Derek Jeter 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Sliding Stars’

Derek Jeter 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Sliding Stars’

This is the second card of Derek Jeter that I picked up from the 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen set.  The first card was Jeter’s base card, and this is his card from the ‘Sliding Stars’ subset.

It was nice to see him included in this subset and my guess is that he was added more for his collectibility than his sliding skills.

While many of the players that are a part of this set are known for their immense speed on the base paths, Jeter is no longer as fleet of foot as he once was.  Still, he is an extremely smart base-runner, and the above image that was used for this ‘Sliding Stars’ card looks great!

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #3 – 1989 Bowman

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #3 – 1989 Bowman

Now that my Alan Trammell player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #3 – 1989 Bowman

The 1989 Bowman baseball card set did not offer a lot of images like the one that you are seeing above.  As a matter of fact, I would guess that more than 80% of the cards issued in this set featured some kind of posed portrait-style image versus an action one.

So, while not considered rare due to the volume of cards printed when the set was released, I will say that a card from the 1989 Bowman set that featured an image like this is on the rare side.

Kind of like, Medium-Rare.

1985 Fleer Super Star Special Featuring Sparky Anderson – ‘Giving The Signs’

1985 Fleer Super Star Special Featuring Sparky Anderson – ‘Giving The Signs’

I have to imagine that watching a manager like Sparky Anderson go through the process of managing a baseball game from the dugout would be an enjoyable experience.

Between the signals, the chatter, the complaining, and the use of multiple pitchers, I would guess that watching him would at times be more entertaining than the game itself.

Luckily, in 1985, Fleer gave us a small glimpse of what that would be like.

Have a look:

In today’s sport, we get a lot more activity: pre-game interviews, mid-game interviews, and post-game interviews.

I wonder how a manager like Sparky Anderson would feel about stuff like this??  My guess is that it is not something he would be agreeable to…

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #4 – 1985 Topps

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #4 – 1985 Topps

Now that my Alan Trammell player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #4 – 1985 Topps

Like card number five in my ‘Fab Five’, number four is also a great, popular card from the mid 1980′s – 1985 Topps!!

The ’85 design is a classic look, and it allows for a very large image to be used and featured as the highlight of the card.  This shot of Trammell is nice, and I have to say that the Tigers ‘Tiger Head’ logo helps take this card to another level.

Gotta love the ’85s!!!

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #5 – 1983 Topps

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #5 – 1983 Topps

Now that my Alan Trammell player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #5 – 1983 Topps

You can never go wrong when adding a 1983 Topps baseball card to your ‘Fab Five’. 

And I don’t think that I made a bad pick with this one.  The large action image is a great shot of Trammell as he prepares to haul ass from home plate towards first base.  By the looks of it, he has hit a chopper to in infield – hopefully he made it to first safely!

The card design from Topps is iconic amongst collectors.  The team-themed colors are great complements to the card’s overall look, and I always enjoy looking back at the uniforms my favorite players wore during their playing days.

George Brett 2012 Panini Cooperstown ‘High Praise’

George Brett 2012 Panini Cooperstown ‘High Praise’

The 2012 Panini Cooperstown set offered a few in-set subsets to collect along with the base cards.

For me, most of them were poorly done and brought my zero desire to go after them.

There was one, however, tagged as ‘High Praise’ that did appeal to me.  And while I have yet to commit to going after it with any amount of vigor, I did scoop up a few singles…

And this is the one of Hall of Famer, George Brett:

The quote: ‘George Brett could get good wood on an aspirin’, Jim Frey.

Gotta love it!!!

Happy Birthday Dave Concepcion!!!

Happy Birthday Dave Concepcion!!!

Dave Concepcion turns 65 years old today.

Dave Concepcion’s major league career lasted 19 seasons. And all of them came as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.

A superb defender at shortstop, Concepcion helped anchor one of the most talented infields in all of baseball’s history. For his incredible defensive efforts, Concepcion won 6 Gold Glove awards in a 7-year span.

A career .267 hitter, he collected 2,326 hits. Fleet on his feet, Concepcion scored 993 runs for the Reds while also stealing 321 bases. Other impressive offensive stats include 950 RBI, 389 doubles, 101 home runs, and 48 triples.

Concepcion was named as a National League All-star 9 times. He also won back-to-back Silver Slugger trophies in 1981 & 1982.

Dave Concepcion’s brilliant play at shortstop along with his speed and ability to get on base helped the Cincinnati Reds win World Series titles in 1975 & 1976.

Happy Birthday Mr. Concepcion!!!

Jim Palmer 2005 Upper Deck Hall Of Fame Baseball – ‘Cooperstown Calling’

Jim Palmer 2005 Upper Deck Hall Of Fame Baseball – ‘Cooperstown Calling’

Oh yeah, baby!!!  This one is a beauty!!!

I was able to grab this card during a recent shopping spree on COMC.com.  I think I got a pretty sweet deal on the card, though I don’t really believe their ‘book price’ quotes sometimes…

Still, paying less than $3.00 for a card that is serial numbered to just 50 copies seems like a pretty good purchase.  This one is numbered as 24/50.

Check it out:

I have the Fergie Jenkins card from this set and have always been very pleased with it.  It is nice to grab another card from this series and the ‘Cooperstown Calling’ theme and logo is one that I like.

I’m going to have to find a complete checklist for this set.  Something tells me that I can find a few more cards from my PC that look just as nice…

Jim Rice 1989 Bowman

Jim Rice 1989 Bowman

Every once in a while, I get a nice surprise from the 1989 Bowman baseball card set.

And by surprise, I mean a card that features a non-posed portrait.  Like the newest addition to my Jim Rice player collection…

Have a look:

As many of you know, Bowman was famous for offering up tons of posed portrait-style images for their 1989 set.

It is nice to see that a few surprises are found in the set…

George Brett 1990 Fleer

George Brett 1990 Fleer

I really like this card of George Brett from the 1990 Fleer baseball card set.

The card is super-clean with nice, solid lines.  The Yellow frame that Fleer utilized for the card is a great complement to the team colors of the Kansas City Royals, and I think that the player’s name and position banners look great.

I also really like how Brett’s helmet is perfectly placed next to the Royals logo.

Check it out:

SWEET!!