Aren't Baseball Cards for Old Men?

A coworked recently asked me via online chat, "Why do you blog about baseball cards? Isn't that an old man thing? Do they even still make baseball cards?" 

Sheesh. Cue the eye roll and massive sigh. 

That was a trio of absurd questions, questions I'm sure we've all been asked and are tired of answering--especially you old man bloggers (I'll let you determine what's considered old, but it's definitely a year older than you currently are). 

I started to respond but noticed a stack of cards sent to me from Spiegel of now defunct Nomo's Sushi Platter fame in the corner of my eye. I left my coworker's questions unanswered and decided to spend some time with the cards instead. Who really wants to answer those dumb questions anyway?

This was my second swap with Speigel (my first since 2014), and boy were there some fun cards in this package.

While I've never been a huge fan of the 1970 Topps, I've grown to appreciate it more and more over the last few months. It's a simple--though sometimes bordering on boring--but distinct design with some great photography. And if we're tracking the ease in which one can build a vintage Dodgers team set, it's probably one of the least difficult sets to complete. I still have quite a ways to go to complete it, however, with only four of the twenty-eight cards in my posession.

I'm doing a bit better tracking down 1981 Topps (10/32), despite the fact that I haven't actively chased any of the cards. 1981 is not a set I see appear on the blogs all that often, and I'm okay with that. It's one of my least favorites Topps releases of all-time, at least pre-90s. 

Am I the only one who constantly confuses the 1977 and 1980 sets? There are obvious differences, but that pennant element on the top of the cards always throws me off. It's great to add another Lee Lacy card to the binders. The former Dodger was incredibly friendly when I met him a few years ago. 

One of my favorite things about blind trades is not knowing might fall out of a bubble mailer. It's like ripping open a pack but knowing bloggers typically send far better cardboard than we might find in a pack. There's no better example than the fantastic 1977 Ron Cey card above. While I initialy thought this was Cey's card from the standard Topps set, I flipped it over to discover it's actually the O-Pee-Chee card. Mon Dieu! 

In addition to knocking off a ton of my flagship needs, Spiegel included a ton of other Dodgers, including a nice mix of new cards for some of my PCs. There were simply too many great cards to show off here, so I only scanned a handful, including a sweet framed Duke, a shiny Robinson, and an elusive Kershaw rookie card. 

After sorting through all of the sweet cardboard sent my way, and might I add, what a great way to spend a Friday afternoon, I remembered those pesky questions from my coworker. 

I began to type out a longwinded response about my motivations for blogging and how much I enjoy it. I wrote about how much I love showing off the cards in my collection, how I revel  in other bloggers' accomplishments, and how I appreciate the communtiy and friendships and trades, not to mention the joy that comes from Free Card Friday and BFG. I started to write about other collectors and bloggers in their 20s and 30s and the monolith that is Topps. 

And then I deleted the whole thing. I went to the fridge to grab a beer and headed back to my office. I sent her the URL to my blog and responded "You can answer your own questions here." 

Jackie Robinson Day

What can I really say about Jackie Robinson that hasn't already been said? We all know his story and how his actions changed the landscape of Major League Baseball forever and forced Americans to confront their own racial prejudices, baseball fan or not. Perhaps the most important individual in MLB history, Robinson made his debut for the Dodgers on April 15th, 1947, and MLB teams annually honor him leaguewide on this date by wearing his now universally retired number 42. Let's take a moment to remember his legacy all these years later. 

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Of course, one of my primary player collections is Jackie Robinson, despite what my newly updated Player Collections page says. While I've managed to get most of my collection back in my hands in NYC, my dad still has a few of my binders back in California, including my Jackie Robinson/Sandy Koufax binder. Until I can get a better sense of what I do and do not have, I've removed Jackie from that page. I hope to have this updated soon!

2015 Topps Is Here, Am I Late To The Party?

Well, it's that time of the year again. 2015 Flagship is out, and if you are lucky a Target near you has it. Dikran and I picked up a pair of blasters earlier this week, so let's take a look. 

Eww. This was my first card of 2015. (Hint: It's a sign of things to come...for me at least)

The box may have started with a Giant, but I was lucky enough to pull a pair of Dodgers a couple packs later. Overall, I enjoy the look of the set. I'm digging the colorful borders, especially considering we get the team color treatment. So much beautiful blue. 

Let's take a look at another shade of blue: Rangers blue. I pulled this sweet card just moments after Dikran pulled it from his blaster. Typically I'm not upset with a pair of cards for my PC, but the collation on these cards was horrific. Two blasters comes to around 200 cards and they yielded 26 dupes. Not Topps' best day. 

I did, however, enjoy the return of the team card. They've been absent the past few years, but they are back in 2015 and I'm digging the look. This happens to be one of those rainbow foil variations (another great idea). It's currently set aside to go to Bob Walk The Plank, but I have an inkling to keep it for myself. 

On second thought, I'll just keep this one. It features three players (Denard Span, a former Dodger, and a future Dodger) and, it is destined for my Harper binder. 

Inserts are pretty dull (again), but I did manage to nab a Harper from one of my packs. Dull or not, I'll take any cards from my PC guys. 

Now here are some decent looking inserts. They're not the greatest looking cards you'll ever find, but the idea is pretty cool. I'm always down to add new Robinson cards to the collection, so I'm excited to go after this subset. 

I'm getting pretty tired of these to be honest. They just seem too cramped. Also, it would have nice to see a different A-Gon photo considering we see the same one on his base card. But hey, a new Kershaw!

Other than that gold foil Pirates card, this was the only other parallel in either blaster box. I'm digging the look of these parallels so far, so I'd like to get my hands on some Dodgers. This is headed to Tony L. 

That was pretty much all of the excitement as far as the base cards go. Each blaster did promise a relic though, so let's take a look.

Dikran managed to pull that aptly colored Goldschmidt, whereas I pulled that awkward Cespedes card. Topps must have produced these a while back because Cespedes has now been on two different teams since he was last on the A's. But, I guess these are commemorating the player's first homer, so it make a bit of sense. 

Both of these are on eBay for the time being. I'd typically trade these away, but the good ol' bank account could use a gift right about now. 

Overall, I liked the set. Definitely the best of the past ten years or so. The design is great. The inserts are dull. Collation is still a problem. Lack of Dodgers always stinks. Excited to see what parallels look like, especially when Chrome comes out.The good definitely outweighed the bad, and I am excited to get my hands on more. Especially the last Matt Kemp card as a Dodger. 

Life and Baseball Cards: A Trade

I recently completed my first trade with CC of Life and Baseball Cards. He contacted me way back at the end of December, but I am just getting around to posting about the trade. YOu can check out what I sent him here. 

This trade package was awesome all the way around, so picking a favorite was tough. But, if I had to pick a favorite card, I'd pick this one. For whatever reason, I am a big fan of the "back to the camera" shots, even more so considering the beauty of '42' on the back of the jersey. 

I mistakenly scanned the card with the penny sleeve which left a large number 51 in the upper right hand corner of the scan, but it is too late to go back and re-scan it now. 

CC also sent over this sweet bronze framed Jackie from Gypsy Queen. I already filed the card, so I'm not positive what year this bad boy comes from, but my gut is saying 2013. I guess I'll have to look that up.

CC also added some cool new Beltre's in the package. First up we have this cool relic card featuring Beltre as a Mariner. The overall design on this card is decent, but I still don't like seeing Beltre in those Mariner unis. 

Last but not least, we have a pair of fantastic Beltre cards that are bit odd-ballish. Again, I filed the cards already so I cannot remember the exact details about the cards, but CC mentioned what they were in our email.  

2005 Throwback Threads  Adrian Beltre Polo Grounds PG-69 (#’ed 54/65)
2005 Throwback Threads Adrian Beltre Polo Grounds PG-69 (#’ed 44/60)

For the life of me, I cannot remember which company made these cards, but I am leaning towards Donruss. These just seem like something Donruss would produce in the mid-2000's. 

Thanks again for the trade, CC! I look forward to the next one!

A Couple of Relics, One Auto, and Some Spectacular Base Cards

I recently completed my first trade with Dustin of Cool Veal and the Vealtones. Dustin is synonymous with trade bait, at least that is what his blog is filled with. Make sure you head over and see what he has to offer. 

His trade bait posts made this trade happen, as I saw a card I was interested in and contacted him about it. We discussed a few more cards, and a deal was made. 

And here is the card that sparked my interest. AJ Vanegas was the Dodgers 11th round pick (339th overall) out of Stanford this year. He projects to be a reliever, and should have a quick path to the majors. 

Turns out I missed an even better card in the same trade bait post. However, Dustin was quick to offer this card up to me. Hand numbered to just 99, this is my first autograph of the eventual Dodger (hopefully). 

The Vanegas cards weren't the only hits of the trade though. Dustin sent along this sweet relic of former Dodger, Shawn Green. I really miss those Dodger away uniforms from the mid 2000's. 

I love hits, but sometimes I love base cards even more. Case in point: this fantastic shot of Pee Wee Reese. It's not often I see Reese on cardboard, but Topps really hit it out of the park with this one. On top of a solid card design, we see Pee Wee making a helluva throw in what looks like a double play. Though the player sliding looks like he is also wearing a Brooklyn uniform. If the awesome shot wasn't good enough, it appears Jackie Robinson makes a cameo. Which makes me wonder: what other cards does Robinson make a cameo appearance in?

Since we are on the topic of Hall of Famers, let's talk some more about Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider. This may actually be the cardboard debut of The Duke, but I could be wrong. *EDIT: It's not* These cards come from 1989 Bowman, a set I couldn't care less about. I'm not a big fan of the oversized Bowman cards from that time, but I am happy to make an exception for two of the greatest players to don a Dodgers uni. 

Which brings us to possibly the best player to ever wear a Dodgers uni, Sandy Koufax. Dustin was nice enough to send over this card of the best lefty to play the game. I had yet to see this image of Koufax on cardboard, but he looks to be tossing in the bullpen prior to a game. I, for one, would love to see some bullpen shots on modern cards, but I'm not holding my breath. 

Clayton Kershaw is often compared to Koufax, if only because he pitches with his left arm. You can't deny his greatness however, as he is having one of the most dominant seasons by a pitcher in recent memory. I'm glad Dustin was able to find a Kershaw I needed. 

We finish of this trade post with an appearance from Scott Van Slyke. Van Slyke, the Dodgers 5th outfielder, debuted on cardboard with a wonderful shot of him spinning a batting helmet on his fingers. However, his epic beard was not yet in development. He has, however, worked on his signature a bit. 

The package was filled with a bunch of other goodies, so my thanks goes out to Dustin. Hope we can deal again soon!

Cracking Some Allen and Ginter's

To be honest, I wasn't planning on buying any A&G this year. Don't get me wrong, I love A&G, but I ran into some car problems this past weekend and I am still waiting on a verdict on the damages. As of now, it looks like I may be getting a new car, but I am hoping I won't have to go that route. My dad's mechanic friend and I are going to check the bendix in the ring gear of the starter sometime in the next few days. If that is the problem it only sets me back 120 bucks. If not, I am going new car shopping! This means that most all of my money over the next few months will be going toward the purchase of a new car, so yea, please be the starter. Damn Fresno and it's lack of public transportation! Oh yea, damn that empty saving account of mine!

That in mind, I made a few extra bucks on eBay yesterday, so I figured I would enjoy what might be my final major card purchase of the year. My buddy Dikran and I ran into a couple of blaster boxes at Target and that money was spent. Let's get to cracking.

*Spoilers* I pulled two hits from my blaster (Dikran didn't pull any), yet this was my favorite card. Apparently this is one of the insert sets, but I would eat it up if it was sold by itself. I am a huge fan of black bordered/primarily black cards, though they are a little harder to keep in mint condition with chipping and whatnot. I love the decision to use the Rangers red jerseys on this card, rather than the white or grey. It really makes it pop.

Together, we pulled eight of these beauties. I'm headed off to a Dodger game tomorrow (courtesy of Dodger Penguin), but you can read up on that tomorrow. This beauty will probably be accompanying me on my trek to track down some IP autos. A silver or gold signature on this would look pretty damn good.

Before we get into the base cards, let me show off the two hits I pulled. The first being a nice bat slice from Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies. The card is up for trade, but I'll probably be looking to get another Dodger relic from 2014 for it. With the uncertainty of my card budget, I want to make the most of what I have now.

I'm glad I look at the backs! This was in the SAME PACK as the CarGo above. Probably the best pack I'll ever pull. I'm not sure what these will sell for, but I have high hopes. It is now listed on eBay for those that are interested. 

We only pulled two regular sized Dodgers, but quality Dodgers they are. Ryu seems to be pretty photogenic, as I can't recall a bad card of him. Shots like these are the reason why I love Allen and Ginter's by the way. Sometimes you can only deal with so many faces in Flagship.  You can't go wrong with a new Jackie either. Topps appears to be using a new image for number 42. That, or, they cropped it to the point that I cannot recognize it coming from another card.

We also pulled a mini Duke, who I am glad to see return to the Topps lineup this year. Bo Jackson, the original Yasiel Puig, also made an appearance in one of those weird black border variation things. Seriously, I have no idea what the border variation is. Feel free to fill me in.

JEETS! Pretty cool shot of the captain, but I'm sure other blogs will give you a better analysis of that card, so I'll shut up now. I also managed to recognize (!) one of the non-baseball playing persons on featured on A&G. Gar Ryness (an 80 name by the way) is better known as the Batting Stance Guy. If you are unfamiliar with his work, just check out this video. 

I could probably go on and on about these awesome cards, but I'll finish off the post with another cool insert. Fields of Yore is a 10-card set with the Dodgers old stomping grounds, Ebbets Field, in the checklist. There are some awesome stadiums on the checklist, but Wrigley is one that I would really like to go see. Like a ton of baseball fans, visiting every major league stadium is on my bucket list. Wrigley is probably #1 on that list. 

Depending on what happens with my car, I may or may not be purchasing more of this soon. I will be throwing up what I need to finish the base set on my Set Needs page sometime next week, but that may expand into the master set depending on the car (again). We pulled eight short prints (out of 50), so that is a good sign to go for the set.