Blog: August 16-August 22, 2010

August 16, 2010. OK, this is a rare off-day post, but I have an opportunity for Birdbats' loyal readers I want to share. On Thursday evening (8/19), the Buddy Fund will host a fund-raiser at the Busch Stadium Champions Club. Details are here. Some of the free autograph guests will include Jack Clark, Kerry Robinson and Jim Hanifan. There also will be stadium tours. Tickets are $40 each, but I have 20 tickets to give away (which include parking passes) -- first come, first served, limit 4 tickets per person. Interested? Contact me at birdbats@charter.net.

August 17, 2010. Two things you should know if you're considering bidding on this 1976 cap. First, gray under bills were pretty rare on the '76 pillbox caps. To date, I've found just one photo, of pitcher Tom Walker, that shows a gray under bill. In most shots, you'll find green under bills (plenty of great shots in this Picture Pak, if you have one). Second, and more noteworthy, the logo on those pillbox caps almost always touches the top and bottom rings going around the cap. The logos I see in photos also look bolder and the bottom stroke of the "S" looks different, too. Compare and decide... The price might be stupid high, but I think this '88 Willie McGee jersey could be the real deal. Read more here.

August 18, 2010. Felipe Lopez set aside his Old Hickory to use a black Marucci bat today... Stopped in the Authentics Store today to examine the bats, and found some interesting variety. For example, there were Schumaker bats from Marucci, X-Bat and Rawlings; there were Rasmus bats from H&B and Old Hickory; there was a Lopez Marucci with a Gwynn finish; and there was an unfinished LS ash with Allen Craig's name on it (Craig uses A-Bats). Also saw Miles bats from his days in Oakland and with the Cubs, and a Winn bat from the Yankees... My buddy who collects nickname bats grabbed a Steven "T-Bone" Hill D-Bat. It was not the bat Hill used to his a home run in his MLB debut.

August 20, 2010. Pedro Feliz made his Cardinals debut wearing #77. He's the third Redbird to wear that number and the first player since Jimmy Journell, who wore #77 for 12 games total in 2003 and 2005. Memphis manager Chris Maloney also wore #77 in late 2007 when he unofficially joined the coaching staff after the AAA season ended... Feliz's bat is right at home in the St. Louis dugout. Like many of his new teammates, he uses a Marucci. The one he swung tonight had a natural finish.

August 21, 2010. I've decided to sell my Joe Mather Civil Right's Game TBC jersey; asking $400 shipped. Didn't intend to move it so quickly, but I hadn't planned on buying a '91 Ozzie Smith shirt and draining my mad money account. I'll also include an 8 x 10 I took of Mather batting in the game. As you may recall, Joe had a pinch-hit ninth-inning double, but was denied an RBI when Skip Schumaker was thrown out at the plate to end the game. The jersey has a MLB hologram and an LOA from Steiner Sports. If you're interested, let me know... I know I've mentioned this before, but if you're not checking out Scott Rovak's website after every game, you're missing some of the best photos available of the Redbirds in action.

August 22, 2010. Pedro Feliz switched to a black Marucci today... Do you think the Cardinals have too many retired numbers or not enough? The shelving of Whitey Herzog's #24 got me thinking about whether the correct numbers are retired and, in the broader picture, about how the Cardinals honor their legends. I think there's room for improvement, and offer some of my thoughts and ideas here.