1990: Year of the No-Hitter - Melido Perez

The oddities of Year of the No-Hitter continued on July 12th.
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1991 Score #705 No-Hit Club Melido Perez 

My apologies for the image, my lazy photography coupled with a shadow on the card results in Melido's face being completely dark.  Fortunately we have a profile picture on the flip of the card.

1991 Score #705 No-Hit Club Melido Perez (b-side)

In the Box on the back you will notice the short line score. The White Sox were leading the Yankees  8-0 in the top of the 7th when the game was called due to rain. This meant that the no-hitter only lasted six innings. It also meant that Perez suffered a fate similar to Andy Hawkins earlier in our No-Hit Series - the No-Hitter was rescinded.

There is one important difference between the rescinded no-hitters of Melido Perez and Andy Hawkins - Perez got to go home with a Victory.

Now look deeper into the box, check out who the losing pitcher was, yep Andy Hawkins - He might be the only pitcher to lose two shortened no-hitter. He did it in a two week period and he actually pitched one of the no-hitters.

Box Notes
The game was caught by Carlton Fisk. Due to the withdrawal of the no-hitter the Hall of Fame catcher never got credit for calling one. Other notable White Sox in the lineup include Robin Ventura, a Young Sammy Sosa (batting eighth!!) and Future ChiSox World Series Champion Manager Ozzie Guillen.

The Yankees one of their most mediocre lineups for the game. There are some semi-stars in there but the only big one is Don Mattingly and he was in the middle of a down year.

Pascual Perez
Sadly Melido's Brother Pascual was murdered in 2012. On a much happier note we must mention that Pascual has his own no-htter story that we intend to cover in a future post.

Sources and Links
1990: Year of the No-Hitter index
Retrosheet
ESPN
baseball-ref

ASG in Cincinnati 1953 style: NL Starting Pitcher Robin Roberts

Last Night we covered the first All-Star Game hosted by the Reds in 1938. Tonight we wind the clock forward to 1953.

2010 Topps #MCP-12 Robin Roberts Manufactured Commemorative Patch

The Senior Circuit took this game 5-1. The Phillies Richie Ashburn broke up the scoreless tie with a 2-run pinch single in the fifth inning. Pee Wee Reese was the other NL standout on offense with a 2 hits including a double and a pair of RBIs.

The Above ManuPatch card notes the NL Starting Pitcher, Hall of Famer Robin Roberts who was one of four Phillies selected for the Squad. The others were Ashburn, Curt Simmons and Granny Hamner.

Robin Roberts shutout the AL squad for the 3 innings he pitched. The sole hit was a Single by Gus Zernial who repped the crosstown Philadelphia A's in his only All-Star Appearance. The Hall of Famers that Roberts retired included Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra.

2010 Topps #MCP-12 Robin Roberts Manufactured Commemorative Patch  (b-side)

There is virtually no informatino on the back of the card regarding the game. In fact neither side mentions the Host City, Cincinnati at all - it is just mentioned in the classic Reds logo.

And it is a good thing, the Reds Logo is the coolest thing about the card. Much nicer than the 2008 ManuPatches.

Sources and Links
Robin Roberts HoF Index 
2015 ASG Coverage
baseball-ref

2015 07 08 Janeane Garofalo @ World Cafe Live Philadelphia

This past Wednesday night Janeane Garofalo’s brought her Stand Up act to Philadelphia’s World Café Live. The Veteran Comedienne put on a great show that kept her audience laughing for the entire 90+ minutes she performed.

Garofalo briskly moved through several divergent set pieces which evolved/devolved on amusing tangents. When she veered off topic some subjects got dropped, but she typically returned.

Janeane Garofalo 2014 1226 at EastVille Comedy Club

I didn't take any pictures at WCL on Wednesday Night, so you get this one from last winter.

At the time Garofalo was working on new material during at a Comedy Club in New York City. A couple of those pieces were brought out more fully during the long format show including bits on Student Debt, House Hunters, and Elitist Food Trends.

She did extended routines on How to Handle Your Intervention, Walking/Talking Dead, Danny Aiello, and the Sierra Club repeatedly asking her for more money even though she is already a monthly contributor.

The Aiello was particularly memorable, On most of her Celeb bashing Garofalo tended to open with I don't know (miscellaneous celeb), I am sure they are very nice but... Well with Danny she had a personal experience, the two shared a train car and she painted Aiello has a person in need of chronic attention. He kept begging people to notice him on the train car - including singing.  Then Aiello kept repeating his love of congressman Ted Cruz. And as she often does in her set Garofalo was able to tie a funny story to a political point.  

Classic bits of hers were updated. She has been doing a Prescription Drugs and their Side effects routine since I first saw her in the early 90s apparently the side effects have escalated to death at this point. She also continues to name dropped Law & Order mentioning to Millennials that yes there was a time that L&O did not exist.

2015 07 08 Janeane Garofalo ticket World Cafe Live Philadelphia 

etc,,
--Opener David Hill delivered a decent opening set, His delivery takes a bit of getting used to it, but he had enough good routines to earn a twitter follow.
--I was presently surprised how much warmer World Café Live had felt this visit. In the past the room seemed a bit too bland. There didn’t appear to be any major changes – maybe some subtle ones or possibly I am just getting used to the place.
--Lastly there was a 10 year girl performing on WCLs other stage. It was a bid odd to emerge out of the main room to see a 10 year autographing CDs and other keepsakes.
 

2015 ASG: Rickey Henderson?? 1983 Topps #391

Rickey Henderson played for nine different teams during his 25 year career, but he is most synonymous with one. The Oakland A's. They are the club he collected 867 of his Major League Record 1406 Stolen Bases with, They are the club he won his 1990 MVP award with and the are also the club with whom he won the first of two World Series titles. Unfortunately his other Ring came as a member of the 1993 Blue Jays and we all know who they beat.

 1983 Topps #391 Rickey Henderson All-Star

So what does all of these Hall of Fame Accomplishments of a guy who hasn't played in over a decade have to do with next weeks All-Star Game?

Nothing, Except for his 1983T AS Card.

 1983 Topps #391 Rickey Henderson All-Star (b-side)

 In 1983 Topps did something interesting on the back of the All-Stars. Each of the 22 cards in the subset features an All-Star Game from the past. There is a synopsis followed by a line score and along with a list of Winning and Losing pitchers and Home Runs.

It is an interesting use of the All-Star cards that I don't believe Topps has done before or since.

The #391 Card occupied by Rickey Henderson also happens to be the card that discusses the 1938 All-Star Game which was held in Cincinnati.

It was the first All-Star Game hosted by the Reds. The NL won 4-1. This game had to be one of the greats in All-Star history - Johnny Vander Meer got to start the game for the NL in front of his home crowd just weeks after his back to back no-hitter - That is Awesome.

Vander Meer and Cubs Pitcher Bill Lee (not Spaceman Lee) were the starts of the game. For six shutout innings they held the formidable AL line up to two hits. There were no offensive standouts on either side, 3 of the NLs four runs were unearned as the AL Squad had four Hall of Famers commit errors.

The Phillies sole representative in the 1938 All-Star Game was Hersch Martin. It was the only All-Star squad that Martin ever made, and he didn't even get to play in the game. 

1983 Topps/OPC #391 Rickey Henderson (AS)

Just presenting the OPC version of this card which is basically the same up front with the added French Text and a different logo.

but boy look at the back:

1983 OPC/Topps #391 Rickey Henderson AS  ( b-side)

OPC really squished up the font to get all the information on there. 

One final note. During the 1938 All-Star Game Leo Durocher hit what is referred to as a "Bunt Home Run" on the above Topps Card(s). During the recent SABR 45 in Chicago Chuck Hildebrandt gave an excellent (and funny) presentation on what he referred to as "Little League Home Run". To read more about Little League Homers click here.   

Sources and Links
Phungo 2015 ASG Coverage
baseball-ref
SABR

Your 2015 Phillies All-Star Jonathan Papelbon 2013 Topps Heritage #104

Tonight we open our 2015 All-Star Game Coverage

Last night Major League Baseball announced the All-Star Reserves. This is about as exciting as the 2015 Phillies get. Rightfully the team did not have any starters elected to the squad.

And despite the fact that the Phillies have the worst record in baseball, the rules, customs and decorum of the mid-summer classic dictate that the Phillies to get a minimum of one roster spot on the All-Star Team.

2013 Topps Heritage #104 Jonathan Papelbon

Closer Jonathan Papelbon was selected to represent the Phillies in Cincinnati. This is Papelbon's sixth all-star selection and second as a Phil.

 2013 Topps Heritage #104 Jonathan Papelbon (b-side)

Presenting the flip here for a couple of reasons, First off I like the trivia question. Secondly Papelbon's partner for card #104 in the original 1964T release was Art Mahaffey and I want to take a closer look at these two cards in the future.

As far as the Trivia Question, I thought it was due to 2 runners scoring on a single sacrifice, however the answer has to do with an error being committed on a dropped fly. The Runner scores/advances on the error, and the batter is ALSO awarded a sacrifice. Baseball Reference has a posting on four occurrences of triple sacrifice innings. 

2015 All-Star Coverage
Bobby Abreu
Johnny Bench
Rickey Henderson
Art Mahaffey
Robin Roberts
Pete Rose
2014 All-Star Coverage

Sources and Links
baseball-ref

They won't be making any more of these

Grateful Dead Tickets - well If the band remains retired after this weekends concerts in Chicago then yes there will never be another Grateful Dead ticket printed. 

I only saw the Grateful Dead once, that was in 1993.

 Concert Ticket Grateful Dead with Sting 1993 06 26

 I don't remember much of the show, fortunately we have the tremendous Live Music Archive so we can look back at these shows from over 20 years ago.  Looking back at the set list provided, I vaguely recall the 2nd set opener Iko Iko and the closing numbers. I also remember Bruce Hornsby being with the band and that being a big deal.

I love the fact that Sting is the opener. Can't imagine Mr Gordon Sumner has been the undercard more than a handful of times in the last 35 years.

Note the seat is Obstructed View, of course as you may be aware this means nothing at a dead show. We spent the entirety of the day on the floor at RFK. 


 
Concert Ticket Jerry Garcia Band 1993 11 16

This is a ticket from later in 1993. I saw Jerry Garcia Band twice, and preferred them to seeing the Dead. I have only run into my sister by accident once and it was at one of the two JGB shows I saw at the Spectrum. I distinctly remember the first set from this show and much of the latter - The Set list can be found here.

Concert Ticket Phish 2000 09 15

And one more ticket stub related to this past weekends festivities in Chicago. Trey Anastasio from Phish joined the Grateful Dead for their final shows this during the past week. I was fortunate to see his band play at HersheyPark Stadium 15 years ago.  I didn't know much about Phish's music at the time, but I am glad I saw them - They put on a fun show and I met some great folks.

sources and links
VittlesTunes
Internet Archive
Jerry Garcia

ANNIVERSARY July 6 1980: Steve Carlton Sets Lefty Srikeout mark.

Steve Carlton is celebrating a bit of a milestone anniversary this week. 35 years ago he became the All-Time leader in strikeouts among Left-Handed Pitchers.

1981 Topps #202 Record Breaker Steve Carlton (career K's lefthander)

While facing his former team, the St Louis Cardinals, on July 6th 1980, Steve 'Lefty' Carlton set the Career Strikeout Record for southpaws.

In the bottom of the fourth inning he struck out Ken Reitz and Tony Scott in consecutive At Bats to tie and set the record that was previously held by Mickey Lolich

The feat made the Record Breaker subset for 1981 Topps. 

Flip

1981 Topps #202 Record Breaker Steve Carlton (b-side)

The b-side of the 1981 Record Breaker cards sort of slack a little by placing all the achievements on the season end date of October 5th, a date which Carlton didn't even pitch. Also notice the by-line for the article is from Philadelphia - Which is incorrect for either date as the Phillies were on the road for both the Record Breaking game in St Louis and the final game of the season in Montreal.

Perhaps the article cites Philadelphia because the Photo of Lefty shows him in a home uniform, and what is with the batting helmet? - notice it is an old school helmet - no earflaps.

Intermittently in the 1980s Carlton held/shared the K record for all pitchers with Nolan Ryan. Topps produced a card in 1984 marking that accomplishment.  

In 1976 Topps issued a similar card for Mickey Lolich who broke the Strikeout record which was previously held by Warren Spahn. Since 1981 both Lolich and Carlton have been passed by Randy Johnson who took over the southpaw K Record in 2004. Carlton still ranks 4th overall in Punchouts and 2nd among Leftys.

Sources and Links
Phungo HoF Index - Steve Carlton
Baseball-ref