So yes, Sweatin' to the Oldies...do you recall this classic series of work out videos that starred fitness guru Richard Simmons whom was feminine gayish and cryptically androgynous that was one of the great flamboyant yet weird personalities of the 80s who looked like he could fit in wrestling as a funny jobber or even a fan favorite mid carder Well if you don't here's the really cool Vintage video to remind you



So with seeing that do you now Well as you saw that VHS cost $39.95 which Tapes cost a lot back then. She said that it was the hottest workout video in America and it wasn't rented or sold at stores. Well classic Commercial lady I got news for ya, I saw this or a video like it of Richard Simmons over at Movie Mogul around this time who was the great video rental place in My old neighborhood and was owned by the Daughter of Annie Burke whom I just showcased in My previous presentation that is a can't miss. I have never forgot that moment of it over there Now I wasn't interested in this sort of thing, it wasn't wrestling or anything like that but My Grandma MiMi sure was. She saw that commercial and apparently she really liked this so she called that number, placed her order & bought it for that price in 1988/1989 because she liked Richard Simmons and old classic songs. I had expressed in PB's Topic how she got Me into classic songs of the 50s - 80s which she'd play on the local radio station KLOU.103 FM in her cars. It was always fun times about that So when she got it in the mail she watched it however I really don't think she ever worked out to it even though she was quite athletic as she was a great ballet dancer till her teenage years when she got injured. If she ever worked out to it, it must have been a time when I wasn't around like at school, at a friend's house, with My Grandpa or Mom or something like that because I never saw her do it. However starting in the mid 90s or so she never watched it again because things was just changing. I loved to look at & feel that VHS Cover so I adopted it and kept it in My VHS collection and I think I only seen it once back then. I still wasn't into it but now it's a bit different. I'm into it not for the exercise but for the sheer history of this series that spawned several more entries that created a franchise So she got the THE original version from THAT VERY commercial and NOT the Warner Bros./Warner Home Video version release. Here's the Front & Back of the VHS Covers. They look really good and are in terrific shape. Click My pics to see and open up in a new tab for maximum viewing detail



Here's a side view of the VHS Box and the VHS Tape itself. Like I said, this is THE original copy. This was by Richard Simmons' own fitness diet company called Deal-A-Meal which I really dig that name because it sounds really cool, classic & fun and it was approved by the AFAA/Aerobics Fitness Association of America. Look at that Copyright of 1988, this year marks Sweatin' to the Oldies' 35th Anniversary, can you believe that much time has gone by already Again open up the pics in a new tab for maximum viewing detail



So there's Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies from the 1988 that I adopted from My Grandma MiMi. Did you expect this to be a showcase from Me I hope you liked it and maybe were a bit surprised. OK. Now what's next in line for My Odds & Ends is going to be a absolute huge, multi-part presentation of My Baseball Collection I wanted to get Annie Burke, My Weather Books & Sweatin' to the Oldies archived first as I associate them with this time of year. I want to get to My Baseball showcases now while it's still Summer and while it's Baseball Season I hope your gonna wonder of what I got and all that and anticipate it, in the mean time please check out Annie Burke in My previous showcase and possibly more that you missed here in My very crucial Odds & Ends, until the next presentation I'll see you around

Love Richard Simmons. Used to watch his infomercials with the family for a chuckle. Crazy you have these on tape. I bought a NECA figure of him recently.

I'm glad you like him Acid and that you bought his NECA figure I'm glad that you shared that you used to watch him with your Family. I like to hear stuff like that Oh, well like I said, this was originally My Grandma's and I don't like getting rid of things especially if their memorable & historical. Thanks for checking this out and for your reply Acid, I appreciate that very much

That's correct, it's finally here Now if you have read My grand showcases over at in My Vintage & Modern Action Figure Topics then you already My story about Me & Baseball. If you somehow missed out on those presentations then you seriously need to get caught up and see some of the most visually stunning spotlights you've ever seen. In short I wasn't a huge MLB fan till 1998 thanks to Mark McGwire but it seems like there has always been a spark in Me about the sport since I was little. I can never say the same for Football, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer or any other sports. I never could get into them. Like Wrestling & Boxing, there was something always something super exciting to really like in Baseball. So this will be a big, multi-part presentation as I go down in memory lane in chronological order as best as I can present them from year to year. Now I'm a proud individual from St. Louis (I'm using the word old school way, not this Generations' way) and My home team is the The St. Louis Cardinals. Nobody has ever said on this board whether they like that team or not. I can't know with anybody not saying so. If you seen as much Baseball games as I have and was faithful to the sport like I once was back in the day and saw & really paid attention to the opposite team and their city then Mine should be no stranger to you. I pay attention to other cities I've never been to as well as detail. Your gonna see a lot of St. Louis within this showcase and if you know My city a little bit and just now seeing this then go early on within this very crucial topic of Mine because I have showcased some great books about My city of Saint Louis, MO. I hope you'll like what I have in store for this one so without further adieu let's play ball



Here's the first Baseball item that I recall having that is made by the defunct Laich Industries. It's My St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Helmet from when I was a youngster. I believe My Mom got it for Me when I was experimenting what I like and so forth. Where she got it I have no clue but I recall wearing this when I was quite young and it's still in good shape



I recently found this in Our Garage right above My Vintage Star Wars R2-D2 Toy Toter that I showcased in My Vintage Action Figure Topic. I saw it and I'm like there it is, that's the first Baseball item of the kind I recall having. The Strap inside of it is still really great but it is quite small as it doesn't fit My now adult cranium which when I find and try to use this classic Vintage stuff of Mine it shows Me how much I've grown since



There is no copyright but Laich Industries is on there with a nice sculpted warning on there



Next up is arguably the one I wanted to do the most out of this lot which is this...



Now I recall this like it was last week. My Grandma got Me this really rad Topps Baseball Sticker Book over at National in the great year of 1990. I was still contemplating on liking the sport because nothing, I MEAN NOTHING compared to WWF and Wrestling in general in Mind. I remember getting this over at their frozen food isle. This is the same National Grocery Store that I just recently showcased within this very imperative topic when I presented My Playing Card Games and I showed My truly wonderful Batman Returns Playing Cards which was THE last item I ever got from National before they went out of business thus being taken over by Schnucks. So this book only cost 50 cents, isn't that amazing On the cover is the great Don Mattingly. So the book is barley filled with Stickers so I wasn't that serious on collecting this sport at this time. Here is a few pages of it. First is the team standings, statistics & highlights.



Next up is the 1989 World Champions the Oakland Athletics, now this was such a super time and look how fun this two page spread is I love how it's all laid out and how "Bash Brother" Jose Canseco is there



So here's My St. Louis Cardinals. I look at this now and it's like dang I didn't get not one sticker of a Red Bird Really There's their arch-rival the Chicago Cubs Back in the day was no game I'd rather watch than a Cards vs. Cubies bout, how could you ever pass that opportunity up Here's the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox & Kansas City Royals. I sometimes root for the Royals and I love it when their against their state counterpart Cardinals in Interleague action, it's always quite a fun time




So here's the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, California Angels and the unbeatable Oakland Athletics. Holy crap...look at that, LOOK AT THAT, I actually got him I got Mark McGwire then in 1990 and I didn't even give him a chance back then



My goodness I got My Baseball hero then and I didn't even know till 1998 Oh I'm quite grateful that I got him however during this fun time



Here's the 1989 National & American League Player Stats, there's a ton of stuff there for a stat freak like Myself



Here's the All-Star & Future Stars Section plus the Order Stickers Section



Here's a close up of the Mail Order Stickers Section if you missed out and needed some. There's the Back Cover that has a special ad for Topps Magazine as well as a complete Baseball Card Set plus the 1990 Topps Copyright



LOCATION!

Now I have talked about National many times here in My Odds & Ends Topic, Vintage Action Figure Topic as well as other topics on the board. It was one of the important stores of My childhood that I had great times & memories at. I saw My first wrestling books at their newsstand there, live lobster that I loved to look at but never ever thought about eating them, a wonderful bakery plus they had a great Halloween section and there is one event that I captured and posted here on the board in My Vintage Action Figure Topic which is My Cowboys & Indians which you can see that and so much more here ---> http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/general-toy-discussions/my-vintage-action-figure-collection-willow-1988-t1087-220.html
Don't be one that never goes back and only checks for new posts, you'll miss so much if you do and besides, My showcases are worth more than a second look because you'll always notice something new that you never seen before Now here's a picture collage that I made of National a while ago. Seeing this really brings Me back to those great times of My childhood. As I said before I deeply go into detail and express so much within the link I provided. While there's not a ton of stuff of National online, there is some but not as much as I would like for there to be which people really aren't doing much at all about this If you had good times somewhere that is no more from the past then you should show your love for it, talk about it and keep it going and I hope this is one store that is National never ever falls to oblivion because I'm trying My darnedest of preventing that from happening



Next up is...



Yes, this is the official St. Louis Cardinals Magazine but this was a very special edition because it was the 100th Anniversary of the team as it was 1892 - 1992 I really have no idea how I got this. It is possible We got it in the mail for free to entice Us to subscribe however I cannot before-sure of that or any possibility for that matter. We have "The Wizard" Ozzie Smith on the Front Cover. As you open the Magazine up immediately your greeted by the news team at KPLR Channel 11, Airfare Hotline Travel Service as well as the Table of Contents & Magazine Information.



Now KPLR Channel 11 was really the one to watch because they had such great fun stuff on. I've talked about it before how it was some of the most absolute exciting weeks for years because every Saturday Night they'd have Freddy's Nightmare's @ 10:00 PM, then Friday the 13th the Series at 11:00 PM and then The Three Stooges at 12:00 AM Midnight - 3:00 AM plus Monster & Kaiju movies Oh these were the times. We'd have the great cartoons during the week, wrestling on Saturday plus great horror shows. Unfortunately they took them off air around 1990/1991 but dang, I pity this generation to have not experienced this because it was such a great time to be a kid and I'm quite grateful that I did This channel was great. I have a very special St. Louis Cardinals Baseball VHS Tape that I had My Grandma get from them that I will showcase in time. They still exist right in Downtown St. Louis and they are now partners with Fox 2. I have always liked My local channels since I was a youngster



Here's about The Cardinals going West in 93 as well as Budweiser.



Here's Shuffle the Cards and a special crossover of The Weatherbird with Fredbird. Weatherbird has continuously being on the Front Page and in the Comics of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch since 1901 thus making him the longest-running American newspaper cartoon and a mascot in history Then we begin with Ozzie...



He's going for the record of 2000 Hits & 7000 Assists and there's a lot more of him going on here as well




Here we see the "Mad Hungarian" Al Hrabosky in his prime which you can still see him on Cardinals TV as a color commentator as well as commercials. There's the Cardinals' 1992 Schedule & Busch Stadium Seating Guide plus Baseball Stadium Model Replicas to order plus a Stan Muscial VHS to get at JCPenny's



Here's the Back Cover that shows MC Sporting Goods that specialized in Russel Athletic. They were all over MO but I never went to one that I recall and unfortunately they went out of business in 2017 Here's My Cardinals Helmet, Topps Sticker Book & Cardinals Magazine together





Oh but wait I'm not done yet because I just found a bonus Topps Baseball Card of "The Hawk", "Awesome Andre Dawson" I have no clue how I got him and for some reason the Back of the Card is blank. This isn't a Sticker. He may have been My first Baseball Card ever and look at the 1990 Copyright



Here he is with My Topps Sticker Book which how apropos they're both from 1990



So that will will do it for Part 1 of My Baseball showcase and I hope you liked it. Keep track of My Odds & Ends because Part 2 will be at hand soon, until then I'll see you around

I remember that Don Mattingly sticker album. I used to love those things. And the Transformers and GI Joe ones. I remember McGwire had some good power numbers right away, he just couldn't stay healthy in the early 90s. I remember the old price guides always touted Oakland A's minor league cards back than from Mother's Cookies. I never got any being on the east coast, though. I have some okay AAA baseball cards but most stars skipped AAA, so not many superstars. The A's had some stars back then, though...McGwire, Canseco, Walt Weiss, Mickey Tettleton. Good times.

Well that's good PB. the Sticker Albums were superbly fun, see if there's any like that now for kids to do and have as much fun with them that we did back in our day. I didn't know that about Oakland A's AAA cards. Yes they did and you always want to keep a player like that as healthy as possible. Thanks for your reply PB, keep a look out for part 2 soon

Here we go with My Baseball Collection Part 2 which will deal even further into My "Origins" so without further delay here is My old St. Louis Cardinal Baseball Cap that I really never wore except for the last day of school of 1989 possibly 1990. My Grandma probably got it for Me at a good store of the past like Venture. I believe I have pictures of Myself during the school parade in an old Family Photo Album somewhere around here all in Cardinals Gear My Cap is still almost brand new as I haven't worn it in decades and had it in My Chest of Drawers ever since



Here's a comparison with My St. Louis Cardinals Helmet seen from Part 1



Here's My St. Louis Cardinals Button with Ribbons & Pewter Ball & Glove. I think I got this from school because they had a lot of Buttons to win but sometimes I would just took things It's a great looking Button



Here's the back of it and I actually have another sans the special garments



Since it's My city I thought I'd now show this as a special bonus that I am including for this Showcase is a St. Louis Blues Button that was in My Big Box of Buttons. However this just isn't a St. Louis Blues Button, this is a special & unique Ted Drewes Frozen Custard item. I'm really not sure how I obtained this but possibly at school as well



Now if your not in the Mid West much less Missouri then you probably don't know anything about Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. It's the most famous of all Frozen Custards in the state. He's got two locations, 1 on Grand that was hardly ever opened near where Ben Franklin's & Sears was and the other is on Chippewa that has always been insanely busy where Grandpa Pidgeons was. Ted Drewes's commercials are always on Fox Sports Midwest during the Cardinals & Blues games. Here's his logo and here's the man himself



Now this is the location on Chippewa, right across the street is the great Donuts Shop Me & Grandpa used to go to which their still there. We'd be like look at that crazy crowd of people at Ted Drewes. Ted Drewes is absolutely huge for sports here I mean their pure St. Louis history. Really there's not that many that's more iconic than them. Tourist have come here to just to try them out and as Ted would say..."It's really good guys...and gals"



So here's My Cap & Buttons together



Now part of this you can count as special & early entry for Halloween



So here's My Grandma's St. Louis Cardinals Eveready Flashlight that I just very recently found It's a good old fashioned version before all of these fancy gimmicked ones in this modern age. This is the 100th Anniversary Edition: 1892 - 1992 and I believe it was in conjunction with My Magazine seen in Part 1



Here's the sculpted logo of Eveready, their headquarters is right here in St. Louis Missouri



I've seen their building in person many times, their listed as Energizer - Eveready Battery Company, Inc. (Main Office) - St. Louis, MO 533 Maryville University Drive St. Louis, MO 63141. Its a really cool looking building



Now as a spooky bonus here's two Eveready Classic 9-Lives Cat Batteries that I found sometime ago and their quite old but still look good and I have always thought since I was a youngster they looked good for Halloween time




So here's My Grandma's St. Louis Cardinals Eveready Flashlight with My 100th Anniversary Cardinals Magazine seen in Part 1 together. It's really a shame that I do not know how these came to be with Us if it was an offer or what but is all I know that I have them and I'm showing this really cool history



As a special entry her'se 2 of My St. Louis Cardinals Bendables which you can see the whole showcase here in My Vintage Action Figure Topic ---> http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/general-toy-discussions/my-vintage-action-figure-collection-willow-1988-t1087-80.html



As another special bonus entry here's My Kenner Starting Lineups that I had greatly showcased in My Vintage Action Figure Topic a while back, You can see that in it's entirety plus a ton of great deal of more Vintage stuff from Me

http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/general-toy-discussions/my-vintage-action-figure-collection-willow-1988-t1087-320.html

So I have the Pete Rose & Johnny Bench two pack of the Baseball Greats that My Grandma surprised Me with that she got over at Venture in 1991 then I have 3 figures that I won at the St. Louis Children's Hospital via Bingo in 1994 which is Joe Magrane, Mark Langston & Albert Belle plus a Shaquille O'Neal All-Star figure from his 1993 Shaq Attack series that Me & My Grandma got out of the Schnucks on Loughborough of the the Jewelry Vending Machine. Again you can check out the entire showcase at the link I provided above



So now I'm going to talk a bit more about St. Louis Children's Hospital because this was a crucial part of My life. First it was in the Summer of 94 when they gave Us two free tickets to St. Louis Cardinals against the San Francisco Giants. I was sick and all that trying to adjust to My new life cause I'm only 13 going on 20 (think Gary Coleman without being a celebrity and being 10 times worse!) so My childhood was basically over due to My conditional sickness that has made Me the person that I am today. So that game was a big victory for the Cardinals, I recall that the The Giants couldn't do anything against them, it was one of those games that was really one sided. Here's a recent picture of Downtown St. Louis, it's kinda close as to how I recall that good day with My Grandpa PoPo to be



So in 1995 after I had gotten well, I was misdiagnosed by a jack $%! doctor, got bad ill and I fell into a severe coma for days around Thanksgiving. See My Star Wars Collection for an additional story about that and what My Grandparents got Me Thanks to My Grandma Mimi she caught on what what caused it and she told them...long story short she was correct and let's say that Dr. that I despised took a permanent leave So while I was in the ICU and barley aware of things as they were still draining the meds from Me and giving Me the cure, some St. Louis Cardinals and others came to the hospital to visit all the sick kids. I was laying there in the bed and I saw Red Birds there and they gave Me some Baseball Cards to have and these are kept in My great bind with My other Baseball Collections






So there was two St. Louis Cardinals that signed their Cards and that was Tom Pagnozzi & Bernard Gilkey. Despite My condition I remember this very vividly, in fact I recall a lot of this quite well, it's something you don't forget especially if you've gone to hell & back as many times as I have and I'm not bragging, I'm just telling the truth I don't recall what they said to Me but I know they were kind. I didn't know them at the time though however when I became a huge Baseball fan three years later fan in 1998 I would see Pagnozzi playing for them but Gilkey would be playing for the new expansion team the Arizona Diamond Backs and it was cool that I was in time to still see them play for a little while before they retired. So here's a close up of their 95 Cards that they AUTOGRAPHED for Me



Now I also recall that Fredbird & Ronald McDonald was there too but I was really in and out when they were there. These were the real deal too I mean this Ronald McDonald was THE ONE that you see in all of the classic 80s & 90s Commercials that Me & PB has posted in his Toy Commercials topic



So here's St. Louis Children's Hospital. It's right near Downtown & Barnes. While I have had bad times there I have had some fun times as well. Now after I was completely out of My coma and went into rehab to get back in shape as a 14 year old cause My body was so stiff, I was able to walk round by Myself. I had many times over there late at night walking & travelling around exercising and even going on the 13th floor One day in December some big Football Players that was part of the St. Louis Rams visited and I while I didn't know them I was quite excited and the one guy was huge, at least 6ft 5" and 300 pounds. I hugged him and held his huge arms and stayed with him till to he said bye in the elevator. I don't recall who he was but one day I may go further about it Now sometimes I think back on the patients that I saw & knew there, I say about how bad I was...there was people far worse than Me and I hope they all got well Now I also think of the nice people that worked there including the nurses that I liked. When I was sick I liked Trish, she was an older big tall black gal and she kinda resembled Urkle with her little flattop & glasses, she was very sweet wore the such good perfume. Louise was good but gosh she was so darn rough. There was also a great looking blonde nurse that really looked like Sonya Blade from Mortal Kombat 3 and I told her that and she was quite flattered. My second pediatrician was a blond too and nice looking, she looked like a mixture of Alundra Blaze & Laura Linney. There was a few other female nurses that I really liked and that liked Me too including Pebbles who was heavyset & brunette but pretty. My favorite nurse however was Joe, he was big and bald, he looked like a mixture of Sean Connery & Richard Dreyfuss because of his glasses, eyes and expressions. He was so nice. They all tried their best to help Here's St. Louis Children's Hospital, they have remolded it over the years but it still kinda looks the same in these pictures that I made




Now also from that set of Baseball Cards I would very serendipitously meet Jose Oquendo but this would come 5 years later in the year 2000 under much better circumstances when I am well



It happen in the Spring of 2000, Me & My Grandpa PoPo are going to the new driving Golf range in Hoffmeister South County, the place I won My little Mr Potato Head Figure Keychain seen on Page 1 here in My all imperative Odds & Ends. There teeing off was Jose Oquendo and We were like holy cow, THAT'S HIM We knew it was because We watch him every week since 98 as the 3rd base Coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. We talked to him for a while about the games and how his golf is and so on. I cannot recall word for word but it was really cool meeting somebody that you see on TV all the time especially when it was quite unexpected. So here's where Hoffmeister South County is. This is very recent from earlier this year, it looks similar in ways how it did then over twenty years ago. Unfortunately that Golfing Range went out of business really not to long after We met Jose



I really liked it, it was huge with such a massive landscape. I saw a ton of wildlife there. Sadly you cannot tell this was an open range, so many people have no clue what this place once was but I am glad that I do



So I have actually met other St. Louis Cardinals but that was at the games and I'll get to that in time This will conclude My Baseball Part 2 and I hope you liked it. Part 3 will be at hand shortly, until then I'll see you around

So you saw that I met some St. Louis Cardinals and others under very different circumstances, some not so good and some that was. So now I'm off to My Baseball Collection Part 3: Inception and this will deal with a small Baseball Card Selection that I got from various lots at stores like Walmart from in around early 1998 when I was starting to get into the sport but I wasn't there just yet so again, this is NOT My main Baseball Card Collections/Sets. Again I had watched Baseball off & on for a while but it was mostly during the World Series which the most memorable one was when I was watching the 1996 edition when Joe Torre & his New York Yankees defeated Ted Turner's Atlanta Braves with My Grandpa. It was something seeing the Braves because We were watching WCW on a regular basis. So the wick was always there, I just needed the spark so at various early times in 98 I'd get some Baseball Cards but I wasn't that serious but when My attention was caught by a newspaper in the middle of 1998 when Me & Grandpa were at Our local 7-11 down the street late at night getting whatever We needed and I saw Mark McGwire on the front cover I wanted to know who he is cause I loved how he looked and I saw he was going for a big record and then "that wick was lit" and I be came serious about the sport now so I guess you could say I had an awaking I wanted a Binder to fit those miscellaneous Baseball Cards that I got prior to this night and this is the cool Collector's Card Album I got



So here's the first pages. Most notably I have a 1981 Donruss Joe Torre Card which is the year I was brought into this world so that was a special one to Me:o However I must mention a 1992 Donruss Nolan Ryan & Ricky Henderson as well There's a 93 Donruss Bernard Gilkey whom I met and talked about in My previous showcase. There's a 1990 Upper Deck of Jim Abbott whom was born without his right hand. I would see him play for a while before he retired in 1999.



I would get a 1994 David Segui and some 98 St. Louis Cardinals Upper Deck, I especially love the John Mabry one.



Now here's more St. Louis Cardinals 98 Upper Deck. Now the thing is I got Mark McGwire out of this various lot...



Here's a close look at it, I love how he looks here, he has somewhat longer hair and still has the rugged Oakland A's look that their known for back then. It's amazing that I got him because he was THE one for Me to get



Now here's these Omega Cards, these are arguably the coolest looking & feeling Cardswith the foil & raised graphics. I don't know how other kids & people thought at the time but with Me it was like I was waiting for Cards to be like this for ages instead of the regular cardboard types. I mean I was in awe when I first got those great Fleer X-Men Cards in 94, I mean those were like the originator of this style and were like the most awesome kind you could ever get but companies were all catching on to this new standard that would be so radical that is if you cared about fancy details how the Cards feel which stuff like this always has and always will intrigue Me, I adored the feeling of special covers of magazines such as WWF years prior These Omega Cards are such great ones that were really far superior than any Card before them simply because of that I thought that when I got them and that frame of mind still remains with Me as I type this. Now I don't have a lot of them, I didn't wise up till later. However I got a few good ones like Ivan "Pudge" Rodriquez, David Justice, David Ortiz and others that I would watch for years



I got the infamous Card of Bobby Bonilla when he first joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. I always wanted to see him play because I heard how great he was and was such a powerhouse. Well is all I saw was him on the bench till he retired as a NY Met. Now back on July 1st of this year PB posted about Bobby Bo Day in his Zen Topic so check out that story. Also I got Cecil Fielder whom I also wanted to see because he was also a huge guy and power player but he retired not too long after I "really" discovered him though however I do recall seeing him as a NY Yankee in 96 when I saw him win the World Series with My Grandpa plus I watched his son Prince Fielder a lot many years later as well




However, My two favorite players that I got was Jeff Kent & Jeff King. When I first saw these guys in action I thought Kent looked like David Arquette and King looked like Kurt Russel (93's Tombstone). I briefly seen King in 98 whom was a Kansas City Royal who is also a Missouri team and I was like I'll see him next season because it will be My first entire Baseball Season to watch. Well that didn't happen because before the 99 Season started he retired, collected his pension and he was perfectly healthy, nothing was wrong with him except the way he was thinking...his reasoning was that he hated Baseball despite he had been playing for over a decade and becoming a top hitter. This has always boggled My mind because it's like you take all that time in the minors to get to the majors and your living your dream then you don't like what your doing and/or doing just for the money...either this story is really fishy or he was really dense However I got to see Jeff Kent for a number of years against My St. Louis Cardinals and he always had My attention and quite frankly he was really one of the best players I ever seen




So here's more Omega Cards, many of these guys I would watch for years and know very well. I was quite lucky getting the great David Wells Perfect Game Card too. Also during this lot I got some Topps 1989 Football Cards as well and since I didn't have any spark at all about that sport and I still don't so I never used any of them but to two very familiar faces...




Those two very familiar faces that I saw and knew were none other than "The Boz" Brian Bosworth & Howie Long I knew them because they were movie stars to Me and not footballers. Bosworth was in the great 1991 hardcore actioner Stone Cold and Long was in the great 1996 film Broken Arrow as well as the 1998 actioner Firestorm. When is saw these Cards in that bunch I didn't want to disregard them because of that. Now it's kinda strange because just a while back PB posted the movies Broken Arrow & Firestorm because Long was in them both and then I thought heck with it, I'm gonna post Bosworth's Stone Cold. Well there's really been these strange coincidences going on over the past while now and this is one of'em cause I'm like dang, I'm working on My showcases with these two Cards of Boz & Howie and then that I mean what the heck is going on here I didn't want to say anything about them cause I wanted it be a little surprises for when people see & read this showcase so here's a closeup of them both together



So here's many Copyrights from 81 - 98 from many of the companies including Leaf



So here's the Back of My Collectors' Album Binder.



As you may have seen in on the front of My Collectors' Album Binder a little Sticker, this little Sticker is a very important one because not only is it a McDonald's Big Mac Land Game, it is also setting up what's next for Part 4 of My Baseball Collection so take a gander at this cool historic Emblem



As good as many of these are ultimately My favorite is Upper Deck which you'll see why in time. So now you know what is in store for My next presentation, it will be a great 1998 McDonald's edition when I fully became a Baseball fan and when I started to be crazy about "Big Mac" Mark McGwire and got a ton of his merchandise. Keep up with Me because it will be arriving soon and until then I'll see you around

Here we go with My Baseball Collection Part 4: McGwire & McDonald's This fourth presentation will be a crucial one because this is the time in 1998 when I became a huge Mark McGwire fan thus becoming a major Baseball fan for years to come Now these first items that I have are very special, so special in fact they are truly OOAKS because I believe I'm the only one in existence that has these simply because their unique customs



So you saw the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Logo above. Well they are Our local newspaper which is one of the most famous ones in the country, I mean if you love critics, Bernie Miklasz was the journalist for it for a very long time and it was such a great time getting these papers during the era of McGwire & the Home Run Race, there was never a better time before nor since. One day in September they had a nice cover and another picture that I fell in love with. So in love I wanted'em more than any part of the paper so I came up with the idea about making them into "something" but I was never good at making crafts and custom stuff so I looked to My Grandma and asked her about it and she's like yeah, I can make them as Stand Ups for you Angel So when it was all said done she did a wonderful job for Me 25 years ago THIS YEAR, THIS MONTH Here's My first Mark McGwire Stand Up, like I said, I just fell in love with it, he's away with the gray jersey, performing his mighty sweet swing. You can tell how she made & constructed this beauty



Now here's this one, this was the cover of one edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and I adored this as well. It was so awesome looking and I just had to have it. I was probably one of the only people that when saw the paper thought that of making it a Stand Up. While others throw things away without a single thought, I was always creative at wanting things like that ever since I was a youngster. You can see how My Grandma MiMi made & constructed this one too. Here he is



Here's a cool close-up of'em



Now here they are together side by side. The tall one is about 13" tall and while the shorter one is about 5" high or so. Like I said, I'm probably one of the only people that has these and I'm quite thankful for these and how I got them



Now here we go with a different entry that one may not expect



Yes, I have a a St. Louis Cardinals 1998 Baseball Schedule that I kept Me & My Mom went to many games in 98 and it was all so fun. Now notice this has the same exact picture as My Tall Mark McGwire Stand-Up just seen above which I was quite surprised that it was I mean it's such a tremendous looking picture probably most states never seen this other than Missouri which is a shame cause I dislike it when others don't know & see what "The Show Me State" has to offer however I've shown so much in here in all imperative Odds & Ends since the first page and more is yet to come



Here's the inside of the small booklet with the info, seating prices & areas.



Here's the game scheduled. Notice the Famous-Barr & Starter too, you can tell that this is 1998



Here's a closer look at the layout of the original Bush Stadium. It was such a great one. Like so many things history is being replaced and so many people aren't really isn't noting & thinking about it Never would I think that they would tear it down I know most of every inch of it because I was there so many times. Notice Broadway, that is a very historic street. In My Grandma MiMi's tribute I had revealed that the legendary late great wrestler that she personally knew, Joe Tangaro, his restaurant was there and unfortunately nobody has occupied it nor restored his history, it's really a depressing thing right there You can see the great Ancient & Gorgeous Mississippi River from Broadway way too so again and it's a great way to get to Down Town St.Louis



Now moving on to this special entry...



I have no idea how I got this Kansas City Life Insurance St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Gary Gaetti Card. This is in the same series as the Cards I got when I was waken up from My coma in St. Louis Children's Hospital in 1995 when I met Tom Pagnozzi & Bernard Gilkey seen in Part 2: Origins however it's clearly 1998. I'm thinkin' I got this as a freebie at one of the ball games in 98 which really leads Me to that conclusion...



Because My Kansas City Gary Gaetti Card and My St. Louis Cardinals 1998 Baseball Schedule was both together in My keepsake drawer with much of My Mark McGwire & Baseball Collectibles so here they are



So here I go about the main subject of this showcase is all about I don't know about other states but McDonald's & Baseball is huge together. I mean at the original Bush Stadium there they had Big Mac Land hence the great Sticker that you saw that concluded My great Part 3: Inception showcase. All of this history is fading away and with the help of so few like Myself, it is being preserved but it's not the easiest thing fighting the future So The St. Louis Cardinals is absolutely THE team of McDonald's here and another thing, their Logo is the double arches, St. Louis is The Gateway City with it's Arch in Down Town next to Bush Stadium so it's always been cool to know about the companionship of all of that not to mention "Big Mac" Mark McGwire



So We saw the commercial on TV and I'm like I gotta have those So soon after We went to Our usual McDonald's and We got three of four special Glasses in this set. they didn't have "The Running Redbird" Lou Brock of this special Dynasty Series but I'm glad who i got which here we have "Gibby" Bob Gibson whom is a St. Louis Cardinal legend. My Grandparents & My Mom told Me all about him when they saw him at the same time back their day. Also here's "The Wizard" Ozzie Smith whom I knew and saw in person and had the opportunity to meet but I didn't do it. In Part 1 & Part 2: Origins I showcased My 100th Anniversary St. Louis Cardinals Magazine with him on the Cover. Last but certainly not least is "Big Mac" Mark McGwire whom I wanted the most out of the three but I'm usually not a cherry picker and I'm so glad that I got what I could with the help of My Grandma taking Me there I've kept these Collectible Glasses in pristine condition as I have never used them and really why in the heck would you want to I mean really and they look so marvelous, they look as good now as they did when I first got them 25 years ago this year at McDonald's



Here's the back of'em which is very exciting and fun. I love how their designed with the trivia, stats, career highlights. I also dig the color scheme of them as a whole of the Glasses not to mention the McDonald's, Coca-Cola & St. Louis Cardinals Logos + 1998 Copyrights on the sides and in fact to this very moment, these McDonald's Dynasty St. Louis cardinals Baseball Glasses are still some of the most great looking Glasses I've ever seen




Now here's the McDonald's I got them at. This is the one I've talked about many times on the board in many topics. This is on Kingshighway which is a big long street that has a ton of history with a lot of fast food joints and much more was/is there which I could make a whole topic of that all on it's own They have remodeled it of course but doesn't look a whole lot different than what it did in 1998. I've been going here since I was a youngster which more on that in a sec...




Now South Town is a big area and I've known it all My life and most of it's ups & downs via it's changes since I was young. This is where Venture, Frank's Nursery & Crafts, National, Famous-Barr, Shop n' Save, Mrs. Brock's Karate School that I was a student at for a time plus so many more places that I know. Well arguably the most exciting section of this whole area is McDonald's and it's competing neighbor White Castle. It was always a hard choice when I was a youngster of what place to go to cause I was usually a Mickey D's kid however I loved the taste of White Castle and their building and like their opponent next door, they too had they own kind of Happy Meals and sometimes even better toys which I have showcased a little of them in My Vintage Action Figure Topic with some more to come in the future Now here's a recent look at how they are next to each other. Now like McDonald's, White Castle also remodeled their building too in around the early to mid 2000s.



It was always something going to each one as I'd love to look over the other way and be like yep, there they are. Here's the drive-thru where you can see both of'em



So I've showcased and talked about them many times previously because I care so much, back in the day when it was the old McDonald's and We'd go thru the drive-thru i'd look over there and see Venture which many times We'd go to Venture & Frank's Nursery before McDonald's. I have expressed this with much love in My other topics including this one I greatly presented Frank's and I have talk about them in as well as others and I hope you've been following Me here. These were such good and special times that I had in the 80s & 90s when I was a youngster. Today's generation really has no idea how fun it was then and I seriously doubt they ever wanted to know nor was taught about it in anyway which is really dejecting Sadly as good as 1998 was, this year of 98 marked the demise of Venture when they went out of business, it's always been so bitter-sweet for Me Here's the back way in McDonald's drive-thru and you can see where Venture was which is now a Burlington Coat Factory for about twenty or so years now, again so many people have no clue how fun this was



Now here we go with another special collection that I got at a different location of McDonald's and this is one of My most prized items regardless of genre and this is none other than...



This My McDonald's Salute to Mark McGwire & St. Louis Cardinals Baseball & Stand Set Me & My Family all went to South County's McDonald's to get them in 98. Oh I saw the commercial and I had to have them, thank goodness they had all three They are actually real & authentic Baseballs and at the time they were revolutionary Photo-Balls



Here's close-ups of the Balls with Mark's Records & Feats of when he hit 50 Homers Three Years in a row, hit #62 & #70 These pics of Mine speak for their-selves







Here's the McDonald's that is in South County on Lindbergh just down the road from where Toys R' Us used to be that I've showcased many times previously with My good topics I really have no connection to this location however compared to the one on Kingshighway as I believe this was the only time I ever went there which was solely to get those special Mark McGwire Photo-Baseballs & Stand Set because they were the only ones in My area that had'em, that's right, My Kingshighway location was out of stock Of course this one is remodeled as well.



Here's My McDonald's Dynasty St. Louis Cardinal's Glasses & Mark McGwire Photo-Baseball Set all together, I'm quite grateful that I have these and that I am able to showcase these to present in My all-imperative Odds & Ends



So that will conclude My Baseball Part 4: McGwire & McDonald's showcase and I hope you liked it and were surprised. before sure to check out the previous parts if you haven't Next will be a huge one that will show most of My Mark McGwire Collection so get ready for that, until then I'll see you around

Gary Gaetti was great for the 80s Twins. Bernard Glkey is a name I haven't heard in a longtime. I had a SEGA Genesis baseball game around that time, I don't recall which game. But I liked to be the Cardinals because of McGwire, Gilkey, and Ray Lankford. I really liked Jeff Kent as well, as I was still a bit of a Mets fan back then. Remember when he got hurt falling out of a truck? Lol.

Now Jeff King! That's a real obscure name. He actually played parts of several seasons with the Buffalo Bisons back then as they were the AAA affiliate of the Pirates. The Bisons had some great teams back then. They just built a new stadium, and the city was trying to get a MLB team. Rumor had it the Expos were down to either moving to Washington or Buffalo.

Anyway, two of my favorite Bisons back then were Jeff King and Jay Bell. I was sad when both got dealt to the Royals.




I actually have both of those cards somewhere. The Bisosn had some great teams back then with Bell, King, Orlando Merced, Carlos Garcia, Tom Prince. Benny Distefano, Rick Reed, Moises Alou even played a season here.

Those were some good times.

The other day after we got back from Cooperstown, I went through some of my cards with my son. We went to a couple card stores there, and my son got a box of 2023 Topps cards, and a few other random packs. He found an app where you scan the card and it gives you the value, so when we got home I pulled out the binders and stuff I could find, and we scanned some more. It's depressing what cards from the 80s and 90s are worth, lol. But I didn't collect them to get rich--though it would've been nice. Someday when they're a little older, I'll give them my card and comic collections. I think my comics have more value, since I was a old enough to have a job and able to afford more valuable comics, lol.

I wish I still had a favorite MLB team, but I really don't my kids a Jays fan since the Bisons are their current AAA team, so I guess I root for them, but they're Toronto, so it feels dirty rootig for anything remotely related to the Toronto Mapleleafs. That's a nice Cards collection you have their. I have a lot of Bills and Sabres stuff like that since they're the hometown team. And Packers, of course. But not as much baseball memorabilia.