A Swing and a Trade Post

A few months ago I got a note from Swing and a Pop-Up saying he had some Red Sox dupes that I could probably use more than he could. I'm always willing to get new Red Sox cards, so I graciously accepted and a swap was made. I couldn't believe the generous pile that arrived at my door! Let's check out just some of the highlights.

The "Trading Places" card is funny to me. I don't remember that subset being all inclusive. So, the fact that they decided to make a card celebrating Mark Loretta changing teams seems like an interesting choice. The UD Masterpieces is another oddity. The whole idea of the set, I thought, was to make the cards look like classical paintings. The added inset seems out of place, even if I understand that they wanted to show off the ankle.

Jay Payton looks scared, to me.

Rickey Henderson was 43 years old with the Red Sox in 2002. He only saw limited action, but I remember being blown away by how he terrorized pitchers on the base paths. When he was on first, you could just feel the game change. I can't even imagine what that would have been like in his prime when he was stealing 100 bases a year. He should have been MVP every year. Sort of like Pedro. Always fun to get a card of his I don't have.

Nomar too. I know he has a TON of cards out there, but I have a ton of Nomar and Pedro cards in my collection so it always surprises me to find ones I don't have.

Look! Two more! I don't know if I've ever seen 2001 Opening Day before. That logo isn't exactly subtle.

More Nomars!

These are the Opening Days I'm used to seeing. The small logo making them basic duplicates of the base Topps sets. Can you even tell which one of the four isn't Opening Day?

Papi was supposed to be a utility guy and ended up a legend. Ball was supposed to be a legend...but wasn't.

A picture of Will Middlebrooks diving on a 2013 card. That, of course, reminds me of the terrible interference call on Will during the 2013 World Series. I don't like being reminded of that.

What did I JUST say?

That's better. Hard to remember a more dominant pitching performance than Beckett during the 2007 postseason. (Well, other than Pedro during every stretch of his career.) 

Always enjoyed the Bowman Platinum brand, even when it features Ryan Kalish.

A couple more Sox stars.

Love that Lester card.

And, of course, the Pedro card.

Not sure if there was a more overrated player during his tenure. For some reason Boston fans prefer dirt to talent. I may never understand that.

This set basically escaped me. So glad to be able to add some to the binder.

Way back to the early years of Topps Gold.

Even a little earlier.

Lots of pitchers. Some good, some not so good.

So, there are the highlights of an incredible shipment. I can't thank SAAP enough for sending them along.

Hopefully more Red Sox swings lead to line drives.

Surprise from The Phillies Room

There are few things as exciting as heading to the mailbox, and seeing an unexpected package waiting for you. The anticipation starts as soon as you see it. What wonders could be inside? For me, that anticipation is always heightened when the return address indicates it’s from The Phillies Room. Jim has always been one to surprise me with wonderful additions to my collection. As usual, I was not disappointed with the results. Want to see what he sent? I won’t show you everything, but here are a few of the key elements of the package.

Big Papi.

With less than a week left in David Ortiz’s regular season career, these additions were appropriately timed. Of course, the thing that stuck out immediately (pun intended) is the Fathead. These aren’t something I usually purchase, so it’s always welcome when one is included unexpectedly. In fact, I don’t believe this is the first time Jim has added one to my collection. Is it weird that I’m almost as excited about the perfectly sized rigid holder it came in? Ok. It’s weird. But, will make the Fathead much easier to display. As tempted as I am to actually use the Fathead, wall space is scarce in Section 36. It will be much easier to find a home sitting on a shelf. For now at least. Papi was also represented on a Topps Bunt card. I’ll admit to being confused by this. Topps Bunt is an electronic card set…that has physical cards? I do have a Topps Bunt account (section36), and have been accumulating cards on it. Although, I’m not exactly sure what to do with them now. I also see that the Ortiz card Jim sent says I can “Collect and trade this card in the Topps Bunt app today!” So, maybe if I use the code in very small letters on the back, I can add that card to my digital collection? (Unless, of course, Jim has already added the card to his.) I guess that would be a reason to have a physical card to a digital set. Like Disney Infinity, the physical item would provide the digital access. I guess I should buy some physical Bunt packs at some point. The “Perspectives” card is a fun one, including a great shot of Ortiz making some fans happy. The Walk Off Wins card could be an insert set made up exclusively of David Ortiz cards. I doubt that this is the case. But, this card celebrates Ortiz’s walk-off in game 5 of the 2004 ALCS. I don’t need much convincing to think about that game again.

With the retiring old guy covered, Jim also made sure to remember some rookies. Of course, Ted Williams isn’t exactly a rookie this year, but he once was. This Rookie Sensations card is a fun way to celebrate that. And, a “Rookie Sensation” Williams certainly was. On the back, Topps points out that Williams hit .327 his rookie year with 31 HR and 145 RBI. Just for fun, he added 44 doubles. That’s insane. How insane? In Mike Trout’s first full season he went .326/30/83. Yikes. Of course, the actual rookie included in the package was Yoan Moncada. He hasn’t exactly hit the ground running after making the jump from AA to Boston. But, he was the top prospect in baseball for a reason. Here’s hoping he figures it out, and mans the hot corner for the Sox for years to come.

So, a big thank you goes out to The Phillies Room for those cards, and the rest of the cards in the package. I can’t think of a better way to enhance a long Red Sox winning streak than to get some unexpected cards. Thank you Jim!

I’ll be getting something out to you soon.

Mail Day

There are many reasons why I enjoy blogging, and the rest of the blogging community. Trades like the one I just completed with BA Benny have to be at the top of the list though. As you may remember, I had some hits that I didn't want. Not that they were bad cards, they just weren't Red Sox cards. two of them were especially troublesome for me. Yankees relics. It's bad enough to have Yankees cards. But, to have actual pieces of a Yankees uniform in my house just goes over the top. Thankfully, I was able to ship them out of my sight with very little effort. Take a look at some of what came my way.

That's right. For the pleasure of ridding myself of Yankees, I received two relics of David Ortiz. If that's not a win-win, I don't know what is. But, that's really the whole point. One man's trash really is another's treasure sometimes.

The rest of the cards were more than welcome additions as well. I have been buying more sets this year than packs. So, the inserts have escaped me for the most part. It was nice to be able to add a couple of them to my collection.

So, a big thanks goes out to BA Benny's Baseball Card Buffet!

From a Night Owl

Not too long ago, Night Owl was complaining about his 2011 Allen & Ginter set. It was taking too long to complete the darn thing. I was ashamed to realize that I was sitting on a stack of A&G’s, and hadn’t checked his lists. I was able to find a dozen or so cards he needed, and gladly sent them his way. He was nice enough to send me something back in return. Let’s take a look at some of the package I received.

The two 2006 Opening Day cards complete my Red Sox team set. Fantastic! It never works that the last two guys you need are the two biggest stars. But, that’s the way it fell this time. The 2009 Topps Matsuzaka card is great. It’s always nice to remember that Dice-K really had a wonderful 2009 season. Probably a nice card for Phillies fans too. The Team USA card is a lot of fun. If I’m not mistaken, this is the play where Jeter tried to twist Youk’s ankle. As National Chicle cards go, the JD Drew is near the top. It’s a very nice likeness of Drew, and the background is clean. Wonderful.

Of course, I skipped over the crown jewel. The 2011 Topps Lineage ’75 mini relic. What an amazing card. I share Night Owl’s admiration of the 1975 Topps set. I think it’s the best set out there, and it is the only full set I’m currently trying to complete. A mini version of Youk would have been enough. But, the jersey just makes it incredible.

So, a hearty thank you to Night Owl for the wonderful shipment.

Hope that A&G set gets finished soon.

I Love it When it All Comes Together

Not too long ago, I asked all of you which Red Sox card was missing from my collection. Kyle of Juust a Bit Outside suggested the 1983 Topps Wade Boggs rookie card. That was a fine suggestion. The rookie card of a recent Hall-of-Famer is certainly a must-have for any Red Sox collection. I also made a New Year’s day post saying that one of the things I’d like to do this year is make more trades with fellow bloggers. Sometimes, things just work out.

On January 1, Kyle and I completed a trade for the very 1983 Topps Wade Boggs rookie card. It must have been fate. The Boggs card is one that just had its timing off a bit for me. When I was younger, Boggs was a hot commodity. His rookie cards were priced out of my meager range. Once I had the means to acquire the card, it fell to the back of my priority list. He was a Yankee by then, for goodness sakes. Now that the internet has made every card from the 80’s as common as air, I never got the inkling to go after Boggs. So, I’m thrilled to finally be able to add this gem to my collection.

And, what a great card it is. Boggs is clearly taking a lead off of third base, in the middle of a forest. He could not look more bored to be in scoring position. I also like it when players like Boggs have a weird position listed. Imagine Boggs across the diamond at first? Not exactly the prototypical slugging first baseman. But, it’s a great time capsule back to a time where Boggs was apparently a utility infielder. Who would have guessed what was to come in the years ahead.

Kyle also included some other cards in the trade, including the Clemens Topps Gallery. I like the concept of the Gallery cards. Baseball cards as art. This particular shot, however, probable should have been redone. It’s a rather blah shot of an apparently dumfounded Clemens. Even so, it’s a welcome addition to my Red Sox collection.

So, thank you Kyle for getting my new year off on the right foot!

Trade With Trey!

When I made my offer of hits for trade for Red Sox cards, I had several bites. One was from Trey of Rants, Reviews, and Fandom fame. I was happy to engineer a swap for this beauty.

And, beauty it is. Look at the crispness of that card. The swooping design enhances the image. So often wild card designs draw too much attention to themselves. Not in this case. In this case, it may also take your eye away form the airbrushing job. The airbrushing isn’t too bad, really. They used the wrong number on his wristbands. It was only after spotting that error that I even noticed the airbrushing on the rest of the uniform. That’s a job well done.

It’s a great looking card, and will find a prime spot in my Red Sox collection.

Thanks Trey!

British Invasion!

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from John of Pursuit of Red Sox. He said he had managed to find several cards on my wantlists if I still needed them. Of course I said I’d love to have them. The transfer was arranged, and his cards crossed the pond to me. Here’s a quick sample of what he sent along.

The Chicle Victor Martinez is one of the nicer cards in that set. It’s clean, and attractive. It adds a nice little variety. The Youkilis card was especially nice to get. When I sent Youk a TTM autograph request, instead of signing the card I sent, Youk returned a signed version of this card. So, my collection included a signed 2009 Allen & Ginter, but not the regular version. Until now. The ticket to stardom is a nice little set. This card does well to highlight Wakefield in the picture. I’m not a huge fan of horizontal cards because they make my binders awkward to look at. But, this 2010 Topps Jon Lester is well composed. As is the Topps 206 card of MVP candidate Jacoby Ellsbury. His goofy grin is odd, but it’s a nice clean card. The 2011 Topps Papelbon is a wonderful action shot. You can tell that Pap just gave it his all. How could I not love a Ted Williams card? Especially from one of my favorite brands. Just a wonderful card. The same really can’t be said for the card of the second best leftfielder is Sox history. The 2007 Topps Highlight just had too much on them. The big border gets even bigger with the highlight text. It’s just too much. As for the Bowman Bates? It’s the problem with Bowman cards. I have no idea who this guy is. Judging from his position, I don’t imagine I’ll ever find out.

John was also nice enough to send over some cards that weren’t on my wantlists. Just because it’s not on a list doesn’t mean it’s unwanted. It just means I needed to draw the line somewhere when it comes to things I’m actively pursuing. But, John was safe in assuming that I’d still appreciate this beauty.

Yup. Not exactly the kind of unexpected gift you expect. It’s a fantastic card. I like jersey cards that are more than just sticking a piece of jersey into a normal card as an afterthought. Clearly, the design of the card worked around the jersey. It’s classy and elegant. Those aren’t words that you say about baseball cards very often.

So, I thank John for his extreme generosity. Hopefully the pittance that I sent his way found a good home.

Thanks again John!

Hit Traded!

When I recently posted that I had some “hits” available for trade, I got a couple immediate responses. One of those was from Colbey of Cardboard Collections. He commented that he’d like the Frank Thomas jersey card I was offering. In exchange, he was offering a “GQ David Ortiz jersey.” I was thrilled! It was a textbook trash for treasure trade. Flipping a Frank Thomas Jersey for a David Ortiz? I couldn’t ask for much more. In my excitement, the “GQ” portion slipped my notice. I’m not sure why. Maybe I had the magazine on my mind for some reason. Whatever it was, I was blown away when this beauty fell out of the envelope.

I’m almost glad I didn’t immediately relate the GQ to Gypsy Queen. It made the package all the more exciting. What a great card. A fantastic shot of Ortiz doing what he does best…wasting time between pitches. I like how the shot involves so much movement, but is still not obscured by the jersey piece. It’s a well-composed card.

Thank you Cardboard Collections! 

From the Phillies Room

Not too long ago, Jim from The Phillies Room contacted me to say that he had the Adrian Gonzalez patch card from Topps series two for me. I was thrilled. Gonzalez is quickly becoming my favorite Red Sox player. And, while I'm never sure what to think of manufactured patch cards, I don't mind adding them to my collection one bit. Here's a look at it.

What a great card. Jim was also kind enough to send along several 2011 Topps series 2 Sox I needed. It was all very much appreciated. It almost makes me feel guilty for the whoopin' the Sox are going to put on the Phillies next week.

I said "almost."

Trade with Plaschke

So I was at my local Target not too long ago, and they had some 2010 Upper Deck blasters on sale. Now, I’m a Topps guy, so the UD set never really appealed to me. But, they were on sale 40% off, which is always hard to pass up. And, the box said you get a jersey card in every box. That has to be worth trying out. So, I took them home and ripped open the packs. When I got to the pack with the jersey in it, I was a little dumfounded. There in my hand was a jersey card of Dodger catcher Russell Martin. Not only is he no longer on the Dodgers, but he’s a friggin’ Yankee. What was I going to do with that card? A mere days later, my blogroll showed a post by Plaschke, Thy sweater is Argyle celebrating the newest addition to his Russell Martin PC. My eyes lit up. A Russell Martin collector? How exciting! So, an e-mail was quickly sent offering up the Martin. Unfortunately, Greg didn’t have any Red Sox relics to offer in trade. The only card off my wantlist he had was a 2010 A&G John Lackey. I decided that I was OK with that. I sent off the Martin along with some other cards to fill out the package in exchange for the Lackey, and whatever other Red Sox cards he stumbled upon. So, imagine my surprise when this beauty came out of the stack.

 

 

Apparently Greg went to his LCS in order to find a Red Sox relic to include in the deal. Is that an amazing effort or what? I couldn’t be more pleased. Thank You!

If anyone has any cards from his player collection wantlist, I suggest you try to get them to him a quickly as possible.

Mail Call!

I received an unexpected packaged recently from Jim over at The Phillies Room. I had sent him a couple cards I discovered from his extensive Phillies wantlist, and he was nice enough to return the favor. His package included recent cards, as well as older ones. Let’s get right to it and check out a sampling of the goods:

The first card is from the current Topps release. It’s a very shiny Toppstown card of David Ortiz. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not really sure what kinds of tourist attractions exist in Toppstown. But, the card is a nice one. It somehow manages to be very flashy, without driving me crazy. The next card is a 1983 Topps Bob Ojeda. The 1983 Topps set is a nice design. I like the use of the smaller headshot to let us see what the player actually looks like, in addition to a nice action shot of Ojeda. That ability is somewhat wasted on the Gary Allenson card, though. The larger photo isn’t exactly an action shot. So, it’s really a card with two posed shots. It’s not a big deal, but more of a wasted opportunity. I like the Bruce Hurst card though. Is that even the same guy? What is with the moustache in the action photo? What a great way to show a player in a couple different ways. The three 1983 Topps are nice for me as well. The make my 1983 Topps team set complete EXCEPT for the Boggs rookie. I’ve always wanted the Boggs. But, back when I really wanted it, it was too expensive for my taste. Now that eBay has dropped the prices, I find that I want other things more. But, I’ll get one of them soon. After a few cards of scrubs, Jim sent along a few Hall-of-Famers as well. There’s a Carl Yastrzemski from 1981 Fleer, and Carlton Fisk from 1981 Donruss. They’re both simple posed shots from two companies trying out sets for the first time. The Fisk is especially painful since he left the Sox following a postmark mishap allowed him to be a free agent. I imagine I would have been pretty annoyed to rip that from a pack in 1981. Also from the 1981 Donruss offering is the Jerry Remy card. Remy has become more popular than ever thanks to his fine work on NESN broadcasts. Another slightly awkward posed shot from the first Donruss set. The last two cards are two more Hall-of-Famers. A Tony Perez, and another Yaz. In contrast to the Fleer and Donruss 1981 cards, both of these 1981 Topps cards have action photos. Although, it might be a stretch to call the Yaz “action.”  The two 1981 Topps cards are similar to their ’83 cousins. In this case, they leave me ONE card from completing my 1981 Topps team set. In this case, the offending player is Jim Rice. So, two team sets are each left missing one card. In each case it’s a card of a Hall-of-Famer. Somehow that seems better to me. I’d much rather hunt down a Boggs RC than a Bob Ojeda. I don’t know why either. So, a big thank you to Jim and his Phillies Room.

 I’m already setting cards aside for your next package.

I’ve been Tomahawk Chopped

This week I was able to complete a trade with the fine author of Tomahawk Chopping. He needed some cards to fill his set, and I needed Red Sox cards. It was a perfect match between two fans of onetime Boston franchises. Let’s get right to a sample of the goods.

I like the picture on the 2003 Topps Total card. It’s a great shot of a Manny Ramirez follow though. But, it’s not exactly the classic result you expect. Manny was clearly leaning to reach a pitch, probably low and outside. I would expect that he just grounded a pitch like that to second. But, I look at his eyes, and wonder. They’re definitely looking up and out. Could Manny have possibly crushed a pitch with a swing like that? Manny being Manny, perhaps. Staying with the Manny theme is the 2007 Topps card with the vintage look. Sometimes classic cards look nice. Sometimes they look goofy. I think, in this case, I’ll go with the latter. The 2005 Tim Wakefield card is a nice card too. It has a great picture of the release of a knuckleball. The shot is nicely framed by the design of the card with a border that compliments without detracting. That’s hard to do, but it is done well. The 2004 Strikeout leaders card in a great one too. Anytime you can have a league leader card with multiple Red Sox players on it, that’s a huge plus. Hopefully this year’s rotation can produce a couple clean sweeps in next year’s set. It’s also nice to notice that Pedro led Curt by 24 K’s that year. What’s not to like about the Postseason Highlights card? Sure, calling Schilling the ace is annoying. But, look at that celebration on the bottom. The Sox were on their way to making history. I can never see cards like this enough. The SPx Pedro cards is another example of  late-nineties flair for the sake of flair. Is there a reason for the bronze square in the middle of the card? Other than a place to call out “Power Passion.” If there is going to be foil, or metal, or anything else embedded in a card, please let there be an actual reason for it to be there. But, it’s one of the first cards of Pedro in his Sox uniform, so I guess it’s forgiven. I also like the back of the card. It proudly states in the largest text on the card that this card is number 1489/7000. I wonder if it makes it more valuable that the numbers 1-4-8-9 were the first four numbers retired by the Sox. The 2003 Fleer Tradition card of Johnny Damon is, well, interesting. Not exactly the best shot of a grumpy Damon. I don’t understand the design either. I know its “tradition” but some traditions are meant to end. Speaking of flair for flair’s sake, we come to the Jason Varitek card. Shockingly, it’s from Upper Deck. It’s definitely is flashy and shiny. It’s also embossed, which is nice except for one thing. The back of the card has the exact same image as the front. So, obviously, the embossing doesn’t like up with the picture on the back like it does on the front. So, Varitek has a bumpy “X” going over him. None of that is a problem with the 1991 Score Dream Team card of Wade Boggs. Simply a classic photograph that speaks for itself. Imagine what this card would look like if Upper Deck put it out. Thank goodness.

Of course, this was just a select sample of the bounty of goodness sent over by Tomahawk. I can’t wait for our next trade.

Thanks Tomahawk Chopping!

He Did it Again!

I’m really starting to feel bad now. Once again, I received a surprise package from Adam over at Thoughts and Sox. Once again the shipment contained stacks of cards that I needed from my wantlist. Once again, I can only offer a humble thank you for this amazing generosity. Once again, I beg you to visit Adam’s page and see if you can knock some cards off of his list. It will be well worth your effort. Let’s check out a paltry sample of what Adam sent my way.

Ahh, the curse of the team set collector. Sometimes, you just need to get a hold of a 1996 Stadium Club card of Luis Alicea. Really, there’s no other reason to have that card in any collection. The ’95 TSC Mo Vaughn is a great looking card. The thing I always loved about mo is how imposing he looked at the plate. He would sort of crouch over and start out at the pitcher daring him to throw a strike. I’m guessing this card didn’t help the pitchers out any. I sure wouldn’t want to throw him anything to hit.

I’m going to admit that I have no idea what the Derek Lowe card is. A know that Adam was nice enough to include copies of several players. The fine print mentions Upper Deck, Victory, and 2003. So, I’m going to guess they were from the 2003 UD Victory set, and were an insert “meant” to be used as a card game. Anyone know for sure? The other Derek Lowe is much easier to decipher. God bless fleer when it comes to figuring out the brand of a card. Right there in the corner it tells me this is part of the 2003 Fleer Focus Jersey Edition set. I can’t say that I was a big fan of all the flash Fleer was putting on their cards for a while there. But, I’m glad to add this card.

Then comes a couple card of Pig Papi. Once again, I have no clue what the UD card is. Some sort of Flyball subset meant to be used on the internet. A little help? Once again, I know the Fleer one is from the 2006 set. It’s a nice looking card too. A nice crisp shot of Ortiz ready to pounce.

Two more cards that only a Sox collector would want. A Collector’s Choice you might say. Joe Hesketh, I’m sure, doesn’t top many collectors’ wish lists. The 1995 Pinnacle Aaron Sele suffers the same fate. Thanks to the fine people at Pinnacle for telling me right on the front all I need to know about the card. And, finally, one last Mo Vaughn card. Again, a little too much sizzle on the design that steak. But, It’s a great card of Mo looking at why a pitcher shouldn’t have thrown him that strike.

So, thanks again to Adam and his supreme generosity. Please visit his site and see if you can help him out.

Thanks Thoughts and Sox!

Prophet Sent It

When I offered free cards not so long ago, Prophet was quick to claim the Marlins giveaway. Yup. I was surprised there was a claim for the marlins as well. Instead of a straight give-away though, it turned into the start of trade talks. In return for the cards I sent along, he sent a wonderful sample of cards from my wantlists. A few of them look like this:

It’s a nice selection of cards, mostly from the 2010 releases. The Bowman Chrome Pedroia is great. I didn’t have many cards form that release, so it was nice to add a few more. The Ortiz card is a nice looking card. It’s from a couple years ago, but shows a nice entry in the vintage card look. The rest of the cards are from the 2010 Topps or Topps Chrome sets. Unfortunately, I have already put the cards in my binders, and the scan doesn’t really show which ones are chrome very well. But, I believe the entire Chrome team set was sent over, which is fantastic. The selection of regular Topps just about finished off that set as well. The standard Topps issues are always tough for me to get. Whenever I’m buying blasters, I always go for the “other” brands, taking flagship Topps for granted a bit. Every time, it’s always, “OH, they have Bowman this time. I’ll get those, since they always have Topps.” Then, it’s the end of the year, and I’ve selected blasters of every other brand, and never gotten around to getting the Topps that they “always” have. So, those were a great addition. Just about the whole selection of inserts from the set was included as well. The Topps Attax are a little goofy, but they are a colorful addition. The Boggs “Cards Your Mom Threw Out” offering is a great reminder of a card I’ve always wanted, but never quite gotten my hands on. I still line the look of the Turkey Red quite a bit. There’s enough design to it, without being cluttered. The Lester-Carlton card is another wonderful one. The match-up of two great left-handers is actually one of the more direct lineages included in the set. I can only hope Lester comes close to Lefty’s performance…in a Sox uniform. So, another great package from a fellow blogger.

Thanks again to the prophet!

Christmas Everywhere

A few days ago, I got an early Christmas present in the mail. It was a surprise package from Jim and the Phillies Room. It contained a large stack of cards from my wantlists. The best part is that most were from sets I enjoy, but don’t have a lot of. Let’s look at a small sample of what was sent over.

I’m not a huge fan of the design of the Tony Graffanino Topps Heritage card. When you use an older design, it can either make things look classic, or simply old. I think this design is one of the ones that just looks old. The Damon card has a nice look to it. It’s a simple design. The banner in the middle clearly shows the honor of being an all-star. It’s a nice reminder of Damon’s last years with the Red Sox before he became evil. The Meintkiewicz is an example of a “classic” old design. I like the way it looks a lot. Meintkiewicz didn’t spend much time in Boston, so the number of cards he has in a Sox uniform is limited. It’s always nice to add one to remember all he did for Red Sox nation. The same goes for Mark Bellhorn. His 2005 Topps card is a great reminder of his success in the 2004 playoffs. I can never get enough of the 2004 World Series team. Which, in a way, applies to Jeff Suppan. While he wasn’t on the Red Sox 2004 team, he is one of the reasons they won the title. Without his monumental baserunning blunder in game three…who know what would have happened. His card is another one of those classic designs that make the Heritage brands so appealing. Gabe Kapler brings even more reminder of the 2004 team. It was mentioned many times that when Damon and Kapler were in the outfield together, from the bleachers their numbers read “19 18.” The Hideo Nomo League leaders card is nice for me since it completed my team set for the year. I was probably avoiding the card because of the presence of two Yankees on the card. I’ll have to cover them up in my binder somehow. Another 2004 alum is Bill Mueller. His home run of Mariano in July is often thought of as the turning point for the season. It’s nice to remember that here…even if the design is less than stellar. The Pedro Heritage card is though. One more great looking design resurrected by the Topps Company. Any card of Pedro is a fantastic addition to any collection, and much appreciated here.

So, thanks again to Jim for the well timed package. With the trades, signings, and cards I had quite a week as a Red Sox fan. Of course, his week wasn't so bad either.

Thanks to the Phillies Room

In Case I Didn’t Feel Guilty Enough

I received yet another package from Adam at Thoughts and Sox. In my dealings with Adam, I have come to a couple conclusions. One, his generosity apparently knows no bounds. Two, he busts more wax than a team of beekeepers. He once again sent along a shipment of cards that took a good size bite out of my wantlists. I can’t even hope to do justice to the nearly 150 cards Adam sent along in this one post. But. I thought I’d mention a few examples of what he sent along.

The Jon Lester 2009 Topps Heritage is a nice card. It’s a good look at Lester, who never seems to smile. It also celebrates a wonderful event in Lester’s career. Yet another young Red Sox pitcher notched his first career no-hitter. A great card. The 2008 Stadium Club Youkilis card is from a lost set for me. I have always been a big Stadium Club fan. It’s hard not to be. But, I somehow “missed” the 2008 release. Obviously, I knew about it. But, I never really got any of them, or read much about it. It appears that all the cards have about 36 variations…including this “first day” version. The idea being that these cards were from the first day of printing of the set. Sort of stealing an idea from stamp collectors. It doesn’t do much for me, but it’s still a nice idea. The card itself is great. It’s shiny, without gong crazy. The photography is, as usual, fantastic. A very nice addition. The 2009 Topps Bard is another neat card. It’s a great photo. Nicely cropped. Maybe this is a chance for Jere to bring his detective skills out again. Bard is in his home whites…but that’s not Fenway he’s pitching in. I like the tongue though. As if pumping a ball in there at 100 mph is just a fun little activity. The Topps Heritage Billy Wagner is a great reminder of a pretty good move. The Sox acquired him on the cheap, hoping simply to get draft picks when he left town. The fact that he was dominating down the stretch was a fantastic bonus. While this card is nothing special, I do like the overall look of the set. The 2010 Bowman Ellsbury is one of my first cards from this set. It’s another great photo. Nicely cropped so nothing detracts from the action. The card itself is also quite simple. No crazy borders or graphics getting in the way of things. I can’t really say anything bad about it. The 2009 Allen & Ginter Rocco Baldelli is a great card, if for no other reason than to remind us that Baldelli was on the Sox. While I like the design of the A&G cards, I think they start to become too much of a good thing. One simple painting is a change of pace. One hundred simple paintings becomes a rut. The 2009 Bowman Daisuke Matsuzaka is a bit of a difficult card to see. Obviously, it was Matsuzaka’s performance in the WBC that supposedly led to his lost 2009 season. It was really too bad. The Topps Kids Mike Greenwell is a fun card. The set’s idea was to appeal to kids. Naturally, it was really to appeal to collectors who needed yet another Mike Greenwell card to their collection. The set had several design formats, of which this is one of my least favorites. But, it’s a fun way to spice up the collection. The Scott Hatteberg is another fun blast from the past. Remember when it was Hatteberg that was keeping Varitek from getting playing time? As we know, due to Varitek’s emergence, Hatteberg had to go elsewhere to make a name for himself and change positions to star in Moneyball. But he was certainly an up and comer in the Sox organization for a while.

As I said, that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the goodness Adam sent over. As always, I urge you to check out his wantlists to see if you can help him out.

I’ll certainly be doing the same.

Not a Trade Post

I don’t want to lie to all of you. (Ok, maybe “all” is overstating my readership a bit) I was going to call this a trade post, but I couldn’t call it a trade. A trade would imply that an exchange of good was made. However, in this case, Thoughts and Sox simply sent along some cards that I wanted. I keep trying to find cards I have off of his wantlist, but to no avail. When I buy cards, I’m more of low quantity/high variety sort. So, I’ll grab an occasional blaster or two, but not often of the same brands as the last time…just to mix it up a bit. The reason I’m telling you this? It causes me to not get many duplicates….which leaves me few cards to send to a fellow Sox collector. But, I’m working on it. If any of you have extra Red Sox cards, I suggest you look at the wantlist over at Thoughts and Sox and see if you can help him out. So, what wonderful things were in this unexpected package? Let’s take a look at a small sample.

The Phil Dumatrait and Roger Clemens cards were great. They both completed their respective Red Sox team sets for me. It’s always fantastic to remove a set from the list. The Donnie Sadler card is fun, because I remember just how fast Donnie was. Ellsbury may have wheels of his own, but I’ve never seen him hit a stand-up triple off the Wall in left like Sadler did. It was one of those cases where you follow the flight of the ball for a second, turn your head towards second to see if Sadler would make it…and see him standing on third. Brian Rose is another fun player for me. I was hanging out around the players exit once while he was new to the Sox. Suddenly, this guy comes out, and starts walking towards the car I’m standing next you. It was Brian Rose. I only knew because I happened to see him on a NESN interview the night before. About the time he got to his car, someone else figured out who he was and asked for an autograph. Saying he had a date, Rose declined and hopped into his car. It was weird to just see him walk out like that. Hideo Nomo, of course, made a huge splash with the Sox by throwing a no-hitter in his Red Sox debut. Juan Pena is another binkie of mine since I was at his fantastic major league debut. As for Kim? The best thing he did for the Sox is free up a spot for David Ortiz in the line-up when Shea Hillenbrand was traded away for Kim. That should count for something.

So once again, a huge thanks to Thoughts and Sox. I am always amazed at the quality of the packages he sends along.

I’m scouring your wantlist.

Long Overdue Thank You!

I’m ashamed that it has taken me this long to post about this wonderful package I received from John over at Johngy’s Beat. A while back, John e-mailed me saying he had some cards from my wantlist for me. He didn’t want anything in return. He simply wanted to help out. Is that amazing, or what? Let’s take a look at a small sample of what John sent over.

The great part about this package is that it had quite of few “Traded” cards that I needed. I wasn’t a frequent Traded Set buyer, so those sets are the reason behind many holes in my collection. John was able to completely fill several of those gaping holes.

I really like the 1976 Tom house. I like the way they made the traded card have the headline on the front. It was a great way to show that by having that card, you were getting the latest, most up to date example that you could. I like the look of the 1981 Topps cards. I may have to try putting that set together at some point. In the case of Carney Lansford, he would win the 1981 batting title. After that, he would be pushed out of his position by some hotshot rookie named Wade Boggs. So, being expendable, Lansford was traded away for…Tony Armas. Which, is why Armas appears in the 1983 Traded set with the Red Sox. Armas would be a big bopper for the Sox during his time in Boston. Not only were Rich Gale and Mike Easler both in the 1984 Traded set as Red Sox, they both were on the coaching staff of the 1993 Red Sox. Easler didn’t stay in Boston too long. He was actually traded to the Yankees (imagine that!) for Don Baylor in time for Baylor to star for the 1986 team. John McNamara also played a key role on that 1986 team. Obviously, it was his decision to leave Bill Bucker in the game at first that haunted Red Sox fans for years.

So, I want to thank John both for his generosity, and for the trip down memory lane.

More Trading

I recently got an e-mail form Tim from Red Sox Baseball Cards telling me that he had several cards from my wantlist, and wondered if we could work out a trade. He sent along his needs, and I was able to do a very poor job of finding cards he needed. I hesitate calling it a trade, since that would imply an even exchange of cards. Instead, for my pittance, Tim provided approximately 400 cards from my wantlist. Unbelievable! Here is a pathetically small sample of the goodies Tim sent along.

The Derek Lowe highlights card is great for me. I was at that no-hitter, and have been looking for this card ever since. The ’96 Clemens is great because, for some reason, I had no cards from that set. With this package, my team set is on its way to completion. The ’99 TSC is a great card. I love the photography the Stadium Club sets provide. The Eric Hetzel is a fun little sneaky set that Topps put out for a few years. It celebrates all the players who make their major league debuts during the season. I have practically none of the early Topps finest sets. Well, I had practically none. I now have a nice dent my needs for the shiny high-quality sets. Carl Pavano is always fun to see, since he meant so much to the Red Sox. After all, without him, Pedro might not have thrilled Sox fans for so many years. Tim Wakefield’s first Red Sox card was from the 1995 Topps Traded set. I wonder if even he would have thought that he’s still be having Red Sox cards in 2010. The shipment did a great job in filling my wantlists for the early sets. The 1980 Hobson, and the ’83 Gedman are great examples.

I usually try to only show a single grouping of cards in a trade post. After all, it can get pretty dull looking at picture after picture of cards. But, I had to make an exception in this case. With so many incredible cards included in the package, I had to include a second scan. In addition to the huge chunk of cards from my wantlist, Tim included a collection of cards I never knew I always wanted. From the 100 or so he sent, check out this sampling:

The Burger King card is a fun one. I don’t know much about this set. OK. All I know is that they look like regular Topps cards, but have a Burger King logo on them. I have no idea how you got them. I do know that I’ve seen them pop up on other blogs, and thought they were neat. I was thrilled when several of them found themselves in the package. The same can be said for the Coke cards that were included. The ones that look like 1981 Topps have the Coke logo in the corner. Again, I have no idea how you got them, but always thought they were a neat little variation. In addition to the Coke logo, the 1982 version includes the Brighams logo. So, I can only assume they were involved somehow in the distribution. Sounds like I need to do some research, eh? The MLB showdown cards are ones I always thought I should get. I love card games. What could be better than a baseball card game? But, I never really collected these sets. That’s what makes it so great to get a stack of them. The Bill Werle only looks like a 1953 Topps card. It is, of course, from the Topps Archive set. I forget which year this archive set was produced, but it doesn’t much matter. It’s a great way to add some older looking cards into your collection without spending a small fortune. I love Classic cards like the Rob Woodard. I can remember scouring toy stores for the sets when they would come out. The green borders are from the initial set, when it was still actually a game. The card has trivia questions of the back. As you got the questions correct, you moved around the bases to score runs. This set was a full-size board game. In later sets, the gameboard was hardly worth having, and only there so the company could produce cards under the “game” license. Pacific found a different way to sneak into a MLB license. They produced bilingual cards like the Otis Nixon. The card backs are in both Spanish and English, adding a unique twist. Of course, what collection would be complete without a sampling of boxed sets? The Toys R Us set was one of the millions you could find cluttering the shelves of stores everywhere. The designs are usually pretty fun, and add a nice change of pace to a collection. One of my favorite cards in the package is the Mo Vaughn card. I have no recollection of this set. But, for some reason, Pinnacle decided it would be fun to mount a “gold” coin into their baseball cards. So, they made up a coin of Mo to insert into his card. It’s a little strange since the coin is thicker than the card, making the coin stick out of the back. It makes the card a little cumbersome, but it’s a conversation starter…if nothing else.

So, there the quick sampling of the grouping of cards Tim sent over. I can’t thank him enough.

Thanks!

More Thoughts

Once again, I opened the mailbox and found an unexpected bubble mailer inside. It’s always quite exciting to see what wonders lie within. Just like last time, this surprise package was from Adam of Thoughts and Sox. It seems that as I post my wantlists, he’s been finding more and more cards that I need. It’s been fantastic to knock of chunks of my wants like that. What did he send over this time? Here’s a quick sample.

The Boggs and Rice are from commemorative all-star sets inserted into rack packs. The Boggs is from the 1987 set, and the Rice ’86. Since I didn’t buy many of these types of packs, my collection is limited. It’s always nice to add new ones. The Quinones is from the 1986 Topps Traded set. Despite the name of the set, Quinones hadn’t been traded. But, the set also included players making their ML debuts after the main set had hit the printers. That’s where Rey comes in. After three seasons in the Sox system, he got the call in 1986. The rest of the cards are from the 1985 Topps set. This is one of the first sets I remember having any quantity of. I remember buying a lot of “old” packs of 1985 Topps chasing the selecting of rookie cards including Roger Clemens, Dwight Gooden, and Mark McGwire. For some reason, though, not many of the ’85 Red Sox remain in my collection…and I never got the Clemens (or McGwire). But, this is a selection of some of the cards from that set. A young Oil Can looks out from behind some great spec’s. Bruce Hurst would have many fine years with the Sox. Jerry Remy looks to be having a pretty good time, years before he would begin his second career. The man who took Remy’s position, Marty Barrett, looks thrilled to be here. Mike Easler came off a fine year for the Sox in 1984, and was looking to do it once again. The Tony Armas is from the All-Star subset of cards. In addition to his regular issue, he appears on this card with special recognition. In the 1984 season, Armas slugged 43 home runs, and drove in 123 runs. That was a monster season. He was well deserving of the all-star nod.

As I mentioned, this was a small look at the selection Adam sent over. The rest are just as wonderful. As always, it was much appreciated.

I love surprises.