The Militarization of Sports - Patriotism or Cashing In on War?

Aloha, everybody,

An article was published a few days ago about a couple of veterans who are speaking out against the militarization of sports and the commercializing that is coming along with that.

The state of perpetual war that we find ourselves in and this exploiting of veterans for profit is a topic that strikes close to my personal values, so I fired up the ol' video camera and delivered a few takes of my own.

Give a watch and don't forget to give a "Like" on the Youtube channel. Much appreciated.

Here's the original article: http://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2018/07/20/military-sports-astore-francona

Aloha!

What The Heck Am I Doing With Giants Cards?

Aloha, everybody,

Let's start off 2016 with a re-declaration of what ATBATT is all about. I do this because of something the venerable Night Owl mentioned in his post about some cardboard gold that I recently sent to him. Here is what N.O. had to say:

"So here we are at a package from All Trade Bait All The Time. Oscar doesn't really feature all trade bait all the time on his blog. It's mostly Dodgers he received, games he saw and beer he drank. But, I'm not showing any night owls on cards on my blog either. It's just a title."

 It is just a title, but some of you out there might think the cards I show aren't available for trade, unless I specifically mention it. Thus, I want to add a bit to N.O.'s observation, and gently assure you that almost every card I showcase on ATBATT is indeed trade bait - even the Dodgers. 

As with all of us, of course some cards in my collection are untouchable, but every man has his cardboard price, and I'm open to any offer for just about any card, if it will benefit both of our collections.

That said...we'll launch 2016 with a hearty, "What'll you give me for these?" 

Here's the back side...

 What we have here is a 5-card set of metal Willie Mays cards from 1995. They were a gift to me from mom. Bless her heart for supporting my card collecting hobby, but apparently she had no idea that giving me gift cards of a San Francisco Giant would be akin to gifting Johnny Roseboro a RC of Juan Marichal. 


The cards come inside a little tin with colorful embossing and a "sandblasted" surface texture...

Here they are in the tin, each metal card individually wrapped in plastic...

I discovered this tin while rummaging through my closet for Christmas wrapping paper. I hadn't looked at them in years. You saw card #1 from the set earlier; here come the other four, in order...

I know they're mass-produced junk metal from the junk wax era, but I've gotta admit, the design is right on, the colors are vibrant, and I like the raised stars and crossed-bats nameplate on the front...

...and rolled framing around the rear...

The cardmakers stumbled a bit on card #4, as it represents May's stint with the New York Mets, but fails to show him in a Mets uni on the front or back...

 Card #5 gives props to Willie, Mickey and the Duke...

It's a cool little set, and the Say Hey Kid was a great player, but it's definitely possible for me to have too many Giants in my collection.

So, if offering up for trade a gift from dear old mom won't convince folks that I'm sincere about "All Trade Bait, All The Time", then nothing will. 

Aloha!

 

When Mets Fans Become Puig Fans

By now you've all seen the extraordinary catch that Yasiel Puig made at Citi Field against the Mets...

Some are calling it "The catch of the year".  Puig's all-out effort and Fantastic Catch was even recognized by Mets fans who gave him a standing ovation.  It's one thing to make a great play and be given an ovation by the home crowd, but it's extremely rare for the opposing team's fans to stand and applaud a defensive play that killed their team's rally.  Especially in New York!

Whether or not it's the best catch of the year, Dodger broadcaster Charlie Steiner relayed a story during today's broadcast that I believe is Puig's "Play of the year" so far.

During the second of the three games against the Mets, Dee Gordon was at bat with Puig coming up next. While standing on deck Puig noticed a couple of fans watching the game in a special area - a quadriplegic in a wheelchair and his friend. 

While Gordon was batting, Puig quickly dashed into the dugout and grabbed a couple of bats and baseballs and apparently unnoticed by the television cameras, gave those baseballs and bats to the disabled man and his friend. He then returned to the business at hand, had his at bat and promptly hit a home run. 

thatballsouttahere.com

The reason we know about Puig's actions before that home run is because of a Mets fan. He sent an email to the Dodgers telling this story which otherwise might have passed forever unnoticed and unknown.

The fan went on to write, "I may be a Mets fan, but I'm now a Puig fan for life." 

Roy Campanella once said you have to be a man, but also have a lot of little boy in you to play the game of baseball, and most of us can agree Puig shows that little boy side quite often.  

Without the fanfare that accompanies many of his exploits, in one almost unseen moment, Yasiel Puig showed that he is indeed a man as well.  

Trade Me (Almost) Anything - New York Mets

Hey everybody,

Rolling into town to meet the buzzsaw that is the Dodgers mean machine are the New York Mets.

In honor of our next opponents comes some Flushing trade bait.  Have at it...

HO -JO !

Cy Young Winner

Let's finish up with some inserts and RCs...

Coming Soon:  A contest, or free prize ... or BOTH!