#15

1974 Topps Traded Ron Santo..

This one is a little bittersweet.  Your best friend only moved across town, but you still get the sense that it’s the beginning of the end of your friendship.  Everything changes and life goes on, but it’s sad in the moment.  And you know that career is coming to an end when the team they’ve been with for their whole career lets them go.  But still, you gotta remember the good times, and Ron Santo was great.  So this is a bittersweet keeper.

#14

1974 Topps Al Kaline..

Another late-career card of a Hall of Fame slugger.  It is beat to hell, which is why it’s so low on the countdown, but still a fine card nonetheless.  I’m willing to trade this one away though.  Not my team, not my town.

#13

1974 Topps JR Richard..

And now for the “what could have been” I mentioned in the previous post.  JR Richard had the stuff to be an all-time great, but he flamed out probably not even halfway to immortality.  But the little we got was just crazy electric amazing.  This badass card is a keeper.  I’m working on a single page of him, and was able to score a couple more for the page in Card Draft III.

#12

Harold Baines RC..

A RC of the 2nd or 3rd best more-or-less pure DH of all time.  If Edgar Martinez is getting into the Hall one of these years, which seems like a very real possibility, then Harold Baines belongs there too.  Edgar has a better slashline .312/.418/.515 to .289/.356/.465.  But Harold has him in hits 2866-2247, 384-309 in home runs, and 1628-1261 in RBI, all of which Edgar would struggle to reach if given the extra 3+ seasons Harold played.  You would have to tack those years on at the beginning and/or end of his career, and he did all his best work from age 32-40 (dude never hit over 18 HR in season before that), so only the hits would maybe be in danger.  You can complain about accumulating all you want (and Harold Baines was unquestionably an accumulator), but if you put up 2866 hits, 384 home runs, and 1628 RBIs together, that’s Hall of Fame-worthy career, DH or not.

In other news, I completed a Harold Baines trifecta earlier this month thanks to landing this card in the draft.  I got the auto late last year, this in Card Draft II: The Search for Son of Curly’s Electric Boogaloo, and finally the relic courtesy of eBay.  Being that Harold Baines is probably my dad’s favorite player, all three are currently displayed on the parents’ entertainment center.

#11

’61 Moe Thacker..

An early ’60s Cub?  Of course I’m going to to take it.  I don’t really team collect anymore, but I have a binder for cool Cubs stuff I like that doesn’t fit into a specific player collection or set or single page.  There’s a place in it for vintage, rookies/prospects, inserts/parallels, hits, and certain oddballs and things.  So yeah, this be a keeper.

#10

1986 Topps 1000 Yard Club..

What better way to jump into the top-10 than with the greatest running back of all-time?  I have several cards from Sweetness’ playing career (including his RC!), but nothing from about 1981-86, so this starts to close that sad gap in my collection a little bit.

#9

Dock In Action..

Another ’70s pitching great with a dedicated binder page the card drafts have started to fill up.  I only had a single Dock before this, from epic time suck that was the Diamond Giveaway.  It should’ve been two though, Topps.  Thanks for screwing me out of the ’75, the only card from his playing career that could top this card and the next on the countdown.

#8

Dock not in action..

My ordering might’ve gone off the rails in this part of the list, but that’s okay.  It’s hard to beat a ’72 for anyway.  This was early in the era where I argue Topps peaked (from 1971-1985, they simply didn’t make a bad looking set, and ’71, ’72, ’75, and ’83 are all-time greats), and while the design is way… oh, let’s say flouncier, than ’71, it still positively reeks of the same kind of class as the straight black ’71s.

#7

Upper Deck Ovation Future Forces Ray Allen..

From the height of Topps powers to the height of Upper Deck’s, this is one of those scan doesn’t do the card justice types.  These days Ray is the most prolific 3-point shooter of all-time and a future Hall-of-Famer.  Amazing then that he might only be the fourth best player in his draft class!  Kobe, while kind of a douche, is unquestionably the best of the class, Allen Iverson is 6th in NBA history in points-per-game at 26.7 (from a guy not even legitimately 6’0″ tall!), and Steve Nash is a 2-time MVP and one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.

What a draft that 1996 class was.  4 Hall of Fame locks (the above mentioned Kobe, AI, Nash & Allen), 4 of the better all-star/Hall of Very Good journeymen ever (Antoine Walker, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic) and several significant contributors and long-lasting role players (Kerry Kittles, Marcus Camby, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Derek Fisher, Jermaine O’Neal).

Oh, and I guess this card is available, but only reluctantly.

#6

Aramis Ramirez 2012 BowChro Blue Refractor #’ed /250..

This card is so so pretty with that deep blue border and surprisingly decent for a Bowman product design (although 2013 is pretty decent too).  The only thing keeping it out of the top-5 is the Cubs’ next Hall of Famer having moved on to the Brew Crew after the 2011 season.  Usually I stop actively chasing players when that happens, but I finally officially went over 100 Aramis Ramirez cards early this year and am still going strong, if mostly focused on using my own money to get his autograph cards right now.  I figure when I get back into trading again, the lower-tier Aramis base cards and inserts will start filling out some more.

Well, there you go.  I might even be questioning my list myself, but those are my 15-6 from Card Draft II.  That’s all for this one, lonely souls.  Thanks for stopping by and reading my rambles and looking at my cards.  Check back next time for the top-5!

Next time, Gadget…

Lovely parting gifts..

With Scott Crawford on Cards‘ Trade Bait Draft III probably happening tonight (If you got $20 or a good trade to offer him, and an hour or two free, hit him up!), I thought it was way past time to start showing off my stuff from my first go-round in his draft’s second iteration.  With the five bonus rounds and five extra throw-ins, I ended up with a total of 30 cards, but I’m only going to count down the drafted cards.  The extras are at the top of the post.  And now, without further adieu, let’s count ‘em down.  In my opinion, here are 25-16:

#25

2011 Bowman Mike Moustakas Bowman’s Best Prospects..

A late-round set need pick for a set I’m waffling pretty hard on whether or not I want to finish.  My love of Bowman’s Best stems from 1996-1999, not from the product’s first year, which this set is aping.  Keeper (for now I guess).

#24

1974 Topps Goose Gossage..

Chosen entirely for the sake of “Hall of Famer in a White Sox uniform”.  I don’t even particularly like Goose, because his opinions on baseball invariably annoy me on the mercifully rare occasions he voices them.  Available for trade, because I don’t want to look at Goose every time I pass the shelves the White Sox cards I give my dad are on when I’m at the parents’ place.

#23

BowChro Jameson Taillon die-cut..

I like Taillon and think he is going to be very good.  The only reason this one is so low on the countdown is the card itself.  Topps has gone crazy with the die-cuts the since 2011, but these are one of the very few that don’t really do it for me.  Available for trade.

#22

Kurt Suzuki Heritage Chrome Green Refractor..

Although I like that the refractor color matches the player’s team, Suzuki is pure trade bait, most likely for Shot Not Taken if he needs it.  He has no less than a dozen hits I have varying degrees of interest in, and three I absolutely have to get whenever we trade again.  Plus he always seems to pull a few wrestlers I like when he busts pro graps cards, so it’s no wonder we trade so often.

#21

1969 Topps Johnny Podres..

It’s a cool card, no doubt, but mostly a case of picking the best card still remaining on my draft board.  Available for trade, especially if you have a fairly equivalent Cub from the around that time.

#20

Laser Emmitt Smith Sample..

Even though I don’t actively collect samples and promos anymore (or think that highly of Emmitt Smith as a football player), I can’t say no to a little blinged out ’90s greatness.  Available for trade.

19

1974 Topps All-Star Catchers Fisk/Bench..

Chosen for the Carlton Fiskiness of it all.  Goose started it off, and here is the second appearance in a long run of ’74 Hall of Famers (and one all-time what could have been) in varying degrees of rough condition.  Many more to come.  Reluctantly available for trade.

#18

1986-87 Fleer Maurice Cheeks..

This is a great card, and it only fell this far down the list right before I started writing the post.  It was #12 when I got the list back out to start this up.  Oddly, I’ve only ever owned three cards from the legendary ’86-87 Fleer set, and all three of them have been 76ers (Dr. J and Moses Malone were the others).  Reluctantly available for trade.

#17

2013 Topps Yu Darvish ’72 Mini..

YU!  I dunno about these mini sets of sets that were never mini in the first place.  I think Topps may be scraping the bottom of the barrel of their endless nostalgia crazed wankfest.  Yeah, wankfest.  They are clearly in love with themselves and their history, despite how INCREDIBLY MEDIOCRE that history is.  Yeah you never made a bad set from 1971-1985, but a lot of what came before is only well thought of because it’s old, and you’re still spotty as hell and losing ground in modern times.  You NEVER even innovated a damn thing in 25 years of relatively uncontested ruling over baseball cards, and really cards in general.  So, I think you and your history kinda suck!  And I will never, EVER stop resenting you for your current exclusive deal, or MLB for giving it to you.

What can I say I’m a Paul Heyman Upper Deck Panini anyone willing to put up a decent alternative to Topps guy.

But I’ll take a YU! every chance I get.  This, despite my rant, is a reluctant keeper.  At least until I finish and can start upgrading my Yu Darvish page.

#16

2011 Score Colin Kaepernick RC

What a thrill to watch last year.  Even Kaep’s early struggles were of the rather epic variety (the infamous halfback toss to nowhere that, iirc, eventually cost the Niners that game).  Can’t wait to see what he can do over a full and hopefully healthy season.  I’ve never seen a running QB with such deadly timing on designed runs.  Just unreal what he can do.  It is never a good idea to anoint a team, but the 49ers are built to compete for championships for years on end, and it will be a huge disappointment if they don’t get at least one.

That’s it for the first of what will most likely be three of these countdown posts.  If Card Draft III does end up being tonight, I will hopefully be able to get the countdown done before the next bunch of cards arrive.  Thanks for stopping by!

Until our next…

I dunno if what it is about Panini’s alternate take, or if it’s just because it is a viable alternate take to Topps’ increasingly forgettable Chrome, but I’m fine basically paying out the ass for these when I’ve never been okay doing that with Chrome, even in years when it doesn’t suck.  To compare, my less than half as many Topps Heritage, and a lone pack of the putrid lameness that is 2013 Gypsy Queen, were met with immediate regret.  Topps tone-deaf nostalgia-based offerings both have more cards, but Heritage rarely fails to leave me feeling empty inside, and 2013 is no exception (the exception would be 2009).  I also know 2013 GQ has probably the finest looking slate of inserts, parallels, & hits of it’s brief three year tenure as a thing that exists, but I didn’t pull any of that good stuff, and the base set is just ass.

So yeah, whatever.  I like Prizm enough to take an actual (if probably ultimately doomed) stab at the base set, if not an all out mini master set of base + all inserts.  So if you have some, I want them.  I want them ALL!  I’ll take regular and colored (blue, red, green… gold?  I might be wishful thinking on that last one ) refractors (Prizms, whatevs.  They are the same thing.  Prizms just haven’t been run into the ground yet.) off your hands too if you have them.  No chance at getting complete sets of them cuz money is hard, but I wouldn’t mind landing some of my player collections and a Sensational Single Page of randoms of the regular and first three colors anyway.

Feed me more..

That’s all I got to say right now.  Thanks for stopping by to read me ridicule Topps’ shitty early season offerings while praising that thing all of you seem to hate so much.  Just hit me up in the comments or email me (address is on me google account linked on the sidebar) if you have some unwanted Prizms (I also need at least 3/4 of the Finalists set from the basketball version of Prizm if you got ‘em), and we can work out a deal.  I’ll also try not to take so long between posts.  It isn’t like I’m hurting for things to jibba-jabba about.  Peace.

Still here, just getting there…

2008 TNA iMPACT! Booker T Yellow Printing Plate..

Booker is my favorite wrestler of all-time, and this is my best card of him.  Despite having a lot of autographs (as wrestlers go anyway) out there, I’ve yet to come across one within my price range.  The 6 (should be more like 10-12) time World Champion and one of the single most decorated champions overall in the history of professional wrestling blew my mind as a kid with his heavy, but not really martial arts, kick-based offense that’s never really been duplicated, and agility.  He could fly a little too, with the Harlem/Houston Hangover, which is one of the coolest moves ever invented.  He’s also being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, which is pretty cool too.

2012 Topps WWE Eve Torres WrestleMania XXVIII Mat Relic

It’s sad Eve left right when she turned in an absolutely amazing heel run (oddly similar in to the Batista’s run, in every aspect).  I was down with Eve from her first televised match, which I just happened to catch even though I almost never get around to watching Smackdown!  I want to say she was teaming with Maria or someone like her that had been there for quite awhile yet never really even became competent in the ring.  Anyway, it was pretty amazing, because Eve was already immediately better than Maria or whoever it was that had been there so long from match one.  So, aside from her stunning beauty, which according to my #WrestlingBros homey Alex* is even more disarming in person, I was pretty enamored that she immediately had more skills than the average WWE eye candy from the start.  Her autographs are far, faaaaar more expensive than Booker’s, and the only one even close enough for me extend for got nabbed on COMC before I my money into paypal.

As a pretty nifty aside, Eve retweeted the tweet when I tweeted this card to the above mentioned ALo and it’s currently sitting at 17 total retweets and 19 favorites, which is, whoa…

Tara/Victoria WWE Heritage Chrome Autograph.

This was my very first autograph of my favorite Diva of the legendary Victoria/Trish Stratus/Molly Holly/Lita/Gail Kim era legit awesome wrestling.  Good times.  Her autos used to be a lot harder to come by before she made the jump to TNA and became Tara, and picked up several more in the $3-8 range in recent months, even a couple more WWE offerings.  That said, when I got this way back when I felt super lucky to pick it up for a hair under $15 (not counting shipping, which I’m guessing was about normal).  So why was she my favorite then and still remains high enough on the list to dedicate a binder page entirely comprised of hits to her?  She was easily the toughest and most underrated of the bunch (only two title reigns over like seven or eight years, if I recall correctly), and the second best wrestler after Molly (at the time; Gail didn’t really get many chances to shine until the Knockouts division started up in TNA).  I’m also way envious of my Chicago homies, because I want to go to her new restaurant!

I guess that’ll about do it for now.  Thanks for stopping by!

Until our next…

Starting off big with a Boog Powell RC!

I couldn’t pass it up at the price.  Condition is surprisingly decent too.  Ol’ Boog was intended for Project ’62, but he already has three apparently.  Thus, it remains with me.  I will entertain offers, but I’m in no hurry at all to let it go.

Jamaal Charles Number Patch..

I put Jamaal Charles back in my full-on collection category after his amazing return to form last season.  Due to being by far the best player on a historically sucky team, his return from serious injury got overshadowed, but it’s no less impressive than Adrian Peterson to me.  To put up the same kind of yardage & yards-per-carry Charles did before the injury, with the total QB incompetence he was working with in 2012 (at least Ponder bothered to show up for AD & didn’t actively hurt the Vikings chances of winning most weeks), damn impressive.  I think, due to his penchant for breaking off more big runs than maybe anybody else going right now, Jamaal Charles could easily break 2000 yards with a more competent team around him.  And he might be able to do it with fewer carries than anyone that’s come before.

It would be safe to say I’m a huge Jamaal Charles fanboy at this point.  Also, I hope whoever the dipstick that let Orton go and replaced him with Brady f*cking Quinn got fired so hard he’s never allowed to make any even the most marginal of what could be considered important decisions for the rest of his days.  Because HOLY CRAP dude!

1974 Topps Bob Gibson..

Just about the only Cardinal I’ll allow in my random baseball binder (only Lee Smith as a Card, Ozzie Smith as a Padre, & maybe crazy-hot prospect Oscar Tavares have exceptions made for them).

In the meantime, my asshole neighbor just threatened to call the police on me for noise right after she just slammed the hell out of her door.  Have I mentioned lately how much I absolutely HATE this godforsaken hellhole in which I live?  Moving on.

Andre Dawson Leather Nameplate ManuPatch..

Monte Irvin Leather Nameplate ManuPatch..

I never really cared for these nameplate things until I finally got the above two in my hands.  Much nicer in person.  Got them for what totaled out to just over $2 apiece, if I recall collectly.  I’ll gladly do that anytime.  These cards are also pretty much the upper limit of thickness that will fit in my current favored binder pages.

Matt Murton UD auto..

Japan’s single-season hit king (last I checked), and quite probably my favorite “failed” Cubs prospect.  He might’ve been the name I gave my ginormous 3 foot tall stuffed bear from my toddlerhood if I were a wii youngling in the mid-2000s rather than the late-1980s/early-1990s (it was named after Jerome Walton, for the record).  Anyway, thanks to this and an ’06 Chrome Black refractor, I think I’ll be up to 4 or 5 keepers of Murton, once the I get ship one I picked up after this, and once my Just Minors auto turns up.  That auto being from the infamous 4-Just Minors auto lot I picked up for $6-something years ago just for Murton, that also included some guy named JOEY VOTTO.  No, I never get tired of mentioning that Votto auto falling into my lap before he became a thing.  Thanks for asking.

Harold Baines auto!

I picked up freakin’ sweet (though the photo is kinda depressing) Harold Baines auto for my dad, because I finally brought the Gordon Beckham Heritage auto back to my place, because he’s one of dad’s all-time favorite White Sox.

Vintage George Brett..

Not exactly minty fresh, but it was cheap as can be.  Looks nice on a page across from the above Bob Gibson.  Can be had for something I’d like more.

Bonds rookieness..

What a pleasant looking fellow.  I’m sure he’ll never turn into a giant raging ego case that will topple records through questionable means and bring (preposterously overblown) scandal to the game.  Nope, never gonna happen.  Straight class, this guy.

A trio of Fergie-Ferg-Ferg..

I now have Fergie Jenkins RC & 2nd year cards.  I’m trying to get all the regular issue cards from his playing career.  It is going to take awhile, but progress is being made.

1955 Bowman Bill Wightkin..

Random Bears vintage!  This feller immediately became my oldest football card by far upon landing (and 4th oldest overall), by about a decade.  I believe my prior oldest football cards were two Bears defensive backs from the same year, from sometime in the mid-1960s.

More Fergie!

We’ll finish out this post with THE card of the order.  Leaf Legends of Sport Fergie Jenkins auto #’ed /20.  I’ve been wanting an inexpensive Fergie auto ever since I gave mine to Mario back in the day.  This only set me back a little over $6, I believe.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but it turns out these cards (or at least this one) are super thick, so I had to pick up an extra 130pt magnetic holder for it.  Weirdly, despite the sorry state our local K-Mart is in (corporate raider suck ‘er dry tactics, from what I understand), they still have these things with two extra thick Ultra Pro magnetic holders + a stand for $4.99 that I’ve seen nowhere else.

Update: The cretin next door actually did call the police on me.  So I politely informed the officers that those two started things in the first place with their constant door slamming & how utterly useless the office has been, then sent them upstairs to deal with the stompy jerkass up there.  It was all very pleasant and easy, and it feels like a weight has been (at least temporarily, cuz THIS F*CKING PLACE) lifted off my shoulders.

So I guess that be that.  Apologies for the weird tangents and asides, and that unintended dramatic subplot, and thanks for stopping by!

My soul is gentle, but don’t doubt my fire…

As for the physical improvements elevating my activity level and not pigging out that often have caused, well, my posture seems to have noticeably improved.  I feel taller in certain situations anyway.  My thighs are still rather spindly, but they are noticeably more solid and less flabby.  My bootay is a little smaller and less gelatinous too (my apologies for that mental image).  I can pretty comfortably fit into all my 38″ waist shorts & pants, and my 42s are almost too big to wear anymore at all, even with belts.  My calves, which have always been the only part of my body with any noticeable muscle, thanks to being relatively active in my youth I guess, almost seem a little smaller, but they are unquestionably sturdier & stronger as well.  Last, but certainly not least, it seems the more I run, the less my ever creaky (due to being naturally misaligned) knees seem to bother me.  This is undoubtedly due to less weight being put on them, and perhaps also the overall increase in the strength of the rest of my legs.

Me at approximately 193 lbs.  Unfortunately I have no real “before” pics to show the difference, but you wouldn’t have needed to see me shirtless to know how far I’ve come along anyway..

As you can see, my upper half is still very much on doughy side, but despite not doing a much work on my upper body, there’s an awful lot less dough behind that gut than there used to be.  I had started working my upper body a bit by dancing/flailing around with light, 5 lbs weights for 20-30 minutes at a time recently, but that got derailed for awhile after I tripped while running and landed awkwardly on my wrist & elbow.  My wrist & forearm are feeling about right again though, so immediately after I post this, I’m going to start back up with it, though I’ll probably need to ease myself back into the flow of things.

Make no mistake, I am not strong yet, and I am not slim yet.  But, for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m finally on my way.  To know I’m making noticeable strides… That is a pretty damn cool feeling.

So take heart if you yourself are struggling to get in better shape.  It has literally taken me years of little tweaks just to get to this level of small personal victory, and I think that is the probably best way to go for most people.  I think sometimes it’s just best to forget the specific regimen/goals, and just try to change one little thing for the better here & there, where and when you can.  It’s also much easier to bounce back from setbacks, and there will be setbacks, when you aren’t putting a huge amount of pressure on yourself as well.  I guess what I’m saying is, that idea of just trying to be a little better every day… I think there might be something to it.

So I guess that’s all for this one, folks.  We’ll probably get back to cards, or at least art, in the coming days.  Thanks for dropping by!

I haven’t peaked yet, not even close.  I have barely even started climbing the mountain…

Sportkings Bruno Sammartino mini..

Classy as balls…

The Intergalactic Luchadora, Saturyne!

The voice of a forgotten blogger echoes on the wind… “Until our next,” he whispers. “Soon we will be together again.”

1960: 3- 13 Wally Post (Keeper), 60 Gus Triandos (Keeper), 241 Albie Pearson (Keeper).  Condition: Acceptable.  All three are a bit off-center & have a lil edge wear/corner dingage.  Triandos is scratched up & might be my worst condition ’60 so far, but I know it could’ve been much, much worse.

1964: 1- 372 Howie Koplitz. Condition: Similar to the two better ’60s.  By far the worst problem is centering, so I can’t complain.

1965: 1- 270 Milt Pappas (Keeper).  Condtion: Decently loved.  Bit of creasing, well worn edges, maybe a lil weathered(?).  Worst condition so far, but again, I’m not grading too harshly.

1966: 5- 8 Floyd Robinson, 49 Woody Woodward, 192 Vic Power (Keeper), 283 Jim Perry, 393 George Brunet.  Condition: Woody is the best by far, reasonably well centered & only relatively minor corner dingage.  Floyd & Vic have maybe a similar level of issues, but in different ways, and the last two… well, they kinda suck.  Perry seems to be stained & has a crease running the length horizontally near the bottom.  Brunet is stained, pretty creased up, has well-worn corners, & is centered worse than everyone amongst the ’66s, save Vic Power.  Brunet is by far the worst condition card now.

1967: 8- 27 Bob Saverine, 71 Camilo Pascual, 107 Joel Horlen, 117 Darrell Brandon, 145 Larry Brown, 269 Don  Nottebart, 291 Jim Hannan, 416 Roger Repoz.  Condition: Mostly great!  Repoz is the only legitimately bad one.  Horlen & Nottebart are a little more worn than the rest, Hannan is stained, & Larry Brown is hilariously off-center.  The other three are very nice though, and overall these guys are worlds better than the ’66s.

1968: 2- 28 Ted Uhlaender, 336 John Purdin. Condition: Uhlaender is pretty rough, but Purdin would probably grade out decently.  Not much damage and near perfect centering.  Very nice if you need him for the set or something.

1969: 11- 14 Al McBean, 129 Bill McCool, 154 Jim Britton, 158 Joe Gibbon, 264 Bill Landis, 281 Ted Kubiak, 316 Hal Lanier, 322 Jose Vidal, 337 Marty Martinez, 374 Bob Tillman, 474 Tom Murphy.  Condition: McBean is by far the most damaged.  A few others or worn or weathered, but not much creasing going on.   Tillman & Marty Mart have centering issues, but minimal damage, the former have almost none at all.

1970: 1- 52 Bruce Dal Canton.  Condition: Absolutely beat to hell.  Gives the awesome ’53 Hank Sauer Heartbreaking Cards sent me out of nowhere recently a run for it’s money, without the charm of being from the early ’50s.

1971: 2- 48 Dave Baldwin, 505 Ollie Brown.  Condition:  Pretty nice for ’71s, especially Ollie.  Dave has scratches across his face, though to a much lesser extent than the Triandos & somewhat rough corners, but nice centering.  Ollie isn’t quite centered as well, but is easily my 2nd best conditioned ’71 (after a super off-center but virtually undamaged Hoyt Wilhelm).

1972: 3- 73 Steve Huntz, 240 Dick Allen (Keeper), 258 Randy Hundley (Keeper).  Condition: No complaints.  Huntz is easily the worst, & mostly just looks a little weathered and feels kinda… weird.  Filmy, I guess?  On both sides.  Allen & Hundley don’t have much wrong with them.

1973: 3- 88 Mickey Stanley, 310 Dick Allen (Keeper), 444 Ken Brett.  Condition: Mickey’s seen better days.  Very rough.  Allen looks a little weathered & is off-center, but doesn’t seem to be that beat up or anything.  Ken’s in pretty decent shape.

1974: 2- 22 Cy Acosta, 528 Bill Bonham.  Condition: Cy is a little rough, particularly the corners, but is well-centered.  Bonham is noice.

1975: 5- 283 Steve Foucault, 301 Dave Roberts, 305 Jim Colborn, 579 Skip Pitlock, 588 Rick Auerbach.  Condition: Foucault & Colborn are the roughest, Pitlock is a lil scruffy, the other two are fine.

1976: 8- 12 Richie Zisk, 15 George Scott (Keeper), 227 Oscar Zamora, 351 Randy Hundley (Keeper), 359 Rick Reuschel, 391 Jerry Hairston, 455 Dick Allen (Keeper), 545 Sparky Lyle.  Condition: Nothing too bad.  Just some dinged corners mostly.  Sparky has this slight… tear(?), on the lower left edge, but it isn’t something I’m going to lose it over.

1978: 3- 93 Bobby Cox MGR, Henry Cruz, 380 Ted Simmons. Condition: Cruz is a little beat up, but again, nothing too severe here.  Most of my other ’78s are in worse condition than the Simmons & Cox at least.

1979: 3- 145 Rick Rhoden, 216 Wilbur Wood, 720 Expos Prospects (Jerry Fry/Jerry Pirtle/Scott Sanderson.  Condition: Looks like just the slightest of corner dingage here.  I have game-used that have come out of the pack looking worse.

1980: 1- 117 Dock Ellis (Keeper).  Condition: We’re in the ’80s now.  Expecting better than… multiple poke spots(… The hell?), and weird scuffy/stainy lines.

1981: 1- 310 Vida Blue.  Condition: Scratchiness by the hat in bottom left, lil edge wear on bottom, & a dinged corner.  Pfft.

1982: 1- 721 Greg Luzinski In Action.  Condition: Not quite perfect.  Meh, close enough.

1983: 1- 177 Harold Baines (Was going to be a keeper, might just be trash).  Condition: Crap.  Creases, scuffiness, corner wear, a lil warpiness?  WTF?!  I’m actually kind of genuinely pissed off by this card.  It’s seriously one of the more beat up cards in the entire lot.  You couldn’t get ahold of an ’83 semistar less beat up than this?!  C’mon, man!

1984: 3- 171 Frank Robinson MGR (Keeper), 276 Angels Batting/Pitching Leaders Rod Carew/Geoff Zahn (Keeper), 390 Tim Raines All-Star (Keeper).  Condition: Best shape of any of the ’80s cards so far, though none are quite minty fresh.

1986: 2- 254 Ozzie Guillen RC (Keeper), 760 Andre Dawson (Keeper).  Condition.  Ozzie is in line with the ’84s and thus good enough, but Hawk is somewhere between Luzinski & Vida Blue…

2011 Diamond Die-Cuts: 4- DDC-16 Justin Upton (Keeper), DDC-60 David Wright, DDC-94 Marlon Bryd, DDC-119 Kurt Suzuki.  Condition: Nothing wrong here I guess.

N/A: 1- 1975 Dock Ellis.  The only card I didn’t get.  We’ll see how it looks whenever it gets here.

Overall Grade:  The condition of the ’60s & ’70s mostly met or exceeded expectations, and only the 1970 the Bruce Dal Canton was probably unacceptably awful.  But I was expecting a lot better of the ’80s stuff.  I give the overall condition a B-.  That Harold Baines hurt bad.

I think I got all my keepers labeled.  Most of the rest is up for trade.  Sorry about the lack of pictures.  I’ll try to get them all scanned and posted before the week is out (no guarantees of course).  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy trails to you…

From a 40%-off, $2.99 Lineage fat pack. Clayton Kershaw ’75 Mini Jersey (and Ty Cobb Cloth Sticker)

Didn’t feel like saying much today, but still felt the need to post something for some reason, so there ya go.  Start the bidding (err, trade offers), Dodgers fans!  I’m sure someone out there in the ether has use for Mr. Cobb here too.

The boring backs.  Shades of blue are nice at least. And the anagram is kinda brain asplody..

That’s all I got for today.  Thanks for stopping by.