It's good to be in 1st

Tonight we get to enjoy a game that can only be made in a Blue Heaven. The Dodgers are in 1st place. The Giants are in last place. Our ace, Brad Penny, is 13-5 for the year with a 3.48 ERA. Their ace, Jason Schmidt is 9-7 with a 3.00 ERA. Schmidt has been slightly better according to some numbers, but that doesn't mean a thing because nothing can stop the Blue now. We are like a steaming freight train full of fuel and ready to run forever. The tracks are aligned, our convoy is prepared and we are unstoppable. I am full of bravado as the match between bitter rivals takes place this weekend. I look forward to single after single, double after double and triple after triple. Heck, we might even see a few homeruns from the men in Blue. Everything is right in the world.

eBay Find: Billy Sunday Real Photo Postcard

This is one of the most unusual eBay items available right now. It is a Real Photo Postcard, circa 1920's- 1930's, of former 19th Century ballplayer and famed preacher Billy Sunday. What is unusual about this auction is that it's an actual postcard of Billy Sunday in a Baseball uniform. Other than the handful of vintage items available, like the one Old Judge card below, cards or photos of him in a uniform are difficult to find. This postcard is a rarity.

As some of you may know he played ball during Baseball's infancy. Billy was originally signed by Hall of Famer Cap Anson and was known as Baseballs fastest runner. In his first game he struck out four times- a record in Baseball at that point.

"It is said that the expression, "You can't steal first," originally referred to Sunday. "

In 1891, Billy Sunday, after becoming an devote Christian, left Baseball to become a street minister. The rest is history.

Controversial Wagner to be on HBO Tonight

As you may already know, the controversial Wagner I wrote about the other day will be a topic of discussion tonight on HBO's "Real Sports" with Bryant Gumbel. The T206 Wagner did not sell at the recent auction, as most vintage collectors expected. The auctioneer has indicated that

"he'll now commit to more scientific examination of the card including an ink test, in an effort to validate the claim of authenticity. He says once more document experts verify the card's age, he'll then submit the card to a professional card grading service and ask them to authenticate it."

It's about time!

Hat Tip: Sports Collectors Daily

Update: Vintage Baseball Card Forum has a great rundown of the episode; including a short transcript.

Summer Leland's Auction

At the recent National Convention several auction houses displayed items from their upcoming on-line auctions. Leland's was on hand to display some rare wire photos. Below are some great pics from their Summer Auction closing later this month.

Update: I wanted to add more notes about the provenance of the photos. The first 3 photos come directly from archives of the San Francisco Examiner. Lelands was able to pick out thousands of photos that included all sports, world events, politics and culture. There are some incredible photos in this collection. Check out Joe Jackson at the Black Sox trail, Babe Ruth as a Red Sox, Jackie Robinson and son, Jackie Robinson in a KC Monarchs uniform, The Mighty Fist of John L. Sullivan, Gordie Howe with stitches, Seabiscuit, Laurel & Hardy, John Coltrane, JoJo the Dog Face Boy, The Blonde Bombers and Lee Harvey Oswald Original Mug Shot. The remainder of the Examiners archives has been donated to UC Berkeley. The 4th photo comes from a private collection. * Auction #204: Above is a photo of Brooklyn's Big Guns. This was taken the day before the 1949 World Series
* Auction 211: Above is a 1957 photo of the despondent Dodger "Bum." The Dodgers are moving to California.
* Auction 207: Above is a portrait of former Dodger skipper Wilbert Robinson.

*Auction 1536: Below is one of the most unusual wire photos of one of the most significant events featuring the Dodgers and the Giants. It is the aftermath of Juan Marichal's bat swinging incident against John Roseboro in 1965. Check out the blood on Roseboro's catchers vest.

68?

All day I've been sitting in my office wondering... 68... 68 pitches in 8 innings... How is that possible?

My only answer is that it's not. Last night did not happen. I'm convinced that I'm still asleep. It's Saturday night and the Sunday morning rising sun is about to wake me up. I'm in bed dreaming of Blue skies, Koufax like pitching and walk off homeruns. At any moment my dog will jump onto my bed and start licking my face.

I can hear my dog screaming at me now. "Wake up you lazy SOB! Get me some food! It better be that stuff in the can... that stuff is good!" I'll have to mumble back, "no... you're on a diet."

Fortunately, that has not happened yet. I still lay motionless in bed with dreams of beautiful Blue wonders. A visible smile, across my face, can be seen by all.

Kenny Lofton's College Rap Video

Over the weekend the LA Times had a great story about Kenny Lofton. In the article it mentioned that Kenny was a member of the 1988 Arizona Wildcats with other notables Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr and Tom Tolbert. More importantly, the team did what every championship caliber team did in the 80's, they made a rap video. Check it out below.

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