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Free stuff (I got on a) Friday

A lot of people have more free time on their hands than they did a month ago.

I'm not really one of those people. My job isn't nearly as hectic as it was when sports were happening, but I'm still blessed to be going to work, which means I'm often unavailable for good portions of the day.

This is not good timing, because ever since the pandemic hit, the card blogging world has been struck by Free Stuff Friday mania.

It is so pervasive across blogs that I often get confused about what I'm seeing: is this a post about giving away free stuff on a Friday or is this a post on a Friday about the free stuff received?

Also, I always seem to be arriving late to claiming prizes. Rod from Padrographs has been offering up free cards just about every day of the week, but they first show up in the morning -- when every good night owl is sleeping -- and by the time I stumble out of the nest, the free stuff is gone.

I'm no match for the prize hounds anyway so I count my small victories when I can.

One of those came during another one of Johnny's Big Fun Games, which also take place on Fridays. I think they're the original Free Stuff Fridays from that perspective.

I've participated in three of these now and the third time I landed something that I really wanted.


1977 Kellogg's cards!

This is something I am currently in the process of collecting. I haven't gotten to posting a want list yet, but this will get me started.

I've mentioned a few times that these were the first Kellogg's cards I owned. My brothers and I ordered the full set off the side of a Frosted Flakes box and then split the set into thirds among us. I specifically remember the Butch Wynegar, Mike Hargrove and Jay Johnstone cards from my first time owning those cards.

I don't know what happened to the cards I had. It doesn't seem like me to ever let '70s Kellogg's cards get away, but I guess it happened. I must've fallen off my bike and onto my head at one point.

So spotting these as a potential prize in the Big Fun Game certainly made my heart flutter. I stole the prize from somebody (hence, the name "big fun") and shockingly nobody stole it from me. I thought for sure that would happen.

I am delighted that they are mine. I'm especially happy about the Bake McBride card because that was sitting in my COMC cart, which who knows when those cards will ever be delivered to me as the place is on a shipping hiatus.

Look how crisp and clean those cards are, too.

Here, a closer look:







I could tell stories about every one of these players. Ed Figueroa was one of the two starting pitchers in the first major league game I saw in person. I pulled Bake McBride's 1975 Topps card (the one with the rookie cup) out of a pack while vacationing with a friend. I can picture Sixto Lezcano's 1977 Topps card and Mike Hargrove's 1976 Topps card as the first ones I saw of each of them. Butch Wynegar's arrival as a 20-year-old rookie in 1976 was the talk of baseball. And Jay Johnstone? Hell, books have been written about him, I don't need to tell you about him.

This is why I'm collecting this set -- and the '78 Kellogg's set -- as these are the players that still mean the most to me.

Johnny always supplies a little bit extra when he sends out the Big Fun winnings and this one was special, too.


An extra '77 Kellogg's for the quest! And it's the Road Runner, Ralph Garr, the player on the 1975 Topps card that I spotted during a tour of the Baseball Hall of Fame that I pined for instantly. See childhood memories with all of these.

Love that sideways signature.

So, I'm well on my way to collecting the '77 set thanks to some freebies.

It's nice that so many Free Stuff Fridays are popping up everywhere.

It makes me think I should do something similar.

Once I finally get myself to go to the post office with some overdue trade packages, expect to see something that's free on a Friday.

Bring on those comments from people I never see comment on anything else!

Comments

You got that right Spanky!
I still have the Garr, Figueroa and McBride cards I pulled out of boxes of Frosted Flakes when I was 9 years old. Ralph Garr will always hold a soft spot in my heart since he was the first autograph I ever got, in June 1977 when my dad took me to my first baseball game.
Elliptical Man said…
Ha. He signed it that way so it wouldn't mess up the photo of his handsome self.

Is that three Phillies? McBride, Lezcano, and Johnstone obviously.
acrackedbat said…
Some of the greatest cards EVER made! The orange photo border screams 70s. I have many cards from every set but this one. Looks like I need to so something about it.
Nick Vossbrink said…
Love the lenticular stuff. Too scared to build sets of this so I stick to Giants (who were so bad in the 70s that most of them are pretty cheap). But I'd sure be tempted buy a lot of those.
I sent you a PWE today of items you would have claimed if you were up that early
RunForeKelloggs said…
Two good years to collect Kellogg's cards. Those are quite colorful and flat too.
Fuji said…
You hit the jackpot with these! Congratulation on winning this particular prize package in the BFG. As for all of the Free Card Friday stuff... I think it's really cool to see people offering up free stuff to their readers. I'd consider doing it... but I feel like I'd get stressed out over keeping track over who wanted what. Maybe I'll try it during the summer, since it doesn't look like I'll be teaching summer school this year.