I guess you can kind of call this me jumping on another Blog Bat Around. Only in the sense that someone started it and I saw a couple other blogs that followed. If I am correct, Shane from Shoebox Legends did the first post of images that never made it onto the blog in 2019. And I at times have done that very thing - scanned something that fails to appear in a post. Difference is: I just delete the thing. I've long forgotten my intention for the image (more than likely a lame joke), so Shift+Delete and away it goes forever.
Destroyed by the Beast.
However, I do have scans that I haven't delete, for they are from packages received that never were shown here. I would like to claim they are all from sometime in 2019, but I am fairly certain there will unfortunately be cards from this series of posts that showed up in the offices of 2 by 3 Heroes in 2018. And that's wrong on a lot of levels. Punishments will be dealt out.
Let's get this over with, pig.
Let's get a few folders deleted for the right reasons. First up is John from Johnny's Trading Spot. According to the note I left, these cards are from a mailing he called Christmas in May. I do hope it was May 2019, but it may have been longer. Anyhow....
Some relevant at this time of year Star Wars cards. I only have been working on the ANH Topps sets. I might pick up the ESB and ROTJ sets in the future, but I'll just buy those complete sets. And even that is a maybe. I like the ANH sets cuz I have fond memories of the wax packs. I think I opened just a couple packs of ESB and zero ROTJ.
Handful of Sox in his mailing. Not sure what is up with that Select checklist logo. It looks weird.
But the bulk was bunting. Usually I will make note of how many of a particular binder card I receive, but I failed on this one. I have these three scanned...
And these, but I am certain there were more than 6 John sent. How about the rare bunt/throwback of Jose Cruz Jr on the left? Sheer beauty. Thanks John for that cards. Sorry it took me this long to thank you in public.
One other mailing, so I don't drag this post out too long, came from Night Owl. According to Windows, I created this folder on Jan 13, 2019. I really do suck.
I'm starting to think you do this cuz you like the punishment.
Nope. Not PC'ing Moncada. But a great handful of cards for the Sox box. The single color blue Fire does not look as good as it's base counterpart at the lower right.
Shocking to see the N.O. actually sending OUT a '75 homage card. Did any other company go as hog wild for holograms in the 90's?
YUM!!!!! Houston needs to bring back those unis as throwbacks. And a close look at Foli - those are the wool flannel version, which in my opinion are FAR nicer than the double knit polyester they switched to on '73. Thanks Greg.
So that makes two folders of scans I can delete and..... 6 remaining, plus like 5 stacks on the desk I need to scan. So that's makes:
pȯr-gə-nə-ˈzā-shən [noun] : the act or process of insufficient organizing
It's a mess here. Sure, it could be worse, but I have stacks of sorting that needs to be done, piles to be mailed and boxes/envelopes to be sorted and scanned. And let's not even mention the box of cards for cataloging in whatever will replace Zistle for me.
Ok, so blue are throwbacks. We'll make yellow bunting cards, the pink...
When I get in mailers, I try to either throw a note in the bag so I remember who sent them, or take the return label off the mailer and stuff it in the bag. Well, here's a couple mailings to show off. Or maybe it's one? I am not too sure, and that's my fault. I either failed to note of the groups, or I fail to remember what was sent to me. Here's let me just start posting with a single image.
Small sampling of the bags of Star Wars cards I received from Pat over at Hot Corner Cards (dude - get posting!). Top left is from The Force Awakens set while the top right is Galactic Files. No idea what the sticker at the bottom is from.
Now, here's my confusion. There are three other bags of cards. These three have blue painters tape sealing them, while the three SW cards just had Scotch tape. So they don't match. But I though Pat sent me a bunch of White Sox cards too, and since these three bags have no label/address within, I am not sure if they are from Pat or another. Maybe someone will recognize them. Otherwise, more credit for Weber.
Some failed ChiSox prospects within. And a failed Dodger prospect who became a HUGE star with a certain club wearing pale hose.
Healthy group of double plays. Love the Bell at the bottom. Great shot on a pathetic design.
Jermaine Allensworth. Barley fits on the card. And look - Brett Butler in a very odd pose. Bunting??? NEVER!
Now, all those may not spark someone, but if you sent in these miscuts, I am certain you would remember.
I do love me the parallelogram miscuts. And no, Jeroen, you cannot have that Blyleven.
So a big thanks to Pat. Or could it be slightly smaller because the other cards were from another. Either/or, I screwed up, so I'm sorry. Thanks a bunch no matter what, but sorry.
As is fairly evident, my postings have been few, far between and really, not that great. I have post series that have been ignored (Throwback Thursday, Hidden Gems, etc...), post thoughts that currently resides in a text document in a document folder, as well as stacks of cards that need to be scanned, thanked and organized. I work in my card room/office daily, so I see stacks upon stacks of card, mostly meant to be outbound, and a simple question comes to mind
What happened?
It's actually a fairly difficult question to break down into a concise and coherent answer, but let's have at it. For starters, I'm active in my attempts to bring income into the household. From the regular job, Uber, LetGo/OfferUp, eBay (soon, but nothing of my collection) - goal #1 is always finances. And quite frankly, I frigging hate it. I hate how survival is based on these green pieces of paper. The analogy of finding a deer so the family can eat becomes short lived when half the deer meat is spoiled. It zaps your motivation. Your pleasure. Your sense of accomplishment. Your self worth. Since failure is not an option though (thanks Gene Kranz), I plug away.
Ceri is......well, Ceri. Doctor after doctor, medication after medication, diagnosis after diagnosis - we still don't have a firm answer. Mayo said fibromyalgia, which is just a BS response when they have no answers. It's not fibromyalgia. This whole household knows it's not that, but we'll play the game for now. I know her anxiety complicates the issue, but there is truly something that starts the pain. We are working to better treat her fears and other mental needs in the hope that until we get a good solution, her life is manageable.
My regular job is unfulfilling, which I am sure the rest of you feel about your careers. Some days we are overworked, with the same mind numbing calls each day that cause you, at least myself, to question why am I in the job, or even this field. Pile a heaping dollop of micromanagement into the mix and the day ends with the mind taxed to the limit and needing inane activity to wind down for the day. Thank you Destiny 2. (side note: if anyone plays that and wants to hang out, shoot me a message with your tag. PS4 only).
And there in lies the rub. I like to blog. As I have said in the past, I write for me more than for you. It keeps my mind sharp and my sarcasm sharper. But when you are worn down, it's hard to work out what you want to say and construct it into something somewhat interesting to read. Greg - have no idea how you write a newspaper article daily. Thank goodness that is not my career. I put a lot of energy into my posts. I like working them out, constructing the sentences and the flow of the post and then releasing it to the world. I hate "dialing it in". I have done a few like that, and, back up to the self worth statement, I don't want to hit my psyche doing something half ass. I take pride in all I do, with 101% effort being the goal at all times. And I'm my harshest critic. It's important I strive for the best I can do.
There's a little of the personal life. I tend to be fairly private, so if any of you use it against me I will destroy you. For a more focused update on the blog and other card related things, I am hoping to get rid of the last of the Tis The Seasons mailing by the end of July. I will put a focused effort on those, as there is really not much card wise to buy, and I don't have the cash for what I want anyhow. Plus I have a fair amount of "owes" mailings along with "here, you should have these" mailings to get packaged and sent out. Soon. As I mentioned, organization is dreadful right now, though I think it's really bad because of the backlog of of incoming mailings. Maybe I need to just cut myself a break of being perfect when I post.
HAHAHAHA......"perfect".
Oh, and before I get to some scan folder cleaning, I have a goal for myself. Not a promise to any of you, cuz I suck at them, but a goal: post 7 days in a row. I have done this before, and I can do it again. The hope if if I take the time to focus on content, I get break out of the funk, get the mind working as it should and show some appreciation for the generosity I have received. I can get Throwback Thursday back on track, which is a no brainer post. And knock out a Hidden Gem, which requires some effort to pair up the card with the song, and be somewhat entertaining in the process. Goals....
How about three quick thanks over 6 images?
Jeff Pederson (non blogger) snagged up the bags of 2016 Topps in TTS (they are mailing soon, Jeff). He dropped a well stuffed PWE back in thanks )not needed, but appreciated). I love the blue border Bazooka. In fact, that whole set was fun. Hey Topps - maybe Bazooka as a replacement for Opening Day?
Jeff really dropped the colors on me. Always felt that blue sparkle redemption card from Update was the best looking sparkly thing Topps released. It's a good color choice. Much better than the green or that red abomination.
John from Johnny's Trading Spot dropped a healthy lot of bunting cards. I think I have a 2nd mailer here from him I need to organize, but let's enjoy this stack showing the art of the lay down. Some better than others.
I said it was a fat lot of bunts. And a single double play card. I have no idea who that player was on the south side.
Brian Simpson (do you blog?) also grabbed a stack in TTS and felt the need to mail something back. That's not how this works!!!! But thanks. Some rookie ChiSox hit the headquarters. May is back in the minors. Anderson is doing fairly well in the show, but needs to stop striking out so much. Puckett is on the 7 day DL (since April), so I have no idea what the Sox plan are with him.
A newer minor leaguer with Basabe, who is still in the minor getting his skills up. Such the difference in years when you see what was released as a minor league card 20+ years ago. Fernandez had an ok career, but I think more was expected from him. Missed a no hitter by two outs. Merullo had an uneventful 6 years in the pros.
There we have it. Day 1 of 7 posts (or more hopefully). So.......
As I was about to put together another amazingly witty and humorous post....
......Well, it's got a lot of laughs and smart thoughts....
....Which, by that, means that people could get a chuckle or two while reading, or gain insight into new....
.....it is my first post in nine days.
Thanks for the support, Michelle. Anyway, as I was saying, I was going to write up one post, until I took a look in a folder and realized I had a tons of scans within that are a few months old, and I venture to say the actual mailer was from sometime in 2017. Let's do a little cleaning, and a lot of thanking, to the sender - Matt from Once A Cub. I am long overdue with a return package (where have we heard that before), and Matt really dropped a hell of a bomb on me with this mailer.
Image heavy post for you dial up users. Also, how about an A/S/L for you dial up users as well.
See that really, REALLY pathetic box on the left side of my baker's dozen commons? The one that has a crapload of empty space? These eight cards made all the white space. I'll need to get eight more into the list. It's not like I don't have filler for the wants. That Garcia at the top is the unique combo of a throwback and a bunt. Considering it was the longest on the list, I put it in both collections on Zistle (RIP). Who knows if a 2nd will come into my possession.
Double Plays. Vizcaino is from Spring Training I am sure. I think the Miller is too, though that could be old Shea in the background. Never been to the park.
Throwbacks as well. I still need to finish the Franchise Flashback set from 2015 Opening Day. I hope the Dodgers bring back the proper powder blues in the future.
Yummy, yummy bunting. If you look close, that Garvey is nowhere near a bunt. However, Matt dropped a note on that card stating "terrible bunting form". I agree. And humor gets it a pocket in the binder.
Sox box!!!! I'll take any Sale rookies out there. You have your standard Pacific scan, which means you cannot see anything on the card in the Magglio. Nice TRU purple (RIP) ʞıupǝspod ʇʇoɔs :ɐ
These were new additions to their respective player collections. Crede pre high cuffs.
Matt also sent a ton of cards as possible inclusions to the Hidden Gems binder. So let's see who made the cut in each image I scanned.
Bolton: nice image of a ferris wheel in the back ground, but no
Alou: Interesting position, but didn't make the cut. But I may have to revist that decision
Altuve: Nah - bad cropping
Fernandex: ditto
Rodriguez: Also bad cropping, but almost was forgiven
Wolf: Currently no, but another I may revisit
Reddick: Nah. Better for a Stadium Club release.
Ramirez: Maybe for the bad shop job, but no.
Ladd: Currently no, but most likely the first of the revisits to make it. Great afro
Gibson: In. No brainer
Cole: Tempting, but passed. Composition is all off
Buhner: YES! Wait - no. Rules are it has to be on the front of the card. Damn rules....
Guiterrez: Perfect framing - it's makes the cut.
Brett: Are you even asking? How amazing is that photo????? No brainer - in.
Logan: TOTALLY IN!!!! I need to get that card TTM'd.
Cabrera: Currently on the fence. You would think it would be an easy in, but I wish it was not so zoomed in. More green would have made this card.
Blanco: This. This is what I mean about too zoomed in. Plenty of tan to encompass the subjects. It's in.
And a few last randoms words:
Score Gold Rush scans like total shit.
Bunting looks great, no matter how busy the design is.
Matt buried me in Panini Diamond Kings from the White Sox. I'll find a place for the dupes.
BOOM! Hits. The red GQ relics were numbered to 50 if I recall. Trey is currently in AA with the Birmingham Barons. Garcia is a sparkle variation. It's on the bat barrel under hit arm pit. And Buehrle is just an awesome relic of an awesome pitcher.
So a very belated thanks, Matt. You done my collection and my scanner well. No side eye from me.
I while back, I mentioned how I have a stack of incoming packages at the edge of my desk that needs attention. Less because of the sorting and far more because I need to say thanks. Failure to post and give props to those that took the time to send me awesome rectangles sure gives the impressions I am an ungrateful bastard.
100% more baseball cards. 100% less Nazis.
Let's have at it. Starting with an oldie but a goodie. Many, MANY moons ago Dennis at Too Many Verlanders had a giveaway of stuff he just didn't want. I jumped at a single item, but Dennis being Dennis (ie too cool) included a couple packs of UD Heroes. Highlights?
But the one item I asked for was an old Starting Lineup figure.
That little beauty sits on a brick from Old Comiskey in my room. Pepper passed away a few years back, so TTMing that card is unfortunately not an option, but she has autos on eBay if I so desired.
Peter from Baseball Every Night dropped a PWE on me a couple months (or more) back.
Remember when Bowman came back with the oversized cards? Yeah - that was a mistake. Peter also dropped some current year cards on me. I was toying with a Moncada PC, but 5 seconds later I came to my senses and decided against it. Thanks Peter.
Trevor from Bump and Run selected a stack in the TTS giveaway (it is boxed up with 3 others and should go out this week). But in the kindness of Trevor, he sent over cards feeling like he needed to return the favor. They were NOT needed, but certainly not refused, either.
90's inserts - amirite?
Some binder and set needs. I will complete that 2008 UD set someday. Not a lot of those in dime boxes, unfortunately. Always nice to see the Padres brown uniforms on cards. Someday, San Diego...
And a few current Sox, and that sweet, strangely thick Rowand gray swatch for the PC. Thanks Trevor.
Last, but not least, is Gavin from Baseball Card Breakdown. Curiously, his note in the package didn't comment about my manliness or other power I possess. Just a simple "here". So what does here include?
Atomic refractors and a blue Fulmer. Yes, I now collect Joey Bats. If you have dupes, I want them. I'll explain later.
I lot of shiny. I put all these together cuz I wanted to see how shitty the scan would look. Except for the refractors, I was not disappointed.
VINTAGE! That '63 was a card that was not on my list, which means I will have to shuffle a ton of cards in the vintage team set binders. I have built in extra card spaces in the pages, so hopefully it will not be a lot of "shift one to the right" moves.
A couple for the Crede binder, and a sweet (not sick) Petrick patch. This is the 4th relic of Ben's in my collection. And as beautiful as a relic is, the best you can get from a Gavin mailing is his customs.
Boom. The back of the Pierce makes it look like a picture frame you would hang on the wall or set on a mantle. And the Ozzie....well, that speaks for itself. Another fine custom from the episode Homer At the Bat. Thanks Gavin.
Again - a hearty gratitude to all you for the great cardboard. Just a few thousand stacks or less to go.
