Somebody Needs This....

....or at least I think someone does. I remember reading someplace that a Geoff Blum signed card was on a wantlist. I can't remember if it was on a blog or on the Facebook Baseball Autographs group. But I'm sure it was Geoff Blum.

That's the problem with getting old, at least for me. I don't forget stuff necessarily, I just don't remember all the details. ;-O     Related example... I don't remember where, when or why I picked this up. I knew I had it somewhere and yesterday, after wrestling with my tax return for a couple of hours I unwound with a box of stuff I pulled out of my hobby closet.

The card is actually not miscut. My scanner has issues with Topps' white borders much of the time. I was too lazy to scan it again with a background page and then crop it.

If you are the one who needs a Geoff Blum sig just sing out. I can have it in a PWE and on it's way in no time.

Fleer Big Signs

Two of the items I became aware of during my Colts cards research are the 'Big Signs' issued by Fleer in the 1970s. The one at the top was put out in about 1972 (there is some debate on this) although it is referred to as a '1968' Big Sign due to the copyright date at the bottom. That is most likely the year the image was licensed.

The image was used on a 2' x 3' poster sold by Sports Illustrated in the late 60s. I had one of those on my dorm walls and later it decorated my apartment along side Eddie Giacomin and Frank Robinson posters I bought through the same magazine.

These Fleer versions are smaller, about 8" x 11".  they issued a second set of these a few years later. The Colts Big Sign featured their logo and a 'generic' quarterback. The QB might have been modeled on Johnny Unitas but that might be just my Colts-centric mind at work.

I picked these up for about 5 bucks each. They originally were sold individually wrapped for a dime each.

UPDATE:
The Fleer Sticker Project with more info on these. I should have checked there first.

Baltimore Colts' Card History Pt. 10...1982 & 1983 The Final Chapter

1982 Topps

The 1982 Topps set marks the beginning of the end of the once-proud franchise that was part of my very soul up to that point. With Frank Kush at the helm and a moronic drunk as owner the team stumbled to an 0-8-1 in a strike year that could have wiped out the whole season as far as I was concerned. They were coming off a 2-14 campaign that, as I recall, caused even my very religious aunt to take the Lord's name in vain.

Topps was celebrating their new-found ability to use NFL Logos and put the teams' helmet right there on the front of the card. In a set that numbered 528 cards the Colts got ten players and a team leader card. They were not given an In Action card for any of the included players nor did they have any All Pros. Like I said, it was a lousy time in Colts history.

The purple and yellow pennant containing the player name and position is at least a different color combo than what the Colts had been getting. Sideline and pregame shots dominated. The Bert Jones card is one of my favorites if I don't think too hard about the era it represents.

The card backs were fairly easy to read with the blue and gold motif. The players got stats, a fact blurb, and vital info. Some cards also had a team stat or record depending on whether or not the player stats allowed for the space.

The team leader card didn't have a checklist in the back this time. They listed the team's 1981 game-by-game results. Not pleasant reading for Colts' fans. On a positive note the Colts beat the Pats to open and close the season! The checklists were now back to being the traditional kind with the entire set listed on four cards which were the finals numbers in the set.

There was only one more year of Baltimore Colts' cards coming. Colt fans were beginning to hear rumblings of a possible move. Me? I was hoping the drunk jerk in charge would drive off a bridge.

1982 Fleer

Another year, another set of Fleer. By now everyone knows the drill....two cards showcasing the team, one for each of the Super Bowls they played in.

Fleer Stickers

There were a couple of different sticker inserts in the Fleer packs. I have a huge stack of Colts stickers but other than these with schedule backs it's hard to figure out which year they were distributed in. 

Topps Stickers

Topps produced another sticker set in '82. this one had yellow borders. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Kelloggs' Poster

This is my favorite '82 Colts item. I wasn't aware of these until I began this project. The players are 'generic' but the artwork is pretty good. The poster unfolds to about 8x10 inches.

I've scanned and posted the back of the poster even though it's hard to read. There is a Super Bowl 'Sweepstakes' that takes up most of it. These posters were issued for all the NFL teams (I assume) and can be found for less than $10. Mine was very cheap because it has a stain. But from the front you really don't even notice it as it appears to be part of the artwork.

1983 Topps

The last set of Baltimore Colts as issued by Topps were simple and, at least to my eye, attractive. No more pennants or banners. Just the team name that didn't overwhelm the photo and a name/position box. Red and yellow returned as the Colts' accent color. There were just eleven Colts cards including the leaders card. Topps had cut the set back to less than 400 cards. No Colts were featured on league leaders or season highlights cards. The checklists were once again at the end of the set and were not team specific.

The backs were done in red/pink combo and all the text/stats were sumperimposed on a team helmet silhouette. The usual info was enhanced with a 'personal data' blurb that listed such things as hobbies, marital status, etc.

The team leader card took on a slightly different appearance in '83. One player was featured and the other category leaders were listed to the right. The backs again listed the previous season's scores.

1983 Fleer

Fleer issued the usual suspects, a pair of team cards and the Super Bowl cards. I think that as a kid I'd have gotten really tired of the same old thing year after year.

Fleer Stickers

Nothing new with their stickers either. Except the updated schedule. 

Topps Stickers

Standard stickers from Topps. No color borders or special stickers, at least as far as the Colts were concerned.

The End of the Line

The spring of 1983 had brought the John Elway draft fiasco to Colt fans and it cast a pall over the season. But Colt fans hadn't seen the worst of it. Not by a long shot. Fulfilling the rumors that had swirled through Baltimore for years, in the early morning of March 29, 1984 the Colts snuck off to Indianapolis in Mayflower vans packed by members of U of Maryland's Sigma Chi fraternity. The amazing story of that move is chronicled here. And thus ended the life of my revered Baltimore Colts. I was working nights at the now defunct Houston Post in those days. I'll always remember my wife waking me up to watch the story as it was being reported on the Today Show.

This Baltimore Colts' card history project was conceived as a two post 'epic'. I was going to show one card from each year's set and be done with it. But after picking up so many interesting cards, particularly from the 50s and 60s, I knew that I wanted to do more. And along the way I kept coming up with inserts and oddball issues that grabbed my attention. I included them even if no one else had much interest.

I'm not done quite yet. I have added quite a few additional items to my Baltimore Colts binder and I'll post them in the future.

#walletcard....Brisket watches the PGA

My walletcard accompanied my family and I out to the Shell Houston Open this past weekend. This is a shot from Friday and shows Brisket Howard in the stands behind the 15th green awaiting the next group to come through.

I've been going to the Open since the early 70s when I used to work the old manual scoreboards at Quail Valley CC in southwest Houston. Fun times. Seems like half my family has worked for Shell forever and we have always had a good time out there. One of my sons used to caddy during the Wednesday Pro-Am.

I'm still not used to the more relaxed camera policy that's been in affect for a few years. They used to eject you if they caught you smuggling a phone onto the grounds. Now that only ask for it to be on silent. Taking pics is still against the rules but most people are able to sneak a few shots, especially on the less-trafficked holes where there are fewer officials.

The guy below is Jerry Kelly. He's a tour vet, a 'grinder' from Wisconsin who has been a favorite of ours for many years. Back when my kids were young he was super friendly with them and was a generous supplier of golf balls.

Jerry has had a couple of top ten finishes this season but he much to our disappointment he missed the cut here in Houston despite being under par for the two rounds he played. That was his second missed cut in as many weeks. Here's hoping he bounces back in a hurry. He's really a good guy.

Opening Day On Opening Day

Over the weekend I saw something I hadn't seen in many years...a box of card pack being sold at a checkout stand. For some reason the Target I visited had a box of Topps Opening Day right there on the shelves along side the multi-packs of disposable lighters and Burt's Bees lip balm. The last time I saw anything like that was in the early 90s when our local Albertson's had Pro Set football boxes next to the register.

I'll spare you my curmudgeonly rant about how I don't understand the point of a set that's pretty much the same as the regular set. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons for it. At least it runs a buck a pack. I wouldn't have bought a pack had the box been the regular 2015 Topps. Not for three dollars a throw.

So for the low, low price of 99 cents I bought a pack. I was hoping for either an Oriole or someone on my newly minted fantasy team. I got neither but I at least got a card of one of my favorite non-Orioles, Andrew McCutchen. His flying braids always make for a cool card.

My pack also has a shiny sort of card. I think Drew Smyly was on my fantasy team a couple of years ago when he pitched to Detroit(?). The fantasy team that made me swear I'd never have another fantasy baseball team.

This is the Twins' mascot? A bear?

This one is for Ana Lu. Tongue is love.

I guess this card had Jose Abreu listed because he is in that pile of guys after a walk off or something. Seems more like a White Sox team card to me.

I also got a rookie card of a guy with a really long name. But I liked the photo so I scanned it.

There was a game last night but today, for almost everyone else, is Opening Day. I wish they still had a Reds' afternoon game as the official opener but whatever. I hope your team wins today. Enjoy!