Trading with Brian from Texas

I just sent out 8 - count 'em - E-I-G-H-T packages out for trades/gifts to folks that I trade with or have traded with in the past. Consequently, it made me rather busy for the past few days (along with my usual weekend extra-curricular activities) so I have to apologize for the lack of content lately. I know that starting off a blog post with an apology all pen pal-style is pretty tacky, but I'm also not one of those people that posts just for the sake of posting (i.e. no entries about how I just tripped over my cat and won't be able to post for approximately 6.5 hours) so I figured an explanation was owed.

Reader Brian, who you may know from such places as the comments section of all sorts of great blogs out there, worked out a trade with me involving two of the sets I've been working on forever and threw in some fancy, shiny Cardinals as well. He's got a blog plan in the works, so feel free to encourage him to post one of these days.

Here's an SP from the 2008 Heritage set. One down, tons more to go. The latter part of this decade has not been so kind to the Giles brothers, particularly Marcus. Marcus made one more go of it in spring training last year, I believe, but he has apparently hung it up for good.

There was a nice little stack of 2009 Heritage cards, including several of the darker stocked SPs. I'd like to see what kind of player Tulo could be outside of Colorado, a place which seems to do weird things to players careers (positive and negative.)

Ah, yes, Tim Lincecum, Esq. I'm going to be hypocritical this year and hope that the voters heavily favor the overvalued W stat when casting their votes for Cy Young this year and send some love to one of the two Cardinals vying for the award.

Stubby Clapp must have gone to Coco Crisp and told him that there was only room for one colorful, goofy named player in their system and it wasn't him, because Crisp was shipped out before he ever made an appearance in a Cardinals major league game. This card is great, because it hadn't even occurred to me that Crisp would even have any Cardinals cards. I wonder if that means there are Jack Wilson Cardinals cards...

Fernando Vina is the gold standard by which all facial hair habits are measured, so it's fitting to have a card of his from the Topps Gold Label set.

I got to see So Taguchi's major league debut in 2002 in person, my first Cardinals game (or major league game for that matter.)

Brian sent along a 2002 UD Plus Taguchi card as well. I was hoping to pull this card when I bought my 2002 Upper Deck hobby box awhile back, but I ended up with other people's team's Taguchis, I'm sure.

There were a ton of serial numbered cards in the package, which is very generous and awesome of Brian. Unlike most people who probably look at serial numbers and roll their eyes, I am a sucker for pretty much anything with a shiny gold number on it. Go ahead, number it up to like 50,000. See if I care. I'll still like it. This is a really nice X-Fractor, however, and is numbered 141/299.

Another great looking Edmonds card - this is also a Gold Label card and is some sort of platinum parallel.

Brian was also nice enough to send along a couple of relic cards, including a piece of Tino Martinez's "Game-Worn Pants" (yikes!) and an "Authentic Piece of Jersey" from Jim Edmonds. No note included as to whether or not it's Jim's pants.

Thanks again to Brian. Make sure you check out his blog, or at least pester him to get a start on it.