I don't do a lot of TTM requests. I'd like to send out more, but considering how well I'm mailing cards to you folks, sending out autograph requests is farther down the list. Did receive an envelope yesterday with my hand writing on it and was at a loss of whom it was from.
If you look in the upper left of each card, there is a bend in there. Oh well - that happens with TTM requests. I forgot about this as I sent it to Lyons a good year ago. I mailed it to his office with NESN and plain forgot about it. But a great return, and so happy he put his nick name on a couple of the cards. Guess which binder the card on the left is going into.
The nice thing about constant streams of mailers is the sender really knowing what you like. I'm overdue sending a package to GCRL Jim, now blogging at cards as i see them, but Jim still dropped a recent mailer on me.
Bunting? He know me well. Winfield is from the 1985 Fleer/Leaf Minnesota All Star Game set. Winfield actually bunted once in his life?
Double plays? He know me well. With a couple Dodgers, I assume they are dupes Jim has received. Not dupes to me, though.
Throwbacks? He know me well. And what the hell, San Diego, BRING BACK THE BROWN ALREADY!
Buybacks? He know me well. Jim Essian buyback hot...er....mailing.
Assorted White Sox? He know me well. That super sweet red back Zarilla is going to go into my sampler binder. It was the last Topps card I needed. I'm three Bowman (1949, 1953 and 1954) and a bunch of OPC short of having one design from each year release of Topps, Bowman, OPC and Upper Deck. I need to work on Score, Donruss and Leaf. Some day.
I like me some cheap dollar store cards. Not just the blog, so to speak, though I love reading DJ's words. Actually hitting the dollar store and buying cards for a buck. Packs that looked like this were pretty common around my house for a few years.
But these 30 cards packs are becoming harder to find at the Dollar Tree. I'll dig when I can to find them, but they are being replaced with 20 card packs. Mostly, I find the mixed sports edition, and I'm not a fan of those. More than half the cards I don't collect. I lucked out with a recent find of the baseball edition, though I think the company wanted to have some fun with me.
Sure, there were recent cards, including Segura's war face. Or did he eat a lot of cheese recently?
A guy who never used steroids. Even though he did.
Bunch of players north of the border.
Including this Good player. Except he wasn't that good.
Some players in unfamiliar uniforms.
ZANE SMITH HOT PACK!
And then this appeared:
Ummm....
(BTW - it is impossible to find the original video to post. But you can view it here.)
So from the news today, we lost Ralph Branca today at the young age of 90. Ralph certainly did not have anything resembling a Hall of Fame career, only going 88-68 and appearing in 3 All Star games. But we all know how he is linked forever to Bobby Thomson. The good thing about the ordeal of being labeled the goat is how Ralph took it in stride and it didn't affect his life. You think about others that were on the losing end of bad plays and how they were forever branded with their mistake, like Mickey Owen, Fred Merkle, Bill Buckner, Donnie Moore and others. Many came to terms with their low point, while others did not.
Even after allegations that the Giants were stealing signs, Branca said "...even if Bobby knew what was coming, he had to hit it ... Knowing the pitch doesn't always help." For those unfamiliar, we call people who say things like that "pure class".
I picked this up last Feburary and have yet to show it off. Today seems like the right time. I am sure the smudge on the "c" in Branca turned a lot of people off from buying it, so I was able to get it for about $6.50 with shipping. But $4 of that was shipping. Ebay gougers. Hard, though, to pass on a nice one card autograph as this. I just need a Thomson to complete the grouping.
I'm chilling today. I spent Friday driving up to Ishpeming so I can get some snow tires on my daughter's car. It was snowy and icy and total crap up there. On Saturday, I spent 5 hours in the Walmart waiting for the tires to be mounted. Then spent the rest of the day driving back home. So I have done very little today. My son is in town for the week - we are going to do some framing in the basement as we convert half of it into a sort of apartment for when my daughter comes back. So we picked up some 2x4s and I spent time researching roughing in a bathroom. Though, I think I will go instead with a macerating toilet. Cuz nothing says fun like high speed blades chopping up solids.
You're gonna love my poop.
So let's clean out the scans folder with a little bit of thanks. First off, Judson from the great My Cardboard Habit.
A few highlights from the 22 cards Judson sent to help me complete the 2016 A&G set. Pert of my wants to put that Clemente in the bunting binder, but the more I look at the image, the pose is less in the bunt position and more how he has his hands positioned. So no binder for you, Roberto.
Most may snooze on a '72 Aparicio, but when I need it for the player collection, I jump for joy. Especially when a 40+ year old card looks pack fresh. Thanks for the mailer, Meeks.
Blackhawks means one thing: A mailer from north of the border. More goodies from DJ at Sportscards From The Dollar Store. Just a little reminder for those unaware: that "prospect" on the left? Yeah - only Dominik Hasek. After losing in the Cup finals to the Penguins in 1991, we decided to go with the goaltending tandem of Belfour and Waite, trading Hasek to Buffalo. No "Brock for Broglio" level of trade, but still pretty damn stupid.
That's some better reminders of the Hawks sweater. Hossa just scored his 500th goal, putting him in pretty elite company. I think you can pretty much say, right now, every player pictured in the scan gets into the Hockey HOF.
Always a few White Sox to be found in the Great White North. Love that throwback on Tim Anderson. And I am not sure what Albert is wearing on the base paths in the bottom card. Looks like some free apparel is just caught from a t-shirt cannon.
Erik Johnson autograph? Sure. We gave him up to get Shields. I am still not sure if that was a good trade. Maybe James can make a comeback next season.
I watch these every so often on ebay, so it's nice to finally own one. It's actually a manupatch done by Upper Deck. Kind of cheezy, like all manupatches are, but glad to own one just the same. Hoping TVR can come back from his recent injury. I think he is in a bit of the dog house with Coach Q, so he may not be long in the Indian sweater.
I really wish Rienzo panned out better. Not sure if he over used his arm, lost control or what, but from a highly touted rookie to out of the game in 3 years? Still, a nice on card auto numbered to 25 is a sweet addition to the binder. But that case - it just won't do.
That's better. Thanks Doug! Ok - better get that bathroom in.
I needed a night off from driving because too much of my house needs my attention. I needed to get the garbage out. I need to finish remodeling the upstairs bathroom. I need to start framing rooms in the basement. I need to get to the laundry. My lawn needs a mowing, the kitchen needs a sweeping and the bed sheets need changing. I need to mail out some packages. I need to get cards into the correct boxes and binders. I need to clear off this desk. I need to sort that shelf top. I need to organize that table. I need to put up a post. I need to say thanks, and I need to say that at least a dozen times, if not more.
And after this last Wednesday, I need a damn drink.
In two months, I'll have access to nuclear launch codes.
Also, may I remind you I live in Chicago, and I need the end of the 2017 baseball season to happen tomorrow. This is a looooooooooooooooooong winter for a Sox fan. P-Town Tom from the soon to be renamed blog Waiting 'til Next Year did some cleaning and dropped a lot of White Sox on me.
I need Score and Fleer.
I need Studio and Upper Deck. I also need Upper Deck to scan better. Or I need a new scanner.
I need 7-11 Slurpee motion cards. Actually, I need a Slurpee. Banana. Cuz banana Slurpee is the best tasting Slurpee and if you don't agree, I need you to go away.
I need Paulie and Crede cards, cuz the binders have open spots in the sleeves that need to be filled. Topps needs to rename what they called "Gold Label" this year, because I needed to watch some box breaks on YouTube and that crap they needed to call Gold Label was foil board garbage that needs to be lit afire.
I didn't know I needed these, though. But I need to show you a cool Tier 1 relic and a sweet old time swatch from Early Wynn. I need more relics from old timers. Thanks, Tom. I need to send you something in return.
Other things I need, in no particular order:
* A new job
* A million dollars
* A circular patio installed
* A bathroom roughed in downstairs
* Tile purchased and laid upstairs
* Did I mention a million dollars? Better make it two
* The media to shut the hell up about the Cubs
* A box of UD 2016-17 series 1 (waiting for Black Friday)
* Let's round it up to an even five million for safety sake
* WHERE IS MY DAMN BANANA SLURPEE?!
Besides the many reasons I could justify calling myself that, one of the biggest, in regard to this little stupid place of mine on the net, is my lack of giving proper thanks to the generosity of others. So if you all don't mind, let me blow through a few small mailings in one big chunk. Curiously, the mailing all fit into a niche where there were five amazing cards in each.
Brian at....well, I don't think Brian blogs. If you do,
Brian, let me know. But he started with a pre 'roid Sammy. Or maybe this is early 'roid, and all the drugs went to his hair. The Viciedo is a black foil. The Sox look good on those cards. Webb goes to the throwback binder and the Williams' Luis hits the Aparicio Binder. Thanks, Brian!
Tony Burbs helped me out with the last Bunt card I needed for the insert set of Unique Unis. It's 10 cards strong, but there is a couple non-throwbacks within the set, so I will just hide that cards behind another. Quite the range of cards, from a tame
Pacific to a shiny Sale. A couple Bunt cards. I have no idea who or what
White Sox are in the Bunt set. Shows how busy I have been. lastly, a
nice 2016 Archives of closer Robinson. Hope he stays around for next
season. Much appreciated, Tony.
Jeff Jones at Wish They Still Came With Bubblegum dropped this nice range of vintage and miscut vintage on me. I recently showcased a buyback of that very Foucault card. I'm becoming a super collector of him. Nice Mueller and Landis for the early ChiSox team sets. Yes - that is the 3rd Sale I have show in three images. I AM NOT STARTING A SALE PC! Thanks for the cards, Jeff.
Last, but no means least, is Kevin from across the pond at Card Papoy. Ya know - in the country that doesn't elect sexual predators to the highest office in the land.
Anyhow, from the land of wine, fashion, Bridette Bardot and Leslie Caron, we get some great cardboard. From an Upper Deck autograph card that Nick will not be getting to a bunt from Durham and 1993 closer Hernandez. And yes, you spy a Kip Wells auto and a Konerko relic. But the Konerko didn't stop there.
BAM!!!! Framed 2015 card numbered 13/20. I have never seen one of these online or at a show. It was way off my radar for a pickup, so I cannot thank you enough for this beauty.
