The Last 9 to Be Sorted

Someone's having a blog-o-versary contest!  Daniel, from It's like having my own Card Shop, is celebrating the 9th year of his blog in tremendous fashion. All I need to do is post nine cards and I'm entered?  For a guy who is struggling to come up with posts ideas this is a win-win for me!

I have been inundated with cardboard over the last year, which included absorbing two collections into my own on top of all the normal trade packages that arrive at Waiting 'til Next Year Headquarters. I'm almost done sorting and collating. I had EIGHT more cards to file away and then I saw Daniel's contest. Eight is not nine, so I actually pulled a card out from its designated home for this post.

As I usually tend to do with things in my life, I saved the best for last: Cards for my Cubs World Series binder and cards for the cover pages in my many Cubs binders.

Cardinal fans... yeah, you may want to look away. Sorry Not sorry about this!  First up are three cards for the World Series Binder.

I own copies of these cards already in the binder, but some pages have empty slots because card companies can't figure out how to produce card sets that are a multiple of nine. Grrr.

 So, these cards will randomly fill the voids.  I don't mind seeing duplicates when the subject matter is one that makes me smile!

 Oh, good stuff!

The next four cards will compete for spots on the lead page in one of my many Cubs binders. I call them cover pages and each binder gets nine cards at the front before the true subject matter begins.

Often times the pages are full of mid-80s fleer Cubs stickers or early Upper Deck hologram Cubs stickers.

Other things which are featured, but not as prolifically, are cards of Wrigley Field, famous announcers, and the Cubs' mascot.

This is my first "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" card, which I think is just a stupendous addition to my collection.

I'm not as high on this card of Cubs Park, but it certainly holds a place in the binders.

So, that's seven. 

Eight?

Well, I am the resident VOGELMONSTER supercollector.

When I can get a cheap auto I'll take it. If I recall correctly I tacked this onto an Ebay order early in 2018 as part of a combined shipping deal. Combined shipping is where it's at.

Those were the last eight cards I had laying out in the man room. For the ninth card I had to dig into my team boxes.

I have two boxes dedicated to the 29 other MLB teams. Some stacks are larger than others. For instance the Dodgers, Indians, Expos/Nats and Pirates have larger stacks than most, because I'm a fan of Jackie Robinson, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Roberto Clemente. I keep most of the cards of these players rather than shipping them out in trade packages.

I decided to select my favorite Clemente card in honor Matthew's retirement announcement.

Bob Walk the Plank was a staple in our blogosphere and he will be missed. He provided solid reading content, fun cards of forgotten Pirates, and he hosted our Secret Santa. I'm sure we'll still knock out a trade from time-to-time, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his generosity through trades.

Well, thanks for stopping by today. I think I'm going to file these cards away and enjoy a clean and tidy man room while it lasts!

Somebody at Topps Did Me a Solid

Last year was an unbelievable year to be a Dan Vogelbach collector. I added 180 different cards to my player collection, 71 of which were certified autographed cards.  Crazy!

This year has gotten off to a really slow start.

Yep, two cards.  Yawn.

Nothing in Series 1. Nothing in Heritage. Nothing in Bowman. Nothing in Series 2. Nothing in Pro Debut.

And then I saw this on an Ebay auction this morning.

Someone had an in-person auto of a new Vogelmonster card!

I went back to the cardboardconnection.com and realized that is was not a Vogelbach card, but a "Promo Uniform Night" card. No wonder I missed it when I did my quick ctrl-F search.

Woo-Hoo! 

So maybe Topps has it right. Vogelbach probably doesn't deserve a card in a main release this year as a he bounces back and forth between Tacoma and Seattle. (FWIW, he was optioned to Tacoma again just a few days ago. Sigh.)

But, as the title suggests, perhaps I'm on Topps' radar and some said, "Hey, why don't we help that guy from P-town out and throw him a bone?" 

Thank you. Thank you! THANK YOU!

So here's what's next on my radar:

 Anyone bust some 2018 Pro Debut and have one of these bad boys laying around?  I'll make it worth your while!

Oh, and much to my surprise I've found there are relics as well.  Behold!

 On the left is the base numbered out of /99 and the gold is number to 50. There's also a red to 10 and black 1/1, but those haven't popped up yet. 

Thought I should share the good news. 😁

Happy Fathers' Day and thanks for stopping by!

A Quick PWE to Get You Out The Door

Hey, the weekend is almost here!  Here's some sweet Cubs cards from Daniel at It's Like Having My Own Card Shop to help you get your day under way.

 Fortune Teller cards? These were from 2017... aren't there tarot cards in the 2018 version of Gypsy Queen?  I like it.  Way to stay with a theme, Topps.

 I find it peculiar the fronts are different colors but there is absolutely no difference on the backs. Honestly, I'm not even sure which one is the parallel.  Maybe they are both parallels?

Oh, the cardboard world we live in! So confusing!

This is a parallel I'm familiar with. I've always loved Opening Day's blue parallels. They look so good with Cubs cards!

Daniel, thanks for the cards. Summer vacation has been going pretty good. Fall sports will begin before I know it though!

Taking the Cats for a Stroll

My wife and I like to get out and exercise. She has a running partner she meets up with religiously twice a week and I really admire her for that. I'll go for a hike at the local nature center or a jog around the neighborhood when I can.

Wild Turkeys running away from me at the nature center.

Often, when the weather and time allows for it, we'll traverse the neighborhood together on an evening walk. It's a great way to get the heart rate up and catch up on each other's day. During these walks it is not uncommon for us to run into dog walkers. I'm a dog guy, but my work and coaching schedule wouldn't be fair to the dog, so we've got a pair of cats to keep us entertained. 

Hugo is the tan tabby and Hoilday is grey.

Most the time, they just sleep around the house, like in the picture above, but they can be good company on occasion. 

Laura and I have joked the last few years about taking the cats for a walk. Cats are not dogs, and we know this. Their idea of a walk would be go from their chosen sleeping spot, to the food bowl, to the litter box and back to their warm spot to catch more shuteye. Cats. SMH.

Finally, we decided to go for it. Yep, we bought a stroller to take the cats out. 

Hugo seemed really interested in the box at first. He, like every other cat I've known, has a thing for boxes. 

Laura assembled the stroller and we've probably taken the cats out twenty different times during the last two months. I've done a little jogging with them, but mostly we're out just to have a nice walk. 

Holiday has gotten to the point where she'll willingly jump into the stroller, but Hugo generally has to be coaxed in. Holiday will typically lay down in a position where she can look out one of the windows. Hugo's much more active and likes to follow the squirrels and robins as we pass. 

To answer a couple of questions: 

• Yes, I think the cats enjoy going out.  
• No, this is not a special stroller made for cats. My wife did a lot of researching until she found one she thought would work.  
• Yes, we've had many other walkers comment on how "cute" the cats are.
• No, Holiday does not like lawnmowers and we have to steer clear of them whenever possible. 
• Yes, an older lady once assumed I had a baby in the stroller from afar. She asked for me to stop and as she approached she became wide-eyed and started to laugh. 

In general, I think it has been a good purchase. Having the stroller motivates me to go out for a little more exercise than I normally would. It's been good for the cats in terms of socialization. Also, it's put a smile on everyone's face we've encountered.  

I hope this post about a forty-year-old man taking his cats for a walk in a stroller with his wife puts a smile on your face, too!

I Don't Remember The Astrodome

I've been to twenty-seven different MLB ballparks during my time, but I still have seven more to knock out. Unfortunately, I never made it down to Houston to see the Astrodome before the Astros moved into Minute Maid Park. I did attend a game at Minute Maid in 2015 and I was really impressed. 

There are many good baseball card blogging folk around the blogosphere. One whom I have really come to enjoy trading with is Bru, from Remember the Astrodome. Maybe someday, when I'm in his neck of the woods we could attend a game and he could tell me all about the Astrodome.

In the meantime I'll keep sending Astros his way and posting the Cubs and other cards he sends to P-town. By my count I believe we've swapped cards seven times now over the years. We've got a good thing going!

Al the cards in this post have been set help and I know early 90's Biggio and Bagwell cards could not have been easy to part with .

I really appreciate you sending them my way, Bru!

Cubbies?  Heck yeah!  Let's see what was in the package.

 I have not bought one pack of 2018 product, which means anything a collector sends from this year is pretty much guaranteed to be new to me. 4-for-4 with the Bowman!

 Archives... nice! 2018 Archives has to be right around the corner, right? I miss Arrieta, even more so that Yu Darvish has not worked out so far. Lester has been solid again this year.

Lastly, we have a Anthony Rizzo Diamond Kings card. Good stuff. I barely miss the logos on this one. Side note: It's okay for Panini to leave the Nike swoosh?

Thanks for all the cards, Bru!  I'll start stashing away Astros for our next trade!

Asking a question as Vogelbach Rides the Shuttle

 How about a quick Vogelmonster update?  Below is my second Dan Vogelbach card of 2018. Woo-Hoo!

The photo selection on this one is very solid. I also find this picture does well on a horizontal card.

The back?  Well, the reverse side leaves a lot to be desired.

This card is from the Road to Opening Day Topps Now Mariner team set from the preseason. From what I've gathered all the backs have the exact same blurb. Bleck.

Concerning the backside blurb: the Mariners are in the playoff hunt, but there's about a hundred games left in the season and anything can happen at this point. Topps may see Vogelbach as a "key player" but I don't think the Mariners do. The Vogelmonster has been riding the Seattle-Tacoma shuttle back and forth all season. His AAA stat line is quite fierce, but he has yet to produce at the MLB level. Hopefully that will all change soon!

I have 181 unique Vogelbach cards from 2017 in my collection, but only two from 2018. The first being from the Mariners retail team set by Topps and that gave me hope Vogelbach would be included in Series 2. Yet, I was disappointed to learn Vogelbach was not included within Topps' flagship product, which is to be released later this week. And this knowledge prompts the question...

Is a player featured in the retail team set guaranteed to have a card in either Series 1, Series 2, or Update? So far Vogelbach is 0-for-2 and and I'm holding breath he's included in Topps Update.

I know sometimes the photo selection changes from the retail team set to the flagship product, but often times the cards are identical except for the numbering on the back. That's pretty much where my knowledge begins and ends with these retail sets.

Anyone out there have any experience concerning player selection between the retail team sets and S1, S2 or Update?  I would love to hear from you!

Area 40

Surely you saw this post over the weekend. Wes, also formerly known as JBF, is pursuing one last big hurrah.

Jon Lester looks worried about what Wes has planned.

Like many of you, I have received more than my fair share of cards from the man who hails from Hazel Green.

Holy cow! This card is thick!

While trying to keep up with return fire I actually found I had memorized Wes' shipping address. LOL.

Numbered parallels.

 Lately, I've been more than happy to sit on the sidelines, grab a bucket of popcorn, and watch Wes drown BWTP in cardboard, jerseys and even a hockey stick. Wes and Matt are two of the best ever!

More numbered parallels.

More recently though, blog posts have been showing up around the blogosphere spotlighting retirement packages from Wes.

Yep, more parallels with serial numbers on the back.

Wes is the only person I've ever known to send out gifts when retiring. Everyone else I've known has had a party thrown in their honor, maybe roasted & toasted, and given a few nice presents.

Mini Parallels with serial numbers; the Sandberg goes in the PC!

I think this speaks to Wes and the overwhelming generosity his name has become synonymous with. 'Tis better to give than receive.

Turk is numbered, too!

When I wrote this draft I had no idea what Area 40 was about, but I have since come to realize it will be epic and I hope he'll let me help a little along the way.

The Rizzo is from the retail NL All-Star set. 

Actually, I know there are few bloggers out their with a similar mindset. Maybe we can band together and send him out with a bang?

 If this truly the beginning of the end for Wes' card days, then I think I can hear mailmen all along the P-town/Hazel Green route rejoicing. 😂

Early 1990s Peoria Chiefs cards. Where does he find this stuff?

Wes, thank you for all the cards in this post and the past. You have single-handedly increased my Cubs collection 10-fold over the years and have blessed me with more of a following than I ever could have imagined by simply sending me cards to blog about. I'm not quite sure how to repay you, but I'll think of something. Actually, your new project is something I can definitely help with. I can't wait to hit a card show and see what I can come up with!  This should be fun!

Every Now & Zen...

Every now and zen then I get some set help. Today's cards come from Doe, who lives up I-55 from me in Chicago.

I believe Doe writes a blog entitled Now & Zen, but for the life of me I can't find it.

Some 1990 Donruss needs give us a pair of guys who probably belong in the Hall of Very Good.

 George Bell was an MVP, a 3-time All-Star, and a 3-time winner of the Silver Slugger. David Wells seemed to pitch forever. Twenty-one years in "The Bigs" is a long time! Boomer was also a 3-time All-Star.

Doe also included a hefty stack of 1990 Topps. Below are the best players I could find from his PWE.

 Curt Schilling was a six-time All-Star, finished second for the Cy Young three times, and had a bloody sock in the playoffs which almost broke the internet. Will Clark was also a six-time All-Star, he won two Silver Slugger awards, and he single-handedly defeated the Cubs in the 1989 NLCS by batting 0.650 with a 1.882 OPS. Ridiculous offensive performance! Omar Vizquel played for twenty-four years and won eleven Gold Gloves. In my opinion, he has an outside chance of graduating from the Hall of Very Good and entering the Hall of Fame.

Mike Dunne? He's another local product and he also played collegiately at Bradley University in P-town. There's another Mike Dunne playing for Bartonville's high school team currently. It's probably his son, but I haven't asked around.

Thanks for the cards, Doe. I'm glad you could use those Mariners!

If you have any junk wax, then please give my want lists a look. I would love to make a trade!