A Most Excellent Surprise PAckage From Mi Hermano & Beer Review

Aloha, everybody,

I got a surprise package from JBF, mi hermano in another estado (my brother in another state), and let me tell you...it was FANTASTIC!

Good ol' Wes always comes to rock and he's still batting batting 1.000

Also in today's video: I review Most Excellent IPA from The Dude's Brewing Company, a local brewer here in the LA area.

Thanks for watching (in advance) and BIG THANKS to mi hermano.

Aloha!

It's not Summer, Nor is it '74. Still, These Cards are Awesome

Aloha, everybody, 

Next in the "catch up on trade posts" series, is a fistful of cards from my friend, Matthew (Summer of '74). Let's check 'em out...

I've long loved these SP die-cuts. This is a new one for my Piazza collection. Classic pose of the mighty Piazza ready to strike...

Speaking of new additions. Bat Patrol insert. Piazza in the friendly confines...

More Piazza cardboard goodness. This time, decked out in the tools of ignorance (Leaf Limited Gold parallel) 

How about a back side photo with the evil Barry Bonds...

It wasn't all Piazza, all the time. Matthew also brought the Mondesi...

This next one. This was the card that sparked everything. Summer of '74 featured Leaf Limited Lumberjacks inserts (numbered to 5000) of Piazza and Mondesi. I remember buying plenty of packs and never pulling a Dodger Lumberjack back in the day. 

Matthew mentioned in his post the Piazza was spoken for, so I jumped hard on the Raaaauuuuuulllll...

That was the card I coveted. Generous Matthew didn't stop there. He included a whole buncha Mike and Raul's friends from 1995 SP Leaf Limited, and Sportsflics...

More great Piazza cards and bonus: Hideo Nomo...

THANKS for the great cards, Matthew! Happy Sunday, everyone. 

Aloha! 

World Cup of Trading Loot for Trade Deadline Day

Aloha, everybody, 

Did you participate in the World Cup of Trading? It was the final big bash, wahoo trade-a-thon sponsored by my great hermano, Wes, of Willinghammer Rising and JayBarkerFan fame. 

Wes put up a ton of offerings for trade, and all we had to do was pick a few items and trade back. I love that Wes' events are always simple, but the end results are far from it, and often spectacular. 

Here are the goods that I selected from Wes. Leading off is my first auto from one of the Boys of Summer, the Duke of Flatbush. 

Sweet, right? That wasn't my only autograph score. This next one is from an LA Dodger, who patrolled right field with a canon for an arm, and hit monster home runs. 

Nope, not Yasiel Puig. 

Raaaaaaaauuuuuuul Mondesi. 

This joins my very modest collection of signed baseballs, and proudly sits beside another of my favorite autographed spheres...

 Yup, signed by the big man hisself. Awesome. 

You know me, I've gotta have some vintage in my picks as well. I chose this baby.

1962 World Series MVP Ralph Terry. This card also slots right into my defunct teams collection. 

Terry wasn't just a WS hero, he also tasted WS ashes. He gave up the home run bomb to fellow WS hero, Bill Mazeroski in the 1960 Fall Classic. Great pick up. 

Those were the items I chose. As I said earlier, Wes takes simple things and makes them spectacular. Don't think for a minute that was all he sent to me. 

Sit back and check out this bonus loot my bro from Alabama sent as well. It's a stack THIS THICK! 

First up, more Brooklyn Dodgers. Forgive the scanner crop. Trust me, this Jackie Robinson Bowman refractor is complete and a beauty. 

Really digging these Diamond Kings. They've become my favorites of all the DK offerings. 

Jumping to present day LA, it's Yasiel. 

How about some shiny Mike Piazza. This Bowman is gorgeous. That's right. Cardboard gorgeousity. 

 I remember chasing these 1996 Leaf Preferred steel cards. Now I've got Piazza! 

After a particularly lousy season at the plate, in 1993 Jose Offerman abandoned all batting convention and employed an unorthodox "samurai chop" style swing. Needless to say, this method didn't work too well for him either. 

Here's a favorite. It's a Don Drysdale pull out card from Stouffers. That Stouffers lasagna is one of my guilty secrets. Love the stuff. 

Here's the Dodgers' present day skipper. 

One of my favorite cards of the bunch. The spacey kaleidoscope  effect on this Mondesi card makes the world around me drip. 

Young Dodgers coming up! 

Speaking of trades, the Dodgers just announced they traded Willie Calhoun to Texas for Yu Darvish. While I'm happy enough to get Yu, I'm really sorry to see Calhoun go. 

That said, it's probably a good move for Willie. He's going to the AL where his iffy defense won't be an issue. I'm sure he's going to be raking for the Rangers as a DH for a long time. 

In a return to simplicity, Wes also included a chip shot at my Dodgers team sets want list. Check off 1976 Rick Rhoden. 

Sadly, this was the swan song of trading with Wes via bloggery. However, this is far from the end of cardboard exchanges with my hermano. THANKS, Wes! 

Aloha! 

When The Dodgers Roster Comes From Wrigley, It's Jenga!

Aloha, everybody,

Yup, it's been a while. I hope you don't think I've deserted you all and the blogosphere; that won't happen. I've just been on other adventures, but I'm happy to say one nice development has brought me back here to ATBATT. 

About a month ago, Tony from Wrigley Roster Jenga put out a call for anyone who might have Target 100th Anniversary Dodgers. As luck would have it, I had just come upon some, and I was able to help him chip a bit off of his wishlist. 

I didn't think of sending those Target Dodgers to Tony as a trade, it was just one collector helping out another. But Tony being Tony, went ahead and stuffed a fistful of cards into a return package for me. 

That was FANTASTIC! As you all know, any new additions to my collection are heartily welcomed. Which bring us to the cards that my friend Tony sent to me. 

Let's begin with Topps Bunt and the man who surprised quite a few Dodgers fans by his return from the disabled list...

One reason Kershaw returned to the big club so soon is the minor leagues have completed their seasons, and there really isn't anyplace else for him to make rehab starts. 

This also explains the return of Andre Ethier to the club. 

Who else was in those Bunt cards? 

The upcoming ROY! With a RC shield. Nice!

One more...

You want more, you say? How about more of the same guys-this time on a different product...

I love that above shot of the professional hitter, focused, and in his element. 

Colorized Jackie! 

Tony knows I like the ol' Brooklyn club, so he tossed in my first Bill Bergen card. 

Maybe there's a reason I don't have many Bergen cards? This is from his Wikipedia page: 
No one played in the major leagues as long as Bill Bergen and hit so poorly. In 1909, Bergen set a record for futility with a span of 46 consecutive at-bats without a base hit. 

No surprise he was a Dodger for eight years. In Bergen's defense, he was a very good backstop during the Deadball Era. He's ranked among the all-time top catchers in more than a few books and publications. 

Come to think of it, maybe I should get my hands on more Bergen cardboard. 

Tony took me from a hero of the Deadball Era to one of tomorrow's standouts...

Another first for me, my first Willie Calhoun card. Calhoun is a fourth-round draft pick who is making lots of noise in the AA leagues. Dodgers fans are eagerly looking forward to Calhoun's development. 

Here's someone who just finished taking some "development" time in the minors...

Just as it is on the field, it is for my collection: more Puig is good. 

Long before Puig was throwing guys out from the deepest corners of RF in Chavez Ravine, and hammering monster home runs, this guy was doing the same...

I loved Fleer's inserts back in the 90's, and I still do. Speaking of  Dodger Stadium and Fleer in the 90's, here a couple more of Mondesi's teammates...

Because I gots to have lotsa Piazza...

A San Antonio Missions Piazza card...Wow!

The next one's not so much of a wow, as it is a hmmm...

Here we go, more young Dodgers blood...

And we'll close out with more Dodgers history...

From that 1990 Swell set, I now have King, Newk, Koufax and Drysdale. I just need five more to complete that checklist. Tony has just given my collection a new goal. 

What a great package that was, Tony. THANKS very much for the cool cards. 

Aloha!