It's the People You 'Meet'

Let's be honest. Every blogger likes to see their ramblings on the 'Net. It's a big reason why we do this. Yes, I know that some of us will say "I don't care if anyone reads this" but all of us do, to some extent.

But the real currency of blogging isn't the number of posts one spits out, or the number of followers one has, or how many comments your work generates but rather the number of people you will likely never get to see in person but who have, in some odd way, become friends of yours. At least that holds true for me.

One such friend is Ana Lu. She started leaving comments on my blogs from time to time and it was nice to hear from a fellow futbol fan. Then as time went on I found that she is from Portugal which is cool because my grandfather came here from the Portuguese Azore Islands.

And then finally I discovered that she, too, is a blogger. She writes the Hobby Card Europe blog. I enjoy reading it because she brings a European view, a woman's voice (there are so few females blogging about this hobby) and, frankly, I'm charmed by her wonderful Portuguese-influenced way of writing in English. (I hope that doesn't offend you, Ana).

Like many (most?) of us Ana has a 'niche' collection. Be it "Plays at the Plate", "Awesome Night Cards" or my own "Guys on the Phone" card collection we seem to love these sorts of focused personal collections. Her's is "Dust is in the Air" which features cards that show players kicking up infield dust, mostly by sliding.

Check it out, and remember that "Enviar um comentário" means "Leave a Comment". A few weeks back Ana let me know she was sending me an envelope. It arrived early last week and it was fun. First of all it came from Portugal and therefore had postage and marking that were pretty unique. Inside I found quite a bit more that the 'couple of things' Ana had promised.

First there were several of these shiny cards which I'd never seen. They are labeled as 'Phil Rizzuto's Baseball/The National Pastime cards. They are very shiny with a 3-D sort of effect and don't scan well. Most are copies of old-time baseball art or baseball-related magazine covers from early in the last century. The write-ups on the backs are pretty informative. 

A stack of shiny (chrome?) rookie Topps cards came out of the envelope next. My scanner hates them. I like the fact that the Colby Rasmus filled a hole in my 'fantasy team' needs.

Next were Oriole cards from the early 1990's which all filled a need since I was 'away' from the hobby for most of that decade. Here are two of them, both Cal Ripken cards. The second is an O-Pee-Chee.

Also included were some 2012 and 2013 Oriole Topps cards. Between these and some sent along by Night Owl some weeks ago I think I have the regular issue Birds filled in from the last couple of years.

Last, but certainly not least was a treasure trove of futbol items.

These cards are two of four cards I got that come from a Portuguese set made by Panini in Italy. Great looking cards. I love team crests that all international club teams have and each of these have crests from La Liga clubs.

Ana also sent along a huge stack of Panini futbol stickers. Lots of famous international players are included in this set as well as team photos and stadium shots. I see Panini stickers at Target and WalMart. Not sure if these are the same things. I'd guess they are.

Thanks again, Ana. It was really cool to get an envelope from the land of my grandfather. Your thoughtfulness is appreciated.

Warning: Futbol Post

This is Figo. He is the retired Portuguese  star of international and European soccer. He is arguably the biggest star to come out of Portugal (Rolando might argue that..Ana, what say you?). He is was favorite player and the reason I followed World Cup so closely back when he was active. I have a Portugal/Figo shirt and I love it when someone recognizes the meaning and strikes up a conversation.
He also played for both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona which is like playing for the Yanks and Red Sox multiplied by 1000. Those two clubs were on a collision course in the Champions League but both suffered one-sided losses to the strong German sides and now it appears unlikely that Portugal will have to deal with an title game, fueled by a deep rivalry, that would be..well... interesting. We will know after the semis on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here is the pertinent data from Figo's Wikipedia page:

Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, (born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and  Internazionale. He retired from football on 31 May 2009. He won 127 caps for the Portuguese national football team, making him the most capped Portuguese player in history. Figo was the 2000 European Footballer of the Year, the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and was named amongst (sic) the FIFA 100.

Here is my favorite line from that page:

When he was born he was a baby and the only son of parents Antonio Caeiro Figo and Maria Joana,

Wikipedia can be a wacky place when you start crossing language barriers.

But as much as I followed Figo and am glad to own a couple of his cards, the real reason to make this entry was to have an excuse to post this picture of Figo's wife, Swedish model Helen Svedin.

You're welcome.

Portugal, and my Grandfather

Being 25% Portuguese I couldn't resist nabbing this card from the T59 Flags of All Nations set issued around 1910. It features the flag of Portugal and set me back 49 cents. Pretty hard to pass that up. 

The card above is from the N24 1889 Allen & Ginter Types of all Nations set. I got it cheap as well. I bought it because there is a chance that the woman pictured is my great-grandmother. Only a slight chance I grant you, but a chance. OK, there is no chance but hear me out.

My fraternal grandfather was born in the Azores in 1902, the Azores being a group of islands in the North Atlantic that were a Portuguese colony and are still an autonomous region of Portugal. His father was a native of those islands while his mother came from Portugal itself. While still an infant his family emigrated to the United States, passing through Ellis Island where the family name was changed from Andrade(?) to  Andrews, and settling in the large Portuguese community in New Bedford, Mass. When his father died about ten years later my grandfather and his siblings (we really don't know much of them) returned with their mother to the Azores. 

Having seen the U.S. my grandfather wanted no part of living on what is essentially a volcanic island and decided to head back to the States. So, at the age of 13, he stowed away on a ship bound for the U.S. and soon found himself in Key West. He worked at various waterfront jobs as he made his way up the East Coast and eventually was back in New Bedford. 

Now about 15, with his adopted country entering WWI, he 'lied' his way into the Army and found himself as a infantryman in the U.S. 2nd Division in Europe, fighting in France as a 16 year old. Along the way he suffered the effects of German poison gas attacks and various other wounds. His helmet, which, I have here at home, shows a dent he told me came from a German bullet. 

After the war he was sent as part of the occupying forces to Germany and was assigned to a German farm house near Heidelberg which was home to a farm family. My grandmother was a part of that family and despite a language barrier the two fell in love. My grandfather returned to the States, eventually sent for my grandmother (and her mother), and they were married. 

He spent his life as a boilermaker in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a tough job for sure. As a preschooler I and my parents lived with my grandparents in Brooklyn and I can recall my grandfather returning from work, with grime and soot from had to toe and walking me to the corner store on Kings Highway for a treat before he bathed and we all had dinner. Later on he taught me how to curse in Portuguese, how to sharpen knives and how to wear a hat among other useful lessons. He died in 1970. Hell of a guy.

So, since this card was designed in the mid 1890s, and someone had to pose for it, I'd like to think it was my great-grandmother.

And here, displaying the results of being forced to dress up for Christmas by my Grandmother, is Pops. Circa 1955.