Triple Play

                                          Kevin Brown, 1992 Donruss "Triple Play" series

This beauty right here is part of Donruss' "Triple Play" series. A triple play is when you get three guys out on one play. Donruss captured the essence of the triple play with this here picture of Kevin Brown pitching. Did this very pitch induce a dramatic and rare triple play? VERY unlikely, although I bet there were guys on base with zero outs. It probably induced a home run that induced Kevin Brown to punch something. Still though. TRIPLE PLAY. I like these primary and secondary colors. Very soothing. Let's check out the back to find out more about the triple play.

THE FIRST SPRING TRAINING BY A PROFESSIONAL TEAM IS BELIEVED TO BE BY THE CHICAGO NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAM IN 1886.

Interesting AND relevant. I always wondered, "Which professional team was the first ever to practice in March," and now I sort of know the answer! I like the term "believed to be" when used without any indication of who believes it. Let's just assume Kevin Brown himself researched this little tidbit while executing a triple play, since there is nary a mention elsewhere on this card about Kevin Brown or a triple play. Nevertheless, boy, I wish I could have seen the looks on the faces of the guys on the Chicago National League Team when Smokey "Too Drunk" Filmore suggested they practice baseball during huntin' season! History is hilarious.

Anyway, so it looks like Kevin Brown did not have a great year in '91, walking 90 and striking out 96. That is a 96/90 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which means that for every 96 guys he struck out, he walked 90. Talk about a triple play!

Kevin Brown is one of the most popular players to ever wear a Yankee uniform, and by popular I mean it's popular to talk about how he is not very popular, like, AT ALL. It' hard to pinpoint the exact reason Brown did not really connect with Yankees fans ... the not very pleasant persona? ... the lack of adequate performance? ... the time he broke his hand punching the wall like a meathead during a division race? ... the time he lasted two innings in Game Seven of the World Series, putting a bow on the greatest postseason collapse in baseball history? ... his inclusion in the Mitchell Report? Who knows. The point is that: triple play!

Brown sort of made a living of not connecting with his fans. According to Wikipedia:

Kevin Brown's tenure with the Padres during the 1998 season was somewhat marred when the San Diego fans chose to cheer slugger Sammy Sosa during his home run chase along with Mark McGwire. Frustrated by the fact that the Padres were trying to win games during a pennant race, Kevin Brown insulted San Diego fans to the media.

I kind of get that, and I kind of don't. Retrospect and steroids aside, baseball fans like to, I think, cheer for baseball, and it's cool to celebrate things that transcend your own team. That said, I like to think I would have booed the crap out of Sosa or McGwire were they to have attempted to pursue their ludicrous home run chase in the confines of Yankee Stadium. Nevertheless, I can totally picture Brown striking out Sosa, tossing his glove to the ground and screaming to the hostile home crowd, "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"

At least it appears Brown has been humbled by it all. According to Wiki:

In 2006, a neighbor accused Brown of pulling a gun on him after Brown accused the neighbor of putting yard debris on his side of the yard.

GIT YER LEAVES OFF MY SIDE ADA YARD SYLVESTER OR I'LL POP A CAP IN YER KEISTER I JUST DRANK THREE GALLONS A HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE JUST TRY ME

I don't think I could have made up something more befitting of my perception of a retired Kevin Brown than that, and that actually happened. Okay fine, it's believed by some to have happened.

So we got the gun ... we got the fist ... we're just one knife short of a ... TRIPLE PLAY!

The Leaders

In 1986 there were two Yankees leaders. One of them was Donald Arthur Mattingly, the greatest baseball player who has ever lived in the universe. The other was Rickey Henderson, who was pretty good, I guess, but who deferred to Mattingly. There were no other leaders.

But there was another leader. He couldn't be found in the clubhouse, for he was the leader of Yankees fans everywhere. Every day, day after day, without exception, except for away games and off days, this leader would wake up, put on his Yankee red shorts, not put on a shirt, fluff his hair, and head to the ballpark. The name of the ballpark was Yankee Stadium, a.k.a. Leader Stadium. He sat in the front row. The crowd knew when to cheer because this leader would stand up and not have a shirt on and start cheering, and so everyone else would know that something good happened. Did the Yankees score? Probably. Just clap.

On one glorious day in 1986, the three leaders of Yankeeland converged in such an epic and magnificent display of leadership, it could never again be duplicated. Donnie Baseball, a.k.a Hitman, a.k.a. G.O.A.T. drove in Rickey on a biz-omb--standard--and when the two heroes converged at home plate, they executed the world's only known perfect high-ten. Their hands clasped together, an audible sound of batting gloves converging with force could be heard for miles, and the shockwaves of awesomeness it sent through the air began to inspire people all around the country. (Note: For example, that was the day Bill Gates invented the computer and also the day Chesley Sullenberger decided to become a pilot.) Amazingly, caught in between this epic high-ten, and putting forth an undercurrent of swagger in his own right was leader of the Yankees fans, understandably and bravely leading the cheers. It was leadership personified, and it would never, ever, ever, ever happen again.

Except the next year it happened again when Donnie hit a grand salami--standard--and broke the record for grand salamis in a season and then executed another perfect high-ten with his boy Rickey at the dish.

But therein lies the mystery ...

Was the leader of the Yankees fans there? Did the fans know to cheer? It's impossible to tell, because stupid Topps orange'd out the whole thing.

But like my mom always used to say, you can't just orange out a leader. I believe somewhere, in between Donnie and Rickey's crotches probably, is a blurry, shirtless man with a puff of hair on his chest clapping his ass off. Being a leader.

Hat tip to Punk Rock Paint, for his finest work yet.

Get Your Squint On

Ed Romero, 1990 Bowman

GUYS THIS IS THE CARD THAT GOT ME INTO COLLECTING BASEBALL CARDS.

ED ROMERO STANDING AROUND.

LIKE A PIMP.

"C'MON MIKE. COLLECT CARDS LIKE THIS. IT'S EXCITING!" IS WHAT HE IS TELLING ME WITH HIS EYES.

CHECK OUT THE BOWMAN DETAIL.

ROCKIN' THE TIGHT RAINBOW BORDER WITH THE MINISCULE WORDS, GET AT ME, DOG.

EVERY BOWMAN CARD EVERY MADE WAS EXACTLY LIKE THIS.

"KILL 'EM WITH CONSISTENCY." -- BOWMAN

"AND BOREDOM." -- CRITICS

PFFT AIN'T TRYING TO HEAR DAT!

YOU THOUGHT THE FRONT WAS DOPE? CHECK OUT THE BIZ-ACK, PLAYA:

MICROSOFT EXCEL SPREADSHEET.

HOLD UP, LEMME GET MY READING GLASSES.

I AM 11, DON'T HAVE ANY.

GET YOUR SQUINT ON!

CHECK IT OUT, ED ROMERO PLAYED THIRD BASE BUT SOMETIMES HE PLAYED SECOND BASE.

WHY NOT PLAY EVERY BASE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT? (JOKE.)

ONE THING THAT'S BEEN BUGGING ME FOR A HOT MINUTE: HOW MANY WALKS DID ED ROMERO HAVE VERSUS THE REDS IN 1989?

NOT APPLICABLE!

NOW I CAN SLEEP.

ED ROMERO SLUGGED .000 VERSUS THE PIRATES IN '89, KEEP IT IN YOUR BACK POCKET FOR TRIVIA SEASON.

THE CARDINALS COULDN'T STOP ED ROMERO, THEY COULD ONLY HOPE TO CONTAIN HIM.

THEY SORT OF CONTAINED HIM.

ED ROMERO'S FULL FIRST NAME IS EDGARDO, NOT EDUARDO AS IS POPULARLY THOUGHT AMONGST ED ROMERO FANS.

I FOUND THAT INFORMATION ELSEWHERE, DIDN'T FIT IN THE CHART.

IN 2007, ROMERO WAS THE FLORIDA MARLINS' MINOR LEAGUE INFIELD COORDINATOR.

WHOSE GONNA COORDINATE THE INFIELD LIKE EDGARDO?

"NOBODY." -- KEITH SWEAT

"HEY SHORTSTOP, PLAY SHORTSTOP!"

"GROUNDSCREW, THIS INFIELD NEEDS MORE DIRT!"

COORDINATE THAT ISH, PLAYA!

LIKE A PIMP.

Bless You, Bergie

Dave Bergman, 1986 Topps

When I was a kid and daydreamed about the time when I would be a big leaguer, this is pretty much exactly how I pictured myself—waiting patiently for BP, wearing a sweet wristband and rocking the Blue Blockers, a sliver of my well-groomed yet unkempt mustache glistening in the sunshine, staring off into the distance, hero-like, with a “What? You want to mess with this?” attitude. When I was a kid, I was Dave Bergman. When I was a kid, I was a man.

There are a few cool anecdotes re: Bergman. Born in Illinois, he was drafted by his hometown Cubs out of high school but instead chose to get an education. As someone who maintains a great respect for education and learning about stuff, allow me to say, NEEEEEEERD! If I had been drafted by the Yankees out of high school, I would not have been able to sign fast enough. As it is I cannot remember anything I supposedly learned during high school or college. Besides, doesn't society just open its doors for former athletes anyway? But seriously kids, stay in school.

Bergman later would fulfill my own pipe dream by getting drafted by the Yankees, at which point he killed it in the minors, so obviously the Yankees traded him. He got traded again--twice in one day, in fact--landing with the eventual WS champion '84 Tigers. During that season Bergman had, according to manager Sparky Anderson, the greatest at-bat ever. Wiki:

On June 4, 1984, Bergman came to bat in the 11th inning with two men on base and two outs in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Bergman fouled off seven pitches, and on a full count hit the 13th pitch of the at bat into the upper deck at Tiger Stadium for a walk-off, three-run home run. In his book, Bless You Boys, Detroit manager, Sparky Anderson, wrote, "Tonight I saw the greatest at bat in my life...Bergie fouled off seven pitches and then picked one practically off the ground and drilled it into the upper deck in right. What a battle! Bergie was up there a full seven minutes.

I love baseball anecdotes like that. I haven't read Bless You Boys, but does the whole thing read like a diary?

Chapter 6
Tonight I saw the greatest at-bat of my life ...

Chapter 8
Today I ate three bananas and then became constipated ...

Chapter 17
Sorry I didn't write yesterday. I was busy. Anyway, yesterday Bergie said something funny that I can't write down or else I'll get in trouble. It was about Polish people. Gibby and Louie were cracking up.

More:

He hit a career high .294 for the Tigers in 1988, and in August 1989, he broke up a Nolan Ryan no-hitter with a one-out single in the 9th inning.

A memorable walk-off home run, a World Series title, and breaking up a Nolan Ryan no-no would be more than enough for me live off of. Actually, a walk-off home run would be enough. I would never want to be responsible for breaking up a Nolan Ryan no-hitter because I would fear for my life the rest of my life. That is the kind of man I actually grew up to be.

In 2001 Bergman took part in an online interview with Ray Kerby in which either Kerby, while editing, or Bergman, while communicating, used a ton of exclamation points. Sampler:

I just enjoyed playing all sports!
I liked them because they were playing for the Cubs!
College allowed me to grow up in a controlled environment!
It took hard work and perserverance!
Joe Niekro is today my best friend!
I had no idea, but I was glad to be traded to Detroit!
I looked for a breaking ball and I got it!
I love working with kids!

Bergie seems like a happy dude. And who can blame him? He lived the dream.

Hologram Card Sponsored by Cereal Features Player Who Retired Six Years Prior

Did you ever wonder what would happen if Kellogg's Corn Flakes combined forces with Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Player's Association and also SportsFlics? Yes? Of course you have! WE ALL HAVE. And have you also concluded that this hypothetical joining of forces would inevitably produce the greatest ... thing, in like, forever? No doubt. Well wonder no more, fellow daydreamers! For today we unveil something that was unveiled in 1992 but that you probably never even knew about because it was too hot to handle/too cold to hold at the time.

Tom Seaver, 1992 Kellogg's/SportsFlics Corn Flakes All-Star

HIGH-DEFINITION.

Tom Seaver retired in 1986, so Kellogg's was mad timely with its Tom Seaver Corn Flakes All-Star hologram card from 1992. Say you were a kid in '92, and you were eating cornflakes because you were weird or your mom made you eat at least one bowl of cornflakes after downing six bowls of Chocolate Fruity Pebbles, and you were like, "I wonder if there's a super thick card inside this box featuring two indistinguishable images of an old fart baseball player* ..." Well, in this oddly specific scenario, you'd be in luck!

Tom Seaver: Never thought I'd see the day where I'd be featured on a hologram card! It's true what they say -- we're living in the future!

Kelloggs: Indeed, Tom! We here at Kellogg's, the cereal company, are at the forefront of hologram technology.

Regular kid: This is instantly the worst card I own. What is going on?

Seaver: What I want people to take away from my career the most is that I was a Kellogg's Corn Flakes
All-Star.

Kellogg's: Please, everyone, remember that the term Corn Flakes is trademarked and the phrase All-Star is
also copyrighted and owned by us, so ... be careful out there.

Regular kid: This card looks like someone took a Polaroid of a picture in a newspaper that was printed off-center, and then took a picture of that.

Seaver was the ultimate hard-working professional.

Tom Seaver drank a glass of orange juice and ate a bowl of Kellogg's Corn Flakes each and every morning before kissing his family goodbye and going off into the treacherous world of making hundreds of thousands of dollars for throwing a baseball once every five days.

He used excellent control and pitch selection along with a 98-mph fastball

Pretty sure the 98-mph fastball exceeded pitch selection in importance. When you have a 98-mph fastball, pitch selection is either a) not every important, or b) fastball.

to exceed his team's winning percentage 16 of 20 seasons.

Being able to exceed your team's winning percentage for X-amount of seasons is just a weird thing to mention. For starters, as we always say, wins are stupid for a pitcher. Also, it means the team(s) you pitched for kind of sucked, which is neither here nor there. Also, the pitcher's wins are shared by the team, which actually works against the pitcher in this statistical nightmare. Also, wins are stupid for a pitcher.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed today's installment of Hologram Cards Sponsored by Cereal Featuring Players Who Retired Six Years Prior. Hat tip to Bill, blog-follower and lover of cornflakes, apparently.

*Only on this blog can a player of Tom Seaver's stature be referred to as "an old fart baseball player." You're all getting your money's worth.

Hall of Fame Brain Teaser

When I'm bored or trying to fall asleep, I like coming up with baseball brain teasers. Here's one that I haven't figured out yet:

Name a current Hall of Famer who never played on a team with another Hall of Famer.

I thought I had this figured out. I thought that George Brett was an answer, but then I remembered that Gaylord Perry was on the Royals in 1983, and Harmon Killebrew in 1975.

Another potential answer was Tony Gwynn, but he played with Roberto Alomar back in the late 1980s. Or how about the newly inducted Barry Larkin? Well, Tony Perez was on the 1986 Cincinnati squad, the year Larkin was called up.

It's sort of like a reverse Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, and harder than you think. I'll post a list of the permutations later in the week, but in the meantime, post your responses as comments on this post.

Gaylord's Wet Stuff

Gaylord Perry, Baseball's All-Time Greats

A few years ago I was covering a celebrity baseball game in Scottsdale to kick off spring training. I was in the dugout taking pictures, and at one point everybody had left to warm up and the only people left in the dugout were me and Gaylord Perry. Now, if I were to make a list of Hall of Fame baseball players I'd like to meet, Gaylord Perry would probably not be on that list. That said, it was somewhat surreal, sharing a space with a Hall of Famer. I was actually kind of nervous; too nervous to make small talk -- "So, Gaylord ... baseball, huh?" He did pose for a few pictures though, action shots of him sitting there and looking like Wilfred Brimley. He was nice.

So anyway, I hope you liked that story where absolutely nothing happened.

Gaylord Perry made many moves -- fidgeting here, touching his face, or anything he could before delivering his pitch --

"Gaylord: Cheatin' or tweekin'?" would have been the headline of a snarky blog post had Perry pitched in 2012 instead of 1965.

a pitch widely suspected of resembling a "spitball".

That is how Joe Morgan would have described a Gaylord Perry pitch. Widely suspected of resembling? Here is how I would have written this:

"Gaylord Perry made many moves, like throwing a spitball and writing a book called, Me and the Spitter, which was about the spitball that he totally threw all the time."

But even though he was practically undressed by umpires in search of his "wet stuff,"

Umpire: Alright, Gaylord, take yer pants off. Been hearing some rumblin' from the fellas 'bout yer wet stuff, and s'bout time I went in to check for m'self.

Gaylord Perry: Can you buy me a drink first?

Finding the wet stuff was akin to locating WMD in Iraq, and ultimately led to the embarrassing end of that particular Umpire Administration's regime. Voters and fans wanted to know, "Where's the wet stuff?"

none was ever found

Except for: On August 23, 1982, he was ejected from a game against the Boston Red Sox for doctoring the ball, and given a 10-day suspension, and, again, Perry titling his 1974 autobiography, Me and the Spitter. Other than those things, and the endless anecdotes from catchers and opposing players and Perry himself about how he totally threw a spitball, all this spitball stuff is hearsay.

"Without the wet stuff, I've had enough." -- Johnny Cochrane

Perry presents the all-too-familiar dilemma: do we ignore his accomplishments due to his cheating, or do we ignore his cheating -- sometimes even laud it -- and focus on the overall package? The answer, as with steroids, lies somewhere in between. No doubt Perry's success was aided by an illegal pitch that both physically and mentally messed with hitters. He also, however, in 1972 threw 342 (!) innings, 29 complete games, struck out 234, posted a sub-2 ERA and sub-1 WHIP, and won the Cy Young. That's impressive no matter what he was doing to his balls.

Regardless, thanks to this very card, I think we can all agree that Gaylord Perry's legacy primarily involves the term wet stuff, so poetic in its construction. After all, is it not true to say that, at one time or another, each and every one of us has hid from view our proverbial wet stuff?

Inside Informant

Don Mattingly, 1989 SCD Baseball Card Pricing Guide Monthly

I am posting this as a public service announcement so that nothing like this ever happens again. Granted, Don Mattingly is no longer an active player, so this probably will not happen again. But still. Let us never forget ... that this is the worst picture of Donnie Baseball ever produced.

Look at this! He looks like a guffawing, double-chinned, mustachioed redneck who spent his life savings to attend Yankees fantasy camp.

Uhh, where'd ya'll said the port-a-johns wuz?

UNACCEPTABLE. Where is the eye black? Why is it so dark outside? Why is Donnie so sullen when he is the undisputed champion of life? If this picture were on facebook, Donnie wouldn't be able to untag himself fast enough.

If my scissor hatchet job does not adequately come across here, allow me to inform you that I cut this beauty out of, apparently, SCD Baseball Card Price Guide Monthly. Yes, I was cutting baseball cards out of a monthly guide that priced baseball cards. Man, I was cool back in the diz-ay. Unfortunately, the SCD Guide did not price its own cards, probably because they weren't cards and were not meant to be cut out of the magazine. Nevertheless, this card is worth, according to me, $18, if only because the back includes a picture of Donnie's rookie card, and a picture of a Mattingly rookie card is worth a minimum of $15 even in the current financial climate.

INSIDE INFORMATION

Interesting. Here I am, an 11-year-old kid, thinking I know all there is to know about my favorite player and hero, and along comes this card claiming to have inside information. Delving any deeper into the world of Mattingly could, I suppose, uncover some truths I may not be prepared for, but I am willing to take that risk.

Although he suffered through an untypically slow start, Don Mattingly rebounded early enough in the '89 season to earn his sixth straight trip to the All-Star Game and salvage an otherwise off-year.

A few things:

1) Even at 11, I disliked the word "untypically."
2) "he rebounded early enough ... in an otherwise off-year." Makes zero sense.
3) Also, he didn't rebound to earn a trip to the All-Star Game; he earned a trip to the All-Star Game because he's Donnie freakin' Baseball and the All-Star Game is a popularity contest, and he's the most popular player in the game who plays in the biggest market.
4) All-Star Game participation does not salvage a season. If a dude got invited to the All-Star Game because three guys ahead of him got injured, then posted a .228/.264/.301 line in the second half and cost his team a trip to the playoffs after his pants fell down running the bases and he tripped over his pants and was tagged out on his bare butt, we wouldn't say, "He was terrible and that was totally weird, but it was a successful season nonetheless!"
5) Unless the All-Star Game is a private affair played at an undisclosed location and its participants are never revealed, this is not inside information.
6) I would also like to mention that, although '89 was certainly an off year by Donnie's standards, he did post a surface stat line of .303/23/113. The would be Justin Upton's greatest on year.

The left-handed Yankee slugger

INSIDE INFO! THOUGHT HE WAS RIGHTY, PLAYED FOR THE REDS???

remains one of the most popular players in the game today, a fact reflected in the value of his baseball cards

Popularity is the defining metric of card value. For example, my Luis Sojo second-year card is worth $4,000.

which held their value despite the early-season slump.

MAKETWATCH 1989: CARDS SURPRISINGLY SHOW LITTLE-TO-NO FLUCTUATION IN VALUE AFTER MATTINGLY GOES 1-FOR-4 TUESDAY; SUBTITLE: CARD NERDS HOLD FORT BASED ON 'FIVE-YEAR TRACK RECORD OF AWESOMENESS'

One sub-par season won't affect the long-term investment potential of a popular megastar like Mattingly, but it may delay future increases long enough to offer collectors a good opportunity to invest in a sure thing.

Take it from someone who collected Mattingly cards almost exclusively: it wasn't a sound long-term financial investment. Nor did I care if it would be. I collected baseball cards because it was fun as heck, and I love(d) baseball, and I had a hunch the Internet would be invented one day and I could post old cards that I cut out of weird magazines and hopefully make people laugh and what not.

For what it's worth, the '84 Donruss Mattingly rookie card is available on Amazon for $597 or, ya' know, $29.99.

My National Experience: What I Got

I saw a lot of great stuff at The National, most of which I will never be able to afford. Gem-mint high-series commons from 1952 Topps. Autographed game-used bats, jerseys, posters, and one-of-a-kind pieces. A 1967 Kabaya Leaf Sadaharu Oh. An Ozzie Smith Gold Glove award trophy. Another one presented to Derek Jeter. A Muhammad Ali bathrobe. The Black Swamp Find.

But equally impressive was the range of dealers focused on 25-cent cards, three-for-a-dollar, and dollar cards. I got 30 commons for my 1965 Topps set for $10 total. I got five early Pedro Martinez cards for $1.25. I found one of the holy grails of my childhood (1987 Fleer Will Clark) for 25 cents.

I also found a dealer specializing in autographed cards. Now, that might not sound like a big deal to you, as autographed cards are everywhere, but I'm not talking about new, serial-numbered cards. I'm talking about old-school late 1980s, early 1990s basketball cards and 1980s baseball cards. This guy had easily 5,000 different basketball cards, and more than 20,000 different autographed baseball cards. I could've spent my entire budget with this dealer alone. Instead, at four for $10, I got these three basketball cards and an auto'd Dave Henderson rookie (1986 Red Sox represent!).

Now, I didn't get to the show until around 1pm on Saturday, but by 4:30pm I knew I didn't need to come back Sunday. I had seen much of the floor and really wasn't interested in shelling out a ton of cash on any of the autograph guest lineup. (I had also spent much of my budget.) Here's how I closed out the day:

I also purchased Gary Engel's Japanese Baseball Card Checklist and Price Guide - Vintage Edition. At $30 it was a bit pricey, but completely worth it, as Japanese cards are never included in any of the Beckett guides or the Standard Catalogue of Baseball Cards and Engel's guide is exhaustive. If you weren't at the show, Engel's guide also can be found on eBay.


In my next post I will include my overall review of the convention.

My National Experience: How I Stumped The National

I want to start by saying that The National was awesome. I saw the greatest variety of sports cards and memorabilia I've ever seen under one roof. Granted, that roof was over 300,000 square feet in size, but you recognize the sentiment. And even more impressive than the stuff I saw and bought were the people I met there, from Gary Engel, author of the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist and Price Guide - Vintage Edition, to Rob Klevens of the Japanese card–specializing Prestige Collectibles, to Ryan Christoff of CubanBaseballCards.com, who confirmed that that 1950 Toletero I had bought and sold on eBay a few years ago was indeed genuine (and that I was sort of an idiot for selling it...but I knew that already).

I also met John Parker of 99% Basketball. With a dealer booth a-splayed with cases containing the most bizarre basketball memorabilia and international rarities, I thought Finally! Someone who can identify my old poster and tell me what it's worth!

I had brought an old poster with me that I had found (i.e., ripped off a street-level billboard) while on a family trip to Amsterdam back in the early 1990s. As an aside, you ever walk through the non-tourist section of the Red Light District with your kids? I don't recommend it. It was scary. Anyway, I've kept the poster folded up in a drawer for the last 20 years, and actually had forgotten about it until I went back to my parents' house to sort through some stuff last year. Here's the poster:

Now, I wasn't expecting it to be worth a fortune. I know enough about poster collecting that anything with creases (that didn't start out with creases) doesn't have much value. Also, the back has significant paper loss, as it started its life pasted on a billboard. But the colors are still bright and the subject matter is unlike much else on the market. Granted, this is post–Dream Team, but the idea of a major American sports star like Magic Johnson barnstorming in another country is right up there with Babe Ruth's barnstorming tour of Japan in 1934. Surely, I thought, this is something with value that would defy condition sensitivity.

Here's where it gets interesting. The convention's unofficial tagline is that if you can't find it at The National, it doesn't exist. Well, Mr. Parker had never seen this poster. In fact, he had never heard of this European tour. So much for finding out more about it! Now, I have seen one or two references to the Pepsi Magic Tour on the Internet, including this YouTube video of the Magic All Stars versus a team called New Zealand All Stars.

But that's where my knowledge ends. Judging from the video, I'm guessing there are T-shirts and other memorabilia out there—certainly country-specific player uniforms worn by Magic and his all stars.

In my next post I'll showcase some of the cards I purchased at The National and share my thoughts on the experience.