Houston Astros Dugout Lineup Card - Pickup of the Year

It is fitting to close the year with the best addition to my collection in 2012.  In the past two years since I returned to collecting, my best pick ups each year were T206 cards with a Black Cap Christy Mathewson "winning" 2010 and a green background Ty Cobb portrait "winning" 2011.   While I managed to purchase all the cards I needed to "complete" my T206 set (I still have six cards in transit) and I won a Plowboy Orval Overall on eBay, this year, my best pick up is not a card, but instead a piece of memorabilia. 


As you might guess from the large number of Mike Scott references and cards you've been subjected to on this blog, one of my favorite teams of all time is the 1986 Houston Astros, who would have advanced to the World Series if they were able to win one game where Mike Scott did not start.  Sadly, they didn't and the Mets won the World Series, but this team holds a certain place in my heart.  One day, while browsing for cards on an online forum, I came across a listing of items from someone who worked at Wrigley Field in the 1980s.  Scrolling down the post, I saw a lineup card from a 1980s game filled out by Pete Rose, while manager of the Reds, and another from Tommy LaSorda.  There was also a Braves card with Dale Murphy and a whole bunch of bad involved.  Towards the bottom of the list was an undated dugout lineup card from the Houston Astros.



The lineup card is the size of a piece of legal-sized paper, which is why you have two so-so scans above.  We won't discuss why I didn't take a picture.  Let's just say the picture always come out terrible, but a different kind of terrible each time.   I sent a message ASAP and reserved the lineup card and set about some research.  Using Baseball-Reference.com, I was able to quickly identify the game to a single day, September 1, 1986.  A Monday game with some starters such as Glenn Davis and Bill Doran rested and Danny Darwin starting against Ed Lynch, it matches exactly with the card above.

As an artifact of one of my favorite teams of all-time, I was overjoyed and began awaiting the arrival of this item.  It didn't have Mike Scott's or Nolan Ryan's names on the card, because Hal Lanier was not interested in listing his starting pitchers on his lineup cards.  But it was part of a magical season and a truly unique item.

The problem was it wasn't arriving.  The SuperStorm delayed my inquiry and I was told that it was shipped.  For a month, I was convinced one of my neighbors received the package in error and was in possession of this lineup card.  However, the fourth or fifth time I sent an inquiry, the package was miraculously found, having fallen behind a dresser or table and was shipped to me.  Given that I was concerned the lineup card was lost and now that it was found, I could've cared less about the wait, I was just so overjoyed to know I was getting the one package I couldn't replace shipped to me.  Because it took nearly two months to ship the lineup card, the seller also included a lineup card from the Cubs dugout from the May 30, 1983 game as well.



Mike Scott is featured on the card, which I enjoyed greatly, even though he did not pitch that fine day.   While I have a lot of great pieces in my collection, nothing brings greater joy to me than these cards, knowing they are truly one of a kind and part of history. Interesting about this card is the game was started by Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins in his last go-around, leaving two Hall of Famers on the lineup card as Ryne Sandberg started that day as well.  A very thoughtful gesture to make up for the wait and a piece of history I will treasure for forever. 

Gone Missing

No pictures today, since I am both on the road and well, reasons which shall soon become quite obvious.

So, about two months ago, I made a rare dip into the memorabilia market.  Generally, I like to stick to cards, since they are mostly easy to store (not you Turkey Red) and are consistent with what I collect.  However, every so often, I see something that screams, why do you not own this.  Once it was a picture of the 1913 Athletics labeled as the 1910 Athletics at an antique store.  This time it was a lineup card. 

In each dugout, there is a lineup card hung from the wall, with the lineups and available substitutes for the game.  For each game, there should be no more than two and I suspect throughout history most were discarded after the game.  However, some intrepid worker at Wrigley Field managed to save a number of these cards from the 1980s.  Amongst the Dodgers and Braves cards, there was a Houston Astros lineup card, unidentified by date other than 1986 as the year.  As you know, the 1986 Astros were by far the best Astros team of the first 30 years of the franchise.  They are also one of my favorite teams.  So, for the price of a blaster, I was able to add the lineup card for the September 1, 1986 game to my collection.  A one of a kind item, which I would never be able to replicate or replace. 

So, fast forward a month and I realize...wait a minute, the card has not arrived, so I reach out.  The seller says it was in the mail and with the Superstorm, I thought perhaps it was delayed.  So, I wait another couple of weeks until I say, wait a minute, where is my Astros lineup card?  Did I get it and not realize it?  Did I misplace it?  So, I look through my oversized items and see, it has not arrived.

I reach out to the seller again and ask for tracking information, which he said he would have.  So, instead of tracking information, which I expected to show one of my neighbors stole the card, I receive a very long message that the card was misplaced and would be on its way the next day.  I was actually overjoyed, because really, I thought it was lost for forever. 

So, why no picture of the card in the post, well, it seems to still be missing in transit...again.  It's been about a week with no card, which scares me again.  I mean, if you are going to lose something I bought online, lose something replaceable, which is everything else!  I mean, there are more expensive items that I own and if they were lost, I would be saddened, but realistically there is another Nap Lajoie with my name on it.  But this lineup card is special in the way few other items could be and I just want it to show up and end this saga.  Instead, we are looking at a mass of words, no image, wondering, where oh where has my lineup card gone, where oh where could it be. 

As a postscript, I fully expect to find out the card arrived tomorrow safe and sound with no damage and be cherished and prized for the rest of my days. 

Group Breaks: Including One from the Daily Dimwit

Group breaks are great if you are a fan of a specific team.  You know, the life-long affiliation with one team that makes you care about the utility infielder from 1967 and reliever from 1985 as much as your home town superstar.  I lack that commitment to any baseball team.  In fact, the only team I possess any kind of life-long loyalty to is the Pittsburgh Penguins, not that I've ever lived in Pittsburgh, I just like flightless birds.

When it comes to baseball, I am nominally a Braves fan, due to the Superstation and getting cable around the same time the Houston Astros ditched orange from their uniforms and relegating Mike Scott to a secondary role.  I also have a strong affinity for the New York Giants of the Christy Mathewson/John McGraw era.  My fandom for this team and era in general led me to collecting tobacco cards.  In fact, here is a T205 McGraw I bought on a whim a few months ago. The portrait portion of the card managed to survive for many years unscathed, something the name portion of the card cannot claim.



Nonetheless, my lack of a team for life makes it harder to participate in group breaks, as it isn't like, "Oh, there is a group break, let me go claim the Royals."  I always need to break out checklists and research.  Half the time, once I've finished my research, any team that I wanted is usually claimed.  However, I joined my second group break over at the Daily Dimwit, selecting the Giants after much internal debate.  The boxes included in the break were 2012 Topps Triple Threads, 2001 Playoff Memorabilia and 2002 Fleer Legends of the Game.

Let's see what I managed to pull in the break starting with 2001 Playoff Memorabilia



And we're done.  I had low expectations for this box and they were met.  The Bonds was the only supershiny card in my package. 

And on to the 2002 Fleer Legends of the Game.  It was these cards which led me to choose the Giants, who are well represented in the set.  Out of 100 cards in the base set, there are nine Giants, all of which ended up in my pile, including a second of the Wilhelm below.  I included the highlights, since to be quite honest, no one needs to see a picture of Bill Terry, unless it is some kind of technicolor, art deco masterpiece. 



Finally, we are on to Triple Threads.  As we all know, the element of the gamble exists in every group break, as there are some winners and some losers in every deal.  On the good news side of the ledger, I beat the odds and ended up with a card from the box.  Even better, the card was numbered and contained Willie Mays.  The downside is that it is a base card numbered to 625. 



It's a pretty great card in its own right, but not the hit everyone hopes for, since aspires gives the wrong impression that there was work involved.  So, there is the results of the group break with the Daily Dimwit. Thanks again for running this break!