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“Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?” This is a 1948 Leaf baseball card of the “Yankee Clipper”, former New York Yankee centerfielder Joe DiMaggio. “Joltin’ Joe” was a classy and humble member of the Yanks’ dynasty in the 1940s. He played 13 seasons with the team, and was an All Star all of those seasons. He played on 9 World Series winning teams and was MVP 3 times, and is best known for his record that to this point has been unbreakable – a 56-game hit streak.  DiMaggio was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955, and outside of his exploits in the game was best known for his marriage to Marilyn Monroe and his long-time stint as pitchman for Mister Coffee. In 1969, he was voted as baseball’s greatest living player, and is mentioned numerous times in popular culture, including Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Old Man And The Sea, and the Simon & Garfunkel song Mrs. Robinson.

1970 Opeechee hockey card, from www.CheckOutMyCards.com , of former NHL defenseman Brad Park, who played 18 seasons, most notably with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Park, who along with his contemporary, Bobby Orr, revolutionized the defense position into the “offensive defenseman”, was an NHL all star 9 times. He finished second in the voting for the Norris Trophy for best defenseman 6 times. Park was elected to hockey’s Hall of Fame in 1988.

1972 Topps football card of a player mentioned in a recent post on this blog as one of the biggest NFL draft busts ever, former Philadelphia Eagle Leroy Keyes. Keyes was a highly-regarded safety out of Purdue and was the third player selected overall in the 1969 draft, behind O.J. Simpson and George Kunz. Keyes wound up playing 5 seasons in the league with the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, but never really panned out. Perhaps his “bust” status is amplified by the fact that with the choice right after he was taken by Philly, the Steelers picked Hall of Fame defensive lineman and Steel Curtain anchor  “Mean Joe” Greene.

1961 Fleer basketball card of former Boston Celtic star K.C. Jones, courtesy of www.CheckOutMyCards.com . Jones joined his college teammate Bill Russell in the NBA and played 9 seasons, all with the Celtics, winning 8 championships. Known as a tenacious defender (as most of the Celtic players of that era were), Jones was an eight-time NBA All Star and was elected to the basketball Hall of Fame in 1989. After his playing days ended, he embarked on a successful coaching career, and won 2 NBA titles as coach of the Celtics in the 1980s.

1962 Topps baseball card of one of the premier power hitters of all time, Harmon Killebrew, who passed away recently. Nicknamed “Killer”, he is second on the all-time American League list of total career home runs, trailing only Babe Ruth. Killebrew played 22 seasons in the majors, for the AL Washington/Minnesota franchise and the Kansas City Royals, mostly in an era when the game was dominated by pitchers, which makes his power numbers even more impressive. He was an eleven time All Star and was voted AL MVP in 1969, when he clubbed 49 HRs and drove in 140 runs. His jersey # 3 has been retired by the Twins, and he was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1984.

Courtesy of www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1985 Opeechee hockey card of former NHL player Ray Sheppard, who played 14 years in the league. He started his career with the Buffalo Sabres but played for 6 different teams , and was known as a “sniper”, a guy with a knack for scoring goals. His best season stastically was in 1993-94 when he scored 52 goals for the Detroit Red Wings. He holds the unfortunate status of having been sold by the Sabres, in 1990, to the New York Rangers, for a dollar. Sheppard is an avid golfer, and was named the 2nd best golfer, among athletes who aren’t professional golfers, by Golf Digest magazine.

1958 Topps football card of Hall of Fame running back Joe “The Jet” Perry, who passed away recently at the age of 84. Perry played 16 seasons of pro ball, starting his career with the San Francisco 49ers in the old All America Football Conference in 1948. He played for the Niners until 1960, spent a couple of years as a Baltimore Colt, then returned to San Fran for his final season in 1963. Perry was a three-time Pro Bowler, NFL MVP in 1954, and was named to the NFL All Decade team for the 1950s. He was the first back in league history to record consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. Perry hosted a popular music and sports radio program during his playing days, and after retiring from the NFL competed on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) tour.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1976 Topps basketball card of former Portland Trailblazer guard Lionel Hollins, who was a key player on Portland’s 1976-77 NBA championship team. He was one of the top defensive players of his era, as he was named to the league’s all-defensive team twice. Hollins played 11 years in the league, then moved into the coaching ranks. His first head coaching position was in 1999 with the Grizzlies when they were in Vancouver, and he is currently the head coach of the same franchise, now based in Memphis.

1963 Topps baseball card of the “other” Aaron, Hank’s brother Tommie. The younger brother of baseball’s all-time home run king played all or parts of seven seasons with the Braves in Milwaukee and Atlanta. The Aarons hold the major league record for career homers by a tandem of brothers – with Hank contributing 755 and Tommie 13. After his playing days, Tommie worked for the Braves as both a major league coach and minor league manager. He died of leukemia in 1984, and the Braves’ AAA farm team annually awards the Tommie Aaron Memorial Award to its’ team MVP.

What type of players do the Buffalo Sabres need to find to become legitimate Stanley Cup contenders? A look at this 1976 Opeechee hockey card of the Sabres’ season statistical leaders provides some hints. They could really use some guys who can score like the 2 of 3 members of the French Connection featured on the card, but how about a player like Danny Gare? How many players in the NHL today lead their team in goal-scoring (with 50 goals even) and also lead the team in penalty minutes? Here’s hoping they can keep the right “grinders” on the roster who are already there, and add some much-needed offense, preferably offensive players who play with a physical edge, as Gare did.