Innholdsfortegnelse for December 1, 2023 i Sports Collectors Digest

Watching the Houston Astros lose in the 2023 American League Championship Series was bittersweet for me. I am not an Astros fan — I can’t get over their 2017 cheating scandal — so I was happy to see them lose to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers. But I have always loved Astros manager Dusty Baker, who announced his retirement after the postseason. For me, it was sad to see the 74-year-old Baker walk away from the game he loves and to which he has given so much of his life. Baker spent 19 seasons playing in the big leagues and 26 as the manager of the Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals and Astros. I became a Dusty Baker fan as a kid, shortly after he made his 1968 MLB…

As sports card collectors, our favorite time of the year is approaching. No, I'm not talking about the National Sports Collectors Convention. We are looking forward to the upcoming holiday season full of new card releases. It's a winter wonderland of Christmas trees, jingle bells, and shiny boxes wrapped with big bows under your tree. Here's hoping some of those boxes are filled with sports cards. If you're looking to add something to your wish list, here is a short list of five great upcoming releases for the holiday season. TOPPS BASEBALL HOLIDAY MEGA BOX We would be remiss if we didn't start with the obvious holiday release, the festive 2023 Topps Holiday Baseball Mega boxes. This product is out in plenty of time to put under your tree, hitting…

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Not listed is the author’s latest, Baseball’s Memorable Misses: an Unabashed Look at the Game’s Craziest Zeroes, a Sports Publishing book.) Just because the New York Yankees haven’t been to the World Series since 2009 doesn’t mean they have disappeared from the hearts of their fans. In fact, the legends and feats of the Bronx Bombers live on in literature — especially the baseball books of 2023. There are volumes on Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Roy White and Aaron Judge, the record-setting 1998 team, a historical look at Yankee firsts, and an often-hysterical memoir from best-selling author Marty Appel, a long-time Yankees publicist with many books about the ballclub. Also among this year’s baseball books are a biography of longtime Giants owner Charles Stoneham, an autobiography by erstwhile…

Sometimes we take different paths to reach our destinations. For Rabbi David Spinrad that may be an understatement. Rabbi David was recently on episodes 256 and 257 of Sports Card Nation. Our conversation was scheduled for Oct. 9, two days after the terrorist attack on Israel. Somehow we still managed to keep our appointment. I love Rabbi David's approach and his podcast (more on that shortly). Originally from California, he's lived on both coasts as well as other places during his life. Before he ultimately became a Rabbi, he was a New York City bartender and also a personal trainer. Isn't that the normal trajectory? I think it's the wearing of these different hats that shape who we are. Rabbi David is even-keeled and cares about the details. He collected…

Sid Gordon, An American Baseball Story: A Jewish Boy’s Journey from the Brooklyn Sandlots to Major League Baseball (BookBaby, 372 pp.), $17.39. A Whole New Ballgame: The Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by Sue Macy (Henry Holt, 144 pp.), $13.99. The New York Mets (Sports Illustrated, 232 pp.), $28.49. Welcome to the Circus of Baseball by Ryan McGee (Doubleday, 259 pp.), $29. The Last Miracle (Triumph, 260 pp.), $30. The Cup of Coffee Club (Rowman & Littlefield, 212 pp.), $18. Tales From the Dugout by Tim Haggerty (Cider Mill Press, 360 pp.), $15.26. Jacks: The Most Incredible Home Run Seasons in Baseball History by Jed Dukott (BookBaby, 194 pp.), $13.95. Mallparks: Baseball Stadiums and the Culture of Consumption (Cornell University Press, 324 pp.), $49.95. The…

Even after winning the 2020 NL Championship Series and 2020 World Series MVP awards, Corey Seager still flew under the radar in the sports memorabilia world. How do you get out from under the shadows of Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., Mookie Betts and Julio Rodriguez? Simple. Win a second World Series MVP award. That’s what Seager did in leading the Texas Rangers to a 2023 world championship. The team overcame all kinds of obstacles during the playoffs, beating Tampa Bay, Baltimore and then Houston. That inspired run led to the Rangers’ punch-out of the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. Seager was the key cog, hitting .286 with three homers, six hits, six RBI and six runs in the World Series. The hobby is…

From the time I was a tiny tee-ball All-Star for the Norry Dodgers and a star running back for the Second Street Elementary flag football team, I was drawn to sports cards. The great hobby of card collecting brought me a step closer to my heroes and childhood idols. Even from my earliest collecting moments and memories, I was almost exclusively drawn to rookie cards. There is something incredibly special about a debut and a new beginning, whether it is sports specific or life in general. A fresh-faced youngster with their whole life (and career) ahead of them immortalized on cardboard for the first time is special. Every rookie card is a sports origin story, and some of these youngsters could be legends in the making. I've been strict with…

NOTE: If you have a show listing, follow the style below and send to jowens@aimmedia.com. ALABAMA Dec 2 AL, Scottsboro. Scottsboro Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, Goose Pond Civic Center, 1165 Ed Hembree Dr., Scottsboro, AL 35769. SH: 9am-2pm. T: 150. A: Free. Contact: Stephen Moore 256-599-0989, Stephen@jacksonssportscards.com; jacksonssportscards.com Dec 9 AL, Irondale. The Flip Sports Card & Collectibles Trade Show, Irondale Civic Center (formerly Zamora Shrine), 3521 Ratliff Rd, Irondale, AL 35210 SH: 10am-5pm. T: 125+ ($75-95). A: $6. Contact: Daniel TheFlipTradeShow@gmail.com Dec 16-17 AL, Huntsville. The Flip Sports Card & Collectibles Trade Show, Von Braun Center, 700 Monroe St. SW, Huntsville, AL 35801. SH: 10am-5pm. T: 200+ ($140-160). A: $6. Contact: Daniel TheFlipTradeShow@gmail.com Dec 16 AL, Sheffield. Muscle Shoals Sportscards and Memorabilia Show, Clarion Inn, 4900 Hatch Blvd.,…