I guard my Clayton Kershaw cards more vigorously than any modern-day cards.
None of his cards will be mistaken for vintage. But I'm planning for the day 40 years from now when Topps is signing a retired Kershaw to a "legends contract" and proceeding to beat collectors over the head with the same photograph over and over (re: Roy Campanella) on "new Kershaw" cards.
Then my Kershaw cards from the early 2000s might be worth a couple of pennies. If I'm still around to enjoy pennies.
But that's doesn't mean I'm not willing to let any of my Kershaws roam free.
Take this card for instance. I received it in a trade from Sooz at A Cardboard Problem a couple of years ago. I really do like the card. What's not to love of Kershaw in a patriotic uniform?
Back then, I could easily ignore Dellin Betances -- whoever the heck he is -- when I received the card. Betances was in the low minors at the time.
I was still ignoring Betances this past year. Silly me, I was too wrapped up in Kershaw's Cy Young Award season. But somewhere in 2011, Betances sneaked into a major league game with the Yankees. He gave up two runs in two-plus innings in two games.
Betances may or may not be a fine prospect for the Yankees. I don't know. I've read a few things. But he's not Kershaw, and he certainly doesn't look as happy as Kershaw on the card. He's glooming up the card.
And now that he's officially pitched for the Yankees, he's got to go.
I've enjoyed the card for awhile now, but I've decided that I prefer my cards Yankee-free.
I'd like to send this card to a Yankee fan who might enjoy it. I'd like to trade it for a Kershaw autograph card, or even a relic or snazzy parallel of Kershaw that I don't have.
If you have something like that and are interested in a trade, let me know.
If not, then I'll be happy to keep it. It'll give me a reason to root for Betances, although I really don't want to have one.
Meanwhile, while I'm on the topic of Yankee cards I don't want.
I grabbed a few loose packs of Allen & Ginter yesterday. They were totally disappointing. Nothing I needed. Out of one of the packs, came this:
Fabulous. I hate the code cards more and more. Can we please stop with the code nonsense, specifically when you're going to incorporate parallels into it?
This card is a short-print. I also pulled another code card of another short-print, Jaime Garcia. That would be particularly infuriating if I still needed the regular card of Garcia.
But I also already have the regular short-printed card of Russell Martin. Because I pulled it in one of the other packs of A&G yesterday.
That will go nicely with my OTHER A&G short-print of Russell Martin. Which will go nicely with my OTHER A&G short-print of Russell Martin.
To sum up: I have pulled the Martin short-print A&G card three times and one more time as a code card. Meanwhile there are 22 other short-prints that I haven't pulled even once.
On the bright side:
It's getting colder and that fire isn't going to light itself.
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