Fox News

This morning at breakfast, I had a visitor.  I saw some thing walking around in the back yard and at first, I thought it was a cat.  As it got closer, it turned out to be a fox! 

I took some pictures before it ran away. 

It's hard to see him, he is to the right of the swing set.

Here is an enlargement.

 

I'll have to see if he comes back to join me again tomorrow.

Mickey Mantle Pencil Set

For Father's Day, my step-daughter Laura got me a gift certificate from ebay.  So, I've been looking for something special.

I have wanted a Mickey Mantle Pencil Set.  There is one in the local antique store but it is much too high priced for its condition.  The 2 pencil set is either from the late 1950's or early 1960's.  The original price was 25 cents.

I've been looking for one on ebay but they seem to be going for a very high price or not in very good condition.

About a week ago I saw one and put in my best bid and won!!  It looked like it was in nice condition and I could not wait for it to arrive.  When it did, I was not disappointed at all.

Here it is.

It is complete and does not show a lot of wear.  I still have some extra left on the gift certificate!

Thank you Laura!!!

Dan Pfister - Kansas City Athletics

Dan Pfister played major league baseball with the Kansas City Athletics of the American League from 1961 through 1964.  His lifetime record ws 6 wins and 19 losses.  Dan grew up in Bound Brook, New Jersey.  This is 2 towns over from my hometown.  I went to grade school and high school with Dan's cousin, Doug.  Knowing someone who had a relative in the major leagues was a big thing

Dan appeared on 3 different baseball cards in 1962, 1963 and 1964.  Here is his 1962 Topps rookie card.

Here is his 1963 card.

Here is his last card from 1964.

Here is an interesting item. Topps pays the players for the right to use their image and in the 1960's allowed the players to choose a gift from a catalogue.  Here is Topps record of what Dan choose as his gift each year.

So, in his first 2 years, Dan choose a 19" RCA Portable TV and in his last year got a GE Electric Dishwasher!

After he left professional baseball, Dan was a firefighter in Hollywood, Florida.  He still lives in Hollywood.

Robert Maier

Robert Maier was born in my hometown of Dunellen, NJ, on September 5, 1915.

Bob was a professional baseball player who played only one year in the majors, 1945.  He was a third baseman for the Detroit tigers and helped them win the World Series that year.

He only batted one in the World Series, his last at bat ever, and got a single in game 6.

Here is a baseball card of him.

As a kid, I would see him around town and at church on Sundays.  I talked with him a few times and he was a great person.

He passed away in nearby South Plainfield on August 4, 1993.

TOUR OF SOMERVILLE

My wife and I just got back from the Tour of Somerville bicycle races in nearby Somerville,, New Jersey.

The Tour of Somerville is an annual series of bicycle races in Somerville held over Memorial Day weekend, with the premiere race held on Monday. The series of races are called "tours" due to a New Jersey state law forbidding racing on highways for prizes.

2013 marked the 70th race.


The event, dubbed the "Kentucky Derby of Cycling," is considered the oldest major bicycle race in the nation. It culminates in the 50-mile Kugler-Anderson Memorial race.  That centerpiece race offers a $15,000 prize. 

It is very exciting watching the cyclists.  They race at about 25 to 30 miles per hour and the final sprints can be at 35 miles per hour.

Today there was a crash of maybe 6 cyclists in one of the races about 20 yards from me.  A very scary situation.  I do know that one of the competitors was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Congratulations not only to the winners, but to all competitors.

Frank Umont

Frank Umont was an umpire in Major League Baseball's American League from 1954 to 1973.  Prior to that, he was a guard for 4 years for the New York Giants football team.

Though he was born in Staten Island, he grew up in my childhood home town of Dunellen, New Jersey.

Here is his baseball card from the 1955 set issued by Bowman.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, I delivered the local weekly newspaper to the house he grew up in.  His sister lived on the same block as my Aunt Jo and my Aunt got me a baseball personally singed by him.

He umpired in All Star Games as well as World Series Games in addition to regular season games.  He was also the umpire in the last regular season game played at Yankee Stadium in 1973 before it was remodeled.

He was the first umpire to wear glasses.

Frank passed away from a heart attack in his Florida home on June 20, 1991. 

ZOE

It's been a year since you left us but you are in our hearts everyday!