Baseball Happenings Podcast | Greg Larson 'Clubbie" Author Interview

Greg Larson wanted to live the big league dream, but after batting .091 during his senior season, he knew his only way he was getting into a pro clubhouse was if he worked there. Fresh out of college, Larson searched for any opportunity to get his foot in the door. When a spot opened up at baseball's lowest rung with the Baltimore Orioles short season Class-A Aberdeen Ironbirds, Larson jumped at the opportunity. 

The ensuing two years completely flipped his perception of a professional baseball player's life. Minor league life was filled with squalor and despair, with salaries that hugged the poverty line. He decided to chronicle his wild two year ride with Aberdeen in his new book, Clubbie: A Minor League Baseball Memoir.

Larson joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast for a candid talk about the ups and downs he experienced while working in the clubhouse and how it forced him to grow up quickly.

Click here to listen to the Greg Larson interview or stream below.

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Willie Mays Turns 90: A Legend Throughout The Years

Willie Mays celebrates his 90th birthday at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Hall of Fame legend Willie Mays turned 90 on May 6, 2021, and the entire baseball community celebrated the milestone with a variety of tributes including a grand celebration at Oracle Park.

Happy Birthday, Willie! #SayHey90 pic.twitter.com/aNYxuPfFlr

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) May 8, 2021

As part of the festivities, the Giants announced the creation of the Willie Mays Scholars program, which will offer college prep and support to Black high schoolers in San Francisco. The initial class this fall will include five students who will receive $70,000 in support, including up to $20,000 in scholarships.

“I have always made kids my priority by helping them in any way I could throughout my playing career and life,” Mays said in a statement. “To have the Giants Community Fund and the Giants ownership group create this program in my name and to provide a path to college for Black children in our community means the world to me. I can’t wait to meet the first class of Willie Mays Scholars to offer my encouragement and support.”

Mays was a World Series hero for the New York Giants in 1954, his infamous catch of Vic Wertz's smash during Game 1 paved the way for the Giants to sweep the Indians. While the World Series odds seemed a longshot at +6000 for the Giants to start the 2021 season, the club's first place standing during Mays' celebration could be the inspiration needed to drive towards another championship appearance.

While honors have poured in across the landscape offering Mays his flowers, we take a look back at our coverage of Mays throughout his career, often through the words of his teammates.

• Willie Mays bringing the 2010 World Series trophy to the Harlem public school on the site of the former Polo Grounds. 
• Willie Mays and former Giants teammate Ruben Gomez once fought each other in Puerto Rico.
• How Willie Mays inspired Mets rookie George "The Stork" Theodore during Mays' final season with the Mets. 
• Willie Mays' candid interview with former MLB player Billy Sample. 
• Willie Mays "The Life, The Legend" book review.
• Willie's Boys: The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, The Last Negro League World Series, and the Making of a Baseball Legend
  

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2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Set Break And Review

Topps and Athletes Unlimited joined forces in 2021 to produce the first volleyball card set in the company's history. The 52-card set highlights all of Athletes Unlimited's volleyball players including Olympians Jordan Larson, Sheilla Castro and Bethania de la Cruz. Topps produced the set as part of its on-demand series and was made available to fans and collectors during the five-week season. The set finished with a print run of 3,048 copies, making it a limited-edition collectible for years to come. 

2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Base Set and Checklist

2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Cards

 

The base set features 47 athletes and five additional cards dedicated to the league and the upcoming Athletes Unlimited softball season. Click here for the set's checklist. 

 

The cards are on glossy stock with the backs dedicated to their personal and professional bios, as well as their college accolades. An interesting aspect of the card design is the interlocking feature between cards when placed side-by-side. 

 

Speaking with Cassidy Lichtman for Forbes right before the season started, she said these Topps card fulfilled an unexpected dream. 

 

“It’s a dream that I didn't know I was supposed to have,” Lichtman said. “Growing up in volleyball, you just don't expect to get that same kind of level of visibility and recognition because you never had it. I didn't even think I should be thinking about it, but now that it's an actual possibility and an actual thing happening, what an amazing thing! I grew up in a sports family; we used to buy baseball cards, and my brother collected them. To know that Topps, which is the name in baseball cards, is giving us our own set and giving us space within the platform that they have, is just kind of surreal.”

2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Autographs and Parallels

2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Parallels and Autographs

With each athlete signing 50 cards for Topps, more than 75% of the sets will contain an autograph. The autographs are of the sticker variety, as the short season necessitated a quick turnaround for the set. 

 

In addition to the autographs, each card has four parallels as part of the rainbow, with the elusive Gold 1/1 being the chase cards here. The three other parallels are: Purple / 50, Blue /25 and Orange /5. 

The set provided for this review featured a Sherridan Atkinson Purple parallel /50 and a signed Nia Grant card. 

2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Set / Box Break Video

Collectors who are finding out about the set after its release will have to hit the secondary market on sites like eBay to pick up a copy. If you want to get a preview of the entire set, watch the box break below as we went through each card in the debut issue. 

Topps' partnership with Athletes Unlimited Volleyball is a major step towards tapping into a huge market for one of the most popular sports in the United States, as girls' volleyball is the second most widely participated high school sport in the country. As interest in the league grows, watch for more young fans turn into collectors of their favorite athletes from the league.

  

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Baseball Happenings Podcast | Cody Bellinger 1 on 1 Interview

Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and 2019 National League MVP joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss his new partnership with Flonase and why the move was in alignment with his personal branding, as he has suffered from allergies his entire career. 

He also explained what it was like to play through the pandemic, including winning the 2020 World Series and what the Dodgers are looking forward to in defending the title in 2021. 

Click here to listen to the Cody Bellinger interview and subscribe to the podcast.

 

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Baseball Happenings Podcast | Cassidy Lichtman Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Interview

Cassidy Lichtman, an outside hitter for the newly minted Athletes Unlimited Volleyball league, joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss all of the exciting developments the league has planned going into its debut season. The former Stanford star explains how significant it is to be part of this pioneering group, the feelings behind having her own official Topps trading card, and the work she's doing to move the game forward with her organization, Progress Through Athletics (P/ATH). 

Click here to listen to the interview with Lichtman on the Baseball Happenings Podcast.

 

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'Pretty Good Chance' Fans Could Return to MLB Ballparks in 2021

Dr. Anthony Fauci believes there is a ‘pretty good chance’ that fans will be able to attend MLB games in 2021 provided that the rate of Covid-19 cases continues to drop.

The chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden appeared on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight podcast on February 19th and said: “We could have people in the stands, maybe not right next to each other”. 

Local municipalities will make decisions on fan attendance, and the Tampa Bay Rays have already revealed their plans to kick off their campaign with around 7,000 supporters in the ballpark. 

A small number of fans were able to attend some games last season, and other major American sports leagues have been able to let some people in at a reduced capacity. 

With the Covid-19 vaccine still in its early stages of being implemented across the country, the hope is that more baseball fans will be allowed in as the situation improves. 

The season is scheduled to start on April 1st with all 30 teams set to play. ESPN will be showing live coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. ET, and that will be followed by the World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers kicking off their title defense at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies. 

Part three of the quadruple header sees the Washington Nationals host the New York Mets, and the action concludes in LA as the Angels welcome the Chicago White Sox to Angel Stadium. 

The Dodgers are the favorites to win the World Series for the second year in succession, with most of the best betting sites offering odds of +350 on the National League West outfit. 

Next in the betting is the Yankees who lost the American League Division Series to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 but are +550 to bounceback and win a 28th World Series crown. 

The San Diego Padres look absolutely stacked this year and it is no surprise to see them priced as a +900 third-favorite. Last week, shortstop Fernando Tatis committed his future to the Padres with a whopping 14-year, $340 million contract. All-Star pitcher Yu Darvish was also acquired from the Chicago Cubs, adding to an already impressive roster. 

The Atlanta Braves have no shortage of star power themselves, and after three straight National League East division titles, they are expected to go deep again with odds of +1200 to win the World Series. 

Both the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox are also in the +1200 range, while the Minnesota Twins are as big as +2000 with some online sportsbooks. 

Despite winning the American League in 2020, the Tampa Bay Rays are +2500 to go one better this year and are +900 to repeat their AL success. There are question marks over their ability to repeat what they achieved last term, especially with so many other American League teams breathing down their neck. 

The Toronto Blue Jays are among those that many believe could mount a challenge this year, and they are +2000 for the World Series.

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2020 Topps Chrome Black Baseball | Box Break And Review

Topps created a fresh design for their 2020 Topps Chrome Black Baseball set that provides a completely different look from its 2020 Topps Chrome Baseball partner. 

Base Set And Checklist

Each four-card box comes with a hefty $180 price tag, guaranteeing one encased autograph. The 100-card base set (see checklist here) contains almost 40 rookies including 2020 American League Rookie of the Year, Kyle Lewis. If the base cards weren't scarce enough, they all come with a variety of serial numbered parallels, sure to keep the player collectors busy search for these rare gems.

Autographs 

The signer list for 2020 Topps Chrome Black Baseball is impressive, boasting Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, and Mariano Rivera, alongside top stars Mike Trout, Ronald Acuña, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The box provided for this review yielded this Patrick Corbin gold autograph #/50.

2020 Topps Chrome Black Patrick Corbin Gold Autograph / Topps

Box Break Video

Head over to our YouTube channel to check out our 2020 Topps Chrome Black Baseball box break, along with our archive of baseball interviews. 

 

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How Bob Oldis Missed His Opportunity To Face Satchel Paige In The Major Leagues

Bob Oldis only played in seven games during his 1953 rookie season with the Washington Senators, yet one almost perfect game stands out in his mind nearly 70 years later. 

On June 25, 1953, Oldis was in the starting lineup against the St. Louis Browns. Making only his second major league start, he played flawlessly. He went 3-3 at the plate with an RBI, and threw out the lone baserunner who dared to steal that day. 

Most rookies would have been elated with that type of performance, but something about that game didn't sit right with the young catcher. With the Senators down 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Oldis was due to bat third in the inning. 

Pitching in relief for the Browns was the ageless Satchel Paige. Undaunted by his presence, the first two batters were able to get on base with a walk and a single. This set the stage for Oldis, who was swinging a hot bat that day, to be the hero ... or so he thought. 

As he approached the top steps of the dugout, Oldis represented the winning run. After battering starter Harry Breechen for three hits, the tap on the shoulder from manager Bucky Harris wasn't what he expected. Instead of words of encouragement, Harris let him know outfielder Carmen Mauro would be taking his place at the plate. 

Dejected, Oldis returned to the dugout to watch Mauro hit a pop-up to third base, and Gil Coan finish the game by hitting into a 4-6-3 double play. He never was able to test himself against Satchel Paige in the majors, as he was sent down a short time afterwards.

When the 93-year-old was reached recently via a letter to his Arizona home, I asked if he was upset with Harris' decision to remove him for a pinch-hitter against Paige.

"Yes!" Oldis wrote. 

He later had his chance to face Paige in the minor leagues during the 1958 season when he played for the Richmond Virginians and Paige hurled for the Miami Marlins; however, seven decades later it is the meeting they didn't have that stands out in his memory. 

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Baseball Happenings Podcast | Emily Kless Topps Communications Manager Talks 2021 Topps Series 1 Baseball

 

 

Emily Kless, Topps Communications Manager, joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss the 2021 Topps Series 1 Baseball release, as well as the ensuing Virtual Rip Party on February 9, 2021, which features Hall of Famers, celebrities, and the top breakers celebrating Topps' 70th anniversary. 

Click here to listen to the interview with Kless on the Baseball Happenings Podcast.

 

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2020 Topps Allen And Ginter Chrome Baseball | Box Break And Review

Topps give a chromium upgrade to the Allen and Ginter baseball card series with the 2020 Topps Allen and Ginter Chrome Baseball set. The 300 card set features an array of current stars, legends, and pop culture icons that annually draw a wide range of collectors to the set. 

2020 Topps Allen And Ginter Chrome Base Set and Parallels

The chrome finish gives the Allen and Ginter cards a premium look, making for an attractive play on the original set. Produced in limited quantities as compared with the regular 2020 Topps Allen and Ginter Baseball set, Topps mixes in colored refractors and rare autographed cards to spice up the action.

2020 Topps Allen and Ginter Chrome Chris Paddack Green Parallel

Topps has also taken the inserts and made them mini versions, which include parallels of the entire set (these have refractors too), as well as the Booming Cities, Buggin Out, and Safari Sights sets. 

2020 Topps Allen and Ginter Chrome Baseball Box Break

 

2020 Topps Allen and Ginter Chrome Baseball Autographs

The autographs are the toughest to chase, averaging one per case. The 29 signers for the set include the recently deceased Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Derek Jeter, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Mike Trout.

Coming in around $180 per box, some might find the price is a little heavy; however, the cards really pop and the lure of pulling a rare autograph might just be enough for collectors to take a shot on a box.

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