I always enjoy seeing APBA mentioned in the news media even if it’s just briefly. First, any PR for the game is good, in my opinion. Second, it’s interesting to see which sportswriters/athletes have played or encountered the game.
This time it’s Tim Griffin who interestingly covers college football for ESPN. His article about nicknames which ran a couple weeks ago invoked his childhood memory of playing APBA baseball. The nicknames on the top of many of the cards seemed to stick with him.
Says Griffin:
I love nicknames and always have. I think it started when I was a kid playing APBA baseball and football and found the occasional nickname found on a player card. It always seemed to give a player a little more color and pizzazz back in those pre-cable television days when I’d be lucky to watch one or two games a week.
I admit, nicknames do add a bit of "color" to the APBA cards.
I can’t help but think sometimes that some of those nicknames are a crock. I mena, who outside of APBA has ever heard Barry Bonds called “Sledgehammer”?
hehe yeah.. sometimes I wonder about some of the names too. For years, George Brett had “Mullet” on his card. I happened to work with the mother of the trainer of the Royals. so I had her give one of Brrett’s APBA cards to him for George to sign.
The story from Nick Swartz (the trainer) is that Brett signed the back of the card then looked at the front kinda funny. He said, “Mullet!!?, that’s not my nickname!” Then he crossed out Mullett on the card and wrote “Lou”.
“There, that’s better”. he said.
I love that story and it makes the card worth that much more to me.
It’s exciting that the Huskers is joining the Big 10. Next year promises to be challenging for the competition. Yowzers