Wallet Card at Chin Chen Importers

I saw this interesting combination of signs on West 30th Street. A lot of boarded up storefronts make me think this building might be torn down soon.

The black sign over the door, Edro, turned out to be just the realtor, albeit one that sold the property almost 20 years ago. The other signs refer to the import/export business, of which there are a lot of businesses in this immediate area. I'm not sure which business was on the third floor, but I love the window signs with the various Latin American countries.

I do love when an old sign peeks through, as is the case here. I was able to find a 1980s tax photo of the building on the 80s.NYC website, and the sign was just clear enough to make out.

Chin Chen Co. was incorporated in 1976 and dissolved in 2003. I couldn't find anything else about the company, but it stayed in business for 27 years which is a solid run. Incidentally, it appears that the old-looking Latin American country signs aren't that old, as it appears they weren't there when this photo was taken.
 

Cake or gum? 1977 Phil Garner

Last time Topps pitched a 7-0 shutout. Will this be closer?

Hostess has Garner smiling for the camera before a game, while Topps has him at bat during a game, with the Bicentennial patch prominent. Garner must have gotten a perm because his hair is much curlier than in cards from other seasons.

A three-time All-Star, Phil Garner was a good defensive second baseman with speed and a little power. He played in 16 games for five teams, mostly the A's, Pirates and Astros. In 1,860 games he hit .260 with 109 HR, 738 RBI and 225 SB. He had a long career as a manager as well, for 15 seasons with the Brewers, Tigers and Astros, going 985-1,054, winning a pennant with the Astros in 2005. In February of 2024 Garner was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but has stayed active, throwing out the first pitch last month on his birthday at a game in Houston.

Wood vs. Wood #282

RIP former major leaguer Jason Conti, who shared baseball cards stories with this blog in 2013.

Last time 1962 won, 4-3. Will it win again here?

Dave Hillman came up with the Cubs in 1955 and was a swing man in their bullpen and rotation over the next few years. His best season was 1958, when he went 4-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 31 games (16 starts). He was traded to the Red Sox in 1960 and spent two years in their bullpen. The card lists him as a Red because the Reds acquired Hillman in a "conditional deal". He pitched in two games for Cincinnati before being returned to Boston, who promptly sold him to the Mets. He pitched in 12 games for the Mets, ending his major league career. Overall in 188 games (64 starts) he went 21-37 with a 3.87 ERA. After his playing career he worked in a clothing store for many years. He died in 2022.

Jeff Calhoun came up with the Astros in 1984 and put up some good numbers as a long reliever. He had a rough Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, losing that marathon game to the Mets, and was traded to the Phillies after the season. He had a good season in 1987 but not in 1988 (injured?). He retired after that season, with a career record of 6-7 with a 2.51 ERA in 118 games. He is now a pastor at the Second Baptist Church in Houston, where he has also coached the high school baseball team in the past.

1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Dave Johnson

Eyeblack alert! So rare for a posed pregame photo.

July 7, 1973.

It was a wild game at Shea Stadium. Johnson hit a solo HR in the fourth inning to give the Braves a 3-2 lead. In the top of the 7th, the Braves went up 6-3, thanks in part to a 2-run inside-the-park HR by Ralph Garr. However, the Mets came back in the eighth, with 2-run hits by Willie Mays and Wayne Garrett to take a 7-6 lead. In came closer Tug McGraw to close out the Braves in the ninth. However, McGraw gave up three hits and a walk, and was pulled from the game with the bases loaded and one out, the game tied at 7.

(One of the hits was by pinch-hitter Hank Aaron, who was then lifted for pinch runner Sonny Jackson. How cool is it that Hank Aaron and Willie Mays were both in this game! Must have been one of the very last times they played against each other.)

The Mets brought in Harry Parker to relieve McGraw. The good news for the Mets was he didn't give up a hit. The bad news was that a Dusty Baker groundout gave the Braves the lead, and two more walks (one to Johnson) gave Atlanta an insurance run. They would need that run as the Mets got one back in the ninth, but fell just short, 9-8.

In other news, President Nixon declared that he would not testify nor allow the Senate Investigation Committee access to his papers; 112 American Peace Corps members were held hostage at Entebbe Airport in Uganda, and in Ethopian elections Aklilu Habte-Wold was re-elected as Prime Minister.

Looks like Johnson's 1974 Topps Stamp was from the same photo shoot.

Considering that he is wearing eye black at Shea Stadium, it's quite possible the action shot on his base card was taken that day as well. This definitely wasn't the home run, though.

1981 Topps Woodie Fryman

 

The front: Relaxing in the dugout with a mouth full of chewing tobacco.

The back: Fryman had had a long career and looked older than his real age of 40 on this card, but he still had three more seasons in him.

The player: A two-time All-Star, Woodie Fryman pitched for six teams over 18 seasons, primarily as a reliever until joining the Expos for a second time in 1978. Fryman was twice traded for a Hall-of-Famer (Jim Bunning, Tony Perez) and had perhaps his best season in 1972, when he was waived by the Phillies after a poor start, and went 10-3 with a 2.06 ERA, winning the division clincher against second-place Boston on the next-to-last day of the season. Overall in 625 games (322 starts) he went 141-155 with 58 saves and a 3.77 ERA.

The man: Widely regarded as a "Kentucky Gentleman" and one of baseball's good guys, Fryman returned home after his career to run his family's farm. He died of complications of Alzheimer's and heart disease in 2011 at the age of 70.

My collection: I have 35 of his cards, from 1967 to 1983. I would be interested in trading for 1966 Topps #498.
 

1976 SSPC Tommy John

 RIP Chet Lemon, who shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2011.

The card, in brief: All of the card photos were taken at Shea Stadium during the 1975 season. John was out with his famous injury that year, but I guess at least sometimes he traveled and suited up with the team.

Playing career, in brief:  Tommy John pitched for 26 seasons in the major leagues, winning 288 games. A four-time all-star, he was twice a runner-up in the Cy Young Award voting. He was coming off of two straight seasons where he won the NL winning percentage title when he missed '75 with the arm injury that required revolutionary surgery. He continued to pitch at an elite level when he returned, winning 20+ games three of the next five seasons. He was still an effective pitcher well into his 40s; he was the ace of the Yankees staff in 1987 at the age of 44.

Post-playing career, in brief: After his career he spent some time as a broadcaster and a coach. He has also put his name on products as varied as joint cream and wine, and he is the chair of a foundation dedicated to suicide prevention. He shared his favorite card with this blog in 2013. 

My collection: I have 70 of his cards, from 1964 to 1989. I would be interested in trading for 1978 SSPC #75 and 1989 Classic #40.

1988 Topps Big Cartoon Deep Dive: Donnie Hill

 Nice, somewhat unusual photo choice. Looks like he's taking a relay throw from the outfield.

 

The 1980s were an era when there were still a lot of "characters" in baseball. I didn't realize Hill was one of those characters, he was out-flaked by others at the time. He must have done more than just imitate manager Jim Fregosi to get this quote out of him:  “Why, he’s goofier than a bedbug. I know he’s from a planet, but I’m not sure it’s ours. Maybe our solar system. But definitely not our planet.”

 

Hill, like some bloggers we know, grew up a Dodgers fan in the 1970s. He did impressions of lots of Dodgers, like Don Sutton, Davey Lopes and Ron Cey. As the middle panel notes, he started throwing lefty at age 11. That was because he dislocated his right elbow in a little league game and was told he never would play again. Instead, he started imitating Dodgers pitcher Tommy John and threw left-handed to keep playing.

Cake or gum? 1977 Luis Tiant

Last time it was Topps with a 9-1 victory. Will it triumph again?

For the first time in a while we have two photos from the same shoot. Hostess has a headshot, and like the other cards in this set the coloring for the hat and collar seem a bit touched up. Topps has a longer shot with Tiant posing like he's about to throw a pitch.

Luis Tiant came up with Cleveland in 1964 and had some good seasons pitching for a bad team, topped off by 1968 when he went 21-9 with a league leading 1.68 ERA. He got hurt the next year, lost 20 games and his ERA went up by over two runs. The next two seasons were lost seasons for Tiant, but he rebounded in 1972, changing his delivery to an extremely unusual, deceptive motion, and won his second ERA title. Over the next several years he put together some more good seasons for the Red Sox, and beat the Reds twice in the 1975 World Series. He signed with the Yankees in 1979 and had a couple of OK seasons for them, but was no longer dominant. He retired in 1982 after brief stints in Pittsburgh and California. Overall in 573 games he went 229-172 with a 3.30 ERA and 2,416 strikeouts. He has gotten some HOF consideration in recent years but poor showings from ages 28-30 doom him from having strong enough peak or career numbers. After his career he was a minor league and college coach. He died in 2024.
 

Wallet card with some functional old signs

 Late post as I was in the city today. While there I took some wallet card photos. These three are kind of a similar theme; some out of date elements on functional signage.

These automatic sprinkler signs are everywhere, for use of the fire department. If you look closely at this one, however, you will see an address for the Rael Automatic Sprinkler Company, Whitestone 57 N.Y. Rael still exists (now on Long Island rather than Whitestone, Queens). This sign predates 1963 and the introduction of the zip code, with the old postal zone instead (57 in this case). This sign is on the wall of a 7-Eleven on East 28th Street.

Nearby, outside a service entrance on East 26th Street I noticed an Elevator Alarm Bell box with an old phone number, EXeter 2-6400. Just like addresses, phone numbers as we know them today were a 1960s innovation. This box is no later than 1960s, then. In 2017 I actually posted a similar one. That one said EX 2-6400 rather than EXeter 2-6400. A variation to collect!

Nearby I came across this sign. I'd seen similar ones on other NYC sites before (like Forgotten New York) but never sought it out for a wallet card photo. Still, it looks very cool, an old Art Deco style. Like the elevator box it was too high up to get a good photo and still get the wallet card in. It says "Elevator Apartments Available" with "Air Conditioning" barely visible on the bottom.

 

Wood vs. Wood #280

Last time it was 9-0 for 1987, basically a forfeit by '62. Will this be closer?

Johnny Podres doesn't want to smile for the photographer at Wrigley Field. Podres was an unheralded third-year starter for the Dodgers in 1955, who catapulted to fame by beating the Yankees twice in the World Series to give Brooklyn their only World Championship. He missed the next season due to military service but came back in '57 to start a string of seven straight seasons with double-digit victories. His 2.66 ERA led the NL in 1957, and he was an All Star three times. He ended his career with brief stints in Detroit and San Diego. Overall in 440 games he went 148-116 with a 3.68 ERA. After his playing career he was a pitching coach for several teams. He died in 2008.

Jeffrey Leonard is hatless, long past the time that was common on cards. Like Podres, Leonard was a solid player with one outstanding postseason performance. In 1987, Leonard hit a respectable .280 with19 HR and 63 RBI. However, in the NLCS against the Cardinals he exploded for a .417 average with 4 HR and 5 RBI. It wasn't enough to help SF overcome STL, but it did earn him NLCS MVP honors. He is still the last player to win a postseason MVP award from a losing team. In fourteen seasons with five teams Leonard, a two-time All-Star, hit .266 with 144 HR, 723 RBI and 163 SB. After his playing career he was a minor league and college coach. Leonard, known for his "one flap down" home run trot at a time when individualized celebrations were rare, now runs the One Flap Down Foundation which helps single mothers with breast cancer.