Next Year, I'm Swinging For The Fences

I missed a month long opportunity to highlight some of my Negro League throwback cards to celebrate Black History Month.  

I promise I will swing for the fences next year.  In the meantime enjoy the whimsical short print from 2012 Topps featuring Cutch and the Pirate Parrot playing wiffleball in the old Homestead Grays uniforms made famous by guys like Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, Cool Papa Bell, Smoky Joe Williams, and Buck Leonard.

You can revisit some posts I paid tribute to those guys by clicking on their name in the links above.

#tbt: Gray Hair?

You may recall that I had a chance to meet Andrew McCutchen last September.  I showed off the custom dreadlock card that Tanner Jones made for me.  Brad from Brad's (Phillies) Blog met up with me at the show and filmed the entire meeting which I pinned to my Twitter.  The whole interaction can be revisited here on my blog.

Well as weird as it is to have a piece of cardboard with a piece of dreadlock in it, I wasn't done.  I asked Tanner to make another custom for me so that I could send it off to another McCutchen collector who has sold me A LOT of low number Cutch cards over the years.  In addition to that custom I asked Tanner if he could create a t206 style dna relic card.

As a Pirates fan there is no more desirable card than a t206 Honus Wagner card.  It is a holy grail of anyone who collects sports cards.  It makes it more special for a Pirates fan though.  I will never own an original, but did have a chance to hold one at a Chantilly show a few years ago which I wrote about on my old blog here.

Back in 2002 Topps released a bat relic card inside a framed Honus Wagner mini that resembled the legendary t206 card.  It is one of my favorite cards in my collection.  I showed it way back in 2013 on the old Pirates Treasure Room blog.

I asked Tanner to recreate something similar using a strand of the dreadlock I gave him for the custom and he created an awesome Cutch card in that t206 style sporting a Homestead Grays uniform.

Here is what he came up with.  This card is fricking awesome!!!

Cutch is one of the premier black baseball players in the game today.  It may not be a coincidence that his prime years were with the Pirates, a team housed in Pittsburgh. 

For the better part of a decade, the Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh, dominated the Negro Leagues.  I have talked before about Hall of Famers and Negro League legends like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Cool Papa Bell. 

A pitcher who played the twilight of his career with the Grays may have actually been the best pitcher in Negro League history though.  And in case you're wondering, his name isn't Satchel Paige.

" Smoky" Joe Williams was born in 1886 to an African American and Comoche Indian parents.  He began his baseball playing career in 1907 with the San Antonio Black Bronchos. 

Not much is known of his stats, but it has been said that he struck out 27 batters in a 12 inning game and that he threw a no hitter against the New York Giants in an exhibition match.  His barnstorming exhibition games had him defeating many Hall of Famers like Waite Hoyt andGrover Alexander.

In his only matchup versus Paige, Williams bested him 1-0 as a 43 year old while Paige was just breaking into his prime.

In 1952 the Pittsburgh Courier named Williams the greatest Negro Leagues pitcher.

Williams was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

#tbt: the BUCK stops here

Some of the more famous Negro League players command very expensive autographs.  Josh Gibson is in the high 4 figures/low five figures numbers due to how scarce his autograph is.  Satchel Paige easily commands $500+ for a certified autograph.  Jackie Robinson is typically in the $1K+ range.

Then there's Buck Leonard.

His on card autograph fetches barely $20 many times.

He played his entire Negro League career with the Homestead Grays, batting forth behind Josh Gibson. The Grays won 9 pennants in a row behind the duo of Gibson and Leonard.  Leonard batted .391 in 1948, winning the batting title.  Many years Gibson and Leonard were battling each other for the Home Run title.  Many have heard that Gibson was known as the Black Babe Ruth, but it is less familiar that Leonard was known as the Black Lou Gehrig. The pair became known as Thunder Twins.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972.

He was an honorary captain at the age of 88 for the 1994 All-Star which was held in Pittsburgh, home of the Grays.

He was number 47 in The Sporting News list of top 100 players in Baseball History. 

You can read the article MLB wrote about him here.  Former MVP Ryan Howard goes into details about the Negro League star.

Merchandise of Buck is far cheaper for such a legendary player compared to his contemporaries.

Today's Andrew McCutchen card features a pinstripe from a previous Negro League Homestead Grays throwback uniform.

#TBT: Wilmer Fields

Each Thursday this month I will be spotlighting a former Negro League player.

 Today I am showing off Wilmer Fields, pitcher for the Homestead Grays.

Fields received an on card autograph in 2001 Fleer's Greats of the Game set.  Copies of the card can still be grabbed for under $20.

Wilmer Leon Fields was born August 2, 1922 and played in the Negro Leagues during the 1940s and 1950s.

Fields joined the Homestead Grays in 1940 at the age of 17 and would go on to pitch to a 30-9 record in his first three seasons.

He left his baseball career in his prime to serve in the Army and in the 5 seasons following his discharge he would pitch to a 72-17 record.  He helped the Grays clinch four league titles (1940, 1941, 1942, 1948) and won the Championship in 1948.  Had it not been for Fields absence on the Grays while he was in the Army, the Grays likely would have won more Championships.  The 1948 Championship would be the last Negro World Series games played.

As the Negro League was winding down, Fields went to play baseball in Canada where he won 3 MVP awards for his two-way style of play.  When he wasn't on the mound with a devastating fastball, slider, and even a knuckle ball he would play 3rd base or in the outfield.  During his 4 seasons in Canada he posted a record of 38-7 and had batting averages of .392 over 4 seasons in 1951-1955.   He won 3 MVPs in those 4 seasons.

After his venture In Canada he moved to several different Latin Leagues playing in Cuba, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela.

Fields left baseball in 1958 and eventually became a bricklayer's helper.  After that brief work he became an alcohol counselor with the District Government.  He helped reform schools and prisons and would organize games between inmates at the prison and schools.

Upon retirement in the 1980s he helped raise money for former Negro League players by setting up autograph shows and benefit auctions.

Fields was elected to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 and in 2006 he was elected to the Black Ice Hockey andSports Hall of Fame due to his outstanding performances in the Negro Leagues.

The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to wear the Negro League uniforms on an annual basis.  Topps has used thr uniform for several of their throwback sets including the 2018 Salute Series which featured cards of Andrew McCutchen, Josh Harrison, and Josh Bell all wearing the Grays uniform.

Andrew McCutchen wore the Homestead Grays uniform many times while a member of the Pirates begining in 2009 which you can see below standing next to Nyjer Morgan.

#tbt: For Whom The Bell Tolls

In addition to Collecting Cutch, I also have a large collection of Charlie Morton cards, a growing collection of Hall of Famers (Roberto Clemente, Reggie Miller, Jerome Bettis) I enjoy collecting, and a love for Topps Heritage Pirates cards.

In recent years Topps has produced Throwback Short Print Variants to chase. 

Josh Bell wore the Homestead Grays uniform in a way that would make "Cool Papa" Bell proud.

On June 16, 2017 the Pirates and Cubs faced off wearing throwback uniforms from the Negro Leagues.

The uniform is referenced on the back of this Andrew McCutchen card I showed off a few weeks ago.

It is also referenced on the back of Josh Bell's 2018 Salute card.

In terms of actual Cool Papa Bell, this is the only card of his that I have.  When deciding on an autograph I wanted of the speedy Negro League star, I knew I wanted it to feature him in uniform with either the Grays or Crawfords.

"Cool Papa" Bell was born James Thomas Bell on May 17, 1903 in Starkville, Mississippi.  He was the forth born of seven children.

He worked at a creamery that is now Mississippi State University.  As a teenager he moved to St. Louis to live with his older brothers and attend high school.

He would pitch knuckleballs on Sundays and holidays while working as a packer during the week.

In 1922 he earned $20 a week pitching for a semipro team.  As a pitcher he started being referred to as "Cool" for striking out other Negro League stars.  He added "Papa" himself because it sounded better.

Bell transitioned himself into a speedy switch hitting centerfielder in the years that followed.  He would often bunt for base hits and once on base he would do things to mess up the pitcher's rhythm.

Stories are told of him scoring from first base on a single.

In the motion picture Cobb, starring Tommy Lee Jones a line is made in the movie of Bell's quickness.

"Cool Papa Bell was so fast that one time he hit a line drive up the middle that hit his head sliding into second base."

Bell would bounce around from team to team and eventually would go to play in the Mexican leagues in Latin America where he played ball with the fathers of Luis Tiant and Orlando Cepeda.

Upon returning to the US he caught on with the Homestead Grays winning back to back titles with the team.  As a 43 year old he batted .396 for the Grays who were on the verge of their 3rd straight title.

Satchel Paige, a teammate of Bell, said in his autobiography that Bell could flip the light switch and be under the covers before the room got dark.

The Sporting News ranked Bell the 66th greatest ballplayer in a 1999 article.

Bell passed away in 1971 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Negro League Committee in 1974.

#tbt: Black History Month remembers Josh Gibson

With Tom Brady winning his 6th Super Bowl this past Sunday, he has been heralded the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time).  Few can really argue the point as he finds ways to win despite not being the most athletic of the quarterbacks in the league.

Other sports have players with 1 or 2 guys at the top of the list (Jordan vs LeBron debate anyone?).

Baseball is a sport though where so many players come to mind when discussing the greatest to ever play the game.  Sure there are cases to be made for guys like Ruth, Mays, Mantle, Bonds, Bench, Griffey Jr, Jeter, Aaron, among many others, but there is no definitive face that pops in one's mind for Greatness.

Topps recently produced an insert set called Greatness Returns.  It's good.  The checklist is questionable though.

Sadly.

One name is omitted from that list.

Josh Gibson, the Black Babe Ruth, was the greatest hitter of the early Negro Leagues as recalled by many.

There have been many articles written, but only a few people outside of the baseball knowledge realms discuss of what Josh Gibson was able to do.

Gibson was born in Georgia, but moved to Pittsburgh at an early age so his father could work on a steel mill.  Gibson would go on to later work with his father so that he could join that company's Negro League team and participate in the sport he loved, baseball.

Gibson began as a third baseman, but moved to behind the plate due to his bulking size.  Some said no one was stupid enough to try and steal home against him.

After his wife passed away at an early age giving birth to twins, Gibson devoted his life to the game of baseball giving full custody of his children to the in-laws.

Gibson would go on to appear in the All-Star game every year in the Negro Leagues.

He was ultimately diagnosed with a brain tumor, but continued to play through all the pain he endured.  When the Dodgers were looking at breaking the color barrier there was discussion of Gibson being chosen, but ultimately it was decided they should use a younger player.

Larry Doby, the man who broke the color barrier in the American League for the Cleveland Indians, went on record to say "Jack(ie) Robinson wasn't the best player. Josh Gibson was"

A few months before Robinson broke the color barrier and helped to change the American culture and history, Josh Gibson passed away at the young age of 35 years old.


In 2018 Topps continued their tradition of the Salute insert series looking at players wearing alternative uniforms (Mother's Day, Throwback, Negro League, Memorial Day, etc) style uniforms.

Josh Gibson wore a uniform similar to this while he was a member of the Homestead Grays.  As you can read on the back, McCutchen had a really good day at the plate while wearing the former catcher's old style uniform.

I have shown other images of Cutch wearing the old Homestead Grays uniform in the past.  Maybe I can do this every Thursday (#tbt) in February to show off Black History Month.

Anyone want to learn about Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Smokey Joe, etc every Thursday this February?

I would really love to add some more Josh Gibson cards to my collection, but originals from the 30s and 40s are ridiculously expensive.

Just a random card...Throwback Thursday style

I am very short on time today as I am focusing on a fairly long post to write in addition to some great content over the next few weeks.

Instead I will just share this random card of Cutch wearing a Throwback uniform.

Like everything else Topps is doing there are parallels to collect.

We now live in a world where the inserts have multiple parallels.  It's not ok to just get a Salute card 1 in every 2 packs.  Now you have to chase the black, blue, and parallels too.

If you supercollect, that's four more cards to add to the collection.   I have three of the four by the way.  The red escaped me when it went for over $65 (!!!!!!?????)

Throwback Thursday: Researching the Image

One of my favorite features on here is to highlight #tbt cards, cards that feature Cutch wearing older uniforms.

In 2012 Topps released a photo variant for card #497. It featured Cutch and the Pirate Parrot doing a little batting practice before the game.  Cutch was dressed in the old Negro League uniform of the Homestead Grays famously worn by Hall of Fame legend, Josh Gibson aka "The Black Babe Ruth".

After some quick researched I determined that the card's photo is from a July 23rd 2011 game between the Cardinals at Pirates.  The Cardinals would go on to win the game 9-1 according to Baseball Reference.  All the pregame wiffleball batting practice didn't do him much good as he went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts.  There wasn't much to cheer for in the game as Brandon Wood knocked in the Pirates lone run.  Rookie Tony Watson pitched 3 scoreless frames in relief of All-Star Kevin Correia who gave up 7 earned runs in the first 4 innings.

It sure is fun to go back and research some old boxscores.  Ronny Cedeno batted second that day and Joe Beimel got the final out to avoid the Cardinals from putting up double digits.

Have you ever researched the games that appear on the cardboard you collect?