Cheap Vintage!

I actually came away from the TriStar show last weekend with some baseball cards, I mean besides those I got for a couple of peoples wants. I guy had small 'bricks' of vintage cards marked at $1 and $2 and they were listed as having Hall of Famers and 'stars'. Hey, for a buck or two you really can't go wrong.

I picked up a couple. This bunch is from a package of twenty 1983 Topps cards that cost one dollar. I have about a dozen of the Murray already but I grabbed the brick anyway. Just because he's such a badass. I felt it my moral obligation to buy a dollar brick with Murray on top.

Then there's Joe Morgan as a Giant. He played the game the right way. He broadcast it the wrong way.

I like this Blyleven card. You get the bearded and the un-bearded Bert B. Every time I see him on a card I think of an interview I heard on the Sirius baseball channel a few years ago. He was campaigning HARD for Hall votes.

Powder blue was big back then.

Phil Niekro. He's still in the majors, right?

Smiling Gary Carter. I miss the Expos. Tuesday was the third anniversary of The Kid's passing.

I wish Fisk had played with the White Sox during a different uniform era for that club.

Palmer only looks marginally different now than he did in 1965.


The other bunch of cards I nabbed were 1978 Topps. There were thirty in this brick and they went for $2. The cards were not as nice as the '83 package either in condition or 'star power' but they were well worth the price.

Don Sutton All Star. Four years into the future, on the last day of the '82 season, Earl Weaver's last game, Don Sutton broke my heart.

Ted Simmons, a.k.a Simba. I don't think he ever got his due. He was a really good ballplayer.

There were quite few non-stars in this bunch but Biff Pocaroba at least had a cool name. I think he's looking over at Bobby Cox and wondering when the manager is coming out to lift this old Niekro guy.

The '77 Mets as seen on their '78 team card. My all time favorite Met, Ed Kranepool, is in the center on the row behind the guys sitting on the grass. To the left of him is Joe Torre. I forget about his time with the Mets. Jerry Grote is to the left of Torre. Another '69 Champ leftover. Lee Mazilli, Bud Harrelson and Bobby Valentine are there someplace. That's quite a few future big league managers.

Larry Parrish finished with the Red Sox and managed the Tigers. I forgotten about those things, too.

Rusty Staub, Le Grand Orange! He was hot stuff for a couple of expansion teams for sure. Posing for a card picture wearing a tucked in windbreaker is so 1978.

Steve Garvey All Star card. I think he's a Hall of Famer. Not enough writers did. I think they just didn't like his persona.

When Bruce Sutter was at the top of his game he seemed un-hitable. I mean really un-hittable. I remember one All Star Game where he was making the AL guys look silly.

If anyone has some needs in completing either of these sets send me your list. I'll be glad to send any I have your way.

O-R-I-O-L-E-S!!!!!!!! Game 4

The Orioles are taking on the Royals tonight in the first game of whatever the series is called that gets you to the World Series. Cool deal I say. Let's do this.

The last time the O's were in the Series of course was 1983. I was at both games in Baltimore wearing my game-worn Tim Stoddard road jersey. Those were the days before everyone and his brother wore a jersey to the stadium and mine drew a lot of interest. I didn't take advantage of the opportunity I had to go to Philly for the games there. I had a new wife, a new job and there was no guarantee that the Series would end there so I headed home.

Here to give the Orioles of 2014 some backing are some of my favorite 1983 Orioles on their Topps cards of that season. I don't care a whole lot for the '83 set. It's not so much the design that bugs me, in fact I kind of like the design, but rather the photos which I feel are grainy and uninspired. But, no matter. Let's do this!! Go O's!!!