Hiroki Kuroda of the New York Yankees @ Citi Field (2012)

Posted on February 10th, 2021 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, new york, nikon d7000, Nikon TC-17E II 1.7x Teleconverter. Comments Off on Happy birthday, Hiroki Kuroda!

(名古屋 August 2013)

Posted on January 24th, 2021 under Japan. Tags: baseball, kids, nagoya, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600, people. Comments Off on Little baseball fan

@wthballs @CardboardHistry @70sBaseball @Super70sSports @1975Topps #1975Topps #1975ToppsMinis @Topps #baseballcards

The year was 1975. I was six years old. Somehow I came upon 15 cents, enough to purchase my first pack of baseball cards. That first pack was a pack of 1975 Topps Minis–a parallel set of cards from the year that was only available in Michigan and parts of the west coast (where I was). I’ve been picking up minis ever since. While I’ve had over 600 cards of the 660 card set since the late 1980s, I never finished the set–until two days ago when card #66 Willie Horton arrived in my mailbox. I bought it on eBay to finally complete something I started over 45 years ago.

The 1975 Topps set fittingly had Hank Aaron bookending the set with cards #1 and #660 (pictured below).

1975 Topps Baseball Minis Complete Set

I mentioned yesterday how many Hall of Famers we have lost the past year. Look at those first four cards (Aaron, Brock, Gibson, Kaline)! All four players died between April 2020 and yesterday. 🙁 Roger Moret, although not a Hall of Famer, also died in 2020.

1975 Topps Mini Baseball Card Hank Aaron #660

Posted on January 23rd, 2021 under Other. Tags: baseball. Comments Off on 46 years in the making

Hank Aaron parking space at Truist Park (SunTrust Park when this photo was taken in 2017)

Hank Aaron (1934-2021) always had a special place in my heart. I did a book report on him in 1975 when I was in 2nd grade.

Aaron’s passing means that nine baseball Hall of Famers died in the past year–an incredible number given that less than three, on average, are elected to the hall each year.

Posted on January 22nd, 2021 under Other. Tags: atlanta, baseball, georgia, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D500. Comments Off on Hammerin’ Hank of the Braves has left the building

Mike Trout

Trout doesn’t have four MVPs yet, but in his nine seasons he has three MVPs, four second-place finishes, and two others in the top five. He has led the league in runs four times, OBP four times, and OPS four times. That must be what home plate umpire, Manny Gonzalez, is alluding to.

Posted on December 18th, 2020 under Other. Tags: baseball, los angeles, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D750, sports photography. Comments Off on Mike Trout