1971 Topps Baseball Card #127 - Danny Thompson

Here are two 1971 Topps Baseball Cards of #127, Danny Thompson. 

The card on the right is missing the black ink on the reverse.  It is not a variation but just a printing error.

Danny played in the major leagues from 1970 to 1976.  He was diagnosed with leukemia in 1973.  He passed away in 1976 less than 10 weeks after playing his last game.  He was 29 years old and left behind a wife and two children.

1971 Topps Baseball Card #42 Boots Day

Here is another 1971 Topps Baseball Card variation I recently added to my collection.  This is card #42 of Montreal Expos outfielder Boots Day. 

The card on the left shoes the top of a light tower behing his right ear.  The card on the right has the light tower airbrushed away. 

1971 Topps Baseball Card #371 Jack Hiatt

I'm working on completing all the baseball card variations in the 1971 set issued by Topps.

Here is the latest one I have added to my collection, the card of Houston Astros catcher Jack Hiatt.  The card on the left is the normal card and the one on the right has a white circle next to his position of catcher.

New Baseball Collectible

Last month, my wife and I went to an antique store in southern New Jersey.  There were many great items there.  Here is what I picked up for my collection:

It is a baseball collectible that you would find in your local candy store in the 1940's or 1950's.  You paid one penny to play.  You would punch out a circle and get a baseball play that corresponded to  a prize of a certain number of pieces of candy.  Everyone got at least one piece of candy and the top prize was 20 pieces for a home run!

This one is in great condition and has not been punched yet.

New Collectible!

Here is something new just added to my collection.  In 1969, Topps inserted small decal versions of players in certain packs f baseball cards.  On the right is the decal insert of Mel Stottlemyre, a pitcher for the New York Yankees.  On the left is the actual photo that was used to create the decal.

ZOE

October 22, 1998 - May 17, 2012

Our beloved pug, Zoe passed away this morning.

Zoe was a very special member of our family.  Regardless of how she felt or what kind of day she had, she was always there sitting in the kitchen to greet me and put a smile on my face when I walked through the door when I came home from work everyday.

Zoe was a smart pug.  When we would take her for a walk, we would ask her "Zoe, do you want to go for a walk?"  She got so familiar with the word "walk" that when she heard it said in conversation, she immediately thought she was going for a walk.  We had to start saying "W" instead when we used the word walk as to not excite her.  So when I went for a walk, I would say to my wife "I'm going for a W."

Zoe traveled with us many times up to Vermont to visit my wife's son at college.  She never gave us a problem on the 7 hour drive.  When we got there, she made herself right at home.  She loved sitting in her bed by the fireplace there.

Monday evenings were a special night for us.  I called it "Castle and Creamsicle Night."   I would spread the blanket out in front of the TV and we would watch our favorite TV show, "Castle" and share a creamsicle.  (Alright, I spread out a blanket and watched TV with Zoe practically every night and we shared many creamsicles on other nights but Monday nights were special.)

When she was left alone in the house, we would either leave the TV on for her or play music for her.  She was a fan of HGTV and in music, liked country music, loved Christmas music and developed an affinity for Frank Sinatra.

As she got older, she slowed down.  Some nights when I sat on our blanket, she would come over to me with a little sadness in her eyes.  It was like she was asking me "Why can't I walk around the block anymore and why can't I go up and down the steps like I used to?".  What could I do.  I would pet her on the head or rub her chin and talk to her in a soft, calm, reassuring voice.   She would look at me and the sadness was gone.  She would lay down on her side or back and I would rub her belly.  Immediately, she started making that purring/snoring sound that pugs make.  All was once again right in her world.  It was the best I could do. 

I started carrying her up and down the main stairway.  When we were beginning the trip at the top or the bottom of the stairs, her little paws would grab my arm as if to say, "I'm ready."  She never gave me a problem carrying her.  She had no trouble with the outside steps, just the main staircase.  When I would carry her, her little head would twist around and she looked everywhere.  My guess is that since she always saw the world from about 6 inches off the ground, seeing it from 4 or 5 feet high was a spectacular sight.

I imagine right now she is laying in her bed, bright sunshine on her. (It is a beautiful sunny day here).  She is content, napping comfortably with one eye ever so slightly open, keeping a watch out for me to enter and take her on a long “W”.  I told her it would be the first thing we would do when I got there.

Crashmobile II

Finally found and won an auction on the elusive red base and green wheel version that I have been looking for.  Here it is!