Taking One (or two) For The Team...plus St. Louis

I really don't like buying stadium giveaways but sometimes you just have to hold your nose (with one hand) and pull the trigger with the other. Case in point:

The Orioles had a Brooks Robinson bobblehead giveaway recently and my son Brooks, while not a collector, does have a few Brooks related items that he displays in his office at work. Since the giveaway almost fell on his (and his brother's) birthday I figured one of these would make a neat gift.

Of course, I needed one for myself as well 😇 so I pulled the trigger twice. They both arrived within a couple of days of the July 19th giveaway and mine is now displayed here.

I mentioned in my last post that we had traveled to St. Louis to help my best friend celebrate a milestone birthday. We had last visited a few summers back as we passed thru on our way to Chicago but this time we had five days to enjoy one of my favorite cities.

Here are another couple of pix of the vintage baseball game that was in progress under the Gateway Arch on Saturday morning. One of the younger players spotted my wife's Astros shirt and came over to talk. He was a Houstonian working in the area.

STL is a great town for food and a trip isn't complete without a stop (or two) at some of the wonderful Italian spots on The Hill.

We took in a lot of the sights during our stay but I'll (mostly) stick with the baseball highlights for this post. I do need to mention that I can testify to St. Louis being home to some nice brewpubs. We hit our share.

My first time in St. Louis had come in 1974. I dug up the photos I had from that trip and here is a bit of now-and-then that span exactly 45 years.

Took the above pic from the steps of the Old Courthouse near the Arch last week. Below is a shot from nearly the same spot in July of 1974.

It was a bit misty on Monday thanks to the outskirts of TS Barry but the trip to the top of the Arch was fun anyway. One of our group bailed out when he saw the size of the elevator 'cars' that get you to the top. I will admit I wasn't so sure about going up either. I hadn't remembered that claustrophobic ride from 1974.

The view in 2019:

Almost the same view in 1974:

After a couple of near misses thru the last few years, I was determined to get to a game in Busch Stadium. The weather was fickle and I had my doubts but it turned out fine. Sam and I 36 years, one month after he was the best man at our wedding. Oh, and Gibson.

Yes, I'm wearing a Cardinals cap. The things you do for friends, amiright?.

Busch is a really sweet stadium. The upper deck seems waaaay up there. The pics don't convey that as clearly as being there. I think they went 'up' rather that 'back' to gain enough seating given the smallish footprint they had to work with. In any case, it's a great place to enjoy a game. The mist stopped and the sies cleared after a couple of innings and the night turned out great.

My only quibble might be that the scoreboards are a bit much. Lots of stuff up there.

My wife and I had some really great seats.

But mid-game we headed out to join all the rest of the group in the bleachers. Postgame fireworks for a nifty Cardinals win.

If you've never visited St. Louis you're missing out on one of America's great cities. I'm looking forward to returning.

Billy Pierce Bobblehead

Being the sucker for Billy Pierce items that I am I couldn't pass up making an offer on this bobblehead of him issued as a giveaway by the Joliet JackHammers in 2007.

Like a lot of these this one bears only a passing resemblance to the player it represents. It could just as easily be a bobble of my uncle Ralph in his younger days. The JackHammers were in existence from 2002 through 2010 as part of the independent Northern League. They were a favorite of fellow Pierce collector Jedi Jeff of 2x3 Heroes blogging fame. They morphed into the Joliet Slammers in 2011.

The uniform with the 'C' and the cap with the 'white sock' is what happens when a minor league team creates an unlicensed bobblehead.

On the plus side Billy did sign the cap (sort of):

Anyway, for all it's flaws it's a welcome part of my Pierce collection. The fact that I had no idea it existed until I stumbled across the eBay listing makes it that much better. Now I need to decide who he bumps from my shelves or if I need to add another shelf. I think another shelf is the way to go.

Jim Palmer Returns!!

This is definitely another 'white whale' story. 

The bobblehead below is a S.A.M. Jim Palmer which I picked up last week on eBay. Opening it and putting it on the shelf was a satisfying moment due to the backstory of this thing.

In 1995 or so I was at a big Houston memorabilia show and came across a dealer with lots of display items including many of these high quality SAM bobbleheads. I immediately spotted both the Brooks Robinson and the Jim Palmer. Having named my sons for the two Orioles stars I knew these would be great display items for them. I plunked down more money than I had allocated for the entire show and headed out the door. I don't remember what these things ran but I know it came to almost a hundred dollars total.

These SAM (Sports Accessories Memorabilia) dolls are high quality. They are made of porcelain rather than the usual paper mâché. The two of them were the only items I had on display in the main area of our house. They sat on my desk which then was in our living room and were greatly admired by one and all.

That is until the day a few years later when my nine-year-old James somehow knocked the Palmer bobble off the desk and it shattered into a gazillion pieces. It was one of those moments when you want to reassure your kid that it's not a big deal and you're not really upset with him. But that's a lie. I was sick about it although I managed to (mostly) keep that to myself.

At that point I began looking HARD at shows and in the hobby periodicals for a replacement Palmer bobble. I soon discovered that the Palmer was extremely rare and very expensive when I did find one. These babies were no longer being made and the best I was going to be able to do was pay an exorbitant price on eBay or be happy with some alternate Palmer bobbleheads. After a few years of searching and hoping I gave up.

I still had this guy though:

Then a few weeks back I was rearranging my shelves while listening to the Orioles TV broadcast and heard Jim Palmer mention a Zach Britton bobblehead promotion and I was again reminded of what I needed for my shelves. I found a listing not long afterwards with the expected high price but with a 'Best Offer' option. After a few offers and counteroffers I made the purchase. I then found out through an email from the seller that she was Jim Palmer's ex- and back in 1991 she had a hand in designing/approving the bobble. 

JP showed up as promised this past week joining his old friend Brooks after a nearly two decade separation. Ms. Palmer included a signed LOA (LOL) stating that this was part of the shipment she and Jim received and it came from her personal collection. Here they are...reunited and it feels so good. 

Yes, this is a gold base Palmer. My original was a red base similar to the Brooksie but who am I to quibble? A bit of research shows that both carry similar price tags.

Above is a look at what my 'feature' bobble shelf looks like now. JP 'bumped' one of my Koufax dolls over a shelf.

Just because I was taking pics I'll include a few here of what some of my display shelves look like. Please ignore the fact that there are at least three four different styles of shelves. That's what happens when you ignore your wife's advise and buy stuff piecemeal.

Late edit: I switched to a smaller size for these pix so the don't run off the margins of the blog text box. You can click them to enlarge.

And I'll label the items here:

Above pic, left side: Vin Scully, Koufax, Brooks, Cal Jr, another Brooks with his Gold Gloves, Guy Lewis, Frank Robinson, Johnny U, Palmer, Houston Cougar mascot.

Above pic, top right shelf: Brooks fielding statuette, Astros Silver Boot series giveaway, LBJ, Rangers mini Stanley Cup, another Koufax, Brooks Baltimore city statue replica, Ron Kittle.

Above pic, lower right shelf: Jim Nantz, Lil Red the Nebraska mascot, Billy Pierce Comiskey statue replica,  Eddie Giacomin signed puck, Elvin Hayes, a Japanese bobble my daughter brought from Tokyo, Bob Boone signed ball.

Above pic, left side: Orioles/Colts glassware above Starbucks You Are Here series mugs (all but the San Diego mug is from a visit to that particular city).

On the right on top are the bronze retired Orioles statue replicas and a Chuck Thompson bobble.

Below are more Starbucks mugs.

Bottom shelf has Guy Lewis, Orioles Bird for 2015 trip to OPACY, Astrodome replica, James Harden, Barack Obama, Robertson Stadium (UH's old campus home) Elvin again and Henrik Lundqvist hiding behind a Rangers' 90th season patch.

Bobbles For Charity

Last week I attended a performance by the Spirit of Houston, the University of Houston Marching Band. Proceeds went to the band's scholarship fund. A silent auction was held in conjunction with the show and lots of UH sports memorabilia was up for bid.

I won a couple of lots and my favorite was this group of three UH related bobbleheads. The Guy Lewis is a dupe and this one will end up with a friend but the other two were new to me. Jim Nantz is a UH alum and he does a lot for the school. He joins Vin Scully and Chuck Thompson in a group of three broadcaster bobbleheads I own. Not too exciting but all three are among my favorite media types so that's pretty cool.

The one I really wanted was this guy, The Big E, Elvin Hayes.

The base is signed.

Hayes does Cougar hoops radio broadcasts so he's around the school a lot these days, and that's a good thing.

I recently had to install a couple additional shelves to accommodate more of my display items as I pull them out of boxes.

More shelves coming soon.

Astrodome Replica

I had many, many great times in Houston's Astrodome. I saw more baseball there than I could possibly recall, lots of Houston Oiler and Houston Cougar football (I sold beer at Oiler games!), and some basketball including Final Four contests, an NBA versus ABA All Star Game and of course, the Game of the Century between UH and UCLA.

I saw concerts, rodeos, boxing, Oiler Pep rallies, movie shoots (a Bad News Bears extra) and all kinds of other events.

Last Saturday the Astros gave away mini-Astrodome replicas to fans entering Minute Maid Park for the game versus the Angels. I was out of town but my son took his fiance and I was the lucky recipient of one of the Domes.

The 'Dome" is pretty detailed as you can see. The 'roof' lifts off to reveal the seating and playing field. They even included the gigantic a/c cooling tower which is just to the right of the entrance ramps behind center field.

We rarely get to games early enough to pick these giveaway items up. They go fast thanks to large family groups that buy the cheapest tickets and grab them and then don't stay for the game. Invariably I'll see a 'family' of 8 or 10, all carrying bobblehead boxes, heading away from the ballpark as we arrive to park for the game. And yes, just as I figured, I'm seeing these things on eBay at prices from $50 to $75. That's just the way the world turns now I suppose.

Who's that dude with the aviators?

Here is my latest bobblehead. The one, the only Ron Kittle! I follow him on Facebook because his posts make me laugh (or shake my head, it depends). Of course after I bought this on eBay I see that he is selling them himself with the money going to charity. Oh well.

The ones he's selling are signed but that's no big deal. I just wish I had waited so I could have put my $20 to better use than lining an eBayer's pocket. And yes, I did break off the advertisement on the bobble's base. I usually do if I think I can without damaging it.

I already have a signed Kittle card. I posted that back in January.

How to pack a bobblehead!!!

I didn't know that there was a Chuck Thompson bobblehead until I found it while searching for something else. Everyone that grew up with their favorite team's play-by-play guy has a special place in their heart for that guy and his voice. Chuck occupies that place in mine. 

His voice reminds me of sitting on the counter in the kitchen of our house on the Jersey Shore in the summertime and turning the radio in different directions. If I got it situated just so I could hear Thompson and Bill O'Donnell describing the Orioles' games as if I was right there in Balmer.  

If you recall a few weeks back I was lamenting the arrival of my Cal Ripken replica statue which lost both arms in transit. No chance of that happening with Chuck. Take a look at how it was packed.

Ironically the Thompson bobble is plastic and probably could have been shipped loose in an envelope without any damage. You may be able to tell from the first pic that Chuck was not in pristine condition. That's probably why I was able to pick him up cheaply. But a little bit of cleaning was all it took to make him worthy to stand among the other Oriole Hall of Famers.

Chuck Thompson did both Colt and Oriole games during his career. And he had a national presense as well but it is in Baltimore where he remains the 'Voice' of the Orioles Emeritus, at least in those who are old enough to remember those heady summer nights of the 60's, 70's and 80's when the O's provided so much fun.

This four minute video is a commentary by sportswriter and Baltimore native Frank Deford done following Thompson's death in 2005. I almost didn't include it because it sounds as if I cribbed my opening paragraph from him. But the fact is that if you are reading this you've probably got a voice in your head that takes you back to baseball games on summer nights on the radio.

I got a kick out of Deford's reminiscing about Thompson's quirky 'backward' phrasing. I still play a vinyl lp commemorating the Orioles' 1970 World Series win. One of my favorite moments comes when Boog Powell steps in to hit and Thompson says "a mountain of a man, this Boog Powell".

The bobble is supposed to talk, and I'm sure he did at one time, but Chuck was voiceless on arrival and fresh batteries didn't help. No matter. I know exactly what he sounded like. And hearing him in my mind is probably better than a mechanical bobble recording anyway.

Damn, I miss Chuck Thompson.

Poor Cal, Poor Me

I can't say I have terrible luck with statues and bobbleheads I pick up online. I've received quite a few in the last few years and most have been just fine. But there is the exception. And my 'bronze' replica statue of Cal Ripken is one exception.

This is part of the series of replicas of the Camden Yards bronze statues that were placed around the ballpark last season. The others honored Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer and Eddie Murray. And all of those were already in my collection. I waited to pick the Cal Jr. up because I just never saw one at a decent price for a Buy It Now and I lost every auction I bid on because they all went past the price I was willing to pay.

I finally hit one about a month ago and was looking forward to filling out my 'bronze Oriole' shelf. It arrived last week in the condition you see above. The seller really could use a few lessons in packaging. Nothing but the original box banging around inside a shipping box. You can see the results. And so it goes.

I contacted the seller and he apologized and very promptly issued a refund so I guess I'm lucky in that regard. He told me I could just toss the statue rather than send it back which only made sense. No need to cost either of us more $$ or hassle.

Right now my armless Cal is sitting under my desk. I suppose I could attempt a repair using Gorilla glue or something but I'm not that ambitious at the moment. If I can locate another Cal statue for a decent price this one will hit the trash in a hurry.

Here are my previous broken bobbles. Both of these sad stories, as related previously on this blog, have happy endings. Neither involves Gorilla glue.

Not 'Selfies", these are 'Shelfies'!

I'll leave the pouty faces to teenage girls and silly baby memes and post a couple of pics of what's currently on the walls on my home office. I guess you can click the pics to view them bigger.

Up top, my replica Orioles game give-away bronze statues. From left: Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver, Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson. The Cal Ripken is on it's way via an eBay win. I had waited that one out because the prices were too high. I finally found one for a reasonable price.

The pennant is one I picked up in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame shop years ago, It's one of those nice heavy felt embroidered ones that commemorates the 1966 Series. The date is behind Frank in the picture and you can't really get a feel for the quality of the thing in a picture.

I rotate my bobbleheads as the mood strikes and here is what currently sits on the shelf. From left: 'Lil Red' the Nebraska mascot, both of my Sandy Koufax bobbles, Cal Ripken, a Gold Glove commemorative Brooks Robinson, Guy V. Lewis, Frank Robinson (as a Red), Johnny U., a very sweet ceramic S.A.M. Brooks Robinson bobble, Jim Palmer and Shasta, the Houston mascot.

I had a Jim Palmer S.A.M. ceramic at one time. They are really high quality and I bought them for my boys who are named for those two Oriole stars. Sadly my Jim knocked the ceramic Jim off my desk and into 10,000 pieces not long after I bought him. That's what I get for letting clumsy pre-teens get near my 'stuff'.

It's Sandy Koufax' Birthday!

And that's a good excuse to post some of my Koufax collection.