“Let’s play two!” That was the battle cry of Mr. Cub, Hall of Famer Ernie Banks. Banks’ enthusiasm for the game endeared him with Chicago Cub fans and he remains a favorite to this day. He was one of the all-time greatest shortstops in the game, both in the field and at the plate. This card is from the later years of his career, after he had been moved to first base to save wear and tear on his aging body, while still taking advantage of his potent bat.
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post about the old American Basketball Association, here is a card of Roland Taylor of the Virginia Squires, showing off the red, white and blue ball used in the league and sporting an Afro (although his is tame compared to some of the players) and ample facial hair that players in the league were known for.
Hockey card of a great name from the past from a team with a storied past – Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sittler set an NHL record by racking up 10 points, 6 goals and 4 assists, in one game. He was named one of the top 100 hockey players of all time by The Hockey News in 1998.
A 1964 football card of the greatest player who ever lived, Cleveland Browns fullback Jim Brown. Brown was a freak of a physical specimen for his time, and his combination of speed and power was unmatched in the game. His Browns team won the NFL title in ’64, shutting out Don Shula’s heavily favored Baltimore Colts 27-0 in the championship game. Brown retired prior to the 1966 season after only 9 years in the NFL to pursue an acting career, but his total career rushing yardage record stood until the late Walter Payton broke it in 1984, needing 13 seasons to surpass it. That’s a great old car on the card behind Brown, too, isn’t it?
Yes, this 1959 Topps baseball card is yet another error card. It actually has 2 errors but the card company can’t be blamed for one of them. The player’s name is actually Lew Burdette (not Lou), and the other error may be a result of Burdette being a practical joker – he is actually right-handed but appears left-handed in the photo. Maybe he was just honoring teammate Warren Spahn, the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time.
A 1987 Fleer basketball card of the late Manute Bol, who passed away recently at the young age of 47. Bol was born the son of a tribal chief in Sudan and did a lot of charitable work during and after his playing career in his native country. A huge physical specimen at 7’7″ and 225 lbs., Bol was a shot-blocking machine during his long NBA career. Rest in peace, Manute.
Hockey card of former Montreal goalie Ken Dryden, a Hockey Hall of Famer. Dryden, amazingly, played only 6 regular season games in 1971 after being called up from the minors but played so well the Canadiens kept him in goal for the playoffs, and he backstopped them to a Stanley Cup title. Dryden was a broadcaster after his playing career ended, and was the analyst working along side Al Michaels for the “Miracle On Ice” U.S. Olympic win over the Soviets in 1980. Today he is active in Canadian politics.
This 1967 football card of Baltimore Colts receiver Raymond Berry is another case of mistaken identity by the card company. Berry wore jersey # 82 for one thing – that should have been a clue. The player on the card is defensive back Bob Boyd.
This is a 1922 Nielson’s Chocolate baseball card of Yankees’ first baseman Wally Pipp. Most people know his story – he was benched by manager Miller Huggins, supposedly temporarily because he was in a slump, and was replaced by a young player named Lou Gehrig, and never saw the field again, at least not with the Yankees. Pipp was eventually traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1926.
Basketball card of former New York Knickerbockers’ forward Bill Bradley, a key player on their 1969 and 1973 championship teams. Bradley was a Princeton graduate, a Rhodes Scholar, and, after his playing career ended a U.S. senator from New Jersey and a serious presidential candidate.
