Tromp's Sports Cards with the hookup: New Online Card Resource

It's been awhile. I've been thinking things would get less hectic (and they have!) but things are still crazy. Or crazier than usual.

Anyway, I've been cruising the intertoobs trying to complete 2008 Stadium Club Elliot Johnson rainbows (minus the plates, which would still be a HUGE bonus). While looking for the blue proof /99 I came across Tromp's Sports Cards. It was, literally, the ONLY place in the www that had one. I dropped the owner, Mike, an email to make sure it was the blue proof of the variation I need and he got right back to me.

Price? .79 with a VERY reasonable $2.50 shipping, for a grand total of $3.29. Seriously: can't beat that.

Card arrived secure in a bubble mailer, etc., and here it is:

Here it is with the other 3 variations:

Now I need the Platinum 1/1 plus the plates (maybe one of them) and it'll be complete!

Thanks again, Mike! Seriously, check his site out!

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

Any good cardshops between Charlotte and Durham?

Taking the show on the road the next few day and hoping for a spare moment or two to do some looking around. Any suggestions from bloggers in the area?

Extreme ttm: 1941 Al Brancato

I'm slowly (but surely!) getting my ducks in order to start posting regularly (or semi-regularly!) again in the near future. An article I was working on has been revised and resubmitted to a journal, and today I landed my first book contract. I'm feeling good about things. Kinda like this guy:

I posted a 1940 Eddie Joost awhile back before he passed away, and had wanted to get Mr. Albert "Bronk" Brancato to sign a copy of this 1941. The Playball cards are iconic to begin with, but this one really sums them and whole era up. "Bronk" is a Philly boy, born and raised, and wound up playing for Mr. Connie Mack and his hometown A's. His smile and the early color printing technology really come together nicely with the almost art deco background you almost miss thinking it's the dugout or piece of the stadium. 

Then of course we have the classic Play Ball back: simple, to-the-point narrative stats. Beautiful. 

Mr. Brancato was also kind enough to answer my questions about his career, which was awesome, because there's not a lot out there on him on the intertoobs. I'll share that here pretty soon.

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

One of These Cards is Not Like the Other: Ernie Banks TTM

A while back I wrote about landing a 1959 Ernie Banks at a show in Fargo. Well, at the pre-Super Bowl show I grabbed another one:

In the meantime I'd sent the other one out after seeing that Mr. Banks was doing some ttm signing. The DAY before the show it came back.

For me, this card IS Ernie Banks. It's sunny out, he's playing catch, people are slowly filling out the stands. On a day like today where it's snowing outside and the temperature is dropping yet again it's the kind if card that reminds me spring (and then summer!) will get here. That baseball will be back.

And then of course the classic cartoons on the '59 back. ¡Cannot wait!

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

2012 Topps Editing Fail

Maybe someone else already posted about this (I'm not as wired in as I used to be) but check out the stats of, say, Dustin Ackley, Jason Kipnis, Jose Bautista, or Billy Butler on the back of a 2012 Topps. The stat line up top reads" H 3B 3B HR" etc.

If you're keeping score at home, according to this rather lazy printing error, the 6'1", 240 lb. Butler has had 22+ 3B since he broke in, with a career high 51 in 2009. This, in fact, IS a sign of the Maya apocalypse. How could I not have noticed before?

Los is coming home!!!!

The compa is one happy lady. News here.

On Baseball Wives...

Go here, check out this post. It's awesome!