Recently, I’ve been reading Scott Ferkovich’s Motor City Champs: Mickey Cochrane and the 1934-1935 Detroit Tigers. It’s an interesting read, by the way. As you might expect, there’s a great deal written about Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer. Knowledgable baseball fans know Gehringer, but because of his quiet demeanor, he always…
by Scott Fennessy For those of you who don’t do replays of the dead ball era, (and the return to running in the 80’s) then you really in my opinion missed a truly interesting period of baseball. Those days there were power hitters, although not by today’s standards, but there…
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I have picked up my 1966 NL replay after a hiatus. I have really kept pace since then and playing at least one game a day. As I write this, there are five games left before the All-Star break. I will eventually do…
Rich Zawadzki suggested this amazing card. While Jacob deGrom’s 2021 card was based on a slightly limited season, APBA didn’t penalize him. deGrom went 7-2 with a miniscule 1.08 ERA. He walked 11 batters and struck out 146 in 92 innings for the Mets. Worth noting, he did not have…
Scott Fennessy asked if this card would be considered a Monster Card. Given the numbers the current pros are putting up, I would say yes. Scott is currently replaying the 1907 season. The stats behind the card I had to plead ignorance about Ed Killian and had to look him…
Rodney Woodward sends in a perfect card for Monster Card Monday. Literally. It’s Devin Williams’ card from 2020. For the Brewers, Williams allowed one run in 27 innings. He walked nine and struck out 53 batters. Interestingly, that one run in the second game of the shortened season led to…
Recently, I watched a re-airing of the 1971 All-Star Game from Tiger Stadium in Detroit Michigan. Personally, I think it’s the most fascinating All-Star Game ever played. If you recall, 26 future Hall of Famers participated in that contest: 21 players, both managers, National League coach Walt Alston, Hall of…
After three years and four months, I finally finished my 1968 Detroit Tigers single-team replay. Coincidentally, I finished the regular season as I heard of Al Kaline’s passing. As is the case with anyone doing an APBA replay, time is your most important commodity. Life has a habit of getting…
With a 0.78 ERA, there was no doubt Oakland All-Star reliever Blake M. Treinen was going to have an ‘A&something’ card. While he is no Ed Walsh, Blake Treinen (9-2, 38 saves) still received a Master Game grade of 26 which translates to a deserved Basic Game grade of A&B*.…
Perry Costello, one of the NCAA’s best umpires, says an umpire needs, “the courage and confidence” to make the difficult calls and do the right things when managing a baseball game. When the crowd is buzzing, the tension is palpable, and every play matters, an umpire’s focus, courage, and confidence…