Assorted finds from a card shop

A numbered Freese parallel - hopefully Freese has a better season as an Angel this season after being pedestrian in 2014.

I find like finding the odd base card or two from a $50 pack in the quarter box - because they are a little thicker, a little shinier than most cards I'd usually find, these mean a little bit more to a cardboard scavenger I fancy myself as.

A couple of guys who got late season opportunities with the Angels in 2014 - Diaz is now with the Colorado Rockies and O'Malley is with the Seattle Mariners.

Greinke is a little awkward and the guy doesn't like to sign autographs interact unless obligated to do so - but he gets paid to be a starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the last I checked, has enjoyed a fairly successful run as one of the better starters in Major League Baseball.

Gonzalez is a pretty good player who can occasionally turn it up a notch - even though as a guy in his mid 30's now, he's really more steady than spectacular

Featured autograph - Adrian Gonzalez

It's hard not to look away from what the Los Angeles Dodgers did in trading for the big contracts of Adrian Gonzalez, a hobbled Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett - as a Major League Baseball fan, all it tells me is sometimes there are just no rules as far what one particular team is willing to spend to bring certain players in.

It must be nice being a fan of an organization like the Dodgers right now - while my Angels are floundering in mediocrity, the Dodgers are primed to make a serious playoff run.

Featured custom card: 1997 Fleer Ultra football Specialists insert Adrian Gonzalez

I wanted to try something a little different and used an insert card from another sport [football] to create a custom baseball card of San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez - I think the actual inserts correspond with colors from a particular NFL team.

I like the cards because they are die-cuts - a file folder graphic used on the original inserts with a faux paper clip going through the image used for the cards.

I'll have to go do some 'research' to see what if there was a 'theme' to the Specialists inserts - though I assume it was another run of the mill insert set.

Featured card: 2009 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Adrian Gonzalez #23

Adrian Gonzalez is the face of the San Diego Padres organization - a sweet swinging first baseman who is basically a Mexican-American version of Rafael Palmeiro without the Viagra endorsements or the failed steroid test.

Here is a nice story about Gonzalez' batting cage at his old home - being a haven for the 2009 Little League Champions.