1940 World Series Ticket

Last year I completed my master set of 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen. While I was happy with the design of the cards, for some reason I just had this nagging feeling that it didn't belong in my collection. The old school ballplayers were great, but the more I thought about the set the more I started feeling as though those cards were always second class compared to a card from the year that player graced the field. So, I got rid of the set and decided to pick up a few things that I had my eye on for quite some time but never had the funds to grab them. The first is what you see above, a ticket from the 1940 World Series. This is my fourth World Series ticket (1975, 1976, and 1990 being the others) in my collection. The Reds won this series in seven games over the Detroit Tigers. This will probably be the last ticket I have in my collection until the Reds win another title. I've decided not to chase tickets to series where they were the bridesmaid for that season. I know that I could still go after a ticket from the 1919 World Series, but $2,000 seems a little steep for me at this point in my lift. I will accept donations though from anyone out there that has one lying around that they no longer need.

GET OVER HERE!

It's always nice to finish a set. Today I was finally able to knock off my 1958 Topps Reds team set from my 2012 Card Collecting Goals list. The last card I needed from the set was the Frank Robinson All-Star card which I was able to pick up in excellent condition on eBay. With three months to go in 2012 it's becoming more likely that I won't be able to complete all my goals, especially since I was sidetracked earlier this year with picking up some World Series tickets from the 1975, 76 and 90 series for a steal. Here's hoping that I'll have to get a 2012 World Series ticket in the next few weeks!

Marty Brennaman Autographed Baseball

Marty has been the Reds radio announcer for the team since 1974. For thirty years he called play-by-play with former Reds pitcher Joe Nuxhall until Nuxhall's retirement from broadcasting in 2004. Some of the most notable events in Reds history that Brennaman has called include: the Reds World Series victories in 1975, 1976 and 1990, Pete Rose's 4192nd hit, Tom Browning's perfect game, and Ken Griffey Jr. 600th career home run. Marty was the recipient of the Ford C. Frick award in 2000 for major contributions to the game of baseball. 

1976 World Series Ticket

The way I'm going, I don't think I'll complete my 2012 Card Collection goals, but that's ok. I recently picked up this World Series ticket to add to my Cincinnati Reds collection. Cincinnati swept New York in four games during the 1976 series finally bringing an end to all the heartbreaking losses to the Yankees in the 1939 series and 1961 series. I already had a ticket from the 1990 series and the 1975 series so that leaves me with only the 1940 and 1919 series tickets. 1976 was the last year of the Big Red Machine's appearance in the World Series before the machine was slowly dismantled in the late 70s and early 80s. Even though the Reds were able to acquire Tom Seaver, the losses of Rose and Perez as well as the ouster of Sparky lead to a post season drought that lasted fourteen seasons. Although I was born in 1975 and never watched the Big Red Machine play, the legacy of that team adds to the aura of baseball's first professional team and makes me proud to be a Reds fan. Now maybe I can get back to finishing some of my Reds team sets!

George Foster Autographed Bat

Here's another bat that's a part of my Reds autograph collection. This fine, but broken, specimen (if that's even possible) of a bat is a Louisville Slugger model that Foster autographed with the inscription of his 1977 National League MVP award. Foster was still with Cincinnati at the time and his numbers were very impressive that year. 124 Runs, 52 Home Runs, 149 RBIs and a 1.013 OPS. A five time all-star with the Reds, he was an integral part of Cincinnati's back-to-back World Championships in 1975 and 1976.