My Favorite Year (for the Orioles)

The post title is NOT a reference to the Peter O'Toole movie from 1982 (a fun flick, btw) but rather this is a contest entry post, something I don't often do. Collecting Cutch's Brian asked folks to post about their favorite team's memorable, non-title-winning season.

This was timely (I've been blogging the 1960 set) and untimely (I've been traveling for the last week and haven't been online much). But better 'almost late' than never. As I hinted, the team is the 1960 Baltimore Orioles, aka the Baby Birds. BTW..everything posted here is from my collection.

My first live game came in 1959 and by 1960 I was a big baseball fan. I decided that I would have 'my own' team and not follow the lead of my father (and everyone else around me) and adopt the Yankees. Baltimore was where I was born so naturally, the Orioles fit.

And the Paul Richards-managed 1960 Orioles were the first edition to which I paid close attention. They were also the first Orioles club to compile a winning record and actually be in contention (well, sort of). The began the year well and held the top spot in the AL in late June. July was pretty rough and included a disastrous five-game homestand which saw them swept by the Yanks and Senators. They slid back as low as fourth in the standings, behind the White Sox, Yanks and Indians.

But a young team can sometimes be oblivious to the pressures of sports and the Orioles rebounded nicely and retook first place in August before ending the month just a game back of the Yankees. They continued hot and jumped in front for a while before reality (and that Yankee depth) caught up with them and they faded to second, eight games out. I was there for the September 18th doubleheader that the Yankees swept on their way to a complete, four-game series sweep. That dropped the O's out of a tie for first to four back. Game, set, season.

It was a disappointing finish but it was the franchise turnaround which launched them towards the very successful 1966 club and beyond. The team featured 26-year-old Jim Gentile who had been picked up from the Dodgers for cash and some spare parts, rookie Ron Hansen at short, a still-maturing Brooks Robinson at third and a rotation made up of one veteran and four youngsters. That starting staff, Chuck Estrada, Milt Pappas, Jerry Walker, Steve Barber, all 22 or younger (plus 35-year-old Hal Brown), was the main reason for the 'Baby Birds' nickname.

Brooksie, Gentile, Hansen, and Estrada all made the AL All-Star team in 1960 which is quite remarkable given the depth of talent in baseball at that time.

And, as it happens, 1960 was the first year I actively pursued a Topps set. I'd seen '58 cards in the hands of a friend. And I'd received a few packs of  '59s to call my own. But in 1960 I began really asking for cards, keeping them in order in cigar boxes, trading with friends and looking for packs whenever we shopped. I remember the cello rack-packs at E. J. Korvette stores that my father liked to shop in. They also had cards at Bamberger's in Newark.  I'm fairly certain that I didn't complete the set but I remember how exciting it was to hold those things in my hands. Especially the stars and the Orioles!

This has been a fun little exercise. Thanks to Brian for prompting me to take a look back at the beginning of my love for this historic (and sometimes frustrating) franchise.

One last note... the scorecard posted up top is from the 1960 opener which resulted in a 3-2 win over the Senators. Last week, while on family business in the NY area I made spur-of-the-moment decision to attend the Orioles taking on the Yankees on Opening Day in New York. My brother and I braved some very chilly, windy weather (for which I was seriously underprepared) and had fun despite the Orioles loss.

If you need any proof that the decision to attend the game you need look no further than what I wore. Dylan shirt, NYR cap! "Undercover Bird Guy" at his best!

I did manage to find something with the Orioles logo (whatever happened to stadium gift shops that carried all the teams) and changed into it part way thru the game.

If I could have found some duct tape it wouldn't have had both logos, believe that!

Floating Cubs Heads!

Or would it be 'Floating Cub Heads'? Or 'The floating heads of Cubs'? Dunno.

But I do know that the 1971 Cubs team card is unique and a lot of fun.

The Cubbies did this for several years between 1971 and the early 1980s. Many have asked why but I'm not sure what it was with the Cubs and their aversion to the standard team photos. Maybe they just liked the look. They certainly were not the first to do this.

And strangely the Cubs had a standard team pic in the '75 set but the White Sox went 'floating head'. This has been discussed on several blogs in the past but with the addition of the '71 card, it's the first time for me to explore it up close.

That Cubs card was part of a COMC stack of about 40 1971s that included a couple of hall of Fame members on really nice cards.

Mon cendrier Expos

I'm in New York City this week attending my aunt's funeral (2019 has not been a good year so far). I have a few posts scheduled. I hope they make it because I won't be checking in very often.

The pic below is the latest 'display' piece in my collection. I've always had a soft spot for expansion teams, particularly the Pilots and Expos. Jim Bouton's Ball Four was my connection to the Pilots and a family trip to Montreal in 1969 during which we took in a game at Parc Jarry was one of the memorable vacations we experienced.  I'll never forget my Dad trying to get restaurant recommendations from a group of French-speaking firemen at a fire station across from our hotel. Good times! 

I thought this was a fun little item and was happy to win the auction. I'll probably keep it on the top of my two-level desk and use it for paper clips or something. The Bob Bailey card is there for perspective.

Speaking of the Expos, I won a small oddball set a few months ago that I still haven't scanned. I'll get that posted this week.

Astrodome Postcards

I'm not sure where these postcards came from but they bring back some fond memories of great events. The top one was taken during the first game played there in April 1965. The person who wrote the blurb on the back was either not using tier glasses or looking at a different photo. Check it out:

First of all, it seems odd to mention the time the game started at all. Clock clearly shows 7:46

This sure looks like the lineup card/ground rules meeting.

 But whatever. It's a neat card.

This one is closer to my heart. It from the October, 1970 Houston Cougar football game versus Alabama. The Coogs lost with me somewhere over in the stands on the left, the student section. But the Coogs went on to an 8-3 record and a Top Twenty finish. A couple of years later I would watch games from the press level. That was fun. But the view you see right here is the one I had for years as a young alum. This was my group's favorite spot. It gave us a perfect view of Coach Bill Yeoman's veer offense.  It was up here where I also watched the basketball Game of The Century. This one brings back some great memories.

"Buy the Card, Not the Holder"

Spend any amount of time on one of the card collectors forums and before too long you're likely to see the phrase I used as the title of this post.

"Buy the Card, Not the Holder" refers to purchasing graded cards and means just that...if you like how a card looks, and it's at a price that works, the hell with the grade it received. Here is an example using a card that brought me closer to finishing the '61 set.

The Ernie Banks All-Star card isn't cheap. I was able to pick this one up at a great price:

You can see it in the holder...graded as "Poor 1"

EDIT...Adding a shot of the reverse in the holder:

It looks better than that to me but then again, I don't grade cards for a living. In any case, Ernie is out of the plastic and in the binder. I'm  down to just these seven five cards:

531 Jim Coates
541 Rollie Sheldon
554 Pirates Team Card
563 Bob Cerv
579 Willie Mays AS

I'm going to go up to a big show in the Dallas area in April and hope to polish this thing off.

Baltimore Colts Championship Dish

I'm a sucker for stuff like this. I don't know the story behind it but I found it on eBay a few weeks back and threw an offer down. It commemorates the '58 Championship Game and I was pretty excited to pick it up. I've looked it over pretty close and it appears to be a legit vintage piece.

I have some vintage Colts glassware and a commemorative stein along the same line and it's a nice companion piece for those. I'm gonna need some new shelves soon.

Here is it with a card for comparison's sake.

 And the back.

Oh, here is another display piece, a furry one. Her name is Rascal and she is our 'grandcat'. She belongs to one of my sons and his gf. Rascal spends a lot of time with us because her 'parents' are always off doing 'young couple stuff'. Well, that and the fact that Rascal likes it here because my wife spoils her.

That's her kitchen perch. She also has one in here with me. She likes watching me type while we listen to Oscar Peterson. Mostly, she likes to nap.

It doesn't get much better than OP doing Satin Doll.

Harry Howell, RIP

Harry Howell, long time Ranger standout defenceman and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee died earlier this month at the age of 86.

I grew up among Rangers fans. All my friends, no matter their baseball or football loyalties, loved the Blueshirts. And we all had our favorite players. I idolized Eddie Giacomin, my two closest pals were Rod Gilbert devotees. But I never remember anyone claiming Harry Howell as his favorite. Howell was not flashy. Most blue line guys back then usually stayed back, rarely getting involved in the rush so they didn't score much. (Bobby Orr changed all that.) They were defencemen and they played mostly, well, defense. Howell was my father's favorite Ranger. If you had known my father that fact would not surprise you.

I had one brush with Harry Howell and it happened when he ventured into the WHA after 17 seasons with the Rangers. He was playing for the NY/NJ Golden Blades (or maybe it was the Knights) and they came through Houston to play the Aeros. As usual, my snowbird college buddies and I would make our way down to the concourse of the old Houston Coliseum before the game and during intermissions to watch the players tromp back and forth from the ice to the locker rooms. They had to come right through the crowd 'walking' on a rubber mat and protected by a rope held by security guards. It was not unlike what happens when pro golfers exit a green to make their way to the next tee box. Anyway, on this night I wore my Rangers tee and when Howell passed by I said something witty like "Hi, Harry!".  I remember that he replied, "Hey, Rangers" and moved on by.

All that is a too long introduction to the item at the top. It's a 6"x6" ceramic tile from a group known as H.M. Cowan/Screenart Hockey Tiles. They are a 1962/63 item that has a very murky history. Supposedly, and I only found one source of info (and no checklist), they were designed with the intention of being souvenirs to be sold in NHL arenas. But they were unlicensed and the project never got very far. Most (again, supposedly) were destroyed but obviously, some have survived and are neat little period pieces. The tiles depicted players and coaches from the six franchises in existence at that time. The number of different tiles is estimated at 104 but that's just someone's guess. I've been poking around eBay and auction sites and have seen about six different Rangers on these things, including Gump Worsley (a tile I'd give my right arm for).

I was completely unaware of these until the February TriStar show. I spotted a couple of Ranger's tiles (Howell and Dave Balon) in a case on a table near the front. They were listed at $150 each. The dealer(s) who manned those tables had nothing but rare and fascinating oddball items. They had one display case filled with loads of unusual Roberto Clemente items. Another case has Topps rarities and test issues from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Crazy rare stuff like the '68 Plaks, the '67 Punchouts and on and on. They also had zero interest in chatting with a schlub like me dressed in a Baltimore Colts tee-shirt and Ping cap. I stood around for quite a while as they dealt with neighboring dealers, a guy with a briefcase of graded cards and their cell phones. Meanwhile, I had $150 in cash in my hand waiting to get their attention.

Finally, I gave up and figured I'd come back later when they were not quite so busy. But the tiles had me hooked. I went and sat down and pulled out my phone to find out exactly what I had been looking for. After a few minutes I had a decent amount of info and on a whim I checked eBay. Well, what do you know? I found a guy selling the Howell tiles for about one-third of what the Snooty Table© dealers were asking. I bought it without a second's hesitation. Even the $15C shipping didn't faze me...heck that's just $10 American! 😏


For the curious, here is the back of the tile.

So, there it is. A great Rangers display piece now on my shelves. Oh, and I spent the money I saved with other, more appreciative dealers. Not all of it there at TriStar but a week later with my dealer friend at his hotel show. His ever-rotating cheap crap boxes featured some hockey and I was happy to dig these cards up:

I've already made this post far too long so I won't comment on each card very much. But I have to say that I hated Ken Hodge with the searing heat of an exploding sun when he played for the Bruins. To see him in Rangers gear takes at least a month off my life.

These Rangers' unis were almost enough to make me an Islanders fan.


No, not really, but I  consider them the worst mistake in team history. Given the Rangers legacy, that's saying a lot.

And finally, Eddie!! I told Darryl (a fellow Rangers fan from NJ) that this card should have been in his glass case instead of his quarter bin.