Long Overdue Thanks to Baseball Dad

A while ago, I received a package in the mail from Jack, Baseball Dad, Harner.  He sent it after reading my posts about Travis Jackson - the HOFer born, raised , and buried just down the road from where I live.

Accept my apologies for the photo quality.  The "old" MacBook just doesn't take great pics indoors. Ah well.

The first card in the envelope was Mr. Jackson himself!  I was so excited, I showed my wife.  And, then I explained who he was, and the whole "Waldo, AR" connection.  She tolerates my hobby-habit better than many.  I wish someone would do a modern-day version of "The Conlon Collection."  An all-inclusive set of every player to have donned an MLB uniform would be awesome.

Next up is 1983 Donruss "Hall of Fame Heroes" card featuring Bob Lemon.  Believe it or not, I think I need this for my collection.  I haven't checked it against my database yet, but I don't remember having Lemon form this set.  Of course, with over 10,000 Indians cards, I do forget which ones I have from time to time...

Next up is a 1979 Topps Ron Pruitt.  Now, this one I *know* I have.  First of all, '79 was right in the thick of my initial collecting phase. Second, how do you forget you have this card?  In-your-face catcher shot.  The girls at Dinged Corners would be loving this one! And, they'll probably end up with it.

Next up, a 1999 Fleer Tradition Rookie Flashback Richie Sexson.  This was when Fleer wasn't owned by Upper Deck.  The card features embossing/relief work.  You lose that in the shot below.  I love the soft border on these and the photo is crisp with some blurring background.

The 2005 UD Classic set brought about a retro feel with a nostalgic twist to the featured players.  Jack sent me two of them: Lou Boudreau and Larry Doby.  Boudreau looks like he is kneeling in the on-deck circle or at least on the sideline watching practice.  Doby is posed in front of an empty section of stands.  It's actually a very weird picture since the world disappears at about his armpit.

Before Manny was "Manny," he was a Triber.  This 1993 Bowman is a very cool card with a shiny border that appears to change colors in the light.  I'm sure it's a reflector, refractor, foil-edge, something. Then again, maybe it's just a regular old Bowman.  I could look it up, but where is the fun in that for you, the reader? In actuality, it looks like an oil spill from Skyrim. Maybe I should stop playing that game for a while.

Carlos Baerga!  Here, he is featured in the 1996 Pinnacle ".300 Series" as card number 304.9  That must have been a fun set to pull together for Pinnacle. Can you imagine the company pitch?  "Hey, I think we should do a set where the card numbers are based on batting averages. And, pitching averages. And, well, OBP or whatever else we can assign an average to..."

The 2007 Topps Chrome David Dellucci really shines! I mean that literally, of course.  The back features white lettering.  I don't know if the Chrome set had both red letters and white, or just white. In any case, I like the Chrome sets, and Dellucci played three seasons with the Tribe and batted an average of .249 during his stint.

Rounding out the package from Baseball Dad: Pronk!  This time, he is featured on a 2008 UD Baseball Heroes card (Grey background).  In a double-header against the Angels, he went 7-for-8 with 5 HR, 5 runs and 11 RBIs.  Remembering the good ol' days...

Thanks to Baseball Dad for this surprise!  I am especially excited to add Jackson to my "non-Tribers" collection.  Very cool addition!  I'm looking forward to comparing the Indians cards against my collection, too.  I never know when a card shows up that I thought I already had - only to find out it is a new member of the Tribecards family!

Travis Jackson comes to mind

I live in southern Arkansas (or Lower Arkansas, aka LA), and for a time drove through Waldo, Arkansas, on my way to work every day.  At the time, I was a computer tech for Southern Arkansas University.  When coming back home after work, there was sign that always caught my attention:

I passed by that sign every workday.  I meant to look into who Jackson was, but never seemed to remember by the time I got home.  The sign is long gone now.  For no known reason I can come up with, Jackson's name popped in my head today.  And, so, I Googled him.

According to BBHOF:

Travis Jackson was the hustling captain and clutch-hitting shortstop on John McGraw's Giants teams of the 1920s, playing through the mid-1930s. His outstanding arm, exceptional range and quick release earned him great respect in the field. Nicknamed Stonewall, after the Civil War general and for the wall of defense he supplied at shortstop, he also hit 135 home runs and compiled six .300-or-higher seasons at the plate. Rogers Hornsby praised Jackson by saying, "In all the years I watched him, playing with him and against him, I never saw him make a mistake."

He was so good at stopping the ball, he was actually given the nickname "Stonewall."  Nice!

I did not know that he passed away in 1987 until I started looking in to his information.  That's at least three years before I came to Arkansas.  He was inducted in 1982, five years before his passing.  I would have liked to have met him.

After checking out Jackson, I decided to see what other Arkansans are in the BBHOF.  Turns out, there are at least SEVEN members with Arkansas ties!  How cool!

Bill Dickey, Lou Brock, Dizzy Dean, Brooks Robinson, George Kell, and "Arky" Vaughan round out the rest of the boys from Arkansas.

Jackson was born in Waldo and he died in Waldo.  Between the two, he managed to set himself apart from other baseball players during the "Roaring 20's" playing for the NY Giants.  That's a pretty good life in my book.