2018 Royals FanFest

My wife and I made the annual trek to the Royals FanFest this weekend in Kansas City.  Unlike the last two years, the crowds were pretty mild.  I heard they had between 10,000 and 15,000 each day.  Last year, I would have put the attendance at probably 30,000 per day.  It was a madhouse.  This year's decline in attendance is most likely due to free agents Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Lorenzo Cain not in attendance.  FanFest is always a good time but I must say that this year was more relaxed, and thus, more enjoyable.

The FanFest is set up in the Bartle Hall of the Kansas City Convention Center.  My first order of business is usually to swing through the team store to check out what Royals Authentics is offering in the way of jerseys, bats, autographed balls, etc.  After talking to the RA manager, it was apparent that this year's selection was pretty dismal.  There wasn't much in the way of reasonable jerseys or autographed bats.  So I headed to the autographed ball section and was able to snag a few of the departed players that I didn't have for basically the cost of a ball.  That group included Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Scott Alexander, Jason Vargas, and Tony Cruz.  Ironically, they would announce on the morning of Day #1 that they had re-signed Escobar to a 1-year deal.

Then it is off to the autograph lines where it becomes a waiting game.  Every hour on 6 different stages they bring out current or former players, managers, broadcasters to sign about 150 items.  They allow one item per person.  They don't announce who is going to be at what station, but every year a list gets out and it becomes a race to find someone to share it with you.  I have learned that during the many hours of waiting it pays to strike up a conversation with your neighbors and it paid off big time this year.  On Day #2, I was in a line that ended up having Ned Yost, Royals manager in it.  During a conversation prior to Yost coming out, I mentioned to my neighbor that I was hoping to snag an autograph of a player that had alluded me during the previous 5 years.  When I said it was Salvador Perez, he checked his phone and told me I might want to head to a different stage for the next session.  I took his word and it turned out great as I ended up being the 4th-to-last person for the Salvy line.  I now have an autographed 2015 World Series ball.

I also head to the Royals ticket booth to see if any lower seats in my section are available.  I usually know the answer since the Kauffman Foundation has about 10 rows of seats below us.  I could have moved down a couple of rows where Red and 81 sit (yes, we name the people that sit around us), but decided to stay in our seats for two reasons:  1.  I'm getting to the point where the number of stairs matters (which is sad), and 2. I have figured that any foul balls off the press box below us will always bounce to our row and over the top of the first 3 rows (it is all about the geometry).  Anyway, I did find out that season ticket holders will be getting the nice Salvador Perez Bobblehead this year which will be a nice addition to the collection.

Along with the many booths they have at events like these, they always have about 8-10 sports card and collectible dealers.  We decided to walk around before we left and I struck up a conversation with one dealer who had some 1956 Topps in his showcase.  He stated he had some commons so I asked to take a look and ended up with these 10 cards to knock off my list.  That brings my want list down to 44 cards remaining.  I hope to complete that this year.....

It was a very enjoyable weekend.  It seems to always jumpstart the baseball season as I know that spring training will be just around the corner, my two real fantasy baseball leagues will be gearing up shortly, along with the historical baseball fantasy league that I'm in.  That may be worthy of a post all by itself.  My wife thinks I'm crazy, but it is really a fascinating league.  Anyway, here's to baseball for the next 9 months!

Organization and Goals - The Ever-Changing Madness

It seems like every year I start to commit to the organization of my card collection.  Cards get sorted, boxed, etc.  Then I begin to think, "What are my collecting goals?"  As far as cards go, it has always been my George Brett PC and to complete a run of Topps sets from 1973 to the present.  Then I head to my LCS or local show and buy something outside of these goals and the card piles begin again.

I used to limit my online card hunts to eBay, COMC, and other card blogs.  Last year I ventured into finding collectors via Twitter.  I quickly realized that my organization was very counter-productive to trading with others.  Sure, there are set collectors out there, but what I found were many more team collectors that made my search for trade-worthy material painful.  If I need a stack of Red Sox, it would take me hours to search everything that has been numerically ordered by individual sets.  Need a David Ortiz?  Let me pull out the SCD Standard Catalog and look up those card numbers, then go to the right box, only to realize I don't have that card.  Does it really make sense to put my eighteen 1983 Topps Bucky Dent #565 cards next to my seven Manny Sarmiento #566 cards???  Probably not!  Especially since my 1983 Topps set has been completed for many years.

So I begin the painful reorganization of many boxes of cards.  My plan is to pull any singles that I need to complete my sets that I am working on.  Then take the other cards and start dividing them into teams but also setting aside star players from each team.  This should only take me 5 or 10 years.....

So here is my new updated list of collecting goals which is much more in tune with what I actually collect.  In order, my current collecting goals are:

1.  George Brett PC
- This blog will continue to feature posts of all my George Brett cards in my PC.  I post the new featured cards on this page.
2.  1956 Topps Set.
- When complete, I will pick another pre-1973 set to work on.  My set want list will continue to be updated here.
3.  Royals Bobbleheads.
- I have every SGA bobblehead from Royals home games.  You will most likely see something about this in the future.
4.  Salvador Perez PC
- My newest Royal PC.  These may not appear on my blog but I will continue to search for cards that I don't have.
5.  Royals Team Sets from 1969-present.
- My Royals Team Set want list will be updated here as I work on the organization of my collection.
6.  Topps Sets from 1973 to present.
- I still need a few more, but will probably just purchase complete sets to fill in what I don't have.
7.  Autographed OMLB from each member of the 2015 World Series Champions.
- Currently over halfway there.
8.  2000 Upper Deck Legends Legendary Jersey Subset
- Started this probably 10 years ago.  I have posted about this before, although not recently because I am down to needing the Musial, Mays, and Gehrig cards which are rarely seen and will require $$$.  My collection can be seen here although I see this needs to be updated.
9.  2013 Upper Deck Lettermen Collin Klein
-  I NEED the "A".  Who has it?

10. EVERYTHING ELSE including other sets that I have collected through the years like the early 80s Donruss and Fleer sets.

Happy Collecting!

George Brett Card of the Day #9

1983 Kellogg's 3-D Super Stars #4

During the 1970s and 1980s you might find a baseball card in the bottom of your Corn Flakes or other Kellogg's cereals.  The 1983 was the last of the Kellogg's run for the 1980s.   

The back of the card features biographical information, career statistics, and a summary of their career.  The one notable addition is the player's hobbies.  Apparently, George had an interest in horses and surfing probably as a result of growing up in California.

George Brett Card of the Day #8

1988 Smokey Bear Royals Caricatures #20

This was a recent pickup at the bimonthly card show at the local Hampton Inn.  It had been quite a while since I had seen one of the sets.  The price had come down significantly from what I had remembered.  I was able to pick it up in a bundle for less than 10 bucks.

If you went to watch the Royals game on August 14, 1988, was 14 years and younger, you would have received this Royals Caricature card as a part of a 28 card giveaway.  On that day you would have seen Kansas City defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-0.  Luis Aquino threw a 6 hit shutout and stymied the Toronto lineup which included George Bell, Fred McGriff, and Jesse Barfield.  Kansas City countered with a lineup that included Bo Jackson, Danny Tartabull and Bill Buckner.  However, George Brett did not play, being given the day off after a 3 for 24 slump.

The card back features Brett's biographical statistics along with a cartoon of Smokey Bear letting kids know that they should "Know Your Home Fire Safety Rules".

Better Late Than Never

If you are reading this then you stuck around after my much too long hiatus from blogging.  I am back because I missed writing about my hobby and sharing it with others.  So what has happened over the last four years?  Actually, not much has changed within my collection.  I'm still working on the George Brett PC and putting together Topps sets from 73 to the present.  Perhaps, my biggest project has been the 1956 Topps Set.  I am down to 55 cards to complete the set.  You will most likely see some posts about that set in the upcoming months.  Here is my latest addition, one of two checklists for the set.

From a fan's perspective, I got to see my team win the 2015 World Series after coming so close in 2014. 

However, it looks like I will now be going through another rebuilding with them.  Let's hope it doesn't take another 30 years.  However, even if it does I will still remain a loyal season ticket holder.  Over the last 3 years, I have checked off 3 major league ballparks off my list:  Great American Ballpark, Progressive Field, and Safeco Field.

Our trip to Alaska last year was bookended with a game at Safeco in Seattle and the Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks.  The pictures below were taken at midnight (no artificial lights were used).

Finally, I am going to work on updating my want list as I would love to get back to trading with some of you again.  If you care to follow me on Twitter you can do so @mattbrenz.

George Brett Card of the Day #7

1981 MSA Discs

The 1981 MSA (Michael Schechter and Associates) Discs were sponsored by Peter Pan and Sunbeam Bakery although their names do not appear on the cards.  Being unlicensed my MLB, all logos have been airbrushed off.  According to Pete Williams, author of Card Sharks, MSA was a licensing agent of the MLBPA in the 1970s and 1980s (http://www.petewilliams.net/blog/?p=748) so they had access to the player's likeness for these promotional items.  Basic information about George was included on the front while the backs are blank.  The 1981 set consisted of 32 players on unnumbered discs.

George Brett Card of the Day #6

2008 Topps Triple Threads #53

My first card from a Triple Threads set was the 2008 variety numbered 164/1350.  The Triple Threads set debuted by Topps in 2006 as a high-end product.  I have never purchased a box because of the price so I have purchased the singles that I want on the secondary market and at card shows.  Each of the non-autographed base cards like this one has six different parallels numbered from 525 down to the 1 of 1's.

Besides the career batting records, the "Triple Take" on these cards highlight 3 things about each player.  Brett is the only player with 3000 hits, 300 home runs, 600 doubles, 100 triples, and 200 stolen bases.  Brett also helped popularize Charlie Lau's hitting methods as detailed in "The Art of Hitting .300".

The third take is that George has owned several minor league teams following his playing career.  These teams have been co-owned by his brothers, most notably Ken, who played for several teams in the 60s and 70s before finishing his career alongside George in Kansas City in 1981.

1975 Topps - 70 more cards in the binder, 122 to go....

Just recently did a "u-pick" Ebay lot of 1975 Topps to go into my set.  I am down to 122 cards to go and my goal is to have that complete by summer.

I thought I would showcase 6 of my favorite cards that entered the binder today and why I chose them along with a bit of history about that player.

The Jackie Brown card is a great commercial for Red Man.  He just might have put the whole pouch in for the picture.  Jackie spent 8 years in the majors as a player and another 9 years as a pitching coach for the Rangers, White Sox, and Rays.

Wilbur Wood first became known to me while completing my 1973 Topps set.  A knuckleballer, who learned his craft from Hoyt Wilhelm, Wilbur was a 4-time 20 game winner in the majors with a league-leading 24 wins in 1972 and 1973.  Wood would see a major decline in his career after a 1976 Ron LeFlore liner shattered his kneecap in 1976.

Oscar Gamble, The Big O, perhaps, best known for his hair was a valuable platoon player for the New York Yankees.  He was discovered by Kansas City icon, Buck O'Neil, playing in a semi-pro league.  O'Neil would convince the Cubs to draft Gamble.  Besides the hair, Gamble is also known for having one of the worst batting stances of all time, crouching down so that his back was almost parallel to the ground.  He claimed it helped him see the ball better.

Darold Knowles, who is obviously disinterested in having his picture taken, was either possessed or checking out the girl in the upper deck.  Darold played 16 major league seasons and appeared in all 7 games of the 1973 World Series.  To this date the only pitcher ever to do so.

Ross Grimsley was chosen because he was born just up the road in our state capital of Topeka, KS.  Please don't think any less of him or me based on the monstrosity that is currently going on with the state legislature.  Grimsley came from a baseball family as his father played for the 51 White Sox and his grandfather was a career minor-leaguer.  Nicknamed "Scuz" because of his grooming habits.  Billy Martin accused him of throwing spitballs and having vaseline in his hair (actually, he didn't like washing it during winning streaks).  In Manning v. Grimsley, a Red Sox fan successfully sued the Orioles and Grimsley for Grimsley purposely throwing a ball into the stands when he was warming up and injuring the fan.  The Orioles defense was the fan was heckling Grimsley and thus, interfering with his work.

Finally, Cookie Rojas, the 5-time All Star 2nd baseman for the Kansas City Royals.  Rojas played 16 seasons for the Reds, Phillies, Cardinals, and Royals,  He was elected to the Royals Hall of Fame in 1987.  During the 1972 All Star Game he hit a pinch hit 2-run homer to become the first non-American player to hit a homer for the American League in All Star Game history.  I'll bet you never use that piece of trivia again.'

To see my 1975 Topps Wantlist, look here.  If you have anything let me know and we'll see if we can work out a trade.

George Brett Card of the Day #5

2003 Topps Series I Record Breakers RB-GB

The 2003 Topps Set included a Record Breakers insert set.  The cards were inserted at a rate of around 1 in every 5 packs.  Purple background cards were inserted in Series I packs while Series II packs had green backgrounds.  The front of the card highlights Brett's 1980 season in which he batted .390.

The back of the card is bright yellow and highlights his 3 batting titles spread over 3 different decades.  His 1980 mark of .390 was the highest since Ted William's .406 in 1941.  Brett also won the American League MVP that year beating out Reggie Jackson for the award.

George Brett Card of the Day #4

2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants #34

The 2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennant set featured 90 cards of baseball's legendary players.  The picture features Brett with another Royals presumably in the on-deck circle.  Based on the 25th Anniversary patch on the uniform, this picture is from 1993.  You can make out the #34 on the back of the batting helmet so this has to Felix Jose, who came over from the St. Louis Cardinals in a trade for Gregg Jeffries prior to the 1993 season.

The back of the card refers to Brett's role during the 1985 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.  This series still brings bad memories to Cardinals fans for Don Denkinger's missed call at first base in Game 6.  The card lists Brett's five best seasons and his career totals.  Three of those five seasons resulted in him winning a batting title (1976, 1980, and 1990) and made him the only player to win a batting title in 3 different decades.

George Brett Card of the Day #3

1992 Jimmy Dean Living Legend #1

The 1992 Jimmy Dean Living Legend set was a 6 card set available for 3 proofs of purchase plus $1.00.  As you can see, the set is not licensed by MLB.  Front is a picture from Brett's days as a first basemen at the end of his career.

Brett's cumulative statistics are listed on the back with information about his 3 batting championships, one in each of the decades of his career.  Brett had not yet collected his 3000th hit as he was at 2836 following the 1991 season.

George Brett Card of the Day #2

2013 Topps Archives #124

In the 1985 Topps style, this Archives card from 2013 shows George in his traditional batting stance photo.  A picture from early in his career is displayed on the front while career stats appear on the back.

Perhaps, one of Topps worst cardbacks, the red lettering on green background makes his Royal record hitting streak almost unreadable.  Then if you try to look at the stats, you will need a magnifying glass to even try to make them out.  Not a big fan of the Archives sets, but won't turn down a Brett.

George Brett Card of the Day #1

In an effort to blog more in 2014 AND get my George Brett PC under control I am hopeful to do a post about my George Brett cards.  I don't plan on doing the posts in any sort of order, rather to just pick a random card from my collection and highlight it.  I will also be posting the card scans on a separate page of my blog here.

The first card in the series goes to the 1976 SSPC George Brett #167.

This set, originally printed in 1975, challenged the Topps monopoly in the card market.  Based on the 1953 Bowman design, this set is sometimes referred to as the "Pure Card" as the fronts are strictly player photos.  The set maker was eventually sued by Topps and further production of these sets was prohibited.  (http://www.baseballcardpedia.com/)

Baseball is close and the Royals hit a homer already.

Last year, if you saw the Royals billboard of James Shields and Salvador Perez you had to be impressed.  You couldn't drive by this and not get pumped up for the upcoming season.

This year, they have outdone themselves with this new billboard of Alex Gordon.  Maybe this will be the year the Royals get back to the playoffs.  At least the billboard is better than the 2014 slogan, "Be Royal".

Let 2014 Begin...

Amidst all of the 2014 Topps posts, I thought I would go ahead and add to them.  I decided to try my fate with a Jumbo Hobby Box from my local LCS.  Here are some of thoughts after opening my first pack.

First Card:  Buster Posey - nice pearly whites.  I didn't know that Upper Deck was back to making cards.....wait, there is a Topps logo on it.  I guess I don't mind Topps not doing anything groundbreaking here.  After all, it is their base set so I probably shouldn't expect much.  However, every once and a while, I would like to see them do something outside the norm.  I guess they are saving that for their other 72 sets this year.

First Royal:  Yordano Ventura.  Fastest recorded pitch of a major league debut last year at over 101mph.  Should be contending for a spot in the rotation this year, but I wouldn't be surprised if he starts in Omaha before coming up in late May-early June especially after the re-signing of Bruce Chen this week.  Dear Dayton Moore....just go for it and put the kid in the rotation!

Power Players: Jose Altuve.  Good young 2nd basemen.  Create an account, register the code, have a chance to win fabulous prizes.  This is getting old Topps.  Unless the code is going to get me an actual vintage card like a few years ago, I am not really interested.

Red Foil Parallel:  Former Royal catcher Brayan Pena.  Cards have a nice look to them.  Maybe I will try to get the Royals team but do we really need 72 parallel versions each year (actually only 11)?

Last Card:  Former Royal outfielder David DeJesus.  If he can win Royals player of the year in his rookie season, then you know what Royals fans have had to deal with the last 25+  years.  Let's hope this year is different.

Summary:  330/331 Base Cards.  Can we just put #7 back in the set???  Need #218 Matt Dominguez...anyone, anyone wanna trade?  Inserts sets?  Nothing to see here...very boring!!!  89 Topps Die-cut?  I feel like I need to peel the sticker and put it in my sticker album.  Oops, its not a sticker.  Sorry, Joe Mauer.  

My 3 Relics?  Kolten Wong auto is OK.  Fred Lynn Rookie Cup All Star....widest damn card I've ever seen.  Would rather have the Matt Dominguez and 10 other base doubles.  Finally, a *($#*($  #@*($*)($$ jersey relic of someone that will not be playing in 2014 because of a suspension.  This could be yours for your unwanted Royals, anyone, anyone?  Guess not.  Oh well!

Top 10 Cards Added to My Collection in 2013

While I have not posted much this year, I have continued to add cards to my collection.  Looking and buying is much easier than taking the time to write about it.  I need to do a better job this year of making sure to post regularly to my blog.  Part of my problem is that I have decided to start working on my doctorate this year.  If all goes as planned, I will finish in 2017.  I will finish 2013 with the Top 10 cards that I have added to my collection since the beginning of the year.

#10 - 2013 Topps Cut to the Chase Mike Schmidt Relic 5/25

I pulled this out of a pack of Topps this year.  Probably my best pull ever.  Plus I think the design is just plain cool.

#9 - 1953 Red Man Tobacco Jackie Jensen PSA 3

My first "tobacco" card.  I have always like the look of these Red Man cards and I was able to pick this up pretty cheaply.  

#8 - 1961 Topps Jerry Lumpe

Besides being a Kansas City Athletic, Jerry Lumpe is the namesake of my fantasy baseball league.  One of the guys in my league grew up around Lumpe and knows him quite well.

#7 - 1950 Bowman Bob Swift PSA 3

Bob Swift hails from Kipp, Kansas and belongs in my native Kansan collection.

#6 - 2013 Upper Deck Lettermen Collin Klein AUTO 2/50

Following a fantastic senior season, this Kansas State Wildcat won the Johnny Unitas Award, was a Heisman finalist and led my alma mater to the Fiesta Bowl.

#5 - 1976 Topps Cloth Sticker George Brett

After many years of passing on this card/sticker, I picked one up at the local card show this past summer.

#4 - 2000 Upper Deck Legendary Jersey Mickey Mantle

One of the big cards that I needed to inch closer to completing this subset.  Don't know if I will ever finish it, but this helped.  My first Mantle jersey card.

#3 - 2000 Upper Deck Legendary Jersey Sandy Koufax

Again a card that gets me closer to finish this subset.  I had never ever seen one of these until I happened to see it on an eBay auction.  Made an offer and it was mine.

#2 - 1973 Topps Rookie 3rd Basemen

Ron Cey, John Hilton, Mike Schmidt

Picked up the crown jewel of the 1973 Topps set at my local card shop.  Best known for being the Mike Schmidt rookie card, let's not forget that this is also the rookie card of the "Penguin".

and............

#1 - T206 Sweet Caporal Joe Tinker PSA 1

My first T206 card, and I really don't care what condition it is in!  Best known for being the Cubs shortstop of "Tinker to Evers to Chance" fame.  Tinker is a native Kansan born in Muscotah.  To see what the town is doing to remember this Hall of Famer, click here.

2 Questions for those that have been to Cooperstown???

This is going to be a short post, but I want your answers to these questions as I have never been to Cooperstown, NY and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1.  If you were going to go again, how many days would you spend at the Baseball Hall of Fame?

2.  What other sights/activities would you recommend?

Thanks for your responses.

Card Show Haul #3 - 1956 Topps - Can you throw a baseball 445 feet, 10 inches???

My last couple of posts have highlighted my recent visit to the Independence Mall Card Show.  My goal of getting a card from the 50s was met with my new 55 Bowman Billy Shantz, but I was also able to bring home seven cards from the 1956 Topps set.  This new stash allowed me to complete a page in my vintage binder so I was thrilled to be able to make a good purchase at just over $1 per card.

I will be honest in that I don't know much about any of the 6 players above but they are just cool vintage cardboard.  I do find it interesting that Al Silvera finished his 2 year major league career with exactly 1 hit.  Bill Wight would eventually sign Hall of Famer Joe Morgan.  Johnny Antonelli went 21-7 for the Giants in 1954 and led them to a World Series sweep of the Indians.

However, the winner of the Best Answer to Worthless Trivia Award goes to...we'll get to that shortly.  After his major league career was over, this Omaha Cardinal took a baseball on August 1, 1957 and launched it from the right field corner to the left field corner.  He was given a 6 step running start, but this is still one amazing feat for the Guiness Book of World Record holder, Glen Gorbous.  Now you know!

My final 1956 Topps card is Jackie Jensen who is probably the best player of this card show haul (1958 A.L. M.V.P.), but it's his story that is so fascinating.  To me the best part of a card show is when you can engage a dealer in some great conversation about the cards that you are buying.  Jensen was the left fielder with the New York Yankees during the 1950-1952 seasons.  The dealer asked me if I knew what Jensen's biggest obstacle was?  I said it was Mickey Mantle who would take over Jensen's spot and allow him to be traded to the Washington Senators.  He smiled but told me that I was wrong.

You see during the 1950s teams began using a new method of transportation.  When the expansion of teams to the West Coast continued, teams started using this method much more to the dismay of Jensen.  Jackie was afraid to fly!  He would be helped a great deal by Red Sox owner, Tom Yawkey, who paid for therapy treatments, but his fear was just too great to overcome.  After a brief retirement in 1960, Jensen came back in 1961 after hypnotherapy treatments.  However, due to his declined production, Jensen would retire for good to spend more time with his family.  I would love to find a copy of his biography, The Golden Boy, to learn more about his interesting life and career.