Reggie Jackson 2013 Topps ‘The Elite’

Reggie Jackson 2013 Topps ‘The Elite’

Here is another fantastic card of Reggie Jackson showing him during his early years with the Oakland Athletics.

Have a look:

 

This card comes from the 2013 Topps insert set tagged as ‘The Elite’.

This is the second card from the set that I have added to my collection, with the first being the card of Joe Morgan.

While I am happy to see that both Reggie and Joe were included in the set, and rightfully so, I am pretty interested to see who else is included.  I can guess some of the guys just by the theme, but I was surprised that Jim Palmer missed the cut.

Time to find that checklist!!!

Jim Palmer 2005 Donruss Throwback Threads ‘Century Stars’

Jim Palmer 2005 Donruss Throwback Threads ‘Century Stars’

The ‘Century Stars’ set of cards that Donruss released in 2005 is a pretty neat issue.  I like the 3-D effect of having the player’s image on top of all of the wording that serves as the background of the card.

But, when I get a new one of these, I always scratch my head at the words chosen for the background.  You would think that for a set that honors the ‘Century Stars’ that there would be plenty of words and terms that you could use to fill the empty space.  But instead, Donruss kept it plain and basic – player name, position, and team name – and that is it…

Have a look for yourself:

 

Now imagine if this one listed things like Hall of Fame, World Series appearances, Cy Young Awards won, Gold Glove Awards won, career victories, career ERA, strikeout tallies, and more.

Now that would make this ‘Century Stars’ set even better.  At least in my humble opinion…

Frank Robinson 2003 Topps Gallery

Frank Robinson 2003 Topps Gallery

The Topps Gallery brand of baseball cards issued in the early part of the 2000’s brought us art on baseball cards prior to the future releases of Allen & Ginter and Gypsy Queen.

I have shopped for a lot of Topps Gallery cards and I have a small stack of them in my collection.  Simply stated, some are beautiful and some are awful.

Thankfully, I believe that this one belongs in the ‘Beautiful’ category.

Have a look:

 

The only part of the card that I find odd is the player’s name being repeated – and so close too.  I like the look of the script that is scribbled on the Gold bar that runs horizontally from left to right, but I am not sure why they felt the need to repeat the player’s name right above it.

Still, a great looking baseball card and a great addition to my Frank Robinson player collection.

Carlton Fisk 1988 Topps

Carlton Fisk 1988 Topps

This is the second card of Carlton Fisk that I have featured in recent weeks that shows Fisk looking like he is in a fair amount of pain while swinging the bat.

In this one, it appears that he has fouled off a pitch based on the direction his head and body have turned.  And it looks like it hurts too.

Check it out:

 

As for the card, I really like the Green ‘White Sox’ banner that fills the top part of the card.  It is a nice complement to the Yellow and Green background of the old Comiskey Park.

And ‘Pudge’ looks pretty slim and trim in this one as well.

Happy Birthday Fred Lynn!!!

Happy Birthday Fred Lynn!!!

Fred Lynn turns 62 years old today.

I have always had an affinity for Fred Lynn.  He broke onto the baseball scene in 1975 and took the sport by storm.  He did this during the year of my birth, and I have always enjoyed learning more about things that happened in 1975!!

Fred Lynn quietly put together a very solid 17-season career as a professional baseball player.  It’s amazing that someone playing for some of baseball’s most popular teams(The Red Sox and Orioles) could stay under the radar but Lynn was able to do so.  While media and fan attention went to his teammates, Lynn contributed solidly.  During his first full season in the major leagues in 1975, Fred Lynn won the Rookie of the Year award as well as the Most Valuable Player award.  Not too shabby, for a rookie huh???  I’d say that it’s rather impressive!!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Lynn!!

After Never Finding 2013 Topps Update At Retail, I Just Opted To Buy The Complete Marlins Team Set…

After Never Finding 2013 Topps Update At Retail, I Just Opted To Buy The Complete Marlins Team Set…

I don’t know why, but I had a really rough time finding the new 2013 Topps Update release at retail.  Normally, I am able to score cards rather close to the official release date but when Update came out, it was nowhere to be found – for days!

I tried 2 different Target stores in different days and nothing…

I tried 2 different Wal-Mart stores in different days and nada…

So, I threw in the towel.

And I went to sportlots.com and picked up the entire Miami Marlins 10-card team set from one seller for less than $3.00.

And the set arrived in the mail on Saturday.

Have a look:

It’s nice to see so many of the young guys getting cards in this set, though the insertion of Bryan Petersen and Casey Kotchman is a bit odd considering that Topps knew their playing time with the team while building the checklist.

It is nice to see Jose Fernandez featured twice – in his All-Star card and ‘Rookie Debut’ card.

And in case you were wondering, I have still yet to find Update in a retail location close to my home.  Though I may stop searching now…