Baseball Card Show Report - Valley Forge

1974 Johnny Pro Phillies #24

I made good on one of my campaign promises from way back in February, and on Sunday Doug and I attended the baseball card show (the "Philly Show") held at the Valley Forge Resort and Casino.  It was Doug's first proper baseball card show and he was a little overwhelmed once he saw the size of the convention room floor and the number of dealers selling their wares.

Having my five-year-old son in tow was great for a few reasons.  First and foremost, I loved showing Doug the ropes of a proper baseball card show - from preparing my lists the night before, to making sure I had a good "crossing out" pen ready to go, to coming up with a navigation plan once we hit the convention floor.  A secondary benefit was that I had to be focused in my pursuit.  Doug is a patient kid, but he's not patient enough to stand by and watch me wade through an 800-count box of marked down Phillies cards for an hour.  My collecting goals for the show were to cross some cards off my 1971 Topps list and to track down some cool, old Phillies cards.

We immediately found a bargain bin of 1971 Topps high numbers, and he helped me find several cards from my list.  In total, I picked up nine stars and high numbers needed for my slowly progressing 1971 Topps set.  The cards are in decent shape, and I paid $20 for the lot.  I was very pleased with the price given that the Yaz card alone could have set me back that much.  Here's what I crossed off my list (with Doug's help):

#26 Bert Blyleven, #530 Carl Yastrzemski, #647 Juan Pizarro, #667 Pete Ward, #675 Dave Boswell, #679 Don O'Riley, #689 Frank Baker, #710 Sonny Siebert and #729 Dick Billings

After that, the goal was to look for "old" or "weird" Phillies cards and I think we did pretty well in our quest:

The Valley Forge Haul

1949 MP and Co. R302-2 #109 Del Ennis
1961 Topps Stamps Frank Herrera
1962 Topps Baseball Bucks Roy Sievers
1964 Topps Coins #113 and #144 Tony Taylor
1964 Topps Giants #36 Johnny Callison
1971 Topps Coins #31 Don Money, #55 Tony Taylor, #79 Deron Johnson and #107 Tim McCarver
1974 Johnny Pro Phillies #24 Bill Robinson
1983 Phillies Postcards Great Moments and Great Players - 28-card set and binder
1983 Star Mike Schmidt - 15-card set
2012 Phillies Fan Appreciation Day Postcards - 9-card set

I'll need to do an upcoming post on the Ennis card, as it's clearly not Ennis featured on the front of the card.  It's actually Giants great Carl Hubbell, and the set's manufacturers simply recycled photos from its 1943 set for its 1949 issue.  And I'm thrilled to finally have the complete Phillies Postcard sets from 1983 in my collection.  The binder was an added bonus.

Several dealers were very impressed with how patient Doug waited by my side as I thumbed through boxes of Phillies cards for sale.  He's truly a good kid, and I was very happy when I found a dealer selling Lego Star Wars mini-figures.  Doug came away with Jango Fett and Mace Windu figures.  He also scored a few packs of Star Wars cards for his fledgling collection.  And special thanks goes to the dealer who threw in the free Luke Skywalker card for Doug's collection from the original 1977 Topps Star Wars set.

After two hours, including a snack break, we decided the show was a success and we should head out for lunch.  (On the way out, we bumped into former Phillies and Pirates pitcher Grant Jackson on his way in for his signing session.)  Overall, it was a great show and a nice introduction for Doug into the wonderful world of collecting.  He's already asked if we can go to the next show scheduled for early December and I told him he wouldn't need to twist my arm.

2012 Grandstand Reading Phillies #27 Darin Ruf

Nationals 4, Phillies 2
Game 161 - Tuesday Night, October 2nd in Washington
Record - 81-80, 3rd Place, 16 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't muster much offense against the N.L. East Champion Nationals, dropping the penultimate game of the season, 4-2.

What It Means:  The Phils will have one more chance tomorrow afternoon to end this disappointing season with a winning record.

What Went Wrong:  B.J. Rosenberg got the start and pitched a decent four innings, allowing a run on three hits.  Two of the most frustrating relievers this season - Josh Lindblom and Antonio Bastardo - allowed three Nationals runs in their combined two innings of work.

Ruf accounted for all the offense, hitting two solo home runs.  In his eight starts, Ruf is now hitting .407 (11 for 27) with three home runs and eight RBIs.

Featured Card:  It's turning into Ruf Appreciation Week in The Phillies Room.  To date, Ruf has appeared on only two 2012 baseball cards* and both were in Reading Phillies team sets.  (I'm not counting his Chachi card in the tally, which exists only virtually within the confines of this blog.)  The club's Double-A affiliate released two sets during the season.  The first set came out earlier this year and was produced by Multi-Ad.  The second set came out recently and was produced by Grandstand.  This is Ruf's card from the latter and I featured his card from the Multi-Ad set here.  Unfortunately, both sets chose to use the same photo.

*Ruf was also featured in the 2012 Eastern League All-Star set.

2010 Topps Pro Debut #404 Darin Ruf

Phillies 2, Nationals 0
Game 160 - Monday Night, October 1st in Washington
Record - 81-79, 3rd Place, 15 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Darin Ruf and Kyle Kendrick spoiled the Nationals' ability to celebrate their division title on the field as the Phillies won, 2-0.

What It Means:  The Phillies clinched their division titles in 2007, 2008 and 2010 in games against the Nationals, but they didn't allow the Nationals to return the favor this year.  I guess that's small consolation for the Phils.  The Pirates defeated the Braves about ten minutes prior to the end of this game, meaning the Nationals were forced into a subdued, in-dugout celebration of their division pennant.  Sit on it, Jayson Werth.

What Went Right:  Kendrick has been frustratingly inconsistent this year, but when he's been on, he's been very, very good.  He pitched seven shutout innings and allowed just four hits in his final start of the year.  The promising bullpen trio of Justin De Fratus, Jeremy Horst and Phillippe Aumont pitched the final three frames, preserving the shutout.  Ruf hit a two-run triple in the second providing the only runs of the game.

Featured Card:  I don't want to take anything away from Kendrick's performance, but if not for Ruf's hit, we would have been forced to watch Werth and Bryce Harper jumping up and down on the field in celebration.  I would hope to see more of Ruf in a Phillies uniform in 2013 - both on the field and on cardboard.

Phillies at Nationals: October 1st to October 3rd

Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.
Monday and Tuesday 7:05, Wednesday 1:05

Phillies 80-79, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 16 games behind the Nationals
Nationals 96-63, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 3 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables:  Kyle Kendrick (10-12, 4.08), B.J. Rosenberg (1-2, 6.86), Cliff Lee (6-8, 3.12)
Nationals Probables:  Chien-Ming Wang (2-3, 6.60), Gio Gonzalez (21-8, 2.89), Edwin Jackson (9-11, 4.13)

At the Ballpark:  The Nationals are paying tribute to their Teddy Roosevelt mascot with three separate give-aways.  Tonight, fans will receive Teddy Eye Black, and on Tuesday they'll receive a Teddy Bumper Sticker.  Finally, fans will receive a Teddy Lapel Pin on Wednesday afternoon.  Note that all three giveaways are limited to the first 20,000 fans.  (If the Nationals are able to draw that many.)

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .250

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 102

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 23

RBIs:  Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz - 68

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 37

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 17

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.05

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 216

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 38

1979 Topps #673 and #628

1979 Topps Flashback:  Del Unser and Tommy Hutton, both players with Expos and Phillies connections, are the final two 1979 Topps cards featured this year in this, the last series preview post.  For a full list of what I believe are all the 1979 Topps cards with Phillies connections, please see here.

Hutton was a left-handed back-up first baseman/corner outfielder for the Phillies between 1972 and 1977.  As his Baseball Reference Bullpen page points out, Hutton had a knack of delivering against Tom Seaver throughout his career, hitting .320 off Seaver in 62 plate appearances with three home runs.

Unser and Hutton were teammates with the Phillies in 1973 and 1974 during Unser's first stint with the Phillies.  Unser came back to the Phils in 1979 following three seasons with the Expos.  I've featured Unser's cards and written about the highlights of his Phillies career here and here.

2012 Topps Allen & Ginter's #179 Cole Hamels

Phillies 4, Marlins 1
Game 159 - Sunday Afternoon, September 30th in Miami
Record - 80-79, 3rd Place, 16 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels wrapped up his season on a high note with his 17th win, as the Phillies defeated the Marlins, 4-1.

What It Means:  The Phillies have three games remaining with the Nationals and then the 2012 season is over.  One more Nationals win or one more Braves loss, and the Nationals will have officially clinched the National League East.  At this point, I'm hoping for a Phillies sweep just so the Nationals don't get to celebrate out on the field.

What Went Right:  Hamels pitched seven solid innings, allowing just a run on five hits.  Carlos Ruiz and Nate Schierholtz both enjoyed multi-hit games for the Phils.

Featured Card:  Hamels didn't get featured on too many inserts this year, playing third fiddle to Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the insert tally.  That's bound to change given Hamels' success this year, coupled with the off years from both Halladay and Lee.  This is Hamels' base card from this past year's Allen & Ginter's set.

2011 Topps Lineage Giants #TG6 Roy Halladay

Phillies 9, Marlins 5
Game 158 - Saturday Night, September 29th in Miami
Record - 79-79, 3rd Place, 17 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Roy Halladay wrapped up a disappointing 2012 campaign with a win against the Marlins.

What It Means:  The Phillies are back at .500 and with four games remaining, they need to go 3-1 to finish with a winning record.

What Went Right:  Halladay allowed four runs on six hits in his five innings of work while striking out seven.  Jimmy Rollins went 3 for 4 and scored his 100th run of the season, making it the sixth time in his career he had crossed the century mark in runs.

Featured Card:  Doc finished the season with an 11-8 mark, and he heads into the offseason prepared to work on turning things around in 2013.  This is one of my favorite Halladay cards from 2011 - a card modelled off the 1964 Topps Giants set.  I thought the card would be appropriate for this post as Halladay rode into the sunset for the winter.

1995-1999 Phillies Want List

1998 Sports Illustrated #109

1995 Fleer/ProCards Clearwater Phillies - 30-card set
1995 Fleer/ProCards Piedmont Phillies - 30-card set
1995 Batavia Clippers Team Issue - 33-card set
1995 Martinsville Phillies Team Issue - 30-card set

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1996 Pinnacle All-Star FanFest - 31 Carlton

1996 Best Piedmont Boll Weevils - 30-card set
1996 Batavia Clippers Team Issue - 34-card set

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1997 Bowman Certified Blue Ink Autographs - CA70 Rolen
1997 SP SPx Force - 10 Rolen
1997 Upper Deck Blue Chip Prospects - BC3 Rolen

1997 Batavia Clippers Team Issue - 32-card set

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1998 Donruss Collections - Preferred - 638 Schilling
1998 Donruss Signature - Autographs - Rolen, Schilling
1998 Finest - The Man - TM17 Rolen, Mystery Finest - M3 Rolen, M5 Rolen, M6 Rolen, M32 Rolen
1998 Pacific Invincible - Moments in Time - 14 Rolen
1998 SP Authentic - Chirography - SR Rolen
1998 UD3 - 268 Schilling
1998 Upper Deck Retro - Quantum Leap - Q18 Rolen

1998 Clearwater Phillies Team Issue
1998 Clearwater Phillies Team Issue Update - 30-card set
1998 Batavia Clippers Team Issue - 35-card set

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1999 Finest - Future's Finest - FF1 Burrell
1999 Flair - Wave of the Future - 14 Burrell
1999 SkyBox Premium - Autographics - 8 Burrell, 44 Rolen, 47 Schilling
1999 SP Top Prospects - Destination the Show - D22 Burrell
1999 Stadium League Phillies Finest - 1 Rolen, 2 Abreu, 3 Brogna, 4 Gant, 5 Glanville, 6 Lieberthal, 7 Relaford, 8 Schilling, 9 Phillie Phanatic
1999 Topps Gallery - Exhibitions - E18 Rolen
1999 UD Ionix - 82 Rolen, Cyber - C13 Rolen, Warp Zone - WZ13 Rolen
1999 Upper Deck Challengers for 70 - Longball Legends - L24 Rolen
1999 Upper Deck Encore - UD Authentics - PB Burrell
1999 Upper Deck MVP - 500 Club Piece of History - 548HR Schmidt
1999 Upper Deck Retro - Old School/New School - S25 Rolen

1990-1994 Phillies Want List / 2000 Phillies Want List

2007 Chachi #54 Phillies Sweep Mets HL

Marlins 2, Phillies 1
Game 157 - Friday Night, September 28th in Miami
Record - 78-79, 3rd Place, 17 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Marlins walked off with the win when Carlos Lee singled off Josh Lindblom in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Fish a 2-1 win.

What It Means:  It was inevitable, but the loss means the Phillies have been officially eliminated from the postseason for the first time since 2006.

What Went Wrong:  Mark Buehrle held the offense in check over eight innings and the Phils failed to bring runners in scoring position home in both the eighth and ninth innings.  Cliff Lee had another solid outing, allowing only a run in seven innings while throwing only 86 pitches.

Featured Card:  The team's Golden Era began during the 2007 season and I'd argue it came to a close when Ryan Howard tore his achilles' tendon making the final out of 2011 N.L.D.S. Game 5.  It was a wonderful, magical and unforgettable run and I'm glad I made sure to savor and appreciate it while we were in the midst of the best stretch of Phillies baseball in the franchise's history.

This card highlights the defining moment of the 2007 season, when the Phillies took advantage of the Mets' complete and total collapse to win their first of five division titles.  In late August, the Phils completed a four-game sweep of the first place Mets, drawing them to within two games of the top spot in the East.  I'll never forget the entire team streaming out of the dugout to celebrate when Chase Utley knocked in Tadahito Iguchi with the winning run in the fourth game.  The team had so much ahead of them then - a World Championship in 2008, a return trip to the World Series in 2009 and a record-setting 102-win season in 2011.

The 2012 season is all but over, but I'd like to think (and hope) that the team has so much more ahead of them.  Come April 2013, it will be time to start another Golden Era.

Phillies at Marlins: September 28th to September 30th

Marlins Park - Miami, FL
Friday and Saturday 7:10, Sunday 1:10

Phillies 78-78, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 17 games behind the Nationals
Marlins 66-90, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 29 games behind the Nationals

Phillies Probables:  Cliff Lee (6-8, 3.18), Roy Halladay (10-8, 4.40), Cole Hamels (16-6, 3.11)
Marlins Probables:  Mark Buehrle (13-13, 3.84), Ricky Nolasco (12-12, 4.35), Nathan Eovaldi (4-12, 4.29)

At the Ballpark:  In probably one of the lamest give-aways I've chronicled all season, the Marlins are giving away a "Marlins Kids Ice Cream Helmet Bowl" to the first 5,000 kids.  I translate this to mean that they have a surplus (roughly 5,000) of those cool helmets in which teams serve ice cream, and they're trying to unload them before the end of the season.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .248

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 98

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 23

RBIs:  Jimmy Rollins - 67

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 35

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 16

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.11

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 208

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 37

2006 Topps Phillies Fan Appreciation Day #20 Chase Utley

Nationals 7, Phillies 3
Game 156 - Thursday Night, September 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 78-78, 3rd Place, 17 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies dropped their last home game of the year as the offense (except Darin Ruf) just couldn't get going against Gio Gonzalez and the Nationals.

What It Means:  The Phillies are back at .500 with six games to play.  If you do the math here, they need to go 4-2 over the final six games to finish the season with a winning record.  They closed out the home portion of their 2012 schedule with a 40-41 record, becoming the first Phillies team since 2000 and the first Phillies team ever at Citizens Bank Park, to finish with a losing home record.

The next Phillies loss or Cardinals win will officially eliminate the team from postseason play for the first time since 2006.

What Went Wrong:  Tyler Cloyd's audition for 2013 isn't going so well.  Cloyd allowed six runs on six hits in his five innings of work.  He was victimized by three home runs and his ERA is now a lofty 4.91.

Ruf had a bases-clearing, three-run double in the first and Kevin Frandsen added two hits to raise his average to .335.  Everyone not named Ruf or Frandsen went a combined 3 for 26 at the plate.

2006 Topps Phillies Fan
Appreciation Day #5

Featured Cards:  The Phillies gave away a 9-card season highlight postcard set at last night's game and I'm hoping to track down a set for my collection shortly.

Back in 2006, the Phillies partnered with Topps to produce a special 27-card Fan Appreciation Day giveaway set, which featured several cards of players not found within any of Topps' other releases from the year.  I wish Phillies and Topps would do this again.  I'm sure it's cheaper for the team to produce 50,000 9-card postcard sets, but I love the idea of having a Phillies/Topps complete team set available only as a stadium give-away.

I know there's only a handful of us out there pining away for the first Phillies cards of Frandsen and Nate Schierholtz, so maybe there's just not that great a demand for a full Phillies/Topps SGA set.  If and when I'm ever running the Phillies, I'll be sure to bring back this set as one of my first orders of business.

1976 Topps #247 Terry Harmon

Nationals 8, Phillies 4
Game 155 - Wednesday Night, September 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 78-77, 3rd Place, 16 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The offense and the bullpen tried to keep the Phils in this game, but Kyle Kendrick's rough start was too much to overcome.

What It Means:  There are just seven more opportunities to catch the 2012 Phillies.  That's probably a good thing.

What Went Wrong:  Kendrick was knocked out in the third after allowing five runs on five hits, including three home runs.

B.J. Rosenberg's performance was probably the highlight for the Phillies, as he pitched three scoreless innings of relief and added an RBI-single.  Jimmy Rollins hit his 23rd home run of the season.

Featured Card:  There's nothing quite like receiving a package in the mail of unsolicited, unexpected baseball cards.  Jim, known as mrhaverkamp on The Bench and around the baseball card blogosphere, e-mailed me last week that he had a group of 46 cards for me from my '70s want lists.  The cards arrived a few days ago, and I'm happy to report I'm now much closer to my goal of having a full run of Topps Phillies cards from 1970-1979.  These cards look great all together in one groovy '70s binder.  Thanks again Jim!

2012 Chachi #57 Darin Ruf

Phillies 6, Nationals 3
Game 154 - Tuesday Night, September 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 78-76, 3rd Place, 15 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Darin Ruf hit a home run in his first Major League start as the Phillies defeated the Nationals, 6-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies did their part to postpone the Nationals' inevitable pennant clinching celebration.

What Went Right:  Ruf started the scoring with his solo home run in the second.  The Phils added four more runs in the third on Ryan Howard's RBI-single and a three-run home run from Carlos Ruiz.  Chooch is padding his career highs in home runs and RBIs as he now sits with 16 home runs and 65 RBIs in his career year.

Cole Hamels had a short outing, but he still earned his 16th win of the season.  A quartet of Phillies relievers held the Nationals scoreless before closer Jonathan Papelbon locked down the win and his 37th save.

Featured Card:  Ruf gets his well-deserved Chachi card, most likely becoming the final player featured in the 2012 Chachi set.  With his shot last night, Ruf has now hit 39 total home runs on the season - his first 38 coming in his record-setting year with Double-A Reading.  Here's the back of his card:

#18

Darin Cortland Ruf

Outfield-First Base

Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 6'3"  Weight: 220

Born: July 28, 1986, Omaha, NE

Home: Omaha, NE

Drafted: Selected by Phillies in 20th round of June 2009 draft

Teams: Phillies 2012

Acquired: Via draft

Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

Nationals at Phillies: September 25th to September 27th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:05

Nationals 93-60, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 5 games ahead of the Braves
Phillies 77-76, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 16 games behind the Nationals

Nationals Probables:  John Lannan (3-0, 4.43), Ross Detwiler (10-6, 3.10), Edwin Jackson (9-10, 3.77)
Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (15-6, 3.05), Kyle Kendrick (10-11, 3.89), Tyler Cloyd (2-1, 3.86)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is the Goya Latino Family Celebration and Thursday night is the annual Fan Appreciation Night.  All fans will receive a postcard pack of the team's highlights from the 2012 season.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .250

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 97

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 22

RBIs:  Jimmy Rollins - 66

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 35

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 15

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.05

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 202

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 36

1979 Topps #269, #124, #468 and #581

1979 Topps Flashback:  There are only three more series left in the 2012 season, and only six more cards to feature in the flashback portion of my series preview posts.  Unfortunately, they're all Expos cards.  Today's quartet features four former pitchers with long careers and ties to both Phillies and Expos organizations.

Woodie Fryman pitched in parts of 18 seasons in the Majors, spending the bulk of his career with the Phillies (1968-1972) and Expos (1975-1976, 1978-1983).  The Phillies originally acquired him from the Pirates in December 1967 as part of the deal that sent Jim Bunning to Pittsburgh.

Dan Schatzeder had two separate stints with the Expos (1977-1979, 1982-1986) and one stint with the Phils (1986-1987).  Although he was a decent pitcher with the Phils (6-4, 3.76 ERA in 51 games), I remember him more as an occasional pinch-hitter.  Schatzeder was a career .240 hitter, although he went just 3 for 17 (.176) in his two years with the Phils.

Stan Bahnsen wrapped up his 16-year career with 8 games with the 1982 Phillies.  Once I get around to continuing my Missing Links series, Bahnsen will be one of the featured players as he has no Phillies baseball cards to his name.

Darold Knowles relieved in 69 games for the 1966 Phillies, going 6-5 with a 3.05 ERA.  Following his playing career, he served as the Phillies pitching coach in 1989 and 1990 under manager Nick Leyva.  He was let go after the 1990 season and replaced by Johnny Podres.