So who has 2013 want lists? And before I get too far - don't even start with me, Posh. I am NOT in the mood! Me saying "want" does not give you the right to invade my blogging, ok? At least be a real musician that shows up when I go on about me and wants.
'Scuse me - You want me what?
Really Rob? Really?
But anyway - back to 2013 needs. Do you have any? I am done buying series one. I have ten cards I need to finish the base set and a bunch of doubles I would like to get to you that need them. Contact me (2x3heroesATgmailDOTcom) with any cards from Topps 2013 you need and I'll let you know if I can fill the request. Heck - you don't even have to send me anything back if you don't want. I just don't want to be overloaded like I was with 2012.
I have posted in the past about retail packs containing some darn good pulls. And between the two big stores, I am hitting more in Walmart than Target. Case in point: had to get a couple things at Walmart and even though I am just a few cards short of series 1, I picked up a single pack to rip. Not only was the pack kind enough to give me two cards I needed on my want list, I also found this baby:
Not a White Sox, but a camo numbered 98/99. The scan makes the name FAR easier to read than in person. Camo + foil = bad. Check off another insert from the list. Just need to pull a pink border, cuz I highly doubt I'll snag a platinum.
One of the things I have loved by joining the blogging community is the trading aspect. Being able to flip the cards that don't thrill me into cards that do drives me to continually read all the blogs I see and email many of you writers to propose a trade.
And as great relationships are built, you suddenly get cards out of the blue. Someone just decides they have cards you will enjoy and they arrive in your mailbox. This is something I am really enjoying in this community.
One such package arrived from Brian at the awesome Play at the Plate. I don't know if we have every really traded. I knew something was on the way when Brian emailed me asking for an address. I have been putting some POTP cards aside to inquire about a trade with Brian - now I can just mail them to him in response to the envelope I received. Brian sent a nice group of 2013 White Sox.
INSERTS! Look at all the pretty colors. Brian dropped a load of '13 insert cards - a couple of Konerko minis and a dang near complete Walmart blue set. Thanks, Brian. It fills me with such love.
Ain't all you're filled with.
Three of the cards, though, jumped at me. It's these three I want to devote part two of this post, and part two of stuff I like: tracking the card. First, here are the three in question:
What I want to focus on the right sleeve of each player. Notice nothing on Thornton's, one diamond on Danks' and two diamonds on Beckham's. For those that were not aware, the diamonds were honoring Moose Skowron and Kevin Hickey's passing during the 2012 season. We lost Moose April 26th and Hickey on May 16th.
So - can we tell when these three photos were taken based on the patches? One thing: we are going to have to assume that Thorton's picture is from 2012. The White Sox started the season without a patch on the sleeve. Technically, it could be a photo from an earlier season; let's hope it isn't.
Ok, let's start with the easiest one. In Beckham's card, we can see the other team the Sox are facing. It's the Yankees. We know the Sox are on the road. The only time the Sox were in the Bronx was 6/28 to 7/1. We also can see on the card that Gordon is turning a double play. Just one problem - the Sox turned only 3 DPs that series, and the only one Gordon was involved in was on June 30th. The runner forced at 2nd was Curtis Granderson. That is not Granderson's arm on the card. So this photo is an attempt to turn a double play, but the runner beat the throw at first. In the four games, the only force out at 2nd with Beckham receiving the ball, and failing to complete the double play, happened on June 28th. The runner coming from first was Chris Stewart, uniform number 19. That first number on the back of the uniform is a 1. One card down.
Moving left, we have John Danks with just the single diamond patch for Moose. We know that by the time the Sox came back from a road trip on the 22nd of May, both patches were on the uniform. The Moose patch first appeared on a home uniform May 11th. The Sox played a short 5 game home stand prior to May 22nd, with Danks having just one start - May 14th. In that game, Danks was pulled in the top of the 4th, so this photo was taken during one of the 22 batters he faced. Card two down.
Lastly, we have Matt Thornton. Matt is a reliever, so this is NOT going to be easy. Prior to the May 11th game, Thornton appeared in 5 home games. Can we get enough information from the card and other locations to identify the exact game?
April 29th was a Sunday game. The Sox wore red throwbacks for 2012 Sunday games. Eliminated.
April 13th and 14th were day games. The shadows are not from the sun but light banks. Eliminated.
That leaves either April 16th or May 2nd. The Sox wore their white pinstripes during both night games. Do we take a guess? Or do we keep digging?
Let's look at the box scores. On the 16th, Matt pitched a 1-2-3 7th inning against the Orioles. On the 2nd, Thornton comes in and gives up a 2 run shot to Travis Hafner. At mlb.com, they are kind enough to give us a video of Hafner's blast. And from that video, we grab this screen shot:
Thornton's beard is far heavier and longer than his beard on the card, so we know that we can eliminate May 2nd and be certain the photo on Thornton's card is from April 16th.
I knew reading all those Encyclopedia Brown books when I was younger would come in handy.
Back again for another repack war. This time, we have not one but two 10 pack boxes from Target. So another 20 packs to rip and rate. These Target repacks have not as kind compared to the ones from Walmart. But enough moaning - let's post some scans. You know the rules of the game....
Let's get the crap out of the way first. You know my hatred of '09 OPC. A stadium card redeems itself slightly. However, does the outside of Oakland's field really look that....minor league-ish?
2011 Topps update. Has an Altuve rookie, but the framing on this gold of Vogelsong is top notch.
Two packs of '88 Score were in this box. I posted this first pack over at APTBNL, so you can see what cads I passed when I gave the nod to this Presley. Nice timing by the photographer.
I ripped on Ryno in the first pack over at APTBNL, but pack two goes to a Cub. How wonderfully dirty is that uniform? I bet Moreland made a dive over at third on a grounder. And considering his career stats, missed.
Lot of doubling in the box with two packs of 2012 Opening Day. Pack one has this well framed Chacin winning over a DP card and a Dickey insert. Stop the snickering, boys.....
The other pack of '12 Opening Day. Throwback trumps.
You are seeing that right - 1991 Fleer Ultra. Decent names with Raines, Vince Coleman, Kevin Brown and Frank Tanana, but I like this action shot of Olin coming sidearm to the plate.
Sticking with great delivery shots, this comes from a rack pack of '09 UD series 2. If you look close, behind the logo, you can see just how near Bradford's hand is to the mound. That's a submarine.
Another series 2 pack, from 2006 Topps. And this was a rack pack that contained 3 vintage cards. Don't get all excited - 92 Gerald Perry, 90 traded Candy Maldonado and 89 Von Hayes. Maldonado would have won purely on name, but I can't pass a Kinsler rookie card.
Final pack of box one is 2009 Goodwin. This was a hard pack to pick, with a Toews, a Gretzky, a Fisk and a card of President Lyndon Johnson. But how many cards have marathoners on them? Mr. Rodgers, welcome to my blog.
Box #2 had a rack pack of Lineage, so let's start there with this nice action shot of Joe Morgan. From his positioning, I am guessing he is receiving a throw from the plate.
This box doubled up as well, first with two packs of 2011 Chrome. First pack was a meh, so we'll give the win to future triple crown winner Miggy.
Pack two had equal excitement, so refractor Shields is the winner.
Now we get two packs of Opening Day, but from different years at least. The 2011 pack had this beaut of a double play card. Easy to pick this over a Spot the Error card, eh GCRL?
In the 2012 pack we get this great insert card. The foil makes it tough to read, so let me tell you so you can guess why this card wins out over the others: Barehand the Squibber.
Oh the jokes....
2008 UD First Edition update. A lot to say about a card that scanned like crap for some reason. It's not even glossy. Anyway, nice high cuffs and a vest uniform. Sweet.
2011 Topps series 2. It's Chris Sale - don't question my decisions!
Another pack of Fleer Ultra - just 16 years newer than the pack in box #1. There was a Pujols Feel the Game insert, but the Big Hurt about to live up to his name on a poor defenseless baseball is better.
The final dual part of this post is two packs of 1989 Donruss. I struggled to not chose the checklist or the Warren Spahn puzzle piece as the best of this pack. Ultimately, I went with reliever and possible soul stealer Larry McWilliams, if not for the fact that his stare scared me into picking it, but also because of the sweater poking out from the top of his uniform.
And we end with a ChiSox Dan Pasqua, I didn't select him over a Carlos Quintana rookie card because he is a White Sox. Dan won cuz damn.....those are nice socks.
If you are wise (or stupid) enough to follow me on Twitter, you would have seen me tweet today:
How to make a bad day better? Watching my postal worker double back because she forgot to put 3 manila trade envelopes into my mailbox. WOO!
— Jeff Wilk (@jedijeff13) February 21, 2013
So what did all that mean? It meant that three great envelopes showed up today for me to enjoy, and in the long run, share with you all.
First comes Adam from Arpsmith's Obsession. Adam needed Cooperstown. In return, Adam sent me a Topps Pennant cards, some A&G for my "Collect all the Ginter" task, and a card I won from his Super Bowl contest. I picked an Adam Lind auto.
That Lind is a little corny, but like the manu-bat I received a couple weeks back, I have wanted one of these. Thanks Adam!
The second envelope really isn't a trade, and I am not sure if you call it winnings either. Dave at the awesome Tribe Cards ran a pack ripping all during the 2012 season. You simply picked three teams, players or whatever, Dave ripped a pack a day and then sorted and shipped you what matched your selections. If I recall, I picked Mark Buerhle, White Sox and throwbacks for my choices. Or maybe double plays, cuz I got a few of those too. Heck - I can't remember. I do know I received a good 25 free cards from the ripping, including gems like these.
Nice!!! Also scored a couple monster cards....in size, that is.
Who wouldn't like oversized Fisk cards! Dave is running the pack a day ripping for 2013. Not sure if you can still signup, but you can get more over at his blog. Thanks Dave.
Last comes from the awesome Jim at GCRL (Garvey, Cey, Russell and Lopes). Jim and I share a love of DP cards. Looks like he had some extra that he decided to drop on me out of the blue, along with some Sox and a nice group of throwbacks. Here's a little peek.
Oh baby - I had NO IDEA Topps thought about throwbacks on cards prior to 2007 or so. Now the hunt is on for earlier cards. But the highlight of the package was this baby.
But that is no normal Howard A&G base. It is the LAST A&G base card I needed for 2012. Set - complete! Thank you so much Jim for knocking out my first Allen and Ginter base set.
If you have any A&G to get rid of, I have moved my needs to their own wants link above. I have yet to post a 2006 or 2010 needs list because both are so ridiculously huge. Hoping to find another path to narrow down my needs on those years before I put out an ask. But you know hpw to get a hold of me.
So to Adam, Dave and Jim - multiple high fives for a great trip to the end of the driveway.
Every Thursday, I post a card showing a ballplayer wearing a throwback uniform from my collection. Hopefully, he will be wearing it well, with proper pants blousing. I'll try not to duplicate a uniform. The picture may be from the front of the card, or the back. Enjoy the uniforms from years past.
