Throwback Tuesday

As I've written before, the Pirates like to keep it pretty simple when it comes to throwback uniforms.  For a franchise whose history is so storied and lengthy, the formula has been pretty simple:  did we win the World Series that year?  Ok, then it's approved for a throwback.

And I guess it makes sense.  Mired in the middle of a stretch of 20 losing seasons, the Bucs held to any string they could to remind fans that the team used to win.  And let's just ignore all those years when we didn't.  The head in the sand approach may have worked for the guys in the fancy offices, but I can only hope some other throwbacks might work their way into the rotation now that the team has turned things around.

Like this beauty.

Once upon a time, the Pirates sported a blue and white and earlier a blue and red color scheme.  Nope, it wasn't always black and gold.  And remember when throwback unis used to be unique enough that the team would use a different batting helmet to match the jersey?  The plain dark blue helmet does add something here. 

How's This for a Relic? (Throwback Tuesday Style)

It seems that my large purchases always seem to pile up around this time of year.  I don't know if it's spring cleaning, strange timing, or what.  Heck, in the past week alone two 2003 Jack Wilson autographs I didn't have popped up on ebay, one /50 and one /25.  I have never seen a copy of either card surface online or at a show since 2004, yet here they both were from different sellers.  Fortunately both are now en route to my mailbox.

But this post is about something that's a little large for the mailbox.

I've written on more than one occasion that relic cards just don't really interest me, except to check another card off my master checklist.  If I can get them in the $1 range, great.  But they aren't something I go out of my way for.  And a large part of that has to do with my growing (full sized) game used collection.

I may never own a Arky Vaughn bat or Andrew McCutchen jersey.  But lower tiers of players are definitely in play.  Even for guys named McCutchen.

I've written about how much I love the Pirates mix and match late 70's style jerseys.  The black top is probably my least favorite of the three, but when popped up for auction at a reasonable price, it was too good to pass up.

Of course this isn't an authentic 70's jersey (those are a bit out of my price range), but rather a throwback that the team wore in 2011 during a series in Oakland.

And it may not be Andrew, but it just so happens to be from the next best McCutchen.


Unfortunately I just got the jersey, though the full uniform looks fantastic.

It goes nicely with the 70's pinstripe throwback I added a few months back.

Now I just need to find a gold jersey to complete the retro "set."

Throwback Tuesday

Simply put, this is one of my favorite cards.

My favorite player in a throwback uni?  Yes please.  The Bucs didn't wear many throwback uniforms while Jack was with the team, so for one of these to show up on a piece of cardboard is a pleasant surprise.

I've talked endlessly about my love for the 70's mix and match jerseys.  And the gold on gold combo is hard to beat.  I really like the slightly baggy look to the jersey (it's certainly more flattering than the skin tight unis that were worn back in the day).

And of course for all the Jack Wilson cards I have, the parallel version to this beauty has continually avoided me over the past decade.  I don't think I've ever seen a copy for sale in person or online.

But one of these days, I'll snag one.  And then it will be the grandest throwback card of the  all!

Throwback Tuesday

I love throwbacks.  And I love Pittsburgh's Negro League history.

The club does a decent job recognizing the city's baseball history (though there's always room for improvement).  But one thing I always look forward to are the club's NNL throwback games.  Pacific has some great throwback photography in their '98 set (some of which you'll likely be seeing on some other blogs when appropriate pwe bombs are delivered), but these Grays photos are unquestionably my favorites.

I'm curious who the Pirates played on this day.  Without doing too much digging (well, any really), it would appear to be a team with one of the infamous cookie cutter stadiums, somewhere on the road since the outfield padding doesn't match Three Rivers' blue padding.  Add in that the club also would have had to had a NNL club at some point, and my money would be on St. Louis.

I may take some time to do some more research at some point.  But if anyone can solve the mystery in the mean time, it would certainly be welcomed.

Throwback Tuesday

Throwback is a term I've used fairly liberally for these weekly posts.  I'm going to push the envelope a bit more here.  Technically, I'd probably say this is a throwback on a modern card of a throwback. 

The card comes from 1994's Upper Deck All-Time Heroes.  The early 90's most likely don't qualify as a throwback.  But that didn't stop the Rockies and Mets from wearing throwback jerseys from 1993.  So perhaps it's far enough back to qualify.

But more interesting is what's going on on the actual card.  The photo features Bill Madlock at All-Star weekend, hosted at Three Rivers Stadium, in what I believe was some type of old timer's home run derby (the predecessor to the abomination that is the celebrity softball game).  Madlock was only 7 years past his playing days, but he sure doesn't look it in this shot.  The angle certainly isn't flattering.

Madlock is also sporting the current (for the time) home jersey, rather than one of the styles he would have worn during his time with the Bucs.  Sort of an anti-throwback.  Throw forward?

To top the decade confusion off, the headshot in the lower left corner features Mad Dog with a wicked pair of sideburns from what looks to be the mid 70's during his tenure with the Cubbies.

Throwback Tuesday

Baseball is cyclical.  Much like this hobby, players come and go, public interest ebbs and flows.  For a period, I'd imagine Donn Clendenon was a fairly well regarded name among baseball fans.

He didn't break into the majors until his age 25 season in 1961, just missing the Pirates World Series season, and wouldn't see regular playing time until age 27.  He would put up solid seasons leading up to a breakout .299/.356./520 in 1966.  But at age 30, the breakous undoubtedly came with a grain of salt.

Declining numbers in '67 and '68 left him unprotected in the Expansion Draft, where the upstart Expos snagged him.  His career would continue to trend downward until yet another surprising season in 1970 that netted him MVP votes at age 34.

But the next two seasons would mark dramatically decreased playing time, and would be his final two in the majors. 

I honestly don't know how you'd qualify a player like this.  He isn't a flash in the pan, putting up two exceptional seasons and some very strong years early in his career.  But clearly he lacked the consistency and star power to become a major name.  Instead, his two standout seasons come nestled among a career of downward trending replacement level play.

But I guess sometimes baseball is just strange like that.

Throwback Tuesday

The throwback uniform knows no bounds.  Literally.

The Altoona Curve franchise has only been around for 15 years, all of which have been affiliated with the Bucs.  But for their 10th anniversary, the team felt the need to have some spiffy throwback unis.  Tough to do when you don't actually have anything to throw back to, right?

But the club, known for their creativity in the marketing department (a sharp distinction from their parent club), couldn't be bound by the constraints of space and time.  Instead, they created 1920's era throwback uniforms for a club that wouldn't be birthed until the end of the century.

All kidding aside, I really like the look.  One-time Rule 5 draftee Kyle Bloom models the jersey nicely, displaying the re-imagined logo, cream colored jersey, font, and arm patch.

I think the uni draws well upon the town's railroad heritage, while still holding true to the spirit and style of the era's minimalistic jersey designs.  And as you can see in the top right corner, the "throwback" jersey and logo makes for a significant upgrade over their logo at the time.

Throwback Tuesday

In 1945, Branch Rickey helped break baseball's color barrier, in turn setting in motion the wheels of a deep farm Dodger farm system that would keep the Dodgers in the pennant race into the next decade.

In 1950, the Pirates hired Rickey as their general manager.  Despite Rickey's historic position as a pioneer in capitalizing on the large population of untapped black talent, the Pirates did not field their first black player until the 1954 season (and a certain Puerto Rican would join the club in '55), only furthering the Pirates cellar dweller status throughout the decade.

Of the historic names that led the integration of baseball, Curt Roberts is one largely lost to history.  Roberts played four seasons for the Kansas City Monarchs before transitioning to the affiliated minor leagues, where the Pirates purchase his contract in 1952. 

The Pirates faced significant pressure from the black community in Pittsburgh to integrate, but Rickey seemed to be in no hurry to introduce the club's first black player.  Whether this was a talent based decision (which is unlikely, due to the wealth of Negro League talent who had either played in Pittsburgh previously or lived in the area), none of the players met Rickey's extensive list of qualities for groundbreaking black players, or some other factors were at play, the fact remains that the Pirates were falling behind in baseball's biggest talent grab.

On April 13, 1954, Curt Roberts became the first black player to suit up for the Pirates, and would finish the '54 season as the team's starter at second.

After a slow start in '55, Roberts would bounce between the majors and AAA for the next two years, but wouldn't get any more extended playing time.

It is debatable whether Roberts got a fair chance with the club - some,including former Pirates player/broadcaster Nellie King, have argued the slick fielder simply needed more regular at bats for his hitting to develop.  However, his career arc may indicate that Roberts major league showing was a fair approximation of his skill.

Roberts died tragically at age 40, killed in a roadside accident while changing a tire.  His place in both baseball and Pirates history has been largely underscored, overshadowed by the struggles Roberto Clemente experienced in overcoming both racial and ethnic discrimination.

But it is undeniable that Roberts set the stage for the black and Latin players that would follow, marking a significant, and overlooked, chapter in the team's history.

Throwback Tuesday

I'm working on a longer, more measured post on the Topps exclusive extension, so forgive me if this post ends up being rather abbreviated.

Wally Westlake is one of my favorite Pirates who I never knew was a Pirate.  Wally was one of the first vintage Pirate autographs I received TTM when I first started expanding my collection, and still holds a special place in my collection.  He wrote back a short but exceedingly gracious note, and also included a signed 4x6 photo of himself. 

As I looked into Westlake's career, I was surprised to find out he was a pretty good ballplayer, lost to the black void that was the pre-1960 Pirates.  Though he didn't reach the majors until age 26, hitting 17 home runs in his rookie season.  He had a nice run, peaking with a 23HR, 104RBI season in 1949, and following it up with a similar campaign in 1950 and an All-Star nomination in 1951. 

Westlake was traded at midseason during the '51 campaign.  Though his playing time sharply dropped off after leaving Pittsburgh, Westlake went on to play for five more teams as a reserve outfielder through the 1956 season.

To me, players like Wally Westlake are an interesting and fun study in both the role of sports and the evolution of the game.  And perhaps it can even be extrapolated to say something about the card industry itself. 

Westlake was undoubtedly a good baseball player, and posted some very, very good seasons, but did so in an era when players were poorly compensated financially and their public profile paled in comparison the the economic and social status modern day athletes reach through their celebrity and things like endorsement deals.  Instead, Wally Westlake is probably a name very, very few baseball fans know. 

An immediate comparison that comes to mind on the modern day Bucs is Garrett Jones.  Jones was a late bloomer, but has gone on to post some nice power numbers with the Pirates, as well as becoming a local favorite.  Ultimately I'm curious to see how baseball history and public perception will treat Jones a decade or two down the road in this digital age.  Will he continue to be remembered as a popular player on some bad teams, or will he too fade into baseball's collective conscience?

And maybe there's a lesson to be learned about our hobby as well.  Things invariably change; both players and card companies will come and go.  Westlake's 1950 Bowman above is an absolutely beautiful card marking the pinnacle of his career and a period of relative uncertainty for the card industry.  By the time Westlake retired a few years later, the card market had shifted exponentially, and the longstanding Topps monopoly was underway.  Perhaps by the time Garrett Jones is wrapping up his career, the card landscape will again be shifting in a new direction.  Then again, maybe not.

Throwback Tuesday

Today's post is a bit of a hybrid - part Throwback Tuesday, part Pirate autograph project, and part some long overdue new arrival scanning from the weekend.  Put it all together, and you either have Franken-post, or a great looking vintage autograph.  Take your pick.

Art Swanson is a guy whose story is fairly common among the 1950's Pirates teams.  He made his major league debut at 18 after being signed as a bonus baby, appearing in one game in 1955.  Swanson would get a cup of coffee again in '56, before getting an extended look in 1957.  During that season, he pitched in 32 games for the Buccos, starting 8.





Swanson would continue pitching in the Pirates system until his retirement in 1962, but added depth around the Pirates World Series year pushed Swanson down the depth chart.




I had been aiming to get this card signed for a while, but had mistakenly believed Mr. Swanson had passed away.  Realizing he was still alive and an active signer through the mail, I picked up a copy at a show for a couple dollars and sent it off in the mail.  As you can see, I'm pretty pleased with the way the card turned out.

Throwback Tuesday

In case it hasn't been made clear yet, I have a bit of an issue with throwback uniforms.  I like them.  A lot.

There's only one problem with that.  The teams I follow - namely the Pirates and Steelers - don't have a lot of uniform variety to pick from.  In recent seasons, the Astros, White Sox, Angels have both made throwback uniforms part of their semi-regular rotation.  All of those clubs have an array of designs, color combinations, and logo changes over the past few decades that make for a colorful array of uniforms. 

For the Pittsburgh teams, the traditional black and gold can be both a blessing and a curse.  Traditional?  Great.  But it also makes things a bit dull when it comes to throwback uniforms.  Nonetheless, this Jason Kendall card from 2004 Fleer Tradition is one of my favorite Pirate base cards.  The gold on gold combo is one that I don't believe the Pirates have worn at any other time (they wore gold tops and black pants during TBTC games in both 1999 and 2004). 

There hasn't been anything official announced for 2013 throwback games beyond the new Sunday alternates, though that's typical.  Should be fun to see what the Pirates have in store - perhaps some type of retro themed game during their series with the newly AL-defected Astros?

Throwback Tuesday

Throwback Tuesdays will take a look at the history of the franchise looking at players new and old, from Pirates of long ago to contemporary throwback uniforms. 

Sometimes the most obvious starting point is the best.  And where better to start than with the oldest card in my collection?  My 1948 Bowman Ed Fitz Gerald marks the current starting point of my collection. 

Beyond the interesting capitalization of his last name, Fitz Gerald spend a dozen years in the major leagues, mainly serving as a backup catcher.  Spending half his career in Pittsburgh, his most extensive playing time came in his rookie season of '48. 

Fitz Gerald also holds a special place in Pirates history as the catcher of one of six no-hitters in Pirates history.  On May 6, 1951 Cliff Chambers pitched a 3-0 no hitter against the Boston Braves in the second game of a doubleheader, marking the second no-hitter in team history, and the first of the modern era.

Upon leaving Pittsburgh, Fitz Gerald would serve as Washington's primary catcher in 1955 and '56, remaining in the majors through 1959 before spending several seasons coaching and managing in the majors and minors.