In July, the board of directors for the Baseball Hall of Fame revealed that pre-1950 candidates will be considered just once every 10 years. Their reasoning might be defensible. These years have been well picked over. Few people alive today ever watched the remaining candidates play. That said, there are still some players worthy at least of respect, if not enshrinement. … [Read more...]
Rookie Cards for 10 Sabermetric Favorite Hall of Fame Candidates
When the Baseball Writers Association of America voted Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame in 2011, it arguably marked the first selection of a candidate primarily on the basis of sabermetrics. While Blyleven's enshrinmement didn't exactly open the floodgates, there are similar candidates whose day for Cooperstown might be coming as newer age analysis becomes more … [Read more...]
19th Century Star Barnes Popular with Collectors
It's Hall of Fame voting season in the baseball world. A good rule of thumb in collecting is that anytime a player is enshrined, the price of their memorabilia will go up. There are exceptions to this of course. One exception is a player almost entirely forgotten by modern fans, one who didn't even make the Pre Integration Era ballot this year, but one who was celebrated as … [Read more...]
5 Great Bobby Doerr Baseball Cards
In some respects, Bobby Doerr has been a great beneficiary of circumstance. The 97-year-old and oldest living Hall of Famer was something of a product of Fenway Park, where his career OPS was over 200 points higher than it was on the road. Doerr's also forever tied to his Red Sox teammate and lifelong friend Ted Williams, with David Halberstam featuring them in two books. … [Read more...]
They Played There? Cards for 10 Short Term Rental Players
The July 31 trade deadline has come and gone, leaving the question of which players dealt will prove to be just short-term rentals. There's a player or two traded like this every season, a star due for free agency who goes to his new team for a few months and then heads on to more lucrative environs in the off-season. Sometimes, cards depicting these players on their interim … [Read more...]
Baseball Cards of the 10 Forgotten 1945 All-Stars
Much has been made recently of several Kansas City Royals players questionably leading All Star voting at their positions. As many as seven Royals could start in the July 14 game with talk of revising fan voting. All the same, this wouldn't mark the first time deserving players have missed their All Star chance. Seventy years ago, in the waning days of World War II, baseball … [Read more...]
Baseball Cards of Players Who Overcame Obstacles, Afflictions to Shine
In general, professional athletes rank among the most physically gifted people in the world. That doesn't mean, though, that ballplayers have not had to overcome significant odds on their way to the majors. Missing body parts, abnormal senses and other health issues are just part of the story for a long roster of guys who would stand out in any collection. Below are … [Read more...]
19th Century Baseball Cards: 10 Great Players to Consider
Baseball cards didn't really gain mass popularity until the 1950s, but that doesn't mean cards weren't produced for any number of other greats. Just a few years ago, one of the world's oldest cards, thought to be a team shot of the 1865 Brooklyn Atlantics sold at auction for $92,000. There are many collectors who specialize in cards that date back a century or more and many of … [Read more...]
Cup of Coffee Club: Baseball Cards of Big League Short Timers
The following baseball players will never be featured on any commemorative cards. Really, it's a wonder they're even on the cards that they're on. Three of the five players here were featured after they played their final game in the majors. Like hundreds of others among the more than 18,000 players in baseball history, the guys we speak of here lasted just one season in the … [Read more...]
15 Baseball Cards of Players Who Met Tragic Endings
With more than 18,000 players in its history, baseball has seen its fair share of tragedies. From Addie Joss and Ray Chapman to Harry Agganis and Darryl Kile, the list is, unfortunately, a pretty long one. Oscar Taveras may be most fresh in our minds but sad endings have been part of the game since the 19th century. Here are 15 cards, offered in chronological order, of … [Read more...]