Newt Randall

Recently got a PSA 3.5 of Newt Randall.

The card shows Randall as a member of Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Brewers of the time were a minor league team with the American Association. Randall briefly played in the Major Leagues in 1907 with both the Cubs and the Boston Doves at the age of 27. He was purchased by Milwaukee (American Association) on January 29,1908, just missing out on the Cub's world series championships in 1907 and 1908. How sad.

Randall was involved in what was called “The Fastest Trade on Record.

Before a game between the Cubs and the Boston Doves in Chicago on June 20, Randall’s name was written on the scorecard as the starting left fielder for the Cubs, and Boston’s Del Howard was slated to play right for the Doves. Before the game began, the two managers talked and Randall, along with teammate Bill Sweeney, was traded to Boston for Howard. Randall and Howard literally exchanged uniforms and took their respective places in the outfield for their new teams.

Newt played in the Minor Leagues into his 40's, winning several championships with Milwaukee.

His family was originally from Canada, but moved to Duluth, MN. This is also where Newt died at age 75 and is buried.

I found a golden snippet of Newt's baseball life:

While in Denver, Randall showed the first sign of his combative nature on the ballfield. In a game in 1906, after a dispute over a call, he grabbed and held umpire Schuster while a teammate named Perrine punched the ump in the face. That night both Randall and Perrine were arrested and fined $10 in police court and both were subsequently suspended for three days by the league president. Schuster didn't fine either man for assaulting him because Randall threatened that if he were fined, he would send Schuster to the hospital, and Perrine said “I think he would have done it too.”

I love it!  Here's another great anecdote:

The ballpark in Columbus, Ohio, had an advertising sign on the outfield fence for a local insurance company offering a $1,000 life insurance policy to any player who hit a home run over the sign. Randall was never known as a home-run hitter (his season high was six) but when the Brewers came to Columbus in June 1910, he hit two homers over the sign, collecting two policies, worth $2,000.

 Kind of cool to get a card from one of the fan favorites of the early Milwaukee Brewers.

Red Ames Hands Over Head

I have finally made another T-206 purchase on eBay.

After watching prices for over a month, let it be noted that the lowest priced PSA 3 card sold in the last month and a half was bought by me. And, now, the lowest priced PSA 2 card is also mine!

OK, probably I just bought the crappiest, most commonest T-206 cards ever and even though I think I'm awesome, I'm no doubt a huge moron, but alas, I feel special.

Red Ames was a pitcher and his claim to fame (here perhaps is proof of my moronicness) is that he is tied for the Major League record of most wild pitches in a career (156)! Awesome! Which also begs the question: Why is he called Red "Ames" then, when obviously he doesn't?

He once pitched a ten inning no-hitter before losing 3-0 in 13 innings! They don't make em like that any more. He "finished his career with a 183-167 record adding 1,702 strikeouts, 209 complete games, 27 shutouts and a lifetime 2.63 earned run average."

 "Red Ames' curveball was one of the Deadball Era's most dramatic pitches. "Ames is without question almost the hardest pitcher to catch of the professionals," wrote The Sporting Life in 1906. "Players say no man who holds a place in the pitcher's box is able to curve the ball so far as he can. It is a fact that he doesn't always know himself where his curves are going to land."

"Ames carried a reputation for being "very liberal with passes," often ranking among the league leaders in walks per nine innings, and in 1905 he set a dubious modern record by uncorking 30 wild pitches."

Red, officially named Leon, "damaged his lungs when he accidentally inhaled ammonia fumes emanating from a defective drum. After a lingering illness, Red died on October 8, 1936, at the age of 54."

He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Warren, OH

Baseball Notes

The Grand Canyon kept me occupied the last two weeks, but I'm back now. Here are some notes on the baseball front.

1) T206 Cards
I have been tracking the sales of T206 Polar Bear cards on eBay still. PSA 3 commons sell at an average price of $44.80. PSA 2 cards sell for an average of $29.85. PSA 1's go for around $20.68. My goal is to buy below the average, which is why I've only bought one card so far.

2) MLB Season
Major League Baseball started while I was gone. I am a Brewer fan and enjoyed the Brewers sweeping the Red Sox. Don't mind seeing Boston get beat.

Ryan Braun is the big news of the Brewers this season. He got a standing ovation opening day in Milwaukee. I don't know, the guy is creepy. Guess I can't really like the guy, but he did his time. Hope he keeps himself clean. I will always remember the day my nine-year old son found out Braun was a cheater. Many tears were shed. Not cool, Braun, not cool.

3) Little League
We are in the process of getting The Boy signed up for his third year of Little League baseball. There is still a foot of snow on the ground here, so we are still a distance from any baseball playing. Will be nice to spend time at the diamond again.