MacGregor Staff Johnny Unitas Photo

Thanksgiving weekend means football. And while I rarely spend much time watching football on TV I will admit to vegging out on the couch after our meal on Thursday and catching some NFL action. I do enjoy the in-stadium atmosphere and I'm looking forward to being at NRG Stadium Monday night for the Texans-Titans game. 

I was much more of a TV sports guy back in the day. I always hoped my Baltimore Colts were on the tube which meant watching John Constantine Unitas. What could be better than that?

I've seen this MacGregor Advisory Staff pic on eBay for years. Always too costly. I finally found this one reasonably priced a few months ago. 

I'm sure JU never played a down of pro ball without a facemask. But when posing for these endorsement shots most guys went helmetless or without the facemask. There are only a few football MacGregor photos. I've seen Mike Ditka, Bart Starr, Joe Namath, and Sonny Jurgensen. I'd bet there are others but there are many more over on the baseball side. 

Unitas shows up in this helmet again in this wonderful MacGregor ad found in a 1961 NFL game program.  

BTW...the Advisory Staff photo has full borders, my scanner ate most of the one on the right side.

More New Billy Pierce Items

In addition to the Billy Pierce drinking glass I posted the other day I have picked up a few paper items. First up is my second copy of the Wilson Sporting Goods Advisory Staff photo issued around 1959 or so. I nabbed one a few years back but I bid on this one to use as part of my display of Pierce items. I rotate the pics I put in the frames on my office walls because I'm afraid of the effect sunlight has on paper. I have a stack of lesser value and/or dupes that get switched out when I get the urge.

I love these old pics from the sports equipment companies. I have a new Unitas MacGregor that arrived last week and I'll get that scanned and posted soon. 

I go back and forth on the 'signature' printed on this pic. I've seen lots (lots!!) of Pierce signatures. I can't recall one ever signed as 'Billy', always 'Bill'. Vintage cards that had facsimile sigs show he was consistent with his signature. The 8x10 looks to be a Wilson's employee's approximation of his signature. Not that it matters much. Just an interesting (to me) detail.

His sig always looks exactly like this:

And it did even back when Bowman used it on their 1954 Pierce.

The 'cut' sig above is actually from this postcard/photo that I got this summer. The photo was originally taken in 1951. The uniform shows that much. The pic was taken by George Brace who took thousands of photos of major league players for over half a century. The story of his incredible photo inventory and how it was 'stolen' by notorious hobby con artist John Rogers and never legally returned to his estate (his daughter, Mary), is pretty tragic.

 The Brace photo is blank-backed other than the name 'Pierce, Walter' in pencil. Walter is Pierce's given name.

At about the same time I found and bought the below postcard of Pierce from his days with the San Francisco Giants:

If you check the scan of the reverse you can see the Doug McWilliams notation in pencil. McWilliams is a well known photographer who's work appeared regularly on Topps cards. But I don't see any references to him being active as far back as 1964. It looks closer to something produced by Jim Elder, Norman Paulson or Jim Rowe. But who knows? The baseball postcard rabbit hole I've tried to venture down from time to time is very complicated. I'm just happy to have new additions in the Billy P binder.

Billy Pierce 8x10...as a Giant

I haven't added a lot to my Billy Pierce collection as of late other than the sketch card I got last week. I had this photo on my eBay 'Watch List' for awhile and it was relisted a few times before the seller dropped the price. I figured for 7 bucks, why not?

Billy's signature never changed. And he always looked younger than his years. This shot is from 1962 or '63 as it was taken in the Polo Grounds with the Giants revisiting their old haunt to play the Mets.

Pierce went 16-6 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.12 WHiP in '62 as he rebounded nicely after being dealt to the Giants the previous winter. Here is the trade listing from Baseball Reference:

November 30, 1961: Traded by the Chicago White Sox with Don Larsen to the San Francisco Giants for a player to be named later, Bob Farley, Eddie Fisher and Dom Zanni. The San Francisco Giants sent Verle Tiefenthaler (August 17, 1962) to the Chicago White Sox to complete the trade.

San Francisco got the better end of that one as they went on to win the NL pennant and battle the Yankees to the last out of the last game of the 1962 World Series. Pierce was third in the Cy Young balloting and got two starts in the Fall Classic. That made him happy I'm sure after inexplicably being passed over by the White Sox 'brain trust' in the '59 Series. After losing a tough Game Three to Bill Stafford Pierce beat Whitey Ford and the Yanks in Game Six, 5 to 2.

That was his last big career moment. BP wound it up with a couple of seasons of being shuttled back and forth between a starters role and the bullpen and after the '64 season he hung up his glove.

Last thought: Love the Rheingold sign on the scoreboard. That brew was the Mets' big sponsor for many years. Here is Mets' announcer Bob Murphy pitching it circa 1970.

Dexter Press Andy Etchebarren.

A year ago I was in the process of pulling things from old binders, especially those that had some ancient PVC-laden 2 & 4 pocket sheets that held many of my postcards and 5x7's. This post from last April documented that only one item had been damaged by those nasty pages, an Andy Etchebarren Dexter Press postcard. I love all the Dexter Press items. I think they are beautiful and unique. So I was determined to find a replacement for my Etchbarren postcard.

I have a saved search on eBay for 'Dexter Etchebarren' forgetting that he also had a 5 x 7 photo issued. Early one morning before I had my coffee I got the email alert that there was an Etchebarren Dexter Press item available so I immediately put in a bid. I won and was pretty happy until the envelope arrived and I realized that I had bid on a signed 5 x 7 rather than the postcard. I already had a 5 x 7.

Oh well, at 6 bucks it was far from being my most costly eBay mistake. And then I saw a Certificate of Authenticity in the envelope and looked again at the pic and saw it was signed.

Now I'm as skeptical as the next guy about COA's but hey, who the hell would bother faking an Andy Etchebarren signature? So there you go. It turned out to be not as bad of a screw-up as I thought it was. But I still need to remember that bidding before I get off the edge of the bed is usually a mistake.  

If you didn't click the first link here is the item I am actually trying to replace:

Orioles Black and White signed photos (pt 2)

Here are the rest of the Orioles photos I began posting on Thursday. First up is a nice Mark Belanger pic. He died way too young but given that he's the only player I ever saw smoking on the field (pregame in Arlington) I'm not surprised. If you need a drag while you are waiting your turn at BP you probably have a strong addiction.

This Brooks photo is very well known. I've seen it all over the place on Oriole publications, 8x10s, etc. I was curious about the 'CH' designation on Brooks' picture. I found a note on Brooks' SABR page that he took Billy Hunter's place on the coaching staff when Hunter took the Texas Rangers' managerial job in late June of '77. He had only six plate appearances from that point until the end of the season. I'm sure at one point I was aware that he served on the O's staff but I sure don't recall that now.

Cal Ripken Sr. in another pose I've seen. One hot day in Arlington my friend and I entered the Stadium when the gates opened. With nobody else around we spotted Cal Sr. sitting by himself, sprawled out on a couple of box seats near the Orioles dugout. We went over and struck up a conversation and he was very pleasant. I also recall that he was smoking.

My scanner cut off Dave Skaggs' name at the bottom of this shot. It was printed very lighty on a shiny white background so my scanner likely decided it was a 2014 Topps card and sliced off the border like it does on those. 

Ross Grimsley.... such pretty hair. ;-(

I saw Scott McGregor take a tough 2-1 loss to the Phillies in Game One of the '83 World Series. While I'd been to playoff games in Baltimore that was my first Series game there. I remember that I really considered driving up to Philly for the games there but I had to be back in Houston for work. McGregor got his revenge with a win in the fifth and clinching Series game up there.

Elliott Maddox. The O's traded Paul Blair to the Yankees for him. No reflection on Maddox but that was a terrible day. Terrible. Blair didn't do much more for the Yanks than Maddox did for the O's but it killed my soul to see Blair in pinstripes.

Orioles Black and White signed photos (pt 1)

A week or so ago I posted some Orioles snapshots that I had buried in my collection. A couple of odd sketch cards as well.

At the same time I uncovered them from deep in a binder of Orioles postcards I found these signed photos. The pages contained 15 black and white shots of Oriole players all approximately 3 and 3/4 by almost 5 inches.  The photos are all mini versions of the Mort Tadder 8x10s that the Orioles used in all kinds of ways and sold through the mail back in the day.

But many of the poses are new to me. I guess the years I picked up Tadder photos didn't include 1977 which seems to be the year these were issued. And that brings up another question for me. What the hell are these, exactly? I've never seen the Tadder shots in this size. Yet they don't seem to be photocopies, they are very clear and are on high quality photo paper, just like my 8 x 10s.

They don't seem to be anything done by a pro, though. They are terribly trimmed, the image size varies by a quarter inch here, a half inch there, and the text used for the names is all over the map. And I doubt they were something the team issued to players for autograph requests, they used high quality color postcards for that. I have some of those, posted one not long ago in fact. Those b&w postcards are on different stock, not like the slick photo paper used here, and they are cut perfectly, just as a team item would be. These are not postcards. I don't remember how I picked them up. Probably in one lot though, and probably from an SCD or BHN ad.

I've established them to be from 1977 based on the fact that Elliot Maddox only spent that season in Baltimore and the Brooks Robinson shot has him listed as 3B/Coach(!). 1977 was his final season and I have never seen him referred to in that way when he was a regular starter for the O's.

But no matter, I have them, they are signed and as I've said, I really enjoy having off the wall Orioles items. And these qualify. I'll post half today, the rest tomorrow. Leading off, at the top, is Dennis Martinez, aka El Presidente. I used to attend O's games in Baltimore with my ex-uncle Ralph and he got the biggest kick out of that nickname. He enjoyed repeating it with a flourish whenever Martinez got a big out. I'll always remember that.

Next is a creepy looking Rick Dempsey. Something about that 'stache and those sideburns just make me uneasy.

The rest are pretty standard Mort Tadder shots. Some are poses I haven't seen like this Mike Flanagan picture and the Billy Smith shot at the bottom.

I've seen these poses of Jim Frey, Earl Weaver and Lee May before. The Frey picture is a good example of how poorly cut these can be.

I'd love to get the lowdown of these someday but I guess it'll remain a 5 Tool mystery.

More posted tomorrow Saturday.

Further Proof That I Bought Anything (pt2)

Pictures. Yes, I bought someone else's pictures. These are Orioles Spring Training snapshots. I'm sure I didn't spend much, at least I hope not. The first four feature Brooks Robinson (and a batboy).

These last two are of Kenny Singleton and Paul Blair. I'm guessing they were all taken by the same person. There are notations on the reverse of each one, all in the same handwriting. If they were taken on the same day it must have been either 1975 or '76. Those were the only two seasons that Brooks, Blair and Singleton were all together on the Birds. 

That's a Yankees pitcher in the last shot. I've blown it up as much as I could and I'm still not sure who it is but maybe a Yankee 'expert' can help. I actually saw the Orioles and Yankees play a spring training game in the mid 70's. But it wasn't this game because I saw them in Fort Lauderdale and these pics were taken in Miami since the O's are the home team. EDIT...because I'm waaay too anal. I went back into my Media Guides and narrowed the game date down to either March 9, 1975 or March 14, 1976. Those were the only two day games the Orioles hosted against the Yanks in those spring camps.

EDIT: I believe Mark Hoyle has puzzled out our 'mystery' Yankee pitcher. I've tried to nail it down with newspaper archives but some many of them are pay sites now that I couldn't make any headway.

Further Proof That I Bought Anything (pt1)

My wife and I bought this house when we were first married. The two extra bedrooms were turned into offices and I was determined to fill mine up with all things Orioles.

I went to shows at least once a month, hung out at card shops and combed through the publications like The Trader Speaks and SCD. I was making yearly trips to Baltimore and had some long-distance friendships I developed with Baltimore area fans/collectors.

And without the foresight to realize that one day I'd have three kids to put through college, I spent every spare dime on 'stuff'. Like these two 3x5 inch 'sketch cards'. I can't remember how (or why) I picked these up but I'd guess it was out of a box of paper junk at a Baltimore card shop. Dealers and card shop owners used to dump odds and ends into boxes. I think some still do. And I loved picking through them. I added lots of ticket stubs, pocket schedules and bumper stickers that way.

Since Lee May last played for the O's in 1980 these things have to be about 35 years old, at least. The Paul Blair card's artwork is better but the May card more closely resembles the subject. In both cases the stick-on letters are about mint. LOL

The next two items are probably even harder to explain. They are just snapshots of Gary Roenicke and Lenn Sakata, both of whom played for the Orioles up until 1985. I sure hope I didn't pay much. I think I bought these as part of a larger lot of Oriole photos. I'll have more of those posted tomorrow. Try and contain your enthusiasm. 

Russ Meyer Pics

Here is another gift from my friend Mike M. who I met through these blogs. This is a nice pair of Russ Meyer 8x10's. Mike is from Chicago and was lucky enough to have met and conversed with Meyer several times in the years before he passed away. From what Mike has told me Russ Meyer never lost the personality that made him such a unique character during his big league days. 

Meyer was a member of both the Phillies 'Whiz Kids' club and the Dodgers teams that became known as the 'Boys of Summer'. These two classic pictures show him in those two uniforms. 

I have an ever expanding (though still modest) Meyer collection. As I've noted previously (here and particularly here) Meyer knew how to have a good time and definitely earned his "Mad Monk" nickname.

My newest Meyer card is his '56 Topps. It's pretty choice except for the ragged bottom border and I probably over paid but I really like the card so I can't complain.

Thanks, Mike. Your generosity is very much appreciated.

Mort Tadder Photos

Mort Tadder was the Orioles' team photographer from 1961 through 2003 when he retired at 74. During those years he shot thousands of pictures of Oriole players, stars and otherwise. 

I can't remember how I got my first Tadder 8x10 B&W Oriole portrait. I can tell you that I bought many through the years from the team and from memorabilia dealers through the mail back when I was an active collector. The Orioles would send a list of available prints if you sent a letter asking for info on mail order souvenirs. I have a couple of hundred most of which are from the early/mid 60's through about 1980.  

I kept the in binders in roughly chronological order. They make a nice timeline of the Oriole roster and uniform styles. Most, but not all, have the "Tadder" word-mark in a corner of the print. Most, but not all, have the player's name below their portrait. The typography of the printed name changed through the years.

Mort Tadder did much more than just these portraits. As the 'official' team photog he shot the team's yearly picture, game action and more. I have quite a few of his other work, particularly his team photos, but the portraits are what I collected the most. He also shot the Colts while they were in Baltimore and was acclaimed for his shots of the Beatles during their Baltimore stop on the 1964 tour. He also worked with visiting clubs.

Mort's son Tim Tadder has inherited his fathers knack for photography and has a business in Southern California. He does sports photography and much more.

Some of his other pictures including an iconic Baltimore moment: