Repack Haiku #53 (Ugueth Urbina)

Once cut down hitters
Attacked men with machete
Bad man Urbina

1997 Upper Deck #112 Ugueth Urbina

If you're not familiar with this former All-Star's downfall, you can read about it here. He's definitely not someone you would want to get angry.

Hockey Cards From Cardboard History - Pack #5

Happy Memorial Day! The NHL season has at long last reached its apex! The Stanley Cup Finals start tonight! What better way to celebrate than by showing off another batch of cards I won from Billy at Cardboard History! This pack contained mostly cards from the 2015-16 season, and there are great cards in here!

2015-16 Upper Deck #34 Elias Lindholm

Lindholm scored his first career hat trick on March 8, 2015 against the Oilers. This card commemorates that achievement.

2015-16 Upper Deck #57 Ales Hemsky

This is a great shot of Hemsky rejoicing while taking a seat on the ice. I'm guessing either he or someone he assisted scored.

2015-16 Upper Deck #83 Jake Muzzin

This photo is amazing! Muzzin's jump perfectly frames the word Alberta on the board.You don't often think of hockey players getting that vertical during a game.

2015-16 Upper Deck #188 John Carlson

The leaning effect in this card makes this one stand out. It's like both players are just a breath away from toppling over.

2012-13 Score #311 Henrik Lundqvist

A great action shot of one the all time great goalies. The card design is nice and simple too.

2008-09 Fleer Ultra - Scoring Kings #SK6 Jaromir Jagr

Another all-time great, what makes this card really stand out is the paragraph on the back:

"In what likely was Jagr's final season in the NHL..." For anyone who doesn't follow hockey, Jagr played this past season for the Calgary Flames. Although Jagr didn't play for a few seasons after the 2007-08 season, he eventually made his way back to the NHL and played for a long time afterward. Fleer (and pretty much everyone else)  underestimated his career by a full decade! I get the feeling Jagr will still be lacing up his skates for some  Czech team well into his 60s!

As always, a big thank you to Billy for all the great cards!

Angels In My Mailbox

Last month, I was the lucky recipient of a surprise package from Tom at The Angels In Order. I received a big envelope with over 170 cards in them, all of them featuring the Red Sox - and most of them were needs!

Obviously, there too much to show, so a few highlights will have to suffice:

1980 Topps #200 Jim Rice (AS)

I was genuinely surprised that I didn't have this card in my collection already!

1988 Panini Stickers #22 Bruce Hurst

Pardon if my memory is hazy after 30 years, but I am fairly certain I almost completed this sticker album. I vaguely remember being just a few cards short. I almost wish I knew where it was so I could look through it again.

1991 Stadium Club Charter Member Ellis Burks

I had never heard of this Charter member set before this card. It was a multi-sport set featuring mostly baseball, with a splash of football and hockey.

1992 Post Cereal #19 Wade Boggs

That, my friends, is the smile of a man who just smelled some fried chicken. May we all be that happy in life!

1993 Classic Game #T94 Mo Vaughn

I actually have an unopened copy of this game, so I haven't seen many of the actual cards that were  included.

1993 Fleer #717 Roger Clemens/Dennis Eckersley (SSS)

Fleer had some great multi-player cards in its hey-day, and this one is just awesome.

1993 Upper Deck #33 Tony Pena (CH)

I always liked Tony Pena, especially when he'd stick his leg out during his crouch. More cards should celebrate players for their off-field accomplishments.

2008 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH150 Jon Lester (HL)

After coming back from cancer, Lester's no-hitter remains one of those great baseball stories.

2014 Heritage #135 2013 World Series Game 4

Two grown bald men that would tug on each other's beards whenever they hit a homer. I vaguely recall an old WWF/WWE tag team that would do something similar...

2017 Topps Bunt - Progams #PR-JB Jackie Bradley Jr.

Bunt's Programs inserts are some of my favorite inserts from the past few years - they look fantastic!

2018 Heritage #146 Hanley Ramirez

I realized all of a sudden why I like the Red Sox cards in this year's Heritage set - It's the hedge! The hedge backdrop makes all the difference!

I'm overwhelmed by the generosity! Thanks again Tom - you're awesome!

Repack Haiku #52 (Todd Hollandsworth)

The fifth straight Dodger
To win Rookie of the Year
Won ring with Marlins

1994 Upper Deck #531 Todd Hollandsworth (TP)

And with this, I done a full year of weekly haiku! I must say, I'm rather impressed with myself! Anyway, to celebrate all these wonderful poems, I've taken the liberty to create a page where they can all reside for your viewing pleasure!

Time Travel Trading Update #11

The writer sat staring blankly at his computer screen. All was silent except for the sound of chirping crickets.

*****

I knew eventually that this series would lose steam and start to wind down. However, I'll admit that after my last update (which was huge in scope), I thought I'd have enough momentum to keep going a while longer. Alas, it wasn't the case. In the month since the last update I have received zero trade offers. Zero. Zilch. Nada. What's a poor time traveler to do? Time traveling isn't as much fun without a companion or two. If this project really is beginning its slow decent to completion, it's not going to go without a fight.

You forced me into this. I didn't want to go this route, but times are tough...

I'm going to have to start pimping!

Since I have no standing offers, I'm going to highlight two cards from the trade stack. If I don't get any offers on them, then they'll be retired and officially added to my collection. I'll just keep whittling down the stack until it is empty.

Let's pimp some cards! I'll start with one newer one and one vintage:

2013 Topps Update #US84 Stephen Drew

Drew is the only card from the 21st century in the trade stack, and has been hanging around since February. He's depicted with the Red Sox here, the same year he won his only Championship ring. He's also one of the players involved in a rare trade between the Red Sox and Yankees.  If your looking for an easy trade, this is it. Anything from the junk wax era will claim this card.

How Acquired: Received with 2 other cards in exchange for a 2018 Topps Eric Hosmer.

Why should you want this card? - If you like cards where the player makes a funny face, Stephen is a strong contestant. That grimace lets you know he didn't just casually toss the ball!

1973 Topps #102 Rudy May

May is one of 5 cards I have available from 1973, and has been waiting his turn in the stack since March. He's most famous for winning the AL ERA title in 1980 while playing for the Yankees.

How Acquired - Received along with 9 other cards in exchange for a 1981-82 Topps Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Why should you want this card? -  Rudy is in a classic 70's windup pose, even though it's obvious he's not even holding a baseball!

These cards are here, awaiting a new home! Will it be yours? Make an offer on these two, or any of the cards left in the stack! Help me keep this series going! All it takes is a card (preferably baseball) older than the card or cards you want in return!

The Time Travel Trade Stack:

2013 Topps Update
#US84 Stephen Drew

1995 Comic Images Phil Rizzuto's Baseball
#24 New York Giants

1992 Topps
#560 Rickey Henderson

1990-91 Hoops (basketball)
#168 Glen Rice (RC)

1990 Topps
#18 Carlos Quintana

1986 Topps
#2 Rose Special '63-'66
#3 Rose Special '67-'70
#4 Rose Special '71-'74
#5 Rose Special '75-'78
#6 Rose Special '79-'82
#7 Rose Special '83-'85
 #401 Fernando Valenzuela (Turn Back The Clock)

1981-82 Topps (basketball)
#14 Moses Malone

1981 Topps
#63 Steve Renko
#704 Bill Travers

1980 Topps
#671 A's Future Stars

1979 Topps
#130 Bob Watson
#455 Bill Lee

1978 Topps
#24 Don Money
#193 Rich Chiles
#347 Terry Forster
#445 Mike Ivie
#471 Roy Smalley
#581 Lynn McGlothen

1977 Topps
#294 George Medich
#524 Rowland Office

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee (hockey)
#53 Richard Lemieux

1973 Topps
#18 Leroy Stanton
#36 Steve Barber
#98 Dick Woodson
#99 Carl Taylor
#102 Rudy May

1972 Topps
#374 Jack Heidemann

1970 Topps
#103 Frank Reberger

1969 Topps
#453 Mike Cueller

1969 Topps - Deckle Edge
#13 Mel Stottlemyre

1969 Topps (football)
#154 Sam Baker

1967 Philadelphia (football)
#109 New York Giants (TC)

1966 Topps
#444b Checklist 430-506 (CL)

1965 Philadelphia (football)
#193 John Paluck

1964 Philadelphia (football)
#172 Ken Gray (RC)

1964 Topps
#305 Jack Lamabe

1963 Topps
#111 Al Jackson
#155 Bill Stafford

1962 Post Cereal
#58 Frank Malzone

1962 Topps
#278 Ken Johnson

1960 Topps
#95 Frank Thomas
#138 Art Mahaffey (RC, RS)

1959 Topps (football)
#80 Joe Perry

1956 Topps Flags of the World (non-sport)
#70 Jordan

1954 Bowman
#16 Jim Wilson

1952 Bowman
#57 Clyde Vollmer

1938 Church & Dwight Useful Birds Of America Tenth Series (J9-6) (non-sport)
#2 Black-throated Green Warbler

6 Seriously WTF Moments I Had Opening A Pack Of 2018 Donruss

This was supposed to be just another one of my Payday Pack posts, but as I looked through the cards and entered them into the TCDB, I felt a whole different post idea come along.

I'll admit, seeing other reviews from the rest of the blogging family didn't really endear me to this year's Donruss set. However, I've learned that there's a difference between seeing online images and holding the cards in your hand. I decided to give Donruss a try, and bought a 30 card pack. I don't think any single pack has ever given me so many WTF moments...

WTF #1 - The Blank Swoosh

2018 Donruss #214 Hall of Fame All-Stars (Smith/Sandberg)

This has been discussed plenty elsewhere, and I have to say I agree with the opinion that the white swoosh is wasted real estate. Would it have really been that difficult to put the players' names on there? Oh, and Ozzie, my man, what's up with those shades?

WTF #2 - SP Everywhere

2018 Donruss #65b Jim Palmer (SP, VAR)

If  1/6 of the cards in a pack are short prints, are they really that rare? Topps has conditioned me to believe that the handful of times I've pulled a short print in a retail pack were noteworthy occurrences. Donruss apparently is giving them away like Oprah gives away cars. This pack had 5 SP in it! That's not what I would expect. The SP themselves are pretty random too. Some of them, like this black and white variation, look great. Others however...

WTF #3 - Gwynn?

2018 Donruss #165b Tony Gwynn (SP, VAR)

Some baseball players can get away with just a single name - Ichiro. Pedro. Reggie. Bob. (Just seeing if you were paying attention!) You can't really make that argument with Hall Of Famer Tony Gwynn. Of all the possible variations they could have done here, what made them just list his surname? What was the thought process here?

WTF #4 - Diamond Kings

 

2018 Donruss #4 Joey Votto (DK)

This just flat out makes me sad. I used to love the Diamond Kings subset in Donruss. The artwork was unique and creative. Being a Diamond King used to mean something, gosh darn it! This is just laziness, like they decided to go with a rejected base design and slap the Diamond King label on it. The back of the card is just a pointless copy of the front image. There is nothing special about these cards whatsoever.

WTF# 5 - Juan Marichal: Limbo Champion

 

2018 Donruss #115 Juan Marichal

Not all of my WTF moments were of the sarcastic, "What were they thinking?" variety. I actually did a double take at this picture. The camera angle makes it look like Marichal is doing some awesome Matrix-level bending here. This is an awesome card and probably my favorite from the pack. Kudos on this one!

WTF #6 - Blank Back Cards

 

2018 Donruss - Blank Back #117 Lorenzo Cain

Just like the Diamond Kings, I find this parallel pointless and lazy. Blank backs just don't do anything for me, especially when the blank back still has to include all the company and legal text. The lack of the card number particularly annoyed me.

I'll be honest, I like the base set. I like the design and the colors, and love the tribute to the 1984 set. The short prints are very hit or miss, despite being easily attainable. Maybe I'll buy another pack, we'll see.

One last thing - It's not every day you get a chance to win a relic from a Hall of Famer. You should probably check out the contest at The Daily Dimwit. 

Repack Haiku #51 (Bobby Crosby)

Not Bing nor Bubba
Former Rookie of the Year
Replaced Tejada

2010 Topps #257 Bobby Crosby

My First Blog Bat Around - Infinity War

 I decided I wanted to try my hand at creating my own Blog Bat Around, and came up with an idea based on the Avengers: Infinity War movie. I'm going to assume that since the movie has been out for about a month now, that a spoiler warning isn't necessary, but just in case you're one of the few that has no idea how the movie ended:

****Spoiler Warning****

 

Thanos kills half of all creation. Half of the Marvel heroes that appeared in this movie faded away to dust with nothing more than a snap of his fingers.

*******************

Based on that evil action, I thought it would be fun to make a similar choice. I thought of two potential ways of incorporating this concept:

1. With a snap of your fingers, you receive a complete set of your choice. This set is in mint condition. However, half of your collection as it stands now fades away into nothingness. You have no idea what cards will disappear - junk wax, autographs, relics - all are fair game. Would you do it? What set would be worthy of such a heavy price?

2. With a snap of your fingers, you legally obtain every known copy of one card in existence. Just think, all of those T206 Honus Wagners could be yours to do with as you please! However, you must name a player. That athlete will have all of their collectables erased from history. The player and their career is not affected, they just lose anything associated with them. Set completionists will curse you for all eternity, as these cards will forever leave gaps in their sets. What card do you covet most? Who among the cardboard faces will never be in a PC collection?

Sounds like fun? Here's how I'd roll the dice:

1. As amazing as it would be to own a mint vintage set, I couldn't risk losing the autographed Mantle in my possession.  It has such enormous sentimental value that I really couldn't bear that cost.

2. I'll admit, I think it was easier for me to name a disappearing athlete than a card I'd want every copy of. Still, I think I would have to pick the 1954 Topps Ted Williams. It's arguably the greatest and most coveted Red Sox baseball card, and with good reason.

1954 Tops #1 Ted Williams

As for the athlete, I'd pick Mel Hall. He's one of the most despicable people to ever put on a uniform, and the junk wax era wouldn't miss him one iota. He deserves to be forgotten.

It's your turn, fellow bloggers. The gauntlet is in your hands...

Hockey Cards From Cardboard History - Pack #4

After a long hiatus, I'm back with the fourth batch of cards I received from Billy at Cardboard History. This pack had 29 cards, most of them from this year's Upper Deck set. Here's a few highlights:

2017-18 Upper Deck #4 Kevin Bieksa

I know what you're thinking, and I'm here to lay down the truth - that kid behind him is definitely picking his nose! Congrats, kid, you're famous!

2017-18 Upper Deck #48 Nathan MacKinnon

What a great photo! It's always great to see players interacting with fans, but this takes it a step further by showing MacKinnon taking the jersey off his back and signing it for someone. Awesome!

2017-18 Upper Deck #176 William Nylander

That hat can only mean one thing - Winter Classic! If I owned a team, they'd wear those over their helmets all the time, even indoors!

2001-02 Pacific heads Up #56 Martin Brodeur

Martin Brodeur's goal-tending skills are every bit mesmerizing as this card. Shiny!

1992-93 Fleer Ultra #116 Scott Niedermayer

I don't care if it's junk wax era, it a rookie Hall of Famer!

1989-90 O-Pee-Chee #88 Luc Robitaille

Another Hall of Famer. I like the side borders with the blue a lot, but the red name plate just clashes too much...

With this pack, I'm halfway through all the goodies Billy gave me! Let's see how my collection is coming along. Here are before and after screen captures from the TCDB:

 Top Sets

Before

After 4 packs

This year's Upper Deck maintains the top spot, but the Victory set drops to a 3 way tie for 4th. I suspect it'll drop even further down before this is done.

Top Teams

Before

After 4 packs

The Sabres have taken their rightful spot atop my collection, and all is well with the world...

Top Brands

Before

After 4 packs

Upper Deck is the king of hockey, but it's fun to see the variety of brands I have now!

As always, thanks Billy! This series may very well last longer than the NHL playoffs!