Miles was a huge baseball fan. Ever since he could remember, he had been collecting baseball cards. His dream was to one day have a complete collection of every baseball player who had ever played in the Major Leagues. That was an almost impossible goal given how long baseball had been around and how many players had suited up over the decades and centuries.
For now, Miles focused on building up his current collection and learning as much as he could about the players and teams represented in the cards he possessed. He started collecting in earnest when he was 5 years old and received his first pack of cards from his grandparents. That initial pack contained 5 cards and kicked off his lifelong hobby. Now at age 12, Miles had amassed a collection totaling 24 individual baseball cards spanning many different eras of the game.
His oldest card was of Nap Lajoie, a second baseman who played from 1896 to 1916 primarily for the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Naps. Lajoie was one of the first true baseball superstars and is considered one of the greatest hitters of all time based on his .355 career batting average. Miles’ card of Lajoie showed the athlete posing in his classic straight-on batter’s stance, ready to unleash with his powerful and consistent swing. The card was in worn condition given its age from the early 1900s, but Miles still treasured owning a piece of baseball history from so long ago.
Moving into the 1930s and ’40s, some of Miles’ other prized cards included Mickey Cochrane, Mel Ott, Joe DiMaggio, and Jackie Robinson. Cochrane was a legendary catcher who helped lead the Philadelphia A’s and Detroit Tigers to multiple pennants as a player and manager. Ott spent his entire career with the New York Giants primarily as a dangerous power-hitting outfielder. DiMaggio’s iconic card depicted the Yankee Clipper gliding across the outfield with effortless grace during one of his record-setting 56-game hitting streak seasons. And of course, Jackie Robinson’s card held special significance as it honored the man who broke baseball’s color barrier and paved the way for future generations of minority ballplayers.
In the post-World War 2 era, Miles had cards for players like Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, and Roberto Clemente. Musial was beloved for his consistency and class while representing the St. Louis Cardinals for his whole career. Campanella and Mays brought power and excitement to Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds as stars for the Brooklyn and New York National League franchises. Koufax rose to prominence with the Los Angeles Dodgers and cemented his legend through his epic years of dominance on the mound in the 1960s. And Clemente played with passion for Pittsburgh while becoming the first Latin American player to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.
Of course, no baseball card collection would be complete without some representation of the legendary teams and players from the 1970s until present day. Miles had a Hank Aaron card from the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves slugger’s record-breaking home run chase in 1974. He also had an Ozzie Smith card showing the Wizard of Oz making one of his trademark backhanded plays for the 1980s St. Louis Cardinals. From the steroid era, Ken Griffey Jr.’s smooth left-handed swing was captured on one of Miles’ Seattle Mariners cards. And he rounded out his collection with some modern greats like Derek Jeter from the Yankee dynasty years and Clayton Kershaw highlighting his deceptively effortless pitching style for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While 24 cards may not seem like a huge collection compared to the mountains of plastic that some adult collectors amass, each one held significance and a story for Miles. He enjoyed learning about the different eras and teams represented. His hope was that his collection would continue growing so he could learn more about players from baseball’s past. Miles also realized he had the privilege of witnessing modern baseball as it unfolded, and he looked forward to seeing which currentday stars might someday end up in a hall of fame or have their own iconic baseball cards decades in the future. For now, Miles was content with the dozen hall of famers and pieces of baseball history in his budding collection.
