About the Authors
Tom Zappala is a businessman in the Greater Boston area who has a passion for anything related to baseball history. He has had a particular interest in the T206 collection for about 20 years, focusing on player profiles and backgrounds, and enjoys the hunt for new and exciting information on the lesser-known players. He is also the cohost of a popular talk radio show broadcast in northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. He loves his wife, his four great kids, and his Red Sox. Those things, along with a Grey Goose martini and two baseball-size olives, make life great.
Ellen Zappala is president of ATS Communications, a multimedia marketing and consulting company. She was publisher of a group of six newspapers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire for many years, and also served as president of the New England Press Association. She has developed a fond affection for the players that are featured in this wonderful collection, especially for those that overcame great odds to make it to the big leagues.
Joe Orlando is president of Professional Sports Authenticator and PSA/DNA Authentication Services and editor of Sports Market Report. An advanced collector of sportscards and memorabilia, Orlando is the author of The Top 200 Sportscards in the Hobby and Collecting Sports Legends. He has appeared on several radio and television programs as a hobby expert, including ESPN’s Outside the Lines and HBO’s Real Sports.
Lou Blasi has been a talk radio host in the Greater Boston area for the last 12 years, and is the senior analyst for Insiderbaseball.com with credits on MLB.com, ESPN Radio and the Chicago Sports Review. Blasi was program director for an all sports radio station in southern Florida broadcasting the Florida Marlins, Miami Dolphins, and Orlando Magic. He is also a minor league talent evaluator.