C.A., the review 5 (part 6)

(5,000-post giveaway update: I am down to the final two packages to send out. I hope to get those sent next week. Plus, I still have to send Derek's '08 Heritage black backs to the great white north. Thanks for hanging on and letting me know the cards have arrived!)

It's been a rough week. But the Cardboard Appreciation vote-off is here to provide just a little bit of joy.

First, a minor league card is advancing to the second round of the Cardboard Appreciation Hall of Fame tournament. It's not just any old minor league card either. It's a minor league card from the first year I covered pro ball featuring the first major league veteran I ever interviewed.

Second, folks responded to my request for a few more votes than last week's vote total. And that's what I got, a few more.

Let's see the final tally after 44 votes:

1. 1989 Bill Pucko Cards U.L. Washington - 13 votes

2. 1981 Fleer Tim Flannery - 10 votes

3. 2019 Topps Stadium Club Christy Mathewson - 7 votes

4. 1974 Topps Bill Grief "Washington Nat'l Lea. variation - 7 votes

5. 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter World's Greatest Victories, Man Walks On The Moon - 4 votes

6. 1992 Fleer Chris Cron - 2 votes

7. 2008 Topps Stadium Club Justin Upton - 1 vote

8. 2017 Panini Chronicles Yu Darvish - 0 votes

 

The second round is starting to look more and more eclectic. I like it.

 

OK, now it's time to vote in the sixth selection of cards for the first round. This group starts slowly but then picks up steam, at least I think so anyway. Here are the candidates:

 

1. 1990 Little Sun Writers Roger Kahn

Here we kick off the eulogy portion of the Cardboard Appreciation posts. This is the first of three. It's not a great card either, but it's a great little set made after my heart, and my post was how I owe Roger Kahn's The Boys Of Summer for my journalism career. I just re-read that post and I think it's one of my best explanations of the trip I traveled to become a sportswriter.

2. 1975 Topps Jim Wynn

Eulogy No. 2, written shortly after hearing of Wynn's passing. This cards was immense when I was a kid, one of those cards that I first saw at the Baseball Hall of Fame in a display of all the '75 cards. I picked this one right out as a Got-To-Have card. One of the first I longed for. Wynn has far too few Dodger cards and that was the post theme.

3. 1980 Topps Ed Farmer

Eulogy No. 3. Ed Farmer had passed away and I gave my memories of the famous brawl in which he was a central figure.

4. 1975 Topps mini Ron Santo

OK, we're off the eulogies (Santo had already passed at the time of this post 😬). This wonderfully cut card was my first connection to Santo and the post was all about that you can't help it when your first associations put a player on a team that wasn't his primary one. Santo's trip from the Cubs to White Sox was fraught with angst, intrigue, gossip and disgust. But at the moment I saw this card, Santo with the White Sox was all I knew.

5. 1982 Fleer Cal Ripken Jr.

Around this time I was trying to finish the '82 Fleer set and it was about time to get one of those other Ripken Rookies. I had owned the two Topps ones since the early 1980s. But I still need to get the '82 Donruss one.

 

6. 1990 Swell Joan Jett custom

The first custom card to show up for vote, but I don't think it's the first custom that's been a Cardboard Appreciation subject. If I'm really impressed with the custom -- and I was very impressed with Gavin of Baseball Card Breakdown's work here -- then it will definitely receive a C.A. place of honor.

7. 1951 Topps Blue Back Bruce Edwards

This was the first '51 Blue Back in my collection. Shortly afterward I grabbed the other two blue back Dodgers in the set and now have completed the team set for '51. It wasn't all that difficult because people unfairly dismiss '51 Topps.

8. 1975 Hostess Rusty Staub

I posted this card on the occasion of my latest Beckett Magazine article that had been published. In fact, I went out and bought this card for use in the article. It's unique in that Staub is wearing both a Mets helmet and an Expos uniform. (P.S.: A new Beckett article from me should be arriving in the next few weeks).

That's this week's candidates. As usual, I've built a poll over on that polling site. You may vote there by copy-and-pasting this link:

https://vote.easypolls.net/62b4b4cb5617e80062b7b91a

Or you may vote in the comments. If you vote in the comments, let me know that you did not vote in the poll. Thanks.

And thanks for providing what's sure to be the highlight of my day.