Card Show Pickup - HUGE George Brett Bat Card

As a lifelong Royal and George Brett fan I am always on the lookout for "new" items to add to the collection.  While I was browsing at a table and sorting through some 1973 Topps at our local card show this past weekend, this card caught my wife's eye AND she thought I ought to get it.  How great is that.  Now in my earlier post I already said she bailed me out with the cash which I forgot so I guess you can see she got it for "our" collection.  The 2003 Fleer Flair Great Sweet Swatch Classic is huge measuring 5" by 7 3/4".  The picture doesn't do its size justice.  To put it in perspective, the swatch is roughly the same size as the recent Topps Kimball Champions mini cards.   They could have almost put the whole bat in there.  It is numbered 295/320.  I am happy to add it to my George Brett collection.  If anyone knows what type of pack or how you acquired these large cards, please leave me a comment.

Trade List Updated and Chicago Trip

My trade list page is updated with Topps Series 2 information including all inserts I am willing to trade (which is pretty much all the inserts I get).  If you want something send me an email.  I have my want list page updated also.

I will be in Chicago for a few days so I will get back in touch with you when I return on the 5th.  A fellow teacher and I are heading up there to attend the National Education Association's Representative Assembly.  Around 9000 teachers from across the country will be gathering to make decisions about what direction our  organization is heading in the upcoming year.  If any of you have paid attention to what has went on in Wisconsin and many other states with teacher's rights, you will know that our jobs are being challenged constantly.  Unfortunately, this attack on teachers has spilled over to other groups including all public employees.  Anyway, to some more upbeat events.

While in Chicago, we will be taking a couple of extra days to do a few baseball related events including a Cubs-Giants game, two White Sox-Royals games, and a Wrigley Field tour.  If anyone knows of a good LCS in the Chicago area that is easy to get to let me know with a comment and address.

Until we return...happy trading!

Local Card Show Pick-Ups - Nice Save from The Wife!

My wife and I met up with some great friends at the local mall this past weekend to have lunch and browse the local card show.  Of course, this was plotted way in advance as a lunch with friends with card show benefits.  My friend, Brian, a loyal Cleveland Indians fan and one helluva basketball official, just picked up the card collecting again after a brief stint with raising two teenage boys.  Anyway, after a great lunch and great conversation, we found our way from the food court to the card show.  I don't know how many tables constitute a "show", but if it is around 5 then I guess it was a show.  Now if you throw out the Grandpa and Grandma Beanie Baby table, plus the non-sports guy selling sports pictures/plaques/team keychains table, and of course the replica car/more plaques/etc table, the "SHOW" was down to 2 tables with any resemblance of sports card knowledge.  This show, which usually happens twice a year use to have around 20-25 tables of just sportscards.  Needless to say I was a bit disappointed. 

So after looking at one table where "Beckett" is proudly displayed on the table AND in the table owner's hand I quickly moved over to the next table and struck up a conversation with Rodney.  I always like the guys who have things spread out nicely, with prices on everything, but have boxes behind the tables with the odds and ends that demand someone asking about.  I also like the tables where before you can ask a question, you get a "hello how can I help you!"  At most tables anymore I think that I need to announce "I have money, I am not a pain in the ass to your business, I want your cards!"  Thanks Rodney for some great customer service.  After asking about my latest two set fascinations, he set out to find what I was looking for.

From one of those boxes come a handful of 1973 Topps singles.  Actually, they probably came from 10 different boxes but he looked through them and started picking the 1973 cards out so I could see what I needed.  I was able to knock off 35 cards from my 1973 Want List.  I picked up a Rico Petrocelli, whose MLB XM Radio show "Remember When" is one of my favorite things to listen to on Saturday mornings.  I also picked up a "Royal" Lou Piniella and an Al Oliver.  While I never pass up a Royal, I do remember growing up watching Oliver hurt the Royals in his brief stint with the Rangers.  Oliver is one of those players that I don't believe gets enough credit.  A lifetime .303 hitter with over 2700 hits, 500 doubles, and 200 home runs, he was as solid as they come.

Some of my other pickups included cards that captured some great action with the Kodak 110 Point and Shoot cameras.  Topps must have been relegated to the upper deck to take some of these photos.  Thank god Topps put names on their cards because other than that, you couldn't really tell who it was.  However, I think Oscar Gamble's 'fro gave him away.  I also picked up some of the manager cards including this one of the legendary Sparky Anderson, and also some great Boyhood Photo cards.  I wonder if Gaylord Perry grew up thinking about how he could hide a bat with too much pine tar from umpires.  

Now to give some props to my wife.  Ready to go to the card show...check...want list...check...card sleeves...check...cash...oops!  Thanks to my wife she saved the day (even though I must repay).  I love the fact that my wife shares my joy of baseball and baseball cards even though she thinks I spend way too much money on them.  She even picked out a George Brett card that caught her eye.  I will share that in another post.

Better Late Than Never To Finish That Hem (err...trade) With Sewing Machine Guy

Sad to say, that a while back I completed a trade with Larry, AKA Sewing Machine Guy, for some 2011 Topps Heritage that each of us needed, but I never got around to posting this until now.  Needless to say, I think I got a great deal.  One of my favorite cards was not even a part of the trade, as Larry included some Royals in the deal.  Besides my current favorite Royal Billy Butler's 2007 UD Masterpiece card, and newly resurgent former prospect Alex Gordon's 2008 UD Masterpiece card, I was surprised with my very first card of one of the Royals top prospects, Mike Moustakas.  "Moose's" 2009 Tristar Obak card was a sweet inclusion into the trade.  Now if you follow the Royals....ok everyone stop laughing right there, there are a few of you...then you know that Moustakas has been called up to take the everyday 3rd base job.  Moustakas has dominated every level of the minors and although he started this season pretty cold he caught fire after fellow Royal prospect and now Royal first baseman Eric Hosmer joined the big club.  Both have done a very good job and all of the Royals fans are hoping to see many more cards of these fine two ballplayers in the Royal blue!

So the purpose of the trade was to swap some 2011 Heritage.  I really don't know why I got involved with this year's Heritage set, but I bought a couple of packs, then a blaster, and another blaster, and the next thing you know........I am in deep.  I was able to cross a few more cards off my want list including a couple of the great "floating heads" cards of the A.L. and N.L. Strikeout leaders as well as Phillie ace Cliff Lee.  I don't know if I will ever get to completing this set as I have a couple of other sets taking priority over this one, but it's not like I have a deadline.

Thanks Larry for the great trade.  I love the Singer playing card!  You have inspired me to come up with a calling card for my blog.

Royals Hero - Paul Splittorff - 1946-2011

1971 Topps Rookie Card, 1974 Topps, and 1976 Topps

Today, one of my favorite Royals, Paul Splittorff, passed away at the age of 64 from complications with oral cancer and melanoma.  Splitt, as he was known by Royal faithful, worked on the Royals television network up until a couple weeks ago.  Although he had been hampered by vocal issues over the last few years, he was a joy to listen to whether he was doing color on tv or co-hosting the post-game show.


Splittorff was drafted by the Royals in the 25th round of the 1968 draft.  He would spend less then two seasons in the Royals minor leagues before being called up during the 1969 season.  In his "rookie" season of 1970, Splitt would go 8-12 with a 3.83 E.R.A.  He would go on to become the main lefty in the Royals rotation for over 10 seasons.  During the 1973 season, he would become the first Royals to win 20 games with a 20-11 record and a 3.98 E.R.A.  From 1972-1980, he would average 15 wins and 220 innings pitched.  Over the course of 15 seasons, Splittorff would go 166-143 with 1057 strikeouts.  He stills holds Royals records for wins, starts, and innings pitched, and was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1987.


"He wasn't blessed with a 100-mph fastball, he wasn't blessed with a Bert Blyleven curve, he wasn't blessed with a tremendous changeup, but he was blessed a good brain. He knew how to pitch," said teammate and Royal Hall of Famer George Brett. "He was blessed with a big heart and put it all on the line. He was always prepared; he was always in good shape."


Another Royal Hall of Famer and broadcast partner remebered his this way.  "Paul [was] probably one of the more underrated guys on our team," White said. "He not only played for 15 years but he won some huge games for us. I have memories of him beating the Yankees in Game 3 of the 1980 playoffs to get us to our first World Series."


Throughout my 38 years Splittorff was with the Royals in some capacity each year.  Upon retirement in 1984 he moved straight into broadcasting working Royals games along with Big 8 and Big 12 basketball.  Whether it was mowing down the Yankees in the late 70s or telling us about the game from the booth, Splitt was a thrill to watch and listen to.  Today, baseball lost a great man.  Kansas City and Royals fans lost a great ambasssador.  Splitt, you will be missed.

Trade Package of Michael Jordan Lookalikes and Former Royals

Sometimes when I am trying to complete a set I get more worried about filling the empty slots in the album rather than taking some time to look at the cards I get.  Sure I am checking some numbers off the want list but I may never look at these cards again.  So today as I was browsing through my trade package from Scott at Hand Collated I noticed something peculiar about the last three cards in the 2011 Topps stack he sent me.  Along with the 2009 Jason Giambi, I think you will see what drew my attention.  Do your best impression of Michael Jordan.....with the tongue out.

A couple of other cards that caught my attention were some former Royals.  David DeJesus was one of my favorite players the last couple of years, but after a trade to Oakland all that I am left with is the DeJesus t-shirt that I happened to be wearing today.  The other player was perhaps, the biggest waste of cash that the Royals have ever spent in free agency...and that is saying a lot considering our spending over the last two decades.  Kansas City fans were finally freed of the Jose Guillen debacle of the last couple of years when he went to the Giants at the end of the season.  While he still had some pop in the bat, the strikeouts and the atrocious defense were enough to make any fan turn on a player.  Now we know that the remaining pop in the old bat was courtesy of a little HGH bought as a gift from his wife.

I guess I just need to take a little time to see what I am getting.  You never know what will catch your eye.  Thanks again Scott for a great trade.

2000 Topps HD Trade Package...but I still need 24 more...any help?

I got home today and in the mail were the cards of a recent trade with Ron from New Jersey.  I traded some 2010 Topps Inserts for 3 2000 Topps HD cards.  A while back I dug through an old box and found these cards again.  This was the first "high end" box that I ever got to open thanks to a birthday present from my wife.  From Ron I received the Travis Lee, Randy Johnson, and Jose Canseco cards.  As you can see the photos on both sides are amazing with very high quality images.  This brings my want list down to 24 cards.  I never did buy any other packs of Topps HD back then so I am looking to finish this set off 11 years later via trades.  So if any of you have any 2000 Topps HD laying around check out my want list and let me know what you have.  Thanks Ron for getting me a little bit closer to the end!

Harold from Delaware is the Man! - Blog Namesake Set Completed

After starting this blog just over a year ago hoping to complete the first set that I ever started, I can now say that it is COMPLETE!  Harold from Delaware sent me the remaining 25 cards that I needed along with plenty of 2011 Topps and some Royals cards.  Upon entering into the card blog sphere and the trading that ensued, I have completed many trades but none sweeter than this one.  26 Cent Summer was started as a way to honor the 1980 Topps set that I started back when I was 6.  I had no idea that the first pack of cards that my dad bought me would lead to a lifelong hobby, nor did I know that it would take 31 years to complete that first set.  What a feeling it is!

Here are some of the cards that Harold sent me to complete my 1980 Topps set and also some Royals he sent along the way, including my current favorite player, Billy Butler.

And finally, here is the first page of my notebook that contains the COMPLETE 1980 Topps Set.  I not only want to thank Harold, but also Matt, Jeremy, and Darren who helped me complete the namesake set of 26 Cent Summer with some great trades over the last year.

Score Book #1 - Opening Day - Royals vs. Angels

I have always been fascinated with keeping score at baseball games.  I think that started as my love for statistics was created with me entering the baseball card hobby and thoroughly going over the back of every card.  Until I purchased Total Baseball and the Baseball Encyclopedia (and before I had internet access) baseball cards were my source of player statistics and the weird trivia provided by the old Topps cartoons.

Last week, I was able to attend my 3rd straight Opening Day and my 4th overall.  While the Royals once again lost, I am happy to report that tonight they moved to 4-1 on their 4th straight walk-off win.  I can always dream that this will be the year although I know it won't have a good chance of happening until some of the game's best prospects in baseball get called up.  We are hopeful that the best farm system in baseball will equate to the Royals making the playoffs by 2013 or 2014.  By that time I will have waited almost 30 years for them to get back there.  Here is a copy of my scorebook from Opening Day.  If any of you regularly keep score at games you attend, I would love to hear about it along with why you do it.

Royals - 3/31/11

Angels 3/31/11

Another Trade with Nachos Grande via Trade Stack Claim

I took a short hiatus from the blog world for a little rest and relaxation baseball style.  My wife and I were able to head to Phoenix and catch a little spring training baseball during our school's spring break.  We went to 5 games (a 6th was rained out) including 3 Royals games.  We were also able to see quite a bit of baseball's top farm system as we attended 3 minor league practices.  If any of you baseball fans have not had the chance to head Arizona or Florida, you need to find some time.  It is a great experience and one that you can't get during the season.  While down there we were able to see games at the new Diamondbacks facility along with the Royals, Mariners, Indians, and Dodgers camps.  Upon returning from our trip we were able to catch the Royals-Angels on Opening Day and then again on Saturday.  I am proud to say that the Royals are currently in 1st place in the AL Central after 4 straight walk-off wins.  While I would love to see that continue, realistically I know the success will probably be short-lived.  While I won't ever give up on them, I can definitely say it more fun when they're winning.

Anyway to the trade.  When Chris over at Nachos Grande posted statistics from his trade stacks, one notable team that was missing were the Royals.  I told him he should definitely get some Royals cards in the stacks and the very next stack started with a 1985 George Brett All Star.  After giving him a hard time about his lack of Royals in the past I felt that I better be a good trader and grab that stack.  I waited for a couple of days as he put some other cards onto the stack including Chipper Jones, Matt Williams, Andrew McCutchen, and W.E.B. Dubois.  While the Brett card sealed the deal for me, the Dubois card closed it as the history teacher in me said that I couldn't pass that up.  I have really enjoyed the Topps American Heritage sets so the stack became mine.  On top of that he sent me some additional Royals cards for my collection including one of recently retired Royal favorite Mike Sweeney.  Thanks Chris!