Gettin' Busy...

Relax. I'm talking about my work behind the scenes here at Off Hiatus Central. Over the past week or so, I've been working diligently at getting my player collections updated to have those cards catalogued. It's mostly for my own benefit, of course, but it also serves as a bit of a "want list by subtraction", so to speak.

Anyway, starting last Thursday, I've gotten the following player lists updated:

Eddie Mathews

This collection, along with my other Braves guys, tends either to be a bit off the radar for traders or, alternatively, there's no way on God's Green Earth that anyone is going to send me a 1959 Topps Eddie Mathews in some PWE trade.  In any event, I don't have any cards from his playing days yet, but I've collected 20 of his cards so far.

Warren Spahn

As with Mathews, my Spahn collection is bereft of cards from his playing days. I cheated a little here and counted the puzzle piece cards from 1989 Donruss as individual cards.  Even cheating like that gives me only 48 Warren Spahn cards.

Joe Adcock

Sadly, I have so few Joe Adcock cards that I had to use a postcard I've put into my Mathews collection for him. The upside is that I have both his 1957 and his 1960 Topps cards. The downside is that I have only 1 other cards of his for a grand total of 3. Four, if you count this card.

Lew Burdette

Again, my Lew Burdette collection is in its very early stages -- just five cards -- but certainly the pride and joy of the Burdette collection is my copy of this 1954 Johnston's Cookies card that my mom must have had as a child.

And then, there are the Brewers...

Jim Slaton

With my autographs and police card variations, I have 33 Jim Slaton cards.

Charlie Moore

The genteel catcher from Birmingham, Alabama, appears on 50 different items in my binder, including all the autographs and team magazines.

Gorman Thomas

I love Daniel Okrent's line from his book Nine Innings introducing Gorman enough that I'll probably use it again when I write up his 1982 Topps card on that blog. The line is:

"If Molitor was the dreamboat that every 17-year-old girl in greater Milwaukee pined for, then James Gorman Thomas was the hero that every 47-year-old brewery worker idolized."

I've got 31 cards from the blue-collar Milwaukee hero who himself is another Southerner -- from Charleston, South Carolina.

Don Money

Money never inspired blue-collar paeans like Gorman did, nor did he send teenage girls into hysterics usually reserved for rock bands. But, he was the first true star that the Brewers had after they got him in a trade from Philadelphia after the 1972 season.

I have 26 of his cards.

Jerry Augustine

You can tell from this card -- one of 20 in my collection of Augustines -- that he was just happy to be there.

Jim Gantner

Jim Gantner has appeared in the third-most games all-time in a Brewers uniform. The top three are Gantner, Molitor, and Yount from 3 to 1.  His many years as a Brewer have helped me accumulate 87 of his cards, including this lovely Miller High Life stadium giveaway card from 1990.

Cecil Cooper

Cecil Cooper spent 11 years in Milwaukee. It's shocking today to me to see him in a Boston Red Sox uniform, to be honest. I have 83 Cecil Cooper cards and items, all told.

Bob McClure

Bob McClure is the first person I can consciously remember who wore a soul patch unironically. In fact, he may still be the only one to do that.

I think there is at least one or two more photos on the 27 total cards of McClure that I have that show the soul patch.

Moose Haas

Moose never seemed to fit into Milwaukee in the same way that Gorman Thomas was a complete natural for the Midwest.  Nonetheless, I have 36 different Haas cards as a Brewers.

Mike Caldwell

Mike Caldwell is pictured as a St. Louis Cardinal on his 1977 Topps card. He only pitched for them in spring training in 1977 after being traded there from San Francisco. He was traded near the end of spring training that year to the Reds, who promptly forwarded him to his correct address in Milwaukee when the Reds picked up Tom Seaver.

I've picked up 30 of Caldwell's cards.

Ryan Braun

I know pretty much everyone hates Ryan Braun. That works for me, because it's allowed me to grow my Braun collection to 170 cards and items so far.

Rickie Weeks

Rickie never reached the high expectations that many had for him. He's still a long-time Brewer and all, so I'm happy for the 80 Rickie Weeks cards I have.

This organization is nearly complete in terms of the player collections. Then, it's on to the overall team collection for me.

Click the links and check out the lists of cards I have. If you see something you have that I don't and that you'd like to get rid of, let me know!

Thanks for reading.