Divided Focus

The Blazers are in the playoffs! The Cardinals are, well... it's April.

First off, congratulations are in order for Albert Pujols, who hit his 499th and 500th career HRs today. My thoughts on the dude have been made pretty clear here. Just to recap, he was a very important player who gave St. Louis eleven incredible seasons and two rings. He got dollar signs in his eyes. It happens. I'm happy for his accomplishment, but it probably helps that he doesn't play for a rival team or anything like that.

To show my respect, I'm responding by featuring some cards that Lonestarr sent to me that have nothing to do with Pujols. I should have another Pujols-related post up later this month if the mood strikes, but for now - read this post. I may even have some of those cards still if you're so inclined.

I could have sworn I had at least one copy of this Matt Holliday short print, but my records indicate that I did not. Now I need another one for my Heritage set because I am greedy.

J.D. Drew cards don't often excite me a great deal, but this Crunch Time insert from 2000 Fleer Ultra is a really nice one. It's very rustic with almost a felt touch to it.

If you send me an Ozzie Smith memorabilia card, I am going to drop everything and take notice, even if the Blazers are on TV. Ditto for Jimmy Edmonds.

I am still missing way more of these Walmart parallels than I care to examine right now, so I always get really excited when I see one of these blacked out cards. Wainwright tossed another gem tonight, with his start ending after 7 only because he stumbled and landed awkwardly while an infield grounder was in play.

But yes, the Blazers are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2011, and LaMarcus Aldridge is leading the charge. He dropped 46 points and 18 rebounds on Houston in Sunday's opening game and now has Kevin McHale all in a tizzy about trying to defend him. Game 2 is tomorrow, and my eyeballs are going to be buggin' out.

It's really weird to see a vintage player on these futuretronic Prizm cards, but there you have it. It seems like recent cards of Walton have focused on his Blazers days, but he was a valuable contributor to the Celtics '85-'86 title run. Not that I'm complaining, of course.

Lonestarr also sent me a handful of much needed cards for my 2010-11 Donruss basketball project. I'm feeling a bit more charitable than I have in some past playoff years, so I actually went ahead and scanned the card of the enemy in the current series. It probably helps that he's not wearing Rockets red, which is the ugliest color in the world right now.