Giancarlo Stanton 2014 Topps Opening Day – Purple Toys-R-Us Parallel

Giancarlo Stanton 2014 Topps Opening Day – Purple Toys-R-Us Parallel

WOW!!!  And I never even knew that Toys-R-Us got their own ‘Opening Day’ set.  To say that I was a little more than shocked to find this card on Ebay is certainly fair to say.

I was also pretty surprised to not have any competition in the bidding for this beauty as well.

 

 

But, I am not complaining – not at all.  I will simply smile and add the card to my growing collection of Giancarlo Stanton baseball cards from the 2014 Topps set.

GOTTA LOVE IT!!!

And now I need to find the Jose Fernandez card from the same Purple set…

Reggie Jackson 1982 KMart “20th Anniversary – MVP Series”

Reggie Jackson 1982 KMart “20th Anniversary – MVP Series”

Gotta love the oddball baseball cards that littered the store shelves during the 1980’s.  From hardware stores to gas stations to discount stores – baseball cards were everywhere.

And KMart was one of those places.  And they partnered up with Topps a few times to have their own branded sets.

This Reggie Jackson card is from the 1982 KMart 20th Anniversary set.

 

As you can see, the card features Reggie’s card from the 1973 Topps set.  I’d really like to grab that original one of these days…

 

1975 Topps Set Card 86/660 – #418 – Leo Foster, Braves

1975 Topps Set Card 86/660 – #418 – Leo Foster, Braves

Progress: 86/660

Player Name:  Leo Foster

Card Number:  418

Team:  Atlanta Braves

Position:  Second Base, Shortstop

Image Style:  Posed Batting

Years In The Major Leagues:  5 seasons, 1971, 1973-74, 1976-77

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Foster did not play in during the 1975 baseball season.

Notes From Career:  Foster spent 7 years in the major leagues, but played in just 5 of them.  He was primarily used as a utility middle infielder and appeared in 144 games.  Foster collected 52 hits in those 144 games, good for a career average of .198.  Of his 52 hits, Foster connected for 8 doubles, 2 home runs, and 40 singles.

1956 HEADLINE: Frank Robinson Connects For First Big League Home Run

1956 HEADLINE: Frank Robinson Connects For First Big League Home Run

On this day in 1956, Frank Robinson hit the first home run of his major league baseball career.

Just 20 years old, and playing in his first full season in the majors, Robinson didn’t waste too much time in making an impact with the Cincinnati Reds. At home and in front of a terribly small crowd of just over 4,000 spectators, Robinson went 2-for-4 collecting 2 RBI. 1 hit was a double, and the other was a 2-run home run off of Cubs’ pitcher Paul Minner.

And as they say, the rest was history!! Home run #1 was officially in the books – and one of the game’s greatest sluggers was born.

Robinson ended his amazing career with 586 homers. He currently ranks in 7th place on the all-time list.

Happy Anniversary Mr. Robinson!!!

Happy Birthday Barry Larkin!!!

Happy Birthday Barry Larkin!!!

Barry Larkin turns 51 years old today!

One of the most respected players from his era, Larkin was as classy of a player in the league as there was during the 1980’s, 1990’s, and into the 2000’s. A 19-year veteran who spent his entire career in Cincinnati, Larkin was the centerpiece of the Reds’ team and their lone constant.

Larkin’s abilities were endless. Solid hitter, great defender, base stealer, home run hitter… Larkin excelled at each and every aspect of the game. In his best season in 1995, he won the MVP award. In that season, Larkin hit .319 while collecting 158 hits, 98 runs, 51 stolen bases, 66 RBI, 15 home runs and the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

A very deserving Hall of Famer!!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Larkin!!!

Off To A Hot Start, I Wanted To Grab A Really Nice Jose Fernandez Card….

Off To A Hot Start, I Wanted To Grab A Really Nice Jose Fernandez Card….

I’ve been wanting to ‘pull the trigger’ on a premium Jose Fernandez card before the season started and more attention came his way.  Sadly, I did not make it a priority.

And his certified autographed cards are selling, and for a lot more money than I am will to dish out.

Still, I shopped.

And shopped.

And shopped some more.

And finally, I landed Jose’s card from the 2014 Topps ‘The Future Is Now’ Relic Set.  The card is very nice, and I am happy that I was able to add it to my collection while not sacrificing too much of my PayPal balance in the process.

The card is serial numbered to just 99 copies with mine being 93/99.

Have a look:

 

I’m going to have to try for some more now.  This guys is Red-Hot.

Who knows, maybe a nice in-person autograph will eventually land in my collection soon…  Fingers crossed.