Yet Another Oriole has Passed Away

They say it comes in threes.  Well, today, I found out that 'Bullet' Bob Turley passed away today at the age of 82.  First, Mr. Trucks, then Gus Triandos and now Bob Turley.  Jeez.

Turley played for both the Browns and Orioles, and also the Yankees, Angels and Red Sox.  His best season was in 1958 with he won the Cy Young Award and finished second in the MVP voting.  He went 21-7 that season and 2-1 during the 1958 World Series against the Braves, winning the championship with the Yankees.

Turley was a great TTM signer, as seen by the signed baseball I got from him shown above.  It's really sad to see these guys passing away.  I guess it's up to us to keep their memories alive by continuing to tell their stories.

What a Shame

I did an Ebay search tonight because I'm looking for old photos of Virgil Trucks that might be fitting to frame and put on my man cave wall.  I'm also looking and seeing what cards of his are available that I still don't have in my Trucks PC.

I saw something tonight that really made me sick.  It also showed me why the TTM hobby is dying.  One of the sellers on Ebay had put up for auction, the post it note that Mr. Trucks had personally written to the guy when he requested autographs (that's right, plural) TTM.  I'll post what was written on the note (I don't want to give the guy any publicity, so I will not be linking the auction):

Hi ******,
Glad to sign your cards and enclose a card for you.  I hope I don't see any of these I've signed for you on the internet.  I don't know why you want this many signed.  Good luck, Virgil Trucks.

The guy had the balls to actually put this note on Ebay.  Not only that, he has 26 other items up for bid and they are all of either Virgil Trucks or Gus Triandos, both TTM signers who have just passed away.  Each autcion heading starts with DECEASED.  Clearly, this guy is trying to cash in on someone's passing.

The reason I send off for TTM autographs is because I enjoy being able to interact, even if it is for only a little bit, with some of these folks who played so long ago, most people have forgotten about them.  I imagine in my mind that most of them enjoy getting a letter in the mail from someone who took the time to look them up.  I just can't imagine ever selling any of the personal notes and letters that any one of those players has sent me.  Especially not Mr. Trucks.

Another Oriole Gone

Former Oriole catcher Gus Triandos passed away today at the age of 82.  He was the first true star of the Orioles.  Traded by the Yankees to the O's for Bob Turley and Don Larsen  (among others) in November 1954, Triandos had some very good years for the Birds.  He caught Hoyt Wilhelm's no hitter for the Orioles in 1958 and then caught a perfect game for Jim Bunning while with the Phillies in 1964.

Ebay Pickup - 2013 Topps Silver Slate Chris Davis

I hinted the other day when I posted the Tim Lincecum Silver Slate parallel for Chris that I bought one for myself.  Well, it came in the mail today!  I got the Chris Davis 2013 Topps Silver Slate parallel numbered 3/10 for just over $20.  Not bad.  That price is nowhere near the price that the Dylan Bundy went for that went off at the same time...  That one went for $305.00.  Ouch.  My wife would shoot me in my sleep if I spent that much on that card.  Yikes.

I'll be working on the rainbow of Davis for Series One and you know I'll be pursuing the Reimolds for Series Two.  I'm excited.

Trading With Ken Again

I completed another trade with Ken over at "Ken's Daily Fix" when I sent him a few Indians cards and the 2013 Topps Blue Sparkle parallel Jason Kipnis that I got from my 2013 Topps Wrapper Redemption packs.  Ken, in turn, sent me a ton of 2013 Topps Emerald parallels (my needs list is now up to date) and almost all of the Orioles from 2013 Topps Heritage.

Ken sent me 4 of the Heritage Nolan Reimolds from this year.  4 of them!  Woo Hoo!  I need to see if Nolan would sign one TTM for me, or I can just take one to Baltimore during my next trip and try to have him sign it there.  I bet they look good signed in blue Sharpie.  Just saying.  I was really happy to get the Reimold from Heritage already.  I need to see about getting any parallels of his from this set, if there are any.

 

I finally have a baseball card of Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez.  Gonzalez had a good season for the O's last year and held his own in a playoff start against the Yankees in the ALDS.  I really hope Gonzalez can continue the success he had last year and win about 15-18 games for the O's.

Thanks again for the trade, Ken.  I hope everyone takes a look at his blog!

Completing a Trade - With My Son

Even though I bought him the 2013 Topps Jumbo pack from the LCS, when my son Chris pulled a pink parallel, I told him that I would trade him something cool for it so I could, then, flip it to someone else in another trade.  So, I showed Chris a few of the Tim Lincecum parallels from 2013 Topps and told him that if I couldn't get the Silver Slate parallel, then I would try to get him a Blue Sparkle parallel.  Well, I was able to get him the Silver Slate parallel after all, but I might still get him the Blue Sparkle, just because, you know, he is an awesome kid.

The Lincecum is numbered 10/10, (Ohhh Emmmm Geeee, Ebay 1/1!!!).  I 'traded' it to Chris for the Pink Parallel Rafael Furcal that he pulled, which I will then flip to Weston over at Fantastic Catch.  I know I overpaid him, but he is my son, and I knew he would really like this Lincecum.  I got myself a Silver Slate parallel, which hasn't arrived yet, but when it does, you know it'll get posted on here.

The Show Must Go On

Wow, I'm so moved by the amount of responses that yesterday's post received.  It is really nice to see how everyone felt about what a truly remarkable person Virgil Trucks was.  I really appreciated all of the comments.  I took the advice of a few of them and made copies of the audio file from my 2011 interview.  I put one copy in my safe for safekeeping, in case my computer crashes.  I also made a copy to send to Ms. Carolyn Beckwith, Mr. Trucks' daughter who had been updating Mr. Trucks fans over the last few months concerning his condition and ultimately informing us of his passing.  Finally, I (as of this morning) submitted a copy of the interview, complete with a written transcript, to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for their archives.  I thought that this was such a great recommendation and I would like to thank you all.

I read that Mr. Trucks had signed a few autographs while in his hospital bed shortly before he passed.  If so, wow, he really was devoted to his fans.  I don't doubt it, either.

He will be buried Thursday with full military honors in the Alabama National Cemetery.  I plan on visiting his grave site in the future, I'm just not sure when.

Finally, since I know Mr. Trucks wouldn't want me dwelling on his passing for too long, I figured I would transition into a trade I completed (this morning actually, when I sent off the return package) with Brad from over at Brad's Blog.  Brad sent me 10 more Emerald parallels for my set.  In return, I sent him some Phillies parallels that I hope he likes.  thanks for the trade, Brad!

Again, thank you everyone for the outpouring of emotion and thoughts for Mr. Trucks.  I counted (including mine) 4 blog posts about him and I got text messages from a lot of friends who don't have blogs that had heard the news.  Amazing how many lives he touched.  I really wish all baseball players could be as gracious and as class as he was.

Rest in Peace, Virgil Trucks

 I regret to inform you all, through tears and a heavy heart, that Virgil 'Fire' Trucks passed away yesterday at the age of 95.  He would have been 96 on April 26.  He was a great friend to this blog, having been the subject of numerous posts due to his unyielding generosity to fans of all ages.  He might not have been a Hall of Famer, but he was a Hall of Famer in my heart and mind.  I will always remember him and he will be one of my heroes as long as I live.

 Mr. Trucks was probably one of the most prolific TTM signers there ever was.  He would sign anything and everything folks would send, never asking for a fee.  His only request was that if the signature meant that much, maybe one would consider a donation to his local church.  I donated to his church on many occasions, not because I wanted an autograph, but because I felt that this would be a true thank you to a great man, to donate money in his name to help others.  I believe this was very befitting of him.

Mr. Trucks was the subject of my first and so far only player interview for this blog.  To me, this was the high water mark for this humble endeavor and I will never forget being able to sit for a minute and chat with him about Ted Williams and Satchel Paige, among others.

You can read my interview with Mr. Trucks right here.  I'm so glad I recorded the interview and have it saved.  I have only let my wife, son and my very good friend, Drew listen to the interview.  I think that will end up being one of my most valuable pieces of memorabilia in my personal collection - the ability to go back years later, to hear his voice and to hear his recollection on the past of the game that he loved so much.

I sincerely hope that Mr. Trucks knew just how much he was loved by fans of all ages.  I don't shed tears often, but I definitely did when I read of his passing.  I loved the man.  I marvel at his generosity toward folks he had never met.  He was a war hero, a sports hero and a baseball icon.  He will be terribly missed and I am so very thankful that I was able to interact with him over this brief time.  I truly am honored and I definitely will miss him.  Rest in Peace, Mr. Trucks, from me, and everyone in this hobby that loved you so much!

1971 Topps Pickups From Sportlots

I went to get a card I needed off of Sportlots last week and decided to round my purchase up to $30, so I picked up some 1971 Topps cards (12 of them).  The biggest name I got was the above Billy Martin.  I also got an Orioles playoff card and a checklist in the 12 cards.

There are 752 cards in the set and I need only 118 more to finish the job.  I still need some big names, notably Johnny Bench, for one.  I'm slowly making progress on this set, after starting it in May 2010 (you can read exactly how and when I started it right here).  I'm 84% of the way there!

In Person Trade With Brian

I completed a rare in person trade the other night when I met up with fellow blogger, Brian (from the blog Base Set Calling), as he was passing through Greenville.  Most of my trades these days have been done over email and consummated with bubble mailers or PWEs.  I miss the days when I would meet up with my good friends Pete and P. A. at the card shop, or when another 'friend' of mine whose name escapes me would come over to trade.  I also have enjoyed the trips to Richmond to see Ryan; Meeting up with Drew in NY or seeing Scott at the card shows...  However, the facetime with fellow bloggers has become less and less these days, so it was really cool when Brian emailed me and proposed that we meet up.  So, we did.

I hooked Brian up with a wrapper redemption Blue Sparkle Heath Bell, some Emerald parallels that I had duplicates of, several 'Cut the the Chase' inserts and some other 2013 inserts that I had.  Brian gave me 20 Emerald parallels that I needed for my set as well as the two Toys R Us Purple parallels that you see above.  I plan on pursuing the 'rainbow' of at least Chris Davis and the Orioles' Playoff win, but I have a good chance, now, of getting Machado and Bundy.  Even though, there is a Bundy Silver Slate parallel on Ebay with like 3 days left that is sitting at almost $60.  Ouch.

Anyway, it was really cool meeting up with Brian, and I definitely feel like we will match up again on some more trades in the future.  I am really looking forward to finding some more folks to talk to in person about cards.

Completing Another Trade

I completed a trade with Dustin over at the blog 'Coot Veal and the Vealtones' the other day when I sent him an Ivan Rodriguez relic from some past A&A offering in addition to some Carlton Fisk cards.  In return, amongst some Orioles cards was this Virgil Trucks from 1994 Ted Williams, which I did not yet have in my collection.  I have probably 75% of all of Mr. Trucks' cards.  I hope to get some of his oddball cards from his playing days when I get a little money, but the big ones are mostly in my PC now.

The main piece I was trading for, though, was the below 2006 Bowman Chrome Brandon Snyder auto.  Snyder is a favorite of mine and I was happy to add this Bowman Chrome to my small Snyder PC.  I know Brandon has read my blog at least once, so maybe he'll see this on here!

Snyder didn't last long as a catcher in the O's system.  I believe he hurt his shoulder early on and was converted to a first baseman.  He was traded to the Rangers last year.  I believe the Rangers signed him to a minor league deal this past offseason, so I'm hoping Brandon can get back to the majors and stick around.  He is an awesome guy; the kind you really want to root for.

So, thanks for the trade, Dustin!  I really appreciate ding the deal and I hope we can match up again.

Trade With Ken

I completed a trade with new blogger Ken (from Ken's Daily Fix) recently when we swapped 2013 Topps Emerald parallels (for me) for past A&G Indians cards (for Ken).  I sent him 20 or so A&G cards from 2006 to 2009 and he sent me 10 Emerald parallels that I needed for my set and also some Orioles that I needed.

One of the Orioles cards that he sent was the above Manny Machado/Dylan Bundy Orioles Rookie Stars from 2013 Heritage.  I think any Oriole fan can look at this card and feel excited about the future of the team with these two on the cusp of stardom.  Even Bundy looks excited in his picture for the card....

Ken also included the 2013 Spring Fever Nick Markakis that I needed for my Nick the Stick PC.  I really like how this card scanned.

Anyway, thanks for the trade, Ken.  I know we will be doing a bunch more trading now and in the future!

Make sure you check out Ken's blog!

TTM Success - Vito Valentinetti

I received my 71st TTM success yesterday when I found one of my mailer in my mailbox with a ball signed by former pitcher Vito Valentinetti.

Valentinetti (b. 1928) played in the majors from 1954, 1956-1959 for the White Sox, Cubs, Indians, Tigers and Senators.  He had a 13-14 record with 94 strikeouts and a 4.73 ERA.

I mailed to Valentinetti on Monday, March 11 and got my ball back yesterday, March 18, making him a 7-day TAT.  Not bad at all.

Also, Valentinetti answered the questions I asked him:

Who was the toughest hitter you ever faced?
Stan Musial and Ted Williams

Which team did you most enjoy playing for?
Cubs in Chicago

What team do you pull for today?
LA Dodgers because Don Mattingly is the manager.

I really like it when they answer my questions or write something back.  I hope to send off a few more TTMs in the coming days, but I need to pick up some more baseballs soon.     

2013 Topps Series 1 Wrapper Redemption Results

I finally got my 2013 Topps Series 1 wrapper redemption packs in the mail today (along with a ton of other stuff).  Man, I was really happy with what I got this year.  The blue sparkle parallels look really nice and I was able to get an Orioles RC out of one of the packs, Manny Machado.  I imagine the Dylan Bundy is going to command a whole lot on Ebay or COMC, so I figure the Machado won't be too far behind, value wise.  I'm glad I pulled it.

I had 30 jumbo wrappers that I mailed in, so I received 3 packs.  In the 3 packs, I got one of the Silver Slate parallels, which are serial numbered to 12.

I know some folks will be drooling over this Cliff Lee Silver Slate parallel.  It is numbered 2/10 and will be up for a pretty hefty trade or will be rolled over to COMC at some point.  Or, if one of you awesome bloggers got any Orioles Silver Slates (especially Bundy, Machado, O's Playoff Win or Chris Davis), I would definitely be up for a trade.

Speaking of trading, I do have some of the blue sparkles that I got available for trade:

Ryan Cook - A's
Buster Posey - Giants
Kirk Neuwenhuis - Mets
Kurt Suzuki - Nationals
Dee Gordon - Dodgers
Andruw Jones - Yankees (going to Drew)
Scott Hairston - Mets
Kyle Kendrick - Phillies
Daisuke Matsuzaka - Red Sox
Jason Kipnis - Indians
SF Giants 2012 NLDS Game 5
Felipe Paulino - Royals
Heath Bell - Diamondbacks

So, if you are interested, please email me.  I still can't respond to comments, unless I post a new comment and I'm afraid that if I do it that way, you won't see my response.  So, yeah, email me, please for all trade requests.

Trade With Night Owl

I completed a trade with Night Owl lately when I sent him some awesome night cards.  He returned the favor with a couple 2013 Topps emerald parallels, some Orioles and the above 1969 Topps Royals Rookies card.  Love the airbrushing on the players' hats.

In all, Greg (Night Owl) sent me 3 emeralds I needed for my set, giving me 81 total.  So, I'm almost a third of the way through.  I haven't bought a single one, with the exception of the 30 (give or take) from my 3 jumbo boxes.  All the rest have been received through trades with fellow bloggers.  Not bad, huh?

Thanks for the trade, Greg, I really appreciate it!

COMC Pickup - 2010 Topps Nolan Reimold Rookie Cup SP

I was finally able to snag a hard to find 2010 Topps Rookie Cup SP Nolan Reimold for $25 (yes, $25) off of COMC earlier this week.  I had no idea this card even existed until my good friend Ryan told me about it.  The 2010 Topps Update set had several 'Rookie Cup' short prints inserted in packs, and Nolan was one of the subjects.

I now have every one of his 2010 Topps variations, with the exception of the black parallel and platinum parallel.  I know where the platinum parallel is, so that one shouldn't take too long to get into my collection.  I have had a tough time finding black parallels of his 2010 Topps, though.  I'm also not sure if there are any other parallels that I haven't seen, like wood, or factory set exclusives.  I'm hoping the two parallels are the last ones I need, though.  Then, I can concentrate on finishing the 2011 and 2012 variations.

I'm a Collector

Understatement of the year, right?  Well, if you were to ask one of my brothers or maybe my mom, they would be able to tell you that I've collected 'things' all my life.  It is just my nature.  Growing up, I collected coins, hot wheels cars, marbles, stamps, rocks, bottle caps, comic books, comic book cards, wrestling figures, wrestling videos, etc etc.  Some of those collections exist, still, in some shape or form.  The hot wheels cars and wrestling stuff have been passed down to my son.  The rocks became my college major, degree, professional license and career.

I like antiques.  Those appeal to me also.  I, especially, like found antiques.  I have a letter in my house that my cousin found and gave me dated 1918.  The subject of the letter is to solicit funds for World War I.  Pretty cool, right?  I mean, I wouldn't normally go in a shop and buy some antique, like that letter, or something else of that sort.

Another thing that maybe my brothers won't remember, but I do, is that during our Sunday visits with our grandparents, when my grandfather would take us boys (my sister was too young and the rest after her hadn't been born yet) for walks around the neighborhood.  He would also sometimes take us for walks around downtown Winston-Salem to show us the Reynolds smoke stacks or the old trolley lines.  There were several fountains downtown that he would take us to as well.

I found a picture of all of us boys recently that was taken by our grandfather during one of our trips downtown.  It was from 1987, the opening of the BB&T building (the green glass one, if you know anything about Winston).  I looked closely at the picture, of me sitting there on the wall by the fountain with my brothers and our neighbor and laughed a little.  I had that picture for a long time and never noticed it until recently.  I'm sitting on that wall, 6 or 7 years old, and almost hidden from view, is a plastic shopping bag.

What's my point?  Well, I'm getting there.  My grandfather knew, even then, that I was a collector.  I would always be picking things up on our walks.  It got to be so much so, that Grandpa would plan ahead and keep little bags nearby for me, so that I would be able to tote my treasures back home.  I was always picking stuff up.

Well, I was talking on Facebook tonight to a friend and I remembered walking with grandpa and picking things up because, today at work, I found the Orange Crush bottle shown above during a soil excavation.  One of the hidden perks to my job is that I have been able to go out to these old gas stations out in the country and find all kinds of cool stuff.  Especially when we have to dig.  I have yet to be on one of these excavations and not find something.  The things I find the most are typically bottles.  I have found some really unique ones; some regional sodas from Eastern NC.  Stuff like that.

It just made me laugh, though, when I was talking to my friend about finding this bottle and how I didn't bat an eye bringing this dirty, smelly bottle into the house to show my wife and son.  Like a new trophy or something.  My son has already grown an appreciation for the bottles I've found because he helps me clean them.  I thought he might find this an arduous task, but when he mentioned the other day, "Daddy, when are we going to clean some bottles again?", it made me appreciate that we were doing this little task together.

I don't think I would ever buy an old bottle in an antique store.  It is so much cooler finding one at a site and cleaning it yourself, in my opinion.  I don't think I'll ever stop collecting things.  I can't even explain why I collect things.  It is just something I've always done.

Circa 1987, opening of the BB&T Building (or close to the opening).  From left: Philip, our neighbor Jason, Me (holding a bag of treasures), John, Adam, Kenny

Trip to the Card Shop From 2 Weeks Ago

I told you I was behind.  Anyway, I bought several packs of cards when I went to the LCS a couple weeks ago.  Two of the packs I picked up were 2012 UD Goodwin Champions and 2012 Panini Golden Age.  I also got some other stuff, but what I pulled out of those was unremarkable.  So, one of the cooler cards I got was the above Deacon White out of the pack of Goodwin.  White was one of three people elected posthumously into the Hall of Fame this year by the Veterans Committee.  White was one of the original stars of the game and played in the first game of the first professional baseball league.  He was also a 'barehanded' catcher.  I think that alone should have earned him a ticket to Cooperstown.  Go ahead and try catching barehand.  I'll wait.  Ouch, right?  Can you imagine having to catch Bob Feller or Randy Johnson barehanded?  That makes my hands swell up just thinking about it.

Something else that I pulled, even thought it is non-baseball, was this Gordie Howe signed card out of 2012 Panini Golden Age.  Golden Age has a mixture of subjects and sports, just like Goodwin, and normally, I don't gave a crap about hockey, but...  A RED WINGS PLAYER!  I was able to hand this over to my wife to justify my spending some money on cards.  Woo Hoo, things work out!

Seriously, though, this is a really cool card.  Even I can recognize that Howe is one of the all-time greats in Hockey.  Add in the fact that the auto is on card, makes it that much better.  Plus the wife is happy.  For once.

Old Foul Cardboard in the Mail

I got a nice surprise envelope in the mail from Chris and Kyle over at the fantastic blog "Old Foul Cardboard."  Apparently, my blog was one of the inspirations that led Chris to start his blog.  I don't know how it was, but that's cool.

Anyway, Chris and Kyle sent me a few O's cards.  One of them was the above Mike Wright Bowman Platinum auto.  I didn't know it at the time, but my son Chris and I met Wright at an ECU game a couple years ago.  Chris was watching him warm up in the pen; Wright signed a ball and tossed it to him.  Chris left the ball in the car, which rolled out at my in-laws house some time later.  Several months after that, my mother in law hands me the ball "This was on the ground by the driveway after you left last time, it looks like it was signed."  I looked at it and yep, it was signed.

Funny thing was, though, I immediately recognized the signature as well because I remembered Wright had been drafted by the Orioles.  Since I live near ECU, I paid special attention to guys from there that were drafted and I thought it was cool that the O's picked him up.  So, now, it's even cooler that we have the ball signed by him AND that it had it's own journey to get here.

COMC Pickup - 1968 Topps Brooks Robinson All Star

It is tough finding a Brooks Robinson card that I don't already have, especially one from his playing days.  So, when I had some credit to spend on COMC a couple weeks ago, I decided to finally add this card to my PC.

I know many of you don't like the 1968 'burlap' design.  I'm one of the few who do, I suppose.  I mean, it definitely is different.  Come to think of it, there aren't many incarnations of Topps that I DIDN'T like.  Well, some of the repitition in the mid 60s and again in the mid to late 90s notwithstanding.

Anyway, the 1968 set is low on my priority list as far as sets I would like to complete, mainly because I know getting a Nolan Ryan RC will be tough.  The set will be tackled one day, that's for sure.  I just have a whole lot of other sets in front of it.

My Results for 2013 Topps Spring Fever Baseball

I got my packs from my Spring Fever Baseball redemption cards 2 weeks ago at the local card shop.  They look really good, actually.  Some nice foil cards at 5 cards per pack.  I had 3 redemption cards and got 3 packs.  I didn't pull any autos, but I did get the above Cal Ripken as the second card in my first pack.  I also got Manny Machado in another pack.  That's all for Orioles.  Here are the other players I got:  Will Clark, David Wright, Mike Trout, Matt Kemp, Tyler Skaggs, Carlos Pena, Robinson Cano, Salvador Perez, Dan Haren, Prince Fielder, Jean Segura, Stan Musial and Jose Bautista.

I think I will be holding onto the Trout and Musials (along with the Ripken and Machado of course), but everything else will likely be up for trade.  If you guys see anything you like, shoot me a message and we can work out a deal.

My Latest Trade With Ryan

I recently sent my good friend Ryan (from 'O No Another Orioles Blog') several 2013 Topps Series One cards to help him along the way with his set and in return, he sent me a bunch of Orioles (and other) stuff.  One of the coolest cards he sent was the above 2012 Topps Chrome Chris Davis black parallel.  The card is numbered 80/100 and just looks awesome.  I know I'm not the only one, but black parallels to Chrome always look sharp.  It scanned really nice also.

I actually got several Chris Davis cards from Ryan in the package.  I already had this 2013 Topps Emerald parallel in my set attempt, so now I also will have one in my Davis PC.  Ryan was sly enough to figure out that the photo for this card was shot on September 6 (Cal Ripken Statue night) after Davis' 9th inning home run against the Yankees.  That was an amazing game and I'm really happy that a card is in my collection to remind me of it!

Finally, there was a 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Chrome Andrew McCutchen card in the package as well.  My McCutchen PC is growing rapidly, so I was really glad to add this card!

Thanks for the trade Ryan!

A Little More From Scott

My good friend Scott from the blog "Mr. Baseball-Scott" sent me a large trade package not too long ago that included yesterday's Mark Reynolds short print and an assortment of other Orioles.  Something else I wasn't expecting was this 2013 Topps Chasing History foil Bob Feller.  I can never get enough Bob Feller cards.  He is seriously one of my favorite all-time players.

I never thought I would like non-Orioles as much as I do Feller and Virgil Trucks.  There are a few other non-Orioles that I either have or plan to have PCs of (Andrew McCutchen, Stan Musial, Jimmie Foxx, to name a few).

The way this card scanned, it looks like it is 3-D, which makes it even cooler.  I'm really glad Scott sent me this card!

I never did discuss what I actually sent him in trade; I sent Scott one of the two Jim Rice Silver Slugger award cards that I pulled out of 2013 Topps Series 1.  That and a ton of Nationals and Red Sox cards.  I got the Feller, Reynolds and a ton of Orioles cards.  I feel like we both came out of this winners!

A Card From A Game I Attended

Only once before have I ever been able to pinpoint a single baseball card to a game that I actually attended in person.  That one was an Upper Deck Brian Roberts card from 2006 depicting a game in which Roberts won for the Orioles with a walkoff home run in the 13th inning.

Now, I can add another card to my collection that I can say I was in attendance for - This 2013 Topps Mark Reynolds 'Out of Bounds' short print.  This came from the September 29, 2012 (Brooks Robinson Sculpture Night) against the Red Sox.  I attended the game with my wife, son, fellow blogger Ryan and his wife.  This was definitely a memorable night.  Ryan and I were checking out the sculptures when this play occurred, but we definitely were in attendance.

I got this card in a trade with my good friend, Scott.  He writes (when he has time) the blog "Mr. Baseball Scott."  He is also one of the few bloggers that I actually have met in person.  He comes to the Raleigh card shows with his family from time to time.

I just think it is really awesome to be able to look at a card and know that you were at that particular game.  Ok, I admit, it took my wife pointing it out to me that we had been at that game, but come on, I was still there!

Trading With Brad Again

The trades keep coming in.  This time, I got a nice package from Brad over at Brad's Blog.  I sent him a 2008 Topps Frank Thomas relic that we had discussed for the above Bowman Sterling Brian Roberts.    This is a 2006 Bowman Sterling numbered 116/199.  I always enjoy Bowman Sterling, even thought I can't really afford to bust packs or boxes.

Brad also threw in this 2011 Topps Triple Threads Roberts relic.  Apparently, there are two other cards to this that can create a Triple Threads Unity Triple Relic Card.  I'm going to have to look into that.  I included some extras in my trade package to Brad, but I still don't think I included enough since this card is numbered 15/36.  I know I'll be sending Brad some Phillies stuff as I get it to compensate, for sure.

Finally, Brad knocked several more 2013 Topps Emerald parallels off of my wishlist.  I really need to do another count of them and update myself as to how far along I have come.  I'll have to do that once I get a few more of these trade posts written.

So, thanks for the trade, Brad.  I really hope what I sent helps you out.  I'll definitely keep an eye out for more Phillies and Frank Thomas stuff to send your way.

Trading With Schuyler

Sometimes, it's not what cards are in the trade package that matter most; sometimes it's the thought that goes into the trade.  I send Schuyler (check out his blog, he writes rarely, but when he does, it is a great read) cards all the time.  Usually what I send him are Yankees and Team USA cards when I find them.  I met Schuyler through my good friend, Drew, and I feel like Schuyler and I have become pretty good friends as well.

Anyway, Schuyler sent me an envelope this past week that had two cards in it.  One was the above 2008 Topps Gold Lance Cormier and another was a 2011 A&G mini George W. Bush A&G back.  Also included in the envelope was a nice note from Schuyler explaining that he has a hard time keeping up with what I send him and these were the only cards he could find so that I felt like I got something in return.

The note went on to talk about meeting a former Orioles pitching coach in person (Ray Miller - also a former Orioles manager).  My point is, I absolutely loved the thought and the note.  It goes back to my post earlier today about how much I liked when a TTM subject would respond with a note of their own.

So, I plan on continuing to send Schuyler stuff when I find it, because I know he enjoys getting stuff in the mail, much like I do.  He's a really good kid and I'm glad he still blogs from time to time.

TTM Success - Hal Brown

I got another TTM success yesterday, this time from former pitcher, Hal Brown.  Brown is my 70th (wow!) TTM success.  I sent to him on Tuesday, February 19 and got him back yesterday, March 2.  That makes him a 11-day TAT.

Brown lives in Greensboro, NC, which is about 30 minutes from where I grew up, so it was really cool to get a fellow NC native on a ball.

Hal Brown (b. 1924) played in the majors from 1951 to 1964 for the White Sox, Red Sox, Orioles, Yankees and Colt .45's (Astros).  He had a 84-92 record with a 3.81 ERA and 710 strikeouts.

In addition to signing my ball, Brown also took the time to answer a couple questions I sent along:

What do you feel was your fondest memory from your playing days?
One hitter against the Yankees

Who was the toughest player you faced?
Yogi Berra

Who was your favorite teammate?
Sid Hudson

I always enjoy it when a TTM subject takes the time to either inscribe something extra or write a little something in return.  I save all of these responses in a notebook and look back on them later on when I need something to do.      

COMC Pickup - 1969 Topps Leaders

Here are a few more cards I got off of COMC.  I knocked some 1969 Topps off with these two leaders cards.  I like the Ernie Banks shot.  I don't recall that I have many Willie McCovey cards.  I think I need to change that.

Here is the AL Batting Leaders card that I got.  I looked at the back and thought it was kind of funny that Yastrzemski won the AL batting crown (and triple crown that year) with a .301 batting average.  Talk about the year of the pitcher!

Well, I'm just plugging away on the 1969 set.  I'm nowhere near close to completion, but I'm enjoying putting the set together so far.  I still need a bunch of big names like Mantle and Ryan.  Those will come in time, I'm sure.

COMC Pickup - A Couple 1959 Topps

I have had so much mail come in lately, I'm starting to lose track of what all needs to be posted.  No worries, though, I will get to all of it.  First of all being the stuff I got from COMC earlier this week, followed by some trades.

I picked up some set needs from COMC recently; I have already shown the 1971 Topps Tom Seaver that I got.  I also knocked off two 1959 Topps cards.  Above is card number 283, Russ Heman.  Awesome last name.  I wonder if he would yell "I have the power" when he would burn a fastball in there.  Anyway, Heman played one season in the majors (1961) for the Indians and Angels.  He played in 12 games, pitching 20 innings for a 2.70 ERA.  He didn't register a win or a loss and also didn't get a hit in his 2 career at bats.  That's a lot of zeroes on his stat sheet.  Also, not a bad ERA for a reliever.

I did find out something interesting when I was looking Heman up on baseball-reference.  He was traded by the White Sox to the Orioles in December 1957 along with Jim Marshall, Jack Harshman and Hall of Famer Larry Doby for Tito Francona, Ray Moore and Billy Goodman.  Until now, I had no idea that Larry Doby had been in the Orioles organization.  Doby was traded on April 1, 1958 with Don Ferrarese for Bud Daley, Gene Woodling and Hall of Famer Dick Williams.  Neither Heman nor Doby appeared in a game for the Orioles.  He man was traded in December 1958, along with $30,000 cash for infielder Bobby Avila.  Heman is still alive (born in 1933), I wonder if he signs TTM...  Hmmm.

The other 1959 Topps card I got was Paul Giel.  Giel (b. 1932 - d. 2002) played in the majors from 1954-1955 and 1958-1961 for the Giants, Pirates, Twins and A's (Kansas City).  He was on the Giants in 1954 when they won the World Series but did not appear in a World Series game.  He had a career record of 11-9 with a 5.39 ERA and 145 strikeouts.

More interesting tidbits from baseball-reference; Giel was traded by the Twins in 1961 with a player to be named later and Reno Bertoia to the Kansas City A's for Bill Tuttle and a player to be named later.  For their part of the deal, the Twins sent cash to the A's in place of their player to be named later.  The A's, then, sent Giel back to the Twins as their player to be named later, so essentially, he was traded for himself.