Baseball Card Blogs » Cards on Cards http://baseballcardblogs.org Posts from the Best Baseball Card Blogs on the Net Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:36:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 All-Star Upper Deck Cardinal Spectacular http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-star-upper-deck-cardinal.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-star-upper-deck-cardinal.html#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:05:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-7034811779653486682 Sometimes you just run out of things to say about a team. Fortunately, Capewood Collections provided us with some images tonight as part of a big Midsummer Clearance. Summer is dwindling away now like the Redbirds' playoff chances. In the meantime, here's two Cardinals All-Stars, Upper Deck style... and three very "un"-All-Stars.

I had completely forgotten about 2010 Upper Deck. Ditto for Brad Thompson, actually. He pitched for the Royals for a bit this season as well as in the Houston system, but is currently a free agent.

Joe Thurston has sub-major league talent, but still spent a significant time on the Cardinals last season. He's put up a solid season with AAA Gwinnett.


I've heard this man referred to as Blohse more than once this season, sadly. He has two more years left on his contract. Let's hope he at least figures out how to get back to average at some point.

Ah... okay, that's better. Carpenter has had to play stopper more than once recently. Hopefully Adam Wainwright will take down Atlanta and Carp won't have to do it again on Friday.
]]> http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-star-upper-deck-cardinal.html/feed/ 0 I Search Packs (And So Can You, Too) http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-search-packs-and-so-can-you-too.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-search-packs-and-so-can-you-too.html#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:38:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-2004579383098549865 On Sunday afternoon, I was strolling through a big box store for the first time in quite awhile, searching for a nice pair of flip-flops. I figured I may as well see what was going on in the trading card aisle, and somehow convinced myself to buy a $4.99 "value pack" of the brand new 2010 Topps 206. I'm not really sure I understand this set, as the original "206" set was a tobacco card set that bore little to no resemblance to today's "vintage" product. That being said, I think I could get really into this set anyway if all of the cards were tobacco "mini" size instead of just one per pack.

In any case, I talked myself into buying the pack because the first pack I picked up clearly had a Cardinal (Matt Holliday) showing through the top of the wrapper. As I leafed through other packs to decide what else to buy, I finally noticed another pack that also had Holliday showing as well as Albert Pujols on the back. Nice luck, yeah? Let's see what else there was.

56 - Nick Markakis (I actually don't mind the design. It's fairly clear and crisp, but I still can't fully wrap my head around it. And, admittedly, the "no hats" thing is really strange.)

86 - Chris Carpenter (Whoa! Carp! This makes 3 Cardinals since I know I'm already getting 2 by peeking through the wrapper.)

222 - Tom Seaver Piedmont Mini (Minis are nice, and I can't complain about Tom Seaver.)

I would guess that Piedmont backs are the most common variety of mini as they were last year.

153 - Ryan Braun (Clearly the Topps copy writer isn't getting paid by the letter.)

190 - Kenshin Kawakami

180 - Gil Meche

221 - Albert Pujols (Albert looks really... mad.)

1 - Matt Holliday (Holliday is affectionately known as "Lego" around a certain popular Cardinals blog community because his head somewhat resembles the bald knobby head of a Lego person.)

78 - Placido Polanco Bronze (Mr. Potato Head!)

249 - Rick Ankiel (Ankiel didn't log many games in a Royals uniform and had long since been dealt to Atlanta before this set hit the streets.)

232 - Joe Saunders

15 - Mordecai Brown (If this guy wasn't so old-timey, I wouldn't have let him violate my no-Cubs images policy.)

I won't be collecting this set, but the cards look a bit nicer than expected and I'm happy to have three fewer Cardinals cards to chase.
]]> http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-search-packs-and-so-can-you-too.html/feed/ 0 It’s Not Over Yet http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/its-not-over-yet.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/its-not-over-yet.html#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:26:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-1314159395464359661 Last month, the Cardinals were locked in a tight battle for the NL Central crown with the a big series looming. Some incendiary words were said to the press, heads were kicked, suspensions were handed out and somehow I ended up winning a contest by correctly predicting that the Cards would sweep. What should have been a turning point in the season was, well, a turning point in a way. St. Louis would go on to to lose 13 of their next 18 games after sweeping the Reds in Cincinnati and fall 8 games behind in the division before the Reds came to Busch this past weekend. Things are looking up, however, as the Cards have won 3 of 4 and trail the Reds by 6 games with 27 games still left to play.

Meanwhile, here's a few cards I got from Nachos Grande as a result of my winning of the contest. I felt a bit cocky about picking the Cards to sweep, but I honestly thought that the pitching matchups favored the Redbirds at the time.

I still have nightmares about the 1996 postseason. Seriously. It keeps me up at night. This Brian Jordan card, however, is celebrating the sweep of the Padres in the NLDS and not the horror show of the Atlanta series.

Here's the big prize - a Pujols mini blue back Sport Royalty card from 2008 Goudey. I still have a lot of work to do on the main Goudey set - all short prints at this point - but this goes straight into the Cardinals collection. Can the Cardinals get back in the race? There will be a lot riding on this man's shoulders.
]]> http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/its-not-over-yet.html/feed/ 0 Blehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/blehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/blehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.html#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:16:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-3173563055410149627 Reprinted in full from portlandbeavers.com]

Portland Beavers: Farewell, but not goodbye
By Merritt Paulson, Owner/President, Portland Beavers
09/05/2010 8:25 AM ET
Tomorrow afternoon, the Portland Beavers will play their final game at PGE Park. Given that this is also the last home game the Beavers will ever play at PGE Park, we’ve got some special things planned to commemorate the occasion – I hope everyone will come out and join us.
Much has been said and written the past few months about Beavers baseball in Portland; its past and its future. When I purchased the team in 2007 I believed Portland was a baseball city that enjoyed a rich baseball history. I still believe that today. From the outset, my goal was to not only improve the success of the team but to enhance the fan and community experience as well. And while PGE Park has a rich civic and sports history, it simply has never been a real ballpark. It’s far too big and its multi-purpose design prevents the kind of close-to-the-action intimacy so essential to the baseball experience – especially minor league baseball. Ballparks do make a difference…in Albuquerque, for example, attendance doubled after Triple-A returned to the city in a new facility following its departure three years earlier (ironically, when it moved to Portland in 2000).
So, with early encouragement from city officials, we advanced a win-win plan for Portland. Renovate PGE Park and bring Major League Soccer to Portland, and build a new and better home for Beavers baseball in the city. Both projects would be public-private partnerships; both would protect taxpayers from risk through significant cash investments and personal financial guarantees from my family; and both would enhance the culture and economy of Portland. We advanced two solid stadium/financing proposals. First, for an intimate ballpark to replace Memorial Coliseum and, after city officials withdrew their initial support for that plan, a second for a ballpark in Southeast Portland at Lents Park. Unfortunately, both Portland plans died due to the combination of opposition from interest groups and lack of political support at City Hall.
After those efforts fell short, we were approached by city officials from Beaverton to bring the Beavers to Beaverton. Once again, we negotiated a public-private stadium financing plan, but, sadly those plans also failed to generate enough support among Beaverton city residents and elected officials.
Losing Beavers baseball in Portland is a tremendous personal and professional disappointment for me. More important, it’s a loss for our many loyal fans and a loss for the city. My biggest regret is my failure to better mobilize baseball fans as a political force to keep Beavers baseball in Portland. Just as institutions like the symphony and opera enrich the culture and identity of a city – so do professional sporting events. The shared experience of a ballpark outing with family or friends on a beautiful Oregon summer evening creates memories of a lifetime and strengthens the social fabric of our community.
Tomorrow, Beavers baseball comes to an end at PGE Park. But, like the ever hopeful and optimistic Cubs fan that I am, I predict baseball will return to Portland or the Portland area one day. You can count me as someone willing to help make it happen. But to succeed, it will require organized and enthusiastic fans making their voices heard and visionary local and state political champions unwavering in the face of inevitable vocal opposition.
Merritt Paulson
Owner/President, Portland Beavers
]]> http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/blehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.html/feed/ 0 Good Luck Ducks, Week 1: Fresh Start http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/good-luck-ducks-week-1.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/good-luck-ducks-week-1.html#comments Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:17:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-8981447824307323105 Unless you've been living in a cave recently, or at least a cave that doesn't have ESPN, you're likely well aware that we've reached the time of year where baseball and football begin to overlap. It's summer, with leaves falling at an increased frequency. Guys wearing helmets hit each other. Other guys yell things about the guys hitting each other.

Okay, okay, so what about the Ducks? When we last left off... okay, nevermind. I'm not getting into that. We're starting with a clean slate here. Oregon comes in ranked #11 in the AP poll, with a brand new quarterback (the old one broke) and a fresh set of goals... and a target on their backs. After winning the conference by two full games, something no other Pac-10 team had done in the last 18 years, they come in as the narrow preseason favorites over postseason ineligible USC. For as good as Oregon was last season, the lows were embarrassingly low and tough to stomach. Here's to hoping for a successful, drama-free 2010 season.

Today's opponent is the New Mexico Lobos, coming off of a 1-11 season. Oregon is favored by 35 points. Cautious optimism is the best approach here in my opinion. Yes, I'd like to think that the Ducks will score tons of points and come away with an easy win, but it's always tough to say what will happen before the first game of the season has taken place. I don't have any relevant YouTube footage to show this week, so let's just look at a Dennis Dixon-led 2007 squad being awesome set to Modest Mouse music for some reason.



Game time is 12:30 PDT at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. No national TV, but you can catch it locally on the Oregon Sports Network/Comcast SportsNet NW.
]]> http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/good-luck-ducks-week-1.html/feed/ 0 Airbrushed Fridays: 1988 Topps #751 http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/airbrushed-fridays-1988-topps-751.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/airbrushed-fridays-1988-topps-751.html#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:16:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-1791421266605695333 Reader Scott has become Blogger Scott now. Aww, look at him... he's all growed up now. Here's a card that I came across in the archives while pulling cards for him.

Jim Morrison was a singer and frontman of legendary psychedelic rock band The Doors. After quitting the band in 1971, he toiled in relative obscurity throughout the dregs of minor league baseball until he finally parlayed his skills into a part time gig as a third baseman, first with the Phillies and later on with Pennsylvania's other team.

Why did Topps airbrush Jim's photo? At the ripe old age of 45 (ignore the Topps bio stats, this must be one of those classic '80s error cards) Morrison was dealt to the Tigers for a player to be named later and Darnell Coles in the summer of 1987. There's no word if that PTBNL was someone named James Hendrix.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? Well, first of all, the Doors singer looks funny in a ball cap. Also, the cap... it's bad. It looks like someone wanted to draw their own Tigers logo but gave up after a few minutes and started watching some old Doors bootleg VHS tapes.

(If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here, please send me an e-mail. If you have a card you would like to nominate for Airbrushed Fridays, please get in touch as well. I will require that I am able to see the card in person, either on loan or as a donation, so that I can examine the card and experience it in all its cruddiness.)
]]> http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/airbrushed-fridays-1988-topps-751.html/feed/ 0 Reader Scott’s Challenge http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/reader-scotts-challenge.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/reader-scotts-challenge.html#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:59:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-7841721090233249645 New features (and a return of an old feature) are coming soon, but first I have some clean up work to do as well as some catching up on trades. One such trade came in the form of a box comprised of two smaller boxes of baseball cards, simultaneously plaguing my household with scads of airbrushed goofballs and gracing it with much needed wants from the big want list. Due in part, I'm assuming, to my inclusion of a standard boiler plate/disclaimer to all of my Airbrushed Fridays posts where I end up practically begging the reader for suggestions and submissions, I ended up with a big stack of future material. This is still good in the sense that I can be much lazier when choosing a subject for these posts, but I now feel like I have been challenged to step my game up.

First off, though, let's take a look at a few choice cards from the want list. I love the idea of this card, highlighting Albert's three MVP awards, but he's been going with the bald look for quite a long time. Maybe this is supposed to be a throwback to 2005?

I think dayf likes this guy. I wonder if he needs this card. (He's not getting it.) He's been known to buy entire boxes just for certain Braves prospects, though.

The 2010 Heritage stack was huge, but there were also some much needed 2007 Bowman Heritage cards thrown in, including a card of the 2009 NL ROY from the Prospects sideset. Sideset? Well, it's not a subset, and it doesn't really stand on its own because you couldn't buy packets of just Bowman Heritage Prospects. It doesn't feel like an insert set, either, when you get 2 in every pack. I'm calling it a sideset.

Blame Felipe Lopez all you want for all of the Cardinals ills of late and... well, okay, I will. I was heavily in favor of the spring signing as Lopez was to provide versatility and depth, and for a time he was doing just that. However, in the face of adversity and injuries to key players (i.e. David Freese), giving Lopez an expanded role has proven to be a really horrible idea. He's stuck in some sort of blender of suck/indifference/injury right now that seems to be plaguing the entire locker room. They tried to get rid of it by going to a Glenn Beck sponsored rally (okay, that was just La Russa and the evil twin of Albert Pujols) and they tried shaving their heads, but it seems like nothing short of the Reds coming to town is going to snap them out of this funk. At least I can say that this is my first non-team issued Lopez card in a Cardinals uniform. Wait... what's that you say? The Reds ARE coming to town? Hooray! (Too bad they have a 45 game lead in the division now.)

Speaking of better things, has there been a better rookie in the National League than Jaime Garcia? Who saw that coming? Okay, okay, some other guy that dayf can't stop posting about probably has a better shot at winning just by name recognition alone, but Jaime has been extremely difficult to score against this season. Hopefully, next season, he can concentrate on staying in games longer by keeping his pitch counts down - something most young pitchers struggle with. This card was one of the healthy stack of random Cards cards that I received.

Green Pujols parallel. Enough said.

Here's one of the '70s freakout cards. My scanner decided to also have a freakout and cut off the top border. Once upon a time in my life, this card would have been considered a Jamie Quirk rookie card, but I wonder what the rest of the guys would say about it. This gets filed under C for Cruz in my book.

I figured I'd give you all a taste of the airbrushed madness here. Goose's uniform seems more like a concept than an actual physical item. Nothing but the pitching mound dirt looks anything like a photo here.

And finally, I figured that I may as well start things where I began, and that's with another team card (whose border was also eaten by the scanner.) The 1973 Cardinals finished an even 81-81 on the season. Let's hope that the 2010 club does not suffer a similar fate.
]]> http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/09/reader-scotts-challenge.html/feed/ 0 Tennis, Anyone? http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/08/tennis-anyone.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/08/tennis-anyone.html#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:55:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-2870111179883713864 I'm fighting off a cold/sudden weather change tonight, so I thought I'd pass along something that was already written for me. Doug, who usually delivers PR info from Panini to fellow bloggers and hobby enthusiasts, let us know about an auction involving some legends of professional tennis. Personally, I remember rooting for Jennifer Capriati when I was young because she was roughly the same age as me and it blew my mind that someone my age could earn money playing a sport.

Check out what's being auctioned off here. Proceeds go to the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum.

MORE THAN 65 UNIQUE ITEMS AND EXPERIENCES ON THE AUCTION BLOCK AT THE 2010 LEGENDS BALL TO BENEFIT THE INTERNATIONAL TENNIS HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM

Hit Sessions with Tennis Greats, Grand Slam Tournament Tickets, Memorable Vacation Packages & More up for Bid on September 10 in New York City

NEW YORK, N.Y., August 30, 2010 – Guests attending The Legends Ball on September 10 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City will rub elbows with tennis legends and industry leaders, honor the greats of the game and have the opportunity to support the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum by participating in a live and silent auction featuring a variety of exclusive items and experiences. All proceeds of the event will support the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of tennis, inspiring junior tennis development, and providing a landmark for tennis enthusiasts worldwide.

More than 65 unique items will be on the block ranging from exclusive access at all four Grand Slams in 2011 to luxury Caribbean vacations, as well as unique opportunities such as hit sessions with tennis greats, celebrity meet and greets, tickets to major sporting events, autographed sports memorabilia and more. Auction items may be previewed online at: www.biddingforgood.com/tennisfameauction

Sotheby’s auctioneer Benjamin Doller will host a live auction at The Legends Ball for the following unique experiences:

  • Two coveted Centre Court tickets to the 2011 Wimbledon Ladies Final and Gentlemen’s Final plus a three-night stay in a posh apartment in the Mayfair section of London.

  • An extraordinary Australian Open package including two seats in the President’s Suite for the 2011 Australian Open Men’s and Women’s Finals; four nights accommodations at the Hilton on the Park in Melbourne; and two round-trip business class flights on Qantas. This package also features an exclusive hit session with Hall of Famer Patrick Rafter.

  • Two Centre Court tickets to experience the grandeur of the 2011 French Open Men’s and Women’s Finals.

  • Tickets and hospitality passes for all four major 2011 LPGA tournaments: Kraft-Nabisco Championship, The LPGA Championship, US Women’s Open, and the Ricoh Women’s British Open. In addition, during the US Women’s Open, the winning bidder will be invited to a private 30-minute wine-tasting with Annika Sorenstam, featuring artisan wines from the Annika wines label, created in partnership with Wente Wineyards.

Highlights of the silent auction will include:

Exclusive Experiences with Tennis Greats and Celebrities: A round of golf at LPGA International in Daytona Beach with 2010 Hall of Fame Inductee Gigi Fernandez and former LPGA Champion Jane Geddes; Tennis hit session with The Real Housewives of New York City star and tennis professional Mario Singer in New York City; a lunch for a young person with Miss Teen USA; a lunch with fashion guru Tim Gunn; a dinner with Hall of Fame President and 1970 Hall of Famer Tony Trabert; a hit session with tennis great Todd Martin in Florida; a round of golf with Hall of Famer Stan Smith at Harbour Town Golf Links; a weekend for two at the Van der Meer Shipyard Tennis Resort; and a one week junior session at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and at the Evert Tennis Academy.

Tennis Tournament Ticket Packages: 2011 WTA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey; Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters; WTT Smash Hits Celebrity Event in Washington, DC; Opening Day at the 2011 French Open; BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells; Sony Ericsson Championship in Miami; and Opening Day at the 2011 US Open.

Luxury Vacation Packages: A one-week stay in a downtown Paris apartment; a one-week stay including golf, tennis and water sports at the beautiful Karma Bay Villa at the Tryall Club in Jamaica; a three-night getaway to Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas; several dream vacations for tennis fans including an escape to the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club; a weekend at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa; and exclusive access to Antigua Tennis Week with Hall of Famers Owen Davidson and Fred Stolle, including a stay at Curtain Bluff Resort and playing spots in tennis clinics, pro-ams and more.

Autographed Memorabilia and Tickets to Sporting Events: Roger Federer signed racquet; autographed photos from all eight 2010 Grand Slam Winners from the Michael Baz Collection; a signed B.B. King guitar; an autographed Alex Ovechkin jersey and four tickets to a Washington Capitals game; a CC Sabathia signed jersey and four tickets to a Yankees game; two week-long passes to the 2011 US Open Golf Championships at Congressional Country Club; and more.

The Legends Ball, held annually since 1980, brings the tennis world together to celebrate the history of the game and to honor some of the sport’s great contributors; all while raising money for the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. This special night of celebration will honor a host of tennis luminaries including the Class of 2010, which features the extraordinary doubles teams of Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva and Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde, mixed doubles champion Owen Davidson, Derek Hardwick, an influential tennis administrator, and Brad Parks, the first ever wheelchair tennis inductee, who is also one of the pioneering founders of the wheelchair game. A legendary line-up of tennis greats will also be in attendance, including more than a dozen Hall of Famers and tennis dignitaries. During the event, the Eugene L. Scott Award will be presented to Martina Navratilova and the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Award will be presented to Mercedes-Benz.

For tickets, sponsorship opportunities, or to learn more about the event, call 212-843-1740 or e-mail legendsball@hgnyc.com.

# # #

About the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum

Established in 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit institution dedicated to preserving the history of tennis, inspiring and encouraging junior tennis development, enshrining tennis heroes and heroines, and providing a landmark for tennis enthusiasts worldwide. The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum was recognized as the sport’s official Hall of Fame in 1986 by the International Tennis Federation, the governing body of tennis. The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is supported by Official Partners, such as BNP Paribas. For information on the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and its programs, call 401-849-3990 or visit us online at www.tennisfame.com.

Media Contacts

Doug Drotman (doug@drotmanpr.com or 631-462-1198)

Anne Marie McLaughlin (amclaughlin@tennisfame.com or 401-324-6033)

]]> http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/08/tennis-anyone.html/feed/ 0 Blue Topps from NatsTown http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/08/blue-topps-from-natstown.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/08/blue-topps-from-natstown.html#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:32:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-2880798735698222206 Here's a package I received recently that nearly got completely swept under the rug. I'm really behind on trading as I've mentioned recently and hope to rectify this situation beginning tomorrow. In the meantime, I knew I had a box of 2003 Topps cards to post about and had myself convinced that they came from someone who I had already had a stack pulled for when I realized that it actually came from NatsTown. And... guess what team's cards I'm pretty much fresh out of? So, while I scramble to print up or draw up some Michael Morse and Roger Bernadina cards, here are some blue Topps cards for you to enjoy.

Here are the Cardinals in somewhat happier times, when they were crushing someone. Unfortunately, Alex Cintron would mow down the newly-acquired Scott Rolen in a subsequent game, costing the Cards a series shot at the World Series in my opinion. Stupid Alex Cintron.

Huge 3-series Topps base sets used to be really awesome, because you'd get backup catchers like Joe Girardi.

But what's even better than a backup catcher? A backup to the backup catcher! It seems like the Cardinals are playing with an entire roster full of Chris Widgers these days.

Chris Narveson has managed to stick around with the Brewers somehow after being dumped by St. Louis on two separate occasions.

Here's Miguel Cabrera in his younger, lighter days.

I'm still waiting for the day that Rafael Soriano becomes the next Mariano Rivera/Lee Smith super hybrid. I'm not sure why. I've watched him pitch since his Seattle days.

This one stings, as I watched Jake Westbrook throw another extremely effective game with zero run support tonight while the man he was traded for is thriving for a team that seems to be bound for the playoffs.

Two guys who would take quite different paths on their way to their appearance in everyday MLB lineup cards. By the way, this is absolutely ridiculous. You have a terrific Major League Baseball team in your town and you can't get anyone to go? Does Florida actually deserve ONE Major League team, let alone two? My apologies to anyone who lives there and actually supports their team - I know there are some of you out there.


And finally, here's my little tribute to Bobby Cox. I'm not a Braves fan or a Cox fan, but if you're in the game for as long as he has been, you must be doing something right.
]]> http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/08/blue-topps-from-natstown.html/feed/ 0 Airbrushed Fridays: 1986 Topps Traded #41T http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/08/airbrushed-fridays-1986-topps-traded.html http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2010/08/airbrushed-fridays-1986-topps-traded.html#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:56:00 +0000 madding tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999088286115850898.post-2154655428704063906 By my current estimate, I have 15 stacks of cards waiting to be mailed out. Some are the size of a pack, while others are going to take some serious packaging strategy to assemble. None of this has anything to do with today's post, but I thought it worth mentioning in case you were one of those 15 who were thinking, "Man, when is that Cards on Cards guy going to stop moping about his underachieving team and start sending me some cardboard?"

Ken Griffey was a heck of a ballplayer, who will forever be overshadowed by his more famous son. I was certainly aware of the man, long before Junior came along. As a member of the Big Red Machine, Griffey Sr. was a three-time All-Star, all coming in his first tenure with the Reds.

Why did Topps airbrush Ken's photo? Griffey completes the airbrushed trio, having been the Braves take in the infamous Griffey (and Andre Robertson) for Claudell Washington and Paul Zuvella midseason deal. Oh, I haven't posted Claudell yet? In due times, folks... in due time.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? Poor Ken the 1st is fading away into the background. It's hard to tell where the sky ends and the Griffey begins. Maybe these airbrushing guys should concentrate on painting skies instead of guys.

(If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here - but not this one - please send me an e-mail. If you have a card you would like to nominate for Airbrushed Fridays, please get in touch as well. I will require that I am able to see the card in person, either on loan or as a donation, so that I can examine the card and experience it in all its cruddiness.)
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