Singles in the PC part 2

Part 1 if you missed it

My "Keepers" collection is organized by player.  For some players, like Pete Rose, Rod Carew, Cal Ripken and many others, there are a lot of cards in the collection.  But for a select few players, I have but one card.  There are many reasons that could be the case. 

I figured that there would only be around 20 or so of these "single Keepers".  But I was off by quite a bit!  Turns out there were 81 79.  So that's too much for one post.  I will be showing about 20 a post until I get through them.  Alphabetically!

Here are the second 20 players in my Keepers that I have a single card of:

Reason I only have one: Wish I had more!  Foxx was a beast, but playing days cards of him are pretty impossible for me.  But this modern one was pretty enough to throw in my Keepers.  I like the color contrasting with the black and white.

Reason I only have one: Well, Julio wasn't ever one of the top few players in the league. But he was in the league forever, I liked him as a kid, and the 83 Topps Traded set is a fave of mine. Plus, Franco is a card carrying member of the crazy batting stance club.  Look it up!

Reason I only have one: Frick only has 81 total cards according to TCDB.com.  And most of those are modern variants.  So this may be the only Frick card I will ever need.  I'd take copies of his 60 and 61 Fleer, but I wouldn't seek them out.

Reason I only have one: When I was writing this, I was all set to say that this was the only Big Cat I would really ever want.  But I looked at his other cards from 1986, and I can definitely say that I wouldn't turn down any of them.  The Fleer and Fleer Update, the Donruss and Donruss "The Rookies" would all probably end up as keepers if I ran into them.  Andres won't be remembered as special, but he was definitely good and reminds me of my childhood.  Plus, nice Expos colors!

Reason I only have one: Because none of Oscar's other cards have that good of hair.  Though his 75 Topps is pretty sweet too!

Reason I only have one: Just need this RC.  Grich was, in my mind, very underrated.  The kind of player I would love to build a team around.  But not a superstar.

Reason I only have one: I kind of grudgingly threw this card into the Keepers years ago.  I never connected with Greinke in any meaningful way, but he has been a high quality pitcher for quite a while, and that is enough to get into the Keepers.  A quality card, but no plans to add more any time soon.

Reason I only have one: Almost missed this one, because it was right after the other Ken Griffey, who I have far more than one of.  Some kind of relative, I have heard.  This is a nice card, and I wouldn't rule out other Griffey Sr's.  Especially a rookie.

Reason I only have one: Cause vintage Lefty Groves are hard to come by. If you have one to send my way, then get it to the mailbox!

Reason I only have one: In the first Singles Post, I mentioned that I "love memorabilia cards of older players who were really good, but not HOFer level".  Of course, I was writing that in reference to a HOFer!!  But not here.  Gullet was pretty good though!

Reason I only have one: I really liked the early to mid 80s Cardinals teams.  Herzog was the feisty manager.  And this card of him, while battered, is pretty cool.  I can't imagine adding any modern cards of Whitey to the Keepers, but anything this old would definitely make it.

Reason I only have one: Not sure why I don't have an actual RC of Hoffman.  He's not really 'my guy', but he had quite a career.  I'd gladly trade for a 92 Bowman if anyone has an extra.  I wish I had scanned the back of this card, it features Trevor jumping rope.

Reason I only have one: Hodges was a staple of the 50's Dodgers.  I usually heard Robinson, Reese, Campanella and Snider.  But my grandpa always included Gil in that mix.  So I will take any Hodges vintage I can get, even if he is on the Mets!  But sadly, this is the only one I have.

Reason I only have one: I always liked Holliday, wherever he went in MLB.  But just not enough to get any more of his cards.  Is that mean?  Sorry Matt!

Reason I only have one: Hough is just one of those guys who I feel like was pretty good, good enough to Keep a RC of his. Other than that, I don't have much to say about him.  I think this will likely be the only card of Hough that I ever Keep.

Reason I only have one: See Lefty Grove above...

Reason I only have one: Well, I have this one because Frank Howard was a physical beast!  6'7", which for the time was just huge.  He hit a lot of long home runs and intimidated a lot of little guys like me.  But sadly, he didn't do enough to get me looking for more than this RC of his.

Reason I only have one: Because I haven't found any more autos for dirt cheap, and his base cards from the 80s don't quite get it done.  As I have said before though, I think Hrbek would be a fun guy to hang with, as long as he wasn't too drunk.

Reason I only have one: Duh. How many cards does George Hunter even have?  Off to TCDB.....  OK, he has 10, but three of those are reprints.  All the rest are from 1909 to 1913, so if you have one you want to send me, feel free! 

Reason I only have one: Well, Inky wasn't a guy that made me reminisce, but he was a solid player.  And I really, really like this set.  And I very often love MLB guys in their college unis.  So to sum up, I Keep this card because its awesome, but I don't have more because Incaviglia wasn't all that.

-So who in this list should I definitely have more Keepers of??  

-What's your favorite of these 'singles'?

-Which of these 'singles' should I demote from the Keepers collection?

Next time, #'s 41-60!

Singles in the PC

My "Keepers" collection is organized by player.  For some players, like Pete Rose, Rod Carew, Cal Ripken and many others, there are a lot of cards in the collection.  But for a select few players, I have but one card.  There are many reasons that could be the case. 

1. Maybe it is just a really old card, old enough to be a Keeper simply on age.  You will see a few of those.
2. Maybe the card is just too cool to not 'Keep'.
3. Maybe there is just an inexplicable hole in my collection with a certain player.
4. Maybe I don't really care about the player much, but their RC is a good card, or helps fill in the history of the game.
5. Maybe some other reason, we will find out as I write them!

I figured that there would only be around 20 or so of these "single Keepers".  But I was off by quite a bit!  Turns out there were 81.  So that's too much for one post.  I will be showing about 20 a post until I get through them.  Alphabetically!

Here are the first 20 players in my Keepers that I have a single card of:

Reason I only have one: Well, the elder Alomar brother was good, but never rose to the level of a player I would Keep.  Not even his rookie cards.  But I do really like the Commemorative Medallion cards like this, and this one fell into my hands!

Reason I only have one: Dang, I don't know!  I know Altuve has hit some harder times with collectors because of the scandal, but that wouldn't keep me from grabbing a few nice cards of him if I found them.  This one is kind of a head scratcher.

Reason I only have one: Well, I just haven't run into any other vintage Aparicio's for dirt cheap.  This one was dirt cheap.

Reason I only have one: Similar to the Aparicio above, just haven't run into any old Ashburn's. I do love memorabilia cards of older players who were really good, but not HOFer level.

Reason I only have one: Because Baines never tickled my fancy.  Good player.  But a RC of a Hall of Famer does make the Keepers.

Reason I only have one: First off, this card is not green.  My scanner totally added the green sheen!  Obviously this is a cool card, a definite Keeper.  But for some reason, vintage Berra's have never fallen into my hands.

Reason I only have one: Another one I am confused by.  I didn't really collect for the years when Betts was ascending to stardom.  That's certainly part of this puzzle.  I would LOVE an RC of his, but at this point, they are too rich for my blood.  I would think that this card will be joined by friends before long.

Reason I only have one: Well, how many other cards of Cy Blanton are there really?  Plus virtually any 1934-36 National Chicle card will be a Keeper!

Reason I only have one: See Harold Baines above...  Of course, Bowa isn't a HOFer like Baines, but the card is older than the Baines RC too.  So there's that.

Reason I only have one: Like Betts above, I wasn't really collecting for Bryant's early years.  I figured this was a decent RC when I grabbed it cheap, but it turns out it's pretty pedestrian as far as its popularity.  If I luck into a good Bryant card I will add it, but really, I don't mind having only this.

Reason I only have one: Well, how many other cards of Soupy Campbell are there really?  Any 1941 Play Ball card is a Keeper!!  Even one with this much tape residue on it. PS, Soupy's real name was Bruce.

Reason I only have one: Because I haven't run into a Cedeno RC, mostly.  I do love the look of this card though!

Reason I only have one: See Soupy Campbell and Cy Blanton above.  Any 1934 Goudey is a Keeper!

Reason I only have one: Like Cedeno, I have not found a Concepcion RC.  I imagine there are other cards of his that I would like too.

Reason I only have one: I wouldn't really have tons of interest in Crawford cards produced in the modern era.  This one is definitely an exception!  Super shiny, and even if the bat chip was really never held in his hands, it's still cool.

Reason I only have one: This one falls into the Cedeno and Concepcion category.  I'd love a RC, but any other cards of his that would qualify for the Keepers would need to be as cool as this one.  Shiny, memorabilia or the like.

Reason I only have one: I'm a broken record!!  Dempsey 's reasons are the same as the Cruz above.  I do like this card though, even if it is a sticker auto.  Good design, and I like the photo.

Reason I only have one: No other Doerrs have come my way.  This is a very pretty on card auto though.

Reason I only have one: Just need the RC, really.  Not many others would make the Keepers.  If I got the Chrome version of this card, I would probably replace this, instead of keeping both.

Reason I only have one: No vintage Nellie's comin my way.  I would love some, but only for cheap.  Because I'm a cheapskate!

-So who in this list (besides the obvious Betts and Altuve) should I definitely have more Keepers of??  

-What's your favorite of these 'singles'?

-Which of these 'singles' should I demote from the Keepers collection?

Next time, #'s 21-40!

Roiding with the Rocket

 In a previous post, I mentioned that I am going to try to complete my Steroids Project, and I am going to be spotlighting the players on that list one by one.  Today we have the Rocket, Roger Clemens! 

For those of you who don't know how I am doing this, I will be attempting to get:

-the entire Topps base run (flagship) from each players playing career.
-a relic or autograph of each player
-4 nine pocket sheets of the 'coolest' cards I can find of each player.  Think refractors, die-cuts and colorful stuff.  Rare and serial numbered could make the cut too!

Here is what I need for Clemens:

Topps Base Needs:

2008

That's it!!  Wow!

Relic or Auto card - I have 2 so far!

Sheets of Coolness: Below is what I have so far for Roger.  Can you beat any of these?  Then let's talk trade! 

None of these are bad cards, but since I am going for 'pop' value, and trying to stay away from base cards, a few of them could stand to be upgraded.  My faves are the funky Pacific in the upper left and the 'Return of the Ace' in the upper right.  The Pacific has tiny holes in the black section to make a pic of Roger's face.

Again, nothing bad here, but I wouldn't mind upgrading some of them.  I like Gold Rush, but that card just doesn't stand out much.  The Heritage is both bland and a base card.  Hoping to so better.

This page has some fun stuff.  Ionix Atomic are cool, the Leaf Exhibits card in the center seems to be from a difficult set.  The SP Prospects is a base card, but that set is very nice looking to me.

I like this page a lot.  Faves are the V.J. Lovero because I imagine Clemens was having a roid rage for the photo.  And the Ultra Strikeout King in the lower left.  Good design, and I love seeing all the different pitch grips.  Also, the Diamond Kings in the upper left is numbered  /100.  Didn't even notice that before I scanned these!

And here is one Clemens that was in these pages that I had to take out and add to my keepers.  It is very cool.  The background shifts as you move it around and it looks great in hand.  I wish I had more of these!

If you have cooler Clemens than these, that you are willing to trade, let me know!

I got Baseball for my Football

I offered up a bunch of Football cards I didn't really need a while back. Matt from the blogs...
1. Cards Over Coffee
2. Big Blue Cardboard
3. Matt's Wonderful Blog Of Hobbies

took the Football off my hands and scoured his collection for stuff that might fill in the holes in my collection. Specifically, recent refractors and Cuts and Colors!! And he delivered!

But first, anyone know how Matt has the juice to keep up with three blogs??? I'm barely keeping my head above water with one! Anyway, to the cards!

OK, so the title says "Baseball for Football", but first up are three Basketball that Matt included in the package. Matt being a great New York collector, its very appropriate that I got my first three RJ Barrett rookies!

Two solid Duke Blue inserts and the cream of the crop, a Prizm Blue!!

A very welcome addition to the trade, as one of the main purposes was to shore up the holes in my collection, which these certainly did.

On to the Baseball!



Here is a smattering of a few of the cards Matt sent, and already you can see that there is a huge variety and a crap-ton of color!

Here are a few that stood out to me as stuff that appeals to me for my Cuts and Colors collection:

This package was heavy on Votto and Lindor (more to come!), players who I have always had an appreciation for. But this really isn't about the players, just look at the sheer color in this scan! I think my favorites are the Votto "Out of this World" and the Trevor Story "Future Stars" cards. But that Ventura in the lower right is way better looking in person and makes it a tight race! Also the Muncy "I have no idea what variation this is" refractor is cool.

 
OK, I am trying something I have never done on the blog and including a video. It is a closeup of a bunch of the refractors/prizms. Blogger won't let me preview this, but it looks like they might have cropped the video when I uploaded it. I guess we'll see!

There were in the neighborhood of 40 refractors and various prizm's in the package. Hopefully the rainbows show OK in that video.  Give it a play and let me know!

And to finish this off, I decided to show 8 of my personal favorites from Matt. These are no brainer keepers, and much appreciated.

2016 Topps Chrome - Future Stars Francisco Lindor - Is it valuable? Nope. Is it beautiful? Yup!! I have always loved stained glass looking cards, and these are beautiful. My main concern is that the card companies will overproduce the beautiful designs, and thereby make them feel cheap and commonplace.

2002 Bowman Heritage - Chrome Refractor Rafael Palmeiro - This card is REALLY shiny. The scan does not do it justice. My eyes keep sliding off it, because it is just so slick looking. Straight into the Steroids Project binder!

2013 Panini USA Baseball Champions - Certified Legends Die-Cut - Mirror Blue Tommy LaSorda /199 - What a great looking card! And timely too, given his recent passing. The strange side die cuts on this set are perplexing, but they don't really detract. I am happy that this is the 'Mirror Blue' version, as blue is Tommy's Color, even if he isn't in a Dodgers uni here.

2016 Topps Stadium Club Phil Niekro - I think this is the Black Foil version. Which is cool because it is somewhat more rare. But the real draw of this card is the 'wise old ballplayer' pose. Almost has a Casey Stengel feel to me. Great shot.

2016 Topps Stadium Club - Legends Die-Cuts Johnny Bench - Complicated and shiny die-cut of an all time legend. This one is a no-brainer.

2014 Panini Hall of Fame - Crusades - Purple Steve Carlton /50 - I have always liked the Crusade motif, even if this isn't the best implementation of it I have encountered. But very shiny, and numbered /50 is quite nice.

2019 Topps - Cactus League Legends Rod Carew - Carew is one of my top childhood favorites, and I knew him as an Angel who was always smiling with a bat in his hands. So this card hits me right in the childhood. And going with the spring training theme that has gained popularity lately, this is just a cool card.

2018 Topps Finest - Sitting Red - Gold Refractor Joey Votto /50 - Love the look of this one! I didn't realize it was a gold refractor until I started writing this up, I was so entranced by the nice vibrant look of this card. It seems to have more 'depth' than most cards. Needless to say, my scanner did not do it justice. Looks like the non-refractor Sitting Red are easy to come by, but I have to believe that these refractor versions are vastly better looking.

Great package Matt, hope you were able to enjoy the Football cards!!