POPS!!

In case you didn't know my favorite player has a birthday today. Willie would be 73 today. He and the 1979 We are Family Pirates are what started my love of baseball.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS!!

Some picks after buying new kicks...

Yesterday ended up being kind of a guys day. My wife had to attend a funeral for a co-worker, and that left the boy and me to our own devices. After taking him to the golf course and taking my butt whooping from him, the kid shot 37 for nine holes while I shot a 63. We were deciding what to do for the rest of the day, knowing we should clean around the house. We decided to take a drive in mom's car and head out to find him soccer cleats for the upcoming fall season. After a trip to Dick's and finding a reasonably priced pair, it was off the the University book store. The two of us were like kids in a candy store, because the was Husky purple and gold everything. I decided to pick up a new Nike purple sweatshirt and he got himself a new UW case for his iPhone.

We both decided after watching the Blue Angels fly over for a short time, and that mom wasn't going to be home for a while still and even though the air conditioning was on at home on a 90 degree day we didn't want to just sit on the couch. Being not but a few miles from our favorite and only card store we decided to make a run up there. The guy that runs it, Don has got to be one of the nicest owners around. He seems to always have what you are looking for, and usually at a pretty reasonable price. If you look at DJ's website, I think you might be able find something you want too. After a little more than an hour of going through the 4/$1 Mariners boxes, I was making out like a bandit for the Super Set. I was able to knock 2012 off my list, and also get Donruss and Score down to not needing much to complete those makers too. One card I bought two of was this not only for the binder, but also for my PC of his:

When I was looking around for any last minute tidbits I might have missed( I didn't even look at 3/4 of the store), I saw a couple of Mother's cookies cards of Alvin's and thought I know I don't have them what the heck for a quarter. The best part was when I got home and was checking one of them out closer and low and behold look what I found!

A beautiful 1985 card from the year after winning the AL Rookie of the Year, and it is signed in ball point pen!! How awesome is that, especially for a big AD fan. Not to be outdone, my son found a card he really wanted. If you don't remember, when he plays sports he always wears #8. He has done that ever since watching the DVD's of the 1979 World Series and falling in love with Willie Stargell. It has gotten to where everyone in all his sports calls him Pops. He saw this card and fell in love with it, and how could I say no to an early 14th birthday present to the boy. He is now the proud owner of this card of the late great Willie:

All in all, I think I might have dropped $40 for over 100 cards, but it was totally worth it for the time we spent together and the fun we had. I'm proud to say I'm getting closer to wrapping up the Mariners Super Set. Do you think you could help out and get me closer to finishing this thing? I will get the want lists updated by maker today to insure I have the right needs out there. 



I missed it-- for 500

I can't believe I saw it until it was too late. I had forgotten that yesterday was the birthday of one of my favorite players. Yesterday would have been the 72nd birthday of the late great "Pops".

 It is hard to believe that Willie has been gone from us for so long. I think this a great way to celebrate post #500 in honoring a man that I missed most of his career, but he inspired me to watch and become a baseball fan. I dedicate this momentous post #500 to you "Pops", may you rest in peace, and thank you for the ball that I got to watch you play.

Willie caught a Brooklyn subway in New Mexico

Not long ago I set up a deal with Corey of Classon Ave. I sent some Tim Wallach's for his other blog. I also included some other Topps sets needs. I was supposed to send him a '83 Fleer Ryne Sandberg RC that started the deal. He didn't get it, and I can't find it. Did I missend it to somebody else??

Corey did send me some Mariners I needed during that deal that helped knock down the Mariners collection. I got home yesterday and there was a PWE in the mail. Corey decided to send a couple of Willie's for the Pops PC. It had a great hand written note saying one was well loved, and the note even used my Six Degrees idea from the 1979 Topps Blog.

Big thanks from my son Andrew who is the new Pops fan, and also from me for cards for a PC we both are proud to be building. I think the end of this post needs an old school Expos logo for Corey and his Tim Wallach love.

Want to see my Willie??

As you might know, I recently put up a wantlist for some vintage. It was a player of my youth and my son's new favorite player. Who in their right mind doesn't love "Pops?" In my mailbox yesterday was two cards from a Cubs fan of all people. I honestly think sometimes that Paul of Wrigley Wax owns just about every card ever made. You ask for it, he probably has it. Look at these two beauties:

A nice 1969 Topps featuring a a young Willie. If you look at the back, you can see it been loved but I don't care. Also in the envelope was a nice '76 of a now 1B Willie. Funny though that he grew an inch and gained almost 40 pounds. That extra weight was one of the things that made him lovable at the end of his career.

Big thanks again to Paul. I can't say I'm a Cubs fan, but I do want to make it to Wrigley someday.

We want our Willies

As a kid, the first player I fell in love with was "Pops." My first journey into the baseball world was Topps cards in 1979. The only game I ever saw was the Saturday game of the week. In the 1979 World Series, there was something about Willie's windmill of the bat, and the stars on his hat that caught my attention. Fast forward 30 years, and my son has really gotten into the '79 Pirates. He has the same fascination with Willie that I did. He had to wear #8 for baseball last year, and has already said that is his number going forward. We don't have many cards of his, but hope we can bump up the collection without having to buy too many spendy cards.



1963 Topps 553
1965 Topps 377
1966 Topps 255
1967 O-Pee-Chee 140
1967 Topps 140
1968 O-Pee-Chee 86
1968 Topps 86
1970 Kellogg's 29
1970 O-Pee-Chee 470
1970 Topps 470
1971 Kellogg's 68
1971 O-Pee-Chee 230
1971 Topps 230
1972 Kellogg's 53
1972 O-Pee-Chee 343 Boyhood
1972 O-Pee-Chee 447
1972 O-Pee-Chee 448 In Action
1972 Topps 343 Boyhood
1972 Topps 448 In Action
1973 Kellogg's 25
1973 O-Pee-Chee 370
1974 Kellogg's 37
1974 O-Pee-Chee 100
1974 Topps 100
1975 Hostess 135
1975 O-Pee-Chee 100
1975 Topps Mini 100
1975 Topps 100
1976 Hostess 49
1976 Kellogg's 22
1976 O-Pee-Chee 270
1977 Hostess 27
1977 O-Pee-Chee 25
1978 Hostess 11
1979 Hostess 104
1979 O-Pee-Chee 22
1980 Kellogg's 25
1980 O-Pee-Chee 319
1981 Fleer Star Stickers 15
1981 Kellogg's 11
1981 O-Pee-Chee 127
1982 Fleer Stamps 76
1982 O-Pee-Chee 188
1982 O-Pee-Chee 372
1983 Donruss 610
1983 Donruss 8 DK
1983 Fleer 324
1992 Kelloggs 1
1992 Pinnacle 588