1976 Topps Pete Rose

I picked up 20 (new) poor old baseball cards at my local baseball card shop today.

Why is it when I go in with a budget, I always end up spending nearly twice my goal? It's hard for me. It's like being that kid in a candy store.

I picked up this beauty for about $2. Even those staple holes couldn't keep me from including this card in my want pile.

Since starting this blog nearly two years ago, I tend to gravitate to the lesser-condition box. And Henry at the lbcs always obliges with three boxes full of one-of-a-kind examples. Some have staple holes, others are missing corners or heavily creased.

All have character and seem to tell their own stories.

SEPARATED AT BIRTH 1971 Topps Hoyt Wilhelm

Just sayin'.

I've got a box full of poor old baseball cards that will eventually make their way to this blog.

While thumbing through the cards earlier in the day, this Hoyt Wilhelm caught my eye. Then I started to laugh. I thought to myself: "He's doing the Captain Morgan pose."

About 20 minutes later, with the help of Photoshop, this is what I came up with.

Just sayin'.

1929 E137 Zeenut Art Koehler

Whenever I get one of these old minor league cards, one of the first thing I do is try and find out a little bit about the player.

Thank God for the Internet.

Art Koehler played 17 seasons of baseball – all in the minor leagues. The catcher played most of those years in the old Pacific Coast League. He hit .344 in 1929 with the Sacramento Senators.

He also hit 13 homers, second on the team behind Hank Severeids' 24. Severeid was ending his career with the Senators after a MLB career that included stints with the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns.

Art Koehler never had the chance to play at the next level.

But for some, the old PCL was considered the third major league. Koehler's teammates in 1929 included pitchers Doc Crandall and Ray Keating, first basenan Dolph Camilli and outfielder Irish Meusel.

1948 Leaf Lou Boudreau

1948 was a big year for Lou Boudreau.

He won the league's MVP award, was named to the All-Star team and won a World Series as player-manager of the Indians. He was even named AP's male athlete of the year.

He also finished second – Ted Williams, .369 – in batting average with a .355 average. He batted .263 in the World Series and led shortstops in fielding for the season with a .975 average.

1948 was also a big year for Leaf as it produced one of the nicest baseball card sets ever.