Autograph Tales:Jerry Garvin

Jerry Garvin pitched for six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, compiling a record of 20-41.  It might sound cliche, but he was actually better than his record would indicate.  Those early Toronto Blue Jays were not very good.  He did make the Topps All-Rookie team in 1977 and he once had four pick-offs in a game.
After his playing career ended, he eventually got into real estate.  I sent him a note and some cards.  He signed the cards and sent back an additional card, this one a business card.
How cool of a business card is that though?  Look at it.  It has all of the relevant info, plus a picture of one of his baseball cards.  Hey, I sell real estate and oh by the way, I used to be a major league pitcher.
I wonder how he picked that card.  It is his last Topps card, so maybe that is it.  Maybe he just liked this card the best.
I always appreciated getting extra goodies like this with autographs.  Some celebrities do go that extra bit!

Old Times at the Comiskey Park

Today, another one of my old pictures taken during my teenage years.  The camera was bad, the image is grainy, but the meories are great.
What do I know about this picture?  I know the batter is Joe Charboneau, the 1980 AL Rookie of the Year.  Charboneau was drafted by the Phillies, but made the majors with the Cleveland Indians.  Unfortunately, Charboneau's major league career lasted only three seasons.
The rest of the info is questionable.  I wrote "1981" on the back of the picture.  However, on the same page, I had a picture of the Sox scoreboard erupting with fireworks.  On the back of that picture, I wrote that it was from a homerun by Harold Baines.
If the two pictures were from the same game, it could not have been 1981.  In fact, it would have only been from one game and that was in 1980. My only problem with that (aside from the "1981" part) is that the player on deck would have to be Bo Diaz.  Although the picture is fuzzy, I swore it was Duane Kuiper.
So my conclusion is that the picture was taken in 1980 or 1981.  The reference to a homerun by Baines might have been a mistake.  That's about as definitive as I can get.

T

Joe Charboneau in Comiskey Park in Chicago, IL-Summer 1981.

Old Times at Comiskey Park

Many of my fellow bloggers like to determine the date of game played for baseball cards featuring in-game shots.  Their determination and eye for detail amazes me.  Of course, it also inspires me to try to do the same for some old pictures I have.

Below is a picture of Matt Keough of the Oakland A's warming up before a game against the Whte Sox in Comiskey Park.  I think I have figured out which game this was.

At first, I thought it was from 1981.  However, on second study of box scores, that was a doubleheader in which Keough pitched the second game.  It had a stated attendance of over 25,000.  These two facts made me realize it couldn't be that game.

Looking at the stands, there aren't that many people..  This was back when double-headers weren't played as day-night.  I doubt that many people would have left after game one.  I also don't think Keough would have warmed up prior to the first game if he was starting the second.
This lead me back to the boxscores and ultimately to September 16, 1979.  The Sox beat Keough and the A's 5-2 in front of about 11,000 fans (this also explains the lack of fans in the stands).
My only problem with this theory is the #25 in the A's uniform in the background.  There was no #25 on the 1979 A's, unless it was a coach.
I am disappointed that I could not pinpoint this game, but I am not going to lose sleep or anything.  Maybe I'll have more luck with pictures in the future.  Either way, as always I love the nostalgia of the picture.

Matt Keough in Comiskey Park in Chicago, IL-September 1979.

Old Times at the Chicago Stadium

Thirty years ago today, the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-4 at the old Chicago Stadium.  The crowd numbered 14395 and I was one of them.
We got to the game early and I took some pregame pictures of the players skating.  During the game, I occasionally moved closer for a better picture of in-game action.  Of course, "better" is a relative term considering the cameras of the day.  Still, I was excited to have pictures of my Blackhawks.
In the picture below, if you strain your eyes, you can see a ref, four Maple Leafs and two Blackhawks.  For the Leafs, #23 is Dave Farrish and #19 is Bill Derlago.  For the Hawks, #10 is Reg Kerr and #8 is Terry Ruskowski.  Kerr is not wearing a helmet, as was his choice back then.
I am surprised that I did not keep track of who the other two Leafs are.  Yes, I am usually that obsessed with details.
As always, I love this old pictures.  The pictures are never clear and sharp, but the memories of my youthful sports fandom are.

The Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, IL-February 22, 1981.

Old Times at Mount Carmel

Today, I am going back to my high school days for some hijinx. Technically, the picture is from my back yard, but it was taken while we waited for our friend to pick us up for the drive to Mt. Carmel.
This is another of those pictures that I love because of the wonderful 80's of it all.  Rick and I were both in our standard wear corduroys and our Mt. Carmel jackets.  I added the hooded sweatshirt (they weren't "hoodies" back then), while Rick had the back pocket comb.  Rick wore a winter knit cap, while I let my mane free (such a cap would have really given me a case of hat head).
We often sparred in the yard.  In reality, Rick would have killed me.  He had the reach, the height, the strength and the weight.  I might have given him a fight, but he would have won.
Rick was a good friend.  He was a key part of the cul-de-sac football that we played throughout high school.
Rick and I fell out of sorts late in high school.  I don't even remember what started it, but I know I gave him a lot of crap.  I was going through some rough times, but he was a friend and deserved better.
I lost track of Rick a long time ago, long before I was grown up enough to realize some of the problems I caused.  I never got to explain or apologize to Rick.
I doubt Rick will ever read this, but maybe someday he will.  Either way, at least I want to make that effort (too many years late that it might be).  I'd like a chance to talk to Rick and maybe heal an old wound.

Rick Kruk and me in Chicago, IL-Winter 1982.

Old Times at Comiskey Park

A while back, I featured Jerry Dybzinski at Comiskey Park. I met him during batting practice in 1981 while he was with the Cleveland Indians. Two years later, I met him on 'Picture Day' after he had joined the Chicago White Sox. Today, I am featuring someone else I met on both of those days.
I was a fan of Dave Duncan from his playing days with the A's. In November of 1976, Duncan was traded to the White Sox from the Baltimore Orioles. In March of 1977, Duncan was released by the White Sox, having never played a regular season game for the team. Ordinarily, this would make Duncan a great candidate for a "Cards That Never Were" creation by Steve at White Sox Cards. For some reason, Topps produced a card of Duncan for the 1977 set. It is an airbrushed classic, but a White Sox card nonetheless. I do think Steve would have done a better job though.
Duncan became a coach with the Indians shortly after retiring. I was hanging around behind home plate during batting practice when Duncan walked over. I remember talking to him about his White Sox card. He called it awful and we all laughed. I told him he should join the Sox coaching staff and then we could at least get a local produced set featuring him really in a Sox uni.
Two years later on 'Picture Day', I welcomed him to Chicago and reminded him of our chat. Of course, I knew he wouldn't remember a meaningless chat. He did laugh politely and insisted he did remember. He eventually did appear as a coach on some Sox cards from TruVallu.
Finally, I have a question for Sox fans. Is that Floyd Bannister in the picture with Duncan?

Dave Duncan in Comiskey Park in Chicago, IL-Summer 1981.

Dave Duncan (left) in Comiskey Park in Chicago, IL-Summer 1983.

Old Times at Wrigley Field

As I have written before, in September of 1983, I attended most of the weekday home games of the Chicago Cubs. The crowds were thin. The tickets were cheap. My school day at DePaul ended at noon. The El ride was about 10 minutes. It was the perfect situation.
You can tell a lot of things from the picture below. You can easily see the lack of a crowd. You can see empty sections down the right field line. From my seat behind home plate, you can see plenty of empty seats in nearby sections, too. Even the bleachers are spotty at best.
The new high tech scoreboard addition is clearly visible, right below the historic scoreboard. Never mind that most banks have a bigger text sign that that. In 1983 at Wrigley, it was radical.
You can also see some rooftops over the right field wall. This was before rooftop seating was an issue. There might have been a handful of rooftop viewers this day, but not enough to warrant concern from the Cubs organization.
Also in the photo is Lori. Lori was an usher/security person at Wrigley. We talked a lot with the ushers because they had plenty of down time (without much of a crowd to control and usher). She also usually let me slide into much better seats than I deserved. I am pretty sure that she won't get in trouble with this revelation.
By the time the '84 season came, a lot had changed. I had a job after school. The Cubs were on the way to winning the NL East. Harry Caray was becoming a Cubs icon.
When I went to my first game in '84, I had nosebleed seats and sat there the whole game. The place was too packed for me to move to a better seat and Lori wasn't there to facilitate it.
Lori, wherever you are...thanks for September of '83.

Lori in Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL-September 1983.

Old Times at Wrigley Field

On September 22, 1983, I sat through an hour and a half of Micro Econ followed by an hour and a half of World History at DePaul University. At noon, I raced out to the #22 Clark bus and made my way to Wrigley Field. I was going to see the Chicago Cubs host the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Cubs were 68-85, mired in 5th place and managed by Charlie Fox. The Pirates were 80-73, still alive in 2nd place and managed by Chuck Tanner. The Pirates started Lee Tunnell, while the Cubs started Rick Reuschel.
The Pirates got rbi's from 7 of their players in beating the Cubs 8-3. Ron Cey hit the only homerun of the day, a meaningless solo shot in the 9th inning.
You can tell from the picture that the crowd was sparse. The actual total was 3,426. I think I took the picture in the bottom of the 7th inning, because I always moved closer as the game went on.
Tony Pena is the catcher for the Pirates. Jody Davis is just about to head to the plate. I am not sure where Marla Collins was heading. I thought she usually sat down the line, but here it looks like she is heading for the vicinity of the Pirates dugout.
Things turned around quickly for the Cubs however. In 1984, they won the National League East. Fans started to flock to Wrigley Field. Harry Caray became an icon. Unfortunately, 25+ years later, the Cubs still had not made it to the World Series.

Jody Davis (far left with bat), Marla Collins and Tony Pena (catching) in Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL-Sept. 22, 1983.

Old Times at Lerner Newspapers

In a former professional life, I worked for Lerner Newspapers. In my early days there, I was in charge of the kid newspaper carriers. Oh how I miss those days (ummm no).
We actually had a budget at that time. We probably had too big of a budget actually. We had various contests for our carriers. One such contest had a SportMart shopping spree as a prize.
Early one Saturday morning, Louie (I think he was still in college and only working part-time) and I met a couple kids at the local SportMart. We decided to have a little fun by wearing our Bash Brothers (self-portraits) tshirts. It was our goal to have that tshirt appear in the Lerner Newspaper.
Our tshirts were curiously popular at Lerner. It seemed that everyone wanted one, although we could never figure out why. It was like our little joke, but everyone wanted to be included. So naturally, we had to push it to the next level. We had to get the shirts pictured in the paper.
The picture below appeared as is. Unfortunately, I don't have the actual newspaper ad which detailed the event and featured this picture, but I found the old picture.
I love this picture because Louie and I look so young (well, we were so young, 20-24 or so). I love this picture because the carriers had no idea why we were wearing that shirt or what our real agenda was. Mostly I love the picture because we got it in the paper!
This was one of the earliest efforts by the Louie-John team. Little did we realize that 20+ years later, we'd still be a self-employed team...and still plotting!

Louie Atsaves (far left), 2 newspaper carriers and me (standing) in SportMart in Chicago, IL-late 1980's.

Old Times at Lerner Newspapers

Back in the day, we had a lot of fun at Lerner Newspapers (or the Lerners, as our readers liked to call us). No department had more fun than the Circulation Department.
At one point, we decided to try to get the company involved in a bowling tournament. When our verbal offers (aka trashtalk) did not get much response, we decided we needed to get creative.
In a move befitting the WWE, we brought in a bowling trophy and awarded it to ourselves as the Lerner Champs. We took this photo, added some verbiage (aka more trashtalk) and put it on everyone's desk.
I don't remember exactly what happened with the bowling championships, but I do know that we established ourselves as THE coolest department. Come on...the shades, the mullets...we had it all!

Jason Farber, Cindy Dzien and Dave Perham in the front and Louie Atsaves and me in the back in Lincolnwood, IL-mid 1990's.

Old Times at Wrigley Field

One of my friends sent me this great old photo. It was taken down the left field line at Wrigley Field. It was taken in 1973 or 74, based on the players pictured.
Those players are Pete LaCock (left) and Tom Lundstedt (right). It probably was drizzling, based on the umbrellas. It was also probably in September, based on when these players actually were together with the Cubs.
I love the scorecards that the players are signing. I don't think most people even keep score anymore. Those appear to be the very simple 2 page folded heavyweight sheets, not the fancy mega-page scorebooks sold at parks now.
Those autograph seekers appear to be mostly kids, too. I'll bet these kids had no thoughts of resale value either. (With Lundstedt and LaCock, there wouldn't be much anyway.) I could have been one of those kids, just happy to get a real major league ballplayer to sign my scorecard.
I eventually got both of their autographs. I met LaCock just a couple years ago. I got Lundstedt's signature through the mail.

Pete LaCock and Tom Lundstedt at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL-Sept. '73 or '74.

Old Times at Comiskey Park

Tony LaRussa had a mediocre career as a player in the majors, including scoring the winning run in his one game with the Chicago Cubs in 1973. LaRussa managed in the White Sox system for parts of 2 seasons. In 1979, LaRussa took over as the White Sox manager.
I was already a fan of his (probably because he was a backup middle infielder, second only to backup catchers...see Stelmaszek posts), when he came to Chicago. I thought it was exciting that the Sox were getting some young, fresh blood for a manager.
Okay, I'll admit that I got a little annoyed at LaRussa for not playing Mike Squires enough. As most know, I was a huge fan of Squires and I wasn't happy when LaRussa played Tom Paciorek, Greg Walker or anyone else instead of Squires.

I even asked LaRussa about that (shades of my interviewing to come) during Photo Day in 1983. He answered the question carefully by stating they all had talent and he tried keeping everyone fresh and ready.
I love the picture below. It shows old Comiskey Park, the Sox ballpark before the Cell. I also like the photog seemingly taking a picture of me taking a picture of LaRussa. I can't think of what he possibly could have been shooting there, unless he was shooting us fans.
It's a very young LaRussa. Of course, I was a very young Johngy!

Tony LaRussa at Comiskey Park in Chicago, IL-Summer 1983.

Old Times at Home

I decided to take a left turn from the usual sports related 'Old Times' posts to present one of my favorite pictures of all time. The picture features my brother-in-law Scott, my nephew Matt (pre-Big Money days) and me.
About 20 years ago, for reasons we can't remember, my friend/coworker Louie Atsaves and
I became known as the 'Bash Brothers' around the office. It might not have been original, but it was humorous (at the time and in that place at least). As a joke, I drew caricatures befitting the name and even printed a couple tshirts for Louie and me.
This is when the fun really started. The tshirts became a hit with everyone else. We have no idea why, but before the craze was over, we had sold over 75 tshirts to others around the office. Bash Brothers wear was the rage.
I made a few extra and gave them to my family as a joke. One day, Scott and Matt surprised me by donning the shirts for a family get-together. That cracked me up. Fortunately, my sister snapped the picture for posterity.
Wow...that's a lot of purple.

Scott Parker, Matt Parker and me in Matteson, IL-Summer 1990.

Old Times in Toledo

My family went on a trip to Ohio and my dad and I caught a game between the Tidewater Tides and the Toledo Mudhens. After the game, we hung around a bit to meet some ballplayers and pitcher Mike Wegener was the first (and only) player to come out.
Wegener made it to the majors for 2 seasons with the Montreal Expos in 1969 and '70. He compiled an 8-20 record. Wegener played in the minors for the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies before he joined the Montreal organization. He pitched for the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants organizations after Montreal. It was during his time with the Mets organization, that I saw him in Toledo (pitching for Tidewater).
Where do I even begin with the photo of Wegener and me? Let's see...a plastic Cubs batting helmet, a White Sox tshirt (although it was from the cool logo era) and red pants really showed my 70's style and my state of utter confusion.
I blame my dad for the lack of a good photo. As you can see, there really wasn't a crowd. Perhaps my dad could have orchestrated a better picture.
Still, all things considered, I love this picture. Like all of my other old baseball photos, there is something special to me.

Mike Wegener and me in Toledo, OH-Summer 1974.

Old Times at Comiskey Park

You know I love old pictures. Sure they lack clarity and crispness that new cameras can capture. They also lack the ability to capture anyone more than 10 feet away. Yet, these pictures are just cool to me!
In 1981, at old Comiskey Park, my dad and I got there early for batting practice. We were trying to get Indians outfielder Alan Bannister (former White Sox player), when Indians shortstop Jerry Dybzinski (future White Sox player) basically came right up to us. We talked for a few minutes and I snapped the picture. The previously mentioned Bannister can be seen swinging in the right background.
A couple years later on 'Photo Day' at Comiskey Park, I again ran into inadvertently Dybzinski. I was trying to get to White Sox 1st baseman Mike Squires (my all-time favorite), when Dybzinski appeared right in front of me.
Dybzinski is a friendly guy. Little did anyone know that later that year, in the playoffs, he would be involved in a play that would haunt Sox fans for years. Dybzinski got caught up on the basepaths costing the Sox an important out. It was a simple mistake, but done at the wrong time and place and magnified greatly by the playoffs.

Jerry Zybzinski at Comiskey Park in Chicago, IL-Summer 1983.

Old Times Autograph Seeking

When I was young, autograph collecting wasn't nearly as big as it is today. Autograph collecting was more child's play before and after baseball games.
The scorebook was the object of choice to be signed. Kids didn't carry around baseball cards, baseballs or mini-helmets. You bought a scorebook for a buck or two and then you either begged for autographs during batting practice or by the players' parking lot after the game.
In 1978, I went to see the Oakland A's play the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. I hung out near the bullpen areas down both lines.
I hit paydirt, as 4 players signed my scorebook. From the White Sox, I got Lerrin LaGrow, Alan Bannister and Ron Schueler. From the A's, I landed Steve Staggs.
None of these players were stars, but I wasn't thinking of resale value. I was just ecstatic that 4 major league baseball players signed my scorebook.
My day wasn't over, however. When we went back to our seats, we found that we were sitting near the owner of the A's, Charles O. Finley. Today, that would be unthinkable, as any owner would certainly be sitting in the comfort of his own luxury suite high above the field. I approached Finley and he graciously added his signature to my page. That made 5.
It's funny now to think that Finley's autograph is worth more than the other four. Finley was an innovator and a great contributor to baseball. Back then, I just wanted to get autographs of anyone involved in baseball.
I went home very happy. I had gotten 5 signatures in one day. Obviously, I still have that page and the memories of the chase. These were great times.

Old Times at the Chicago Stadium

I went to my first Chicago Blackhawks game in 1981. The old Chicago Stadium was a great place back in the day.
The Hawks were coached by former Hawk Keith Magnuson and finished in 3rd place in the Norris Division. On this day, they lost to the woeful Toronto Maple Leafs who finished in last in the Adams Division.
Taking pictures at a game now is easy and worthwhile. With digital cameras and zoom effects, you can actually see the players in the photos. Back in 1981, photo-taking was pretty pointless, yet it is exactly what I tried to do.
My exercise in futility didn't end there however. I was so meticulous (anal-retentive) that I tried to write down the players in the pictures I took, so that later I could match up the players with the photos.
When the film was developed, some pictures didn't turn out at all and some were almost all black. What was left was a bunch of pictures like the one below.
I wasn't going to be denied. Obviously, I knew that 28 years later, I would be writing this blog and I would need to know who the tiny, blurry players were.
So I strained my eyeballs. I used a magnifying glass. I looked in different lights. I compared my guesses with regular Hawks' lineups. I identified every player I could possibly almost make out.
Clearly you can see Hall of Fame goaltender Tony Esposito minding the net. (Okay, that one was easy.) The Maple Leaf tangling with the Hawk in the center is #99 Wilf Paiement. At the lower right is #8 Terry Ruskowski.
I'll even go a bit farther and guess the player tangling with Paiement. I am guessing it is one of Ruskowski's usual linemates. Since Grant Mulvey had a super 80's perm going, I'll guesstimate that player to be #28 Rich Preston.
Of course, I would much rather have pictures which benefit from the new technology, but there is something cool about these old pictures. I guess it is nostalgia. Maybe I just keep looking back to simpler times.