Trading with Tony from Illinois

Reader Tony from Illinois recently sent me a package of stuff from my want lists and was generous enough to throw in some Cardinals-related goodies. This is exactly why I started this blog, incidentally. I get to get rid of cards that I don't need and get amazing stuff that I ordinarily wouldn't have access to here way over here on the west coast. Included in the package was a Cardinals FSN flag that I will proudly display somewhere on my wall when I figure out a good spot and a 2007 DAV (Disabled American Veterans) team set that was likely a stadium giveaway.

The design is fairly complex and busy for a freebie type set. Most of the photos are action shots against a white background, with the player sometimes overlapping the borders. The player numbers are prominently displayed on the front, which I think is a nice touch.

This is the first Ryan Franklin Cardinals card I've managed to get. Franklin is apparently in the mix of potential closer candidates that the Cards will look to this season, although I'm hoping he never sees regular 9th inning save situation duty. With Russ Springer apparently gone, he should be counted on for 7th or 8th inning situations.

Speaking of Springer, here is my first Cardinal card of him. I don't understand how you don't re-sign your best reliever over the past two seasons, even if he was most likely seeking a significant raise. I realize he's advancing in age, but he wants to be in St. Louis. He still does not have a team. Pick him up.

Ryan Ludwick did not have a single official 2007 baseball card apparently, but here he is in this set. I love it. I'm glad that Ludwick is sticking around, as far as it seems. It could be that his 2008 all-star season was fluky, but I can live with the gamble of keeping him instead of cashing in on his trade value considering that it doesn't look like the Cards would have been able to replace his bat in the lineup anywhere. Khalil Greene is not a middle of the order type of hitter.

Fredbird! After finding out the results of Thorzul's Five Dollar Group Break, I will now be the proud owner of two Fredbird cards.

All of the backs of these cards are the same, with information about the DAV.

Tony also sent a stack of 2007 Turkey Reds from my want list. I am now down to two needed non-SP cards from this set, plus a whole mess of SPs. Once I get the non-SPs down, I may look into seeing how financially feasible it would be to collect the 2006 set. I'm not sure if I have a single card from that set. I bought a couple of packs of the 2005 set, but no 2006.

My girlfriend noticed that Justin Verlander's head is disproportionately large in this painting. I can see why not everyone was into this set.

I also received a nice bunch of 2008 Allen & Ginter cards, including this Adam Kennedy SP. I am only 9 cards away from completing the non-SP portion of the program, and 15 SPs away from the entire set.

I'm also down to just one missing flag card, after picking up seven in this trade and Jacoby Ellsbury at last weekend's card show. Paging Dmitri Young... paging Dmitri Young...

I'm sending a pile of long overdue Cardinals doubles Tony's way as soon as I get my sorry butt back to work. Sadly, today is the final day of my two week vacation, which really only felt like about two days.

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Speaking of card shows, I bought a neglected pack of 1998 Topps Finest Series 2 at the show last weekend. If anyone can name the lone active major league player (with a contract) that I pulled in the pack, I will send you the pack and a team lot of at least 100 cards of your favorite team. I'll post the pack on A Pack A Day by the end of the week.