He's Scowling, But I'm Smilling

I'm on a self-imposed baseball card hiatus.

 No, Andre Dawson isn't happy with my decision.  But hey, sometimes I have to jump back into life and play the role of an adult.  You guys know how it is.  The school year started about a month ago and we're planning on remodeling the master bathroom.  Translation: no time and no money.

So when I found a PWE in my mailbox it was a nice surprise . . . on a couple of levels.

 I mean, just look at that card!  Panini is finally becoming adept at picking out photos which don't require logo removal.  That's a nice surprise.  I was starting to wonder if they would ever learn.  Blue shininess = a great card!

Rizzo and Fukudome have two totally different approaches at the plate, but they are two of my favorite left-handed batters in recent memory.  Two more winners right here!

You may be wondering who is the responsible party for these Cubs cards? 

Sometime back I sent Brad, author of the Red Sox Fan in Nebraska blog, a small PWE.  You see, I had a card that didn't fit in my collection. Literally. No seriously, it wasn't the traditional 2.5" by 3.5" and it was frustrating me.  I once or twice thought about cutting the panels apart for easier storage, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  So instead I shipped it off to Brad. I figured he would be the least likely blogger I know to be frustrated by its oblong dimensions.

He must have really liked it, because Brad sent me a thank you PWE and it was absolutely glorious.

 This Julio Zuleta card from the Pacific Invincible 2000 set is amazing.  Not only is it a set that is new to me, but the back is in Spanish and the blue background is translucent.  And the ivy on the front... awesome!

Here's a shot of the card in front of my monitor's screen saver.  Pretty neat looking if you ask me.  This one definitely will find a home in my Cub FrankenSet binder.

Cub FrankenSet binder?   Yep, you read correctly.  In my down time, which is scarce, I've been toying with the idea of building a set of only Cubs.  I'm still working on the logistics, but Dime Box Nick planted this seed with his Dime Box FrankenSet. Number thirty-two is taken by . . . none other than Julio Zuleta!

I wasn't expecting a return package and this one was a doozy.  Thank you Brad for all of the great cards!