Fifty-four years later, it remains one of baseball’s saddest stories. A talented athlete who had fought had to get to the big leagues, taken by cancer at age 33. Jim Umbricht was more than just a skilled reliever, though. He was among the most popular members of the young Houston franchise of the 1960s, a man his teammates would never forget. Now, what … [Read more...]
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Yes, You Can (Kind of) Own a 2017 Astros World Series Ring
Even if you played no role whatsoever in helping the Houston Astros win it all, you can still own a 2017 Astros World Series ring. Well, sort of. Jostens, the ring manufacturer, teamed with the Astros to create a slightly less blingy model that fans and collectors can own. Only 112 rings were created, one of which will be raffled off to benefit the Astros … [Read more...]
Springer Heads List of Top-Selling Player Autographs
Current and former champs, Rookies of the Year and a retired great. Here’s a look which athlete autographs were the most popular in November, courtesy of Fanatics and its partner website, SportsMemorabilia.com. Click the player's name to see his autographed memorabilia. George Springer – With Houston's World Series win, there was a huge jump in Astros sales … [Read more...]
George Springer Baseball Cards Date to Team USA Appearances
He's part of a seemingly endless line of outstanding young players to come through the Houston Astros system over the last few years. Seeing him enthusiastically embrace his time on the biggest stage of all has collectors taking a long look at George Springer rookie cards. Springer was first drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2008, but he declined to sign a … [Read more...]
2017 World Series Memorabilia Includes Programs, Baseballs, Cards
The credit cards aren’t being processed quite like they were a year ago when the Cubs made their first World Series appearance since 1945, but 2017 World Series memorabilia has been in demand by fans of a team that hasn’t been there since 1988 and those who follow a team that endured some 100-loss campaigns in recent years. When the Astros rebuilding project was … [Read more...]
Astros Success a Boost for Houston Shop
If you were a Houston Astros fan at the beginning of the decade, you knew you were going to need some patience. The once-proud franchise suffered through six straight losing seasons, capped by an “unforgettable” 51-111 campaign in 2013. It was a rebuilding effort that never seemed to end, but the improvement was evident by 2015 and this year, the Astros won 101 … [Read more...]
Astros Authentics Manager Living a Dream
For a few years, there were “plenty of good seats available”, but now that the Houston Astros have become a force in the American League, their game-worn and game-used memorabilia is popular enough to keep Mike Acosta busy. Acosta is working his dream job as the Authentication Manager for Astros Authentics, the club’s shop inside Minute Maid Park. He's been an Astros fan … [Read more...]
Eddie Mathews Baseball Cards Cross Two Eras
It had been ten years since the glory days of the Milwaukee Braves but Eddie Mathews, whose career began in the early 1950s when most teams still traveled by train, was still swinging on the night of July 14, 1967. In the Houston Astros lineup after a trade from the only franchise he’d ever known, Mathews climbed to a summit only six other players in history had reached at … [Read more...]
Time for Teams to Stop Pretending Home Run Balls Have Little Value
Editor's Blog At the end of August, Chipper Jones hit his 450th home run. 450 isn't 500. Beyond Atlanta, there wasn't much of a countdown. Heck, even a lot of Braves fans didn't realize he was one home run away when he came to bat against the Houston Astros August 31. Ashantenay Cotton and members of her church group who were sitting in the bleachers that night apparently … [Read more...]
