Read Lee’s post on the most expensive baseball card at www.mlbreports.com here.
by Author Lee Edelstein
Read Lee’s post on the most expensive baseball card at www.mlbreports.com here.
Read Lee’s post on the 1952 Stan Musial Card at www.mlbreports.com
Today is Babe Ruth’s 118th birthday. It’s been 78 years since he played his last game and he remains the greatest ballplayer of all time – bar none. Everyone knows about his home run prowess (in 1920 he smacked 54 homers, more than any other team except one) but before he became a slugger he was an extraordinary pitcher. A few facts: he has the 11th best won/lost percentage in baseball history; his 2.277 lifetime ERA is 17th best all-time, just behind the great Mariano Rivera (2.214); he won 89 games by the time he was twenty-four, far more than Tom Seaver (57), Randy Johnson (3), Tom Glavine (33), Roger Clemens (60), Greg Maddux (60), and Steve Carlton (47), all of whom are members of the hallowed 300 Win Club. When the bat was in his hands, he did a lot more than hit home runs. He’s in the top ten with a career batting average of .342 and he stands #1 in OPS at 1.16. And for those sabremetric fans out there, the Sultan of Swat is numero uno all-time in WAR. Oh yeah, he also led the majors each year in eating hot dogs, drinking booze, and screwing dames. All long before there was anything known as a performance enhancing drug. (Can you imagine? The Babe on steroids!!) So, Babe, Happy Birthday to you!!
Honus Wagner is one of the all-time greats of the game. He retired in 1917 and his records still endure almost a century later. He is seventh in career hits with 3,420 and had a lifetime batting average of .3276
It’s only fitting to lead off with the greatest of the great – Babe Ruth. Pictured below is one of the hobby’s iconic cards – #144 of the 1933 Goudey Gum series.
As a kid I wasn’t much of a ballplayer, but when it came to collecting baseball cards I was an All-Star. As a matter of fact, over half a century later, I still collect them. Of course, the “hobby” has changed a bit over the years.
My earliest baseball memory is my Dad taking me to a Dodgers game at Ebbets Field. I was five, maybe six years old. I don’t remember who ‘De Bums’ played but it was a night game and one of them hit a homer. I think it might have been Campy.
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