The Elusive Heritage

A bunch of Topps Heritage short prints from @scottcrawford.org including a couple for the Cardinals boxes. 

 

As anyone who attempts to build Topps Heritage sets year in and year out can attest, picking up those last 100 or so cards can be quite a shore. They look and feel like the regular base cards, for the most part, but they're a bit of a tougher pull at one in every 3 packs. If you crunch the numbers, I think you'll find that Heritage short prints are not nearly as scarce as their reputation holds. I blame Beckett for, at one point, pricing even the most fringe players who appear at the short end of the checklist at a starting rate of $5 a card, causing a whole generation of collectors to hoard these cards.

In any case, there was plenty of reason to get excited about adding a few dozen more SPs to my collection from Scott of I Need New Hobbies. This was easily the biggest number of these elusive cards to arrive in the mail in a single day for several years now.

Two of these cards will end up bypassing my set builds and head straight to the fancy Cardinals boxes. (Because they are scarce, you see!) This means that I'll need to track down a second 2013 Yadi Molina card, which makes me question why I insist on collecting this way.

For my 2010 set build is this pair of pitchers. These are the only cards in the lot that are easily distinguishable from their printed-in-regular-quantities counterparts without looking at the actual card numbers. The 2010 set has the short printed cards printed on bright white stock instead of the usual cardboard stock. (This was a reversal of the 2009 set, where the regular cards were on white and the SPs used a darker cardboard.)

Here's a four-pack from the 2011 set. I like this set a lot, even though I feel that it was the beginning of the seemingly unending string of boring head shots on Heritage cards throughout the 2010s. (I suppose you can't fault Topps for trying to be true to those original sets here.)

It's a pair of Joshes from the 2012 set. How many Joshes do you know? Is Joshes the right way to pluralize the name Josh? I seem to know a lot of Joshes.

It took me awhile to appreciate the 2013 Topps Heritage set because they were printed on a light stock and felt exactly like the Allen & Ginter cards they had been printing for years at this point. I know that the original 1964 set had lightly colored card backs, but it still seems like the black sheep of the 2010s Heritage sets to me.

Thanks to Scott, I added five cards to my 2014 set build, including another Yadi. It's unfortunate that he has to share with Ryan Braun here, but I already scanned this stuff and it's too late now.

A whopping nine cards received were from the 2015 Heritage set. A couple of these guys are actually still in the game. Off the top of my head, I know that Rodon (a rookie here) is in the Yankees rotation this season and Chris Sale is trying to make another go of it with Atlanta.

Here are three more from the 2016 set, including 2019 World Series champ (ugh) Michael A. Taylor.

Just a single card from the 2018 set made an appearance (and none from 2017) as I am pretty sure Scott was starting to tire of Topps and their shenanigans by this point.

Last up is a pair of grey-bordered cards from the 2019 Heritage set. I believe Yonder Alonso does work with the MLB Network these days.

Thanks again to Scott. And don't forget -- make sure you sign up for the not-actually-gambling-because-it's-free thing soon before Thursday's games tip off.

Pictures of Men (That I Need)

I need men, apparently. If you've ever tried to do a Google search for Pictures of Men, the Blue Jays-centric blog with the hilarious name, you've no doubt encountered an array of photos of well-groomed men. And I don't know what my point is, really, except that I find it amusing. In any case, I got my very own stack of manpics from up north (and back east) and I thought I'd share a few with you.

Dennis hit up a few of my Topps Heritage needs. 2011's Then and Now look might be favorite version of this annual insert set.

This Eric Hurley short print from the 2008 High Numbers set is reminding me how long ago it was when I started collecting this set. The 1959 is probably my favorite design, but it's amazing that I am still so far away from completing this set. I am still missing plain old base cards from this set, people!

My blog has its own Google search ambiguity issues, but it is a place where Cardinals are celebrated and Dennis provided some more great Cardinal stuff. This Stan the Man is a mini version of an already short printed card.

Mike Tyson is going to make an appearance on the next new episode Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which has outraged advocates for victims everywhere. (Seeing as how the show is ostensibly about a sex crimes police unit and Tyson has quite a sordid past that delves into that area, well....) Oh, wait, wrong Mike Tyson!

Finally, here's a couple of goldies, which I always enjoy. Jake Westbrook had a fantastic 2012 season, but many remain skeptical that he'll be able to repeat his success in 2013. There are plenty of talented young arms that seem to be ready for big time duty, but I think St. Louis will still need some steady veteran innings with Kyle Lohse gone and other members of the rotation dealing with various ailments.

Finally, it's our old bald friend, Matt Holliday. I'm not sure if he'd make the cut in a photo array, but he's a hell of a baseball player.

Birds of a Feather

After going through all of the 30 Teams posts and having a chance to reflect, I would have to say that were I of a different mindset, I don't think I could go wrong rooting for all bird teams. I've always had a soft spot for the Blue Jays, and Baltimore is a team on the rise and is right now in the thick of the wild card race. They also are sitting just 5 games behind the division leading Yankees. Speaking of which, big time Orioles fan Jason of Hobbs' Knights sent over some set filling needs as well as some fun Cardinals cards in exchange for some bird cards that he prefers.

It seems like Gypsy Queen has been everyone this summer. I managed to completely miss this set last time around, so it's tough to say whether this year has been an improvement or not.

I do like this. Flashy framed cards like this remind me of the lost, lamented Upper Deck Masterpieces set.

Mitchell Boggs has been the club's second most dependable reliever (next to Jason Motte.) It's been a rough year beyond those two.

As I mentioned, there were some set needs in the package, and that included a couple of Heritage short prints. Maggs is looking like he'd already retired by this point.

I guess it's better to be pictured in a slightly fuzzy photo on a newspaper than to be seen on the side of a milk carton... I think.

Talkin' Junk

I'm still in catch-up mode on the trade posts right now. Aren't we all? I have a few stacks of cards ready to go out as soon as I find some usable padded envelopes as well, but that doesn't keep me from wanting to keep this whole trading game going.

Along those lines, I recently exchanged packages with the The Junk Blog. The Henchmeister, who might just still be drunk over the Boston Bruins capture of the Stanley Cup, sent me some Topps Heritage set needs along with a few Cardinals for good measure.

Hey, it's just an ordinary every day garden variety Grady Sizemore card. Sizemore is a three-time All-Star, but has been absolutely brutal in the worst way since his last All-Star appearance, although injuries have contributed quite a bit to that.

Ahh... here we go. Jackpot! It's a dice game variation, making it just my second if I am thinking clearly. While this isn't as rare as some of the crazy variations that I was lucky enough to get from the 2009 Heritage set, this is still very cool and not something that I tend to see every day.

About half of the package turned out to be 2011 Heritage cards, but this was my first Rookie Parade short print. Floating heads are all over this set and I'm not one to stand in their way. I don't think I know who any of these guys are except for Hughes, possibly, but that doesn't make this card any less fantastic.

And now it's on to the Cardinals portion of the package, represented here by Jim Edmonds being Serious. Henchmeister must have been checking out my Zistle Jim Edmonds collection because this wasn't on the list. You've been checking it out, too, haven't you?

No Albert Pujols in the All-Star Game? Are you kidding? This pretty much sums up what's going to happen to the rest of the league in the proverbial second half. As in, you are dead... death by Pujols.

Surprise Package from Howard

Reader Howard has struck again with another generous package of unsolicited Cardinals cards to add to my collection. The majority of the package was full of '90s Cardinals - not the most prosperous era of Redbird baseball, but still a good one for finding hidden gems and other things that I didn't previously own. Before you read on, you should go on ahead and check out Howard's want list right now. I plan on doing it as soon as I can find some time outside of work and recovering from work.

The 1996 Ultra set is one that has completely escaped me for some reason, and I only know that from looking at the design. Back when there were only a few baseball card sets a year, it would literally take me a microsecond to identify what the set was based on a glimpse at the front of one card. It's pretty tough these days to tell the difference between the designs of most Ultra sets, but I do know what is unfamiliar to me.

Pacific Trading Cards had a certain kind of "go for it" attitude with their card designs that seems to fall in line with those flashy stickers that you can get at a grocery store vending machine for what it cost to buy a pack of Fleer back in the day.

I'm continually impressed with most things Flair that I've seen over the years. I just don't think any normal person could ever afford their stuff when it was released.

I've been waiting for quite awhile to receive my first Danny Sheaffer Cardinals card. He played for the Portland Beavers once upon a time when they were the Twins affiliate, and I recall his late career stint with the Cards. He also managed the Memphis Redbirds for a number of years after his playing career was over.

I'm probably not enthusiastic about minor league cards enough here, but I really enjoy getting them in trade packages. There also seems to be a healthier chance that I won't have a particular card or a spot in my binders for the player when you send me someone from a low minors ball club. When you're a Redbird, if you stick the names "Ozzie" and "Perez" together you probably think you have a pretty notable player. I'm thinking it's not really the case here.

Howard also added another goldie to my collection in the form of a David Eckstein 2006 World Series card. I'll never get tired of the 2006 World Series.

Howard also sent over some much needed set building needs, including this Pair 'o Papelbons from the 2007 Bowman Heritage Prospects set. A current check of Baseball-reference.com finds that neither Papelbon twin has really progressed much beyond AA nor thrown a meaningful pitch in 2011.

In this crazy day and age of Heritage short prints, it's funny that one Charlie Manuel can be worth a dozen Ryan Howards.

Remember this little insert set? I still want these. These silly baseball propaganda posters surely beat out crazed arbitrary apocalyptic proclamations in my book.

The Contest Winner Gets His Post

I held a little impromptu contest the other night to see if anyone was paying attention, and the winner in a manner of minutes was Smed's Baseball Card Blog. Yes, this is the same guy who has almost single-handedly kept the Airbrushed Fridays posts alive. Meanwhile, boxes keep showing up at my dwelling with his return address on them. No matter how many times I tell the mailman to keep those blasted kiddie bubble gum cards away from my yard, they keep finding their way indoors. I'll delve into another one of those here. By the way... Garrett Stephenson? Who knew he was so memorably crappy?

Here's a very moody, if not downright sullen Colby Rasmus on his short printed 2009 Topps Heritage High Series card. I actually managed to get ahold of the Chrome version of this card before the regular one, and now I need one more to actually put toward the set. I really hope Rasmus works out for this team. He has shown a ton of talent along with plenty of head-scratching moments. I still think he's on the right path.

While not exactly The Big Pull that I somehow managed yesterday, a couple of serial-numbered Pujols cards here aren't too shabby.

I have to say that I'm used to Topps Cardinals parallels that are more of the middle infielder variety than the big star.

This is another much needed addition to the Ozzie Smith collection. I've been slowing down on adding Ozzie cards of late, which is not helped by the fact that I still haven't managed to put a proper list together and post it on the internet somewhere.

I'm collecting the 2008 50th Anniversary All-Rookie team insert set, but not the Chrome versions. However, I do collect Matt Holliday, another player whose cards I need to actually log somewhere. I don't have many of his, though, so it shouldn't take nearly as much time.

In addition to Cardinals and player collection needs, there was a healthy stack of stuff from the sets I torture myself with. In the interest of brevity, I chose just two cards to represent that particular stack, and here's one of them. CC's got a really tiny head on him here.

Cole Hamels, in 2010 Topps Heritage Short Print All-Star form, looks like he's about 15. At least it isn't as annoying as that commercial he was in where his "dad" walks to the pitcher's mound.

And finally, what great trade package would be complete without the proverbial hit? There were several actually, but I've chosen to highlight an expected and a very unexpected one here. I was given a heads-up about this Joe Mather autograph. Give Topps a lot of credit with at least doing something right and putting out an on-card autograph with Stadium Club. They did a lot wrong with 2008 Stadium Club, however, as many collectors have realized.

And finally... wow! Here's a piece of history. Not everyone is into the stadium relic concept, most likely because they don't seem to feature a player or specific event, but I think this is a pretty cool snapshot of history nonetheless. That being said, someone could probably pry it off my hands given the right set of circumstances. (By the way, how do you return the favor to someone who seems to have all but completely rejected the notion of all things non-base card? Maybe I need to figure out how to print my own cards.)