Thursday, November 28, 2013

1989 Upper Deck

So much has been said about the 1989 Upper Deck set, iconic set, great rookie cards of Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield, Craig Biggio, Omar Vizquel. One of the first sets to put an emphasis on photography, a staple of UD's line for years to come. The set was not without errors however, as cards #1-100(or 2-101 depending on source) can be found with either a ® or a ™. I thought you would need a microscope to see them originally, but the circle on the ® makes it stand out very visibly.


 This said, if you have #62, #81, or #85 ® version...just sayin'. I might needs them.

More 1990 Donruss

How's about this one for a quick funsies post? 1990 Donruss' team MVP sub-set.
In addition to the  et-wide error, the line where it says ALL-STAR GAME PERFORMANCE, for each, has a version that looks like this:
(Image credit: COMC.com)
Lol, whoops.

Also, I can confirm, for the ALL-STAR version at least that the set wide LEAF INC./INC error holds true. I have both, as pictured.

Friday, November 15, 2013

The Saga of Al Newman and Willie Randolph. Twins Cameo Series 4

I barely caught this, but check out the shoulder patch on the fielder's arm. Definitely a Twin player. I did my usual baseball-reference detective work, and have this down to a single play again. Willie's career was winding down in 1990, and played for two teams - @ourtradingcards' A's whom are pictured, and started the year with @NightOwlCards' Dodgers. 1990 was also Willie's only year with the Athletics, playing in 93 games for the eventual World Series losers. Suck it Ben! :D. 

Eitherway, in the sixth with Paul Abbott pitching, Willie broke for second and beat out the throw by Junior Ortiz. There was some debate on twitter regarding whether that's Al Newman or Nelson Liriano -  but that's a wash as Newman was a late game replacement, and Willie never batted afterwards. Nelson Liriano's arm there folks. Game log.

Speaking of Al Newman though, this is definitely Al Newman. This was not the same game as above, but it was the day afterwards - Game log. Willie reached base in the third on a single, only to be thrown out in a 5-4-3 inning ending double-play. Newman started this game, and Randolph appears to be out on the play.

I think I may need a new hobby.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Scribbles and dirty laundry

Since being introduced in the mid-90s, relics autos and manufactured junk has re-vitalized a dead hobby. Like it or not, most people are supar-mojo hit chasers(it hurt to type that..). I'd like to think I have a huge Twins collection, and just wanted to share a few of my favorites here.
What's not to like? McGwire, Puckett, 89 Upper Deck!











I'm trying to collect different player "letter" type cards to spell out my name, this was one of my first additions. Love the huge patch style on this compared to others.








My current oldest card, an original T206 that I pulled from Teddy's favorite LCS.







Speaking of Nick's, I pulled this thinking I needed it for my Topps team set, only saw the faint pen auto when I was sorting it into my team box.







Speaking of Teddy, lol, he traded me this some time ago. Cecil Travis Beckett encased cut-card. Just wish it were BGS graded.








Harmon Killebrew pinstripe card? Yeah, sure. Sign me up. Looks like it's straight from the 60s.








I'd like to find the other variations with less/more relic cuts. Apparently there's versions with one relic, two, three(obviously..) and a fourth relic with the different #/serial levels.




These Killebrew, Oliva, Carew relics all look faded, a nice historical touch. Much better than bland white squares from recent players... #ThanksTopps









Just hope this "T-Shirt" was a jersey/pants, and moreso, not from the Angels.






My first in-person autograph. Brad stayed after a game in early 2002 to sign everyone's stuff, stayed and chatted with everyone. Overall cool dude.









Pulled this on my own from 2012 Topps. My third 1/1, and third printing plate. Wish it were black like my Morneau, but I've got three of the four printing colors(have Cyan, Yellow, Black). Great day.