I Just Hadda Go Back (to the Card Show!)

Aloha, everybody, 

You might recall I dashed out to the the ol' card show a couple of weeks ago, where I attacked some specific PC wishlists. They run that show twice a week, every week - so it's been calling me back ever since. Despite the fact there's really only one dealer's table worth my time, I heeded the cardboard call, and here's some of the loot I picked up.

I love the vintage World Series highlight subsets. These are courtesy The Sporting News and 1970 Topps... 

This little set features The Amazin' Mets vs the Orioles. I was able to grab Games 1, 3 and 5. 

Tommie Agee made two great catches in Game 3. Much like Sandy Amoros' 1955 WS catch for the Dodgers, Agee's catches will stand forever in Mets WS history. 

Agee later went on to play for the Dodgers. 

Now I just need Games 2 and 4, plus the Champion Mets card. How about some more World Series cards...

These WS sets are great (and inexpensive) ways to catch vintage Hall of Famers doing what made them HOFers.  Here comes Johnny Bench trotting home another run...

I picked up some defunct Washington Senators cardboard...

After deciding to collect cardboard from defunct teams, I quickly decided that I can't just collect every card from every player. That's not exactly where I want to spend my limited collecting budget. I'll have to be discriminating in my choices. 

I chose the above Cox card because of the great action shot (unknown stadium). Below is a triple play of Senators...

Manager Cookie Lavagetto was a hero in the 1947 WS for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Sievers and Lemon were mashers who combined to be the biggest home run hitting combo in Senators' history. 


Believe it or not, this is my first 1967 Topps Dodger...

Dock Ellis In Action. The alternative facts version of "high" heat... 

Defunct team and logo? Check
Great name and posed action shot? Check
Dirt cheap vintage? Checkeroni! 
Get inside my binder! 

Finally, a Pirates great dressed as a banana. I just couldn't walk away from this one. 

I get the feeling it won't be too long before I'm back to the show for more. 

Aloha! 

My Cards Are Marching Toward Their Collecting Goal

Aloha, everybody, 

I received a PWE from Jon, the proprietor of the brilliantly named blog,  "A Penny Sleeve For Your Thoughts". Jon sent some cards to help me along with my "Perfect Game Project" and he chipped away at my Dodgers team sets chase also. 

I don't want to lead off my post with hated Giants, so let's start off with a couple of Dodgers that I needed for the 1970 Topps team set. Here's the skipper, Walter Alston...

You can see The Quiet Man didn't spend as much time at the clubhouse buffet as Tommy Lasorda, his successor. 

Thanks for chipping those guys off my wantlist, Jon. 

OK, on to the 2012 perfect game battery of Matt Cain and Buster Posey...

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Cain on flagship 2012 Topps, Posey on the Topps Chrome release...

Jon also sent along the ultimate perfect game card for King Felix, from one of the two perfect games thrown in 2012...

Now I need his battery-mate, John Jaso. Anybody out there got one?

I'm including a shot of Jon's cardboard box packing because it was the first time I'd received cards packed like this, and I want you all to see this option. 

It was a simple box cut to fold in half and protect the cards. Lightweight and easy to fit in a PWE, it was an easy and free packing solution.  

Back to the cards...

This is a nice little card from Sportsflix. When tilted you get a background of baseball threads or the wood grain of a bat. In this scan you can see both. 

Last up is a shot of the stamps Jon chose. Lots of guys use baseball stamps, but this is the first time I got one from Los Angeles Lakers legend, Wilt the Stilt...

I'm wondering if those penguins are a nod to Ron Cey? 

THANKS for helping with my chases Jon. I'll be putting something in the mail for you in around a week's time. 

Aloha! 

Who Says Dodgers and Mets Fans Don't Get Along?

Aloha, everybody, 

I received two PWEs in the mail yesterday, which made me a very happy collector. Sure I was pleased because both hands were filled with cardboard goodies, but even more so, it was because they each filled out needs in my general Dodgers collection and in targeted PC chases. 

First up is the PWE that I received from Mets fan Mark Kaz, of the now-defunct blog, This Way to the Clubhouse. The Dodgers and Mets (and lots of their fans) aren't on each other's Christmas lists because of bad blood that was created during the 2015 NLDS. 

Chase Utley put a hard slide into Ruben Tejada to break up a double play, and Tejada wound up with a broken leg. Mets fans cried "Foul!", Dodgers fans cried "Fair!", and MLB ended up changing the rules for sliding. 

One great thing about our online community is we generally don't let team rivalries get in the way of our hobby. Heck, I'll happily trade with Giants fans. 

Tejada won't forgive Utley, but that's not going to get in the way of some happy holiday trading and good cheer between collecting friends. 

Let's take a look at the Dodgers cards that came to me from the icy east. 

Leading off is this shiny, purply beauty featuring Ryu's K-pop hair and a cool All-Star Rookie cup. Nice! 

Next up is one of my favorite mid-range Dodgers from the past...

The simple black frame works well with Sharpy's black mitt. Bonus: It's always nice to get a card with lurking Wrigley ivy. 

Here's the Dodgers' number three starter with a RC shield...

Speaking of mid-range Dodgers...

Podsednick played only a little for the Dodgers, accomplished a little, was injured a lot, and left for free agency after one season. Scott, we hardly knew ye. 

Lilly was another Dodger who was short on accomplishments but long on the DL. The difference was, he stuck around for a few years doing it. 

Third in this run of little seen, little contributed, is Nick Punto. I will always remember Nick for the modified version of his last name, which some referred to him as. (Hint: it sounds like a derogatory term in Spanish) 

Finally, some cool cardboard of a man who is in no way mid-range, and will forever hold a top spot in every Dodger fan's blue heart forever...

It's a patch card replica of Sandy Koufax's 1955 Topps RC. Wow! 
These RC patches were found in 2013 Topps. I have one from Chipper Jones, and now this Koufax will sit beside it in my binder.

THANKS for the cool cards, Mark! 

Aloha!  

When Soviets Hack The Election, Dimebox Sends Cards to You

Aloha, everybody, 

As Dimebox Nick so accurately put in his note to me, it's been way too long since we last exchanged cardboard. 

2017 is starting off differently, and I'm sure that we won't be waiting until the calendar clicks off another year before we swap again. In celebration of this new attitude, let's take a look at the fistful of Dodgers cardboard that ol' Nick sent over to me...

Pay-droh Goo-rare-ooooh figured prominently in a recent Twitter conversation between myself, Sir Night Owl and Zippy Zappy, so he gets lead off privileges. 

This Guerrero Diamond King is new for my collection. I love the World Series-inspired bunting. Perfect for a WS MVP. As for those storm clouds brewing behind him - that's what the Yankees saw whenever Pedro stepped to the plate. 

In fact, all of the Dodgers cards that Nick sent were new to me. How about one of Pedro's teammates...

You want more tribute? Coming right up...

I can read that headline ALL DAY LONG. 

A wonderful card. Jackie broke into the NL, Larry Doby did the same in the AL a few months behind Robinson. Unlike Robinson, who put in a year in the Dodgers' AAA minor league, Doby went directly to the majors from the Negro League. 

From the underrated Ted Williams release...

Jim Gilliam, like Doby, joined the Dodgers' big club straight outta the Negro Leagues. 

In this fantastic action shot, Gilliam is stealing home, as evidenced by the Dodgers batter beside the catcher, who's lost sight of the ball, which is flying above the batter's head. 

Nick included present-day Boys in Blue. Here's ROY Corey Seager in ugly San Diego colors, but his card is adorned with Home Run Derby and RC shields. 

These snowflake cards have been all over the blogosphere, but until now, I didn't own any. 

Trayce was starting out fairly well in his inaugural big league season, but he suffered an unfortunate leg injury. We'll have to see how well he can bounce back in 2017. 

Montas was traded to the Dodgers along with Trayce Thompson in 2015, but like TT, he was also hit by the injury bug. After being mostly on the DL, he was shipped off to Oakland for SP Rich Hill and master con man, Josh Reddick. 

Finally, one more most excellent Dodger rookie, Senor Urias...

All of these cool cards (and more) are welcome additions to the binders. THANKS so much, Nick! 

Aloha! 

You Know a Wallet Card Party Aint a Party Without Me

Aloha, everybody,

I see several of my fellow bloggernauts are carrying on the Wallet Card tradition, so I've decided to join in the fun as well. 

Some of you may recall my 2016 Wallet Card met an undesirable end when it was lost at Dodger Stadium. Despite that cardboard tragedy, I chose to not be saddened by the ending, but instead to be happy for the journey. 

With a new year, comes a new Wallet Card. Last year I chose a Sandy Koufax card; this time I'm rolling with Jackie Robinson...

This card has already spent a few days in my wallet, hence the creased bottom corner. WC has already been on its first adventure. 

It went to a galaxy far, far away, and joined me as the last on the planet to see Rogue One at the movies. A pretty good chapter, BTW. 

After the movie, WC went out for all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ...

Doncha just love that stuff? I wish I could take along an extra stomach every time I go there. 

Now that Wallet Card smells like Korean BBQ, it's been properly initiated. Stick with ATBATT as WC continues its adventures through 2017. 

Aloha! 

Aloha, everybody,

I hit the card show last weekend, and after scooping up a few cards for my Perfect Game Project, I started scanning the binders and boxes on the dealers table for any other available gems. Here's what I came up with...

I grabbed this '72 Topps Willie Davis - without remembering I already have a copy. There's so much groovy going on in this card that I just couldn't walk away from it - well-loved or not. 

I love cardboard with World Series Heroes doing World Series shite, so I jumped on these...

 That's Johnny Bench about to drop the Big Red Hammer. I swear I can hear the roar of the crowd when I look at this card. 

Another WS card, another appearance from Bench. 

Brooks Robinson on Tattoine. What an image! 

Everybody knows BobWalkthePlank is Pirates HQ, but there's always room in my collection for the Sarge on a great card. 

I grabbed some cards to add to my "Defunct Teams" PC...

Bonus: Defunct, highly insensitive/probably racist, team logo. 

Chuck Stobbs, 1955 Topps

Here's a couple of suggested taglines for the back of Stobby's card: 
"Stobbs was one of baseball's first bonus babies." and "Southpaw Stobbs once had a 16-game consecutive losing streak."  

Willie Davis wasn't the only Dodger I found in the binders...

I added one more card from my favorite Brooklyn southpaw, Johhny Podres. 

And I grabbed this for a buck. Overpaid? Not in my mind. 

Finally, this little slice o' cardboard that didn't really fit any themed page in my binders, but I hadda have it. 

Monobrow stare? Check.
Funky name? Check. 
Too bad ol' Zup wasn't repping a defunct team, I woulda had the trifecta. 

Aloha!