The Best Kind Of Duplicates

I recently got a PWE from Backstop Marcus which held seven cards, all seven of which I already have copies of. This might sound like it'd be disappointing but far from it. Four of the cards were of Joey Cora and I'd rather have a copy of a Joey Cora card that I already have several of than a new-to-me insert of anyone else.

I especially like this '93 Ultra. It seems like most of his cards show him fielding and I have no complaints with that.

Here are the backs to that Ultra and his '93 Fleer issue. Of the cards that do show him batting, most picture him hitting left-handed.

This is the note he enclosed, along with a card of long-time Padres color guy Mark "Mudcat" Grant. It's a good double to get because everybody loves Mud so it'll be sure to bring a smile to someone's face. As Grant himself would say, this card is "some kind of nice".

Lastly, Marcus included a pair of Pinnacles. I've written about the Harold Reynolds card before. Twice, actually, now that I think of it. I know exactly who wants this card, even if he doesn't know he wants it yet. That made sense, right? As for the Dave Staton card, I've accrued a few doubles of some of his cards and plan on eventually distributing them to other Gaslamp Ballers who have taken part in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Jersey project. Speaking of Staton and Gaslamp Ball, tomorrow is his 45th birthday so I'll be doing a card post about him over there tomorrow.

Thanks to Marcus for the cards and to the rest of you for reading!

Another Mess Of Dubs

I did some well-overdue organizing the other day, sorting a few hundred cards I've gotten over the past couple of months and putting them where they belong. In the process I turned up a fair amount of duplicates I was previously unaware of. Like before, I'm going to post them here so Backstop, Underdog, and whoever else can claim whichever ones they need... That Eichelberger card above is one of my favorite cards ever, period. That huge chopstache he has going on, along with that uni- everything about it just clicks.

Don is the least known of the three Reynolds brothers in baseball. Larry is a player agent and I'm pretty sure you know about Harold... I'm not a big fan of '88 Fleer; it just seems so, um, disposable I guess. But any card of Goose Gossage is a good card so it all evens out.

Here are a few worthless cards from sets I like. You can't go wrong with '93 Upper Deck or mid-80s Topps.

It's worth noting that Topps got Cory Luebke's first name right after calling him Corey on his Gold Futures card. As for '90 Donruss, I consider it the kudzu of collecting. It's everywhere and you can't get rid of it.

More kudzu but this time it's Bip so you know it's going somewhere. Cedric Hunter doesn't have quite as much of an underground following but he is still kicking, signing with Cleveland in November. To date he has one Major League hit, a single in four at bats spread out over six games for the 2011 Padres.

Yep, more of 'em. Moving along...

Okay, that Whitson is the last one of those. I swear.

And finally, a few more slabs of junk wax from twenty-some years ago. I hope somebody has a use for some of these. If you're one of those somebodys, just let me know.

Trade Post: All The Way To The Backstop

I haven't really felt like posting anything the last couple of days so, well, I haven't. The other night I was reading all the way to the backstop and saw my zip code among those he sent packages out to. I already had his cards packaged up but I hadn't made it to the Post Office yet. Yesterday as I was heading out to mail his cards and another batch for Dime Boxes, I checked the mailbox and the cards from Backstop were already here; that was quick! I chose the two cards for the top photo because they happen to be two cards I also sent him- hey, that's a pretty good success rate! There were a few cards I already have but most were new to me and will be finding their way here for some time to come.

At the top of the stack were six Joey Cora cards. Now here's a guy who's been paying attention! There was one of him with the Padres, one with the Mariners and four as a White Sock.

The cards spanned from 1987 until present and included both stars and unheard of players along with an array of fan favorites and historical footnotes. A great number of manufacturers were represented as were two languages (English and French). There were a few Benitos, a couple Adrians and one of each Alomar.

One of my favorite things about trading through the mail is the handwritten note. It's such a juxtaposition to everything you know about fellow bloggers; all I've seen before is the typed word and written words lend an extra element of humanity. His was no disappointment, complete with nifty lettering, an awesome illustration and words of encouragement all Padres fans must heed.

This was a blind trade so I had no idea what to expect. I'm very happy with what I got and hope he's as stoked when he gets his. I have a feeling he'll be pretty pleased.

52s For 5/2

An even dozen have worn number 52 as a member of the Padres. After 18 years without one, the Friars had two in 1987 in the form of Mark Grant and Jim Steels. Dave Leiper picked up where they left off in '88 and '89. Tim Mauser wore it from '93 through '95, followed by Joey Long in '97 and Ed Vosberg in '99. After a few more years without being issued, it was worn by Matt Herges in 2003, Ricky Stone in '04, and Clay Hensley in '05 and '07. Enrique Gonzalez wore it briefly in '08, as did Josh Geer in '08 and '09. Cory Luebke has worn it since last season when Chad Qualls showed up and gave him a Macbook for his number 50.

55s For The 5th

There haven't been that many guys who have worn 55 for the Friars- just ten, in fact. Only one player- Luis DeLeon in '82- wore the number before Mud did from '87 through '90. After Grant, Andres Berumen wore it in '95 and '96, as did Jim Bruske in '97 and '98. Dan Serafini had it briefly in early 2000 before Brian Tollberg took it over that season and kept it through '03. Ramon Hernandez rocked it in '04, as did Shawn Estes from '06 through '08 and Adam Russell in '09 and '10. Most recently, Evan Scribner donned the double nickels last season. Personally, I think the club should keep it out of circulation out of respect for Mud and what he means to the team and its fanbase in his current capacity. Then, after he's been in the booth for ages- oh, I don't know, let's say 20 or 25 years- they should formally retire it. I mean, good grief, he's already more worthy than Steve Garvey.

More Mud

I know I just posted a Mark Grant card but oh well, both of you reading this can deal. I'm so eager for baseball season and one of the best parts of watching 162 Padres games is listening to Mud. He's been a fixture for years and no matter who he's paired up with, his personality shines through. I mean, the man can even make listening to the beacon of obliviousness that is Dick Enberg tolerable.
Oh, and unrelated but last week I made my first box break video. It's pretty awful and awkward; if you haven't seen it yet, here it is so you can have a laugh at my expense:

Mud and Matty V.

On Friday, jbox at Gaslamp Ball wrote about the Top Ten Padres Related Videos on YouTube (or TTPRVoYT if you prefer) and I realized today that my favorite PRV wasn't on the list. Mud and Matty V. were both there but individually. The video they made when Vasgersian got hired cracks me up every time.

"Mud, you're the best, man."

“Anybody on Earth that doesn’t like Mark Grant, they’ve got problems.”