More School-Related Cards

Last week I posted about some trading cards I made for the teachers I work with in my school. It turns out that wasn't the only card connection my school would bring me. Just a few days ago, one of our 7th grade math teachers walked into my office and asked, "You collect baseball cards, don't you?" Then she left these stacks of cards on my desk.

Wow, it's been a while since I saw rubber bands holding cards together!

So what prompted this gift? Our 7th grade math team created a fantasy baseball game as their culminating project. I'm not sure about the particulars, but I know they use baseball cards to draft teams, analyze the stats, and compete against each other. The kids and teachers both love it and it becomes a highlight every year. These cards are ones that don't meet their needs for the game. The first stack is of cards that don't include strikeouts and walks in the stats, which are both categories they use for the game. The middle stack is of cards that either didn't have stats or enough seasons of stats to be useful for them. The last stack is pitchers. I guess they work with batters only. So when they were looking to clear out the cards that they couldn't use, they thought of me. I was only too happy to take them.

As always, it was fun to sort through an assortment of cards and see what was there. There were a few that will fit nicely into my collection, including these Cubs and a BYU alum that I didn't have previously.

These cards all fit into my collection, too. That trio of 1991 Score features some pretty great action shots.

The majority of the stack came from 1998 and 1999 Choice, which makes for a lot of great photos. Here are a few gems. I love how clearly you can see the ground reflected in David Cone's sunglasses. Double dip, dugout, and autograph shots are always cool. I forgot that Randy Johnson had a short-term stop in Houston. Dave Burba got a great pitcher-at-the-plate shot. And that is a pretty sweet throwback uni on Orlando Merced.

Despite the rubber band storage and the fact they may have been handled by many kids, the cards she gave me were in pretty good shape. There were a couple of creases and some that had obviously been under a sheet of paper when someone was writing, but for the most part, the damage was very minimal. It was a fun surprise and I'm glad she thought of me instead of just throwing them all out.