Williamsport, PA is busier than ever this week thanks to the 2023 Little League World Series.
Little League teams from all over the world have found their way to Williamsport.
Pin collecting is very popular during the Little League World Series. Little League teams, individuals, organizations, and local businesses all have their collectible pins ready to go.
I made it around Williamsport beginning at Dairy Queen. From there I moved onto various businesses on 3rd and 4th Street. My pin collecting trip ended on Williamsport’s Golden Strip which has a lot of chain restaurants. Lunch was a cheese dog and fries at Five Guys.
Topps made a quick appearance over at the Little League complex. They handed out baseball cards and other prizes for one day. No pins. Topps should have made some pins designed to look like baseball cards to hand out. I believe they missed a real big opportunity here once again.
At the end of the day I ended up adding over (30) new pins to my collection.
Most pins need to be acquired in person. Only a few places sell them online. You’ll find a lot of people attempting to flip them on eBay.
Popeyes ran out of their pins quickly. I was able to snag the last one.
Bases Loaded statues downtown Williamsport – Cy Young, President George W. Bush, and Jackie Robinson
In June of 2000 the Phillies celebrated the 20th anniversary of their 1980 World Series Championship.
Before the game, legendary Phillies’ broadcaster Harry Kalas was out on the field introducing many of the key players from that 1980 team.
Mike Schmidt, Tug McGraw, Garry Maddox, and Greg Luzinski are just some of the top names who returned that night to Veterans Stadium to celebrate. Of course Tug McGraw had to make a big entrance on a firetruck.
The team then got on a truck and did a victory lap around the field.
My dad and I made the drive to Philadelphia to watch this event. It was my second or third time visiting Veterans Stadium.
Attendees to the game received a VHS tape titled “Glory Days: The Story of the 1980 World Champion Phillies”.
Pictured below are some photos that we took using a film camera. I’ve never shown them to the public until now.
Tug McGraw making a big entrance.
Victory lap around the field.
The team signing a large card. Mike Schmidt is walking to his seat.
The Harrisburg Senators (AA Nationals) took on the Altoona Curve (AA Pirates) on Saturday, July 29th.
The Senators went on to win big 13-3.
Former Senators catcher Michael Barrett got inducted into the Senators’ Life Size Bobblehead Hall of Fame.
The first 1,000 fans inside FNB Field received a replica bobblehead of him.
Michael Barrett was a top draft pick within the Expos organization. He was selected as the 28th overall pick in the 1995 draft.
Tom Brady was the 507th pick by the Expos in 1995. I like to think that in some alternate universe Tom Brady played for the Senators, and they made a life size bobblehead of him.
Barrett went on to play for the Expos, Cubs, Padres, and Blue Jays. At the end of his playing career he finished with a .263 batting average, 98 home runs, and 424 RBIs. In 2005 he won a Silver Slugger Award.
It was a hot night in State College, PA watching the Spikes take on the Keys over the weekend.
The Spikes went on to win 13-9.
A retirement party was held for former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford.
Sean Clifford played for Penn State from 2017-2022. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The first 1,000 fans received a Sean Clifford bobblehead. If you happened to be one of the first 250 fans in the stadium in addition to the bobblehead you also received a poster. The poster is of the 1922 Penn State football team that went on to win the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day 1923. Sean Clifford’s face has been Photoshopped onto one of the other player’s body.
It was an epic MLB Draft League showdown between the Williamsport Crosscutters and Trenton Thunder on 6/30/23. The Williamsport Crosscutters went on to win 8-4.
The first 1,000 fans received a Dick Allen bobblehead. It features him in his 1962 Williamsport Grays uniform.
Dick Allen should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame years ago. His credentials are more than worthy. He went on to play for the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox, and Athletics. This 7x All-Star was named AL MVP in 1972.
If you’re looking for a Dick Allen rookie card you can find it in the 1964 Topps set.
Williamsport has had a baseball team for decades. 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Crosscutters calling Historic Bowman Field their home.
Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field is where they play the MLB Little League Classic.
On Sunday, August 20, 2023 the Philadelphia Phillies will play the Washington Nationals in this year’s MLB Little League Classic.
On Saturday June 17th I watched the Harrisburg Senators (AA Nationals) take on the Erie SeaWolves (AA Tigers).
No sooner did we pull in the parking lot a baseball flew out of the stadium and hit the hood of the car. It must have been from batting practice. The ball rolled across the parking lot and was picked up by someone else.
The Senators went on to win 7-0.
Prior to the game I looked over each team’s roster to see if any names stood out. Nothing jogged my memory when looking at the SeaWolves roster, but a few names jumped out from the Senators.
Robert Hassell III and James Wood are two popular minor league prospects within the Washington Nationals organization. Both are currently playing for the Senators. Wood blasted a 2-run home run.
Anyone remember Blake Rutherford? Back in 2017 he was one of the top prospects everyone was hoping to pull. He’s been bouncing around the minors (originally starting with the Yankees), and played for the Senators this year. I was hoping to see him play, but he was promoted to the Rochester Red Wings on Saturday. Rutherford has been hitting the heck out of the ball recently. His cards are a lot more affordable today compared to six years ago.
It was Hawaiian night. The Harrisburg Senators held a luau on City Island.
The first 1,000 fans received a Luau Rascal bobblehips. Even the Senators wore Hawaiian-themed jerseys.
1st in line for the Luau Rascal bobblehips giveaway
My fourth and final bobblehead game of the summer took me back to Harrisburg, PA. The Harrisburg Senators (AA of the Washington Nationals) took on the Erie SeaWolves (AA of the Detroit Tigers). The Senators lost 8-4.
When the Nationals traded Juan Soto to the Padres one of the players they received in return was CF Robert Hassell III. Hassell is currently playing for the Senators. Doing a quick eBay search you can clearly see collectors/investors think of him as a major prospect in the minor league system.
It was Playeros de Harrisburg night. According to the Senators “Harrisburg’s “Playeros” identity, which roughly translates to “beachgoers,” connects the familial bonding of going to the beach to the importance of family to the Hispanic community. The beach-themed moniker also celebrates the team’s home on City Island.”
The first 1,000 fans through the gates received a Playeros de Harrisburg Iguana bobblehead. Both the head and tail bobble. It looks like something you’ed get if you combined Jurassic Park and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
On Friday, July 29th I saw another MLB Draft League game. This time the game took place in Happy Valley between the State College Spikes and Mahoning Valley Scrappers. The Spikes went on to win 6-3.
You know if I’m attending the game there must be a bobblehead giveaway. The first 1,000 fans through the gates received a talking bobblehead of Wally Triplett. Upon pushing the button on the bobblehead’s base the crowd cheers “We are… We are… We are… Thank you.”
Who is Wally Triplett? He was a halfback who played for Penn State in the 1940s. After college he went on to play for the Detroit Lions and Chicago Cardinals.
Wally Triplett’s career accomplishments:
Back – 1948 Cotton Bowl – caught the game-tying TD pass – 2018 Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame Inductee
1949 Draft Choice – Detroit Lions – 1st black player drafted by an NFL team to play in the NFL
Single-game Lions record – total kick return yards – 294 – (10/29/50)
1st NFL player drafted to serve in the Korean War
594th Field Artillery Battalion, United States Army
Good luck to everyone attending the National Sports Collectors Convention this year in Atlantic City, NJ. It runs from July 27-31.
There are a lot of card shows held all over the country all year long, but in my opinion the National Sports Collectors Convention is the best. Others will argue with that thought and that’s ok. Its always had a little bit of everything for collectors. Looking for that $0.50 base card to complete a set? Need to get an item autographed? Interested in looking at museum quality cards and memorabilia? Want to voice your opinion on a topic directly to a card manufacturer or other business involved in the industry? These are all things you can do.
I will not be attending the show this year. In 2016 I went when it was held in Atlantic City, but I just decided I didn’t want to go through the travel process. Lets not forget the price of everything is through the roof as well. The Atlantic City Convention Center didn’t impress me very much either. I wasted a lot of power in my wheelchair going from the parking garage up to the area where the show was being held. Cleveland, OH will always be my favorite venue. Now that the I-X Center is back open for business, I hope the National Sports Collectors Convention considers placing them back in the rotation. The second you walk into the I-X Center the show is right there in front of you.
Content will not be in short supply. Each night I look forward to seeing what went on that specific day. Just don’t believe everything some of these “influencers” who have popped up over the last few years are telling you. They may make it look as if they’re living a high and mighty lifestyle, but so many of them are in debt up to their eyeballs just to keep their show going. Others will use undisclosed non-sports card related income to make it look as if flipping cards is their only job. Some will even arrange fake deals just for video views. A lot of manipulation can and does go on.
Cash is king. So take plenty of it. Dealers accept all types of payment methods, but cash is almost always preferred.
Topps usually holds a Q&A meeting after show hours one of the days. If you have a VIP or Media Pass I would recommend signing up for it ASAP. Typically only (150) spots are available. From my experience Media Pass holders can get in to the show well before VIPs. During this Q&A session you can learn a lot about what Topps has planned for the future. You can also voice your opinion on certain issues. At the conclusion Topps hands out a special card to everyone who attended.
If you’re looking to buy boxes and participate in some of the manufacturer’s wrapper redemption programs, I’d suggest checking out Marty’s Sports Card Exchange. I’ve always found his prices to be very decent. His booth can be located in the corporate area.
The five days will go quickly, but take time to soak it all in. Safe travels. Have fun. Good luck.
It was a hot night for a baseball game in Harrisburg, PA. The Harrisburg Senators (AA of the Washington Nationals) took on the Altoona Curve (AA of the Pittsburgh Pirates). At the end of the night the Senators won 2-1.
One of the main attractions on City Island is the Harrisburg Senators Life Size Bobblehead Hall of Fame. Each year they induct a new member. On July 23, 2022 we saw former WHTM ABC-27 Sports Director Gregg Mace get inducted. In 2019 he passed away. He never missed a Senators opening day from 1987 to 2019. The first 1,000 fans through the gates received a replica bobblehead.
On August 27, 2022 the Harrisburg Senators are scheduled to give out a Playeros de Harrisburg Iguana bobblehead. Although they haven’t posted any pictures of that bobblehead on social media yet, I did see some images of it around the ballpark. It looks really cool.
Cheeseburger, fries, and a dish of chocolate ice cream for dinner.
Sports Card Info 
