Some mini-collection odds and ends

Maybe I was feeling idle, so I wanted to see if I can knock out some scratch the itch cards - nothing high brow, but maybe a mix of cards that hit some of my mini-collection needs.

Trying to go through my memory banks, a flagged cards folder on my phone, my eBay watchlist, my blog Top 10 and saved TTM fuel images to round up random cards to hunt for - having my possible wants material in scattered formats ends up leaving me feeling a little messy.

I found a seller online I was willing to buy around 20 cards from, but then past $1.99, shipping was going to be around $7 - maybe there was no budget option despite saying so otherwise on the seller's postage chart, so after spending about an hour crafting up a probable 'buy list,' I ended up throwing my hands up in the air.

I ended up cutting the number to the bare minimum that would ship for $1.99 - where I wanted the following cards in-hand and committed to picking them up for a little over $0.50 each.

1988 Colorado Springs Sky Sox CMC Jeff Kaiser #4 - Awesome action; Oddities - I love how a pitcher is all dressed up in catchers' gear, mugging it up for the photographer.

2007 Upper Deck Gary Matthews Jr. #225 - Awesome outfield action - I've wanted this card because it captures his greatest play in his pro baseball career and probably helped put him on a lot of people's minds, where he had kind of just moved from team-to-team.

1994 Fleer Update Rico Brogna #U156 - Broken bat shots - I found this while trying to scan through someone selling cards on Twitter; at times, I find mini-collection cards by just digging through card images others have posted.

1993 Milk-Bone Super Stars Dog Food Issue Will Clark #7 - Facial hair - I fall under being a 'junk wax guy,' but for all the Clark cards I've seen, there might only be a couple that features a stache on The Thrill.

1991 Topps Woolworth Baseball Highlights Bert Blyleven #7 - Inking it up - I had to have this card featuring a player in the twilight of his big league career, taking the time to sign autographs; the copy I received looks like it might hava burn mark, so it might be a filler copy for now.

1990 ProCards A and AA Darrin Chapin #19 - Pitchers hitting - I guess he's not actually hitting, as much as he's posing with a bat in his hand, but it's kind of an odd image I end up counting.

Angels frankenset - random adds

I haven't forgotten about the frankenset I started last year, though I've been content to let it sit otherwise - I wanted to pick up cards for the project, so I went rummaging around to conjure up this assortment of cards.

1971 Topps Steve Kealey #43 - I actually had this card listed as #443, so I made a mistake in thinking I needed this card to fill that number.
1986 Leaf Don Sutton #236

1971 Topps Clyde Wright #240
1990 Bowman Mark Langston #284
1985 Fleer Gary Pettis #308
1993 Topps Stadium Club Chuck Crim #327
1995 Leaf Lee Smith #346

1992 Topps Bert Blyleven #375 - Gold parallel
1994 Pinnacle Jim Edmonds #394 - Museum Collection parallel
2001 Topps Archives Bill Buckner #398
1994 Bowman Jim Edmonds #423
1992 Bowman Lee Stevens #427
1994 Pinnacle Chili Davis #458

1972 Topps Rickey Clark #462

1988 Fleer Glossy Gary Lucas #495 - I didn't need to showcase a junk wax common from all the way back in 1988, but it's the glossy version.

2011 Topps Update Value Box recap - a couple more #1 of 2

2011 Topps Update Value box [$10.98 each x2 at a Walmart] - I found two more of these and decided to pick them up.

BCE-1 Bryce Harper bonus card - this one looks like another red refractor version.

#TDG-17 Ryan Braun Topps Diamond Giveaway code card - I redeemed a 1991 Topps Randy Johnson #225.

2011 Bowman Chrome hobby pack
#3 Edwin Jackson
#BCP 119 Jose De Paula
#BCP 165 Nathan Eovaldi - refractor serial #'d 332/500
#30 Ian Kinsler

2011 Topps Update eight-card packs

Pack one
#US-235 Charlie Morton
#US-126 Adrian Gonzalez
#US-209 Rubby De La Rosa
#US-232 Miguel Tejada

#US-43 Carlos Quentin - Platinum Diamond Anniversary parallel
#640 Dan Uggla - Liquorfractor
#US-174 Jacob Turner
#US-62 Jason Marquis

Pack two
#US-324 Melvin Mora
#US-35 Eduardo Nunez
#US-191 Andy Sonnanstine
#US-211 Dustin Moseley
#US-185 Orlando Hudson

#US-8 David Robertson - Platinum Diamond Anniversary parallel
#US-38 Josh Hamilton
#US-193 Lonnie Chisenhall

Pack three
#US-32 Matt Stairs
#US-67 Miguel Olivo
#US-101 Scott Downs
#US-25 Tim Stauffer

#US-23 Chance Ruffin - Liquorfractor

#T60-102 Hank Aaron - Topps 60 insert
#US-305 Carlos Beltran
#US-21 Prince Fielder

Pack four
#US-298 Yorvit Torrealba
#US-139 Rafael Soriano
#US-240 Blake Tekotte
#US-279 Trevor Plouffe
#US-322 Fernando Martinez

#T60-136 Bert Blyleven - Topps 60 insert
#US-316 Justin Upton
#US-114 Lance Lynn

Pack five
#US-79 Chris Dickerson
#US-148 Alex Presley
#US-200 Vladimir Guerrero
#US-7 Nate Schierholtz

#DD-19 Justin Verlander / Max Scherzer - Diamond Duos insert

#544 Justin Masterson - Liquorfractor
#US-131 Jeff Keppinger
#US-319 Corey Patterson

2011 Topps Update Value Box recap

2011 Topps Update Value box [$10.98 each at Walmart] - a break from the 'featured autographs' I've posted in the last several days.

These are popular on the Blowout Cards forums since they were marked down to $10.98 - these maybe of good value if you resell the code card(s), the Bryce Harper bonus card and maybe pull a decent card in the packs.

BCE-1 Bryce Harper bonus card - I'm not sure how many variation of the Harper card are out there, but this one looks like the red refractor version.

#TDG-12 Mike Schmidt Topps Diamond Giveaway code card - I redeemed a 1978 Topps Randy Jones #56, which was redundant because I got another copy of the exact same card signed through the mail four or five years ago.

2011 Bowman Chrome hobby pack
#BCP 138 Tyler Moore
#BCP 132 Melky Mesa

#36 Miguel Cabrera - refractor

#17 Curtis Granderson

2011 Topps Update eight-card packs

Pack one
#US-221 Jamey Carroll
#US-295 Wilson Ramos
#US-9 Jose Iglesias
#US-150 Adrian Beltre
#US-178 Jason Bourgeois

#KC-123 Bert Blyleven - Kimball Champions insert
#US-62 Jason Marquis
#US-53 Koji Uehara

Pack two
#US-135 Grant Balfour
#US-69 Gerald Laird
#US-190 Alexei Ogando
#US-168 Bruce Chen -
#US-105 Joel Hanrahan - gold parallel serial #'d 1779/2011
#US-271 Eric O'Flaherty - Platinum Diamond Anniversary parallel
#US-316 Justin Upton
#US-20 Adrian Gonzalez

Pack three
#US-48 Scott Hairston
#US-213 Louis Coleman
#US-171 Matt Lindstrom
#US-149 Omar Infante

#TDG-27 Victor Martinez - Diamond Giveaway code card; got a 1971 Topps Woody Woodward #496
#T60-133 Tris Speaker - Topps 60 insert
#US-18 Robinson Cano
#US-259 Andre Ethier

Pack four
#US-182 Ronny Paulino
#US-183 Carlos Peguero
#US-209 Rubby De La Rosa
#US-240 Blake Tekotte
#US-110 Edgar Renteria

#US-296 Bobby Jenks - Platinum Diamond Anniversary parallel
#US-299 Robinson Cano
#US-75 Gio Gonzalez

Pack five
#US-11 Jason Pridie
#US-217 Elliot Johnson
#US-286 Rich Thompson
#US-279 Trevor Plouffe
#US-317 Craig Counsell - Liquorfractor

#T60-121 Pee Wee Reese - Topps 60 insert; looks like infield practice perhaps with Jackie Robinson lurking near him.
#US-154 Cliff Lee
#US-268 Yadier Molina

Featured autograph - Bert Blyleven

I got Bert Blyleven to sign his 1971 Topps rookie card before the Minnesota Twins / Angels game in Anaheim last Tuesday afternoon - he took the time for nearly everyone who wanted his autograph the first day of the three game series, but was a little more elusive the following days.

I think he signed all baseballs on the side panel - including specialty Hall of Fame baseballs.

Mail day - 1971 Topps Bert Blyleven #26

I picked this Bert Blyleven rookie card about $8 shipped and it came in the mail several days ago - he is throwing out the first pitch before Tuesday night's Angels game at Angel Stadium and hopefully I can get him to sign the card sometime during the series.

He's been a pretty good signer before, though I'm afraid he may make himself a little more difficult - since he just entered the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Featured autographs - Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven

I wish I could show you an actual certified autograph card of recent Hall of Fame inductee Roberto Alomar, particularly a card I picked up back in 2007 - but Upper Deck went with using cheap, synthetic ball material with their Sweet Spot products and all I'm left with in 2011 is what you see pictured.

I kind of like the Bert Blyleven card I got signed in-person since it features him early on in his Major League career and towards his last three seasons - as an Angels' player.

Considering the Hall candidates - Bert Blyleven

Bert Blyleven

Pro - he has nearly 300 wins and over 3,000 strikeouts in his resume. 

By his account - he's probably the most deserving of all eligible candidates and should have been inducted already.

Blyleven made 685 starts in 692 games pitched in the Major Leagues - he was a durable workhorse who took the ball and pitched 242 complete games, including 60 shutouts in the process.

It boggles mind to consider his innings workload during his prime in the 1970s to be 'normal' for a pitcher - which all the more impressive considering Blyleven statistics as it relates to how good a pitcher he was, regardless of any negative sentiment i.e. he pitched for bad teams, was more of a compiler, wasn't really ever great in one particular season, etc.

Aside from Blyleven's numbers, Blyleven was considered to be a good natured, fan-friendly player - who was a notorious, prankster in Major League clubhouses.

Con - what makes him so different from other comparable hurlers? However, he may come off as a little too smug and a little too ardent in campaigning for his spot in the Hall of Fame, particularly in the last four or five years, where he has gained more support.  

He has the numbers, but maybe those who don't vote for him were exposed to Blyleven - as some sort of clown who was a better clubhouse prankster, than a Hall of Fame caliber pitcher.

Yes/No - I'd lean towards 'yes.' 

He's waited long enough to be honored maybe he should be recognized for his accomplishments and not his humility - circle me, Bert.