1975 NBA Carvel Discs

One of the things I vowed I would do this year is to add more Knicks vintage to my collection. Long time readers know how much of a Knicks fan I am. I personally think its a shame that I am seriously lacking in vintage Knicks memorabilia, be it cards, bobbleheads, or anything else for that matter. I am a huge fan of Knicks history. I have rewatched my History Of The New York Knicks DVD a bunch of times, read various books about the team and watch videos on YouTube. Yeah, I love my Knicks, in good times and in bad. It's funny. The season I was able to go to more games that I ever have or ever will due to prices, the team was so bad and I heard "Fire Isaiah" chants every game I went.

I was recently scouring eBay an looking at some Knicks listings and saw one that peeked my interest, so I placed a bid and won a lot of 4 1975 Carvel NBA Disks. What I love almost as much as the Knicks are oddball cards. I simply love them and will scour dealer tables at card shows, look at eBay listings and trade for them on various forums. It was a great opportunity to not only add some vintage Knicks cards to my collection and they were oddballs? I was in and won the bid.

I don't know much about these disks. I'm guessing they were either given out at participating Carvel ice cream shops or you had to purchase them. I think there was some sort of poster that went with them and there are different color variations.

Unfortunately, I failed to really look at the cards and was very disappointed when they arrived. Some were dirty and one had a tape mark on it. No wonder I got these for such a low deal. I can only blame myself for not looking closely at the photos.

So, here's who I got:

John Gianelli was a backup center and foward on the Knicks 1973 championship team and played on the Knicks until 1976

Hawthorne Wingo was also a backup forward on the 1973 championship team. He played on the Knicks from 1972 to 1976 and finished his career in Italy.

This was the card that got my goat and was the sole reason I purchased the lot. I wanted this Earl Monroe card so bad and was doing the Neutron Dance when I won it. Then I did the Sad Dance when I saw the card. Not sure why there is tape across the top there. It doesn't look like it was ever ripped, so I'm guessing it was taped to something, a scrapbook perhaps. Either way, it look terrible now.

This was a throw in, but he has Knicks connections. Although Dick Van Arsdale had his best seasons as a Phoenix Sun, he was drafted by the Knicks in the second round of the 1965 NBA Draft.  Van Arsdale played in NY until 1968 when he was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the expansion draft. This card looks pretty dirty, so I didn't mail it to Van Arsdale like I planned.

Although I was pretty bummed out about how the Earl Monroe card looked, I am glad I have these cards. I can always upgrade them and I now want to chase the rest of the Knicks in this set. Looking at the checklist, I see I am missing Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier, Phil Jackson and Dean Meminger. Hopefully, the next time I shop for these cards, I will pay more attention to the listing and pictures. Kids, do not be like me.

Cards I Aspire To One Day Own

When it comes to cards, I can be a bit greedy. I have so many, yet I want more and more and more. Unfortunately, my cards are not organized and are in boxes without any rhyme or reason. So, I am currently, in the midst of organizing my cards, slowly. Since there are so may cards, this will take a lot of time. Especially since time is limited for me right now. But as I go through them, I uncover a few gems I had forgot I had, so it's turning into a fun time.

Fuji over at The Chronicles Of Fuji, is doing the same thing I am is is discovering he has some real nice cards. Check out his blog post at:http://sanjosefuji.blogspot.com/2014/07/yeah-thats-ticket.html

Like Fuji, I am finding gems, but I am also working on various player PC's. Some I've been working on for a while, like my Pennington, Teixeira, Tino and Ewing and others I'm starting work on like my Jeter and Curtis Martin. Working on my PC's got me thinking about cards I'd love to add to my various collections. Maybe one day I can own some of these.

1973 Topps Roberto Clemente

I had this card. I remember trading about 10 of my prized Yankee cards for it back in the early 1980's. It somehow disappeared from my collection and wound up in a friend's pile. Of course, he claimed it was his, which was a bold face lie. It was a wreck at that point, so I didn't argue with him. I want it back now. Not because it was his last Topps card, but because it was my first Roberto card I ever owned.

1993 SP Derek Jeter

Now, I have only started putting all my Jeter cards in a binder and I have a lot of Jeter cards. More than I originally thought. I also have quite a few of his rookie cards. But I don't own THE rookie card and that would be the 1993 SP card. This one is the expensive card. I see these cards on eBay go for $99.00 to $150.00 raw. There was a dealer asking $479.00 for a slabbed one, graded BGS 9.

1986 -87 Fleer Patrick Ewing

Funny thing, I am not really a rookie card collector. I don't break open packs of Bowman, looking for that high dollar card. To me, that's not what collecting is about. So I never went looking for rookie cards. Now, I am regretting that. I have another rookie I would love to have in my collection.

I've been a Ewing fan ever since I watched him with Georgetown. When the Knicks won the number 1 draft pick and grabbed Ewing, I was elated. Ewing has been my all time favorite Knick and for me not to have his rookie card is a crime (at least to me). Thankfully, it's not too expensive, so I should be able to pick it up sometime soon.

1969 Topps Mickey Mantle

I don't own any Mickey Mantle cards. OK, let me rephrase that. I don't own any vintage Mickey Mantle cards. For me to own just one would be a big deal to me as I am a Mantle fan. I don't have a Mantle PC, but I still want to own a Mantle card. I picked this card only because it's relatively affordable. I can pick up a nice card for under $100.00, unslabbed. Slabbed, I'm looking to drop $150.00 large and up. Not too bad for a Mickey Mantle card. Better than dropping $200-$400 dollars for a 1959 Topps card.

Going through the cards I already have and finding lost gems is already making a good collection even better. I hope that I can one day add these cards and make my collection even better. I will never stop looking for cards to add to my collections, but that is the life of a collector, isn't it. Always on the hunt for those precious cards to add to various collections. But, it's also fun to own a piece of sports history. I may never have seen Roberto Clemente throw a runner out at third from the warning track or seen Mickey Mantle launch one of his famous tape measure home runs. But I feel owning their cards is just as good. Owning their cards is almost like owning a piece of Americana.

Things I Want: NFL Action Team Mates

As a New York Jets collector, I think I have some pretty cool stuff in my collection. Cards, autographs, programs, bobbleheads, figures, I have a nice Jets stash and I can't wait until I can display everything either on a shelf or in a cabinet of some kind. One thing that I don't have that I hope I can add to the collection at one point is a New York Jets NFL Action Team Mate.

What's that you say? You don't know what those are? 

Pro Sports Marketing put out a set of 7 1/2 inch plastic figures called NFL Action Team Mates. They came with a display stand, a removable helmet, a football and a playbook. All 28 teams in the league at the time were represented with figures that came in team colors and had stickers on the helmets. I'm not sure they were supposed to represent famous players or not, but I can swear I've seen a Terry Bradshaw and a Fran Tarkenton figures.

Here's an example of what it looked like on the shelves in your Sears or JC Penny's or which ever store your parents bought your toys at. This one is a Philadelphia Eagle player. Looks like they came in a box with a cellophane window and had the helmets of all the teams in the NFL circa 1977. If I squint, I can see the Jets helmet on the box.

Here's a vintage ad that I believe was in a Sears catalog, I remember always looking at the Christmas catalog and checking off what I wanted that year. I remember wanting this, but not a Jets one. I rooted for the Steelers as a kid because I was Bradshaw fan and because my buddy at the time told me I was a Steelers fan, like him. He was a big kid. 

Here are some pictures of the figures themselves:

Houston Oilers

Los Angeles Rams. I for one would love to see the Rams move back to LA.

Kansas City Chiefs

Washington Redskins

Oakland Raiders. As I say their name, I can hear Chris Berman in my head.

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals.

I love these figures. As a child of the 70's,  these toys bring me back to a less articulated youth. You could tell these were made in the 1970's. I love the the uniforms these are sporting as well. I actually remember the stripeless Bengals helmets. I remember when the Rams had yellow in their unis, not the gold they currently trot out. Heck, I remember when the teams in Baltimore and Houston were called the Colts and Oilers. These may not be as good looking as McFarlanes Sports Picks, but I will take these any day of the week. Heck, they look better than Starting Lineups. (Ducks as a Patriots helmet is thrown).

You notice what's not shown? A picture of a Jets Action Team Mate. Want to know why? Because I cannot find one. I don't think I've ever seen one in person or on eBay. They obviously exist, but are hard to find. 

I looked up some eBay auctions and seen that these can go for a pretty penny. I'm seeing auctions for 79.99 to 200.00 for carded figures. Finding a Jets figure at a decent price will be a pretty difficult task, but I'm up to the challenge. There will be a Jets NFL Action Team Mate in my Jets collection one day. If I have to look through every box at every flea market, toy show, yard sale, I will find it or my name isn't Ladamore. And it isn't.

Happy 4th Of July!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Independence Day. I hope you all got to spend your day with family or friends or both. Hope you ate a ton of BBQ and had some adult beverages.

Me? I am spending mine watching the Yankees/Twins game. So far, the Yankees are winning, so I am hoping they hold on for the win.

Today, the Yankees are wearing special 4th of July caps.

I think they're alright. I will pick up one if I can find one that fits my tiny cranium.

Today is also the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's famous speech. Major League Baseball is celebrating with a special video of the speech read by every first baseman in baseball and a special short stop.

I think MLB did a wonderful job producing this video and I'm sure everyone involved was honored to be asked to read a piece of what is essentially baseball's Gettysburgh Address.

Also, a commemorative patch has been produced for the players to wear today

 
I've always wanted to start collecting the patches the Yankees wear on special occasions. I would love for this to be the first one I grab.

To end this blog, I will post the speech Lou Gehrig made on this day back on July 4th 1939. I don't believe a full copy of the speech exists. From what I have read, a lot of the writers who were there that day go very emotional and not a one wrote down the speech word for word. I don't think it exists on film in it's entirety as well. But whenever I read what does exist, I get all choked up.

Happy Independence Day everyone!

Mark Teixeira Bobblehead

Back on Thursday, June 19th, the Yankees held their first bobblehead give away of the season. Now, as a bobblehead lovin' mofo, I was going to be there. Throw in the fact that it was Mark Teixeira Bobblehead night and I was practically scaling the wall to get my hands on one of these to add to my bobblehead collection. Thankfully, I was one of the first 18,000 fans to get to the Stadium early and Mr. Teixeira was added to my collection. I was then able to "enjoy" the game, watching the Yankees beat the Blue Jays in an important AL East battle 6-4. I say "enjoy" because the dude who was sitting next to me was invading my personal space by leaning on my arm, putting his back on me to take a picture of his group and opening his rather large book to read. I should have known he wasn't a baseball fan when he asked who Derek Jeter was.

But I didn't care. I had my bobblehead and I couldn't wait to get home, open it and put him on my shelf. When I opened the box, I was in for a bit of a surprise.

First off, let's take a look at the box. As you can see, I was given a box that was less than perfect. If I ever did want to resell this, the box would hurt the resale value on it. Most bobblehead collectors want the original box and for it to be in as pristine condition as it can be. This one falls short of the mark.

The front of the box has a picture that shows what the bobblehead inside will look like once you open it up. It also tell's you who it is and what number in this season's series it is. In this case, it's the first of 4 player bobbleheads to be given out this season. This doesn't count the Hello Kitty and Lucy bobbleheads that will be given out later in the season.

The box does have the listing of the rest of the player bobbleheads and the dates they will be given out. Right off the bat, I can see I will be missing the Lou Gehrig give away. Thank heaven for eBay.

The other two sides of the box has Tex prominently featured, just in case you forget which bobblehead you are getting and when you see the bobblehead, you just might.

I'm not really liking this bobblehead. First off, I'm not crazy about the size. It's a few inches smaller than a regular size bobble. I don't understand why we have to get smaller bobbleheads. Is it a way to save a few dollars?

That's being said. I could get past the size if this bobblehead looked anything like Mark Teixeira to begin with. I'm shocked that Alexander Global would allow this off the assembly line. They are usually pretty good with the likenesses of players. This one falls way off the mark. No pun intended on that one folks.

 On one side of the bobblehead, you get the name of the player and the sponsor on the base it's self, which is AT&T on this particular bobblehead. The lettering looks kind of sloppy as well, The last part of the last name is so crooked that the A is almost off the base completely. Plus, the paint on the letters as well as on the figure its self is very sloppy. There is a sploch of paint right on the ear, the hair is missing pain in spots and the lettering looks like a five year old painted them.

The back of the bobblehead is probably the best angle on this bobblehead. Numbers look fine and the pinstripes afre not crooked nor are they missing paint. The helmet is also nicely painted. The bat is screwed in, but it's not tight in it's hand, so if your are looking to pick up this bobblehead, your going to have to be careful with the bat.

Maybe this is the best side. You can't see the face.

I don't know what happened with this bobblehead. Maybe it's just mine, but that one side, the main side, is terribly painted. I don't know what happened at AGP. They are usually a very reliable company when making these bobbleheads. Someone really dropped the ball on this one. The reaction I got when I opened the box is usually saved for Forever bobbleheads. Hopefully, someone got an earful regarding this one.

Regardless of how this one came out, I am looking forward to the other three bobbleheads, especially the Lou Gehrig which is commemorating the 75th anniversary of his famous speech. If you haven't seen the bobblehead, here's a picture of what fans will be given this Wednesday at 1:05 PM:

Man, I am going to hate missing this game.

Last year, AGP did a good job on the Jeter, Matsui, Rivera and Berra bobbleheads. Plus, I have loved their earlier bobbleheads that were given out at Yankee Stadium in 2002 and 2003. That's pretty much why I am giving them a pass on the Teixeira. Although I am pretty disappointed with how this one came out, I believe the next bobbleheads will be better and ones that will be worthy of being displayed in any bobblehead collection.

Tino Martinez Day

Today, The Yankees honored a player who was instrumental in winning 4 world championships in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 with a plaque out in the famed Monument Park. That player is Tino Martinez, who also just happens to be my favorite Yankee.

My earliest memories of Tino Martinez was watching him kill the Yankees as a member of the Mariners during the 1995 American League Division Series, batting .409 with a homer and 5 RBI's. When I heard Don Mattingly was taking a year off to decide his future, I wondered if the Yankees could get their hands on the guy from Seattle. Sure enough, the Yankees traded Sterling Hitchcock and Russ Davis for Jim Mecir, Jeff Nelson and Contantino Martinez. Highway robbery if it ever was. Jeff Nelson was a huge part of the championship teams as well as Tino was.

Over the years, I got to watch Tino launch home runs over the right field wall at the old Yankee Stadium and make some beautiful plays over at first base. I always felt Tino was robbed of a Gold Glove or two, but because the AL also had JT Snow, Rafael Palmero and John Olerud, Tino never won a Gold Glove and I think that's a shame. He was a tremendous fielding first baseman.

Tino's best season was in 1997, when he hit 44 home runs and had 141 RBI's. He finished second in the voting for Most Valuable Player, losing out to Ken Griffey Jr. He also participated and won the Home Run Derby during that season's All Star Game festivities, which was a joy for me.

My two most memorable Tino moments were in 1996 and 1998 respectively. First, during the early part of the 1996 season, Tino had started off slow and was being booed by Yankee fans. The Yankees were in Baltimore and one of the games wen late into extra innings. Tino belted a game winning home run and was cheered loudly when the team came back to NY. The second, was obviously during Game 1 of the 1998 World Series when he hit a grand slam into the upper deck off Mark Langston giving the Yankees a 4 run lead. I will always remember seeing a shower of beer pop up in the air after the ball landed into the upper deck.

Like I mentioned previously, I started collecting Tino Martinez cards back in 2002. Because I have other player collections, my Tino collection may not be as large as others, but I am proud of it. Here are my favorite Tino cards, starting with the base and inserts:

Here are my favorite Game Used cards. Mind you, these were taken before I got a scanner and I never got around to scanning them. The scanner is now broken.

I also have this printing plate

And probably my favorite Tino piece

This was a gift from a friend who used to sell cards. He accidentally sent an order late for a secret santa I was participating in. Knowing that Tino is my favorite, he sent this to me as a gift to make up for the lateness of the order. I never met Tino and I hope to at some point.

There are other cards I need to pick up. I also have eyes on some other Tino items like bobbleheads, his Starting Lineup figures, a Danbury Mint statue and some programs with him on the cover. My ultimate would be a Tino game used bat and jersey. Maybe when I win lotto.

Congratulations, Tino.  You had a great career and you were a wonderful Yankee. I think the plaque in Monument Park is rightfully deserved. You sit with the greats now.