The ads, or at least part of them, are up to my left. This comes as a stroke of good timing, as every single one of you was in the market for a Giants hat. Like, now. Don't be shy.
There was something which caught my attention in one of the ads, though. Clicking on this memorabilia ad takes you to a nice site. My face is numb, however, from all of the incredulous squinting I did after seeing these two items next to each other:
Juan Marichal autographed baseball: $43.00Harold Jeffcoat autographed baseball: $39.00
Maybe that isn't clear enough for some of you. In layman's terms:
Best Pitcher in San Francisco History: Much Cheaper than other Hall of FamersThe Brooks Kieschnick of His Time: About as Cheap as Marichal
Incidentally, Jeffcoat never played for the Giants. He couldn't have been drafted by them either, because he played before the advent of the draft. The Giants did have a Jeffcoat once, and he was part of the gravy given to the Giants for Johnny Lemaster.
The real surprise isn't the price of Harold Jeffcoat's ball. There's probably someone right now who is trying to scrape together an autograph collection of the '51 Cubs, and will meet the price to finish it, renovations to mother's basement be damned. The surprise is how cheap Marichal is compared to the other players. Cheaper than Gaylord Perry, Gary Carter, and even cheaper than Bill Madlock.
So, here, today's post is set aside for the appreciation of the underrated Juan Marichal. Click on the link, and take a look at his stats and brief history. Imagine Jason Schmidt, but for about nine more seasons. Then take advantage of the buyer's market, and buy the ball. Look at the ad. Loooook. You are getting whimsically spend-happy. You are getting whimmmmsically spend-happy.
Quick edit: After reading this again, it sure seems like I was pushing hard for someone to actually buy the ball. Not the case, as I was just trying to be funny. And failing, it seems clear on a second read.
If you have $40 burning a hole in your pocket, please visit Larry Mahnken at Replacement Level Yankees Weblog and make a donation. Larry is a long-time blogger and presence over at Baseball Primer who just lost his apartment to a fire. He could use the support of everyone in the internet baseball world who can give it.