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Biggest myths in baseball (and baseball card) history

EstilEstil Posts: 6,862 ✭✭✭✭
MYTH: The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is his rookie card.
FACT: The 1951 Bowman is Mickey's rookie card. Though his 1952 Topps is his most famous and most valuable card.

MYTH: Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839.
FACT: Mr. Doubleday never mentioned baseball in any of his journals, and there is no evidence he had ANYTHING to do with the game at all. If any one person deserves the most credit for inventing baseball as we know it, Alexander Cartwright in 1845 is most deserving.

MYTH: The New York Yankees have won the World Series in every year the Kentucky Wildcats won the NCAA Championship (I actually remember hearing a CNN-SI reporter erroneously say this)
FACT: When UK won their first NCAA Championship in 1948, the Cleveland Indians won the World Series, not the Yankees.

MYTH: Jackie Robinson was the first black player in the major leagues.
FACT: During the 1880s (I think 1884 to be exact), Moses Fleetwood Walker had played for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association (his brother Welday Walker also played a few games with the club). It was Cap Anson's refusal to play against any teams with black players that essentially started the color barrier in the major leagues, which would continue until Jackie broke the color barrier for good in 1947.

MYTH: Abbot and Costello are the only people in the Baseball Hall of Fame who had nothing to do with baseball.
FACT: One, they are NOT in the Hall of Fame (in the sense of being members of the Hall of Fame); they just have a display in the museum part of the HOF. And second, to say that they had "nothing to do with baseball" even though they wrote/preformed probably the most famous baseball-related comedy sketch ever is grossly inaccurate as well.

I'm sure there's one or two others I'm overlooking, but can the rest of you come up with some popularly held beliefs about baseball (or baseball cards) that are actually wrong?
WISHLIST
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P+S, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 61D, 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars

Comments

  • ymareaymarea Posts: 1,576 ✭✭✭
    MYTH: If I keep all the baseball cards that I've been collecting since 1970 (I was 6 yrs old then) and continue to collect incessantly until I'm 45 (my present age), my collection will be worth a GREAT deal of money.

    FACT:My cards are relatively worthless.

    CONCLUSION: It's a darn good thing that I never relied on my cards to pay for my kids' college or to supplement my retirement.
    Brett
  • It's old, it must be worth something

    A corked bat is an advantage
    Tom
  • goraidersgoraiders Posts: 2,158 ✭✭✭
    MYTH: Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839.
    FACT: Mr. Doubleday never mentioned baseball in any of his journals, and there is no evidence he had ANYTHING to do with the game at all. If any one person deserves the most credit for inventing baseball as we know it, Alexander Cartwright in 1845 is most deserving.

    Gives me a chance to show Cartwright contract from 1846 I believe,done on onino paper
    What a piece this is,just stunning,
    image

    image

    Mr.Cartwright,
    image

    image

    I could not agree anymore with your post.
    J.R.
    Needs'
    1972 Football-9's high#'s
    1965 Football-8's
    1958 Topps FB-7-8
  • EstilEstil Posts: 6,862 ✭✭✭✭
    Pretty sweet Cartwright stuff! Now can the rest of you help me out with baseball (card) myths/facts?

    EDIT: Just added another one.
    WISHLIST
    Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P+S, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
    Quarters: 61D, 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
    74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
    1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
    1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
  • stevekstevek Posts: 27,571 ✭✭✭✭✭
    pretty impressive considering he had to run the Ponderosa at the same time.
  • Myth.....The Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the NY Yankees

    Fact......The Yankees hired the mob to hold a gun to the head of the Red Sox owner, forcing him to sign the deal.
    Al Capone wasn't given as much money as the NY mob, or the Babe would have played in Chicago. Thus, the
    Evil Empire was born.
  • Myth...The Pirates have not had a winning season since 1992 because of a bad organization/front office.

    Fact....The Curse of the Batterin Barry .....lol
  • Myth: The Cubs can't win a World Series because of the billy goat curse.

    Fact: Anyone could have a bad century.


  • << <i>It's old, it must be worth something

    A corked bat is an advantage >>



    A corked bat is an advantage. Just look at Howard Johnson, Nettles, etc.
  • MYTH: Honus Wagner's T206 card was pulled because he was an anti-smoking advocate.

    FACT: Honus' image appeared on numerous tobacco related products prior to 1909, and most likely asked to not be included in the baseball card set due to financial differences with the manufacturers.


  • << <i>A corked bat is an advantage. Just look at Howard Johnson, Nettles, etc. >>



    You must be referring to physicists who studied before Newton proposed his second law
    Tom
  • EstilEstil Posts: 6,862 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>MYTH: Honus Wagner's T206 card was pulled because he was an anti-smoking advocate.

    FACT: Honus' image appeared on numerous tobacco related products prior to 1909, and most likely asked to not be included in the baseball card set due to financial differences with the manufacturers. >>



    Finally, a serious contribution. That's one I definitely overlooked. Then again, I don't think there really was an anti-smoking movement back then, since at that time people didn't understand the dangers of smoking at all.
    WISHLIST
    Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P+S, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
    Quarters: 61D, 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
    74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
    1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
    1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
  • " Then again, I don't think there really was an anti-smoking movement back then...."


    Agree completely, and thats why I always cringed whenever someone would say that was why the Honus is such an expensive card. Musta heard it 12-15 times growing up as a card collector in the 80's.
  • DeutscherGeistDeutscherGeist Posts: 2,990 ✭✭✭✭
    MYTH: I heard that Wagner just did not want kids to see his image associated with smoking.

    It sounds very noble, but I doubt there is any truth in it. So, Wagner just could not come to a financial agreement with the tabacco product manufacturer? I did not know it was that simple.

    MYTH: There is no Don Mattingly 1984 Donruss error card

    FACT: The 1984 Donruss card IS an error card, but left uncorrected. The word "training" is misspelled on the back of the card.




    Nice Topic Estil....
    "So many of our DREAMS at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we SUMMON THE WILL they soon become INEVITABLE "- Christopher Reeve

    BST: Tennessebanker, Downtown1974, LarkinCollector, nendee
  • mlbfan2mlbfan2 Posts: 3,115 ✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>It's old, it must be worth something

    A corked bat is an advantage >>



    A corked bat is an advantage. Just look at Howard Johnson, Nettles, etc. >>



    There have been two studies done (that I know of) and one showed the ball traveled 5% further, and one showed the ball traveled 5% less far. It does make it a bit easier to hit the ball though, because a lighter bat allows you to wait longer on the pitch.
  • mlbfan2mlbfan2 Posts: 3,115 ✭✭✭
    MYTH: The hands are considered part of the bat.
    FACT: The hands are part of person's body.

    MYTH: A tie goes to the runner.
    FACT: The runner is either safe or out.

    MYTH: The two most plentiful things on Earth are grains of sand and ants.
    FACT: The most plentiful thing on Earth are 1987 Topps baseball cards.
  • EstilEstil Posts: 6,862 ✭✭✭✭
    I'm pretty sure 1991 Donruss is the most plentiful.
    WISHLIST
    Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P+S, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
    Quarters: 61D, 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
    74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
    1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
    1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
  • MYTH: 1948 Bowman is Stan Musials rookie card.
    FACT: 1947 Bond is his true rookie card.
  • mcadamsmcadams Posts: 2,611 ✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>MYTH: Honus Wagner's T206 card was pulled because he was an anti-smoking advocate.

    FACT: Honus' image appeared on numerous tobacco related products prior to 1909, and most likely asked to not be included in the baseball card set due to financial differences with the manufacturers. >>



    Finally, a serious contribution. That's one I definitely overlooked. Then again, I don't think there really was an anti-smoking movement back then, since at that time people didn't understand the dangers of smoking at all. >>



    Actually, there was an anti-smoking movement back then. Although you're right that the dangers of smoking were not FULLY understood, various groups have suspected the danger (of tobacco in general) throughout history, even before tobacco was grown in the US. Most of the anti-smoking movement in the US in the time period we're talking about here (first part of the 20th century) was propogated by religious groups like the Puritans.
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  • vladguerrerovladguerrero Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭


    << <i>MYTH: 1948 Bowman is Stan Musials rookie card.
    FACT: 1947 Bond is his true rookie card. >>



    Isn't it in the definition of rookie card that it has to come from a major distributed set? 47 Bond may be his first card, quite rare, and understandably valuable, but I think the Bowman will keep the RC title.

    Good call on the Wagner Gecko, he was the Barry Bonds of his day!
  • Mickey71Mickey71 Posts: 4,224 ✭✭✭✭
    In regards to the Wagner card--the words fact and most likely were in the same sentence, which to me makes it not a fact. I've never heard a definitive answer as to why the Wagner had so few cards made.
  • mcadamsmcadams Posts: 2,611 ✭✭✭


    << <i>In regards to the Wagner card--the words fact and most likely were in the same sentence, which to me makes it not a fact. I've never heard a definitive answer as to why the Wagner had so few cards made. >>



    According to the vintage card book that PSA sent me several years ago with my subscription, the card shortage was due to a contract dispute (financially driven) between Wagner and the producer...I think.
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    Always buying Bobby Cox inserts. PM me.


  • << <i>

    << <i>MYTH: 1948 Bowman is Stan Musials rookie card.
    FACT: 1947 Bond is his true rookie card. >>



    Isn't it in the definition of rookie card that it has to come from a major distributed set?

    >>



    Good point and thats probably why his 48 card is listed in price guides as his rookie. However any card that pre-dates another is the true rookie.

  • vladguerrerovladguerrero Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>MYTH: 1948 Bowman is Stan Musials rookie card.
    FACT: 1947 Bond is his true rookie card. >>



    Isn't it in the definition of rookie card that it has to come from a major distributed set?

    >>



    Good point and thats probably why his 48 card is listed in price guides as his rookie. However any card that pre-dates another is the true rookie. >>



    So minor league cards are RC's? What cards that are printed at the beginning vs. the end of the season, Upper Deck has been printing '2009' sets in 2010. Is the Musial classified as a XRC?... I'm not familiar with it.
  • vladguerrerovladguerrero Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭
    image
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