1968 Hall of Fame

Kiki Cuyler and Goose Goslin were elected by the Veterans Committe for induction in 1968 and Joe Medwick was elected by the Writers.
In 1968 Dad got transferred again this time to be the Executive Officer of the USS Excel in Long Beach.  This time we drove and camped along the southern route, with four kids between 11 and 4.

1967 Hall of Fame

Branch Rickey and Lloyd Waner were elected by the Veterans Committee and Red Ruffing was elected in a special runoff election by the Baseball Writers.

1966 Hall of Fame

One inductee was selected by the Baseball Writers and one by the Veterans Committee.  Casey Stengel managed all over the place but primarily the Yankees and Mets. Ted Williams was the first player to go into the Hall of Fame with ties to the Padres.  He played for the Padres in 1936 when he was scouted by the Red Sox.  He is one Padre that I always wished I could have gotten a signature of.  In 1966 my Dad got transferred from the Charles H. Roan in Newport to the Charles Dahlgren in Norfolk and so we moved again.

1965 Hall of Fame

In 1965 only one player was inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Pitcher Pud Galvin was selected by the Veterans' Committee.

1964 Hall of Fame Class

From here on out I will be presenting the Hall of Fame Classes with out too much editorial comment.  In 1964 Luke Appling was the only player elected by the BBWA, and that was in a special election.  There were six other players elected that year, during 1964 my younger brother was born in Ferndale, CA and then we moved to Newport, RI.  My parents drove from CA to RI camping along the way, with 4 children age 7 to newborn.
If you see a card you want or need, I will trade you for another card of the person.

1963 Hall of Fame

In 1963 we were still living in Ferndale, CA, camping and picnicking among the giant sequoias along the Eel River.  Four men were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
     John Clarkson had a career record as a pitcher of 327-177, and one season won 53 games and pitched over 600 innings in two different seasons.  Between 1882 and 1894 he played for the Worcester Ruby Legs, the Chicago White Stockings, the Boston Beaneaters and the Cleveland  Spiders.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963, 54 years after his death.  He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1905 or 1906 and spent the rest of his life in and out of mental hospitals.  He came down with pneumonia in 1909 and passed away at the age of 47.
        Elmer Flick played for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Philadelphia A's and the Cleveland Naps between 1898 and 1910.  In 1907 his value to the Naps was so high that they turned down a trade that would have brought the 21 year old Ty Cobb to Cleveland. His career batting average was .313.  He was voted into the Hall by the Veterans Committee. He passed away in 1971 in his lifelong hometown of Bedford, OH at the age of 94.
       Edgar Rice changed his name to Sam Rice when he became a player, and moved from being a pitcher to an outfielder for most of his career.  He overcame a great deal of grief just to become a player, in 1912 he traveled to a baseball tryout.  While he was away from home, a tornado hit his home and killed his wife, his wife, two children, his younger sisters, his parents and a farmhand.  Shortly afterwards he joined the Navy. In 1914 he tried out for a baseball team in Petersburg, VA and was signed up as a pitcher.  The team owner, Doc Lee, owed Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith $300 and offered him Rices' contract to pay off the debt.  Griffith took the contract and Rice played 19 years for the Senators and played one season for the Indians before retiring at the age of 44 in 1934.  His most famous or infamous moment came during the 1925 World Series, when he made a catch in the outfield and fell over the fence, when he came back up he had the ball in his glove.  There arose a controversy about whether Rice had possession of the ball the entire time.  He wouldn't answer any questions about the catch, but he was asked about the catch so much that he left an envelope with a note in it to be opened upon his death.  The envelope contained his account of the catch and ended  with the line, "at no time did I lose possession of the ball."  He remarried years later and he and his family were being interviewed for a program to honor him and he told the story about the tornado and his family learned of his previous family.  He was voted into the Hall in 1963 by the Veterans Committee after being on the ballot thirteen times, his highest percentage was 53% in 1960.  He passed away in 1974 at the age of 84.
      Eppa Rixley was the first player to die between their election and induction, he died just a month after his election.  He played from 1912-1933 for the Phillies and the Reds, ending with a career record of 266-251.  He leads the Reds in innings pitched with 2,890 2/3 innings, and was well known for destroying the locker room or disappearing for days when he would lose.  He missed the 1918 season to serve in the Armys' Chemical Warfare Division.  After he retired he sold insurance in his Father in Laws insurance agency, during his career he would teach Latin at a high school in Alexandria, Virginia.  He was elected by the Veterans Committee after being on the ballot 16 times between 1936 and 1962, in 1960 he attained his highest percentage with 50%.  In 1921 he surrendered just one home run in 301 innings pitched.  
       

1962 Hall of Fame

     In 1962 we had moved from Honolulu, HI to Ferndale, CA.  Dad was now stationed at NavFac Centerville Beach, I remember going past a horse, peacocks and a statue of the Virgin Mary in a hillside on the way to the base from home.  Ferndale is where I went to the first of the 10 schools I would attend in the next 12 years in 4 states on 2 coasts.
When I started this project years ago this was the first year that I had heard of any of the inductees, and I had met one of them, several times.
       Bob Feller was inducted into the HOF in his first year of eligibility in 1962, he played for the Indians from 1936-1956 with 4 years of service in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Alabama.  He is the only Chief Petty Officer enshrined in the HOF, his bunk is highlighted on the Alabama at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, AL.  He played for the Indians from 1936-1956 and then retired to Van Meter, IA.  He then crisscrossed the country signing autographs all over the country.   I believe I got his signature at least three different minor league ballparks, one dinner and a couple of shows.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, in his first year of eligibility with 93.8% of the vote.
He was diagnosed with leukemia in August of 2010 and he passed away in December of that year.
     Bill McKechnie played from 1907-1920, and his managerial career overlapped from 1915-1946.  He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1962 by the Veterans Committee as a manager.  He managed the Pirates to a World Series victory in  1925 and the Reds in 1940.  McKechnie Field at the Pirates spring training facility in Bradenton, FL is named for him.  He died in 1965 at the age of 79.
       Jackie Robinson was also inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, he was elected with 77.5% of the vote.  There isn't much to say about Jackie Robinson that hasn't already been said.  He passed away in 1972 at the age of 53.  His number, 42, has been retired by all the major league baseball franchises and on Jackie Robinson day each April all major league players, coaches and managers wear 42 in honor of Jackie.
       Edd Roush played for the Indiana Hoosiers, the Reds, the Newark Peppers, the White Sox, and the Giants from 1913-1931.  He had been on the writers ballot almost every year from 1936-1960, he was elected by the Veterans Committee.  He played for the Reds in the 1919 World Series and insisted that even if the Black Sox had played on the level the Reds still would have won.   He died in 1988 at the age of 94.

1961 Hall of Fame

In 1960 no one was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, my family was still living in Hawaii and we had welcomed my second sister to the family.  Since the last time anyone was inducted into the HOF Hawaii had become a state.  I have one sister who was born in the territory of Hawaii and one who was born in the state of Hawaii.  My Dad was stationed on board the U.S.S. Kawishiwi in Honolulu for another year.  

In 1961 Max Carey was inducted into the HOF after being on the ballot since 1937, he started by getting 3% of the vote in 1937 and 51% in 1958.  He led the league in steals 10 times and is 9th all time in Major League steals at 738. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Brooklyn Robins from 1910-1929.  He managed the Dodgers in 1932 and 1933, he also managed the Milwaukee Chicks and Fort Wayne Daisies of the All American Girls Baseball League.  He lived until 1978 and passed away at the age of 86.

Billy Hamilton was inducted posthumously and was represented at the ceremony by his three daughters.  He was known as "Sliding Billy"  because of all the base stealing he did, he is third all time in steals behind Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock.  He is fourth all time in on base percentage behind  Ted Williams, Babe Ruth and John McGraw.  From 1888-1901 he played for the Kansas City Cowboys, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Beaneaters.  He holds the record for most runs scored in a season with 198 in 1894 for the Phillies, the played to come closest to him was Babe Ruth in 1921 with 177.   Billy only appeared on the HOF ballot in 1936, 1942 and 1961 when he was elected by the  Veterans' Committee.  He lived until December 16, 1940 and passed away at age 74.  

1959 Hall of Fame

In 1958 my Dad got transferred to Honolulu, Hawaii and my pregnant Mom and I took a ship from Long Beach, CA to Honolulu.  My first sister was born in October of 1958 and in 1958 no one was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 1959 we stayed in Hawaii and only one player was inducted into the Hall of  Fame.
Zach Wheat was inducted by the Veterans Committee in 1959.  He was on and off of the HOF ballot between the inagural year of 1936-1945-1956, with his highest percentage of the vote coming in 1947 when he garnered 23% of the vote.  He played for the Brooklyn Robins/Superbas and Dodgers for 18 years between 1909-1926, and played one final season for the Philadelphia Athletics.  He still holds Dodger franchise records for hits, doubles, triples and total bases.  He was originally voted into the HOF in 1957 but had not been retired the required 30 years, so he voted in by the veterans committee in 1959.  

1957 HOF Induction

1957 is where I start in my Hall of Fame collection.  Why?  1957 was the year Elvis debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show.  1957 was the year Sputnik was launched into orbit by the USSR.  On September 13, 1957 in Long Beach, California I was born.  Therefore many of my collecting goals and other time related things hinge on the year 1957.  Years ago when I decided to start collecting Hall of Famers, I decided to collect those men and woman (more on that later)  who were inducted since 1957.  I decided to make year markers and this is one of the very first which was made sometime in the early 90's.
On July 22, 1957 outfielder Sam Crawford  and Manager Joe McCarthy were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Both of them were selected by the Veterans Committee.
Sam Crawford played for the Reds and Tigers during a 19 year major league career, playing from 1899-1917.  He holds the single season record for most inside the park home runs with 12 in 1901.  He hit .309 with 97 home runs for his career.  He retired in 1917 and first appeared on the HOF ballot in 1936, the first year for the HOF.  He never got more than 4.2% on his first 6 years on the ballot and then gained entrance into the Hall through the veterans committee in 1957.  He is featured here on a Baseball Wit card, a trivia game that had something to do with Little League.
Joe McCarthy was elected as a Manager by the Veterans Committee in 1957.  He managed the Cubs, Red Sox and Yankees from 1936 to 1950, winning 9 pennants and 7 World Series.  His Cubs won the National League pennant in 1929, and his Yankees won 7 World Series between 1932 and 1943.  The only year that the Yankees didn't win a World Series they were in was 1942 when they lost to the Cardinals in 5 games. He is featured on some TCMA card, that I can't remember what set it is.
Sam Crawford lived for another 11 years after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, passing away in 1968.  Joe McCarthy lived for 21 years after his induction, passing away in 1978.

This is the first in series of profiles of players who have been inducted into the National Hall of Fame since I was born in 1957.

Panini Cooperstown Hall of Fame

I was at the LCS the other day and picked up a pack of the New Panini Cooperstown cards.  For a unlicensed product it is actually pretty nice.  On the front is a picture of the player with the year inducted and the HOF logo.  On the back is another picture of the player and in a banner with their name is the years they played.  Also featured is the bio and stats.  I also pulled one of the plaque inserts which are numbered to 599, interestingly enough there are only 100 players in the set.  I really like this set and I was going to collect it but I have my own Hall of Fame set, I have collected everyone who has been inducted since 1957, using various card sets and have made some of my own.     If any one wants the Judy Johnson card let me know.                

The Baseball Fan's Bucket List #1

When the library I work for hosted an exhibit on Negro League Baseball I got to help out and for a thank you I was given this book.  I am going to go through it and either share if I have done the item on the list or am planning on doing it.

#1 Take a baseball road trip.

When I turned 50 six years ago my sweet, sweet wife threw me a big surprise party.  I thanked her and she whispered in my ear, " I am never doing this again, when you turn sixty we can go on a baseball road trip."
So for the last six years I have been planning on all the places I want to go in 2017.  I want to visit all the Padres minor league teams, and see some games at PETCO field.  I want to also see some iconic baseball places, Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, Fenway Park, and Wrigley Field. I want to visit with some bloggers, Dave, Zach, Jim and Greg in particular. Plus it will give me an opportunity to visit some of the places I used to live.  I would also to go Omaha to see where the Oregon State Beavers won two consecutive College World Series.

If you were planning a baseball road trip where would you have to go.

The pigeon has flown the coop

All of those who took part in my Heritage High Number set break should get your cards soon.  I sent the last one out yesterday and it has to go to Canada, so I had to talk to a real mail (although she was female) person to mail.  All of the others went out on Sunday evening.  Cards on Cards may already have his as they just had to go across town.  Sent one package to Alaska.  Hope you enjoy your packages.

I haven't got back on a regular basis, now it is a computer problem.  My laptops' cursor only goes up and down and won't move horizontally.  I will take it in this weekend, luckily I bought the s*@t happens warranty for it.

As soon as I get the computer fixed I will be offering some team packages.  I sort my packs into 50 count boxes by team and when they get full I offer them up.  I will be doing that soon.  I may pick up a mouse this evening so I can use it, instead of the touchpad on the laptop.

Team Collectors, Still Many teams left

I bought a set of the 2012 Topps Heritage High Numbers minus the autograph and am selling off the teams at 75 cents a card.  There are still many teams left.  Go to the original post here and sign up in the comments.  I got an email today from the seller that Topps has said they will ship the 9th.  So I should have them next week sometime.  I will ship them in top loaders in a bubble envelope.  It will be $1.50 for shipping and handling.  You can pay via paypal as a gift to captainamerica1957XXmsn.com.  To paraphase Tommy from the rock opera of the same name, you know where to put the @.

2012 Heritage High Numbers Teams

So I bought one of these off of E bay without the autograph, the only bummer about that would be if the auto was of Ednison Volquez.  But I digress, the purpose of buying the set was to get the Padres, Mariners and Pirates out of the set for myself and a couple of friends. Therefore I am left with a bunch of cards that I have no use for.  What I would like to do is a group break where the cards are 75 cents each and a couple of dollars for shipping and handling.  If you are interested in picking up a team please let me know.  Also if you know of a checklist that includes the team let me know.  Otherwise I will just let you know how many cards in your team when I get the set.  Let me know in the comments which team you would like.
UPDATED: I have added the number of cards for each team as far as I can tell.

• Arizona Diamondbacks(3)
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• Baltimore Orioles(5)-O No, Not Another Orioles Blog
• Boston Red Sox(9)-Thoughts and Sox
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• Cinncinnati Reds(4)-The Writers Journey
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• Pittsburgh Pirates(4)-Padrographs
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• Washington Nationals(4)-O No, Not Another Orioles Blog