First…I offer my sympathies to Tom Seaver’s family. Although he and his team were responsible for “breaking my heart” during the first World Series I ever watched (1969, Orioles/Mets), I developed great respect for him as a competitor. His friends and teammates always spoke of him as a good person.
In The New Bill James Historical Abstract Bill wrote this, “There is actually a good argument that Tom Seaver should be regarded as the greatest pitcher of all time.” Bill rated him sixth. Part of that argument is that only one of the five ahead of him, Warren Spahn, even pitched after World War II. Bill again, “Where Seaver rates relative to those pitchers, then, depends to a large extent on how steep one believes the incline of history to be. Since no one can say with confidence how much tougher the game has become, it is certainly reasonable to argue that the accomplishments of early pitchers should have been marked off by more than I have discounted them, and thus that Seaver’s record, in context, is more impressive than Walter’s.” [Walter Johnson, whom Bill ranked number one.]
The “New” Abstract was published in 2001; the “Original” one, published in 1985, is probably still the book I have read the most in my life, even though I haven’t looked at it in quite some time.
From a Mets website–as opposed to the Mets website–a picture of “Tom Terrific.”
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The “reset” to which I refer in the title of this post has more to do with pictures than with anything else. Bring a Trailer has become very aggressive at breaking links to pictures on its website. Other sites, such as AutoTrader, are either breaking links or taking down listings that are no longer valid, which means the picture link is no longer valid.
When reviewing the contents of my blog, which I do on a regular basis (it’s called OCD) nothing makes me as mad as seeing references to pictures that are no longer displayed. When I can, I fix the post and add another picture. Anyway, I am going to find a “generic” picture of the car being featured and try to verbally describe the actual car.
In addition, I am going to be less concerned about mixing up the list and just write about whatever car I want for Frugal Friday. I will still continue to keep a list of Frugal Friday cars (OCD, duh…), but will not be bound by how recently I have written about a similar car.
Originally, I wanted to write about a 1968 Dodge Charger today. That car just missed being included in Ultimate Garage 2.0 and might be in version 3.0, if I ever do that. I just couldn’t find a decent one for sale for under $50,000 and think that to be a Frugal Friday car at that price means it has to be a good example of a more exotic and more rare car. Dodge built almost 100,000 Chargers in 1968.
From a site called zombiedrive.com (no surprise it’s not secure) a picture of a…1997 Lincoln Mark VIII. Such a car is currently offered for sale in the state in which we hope to be living in the very near future for $4,995.
The AutoTrader car is in Bright Toredor Red over Ivory. The car is advertised as having about 38,000 miles. Of course, I wrote about the Mark VIII here.
I mean how could you go wrong for five grand?! Although no Kelley Blue Book® value is listed, probably because these cars are not common, I really wouldn’t care if that value were $2,000. Here is a good-looking car with plenty of room for more than two passengers or for groceries for five grand. You know the car only has 38,000 miles, right? 🙂 It’s also probably not a slug as it weighs about 3,800 pounds and its engine produces 280 HP/285 LB-FT of torque, or at least that was the output when new.
Does anyone want to weigh in on this car? We would like to read your opinions.
#FrugalFriday
#TomSeaver
#BillJamesHistoricalBaseballAbstract
#1997LincolnMarkVIII
#somanycarsjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
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Disaffected Musings 
I was sitting in the press box at the Yankees’ spring training stadium in 1989. There was a man standing behind me. When I turned around I realized, Wow, that’s Tom Seaver. Then I looked at the 1969 Championship ring he was wearing and thought, I’m not shaking that hand.
Ironically I had a similar experience in 1985. I was sitting watching a football game in a department store in Washington, DC. A man was standing behind me. We chatted for a minute about the game before I turned around and realized it was Georgetown coach John Thompson, who passed away Monday. Two encounters I will never forget.
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Thanks for sharing, BB.
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As a casual follower of baseball in my youth, the Seaver name is quite familiar to me. When I was a youngster, I had quite a collection of baseball cards. I wonder how many thousand dollars I destroyed by clipping the cards to my bicycle fork with a clothespin. I didn’t take my collection with me when I went to college and my mother made it disappear.
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Thanks for sharing, sir.
I had a complete set of 1969 Topps cards. They were stored in plastic card lockers and the ones that didn’t fit in the lockers were wrapped in rubber bands inside a large cardboard box. All of them were in a closet in the basement, which turned out to be the only part of our house that flooded during Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972.
I should have included that story in my post about the Johnny Astro Syndrome.
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BaT recently was purchased by Hearst Media, so I suspect that is behind the changes in policy. Other changes have been implemented also; no more ebay/craigslist “finds” (maybe Kyle K died?) and seemingly less involvement with the enthusiast community. Perhaps some of the lack of involvement is related to less events due to the Kung Flu, but I suspect it’s now more about the bottom line.They have also emerged as a player in the auction results used in establishing values, as evidenced by a recent article in Hagerty’s print magazine, bringing them up to Gooding/RM/Barrett Jackson, etc as a value source.
I’ve been a “member” on BaT for 7+ years, bought 3 vehicles thru them and do miss the “old” BaT.
BTW; yesterday you opined that I have more courage than you. I doubt that, it’s just that we have different opinions of courage. I’ll wager there are things you have done that I wouldn’t do on a bet.
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I appreciate your humility in dismissing my claim that you are more courageous than I. Still stand by the claim, though.
I am also a long-time BaT member and have half-heartedly bid on a few vehicles. My “success” with the online Z06 purchase last year gives me more courage (speaking of) to buy a car on BaT.
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It is always sad when a great sports figure passes, especially one of the caliber of Tom Seaver.
The Lincoln Mark VIII would be a good choice, especially with the 4.6L modular V-8 and the 4R70W transmission.
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Thanks, Philip. As I wrote, at about five grand I don’t think I could go wrong. Well…except to incur the wrath of Karma in buying a car built by a company founded by a virulent anti-Semite *ssh*le. Obviously, I don’t mean Henry Leland.
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Henry Ford had his serious faults and his eccentricities. He was also a close personal friend with Henry Firestone and Thomas Edison. They used to go out “camping” together, if you could call what three millionaires with their family and staff would do out in the woods as “camping”. He also was a friend of Edward Kingsford who helped Ford buy some land for wood production for Ford cars. They worked together to produce charcoal from the wood waste and the product was named Kingsford…..after a not so successful time named for Ford. See here:
https://www.kingsford.com/country/about-us/
Anti-Semite “persons” elicit an anger in me which I find hard to contain.
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