Posts in Back-to-Back Days? Who Am I, Night Owl?

Wouldn’t you know it, November just rolled around.  Luckily the weather in Chicago hasn’t really indicated as such yet.  We’re hanging in there and have managed to stave off turning on the heat, although that may not last much longer.

With the new month comes a new hope for consistency.  I see that we only had 8 blog posts for the entire month of October.  This is one case where eight surely is not enough.  My goal is to have 30 posts for this month to average out to 1 per day.  And I’m not talking dinky, two paragraph & no scan posts, either.  I’m talkin’ meaty, substancy (now a word), stick to yer ribs blog posts.  They may not all have pictures, but they’ll be there on a near daily basis.  And if we miss a day (like we already have on 11/1), then dang it, I’m going to make it up and find a way to get two up there.

Now, I know I can’t do it alone – my schedule simply doesn’t allow it.  Andy has been completely unavailable for a while, but may be back to help out shortly.  So, when he is back and posting later this month, I’ll throw one in that day too to make up the difference.

I look at all of you bloggers out there and I’m jealous.  I want to be able to do what you do.  I must force myself to do just that if I can look myself in the eye and call me one of you.  Although, I may never reach the two a day level of my recent trade partner Night Owl.

A while back ago, we worked out a trade for a card I highly coveted.  How long ago was it, you ask?  Well, let’s just say that he’s already posted two completed trades of ours in the time it took me to write about this – and the guy claims to be behind on his trade posts.  I’m sorry the dog got into one of the cards I sent.  Good thing it ended up being a double.

This trade spurred from my Community Break ™.  Many teams went unclaimed, which meant I still have plenty of trading material out there.  He expressed interest in a couple of the Dodger hits and I was happy to oblige.

First, he threw in some Cubs Allen & Ginters.  Possibly because he saw our Gint-A-Cuffs box had basically none from our favorite team, but more likely he saw an opportunity to purge himself of a hated team and took advantage.  Either way, I don’t mind.  I’ll spare you the scans, since I think 15% of the internet is A&G scans these days already.  Our other trade was just to help compete a Topps Chrome set, so I’ll spare you those details as well.

Maddux.  Greg Maddux.  This is what it’s all about.

That massive white border really pops out at you, doesn't it?

If you follow my trade posts (and who wouldn’t?!), you know the drill.  Opening Day cards = shown on the blog.  Most of the time, there are aspects of the Opening Day set that I prefer over the flagship.  I’m struggling here, but I guess if I had to say something it would be that the white borders won’t show damage as easily as the black borders do.

Rockin' the Chrome

I’ve acquired quite a bit of 2007 Topps from trades so far including this, the second Chrome card.  Oddly enough my first was the Refractor version of this sucker.  Are people that anti-2007 that they’re so quick to dump them on me?  If so, feel free to keep on dumping, because there’s plenty more to go!

How would he have fared in a full season?

This was a very nice surprise.  The 1995 Topps CyberStats version.  I almost said “Spectralight” because that’s what they called the basketball version.  For baseball, they decided to finish up the strike-shortened season using the 1994 numbers and stretching them out for a full 162 game season.  It’s an interesting concept, but they might as well have hired a kid to play a season of Tecmo Baseball on the easiest settings and then write the numbers down.  So, how did Maddux “do?”

1994 Cyberstats:  20-8 record, 196 strikeouts, 15 Complete games (! – League leading), 3 Shutouts (tied for league lead), and an astonishing 1.69 ERA.  Wow!  Damn you labor union!  You deprived Maddux of one of the best seasons ever recorded in history!  Why only 20 wins if he’s playing with the Braves in ’94 and through 1.69?  Might as well make it 30.

1993 Topps Texas Tea

If the card that spurred this trade wasn’t included, this would be the top spot for sure, and Night Owl just threw it in as an extra.  Perhaps, I’m still just too new to collecting a second time, but stuff like this makes me giddy.  I remember how ridiculously difficult it was for the common 12 year-old kid to obtain ANY Topps Black Gold cards.  I was usually the lucky one in the family, but my brother one-upped me this year when he got the redemption for the entire collection of ABCD sets.  They’re still in my basement somewhere in sealed packs.  When I started my Maddux collection, I fought the urge to raid it and claim it as mine.  Now, I don’t have to confront that side of me anymore.

It may not be a game-worn mustache card, but it's still good

Cha-Ching!  When I saw this featured on his blog way back in the day, I made a plea for it that went nowhere.  I didn’t really have anything to offer in return at the time, and I know I would have had a tough time parting with it.  But time went on and I got a decent card that piqued his interest and he remembered that comment from an upstart blogger.  It may not be my first Maddux relic card, but it’s my first through a trade, which is more special.  This baby is sweet!  Thanks again!

So to awkwardly wrap it up — stay tuned, because I’ll be back tomorrow with some kind of post!  And hopefully the day after that!