Long Overdue (Trade Recaps)

I have a confession to make: I often have late fees at the local library.  I don't know what it is, but I can never seem to get a book back on time.  And the thing is, I never really realize how late they are until I see the fees when I go to check something else out and I think, "How did I rack up that much in late fees?"  It turns out that library books are not the only things that I have overdue.  I received two trade packages earlier this summer from fellow bloggers that have gone completely unmentioned on my blog.  Allow me to rectify that.

First, I completed a trade with Bo from Baseball Cards Come to Life.  Way back in January it seems, he posted about getting rid of some football cards and asked people if they wanted any.  I claimed a good amount, but then took a few months trying to put together a decent return package.  We finally finished the deal after a few months later, and now I'll finally post a little of what I got in return.

We'll start with some random set help.  I'm getting close to finishing the 1988 Topps, while the 1995 Collector's Choice is really close; I'm looking for Louis Oliver, Bam Morris, and Bryant Young to complete it after all these years.  I'm just over halfway with the 2012 Topps.

When I saw how many of the Domino's Quarterback Challenge cards Bo had, I decided to build that set, too.  I'm about 12 cards shy now, mostly thanks to the large chunk seen here.  I remember watching the Quarterback Challenge as a kid.  I remember Steve Young messing with one of the ballboys, shouting that he needed a left-handed football.  He sent the kid back for a new ball ("That's not a left-handed ball!") two or three times before he accepted one.

I've recently decided that Heisman winners should have a place in my collection.  Here are three running backs who had varying degrees of success at the pro level.

Bo had a lot of late 90s to 2010 cards that I didn't have before.  Anytime I can score a couple of great o-linemen, I'm good.

And, of course, I'll pick up Packers (say that 10 times fast) whenever I can.  What a sweet shot of Sterling Sharpe snagging a pass on the sidelines.  There's another good alliteration for you.

My second neglected trade package came from Adam at Infield Fly Rule.  Somebody pointed out to him that the Rising Stars insert set from 1996 Ultra used Coor's Field as a backdrop, and he decided to put the set together.  I had a few extras lying around, so I sent them his way.  He sent me a great package back.

Adam focused almost entirely on my All-Star MVP and Rookie of the Year mini-collections.  Most of the stuff he sent was needed.  Here we have some of the all-time greats that go in my All-Star binder.  I'm digging that Cal Ripken Gallery of Stars.  I just assumed it was a Diamond Kings card at first, but soon found out that it was produced by Donruss' Canadian counterpart, Leaf.  Nice looking card.

Jeff Conine was an All-Star Game MVP.  For some reason I can't explain, Conine is one of my favorite All-Star MVPs.  The funny thing is, if he hadn't spent most of his career with teams like the Royals and Marlins, I don't think he would have been an all-star.  As it so happened, he benefited from the rule requiring every team to have a representative.  Still, his career wasn't bad; he finished with a .285 lifetime average.  He just wasn't the type of guy to be an All-Star year in and year out.

Moving on to Rookie of the Year winners, here are three of the 80s best rookies featured on two cards.  All of them had highs and lows in their careers, and all of the them have had some problem with their names being tied to substance use of some kind.

Of course, as a Rockies fan, Adam had plenty of Rockies to send me, and I needed every one of these cards.  Walt Weiss is a cardboard hero in my book.  His cards always show him in some kind of interesting action.

Finally, Adam sent some guys that I collect in the form of one of my favorite Topps sets, 2005 flagship.  I love this design, especially the little picture in the corner that mimics the actual photograph.  It's so unnecessary and yet so cool.

Thanks for the cards, Bo and Adam.  I hope we can trade again some time.  I'll try not to let my trade post lapse in the future, but I can't guarantee it won't happen.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a library book to return.