I don't know why I do these things to myself.Sometime before I agreed to a trade with Kris of Cards in the Attic I decided that I would collect the 2008 Stadium Club set. This is not the wisest decision. The first 2009 sets are a month away from release, and I'm attempting to complete last year's set with all of its conniption-inducing variations.
But here I am showing the cards that I received from Kris. And if you go to my want lists, there's the rundown of Stadium Club cards I need. Have I mentioned that I won't buy any more blasters of this stuff because the collation is horrendous? Have I mentioned that I'm still woefully short of completing the '08 Topps Heritage set? I must have a whole tool box of screws loose.
Still, Stadium Club is very nice, despite all of its issues. So I was happy to acquire 58 cards toward the planned completion of the set. Here are some highlights of the cards I received, along with a very nice surprise from Kris at the end.
I think this card of Masahide Kobayashi is cool, just because the combination of the photo and the old-time uniform makes it look like Kobayashi is pitching in the 1950s.
And I like this card of Hanley Ramirez because of all the teal on the card. Even though the Marlins play in a football stadium, I always thought the park, during baseball season anyway, was colorful. If they would ever draw more than 2,000 people for a game I think it would be a fun place to be.
Here are a bunch of Stadium Club Dodgers that Kris sent. These are the cards I was looking forward to the most. There is Blake DeWitt at the top of the post, and here's Hiroki Kuroda propping up a very iffy starting rotation for L.A. right now.
Here is the Dodgers' hope for the future, Clayton Kershaw. In times of set-collecting trouble, I entertain the notion of becoming a Clayton Kershaw player collector. Then I picture myself trying to track down 114 different 2009 Kershaw cards, shudder, and wake up from that nightmare.
The recently retired Greg Maddux, stretching out the triceps. I guess he doesn't have to do any of that workout stuff anymore. He's probably already started to let himself go. Soon, he'll be like Gaylord Perry, wearing overalls and taking 15 minutes to get up out of a chair.
Here is Chin-lung Hu, first day issue. This is a different photo from the Chin-lung Hu that I already had, which is here:
Both of them are numbered 133. Apparently, for the rookies, there is a base card, a first-day issue base card and a variation card. I think. Even after reading Kris' detailed take on the rookie variations, I'm still not certain of what I have or how many variations I need to track down. I think I will simply stick to getting numbers 1 through 150 and call it a day.
OK, intermission time. I'm going to go on a mini-rant about this card.Everyone probably knows by now what Topps did with this card. They photoshopped Ramirez into a Dodger uniform, they photoshopped the Fenway Park fencing from green to a Dodger blue, and they photoshopped the umpire right out of the photo. Yet they kept the stupid "99 Restaurant" advertising sign front and center. You can't even find a 99 Restaurant, which is a New England chain, west of Pennsylvania, let alone in Los Angeles. Topps tinkered with this thing in so many different ways (I'm guessing most of the fans in the stands have never been to Dodger Stadium).
The whole matter, which I first learned about here, is so ridiculous, and even more importantly, irks me from a journalism perspective. We are taught in our business to protect the integrity of the photo. If people cannot trust that a photo is real and accurate, then how are they going to trust the stories in the paper or the paper in general? If this happened at a newspaper, the entire photo department would be looking for jobs. And Topps wonders why collectors have trust issues with their company? It's because of things like this.
Intermission's over. On to more fun stuff ...
Like Mark Teixeira practicing the "bag full of money" carry.
And John Smoltz practicing his stare down with Braves management. I'm not sure what happened between the two or why Smoltz is now a Red Sox. I have my thoughts. But I'll let the Braves fans talk about that.
Four very nice colorized cards of some of the greats. As much as I like the Robinson card, the Clemente card is the best of the bunch (and there's no white line on the bottom of his card).Kris also sent some Heritage cards:
They were all black backs, and since that's the key part to all of these cards, that's what I'm showing.
Finally, Kris sent this autographed 1971 Topps card of Von Joshua, which is fantastic. Kris knows I like the Dodgers, and that I like '71 Topps. This is great. I have autographs on older cards, but this is among the older ones I have now. It's a great gesture.Thanks Kris, for getting me in deeper into the Stadium Club mess than I already am. Now it's a question of which set I'll complete first: '08 Heritage or '08 Stadium Club. And what year will I finish it off?
Comments
I'm working on Heritage (high and low series), Goudey, Timeline, Allen & Ginter (and the mini parallel), Baseball Heroes, and Masterpieces from this year.
I feel like an idiot/sucker just typing that. At least the card companies should like me.
I just think the Ramirez card takes it to a whole new level of deception. With their photoshopping tactics, they actually transported an entire stadium of people 3,000 miles to the opposite coast. Except for the umpire. They made him vanish entirely. It's all kind of creepy.
RE: Smoltz
(deep breath)
Good riddance. He has had his agent leak to the press that he might consider playing for another franchise right around the trade deadline for the past three or four years like clockwork. Then the next night after it hits the paper and all the rabble get roused, he went on the Braves broadcast stating he would NEVER do that and he'll be a Brave for life and yadda yadda yadda. He finally went through with his threats when the Sox offered him 5 million for the off chance that he might ever pitch again. Note how the day afterwards when all of Atlanta done lost their minds, he went to the media to tell his side of the story about he was soooo wronged by management. That's the same crap he was doing before trying to make himself look good when he was really after the dough.
Listen, as much as the reports state that he's progressing nicely, he's 41 years old and had a horrific injury. There's no guarantee that he'll ever pitch another inning, and he wants the Braves to pony up 5-6 million when we are a) desperately trying to stay flexible enough to sign someone, ANYONE, this offseason b) have a payroll limited by ownership that is based two time zones away and c) is already reeling from the worst season and offseason in two or three decades? Seriously?
There has not been a single Braves Hall of Fame Caliber player who has spent his entire career with the franchise. Not one. All of them got dumped at the end of their careers except Glavine (and now Smoltz) who walked for more money. Smoltz gave up the chance to be the first for a few mil. How much endorsement money you think Brett or Gwynn or Ripken make in the cities they represented throughout their careers each year?
The Braves plan all along was to wait until all their other deals were done, see how he looked on the mound and offer him a contract with incentives with the money they had left. Up until the weekend before he bolted the beat writer for the Braves had no doubts he would be with the club in '09. Smoltz didn't WANT that, Smoltz wanted the MONEY. So let 'em have it! We're much better off having that money to spend on Lowe or Dunn or Abreu or in an extension for Chipper than for an old-ass pitcher whose arm is as demolished as the Gaza strip.
Smoltz did the same exact same thing as Glavine! He let his ego get the better of him and chased the money to spite the front office! "The Braves are playing it safe and being fiscally responsible because their corporate overlords are stingy with the purse strings (like they do with every contract ever) and won't bend over backwards for ME? What an Insult! I will go elsewhere, harrumph!" The idjit still did the same damn thing Glavine did after seeing what a debacle Tom's time in New York was!
Good riddance, we'll be a better team without him. I'm just waiting for the interview in August with ESPN as he's in the bullpen with a 5.00+ ERA crying about how he loved Atlanta and he wishes he was still there and he misses his kids and blah blah blah. Smoltz wanted the money, he took the money and he's welcone to it. He's going to the Hall with an A on his cap, he'll have his number retired and I'm sure once he hangs 'em up he'll end up in the broadcast booth or the front office or something as long has he doesn't become a pro golfer or basketball coach something. He'll never be Mr. Brave though. That honor belongs to Chipper, at least until we trade him to the AL to DH. (I'm hoping he goes to the Indians)
PREEMPTIVE STRIKE: For all the people who are about to say "B-b-but he took less money to play for the Braves! He moved to closer when the Braves asked him to! He's a team player and you're evil for not sticking up for him" Yeah, he took a little less money to stay in Atlanta, which also happens to have one of the lowest cost of living of any of the MLB cities. The city where he was firmly established and had his family and charities and golf memberships and a friggin SCHOOL. And he did this at a time when we were going to the playoffs every year. Hell, the endorsement deals and cost of living more than covered whatever money he left on the table in New York or wherever. Also, he moved to closer because that's the only possible way he could pitch short of converting to a knuckleball pitcher. Oh, and the second he thought he could get back in the rotation, he forced his way there and left the bullpen a steaming crater of doom.
So now as soon as the team is down in the dumps and we don't hand him about 7% of the payroll for the hope he might pitch at all, zoom he's gone. Good for him! He got the Sox to give him money whether he pitches or not and if he is actually able to play this year he might be able to piggyback his way into the playoffs assuming he even makes the postseason roster. Bully for Smoltzie!
I'm a Braves fan. If he doesn't want to be part of the team, then fine. He owes the Braves absolutely nothing. Don't expect me to root for him though, and if he pitches in the Braves/Sox series at the Ted I'll boo his ass just like I'll boo JD Drew. I don't owe him anything either.