I'm Almost Off Hiatus

Most of my posts from 2015 have been of the scheduled variety, including this one. Work has been crazy and time for my favorite hobby has been pretty scarce since basketball season tipped off in early November.  But, I'm about ready to come out of my hibernation period and end my brief hiatus from the collecting world.

Trade packages often help me get going again.  I love the challenge of trying to find cards to make the other end of the deal worth the trader's time, thought, effort, and postage. That being said, I've been stockpiling some cards for a month or so now and a visit to the post office is will be needed shortly to send some return packages out.  Fun-fun!

One of those packages will be going to CEO of Off Hiatus Baseball Cards.  Tony is a great trader and he recently reached out to me about my 1984 Topps set.  I've haven't publicized my attempt to complete the set too much; nevertheless, Tony sniffed out my want list and he just about put this baby to bed. The list was 150 cards and now it is 6.

 The subtitle of Tony's blog is pretty fitting, "Collecting Brewers cards so you don't have to."  Isn't that what's great about the blogosphere?  I can turn my unwanted Brewers in Cubs!  

 I love these Cubs stickers.  My goal to is fill a nine pocket page with Cubs stickers for each one of my Cubs binders.  The Bruce Sutter Kellog's 3-D card is uber-awesome.  Powder blue uniform?  Check.  Facsimile signature? Check. 3-D feel without the cracks that so many of these cards have?  Check!

Relics of the Crime Dog and Marlin Byrd?  Heck yeah!  I'm not sure I have enough Brewers cards to equal the weight these two carry, but I'll do my best to please with members of the Brew Crew!

Hector Villanueva!  Man, he was such a big name in my household back in the early '90s. Listening to Harry Caray butcher his name...  his portly physique... and the fact that everyone loves the backup catcher. What a great card!  (Although, Hector does kind of look a little too happy to be missing his forearms and hands.)

 I was not a fan of last year's Turkey Red design.  What a snooze-fest.  The Rizzo card is new to my collection and will definitely find a place in one of the aforementioned Cubs binders.  It's a pretty picture, but it's also a fairly bland design.

Perhaps it's time to mention my Cubs FrankenSet?  Here's card #35, which is currently in the binder.  Greg Maddux has cards scattered through my FrankenSet and I wouldn't mind replacing this #35 with another worthy card.

Will this Maddux get the boot?

 Tony, you are so clutch.

 No major league experience?  Who cares!?!  It's Harry freaking Caray!  There were 12 Maddux cards in my 671 card set, and now we're down to 11.  Harry now has two cards in the set, and they are both in the top 50.  Excellent!

For the record, I'll have a post up showing off my FrankenSet before too long.  I've been dragging my feet on it because it's been a chore to catalog all the cards.  On the brighter side, Tony, you have given me my first replacement card for the FrankenSet!   (I think Maddux is still crying in the corner about getting kicked out.)

Tony, thanks for the '84s, the random Cubs, and the beautiful Harry Caray card.   Look for a Brewers package in the not-so-distant future!