George Bell, Josh Donaldson, and Purple Butts

Today, Josh Donaldson was named the American League Most Valuable Player, making him the first Toronto Blue Jay to win the award since George Bell in 1987. I decided to share a few quick facts about each of these great players, to help give us all a better understanding of two of the most significant […]

Mike Krushelnyski, Cartoon Airbrushing, and a Simpler Time

Cards like this beauty of Mike Krushelnyski bring me back to a simpler time. A time when we knew which photos were altered and which ones weren’t. Things are a lot more complicated, photo-wise, now. Just go on the Internet and look for anything, you’ll understand. In 1988, there was no Photoshop, and I think the […]

Knocking Hockey Hall of Famers Down a Peg or Two

There’s a lot of talk today about the class of 2015 being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight. And sure, it’s a great group. Among NHL stars Sergei Fedorov, Phil Housley, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Chris Pronger, there is US National Team star Angela Ruggiero as well as builders Peter Karmanos and Bill Hay. […]

Joe Torre, Playoff Droughts, and Being Uncomfortable on Photo Day

With Game 5 of the World Series going tonight at Citi “I Wish They Still Called It Shea Stadium” Field, I thought I’d talk about the Mets a little. And in this case, someone that a lot of people forget was a Met for a while. Joe Torre, who looks wildly uncomfortable here on 1981 Fleer […]

Doug Jones: Closer, All-Star, Moustache.

There is a lot of 1992 to discuss here. I’ll start with the moustache. Thick and rich, getting in the way of food and drink… that’s what a real man’s moustache is supposed to look like. I’m told that he looks “like a vacuum cleaner.” I had to have that one explained to me, but […]

The Chicago Cubs, Back to the Future, and Blue Pyjamas

Well, a lot of what I believed in came crashing down around me today. See, today was the day Marty McFly got to the future in Back to the Future Part 2. It’s now October 21, 2015. We don’t have hoverboards. We don’t have flying cars. We don’t have self-drying jackets or self-tightening shoes or […]

Gary Pettis, Pac-Man, and the Fountain of Youth

Take a look at this card. You might be wondering if Gary Pettis won a contest at his elementary school where the prize was the opportunity to appear on a Topps Major League Baseball card. The answer is no, that is not the case. Gary Pettis was, in reality, 27 years old in 1985. However, […]