Set Your Tivos - The 50th Anniversary of the Greatest Game Ever Played

I just came across this preview clip for an upcoming ESPN Film entitled The Greatest Game Ever Played, which is described in the the news release as "an innovative special presentation of the 1958 game played between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants at Yankee Stadium for the NFL championship."

Here is the link to the news release:

http://www.espnmediazone.com/press_releases/2008_10_oct/20081013_DecemberAirdatesDetailsAnnouncedforESPNFilms.htm




The Greatest Game Ever Played will be televised Saturday, December 13 at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN, right after the Heisman Trophy presentation.

The film brings together 11 surviving members from the 2 teams that played that day and their modern day NFL counterparts from the past two Super Bowl champion teams which just happen to be the Colts and the Giants (what an interesting coincidence) to discuss the game.

The game footage has been colorized. My first thought when I hear the word colorization is that adding color to a B&W film is that it is wrong, but in this case, I think it actually enhances the game film as it allows you to watch the game footage in a whole new way. Watching the preview of footage I have watched before felt like watching the game for the first time as the action stands out so much better in color.

The press release notes that there were 17 future Hall of Famers on the field that day. Wow!

However, the person that most interests me wasn't on the field that day, but was in the stands. My father and some of his Colt buddies traveled up to that game and were lucky enough to see one of the most famous football games of all time.

My father passed away many years ago, but whenever I hear the Greatest Game mentioned, the memories come back of my dad telling me what an amazing event he witnessed, and how much having been at that game meant to him. You could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes how much having been present at that game and having his beloved Colts win their first World Championship meant to him.

I'm really looking forward to this broadcast as this is the game that really elevated the NFL into the national consciousness, as well as the fact that it also has a special place in my memories of my father. I know we're still a few weeks off from the premier date, but this film looks so good that I wanted to spread the news.

A Different Kind of Football "Card"

After hearing about the impact that the blown call at the end of the Chargers v. Steelers game had on bettors based on how it effected "the line", I was reminded of a novelty song that was released back in 1979 called "The Football Card".



The song was done by Glenn Sutton and is about a guy who goes broke on NFL games. It is a fun song as it mentions just about every team as well as a number of players from the time like Roger Staubach, Bert Jones, Jim Zorn, Archie Manning, and Fran Tarkenton.

Unfortunately the Youtube video starts a few seconds into the song, but you can still enjoy this guy suffering through all of his losses.

Blog Bat Around: Who Are You?

I saw Gellman’s idea for The Blog Bat Around at Sports Card Uncensored, and the topic got me thinking about questions that I sometimes wrestle with and never seem to be able to completely answer.

The question: Who Are You?

Or more specifically - what do I collect, why do I collect, why do I blog, and ultimately what kind of a collector am I?

WHAT DO I COLLECT?

I’ve been a collector since as far back as I can remember. I did a post earlier this year on my first collecting obsession - Wacky Packages. This was my first experience with something that had a checklist.

By putting those checklists on the back of each puzzle piece, Topps was able to tempt me into buying more packs because I wanted to see what the other titles looked like. Filling out the checklist, and getting that last sticker to complete the set became an obsession. Each pack that yielded a sticker or two to fill in one of those checklist boxes was a thrill to open.

Shortly after the Wacky craze, I discovered Baseball cards. The checklist went from 30 stickers to 660 cards. This was really getting fun.

From there, I added Football, Basketball, and for a while even Hockey (back in the days when there was only one card set per sport – I needed to find something to collect in the off season!). The mid to late 70’s was when I really developed my love of collecting, marking off each box on the checklist until I had the entire set.

Then came the 1980s, and it was a great time to be a collector. When Fleer won their lawsuit and opened the door to competition, the baseball card market took off.

It really was a “golden age” for collecting. More product seemed to drive more demand which seemed to drive even more product:

Being a completist, I had to have every set that came out. For the 80’s at least, I was more or less able to keep up with each new release. There were starting to be a lot sets produced, but it was still manageable.

In addition to cards, I also was collecting comics, so I was really busy, but having a great time.

Like everything else however, too much of a good thing ends up becoming a bad thing. Once the 1990’s rolled around, the market had become so crowded that it was hard to really enjoy putting together all the sets that were coming out each year. With new releases coming out almost weekly, the enjoyment in trying to complete a set turned into work. Collecting felt like a “chore”. What was the point in trying to put together one set when another one was coming out next week. Comics got to be the same way. It was so hard keeping up with so many cross-overs that I finally gave up buying those as well.

That is the curse of being a completist. Since I was trying to collect a complete run of everything that was coming out, I was getting frustrated with having to work on yet another set if I wanted to keep up with my goal of having all the sets that were produced for a given year.

I finally reached a point where I decided I couldn’t keep up with collecting every new card release. It just wasn’t fun any more. I think the reason it wasn’t fun for me was that I was setting too high a goal (collect all the sets produced each year) that as each passing year brought more card companies and more sets, at some point I was going to have to change my focus.

Since I didn’t really like the idea of only building certain sets from a given year but ignoring others (again, that completist mentality kicking in), I decided I would refocus my efforts on going back and building sets that I had always wished I could complete as a kid.

I stopped buying new cards (except for a factory set so I could keep the consecutive Topps sets streak going!) and I started working backwards to start building sets that were released before I started collecting, with the goal of trying to complete sets all the way back to 1965, the year I was born.

I started with Baseball, and then Football, and finally Basketball. I eventually finished this goal for Baseball, have made it as far back as 1966 with Football (those 1965 tall boys with the Namath rookie are a tough set that I'm not ready to tackle), and have made some progress on Basketball.

I also branched out to other items. Things like the original “inserts” and other oddball items from late 1960’s - early '70's Topps releases like posters, coins, decals, stamps, and deckle edge cards.

I also tried to finish off those old Wacky Package sets that I never completed as a kid, and worked on the Kelloggs and Hostess sets that I would always bug my mom to buy so I could get the cards.

I also started working on other “oddball” items like Fleer cloth patches/stickers/decals/big signs/etc, which is what ultimately led to this blog.

The biggest challenge for me is deciding where to draw the line on what to collect. There are so many other sports related items to collect besides cards (programs, media guides, tickets, pennants, etc.) that I have to fight the urge to "have it all" and stay focused on just a few things at a time. Otherwise, I'd never complete anything.

In many ways I miss being involved with collecting new cards, but given how much fun I am having with the older sets, I really don’t think there is any way I could do both. That is one of the reasons I enjoy reading a number of the blogs that are being written. At least I can stay informed on what is going on with the new card market even if I’m not active in it.

WHY I COLLECT?

This is the question that I'm not sure I can completely answer. I think its for a combination of a number of reasons:

1) A Love of Sports and of Sports History:

Why do I collect cards in the first place, especially of players I never saw play? I think it is because I love sports and its history. I enjoy reading about the history of sports, and from time to time I try to incorporate the books I’ve been reading about things like the history of the AFL or the one year existence of the Seattle Pilots into my posts. Collecting cards, especially older cards, helps me connect to sports history, even if I never witnessed it first hand.

2) The Thrill of the Hunt:

As I mentioned earlier, that rush I used to get in checking off a box on my Wacky or Baseball card checklists (nowadays deleting an item off my wantlist spreadsheet) is something that is somehow addictive.

The thrill is in the hunt. Tracking down and securing the item brings a sense of accomplishment. Of course the irony is that once the item is in the collection, it doesn’t seem to bring as much satisfaction – probably because you aren’t consumed with trying to find it. You still have the sense of satisfaction knowing you have the item, but that feeling isn’t as strong as the feeling you get when you actually find and acquire the item.

3) Reconnect with my Childhood:

Since many of the items I’ve worked on collecting were items that I had always thought would be great to have when I was younger, there is no doubt that much of what probably drives a man in his 40’s to spend even a second of his time thinking about a piece of cardboard or a sticker is rooted in the fact that he is somehow reconnecting with the enjoyment he had collecting these items as a kid.

Collecting today is simply extending the enjoyment I had collecting as a kid, and allows me to stay connected with that kid that I used to be so many years ago.

WHY I BLOG?

Remembering the Fleer Baseball and Football stickers I had bought as a kid, I also started going back and putting together these sets. Then a funny thing happened – as I started collecting these issues, I realized that I was coming across variations that weren’t mentioned in any price guides. Through other collectors, I continued to learn more and more about these items.

When I started reading baseball card blogs, I got the idea that blogging would be a good way to share the information I’ve found in my years of collecting these relatively obscure items with other collectors since there isn’t much information devoted to these items in the price guides. I decided to approach the blog as a way to share information that I wished I could have found when I stated collecting these sets so I knew what I needed to be looking for.

I also figured it would allow me to meet other collectors who had a similar interest in these items, and it certainly has which has been the most rewarding part. The other thing as I mentioned earlier is that communicating with other bloggers helps me at least stay informed on what is going on in the hobby, even if I’m not actively participating from the standpoint of collecting new releases.

SO WHO AM I?

If I had to define myself, I’d say I’m an avid sports fan and vintage card collector who probably still thinks about collecting like he’s 13. I’m a completist, which means the enjoyment I get from collecting comes from building and ultimately completing sets. I enjoy the challenge of trying to put together older sets that I remember wanting to collect as a kid. Collecting today allows me to continue the hobby that I first enjoyed in my childhood, and also gives me a good way to stay connected with the history of sports.

While I know many collectors are player or team collectors, any time I have a few cards from a particular set, I really don't feel satisfied as a collector unless I'm working towards completing that set. I think this probably comes from the fact that as a kid, that was generally the goal of card collecting, so from my earliest days in the hobby, the focus was always on the completing the set.

Fleer NFL Football Cloth Patch Stickers - NFL, AFC & NFC Conference Champions, and Super Bowl Patches

We wrap up the review of the 1972 - 1976 Fleer NFL Football Cloth Patches with a look at the patches that Fleer produced for the NFL logo, the AFC & NFC Conference Champions, and the Super Bowl winners.

1972

The first issue in 1972 has the NFL Logo on 2 different patches, one with the AFC Champion Miami Dolphins and the other with the NFC and Super Bowl VI Champion Dallas Cowboys:

The 2 patches shown above are courtesy of Craig. I would like to thank Craig for his assistance with this project as he has been very gracious in providing me with pictures of patches that I don't have in my collection.

I'd also like to quote Cowboys expert Andy who was asking me about this particular Cowboys patch today. As I can attest since I can't seem to find one - "This one was tough!!"

1973

Once again there are 2 NFL Shield Patches with the AFC and Super Bowl VII Champion Miami Dolphins and the NFC Champion Washington Redskins:

1974

In 1974, the sticker designs changed a bit. The Conference Champion & Super Bowl Champion patches replaced the NFL logo with the respective Conference logos, and the NFL logo was reassigned to another patch.

The AFC patch is paired with the AFC and Super Bowl VIII Champion Miami Dolphins while the NFC patch is paired with the NFC Champion Minnesota Vikings:


The NFL Logo replaced one of the Rams patches that had been double printed in 1972 & 1973. For the first 2 years, the Rams helmet patch could be found paired with the Chiefs and the Steelers. Beginning in 1974, the Rams helmet was only paired with the Steelers, which allowed Fleer to swap out the double printed Rams helmet for the NFL logo.

1975

Following the same pattern as 1974, there are AFC, NFC, and NFL Patches. The 1975 patches consist of the AFC Logo with the AFC Champion and Super Bowl IX Champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFC Logo patch once again features the Minnesota Vikings:


The NFL logo is once again paired with the Chiefs. As with all the 1975 patches, TMs were added this year.

1976

Due to the addition of the expansion Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fleer replaced the Conference & NFL logos with the new teams, so there are no Conference or NFL Logo patches in the 1976 set.


If you've been following along with the posts over the last few months, I hope you have found the look back at these enjoyable and informative.

Before I move on to more Fleer football releases, I've got one more cloth football patch set to review, so stay tuned!

Fleer NFL Football Cloth Patch Stickers - Washington Redskins

We finally come to the last team in our review of the 1972 - 1976 Fleer NFL Football Cloth Patches - the Washington Redskins.

The Washington Redskins have 4 different Fleer Cloth Patch helmet variations and 1 Hi-Gloss helmet sticker. The single bar facemask variation from 1972 & 1973 is on the top. Along with the facemask chaning from a single bar to a double bar in 1974, the background color changed from gold to yellow. The 1974 patch is on the middle left, and the 1975 version with the TM is on the middle right:


The 1976 Cloth Patch and Hi-Gloss sticker are on the bottom row.

There are 4 logo Cloth Patch variations and 1 Hi-Gloss logo sticker for the Redskins. The cloth logo patch from 1972 & 1973 is on the top. It can be distinguished from the 1974 logo patch because the color used in the name and in the circle around the logo are gold, just like the gold background on the helmet patch shown above. The color of the name and the circle around the logo changed to yellow in 1974 as seen on the middle left. The 1975 TM version on the middle right:


The 1976 Cloth Patch and Hi-Gloss sticker shown on the bottom row.

We'll wrap up the review of the 1972 - 1976 Cloth Patches with a look at the AFC, NFC, and NFL patches coming up in the next post.

Fleer NFL Football Cloth Patch Stickers - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the NFL as one of two expansion teams for the 1976 season just in time to appear on Fleer's final Cloth Patch set.

Here are the Buccaneers' 1976 Fleer Cloth Helmet Patch (top) and the Hi-Gloss Helmet Sticker (bottom):


Both the helmet stickers and the logo stickers were paired with the other 1976 expansion team - the Seattle Seahawks, just as the Seahawks helmet & logo stickers were paired with the Buccaneers. By pairing up the two expansion teams, Fleer did not have to change any of the other patch combinations in the set.

Bruce the Buccaneer, or "Bucco Bruce" is shown on the 1976 Fleer Cloth Logo patch (top) and the Logo Hi-Gloss sticker (bottom):


The Perfect Season: 0-14

No post about the Buccaneers first season can avoid mentioning the fact that they are the only team to post a winless season in a season lasting at least 14 games. Prior to the Bucs infamous season, the last team to go winless was the 1960 expansion Dallas Cowboys, who at least had a tie in route to going 0-11-1.


The Buccaneers in 1976 were dismal. They were shut out in over 1/3 of their games (5 out of 14) and were outscored 412 - 125. The average margin of loss was 20.5 points.

The team didn't fare too much better in 1977 as they continued their winless streak to 26 games before finally getting their first victory in week 13 of the season against the Saints. They also won again the next week against the Cardinals to finish the season 2 - 12.

By 1979 however, the Buccaneers had turned things around and won the NFC Central title and won their first ever playoff game against the Eagles. They went from being winless in 1976 to the NFC Championship game in 1979 where they played the Rams in a game that was a defensive struggle for both teams with the final score in favor of the Rams 9-0. Quite a remarkable change of events for a team that got off to such a disastrous start.

Fleer NFL Football Cloth Patch Stickers - Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks joined the NFL as one of two expansion teams for the 1976 season, and were therefore able to appear on Fleer's final Cloth Patch set.

Here are the Seahawks' 1976 Fleer Cloth Helmet Patch (top) and the Hi-Gloss Helmet Sticker (bottom):


Both the helmet stickers and the logo stickers were paired with the other 1976 expansion team - the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. By making these pairings, Fleer did not have to change any of the other patch combinations in the set.

Here is the 1976 Cloth Logo Patch, courtesy of Craig:


and here is the Hi-Gloss Logo sticker:


1976 Expansion Season:

One thing I remember about the 1976 season (which happens to be the first season I really followed the NFL) was that the Seahawks were an NFC team and the Buccaneers were in the AFC.


Then in 1977 each team switched conferences, where the Seahawks remained in the AFC until 2002 when they moved back to the NFC due to the NFL realignment (the Seahawks are the only team to switch conferences twice since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970).

I'd always wondered why the teams switched conferences after that first season, and found out that the NFL created a very unusual scheduling arrangement for both expansion teams for their first two seasons.

Rather than play the traditional home and away game against other teams in the division, some games against other teams in the conference, and an few interconference games, the NFL made the Seahawks and Buccaneers "swing" teams that played each team in their conference 1 time (which would have been 13 games as the NFL season was 14 games at the time) and 1 game between the two expansion teams. In 1977 the teams switched conferences, and did the same thing. This way the expansion teams played against all the other NFL teams during their 1st 2 seasons.

In 1978, the schedule increased to 16 games, and the Seahawks and Buccaneers remained in conferences where they had played the 1977 season, and began playing a normal schedule.

Fleer NFL Football Cloth Patch Stickers - San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have 4 different Fleer cloth patch helmet variations and 1 Hi-Gloss helmet sticker. The single bar facemask variation was produced in 1972 & 1973 as seen on the top. The helmet changed to a double bar facemask in 1974 as shown on the bottom:

Craig contributed the picture for those hard to find 1975's with the TM:


and here are the 1976 Cloth Patch and Hi-Gloss Sticker:


As the 49ers underwent a logo change after 1972, there are 4 logo cloth patch variations and 1 Hi-Gloss logo sticker. The 1972 patch on the left shows the vintage 49ers logo which incorporates the "49" into the design:


while the more familiar logo which is simply the helmet decal is on the 1973 & 1974 patch on the right.

Once again, Craig offers an assist with the 1975 TM version:


and we finish up with the 1976 Cloth Patch and Hi-Gloss Sticker:


For a better look at the vintage 49ers logo as shown on the 1972 patch, here is a nice version from Chris Creamer's Sportslogos.net site:


Its too bad the 49ers no longer use this design as it has a very cool and unique look to it.

Fleer NFL Football Cloth Patch Stickers - San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers have 4 different Fleer cloth patch helmet variations and 1 Hi-Gloss helmet sticker. The single bar facemask variation with the 60's - early 70's white helmet was produced in 1972 & 1973 and is shown on the top. The helmet changed to dark blue with a double bar facemask in 1974 on the bottom left, and the 1975 version with the TM is on the bottom right:


Thanks to Craig, here is the 1976 Cloth Patch:


and here is the 1976 Hi-Gloss Sticker:


There are 4 logo cloth patch variations and 1 Hi-Gloss logo sticker for the Chargers. The cloth logo patch with light blue was issued in 1972 and 1973 as seen on the top. When the Chargers helmet changed to blue, the logo color charged to a darker blue in 1974 as seen on the bottom left with the 1975 TM version on the top right:


Craig contributes again with the 1976 Cloth Patch:


and finally we have the 1976 Hi-Gloss Sticker:


While we're on the subject of the Chargers' logo, here is the original logo from their debut in 1960 when the team was in Los Angeles which had "LA" in the logo:


and here's another version from a set of AFL plaques that was produced in the mid 1960s:

Fleer NFL Football Cloth Patch Stickers - St. Louis Cardinals + Bonus AFL History Lesson

The St. Louis Cardinals have 4 different Fleer cloth patch helmet variations and 1 Hi-Gloss helmet sticker. The single bar facemask variation from 1972 & 1973 is on the top. The double bar version from 1974 is on the middle left, and the 1975 version with the TM is on the middle right:


The 1976 cloth patch and Hi-Gloss sticker are on the bottom row.

There are 3 logo cloth patch variations and 1 Hi-Gloss logo sticker for the Cardinals as the same cloth logo patch was issued for 1972 through 1974 as seen on the top left with the 1975 TM version on the top right:


The 1976 cloth patch and Hi-Gloss sticker shown on the bottom row.

AFL History Lesson: How the Cardinals were responsible for the birth of the American Football League.


In the late 1950's, the Chicago Cardinals were in trouble. They had lost nearly $1 million during the decade, and the team's owner Charles Bidwell had died. He left the team to his widow, who remarried a man named Walter Wolfner. As Chicago was a Bears town, the Cardinals were considering a move.

Many prospective owners came calling on the Wolfners, including Lamar Hunt. After negotiating for months with the Wolfners with no success, Hunt traveled to Miami in February 1959 to meet for a final time to try to work out a deal. Walter Wolfner seemed intent in staying in Chicago after all, and was not going to budge on accepting an offer to sell the team. In the meeting he mentioned that many other people were interested in the team, including an oil millionaire named Bud Adams as well as groups from Denver and Minnesota.

On the flight home from Miami, a frustrated Hunt suddenly had an idea - if the Cardinals weren't going to be sold, and the NFL was not going to expand (Hunt had been told by NFL Commissioner Bert Bell that the NFL was not going to expand and the only way he could get a team was to buy the Cardinals), why not form a new football league?

According to Michael MacCambridge in America's Game,

Lamar had a sudden burst of inspiration on the flight home and began sketching his plans out on any paper he could find on the plane. By the time the plane landed, Lamar Hunt had drawn up the plans for the new league, including a rough schedule of games.

With the information he gained from his meeting with Wolfner, he contacted Bud Adams as well as the groups from Denver and Minnesota about starting up a new league, which became the nucleolus for AFL.

On August 3, 1959 a mere 7 months after his attempt to buy the Cardinals failed, Lamar Hunt announced the formation of the AFL, which would begin play the following year.

Had the Wolfners been willing to work out a deal with Lamar Hunt, there never would have been the AFL. Perhaps a rival league would have formed a few years later, and the NFL probably would have finally gotten around to expanding at some point, but they certainly never would have expanded to the degree that the AFL allowed pro football to expand with so many new teams at once. For a great look back at the AFL, check out Remember the AFL

Thanks to the Cardinals turning down Lamar Hunt, the inspiration to form a new league was born, and pro football would change dramatically as a result.

The AFL brought competition to the NFL, which quickly changed its mind about expansion and put the Cowboys in Dallas (to try to force Hunt to give up his plans for the league since his team was the Dallas Texans) and then got the Minnesota group to defect from the AFL to join the NFL as the Vikings (again trying to force the AFL to give up their plans). Additional teams were added in Atlanta and New Orleans a few years later.

Of course, the irony is that a year after turning down Lamar Hunt and giving him the inspiration to form the AFL, the Cardinals moved to St. Louis.