Belated Buddy

Way back in October, The Lost Collector made contact with MLB agent Joshua Kusnick.  No, TLC isn't thinking of making the jump to the Major Leagues (don't go chasin' that waterfall) - rather, the topic of conversation centered around the 1988 retrospective set of stars from yesteryear, known as Pacific Legends.  You see, Joshua has completed the popular, junk wax-era set and gotten the cards signed by everyone who was alive when the set was released.That's an incredibly impressive feat and I would bet my bottom dollar that having industry connections helps with such an endeavor.

Even still, that's not to say that this collecting milestone was easy - it did still take Mr. Kusnick 29 years to acquire all 171 signed cards, after all.  That's literally as long as I've been alive!

Anyway, TLC conducted an enlightening interview with the collecting agent for his blog (read it here) and shared it that November.  In addition to the Q&A, Josh and TLC also graciously offered up one of the former's duplicate signature cards in a comment raffle.  The specific card being dangled was a tantalizing mystery, so I decided to throw my hat into the ring for good measure.

Then, radio silence.

The Lost Collector ran into some logistical problems that kept him from being able to give the prize away until July.  This is completely understandable, life happens and free baseball cards for strangers on the internet are hardly the first priority.  In that time, I'd almost immediately forgotten about entering this contest because I have the memory of a goldfish with Alzheimer's.  So, imagine my surprise when I saw my name announced last month as the winner of TLC's long-awaited drawing!  Confusion mixed with giddiness makes for quite the strange cocktail. 

Of course,  this summer has been a particularly busy one for me, as well.  Work has been chaotic and the impending start of the school year only makes that worse.  As such, my blog post count has been way down and I have been sitting on my winnings since they arrived in the mail, wrapped in the nightmare-inducing, Sports Illustrated cover above, for several weeks now.  But, I feel like things are finally starting to calm down a little bit and it's about time I get around to showcasing The Lost Collector's graciousness.

So, in summation, that's an interview conducted in October with a prize announced in November that wasn't given away until July or written about until the very end of August, nearly September... nearly a full calendar year.  But, you know what they say, good things are worth the wait!

Anyway, it's actually pretty appropriate that the scary mug of Slammin' Sammy should come with the Pacific Legends prize, as the picture used for that card is also a tad unsettling:

While Pacific would later garner a reputation for gaudy, drug-inspired card designs in the mid-to-late 90's, they were much more laid back and simplistic in their early days, as evidenced by the stately layout you see above.  Additionally, they covered a wide swathe of baseball history in compiling the player checklist, stretching back beyond the days of color photography.  With that in mind, Pacific opted to used colorized black and white photographs throughout, in order to liven up the cards, perhaps foreshadowing the explosions of color to be found on their products a decade later.

Unfortunately, the colorization on many of these pieces make Topps' airbrushers look like Michelangelo.  It looks like somebody used Microsoft Paint to turn poor Buddy Lewis into a comic book character who fell into a vat of acid.  

via GIPHY

On the other hand, standing in stark contrast to the unsettling, inhuman image, we have a beautiful flowing, and most importantly, legible signature.  Penned in blue ink, it perfectly compliments the navy bunting which frames Buddy's unnaturally pasty complexion.  This autograph truly saves the card.

I should note that I don't mean to disparage Josh, TLC, or their generosity in my critiquing of this card.  It's a wonderful prize and I'm positively stoked to add it to my collection - however, I feel as though I have to address the oddly-colored elephant in the room.  Sorry if I am coming across as ungrateful!

On that note, speaking of TLC's generosity:

 

The legendary Yankee blogger was so kind as to enclose an unexpected bonus card as well.  What's better than bright, blue skies, a smiling Mr. Cub, an old school windbreaker, and a variation that I'd never otherwise get my hands on?  Numbered as #384 in the most recent editions of Topps Series 2, this beauty parallels another Cubs shortstop's base card, Addison Russell.  I'll take Ernie over Addy any day of the week, for a cornucopia of reasons!

Meanwhile, another pachyderm that I should probably address is the fact that I honestly had no idea who Buddy Lewis was before I won this card.  As a student our national pastime's history, I feel rather ashamed.  After spending only two seasons in the minor leagues, Lewis became the starting third baseman, at the age of 19, for the original incarnation of the Washington Senators in 1936.  He would go on to make the All-Star team in 1938 and twice earned MVP votes before going off to War in 1941, losing three prime years of his career.

He returned from duty as as a transport pilot in the Air Force to place another four years with the Sens, making another All-Star game in 1947.  Unfortunately a series of leg injuries hampered his effectiveness, cost him the entire 1948 season, and eventually caused him to walk away from the game at just 32 years of age.  Buddy is cited by Bill James as a player who likely lost their shot at the Hall of Fame due to their wartime service. 

 Lewis gets hit by a Yankee pitch  in 1949 (with a young Yogi Berra cameo).  Image courtesy of Getty Images.

After retiring from the game, Buddy shifted his focus to business, pursuing such interests as a bowling alley and a Ford dealership.  Plus, the former AL All-Star became area commissioner for the American Legion and spending his time as sponsor and coach of the Gastonia Post 23 team.  He was elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame before his eventual passing in 2011, having lived a full and exciting life, at the age of 94.  This left a 23 year window for Joshua Kusnick to acquire an IP Buddy Lewis John Hancock for his 1988 Pacific Legends autograph project.  I have to wonder, was it acquired in-person?  TTM?  Via trade?  The mind wanders...

What a fun (and laborious) project it would be to acquire a signature from every old-timey baseball player included in that set!  The stories associated, the research required, the connections across history... I love everything about this idea.  I truly am a tad envious of Mr. Kusnick and all of the hard work he put in to complete his daunting project.

Thanks to Josh for offering up this extra for raffle, to The Lost Collector for selflessly giving it away and hosting the contest.  It may have taken a while for all of us to wrap up this saga, but, in my eyes, this prize was truly worth the wait!...

...even if Buddy and Sammy's faces will now haunt my every dream.