A Contest Win from Chipp 'n' Dale

Chunter over at Chipp 'n' Dale had a very simple contest a few weeks ago, and I dutifully promoted it on my blog for my bonus entry. The randomizer picked me and I snagged 2 packs of 2013 Bowman.

I haven't bought any Bowman since I resumed collecting in 2010, except as part of a group break of 2007 products. I like the look of the sets, but for some reason the combination of price and prospects makes me shy away from buying it. So really, it's a perfect prize, because I know all 20 cards will be new to me. For that reason, let's see all 20.

2013 Bowman
#4 Brett Jackson
#25 Dan Uggla
#45 Alex Rodriguez
#73 Angel Pagan
#92 David Wright
#94 Jason Heyward
#130 Tyler Cloyd
#207 Eric Hosmer

I will give Bowman credit for this, the single series and smaller base set mean most of the base cards are the bigger stars. Uggla, A-Rod, Wright, Heyward, Pagan, and Hosmer definitely qualify to me.

2013 Bowman - Prospects
#BP32 Harold Castro
#BP45 Michael Reed
#BP59 William Cuevas
#BP72 Christian Bethancourt

Next up, the prospects. I don't know any of these guys, and I'd imagine you only have a chance of knowing them if you follow the Tigers, Brewers, Red Sox, or Braves. Maybe in five years I'll look back on this post and remember a time before I knew anything about the player who would turn out to be the 2018 MVP.

2013 Bowman Chrome - Prospects
#BCP20 Darwin Rivera
#BCP54 Chris McFarland
#BCP73 Pedro Guerra
#BCP88 Dorssys Paulino

Same story with these guys, but shinier!

2013 Bowman
Gold #112 Mark Reynolds
Gold #215 Manny Machado
Silver Ice #14 Allen Craig
Blue Parallel #158 Jon Lester #366/500

Now we're back to the Major Leaguers. The Gold Parallels appear to be about 1 per pack. The Silver Ice, which scans in a very odd way, is 1:24, and the Blue Border is 1:34. I mention that not because it's that interesting, but just that I'm obsessed with numbers. I'm restraining myself from running the numbers on all the inserts and figuring out if I "beat the odds" or not with the rarity of my inserts. Anyway, parallel Cardinals are always appreciated, especially Allen Craig, the man unbelievably currently hitting nearly .500 with RISP.

Thanks to Chunter for the contest and the cards!

eBay Wins #81

The collection of cards in today's eBay lot is very coherent, as opposed to most multicard posts that span multiple decades and brands. I present to you, (some of) the 1990 Upper Deck Toronto Blue Jays, 12 cards for 12 cents.

1990 Upper Deck
#30 David Wells
#95 George Bell (Team Checklist)
#108 Fred McGriff
#113 Pat Borders
#115 Kevin Batiste
#115 Kevin Batiste

I may have a Hall of Famer in this bunch in Fred McGriff, though it's looking pretty tentative. He received just under 21% in the last ballot, which I like to call the Grumpy Old Sportswriters ballot. Mr. Perfect David Wells and former Cardinal Pat Borders make an appearance, too. I didn't notice that there were 2 Kevin Batiste cards in the listing; the seller must have split them up across scans. I also didn't notice I already had a copy of the card, so I'm about halfway to a good Batiste Bipping, or Bastisting.

1990 Upper Deck
#282 Tom Henke
#285 Manny Lee
#421 Lloyd Moseby
#485 John Cerutti
#605 Dave Steib
#692 Todd Stottlemyre

This half would be a little weaker, but there's also former Cardinal Tom Henke, and my favorite MLB-player distant cousin, because his cards are cheaper than his dad's, Todd Stottlemyre.

eBay Bargain Tracker
Total Cards Bought	2429
Total Spent	$43.14
Per Card	1.776 cents

2012 Update Rack Pack

Somewhere along the way, I decided to buy a Jumbo Rack Pack of 2012 Topps Update, to go with the six hanger packs I bought, and the 2 retail packs I won.

2012 Topps Update
#US72 Carlos Beltran
#US123 Jamie Moyer/Checklist
#US178 Lance Lynn

All the current and former Cardinals were duplicates for me this time.

2012 Topps Update
Golden Moments #GM-U27 Matt Kemp
Gold Border #US238 Shawn Camp #0643/2012

I like shots of grown men getting excited like kids to play the game, so that's a great card of Matt Kemp. There's a nice Cubs throwback on Shawn Camp too.

2012 Topps Update
Blockbusters #BB-11 Rickey Henderson
Gold Border #580 Tony Campana #0762/2012

2 Gold Borders and both are Cubs? It's nearly too much for a Cardinals fan to handle. As a fun note on the Rickey Henderson trade, Eric Plunk was sent from the Yankees to the A's among others for Rickey in this trade. 4 1/2 years later, he was sent back with others for...Rickey Henderson.

Ok, that's the last of any packs I'm buying of 2012 Update. I've got all my cards cataloged in my have/want/trade lists, so please let me know if you'd like to trade for this set or any others.

eBay Wins #80

5 Cards for a nickel. Did you know that in the old days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on them?

1989 Donruss #542 Ken Caminiti
1989 Donruss #559 Dennis Rasmussen
1990 Donrus #376 Craig Lefferts

I still consider Ken Caminiti to be a star card, though, his legacy certainly suffered with his decline, substance abuse, and untimely death.

1997 Collector's Choice #72 Tony Phillips
2001 Topps #22 Dan Wilson

Dan Wilson was once a part of my grand plan to get an All-Wilson team in my fantasy baseball league. Unfortunately there were only about 5 active Wilsons at the time, and I think 2 were catchers. I do remember that Jack Wilson was solid that year, though.

eBay Bargain Tracker
Total Cards Bought	2417
Total Spent	$43.02
Per Card	1.78 cents

Sixth 2012 Update Hanger Pack

Despite the fact that I show the inserts on my blog, I really buy these for the base cards. I figure with 5 of them, I'll get 360 cards total, but about 50 will be inserts, leaving me with 310. So 6 is a good number, in theory, to try to get enough base cards to complete 1 for 1 trades to complete the base set. In practice it doesn't really work that smoothly, and I bought quite a bit more of 2010 and 2011 Update. I've thought about getting a Hobby box, but at a current price of $57.95 for 36 packs of 10 cards, even perfect collation would leave me short after inserts. So if you're in the same boat as me, check my trade list and want list, and let's complete each other's sets.

2012 Topps Update
#US72 Carlos Beltran
#US242 Joe Kelly
#US251 Kyle McClellan

Beltran in the KC themed All-Star uniform might have been a little painful for Royals fans, who have seen many young prospects leave and become big stars.

2012 Topps Update
#US25 Joe Mather
#US60 Edwin Jackson
#US123 Jamie Moyer/Checklist
#US149 Octavio Dotel
#US227 Mark DeRosa
#US247 Ryan Ludwick

Every single former Cardinal was a duplicate this time. Anyone out there have a Joe Mather PC?

2012 Topps Update - Gold Border
#518 Jake Peavy #0284/2012
#636 Chris Heisey #1815/2012
#US249 Angel Pagan #1092/2012

Here we have 3 more golds toward my impossible but inevitable quest.

2012 Topps Update
Blockbusters #BB-15 Babe Ruth
Gold Sparkle #US317 Marco Estrada

Babe Ruth to the Yankees, that was kind of a big trade.

2012 Topps Update - WalMart Blue Border
#US170 Jerry Hairston
#US294 Sergio Santos

My curse is finally lifted for good, with a blue-bordered Dodger and Blue Jay.

2012 Topps Update
Golden Moments #GM-U11 Yu Darvish
1987 Topps Minis #TM-102 Reggie Jackson

This Reggie Jackson is another good-looking mini, with a great classic Orioles logo.

That's it for the big hanger packs. I did buy a rack pack as well, which I'll post in a few days, then it'll be time to start filling in the gaps in the set.

eBay Wins #79

Just one card from 1988 today, but it screams 1980s.

1988 Donruss #257 Mitch Webster

Have the Nationals every had a throwback game and worn the Expos uniforms? I would guess not, since throwbacks tend to be a regional thing, i.e. the Kansas City Royals dressing as the Monarchs. I've never heard of the Baltimore Orioles dressing as the St. Louis Browns. I therefore propose that the next time each moved and rebranded team visits near their old home, they dress in throwbacks, specifically so that I can see Strasburg and Harper in these blue jerseys and multicolored hats.

Washington Nationals as Montreal Expos @ Toronto Blue Jays
Milwaukee Brewers as Seattle Pilots @ Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers as Washington Senators @ Washington Nationals
Minnesota Twins as Washington Senators @ Washington Nationals
Baltimore Orioles as St. Louis Browns @ St. Louis Cardinals

That should be fair. The Nats dress as the Expos, and in return get 2 different visiting Senators teams. There are a few other fringe cases as well, but mostly from another era, such as the Yankees as the Baltimore Orioles.

eBay Bargain Tracker
Total Cards Bought	2412
Total Spent	$42.97
Per Card	1.782 cents

2012 Update Hanger Pack #5

More 2012 Update!

2012 Topps Update
#US12 Jake Westbrook
#US301 Carlos Beltran

I've got a few of these Beltrans now, but the Westbrook is new.

2012 Topps Update
#US63 Gerald Laird
#US82 Ty Wigginton
#US123 Jamie Moyer/Checklist

Likewise with these former Cardinals, I had Laird and Moyer already, but Wigginton is new. As far as I know he hasn't landed with a new team yet. Maybe a deal will happen after the trading deadline.

2012 Topps Update
#US11 Rick Ankiel
Golden Moments #GM-U21 Ernie Banks
1987 Topps Minis #TM-122 Yonder Alonso

When I was attending SLU, one car in a garage near my dorm had the license plate "Mr. Cub". I always joked that it was Ernie Banks' car, and no one got it. Baseball nicknames don't really pervade pop culture too much I guess, even in a rival town.

2012 Topps Update - Walmart Blue Border
#US84 Eric Thames
#US161 Brian Dozier

I'm going to call my curse lifted, as these blue borders are on Navy teams, although the Twins could probably go either way.

2012 Topps Update
Gold Sparkle #US28 Matt Albers
Blockbusters #BB-30 Jose Bautista

Was the trade for Bautista really considered a blockbuster at the time? It definitely worked out well for him and Toronto, but I can't quite imagine big headlines when he came over.

2012 Topps Update - Gold Border
#527 Aaron Hill #1278/2012
#562 Henderson Alvarez #0583/2012
#US94 Kevin Slowey #1781/2012

And I'll finish this pack off with the Gold Borders. Kevin Slowey never actually played for Cleveland, but spend all of 2012 at AAA, and is now in Miami. And, who's that sliding into second under Aaron Hill? Why, it's Ty Wigginton again.

eBay Wins #78

Happy All-Star Tuesday everyone. Even though "it counts", I don't really feel like I've got skin in the game, so I just sit back and enjoy the matchups, and root for my Cardinals a little too.

This lot had a fairly diverse number of sets and years for just 8 cards, and gave me one more card in my quest for every Cardinal ever.

1987 Topps #127 Vance Law
1987 Topps #245 Willie Upshaw
1991 Leaf #272 Gerald Perry
1991 Leaf #415 Greg Cadaret
1991 Leaf #429 Alvin Davis
1991 Leaf #479 Mike Flanagan
1991 Leaf #524 Tommy Greene
1995 Stadium Club #434 Ramon Martinez

This Ramon Martinez is my first 1995 Stadium Club card. Back when I was but a young collector, Stadium Club was too "premium" for me, and I tended to focus my meager buying into many packs of a few sets. After a couple of years of intentionally skipping a particular brand, it was hard to break the habit, even when I switched to buying a 1 pack of everything. I don't think I ever actually bought a Stadium Club pack, though I have acquired non-1995 cards through the years.

eBay Bargain Tracker
Total Cards Bought	2411
Total Spent	$42.96
Per Card	1.782 cents

The Fourth 2012 Update Hanger Pack

I was going to title this "2012 Update Hanger Pack The Fourth" (I know, infinitely more clever, right?), but it sounded a bit like Yoda grammar.

2012 Topps Update
#US179 Matt Adams
#US242 Joe Kelly
#US273 Yadier Molina
#US301 Carlos Beltran

I'm starting to get more duplicate Cardinals, but there are still a few new ones in this pack. That's also my first ever Matt Adams card. He may be poised to be our first baseman for a long time if he can keep up his offense.

2012 Topps Update #US329 Jason Isringhausen

This pack had just one former Cardinal base card, our once-dominant closer Jason Isringhausen.

2012 Topps Update - Gold Border
#2Trevor Cahill #1367/2012
#37 Mike Napoli #0177/2012
#171 Koji Uehara #0182/2012
#US4 Matt Treanor #0207/2012

This is the first time I've pulled 4 Gold Border cards in one of these packs. I was short a Golden Greats though, so I think it's about even. I can't decide if I would know who Matt Treanor is if not for his wife, Misty May-Treanor. 3 consecutive gold medals in any sport is pretty impressive, making her and Kerri Walsh the reigning champs for 12 years running.

2012 Topps Update - Target Red Border
#US92 Chone Figgins
#US203 Fernando Rodney

This time it's red borders on Navy and Green/Blue teams. I might be cursed. A mildly annoying, not dangerous at all, curse.

2012 Topps Update
Golden Moments #GM-U47 George Brett
1987 Topps Minis #TM-105 Ichiro

George Brett makes me, and probably Topps, wish that card companies put out cards of assistant coaches. He took over as hitting coach for the Royals in mid-season, in case you haven't kept up with Missouri's other team.

2012 Topps Update
Blockbusters #BB-6 Jay Buhner
Gold Sparkle #US324 Jamey Wright

Jamey Wright was a waiver trading deadline pickup for the Cardinals in late August, 2002. He only played 4 games before the end of the season. He's been quite a journeyman, and has moved on from the Dodgers to Tampa Bay this year. As for Jay Buhner, I can't resist a chance to post this video again.

eBay Wins #77

Today's eBay win is another half-dozen cards for a nickel and a penny. That's 6 penny cards if you don't like doing math on the weekend.

1989 Donruss
#343 Geno Petralli
#597 Scott Medvin
#512 Mike Bielecki
#606 Lance Johnson
#611 Francisco Melendez
#626 John Moses

I feel like these cards are everywhere, but I only have 182 unique cards from 1989 Donruss. It's not a particularly great set, so it's not high on my list, but I still like the idea of completing it one day. This purchase added 4 new cards and 2 duplicates, since I already had the Lance Johnson and John Moses card. If I ever finish the set and start a separate "Current and Former Cardinals" collection, now I'll have a Lance Johnson for it without breaking up this set. Aim high, I always say.

If I ever get a Genius Grant, I'll dedicate some of my time to things like counting how many players in the 1980s sported mustaches on their cards. This post is 5 for 6, I believe.

Kind of milestone: I crossed 2400 cards won on eBay with these 6.

eBay Bargain Tracker
Total Cards Bought	2403
Total Spent	$42.88
Per Card	1.784 cents

Happy Trails, Ty and Mitchell

The Cardinals got rid of 2 players on July 9. One was on the 25-man roster, and one was in AAA but had been in the majors for parts of the last 6 years, including all of 2010 and 2012.

2012 Topps #154 Ty Wigginton

Wigginton signed a $5 million deal for 2 years, and was granted his unconditional release after about half a year. My understanding is that any team could pick him up for the league minimum for the remainder of 2013 and 2014, with the Cardinals paying the rest. I would assume a team looking for some cheap depth will pick him up soon. The rumor mill says he'll platoon at 1st for the Yankees, but we shall see.

As far as I can tell, he never even had a Cardinals card produced - with no cards in 2013 so far - so above, you see him as a member of the Rockies in 2011 (in the 2012 set). By the time 2013 Update rolls around, he'll probably be in another uniform, if he gets a card at all.

2012 Topps Update #US131 Mitchell Boggs

Speaking of the Rockies, that's where we sent Mitchell Boggs. The deal was for international signing money. I suppose the advantage for Colorado is that they didn't see any international prospects on which they wished to spend the money this year. Otherwise, a plain old cash-for-player deal would seem to be simpler. As long as the Cardinals have their eye on another $200k worth of player(s), it'll work out for them.

I'll keep collecting cards of these two, of course, since that's just how I collect. If you put the Cardinals uniform on once, you're a Cardinal to me.

2012 Update Hanger Pack #3

I'm moving on to my 3rd 72-card hanger pack.

2012 Topps Update
#US242 Joe Kelly
#US251 Kyle McClellan

Here are two Cardinals I didn't have yet, Joe Kelly, and Kyle McClellan. Kyle left us for Texas this year, but Joe's made his way into the rotation. And with those glasses, he reminds me of a cross between Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn and Bill Hader recently of SNL.

2012 Topps Update
#US60 Edwin Jackson
#US227 Mark DeRosa
#US247 Ryan Ludwick

With the Red and/or Navy uniforms, I can almost pretend these guys are still Cardinals. Unfortunately all 3 are duplicates.

2012 Topps Update
#US25 Joe Mather
#US149 Octavio Dotel

Two more former Cardinals. If everyone collected like me, demand for Octavio Dotel cards would skyrocket, since he's played for 13 teams.

2012 Topps Update
Blockbusters #BB-12 Tom Seaver
Golden Greats #GG-89 Lou Brock
Gold Sparkle #US321 David Carpenter

The 70s pinstriped helmets make an appearance on the Lou Brock card. Also, it's Lou Brock! I don't have many of his playing-days cards, so I'm always glad to see him included in insert sets.

2012 Topps Update - WalMart Blue Border
#US99 Chris Johnson
#US321 David Carpenter

If you believe in Fate, Karma, or getting what's coming to you, this is my punishment for complaining about red borders for blue teams. Blue borders for red teams! This box came from Walmart, obviously, hence the blue parallels. Along with the Gold Sparkle above, I can give someone a good start on a David Carpeter rainbow. He's pitched 1/3 of an inning this year and has a 108.00 ERA. But that one out was a strikeout, so there's potential, right?

2012 Topps Update
Golden Moments #GM-U4 Josh Hamilton
1987 Topps Minis #TM-144 Mark Trumbo

Here we have 2 more Angels, one's just in Rangers clothing. I still like those 1987 Minis, and I really didn't think I would when I first saw them.

2012 Topps Update - Gold Border
#131 Ian Desmond #1812/2012
#304 Brandon Morrow #1217/2012
#US199 Nate Schierholtz #1204/2012

Three more gold parallels. I want to not want to attempt this set, but the gold is so...gold. I don't really like the Stars and Stripes program MLB runs with the red/white/blue/camouflage hats/jerseys each Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Canada Day for Toronto, but I do appreciate Topps documenting such events by getting that image of Brandon Morrow. In case you haven't seen it, and can't make it out in the scan, Toronto usually gets the red and white treatment, like the Canadian flag, so there's a red hat with a white front panel, and all-red Blue Jays logo.

As I've said before, my inserts are generally available for trade, though probably not the Lou Brock this time.

eBay Wins #76

With this purchase, I've added 6 more penny cards to my collection.

1989 Donruss
#196 Neil Allen
#393 Frank DiPino
#536 Ken Hill
#580 Tony Armas

With Donruss's far-off photography, I can pretend these are bigger stars. On the top row we have David Cone, followed by a young Greg Maddux. Ken Hill is Ken Hill because he's a Cardinal, and that particular shot is too close up to mistake him for anyone else. Finally we have Mr. October, Reggie Jackson.

1991 Donruss
#57A Jack McDowell (ERR)
#202 Jeff Russell 

That Jack McDowell is an error card, simply because of a math error in the stats. With 4 games in 1987, 26 in 1988, none in 1989, and 33 in 1990, he's listed with 30 career appearances. Someone forgot to add 1990's 33 when copying over the previous year's stats, I assume. Donruss actually corrected it, though, so there's a version out there with no difference except the 63 career games stat.

eBay Bargain Tracker
Total Cards Bought	2397
Total Spent	$42.82
Per Card	1.786 cents

My Second 2012 Update Hanger Pack

Sometime a good pack can be determined objectively, with a big autograph, relic, rookie, or some combination of the 3. This is not one of those packs, but it is subjectively good for me.

2012 Topps Update
#US273 Yadier Molina
#US301 Carlos Beltran

2012 Topps Update #US131 Mitchell Boggs

The box had 3 current Cardinals, and if I'm going to get a duplicate, Yadi's a pretty good one to get.

2012 Topps Update
#US25 Joe Mather
#US60 Edwin Jackson
#US247 Ryan Ludwick
#US254 Jason Marquis

There were also 4 former Cardinals. In all, nearly 10% of the pack played for St. Louis at one time.

2012 Topps Update - Gold Border
#475 Chris Dickerson #1750/2012
#521 Ruben Tejada #0999/2012
#US80 Jered Weaver #1277/2012

I'm starting to like these Gold Border parallels. I fear I may be close to adding a 984-card section to my wantlist.

2012 Topps Update - Target Red Border
#US67 Jamey Carroll
#US214 Jeremy Affeldt

The red borders would grow on me too if not for orange teams like the Giants. Not that I find them repulsive, they're just not as awesome as they could be.

2012 Topps Update
Gold Sparkle #US177 Mike Napoli
Blockbusters #BB-14 Yu Darvish

Here I have 2 Rangers, although one has since changed teams, appropriately enough for an Update set post. And the Darvish deal was definitely a Blockbuster, no matter how his stats turn out.

2012 Topps Update
Golden Moments - #GM-U30 Cal Ripken, Jr.
1987 Topps Minis #TM-126 Jackie Robinson

Finally, we have 2 Hall-of-Famers. A good friend of mine since Kindergarten moved to the Baltimore area for awhile, then moved back, and so has a secondary allegiance to the Orioles. Consequently, I give him trouble relentlessly about Cal Ripken, Jr. being inferior to Ozzie Smith as a shortstop, being an old man (since he was gray rather early), and setting the MLB record for perfect attendance. It's all in good fun, of course, and I'm happy to have this card. The Robinson mini is pretty nice too, with his MLB career stats on the back. Obviously the Brooklyn Dodgers and 1987 don't exactly go together, but the retro border and retro shot just meld together nicely on this card.