Roberto Clemente (1934-1972)

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Roberto Clemente's death in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico.

 2013 Phungo Retired Number #42-SJP21 Roberto Clemente

Clemente died before I had a concept of baseball, life or death. However is legacy is important to both the Latin Americans and to baseball.

I have jumped the gun a bit on the 2013 Phungo card release in order to honor Clemente today. This is his retired number not from Pittsburgh, but from Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan Puerto Rico. I am pretty sure that his number #21 is honored and retired across the entire commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

This is another first for Phungo Cards.  There have been other retired numbers in the series but this is the first one from outside of Major League Baseball.  The Photo was taken during the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Enjoy your New Year's Eve safely and think about Roberto Clemente he spent his last New Year's Eve trying to help needy people after an earthquake in Nicaragua.

Phungo Roberto Clemente HoF Profile

1968 Topps #374

  

Happy New Year's Eve - 1993 American Bandstand #1 Dick Clark

1993 Collect-a-Card American Bandstand #1 Dick Clark 


I suppose all of us have seen Dick Clark hosting a New Year's Eve special - probably several times.  I am sure that we will see him on Monday Night, although he will only be there via celluloid and in spirit - for this is our first New Year's Eve without the world oldest teenager.

2012 Phungo Year in Review

Every Time I post something, it feels like I have mailed it in.  Regardless I continued posting - recently I sat down to look at the past 12 months and was happily surprised to find out there was actually some decent columns amongst the drivel.  Here are some highlights from 2012. 

January - Year of the Dragon Commences: The Chinese New Year began on January 22 and we noted some of baseballs noteworthy Dragons.  

February - We first got word of the American Ultimate Disc League - The first professional Ultimate Disc (Frisbee) league. Locally this meant the birth of the Philadelphia Spinners. Personally I was proud to be able to get involved with the new league as an official. I was on field refereeing the first home game of the new franchise at Historic Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania. I will always look back at the experience foindly and remember it has my first job in professional sports. The Spinners had a very succesful season although the league is going through some growing pains. As a result of some legal wranglings and other questions a new Ultimate League has emerged for 2013 called Major League Ultimate. The Philadelphia Spinners will be a charter member of the new league.

2012 Topps #150 Roy Halladay(image stolen from The Phillies Room )

On the card front February saw the release of 2012 Topps flagship which I refer to as the Hindenburg set.  I also thought the design bore a bit of resemblance to 2002 Topps Football. I also was happy with a discussion we held regarding Hero Numbers - for the most part folks seek to just shrug - but it was enjoyable hearing some opinions.

March - We took a look at what "Value" means when purchasing a Topps Value Box.

April - Jayson Stark and others were good enough to retweet our post regarding the defunct stadiums in which Jamie Moyer pitched.  It currently ranks as the most viewed page in Phungo history.  Team Phungo also made it to two opening days Baltmore (v Twins) and the Phillies (v the "new" Miami Marlins).  We also gave a nod to the ageless Dick Clark who died in April.

May - While in vacation in Portland, Team Phungo checked in on CardBlogger Rod from Padrographs. 

I think I only opened one pack of 2012 Topps Archives but it was a nice pack for a Phillies Fan. 

On May 18th Kerry Wood Retired - He faced one batter in his final appearance, striking out Dayan Viciedo on three pitches.  

June - Pedro Borbon passed away - we took a look at his 1970 Topps card that wouldn't be made today.  We also noted the passing of GoodFellas subject Henry Hill with a prospect card loosely connected to the mobster. Kevin Millwood was the starting pitcher in a combined no-hitter pitched by the Mariners - we looked at his Phillies No-Hitter card.

July - Team Phungo started branching out into the world of food reviews with Vittles - Our first foodie column was on a visit to the newish Philadadelphia Tapas venue Jamonera.   

2012 brought us the 7th edition of Topps Allen & Ginter. We took at MLBs A&G 7 year members which included Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard.  

We did a Tank Report on Chase Utley with mixed expectations - and projections came out amazingly close. Utley finished with an OBP of .365 (Nailed it) with 11 HRs (Off  by 1).

August - Saw my first trip to the National which I attended for FREE. Wanted to get more posts out regarding the show, but only got the previous one and this one.

September - Sadly Chris Stufflestreet, one of the folks I met at the National in August, passed away. Most of us only knew him through his column and trading, still that was enough to really miss the man.
 

October - Attended my first playoff game outside of Philadelphia - the Good Guys won.

November - Marvin Miller  passed away - we marked the day with a look at the 1970 Topps Curt Flood card. The WBC opening round games were in progress in November with Thailand getting it's first bid. The most notable member of the Thai squad was Johnny Damon.  Unfortunatley the Thais had a bad series committing several errors and were ousted in just 2 games :( 

December - Earlier this month Brad Lidge called it quits - we honored the man and his contributions by displaying one of my favorite cards - Thanks DayF.

Phun Cards 2000 Topps #120 Curt Schilling: 2013 HoF Candidate

This one is no fun for me.  If I had an HoF vote it would be no. Not on the first ballot and likely not ever.

Curt Schilling is a borderline for regular season numbers with many outstading playoff and World Series performances. You probably know all this and already have an opinion on Schilling - Which likely is based at least partially on his off the field persona and oddly for his generation has nothing to do with steroids.

2000 Topps #120 Curt Schilling

Not discussing Schilling does give me an opportunity to discuss 2000 Topps however. 

One of the things I hear regarding foil on cards in recent years is that it doesn't scan well.  Is that really a legitimage complaint.  If the card looks ok out of the pack and you can read the name why should the readability of the players name on a scan be a design flaw. Peoiple will mention that "3-D" cards don't scan well, but the complaint will be it is a stupid idea not a dumb design. 

I rather like 2000 Topps - minimalist, but contains all the pertinent info you would like to see on a baseball card. Team Colors and a modest team logo. It isn't a set that will make the Topps all-time list but it is more then adequate.

2013 HoF Candidate Postings

Jeff Conine

Kenny Lofton

Jose Mesa

Mike Piazza

Charles Durning (1923-2012) as Casey Stengel

Over the Holiday we got the news of Charles Durning's death.  If you check out the mans imdb page there are a plethora of roles he played - feature filims, sitcoms, and even the Muppets and animated series like the Family Guy.

One of the roles I didn't know about was as Casey Stengel in a one man show for PBS.

Charles Durning as Casey Stengel and Stengels himself (image stolen from a well know auction site)
Here is an SI review by Robert Creamer of the Stengel program that aired in 1981

Phun Cards 2006 Topps Kenny Lofton: 2013 HoF Candidate

I have caught a Home Run ball on the fly. 

True story....sort of.

It was a Batting Practice Home Run ball. ...

But, for me it counts.  That ball was hit by Kenny Lofton.

2006 Topps #97 Kenny Lofton 

  

That fact alone makes Kenny Lofton a Hall of Famer to me.  Not sure if it will be enough for the BBWAA. 

Lofton was a member of the 2005 Phillies.  He had a good season batting .335 over 110 games.  The Phillies were one of 11 teams for whom Lofton played during a 17 year career.  He is likely best known for his jaw dropping catches while manning centerfield for the Cleveland Indians.   

He was an excellent leadoff hitter for most of his career and Lofton's numbers are right on the edge of Hall Worthy.  Unfortunately for the most part they are just a tick under Tim Raines who the voters have yet to put in the Hall of Fame.

I think Lofton will get some consideration over the next several years.  I see him staying on the ballot for several years perhaps gettting in at the end of his eligibilty which will be in 2028 using present rules.


2013 HoF Candidate Postings

Jeff Conine

Jose Mesa

Mike Piazza

Phun Cards 2006 Topps #UH20 Jeff Conine: 2013 HoF Candidiate

The Phillies traded for Jeff Conine in August of 2006 to give them a Left handed bat for the stretch run.  Conine got into 28 games for the 06 Phils who finished 3 games out of the wild card slot.

I was always a fan of Conine despite the fact that he basically beat the Phils single-handily in a critical game I attended in September of 2003. In addition to a double, Homer, and 3 RBIs, Conine was also a star in the field coming up with 2 big outfield assists. Overall it was one of the greatest all-around games I have ever seen a player have. To sum up his day a friend of mine who was also at that game quipped "If I had a gun I would have shot him"

2006 Topps #UH20 Jeff Conine

For His Career Conine had 1982 Hits and 214 Homers.  I am sure he is a member of several Marlins All-Time teams as he is one of the few members of both their 1997 and 2003 World Champoinship squads.  For his career Conine appeared in 6 Post Season series and was on the winning side of all of them.

Jeff Conine had a great career and will always be identified with the Marlins World Series teams.  His Numbers are good but not Hall worthy.  I do hope that he gets a goodguy vote out of the comittee, as he has always seemed like a class act.

2013 HoF Candidate Postings

Jose Mesa

Mike Piazza

Phungo Vittles - 2012 12 08 Chifa

Jose Garces Peruvian/Cantonese fusion restaurant Chifa delivered a solid dinner for our party of 6 on a recent Saturday Night.  As with most other Garces locales Chifa offers a smart tapas menu featuring several salads, soups, and finger foody dishes.  Cantonese/Asian and Peruvian/Latin cuisines are both distinct, yet share several qualities.  At Chifa the convergence of the two styles is done well with fine results.

There were several highlights we found amongst our dishes. Personal favorites from the small plates included the Pork Belly Bao Buns, Thai Beef Salad, and the Smoked Shrimp Spring Rolls.  Prior to the arrival of these appetizers we were brought an excellent Peruvian inspired bread course - sort of thick tortillas(gluten free)  - tasty, cheesy airy - definitely not filling.  .  

We had several seafood dishes.  The Oysters (cooked in lemongrass/Thai basil) were very good while the Ceviches at our table were found to be good, but not great - I am not sure but this just may be a seasonal issue.  

From the entree side of the menu we picked up the Chinese 5-Spice Pork which was served with small flour tortillas and a fun array of dips/accompaniments.  In a memorable display the tender pork was deftly fork pulled tableside by our server. Tableside finishes were popular at Chifa and were also conducted for two soup/ramen dishes that received favorable reviews fron the Phungo crew.

Ramen w/ Halibut 

Lemon Mousse 

We concluded our meal with desserts including a Lemon Mousse/Meringue and Flourless Chocolate Torte which were both very good as well. 

The Details

Chifa Recomends 2-3 dishes per person.  We would recomend closer to the 2 end, especially if one of the dishes is an entree such as the 5-spice pork. This should be enough for many diners, and it allows room for dessert which is definitely worthwhile at Chifa.

I understand that the tapas centered offerings at Chifa are designed to come out as prepared and served hot/fresh, but I had trouble with the sequencing of some of the dishes.  We received our savory dishes early or mid-meal.  While sides like the Chiufas (A fried Rice Dish) and Swiss Chard came out at the meals conclusion.  Beyond that service was generally good and efficient at Chifa. We did have a bit of a lull getting our dessert and check. 

I also have a bit of a complaint with the downstairs lavatory which has the sinks separed from Water Closets.  This is fine but I didn't care for the sinks being in vew of a part of the dining area.

Overall Chifa gets a thumbs up from team Phungo, and it is a place I would return too.  However, I should note that the Iron Chef has many other options in the city.  Many of which I have yet to visit and I would likely consider them over Chifa just to expand my experience in the city. 

   

ScoreCard

Vittles - Food was very good with several highlights - I particularly liked the smoked shrimp and the 5-Spice Pork. Home Run

Service - Servers were knowledgeable, efficient, other than the notes above on the side dishes coming towards the meals conclusion I was happy with the service - Double.

Atmosphere - Chifa is typical of a the hipper center city restaruant scene. no complaints, no flashes - solid single.

Drinks - Good if unspectacular beer menu - somewhat better wine selections. Solid Single.

Value - Double - We were in the middle of a big night out with several drinks - Dinner including Tax and Tip ran about $75 per person.  Not unusual for a celebration dinner in the city, but not cheap either.

Overall - Double - Chifa is a good restaraunt and a nice choice from the Jose Garces canon

2011 Phungo #32 Josh Hamilton

Some Phungo Cards I am not very proud of - misspellings, or I put down the wrong position - The weakest are the ones with shoddy photography.  Sometimes the cards look like outtakes from 1982 fleer. 

2011 Phungo #32 Josh Hamilton

I do drop my standards on the pix for a variety of reasons. Overall lack of inventory is the number one reason, although after close to 5 years and a camera upgrade I am starting to build a solid base of player photos. 

The other big reason is building an interesting checklist.  Each year I try and get cards out for the winners of the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. In 2010 the AL MVP was Josh Hamilton, thus this rather distant photo of Mr Hamilton made the cut for the 2011 Phungo Set. 

This photo is from a game in August of 2010 when Cliff Lee was starting vs the Orioles.  Of course, since I made the special trip to see Lee pitch, he got bombed.  That didn't hamper Hamilton who went 3-5 with 3 RBIs including a 2 run homer.  He wasn't the big sluggin star of the day however - that belonged to O's thirdbaseman Josh Bell who had 2 of his four career homers that day.

The photo above was taken during a Rangers pitching change.  That is likely David Murphy in the foreground shielding Brandon Boggs from view.  Aside form being taken at a distance the shot is pretty boring.  Nothing is happening the faces are just blobs - I suppose I can defend the photo by saying you can tell it is Hamilton if that is what your told. 

Since Josh Hamilton is staying in the AL West, I am not sure I will get many better photos of him.  I have the Angels on my todo list for 2013 - Hamilton, Trout and Pujols are all subjects I would like to get on card - we will see what the upcoming season holds for Phungo Photography - hopefully it is better then 1982 Fleer.

PhillyShow Review - 2012 12 08

Doubt I will get time to do a lot of show and tell posts on the show - so I will just do the telling part with some random observations regarding the 3 or so hours I spent at the show.

Autographs

If you want to flood the show floor in the Philadelphia  area, plan a Chase Utley signing. 

That being said, I am not sure many of the folks their to get Utley's autograph were actually purchasing cards. I was impressed that the numbers called out for the signings by So Taguchi and Terry Mulholland numbered over 200.

Terry Mulholland - Is there a cooler looking former major leaguer right now.

Hoarding

I rarely pick up the autographs at the PhillyShow - the pricing is way above my interest level for autos.  Of course my thriftyness ends there - I ended up throwing down close to $200 on mostly vintage Phillies, Hall of Famers, and star cards. 

Cards - Phillies Vintage

- I was happy to knock out 4 of the 5 1957 Topps middle series cards that I needed.  This Series is the hardest to find in the 1957 set and covers #255-#352.  The four cards in this purchase varied in pricing from $1.20 to $2.  

- Picked up the 1960-62 Richie Ashburn cards (which are not Phillies cards but are with the Mets and Cubs) for $5.50 combined. 

- The most expensive Phillies card I picked up was 1949 Bowman #193 Ken Trinkle.  This is part of the Hi Series and went for $5.  This was also the oldest card I picked up.

- 1960 Topps #264 Robin Roberts $1.50 

- 1956 Topps #72 Phillies Team card $3.

Hall of Fame Vintage

- Added Ralph Kiner to my collection of HoF cards of player from their active era. 1952 Bowman #11 Ralph Kiner $6 - it's creased, thus the fairly cheap price .

- 1954 Topps #3 Monte Irvin $5 

- 1968 Topps Game Mickey Mantle $5

- 1956 Topps #17 Emlen Tunnell (Football) $2

- All the Ashburn and Roberts cards above

- 1964 Topps League Leader cards with HoFs $2 (Koufax, Drysdale,  Aaron, Kaline, Mays, Santo, Killebrew etc)

Vintage worth mentioning

- 1955 Bowman Johnny Podres $2

- A dozen off condition 1952 Topps cards at $3.50 a pop (No Phils, No Stars)

Dime Boxes

Lots of stuff could be found in dime boxes including:

- 2012 Panini Cooperstown collection cards including some inserts - all non-Phils though.

- 2009 Topps A&G David Wright Box Topper - go figure

- 2012 Topps Archives base cards including HoFs and Phillies

- A&G/GQ/Goodwin minis including paralllels and special backs - no Phils

For more postings on the PhillyShow check out Brad's Blog - he has been posting a lot of great vintage pickups from last weekend.

   

Phun Cards 2004 Topps #202 Jose Mesa: 2013 HoF candidate

The Hall of Fame ballot for the 2013 have been cast.  There is much debate about the high profile candidates like Bonds Sosa and Clemens. 

None of those controversial players played for the Phillies.  There are several cnadidates that spent at least some time with the Phillies including one major candidate who spent a lot of time with the Phillies.

I know I won't get through them all, but I would like to begin a short series hitting all of the players on this years ballot that log time with the Phils.  I am thinking these posts won't always be about the player and his credentials - more often I will discuss a specific card or set, His Phils Tenure, or maybe some odd event involving the player.

Today we start at the bottom of the Ballot with Jose Mesa. 

2004 Topps #202 Jose Mesa

Sometimes referred to as Joey Table.  The Phillies were one of eight ballclubs for which Mesa played.  He was the teams principal closer from 2001-  2003.  During that era he recorded 111 of his career 321 saves.  

I am quite fond of 2004 Topps.  The foiled "etching" of the player pix in the bottom left hand corner is unique to the 04 Topps set.  Also I don't think the player numbers have occurred on the A-side of another Topps Set. Player Name Team Name and Position are all displayed in a neat clean fashioin. A small team logo is present and not overbearing.

All those simple foil lines running across the bottom of the card hold a bit of resememblence to the teaser images we have seen of 2013 Topps.

Philly Show in Valley Forge Today through Sunday

The PhillyShow returns to the Valley Forge Convention Center (and now casino) this weekend.  Show is FSS 12/7 - 12/9 with $8 admiission per day ($1 off coupons are in local papers)   

 

1984 Topps #300 Pete Rose (image from Baseball Card Database)

 

 

Schedule Autograph Signers include Steve Carlton, John Kruk, Darren Daulton, Tim McCarver, Tommy Greene, Dave Winfield, Frank Robinson, and Pete Rose.

 

 

Pete Rose appears on Sunday - Auto's start at $59.  Of course if you don't care to meet Mr Rose for your autograph you can just go to Dave and Adams Card World  and buy the new Leaf Living Legends Hobby  Blaster for $18 which guarantees a Rose auto in every box.

 

 

Team Phungo is going to miss out on Charlie Hustle - I am planning on hitting the show on Saturday for a few hours and digging for some cheap vinatage.  Been looking at 1934-36 Diamond Stars recently.

 

For additional Card Show infor click here

 

 

Say it Ain't So Bazooka Joe

Bazooka has issued baseball related items in several different forms over the years.  This includes most recently a Topps set that ran from 2003 - 2006.

2006 Topps Bazooka Comics #21 Jimmy Rollins

As a nod to the comics that accompanied Bazooka gum, one of the inserts for the Bazooka Cards were comics.  The comics are printed on sort of a stronger paper - Not the waxy varitey that the gum comics come with, but somewhat similar. It is the same size as a traditional card, and they are not folded up like the old Bazooka Comics.

If Cardblogging had been as prevalent in in 2003-06 I think Bazooka would have been pretty much panned.  Looking back through them the cards while a little bland, some years do remind you of the comic mofif.  They also had some interesting relic designs and included stickers and "minis" that were roughly the size of the heralded 75 Topps Minis.

Last week we got the news that Bazooka Joe is retiring.  Well not really retiring, Bazooka is keeping him on as a spokestoon for puzzles and games, but the comics are getting booted.  

I understand time marches on but a tinge of sadness runs through me as one of the icons of our Pop Culture past wanders into the sunset.  The Bazooka comes on the heels of the death of the Twinkie last month, which sent me back to another time and another set of food related cards.

The 17 other coaches in Philadelphia during the Andy Reid era

Andy Reid was hired as coach of the Philadelpiha Eagles in January of 1999.  During the span the other three major sports teams in town have had 17 Head Coaches.  The Eagles have, of course, had one. 

2012 Phungo #8 Charlie Manuel (Led 2008 World Series Champs)

Each of the 4 franchises has Lost a championship in that time frame.  Additionally the Phillies Won a Championship.  Two of the fired coaches won Championships subsequent to their firing in Phialdelphia (Terry Francona Boston 2004,2007; Larry Brown Detroit 2004).  Former Flyers head coach John Stevens was also involved in the LA Kings 2012 Stanley Cup effort. 

Eagles
Andy Reid	1999-	NFC Champion 2004
Phillies
Terry Francona	1997-2001	WSC Red Sox 2004, 2007
Larry Bowa	2001-2004
Charlie Manuel	2005-	WSC 2008, NLCS 2009
Flyers
Roger Neilson	1998-2000
Craig Ramsey	2000-2001
Bill Barber	2001-2002
Ken Hitchcock	2002-2006
John Stevens	2006-2010	Interim and Asst Coach for LA Kings Stanely Cup Champions 2012
Peter Laviolette	2010-	EC Champs 2010
76ers
Larry Brown	1997-2003	NBA Champion w/ Detroit 2004, EC Champion 76ers 2001
Randy Ayers	2003-2004
Chris Ford	2004-
Jim O'Brien	2004-2005
Maurice Cheeks	2005-2008
Tony DiLeo	2008-2009
Eddie Jordan	2009-2010
Doug Collins	2010-

Philly Show in Valley Forge this weekend 12/7 - 12/9 HoFs and Terry Mulholland

The PhillyShow returns to the Valley Forge Convention Center (and now casino) this weekend.  Show is FSS 12/7 - 12/9 with $8 admiission per day ($1 off coupons are in local papers)   

 

 

 

It may be December but this show will defintely have a baseball focus for autograph hounds. MAB has dubbed the show "A Celebration of Lefty's Magical Season".  This is a nod to Steve Carlton's historic 1972 Campaign in which he won 27 games en route to his first of four Cy Young awards.  Carlton will be flanked by several Phils Pasts and Present as well as other oFs including John Kruk, Darren Daulton, Tim McCarver, Tommy Greene, Dave Winfield, Frank Robinson, and Pete Rose.

 

 

 

Phungo covered Carlton in this post a few weeks back.  Today I would like to take a look at a different Phillies Left-hander who pitched for the team during another magical season 1993. Terry Mulholland will be one of the other signers in town over the weekend.

 

 

 

1990 Topps #657 Terry Mulholland (pix stolen from Baseball Card Database)

 

 

Mulholland will be remembered for a couple of things in Philadelphia. Just about anybody associated with the 1993 Phillies will be forever remembered fondly.  They were the Oasis between 80 and 08.  The one brief moment when Philadelphia was the misfit center of baseball - at the time we didn't know how misfit.  Regardless they were loved and remain so.

 

 

There was another big moment of personal glory beyond 1993 for Terry Mullholland - on August 15 1990 Terry Mulholland through a No-Hitter versus the San Francisco Giants. The only baserunner he allowed was on a Charlie Hayes error. That runner was erased via double play.  Hayes redeemed himself by spearing a line drive for the games final out.  Mulholland faced the minimum 27 batters.

 

 

Amazingly Mulholland's career lasted 2 decades! Pretty good for a player that many would look upon as mediocre. He extended is career by becoming a lefty bullpen specialist. Long after he left Philadelphia I followed his career in it's many stops (Atlanta, Arizona, Twins, Pittsburgh back to the Giants etc). Part of the reason he could stick as a lefty was because he had developed the Step Off Pick Off move.  It is currently used throughout baseball. 20 years ago Lefthanders always had remained on the rubber then stepped to first - risking a balk call - when attempting to hold a runner.  Mullholland just took his Left foot offf the rubber and through to first without stepping to the bag at all.

 

 

1993 Phil, No-Hitter, Developed a Pick Off Move.  Nice resume for one guy. 

 

 

1990 Topps

 

 

We don't talk about 90 Topps much here with good reason.  I think it is the worst design in the Topps canon.  However, I did like two things about this card - first it features Mulholland in a Phillis uniform and in a decent action shot. and...

 

 

 

1990 Topps #657 Terry Mulholland (b-side)

 

 

Check out the 2nd sentence in the Mulholland Phun Phact.  That is what makes this common card a Phun Card.   

 

 

  

Terry Mullholland is scheduled to be one of the Saturday Signers - $30/auto.   There appears to be no complimentry autograph at this years show.