Cards from all the way to the backstop

It seems like forever since I have been able to complete a trade with a fellow blogger.  It seems we all get busier as the weather gets warmer.  Over the weekend I received a nice package from Marcus who writes all the way to the backstop .  I sent him a handful of Tony Gwynn cards in exchange for a variety of Cardinals.

Marcus posted some minor league cards for trade after breaking a set.  I love adding minor league cards to my collection, even if they are not technically Cardinals cards.  Redbirds are pretty close.

These are my first cards from 2016 Gypsy Queen and Bowman, both featuring closer Trevor Rosenthal.  Rosy was lights out last year, but has had a slow start this year.  A lot of the Cardinals wins have been in non save situations.  I think the lack of work may not be keeping Rosenthal sharp.

  The 2 inserts from 2016 feature the Cardinals starting right fielders from last year and this year.  As of now, it looks like the Cardinals have lost nothing production wise by going with Piscotty.  I was never a big fan of the Heyward trade knowing he could be a free agent after 1 year in St. Louis.  It would have been nice to keep him, but not at the price he got paid. 

Last I checked Allen Craig has played less than 10 games this season in the minors due to injuries.  It seems he will never fully recover from crashing into a wall in Houston.  Adron Chambers had a small bench role late in the 2011 season, but has since bounced around.  In November he was suspended for 50 games for PED use.

A trio of 2014 Bowman Hometown cards featuring 3 Cardinals from Texas.  Wacha and Miller have both fallen of greatly from their All Star seasons last year, while Carpenter has maintained his steady play.

Thanks for the great cards Marcus.  Always nice to trade with a new partner from the blog world.

Dancing and Dimes in Indianapolis

I have mentioned in previous posts that my daughter is a member of a competition dance studio.  We travel to 4 or 5 competitions throughout Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri from early January to mid June.  I usually try to coordinate these trips with a ballgame or card show if possible.  Last Saturday we traveled to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  Obviously the Colts were not playing, but we did get a peak at the playing field.  The Triple A Indianapolis Indians were not in town either, but I did luck out and find a card show about 20 minutes away.

The show was advertised on the Beckett webpage as 40 tables with free admission.  My son and I pulled into the American Legion to find a Cub Scout ceremony going on.  I feared we made the trip for nothing, but someone informed us the card show was in the other banquet room.  The atmosphere was very laid back with very few people there.  It did not take us long to go through the tables.  Quite a few of the dealers only had football and basketball cards, which is understandable since Indy is home to the Pacers and Colts.  I did luck out and find a dealer who had 2 3000 count boxes full of dime cards that were mostly inserts or parallels.  There were some football and basketball mixed in, but at least the baseball cards were group by brands.

I managed to pull 67 cards from the 2 boxes in about 45 minutes.  I must have been one of the few baseball collectors there because the dealer was thrilled someone was buying his baseball cards.  I pulled quite a few cards for other team collectors, but I was able to score some Cardinals for my pc.  Unlike the shows I attend in the St. Louis area, the Cardinals were also a dime.

 I picked these 2015 Finest cards up thinking they were the base version, but after looking closer they are black refractors. 

These Finest refractors are from 2014.

I was also able to pick up some Topps Chrome Xfractors from 2013.  Nice start to a team set.

These are my first cards from 2016 Diamond Kings, base or inserts.  There were 2 or 3 copies of the Molina, but stupid me forgot to pick up an extra for Brady.  Sorry, will remember you next time.

There were a ton of Bowman minis from various years.  I have a noted distaste for minis, but for a dime each I could not pass them up.  I love the looks of the 2 2015 Farm's Finest minis. 

The boxes also had a ton of the Top 100 prospect card from 2013 and 2014.

I was surprised I did not have the Wainwright Ginter card yet.  I did not have any wantlist with me, so I picked up almost all the Cardinals in the box.

A handful of miscellaneous inserts.  The Weaver was the only card I already out of 20+ Cardinals I picked up.  I must say that dime boxes are getting to be my favorite part of going to a card show. 

The Finest of Trades

Here it is May 10th already and this is my first post of the month.  Baseball and softball season are in full swing for my kids.  With 2 or 3 games a week and practice in between, a peaceful night at home has become non existent.  Add in weekend volleyball tournaments for my daughter, my spare time has been spent catching up on household chores and sleep.  I have also spent some late nights watching the Blues in the NHL playoffs.  Why the league thinks you need to start a game at 8:00 in the central time zone is beyond me. 

I have managed to complete a couple of trades in the last week.  The first one arrived over the weekend from Trading Bases member Rick.  I sent a stack of Rangers his way in return for some Cardinals hits.

I do not think I have completed any of the Finest sets from the 1990s.  The 1995 set does not look the best with the green background and large baseball diamond. 

1998 Finest features full bleed photography with up close action shots.  I think the design would look better with a clear background instead of it being blurry.

There were a few other shiny cards in the package including a 1998 Topps Chrome, 1997 Donruss Elite, and 1995 Bowman's Best.  

Score did not have too many sets in the early 1990s except for Select.  I like the way team colors were used for the border on the 1995 set.

Last but not least were a some cards I need to finish up various Topps sets.  It is easy to over look multiple player cards when trying to complete a team set.  I think Topps struck out on all 8 prospects listed on these 2 cards.  I know the 2 Cardinals pitchers did not last in the Majors long.

Another Trade Package with more Molina

I commented last week how most of my recent trade packages contained at least 1 Yadier Molina card.  He is one of the more popular Cardinals that does have a card and/or insert in most sets, but there are quiet a few more hardcore Molina collectors out there than me.  My streak continued early this week when I got a trade package from Ron of the Trading Bases group.  I mailed him some of the Pirate cards I got signed at Indianapolis a few weeks ago. 

This package contained 2 Molina cards from 2016 Donruss and 1 from Diamond Kings. I like the painted look of this year's Diamond Kings cards.  Panini seems to have used all catching poses to get past airbrushing the logos. 

This Piscotty Rated Rookie finished my Donruss set.  The lack of logo on the helmet really sticks out on this card. 

These are my first 2016 Opening Day cards. I love the looks of the blue parallels, will have to track some down.

I found it kind of funny that I got 2 different Lankfords  in the package.  I had the Ray Lankford, but this is my first Cole Lankford.  Cole is an outfielder in rookie ball right now who may see single A before the end of the year.  Hard to tell from the scan, but the die cut is numbered to 200.

Jaime Garcia is healthy for the second year in a row, which is big news.  He has had a Jekyll and Hyde type of year so far.  He threw a 1 hit shutout with 11 strikeouts, but has also gotten bombed twice.  At least he is healthy so far.  I am not for sure who the Cardinals would have for a 5th starter if someone got hurt right now.

The Coupon Got Me

Back in the fall of 2002 my wife and I made the decision that our double wide trailer was not a big enough place to start a family in, so we decided to build a house.  We moved the double wide in June of 2003 because we wanted to attach the existing garage to our new house.  Construction started on July 5 with the digging of our basement.  After four long months of living in a camper, we moved into the new house a week before Thanksgiving.

So what does this have to do with baseball cards you may ask.  Long story short, the monthly mortgage took a good bite out of the card budget.  Before the house, I would buy a hobby box every month or two.  I cannot even tell you the last time I busted a hobby box since then.  I will get the occasional blaster box from Wal-Mart, but busting packs is almost as rare as a Adam Wainwright quality start this year. 

Monday night I had the chance to sort some cards sitting on my desk and came across the coupon that was included with the Topps Marketside cards.   I had to go to the store for dog food anyway, so I took the coupon along hoping to find some 2016 Bowman.  No such luck though, so I decided to use the $1 off value pack coupon for some 2016 Gypsy Queen.

The base cards feature the typical border Gypsy Queen has used the past few years.  I like the simple design and the way the red text stands out.  I did not get any sps or Cardinals from the base cards, so all of these are for trade:  16-22-33-47-51-96-127-136-141-145-152-223-233-270

 I like the look of the blue frame parallel cards compared to the white border from last year.  Once again all of these are up for trade.

7 Corey Seager

12 Jose Bautista

69 Edwin Encarnacion

86 Adrian Beltre

98 Carlos Rondon

Each pack contained a mini card, although each was different.  The Robbie Ray was the only regular mini.  Yep, all of these are for trade also.

282 Robbie Ray

MVP Cal Ripken Jr

Purple 200 Brian McCann 206/250

The only insert in the 3 packs was also my only Cardinal.  This is the same photo Topps has used for other Musial cards, but at least they included more of the background.  I do believe Power Alley is a new insert for Gypsy Queen. 

This was the first pack of cards I opened in 2016, not counting the Marketside cards.  I do miss the thrill of busting a pack, but not the letdown of not getting what I paid for.  All of these are nice cards, but not really worth the $3 per pack price.  I am a sucker though, so will most likely use the $2.50 blaster box coupon when Bowman does arrive.

1 Sticker + 2 Carlos + Assorted Hits = Great Trade Package

My trading has slowed down a bit with the nicer weather finally arriving here in Southern Illinois.  It seems every night I have one or two functions to run the kids to.  Ball practice, dance practice, choir, etc keeps me away from home until 8 or 9 in the evening.  By the time showers, dinner, and homework is done, there is little time or motivation to devote to baseball cards.  It is nice though to open the mailbox and find a trade package or two still coming in.

I have traded with Michael from the Trading Bases group multiple times, but it has been a long time.  He was one of the traders who had some Pirates for the Indianapolis game I attended.  He also slipped in some Cardinals.

Michael included a nice variety of cards and even a sticker.  I have a couple other 2013 Topps Stickers to go along with the Lance Lynn, but need quite a few more.  The 2015 Heritage Minors card features Tim Cooney, a promising lefty who is experiencing shoulder problems to start the season.  Not sure why Shelby Miller has a 2013 Bowman Draft card when he was in the regular Bowman set that same year.

Two Carlos from the 2013 Bowman Chrome set.  I hope Martinez builds on his season from last year and continues to build up to a 20 game winner.  Beltran had a nice couple of season in St. Louis as the veteran replacement for Albert Pujols. 

Nothing too flashy about these 2 2016 Donruss cards.  Not for sure why, but it seems like all of my recent packages has at least one Molina card that I need. 

I am a fan of the refractor like finish of Pannini Prizm regardless of what year.  Panini did a decent job of selecting photos that minimize the lack of logos on these 2 cards.  It is sad to see how far Allen Craig has fallen.  Last I check he is still with Boston's Triple A team.

All Cardinals goes All Pirates

The Cardinals have a big series starting tonight against the Cubs.  Good thing they have been playing better of late, going 7-2 since starting the season by getting swept by the Pirates.  I cannot say that the Pittsburgh sweep was a surprise.  Having seen the Cardinals in spring training the week before, it did not look like they were prepared to start the season.  A lot of the starters either did not play, or looked like they were just going through the motions.  Pittsburgh served as a good wake up call.

I have never been to Pittsburgh to see a game, but I would love to go.  I hear the ballpark is beautiful.  I did see their Triple A team the Indianapolis Indians play 2 years ago.  They play at Victory Field in downtown Indy.  Like its Major League counterpart, Victory Field is very nice.  The concourse has many pictures of past players including Andrew McCutchen, Randy Johnson, and Larry Walker.

The family and I made another trip to Indy on Saturday to watch the Baby Buccos take on the Columbus Clippers, Cleveland's Triple A team.  Each Saturday is Signature Saturday with various people signing free autographs.  This past Saturday was team autograph night.  Tables were set up along the concourse with 2 players or coaches at each table signing for 45 minutes.  This is a great setup for fans, as the tables are labeled  with each signer.  Each person is allowed to get 1 auto, but you can get back in a line if you choose to.  It was not hard to get through each table , although some had longer lines than others.  I had a few cards from a Sportlots order to get signed along with some from 2 Pirate fans from the Trading Bases group.

Butch Wynegar is the hitting coach for the Indians.  He did not have a long line and was very talkative.

Willy Garcia has a cannon for an arm with some power potential.  His auto leaves a little to be desired, although he was nice.

Ngoepe is a very talented shortstop.  He made a great sliding stop to his backhand and through out the runner by a step.  He is a native of South Africa.

Rojas is the son of the former MLB pitcher.  He was very talkative and shook hands with almost everyone.

 Alen Hanson has a good mix of power and speed for a shortstop.  Out of all the players, he seemed the most disinterested in signing.  He made little eye contact and did not say a word.

Jameson Taillon is the Pirates 4th rated prospect.  He missed the last 2 seasons due to injuries.  He joked with us about not signing because we were wearing Cardinals hats, but was very friendly.

Josh Bell is the Pirates 3rd rated prospect.  Most fans think he will be in Pittsburgh before the All Star break.  He is a big man with big power.  He was at the same table as Taillon.  This was by far the most popular table.

There were numerous players who we did not have cards for, so they signed this logo sheet.  Good thing most of them added their numbers otherwise I would have not clue who signed this.  From top to bottom, left to right: Jorge Rondon, Kelvin Marte, Alen Hanson, Max Moroff, Ed Easley, John Kuchno, Mel Rojas Jr, Jason Rogers, Guido Knudson, Wilfredo Boscan, Trey Haley, and Curtis Partch.  I was shocked Hanson signed this.  While Marte was signing it, Hanson leaned over and scribbled his name.

I could not go the entire night without getting something Cardinal related signed.  Rondon was a member of the Springfield Cardinals that won the 2012 Texas League championship.  This is the 12th card I have signed from the team set.

Ed Easley was by far the most friendly player.  This program is from a 2014 Memphis Redbirds game.  Easley is a native of Memphis and spent a few minutes talking about how great it was to play in his home town.  He did not have much of a line, so he was more than happy to talk about the minor leagues.  He did get 6 at bats with St. Louis last year, but went hitless.  He should be able to hang around Triple A for a few more years as the veteran catcher.

We got a total of 35 autographs for our 45 minutes of work.  Our seats were in the front row by the Clippers bullpen.  My daughter got a ball from a relief pitcher after he finished warming up.  My son caught a foam ball that was thrown out in between innings that included a $5 Subway card.  Nice little prize for him.

The game was not overly exciting.  The  Clippers won 2-1 with a home run in the top of the ninth.  Pirates #1 prospect Tyler Glasnow started the game and struck out 9 in five innings.  He looks to be a stud with a short stay in Indy this year before he gets called up.

One last thing that made me a proud dad:

My 11 year old daughter kept a scorecard for both teams the entire game.  Other than not using a backwards K, she was spot on with almost everything without asking for help.