Baseball cards as they used to be

Winter storm's coming - who cares? I'm looking ahead to baseball time. Pitchers and catchers report in a couple of weeks. Spring training gmes beginthe first week of March. Opening day is just two months away. My Indians have the perfect strategy for the upcoming season. As of this writing they've signed only one free agent, a catcher who will be a mentor to the club's three prospects. We'll see how that works out; could be a repeat of "Major League's" Tom Beregener character who led the team to success and a win over those Yankees. Anyway, reading Cleveland.com, it seems like everyone's down on the team and jumped on the LeBron/Cavs bandwagon. He's an amazing basketball player for sure and he plays in Cleveland, at least for this season. His heart seems to pulled to New York City, kind of like C.C. Sabathia. Back to this 2010 strategy by the Tribe. If everyone thinks the team could sink below the Royals then the only way is up. I'mhoping the team jells under new Manager Manny Acta and all these prospects start developing. Then, if the veterans like Grady Sizemore (my favorite Tribesman), Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook get healthy, and Fausto Carmona and Johnny Peralta rediscover their grooves, 2010 will be fine for the team and fans.

Thinking of baseball sends me back to my childhood when we'd collect baseball cards. In the 60s we didn't collect cards to put in nice three-ring binders. No, any self-respecting young baseball fan in Warrensville Hts. had them stacked like playing cards and grouped together by team with rubber bands. Then we'd use them as poker chips. Three Bob Turleys (ugh, he was a Yankee) helped protect you from having to use a prized Mudcat Grant, Max Alvis or the ultimate for Cleveland kids in Rocky Colavito, if you had a really weak hand. The rookie cards, unless it was an Indian, were good for clipping to your bike wheel assembly so the spokes hit them to make a sound that can only be described as the ultimate in cool on Lee Hts. Blvd. Wehn we got bored, sometimes we'd pitch cards against a wall in a variation of the pitching pennies game. Then there was the slab of bubble gum with each pack. Awesome!!!