Announcing 2020 Christmas Cards!

It's about time for one of my favorite yearly traditions: Christmas cards! Not the Hallmark kind, mind you, but the kind we all love to collect. I'm happy to announce this evening that despite everything that's happened this year, I'll be continuing my own version of a secret-ish Santa in 2020.

Of course, because I haven't been able to get out to a show--my biggest source of quantities of cards for packages--since March, fewer of these will be going out this year, and they'll be smaller than usual on average.

That said, the eight-to-ten folks on my "good" list who are getting presents from Grandy Claus (Verlandy Claus?) should still be reasonably happy, I think. In many cases I grabbed a few things for them during COMC's recent sales, such as player collection items or cards to help with wantlists. It's not much, but hopefully I can make it up to everyone when shows are back on the menu.

Speaking of COMC, while I didn't love forking over the additional credit for expedited shipping, mainly to overcome their singleminded focus on eBay auctions to the detriment to every single other aspect of their service, I will say that they held up their end of the bargain, not only shipping on time, but even a few days earlier than estimated. However,

Louis "DeLay" DeJoy's intentionally crippled USPS stopped reading at "held up" and have stepped in to do just that, meaning it's pretty unlikely the cards will get to me in time for them out to everyone before the big day where everyone celebrates the Winter Solstice. That possibility is about as likely as tonight's twice-seen Sean Bean surviving an entire show or movie.

I can live with that, though. It's not like there's anything I can do about it, plus the thought of those of you getting cards from me getting to enjoy opening one more present after Christmas is kind of nice.

I may make an announcement when I've managed to get everything shipped, assuming it gets to my state from Washington safely, but otherwise, some of you should be watching your mailboxes throughout the rest of the month.

In the meantime, stay tuned for either a roundup or individual posts covering the Christmas cards that were sent to me by some very cool people who are also feeling the holiday spirit!

Announcing TMV Christmas Cards 2019!

December marks one of my favorite times of the year for collecting and blogging because of what's become my yearly tradition of sending out Christmas cards.  I'd been the recipient of the same in the past--sometimes involving actual greeting cards--and decided that was something I'd like to do.

This year I put together a PWE, two flat rate padded Priority envelopes, and 15 bubble mailers--a mix of the larger and smaller variety.  These are filled with cards I found at shows over the last few months, parts of my collection I've pared down, and in some cases, person-specific items from COMC (plus one person got a nice eBay haul).

I don't have an image of all of the envelopes at once this year because I sent them out in a staggered fashion over the last three or four days.  Not out of any desire to have them show up at a specific time, mind you, but because it always takes longer than you think to finalize pulling just a few more cards, getting them safely packed up, writing a quick note, weighing them, and printing postage.  I have a blast sending these out but sometimes doing a couple at a time and then taking a break is a bit more manageable.

Although I shared something along the lines of this list out on my Twitter account over the last few days, some of you don't follow me or aren't on Twitter at all, which is totally fine, so I thought I'd get the list up here and get folks excited about checking their mailboxes over the coming week.  Also, if you don't follow some of them, please consider checking them out!

• Sports Cards From the Dollar Store (sent first since they have to cross the border and take longer)
• $30 a Week Habit, @30aweekhabit
• All Trade Bait All the Time, @omsports42
• Arpsmith's Sports Card Obsession, @arpsmith44
• Baseball Card Breakdown, @breakdowncards
• Bob Walk the Plank, @walktheplank82
• Brad's Blog
• Bump & Run Football Card Blog
• Cardboard Collections, @flywheels
• Cards on Cards, @cardsoncards
• Chronicles of Fuji, @sanjosefuji
• The Collector
• John's Big League Baseball Blog, @freehan11
• My Sports Obsession, @sportsobsession6
• Nachos Grande, @Nachos_Grande
• Scribbled Ink, @Scribble4me
• Sport Card Collectors, @SportCardCollec
• Topps Cards That Never Were

Keep your eyes on these fine blogs (which you should be doing anyway) in the next week or two as packages start getting delivered and posted.  I'm looking forward to getting some fun reactions based on stuff I grabbed for at least some of these folks.

And as for me, I'm fortunate to have a couple incoming packages of my own to share, something I'll try to do pretty soon.  And then, who knows?  Maybe I'll manage to get some of my COMC loot posted before the end of the year.

News & notes, including trade bait!

In lieu of posting cards today (or over the past week) here's a few updates I wanted to share with everybody:

Big news:  trade bait!:

Part of the reason I didn't put any effort into posting over the last week or so is that I was sorting through and making a list of my stuff for trade.  I love making deals with people and even just giving away stuff I don't want, so it's about time I did this.

On that page I've listed stuff like team lots, complete sets, magazines (by player and team), Starting Lineups, and more.  So if you see something you like, please let me know!  I'm always happy to trade with the usual suspects and new folks as well.

Not news:  USPS blows and is fucking inept:

There's a reason I have blog tags for both of those opinions.  Storytime:  around the middle of December I sent out a whole bunch of Christmas packages, almost all of which were Priority Mail flat rate boxes and envelopes.  One such envelope was headed to Brad (Brad's Blog)...or so I thought.  After putting the package in the mail and then verifying his address with him it turns out I had his old one.  Oh well, my fault--the envelope would come back to me and I could re-send it.  Right?

My friends, let me tell you the epic story of a Priority Mail package that literally took a month to get to the right place:

• 12/16:  I drop it (and other packages) off at my post office.  This is a Saturday
• 12/18:  It arrives at the hub in Detroit and is due to arrive by the 20th (Wednesday).  So far, so good
• 12/21:  A day late, it makes it to the local post office in Maryland (wrong address), then the tracking is updated to reflect the problem with the address
• 12/27:  Almost a week later it's at that local PO again, then out for delivery.  Again.  What happened in between, including those three business days?  Who knows, but I hope that envelope had a nice Christmas
• 1/5:  Oh, there it is, still at the same PO, where they're still aware the address is wrong
• 1/6:  "Return to sender processed."  Woohoo!  It's heading back my way so I can re-send it with the correct info!
• 1/7:  It makes the journey from Maryland back to Detroit
• 1/8:  "In transit to Destination."  WAT
• 1/9-11:  Yep, it leaves Detroit and returns to Maryland, eventually making its way back to that local PO.  "Moved, left no address" says the tracking.  Yeah, no shit
• 1/12-14:  Now it bounces back and forth between a couple regional distribution centers because reasons
• 1/15-21:  ??????????
• 1/22:  I return home and FINALLY see the envelope on my porch.  I subsequently re-send it to the correct address
• ?/?/2018(?):  Brad receives this package, maybe?

For reference, here's a Google Map with walking directions from my address to Brad's:

I literally (and I do mean literally) could have walked from my house to Brad's and back faster than this.  And if you're curious why I didn't take advantage of USPS's option to intercept a package, my answer is that I refuse to pay for new postage AND a fee when the item should return to me within a week or so, at which point I can redo it myself.  You SUCK, USPS.

Sell cards, buy more cards, repeat:

I'm taking another shot at selling stuff on COMC after putting together the minimum package of 100 cards for a basic submission.  I had fun doing this in the past and had enough stuff I no longer wanted that I thought would return enough to make it worth it, and that's great since one of my favorite things to do is buy on that site.  I'm not mentioning this to get people to buy my stuff (which should pop around mid-March) but instead to bring more awareness to the site especially if anyone new to it has any questions.

Blogger?  More like...Blow-ger?:

Last year I let too many comments pile up without responding to them, got overwhelmed, and gave up.  In order to avoid a repeat of that I'm trying to respond sooner while not worrying about replying via email as well (unless that makes more sense).

However, I do want to make people aware that if I don't reply to your comments reasonably quickly, that's because I'm randomly no longer receiving email notifications when they come in from some of you, meaning I don't see some comments at all until I go back and open up my posts.  I don't know why, but whatever--I'll do my best to reply to those of you who make the effort to read and comment because I really appreciate it.

Coming soon:  a big-ass box:

No doubt many of you took note after Adam (ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession) put up a post covering his purchase of a huge collection.  I did too and was able to make a deal with him for a few of the complete sets he had available.  That giant box arrived today stuffed with the sets I bought plus lots of Tigers meaning you'll get one or more posts covering the former while the latter will become my first trade package from the Giants fan.  I also sent a big box of stuff his way so maybe you'll see it posted over there soon if USPS deigns to deliver it in a timely fashion, or at all.

Now that I've covered all that it's back to work finishing up the final three Sportlots player posts (including one for TMM), one of which I'm splitting into two posts.  Then I'll be getting around to my late 2017 COMC haul, the stuff from Adam, a likely show haul or two, and eventually, Starting Lineups and more!  Stay tuned, but don't hold your breath, I'm lazy.

2016 trade package #12: USPS can go to Hoyle

My final envelope from April arrived from one of the more prolific non-blogging traders out there:  Mark Hoyle.  If you've ever been lucky enough to get cards from Mark you know that he's a generous source of vintage and oddballs, among other things.  I got a good idea of that the last time I showed off cards from him on this here blog back in January of last year.

Mr. Hoyle followed that up last month with a fun PWE that mostly featured Tigers.  But first, let's have a look at another example of USPS's reliable, gentle treatment of the things we pay them to transport for us:

All I have to say to that is

That being said, Mark packaged the cards up well enough that everything arrived in what was probably the same condition they were in when he sent them.

Here's what was inside:

A nine-spot of Tigers!  The first seven cards represent guys I keep sorted by player in my Detroit box, and they comprise a very nice group of past Tigers, including '84 Series winners (Sparky, Gibby, and Morris), the previous team leader in saves (Henneman), a slugger that was one of the brighter spots in the 90s (Palmer), a future HOFer that brought Detroit back to respectability (Pudge), and a pitcher that won 240 career games (Tanana).  I seem to have an irrational affinity for Palmer cards given that he wasn't with Detroit for long.

More Tigers!  Specifically PC guys.  Don't ask me why I didn't throw Gibby in with this group, I just forgot or something.  The '87 Fleer and '91 Leaf Trammells were new to me as was JV's 2016 Heritage base card.

Oddball Tigers!  Moseby's card is from 1990 Topps Big, and that's nicely juxtaposed with a 1962 Topps stamp of outfielder Bill Bruton, a Milwaukee Brave that spent the last four years of his career with Detroit in the early 60s.  Besides the difference in size these two items show the crazy range of stuff Mark digs up to send out.

Last up from the baseball side of things is this Harry Heilman photo from an old magazine called the Sports Hobbyist.  I know that thanks to Mark introducing these to me when he sent a Charlie Gehringer from the same set last time and then explained a bit about them in the comments of that post.  A great photo of a Tigers great!

And finally, moving on to the Detroit hockey club, here's a 1974-75 Topps leaders card featuring former Wings player and current TV guy Mickey Redmond.  Mick had some nice years in Detroit over the latter half of his career in the 70s, putting up 50-plus goals two years in a row, including the '73-'74 season this card covers.  An excellent 21 of his 51 scores that season came on the power play, easily leading both divisions; #2 was Rod Gilbert of the Rangers with 16.  I don't have a whole ton of Red Wings vintage, so this is definitely a fun add for me!

Mark, thanks for the unexpected and much appreciated PWE of goodness!  I might just have some interesting stuff of your guys to send out before long as a thank you.

It's a mail's world

As a heads up, I sent out seven trade package items this evening:  three PWEs, three smaller bubble mailers, and one large bubble envelope.  These goodies are headed to the following postal codes:

16101
23666
55129
60586
60618

90230

N2H 5M5

If your address contains one of those areas, congrats as you may have stuff headed your way from me!  As always, hooray for trading!

A trade with the Dimwit that includes a math problem

Pop quiz, hotshot:  two bloggers send one card to each other in PWEs.  Both pack them the same way and label them "DO NOT BEND" in big letters and then entrust them to the care of the USPS.  How many cards arrive in their original condition to each recipient?  Show your work.

Answer:  ONE.

Proof:  Here's what happened to the card I sent to Sam (Daily Dimwit), a situation that still has me pissed off.  Apparently I missed the memo that it was USPS Opposite Day the day I mailed out his card because the geniuses that work there interpreted "DO NOT BEND" as "HERP DERP LET'S ALL TAKE TURNS SITTING OUR STUPID FAT ASSES ALL OVER THIS ENVELOPE!  YOLO BIEBER CROCS!"

Official USPS spokeswoman Sarah Palin

Will someone PLEASE get on creating a competing service that DOESN'T fuck up 80% of the time?  Anyway, Sam was more than gracious about the whole thing, so I'll make sure to make this up to him the next time I see anything cool with an Astros logo on it.  And now, here's the card he sent me--one I saw in his trade bait list that caught my eye and started this trade in the first place:

Miguel Cabrera 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter jersey

The Allen & Ginter base set has never done anything for me and frankly I could really do without it, (though I have a feeling a bunch of you will be chasing me down with torches and pitchforks for such blasphemy) but it does result in some pretty cool hits.  Case in point, I do very much like the framed relic and auto cards, maybe because the actual card piece is small enough to justify the included relic, and the frame adds a nice touch to bring the whole thing together.

This is just my second Miggy relic featuring him as a Tiger and I'm most definitely thrilled to have it, so thanks again to Sam for making for another stupidly easy trade as usual, plus for being understanding about USPS's trademark ineptitude and total disregard for customer service.  I think we all know who the REAL Dimwit in this deal was!

Stay tuned for an even larger trade package pretty soon, as soon as I can make the effort to scan it all.  I won't say who it's from, but considering how huge I'm implying it is, I bet you can guess the source.

2012 Group Break #1: Daily Dimwit

Everybody's favorite Texabama man, Sam (Daily Dimwit), held a group break over the weekend, and his expedience in shipping things out (very commendable, sir!) caused my cards to arrive to me not on Friday as expected, but this afternoon instead.  I know!  The USPS exceeded expectations!  Anyway, hit the link up there for an entertaining video that encompasses all three boxes that comprised the break:

• 2007 Upper Deck Artifacts
• 2009 Upper Deck Piece of History
• 2009 SP Authentic

As you can see from the results, most of us pretty much subsidized the Pirates and especially the Marlins, but I still had a great time, and my haul wasn't all that bad.  My two chosen teams were the Tigers (natch) and Mariners (hoping to snag a Griffey or King Felix), and randomization earned me the Brewers and LA/A/A/LALA/AALA Angels, which netted me this stuff:

All Tigers (Sheffield is #d 242/999) and a Guererro/Ortiz insert #d 154/999

Best of the Brew Crew and Ms

Weird stuff randomed to me from Piece of History

 

 

The strangest thing by far was this Mike Myers Austin Powers relic from Piece of History.  I actually laughed out loud after Sam randomed it off to me.  Also, yes, I now see there's writing on the penny sleeve, but I don't feel like scanning it again.  Anyway, that's up for grabs if anyone has any interest in it.

All in all it was a fun, if not lucrative, way to start my group-breaking year, and Sam does a bang-up job of running breaks, so I'll be more than happy to join another of his in the future.

I should also mention that he sent me a card in trade that'll be posted over on TMM shortly, in return for something coming in my soon-to-be-shipped COMC monster lot.  Thanks again, Sam!

Sweet surprise

The "sweet" in the title refers to the player on the card that arrived in my mailbox today; the "surprise" refers to my disbelief that it actually arrived to me safely, three whole days after it was actually SUPPOSED to arrive.  Thanks, USPS--I'm sure people will line up in droves to pay you more to work less.

Anyway, this card is one I've been dying to show off since I grabbed it from the usual place--the BlowoutCards forums.  A guy had busted a ton of 2011 Leaf Ink, a product wherein you get slabbed, certified autos on buyback cards from different brands.  The years, players and sets that comprise the checklist appear to be fairly diverse.  In my case, one card caught my eye, and a quick Paypal purchase later netted me this sweetness:

It's an autographed 1983 of Sweet Lou Whitaker, my favorite Tigers 2B of all time.  Whitaker was well established before I was born, having won the 1978 Rookie of the Year, so he was a Tigers stalwart by the time I was old enough to follow Detroit in the late '80s.  From then on he may have been my #1 Tiger, topping a list that including Alan Trammel and Kirk Gibson.  Tales of the magical Whitaker-Trammel double play combo will be passed down to future generations, and besides his defensive prowess, Sweet Lou could get on base, run and score with the best of them, not to mention provide a bit of clutch pop when the occasion arose.  Hell, if you watch highlights of the '84 World Series season, pretty much every game starts with Whitaker leading off, getting on base, stealing second or moving up on a Trammel hit, then being knocked in by Kirk Gibson.  Detroit will never experience another home-grown, lifetime star second baseman like Whitaker, but at least we Detroit fans have our memories of Sweet Lou.

The card itself is kind of goofy--a mugshot of Lou hanging out watching batting practice and apparently being surprised by the photographer--but I know his autographs are pretty much few and far between, so it's nice having a certified one (even if it's Beckett, a group of people who'd certify an auto of a made-up guy named Otto Pen) to go along with my non-certified version I picked up last year.  I'm happy that I'm continuing to add to my Tigers PC and I'm especially happy that the HOF-dissed 2B is today's subject; may there be many more such posts in my future.

Stay tuned for a combined Blowout/COMC blowout (most of which will end up on TMM due to the players involved) to rival last year's, plus my results from Sam's latest group break--the first one I've participated in for a while and hopefully the first of several this year in trying to keep one of my New Year's promises.

Completed Sets: 2001 Donruss Rookie Reprints

I've alluded to this set quite a bit over the course of writing this blog, and I'm thrilled that I finally get to show it off in its completed form now that the final piece of this puzzle--Andres Galarraga--arrived in my mailbox last week.  It's a complete set I have yet to see in-person or online, (though I know I'm not the first) which isn't too surprising since "only" 1982 complete sets are possible.  Putting it all together was a process 10 years in the making, from the day I first busted a couple boxes of the very fun-to-open set to picking up singles on eBay, COMC, Sportlots and the like, to holding all 39 reprints in my hands.

For those of you who weren't collecting at the time, a little bit about the set:  it was one of the many "randomly inserted" Donruss inserts that year, so I'm not really sure what the odds were.  This was definitely something a bit different for Donruss as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of their inaugural 1981 baseball set, and they never fell pray to the Topps mailing-it-in attitude of "Screw it, let's reprint more of our crap, people will go nuts for it."  

They also didn't go the Topps route of messing with the reprinted card after the fact as Topps did with some if their reprint sets, (i.e. reducing a multiplayer RC down to that single player) and their alterations were limited to three design elements to clearly mark these as reprints:  a silver "20th Anniversary" logo stamped up front, and on the back numbering based on the insert set--not its numbering from the original set--and a serial number based on the year the card was issued.  Cal Ripken's '82 reprint, therefore, is the lowest numbered card at 1982 copies, meaning that many complete sets are possible, as previously mentioned.  

A parallel version, of which 1900 fewer of each card exists, was also possible to pull, and in picking up the Griffey for this set, I received my first parallel version in the eBay transaction that culminated in this post, in which the USPS did its best to prevent those cards from arriving to me, as usual.  My interest, though, was always in the main reprint insert set for several reasons.  First and foremost I enjoy the multitude of designs the retrospective gives you, featuring cards from 1982-1992.  Secondly, the serial numbering made this one of the more challenging pursuits of my collecting experience, especially when I encountered stubborn sellers clinging to the idea that they were worth much more than any sane person would pay for them.  Finally, the player selection is quite good and hits on many of my favorites from that time span, the era when I grew up and first got into baseball.

All that makes this easily my favorite insert set I've yet completed.  And now I proudly present to you all 39 2001 Donruss Rookie Reprints!:

• Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 (#0961/1982):  A great way to start the set off with a bang, though Donruss really had no choice--the '81 set featured no major RCs and the '82 version was devoid of anything major except Cal.  I have the original version of this one, of course.
• Wade Boggs 1983 (#1316/1983):  Here's the first of a few on this list I don't yet own.  Young Wade hit .349 in 104 games for the '82 Sawx on his way to a hit-filled HOF career and was one of four key '83 RCs in the set, the fourth being Julio Franco, who didn't make the cut for this set (to no one's surprise).
• Tony Gwynn 1983 (#0458/1983):  I own Gwynn's Fleer and Topps RCs from that year, but not this Donruss issue.  The back mentions that he was "A most pleasant late addition to the Padres in '82" and that he was called up from Hawaii.  Man, if you've gotta pay your dues in the minors, it may as well be in Hawaii, right?
• Ryne Sandberg 1983 (#1503/1983):  My eyes!  The goggles do nothing!  Aside from the ugly-ass uni on the front, this card reminds everyone that Ryno was traded from the Phils to the Cubs along with Larry Bowa in 1982.  Bowa, of course, headed back to Philly as a manager for a few years in the early aughts. This is another one I really need to pick up--I should get a wantlist going or something.
• Don Mattingly 1984 (#1006/1984):  This list considers Donnie Baseball's RC the only key rookie in the set, though the next card will have something to say about that.  Mattingly is certainly one of the more memorable recent Yankees even if he's not really HOF-caliber.  Not bad for a 1979 19th-rounder.  Bonus quote from the back:  "One of the very few Yankee farmhands who made it to the big leagues as a Yankee."  Those were the days....  Add this one to the wantlist too, by the way.
• Joe Carter 1984 (#1034/1984):  You'd better believe I have this one.  Carter's no HOFer but he had an excellent overall career, and he definitely sealed his place in baseball history with one of the most dramatic World Series homers ever.  The #2 overall pick in 1981 found himself in Cleveland the year after this card was made, and he would play for six teams in his 16-year career, though he'll always be remembered (and loved) by Blue Jays fans for his World Series exploits.  A worth addition to this set for sure.
• Roger Clemens 1985 (#0439/1985):  Screw this guy--I don't have this card and I don't want it.
• Kirby Puckett 1985 (#0920/1985):  There's no way this set would be complete without the incomparable Kirby Puckett.  This is a great posed shot of the Minnesota legend and it's a card I'm sadly missing in my collection--for now.  Kirby didn't show much power--no homers--in the 128 games of his rookie 1984 campaign, but the hitting prowess was already on display as he hit an excellent .296 in the first year of his HOF career.
• Orel Hershiser 1985 (#0217/1985):  At first glance, Hershiser may seem like a strange addition to this set, and this key cards list agrees, but this is a guy who won a Cy Young, pitched in three World Series (winning one) and amassed more than 200 wins in his 18-year career.  As with Joe Carter, Donruss made a wise choice here.

• Andres Galarraga 1986 (#0864/1986):  Here's another guy who inexplicably didn't make the key cards list for this year.  The Big Cat compares well to the previously mentioned Joe Carter as well as HOFers Orlando Cepeda, Jim Rice and Willie Stargell, and he enjoyed an outstanding, if not HOF-worth, 19-year career.
• Jose Canseco 1986 (#0247/1986):  This was definitely a popular card at the time, but as with Clemens, screw that guy.
• Fred McGriff 1986 (#0386/1986):  One of Tim's favorites, and for good reason as he was also an outstanding player for several teams over a long, productive career, not unlike a couple other guys you've just read about.  A Yankees prospect that got away (muhahahahaha!) the Crime dog moved around quite a bit but did manage to win it all with the '95 Braves.  An excellent choice for this set.
• Paul O'Neill 1986 (#1728/1986):  I've never liked O'Neill and I never will, but he was definitely one of those unsung guys who could put a good team over the top, as his five rings (one with the '90 Reds) prove.
• Mark McGwire 1987 (#1920/1987):  Overrated, one-dimensional cheater, so I'll take this opportunity to mention that the '87 set is the best represented here with eight total cards, though only five make the linked list.  This is definitely one of my favorite Donruss sets for that very reason.
• Barry Bonds 1987 (#1884/1987):  Yeah, whatever.  Next.
• Kevin Brown 1987 (#1669/1987):  Ugh, not only was this guy a cheater, he was also an overpaid douche, and I only vaguely understand his inclusion here, but that's probably mostly hindsight.  NEXT.
• David Cone 1987 (#0079/1987):  That's more like it.  Cone was also left off that list, but he won almost 200 games in  his 17-year career, including 20 twice, picked up a Cy Young award, won five rings (one with Toronto, four with the Yanks) AND pitched a perfect game.
• Rafael Palmerio 1987 (#1570/1987):  Ok, this is getting a bit depressing.  NEXT.

• Barry Larkin 1987 (#1354/1987):  Not sure why one of the best shortstops of his generation and a deserving HOFer isn't included here, but there's still plenty of time to right that wrong.  A Michigan grad (have I mentioned that) and product of athlete factory Cincinnati Moeller High, the 1995 NL MVP gave his all for 19 years with his hometown team, highlighted by a championship in 1990.  All that remains is enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, something that had damn well better happen this year, along with counterpart Alan Trammell.
• Bo Jackson 1987 (#0327/1987):  There was no way Donruss was going to deny collectors another card of one of the 80s' biggest manias, but then again, Bo could have told you that.  Though he only played a few seasons due to injuries, the two-sport star managed to put up some big numbers, but even those were overshadowed by his highlight reel plays in the outfield.  This is a perfect case of a reprint set bringing back the perfect amount of nostalgia from collectors' childhoods.
• Greg Maddux 1987 (#0742/1987):  Maddux is the last of the '87s, and really, what more can I say about the guy than I already have?  Seeya soon in the Hall of Fame, buddy.  Just make sure you don't have the Sidney Crosby punk-ass facial hair going on, ok?
• Roberto Alomar 1988 (#0678/1988):  Speaking of HOFers, the first of the '88s is Robbie Alomar, an All-Star mainstay who deservedly was enshrined in 2011.  You know who he best compares to?  Sweet Lou Whitaker.  If only the Whitaker-Tram duo could enter the Hall together in 2012.  Oh well, at least Alomar got his due.
• Mark Grace 1988 (#0370/1988):  Interesting note:  Grace finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting that year to Wolverine Chris Sabo.  Both went on to win a ring, but it's not much of an argument that Grace had the better career by far.  It's good to see him sticking around the game as a commentator, though maybe he'll find a front office/management-type role someday.
• David Wells 1988 (#0087/1988):  As with the other Yankees on this list, (though Wells was briefly a Tiger as well) I was never a fan of this loudmouth fatass, but he did have a few nice seasons over his amazing 21-year career.
• Tom Glavine 1988 (#1978/1988):  Glavine doesn't look thrilled to be with the Braves here, but little did he know that he'd be a big part of the best team of the 1990s.  I made sure to check the back for a hockey reference, and sure enough it mentions that the Kings drafted him in 1984, the same year the Braves picked him up.  Looks like he chose the right sport.
• Matt Williams 1988 (#1218/1988):  Williams went a few picks ahead of the forthcoming Gary Sheffield in '86, but I think the Giants are pretty happy about their pick.  From 1987-1996, Williams was consistently homer-happy, including a monster shortened 1994 season, and put up some outstanding numbers.  When people like Topps assemble "fan favorites" sets based around guys that don't really get their due, they include players like Williams, and for good reason.
• Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 (#0702/1989):  I dunno, maybe you've seen this one before?  The first of five '89s is definitely the best--the Kid.  The old Rated Rookie logo brings back tons of memories for me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.  In fact, I know I'm not, especially because of one of Kevin's typically excellent posts.  The original card, of course, has its place in my rookie card PC here.

• Randy Johnson 1989 (#0219/1989):  Johnson appears to be sneering "Yeah I started my career with the Expos, and yeah I had the mullet all the way back then, so what?"  The sure-fire HOFer actually found himself traded to the Mariners in 1989, and the rest is history, thanks to five Cy Youngs, a World Series ring, 300+ wins, a ridiculous 4875 Ks, a no-hitter AND a perfect game, plus a 20 strikeout game.  Dude was good.
• Gary Sheffield 1989 (#1756/1989):  See:  Barry Bonds.  Screw this guy.  In the ear.
• Craig Biggio 1989 (#1225/1989):  One of the greatest athletes ever to play the game, period.  Catcher, second base, outfield, it didn't matter where you put him, he'd hit, or get hit, but he'd always get on base.  And when he did that, you could count on teammates like Jeff Bagwell to bring him home.  A 3000 hit club member, I hope to see him enter the Hall very soon.
• Curt Schilling 1989 (#0677/1989):  Something something...bloody sock...something...politics...something...Warcraft....  Interesting note on the back:  The Red Sox sent him to Baltimore along with noted cheater Brady Anderson, though of course Curt found his way back to Boston in time to live up to his team's name years later.
• Larry Walker 1990 (#0423/1990):  Walker still has a pretty decent chance at making the Hall, but if he doesn't he can still rest on his laurels, which include fairly impressive numbers both inside and outside of Coors field.
• Bernie Williams 1990 (#0564/1990):  Basically Paul O'Neill minus the douchiness, plus he was a homegrown Yankee, not that New York fans would feel that they have to point that out AD NAUSEUM.  
• Sammy Sosa 1990 (#0391/1990):  Steroids and cork are the lasting images from a career that should have been remembered for mammoth home runs and 1998.
• Juan Gonzalez 1990 (#1239/1990):  Oh that the ill-advised trade to Detroit never had happened.  At least he won't make the Hall and everyone can just forget about his stupid ass.
• David Justice 1990 (#1614/1990):  The guy had some very nice seasons, especially with the Braves, and won two rings in a crazy six Series appearances.  I'll always remember him with the Braves, not the Indians, Yankees, Mets and A's.

• Ivan Rodriguez 1991 The Rookies (#0727/1991):  Clearly one of the greatest catchers ever, Donruss was smart enough to include Pudge in their Rookies set that year.  Though I'll always remember him with Texas, I'll also fondly recall his seasons with the Tigers, including the magical 2006 World Series team.
• Jeff Bagwell 1991 The Rookies (#0697/1991):  The erstwhile Red Sox 3B was the NL Rookie of the Year that year on the way to what should be a Hall of Fame career.
• Manny Ramirez 1992 The Rookies (#1520/1992):  Here's Manny being Manny as the final entrant in the set and the only representative from 1992.  I started following Manny a couple years after he became a productive player so for the longest time I associated him with Cleveland.  Still, it's clear that his best years--in general, mind you, what with all the drama--were with Boston.  There may never be another one like him, and if there isn't, it would be a detriment to the game (mostly).

There you have it, my favorite insert set of all time completed!  Please let me know what you all think of this set, what Donruss did with it, if you have any of the originals and your thoughts on those, etc., and look forward to more content hopefully soon.

More USPS incompetence plus another Dimwitted trade

USPS, where our motto is "You mail, we fail" or "You ship it we rip it" or "You send it we bend it" or "You pay us money to transfer it to another party and we damage it, lose it or poop on it and then damage or lose it, but hey, sometimes we deliver it!":
Some of you might remember that a couple months ago I made a brief mention of an eBay purchase I was awaiting in the mail.  You might also remember that it never arrived.  The seller was one of the better ones I've dealt with and despite the increasing frequency of scammers who pull this stunt after actually receiving the card, he refunded my money.  Good guy.


Flash forward to today, when this gem graced my mailbox:

Captain Picard, help me out here.

WTF indeed.  After being able to see a good-sized chunk of what's inside, I used my years of collecting experience to recognize what had to be the back of an '89 Donruss card.  "It couldn't be," I thought, "could it?"  It could be and it was:

These are the 2001 Donruss Rookie Reprint of Ken Griffey Jr. and its parallel version.  The scan of the parallel front doesn't really do a good job of portraying the "20th Anniversary" logo being as holographic as it is compared to the regular version, but that's the biggest difference aside from the serial numbering being exactly 1000 lower.

I bid on this auction because I'm pursing the Rookie Reprint set--there's a lot to like about it, especially the serial numbering out of the year the cards were produced, and most importantly, the fact that Donruss doesn't/didn't reprint its cards literally every single year for no rhyme or reason.  The fact that the parallel version was included was a nice bonus and it gives me another cool Griffey to add to my collection, but my main focus is on the regular set, and I hope to have it done soon because it would be awesome to show off.


I now need these:  3 5 10 11 14 17 18 20 21 23 25 28 29 32 37 40
so if you have any, please trade them to me, I'll give you something good.  And the good news is, if you mail them to me, I might even receive them!


Trade with Sam = Too Magglio Verlandersons:
Sam of the Daily Dimwit and I had kind of been working on a trade for a month or two recently before he moved, but now I'm glad to say we never finalized a deal until last week.  The reason the procrastination worked out in my favor can be found in this post.  Sam pulled a gorgeous Verlander autograph and gave me first crack at it, which was an awesome thing to do.  I'm sure he'll show off his end of the deal as soon as they arrive since I took so long to ship them while waiting to consolidate a bunch of shipments into one trip, but here's what I ended up with:

Curtis Granderson 2009 Allen & Ginter jersey:  This is my first Granderson relic, embarrassingly enough, but it's a great one.  I have no love for the baseball-phobic A&G base set or the craptastic results of their boxes, but I do like how Topps has done these framed mini relics the last few years.  A card without Granderson smiling is like Jim Leyland winning a division title--you're just not gonna see it in your lifetime.  A great start to the package and the making of a new trifecta.

Magglio Ordonez 2009 UD Piece of History Franchise History jersey:  Oddly enough this is my first Magglio relic too, but that's not as important because his name isn't part of the title of my blog.  I do have this 5x7 autograph of him but I haven't counted it as part of my Tigers hits because he's still with the White Sox there (I may relax that rule eventually).  This makes another trifecta for me since I have a ton of his RCs from 1998.


And the money card,

Justin Verlander 2007 UD Black Prodigious Autographs auto:  My second Verlander auto is this stunning number from UD black, pulled by the mojoriffic hands of the Dimwit himself.  I love that it's #d 50/50 (hurr eBay 1/1 durr!), I love that it's shiny and thick as hell, and most of all I love that it's another autograph of the AL's #1 pitcher this year.  Not only is he putting up ridiculous stats, he's the foundation of a castle that would otherwise sink into the swamp without him (several times).

So needless to say this has been one of my favorite trades this year.  Big thanks to Sam, and I hope you enjoy your haul just as much, whenever it gets to you (and may it arrive timely, unopened and unpooped-upon).