2026 trade package #3: Night Owl

Pitchers and catchers have reported! For most teams, anyway--a few will apparently be waiting until tomorrow, but close enough.

Let's celebrate with the final blogger trade package I received in January. Greg of perennial favorite blog Night Owl Cards sent me a nice envelope with a note hoping I was looking forward to baseball season, which I indeed am!

Here's a look at what he sent:

This was another nice mix of old and new. I still collect Bondo a bit, and this pair put me over the 70-card mark. Clark and Higginson feature on the beautiful UD Gold Glove set, which was unfortunately a one-and-done product. Flaherty's still in the rotation this season but may be the fourth best starter behind three current and former aces, including the (hopefully) triumphant return of JV. Bring on Too Many More Verlanders! And the Griffey quartet here presented me with my first Project 2020 card plus three of the '24 Topps Celebration of the Kid inserts I needed. I'm a card away from being half done with the 24-card set thanks to these, and they're my favorite part of the package.

Monroe, Pena, Sparks, and Young are guys I don't think about very often these days, though at least C-Mo was part of the '06 World Series squad (and Young is or at least was a fellow collector). Keider's unlikely to claim a spot in a star-studded rotation but I'm sure he'll get some spot starts especially when (and not if) injuries strike. Tork was only six years old when 2005 Topps (whose design appears in this year's Archives) was released, and that's the set that includes the RC of his new teammate, Verlander. Gleyber's another Heritage Tiger seen in this post, and Greg also included a Chrome Pink Sparkle Refractor of the 2025 All-Star.

Man, Topps will slap that "RC" logo on literally anything, won't they? Fellow '25 All-Star Riley Greene was often money last year, so the '23 Bowman Platinum New Money insert was wise to include him. Former top prospect pitcher Manning can be seen on his '24 Topps Gold, the reliable standby that's reasonably easy to identify, looks nice, and is numbered to the year it was printed. And last up is another Heritage insert of another '25 All-Star Tiger. Skubal appears in '25 Heritage's 1976 Player Icons insert as well as the Holographic parallel of that set, the latter of which you see above. It's a nice tribute to the '76 set's position icons seen on the cards' fronts. I don't know if "holographic" is the best name since there's not really any kind of rainbow effect to these, but the metallic look is still quite nice.

Greg's a Buffalo fan so he also knows his football. The Super Bowl was played a few days before I'm posting this and a bunch of Wolverines--four former players and three coaches--won the big game with Seattle, which was very cool. Two of the players in this scan--WR Jason Avant and LB David Harris--never won an NFL ring, but the other two guys, both of whom are among the GOATs of their positions, sure did. Brady and Woodson actually both celebrated winning it all in college AND the NFL, though Tom obviously wasn't the starter for the '97 Wolverines. '23 champ AJ Barner, a TE who transferred from Indiana, repeated that feat with Seattle this season, and he even scored the Hawks' lone offensive TD on a very nice route.

Greg, many thanks for this great baseball/football combo which closes the door nicely on the NFL season and has me itching for some Spring Training baseball!

I'll see if I can get myself motivated enough to post my January show spoils this weekend and then get going on February's cards. In the meantime, I hope the rest of you are as excited as I am for baseball and non-sucky weather to return! 

9/5/25 card show report: $70 in September

Tomorrow's a show day, likely the last of 2025, so as I continue catching up on stuff from earlier this year let's take a look back at my September trip to TaylorTown.

Pickings were a bit slimmer this time but still not as paltry as they were when I spent a yearly low of $55 in April. $70 was my total and I came home with these:

That Crawford/Kaline/Kuenn quartet is a very nice one, with "Wahoo" Sam and the '53 AL ROY showing off some pleasant Diamond King designs and Mr. Tiger repping the Zenith subset from '23 Panini Chronicles. Those bordered cards are always winners for me. Fellow Tiger Riley Greene joins in the fun on a Topps Chrome Refractor from this year's product.

No Griffey or Gwynn this time, but I did fish out one each of Maddux and Ripken. Mad Dog hails from DK's "The Club" insert while the Iron Man is seen on an '86 Fleer Star Sticker.

Just one many Verlander from that trip, but at least it's a numbered one: a '23 Topps Gold parallel of his league leaders card appearance noting that he led the AL in wins with 18 (against just 4 losses), good enough to earn his third Cy and second as an Astro. His fellow Tiger from 2005-2010, Jeremy Bonderman, represents the purchase's lone hit: a 2004 Studio Game Day Souvenirs relic. As you can see this is the "Number" version with the swatch cut out to display Bondo's #38. Speaking of numbering, it's limited to 300 copies, and marks my 7th hit (all relics) of the 2001 first-rounder. I miss the old Donruss!

The word of the day when it came to basketball was "color" as I nabbed a veritable rainbow in the dime and/or quarter boxes (I can't remember). LeVert is already in his 10th NBA season and happily his first with the resurgent Pistons. Poole liked his "W" teams as he was drafted by the Warriors and later traded to the Wizards. He was traded to New Orleans in a three-team deal earlier this year.

I found an even bigger quantity of LeVert's new teammate, Duncan Robinson, in those same boxes. Panini's Donruss Optic, Prizm, and Select combine to form this crazy mix of colors. I'm just four away from the 50-card mark in Robinson's PC, so maybe I'll put a little more effort into finding a few of him tomorrow.

I picked up 10 basketball cards, so why not duplicate that effort with football? I was glad to score a few numbered inserts this time, starting with a 2002 Fleer Premium Star Rubies insert. It takes the already beautiful base design and gives it a ruby motif with a red border and foil background, plus it's numbered to just 100 copies. I don't know if Charbonnet is taking the league "by storm" but the third-year RB seems to be making the most of his opportunities, and he's already matched last season's total of 8 rushing scores with a few games to play, which is awesome. Nico's been a bit banged up at times while dealing with a very inconsistent QB, but he's got 4 receiving TDs plus he just ran in a score as well, and he still has time to eclipse his own 8-TD personal best.

Speaking of injuries, LB Junior Colson unfortunately can't stay healthy, but at least I can still buy cards of his like this 2024 Panini Certified Pink parallel that's numbered /225 on the front. If the Bowman Chrome U of Donovan Edwards looks familiar that's because it's the base version of the Purple card I showed off this past Saturday when I recapped August's show! And EDGE Rashan Gary is as laser-focused on piling up sacks and TFLs as the Oranger Laser Prizm you see above.

Ty Law continues to appear in releases from long after his playing days, like 2024 Topps Chrome (and its X-Fractor parallel) and I think that's awesome for the HOFer. Speaking of Refractors, I scored one of early 2000s Michigan QB John Navarre's 2004 Topps Chrome RC. One of the flat-out nicest cards of the day was a Gold-Framed parallel of WR David Terrell's 2001 Private Stock rookie, numbered to just 49--quite a low number for the era. And GOAT DB Charles Woodson closes things out with a 2024 Topps Signature Class insert called "After Image" that looks pretty nice considering Topps came up with it (and it lacks team logos).

That should be it for September, I think, though I'll verify that before moving on to October. I'll also be doing some Christmas shopping at tomorrow's show if I can, then supplement that with eBay if necessary, before sending out Christmas cards (I'm skipping COMC entirely this year for obvious reasons). I hope the rest of you stay safe and warm as the holiday season heats up!

2024 trade package #12: Chronicles of Fuji

He might not be a Matt, but the sender of my final trade package of May was a Mark: Fuji of the Chronicles of Fuji. And just like the others he sent me some very cool stuff back when the (K-12) school year wasn't quite done yet, which is funny since I've since received another package from him, getting here just before the bell rings on another year of hard work for a very dedicated teacher.

Here's what Fuji sent my way this time:

Gladden and Gullickson hail from Leaf's excellent looking Black Gold parallel which, for the millionth time, should have been the base set look that year. Gladden's best know as a two-time World Series winner with the Twins after starting his career with the Giants, but he spent his final two years in Motown. Gullickson played out the last years (four) of his 14-season career in Detroit and somehow won 20 games in '91.

The next cards I'll group together look like 2019 Topps base issues of Miggy, Castellanos, and JV, but they're actually from a set produced to promote the Clear Travel service, billed as a shortcut through airport security. As Mark noted in his post about them, the fronts are the same but the backs of the 100 cards featuring numbering in the format of "CP-#." Score another win for Fuji's beloved flea market purchases!

And the last group in this scan comprises hits. First up is a two-color patch of former Detroit pitcher Jeremy Bonderman, a guy who saw action on some of the best and worst teams in franchise history in the 2000s. It's got some Tigers orange on it and the offering from 2008 SPx is numbered to 50, marking my 6th hit (all relics) of the Washington native. Next up is a 2019 Topps Chrome auto of one-time prospect Dawel Lugo, an infielder who came over in the universally panned trade of J.D. Martinez to the Diamondbacks in 2017. His signature may be mostly his initials but I like the big loopy autograph all the same, plus the card is a reminder I saw him play for Lansing, Toronto's A-ball team at the time, in 2015. And last up is the only Michigan alum in this post in the form of former Yankees prospect Michael O'Neill (the whiny Paul's nephew). The three-year Wolverine appears to have been out of affiliated ball since 2019 but made a nice number of card appearances while he could, like this 2013 Panini Prizm Perennial Draft Picks Prospect Signatures Prizms auto (man, that's a mouthful!). I remain the #1 collector of this particular O'Neill on TCDb.

And getting his own scan, to end today's post we have an oversized card of damn-well-better-be-elected HOFer Lou Whitaker. "Sweet" Lou comes to us from Donruss's 1986 All-Stars set where each card measures in at 3x5. 1985 marked his third of five straight All-Star nods and he went 0-2 in that game as the AL's starting 2B in a 6-1 loss to the elder league.

Fuji, thanks so much for sending these all the way back in May, and for the subsequent package I'll show off as soon as I can! I hope the new school year treats you well, and before long I'll be treating you to a fun response to what you sent here.

And everyone who follows can look forward to a May show recap post coming up next.

2020 trade package #14: Bob Walk the Plank

I appreciate every person who's generous enough to put in the effort to send me new cards, whether it's one or hundreds, commons or stars. And it's great to have such a diverse group of friends, including a few with whom I can send higher-end stuff back and forth. It really is a blast when I get to add new stuff to my collection that I wouldn't have thought of, or cards that didn't fit my price range.

One of those folks is Matt of Bob Walk the Plank (and, since his retirement, mostly @walktheplank82). My Mountaineer buddy had last sent me some ridiculously awesome stuff that I posted last December, and then a new envelope showed up about a week ago. "Seems like forever since I sent something your way," said the note he included, though it didn't feel that way to me. I'm also the type that prefers to send the occasional larger package instead of a bunch of smaller ones. Either way, if you looked at what he got me late last year, I think you'd agree that he was allowed as much time as he needed to reload.

I can confirm that Matt spent that time well, as the contents will prove:

There were three cards in this package I knew were coming eventually, and two of those are the 2015 Bowman Draft Blue (/150) and Gold (/50) parallels of Padres two-way player Jake Cronenworth seen above. Matt was nice enough to find those for me on COMC a while ago and I appreciated him including them here as I continue to work on his collection. I'd love to see the former Wolverine get some time in the majors with his unique skillset!

The rest you see here were definitely surprises, starting with Bondo's 2003 E-X RC. This was in the short-printed range of that year's product, which once again went the acetate route, an excellent decision. We sure could use more cards that look like this these days!

Next is an Al Kaline jersey from UD's 2005 Sweet Spot Classic. That's absolutely the kind of thing I can look forward to in an envelope from Matt and I love it. Look at the beautiful classic photo and the vintage jersey swatch of Mr. Tiger, who may be gone but definitely won't be forgotten. I don't have many similar pieces at this point but seeing this one makes me want to drop a few bucks on more if I can find them.

Moving on to a still-active player, I can't say I was expecting to see such a nice autograph of ace reliever Andrew Miller! Numbered just 03/10, this is from 2007 UD Black's Game Day Ticket Autographs Gold Spectrum parallel, another set that uses the ticket motif to great effect. Miller of course wasn't a Tiger for long as they traded him and fellow first-rounder Cameron Maybin in the deal that brought Miguel Cabrera to Motown, but that paid off handsomely for Detroit, and I'm happy for Miller that he was able to emerge as a very effective RP when starting didn't go his way. Miller's not the type of guy I'd tend to keep in my Detroit PC, but there's no way I'm getting rid of a card that's this nice!

And now we switch back to another Hall of Fame Tiger. Pudge will always be remembered more for his time in Arlington, but there's no denying the positive effect he had on Detroit in his four-plus seasons, helping the team back to respectability (and then more). So of course I'm thrilled that my first autograph of the catching legend is this one where he's shown as a member of my team. It also helps that it's on a very cool design from Fleer's 2004 Genuine Insider product, where the section that holds the signature slides in and out of the card's left side. Oh, and Pudge has a great autograph. And it's numbered /150. So, yeah, there's a lot to like about this one!

Heading over to the football side it's totes the GOATs, and two really, really nice cards bookend a fun base trio. The latter include 2002 Topps (not sure how I didn't have that!), 2003 Classics, and 2004 Playoff Hogg Heaven. Card #1, though, was a total surprise: a Torquers (blue foil) parallel of Tom's 2000 Press Pass card. The base version of this alone isn't cheap, so this rarer parallel of a sweet college uni card is awesome! I definitely appreciate it more because it's a Michigan uni card, not because of its value, but that doesn't mean the latter is lost on me!

And as if that weren't generous enough, we'll end on the card that I would say started this particular package. If you caught Matt's surprising new post on Saturday then you might remember that he included some shots of cards he came across while reorganizing and consolidating his collection. One of those happened to be Brady's 2000 Skybox Dominion RC, one he shares with fellow QB Giovanni Carmazzi of the Niners. The Hofstra product was the second QB selected in 2000 (third round), and one of six that went before the Patriots changed their franchise forever at #199 in the sixth.

I don't even want to guess what either of these big Brady items is going for right now since I'd rather celebrate having them. You may recall that I'm slowly chasing every non-auto/relic of each Wolverine in the NFL so the Dominion card is a big get as just my third of Brady's RCs (Fleer Tradition and UD Victory). There's still a long way to go so when someone sends one of these my way like Matt did it really means a lot.

Matt, thanks for once again bringing the thunder in our high-end back-and-forth! I don't have anything nearly as nice to send to you at the moment thanks to not being able to get to a show, but I do have a few things handy and might return the favor soon anyway.

And as a reminder for everyone who's missing Matt's great content, please make sure to follow him on Twitter @walktheplank82 where he now posts his pickups.

12/7/19 card show report: Christmas shopping

As I sit here awaiting the results of the MLB Veterans Committee vote, which could right a few wrongs including Lou Whitaker still waiting to hear his name called, I figured it would be a good time to show off my latest show haul.

I headed out to Taylor as usual yesterday hoping to find a bit more content for some upcoming Christmas card packages (more on those soon!) and did pretty reasonably well for $50:

• 125 quarter cards @ 5/$1 = $25
• 18 dollar cards @ 6/$5 = $15
• 6 $2 cards @ 3/$5 = $10

All most everything I got for myself came from the quarter boxes, though a few dollar cards ended up in my pile too.  Here's what I landed this time:

Baseball part one starts with a 2003 Elite base of former Tiger Jeremy Bonderman (#0185/1750) which I grabbed for his collection because I love the design.

Then you can see four of five Gwynns I pulled, including a '95 Classic $10 phone card (not sure why I put that first here), a '92 UD insert with comments on players by Ted Williams, his '94 Finest base, and finally, a '96 Donruss Hit List insert (#08117/10000).  Oh hey, "90s inserts rule" tag, it's great to see you!  Naturally Mr. Padre is #1 in that set, and this would have been a fun pull back in the day.

Then we get to a quartet of Ripkens.  He also got in on the phone card action, plus he appears on base cards from 2000 Upper Deck Ovation (not sure how I didn't have that one) and 2003 Fleer Rookies & Greats.  But my favorite pickup of the day came from the $1 box:  a 1996 Sportflix ProMotion insert.  I remember busting lots of packs of the product around that year hoping for any of the cool inserts while enjoying the base set, and while I didn't have any luck back then, now I can pick them up at my convenience.

If that's not worth an animated .gif, I don't know what is!  I did laugh when I saw that Cal turns into a glove, though.

Gwynn and Ripken made one more appearance on a horizontal card each, but first I need to mention my lone Griffey score of the day, a '94 Upper Deck Electric Diamond parallel of one of his base cards in that excellent set.  While that parallel doesn't do much for me, I'm a fan of '94 UD and the leap in design it made over what in my opinion was a pretty meh look in '93, though I expect comments filled with opinions that state otherwise.  Anyway, UD did a great job with photography and holographic foil, and this was easily worth a quarter to me.

As for the other two guys, Gwynn stars on a '93 UD insert called "On Deck With" that includes a nice close-up photo and quick answers to some interview questions on the back.  Meanwhile, Cal's last cameo looks like a TV appearance thanks to the design of a '97 Collector's Choice Exchange card, the result of a winner being sent in.  That and the ones above get him up to 939 items and he maintains a commanding lead among my baseball PCs.

I was fortunate to track down six new Michigan Football cards while I was at it.  Former college QB/WR/QB again Devin Gardner is seen flying high on a Gold parallel of his 2015 Topps Field Access rookie (#42/99).  Topps knew CB Ty Law was one of the game's Finest way back in '97 when he was included in the set of the same name, and now 22 years later he's been rightfully elected to the football Hall.  And WR Amani Toomer is looking cool on a 2000 Black Diamond Gold parallel (#0522/1000) that makes me remember how much I liked the product back in the day.

And then I get to end on a fun trio of Charles Woodson cards.  First is a rookie-year insert from 1998 Upper Deck called Define the Game, one that was made not long after Woodson became the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman.  Next is a 1999 Playoff Prestige SSD Spectrum Blue parallel (#002/500) that set me back a buck, well worth it for a variation of the best color, not to mention one that's numbered.  And last up is Chuck's base card from 2000 Collector's Edge Masters, one that's numbered as well (#1496/2000), albeit in digital fashion instead of foil.  These three give Woodson a total of 312 items, maintaining his lead among football players I collect, though Chad Henne is gaining ground.

That's it for this month but you'll probably get to see most of the rest of what I bought this time over the next few weeks when they arrive in mailboxes around the country.  Until then, LET'S GO LOU!

2018 trade package #23: Sport Card Collectors

I'm thrilled to have a pair of trade packages to show off today.  You can find one of those, an in-person deal with Jeff of My Sports Obsession in which he handed me a card before we headed to the Michigan/Maryland game, on TMM this evening.

And the other is the star of this post, which is another PWE party thanks to that type of envelope arriving from buddy of the blog Matt of Sport Card Collectors.  This is the sixth time he's been nice enough to surprise me with a PWE, one that included some Tigers and more:

A PWE doesn't offer enough room to go from "A" to "Z", but "B" to "G" isn't bad when it's a group like this!  Bondo appears on a 2004 Topps Cracker Jack Mini, one that rightly explains that he was "rushed into action in 2003", something that definitely explains his 19 losses that season.  The team screwed him out of quality development while injuries shortened his career, but at least he got to enjoy that magical 2006 season.

Moving on to pitchers still in the franchise's system, we have 2017 first-rounder (#18 overall) Alex Faedo.  The righty for Florida recovered from knee surgery to earn the MVP of the CWS, which his Gators won.  My first card of his is this 2018 Bowman High Tek, and I'll guess the pattern is "Dots Bow-Tie", maybe?

Meanwhile Fulmer had a season to forget on a terrible 2018 team, going 3-12 over 24 starts during a year when his health didn't exactly help his results.  You won't see me giving up on him anytime soon, though, and I hope he comes back en fuego in 2019 like his 2017 Topps Fire Gold Minted parallel.

Last up for the Tigers is 2018 playoff participant Curtis Granderson.  I couldn't be happier for the Grandyman that he's back in the postseason for the eighth time after heading to the Brewers from the Jays.  With the Yankees happily eliminated the only team I'll generally be rooting against is Boston (though they do have a few former Tigers too), so I wouldn't mind seeing this here blog's former namesake get a third shot at a ring after missing out on two others.  That would be a Piece of History, like the UD brand of the Stadium Scenes insert above (#495/999).

And as if that wasn't good enough Matt did more damage to my Clayton Richard checklist in a repeat of the cards he sent me in August.  In both cases I ended up with cards from 2018 Gypsy Queen and flagship parallels, and that means SCC is responsible for all four of the Richard cards I currently own from this year.

This time the GQ card is an Indigo parallel (#201/250), and that ends up being a fairly nice color to use.  Of course, I would have called it "blue", but that's my limited color vocabulary for you.  Meanwhile the new flagship card is the Rainbow Foil parallel, which pairs nicely with the Factory Set Foilboard card he was nice enough to flip me a couple months ago.

Counting new releases my latest Richard checklist comprises 199 cards and this duo gets me up to 118 of those (and 128 overall), including four of 31 so far in 2018.

Once again thanks a ton, Matt, for a fun and productive surprise PWE!  I've got a few things in-hand for you from recent shows and when I can fill out an envelope a bit more I'll be returning the favor; Giants and Griffeys may be involved....

2014 trade package #28: Marky Mark and the Fuji Bunch

I find it awesome that so many of my recent posts have covered trades, and that's thanks to the generosity of folks like Mark over at the Chronicles of Fuji.  Fuji showed off a snapshot of a pile of trade packages he was sending out a couple weeks ago, and I was lucky enough to receive one of those from all the way across the country.  Better yet, not only were the cards great, there were just three of them which meant less work for me!  Here's what I got:

Jeremy Bonderman 2006 Flair Showcase Showcase Stitiches jersey

Edwin Jackson 2010 Upper Deck UD Game Jersey jersey

Dontrelle Willis 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Mini Relics jersey

Wow, that's 60% of a pitching rotation right there!  None of them are with the Tigers anymore, but all three had some good seasons, with or without Detroit:

• Bonderman (2006, DET):  14-8, 214.0 IP, 4.08 ERA, 202 K, 3.2 WAR (plus a 1-0 playoff record for the AL champs)
• Jackson (2009, DET):  13-9, 214.0 IP (weird!), 3.62 ERA, 161 K, 4.2 WAR (also made All-Star Team)
• Willis (2005, FLA):  22-10, 236.1 IP, 2.63 ERA, 170 K, 5.4 WAR, 7 CG, 5 SO (also made All-Star Team)

The Showcase card, which features a solid swatch, is my fifth Tigers PC hit (all relics) of Bonderman, a two-time Tiger who was with the club from 2003-2010 and a bit of last year.

The second card is my first hit of Jackson, the pitcher who came over for Matt Joyce, pitched fairly well at time, then was dealt in the trade that brought Austin Jackson and Max Scherzer, among others, to Motown.  Since being sent to Tampa, he's played with four other teams, including the 2011 World Champion Cardinals.  As well-traveled as he is, UD got him in a Tigers uniform on that card, which I appreciate.

Finally, the D-Train also makes his Tigers PC debut in the form of this excellent pinstriped A&G mini framed relic, one of my favorite designs.  Dontrelle went just 2-8 over 24 games with the Tigers in three seasons, but he was always the "throw-in" in the Miguel Cabrera trade, though it's a shame such a fun player couldn't regain his lofty status.

Mark, thanks as always for being a great trader and a cool guy.  I may just have to respond in kind sometime soon!  Readers, go get your daily fix of some of the best (and I do mean it) card blogging around at the Chronicles of Fuji.

2013 trade package #25: Coot Veal's keeping it real on the west siiiide

Hey, it's another trade post!  You know, trading, the thing I said I was gonna do more of this year, then haven't done nearly as much as I should?

Dustin of Coot Veal and the Vealtones posted a card I really wanted that led to a trade that grew and grew until it clocked in at 100% awesome.  He actually sent his end before I had his stuff ready to go, and now I'm finally getting around to posting it.  Here's the goods:

Dustin is the western Michigan version of me, meaning we collect many of the same things.  Case in point:  Tigers.  This is a great mix of new and old Tigers, including base and inserts.  You just can't beat the variety, especially when you've got a Kaline and Gibby mixed in with a numbered Boesch and a Zumaya sans facial hair!

Three words:  seven many Grandersons!  I've got a few of the Generation Nows now, so I may casually pursue those in the future.  And this is a good reminder that I really need to get around to scanning my Grandersons.

Sure, past Tigers are impressive, but how about VINTAGE past Tigers?  The Niekro would be a fine subject for Hot Corner Cards' Twilight Tigers series.

"Yeah, yeah," you say, "where's the really good stuff you always leave til the end?"  Fear not, hypothetical reader:

Cliff Mapes 1952 Bowman

Dustin casually tossed this into the trade like it was nothing, which I guess it wasn't for him since this was a double.  I'd have to check, but this is very likely the oldest card in my PC, and the fact that it's a Tiger makes it that much cooler.  I scored another '52 Bowman Tiger on COMC for Mr. Veal in return for this one.

As it turns out, 1952 was Mapes' final season in the Bigs, and his only with Detroit.  Over five years he also played for the Yanks and the St. Louis Browns.  Naturally, since he was with New York for a few seasons, he won a pair of rings.  And there's a fine example of how a baseball card can give you a history lesson.  THE MORE YOU KNOW.

Tim Hudson 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter Relics jersey

When this fell out of the package I was confused for a minute, then vaguely remembered possibly letting Dustin know I'd be interested in picking it up in a future trade.  Though I don't talk about him much around here, Hudson's one of my favorite non-Tiger ballplayers.  He's been a fun (and effective) guy to watch since his years with Oakland, and I have nothing but respect for a player that can go out and put up the results he does.  I was definitely saddened to hear about his freak ankle injury, and I hope he can come back stronger than before.  Anyway, I do like Topps' framed relic cards, and this A&G looks great, so I was very happy to end up with it after all.

Kirk Gibson 2007 Sweet Spot Classic Classic Memorabilia jersey

Gibby!  I believe this was another of the Coot's doubles, and since Gibson is one of my all-time favorite Tigers, I happily accepted its addition to the deal.  You Dodger fans can remember his big moment in '88 for as long as you want, but he'll forever be a Tiger, homering twice in 1984's game five, with Sparky yelling "He don't wanna walk you!  He don't wanna walk you!" in reference to Goose Gossage's choice to pitch to him.  This is my sixth Gibson hit--two each of autographs, bats, and jerseys!

Jeremy Bonderman 2010 Upper Deck UD Game Jersey jersey

Miguel Cabrera 2010 Upper Deck UD Game Jersey jersey

These last two ended up in the deal together, and as it turns out, both guys are again teammates in 2013, which is very cool.  I would never say no to a pair of current Tigers relics when they're of players like these two.  I now own four Bondo jerseys and five of Mr. Triple Crown (plus an auto and manupatch).  These rounded out what turned out to be a very satisfying Tiger-centric trade package.

To see the last couple cards I picked up, please head on over to TMM; I'd argue it's worth it as one of them was the impetus for the trade.

Once again, thanks a ton to Dustin for an easy and fantastic deal.  I was thrilled to work out another trade that was even better than our first one from last year.  I hope you enjoy your stuff, and that we can get another swap in the works soon.  Readers, please mosey on over to Coot Veal and the Vealtones for some cool Coot collecting!

Welcome back to Motown, Jeremy Bonderman!

RotoWorld reports that Detroit recalled Jeremy Bonderman from AAA this afternoon.  This news comes a few weeks after Bonderman re-signed with Detroit, and recently it was reported that he'd be transitioning to a bullpen role in an attempt to rejoin the big club.  His hard work paid off, and the Tigers' clubhouse will soon feature another familiar face.

Bonderman was originally drafted out of high school (as a junior!) by Oakland #26 overall, which pissed off GM Billy Beane something awful in a famous scene described in the oft-misunderstood Moneyball.  He must have really despised the pick because he sent Jeremy packing in a deal about as soon as he could the following year--the three-way deal with the Yankees and Tigers that sent Jeff Weaver to New York, Ted Lilly and others to Oakland, and Bonderman (as a PTBNL) and Carlos Pena to Detroit.

"Bondo" headed to the Majors very, very early in his young career--he was all of 20 when he made his debut in 2003, going 6-19, which was actually tied for SECOND in wins for the almost-historically awful 2003 squad that won just 43 games.  Things generally improved for him the next four seasons, though, and he totaled double-digit victories (always 11 or 14, oddly enough) as a solid member of the rotation, including the 2006 World Series team.  Unfortunately, 2008 and 2009 were forgettable for Bonderman due to a blood clot issue and other injuries.  He did return to a decent 8-10 record in 2010, but his limited effectiveness and projected price tag ended his tenure in Detroit.

It took a couple years but he managed to latch on with the Mariners, which was a homecoming of sorts for the Kennewick, Washington native.  Unfortunately, while he didn't pitch especially poorly, the Mariners decided to cut ties with the 30-year-old--seriously, this is his ninth MLB season and he's only 30!  This was a blessing in disguise as it allowed the Tigers, a team with a questionable bullpen all year long, to give him another shot in the Minors, and that all culminated in his call-up today.

Congratulations to Jeremy for his persistence paying off; may his second go-round in Motown be as eventful as his first, and more successful!  Seriously, the bullpen could use the help!

A spring training Tigers trade package from Jeff

Hi everybody--sorry for taking almost two weeks to post something new over here.  Between being busy, sick and having a lack of interesting content, it wasn't exactly an ideal fortnight, but the good news is that I'm back with a new trade post thanks to Jeff.  

Besides sending me some excellent Michigan-related loot to complete our most recent deal, I also received some excellent Tigers stuff just in time for spring training!

The bulk of the package was what appears to be a team set of the Tigers in 2012 Topps I, not to mention some inserts.  Since I'm avoiding Topps boxes like the plague they are, I'm happy to have picked these up in a trade.  Jeff also went a smart route and participated in a group break instead of wasting money on a box.

The base cards are as good as Topps' designs usually are, and I especially like the Avila play at the plate action shot.  I've been wanting more of his cards and I have a feeling they'll be much more available now that he's been in the league long enough.

The inserts, on the other hand, are about as goofy as Topps' usually are, but Jeff sent me a great group of players--two new Ty Cobbs, a couple Cabreras, another Verlander (still not enough--I'm not changing the title!) and a Magglio that commemorates a classic moment in Tigers history--an insert featuring a great theme for a set and a head-scratcher of a design.

But that's not all Jeff threw in Tigers-wise, because I also got these beauties:

Refractors are always tough to scan just right, so take my word for it, this is one of the Tigers ace from 2011.  I love Refractors, I love Justin Verlander, therefore this card is a winner!

And finally, this Jeremy Bonderman 2006 Upper Deck Ovation Ovation Apparel jersey.  This is my first hit of any kind of the the erstwhile Tiger, and it happens to be a solid (a.k.a. non-white) jersey swatch.  It's definitely a welcome addition, plus a new player, for my Tigers PC.

Thanks again to Jeff for another great trade!