If Anyone Needs Me, I'll Be In The Angry Dome

That's right, I get angry when blogs go by the wayside. If you haven't updated your site in one year, you are off "The Long And Winding Blog Roll" forever.

On March 5th, Baseball Cards & More will officially be gone. There is always a chance for resurrection though. That would mean that Brandon would have to start blogging on that site again and shoot me an e-mail asking to be put back on. I'm not running the History Channel here.

Don't let this fate fall onto your site. Sure, everyone's always in favor of saving Hitler's brain, but put it in the body of a great white shark... oooooh, suddenly you've gone too far!

Eh, wha? Oh sorry. Now that dayf is offline for a bit, the Futurama lines have to come out somewhere. Yes, that sequence of words I just said made perfect sense. Oooh… a lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-my-own-grandpa! Let's get the hell out of here already. Screw history!

Spaceballs: The Package

There's only one blogger who would dare give me a Scotty Pods bat card... Lonestarr!!!

There were many things in there besides the bat card, but that is probably the centerpiece of the package. There was a nice variety in this package. There was a few that I hadn't actually seen before. The Dye Home Run Derby card comes to mind.

I can always appreciate a package that can leave me quoting favorite movies after I open them. Some intentional, some not. It helps when the package starts off with movie cards.

Let's see what Lonestarr sent over.

1988 Eight Men Out
13 - D.B Sweeney
24 - Chicago White Sox Owner
51 - Schalk Block The Plate

2006 Ultra Lucky 13
225 - Jon Garland

2007 Allen & Ginter
146 - Carlos Quentin

2007 Allen & Ginter Relics
AGR-SP - Scott Podsednik

2007 Spectrum
33 - Frank Thomas

2007 Topps Co-Signers
76 - Nick Swisher

2008 Allen & Ginter Mini
76 - Jim Thome

2008 SP Authentic
61 - Nick Swisher

2008 Topps Chrome
69 - Jim Thome

2008 Topps Home Run Derby
Jermaine Dye 719/999

2008 Upper Deck
459 - Paul Konerko

2008 Upper Deck Diamond Collection
DC-15 - Nick Swisher

2008 Upper Deck Timeline
36 - Jim Thome

2008 Upper Deck X
27 - Jim Thome

2008 Yankee Stadium Legacy
4750 - Willie Randolph (08-07-1984) (Yankees 3 - White Sox 6)

2009 Topps
306 - Javier Vazquez

This package had a little bit of everything in it. Movie cards, subsets, bat relics, Sox players on other teams, my first 2009 card by trade. This was a monumental package!

Thank you, Lonestarr! You will find a package of Cubs and a few other treats in your mailbox in the very near future.

Topps Heritage Failure

What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some companies you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way they want it. Well, they get it. And I don't like it any more than you men (and women).

I've stood by and watched Wal-Mart and Target get their own parallels of Topps cards. From what I've seen of the Wal-Mart version, they look cool. At least Topps was honest about everything when directly asked about the situation. They even offered up the Target information before we suspected anything.

While this is all innocent and cute, it reveals a larger problem with Topps. They just don't know when to stop. Are parallels and short prints a necessary evil in today's card collecting? Apparently so, since all the card companies seem to be doing it. This is the type of thinking that got Donruss' license revoked and led to Pinnacle Brands going bankrupt. These were all innovative when first thought of. Now, they are tired and recycled.

There needs to be a quality set released without a chase card or a gimmick. This not only will provide relief to wary collectors, but would be a throwback to the old sets which no retro product could ever provide. All these artificial creations are hurting the industry in the long run. Why can't a set stand on its own merits? Topps Heritage shouldn't need a short printed gimmick.

The final short print list has yet to be officially released. If Topps has short printed the last 75 cards in the set, there would be four short printed cards involving the White Sox that I could pick out. If for some odd reason, Nick Swisher isn't airbrushed into a Yankees uniform, that would make five short printed White Sox cards. That is absolutely ridiculous.

You know that Topps wouldn't make the short prints that easy to pick out. If last year's set is any indication, there will be short prints scattered throughout the other 425 cards. This means that some sucker paying huge money on eBay for a card in the last 75 cards, might be wasting their money on a common card. I don't care how good the set looks, I will only be collecting the White Sox cards this year. I still haven't been able to collect last year's Heritage base set because of all the short prints and variations. I don't need this aggravation.

Come to think of it, A.J. Pierzynski is probably the most short printed White Sox player in history. I can't think of any Sox player in the past five years that has been short printed as many times. He is short printed in this year's set, based on early information.

Can Topps get over themselves and turn out a decent product this year without any gimmicks, short prints or parallels? Doubtful. I am hopeful that it will happen again in my lifetime. The kids of today may never experience a new quality set without artificial scarcity. That's a shame.

The Johngy Files

There is no mail truck in sight. Yet, there is a package on my porch. No postage. No return address. When this happens to me, I don't panic and frantically call the police with thoughts of a Unabomber clone. No, I figure that the package has found its way from Johngy to me.

So far, I have been right every single time. During my isolation period from the internet, I received one of those mystery packages. I am never disappointed by the generosity and frequency of these packages. I am just grateful that they arrive. This one arrived just when I needed it most. When I'm jonesing for baseball cards, Johngy always comes through!

Let's see what treats are in this package!

1959 Topps
179 - Don Rudolph
252 - Ray Boone
385 - Sherm Lollar
426 - Jerry Staley
438 - Sam Esposito

1992 Leaf
281 - Scott Radinsky
369 - Dan Pasqua
486 - Terry Leach

1992 Score
444 - Scott Radinsky
532 - Ron Karkovice
760 - Wilson Alvarez
814 - Don Wakamatsu
874 - Roberto Hernandez

1995 Score
16 - Darrin Jackson
53 - Scott Sanderson
70 - Julio Franco
112 - Tim Raines
136 - Craig Greback
188 - Dan Pasqua
255 - Jack McDowell
360 - Lance Johnson
394 - Jason Bere
454 - Joey Cora
503 - Norberto Martin
544 - Kirk McCaskill
547 - Warren Newson

1996 Bowman
142 - Jimmy Hurst
180 - Chris Snopek
234 - Greg Norton
292 - Tom Fordham
371 - Craig Wilson

1996 Fleer
61 - Wilson Alvarez
62 - Luis Andujar
63 - Jason Bere
65 - Alex Fernandez
68 - Lance Johnson
69 - Matt Karchner
72 - Dave Martinez
73 - Kirk McCaskill
74 - Lyle Mouton
75 - Tim Raines
76 - Mike Sirotka
78 - Larry Thomas
79 - Robin Ventura

1996 Fleer Tiffany
65 - Alex Fernandez

1997 Fleer
60 - Alex Fernandez
71 - Danny Tartabull

Thank you, John! These cards were awesome! It took me awhile to figure out what the Fleer Tiffany was. I wasn't collecting in the mid nineties, so I missed out on a lot of those things. It's one thing to list them, it's entirely another to identify them in person.

I was excited about the 1959 cards, but I was also excited about the Don Wakamatsu card. I guess that all the cards you sent are equally excitable to me. It was great to see the progression of some of the nineties teams. It's always fun to reflect through cards.

A Nice Guy Kevin Package

OK, that was a poor attempt at a Reservoir Dogs reference. Yeah, I know. I need help. In my defense, I received a package from the anointed "Nice Guy" of the card blogging community, Kevin.

What say you? You don't know about Kevin? You're joshing me? Well, head on over to The Great 1965 Topps Project and Orioles Card "O" The Day and get to know him. While you're at it, head on over to NumerOlogy. It's OK, I'll wait.

There. Don't you feel better now? It's always good to visit some top notch Orioles sites and a 1965 Topps site!

I sent some cards over to Kevin awhile ago. Kevin is one of the few bloggers that I will just randomly send stuff to. I guess it goes back to our early connection in the community. I try to look out for things for everyone, but sometimes that's impossible. A select few in the community have been so successful with trading, that I don't expect anything in return. I know that someday, in some way, a package will arrive out of the blue. Kevin is one of those people.

Let's see what Kevin sent over.

1993 Studio
190 - Harold Baines

1993 Upper Deck
765 - Harold Baines

1994 Collector's Choice
478 - Harold Baines

1994 Stadium Club
16 - Harold Baines

1995 Select
156 - Harold Baines

1996 Score
408 - Harold Baines

2006 Topps Box Bottom
559 - Ozzie Guillen

2007 Topps Turkey Autographed Refractor
TRC-RM - Rob Mackowiak

2007 Upper Deck Triple Play
TP-JT - Jim Thome

Back when I went to school with Rob Mackowiak, I never thought I'd be seeking his autograph out, over a decade later. It's funny how things work out. You never know who is going to grow up to be famous.

Kevin and I share a love of Harold Baines. Harold spent a lot of time with both of our teams and is well loved in both towns. Thank you, Kevin. These cards are awesome! Plus, I love the Ozzie box bottom! You are truly the nicest guy in the community.

A Big Boost From Boog

Continuing with the packages that arrived when I was offline, comes this package from reader Boog. Yes, I swear that I'm almost done with these. I like to acknowledge everyone that takes the time to send off a package. The downtime just really screwed my rhythm up.

Here are some cards from your want list. Thanks for doing such a great website!

Well, I try, Boog. I try. There will be some cards coming your way, sometime in the near future. I'm slowly getting back to normal over here. Yeah, I know I keep saying that. It's true though!

Thanks to the kind generosity of Boog, there are seven cards that I can take off my want list. Let's see what Boog sent over.

1992 Upper Deck
722 - Kirk McCaskill

1993 Topps Gold
259 - Craig Grebeck

1993 Ultra
175 - Ron Karkovice

1994 Ultra
335 - Julio Franco

1994 Upper Deck
549 - Eddie Pearson

1997 Stadium Club
258 - Jaime Navarro

1999 Upper Deck MVP
49 - Ray Durham

The cards may be few, but they pack quite a wallop! All are off of my want list and that is huge! I can appreciate a few cards off of my want list more than a whole bunch of cards that I already have. It's just easier to love that way. Not that I don't still appreciate the duplicates.

Thanks, Boog! This was a great treat! I hope to return the favor soon.

R.I.P. Johnny "Red" Kerr

The world of Chicago Bulls basketball is reeling. Not only was Norm Van Lier found deceased yesterday, but Johnny "Red" Kerr lost his battle with prostate cancer yesterday. While Johnny's death was expected, that doesn't make it any less of a tragedy. His death came mere hours after the discovery of Norm Van Lier.

I can't think of another day in Chicago sports history where two people so intertwined in the fabric of a team died within hours of one another in unrelated circumstances. At least Johnny was able to hold on long enough for a public tribute to him on February 10, 2009. He was given the John Bunn Lifetime Achievement award at a halftime ceremony that day.

In his first year of coaching, Johnny led the first year Bulls franchise to a playoff berth. In doing so, the Bulls became the first team to make the playoffs in their inaugural year. As a result of that magical first season, Johnny won the NBA Coach of the Year in 1967.

On a day where the current Bulls player were meeting with President Obama, two Chicago Bulls legends quietly slipped away. While this is a great day of mourning in Chicago, we should be grateful that we allowed both of them to become so dear to our hearts. Somewhere, yesterday, Norm Van Lier was awaiting Johhny "Red" Kerr's arrival with a hand full of talcum powder.

Card Spotlight 2-27-09

2007 Upper Deck First Edition #8 - Josh Fields

Hope springs eternal and Spring Training brings eternal hope. Josh Fields seems to be taking that message to heart, so far. He has improved on every aspect of his game in the offseason, resulting in a better bat, better fielding and better speed.

If Josh can keep these improvements up, he has an excellent shot at being the everyday third baseman in 2009 and keeping it throughout the season. Gone are the fallback options of Joe Crede and Juan Uribe. That doesn't mean that third base is a cakewalk. There is fierce competition. New acquisitions and signings are there to take away this opportunity for Josh. It should be interesting to see how he responds through the rest of Spring Training.

The job at third base is his to lose. There are plenty of options behind him that are viable. Let's hope that this, in combination with his offseason training program, are enough to light a fire that won't go out until November.

While 2008's version of First Edition didn't pan out much, the 2007 version caught my eye right away. I had just gotten back into the hobby and was sampling everything in sight. I enjoyed the design of First Edition more than the regular Upper Deck set. The gold border seems to go with the design of the card much better than the silver on the regular set.

While Topps was the first pack that I bought in 2007, Upper Deck's First Edition became my early favorite and has stayed with me ever since. It was this set that solidified my re-emergence in the hobby. This was the one card that I was most excited about.

R.I.P. Norm Van Lier

So long Stormin' Norman. Chicago sports will not be the same without you.

News of his death hit the airwaves in Chicago like a tsunami. All afternoon, I have heard mournful tributes on the radio and on television. There are very few players that can be instantly identified with the Bulls, have a decades long history with them and still take every move personally. Norm Van Lier hit all of those cylinders and more.

There was no one harder on current Bulls players when they were slacking and there was no one who celebrated each victory more than Norm. Basketball and the Bulls were in his lifeblood. Chicago sports and the Chicago Bulls have lost a unique and passionate man, who deeply cared about the sport. You will definitely be missed, Norm.

For Those Who Are Curious

To make that Mick Kelleher card, this is the photograph I had to work with, complete with big, bright and bold blue autograph. Yeah, I never thought I'd get it off of there either. It just goes to show that when there is a will, there is a way.

To get another view of the completed card, go over to Johngy's Beat, since he is the one that commissioned the card. I hope he is successful in getting the card autographed!

The Mystery Package Of Awesomeness

Another package that arrived at my mailbox was from Jack at All Tribe Baseball. Jack is better known as Baseball Dad.

Not only did the package contain a small sampling of some great oddball cards, it contained a mystery. I found a card of Frank Thomas that I cannot fully identify. I'm guessing that it was a Louisville slugger promo, but I can't find any information on this card. Not even a year!

So, I am left to depend on the kindness of strangers and fellow bloggers. Does anyone know what the story behind this card is? I've included front and back scans for any help in the identification process.

I think that it's really cool that I have found a card, that is supposedly not bootleg, that I can't identify.
The second coolest part of the package came in the form of 32 year old discs. I had never seen the Burger Chef discs in person, but here are four of them. How cool is that?

But the best part about these discs is the back of them. Yeah, it's cool to see Richie Zisk in a Pirates hat with no logo, but these cartoons make the disc!Let's see what goodies came in this package!

1977 Burger Chef discs
73 - Chet Lemon
75 - Richie Zisk
76 - Lamar Johnson
79 - Jim Spencer

1988 Panini
60 - Steve Lyons

1988 Topps Big
137 - Donnie Hill

Mystery Frank Thomas card

1995 Fleer
113 - Joey Cora

2002 MLB Showdown
28 - Sandy Alomar Jr.

2008 Topps Opening Day Gold
99 - Mark Buehrle 1250/2199

2008 UD Timeline
17 - Ken Griffey Jr.
161 - Ken Griffey Jr.

Awesome. Simply, awesome. Thank you so much for these cards! They mean the world to me! I will look over your want lists and send something out very soon. If I hadn't said it before, welcome to the community!

Cards That Never Were #5

1973 Topps - Mick Kelleher

This is a special request from Johngy of Johngy's Beat. He asked if I could make a card of Mick on the Cardinals, from his early playing days.

Mick's first Topps card was with the Cubs in 1977. He also has a card in the 1976 SSPC set, showing that the competition against Topps was a good thing. The only problem was that Mick made his debut in 1972, with the Cardinals.

He also played with them in 1973 and 1975. He played enough in 1973, that it could be argued that he would have been eligible for a card in the 1974 set. So, I decided to make the card a 1973 Topps card. It would realistically be the first card that Mick could have had.

The main problem with this project was not the lack of a photo. Johngy provided a great looking photo for the project. The problem was that Mick had signed the photo in bright blue ink boldly across the middle of the picture. Topps did not have fake signatures on their cards for the years that I could have used, so the signature, while beautiful, had to go.

John, I hope that this meets your expectations. It was fun to do. Thanks for the challenge!

A Pack Of Phungo Cards

Eventually, I will catch up to all the generous packages that arrived when I was offline. One of the most unique envelopes contained a pack of cards. What's so unusual about a pack of cards? It was not available in stores. It was only available at the whim of a mastermind. These are Phungo Cards!

The packaging had Jamie Moyer on the front and shouted out to look for Black Frame Inserts and "Traditional" Cards by Topps, Upper Deck and Fleer. This was an eight card pack, but I believe I got a bonus. Unlike "Traditional" packs, the stealth inserts do not take away a card from the pack. This would be the first non store bought pack of cards that was labeled 2009. This beat my "Traditional" packs by at least a week.

Let's rip this sucker open!
The first card I encounter is the stealthy Black Frame insert. It is a beautiful picture of Chicago along Lake Michigan taken on July 31, 2007. I might be somewhere in that photo obscured by some building or just distance. It was taken two weeks after I got back from a trip to St. Louis.

Other cards included:

Phungo Cards

25 - Olsen vs. Thome
I was in St. Louis peering into the Cardinals home venue from my hotel room when this was taken. July 15, 2007

29 - Kenny Mayne - Mic - Mariners
July 13, 2008

51 - Washington Monument - Landmark
August 1, 2008

52 - CC Sabathia - ACE - Brewers
October 2, 2008

54 - Brad Lidge - CL - Phillies
October 2, 2008

55 - Roger Clemens - RHP - Astros
September 4, 2006

Traditional Cards

2008 Topps Heritage High Numbers
526 - C.J. Wilson

2008 Topps Heritage Then & Now
TN7 - Luis Aparicio & Orlando Cabrera

What more can I say about this pack? It is one of the most unique pack of cards that I have ever received in the mail. This is such a thoughtful gesture and such a joy to look at that I almost feel guilty having to suppress it for so long.

Thank you for this truly wondrous experience!

The First Upper Deck Blaster Of 2009

OK, maybe not the first of the blogging community, but my first 2009 Upper Deck blaster. That's got to count for something... right?

It may only be important to me, but here it goes. The card of Juan Uribe that you see in this post is the lone White Sox card pulled from the blaster of ten packs of 2009 Upper Deck.

I'll let that sink in for a second. Every other team was represented well. I get a great action shot of a former White Sox player. It could have been worse. I could have gotten no White Sox cards. I am eternally grateful for the one card and plenty of trading fodder.

There weren't even any current White Sox players on other teams in there. Just Juan Uribe and a couple of ghosts from the 2005 World Series team.

Frank Thomas and Aaron Rowand were in full force, both popping up near the end of the journey. I have both of Juan Uribe's cards from both flagship sets, in my first attempt at collecting in the new year. You know what this means, don't you? Juan Uribe will be the National League MVP of 2009. Stranger things have happened.

Upper Deck has the opposite effect on me. I think the cards look fantastic on the computer images, but in my hand is a different story. The cards look tired and listless. The design seems lazy with the same picture cropped to a head shot on the back.

Maybe the design will grow on me, like last year's. Hey, I'm just happy that there was a White Sox card in there somewhere. Five packs in, first card, still is in the thick of it all.

My First White Sox Card In 2009 Is...

Very complicated apparently. I bought one 2009 Topps retail pack and two 2009 Topps retail rack packs. I figured that this would equal a blaster roughly and that being from two different sources, it might mix things up a bit. Out of the retail pack came this.

#127 - AL HR Leaders (Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Quentin, Alex Rodriguez)
OK, this is the first image of a White Sox player and the player is noted on the card. It's not what I was expecting though. The card is a multi-player and multi-team effort. It's nice though. The design of the 2009 Topps cards look much better in person than they do on the computer images.

No further White Sox related card yielded from the retail pack. On to the first rack pack.

The top half looked like nothing until the second from the last card produced this gem.

#306 - Javier Vazquez
That's more like it! But wait. While this is a White Sox card, Javier Vazquez was shipped off to Atlanta on December 4, 2008. That's a bit of cruel irony. I'm getting closer, but I'm not completely satisfied.

The second half of the first rack pack resulted in a whole lot of nothing. Bring on the second rack pack!

The second rack pack started with an Andrew Miller, then revealed this beauty.

#149 - Juan UribeThat's more like it!! Oh... wait. Juan signed a minor league deal with the Giants on January 29, 2009. I can't really seem to win here.

Six cards later appeared this familiar sight.
My first White Sox related double in 2009. Oh brother!

The rest of the compartment resulted in no further White Sox related cards.

The last compartment of the last rack pack started out with one of Kenny Williams former wish list occupants, Andruw Jones. Then three cards down came the first card of a current White Sox player.

#154 - A.J. PierzynskiFinally! The rest of the rack pack gave me nothing in the way of White Sox related cards. This is why it is a bit complicated. Five cards, four players, two former players, two current players, one multi-team card, one current player regular card. Oy vey!

Is this a sign for how things will be this year?