Welcome to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Greg Luzinski: 1971 Topps #439

Tonight Greg Luzinski is being inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

1971 Topps #439 Greg Luzinski/Scott Reid (RC)

Not only was Luzinski a great slugger for the Phillies in the late 70s and a member of the 1980 World Championship squad - He also remains active in the community and is a team ambassador. 
 
It is great to see him get inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. This is the 10th induction class for the PSHoF and they still don't have a home, but it is good to know that enough interests remains and that they continue to host annual inductions and dinners.

This years baseball honorees include 1930s Phillies pitcher Bucky Walters and Umpire Shag Crawford. Other notable inductees from across the world of sports include Eddie George, John LeClair, The Eagles Bob Brown, and Andrew Toney.  For more information about this years class check out the PSHoF site here.   

For the Collector
The split Greg Luzinski Rookie Card above is regarded a tad above a common. I picked this off condition card out of a pretty decent buck bin at a show in 2009. In recent ebay auctions the card has finished as low as $2.96. On the high end the card finished at $5.91 ungraded - There was a $76 Lot with a graded Luzinski RC, but the anchor of that lot was a 62 Topps Clemente (graded EX).       

More Luzinski
2003 Fleer Ultra All Veterans Stadium Team #7 of 12 Greg Luzinski

2008 Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Inductees 
Mickey Vernon with Links to additional postings
someday I will get around to returning to posting on the other classes.

Sources
Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
ebay.com
baseball-ref.com
  

Go Explorers - A look back at Lionel Simmons

Below is an excpert from our 2008 Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame induction series:

Lionel Simmons was the leader of the 1989-90 LaSalle Explorers who finished with a record of 30-2. Simmons was named the 1990 Naismith college player of the year and also took home the John R Wooden Award. His 3217 career points in the NCAA ranked him behind only Pete Maravich and Freeman Williams when he graduated. Simmons went on to play seven years with the Sacremento Kings. He was named to the 1990-91 All-rookie team in his first year which was probably his best (18 ppg, 8.8 boards). In 1997 retired due to chronic injuries. Simmons is also a member of the Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame.

Lionel Simmons Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame Plaque - Palestra, Philadelphia PA
Best of luck to the 2013 LaSalle Explorers who tonight face the Wichita Shockers for a chance to advance to the Elite 8 in this years NCAA hoop tourney.  Also Go Spartans - a Duke loss would go a long way for the Team Phungo bracket :)

Philly Sports Hall of Fame - Mike Piazza

The story is known well - Mike Piazza was picked by the Dodgers in the 62nd round as a favor to Tommy LaSorda who was childhood friend of Mike Piazza's father. The pick was the 390th of the 1988 draft.   

A few weeks ago Mike Piazza was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.  He never played for the Phillies, but athletes from the Philadelphia area are also considered for the Local Hall. This winter Piazza will be on the ballot for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time. There are many first times on the 2013 ballot with impressive credentials, but questionable issues both on and off the field - Clemens, Bonds, Schilling Sammy Sosa. Piazza's name and steroids have been linked a few times - The BBWAA voters will need to figure out what that information means to them.  

Piazza's career numbers are very impressive and for me are hall worthy.  427 Homers, 1335 RBIs, 2127 Hits and a .308 BA from a guy who was primarily a catcher.  He was Rookie of the Year in 1993 and finished 2nd in the MVP voting twice (1996 - Ken Caminiti, 1997 - Larry Walker).  He was a 12 time all-star and took home 10 Silver Slugger awards.  Piazza does not have a World Series Ring, but he was part of 5 playoff runs for 3 different teams (Dodgers, Mets, and oh yeah the Padres).  As a member of the 2000 Mets Piazza played in the Subway Series versus the Yankees and Roger Clemens. 

  

1994 Topps #1 Mike Piazza 

1994 Topps

Perhaps because it falls in the years between and UbiquiBlogging this set doesn't appear to come up often.  Regardless, I think it is pretty decent looking and could use further observation. The photos are interesting - an off center home plate border focuses attention to the image without being too showy.  The team name and player name are both listed in a minimalist yet clear fashion. It is from last years that Topps did NOT use foil on their base cards (there is a parallel set - topps gold - that has foiled player names). It's a simple design that complements that helps feature the photo - Does a card design need to be any more?

For the Collector  

I am not sure where I picked up this 1994 Piazza card but suspect it came out of a dime box. 

There is a rookie cup on this card, but it is not Piazza's rookie card - It his his first Topps Solo card - he appeared on a 1993 Topps Rookie Catchers card that also includes Carlos Delgado.

Mike Piazza cards from 1992 include issues from Bowman UD and Fleer.  Two Piazza card that appear to garner some coin on ebay are the Fleer #U-192 and Bowman #461: 

 

Mike Piazza 1992 Fleer and Bowman Pricing	2012 11 20
1992 Fleer Update #u-92 - Low	$19.02
1992 Fleer Update #u-92 - PSA 10 GEM MT (Hi)	$149.99
1992 Fleer Update #u-92 - PSA 8 NM-MT (Low)	$23.00
1992 Bowman #461 - Low	$4.25
1992 Bowman #461 - PSA 10 GEM MT (Hi)	$107.00
1992 Bowman #461 - BGS 8.5 NM-MT+ (Low)	$8.50

Sources & Links
Mike PIazza HoF Index

1994 Topps All-Star Rookie Cup Index

Topps #1 Club

Wikipedia - Mike Piazza

Baseball-Ref - Mike Piazza

ebay.com

Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame 

Phun Cards 1952 Topps #216 Richie Ashburn

I am a little bit amazed that I have really not given a lot of ink to Richie Ashburn on the Phungo Pages.  Although his playing career was long over before I was born, Ashburn was a large part of the Phillies experience for any fan of my generation.  He was the color analyst for Harry Kalas from the time I started watching the game until his death in 1997. 

Despite ranking up more hits then any other player during the decade of the 1950s and 2574 for his career Richie Ashburn was dropped from the Hall of Fame ballot in 1982.  Eventually he would enter the Hall in 1995 as a selection of the Veterans committee.  Ashburn led the National League in Batting average twice (1955,1958) and OBP 4 times (54, 55, 58, 60).  He was a 6 time all star selection and was a member of the 1950 Whiz Kids.  His #1 is one of 5 numbers retired by the Phillies. 

1952 Topps #216 Richie Ashburn

1952 Topps #216 Richie Ashburn (b-Side)


For the Collector

 

This is the 2nd Topps card issued of Richie Ashburn.  A recent ebay auction of a rough conditioned 52 Topps Ashburn finished at $9.62.  The Hi auction for a slabbed PSA 9 Mint card was $1710.32.  6 auctions of cards in pretty good condition concluded between $26 and $43. 

The above '52 Topps Ashburn was procured for the Phungo collection off an ebay auction for $18.97 in July of 2009.

More Richie Ashburn
1950 Bowman #84
1952 Topps #216

1959 Topps #317 (with Willie Mays)

2009 Phungo #1

1955 Topps Cards that never were (link to Bob Lemke Custom Card)
 

Phungo Hall of Fame Profile Bobby Shantz 1961 Topps MVP

The Hall of Fame Profile posts are not restricted to the Hall in Cooperstown.  I also try and hit the various other Halls with a heavy dose of the Philly Sports Hall of Fame.  When I originally ran the Hall of Fame Thursday feature I chronicled the entire Philly Sports HoF 2008 class.  Today I would like to feature a member of the 09 Class Bobby Shantz. 

Shantz played half of his 16 year career with the Athletics - including 6 while the A's were based in Philadelphia.  He finished his career pitching a handful of innings for the ill-fated 1964 Phillies. Shantz's Best year was his MVP season of 1952 which is memorably featured in the 1975 Topps MVP subset with a reprint of his card from the seminal 52 set.  Shantz also has eight Gold Gloves on his mantle - He appared on the losing side of two World Series matchups as a pitcher for the Yankees. 

Bobby Shantz is still kicking at 85 years old.  He lives in the Philadelphia area and I see his name pop up frequently for autograph and card shows.

For the Collector

One of the vintage subsets I really like is the 1961 Topps MVP series.     

1961 Topps #473 Bobby Shantz

The subset is 16 cards including Mantle, Aaron, Willie Mays, Roy Campanella, Roger Maris, Banks and Yogi among others.  It is one of the subsets I have considered building for a while and really needed to checklist - so I have finally decided to stop procrastinating on that.

471. MVP -- Phil Rizzuto
472. MVP -- Yogi Berra
473. MVP -- Bobby Shantz
474. MVP -- Al Rosen
475. MVP -- Mickey Mantle 
476. MVP -- Jackie Jensen 
477. MVP -- Nellie Fox 
478. MVP -- Roger Maris
479. MVP -- Jim Konstanty
 480. MVP -- Roy Campanella
481. MVP -- Hank Sauer
482. MVP -- Willie Mays 
483. MVP -- Don Newcombe
484. MVP -- Hank Aaron
485. MVP -- Ernie Banks
486. MVP -- Dick Groat

  

If you would elect to build this set the Mantle card will likely be about half of the battle.  Fortunately, I imagine several of the lower level MVPs can likely be had for under a dollar.   I have picked up a few of these cards at shows and in auctions without really building the set and already have 6 of the 16 cards.  The biggest one in my collection is this pock marked Willie Mays. 

1961 Topps #482 Willie Mays MVP

Philly Sports Hall of Fame - Mickey Vernon

For this weeks Hall of Fame Thursday I am featuring the last of the 2008 Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame inductees Mickey Vernon. Vernon died in September and I posted his 1962 card here.

For today's post I stopped by the Philadelphia Suburb of Marcus Hook where Vernon was born and raised and took some pictures. Marcus Hook has erected a statue in Vernon's honor and named a park after him.

You can click on the photo above to enlarge. The Plaque states that Mickey Vernon was born in 1918, served in the Navy, Led the AL in Hitting twice, and was a 7 time American League All-Star. The plague concludes by stating that Vernon was a "Role Model ... Mentor ... Great Guy" followed by "A Gentleman's Gentleman". There is no need for me to add anything beyond that glowing description.

Here is a picture of Mickey Vernon Park which sets next to the Vernon Statue. In the rear of the Photo you can see the stands for a little league field. Click on the photo to enlarge



This concludes the Phungo Salute to the 2008 Philly Sports Hall of Fame inductees. Recapping this years class included:

The 1929 Philadelphia Athletics
Leroy Burrell
Harold Carmichael
Maurice Cheeks
Ed Delahanty
Stan Hochman
Tommy Loughran
Herb Magee
Dorothy Porter
Fred Shero
Lionel Simmons
Al Wistert
Mickey Vernon

I hope everyone has enjoyed reading about this years Philly Sports Hall of Fame class. Next week for Hall of Fame Thursday may just content a recent inductee...

Philly Sports Hall of Fame - Tommy Loughran, Fred Shero, and Stan Hochman

1975 Topps #213 Stanley Cup Playoffs NHL 1973-74 Semi-Finals

1948 Leaf #27 Tommy Loughran

This is the Boxing Day edition for the Phungo salute to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame 2008 induction class. Today we honor Tommy Loughran, Fred Shero, and Stan Hochman.

Tommy Loughran is the only one that actually is a boxer. He compiled a 96-24 record with 17 wins via knockout. He won the Light Heavyweight title in 1927 and was named Ring magazines Fighter of the Year for 1929 and 1931.

Stan Hochman is also connected to boxing via a cameo appearance in Rocky V. He probably prefers to be remembered for his writing. Hochman is currently a sportswriter for the Philadelphia Daily News, I know Hochman primarily for his appearances on a local sport panel talk show “Daily News Live’. Hochman is a great tie to Philadelphia’s sports past and has incredible stories about the Phillies of the 50s and 60s. Hochman’s expertise is not limited to the field of sports as he can also give thoughtful commentary on subjects in the arts such as, literature, theater, food, and jazz.

Fred Shero isn’t a boxer but he certainly can be linked to fighting. He was the head coach and leader of the Philadelphia Flyers from 1971-1978. The Flyers of the era were known for their rough and tumble style. Shero's legendary “Broad Street Bullies” won the Stanley Cup in both 1974 and 1975 . The 1976 team, which bested the Russian Red Army team 4-1 in a much remembered game, were also honored in a Simpsons "Treehouse of Horrors" Episode .

Prior to the Flyers clinching game 6 of 1974 Stanley Cup final Shero wrote this memorable line upon the Flyers blackboard

“Win together today, and we walk together forever”

Philly Sports Hall of Fame - Hoop Edition - Maurice Cheeks, Lionel Simmons, Herb Magee

Maurice Cheeks Retired Number Banner - Wachovia Center, Philadelphia PA

It's been a tough week for Mo Cheeks and the 76ers. Cheeks has always been a fan favorite in Philadelphia but, unfortunately, that was not enough to keep him here as the Head Coach of the Sixers.

Maurice Cheeks, however, is a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame due to his playing career. He was the point guard for the 1983 NBA championship team and the two other teams that played in the Championship series (1980 and 1982). During Cheeks 15 year career (11 with Philadelphia) he racked up 2,310 steals, which was the NBA record when he retired in 1993. Cheeks also left the game as the #5 all time Assists leader. The 76ers retired Maurice Cheeks number 10 in 1995.

Outside of Philadelphia, and certainly in Portland, Cheeks is likely best known for coming to the aid of Natalie Gilbert when she stumbled singing the National Anthem. The video is worth watching again. Perhaps it is the initimacy and solitude of watching on a PC instead of on television, but I actually got chills watching the video five years later. Towards the end Natalie recovers and finishes quite nicely. I rembering Cheeks mentioning in an interview that as he walked over he wondered to himself if he remembered the words.

The Anthem performance that night was prior to a playoff game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks. While Cheeks could lend an assist with the Anthem, he couldn't provide enough help for the Trail Blazers to stop Dirk Nowitzki who scored 42 points in leading the Mavs to a 115-103 victory.

Lionel Simmons was the leader of the 1989-90 LaSalle Explorers who finished with a record of 30-2. Simmons was named the 1990 Naismith college player of the year and also took home the John R Wooden Award. His 3217 career points in the NCAA ranked him behind only Pete Maravich and Freeman Williams when he graduated. Simmons went on to play seven years with the Sacremento Kings. He was named to the 1990-91 All-rookie team in his first year which was probably his best (18 ppg, 8.8 boards). In 1997 retired due to chronic injuries. Simmons is also a member of the Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame.


Lionel Simmons Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame Plaque - Palestra, Philadelphia PA

Herb Magee is the head coach at Division II Philadelphia University where he has coached for 40 years and tallied 850+ victories. This ranks Magee 2nd amongst all active college coaches (Don Meyer - Northern State, SD). His website also has a link to a plug by Bobby Knight. I like Herb just because he comes into a bar near my home for Eagles games early in the season. I have never had the guts to go up and say hi, but he does seem like a real decent guy.

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Spot the Sig! Bonus Base! Since it is cold in miserable here in the Northeast we are going to be adding a small bonus to the Spot the Sig! Contest this weekend.


Here is a chance for somebody to steal a base in the Phungo STS! contest. Tomorrow we are going to be featuring a Masterpieces Pack Bust. I will be opening 1 pack each of Hockey and Football since the Flyers, Vikings, and Eagles are all playing. And I will also open a pack of Baseball - because we are really about baseball here. And we are going to play a variation of Sox or No Sox. Here are the particulars.

Any Hall of Famer +2, Any Phillies or Orioles +1 Each. Vikings or Eagles +1, Flyers +2, Mets, Packers, Devils and New York Rangers (Hockey) all minus 1. Oh and If there is a hit, auto, serial #d, Game used whatever +2 to +10 points depending on what it is. Pack with the most points wins. The football and hockey packs are retail. The baseball is from a blaster.

To get a free base (or walk if you have the bases empty) in STS! simply pick the pack that wins. Two contestants can pick the same pack, if that pack wins they both get the free base.

The Packs will be opened at 10 AM (eastern) Sunday. (Time moved up from noon)

And if you haven't gotten involved in Spot the Sig! click here for more info. You can enter anytime and with the Masterpieces Pack Bust you could get a man on base even before the next round starts!

Philly Sports Hall of Fame - Leroy Burrell and Dorothy Porter

Phungo is returning to the Philly Sports Hall of Fame posts that we started last month. Today we take a look at a couple of athletes from outside the major sports, Leroy Burell and Dorothy Porter.

1992 LP Classic Athletes #14 Leroy Burrell

Leroy Burrell was a Philadelphia area Olympic Track Athlete. He won a gold medal in the4x100 relay in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Burrell was the world record holder for 100m from 1994-96. He also won a couple of other Gold Medals in World Championship competition, no easy task when competing as a contemporary of Carl Lewis.

Burrell is currently the Head Coach of Track and Field at his Alma Mater, University of Houston. He has been at Houston since 1988 and his teams (Men's and Women's, Indoor and Outdoor) have combined to earn an incredible 21 titles.

The card above is from LP Classic. The set is a sixty card set of athletes from a variety of sports that appears to be centered around the 1992 Olympics. There are several sports represented including Swimming, Tennis, Football, Basketball, and Baseball.

Dorothy Porter was a womans golfer during the 1950s and 1960s. She was a member of the US Curtis Cup champion team of 1950. The Curtis Cup is apparently the Ryder Cup of Women's amateur golf. She also captained the 1966 championship team. Porter went on to win numerous other amateur and four Senior championships through 1984. Porter currently lives near Philadelphia in South Jersey.

Hall of Fame Thursday - The 1929 Philadelphia Athletics

1979 TCMA #58 Al Simmons
1931 W517 #17 Jack Quinn
1979 TCMA #55 Lefty Grove

For Hall of Fame Thursday we have another post from the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, It must be A's week here at Phungo as today we salute the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics.

The 1929 A's won 104 games and broke a string of three consecutive pennants won by the New York Yankees. The A's bested the Cubs 4-1 in the World Series. Hall of Famers Lefty Grove, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmy Foxx, and Al Simmons were all members of the 1929 Athletics who were led by Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack.

Phillies fans may be familiar with Jack Quinn's name. He is the pitcher mentioned by commentators when discussing Jamie Moyer as the second oldest pitcher to appear in Post Season and World Series games. During the '29 series Jimmy Foxx became the first player to homer in his first two World Series games. In game 4 the A's overcame an 8 run deficit to win the game with a 10 run 7th. This remains the largest comeback in playoff history. The A's would go on to win the 1930 World Series and the '31 AL Pennant, but after that Connie Mack would break up the team. Afterwards the A's would struggle until their rebirth in Oakland during the early 1970s.

As mentioned earlier this week the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society is located outside Philadelphia and their site has a lot of interesting items about the Athletics and Baseball history.

Philly Sports Hall of Fame - Harold Carmichael & Al Wistert

1975 Topps #80 Harold Carmichael

For Pro Football Sunday Phungo would like to recognize Harold Carmichael and Al Wistert. Both football players were recently honored with induction into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame as members of the 2008 class.

Harold Carmichael played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1971-1983, during his career he caught 590 passes, 79 for touchdowns. He was likely the greatest receiver in Eagles history, he played for the Eagles 1980 Super Bowl team and was also elected to four Pro Bowls. Carmichael is also a member of the NFL 1970s all-decade team.

The 6' 8" receiver was a tall target for Ron Jaworski and other Philadelphia QBs. He was also durable and played in 162 consecutive games from 1973-1982. At one point Carmichael caught at least one pass in 127 consecutive games, which was the NFL record until 1986.

Carmichael remains in the Eagles organization as the Director of Player Programs. His duties include assisting rookies and new players with acclimating themselves to Philadelphia NFL. He also helps with coordinating Alumni activities.

Al Wistert played his entire career (1943-1951) with the Eagles as a two-way lineman. He was a member of both the 1948 and 1949 NFL Championship teams. Wistert also earned All-Pro honors eight times and served as the Eagles captain from 1946 through 1950.

Wistert is still living at the age of 87 and was able to make it to the Philly Sports Hall induction ceremony. He was able to visit the Eagles practice while in Philadelphia.

I would also take this time to mention that the NFL Alumni Association recently has won a lawsuit that may allow them to have better pensions and medical benefits. The ruling will likely be appealed, but at least temporarily the players of yesterday, who the NFL was built upon, may be able to reap some of the benefits of the cash cow that the NFL has become today.

Sources for this article are Wikipedia, the Philadelphia Eagles Web-Site, Football-Reference, and the Philadelphia Eagles Encyclopedia via Google Books

Hall of Fame Thursday - Ed Delahanty

2006 Phillies Toyota Wall of Fame Postcard

This weeks Hall of Fame card honors Baseball Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty, upon his induction to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. The Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame honors Philadelphia connected Sports Figures. Tonight, November 13th, the Philly Sports HOF recognizes it's fifth Class. The Charter Class included icons such as Richie Ashburn, Dr J, Chuck Bednarik, Bobby Clarke, Joe Frazier and Harry Kalas. This years inductees consist of Delahanty, Harold Carmichael, Mickey Vernon, Maurice Cheeks, Lionel Simmons, Dorothy Porter, Herb Magee, Fred Shero, Al Wistert, Leroy Burrell, writer Stan Hochman and the 1927 Philadelphia Athletics. Team Phungo will feature all the members over the coming weeks.

Ed Delahanty was elected into the Baseball HOF in 1945 by the Veteran's commitee. He played for the Philllies from 1891-1901 and for the Philadelphia Quakers prior to that. During his career the Left Fielder amassed 2596 hits, a .346 Batting average, and 455 stolen bases. He finished his career with 101 home runs - at the time the record for all time home runs was only 138, held by Roger Conor. On July 13th 1896 Delahanty became only the second player to homer four times in a game.

Delahanty was from a Cleveland Ohio family which put 5 boys into the Major Leagues - Ed, Frank, Jim, Joe, and Tom. They are the largest group of siblings to play ML Baseball. The brothers combined to play 41 seasons and over 3500 games.

Ed Delahanty died at the age of 35 under sketchy circumstances in the waters of Niagara Falls. This incident is detailed in the Ed Delahanty Wikipedia entry, which was also the source for much of the information for this post.