A copy of The Sporting News, which I didn't even know existed as a publication, arrived by mail in a plain brown wrapper that Friday afternoon; it was addressed to a 9-year-old me and was from 1212 N. Lindbergh Ave. in St. Louis, Mo. For the '60's, this was a Mad Men-like move to gain the attention of thousands of kids rooted in sports. I didn't know how my name got on their mailing list, and I didn't really care. I was just glad The Sporting News had found me.
On the cover of the tabloid newsprint magazine was a black-and-white photo of Cepeda, aka The Baby Bull, whom the Cards had just obtained. The Redbirds would insert Cepeda at first base and ride his homer-happy bat to in World Series in 1967 and a repeat appearance in 1968. Cepeda was the 1967 National League Most Valuable Player upon hitting .325 and driving in 111 runs. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. in 1999. (Oh, and St. Louis eventually would flip him to Atlanta in 1969 for Joe Torre).
But back to TSN. I couldn't begin to imagine there was a publication devoted primarily to baseball, with delicious morsels about every single Major League team, statistics, columns and much more.
After a few trips to Talbert's News Agency in my hometown of Mexico, Mo., to claim my weekly dose of enjoyment, information and ecstasy every Friday, I soon secured the first of many year-long subscriptions. And I saved each and every copy. They're still in Rubbermaid bins in my basement.
My last renewal, about four years ago, was for 300 issues for $19. The rate — and size and publication frequency reductions —probably tell you a lot about cutthroat competition, slow-to-react and sometimes hallucinating leadership (TSN Steakhouses, really?) that have led to the recent financial struggles facing this once-proud franchise, which four years ago abandoned its St. Louis roots after 122 years, for, gasp, Charlotte, N.C.
For the sake of marketing and domain, my TSN has become, simply and sadly, Sporting News. It still doesn't sound right. And if you read this piece from Baseball America — today's Bible of Baseball — you'll understand.
While some of my contributions are neatly surmised in the fifth paragraph from the bottom, the author is dead wrong about the year TSN became a glossy, four-color magazine. That transpired with the Dec. 8, 1997 issue. Prior to that time, The Sporting News utilized process color on newsprint.
I still have a small, lucite-encased replica of the first four-color magazine in my office. (I just snapped a quick photo, and will replace it if someday I ever get around to going through those dusty basement bins).
I still have a small, lucite-encased replica of the first four-color magazine in my office. (I just snapped a quick photo, and will replace it if someday I ever get around to going through those dusty basement bins).
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