Collecting Clutch Contest Winnings

Brian from Collecting Clutch ran a contest last month where collectors showcased the top 10 cards from their player collections.  It was great seeing all the different cards.  It was interesting to hear the stories behind the cards also.  Of course there were a lot of autos and game used cards, but there were also a fair share of base cards that looked great or held a special meaning to the collector.  My Lankford top 10 paled in comparison to some other collections, but Brian was gracious enough to send prizes to anyone that entered.

This is my first 2017 Topps BUNT card.  It is very tempting to buy a hobby box for less than $40, but I will most likely just trade for the Cardinals base cards.

Bubbles and chrome look pretty good together.  This is my second 2016 Topps Update Chrome card.  Only 2 more to go for the team set.

This is one of the card that Brian showcased as a prize.  Even though Big City is not a Cardinal anymore, I am glad to have it.  As long as he does not become a Cub, I will always be a fan. 

The gem of the package was this Ray Lankford slide.  I have a couple of slides from the Topps Vault, but no oddballs such as this one.  It will be interesting to see if this image was used on any cards or was used in any magazine photos I have. 

Thanks Brian for the great contest!  If I ever get a cool McCuthen, I will know where to send it.

Hats Off to You Jameson

Every once in a while there is a story in MLB that makes you a fan of the game, not just your team.  Jameson Taillon provided one of those stories last night.  Just roughly five weeks after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, he made his return to the Pirates and pitched five shutout innings on his way to a win.  It is amazing he conquered a terrible disease that quick, let alone being able to perform as a professional athlete. 

It is difficult to root for another team/player that plays in the same division as the Cardinals.  I cannot imagine any situation where I will ever root for the Cubs.  The hatred is not as much toward the Reds and Brewers, but still not a fan.  If I had to pick a second favorite team in the NL Central, it would be the Pirates.  Up until this spring, it was rare to hear about any of their players in a bad spotlight.  Their games against the Cardinals have not involved much controversy either.  No stealing signs, signing the other team's free agents, or accusing the other of breaking baseball's unwritten rules.

 Early last season, I was able to get this card signed by Taillon at an Indianapolis Indians game.  This picture from the Indians website shows my son and I getting the auto.  My back side is my best best side when taking pictures.  Taillon was very friendly and joked with us about being Cardinals fans.  If there is a Pirate fan or anyone that would like to have this card, drop me an email and it is yours.

TCDB trade

Early this morning I took the time to clean up my card desk.  I had one trade that I cannot remember when it came in, but know it was from a Trading Card Database member.

 The big prize in the trade for me was the final 2 cards I needed to complete the 1994 Topps Archives set.  Virdon is better know as a Pirate, but he did win Rookie of the Year in 1955 as a Cardinal.  Deal was a relief pitcher in 1950 and 1954.

I was surprised to see I still need a 1997 Topps base card, but this Benes finished my set.  The Wagner finished my 1994 Stadium Club Draft Picks set, while the Sanders took my 2004 Bazooka set down to 2 cards.

These 3 inserts are from 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter.  You would think Topps could be a little more creative with the name.  Reminds me of Topps Total Total Topps inserts.

I miss the Sportscenter days of Keith Olberman and Dan Patrick.  The show is almost hard to watch.  I tune in for sports highlights and some related stories, not to see anchors fighting with guests or expressing their political views.  If I wanted to see that I would watch Jerry Springer.

Trading Bases & The Bench Trade

Continuing yesterday's post, today's cards are from Trading Bases member Kevin M along with a few from the Bench member David K.  Both are long time trade partners who always send more than what they should.

Each year I hope only 1 or 2 Cardinals have short print cards in the Heritage set.  Diaz was the only one this year.  Alex Reyes has a photo variation, but I do not count those as part of a team set. 

I am a fan of multi player cards, even better when they feature minor leaguers.  All 3 guys of these play in Triple A now. 

This year's Cardinals Tommy John pitcher is Alex Reyes.  He did not even get a spring training start in before he had surgery.  He is young enough to make a full recovery and I hope he is a member of the rotation in 2018. 

Wainwright flat out stunk last night.  I guess his only bright spot was giving up only one of Scooter Gennett's home runs, although it was a grand slam. 

Oh is having a decent year after a rough first month.  If the Cardinals could skip the 7th inning, he would most likely have more saves.  This is a 2016 Chrome Update refractor numbered to 250.

Piscotty has done better at the plate of late, but his defense and baserunning have went south.  I am pretty sure most players learned in little league that you do not go first to third on a base hit to left.  He tried early this week and was out by a mile.  I wish the Cardinals would hire someone like Vince Coleman to teach these players how to run the bases. 

Trading Bases Trade

Since joining Trading Card Database in January, my trading on other sites has dropped dramatically.  My trading in general has slowed since the start of Little League season, but I can always count on 2 members of the Trading Bases message group to send unannounced cards.  Ron B the Pirates collector and Kevin M the Mets collectors have sent me numerous packages over the years without getting anything in exchange.  Both caught me off guard last week.  I will highlight Ron's package today.

Molina is one of the few Cardinals who is having a decent year.  His average is lacking at .255, but his other numbers are solid.  He even leads the team with 5 stolen bases. 

Dejong was called up on May 28 when Kolten Wong went on the DL.  He homered in his first AB that day and has started almost everyday since.  It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals send him down when Wong comes back, or if they decide to cut Jhonny Peralta loose. 

Alcantara has struggled his first year in Double A.  He is only 21 years old, so hopefully he will find some better command to go along with his 100 MPH fastball. 

Carpenter has been in a bad slump most of the year.  There is talk among Cardinals fans that he cannot hit well if he does not hit leadoff.  I would think he would be happy to hit third, but who knows.  Piscotty did not start well, but has turned it around somewhat since returning from a few days off.  His mother was just diagnosed with ALS a few weeks agos, so he left the team for a few games to be with his family.  Hope all goes well as can be expected. 

Monday Blues

This past weekend left me feeling all sorts of blue.  First the Cardinals got swept by the Blue Bears from Chicago.  They had a lead in every game and manged to lose each one.  I sure hope the Matheny days are numbered, but knowing the Cardinals they will make one or two insignificant trades at the deadline and continue with the statue quo.  My son's 8 year old baseball team finished second in a weekend tournament.  This is not an all bad thing considering there were 12 teams, but this is the fourth tournament they have finished second in.  Just not quite over the hump yet, but they are improving.  Maybe this upcoming weekend will yield different results. 

I did have some time to scan a few cards.  My only EBAY win from May featured 5 Cardinals from the 2016 Topps Chrome Blue Sapphire set.

This is the second lot of these cards I won from the same seller.  I am down to needing just the Piscotty and Grichuk cards to finish my team sets.

The price has come down quite a bit since the sets were released.  They are still very sharp cards, but I wish they were numbered on the back.  It was announced that 250 sets were made.

This cards shows a lot happier times than what the Cardinals are experiencing now.  Even though they are only 2.5 games out of first, that has more to do with how bad the NL Central is than how well the Cardinals have played. 

At least Waino has turned his season around the last few starts.  Poor guy has to provide the offense if he wants to win though.  He won his last start 2-0 against the Dodgers by pitching 6 scoreless innings and hitting a 2 run home run.

Wong is currently on the 10 day DL, but is having somewhat of a bounce back season.  I think that has a lot to do with his consistent playing time.