This Week in Tumblr

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Well, my vacation is over, so I should get things back to normal very soon. In the meantime, here's a list of mini-posts you missed if you don't check out my Tumblr feed.

D.J. LeMahieu's reign as the coolest name in baseball was short-lived...

...anatomical oddities are explored...

...or is it just over-zealous airbrushing?...

...Steve Pearce get all potty-mouthed...

...and of course, it wouldn't be Tumblr if we didn't kick a man while he was already down...

Did any big trades happen while I was gone?

This Week in Tumblr

Posted by Jonathan @ RGB Cards | Posted in ,

I'm on vacation this week - so the blog posts won't be very frequent. Not to worry, though - I opened a bunch of packs before I left and created a ton of tumblr posts ready to launch throughout the week. The snark meter is set to high - enjoy my amusing comments about cards in the 2011 Update Series.

Each week I'm going to create a "review post" about the tumblr highlights. Feel free to check them out and leave your own witty comments, or just a thumbs-up. And if you have your own tumblr, or know of some good baseball tumblrs I should follow, let me know in the comments section of this post.

This week in tumblr...

...we take a look at cool baseball names...

...explore baserunning fundamentals...

...learn about proper design techniques...

...make fun of a father of six...

...and of course, engage in toilet humor

There's more as well, so be sure to check out the tumblr every day. Posts go up around 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, give or take an hour.

P.S. This is where I'm staying. Not to rub it in or anything...

Feliz Año Nue-Votto Hit

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Earlier this week, I posted my latest pull from the Topps Update jumbo pack I purchased over Thanksgiving. It was a Bert Blyleven liquorfractor, and my pal Richard (aka Dawgbones) commented on how great it looked, especially since some liquorfractors are worse than the original card.

Today's liquorfractor comes from Series 1 - it's card #5, Joey Votto. I think it goes in the "improve" pile. I really like the 3-D effect:


Incredibly, not the only Votto card in that pack. Or even the best one. Next up is an early contender for "Pull of the Year, 2012"


The leader in the clubhouse...a Joey Votto jumbo patch card, numbered 1/6. It will take some doing to top that, but I hope I can. I'd hate to think my 2012 has peaked on January 4th.

I love it when case hits like this one (odds - 1:665) end up in the right hands. Namely, me.

Hey Bert!

Posted by Jonathan @ RGB Cards | Posted in ,

This is what Card US58 is supposed to look like:


Not bad, especially because it's Lincecum. I need one for my PC, anyway. But this is what the US58 I pulled looks like:


Holland's greatest living ballplayer, Rik Adelbert Aalbert Blyleven.

What's the name of that particular type of diamond parallel? Port wine stain?

The first post of 2012

Posted by Jonathan @ RGB Cards | Posted in


An interesting question wound its way around the Twitters last week: What are your collection resolutions for 2012? Normally, I don't do resolutions, and I certainly don't share them. But this one is different - this one is fun.

I responded, of course, in 140 characters. Not near enough space to elaborate. So here is the expanded version.

1. Finally complete the damn 2009, 2010 and 2011 Topps base sets
I'm so close on 2009 and 2010 - less than ten cards for each. 2011 is a bit more work, owning to the fact that I couldn't get a jumbo box of Series 2 and my Series 1 jumbo box didn't have every base card because it was too busy being awesome instead. 34 cards to go there, plus whatever is left over after I open my jumbo box of Update Series (which I hope will give me all the cards). Every time I go back to America I find some more base cards, but obviously not all of the ones I needed. With no trips to America scheduled for 2012, I may just have to go onto Check Out My Cards and bite the bullet.

2. Get to 50% completion on my 1975 Birth Year set
Five months after deciding to start on this set, I'm about one-sixth the way there. I have another 20+ cards coming to me via the Diamond Giveaway, where I have been steadily accumulating 1975 cards to the exclusion of everything else. I even traded away my Ike Davis diamond die-cut because somebody offered me ten '75 cards, and nothing else. Either that was a case of dumb luck or some dude on the Diamond Giveaway website is stalking me and knows my trading preferences. I'm hoping for Option A.

3. Complete the 2012 set by the end of 2012
Mostly because I don't what to be in this same position again next December 31. But I might end up having to collect this set twice-over.

4. Finish at least one insert set from 2009, 2010, 2011 or 2012
Dammit Topps, why do you publish so many historically-based insert sets that pique my interest? Why can't you just stick to the repulsive insert sets like "When They Were Young"?

Finally, I'd like to take this post, the first of the new year, to announce a new feature: the RGB Cards tumblr. Part of the reason why I took a long sabbatical this year was because I lost momentum, and didn't feel like writing a lot, or scanning a bunch of cards. And as the days got by, and the "to scan" pile got bigger, the inertia grew as well. It was a shame, because a ton of great stuff happened in September, October and November, as you are doubtlessly aware.

Hopefully, the tumblr, and its inherent short-form qualities, will be a ideal way to keep posting things when I don't really feel like posting. A "quick-and-dirty", if you will. Long-form pieces will still appear on the blog, and my goal is to write at least ten blog posts each month. By contrast, my goal is to make at least ten tumblr posts each week. I'm also hoping to integrate the blog, tumblr, and Twitter account better - an "RGB Cards Network," if you will.

So there you go - that's the long answer for my 2012 collecting resolutions. What are yours?

Picture from the Topps Twitter feed. I finished the previous year showing my 2011 Sandy Koufax pull, maybe we can keep the mojo coming for another year? I sure wouldn't mind adding that card to my collection!