Type Site: LIFE Magazine's Best Photos (and Mickey Mantle)

"Do you like quality photography? Of course, we all do."

If so, don't miss out on LIFE Magazine's (self-selected) list of best photos, which slots this shot of Mantle denouement at #30.

Two ravaged knees killed Mickey's on-field production and his obvious frustration in this photo presaged the late 60s fade of both superstar and franchise, as he limped towards retirement and New York sank into the AL's second division.

But LIFE Magazine and The Mick appeared in this blog before--and in happier times--thanks to their Maris/Mantle Post Cereal promo from 1962.

This card (as trimmed from LIFE's gatefold insert) followed the 1961 wave of home run hysteria, when Roger and Mickey raced to break the Babe's mark of 60.

It's hard to imagine a sharper career descent than Mantle's, given both his diminishing production (though never below average) and New York's ill fortunes. Would 1960s fans (and teams) have accepted a DH rule just to extend the careers of sluggers like Mickey?

Type Site: Cards That Never Were #5, 1969 Topps Lou Piniella

Hope that you already read the blog Cards That Never Were, but just in case you don't, here's another excellent reason to start: future MLB star (and likely HOF manager) Lou Piniella in a Pilots uniform.

I follow Sweet Lou for several reasons, both sports and card related. The fact that it's Fan Favorite #5 is icing on the cake!

Back in 2010, I marked Lou's retirement with a profile of his 60s cards that showed his multiple pre-rookie appearances and how mixed-up Topps photos got during the expansion era.

This 1970 Topps Super, for example, shows Piniella hatless in a nondescript uniform, despite his winning AL Rookie of the Year for Kansas City at age 26. Lou's young, swarthy face doesn't resemble his 1969 skin tone, though--it looks like an alternate 1963/64 photo with the Washington Senators.

1964 Topps #167, Brumley / Piniella

Best I can figure, Topps thought a "Rookie of the Year" should look fresh-faced, so turned the clock back 7 years. Mission accomplished!

Type Site: Night Owl Cards (and its first look at 2012 Topps)

Props to fellow card blogger Night Owl for an early look at 2012 Topps. His post captures their quantitative leap in player photos, a few of which I borrowed for commentary.

I don't blame collectors who specialize in "cool catcher gear" cards. The so-called tools of ignorance offer some of the coolest evidence of our sports' evolution, as with today's hockey-style protective masks.

This Matt Kemp promo is sort of a number five, as it's cataloged GGC-5. Topps upped the stakes in this year's online unlockable "contest" by manufacturing some (real) gold cards. Everyone loves the precious metals!

SEE YA. BOOM. Better call the Na-police and put out an APB on that baseball.

Color me impressed by this year's first look at Topps handiwork. Will it keep everyone coming to the candy store and (more importantly) attract new customers into the fold? Once our new baseball season ramps up, I wouldn't be surprised.

Was this my first week of all Type Site posts, Mon/Wed/Fri? I think so, but fear not: #5 card profiles will return as normal next Monday. (And as always, find entertaining baseball excellence at Night Owl Cards.)

Type Site: Keith Olbermann's Baseball Nerd, 2012 Topps Pack Opening Day

It seems impossible to me that people in the hobby wouldn't know how serious a baseball card collector Keith Olbermann is, but who knows? It could still be the case. Let's confirm it now with a photo of the selfsame writer and TV host at Topps' 10th Annual Pack Opening Day.

Keith donned his best uni for the occasion, a game-worn Matt Morse jersey from the Tampa Bay prospect's first win. To prove his cardboard bona fides, Olbermann also brought one of his favorite cards.

Oh hey, a T206 Honus Wagner. (Keith claims to own three of them; maybe this is the "Weekend Wagner.")

I've no particular political leanings, but remain a fan of Olbermann's for the part he played in TCMA's growth and success in the 1970s and 80s, as a key maker of oddball and minor league sets that helped challenge and overcome Topps monopolistic control of MLB card production.

While Topps has reclaimed a similar prominence in today's hobby (thanks to its exclusive MLB license), Keith's appearance strikes a relatively minor chord of dissonance. This event is more about the cards than any particular history or narrative. Rip 'em up!

Check out Keith's Baseball Nerd blog for more of his posts on the sport and our hobby.

Type Site: Cards That Never Were (and Don Schwall)

For the last several months, baseball blog Cards That Never Were has riffed on the 1975 Topps MVP subset (#189-212) with custom "Rookies of the Year" that count up from Topps' 1951 debut year. Compare an original pair of Topps MVPs...

1975 Topps #199, 1961 MVPs

...to its latest Rookies of the Year post for 1961.

Cards That Never Were, 1961 Rookies of the Year

This 1961 version caught my eye because Don Schwall also appeared on my very first card from the 1960s, not something a young collector soon forgets.

1965 Topps #362, Don Schwall

Man, that's just so old, right? At least it used to seem that way before I turned over a few decades myself. These days, 1965 seems well within the bounds of youthful exuberance.

Thanks to Cards That Never Were for this trip down memory lane and find more great work in its series of custom 1975 Topps cards.

Type Site: 1977 Topps Baseball Cards Updated

Traveling through Mariners country today, an excellent excuse to point people to the blog 1977 Topps Updated and their treatment of Seattle's second expansion team.

This pair of articles compares original Seattle Topps cards with updated custom cards and gives the "real photo" treatment to guys who missed the 1977 set entirely, including this chaw-enhanced Rick Honeycutt, one of my favorite early M's.

• 1977 Seattle Mariners vol. 1: putting down the airbrush
• 1977 Seattle Mariners vol. 2: players without cards 

I love to see this much work go into card posts. Check out 1977 Topps Updated for plenty more!

Type Site: Section 36, "5 is for..."

During the off-season, Red Sox fan site Section 36 covers a wide range of baseball topics, numbered 1 to 36. It fills the chilly winter months for locals like me, who spend most of February creating spreadsheets that analyze snow accumulation. Today's fifth post for 2011-12 talks about Fenway's short (5') wall in front of its side-by-side outfield bullpens.

But why a 5' wall? To quote Section 36:

"To me it looks like a fairly careful calculation. Obviously they took an average player and stood him up against a wall. They had him take a little hop, as if he were reaching for a ball. They then marked the spot where his ribs were. 5 feet. That way, anyone crashing into the wall would be sure to at least bruise a rib, if not break it completely and puncture their lung."

Jay Buhner made one of Seattle's pinnacle defensive plays by leaping this wall to bring back a bomb hit by Moneyball binky (and former Sox slugger) Scott Hatteberg on June 29, 1997.

Another Mariner high point: "Buhner Buzz Cut Night"

Jay's effort was great enough to rank first on Mariner Top 5 Home-Run Robbing Catches (video at the MLB.com link). "It was the kind of play outfielders always dream about‚" Buhner said. (No doubt!)

Thanks for the highlight reminder and find more Sox stuff at Section 36.

Type Site: Oriole Bobble Head of the Week

I've plugged The Great Orioles Autograph Project before, but check out its featured Baltimore bobble head for this week. None other than HOF #5, Brooks Robinson!

Brooks holds a special place in my heart as the first HOF to answer a letter of mine way back at age 13. Find a scan of my questions and his response in the profile for 1973 Johnny Pro Orioles (fielding) #5.

Didn't occur to me until today, but Brooks appears on quite a few type collection cards. (Five in all!)

• 1965 O-Pee-Chee, AL RBI Leaders
• 1965 Topps, AL RBI Leaders
• 1970 Pictures of Champions
• 1973 Johnny Pro Orioles (batting)
• 1973 Johnny Pro Orioles (fielding)

Orioles (and autograph) fans should keep tabs on The Great Orioles Autograph Project for more bobbles and other good stuff.

Type Site: The Phillies Room

I've tracked Jim's line of custom Chachi cards on The Phillies Room for quite a while. Hard to miss today's post, as #5 in a series of off-season transactions.

2012 Chachi Transactions #5 Ben Francisco

Ben Francisco moved to Toronto yesterday in a "major leaguer for minor leaguer" swap, opening a roster spot for further movements prior to spring training. Jim tracks all past deals in each off-season post, giving readers the full picture of how teams--even successes like Philly--plan and rebuild between October and April.

Find many, many more custom cards and Philadelphia loyalty at The Phillies Room. And hey, this is Number 5 blog post #600! Happy to use it to honor team fandom anytime and anywhere.

1995 Fleer Flair Baseball #5, Jamie Moyer (and Type Site for Orioles Card O The Day)

Orioles Card "O" the Day featured this 1995 Fleer Flair card in 2009 to check in on Moyer's recovery from a series of minor medical procedures. Blog author Kevin averages a new post each day and covers cards from throughout Baltimore's long team history.

Moyer went on to start 19 games for Philly in 2010, but missed 2011 with Tommy John surgery, his first year out of the majors since 1992. Jamie says that he rehabbed all year and plans (hopes?) to pitch again in 2012.

This set came to mind when a fellow OBC collector sent this hit to my David Segui wantlist, 1996 Fleer Flair #313.

In hand, that speckled background really jumps out at you and Segui's righthand pose has an embossed edge.

Fleer tried some of everything on these Flair cards, going with four different poses per card, each with different framing and photo effects. I like the choice to show players in home/away jerseys, but prefer the horizontal look of Moyer's 1995 card when companies arrange both portrait and action on card fronts.

Segui's action shots might be from the same game, as it's clearly an afternoon contest with identical uniforms. Critics of 1990s cards say the crowded design (and, of course, set overproduction) fatigued collectors and eventually killed the market, but I'm happy to have another hit for my player collection.

Topps Decades (and Type Site for This Card is Cool)

2011 marked the 60th anniversary of Topps packaging baseball sets with chewing gum and candy, hearkening all the way back to a quintet of 1951 issues. I've profiled the Red Back #5 (Johnny Pesky) and Blue Back #5 (Phil Rizzuto) before, but they also created three odd-sized sets that year, the Connie Mack All-Stars, Major League All-Stars, and Team Cards.

1951 Topps Connie Mack All-Stars, Connie Mack

Connie Mack All-Stars featured retired greats and a die-cut around player silhouettes, so you can fold the backs over and stand them up.

1951 Topps Major League All-Stars, Yogi Berra

Major League All-Stars used active players on the same die-cut design and prove almost impossible to find today, possibly due to legal wrangling with Bowman over contract exclusivity.

1951 Topps Team Cards, Chicago White Sox

Team Cards are full-squad photos. Topps printed only 9 of 16 active teams, possibly for lack of pictures at design time.

It's quite expensive to build any of these three sets, given their rarity. Find a wealth of detail on their checklists and printing peccadilloes in The Candy Men post at Topps Archives.

The Topps 60th baseball anniversary came to mind when I came across a 1980s set summary at the This Card Is Cool blog, another great source of card scans and writing from any era. Author Ryan G turns out more than 1 post per day, so you'll never run short of reading material. Combine our decade profile posts and you've got all six covered!

• #5 Type Collection: 1951-1959
• #5 Type Collection: 1960-1969
• #5 Type Collection: 1970-1980
• This Card Is Cool: 1981-1990
• This Card Is Cool: 1991-2000
• This Card Is Cool: 2001-2010

Type Site: Six Degrees of Ron Santo

Serendipity struck for me this week, as both NPR (Kevin Bacon Plays Not My Job) and the card blogging world (Six Degrees of Ron Santo) referenced the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Game in less than 24 hours. Who am I to fight the invisible hand of destiny?

Ron Santo, who passed away in December 2010, played his full career in Chicago, 14 years anchoring third for the Cubs and a final season with the White Sox. Many argue he deserves HOF enshrinement thanks to 9 All-Star Games, 5 Gold Gloves, great hitting during a pitchers ERA, and his decades of involvement with Chicago baseball. (He's also better than most everyone here.)

Six Degrees marked this week's D-Day Anniversary by connecting gunner's mate Yogi Berra to Ron Santo, starting with these 1965 player-coach cards.

Topps used to feature coaches more than they do now, in part because fewer stars need to remain in the game for a paycheck. I'd forgotten Berra and Spahn both fit the bill in 1965, with Yogi playing his final four career games after coaching exclusively in 1964. Spahn got more field work, going 4-12 in 19 starts, but was released mid-year and finished his MLB career with the San Francisco Giants.

Check out Six Degrees of Ron Santo for more connections or to make a player request of your own!

UPDATE: After hitting publish, what should I find but a third Kevin Bacon reference, courtesy of Seth Godin.

Type Site: '59 Topps (one f/g card at a time)

It's been a while since the last shout out to a blog follower's own blog, so let's fix that oversight! Today's profile features '59 Topps, a card-by-card profile of Commishbob's complete 1959 set.

Commishbob started blogging this set on Feb 13 with his favorite player, #472 Brooks Robinson. Each post discusses a card and what he remembers of the player or team. Here's a key piece for Brooks.

As I mentioned Brooks is my favorite baseball player. My twin sons are named for him and Jim Palmer. We've met Brooks several times and he's as nice as his reputation. When a small story appeared in the Baltimore Sun about my sons carrying the names of Oriole stars Brooks came up with my address and sent us signed pictures.

Brooks also holds a special place in my heart as the first guy to reply to questions I sent as a 13 year-old back in 1985. (Scan of his answers in my 1973 Johnny Pro Orioles profile.) Plus, he wore uniform #5--win/win.

Commishbob is a blogging machine, clocking in at 113 card profiles since that first February post. Check out '59 Topps for more!

Type Site: The Topps 300 (and then some...)

Not long ago, Topps asked collectors to pick their "top 60 cards" (from 100 choices) that would resurface as special inserts in 2011 baseball packs. Many long-time collectors scoffed at the editorial taste displayed in their original 100, packed as it was with every Mantle and significant rookie card available, regardless of card composition or quality.

Yes, this 'stache was a Topps 100 choice

Better writers than me critiqued Topps' choices by choosing their own "best card ever" lists. Start by checking out Here's Your Top 60, Part 1 by Night Owl. (He breaks down 20 cards in each post, three parts in all.)

Inside part 1, Night Owl pointed back to another excellent series that I completely missed before, The Topps 300 (and then some...).

"Topps 5" from 1957"

Thanks to card blogger JayBee for composing a top 5 every year from 1951 to 2010. He even remembered to include Big Klu's "gun show" card from 1957, unlike certain card companies I could name. The whole roll's worth a read as we creep closer and closer to opening day 2011.

Type Site: Section 36

Wow, been a while since we've profiled a site follower in the Type Site series, so let's jump back in with Section 36, a Boston-area chap who authors a baseball blog by the same name.

Hmm, wonder who he writes about?

Section 36 blog burned up 2010 with 281 articles posted, a great total for even professional writers. Find everything from articles on baseball cards and memorabilia to personal stories and open questions (i.e., Are the Sox actually sending Julio Lugo paychecks?).

One my favorite Yankee-Red Sox digs came from the Blogs from Other Teams request, where he asked folks to nominate other fan writers to follow. Check out this pair of comments.

Adam_The_Yankee_Fan said...

"Here are two great blogs from the greatest team in the land!"

http://riveraveblues.com/
http://yankees.lhblogs.com/

Section 36 said...

"Adam, I think you gave me the wrong links. Those were Yankees blogs."

ZING! With apologies to Adam, that's quality comeback-ery.

Section 36 also runs off-season contests (for cards + other booty) and 2010's version remains OPEN until Feb 9, 2011! Check his 2010 Scavenger Hunt post for details and then go hunting for those photos.

Type Site: 1207 Consecutive Games

Number 5 Type Collection follower and fellow Garvey fan Steelehere runs his own blog over at 1207 Consecutive Games, so named for Steve's NL record-setting playing streak. That stretch of daily work in LA and San Diego placed 4th on the all-time list, behind Cal Ripken (2632), Lou Gehrig (2130), and Everett Scott (1307). (Get full details at Baseball-Reference.com.)

I rank two of Steelehere's posts as "essential card reading", one of which I referenced in a Lou Piniella retrospective. That post is "Hope Springs Eternal" and shows off guys with more than 1 multi-player rookie card.

Bill Davis, King of Multi-player Cards

But why stop at one great post? In Sept 2010, he added "Hope Spring Eternal - Part Two." It features, among other cool stuff, a Topps fumble-and-fix, where they ran 2 different cards for George Korince in the same 1967 set.

1967 Topps #526, with the real George Korince

Twice the players means twice the stories! Check out more of his cards and research at 1207 Consecutive Games.

Type Site: BA Benny's Baseball Card Buffet

Prolific card blogger and avid Mets fan BA Benny recently ran a giveaway commemorating his 100th post. The (randomized) winner received a copy of Strat-O-Matic baseball, plus lots of favorite-team cards. Would you believe that lucky chap was me? Quite unexpected, but quite excellent!

Check out this batch of cards from my Seattle Mariners, both old school and new, going clockwise from upper left.

1. Ryan Langerhans: Saw him play for the A's a few years ago at Fenway, 1 of exactly 2 games he spent in Oakland green-and-gold.
2. Jack Wilson: Current shortstop and seems to be decent at it.
3. Rey Quinones: Mid-80s part-timer at shortstop. Once unavailable to pinch-hit because he was playing Nintendo in the clubhouse.
4. Mike Jackson: Great reliever who made two turns with the M's, 5 years total in his 17-year career.
5. Franklin Gutierrez: Great defensive CF, fast on the bases, and sharp hitter. Can't complain.
6. Dan Wilson: Came to Seattle with Lou Piniella and solidified the backstop position for years.
7. Jason Vargas: Quietly pitching very well for a last-place team.
8. Feliz Hernandez: Team ace, Cliff Lee or no Cliff Lee. (And it'll be "no Cliff Lee" pretty soon.)

Thanks for all the goods, Mr. Benny! Read all about his cards at BA Benny's Baseball Card Buffet.

Type Site: Gint-A-Cuffs

Recent #5 site follower Beardy, of multiple card blog fame, is also a key part of this year's Gint-A-Cuffs card opening competition. I'm highlighting it now, since the sign-up ends on June 25, a scant two weeks from today.

So what is this thing called Gint-A-Cuffs? In one sentence, it's a way for 2010 Allen & Ginter collectors to see tons of cool cards, throw their favorite players into a scrum, and talk a little cardboard smack. Modern card folks should definitely check it out. Contest rules thus!

Lifetime O's fan Beardy is more than just a virtual bare-knuckle boxer. Here are more sites of interest!

• Mojo & Beardy's Fantastic Card Blog
• A Pack To Be Named Later
• Beardy's Baseball Blog (recently replaced by the Fantastic Card Blog)

Type Site: Dodger Bobble

Recent #5 site follower Dodger Bobble runs an entertaining blog by the same name, serving up what the world needs more of: BOBBLEHEAD DODGERS!

From "Another Bobblehead for the Collection"

That is a sweet, classy Hollywood picture of a man and his unstable cranium. And you know that no one knows unstable craniums like L.A.

While the site covers a variety of Dodger topics, actual bobbles get loving profiles like the photo-friendly May 18th Andre Ethier giveaway.

"Hey, I can see my town from here!"

Dodger Bobble has already pumped out more than 100 posts since March, kicking off when he received tickets (and L.A.'s bobblehead promo schedule) for their 2010 season. That's a serious accumulation of reading material.

See Dodger Bobble for more sweet Dodger coverage!

Type Site: Nachos Grande

Recent #5 blog follower FanOfReds is also the man in charge of Nachos Grande, a card blog of his trades and opinions. Visitors should expect lots of scans, lots of trades, and a long legacy of posts covering every facet of baseball.

FanOfReds and I both lamented this week's news that Ken Griffey decided to hang up his spikes. As a Mariners fan since 1979, it's hard to accurately describe the tectonic shift Seattle experienced in 1995, transforming from a nation of skeptics into a baseball town via one playoff race. (No doubt any Reds fan can appreciate the Lou Piniella link between Cincy's "Nasty Boys" champs in 1990 and Seattle's own run.)

Griffey provided 1995's "swing point" with a game-winning homer on August 24th, beating John Wetteland and the Yankees. Improbably, it was his first career walk-off hit, let alone it proving a harbinging homer of things to come.

Top 10 Griffey moments at TheBleacherReport.com

FanOfReds covers The Kid in detail, both as a player and baseball card icon. Find more below!

• Nachos Grandes search results for Ken Griffey