2016 trade package #19: happy Dougsgiving from Sports Cards From the Dollar Store

A few weeks ago I received an expected package from Doug over at Sports Cards From the Dollar Store, who was sending me pickups from the annual Expo he attends (and I'm sure a few other sources).  I think he'd spent time time amassing the contents because he mentioned that he couldn't remember most of what he sent.  I know the feeling!

I didn't have to open it to know it would be quality, but I did have to open it, because, I mean, new stuff from Doug!

You'll find the bulk of the package posted over on TMM this evening, but I have a few baseball-related items to show off:

From this year's Topps Update set comes a pair of Tigers that were new to the team in 2016.  Maybin came back to Detroit for a second tour of duty in late November last year, in plenty of time to appear in flagship Series I with...the Braves.  It was fun to see him roaming CF again and I feel like he was a nice spark plug for the offense when he was healthy.  I'm glad Topps finally got around to showing him with the Tigers since the team shipped his salary off to the Angels a month ago.  Topps gonna Topps.

Salty, whose name is awesome and serves to remind folks how to pronounce the "CH" sound in Italian--like a "K"--was a solid, cheap pickup a year ago since the Marlins were on the hook for his salary.  While his overall numbers were pretty Alex Avila-ian, he did pop 12 HR in 92 games (while hitting .171!).

Besides this pair of Tigers, Doug tossed in a couple more cards from the sport.  They actually come from one of my Michigan Baseball PCs, but I've decided to start posting those over here instead to get them more views since I think the baseball guys I collect generally have a wider appeal than those from the other Michigan sports.  And maybe that'll get more of you to send some stuff of those guys my way!

Steve Ontiveros 1986 A's Mother's

Steve Ontiveros 1988 Starting Lineup A's

Not only is this a fun new pair to go in my Ontiveros collection, it's also a pair of oddballs!  Sure, I'd seen some of those rounded Mother's Cookies cards around the hobby, especially within the blogosphere, but I'd never owned one until new.  Hell, I never even though to see if any Michigan alumni were represented, so Kudos to Doug for catching that and sending me Steve's card from '86, which looks fantastic.

The Starting Lineup card is a bit more familiar to me, though, as I have a similar one of Lou Whitaker.  Again, though, I wasn't aware that Ontiveros appeared in the set.  I finished up what I consider his "mainstream checklist" of 71 cards a while ago so I loved getting a couple more to toss in his PC.  Good looking out, my Canadian friend!

Again, don't forget to head over to TMM for a bunch of hits, 2016 Donruss football, a Detroit Lion card I'm actually excited to get, and more!

Thanks again for the great stuff, Doug, and I'm happy to say I'll soon be sending a return your way that'll send off 2016 in style.

The Royal "We"

When I went to a pair of Tigers games back in mid-September I thought I was done for the year, but then my work source came up with one last pair of tickets for a Friday night tilt against one of our biggest division rivals, the Royals.  With Detroit still in the thick of the Wild Card race at the time, plus wunderkind Michael Fulmer once again taking the hill, I was thrilled to be heading back to the park one more time this season.

Here's a look at my ticket, which is of the season variety and hence features Tigers players.  My two others this year were Jose Iglesias and Miguel Cabrera (both of which I kept), but needless to say I was thrilled to get Verlander on this one, which I took as a very good sign (even though he wouldn't pitch that day).

Here's a gander at my scorecard for what ended up being an 8-3 home team win:

A few notes:

• Fulmer once again lived up to his excellent reputation by retiring the first eight batters he saw, four of them by strikeout, including striking out the side in the second.  He'd finish the game with nine, and struck out eight of the Royals' starters in seven spectacular frames
• I get very angry when my favorite teams' pitchers walk guys.  Why?  Observe KC's Danny Duffy's first inning.  He walked three of the first four hitters, then allowed a run on a wild pitch/catcher's throwing error.  That might have been the worst of it but then Justin Upton actually came up big with a double to knock in another run.  The Tigers scored a pair on just one hit.  Throw strikes!
• Upton was surprisingly effective in this game, and for the first time that I got to see in-person.  His two-out double in the first inning was big, and then he absolutely smoked a no-doubter into the left field seats in his next at-bat
• Cameron Maybin and Victor Martinez joined in the homer fun as well, with the latter starting off the festivities with a solo shot in the third, and the former following up his teammates with a two-run shot the next inning
• Mark Lowe continued to show why he was such an awful free agent signing, coming into the ninth with an 8-1 lead and allowing a pair of runs on a single, walk, and two-out, two-run triple.  The walk was the only allowed by a Tigers pitcher this game, and (B)Lowe simply wasn't throwing strikes when he needed to.  Shane Greene came on to record the final out, and by strikeout no less
• This victory allowed me to end the year with a three-game winning streak I can take into next season!