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Morning Lineup – January 21

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Monday Morning – Watch Where You Click

It looks like the identity thieves have a new angle in their relentless pursuit of you bank account.  I don't often post these sorts of notices, but occassionally it is worthwhile to share an especially insidious scam going around.  This one first came to my attention Saturday morning when the following email popped up in my mailbox:

I am always keenly alert to pledges of financial windfalls and promises of good fortune and this one, you will agree, really smells.  First of all, I have never heard of Direct Logistics, a supposed delivery service.  And secondly, I haven't ordered anything lately that hasn't already been delivered.  And further, it is not normal for any delivery service to send such an email anyway.

So without clicking on it, I scrolled my mouse over the TRACK NOW link and read the URL that it leads to and saw that it comes from Australia.  Yeah, right.  Suspicions confirmed.  So my next stop was to enter Direct Logistics in a search engine to see what comes up and lo and behold, a whole big bunch of postings in forums from people who did click the link and learned that it asks for you bank account login number and similar intrusive data. 

If you become one of the chosen few to get this promise of good fortune, just remember… forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

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This was a sad weekend for the baseball community as two of the genuine legends of the game passed away.  Late Friday we learned that Hall of Fame former manager of the Baltimore Orioles Earl Weaver died from a sudden illness while on an Orioles-related sea cruise in the Caribbean.  The beloved "Earl of Bawlmer" was one of the more successful managers in the game's modern era amassing a .583 winning percentage over 17 seasons.  He will always be remembered for his feistiness and temper that led to frequent confrontations with the umpires over their calls.

Adult-language warning!

 

After an especially-heated argument he would often get thrown out of the game, but getting in the last "word" he would kick dirt on the umpire's shoes before heading off the field.  I believe he is the only manager in the game's history – maybe even the only player – to have been thrown out of both games of a double-header.  His constant feuding with his top pitcher Jim Palmer is one of the game's legends.  He leaves behind a lot of memories and fan fondness along with a statue in front of Orioles Park.  He was age 82.

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It was early the next day on Sunday that we learned that one of the true greats of the game, Stan "the Man" Musial passed away the previous evening at age 92.  The legendary slugger for the St. Louis Cardinals spent his entire 22-year career with the team and collected 7 National League batting titles, won three World Series championships, and was selected for the All-Star Game 24 times.

"Stan the Man" Musial

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While there's timeout on the field, let's get started on the equipment check.  I see that there is a need to replenish the coffee supply, so I'll tag up at the Bunn-O-Matic before we run to the day room.  See you there.

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Posted by on January 21, 2013 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , , , ,

Morning Lineup – October 28

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Let’s start off the day with one of those “nice stories” that don’t require any thinking to understand or absorb.  Just enjoy the moment while I tell you about a surprise legacy for a religious order of Catholic nuns.  The School Sisters of Notre Dame based in Baltimore, do charitable missionary work all around the world, thus always seeking donations to carry on their mission.

Recently a man whose own sister was a nun passed away and left all of his possessions to the order to dispose of how they saw fit.  The lawyer handling the estate notified the Sisters that one of the items that was being kept in a safe deposit box is one of the 60 Honus Wagner baseball cards that are known to exist.  He had apparently purchased it in1936 before such things had achieved the collectable values that they have nowadays.  There was a note with it in the safe deposit box that read,  “Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century!”

Honus Wagner

Honus Wagner (Feb. 24, 1874 – Dec. 6, 1955) played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1900 to 1917 and later served as a coach for the team from 1933 – 1951.  Eight times he was the major league batting champion with a career batting average of .327,  and five times he led the league in stolen bases.  His unusual speed on the base paths earned him the nickname “Flying Dutchman.”  In 1916 he became the oldest player ever to hit an inside-the-park home run.  When the Baseball Hall of Fame was created in 1936 he was one of the five original inductees.

His baseball cards that were issued by a cigarette company are legenday for their value due to their scarcity.  The last known sale of one was at auction in 2007  when a mint-condition card went for $2.8 million.  The American Tobacco Co. used the card as a premium from 1909 to 1911, but Wagner was reportedly uncomfortable with the enticement to children to buy cigarettes in order to get the cards.  So he refused to renew his contract with ATC and the card went extinct.  The exact number distributed is unknown except that there were less than 200 of them released.

The mint-condition card.

This card though, is in a very shabby condition.  Three of the borders have been trimmed off and there is a severe crease across it, and at some time it was laminated.

The card currently being offered.

The Sisters have decided to auction this gift now in order to convert the asset to usable funds for their mission and it is being offered through the Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas.  Their initial estimate of the value of this poor-condition card was $150,00 to $200,000, but as I am writing this the top bid so far is $180,000.  The auction closes on November 4 at 10 pm Central time and as you know, the big money shows up at closing time on these.  So if you want to follow the bidding (and maybe get in on the action?), CLICK HERE to watch the bid counter.  There is a reserve on the sale, but the webpage says that they will disclose the reserve today.

While we’re waiting for that revelation, let’s get this equipment checked out.  I’m going to get the coffee started now and then we’ll meet back in the day room in a little while.

Posted by on October 28, 2010 • Filed under: culture, morning lineup • Tagged: , , ,