Although a Vernon Davis would have been a popular pick, the Packers selection of AJ Hawk is exactly what they needed. AJ will be a nice impact player on defense, though I guess I could argue that they wouldn't have needed Hawk had they been able to sign Arrington. Nonetheless, I'm very happy with Hawk and look forward to him teaming with Barnett to form a good young linebacking corps.
In the second round, I'd like to see the Packers go for guard, with my preference being Taitusi Lutui of USC. Might be a bit of a reach, but he's a solid player and would be an immediate upgrade. Rumor was earlier today the Broncos would send the Packers a second rounder for Walker. As long as it was pick 37, I think I would have done that deal. I'd like to get a WR, but maybe a decent deep threat would be available in round 3.
Meanwhile, the Brewers are up 10-0 with six homers. And it's my daughter's fourth birthday. It's been a great day!
I'd also like to see if Calhoun lasts until the fourth if the Packers would take a flyer on him. He's got Westbrook-like potential, but may need some time to develop. My hunch is that TT will be trading a mid round pick somewhere to get more late rounders. We'll see.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Steve Howe
My condolences to the family and friends of Steve Howe, the ex-pitcher who passed away way too young at the age of 48 yesterday.
Still, isn't there a part of you that thinks Howe will somehow get reinstated to baseball despite this?
Still, isn't there a part of you that thinks Howe will somehow get reinstated to baseball despite this?
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
1911 Eau Claire Commissioners
I have been working for the past few months on a project to get the stats for the 1911 Eau Claire Commissioners in the Minnesota-Wisconsin League. The "Minny" League had some problems that year, and two teams, Red Wing and Wausau, actually dropped out before the season ended. Other teams had money issues. One of those teams was Duluth. In fact, Duluth didn't even have the money to pay their official scorekeeper. In defiance, the scorekeeper decided to hold on to the stats. Thus, the league was unable to issue final statistics.
Because I'm on the Eau Claire Baseball Memorabilia Committee, and because this committee is considering re-vamping Carson Park and paying tribute to all the former Major Leaguers that played for Eau Claire, I decided I needed a full roster of those 1911 players. And as long as I was getting a roster together, I figured I may as well see if I can piece together the season in stats from the boxscores listed in the paper. Well, there were only a couple times where the game had to be re-constructed to figure out the stats, but by and large all the information was there.
Although the work was a bit tedious, it was actually sort of fun. I found myself rooting for the team and complaining about the players. I couldn't understand why this guy named Kick just had to bat leadoff, despite the fact he couldn't hit and wasn't all that fast. Another guy was the hottest hitter on the team before being benched for a new arrival. And another guy was a late season pickup who, if you combined his fielding percentage and batting average you still couldn't come up with 1.000. In fact, you take his slugging percentage plus fielding and you still don't get there (.946). He played 13 games at 2B and had 18 errors. That's Rickie Weeks-like! This guy's name is Foss, and I bet you won't see him in any baseball encyclopedia. Oh, plus there was the race for the hitting crown--the chase for 100 hits (in 109 games, there were four that made it). All good stuff. And yesterday, I finished the project!
Next up is 1912, though I know I'm missing at least two Eau Claire games from that season. Burleigh Grimes made his professional debut for EC that season, but even he was not enough to keep the league going. They folded early--there were only four teams to begin with--due to lack of money. Again, no stats were officially sent in to League offices.
One thing I learned from doing this is that you cannot trust the newspaper for accuracy in those days. Rarely would a day go by where I wouldn't find some sort of math error. Even the sanctity of the League Standings was compromised most of the time. With a week left in the season, the paper reported something like one fewer win and two more losses than the team actually had. They offered no explanation as to why it was mixed up. For weeks at a time it would be off, the magically someone must have reconciled it. It's a good lesson for researchers--don't take everything to be correct just because it was in a paper.
Because I'm on the Eau Claire Baseball Memorabilia Committee, and because this committee is considering re-vamping Carson Park and paying tribute to all the former Major Leaguers that played for Eau Claire, I decided I needed a full roster of those 1911 players. And as long as I was getting a roster together, I figured I may as well see if I can piece together the season in stats from the boxscores listed in the paper. Well, there were only a couple times where the game had to be re-constructed to figure out the stats, but by and large all the information was there.
Although the work was a bit tedious, it was actually sort of fun. I found myself rooting for the team and complaining about the players. I couldn't understand why this guy named Kick just had to bat leadoff, despite the fact he couldn't hit and wasn't all that fast. Another guy was the hottest hitter on the team before being benched for a new arrival. And another guy was a late season pickup who, if you combined his fielding percentage and batting average you still couldn't come up with 1.000. In fact, you take his slugging percentage plus fielding and you still don't get there (.946). He played 13 games at 2B and had 18 errors. That's Rickie Weeks-like! This guy's name is Foss, and I bet you won't see him in any baseball encyclopedia. Oh, plus there was the race for the hitting crown--the chase for 100 hits (in 109 games, there were four that made it). All good stuff. And yesterday, I finished the project!
Next up is 1912, though I know I'm missing at least two Eau Claire games from that season. Burleigh Grimes made his professional debut for EC that season, but even he was not enough to keep the league going. They folded early--there were only four teams to begin with--due to lack of money. Again, no stats were officially sent in to League offices.
One thing I learned from doing this is that you cannot trust the newspaper for accuracy in those days. Rarely would a day go by where I wouldn't find some sort of math error. Even the sanctity of the League Standings was compromised most of the time. With a week left in the season, the paper reported something like one fewer win and two more losses than the team actually had. They offered no explanation as to why it was mixed up. For weeks at a time it would be off, the magically someone must have reconciled it. It's a good lesson for researchers--don't take everything to be correct just because it was in a paper.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Best Burger?
I gotta point out, too, that eating lunch at Fuddruckers could very well have been the highlight of the trip. Does any chain make a better burger than Fudd's? Please, point me to it if they do.
Hello Summer!
Summer officially begins today as far as I'm concerned. My wife Shelley and I went to our first flea market of the year: The Antique Spectacular at the Fairgrounds in St. Paul, MN. The show takes over the inside of the grandstand and spills out on to the racing track. I would guess up to 500 dealers at the show. Shelley and I agree that the dealers who are located outside provide for the best deals. True again this year.
I spend my entire flea marketing time looking for baseball items. Gloves and bats mostly, but autographs, programs, cards, or anything baseball piques my interest. In general, I would say I was happy with the show because it hit right in my wheelhouse in terms of collecting--cheap. Not a lot of high end baseball stuff was to be found. I enjoy looking at that stuff anyway, even if I rarely buy that sort of item. Actually, there wasn't a lot of baseball items period, but the gloves I did find were generally inexpensive. Nothing makes me more mad than some dealer who has no idea what a glove is worth just marking it "Old Glove--$75". It could be a well-used, beaten up Jim Rice model from the 80s, but because it's baseball related they figure it's a gold mine. And you would think they would learn if the glove hasn't sold in a year. Or two. Or more. I've been doing this flea market stuff for many years, and I can still pretty much tell you the inventory of some dealers because it's the same every year. If this is what you do for a living, I suggest you take a few less rests swigging coffee from a lawn chair and study the types of things you sell. Nobody's an expert at everything, but to be completely clueless on things just shows a person to either be incredibly ignorant or just plain lazy. End of soapbox.
We began outside and I quickly found a Jack Brandt model glove. I think I have one in my collection, but I take a $10 flyer on it anyway because of the "USMC" marking on the wrist strap. This was Marine issue, which makes it a little more rare than the garden variety store model. The glove should clean up nicely, but it has it's problems. Another fellow had a large box filled with boxes of football cards. Three bucks a pop--seemed like a pretty decent deal for some Action Packed unopened packs. Football or not, I thought, this is nice. Well, later on I looked a little closer to each of the three boxes I bought and found that all the packs had already been opened, then re-inserted (I assume sans any stars). No biggie, though. I still could probably get that for them at a garage sale sometime. Or I just keep them.
Another beaten up glove caught my eye a moment later. For $10, I am now an owner of a Pete Ward model glove. Listed as "Very Rare" according to the most recent glove guide, the off-condition was still good enough for me to own one of the few known to have surfaced. Again, it should clean up nicely, but the insides are ripped a bit and the patch is missing.
The most I paid for a glove today was a Grady Hatton pre-war for $15 in great shape. Flexible, readable, and it has the sharpest Draper Maynard button of any D&M glove I own. A nice Wilson 2830 Eddie Waitkus first baseman mitt, probably from 1955, was sold to me by a nice gentleman for $10. Good silver, nice stamping, soft leather--couldn't go wrong for the price. My last spending of the day brought in some oddball baseball cards (Colla Collection, Mother's Cookies) and some vintage stuff. One of those cards was a 1952 Henry Majeski. "Heeney", as he was known, was a 35-year-old vet toiling for the A's when this picture was taken. It was a long way from the fresh-faced kid who played for the Eau Claire Bears in 1935 and 1936. I also bought a 1968 Tigers Rookie Stars card featuring Fred Lasher. Fred lives just a few miles from my home and I was lucky enough to be honored along his side a few years back at a local baseball game.
I spend my entire flea marketing time looking for baseball items. Gloves and bats mostly, but autographs, programs, cards, or anything baseball piques my interest. In general, I would say I was happy with the show because it hit right in my wheelhouse in terms of collecting--cheap. Not a lot of high end baseball stuff was to be found. I enjoy looking at that stuff anyway, even if I rarely buy that sort of item. Actually, there wasn't a lot of baseball items period, but the gloves I did find were generally inexpensive. Nothing makes me more mad than some dealer who has no idea what a glove is worth just marking it "Old Glove--$75". It could be a well-used, beaten up Jim Rice model from the 80s, but because it's baseball related they figure it's a gold mine. And you would think they would learn if the glove hasn't sold in a year. Or two. Or more. I've been doing this flea market stuff for many years, and I can still pretty much tell you the inventory of some dealers because it's the same every year. If this is what you do for a living, I suggest you take a few less rests swigging coffee from a lawn chair and study the types of things you sell. Nobody's an expert at everything, but to be completely clueless on things just shows a person to either be incredibly ignorant or just plain lazy. End of soapbox.
We began outside and I quickly found a Jack Brandt model glove. I think I have one in my collection, but I take a $10 flyer on it anyway because of the "USMC" marking on the wrist strap. This was Marine issue, which makes it a little more rare than the garden variety store model. The glove should clean up nicely, but it has it's problems. Another fellow had a large box filled with boxes of football cards. Three bucks a pop--seemed like a pretty decent deal for some Action Packed unopened packs. Football or not, I thought, this is nice. Well, later on I looked a little closer to each of the three boxes I bought and found that all the packs had already been opened, then re-inserted (I assume sans any stars). No biggie, though. I still could probably get that for them at a garage sale sometime. Or I just keep them.
Another beaten up glove caught my eye a moment later. For $10, I am now an owner of a Pete Ward model glove. Listed as "Very Rare" according to the most recent glove guide, the off-condition was still good enough for me to own one of the few known to have surfaced. Again, it should clean up nicely, but the insides are ripped a bit and the patch is missing.
The most I paid for a glove today was a Grady Hatton pre-war for $15 in great shape. Flexible, readable, and it has the sharpest Draper Maynard button of any D&M glove I own. A nice Wilson 2830 Eddie Waitkus first baseman mitt, probably from 1955, was sold to me by a nice gentleman for $10. Good silver, nice stamping, soft leather--couldn't go wrong for the price. My last spending of the day brought in some oddball baseball cards (Colla Collection, Mother's Cookies) and some vintage stuff. One of those cards was a 1952 Henry Majeski. "Heeney", as he was known, was a 35-year-old vet toiling for the A's when this picture was taken. It was a long way from the fresh-faced kid who played for the Eau Claire Bears in 1935 and 1936. I also bought a 1968 Tigers Rookie Stars card featuring Fred Lasher. Fred lives just a few miles from my home and I was lucky enough to be honored along his side a few years back at a local baseball game.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Carl Beilke
I wrote this piece about a month ago. The book I'm referring to is the book I tried to link to the right (and failed). "Baseball in Eau Claire" is a photographic history of, well, baseball in Eau Claire. It is my first and only book. And here is one of my favorite stories as a result of the book:
Carl Beilke is in my book.
At least, his picture is.
All sources listed his last name as “Bielke”. The notation on the back of the vintage picture I own says the same. So, my book has it spelled that way.
Interesting story about the picture. I picked it up on eBay several years ago. I had no aspirations of writing a book on baseball in Eau Claire. Certainly not a photographic history. I was in the infant stages of my Eau Claire baseball fandom, and I just thought the pictures would be neat.
I had no idea just how neat they were. Carl’s picture in particular.
As I page through the book now, I see a bunch of typos. I cringe at each and every one, wondering how in the world I could have missed THAT one. But Carl Beilke likely wouldn’t have even come to my attention were it not for a bizarre e-mail I received a few years ago. It was from one Art Pennington from outside of Chicago. He said he had been up to Hayward, Wisconsin and had picked up my book when he saw it. He knew his father-in-law had played baseball in Eau Claire, and was shocked to see his picture.
He informed me I misspelled Carl’s name.
But that wasn’t the good part of the e-mail. As it turns out, Carl, at the time, was in his 90’s but still active as can be and sharp as a tack. Golfed 18 holes three times a week. Carried his own bag. Said carts are for the invalids. This man, who played on Eau Claire’s 1934 Northern League squad, was a living link to baseball history.
After exchanging several e-mails, Art taped an interview he had with Carl. Carl remembered minute details as if that happened a minute ago. He told me about his teammates. He told me about the road trips. He told me just about everything I would want to know. And he didn’t know it. See, Art had secretly taped this conversation. Art also sent me some photos of some of Carl’s mementos, including a bat he received from H and B for his hitting prowess in 1934—which turned out to be his only season in professional baseball. An article in the Sporting News said doctors told him to quit playing baseball due to a heart condition. In truth, it was a thyroid that wreaked havoc with his body.
Art and I remained in fleeting contact with an occasional e-mail here and there. We exchanged cards at Christmas. But when I sent an invitation to Carl to come up to Eau Claire for a reunion event slated for the summer of 2006, I got the news that Carl wasn’t doing nearly as well any more. Time had finally remembered Carl. Art asked if there was a chance the reunion could be moved to Chicago. It couldn’t. Art then mentioned one of those things that a person will remember for the rest of their life. Art asked me to come to Chicago—to meet Carl before it was too late.
This took me aback. First of all, I’m not accustomed to making a big impact in a whole lot of lives. At least, outside of my family. Based on what Art wrote, which was based on his conversations with his family and his father in law, that’s exactly what I had done. My book had one picture and maybe a 75-word caption regarding Carl. But Carl didn’t look at it that way. He wondered why anyone would be interested enough in his brief baseball career to even mention him in a book. And with all of my follow up, he seems genuinely moved that I could take such an interest.
I mentioned the roads can get a little tricky in Wisconsin in the late winter/early spring, but I would arrange to come down in the summer some time. Art replied that he would gladly pay for a plane ticket and hotel, plus drive me around wherever I wanted to go. My taken aback went further…aback. I had the feeling the Carl was a little worse off than Art had let on. And suddenly, I had a decision to make.
I’m not a poor man, but I don’t really have the extra cash to go flying off to Chicago for a weekend. That said, I couldn’t expect Art to pay my way down there. He said he felt guilty because the cost was an absolute steal for him. He said me coming down to talk with Carl for just a little while was worth well more than the cost to get me there.
Instead of making a decision (I knew what I had to do), I just backed away for a bit. A month or so later, Art and I e-mailed again. He said Carl had some more problems. There was just no way I can wait much longer, I thought. I found a cheap flight for the weekend of April 15. Then later I found out the reason it was so cheap—that would be Easter. There was a chance I could drive down the week prior. We had made plans.
This is my “Tuesday’s With Morrie”. This is my link. This is my ultimate story. This is living history, but probably not for too much longer. To not go—I could never forgive myself. Art says I’m the important one. Touching, but untrue. Carl is the important one. This is a trip I have to take. A once in a lifetime opportunity. Something that can’t be missed. I’ve beaten myself up for ten years now because I didn’t interview Bill Bruton even through the mail before he passed away. I’m nervous about going. I don’t think I can live up to the level they have put me on. But I’m putting that aside. It’s a selfish attitude on my part, but I’m going on this trip for ME. I pray that it means even half as much to Carl as it does to me.
That's where my writing ended. Sadly, the trip was never made. The week before the hoped-for trip, I found out that Carl had taken a turn for the worse. There was a lot of hope that he would recover, so I rescheduled for the first weekend in May. The trip won't happen. Carl passed away on April 5th.
While getting published was always a dream of mine, I had no idea just how great the time AFTER the book has been. I've met so many wonderful people as a result--something I just didn't foresee. Baseball is a thread that binds all of us, my friends.
Carl Beilke is in my book.
At least, his picture is.
All sources listed his last name as “Bielke”. The notation on the back of the vintage picture I own says the same. So, my book has it spelled that way.
Interesting story about the picture. I picked it up on eBay several years ago. I had no aspirations of writing a book on baseball in Eau Claire. Certainly not a photographic history. I was in the infant stages of my Eau Claire baseball fandom, and I just thought the pictures would be neat.
I had no idea just how neat they were. Carl’s picture in particular.
As I page through the book now, I see a bunch of typos. I cringe at each and every one, wondering how in the world I could have missed THAT one. But Carl Beilke likely wouldn’t have even come to my attention were it not for a bizarre e-mail I received a few years ago. It was from one Art Pennington from outside of Chicago. He said he had been up to Hayward, Wisconsin and had picked up my book when he saw it. He knew his father-in-law had played baseball in Eau Claire, and was shocked to see his picture.
He informed me I misspelled Carl’s name.
But that wasn’t the good part of the e-mail. As it turns out, Carl, at the time, was in his 90’s but still active as can be and sharp as a tack. Golfed 18 holes three times a week. Carried his own bag. Said carts are for the invalids. This man, who played on Eau Claire’s 1934 Northern League squad, was a living link to baseball history.
After exchanging several e-mails, Art taped an interview he had with Carl. Carl remembered minute details as if that happened a minute ago. He told me about his teammates. He told me about the road trips. He told me just about everything I would want to know. And he didn’t know it. See, Art had secretly taped this conversation. Art also sent me some photos of some of Carl’s mementos, including a bat he received from H and B for his hitting prowess in 1934—which turned out to be his only season in professional baseball. An article in the Sporting News said doctors told him to quit playing baseball due to a heart condition. In truth, it was a thyroid that wreaked havoc with his body.
Art and I remained in fleeting contact with an occasional e-mail here and there. We exchanged cards at Christmas. But when I sent an invitation to Carl to come up to Eau Claire for a reunion event slated for the summer of 2006, I got the news that Carl wasn’t doing nearly as well any more. Time had finally remembered Carl. Art asked if there was a chance the reunion could be moved to Chicago. It couldn’t. Art then mentioned one of those things that a person will remember for the rest of their life. Art asked me to come to Chicago—to meet Carl before it was too late.
This took me aback. First of all, I’m not accustomed to making a big impact in a whole lot of lives. At least, outside of my family. Based on what Art wrote, which was based on his conversations with his family and his father in law, that’s exactly what I had done. My book had one picture and maybe a 75-word caption regarding Carl. But Carl didn’t look at it that way. He wondered why anyone would be interested enough in his brief baseball career to even mention him in a book. And with all of my follow up, he seems genuinely moved that I could take such an interest.
I mentioned the roads can get a little tricky in Wisconsin in the late winter/early spring, but I would arrange to come down in the summer some time. Art replied that he would gladly pay for a plane ticket and hotel, plus drive me around wherever I wanted to go. My taken aback went further…aback. I had the feeling the Carl was a little worse off than Art had let on. And suddenly, I had a decision to make.
I’m not a poor man, but I don’t really have the extra cash to go flying off to Chicago for a weekend. That said, I couldn’t expect Art to pay my way down there. He said he felt guilty because the cost was an absolute steal for him. He said me coming down to talk with Carl for just a little while was worth well more than the cost to get me there.
Instead of making a decision (I knew what I had to do), I just backed away for a bit. A month or so later, Art and I e-mailed again. He said Carl had some more problems. There was just no way I can wait much longer, I thought. I found a cheap flight for the weekend of April 15. Then later I found out the reason it was so cheap—that would be Easter. There was a chance I could drive down the week prior. We had made plans.
This is my “Tuesday’s With Morrie”. This is my link. This is my ultimate story. This is living history, but probably not for too much longer. To not go—I could never forgive myself. Art says I’m the important one. Touching, but untrue. Carl is the important one. This is a trip I have to take. A once in a lifetime opportunity. Something that can’t be missed. I’ve beaten myself up for ten years now because I didn’t interview Bill Bruton even through the mail before he passed away. I’m nervous about going. I don’t think I can live up to the level they have put me on. But I’m putting that aside. It’s a selfish attitude on my part, but I’m going on this trip for ME. I pray that it means even half as much to Carl as it does to me.
That's where my writing ended. Sadly, the trip was never made. The week before the hoped-for trip, I found out that Carl had taken a turn for the worse. There was a lot of hope that he would recover, so I rescheduled for the first weekend in May. The trip won't happen. Carl passed away on April 5th.
While getting published was always a dream of mine, I had no idea just how great the time AFTER the book has been. I've met so many wonderful people as a result--something I just didn't foresee. Baseball is a thread that binds all of us, my friends.
Brewers/Mets 4/14
Brewers are trying to come back against the talented Mets. Thank God Glavine had to throw 100+ pitches through 6--he was absolutely dealing tonight. How many times do you see Brewer hitters make other pitchers look great? Not to say Glavine isn't great, but I will say he seems a little past his prime. One short of his career high in strikeouts. Tip of the cap to Tom, but I'm not offended he's out of this game. Crew has scored one against Heiliman, who is struggling mightily.
I'd love to know how many pitchers have their career high in k's coming against a Brewer team.
I'd love to know how many pitchers have their career high in k's coming against a Brewer team.
Hello Everybody
First law of blogging, I am finding out, appears to be that the first post is the toughest. I wanted to start out with something jaw dropping and awe-inspiring. This one won't do it. I figured maybe I'll use this one as sort of a "table of contents" of what will be coming on this blog.
Soon I will be posting a story about Carl Beilke, a man who played on the 1934 Eau Claire baseball team. Why he's so special, though, is the reason for the story. I can't give you much more than that without ruining it. Stay tuned.
As we are now well into Spring, we are also entering flea market season in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I try to go to as many as I can, even when I know exactly what the dealers have and where they are located. Next weekend is the first show at the fairgrounds in St. Paul. A few weeks after that will be Rochester (MN)'s "Gold Rush". If you have never been to Gold Rush, and you enjoy antiquing or collecting, you really, really need to hit this show. It's phenominal. Both those shows will repeat at least one (maybe two, I'm not sure) times later on this summer. Add in the Orinoco (MN) "Gold Rush", too. Orinoco and Rochester are maybe ten miles apart, and between them on one weekend you can see somewhere around 3,000 dealers. Great fun. Let me know if you need more information, or keep checking back here. As you can probably imagine, I collect baseball relics, autographs, etc. These flea markets are where I find most of them.
Speaking of collections, I'm sure we'll spend a few posts talking about collecting baseball stuff. From cards to bats to gloves to autographs, there's a niche for everyone. I'll share my experiences with you and will look for feedback as well.
I'll be discussing my ongoing research to compile a complete record of professional baseball in Eau Claire, WI. It will likely be released to the public in the form of a self-published book within the next few years (if I stay on track). My current project: compiling Eau Claire's stats from the 1911 season. One boxscore at a time. See, the Duluth team that season had some monetary issues and had trouble paying certain people in the organization. One of those people just happened to be the offical scorekeeper. So, he decided to not release the statistics to the league office. Therefore, no league statistics were ever published. I'm not motivated to get any other stats besides ECs right now, but maybe someday.
Brewers, Packers, EC Express...they'll all be part of the blog. And so will you. Please drop me a line if you would like to discuss anything about the topics above. Thanks for reading this. I hope you find it enjoyable.
Soon I will be posting a story about Carl Beilke, a man who played on the 1934 Eau Claire baseball team. Why he's so special, though, is the reason for the story. I can't give you much more than that without ruining it. Stay tuned.
As we are now well into Spring, we are also entering flea market season in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I try to go to as many as I can, even when I know exactly what the dealers have and where they are located. Next weekend is the first show at the fairgrounds in St. Paul. A few weeks after that will be Rochester (MN)'s "Gold Rush". If you have never been to Gold Rush, and you enjoy antiquing or collecting, you really, really need to hit this show. It's phenominal. Both those shows will repeat at least one (maybe two, I'm not sure) times later on this summer. Add in the Orinoco (MN) "Gold Rush", too. Orinoco and Rochester are maybe ten miles apart, and between them on one weekend you can see somewhere around 3,000 dealers. Great fun. Let me know if you need more information, or keep checking back here. As you can probably imagine, I collect baseball relics, autographs, etc. These flea markets are where I find most of them.
Speaking of collections, I'm sure we'll spend a few posts talking about collecting baseball stuff. From cards to bats to gloves to autographs, there's a niche for everyone. I'll share my experiences with you and will look for feedback as well.
I'll be discussing my ongoing research to compile a complete record of professional baseball in Eau Claire, WI. It will likely be released to the public in the form of a self-published book within the next few years (if I stay on track). My current project: compiling Eau Claire's stats from the 1911 season. One boxscore at a time. See, the Duluth team that season had some monetary issues and had trouble paying certain people in the organization. One of those people just happened to be the offical scorekeeper. So, he decided to not release the statistics to the league office. Therefore, no league statistics were ever published. I'm not motivated to get any other stats besides ECs right now, but maybe someday.
Brewers, Packers, EC Express...they'll all be part of the blog. And so will you. Please drop me a line if you would like to discuss anything about the topics above. Thanks for reading this. I hope you find it enjoyable.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)