tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87526417176659258382024-03-04T21:18:11.645-08:00From An Unlikely Source!TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.comBlogger381125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-88934102633641223802014-10-19T07:41:00.000-07:002014-10-19T07:41:16.813-07:00Black Sunday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_hvExKu6fLmqpLa6pEFXFcmydiDcdxzapoVGbnIruEjFsvOElC4fSWyHcg_c0W_LOjQXMiFS9cXsdhLgbgbPXiqnwkPFvhMoXwX90fmTqZRM6G9f157Wt1YsxuUcScO7d7ZSLKelsZqc/s1600/z542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_hvExKu6fLmqpLa6pEFXFcmydiDcdxzapoVGbnIruEjFsvOElC4fSWyHcg_c0W_LOjQXMiFS9cXsdhLgbgbPXiqnwkPFvhMoXwX90fmTqZRM6G9f157Wt1YsxuUcScO7d7ZSLKelsZqc/s1600/z542.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></div>
Since the Royals and Giants are this year's World Series participants, that was a good enough reason to me to do a couple of posts of cards of Padres manager Bud Black from his playing days with each team. Both posts are linked below.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/2014/10/19/7001861/bud-black-royals-cards-mustache" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ghYi0lchSPVvl2OVURenu9SlRwBvg2qL_hfczruTrsOl5tQJe73GoGUt8XE-K9mlyBvVh0ws3eJxhGxYnXSd-Gan2qTdJQ1SRexwuPIxuPhWBahyVnad3YnRvkoyf1LBy8v6qDX0VDac/s1600/sbnation-share(5).png" height="200" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/2014/10/19/7001745/bud-black-giants-cards" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMi3kKkRmXTqsYPei6QO8vA61Q5OWZkLd-QW6Udxmy-aDTFsm4XikcHVJt3v2_4AsRrAk2addx5k43Th2V_Ibj0590BAwdQhbY7hQOxNArCuWhGokbeE2xVqkcibZguEmsC5GXHie7MVFY/s1600/sbnation-share(4).png" height="200" width="400" /></a></div>
TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-59303383264004034252014-10-15T08:09:00.001-07:002014-10-15T08:15:47.562-07:00A couple additions to my Ball Four collectionI don't collect much aside from Padres and Joey Cora, but one side collection I have is of guys who were mentioned in my favorite book ever, Ball Four.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29Hb8zq7_aq2bemMWikB14PPTGMsgCHB62_1GEb316Lh5m4aKJZLlWgGaRScVqCo5mTQI4fIYmnVIQEmrIDbF5mCKI10SQe6ltOufYZEqphkQ8gv8W0vFS8KIgLL_9caOk1MUaKyx6mZa/s1600/z528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29Hb8zq7_aq2bemMWikB14PPTGMsgCHB62_1GEb316Lh5m4aKJZLlWgGaRScVqCo5mTQI4fIYmnVIQEmrIDbF5mCKI10SQe6ltOufYZEqphkQ8gv8W0vFS8KIgLL_9caOk1MUaKyx6mZa/s1600/z528.jpg" height="276" width="400" /></a></div>
Fritz Peterson didn't pitch for either the Pilots or the Astros in 1969, but gets mentioned a few times in Ball Four due to the fact that he and Jim Bouton were roommates back in the Bulldog's Yankees days. While being included in such a groundbreaking book is the main claim to fame for most of the players, Peterson earned his own unique spot in baseball history independent of his inclusion in Ball Four. He's best known for trading lives with teammate Mike Kekich: wives, families, the whole nine. It happened around the same time this 1973 Topps card was released, and Peterson has been happily married ever since.<br />
<br />
I took a look at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Peterson" target="_blank">Peterson's Wikipedia page</a> to double-check the date of the swap, and found a couple interesting bits of trivia I had no idea about:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
During the final game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, September 21, 2008, ESPN Sports announced that Fritz Peterson had the all-time lowest earned run average at Yankee Stadium, with a 2.52 ERA. Whitey Ford was second with a 2.55 ERA...<br />
In 1969 and 1970, Peterson had the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the American League. Peterson also led the league in fewest walks per 9 innings pitched 5 years in a row, 1968-1972. The last pitcher who did that 5 years in a row was Cy Young...</blockquote>
Peterson was an All-Star in 1970, like Marty Pattin was in 1971, not that anyone remembers that about either one of them. My main recollection of Marty Pattin is that he did a spot-on Donald Duck impression.<br />
<br />
I really should make note of every player mentioned in the book next time I start it from the beginning. Less than halfway through that sentence, it occurred to me that someone else has most likely done that by now. I guess either way I'll see which players I need to be an at-least-one-card-of-each-guy completist.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-77436293176789175502014-10-04T16:04:00.000-07:002014-10-04T16:04:02.015-07:00Autograph Extravaganza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQXQPeTeet4MjD9ox0-4svnV9l_daYeN36re6a76eBOkHUs9vDm7iyVRGQKmVrJCCenBkAlxEa81Bc-loc_pqRq9iyNd7ampLr4z1FgFR-0yEgcWvFp5asyJVy3OYe3Bf6vGEI5i4jv9P/s1600/z470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQXQPeTeet4MjD9ox0-4svnV9l_daYeN36re6a76eBOkHUs9vDm7iyVRGQKmVrJCCenBkAlxEa81Bc-loc_pqRq9iyNd7ampLr4z1FgFR-0yEgcWvFp5asyJVy3OYe3Bf6vGEI5i4jv9P/s1600/z470.jpg" height="400" width="287" /></a></div>
About a week ago, I got a bubble mailer from my pal Marcus of <a href="http://backstopcards.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">All The Way To The Backstop</a>. It was a pleasant surprise before I even opened it. I was expecting a copy of Jedd Gyorko's 2014 Bowman card because he mentioned on his blog that he was sending one, but this was clearly much more than just that. Inside were two team bags, and one of them contained 27 autographed cards.<br />
<br />
<i>Twenty-seven autographed cards.</i><br />
<br />
Yeah, seriously. I was taken aback. The vast majority were Padres players, but there were a few non-Friars in the mix. One was the 1985 Topps of former American League MVP Jeff Burroughs, father of Little League hero and Padres [bust is such a harsh word] Sean Burroughs.<br />
<br />
I tweeted out a lot of the cards soon after opening the package, so in the interest of my laziness, I'm going to embed those instead of scanning the ones I haven't scanned.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
I was expecting one single Jedd Gyorko card in the mail from <a href="https://twitter.com/marcusSDTX">@marcusSDTX</a>. I didn't expect 26 AUTOGRAPHED CARDS <a href="http://t.co/96YAkqtvZ4">pic.twitter.com/96YAkqtvZ4</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515641737482878976">September 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>My math was off. As I said in the lede, there were 27 cards. Somehow I didn't notice the Heath Bell one until the next day. That was a really cool bonus surprise. Speaking of that Bell card, <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/2014/9/29/6864149/heath-bell-craig-lefferts-padres-closer-birthday-autograph-topps" target="_blank">I wrote about it and the one of Craig Lefferts that was also part of this package</a>, earlier this week on their shared birthday.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
This guy has the best last name ever. Why, yes, I do believe I will. <a href="http://t.co/fpDijqBFxz">pic.twitter.com/fpDijqBFxz</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515642602147024896">September 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Sadly, Sean Drinkwater never took his awesome name to the majors.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Of course I'll pass one of these along. Want the left one? Let me know if you want the left one & it's yours, gratis. <a href="http://t.co/ZGlmBDzur7">pic.twitter.com/ZGlmBDzur7</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515645917937270785">September 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>That offer still stands, by the way.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
I already had a copy of this one. Does anyone out there want a (free) autographed Heath Murray card? Just say so. <a href="http://t.co/Py2i9Z8AGP">pic.twitter.com/Py2i9Z8AGP</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515651042449842176">September 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>...as does that one.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
ATTENTION: If your name is John and you're a Padres fan, this card is yours. Lemme know. <a href="http://t.co/5YuzfoEMVw">pic.twitter.com/5YuzfoEMVw</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515653920757391360">September 27, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>...as does that one. It's only right, uh, right?<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
I love those Las Vegas Stars unis from that era. I have a few (non-autographed) copies of the Joey Cora in this set. <a href="http://t.co/2aSxkX3A8F">pic.twitter.com/2aSxkX3A8F</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515646881763164160">September 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Here's another great minor league card. Unlike Drinkwater, Nelson made it to the majors; he was up with the Padres on-and-off briefly toward the end of the '80s.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
I've liked this Jorge Cantu custom since the first time I saw it on <a href="http://t.co/c2qR5agJNX">http://t.co/c2qR5agJNX</a> ...thanks, <a href="https://twitter.com/marcusSDTX">@marcusSDTX</a> <a href="http://t.co/UoIo2fZyAX">pic.twitter.com/UoIo2fZyAX</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515647555959791616">September 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>I really like this custom card, even though Cantu's tenure was short and rocky.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
My first non-Joey Cora Beaumont Golden Gators card. Those starred stripes are great. Thanks again, <a href="https://twitter.com/marcusSDTX">@marcusSDTX</a> <a href="http://t.co/2Dxp1J9AVI">pic.twitter.com/2Dxp1J9AVI</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515654730379710464">September 27, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Childers never reached the majors. Also, I misspoke. I don't have a Beaumont card of Cora. Yet.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Remember which trade this guy was involved in? <a href="http://t.co/hWBIFF26He">pic.twitter.com/hWBIFF26He</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515658340937244673">September 27, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>In case you don't know (and why should you, really?), Craig Italiano was acquired by the Padres from the A's along with Sean Gallagher and Ryan Webb in July, 2009, in exchange for Scott Hairston. The Padres reacquired Hairston after the season, but that's a whole different post. Oh, and as for Italiano, he never reached the majors.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/marcusSDTX">@marcusSDTX</a>, I now have an auto on a <a href="https://twitter.com/MiLB">@MiLB</a> card by the subject of the best MLB card <a href="http://t.co/z4FY98jdmd">http://t.co/z4FY98jdmd</a> <a href="http://t.co/wHHDanYEcD">pic.twitter.com/wHHDanYEcD</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515653299350286336">September 27, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>The card I referred and linked to is Thompson's famed Collector's Choice surfboard shot.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
I'm not the biggest Sean Kazmar fan but I needed a card of him, and this one is beautiful in its art & simplicity. <a href="http://t.co/EZUhHRfKUc">pic.twitter.com/EZUhHRfKUc</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515652557306613760">September 27, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>The matte finish is essential to this card. It wouldn't be as quarter as cool if it were glossy. It just lends to the painterly feel.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
I hear good things about those lady-business exercises he invented. <a href="http://t.co/QJMogGzAj8">pic.twitter.com/QJMogGzAj8</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515651588640493568">September 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Keagle eventually reached the majors, but not with the Padres and not for very long.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
An autograph of a Cy Young Award winner? Yeah, <a href="https://twitter.com/marcusSDTX">@marcusSDTX</a> sent me one of those. <a href="http://t.co/PIwR8SnOMC">pic.twitter.com/PIwR8SnOMC</a><br />
— Joe Lies (@TheThinGwynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheThinGwynn/status/515644971823955968">September 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
Since I started with an MVP, a Cy Young Award winner seems like a good stopping point. That was just a little over half of the autographed cards he sent, so I'll get the other ones scanned and posted, hopefully sooner than later. And I haven't even mentioned the non-autographed cards he included. Those definitely deserve a post of their own; he knocked off some player collection needs, and then some.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-86202433272101584502014-09-27T19:01:00.001-07:002014-09-27T19:01:55.425-07:00Birthday cards, Part 2 of 2: Fall, glimmer, sparkle, and fade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2TwD-5N25N6HuR9Aun4vgOPH4UGehfYlfX9e1WVvHQyj7vh2_-cFwPdBCb8domrmJv-W3TGQGgX_ULPdHao8sJKN1CGpMawEMo0V8ULySBhWsgQ_HaQ9g3YNjn84ukN-wPBTCRny2CJB/s1600/z461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2TwD-5N25N6HuR9Aun4vgOPH4UGehfYlfX9e1WVvHQyj7vh2_-cFwPdBCb8domrmJv-W3TGQGgX_ULPdHao8sJKN1CGpMawEMo0V8ULySBhWsgQ_HaQ9g3YNjn84ukN-wPBTCRny2CJB/s1600/z461.jpg" height="287" width="400" /></a></div>
<i>Note: That title is completely insignificant, save that I was listening to that when I semi-drunkenly started writing this a couple days ago. We now take you to your not-at-all-regularly scheduled post.</i><br />
<br />
I'm picking up where I left off with the birthday cards I cracked two weeks and change ago. The smallest of the packs was a four-card pack of some international nonsense from Upper Deck in like 2006, I think. I'm like early Faith No More in that I care a lot.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1OGKVUbTEJTegv_kZuubx7uttpeTEa1gLV1jVRhaLZ4pAComqlBSZXeLYpSTzvY5AGI6G_BCzkoVeER9DoUSlnBfTJg8CTB8hVBAY7HwlwjO8xeJwnaKenJmvP1BTKpJ7a2jsBwsvGe-/s1600/z458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1OGKVUbTEJTegv_kZuubx7uttpeTEa1gLV1jVRhaLZ4pAComqlBSZXeLYpSTzvY5AGI6G_BCzkoVeER9DoUSlnBfTJg8CTB8hVBAY7HwlwjO8xeJwnaKenJmvP1BTKpJ7a2jsBwsvGe-/s1600/z458.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
Way to be, whoever you are. There was also an Eric Gagne card numbered out of 75, but I can't imagine why I'd scan that.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyAqW-PfURt3lqeXmmFfk-qa7SjK3_qVa-9kMJyyyoAZAxC3DTi-9rDb-aNStKAE7bPQH2ocZ5UeETLnLT6XsnqHY69KkJQ7ZwKF8m-gwjKAAaunfV1z4v9qh2DKKz8wk3oxHv2IhVkjf/s1600/z455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyAqW-PfURt3lqeXmmFfk-qa7SjK3_qVa-9kMJyyyoAZAxC3DTi-9rDb-aNStKAE7bPQH2ocZ5UeETLnLT6XsnqHY69KkJQ7ZwKF8m-gwjKAAaunfV1z4v9qh2DKKz8wk3oxHv2IhVkjf/s1600/z455.jpg" height="231" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Recent Topps were involved. Here are a pair of bat-barrel shots that Nick probably already has. I tossed 'em in his box just in case, though.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zawlzIu-MxAyKuXtm0X48tO4ntNZNQYlugK2-NTtgbgKz2sluHRh-kUzys91e1BDxlrYxLYsUdXubQAukxIejtPBO2M2GLBxlkybxKc-2_ROrqepCpD4ql9G0q7tvlj7SM1gZuB2dYfE/s1600/z459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zawlzIu-MxAyKuXtm0X48tO4ntNZNQYlugK2-NTtgbgKz2sluHRh-kUzys91e1BDxlrYxLYsUdXubQAukxIejtPBO2M2GLBxlkybxKc-2_ROrqepCpD4ql9G0q7tvlj7SM1gZuB2dYfE/s1600/z459.jpg" height="277" width="400" /></a></div>
Nick Swisher is the only major league player I have competed against. And by "competed against" I mean "watched from the bench". I had a unique role in high school baseball in that there was so little interest in baseball at this school of 2000+ that I was basically designated roster filler so we had enough players. My leather was true, so I'd get into some games when they were already over. Watching Swisher play was transcendent. It was so cliche how much better than everyone else he was. I later ended up moving to Parkersburg, where he went to HS, and played a couple seasons of adult ball on the field he came up on.<br />
<br />
...that Pena card is just cool because of, yeah, orange and Tatooine.<br />
<br />
It's been a couple days since I typed that last sentence. I really need to wrap this post up so I can get to the next one, which I'm more excited about.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwCKAd8zg7psSDtTuxzmFhZVKTYc5kGOajDK1EenZGKdiH1xokEAzgXSkWOp52W3JepA-H7pARZwYVivz4FF3TODYUZsEOl1iD8x4zMVNbNuUDxSivyugWlisk6nJnllhWer1dBJjRvCK/s1600/z456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwCKAd8zg7psSDtTuxzmFhZVKTYc5kGOajDK1EenZGKdiH1xokEAzgXSkWOp52W3JepA-H7pARZwYVivz4FF3TODYUZsEOl1iD8x4zMVNbNuUDxSivyugWlisk6nJnllhWer1dBJjRvCK/s1600/z456.jpg" height="277" width="400" /></a></div>
That Joe Mauer World Baseball Classic insert is from 2013, while the die-cut Koufax is from a year earlier. Don't worry, I didn't actually mar either of the Sandy Koufax cards; I figured someone might want them.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqo7lmx2f-e4iD04sqs3WyXmwe_lkOy3zD7pz5u8UUh2EnGUa2eUWyFEH1cHnFJMRuNUHxUa1sModE-S9h9k9fxcKlws_6qW91BENb8T3wvdEhsahWreWpodIJtZvOMdbdyw_IFBHZ0Ucb/s1600/z462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqo7lmx2f-e4iD04sqs3WyXmwe_lkOy3zD7pz5u8UUh2EnGUa2eUWyFEH1cHnFJMRuNUHxUa1sModE-S9h9k9fxcKlws_6qW91BENb8T3wvdEhsahWreWpodIJtZvOMdbdyw_IFBHZ0Ucb/s1600/z462.jpg" height="287" width="400" /></a></div>
...this Dennis Eckersley insert celebrating one of his World Series saves also came from the pack of 2012 Topps.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavUQjVhAei2LVlU91T3WGxIquHU_ERLkicNForkqlY9h-z7Y73bUp4w0NrtFF8o5u-qaXgjNngIYTVK5QFxQFiN-KHNPVU2eCtzdK8M1wAO3-c6K8Iny9_Fv28O50srsmjp5bfQCa4myz/s1600/z463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavUQjVhAei2LVlU91T3WGxIquHU_ERLkicNForkqlY9h-z7Y73bUp4w0NrtFF8o5u-qaXgjNngIYTVK5QFxQFiN-KHNPVU2eCtzdK8M1wAO3-c6K8Iny9_Fv28O50srsmjp5bfQCa4myz/s1600/z463.jpg" height="400" width="287" /></a></div>
As I mentioned in the first post, there was a lot of 2008 Upper Deck. This was my second-favorite card out of all of them. Of course, the one at the top of this post is my favorite. Regardless of what one thinks of Manny Ramirez, that's a great shot.<br />
<br />
Well, that does it for that. Kinda ridiculous that it took me 17 days to wrap it up, but things get back-burnered sometimes. I'll be back much sooner with a post about some mail I got which I'm excited about.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-58161634080942379702014-09-20T06:36:00.002-07:002014-09-20T06:36:54.163-07:00Birthday cards, Part 1 of 2: A brief vacation from misery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYWVx4WCcbJc_Egqb4uWfn5f-x5iXNcfrrKGloxNHC-KFWijVYETI4XnPJYRxQvUf2uW4PTm3MdpdEQiSlEFZ3YNycBWyKGTq945-pSS45TwHQKTU2MtdYW4iYRK5D6UM0_wghDU5B3ui/s1600/z454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYWVx4WCcbJc_Egqb4uWfn5f-x5iXNcfrrKGloxNHC-KFWijVYETI4XnPJYRxQvUf2uW4PTm3MdpdEQiSlEFZ3YNycBWyKGTq945-pSS45TwHQKTU2MtdYW4iYRK5D6UM0_wghDU5B3ui/s1600/z454.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></div>
It's been 10 days since my birthday, so this is a very belated post. Better late than never, right? Can't let my three readers down.<br />
<br />
My day was going along like any of the other 364 days in any given year, which is to say poorly. I was already depressed, like I am every birthday, thanks to reflecting on what a waste the last year has been and what a failure I am, when I got an email that took me from depressed to pissed. Somebody was planning a meet-up at a Padres home game, so he sent an email to a handful of people to figure out when the best date would be. I was one of the ones it was sent to, which I found incredibly thoughtless since I live in West Virginia and there's no flipping way I could make it. Basically what I read was "Hey, all of these people you'd like to see are going to be at a place you'd like to be. Suck it, Joe." Now, I know it wasn't meant as a jerk move to rub it in that I'm stuck in Garbageland and will always be on the outskirts of everything, unable to do anything I want to do ever, but it still irritated me to no end that he didn't take two seconds to think about the fact that maybe inviting someone to something they have no way of attending is essentially taunting them. It'd be bad enough any other day, but on <i>my</i> day it felt like even more of a slap in the face. So now you know the mindset I was in before the cards showed up.<br />
<br />
I wasn't expecting anything for my birthday, because I never expect anything for my birthday. I don't have a family, and over the last couple years I've inadvertently distanced myself from what friends I had and basically became a hermit. If that sounds awful, it's because it is. There is one person left in my life, and that's who showed up with some shoes and a repack box to take my mind off all that other stupid nonsense for a little while. Kicks and cards are great, but mostly it was just nice to be thought of.<br />
<br />
My expectations for the box were low, because my experience with repack boxes has been that they have a few somewhat appealing packs visible, concealing a bunch of 2005 Topps five-packs or something similarly crummy and of no interest to me. This one was a pleasant surprise. Not only were there recent A&G and Gypsy Queen packs as the bait, there were also some buried in the middle. Even better is that one of them was a hanger pack containing four packs, but they counted it as one pack.<br />
<br />
Out of the 11 or 14 packs, however you choose to look at it, I pulled eight Padres. That was the second pleasant surprise, since I rarely ever pull Padres from packs.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2cBT1cSGcbPFRcWkjc4mVoNmLHeJIjxU4STWzPZXebzToAH9cmKgv91rX0Nn6dGalK_hMt0-iOOkzTJ8CZn-9-mC_KgiCRcT0U0n9vMJ-PR32ddvFGvCMd2NCuFMTNm9Ifh_Tr1xxxsX/s1600/z441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2cBT1cSGcbPFRcWkjc4mVoNmLHeJIjxU4STWzPZXebzToAH9cmKgv91rX0Nn6dGalK_hMt0-iOOkzTJ8CZn-9-mC_KgiCRcT0U0n9vMJ-PR32ddvFGvCMd2NCuFMTNm9Ifh_Tr1xxxsX/s1600/z441.jpg" height="400" width="318" /></a></div>
So what if I already had all of them except for the Tatooine Topps card of fellow perpetual disappointment Everth Cabrera; it's still nice to pull a card from your favorite team. I thought of doing a <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/cardboard-corner" target="_blank">Cardboard Corner</a> post about these cards over at <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/" target="_blank">Gaslamp Ball</a>, but on second thought I don't see that happening. One, it has taken me 10 days to get around to this, and two, it just doesn't seem to be a good fit. The audience there isn't a card crowd, so when I do a card post, it's generally of one interesting card, and even then they usually get next to no interest. So there you go.<br />
<br />
As you can see, there was some filler in the form of 2008 Upper Deck, but even that turned out well since it's a nice enough set and the two packs of it I got were a hanger and a jumbo, yielding 54 cards. I'll get back to those, though; I'm going to try to chronicle the box in the order I opened the packs. First up was two six-packs of 2013 Allen and Ginter's. As I'll do with the others, I'm just going to show a few highlights from each pack.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfCU0lF4w_-RVKKTNP0iHo-7AWSSqrQxnKGlrtS8INsLgvsTMrQ2xVwnoCIjMJKTC5Ip6BgodmQ-WgLY1EAY2xMOYuU1ZB4MGQt8JglsyMDCzDQDmTYTRtJpmwmLRgBxfdIGtTtMLZy51/s1600/z450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfCU0lF4w_-RVKKTNP0iHo-7AWSSqrQxnKGlrtS8INsLgvsTMrQ2xVwnoCIjMJKTC5Ip6BgodmQ-WgLY1EAY2xMOYuU1ZB4MGQt8JglsyMDCzDQDmTYTRtJpmwmLRgBxfdIGtTtMLZy51/s1600/z450.jpg" height="215" width="400" /></a></div>
I hate the Dodgers and refuse to allow their logo to sully my blog but, man, Koufax was good. Somebody is bound to want this and I'll gladly pass it along; just let me know. That goes for any and all of these cards. A lot of them are cool and I had a grand ol' time ripping into them, but none of them fit into any of my collections. That Robin Yount A&G mini is a short print, which cropped up in 1 out of every 13 packs; the Martial Mastery cards were inserted 1 per 8 packs. Not a bad start.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFJSmtuSTaNTiy4yQlvCp2GyTLG0N5b3dKqWhG1er2Ijl6IE-HWymjiNXreHsbQhenBsiNuOvP8kHx2CfJ5e_KEIoLlu0iDVi3mfa-63JGAP3M8lVzKVYmobJDjTF_U4qnfK_53uku4-r/s1600/z451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFJSmtuSTaNTiy4yQlvCp2GyTLG0N5b3dKqWhG1er2Ijl6IE-HWymjiNXreHsbQhenBsiNuOvP8kHx2CfJ5e_KEIoLlu0iDVi3mfa-63JGAP3M8lVzKVYmobJDjTF_U4qnfK_53uku4-r/s1600/z451.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
The Curious Cases cards were also 1 per 8 packs, while the Josh Reddick mini is a 1 per 5 packs A&G back variation. Dime Box Nick probably already has it in his Reddicollection, but just in case, I tossed it in the box I keep putting off sending him. That would not be the last card of this box to meet that fate.<br />
<br />
Having done well with my two packs of 2013 A&G, I moved on to the hanger pack of 2013 Gypsy Queen, which contained three packs of six cards each and a "bonus" pack of three framed cards. It irks me when companies label stuff like that "bonus" content. It's part of the full package and calculated into the price, and pretending it's just some treat is condescending. I hate pretty much everything, but being talked down to is very close to the top of the list. That said, the repackers counted it as one pack, so kudos to them for not ripping the hanger-pack-overwrap and counting each pack inside as one pack. Honestly, I'm amazed. The cynical side of me thinks their laziness trumped their greed. Anyway, here's a sampling of what it/they/whatever had in store.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nrAH6nHfgnyy5d1d6h0otx-j3j6MNeL_ZRG6Wb2XfYVdX5AoYmku35LruqJrNGWxTPT1ugCYVlQgL5D-bfgVgxH5ungVnWQOfGi9oM0_W0FSqWeGny99eRYi8_lz6THde3usAJbyvh4Q/s1600/z452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nrAH6nHfgnyy5d1d6h0otx-j3j6MNeL_ZRG6Wb2XfYVdX5AoYmku35LruqJrNGWxTPT1ugCYVlQgL5D-bfgVgxH5ungVnWQOfGi9oM0_W0FSqWeGny99eRYi8_lz6THde3usAJbyvh4Q/s1600/z452.jpg" height="278" width="400" /></a></div>
Ken Griffey, Jr. is one of those players I've always liked and respected but don't collect. It's a great shot of that beautiful swing, plus he's wearing that sweet alternate jersey. Now, THAT'S a bonus. Adam Jones also falls into that category, albeit to a lesser extent as far as the liking and respecting goes. His 2013 A&G Across the Years card is down here with the Gypsy Queens for one reason, but it's a good reason: I screwed up. He's a San Diego native, which I'll also chalk up as a bonus.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20et9Pqe1BzUebi_WieCUOnyD-6TPnBqNMHosdjb-IsVUqbjSRwDEewXzynr7UVWIhsetQTpYc-6wDmbgtclduWhVd50TsP6Txg3Fc3cUt7FeoBHTVXAGh4KcnUGB8eevVEVuUUJYGcfr/s1600/z453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20et9Pqe1BzUebi_WieCUOnyD-6TPnBqNMHosdjb-IsVUqbjSRwDEewXzynr7UVWIhsetQTpYc-6wDmbgtclduWhVd50TsP6Txg3Fc3cUt7FeoBHTVXAGh4KcnUGB8eevVEVuUUJYGcfr/s1600/z453.jpg" height="347" width="400" /></a></div>
Another Robin Yount! Not just another Robin Yount card, but another Robin Yount mini. Madness. That Homer Bailey No-Hitters insert is fairly snazzy; those were placed 1 per every 4 packs. One of these packs also contained the Andrew McCutchen Sliding Stars (1 per 6 packs) shown at the top of this post. You know that thing I said about Griffey and Jones? Yeah, McCutchen, too.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXaKTVNQcAgUrTBxrCMYGmzQkafMZittOWvmxZm2E7Cg4oVFjkWunK8qq2zExW9z9eojG6KgegU_VWjmZw20zJE8WALARMHj7PEyG_y8MvJK0zh9wlS2PsT95TzymnMz0b401Ifp4hdYB/s1600/z457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXaKTVNQcAgUrTBxrCMYGmzQkafMZittOWvmxZm2E7Cg4oVFjkWunK8qq2zExW9z9eojG6KgegU_VWjmZw20zJE8WALARMHj7PEyG_y8MvJK0zh9wlS2PsT95TzymnMz0b401Ifp4hdYB/s1600/z457.jpg" height="400" width="287" /></a></div>
This is the best of the "bonus" framed cards. It's the best in my eyes because of the throwback uniform, not because I care one bit about Mariano Rivera. The whole Yankee farewell tour garbage moved the needle on my Riverameter from dead center at 'Apathy' a little to the right to 'Mild Annoyance'. And since that's where my Jetermeter already was before this season, you can only imagine how glad I'll be when everyone stops fawning over every single thing that guy who is being outperformed by Alexi Amarista does. You know the worship has gone too far when people are having to change their pants after a friggin' Gatorade ad. Meanwhile, Paul Konerko's last season has barely received a whisper. Wrong set of pinstripes, I guess.<br />
<br />
Sheesh, I got a little sidetracked there. I'd say I'll be back tomorrow with Part 2 of this, but it might be longer. Yeah, knowing me, it probably will be. At least I scanned all the cards for it before my scanner decided not to work, instead telling me "DOOR OPEN" constantly, even after much shutting of the top, progressively more forcefully, accompanied by various combinations of words that somehow sound even more vulgar when you mash them up together.<br />
<br />
Such is life.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-83866494551939966352014-08-26T17:43:00.000-07:002014-08-26T17:43:23.241-07:00Two more from Ball Four<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYqF0iXkAgjKMeOBf-l6wJTS0g-8PGp4VyKg8YXtiP-cYypxuENRYcl4aOAGqXI7YWqM3CSpTYgN5fnNqjHKY4reK4pgUlUQnbrPCTYYLkNPZ4tflHH7fRFP34d6bhpyX-_2BduDDQNx3/s1600/z410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYqF0iXkAgjKMeOBf-l6wJTS0g-8PGp4VyKg8YXtiP-cYypxuENRYcl4aOAGqXI7YWqM3CSpTYgN5fnNqjHKY4reK4pgUlUQnbrPCTYYLkNPZ4tflHH7fRFP34d6bhpyX-_2BduDDQNx3/s1600/z410.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
I forgot how to write. Like, completely. I'll probably get it back; this has happened before, although not to these extent. I just realized I wrote 'these' where 'this' belonged. I could have corrected it, but leaving it illustrates my point of where my head is <strike>i</strike>at.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjf2o5jtsXGtRfmcqFlN2ulEOUp0qHrqevawmJ8UpB9NZt_g-xH8EfyxZQByNdnYyQ6-KQJASXAFqZHZPJ1aeSUtjwXDw4fPl9r83CF4hKdes_P8pwN_b5JGg3FNkGhYGJ8urAxjyg7LCo/s1600/z418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjf2o5jtsXGtRfmcqFlN2ulEOUp0qHrqevawmJ8UpB9NZt_g-xH8EfyxZQByNdnYyQ6-KQJASXAFqZHZPJ1aeSUtjwXDw4fPl9r83CF4hKdes_P8pwN_b5JGg3FNkGhYGJ8urAxjyg7LCo/s1600/z418.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></div>
Anyway, I collect cards of guys who were in Ball Four. I recently received two such cards. You just saw them.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-460663161118726162014-08-19T08:10:00.001-07:002014-08-19T08:10:14.606-07:0057 Joey Cora cards from Just Commons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5yZCOZygIDqUU1_0OVnT6od_Cj2QOr6zLO3jeds4lUA12brqgtBo4aK4cotO4chAEMsdC2Ibj9r1wXST8jL5xdPc5Hp4F8YWxnoruE56kUykpgR8hSvBC_Dk-Yqsy9D6phkdtaRqnxt3/s1600/z407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5yZCOZygIDqUU1_0OVnT6od_Cj2QOr6zLO3jeds4lUA12brqgtBo4aK4cotO4chAEMsdC2Ibj9r1wXST8jL5xdPc5Hp4F8YWxnoruE56kUykpgR8hSvBC_Dk-Yqsy9D6phkdtaRqnxt3/s1600/z407.jpg" height="277" width="400" /></a></div>
It's been almost a couple weeks since I've checked in here. Last time I showed off <a href="http://fromanunlikelysource.blogspot.com/2014/08/another-post.html" target="_blank">the two Allen & Ginter's cards</a> from my most recent Just Commons purchase. I got 94 other cards in that order, exactly half of which were of Joey Cora. The reason I got 57 Joey Cora cards was that they only had 57 Joey Cora cards. Of those 57, there was actually one I didn't already have a copy of; it's the 1998 Topps Chrome card pictured above, to the right of his regular Topps card from that year. There are still a handful or two of Joey Cora cards I know of that I don't have even one copy of, and undoubtedly numerous other oddballs and Japanese cards to be concerned with too. Fortunately, I'll be knocking a few more off the list this week. I have a couple-hundred Coras on the way, and at least three of them are new to me.<br />
<br />
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the Just Commons order. Here's the team-by-team breakdown of the 57 Coras:<br />
-Padres: 4<br />
-White Sox: 27<br />
-Mariners: 24<br />
-Indians: 2<br />
<br />
I would do a card-by-card look at how many of each I got this time like <a href="http://timwallach.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">the guy you should be sending all your Tim Wallach cards to</a> does, and what that brings me up to on each, but I'll wait 'til the couple-hundred in transit show up to do a full inventory. I know at least 34 of them are his 1988 Topps card, which will double me up on those.<br />
<br />
I'll be back when the next batch of Coras get here, so cross your fingers that the postal person comes through and I have a two-post day. Well, two posts on here. I'm already at two posts total since I did <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/2014/8/19/6044173/woody-williams-padres-pitcher-batting-home-run" target="_blank">a birthday post about Woody Williams possibly having the best day at the plate by a Padres pitcher</a> earlier this morning over at Gaslamp Ball. And in case you wondered, yes, that image I used is from his 2000 Keebler (after they bought out Mother's) card. Too bad I don't have a pitcher-at-the-plate card of him, huh?<br />
<br />
Speaking of mini-collections that Dime Box Nick has, I'll end this with a pair of <a href="http://baseballdimebox.blogspot.com/p/short-term-stops.html" target="_blank">Short Term Stop</a> cards whose photographs were taken less than a second apart.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7w4FM6y22QS1-sCfIOKRBFqErEIPeFSNUbja5viWFBOHc4F3gk2dTS0XPxXftY-GJIL6odl34q_exGJp0vyaMPQXt-NpzTfAJCIlFPlpnma9xXxEaQP6QA1LiYd3WgJpO6mpNmTACaFk/s1600/00n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7w4FM6y22QS1-sCfIOKRBFqErEIPeFSNUbja5viWFBOHc4F3gk2dTS0XPxXftY-GJIL6odl34q_exGJp0vyaMPQXt-NpzTfAJCIlFPlpnma9xXxEaQP6QA1LiYd3WgJpO6mpNmTACaFk/s1600/00n.jpg" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-P9Y3HebJYxDc1VEYV8OwxZThTRYDIHGJPV0XGJvwVQmuydMCGPiJ_J3icA1hqj3vlGL-L9_6lIzpLfUWqvfVWca8tF1OclMuez8bKWMHXAvILTul4L816FmiwBnZJrowxhuFEEpbkYd/s1600/00o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-P9Y3HebJYxDc1VEYV8OwxZThTRYDIHGJPV0XGJvwVQmuydMCGPiJ_J3icA1hqj3vlGL-L9_6lIzpLfUWqvfVWca8tF1OclMuez8bKWMHXAvILTul4L816FmiwBnZJrowxhuFEEpbkYd/s1600/00o.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-17912291046739856222014-08-06T03:49:00.001-07:002014-08-06T03:49:09.122-07:00Another A&G Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKuSGNcWU0m4VB88lEEijJWE8ib_Ei2QUjIKbI56YNCYkSJZKkK5PBKfdf8FLPlCOaqH3OF9aekdR2fFEFTVB9brkAdKsLVKJqr8BdBTj1c4s0tAqezhKS-4K0U09qcHnE3L-iIH6OEYF/s1600/z411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKuSGNcWU0m4VB88lEEijJWE8ib_Ei2QUjIKbI56YNCYkSJZKkK5PBKfdf8FLPlCOaqH3OF9aekdR2fFEFTVB9brkAdKsLVKJqr8BdBTj1c4s0tAqezhKS-4K0U09qcHnE3L-iIH6OEYF/s1600/z411.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
I didn't pull any Padres in <a href="http://fromanunlikelysource.blogspot.com/2014/07/getting-around-to-allen-ginters.html" target="_blank">the one pack of 2014 Allen & Ginter's that I purchased</a>, but I did pick one up in my latest Just Commons haul. While it's a great card of fellow West Virginian Jedd Gyorko, it's nowhere near as awesome as the other card I ordered from this set, sight unseen. I noticed that Judah Friedlander has am A&G card this year; I'm a huge fan of 30 Rock and have enjoyed his work since I first saw him on VH1's "I Love The..." series about a dozen years ago, so it was worth the 15 or 20 cents it cost just to check it out even though I don't really collect non-baseball cards. The front is great (shouldn't this be a Pacific card since it has Spanish and English?), but the back is where it really shines.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAONOeWVdXTyd3xjShMusRG24qGZa2x04TSrVijiMjA2TpHzEbgYEERs7Y8_nly1EMJ8MTcbZJLESr-Yj5Tmewi4cisiAIwC-ZF1C3iqjPQtKrlCLJG8Nt-mpWRvFVv7agqF-5RA2CrQl/s1600/z414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAONOeWVdXTyd3xjShMusRG24qGZa2x04TSrVijiMjA2TpHzEbgYEERs7Y8_nly1EMJ8MTcbZJLESr-Yj5Tmewi4cisiAIwC-ZF1C3iqjPQtKrlCLJG8Nt-mpWRvFVv7agqF-5RA2CrQl/s1600/z414.jpg" height="223" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>(click image to enlarge) </i></div>
So good. This copy is going to have rounded corners in no time from being shown to everybody.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-53956137505288726092014-07-28T15:11:00.002-07:002014-07-28T15:11:42.796-07:00Getting around to Allen & Ginter's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BTsNRuViZuFcRelZt5bUf0-QAEC53WlLeF6tNPMYIouepHWvG4qoA4RXTewcq3orVKqWlzZQphhXoCsQhzSS_BLwpW0pySBcvZDDfrMobd2kP3XIOlY9-d9COAUIRLosF7sV0GKAAEDy/s1600/z399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BTsNRuViZuFcRelZt5bUf0-QAEC53WlLeF6tNPMYIouepHWvG4qoA4RXTewcq3orVKqWlzZQphhXoCsQhzSS_BLwpW0pySBcvZDDfrMobd2kP3XIOlY9-d9COAUIRLosF7sV0GKAAEDy/s1600/z399.jpg" height="320" width="237" /></a></div>
Hey, everybody! Long time, no type. Well, here at least. I still type all the time (some would say too much!) for <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/" target="_blank">Gaslamp Ball</a>, including a <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/cardboard-corner" target="_blank">fair amount of card posts</a>. But since the pack of cards I got and am writing about now contained no Padres, now seemed like a good time to dust off the old cardblog. I just made a Just Commons order the other day that included several non-Padres, so my next hiatus shouldn't be as long.<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<br />
It seems like everyone else in the world has already dipped a foot in the Allen & Ginter's pool this year, so I'm late to the party. Fashionably late, but late nonetheless. I'm not much of a pack guy, especially when it comes to current products because I collect next to no active players, save for Padres, and there are typically fewer of them in sets than there are guys from other teams. In fact, not only was this pack devoid of Friars, so were the eight packs of 1991 Leaf I got from the hobby shop's discount bin the same day. Nine packs, 106 cards, no Padres: Story of my life.<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<br />
Even though I knew the odds were against getting something I'd want to keep, I decided to spring for an 8-card hobby pack just for the experience and see how they look in-hand. From what I saw on other blogs, I liked this year's design more than recent issues, and I figured someone out there would need whatever cards I wound up with, so what the hey? Before I digress again, let's dig in.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQn59abpNLxqZiHW1eosvHcNvH87tiEza6Ijm7pZZtnHr49gWMxz5V957QK7v_k90h2Nz38QVR6H_U8nYhy_2C_SoD7mnEevepkSkSnxu46YeRhy1QFjdmrvqQVrAsyLcWnlMv8OItVrfi/s1600/z395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQn59abpNLxqZiHW1eosvHcNvH87tiEza6Ijm7pZZtnHr49gWMxz5V957QK7v_k90h2Nz38QVR6H_U8nYhy_2C_SoD7mnEevepkSkSnxu46YeRhy1QFjdmrvqQVrAsyLcWnlMv8OItVrfi/s1600/z395.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
Not a bad start. I wouldn't call myself a Reds fan, but I watch a lot of their games because I live in their viewing area, and passively root for them 156 games a year (the other six being when they play the Padres, of course). I don't collect Votto, but he seems like an interesting guy and I like that we share a birthday (along with Randy Johnson, Arnold Palmer, Roger Maris, and others).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmjmOrEGSCVOC1zLSYh7lOTRSCCDb1kck-MD2xjGXXtcPSmuy85Js8adgJVirFq-MDWEnben_hV6_f5HpGkG6VB68DKcluFwRimeVyGx6IhzqvOTZLCPR-XJ9lnwukkidmbKaFWgmIqC-/s1600/z396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmjmOrEGSCVOC1zLSYh7lOTRSCCDb1kck-MD2xjGXXtcPSmuy85Js8adgJVirFq-MDWEnben_hV6_f5HpGkG6VB68DKcluFwRimeVyGx6IhzqvOTZLCPR-XJ9lnwukkidmbKaFWgmIqC-/s1600/z396.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
Up next were a pair of All-Star infielders on horizontally oriented cards. While I don't care one way or another about either of these guys, I do love the horizontal cards. The design seems to fit them better, and the images they chose -- at least on these two -- were perfect for the format.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-7TBMU9_Kxi0rW-pVGi7vdImoObzBmhhAHkbKXRMWQxE2i4ech-Rxm_l6e_qG53ytFyDWulh6Hz5uNmnjOZ4M1QSfSPZzp2smiC9LUZ6ike6RMCZmb8UNJFemx2tVa50B-huwMx4LWaG/s1600/z397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-7TBMU9_Kxi0rW-pVGi7vdImoObzBmhhAHkbKXRMWQxE2i4ech-Rxm_l6e_qG53ytFyDWulh6Hz5uNmnjOZ4M1QSfSPZzp2smiC9LUZ6ike6RMCZmb8UNJFemx2tVa50B-huwMx4LWaG/s1600/z397.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
Pudge! Ever since the Rangers mothballed the Nolan Ryan-era uniforms, they've been flipping between blue and red as their primary color seemingly every other year. The one Rodriguez is wearing here is from the beginning of the flip-flop era, before tweaks were made here and there, including adding beveling to the lettering and eventually taking it back off.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuorALCz3cwtcvwFCTJC_I26TawP80YbacF3zkLKDUtENzvd8X9YvCbaNOEXAndFt1kFKSddqARM3bmMcw5al110cze21Fpkx-B2ohZd4BAsunefG5ZfbrRMNtbdm2TqxrVzTzWeruS-O/s1600/z398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuorALCz3cwtcvwFCTJC_I26TawP80YbacF3zkLKDUtENzvd8X9YvCbaNOEXAndFt1kFKSddqARM3bmMcw5al110cze21Fpkx-B2ohZd4BAsunefG5ZfbrRMNtbdm2TqxrVzTzWeruS-O/s1600/z398.jpg" height="230" width="320" /></a></div>
I don't know or care much about planes but, yay, insert! The design is nice and all, and I'm sure I can find someone who needs it who'll give me a Joey Cora card for it. This was the first of three inserts (minis are inserts, right?) in this pack. The only insert I was hoping for was one of the Little Lions cards, because cats are the jam. In fact, my brood recently grew by two twin baby boys. They're actual identical twins, which the vet said is rarer amongst felines than it is with humans. Here's a picture of my little lions Tony and Tobias with their cat-sister Cora and their dog-brother Chester.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8yN6DG6L-9f4xDy1p2LKLRdlctVsRudJx9ig7WCLdyRIQ5FKaa7weeJDaOco2CTRLPIbkAGkk89PifUWhcFwY2FoGTCHDnqVZ9gSnEtGCfA8lP1WuDUeJE4ROd9RWtv4qUDTILj3iRsL/s1600/00000e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8yN6DG6L-9f4xDy1p2LKLRdlctVsRudJx9ig7WCLdyRIQ5FKaa7weeJDaOco2CTRLPIbkAGkk89PifUWhcFwY2FoGTCHDnqVZ9gSnEtGCfA8lP1WuDUeJE4ROd9RWtv4qUDTILj3iRsL/s1600/00000e.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
Since they're twin kitties, their favorite team is from the Twin Cities, and their favorite Twin is Kent Purrbek.<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytfeozW8ulj7LKwt19lN0yozYaXmBi6Rf9KHPfgjtkGorfLskWv6YUDCtp47sMLUuJX1hD44yiBoAIVMJ-QLWmBf7ETK3pvLlCR6OUdX5nLboDMzpAxwm4uyzaa2UYLjlClYQUjQPp-q5/s1600/z400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytfeozW8ulj7LKwt19lN0yozYaXmBi6Rf9KHPfgjtkGorfLskWv6YUDCtp47sMLUuJX1hD44yiBoAIVMJ-QLWmBf7ETK3pvLlCR6OUdX5nLboDMzpAxwm4uyzaa2UYLjlClYQUjQPp-q5/s1600/z400.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></div>
Here's the second insert I pulled. While I don't plan on holding on to it, it's a great-looking card. I enjoy the matte black background along with the lettering and little line-drawings. I'm not crazy about the name "Pastime's Pastimes", but it's not their responsibility to run these things by me, the guy who will buy one pack of their product regardless.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmShmSt-44PMV-RwvcEzh61tJFwLeRiIpXCURguKX6Jy2ajPOH9pNN79JTrGgv-I9sXOEHg18bhQ37ZLQF4c-yFzl9VbY6xNu8DIJ43Fe2eSjNbjv4kJlEJXAsBfErD1huFaTIdHlpvaCu/s1600/z394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmShmSt-44PMV-RwvcEzh61tJFwLeRiIpXCURguKX6Jy2ajPOH9pNN79JTrGgv-I9sXOEHg18bhQ37ZLQF4c-yFzl9VbY6xNu8DIJ43Fe2eSjNbjv4kJlEJXAsBfErD1huFaTIdHlpvaCu/s1600/z394.jpg" height="281" width="320" /></a></div>
The penultimate card of my pack was the Jered Weaver mini. I cast it aside as soon as I saw it because I simultaneously spotted the card behind it. Yes! Craig Biggio is one of a handful of never-Padres who I collect, so this awesome addition to my player collection of him was a great way to finish an already-good pack. Of the eight packs of 1991 Leaf I opened the same day, the only card I had any use for was also a Biggio, so it was quite a Craigeriffic day of collecting.<br />
<br />
All in all, I'm pleased with the pack I got. I wasn't expecting any Padres, so I wasn't disappointed. I did well on inserts, and all of the cards seem like ones someone would want. Adding a keeper card to the mix at the end was just a bonus. As for the cards themselves, I'm a fan. I won't be buying any more packs, but that's just because I wouldn't have anyway. I did order Jedd Gyorko's card from this set on my last Just Commons order; speaking of which, I should be back in a few days with a breakdown and a look at the non-Padres I got.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-66155816748988436292014-03-26T05:00:00.000-07:002014-03-26T05:01:09.742-07:00Joey Cora 1993 Topps Variations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxe9v-bKoAqFVXRL7uYgwAloUxshgeIqxHW-eZTYXDesKB3-gOTh2wfq3TFI99B5x091cmEAuvWxOU5qs-9JPsT1vtdbWi-bO6dE5l9chRKY6_gMiHMIP_FK5tO2V-TvNgzt3poMkDbam7/s1600/000b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxe9v-bKoAqFVXRL7uYgwAloUxshgeIqxHW-eZTYXDesKB3-gOTh2wfq3TFI99B5x091cmEAuvWxOU5qs-9JPsT1vtdbWi-bO6dE5l9chRKY6_gMiHMIP_FK5tO2V-TvNgzt3poMkDbam7/s1600/000b.jpg" height="640" width="444" /></a></div>
My quest to collect as many copies of every Joey Cora card ever would be so much easier if his career took place ten years earlier than it did. As it played out, the second half of his career was chock-full of parallels and inserts. The parallel craze took off with Topps Gold in 1992 and they brought it back for a sophomore season. Along with Topps Gold, it was also the second season of Topps Micro, although it's not considered a parallel. The Micro cards were only sold in complete sets, as were the cards stamped with the Rockies and Marlins inaugural logos in gold foil. Topps would repeat this in 1998 with sets stamped with Diamondbacks and Devil Rays logos, but that's a post for another day.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-42740557119608129092013-10-27T23:38:00.001-07:002013-10-27T23:38:49.473-07:00Bips & Brackets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrSiabDuFjryJOpxbPL-3e6AIhLwCS4ruy3mtLVm72o04WDRhe6Eo6rXkn18MGWB0N4xRmEtJwf1g0-gkDacOYUjH8ax1fX2Pn7CVAP6FFoE8dhp9Fr0keAs02hCtlkuFXy614bU651LV/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrSiabDuFjryJOpxbPL-3e6AIhLwCS4ruy3mtLVm72o04WDRhe6Eo6rXkn18MGWB0N4xRmEtJwf1g0-gkDacOYUjH8ax1fX2Pn7CVAP6FFoE8dhp9Fr0keAs02hCtlkuFXy614bU651LV/s320/Snapshot_201303261_1274.JPG" width="237" /></a></div>
It's still Bip Roberts's fiftieth birthday on the west coast, so I'm sneaking this post in right under the wire. I also did <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/2013/10/27/5036538/bip-roberts-birthday-baseball-cards-rookie-padres" target="_blank">a post about Bip over at Gaslamp Ball earlier today</a>. It's a card post; I picked out 10 cards of him with the Padres. Ten, of course, because of his uniform number.<br />
<br />
Since Bip is pictured here with the Reds, that gives me a legitimate segue into talking about Nacho Grande's <a href="http://fanofreds.blogspot.com/2013/10/blogger-bracket-challenge-voting-for.html" target="_blank">Blogger Bracket Challenge</a>. Round 0 was fun and I'm looking forward to seeing what my prompt card is for the first round of bracket play; the unveiling will be at 7:30am. I'm glad he had this contest because it has gotten me writing on this blog again, however briefly or inanely as it has been.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-82815380203414877812013-10-24T15:33:00.000-07:002013-10-24T15:33:46.380-07:00Better Off Dread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX76r891uefv0y4tpZmYVLwTXxZ3CVxSgUZpWyPBs0fENl53g94HJIHsDyjORK3D6D6uJR3R3sCz3vt6AhoR0Aza3rTb-UlnfMB21Rvva-B7HFz6kLxCgwLEgfrK00dW90VMjn9T2y_Aw/s400/scan0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX76r891uefv0y4tpZmYVLwTXxZ3CVxSgUZpWyPBs0fENl53g94HJIHsDyjORK3D6D6uJR3R3sCz3vt6AhoR0Aza3rTb-UlnfMB21Rvva-B7HFz6kLxCgwLEgfrK00dW90VMjn9T2y_Aw/s320/scan0004.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
Whenever I see a card of Rickie Weeks or anyone else with long dreads I get kind of bummed out. Not because I'm a stone-faced, finger-wagging Steinbrenner type bemoaning these dang players these days with their flat bills and sideburns. Far from it, actually. It just makes me miss my dreads. I had them for about three years and have regretted it ever since I shaved them off a couple years ago. My hair is fairly long now but I'm not going to knot it up because I'm growing it out to donate to Locks of Love and they do not accept dreadlocks. Donations have to be a minimum of 10 inches and I'm almost there; the shortest part of my hair, the sides and back, is currently around 8 1/2" while the top is 15-ish. I'm looking forward to getting rid of all of this because I can't wear a hat without looking like I have a mullet, and otherwise I look like a hippie. It's for a good cause though, so I can't complain. Besides, time flies so before you know it it'll be 2016 or so and I'll look like a poor imitation of Rickie Weeks yet again.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_T7e6X3JucO_ZRMUPnTqWUT3eSKwHmgbXyptyWsM0tJRcMTkQT_nyxEWwVlaaEdIWUy8_bpHNCUvqSchuZi1gc5N6sIOzN24-2Jf7DOQ-NTRmZPb2B04CMB44ybxdyl4VMl11cK7dflIq/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_T7e6X3JucO_ZRMUPnTqWUT3eSKwHmgbXyptyWsM0tJRcMTkQT_nyxEWwVlaaEdIWUy8_bpHNCUvqSchuZi1gc5N6sIOzN24-2Jf7DOQ-NTRmZPb2B04CMB44ybxdyl4VMl11cK7dflIq/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1264.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This post was written as my "Round 0" entry for Nachos Grande's <a href="http://fanofreds.blogspot.com/2013/10/blogger-bracket-challenge-begins-now.html" target="_blank">Blogger Bracket Challenge</a>. Head on over and check out the the other entries.)</span></i></div>
TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-56893281044324898092013-08-09T05:05:00.000-07:002013-08-09T05:05:29.520-07:00Happy Birthday to Bob Scanlan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUln7H_41rqcNMQzln3YBFyLErSGYre2R3XK8PQqFSlvTEAqERSY3Wipzj-AKCf_ZPcq7fuOsFp3C-0nQ3AHuRqHlY3ad5inVHeMnx4fcK3oVLwn4czv33J3S2KNiFc6q6LieGoYMgoBsM/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUln7H_41rqcNMQzln3YBFyLErSGYre2R3XK8PQqFSlvTEAqERSY3Wipzj-AKCf_ZPcq7fuOsFp3C-0nQ3AHuRqHlY3ad5inVHeMnx4fcK3oVLwn4czv33J3S2KNiFc6q6LieGoYMgoBsM/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1147.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Former pitcher and current Padres radio analyst and more Bob Scanlan turns 47 today. I just dropped <a href="http://gaslampball.com/2013/8/9/4604778/bob-scanlan-birthday" target="_blank">845 words about him</a> over at Gaslamp Ball, so check that out if you're into that sort of thing.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-79927480351078242772013-07-30T03:33:00.000-07:002013-07-30T03:33:00.211-07:00Kruk, Henke & Other Stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgRtL2maiFVE-WmybYcO-6_ZgVgMAF69NkqT02Z-sURyeqjEnEMWBNo84qDKsXqt3-hMnzIZNMi__bhJxlTgbFg8I6vS90HUXYyxIrVgWaJlRwIyWqzduZuu_I4GhqmSoGIj_Wea_XUQu/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgRtL2maiFVE-WmybYcO-6_ZgVgMAF69NkqT02Z-sURyeqjEnEMWBNo84qDKsXqt3-hMnzIZNMi__bhJxlTgbFg8I6vS90HUXYyxIrVgWaJlRwIyWqzduZuu_I4GhqmSoGIj_Wea_XUQu/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1126.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Along with the <a href="http://fromanunlikelysource.blogspot.com/2013/07/joey-cora-steve-finley-1994-score-cycle.html" target="_blank">few Joey Cora cards</a> and cards of <a href="http://fromanunlikelysource.blogspot.com/2013/07/common-bond-contest.html" target="_blank">guys from West Virginia</a> that I got from Just Commons last week, I picked up a few Padres, including a neat autographed letter patch <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/2013/7/27/4562178/matt-antonelli-2009-topps-finest-autographed-letter-patch" target="_blank">card I wrote up elsewhere</a>, a handful of '93 Upper Decks for my set I'm building, and some cards for my player collections. The two John Kruk cards pictured above are ones I had in my younger days but haven't had copies of for years. Kruk also qualifies as a guy from West Virginia but he's the of them that I collect in earnest, as opposed to just being satisfied with having one random card of each of the other guys.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6BbDNJBA3zJefCAqAqfP4eA1RvafPzE8trbXNbYdaTL0NrLNSjw8nV6jFWhcMqgNuHdZ345APLFSniBLBxkqqUDZyXpQDVZk7tC7i43SA3dKuuzJ2oHRW322ikhBfM71xSpgHsuHzqWd/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6BbDNJBA3zJefCAqAqfP4eA1RvafPzE8trbXNbYdaTL0NrLNSjw8nV6jFWhcMqgNuHdZ345APLFSniBLBxkqqUDZyXpQDVZk7tC7i43SA3dKuuzJ2oHRW322ikhBfM71xSpgHsuHzqWd/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1127.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I especially like that throwback on the back of Krukky's '94 UD CC card.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAPEDCyZs_DQb8Qs2Lfixo2tvWL-mHi7iAzKGyGT3Yg1PSN9kl7wvu4umXTtR2FFdN4fgDw4e3LO_vYamyJpxOBHprG0ql5AGPgs_asWRttWnj78p4imMf8ytiOQsK0RkufmlacUfXmbW/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAPEDCyZs_DQb8Qs2Lfixo2tvWL-mHi7iAzKGyGT3Yg1PSN9kl7wvu4umXTtR2FFdN4fgDw4e3LO_vYamyJpxOBHprG0ql5AGPgs_asWRttWnj78p4imMf8ytiOQsK0RkufmlacUfXmbW/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1125.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
These Kruks, like most I acquire these days, are also "new again". I did, however, get some Tom Henke cards that are completely new to me:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxmVs9jHXKuJg6xLDVywMHpV1v5-g_HmKgn-WHmP__hJaX2yVDsFdd7nDIRzh1rKM1G8GggEUw1GTw6u-z4TIWwqZhtFwp73Yajr95b7HqWXAU1s0s6Wlieev5z8d7QxNSVStElaeh5_v/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxmVs9jHXKuJg6xLDVywMHpV1v5-g_HmKgn-WHmP__hJaX2yVDsFdd7nDIRzh1rKM1G8GggEUw1GTw6u-z4TIWwqZhtFwp73Yajr95b7HqWXAU1s0s6Wlieev5z8d7QxNSVStElaeh5_v/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1124.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I didn't have too many Flair cards when they came out in '93- just the Kruk and the Tony Gwynn, if I recall correctly- but I thought they were the coolest thing in the world. I still think they're pretty great. I just started typing a bunch of adjectives about the cards from that set but I deleted all of them as I imagined someone reading them and saying "That's what she said".<br />
<br />
That Pacific issue is my first card of Henke with the Cardinals. He pitched his final season for them in '95 and went out on top. Well, not like John Elway or whatever because the Cardinals didn't win squat that year, but he had a great personal season. His ERA was a blink and you'd miss it 1.82 in 54.1 innings over 52 appearances. Henke was named to his second All-Star game; I was going to get into the details of both of his appearances but I'll save that for its own post.<br />
<br />
My Tom Henke collection is still fairly small since I only started collecting his cards last summer when I discovered that he made his MLB debut the day I was born.<br />
<br />
Oh, and here are those '93 Upper Decks that I mentioned. Nothing too special; I just knocked a few cheap ones off my needs list.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgT8yIwK-1dqkkmMkrrShX6tjeo5sb7syqTrMUaaMP6KJnSEzhEmA1t7Bj9906pmsduubUvUHmqQN7W4qnigpiIhy5W-63h65jUHuzubUqB42fy6RhYnvK9km878Ad87ws_RcWO-AQYbu/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgT8yIwK-1dqkkmMkrrShX6tjeo5sb7syqTrMUaaMP6KJnSEzhEmA1t7Bj9906pmsduubUvUHmqQN7W4qnigpiIhy5W-63h65jUHuzubUqB42fy6RhYnvK9km878Ad87ws_RcWO-AQYbu/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1122.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Here we have some "Star Rookies" who didn't live up to the star part. Manny Alexander did end up letting a clubhouse attendant take the rap for some steroids he had in his car, so he's got that going for him.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-9eB8ieET-XiTHhWEDBXUAMfgDb53NC_BwnxK3_C2JMWGhCs7ydvpfdT8fmm9q1up06ERCqoGOirWvOaYSXCzHSviSy99a127MXTG8lFMzQINd_XhmRMC45DMIgzm30J78CnFvliapWZ/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-9eB8ieET-XiTHhWEDBXUAMfgDb53NC_BwnxK3_C2JMWGhCs7ydvpfdT8fmm9q1up06ERCqoGOirWvOaYSXCzHSviSy99a127MXTG8lFMzQINd_XhmRMC45DMIgzm30J78CnFvliapWZ/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1123.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Dan Plesac seems like a nice guy. A little overbearing sometimes, sure, but ultimately likable. I really enjoy that Community Heroes subset card of Dave Stewart. When I think of him I think of intimidation and intensity. This is neither of those.<br />
<br />
Wow, I'm actually posting here fairly often lately. Good times. For me and hopefully also for each of the seven to twelve people who will read this.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-55825660046692666112013-07-29T16:47:00.000-07:002013-07-29T17:29:14.291-07:00R.I.P. Frank Castillo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJeGlaFZGjNEk2ZctXlSMhKHv9ayCflaah8YdCR2UZ15DotUx7SI0rV4969zy_NXBOk6OBGs-GuC5inFt46Va6G_CvpxzT5NZx_dtavWXdpadbDndsLamnLO0Vj0Nc_WQU4kuegdgIrac/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJeGlaFZGjNEk2ZctXlSMhKHv9ayCflaah8YdCR2UZ15DotUx7SI0rV4969zy_NXBOk6OBGs-GuC5inFt46Va6G_CvpxzT5NZx_dtavWXdpadbDndsLamnLO0Vj0Nc_WQU4kuegdgIrac/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1135.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I just saw on Deadspin that <a href="http://deadspin.com/former-mlb-pitcher-frank-castillo-drowns-955159838" target="_blank">Frank Castillo died yesterday</a>. The 44-year-old former starting pitcher drowned while on a boating trip with a friend. I knew his name sounded familiar but the picture they showed of him in a Red Sox uniform just didn't register. Then when I read that he had pitched for the Cubs, it clicked. I dug into the Cubs section of my junk box and there were these two cards.<br />
<br />
My thoughts go out to his friends and family, especially his friend he was out on the boat with. I can't even begin to imagine how traumatic that has to be.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-25582234896956493362013-07-27T01:52:00.000-07:002013-07-27T01:52:03.127-07:00Common Bond ContestWhat is the common bond between the following ten players? First person to respond correctly in the comments wins, uh, some cards, I guess. But not these ones (I can't imagine any of you would want any of these anyway).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UDmJnEAJV1B0Xc6khvBFNGAplEARXo16l8cFNQMDfYZu1JMPEGaAvbh7xlDFTKFH_FVjx0RpBIXaSlqbV7E0Ms4wGvh824-nR_8SyC5vELi6cgc66D8KXkhqIYEFZi_DBeZhE8YdR4eY/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UDmJnEAJV1B0Xc6khvBFNGAplEARXo16l8cFNQMDfYZu1JMPEGaAvbh7xlDFTKFH_FVjx0RpBIXaSlqbV7E0Ms4wGvh824-nR_8SyC5vELi6cgc66D8KXkhqIYEFZi_DBeZhE8YdR4eY/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1128.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IoXLXz2MRzteMz4vqctcVMY54zIOKuLELJXB2rl86ZgOu-zr0TKv-0pRz1Yix0XPaK2Wyn5-HvDJ7N7Un9R_OwAfLbgTs9R8v42b1i512B73TYKmk-2yAt8G7xYlHOdgcfPjetk0JyzG/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IoXLXz2MRzteMz4vqctcVMY54zIOKuLELJXB2rl86ZgOu-zr0TKv-0pRz1Yix0XPaK2Wyn5-HvDJ7N7Un9R_OwAfLbgTs9R8v42b1i512B73TYKmk-2yAt8G7xYlHOdgcfPjetk0JyzG/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1129.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvRETkGlUd7CamdeK0LlI0DEPFxExjeucTDR5K-8vLzL8qUL6zgRvWd7y-1KGw5GYH-jgEswintRNjYF9Aq2idksn1juo5wTz8tpPhaNXBOD05aVOVNY8XAcAUhl84t_Nhj3VPY63l6R1/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvRETkGlUd7CamdeK0LlI0DEPFxExjeucTDR5K-8vLzL8qUL6zgRvWd7y-1KGw5GYH-jgEswintRNjYF9Aq2idksn1juo5wTz8tpPhaNXBOD05aVOVNY8XAcAUhl84t_Nhj3VPY63l6R1/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1130.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb779XtDaEe5nZx2x0CmM0SdQ-JhJa3G_cttYNArLuYlzVT536rEQa2YxrUX-UFFqybQO2eHs8OLQXkyJ1XJaO0xv6hil-ty7YEzCAuE3a6G2eJbySx8AWaeEyzPYm2MUrntZt_yyPx4OL/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb779XtDaEe5nZx2x0CmM0SdQ-JhJa3G_cttYNArLuYlzVT536rEQa2YxrUX-UFFqybQO2eHs8OLQXkyJ1XJaO0xv6hil-ty7YEzCAuE3a6G2eJbySx8AWaeEyzPYm2MUrntZt_yyPx4OL/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1131.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gO5floXnsVjYyfV2u8sxuXRinevps04VHUO9fHt6oyfcQxFlshJ_q2DW-irAuWcaUim8PL4lZsE_i4tfmmwjKVGHlVeYuCIIgQyc7mi337jssb6pdRu_4GKt7QmatCXM_r4T6rLvrvIE/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gO5floXnsVjYyfV2u8sxuXRinevps04VHUO9fHt6oyfcQxFlshJ_q2DW-irAuWcaUim8PL4lZsE_i4tfmmwjKVGHlVeYuCIIgQyc7mi337jssb6pdRu_4GKt7QmatCXM_r4T6rLvrvIE/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1132.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Alright, start guessing!<br />
<br />
...or actually researching it if you're so inclined.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-87860629959997190542013-07-26T01:38:00.001-07:002013-07-26T01:38:51.036-07:00Just Coras from Just Commons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax2lYa9QfqnwO5a8YFd3jgZAwvCvhyphenhyphen2xxyG9sUrmbdYgs2Ihlud-xNT-ga3zxInOkWWBLoS2Y9-J-ARdgqVXfV9m3EfEIDy0GtU0tAvBEU5GW9F60gxdHUzlo7isAhVhwj1qWGvCVsBxO/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax2lYa9QfqnwO5a8YFd3jgZAwvCvhyphenhyphen2xxyG9sUrmbdYgs2Ihlud-xNT-ga3zxInOkWWBLoS2Y9-J-ARdgqVXfV9m3EfEIDy0GtU0tAvBEU5GW9F60gxdHUzlo7isAhVhwj1qWGvCVsBxO/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1117.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Earlier today (well, technically yesterday but you know what I mean), I got 43 cards in the mail that I ordered from <a href="http://www.justcommons.com/index.php" target="_blank">Just Commons</a> earlier this week. They got here incredibly fast- especially fast considering that it was free shipping. I'll get to some of the others in another post before too long, but first the Coras.<br />
<br />
The last time I made an order from Just Commons, I bought all of their Joey Cora cards. Or so I thought I did. There were three copies of his '95 Topps Traded that I missed out on. I'm pretty sure what happened was that they had four copies and I accidentally didn't change the 1 to a 4 when putting them in the cart. The other card I missed was the 1994 Score <i>The Cycle</i> insert #TC12 pictured above. I had only searched "Joey Cora" the first time and this one was listed as "J. Cora/ S. Finley". Good thing I searched just "Cora" this last time. This is one of my favorite Joey Cora cards, due to both its relative scarcity and the inclusion of future Friar Steve Finley. Ordinarily I would take any card of Steve Finley as an Oriole, Astro, or even a Padre, and promptly send it to Marcus of <a href="http://backstopcards.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">All The Way To The Backstop...</a> because he collects those specifically, but this is the one exception. Sorry, man; hope you understand.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR1obrBN-jL7ZnRNfanCwhumjX3kJkaCYBAmcUendITwOlkxUf-_c3P59YsZ6qedIKsaHxiw88Dn8VgKhzTQ9nkZfyy8wWMui2Danb1Tw8rPZ-DmhimVF5DUvlIPlwOy3p-uHfqt89Hcz/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR1obrBN-jL7ZnRNfanCwhumjX3kJkaCYBAmcUendITwOlkxUf-_c3P59YsZ6qedIKsaHxiw88Dn8VgKhzTQ9nkZfyy8wWMui2Danb1Tw8rPZ-DmhimVF5DUvlIPlwOy3p-uHfqt89Hcz/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1116.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Here are those '95 Topps Traded cards of Joey I mentioned. Yep, still look the same. I've always like it quite a lot; it's one of his first cards with the Mariners and really seems to encapsulate him.<br />
<br />
I'll be back later today with at least a couple of the other (non-Cora) cards I got.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-41503642058280134272013-07-17T18:59:00.000-07:002013-07-17T18:59:02.135-07:00Trade with 'Playing With My Cards'I recently got an email from Ethan of <a href="http://playingwithmycards.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Playing With My Cards</a>, saying he had some Series 2 cards on my '93 Upper Deck set needs list. We exchanged a few emails, got the other one's mailing address, and you know the rest. In addition to the Series 1 doubles I had, I threw in a few others. He also included some extras. I'll get to those, but first the '93 UDs.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ89VoGpjSv52rYg9PAXNXEkivKWVcNuAb5RAuc7DWTjhIERF8xL3mcb18ktTXXmlXV0IlYdLBGfuz1hQQtmFF3jSv1WkSIi6ZlIZWjPGMUuPAgFULk3A5SOYhbxl2DK_5E_fphGuSkHaL/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ89VoGpjSv52rYg9PAXNXEkivKWVcNuAb5RAuc7DWTjhIERF8xL3mcb18ktTXXmlXV0IlYdLBGfuz1hQQtmFF3jSv1WkSIi6ZlIZWjPGMUuPAgFULk3A5SOYhbxl2DK_5E_fphGuSkHaL/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1107.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
From inspiring to despicable to forgettable. One thing that Dodger lovers and I can agree on is a mutual hatred of Barry Bonds. It's not like we're alone on that but still, it's nice to find common ground wherever you can.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipVdobm-S8bP75a8WMcgcz3-V7fFAqAAylCwqkUUnjOXpgjuwTYwWVcVhcUvglQqQGGtnjYlTRYeiiY-_saIFqhzmZuXf8ADswY8KUb-zqcXKb4DoEvXnIklaQ-l5fCX-QT-Cs_BrY3HY/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipVdobm-S8bP75a8WMcgcz3-V7fFAqAAylCwqkUUnjOXpgjuwTYwWVcVhcUvglQqQGGtnjYlTRYeiiY-_saIFqhzmZuXf8ADswY8KUb-zqcXKb4DoEvXnIklaQ-l5fCX-QT-Cs_BrY3HY/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1108.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Hey, there's Jim Abbott again. This one is his base card. The front had a good shot of him in his motion but this picture of him batting trumps it. I've said it a million times and I'll say it a million more: '93 Upper Deck has the greatest photography of any set ever.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09jQfeOsppWLdgfJYg1qHtVSNI1vgxPV6bg1gLHGkCJ_QdZrP9XbNO8Geu25IAjsw4XR5tTayF_Jh9WByQ6C-54q2RG2thw7uWvQNSFExcsloaRY0MIpldwCQPxOHiikYoZgvGuFeGYMG/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09jQfeOsppWLdgfJYg1qHtVSNI1vgxPV6bg1gLHGkCJ_QdZrP9XbNO8Geu25IAjsw4XR5tTayF_Jh9WByQ6C-54q2RG2thw7uWvQNSFExcsloaRY0MIpldwCQPxOHiikYoZgvGuFeGYMG/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1109.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Next up were some Padres cards. If I'm not mistaken (I'm probably mistaken) all but one of them are ones I didn't have.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7xKWIUg5BgbSpW869JNBT6suDhQ_28VWnXZ2eFxvS2qe44qJsBaIV0KY9P3wjsny0XVA7P4IlW8EQJ6iqKM52ISlO7gzEzr96iggZmdbMz_4gBlSwClz6sHbUeNUwmIOAg6e_xc-P-NL/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7xKWIUg5BgbSpW869JNBT6suDhQ_28VWnXZ2eFxvS2qe44qJsBaIV0KY9P3wjsny0XVA7P4IlW8EQJ6iqKM52ISlO7gzEzr96iggZmdbMz_4gBlSwClz6sHbUeNUwmIOAg6e_xc-P-NL/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1110.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
That Marty Barrett card probably deserves its own post. Note to self: Dig that one out next time you can't think of anything to write about.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhKen5MJMK22HRXN_3s92CC14FQeCO3PivzNAZUrivMRLxLLlvWRcH_28eGDKE6EcwMKwyz6YZbGlLLongPE6oxAZDBq8CRxcGgjrAVnbMjzMCwcOWuoacPFwz0wl1bnO_Vnvfh01SMuJ/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhKen5MJMK22HRXN_3s92CC14FQeCO3PivzNAZUrivMRLxLLlvWRcH_28eGDKE6EcwMKwyz6YZbGlLLongPE6oxAZDBq8CRxcGgjrAVnbMjzMCwcOWuoacPFwz0wl1bnO_Vnvfh01SMuJ/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1111.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I thought it was kinda neat that I got a Robbie Beckett card in the mail on Robbie Beckett's birthday. He was a first-round flop and never pitched for the Padres. He did get into seven games with Colorado in '96 and '97 but fared very poorly. Hence not getting into eight or more games.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO6upwiyfidszEv8rJN2h2LU11GRCPcCZony7EyWH4ZUARh5P1xrA1oN-RDpDR_srrs-4n0T8O18yehh6cdG39KRyqpxch9ZnkO6g7Zm04oME2FsvnSPIbg8YvORgHkc9w2DY6Mu8n6JZ/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO6upwiyfidszEv8rJN2h2LU11GRCPcCZony7EyWH4ZUARh5P1xrA1oN-RDpDR_srrs-4n0T8O18yehh6cdG39KRyqpxch9ZnkO6g7Zm04oME2FsvnSPIbg8YvORgHkc9w2DY6Mu8n6JZ/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1112.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
And here are a pair of current managers who have since trashed the 'stache. But I saved the best four cards he sent for last. And I'm sure you know what that means.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mMNVK1dSloUX0rqGnQIEohIOiRXsFo7VlFMx49_qibBK-PMfgoLSzjrR1BOPCaFXB6v9YDGToBFJPHl8eITY00HzPpwuZFhKZQv1Ds5HUfaO9bEksEPBDIgTKTvIPcJ-QBwTGZzeQUG4/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mMNVK1dSloUX0rqGnQIEohIOiRXsFo7VlFMx49_qibBK-PMfgoLSzjrR1BOPCaFXB6v9YDGToBFJPHl8eITY00HzPpwuZFhKZQv1Ds5HUfaO9bEksEPBDIgTKTvIPcJ-QBwTGZzeQUG4/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1103.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_-73WPZX3HX3P_iqQvGs-oT0pkIfb03uamAHTfoAUZ1Y-8ky47j4YjkxP5rQWwIRU1IZe4r3avacFpVZ47dPOl-OS_rRmCPl7PKkp9qqU_1QI0kIkFVbg9ywInH626GOQjs05ndUs0Iy/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_-73WPZX3HX3P_iqQvGs-oT0pkIfb03uamAHTfoAUZ1Y-8ky47j4YjkxP5rQWwIRU1IZe4r3avacFpVZ47dPOl-OS_rRmCPl7PKkp9qqU_1QI0kIkFVbg9ywInH626GOQjs05ndUs0Iy/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1105.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Yes! Joeys! Of the four, I have the most of the '93 Topps issue, followed by the '95 Topps. I'm not positive of how many I have of each because that would require getting up and I'm pretty comfortable. I need to start doing posts for each card of his and update them with how many copies I have of each, the way <a href="http://deadspin.com/5928281/shaq-thompson-returns-to-football-after-the-worst-minor-league-career-imaginable" target="_blank">Tim Wallach Cards</a> does.<br />
<br />
So, thanks, Ethan! I hope you liked the ones I sent your way as much as I liked these.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-10198450541843169342013-07-07T07:55:00.000-07:002013-07-07T07:55:10.622-07:00The One Player Born On 7/7/77<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntRzhcVMnt85BwJpTWzUGT_AaxGl41QPGNDabElKYUGEU9EYtqY24B2ndmf4HQruDowog07oKWkA1Jpd-x-zs4_lWMTlYwE3Hozh9gvOPO4lfeDbzaoFv0rMVCbN1azVJiREg7ze3QH5_/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntRzhcVMnt85BwJpTWzUGT_AaxGl41QPGNDabElKYUGEU9EYtqY24B2ndmf4HQruDowog07oKWkA1Jpd-x-zs4_lWMTlYwE3Hozh9gvOPO4lfeDbzaoFv0rMVCbN1azVJiREg7ze3QH5_/s320/Snapshot_201303261_1091.JPG" width="232" /></a></div>
I noticed yesterday that today was going to be 7/7, so of course I automatically wondered if there were any baseball players who were born on 7/7/77. Sure enough, there was one.<br />
<br />
Andy Green got into 136 games with Arizona from '04 through '06, and then four more in 2009 with the Mets. He served mostly as a pinch hitter but saw a bit of time at second and third bases and out in left field.<br />
<br />
He didn't have a ton of success with the stick in the bigs, with a career average right on the Mendoza line over 230 at-bats, but even the last man on any team's bench is one of the 750 or so best players in the world at that given time, so I'd say he did pretty daggone well for himself.<br />
<br />
Like I always do with any Rockies, Giants, or D****** cards, I edited out the offensive Diamondtrash logos for its inclusion here.<br />
<br />
Lastly, this song seemed appropriate for today's post:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xgFzl4fMCy8" width="420"></iframe><br />TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-49039387335940424202013-06-30T01:11:00.000-07:002013-06-30T01:17:09.056-07:00Chipping Away At The '93 Upper Deck SetI've been working on putting together the '93 Upper Deck set slowly but surely; there has been a stack of them growing for the past couple of months as I neglected to sort them, take them off <a href="http://fromanunlikelysource.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">my needs list</a>, and put them in order with the others. Most of them came form small team lots on Listia. Anyway, here are the ones I've accrued recently:<br />
<br />
1. Tim Salmon Star Rookie<br />
34. Kirby Puckett Community Heroes<br />
40. Dave Winfield Community Heroes<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAENMDkEFwxk6IieajiMvThN60SZMC0tAJgX1kmEv5EphLciY74pAn_Mspo7T9O01xKfKpev8GMbEfWvDYaz2fdIQunHDr464aKcbGQMPHuJKq9KuoW2banlDCIS8aBUCMZ7HkcKrcW0pG/s471/Snapshot_201303261_1036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAENMDkEFwxk6IieajiMvThN60SZMC0tAJgX1kmEv5EphLciY74pAn_Mspo7T9O01xKfKpev8GMbEfWvDYaz2fdIQunHDr464aKcbGQMPHuJKq9KuoW2banlDCIS8aBUCMZ7HkcKrcW0pG/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1036.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Speaking of Winfield, I wrote <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/2013/6/19/4444428/dave-winfield-debuted-on-this-date-40-years-ago" target="_blank">a piece on his first major league game</a> about a week ago on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. Mr. Winfield somehow found out about it and was kind enough to tweet out the link and post it on Facebook. That was pretty cool to me.<br />
<br />
42. Joe Carter/ Roberto Alomar<br />
43. Paul Molitor/ Pat Listach/ Robin Yount<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGbJNEA55kACp_9vbMTxhd5kviUHYuSbkilBHO9tR7hEx1pA-hxxYy7iYYZJKo20UDyvW_PT_JXsP72yHhOzb0LKQYn4mskKosiIOCLvCUKGDTgeFB_msuWvRow8dl2Kz-HD9_arsmhhj/s634/Snapshot_201303261_1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGbJNEA55kACp_9vbMTxhd5kviUHYuSbkilBHO9tR7hEx1pA-hxxYy7iYYZJKo20UDyvW_PT_JXsP72yHhOzb0LKQYn4mskKosiIOCLvCUKGDTgeFB_msuWvRow8dl2Kz-HD9_arsmhhj/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1037.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
50. Kent Hrbek/ Kirby Puckett<br />
60. Wilfredo Cordero<br />
76. Kevin Brown<br />
99. Mark Portugal<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4s7HIV5szvRd3-p83PGhqzcX-NW0yCcI2RfErDLVG2DNWS3-WAIkcqoza-XHaLzq3Ko8YCQsh9DdZ93vylPUSpY5yd7sZwu9uNAK_lQpTKvefLFR6N-y2fIrOmJqksmM_ajVvZijK3jt/s404/Snapshot_201303261_1038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4s7HIV5szvRd3-p83PGhqzcX-NW0yCcI2RfErDLVG2DNWS3-WAIkcqoza-XHaLzq3Ko8YCQsh9DdZ93vylPUSpY5yd7sZwu9uNAK_lQpTKvefLFR6N-y2fIrOmJqksmM_ajVvZijK3jt/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1038.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Ah, now we're starting to get into what makes '93 Upper Deck the greatest set ever: the photography. Where else are you going to see a guy wearing aviators, sucking on a lollipop, and signing a glove? Nowhere. I wish I had a double of this to send Dime Box Nick. That's something I find myself saying over and over again while looking at these cards. I hope he has most of them already. If not, I'm sure I'll get dubs of some of them at some point.<br />
<br />
102. B.J. Surhoff<br />
105. Frank Thomas CL<br />
112. Bip Roberts<br />
114. Craig Biggio<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_eBIQ6QbS1wJtwmwjXQzAGsBosoWDqZBh6p9al9W5D5OPG7xjWmpTV5aui0VIee6ez6aQcF8Nc6uC7WnrDQODrZcjc9r8Czvdy8HvuxHWt1U6anvRf5JN-LeYtdhVewXrod7b5Do_lMH/s539/Snapshot_201303261_1039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_eBIQ6QbS1wJtwmwjXQzAGsBosoWDqZBh6p9al9W5D5OPG7xjWmpTV5aui0VIee6ez6aQcF8Nc6uC7WnrDQODrZcjc9r8Czvdy8HvuxHWt1U6anvRf5JN-LeYtdhVewXrod7b5Do_lMH/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1039.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I left both of these on my needs list because I could use copies for their player collections as well.<br />
<br />
125. Roberto Alomar<br />
138. Ken Hill<br />
139. Ozzie Guillen<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsZaz5dPGZZGGyvUfpjsrGgds8Tc_GAI54LHjWfS1HJQ2qNpxUvaEz9c6-ON2YeHZ03ViHBgLtBmxWJcmRBSQSqCkFaG-g3FZ1bUJ4fH6XMdzt-mBq0GPDs0u8KnoPVlEcUAg6gFB3PO3/s473/Snapshot_201303261_1040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsZaz5dPGZZGGyvUfpjsrGgds8Tc_GAI54LHjWfS1HJQ2qNpxUvaEz9c6-ON2YeHZ03ViHBgLtBmxWJcmRBSQSqCkFaG-g3FZ1bUJ4fH6XMdzt-mBq0GPDs0u8KnoPVlEcUAg6gFB3PO3/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1040.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
142. Delino DeShields<br />
144. Larry Walker<br />
147. Chris Sabo<br />
158. Derek Bell<br />
171. Doug Jones<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84qFDVkqGpStAsOeQElWShgTLn3zzXeEBZQZn-U59B75N0Cc6xzDXrk7kn31NuMN-wZ4uh1ystkxvsckbjN1vfhbkmb8G3fc33guBzaEIyeiASR2AytORPGW6cv5vXyDdAU8dxuMo6Sco/s418/Snapshot_201303261_1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84qFDVkqGpStAsOeQElWShgTLn3zzXeEBZQZn-U59B75N0Cc6xzDXrk7kn31NuMN-wZ4uh1ystkxvsckbjN1vfhbkmb8G3fc33guBzaEIyeiASR2AytORPGW6cv5vXyDdAU8dxuMo6Sco/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1042.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Younger readers might be unfamiliar with the object Doug Jones is holding up to his face. That's a camcorder. It's what people used to use to record video with back when phones were things that stayed attached to walls.<br />
<br />
177. John Jaha<br />
178. Luis Polonia<br />
183. Eric Anthony<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2adEK71xx6-4OW2FLF49yfk8JwL0347bXtb0Wk-GWk5HEKbyKYU0ErNmOoyoM5h_YRL8f-0CdnBy8PiEdhBFCgECmHFVM8jX7Easjvla2eDNBdFsBGGde1qBQ91yfJ8wmEoc9nwU7pIz/s497/Snapshot_201303261_1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2adEK71xx6-4OW2FLF49yfk8JwL0347bXtb0Wk-GWk5HEKbyKYU0ErNmOoyoM5h_YRL8f-0CdnBy8PiEdhBFCgECmHFVM8jX7Easjvla2eDNBdFsBGGde1qBQ91yfJ8wmEoc9nwU7pIz/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
192. Darryl Hamilton<br />
199. Ron Karkovice<br />
207. Charlie Hough<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEG_a1sOJB3GUjwydHjUT531aT-nUArlI9WWiPs1yNnyG5ycCjdOxZS0oOe8khCJQyYZU11r1H9WbrXhzONrFtJtrGPsed90iAFxmeya0H081DKB4iRtNYdrUjO-2vRwkOcfwhEGQmQt5/s640/Snapshot_201303261_1044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEG_a1sOJB3GUjwydHjUT531aT-nUArlI9WWiPs1yNnyG5ycCjdOxZS0oOe8khCJQyYZU11r1H9WbrXhzONrFtJtrGPsed90iAFxmeya0H081DKB4iRtNYdrUjO-2vRwkOcfwhEGQmQt5/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1044.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Like that! That's what phones were like back then. Also, it's interesting to see a team wearing a throwback hat with a current jersey.<br />
<br />
219. Gary Carter<br />
223. Joe Carter<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGD8LUf_KW4sH_zlVKNEYNd7QU4wSLLsNI6Hfk1MTB6UtoJG5z57oQXy6yfg3pMaihKuD1zS2atf5qMFPsiTe35vtRAr0qjW6rFsqyp60I4_TIhflhw0ZbclNiD__SMrST_BXNoG7ap9p/s559/Snapshot_201303261_1045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGD8LUf_KW4sH_zlVKNEYNd7QU4wSLLsNI6Hfk1MTB6UtoJG5z57oQXy6yfg3pMaihKuD1zS2atf5qMFPsiTe35vtRAr0qjW6rFsqyp60I4_TIhflhw0ZbclNiD__SMrST_BXNoG7ap9p/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1045.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
226. Jose Rijo<br />
231. Steve Finley<br />
232. Dennis Martinez<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmKgvftwtkh6C97bDZ112bOMAIqcoZFekLUloOVhrtxsovbOwoqDmfA6UJ7ipuPi6uegNEgDVsaNktCJsD_d4hbUBVNjBaNkc0c00KwRwsgc4_oIycGPaFLMP0oFD9T-F5oYAsVXQKX3z/s463/Snapshot_201303261_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmKgvftwtkh6C97bDZ112bOMAIqcoZFekLUloOVhrtxsovbOwoqDmfA6UJ7ipuPi6uegNEgDVsaNktCJsD_d4hbUBVNjBaNkc0c00KwRwsgc4_oIycGPaFLMP0oFD9T-F5oYAsVXQKX3z/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1046.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Pitcher batting alert! Pitcher eating an apple alert!<br />
<br />
234. Joe Oliver<br />
235. Chad Curtis<br />
241. Dean Palmer<br />
245. Barry Larkin<br />
254. Chuck Knoblauch<br />
256. Jeff Bagwell<br />
263. Robin Ventura<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRnnpFKOfApZ2fgQGe8GDxg3PUlYYiJwppubomGqprZ01tQrIQmf73tqVJkZHg4T-hNE4tRNaCnC1u04WvctgkeFdIgM3ERejIHuE2TWU_osQQFSe06Ud63BJ2CIzRTzg8fBLhzA76ROu/s482/Snapshot_201303261_1047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRnnpFKOfApZ2fgQGe8GDxg3PUlYYiJwppubomGqprZ01tQrIQmf73tqVJkZHg4T-hNE4tRNaCnC1u04WvctgkeFdIgM3ERejIHuE2TWU_osQQFSe06Ud63BJ2CIzRTzg8fBLhzA76ROu/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1047.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Nice shot of should-be Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell signing for a fan. That Ventura card made my day, though. Why? Look who's congratulating him as he's coming into the dugout.<br />
<br />
272. Carlton Fisk<br />
280. Lance Johnson<br />
286. Brian Williams<br />
294. Casey Candaele<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzueXcnE7EoyHippQeZg-B9gVzkt93CRm0pVN6Hjt-Ybsiu4MVw0bAsoVJe2FQajLPp0luqXsX1cgDfW47sdUc9LJrjdbc2iCSwDQ3og2f6oHe3piK8ToenSl1Z84RZjvK5cO1WlC3LH1B/s447/Snapshot_201303261_1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzueXcnE7EoyHippQeZg-B9gVzkt93CRm0pVN6Hjt-Ybsiu4MVw0bAsoVJe2FQajLPp0luqXsX1cgDfW47sdUc9LJrjdbc2iCSwDQ3og2f6oHe3piK8ToenSl1Z84RZjvK5cO1WlC3LH1B/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1048.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
It seems like all of the Astros got great photos, at least on one side and usually on both.<br />
<br />
305. Ken Caminiti<br />
313. Kevin Tapani<br />
333. Paul Molitor<br />
344. John Olerud<br />
348. Mark Gardner<br />
352. Roberto Hernandez<br />
358. Jimmy Key<br />
362. Alex Fernandez<br />
368. Tim Belcher<br />
369. Steve Sax<br />
370. Gary Gaetti<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLqOZecvXiii3Z_qucefoCHQJqJ4w9faIg1cCDN7rEEdp9flMrzOLZlfJTMWX4-JCjBib98zk4DND8sqCtMqNDBXhUo95_diVtu4AMUL-044_8wpPZMdmVDTvUq1xzKGrR3ST4QhAqRNh/s422/Snapshot_201303261_1049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLqOZecvXiii3Z_qucefoCHQJqJ4w9faIg1cCDN7rEEdp9flMrzOLZlfJTMWX4-JCjBib98zk4DND8sqCtMqNDBXhUo95_diVtu4AMUL-044_8wpPZMdmVDTvUq1xzKGrR3ST4QhAqRNh/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1049.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
377. Damion Easley<br />
399. Mark Guthrie<br />
400. Dave Martinez<br />
487. Dennis Eckersley AL MVP<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDKHVA5oOzg2CY0slAcWcIu_P2OoM_LGlTQbtQVr-ECxTQHsWZvzd7hmvoDp2h_zitaLtiqiK7Qt70xxsUcmjYwVdna5Xj1EUH13udQfemCQTfxGcFuIy5xPu6ibpQfQdVUKyRpaxMl2t/s478/Snapshot_201303261_1050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDKHVA5oOzg2CY0slAcWcIu_P2OoM_LGlTQbtQVr-ECxTQHsWZvzd7hmvoDp2h_zitaLtiqiK7Qt70xxsUcmjYwVdna5Xj1EUH13udQfemCQTfxGcFuIy5xPu6ibpQfQdVUKyRpaxMl2t/s400/Snapshot_201303261_1050.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Am I the only one who saw that picture of Dave Martinez and immediately thought of Chris Denorfia? In fairness, Deno has actually been making the catch most of the times he dives these days.<br />
<br />
489. Dennis Eckersley AL CY<br />
656. Julio Franco<br />
749. Todd Burns<br />
<br />
I got about a dozen doubles from this stack, bringing me up to 41. I'll try to post those soon so anybody who's also building this set or just needs any of the cards can claim them. There are a few with awesome photography that are definitely Nick's unless he already has them.<br />
<br />
Also, I got 127 Joey Cora cards in the mail earlier this week, some of which I didn't have copies of yet, so I need to post at least some of the White Sox and Mariners ones here since I'm going to do a post about his Padres cards over at <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/" target="_blank">Gaslamp Ball</a>. I've been neglecting this blog for way too long and I'll try to start correcting that...TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-29520560450712065192013-05-23T15:47:00.000-07:002013-05-23T15:47:13.867-07:00Gyorkin' It In San Diego<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S0znA-AxKK3NaLR2dt7qSZKW_vMgCWy8kL5_5lQ8LQ4sHvY_7vz_hXnxBXlKKi3s0GtpX9m-5xMcGXWFmh7zEaI6jaDdqQhE_o35Gz_X-aZrrNaATHe4lIO0naVoG84SEoya66y-9Bnm/s1600/Snapshot_20121223_4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S0znA-AxKK3NaLR2dt7qSZKW_vMgCWy8kL5_5lQ8LQ4sHvY_7vz_hXnxBXlKKi3s0GtpX9m-5xMcGXWFmh7zEaI6jaDdqQhE_o35Gz_X-aZrrNaATHe4lIO0naVoG84SEoya66y-9Bnm/s400/Snapshot_20121223_4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Jedd Gyorko has been everything I'd hoped he would be and then some so far. I have a few cards of him, including the one shown above (can you spot the error?) but I decided to give him the full fake card treatment that I'd previously reserved for Alexi Amarista. It started with just a 1961 Topps but, like a drug, the rush took over and before I knew it I had made four others- 1991 Fleer, 1994 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Future Foundation, 1986 Topps, and 1984 Fleer. They turned out fairly well if I do say so myself; you can <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/2013/5/23/4358452/five-jedd-gyorko-baseball-cards-that-dont-exist-but-should" target="_blank">check them out over at the mighty mighty Gaslamp Ball</a>.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-88472049794090788392013-05-05T20:43:00.001-07:002013-05-05T20:43:41.232-07:00Ch-ch-ch-changes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhFVxT3FbwzMlMOXLbhsfWXZx49z2TtEdWH67MqYfVBJHJiwbBNLHPJXDNYgyMJIPpgrEl3z8SgTRerPHcrNjncpcwXGhHdi-1ux4shfLC1FsQDOn7IErc4qB-Aza2Bnpmt3fWD6BPfFF/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_31.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhFVxT3FbwzMlMOXLbhsfWXZx49z2TtEdWH67MqYfVBJHJiwbBNLHPJXDNYgyMJIPpgrEl3z8SgTRerPHcrNjncpcwXGhHdi-1ux4shfLC1FsQDOn7IErc4qB-Aza2Bnpmt3fWD6BPfFF/s400/Snapshot_201303261_31.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
"Friars on Cardboard" is no more. From now on I'll be doing all of my writing about the Padres over at <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/" target="_blank">Gaslamp Ball</a>, my favorite site in the world and one I'm beyond honored to contribute to. But I still need a place to do trade posts and talk about all the Coras, Kruks, Radinskys, and so forth that I have and will continue to accrue. Hence, I just gave this place a five minute makeover and rechristened it. The name is a rather obscure reference; <a href="http://friarsoncardboard.blogspot.com/2010/08/baseball-heals-all-wounds-tale-of-joey.html" target="_blank">here's the story</a> behind it. I should probably set up a new site and just have this one redirect there but until then, this will do.<br />
<br />
As a side note, my most recent post over at GLB is one you, my fellow cardies, would appreciate. I dug through my collection and picked out <a href="http://www.gaslampball.com/2013/5/5/4301906/45-years-of-padres-on-topps-cards" target="_blank">45 Topps cards, one from every year the Padres have existed</a>, and created a timeline of sorts of their evolution. Hope you like it!TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-68539862673610078242013-04-29T23:59:00.003-07:002013-04-29T23:59:48.025-07:00Rickey Gets On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEI7Urz4n5kEVsLxTAhuxk9gy_2mGddZ3Q-XZlwFpssVXqSE6iwnbIJt6Iig_pOHTCk0Xlu3012TLRhTamaKTKJ9-w2oNQWSkJKIbCY4cRlU0_3wtsgGalSl2-2jf77jzzfKoSZunQyEQ/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_40.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEI7Urz4n5kEVsLxTAhuxk9gy_2mGddZ3Q-XZlwFpssVXqSE6iwnbIJt6Iig_pOHTCk0Xlu3012TLRhTamaKTKJ9-w2oNQWSkJKIbCY4cRlU0_3wtsgGalSl2-2jf77jzzfKoSZunQyEQ/s400/Snapshot_201303261_40.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"People, they ask me, 'Rickey, how you steal all those bases?' I tell 'em 'Rickey gets on'."</div>
TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-22353138545098583172013-04-25T00:35:00.000-07:002013-04-25T00:35:25.774-07:00Building The '93 Upper Deck Set<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p9P5wyIhbuKxNzPg21GR10jONkmRnA3n47JilfUpmQJ2XS33Qm-qTmJIb4MhfL-qOW147R6hDVNdthhnqj00JXs5gocaCKmqw93IfPR-JS1c6tQHngU1xvnr24lEXOD1Zkv0exw5B7he/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p9P5wyIhbuKxNzPg21GR10jONkmRnA3n47JilfUpmQJ2XS33Qm-qTmJIb4MhfL-qOW147R6hDVNdthhnqj00JXs5gocaCKmqw93IfPR-JS1c6tQHngU1xvnr24lEXOD1Zkv0exw5B7he/s400/Snapshot_201303261_14.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I decided a couple (few?) months ago to build the 1993 Upper Deck set from scratch. It really was from scratch because outside of the Padres in the set, I only had a dozen or so others and some of those are part of player collections (Joey Cora, John Kruk, Scott Radinsky, and Tom Henke come to mind) so I'd need to get duplicates of those too.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0nSGm4Ni2Rt7b-WzO3yzbgvwZOzE2uPmqyQ5VintbyGomnLRtFwxVBetWi-mFNhD41GWVdqBOYziYa7X1bh6_4XfZmUprskXioyGCxMw3_SX3WlAbPI1sdbcFUZ7h9us83NlK3lE9Obm/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0nSGm4Ni2Rt7b-WzO3yzbgvwZOzE2uPmqyQ5VintbyGomnLRtFwxVBetWi-mFNhD41GWVdqBOYziYa7X1bh6_4XfZmUprskXioyGCxMw3_SX3WlAbPI1sdbcFUZ7h9us83NlK3lE9Obm/s400/Snapshot_201303261_4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I have actually never built a set before so this is a new experience for me. As soon as I decided to do this one I started snagging up '93 UD loosies and lots on Listia. The Rickey above was paired up with his '94 Collector's Choice card, which features a near-mirror image of him sliding headfirst on a horizontal card.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0nhnfK6-yIfcunfLyz39QeRamAVa-QxQgODCgH6AEiY7nyiXLPgn9BnEekTxM_3IjPKvZQTMPeo3v4pOYsuXUe_4VNhbhPZhhahg0hv1Aucxs2Az1F_wZ0SBkj29VoyM9cuCsm2KDDp_/s1600/Snapshot_20130323_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0nhnfK6-yIfcunfLyz39QeRamAVa-QxQgODCgH6AEiY7nyiXLPgn9BnEekTxM_3IjPKvZQTMPeo3v4pOYsuXUe_4VNhbhPZhhahg0hv1Aucxs2Az1F_wZ0SBkj29VoyM9cuCsm2KDDp_/s400/Snapshot_20130323_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Another Listia pickup was an unopened Marlins team set. I promptly freed the cards from their home for the last 20 years and something immediately caught my eye as I began leafing through them.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCcWYe1CBiDnZwIsrF4uH5fgnRatkOPS5EL-9SRUynf-VEua2hNGZFaxRFf01mep4TvhAmc_I4D-2uayiq7vwcXTbMYri9uB_w1WCaqOYW6jFLCg0x7u1KAlnsVkEKG1297d-HCs2adMh/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCcWYe1CBiDnZwIsrF4uH5fgnRatkOPS5EL-9SRUynf-VEua2hNGZFaxRFf01mep4TvhAmc_I4D-2uayiq7vwcXTbMYri9uB_w1WCaqOYW6jFLCg0x7u1KAlnsVkEKG1297d-HCs2adMh/s400/Snapshot_201303261_10.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
They're all stamped with a gold "First Season Marlins" gold leaf insignia. I guess they're technically parallels and probably shouldn't be used as legitimate set pieces but I put them in the mix nonetheless. Well, except for one. I had to set this one aside:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41hjOG__EDBFITtF42kR1_iOnRQBkLEpIpo6HQdX3_UoszRoitbXgtgHO7IRpQ-VpqQJouGH0iSU8cID6PyaO-2vrIsOLMlEPqHlxUc_Kg6WFKdf5Qp7WH2kjrJAqbZLor_ZnhRtMHFy6/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41hjOG__EDBFITtF42kR1_iOnRQBkLEpIpo6HQdX3_UoszRoitbXgtgHO7IRpQ-VpqQJouGH0iSU8cID6PyaO-2vrIsOLMlEPqHlxUc_Kg6WFKdf5Qp7WH2kjrJAqbZLor_ZnhRtMHFy6/s400/Snapshot_201303261_9.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
That card alone made the purchase worthwhile. The fact that I also got to knock out about 1/28 of the set at the same time was just icing.<br />
<br />
Accidentally stumbling unto a Trevor Hoffman rookie-year card was just the beginning of my '93 UD related luck. Around a month or so ago I commented on a post by Dime Box Nick that featured some '93 UDs. He mentioned how great they are and remarked that somebody should have a blog dedicated to the set. I said something about working on putting the set together and thought nothing more about it. Then a day or so later I got a Facebook message from a reader of his who had some to send my way. I gathered up every Yankees card and all of the Rickey Henderson cards I had and sent them his direction. What I got back far outweighed what I sent.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP0baMBU9KgL_m2Qif-oMQV9HLUoDlOVVgMmOLBsquj6l9jpMjpAqIP0Yr0P_6Y-K4iRAQ1HlWIuUmrbnkqswwkjOq69_nCl4niIFlmHWELSAkxWuOWlpXkXbRNNAjfOZDVBUpBDzJkL2/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP0baMBU9KgL_m2Qif-oMQV9HLUoDlOVVgMmOLBsquj6l9jpMjpAqIP0Yr0P_6Y-K4iRAQ1HlWIuUmrbnkqswwkjOq69_nCl4niIFlmHWELSAkxWuOWlpXkXbRNNAjfOZDVBUpBDzJkL2/s400/Snapshot_201303261_13.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I didn't know what to expect but I definitely didn't picture what I ended up getting. He sent a huge box and knocked a few hundred cards off my wantlist in one fell swoop. He also included a couple hundred Padres cards, a great deal of which I didn't already have.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAqkYFG3sslA6rK4HBvmzLw33DYPPmzIeBw2WMjdi41qbTMetJmm7UOG6zqsCSbMk_pubeL9kpDBb0mEf-Nia8n4spU7-9SESOcjt8ehCGTYCtHtZnyfz-gXy-IEsr7AzdxruiAZ0T8TG/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAqkYFG3sslA6rK4HBvmzLw33DYPPmzIeBw2WMjdi41qbTMetJmm7UOG6zqsCSbMk_pubeL9kpDBb0mEf-Nia8n4spU7-9SESOcjt8ehCGTYCtHtZnyfz-gXy-IEsr7AzdxruiAZ0T8TG/s400/Snapshot_201303261_6.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Last weekend I finally got around to putting them all in order and weeding out the doubles. I also made a <a href="http://www.friarsoncardboard.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">needs list</a> for the set, so if you have any of those I'd be glad to trade for them. I believe I have the majority of Series 2 but am rather lacking as far as Series 1 goes.<br />
<br />
I thought about making a set blog but I barely post here so that probably wouldn't have taken off. I'm sure a lot of my posts on here in the future will be set-related, though.TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8752641717665925838.post-83942437777099309892013-04-22T02:41:00.002-07:002013-04-22T02:45:45.282-07:00James Against The Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0cxyiQHIJ_wR6vnH4V1ifvxvf9W3Gcndw5KXAP2r7Lu3JI6RmCx7jVg9VWVsS8_OdrPdtZwwYSvQtL_3Dz2mc7rGJDXOhLvndy1abMmnZHw2znIZ54CDQBfY4eVMAaI_tf5bqLw0zmN9/s1600/Snapshot_201303261_81.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0cxyiQHIJ_wR6vnH4V1ifvxvf9W3Gcndw5KXAP2r7Lu3JI6RmCx7jVg9VWVsS8_OdrPdtZwwYSvQtL_3Dz2mc7rGJDXOhLvndy1abMmnZHw2znIZ54CDQBfY4eVMAaI_tf5bqLw0zmN9/s320/Snapshot_201303261_81.JPG" width="188" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Yes I know my enemies<br />
They're the teachers who taught me to fight me<br />
Compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission<br />
Ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, the elite<br />
All of which are American dreams<br />
All of which are American dreams<br />
All of which are American dreams<br />
All of which are American dreams<br />
All of which are American dreams<br />
All of which are American dreams<br />
All of which are American dreams<br />
All of which are American dreams </span></div>
TTGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379595626520134970noreply@blogger.com1