Baseball ... a pass the time sport.

Baseball ... the American past-time. When you look at our modern pace - the "instant" world we live in - baseball is almost passe'.

Somewhere along the line, in the early 1970's, a Topps executive (because there were no other card makers) decided to add "In Action" cards to the card sets. gone were the days of carefree poses.

There was once time for standing "hands on hips ...

leaning against the bats...

waiting for your time at bat ...

and just sitting around.

What I really enjoyed about the cards up to the 1970's was the sunshine. The colors, bright and solid made the spring, summer and fall - happy for all the world to see.

The above card of the Oakland A's - Bert Campaneris - was once my favorite card. It looked like a perfect job - a pro athlete that only plays when the sun shines, in the best part of the year (summer) and in really interesting states like California and New York. My loyalty to the A's, Mets and Yankees

Somewhere along the way the season got too long. Playing in snow and drizzling rain is less fun. Wearing pink and silver and ray-on black jerseys is just depressing.

I like the game as it was. These cards allow me that satisfaction.

Good-bye to Yankee Stadium

While garage sale(ing) this weekend I picked up a nice book called "Yankee Stadium: 75 Years of Drama, Glamour and Glory". I paid my maximum 50 cents (for hard cover books).

It was another reminder that its will be the final year of events in "the House that Ruth Built". And while most of us know that the New York Yankees play there, so many other memorable moments that took place including concerts, prize fights, football games and of course one season of soccer with PELE' and the New York Cosmos.

While Yankee Stadium is the backdrop to literally thousands of baseball cards its famous top facade is visible on the cards of Bert Blyleven, and soon to be Yankees Graig Nettles and Reggie Jackson.

Those of us who have spent way too much time looking at cards seem to find stuff that other people find ... well mundane. So while the facade of Yankee Stadium is as common as rookie prospects, there are a few other cards of the Bronx building.

One of my favorites is this 1971 Ken McMullen. It shows the Yankee monuments before they were moved to a separate courtyard outside the field of play. But lets not forget that for a period they were to be avoided by sprinting outfielders.

The only thing worse than dying for Ruth's monument is dying because of Ruth's monument. Ouch !