October 2022 Chantilly Show - Finishing the Ripken Baseball Family Card

When I picked up this 1988 Donruss Ripken Baseball Family card that had already been signed by Cal, Sr., I had hoped of adding Bill and Cal to the card at some point.  Last year, I saw Ryan Ripken when he came through Durham with Norfolk, so I went ahead and for him on the card.  He told me at the time that his dad would love to see the card in person and to talk to me about it.  He also said I should be patient and wait for his uncle Bill to do a signing, because if I tried sending the card through the mail, it would probably get lost.  We also joked that I should get the other Ripken brother (Fred) to sign the card, since, in Ryan's opinion, Fred was the better baseball player out of the three, but didn't pursue it because he didn't like baseball as much as Cal or Bill.

Finally, a signing came along where Cal and Bill would both be in attendance.  Cal hadn't been at the National in 2021 or 2022, so I was excited to see him in the lineup for the Chantilly show.  He did remark on the card, that I had added "Ryan Rip" to the card.  I told him "Yeah, and I'll add Bill later on today.  I just need to add Fred at some point."  That was when Cal's face dropped a bit and he said "You'll have a hard time adding Fred to this card.  We just lost him."  I was floored.  I had created an awkward conversation with my childhood hero.  I apologized for his loss; he explained what had happened.  We was so cool about it, but I felt terrible.  It goes to show how great a guy Cal is, and I feel awful for his loss.  I'm sure he knew that I had no idea that his brother had passed, but it still made for an awkward exchange.  He was still gracious enough to explain the circumstances, and still posed for a picture afterward.  I wish I had more time to talk to Cal, though, because I did feel badly for him.

Bill was super nice, as well.  He said "Oh, I see that you got my mother to sign the card as well."  I had to tell him that was Ryan's signature on the card, and he said "Oh, I thought it was my mother's."  Cal and Bill's mom passed away last year.  He then commented on my Turbo Tubs jersey, which we talked about for a bit before I got shooed away by the handlers.  This was my first time meeting Bill (and third time meeting Cal), and they both were really nice.

I finally got the card completed, but I do wish I had known about Fred's passing.  On my way home, I looked up and read his obituary; he seemed like he would have been an interesting guy to talk to, as well.

2021 National Pickup - Cal Ripken Sr Signed Card

When I went to the National this past year, I stopped by a vendor who had boxes of signed cards that they had gotten TTM or IP.  They had several deceased players at some really good prices, so I picked up a decent amount of cards.  I intended to post them after the National, but I was so far behind with TTM and IP graphing posts, I put them in a drawer and forgot about them.  Going through the cards now, it is kind of an embarrassment of riches, because of all of the cool cards I forgot I had.  These definitely need to get into the autograph album, so I will start with one of the cooler cards I picked up, this signed 1982 Donruss Cal Ripken, Sr.

I have seen Sr's autograph plenty of times, so I know this one is legit.  I immediately put it aside once I saw it in the vendor's box, because I knew, if nothing else, this one was going home with me.

Ripken (b. 1935 - d. 1999) was a minor league player, coach and manager in the Orioles system for 36 years (from 1957 to 1992).  Signed as a minor league catcher in 1957, he played in the Orioles minor league system until 1964.  In 1961, he began coaching and managing in the Orioles system, starting with the Leesburg Orioles in the Class D Florida State League.  He would reach the majors as a coach beginning in 1976, before finally becoming the Orioles manager in 1987.

As Orioles manager, he had a record of 68-101 (.402 win %).  This was capped off by an 0-6 start in 1988 before being fired; that Orioles team would go on to lose 15 more games in a row,  to start the season 0-22, a Major League record.

Care Package From Elitecardsnstuff

I got a care package in the mail recently from a guy I traded with on Instagram who uses the screen name of Elitecardsnstuff.  We traded a few months ago, and he surprised me with a random care package that had the above Fleer Ultra Iron Man Cal Ripken, a Bowman Platinum Jonathan Schoop and a Tim Lincecum for Chris.

The Ripken card is cool because it shows Cal, Sr. and Bill along with Cal.  I remember the '88 Donruss that showed the three of them, and always felt it was a great card.  Of the three, I have autos of Cal and Cal, Sr.  I still need to get one of Bill.

Thanks for the care package!

So, with this post, I have finally caught up on my "to be blogged" pile.  I have a couple pieces coming in the mail, but I have tried really hard to lay off of buying for a while.  The stuff I have coming were "must haves" for various PCs.  I don't have any trades lined up at the moment.  I should be doing more soon, once I figure out what I want to do with the June card show.

Don't worry, though.  Even without a "to be blogged" pile, there will still be plenty of content.  I'll just have to think a little harder, which might just be dangerous.

What's Next for Showalter and the Orioles??

It appears that over the next few days, the front office of the Orioles will have a different look for the 2012 season.  Andy MacPhail is expected to step down from his position as President of Baseball Operations and either leave the organization or take a lesser role.

Rumors are mounting that current manager, Buck Showalter, is weighing whether or not to accept a role as General Manager of the team, or to remain in the dugout.  It appears that Buck wants more of a decision making role in the organization, one who can control 40-man roster acquisitions, scouting, player development, etc.  Buck seems to be trying to figure out whether he can have more impact on the organization as manager or general manager.

If Buck remains manager, he will want to have an equal voice in the acquisition of players, etc, so I'm not certain an established GM would be willing to share duties with the field manager.  One GM option in this role could be Matt Klentak, who has served as assistant GM under MacPhail.  Klentak could accept a promotion to GM with the understanding that he will share duties with Buck while he learns the ins and outs as GM.  I'm not sure if this would be a good arrangement, the two-headed GM experiment didn't work all that well under the reigns of Mike Flanagan-Jim beattie or Mike Flanagan-Jim Duquette.  Buck is really close to former Rangers GM Jon Hart, so he could be an option.  Yes, the same Jon Hart who signed A-Roid to his ridiculous contract...  Hey, maybe he could offer the same deal to Pujols or Fielder this offseason?  Yeah, I know, only kidding.

If Buck does, in fact, decide to take a front office job, then who will manage the team?  Two former managers (Willie Randolph and John Russell) served as coaches this year.  I'm not sold on either of those guys.  Buck is close to former Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu.  The same manager who many feel was the reason Ken Griffey, Jr. was unceremoniously ran out of Seattle.  I wasn't there, so I don't know what went down.  From everything I've read, he might be a decent choice to lead the Orioles under the watchful eye of Buck.

If I had any input (and clearly, I don't), I would see if a former Oriole with a well known last name would be willing to join the staff next season.  He was a gritty player who was brought up in a baseball family that bleeds (still to this day) Oriole Orange.  His dad managed the Orioles in 1987-1988 and served as a coach for a really really really long time.  I don't think his dad got a fair shake as O's manager (0-21 start notwithstanding), but he epitomised the old school "Oriole Way."  

Of course, I'm talking Ripken here.  No, I don't think Cal would be a good choice at this moment to be a manager or coach on the Orioles.  He would be much better suited as GM or (fingers crossed!) Owner one day.  No, I sincerely think...

...that BILL Ripken would be a solid choice to come in and have some input on the club.  Either as a coach or field manager.  Bill currently works as an analyst for MLB Network and hosts a weekly radio show with Cal on Sirius/XM.  Bill clearly has a wealth of baseball knowledge.  Many former and current managers didn't have hall of fame playing careers.  Usually, the players who had to fight and claw to stay on 40-man rosters are the ones who make the best coaches.  Bill was a hard-nosed, no-nonsense type player who I think would have a positive impact on the team.  It's about time the Orioles bring him in (if he is even interested).

Card Show Trade With Ryan

I have finally gotten a chance to post the cards I got from Ryan in a mega trade at the card show a while ago. It is always nice to meet a fellow blogger in person, and it was especially nice since he and I both are Orioles fans. Ryan was able to take some old O's cards off my hands and help me create room in my O's box in exchange for some cards of players who I really like.I was able to add some Nolan Reimold cards from early in his career. I'm a big Reimold fan, having met him in person last year. I hope he can realize his potential, but I don't know how much playing time he will get with Felix Pie clogging up a spot on the roster. As you can see, Pie has fallen out of favor with me.

The season has been a lost one for my favorite player, Brian Roberts. I am still going to be adding to my Roberts PC anyway. I didn't have this 2004 Gold Topps Chrome. I think these cards looked awesome, by the way.

Here's another Reimold, this time when he was on Team USA. I had forgotten all about that. Nevertheless, I was glad to add this to my collection.

I'm certain I had this card somewhere, but I loved the way it looked, so I added it to my pile. Cal is always a plus and with this sharp design of 1989 Bowman, I was glad to add it. I know the one I had before was in kind of rough shape, due to the 89 Bowman's exaggerated size, but I immediately put it in a top loader so it would fit in the box with the rest of my collection.

Ryan had a good bit of Manny Machado Bowmans cards in his collection that he was willing to part with, so I added 3 versions of it... The base, the chrome and the gold.

I added this Nick Markakis relic to my collection. Nick has had an uneven season so far, but I think by the time the season is over, his stats will match up with his career numbers. He did collect his 1,000th career hit this season and is one home run away from 100. Not bad for someone who has only been in the league since 2006. I wish he would hit for more power, though.

I got this Frank Robinson patch, which was cool. I have plenty of Brooks' stuff, but not nearly enough of 'the other Robinson.' I believe Frank is underrated among the all time greats of the game, and was overshadowed the past decade as tainted sluggers passed him on the all-time home run list.
Finally, I added a card of Cal, Sr. A baseball lifer, Cal, Sr. embodied what was known at 'The Oriole Way.' A no-nonsense hard-nosed style of play that a lot of O's players could benefit from. I doubt the O's will get back to the level of excellence they had from the late sixties to the early eighties.

As you can tell, I'm still upset over the O's current play as of late. I'll get over it, but it has been a real hard season considering the raised expectations brought on by the end of last season and this offseason's signings. Oh well. There's always 5 years from now...

Thanks for the awesome trade Ryan! I hope to see you again at the next show!

Awesome Baseballs in the Mail

Sometimes, when I get bored, I type 'Autographed Baseball' into the search field on Ebay and see what comes up. A couple times, I have been able to find some absolute steals and some hidden treasures. A week ago, I was lucky to find two baseballs that I felt like I couldn't pass up...


First, I got the above pictured baseball. The signatures on it are very faint, but they can be read. On the ball are signatures from the 1962 Baltimore Orioles. The ball has signatures from 4 hall of famers: Brooks Robinson, Robin Roberts, Dick Williams and Hoyt Wilhelm. Also on the ball are a few Oriole legends: Boog Powell, Gus Triandos and Jim Gentile. With what I paid for this one (under $15), I am really satisfied. Makes you kinda wish they had UV protected ball cubes back then...
The next ball i was able to get for under $13 and it is something that immediately becomes very special in my collection. It is a ball signed by Orioles from the 1986-1989 seasons. On the sweet spot is a signature I haven't seen alot of - Cal Ripken, Sr. I have 2 autographed baseballs of Cal, Jr. Being able to snag a Cal, Sr. ball so cheap was a no-brainer for me. The signatures on this ball are much easier to make out and a little bonus is that on the other side of the ball is a signature from, yep, you guessed it (maybe you did), Bill Ripken! So, I now have baseballs signed by all of the Ripken baseball family!
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So, I consider the two baseballs absolute steals and I am so happy to add them to my collection.