tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81258634397459009372024-03-21T21:48:21.756-07:00Bump and Run Football Card BlogTrevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.comBlogger428125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-24827185949552322052023-10-27T14:34:00.002-07:002023-10-27T14:34:17.134-07:00Grandes Nachos (and More!) from the Third Floor<p>Even though I haven't been very active on the blog and I put my trading on hiatus, I've still got a few cards from my fellow bloggers delivered into my mailbox.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisqVEpX8OVVpbIbsHoPt66rrpS3hSXBtUYd-_gx3clRCZ-V-1zRoGCW3EmpF6W-DIi89aBlDmaVAWX7gKLRwOrVpKccDEDgI6Uf8qyG7LHSlMYUgTttwbQmCn7PUCcmv_ln21uYoXft1f4oIj9rr26GcwG5DsB9BxcPpU0KzD41IRp1mzp0b7mV33l6Iz/s3997/DK%20Giveaway%20maybe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2582" data-original-width="3997" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisqVEpX8OVVpbIbsHoPt66rrpS3hSXBtUYd-_gx3clRCZ-V-1zRoGCW3EmpF6W-DIi89aBlDmaVAWX7gKLRwOrVpKccDEDgI6Uf8qyG7LHSlMYUgTttwbQmCn7PUCcmv_ln21uYoXft1f4oIj9rr26GcwG5DsB9BxcPpU0KzD41IRp1mzp0b7mV33l6Iz/w362-h234/DK%20Giveaway%20maybe.jpg" width="362" /></a></div>First, I have some cards from Tom at <i>The Angels in Order</i>. He ran a giveaway a few weeks ago that I'm just now getting around to displaying. I claimed both of these Rangers oddballs with the thought of giving them away to my Rangers baseball team next year. I didn't realize that they were oversized until they arrived. Now seems like a really opportune time to lead with some Texas Rangers, as they play in Game 1 of the World Series tonight. However, I'm wearing a D-backs hat as I write this. I may be in a very, very small minority, but this is the exact World Series that I wanted as soon as my Cubbies were eliminated from contention in late September. I didn't think there was any chance I'd see it happen, but I'll be with my two Arizona fan sons, cheering on the Diamondbacks.<br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3n_Ht2B8vdADqgO_efUm6oW8tLeagzF6xUdbnvkjxx1ByEuGmaSZBhyphenhyphen-IUq2uABtK4dQkaHgullmbXsQDu0ATjPuy6mQXAGh9esnBA-sDFocyEg08yh_vK1kZ-zTDnxlqIS6VTXYIE1V1Xd6u3RJTxmDioczEPJWo2ripROyT2SVGRQmr1tTgf0vPySwm/s4382/madding%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4382" data-original-width="3232" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3n_Ht2B8vdADqgO_efUm6oW8tLeagzF6xUdbnvkjxx1ByEuGmaSZBhyphenhyphen-IUq2uABtK4dQkaHgullmbXsQDu0ATjPuy6mQXAGh9esnBA-sDFocyEg08yh_vK1kZ-zTDnxlqIS6VTXYIE1V1Xd6u3RJTxmDioczEPJWo2ripROyT2SVGRQmr1tTgf0vPySwm/w472-h640/madding%201.jpeg" width="472" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7XA_kWqceRbLMHL7NMUK6t8tyqtXn14S3XafoObmSzx6vkVRvQVNnxmUmq8PsTCnzeAYeup90Gl810iHz88-9kUu5_q_gH7u0FpxiBe6ixmqi8oK1LTYnKQDehKiwBwsvcUsmn1b_HjMFEQT-PnIropl6TcUNVE2dQil9JSqlPB9NyX1cwGSQcDFsOZp/s2913/madding%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2913" data-original-width="2187" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7XA_kWqceRbLMHL7NMUK6t8tyqtXn14S3XafoObmSzx6vkVRvQVNnxmUmq8PsTCnzeAYeup90Gl810iHz88-9kUu5_q_gH7u0FpxiBe6ixmqi8oK1LTYnKQDehKiwBwsvcUsmn1b_HjMFEQT-PnIropl6TcUNVE2dQil9JSqlPB9NyX1cwGSQcDFsOZp/w312-h416/madding%202.jpeg" width="312" /></a></div>These cards technically came via a TCDB trade before I shut down my trading for the year. But they were a trade with TCDB user Madding, AKA Kerry, AKA <i>Cards on Cards</i>. Here we have a few ROYs and ASG MVPs, a pair of All-Star project cards, and some set help for my 2014 Donruss, 2013 Opening Day, 2022 Opening Day, and Opening Day Bomb Squad builds. Joey Bart kills off my 2022 OD set, in fact.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjxYMzd7lns7COHmS2Et6tF-gR7Sih032vJ0SynL8w7zLKghQNPyLcHLRbHIAZoyxogW-wYFylLj4XgB6Lybjh50yqHF4-86RIq9AMd190N-_z_4Wisif3vVZSLfpsabm4WhdHlx1NGlEYWw7XhiwTB6wgGoFC7rFWHNp3MnyzPaUE2cQlgpmTcqQvjNU/s4080/PXL_20231024_143130851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjxYMzd7lns7COHmS2Et6tF-gR7Sih032vJ0SynL8w7zLKghQNPyLcHLRbHIAZoyxogW-wYFylLj4XgB6Lybjh50yqHF4-86RIq9AMd190N-_z_4Wisif3vVZSLfpsabm4WhdHlx1NGlEYWw7XhiwTB6wgGoFC7rFWHNp3MnyzPaUE2cQlgpmTcqQvjNU/w301-h400/PXL_20231024_143130851.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>Earlier this week, I came home to a surprise bubble mailer. I wasn't expecting it at all, but Dennis from <i>Too Many Verlanders</i> sent me a good-sized package of BYU Cougars and Chicago Cubs that he had been picking up for me. Man, card bloggers are some of the best people out there!</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLW9EEpJefD4MfW_HbjTjkYDW73FBykTy6VF1GiFd_xMHr7t60I1-6LoqVhyvZD1vaJQIMoGj7lTX9M05BF22JvtLcAedMRas2DF00rMrku4Ww1cdikJNEjYfBO4PfJPt6nWQ8VgaJ25TgLXyRJu4CwjNsSiYtKpYtmZwD23aITOWjZICclcReGprwVUd-/s4382/dbray%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4382" data-original-width="3208" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLW9EEpJefD4MfW_HbjTjkYDW73FBykTy6VF1GiFd_xMHr7t60I1-6LoqVhyvZD1vaJQIMoGj7lTX9M05BF22JvtLcAedMRas2DF00rMrku4Ww1cdikJNEjYfBO4PfJPt6nWQ8VgaJ25TgLXyRJu4CwjNsSiYtKpYtmZwD23aITOWjZICclcReGprwVUd-/w468-h640/dbray%201.jpeg" width="468" /></a></div><p>Here is an entire page worth of John Becks, including some relics and an auto! The SAGE Write Stuff insert is kind of interesting. On the back is a handwriting analysis of his signature. I don't know how accurate it is, but it was interesting to see. I assume there is an autograph version of this card as well, but I've never come across it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjWh3u26sf2grVVoD7gM8fE7e8ulVZWvmwKshII1BOjcAH1ZUSpnmLt9KuAQlkUPCyqJkm9Tba2mSX-q8wzGVIOHpI5Lwd33zm0m5oJrXC9fiubWGNnnpXhuOnlk6VJhRneVyqs_mPDY078IQsdjUHGGg7FfO2KQXdRZX56h6j7sh9YS9XOGnKN-V13a6/s3315/dbray%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3315" data-original-width="2466" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjWh3u26sf2grVVoD7gM8fE7e8ulVZWvmwKshII1BOjcAH1ZUSpnmLt9KuAQlkUPCyqJkm9Tba2mSX-q8wzGVIOHpI5Lwd33zm0m5oJrXC9fiubWGNnnpXhuOnlk6VJhRneVyqs_mPDY078IQsdjUHGGg7FfO2KQXdRZX56h6j7sh9YS9XOGnKN-V13a6/w476-h640/dbray%202.jpeg" width="476" /></a></div><p></p><p>More Cougars here. I love the shiny, serial-numbered Luke Staley and the acetate Steve Young. Great stuff here.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcheEHA8UUohrX_J5-uG8CHdumXZaxwRgAU_jr5ZXaFNQDzJLj-XM9w0nhmYoOZhp_yvAPcWd85geEP27zvpClFnnn98JBsATvRchYIg8b-8M6avtBO0HgwoOEVW_5xbPuq12xhWyrFbBNnjGN_4Ihjzy8LWAbyhz2iaAZ5dlL1lFZx-_zwtgnp_X9xLg/s2310/dbray%203.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2154" data-original-width="2310" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcheEHA8UUohrX_J5-uG8CHdumXZaxwRgAU_jr5ZXaFNQDzJLj-XM9w0nhmYoOZhp_yvAPcWd85geEP27zvpClFnnn98JBsATvRchYIg8b-8M6avtBO0HgwoOEVW_5xbPuq12xhWyrFbBNnjGN_4Ihjzy8LWAbyhz2iaAZ5dlL1lFZx-_zwtgnp_X9xLg/w365-h340/dbray%203.jpeg" width="365" /></a></div><p>Bridging from the football cards Dennis sent to the baseball cards, we have a couple of oversized items. I remember having some Fleer Gameday football cards and even completing a set of NBA Jam Session cards, but I never realized that Fleer also made a tall Extra Bases set during the same time period. Steve Buechele is my introduction to that set.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuu7GJ1uMKX3FviICO8P9IyFt7TP5dV-YwWHTnlDtm9dbNmav_qYwEseqaqbGqOf6jP1s_jCvZqj_JSSwTZyhszVx31OVz7Z3jTb9q12TAaIjyKs-goiimUM9Gq2kIBzeYziybKsH5TQMv_JFwdmAnZ5VgJEgodA2EhGf_UsaBfxJMhTsk0AAqUI7VDLtR/s3507/dbray%204.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuu7GJ1uMKX3FviICO8P9IyFt7TP5dV-YwWHTnlDtm9dbNmav_qYwEseqaqbGqOf6jP1s_jCvZqj_JSSwTZyhszVx31OVz7Z3jTb9q12TAaIjyKs-goiimUM9Gq2kIBzeYziybKsH5TQMv_JFwdmAnZ5VgJEgodA2EhGf_UsaBfxJMhTsk0AAqUI7VDLtR/w466-h640/dbray%204.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFY3aUUvQmZT948XzFXA28yNjl6iN8cDDxd6VQ1IlQzLiasKb8ygxLwKWNwcvCdkBDbln6xEwjoLspoGs_Z4GdsGYO-ySeeotw2k4mwyz0LrQ7v_o4ByT8AE_myfom3_bGTBswOZS1qm-W1bxAqLR9GyQVIxsTVKI5VKEre6S6eIAUFD4Li_26hFCQFwp/s3507/dbray%205.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFY3aUUvQmZT948XzFXA28yNjl6iN8cDDxd6VQ1IlQzLiasKb8ygxLwKWNwcvCdkBDbln6xEwjoLspoGs_Z4GdsGYO-ySeeotw2k4mwyz0LrQ7v_o4ByT8AE_myfom3_bGTBswOZS1qm-W1bxAqLR9GyQVIxsTVKI5VKEre6S6eIAUFD4Li_26hFCQFwp/w466-h640/dbray%205.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><p>Dennis also included some pretty cool Cubs cards. A couple of acetate stars, a few serial numbers, an auto, a relic, two A&G mini parallels (black border and A&G back) of Rich Hill, a cool Topps coin of Jerome Walton, and Ian Happ sliding into the snow are among the goodies. I learned that I previously had no cards of Sergio Mitre, Jon Leicester, Scott Eyre, and Blaise Ilsey, though they all spent time in the Majors with the Cubs and some even had pretty long careers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGKHUOoQ5Mv8CJ2F8PbzO6obXylh9uegc7WKbmkhPWY4S7MJoKR9GpDBcsID7J-L0M8VhGCLn6tbHdCSn4BzEvI0H_69msFzUuWwnEzBoXCYrY5_zJYPZQFp28bJoDBq6YYEf-o_Lx4kC2wOT_Z92kdXRHpFD_O6g7IaQs361-olGqLRFX4GimqvJrl2Y/s2974/Elliptical%20Man%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2974" data-original-width="2367" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGKHUOoQ5Mv8CJ2F8PbzO6obXylh9uegc7WKbmkhPWY4S7MJoKR9GpDBcsID7J-L0M8VhGCLn6tbHdCSn4BzEvI0H_69msFzUuWwnEzBoXCYrY5_zJYPZQFp28bJoDBq6YYEf-o_Lx4kC2wOT_Z92kdXRHpFD_O6g7IaQs361-olGqLRFX4GimqvJrl2Y/w510-h640/Elliptical%20Man%201.jpeg" width="510" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-g-NRe5Mxxg6Gy3tf_KraiwlC8nw1bokqtqQKW06UjceClh1p21ojka5sB92hyJeHBqiNpls6fntdUTp8ttTp3CHsjq3PPQvWUWMsw3uVeCSc4qqEsAKBomMSLxRPby6eN6bQiIcKR5l29DuOoSiFXYM4Nufp91iDSYOsWhEd472PLYmOQX4kYhdhMAPF/s3319/Elliptical%20Man%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3319" data-original-width="2373" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-g-NRe5Mxxg6Gy3tf_KraiwlC8nw1bokqtqQKW06UjceClh1p21ojka5sB92hyJeHBqiNpls6fntdUTp8ttTp3CHsjq3PPQvWUWMsw3uVeCSc4qqEsAKBomMSLxRPby6eN6bQiIcKR5l29DuOoSiFXYM4Nufp91iDSYOsWhEd472PLYmOQX4kYhdhMAPF/w458-h640/Elliptical%20Man%202.jpeg" width="458" /></a></div><p>Elliptical Man from <i>The View from the Third Floor </i>had a fun series/contest in which readers tried to guess who he had included in his page for each NFL team. I would have loved to participate more, but I'm still having a weird Blogger issue that doesn't allow me to comment on most things. Apparently, I guessed his Houston Texans page pretty well and he rewarded me with a PWE of NFLers in their college unis. Five of these cards are dupes for me. Anybody want to take a guess which five?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPS5k3FMe5gICsuL_x2v7z8gus6e-5EVcH65dwxvUMa3Go819sTUrHkQGq7-PRh3z1pubIch2htI3VZ_XqZNlY7cjdh6M2z0HzQUEgxQ8UVmbTyTJcTaRo2zBGrWsOxF3_P8MlpCKHIRTD9uc-pgtoF4Nybp4H11qrUXlDCGLT7UjtB7ljKDq7pV7yTRcR/s3331/Nachos%20Ryans%20Custom.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3331" data-original-width="2391" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPS5k3FMe5gICsuL_x2v7z8gus6e-5EVcH65dwxvUMa3Go819sTUrHkQGq7-PRh3z1pubIch2htI3VZ_XqZNlY7cjdh6M2z0HzQUEgxQ8UVmbTyTJcTaRo2zBGrWsOxF3_P8MlpCKHIRTD9uc-pgtoF4Nybp4H11qrUXlDCGLT7UjtB7ljKDq7pV7yTRcR/w460-h640/Nachos%20Ryans%20Custom.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div><br />Finally, these are cards from a PWE I just received yesterday. Chris, AKA Nachos Grande, posted about the passing of his friend and custom-card maker Ryan. As a tribute, Chris is spreading the Custom A&G love. When I got the cards yesterday, I was surprised that--even though I never had any interaction with Ryan--I already had three of his customs in my collection and had never known where they came from. There are some fun ones here.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM98QoqCCstXPCRreDcVh8FV2h9XO-hJgNt-f3mwE2D6du-GXtC4dGGQRDkwBs7XLRsxCrXngrf9VpA-RRx1uNZXH79SHvD33lxiZ3STXIIfqa2lsRHc3LM8bnTQR7-gV0RVmcwSgMlDcYWgf8IPyl9ebGqJEDlskJnOkyHYk9ilNE4siYsELKdunlRLzv/s862/Nachos%20Ryans%20Custom%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="497" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM98QoqCCstXPCRreDcVh8FV2h9XO-hJgNt-f3mwE2D6du-GXtC4dGGQRDkwBs7XLRsxCrXngrf9VpA-RRx1uNZXH79SHvD33lxiZ3STXIIfqa2lsRHc3LM8bnTQR7-gV0RVmcwSgMlDcYWgf8IPyl9ebGqJEDlskJnOkyHYk9ilNE4siYsELKdunlRLzv/s320/Nachos%20Ryans%20Custom%202.jpeg" width="185" /></a></div><p><br />Included in the envelope was a touching tribute Chris wrote. He mentioned that Ryan had even created some parallels and serial-numbered version of his cards. The David Price I received was one of them--a custom Bazooka A&G back numbered 9/25. Thank you, Chris. I think you've done a wonderful job in his memory.</p><p>A big thanks to Tom, Kerry, Dennis, Elliptical Man, and Nachos Grande. After years of blogging, I should have realized that even though I hit the pause button in trading, bloggers would still find a way to slip a little something into my mailbox. You are all awesome people!<br /></p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-17503503444184576092023-09-25T05:00:00.001-07:002023-09-25T05:00:00.145-07:00Rookie of the Year Spotlight: Wil Myers<p> </p><p>Some
of the collections I have been working on over the years are starting
to get filled out and my goals are being reached. As a result, I'm
starting to slow down a little when it comes to acquiring many cards for
some of my mini-collections. Now that the collection is feeling more
and more complete, I wanted to start showcasing the cards I have, player
by player.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">One
such collection is my Rookie of the Year collection. I love collecting
players who have won the award as the top newcomer in each league. This
wasn't born of hot rookie hype and the desire to prospect. Rather, I
became fascinated thinking about the careers of guys like Eric Karros,
Jerome Walton, and Tim Salmon, who experienced varying degrees of
success but may not have become superstars. I thought it would be fun to
have a collection that chronicles the individual career journeys of
rookie stars--whether they burned bright and flamed out quickly,
regressed to the mean, or wended their way to Cooperstown.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: center;"></div></div>My
goal has been to fill a binder page for each player who won the award
in my lifetime and to fill a row for older players. I may expand that
later as I expand my vintage collection. The ultimate goal of my binder
is to show a card from every different uniform the player wore, from
fresh-faced rookie to grizzled vet. This series is to commemorate each
Rookie of the Year's career and show my collection of their cards. I
placed all of the past winners into random.org and got my order. Today we highlight<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Wil Myers<br /></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2><h2 style="text-align: center;"></h2><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ63u6bYGXzBnzl_Vz-1OKhOunRpaB9MP8vEH1FIJAv_NVgDx--ySAUdTpzYPW1MDCaANlebQstY_K50jtuZaDBxAXYVYekmC04Xe4cu-6WV5r-hERyoeVv1HaTw_B8AIddMWTfgkgk9_q2vxeios5fyUAU2fnowJ8TWFkqLJvJ10eXLRtWTeirNpGYSZt/s2262/Myers,%20W%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2262" data-original-width="1652" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ63u6bYGXzBnzl_Vz-1OKhOunRpaB9MP8vEH1FIJAv_NVgDx--ySAUdTpzYPW1MDCaANlebQstY_K50jtuZaDBxAXYVYekmC04Xe4cu-6WV5r-hERyoeVv1HaTw_B8AIddMWTfgkgk9_q2vxeios5fyUAU2fnowJ8TWFkqLJvJ10eXLRtWTeirNpGYSZt/w468-h640/Myers,%20W%201.jpeg" width="468" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Myers debuted with Tampa Bay on June 18, 2023, going 0-4 against the Red Sox. By the end of the year, he had appeared in 88 games, slashing .293/.354/.478. His OPS+ was 130 in his rookie season--the highest it has ever been up to this point in time. He was solid in right field, too, committing no errors in 142 chances. He won the AL Rookie of the Year with 23 of 30 first place votes. Jose Iglesias picked up 5 votes, and Chris Archer and Dan Straily both garnered one vote each.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The next year, Myers dropped off significantly. His 2014 OPS+ was nearly cut in half, falling to 77. It was his last season in Tampa. In the offseason, he was dealt to San Diego in a massive three-team trade. Among other things, Joe Ross was shipped from San Diego to Washington, which sent Steven Souza to Tampa Bay. A prospect by the name of Trea Turner went from San Diego to Washington.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD66ZA5L8xxIhL1Yp4L2eCOwm5kzZIaY0E5nciKFinO7CA5uFcB1ZQsuDyJGoU9JqfqnWGsYlelAOyQbyiqMgTjcpAX8hpQL8ebXIJT5rEQsdin812BUkyuU9ZUzkAUrQxL5UtyyVUdXMOSmbkev-992b0G_daNyzVzJ2YUcfLvfuocuF1MlQboNpuEzk/s2262/Myers,%20W%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2262" data-original-width="1624" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD66ZA5L8xxIhL1Yp4L2eCOwm5kzZIaY0E5nciKFinO7CA5uFcB1ZQsuDyJGoU9JqfqnWGsYlelAOyQbyiqMgTjcpAX8hpQL8ebXIJT5rEQsdin812BUkyuU9ZUzkAUrQxL5UtyyVUdXMOSmbkev-992b0G_daNyzVzJ2YUcfLvfuocuF1MlQboNpuEzk/w460-h640/Myers,%20W%202.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">He found some power in 2016, blasting 28 home runs--his first time hitting more than 13 in a season. He received his sole All-Star nod for the Padres that year. His best season was 2020, when he posted a .959 OPS and received his only MVP votes in a shortened season. He spent eight seasons in San Diego, mostly at 1st base. During that time, he hit .254/.330/.451 and averaged about 17 home runs. After the 2022 season, he signed with Cincinnati as a free agent. He lasted only 37 games as a Red; he was released in June of this season after batting an abysmal .189.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since he's now nearly 33 years old and unemployed, we can probably assume his career is about over. He played in the Majors for 11 years, finishing with a career slash line of .252/326/.427, 156 homers, and 533 RBI. He proved to be a fairly versatile defender, playing every defensive position except catcher and shortstop and even pitched 3.2 innings. He appeared in one All-Star game.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqHuC9ARcgUI7CFU-QulmsPiE0245s4Y63ynxM_kf7eA4LzfNXdxSWDicc3nfyDpp3tO-dSk9gaM3nLieu0vR_zjXJn6gIFxJSM-B-ElM7Ok0pYH7i6EO30Lt4ohF0ik9w33og9fiJFnPKi4Kqs59eNFjGqzIxQWJRtuBdbE4suSQ191fgy8DH9ChadVw/s1508/Myers,%20W%203.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1508" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqHuC9ARcgUI7CFU-QulmsPiE0245s4Y63ynxM_kf7eA4LzfNXdxSWDicc3nfyDpp3tO-dSk9gaM3nLieu0vR_zjXJn6gIFxJSM-B-ElM7Ok0pYH7i6EO30Lt4ohF0ik9w33og9fiJFnPKi4Kqs59eNFjGqzIxQWJRtuBdbE4suSQ191fgy8DH9ChadVw/w417-h202/Myers,%20W%203.jpeg" width="417" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My Myers collection was complete until this year. Now I lack a Reds card of him. I really like the cards in my collection. The 2018 Stadium Club Chrome Refractor is nice, but I think my favorite Myers card is the 2014 Bowman Platinum Cutting Edge Stars (1st card in the middle row, first picture).</div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-43720543913886753302023-09-08T16:37:00.002-07:002023-09-08T16:37:56.987-07:00Fantasy Football Kickoff 2023<div style="text-align: left;">Another football season is here! While my Cubbies are in the thick of a division race with the Brewers, football is officially beginning. This is just one of the reasons that September is one of my favorite months every year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The season kicked off last night, but I'm still saying that I'm not late with this post because I didn't have any fantasy players with my main team playing in the game. My annual NFL kickoff post is to present my work league fantasy team.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Without further ado, here are the 2023 Myopic Chihuahuas. All cards shown are cards in my collection.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIPLBUaeRP8zUGSj3DeI0YO4Al46fw-IbjuLVjUalFggS2Sz3GkHZCHEb2db3W-LMapSSbXgRyMCH3YvPMdhoU-bjxDFzrtOH5IGsg-9uWlxtrrY7H-s_uoHZC7KvAN8hvcZwoZuFRpNlFIJFCxxBck_o7W0dMjyvEqglr1XYr2YgbuiwhkFJRUOCbePO/s350/Lamar%20Jackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIPLBUaeRP8zUGSj3DeI0YO4Al46fw-IbjuLVjUalFggS2Sz3GkHZCHEb2db3W-LMapSSbXgRyMCH3YvPMdhoU-bjxDFzrtOH5IGsg-9uWlxtrrY7H-s_uoHZC7KvAN8hvcZwoZuFRpNlFIJFCxxBck_o7W0dMjyvEqglr1XYr2YgbuiwhkFJRUOCbePO/s320/Lamar%20Jackson.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><p>QB: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore</p><p>This was the most I've ever spent on a QB, but since I missed out on some of my top WR targets early in the draft, I had a little extra cash and decided I should target a potentially high-scoring QB. I think Lamar could be huge this year.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvyUe3VLMrBZXO9NwY_rHCnewdTrGpP1Y83PDViIZT9tdhMZK4AiGAIcieKan-9BrqJhP5yOeKlL9Kbb-UhwC7eryT3W_u-ZffaKYYQ9a_5iQxOWfs2di6tQ--yU4rdBgiTarwmmnsHxo79ZExQcDk1fq178f6bphb1NDg6GNVt9SmgCZmB5pOdQkGKAQ/s350/Josh%20Jacobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="247" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvyUe3VLMrBZXO9NwY_rHCnewdTrGpP1Y83PDViIZT9tdhMZK4AiGAIcieKan-9BrqJhP5yOeKlL9Kbb-UhwC7eryT3W_u-ZffaKYYQ9a_5iQxOWfs2di6tQ--yU4rdBgiTarwmmnsHxo79ZExQcDk1fq178f6bphb1NDg6GNVt9SmgCZmB5pOdQkGKAQ/s320/Josh%20Jacobs.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br /> RB1: Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas<p></p><p>Just a couple of weeks ago, I didn't think I would touch Jacobs with a 10-foot pole. But then he ended his holdout and I think he's ready roll for another big year. He was the lowest of my acceptable RB1 targets, but my competitors priced me out of the top guys I was really targeting. So I picked him and turned my eye to filling out a quality roster at discount prices after everybody else broke their budgets on the studs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYP-2PB7ohTYXhDVvUgdBq5QRrW4owCQfq167X3e-T918v8bzbMj6WZtwxZnrVE0ISYRT-RY4mbkDV0mlDXWH-3mm2_IgXFGZfi65eoXqTbr4YL8Wv1hKr_3BCoyMf99tUMVYbM0ilZxjqT_7tRg7MLZvq2cb9fehkHC8aJ_otxkxJyN4Z1xaiY333NzoG/s350/Dameon%20Pierce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYP-2PB7ohTYXhDVvUgdBq5QRrW4owCQfq167X3e-T918v8bzbMj6WZtwxZnrVE0ISYRT-RY4mbkDV0mlDXWH-3mm2_IgXFGZfi65eoXqTbr4YL8Wv1hKr_3BCoyMf99tUMVYbM0ilZxjqT_7tRg7MLZvq2cb9fehkHC8aJ_otxkxJyN4Z1xaiY333NzoG/s320/Dameon%20Pierce.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><p>RB2: Dameon Pierce, Houston</p><p>This doesn't excite me too much. I haven't seen enough from Pierce yet to fully trust that he will be a big fantasy scorer. But the Texans are kind of void of talent, and with a rookie starting at QB, they have to give the ball to somebody. Hopefully Pierce can pull the volume to make him high-end RB2.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpq5gR-LOc0ZKOgsp2N-H4Xofae-5m-Vg5LGLmbwF3bASJ8eAPtJfKE7TbxOYduRBMZCk-BCjefh9H80AnvBaADO2sPtMSpnKB1v0WoK3y3XhWxrIIQo2jBKZR56DKDYDNTpAoZCACblwYxHdYdcUpzlWxNj9hINHYAFRK5lzobvu7arreNLTnII9XqpgV/s350/Garrett%20Wilson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpq5gR-LOc0ZKOgsp2N-H4Xofae-5m-Vg5LGLmbwF3bASJ8eAPtJfKE7TbxOYduRBMZCk-BCjefh9H80AnvBaADO2sPtMSpnKB1v0WoK3y3XhWxrIIQo2jBKZR56DKDYDNTpAoZCACblwYxHdYdcUpzlWxNj9hINHYAFRK5lzobvu7arreNLTnII9XqpgV/s320/Garrett%20Wilson.jpg" width="228" /></a></p><p> WR1: Garrett Wilson, New York Jets</p><p>Wilson looked like a stud last year. This year, he has Aaron Rodgers throwing to him. This is 100% a pick based on a projected breakout. I hope it pays off.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYOqmrBAmKIhW1X8eZsJa7EbYaO8KcVd0zGZy1N40t75h-8yIm3arvv6mh07BtewgNMt_lLSSSBudsbAp3vGORYmFooBapHl2AFRf7Zt_i6rYs7PPDb0a4C9ktvzyNw6zeNpMg0ftDqCuWSzdGKlUtz1eCSSHgC-OODnpwnEo0bEl6qtYs00ggrLXwsr6/s350/Amari%20Cooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="252" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYOqmrBAmKIhW1X8eZsJa7EbYaO8KcVd0zGZy1N40t75h-8yIm3arvv6mh07BtewgNMt_lLSSSBudsbAp3vGORYmFooBapHl2AFRf7Zt_i6rYs7PPDb0a4C9ktvzyNw6zeNpMg0ftDqCuWSzdGKlUtz1eCSSHgC-OODnpwnEo0bEl6qtYs00ggrLXwsr6/s320/Amari%20Cooper.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br /><p>WR2: Amari Cooper, Cleveland</p><p>Cooper has been in three uniforms since the one pictured on this card, but I don't own a Browns card of him yet. Rolling with him as my WR1 is scary to me. He has the talent and has produced in the past, but the Browns have a few different weapons and all of them are banking on Deshaun Watson returning to form and looking better than last year. I'm worried about my receiving corps, which feels kind of boom-or-bust, with a fairly high chance for bust.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsoPHkPHlt8sdMiBCTF3GMcHXasuOdCZCIvX3JXq0jYmOjz6Cgv-X781lbjQAQgp7HcUv9OBA8YLWqaBnutS-C44obO7LNldowARbiEfZ4IGj4B8nYxc45osij2Pv20s1gVJ30bFCpAq1S_MMMJLuZPoec_1UfAZYcCRbx57_OJqzfBhfL8AU8JT_gnJG/s350/Darren%20Waller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsoPHkPHlt8sdMiBCTF3GMcHXasuOdCZCIvX3JXq0jYmOjz6Cgv-X781lbjQAQgp7HcUv9OBA8YLWqaBnutS-C44obO7LNldowARbiEfZ4IGj4B8nYxc45osij2Pv20s1gVJ30bFCpAq1S_MMMJLuZPoec_1UfAZYcCRbx57_OJqzfBhfL8AU8JT_gnJG/s320/Darren%20Waller.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><p>TE: Darren Waller, New York Giants</p><p>Waller has proven in the past that he is effective for quarterbacks who aren't known for big, downfield plays. I'm hoping he's healthy this year and that Daniel Jones will be that QB for him.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_arr5Mzh0ab7h30tJvzkr7dPGinyxFjNzv3x6vjG5GSmPiSYzemgpFihu45n90r0Y7BKLyLOYiKMiO0ajjN_oXQUpoC17wzbhhUns76XcV66zs-qqJ9eC8UUjV_Zu2Ah2-GK6_Df8sJsFxER1K1rHujxZouqq2Rvb9_hNG08_rgafzptfn7PamT6o6DYU/s350/Rachaad%20White.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_arr5Mzh0ab7h30tJvzkr7dPGinyxFjNzv3x6vjG5GSmPiSYzemgpFihu45n90r0Y7BKLyLOYiKMiO0ajjN_oXQUpoC17wzbhhUns76XcV66zs-qqJ9eC8UUjV_Zu2Ah2-GK6_Df8sJsFxER1K1rHujxZouqq2Rvb9_hNG08_rgafzptfn7PamT6o6DYU/s320/Rachaad%20White.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br /><p>FLEX1: Rachaad White, Tampa Bay</p><p>Leonard Fournette is gone. Tom Brady is gone. This is another boom/bust player who needs a breakout season.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3n1PCN-dxoI9lXm0xPKWwLGUSCO8bnQPuraxRJquE36zfsj6rGtG_6OwntCoNnTnUjHOW0o55O9ylYS47XfF0XoUXKNVSrtXb58UnRxY_6Y0BRGuDw2poigeflnpAtcG55fxyELSI4b0QGCJx0XK_dC-T1bi8dZvXG-H3R9mHfvHwuf00vo-2B7CdWirB/s350/Christian%20Watson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3n1PCN-dxoI9lXm0xPKWwLGUSCO8bnQPuraxRJquE36zfsj6rGtG_6OwntCoNnTnUjHOW0o55O9ylYS47XfF0XoUXKNVSrtXb58UnRxY_6Y0BRGuDw2poigeflnpAtcG55fxyELSI4b0QGCJx0XK_dC-T1bi8dZvXG-H3R9mHfvHwuf00vo-2B7CdWirB/s320/Christian%20Watson.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><p>FLEX2: Christian Watson, Green Bay</p><p>Watson showed flashes last year. I think he's ready to be the Packers' WR1. We'll just have to wait and see how well the offense runs with Jordan Love at the helm. You may notice that this is the fourth second-year player in my starting lineup. I actually have four more on my bench. I'm usually not the gambler that relies on lots of young, unproven talent and hopes for an explosion. But you take what the draft gives you, especially in an auction draft. With a 12-team league, I think I got a good collection of talent without overspending on any one player.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfp9EHplT5OVZ0nEKwO5zswyU53MExX1-34J_VuQ98IF1Mu1U7vX-JdzjJOsl0iFVSTe_dX9iicA6ZtNRq1vYZS029nED74WQ94qAXdzGFGozrsutbZv94n4XilmaLBgU24IMYMuoYQWSPlTW11UOEPH49aUVWLU52r9m-yy7tKwbvhqXy4VcLk1zFdANr/s350/Christian%20Barmore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="258" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfp9EHplT5OVZ0nEKwO5zswyU53MExX1-34J_VuQ98IF1Mu1U7vX-JdzjJOsl0iFVSTe_dX9iicA6ZtNRq1vYZS029nED74WQ94qAXdzGFGozrsutbZv94n4XilmaLBgU24IMYMuoYQWSPlTW11UOEPH49aUVWLU52r9m-yy7tKwbvhqXy4VcLk1zFdANr/s320/Christian%20Barmore.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><br /><p>DEF: New England</p><p>As always, I'll stream defenses. New England gets the first call for me.</p><p>Bench:</p><p>Brian Robinson, RB, Washington<br />Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh<br />George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh<br />Skyy Moore, WR, Kansas City<br />Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotlLo6074Ng1b7m3WkcZZP_eyf_EwZ0X44BgbKyttQ9uzwyt9-Z8u0GCDhwvXv8lZ1U_JB_Kj_1KXThrbNZDxyNo-zbNw91MX7akmRait9VKTCPTN9-kH_0NQC8IX4JkNMdMpVGGgYZ5jOVuvz53DWkzSt2l16ek2bAMBxnJyZH4-ccQr-BHJVkqdoyQT/s830/Screenshot%202023-09-08%20at%2017-33-49%20Wolverine%20Pride%20Fantasy%20Football%20Yahoo!%20Sports.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="830" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotlLo6074Ng1b7m3WkcZZP_eyf_EwZ0X44BgbKyttQ9uzwyt9-Z8u0GCDhwvXv8lZ1U_JB_Kj_1KXThrbNZDxyNo-zbNw91MX7akmRait9VKTCPTN9-kH_0NQC8IX4JkNMdMpVGGgYZ5jOVuvz53DWkzSt2l16ek2bAMBxnJyZH4-ccQr-BHJVkqdoyQT/w388-h369/Screenshot%202023-09-08%20at%2017-33-49%20Wolverine%20Pride%20Fantasy%20Football%20Yahoo!%20Sports.png" width="388" /></a></div><br /> As per usual, Yahoo doesn't love my team.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2amZOYX_j-7TKtqy5VabtdSo3l2BRciU5PmW0NspOt4Zx3gVxOUwsrhY-aQEPXCTPcD-GY04hlxp_R7Q1TNTMKFr7dQEJgKGvVlW1L8CCRCo9hwJ-QESw7eS09WyRsdPYs7rtTEdnZUFFKb_fIiCBKWukpWTbQCi50iprnqDqnRNEC0CsxGPM3rf7S4-9/s690/Screenshot%202023-09-08%20at%2017-33-02%20Fantasy%20Football%20League%20Analyzer%20FantasyPros.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="480" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2amZOYX_j-7TKtqy5VabtdSo3l2BRciU5PmW0NspOt4Zx3gVxOUwsrhY-aQEPXCTPcD-GY04hlxp_R7Q1TNTMKFr7dQEJgKGvVlW1L8CCRCo9hwJ-QESw7eS09WyRsdPYs7rtTEdnZUFFKb_fIiCBKWukpWTbQCi50iprnqDqnRNEC0CsxGPM3rf7S4-9/w262-h376/Screenshot%202023-09-08%20at%2017-33-02%20Fantasy%20Football%20League%20Analyzer%20FantasyPros.png" width="262" /></a></div>But FantasyPros does.<p></p><p>Once again this year, my work league is the one that I count. New this year, however, is a TCDB league. This one is a new experience: I've never played with a superflex before; I've never had 14 teams in a league before; and I've never played with any sort of buy-in before. The buy-in is cards and everyone involved is a TCDB user. Here is a quick glance at my roster in this league:</p><p>QB: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia<br />RB1: Tony Pollard, Dallas<br />RB2: Dameon Pierce, Houston<br />WR1: Chris Olave, New Orleans<br />WR2: Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay<br />WR3: Jahan Dotson, Washington<br />TE: Evan Engram, Jacksonville<br />FLEX: Miles Sanders, Carolina<br />SUPERFLEX: Daniel Jones, New York Giants<br />DEF: Denver<br /> <br /></p><p>I honestly think my TCDB team is a bit better than my other league. Fantasy Pros also likes this draft.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJPj8ywc06SvD1hNWHvP0qoRGi-0IPmcBlGeeHa_RQFLV9fXKp_xy7C99_8Rhp-tUFl9NZ-vnrUpmd5YKCRCdQQd_bTgEnRGSnVhY3ZmgmS0RqHxFknPCPv93rVSEFHbptkPoyfuVbVI6DL-2sy-8fKgzjbV8FuO2eryCXyAbOXw_WFxzh2HdKjhadQea/s694/Screenshot%202023-09-08%20at%2017-31-50%20Fantasy%20Football%20League%20Analyzer%20FantasyPros.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="480" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJPj8ywc06SvD1hNWHvP0qoRGi-0IPmcBlGeeHa_RQFLV9fXKp_xy7C99_8Rhp-tUFl9NZ-vnrUpmd5YKCRCdQQd_bTgEnRGSnVhY3ZmgmS0RqHxFknPCPv93rVSEFHbptkPoyfuVbVI6DL-2sy-8fKgzjbV8FuO2eryCXyAbOXw_WFxzh2HdKjhadQea/w273-h396/Screenshot%202023-09-08%20at%2017-31-50%20Fantasy%20Football%20League%20Analyzer%20FantasyPros.png" width="273" /></a></div>Let the games begin! I'm so glad it's football season again!Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-17253202768292171972023-08-21T05:00:00.001-07:002023-08-21T05:00:00.134-07:00Card-Buying Hiatus<div style="text-align: left;">The Bump and Run household has run into some financial rapids and been bumped around by them this year. Nothing catastrophic, but enough that we've had to take a hard look at our spending. Since April, we've had to replace our garage door, put new tires on both vehicles, had our lawnmower crap out on, then had the one we bought to replace it follow suit, spent a few hundred to fix the ac that went out on the first triple-digit day of summer, and had both my phone and my wife's phone die completely in the same week. My car's check engine light came on; we spent over $700 to fix it, and it ran worse after I picked it up. So we took it back to the shop, where it has now been for 20 days. I don't know what they've done to it, but it's sitting in the parking lot with the hood up because they can't even get it to start now. Depending on the outcome of that situation, I may be looking for a new car, too. So our health is good and I didn't lose my source of income or anything, but we've run into a bunch of emergency-type expenses in the past few months. As a result, we've had to evaluate some other purchases we make. Caught a little tight in the finance department, I've made the decision not to buy any more cards for at least the rest of this year. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So here are my last purchased cards for the foreseeable future. Actually, I bought this box last fall, but I forgot about it until this summer. I cracked open the box, opened a couple of packs, and let the box get buried in my card room until recently.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH4TN8EmCWHvntsZthPgp0QEB-Ok8EfcjSPoad27CY6_dM-Ithkh7clVLXMVtVMCWIi-bGhpRqJwvC5m_6d7YY-VsEI3YFRnd2wmfFOhu2Y8eHdnH5N_w0AB1Wl37oTwIUACGMHHHE222XIJUUb26kiDSwM_EfSEEKiaNN2e5WrzWr8mMjrAt0a_C1rRJ/s1604/2021%20Big%20League%20Collection.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="1604" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH4TN8EmCWHvntsZthPgp0QEB-Ok8EfcjSPoad27CY6_dM-Ithkh7clVLXMVtVMCWIi-bGhpRqJwvC5m_6d7YY-VsEI3YFRnd2wmfFOhu2Y8eHdnH5N_w0AB1Wl37oTwIUACGMHHHE222XIJUUb26kiDSwM_EfSEEKiaNN2e5WrzWr8mMjrAt0a_C1rRJ/w463-h425/2021%20Big%20League%20Collection.jpeg" width="463" /></a></div><p>2021 Topps Big League--released, as you recall, a month into the 2022 MLB season--wasn't the flashiest, coolest-looking set I've seen, but it's far from the worst. I suspect this is a design that I will forget some day. I'm not chasing the set; I was just looking for a fun break. Here are a few cards that I'll keep for my collection.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vN2b8AcYI7na5LeJYZkAXTgBgefonYGABvFclT_mbe0arQ9faKO66QM0-W8xxIamSD-91UWbPp7KtMMplrNHv538ZS7uyw0zJ8sbtVk8snjifcBQ053IREVX7hRxgTr5Kmaq-xv8h16SsTGvXDzcvyRGamzqYTFkv79X3KcYd0vfVnCP37K6cBgCZ74g/s2170/2021%20Big%20League%20ROY.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2170" data-original-width="1624" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vN2b8AcYI7na5LeJYZkAXTgBgefonYGABvFclT_mbe0arQ9faKO66QM0-W8xxIamSD-91UWbPp7KtMMplrNHv538ZS7uyw0zJ8sbtVk8snjifcBQ053IREVX7hRxgTr5Kmaq-xv8h16SsTGvXDzcvyRGamzqYTFkv79X3KcYd0vfVnCP37K6cBgCZ74g/w478-h640/2021%20Big%20League%20ROY.jpeg" width="478" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Over a few years of buying Big League, I've noticed that Rookie of the Year award winners seem to be plentiful in the set. In this particular set, I think it may be because so many of them won other awards that were featured in the Award Winners subset (Jose Abreu's AL MVP, or Randy Arozarena's and Corey Seager's LCS MVPs, for example). </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3YxRIu9bxTTW4FlP90IqsiZw_UzUd7kgy5uDfnb2L7trsSOk8KBHfFqR0qa0DNwpeymjmSrOikH0rQ_3zXOo9i1CICpezaQLEDZScImlY7wNe35WPuWU22rLWQVLeqOeye5EyeJDm7SbPunCL9JyrpQZYDeS20KXkE5mPTi1IkwWqKY9apyXa3Fl3WGJ/s2338/2021%20Big%20League%20ROY%20hot%20pack.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2338" data-original-width="1700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3YxRIu9bxTTW4FlP90IqsiZw_UzUd7kgy5uDfnb2L7trsSOk8KBHfFqR0qa0DNwpeymjmSrOikH0rQ_3zXOo9i1CICpezaQLEDZScImlY7wNe35WPuWU22rLWQVLeqOeye5EyeJDm7SbPunCL9JyrpQZYDeS20KXkE5mPTi1IkwWqKY9apyXa3Fl3WGJ/w466-h640/2021%20Big%20League%20ROY%20hot%20pack.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Regardless of the reason, this scan illustrates my point. Of the 10 cards in the pack, 5 cards were ROY winners (Lewis 2x, Correa, Seager, and Arozarena). A sixth card, Vlad Jr., fits into my ASG MVP collection. But a Rookie of the Year hot pack!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fdr5pgEZULyIQ3aatrowcbBGkhcoMZveUuKM-GwU57UGtCVvRxEMA1JpmKaGiFwypHaBXESv-ECCbD8ewnNnkPMEVhtfpDhVD8UvPHUVVEvjPgsuFUKAuH-N8IJSepS4u95Jy2Cr8tt55Afm95AGVngBsVoqI34DmHiYQrbYi69AM-FX6VU6oEwzlZzw/s2198/2021%20Big%20League%20Non%20Base%20Collection.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2198" data-original-width="1616" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fdr5pgEZULyIQ3aatrowcbBGkhcoMZveUuKM-GwU57UGtCVvRxEMA1JpmKaGiFwypHaBXESv-ECCbD8ewnNnkPMEVhtfpDhVD8UvPHUVVEvjPgsuFUKAuH-N8IJSepS4u95Jy2Cr8tt55Afm95AGVngBsVoqI34DmHiYQrbYi69AM-FX6VU6oEwzlZzw/w470-h640/2021%20Big%20League%20Non%20Base%20Collection.jpeg" width="470" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Each pack contained one orange parallel and one insert. These are the non-base cards I pulled for my collection.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhs8jdbf9cdAvgl8QDoh2ljJyBwNJPS1h15OFn0gNrU8q8-ATnOcB4pJbJ-0l5H9NSiNiJFpCyzXUqDG2N6DhORauvvP4SFIQ7jzrua_LWCM6vWzkIWKq1gHgnj_q2wbFCT3gL9vIlrkskNv3da2UABVxLPa6aLV-CsGFoZ9ZalwChqjp-UnzWz4AJUDe/s2190/2021%20Big%20League%20Inserts.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2190" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhs8jdbf9cdAvgl8QDoh2ljJyBwNJPS1h15OFn0gNrU8q8-ATnOcB4pJbJ-0l5H9NSiNiJFpCyzXUqDG2N6DhORauvvP4SFIQ7jzrua_LWCM6vWzkIWKq1gHgnj_q2wbFCT3gL9vIlrkskNv3da2UABVxLPa6aLV-CsGFoZ9ZalwChqjp-UnzWz4AJUDe/w468-h640/2021%20Big%20League%20Inserts.jpeg" width="468" /></a></div><p></p><p>And a few of the inserts that found themselves in my trade boxes. I considered building the Wanted set, but decided against it ultimately.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUZxq7c149xYGkdnkWZrGGwVUir_8ebljhDN-zFWV-M5n-QonRPr0P4I8xdlQPoae0va83Son7sf6_E9Ife1Ws0GWx4MnYpKFvG1XEXeNsMJNVBy49CSki2RmAOVVBtQZPjZ-DQ6wR-fKN2Kl4R4hD2713rv_hNgXJNyuNCS6d1B8Zt9hW8YAS6uD1wRG/s1640/2021%20Big%20League%20Odds.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1640" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUZxq7c149xYGkdnkWZrGGwVUir_8ebljhDN-zFWV-M5n-QonRPr0P4I8xdlQPoae0va83Son7sf6_E9Ife1Ws0GWx4MnYpKFvG1XEXeNsMJNVBy49CSki2RmAOVVBtQZPjZ-DQ6wR-fKN2Kl4R4hD2713rv_hNgXJNyuNCS6d1B8Zt9hW8YAS6uD1wRG/w367-h250/2021%20Big%20League%20Odds.jpeg" width="367" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This box beat the odds for me, too. Twice. First, I pulled an orange auto, which falls at 1:286. There is no guaranteed hit in a box, so beating the odds with any auto is already fun. Then this black foil card, numbered to 15, came out later. The odds of the black foil parallel is 1:485, so there is another fun long-odds card in the box. Both of those are hard enough pulls to make it fun anyway. But when the parallel numbered 5/15 just happens to fit into my collection, that's even better!<br /></p><p>Before I pulled the plug on buying cards, I had one more purchase that I needed to make. Since Topps didn't release Opening Day this year, I missed my annual box break/set build. But I didn't want to let this Flagship get away without a set, though. I've been planning to pick up the factory set to commemorate Topps' final [independent] Flagship production. I pre-ordered a set to be my last new cards.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDST7YFDJqDwuFcojzQuam0evrevl3RtYQW9fAxgXTQrmZmnBSY7JCV20ysOGzJ3W-zM0aJQwOQZ33Q5nxzj753s9YQyhQg8Stt_lS9ykO8j5qrf0HUCUi7hzAI6FkbQMxv6fA9RazaEcmc_ecahoyfHgga9MNu24wk3eGqm13DhCSGoiJF7e9-osk5Ue1/s3283/PXL_20230816_025704703.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2781" data-original-width="3283" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDST7YFDJqDwuFcojzQuam0evrevl3RtYQW9fAxgXTQrmZmnBSY7JCV20ysOGzJ3W-zM0aJQwOQZ33Q5nxzj753s9YQyhQg8Stt_lS9ykO8j5qrf0HUCUi7hzAI6FkbQMxv6fA9RazaEcmc_ecahoyfHgga9MNu24wk3eGqm13DhCSGoiJF7e9-osk5Ue1/w497-h421/PXL_20230816_025704703.jpg" width="497" /></a></div> <p></p><p>I've seen plenty of 2023 Topps around on the blogs, but I hadn't seen any in person until last week. I have to say, I think they look better on a screen than in-hand. I think this is my least favorite Flagship of the 20s. My set came with five foilboard cards. None are too exciting. These are numbered to 426. If I did my math correctly, that means that 56,232 factory sets were produced with this particular extra pack parallel. I'm not sure if there are other parallels available in different factory sets, but I would imagine so.</p><p></p><p>Along with my purchasing hiatus, I'm going on shipping hiatus, too. I have one stamp left for a PWE trade and when it's gone, I'm taking an online trading break, too. The blog will still live for the time being, however. I have a backlog of trades to post and some research-based and collection display posts to work on still. Hopefully, we'll get to place where we feel the ability to breathe in our discretionary spending again soon, but right now we've had to tighten the belt a little. These buys will have to hold me over for a while.<br /></p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-80296805958290147912023-07-18T12:37:00.005-07:002023-07-18T12:37:49.160-07:00More All-Stars on the List<p>A week ago today, Major League Baseball played its annual All-Star Game. I've loved this game since I was a kid, but I couldn't watch it this year. We had tournament baseball happening. As a follow up to my last post, both of my boys won their city championships and advanced to compete at the state level. My older boy's team (the one that I was coaching) performed well. We finished second in our group during pool play, but then hit a juggernaut in the first round of the elimination bracket. Our opponent came into the game undefeated and left undefeated. In fact, our 6-1 loss was the closest game they played all year until the state semifinals, and we were the first team to hold them to single digits. They ended up losing in the final four and taking third. So our Pony League season ended in the Sweet 16 of state, if you will. My younger son rolled through the regular season and city championship undefeated, then won every game at the state tournament into the finals. There they met their Waterloo, falling 7-2 in the championship game. My son was a bit disappointed (he really wanted that T-shirt!), overall satisfied with a one-loss season and a second place finish.</p><p>My point is, I had one kid playing in one city while another was playing (and I coaching) in another at the time of the All-Star Game. I didn't get to see it. But that doesn't mean it didn't affect my collection.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NtAIW3BJ8TIg57OzVoF_x_F5WJYA_cZu6bE0ifD7RoV2U1qF_TN8sgh3tmzycKpXcUyErOyRIVtK3hmg_by_jLOw2TppLvn_EgSp-I-ycsdhQvQ-ev9vDEXE9fFe4NNNxyXOHBK1Cjizb0cUuX-icEdjvQExG8Lz7kfkHAQGIk12_dcc4sVayt0g7OJ7/s2358/2023%20ASG%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="2358" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NtAIW3BJ8TIg57OzVoF_x_F5WJYA_cZu6bE0ifD7RoV2U1qF_TN8sgh3tmzycKpXcUyErOyRIVtK3hmg_by_jLOw2TppLvn_EgSp-I-ycsdhQvQ-ev9vDEXE9fFe4NNNxyXOHBK1Cjizb0cUuX-icEdjvQExG8Lz7kfkHAQGIk12_dcc4sVayt0g7OJ7/w507-h236/2023%20ASG%202.jpeg" width="507" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>By my count, there were 31 players who made their first All-Star team this year. That means I'll need to track down cards for 28 new players for my All-Time All-Star project. I found these three already in my trader boxes and moved them into my collection. Well, Steele was in my Cubs binder, so I moved one of his cards over to my All-Star project.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Gj8l1GK68jKbnjmv6RbhdOXq3q2TTYRAjycBkYyxTiPGZZdsAbQD6mSA9gMdvSnhL1WyHD0ULmJyxP4-aP3cCCZZaSiBYLF6BAeCRYEC4Aiy9y_qiC3e7Ayxh9EiiYRa5yZJoZX1gtbWpW3r0O18FSAASvQvGKB4Ba9VDrZrclBZCtGiQFnM19bIA9kC/s1119/2023%20ASG%20Diaz.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1119" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Gj8l1GK68jKbnjmv6RbhdOXq3q2TTYRAjycBkYyxTiPGZZdsAbQD6mSA9gMdvSnhL1WyHD0ULmJyxP4-aP3cCCZZaSiBYLF6BAeCRYEC4Aiy9y_qiC3e7Ayxh9EiiYRa5yZJoZX1gtbWpW3r0O18FSAASvQvGKB4Ba9VDrZrclBZCtGiQFnM19bIA9kC/s320/2023%20ASG%20Diaz.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>And, of course, I always add the All-Star Game MVP to my collection. I only own one card of this year's MVP, Elias Diaz, so his page will take awhile to complete. Welcome to the collection, Elias! And thank you for finally getting the NL a win!<br /></p><p>One of the downsides of rarely buying packs anymore is that I don't have many cards of these new guys who are turning into stars. But the chase is on now!</p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-92156946728161962982023-07-05T18:18:00.001-07:002023-07-05T18:18:13.279-07:00Allow Me to Introduce You to the Salem Rangers<p>Growing up, I was always a football guy. I played other sports, including baseball, all throughout my youth, but I lived and breathed football. It was the one that I truly understood all over the field. When I was in high school, I wanted to become a coach. In fact, one of the reasons I became a teacher was that I wanted to coach high school football. Alas, I still have yet to teach a single day in a high school, and I've had no opportunities to coach athletics. </p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIzcf0BW5pU2jTTnj96PrQWaLtQXYxkjtSWySjuLL5ypC2uoL1clgOcKZ14MZYpj7qLlpdAQ2WDX-xdUzuAbn8AH8zjqGb8Qfm4tZcslcj3dqW891b5L0zlw4vADXvD-dyrnr9x0XVYU0KwsYuBMkUSuFME7croS8lX17JPzbn1xrKShBL-51lrZT1TXR/s2303/Rangers%201-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="2303" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIzcf0BW5pU2jTTnj96PrQWaLtQXYxkjtSWySjuLL5ypC2uoL1clgOcKZ14MZYpj7qLlpdAQ2WDX-xdUzuAbn8AH8zjqGb8Qfm4tZcslcj3dqW891b5L0zlw4vADXvD-dyrnr9x0XVYU0KwsYuBMkUSuFME7croS8lX17JPzbn1xrKShBL-51lrZT1TXR/w640-h298/Rangers%201-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p></p><p>But when my boys started playing baseball, I started toying with the idea of coaching them. After my oldest passed through t-ball, I thought, "There's nothing to this t-ball thing. I'll coach the next time around." Two years later, my second son started t-ball and I volunteered to coach his team. I didn't really expect to go much farther than that in baseball coaching, though. My days as a player ended when I was 13, right after my 7th grade year. At that age, with the competition I'd faced and the coaching I'd received, I hadn't really learned much strategy to coaching or practice drills or anything that gave me enough confidence to go and teach others to compete.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNd64ki3hw6cX1cI6xayAjPRobS6kxP54wdQe-9Xq04AjYFSNsuMHd5BfDN5M2WR010LFMgjleUTmNSCPCxKd4KwPc2nVJDpdj_MNOJ-_fcH4PVXqkFmdnoY49s8QJ6grd9mGNqtc2LV3pzmZFtwuXONj53IzuGjXoyBv967wsXLr___povRkQK7xx-VUM/s2303/Rangers%204-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="2303" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNd64ki3hw6cX1cI6xayAjPRobS6kxP54wdQe-9Xq04AjYFSNsuMHd5BfDN5M2WR010LFMgjleUTmNSCPCxKd4KwPc2nVJDpdj_MNOJ-_fcH4PVXqkFmdnoY49s8QJ6grd9mGNqtc2LV3pzmZFtwuXONj53IzuGjXoyBv967wsXLr___povRkQK7xx-VUM/w640-h294/Rangers%204-6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>My oldest son started his Little League years with two outstanding coaches in three years. These were guys who taught the game well, hyped the kids up, and gave them a great experience playing ball. I learned a bit about coaching Little League from them, but I still lacked the confidence to volunteer myself as a head coach. I wanted to help out and get involved, but as the assistant. I resolved to offer to help the moment a coach asked for an assistant, but no one ever needed help. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIo2VNkI0OSDznnE_qYDSRH_PDS0d_11KOVr1KdeRplR7Ms-fWUfMUZcUW568JJ3Qs84uzouH_bpdzaYycYMscFiFkUBmgIFGw_JL-Y7aGeeZb5HcEpt5j_gbxLhmuHOLZ3Cq0pkaC0lZOcYVowt2uan9SXKL5lFpaurRXWwyKh46_XM_xcIJUJoK_wCrG/s2303/Rangers%207-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="2303" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIo2VNkI0OSDznnE_qYDSRH_PDS0d_11KOVr1KdeRplR7Ms-fWUfMUZcUW568JJ3Qs84uzouH_bpdzaYycYMscFiFkUBmgIFGw_JL-Y7aGeeZb5HcEpt5j_gbxLhmuHOLZ3Cq0pkaC0lZOcYVowt2uan9SXKL5lFpaurRXWwyKh46_XM_xcIJUJoK_wCrG/w640-h300/Rangers%207-9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Until last year. My second son's coach asked for help, and I jumped on the chance. He was in 5th grade, playing Pinto League (12U). I spent the season helping coach my son's team. Meanwhile, my older son was suffering through an abysmal season. They won only two games and the coaches were kind of a nightmare. They didn't say anything to the kids during games, but berated them when they lost. They offered incentives, then backed out after the boys reached them. So with a season of assistant coach experience under my belt, I decided I was going to coach the Salem Rangers Pony League (14U) team this year. Half of the boys on the team, including my son, had played baseball longer than I had. Almost all of them certainly had received more coaching than I had ever received. But I could learn the Xs and Os and technique along the way. I could handle 7th and 8th graders and give them a good experience. That's what I do for a living, after all. No other parent could/would help out, so I recruited my 22-year-old brother-in-law as my assistant. I think it was good for a young guy like him to get the experience of working with those kids.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlunlYD5FAB6eVWb-_AwEzXVSrMFS88UAwNX06wrfoNE8o1ifH_j9w7J44r7vBxCmH34X9kOKg8ANLTmrxatucVLSayH5_VL4HqTsUCanVTQyZwMrM6thblNnmr3s4cLOAX7MeBqhbmaClISkNmWepOJbfGoNGkxPlE-KZX3ybi5f3hYEb9_dNg4MVmfc/s2253/Rangers%2010-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="2253" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlunlYD5FAB6eVWb-_AwEzXVSrMFS88UAwNX06wrfoNE8o1ifH_j9w7J44r7vBxCmH34X9kOKg8ANLTmrxatucVLSayH5_VL4HqTsUCanVTQyZwMrM6thblNnmr3s4cLOAX7MeBqhbmaClISkNmWepOJbfGoNGkxPlE-KZX3ybi5f3hYEb9_dNg4MVmfc/w640-h302/Rangers%2010-12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had our ups and downs this year. We hit a particularly bad week when we had six boys all gone for summer camp. It resulted in a loss to a team that only beat us in the entire season and another team we had already beaten mercy-ruling us. Too often, we had players missing and it resulted in a tough city tournament seed. But I knew if we could ever put together a full team, we could compete with anybody.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXT3xt1ou4gt5a0O6eFKfTRDsHfcMP1l3m6CTzR7QuHfhEQQeL3e6xbMynI6v1KszRiaF9r0180jPALRXcmLYgu18SqpEYM5kE2pOXDIAXN05OQWSWX76Mrb2YsllLXicBj_NyRRcPhj5TFkIcynFfaKeEV3iaNDtD_G8cAcEX_TdQO1PScgkZUkOsbzO/s2325/Rangers%2013-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="2325" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXT3xt1ou4gt5a0O6eFKfTRDsHfcMP1l3m6CTzR7QuHfhEQQeL3e6xbMynI6v1KszRiaF9r0180jPALRXcmLYgu18SqpEYM5kE2pOXDIAXN05OQWSWX76Mrb2YsllLXicBj_NyRRcPhj5TFkIcynFfaKeEV3iaNDtD_G8cAcEX_TdQO1PScgkZUkOsbzO/w640-h296/Rangers%2013-15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">When it came time for the city tournament, we managed to field a full team--almost. (We still had one person gone--our cleanup hitter). But it was enough. Coming from a low seed--and aided by a forfeit against the undefeated #1 seed (they only had four players show up)--we worked our way through the tournament to the championship game against the city's #2 seed. I told the boys they could beat anybody and they proved me right. We rolled to a 9-2 victory in the championship game to take home the city championship!</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFilE-uvTODcOnoYGIGIxApfMhHp0psggn_EwN4X7OGZXLOP-ARg36AolAqV8lz7SNilMxTmdla1VqYpD_E0RzFO63qVSoAGKKQ8Fkiahh3p5SWTkQ7T2Rg6CbazYfMTk-MVntxdH5-D0CBd6_AfzXjWOI0pmgOymXVEWg20pyPEHlwzVC04b8W31-3GS/s1981/20230622_212659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1931" data-original-width="1981" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFilE-uvTODcOnoYGIGIxApfMhHp0psggn_EwN4X7OGZXLOP-ARg36AolAqV8lz7SNilMxTmdla1VqYpD_E0RzFO63qVSoAGKKQ8Fkiahh3p5SWTkQ7T2Rg6CbazYfMTk-MVntxdH5-D0CBd6_AfzXjWOI0pmgOymXVEWg20pyPEHlwzVC04b8W31-3GS/s320/20230622_212659.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> </div><p>There was one major drawback to winning the championship, however. Both the Pinto and Pony Leagues had their final at the same time. So while I was coaching my oldest as he won his league, I missed my younger son winning his city championship. It was a good night at the ballpark for us. Two boys, two teams, two leagues, two champions. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qcTzKTc2mZP286bUxuUYfi1sETNIaHkceqCXrcKBU74vU3Lo0_W7-QHIkg6nwCwmOpkPCU0KBtpNlH26f9dPTRwE__IV2F801mQGdS0czqxqJ-i3VLIhwBXmOUUJxfJd7vlbzqqd_8o3EOOWZPWAhNIzq2mA7ykgtDUeWHJL1NWNLpu2AEcDvr2r2-Wk/s1059/Gavin%20Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="788" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qcTzKTc2mZP286bUxuUYfi1sETNIaHkceqCXrcKBU74vU3Lo0_W7-QHIkg6nwCwmOpkPCU0KBtpNlH26f9dPTRwE__IV2F801mQGdS0czqxqJ-i3VLIhwBXmOUUJxfJd7vlbzqqd_8o3EOOWZPWAhNIzq2mA7ykgtDUeWHJL1NWNLpu2AEcDvr2r2-Wk/s320/Gavin%20Card.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><p></p><p>I was told that my younger boy made a catch in right field and then gunned the runner out at home to end the top of the final inning and preserve a 4-4 tie. His team walked it off in the bottom half of the inning. Wish I had been there to see that!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLc5O9FRBOH1d8FynGCADezI9KMIpZ8jt88UdEITjnR3rW2u4sc1kaYPv1z-Lo1nMda8Qc2rdB10wktrtoZq-UeyC3gxZvlzGsuDQ9sumYPJIjv0RTCAp8tltYUZOs3P6Cd6DPx3770NFyjQ3SVWaudFxrumdGTdMsjtFh7oJi0zF_TdNxtx5o_-DaOS6/s1059/Braylon%20Peart%20Back-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1059" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLc5O9FRBOH1d8FynGCADezI9KMIpZ8jt88UdEITjnR3rW2u4sc1kaYPv1z-Lo1nMda8Qc2rdB10wktrtoZq-UeyC3gxZvlzGsuDQ9sumYPJIjv0RTCAp8tltYUZOs3P6Cd6DPx3770NFyjQ3SVWaudFxrumdGTdMsjtFh7oJi0zF_TdNxtx5o_-DaOS6/s320/Braylon%20Peart%20Back-1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I made these cards for each player on my team. I designed a uniform back with each player's stats. This is my own kid's stats. I know, just over the Mendoza line. Unfortunately for him, he hits like his old man. But at least he walks a lot! Next week we play our state tournament. At the conclusion of the tournament, I'm going to give each player their own card and a small lot of Texas Rangers with it. I'm also going to have the boys vote for a team MVP. The chosen MVP gets this:<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoJWk2JoZNFaXVAyh2owvrnJd7hpexOUjhsS0556FKtc7BCSzPrDh9IKcSZ5UHuBVLGjL5I_8VFIrZl5sCshCQqt-bskSKWhEJs-gomPxjDhCS9YeKPc5jlNNub32QZGi05UfnMkkdwx0hiCqTPCAbw8S_yaZU5yAysFzSSE2rBXONSJOYHgbF5PS0rxR/s3541/PXL_20230706_005539592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2597" data-original-width="3541" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoJWk2JoZNFaXVAyh2owvrnJd7hpexOUjhsS0556FKtc7BCSzPrDh9IKcSZ5UHuBVLGjL5I_8VFIrZl5sCshCQqt-bskSKWhEJs-gomPxjDhCS9YeKPc5jlNNub32QZGi05UfnMkkdwx0hiCqTPCAbw8S_yaZU5yAysFzSSE2rBXONSJOYHgbF5PS0rxR/s320/PXL_20230706_005539592.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I'm not sure who the players will choose. Luke, our ace pitcher? Kien, our versatile center fielder/3rd baseman/pitcher who seems to hit nothing but doubles (except for the game when he hit everything else and came up just a home run short of a cycle)? Jaxon, our shortstop with the most power on the team? If I were choosing, I would vote for Jordan. He made some outstanding plays at first, handling line drives and wild throws that saved several games for us. I don't know how much his peers recognized it, but his defense and leadership were difference-makers on the team.</p><p>In the past few months, I've made custom cards for my colleagues and work and my Little League team. I realize that probably nobody who has received a card from me cares as much as I do, but that doesn't bother me at all. I've had a blast making them.<br /></p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-10930182873708259722023-06-30T15:38:00.004-07:002023-06-30T15:38:55.413-07:00Catching Up and Finishing Off<p>Back in March, I announced that this year would have a focus of putting a bow on some of the collecting projects I've been working on for years. I've fallen way behind in my blogging, so I have a few purchases too share to that end. But first, I would be remiss not to share what a fellow blogger sent me recently. Jon of Penny Sleeve for Your Thoughts was kind enough to send this trio my way from one of his giveaways last month.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5A2dA3upE-WE3kwCNG4k5OqJgG_vMPzRvGr9sT6D_lJgciCzIIA5td5KVObLTVOL6urH3HoVqRvlmpihTup_6obb9kvO0F12vJXom5JgOTsK1JfZem1-CiEJDohrRSlus7KarOXX03UFPuTjVIo8D8utPJ3rIKt42KSP0Z8l5TbV5snfKBYKAWetvhmK/s2332/Jon%20Penny%20Sleeves%20Giveaway.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="2332" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5A2dA3upE-WE3kwCNG4k5OqJgG_vMPzRvGr9sT6D_lJgciCzIIA5td5KVObLTVOL6urH3HoVqRvlmpihTup_6obb9kvO0F12vJXom5JgOTsK1JfZem1-CiEJDohrRSlus7KarOXX03UFPuTjVIo8D8utPJ3rIKt42KSP0Z8l5TbV5snfKBYKAWetvhmK/w530-h247/Jon%20Penny%20Sleeves%20Giveaway.jpeg" width="530" /></a></div><p></p><p>The two outside cards were ones that I claimed. But perhaps the best card of them all is the Cracked Ice Cooperstown of Billy Williams that Jon just threw in out of the goodness of his heart.</p><div style="text-align: left;">On to the purchases. I have orders from Sportlots box and COMC that used to try to put bring various projects to an end.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXnlENJMwZHGBrd3Dpb5j8smCn8ImKEiHjTFw1BvSz9_aMOEAJb_Hcs-lxj-mUFrfn_eHFHW6UqbxSVevZiEMKYpKTeCNMzIatZ4kqbYf-N8drIo5s2rF273ivurkHtuEx8fLLinuKA2bbWf0zXuehCWsL2ZaQAfFzqRYb4pW7T9Ci49kS2eznESJ1pVT/s3507/comc%20jun%2023%201.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXnlENJMwZHGBrd3Dpb5j8smCn8ImKEiHjTFw1BvSz9_aMOEAJb_Hcs-lxj-mUFrfn_eHFHW6UqbxSVevZiEMKYpKTeCNMzIatZ4kqbYf-N8drIo5s2rF273ivurkHtuEx8fLLinuKA2bbWf0zXuehCWsL2ZaQAfFzqRYb4pW7T9Ci49kS2eznESJ1pVT/w466-h640/comc%20jun%2023%201.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div>These cards from COMC go toward my NFL All-Decade teams. SI for Kids Walter Payton finishes his page on the eighties team, as do Richard Seymour and Joey Porter for their respective pages in the aughts.<br /> <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhml5DxcwZhu2ahIRdgj6ugy59DG2aPmgUR2L_yRa-C6PvPh6Wicc9t1zIDqCSUHAUHQkyw6N5h6FV8IK4NbUYYxUdRMVoKE4trAHNDVBhwMSx14KNYWbsHZSpw2qM6acl1rgDy8wo26onGeYXR9ELLFNMtzKXYtJQFE9SgsWF3XPpVZnqUIVI-SdYX9n1A/s3016/sportlots%20mar23%2000s.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3016" data-original-width="2436" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhml5DxcwZhu2ahIRdgj6ugy59DG2aPmgUR2L_yRa-C6PvPh6Wicc9t1zIDqCSUHAUHQkyw6N5h6FV8IK4NbUYYxUdRMVoKE4trAHNDVBhwMSx14KNYWbsHZSpw2qM6acl1rgDy8wo26onGeYXR9ELLFNMtzKXYtJQFE9SgsWF3XPpVZnqUIVI-SdYX9n1A/w516-h640/sportlots%20mar23%2000s.jpeg" width="516" /></a></div>With these cards from Sportlots, I have filled all but two holes in my All-Decade 2000s binder. I need one each of Alan Faneca and Larry Allen still to finish that project off. The All-Decade 1990s binder project is already complete.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbvamCciJNjnYYKwVFZQvHq1SPKZ0TiDXi4ybB_ItOlvEyUT9DUqvQMWkXXYKjYdRHU8-QKvgk4b4lZ0LIZ5eDJbcYMp5G3wVKecoVpew5FRQPrQ84ZXhlTS1xB8Yl2T7Z3-h9T9ad8GgjAihL58epsf7s14_7sOm1BVv3pn6S6w03uSPyANqvbGmrg7r/s3214/sportlots%20mar23%2080s.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3214" data-original-width="2442" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbvamCciJNjnYYKwVFZQvHq1SPKZ0TiDXi4ybB_ItOlvEyUT9DUqvQMWkXXYKjYdRHU8-QKvgk4b4lZ0LIZ5eDJbcYMp5G3wVKecoVpew5FRQPrQ84ZXhlTS1xB8Yl2T7Z3-h9T9ad8GgjAihL58epsf7s14_7sOm1BVv3pn6S6w03uSPyANqvbGmrg7r/w486-h640/sportlots%20mar23%2080s.jpeg" width="486" /></a></div><p></p><p>These cards all helped the 1980s All-Decade project. I am so close on this one now. I will never complete a full page of Dave Butz and John Anderson--there just isn't enough in existence to do that. But I am down to just a few Kenny Easley and Nolan Cromwell, along with one Mike Haynes and I'm done with that project.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_NFaWEbTDYIk8sKtJHXlQT7VpB6Cdq_Ve8EXDVp9HlIuVUz7LgGdLUmY8TjYrKjYWE9lvI-78ys680C1FYv2E_7CVCE_FUxXif8sXNabaf2kkxsVrvYzp9Acz6JWo1-bfCD5doRAqgjSzKwVjnZqW7fA3A890IUS0059fCyyzF9XsDoQweHdVrpqfIvg/s2238/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2238" data-original-width="1628" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_NFaWEbTDYIk8sKtJHXlQT7VpB6Cdq_Ve8EXDVp9HlIuVUz7LgGdLUmY8TjYrKjYWE9lvI-78ys680C1FYv2E_7CVCE_FUxXif8sXNabaf2kkxsVrvYzp9Acz6JWo1-bfCD5doRAqgjSzKwVjnZqW7fA3A890IUS0059fCyyzF9XsDoQweHdVrpqfIvg/w327-h449/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp6.jpeg" width="327" /></a></div><p>Sportlots helped me finish off Mo Rivera in my All-Star Games MVP project binders.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxfS_dXF7hwaLhrF7-1_O03LkaKKet7nv4wFJFwBfhImojQ9Q29GrVBYUOrCsEaULgu_G-PpcwGCkGXAvGVxpnuOz7kfTgeWyPLeWw_MIrF5UV97x7f7BfxCNraRIpEbFX8xqe7uKiZ8z-MaaA35-kMHbtc0ZQFS8b5e5hIaGx9xgrw5ra5COYCbD02HU/s3303/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%201.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3303" data-original-width="2424" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxfS_dXF7hwaLhrF7-1_O03LkaKKet7nv4wFJFwBfhImojQ9Q29GrVBYUOrCsEaULgu_G-PpcwGCkGXAvGVxpnuOz7kfTgeWyPLeWw_MIrF5UV97x7f7BfxCNraRIpEbFX8xqe7uKiZ8z-MaaA35-kMHbtc0ZQFS8b5e5hIaGx9xgrw5ra5COYCbD02HU/w470-h640/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%201.jpeg" width="470" /></a></div><p>Concepcion, Hoyt, Pedro, and Soriano all have completed pages. Ripken was already done, but I wanted the Gallery card. The seller threw in the Donruss as a protector card.</p><p>Leon Wagner, at the top of the page, wasn't quite done with this Sportlots order.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfbzpe0sqpNZTjpEmJMRoPzDFDQMLGbWSg8tGotoL35gdjze8ovJTA8JhI0SV9dEhTPaCXVazf87BqKu3FP1Y2raN_4o_1K1yncTjSNZmv-gFm6N6fn64lNY3ZisU4XRiLieUTtdhpjmIW10Bd2EDb1wBUn7IXKlF1SLm7YOcEerbA0CgKyn9K6rUlDOg/s3351/comc%20jun%2023%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3351" data-original-width="2460" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfbzpe0sqpNZTjpEmJMRoPzDFDQMLGbWSg8tGotoL35gdjze8ovJTA8JhI0SV9dEhTPaCXVazf87BqKu3FP1Y2raN_4o_1K1yncTjSNZmv-gFm6N6fn64lNY3ZisU4XRiLieUTtdhpjmIW10Bd2EDb1wBUn7IXKlF1SLm7YOcEerbA0CgKyn9K6rUlDOg/w470-h640/comc%20jun%2023%203.jpeg" width="470" /></a></div><br /><p>But I did finish his page in my COMC order! This scan also features the last cards I needed for Tom Tresh's ROY page (it's the only one of him on the Tigers, besides an oddball Milton Bradley) and Jack Sanford's page of the same project. I also believe that this is one of only a few cards in existence of Gregg Olson with the Dodgers, so I needed it, too. Sadly, there are couple of teams that Olson suited up for that no card was ever made to document it. There is one card--1996 Hebrew National--of Olson with the Tigers. If I ever find that one, I'll have cards representing Olson with every team that he ever had a card with.</p><p>The bottom row of Campaneris, Kaline, and Kessinger are for my All-Time All-Star project.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixia1wnMBs2rLVW6F5Ytm4HyC8VDpuUY39YZvSlGKqh8QdPjcc-LPUjhB4y6KDiKWuAKmQgD2BM9ZnzVmkcvU3Y8uSTcYBiA2GKWmrXiXXEtiWB3mOodVQ6ql0rI4YhbChEFgwB-wQb2Ifc2B_2VJriatTKEK5N_Z4HE-rzX4tlmJ6q_A-UTKzauOBSaT6/s3064/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3064" data-original-width="2328" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixia1wnMBs2rLVW6F5Ytm4HyC8VDpuUY39YZvSlGKqh8QdPjcc-LPUjhB4y6KDiKWuAKmQgD2BM9ZnzVmkcvU3Y8uSTcYBiA2GKWmrXiXXEtiWB3mOodVQ6ql0rI4YhbChEFgwB-wQb2Ifc2B_2VJriatTKEK5N_Z4HE-rzX4tlmJ6q_A-UTKzauOBSaT6/w486-h640/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%202.jpeg" width="486" /></a></div><p>Miguel Tejada All-Star MVP page=done!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sax9MzH8szNvQi__YGEttasLKGAbvMpvuA3cWQ2m3V0CnfL7NOd_iWdjWa1osM1QkUwVjhoCCVOrAWEEQZZos14EZKq8nbmwOEf2D1QB5Zs6EmUdmz5vPqueow96_M3hHDFZfExLZqJE2c4-05ZOPKnVPWsWf1tbRbprDY0YPqkBJv3nAc3Wm_JB2wv1/s2370/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2172" data-original-width="2370" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sax9MzH8szNvQi__YGEttasLKGAbvMpvuA3cWQ2m3V0CnfL7NOd_iWdjWa1osM1QkUwVjhoCCVOrAWEEQZZos14EZKq8nbmwOEf2D1QB5Zs6EmUdmz5vPqueow96_M3hHDFZfExLZqJE2c4-05ZOPKnVPWsWf1tbRbprDY0YPqkBJv3nAc3Wm_JB2wv1/w511-h468/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%203.jpeg" width="511" /></a></div><p>Carl Crawford ASG MVP page=done!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07ijop8YaKXbjG0jmUwOmiTUD05Irbceac95OW4c06leKL0prqJwsIXt7e_Zxu_XVXcEHycc-EptZy_pKoXuvBWW8uzRlByQVINjE_gtb4-cVAW1Bhlr4tcd4zb-zv4N8rIxMjZra5VJXPkbhmqrUV5hBHQnsdCtrJEjVtS73Vgzh18c6zFGrDRPCdryC/s2358/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%204.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="2358" height="499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07ijop8YaKXbjG0jmUwOmiTUD05Irbceac95OW4c06leKL0prqJwsIXt7e_Zxu_XVXcEHycc-EptZy_pKoXuvBWW8uzRlByQVINjE_gtb4-cVAW1Bhlr4tcd4zb-zv4N8rIxMjZra5VJXPkbhmqrUV5hBHQnsdCtrJEjVtS73Vgzh18c6zFGrDRPCdryC/w533-h499/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%204.jpeg" width="533" /></a></div><p></p><p>Brian McCann ASG MVP page=done!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQe0KLyDkOiIzI57INXnF-mpvifPjTZezIYGGg5emlLhMcwB5P0OZ4NXmVnNJ5VSXLzQN2QX0lIifD7Z6wAe_1ig2WfUUgTLpdOmgEc2O-h6dC7qUbpm0b_VJAXe3pMzg6WxE7KNpPVz0Ps-6llLNosXoz15uyHAgdT_czTmASdyEGA-oF7z_pKTmbIlu/s1969/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%205.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1915" data-original-width="1969" height="407" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQe0KLyDkOiIzI57INXnF-mpvifPjTZezIYGGg5emlLhMcwB5P0OZ4NXmVnNJ5VSXLzQN2QX0lIifD7Z6wAe_1ig2WfUUgTLpdOmgEc2O-h6dC7qUbpm0b_VJAXe3pMzg6WxE7KNpPVz0Ps-6llLNosXoz15uyHAgdT_czTmASdyEGA-oF7z_pKTmbIlu/w418-h407/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%205.jpeg" width="418" /></a></div><p></p><p>Melky Cabrera ASG MVP page=done! The liquorfractor is a nice addition to my collection.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaR0dDjtBFYhTt4EokrvMmRoCmLbehbYJERPYLTE2e3PstUilfrKBcmq4zQZUd69FRj8LiY4TOsM920eMY_W63AHiLsuS4cgIRAvSsHRiH2p-7X7fKTSL9QXO5BGwPSepGhEuprFBxcqaT8bowQZDtMC_2aP2zStSSBMWkb4FACHBXi52Xa4T2oMpFsD5a/s2986/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%207.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2986" data-original-width="2388" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaR0dDjtBFYhTt4EokrvMmRoCmLbehbYJERPYLTE2e3PstUilfrKBcmq4zQZUd69FRj8LiY4TOsM920eMY_W63AHiLsuS4cgIRAvSsHRiH2p-7X7fKTSL9QXO5BGwPSepGhEuprFBxcqaT8bowQZDtMC_2aP2zStSSBMWkb4FACHBXi52Xa4T2oMpFsD5a/w512-h640/sportlots%20mar23%20asgmvp%207.jpeg" width="512" /></a></div><p></p><p>J.D. Drew, Prince Fielder, and Tony Perez pages=done! That Stadium Club J.D. Drew is one of my favorite card images ever.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3wDBeEFBOzkbpfiI-OCFUtBOHS3NQ8pjI1ZvqT03o1LPNvSVZWzmmOEGTWbH8qiHYssoGjwGQc84oXjXSgI0FEwQfkfXuaMfpGaUQHc0vm8v1KACo9y_DCvtM0V_Sx5SjDh2W2_X7orh5x3UXj_NI7r68EusrN_630Q0SmEI66RXqkDNQb_cQ8nCQEYG/s3399/COMC%20ROY%201.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3399" data-original-width="2466" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3wDBeEFBOzkbpfiI-OCFUtBOHS3NQ8pjI1ZvqT03o1LPNvSVZWzmmOEGTWbH8qiHYssoGjwGQc84oXjXSgI0FEwQfkfXuaMfpGaUQHc0vm8v1KACo9y_DCvtM0V_Sx5SjDh2W2_X7orh5x3UXj_NI7r68EusrN_630Q0SmEI66RXqkDNQb_cQ8nCQEYG/w464-h640/COMC%20ROY%201.jpeg" width="464" /></a></div><p></p><p>In case you don't remember, my Rookie of the Year project is to (a) fill up a page and (b) document a Rookie of the Year winner's career by including at least one card for each team he played for. This COMC shipment helped with these ROYs.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHGbPwY7v2WcKzt5SXj70CcupgBkDGIhBpIMvFXvS7jp3xH0Dnmb1eDepqTUlC0ZaXOUTssUANAgriOKbNBogyIbmQ12IXTXU-kEXMnMhhuJN8qxGwhgqLhAWcFkTUk0FBfsn5olG2McuBjkUMB_Y_38BETGgrtAK-YonRmI-fGD6OR5BTBnqXsD5NFJ4/s3363/COMC%20ROY%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3363" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHGbPwY7v2WcKzt5SXj70CcupgBkDGIhBpIMvFXvS7jp3xH0Dnmb1eDepqTUlC0ZaXOUTssUANAgriOKbNBogyIbmQ12IXTXU-kEXMnMhhuJN8qxGwhgqLhAWcFkTUk0FBfsn5olG2McuBjkUMB_Y_38BETGgrtAK-YonRmI-fGD6OR5BTBnqXsD5NFJ4/w466-h640/COMC%20ROY%202.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div>And these. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9F-VUrHI408oIiz6QOeB3ZvqukfzjpHyi3QaStvdrae3sFtgYoxvUD0gQmAp5yQQfBgrGJTuxwn8usR77a62YROejxU47aGeMs9hDDVDOKT5o_GkGFdtSpxbO3Yj0Dpq53UThCTden1Kg_3KBg3EnEo-bI9LEDwWiull-xVkVyWNW3FWrLmE29ao4YDK4/s3333/COMC%20ROY%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3333" data-original-width="2394" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9F-VUrHI408oIiz6QOeB3ZvqukfzjpHyi3QaStvdrae3sFtgYoxvUD0gQmAp5yQQfBgrGJTuxwn8usR77a62YROejxU47aGeMs9hDDVDOKT5o_GkGFdtSpxbO3Yj0Dpq53UThCTden1Kg_3KBg3EnEo-bI9LEDwWiull-xVkVyWNW3FWrLmE29ao4YDK4/w460-h640/COMC%20ROY%203.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div>And these. I'm so happy with the variety of teams to help my project--3 teams for Frank Robinson, 3 teams for Ron Hansen, 2 teams each for Tommie Agee, Stan Bahnsen, and Ted Sizemore. <br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj22fAhiJz49_e5QBwAzv-v7rFBZmEXIwR_EjfbXxL63gt-cfgQwfGvdEKjLJAuUzugbph_RvuaQjF8e0GDzas_UpktDIJ3NRoKFn0X0w7lVmVGAqpm7aw_onJiF8-P0OpvHlErvdtVxGMQcPVWoKQjSLpJ7n8beRrGJOzKl5MP5Hsgn-JClxS-FdWRG3/s2394/sportlots%20mar23%20roy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="2394" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj22fAhiJz49_e5QBwAzv-v7rFBZmEXIwR_EjfbXxL63gt-cfgQwfGvdEKjLJAuUzugbph_RvuaQjF8e0GDzas_UpktDIJ3NRoKFn0X0w7lVmVGAqpm7aw_onJiF8-P0OpvHlErvdtVxGMQcPVWoKQjSLpJ7n8beRrGJOzKl5MP5Hsgn-JClxS-FdWRG3/w436-h210/sportlots%20mar23%20roy.jpeg" width="436" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>These Rookie of the Year cards came from Sportlots. That finishes off the Jackie Robinson and Butch Metzger portion of the project. It gets me one step closer to finishing Jonathan India--the latest Rookie of the Year winners are mostly the ones I have left. Those and a few active guys who have new teams for me to add, like Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOU8CmWhznwtP8EGMMWn-6QUwTypp4ANTXou8sIViLWPLT8u_69MWeExe6vMmzZbQN5sfGLfutI_pXOL6MGRrHNAaCu-JTs4B69sdkngui7a5edupc4leNBu4BwepD9NQXdGqU7QnJBcclRqMa0mPqAbkpgg0XJWj9W2D9tAfSZqZsfJtCBCTp3kSXI5SZ/s3423/COMC%20All%20Time%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3423" data-original-width="2430" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOU8CmWhznwtP8EGMMWn-6QUwTypp4ANTXou8sIViLWPLT8u_69MWeExe6vMmzZbQN5sfGLfutI_pXOL6MGRrHNAaCu-JTs4B69sdkngui7a5edupc4leNBu4BwepD9NQXdGqU7QnJBcclRqMa0mPqAbkpgg0XJWj9W2D9tAfSZqZsfJtCBCTp3kSXI5SZ/w454-h640/COMC%20All%20Time%201.jpeg" width="454" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDNCG4cqg4yHuLvCjX0fhdodG1h4V2SY0_mpmRGzIJRr-e4tF_9h5K1YfLasLOTX7AVLA-7WaVGLES-1mOOefkKG4ISvJKh06T3-KU4cj-VfiN4LolkoQ8yV02wjJRuJiTyGwNbXljwVTdzUbCLY_q1zCCoW6gm87xU_HrLYdTHjWXPt6UFlydiv0HX7s/s3052/COMC%20All%20Time%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3052" data-original-width="2448" height="595" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDNCG4cqg4yHuLvCjX0fhdodG1h4V2SY0_mpmRGzIJRr-e4tF_9h5K1YfLasLOTX7AVLA-7WaVGLES-1mOOefkKG4ISvJKh06T3-KU4cj-VfiN4LolkoQ8yV02wjJRuJiTyGwNbXljwVTdzUbCLY_q1zCCoW6gm87xU_HrLYdTHjWXPt6UFlydiv0HX7s/w478-h595/COMC%20All%20Time%202.jpeg" width="478" /></a></div>One of my other projects revolves around the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. My goal is one card for each member of this team with the following parameters: the card must be older than me, or a rookie card, or serial-numbered less than 500. All of these cards from my COMC purchase go toward the All-Time Team project. <br /><p></p><p>With these cards, I have filled every page of every ASG MVP except the last three: Shane Bieber (need 3 more), Vlad Jr. (5), and Giancarlo Stanton (10). My ROY project is complete except for the last years' winners (India, Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez, and Michael Harris) and cards of Kyle Lewis, Cody Bellinger, deGrom, Jose Abreu, Wil Myers, and Evan Longoria, and Verlander with the teams they joined this offseason. There are a few old-timer ROYs that I need for a team or two, but some of those cards don't exist. So I'm calling those complete unless I happen upon something that I don't yet know about</p><p>My NFL All-Time Team is now 74% complete. My All-Star project (mentioned only briefly in this post) is now at 1375/1939 all-time All-Stars (71%). That number will probably change in about a week and a half, as some first-time All-Stars are bound to be named.</p><p>I love completing a set. But my collection to me is about the history I'm telling with my cards. Each of my projects is a different piece of the history of the sport. And as good as it feels to finish off a set, it feels even better seeing these major goals of my entire collection be completed.<br /></p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-26628018660778096402023-05-25T10:12:00.003-07:002023-05-25T10:12:57.153-07:00More School-Related Cards<div style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrWd41eD4hePG0IwRvcRE0z0KfnZkfweHEdzOvJdQdb8p-S0Lusi0P9ueO4Yccl8r2hjZDklgw8j1styhUI3wcG7HLzw4uvfX3HESCoSni0hm4gLhiSshZNuJFFyZbmLPaQYovp3rsqd5J548qTK-mUjZKJqFkgqYifRVUAg9mfWQiVXdgbrzu_xdYQ/s3667/PXL_20230519_194207998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1731" data-original-width="3667" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrWd41eD4hePG0IwRvcRE0z0KfnZkfweHEdzOvJdQdb8p-S0Lusi0P9ueO4Yccl8r2hjZDklgw8j1styhUI3wcG7HLzw4uvfX3HESCoSni0hm4gLhiSshZNuJFFyZbmLPaQYovp3rsqd5J548qTK-mUjZKJqFkgqYifRVUAg9mfWQiVXdgbrzu_xdYQ/w569-h267/PXL_20230519_194207998.jpg" width="569" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Wow, it's been a while since I saw rubber bands holding cards together!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgN4b0UFeQm5Kz_r-KdOnWRLKOeg6Dhpm07mEm-BL3NomIzmnZF6knFNNthQ7WFla2Ol-pKCD7OhROYih5WkM3_gKRFCjyUkpAEtnshvphiL1hrSbo0lOnYhkg9EGjsOtcZJzW5Jm9ElEX0gRR8oAp9gDNTGLtv49qt4bZBnyaVkbgJFAe5kmxuNFD5g/s3185/PXL_20230519_195808501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2857" data-original-width="3185" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgN4b0UFeQm5Kz_r-KdOnWRLKOeg6Dhpm07mEm-BL3NomIzmnZF6knFNNthQ7WFla2Ol-pKCD7OhROYih5WkM3_gKRFCjyUkpAEtnshvphiL1hrSbo0lOnYhkg9EGjsOtcZJzW5Jm9ElEX0gRR8oAp9gDNTGLtv49qt4bZBnyaVkbgJFAe5kmxuNFD5g/w539-h484/PXL_20230519_195808501.jpg" width="539" /></a></div><p></p><p>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.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2NN4ifGLzNmQeYg2P-ylZ7KdDkCdRCtYxJ2FDEk7Xfa-dnoUYRbAJeI7lKQ--It3taiUGXG-oEcQvllc5MGvSubuditSAjpWEf1JwlKvhyb4ySNrADlEpgT4__DQZcNx0UMUhSBFSL-SxLJAtgUBJxmI9foQPkyfYfj9YYpfaoP0hy8DYw9-EGjkJQ/s3741/PXL_20230519_195846624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3741" data-original-width="2762" height="702" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2NN4ifGLzNmQeYg2P-ylZ7KdDkCdRCtYxJ2FDEk7Xfa-dnoUYRbAJeI7lKQ--It3taiUGXG-oEcQvllc5MGvSubuditSAjpWEf1JwlKvhyb4ySNrADlEpgT4__DQZcNx0UMUhSBFSL-SxLJAtgUBJxmI9foQPkyfYfj9YYpfaoP0hy8DYw9-EGjkJQ/w518-h702/PXL_20230519_195846624.jpg" width="518" /></a></div><p>These cards all fit into my collection, too. That trio of 1991 Score features some pretty great action shots.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJp-CvIDdZpNSfs96YetezGf4FSrNbZrXLmT1Hj9VAAhsM0nuB_Oqfn6N26hIrurAUbqAdOdJKROK25lpHqT4J-aoz0fH0xg-BWrMFHen5ALOOSZiQ0CQhDzRHjfBbrljZ7KNrXzP82OE7WZoLChDJmXPQtDmrHPHbjGdbmrOOvOO91DquBHketnZBHQ/s3596/PXL_20230519_200200826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3596" data-original-width="2943" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJp-CvIDdZpNSfs96YetezGf4FSrNbZrXLmT1Hj9VAAhsM0nuB_Oqfn6N26hIrurAUbqAdOdJKROK25lpHqT4J-aoz0fH0xg-BWrMFHen5ALOOSZiQ0CQhDzRHjfBbrljZ7KNrXzP82OE7WZoLChDJmXPQtDmrHPHbjGdbmrOOvOO91DquBHketnZBHQ/w524-h640/PXL_20230519_200200826.jpg" width="524" /></a></div><p>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.</p><p>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.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-72185364887440232542023-05-18T09:26:00.002-07:002023-05-18T09:38:17.073-07:00Teacher Trading Cards<p>Teaching can be a polarizing profession. I have a few friends who think it's the cushiest job in the world. Some of my friends think my talents are wasted in education and I could be making far more money elsewhere. (As if we need the least intelligent and skilled people teaching our children!) Some people argue that teachers are overpaid and coddled for the hours they work. Others argue that they are criminally underpaid. Teachers rebut the argument that no other profession gets three months of the year off with a counter that they are constantly taking work home and grading into the night. I try to avoid these arguments. I view myself as a professional and I understand every profession has its pros and cons, its perks and drags. I think sometimes teachers do themselves and their profession a disservice, at least in public perception, by complaining about salaries and workload. But I also recognize that the work we do is vital not only to society, but for the well-being of those kids we teach. I won't argue that educators should be paid as much as pro athletes because I understand the funding for those two professions come from entirely different sources. Still, things like this Key and Peele video get a little chuckle out of me:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="367" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aYOg8EON29Y" width="481" youtube-src-id="aYOg8EON29Y"></iframe></div> <p></p><p>Since I moved out of the classroom for another role two years ago, I've discovered that May is no longer an easy, slow month for me. For 13 years, I was winding down and wrapping up in April and May, looking for ways to let my English students have fun and show off their creativity. It was light work. Now that my new responsibilities include overseeing testing and professional development (in-service training), April and May have become a whirlwind for me. This explains my blogging absence over the past 5 or 6 weeks.</p><div style="text-align: left;">But I've found a way to incorporate cards into my work. Being in charge of professional development, I put out a monthly PD newsletter. As part of that newsletter, I've been highlighting our monthly Spirit of Willowcreek award winners. This award is given to teachers by teachers who recognize the good work their colleagues are doing. We have three trophies that get passed around from month to month. In my newsletter, I include a picture of the teacher and some fun tidbit, like a personal motto or something. This year, I decided to make the teacher's photo come in the form of a card.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's a snippet of an example:</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRDLej3U-DyWRIGcdr3aIddCHi2FDG9qEHVz1IecIlB54o7seTeNiCyh2U9drHnVIOjnKmmLyynD_8Ab2Vpvhh2Os7O0Wq_4-ljx-JrjuKPii8OWE6bNpt1x_ut14v9PKI2tCmNiCXfB_Oza6t4WHJr_H3_8RlX1sHIaRu0Dd7LWf26fi9kU1YEl0mw/s1031/Capture.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1031" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRDLej3U-DyWRIGcdr3aIddCHi2FDG9qEHVz1IecIlB54o7seTeNiCyh2U9drHnVIOjnKmmLyynD_8Ab2Vpvhh2Os7O0Wq_4-ljx-JrjuKPii8OWE6bNpt1x_ut14v9PKI2tCmNiCXfB_Oza6t4WHJr_H3_8RlX1sHIaRu0Dd7LWf26fi9kU1YEl0mw/w400-h296/Capture.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>After a couple months of doing this, I realized that the award recipients were passing the traveling trophy onto a colleague at the end of the month with no other physical memento of it. So I started printing out the cards and delivering them to the teacher. Each card had this message on the back:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_wez5nmQUgavSuVgzD494yPcyTRq94D20pIxokn5brMFJcl-_TqwozDXsUGBabBmpdKOyC-tEx6Xe5Y__zCxUNa3gQ8wz-0a2eWMGqKmiFBw9A5uJvhNb0_z8xLFO9GK_j9uxIw6LS7DKTNs-_mtVACrV55SInYtxp7tTCBZtXKbpWo9WNBr-15Xyg/s444/Capture.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_wez5nmQUgavSuVgzD494yPcyTRq94D20pIxokn5brMFJcl-_TqwozDXsUGBabBmpdKOyC-tEx6Xe5Y__zCxUNa3gQ8wz-0a2eWMGqKmiFBw9A5uJvhNb0_z8xLFO9GK_j9uxIw6LS7DKTNs-_mtVACrV55SInYtxp7tTCBZtXKbpWo9WNBr-15Xyg/s320/Capture.JPG" width="229" /></a></div><p>Yes, I started to make this kind of a Topps On Demand living set and I numbered the cards. It has been a highlight each month for me to make these. I just found and downloaded some Photoshop templates of card designs and used my rudimentary Adobe skills to make this teacher-centric custom card set.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrAx3uEghsyZHaKQ_4Y03fyY1dwsaEJkFuupL5uEyqpxh39C29aQ8AKe0VGDEHV8omA2nBTWht92xxMXiTUbG2MGkYoAwi3wF5Dh8zzvfNxpDNAb93eaStfewyQr9KMdJW3N5m9CbVf-sI-eKVApvNm_JwNHWj4SvN37U3cClacM8tul7hp-36pl7Yw/s3176/Teacher%20Cards%201%20Privacy%20Edit.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3176" data-original-width="2269" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrAx3uEghsyZHaKQ_4Y03fyY1dwsaEJkFuupL5uEyqpxh39C29aQ8AKe0VGDEHV8omA2nBTWht92xxMXiTUbG2MGkYoAwi3wF5Dh8zzvfNxpDNAb93eaStfewyQr9KMdJW3N5m9CbVf-sI-eKVApvNm_JwNHWj4SvN37U3cClacM8tul7hp-36pl7Yw/w458-h640/Teacher%20Cards%201%20Privacy%20Edit.jpeg" width="458" /></a></div><p></p><p>For privacy purposes, I've blacked out the last name of the teacher and blurred any student faces in the background. The one teacher who has a bitmoji instead of a photo is because he doesn't even like to have his picture up on the school's website. That's his school photo taken from the school's site. I enlisted the yearbook staff to take the pictures for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJl0bNpkEJPBitaHGFQaY5y95DPFM1-V9R8ElgQtERYaDFnfmnj3e9sC5bv_az6j8WurJW5Uyw1_sN2vaXz7dZguJEqICb-8m0mKhkgkaNMr_7Fmrfk8MRlHZT6geevAe42VkZme3xpkFbidyM0H_xJps1T-_VUmGPzldQ3U1p_DM-9a7kLVmWxvKHdg/s3187/Teacher%20Cards%202%20Privacy%20Edit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3187" data-original-width="2269" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJl0bNpkEJPBitaHGFQaY5y95DPFM1-V9R8ElgQtERYaDFnfmnj3e9sC5bv_az6j8WurJW5Uyw1_sN2vaXz7dZguJEqICb-8m0mKhkgkaNMr_7Fmrfk8MRlHZT6geevAe42VkZme3xpkFbidyM0H_xJps1T-_VUmGPzldQ3U1p_DM-9a7kLVmWxvKHdg/w456-h640/Teacher%20Cards%202%20Privacy%20Edit.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><p>The blank spot is because two people picked the same teacher in one month, so only two teachers received the three trophies.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_q9zjJupMqyrwDkzj7E-qzZYTv0Y2-9f50WLaq9mlxA7GA12KE2rY456tCg_Lj9pYlAOw8nknMEN6EHKunTzSqrXUFZLi4PIzoVjCnEiaY8ytEBAX5xpm_fUoDJcDGz1uroebVkzEwTHZKo9Lpm0rcD1LeSwOt1r_LC-Ex51p23gXOARJR86hDVj4NA/s3198/Teacher%20Cards%203%20Privacy%20Edit.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3198" data-original-width="2287" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_q9zjJupMqyrwDkzj7E-qzZYTv0Y2-9f50WLaq9mlxA7GA12KE2rY456tCg_Lj9pYlAOw8nknMEN6EHKunTzSqrXUFZLi4PIzoVjCnEiaY8ytEBAX5xpm_fUoDJcDGz1uroebVkzEwTHZKo9Lpm0rcD1LeSwOt1r_LC-Ex51p23gXOARJR86hDVj4NA/w458-h640/Teacher%20Cards%203%20Privacy%20Edit.jpeg" width="458" /></a></div><p>The Topps Rookie Cup appears on all cards just to be a symbol of the award. I do realize that 1989 Donruss, 1997 Score, 1991 Fleer, etc. didn't use the Topps Rookie Cup. I don't know how many recipients actually realize that, however.</p><p>For my first attempt at custom cards, I tried my best to match fonts and keep things as original as possible (aside from the sometimes erroneous or anachronistic cup, of course). On some cards, I added a school logo where the original design wouldn't have had one, but I think they look good overall.</p><p>While I have been far too busy with work things to post on my blog, at least I've found a way to make some of those work things card things at the same time. On top of work, I've been staying busy by coaching my son's 7th and 8th-grade little league team. It's my first experience as a head coach and I'm enjoying it. But now I'm thinking--another round of custom cards may be in order with this experience, too.<br /></p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-85139538992707880412023-04-03T04:30:00.001-07:002023-04-03T04:30:00.166-07:002023 Card Madness: It All Comes Down to This!<div style="text-align: left;">When I started this little tournament, I know that thousands of people took my bracket and filled out their own predictions. Workplaces everywhere have pools of various stakes going. More than a few brackets have been busted with shocking upsets and there may be very few lucky ones who correctly foretold the final face-off: the Minnesota Twins vs. the Washington Nationals. (Or as <a href="https://diamond-jesters.blogspot.com/">Matt</a> pointed out in the comments of the last post, the original Washington vs. the new Washington.) Before the pitch clock runs down, let's start this matchup!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Championship Round: Minnesota Twins vs. Washington Nationals</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8CnGY7W8Gu-ozJpJBLsGHDFRjjwekZOtrGjJrBGsvGE2WUtgVJY5BMXbdrgp2CEom3LUO3CAfZCtoljkff14YqLQnlzj8YFV6DIP5giv38eT8udt1yQ0cxjjTiLwnRCR3C4w8lt-oyi-Vi1YwZO92elv7zY1a2FP3lwmuu60UKT0TWjuNXi5PI7Uqw/s880/Blank%20diagram%20(42).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="880" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8CnGY7W8Gu-ozJpJBLsGHDFRjjwekZOtrGjJrBGsvGE2WUtgVJY5BMXbdrgp2CEom3LUO3CAfZCtoljkff14YqLQnlzj8YFV6DIP5giv38eT8udt1yQ0cxjjTiLwnRCR3C4w8lt-oyi-Vi1YwZO92elv7zY1a2FP3lwmuu60UKT0TWjuNXi5PI7Uqw/w640-h436/Blank%20diagram%20(42).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2018 Bowman #9 Zack Granite vs. 2014 Donruss #204 Stephen Strasburg</h4><div style="text-align: left;">Stephen Strasburg jumps out to an early lead. He began his career as the most anticipated rookie in 2010. Injuries have hampered him through much of his career, but he has still put together a career worthy of the Hall of Very Good. He's got one World Championship under his belt, which he fully earned by being named MVP of the 2019 World Series. Zack Granite doesn't quite have that resume. In fact, he played at center field in 40 games in 2017 (41, if you count the Twins' Wild Card Game), presumably filling in for an injured Byron Buxton. Since this rookie card was produced, however, he hasn't made a single appearance in a Major League game. This is pretty sharp-looking Bowman card, however. Topps could and maybe should have used this for a Flagship release. The opposing Diamond King is a mediocre effort in a subset that is pretty hit-and-miss for me. I could do with a smaller logo and bunting at the top and a bigger picture. Overall, it's not as artistic as many other DK sets have been and it's exacerbated by the lack of licensing for Panini. On the plus side, it is supposedly short-printed in the 2014 set, so I suppose that helps the collectibility of the card. I keep looking back and forth between these two, trying to make a distinction. My eyes keep settling on the Granite, which is more visually appealing. But it's not like the Strasburg is horribly ugly. I just don't think the Twins have enough here. Stephen Strasburg is going to come out the hero of the Nationals' championship opportunity once again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Nationals</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">So after the maddest March in history, the Washington Nationals have come out on top of the Bump and Run card collection. Here's how they got there:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kAxgxpPA2h-NxN7IjBbo00kgX96IhcPIyFSMwKdEbICum0nbGEbs8xaTmQ836RN4FK0fsenpX2LOlxFi61MnT9nvSeDmz1I1lx4_6GJIgmskRyFQ03ParQI3Cxh2jVuM_15KtnrmUHdoz3rVen3TlODEj1hXBhckah5HDBTEQZNKkz4oCYqToT2g3g/s4878/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(15).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="4878" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kAxgxpPA2h-NxN7IjBbo00kgX96IhcPIyFSMwKdEbICum0nbGEbs8xaTmQ836RN4FK0fsenpX2LOlxFi61MnT9nvSeDmz1I1lx4_6GJIgmskRyFQ03ParQI3Cxh2jVuM_15KtnrmUHdoz3rVen3TlODEj1hXBhckah5HDBTEQZNKkz4oCYqToT2g3g/w640-h440/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(15).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWp36hKlJk5N2wN1rvi4EB3kegc4ik3ZjamcjhEXBCiOCZeWIu-wctbMEUY3Q22nMy9CoEkBZ-qp94fCYW-ULFh61SMDBhxu1sh2gOLOC3wu4Dz1XVKDC8NFE7_PcVzsK2_cLkgoXauiKXyxMRjwSfw-cWFQqx9SRANo5YRP0Bv41oyhQkB0x9CfTtA/s1120/Blank%20diagram%20(44).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1120" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWp36hKlJk5N2wN1rvi4EB3kegc4ik3ZjamcjhEXBCiOCZeWIu-wctbMEUY3Q22nMy9CoEkBZ-qp94fCYW-ULFh61SMDBhxu1sh2gOLOC3wu4Dz1XVKDC8NFE7_PcVzsK2_cLkgoXauiKXyxMRjwSfw-cWFQqx9SRANo5YRP0Bv41oyhQkB0x9CfTtA/w640-h458/Blank%20diagram%20(44).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>That's pretty good mix of old school Expos and new school Nationals to get through the tournament. <div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I checked back to the last time I did a Card Madness baseball-style, and it was the <a href="https://bumpandruncards.blogspot.com/2018/04/card-madness-2018-pt-9-championship.html">Braves who won it then</a>, in 2018. I made the prediction that it would be the only success the Braves had all season. But then this guy named Ronald Acuna broke out and won Rookie of the Year. The Braves ended up winning the NL East. Maybe I'll be wrong again, but I'm predicting a long, fruitless season for the Nationals this season. I feel fairly confident they'll finish in the cellar of a strong division. So enjoy this, Nats!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is one of my favorite types of exercises, and I'd be doing this with or without readers. But a big thank you to all of you who kept up on Card Madness happenings. Now you'll get to enjoy the NCAA men's basketball championship tonight!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-1487458590431384192023-03-31T04:30:00.001-07:002023-03-31T04:30:00.179-07:002023 Card Madness 2023: The Final Four<div style="text-align: left;">Ever since I was a kid, March Madness always culminated in the Final Four for me. I always paid more attention to who made it to the Final Four than who actually won the championship. We now have our Final Four in both NCAA basketball and Bump and Run's Card Madness. Tomorrow, we'll see who wins the basketball semi-finals. Today, we'll check out the card competition. Today, we have two matchups. Two winners who will face off in the championship round.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUxAxmFIgRbJRS5x8T2A7X0aOTp47J51GQ3PrhGlwsgX90pSalNIzAPebw2EONTYVzpRiHx2YQmPfLMB14cCEC3VIKa6G1RvnD2qhuyTIg8wXaiTp-_DGiyjsOWxjoUB0OH5VNLCycT4wFJuHP1yrKc15eCDHcangnG8uXgrdjal8yJhOThciFNXQVQ/s4878/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(13).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="4878" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUxAxmFIgRbJRS5x8T2A7X0aOTp47J51GQ3PrhGlwsgX90pSalNIzAPebw2EONTYVzpRiHx2YQmPfLMB14cCEC3VIKa6G1RvnD2qhuyTIg8wXaiTp-_DGiyjsOWxjoUB0OH5VNLCycT4wFJuHP1yrKc15eCDHcangnG8uXgrdjal8yJhOThciFNXQVQ/w640-h440/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(13).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 4 Semi-Finals: Minnesota Twins vs. San Diego Padres</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWObANpxyNvBRdIolnGio9GUmIwWyXJKbsJS_I7d1xT1KhQ2BDkAJoxMiggv9JFhzfRgaBfdYlu2gBW0MTnFC2_4dlFENTz-uK5JIWvVZF3qrOrKvXSAdTXiPOC2tWfYQQygMOPyHy0LwfwOb_0ADyzG2MUGs-LL6NWxmc-ordvTCVJwrK-ej9toXibw/s980/Blank%20diagram%20(40).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="980" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWObANpxyNvBRdIolnGio9GUmIwWyXJKbsJS_I7d1xT1KhQ2BDkAJoxMiggv9JFhzfRgaBfdYlu2gBW0MTnFC2_4dlFENTz-uK5JIWvVZF3qrOrKvXSAdTXiPOC2tWfYQQygMOPyHy0LwfwOb_0ADyzG2MUGs-LL6NWxmc-ordvTCVJwrK-ej9toXibw/w640-h392/Blank%20diagram%20(40).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">2017 Topps #227 Byron Buxton vs. 2017 Topps Update #US267 Jhoulys Chacin</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">If I have a complaint about this tournament, it's that 2017 Topps has been waaay over-selected by the randomizer. Here we have to see it twice. The thing that stands out to me in both of these cards is the way the ball is hanging in the photo. That alone might have been able to push Chacin to victory--he has a perfectly-framed shot with the pitch on its way. But when Buxton has the same thing as he is about to make the catch, I defer to player quality. Buxton wins in that category.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Twins</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 4 Semi-Finals: Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFkd_un-7aJL9Ijja_QRn1qc7DupC8JAG37-QiohS7bT2FGtQw1Dq3w6K4EmOeB_2zuZwsRdJzs53heTAj3KUmRfq7TwzYSfKP7Ja4-r5IRp6RK9wS6HT3r_7Hkyc5X_v9NffSJx4YE2oASOr9F3pZp1XJqv8PhAd52KQ9iCkqzHojLWKA0RebF_luw/s880/Blank%20diagram%20(41).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="880" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFkd_un-7aJL9Ijja_QRn1qc7DupC8JAG37-QiohS7bT2FGtQw1Dq3w6K4EmOeB_2zuZwsRdJzs53heTAj3KUmRfq7TwzYSfKP7Ja4-r5IRp6RK9wS6HT3r_7Hkyc5X_v9NffSJx4YE2oASOr9F3pZp1XJqv8PhAd52KQ9iCkqzHojLWKA0RebF_luw/w640-h436/Blank%20diagram%20(41).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">1987 Donruss #594 Drew Hall vs. 1990 Topps #341 Tim Foley</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Well, neither of these two matchups are too exciting, are they? This second one features two Junk Wax Era cards of definite non-stars. Comparing players, Foley has the advantage, as his 5.4 career WAR towers over Hall's negative number. Both photos are a little fuzzy, which isn't uncommon for their day, but Foley's action shot is better than a somewhat doofy head shot of Drew Hall. I don't mind 1987 Donruss and the little baseballs in the border are a nice touch. But I like the comic book colors on 1990 Topps more. Plus, I'm still on a little '90 Topps high from my frenetic set build from scratch last summer. It looks like my Cubbies' run has come to an end.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Nationals</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And with that, our championship round is set. Minnesota vs. Washington. We'll return on Monday to crown our Card Madness champs.<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-31915473817502480112023-03-27T04:30:00.001-07:002023-03-27T04:30:00.156-07:00Card Madness 2023: Regional Finals (The Elite 8)<div style="text-align: left;">Let's catch up to real tourney time. This weekend revealed the prestigious Final Four college basketball teams for this season. Let's see which MLB teams will be the Final Four of my card collection. A new round means new cards for these eight competitors as they battle it out. Here is an overview of today's matchups.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyEWca9gp7t_BHGpCAxj9zJdAdQXi_KMqollvE-iSAQhrDR43WbTQxUhwm9Gj57BEbUKhaRZ9j0lJteUXJRXHs7k3VRfvOMfwm5JkmzJo5rZ_xqZEAyxvAav-jsDydYfeNfH6kl9JwrELA_Nf0gh6XuAI1F-jZLFSQH3mh4VgW-fdWOK_xGa8lIBbOA/s4878/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(12).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="4878" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyEWca9gp7t_BHGpCAxj9zJdAdQXi_KMqollvE-iSAQhrDR43WbTQxUhwm9Gj57BEbUKhaRZ9j0lJteUXJRXHs7k3VRfvOMfwm5JkmzJo5rZ_xqZEAyxvAav-jsDydYfeNfH6kl9JwrELA_Nf0gh6XuAI1F-jZLFSQH3mh4VgW-fdWOK_xGa8lIBbOA/w640-h440/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(12).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 3: Minnesota Twins vs. Seattle Mariners</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRExDSY-JpOJA3KUplw0f7VxnfPb7zuw92Cla4a_KkC29YLGllXiuvpRm5oN1Hj1Uo7RypwZQdJDxDXaGTUqc3Gy6kMZ97TVUBVFXDgyhfmCA5TP0mnBlxwVS_ZbGEjWLg2JMyc8AyEWdaqZ6GrwV3VPwtrvcvlRpyZxK9Y_EXJ57XuvdPZ579igIrrA/s1000/Blank%20diagram%20(36).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRExDSY-JpOJA3KUplw0f7VxnfPb7zuw92Cla4a_KkC29YLGllXiuvpRm5oN1Hj1Uo7RypwZQdJDxDXaGTUqc3Gy6kMZ97TVUBVFXDgyhfmCA5TP0mnBlxwVS_ZbGEjWLg2JMyc8AyEWdaqZ6GrwV3VPwtrvcvlRpyZxK9Y_EXJ57XuvdPZ579igIrrA/w640-h384/Blank%20diagram%20(36).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">1997 Topps #428 Matt Lawton vs. 2021 Topps Opening Day #83 Justus Sheffield</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Both of these cards leave me with questions about what is going on. Matt Lawton's card seems pretty straightforward at first. But then I wonder about the empty seats. What was this game? Was there really nobody attending it? Justus Sheffield also has an intriguing photo. Where is his glove? What kind of warm-up drill is this? Are those umpires standing in the baseline? Actually it looks like maybe an umpire and a player. Is this pre-game or between innings? I may not fully understand either card, but I can say I prefer the catch in foul territory over the warm-up in these two cards.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Twins</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 3: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9mNKAMjHsottzsoFx8Oy4R0pbwvjMshwuykMWwW1T9eBLcHds0WjQaZa6U262J3Rvz3rk2wMPqslMQEm7gWEzRjIVhkkLggzWZewjMks7d_jkLy0BbO-PfBA2mTS-KwwZ4Jlmsuky9sY_yn8LNCg8V-2yrOb0rckBEizE8oAfJGF7qxw3O8MhgYHyg/s860/Blank%20diagram%20(37).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="860" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9mNKAMjHsottzsoFx8Oy4R0pbwvjMshwuykMWwW1T9eBLcHds0WjQaZa6U262J3Rvz3rk2wMPqslMQEm7gWEzRjIVhkkLggzWZewjMks7d_jkLy0BbO-PfBA2mTS-KwwZ4Jlmsuky9sY_yn8LNCg8V-2yrOb0rckBEizE8oAfJGF7qxw3O8MhgYHyg/w640-h446/Blank%20diagram%20(37).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">1994 Collector's Choice #209 Raul Mondesi vs. 1987 Leaf #114 Steve Garvey</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Great matchup! Both Raul Mondesi and Steve Garvey are PCs in my Rookie of the Year and All-Star Game MVP collections, respectively. Mondesi has a couple of things really working in his favor: a nice dugout pose is always good. I've always like this Choice set and its little position guy in the corner. Garvey is a nice card, too. He looks so happy just to be playing. It looks like he might be taking BP--there are people just sitting on chairs in the background and I think I see a net behind him. The novelty of Leaf over Donruss is a plus. This is a really hard decision. When I sit back and take the whole card in as a whole, it feels like all the colors and photos and design of the Garvey just come together better.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Padres</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 3: Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Guardians</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tqYGUCjZ4NNv66qENF6aG6IUNF7GfYVeFKK7rjpGMT1ZRJp0rFdAOT_ma8WTJ1tEhUnlOKSoXvlxy_tukAykwdMnKWx2yFwXiR2TPuBH76Y-T6ZFl25tMUNvgyIE_ezYwh7ihj6Xc1ITItOTaC23Ao51k80eywbD_7U5zaInX_E1SvOXBBtb4QfTFg/s860/Blank%20diagram%20(38).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="860" height="447" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tqYGUCjZ4NNv66qENF6aG6IUNF7GfYVeFKK7rjpGMT1ZRJp0rFdAOT_ma8WTJ1tEhUnlOKSoXvlxy_tukAykwdMnKWx2yFwXiR2TPuBH76Y-T6ZFl25tMUNvgyIE_ezYwh7ihj6Xc1ITItOTaC23Ao51k80eywbD_7U5zaInX_E1SvOXBBtb4QfTFg/w640-h447/Blank%20diagram%20(38).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">1993 Upper Deck #38 Ryne Sandberg vs. 1992 Bowman #676 Manny Ramirez</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Here's another competitive clash. We have two outstanding players facing off, one in the Hall of Fame and one who could be if not for his behavior. At first glance, the Ryno is kind of a boring card. But the details start to make it: batting cage shot, cool (if not-so-interestingly designed) subset, and a write-up of his charity work on the back (which includes buying tickets to every home game and giving them to less-privileged people). Manny, on the other hand, gets your attention right away. The gold foil border on these 90s Bowman cards are eye-catching. It's a prospect card of someone who ended up having a great career, a true rookie card even. But why did Bowman choose to dress up high school baseball prospects like fashion models in a catalog and use those pictures on their cards? To me, that detracts big time from the otherwise high potential of this card. And given the choice between Sandberg and Ramirez, I choose Sandberg any day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Cubs</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 3: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iHn12TcGIQZrFweoGiHemmnO3NaJhxHPB8YLb1ED08OmBUtWbOCsZDU_05kyHYQcYA1GXp41we2e6y7S9CQfKls9KB9vjC84B-kebGsYW7xLMROmIkUWktnFnVl4GmftlyDe6dvXxVPcSXGlddxFkL_z9GenSw5amd1pG_AbD5atzcAc5HjqEzbxMQ/s860/Blank%20diagram%20(39).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="860" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iHn12TcGIQZrFweoGiHemmnO3NaJhxHPB8YLb1ED08OmBUtWbOCsZDU_05kyHYQcYA1GXp41we2e6y7S9CQfKls9KB9vjC84B-kebGsYW7xLMROmIkUWktnFnVl4GmftlyDe6dvXxVPcSXGlddxFkL_z9GenSw5amd1pG_AbD5atzcAc5HjqEzbxMQ/w640-h446/Blank%20diagram%20(39).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">1991 Conlon Collection #244 Johnny Gooch vs. 1994 Finest #342 Sean Berry</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">These two cards are vastly different. Black and white versus chromed. Coach versus player. 1930s versus 1990s. The only thing they really have in common is the fact that they were produced within three years of each other. A quick glance at stats indicates they had similar success in their playing careers: 4.1 WAR to 4.4 WAR. Ultimately, this comes down to the card itself. As much as I like Conlon cards, it's harder for me to get excited over an old-timer that I had never heard of. It's hard to beat the green Finest. Gooch just doesn't have enough to do it this time.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Nationals</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So there we have it. Twins, Padres, Cubs, Nationals. Our Final Four. I've now done this twice each for football and baseball. This is the first time either the Cubs or the Packers have advanced this far, so I'm excited. Will my team finally be champion of my card collection? Just two more rounds to go until we find out.<br /></div></div></div></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-80983656913990677222023-03-24T04:30:00.001-07:002023-03-24T04:30:00.279-07:00Card Madness 2023: Round 2.2 (The Last Sweet 16 Matchups)<div style="text-align: left;">With the elimination of four more teams yesterday, we are down to 12. Today will finish off the Sweet 16 round and leave us with an Elite 8. As a reminder, the cards you see today are different from the cards representing the team in the first round. But they are all cards I own. Here is a look at the updated bracket before we move on to the competition:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kqwwEye4-XR9DD6FypIk-w6OaL_tjRozqw0GXSOVJlcdKoTbzkVrMLiJz7ueEblU-ffYqj_3gpg9FV3WLlJc3kXDB5VL_ud40d41KiKbm026RylfLB1C9efxKkjXg-DdPyLOfNnLmSkYndmihYTEK_W_wxz6nctB_TAgNfSkJzjTlMG5FoPJCxEBpQ/s4878/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(11).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="4878" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kqwwEye4-XR9DD6FypIk-w6OaL_tjRozqw0GXSOVJlcdKoTbzkVrMLiJz7ueEblU-ffYqj_3gpg9FV3WLlJc3kXDB5VL_ud40d41KiKbm026RylfLB1C9efxKkjXg-DdPyLOfNnLmSkYndmihYTEK_W_wxz6nctB_TAgNfSkJzjTlMG5FoPJCxEBpQ/w640-h440/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(11).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 2: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago Cubs</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Ozwwp4VhQC9fFvNtmys4SAtSQijK8GtXV2hpb3SrB-2khNMxFcbnE1yvxMB1XyxY5jyXiQ8TGsvueOKL_Z_R0ro6F3y6DwA97UWXn5JFThvaMUJU54EKAZslRXVQQlmBfltGLlUiuaFReHzZqVJCpC6YCUl6vfoUiLAE3NqN9ThXpmr4QocSCKvOxg/s860/Blank%20diagram%20(32).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="860" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Ozwwp4VhQC9fFvNtmys4SAtSQijK8GtXV2hpb3SrB-2khNMxFcbnE1yvxMB1XyxY5jyXiQ8TGsvueOKL_Z_R0ro6F3y6DwA97UWXn5JFThvaMUJU54EKAZslRXVQQlmBfltGLlUiuaFReHzZqVJCpC6YCUl6vfoUiLAE3NqN9ThXpmr4QocSCKvOxg/w640-h446/Blank%20diagram%20(32).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h3></h3></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">1992 Fleer # 538 Jim Lindeman vs. 2017 Panini Diamond Kings #55 Kris Bryant</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Two sets I like here, even though they are extremely different. The picture is essentially the same on both: right-handed batter standing in the batter's box. This comes down to the player, and there's no contest here. Former ROY, NL MVP, fielder of the final out of the curse-breaking World Series--Kris Bryant has the resume to win this one.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Cubs</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 2: Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Mets</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfRUYZQQaJAJNKdEWVuYtDQQxyURe5m04rjVjXhA6WFw_nVnqh0xN7oVqqY_S5c9Lx4bgQUFFnvPq1WLEkW8ioIUJaYVCwvzlWIQ5Qv24Rqx0SmXnoLcybIqQgWvIP4mFh-UgSo2E4qULBqakpOCrMoGQ3KsLHKjBYbZ6P02tLEqXTWiG3FintYQ-Nw/s1000/Blank%20diagram%20(33).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfRUYZQQaJAJNKdEWVuYtDQQxyURe5m04rjVjXhA6WFw_nVnqh0xN7oVqqY_S5c9Lx4bgQUFFnvPq1WLEkW8ioIUJaYVCwvzlWIQ5Qv24Rqx0SmXnoLcybIqQgWvIP4mFh-UgSo2E4qULBqakpOCrMoGQ3KsLHKjBYbZ6P02tLEqXTWiG3FintYQ-Nw/w640-h384/Blank%20diagram%20(33).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">1979 Topps #705 Indians Prospects vs. 2002 Topps Pristine #56 Roberto Alomar</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">This is a tough matchup. When cards are this different, it makes judging between the two of them difficult. Both of these cards are in my collection for my special focuses (Alfredo Griffin was a Rookie of the Year; Roberto Alomar was an All-Star Game MVP.) I think Pristine is beautiful and I treasure the one that I have because only have a few. However, Alomar has been banned from Major League Baseball for some pretty heinous off-field behavior and that taints this card. The Guardians (or Indians, in this case) are represented by a multi-player prospect card. Besides the aforementioned Griffin, Tim Norrid and Dave Oliver also make their card debuts here. After winning Rookie of the Year, Griffin went on to a long, productive career. The other two combined for seven Major League games. All of those are Oliver's; Norrid never made it to the Show. But that's a beautiful, black and white, multi-prospect card. I think I'll go with it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Guardians</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 2: Miami Marlins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46TeAwf4ZkgzlvK3Aia7IzIGOhuYaU8nX8A657TPzxYvBAqkhM5bLuZ2t5K7TbDLR3bgkqYt7H-3XsQfxMpVlOsmiOvkwGRMC-NcKd_3LpEk9zUzrkYFKHovS2Fj8N4n6pBr8YNuXRYQImit0oohpwbyehIQVVVKGTW1JyMiQF8fmjFy1-v2esllB7Q/s860/Blank%20diagram%20(34).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="860" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46TeAwf4ZkgzlvK3Aia7IzIGOhuYaU8nX8A657TPzxYvBAqkhM5bLuZ2t5K7TbDLR3bgkqYt7H-3XsQfxMpVlOsmiOvkwGRMC-NcKd_3LpEk9zUzrkYFKHovS2Fj8N4n6pBr8YNuXRYQImit0oohpwbyehIQVVVKGTW1JyMiQF8fmjFy1-v2esllB7Q/w640-h446/Blank%20diagram%20(34).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2017 Topps Update #US71 Junichi Tazawa vs. 1981 Topps #430 Jim Bibby</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">This one is a blowout. I don't like 2017 Topps. The picture is dark, with a dark jersey fading into a dark background. Tazawa had a decently-long career, but he wasn't as successful as Bibby. The other card, however, has a nice "All-Star" banner on it. The little hat on 1981 Topps is classic. And I never noticed this until now, but the shape of the cartoon hat is even a pillbox to match the Pirates hat! It's a card I really like against one that I find thoroughly mediocre.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Pirates</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 2: Boston Red Sox vs. Washington Nationals</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0C3U31Df166piYthzKjHmw40485Q6vPLHgFJuI0rlv60MsUnTfJUNzLOZl16Nkeu0NX9yrbYyICtqXY3vcLWBdquTvcox24mTOZzcwo_thCER_-xv2jvZvQzgEjEtIxfZQhd07F6Jew14I6Y9M6oCpE1n2D1_9mRf8cwcAoaSFOADSxlMGgl4-MUYA/s860/Blank%20diagram%20(35).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="860" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0C3U31Df166piYthzKjHmw40485Q6vPLHgFJuI0rlv60MsUnTfJUNzLOZl16Nkeu0NX9yrbYyICtqXY3vcLWBdquTvcox24mTOZzcwo_thCER_-xv2jvZvQzgEjEtIxfZQhd07F6Jew14I6Y9M6oCpE1n2D1_9mRf8cwcAoaSFOADSxlMGgl4-MUYA/w640-h446/Blank%20diagram%20(35).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">1988 Donruss #41 Jody Reed vs. 2017 Topps #34 Bryce Harper</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Sheesh. Right after I blast a card for belonging to the 2017 Topps Flagship set, another one comes up. But you know what I probably dislike more than 2017 Flagship? 1988 Donruss. This set doesn't appeal to me at all. At least the photo is crisper and cleaner on Bryce Harper's card. And Harper is the better player. In this case, 2017 Topps is good enough to advance.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Nationals</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So that does it for the Sweet 16 round. Looking forward, the NCAA tournament will decide the Final Four this weekend. We'll pick up our own tournament on Monday to catch up. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Would you have advanced teams differently today? <br /></div></div></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-53788515854049295572023-03-23T04:30:00.001-07:002023-03-23T04:30:00.162-07:00Card Madness 2023: Round 2 (The Sweet 16 Has Begun!)<div style="text-align: left;">We're now in the regional semi-finals. Over the next two days, we'll see eight matchups. Eight winners moving on. In this round, new cards will be randomly chosen to represent each team. In case you've forgotten who our Sweet 16 are and how they got here, I have the Card Madness bracket for you:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qVsZUBcQXtGIWcuyco6v-fKu---G46osBWzOw1n8LVOMp_h9yFZQFPvFa22EUo_BxmD1474n_g6Y0uWkd2QzSPp7--F7YlWkL_tCOXn6Lm9biIDpsqZxORble8twjTHC3jMvCsQCywptw6axqlyTRzOVFU5_UDQSPhA6gbnHSZslrdZOTREqUmlBsQ/s4878/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(10).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="4878" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qVsZUBcQXtGIWcuyco6v-fKu---G46osBWzOw1n8LVOMp_h9yFZQFPvFa22EUo_BxmD1474n_g6Y0uWkd2QzSPp7--F7YlWkL_tCOXn6Lm9biIDpsqZxORble8twjTHC3jMvCsQCywptw6axqlyTRzOVFU5_UDQSPhA6gbnHSZslrdZOTREqUmlBsQ/w640-h440/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(10).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 2: Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUslhxb9ueaMZgcJuc_biVimpPhQytDG6lQXL9sFY5PMfmxgDS5BV8xiMDcHJUQwY7yLB8Sqy92pMOtbFDZ7ObMYcsBWA3rG33yCdJDtryd5Yb8Yb0SaRQuekoIaP7luAjbFXJC-zDBqvuNrLhP5ksEit0mEOHT4bhsFshfiRGzGVbF9pT1tU8gzszw/s826/Blank%20diagram%20(29).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="826" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUslhxb9ueaMZgcJuc_biVimpPhQytDG6lQXL9sFY5PMfmxgDS5BV8xiMDcHJUQwY7yLB8Sqy92pMOtbFDZ7ObMYcsBWA3rG33yCdJDtryd5Yb8Yb0SaRQuekoIaP7luAjbFXJC-zDBqvuNrLhP5ksEit0mEOHT4bhsFshfiRGzGVbF9pT1tU8gzszw/w640-h434/Blank%20diagram%20(29).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2015 Topps #621 Luis Valbuena vs. 1992 Donruss #25 Jack Morris</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">This is a low-key good matchup. After moving through the first round with a bye, defending World Series champion Astros appear for the first time. Despite being represented by a journeyman infielder, I think the card is a strong shower. First, colorful 2015 Topps is a great look. The photo is a good one, with Valbuena springing up to make likely a long throw to first. The shot, the colors, the design--it all blends well into one good card. On the other side, Hall of Famer (and former BYU Cougar) Jack Morris is on the mound for the Twins. I think I'm in the minority, but I like 1992 Donruss and always have. The photo is weaker than Valbuena's. But dig those stirrups! In a controversial call, I think the aesthetic appeal of these two sets is pretty much a wash. So on the strength of the featured player, Minnesota steals the win here.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Twins</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 2: Seattle Mariners vs. St. Louis Cardinals</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXvdLGi4ZYSb3jZPVo20sd1Qe36wNiPmHjOSwNABmwC21mck7vC9GRaliTEycDCx3W3lWBub7K_2GFfU-P2oLlAsYf8lJ7RsZArLBTH2luKQ3xYBFTGhYBCabghGhBfGJTkTEYNd5gfKXyXRD9pHkP70yZMGRBceGEndmRVdrXIklrQ19MQWXCId4OA/s880/Blank%20diagram%20(43).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="880" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXvdLGi4ZYSb3jZPVo20sd1Qe36wNiPmHjOSwNABmwC21mck7vC9GRaliTEycDCx3W3lWBub7K_2GFfU-P2oLlAsYf8lJ7RsZArLBTH2luKQ3xYBFTGhYBCabghGhBfGJTkTEYNd5gfKXyXRD9pHkP70yZMGRBceGEndmRVdrXIklrQ19MQWXCId4OA/w640-h436/Blank%20diagram%20(43).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">1982 Donruss #307 Lenny Randle vs. 1991 Fleer #648 Bob Tewksbury<br /></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"> </h3><div style="text-align: left;">After rolling easily through Round 1--thanks to a strong Randy Johnson card--the Mariners get another nice card to represent them this time. I like the digital "82" in this Donruss set. I like the name on the bat. I love the shot of Lenny Randle making the turn in a double play. The opponent brings a yellow Fleer border. I'm on record saying that I like this set. Bob Tewksbury probably had a better career statistically, but he may not be as well-remembered as Randle and his blowing the ball foul over the third base line. There is no competition in the quality of the photos, though.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner:</b> Mariners</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 2: Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5eIx3Ke-4YTGS2sR7yK2FpBftKlq-0RL0RM1kpLJX9uTkM8y8xbuni_DpenZFe2McBhPrKIa4idjEaSFtdJerq1BlSVGc6Uz41vaWaxh9Ijm-czxvLc4tHU1cZK2mr0nVNrTdc31SOUgpkoqc79SytU_MHxONHnkgYKdCLvWL60MqOy-tkq4nZyWNg/s860/Blank%20diagram%20(31).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="860" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5eIx3Ke-4YTGS2sR7yK2FpBftKlq-0RL0RM1kpLJX9uTkM8y8xbuni_DpenZFe2McBhPrKIa4idjEaSFtdJerq1BlSVGc6Uz41vaWaxh9Ijm-czxvLc4tHU1cZK2mr0nVNrTdc31SOUgpkoqc79SytU_MHxONHnkgYKdCLvWL60MqOy-tkq4nZyWNg/w640-h446/Blank%20diagram%20(31).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2014 Donruss #301 Mike Trout vs. 1991 Score #343 Jose Offerman</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">It's a freeway series matchup in SoCal! The Angels are bringing their best with Mike Trout. He is one of, if not the, best players I've seen play in my lifetime for sure. The problem here is that he shows up on a very weak Donruss card. Panini has done no favors to the Donruss brand, and 2014 is one of the most boring of their boring looks. The Dodgers are represented by rookie phenom Jose Offerman. Well, maybe he didn't play like a phenom, but the hype was there. Back in 1991, I can imagine this was a card to seek after. It wasn't his true rookie card, but it does say "Rookie Prospect" on it. I like Score's 1991 offering, with the black and the white borders probably being my favorite options. Offerman's photo, with the look of concentration on fielding that bouncer beats Trout's. The overall better look of the card and the associated nostalgia are enough to beat out a very "blah" card of living legend Mike Trout.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner:</b> Dodgers</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 2: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsO3Ucffph5P8Ie1qSkUbPqCjnuaobhDEj9BeF2hJV98-phcM4XJLr3W87Pv9wb2Mu8YIgifSuejhYJq8Xk25m5CV4JB7-iNnWCmc2_VQ1mcFfl-SZKSopS7-d_-DwmdkBjBF9623cw6ouMQtprTGjNqLgSK5w2pdYaB3-qwdDtZGYorQYgwYYBgNnQ/s860/Blank%20diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="860" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsO3Ucffph5P8Ie1qSkUbPqCjnuaobhDEj9BeF2hJV98-phcM4XJLr3W87Pv9wb2Mu8YIgifSuejhYJq8Xk25m5CV4JB7-iNnWCmc2_VQ1mcFfl-SZKSopS7-d_-DwmdkBjBF9623cw6ouMQtprTGjNqLgSK5w2pdYaB3-qwdDtZGYorQYgwYYBgNnQ/w640-h446/Blank%20diagram.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2015 Topps Chrome #37 Chris Owings vs. 2013 Topps Opening Day #84 Yonder Alonso</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Topps Flagships in 2015 and 2013 are two of my favorite of the decade. I think 2015 looks even better Chromified. The curved out diamond in the corner of 2013 is nice to me. The edge might go to the Chrome here. The photos are both typical baseball card action shots, I think I slightly prefer Alonso to Owings' black jersey being camouflaged against the dark outfield wall. So far, there's not much separating the two. This will come down to the player, and I Yonder Alonso will best Chris Owings here.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Padres</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One more day will get us through the Sweet 16 and into the Elite 8.<br /></div></div></div></div></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-72112858678395524522023-03-17T04:00:00.005-07:002023-03-17T04:00:00.166-07:00Card Madness 2023: Round 1, Finalizing the Sweet 16<p>We'll reach our Sweet 16 a couple of days before the basketball tourney. But I'm not posting this weekend, so when Monday rolls around, both March and Card Madness will have 16 surviving participants. We have 12 already. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02lS0d9xTIYWNaYWtFuLbLfzmBtYZVf_j8L2EZGRK4TkWOfCq-zYBBLpdSjg1p19yDeftK26OiYuF2hPvnFdlsp13kxY4r9CNEGU353135A3PUzef9Y5DOb_fzEpk5iIhMDxQN0c2M5lPD6JqSzCQ7H9ccg3c1m1BwZHITGELB4-h8TRjWPZsddc5TA/s4878/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(9).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="4878" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02lS0d9xTIYWNaYWtFuLbLfzmBtYZVf_j8L2EZGRK4TkWOfCq-zYBBLpdSjg1p19yDeftK26OiYuF2hPvnFdlsp13kxY4r9CNEGU353135A3PUzef9Y5DOb_fzEpk5iIhMDxQN0c2M5lPD6JqSzCQ7H9ccg3c1m1BwZHITGELB4-h8TRjWPZsddc5TA/w640-h440/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(9).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Miami Marlins</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"> </h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-DEKGmF_55v6OjJe0q62clticb18ZGD7JnjVOuCIMLzyywHrfcGB-j3h5sq7VgdbsfP9KlnDNbNGY1AQdRpCl70YhqO3ADI83KSP2p-JcWQLO-3HZ9-kcH4n7MmEIMdKMii8-KZbMmzaKTpdqX3gf4fUksWsa_UpQp2sPcE8tvDhs6jZWjfD8zmQtg/s822/Blank%20diagram%20(25).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="822" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-DEKGmF_55v6OjJe0q62clticb18ZGD7JnjVOuCIMLzyywHrfcGB-j3h5sq7VgdbsfP9KlnDNbNGY1AQdRpCl70YhqO3ADI83KSP2p-JcWQLO-3HZ9-kcH4n7MmEIMdKMii8-KZbMmzaKTpdqX3gf4fUksWsa_UpQp2sPcE8tvDhs6jZWjfD8zmQtg/w640-h436/Blank%20diagram%20(25).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2019 Topps Opening Day #129 Justin Smoak vs. 1994 Finest #164 Bryan Harvey</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Both of these scans seem to have turned out dark to me. 2019 Flagship (and, consequently, Opening Day) and 1994 Finest are both fine-looking sets. The early Finest sets are kind of cool, even if this one isn't the absolute best. Player-wise, Harvey was better, I think. He once led the league in saves and won the Rolaids Relief award. Ultimately, if I had to choose one of these cards for my collection, I think I take Harvey.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Marlins</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"> </h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5R95WCm4kHF5y5rMfMU58SWVk3cJIz5KsBh8W2TdNVYtUztMOHob9eF30zA_S3oFxZERfZPTak_4D85FXJ-5fl-E_fR23Oqazx9MDIL2QEz4E1CvSUjT6NqGy9Zh6iRkndTl9Abf3wWKU-RLwtai2b5cXFTCKzrBEBQ_mBSQ3rr6tP0rBfp7YSXS6w/s966/Blank%20diagram%20(26).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="966" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5R95WCm4kHF5y5rMfMU58SWVk3cJIz5KsBh8W2TdNVYtUztMOHob9eF30zA_S3oFxZERfZPTak_4D85FXJ-5fl-E_fR23Oqazx9MDIL2QEz4E1CvSUjT6NqGy9Zh6iRkndTl9Abf3wWKU-RLwtai2b5cXFTCKzrBEBQ_mBSQ3rr6tP0rBfp7YSXS6w/w640-h372/Blank%20diagram%20(26).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">1993 Topps Colorado Rockies Inaugural Edition #108 vs. 2016 Bowman Platinum Platinum Presence #PP-26 Sean Newcomb</h4><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This one is interesting. At first glance, I might just take a shiny, clean insert and move on. But upon further examination, Jose Lind has a few things going for him. We have the second Rockies Inaugural edition of this tournament. That's a big plus. 1993 Topps is a nicely designed set. Ultimately, the photo is what gets me. A headfirst slide into second base is always a cool picture. But is the throw off? Lind is still standing tall, not really in position to make the tag. The runner, however, is still a couple of feet from the bag. And where is the ball? Is it in the air somewhere out of the frame? In the glove already? Does Lind have time to make this out? There is suspense in the photo that gives it the upset win over my initial reaction.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Pirates</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"> </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJueRs13oplwLYRkmKvsUZYdPgl-48ktUDUylZm-yKKg9CAS0mqKwkF8FNwgWbdPFv0rZYZYhQSMvbT-0EvYHj9PBVj3vtaLfCivoMdCLLbnundrXnFFs4_qcU1T37qN14g_bhu7f8hg-gY82NPIWHdt8D4MseGp1J26DZbYqYr5SdlTr1jENcUMcMlQ/s826/Blank%20diagram%20(27).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="826" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJueRs13oplwLYRkmKvsUZYdPgl-48ktUDUylZm-yKKg9CAS0mqKwkF8FNwgWbdPFv0rZYZYhQSMvbT-0EvYHj9PBVj3vtaLfCivoMdCLLbnundrXnFFs4_qcU1T37qN14g_bhu7f8hg-gY82NPIWHdt8D4MseGp1J26DZbYqYr5SdlTr1jENcUMcMlQ/w640-h434/Blank%20diagram%20(27).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">2019 Topps Heritage #310 World Series Celebration vs. 1997 New Pinnacle #84 Rafael Palmeiro</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">For the second time in this round, we have a card from my 1997 New Pinnacle set. It's a nice set--very glossy, some foil, full-bleed. And I like the last name only. But it's going up against a pretty unique card. A throwback Heritage. A team card. Black and white. And it's celebrating a World Series-clinching win. Maybe if Raffy had drawn any other World Series card in the set, he would have won. But the actual title clincher? That's a cool moment on cardboard.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Red Sox</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Washington Nationals vs. New York Yankees</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"> </h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXKH-CNpQ6XWsYkEbu7QPYn2TNeS1HqZ3ai1nQhuwjQv695S2wlJEtTM92_2av_AE4bk51wRpYMogNAan8vE2Y3RB4WdG8Qby08Ad0Yqua7YmSReesJFufaG2Ji-3UVTz0YYLN9goXoB6hKS-vuWweEUz9bZrGE4RUnoTzV8O31YzDAKIHoVzucJf4Q/s826/Blank%20diagram%20(28).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="826" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXKH-CNpQ6XWsYkEbu7QPYn2TNeS1HqZ3ai1nQhuwjQv695S2wlJEtTM92_2av_AE4bk51wRpYMogNAan8vE2Y3RB4WdG8Qby08Ad0Yqua7YmSReesJFufaG2Ji-3UVTz0YYLN9goXoB6hKS-vuWweEUz9bZrGE4RUnoTzV8O31YzDAKIHoVzucJf4Q/w640-h434/Blank%20diagram%20(28).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">1984 Fleer #281 Tim Raines vs. 2012 Panini Cooperstown #96 Phil Rizzuto</h4><div style="text-align: left;">Our last matchup of the first round is a good one. Two Hall of Fame players squaring off. For the Nationals (who came up as the Expos here), there is a somewhat run-of-the-mill, forgettable Fleer set. But Tim Raines is a great player. The batting practice shot with the cage in the background scores major points. For the Yankees, Phil Rizzuto is also a good representative. I like the 2012 Cooperstown set, with my favorite feature probably being the little banners at the top that indicate the year of induction. This is a really close matchup between two nice base cards. In the end, I'll take the BP.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Nationals</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And there we have it, folks. One round is in the books. Sixteen Major League teams remain in the running to be the 2023 bracket champion of my collection. How would you have picked these? Is your team still alive? We'll pick up the Madness again next week.<br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4></div></div></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-79683825384219110512023-03-16T05:00:00.001-07:002023-03-16T05:00:00.188-07:00Card Madness 2023: Round 1.3<div style="text-align: left;">The NCAA tournament tips off in earnest today. Play-in games are finished. The field is set. My bracket is for Kerry's March Radness contest is ready. And here at Bump at Run, we're still in the first round of the Card Madness competition. I'm not sure if I mentioned this the past two days, but all of the cards in this competition are from my collection; they aren't chosen from the 100,000+ cards that have been made for each team. After two regions have completed their first-round action, here is a look at our bracket:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0oauvSQ6ELKMkZ_3afpVEXlDQAy80SHdYy7nLtT5r_rYWnfDbUp7_FZrQz6bgG4cMeaoIPHRRDP2BV0MfuAzvu6EK1ZHvUoMVOMFcuoYlfvPuZZzKI1upDfjz7eTZOVGej7HtwTiPx3-ER-ANS3GM_U1ZNuj8L7X5DEc-HN3vBPVwF5Q_8mNSM0RYOw/s4878/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(8).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="4878" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0oauvSQ6ELKMkZ_3afpVEXlDQAy80SHdYy7nLtT5r_rYWnfDbUp7_FZrQz6bgG4cMeaoIPHRRDP2BV0MfuAzvu6EK1ZHvUoMVOMFcuoYlfvPuZZzKI1upDfjz7eTZOVGej7HtwTiPx3-ER-ANS3GM_U1ZNuj8L7X5DEc-HN3vBPVwF5Q_8mNSM0RYOw/w640-h440/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(8).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Let's find four more teams to move on and compete in the Sweet 16.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Los Angeles Angels vs. Tampa Bay Rays</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6aL3kCKEghlsx3sI53xp8DrE3PIZscJvr_xMwqaR3x1GS2zoRDjfmsIB0H48j2DMmSvmiH552fh3jM0Jdi3m8G5-dPooWTHNE2y-m1rUgXcaYwJMZbjuf7ET3f0o5IlOVN3ErvuAYuwj-37mr3ddGi5nxmjkqjmQmies6lF9PeazJEX49GRU3wp-Pw/s827/Blank%20diagram%20(18).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="827" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6aL3kCKEghlsx3sI53xp8DrE3PIZscJvr_xMwqaR3x1GS2zoRDjfmsIB0H48j2DMmSvmiH552fh3jM0Jdi3m8G5-dPooWTHNE2y-m1rUgXcaYwJMZbjuf7ET3f0o5IlOVN3ErvuAYuwj-37mr3ddGi5nxmjkqjmQmies6lF9PeazJEX49GRU3wp-Pw/w640-h434/Blank%20diagram%20(18).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2002 Stadium Club #95 Darin Erstad vs. 2001 SP Authentic #22 Dewon Brazelton</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Two cards from my first two baseball seasons after high school. Dewon Brazelton shows up on a serial-numbered card (#d/1500), but that's all it has going for it. The card is ugly. What is that sunburst? The background is plain white. The name is too small. I've never heard of Brazelton outside of this card. (I looked him up. He posted a 6.38 ERA in 63 appearances across five seasons.) Darin Erstad, on the other hand, is on a nice Stadium Club card. It's good action shot of running catch in the outfield. Erstad was a good player who put together a long career. This choice is easy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Angels</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IBhus14o12EaDVxhfQ2mGdGMwoQJRwpTG4FsUGgnHzSemm-ikEp6xm3rw02R0Qu9D5IpEO018w4XcXsuFWbZVwKy8ymsQ93Mus5oszNkYe7eWC4t22BJfHR0ZwXfpfPqisTObzt_QVefhs1CjwSEtu8JS3OXtej3rK8dOK2Edt1ukT1Eo7g4pkaCTw/s820/Blank%20diagram%20(19).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="820" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IBhus14o12EaDVxhfQ2mGdGMwoQJRwpTG4FsUGgnHzSemm-ikEp6xm3rw02R0Qu9D5IpEO018w4XcXsuFWbZVwKy8ymsQ93Mus5oszNkYe7eWC4t22BJfHR0ZwXfpfPqisTObzt_QVefhs1CjwSEtu8JS3OXtej3rK8dOK2Edt1ukT1Eo7g4pkaCTw/w640-h438/Blank%20diagram%20(19).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">1996 Ultra Rawhide #7 Raul Mondesi vs. 2017 Topps Update #139 Luis Castillo</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">This is a good matchup. Both of these are quality players. They're both somewhat "special" cards, as Mondesi is an insert and Castillo is a rookie. Both of these are part of a complete set I've built. And I'm happy to have both in my collection. Essentially, my decision comes down to this: the Rawhide cards are really cool in-hand, with embossing and texture. And 2017 is one of my least favorite Flagship looks ever.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Dodgers</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv1okLElc-HbPV5tPcquEP_JTtMWZSymokWpp46NA331y65epegBvkdTHnf-idS97RQrlOLNgj0T3YuytXrP-c1wTgU7EXL2tqc6V0xO2Cn5azGf0p7wOeu5wv3fWwy2owwoCQ4vy9-RIdrQxnYYLEWWmYHlNKxrqSQ_NU1MfU9NGkuvvVyYOkiSWgA/s820/Blank%20diagram%20(20).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="820" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv1okLElc-HbPV5tPcquEP_JTtMWZSymokWpp46NA331y65epegBvkdTHnf-idS97RQrlOLNgj0T3YuytXrP-c1wTgU7EXL2tqc6V0xO2Cn5azGf0p7wOeu5wv3fWwy2owwoCQ4vy9-RIdrQxnYYLEWWmYHlNKxrqSQ_NU1MfU9NGkuvvVyYOkiSWgA/w640-h438/Blank%20diagram%20(20).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2022 Topps #275 Ketel Marte vs. 2020 Panini Diamond Kings #93 Tyrone Taylor</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">Typically, I like Panini's Diamond King release. I like the artistic flair and the feel of the card and the design is usually pretty good at covering up Panini's lack of a license. 2020 is probably my least favorite, though. The blue cloud is swallowing up a blue player on this Tyrone Taylor card. I like the emotion on the Ketel Marte card. Marte is also a better player. Overall, I'd rather have the Marte than the Taylor.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>D-backs</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Oakland Athletics vs. San Diego Padres</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAm2Ei6kRjIRhGVEs_Ns6KckQYgwOMqJGoXxUgTIQIhizu8V2yFmZNPfhUDr6ua0xOc1C_fseZlezwfTbb7onPQaniv37hO0chDD0BigcmHQznaFCFkxwdpVh8qh0d-CNCUOjFt_eNxh63P-Kb79JmsmDb0aQtJ-ZlFx7T-aFDCeDUxs730NsPU3qbLg/s960/Blank%20diagram%20(21).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="960" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAm2Ei6kRjIRhGVEs_Ns6KckQYgwOMqJGoXxUgTIQIhizu8V2yFmZNPfhUDr6ua0xOc1C_fseZlezwfTbb7onPQaniv37hO0chDD0BigcmHQznaFCFkxwdpVh8qh0d-CNCUOjFt_eNxh63P-Kb79JmsmDb0aQtJ-ZlFx7T-aFDCeDUxs730NsPU3qbLg/w640-h374/Blank%20diagram%20(21).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">1988 Topps #476 Dave Stewart vs. 2008 Upper Deck X Xponential #X-GM</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"> </h4><div style="text-align: left;">Dave Stewart was a good pitcher. I think most people would say Greg Maddux was a teensy bit better. I prefer the 1988 Topps design to this Xponential insert. I like the pose with the warm-up jacket on Stewart. Seeing Maddux on the Padres is weird. But shiny/refractory is good. I'm back and forth on this one. I think the Maddux insert is more unique to my collection and Maddux's HOF resume carries some weight. In a tough decision, I'll take San Diego.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Padres</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today had a couple of close matchups and a couple of easy decisions. One more day of Round 1 will give us our Sweet 16.<br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"> <br /></h3></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3></div></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-7409318914717379442023-03-15T07:27:00.005-07:002023-03-15T07:27:52.831-07:00Card Madness 2023: Round 1, Part 2<div style="text-align: left;">Last night, the NCAA tournament played its first two games. Here on Bump and Run Card Madness, we had our first region's worth of games in Round 1. We have 11 more match-ups in Round 1. Since the Phillies have a bye this round, we have three regional showdowns to see today. Here is our bracket as of now:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2i3nD1xr_EfkvNNtjm9joEge4hqcYgjqfU7GmbJ-TT_hZWQnVVbA6ZtsyjWNcbd75fwf-KVhpW5VljbsbgfTur8HOxN2qJOjUHGkZPTmL6mIIu6MO1m3qK7HBaUj6CLfcFP1OUZSLn4f9Uv8ElB_SpPT05J6ZU0LD2N_Ozub_VNBBXTp9nzC5SVPFA/s4878/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(7).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="4878" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2i3nD1xr_EfkvNNtjm9joEge4hqcYgjqfU7GmbJ-TT_hZWQnVVbA6ZtsyjWNcbd75fwf-KVhpW5VljbsbgfTur8HOxN2qJOjUHGkZPTmL6mIIu6MO1m3qK7HBaUj6CLfcFP1OUZSLn4f9Uv8ElB_SpPT05J6ZU0LD2N_Ozub_VNBBXTp9nzC5SVPFA/w640-h440/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(7).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Chicago White Sox vs. Chicago Cubs</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB20KgZhieZ7P8hcaqpEd2dJOd7IhIuH84BSJcW10Va13R60k1oGnLHL4RVRuaGck0b3jj7ryOl65A9UIXLcOa7z03RyNxUSYl14EoS2IPqWsN1-gP7J48uxaI8eKqveHGQWei-tJNtW2rqSJM0Bwpn1y5wonhwH8v90nzg2C2RzsRPCDKdex2hfkkeA/s940/Blank%20diagram%20(22).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="940" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB20KgZhieZ7P8hcaqpEd2dJOd7IhIuH84BSJcW10Va13R60k1oGnLHL4RVRuaGck0b3jj7ryOl65A9UIXLcOa7z03RyNxUSYl14EoS2IPqWsN1-gP7J48uxaI8eKqveHGQWei-tJNtW2rqSJM0Bwpn1y5wonhwH8v90nzg2C2RzsRPCDKdex2hfkkeA/w640-h382/Blank%20diagram%20(22).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">1981 Donruss #160 LaMarr Hoyt vs. 2006 Ultra Diamond Producers #DP14 Derrek Lee</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"> </h4><div style="text-align: left;">Windy City rivals square off. The South Siders bring former All-Star pitcher LaMarr Hoyt on his (and Donruss's) debut card. Sweet-swinging first baseman Derrek Lee represents the North Side. I've always liked the early years of Donruss with the year in the corner. It's a good photo with old Comiskey Park in the background. I think it comes out a wash with an insert that has a so-so design. Both were good players. Hoyt boasts one All-Star appearance and the 1983 Cy Young. Lee counters with two All-Star appearances, three Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and a batting title. Even without considering that Derrek Lee was my favorite player at the time this card was produced, Lee's career was longer and more impressive in the end.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Cubs</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hIejXlaqKjaoH1WU0I3fL0-Jst1_QJ1DdTNvoDg6uhFM_8889xAk5nka9TYt9zXgtpTHv0IwYqbNe3k81HIxIAWuDbdG7uLi7EVSyF3nwesRha3Qhc_jHPvE-pnx8CX8wKzdpP28mbwgEhYZrco7l1LHMS6OmK3e2LJEjSq8MSChiDxO_jPsd80u3g/s799/Blank%20diagram%20(23).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="799" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hIejXlaqKjaoH1WU0I3fL0-Jst1_QJ1DdTNvoDg6uhFM_8889xAk5nka9TYt9zXgtpTHv0IwYqbNe3k81HIxIAWuDbdG7uLi7EVSyF3nwesRha3Qhc_jHPvE-pnx8CX8wKzdpP28mbwgEhYZrco7l1LHMS6OmK3e2LJEjSq8MSChiDxO_jPsd80u3g/w640-h448/Blank%20diagram%20(23).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">2022 Topps Opening Day #24 Franmil Reyes vs. 1995 Ultra Gold Medallion #57 Bob Hamelin </h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">This AL Central showdown features two players with similar career WAR. Hamelin has a higher OPS, while Reyes hits more homers, but the career WAR is similar. Hamelin gets a point for being in my Rookie of the Year collection and for being a classic Ultra Gold Medallion. But something is so appealing about the Reyes. I think 2022 Topps was my favorite Flagship in a few years. The colors, the quiet celebration, and the design all pull together to make a pretty attractive card. I'm choosing that one.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Guardians</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: New York Mets vs. Texas Rangers</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa7SOORZPJUn2HYVTejbmvJXqxFqIPc96jijWEQeEwU2DBSFX06_9DIUq5LZUUgmEHHEI4BaIm6BB5Igdner6_guvtnkT83QLOWMnelxvonOpkiLPFuCWApk-PyYNKLpLj2lKrYP-XOU6eBT6SzHko_6Z6kJyqdr1lAQDp6hjUGnlkPwwmkk5a8u_Fw/s817/Blank%20diagram%20(24).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="817" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa7SOORZPJUn2HYVTejbmvJXqxFqIPc96jijWEQeEwU2DBSFX06_9DIUq5LZUUgmEHHEI4BaIm6BB5Igdner6_guvtnkT83QLOWMnelxvonOpkiLPFuCWApk-PyYNKLpLj2lKrYP-XOU6eBT6SzHko_6Z6kJyqdr1lAQDp6hjUGnlkPwwmkk5a8u_Fw/w640-h438/Blank%20diagram%20(24).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">1991 Topps #60 Frank Viola vs. 2014 Donruss #215 Yu Darvish</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"> </h4><div style="text-align: left;">This was a tight match-up. Both Frank Viola and Yu Darvish spent at least a few years of their careers with star status. Both had a few subpar seasons, as well. Viola took home a Cy Young, so there's an advantage for him there. 1991 Topps is one of my favorites, while the short-printed Diamond King subset in 2014 Donruss is pretty good, too. The lack of licensing on this Panini card is glaring to me, though. On the basis of hardware, nostalgia, and logos, I give the nod to Frank Viola and the Mets.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Mets</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">We're halfway done with our first round. Like the NCAA tournament, we'll have our Sweet 16 by the end of this weekend.<br /> <br /></div></div></div></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-18858800680523287382023-03-14T12:53:00.002-07:002023-03-14T12:53:32.626-07:00Card Madness 2023: Baseball Edition (Round 1)<p>Last year's Card Madness featured a tournament of NFL teams using randomly selected cards from my collection. As evidence of my impartiality, the Minnesota Vikings were crowned NFL Card Madness champions. This year, I'm going to switch it up a little and hold a Major League Baseball tournament. Here's how it works: I seeded every MLB team based on last season's results. World Series participants Astros and Phillies earned first-round byes. I used the random card feature on TCDB to select one card from each team to face off against the opponent. The judging of the matchup will be subjective, but I may consider the quality of the player's career, the visual attractiveness of the card, the collectibility of the card, or even card condition. I will declare the winner and update the bracket. A new card will be chosen to represent the team in each round. Here is the field:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lLJxAKfQRglQaUkrDGsCFQ3Q2YLmS_jk5IfgjBz6okGR7Dmo4MpRXc2MaBFt4F6EYi0jUSGkajDhPlG4MUBu7OHgxD3d_7iGXTPNnXNRXQZcePhvlWy_3NqvnvP6aVEjD8j0zEgII1LERMeeCCa0Wa8-Nc7zQbEXaMOlxkRQwUrhOjiSKdzEvGWsuQ/s4885/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(6).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3357" data-original-width="4885" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lLJxAKfQRglQaUkrDGsCFQ3Q2YLmS_jk5IfgjBz6okGR7Dmo4MpRXc2MaBFt4F6EYi0jUSGkajDhPlG4MUBu7OHgxD3d_7iGXTPNnXNRXQZcePhvlWy_3NqvnvP6aVEjD8j0zEgII1LERMeeCCa0Wa8-Nc7zQbEXaMOlxkRQwUrhOjiSKdzEvGWsuQ/w640-h440/Card%20Madness%20Bracket%20(6).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Which team will be collection champions? Let's start the Madness.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: San Francisco Giants vs. Minnesota Twins</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69N5Vd44x87Gpd_XwK4BHEnB0GSrtGlo_QdCuqfml571weweBUBuOmPD-Hz8719G_RLebBM5JoZlGYfiBpMUV3KKbbojGa2HgQ-Jsdjr3rGHy2wFNCIOBRahif3IvbdlAHxHJh2mTJnqJ_OGhKXZlDoIFIBgcs3-VuaRBJ7vWSTparcnFer0-WjrlPA/s815/Blank%20diagram%20(15).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="815" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69N5Vd44x87Gpd_XwK4BHEnB0GSrtGlo_QdCuqfml571weweBUBuOmPD-Hz8719G_RLebBM5JoZlGYfiBpMUV3KKbbojGa2HgQ-Jsdjr3rGHy2wFNCIOBRahif3IvbdlAHxHJh2mTJnqJ_OGhKXZlDoIFIBgcs3-VuaRBJ7vWSTparcnFer0-WjrlPA/w640-h440/Blank%20diagram%20(15).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">1993 Topps Colorado Rockies Inaugural Edition #698 Ted Wood vs. 2005 Bowman Chrome Refractor #149 Trevor Plouffe</h4><div style="text-align: left;">Neither player here was any kind of star, but at least Plouffe ended up with a positive career WAR (7.2 to Wood's -1.0). The Rockies Inaugural will always be a treasure in my collection, but this card doesn't represent it well. All of the orange and black with a splash of yellow just doesn't do anything for me. Not to mention that the picture is goofy and unflattering. Refractors, on the other hand, always do something for me. If this were a base Bowman card, I'm not sure it could overcome the 1993 set. But the stronger player on a refractor will give Minnesota the win.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Twins</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4diV6I73fZembRuYKpPybi5Ig1tsmIzIM3CaxMh5YHBRw3t7aH2iphLkItu4A1rJyV6N5wUh6uzeGbhqVyIuB7txzoIBT2Nxg2Boc5VIY6x2bdoeyCxjfx2mBXNG2LYctnrJVUJsxMj30E_T8zi2XgXQOrOXToWAxCg_zVBN_AKHDlnf_NUYDKGRHjw/s951/Blank%20diagram%20(16).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="951" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4diV6I73fZembRuYKpPybi5Ig1tsmIzIM3CaxMh5YHBRw3t7aH2iphLkItu4A1rJyV6N5wUh6uzeGbhqVyIuB7txzoIBT2Nxg2Boc5VIY6x2bdoeyCxjfx2mBXNG2LYctnrJVUJsxMj30E_T8zi2XgXQOrOXToWAxCg_zVBN_AKHDlnf_NUYDKGRHjw/w640-h376/Blank%20diagram%20(16).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>1997 New Pinnacle #100 Randy Johnson vs. 2013 Triple Play #27</h4><div style="text-align: left;">This decision doesn't take much thought. Hall of Fame pitcher in clean, glossy full-bleed design? Or a middle-of-the-road outfielder on an all-time bad, corny, cartoony, set? I'll think I take Randy Johnson and move on.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Mariners</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Round 1: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Colorado Rockies</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjdgW7AJ8vkZ3URYAFxOJo5oxT4_trUU9DNveeS2JizMoW3vLVshaulW71QWUfgpVSUbvVKxZ9sdT9HqCaoJEictvLTSxcdq3VFY4f1H6LbWEa8m9UlFTrLr84in8nJfiaUDFV1b-4v06CHu32fFqvgtxUOhhG4HQy1BQ3Uj0drXO77nfJ-KNYF2WGQ/s1087/Blank%20diagram%20(17).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="1087" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjdgW7AJ8vkZ3URYAFxOJo5oxT4_trUU9DNveeS2JizMoW3vLVshaulW71QWUfgpVSUbvVKxZ9sdT9HqCaoJEictvLTSxcdq3VFY4f1H6LbWEa8m9UlFTrLr84in8nJfiaUDFV1b-4v06CHu32fFqvgtxUOhhG4HQy1BQ3Uj0drXO77nfJ-KNYF2WGQ/w640-h246/Blank%20diagram%20(17).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2004 Fleer Legacy #43 Scott Rolen vs. 2008 Stadium Club #56 Garrett Atkins</h4><div style="text-align: left;">Two horizontal cards squaring off here. I like the Stadium Club look much more than the Fleer Legacy. Everything on the Rolen card looks blurry to me and the border is ugly and obtrusive. However, Scott Rolen had a long, solid career that culminated in a Hall of Fame induction this year. Garrett Atkins had a pretty good three-year peak, but even his best was not much than Rolen's worst. In this case, the player carries the day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Winner: </b>Cardinals</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With the Houston bye, we only have three match-ups on our opening day of Card Madness. Tomorrow, we'll continue Round 1 by looking at a different region.<br /></div></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"> <br /></h4></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-78670357776202504212023-03-06T12:39:00.002-08:002023-03-06T12:39:49.420-08:002023: Year of Project Completion<div style="text-align: left;">I tend to collect in projects. Yes, I'm a Packers/Cubs/BYU fan and will always take new cards of those teams. I try to build a set or two in both football and baseball each year. Those are the kinds of collecting habits that many people have and wouldn't interest too many people unless they also liked cards. But I also love to use my collection to curate history that means something to me. It's these projects that actually get a, "That's kind of cool," reaction from my friends who aren't collectors. Some of my projects include:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>One page of every player on the NFL's All-Decade team (1980s, 1990s, 2000s)</li><li>The same for the 2010s All-Decade Team, but with different collecting rules for myself</li><li>One page of every MLB All-Star Game MVP</li><li>One page of every MLB Rookie of the Year, including at least one card featuring each team they played for in their career</li><li>One card of every player to ever make a Major League All-Star Game</li><li>One page of every Heisman winner (in their college uniform) <br /></li><li>One card (with certain parameters) of every player on the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team</li><li>A 9-pocket team of every NFL team's best players ever (my Franchise Nine)</li><li>A collection consisting of the three best players to ever wear each number in Major League Baseball</li></ul>I've been doing some reflection on my collection as I can see the light at the end of most of these projects' tunnels. Once I have finished my Rookie of the Year project, am I really interested in accumulating more cards of, say, Vince Coleman? Do I really care to have more Jamal Lewises when my All-2000s team is done? If not, where do I focus my collecting interests after a decade of trying to work on specific collections like this?</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't have the answers. But I do know that my collecting goal for this year is to put as many of these projects to bed as I can. To that end, I've already made two Sportlots box buys this year. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAz7xvgRX4rXhcrZwqRzz07ftuPb_x2VRoFCl96mvqoyECgZWsfQeGAvH0S61fINDbNGrR195ab3ryqQY6EdLCTMPI6eANQAwOBHQHfdl8Yrm1pxo8O9GnhwXtk9DkdIt-3HWxmPMjpWUQhx79vnotpd145LFcjcp3fQuw5oo6J56mKelyxsi3-74QTQ/s2346/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20barber.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="2346" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAz7xvgRX4rXhcrZwqRzz07ftuPb_x2VRoFCl96mvqoyECgZWsfQeGAvH0S61fINDbNGrR195ab3ryqQY6EdLCTMPI6eANQAwOBHQHfdl8Yrm1pxo8O9GnhwXtk9DkdIt-3HWxmPMjpWUQhx79vnotpd145LFcjcp3fQuw5oo6J56mKelyxsi3-74QTQ/w465-h432/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20barber.jpeg" width="465" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX-DJba7x8nC3ZpY6V8XT8NGpfq1UNPjjAGndPNoR662UDYjqrjH3C0kLA8v73vnoYcqCONH87Pd2P_5ztHZlwwaYMEE_9iRGXv952Kqo5y6xy7m5JXc8gyh9i-vB1S6G5P9J0l-o015k2Mw4pVPGhG_Hk17pZQQyBvhIkXCtA3JP5ECdLED7JFvGpg/s3040/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20db.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3040" data-original-width="2412" height="585" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX-DJba7x8nC3ZpY6V8XT8NGpfq1UNPjjAGndPNoR662UDYjqrjH3C0kLA8v73vnoYcqCONH87Pd2P_5ztHZlwwaYMEE_9iRGXv952Kqo5y6xy7m5JXc8gyh9i-vB1S6G5P9J0l-o015k2Mw4pVPGhG_Hk17pZQQyBvhIkXCtA3JP5ECdLED7JFvGpg/w465-h585/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20db.jpeg" width="465" /></a></div>These assorted defensive backs from the 2000s All-Decade Team filled all of the last slots in their pages. Ronde Barber, Ty Law, and Brian Dawkins--done!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-Noh42Wfw_QYgqVMGlx1uJIopdH0Viae8tgrAMrOtkMICG7Ve1sxUJIWCWqTDiEMQX9UxMYn8UUgxqElHLDlDzhz2GDRNE2j58rKgXLDDUmmUhCo7ZhjnyBuVG35i2rrSoBCSYbTdcc5XP2c1ar8KobwN8DkvAaCiUDtvrxzxNfaA6oDQOnTKLODkQ/s3309/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20pit.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3309" data-original-width="2358" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-Noh42Wfw_QYgqVMGlx1uJIopdH0Viae8tgrAMrOtkMICG7Ve1sxUJIWCWqTDiEMQX9UxMYn8UUgxqElHLDlDzhz2GDRNE2j58rKgXLDDUmmUhCo7ZhjnyBuVG35i2rrSoBCSYbTdcc5XP2c1ar8KobwN8DkvAaCiUDtvrxzxNfaA6oDQOnTKLODkQ/w456-h640/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20pit.jpeg" width="456" /></a></div>Another 2000s DB, Troy Polamalu, and his Steeler defense teammate, Joey Porter--also done.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbt2N9rk5XzJ0h2vNCOiLCzFhMbq9p-M0StmZd9J2KJ0OASAO7_ZRAQkintRhl-3LZvzgak8mOUAfPY05XjJAj__1IMhBEHB6VKS-hALFiihux4lL6j2edgKT1D-qkeqYggQAVfpAun9fBRDtIuV0TEfoHbSXu3fMZW96c1gT9R0dnnzzQhtf1MQsYCA/s3094/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20def.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3094" data-original-width="2334" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbt2N9rk5XzJ0h2vNCOiLCzFhMbq9p-M0StmZd9J2KJ0OASAO7_ZRAQkintRhl-3LZvzgak8mOUAfPY05XjJAj__1IMhBEHB6VKS-hALFiihux4lL6j2edgKT1D-qkeqYggQAVfpAun9fBRDtIuV0TEfoHbSXu3fMZW96c1gT9R0dnnzzQhtf1MQsYCA/w482-h640/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20def.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><p>Another couple of 2000s defenders--Richard Seymour and Derrick Brooks--have completely full pages now, as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuq4pA13QSx7KswV_-76zvpcP_GF9padEuYF-75frwhEXlzaV9Ycxw_urFLhEtwAHAFdvjo5oybKmodAjhz4YpjI6NeGHDPqHPc7ZyyJT_3BE2lgZEQ-6GkmQbtmOewG2OYV4RQhEiZ0-7w_KID0xQlfAviwiDcULnf_y83-fpaKSoT3Bs0xlGchxLaw/s2681/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20oline.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2681" data-original-width="1975" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuq4pA13QSx7KswV_-76zvpcP_GF9padEuYF-75frwhEXlzaV9Ycxw_urFLhEtwAHAFdvjo5oybKmodAjhz4YpjI6NeGHDPqHPc7ZyyJT_3BE2lgZEQ-6GkmQbtmOewG2OYV4RQhEiZ0-7w_KID0xQlfAviwiDcULnf_y83-fpaKSoT3Bs0xlGchxLaw/w472-h640/sportlots%20jan23%2000s%20oline.jpeg" width="472" /></a></div><p>Offensive linemen and specialists are the hardest to find. Bears' center Olin Kreutz's page is now complete. Punter Brian Moorman is done. This Larry Allen was used to complete his 1990s All-Decade page. That was the final card needed in that entire binder. Now he still has just one slot in the 2000s binder. Allen's one empty space plus three more on Alan Faneca's page make up all the empty spaces in that binder. Four cards away from a complete All-2000s Team binder!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbdckQv_0g_EMv0seblMQBzWT603Y5iFod8g6ijduD62fWF91iykJw4WNlilvJTDepHjQsGK_uTadP5ivYPamb8bxAFpAb_H8KCj4vkYNC5v-6sErOCYWv4UTDw7GUPMpmLhPm4GO_VFDOdzEz1oLpiPkXKhc2e_LGsqNgt74JXgPcvs7JhItvH7yVQ/s2382/sportlots%20jan23%2080s.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2238" data-original-width="2382" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbdckQv_0g_EMv0seblMQBzWT603Y5iFod8g6ijduD62fWF91iykJw4WNlilvJTDepHjQsGK_uTadP5ivYPamb8bxAFpAb_H8KCj4vkYNC5v-6sErOCYWv4UTDw7GUPMpmLhPm4GO_VFDOdzEz1oLpiPkXKhc2e_LGsqNgt74JXgPcvs7JhItvH7yVQ/w485-h457/sportlots%20jan23%2080s.jpeg" width="485" /></a></div> <p></p><p>My 1980s binder has a few more blank spaces. Some of them will probably never be filled, just because there aren't enough cards out of some guys to even fill a full page. These cards polished off Randy White's page and brought Lee Roy Selmon's to within two.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkKbnledldGMl5SrhE2ETcjmnVS_q5UtLjbD6aqSI9V0loUG-zCCUpDe0wqIUBPlSTy2zVVg314M7XxRQR_FO8DJ-yRqbAczzWRNZkdHuDv3UYLeSOZKjab8f97Y588xghay84QtK1BDUNLt_jj6eyLduiRy2wfEGFb8bO9mgElHN2IINvhTf778s2w/s2340/sportlots%20jan23%20bbcoll.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2190" data-original-width="2340" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkKbnledldGMl5SrhE2ETcjmnVS_q5UtLjbD6aqSI9V0loUG-zCCUpDe0wqIUBPlSTy2zVVg314M7XxRQR_FO8DJ-yRqbAczzWRNZkdHuDv3UYLeSOZKjab8f97Y588xghay84QtK1BDUNLt_jj6eyLduiRy2wfEGFb8bO9mgElHN2IINvhTf778s2w/w520-h486/sportlots%20jan23%20bbcoll.jpeg" width="520" /></a></div><p>On the baseball side, many of those pages are getting filled, too. Here are two recent award winners in my collection. None of these are base cards, with the gold star parallels coming from factory sets, I believe. The 582 Montgomery was a parallel to be found in packs. Not to be confused with the 582 Montgomery club box set that Topps sold, featuring cards with more than just a foil stamp on them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij15irIJ0IBjYWQwI2L2CnLciT68duocIyY98yGUbxQGLCvb7-pAHOA4fIWIlrkYGqzPDO7hQE917hzdelY_cdRpneRs18bfgItrY2Ll8Ce3a45q32d1KkYbqIEl0XrEtrukfWBpTPhTy8WVQPScbBt9OeA3mKjBTb9Eq-Qz-QDPglzQ5SGs6B8UHVJg/s3220/sportlots%20jan23%20byu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3220" data-original-width="2424" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij15irIJ0IBjYWQwI2L2CnLciT68duocIyY98yGUbxQGLCvb7-pAHOA4fIWIlrkYGqzPDO7hQE917hzdelY_cdRpneRs18bfgItrY2Ll8Ce3a45q32d1KkYbqIEl0XrEtrukfWBpTPhTy8WVQPScbBt9OeA3mKjBTb9Eq-Qz-QDPglzQ5SGs6B8UHVJg/w482-h640/sportlots%20jan23%20byu.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><p>Of course, I do still have my team interests. Here are BYU (and SUU) alumni that I picked up from the Sportlots order.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5KCBaWsWica7M2EPCdwrtkhw7XGwsspwKNZmOT0vtKP15hmqdXnzFSUYkjjj6kYiMnyFSo43TdWohx6oZp2yqGsvvF1Q4ve9PNesfo-h6jTYmItcSgFNQHIUIQE5nD0foGmkmCWobNK-ynswJD3J2HH-gR48Vf-103dLyAhZoU_HHtfVqDYyEqnr9w/s2340/sportlots%20jan23%20set1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1891" data-original-width="2340" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5KCBaWsWica7M2EPCdwrtkhw7XGwsspwKNZmOT0vtKP15hmqdXnzFSUYkjjj6kYiMnyFSo43TdWohx6oZp2yqGsvvF1Q4ve9PNesfo-h6jTYmItcSgFNQHIUIQE5nD0foGmkmCWobNK-ynswJD3J2HH-gR48Vf-103dLyAhZoU_HHtfVqDYyEqnr9w/w495-h401/sportlots%20jan23%20set1.jpeg" width="495" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWhEb5JHuCjgZLuhQhp-eNHb4r8Km8tTUFxnjkl9qb7mdTLjZy8KVw3meXnszaW0wXzyU3rFC7LH9wTslp1J8PRl9e6HsJa9FG7E-7-fauW5O-djSK1q-kYlJ51oqcfooj8ySwiB7eGat_g6X1teoEI03jNINAAHh2xpK0woiOHsihhzRSXGuuO3bZA/s2358/sportlots%20jan23%20set2.jpeg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2154" data-original-width="2358" height="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWhEb5JHuCjgZLuhQhp-eNHb4r8Km8tTUFxnjkl9qb7mdTLjZy8KVw3meXnszaW0wXzyU3rFC7LH9wTslp1J8PRl9e6HsJa9FG7E-7-fauW5O-djSK1q-kYlJ51oqcfooj8ySwiB7eGat_g6X1teoEI03jNINAAHh2xpK0woiOHsihhzRSXGuuO3bZA/w479-h437/sportlots%20jan23%20set2.jpeg.jpeg" width="479" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSRFZMwa22jAtGZ7VdmVXEkOXOwlYo597GJaMh-_L0C_BjuVHDEXjbEeAa7HWYiQAagzPl8jRjmJzVvX6xtUWrr7JaWH7uyCu_6ROsSYlgw6DGm9hdSZr-D955eue0GGmTAMg63fhZduX9hgRFWgPzmF79igM988J1_-fRNCeXYev-T23I3Vw912dwA/s2340/sportlots%20jan23%20set3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="2340" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSRFZMwa22jAtGZ7VdmVXEkOXOwlYo597GJaMh-_L0C_BjuVHDEXjbEeAa7HWYiQAagzPl8jRjmJzVvX6xtUWrr7JaWH7uyCu_6ROsSYlgw6DGm9hdSZr-D955eue0GGmTAMg63fhZduX9hgRFWgPzmF79igM988J1_-fRNCeXYev-T23I3Vw912dwA/w471-h225/sportlots%20jan23%20set3.jpeg" width="471" /></a></div>And finally, I can't forget about my various set builds. Speaking of closing out projects, the Bricks and Ivy card kills off my 2016 Topps 100 Years of Wrigley insert set. Done!<br /><p>So this year I'm going to focus on completing projects. I think I'll be able to polish off the All-Decade Teams, the All-Star Game MVPs, and the Rookies of the Year. They are all down to a maximum of a couple dozen cards needed in the binder (but mostly less than that). Some of them--like the Heisman, Franchise 9, and jersey numbers--are all but finished anyway. That will basically leave me with the NFL All-Time Team and about 600 MLB All-Stars to track down. Even those seem feasible by the end of the year. So where will my collecting attention turn then? I'm not sure. But for now, I know that my Sportlots, COMC, or wherever else shopping will lead me closer to completing these projects each time.<br /></p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-69559738588425287852023-01-27T13:46:00.001-08:002023-01-27T13:46:15.469-08:00Rookie of the Year Spotlight: Scott Rolen<p>Some
of the collections I have been working on over the years are starting
to get filled out and my goals are being reached. As a result, I'm
starting to slow down a little when it comes to acquiring many cards for
some of my mini-collections. Now that the collection is feeling more
and more complete, I wanted to start showcasing the cards I have, player
by player.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">One
such collection is my Rookie of the Year collection. I love collecting
players who have won the award as the top newcomer in each league. This
wasn't born of hot rookie hype and the desire to prospect. Rather, I
became fascinated thinking about the careers of guys like Eric Karros,
Jerome Walton, and Tim Salmon, who experienced varying degrees of
success but may not have become superstars. I thought it would be fun to
have a collection that chronicles the individual career journeys of
rookie stars--whether they burned bright and flamed out quickly,
regressed to the mean, or wended their way to Cooperstown.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: center;"></div></div>My
goal has been to fill a binder page for each player who won the award
in my lifetime and to fill a row for older players. I may expand that
later as I expand my vintage collection. The ultimate goal of my binder
is to show a card from every different uniform the player wore, from
fresh-faced rookie to grizzled vet. This series is to commemorate each
Rookie of the Year's career and show my collection of their cards. I
have a randomized list of winners that I use to determine the order of
these posts, but for the second time in a row, I'm going away from that order. Today we highlight<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Scott Rolen<br /></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0M5saAwQiLaAEp-aMIjJAK8OwbgHlMLMA9-A9Ypf40ZvQ8mXvxNx-Wv3aX1QNe-EO3hY81WPk1C5Nn5Td1mQuxe4uHYEy5HdgrpBshOhn0um9Xt9EF8osIT947nKPbKYaPCgMVh7v3TMLtki6VyCuSXq7ZtUKgIn8TIhv-FW7TNFQRUMms04x3YFe8w/s2338/Rolen,%20S%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2338" data-original-width="1700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0M5saAwQiLaAEp-aMIjJAK8OwbgHlMLMA9-A9Ypf40ZvQ8mXvxNx-Wv3aX1QNe-EO3hY81WPk1C5Nn5Td1mQuxe4uHYEy5HdgrpBshOhn0um9Xt9EF8osIT947nKPbKYaPCgMVh7v3TMLtki6VyCuSXq7ZtUKgIn8TIhv-FW7TNFQRUMms04x3YFe8w/w466-h640/Rolen,%20S%201.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"></h2><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">It's not every day that I get to do one of my regular series posts on the guy who is the talk of baseball at the moment. Well, one of the topics of conversation, at least. Scott Rolen was just elected to the Hall of Fame, to be officially inducted alongside one of my other collecting project PCs, Fred McGriff.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rolen broke into the Bigs in 1996, appearing in 37 games for the Phillies and putting out a .254/.322/.400 slash line. He remained on the roster in 1997, becoming the full-time 3rd baseman for the club. His 1997 season saw him hit 21 HRs with a strong OPS of .846 over 156 games. It was enough to earn him all the first-place Rookie of the Year votes in the National League. The two closest players behind him in the voting were Florida's Livan Hernandez and St. Louis' Matt Morris, who both received 25 total voting points--well behind Rolen's 140.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Though his rookie-year defense was the shakiest of his career (24 errors and a career-low .948 fielding percentage), it developed nicely in 1998. In his second season, he took home the first of his eight Gold Gloves. Not only that, but his OPS improved to .923, his home runs to 31, and he played in all but two games. Scott "Rockin'" Rolen's numbers stayed steady at the top of his position for the next 5 1/2 years before he finally got his first All-Star nod. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">It was just after that All-Star appearance in 2002 that Philadelphia traded him (along with Doug Nickle) to St. Louis for Placido Polanco, Bud Smith, and Mike Timlin. Over the next six seasons with the Cards, Rolen played in four more All-Star games, won three Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger, and finished as high as fourth in the MVP voting (2004). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the 2007 season, the Cardinals traded him to the Blue Jays in a swap of third basemen, receiving Troy Glaus in return. Though his play had declined in 2007, he bounced back in Toronto with a WAR over 3 in both of his seasons there. He was traded at the deadline in 2009, going to Cincinnati for Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke, and Zach Stewart. He played in Cincinnati until 2012. He retired after 2012 at the age of 37, but not before being named an All-Star at ages 35 and 36 with the Reds.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9rbDcjM9ZXJt--WPRUndsepYqK6igKfLtkDfmULMVlR5FCguqrW1yugnVJMaDoyuAGxZWINKoWbbalXJYn7igPc9QT6ID2oD0ApPsgLmkEi56ogZen5VbRj-_681ABRCgds34lE4ei7gqGEBRXe7GEoi4J9Mkic_vONeyo-fuThDNIpfwNGaTot9cQ/s1588/Rolen,%20S%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="1588" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9rbDcjM9ZXJt--WPRUndsepYqK6igKfLtkDfmULMVlR5FCguqrW1yugnVJMaDoyuAGxZWINKoWbbalXJYn7igPc9QT6ID2oD0ApPsgLmkEi56ogZen5VbRj-_681ABRCgds34lE4ei7gqGEBRXe7GEoi4J9Mkic_vONeyo-fuThDNIpfwNGaTot9cQ/w466-h427/Rolen,%20S%202.jpeg" width="466" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">For his career, Rolen slashed .281/.364/.490, picked up 2077 hits, and slugged 316 homers. He drove in 1287 runs, too. Those numbers aren't too shabby and earned him one Silver Slugger. However, he may have been even better known for his defense. In 2023 career games at third base (the only position he would play in the Majors), he finished with positive runs saved above average in every season but one. (Since the stat started being kept in 2003. He won eight Gold Gloves in his 17 seasons.<br /></div><p>To be completely honest, I remembered watching Rolen play and was impressed. Maybe it was because of my anti-St. Louis Cardinal bias. Or maybe it was because he never really led the league in anything. Either way, I didn't ever think much of his Hall of Fame candidacy. Seeing how solid and consistent he was throughout his career as I wrote this post, however, has opened my eyes. I think he was absolutely a good candidate and I'm glad to have a ROY PC of another Hall of Fame player. He makes the 19th former Rookie of the Year to make it to Cooperstown.</p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-27388326884995183702023-01-20T12:28:00.004-08:002023-01-20T12:54:47.343-08:00The Joy of a Year's Worth of Completed Sets<div style="text-align: left;">Since the time that I apparently decided I was a bit of a set collector, around five years ago, I have kept track of the final card of each set. To me, it's a fun exercise to look back at which card was the most elusive and see how many sets were knocked off my needs list each year. I've found that I tend to finish off around a dozen sets in a typical year (many of them small insert sets), with 2020 being a high point of 27 and 2021 a low point of seven. 2022 rode the flow back to a higher point, with 17 sets completed. Here is a review of those sets I put to bed last year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">2021 Topps Opening Day</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">220 cards; Last card: #218 Daniel Johnson</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAqpIqXwJ_VaLz6JdOrvtHJ-mAIgqzrsl3tBU7SIbTOew-oXVSpbSTLMKbWjMk_Nre3bfs5m2h8RPuORLdvEeNM06nLNXLQdcNIydv5GO197KwgpBC7hsGTAMx0g1QASxLSmNnpCMrTwGYap5UMg5W7wHvwoHcHa1IGX9WREmzCTKA-IGObUMlCd6QA/s350/252523-16226632RepFr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="251" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAqpIqXwJ_VaLz6JdOrvtHJ-mAIgqzrsl3tBU7SIbTOew-oXVSpbSTLMKbWjMk_Nre3bfs5m2h8RPuORLdvEeNM06nLNXLQdcNIydv5GO197KwgpBC7hsGTAMx0g1QASxLSmNnpCMrTwGYap5UMg5W7wHvwoHcHa1IGX9WREmzCTKA-IGObUMlCd6QA/s320/252523-16226632RepFr.jpg" width="229" /></a></div></h4><div style="text-align: left;">It used to be that a box of Opening Day yielded a complete set. For the last few years, that hasn't been the case. After my box of 2021 Opening Day, Daniel Johnson was the last card I tracked down.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">2015 Score Gridiron Heritage</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">25 cards; Last card: #16 Ozzie Newsome</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ86q0iAop-d4UPSHeVnaRjgtaAEKszqMA9lPoxOeD3_6WRXXD5fPSGobFL7EDg6W-csH3YVNHegZG-T1_Yifvs33DPJJokmqyHfhcHTk9HdO7BhAdRDCuB9UTi2cFH5AenFt7jdrodyAzXdWjAvhVoTXQN-uxA6hkEsFZDJkuSOXSjMoeieFgnj33_w/s350/113421-35450985Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ86q0iAop-d4UPSHeVnaRjgtaAEKszqMA9lPoxOeD3_6WRXXD5fPSGobFL7EDg6W-csH3YVNHegZG-T1_Yifvs33DPJJokmqyHfhcHTk9HdO7BhAdRDCuB9UTi2cFH5AenFt7jdrodyAzXdWjAvhVoTXQN-uxA6hkEsFZDJkuSOXSjMoeieFgnj33_w/s320/113421-35450985Fr.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">2016 Panini</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">300 cards; Last card: #285 Paul Perkins</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0zDKZ5Pr7BK4JgH5cqW9TOATW0W4-zGBLEw3J6BcvDUy5W_R_AFlmA7nu97mqt3ULcBIihJ1J-q0u4GRwTvcMQp-l6B5aJva_S1UjjojGOXl-7pGS2uf3fM3k9dRCo4uYgjN3soDCdlLrjOzJJWPt0Lkn-SrZ_qPlaynGYqGN20p_mFOk5mmmD0fuQ/s350/132262-8828854Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="251" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0zDKZ5Pr7BK4JgH5cqW9TOATW0W4-zGBLEw3J6BcvDUy5W_R_AFlmA7nu97mqt3ULcBIihJ1J-q0u4GRwTvcMQp-l6B5aJva_S1UjjojGOXl-7pGS2uf3fM3k9dRCo4uYgjN3soDCdlLrjOzJJWPt0Lkn-SrZ_qPlaynGYqGN20p_mFOk5mmmD0fuQ/s320/132262-8828854Fr.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>I took my time on this set, opting only to pick up the missing rookies when I found them for less than 75 cents. Ironically, Perkins was the last card I needed--but the foil parallel has been in my collection since I broke my first box of the product 6 years before completing the set.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">1998 Fleer Tradition</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">250 cards; Last card: #182 Derrick Rodgers</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B5N2sxrK9mNsPxuilqRpp6bGgJLksLI_sTUAcW_bMvzBiv_p5P8j1O3ZvdKL75h1LS8oUlAz183SfiDu_ss5FSFtCBaDBz1D5d2XQLWkxfEPDUBIG_BjXDkf0lMN6ptd7dHgyvfs2wyVBb_q0o6XU_2Pg_WRInay53oVy7UIN5h128WYRE3cKPmwlA/s350/4213-936235Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="350" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B5N2sxrK9mNsPxuilqRpp6bGgJLksLI_sTUAcW_bMvzBiv_p5P8j1O3ZvdKL75h1LS8oUlAz183SfiDu_ss5FSFtCBaDBz1D5d2XQLWkxfEPDUBIG_BjXDkf0lMN6ptd7dHgyvfs2wyVBb_q0o6XU_2Pg_WRInay53oVy7UIN5h128WYRE3cKPmwlA/s320/4213-936235Fr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;"> This set was part of my mission to complete one set for every year that I have been collecting. By 1998, I was barely collecting. But I wanted to keep the complete set streak years going. I wasn't sure about 1998 because of the big rookies in the year (Peyton Manning, Randy Moss, Charles Woodson, etc.) I was able to find them pretty easily and inexpensively for this set. The streak will stop at 2000, though. There's no Tom Brady rookie I could afford.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">2012 Leaf National Convention</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">90 cards; Last card: ??</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4rrVPpsTAekMnQzvJuhvBlO0UatYqsr1rMpjbe2xNNKOldCy0nechX19OWf8h4JNjh6dtt0wi8aqwdJEr-2h96PuU-3sYUNggyF-MivX1eMp-7OwxDlgF0Oo-x8bxubngka8idUXFSF9GKUixYSWUZjN7L8pdDbM4wnd2dOblJjqAQiQIIg-Xc36Cg/s3507/2012%20Leaf%20National%205.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4rrVPpsTAekMnQzvJuhvBlO0UatYqsr1rMpjbe2xNNKOldCy0nechX19OWf8h4JNjh6dtt0wi8aqwdJEr-2h96PuU-3sYUNggyF-MivX1eMp-7OwxDlgF0Oo-x8bxubngka8idUXFSF9GKUixYSWUZjN7L8pdDbM4wnd2dOblJjqAQiQIIg-Xc36Cg/w466-h640/2012%20Leaf%20National%205.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div>This is an interesting one. I bought this oddball multi-sport set from ebay because I'd never seen it before. The listing said it was a 98-card set. But when I went to enter it into TCDB, I discovered that it was listed as 100 cards on the database. I was missing Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson. However, I've still been unable to even verify the existence of those cards. So, was it a 98-card set and TCDB has an incorrect checklist, or am I to search forever for Faulk and Dickerson?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">2021 Panini Prestige</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">300 cards; Last card: --</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgvj6Y1DnRQBlrj0sAOpRJ2m6yw-GNTV-T-wdur4slWXeinJvZ80Vju3tmsltvfPpDrOIKNQHeFioRKjA_9OcZ2Wf873BSzGnmXyA3AmIFQyMjTDegnvBYSVsc-pyg-8ZoTqyjLrGzsdp65K8dShTl_bRdF0se8pTfFFKXC6aU2NT_8xHfAjAaZ6ayQ/s350/274984-16795982Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgvj6Y1DnRQBlrj0sAOpRJ2m6yw-GNTV-T-wdur4slWXeinJvZ80Vju3tmsltvfPpDrOIKNQHeFioRKjA_9OcZ2Wf873BSzGnmXyA3AmIFQyMjTDegnvBYSVsc-pyg-8ZoTqyjLrGzsdp65K8dShTl_bRdF0se8pTfFFKXC6aU2NT_8xHfAjAaZ6ayQ/s320/274984-16795982Fr.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>I didn't collect this set piecemeal. I bought the entire set in one fell swoop. Frankly, newer products have become so expensive as unopened products that I may have to complete many base sets by just buying complete sets.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">2012 Panini Cooperstown The Village</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">10 cards; Last card: NNO Otesaga Hotel</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeu9kLNB3AxcDgOO_KGhRr0VsMOAS9nHrfU4TDl_Cb4VQeNIjA1dBGVQ2QKRJCPhFG_XqcA1U3ymBspKbLEhepObPau7yU-ZT5loDshD3TF2iTbZPrmZMv3ip4VFLpHyOIbIZz3psyq7VKRFkZw0L72NeTmly-_dOFGL0tQAPhs1BdNe3uYe3Mkbu7g/s350/73310-5276134Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="350" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeu9kLNB3AxcDgOO_KGhRr0VsMOAS9nHrfU4TDl_Cb4VQeNIjA1dBGVQ2QKRJCPhFG_XqcA1U3ymBspKbLEhepObPau7yU-ZT5loDshD3TF2iTbZPrmZMv3ip4VFLpHyOIbIZz3psyq7VKRFkZw0L72NeTmly-_dOFGL0tQAPhs1BdNe3uYe3Mkbu7g/s320/73310-5276134Fr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a set that I thought I had completed years ago. Last year, I discovered one missing card and had to go back and finish it off. Someday I'll go to Cooperstown.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">1998 Pinnacle Mint</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">30 cards; Last card: #18 Cal Ripken, Jr.</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtRNZK2ibe2z3mtShtJnkMxEqZFEAPfUuc3u4ZoiRDObkyENqM_WryO0fZ2JHq0IuGreyfVA7H7MfwpaO1KCXJVIE7OAL2Pd86Zd-wbgmZEp0p2OL-6fk2OLC5YntPmzoC2iseejDV9lLJ46GXCVNRXY7RKgp4e7Z5XIvtVO-s8Xq8r-zVpMEJ3HMmA/s2073/1220221623.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1525" data-original-width="2073" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtRNZK2ibe2z3mtShtJnkMxEqZFEAPfUuc3u4ZoiRDObkyENqM_WryO0fZ2JHq0IuGreyfVA7H7MfwpaO1KCXJVIE7OAL2Pd86Zd-wbgmZEp0p2OL-6fk2OLC5YntPmzoC2iseejDV9lLJ46GXCVNRXY7RKgp4e7Z5XIvtVO-s8Xq8r-zVpMEJ3HMmA/s320/1220221623.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This was a fun one. I collected the base set--all of which have holes for the coins. I collected the brass coins, too. It just so happened that the last card and the last coin were the same. I picked up the coin first and it sat on my desk for a few weeks while I waited for the cardboard part. It was cool to unite the two to finish off the set. Both of them, actually.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">1992 Upper Deck MVP Holograms</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">54 cards; Last card:--</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTxNvo7YO1LNdlT-lMntg-mr1xI0tb3KZW-CF_uwRFDE0IqyvrWxy5T7zgFN4d39_lHDt55FmfEuUwKUpYhHq-4VQHYdkPdv5w3Wy2elyUonxefeIAxbyzmTiWXHzYItcVCCRAlTydwJ5o4VI3BGmqZXhLhoTwZeJ0BDKTaC6zey9ZNjxtpOwz0yAKA/s350/10283-35Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="350" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTxNvo7YO1LNdlT-lMntg-mr1xI0tb3KZW-CF_uwRFDE0IqyvrWxy5T7zgFN4d39_lHDt55FmfEuUwKUpYhHq-4VQHYdkPdv5w3Wy2elyUonxefeIAxbyzmTiWXHzYItcVCCRAlTydwJ5o4VI3BGmqZXhLhoTwZeJ0BDKTaC6zey9ZNjxtpOwz0yAKA/s320/10283-35Fr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This one is a boxed set I already posted about.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">1992 Fleer</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">720 cards; Last card: --</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfNWXWrt_StlXewOBmamWLC9IFZ8D40Ns9cUHEU0YbzPpawEj4VvKYSDxs79QIPkEZR1AxM6FKa5JSfgpEEM2woF3l7ETKNeeaGP2i9Q18Ch7VsVZbKWGDgiIcxZLwYBBaXeQKg5c8GLaXPkCZ4nuUlakZ48Cg9_fuNZRmCLUCkNe1MVrKba7Mokxdg/s350/183-89970RepFr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfNWXWrt_StlXewOBmamWLC9IFZ8D40Ns9cUHEU0YbzPpawEj4VvKYSDxs79QIPkEZR1AxM6FKa5JSfgpEEM2woF3l7ETKNeeaGP2i9Q18Ch7VsVZbKWGDgiIcxZLwYBBaXeQKg5c8GLaXPkCZ4nuUlakZ48Cg9_fuNZRmCLUCkNe1MVrKba7Mokxdg/s320/183-89970RepFr.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>Part of my junk wax rampage this past summer. After tackling 1989-1991 sets a piece at a time, I opted for a factory set of 1992.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">1993 Topps Colorado Rockies Inaugural Edition</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">825 cards; Last card: --</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjjtd_fNCJ0qHOouFUliruKwuBEBsEahQTyKH9w0e2KDsjswffayeMdqbKmSCH5Zj2E-Sc_JLOYKujNNAJKwLJ_jVzUXTex6k6IgK0E_jn69alXjtOBykzs0o74uPN1lDBOZl0Kl4XTSysGO_S-NI6v4-bdkXwf95sw3oE1olWQmb7E3ZT3RMNahLYw/s350/10329-98Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="246" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjjtd_fNCJ0qHOouFUliruKwuBEBsEahQTyKH9w0e2KDsjswffayeMdqbKmSCH5Zj2E-Sc_JLOYKujNNAJKwLJ_jVzUXTex6k6IgK0E_jn69alXjtOBykzs0o74uPN1lDBOZl0Kl4XTSysGO_S-NI6v4-bdkXwf95sw3oE1olWQmb7E3ZT3RMNahLYw/s320/10329-98Fr.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Another factory set. This one left me with a story about my collection I'll never forget. You can read about it <a href="https://bumpandruncards.blogspot.com/2022/07/a-true-feel-good-collecting-story.html">here</a>.<br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"> 2022 Topps Opening Day</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">220 cards; Last card: #204 Joey Bart</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvYfheOM_Oux5-1RTjCMbP98kVLNosDb0kVoJcXHf3XsmRED8ym0T07W_-4_5at6Mbc9VfhbUwK79Hop2NCtukiSk7DmbgM3tjIbAd5k4XeAGHtbMDLSAVWFczIEHOX4cLE_1BsjDZ059kD0wZ9S4ypMv0BehMuRwoCL_y9eLNfNoGnhszol4gWOX1Q/s350/282702-18099584Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="246" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvYfheOM_Oux5-1RTjCMbP98kVLNosDb0kVoJcXHf3XsmRED8ym0T07W_-4_5at6Mbc9VfhbUwK79Hop2NCtukiSk7DmbgM3tjIbAd5k4XeAGHtbMDLSAVWFczIEHOX4cLE_1BsjDZ059kD0wZ9S4ypMv0BehMuRwoCL_y9eLNfNoGnhszol4gWOX1Q/s320/282702-18099584Fr.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Same story as the 2021 Opening Day set. This one didn't spill over into the next year, though.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">1993 Upper Deck (Berman's Best subset)</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">10 cards; Last card: #433 Jerry Rice</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4Cgd1Lt9zxXJQRF9PGSBafyefV7rWvSJ_AJP2tUz-3S5k-anWnCnNn49ctewpBaRKj8fTV4jnafHYuEqouxJBIIx6HSsWocU-k0875MrlZK-18AruGUzjISMUDStOahH_sGop6IFfBOMMMgbbvSP0jtG6ZwdNGmdmUiUvInFS5lM4yqhXbMq0F9IRQ/s350/3381-433Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="251" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4Cgd1Lt9zxXJQRF9PGSBafyefV7rWvSJ_AJP2tUz-3S5k-anWnCnNn49ctewpBaRKj8fTV4jnafHYuEqouxJBIIx6HSsWocU-k0875MrlZK-18AruGUzjISMUDStOahH_sGop6IFfBOMMMgbbvSP0jtG6ZwdNGmdmUiUvInFS5lM4yqhXbMq0F9IRQ/s320/3381-433Fr.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>Probably nobody but me counts this as a completion. I was just shooting for the "Berman's Best" subset. I've loved Chris Berman's nicknames since I was a kid. Bonus points to this set for containing my only Chris Berman card.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">1990 Topps</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">792 cards; Last card: #417 Jim Gantner</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrYgRb7kd52NzTT6EalcvWStib6o2OcC4zB34afrQNVto7MIZpGDxTPEKkijR4BYV4U2ajUZgCRipjCg2y9dBzcAfpZIEllxCx_urnfDIfzK3x0op_KRHxpzuRbhRW_XYodBN2uzIyPc16xC8Xmcre2NiqZF7JvW8nXXV9k6ffZlkf3_ff3ptu48Wzw/s350/147-417Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrYgRb7kd52NzTT6EalcvWStib6o2OcC4zB34afrQNVto7MIZpGDxTPEKkijR4BYV4U2ajUZgCRipjCg2y9dBzcAfpZIEllxCx_urnfDIfzK3x0op_KRHxpzuRbhRW_XYodBN2uzIyPc16xC8Xmcre2NiqZF7JvW8nXXV9k6ffZlkf3_ff3ptu48Wzw/s320/147-417Fr.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>Not gonna lie. This set was a ton of fun to build. I didn't have much to begin with. Instead of busting packs, I learned what a vending box was. I pulled massive junk wax trades on TCDB. Is it my favorite set? Not even close. Was it some of the most fun I've had collecting in a 4-month span? You betcha.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">1990 Bowman Sweepstakes</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">10 cards; Last card: NNO Bo Jackson</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrze46V7mjRa9VlE4YG7IIzwytgpM0LpUirHbyn2g1FjTVKRN063lNuekCAQPGIpJ5U_eJ5ItSEluTWGjBlV_vKPEi91sY230Mw1pfiGjlsb8t1xtIig9y7F-elbBXLxMp9gTWYPT1AftKuJGz_MZ-2nNNoi7troeErGk5yboSaiMl1df9VKVGw9NpfQ/s350/8545-4Fr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrze46V7mjRa9VlE4YG7IIzwytgpM0LpUirHbyn2g1FjTVKRN063lNuekCAQPGIpJ5U_eJ5ItSEluTWGjBlV_vKPEi91sY230Mw1pfiGjlsb8t1xtIig9y7F-elbBXLxMp9gTWYPT1AftKuJGz_MZ-2nNNoi7troeErGk5yboSaiMl1df9VKVGw9NpfQ/s320/8545-4Fr.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br /></h4><div style="text-align: left;">While searching for lots of over-produced cards for my set builds, I came across this little promotional insert from 1990 Bowman. I'd never seen them before I bought a monster box of junk cards. I'm a sucker for art cards, so I just put them all aside as I dug through the box. A quick trade later and the set was all mine.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">2022 Panini Chronicles Draft Donruss Retro</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">25 cards; Last card: --</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAH5ftwLQVOACr_mxQPQmJ4d-iNeBt-dF2sgnYbJRecjcnOnsPSrxdlrRhVk30RREGwmPKuiHGujMltenPsKiR5lyWsRU-mlHtoBedmLIujMvfMZbQiud4vuHmqPjZgEyWZzoomJIemRQ9ig3PdycuOmMyulQI3uxbZZpqgoZQF7aAW3ng05pr1pzcQ/s2802/1226222022(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2802" data-original-width="2141" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAH5ftwLQVOACr_mxQPQmJ4d-iNeBt-dF2sgnYbJRecjcnOnsPSrxdlrRhVk30RREGwmPKuiHGujMltenPsKiR5lyWsRU-mlHtoBedmLIujMvfMZbQiud4vuHmqPjZgEyWZzoomJIemRQ9ig3PdycuOmMyulQI3uxbZZpqgoZQF7aAW3ng05pr1pzcQ/w490-h640/1226222022(1).jpg" width="490" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the fall, I had some extra card money set aside and I went on a bit of a spending spree. Part of that included finding a deal on this set of current NFL stars in their college uniforms on the 1992 Donruss design.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">2022 Panini Chronicles Draft Score Retro</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">25 cards; Last card: --</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2wo9MjoZhqHm1n-d_7yAHdbO6CNEykkNoWqyax6qRLS5qFPXSCJuTsjcVu6ZSSBllOuD2_-rxJ4NYqT_XkHXZCabrdQEU_S4FAAsQFZvfeW8A0SAAvhaIi_d_ZPQgA9irbC6JctX4w3ZTF3ykdCbAL8OipDCTUmCgWSOL7KwB0y2jUTWMr7fe-Pv3g/s2562/1226222021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2562" data-original-width="1844" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2wo9MjoZhqHm1n-d_7yAHdbO6CNEykkNoWqyax6qRLS5qFPXSCJuTsjcVu6ZSSBllOuD2_-rxJ4NYqT_XkHXZCabrdQEU_S4FAAsQFZvfeW8A0SAAvhaIi_d_ZPQgA9irbC6JctX4w3ZTF3ykdCbAL8OipDCTUmCgWSOL7KwB0y2jUTWMr7fe-Pv3g/w460-h640/1226222021.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>From the same seller came a deal on this set of NFL All-Time greats in college on the 1992 Score baseball (but not football) design. Kudos for having a BYU player in each set.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So I polished off all of those sets in 2022. Some I started and finished within the calendar year. Some were years in the making. Some were acquired as factory sets, others as hand-collated sets. Some were spur-of-the-moment, found-the-right-deal-on-a-fun-set-I-had-never-considered-building-until-this-point purchases. But at the end of December 2022, I had 17 more complete sets in my possession.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And almost 18. Here is one that was oh-so-close. I still intend to complete one set each year, even though 2020 posed a problem for me. You remember 2020, don't you? Cards were scarce and prices started to skyrocket. Either I never found or couldn't afford to buy any 2020 football products at all. And with the success of a few top rookies in the class--Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jonathan Taylor, to name just a few--I wasn't sure I'd be able to afford a complete 2020 football set in the near future. But I found a decent price on a small Panini set on eBay one day. Chronicles only has a 100-card base set, but rookies are there. So I picked up the set and called 2020 done.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After it arrived, I left it on the shelf, unopened for about two months. Just this past week, I finally cracked the box open. And I discovered this:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUEnmBZgwW8LbVRqnQwVOaKdHGEBm8l8YiMyvb-MQhQvBY8-EaN1RjGMm4251UGQANf12SpRfTK0TY3_LYnSeAGCcyBft6rNOZ5vzL77KazzQqZpreFAfzCaO6dQMYklciotNoqL3NJ8zTUT7iIJTvTJADK4Sqn2lHkUvoKTcBakkPv-iUaYXhqoL-g/s3262/2020%20Chronicles%20parallels.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3262" data-original-width="2322" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUEnmBZgwW8LbVRqnQwVOaKdHGEBm8l8YiMyvb-MQhQvBY8-EaN1RjGMm4251UGQANf12SpRfTK0TY3_LYnSeAGCcyBft6rNOZ5vzL77KazzQqZpreFAfzCaO6dQMYklciotNoqL3NJ8zTUT7iIJTvTJADK4Sqn2lHkUvoKTcBakkPv-iUaYXhqoL-g/w456-h640/2020%20Chronicles%20parallels.jpeg" width="456" /></a></div>Foil never scans well, so let me explain what you're seeing. The base cards in this set have silver foil in the helmet "C" logo, the team name, the position, and "Chronicles" across the bottom. Fourteen cards from my purchased set weren't base; they were parallels. The colored cards were mostly pink (Jackson, Polamalu, Kelce, Watt, Rice, and others), but some were bronze (Alexander and Sanders), green (Hockensen), and blue (Swift). Still, the major components were there, so I'm okay going back to complete the final 14 with actual base cards. Even if that means one less set in 2022.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2023 has already brought me two more set completions. Let's see how the rest of the year goes.<br /></div></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-28592968882763719522023-01-06T14:35:00.004-08:002023-01-06T14:35:31.025-08:00Incoming Goodies from Bloggers<p></p><div style="text-align: left;">I'm working on a 2022 summary post or two, but first, I must give some recognition to a few fellow bloggers for the incoming cards I've received from them. Trading on TCDB is great, but it still doesn't beat a good swap between bloggers. Though I've met exactly zero of you in blogosphere, I feel like I know you through your words over the years and the trades seem more personal.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYzfqpZzIkIFoIB5NKhgdXbM_cR0SYbvsRM30M-4T8laItxOv-MGgsZso_VZJ4-i1jqmikIDOovhRS-XzI9ls7BZOc81rktvqZErzpdmnztYTR0005A8g7c9rlxz6p46bWLxMeZ09svVln2OlVWLOhhQRpKoeS_yEKALWXXas8ZqwSQRWCQN76vOoWg/s2358/Angels%20in%20Order.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2238" data-original-width="2358" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYzfqpZzIkIFoIB5NKhgdXbM_cR0SYbvsRM30M-4T8laItxOv-MGgsZso_VZJ4-i1jqmikIDOovhRS-XzI9ls7BZOc81rktvqZErzpdmnztYTR0005A8g7c9rlxz6p46bWLxMeZ09svVln2OlVWLOhhQRpKoeS_yEKALWXXas8ZqwSQRWCQN76vOoWg/w400-h380/Angels%20in%20Order.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>First up, Tom from <a href="http://angelsinorder.blogspot.com/">Angels in Order</a> took a novel approach to initiating trades between bloggers by posting a bunch of cards for trade, giving readers a chance to claim cards they want, and requesting a return package. I chose these six for my collection. My favorite is the red parallel of former BYU hurler Jeremy Guthrie.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbiyyxqjtBOgB4LvH3PO3ON5JNneFU1WQAKB21kscT95U6GTNKzJEpYHTCuZV0rOrgZY54ni0BC1hXnXlMvejSCJ0Km9GgUlaGChxSpbAbkJseSg88PKBWUBIHeg-HpDxrS1ekLtYQKAniXdd2HLAAPLUwpLztn6Gr5xJlW0CvzwAsq2yMFIhLMhRYw/s2218/1226222016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2094" data-original-width="2218" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbiyyxqjtBOgB4LvH3PO3ON5JNneFU1WQAKB21kscT95U6GTNKzJEpYHTCuZV0rOrgZY54ni0BC1hXnXlMvejSCJ0Km9GgUlaGChxSpbAbkJseSg88PKBWUBIHeg-HpDxrS1ekLtYQKAniXdd2HLAAPLUwpLztn6Gr5xJlW0CvzwAsq2yMFIhLMhRYw/w456-h430/1226222016.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><p></p><p>After seeing former BYU linebacker Kurt Gouveia on one of my posts, <a href="http://thecollectivemind.blogspot.com">GCA</a> asked which Gouvieas I lacked. As a Commanders (formerly Redskins) collector, he had a couple to send my way. It's not really visible in this picture, but the top left Gouveia is one of the cool Special Effects parallels from 1994 Topps. I've always liked those. Then he sent along a few other cards that meet the requirements for my NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Thanks a ton, Greg!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KdRbWRXGTXu7QVaRNHHsoF3ijD-y-TTKMcw-JiSU0D3x1jHjkVJko0JWmsZfj0HuM3hk6POLqH7O17MSUgZ30Jr2Tn9PRqlAKfHAGW6egn8YHAUr89odSniKVxdwk-L-2bGQB5Z43zusBpKm9CM2DOlo0lSXEJ8m0ySlg4pwrp0Q9WUYfv9215H56Q/s4382/madding%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4382" data-original-width="3232" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KdRbWRXGTXu7QVaRNHHsoF3ijD-y-TTKMcw-JiSU0D3x1jHjkVJko0JWmsZfj0HuM3hk6POLqH7O17MSUgZ30Jr2Tn9PRqlAKfHAGW6egn8YHAUr89odSniKVxdwk-L-2bGQB5Z43zusBpKm9CM2DOlo0lSXEJ8m0ySlg4pwrp0Q9WUYfv9215H56Q/w472-h640/madding%201.jpeg" width="472" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsyO2Wgq2CXDi3GiDpM1wuVe_sExd0iW28Zgi4PikOnPh-6YD0X6fawk3OWoM-s1YUZK4L8CeyDWCNT1HYDhBvphdkTYEEVehvaxEMPBqEbq5wOHlZTUG2BeLFc2zrBEKv2f4mrev9Czfn3TuLDEixqOYPVz39ZBuXS_YO9Gez7M8Ic_l18HKDadv8A/s2913/madding%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2913" data-original-width="2187" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsyO2Wgq2CXDi3GiDpM1wuVe_sExd0iW28Zgi4PikOnPh-6YD0X6fawk3OWoM-s1YUZK4L8CeyDWCNT1HYDhBvphdkTYEEVehvaxEMPBqEbq5wOHlZTUG2BeLFc2zrBEKv2f4mrev9Czfn3TuLDEixqOYPVz39ZBuXS_YO9Gez7M8Ic_l18HKDadv8A/w300-h400/madding%202.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Finally, Kerry--of <a href="http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com">Cards on Cards</a>--and I worked out a trade over TCDB. The top scan features a nice mix of collection needs. The bottom scan is a quartet of set needs. The highlight of this trade is the acquisition of 2022 Opening Day Joey Bart--AKA, the last card needed for the set. Thanks Kerry (Madding) for the set kill!</p><p>Speaking of completed sets, my next post will likely summarize all of the sets I was able to knock off the ol' wantlist in 2022. Opening Day was just one of them.</p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-28796655076436511572022-12-28T10:47:00.001-08:002022-12-28T10:47:14.916-08:00Santas Gifting Cardboard<p>Santa never leaves cards under my tree. Seriously, nobody in my family has given the gift of cardboard to me since probably my 13th birthday. But I had a couple of different Santas send me packages this year.</p><p>First of all was TCDB user gooeraser. He was my TCDB Secret Santa. He was so secret that even after opening the package, I just learned today when vroomed posted his big reveal on the TCDB forum. Gooeraser sent exactly one thing, but it was a substantial one thing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRk9iCeWWtElehaLM5lQ55MXBIYBrhyQAtoutrPH3tU7zl8g0lUAEajuodtSkCeRkunLdp0HdLWxYaaxUaR2qR-Hh2QIBkkeOaNrGCPdNAO8ssw26oAMmFa1EYROQOV920SMls_h1jq5_xROSx9vwN16Hn7EV1JVFh7EA9xZ-k9L82H8lqd3DncOsNbQ/s2316/1220221630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1691" data-original-width="2316" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRk9iCeWWtElehaLM5lQ55MXBIYBrhyQAtoutrPH3tU7zl8g0lUAEajuodtSkCeRkunLdp0HdLWxYaaxUaR2qR-Hh2QIBkkeOaNrGCPdNAO8ssw26oAMmFa1EYROQOV920SMls_h1jq5_xROSx9vwN16Hn7EV1JVFh7EA9xZ-k9L82H8lqd3DncOsNbQ/w400-h293/1220221630.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>An Ichiro-centric boxed set. 25 cards from Upper Card in Tribute to 51. I'd never heard of this set from 2001--his first set in America's Major Leagues--but I'm always happy to add a few cards of a likeable legend, who happens to fit both my Rookie of the Year and All-Star Game MVP.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfvuDU7BRWRWNqhaWbYIlUBELHOldH_wrfi32dK_xjZFuf1WY4YyQIdPbaL-orSjV57uOGCS3GkXdTiXVh_o47xUtKYt73E10ENaWqUAiuxux9kSxMLWSyrUVppkB9p6B_rPgDvhFUC9_eMXAhBe0A7P-S9bdYlcsicA9bElyNHc_7nQ19PJ1q7_VpA/s2362/1220221630a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1710" data-original-width="2362" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfvuDU7BRWRWNqhaWbYIlUBELHOldH_wrfi32dK_xjZFuf1WY4YyQIdPbaL-orSjV57uOGCS3GkXdTiXVh_o47xUtKYt73E10ENaWqUAiuxux9kSxMLWSyrUVppkB9p6B_rPgDvhFUC9_eMXAhBe0A7P-S9bdYlcsicA9bElyNHc_7nQ19PJ1q7_VpA/w400-h290/1220221630a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the top of the box was a 3x5 card commemorating his AL ROY award. So I guess that makes this technically a 26-card set, huh?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtHRIuGC-XqteQh1j1jt2PhssJHfS5S4Wt5jsHez6Kti1qYnae0ILK9Z5J19l5wqKb02KFVsFLBZR7YR5BBB_zR4AnCN9wPMoVX04DSCvLtYchzxkRq0q5bjpxmrPS0WYDx5IXXSTyfQfdQS5L0ndQfbVKXhpawZa5LCNNbvOwa9Qa_Bf_jxwVfhrrA/s2671/1220221631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1907" data-original-width="2671" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtHRIuGC-XqteQh1j1jt2PhssJHfS5S4Wt5jsHez6Kti1qYnae0ILK9Z5J19l5wqKb02KFVsFLBZR7YR5BBB_zR4AnCN9wPMoVX04DSCvLtYchzxkRq0q5bjpxmrPS0WYDx5IXXSTyfQfdQS5L0ndQfbVKXhpawZa5LCNNbvOwa9Qa_Bf_jxwVfhrrA/w400-h285/1220221631.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Under the 3x5 card is a box divided into two stacks.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYHgf2HiQWyfQc2rRxBkMvajXvxYA6fKx3GjDq5j4CuQfCwn3EPFc2kJUfODd4Iyc_d0emBWJLZxjN8RBVFbJqyYx-5hCSK-i4KO7_JPcNMVl5yfwvMCgGiXTvhWXgTarc1OQV7kjLTtG-sQM_SKpkJ2bXjp_W0oZEW-mCU_8N0H25X99_TvjK3tE6A/s2317/1220221633_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2317" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYHgf2HiQWyfQc2rRxBkMvajXvxYA6fKx3GjDq5j4CuQfCwn3EPFc2kJUfODd4Iyc_d0emBWJLZxjN8RBVFbJqyYx-5hCSK-i4KO7_JPcNMVl5yfwvMCgGiXTvhWXgTarc1OQV7kjLTtG-sQM_SKpkJ2bXjp_W0oZEW-mCU_8N0H25X99_TvjK3tE6A/w461-h430/1220221633_HDR.jpg" width="461" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">These are a few of my favorite images on the front.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0Ws7ddjNW5hmZGPkvJg3gc3R39i1KvTVbJfmivgv2zEImX8nSKIBV85Gm1Ehc5mTKg-SsGNflNM1HsrACpjxHZ9e6Idl0IPJF5soBeGvnfQeklHf4HrZrNFe5ZDuaX3dpVfghunbEinSEN5BrQnLHXBoletBB36jAI9i1AqShPKL05hQnZhiFnHi_w/s2287/1220221634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2287" data-original-width="2160" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0Ws7ddjNW5hmZGPkvJg3gc3R39i1KvTVbJfmivgv2zEImX8nSKIBV85Gm1Ehc5mTKg-SsGNflNM1HsrACpjxHZ9e6Idl0IPJF5soBeGvnfQeklHf4HrZrNFe5ZDuaX3dpVfghunbEinSEN5BrQnLHXBoletBB36jAI9i1AqShPKL05hQnZhiFnHi_w/w476-h504/1220221634.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The final five cards pay tribute to some Ichiro's MLB debut milestones, including his first hit, a 23-game hitting streak, and breaking the Mariners' single-season hit record.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is something I never would have thought of finding for myself, so I appreciate the surprise addition of Ichiro from gooeraser!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My other Santa was not-so-secret. I signed up for the Not-So-Secret-Santa put on by Chris, the proprietor of the grandest Nachos you've ever seen. He played Santa for anyone who signed up on his blog and asked for some goodies from his wantlist in return. I had found a Barry Larkin he didn't have months ago and it was sitting on my desk, waiting for me to get around to sending it off to him. This was just the kickstart I needed.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXY2dUgi3u-m_KHM5uuJDzpRj_d4QltE9ija4K3j4otdlD7xTlXAqSNqlSmpoSgnTuqSGQz7NYgLpDKm4gR0TXIsRFjUKTUy__lYouURFt-icgIzSWunv300tPiXFcF5oXuGTcNfaD6iZidNdnzfYIU1kq1LmhlBhKnJLks556l5nhJP8REiHvFuU0ew/s2388/Nachos%20Santa%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2202" data-original-width="2388" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXY2dUgi3u-m_KHM5uuJDzpRj_d4QltE9ija4K3j4otdlD7xTlXAqSNqlSmpoSgnTuqSGQz7NYgLpDKm4gR0TXIsRFjUKTUy__lYouURFt-icgIzSWunv300tPiXFcF5oXuGTcNfaD6iZidNdnzfYIU1kq1LmhlBhKnJLks556l5nhJP8REiHvFuU0ew/w471-h434/Nachos%20Santa%201.jpeg" width="471" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdPtyvgplNtLJEcnXeGZXan8m05y0tmgCRBu_3GM7eEkWRVbdKMKlEkHXWIe-OCvHS_KRpsoMrYINLZXmpT4hJIRGzgCJTqqE1Wzix90YWJdhDrmviDM7HkCqbOL8gWipuWcAcf39tknVKgFxIjfJABplh3mcZIR-khwdJOsprirpCK5lCLHMwPnZXQ/s3333/Nachos%20Santa%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3333" data-original-width="2394" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdPtyvgplNtLJEcnXeGZXan8m05y0tmgCRBu_3GM7eEkWRVbdKMKlEkHXWIe-OCvHS_KRpsoMrYINLZXmpT4hJIRGzgCJTqqE1Wzix90YWJdhDrmviDM7HkCqbOL8gWipuWcAcf39tknVKgFxIjfJABplh3mcZIR-khwdJOsprirpCK5lCLHMwPnZXQ/w460-h640/Nachos%20Santa%202.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Mak0oPjcMkSQlDX8e7Uuyy_xn9tffvXlTIWhBuijljcchAsrhWClQDuKvSoiAzdmuT2NFj6reeJ3HKsQcqMT6zZarYzdUwxBW6VV--iHQ8uHNVSejmBh_2wIAixxkOAfaqUMd1MK1QDjBWRhUubLZrwieWBdnD1z6BpG2kNO1g8gHLPUq3eywRHXrw/s2190/Nachos%20Santa%203.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1586" data-original-width="2190" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Mak0oPjcMkSQlDX8e7Uuyy_xn9tffvXlTIWhBuijljcchAsrhWClQDuKvSoiAzdmuT2NFj6reeJ3HKsQcqMT6zZarYzdUwxBW6VV--iHQ8uHNVSejmBh_2wIAixxkOAfaqUMd1MK1QDjBWRhUubLZrwieWBdnD1z6BpG2kNO1g8gHLPUq3eywRHXrw/w452-h328/Nachos%20Santa%203.jpeg" width="452" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Chris sent some fun new additions for my Cubs binders. This includes my first card of former Top 100 prospect Ryan Harvey, who topped out at AA and never reached the Show.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwTfB-Ri1krgsWDNBRro2loNsyRcBnhWBfaeJVwcCKzOKxYi_FS4VqC7XI5ibJNTc92ewAxQlo9c8Zi4UlQRsR1ZP4Q8ul5yXmoo5rRO01QDdtGTK20r75J_qTMocLrCxvEXTXnxs540t_GKvofoD46zcTbPvyPe4Gw2O1Iqa93u45QRsyQ3QTi-y5w/s2418/Nachos%20Santa%204.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1873" data-original-width="2418" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwTfB-Ri1krgsWDNBRro2loNsyRcBnhWBfaeJVwcCKzOKxYi_FS4VqC7XI5ibJNTc92ewAxQlo9c8Zi4UlQRsR1ZP4Q8ul5yXmoo5rRO01QDdtGTK20r75J_qTMocLrCxvEXTXnxs540t_GKvofoD46zcTbPvyPe4Gw2O1Iqa93u45QRsyQ3QTi-y5w/w467-h362/Nachos%20Santa%204.jpeg" width="467" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">He rounded out the package with a few ASG MVP, ROY, and All-Time All-Star collection hits. I have to say, I really like Topps Lineage. The design should have been a Flagship design.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks to both of my Santas for delivering some great cardboard. And thanks to Chris and Dan (vroomed) for taking the time to put together this Christmastime fun!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-67223303196350406532022-12-22T05:30:00.001-08:002022-12-22T05:30:00.162-08:00Gold at the End of the Rainbow<p>Three years ago, I announced the completion of my Brad Sorensen refractor rainbow. I was still two cards shy of actual completion, but since I had never once seen the gold refractor (/50) or 1/1 superfractor for sale, I didn't have much hope of ever finishing it off.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdCyJfyo80VqL2U_ww6upE8ARSgLxRLvZ6LAPLDBsUcxnRXlSd9QjAvdN7Zzy4-ArANHcsc8WpXWNben9muI2DcL1YrddJ1Q5C37raF4Yodp5reNUFJYdkOCJyxwHLgLcbliY0Tvg7VdmEUqBLeVxacDthaWJPPns6fnpfMjxo00tGPwpCuV9yBaLBw/s1089/COMC%20Sorensen%20Rainbow.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1089" data-original-width="784" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdCyJfyo80VqL2U_ww6upE8ARSgLxRLvZ6LAPLDBsUcxnRXlSd9QjAvdN7Zzy4-ArANHcsc8WpXWNben9muI2DcL1YrddJ1Q5C37raF4Yodp5reNUFJYdkOCJyxwHLgLcbliY0Tvg7VdmEUqBLeVxacDthaWJPPns6fnpfMjxo00tGPwpCuV9yBaLBw/w288-h400/COMC%20Sorensen%20Rainbow.jpeg" width="288" /></a></div>This is a short, simple post to announce: there is indeed "gold" at the end of this rainbow. Last month, I found a long-sought-after gold refractor on COMC and I pounced. Now I can call it done. I have zero expectation that I will ever find the superfractor, though I do wonder where it is.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguky-nwkLYy6rVLx2x1UNdxOC2uPCMO34F5TiGeXH1OIcI5WI0fGcG9eL4D4kiG-SFvfQ2lIhc1KipZs0DWODq57N4UfLFFbD-ZzQXKjaajQQvH6IlGvfcl3C4sI9IbsGFP9W2EL5dJIfavMVfRUWrMQ4EsYdeAl5RsTs4xOmAs2KaLR22T_NyX292Xg/s2160/1216220847_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1628" data-original-width="2160" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguky-nwkLYy6rVLx2x1UNdxOC2uPCMO34F5TiGeXH1OIcI5WI0fGcG9eL4D4kiG-SFvfQ2lIhc1KipZs0DWODq57N4UfLFFbD-ZzQXKjaajQQvH6IlGvfcl3C4sI9IbsGFP9W2EL5dJIfavMVfRUWrMQ4EsYdeAl5RsTs4xOmAs2KaLR22T_NyX292Xg/w400-h301/1216220847_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>In order, base, refractor, x-fractor, prism refractor, red, pink, orange, GOLD, camo, blue wave, blue, purple, sepia, black. DONE.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm_9dG1qYNDOSnHIT3ug9nUbaXciBmHQQA5bMZs1165hOCUcHgDsHJLtiSl3jwhCb1PlraUQv4f4ICiLfYqMLhJxI04LcQhTEijuzZRlMvQNUcEpCeJipgVREF1gxZO77wWkolfmVGnlziWlE8Lr7RPFlJN7pIWPOrn5N2nT6lExvqQV6hyGBj0naHw/s13619/Sorensen%20Rainbow%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="13619" data-original-width="9750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm_9dG1qYNDOSnHIT3ug9nUbaXciBmHQQA5bMZs1165hOCUcHgDsHJLtiSl3jwhCb1PlraUQv4f4ICiLfYqMLhJxI04LcQhTEijuzZRlMvQNUcEpCeJipgVREF1gxZO77wWkolfmVGnlziWlE8Lr7RPFlJN7pIWPOrn5N2nT6lExvqQV6hyGBj0naHw/w458-h640/Sorensen%20Rainbow%201.jpeg" width="458" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiOWa6dA2Gka1FZ_Cjl-b7fP9HkUZxjCKEbJ4237mtVS-d5Xw0TDV6qMbGj6rG-iC77ValXhBfhai-OQSmbAd5GrfIQW9bHxr7QrOOM8AhVvrWDX54HRBtymz6f9plb64R2qy8LYTsGkqMWp-k_QEUyuq-hK_MBZvyA9lUtqSQimO2Re0k5iJw9xxGQ/s6704/Sorensen%20Rainbow%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6704" data-original-width="4872" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiOWa6dA2Gka1FZ_Cjl-b7fP9HkUZxjCKEbJ4237mtVS-d5Xw0TDV6qMbGj6rG-iC77ValXhBfhai-OQSmbAd5GrfIQW9bHxr7QrOOM8AhVvrWDX54HRBtymz6f9plb64R2qy8LYTsGkqMWp-k_QEUyuq-hK_MBZvyA9lUtqSQimO2Re0k5iJw9xxGQ/w466-h640/Sorensen%20Rainbow%202.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div>And here is how it looks in pages (and then onto the flagship base on parallels).<br /><p>And this will probably be the only rainbow I ever chase.<br /></p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125863439745900937.post-60807445537755663452022-12-16T08:15:00.001-08:002022-12-16T08:15:05.314-08:002022 Trading Slash Line: 90/34/2/1246/37<p>We may not have reached the end of the year quite yet, but I think I have just about wrapped up the trading of 2022. Stat-wise, I've had probably my most solid year of trading--at least in a few years. Let me explain my numbers.</p><p>90=Number of trades made, either through TCDB or blogs.<br />34=Number of states involved in my trading<br />2=Canadian provinces traded with this year<br />1246=Number of cards brought in through trading<br />37=Net cards gained through trades</p><p>I'm pretty happy looking at those numbers, but there are two I feel are weaker. First, the net cards brought in. At the beginning of the year, I made a goal to have a negative net trade number. I had two reasons for this. One reason is that I wanted to clear space and I thought a negative trade net would help. The second is that I hoped that I could entice TCDBers to respond more quickly if I had extra cards going to them in my proposals. That was going well until summer hit and I got this wild notion to complete three junk wax sets through cracking boxes and trading. Suddenly my wantlist was filled with 1989 Score, 1990 Topps, and 1991 Fleer baseball. Trade proposals came rolling in with numbers decidedly in my favor because people were all too happy to offload their extras of these sets. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5viJmVYHSLVBd79O5gcN2qjp8kJJQAdnHXqFvPLOx5FOeaOFJQdXBr6ESZNDgnyIAOwAjnfn0dxntYe9FOUX9Or6uaw_nVsakWryKmqP6B_BkwXGxuDrzcJBowUo_8Rh38sSP--gm67e--QWbeHmQfz_8PU4jGuZSRrk4fj3rYg-Xwhy4uqGZQZ_LXw/s1369/Trades%202022.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="1369" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5viJmVYHSLVBd79O5gcN2qjp8kJJQAdnHXqFvPLOx5FOeaOFJQdXBr6ESZNDgnyIAOwAjnfn0dxntYe9FOUX9Or6uaw_nVsakWryKmqP6B_BkwXGxuDrzcJBowUo_8Rh38sSP--gm67e--QWbeHmQfz_8PU4jGuZSRrk4fj3rYg-Xwhy4uqGZQZ_LXw/w640-h378/Trades%202022.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>The other number that I would like to see improve is the number of states involved. This year, I traded with 34 states and 2 Canadian provinces. This map is a nice visual representation of my trading partner locations this year. I'm happy with 90 trades (probably my most ever), but I think it would be pretty cool to get all 50 states in a year.</p><p>Now we're going to get heavy into the scans. I had a flurry of trades around Thanksgiving--15 completed trades in less than a month--and I need to get caught up. So allow me to share some of those 1246 cards I added to my collection from trading this year.</p><p>First, we have bigger trade with TigerFan22: <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH55jN-M82jMZwP45PMEBPEPblvzryR1COYArGypjBjWSmzzTQzQYmCXokiRSnCIyJykRQ3XLu364ETBaL58jwXPEg3EwJtGnQHr137tjVobFymNlIkwx9NGYN1X-V_EgUfWp4x3pQoCXBGE4oLXELIKpkiSPa4i2hLt6VwNk1V8GSFhRKY7Ah4O2nQ/s3321/TigerFan22%201.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3321" data-original-width="2400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH55jN-M82jMZwP45PMEBPEPblvzryR1COYArGypjBjWSmzzTQzQYmCXokiRSnCIyJykRQ3XLu364ETBaL58jwXPEg3EwJtGnQHr137tjVobFymNlIkwx9NGYN1X-V_EgUfWp4x3pQoCXBGE4oLXELIKpkiSPa4i2hLt6VwNk1V8GSFhRKY7Ah4O2nQ/w462-h640/TigerFan22%201.jpeg" width="462" /></a></div>He sent some nice BYU cards. I like Bart Oates snapping the ball to Steve Young, just like he did in college!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjYHulxZOkLladVTlKQPDkL_kSNECClvfH2hg-RH3qeZ_ANZx5REOljqrQKjsWkfRoj2lGZM42pnMXOhItaQeZ2vy7rA7p3DypOwEAKih1pS4138QmEmgMmzAm3NanGUP0BmiL-FJsVj7sJSx4dW2UiP2xKkjc8NP5EQvtuLSpDNFiQKzHmtE9A3iyg/s2412/TigerFan22%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1933" data-original-width="2412" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjYHulxZOkLladVTlKQPDkL_kSNECClvfH2hg-RH3qeZ_ANZx5REOljqrQKjsWkfRoj2lGZM42pnMXOhItaQeZ2vy7rA7p3DypOwEAKih1pS4138QmEmgMmzAm3NanGUP0BmiL-FJsVj7sJSx4dW2UiP2xKkjc8NP5EQvtuLSpDNFiQKzHmtE9A3iyg/w483-h387/TigerFan22%202.jpeg" width="483" /></a></div>A few more BYU, this time all Ty Detmer. I really love looking at late-90s variety.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0JSXB-E0NLBfU4uGfgTX_FhW8dT9dJl4KvcR-5OV43wSK-efhi2O8VGCDEKHTzQBxik7ZOpUz2EKrvXDiiz0Z6UFbYrWYHtt9Kq0fLMwvCUsIJMROR61hGBq4xSHf0Jb7hhlkc-ZXTFpKOsZM1kDFlAdwgwkDk_Yo2SjATiWbij0N9e4ZiRGX9ptKA/s2394/TigerFan22%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2232" data-original-width="2394" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0JSXB-E0NLBfU4uGfgTX_FhW8dT9dJl4KvcR-5OV43wSK-efhi2O8VGCDEKHTzQBxik7ZOpUz2EKrvXDiiz0Z6UFbYrWYHtt9Kq0fLMwvCUsIJMROR61hGBq4xSHf0Jb7hhlkc-ZXTFpKOsZM1kDFlAdwgwkDk_Yo2SjATiWbij0N9e4ZiRGX9ptKA/w483-h450/TigerFan22%203.jpeg" width="483" /></a></div>He helped with a smattering of set needs. Jerry Rice is from 1993 Upper Deck. I'm not collecting that whole set, but this card finishes off the Berman's Best subset. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRenopbItaysKBlXJ_4sa8NUA7U7NUmKJGs3taoH4kUSDI-Zv_PuPTPZVNe1lKegHEcUkAXObEmJSOpYuAQ1aIhYT7yK2bL6TYyPybt1iAIUSCl4ggFUoYH6b3SXPyanou4eImw6LSSVn2FJ2M0eHa7yP8w-l9BW4t4cmx5W1Qj8CTIkSQoTbXsOhXrA/s3220/TigerFan22%204.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3220" data-original-width="2460" height="629" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRenopbItaysKBlXJ_4sa8NUA7U7NUmKJGs3taoH4kUSDI-Zv_PuPTPZVNe1lKegHEcUkAXObEmJSOpYuAQ1aIhYT7yK2bL6TYyPybt1iAIUSCl4ggFUoYH6b3SXPyanou4eImw6LSSVn2FJ2M0eHa7yP8w-l9BW4t4cmx5W1Qj8CTIkSQoTbXsOhXrA/w480-h629/TigerFan22%204.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>A Rookie of the Year Chris Sabo rookie, some All-Decade performers, and a lone Jordy Nelson addition finish off my trade with TigerFan22.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDP8tegyr9WfsPLB6wXZ-8U6aItNWf6L2COWXFKhx7-miLYj6NpUpxBC-qpdIyHMrmfWHAE0_Gt-QXF8wJPvxApHhR7mmxMSXNpWLSfNp2bCKm-haDtV1IhHGI7QZsb0wJBTLVGkfRQseWZbpmmSVEohwOQ__Bbypp3DwUMWhKcpnZq-QVzdKFyRxTA/s2394/@Cowboys1Fan@.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="2394" height="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDP8tegyr9WfsPLB6wXZ-8U6aItNWf6L2COWXFKhx7-miLYj6NpUpxBC-qpdIyHMrmfWHAE0_Gt-QXF8wJPvxApHhR7mmxMSXNpWLSfNp2bCKm-haDtV1IhHGI7QZsb0wJBTLVGkfRQseWZbpmmSVEohwOQ__Bbypp3DwUMWhKcpnZq-QVzdKFyRxTA/w466-h437/@Cowboys1Fan@.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><p>@CowboysFan1@ sent me all BYU players. Two of these players are having pretty good seasons in their roles. One is not having a great season. Jamaal leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 14. Taysom has five himself. Not only that, but last Monday night, Taysom Hill just became the only player in the Super Bowl Era with at least nine touchdowns passing, rushing, and receiving. Not too bad.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfnWEj7Z0vtwlBOqWnadGqsd0oauFuE88SxIIUUAb_ZXNKc7qrOTFZMVSyepz3qAcNGGSeVyUWOH1fIYZqPeH3WBbzjkLor2TxNrakE6Wpv6TTl8RJKuTwvpqQ3UuxwS1oyCS8k2Vcm78UgLoNWpT0MX35pW9QM7icTmKQeKELaeF4rCyPOaAszqW_w/s1574/capper14.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1101" data-original-width="1574" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfnWEj7Z0vtwlBOqWnadGqsd0oauFuE88SxIIUUAb_ZXNKc7qrOTFZMVSyepz3qAcNGGSeVyUWOH1fIYZqPeH3WBbzjkLor2TxNrakE6Wpv6TTl8RJKuTwvpqQ3UuxwS1oyCS8k2Vcm78UgLoNWpT0MX35pW9QM7icTmKQeKELaeF4rCyPOaAszqW_w/w322-h225/capper14.jpeg" width="322" /></a><br /></p><p> Capper14 sent another all-BYU trade return.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-PGfe51MFyLyHHA9Uh432m3l9MZF_4r-7QtMy5crt9nFqRCYXHAkBwEXEPczOIajO297NVb-NYoJfSVav-MEU-gWPyalrnE-Q1l43C5WeBYXLYhjYcJd4mgqiTjDlrxRj7sRcUkPNiYV-0qgSmOla5UAzJjCxKlzgTuJ4JXDySKNbEeeQNPxCJH6wA/s2424/JBsSetCollection2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="2424" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-PGfe51MFyLyHHA9Uh432m3l9MZF_4r-7QtMy5crt9nFqRCYXHAkBwEXEPczOIajO297NVb-NYoJfSVav-MEU-gWPyalrnE-Q1l43C5WeBYXLYhjYcJd4mgqiTjDlrxRj7sRcUkPNiYV-0qgSmOla5UAzJjCxKlzgTuJ4JXDySKNbEeeQNPxCJH6wA/w476-h226/JBsSetCollection2.jpeg" width="476" /></a></div><p>We'll keep the BYU run going with some of my cards from JBsSetCollection. Here we have some great cards, regardless of the player. A center with his hand on the ball is a mini-collection of mine. A nice Red Pulsar prizm and a rookie auto are great. Consider that all three of these guys are former Cougars, and these are great cards.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMaRgnX5hMlGYmIVbLDsah-ljx1xXj1bpTS-7doYihlnumPN1-o8glepQLcI_sMW1eQYg6tsXDQ7lDCo-_tczwIZcbhUR-L3Z8u83sND0AzeBRkOzBJIeLgGj58qoEqZZCoPcduJcUgU28CscyQcjE8ufrMXi-GgkUIeLwrC7Ulv8ddhpLIs4sWe48A/s3303/JBsSetCollection3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3303" data-original-width="2370" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMaRgnX5hMlGYmIVbLDsah-ljx1xXj1bpTS-7doYihlnumPN1-o8glepQLcI_sMW1eQYg6tsXDQ7lDCo-_tczwIZcbhUR-L3Z8u83sND0AzeBRkOzBJIeLgGj58qoEqZZCoPcduJcUgU28CscyQcjE8ufrMXi-GgkUIeLwrC7Ulv8ddhpLIs4sWe48A/w460-h640/JBsSetCollection3.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde_ZCk5SKHVe1CIF0DWfJTyy29BaErqxUci7NtIIVxrGKFJhwKhI1e_6aSU2NvyAsBxvm63nmaCs0a715eHjw-uL5jElh56r4dzBu41PBfRXvAS222eDARpkcn3yncQOHIXt67g0WBtmhzB4IbztsVDRXxdKExOwBULcWTP3LJtU00uIFYScIv2I1cQ/s3192/JBsSetCollection.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2921" data-original-width="3192" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde_ZCk5SKHVe1CIF0DWfJTyy29BaErqxUci7NtIIVxrGKFJhwKhI1e_6aSU2NvyAsBxvm63nmaCs0a715eHjw-uL5jElh56r4dzBu41PBfRXvAS222eDARpkcn3yncQOHIXt67g0WBtmhzB4IbztsVDRXxdKExOwBULcWTP3LJtU00uIFYScIv2I1cQ/w474-h434/JBsSetCollection.jpeg" width="474" /></a></div><p></p><p>More from JBsSetCollection. I particularly like the Davante Adams Turkey Red rookie and the impressionist rendition of Jordy's Lambeau Leap.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90Ggun8M3tkbUILRsi7tH_yV2JnclnL4sUDcD1yPt6A3DTNgwCCbMhEnxOmod118sHzaLOjdOMaq9zY2h6TNdCLzU9ibtAyGuATvAGHkJ2levQQaiukgdnGhlskiDVnS13g6JTtHMraXQJevXOMKnGkJkyjIrhqkz0G4n12plz9EeqqCJz01F4cUzBQ/s3169/amalum.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2913" data-original-width="3169" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90Ggun8M3tkbUILRsi7tH_yV2JnclnL4sUDcD1yPt6A3DTNgwCCbMhEnxOmod118sHzaLOjdOMaq9zY2h6TNdCLzU9ibtAyGuATvAGHkJ2levQQaiukgdnGhlskiDVnS13g6JTtHMraXQJevXOMKnGkJkyjIrhqkz0G4n12plz9EeqqCJz01F4cUzBQ/w489-h449/amalum.jpeg" width="489" /></a></div><p>Texas A&M fan amalum sent me a couple more BYU players in Jamaal Williams and Kurt Gouveia. Also Heisman winner Jameis Winston in a college uniform, a 1989 Score need, and a short-term stop uniform of ROY Vince Coleman round out this small PWE trade.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOqxJr6227CV6cItKGG5Ds77tPBqSMeQnQWKUQZhl-Bgdm8NX_TRIl50X7zhP7C9cAkrP6tfhHJA1rnhD6p9Awk4GAFM9_n2aByBnY-fll13EybyEKPZQEO7X0lbsIOwcG8LKBPoHX14z3ZAs7ZF3dkVcuxnF-z0jd8bHlthP4BrDIIinswPzGXdylg/s1628/CH34.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1628" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOqxJr6227CV6cItKGG5Ds77tPBqSMeQnQWKUQZhl-Bgdm8NX_TRIl50X7zhP7C9cAkrP6tfhHJA1rnhD6p9Awk4GAFM9_n2aByBnY-fll13EybyEKPZQEO7X0lbsIOwcG8LKBPoHX14z3ZAs7ZF3dkVcuxnF-z0jd8bHlthP4BrDIIinswPzGXdylg/w343-h236/CH34.jpeg" width="343" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBXc36e3Jz2Yjw8MT-zWHjL-6sO3vjWaKsbujpAFVeGBK5Bibtn-F3UcEV-UAPFgo-bkyg1L7dJRVZWqYD0IbHmHW6Zi39zZVXeb-HbrWKobLI815KROQlgA12OpOW4YfdILOnuIy6DaLcqSWV2dY_kl5FoedOdZUE8UeKC2mvtuOrQKiwrhi6hZ_6A/s2388/deadhead11.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1903" data-original-width="2388" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBXc36e3Jz2Yjw8MT-zWHjL-6sO3vjWaKsbujpAFVeGBK5Bibtn-F3UcEV-UAPFgo-bkyg1L7dJRVZWqYD0IbHmHW6Zi39zZVXeb-HbrWKobLI815KROQlgA12OpOW4YfdILOnuIy6DaLcqSWV2dY_kl5FoedOdZUE8UeKC2mvtuOrQKiwrhi6hZ_6A/w487-h388/deadhead11.jpeg" width="487" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRcaBl5Bikla6y3Lhbzyg1uEzvEAd-xTmsArmXdMr7SPTz_L51rFAw8Be2dNo7nw1dVTHWcP09JfP2GzYlu_1nAATVAc4UlIQSYXI_sjFWJNkUtgf62LnKJ1Y7h9lz5Qh1fRCvSXnmOb82SCb52oXHm4lc4uje6X5EMst5-NSe4SKAkFT_gUKQ1RgSw/s2358/jbostic.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2196" data-original-width="2358" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRcaBl5Bikla6y3Lhbzyg1uEzvEAd-xTmsArmXdMr7SPTz_L51rFAw8Be2dNo7nw1dVTHWcP09JfP2GzYlu_1nAATVAc4UlIQSYXI_sjFWJNkUtgf62LnKJ1Y7h9lz5Qh1fRCvSXnmOb82SCb52oXHm4lc4uje6X5EMst5-NSe4SKAkFT_gUKQ1RgSw/w482-h449/jbostic.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrTRhZaV-bY5nssXbwUw5SqBCwy7AGZ-2m9-nuqCwX0DwbCBvHlWAkERwe-2hybcmnQUQKs8bbk6ibid_wPBw7ZVTV1zFcg0DPLgDQlb0w1tQXYdliG6KWbCcImR-H0J4muDjTiKx-dGx5AU9pcPCKFAU8PVlTjaVo_08MA2OEwh5sakWxhu_5jjFpg/s2412/MichiganFan9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="2412" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrTRhZaV-bY5nssXbwUw5SqBCwy7AGZ-2m9-nuqCwX0DwbCBvHlWAkERwe-2hybcmnQUQKs8bbk6ibid_wPBw7ZVTV1zFcg0DPLgDQlb0w1tQXYdliG6KWbCcImR-H0J4muDjTiKx-dGx5AU9pcPCKFAU8PVlTjaVo_08MA2OEwh5sakWxhu_5jjFpg/w479-h225/MichiganFan9.jpeg" width="479" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNCPL5woLPm37TklweDDmnzRHc6PlKIMthKQD47pQ4btPeMcwpLcG17QY8uD2K7ulikRSBTBcvzQg22luOZehCz6N-eWdKLJY51ZBK_Y78NvbmCxL9FOvINbKsBV79WE7prm58kL1-wGEt8KpBYQ5IwzNwI0tL0jfYpn1AAYaaxVSzk4I8EUu2MbPAQ/s2364/musclebeech.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2202" data-original-width="2364" height="447" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNCPL5woLPm37TklweDDmnzRHc6PlKIMthKQD47pQ4btPeMcwpLcG17QY8uD2K7ulikRSBTBcvzQg22luOZehCz6N-eWdKLJY51ZBK_Y78NvbmCxL9FOvINbKsBV79WE7prm58kL1-wGEt8KpBYQ5IwzNwI0tL0jfYpn1AAYaaxVSzk4I8EUu2MbPAQ/w480-h447/musclebeech.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAe-DtgG7XqS-q8DGdWORASbGt_ZVwgQ4Ks6XwRmXzy8XODAn8rJqJqB-ityrkNGfbq8cGoVAL_M1hRUvZd-MiQi5k0Bd0Xydd6n1Zn-8x0Y_8nk7Aimg6gpG2Ysr4oxFPy8HwuN2H1XpOLwEtQtzbRb3oEsZXGcgD4QSAJOEDQ7H5ZEEIffiVI1Ttyg/s2190/ravensray52.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2190" data-original-width="1628" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAe-DtgG7XqS-q8DGdWORASbGt_ZVwgQ4Ks6XwRmXzy8XODAn8rJqJqB-ityrkNGfbq8cGoVAL_M1hRUvZd-MiQi5k0Bd0Xydd6n1Zn-8x0Y_8nk7Aimg6gpG2Ysr4oxFPy8HwuN2H1XpOLwEtQtzbRb3oEsZXGcgD4QSAJOEDQ7H5ZEEIffiVI1Ttyg/w328-h441/ravensray52.jpeg" width="328" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOMPbADuvZKgmcAjWLPFJD0sQ786jCUu1DsCKCBIma4e6MloHjW12IN0zeOSTqSzhIZW3DaU40YoZn6c5ljMDq_y3jCckViRvhm_bj6QJA95GSXElNKq4rGLSRSvTTMAqQw3nifXejxYm8--IYpTKA3zHTrQFRg60STiQA8OCABKfmmDFvxF6g7CV0w/s2364/thesouthpaw.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2178" data-original-width="2364" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOMPbADuvZKgmcAjWLPFJD0sQ786jCUu1DsCKCBIma4e6MloHjW12IN0zeOSTqSzhIZW3DaU40YoZn6c5ljMDq_y3jCckViRvhm_bj6QJA95GSXElNKq4rGLSRSvTTMAqQw3nifXejxYm8--IYpTKA3zHTrQFRg60STiQA8OCABKfmmDFvxF6g7CV0w/w480-h441/thesouthpaw.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>This is just a string of very small trades from CH34, deadhead11, jbostic, MichiganFan9, musclebeech, ravensray52, and thesouthpaw. I just want to give a huge shout-out to jbostic, who sent along three 1970s TCMA cards as extras! I'll also point out that I've been low-key building 2014 Topps Valor and a couple of those cards show up in these trades. It's a set that I've really liked since it came out, but I haven't ever put much effort into chasing it. However, it seems like lots of trade proposals lately have included needs for Valor. I typically replace those cards in the offer with more priority wants, but a few have still managed to sneak through. I doubt I care enough to ever finish the set, though.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNcKZte0P40NYFdMZmCoEXxA-y-Meh_HM3AviwpL1Y5fWduvOsLgG_7hFtq38J6p_YVTYGAqQeNirD2vaGUO6rh_Fxv35_N7PN8dO0WVNvCDCGRRhumRqy-_5MJKmTvEU1q0hMva-6v9DdPL2Qk_RPy6d9sp0wv40HVrJTvefUtnBm4kqRu74oDtnSA/s3507/Bob%20Warnell.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNcKZte0P40NYFdMZmCoEXxA-y-Meh_HM3AviwpL1Y5fWduvOsLgG_7hFtq38J6p_YVTYGAqQeNirD2vaGUO6rh_Fxv35_N7PN8dO0WVNvCDCGRRhumRqy-_5MJKmTvEU1q0hMva-6v9DdPL2Qk_RPy6d9sp0wv40HVrJTvefUtnBm4kqRu74oDtnSA/w466-h640/Bob%20Warnell.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><p>Steelers fan Bob Warnell sent a couple of legends from the 1980s (the team card is sliding into my Lester Hayes page), a pair of needs from last year's awful Wild Card that I'm collecting for some reason, a handful of last year's Donruss (represented only by Stefon Diggs and A.J. Brown) and a trio of nice-looking Zach Wilson cards.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8JWSjSZu1jdKTRBUKqp7Sp16TrkifL8iQt0S8wN4enVLdDi_9Mq2VCu9r5vo6mPgr6m8mzKcBMyUQkglOidam4CbTrVg664sqqNVE5IsQXE3p7oiBN09BR8S9KSOcVZH5bpJb-wPEIuD_MxjmEQuLLJ6az8gAv0X0jyPtjMwBmwjBSnQ3TqS4lHa5A/s4677/myrke.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4677" data-original-width="3400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8JWSjSZu1jdKTRBUKqp7Sp16TrkifL8iQt0S8wN4enVLdDi_9Mq2VCu9r5vo6mPgr6m8mzKcBMyUQkglOidam4CbTrVg664sqqNVE5IsQXE3p7oiBN09BR8S9KSOcVZH5bpJb-wPEIuD_MxjmEQuLLJ6az8gAv0X0jyPtjMwBmwjBSnQ3TqS4lHa5A/w466-h640/myrke.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><p>Myrke helped me with a random assortment of baseball wants.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCp6Q6D7cJMSnC-Y4v55uLJi-zXx7hRkO1wKcV8f1NTYdk9vaBrK2ilmDztfMeZCIMPxH9zxpWGHP7BBKQ0Pjg_qkKpfTKHG_lDEQFN4r1PrSaCQuCt5vbWx47JActOEciFGkUSwZCBp6cxrDNq6suxLRqBYevKvMro-VEwXOm7Xq6aMnanQKVRvR2vw/s3975/briznuts.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3975" data-original-width="3145" height="577" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCp6Q6D7cJMSnC-Y4v55uLJi-zXx7hRkO1wKcV8f1NTYdk9vaBrK2ilmDztfMeZCIMPxH9zxpWGHP7BBKQ0Pjg_qkKpfTKHG_lDEQFN4r1PrSaCQuCt5vbWx47JActOEciFGkUSwZCBp6cxrDNq6suxLRqBYevKvMro-VEwXOm7Xq6aMnanQKVRvR2vw/w457-h577/briznuts.jpeg" width="457" /></a></div><p>I used to do an annual post highlighting my Brad Sorensen pickups for the year. It's getting harder and harder to find any new ones, though. This auto from TCDB user briznuts is one of only two this year. The other Sorensen will get its own post in the near future.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKIosmYYb8J72g4tTsAZkF4QDVkQ6N3LBlQ1wKZBuaPiX64_fHZxD1JOlOLdodx-d6PJQj0fWrn3R-6gynGnxrImm_FdG4pw2qiTT68a7VaxYGodCYtZjHbvE3BQT-rCG9ngQ2MrLQYprsalHyL4pEBevVhgQDgeHZjNLpqbnw-nJgGrGFC1Mz31TOA/s3507/maximus%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKIosmYYb8J72g4tTsAZkF4QDVkQ6N3LBlQ1wKZBuaPiX64_fHZxD1JOlOLdodx-d6PJQj0fWrn3R-6gynGnxrImm_FdG4pw2qiTT68a7VaxYGodCYtZjHbvE3BQT-rCG9ngQ2MrLQYprsalHyL4pEBevVhgQDgeHZjNLpqbnw-nJgGrGFC1Mz31TOA/w466-h640/maximus%202.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiBpFYJYuxL_1KU4nd1lRqimkoHlf5xM-PRzn2jlxGxiUc7nfWUZsmgncZ8fQb8oag3Zlny0_DchZU7HQ-UejwlBPpT9N6IbpS_QCeBWVNlzC-nzLDBpI7_I4_NfhC88Yib4MJWrUVlfKrkdzhiM-Dq6EVkhaKjmA-Hgbj9QNs4I6T_HpvQ16NhPO-Q/s3507/maximus%201.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiBpFYJYuxL_1KU4nd1lRqimkoHlf5xM-PRzn2jlxGxiUc7nfWUZsmgncZ8fQb8oag3Zlny0_DchZU7HQ-UejwlBPpT9N6IbpS_QCeBWVNlzC-nzLDBpI7_I4_NfhC88Yib4MJWrUVlfKrkdzhiM-Dq6EVkhaKjmA-Hgbj9QNs4I6T_HpvQ16NhPO-Q/w466-h640/maximus%201.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><p>Trader Maximus sent along a fun bunch of cards. Shiny Detmer, cartoony football-clad basketballer Charlie Ward, police issue John Anderson, and Rey Sanchez signing his 1993 Topps card on his 1994 Topps card all stand out to me. For a player who was good enough to make the 1980s All-Decade team, John Anderson certainly lacks representation on cardboard. I don't think there are even enough standard-sized to fill my Anderson page in the 1980s binder.</p><p>Finally, frequent trading partner jlcre2003 and I pulled off good-sized trade.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXERW9nacc9MrphgNLlAZumW7_Jib6GKBA7M-cxXu8oRM_HRg0W0ygzSD2U166e96LCpsnaShpymjcci_PLk5Px-9dyG6AIiHrzv7eTvtZaftL-26ESdT6bifCiM57n6oZ54i5UCMs1XPZifeGYF1AVItdwA2kNac0FZ0CR2v2dOF7L7Iu0Mp61cDDg/s3113/jlcre2003%206.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="3113" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXERW9nacc9MrphgNLlAZumW7_Jib6GKBA7M-cxXu8oRM_HRg0W0ygzSD2U166e96LCpsnaShpymjcci_PLk5Px-9dyG6AIiHrzv7eTvtZaftL-26ESdT6bifCiM57n6oZ54i5UCMs1XPZifeGYF1AVItdwA2kNac0FZ0CR2v2dOF7L7Iu0Mp61cDDg/w460-h225/jlcre2003%206.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQLiNv-cqyb_OFTBdbAKZJrk-1VUrzEn033C4CsmARxKOhttM7iKrTUQ4bfQQjiFRHWeyFiSUb6WV1yvi4hRmSfh8nIzeBsCy--Cjz8_6bQUCG7HY4UGyJ-O-gojU32Dw0O335PTR38hjUEnQ7XugOd8MFtl0n9bfUz_loDk7HlMaW66XjtSb8M3bIQ/s4438/jlcre2003%201.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4438" data-original-width="3200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQLiNv-cqyb_OFTBdbAKZJrk-1VUrzEn033C4CsmARxKOhttM7iKrTUQ4bfQQjiFRHWeyFiSUb6WV1yvi4hRmSfh8nIzeBsCy--Cjz8_6bQUCG7HY4UGyJ-O-gojU32Dw0O335PTR38hjUEnQ7XugOd8MFtl0n9bfUz_loDk7HlMaW66XjtSb8M3bIQ/w462-h640/jlcre2003%201.jpeg" width="462" /></a></div><p>He helped knock off some set needs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGk0mHgLmCIpV7yvcOCLiXqHHtM6eySJsydClrmmyTkdm84ilYgod5_9HTTg8kFEzNCLVKT9EV97-i8SVNHor-DFvryu646B4A1z5KalhTT7jgEVJztVNCQBMIVWmB15lrfG1nBubQQrCXYl4UKy0vxp5iBedcHBxJ5fpvJrSULEvvMc5MjW8HdBVRA/s4438/jlcre2003%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4438" data-original-width="3224" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGk0mHgLmCIpV7yvcOCLiXqHHtM6eySJsydClrmmyTkdm84ilYgod5_9HTTg8kFEzNCLVKT9EV97-i8SVNHor-DFvryu646B4A1z5KalhTT7jgEVJztVNCQBMIVWmB15lrfG1nBubQQrCXYl4UKy0vxp5iBedcHBxJ5fpvJrSULEvvMc5MjW8HdBVRA/w464-h640/jlcre2003%202.jpeg" width="464" /></a></div><p>Some various baseball collection wants.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dxADNxkEaFYux8uQMo2o1bhNpeeHSNwjIQiglkcP1hCQF5j-pFaTxkxnDJTUT7ImEIQ0HRJ-dkGokWBgrNoAoleMzokmbtrfTsQNFbdYbY5v4i2o_RjnTJy0VqfScOBFRnj6OWi8x_ADBH3ZqB9RqCkLcuPTDiw0aUpx7bm6LQZK2O_NdNJ8uaX5iA/s3184/jlcre2003%204.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2554" data-original-width="3184" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dxADNxkEaFYux8uQMo2o1bhNpeeHSNwjIQiglkcP1hCQF5j-pFaTxkxnDJTUT7ImEIQ0HRJ-dkGokWBgrNoAoleMzokmbtrfTsQNFbdYbY5v4i2o_RjnTJy0VqfScOBFRnj6OWi8x_ADBH3ZqB9RqCkLcuPTDiw0aUpx7bm6LQZK2O_NdNJ8uaX5iA/w460-h369/jlcre2003%204.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div><p>A few football wants, too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5YKMScS1cHqKT2K15RtwKxGtqVDHuHPYUmbW9fFwVar1Wq4Y6I-3Eppa9kld04dqpK0yB9VuOmBaqYZlKBoB3UEeHPjoNeRvuKY-u1N_ZRrPcVZlQpZbz4dwCypYDludON3msJobDFss-jXoYQRBdBxc74bqbEywDshKURRC4BNgs_8CZgqZ-M0OIw/s3184/jlcre2003%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2969" data-original-width="3184" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5YKMScS1cHqKT2K15RtwKxGtqVDHuHPYUmbW9fFwVar1Wq4Y6I-3Eppa9kld04dqpK0yB9VuOmBaqYZlKBoB3UEeHPjoNeRvuKY-u1N_ZRrPcVZlQpZbz4dwCypYDludON3msJobDFss-jXoYQRBdBxc74bqbEywDshKURRC4BNgs_8CZgqZ-M0OIw/w463-h432/jlcre2003%203.jpeg" width="463" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4pobctuuHL2OTUctvanW9XmxiWAhEMLRy2eD7ZOZ4cfEwq6Ax_KV584M7eL7Frg6uDYssc8c6PqqWi1VyzjcwV4ZiGtfa7xU6tsi9RG2u5gpdTjVMnR7ClW32BhPtrit8tGZ7XWSE7Sma-Tl3YvvmYbjUdXXytdfc-kV2HuJ9_K7b5uzL9A-oXwyqQ/s4422/jlcre2003%205.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4422" data-original-width="3208" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4pobctuuHL2OTUctvanW9XmxiWAhEMLRy2eD7ZOZ4cfEwq6Ax_KV584M7eL7Frg6uDYssc8c6PqqWi1VyzjcwV4ZiGtfa7xU6tsi9RG2u5gpdTjVMnR7ClW32BhPtrit8tGZ7XWSE7Sma-Tl3YvvmYbjUdXXytdfc-kV2HuJ9_K7b5uzL9A-oXwyqQ/w464-h640/jlcre2003%205.jpeg" width="464" /></a></div>And of course, a few from all of my favorite teams.<br /><p>It has been a fun year of trading. A lot of the fun came from the ease of finding trade partners who had the cards I needed for three decidedly overproduced, common sets. I thoroughly enjoyed going from box breaking to trading to complete for three different large sets in a matter of months. Of course, that's not a process I'm going to complete. I don't have the space or desire to go build multiple sets from those years. </p><p>But it wasn't just junk wax set building. You can see from the scans above that a great variety of cards came my way in trades. Thanks to anyone reading who helped me produce a solid trade season stat line!</p>Trevor Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09207010676916110937noreply@blogger.com6