The Show....

must go on.

One of the coolest things about the blogosphere is the custom card community. Now, I have neither the eye, nor the talent, nor the time to get into making customs, but the work done by folks like Goose Joak, Punk Rock Paint, and Bad Wax is incredible.

And then there's this that I received from Troll a while back:

I know, what the h&ll is that!?! It's a custom CC button. True 1/?. Awesome! Thanks again my man.

Peñas para la compa:gracias Sr. Troll!

Peña has 2 homers tonight. Nice!

So, I was corresponding with Troll a couple of weeks ago when the compa says, "Ask him if he has any Peña doubles." Which I did. To which Troll responded with an insanely generous number of cards, most of which were no doubles at all but straight from the private stock.

Yep, that's a PSA 9 Topps Chrome RC of the gent in question. But why, you ask, does the compa like Peña? Well, two reasons, both of then coming out of a trip we took to Baltimore for a day-night doubleheader late last summer. Peña plays first, and I sprung the cash for us to sit second row from the field for the games, which is a lot cheaper than you'd think given it was Camden yards.

First thing the compa notices? Peña has a great a$$. That was the one thing she thought was absent from the tremendous cards Troll sent: no shot of Peña's backside. She loves, however, this heroic looking Peña. First question she asks: why'd he drop the bat?

The second thing: the day after we were at the inner harbor talking to a guy who runs a t-shirt shot there. He told us this great story about how Peña had been talking to some folks who ran a restaurant around those parts, and later returned to their place with a bunch of Rays swag and tickets to the games. Pretty awesome guy, and the kind of story that needs to be publicized a lot more.

She looks at this card. It's got the smile, the pose, and...Derek Jeter? Compa: "Why in the *&^% do we have a Yanki on a Rays card?" I tried explaining about the neo-vintage craze, and Gehrig on the original Goudey cards, but she wouldn't relent. A lot of what she said wasn't fit for print, but can be summed up as "Tell these Upper Deck people that only Yanki fans would dig something like that. I don't want Captain Intangibles on my Peña cards, or any Rays cards! It ruins his smile." Message sent.

Check out that expression. Why compa digs it: "He looks cute and goofy running the bases. I guess that's why he's a god of the Three True Outcomes. That way 2/3 of the time he doesn't have to mess with this, but he'll still take a walk just to make the pitcher look bad." In her defense, this year Peña has more homers than singles. It's a fact.

And these are just a few of the awesome cards the generous Troll who lives in Tampa sent to the Compa! Thanks again!

Catching Up:Contests, Things I Don't Get, and Thanks to 1980 Topps Baseball

OK, so first of all don't forget the two great contests going on right now.

1st, the Ginter Giveaway at Card Cache.

2nd, the HOF giveaway at Collective Troll. While you're there check out Troll's latest post on the mad props he's gotten for his work. Very well done, sir!

Next, two things I don't get:

1) Why in the name of all that is holy is Jonny Gomes not an everyday player in the Reds OF? His OPS is .925, his OPS+ is 136. He's a legit power threat in a lineup that could really use another big gun. So why on earth isn't he etched in stone in the lineup?

2) Why aren't CC and Zobrist getting national coverage for MVP, and Niemann for ROY?

Finally, sending out good vibes, I recently received two incredible packages from some folks in the blogosphere. With school kicking off in less than 24 hours, the compa and I have been in the weeds for the past two weeks (hence the slackness in posts, and these belated thank yous). The compa has a moral obligation to thank Troll for the incredible package he sent her (long story which I'm sure she'll explain) and she has promised me that's coming soon! Apologies, Troll, she really digs the cards.

I got two unexpected cards from the folks at 1980 Topps Baseball. Let me say that it's incredibly humbling that anyone would think enough of me to pick up some 1986 Topps needs for me at a show. Dean Family, I cannot thank you enough and am in your debt! With these two cards, I'm now 1 away!

First up: Dave Rozema. Did you know he's Kirk Gibson's brother-in-law?

He might be most famous for plunking a couple of Twins in 1982, which spawning a bench-clearing brawl, during which Rozema tried some sort karate kick that not only derailed his season, but also failed to connect with its target, John Castino. Apparently, he was a "colorful" player and a pretty good sport at that, as his home town minor league team sponsor a Rozema karate kick bobblehead night. I love how in this card he's leaning back a bit, like he's getting ready to throw a kick at someone. Nice touch!

I also received Lance Parrish.

Lance Parrish looks like catchers have and should have looked since the beginning of time. Bat over his shoulder, yeoman-like mouth half open as if to say, "What are you looking at?" I know Topps is about to break out a new T206 retro set, and let me just say that THIS is the prototypical shot they should use. It's absolutely timeless.

Many thanks again, Deans!