I've spent most of my blogging time tonight working on something that isn't even technically a post - it's a page that formalises and sets out all the rules about The Belt, plus it contains a history and even some statistics about The Belt. Check it out - it's always available on the right-hand side of the blog. Just click on the logo of whatever team that is currently holding The Belt to find out more.

I was also able to find a smaller Cardinals logo to use, so that's kept me from going insane every time I open my own blog. Hopefully it won't be on there for too much longer.

Still, I should post some cards or write something about baseball, since that's the reason you all come to the site. So here's two more cards I picked up last week on the trip to Perth. By the way, a big thank you for reading - the blog seems to crack a new milestone in visits, page views, posts or subscribers every other week.

Let me be perfectly clear - I did not get this card because of the Phillies. I got it because I like Scott Rolen as a player, and always have. Now, that said, the powder blue throwback uni is pretty sweet. No surprise - regular readers know my predilection for old school uniforms.

It dawns on me, though - what am I going to do with this card? I got it because I like Scott Rolen, and I'm glad he's on the Reds. But it's not a Reds card, so I can't put it in the Reds binder. And I don't have a Scott Rolen binder. Or a Topps Moments and Milestones binder. In fact, I'm getting hives just thinking about one of those.

Maybe I should create a throwback uniform collection. Hmm, that's actually not a bad idea...



Also, here's a Paul Konerko Box Score Memories parallel from my beloved 2009 A Piece of History set. Unlike the Rolen, I know exactly where I can put this card - in a Captain Paulie page in my White Sox binder. This is a companion to the Konerko Box Score Memories relic I pulled out of the box of APOH that I bought, coincidentally enough, at Al's. Unfortunately, they didn't have any boxes of that in stock this time, or I would have totally bought one. Maybe even two.

More progress in completing the set. While there aren't a lot of cards to write home about, at least there weren't any duplicates, either. Here's my picks from the pack:

Best three cards (in reverse order):

#3 – Coco Crisp (#190): I like collecting (maybe hoarding is a better word) Athletics cards because of the green and gold. I love the way those two colors look together and find it very appealing. Green and gold, in case you didn't know, are also the official colors of Australia. Even though you'll find neither in our flag, they're all over the place in our sporting uniforms.

I also like dirt on my baseball cards. Dirt signifies extra effort, and playing hard. Combining green, gold and dirt is a winner in my book.


#2 – Carlos Ruiz (#219): Look at his eyes. Ruiz is tracking that fly ball. It's those little things - capturing the fundamentals on film - that makes me happy. I love cards that do that.


#1 – John Buck (#296): Who knew that a card that obscured the subject's face could look so good? But that is one heck of a catcher's mask right there. It's only fitting - the Blue Jays' Charlie O'Brien started the trend of hockey-style catcher's gear. Not surprising, really. Here's something you might not know - O'Brien originally had a mask with a fierce-looking Blue Jay, in the traditional hockey mask style. But MLB wouldn't approve it, and made O'Brien go with a mask with the official Jays logo instead. It was quite a few years before they finally relented and allowed masks with personality.


Worst card:
Heath Bell (#178). It's not so much the card, because I like the picture and the display of raw emotion. My problem is with the uniform that Bell is wearing. Judging by the hat, it looks like a Fourth of July (or September 11th) special - see the flag hat? But the uniform is all-white. First, I thought the Padres wore a sandy beige? Second, that uniform isn't just white - it's, really, really gleaming white. He looks like a chef.


Jamie Moyer Award for best card back:
Kurt Suzuki (#79). This card gets the nod for its brief primer on Hawaiian baseball history, at least Hawaiian baseball history as it relates to Kurt Suzuki.

Insert cards:


Chipper Jones Topps 60


Albert Pujols/Miguel Cabrera Diamond Duos


1990 Bernie Williams 60 Years of Topps


1953 Duke Snider 60 Years of Topps Lost Card (A particularly poignant inclusion)


1988 Greg Maddux 60 Years of Topps Original Backs (there's something kind of anti-climactic about getting a card that you already have the original...but I guess it could have been worse - it could have been that 2010 Albert Pujols)


Jered Weaver Kimball Champions

Was there a hit? Is it available for trade?:
No, and with three already pulled I don't expect there to be any more.

Any Diamond Parallel cards?:

Yes! David Wright (#15). Notice anything missing? Like diamond foil? That's four out of six. I give up.


Card I was most happy to see: Paul Konerko (#93). While he is Mr. White Sox now, Paul first made his mark in the big leagues with the Reds after spending time as a Dodgers farmhand (and touted prospect). While I don't necessarily seek out Konerko cards and don't have a Konerko PC, I won't turn them away and am always glad to get them. I think four different PCs are enough, though.


Oddball card I thought I'd mention: Matt Lindstrom (#222). Notice where the Topps logo is on this card? It's not where it's supposed to be. Since I only have one copy, I can't tell if this is a printing error or if the card is really supposed to be laid out like that. I can't see anything in the top left-hand corner that would keep the logo from going there. It's not like his pitching hand is in the way or anything.

I'm going with printing error. Does anyone else have a picture of a Lindstrom card they can post?

Overall thoughts:
Another pack that serves its purpose - the purpose being, get me closer to completing the set! Nothing to shout about, but any time I can get another 41 cards closer to my goal, I'm not going to complain.

Set Progress: 225/330 (68.2%) 
Lyle Overbay sightings: 1

Things are slower here.

That's in no way an indictment at all on my trade partner, Julie, aka PerfectHalladay, from Things are Funner Here. It's more a problem with Australia Post. Julie was one of six people who I mailed packages off to before I left for my European extravaganza. Hers was the first I got back. She sent it on January 25. I got it...yesterday.

Usually, it takes about a week, ten days tops. This was three weeks. Clearly, Australia Post flies the mail over to Perth, then walks it up to Derby. Or something like that.

The good news is that this is the first of many packages, and thus the first of many trade posts. And hopefully soon, when I get my DSL line up and running, normal posting. Because I want to do the Blog-Bat-Around, continue the Uniform Back series, and much, much more. And, the one-year anniversary of RGB Cards is next month! Hard to believe, but it's true.

Okay, enough with the bellyaching. On to what Julie sent my way:

(and by the way, she's having a contest but it ends today at noon so you've got about six hours to enter. Hurry!)

Two cards stand out from the pack. First, THE BUZZSAW!

It only took me four days (that's quick for me), but the box of APOH has been busted. I'll definitely be looking to get more of this set. For those unfamiliar, the box contains 16 packs with 7 cards each. There's one "hit" in each pack, but most of the time it's a serial-numbered parallel of a base card, but there are autographs, relics and patch cards available. Of course, the big draw is the Hollywood relics, but I really don't care about them, mostly because the checklist seems to contain movies I haven't seen. I'd be impressed if I got a Claude Rains relic and it was from Casablanca, but it's probably more like something from The Man Who Watched Trains Go By.

So here's the hits from my break. As far as the main set goes, I now have 98 base cards from the 200-card set. Another box will put a big dent into that, and then I'll have to further examine the checklist to see if it makes sense to get a third box or just pick up what I need from here and there. But I love the look of the cards. The marble finish, the frame for the picture, the gold-embossed team logo in a solid-colored circle at the bottom of the card - visually, I find this set very appealing. Here's the Felix Hernandez base card (from my personal collection) to show you what I mean:

The more I discover sets like this and Masterpieces, the sadder I become that Upper Deck isn't going to be producing any more of these. One set I'm not sorry about is Yankee Stadium Legacy. That's just a pox on humanity. But this is 2009 Upper Deck, so we don't have to worry about that. What we do have to worry about, is the Upper Deck 20th Anniversary Mega Set. And in this product, half of the packs contain cards from the set. From what I can seem to tell, they're all numbered in the 500s. Here's what I pulled:


554 - Ken Griffey Jr. 1993 MVP voting
534 - Ken Griffey Jr. 27 HR season in '92
559 - UNC Tar Heels
539 - Chicago Bulls win '93 NBA title
544 - Michael Jordan All-Defensive team in '93
524 - John Paxson Game-winning shot in Game 6 (1993)
529 - Montreal Canadiens win '93 Stanley Cup
549 - Derek Jeter Short-print cards introduced

The two Griffeys, obviously, I'm glad to have. They go into my PC with some others from this set. I'm also glad to have the UNC Tar Heels card because I'm a proud alum, even if that particular card has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the Heels. It's about how Michigan beat Kentucky to set up the infamous Chris Webber "Time Out" game. And then there's a picture of the Superdome. But I'm going to keep it.

The other five cards are available for trade if anyone wants them. The Jeter card is wonderfully self-referential. It's all about how, in 1993, Upper Deck started the short print craze that the hobby currently "enjoys". Never mind the revisionist history - the card is so comical, it's guaranteed to cheer up anyone who's having a bad day.

Okay, on to the real hits. I'll keep the commentary to a minimum, lest this post end up becoming the size of a William Faulkner novel.


BSM-PK Paul Konerko Box Score Memories relic card

Why not start with the big gun? This was the relic that I pulled, and I can't complain getting a Paul Konerko. It's a shame that it's a plain white jersey, but when you consider all of the other cards out there, to pull a relic of a great player on one of my favorite teams ain't half bad. I'm definitely keeping this.





Blue Parallel cards (numbered to 999):
31 - Troy Tulowitzki
90 - Evan Longoria
150 - Mitch Talbot
Franchise Members - Chicago Cubs (Soriano, Lee, Ramirez, Soto)

The double Tulowitzki isn't a mistake - I pulled two of them in this box, within three packs of each other. None of these cards overwhelm me so they're all available for trade, especially the Tulowitzki dupe.


Box Score Memories subset (numbered to 999):
Derrek Lee
Rafael Furcal

Both available for trade. The idea is okay, an important game in the players career with the box score for that game printed on the back.

Both cards are available for trade.


Franchise History subset:
Roy Halladay (numbered to 999)
Jason Varitek (numbered to 149)

I've already got the Tim Lincecum card in this subset, but would be interested in the cards from the five teams I collect. I know Brian Roberts is on the Orioles card, Konerko's on the White Sox and Bobby Crosby is on the Athletics (remember, this was a 2009 set).

Both of these cards are available for trade. The Varitek is from the rarer "black" subset. Looks like it should be called the "gold" subset to me.


A Piece of Hollywood
POH-BS - Ben Stiller

"Pants" is a good word to describe this pull. Over on A Pack to Be Named Later, I wrote that I hoped whatever relic I pulled it would be from a movie I'd seen. Three packs after I wrote that, I didn't get my wish. These pants, as you can see, are from Along Came Polly. There's a reason I didn't see that movie. I'm not buying Jennifer Aniston as a free spirit. Uptight and controlling like she was in The Break-up - now that I can buy.

This is definitely available for trade.


Violet Rookie Autograph
125 - Shairon Martis

Really? Shairon Martis? The guy so obscure, Topps spelled his name wrong on his 2009 base card? And it's a sticker auto, too.

I guess I shouldn't be badmouthing this card if I want to trade it away. Umm, this card is great! Truly a special card of a special player! Thanks, Upper Deck, for allowing me to share its glory!

Yeah, it's available.


Timeless Moments subset (numbered to 999):
TM-CH - Cole Hamels

When Thorzul opened a couple of cases of this, I got a Ken Griffey relic from this subset that would have been the hit of the break if it hadn't have been for some crazy Junior short print about his return to the Mariners. And the damn thing was, I would have had the Mariners *and* the Reds if I had logged on five minutes earlier. Instead, I got the Orioles and ended up with two Brian Roberts base cards and a Nick Markakis. It's funny how life works.

I have no interest in this card. If you do, please make me an offer.



Cut From the Same Cloth subset (numbered to 999):
CSC-GB - Ken Griffey and Jay Bruce
CSC-RR - Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins

Saving the second-best for last. Here's a card for my Grifffey White Sox Project that I didn't even know existed before I pulled it. And it's got a Red (and a good Red at that) as well. I pulled this within the first four packs (maybe it was Pack 2?) and that pretty well cemented my love affair for this set. A really sharp looking card.

The Reyes and Rollins card is available for trade. The Griffey/Bruce card, obviously not.

Let me just finish by saying that I enjoyed this set. However, I may have been shorted a memorabilia card, according to the sell sheets and the Dave & Adam's web site. But what the hell am I going to do about that from here, and more than a year after the product was released. With Upper Deck on its last legs, can it even do anything about the problem?

But I'll be a sucker and get another box, to be sure. And if there's three relics in that one, then all will be forgiven.