raise their long-antiquated value in their price guide. I got no help from the forum members, but after I posted the photo, well, their language took a more respectful tone.... Back to the OP, without the tender love and encouragement my wife gave me, I might not have been able to fight for it as I did.

Therefore, to be sure, my darling wife passed the most crucial test I ever gave her! Thanks for listening. --- Brian Powell

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by brian1961

Let's cut to the chase; I will present to you my wife's test of a lifetime for me.

It was the winter of 1988, late January to be exact. My wife and I were evangelical missionaries to the Lakota Sioux Indians, living in Rapid City, South Dakota. Our work kept us pretty busy, but I needed a safety valve outlet to relax with, and so I chose collecting vintage baseball cards. At this point in time, I was concentrating on Mickey Mantle, collecting cards of him that had eluded me in the 1970s, when I was involved in what proved to be the ground floor of the burgeoning adult card collecting hobby. I was praying fervently for Mickey's anguished soul, after reading how much his father's early death had affected him so terribly. You see, I had lost my Dad when I was but 13. It's never a good time, as some of you know .....

I had been getting Sports Collectors Digest for a few years, and it was always a treat when it came. So, on this crisp, cold Saturday morn, the SCD arrived, and I took it downstairs to be alone with it. Back then, an SCD was about 240 pages chock full of good stories and ads. I marked a few pages, but was saving Mr. Mint Alan Rosen's 2nd. phone auction for last. The Mint Man always had the finest, choicest, and simply the most desirable cards on planet Earth. I had never dealt with him, but his weekly full-page ad(s) made it succinctly clear who was at the center of the hobby playing field.

Finishing the rest of the issue, I directed my attention to Mr. Mint's auction. He was using ground-breaking technology for the time: with each item, he included a postage stamp-sized (that's being generous) black 'n white photo of it. His lead-off, marquee items bore no such tinzy-weezie pix. He led off with a T-206 Honus Wagner, followed by the big 3 of the 1951 Topps Current All-Stars: Konstanty, Stanky, and Roberts. Wow.

Upon turning the page to see the other items, I audibly gasped and drew the magazine six inches closer to my face. I could scarcely belied what I was seeing----a 1953 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle! Moreover, Alan Rosen classified the rare gem to be in MINT CONDITION!

Really guys and gals, this will a long time to convey. So, cutting to the chase of this virtually impossible chase card, I talked the situation over with my beloved wife, Esther. I told her in basic terms how much I wanted this card, that I never, ever thought I would see one available, and that I would use some funds I still had from my small portion remaining from the lawsuit over the wrongful death of my dear dad. This was in the days when such lawsuits were much smaller than they are now.

Understand, my wife and I only earned $650 a month, plus rent-free housing. In essence, I had no business buying such an exotic, likely expensive card. Seven years earlier, I purchased Beckett 3 that had a color section with a little photo of a Stahl-Meyer Franks Mantle. Ninety percent of the reason I bought that guide was to bet that tiny photo of that card. Well, her response surprised me and moved me deeply---she encouraged me wholeheartedly to pursue the card! Her tender understanding and blessing is something I will treasure forever.

By the grace of God, I won the card, for $2,200. It was by far the most money I had spent on one card. When I received it via UPS, I took it downstairs to my office, to look at it closely to see if The Mint Man knew what he was talking about, condition-wise. It looked so good, and as I turned it over, and looked and scrutinized all around it, finally, I smiled as big as I could. It was mint, all right! Thrill of a hobby lifetime.

About 2002, I knew I needed to get the card PSA-graded. I went to the Chicago National. Long to short, when I got it back in the mail, and unwrapped PSA's verdict, the great card umpire gave it a MINT 9. I was bawling all the way upstairs to show my wife, who was so happy for me.

As I researched my book, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, about the immediate post-war regional / food issues, I devoted chapter 13 to this card, the promotion from whence it came, and the provenance of this particular card, of which I gave it the name: "The Maltese Falcon of Baseball Cards".

For those of you a bit curious what a graded-Mint Stahl-Meyer Mantle looks like, someone loaded up my specially-staged photo from the book. Google Stahl Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle images, and when I just did now, it appears on the fourth row. Look for the Maltese Falcon movie statue replica in the photo--that's it. The image will take you to a PSA forum thread I initiated to get advice on how to encourage them to raise their long-antiquated value in their price guide. I got no help, but after I posted the photo, well, the language took a more respectful tone....) Back to the OP, without the tender love and encouragement my wife gave me, I might not have been able to fight for it as I did.

Therefore, to be sure, my darling wife passed the most crucial test I ever gave her! Thanks for listening. --- Brian Powell

After that long story I was going to suggest writing a book until I got to the part saying you did.

Hope you are both doing well.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Great story very well told. That card in strict Mint, amazing. And thank you for breaking it up into manageable paragraphs, it's so much easier on the eyes and mind. Hint to some posters.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by bnorth

After that long story I was going to suggest writing a book until I got to the part saying you did.

Hope you are both doing well.

Howdy, Ben, LOL! Yeah, that's chapter 13, because Mr. Mint had given the Stahl-Meyer Mick Lot # 13. Bro, we're both doing well. In fact, yesterday was a special anniversary for us. The day we met was December 29, 1982, at the Rapid City Regional Airport. Unforgettable---just about love at first sight--for both of us. Not gloating; that's not my style, just very happy and thankful to God for bringing Esther into my life.

I truly hope you and your family are all doing well.

Say bro, I got a great idea for a fantasy alternative '54 Wilson Franks Ted Williams. Hope I can pull it off some day, with the help of my computer graphic artist friend.

Happy New Year! Ben ---- Brian Powell

[Exhibitman]

Mine:
Ruth
Jeter
Jackie Robinson
Hank Aaron
Fernando Valenzuela (L.A. Native)
The guy who got kicked out for betting on his team (Rose)
The guy who's wife was on Regis (Garvey)
JRod (A Rod and J Lo)

[Troy Kirk]

My wife:
1. Ty Cobb
2. Tony Gwynn
3. Tatis Jr.
4. Nolan Ryan
5. Babe Ruth

Daughter (23 years old)
1. Babe Ruth
2. Ty Cobb
3. Tony Gwynn
4. Tatis
5. Cabrera (Miguel)

Mom (84 years old)
1. Lou Gehrig
2. Babe Ruth
3. Joe DiMaggio
4. Dom DiMaggio
5. Whitey Ford

[Exhibitman]

My wife knows very few modern players because I am not an active fan of baseball today so I rarely watch it, and I don't collect shiny crap.

[Andrew T206]

A very odd mix from my wife with commentary (in order, took about 2 minutes).

Sandy Koufax (pronounced Sandy Kolfax)
David Ortiz (Something Ortiz)
Matt Olson (Used to be on the A's and is now somewhere else)
Tim Lincecum
Mookie Betts
Mike Trout
Randy Arozarena (The rice-a-roni guy...Arroz)

[jackwesq]

Hi everyone. The Ms. went with ...

1. Babe Ruth
2. Mike Trout
3. Shohei Ohtani
4. Albert Pujols
5. Jose Canseco

[horzverti]

In order, after just a split-second hesitation:

Carew
Ripken
Big Papi
Koufax
Victorino
Geoff Jenkins
Braun
That guy who shakes his hips (Youkilis)
Old time a-hole…name starts with a B…you have his book (Cobb)
“Oh, and Derek Jeter!”
Fidrych
Aaron
Jackie
At this point the names were coming fast and I called it.

I am proud of her.

[timber63401]

Babe Ruth
Mickey Mantle
Albert Pujols
Yady Molina
Jamie Garcia

[Mike Eisenbath]

I'm really proud of my wife's recall of some great names. Yes, she's married to a former baseball beat writer as we as longtime collector and baseball history addict/SABR member, but she retained some great names after going through the (she said) obvious of Babe, Cobb, Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig, Willie Mays, Aaron, Jackie, Pee Wee Reese (she enjoyed"42"), Pete Rose... then rattled off...

Somebody Chapman and Carl Mays (she loved The Pitch That Killed)

Shoeless Joe

Eddie Cicotte (she wants them in the Hall)

Brummer, the catcher who stole home for the Cardinals

Stan Musial

Lou Brock

Joe Torre

Whitey Herzog

Red Schoendienst

Eric Davis

that jerk Bonds (yup, wife of a guy who covered him)

Mark McGwire

Mike Matheny

She wanted to keep going when I told her how well some other wives did!

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