Volume 2, Issue 2, April 1998

Peter Iverson

He remembered the feeling. Even if it was only an intellectual exerciseat this point he remembered it.

Scuffing his way that quarter mile over city sidewalks to the Westward HoMarket - his hand gripped the 2 silver coins in his pocket lest they slipthrough the tiny hole in the lining and deny him his treasure. It wasnot often he had this much coin of the realm to indulge himself. Someweeks he took to searching the McKenna's massive ivy patch for those 2and 3 cent'er deposit bottles. But this week he would leave that toother boys. This week he could walk with confidence straight to thatoasis of cardboard on Ventura and Sepulveda without scouring the hedgesand curbs to provide him with gilt. This week he had 50 cents!

The wide cuffs on his ill fitting jeans punctuated the heel scuffingsound and helped him feel that he was not alone. Soon, he thought , hewould be walking with some of his favorite people - even if only in hisimagination. He considered the "perfect pack" and who would be in it. All Dodgers of course, it almost didn't matter who. His thoughts had distracted him so he was at the market before he new it. He saw the double bar Butterfinger on the shelf near his goal and fought the urge to pick that up and thus reduce his haul of heroes portraits. It was hard to hold the 10 packs. He couldn't do it with one hand so he let the coins slide into his pocket and moved to the counter. He stacked the packs by the register neatly and dug for the coins - heart skipping a bit as he found only one at first - the other hiding in a back corner and temporarily out of reach. He took his receipt and carried paper bag of pleasure out the door and into the parking lot.

Slowly he walked towards home with what seemed to be an aimless gait as he hurriedly opened each pack - small bag under his left arm and fresh pack in his hands. He had to hold the sack in his teeth as he traded the opened pack for another new one.

"Got 'em - got 'em - don't got 'em - got 'em" The "got 'em's" were far ahead. Plopping down on a neighbor's lawn he went through the 50 cards again and pulled out the Dodgers. 3 more Lee Walls cards another Johnny Roseboro and another Wally Moon - though this one looked different. Still no Snider - still no Koufax... As he got to the bottom of the bag feeling a bit depressed he hauled out a card he had overlooked in his quick first sort. It was Don Drysdale! "All right!" he shouted. Sitting on the grass a contented smile moved across his face - and he got hat feeling...

Home from work he dropped this keys and change on the dining room table and put the mail down in front of him. He sorted - bills, junk mail and some bulky envelopes that he saved for last. After peaking at the bills and tearing up the junk mail he started on the last batch of letters. He began by carefully tearing open each envelope and slowly going through the contents in that nearly forgotten ritual. "Don't got 'em - don't got 'em- don't got 'em - don't got 'em - don't got 'em." Card after card -Dodger after Dodger he continued his chant, "Don't got 'em - don't got 'em - DON'T GOT 'EM!" He looked at them - he touched them - he

Election results

Brett Domue

Here are the election results for the OBCAC. Voting ended on Feb. 28.

Brett Domue will be the new chairman for this year. Voting committee members will be Jim Montgomery, Rick Ellison, Larry Tipton, Mike Hair, Chuck Paris, Wayne Delia and Joel Glickman.

Alternates will be Rick Scogland, and Jeff Sackman and Doug Smith (who tied for the final spot).

Thanks to all who took the time to vote.

The OBC Translation Dictionary

Bob Reed

Black Beauty or Black Border
A card from the 1971 Topps set.

Cool Gray
A card from the 1970 Topps set.

Horizontal
A card from the 1960 Topps set.

Psycho
A a card from the 1972 Topps set.

Puffy
An overstuffed envelope, usually one that requires more than 33 cents postage.

SCP
Single card pleasure, an envelope containing just one card.

Sked
Another name for a schedule.

Sunglasses Alert
Any reference to a card that was manufactured after 1980.

Tipton
A grading system used to describe old beat up cards. The more beaten up, the higher the grade.

TV
A card from the 1955 Bowman set.

Volume 2, Issue 2, Page 2, April 1998

Bob D'Angelo

I have just finished the 1965 Topps set. The one card I needed John Buzhardt, of all people arrived this week as part of an eBay auction I won.

Coming within a hair of finishing this set got me thinking back last month, and I realized that this is truly my all-time favorite set.

The most obvious reason is that it was the first year I ever collected cards. I had been aware of baseball cards for about a year, but I had never been able to buy a pack. Yeah, prices were steep back then - a nickel a pack, and 24 packs to a box. A nickel was heaven to scrounge; I couldn't fathom a $1.20 to spend in one place. After all, I was only 7 early that season.

I lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., and kids in the neighborhood would buy cards and flip for them. I'm sure I lost a bunch that way; a '65 Carl Yastrzemski comes to mind (I always remember his pose on the card, getting ready to catch the ball). Seemed like a neat pose at the time. Always remembered that Roger Maris looked like he was in pain (I look at it now and figure it was just constipation).

Mario also had the Challenge the Yankees game, and naturally he had to be the Yankees. It was great when we beat him.

But now, when I look at the set, I just love the simplicity about it. Each team had its own color, plus the little pennant in the lower left-hand corner was cool, too. And it brings back memories of a simpler time. So being able to finish this set has been a real pleasure. Ironically, it came about a week or so after I finished my 1966 set - another longtime favorite. So March and April has been a great month for finishing sets.