Back at the end of July I made a 100+ card purchase from COMC, and I’m slowly working my way through the stuff I got. Today I’ll share five vintage cards that share the unifying element of being vintage… and being cards. Say, has anybody seen my brain, I could’ve sworn I left it around here somewhere…
I’ve recently had a bit of a fixation on cards picturing players who would later be the MLB managers of my youth. Del Crandall was the manager of the Brewers when I started collecting, but it wasn’t until fairly recently that I found out that he was an eight-time All-Star and a four-time Gold Glove winner.
Similarly, Bill Virdon was the manager of the Yankees back when I started following baseball. While I’ve always been a Mets fan, I started out also liking the Yankees… until I came to discover that George Steinbrenner’s style did not match my own. Bill Virdon was fired with a winning record in the middle of the 1975 season… apparently he was fired because Billy Martin became available after the Rangers had sacked his ornery ass. Can you tell I don’t think much of Billy Martin?
Bill Virdon the player does not have the same credentials as Del Crandall, but he was the 1955 Rookie Of The Year and was considerate an intelligent player and an excellent fielder. He was also the winner of the first annual MLB “Father Mulcahy” impersonation contest… Jocularity! Jocularity!
Naturally, me being a Mets collector, I got some Mets. Joe Christopher was an original 1962 Met, and is one of only a handful of players to have come out of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For some reason, I’ve latched on to Ron Hunt and collect him with both the Mets…
…as well as with other, less lovable teams.
You know, I often have a problem with ending posts, so I’m thinking that maybe I should take a page from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, shun the conventions of the medium and just abruptly –
The Shlabotnik Report 
The color scheme on the 1965 Mets cards are a bit odd but I find that I really like them.
It’s kind of interesting that the Mets colors would seem to be easy to work with, but they get green, they get purple, they get pink, they get purple and purple again…
But yeah, I like the 1965 scheme. And the purple.
Hate Billy Martin? You might enjoy this: http://cococrispafro.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/kingman-kicks-billy-martins-ass/
Thanks, I did enjoy that. I never cared much for Billy Mar when he was managing, but the more I learn about him, the less there is to like.
Every time i see a Joe Christopher card I think of Mets’ play by play guy Bob Murphy and the fun way he always said ‘Jooooe CHRIStopher’.
Ron Hunt plays a role in the best baseball book I’ve ever read, Pat Jordan’s A False Spring. He was Jordan’s roommate in the low minors in the Braves’ organization and it seems he was a pretty quirky guy. Pat Jordan turned into a grumpy old jerk over the years but that book, beyond great.
Maybe Run Hunt was quirky from getting hit with all those pitches… I’ve heard of the book before, but I didn’t know much about it; I’ll definitely check it out. Maybe over the winter when I’m particularly missing baseball…