Spring Cleaning My Scan Folder

But it's nearly fall, you say?  Well, yes.  But COMC had a Spring Cleaning promotion in May, and I partook.  COMC offered a free shipping voucher to anyone who deposited $50 in store credit during that week.  I decided to take my card budget and do all my shopping on the secondary market that month so I could get my cards shipped to me before the Black Friday promotion.  The way I shop on COMC, $50 can really do some damage to my wantlists.

I have nothing but High Praise for this 2012 Cooperstown insert set.  I've been working on it for a couple of years, but these cards will complete it.  My favorite quote on these cards is Reggie Jackson's remark, "Blind people come to the park to hear [Tom Seaver] pitch."

Three more sets I'm working on.  Those are the final three cards to complete my 2008 Topps set build.  The Limas Sweed is an interesting card.  Here is the back of it:

That's Justin Forsett on the back of Limas Sweed's rookie card.  It's not a simple printing error in which they fed the wrong sheet or something and some cards snuck through.  This is the only version of the card.  Poor Limas Sweed didn't get his vitals on the back of any card in the 2008 Topps set.  It also means that no card technically has the number 365 on the back, which is where Sweed is listed on the checklist.  I find this card highly interesting.

A couple of months ago, I posted about a partial set of 1999 HoloGrfx and the NFL 24/7 insert set from the product.  I bought it from Sportlots figuring I could easily complete it.  All it took was these six cards from COMC and I had both sets done.

Here are a couple really shiny sets that I'm working on.  2013 Prizm Brilliance is almost done.  I'm not quite halfway through the 2016 Absolute Unsung Heroes yet.  I'm particularly happy about adding Eric Berry and Ziggy Ansah, two of my favorite dudes in the NFL.

From extra shiny to real cardboard.  As my mini-collection binders draw nearer to completion, I've decided to start being a little more discerning in what I'm actively pursuing.  For my mini-collections, like these All-1980s team, I've decided to only seek out and purchase older cards from the actual playing days of these players or inserts.

The same thing applies for these mini-collections.  Although, I'm not sure too many modern base sets are including players like Leon Wagner (ASG MVP 1962) or Johnny Callison (ASG MVP 1964).  Wagner, who was the second player to ever win the award, makes his first appearance in my collection with this 1962 issue--the year he took home the award that secured a spot in my collection.

Some more vintage here of two All-Star MVPs (Callison and Bonds) and two ROYs.  This is Steve Howe's rookie, and the first card I have of him with the Dodgers, with whom he won the award.

The other cards I would accept of these mini-collections would be inserts.  Here we have fairly recent inserts to 80s stars Dan Fouts, John Riggins, and the "Manster," Randy White.  Ben Coates, Hardy Nickerson, and Kevin Greene had their heydays in the 90s.  The Greene Contenders card is numbered to 199.

Representing the All-2000s team are these inserts.  I guess that the La'Roi Glover isn't technically an insert, but an oddball from SI for Kids.  Glover, Mawae, and Kevin Williams have been hard for me to find for collection.  Just not enough love in the card companies for the big uglies.

My baseball mini-collections got in on the inserts, too.  I know, I cheated with Yaz and that isn't an insert.  But for a little over 30 cents, how could I pass up that beautiful card?  For some reason, I really like the Corey Seager Break Throughs card.  It seems a bit loud for my taste, but something about it is just great to me.

 

 I've been using COMC to work on my Refractors Frankenset.  I picked out a handful of really cheap refractors this time around, too.  I really like the Collegiate Draft Picks football card of Antonio Gates playing college basketball.  He never played college football after Michigan State coach Nick Saban told him he would only allow him to play football.  He transferred around a bit after that before landing at Kent State, where he played two seasons of basketball.

I added to my BYU collection with this purchase.  These are my first cards of Virgil Carter, the Cougars' first great quarterback in a span of 20 years in which almost every BYU starter spent time in the NFL.  It's also my first card of Daniel Sorensen.  I'm really happy to see him succeed in the NFL.  To be honest, he often drove me crazy while in college by getting burned too often.  The Chiefs gave him a chance, though, and I think he's better in the NFL than he was in college.  The really big card here is my first Ziggy Ansah auto.  

Finally, I picked up an autograph of Packers linebacker Kyler Fackrell.  He may not have played for BYU, but he is a fellow Utahn.  It seems that not too many kids play high school ball in Utah and ultimately end up in the NFL.  When one of them ends up as a Packer, you can bet I'll support him.

I used my $50 to complete at least a couple of sets and do some damage to other areas of my wantlist.  Vintage, inserts, autos--I'm happy with my haul.

The Franchise 9: Houston Texans

One feature I want to make for this blog is to feature the best nine players for each franchise.  Why nine?  Because then I get to create a binder with a page for each team, of course!  To make my task a little easier, I've decided to narrow the field to Super Bowl Era players only.  First of all, it eased the selection process because I wanted to keep each team to nine players.  Second, it makes it a bit easier to collect the cards I need without having to bust my budget on a lot of vintage.  Third, since half the teams in the NFL don't have history too far beyond the advent of the Super Bowl, it levels the field a little for the newer teams.

As is always the case with any type of ranking, there will be plenty of room for debate.  This is in no way a definitive list.  I have a soft spot in my heart for the guys in the trenches, so some may say that I have included too many offensive linemen.  Interestingly, I have found that most teams have a 5/4 split between offense and defense, or vice-versa.  I didn't intentionally try to even it out, that's just how it turned out.  This is just my opinion, and I tried to base it on both stats and status.  I've learned a little bit of football history in the process as well, and having a bit of history is one of the appeals of collecting to me.  In any case, it gave me another something to do with my cards, and that's why I did it in the first place.

The Houston Texans are the youngest team in the NFL, only coming into existence in 2003.  Not surprisingly, they have probably the weakest and most fluid Franchise 9 as a result.  As it stands now  for this newer franchise, here are the best in its history.

1. Matt Schaub, QB (2009 Playoff Contenders)
As it stands, Matt Schaub is the greatest quarterback in Texan history, and it's not even close.  A kid named Watson may be changing that within the next couple of years, but right now it's Schaub.  In his first six years with Houston, he made two Pro Bowls and had a rating under 90 just once.  He even led the league in passing yardage in 2009.  Somehow, he became a pick-six machine in his last year with Texans and moving forward, and the numbers there are so mind-boggling that they suggest as much bad luck as bad play.  For most of his stint in Houston, however, Schaub was an efficient, if not spectacular QB.

2. Arian Foster, RB (2014 Topps Valor)
Once again, we have a player who is clearly the best in franchise history without a whole ton of competition.  In seven Texan seasons, Foster rushed for 6,472 yards and 54 touchdowns while averaging 4.5 yards per carry.  The next closest rushing total is over 3000 yards behind him.  Foster was one of the league's top running backs for a stint and wholly deserves his spot on this team's Top 9.

3. Andre Johnson, WR (2003 Bowman RC)
Johnson is not only the greatest Texan receiver, but he is also one of the NFL's greatest.  Perhaps because he played for a team that was irrelevant for much of his career, Johnson is widely underrated.  All he did was catch 1,012 balls (good for 11th all-time) and score 64 times.  I hope he gets some love when he becomes eligible for Canton.

4. DeAndre Hopkins, WR (2014 Bowman)
After learning from Johnson for a couple of years, Hopkins stepped right into his place as the team's go-to guy.  After five years in the league, Hopkins already ranks second behind Johnson on the franchise leaderboard in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.  And that was playing with some of the worst quarterbacking in recent memory.  If Deshaun Watson continues to grow in the potential he flashed last season, Hopkins could really become scary.

5. Duane Brown, OT (2013 Topps)
Brown has been the best offensive lineman in the team's history.  Between 2012-2014, he was named to three straight Pro Bowls and one 1st-Team All-Pro.  That doesn't include 2011, when he had his best, most impactful season, according to Pro Football Reference and their Approximate Value score.

6. J.J. Watt, DE (2013 Prestige)
Injuries have kept Watt sidelined for a couple of years now, but it really wasn't that long ago that Watt the most dominant defensive player in the league.  In a four-year stretch, Watt racked up 69 sacks, including two 20 sack seasons.  In 2014, he registered 20.5 sacks, returned both an interception and a fumble for a touchdown. . . and caught two touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball.  I may be a Packers fan, but I could make a strong argument for Watt as MVP over Aaron Rodgers that season.

7. Jadeveon Clowney, DE (2014 Prestige Draft Picks)
This is this the truest sign that the Texans don't have much history.  Clowney was drafted only 4 years ago, missed most of his first season due to injury, and just started to find his footing during the second season.  Basically, in two full years of work, Clowney has already shown enough to be one of the top Houston Texans of all-time.  He is only 20 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries into his career, but he is disruptive enough to command constant attention from the opponent.  If he shows the explosiveness that made him the #1 overall pick in the draft, he will retain this spot.  If not, some other youngster may pass him up shortly.

8. Brian Cushing, LB (2011 Rookies & Stars)
Cushing came into the league on fire.  In 2009, he made 86 tackles, 4 sacks, and 4 picks en route to a Rookie of the Year award and a Pro Bowl berth.  Injuries and PED suspensions have slowed him down since, but he is still on the team and contributing.  He currently ranks second in franchise history in tackles, eighth in interceptions, and ninth in sacks.  According to Pro Football Reference, the trajectory of his first three seasons matched players like Willie Lanier, Jack Ham, DeMarcus Ware, and LaVarr Arrington over their first three seasons. 

9. Johnathan Joseph, CB (2013 Topps)
Joseph has been the anchor of the Texans' secondary since 2011.  Since coming over from Cincinnati, Joseph has made two Pro Bowls and is currently tied for the franchise record for interceptions.   He is still in a starting role with the team, so his impact on the franchise history will likely keep growing.

What do you think?  Who would you change out if you had to limit this team to the 9 best players of the past 50 years?  Let the discussions begin!

Let's Highlight Some TCDB Trades!

I have a number of overdue Trading Card Database trades in my scanned file that I need to highlight.  I kind of like taking a few months worth of trades and placing them all in one post like this because it lets me see if there is a trend in what I am collecting/receiving of late.  We'll start in the 1991, with some cards from TCDB user 49ants.  These cards almost kill off my Domino's Quarterback Challenge set.  I only need one more, #44 Joe Theismann.  There's another 1991 here for good measure, an early Ultra insert of Barry Sanders.

The next trade I'm showing got a bit shiny, and again, it was set help for me.  Upper Deck X was a horrible product, but I love the Xponential cards.  I'm working on the Xponential and Xponential 2s from 2008, and tsch67 was able to send some my way.

 Some good names here, including A-Rod and Pujols.  Aramis Ramirez was my favorite Cub of the era.

 Utley, Tulo, and Vlad are the highlights for me here.  When I first completed the UDX set, I had no intention of completing the insert set.  It bugged me that there was an insert set that came one per pack, but it was almost the same size as the base set.  In the years since I completed the base, I kind of concluded that the insert set was the saving grace of the product, so I would go after it.

 Of the four Xponential sets, Xponential 2 was my favorite.  I like this look more than I like the red of the other.  This set is slightly smaller, but had higher odds.  I'm going after both.  The checklist is pretty much the same, and you see Pujols make another appearance here.

A PWE trade with BobbyL brought in some 2018 Heritage inserts.  I traded him the 3 Heritage SPs I had.  All of these players, besides begin superstars, are part of my ROY binder.

We'll finish up this post by showing off goodies from user noy.  We'll start in the early 80s with a baseball Rookie of the Year and some NFL greats of the 1980s.

 Noy takes us through the 90s (well, again with 1991).  Lots of great defenders here.  Walter Dean, in the top right, was a Packers draft pick who appeared in nine games for the team.  He is credited with one kick return for zero yards.  Recovering an onside kick, maybe?  That is his entire career stat line.

 Noy sent me some good Topps inserts from the past decade.  I like the idea of the History of the Game set, but the checklist might as well be "History of the Yankees."  I'm not chasing the entire set for that reason, but I have a few cherry-picked cards on my wantlist.

 Finally, noy sent me some help for my Wrigley Field set.  Ryno and Schwar-bomb each make two appearances in this group.  My progress on this set is slow but sure.

From these trades, I see that I'm still putting a lot of collecting focus on unfinished sets that are a few years (or more) old.  I have more TCDB trades scanned and ready for posting, but I'll save them for another day.

The Franchise 9: New York Giants

One feature I want to make for this blog is to feature the best nine players for each franchise.  Why nine?  Because then I get to create a binder with a page for each team, of course!  To make my task a little easier, I've decided to narrow the field to Super Bowl Era players only.  First of all, it eased the selection process because I wanted to keep each team to nine players.  Second, it makes it a bit easier to collect the cards I need without having to bust my budget on a lot of vintage.  Third, since half the teams in the NFL don't have history too far beyond the advent of the Super Bowl, it levels the field a little for the newer teams.

As is always the case with any type of ranking, there will be plenty of room for debate.  This is in no way a definitive list.  I have a soft spot in my heart for the guys in the trenches, so some may say that I have included too many offensive linemen.  Interestingly, I have found that most teams have a 5/4 split between offense and defense, or vice-versa.  I didn't intentionally try to even it out, that's just how it turned out.  This is just my opinion, and I tried to base it on both stats and status.  I've learned a little bit of football history in the process as well, and having a bit of history is one of the appeals of collecting to me.  In any case, it gave me another something to do with my cards, and that's why I did it in the first place.

The New York Giants have a long NFL history, so some of the franchise's best players, like Y.A. Tittle and Frank Gifford, played before the Super Bowl era.  The Giants have appeared in 5 Super Bowls, winning 2 under Bill Parcells and 2 under Tom Coughlin.

1. Eli Manning, QB (2008 Topps Ring of Honor)

I'm not one to judge a quarterback's talent or worth by championships.  Football is too much of a team game for that.  So I can't say that Eli is a shoo-in to the Hall of Fame based on his two Super Bowl wins.  The body of his career does place him as one of the best Giants QBs ever in my book.  He tops the club's record book in basically all passing categories.  His propensity for interceptions keeps him from rising higher, though.  Still, over 50,000 yards and 300 touchdowns is a pretty good career.

2. Phil Simms, QB (1992 Skybox Impact)

Simms and Manning have a remarkably similar career, in my opinion.  Both led the team to two Super Bowls (though Simms didn't actually get to play in the second), both were the top QB in franchise history at the time of retirement, and neither was ever solidly one of the elite QBs in the league, even though both would probably have a good argument.  The stats look similar, too:  Simms had a TD% of 4.3 to Manning's 4.6.  His INT% was 3.4 while Manning's was 3.1.  Simms finished with 33,000 yards and 199 TD.

3. Tiki Barber, RB (2005 Topps Turkey Red)
Barber is the Giants' all-time rushing leader, with over 10,000 career yards and 55 TD.  He was also a receiving threat out of the backfield, tacking on another 5,000 yards and 12 TD receiving.  During the early 2000s, before Eli Manning arrived, Barber was really the only offensive weapon the Giants had.

4. Chris Snee, G (2011 Topps)
Sometimes these selections surprise even myself.  This is a prime example.  I would have never considered Chris Snee as an all-time great, not even for only his team.  But the fact is that Snee ranks fifth on the Giant's career Approximate Value board, according to Pro-Football Reference.  He received four Pro Bowl invitations and two All-Pro nods, in 2008 and 2010.

5. Michael Strahan, DE (1995 Ultra)
Strahan spent his entire 15 year career with the Giants.  In that time, he claimed the franchise's all-time sack total: 141.5 for his career.  He led the league in sacks twice, including the controversial single-season sack record in 2001.

To top off a Hall of Fame career, Strahan rode off into the sunset after winning his first Super Bowl after the 2007 season.

6. Jessie Armstead, LB (1997 Stadium Club)
This was a tough choice.  The final slot basically came down to Armstead and Carl Banks.  In the end, it was Armstead's five consecutive Pro Bowl berths and 1st Team All-Pro nomination that pushed him to the top.  In nine years with Big Blue, Armstead tallied 594 tackles, 12 interceptions, and 5 fumble recoveries.  It may be an exaggerated memory, but my recollection of Armstead's playing days seems to involve his always coming up with a turnover.

7. Keith Hamilton, DT (1995 Upper Deck)
Hamilton never made a Pro Bowl (though he was named All-Pro in 2000), but he ranks 7th All-Time for the Giants in AV.  In a 12-year Giant career, he racked up an impressive 63 sacks and nearly 400 tackles from his defensive tackle position.

8. Harry Carson, LB (1988 Topps)
Like Armstead, Carson was a turnover generating machine.  In 13 seasons, he tallied 14 picks and 11 fumble recoveries.  He made the Pro Bowl in 9 of those 13 seasons.  He quarterbacked the 1980s Big Blue Wrecking Crew defense from his inside linebacker position.  Oh, and he is also in the Hall of Fame.

9. Lawrence Taylor, LB (1990 Pro Set)
LT changed the game.  His freakish athleticism forever altered how coaches and fans view edge rushers.  He ended his Hall of Fame career with 132.5 sacks., but it's possible that his most impressive achievement was winning the NFL MVP in 1986, becoming only the third non-offensive player to do so; no one has done it in the nearly 30 years since.

The Giants were an interesting team for this project.  They haven't had a ton of superstars, but they have a logjam of solid players who spent many years in blue and who probably could have been chosen.  For that reason, I expect to have more people chime in about whom I have excluded with this team.  There is just a lot of gray area here.  They have one current superstar in Odell Beckham who will probably be on this team before too long.  He's just not there yet.

What do you think?  Who would you change out if you had to limit this team to the 9 best players of the past 50 years?  Let the discussions begin!

The Franchise 9: Denver Broncos

 

One feature I want to make for this blog is to feature the best nine players for each franchise.  Why nine?  Because then I get to create a binder with a page for each team, of course!  To make my task a little easier, I've decided to narrow the field to Super Bowl Era players only.  First of all, it eased the selection process because I wanted to keep each team to nine players.  Trying to take a team like the Bears or Packers with all its history and whittle the greatest players to nine is a daunting task.  For some of these teams, it was hard enough to make the cuts that I did.  To double the length of the history and decide between Norm Van Brocklin and Torry Holt was beyond the scope of what I wanted for this project.  Sorry Norm, it's just easier to justify excluding you because of your time period.  Second, it makes it a bit easier to collect the cards I need without having to bust my budget on a lot of vintage.  Third, since half the teams in the NFL don't have history too far beyond the advent of the Super Bowl, it levels the field a little for the newer teams.

As is always the case with any type of ranking, there will be plenty of room for debate.  This is in no way a definitive list.  I have a soft spot in my heart for the guys in the trenches, so some may say that I have included too many offensive linemen.  Interestingly, I have found that most teams have a 5/4 split between offense and defense, or vice-versa.  I didn't intentionally try to even it out, that's just how it turned out.  This is just my opinion, and I tried to base it on both stats and status.  I've learned a little bit of football history in the process as well, and having a bit of history is one of the appeals of collecting to me.  In any case, it gave me another something to do with my cards, and that's why I did it in the first place.

The teams will be presented in no particular order; basically, I have chosen the players already and am in the process of filling in the gaps as I do not currently own a card of every player I have chosen.  I'll present each team as I complete its page.  Players are in order of position, not ranking.  I don't really care to take my nine franchise players and try to rank their greatness.  I'll just leave it as a team.

The Broncos have played in 8 Super Bowls, but they hold the record for most Super Bowl losses, going only 3-5 in those games.  Their first win came in Super Bowl XXII, on the fifth try.  Still, to make it to the Big Game 8 times in 3 different decades--in fact, the 1960s and 2000s are the only decades in the Broncos did not play for a title--speaks to some pretty good teams.  So, who is the best of Mile High?

1. John Elway, QB (1994 Collector's Choice)
#7 ranks #7 in the all-time passing yardage list, but he was #2 when he retired.  His 300 TDs were third when he retired.  Elway also went out in style; after bringing Denver its first Super Bowl win, he went out and got a second the next year, his final game.  And then he came back and engineered a Super Bowl roster as an executive.  John Elway is the Denver Broncos and I don't see that changing any time soon.

2. Terrell Davis, RB (1996 Pro Line II Intense)
One could also make the argument that Terrell Davis won those first two Super Bowls for Denver and that Elway was just a facilitator at that point.  Davis put together a string of four seasons that would rival any backs in league history.  Before injuries effectively ended his career, Davis rushed for 6,466 yards (an average of 1616 per season!) and 56 TDs.  There was also a 2,000 yard season in the mix there, just the fourth ever and one of only seven overall.  He was explosive and powerful enough to ride that 4-year comet of a career into the Hall of Fame.

3. Rod Smith, WR (1999 Collector's Edge Fury)
Smith went from undrafted free agent to 3-time Pro Bowler and 2-World Champ.  He retired with 849 receptions for 11,389 yards and 68 TDs.  Those numbers for yards and TDs are record for undrafted receivers, and he trails only Wes Welker in receptions.   He led the league in receptions in 2001.  Cementing his place in the Broncos' Franchise 9 is the fact that he spent his entire career in Denver. 

4. Tom Nalen, C (1994 Bowman RC)
Another member of the Broncos' Super Bowl run in the 90s.  Like Smith, Nalen was an unheralded prospect, going in the 7th round, who spent his entire career in Denver.  He was named 1st Team All-Pro twice, and acccording to Pro Football Reference, his career is most similar to Willie Roaf, Dermontti Dawson, Ron Yary, Walter Jones, Mick Tingelhoff, Alan Faneca, and Steve Hutchinson.  All but two of those guys are in Canton, and those other two will most likely be enshrined in the next couple of years.  That's some good company.

5. Randy Gradishar, LB (1980 Topps)
Seven Pro Bowl appearances, two All-Pro teams, one Defensive Player of the Year award.  Someday the Veteran's Committee will get Gradishar into the Hall of Fame.  It's amazing to me how little he is even remembered now.  After spending his entire career in Denver, he is a shoo-in to the team's Franchise 9.

6. Karl Mecklenburg, LB (1991 Upper Deck)
Gradishar ended his career in 1983.  That was Mecklenburg's first year.  Like Gradishar, Mecklenburg spent his entire career in Denver, and arguably did even more than his predecessor.  While individual defensive stats are hard to compare because many were not kept in Gradishar's time, they have similar career outcomes, according to Pro Football Reference.  Mecklenburg was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro.  Like Gradishar, Mecklenburg doesn't get much mention with the greatest linebackers of the day.  But he probably deserves more respect than he gets.

7. Von Miller, LB (2014 Topps Prime SP-Photo Variation)
Another generation, another great Broncos linebacker.  Miller may not have the longevity as a Bronco yet, but he does have something that Gradishar and Mecklenburg never got--a Super Bowl win.  Not only did Miller win the Super Bowl, he was a one-man wrecking crew in the Big Game against Carolina.  Miller has double-digit sacks in each full season that he has played in his career.  With only seven seasons under his belt, Miller will only climb the list of top Broncos.

8. Champ Bailey, CB (2006 Topps Chrome)
Few corners in history have been able to keep "shut down" status for as long as Bailey did.  During his tenure with Broncos, Bailey picked off 34 passes, returning three for touchdowns, and racked up an incredible 123 passes defensed.  It seems like corners only stay at the top of their games for 3-5 years, but Bailey played at a top level for close to a decade.

9. Steve Atwater, S (1995 Pinnacle)
I was a kid in 1990, watching Monday Night Football between the Chiefs and Broncos.  My dad was a Chiefs fan, so I was cheering for the Chiefs.  I didn't know many players, but I did know Christian Okoye.  On one play, Broncos safety Steve Atwater came flying up to the line of scrimmage and met the world's most powerful running back in a violent collision.  I'll never forget the sight of Okoye flying back, but the sound was even more incredible.  Atwater was apparently mic'd up for the game, and my introduction to the young DB was him screaming, "You tired baby!" at Okoye.  That was how Atwater played the game, and it is the primary reason he was named to the NFL's All 1990s team.  He was a legendary hard hitter and enforcer for the great Broncos teams of the 90s.

Originally, Peyton Manning was going to be on this team, representing 2 teams.  But his time with Denver was too short and his overall impact on the team was lessened by an outstanding defense that I couldn't leave out some of these other long-time Broncos.

What do you think?  Who would you change out if you had to limit this team to the 9 best players of the past 50 years?  Let the discussions begin!

Straight Outta P-Town: Odds and Inserts

Well, I've probably dragged this on long enough.  This will be my last post highlighting the gigantic stack of Cubs cards P-Town Tom sent my way earlier this summer.

So, who likes oddballs?  I have somehow accumulated a handful of 1981 Coca-Cola cards before this, but these are my first Cubs of the set.  Bill Buckner appears to be King of the Oddball here, being represented on a Coke, a sticker, and two Drake's cards.  The lenticular Leon Durham is in good shape, with no cracking.  We see an appearance by Shawon Tungsten on a 1993 Cardtoons card.  I've seen these parody cards around on the blogs, but this is the first I've seen in person.

Now we have some parallels.  We have gold foil and Silver Signatures, a mini Bazooka, and a state parallel of Hometown Hero Keith Moreland.  1993 Topps Gold is my favorite of any Topps Gold parallel.  The card design just seems to lend itself well to the parallel.

How about some horizontal inserts?  I couldn't believe that I didn't have that Ernie Banks already when I pulled it out of the box, but it turns out that I still needed it.  I like the Heritage Then & Now featured two Cubs aces and the Kyle Schwarber draft insert.

Here are some insert sets I had never seen before, since most of them came out during my collecting hiatus. 

I'm always happy to add some Baez to my collection.  But the card I really love is the What a Day! Ginter of Kyle Schwarber.  I don't collect A&G.  I've never even seen a pack of it near me.  But I loved this insert set when I saw it last year.  If it weren't so big, I would have decided to chase it down, but I didn't.  That makes this Schwarber very much appreciated.

As I bring these posts to an end, we'll flip over a few cards to catch some good backs.  Pitchers bunting, players signing, and Mark Grace telling us all to shut our yaps.  It's all great!  I've said it before, but thanks again for the cards, Tom.

Straight Outta P-Town: Simply the Best

I have more cards to show from P-Town Tom's purge.  If you recall, I was able to add 576 new to me cards from that box.  Included were some Hall of Fame players who have donned the Cubs uniform.  I think my favorite of this lot is the Ryno All-Star card.  1985 may not be vintage, but it's before overproduction and before I started collecting, so that's a fun add for me.

These players may not be Hall of Fame caliber, but they were definitely fan favorites and great players in their own rights.  Nomar, Gaetti, Cey, and Bowa made their names before becoming Cubs, but I'm glad they played at Wrigley.  Girardi was a Cub first and a Cub later in his career, even if he will be remembered in history as a Yankee.  Ramirez, Wood, and Grace are three of my favorite Cubs ever.  And Sosa, well, he was well-beloved at the time, though I hate to look back at those years now.

Here are some of my favorite current--or almost current, excepting Jake Arrieta--Cubs.  All of these players were instrumental in the 2016 World Series title, especially WS MVP Ben Zobrist and the Bryzzo connection that recorded the final out.

 
Tom even got some 2018 cards into the box.  This is the only Cubs card I have of Alex Avila.  Jon Lester has been the most consistent player this season.  Let's hope the rest of the rotation can find a groove before fall baseball rolls around.

There will be still more of this series to come.  It was a tremendously huge package and it is fun to show off all of these great Cubs.

The Franchise 9: Cleveland Browns

One feature I want to make for this blog is to feature the best nine players for each franchise.  Why nine?  Because then I get to create a binder with a page for each team, of course!  To make my task a little easier, I've decided to narrow the field to Super Bowl Era players only.  First of all, it eased the selection process because I wanted to keep each team to nine players.  Trying to take a team like the Bears or Packers with all its history and whittle the greatest players to nine is a daunting task.  For some of these teams, it was hard enough to make the cuts that I did.  To double the length of the history and decide between Norm Van Brocklin and Torry Holt was beyond the scope of what I wanted for this project.  Sorry Norm, it's just easier to justify excluding you because of your time period.  Second, it makes it a bit easier to collect the cards I need without having to bust my budget on a lot of vintage.  Third, since half the teams in the NFL don't have history too far beyond the advent of the Super Bowl, it levels the field a little for the newer teams.

As is always the case with any type of ranking, there will be plenty of room for debate.  This is in no way a definitive list.  I have a soft spot in my heart for the guys in the trenches, so some may say that I have included too many offensive linemen.  Interestingly, I have found that most teams have a 5/4 split between offense and defense, or vice-versa.  I didn't intentionally try to even it out, that's just how it turned out.  This is just my opinion, and I tried to base it on both stats and status.  I've learned a little bit of football history in the process as well, and having a bit of history is one of the appeals of collecting to me.  In any case, it gave me another something to do with my cards, and that's why I did it in the first place.

The teams will be presented in no particular order; basically, I have chosen the players already and am in the process of filling in the gaps as I do not currently own a card of every player I have chosen.  I'll present each team as I complete its page.  Players are in order of position, not ranking.  I don't really care to take my nine franchise players and try to rank their greatness.  I'll just leave it as a team.


Today we'll take a look at the Cleveland Browns.

1. Leroy Kelly, RB (1970 Topps)
Obviously not the greatest running back in Browns' history, but he is the best of the Super Bowl Era.  In 10 seasons with Cleveland, he rushed for 7,274 yards and 74 TDs.  He is the 2nd-leading rusher in franchise history.  He was a 6-time Pro Bowler and 3-time 1st Team All-Pro.

2. Paul Warfield, WR (2007 Playoff Contenders Legendary Contenders)
Hall of Famer Paul Warfield had some of his best years with the Browns.  In eight seasons, he caught 271 passes for an insane 19.2 yards per catch.  He scored on nearly 20% of those catches, too, finding the end zone 52 times for the Browns.

3. Ozzie Newsome, TE (1987 Topps)

Before he became known as the genius GM of the Ravens, Newsome was the premier TE of the 80s.  He spent his entire career in Cleveland, amassing 662 receptions for 72 TDs in his career.  He was the all-time leader in receptions by a tight end at the time of his retirement.

4. Gene Hickerson, G (1971 Topps)

Hickerson was a Hall of Fame guard who played half of his career before the Super Bowl Era.  However, five of his six Pro Bowl selections and all three of his 1st-Team All-Pro bids came after 1965, which is part of the Super Bowl Era.  For that reason, I count him as one of the best Browns of modern times.

5. Joe Thomas, T (2008 Topps)
Recently retired Joe Thomas should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, in my opinion.  He made the Pro Bowl every year of his career until injuries derailed his final season.  Throw six 1st Team All-Pro selections in 11 years to the mix, and you get a dominant tackle.

6. Michael Dean Perry, DT (1993 Upper Deck)
I feel like this one could be a bit controversial, but I'll make my case.  According to Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value stat, Perry is the seventh highest Brown in history.  Not only that, but only Joe Thomas, Leroy Kelly, and Gene Hickerson have more combined Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections for the Browns than Perry.  He is also second in franchise history in sacks.  His older brother, William "Refrigerator" Perry may have gotten more publicity, but I would take MDP on my team.

7. Clay Matthews, LB (1991 Pro Set)
Speaking of brothers, Clay's brother Bruce was already named to the Houston/Tennessee Franchise 9 team as an offensive lineman.  On the defensive side, Clay was a pretty good player himself.  He may not be in the Hall of Fame, but he is still the franchise leader in sacks, even 25 years after leaving the team.

8.  Hanford Dixon, CB (1989 Pro Set)
Teammate Frank Minnifield was named to the NFL's All-1980s team.  I don't understand why.  Dixon accumulated more interceptions, more Pro Bowls, and was an All-Pro twice.  Plus, he played through the entire decade, whereas Minnifield started in 1984.  Not only that, but Dixon claimed credit for naming the Browns' secondary "the Dawgs," thus beginning the Dawg Pound in Cleveland.  He is very much deserving of this nomination.

9. Frank Minnifield, CB (1990 Pro Set)
Of course, Minnifield was no slouch himself.  He was also a Pro Bowl regular and an All-Pro.  If he didn't coin the term "Dawg Pound," he at least had a hand in creating it.  Looking at this team, it's easy to see why the Browns had the success they did in the 80s--Matthews, Dixon, and Minnifield all together made it difficult for opposing offenses to get things going.

Ultimately, this was one of the more depressing Franchise 9 players to decide.  There is some great history for this team--but it is old history.  Most of the best players to suit up for the Browns did so before the advent of the Super Bowl.  The team won multiple championships in the years before the AFL/NFL merger and hasn't been back to the championship game since.  Only one player on this team has been active in the past 25 years.  The future may be bright, though, as the Browns really have a chance to build on some young players and lots of high draft picks.  We'll see if they can make strides in the AFC North.

What do you think?  Who would you change out if you had to limit this team to the 9 best players of the past 50 years?  Let the discussions begin!