Two Buck Ducks

And stay tuned for an announcement of sorts.

I should probably just start asking people to title their own trade posts here more often. On the suggestion of Too Many Manninghams, who sent over these fine autographed Ducks items out of the blue, I went with the obvious title choice. Dennis picked up a couple of Demetrius Williams rookie autos for a buck a pop recently and I am thrilled to own them. One of the cards is an on card autograph, while the other contains a hideous enormous oval shaped signed sticker. Can you guess which one I like the best?

D-Will was a standout receiver for the Ducks, one of the best in the program's history. He was a product of the last days of Oregon's offense resembling something somewhat conventional, and I have to think that their playing style at the time helped prepare him for a professional future. As thrilling as the Ducks have been in the past half a dozen seasons, their style and size of athletes they typically recruit doesn't always translate to major pro success. This was a program that, even in their many (many) lean years, always managed to turn out quality NFL players. I'm not griping, however, because the NFL is not very interesting to me and I certainly can't argue with the success of the program of late. Williams, for what it's worth, got some game action with the Ravens on and off during his 4 years in Baltimore, but didn't really stick as a core player for whatever reason.

This, incidentally, is Two Buck Chuck. The budget priced Trader Joe's wine was never actually priced at $2 at any point to my recollection in the great state of Oregon, likely due to exorbitant taxes on importing wine here. Apparently there was a price hike awhile back, so now it's not $2 anywhere. I'll put the blame on, I don't know, jerks.

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Housekeeping notes: the blog is going dark for a little while. I haven't really bought any baseball cards all summer, though there's a next-to-zero chance that I'm planning on stopping my card purchases. We'll do this again around the second week of August. In the interim, I may be posting compressed thoughts a little more often on the beast that is Twitter, though it's questionable whether I'll say anything about sports cards. It could happen? Who knows?

Steve D. D-Livers

This is just a reminder that Blog Post Title Writer is still an unpaid position.

Fellow blog reader and Listia member (Listian?) Steve D. just exchanged PWEs with me after he was one of the last to grab some cards from my soon-to-be-retired trade bait page. For my part, I received a few Cardinals, some of which I am sharing with you this evening.

It's easy to forget that the Walmart blue-ish parallels that we all know and love(-ish) started out as these murky black things. They wound easily and attract all sorts of fingerprints, and I remember the days of the blasters that were full of them, with an ink smell so putrid it reminded me of my days as a temp working at a printer plant where I was hand collating leaflets all day. Seriously, that was a job.

It's also easy to forget The Sporting News as a print magazine. I never quite figured out why, since I'm pretty sure I never saw the man read more than a sentence or two in his life, but my grandfather used to be a Sporting News subscriber in the '80s. Those things were chock full of stats and fine print in a way that the local paper could never hope to be. It helped bridge the gap for my stat-hungry mind between the very first box scores I read and the USA Today Baseball Weekly paper that first came around in the early '90s. I loved that stuff. Now we have the internet and I can barely find the time to check up on players that play for my own favorite team, let alone keep tabs on the rest of the league.

Airbrushed Fridays: 2014 Topps #431

Why do baseball players wear those miniature jumpropes around their necks, anyway?

Who is he? Brett Anderson is a former second round draft pick with the Diamondbacks who was involved in the massive Dan Haren/Carlos Gonzalez trade back in 2007. The former Olympian hurler broke into the bigs in 2009 with Oakland and spent his entire career there until a trade this past offseason.

How did he get here? Anderson had a rough 2013 season and had battled injuries throughout much of his career. Oakland sent him to the Rockies for Drew Pomeranz and a minor leaguer. Anderson will make just his 6th start of the season tonight with Colorado as they face the Pirates.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None, but you could probably search Getty Images to find the original photo before it was Photoshopped.

Airbrushed Score: 5

Comments: At one point, didn't Series 2 mean players who swapped teams in their new uniforms? Now it just seems to be mean players Photoshopped into their new uniforms and some guys who were intentionally held out of Series 1 so that the whole set isn't relievers, utility infielders and organizational roster filler.

I Don't Know... Hee Seop Choi?

Welcome to efficiency.

I guess this is what happens when I finally catch up with trade posts. While I was once so young and full of things to write about, I pretty much have leaned on trade posts as a crutch to fuel content for this blog for quite awhile. Trade posts are a double-edged sword, as they can often be incredibly mundane to read about if you weren't in any way involved in the transaction, but they're absolutely vital to both validate the transaction and give the sender the warm and fuzzy feelings. They're also important to the whole concept of trading and the community as a whole, as you can build yourself up a pretty solid reputation on the words of others and your cardboard-giving generosity.

I'm working on a care package or two and trying to figure out how to get more cards off my desk. I also feel a big need to get some basketball cards off of my plate as well. I plan to revisit the Guilt-Free Basketball Card Club soon. If you're curious at all (and like free-ish stuff), join in early and tell me what you like. I also have about a million baseball cards I really don't have room for, so there's that. Also, Hee Seop Choi.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1976 Topps Traded #74T

It's time for one of the most famous airbrushed cards of all as we get ready for the second half of the 2014 season.

Who is he? Reduced to a goofy image these days, Oscar Gamble was at first a ballplayer and an outfielder who logged an impressive 17 seasons in the majors, including multiple stints with Chicago teams and the Yankees. He also must have been a headline writer's dream, as his last named provides all sorts of opportunities when connected to a game that at least partially involves risk and chance.

How did he get here? Gamble was playing for Cleveland in 1975 when they sent him to New York for the first time in exchange for a guy who was both an All-Star and a league leader in pitching losses in the same season (Pat Dobson, 1972, Baltimore.)

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: Yes, but this card puts everything else to shame, so why would you want to look at it?

Airbrushed Score: 10

Comments: With apologies to 1987 Topps Mike Laga, this is simply the best. Two caps would have had trouble containing Oscar's hair, and the poor attempt at a complicated Yankees logo just seals the deal. His pinstripes were painted in watercolor. And the whole thing has a heavenly glow about it that makes this card one of the biggest must-own cards of the 20th century.

A Boatload of Licensed Non-Topps Cards

And they're just Swell.

P-Town Tom gets himself another mention here as he recently hosted one of the cheapest group breaks known to humankind. A mere four dollars got me a health stack of cards from various late '80s/early '90s Legends sets, the type of thing you can't even pull off these days unless you're going to go around altering classic photography, which I really don't recommend. All in all, I received complete Cardinals team sets from three Swell Greats sets (1989 through 1991), plus all of the 1990 Pacific Legends Cardinals and some surprise bonuses.

Even though the years in play were at the height of my childhood collecting years, I used to shy away from the "legends" type sets (eww, old-timers!) because I guess I didn't appreciate anything old as a good-for-nothing troublemaker. For shame. The 1989 Swell set featured players both legendary and some that are lesser known, which seems to be a theme for all of their sets. I don't remember this design at all.

This one is a bit more familiar to me, as some generous traders have probably sent me one or two of these over the years. The 1990 design feels a lot more Fleer-y, but in an '80s way.

I don't have many Joe Garagiola cards that feature him as a member of the Cardinals, but these Swell sets really changed that. He was in St. Louis for a total of six seasons, but I really know him best as Vin Scully's broadcast partner on the NBC Game of the Week throughout much of the '80s.

This design isn't familiar to me at all. The 1991 set feels a bit thinner than the previous set, but one of the colors present seems to recall another set that was released in 1991 - Fleer again.

Is that the most positions that you've seen spelled out on a baseball card? Because it is for me.

I'm a little more familiar with the Pacific Legends sets than I am the Swell sets, but that could be because I grew up in the Northwest and Pacific originated in the Northwest. I never managed to visit, but they used to just be a big (I assume?) card shop that happened to print their own cards, which I used to think was pretty cool. I think I subscribed to their catalog at one point, but I probably never bought anything directly from them.

The super surprise bonus was that Tom threw in some 1975 SSPC cards that, y'know, might(?) be licensed. The cards have always given off a bit of a bootleg vibe to me, but I still like putting them in my binders.

Haha, Mike Tyson! Always a classic.

Well, I'd have to say, one of the best things about this break was that the cards were all pretty much in pristine shape. That's not something you'd necessarily expect from cards this old, nor a break this cheap. I'll take it!

All-Star Eve Trade Post

Hopefully, no one will be pitching though a cloud of "cognac".

Chunter of the Chipp 'n' Dale blog sent me a wonderful bunch of baseball and basketball cards that I'd like to show off as we get ready for tomorrow night's All-Star Game.

I've been coveting this insert card for a long time from last year's set, so I'm really happy to get a copy of my own. Topps really knocked it out of the park (GET IT?!) with these inserts, which really make me wish they'd take a quality-over-quantity approach with some of their inserts in the future.

These '89-style die cut minis, on the other hand, are not so great. It is great seeing cards of Lee Smith in a Cardinals uniform in 2014, though.

I'm sure there are plenty of disgruntled Dodgers fans who think they got robbed with Wainwright getting the starting nod tomorrow over Clayton Kershaw. I can't say I blame them, but I also find it nearly impossible to argue against Wainwright deserving it. After a number of near-misses in past seasons with major awards, Waino gets a little bit of the spotlight tomorrow to reward a stellar first half. As for Kershaw, well, it seems like it would help his cause a bit if his team... say... went ahead and won the pennant sometime. Interestingly enough, the last Cardinals starter to star the All-Star Game was Chris Carpenter in 2005. Before that, I believe you might have to go back to Bob Gibson if I'm not mistaken.

Well, now that I've managed to get that image out of my mind (although I'd be happy for Don Mattingly), let's look at a fantastic relic card of Erin fave Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo has been one of the best players in the game in the first half, so it was cool to see him named captain of one of the Home Run Derby teams. The only problem is that I seem to be growing really tired of the Home Run Derby. Maybe it's too much Chris Berman or maybe it really is just a tired event?

Chunter collects some basketball and he dug up a few jersey cards that were right up my alley. Jerryd Bayless didn't have the biggest run as a Blazer, but he's established himself as a solid combo guard and bench option in the league. D.J. Augustin has bounced around a bit, but he's also an established vet at this point.

This one is right up my alley, as we have both a (former) Blazer and a former Oregon Duck. Ridnour was a fantastic player in college and is about to enter his 12th season in the NBA, this time as a member of the newly rechristened Charlotte Hornets. I was a little confused about the color of Ridnour's jersey swatch, and when I read the back it turns out that while Webster's is supposedly from an NBA game, Ridnour's is from a Rookie Challenge. He was in his 5th season when this card came out, so that tells you that Upper Deck was probably sitting on piles of musty old barely "worn" Ridnour jerseys at this point. Still, it's a great card for my collection for multiple reasons.

Finally, here's a more clearly identified Rookie Challenge jersey, from current Blazer Wesley Matthews. Wes wasn't about to give up his #2 when the Blazers signed Steve Blake last week, never mind that Blake is joining the team for the third time and has worn that number for both of his previous terms with the team.

Airbrushed Fridays: 2014 Topps #446

The last man standing of Oakland's Big Three.

Who is he? Tim Hudson has been one of baseball's most solid starting pitchers over the last decade and a half. Alongside Barry Zito and Mark Mulder, Oakland's starting pitching staff was one of the most feared in the game. The current A's team has become very mighty once again, though they've been assembled in a much different way. After Oakland, Hudson spent eight seasons with Atlanta where he continued to pitch at a high level.

How did he get here? Hudson left to sign as a free agent with the Giants, who are trying to continue their even year dominance and get back to the World Series again. Oddly enough, they may have to take down Oakland if they want to win their 3rd title in 5 years, and they've struggled mightily of late. It's also not even the All-Star break just yet.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None

Airbrushed Score: 6

Comments: Very closely cropped, so you have to imagine he has legs.

Ouch!

Injuries are taking their toll.

As the saga of the long season continues, it seems like trainers and medical staff are making more on field appearances than the manager at this point. Yadier Molina, far and away the most valuable player of the team, became the latest to go down with a significant injury last night. He'll be out until late in the season with a torn ligament in his thumb. As someone who is extremely adept at handling the pitchers, playing defense and finding places on the field to put the baseball with his bat, he will be sorely missed. You could probably split the guy into three and have three extremely useful players. Opponents won't miss him, however.

Night Owl sent over a bunch of 2013 Opening Day Stars inserts after he found his way into a bunch of discounted blasters. I really like these cards. King Felix is attempting to fill up as much of the cardspace as he can with his massive torso.

I got to hear a rather amusing story (these things happen when your team is losing 8-1) about how Fredbird came to be during tonight's TV broadcast. Something about a grumpy Gussie Busch and feeding the San Diego Chicken copious amounts of alcohol until he was entertaining enough. Hilarity apparently ensued.

The Cardinals just had to go out and get their own mascot at that point. Topps really wanted us to make sure that we know Fredbird is in fact a mascot and not a relief pitcher or even a bullpen catcher on these 2014 Mascot inserts. Good to know.

Here's another '75 mini from Night Owl's backup stash. It will look like a regular sized card as Blogger cares more about aspect ratio than relative image size, apparently.

Four Cards in Five Words or Less

Minimum verbosity.

Inka binka, bottle of ink.

Always injured.

Two-time All-Star.

Best player in the NL.

Thanks to 2x3 Heroes for another mighty fine PWE!

Last Call for Trade Bait

Get 'em while I got 'em!

I was thinking I wasn't quite getting the response I was hoping for with my Trade Bait link and haven't updated it in awhile. It turns out that part of the lack of response could be that the link has been broke for who-knows-how-long. The other reason is that, of course, a lot of these cards just aren't that interesting or were a lot more interesting a year or two ago.

Go here (or the Trade Bait link on the sidebar) to peruse what's left. I can even drop them in a PWE for you and we'll figure out the rest later. Otherwise, I'm taking them away to do something else with them and I'll have to decide if it's worth it to come up with a fresh batch.

Also, if I owe you anything, or if you just feel like I owe you something, or it's just been awhile since we traded, feel free to leave a comment here or an email there.

Thorzul Group Break Results

Any time you wind up with a serial numbered Chuck Finley card, things are golden.

Late in the spring, Thorzul held a group break where he divvied up a bit lot of craziness that he purchased online. I haven't participated in many group breaks lately (too many Cardinals fans and not enough money to go around, I guess) but Thorzul knows what he's doing and I happened to read about it at the right time. The Cards cards did not disappoint. I'm just showing a few of them.

Would it have been so crazy for Topps to actually use a border color that was generally well received as their base color? I know, I know, that would open up the doors to the concept of white parallels inserted into retail packs, but that's a fair trade-off. I'm sick of white bordered cards. Really sick.

I've been slowly cataloging my Waino collection and am pretty happy with the way things are turning out. Once I finish his cards off on Zistle in the next day or so, I will have all of my PCs online, scanned (if necessary) and up-to-date. How's that for efficiency? If you're bored and you have cards, I strongly suggest you check out any of the links at the side to see if I need any of those cards that you are hanging on to for no reason.

This might be the juiciest card in the lot as Yadi cards can be pretty pricey these days. Alas, it's going to Erin's collection and I'll have to go find my own someday. This is a photo variation of Molina's All-Star card from last year's Update set.

Finally, a pair of 2014 Gypsy Queen jersey cards were found among the assortment. I don't really understand why Topps has felt the need to do both framed and full memorabilia cards. This is happening more and more in A&G now as I've heard. The framed cards look nice. If you're going to bother making them, just roll with that.

Both of these jersey cards feature new Cardinals acquisitions, which means that the mystery piece of memorabilia has nothing to do with St. Louis. That's okay, though. As long as they didn't come from some shirt hanging up in a mall store, I suppose...