This is a special two-part post. Part one is the fun part - I found an eBay seller, based in Australia, who sells singles of patch cards, relics and such. He had a absolute ton of stuff up last week, including some of the manu-patches from the 2012 Topps blasters. I bought out all the stuff from that series that he had, and I wanted. They arrived today.

First up, the Historical Stitches. I got two - Luis Aparicio and the patron saint of RGB Cards, Frank Robinson:

The thing I love about the Robinson card is that it portrays him as a Red. Frank Robinson's Cincinnati career is often forgotten, but he was absolutely amazing at Crosley Field. You know that he was MVP in 1961, right? The whole "only person to be MVP of the American League and National League" thing? Yeah, it doesn't happen without the Reds. Believe it or not, Robby played more games in a Reds uniform than any other. He was with the team for ten seasons!

However, now that I have these two cards in my position, it confirms what I thought all along; the Historical Stitches set is stupid. It's manu-patches at their worst, because there's no real historical context or events that they're based on. "Featuring stitching designed to replicate his vintage jersey"? What does that even mean?

However, as bad as Topps whiffed on the Historical Stitches, the retired number patches are just that many kinds of awesome. I've always been fascinated with uniform numbers - which ones people choose, how they select them, what new number a person gets when he changes teams and can't get his old number, and yes, which numbers are retired. That's why this set is so awesome. But what do you expect from someone with this book in his personal library?

I got three - a Reds patch, an Orioles patch, and an Athletics patch. And there's that man Robinson again:




I've decided to collect all the Reds, Orioles, Athletics and White Sox patches, along with Sandy Koufax (duh) and all the number 8 cards. Yes, this means I am actively seeking a Yankees patch card, but I'm cool with it because it's Yogi Berra and he's awesome.

By the way, I already bought the Koufax, but the seller doesn't ship to Australia so it's at my parents' house. Along with what seems like half my collection.

Tomorrow, I'll be posting the manu-patch cards I actually pulled from my blasters. With one exception, I am looking to flip these cards for ones I actually want. Yankees collectors will definitely want to check back tomorrow.

OMG It's a Frank Robinson bobblehead!

Seriously though, it's a Frank Robinson bobblehead. How could I not get it? It's like twenty different kinds of awesome.

It joins my Junior bobblehead on my shelf. I now need a Harold Baines bobblehead to complete the trio.

You never know what you're going to find. I was searching for copies of the Sandy Koufax short print and I typed in "2011 Topps 530" (because that's the card number). In amongst the Koufaxes and the Felixes (how great is it that they share a card number?), I found this card.

It's a 60 Years of Topps reprint, and it's an original back. It was listed because in the original 1968 set, this card was #530. And at a very reasonable price, it's now mine.

Like I said, you never know what you're going to find.

Photo courtesy of eBay

Yesterday, I posted what I thought was the worst card of 2011 Topps. And yes, Dayf, I was serious. The choice of a white-gray background on a card that has a white border is an inexcusable decision on Topps' part. Had the series featured full-bleed photography, or a colored border, then the background might have looked good, because I agree that there are too many generic shots in cards today. But the hoodie is still a deal breaker. Call me crazy, but I like to have the players on my baseball cards wearing, oh, I don't know, baseball uniforms!

But today I am not here to bury Topps, but to praise it. Because I have found one of the better cards in the series. It's certainly good enough for inclusion in the Uniform Back Series. I present card #650, Josh Hamilton:

The photographer captured Hambone in mid-stride, and I can say with absolute certainty that this picture was taken a split-second before he made the catch. I mean, look at that ball - there's no way it didn't go in the glove. Sure, we're talking about the Rangers, but this isn't a Jose-Canseco-ball-off-the-melon situation.

That it's an action shot instead of a "just-standing-around" picture is just one way that this card succeeds where the Fred Lewis card fails. Another is the colors. The predominantly black (with a touch of dark blue) background contrasts well with the white border. You don't get the feeling, if only for a second, that the card is horribly miscut or a printing flaw. And speaking of contrast, look at how well Hamilton's uniform, particularly his bright white pants, stand out from the outfield wall. Even the "404" marking the center field distance complements, rather than competes for attention.

Of course, this is a Uniform Back card, and a fine example at that. You can clearly see the player's name and number. The fact that uniform number and the distance on the outfield wall are in the same font ties it all together nicely. A big thumbs up to Topps for this card.

In other business, I don't know if I got a 60 Years of Topps "hot box" or if I'm just uncovering my allotment early, but I like the results so far. In eight packs, I've gotten four 60YOT cards, which is a good return for someone collecting the set. The best of the bunch? Well it's really no contest:


A 1965 Frank Robinson, in his last season with the Reds. I'll be back again tomorrow with some more from Series 2. Please be sure to vote in my poll if you haven't already. How do you organise your player collections?

Any time I get a Frank Robinson card, it's a time for excitement. Particularly if it's a card that shows Frank Robinson as a Cincinnati Red. Look, I love the Orioles, and I always will, but I am a Reds fan, first and foremost. And Frank Robinson's time in Cincinnati often gets overlooked. The guy was an MVP with the Reds. He is a member of the team's Hall of Fame. Heck, the number 20 is retired by the Reds as well as the Orioles. Robby spent ten seasons in the Queen City and served the team with distinction. When he was traded, the move was so unpopular in Cincinnati that Bill DeWitt had to come up with that line about Robby being "an old 30" just to save face and attempt to justify an unjustifiable transaction. Of course, Frank saw that as all the motivation he needed, and went out and won an MVP award and a World Series in his first season in Baltimore. You don't piss off Frank Robinson.

Here's the inserts that I pulled from my jumbo box of 2010 Topps. With ten Turkey Red cards and ten Cards My Mother (didn't) Throw Out, it put a small dent in two of the large insert sets I'm chasing. I've updated my want list to show what a still need. Please do me a favor and check it out, won't you?

Tomorrow, I'll post my trade bait from the set. I have a fair number of duplicates that I don't need, as well as some insert sets I don't collect (but you might) and some shiny cards, too.


2010 Turkey Red


TR107 - Aramis Ramirez
TR112 - Miguel Cabrera
TR116 - Jonathan Broxton
TR119 - Jason Bay
TR123 - Roy Halladay
TR124 - Ryan Doumit
TR125 - Kyle Blanks
TR132 - Ryan Zimmerman
TR136 - Rogers Hornsby
TR147 - Frank Robinson

Of these cards, the Robby is my favorite, of course, but I really also like the way the Ryan Doumit looks. When I pulled that card out of the pack, my first reaction was "wow!" Perhaps it's all the catcher's gear he's wearing, but the card seems so much more intricate and detailed than the other, standard cards that feature hitters swinging bats or pitchers just standing there.


Cards Your Mom Threw Out


CMT123 - Roger Maris
CMT132 - Brooks Robinson
CMT149 - Darryl StrawberryCMT152 - Barry Larkin
CMT157 - Don Mattingly
CMT161 - Chipper Jones
CMT163 - Mike Piazza/Ken Griffey Jr.
CMT167 - Jason Bay
CMT140 - Yogi Berra/Roy Campanella
CMT172 - Ubaldo Jimenez

You can't help but think that Ubaldo wouldn't have made this set if he hadn't pitched that no-hitter earlier this season. And it seems to me that the CYMTOs in the update series are a lot more gimmicky. The Berra/Campanella (which is a reprint of a reprint) and Griffey/Piazza are just two examples - the checklist also shows a Berra/Mantle and Lou Brock/Carl Yastrzemski pairing. This is an extension of the bad trend that started in Series two with the Babe Ruth 100th birthday and the Ichiro/Pujols cards being included in the set. Once again, Topps takes a good thing and ruins it. 174 cards is too damn much - as much as I enjoy the idea, I'll be the first to tell you that this insert set should not have gone past the Series 2 cards.

That being said, I did pull one original back card:



Legendary Lineage


LL62 - Walter Johnson/Stephen Strasburg
LL63 - Victor Martinez/Carlos Santana
LL64 - Rod Carew/Robinson Cano
LL68 - Mark Teixeira/Logan Morrison
LL69 - Tom Seaver/Mike Leake
LL70 - Ernie Banks/Starlin Castro

Another set that was really good at the beginning, but just got more ridiculous as time went on. Now, in an attempt to make the set tie in with all the rookies, some really stupid connections have been made. Of course, the hyperbole is at its best with the Baseball Jesus, as he is being compared to none other that Walter Johnson. But as I think of it, the Ernie Banks/Starlin Castro comparison is even more offensive.

Combine that with the fact that they didn't even use the same color combination as they did for the first two sets, and Topps really screwed the pooch with Legendary Lineage Mark III. Thanks for nothing, Topps. Again.

Before I flew out to the States, we went up to Perth for the weekend to rest up before the flight and see the dog, who went up the weekend before so he wasn't underfoot when we were moving house. After what could rightly be referred to as "the week from hell," I earned a trip to Al's Card Shop, I thought.

I didn't get much, just a handful of singles for various PCs and team collections. But I spent an hour talking to Len the owner, who is, despite being a native Australian, a pretty big baseball fan. I always love finding Australian baseball fans - I think they just love having someone to talk ball with.

Anyway, here's what I got. Six Griffeys for the PC, including a Skybox with more delightfully ludricrous gangsta text. The late '90s Skybox cards are definitely a guilty pleasure. While the ridiculous set name (Hip-No-Tized) originally caught my eye, just one look at the back and I knew I had to take it home with me:

Here are three parallels from the 2000 Topps subset called "Magic Moments." All three cards are numbered 475, but as you can see, they are all different moments in Griffey's career:


And then two cards of Griffey in Reds gear (there weren't any White Sox cards, or I would have for sure snapped them up). One is an Upper Deck "E-Card" from 2001 (is that before or after e-Topps debuted?) which I picked up because it's all fractal and I wasn't sure when I'd see it again. The other is an '06 UD "Amazing Greats" subset serial numbered to 699. I know many people are through with serial numbers, but I still kinda like them.


It wasn't all Griffeys. I also got a couple of Ichiros, including his 2009 Spectrum base. I like the design of the Spectrum that year and have decided to go rainbow chasing. I've got Ichiro and Griffey base (which is also a Griffey White Sox card, so I was going to collect them anyway) and King Felix's red parallel. No Lincecum cards yet, but I hope to change that soon. Did I mention that as you are reading this post, I'll be travelling around Raleigh going to card shops? Because I am.


The other Ichiro card is a 2007 SP Authentic card that commemorates his 45 steals that year. Basically, if Ichiro is on a card, I want it and I'll probably buy it or trade for it.

Finally, we have some Robinsons of both the Frank and Brooks variety. I'm a bit annoyed because I forgot to scan one of the Frank Robinson cards, and now it's back in Australia and I can't get ahold of it. First up are Frank, Brooksie and Joe Morgan all appearing in a Topps Stars "Spotlight" set. I bought all the Orioles and Reds that were available. Rest assured, had Bench or Palmer been in the binder, I would have grabbed them, too:

I'm quickly discovering that this can be a frustrating hobby when you're living in Australia. It seems like everyone's out having fun (even the Canadians) while you feel like you're stuck out on a island, separated by the tyranny of geography and the US Postal Service's high shipping rates.

With only two packs of 2010 Topps left to open, I was already feeling withdrawl symptoms. So last night, instead of sleeping, I trolled eBay looking for the best price/shipping cost combinations I could find on hobby boxes. After some communication (and the okay from my wife, the Gatekeeper of the Finances), I've order a box of 2010 Heritage and 2010 Series 1. That should keep me busy until I get back to the States for a visit in July.

Since I went through the first pack I opened, it seems fitting that I should post the last one, too. I'll do a recap of all 12 packs later on today, along with the first of my five season previews (one for each team):

On top: 282 - Washington National team history (What history?)
231 - Luke Scott (Finally, in my last pack, an Oriole! And one I can use for my season preview, too)
131 - Dustin Richardson RC
260 - Yankees franchise history (two franchise cards in one pack, but that's okay, because the next card is...)

CMT-6 FRANK ROBINSON!!!! (It's not the original back, but right now, I don't care. It says Cincinnati Redlegs on the front and that's awesome)

When They Were Young Johnny Damon
Ticket to Toppstown Manny Ramirez
105 - Madison Bumgarner RC (a good way to end)

Not a bad pack at all, I must say. The two crappy team cards, the Toppstown insert (I still can't believe that counts as one of the eight cards in every pack) and the super-creepy WTWY insert (I don't like that set at all) are more than balanced out by two rookie cards, an awesome Oriole, and Frank Freakin' Robinson.

And by the way, I finally pulled a Million Card Giveway in pack #11.