Beyond the Byline: Replica baseball cards, real memories

Back in those good old days, my pals would gather on my front porch where we would play all sorts of games.

One game that was extremely popular was Strat-O-Matic Baseball. It involved dice and lineup cards that had three rows of options that, depending on the throw of the dice, a player would get a hit, ground out, fly out, strike out hit a homer or walk. The options were calculated somehow and all data was based on the players individual statistics from the previous baseball season.

All in all, it was pretty darn accurate.

We would each take our favorite team’s cards, formulate a lineup and “Play Ball!” Or “Throw the Dice.”

It was great fun. We kept detailed stats and standings and we played a specific schedule. We would also compile our lineups based on which pitchers we were facing — righties versus lefties.

We played other games too. One was flipping our baseball cards with winner taking all. And these were baseball cards of the early 1960s — big stars like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Al Kaline, Richie Allen, Bob Gibson, Willie McCovey, Lou Brock, Eddie Matthews and many more.

We would take the cards and flip them against the wall of the house. The closet card won and the kid would get to keep the cards. We never cared which cards we used — they were plentiful back then. We didn’t even know that the word “pristine” existed. We never gave a thought to the future value of these cards because of so many Hall of Fame players.

It was a game. It was fun. If we lost a Mantle or Mays, we would go to Jack’s Market or some other store and buy some more packs of Topps Baseball Cards. And as we looked through the pack, we would enjoy the bubble gum that was inside every package.

This was fun and we never considered what the future value of the cards would be. Heck, we would even put baseball cards in the spokes on the tires of our bikes to make a cool sound. That function was usually reserved for our favorite players.

My favorite player was Mickey Mantle, old No. 7 of the Yankees. The switch-hitting centerfielder was a power hitter who hit for average. He could run like the wind and he always hustled. Unfortunately, “The Mick” was often injured and his statistics suffered.

When I tell you that I had multiple Mickey Mantle cards for every year of his career, I am not lying. They were my most treasured possessions. I kept them in a separate shoe box in my closet. I used to love to read the backs and marvel at Mickey’s stats. I also got a kick out of the facts listed and the cartoon.

My mom and dad and I traveled to New York often to attend weekend Yankees’ series. My Aunt Betty, dad’s sister, was an even bigger Yankee fan than me and she loved Mickey Mantle.

One time we arrived for a Friday night game versus the Red Sox. We were staying for all four games — Friday night, Saturday night and a doubleheader on Sunday. So when the Yanks were trailing by two runs in that Friday night game, dad asked me if I wanted to leave in the 8th inning. I looked at my scorecard and saw that Mantle was due up sixth in the bottom of the 8th.

So we left, much to Aunt Betty’s chagrin.

When we got back to the Yankee Motor Lodge, we heard Aunt Betty screaming from the adjoining room. Mickey Mantle had his a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to win the game. I thought I might not make it til morning.

Several years after Mickey retired, I met him at a news conference in the Poconos. A group had brought Mickey in to speak at a dinner and they had a press briefing. I got to meet Mickey, shake his hand and I told him that story. Mickey gave me two autographs — one for me and one for Aunt Betty.

It was a thrill of a lifetime. That’s why when I visited Commerce, Oklahoma, I went to see Mickey’s childhood home. The current residents invited me in and I actually stood in Mickey’s old bedroom.

And now I think about those days on my front porch flipping those baseball cards and playing Strat-O-Matic Baseball.

The replica cards I have are great.

But the memories will always be real.