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DMcDThe Zeenut Oana and the Paulin's Lalonde rank as my two sentimental favorites. The Oana is just the second vintage card I ever purchased. My Dad saw Oahu's Prince play with the Seals back in the thirties, and he was the subject of our very last conversation the night before he passed away in 2001.
While not a baseball card the Lalonde gets me hot and bothered every time I look at it. I spent a crazy long weekend in Saskatoon twenty-five years ago with my surveyor buddy Fraser. Frase wore a cowboy hat with a north arrow on the brim and drove an ancient red Dodge pickup with a case of oil and a Saskatchewan suitcase (a sack of beer) in the bed. We were sh**hammered from Calgary to Saskabush and back. At one point Frase bailed out my ignorant arse when I thought it would be funny to ask a drunken biker if he would mind sharing the pub urinal he was using. In the meantime I think I kissed every girl in Saskatoon, and generally had a hell of a great time which is why I love my Newsy Lalonde card.
Half a game out of first are these voluptuous Bee-ya-kins I acquired from Matt G. last fall. These guys look like ballplayers, no?
Frederick Marshall "Snake" Henry (b. July 19, 1895 in Waynesville, North Carolina - d. October 12, 1987 in Wendell, North Carolina) was a major league baseball first baseman and minor league manager. Henry played in a total of twenty nine games for the Boston Braves during the 1922 and 1923 seasons. He compiled a .187 batting average with four doubles, one triple, and seven runs batted in. Henry's greatest achievements in baseball were in the minor leagues where he compiled 3384 career hits (fifth all time in minor league history), 675 doubles, and 200 triples (both ranking him second all time. He also saw service as a minor league manager including an explosive stint with the Kingston Eagles in 1939. During that year, Henry physically attacked an umpire on the field after a close play at third. The assault included a knee to the groin, shoving and much swearing. It precipitated a near riot from the fans, and a one year suspension for Henry.
Bienvenido "Hooks" Jiménez: Led league in hitting in 1921 with .619 average (!!??). Stole eight bases in a game. Inducted in 1951 into Cuban BB HOF.
Edited to add the following information provided to me by Cesar Lopez (who has an outstanding website on the subject of Cuban baseball http://www.cubanball.com/index.html Check it out).
"The 1921 season was one of the shortest in Cuban league history (5 games only). Jimenez did in fact
lead the league with a .619 avaerage (13 hits in 21 at bats, both most in the league). He also lead the
league in runs (7), doubles (2), and stolen bases (3). In Cuban League play Jimenez would compile a .270
average (241 hits in 891 at bats). During the years he played 1913 to 1929 the Cuban League struggled with
money problems, promotional issues, competition from other latin countries, and political strife. Many
players of the period opted to play exhibition games in other countries and the Cuban league would suffer.
Some years the league was called short or completely cancelled."