First Came Hercules, Then Came Socrates, Then Came Chakales, The Greatest Greek of All
Chick Chakales had a great line that he used to introduce himself.
The Pickle Guy
Lots of athletes supplement their income with sales jobs in the offseason. This one sold pickles.
Good Memories of Tim Wakefield
He was never the top pitcher on the Red Sox, but he eventually became the fans’ favorite.
Captain Bob
One of the briefest careers captured in 1952 Topps ended with a whole lot of seafood.
Steve Avery, 1993 Finest, and a New Car
My mom’s favorite player pitched a ton of innings for Atlanta in the early 1990s.
Trading Card of the Traded Jim Busby
While Topps wouldn’t introduce its “Traded” cards for two decades, the card manufacturer frequently highlighted midseason trades on the back of cards as far back as 1952.
December 2021
29 New cards were added to the collection, including two absolute monsters. I give up on building the 1954 Topps set to focus on other collecting projects.
Clem Koshorek Missed a Record By an Inch
One of the shortest players of all time appeared on a baseball card one year after Eddie Gaedel made his debut.
Great Expectations and Unexpected Rarities
The refractor card of a #1 draft pick turns out to be one of the most elusive.