Some Baseball Cards Come to Life

I've already shared some football cards I got from Baseball Cards Come to Life.  Now for those of you who have more a of an appetite for baseball, here you go:

We'll start this off with a couple of Cubbies.  I like cards that feature my favorite play in baseball, the double play.  I especially love the shot on this Sandberg, though, because it shows a different angle from most of the double dips in my collection.

Here are some All-Star MVPs for my collection.  I love this Cal.  The moment appears to be a missed opportunity to turn two, but the way it just looks like he is staring down the runner is great.  The Jeter is actually the back of a shiny card with Luis Gonzalez on the front.

This Piazza is a mystery to me.  It's a mini, obviously, and it's a 1999 Pacific production.  Beyond that, I'm not sure what I have here.

  

Pretty much all of Pacific's release mystify me.  I can never tell what I'm looking at.  Can anybody help me out on this?

Finally, we have some cards to fit into my Rookie of the Year binder.  The Nomo on the right is just an example of what makes Stadium Club one of the best products around.  I'm a fan of both of those Longorias.  (Can I pluralize his name like that?  It just looks so odd.)  I seem to have more lenticular Evan Longoria cards than is normal, and think this one is the third unique Longoria lenticular I have.

Thanks for a great trade, Bo!  Next time I'll up my game to match your trade package.

More of the Trade with Baseball Cards Come to Life (The 2000s)

In my last post I mentioned that Bo at Baseball Cards Come to Life sent me way more than I expected from our trade. 

Today's post has a distinct New Millennium flavor, as I will highlight the All-2000s NFL team.  Many of these cards came from the years before I picked up collecting again, so some of them are actually the first I've own from their respective sets.  We'll start with the defense and special teams today.

Some great defensive backs here.  I love the diversity I see in the safeties here.  Polamalu will be remembered for his hitting, while Ed Reed built his career on creating turnovers.  Charles Woodson was just a jack-of-all-trades, but he was good at it all--run support, coverage, playing outside, slot, or safety--Woodson could do it all.  Devin Hester did start his career as a DB before attempting the other side of the ball, but he made the team as a returner, of course.  He gave me some heartburn, as I am a Packers fan, but in my mind, he's the most dangerous returner of all-time.  No disrespect to "White Shoes" or Mel Gray or anybody like that, but no other return was a threat to score every time he got his hands on the ball.

I was never really a big fan of this pair of linebackers, for different reasons.  But there is no denying that they were nightmares for opposing offenses.  Brian Urlacher's career still boggles my mind.  I still remember how he terrorized the Mountain West Conference as a safety at New Mexico.  His combination of speed and size is hard to beat.

I love cards of sackmasters actually sacking the quarterback, like the Demarcus Ware pictured above.  The Zach Thomas on the far right is actually a rookie, and I'm not sure what the set is.  The brand is Score Board and it seems to be from the "Autographed Collection," but I can't find any other information on the set.  Still, it's a nice rookie of a player who never got the love he deserved, in my opinion.

And here is our defensive line.  I really like the Ultra Dream Team insert set.  This was the first time I had ever seen it, and Bo sent me a few.  I've added the rest to my want list on Zistle because I really like the card.

Now for the offense.

I love this collection of Tony Gonzalez.  First, it features him as a Chief, and most of my cards have a Falcons uniform.  Second, there is a wide variety of sets that had no representation in my collection before.  The first three on the bottom row are my favorites: Upper Deck Artifact, Fleer Platinum, and Topps Reserve.  Am I alone when I say that I miss Fleer?  I feel like Fleer put out some of my favorite sets every year.

I'm not a Randy Moss fan at all.  Here he is representing four different teams in one trade package.

Some more wide receivers, and another of that Topps Reserve set I'm liking so much.

My running back collection for this decade is seriously lacking.  Running backs have such short careers that some of these guys started and ended their careers while I was not collecting.  As a result, this is just the fourth Edgerrin James card I own.  Also a travesty is the fact that before I got this package, I owned more cards of LaDainian Tomlinson as a Jet than a Charger.  Here is Upper Deck Ovation making a football appearance.  I never even knew Upper Deck made an Ovation football, but like its baseball counterpart, I really like what I'm seeing.

We'll end with a bang.  Brady and Manning are GOAT 1.a and GOAT 1.b, in my opinion.  I don't say that lightly; I am well aware of the quarterbacks of yesteryear and their achievements.  I'm not biased toward these players because of my generation.  I feel these two have earned it.  I may take up this issue again in another post someday, but right now this display of cards from Baseball Cards Come to Life has gone on long enough.  Though I still haven't finished with this trade yet.  You'll see more later.

A Somewhat Lopsdided Card Trade Come to Life (1980s and 1990s All-Decade)

Bo, the proprietor of Baseball Cards Come to Life, recently posted some of his new acquisitions of players he didn't care for much.  I commented on his post that every single one of the cards he posted could fit easily into my collection.  That never happens, that someone posts a bunch of cards that I PC all of them.  He responded that those cards weren't available, but he had some stuff I might like.  And just like that, our first trade was born.

I sent him about 75 cards, mostly commons, to check off some of his sets he was building.  He told me he'd pull a similar number of cards for me.  Well, I don't think this was a fair trade.  This is what I got in return for my 75 cards:

About 150 cards, mostly of Hall of Famers and legends.  For 75 2015 Topps flagship base cards?  What am I supposed to do with this?  If subsequent trades go like this, I will probably die owing Mr. Bo more cards than I can imagine. 

All kidding aside, Bo more than came through in this trade and I appreciate his addition to my collection.  I'm going to break this trade into separate posts. 

Here are the All 1980s representatives that I got from Bo.

I'm pretty sure a lot of these cards were in my collection, way back when I was a kid.  In fact, that Sean Landeta looks familiar to me, and 1988 Topps were the first cards I ever got.  Regardless, all of these cards are new to the binder.

Here are a few guys who spanned the decades, finding a place on both the 80s and 90s teams.  Love the Reggie White, as it is probably one of the first cards to feature him in the green and gold after his history-altering signing with the Pack.

Cool oddball Dominos Pizza card of Elway.  Bo actually sent me several of those Dominos Cards, and they're a welcome addition.  The Thurman Thomas and Cris Carter Silver Set are part of a redemption set Upper Deck gave from Touchdown Predictor cards.  You would pull a card with a player and a date, and if the player scored on that date, you could redeem for the whole set.  If I remember correctly, the set included a special "Touchdown" card of the player who was redeemed.

And here is an all 90s guy and Packer legend.  But seeing Brett in purple makes me cringe.  Will these two go into my binder?  Probably not, though technically they should.  Hey, my binder, my rules.  And I can break them if I want.

I present the rest of this trade later, as Bo hit many more football and baseball needs for me.  Thanks, Bo! 

More of a Birthday Blast(er)

Last week I had a birthday, and I used a nice rebate check from a utility company to treat myself to some cards.  I found out that Wildwood Enterprises was running a deal that was $15 off a purchase of $100.  Wildwood specializes in retail boxes and they usually have some good deals on selected products, but they don't carry a lot of variety in their inventory.  With the coupon, I picked up 2 blasters of 2016 Panini Classics football, 4 blasters of 2016 Panini football, and a retail box of Topps Bunt.  With the coupon special, I ended up getting the 7 boxes for about $15 per box.  It sure beat heading to the local store and paying a bit more per box.  Anyway, I'm trying to pace myself so I have something to break when I get the itch.  I'll share my findings with you as I go.

Here is the second box of Panini Classics.

Pack 1

The insert and the rookie are both pretty good subjects to have on a card.  It's my first Sterling Shepard, and I've been impressed with his play thus far in his short career.

Pack 2

Another solid rookie.  Dak has been surprising.  I thought he was a bit underrated entering the draft, but I never expected him to look like a veteran from Day 1.  The Emmitt and Deion will go into my 1990s binder.  This was just a pretty good Cowboys pack, wasn't it?

Pack 3

There's a blue back of Fred Taylor's son, Kelvin.  I've always been a sucker for a good running back, and Earl Campbell is one guy I wish I had been able to see play. 

Pack 4

Three cards to go into binders for me here, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shannon Sharpe, and Cris Carter.  Here is the first rookie of this box who didn't ring a bell for me.  Daniel Lasco was drafted by the Saints, if anybody is wondering.

Pack 5

Another Earl Campbell, this time in the form of an insert.  The first Packer of the box comes in the form of Antonio Freeman.  A great player yes, but a Legend?  Not sure I agree with that.  Devontae Booker will probably be unloaded to some local Ute collector, unless somebody here wants it.

Pack 6

Another blue back, this time of Willie McGinest.  For a guy who collected through the 90s, I was surprised to find that the base and this parallel from this box are the first 2 McGinests that I own.  I'm not overly attached, however, so if some Pats fan out there wants them, they're available.  Does anybody out there collect Patriots?  I know there are lots of Red Sox bloggers out there, but I don't know if any of them collect football.

Pack 7

Strahan will go in my binder.  The Team Tributes card seems odd to me, as a tribute to historical team that is pretty much still intact.

Pack 8

Darrell Green will go in my 1990s binder.  The rest are available.

So there is Box #2 of my birthday blaster splurge.  Those are the only 2 Classics that I picked up, but I kind of wish I had gotten more.  I won't be chasing this set, so most of these cards are up for trade (including those in the last post), except where I noted. 

I'll probably hit the Topps Bunt box next.  Until then.

Birthday Blast(ers)

Last week I had a birthday, and I used a nice rebate check from a utility company to treat myself to some cards.  I found out that Wildwood Enterprises was running a deal that was $15 off a purchase of $100.  Wildwood specializes in retail boxes and they usually have some good deals on selected products, but they don't carry a lot of variety in their inventory.  With the coupon, I picked up 2 blasters of 2016 Panini Classics football, 4 blasters of 2016 Panini football, and a retail box of Topps Bunt.  With the coupon special, I ended up getting the 7 boxes for about $15 per box.  It sure beat heading to the local store and paying a bit more per box.  Anyway, I'm trying to pace myself so I have something to break when I get the itch.  I'll share my findings with you as I go.

All three products are new to me.  I decided to crack into the Panini Classics first.  In each blaster of Classics there are 8 packs of 8 cards each.  There is one blue back parallel per box on average.  Other than that, well, Panini is notorious for not stating their odds.  I found pretty quickly that I could expect one rookie and one insert per pack, though.

I'll run you through the first box.

Pack 1

First impressions: I like old-style design without necessarily recreating an existing design.  The card stock feels grainy, like a vintage card, but it's thicker than I expected.  The way the player is outlined creates a pop-up feel to the cards.  The rest of the design is simple and incorporates the team colors and logo.  The team name up top, though.  That hurts my eyes.

No, that is not a blurry photo.  The team name is written at least 4 times, with each new writing underneath the previous and getting lighter.  It's frankly hard to read and the overall design would be better without it, I believe.

I was somewhat surprised to see the insert in the pack (Future Legends Jameis Winston) made no attempt to look vintage.  It's a straight-up modern card, and a pretty slick design in my opinion.

Pack 2

Lots of quarterbacks in this pack, including my man Favre.  The Torry Holt you see there is a blue back parallel.

Pack 3

I don't know why, but that top row makes me think of fantasy football.  That would be a pretty solid team, and one that is actually believable, as all those guys could be picked up in different rounds.  The Classic Clashes Elway/Favre insert is bittersweet to me.  I love that it will fit my All-1990s binder perfectly, as it is the only card I have that features both that team's quarterbacks.  But it also just reminds me of Super Bowl XXXII and Elway's helicopter into the end zone.

Pack 4

I'm starting to question the "Legends" criteria.  So far, I've pulled Ricky Williams (maybe), Doug Williams (in some aspects), but Mark Chmura?  I don't agree with that one bit, and I'm a Packers fan.  I suppose part of stems from his legal troubles.  Yes, I know, he was acquitted in a court of law, but the doubt still lingers in my mind.  I like to think that if I'm going to hero-worship, I want as little dirt as possible on them.

Pack 5

The Burbridge is another blue back.  I have to say, that for most of these rookies, I've had to look up their drafting teams to know where to file them.  Eli Apple and Laremy Tunsil are the only two I've known so far.  Burbridge and Jackson were picked by the Niners and Bengals, respectively.  Just in case you were wondering. 

Pack 6

The highlight here for me is the two legendary linebackers who will go in my 1980s binder.  The Next Level insert features the player in a college uniform on the front and a pro uniform on the back.  Panini is making full use of its two licenses, and I've been pretty pleased with the result from across different products.

Pack 7

Why is there a Dwight Clark Classic Moments of "The Catch" without a picture of "The Catch?"  Part of me thinks, "Oh, I've seen that play a hundred times.  I don't need it on a card."  But then I consider that one of the main reasons I collect is to build my own little history of the game.  Shouldn't I have a card of a Classic Moment that actually depicts the Classic Moment?

The Thurman Thomas, by the way, ends my hunt for Thurman Thomas cards.  Until I decide to expand my All-Decade collection, I have all the Thurmans I need.  He is just the 3rd player (Rod Woodson and Junior Seau) that I have completed for the 1990s binder.

Pack 8

The last pack of the box is more of the same: 4 current players, an insert, 2 legends, and a rookie.  Look at Andy Dalton run there.  He looks like a legitimate running back with his four points of contact on the ball.  Good for him.

Overall, I was impressed with my first purchase of Panini Classics.  For the price, I got to add a quite a few cards to my binders.  Next up, I'll break that other box of Classics before moving on to another product.  As I mentioned, I'm trying to draw this out and not binge on it, so I'll post the results as I get there.

A Big Topps Archives Surprise

One of my favorite products each year is Topps Archives.  Over the past couple years, as I've tried to pay more attention to my collecting habits and identify what I tend to target--and why--I've been learning that I like the fun factor in my baseball cards.  Opening Day and Archives fit the bill for me.  They're relatively inexpensive and both products tend to include some sort of fun insert set.  Though I always like the Archives product, I don't pick up as much of it as I would like.  First, my local stores don't carry a ton of it.  Second, I never seem to have any leftover money for it when it's released.

Last week I picked up a blaster and a hanging pack of Archives.  I was mostly excited to see the 1991 design.  I was also hoping for a Kevin Costner autograph, though I've never really like Bull Durham.   No, I didn't pull the Costner.  Still, I definitely left with absolutely no complaint.

Let's start with the blaster box.

Pack 1

My first look at 2016 Archives, and I like it.  I like the nostalgic feeling of the older sets, but I think part of the fun of the product is that the cards feel different.  No it's not the thickest card stock, but neither were the originals.  These aren't quite as grainy as the older cards, so they feel more modern, if that makes sense.  Plus, I really like seeing teams like the Rays on 1991 cards.

From this pack, Trout and Marichal go into my PC binder.

Pack 2

Here is an example of the fun inserts I like.  I'm fascinated by the lineage of baseball families.  The Father-Son set gets my attention.  I do wish that this particular card were Sandy and Sandy, Jr., though.  Ichiro will go into the binder.

Pack 3

I think Topps did a great job using photos that actually fit the set they were redoing.  The Bench card is great.  There are 3 pretty solid rookies in this pack.  But the highlight here is the Kris Bryant insert.  It's impossible to be a Cubbies fan and not be totally captivated by what he has done in his two seasons with the team.  I'm always happy to add something of his to my collection.

Pack 4

HOLY COW!  It's a Phil Rizzuto numbered to 199.  I think these blue borders come about one per blaster.  It's up for trade, if any Yankee fans out there are interested.

I'm not a Ryan Braun fan at all, but that is one attractive card to me.  The colors and the photo framing mesh together so well.

Nomar and Abreu will go into my binder.

Pack 5

Gooden and Fergie will go into binders. The Matt Kemp here exemplifies one more thing I love about the 1991 redux: teams that have changed logos have their current logos and colors represented on the 2016 version of 1991.  Again, I like the modernity it adds to the older design.

Pack 6

Here it is.  For just the second time in my life, I pulled a 1/1.  From a blaster box, no less.  And I've no intention of letting this puppy go.

Yes, that's a 1/1 black border of one of the biggest rookie names on my favorite team!

There it is, in all of it's serial-numbered glory.

Apparently, I was so stoked about this card that I forgot to get any pictures of the rest of the pack. Sorry.

Pack 7

Another insert, this one from the #1 Draft Pick set.  Hamilton is the only active player in this pack.  The rest are all retired, and I'm okay with that.

Pack 8

We'll polish off the blaster with the second Luis Severino, this one an insert.  There's a nice-looking Griffey and the newest member of my All-Star MVP binder, Eric Hosmer.  This is my first Corey Seager, believe it or not, but I expect I'll be chasing more of his cards in about a month or so.  All due respect to Trevor Story, but I think Seager gets NL Rookie of the Year and joins my collection.

Earlier I mentioned the new Padres look represented on the 1991 style.  Well, the Perry here shows the same concept in reverse.  An older Indians style for this card to match the player's era is a nice touch.

Hanger Pack

Now on to the hanger pack.  In just one blaster and one pack, I ended up with a few dupes, but here are the new cards.

Welcome to my binders, Mr. McCovey and Mr. Williams.  If I had pulled an Aroldis Chapman, I would have the Yankees' entire back end shut-down pitching armory in one pack.  Well, as it was constituted when the cards were made.

So there is my first taste of Archives.  Even without the Schwarber, I enjoyed ripping these packs.  I think I'm going to passively put this set together; I'll put my needs up on my wantlist here and see what happens.  As much as I liked the set, I already am working on two sets from this year and I'm pretty much all geared up for football.  But this set is definitely worth picking up to me.

1997 Pinnacle Zenith pt. 6

We're in the home stretch of some great late 90s time travel.

Pack 21

Here is a solid group of players.  McNair, Muhammad, and Pickens were some of the best players their respective teams had to offer in the 1990s.  In McNair's case, ever, probably.  Warren Moon and Steve McNair remain the two best Houston Oiler/Tennesse Titan quarterbacks in franchise history, in my book.  Even better than McNair's packmate, Chris Chandler.  Wait, why am I pulling two Oiler quarterbacks in one pack, anyway?

Pack 22

 Deion, Bruce and Ricky Watters.  Look how dirty that uniform is!  I love that picture, and it is one of my favorite cards I've seen in this set.

Pack 23

Dan Marino, Terrell Davis, and a faux Marvin Harrison rookie highlight this pack.  Don't worry Marvin!  Peyton Manning will soon be there to get you the ball!

Pack 24

We'll wrap this up with two all-time great Smiths, Emmitt and Bruce.  Plus a solid Junior Seau and a great action shot of Anthony Johnson.  Not a bad way to end the box.

For those of you who weren't keeping score, that box brought in 144 total cards.  I pulled 5 inserts, as opposed to the expected 3 according to the odds.  I completed 139/150 (93%) of the base set, with no extras.

If anyone has any trade, I still need numbers 3, 50, 77, 78, 101, 105, 107, 110, 115, 143, 145, 150.  Not one of these cards is available for trade on Zistle, so unless a reader can help me out, I may end up buying the rest of these singles.  I always find trading to be so much more gratifying, though.  Let me know if you've got anything available.