Monday, January 19, 2026

Time Travel Trading Update #109

 
Don't let this month relatively small amount of cards fool you! Even though I have only three trades to show off today, there are three more still pending. Plus, I'm hopeful that I'll be able to add my annual pack of Topps' latest base set. Add that to whatever trades these cards will generate, and next month's update will likely be a good one! For now, lets look at some new additions:
 
We'll lead things off with a single card swap from TCDB member Robert. I'm always happy to add a vintage Red Sox card!
 
Next up is a trade with "Blog Of The Year" winner Greg (Night Owl Cards). It's a well earned title, as he's hands down one of the best writers in our little niche corner of the internet. The cards he picked up? They get a nice well thought out post. The cards he sent back? Hey look I wrote a paargraph!   
 

 
Finally we have a trade with Jeff (Wax Pack Wonders). He always sends a nice selection of cards, and this one includes an unusual Laughlin product that doesn't have their famous carttons on the front! I just know that card plus a few others here will get snagged up by someone!

 
My sincerest thanks to Robert, Greg and Jeff for these trades! As  the Time Travel Trading Project approaches it's 9th year, I'm excited to see what 2026 brings!
 
As always, these cards are all available in exchange for an older card. You can claim your cards below, or through the TCDB (Kep75). Let's make some trades! 
 

The Time Travel Trade Stack:

 
  
 
2021-22 Donruss - Magicians (basketball)
 
2021-22 Donruss (soccer)
#183 Jose Macias (RR)    
 
2019 Topps Opening Day
#20 Jon Lester

2017-18 Donruss (basketball)
#75 Chandler Parsons
 
2017 Topps - MLB Award Winners
#CYA-1 Rick Porcello      
 
2015-16 Donruss (basketball)
#49 John Wall  
 
 
2011 Topps Lineage
#186 Mel Ott
 
2010 Topps (football)
#133 Chris Johnson (AP) 
 
2010 Topps Chrome (football)
#C141 T.J. Houshmandzadeh
 
2009 Donruss Americana (non-sport)
#50 Francesco Quinn
 
2008 Topps - Trading Card History
#TCH31 Chipper Jones
 
2008 Topps New York Yankees
#NYY8 Jason Giambi 
 
2007 Upper Deck MLB Rookie Card of the Month
#ROM-4 Ryan Braun 
 
2007 Playoff Prestige (football) 
 
2006 Topps Updates & Highlights
#UH172 Mike Piazza (SH)
 
2004 Bowman Chrome
#263 Jeff Allison (FY, RC)   
 
 
2003 Fleer Tradition
#126 Steve Cox 
 
2002 Flair
#57 Orlando Hernandez 
 
2002 Fleer Maximum
 
2002 Upper Deck World Series Heroes
#88 Andy Petitte
 
2001 Topps Archives
#201 Walter Alston (MGR) 
 
2001 Topps Post 500 Home Run Club
#6 Harmon Killebrew 
 
 
1999-00 Topps (basketball)
#16 Eric Williams 
 
1999 Stadium Club
#214 Tony Saunders   
 
1998 Donruss
#22 Tony Gwynn
 
1998 Pinnacle Performers
#14 Hideo Nomo

1998 Upper Deck Pop Weaver (racing)
#PW3 Rusty Wallace  
 
1997 Pinnacle Inside
#111 Matt Williams
 
1997 Pinnacle X-Press (football)
#76 Marshall Faulk 
 
1996 SP
 
1995 Cardtoons
#7 Fowl Boggs
 
1995 Topps
#350 Barry Larkin 
 
1995 SkyBox Lois & Clark (non-sport)
#73 Be Mine!
#75 Do You Love Me?
 
1994-95 Finest (basketball)
#43 Rex Chapman  

1994 Finest
#413 Mark Portugal
 
1994 Panini Stickers
#207 Sean Berry
#208 Wil Cordero    
 
1994 Pinnacle Church's Hometown Stars
#5 Kirby Puckett
#21 Edgar Martinez
 
1994 Classic Four Sport (multi-sport)
#145 Chad Penney   
 
1993-94 Score (hockey)
#442 Mark Recchi (LBM)
 
 
1993 Leaf
#5 Ivan Rodriguez  
 
1993 Upper Deck
#344 John Olerud 
 
1993 Score (football)
#227 Ronnie Lott 
 
1993 Classic '93 Hockey Draft (hockey)
#40 Saku Koivu 
 
1993 Classic Four Sport (multi-sport)
#246 Mike Rathje
 
1992-93 Ultra (basketball)
#204 Hakeem Olajuwon (JS)    
 
 
1992 Diet Pepsi
#9 Bryan Harvey
 
 
1992 Fleer - Roger Clemens Career Highlights
#13 Roger Clemens (EXCH)
#15 Roger Clemens (EXCH)    
 
 
 
 
1992 Pinnacle
#404 Bip Roberts 
 
1992 Post
#26 Tony Gwynn 
 
1992 Score
 
1992 Score - 90's Impact Players

1992 Topps McDonald's Baseball's Best
#18 Will Clark

 
1992 Topps Batman Returns (non-sport)
#51 Sabotaging the Batmobile
#61 Oswald Outwitted!
 
1991-92 O-Pee-Chee Premier (hockey)
#127 John Cullen
 
1991-92 Pinnacle (hockey)
#100 Wayne Gretzky  

1991-92 Pinnacle French (hockey)
#252 Paul Ranheim
 
1991-92 Pro Set - Collectibles (hockey)
#CC5 Wayne Gretzky (LL)  
 
1991-92 Pro Set French (hockey)
#306 Brian Skrudland (AS)
 
1991-92 Pro Set Platinum (hockey)
 
1991-92 Score Canadian English (hockey)
#349 Joe Sacco (TP, RC)  
 
1991-92 Fleer (basketball)
#92 Danny Manning
 
1991-92 Upper Deck (basketbal)
 
1991 Classic Best
#346 Steve Vondran   
 

1991 Donruss - Bonus Cards
#BC-9 Mark McGwrire (VAR)
 
1991 O-Pee-Chee Premier
#6 George Bell
 
1991 Score
 

1991 Ultra
#130 Lou Whitaker  
 
1991 Upper Deck
 
1991 Fleer (football)
 
 
1991 Impel WCW (wrestling)
#157 Missy Hyatt

1991 Impel Star Trek 25th Anniversary (non-sport)
#28 Symbiosis
#42 The Schizoid Man
#46 The Dauphin
#60 Home Soil
#62 11001001
 
1990-91 Pro Set Super Bowl XXV Silver Anniversary (football)
 
1990-91 7th Inning Sketch QMJHL (hockey)
#205 Eric Bissonnette

1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Premier (hockey)
#46 Jody Hull (RC)
 
1990-91 Fleer (basketball)
#21 Kelly Tripucka
#21 Kelly Tripucka
 
1990-91 Hoops (basketball)
 
1990-91 Skybox (basketball)
#19 Kevin McHale

1990 Fleer
 
1990 Pacific Legends
#34 Don Kessinger
 
1990 Pacific Senior League
#154 Wayne Nordhagen 
 
 
1990 Topps Kmart Super Stars
#2 Ryne Sandberg 

1990 Upper Deck
 
1990 Pro Set (football)
#668 Stan Humphries (RC)
 
1990 Score (football)
#327 Dalton Hilliard (GF)
#440 Deron Cherry     
 
1990 Topps Traded (football)
#102T Howard Cross (RC)
 
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee (hockey)
#141 Mike Allison 
 
1989-90 Fleer (basketball)

1989-90 Hoops (basketball)
#64 Armon Gilliam
 
1989 Classic
#176 Kirby Puckett 

1989 Donruss
#255 Mark Grace (VAR)
 
 
1989 Fleer Baseball's Exciting Stars
#20 Tony Gwynn
#34 Kirby Puckett
   
 
1989 Star
#51 Rich Garces
 
 
1989 Topps Ames 20/20 Club
#32 Dave Winfield 
 
1989 Pro Set (football)
#58 Boomer Esiason
 
1988 Card Collectors T-206 Reprint
#NNO Matty McIntyre
 
1988 Donruss 
#473 Dave Clark (VAR) 

1988 Donruss - Stan Musial Puzzle
#25-27 Stan Musial (PUZ)
 
 
1988 Pacific Legends I
 
1988 Score
#385 Tony Gwynn
 
 
1988 Topps Toys "R" Us Rookies
#13 Mike Henneman
 
1988 Topps Traded
 
1988 Topps (football)

1987 1983 ASA Collectors Kits Reprints
#2 Warren Spahn

1987 Donruss
#404 Bud Black
 
1987 Fleer Limited Edition
#2 Marty Barrett
#9 Roger Clemens 

1987 Fleer Update
#U-36 Dan Gladden
 
1987 Fleer Update - Glossy
#U-69 Bill Madlock 
 
1987 O-Pee-Chee
#353 Ernie Camacho 
 

1987 TCMA Collectors Kits Reprints - 1986 All-Time Houston Astros

1987 Topps 
 
1987 Topps Traded
#71T Bill Madlock 
 
1987 Zoot U.S. of ALF (non-sport)
#43 Texas - The Lone Star State
 
1986 Donruss
 
1986 Donruss Highlights
#25 Fernando Valenzuela
#50 Steve Sax
 
 
1986 Fleer - Fleer All-Star Team
 
1986 Fleer Baseball's Best Sluggers vs. Pitchers
 
 
1986 True Value Super Stars
#6 Fernando Valenzuela  
 
1986 Topps (football)
#180 Dexter Manley  
 
1985 Donruss
#205 Neil Allen 
 
1985 Fleer Update
#U-10 Hubie Brooks
 
1985 Topps
#403 Cory Snyder (OLY, RC)    

1985 Topps Drake's Big Hitters Plus Super Pitchers
#3 Don Baylor
 
1985 Topps (football)
#38 Bill Bates (RC)
 
1984-85 Topps (hockey)
#3 Tom Fergus  

1984 Fleer
#210 Ben Oglivie
 
 
1983 Donruss
#15 Willie Wilson (DK) 
 
 
1983 O-Pee-Chee
#179 Luis Tiant (SV)   
#384 Steve Carlton (AS) 
 
1983 Topps - 1983 All-Star Set Collector's Edition (Glossy Send-Ins)
#9 Buddy Bell
 
1983 Topps Drake's Big Hitters
#13 Steve Kemp
 
1983 Topps (football)
#52 Rafael Septien
#58 Billy Sims (TL) 

1983 Topps The A-Team (non-sport)
 
1982-85 Galasso Baseball Hobby Card Report T-206 Reprints
#NNO Dolly Stark     
 
1982 Donruss
#360 Oscar Gamble
#424 Frank Robinson (MGR) 

1982 Fleer
#36 Oscar Gamble
#543 Joel Youngblood 
 
1982 Topps
 
1982 Topps Stickers
#81 Omar Moreno 
 
1982 Topps (football) 

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee (hockey)
#133 Rick MacLeish
 
1981-82 Topps (hockey)
 
1981 Donruss  
 
1981 Fleer
 
1981 Topps
#635 Bobby Bonds 
 
1981 Topps Stickers
#175 Dave Lopes 
 
 
1980 Topps 
#65 Al Bumbry
 

1979 Topps  
 
1979 Topps (football)
#108 John Matuszak 

1979 Topps NASL (soccer)
#6 Dallas Tornado Logo

1978 Topps  
#375 Tommy John 
 
 
1977 Dover Publications Classic Baseball Cards Reprints
#10 Lefty O'Doul
#18 Jimmie Dykes
#99 Hal Chase
#NNO Melvin Harder
#NNO Fred Merkle
 
1977 Topps
 
1977 Topps (football)
 
1976 SSPC
#515 John Ellis  
#605 Mike Kelleher 

1976 Topps
 
1975 Fleer Official Major League Patches - Pioneers of Baseball
#9 Ned Hanlon 
 
1975 Topps
 
1975 Topps (football)
#47 Bivian Lee
#101 Bob Windsor
 
 
1974 Topps - Team Checklists
#NNO Milwaukee Brewers (CL, VAR) 
 
1974 Topps - Traded
 

1973 Topps
 
 
1972 Topps  
 
1972 Topps (football)
#11 Bobby Joe Green
 
1971 Topps
#237 Cesar Cedeno (RC) 
 
1971 Topps (football)
#8 Walt Garrison (RC)
 
1970 Topps
#2 Diego Segui
 
1969 Topps
#14 Al McBean

1969 Topps (football)
#115 Randy Johnson
 
1969 Topps - Four-in-One Singles (football)
#NNO Ralph Baker
#NNO John Bramlett
#NNO Billy Martin
#NNO Bob Talamini 
 
1968 Topps
 
1967-68 Topps (hockey)
#30 Reg Fleming

1966 Topps
#10 Tony Cloninger
 
1965 Topps
 
1964 Ed-U-Cards Washington Senators Baseball Card Game
#NNO Ball

1964 Topps 
 
1963 Topps
#26 Ray Moore
 
1962 Topps
#129 Lee Walls 
 
1961 Post Cereal (F278-33)
#15 Bobby Shantz
 
1961 Topps
#419 Tom Borland
#445 Frank Malzone 
 
1960 Topps   

1959 Topps

1957 Topps
 
1957 Topps (football)
#16 John Johnson
#98 Joe Scudero 

1956 Topps
 
1955 Bowman
#6 Pete Suder 
 
1955 Topps
 
1954 Bowman
#73 Don Mueller
 
1954 Bowman Power For Peace (non-sport)
#91 USS Coral Sea (CVB43)
 
 
1952 Topps Look 'n See (R714-16) (non-sport)
 
1952 Topps Wings Friend or Foe (R707-4) (non-sport)
#129 PO-1W Lockheed
 
1951 Bowman
#116 Bruce Edwards 
 
1951 Topps Red Backs
#13 Dale Mitchell
#51 Eddie Robinson  
 
1951 Bowman (football)
#118 Frank Reagan
  
 
1950 Topps Freedom's War (R709-2) (non-sport)
#197 Victory Medal 

1948 Bowman
#15 Eddie Joost

1948 Bowman (football)
#28 Paul Governali (RC) 
 
1939 Wills's Garden Flowers by Richard Sudell (non-sport)
#38 Petunia

1938 Church & Dwight Useful Birds Of America Tenth Series (J9-6) (non-sport)
#2 Black-throated Green Warbler
 
1938 Churchman's Boxing Personalities (boxing)
#1 Lou Ambers 
#48 Arthur J. Elvin 

1937-38  Diamond Matchbooks Tan 6 (hockey)
#NNO Glenn Brydson
 
1936 Godfrey Phillips Screen Stars Embossed (Series B) (non-sport)
#4 Robert Taylor  
 
1935 Church & Dwight Useful Birds of America Eighth Series (J9-4) (non-sport)
#10 California Jay
 
1935 Stephen Mitchell & Son "A Gallery of 1934" (non-sport)
#47 Lord Trenchard 

1933 Church & Dwight Useful Birds of America Fifth Series (J9-1) (non-sport)
#5 Indigo Bunting  
 
1930 All-Fair Authors Card Game (non-sport)
#13 Louisa May Alcott 

1928 Player's Flags of the League of Nations (non-sport)
#42 Roumania
 
1925 Sports Records (multi-sport)
 
1924 Imperial Tobacco Co. of Canada (ITC) Dogs Series (non-sport)
#4 Otter-Hound
 
1924 Lambert & Butler Wonders of Nature (non-sport)
#25 Army-Worms and Fly 

1922 Church & Dwight Useful Birds Of America Third Series (J7) (non-sport)
#7 Prothonotary Warbler

1915 Church & Dwight Useful Birds Of America First Series (J5) (non-sport)
#1 Quail
 
1910 Champions (T218) (multi-sport)
 
1890 N245 Sweet Caporal Actors & Actresses (non-sport)
#NNO Frankie Raymond

The Time Travel Trading Project is simple in concept. I started out with a random pack of 2018 Topps Series 1 baseball cards. My aim was to trade every card in that pack for something older. Each card I receive in turn is then made available for trade, with the goal to get the oldest card I can get.

 Number of trades completed: 411
Unique trading partners: 91

 Number of cards mailed out: 2,154
Year of oldest card mailed out: 1910-11

Number of cards received: 3,121
Year of oldest card received: 1890
 
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Friday, January 16, 2026

2026 Obligatory Hall Of Fame Post


 
On January 20th, we'll find out who gets to join Jeff Kent in next summer's Hall of Fame festivities. I enjoy this time of year, especially as voters reveal their ballots. I actually like reading about these votes, and the thought process each writer makes in choosing who they think is worthy. I wish more writers gave us a inside look at their choices. It's fascinating.

For the past few years, I wrote about who I felt deserved to get elected. I decided to do that again this year as well. Pardon me while I copy and paste from part of my original post from 2018:

I obviously do not have an official vote, but I too have thought about who is worthy and who would make my unofficial ballot. Before I list my choices, a few clarifications into my voting process:
  • I'm a "Big Hall" type of guy - I believe that the Hall's main purpose is to reflect the history of the game. I'm not going to cross a guy off just because he's not an inner circle type.
  • As far as PED users go, I generally don't have a strong opinion. Again, the Hall should reflect this era of the game. To be honest, I have genuine reservations as to how much PED usage affects a player's overall stats. That being said, those guys are placed in the back of the line. As much as I may feel Manny Ramirez deserves to get in, if there are at least 10 other worthy candidates, he won't make my ballot.
I'm going to categorize players into 3 groups - definitely worthy, probably worthy, and maybe worthy. (Real scientific, I know...)
 
I've since added a 4th group, Not Worthy, to at least give a nod of appreciation to those "one and done" ballplayers you won't likely see on next year's ballot. I've also unfortunately forced myself to make a decision on a player who has been a part of the Astros cheating scandal.
 

Definitely Worthy

 
These are the guys I don't have to think hard about. Statistically, they belong, and that's all there is to it. Sadly, I think this is the first year since I've done these that all of the guys in this tier have cheated, meaning they're all at the back of the line despite their stats. 

Carlos Beltrán - The "character clause" gets interesting with Beltran on the ballot. He was the primary leader/scapegoat of the Astros' cheating scandal, due in part to being the only player from that team whose career concluded between that World Series victory and the report getting released. He was never officially punished, so how do the voters view this transgression? For now, I'm lumping Beltran with the PED users as guys who will get my non-official vote, but not if there are any worthy candidates ahead of him. 

Manny Ramirez - Great player, dumb asshole. He would be a Hall of Fame lock if it weren't for the  PED suspensions and off-field bullshit. This is his last year on the ballot
 
Alex Rodriguez - Great player, egotistical asshole. He would be a Hall of Fame lock if it weren't for the  PED suspensions and the ways he tried to weasel around all of it. 
 
 
2008 Upper Deck #229 Manny Ramirez

Probably Worthy

These players have strong cases, but not airtight. There are usually some reservations. However, if they get elected, I won't have a problem with it.

Torii Hunter - Statistically, he's not among the elite, but he strikes me as the kind of player whose 9 Gold Gloves, highlight reel catches, and overall love of the game will get him in someday through a veterans' committee.

Andruw Jones - A decade of being one of the most dynamic and electrifying players in baseball might be enough to overcome a legendary drop-off in production.

Dustin Pedroia - The heart and soul of multiple World Series Champion teams, Pedey gave everything he had on the field. He's one of those players you can't help but wonder what they could have done if their career had not been cut short from an on the field injury.
 
2009 Topps - Ring Of Honor
#RH-56 Dustin Pedroia
 
Chase Utley - Stat-based voters love him, but outside of those elite peak years he was pretty pedestrian. Still, those peak years were amazing...


Maybe Worthy

These guys have their supporters, and may have a long stay on the ballots because of them, but I'm not convinced they belong.

Bobby Abreu - Walks are not exciting. He may have been elite at getting on base, but he was never someone I saw play and thought "Now that's a Hall of Famer!" Never had a Top-10 MVP season, which was something controversial choice Harold Baines did twice!

Mark Beuhrle - He was a consistently solid starter, but that's not really Hall worthy. Only 1 season where he got a Cy Young vote.
 
Ryan Braun -  He was never the same once he got busted for PEDs. His pathetic attempts to blame the blood sample collector doesn't help either.
 
Cole Hamels -  I'll be the first to admit that I'm struggling with the concept that we need to view modern pitchers in a more forgiving light than their predecessors thanks to modern day bullpen usage. I like Hamels, and there's a part of me that wants to give him a little boost, but compared to guys like Kershaw, Verlander, and Scherzer he just doesn't stand up...
 
Felix Hernandez - He kind of strikes me as the pitching counterpart to Andruw Jones: Started off strongly, then just fell off a performance cliff.

2016 Topps #283 Felix Hernandez


Andy Petitte - An average pitcher who had the benefit of pitching for one of the most dominate baseball dynasties in recent history. The PED stain cancels out the postseason success in my book.

Jimmy Rollins - An underrated player, the former MVP is 6th all-time in games played at shortstop.

Francisco Rodríguez - 4th all-time in saves and the single season leader, but he just wasn't the same when he left the Angels.
 
Omar Vizquel - Without even getting into what a horrible human being he is, he was never a real candidate for me. Outside the Gold Gloves, he was an mediocre ballplayer at best.

David Wright - I initially thought Wright wasn't worthy, but if I wonder what Pedroia's candidacy would have looked like without the injuries, than I can do no less for one of the Mets' all-time greats. 

Not Worthy

 
In my opinion, none of these guys have a strong enough case to be elected. 
 
Shin-Soo Choo, Edwin Encarnacion, Gio Gonzalez, Alex Gordon, Matt Kemp, Howie Kendrick, Nick Markakis, Daniel Murphy, Hunter Pence, Rick Porcello

These names gave us a lot of great individual seasons and highlight reel moments, but just didn't have the longevity of greatness required.

My Ballot

Here's my unofficial 7 player ballot:

  1. Carlos Beltrán
  2. Torii Hunter
  3. Andruw Jones
  4. Dustin Pedroia
  5. Manny Ramirez
  6. Alex Rodriguez
  7. Chase Utley

Ramirez and Rodriguez are held back due to their PED connections, while Beltran gets the same treatment for his involvement in the Astros scandal. It doesn't matter though because there are only 4 guys from the Probably Worthy list. This is the first time since I've done these posts where I had less than 10 people combined in the Definitely Worthy and Probably Worthy tiers. Talk about a weak ballot!

Beltran and Jones look like they'll make it, with Hernandez being the biggest beneficiary of the weaker ballot. We know the final results soon enough!
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Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Repack Haiku #443 (Sean Murphy)

Still the Braves' catcher?
All-Star's injuries paved way
For league's top rookie
 
2023 Topps #309 Sean Murphy

 
Murphy started the 2025 season on the IL after fracturing a rib in Spring Training. Then in early September he went under the knife to repair a torn labrum in his right hip. The missed time allowed rookie catcher Drake Baldwin to shine, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award. It'll be interesting to see how these two catchers split playing time.
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Monday, January 12, 2026

TCDB Trade Recap: Cards From Staten Island, NY

I got a nice little trade offer through the TCDB recently from a gent named Paul. In exchange for some hockey cards I had, he helped me with some Red Sox needs:
 
 
After this trade, I need just 4 more Red Sox cards from the 2009 Topps set. 
 
Favorite Card: Jason Bay has a great action shot with the Fenway scoreboard as a backdrop!
 
Thanks for the trade, Paul! 
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Friday, January 9, 2026

2025 Year In Review

Every year, I have taken a look at how the past year has impacted my collection, and I have decided to  continue again this year and see what changed in 2025! 

2025 Highlights

  • The sports card collecting community has exploded in my area. Although sadly the shop near where I work closed down last month, another dedicated card shop opened up in my hometown and has already had to move to a larger location. (I never did write up a proper review of the place. I haven't been to the new new location yet, so maybe that should be my excuse...)
  • The big development this year however is that for the first time since I've moved to the Shenandoah Valley 20 years ago, a card show took place a town over from me! It was my first card show in about 30 years, and they're already had a second one, with yet another scheduled in March! 

2024 Diamond Jesters Blog Stats


Number of posts: 149 (6 more than last year!))
Month with the most posts: 14 posts in January, March, April, and July (It's good to be consistent!)
Top 5 viewed posts:  I'm doing a little something different this year. As many of my fellow bloggers know, there was a stretch in September where views jumped to unheard of levels. A.I., bot-attacks -  whatever the reason my posts in that short span of a few weeks received the most "views" I had ever had in the history of this blog. So I'm listing two separate Top 5 lists. Here's the official Top 5:
 
  1. Two Quick Little Thank Yous (4920) 
  2. Comical Erorrs: Ewell Blackwell (3289)
  3. Progress Made! (2889)  
  4. Repack Haiku #426 (Dave Stieb) (2030) 
  5. Going Old School (1882) 
 
All of those were of course from that period in time, where most of the posts reached over 1,000 views. (Unheard of for a small blog like mine!) If we filter out the PED-enhancced posts, I get this unofficial list: 
 

All Time Travel Trading posts, which makes more sense to me seeing that's my most popular posts. For what it's worth, last year I had 52 posts reach 100 views. This year I had over twice as many, 116. Even outside those weird view totals this was a pleasant development.

Most commented posts: Hitting Half Of A Century! - 17 comments (I guess turning 50 brings out the well-wishers!)
Followers: 77 (Who says blogs aren't cool anymore? 4 new followers since last year!)

My Collection

(Stats courtesy of the Trading Card Database)

 
Total number of cards: 52, 059 (This total does not include unopened products or cards from the Time Travel Trading project)
Cards from 2024 sets: 395 (This is a big drop from last year, over 500 cards less. That can be mostly attributed to me completing 2 sets from 2024, but the lack of retail has been a factor too.)
Red Sox cards: 7,258 (Over 400 more than last year's total - I'll take it!)
Autographed cards: 52 (just 1 new this year: Jeff Suppan) 
 


Graded cards: 1 (No new cards this year, not something I actively collect anyway.)
Relic cards: 38 (4 new this year: Eloy Jimenez, Jose Ramirez, Drew Stafford, Jordan Leopold)
 

All in all, 2025 was a great year! Here's hoping for an even better 2026!  
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Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Repack Haiku #442 (Terry McGriff)

Dad roomed with Lou Brock
Gold Glover Johnson's cousin
Fred's second cousin
 
1988 Score #281 Terry McGriff

 
McGriff's dad was college roommates with Hall of Famer Lou Brock. He is also the cousin of 4-time Gold Glove winner Charles Johnson, and a second cousin to Hall of Famer Fred McGriff.
 
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