(This post was originally published on May 26, 2008.)
So I had just finished scanning the 2007 Topps Distinguished Service Set so I could post it here, and then it occurred to me that I was doing something wrong. Here I was ready to post something about Memorial Day and then I noticed that the people (ball players and historical figures) in the set were either still alive or, in the players' cases, went back to play baseball. It was then I realized that I should save this set for Veteran's Day. Memorial Day was established to honor the men and women who served in the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines) and died in the many wars that the United States have been involved.
Looking at the list of baseball players who served and died for their country, it includes those not only from the US, but from other countries too (many of them are Japanese). I obviously don't have any cards of any of these men, but I thought it would be appropriate to list them here. (If you would like to learn more about the baseball players who gave their lives for their country, you may find the list of links attached to their names (thanks to baseball-reference.com's bullpen wiki.) (Added in 2012 from BR Bullpen website: One caveat: this list contains individuals who died from the effects of War related injuries/disease/chemical warfare as many as ten years after their military service.):
Seizaburo Amakawa
Kenichi Aoshiba
Masakimi Araki
Charlie Becker
Ray Boyd
Hugh Bedient Jr. (name added after original post in 2008 for this post).
Alex Burr
Dell Chambers
Harry Chapman
Larry Chappell
Charles Chase
Gene Curtis
Oran Dodd
Yukio Eguchi
Chuujiro Endo
John Frill
Isamu Fukushi
Goro Fushimi
Fred Gaiser
Elmer Gedeon
Harry Glenn
Eddie Glinnen
Marv Goodwin
Tadashi Goto
Eddie Grant
Newt Halliday
Ichiro Hara
Yasuo Hayashi
Eiji Hirabayashi
Shuichi Hirose
Gordon Houston (name added after original post in 2008 for this post).
Ernie Hrovatic
Hisayuki Ikeda
Yutaka Ishii
Kentaro Ito
Jinkichi Itoh
Masaru Kageura
Daichi Kaino
Nobuo Kato
Tokuhisa Kawamura
Hajime Kuwashima
Noboru Kitahara
Kazuo Kito
Stan Klores (name added after original post in 2008 for this post).
Shoichi Kunihisa
Nobuo Kura
Jack Lummus (name added after original post in 2008 for this post).
Kiyoshi Maeda
Masayoshi Maekawa
Tony Mahoney
Dom Malchiodi (name added after original post in 2008 for this post).
Toshi Masuda
Christy Mathewson
Riichi Matsumoto
Shigeji Matushita
Joe F. McCarthy
Hachiro Miwa
Yoshikichi Miyaguchi
Kunigoro Mori
Minoru Morita
Shigeo Murakami
Chotaro Muramatsu
Yukio Muramatsu
Miyoshi Nakagawa
Masami Nakamura
Saburo Nakamura
Yonekichi Naya
Bob Neighbors
Noboru Noguchi
Harry O'Neill
Toshiyasu Ogawa
Toshio Ohara
Kenichi Ohta
Fukuyoshi Okada
Muneyoshi Okada
Hiroshi Onodera
Yoshizou Oribe
Adelano Rivera
Masao Santa
Eiji Sawamura
Bob Schmukal
Ralph Sharman
Seiichi Shima (name added after original post in 2008 for this post).
Yoshifumi Shimamoto
Uzaburo Shintomi
Kazuji Shiraki
Larry Smith (minor league umpire)
Billy Southworth Jr.
Harry Stees
Toyoo Sugiyama
Takeo Tabe (name added after original post in 2008 for this post).
Momosuke Takano
Kerry Lamont Taylor
Kazutaka Terauchi
Bun Troy
Genbei Tsuji
Carl Tumlinson
Tadashi Ueda
Shizuka Watanabe
Pearl Webster (name added after original post in 2008 for this post).
Charles Wilcox
Susumu Yagi
Masaki Yoshihara
More information about these players may be found at the following websites:
The Deadball Era, Society for American Baseball Research, Veterans Affairs Gravesite Locator, The Encyclopedia of Catchers, Soldiers & Sailors System, The Baseball Necrology, Stars & Stripes.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
(In honor of Sgt. Clinton H. Nichols, husband of my grandmother Gloria Y. Nichols, who survived the Bataan Death March, but died in a camp not long afterwards.)
Monday, May 26, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog...At 6 Years Old!!!
On May 8, 2008, I made the leap into what was back then a very small community of bloggers who shared a common love of a Hobby...of baseball card collecting.
And in the six years that this humble, little blog has been online, the Hobby Blogging Community has evolved. Many of the writers who were around when I started have moved on to other endeavors. Others have made their presences known in other social media outlets. A few went on year-long sabbaticals. Some have left the Hobby for good.
Those who have stuck around through the good times and the bad times in the Hobby Blogging Community have seen a lot of changes. It is inevitable. Change is a constant. And all the stubborn Sheldons in the world can not stop change.
This blog, as well, has been through a lot of changes as well. What started out as a blog to share my collection with the world became one of information, sharing the Hobby news that was relevant to me and my collection. I shared the cards that I had acquired through trades, through shows, and through the kindness of random strangers who somehow stumbled into my little world and helped grow my collection. The blog, in a way, has become my way to communicate with those who shared my passion for the Hobby, whether they were down the street or around the world.
I have noticed that my activity here has been lessened by work and by outside commitments. The Hobby has taken a back seat as my children have gotten older and are now (gasp) moving on to high school and middle school. Their lives have gotten busier with their activities, and as such, our lives (meaning my wife's and mine) have been busy as well.
This post is by no means an announcement that I am ending the blog, nor am I leaving the Hobby Blogging Community. It is quite the contrary. But as I have posted less and less here, the number of readers have dropped as well, to the point that my relevance here may be gone.
The blog will go on. When I can get here.
On a happier note, I looked back at the first post of this blog. I can't believe that in six years that my collection has grown to the where it is now. On May 8, 2008, I had 38,749 cards in my official collection. Six years later, that number has increased by 60 percent. My collection now consists of 62,043 cards. Almost all are in binders that sit on a shelf in my basement. This total does not include the thousands upon thousands of cards that sit in boxes in a closet.
I have my 2014 Topps Series 1 set, the Gypsy Queen set, and pretty soon, the 32 team sets. I am looking forward to add the Archives set, the Allen & Ginter set, and more importantly, Series 2 and the Update Series to my growing collection.
I do realize that all things will come to an end. I have mentioned before that the players I grew up idolizing are no longer in the game, some already earning their way to legendary stature in Cooperstown. Other than an ever shrinking number of players, almost everyone playing in the MLB are younger than I am...and soon, kids my children's age will be making their journeys to the big leagues. When that happens, I will have to decide if I should continue, or just call it a career.
But until then, Happy Anniversary to bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog!!!
(the words to the song for those who either can't access the video, or for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing)
(Gioacchino Rossini; arr. William Hanna / Joseph Barbera)
Practically a restaurant standard, most people don't realize that these lyrics, to the tune of "The William Tell Overture", were written by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera for the episode titled "The Hot Piano".
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
Pour a cheerful toast and fill it
Happy Anniversary
But be careful you don't spill it
Happy Anniversary
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
(Fred and Wilma Talking)
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
(Fred Talking)
Happy she and happy he
They're both as happy as can be
Celebrating merrily
their happy anniversary
(Fred and Wilma Talking)
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
(Fred Talking)
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
We now state emphatically
its happy anniversary
Not another day could be
a happy anniversary
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy (slow)
Happy (slow)
Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy (fast) Anniversary!!!
And may our collections grow today, tomorrow, and forever more!!!
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
And in the six years that this humble, little blog has been online, the Hobby Blogging Community has evolved. Many of the writers who were around when I started have moved on to other endeavors. Others have made their presences known in other social media outlets. A few went on year-long sabbaticals. Some have left the Hobby for good.
Those who have stuck around through the good times and the bad times in the Hobby Blogging Community have seen a lot of changes. It is inevitable. Change is a constant. And all the stubborn Sheldons in the world can not stop change.
This blog, as well, has been through a lot of changes as well. What started out as a blog to share my collection with the world became one of information, sharing the Hobby news that was relevant to me and my collection. I shared the cards that I had acquired through trades, through shows, and through the kindness of random strangers who somehow stumbled into my little world and helped grow my collection. The blog, in a way, has become my way to communicate with those who shared my passion for the Hobby, whether they were down the street or around the world.
I have noticed that my activity here has been lessened by work and by outside commitments. The Hobby has taken a back seat as my children have gotten older and are now (gasp) moving on to high school and middle school. Their lives have gotten busier with their activities, and as such, our lives (meaning my wife's and mine) have been busy as well.
This post is by no means an announcement that I am ending the blog, nor am I leaving the Hobby Blogging Community. It is quite the contrary. But as I have posted less and less here, the number of readers have dropped as well, to the point that my relevance here may be gone.
The blog will go on. When I can get here.
On a happier note, I looked back at the first post of this blog. I can't believe that in six years that my collection has grown to the where it is now. On May 8, 2008, I had 38,749 cards in my official collection. Six years later, that number has increased by 60 percent. My collection now consists of 62,043 cards. Almost all are in binders that sit on a shelf in my basement. This total does not include the thousands upon thousands of cards that sit in boxes in a closet.
I have my 2014 Topps Series 1 set, the Gypsy Queen set, and pretty soon, the 32 team sets. I am looking forward to add the Archives set, the Allen & Ginter set, and more importantly, Series 2 and the Update Series to my growing collection.
I do realize that all things will come to an end. I have mentioned before that the players I grew up idolizing are no longer in the game, some already earning their way to legendary stature in Cooperstown. Other than an ever shrinking number of players, almost everyone playing in the MLB are younger than I am...and soon, kids my children's age will be making their journeys to the big leagues. When that happens, I will have to decide if I should continue, or just call it a career.
But until then, Happy Anniversary to bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog!!!
(the words to the song for those who either can't access the video, or for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing)
(Gioacchino Rossini; arr. William Hanna / Joseph Barbera)
Practically a restaurant standard, most people don't realize that these lyrics, to the tune of "The William Tell Overture", were written by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera for the episode titled "The Hot Piano".
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
Pour a cheerful toast and fill it
Happy Anniversary
But be careful you don't spill it
Happy Anniversary
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
(Fred and Wilma Talking)
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
(Fred Talking)
Happy she and happy he
They're both as happy as can be
Celebrating merrily
their happy anniversary
(Fred and Wilma Talking)
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
(Fred Talking)
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary
We now state emphatically
its happy anniversary
Not another day could be
a happy anniversary
Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy (slow)
Happy (slow)
Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy (fast) Anniversary!!!
And may our collections grow today, tomorrow, and forever more!!!
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
Monday, May 5, 2014
Oh Yes, It's Taco Night, and the Feeling's Right...Oh Wait...I've Been Gone a Full Month AGAIN!!!
To those who haven't given up on this dog-and-pony-show of a blog...thank you for sticking around.
One of the fun things about having a full-time job (and working at home) is that I have...well...work. And it's been a busy time at the new job. Lots of reports, lots of promotions, lots of contracts to maintain, and we have a food show coming up, so there was work to do there.
And then April just came and went.
To be honest, the Cubs poor performance (plus the White Sox trying to stay afloat) hasn't really motivated me to watch many ball games, but the card world still goes on. Thing is though, I have been quietly building the collection up, not only with catching the legendary sp's from 2010 and 2011, but with getting my hands on a 2014 Gypsy Queen set, with inserts.
Once again, Topps nailed it with this set. A good mix of legends and current players in the unique picture format exclusively used for Gypsy Queen. The base set looks great, and I can now claim to have cards of rookie cards of Jose Abreu and Masahiro Tanaka (among others). Now it's time to focus funds on the 32 retail sets before Topps Series 2 arrives on the shelves. More on that when it's time.
Is it really time for me to give up the Random Cards of the Day? The last one I have ready is the one for Tippy Martinez for March 27. I haven't done anything new since. But then again, I haven't made the time to get down to the basement scanner to upload. I might have to spend a weekend just scanning cards for so I have images at the ready.
Back to some Hobby news (as it relates to me anyway).
Topps Bunt, the app that had the Hobby world abuzz early this year, could only be used with Apple i-everythings and only can be accessed through the Apple iStore. Well finally Topps has figured out that not everyone has an Apple device (like me...I have an HTC-One which utilizes Android) and is starting to format their highly popular app for Android devices. Beta-testing will be happening soon, and the company has asked for volunteers to beta-test the Android version. Guess who signed up and was selected to participate? That's right. I do.
Yay!!!
Also, a number of card-bloggers have requested to get their sites onto the big Blogroll or return to the blogroll. I have your emails, I have your tweets, and I will work on getting them onto the site shortly. I apologize for the delays.
Balloting for the All-Star Game at Target Field is up and running. Hoping to get the Series 2 cards before the rosters are announced, and you know this site covers rosters and the impending changes.
Tonight is Cinco de Mayo. A time of celebration in Mexico. It celebrates the day back in 1862 when the Mexican army overcame all odds and beat the French forces at the Battle of Puebla. This is not Mexico's Independence day (that would be September 16), nor is it a national holiday (it is celebrated voluntarily), outside of Mexico. But in the United States, Cinco de Mayo is a day to honor Mexican heritage and pride.
To celebrate, the family is having taco night. I'd splurge on tacos at the Bell (have you tried their breakfast offerings???), but I thought it would be easier (and more cost-effective) to prepare them at home. Somehow home-made tacos just taste better, probably because you can build your own tacos to your tastes. And thanks to Avon, we have all of the taco holders, platters, and other hardware to use.
In 2009, in honor of the holiday, I created my All-Time Mexican Baseball Team. Since 2009, five more Mexican-born players made their MLB debuts, including:
Fernando Salas of the Cardinals (from Huatabampo, Sonora)
Miguel Gonzalez of the Orioles (from Guadalajara, Jalisco)
along with Arturo Lopez (Culiacan, Sinaloa), Francisco Rodriguez (Mexicali, Baja California), and Ali Solis (Mexicali, Baja California).
Celebrate responsibly if you're going to go out tonight.
Gracias por la lectura (Thank you for reading). ¡Adios!
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
One of the fun things about having a full-time job (and working at home) is that I have...well...work. And it's been a busy time at the new job. Lots of reports, lots of promotions, lots of contracts to maintain, and we have a food show coming up, so there was work to do there.
And then April just came and went.
To be honest, the Cubs poor performance (plus the White Sox trying to stay afloat) hasn't really motivated me to watch many ball games, but the card world still goes on. Thing is though, I have been quietly building the collection up, not only with catching the legendary sp's from 2010 and 2011, but with getting my hands on a 2014 Gypsy Queen set, with inserts.
Once again, Topps nailed it with this set. A good mix of legends and current players in the unique picture format exclusively used for Gypsy Queen. The base set looks great, and I can now claim to have cards of rookie cards of Jose Abreu and Masahiro Tanaka (among others). Now it's time to focus funds on the 32 retail sets before Topps Series 2 arrives on the shelves. More on that when it's time.
Is it really time for me to give up the Random Cards of the Day? The last one I have ready is the one for Tippy Martinez for March 27. I haven't done anything new since. But then again, I haven't made the time to get down to the basement scanner to upload. I might have to spend a weekend just scanning cards for so I have images at the ready.
Back to some Hobby news (as it relates to me anyway).
Topps Bunt, the app that had the Hobby world abuzz early this year, could only be used with Apple i-everythings and only can be accessed through the Apple iStore. Well finally Topps has figured out that not everyone has an Apple device (like me...I have an HTC-One which utilizes Android) and is starting to format their highly popular app for Android devices. Beta-testing will be happening soon, and the company has asked for volunteers to beta-test the Android version. Guess who signed up and was selected to participate? That's right. I do.
Yay!!!
Also, a number of card-bloggers have requested to get their sites onto the big Blogroll or return to the blogroll. I have your emails, I have your tweets, and I will work on getting them onto the site shortly. I apologize for the delays.
Balloting for the All-Star Game at Target Field is up and running. Hoping to get the Series 2 cards before the rosters are announced, and you know this site covers rosters and the impending changes.
Tonight is Cinco de Mayo. A time of celebration in Mexico. It celebrates the day back in 1862 when the Mexican army overcame all odds and beat the French forces at the Battle of Puebla. This is not Mexico's Independence day (that would be September 16), nor is it a national holiday (it is celebrated voluntarily), outside of Mexico. But in the United States, Cinco de Mayo is a day to honor Mexican heritage and pride.
To celebrate, the family is having taco night. I'd splurge on tacos at the Bell (have you tried their breakfast offerings???), but I thought it would be easier (and more cost-effective) to prepare them at home. Somehow home-made tacos just taste better, probably because you can build your own tacos to your tastes. And thanks to Avon, we have all of the taco holders, platters, and other hardware to use.
In 2009, in honor of the holiday, I created my All-Time Mexican Baseball Team. Since 2009, five more Mexican-born players made their MLB debuts, including:
Fernando Salas of the Cardinals (from Huatabampo, Sonora)
Miguel Gonzalez of the Orioles (from Guadalajara, Jalisco)
along with Arturo Lopez (Culiacan, Sinaloa), Francisco Rodriguez (Mexicali, Baja California), and Ali Solis (Mexicali, Baja California).
Celebrate responsibly if you're going to go out tonight.
Gracias por la lectura (Thank you for reading). ¡Adios!
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama