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September 17, 2010
Stumbling across the joys of sports cards
37 mins 36 secs ago
By Len Robbins
I stumbled over the box while in the attic Saturday attempting to hide from my children.
We weren’t playing hide-and-seek or any game like that. I was just attempting to flee from them.
The box was full of baseball and football cards – thousands of them I had collected in my youth.
“Hey, maybe some of these cards are worth something,” I said aloud to myself upon the discovery.
“Daddy, is that you?” came the call from below, followed by what sounded like a blender being turned on and a cat screeching.
Found, I headed downstairs with my box of cards to survey my potential bounty. What I discovered is that, as a youngster, I cared not for the future value of my collectibles. For instance, I have a 1977 Nolan Ryan card, which, in mint condition, is worth around $70. Problem is, I drew a mustache and beard on Nolan Ryan’s 1977 card.
The most valuable thing I rediscovered was the joy of reading sports cards – in particular the information on the back of these cards. In addition to the players’ statistics and vital information, there would often be some personal anecdote, accompanied by a caricature on the back.
For instance, on the back of Willie Montanez’s 1973 baseball card, it says: “Willie is a member of the National Guard,” and then there’s a cartoon of a baseball player marching with a gun on his shoulder. More often, it would be something about their father playing baseball or what their major was in college. On a few, though, there would be something rather off-the-wall, as if the guy charged with the duty of compiling copy for these couldn’t find anything interesting about the player.
With that in mind, and for my own enjoyment and probably mine only, here are some other personal factoids from the backs of my card collection:
• Pat Dobson, pitcher, Baltimore Orioles, 1973: “Pat suffered a broken toe in 1969.”
• Artimus Parker, safety, New York Jets, 1978: “Artimus’ nickname is Tee-Bone.”
• Haskel Stanback, running back, Atlanta Falcons, 1979: “Haskel’s name was spelled incorrectly on his wedding cake.”
• Fred Norman, pitcher, San Diego Padres, 1973: “Fred is a bachelor.”
• Gerald Irons, linebacker, Cleveland Browns, 1978: “Gerald is a fan of professional bowling.”
• Joe Lavender, cornerback, Washington Redskins, 1978: “Joe is one of the few NFL players to wear eyeglasses.”
• Larry Little, guard, Miami Dolphins, 1978: “Larry’s teammates call him ‘Chic-ken’ after his favorite food.”
• Garry Maddox, outfielder, San Francisco Giants, 1974: “Garry is called ‘Buggy Whip.’”
• And my personal favorite – Guerrant McCurdy “Mac” Scarce, pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies, 1973: “Mac played little league ball.”
As I chuckled at that one, I looked down to find my six-year-old son on the floor, cards all around him, drawing a mustache and beard on Bombo Rivera’s 1978 baseball card.
At least it wasn’t Nolan Ryan. And if it was, I wouldn’t care.
© Len Robbins 2010