Sometimes I'm Too Cracked to Post, But Not Today

Aloha, everyone, 

I haven't posted in a while, but I've got some time tonight, so I'm going to drop a quickie about a nice lil' package that came to me from a nice lil' bloggin' gal named Julie, from A Cracked Bat. 

Julie started me off with a selection of 2018 Heritage Dodgers...

I'm settling on Heritage being my favorite set from 2018...


There was only one Topps Chrome card, but it was an attractive action shot of ex-Hated One, Brett Butler busting out of the box after one of his trademark bunt singles. 

Speaking of attractive cards, I really dig this 1969 Topps T.C.G. deckle-edge Tom Haller card. (It might be my favorite of the batch.) 

 Haller, also a former Giant, was a Dodger for four years, from 1968 thru 1971. He was a decent catcher, repping LA once as an All-Star. 

Here's a great 35th Anniversary shot of young Corey Seager running the bases after losing his batting helmet somewhere along the way. 

And now some crazy cards I didn't even know existed. From 1991 Fleer Extra Bases...

These come in around 3 x 5 1/2 inches. A very cool bunch featuring a couple of my favorite 90's Dodger pitchers, the Bulldog and Ramon Martinez. 

A nice assortment of Dodger Blue from across the decades. THANKS, Julie! I picked up a couple of things for you on my recent trips to the card show. Hope you'll like them. 

Aloha!

A Scribbled Sunday Night Post

Aloha, everybody, 

I recently received a very nice surprise package from Scribbled Ink. Paul sent over an assortment of past Dodgers and a very cool tchotske that I absolutely love. 

Let's start out with a couple of oddball Orels...

Huge bread conglomerate, Wonder Bread, had to airbrush the LA on Bulldog's cap, but not regional Revco, who apparently paid for the blessings of Topps. 

Here's another oddball that I've never seen before...

World Series co-MVP, Paaaayyyyydroooooo...

Eric Karros on a police issue, wearing the Tim Crews death patch...

After enjoying this card for a bit, I'll probably send this casual-looking Strawberry off to my friend, Peter...

And now a break for a couple of BOOOOOOOOS...

Lousy manager BOOOOOOOO!! (But I like the schedule)

Ex-Giant BOOOOOOO!!! (But I like these Electric Diamond cards)

I loved Nomah in his short stint as a Dodger. I haven't heard him on any of the Dodgers Spring Training broadcasts. I wonder if they dumped him as a color man? 

I liked his insights as an expert batter, and he has genuine personality behind the mike. The Dodgers didn't seem to know how to use him. They even tried some horrible segments last season with Nomar bouncing around Dodger Stadium sampling different food and drinks. It was ridiculous. I miss you, Nomar! 

Finishing out the cardboard portion of the package are these two little beauties, which celebrate the Boys of Summer winning it all back in 1955.

In this one we can see Jim Gilliam, a young Sandy Koufax, Campy, Jackie and Gil Hodges. 

Here's Duke Snider being met at home by Pee Wee Reese and Jimmy Gilliam. I'm not sure who the guy on the right is. 

And finally, that tchotchke I talked about at the top of the post. How sweet is this mini Eric Gagne? 

Gagne looks more like he's wearing a bandit mask than his trademark goggles, but I'm not going to nitpick this puppy. 

The base makes me think it's some kind of game piece, but I don't have a clue about its true context. 

No matter, this piece is very cool. THANKS, Paul. Great stuff! 

Aloha! 

It Only Took a Decade and a Friendly Enemy to Land my First One

Aloha, everybody, 

As far as rivalries go, sports rivalries are among the bitterest. Often for no other reason than being born into a family of fans from one team, we're raised to hate a different team, it's stadium, colors, and fans. 

If the rivalry is held deeply, just the sight of another person wearing a cap or jersey can set off a Pavlov-like reaction. We've seen it with the Yankees and Red Sox, Dodgers and Giants, the Orioles and...heck if I know who...but you get the idea. 

Some rivalries, like the Dodgers and Giants, go waaaaaay back, all the way to the days the teams shared bandbox stadiums in the boroughs of New York. Well, this isn't one of those. The timeline isn't as long - stretching back to 1988, but when it runs hot - baby, it runs red hot. 

Bulldog was the 1988 NLCS MVP vs the Mets

I'm talking about the Dodgers and the Mets. These two teams are far apart geographically, and sometimes in the standings, but when they meet, the fire from their playoff battles in 1988 and again, in 2016, burns bright. I remember heated Dodgers/Mets blogger battles after the Chase Utley slide controversy. 

I lay all of this groundwork because that's what makes the friendship between myself and Kaz all the more special. Kaz used to blog back in the day, but he's since moved on to other things. Luckily, Twitter is one of those things, so we've been able to keep channels open that way, and we continue to send each other cards from time to time. 

Topps Turkey Red 

Kaz recently sent a PWE to me, and that's why we're gathered here today. I showed off a couple of cards already, let's check out what I else found in that envelope...

Returning to the Hershiser card, we have the rear shot. I loved opening packs of 1993 Leaf because I couldn't get enough of these crazy shots of gigantic baseball players dwarfing their cities. 

Love this card tribute to Julio Urias' major league debut, when he was just 17 years old...

Kaz tossed in some minis from the 2011 MLB sticker album...

 This Jackie Robinson is high gloss and shiny (nice!)...

Finally, this baby. My first printing plate. By all weights and measures, rivals would never share with each other. But this is the card collecting community. We operate on a different level...

It seemed as though everyone in my collecting circles had at least one printing plate, but not me. Not until now. 

Sweet, right? My collection is continuously expanding, thanks to the usual suspects - and even from the occasional enemy (but an enemy only inside the chalk lines). THANKS, Kaz! 

Aloha! 

Deck the Halls With Cards from TTM

Aloha, everybody, 

It's the most wonderful time of the year. 
Secret Santa gifts are dropping all around the blogosphere. 
Aint nothing in the world like cardboard cheer. 

Oh look! What have we here? 

Not quite a new car, but it sure beats socks. 
It's a Tommy Lasorda card. 
Here's Clayton Kershaw and Greg Brock. 

I'm wishing all of my readers, traders and friends,
A Merry, Merry Christmas
May all of your 2018 cards arrive without bends. 

Ha! How's that for a Christmas poem? If that didn't get things going, maybe these great cards that I received from one of the greatest traders out there, Paul, from Paul's TTM Autograph Blog. 

Paul hit me with a couple of fantastic batches of cards last month. Here's a quick recap from one of them:

Let's begin with a very cool die-cut featuring World Series hero. Joc Pederson, when he first broke into the bigs...

Paul also brought the vintage and chipped at my team set needs...

Here's one that Zippy Zappy might like as well...

A beautiful Nomo...

More vintage and team set needs...

Add caption

 I NEVER see these '59 WS cards at the show. Good ol' Paul came through big time with this one for my WS checklist...

Paul also included a sombrero full of Fernandos! 

These next couple are very simple cards, and simply beautiful...

A classic shot of the Bulldog peering in to get the sign...

Sure, everybody raves about Kershaw, but these two southpaws kept the Dodgers chugging through the season when Kersh was out with an injury, and they did not fold up in the World Series. 

Dave Roberts' ridiculous robotic reliance on the stats that insisted on pulling pitchers after going twice through the opposing lineup cost the Dodgers dearly - and fatally - when he pulled them despite their mowing down the Astros. *sigh*  

Here are a few more multiples of my favorite past Dodgers...

We'll close out with this ice-blue beauty. Pee Wee Reese, Topps Sterling, numbered 90/250...

Hearty THANKS for the awesome cards, my friend!  My humble collection is in a better place because of your generosity. 

Merry Aloha Christmas, everybody! 

It'll Take Two Nights of Posts for This Buncha Cards from Night Owl

Aloha, everybody, 

We've all got our favorite trading partners, and the dean of our community, Sir Night Owl, is obviously one of mine. We both share a collecting passion for the same team, and our Dodgers have their ever-lovin' mugs on a lot of product, so that often makes our trades chock-a-block-fulla-stuff. That's exactly how I would describe this little ol' box of goodness that came to my way from N.Y. 

How's that for a fun bunch of cardboard to sift through? And it was definitely fun. Obviously, you don't want to see all of these cards, but there are so many great ones in here, that I'm pretty sure it's going to take two posts for me just to show the best ones off. 

So let's go...

First up is a new addition ( 2002 Upper Deck) for my Shawn Green PC. I'm digging the lineup nostalgia on the left. Check out the leadoff batter: Dave Roberts, now the manager. 

Next up are a couple from today's top Dodgers prospects. I'm very happy to receive my first Willie Calhoun, whom I'm hoping the Dodgers don't trade away this week. 

I collected Score '95, but I don't think I ever pulled one of these Artist's Proofs. I checked around, but couldn't find any info on how limited these are. That doesn't matter beyond info that helps me know about my card, as I love these proof cards regardless. 

 I remarked in a recent post that I'll be actively collecting early Konerko Dodgers cards, but ol' Night Owl took it to another level. You want early? How about a minor league (now defunct) Albuquerue Dukes card...

The scan is pretty dark, but I had to include this awesome mirror-finish Bowman which features Eric Young admiring a hit while standing before some kind of atrocious Gaza Strip-looking apartment building. 

The 90's gave us much more than gigantor-sized athletes playing among tiny citiscapes, They also loved to use....die-cut tech!

Leaf Studio was never at the top of my list for purchases, but this Ramon Martinez card is a beaut. 

Can't have too much Bulldog! This is actually a Fleer design I like. 

My eyes opened and jaw dropped when I gazed upon this cardboard gem from Topps Gallery. (lurking Wrigley)

That's it for today. Stay tuned for Part Two of the Buncha Cards from Night Owl, featuring tribute cards, more 90's goodness, Jackie and viiiiiiiiinnnntaaaaaaage !

THANKS, buddy. Aloha!