When Rick Wrabel was 12 years old and living in Norwalk, CT nearly 50 years ago, he and his parents had lunch at a local International House of Pancakes (yes, long before it simply became IHOP). The restaurant’s paper placemats had pictures of the 1969-70 New York Knicks. Little did he know at the time that the free souvenir would see the world and take him on a … [Read more...] about Done! 1969 IHOP Visit Turned Into Two Decade Quest for Champion Knicks Signatures on IHOP Placemat
1969
1969 Topps Lou Brock: The Card That Started it for Me
1969 was a lot of things to a lot of different people. The moon landing. The ongoing war in Vietnam. Woodstock. Joe Namath and the Jets. For me, it was the year I discovered baseball cards and one in particular that brought them to life. When I opened one pack, staring at me was a guy named Lou Brock. At age seven, I really didn't know much about him, even though … [Read more...] about 1969 Topps Lou Brock: The Card That Started it for Me
Ramblings: Mantle’s Youth Lives on Through Cardboard
Sometimes we cannot comprehend that 20 years have passed since an event which seemed like only yesterday. I still remember sitting on my apartment couch early on a Sunday morning and seeing the crawl on the bottom of the ESPN screen that Mickey Mantle had died. While we knew he was very sick, we were all hoping he would somehow survive the health battles he was having and stay … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Mantle’s Youth Lives on Through Cardboard
Ramblings: Boccabella, Coco, Rusty and The Rons: Remembering The 1969 Expos
As anyone who has ever met me can verify, my mind can go in some strange thought patterns. I'm probably the only person who after reading about the passing of Jim Brosnan, not only then thought about Jim Bouton and the 1969 Seattle Pilots but then really wandered to the 1969 Montreal Expos. Launching 45 years ago this season, the Expos were the first major league team to play … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Boccabella, Coco, Rusty and The Rons: Remembering The 1969 Expos
Beyond the “Normal” Cardboard: 1969 CITGO Coins
Baseball and business have gone hand-in-hand in the United States for a very long time. Recently baseball's official historian, John Thorn, wrote a great piece on the beginnings of this relationship ("The Dawn of Athlete Endorsements"). Indeed, for many years in America if a business wanted to attract extra notice at the cash register it found a way to attach its presence to … [Read more...] about Beyond the “Normal” Cardboard: 1969 CITGO Coins