1955 Topps #44 - Corky Valentine

Corky Valentine (b. 1930 - d. 2005) played only 2 seasons in the majors, both for the Reds. He went 14-12 with a 4.81 ERA and 87 strikeouts.

(DECEASED 26)

1955 Topps #43 - Harvey Haddix

Harvey Haddix (b. 1925 - d. 1994) is mostly known for having thrown one of the greatest pitching performances of all time. A 12 2/3 inning one-hit complete game that he eventually lost to the Milwaukee Braves in 1959. In that game, he pitched 12 perfect innings, the longest stretch of perfect innings in major league history. He was also the winning pitcher in the World Series game in which Bill Mazeroski hit his memorable home run.

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Haddix ended his career after playing from 1952 to 1965 for the Cardinals, Reds, Phillies, Pirates and Orioles. His career record was 136-113, 3.63 ERA and 1,575 strikeouts. He was a member of the 1960 World Champion Pirates and was also a coach for them during their championship season in 1979.

(DECEASED 25)

1955 Topps #42 - Windy McCall

Windy McCall (b. 1925) was a reliever in the majors from 1948 through 1957 for the Red Sox, Pirates and Giants. He had a career record of 11-15, a 4.22 ERA, 144 strikeouts and 12 saves. He was a member of the World Champion 1954 Giants.

1955 Topps #41 - Chuck Stobbs

Chuck Stobbs (b. 1929 - d. 2008) pitched in the majors from 1947 to 1961 for the Red Sox, White Sox, Senators, Cardinals and Twins. He ended his career with a record of 107-130, a 4.29 ERA and 897 strikeouts. He was the youngest player in baseball in 1947, playing as a 17-18-year old.

(DECEASED 24)

Hidden in my Collection - 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle

For all of the Yankee fans out there, here is a pretty cool card that I have in my collection, the 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle. This was the second Mantle that I added to my collection. I also have his 1962 Topps. I came about this card at the shop when someone brought their collection in. They weren't really sure of what they had, so I quickly glanced through the box and offered a price, which the seller gladly accepted, so I took some of my money and bought it off of him.

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Totally worth it. You kind of feel guilty when you buy a collection off of someone who doesn't know what they have, but they were more than happy getting a little bit of cash in exchange for some closet space. I looked through the box and was pleasently surprised by what was really in there. There was this card, plus a couple 1957 Topps cards that I will show off later, and also the 1956 Clemente and Koufax. Not a bad haul.

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I'm hoping that one day, someone will bring in an old shoebox and sell it to make room in the closet, and inside will be the 1952 Topps Mantle. Ohh, I wait for that day.

1955 Topps #40 - Don Hoak

Don Hoak (b. 1928 - d. 1969) played from 1954 to 1964 for the Dodgers, Cubs, Reds, Pirates and Phillies. He was an All Star in 1957 and won the World Series with Brooklyn in 1955, replacing Jackie Robinson in the deciding game 7, the only game of the season in which Robinson did not play. He had a career average of .265 and 89 homers. He died at the age of 41 of a heart attack after chasing his brother's stolen car.

(DECEASED 23)

Awesome TTM Success - Virgil Trucks

I got the idea from Drew to send a ball to former pitcher Virgil Trucks for a TTM and I was not disappointed.
Our lab rep sent me 3 baseballs a few months ago because he knew I was going to a bunch of minor league games to get autos and he thought it would be a nice incentive to continue to order lab kits from him instead of trying out other labs (yeah, like I'd stray haha). I kept the balls in my truck for a while and finally got the nerve to send them off for autos (since the minor league season is over). The first try was Virgil Trucks. Trucks pitched in the majors from 1941 to 1958 for the Tigers, Browns, White Sox, A's and Yankees. He is mostly known for having thrown 2 no hitters in the 1952 season.

As you can see, I got several bonuses along with my ball. Trucks sent me a signed baseball card, the below stat sheet and a note he wrote me about his book.

I hate that my scanner kind of cut the edges of the note off, but you can see pretty much everything he wrote. I think it was really cool that he took the time to write me a note. After I got my stuff from him, I promptly wrote him back and included a check for $30 so I could get a copy of his book. I really look forward to getting the book, as I love to read about the history of baseball.

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So, if any of you want to try a TTM, the first person I suggest doing would be Virgil Trucks. He seems like a nice man who is definitely appreciative of fans taking the time to write him. Being that he is 93, I'm sure he loves that people still think of him and remember his accomplishments. Sometimes I wonder if players google themselves or if they even read the blogs, but Mr. Trucks, if you can see this, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. This was by far the coolest TTM I have ever gotten. Also, thanks Drew for pushing me to send to Trucks, because it sure was worth it.