Greg Larson wanted to live the big league dream, but after batting .091 during his senior season, he knew his only way he was getting into a pro clubhouse was if he worked there. Fresh out of college, Larson searched for any opportunity to get his foot in the door. When a spot opened up at baseball's lowest rung with the Baltimore Orioles short season Class-A Aberdeen Ironbirds, Larson jumped at the opportunity.
The ensuing two years completely flipped his perception of a professional baseball player's life. Minor league life was filled with squalor and despair, with salaries that hugged the poverty line. He decided to chronicle his wild two year ride with Aberdeen in his new book, Clubbie: A Minor League Baseball Memoir.
Larson joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast for a candid talk about the ups and downs he experienced while working in the clubhouse and how it forced him to grow up quickly.
Hall of Fame legend Willie Mays turned 90 on May 6, 2021, and the entire baseball community celebrated the milestone with a variety of tributes including a grand celebration at Oracle Park.
As part of the festivities, the Giants announced the creation of the Willie Mays Scholars program, which will offer college prep and support to Black high schoolers in San Francisco. The initial class this fall will include five students who will receive $70,000 in support, including up to $20,000 in scholarships.
“I have always made kids my priority by helping them in any way I could
throughout my playing career and life,” Mays said in a statement. “To
have the Giants Community Fund and the Giants ownership group create
this program in my name and to provide a path to college for Black
children in our community means the world to me. I can’t wait to meet
the first class of Willie Mays Scholars to offer my encouragement and
support.”
Mays was a World Series hero for the New York Giants in 1954, his infamous catch of Vic Wertz's smash during Game 1 paved the way for the Giants to sweep the Indians. While the World Series odds seemed a longshot at +6000 for the Giants to start the 2021 season, the club's first place standing during Mays' celebration could be the inspiration needed to drive towards another championship appearance.
While honors have poured in across the landscape offering Mays his flowers, we take a look back at our coverage of Mays throughout his career, often through the words of his teammates.
2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Base Set and Checklist
2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Cards
The base set features 47 athletes and five additional cards dedicated to the league and the upcoming Athletes Unlimited softball season. Click here for the set's checklist.
The cards are on glossy stock with the backs dedicated to their personal and professional bios, as well as their college accolades. An interesting aspect of the card design is the interlocking feature between cards when placed side-by-side.
“It’s a dream that I didn't know I was supposed to have,” Lichtman said. “Growing up in volleyball, you just
don't expect to get that same kind of level of visibility and
recognition because you never had it. I didn't even think I should be
thinking about it, but now that it's an actual possibility and an actual
thing happening, what an amazing thing! I grew up in a sports family;
we used to buy baseball cards, and my brother collected them. To know
that Topps, which is the name in baseball cards, is giving us our own set and giving us space within the platform that they have, is just kind of surreal.”
2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Autographs and Parallels
2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Parallels and Autographs
With each athlete signing 50 cards for Topps, more than 75% of the sets will contain an autograph. The autographs are of the sticker variety, as the short season necessitated a quick turnaround for the set.
In addition to the autographs, each card has four parallels as part of the rainbow, with the elusive Gold 1/1 being the chase cards here. The three other parallels are: Purple / 50, Blue /25 and Orange /5.
The set provided for this review featured a Sherridan Atkinson Purple parallel /50 and a signed Nia Grant card.
2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Set / Box Break Video
Topps' partnership with Athletes Unlimited Volleyball is a major step towards tapping into a huge market for one of the most popular sports in the United States, as girls' volleyball is the second most widely participated high school sport in the country. As interest in the league grows, watch for more young fans turn into collectors of their favorite athletes from the league.
He also explained what it was like to play through the pandemic, including winning the 2020 World Series and what the Dodgers are looking forward to in defending the title in 2021.
