1984 Donruss Ryne Sandberg #311

I don't know if it's worth what I paid for it, but I relented to pick up a second year Sandberg card for my 1984 Donruss pseudo set build - where I'm basically trying to see if I can as many cards in-hand, to get inked up at some point.

I got the card in the mail and the first thing that struck me was the irriated toploader used from Chernobyl - I cringed and chuckled at the same time, as I freed the card and tried to take some pictures.

I was relieved that the card itself hadn't yellowed out, like the toploader - if it wasn't such a 'safety hazard,' I would be inclined to keep the top loader as a memento.

Some finds off a card show appearance #2

So I went to this random card show earlier in the month and besides what I'd picked up, I stumbled upon a table with a bin of loose junk packs for $0.50 - I tried to look for some premium UV coated era baseball packs from the mid 1990s, though any particular one might be brick city, so I had to think twice.

The same booth had a bin of repacks sorted by team - maybe 25 or 30 cards for a quarter.

The guy manning the booth probably thought I was nuts going through his junk cards, trying to look at the top / bottom cards like I was picking fruit - he said I could go and open them up, which seemed odd but I got the sense that he didn't really care.

I didn't bother doing that since I didn't have time, feeling like I was in either my element or just a hoarder - trying to make a stack out all these bagged up cards, setting aside the ones I'm planning to grab.

I didn’t particularly care which teams I got, though interesting, if worthless cards were a lure - the guy at the table wasn't saying much otherwise but said go ahead and make a mess, since cards were supposed to be fun.

Maybe he thought I was a straight up lunatic who was seeing trading cards for the first time - I spent $5 on 20 assorted 'packs' and while the seller didn't have a spare bag handy to hold my hauls, he ended up handing me a bag of more cards just to hold what I'd bought.

Just because I'm probably going to 'show off' the contents of my team repack breaks - one post at a time until I get through them all.

Chicago Cubs - 40 cards 1998 Fleer Tradition Update Gary Gaetti #U54 1992 Topps Jerome Walton #543 1993 Topps Jessie Hollins #487 1988 Donruss Andre Dawson #9 - players smiling 1993 Donruss Mike Morgan #394 - grips 1996 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice Frank Castillo #494 1992 Upper Deck Rey Sanchez #562 1993 Topps Mark Grace #630 1993 Donruss Shawon Dunston #268 - dirt 1993 Topps Stadium Club Jim Bullinger #118 1993 Fleer Ultra Frank Castillo #16 - grips 1993 Topps Butch Hobson / Jim Lefebvre #502 1993 Topps Aaron Taylor #786 - he’s the Cub among the quad of one-time prospects pictured. 1994 Topps Kevin Orie #762 1994 Topps Randy Myers #575 - Topps sampler run 1993 Upper Deck Fun Pack Mark Grace #17

1998 Fleer Update Kerry Wood U5 - Season Highlights insert 1993 Fleer Ultra Dwight Smith #23 - players smiling on the reverse image 1989 Fleer Mike Harkey #427 1993 Topps Derek Wallace #459

1989 Donruss Mark Grace #255 - players smiling 1993 Fleer Dwight Smith #384 1992 Donruss Rick Sutcliffe #642 - facial hair 1993 Upper Deck Shawon Dunston #101 - dirt 1992 Upper Deck Hector Villanueva #102 - angles 1996 Fleer Todd Zeile #333 1993 Fleer Doug Dascenzo #376 - dirt 1993 Upper Deck Sammy Sosa #819 1998 Skybox Dugout Access Henry Rodriguez #8 - facial hair 1993 Fleer Shawn Boskie #373 1993 Topps Gold Jose Vizcaino #237 1991 Fleer Bill Long #425 1991 Topps Dave Smith #110T 1992 Donruss Chico Walker #439 - dirt 1993 Fleer Dwight Smith #384 1992 Topps Mike Harkey #98 1993 Fleer Ultra Willie Wilson #324 1996 Pacific Mark Grace #31 1989 Donruss Manny Trillo #608

1994 Topps Chuck McElroy #613 - inking it up on the reverse image

When more borderline HOF guys get their call

As a baseball fan, I'd probably be more of a big hall kind of guy - but I thought it was a joke when I found out through scrolling through a social media post that apparently Smith and Baines were elected to the Hall of Fame through the 2019 Today's Game Era Ballot.

Baines' election to the Hall of Fame will probably cause just about every numbers oriented analysts' heads to explode - I won't begrudge or bemoan his induction to the Hall since there are too many writers messing around with someone's actual accomplishments in the guise of being objective.

Personally, I consider Baines in the middle of the pack as far as a Hall of Very Good guy, but in a roundabout way - Baines probably got some extra consideration for the 134 hits he didn't get towards that 3,000th hit club he missed out on.

The last card I touched featuring Baines was his 1991 Upper Deck [#562] - it went in my awesome action collection as a game face card; I like the image of him on the on-deck circle, about to swing while doing his high leg kick.

As far as Smith, though he once held the all-time saves record, I've always thought of him as mostly a junk wax era journeyman reliever - however, with Trevor Hoffman getting into the Hall of Fame recently and with Mariano Rivera on the way, someone had to fit Smith in-between the two in order to have a little run of modern era closers.

Maybe an obvious non-Rivera candidate in the next several years will likely be Billy Wagner - depending on who is on the ballot.

My favorite Smith card was his 1996 Upper Deck card [#266] because while it obviously shows him with the Angels - it was also a seemingly more elaborate image setup compared to a typical baseball card picture.

1982 Topps Chili Davis rookie card #171

I'll always associate Davis with Angels teams of the late 1980s through the mid 1990s and picked this multiplayer card up to group with random Angels cards I may put together - he was a player who wielded a big stick and seemed like the last guy a pitcher wanted to go head-to-head with in a crucial game situation or frankly, in a brawl.

I remember getting his autograph in-person about 20 years ago and to make small talk - I said something like, 'it's too bad you aren't an Angel anymore.'

Davis responded back, saying something like he had no regrets, since he was playing for the New York Yankees - he only played 35 games for the 114 win juggernaut 1998 team, but played in 146 games in his last MLB season in 1999.

Unfortunately after one season, Davis was just fired by the Chicago Cubs as their hitting coach and his status in the major leagues is up in the air - whether a team is willing to offer him a job and if he is looking to continue coaching.

TTM autographs received: Alfonso Soriano

As far as through the mail autographs go, after seeing at least several 'good' Soriano successes posted this year, I was eager to put together a request [I added $5 as I've seen others doing] to see if I could get some of my own cards signed - admittedly Soriano hasn't been a typical TTM guy collectors have had luck with and sometimes you can only believe so much as far as any particular player [active or retired] actually signing.

I was out of the country for the last couple of weeks and when I came home, it was a pleasant surprise - to get my SASE back in about a month with my cards signed in blue Sharpie.

Featured autograph - Blake Parker

This signed 2010 Topps Chicago Cubs Franchise History subset card [#511] probably doesn't mean much - but I remember getting it signed by Parker in his first full season in the big leagues in 2013.

After bouncing around the waiver wire in 2016, Parker was picked up by the Angels and has pitched out of the Halos bullpen this season - so improbably, the random autograph card ends up being an add to my Angels all-time autograph collection.

2017 Topps Series I hobby jumbo pack

I picked up a jumbo pack of 2017 Topps Series I for my yearly breaking ritual of at least one jumbo pack of Series I, Series II and Update - with a nameplate eating up the lower portion of the front of the card and bright colored card backs, these flagship cards may take a little getting used to, but are otherwise passable.

#74 Brett Lawrie
#93 Matt Joyce
#9 Chris Sale
#12 Jerad Eickhoff
#286 Drew Pomeranz
#296 Tyler Clippard
#139 JaCoby Jones
#282 Tyler Flowers
#155 Jacob DeGrom
#274 Matt Strahm
#51 Jake Barrett
#151 Jonathan Villar

#20 Mike Trout
#221 Adam Wainwright
#331 Jake Lamb
#315 Carlos Beltran
#260 Stephen Piscotty
#158 Tommy Pham
#55 Mark Trumbo
#81 D.J. LeMahieu
#270 Jake Arrieta
#159 Justin Verlander
#S-61 Jackie Bradley Jr. - Topps Salute insert

#5T-16 Wil Myers - Five Tool insert; I like these cards and while maybe too radical, wouldn't mind seeing the multiple picture in a collage element be used as a Topps flagship design instead of the more pedestrian looking base cards issued like usual.

#72 Chicago Cubs team card - Negative Back and White parallel
#FP-21 Jon Lovitz - First Pitch insert
#87-53 Yu Darvish - 1987 Topps Baseball insert
#1984 Topps Don Mattingly - reprint / Topps info card
#251 Justin Turner
#253 Tucker Barnhart
#133 Jace Peterson
#272 Pat Neshek
#332 Huston Street
#173 Chicago White Sox team card
#230 Northern Highlights / Toronto Blue Jays - feat. Tulowitzki / Saunders?
#39 Aroldis Chapman
#125 Yangervis Solarte
#227 Byron Buxton
#183 Wade Miley
#150 Miguel Cabrera
#187 Sean Manaea
#126 Miguel Sano
#121 Carlos Santana
#239 Rajai Davis
#241 Chris Young

#135 Jered Weaver
#41 Paolo Orlando
#75 Carlos Correa
#115 Joaquin Benoit
#311 Tyler Chatwood

COMC - miscellaneous certified auto cards

1999 Upper Deck SP Signature Edition Autographs Corey Koskie #CK - I pulled a Koskie autograph from 1999 Upper Deck HoloGrFX back when the product came out and I'm tempted to say it may have been one of my first autograph pulls, when there was still some allure with certified autographs.

I probably got Koskie's autograph at least a few times as a player but this autograph card replaces that previous pack-pulled card - same era, similar 'kind of messy' scribble [though this card was a more common pull out of a one autograph per pack product rather than a card inserted in every couple of boxes or so of a low-end product].

Even if Koskie didn't post year-to-year all-star numbers as a player - he was a lot steadier and productive in his 9-years in the big leagues than I gave him credit for and had overlooked the fact his career was cut short prematurely with a post-concussion syndrome.

2016 Bowman Inception Prospect Autographs Manuel Margot PA-MM - Margot is one of the best prospects in baseball [currently #26 among MLB's Top 100] and while he may not develop into a true superstar, Margot seems to be an athletic guy with the potential to be a pretty good all-around player [think Andrew McCutchen lite].

2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars Miguel Montero #158 - he is more of a 'scratch an itch' guy for me, a rank-and-file player whose autograph I haven't gotten otherwise.

Montero lost playing time to David Ross and rookie Willson Contreras during the regular season - but got some redemption in the postseason as a contributor in the Chicago Cubs' run towards their first World Series championship since 1908.

Montero hit a grand slam in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series - and also chipped in with had an RBI single to extend the Cubs lead in the deciding Game 7 of the World Series.

Featured autograph - Mark Prior

With a 103 win season in the books, this maybe the year for the Chicago Cubs to smash up their World Series curse, like once upon a time when Prior was a phenom looking to pitch the Cubs into the World Series back in 2003 - of course, it wasn't meant to be and the Cubs are still down-and-out after 108 years.

Prior morphed into a disappointment when his big league pitching career was cut short after parts of five seasons - for the all success he had as a professional, I remember him most for being on the mound for the Steve Bartman incident.

Autograph request through the mail received: Ryne Sandberg

The Hall of Fame second baseman signed my two cards in blue Sharpie and sent them back in about a couple of weeks c/o a working address in Illinois - after seeing a fairly consistent stream of successes posted with Ryno, I finally put together a request on my own with a small fee and sent it out.

2015 Topps Throwback Kris Bryant #616

With big power numbers, Bryant has established himself as a national star and I wanted to see if I could find a 'low end' Bryant rookie card - when I saw this, I grabbed it even though I didn't know what the card was and despite the MLB RC logo, it's not a true rookie card either.

Apparently this card is a retail exclusive parallel available in 2015 Topps Update - maybe it’s a little peculiar [though nothing new] how Topps makes up these parallels in their update series that include selected cards from Series I and Series II as opposed to strictly update series cards.

I do think this card uses a better image with some throwback flair compared to Bryant's actual 2015 Topps rookie card - so it's a nice 'under the radar' add to my collection.

Featured autograph - Chris Coghlan

I picked up a junk auto of the current Chicago Cubs outfielder to add to my award winners collection - the autograph is fairly clean and I like the cutesy design of these framed tobacco sized cards.

Coghlan was the 2009 National League Rookie of the Year and while his numbers have generally been an up-and-down - he has played parts of 8 MLB seasons and seems relatively viable as a semi-regular type for a contender.

Featured autograph - Jake Arrieta

It's fun to dig up at least a signed card [if nothing else] of an ace pitcher who has just thrown his second no-hitter in as many seasons - who knows how long this run of excellence will last for Arrieta, but it's fun to watch a pitcher use his arsenal of pitches to impose their will against opposing batters.

I think I got this card signed [along with three others] when Arrieta was a rookie with the Baltimore Orioles back in 2010 - he had emerged in the minors as someone who could be a decent major league starter, but after floundering for parts of four seasons with the Orioles, it took a trade to the Cubs before Arrieta would start to blossom.

Featured autograph - Geovany Soto

When Soto won the NL Rookie of the Year with the Chicago Cubs in 2008, there maybe expectations he would be a star for years to come - stardom never did happen, though the current Angel is a perfectly average hitter [.332 on-base / .434 slugging / 102 OPS+] for a semi-regular backstop.

As he gets into his mid 30s and his playing career winds down - Soto still maybe a useful piece that can put together a decent season or two with the bat to pad his modest lifetime numbers.

Featured autograph - Anthony Rizzo

I've been on a hunt for an Anthony Rizzo certified autograph and grabbed this one for $12 - it's kind of an oddball die-cut card that isn't licensed by Major League Baseball, but at least the autograph is on-card.

Featured autograph - Mark Grace

I've never counted how many I've gotten signed in-person / through the mail but I'm still plugging away at the 2001 Fleer Tradition set - even if it means randomly getting a card signed here and there, like this Grace I got when the Arizona Diamondbacks played the Angels.

At first I thought 2001 Fleer Tradition cards looked a little dumpy because of the drab card stock [used to mimic vintage Topps sets, just like the other retro product called Topps Heritage] - I picked up a set [mainly for the Albert Pujols, Ichiro and Mark Teixeira rookie year cards that was included as a part of a 50-card subset available only in factory sets] and started trying to get the other basic cards inked up since I had to use them for something.

Kris Bryant

The most heralded prospect coming into the season, Bryant has played 14 games and had 50 at-bats in the Major Leagues so far, so noting the small sample size - it's interesting that he hasn't hit a Major League home run and despite his gaudy on-base percentage, his numbers so far have been fairly quiet.

On the other hand, I'll be waiting for the headlines when he really starts figuring things out - maybe because many top prospects are hyped up, it's almost surprising when they don't start off their MLB careers like Albert Pujols.

Featured autograph - Kris Bryant

With the crazy hype surrounding his spring training home run barrage, I'm glad I got him a few years ago - when I actually got him, he had probably shortened up his autograph already, but the recent graphs he has given out in-person just look real sloppy.

2015 Topps Series I Value Pack

I had to get to a Target somewhere to get my initial 2015 Topps fix - I picked up a Value Pack, a 72-card hanger box and a blaster box.

I like how the cards look, though the cards maybe condition sensitive - with the colored borders and thin stock.

#23 Michael Bourn

#305 Sonny Gray

#184 B.J. Upton

#15 Joey Votto

#153 Josh Reddick

#57 Lyle Overbay

#276 Conor Gillaspie

#278 David Phelps

#251 Anthony Rendon

#269 Jordy Mercer

#10 Cole Hamels

#136 Manny Machado

#126 Detrot Tigers team card

#283 Chris Johnson

#243 Al Alburquerque

#106 Pedro Alvarez

#298 Rymer Liriano

#215 Alejandro De Aza

#H-3 Babe Ruth - Highlight of the Year insert

#FHR-17 Adam Dunn - First Home Run insert

#R-4 Carlos Gomez - Robbed in Center insert

#Babe Ruth's Call Your Shot game card

#FP-04 Eddie Vedder - First Pitch insert

#348 Carlos Santana

#155 Jesse Chavez

#228 Jake Peavy

#75 Dustin Pedroia

#291 Mark Reynolds

#336 Matt Carpenter

#248 Addison Reed

#150 Giancarlo Stanton

#80 Adam Wainwright

#275 Buster Posey

#272 Matt Kemp

#138 Tim Lincecum

#318 George Springer

Featured autograph - Ernie Banks 1931-2015

I got him to sign a reprint of his rookie card years ago - the last time I saw him was at the All-Star break in 2010; he seemed kind of spacey and had a drink in his hand.

I'm pretty sure I tried asking him to sign something but he was evasive and as he was getting into a vehicle he was driving - he tried to give the empty glass to me.