Catching Up

I'm back! Did you miss me? Alright, first things first - my wife is doing excellent! The surgery went smoothly and she was home the following day. The pathology report came back clean, meaning the cancer didn't spread past her uterus. She's feeling a lot better too, even though she is still under some restrictions and has to be careful not to overdo anything. Everything is trending it the right direction! I appreciate all the kind thought and words from you guys. It meant a lot! 

 

Now that I'm back to blogging, I decide to wrap up a whole bunch of incoming cards that have been sitting around waiting for their moment in the sun. My camera roll needed a bit of a photo dump.

 

Back in February, Jeff (Wax Pack Wonders) included a bonus card in one of our Time Travel Trading dealings:

 

 

Kerry Wood's historic rookie season made this a sought after card back in 1998. As far as multiplayer rookie cards go, this one was pretty good, as all three pitchers eventually made the All-Star team.

 

I also got some free cards recently from Stuart (S.R. '75 Cards). He was kind enough to help with my 1977 Topps set build, as well as add a few Red Sox needs my way:

 

 

Bob Boone giving us that smoldering look that drove all the ladies wild...

 

Next, a TCDB trade with Kurt from Butler, PA. I was able to acquire two more Red Sox from the 1976 set, leaving me just 3 short of the team collection!

 

That Fred Lynn was one of the bigger cards remaining from my quest to obtain all the Red Sox cards from the 1975-current Topps base sets.

 

Last but not least, Greg (Night Owl Cards) was kind enough to send a couple of Red Sox cards along with his most recent Time Travel Trade (which is set for Monday!)

 

 I'm not a huge fan of parallels, but the tree border does add a nice subtle touch to the holiday set.  

 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming!

 

 

Number 5 Type Generousity

Blogger Matthew (Number 5 Type Collection) is doing a little Spring cleaning, and offered up some team lots to anyone interested. I of course was more than happy to give his Red Sox cards a new home. 

 

As these things go, half of the fun is that you never know what you're going to get. Matthew said the amount of "junk" was overall low, so I was confident there would be a few "new to me" cards to add.  

 

 

Out of this lot of 31 cards, 9 of them were cards I didn't have.  Not to dismiss the other cards (which were full of stars and fan favorites), I'm going to highlight just the nine I needed:

 

2025 Topps - Holiday #698 Zach Penrod 

 

I'm in the camp of collectors that find these parallels pointless and won't go out of my way to collect them. The only Holiday cards I own are ones I pulled from packs or have been given to me. Thanks in part to Topps' fascination with rookies and parallels, Zach Penrod has 109 cards in 2025 despite only having 4 innings pitched the year prior.

 

2025 Topps Heritage #267 Garrett Crochet 

 

Heritage has become a set I just don't buy packs of anymore. Nothing against the product itself, it's just that between the limited selection of in-store product (I rarely see Heritage until months after it's release) and the limitations of my budget, I've become more selective with how I spend my money. I need to get into the habit of just buying the team sets off eBay. 

 

2024 Topps Heritage - The Fred Lynn Files #FLF-8 Fred Lynn

 

This was an exciting inclusion! Last year I added this insert set to my page of sets I'm trying to complete, but this is only the second card from the set I've acquired.  I'll be honest, aside from slowly picking away at the 1977 Topps set, I've not done a very good job whittling away at any of the sets on that page.

 

2023 Topps Heritage #631 Emmanuel Valdez (RC)

 

See my previous comment regarding Heritage. Valdez wins the best photo of the bunch award. 

 

1989 Baseball Cards Magazine Repli-Cards #44 Roger Clemens    

 

I'm pretty sure I had this card once upon a time. When I was younger and regularly bought these magazines, I always kept the cards within the pages. Somewhere in time, these magazines became separated from my baseball card collection and lost. The poor cut job just adds to the whimsical allure of the card. 

  

1987 TCMA Collectors Kits Reprints - 1986 All-Time Boston Red Sox

#9BRS Carl Yastrzemski (VAR)

 

A part of me is genuinely curious how the decision makers at TCMA decided it was necessary to reprint just two cards from a set a year after they originally released it. (They actually did this with a lot of their older sets, not just the Red Sox).

 

1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes #9 Ted Williams

 

This is one of those sets I always love and will pick up cards from when possible, but not actively trying to complete it. Despite this, until know I didn't own either of the Red Sox cards from the set (Joe Cronin being the other).

 

1982 Donruss #208 Dave Stapleton 

 

I own very little early 80's Donruss, so there is a significant gap in my collection of Red Sox cards from that period for both Donruss and Fleer. Maybe now that my Topps run of Red Sox cards is more manageable, I should add these guys to the list. 

 

1981 Donruss #544 Dave Stapleton (RC) 

 

See my previous comment. I will share this oddity though: 1981 Topps and 1981 Fleer are complete. 1981 Donruss however, is just a shade over 5%. Perhaps someday I'll complete the 1981 trifecta...

 

Thanks again Matthew for the cards! 

 

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Announcement!

 

OK, time for an update/announcement. This will be my last post for a short while. Today my wife is having a hysterectomy and will be joining me as a cancer survivor. Her recovery time is around 6 weeks, and I'll be taking the next week or so off to assist with her recovery. For the blog it doesn't mean much - one maybe two weekly haikus skipped, and the next Time Travel Trading Update will be pushed back to the 4th Monday of June. Other than that, I don't think I'll be missed much. ;)  Prayers and good vibes are appreciated! See you soon!

Repack Haiku #463 (Darwin Barney)

Holds big league record

For most straight error-less games 

As second baseman

 

2013 Topps #299 Darwin Barney

 

In 2012, Barney tied the single season Major League record for second basemen by going 141 straight games without an error. He only had two the entire season, and was awarded both the Rawlings Gold Glove and Fielding Bible Award.

A Thank You For Your Thoughts

Two weeks ago, I shared a generous donation to the Time Travel Trading Project courtesy of Jon (formerly of A Penney Sleeve For Your Thoughts). Jon didn't just send some free cards to the project. He also included some Red Sox cards for my collection:

 

 

I'm going to any of my readers who are smarter than I am. Can anyone provide more information on that Ted Williams card? It's a reprint of the 1948 Swell Sport Thrills set, but I can't find any information as to when or by who this reprint set was released. I'm more curious to how old it may be more than anything else. 

 

The star attraction from the group however is this great autographed 1963 Topps card of former infielder Chuck Schilling. Schilling came up to Boston in 1961 along with another Long Islander and his eventual roommate, Carl Yastrzemski. (He even got more Rookie of the Year votes than Yaz that season, placing 3rd). Schilling lasted 5 seasons in the big leagues, and later became a well respected and loved teacher. he passed away in 2021.

 

Thanks for the cards Jon! 

Confessions: I *Heart* NY!

So there has been this blog bat around that's been circulating the past few weeks. It basically a challenge to show a team you hate some cardboard appreciation. As a Red Sox fan, it's pretty obvious which team falls in the "Most hated" category. Those Yankees aren't the "Evil Empire" for nothing you know!

 

As shocking as it may be, the truth is the Yankees are very much ingrained into who I am as a person and as a collector. It's time for some confessions!

 

Confession #1: I was once a Yankee fan!

 

It's true! Granted, I was only 5 or 6 at the time. Still somewhere out there are pictures of me wearing a Yankees cap. My first ever "favorite player" was a Yankee too! I was apparently a Reggie Jackson fan, although I don't remember why.  It's also probably no small coincidence that my interest in baseball waned around the time Reggie left for the Angels...

 

Confession #2: A Yankee was the reason my dad became a Braves fan.

 

My dad was never a hardcore baseball fan, but he did enjoy the sport. The Braves were his team, although he never wore a braves hat or owned anything to express this fandom. I always thought it was just because they were frequently on TV, thanks to TBS regularly showing their games. Those games were probably how I became reintroduced to the sport and reigniting my own fandom. What I learned years later was that my dad started following the Braves because a Yankee player he liked joined Atlanta. He couldn't even remember the name of the guy, but I was able to figure out it was Chris Chambliss. 

 

Confession #3: Even a Red Sox fan like me was excited to pull a Yankee out of packs.

 

When you collect cards, you learn who the big names are. In the late 80's, Don Mattingly was one of the biggest names around. It didn't matter what your team allegiance was, if you opened a pack of cards and found a "Donny Baseball", it was a good pack!

 

Confession #4: The #1 card in my collection features a Yankee legend.

 

This is the big one. I've mentioned this before, but my parents took me to a card show in Niagara Falls as a gift for one of my birthdays. It was there that I got to stand in line to meet one of baseball's all time greats. The autographed card is a reminder of one of the greatest moments in my life as a collector and baseball fan. It's the one card I treasure above all others.

 

Confession #5: I married a Yankees fan!

 

Love can make you do crazy things. My wife is a Yankees fan, thanks in no small part to her father, who was born in Brooklyn. Despite being on opposite sides of the field, our marriage is going 20 plus years strong! Like every other female Yankee fan, she liked Derek Jeter, and I must say there is a small ego boost knowing that I rank above him now (I hope...)

 

Confession #6: Yankee Stadium is a pretty awesome place to watch a game.

 

Yes, I wore my Red Sox shirt, and yes, Yankee fans were quick to throw some not so nice words in my direction. Despite that, I enjoyed atmosphere and the game. Having the entire stadium erupt when "Enter Sandman" played gave me goosebumps. 

 

Confession #7: Yankee history is baseball history, and I can appreciate that.

 

Maybe it's easier to appreciate now that the Yankees aren't winning the World Series every year, but I can appreciate Yankee players and what they've done in their career. I was too young to remember Ron Guidry's peak years as a Cy Yong winner and one of the greatest pitchers in baseball, but I was no less appreciative to get his autograph on a baseball. Watching Aaron Judge is must see TV, and I can't help but think watching him feels like watching guys like Reggie and Mantle in their primes. I may not root for the Yankees to win, but I root for a good baseball game and the Yankees consistently provide that.

 

OK, that's enough Yankee appreciation for one day! Go Red Sox! 

Repack Haiku #462 (LaTroy Hawkins)

Ranked 10th in games played

One of just sixteen players

Over one thousand

  

2005 Topps #438 LaTroy Hawkins

 

Over an amazing 21-year career with 11 different franchises, Hawkins pitched in 1,042 Major League games. 

Top 5 Hall Of Fame Tribute: Bobby Cox

Earlier this month, we said goodbye to another Hall of Fame manager, as the unforgettable Bobby Cox passed away at the age of 84. In appreciation of his career, I present my tribute of the top 5 cards of his from my collection.

 

1978 Topps #93 Bobby Cox (MGR)

It is fortunate for Cox that his MLB managerial career started when he was hired to manage the Braves in 1978. The 1978 Topps set is known for having the greatest manager cards ever produced. Who doesn't love that flashback stamp from their playing days? It's interesting that his player photo is a minor league card from his time with the Richmond Braves. Cox actually played two seasons with the Yankees, starting in 1968 (Mantle's last year by the way!)

 

1981 Fleer

#247 Bob Cox (MGR)

 

The 1981 season would be the last for his first stint with the Braves. In those four years his team never finished higher than 4th place. He was replaced by Joe Torre, who would likewise be inducted to the Hall with Cox in 2014.

 

1986 Topps

#471 Bobby Cox (MGR, CL) 

The Blue Jays were quick to scoop him up and make them their next manager. In his four years with Toronto, Cox would take the team from last place in 1982 to AL East Champions in 1985. After that season, Cox would return to Atlanta as their General Manager, laying the foundation for a dynasty.

 

1990 Topps Traded

#23T Bobby Cox (MGR) 

 

Although Cox never held a front office job before, he was crucial in turning the Braves into a powerhouse. He is responsible for the trade that brought John Smoltz to Atlanta, as well as selecting Chipper Jones with the #1 pick in the 1990 draft. Shortly after that draft, he returned to the dugout midway through the season, ceding the GM role to John Schuerholz.

 

1991 Topps

#759 Bobby Cox (MGR, TL)

 

His second stint as the Braves' manager was historically better than his first go-around. In 1991 the Braves won their division for the first of what would ultimately be 14 consecutive division titles. In those 14 years they captured the NL pennant 5 times, and in 1995 Cox led the team to a World Series Championship.

 

Cox would end his career with 2,504 managerial wins, good for 4th place all-time. The Expansion Era Committee unanimously voted him to the Hall of Fame in 2014.

 

RIP Mr. Cox. You will be missed.