News, Notes and Requests

A few people have asked me if I collect anything besides Padres autographs. I do, I didn't realize it until people asked because I don't put as much effort into those other categories. So let me tell you about what else I collect.

Players from Oregon; In the past I had a couple hundred autographed cards of players from Oregon. Both major and minor league players and even three women from the AAGBL, and a few umpires from the state. When I went back to college in 1996 (at age 39) I cut way back on my collecting for a few years. I also sold most of that collection to another local collector who collected the same thing. I have started picking up Oregonians again and have a few, plus I kept one autographed card for as many letters of the alphabet as I could. I think I have about 20 autographed Oregonian cards. I will scan them and show them off some day. I have met some of the Oregonians I have. I had breakfast with Rick Sweet years ago, I have met Dave Roberts at a card show, Jerry Zimmerman used to come in the card shop where I worked, (he stocked up on John Olerud rookies), and my wife sews for Artie Wilsons wife.

Which brings me to the next thing I collect, Artie Wilson cards. Artie played in the Negro Leagues for the Birmingham Black Barons alongside Pepper Davis and Willie and Cat Mays. My wife is a tailor and she had made some dresses for women at a church here in town and one of the ladies gave my wifes' name to Mrs. Wilson. She called and when my wife told me who she was sewing for I asked her to ask if her husband was Artie Wilson. He was. I have gone with my wife multiple times and sat and talked with Artie about baseball in the Negro Leagues and baseball now. He would get up from his chair and show me how Josh Gibson batted or how Satchel threw. He made fun of Phil Plantiers' stance and he helped my son with a report on Jackie Robinson, whom he had played against. He played 19 games with the New York Giants until they called up a kid named Willie Mays. Then he played all over the PCL and finally settled here in Portland. He just turned 88 last month and is in poor health.

I am getting ready to send out packages to Travis at Punk Rock Paint, Zach at Autographed Cards, Brad at Rickey Henderson Collectibles and Kevin at Orioles Card "O" the Day. So watch your mailboxes. Dayf I need your address because I have some stuff to send you also. That concludes this part of todays' blog

Blackball Tales, Rollicking, All New, True Adventures of the Negro Leagues by the Men who Lived and Loved Them

Blackball Tales, Rollicking, All New, True Adventures of the Negro Leagues by the Men who Lived and Loved Them by John B. Holway; 2008; Scorpio Books, Springfield, VA.; 225 pages; 978-159-526-7443; 11/2-11/4

I really wanted to read the last chapter first because it was a chapter on someone I have met. This book is a wonderful collection of oral history by the men who played in the Negro Leagues, not the Jackie Robinsons, Satchel Paiges or Monte Irvin, but the players who just wanted to play baseball and the only way they could do so was to play in the Negro Leagues. There are a few refrains repeated throughout, I wish I had been younger after Jackie broke the color line, we lived on buses, oh how I wanted to play, Willie Mays Dad was a better ballplayer, Piper Davis and Artie Wilson were the best double play combination and prejudice was actually worse in the North.

The final chapter is an interview with Artie Wilson, shortstop for the Birmingham Black Barons and the New York Giants. He bounced around quite a while in the Pacific Coast League. He was the last played to hit .400 in the Negro Leagues. He roomed with Willie Mays while they were both playing in Birmingham, he toured with Satchel Paiges All Stars and played in several All Star Games. He bought his first uniform as a kid for $2.98 with the money he made shining shoes for 2 cents a pair. He lost part of the thumb on his throwing hand in an industrial accident and squeezed a golf ball all winter to strengthen his thumb.

My wife is a custom tailor and years ago she got a call from a African American woman whose last name was Wilson and lived in town. I asked my wife to ask her if Artie was her husband, he was. After that when R went over to meet with D to talk about sewing, I would go with her and talk to Artie. It was a pleasure to hear him tell stories of Josh Gibson, Piper Davis, Cool Papa Bell, and Jackie Robinson among others.

Any well done book on baseball history is a winner in my opinion and this collection of oral history is a home run. RRRR

A double dose of Bad News for Portland, part II

Maurice Lucas was the enforcer of the World Championship Portland Trailblazers.  He was close friends with teammate Bill Walton, so close that Luke Walton is named for Maurice.  Nate McMillan said that part of the reason he took the job as Blazers head coach was the opportunity to work with Maurice.  Between 1995-1998 I worked at Portland Sportscards and Fleer sponsored an event with Maurice.  We got to have dinner with Maurice and some people from Fleer at Old Country Kitchen.  Then we got to get things signed, I got a basketball, an 8x10 and a polaroid of us together.  He was a very nice guy.  He has been battling bladder cancer for the last year and passed away on Sunday at age 58.  I did not realize until Sunday that Maurice was only 5 years older than me. 
Artie Wilson was watching baseball on TV with me, when Phil Plantier came to bat.  Artie began to laugh and said there was no way Phil was going to get a hit with a stance like that.  Plantier didn't get a hit, but as we watched the game Artie would tell me where the ball was going to be hit to and he was usually right.

 Bear with me no matter how far this seems from baseball I will bring it back around to baseball.  My wife is a tailor who specializes in quilts, wedding dresses and my Hawaiian shirts.  She can make anything, I have seen her take a picture out of a magazine, pin it on her bulletin board and a year later make it without making a pattern.  Somehow she was contacted by a group of women to make them matching dresses for their job as ushers at their church.  After that she got a call from another woman asking her if she could do some work for her, her name was Dorothy Wilson.  I knew where Artie lived, thanks to Jack Smalling, and asked Ruth Ann to ask if Artie was her husband.  He was and invited me to come over when Ruth Ann did.  I went over and talked to Artie and he started telling me stories about his first baseball uniform.  He wanted the uniform even before he was on a team, so he went out and started shining shoes until he had enough money to buy the uniform.  We talked of him playing alongside Piper Davis, Cat Mays, Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige.  He insisted that as good a ballplayer as Willie Mays was his Dad, Cat was a better ball player.  He talked with my son David about Jackie Robinson, when David was doing a report on Jackie for school.  He told him about a Negro League All Star game when in the rain, most of the players just wanted to get five innings in so they could get paid and Jackie was stealing bases in the mud.  He told me about losing part of his thumb because they worked in the steel mills in Birmingham when they weren't playing.  He squeezed a golf ball during the entire off season to strengthen his thumb so that he could make the double play throw.  He told me about touring with Satchels' All Stars.  One thing was obvious, Artie loved baseball.  He was one of the nicest guys I ever met and it was great to be able to sit and talk with him about his life, which was history to me.  I will miss being able to go over and talk with him.  Artie had been suffering from Alzheimers for the past year or so.  He also passed away on Sunday, he had just turned 90 on October 28.

A double dose of bad news in Portland

Artie Wilson and Maurice Lucas both passed away yesterday.  I have met both of them and spent a little bit of time with Artie.  Artie Wilson was 90 and Maurice Lucas was 58.  I will write more about them this evening.

This book made me do something I haven’t done in a long time

Willie’s Boys, The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro League World Series, and the Making of a Baseball Legend by John Klima; 2009; $25.95; John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, N.J.; 978-0-470-40013-5; Interlibrary Loan from Tigard Public Library; 5/19-5/25

Why did I pick this up? I am old enough to remember Willie playing.  The first card I remember pulling out of a pack of baseball cards was a 1968 Topps card of Willie Mays.  Also a member of the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons was Artie Wilson, whom I was privileged to spend some time with over the past few years.

What did I learn? The men of the 1948 Black Barons took the very young Willie Mays under their wing.  In ’48 Willie was a sophmore in High School and Piper Davis, Artie Wilson, Ed Steele, Johnny Zapp and others showed him how to play and become a man.  Willies’ father Cat insisted that Willie finish High School and get his diploma before playing professionally.  There were all  kinds of back room shenanigans going on in the race to sign Willie.  There was all of kinds of racist bullshit also going on and that prevented some exciting teamings.  Racism kept Mays from ever playing with either Ted Williams or Joe Dimaggio.

Did I like it? Yes, this is much more than a sports story.  This is the story of a team that knows most of them don’t have a future in white man’s ball and they pull together to elevate one of their own so that his future in insured.  They even sacrifice at times to make the dream come true for one of their own.   The author is able to express the feelings and the dreams of these men.   This team is much more than a team, they are family in many ways.

Grade-A+

What is with the title of the review? There is a passage on pages 282-283 that so moved me that I came home and read it to my wife, something I haven’t done in a long time.

View My Shopping Cart

Blog Bat Around has come along and it has been awhile since I took part, but this topic intrigued me.  What if I had $50,000 to spend on eBay.  Since I collect the Padres there is not a lot of vintage out there for them.  When I think of vintage I think of stuff that is from the same era that I am.  Since I was born in 1957 that means vintage is really old stuff.  The first item to go in my shopping cart is a 1950 Cuban card of Artie Wilson, one of the greats of the Negro Leagues.  Artie and his double play partner Piper Davis were often called the best double play combination in the Negro Leagues.  Artie played in 19 games for the New York Giants in 1951 before the Giants called up a kid named Mays, because of the quota of African American ballplayers, Artie was sent back to the minors and never made it back to the majors.  He played in the PCL and settled in Portland.  My wife sews for Arties' wife so I have gotten to spend some time with Artie and talk baseball with him.  Next up is a signed Willie McCovey bat for $2,495.  Willie was one of my favorite players before the Padres came along and then I got to see him play for the Padres in my first ever Padres game.   While I was in Navy boot camp we got to go to a Padres game and see Big Mac and Dave Roberts play.  For $200 I found a 2010 Padres jersey autographed by the whole team.  Since I was born in 1957 I thought I would pick up some 1957 sets, I found a 57 baseball set for $9,600, a basketball set for $1,000 and a football set for $500.  The basketball set is extra cool because it has a player in it named Kenny Sears who my Dad played high school ball with.   I found a couple of other cool '57 items a unopened cello pack for $10,000 and a uncut sheet with Mickey Mantle on it for $2,250.  Then I found three signed items I would like to have, for $200 I could get a bat signed by the immortal Bip Roberts, for $13,000 a document signed by Dwight David Eisenhower who was president of the U.S. when I was born.  To me the two most beautiful women are Liz Taylor and Ann Margret, for $1,750 and $130 I can get signed photos of both of them.  That all comes to just over $43,000, I would use the rest to buy tickets to a Padres game, some Bip Roberts singles and as many 1957 Topps Hit Stars as I could to go with the Gene Kelly and Liz Taylor cards I already have. 

Hey Welcome Back

            Hey I know you were all awaiting breathlessly for me to post something.  Well here you go.  I just read a history of the Pacific Coast League Padres and reviewed it.  Today I did yard work, took my son to work and picked up dinner for my wife (where I had to wait for 1/2 hour for her break).  Read a little bit in Willie's Boys, the story of the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons and the last Negro League World Series.  It is a fun read because I have always been a fan of Willie Mays and one of the players on that team was Artie Wilson.  I got to spend some time talking with Artie before he passed away last Halloween.  My wife sewed for Arties' wife and when Ruth had something to pick up or drop off I would often go over and talk with Artie.  It was great to hear stories of Josh Gibson, Jackie Robinson, Cool Papa Bell and be introduced to Piper Davis. 
             A couple of years the Multnomah County Library, whom I work for applied for the right to host an exhibit from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, titled Pride and Passion, the African-American Baseball Experience.  When they began to write the application Amy, who was writing the application was told to talk with me about it.  I gave her some input and she sent in the application, and the library was granted the right to host the exhibit.  We will be hosting the exhibit November 30, 2011 to January 27, 2012.  Cindy who got the assignment when Amy left is working to fill 12 display cases with cards, posters, scorecards and all kinds of other things to fill the gallery space.  I am loaning some of my Negro League stuff, which centers around Artie for the exhibit.  I know some of you collect Negro League stuff, if you would be interested in loaning some stuff for the exhibit please let me know.  It would be mailed insured and insured while on display and returned to you upon the end of the exhibit.  There will be security on the exhibit at all times, the gallery is in the Central Library in downtown Portland.  If you want more information contact me at Padrographs at live.com or call me at five oh three eight nine one one six six one. 
             I am going to try and post more regularly, but unless the Padres improve some I may still be to depressed to post at all.  I have to clean up my mancave also so that I can find some stuff, as I clean I may be sending some stuff out.  I just found a Penguin that will be going to New York.
              Even though I haven't been posting I have been reading all of your blogs and keeping up with things.

Trade Bait; 2011 Topps, Opening Day and Heritage

I have opened a bunch of Topps, Opening Day and Heritage from the LCS and the local Target.  Here are the inserts and such.  I am interested in trading for Padres variations and inserts.  I am especially interested in any Heath Bell variations and such.  If you see something you are interested in let me know.













The Jackie Robinson is a parallel to the Babe Ruth series.

Bucholz and Weeks are from the three packs at Target.

That's all for tonight.  Time to go to bed.  I will try and get the other 10 images tomorrow.  Good night and remember the Padres are undefeated.  Good Night, Artie Wilson.

How I Spent My Sunday Afternoon

On Sunday afternoon while most people were watching football or napping, or bemoaning Ryan Braun,  I got to do something completely different.  The Multnomah County Library is hosting an exhibit called Pride and Passion about Negro League Baseball.  Part of the exhibit was a panel about different perspectives on baseball.  We had hoped to have Artie Wilson be part of the panel, but he passed away before the exhibit got to Portland.  I helped put the panel together and today I got to meet all of these people and introduce them to the people attending.  It was so much fun, and I got to show them around the exhibit at the library also.  We took a picture during the discussion and had them all sign a couple of copies.  From left to right, Lois Youngen, she played for the Fort Wayne Daisys and a couple of other teams in the All American Girls Baseball League.  She got a degree in PE  and went on and taught for 36 years at the University of Oregon and drove up to Portland to see a former student (who taught at my high school) and take part in the panel. She talked about how she learned to play baseball, her Dad was a pitcher and she caught him and when she played with the neighborhood boys, they gave her the choice of playing right field or catcher.  She chose catcher so she could really be in the game. She is now President of the All American Girls Baseball Players Association.   Next to her is Jack Cain, the only person in the room to have a bobble head made of them. Jack has always been a big fan of baseball, I consider him a Northwest baseball icon.  He bought a minor league team in Bend, Oregon that became the Bend Rockies in 1991.  The first Rockies game ever played was in Bend two years before the Colorado Rockies began play, 10 players from that team have now played in the majors.  The team moved to Portland in 1995 when the Beavers moved to Salt Lake City, in 2001 a new franchise moved in called the Beavers and Jack was a senior adviser to the team until the politicians in Portland couldn't figure out how to keep the team here after the 2010 season.   He had some great stories about some of the players he had encountered.  In the center is Drew Mahalic, who moderated the panel.  Drew played in the NFL for 5 years with the Chargers and Eagles, and now is the CEO of the Oregon Sports Authority, which has helped bring several major sports events to Oregon, including part of the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament to Portland.  His son Joey was drafted by the Indians and played in 2011 at Kinston and Lake County.  Second from the right is Kerry Eggers, sportswriter from the Portland Tribune, he had some good insights on why football has surpassed baseball in popularity.  Last is Darcy Fast, who pitched for the Cubs in 1968, should have pitched for them in 1969, but the Army wouldn't let him report to camp, because they might have shipped him to Vietnam.  After that he heard a higher calling and became a pastor in Centralia, WA for 30 years.  He recently retired and is now President of the Phoenix, AZ chapter of the Major League Alumni Association.  He has homes in Centralia and Phoenix.  He had some great stories about the '68 Cubs and getting to play with 4 Hall of Famers, Ferguson Jenkins, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ernie Banks.  He told a story about Ernie Banks giving him the keys to his car to use in Chicago, when Darcy went out to the car, all the people couldn't figure out who the young white guy was getting into Mr. Cubs car.  Darcy said Ernie did this to many rookies so that he could get away with out being mobbed by the fans.  Like Jack Cain said when I thanked him for coming, he said anytime someone asked him to come talk about baseball for a couple of hours he would be there.   I would have to agree with him and I had a great time listening to all of them and getting to meet them and interact with them.

Phil and Johnny

Phillip Alan Plantier is baseballs' Lon Chaney.  If Chaney was The Man of a Thousand Faces, Plantier is The Man of a Thousand Stances.  Take a look at some of the stances he used and you just may bust a gut laughing.  I remember watching a game with the late Artie Wilson, when he was laughing and getting up out of his chair to try and imitate Plantiers stance.  Phil was drafted by the Red Sox and had a good rookie season, but when he couldn't duplicate that success he was traded to the Padres, he played from '92-'95 in San Diego.  In 1995 he was part of the 11 player trade that brought Cammy to San Diego and sent him to Houston.  He returned to San Diego in 1997, before moving on to St. Louis.  He is currently coaching in the Mariners organization.  I don't remember how I obtained this card.   John Joseph Podres was signed as a Free Agent by the first year San Diego Padres on March 21, 1969.  I can hear the public address announcer, now pitching for the Padres, Johnny Podres.  I think his name may have had something to do with the signing.  Johnny had been out of baseball for a year after two years with the Tigers.  He is best known and always will be known as a Dodger, one of the Boys of Summer.  He played for the Dodgers from 1953-1966 winning the World Series MVP award in 1955, the first WSMVP award ever given.  Johnny was 5-6 in 17 in San Diego in 1969.  Johnny was the pitching coach for a bunch of teams from 1973-1996 including the Padres, Twins, BoSox and Phillies.  I believe that got this card on eBay.