Completion

A Most Wanted card arrives to complete a set, and more!

This poorly scanned Yogi Berra card that you see above was the final card I needed to complete the 2010 Topps Turkey Red inserts set, and I'm feeling very accomplished as a result. This is just a 150 card set, but it spans three separate releases and the only way to acquire them was in 2010 Topps flagship packs. I still have a lot of work to do on the 2009 set, but this is one I can finally put in the books. Big thanks to fellow Cardinal fan Cory of Hitting Random for making this happen.

Cory also sent a bunch of needs from my mammoth 2015 Topps Heritage want list. I'm getting there... slowly. I picked this card of new Cardinal (weird...) Mike Leake, the guy that "accidentally" thieved a bunch of shirts early in his MLB career. I guess I should stop mentioning that now that he's playing for the good guys. Here's hoping for his future success, at least as long as he's wearing the Birds on the Bat.

Cory also sent a bunch of (ex) Blazers my way. Will "The Thrill" (aka The People's Champ) Barton has been a huge factor off the bench with the Nuggets since he was traded a year ago. He was a Slam Dunk Contest participant this season.

Next up, here's a misspelled Jarrett Jack rookie card. Many thought the Blazers season would rival Jack's rookie season in terms of success (or lack thereof). The Blazers went 21-61 that season, and their new head coach (Nate McMillan) was on the cover of nearly all of their promotional material... never a good sign. This year's Terry Stotts-led squad eclipsed the 30-win mark tonight.

Nolan Smith is back at Duke as some sort of assistant coach now.

I feel like I don't have enough Scottie Pippen (as a Blazer) cards. He was never my favorite player, but I miss those teams that he played for.

Sheeeeeeeed!

Feel The Pain

It was a rough night, with one of my favorite NBA players going down with a serious injury. Let's look at cards to try and cope.

This has nothing to do with this post, really, but Wesley Matthews tore his Achilles on national TV tonight during the second half of TNT's famed doubleheader. It sucks. I just bought the guy's jersey (doubling my sports jersey collection) so I am taking full responsibility. This made it really hard to enjoy the decisive Blazers win over Dallas.

Anyway, this is neither here nor there, but I thought I'd take a look at some cards I got awhile back from RAZ. He's a participant in my free-ish Basketball Card Club (still plenty of teams left!) and also claimed a spot in last December's group break.

In addition to taking down cards from my Top 10 Most Wanted (I still see you, Bowman Jaime Moyer), RAZ also sent along a pile of Clydes for my troubles. I should probably stick to retired players when choosing jerseys to buy. Incidentally, my only other jersey is an '80s Ozzie Smith batting practice jersey.

I really love these customs. 2008 Ginter is the best Ginter.

RAZ also sent a big pile of 2010 Turkey Red inserts. At one point the Strasburg was a tough card to come by as it came during his MLB-sanctioned RC year. I'm down to needing just 4 of these inserts from the 150 card set, although I still have a ton of work to do on the 2009 set.

Speaking of that batting practice jersey...

Trolling for Sports Cards

Everyone's favorite Troll, a frequent trading partner over the course of this blog's existence, was kind enough to supply me with some more wares to get me through a long winter. Most of the cards were from set-building want lists, but there were some really nice Cardinals nuggets in the pile as well that I will get to shortly.

I'm down to missing just 4 (!) of the cards from the 2008 Allen & Ginter main set. This is the closest I've come to completing any of the big and somewhat (for me) expensive sets that I set out to do as a side project of this blog. Of course, my main focus has always been to turn my unwanted non-Cardinals (and Cardinals dupes) into useful cards, but some of these sets proved to just be a little too tempting.

Yes, I'm still collecting these. I would really like to work on the 2005 and 2006 Turkey Red sets, but they are still pretty cost-prohibitive from what I hear. In the meantime, I still need some more of the Turkey Red inserts from the 2009 and 2010 products.

I'M A BIG MAN AND I NEED A BIIIIIIIIG SANDWICH! And monies. Lots and lots of sweet, sweet monies.

New managerial candidate Terry Francona may not have the connections to the Cardinals organization that some of the other interviewees have, but his father did spend a couple of seasons in the Birds on the Bat.

First Jon Jay relic! Awesome. Jon Jay may not be the "star outfielder" that the back of this card proclaims, but he's a pretty capable center fielder and may yet have room to grow. He led the team in games played and style points.

But the Jon Jay card can't top this... a Bob Gibson / Jake Peavy dual relic. Of course, I wish this had Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright as the 2000s representative, but I'm in no position to be choosy.

Thanks again to the Troll!

Crinkly Bubble Mailers

I always feel bad when I'm really behind on trade posts because I always know I'll find one or two packages that I haven't reciprocated for. Such is the case, I believe, for this particular package of want list fodder from Crinkly Wrappers.

Minis were on the menu, specifically those of the 2010 Allen & Ginter variety. Protarchaeopteryx must be the Marc Rzepczynski of Mesozoic era.

Who would win in a... oh, forget it... clearly, the Komodo dragon because it's a DRAGON. I don't care if it can't breathe fire (or can it...?)

This is the second straight post where I've been able to feature 2010 Turkey Red. I love Turkey Red. I need to buy some more. I wonder how much I'd have to shell out for a box of 2005 or 2006 Turkey Red. Heck, I'd even take a blaster or a few packs.

You know the deal here. Crummy set, but fun little insert. I only wish these were on a Heritage quality card stock.

Ahh... I don't see the connection at all. Prince isn't even a switch hitter! Flipping over the card, it's revealed that both players led the majors in walks in the previous seasons (1962 & 2010.)

Thanks again to Crinkly Wrappers. I'll have to get some Blue Jays headed back in your direction soon.

No Time, No Posts

I have too many irons in the fire right now. Here's a break from my weekly musings on college football and baseball photo fabrication with an actual, factual trade post. Remember those? Man, they were swell! Awhile back, Tenets of Wilson sent me a brick of cards that I needed from the 2010 Turkey Red inserts and 2011 Topps Heritage. Matt is a fellow Cards fan, so it's always fun trading with him. Contrary to what might seem to be logical, I don't think I could ever have trouble trading with another Cardinals collector because I have more of their doubles than quite a few teams combined.

Can the Brewers make it to the World Series this year for the first time since Yount roamed the infield and won the AL MVP back in 1982? I'm not a believer. Not only do they seem to be a victim of peaking at the wrong time, but any team with Yuniesky Betancourt (the last 't' is actually silent, I recently learned) getting regular at-bats is probably not going to be a champion. Greinke is a great pitcher, but you have to wonder about his ability to step up in a playoff game. Fielder and Braun are great, but is there anyone else you can count on? Is Rickie Weeks... ugh, nevermind, I'm sick of talking about the Brewers already.

In other news, here's Christy Mathewson, showing off his grip.

Floating heads! It's amazing to see that the Cardinals had two of the lowest earned run allowers in baseball last year but couldn't sniff the postseason. This season won't produce any Cardinals ERA champs, but the glimmer of hope of sneaking into the playoffs is still there... sort of. Not really.

Granderson has had an amazing year. Did anyone see this coming?

I should really purchase that 2011 Heritage binder one of these days... and one for Allen & Ginter while I'm at it.

Thanks, Topps, For Making Things Even Worse

Okay, Topps, how am I going to clear up this misconception when you make things like this George Sisler National Chicle card? As you probably know, Hall of Famer George Sisler was never a Cardinal, but he played for an MLB team in St. Louis known as the St. Louis Browns. To confuse even more, the Cardinals were actually the Browns at one point - briefly - but the Browns were never the Cardinals. At least, not George's Browns. Not the Browns that he played for that roamed the ball fields of the American League. I've received quite a few Sisler cards over the past couple of years. I can't complain about getting Hall of Fame type cards, but I don't collect Sisler or Browns cards unless they are somehow connected to the Cardinals franchise. The Cardinals began their life as the Perfectos before spending the greater portion of the 1890s as the Brown Stockings (Browns for short.) Most of the cards and photos you see, however, are for players that played for the A.L. franchise that was founded in 1894 was... wait for it... the Milwaukee Brewers! They were the Browns for 52 years beginning in 1902 before becoming the Baltimore Orioles that you know and love, but mostly just know, today.

All of this leads me to a nice little package from The Card Chop. Topps got a little silly with the National Chicle set that they put out this year (remember, there were Chipper Babe Ruth Atlanta Braves cards, after all) and after I purchased the basic team set at a card show I ended up with an unnecessary Sisler card. I even see Sisler misrepresented as a Cardinal in databases and even on Beckett's website, so this was no great surprise. The card I received in this trade was a big surprise, however. Apparently it's a short print and, despite all my outrage, I am reluctantly glad to own it... if that makes any sense.

Here's a card with a bit less controversy and even more awesome. This is one of those funky cereal box refractors which are normally limited to "legend" type players. Pujols is a living legend, though, so he gets one.

I really like the black minis from Allen & Ginter. This Colby Rasmus mini is better in person than it looks here, not helped by the fact that my scanner cut off one of the borders.

I received a nice little stack of 2010 Turkey Red inserts. I'm slowly whittling down the list as the release date for Topps Update draws nearer.

And here we come to this trade's instigating card: the very final Topps 2020 insert that I needed. Yes, let it be known that on this day in October (okay, fine, I actually received this box last month) I have now completed something... yes, something... for the first time. I have removed this small set forever more from my want lists.

Finally, here's a Colby Rasmus Topps rookie card with the "classic" MLB Rookie Card logo (2006-2009.) I did a double-take, however, because this is no ordinary 2009 Topps card.

It's actually a JC Penney exclusive factory set insert! Nice! I didn't even know JC Penney was still in business, let alone putting out baseball card exclusives. Way to go, department store chain!

Thanks again to The Card Chop. I need to get your package in the mail posthaste.

"O" No!!! A Bunch of Cards I Needed

No!!! I made a terribly tragic trade with Ryan of "O" No!!! Another Orioles Blog a couple of weeks ago and here are the shocking results!

I sent off a bunch of wayward Orioles cards and in return I got a bunch of these ridiculous looking Sportflics ripoffs! Not only that, but all of them have creases in them! No!!! If I get 7 more of these, I will end up having the entire set!!!

No!!! This is just cruel! It's Ryan Ludwick, formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals. My interest in somewhat re-piqued in the Padres right now as they are the recipients of Ludwick's baseball services, but I also can now safely identify them as a threat to the Cardinals once the stretch run and the ensuing postseason occurs.

What is this?! Buster... Posey? He must be terrible. He sounds terrible! Dick Perez would be ashamed. I bet he is the new Chris Brown! (No, not the rapper singer.) If I get another couple dozen of these Turkey Red cards I might have them all, too!

Da Vinci? No!!! I went to his exhibit at the local science museum last year with my girlfriend, and, man... I know quite a few people who could design better contraptions than him. What's Italian for O-ver-ra-ted?

Brad Penny! A Cardinal!! No!!! What happened to his arm?! Curse you, Topps, for ruining Penny's season by correctly predicting that his arm would fall off... or something would detach from his person. Jerks!!! I ended up with like 80 of these Allen & Ginter cards. I'm running out of space in here! Why do people keep sending me these cards? No!!!

Fredbird and Other Mailbox Stuff

I recently received a package two packages from reader Patrick in MI, in a fun Tigers-for-2010 Topps needs and assorted Cardinals swap. I still have my second package to send out (tomorrow, I swear!) full of more Tigers cards, but in the meantime here's a look at some more stuff I've received lately from the great state of Michigan.

By the way, does anyone think it was really necessary to put "MASCOT" below the Cardinals logo on this Fredbird Opening Day card? Is anyone going to mistake Fredbird for a shortstop?

This is a pretty sweet (yes, I said "sweet") Ryan Ludwick parallel from series 2, which includes a nice plug for MLB 2K9. 2K9 was the last of the series that I bought for my PS2. I refuse to shell out the money to buy a new system, though I also recently purchased a DS and bought the 2K10 game for it just for fun.

Has anyone ever wondered what Ozzie Smith would have been like if he was in his prime in 1969? Me neither. This insert set is definitely a notch in the "miss" column among the hit-or-miss concepts that Topps has run with this year.

I don't mind these so much, as long as there's a clear theme. At least Lou Brock and Carl Crawford are heading in the same direction, presumably off to steal a base.

Patrick sent over Turkey Red cards in both packages. I'm doing much better than I was doing with last year's stuff at this point in the year, but I'm still a long ways away. If anyone has any extra Turkey Red stuff laying around, please check out my want lists.

I also have made solid progress with the new 2020 insert set. There's one really strange thing I've found with these cards, however. Every single card I've seen so far has been damaged. Haven't noticed it yet? Check out the back of the card under some direct light. There's a crease or sometimes multiple creases on the back of every card. I believe it must have to do with how flexible the cards are and the way they come off of the production line or something like that. Either that, or pack searchers bend packs way too much and every card that has been traded to me has been affected by those jerks. Either way, it's pretty weird. I wonder if there will be a market for graded versions of these cards.

Caught Up!

For the first time since I started trading cards through this blog, or at least since sometime in 2008, I am finally completely caught up with trade posts. I still have several things in the works and I probably owe something to someone, but for now I have no stacks of cards anywhere in my dwelling that I need to write something on the internet about. This latest package came from Play at the Plate. We've traded quite a few times and I usually just send whatever Rangers/Will Clark stuff has accumulated in my collection recently. This time, some Cy Young Topps Cereal Box inserts were claimed.

Woody! Shiny Woody! Honestly, I'd be excited about any Cardinals refractor card. A refractor Aaron Miles? That would be pretty awesome. I'd even take a Dave Duncan refractor, if such a thing existed. I'm not sure if they make cards of pitching coaches, however.

We interrupt this post to tell you about how terrible the All-Star/Home Run Derby jersey that Big Mac is wearing is. It's terrible. It is.

I didn't know Stan the Man could hoop it up like that!

This is... seriously... a prepaid phone card made by a baseball card manufacturer. Do you remember phone cards? I don't really, either. It's funny that the concept of unmeasured out-of-area calling was such a pricey thing at one point. This is definitely a monumental addition to my Ozzie collection.

I still have a soft spot for Rick Ankiel As A Pitcher cards, even though he's moved on from St. Louis and his career as an outfielder is not in great shape.

I also received a healthy amount of 2010 Turkey Red inserts. I was feeling pretty good about the progress I was making until Series 2 came out.

Finally, I unexpectedly found a Fernando Tatis jersey card from 2001 SP something-er-other. This is now one of my oldest relic cards and definitely my first from this era.

Thanks again to Play at the Plate!