Category: Shohei Ohtani (Page 3 of 3)
I have to rant a little bit about the Cubs today. They set another Major League Baseball record, scoring only one run in each of their last five games, all via solo home runs. A good 10-5 start to August, a critical month in the drive to a pennant, is getting ugly, especially considering these games have been against the struggling Pirates and Tigers. Happ, Zobrist, Rizzo, and Schwarber (2x) have provided the lowly offense, while Cub pitchers have been effective, giving up only 7 runs in 47 innings of work. The result: a rocky 10-8 August push, while the Cardinals have gone 16-4 in the same time span. Hopefully, yesterday’s acquisition of Daniel Murphy from the Nationals will stop the bleeding, as he’s been an offensive terror in Wrigley Field as an opposing hitter.
As a baseball card collector, you have to narrow your focus because you can’t buy everything. I decided early this season to buy highlight cards that are printed in limited quantities. Topps Now offers such cards that are unique to collectors and sold only for 24 hours. They usually only sell five different cards a day based on record-breaking and outstanding individual achievement. I decided from the beginning of the season to buy any cards they issue for the Cubs, White Sox, and Angels’ rookie Shohei Ohtani. So far, with the injuries to Ohtani, the lack of highlights by the White Sox, and the inconsistent Cub play, I haven’t spent much, even with a $10 individual cost. It will be interesting to see if they issue a card for this dubious Cubs record of five straight one-run games. Also, it looks like I’ll avoid having to buy the debut card of White Sox rookie, Michael Kopech, who had an uneventful start last night. Ohtani hit well but the Angels lost. I probably will not be adding to my collection today, although even after the Cubs lost the other night, they sold an exclusive Living Set of cards for Ryne Sandburg and Anthony Rizzo to get my money anyway. It was interesting that the Rizzo card was bundled in a package with a Daniel Murphy card the day before it was announced he would be a Cub. These cards give me something to look forward to in the mailbox each day.
Speaking of collecting baseball stuff, here’s a lesson in investing that might be of interest. My son sent me some photos of a baseball that his Grandmother found in her sister’s attic. It was hidden in a box with a bunch of Christmas ornaments and was nearly thrown-out with the trash. As it turns out, the ball was a gift to my former mother-in-law’s sister from a group of co-workers that went to Yankee Stadium for the World Series. She was left behind to run the office in their absence. After some research, the autographs on the ball were from the 1937 champions, including a rare signature from skipper Joe McCarthy, plus Lefty Gomez, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig . It was recently valued and authenticated by Antique Roadshow at $45,000. By the same token, Mickey Mantle’s 1964 World Series jersey recently sold at auction for 1.32 Million.
As I told my son, the value is only what someone else is willing to pay for it. Most of my collection is only worth something to me, but who knows? There may be something that I pass on to him someday that might be worth more than the $10 that I paid for it. The things in my office make me smile, as do the baseball cards that come in the mail. That’s all I can ask for as a collector of treasured junk. I just hope the Cubs can “collect” a “W” today against the Tigers, even if it just takes one run…again.
The Cubs are on a roll, 12 games over 500 and winning again today over the Pirates. They are only a half-game behind the division-leading Brewers and face them next prior to the Cardinals. This next week of baseball will determine the Central Division standings going into the All-Star break.
The Cubs have been winning in card-worthy fashion, as Topps Now has issued commemorative baseball cards, highlighting game-winning performances by Jason Heyward and Ian Happ. Heyward hit a walk-off grand slam against the Phillies and Happ made three diving catches to beat the Pirates yesterday. These will “Now” be in my collection, especially since the Angels’ rookie-sensation, Shohei Ohtani is on the DL and won’t be dominating card production for a few weeks.
Even the White Sox beat former teammate Chris Sale and the Red Sox 1-0 yesterday. It’s rare when both Chicago teams, my favorites, win on the same day. Oregon State also beat Minnesota in yesterday’s Super Regional to put the finishing touches on a great day of winning baseball.
I got up at 3:15 this morning, shuffled through a one mile run in the dark, and flew from PDX to LAX. At the LA Airport I hopped on a big blue bus with Mickey’s portrait on the side. I arrived at the Disneyland Hotel an hour later, looking for a place to watch baseball and have lunch. I didn’t have to walk too far to find it.
It was the start of a big afternoon and evening in Anaheim, waiting for the start of the Angels vs. Red Sox finale. Hopefully, young Ohtani will provide a rookie spark and save the Angels from a disastrous Bean-town sweep. I took a bar seat at Downtown Disney’s ESPN Zone to watch the Cubs beat the Cardinals. As soon as I sat down the Cubs had a four-run inning and then held to tie the series. The bartender’s name tag indicated that he was a Cubs fan, so I felt right at home. Fortunately, I had already eaten my delicious Cheese-steak sandwich, or I might have lost my appetite after a poor relief effort by Eddie Butler. This time “the Butler nearly undid it,” giving up 3 earned runs without a single out. Old man John Lester pitched six solid innings of two-hit ball to reduce his overall ERA to 3.1. He’s part of the Cubs slow- starting pitching rotation that began the day as the third worst in all of baseball. The final score was 8-5 on another cold, brisk day at Wrigley Field. I’m now sitting here in the sunshine watching the Astros dominate the Mariners.
I’ll catch an Uber to Angels stadium and probably stay for an hour or so before I head back on Amtrak to Beverly Hills for the night. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Oh My! It will be first time at Angel Stadium and 20th different home field, so I’ll do a lot of walking around. While my wife works tomorrow, I’ll have another day to myself before we move to Santa Monica.
I’ll try my best to keep tabs on the Trailblazers tonight, but I’ve pretty much given up on them. I fully expected them to win game #2 in my presence the other night. They have to beat the odds on the Pelican’s home court to get back in Playoff contention. I stood under Merlin’s giant cap here at Disneyland to send them some powerful wizard magic.
Goofy just walked by and kids are screaming, so I definitely know that I’m at Disneyland. I’ve only been here once before, in sharp contrast to my frequent visits to Walt Disney World in Orlando. There I am Disney Grandpa, but today I’m just out of place “dirty old man” and ready for a ballpark hot dog.
Another rainy weekend with little to do but watch movies. I did get out to a baseball card show but found little of interest at my limited budget. There are always lots of things that you’d like to have, but supply and demand dictates. I did go on E-bay and buy a Sherm Lollar signature catcher’s mitt that I saw once listed at twice the price. It will go nicely with the 63-year old jersey that I got for Christmas this past year. (See Post #257). It is one of my prized possessions. Here’s some history on it that I researched and included as part of the display in my office:
Sherm Lollar #10 Game Worn Jersey 1955
This uniform was worn in these first four home games at Comiskey Park in 1955:
4/14/1955 vs. K.C. Athletics W 7-1 1-3 with a triple, RBI and run
4/16/1955 vs. Cleveland Indians W 9-4 1-4
4/17/1955 vs. Cleveland Indians W 3-1 1-3
4/17/1955 vs. Cleveland Indians L 4-2 2-3 with an RBI
In this uniform, Sherm went 5-13 with a triple. The Sox team ended 1955 with a 91-63 record in 3rd place, 5 games behind the Yankees.
Sherm Lollar was 30 years old in 1955 and played in 138 games, batting 426 times. In hitting only .261 he was still an All-Star and finished 11th in the AL MVP voting that was won by Yogi Berra. Teammates Nellie Fox (#7) and Billy Pierce (#18) also finished in the top MVP voting. Ted Williams finished 4th and Mickey Mantle #5.
1956 was Sherm’s best year as a hitter at .293. His 18-year career included 9 All-Star appearances, 3 Golden Gloves, and a .264 average. He also earned 2 World Series rings as a player and coach. He played 12 years with the White Sox, 3 years with the St. Louis Browns, 2 years with the Yankees, and 1 year with the Cleveland Browns.
This year’s White Sox team is off to another predictable slow start at 4-8. Since I first adopted Sherm Lollar as my favorite Sox player back in the 1959 World Series, it would be 46 years later until I finally saw them win the World Championship. I will give them another year to build a formidable team, and continue to support the Northside Cubs as a result of their success the past couple of years. Admittedly, I’m a fair weather fan, but Chicago baseball championships are a rarity, so unlike most city loyalists I support both teams to enhance my odds. I will struggle to determine a favorite when I see both teams play against each other in the Crosstown Classic later this year. I’m not sure what I’d do if they both made it to the World Series? The last time was 1906, only a hundred and twelve short years ago, so I won’t lose any sleep over that decision.
Today is M.L.B. Jackie Robinson Day, so every player is wearing a #42 jersey, but both the White Sox and Cubs players did not take the field due to the cold, wet, wintry conditions in Chicago and Minneapolis. I wonder if they’ll wear their number 42 uniforms in the make-up games, since they are often sold to raise money for charity? The weather was definitely a strong factor in yesterday’s Cubs victory, fueled by an unbelievable 9-run 8th inning rally. I had checked the score after the 4th inning and found the Cubbies down 10-2 to the Braves, so like a true fair weather fan I gave up my intent to watch in favor of a movie. They ended up scoring 9 runs with just 3 hits and won 14-10. I had to buy the Topps Now card to document the victory, so another $9.99 invested in my sports collection. These particular high-quality, limited-edition cards are only sold during a 24-hour period and are a great way to document the season. So far, I’ve bought the Cub’s Ian Happ card showing his first pitch homer on opening day, the White Sox’s Matt Davidson’s 3-HR opening day card, and several Angel’s Shohei Ohtani highlight cards after the Babe Ruth like start by this rookie phenom from Japan. I’m sure there will be plenty of players featured on tomorrow’s Topps Now cards wearing #42 in honor of the player who broke the color barrier in baseball back on April 15, 1947 with the Dodgers, but none from the Cubs or White Sox.
It’s been a disappointing week of sports, starting with another Villanova NCAA Basketball championship, not that I would have been any happier if Michigan had won it all. Furthermore, the only two Cubs games that I’ve watched the opposition joyously walked-off in victory. Tiger Woods has not played well at The Masters, so his hopes of becoming the greatest comeback sports story in history are dashed. The Portland Trailblazers are still fighting to win their division after a couple of tough outings. Oregon State baseball has dropped out of the top spot in college baseball, while I.U. had finally made it into the Top 10 before being upset by rival Purdue. My White Sox also lost their last two after a great two-win start to the season. It was a “weak week” for all of my favorites.
As far as “upsets,” last week was no different. While on our cruise ship near Greece, I had little access to the world of sports. It was just as well that I was far removed from “March Sadness,” with no teams left to follow. I was instead looking forward to seeing Olympia, the site of the very first Olympic Games and a must-see mecca for any sports fan. Due to high winds our ship was unable to port, so that site still remains on my bucket list. I was hoping to find an ancient gold medal that no one else had stumbled upon. It’s still there!
Despite these setbacks, I still managed to add to my sports collection with a couple of Sherm Lollar photos, White Sox Opening Day cards, and two Topps Now cards of Shohei Ohtani, the Angels rookie sensation from Japan who hit his first three home runs this week. I also wait with anticipation for Indiana high school basketball standout Romeo Langford to finally make his college decision, now that the McDonald’s All-American Game is history. He had 19 points, including three 3-pointers as his East team lost to the West. He’ll next play here in Portland next week as part of the Nike Hoop Summit that I will be attending. I think I’m headed for more disappointment in hoping that he will elect to play for Indiana next year. The only positive for Hoosier basketball in recent times has been the women’s NIT championship that they claimed last week in Bloomington. Go Lady Hoosiers!
The Cubbies much anticipated home opener will be Monday against the hot, division-leading Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs struggled against them early last year, but hopefully The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field will bring out the best from the “Good Guys.” I did find out that my wife and I will be in Chicago for this year’s Crosstown Classic at Guaranteed Rate Filed, so I’ll hopefully get to see both of my favorites on the diamond this September. The only other baseball game I have planned so far this year is Oregon State when they play here against Portland University at Ron Tonkin Field in a few weeks. It will be my second Beaver baseball game this year after seeing them beat Cal Poly in Surprise, Arizona. They won their first 13 games this year, then added a 7-game victory streak, before uncharacteristically losing three out of the next four against Washington and Utah. They’ll face the state rival Ducks for a three-game series in Corvallis before traveling here to Portland to battle the Pilots.
Here’s to a strong next week!