Giancarlo Stanton 2012 Topps Opening Day ‘Elite Skills Player’

Giancarlo Stanton 2012 Topps Opening Day ‘Elite Skills Player’

I like that Topps likes to add Stanton into as many subsets as they can.  He is found in a bunch of them.

This card is from the 2012 Topps Opening Day subset called ‘Elite Skills Player’.

The combination of Giancarlo and an ‘elite outfield skill’ is a bit of an odd match-up if you ask this Marlins fan.  While he does make some spectacular plays in the outfield, many require a leap or a slide because the ball was not properly read when it was hit.

Still, when he does make a nice diving catch, they are pretty sweet.

And Topps captured a nice one for this card.

Check it out:

 

If I had to choose an elite skill for Stanton through this part of his career, I would go with something like ‘Launching Bombs’ and leave the ‘Diving Catch’ to players like Mike Trout, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Alex Gordon.

Still, very nice to have him in this set.  And another sweet Stanton card for the collection…

Reggie Jackson 2011 Topps ’60 Years Of Topps’ – 1975 Topps Design

Reggie Jackson 2011 Topps ’60 Years Of Topps’ – 1975 Topps Design

Of all of the cards from the 1975 Topps baseball cards set, you would think that the cards featuring Oakland A’s players may incorporate the bright Green and bright Yellow into the border colors to make them match.

But no.  Instead, Topps gave us this:

 

And this is what makes the set such a great set.  The unexpected combo of Blue and Orange mixed with the Yellow and Green of Reggie’s uniform may not be the best recipe on paper, but the card looks fantastic!!!

This card comes from the 2011 ’60 Years Of Topps’ set.  It is a re-print of Reggie’s card from the ’75 set – a card that I would someday love to have in my collection.

Until then, I will settle for the next best thing: The Re-Print.

Frank Robinson 2001 Topps ’50 Years Of Topps’ – Golden Greats, Golden Anniversary

Frank Robinson 2001 Topps ’50 Years Of Topps’ – Golden Greats, Golden Anniversary

The theme and naming of this set is right on par with what this baseball card collector likes – cherish the greats!!!

Sadly, the execution of this one is not delivering to me the feeling that I had hoped for…

Have a look:

 

I bought this card ‘on the blind’ during a recent shopping spree on http://www.sportlots.com.  I was bulking up on my new player collections and I was adding cards to my cart rather quickly.  As soon as I saw the name of this one, I pounced and threw it into my basket with the others.

The card is nice, but it does not scream elite the way that I think that it should.  The name of the set is great.  The Topps 50 logo is great.  I just wanted more with the complete piece – better image, better graphics, etc.

Maybe next time…

1993 HEADLINE: Joe Carter’s Dynamic Home Run Captures The World Series For Toronto!!!

1993 HEADLINE: Joe Carter’s Dynamic Home Run Captures The World Series For Toronto!!!

On this day in 1993 Joe Carter hit one of the most recognizable home runs in World Series history.  On baseball’s biggest stage, he rose to the occasion and secured his spot as one of the game’s biggest heroes.

I remember watching this game and seeing the joy in Joe’s eyes, smile, and body language as he rounded the bases after blasting this huge World Series winning home run.  As kids, we all dream of this exact spot that Joe Carter was in on that night in October.  His boyhood dream became reality right in front of our eyes and it was an amazing sight to witness.

Happy Anniversary Mr. Carter!!

Billy Williams Has Been Traded?? – You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me!!!

Billy Williams Has Been Traded?? – You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me!!!

Sad but true.  On this day back in 1974 Billy Williams was traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Oakland Athletics for Darold Knowles, Bob Locker, and Manny Trillo.

It was a sad day in Chicago as one of the Cub’s all-time greatest players was shipped away during a rebuilding process.  The man that had occupied left field for the Cubs for the last 16 seasons was gone.  Billy Williams’ 16 year career as a Chicago Cubs player was over!!!

Williams played the final 2 years of his career with Oakland and still put up respectable numbers for the A’s.  He batted just .230 but was able to hit 34 home runs and drive in 122 runs.  It wasn’t until this trade to the A’s that Williams was able to make the post-season.  In 1975 the A’s lost to the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS while Billy Williams went 0-for-7 in the series.

Personally for me, it is very hard to see Williams wear anything other than ‘Cubbie Blue’.  Although I never got to see him play live, I have seen plenty of highlights and have read books and articles about his amazing career and it always feels strange to me that his career ended in Oakland and not in Chicago.

But, as we all know, baseball is a business and players are treated as assets and not humans.  So, although I am saddened by how his career ended I am happy that Billy Williams was able to finally make it to the playoffs.

But this does look a little strange to me still…

30-Year Old Cardboard’s “World Series Contest” – The Players & Their Picks!!!

Alright guys and girls, the 2013 World Series starts tonight and I cannot wait to see how this battle unfolds.

Thanks to everyone who entered into this contest, especially with the short notice!!!

Here is a list of the players and their picks.

Player	Winner	Games	Runs
gerad	Cardinals	6	30
**30-YOC	Cardinals	6	31
matt d	Cardinals	6	32
Adam	Cardinals	6	34
tim g	Cardinals	6	36
nightowl	Cardinals	6	38
mgrlvr	Cardinals	6	40
diamond king	Cardinals	7	46
jared w	Red Sox	4	21
brian c	Red Sox	5	24
stealing home	Red Sox	5	40
unclemoe	Red Sox	6	26
ron c	Red Sox	6	34
matt g	Red Sox	6	42
henry	Red Sox	6	42
tom s	Red Sox	6	45
bamattyp	Red Sox	6	47
play at the plate	Red Sox	6	54
jeff	Red Sox	6	55
soccerarchives	Red Sox	7	39
charley8	Red Sox	7	42

And don’t forget what is up for grabs –  a 2012 Topps Series 2 hangar box!!!

Enjoy the games everyone!!!

*You’ll see that I threw my pick in as well.  I’m not an official entrant in the contest – but I do want to get my picks officially on the record…  🙂

 

Million Dollar Question – ‘When I Say 1986 Topps, You Think What Card’???

Million Dollar Question – ‘When I Say 1986 Topps, You Think What Card’???

Of all of the sets that I collected and put together as an aggressive card-collecting kid, the 1986 Topps set is the one that stands apart for not really having that one ‘Must Have’ card.  The sets issued before it and after it all have a card, or many cards, that collectors sought with high-energy, but this one did not.

But, that does not mean that the set is not a nice one.  As a matter of fact, I really like the ’86 Topps set – so tonight, we’ll chat it up a little bit.

When I Say 1986 Topps, You Think What Card?

The set features a lot of nice cards.  I really like the Lee Smith card.  And the Dave Winfield card is sweet too.

But, there has always been one card in this set that stood out to me as a kid.  And now, almost thirty years later, it still does.

Here it is:

The Tony Perez card!

As you can see, Perez is in the midst of a celebration with Eric Davis, the young talented star of the team.  Tony was at the end of his career and Eric was just setting the foundation for his incredible career.

It’s nice to see them celebrating together.

When I first encountered this card as a kid, I thought it was Davis’ card.  He is featured just as strongly as Perez, but the name across the bottom gives it all away.  This is Tony’s final Topps card as a big league player, and it is nice to see him going out with a big smile on his face.

And now it is your turn – ‘When I Say 1986 Topps, You Think What Card’???

I cannot wait to read your answers!!!