My First Rip In Quite Awhile

 I had an unexpected envelope arrive in the mail the other day, and I finally found a minute to dive in. There was a nice, handwritten note from a good blogging friend, a couple of extra in-person autos and a pack of cards. 

I don't buy packs of cards anymore. There was a time when I couldn't wait for the next product to hit the shelves, but times change. 

In any case, this pack got me more excited than anything baseball card related has in awhile. For one, this pack was a gift from a blogger, not just a random one from a box off the shelf. Secondly, take a look at that wrapper. How cool is that?

Yep, what I had in my hands was a Japan Edition pack of 2024 Topps card straight from Japan!

Abrams and Jung are couple of nice young players to start things off. 

There were four rookies in the pack, including Kyle Harrison, who I had on my fantasy team for a spell last year. 

The Everson Pereira could be headed back to Japan. I know the sender has a soft spot for the Yankees. 

I'm glad I got a Shohei, even if it's an insert. This is my first card of his as a Dodger. 

I didn't get any Cubs. A Seiya or Shota card would have been like hitting the lottery. The closest thing to a Cub out of the ten cards was this card of William Contreras. 

Yes, I'm aware William has never played for the Northsiders. His brother did though. That's kind of close... I guess. 

Always save the best for last. Randy Arozarena is one of my favorites. I love this card and this pose. 

Thank for you so very much for the care package, Zippy Zappy! If there's anything I can send your way frow the States, cardboard or otherwise, please don't hesitate to reach out. All the best to you and the rest of my blogging brethren. 

Influencing a New Trading Partner

I always have a short list of wants/needs for other collectors I'm looking to buy for at shows and then of course there are my favorite trading partners whose collection interested are permanently melded to my mind. Finding cards for others is usually my #1 priority when I visit a card show.

For those of us who truly love the hobby I don't think there's anything better than sending someone a few cards knowing they will sincerely appreciate them.

When you get a thank you note and a card from a nine-year-old it's even better. The right hand page of the note said, "Thought the card was funny!" 

I think I'm influencing this young card collector.

I've made a couple of packages for Henry from my personal collection. Some of them are Cubs or Hall of Famers from my duplicate box, but most of them are unique shots of baseball players doing something silly. We all know the cards I'm talking about... Bip Roberts wearing a sombrero, Glen Hubbard with a snake or Keith Comstock taking one to groin... fun cards which show the lighter side of the game.

Henry's parents told me he's been carrying around the above Randy Johnson card I gave him.
It is a great card of a Hall of Fame pitcher. How cool is that?

Dyersville Card Show Team of Dreams Event

Maybe you recognize the town of Dyersville and maybe you don't. For the uninitiated, Dyersville is home to the Field of Dreams movie site. I believe this was the 4th annual "Team of Dreams" event and the local card collecting community has jumped on board by scheduling a show the morning of the main event.

This year the event was able to secure a few notable baseball names plus some cast members from A League of Their Own and The Sandlot to speak, sign autographs (very pricey!) and play in a celebrity softball game.

About two weeks ago I asked my buddy Jim (far left) if he'd like to go on a baseball themed road trip on the first day of September. He responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes!"

Oddly enough, when we arrived we parked right next to another one of our friends, Craig (center), who was enjoying a similar trip with his girlfriend. We had no idea he was going to be there, but it was really great to hang with him for a bit!  If you look above the cars in the picture you'll see the farm house from the movie.

Here's a better shot of it:

The field was in top form. I was afraid the grass would be brown, because of the dry weather we've had most of the summer. The corn was at optimal height, which was also a concern because of the really wet spring we experienced. 

Bleachers were brought in, but many people brought their own lawn chair. All kinds of people were enjoying a "catch" on the field before the festivities began.

At 4:30 a Q&A session was held with Mike Boddicker (an Iowa native) and David Ross. I ponied up for the good seats near one of the dugouts so we would have a good view of the interview and the celebrity softball game. Ross talked quite a bit about the 2016 team, the World Series, his role as an announcer for Sunday Night Baseball and his time on Dancing with the Stars. Boddicker did a nice job, too, although I was pretty unfamiliar with him until this time.

 Earlier in the day there were autograph opportunities, a silent auction, and couple of sports vendors selling their wares. I picked up this Josh Gibson bobblehead from the same dealer Henry visited at The National.

The vendor was very friendly and was impressed how Jim knew about how Hank Aaron used to bat with his right hand below his left. For what it's worth, Jim purchased the Hank Aaron bobblehead featuring this awkward bat grip.

After the Q&A session the grounds crew got the field ready for a game of slow-pitch softball. There were quite a few local players, sponsored by local businesses, who filled the last innings of the game after the celebrities exited.

But, here were the main attractions for each team.

Vladimir Guerrero and Andre Dawson were no-shows. Bummer.

I almost rubbed shoulders with Rickey Henderson!

 Here's a quick picture of David Ross getting ready to bat. This was before he and Boddicker were mic'd up to add further entertainment to the evening.

I think my favorite part was after a couple of the actors from The Sandlot combined for three errors in the same inning and David Ross questioned, "How did you guys ever beat that other team in The Sandlot!?!" That got a huge laugh out of the crowd.

 Here's a picture of the event from a drone that was flying overhead. Very cool!

The gap in CF was so the players could enter the field by coming out of the corn during introductions!

Earlier that morning Jim and I spent a couple of hours at the card show. I bought eighteen cards in all, but only seven were for myself. The other eleven are eventually going out in trade packages. There weren't any dime boxes, but there was plenty of discounted vintage and oddballs to look through, which accounted for much of what I purchased.

My mom gave me one of these Cubs glasses on Saturday. It was given to her by her cousin and had been sitting in a cabinet for many years. I found it's mate on Sunday (the very next day) for three bucks and couldn't pass it up! How 'bout that!

On to the pictures of grown men on little pieces of cardboard!

Deckle-edge vintage! Very nice!

 I found this Bryant die-cut to be too good of a deal to pass up.

I am now ONE card away from completing the master set of 2018 Topps Big League.

Has anyone seen the Bryce Harper from the Caricatures insert set?

How about some discounted vintage to upgrade my Hall of Fame binder?  The Rabbit Maranville is from 1961 Fleer and the Larry Doby is NOT from 2019 Topps Archives.

 Here's another card design from 2019 Archives... the All-Star card of Ernie Banks from 1958.

 I don't usually buy vintage Cubs unless I find a great deal, and this one could be called just that. Plus, that design!  Oh, my!

Jim and I spent about six hours in the car, but the time flew as we talked baseball most of the way to Dyersville and back. The card show was the best one I have been to this year, but that's only because I haven't made it up to Orland Park yet this year. The event at the movie site was very unique, and the weather was near perfect, but I don't know that I'll ever make the trip again. It was well done, but kind of one of those things you do once to check off your bucket list.

I hope you had a fun Labor Day weekend, too!

Where's P-Town Tom?

I saw the Angels play on Thursday and the Dodgers on Friday, but now we're getting to the most anticipated part of my current vacation. 

I had a really good friend move to Seattle recently for work and I figured it was time to catch up. 

We have taken a few baseball trips in the past before and I'm hoping to drag him kicking and screaming from work to accompany me to a Mariners game before the week is over. He's actually out of town today, so I'll be heading down to the ballpark myself this evening. 

But, that's okay, because this guy will be there!

The newest addition to my Vogelbach collection, #/25.

Maybe I'll get there early enough and have a shot at an auto? Shoot, I'm might die of happiness right there on the spot if that happens!

I'm also thinking about hitting up this place before the game to help prep me for seeing The Vogelmonster play live for the first time since 2013. 

They may have to roll me into the stadium!

Thanks for stopping by and may all your burgers be Vogel Burgers!

Off Into The Sunset

The blogging community said goodbye to one of its best recently, but not before he threw a HUGE pack-ripping extravaganza and giveaway. I sent Wes, he of Jaybarkerfan's Junk/Rising Willingham/Area 40 fame, a little parting gift. I should not have been surprised when the most generous collector I know responded in kind.

Let's take a stroll through some of the Cubs goodness he sent my way.

 Per usual, Wes padded the numbers of my player collections. Above is my 922nd different Ryne Sandberg and 86th Cubs card of Brooks Kieschnick. Nice way to start!

Personally, I think we witnessed Panini's best rebooted Donruss design in 2018.

 It's simple and I really like the little wavy lines as a tribute to the 1984 design. I also believe the shininess Optic brings to the table adds a level of collectabilty to the brand.

Cubs rookie mojo!

 Baez proved me wrong last year by having a season I didn't think he was capable of. I'm crossing my fingers that this is the year Schwarber proves me right!

Rizzo gonna Rizzo.

As a fan, is there anything better when your team has a current player who epitomizes so much of what is right in MLB and the world today?

New Kris Bryant cards for the collection.

Honestly, I can count on one hand the number of Kris Bryant cards I have purchased, yet these two put me at 111 different Bryant cards in my binder. The generosity of the blogosphere knows no bounds.

ROCK SHOULDERS

It's a little known fact, but back in the day I was super-collecting two Cubs minor leaguers. ROCK SHOULDERS was one of them and the other guy was some dude named Dan Vogelbach. Maybe you have heard of him?

A few years ago much was made of Carl Edwards' slight frame, 6'3" and only 170 pounds, and how the Cubs were trying to get him to add weight.

His eyes in this photo . . . they seem to say, "I see you reaching for my cheeseburger."

Late 1980's Donruss!

Gracie and Mad Dog were two of the best to pass through Peoria on their way to stardom.

Pitchers who rake.

Believe it or not, I was a pitcher in high school who raked, 0.300+ average and 11 combined homers my junior and senior year. It didn't matter when I got to college as those numbers earned me three plate appearances in four years. lol

Mike Morgan's career spanned four different decades and he pitched for twelve different teams. He earned an All-Star appearance in 1991 with the Dodgers, but arguably his best year was with the 1992 Cubs.

 

Get a look at these numbers: 2.55 ERA, 16-8 W-L, 240 innings and only 14 homers given up, 1.17 WHIP. Mike Morgan put up those stellar numbers with a K/9 of only 4.6. The MLB average for K/9 in 2018 was 8.5. Wow, the game has changed.

DLee and Matt Stairs were two of my favorites from the previous decade.

  Stairs also played for twelve different teams during his career, and I'm sure he was a riot for all dozen of them.

I believe this one is a business card and/or advertising piece from Gypsy Oak, who is known for his baseball related artwork.

I'll add it to the Cub collection!

Oooooooh! Super-duper black parallel refractor mojo!

Matt Murton is one of Wrigley Field's fan favorites!

Vintage. Sweet, Vintage.

That is one well-loved Ernie Banks! And if you know me, then you know it'll be cherished in my collection!

The package finishes up with a couple of early 90s autos of Mike Bielecki and Shawon Dunston, Sr.

Bielecki and Dunston, were part of the magical 1989 Cubs team, which is my second favorite Cubs team of all time. You'd be correct if you guessed the 2016 team as the club at the top of the list. 

Wes, thank you for the remarkable package! It's been a pleasure, my friend!

Out And Back to San Diego

It was a whirlwind of a weekend. I took a personal day from work on Friday, left early for the airport, and landed in San Diego around 3:30pm California time. I tried out Uber for the first time, with success, and was settled into my wife's hotel room well before her conference let out. All the while, I was soaking in all the sights. This midwestern boy doesn't see the ocean or palm trees very often!

Alright, ready for a picture heavy post of a fun 40 hours in San Diego? Here we go!

For dinner, we went to Balboa Park for Food Truck Friday, which was so tasty. The park contains a couple of museums, a botanical garden and beautiful architecture.

 The picture above shows some of the architecture I mentioned. Also shown, on the left, is our Uber ride to the park . . . a Tesla.  So fancy!

 The longest line at any one of the ten food trucks belonged to the wood-fired pizza truck. Yes, it's a fire truck they converted to hold a legit pizza oven. These San Diegoans are serious about their food trucks!

 I don't have a memory for the names of buildings, but the second banner is a photo of a player I will always recognize. Ted Williams!  Yessir, Teddy Ballgame played two years in San Diego!

This is probably my best picture of the weekend.  Sometimes I'm in the right spot at just the right time.

Saturday was simply fantastic. I went for a 3-mile walk along the beach. I then followed that up with an hour of stand-up-paddleboarding around Mission Bay.

It's hard to take a picture of oneself while paddleboarding, so you a picture of a lady and her dog out on a paddleboard near De Anza Cove.

Below are the dragon boat races that I had to avoid while cruising the bay.

 The best thing about the bay was seeing such large fish and scaring up some resting manta rays!

Next up was lunch. I was starving.  So I called for another Uber and look what was playing in the headrest of the driver's seat:

Yeah, that's the Cub game! I got to watch all of the ninth-inning before we arrived at my destination. We won't mention the outcome of the game.

AleSmith Brewery is one of the best bars I've ever stepped foot in. There weren't any brewery tours, but there was everything else including a food truck to purchase a jalapeno cheeseburger. Mmmmm... They must have known I was coming! I took my burger upstairs to watch the airshow going on at the Marine Corps Miramar Airport.

 In the foreground that's my lunch on the window sill. In the distance is the smoke from a recent show performer. I guess this is the base/airport they filmed the movie Top Gun at back in the day. Pretty cool!

 Above is a picture of an Osprey. You'll have to excuse the poor photography as I was taking pictures with a burger in one hand and my smartphone in the other.

I swiped this one from the interwebs.

Here's a better photo of the Osprey, which was the closest aircraft to reach me at my location. It flew right over the bar!

Here's a couple of photos of the bar and brewery.

San Diego is so very dog-friendly. I love it!

The best parts of the brewery/bar?

 The Tony Gwynn Museum and the .394 Pale Ale made in Gwynn's honor! Unfortunately, photography was not allowed in the museum, but I did see many of Gwynn's little league and high school trophies and most of his Gold Gloves and Silver Slugger awards. His key to the city of San Diego was there, as well as his autographed baseball collection of the 3,000 Hit Club, many of which were inscribed to him. How cool!

I spent a good 45 minutes in the museum and enjoyed every second of it. I knew a lot about Tony Gwynn going in, but the one thing that stuck with me was he drafted into the NBA and MLB on the same day. Wow!

Next up was Clairemont Sportscards! The three owners were there and they were the best of hosts. They offered me a bottle of water and were happy to look for cards that might fit into my collections.

 I'm still working on my Hall of Fame binder and I was able to pick up some nice Cubs cards at noninflated Illinois prices. yeah!

 Zimmer isn't in The Hall, obviously, but I couldn't pass up this 1961 card of his.

 There weren't any dime boxes, but plenty of other boxes and of it was super organized. I found three more Negro League players and a Buck O'Neil for a different collection of mine.

 My best get of the day was this Warren Spahn. 

I'm very happy to finally add a vintage card of his to the binder!

Next up, PETCO Park!

View from our seats.

I only need six more ballparks now. Woo-Hoo!

What impressed me the most about the ballpark was how much pride the Padres organization has in its history.

 There were items all around the park celebrating the Padre greats and their history.

 Inside their Hall of Fame room they had an All-Time Leaders board. Why don't more teams do something like this?

 Dave Winfield and Trevor Hoffman!  I somehow missed the Tony Gwynn statue, but I did accidentally find my way to the top of the Western Metal Supply building. It was the first time I ever got turned around in an MLB ballpark. 

I'm also impressed with how closely tied the organization is to our military.

 The wall, below, listed all the Major League Baseball Players to serve in the military.

Very, very awesome.

We sat in the upper deck and were given vouchers for hot dogs and sodas as part of a family section. I missed out on going to Baked Bear as Josh D. suggested in the comments of my previous post. That, alone, is probably my only regret about the whole trip.

As we walked into the ballpark I did score an awesome Ken Caminiti bobblehead for my collection though!

His head bobbles and his whole body sways to and fro! For every MLB ballpark I've been to I have a bobblehead to commemorate the trip. This one fits the bill quite nicely.

The Padres lost 5-4 to the Diamondbacks. Wil Myers didn't play and neither did Paul Goldschmidt. Oh well. We left after the 7th inning stretch to head back to the hotel so we could rest up for a busy Sunday of travel.

It was a fun time in San Diego overall and one I wouldn't mind duplicating again someday. Hopefully for a longer duration next time!

Thanks for reading!