Trading Post: Halloween Cards from the Wicked One

Not Satan but Ortega, Wicked Ortega.

Between work and working in the yard, blogging about baseball cards has taken a momentary backseat. But I'm back, at least until compa wants my butt outside again.

A few trades have come in in the past few days, and multiple shout outs are in order. First up: some CCs and assorted Rays from Wicked Ortega.

Since the Rays are coming off of back-to-back winning seasons, I really dig this card. How bad were they only a few years ago? 518-775 bad, as in Little League mercy rule bad. As in terrible. Carl, however, looks like he knows something we don't in this photo. Maybe it's that the brick and ivy backdrop is ridiculous given that the Rays play in an ultramodern dome? Or better, that the Rays would be ruling the division the following year.

I'm digging the UD Masterpieces, albeit about 18 months late. This particular card might have been better done sideways to get a full body shot of the slide, the catcher, the ball coming in, etc., to give a fuller sense of the drama unfolding here, but who am I to complain? It's a solid B in a world full of F- cards, so I'll take it. And how does everyone feel about the parallels? We have a red frame and a black frame, but they are essentially the same card.

Mario over at Wax Heaven did a hatchet job a while back on UD X if I remember correctly, and I kind of get it. The "X" is a design, but I'm not sure how it's been sustained over multiple years. The formula seems to be "Player plus x equals new design." Next year: rinse, repeat. Love the die cuts, like the idea and the design...just not maybe every year. This is a well-done, solid card....but would I want the same basic card design next year?

Finally, wicked sent over some Peñas. I've gone into some depth about the compa's Peña-love, and these cards only added fuel to the fire. Thanks wicked. I guess. That said, check these out:

The compa laughed out loud at these. "He looks like he's dancing!" When I think of all the goofy baseball action shots out there, this card is definitely near the top, and leads me to believe that there simply aren't enough goofy action shots on baseball cards. Sure, Peña's not putting on the most heroic of moves, and this catch is beyond awkward, but it's a solid reminder that he's a GG first baseman. It takes A LOT of talent to look that crazy making a catch that difficult.

Thanks again for the CCs and Rays, Wicked!

Have a great one everybody, and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!