Monday, March 29, 2010

Juan from the Midwest from Ike's Cards

First up: remember the group break! Mass email with payment info going out Wednesday.

I'm finally back in action. Kinda. Until compa gets back tomorrow night, with Daddy D arriving shortly thereafter, and then I'm leaving the country on Friday. No causality there folks, I swear.

First people I owe a trade post to: Ike's cards. This turned out to be one of those trades that was A LOT more than I had bargained for, which spurred me to make another trade that also went WAY better than I'd expected that I'll get to tomorrow. This was the initial lead:
Juan Marichal is officially team Captain of my Chingones fantasy baseball teams.On the one hand, he's a HOF pitcher who had an amazing career. Everyone knows the rest of the story. You just don't mess with this guy.

Then Ike's cards said they had a Rocco jersey, and was I interested. Sure.
What could have been, right? Great player derailed by illness. He can still hit, and I hope he catches on as a DH somewhere. 

And then this is just a smattering of the TON of Rays they threw in:
CC gold of one of my favorite cards and two Gomes I've been secretly coveting. And riddle me this: why does the Longoria Goudey have Jeter's pic but clearly state, "Ken Griffey says..."? Were the proofreaders at UD first to go?

Thanks again for the awesome trade!

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

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Group Break Update and A Walt Williams Auto

Once again, please check here for info on the group break. For those bloggers who have signed up, if you'd drop a mention on your blog that's be awesome! Props to JC, who's been awesome supporting SMG and me in all of this!

First, I'm running a bit behind at the moment. My compa is out of town doing grad school stuff and I have been all alone for most of the week. You'd think it'd mean I'd be posting a lot more and getting scans done from my awesome trades lately, but no...

So I bring you the second card Walt Williams was kind enough to sign for me.
If you have the 1968 Walt Williams RC contact me: you have me over a barrel and I HAVE to acquire that card. As for this card, shoot, where does one start?

We've got the vertically oriented auto, which I find different and very cool. It only reinforces my opinion that Walt Williams is AWESOME. Other just sign. Williams signs with panache. 

And then the card itself...I mean WOW. It's one of those great Topps airbrush jobs that, despite Photoshop and billions of dollars, persist. That hat is radioactive. The "C" for "Cleveland" pertains to no font known to man. And then, to top it all off, no one thought to airbrush out the pinstripes on the uni or the massive "S" for "Sox"on the left side of the jersey. It's almost like Topps wanted to represent Walt mid-trade, between teams, neither fully of one or the other. Thanks again Mr. Williams!

Have a good one everybody, and don't forget to sign up for the group break. And good night Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Group Break Update: Want a Second Team? Or a first team?

Things have gone pretty strong, so in the interest of moving things along let's open it up a bit. If you'd like a second team it's it's not yet taken, leave a comment and claim it! 

Here's what we have so far:




























Angels: 
Astros: Field Level View (paid)
Athletics:
Blue Jays: Dan (paid)
Braves: 1969 (paid)
Brewers: Roll Out the Barrell (paid)
Cardinals: Ike's Cards (paid)
Cubs: On Card Autos (paid)
Diamondbacks: On Card Autos (paid)
Dodgers: GCRL (paid)
Giants: Stéphane
Indians: Dan (paid)
Mariners: Stusigpi (paid)
Marlins: Hamrammobtown (paid)
Mets: BA Benny (paid)
Nationals/Expos: Stephane (paid)
Orioles: Ryan (paid)
Padres: Ace (paid)
Phillies: arfmax (paid)
Pirates:
Rangers: Play at the Plate
Rays: CCC (paid)
Reds: Daddy D (paid)
Rockies: Brooklyn Met (paid)
Royals: Sewing Machine Guy (paid)
Red Sox: AdamE
Tigers: Sewing Machine Guy (paid)
Twins: Dan
White Sox: Daddy D (paid)
Yankees: Sooz (paid)

To keep things simple we'll be using Joe Collector's pricing structure, found here (thanks JC!).

(6)Any team newer than 1980 including the Nationals are in Tier 3 $13.75

(8)Any team newer than 1961 shall be in Tier 2 $16.75

(16) Any team older than 1961 shall be in Tier 1 $20.50

ONLY IF YOU PAY AT THE SAME TIME FOR ALL OF THE BREAKS.

Second team or break discount: 1.00
Third team or break: 1.50
Fourth Break and thereafter discount 2.00

As for costs, here's the deal as outlined in the comments. I'm estimating $150 for paypal fees, shipping, and supplies across 30 teams ($5 per). If the break fills we'll do an eighth box of Icons. Any money left over (I think I have it estimated at $30 with a full break and 8 boxes) will go towards the next break. I know that's a bit conservative with the estimates on the money, but the future of my marriage depends on pulling this off without laying out my own cash. The compa is keeping a CLOSE eye on this one. That said, enough of you have my address (as well as Sewing Machine Guy's) so rest assured no shenanigans will be going on with the funds or cards.


We'll start taking team requests in the comments below, first come first serve. After April 1 we'll open it up to multi-teams discounts and such. Payment by April 15, break around May 1. Payment details after we see where we're at April 1.



























Cards with multiple players/swatches/autos will be randomed off to those teams in the order they are pulled. We gotta spread it around, so once you get one multi-card in a break you have to sit out other randomizations in that break.

We'll start off with a bang and do 7 boxes of UD Icons from Atlanta Sportcards. That's a product with a TON of autos, so hopefully we'll pull something good.





Drop a comment to say you're in a and which team you'd like!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

It's Fantasy Baseball Time: League Invite

Spring is in the air around here. It's in the mid-30s and things are feeling right.

A friend of mine from the way back is starting up a league and needs 5 more people. I've already seen the stats and by the looks of things it'll be pretty lively. Drop a comment or shoot me an email and I'll get you the info.
In the mean time, here's a Glavine auto I got when I was a kid and Tom Glavine was, well, a kid.

Catchers Finding Jesus: Darren Dalton

St. Paul had the Damascus road. Darren Dalton had a play at the plate with Dave Martinez.
Dude can't even look. Maybe this is why he's so nutty now. He thought he was playing ball. He went on to vie for our souls.

Don't forget the group break, here.

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

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

When Ozzie Guillén looks in the mirror...



It's safe to say the image he sees is pretty close to the image on this card. Ozzie is HUGE. The stadium can barely contain him. And the rest of us, we're little dots lining the cheap seats. It's Ozzie's world people.
I know there are lots of cards out there with players doing whacky and off the wall stuff, but how many cards out there give us a complete portrait of the player's psychological inner workings?

Once again, don't forget about the CCC & SMG group break sign ups, going on here.

Have a good one everybody and good night Pumpsie Green,  wherever you are!

Monday, March 22, 2010

If Freud were to analyze this card...

he'd notice José's bat positioning and the rather pensive look on his face whilst he stares at his bat, among other things. Given what's become of poor José in recent years that he'd pose for such a shot isn't too much of a surprise. That Topps would have thrown this out there, that's a whole other story.
I mean, huh?

Don't forget the group break we have coming together, here. Grab a team and drop me a line!

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

Sunday, March 21, 2010

How much would you pay for a reprint?

Check out this guy's auctions. He routinely breaks three figures for cards he clearly states are "REPRINTS." Shoot, given that they are repros who pays more than a few bucks, much less what these are currently selling for. I understand the appeal of a reprint of a card you'll never own, but who buys a repro Aaron RC for $46, much less the $100+ this card will close for?

What has Ted Simmons done in this card?

All I know about Ted Simmons comes from his time with the ATL Braves at the end of his 21-year career. He was known as a character who inspired the bullpen guys to call themselves the "Bomb Squad." They even sold mock WWII-era bomber hats at the park and the guys put a bombshell nose down by the bullpen mound. It's funny and in more than a few ways apt for the Braves pitching during the dark days of the late-80s. 
Now, at first gloss I thought this card was of players during the national anthem. However, the player in front of Simmons seems to be turned towards him, so that would rule out the anthem. In fact, it looks like the arm in between them belongs to a third person (a trainer?) completely out of the picture. Simmons has an absolute sh!t-eating grin on his face so it's a pretty safe bet he's up to something. Is he being confronted by the other player? Simmons is looking down towards the ground, ie absolutely guilty of whatever the other guy is accusing him of. And the mysterious arm? Is he trying to keep them apart in a semi-playful way?

Anyone out there know enough about Simmons to make a more educated guess than I can?

Saturday, March 20, 2010

This Man Will Save Your Team: Starring Nick Esasky as Jesus Christ

First, don't forget to check out the group break SMG and I are putting together, here. 13 teams left!

If you followed the Braves at all in the late 80s and early 90s, where do you begin the story of Nick Esasky? In 1990 he was coming off a career year in Boston with 30 HR, a .277 AVG, and a 133 OPS+. He was going to SAVE a franchise that was badly in need of some saving. 
Sadly things did not turn out that way. At. All. In something that could only happen to the Braves around that time, Nick arrived in the ATL, developed an ear infection that lead to him developing vertigo, and basically never played again. He was in 9 games in 1990 and NONE thereafter. That's some snake-bit luck for a snake-bit team. It's also terribly unfortunate for a guy who was coming off a career year and seemed to be hitting stride in his prime. 

This card is another one courtesy of Tribe Cards. It's a 1990 Fleer, so my first thought is it's gotta be airbrushed or EARLY spring training 1990. There's nothing obvious about the photo's quality, so I'm guessing the latter. It would also have to be RIGHT before the vertigo incident, if only because it derailed him early in spring training so that there was pretty much never a question of Esasky's playing. Pretty weird.

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

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Trade Bait: Leave a Comment, Send Me an Offer

While I'm waiting for the break to fill, thought I'd throw out some trade bait. All things negotiable, everything must go! Same rules (prefer CCs, Gomes, Niemanns, Prices) but open to other offers based on my needs list. The vintage is obviously "used" and in various states of repair. Drop a comment and make an offer if you are interested!

CC from the Brearded One

First, make sure to check out the group break. If your team isn't taken sign up!

With all the box breaking madness I haven't posted this CC courtesy of Beardy
This is another one that the scan doesn't do justice. It's actually a foiley, shiny, refractor type card, and looks great. Now I've gotta find the base version. I love the pre-game during the anthem shot. The national anthem is a part of the game a lot of folks (me included) take for granted. It's tradition, like beer and hot dogs, but shouldn't be a part of the wallpaper. This card really captures a great moment that goes unnoticed all too often.

Thanks again, Beardy!

Group Break Update: Spots Left

Things are coming together pretty quickly for the box break I'm doing with Sewing Machine Guy. The teams/people listed at the bottom are what's already taken. If you don't see a team it's still open. Just leave a comment claiming the team and then drop me an email.

If you have already claimed a team, mention the break on your blog and throw a link to it. I'm stoked to have almost 1/2 the teams and looking forward to filling this up.

To keep things simple we'll be using Joe Collector's pricing structure, found here (thanks JC!).

(6)Any team newer than 1980 including the Nationals are in Tier 3 $13.75

(8)Any team newer than 1961 shall be in Tier 2 $16.75

(16) Any team older than 1961 shall be in Tier 1 $20.50

ONLY IF YOU PAY AT THE SAME TIME FOR ALL OF THE BREAKS.

Second team or break discount: 1.00
Third team or break: 1.50
Fourth Break and thereafter discount 2.00

As for costs, here's the deal as outlined in the comments. I'm estimating $150 for paypal fees, shipping, and supplies across 30 teams ($5 per). If the break fills we'll do an eighth box of Icons. Any money left over (I think I have it estimated at $30 with a full break and 8 boxes) will go towards the next break. I know that's a bit conservative with the estimates on the money, but the future of my marriage depends on pulling this off without laying out my own cash. The compa is keeping a CLOSE eye on this one. That said, enough of you have my address (as well as Sewing Machine Guy's) so rest assured no shenanigans will be going on with the funds or cards.


We'll start taking team requests in the comments below, first come first serve. After April 1 we'll open it up to multi-teams discounts and such. Payment by April 15, break around May 1. Payment details after we see where we're at April 1.




Cards with multiple players/swatches/autos will be randomed off to those teams in the order they are pulled. We gotta spread it around, so once you get one multi-card in a break you have to sit out other randomizations in that break.

We'll start off with a bang and do 7 boxes of UD Icons from Atlanta Sportcards. That's a product with a TON of autos, so hopefully we'll pull something good.





Drop a comment to say you're in a and which team you'd like!

Braves: 1969
Cardinals: Ike's Cards
Cubs: On Card Autos
Dodgers: GCRL
Indians: Colin
Mariners: Stusigpi
Marlins: Hamrammobtown
Mets: BA Benny
Nationals/Expos: Stephane
Orioles: Ryan
Phillies: arfmax
Rangers: Play at the Plate
Rays: CCC
Rockies: Brooklyn Met
Red Sox: AdamE
Tigers: Sewing Machine Guy
Yankees: Sooz

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

New Monthly Group Break Forming

And looking for members. This is a co-sponsored joint between myself and Sewing Machine Guy.


To keep things simple we'll be using Joe Collector's pricing structure, found here (thanks JC!).


(6)Any team newer than 1980 including the Nationals are in Tier 3 $13.75

(8)Any team newer than 1961 shall be in Tier 2 $16.75

(16) Any team older than 1961 shall be in Tier 1 $20.50

ONLY IF YOU PAY AT THE SAME TIME FOR ALL OF THE BREAKS.

Second team or break discount: 1.00
Third team or break: 1.50
Fourth Break and thereafter discount 2.00



We'll start taking team requests in the comments below, first come first serve. After April 1 we'll open it up to multi-teams discounts and such. Payment by April 15, break around May 1. Payment details after we see where we're at April 1.





Cards with multiple players/swatches/autos will be randomed off to those teams in the order they are pulled. We gotta spread it around, so once you get one multi-card in a break you have to sit out other randomizations in that break.

We'll start off with a bang and do 7 boxes of UD Icons from Atlanta Sportcards. That's a product with a TON of autos, so hopefully we'll pull something good.


Drop a comment to say you're in a and which team you'd like!


Braves: 1969
Cardinals: Ike's Cards
Cubs: On Card Autos
Dodgers: GCRL
Marlins: Hamrammobtown
Mets: BA Benny
Nationals/Expos: Stephane
Orioles: Ryan
Phillies: arfmax
Rangers: Play at the Plate
Rays: CCC
Red Sox: AdamE
Tigers: Sewing Machine Guy
Yankees: Sooz

Monday, March 15, 2010

Garber's in, Just Go to Bed: Scenes from My Childhood

This card is from a huge box David over at Indians Baseball Cards sent my way. Rather than do one big post, I am going to space them out.

Gene Garber had a solid 19-year career split between the Pirates, Royals, Phillies, and Braves. He was no Mariano Rivera but he was a good reliever gifted with a rubber arm.

He was also the Braves' closer for some of the darkest years of the franchise's history, the '80's, when not losing 100 games a year was considered a good year. And like any closer, Garber took more than his share of the blame, particularly from my dad. 
See, for me Gene Garber will always be associated with being made to go to bed. While most closers come in to a game and shut the door on the other team, my dad felt that Garber's coming in meant that Braves managers Chuck Tanner and Russ Nixon had decided to wave the white flag and think about tomorrow. In other words, Garber meant the game was over, only that the Braves were going to lose. And yes, they DID do a lot of losing back then, though I doubt Garber had as much to do with it as my dad would have had me believe. Post-1986 WS I'd still listen to games from the stairs from time-to-time but not enough to get caught. And I'll always be grateful to Garber for the games he did end up blowing and which I did catch from the stairs since my dad would be cursing at the TV like no one's business. Yep, my father, a respected deacon in a nutso church, endangered his immortal soul over a number of baseball games. Still makes me smile.

Thank you David for the cards and thank you Gene Garber for the memories.

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


Sunday, March 14, 2010

Jimmy Wilson: A Special Catchers Finding Jesus

You may have already seen this card over at Troll's blog, posted here. And before we continue, this is the SAME card. It was sent over by Troll in the package I posted about yesterday.
Troll's post is pretty authoritative on Mr. Wilson, so I'll pretty much stick to the finding Jesus aspects. Wilson's glove isn't up so he's not chasing a pop up or even participating in any action. He's just taken his mask off and, looking toward the heavens has this quizzical look on his face like angels are descending or he's watching a UFO break through the clouds. Given the focus of the series, my vote is for Jesus on a chariot drawn by lions through the sky, or at the very least those bears that Elisha had eat those kids. It says a lot about my upbringing that I still have nightmares about animals who maul children for simple things like jeering an authority figure.

Anyway, Mr. Wilson isn't dealing with any of that. His savior is coming down in a celestial vision, and if we were all so lucky, just once, the world would be a much different place. Or, at any rate, one in which we use threats of bear maulings to get children to behave.

Thanks again Troll, this card is amazing!

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

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Hat Trick: Cards from Our Friend under the Bridge

A while back I sent Troll a slabbed CC auto, and in his words "he'd been looking to get me back." After this package I'm in the position of looking to even up the score.
I know a lot of folks are ambivalent about the manu-patches, and in a lot of contexts I'm right there with them. That said, these hat patch logo cards are pretty sweet. I don't feel that the overall effect is quite as canned as with the letter patches, and the team logo is pretty badass. I even think the design is well-done given the amount of info they manage to get on the card in a limited amount of space. A+ and badass, great addition to the CC stash. Many thanks Troll!
Then we've got this SWEET Pumpsie Green. I know Green is a significant player for a lot of reasons, but my favorite this about him is that he and Gene Conley were partners in crime in one of the better modern baseball stories out there. Whatever the details of the actual story, I like the idea of Green and Conley wandering the earth, going from bar to bar trying to get to Jerusalem.

The card itself is everything you could ask for out of early '60s Topps. A recently traded player with no hat (Pumpsie moved from the Red Sox to the Mets), and a horribly airbrushed inset action shot. Speaking of hat logos, the "NY" on Pumpsies lid looks to weigh about 15 lbs or so.

And finally, a small selection of the other goodness Troll sent up my way:
Freds, Jeffs, and Jonnys, all new and going straight into the PC.

Many thanks again, Troll! Keep your eyes peeled tomorrow for a very special "Catchers Finding Jesus."

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

Thank you dear Jesus: It's Spring Break

To celebrate, here's the CC I got from Nobour Aota's coworker two weeks ago.
She dropped a comment over on the original post, and apparently she's currently down at Twins spring training. I am very, very jealous! Thanks again for the CC jersey and I'm glad you like the program.

I am also very, very behind on trade posts, etc. and will be catching up starting today. Things up here are good, but I definitely backed into break. Now I'm looking to relax and recharge.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Run Mickey, Run: '79 and the End of an Era

The first thing you'll find upon googling Mickey Rivers is that he has superfans. Crazy, huh? Anyway, it's a testament to the guy's speed, captured on the 1979 Topps.
It reminds me a bit of CC's 2009, only the step back from the player gives the action a bit more of a frenetic feel. The bat dropping, the player's eyes tracking the ball into the gap...the Yankis' bench not even moving. Which makes this card significant for this reason: although the Yanks would win the WS in '78, when this shot was taken, and even get back there in '81, the team wouldn't win another until 1996, and not even sniff the playoffs from '82-'94. Rivers just doubled (tripled?) into the gap, so why aren't those guys on their feet? It's a team in decadence, a team that expects to show up and win, a team about to hit an extended drought. Munson passed away in '79, and although there would be some good Yankee teams over the next few years, none would attain the prize.

And as an aside let's be honest: all the talk about Jeter being a "winner" implies a certain critique of other Yankee greats (Mattingly, Winfield) who never "won" with the team, as well other other players whose teams never even got to the big one (Banks). This isn't to take anything away from Captain Intangibles but rather to point out that, no matter how great the player, a lot in baseball is beyond an individual player's control. Individual greatness is never enough, you have to be on a great team. Jeter has been very fortunate in that regard.

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

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Calling the Captain: Cards from Our Canadian Friends

In case you've never been up in this neck of the woods (odds are you haven't) Canadians are very important to the economy of the northern plains. Businesses court Canadian customers, tour buses bring them in on the weekends, and signs saying "Welcome Canadian Friends" are everywhere. To my knowledge there are no towns on the southern border of the US rolling out the red carpet for our "Latin American Friends" but rather a mad rush to fence people out. 

These cards come from the Captain over at Waxaholic. And before anyone asks, yes, I enjoy filling out the customs forms when trading cardboards with the man up north. There's just something subversive about sending baseball cards abroad in an age where xenophobia is rampant and most U.S. citizens couldn't locate their own state on a map of the US, much less find Canada. Well, here's what I got in the latest:
This is the 3rd (Third!!!!) 3-D Vida Blue I've gotten, and the first in a Giants uni. A licensed card brought to you by Kellogg's! Clearly this was produced in the golden age of childhood cereal consumption. That makes two 3-D Blues from the Captain and one from Daddy D. I guess the ball's in your court old man, let's see what else you've got!

Then this:
Orange and numbered Bowman CC. Very, very cool!

Thanks again Captain!

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

Monday, March 8, 2010

Bulls on Parade: Cards from Baseball Dad

I've used the title before, but it fits.

No doubt the main pieces of this trade with Baseball Dad were a couple of CCs for the collection, but when I saw these cards I fell over. Under "What I Collect" I listed "Durham Bulls cards," but let's face facts: at one point people were trying to distribute minor league cards on the level of the Major League baseball cards, but aside from last year's Obak that's just no longer the case. In all likelihood NO ONE has these cards and if they do they are buried in a forgotten shoebox of junk wax from the late '80s. Well, Baseball Dad went the extra mile and pulled out this Steve Avery
Now let's be straight: Avery had three AWESOME years for the Braves (91-93), during which time he posted ERAs of 3.38, 3.20, and 2.98. I've read more than a few articles that describe the cost of that success as being the health of the young pitcher's arm. After '93 Avery never started more than 29 games in a year. By comparison, from 91-93 he started 35 games a year. This is a great card of Steve in the minors back when things were simpler and the Bulls had been a Braves affiliate forever.

Next up, a much more recent Joey Gathright
Gathright has pretty much cemented his status as a AAAA player with amazing speed and a good glove. His problem is getting on base to use that speed. Now, this is in no way to denigrate Gathright. On the contrary, he was drafted in the 32nd Round of the amateur draft. In other words, he was originally projected to be the type of guy teams use as fodder for superstars in the making in low-A and who are pretty much let go at the end of their first contract. Gathright made the bigs. 

This is even a great card of Joey Gathright working on his bunting game. It was taken in Durham (home unis plus Bulls dugout on the 1B side) during the Bill Evers era. Evers was the ONLY AAA manager the Bulls had ever had until Charlie Montoyo came along in 2005. If you remember anything about that year, you'll see why management thought it was perhaps best to go in a new direction and fire THE ENTIRE AAA coaching staff.

Thanks again for the awesome cards Baseball Dad!

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

Sunday, March 7, 2010

PRP Cardblog League: Year of the Chingon

Last year, before I even had a blog, the proprietor of Punk Rock Paint was kind enough to let me in on his FBB League. He was also kind enough to outfit my team with some great duds, and if I was more proficient with the software I'd be in to alternate unis and mockups of the home stadium by now. As it is, these are the official Chingones unis for the 2010 season:

Home whites with pinstripes, classic and classy. Large "C"in a fancy font over the heart surrounding the name.

Road grays, we're not giving up the pinstripe motif home or away. Simpler "C," because fancy lettering is only for the home crowd.

And then the patch worn on the left sleeve. It's a long story, but it involves a student dropping me a furious email re: a much deserved bad grade which I happened to read before going into the kitchen to chop vegetables. The patch is an exaggeration of the consequences, but let's just say that the index finger on my left hand is considerably "less fat" than the one on my right. As a result, I no longer check work email from home. EVER.

Last year in the league I finished a respectable 4th in the playoffs (from a marginal 101-101-8 record) but this year I'm looking to medal or trophy or whatever. Even if the Chingones aren't quite up to the challenge, it's assured they'll kick the ever loving crap out of Dave's team over at Tribe Cards. In the real world Dave and I get along and I know he's a great guy, but in FBB world there's a long standing history or rivalry and animosity between our two teams. It's bigger then Yankis-Sox or UNC-Dook. Seriously.

Thanks for setting this up again Travis! Looking Forward to it.

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

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Matty Alou: Didn't They Have Cameras in 1961?

Matty Alou as a cartoon? Seriously.

There HAS to be a story behind this card, but who knows what it is? I know of a few cartoony cards from the '59, none from the '60, this one from the '61 and none after that. So WHOM did Matty get angry to have this happen to him?

And check it out. At first you think it has the makings of a classic. Blue sky dotted with clouds, young prospect leaning forward in the outfield like he's waiting for the pitch, the suggestion of ads on the outfield wall to the left and to the right...I'm guessing the artist went to lunch and abandoned the project. We have nothing but a semi-finished brown wall. 

Has anyone else seen cartoon cards like this in later Topps sets or know why these were included?

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

Friday, March 5, 2010

Big in Japan: Cards from Noboru Aota

Big in Japan indeed.

The proprietor of A Noboru Auto Fan's Notes had a proposal a few months ago. Seems a friend of his at work is a big Twins fan and really wanted a ticket from game 163 at the Metrodome. In exchange? The friend would send me a CC jersey card.

I had no ticket, but did have an extra program. Laziness on my part prevented me from sending the program on down. Things remained in the air until I scored a Keith Hernandez jersey to send down. That got everybody moving.

So, I netted the CC jersey AND these:
First, a 1964 Toshiaki Tokuhisa, ROY for the Kinetetsu Buffaloes. This is my second Japanese card as Noboru gave me an Aki Japanese card before I left NC. And let me tell you, this is awesome. It's halfway between the size of a regular baseball card and an A & G mini, on great card stock, and is absolutely badass. I really like the purple cloud background and the placement of the Kanji near the left border. The back:

I know: wha?!? If I remember correctly it's a game and Japanese cards started including stats, etc. in the 1980's or thereabouts. Different, got it's own thing going on no doubt.

And then: 

Crazy foil shiny cowboy also from the 1960's. No IDEA what's going on in this one.

Thanks again for hooking up the trade Noboru, and regards to your coworker. I'll have the CC jersey up soon!

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

Thursday, March 4, 2010

When Walt Williams Came to Town

Many of my monumental baseball moments aren't monumental at all. There are lots of potential reasons for that (strict Southern Baptist upbringing, relative isolation from MLB among others), but I'd prefer to think it's because most of what we have lived is a jumble of memories waiting to happen, moments waiting to be recalled. 

Sure, I remember the 1986 WS because 1) the Mets won and 2) I listened to games 1-4 and most of game 5 on the stairs until my father chased my into my bedroom among much shouting and gnashing of teeth. But we ALL have WS memories we carry with us, actively, every day. There's nothing unusual there.

A month or so ago someone posted about a ttm they got back from Walt "No Neck" Williams that brought back a lot of my adolescence in jumbled pieces. Charleston baseball has never been TOO big, at least no back then, and I've already written a lot about the park and what it meant elsewhere. Anyway, when the Rangers tabbed Walt "No Neck" Williams to manage the local nine the Charleston media went nuts. Just like that the Rainbows were a big deal and everybody wanted a piece of them. Williams was a REAL former big leaguer and he was coming to manage OUR team. That's pretty much the guy you see in this card: a 5' 6'' superhero who'd come to teach the guys some BASEBALL. 
Oddly, the Walt Williams years were the last few seasons I followed the Rainbows at all. I was in the process of rebelling against said upbringing, "killing the father" who'd chased me back to me bedroom for listening to the WS all those years ago, so you could blame it on the typical concoction of girls, poetry, and living in a town where, at least back then, being old enough to walk into most bars would get you served. And served it got me.

I picked back up with the Rainbows when they'd become the Riverdogs, property of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Walt was gone, and new guys like CC and Josh Hamilton were passing through. They had a new park, the games were HIP to go to, and there were no more nickel beer nights. Gotta pay for the fancy new park, I guess. 

Who knows where the years went, and like Baudelaire says, "a town changes more quickly than a man's heart." The Charleston I go back to when I daydream is one where certain friends are sure to be found stoned playing chess in certain now-defunct coffee shoppes and the streets are overwhelmed by the smell of horse piss in the summer. Walt Williams manages the local nine and the future he's looking toward in that card is wide open for all of us.

Thanks for the autos Mr Williams! 

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


Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Trading Post: Saints of the Cheap Seats

#1 Card Received from Saints of the Cheap Seats: 2010 David Price Gold
Seeing as how I completely whiffed on parallels last year I am STOKED to have gotten this one early. Strange, but in this photo that motion doesn't look nearly as smooth and easy. Hoping Price has a BIG year this year for the Rays. Otherwise CC will mostly likely be a Yanki or Red Sox by mid-season.
Thanks for the trade Dan!