Hall of Fame Thursday - Lou Gehrig

1979 TCMA #46 Lou Gehrig

Seventy years ago today Lou Gehrig played his 2130th consecutive game. It would be the final game Gehrig would ever play.

He played every Yankees game for nearly 14 years. Just for good measure he threw in 34 World Series games as a member of 6 Yankees World Championship Teams (1927, 28, 32, and 36-38). To help try and grasp what 2130 cards consists of, I took the Lou Gehrig card above and reduced it to 10% of actual size and then created 2130 copies of it. Just think if they were real cards the composite would be 10 times this size.

2130 Lou Gehrig Mini Minis (click to enlarge)

A lot of us became more familiar with Gehrig when Cal Ripken Jr approached, and then passed Gehrig, during his own consecutive game streak. It is hard for me to believe it is almost 14 years since the Iron Man passed the Iron Horse. There are many other records and accomplishments for which Lou Gehrig should be known in addition to the streak. He collected 2721 hits while mashing 493 Homers. His career BA was an impressive .340. His Career RBI (1995) and Run Scored (1888) totals still rank in the top 10 All time.

It's been 70 years since Lou Gehrig played his final game and there remains no cure for the diseases which now frequently is referenced by his Name. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a disease that destroys the body while leaving the mind in tact - It frequently affects young men - Lou Gehrig was taken by ALS as the age of 37. Physicist Stephen Hawking is a well known ALS patient. Last fall phungo ran on obituary on 1970s era Minnesota Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg who succumbed to the disease.

In Philadelphia baseball circles the fight against ALS is prominently waged by one time Phillies Pitcher Curt Schilling. Schill is an historian of the game and named his first son Gehrig after the baseball icon. Curt and his wife Shonda are both active in fund rasing efforts to raise money for ALS research.

Since 1984 ALS has been the Phils Primary Charity. Each year the team hosts an ALS benefit inviting the public to meet, greet players, and recieve autographs in exchange for their contributions. I have not seen a date posted for this years ALS event yet.

In one final Phillies Lou Gehrig connection, we mention Shane Victorino who recieved this years Lou Gehrig Award sponsored by the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity - which Gehrig was a member of at Columbia University. The award is given annually to the player who "Best Exemplifies the Giving Character of Lou Gehrig". Victorino is scheduled to recieve the award prior to the Phillies 4th of July game versus the New York Mets.

That day, July 4th 2009, will be the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" - click the link - It is likely very few of us are old enough to have heard it at the time, yet we have all heard it countless times. It still a chill giver. The text of the speech can be found here.

The information for this article has come from several sources including Wikipedia, Baseball-Reference, and Retrosheet.

Phungo Cards - Charlie Manuel

2009 Phungo #41 Charlie Manuel

Tonight is Charlie Manuel Bobble Head Night at Citizen's Bank Ballpark.

Winning changes everything.

Manuel offered up the following quote when he was told that there would be bobblehead for him "If somebody would have told me when I first took this job that I'd have a bobblehead, I would have told you at the time that I'd be headless".

Winning does change everything.

In years past nearly every spring Manuel was on the edge of getting run out of Philadelphia. He had to replace a legend in Larry Bowa - to his credit Charlie never complained, blamed anyone else, or ducked the criticism. He just got his teams prepared and put his players in situations where they could succeed - And they did. Now he has a World Series Ring and a Bobblehead to prove it.

The Phungo card above is number 41 in the Phungo Set, which matches Charlie's uniform number. The Photo was take on October 31st of 08 during the Phillies World Championship Parade. It was one beautiful and glorious day but....... well, Charlie sure looked uncomfortable in that suit.

Click here for a Phungo profile on Charlie and if you want to know more about Phungo Cards click here.

phungo 5 with Texas Rangers Cards

This week the Phillies are hosting the Washington Nationals, and I've have decided to go a slightly different route with Phungo 5. We are going to check in with a blogger representing one of the two clubs descended from the Washington Senators, The Texas Rangers.

Texas Rangers Cards covers the Rangers club which emerged when the Senators migrated to Texas in 1972. TRC is the first AL blog to appear in the Phungo 5 and has hooked us up with some good information about Rangers Past, Present, and Future.

1) Do you know of any Washington Senators connections to the Rangers anymore or is that so far in the past that no one really mentions it?

It is still mentioned occasionally. The team still owns the rights to the name "Washington Senators" (that's why the Nats couldn't use the name) and uses Washington jerseys for throwback games. Tom Grieve is the first person who comes to mind to make the connection. Tom played for one season for Washington before the move. For quite awhile he was practically the face of the Rangers, serving as the GM and now as a broadcaster. Toby Harrah is also a fairly big name and played for both teams.

2) I look at the Rangers rotation and I see two former Phils in Kevin Millwood and Vincente Padilla plus a guy that couldn't get himself on the mound as a Phil a year ago (Kris Benson) - am I wrong to have a knee jerk reaction against this staff?

You are in the case of Kevin Millwood. Kevin has started three games this season and has completed one of them while posting a 1-1 record. Those numbers are a little misleading though. He is carrying a 1.17 ERA in 23 innings and has 14 strikeouts compared to 4 walks. I worry more about the offense when Millwood starts. Padilla is a different story. He also has a 1-1 record but the similarities end there. He has a 9.64 ERA in 14 innings and 11 strikeouts to 5 walks. I get this weird rash on Padilla's nights to pitch. Benson is just Padilla on the DL. I guess your knee jerk reaction about the staff went 2 for 3. In summary, I would take Millwood over Mitch Williams (former Ranger) but would have to take Mitch over the other two...

3) Seems to me Ian Kinsler and Michael Young autograph cards are a bit undervalued - Do you think my opinion is correct, If Michael Young keeps himself healthy he may be a 3000 hit guy - and we all know what that means. and if I am looking to pick up some cheap autos of Rangers prospects - who would you recommend? Please tell me Joaquin Arias - I know I have a couple of those laying around already.

Kins and Young are undervalued but don't tell anyone, I am scooping them up as quick as I can. Both of them have HOF potential in my mind. Prospecting is not my strong point but I'll give it a shot. At this point Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz are the top pitching prospects. Both are starters and are supposed to carry the team into the future. Justin Smoak and Max Ramirez are both near the top of the position players list. Arias got hurt a couple of years ago and got passed up by Elvis Andrus. There is a very real possibility that he will end up on the trade block.

2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Chrome #BDPP89 Elvis Andrus
2007 Bowman Heritage #22 Michael Young


4) Last month you came out with a column regarding Ivan Rodriguez and his possible involvement with PEDs. It has only been a month - Have there been any developments in your relationship with your Pudge collection.

Not really. I have continued to add cards to the collection through trades but haven't made any additions through buying. I am still hoping that he will eventually clarify his statements on the matter.

5) I see you are a Civil War Buff, Have you ever been to Gettysburg?

Yes. Went years ago when I was in high school. Awesome place. My current location keeps me from seeing as many battlefields as I would like though. If anyone ever gets a chance to get to Prairie Grove, Arkansas they should. Great park.

We will award Texas Rangers Cards a 5 out of 5 this week. Thanks for the tips on Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park and letting us know what else is going on at the Ballpark in Arlington.

This weekend will be the first 2009 meeting between the Phillies and those stinkin' Mets. To mark the occasion we are hosting a Phungo 5 with the Mets card and memorabilia Blog Sports Locker.

If anyone would like to volunteer as the Nationals Rep for Phungo 5 please let me know. For a look back a previous Phungo 5 click here and find out what Wax Heaven had to say about the Florida Marlins.

Phungo 5 with Wax Heaven

2006 Fleer #191 Josh Johnson

On Friday night Josh Johnson put together another great start for the Florida Marlins. He held the Phillies scoreless on 3 hits over 7 innings. Unfortunately for the Fish they were undone when their closer, Matt Lindstrom, had trouble getting the ball over the plate. In the end Shane Vicotorino would hit a Grand Slam and the Phillies would snatch a victory from the Marlins in what appeared to be a certain loss.

I am sure my view on this game is significantly different then today's Phungo 5 guest, Mario from the extremely popular and very interesting Wax Heaven. Florida has struggled a little in the past week, but still have a good early lead in the division. Mario appears to be in a state of guarded optimism as the Marlins keep churning out young talent and admirably challenge the titans of the NL East despite having a huge payroll deficit.


1) You have recently announced that you are focusing your collection on Andrew Miller and Canseco. You were drawn to Miller almost instantly on his arrival to Miami, what started your infatuation? and as a fan and colector what do you think the Canseco and Miller have in common.

When I returned to collecting after 10 years away and five years from watching my last baseball game, I had no idea who 75% of the players were. One of the first products I opened was 2007 SPx and I ended up pulling an Andrew Miller autograph which at the time booked for about $50 dollars. From that point on I casually picked up his cards but wasn't really a fan and then when the Marlins traded for him I was shocked and knew I had to start collecting.

He and Canseco, who I have been collecting for 20 years have nothing in common. Jose is cocky and sometimes arrogant, Andrew is shy and down to Earth. My wife and I have met him three times and one day when I ran into him alone he asked me where my wife was, even remembered her name! Many Marlins are like that, including Dan Uggla.


2) The current Marlins pitching staff is very strong (consequently the team is off to a scorching start) - do you think 20 years from now that one of them will be viewed as the greatest Pitcher in Marlins History? Or do you think that honor will belong to a Marlin from the past (Dontrelle or Josh Beckett)

Let's be real here. When Alex Fernandez, Livan Hernandez, and Dontrelle Willis are viewed as some of the Marlins all-time greats, it sets the bar pretty low. I think Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, and Andrew Miller will all become Marlins greats before being traded away to big market teams.

3) Your moving more into the Photography end of things these days. As far as actions shots, is there any particular area in the stadium you try and get to for your photos?

I like photography because unlike collecting, once you buy a camera you don't have to continue to spend more money. In the beginning I used to sit in the first row of the outfield but I got tired of taking pictures of the player's back. Today I always sit in the visitor's are by third base cause there are more right handed pitchers than there are left, plus I love photography lefties for some reason, especially Ryan Howard.


4) Darrent Daulton and Jim Eisenriech are both prominent former Phils, but won a World Championship as Marlins. Any recollections of the two?

Darren Daulton was awesome and one of my favorites on the team when he was here. Jim on the other hand, I hardly remember.

I love the Phillies. It's sad when commentators try to stir the Florida vs. Philadelphia rivalry when their really isn't one. Our true enemy has shown their ugly faces and they come from New York.

5) Last summer I met some relatives of Sean West - real fine people. Can you tell us anything about him. I see he is in the Marlins top 30 prospects.

I saw Sean West a lot during Spring Training. Since I never saw him pitch, the most I remember about him is how tall he was. We have a lot of really tall pitchers.


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Thanks to Mario and the rest of the Wax Heaven family. I know they are both busy running a couple of projects and raising one of the newest Marlins fans and do appreciate their time. It's pretty remarkable to see that Wax Heaven is creeping in on a MILLION hits - not bad for covering a "dying hobby".

For a look back at a previous Phungo 5 click here for our inteview with Brewers authority Thorzul and you can read how he foresaw a near no-hitter by Dave Bush.

Next week the Phils host the Washington Nationals. Phungo 5 will feature a team that is descended from a previous DC tenant, The Washington Senators, when we speak with Texas Rangers Cards.

Would You Cheer for an Opposing No-Hitter

2008 Topps #576 Dave Bush

I am a Phils fan but I am also a baseball fan.

On Thursday Dave Bush, who Thorzul astutely referenced as underrated in a recent Phungo 5, came five outs away from a No-Hitter.

I was doing something stupid (working) yesterday so I missed the event, but had I been there or watched on TV or listened on the radio - Yes I would have been cheering for my team to get no-hit.

I have been to two-hundred plus games. I am a baseball junkie - I have the box-scores to every game I have ever seen - I have been to a World Series clincher, an NLCS Clincher, I've seen Grand Slams and Shutouts, but I have never seen a no-hitter.

This was a game between the Brewers and Phillies in the middle of April - A game the Phils were losing by 6 runs. And the kid pitching the no-no was raised in the Philadelphia suburbs. The Bush family has held Phillies season tickets for 15 years.

To me, you have to pull for the no-hitter.

That's just me - what do the Phungo Readers think?

Phungo 5 with Thorzul Will Rule

This week the Phillies and Brewers meet for the first time since the 08 NLDS. Milwaukees still appears to be a good club but they have a dramatically different pitching look without CC or Ben Sheets in the rotation. In addition at some point Trevor Hoffman should bolster their bullpen.

Team Phungo recently sent out a Phungo 5 for the always witty Thorzul Will Rule crew and got the following responses:

1) The Brewers seem pretty loaded for hitters, what is the
situation with the Pitchers - Gallardo is pretty good.
how do you feel about Parra and Bush? Has anybody ever
sought out a Jeff Suppan Card?

You're right about the offense being loaded. It's going to be a fun
team to watch hit this year, but then you'll have plenty of time to hit the
restroom during the top half of each inning. Gallardo should be good, and Dave
Bush is probably the most underrated guy on the staff. And Jeff Suppan...all I
have to say is that his 2007 Topps Heritage card (and I had at least five of
them) was good for use as a bookmark for the duration of Summer 2007. I read
some good books that summer, including "Cross-X," the true story of an
inner-city high school debate team, which I highly recommend. Jeff Suppan helped
me never lose my spot.

2) You have been doing the cardblogging thing for a while,
do you ever get bloggers block and have to resort to lazy
gimmicks like interviewing other bloggers?

Thorzul Will Rule will celebrate (or has celebrated, I'm not sure) its
second birthday sometime this spring. There have been some lean periods, sure,
but I think the secret is not to post something just for the sake of posting. I
guess part of my fallback strategy is to haul out another page from my sticker
book whenever I can't think of something else to write, but that's
actually gotten some of the most positive feedback out of all the content so
far. I've tried to establish my own niche in this baseball card world, and
I think comedy has been the way to go. I could really care less about breaking
news on a sell sheet or some new product or something like that. If
someone's coming to Thorzul Will Rule for information, they will be
disappointed 99 times out of a hundred. I'm all about the fun of baseball
cards, and hopefully I can make somebody laugh at some point during the
soul-sucking existence we call a workday. I guess I could always fall
back on posting some Brewers card or another, but I really don't want to
get pigeonholed as a Brewers blog. There's way better and more insightful
stuff out there if that's what you're looking for.

3) I don't want to steal any of your thunder but what
can you tell us about the next $5 group break - I like them
and am happy to see that they appear to be pretty successful
so far.

The cheap group breaks will return. They actually turn out to be a lot of
work. I've purchased other lots of cards, but some of them just didn't
turn out to be right for the promo, too much 1990s junk and stuff like that. I
guess I'd like to try doing it three or four times a year from now on. I
really hope everyone has been satisfied so far if they've taken part.



2006 Fleer #267 Randy Wolf
2007 Upper Deck #178 Geoff Jenkins 2008
Topps Flight to 420 #BF-401 Brett Favre 2006-09-24
(Click photos to Enlarge)

4) Do you think Geoff Jenkins looks more like Brett Favre
or Randy Wolf?

Brett Favre.

5) Which is better the Bernie Brewer Slide or the Sausage
Race

The Sausage Race by a mile! Each school year I plan a field trip with my
class that involves a tour of Miller Park. The kids always ask about the slide
and if they can go on it, but there's too much liability involved to let
them. Keep in mind that Bernie used to slide down from the barrel and land in a
glass of beer, but I guess that's too non-PC to fly at the moment. At the
Sausage Race, a true fan needs to pick one variety of sausage to cheer on and
stick with it. I'm a Bratwurst man myself, an homage to my German heritage.
He rarely comes in first during the games I attend. Readers who haven't
been to Miller Park should also know that during the seventh inning stretch, in
addition to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," we also sing "Roll Out
the Barrel," a polka-infused ode to alcohol consumption. Good times.


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Thanks Thorzul - Another Great Phungo 5, Alas we can only award 4 out of 5. As a Vikings Fan, I cannot give a point for Brett Favre, just typing his name irks me - although I did appreciate his cameo in "Something About Mary".

For a look back at a previous Phungo 5 click here.

I am also pleased to let you know that this weekend we are planning to have the prolific Mario from Wax Heaven on the hot seat for the next Phungo 5.

Today's Post - Bill Lee

1971 Topps #58 Bill Lee

Can you guess the reason for this post - Lets just say I wonder if after breakfast he ended up hungrier then when he started.