Go Gold! 2015 Topps Gold Blake Swihart

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. As a nod to the Go Gold activities going on this month to help raise awareness of the leading cause of death by disease in children, I thought I'd contribute several "gold" themed posts sprinkled throughout the month. Here's the next one.

Let's talk about this card...

The 2015 Topps Gold Blake Swihart RC. Like the Chavis card I talked about earlier, this card was a lot more fun to have not too long ago. Swihart was an up and coming star ready to take ahold of the catcher's spot for years to come. Unfortunately that never happened. As a hit over field catcher, he was pushed to the side, tried in the outfield, and eventually shipped away. It's too bad since it looked like he was going to be a lot of fun.

The card itself is great. The 2015 Topps borders were fun and colorful, but can sometimes be overpowering. The gold version really mutes that out and allows the photo to really pop, while keeping the character of the design. It's a great combination.

---

I'm sure you all remember Miss Michigan Vivian Zhong from her interview with us. Her social impact initiative "Golden Warriors: Fight Like a Kid" is, obviously, quite relevant this month. As such, she's raising money though a "Gold Together" campaign. I highly recommend you support her efforts with a donation if you are able. You can find the link here.

Support her efforts to be Gold Together!

Braxton Hiser Visits Section 36!

Photo: Noblesville Headshots

Section 36 has another visitor! Braxton Hiser is passionate about loving thy neighbor, a talented singer, and the current Miss Indiana. I was so glad that she was willing to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more. 

So, let's see what happens when Braxton Hiser visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Indiana crown?

Winning the title of Miss Indiana was a complete surprise to me! As you can imagine my friends and family were and are still so proud of me. To celebrate my accomplishments, one of my friends took me out to a restaurant in Downtown Indy called Prime 47 and somehow had management edit the menu to say, "Congratulations Braxton Kennedy Hiser - Miss Indiana 2021" with the Miss America logo! It was amazing! My family and friends threw this big dinner to celebrate and it meant the world to me! 

What has been the most pleasant surprise about your time as Miss Indiana?
The connections I've been able to make is the most pleasant surprise I've experienced. Former Miss Indiana's told me about what doors would open having the title and they were so right. I've been able to meet so many people across Indiana that have helped me expand my platform, The Love Thy Neighbor Project, as well as meeting so many accomplished young women within the Miss America Organization! 

What part of the upcoming Miss America competition are you most nervous about?

This might be a little unbelievable, but I'm not nervous at all! I love every phase of the competition.I've always loved being on stage and each part of the competition allows me to showcase who I am, my talent, personality, and what I believe in. 

How did you select your social impact initiative, “The Love Thy Neighbor Project”?

When I landed my first teaching job, I was blindsided as to what teaching would really be like. It was not what I had expected it to be. I had students who didn't have homes, food, clothes, or parents who were living to take care of them. I knew I had to do something when I saw one of my students picking scraps of food at the Whole Foods salad bar and asking strangers for money. In that moment, the Love Thy Neighbor Project was born. 

As a talented singer, what do you enjoy most about performing on stage?

My favorite part about performing on stage is giving it my all! Our talents are only 90 seconds and within that short amount of time, you have to show the judges what you're capable of. During my talent, I give it my all, do my best, and perform my heart out! 

You’re currently a third grade teacher. What do you enjoy most about that role?

The best thing about teaching third grade is seeing how much my students grow each year from August to May. Third grade is a tough year for a lot of students. It's the testing grade in Indiana. They all have to take this big assessment called IREAD. If they don't pass, they will be considered to be retained in third grade. So seeing them work hard all year and pass the test is the best feeling in the world! 

If you could be a Disney Character for a week, who would you choose? Why?

I actually used to work as Princess Tiana! She was so fun, but if I could choose any Disney Character, it would definitely be Cinderella. She has always been my favorite princess since I was a little girl. People always view the movie as a damsel in distress needing to be saved by a prince. But I always saw it as Cinderella teaching others to have hope, to be kind and to keep believing in your dreams. And of course, I love her blue ball gown! 

If you had an extra ticket to a Fort Wayne TinCaps baseball game, who would you take with you? Why?

I would take my mom! My mom and I are super close and do everything together. So why not experience my first baseball game with her?! 

Is there a feature or activity at a baseball game that you’d especially like to experience ?

I would love to see a home run! 

---

That is always a lot of fun! 

As always, I want to thank Braxton for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to go with the interview.

As Braxton continues her time as Miss Indiana, I encourage you to follow her title's Instagram and Facebook accounts. You should also check out the official Miss Indiana website. They're great ways to keep track of everything she has going on! 

 
I also want to wish her the best of luck when she competes for the Miss America crown this winter. It would be fantastic to have another Section 36 visitor wear that crown!

Thanks again Braxton, and good luck!

1975 Topps Page by Page: Page 71 (631-639)

 I'm sure that you all remember that I finally completed my 1975 Topps set.

Now that it's done I thought it would be fun to look through the set and talk about it. Going page by page seemed like a good way to go about it. Hopefully you find it interesting to read what I have to say.

How about we continue with page 71?

Red Sox Cards on the Page  

0. It was a nice little run, but that's over now. 

Cards that make the 1975 Topps set cool 

Team cards are cool. Which is good, because this page has very little going for it. 

My favorite card on the page 

I'm going to have to go with the Cy Acosta and his interesting side eye. In fact, this page has a huge collection of people not looking at the camera. The Acosta and Dobson and Kline almost look like "candid" shots, so that could be an explanation. But, what about Moore? Clearly this is posed, but he's looking off into the distance. Is he supposed to be tracking a pitch that isn't there? Is that how far the "posed action" aspect of the shot is going? It's interesting.

What would your answers to those last two categories be?

Jordan Carraway Visits Section 36!

Section 36 has another visitor! Jordan Carraway is passionate about providing role models for girls, a talented twirler, and the current Miss Hoover. I was thrilled that she was willing to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more!

So, let's see what happens when Jordan Carraway visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Hoover crown?

I called my parents and talked to them (they couldn't come to Miss Hoover), and then I drove 2 hours back to Auburn because I had a 6 am class the next day. It's boring, I know, but so goes the life of an engineering student/ROTC cadet. 

What part of the upcoming Miss Alabama competition are you most nervous about?

I'm most nervous about talent because I'm now without a baton coach. She passed away 4 days before Miss Hoover and I just hope I'm making her proud. 

Do you have a specific goal you’d like to accomplish during your time as Miss Hoover?

As Miss Hoover, I hope to get lots of time with young women

spreading the ideals of my social impact initiative. If I can touch the life of even one girl, I will consider my time as Miss Hoover as a success, but I want to reach as far as I possibly can.

How did you select your social impact initiative, “Girls Can!”?

As a hopeful future astronaut, engineering student, and contracted Air Force ROTC cadet, there are not many people who look like me in any of those workforces. I realized that developing a program that provided young girls with a woman they could look up to in male-dominated career fields may increase interest in these fields. 

As a talented twirler, what do you enjoy most about performing on stage?

I love doing the flashy fast performances because they always get audiences excited, and I feed off the crowd's energy.

At Auburn, you’re a cadet in the Air Force ROTC. What led you down that path?

I thought that maybe the military could be the career path I could take to one day become an astronaut when I was in middle school, so I gave Air Force JROTC a shot in high school. I fell in love with the program and the Air Force and knew from there that I wanted to do AFROTC in college. 

If you could be a Disney Character for a week, who would

you choose? Why?

I would be Remy from Ratatouille because he's living his best life in France and also because I am a huge foodie and love cooking good food that makes others happy. 

If you had an extra ticket to see the Birmingham Barons play the Rocket City Trash Pandas, who would you take with you? Why?

Definitely a little cheesy, but I would take my boyfriend. We met in Huntsville and had it on our date bucket list to watch a Trash Pandas game but never got to in the time we lived and worked at the US Space and Rocket Center. 

Is there a feature or activity at a baseball game that you’d especially like to experience?

I think getting to throw the first pitch one day at a baseball game would be a really cool experience, and it's on my bucket list. 

---

I would love to do that!

As always, I want to thank Jordan for visiting with us, and for sending along the wonderful pictures to go with the interview.

As Jordan continues her time as Miss Hoover, I encourage you to check out her official and personal Instagram accounts. They're great ways to keep track of everything she has going on!

I also want to wish Jordan luck when she competes for Miss Alabama! It would be fantastic to have another Section 36 Forever wear that crown.

Thanks again Jordan, and good luck!

2021 Diamond Kings Blaster!

After doing a quick check, it doesn't look like I've opened one of these before. At the very least, it doesn't look like I've talked about one of these before. Hopefully that will make it a little bit more fun fo you. Maybe a very little? In any event...

Let's get to it!

Here's what the box looks like, in case you were wondering.

And the seven packs of five cards. And the fascination with Babe Ruth.

Here's what the base card looks like. I enjoy it. With a set being named after a famous art subset, the "paint" feel to the border is a nice touch. Never thrilled with a bunch of older players in a set. But, in this case I knew what I was getting into.

Carrying on with the "art" theme and a "lithograph" combination. Too bad it's a Yankee.

Really going with the art look with this one. "The Club" name doesn't really fit. But the card just screams "I'm a painting" to me.

Another Red Sox card. Another retired player. This one's a super special Artist's Proof version. So, at least that's cool. And, I like Joe Wood. The black and white images for an "art" set are a bit jarring. Surprised they didn't spruce them up a bit.

Another very art insert set with a very non-art insert set name. I mean, I guess you can have elegance in your painting, but I think that's a bit of a stretch.

See? The color pictures make much more sense.

There! Another very artsy card from an insert set with an artsy name. That's how you do it. 

And another one. I like how the painting feel hides the fact that there's no logos. When everything is sort of choppy or blurry, it doesn't stand out as much.

Not bad. But, did every design element on the card need to be stacked on top of each other?

So there you have it. Several Red Sox. A few Red Sox inserts. Not a bad haul from the blaster.

How did yours go?