Night Owl Cards

(Welcome everyone to the 800 th post on Night Owl Cards. I hope you've enjoyed your time here so far. I thought the champion of the Cardboard Appreciation Vote-Off would be a fitting topic for a milestone post. So here is Cardboard Appreciation): The vote was a lot closer than I thought it would be, and up until the last couple of days I wasn't sure whether the 1975 Oscar Gamble card or the 1991 Carlton Fisk card would win the overall Cardboard Appreciation Vote-Off championship. But, it turns out the card that I thought would win DID win. The Fisk card has just reached iconic status -- at least on this blog -- by charging through week after week of eliminations without a scratch. Here are the final vote totals: 1. Carlton Fisk, 1991 Topps : 31 votes 2. Oscar Gamble, 1975 Topps : 26 votes The Fisk card RULES as the great Cardboard Appreciation champion, and will take his spot on the sidebar in the newly created Cardboard Appreciation Hall of Fame (just as soon as I g...

We have reached the end. The pairing is set for the Cardboard Appreciation Vote-Off Finale. You can feel the excitement in the air. The tension. The anticipation. The heart palpitations . The numbness down the left side of your body. The crushing feeling in your ... Oh, wait, that's a heart attack. Wrong kind of excitement . In a rousing all-1975 semifinal, Oscar Gamble held off Herb Washington and Boog Powell to claim the spot in the finals. It was interesting to see the voting. Powell jumped out to an early lead, then faded. Washington was steady throughout, made a brief run, but just couldn't catch Gamble, who led the whole way after eclipsing Powell. Here is the vote tally: 1. Oscar Gamble, 1975 Topps : 21 votes 2. Herb Washington, 1975 Topps : 15 votes 3. Boog Powell, 1975 Topps : 11 votes That was a close one. Will the final be as close as the last semifinal? I'm not sure. As you may recall, this is the other finalist: I'm not betting against the 1991 Carlton ...

(What will I remember about 2009? Well, mostly how work life took a giant leap up the suckitude scale. But this post is about appreciation. So, I'll fall back on the usual positives: health, family, country and baseball cards. Time for Cardboard Appreciation): The 1991 Topps Carlton Fisk card is starting to look like the overall champion in the Cardboard Appreciation Vote-off. It hasn't encountered a tough opponent yet. In the first semifinal, Fisk handled the 1980 Kellogg's J.R. Richard card as if it was mangled '88 Donruss . Here is the vote tally: 1. Carlton Fisk, 1991 Topps : 23 votes 2. J.R. Richard: 1980 Kellogg's: 9 votes So, Fisk enters the finals. And it's time to figure out which card will have the guts to go up against Fisk. It's an all 1975 semifinal. Here are the three candidates: One of the most iconic cards of the 1970s ... One of the most humorous cards of the 1970s ... One of the most unusual cards of the 1970s. It's up to you to ...

(In some ways, this is a bittersweet Christmas. My daughter officially doubts the veracity of Mr. Claus. Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted. Here's to a time when I swore I heard hooves on the roof. And she did, too. I appreciate those days. Time for Cardboard Appreciation): Even Bob Gibson wasn't tough enough to knock out what is one of those most comical baseball cards, in my mind. Powell, featuring his goofy stance, is the last card to advance out of the Cardboard Appreciation Vote-Off quarterfinals. Here is the vote tally: 1. Boog Powell, 1975 Topps : 21 votes 2. Bob Gibson, 1968 Topps : 12 votes So, these are the cards that advanced to the semifinals: 1. J.R. Richard, 1980 Kellogg's 2. Herb Washington, 1975 Topps 3. Carlton Fisk, 1991 Topps 4. Oscar Gamble, 1975 Topps 5. Boog Powell, 1975 Topps With five finalists, I will have to pair two cards against each other in one semifinal and three in the other. I did the little randomizer thing and came up with the first...

(My folks are in town for a few days beginning today. That means I'll have less time to blog and wander through the wonderful card blog network. But I love my folks dearly, so I'll make the sacrifice. And I'll really appreciate the moments when I do get to pull free to sneak a look at what's going on in my favorite hobby. Time for Cardboard Appreciation): Not much of a contest again in quarterfinal #4 of the Cardboard Appreciation Vote-off. Oscar Gamble and his hair won fairly easily over Rod Carew . The totals: Oscar Gamble, 1975 Topps : 27 votes Rod Carew , 1975 Topps : 11 votes Oscar advances. And that brings me to the final quarterfinal. It's going to be a bit tougher than the previous two. If you've been paying attention, you know who is left. The first card is one that we thought was hysterical as kids. Any card that can make you laugh is worth a vote. By the way, I'm willing to bet this photo was taken in Cleveland. Just a hunch. Something about the...

(Why am I posting so early? I'm up this morning to go Christmas shopping. I may hate shopping, but I do enjoy doing it when everyone else is at work. It's quiet and devoid of so many things I dislike about the shopping experience. So, I appreciate being able to do my work in peace. And I appreciate baseball cards. Time for Cardboard Appreciation): Well, if there is one player that I would pick to administer a beat-down, it might be Carlton Fisk. And that's what he did. He BEAT DOWN Hal McRae in the great Cardboard Appreciation Vote-Off, quarterfinal #3. The grisly results: 1. Carlton Fisk, 1991 Topps : 35 votes 2. Hal McRae , 1982 Fleer : 3 votes So Fisk joins J.R. Richard and Herb Washington in the next round. And the '82 Fleer McRae limps home. Moving onward to quarterfinal #4. It's another 1975 Topps pairing. Here is the first card: The '75 Carew card is great for many reasons. I love the swinging bat pose. Combine that with the All-Star, the powder bl...

(I saw snow this afternoon for the first time this season. Last year I saw snow for the first time before Halloween, with a freak storm that took out the tree in my backyard. I can appreciate a Nov. 30 th snow much more, especially when nothing even sticks to the ground. So, in that appreciative mood, I bring you Cardboard Appreciation): In a fantastic free-for-all, a veritable donnybrook if you will, the 1975 Herb Washington card survived to advance out of Cardboard Appreciation quarterfinal #2. For awhile there, I thought I was going to have to cast the deciding vote, as the Washington card and the '75 Rollie Fingers card were tied for a lengthy period. Fortunately, voters selected the card I would have picked anyway, Mr. Washington. Here is the vote tally: Herb Washington, 1975 Topps , 19 votes Rollie Fingers, 1975 Topps , 17 votes There are other '75 Topps cards on the CA horizon. But the next quarterfinal features nothing of the sort. Here is what you're voting on fo...

(Ah, Thanksgiving. A holiday devoted to appreciation. But when I sit down with a virtual multitude of family members and bow my head before the giant turkey at mid-table, I will not say "I am thankful for baseball cards," for fear of getting several piercing looks. So, I'll say it here: I am thankful for baseball cards! Time for Cardboard Appreciation): The J.R. Richard 1980 Kellogg's card is officially a juggernaut (I really hate that word, by the way). It has pasted two straight opponents to become the first card to advance out of the quarterfinals. Here are the vote totals for the first quarterfinal: J.R. Richard, 1980 Kellogg's: 31 Kent Tekulve , 1981 Topps : 18 After that demonstration of domination, Richard has earned himself a break. He'll watch from the sidelines as the other quarterfinalists duke it out. And we have an intriguing battle for quarterfinal #2. The first card is one of the most-loved cards of the 1970s. A true rarity and conversation-st...

(The pain-in-the-ass two weeks of work that was has finally passed. I am now back on a schedule that actually includes - gasp - days off. And there is a vacation around the corner. All of this is greatly appreciated. So how about some Cardboard Appreciation?): A J.R. Richard card with 3-D powers is an unbeatable combination. How did any of his competitors have a chance? Here are the vote totals in the vote-off for the last finalist spot: 1. J.R. Richard, 1980 Kellogg's, 18 votes 2. Hideo Nomo , 1996 Upper Deck V.J. Lovero insert, 7 votes 3. Barry Larkin , 1988 Topps , 4 votes 4. Cecil Fielder, 2009 O-Pee- Chee , 2 votes 5. Benny Distefano , 1985 Topps , 1 vote 6. John Pawlowski , 1988 Donruss , 1 vote 7. Andre Ethier , 2009 O-Pee- Chee black border, 0 votes So, J.R. Richard rounds out the list of 10 finalists, which is on the sidebar. And that means it's time to start the quarterfinal round. Each week I will pair up two of the finalists and feature a poll so everyone can vo...

(Happy Veterans Day! I salute my dad and all other veterans out there. I know there are several in the card blogging community. Bless you and thank you. You are appreciated. And speaking of appreciation, it's time for Cardboard Appreciation): For Cardboard Appreciation Vote-Off #8, I expected this card to win: And it did win. It enters the list of finalists in the great Cardboard Appreciation Smorgasbord of Trading Card Wonderfulness. But so does this card: This card managed to tie Carew in the poll. It was a hard-fought battle throughout. Off-center McRae would not be denied. And the two cards ended deadlocked. Here are the vote totals: Rod Carew , 1975 Topps : 11 votes Hal McRae , 1982 Fleer : 11 votes Grady Hall, 1991 Line Drive: 7 votes Ozzie Guillen , 1997 Stadium Club: 6 votes Johnny Cueto , 2008 Stadium Club autograph: 0 votes So, that means with the two additions I am going to end up with 10 Cardboard Appreciation Vote-off finalists as originally planned. So I'll be ...

Fittingly, Bob Gibson dominated the competition in Cardboard Appreciation Vote-Off #7. Anyone who records a 1.12 ERA during one season knows something about crushing all contenders. Here are the poll stats: Bob Gibson, 1968 Topps : 14 votes Rick Mahler, 1983 Fleer : 6 votes Steve Yeager, 1975 Topps : 5 votes Roy Campanella , 2009 Topps Turkey Red, 4 votes Nolan Ryan, 1992 Donruss Coca-Cola, 2 votes Gibson wins a spot in the Cardboard Appreciation finals. After going through all the CA posts again, I realized I don't have 10 spots for the finals. I'm going to have to trim it to nine. After I have nine finalists, I'll have a series of three vote-offs and then a final one to declare a grand champion. Consider this the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals and the final. OK, onto vote-off #8. If you think the selection of cards is bad here, wait until vote-off #9. I don't know what I was thinking. Links go back to the original posts. Poll is up on the sidebar. 1975 ...

(I have had to turn off the TV in order to avoid watching teams celebrate championships twice now in the last week. This postseason is not being kind. It's practically like the 1990s again. Yuck. So when the right teams don't make the Series, I turn to my cards for solace. Time for Cardboard Appreciation): The 1975 Topps juggernaut cannot be stopped! The Rollie Fingers card won the sixth Cardboard Appreciation vote-off, and the second-place finisher was a '75 card, too! Meanwhile, the '75 Topps blog keeps clicking along here . (Another blatant plug. Will I stop at nothing?) Here are the vote totals as I add another card to the top 10 Cardboard Appreciation finalists: 1. Rollie Fingers, 1975 Topps : 17 votes 2. Cecil Cooper, 1975 Topps : 9 votes 3. Steve Avery, 1989 Topps , 8 votes 4. Jose Rijo , 1993 Score Select, 4 votes 5. Lee Smith, 1992 Topps , 4 votes Time to turn to Cardboard Appreciation vote-off #7. To see the original posts, click on the links. 1983 Fleer ...

( Hmmm . What am I appreciating today? How about this: PITCHERS WHO THROW STRIKES! The Dodgers are in a 3-1 deficit because first Kershaw , then Sherrill , then Kuroda , then Broxton couldn't throw a ball over the plate. Credit the Phillies . They're a fine team. I will root for them if they get to the World Series. But they wouldn't be where they are now if Dodgers pitchers COULD THROW STRIKES. Time for Cardboard Appreciation): The fifth Cardboard Appreciation vote-off was a rout of NLCS Game 3 proportions. I'm sure you all saw it coming. Here is the poll carnage: 1. Oscar Gamble, 1975 Topps : 22 votes 2. Mark Fidrych , 1977 Topps : 7 votes 3. Dennis Eckersley , 1993 Score: 5 votes 4. Bernie Carbo , 1975 Topps : 0 votes 5. Billy Wagner, 2005 Opening Day: 0 votes So, Gamble joins the top 10 finalists, as well he should. And we're now onto the sixth vote-off. Poll is already up on the sidebar. Here are the candidates: 1975 Topps Cecil Cooper: I was a fan of Coo...