R.I.P. Dolores O'Riordan

This morning while listening the radio there was a break and the DJ announced that Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer of the Cranberries, died suddenly and unexpectedly this morning in London. She was 46 years old and no cause has been announced.

I am absolutely stunned, and this really brought me down. The 1990s were very turbulent for me and one of the few stabilities that I had was music and the Cranberries were part of that stability for me.

R.I.P. George "The Animal' Steele

It was reported that George “The Animal” Steele passed away this morning, he was 79 years old. No cause of death has been announced.

As a kid, I remember sitting on Sunday mornings watching WWE and The Animal was one of my favorites, along with the Junk Yard Dog. His persona in the ring was odd because like his nickname suggests, he acted like an uncontrollable animal, tearing apart ring buckles but always stopping to fawn over Miss Elizabeth which would always give Mach Man the time to attack. But the man behind The Animal was someone different. George Steele, real name Jim Myers, was a highly intelligent man, which you probably would not ever figure if you saw his wrestling persona. He had a Master’s Degree in Science from Michigan State University, he was a high school teacher and he coached both football and wrestling while he was a teacher and even in to his 70s he was a motivational speaker.

When I picked up this autograph in 2014 I had decided that I wanted to eventually pick up one of his Leaf Originals autographs, which I have not done, because the image Leaf used on this card is not the best. It is pixelated and the design is just funky, but I am happy to have an Animal autograph in my wrestling collection.

The Blogging Community Loses One Of Our Own

Yesterday the hobby and blogsphere lost a major fixture of the modern collecting world with the passing of Bob Lemke, he was 65-years old. There has been no cause of death announced only that he was in the hospital near his home in Pennsylvania.

 

Bob worked at Krause Publications in the 1970s in the company’s coin collecting magazine when he talked the company owner, Chet Krause, in to get involved with creating a sports card pricing guide. In 1980, with Bob as the editor, Krause Publication began printing Baseball Cards Magazine. This was 4 years before Beckett Media was even formed. The following year Krause bought Sports Collectors Digest and essentially handed its daily workings over to Bob.

He always is the one who created the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards over 30 years ago as well as the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards. After his retirement from Krause Publication he maintained his role with the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards plus began creating and selling custom “Cards that never were” as well as blogging. He has been part of the blogging community since 2009, which is around the time that I got involved in blogging and part of that was due to him.

I never spoke to him personally but it still hurts to lose one of our own. Rest in peace Bob.

R.I.P. Carrie Fisher

Today the world lost an icon with the passing of Carrie Fisher.

I am actually quite saddened, I do not really know what to say. I picked up this card last year from a dealer on the East Coast, one of the highlights of my Star Wars collection.

The World: We love you Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher: I know!

 

The Passing Of Rashaan Salaam

Another former NFL running back lost his life in a tragic event Monday night in Boulder, Colorado. A passer-by found Rashaan Salaam’s body in a parking lot at Ebin G. Fine Park in Boulder on Monday night, he was 42-years old. The Boulder Police said that there does not appear to be any foul play and that an autopsy will be performed shortly to determine the cause of death.

 

Salaam was one of my first football player prospects, he had won the 1994 Heisman Trophy and when the Chicago Bears selected him in the First Round of the 1995 NFL Draft I thought he was a lock. I had received a promo pack from Collector’s Edge which included a very cool acetate and die-cut Rashaan Salaam card and I was hooked. I picked up what I could of his and after he became the youngest player to rush for 1,000 yards (1,074 yards and 10 TDs his first season) his future was bright. Sadly, he went on to have a couple of injury plagued seasons and never returned to be that shining star and was cut by the Bears in 1998. Over the next six seasons he signed with the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Memphis Maniax (of the XFL), San Francisco 49ers and finally the Toronto Argonauts (of the CFL). In all he played a total of 33 games, rushing 471 times for 1,684 yards and 13 touchdowns.  

In a follow up to the shooting that took the life of former Jets running Back Joe McKnight, the shooter Ronald Gasser was arrested yesterday and charged with Manslaughter.

A Senseless Murder

Yesterday former NY Jet RB Joe McKnight was shot and killed following a case of road rage in New Orleans. Around 2:45 pm Thursday afternoon a witness saw McKnight and another man, later identified as 54-year old Ronald Gasser, arguing in an intersection. McKnight was seen apologizing for the incident when Gasser pulled out his gun and fired multiple shots in to McKnight at close range. Then for some reason the shooter felt it was necessary to stand over McKnight’s body, still screaming and firing one more round.

 

This is a completely senseless crime; at no point does one person need to shoot another person over an accident. Sadly, just 8 months ago New Orleans Saints DE was shot and killed in a similar situation in New Orleans. Smith’s murderer Cardell Hayes is set to go on trial next week for Second Degree Murder.

*EDIT: It has now been reported that Mr. Gasser was still in his card when he fired at McKnight and has been released without being charged yet.

R.I.P. Jose Fernandez And Arnold Palmer

 

It seems like I have had writer’s block over the last few days, probably even a week. I just cannot come up with content and fortunately I have had a number of posts already written and ready to go for just this type of occasion. My mind has been elsewhere and when I sit down to write I start out fine but hit a point where I just get side tracked and I cannot get back on point.

 

I actually have five or six posts begun, some just notes and some just need to be finished but I cannot seem to do it. None the less when events in the sporting world happen it is something I need to give full attention to and write something original.

 

Today we lost two, one in his prime and one a legend.

 

Early this morning the Coast Guard was dispatched to a boat accident off of Miami Beach, a boat carrying three occupants had hit a jetty and was overturned. When the Coast Guard arrived they found that all three of the occupants were deceased including Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez.

 

Over four seasons with the Marlins he was 38-17 with a 2.58 ERA including two All-Star appearances. The news took me back to the 1993 boating accident that took the lives of Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews and severely injured Bob Ojeda. That one was a case of alcohol being involved while the accident that took Fernandez life does not appear to be alcohol or drug related. RIP Jose Fernandez

 

Then this afternoon we lost golfing legend Arnold Palmer. He passed away while being prepared for surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. When it came to golfing he was in rare air and was in a pantheon of men like Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones. He won 7 major championships, 62 wins on the PGA Tour and PGA Player of the Year twice. RIP Arnold Palmer

R.I.P. Gene Wilder

I was extremely saddened with the passing of Gene Wilder late Sunday night due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. I feel like a part of my childhood died with him, something that I am guessing many Gen-Xers are feeling right about now with this news.

My first introduction to Gene Wilder’s extensive film career was Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Over the next 30 years he worked with some of the greatest in the comedy world like Mel Brooks and Richard Pryor. No matter what the scene he just brought his “A” game and you couldn’t help but to love the guy.

Over the years there have been the occasional Gene Wilder card but not many, oddly enough Leaf included him in their 2016 Pop Century release. A word of warning though, I do believe a family member has been signing for him at least for the past year if not longer including the autographs included in the Leaf set.

His signature has remained steady over his career and is best represented by the signature that was from one of his book signing, which we know he signed.

 

Now a look at current signatures showing up. I don't blame Leaf, they probably set up the signing with his agent or a family member and Leaf sent the stickers expecting them to be signed in good faith. These two don't even appear to be signed by the same person.

 

A comparison, I believe the two on the right to be actually signed by Wilder while the two on the left by someone else, possibly a family member or friend.

R.I.P. Kenny Baker

I know this probably didn’t show up on a lot of people’s radar but last Saturday the actor Kenny Baker passed away at the age of 81-years old. He passed away in his sleep and no official reason has been announced but his nephew, who was his caretaker, did state that his lung problems were getting worse and he believed that was a contributing factor.

His most popular role has been as R2-D2, appearing in the first 6 Star Wars movies and working as a consultant on Episode VII- The Force Awakens, he had roles in some of the best movies of the 1980s (not always the best roles); Flash Gordon, The Elephant Man, Time Bandits, Amadeus, Labyrinth and Willow. Knowing that he will no longer be connected to the Star Wars franchise will be saddening but knowing that he brought so many smiles to multiple generations will always leave me with a good feeling in my heart.

Topps released an In Memoriam card through the Star Wars Trader, I wish they would have done it using the Topps Now outlet. I have the digital card but I would much rather have a card in hand.

Goodbye Champ

R.I.P. Prince

This morning after I read about the passing of Chyna I was a bit bummed but before long that was replaced with pure sadness when I found out that Prince, real name Prince Rogers Nelson, had passed away this morning at the age of 57-years old in his home in Minneapolis. He has been sick recently and was in the hospital last week but nothing has been announced as to what illness he was dealing with and how it is connected to his passing.

I grew up when Prince was just making it big, when Purple Rain controlled the charts I was 12-years old and the music was basically my Junior High years. Every dance Let’s Go Crazy and When Doves Cry had to be played and I am pretty sure that MTV had these videos on 24-hour rotation. Out of respect for Prince and his music MTV is actually playing his videos non-stop currently.

When it comes to music Prince’s death sits along with the passing of Michael Jackson and Kurt Cobain as deaths that have affected me the most. His music wasn’t just something you listened to, you actually are able to tie it to a time in your life so I now feel like I have lost a portion of my childhood.

Prior to the past decade it was rather rare for a musician to appear on cardboard. Unlike now when Americana, Pop Century, Goodwin Champions and Allen & Ginter’s include music stars on the checklist you just didn’t collect cards of your favorites, you collected their discography on CDs, tapes, albums or 8-tracks. The only official set I could find where Prince made an appearance is the 1991 ProSet Super Stars MusiCards. I also found some very unique cards from Europe, like this one, on eBay (I don’t own this card).

R.I.P. Chyna (Joan Marie Laurer)

This morning the wrestling world was rocked with the announcement that former WWF/E star Chyna, real name Joan Marie Laurer, had passed away. The time of her death is still undetermined because she posted on Instagram on Sunday but nobody has heard from her since until a friend got worried and went to her apartment last night and found her already deceased, she was 45 years old.

In the late 1990s she made her way in to the WWF during the Attitude age and was one of the early WWF/E Divas. She is probably best known for her time with Degeneration X alongside Triple H and Shawn Michaels. She made an appearance in TNA in 2011 but that was short lived and she left wrestling for good.

After she left wrestling her personal life has been in an upheaval and included drugs and adult videos and it has been rumored that her death is due to an overdose.

For as big of a star as Chyna was in wrestling in the late 90s and early 2000s she has almost no base cards beyond some 1998 and 1999 Comic Images and 2001 Fleer. She does have two official autographs, one in 1998 Comic Images and one in 2011 TNA Signature Impact.

The Flags Are At Half-Staff

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was buried today alongside her husband near the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.

Her passing Sunday, while not surprising, was still a shock for many Gen-Xers who remember the Reagan’s fondly. I still remember going with my dad up to the polling place in November 1980 when I was 8-years old and waiting for him outside. He walked out and proudly said to me “I just voted to help Ronald Reagan win the election”, which he did and took office on January 20, 1981.

I was born when Nixon was president and saw Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter come and go but I remember little from their Presidential terms but Ronald Reagan led the country during my formative years with Nancy by his side.

Her “Just Say No!” campaign made her a pop icon, appearing in PSA ads on television and posters throughout the schools and while we can now look back at statistics and see that the “Just Say No!” and DARE programs really did not have much of an impact on drug usage in teens they are still very memorable.

Nancy Reagan has appeared on a couple of cards with Ronald Reagan but she was finally immortalized last year in the 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter’s First Ladies mini set.

R.I.P. Alan Rickman

In one week we have now lost 3 major personalities with today’s passing of actor Alan Rickman, who was battling cancer, at the age of 69 years old.

Rickman was the ultimate villain having played Hans Gruber in Die Hard, the Sheriff of Nottingham in Prince of Thieves and Judge Turpin in Sweeny Todd but most people will probably recognize him as Professor Snape of the Harry Potter series.

Like David Bowie, Alan Rickman has been a part of my life growing up. I was 16 when I first saw Die Hard and when you consider how often he showed up in television and movies he just seemed to always be there. Playing fun parts like Metatron in Dogma, Dane in Galaxy Quest and lending his voice to some of my favorites like King of the Hill (King Phillip) and The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (Marvin).

He truly was a versatile actor and he will be missed.

R.I.P. Monte Irvin

Last night we lost another icon with the passing of MLB Hall of Famer Monte Irvin. No cause of death has been announced, he was 96 years old but I am not aware of any health issues.

Irvin was considered one of the best all-around players in the Negro League before following moving to Major League Baseball. He played 7 seasons playing for the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues and another 8 seasons with the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs. During his professional career he won a World Series Championship in each league (1946 Newark Eagles and 1954 NY Giants) and was selected for the Hall of Fame in 1973.

I picked up this Monte Irvin autograph in late 2014 and posted about it a month later.

R.I.P. David Bowie

 

I was very saddened this morning to find out that David Bowie passed away after battling cancer for 18 months. Because he was secretly battling cancer it is assumed that it is either lung cancer or lung cancer metastasized in to his liver. Being a child of the 70s and 80s I grew up listening to David Bowie, his music just always seemed to be there even releasing an unexpected album three days ago on his 69^th birthday.

The world lost a very talented man yesterday. The above gif is an illustration by English artist Helen Green that she made last year for David Bowie's 68th birthday.

 

R.I.P. Hot Rod Williams

For the second time this week the NBA lost another player to cancer with the passing of John “Hot Rod” Williams this morning due to complications related to his prostate cancer, he was 53-years old.

 

I do not own any of the cards in this post.

Williams came in to the NBA in 1986 following allegations that he was involved in point shaving while playing at Tulane University, he was actually charged but never convicted, but that didn’t stop the Cleveland Cavaliers from taking him in the 2^nd round of the 1985 NBA Draft. Williams proved his worth as a 6^th Man putting up some solid numbers during his 9 years in Cleveland, he later played 3 years in Phoenix and a season in Dallas before retiring in 1999.

He played a majority of his career during the junk wax era so there are plenty of ugly 1990s cards with his 1987 Fleer #123 XRC costing less than a cup of coffee ($1.80), he has a couple of autographs and they are running under $5 apiece and no relic cards that I was able to find.

R.I.P. Dolph Schayes

Today the NBA lost one of it’s “50 Greatest Players” with the passing of Dolph Schayes after fighting a severe infection in connection with his cancer, he was 87 years old.

I do not own any of the cards in this post.

Schayes was an early pioneer during the infancy of the NBL/NBA while playing his entire 16-year career with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers. During that time he was the first NBA player to score 15,000 points (18,438 career points), grabbed 11,256 rebounds, 12-time All-Star and a NBA Championship in 1955. He went on to coach the 76ers for three years, winning Coach of the Year in 1966, and two more years as the first coach of the Buffalo Braves (Now the LA Clippers).

He was selected to the NBA’s 25^th Anniversary team, the NBA’s 50^th Anniversary team, one of the Top 50 NBA Players, the NBA Hall of Fame (1972) and the College Basketball Hall of Fame (2006). His son Danny also played in the NBA, 18 years for 7 different teams and four of his granddaughters have represented the US in the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Surprisingly even with his passing his cards are still rather cheap. He was a pretty prominent signer in recent years so there are plenty of his autographs in Action Packed, Leaf, Panini and Topps products and many of them are $10 or less. You can even find a dual-autograph card from Topps where Dolph and his son Danny signed.

 

You can find his 1957 Topps #13 XRC (Top of post) starting around $50 or his 1961 Fleer #39 or #63 XRC starting around $15, which seems like a travesty for a man who helped build the league.

 

A Tragic End For A Former Wildcat

Former New York Knicks draft pick Michael Wright was found dead in Brooklyn on Tuesday, he was 35 years old. His death has been listed as serious head trauma and is being treated as homicide. He was found in the back seat of his Lexus SUV covered with black garbage bags.

He had been reported missing by his roommate on November 5^th with residents of the neighborhood where he was found saying the SUV has been parked on the street since November 8^th.

Wright is a University of Arizona product and was starting forward of the Arizona team that made it to the 2001 National Finals against Duke. He was selected in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks but he never played in the NBA instead playing in Europe, Israel, South Korea and Turkey.

This is the second time a University of Arizona basketball player met a tragic ending in the past 15 years. In 2002 Brian Williams, who changed his name to Bison Dele during his NBA career, was presumed murdered in July 2002 by his brother while on a boat in the South Pacific.

Because Wright never played in the NBA he only has a couple of cards with most depicting him in his University of Arizona uniform. He has a couple of autographs from SAGE and HIT and even with his passing they can still be picked up for $6-8 each.

R.I.P. Flip Saunders

 I have to admit that when I heard that Flip Saunders passed away yesterday I was surprised. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma this past summer, which has one of the best survival rates. My brother is a Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor of 20 years now so I know the treatment process pretty well. Just last month it was announced he was taking a leave of absence, which I took as he was just going through the treatment routine and wanted to be able to heal without worrying about the team. Sadly he has spent the last few weeks in the hospital due to complications with his treatment before finally succumbing to the cancer.

 

Prayers and positive thoughts to his family.

For collectors there are fans of the coach the options are limited to very few options, a couple of official NBA coach cards and a 1989 ProCards card from his CBA coaching days.