Indians Baseball Cards

The problem with "Game-Used"

2012-01-29T09:49:00.001-06:00

(image from someone else's card listed on eBay)

A lot of press has resurfaced regarding the 2000 Pacific Invincible Manny Ramirez "corked" bat card. I say resurfaced because there was a TON of press the first time the cards started showing up. Was it corked? Was it Manny's? Was it a publicity stunt? What's the deal?

Well, according to recent happenings on "The Cardboard Connection" blog and radio program, it was something that should have never made it to production. Frankly, that's not what I am interested in here.

My problem is one of, well, semantics, I suppose. Now, I realize this was back in 2000. That's BEFORE companies started using terms like "USED" versus "GAME USED" and "WORN" versus "GAME WORN" in their descriptors. And, maybe it is because of this card, the industry changed some of its ways. I don't know.

According to Scott Mahlum of Mill Creek Sportscards, “That was the only Ramirez model in the bunch. It showed a ton of use, and a ton of handle wear. It’s definitely a bat that had been used, whether it was in a game, batting practice, winter league, whatever.”

"...whether it was in a game, batting practice, winter league, whatever!?" Shouldn't this be a bigger concern that "whatever" would indicate?

I look at today's "memorabilia" cards and wonder why anyone even bothers to collect the stuff anymore. Companies have resorted to manufacturing patches and sticking them on cards, using terms like "authentic clothing," and have avoided terms like "game-used" altogether.

As a collector, it DOES matter to me where and how the said swatch was obtained. Well, sort of. What matters to me is that the card discloses what kind of swatch - I don't want "authentic piece of clothing" on the card. Seriously. Are they pants, jersey, jock strap, or what? Cause if it is the latter, I'd like to make sure I wear gloves before opening a pack. If the bat was used in practice, then just say so. Of course, the problem continues when you have equipment that is "used" in the sense that player once held it during a game. Or maybe they just touched it as they walked by.

As I said, though, I'm surprised folks are even bothering to collect the stuff any more anyway. Well, yeah, I know why... Because we COLLECT. It's what we do. I'll keep collecting whatever junk is out there as long as it Indians-related. I can't help it. I'm a cardboard slut. What can I say? At least I have a limit - I'm not paying 5 grand for the card pictured above!

Sometimes, we only learn by doing

2012-01-28T22:51:00.001-06:00

I've read the horror stories of folks busting open packs and boxes of American Pie or Americana. I've read how badly these products suck. I've seen the pack-breaking videos that resulted in a pile of cardboard being lit aflame - okay, slight exaggeration there.

Did those things stop me from buying a pack of each of these products? No. How bad was it? Well, since I was driving, my wife actually opened the packs for me while we cruised down the road between shop stops. When she had opened both packs, rattling off the titles/names of each card, she said, "Wow. You got ripped off." Yes. Yes, I did.

Does it even matter which cards came from which packs? No. But, here we have Topps American Pie "Marciano Retires Undefeated," Miles Davis," and "Catch-22" to start things off. Okay, I admit, the Miles Davis is pretty cool. And, if you thought things couldn't get worse, you'd be wrong.

The other three cards in the pack (Yes, you get a whopping six cards for $2.99 or $1.99 or $56.75, whatever it cost. No matter what it cost, it was too much to pay for this crap) are: "Fads and Fashions: Troll Dolls," American Top 40 Debuts," and "The Simpsons Premieres." Look, I don't give a rip about Trolls Dolls. Top 40 is all well and good for the sake of music and long distance dedications, I suppose. I have never been a fan of The Simpsons. In fact, I would venture to say that I have never watched a complete episode. So, anybody want some junk wax? Free for the asking.

As if that weren't bad enough, I also bought Panini Americana. Why? i don't know, I guess I was feeling rather patriotic. I shouldn't have. I won't ever again. My wife read off the names with a severe disdain tone to her voice (or maybe it was bewilderment): "Lorna Luft" - My wife turned the card over to read that she is the daughter of Judy Garland. "Stephen Baldwin," she said, followed by, "Seriously?" The third one is "Selma Blair." No comments were made on that one. It wasn't worth a comment.

She read the next two flatly, "George Kennedy and Eric Roberts." That was when she rifled through all the cards again, saying, "You got ripped off. That's it?" (Or something along those lines)

Save your money, people. Don't buy this junk. I was hoping to score the elusive Frank Zappa card sought out by several collectors. Instead, I would have done better with a pencil and some 'insert filler' cards to draw on myself.

Seriously, if anybody wants any of these, they are yours for the asking. But, really, who would even admit to wanting them?

Packs to be named daily

2012-01-17T23:07:00.000-06:00

On Monday, I opted to "celebrate" the day off by posting a slew of non-sport pack busts over at "A Pack To Be Named Later." I've got them set up to post one a day, and basically they are set to post around 1:35pm or so CST. Why? Well, because hat was when I busted the first pack and I didn't change the post time, just the dates. I am semi-lazy that way, I suppose.

Packs include 1979 Rocky II, Star Trek, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, New Kids on the Block, and I don't even remember what all else was in there. It was kind of fast and furious. Speaking of which, there was a pack or two of Vintage American Motorcycles.

Feel free to hop over to APTBNL and check out each day's post! Here's how you get there:
http://apacktobenamedlater.blogspot.com/

Dimwit Does (w)Right

2012-01-15T20:47:00.000-06:00

Okay, so between my scanner and my own inability to read filenames, the pictures in this post are actually in something of a random order. Go figure, and welcome to my world. You know, the world in which I am supposedly some kind of "tech geek" yet can't quite figure out the technology I use almost every single day? Yeah, that's me.

Alas, I digress, as I often do. Sam, over at TheDailyDimwit held a group break recently in which participants got to pick a team (three guesses as to which one I picked) and then were assigned a team at random. My random team was the Mets. And, I have to say that if I were a Mets fan, I would have done pretty well by this break. As it is, I am an Indians fan, and I did VERY well (as you will see later, since the Tribe cards actually ended up at the end of the post - see above regarding technical aptitude).

So, what's up with the post title? How about more David Wright cards than you can shake a stick at. Well, okay, maybe not. I suppose it would depend on just how large the stick was, and if, in fact, you were holding it in order to shake it. But, it appeared that every other card was a Wright (in retrospect, there are four. Maybe I need some more caffeine).

The first cards here are 2009 Upper Deck Piece of History. We've got Santana, Parnell, and Wright. I like the design of these in that they appear to have marble borders. Classy with a touch of gold-ish trim around the player. I miss Upper Deck baseball.

Next up, Niese, Niese, and a "Cut from the Same Cloth #02/25) Martinez and Santana. Okay, so one of you gets to tell me why the second Niese card is more tan than grey. I assume it is a parallel of some kind and I am too lazy to look it up. Well, I did look at a list from UD, but still didn't see anything that explains what it is.

The next cards from the 2007 Upper Deck "MLB Artifacts" set. These feature Reyes, Beltran, and Wright. I know these are supposed to look like they have some kind of dark marble or something on the border, but to me they look like Cocoa Pebbles or Archway Holiday Cookies. Then again, maybe I'm just hungry.

Phil Humber rounds out the last of the Mets Artifacts cards. Now we switch to 2009 UD SP Authentic Baseball. Here you see Reyes and Delgado. The cards are crisp white with colorful accents. I think they could have trimmed the borders a bit and made the photos bigger.

More SP Authentic include Santana, Wright, and Beltran.

Sheffield finishes out the regular Authentic cards, which leads us to the final David Wright card in the pot: SP Authentic Faces of the Game. Now, THAT'S a card! I love close up shots of the players. What a great idea for a subset! The last card in this trio is a UD 20th Anniversary Retrospective of... the Wilkins Ice Shelf. More to the point: "Global Warming" and the ice shelf.

Ah, and now that the Mets are out of the way, we can get to the real reason you came: MOJO! The "hit" of the break for Indians comes in the form of a 2009 UD SP Authentic "By The Letter" manufactured patch card of Trevor Crowe. It's autographed to boot! And, it is the letter "H." H? Let's see, and it is yellow. A yellow H? I dunno man, I just collect 'em. The next two are from "A Piece of History" and feature Victor Martinez and Scott Lewis. For whatever reason, when I saw this, I thought of Mark Lewis from Tribe days gone by. I don't know why that should be.

Next up, a couple of Grady's - "A Piece of History" and a "MLB Artifacts." Add to that a V-Mart to round out the triplet.

In the SP Authentic break, I received Choo and Sizemore. I love the Sizemore card. It seems as though the ball is just off the card and he is determined to snag that puppy at any moment!

The final card in the break is neither a Mets nor an Indians card. Rather, it is the "Disasta Named NAFTA:"*

I have to say a big THANK YOU to Sam for hosting this break!

*For the record, I don't know if NAFTA is a disaster or not. It rhymed. It sounded funny to say. Save all the political arguments and justifications for your local tavern.

Blogathon to raise money for Doctors Without Borders!

2012-01-14T09:51:00.000-06:00

As part of the BBA, I am asked to help spread the word on various events throughout the year. I received an email from Mike Clair about his Blogathon, which benefits Doctors Without Borders.

Here is the message from Mike:

I just wanted to send an email out to everyone reminding you all of the charity blogathon I'm hosting over at Old Time Family Baseball to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. Here's a post that outlines the whole event, but the general gist is that starting on Saturday morning at 8 am I will be posting every 30 min for 24 hours on Saturday and over 20 baseball writers have contributed guest posts for Sunday. A number of BBA blogs have contributed, as well as a variety of well-known baseball writers including Craig Calcaterra and Jeff Sullivan among others. Here is the link where donations are being accepted:http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/OTFB. Every donation also enters people into a raffle for a number of prizes including baseball cards, books, movies, and more.
I would really appreciate it if you guys would help publicize the event and if you enjoyed the posts, passed them along on your blogs or to friends and family. Doctors Without Borders is a really amazing organization and they deserve all the support they can get.
Thanks,
Mike

If you feel so compelled, please visit his site and make a donation to DwB, plus get registered for cool prizes!

eTopps kills card-making operation

2012-01-11T17:19:00.000-06:00

Topps' "IPO" program, called eTopps, will cease the release of any new cards, according to a press release and info posted on Beckett (http://www.beckett.com/news/2012/01/parts-of-the-etopps-program-to-shut-down/).

I missed the first year of eTopps because I was collecting CyberAction CyberCards at the time, and the eTopps program APPEARED to be a digital card program. I was wrong. In the fine print of the day, eTopps let its users know that they could get the cards in-hand if they paid for shipping and handling. So, in 2002, I jumped in. I wasted, er spent, TONS of money in the program. I owned the complete 2002 set among nearly full sets of most latter years. Cards from 2001 rose in price beyond what any cards featuring those players should be worth. I bought football, baseball, basketball. I did not buy wrestling or racing or any other "sport" they came up with.

I actually liked the first generation of eTopps better than any other. Those early cards had a metal signet that was glued on the card, truly separating the cards from any other being made. eTopps lets its users buy, sell, and trade cards that are stored in a warehouse until the final owner requests to move the card from the "portfolio" to in-hand. eTopps cards "in-hand" arrived slabbed in a sturdy plastic holder. Those in-hand cards tended to sell for more on eBay than the ones still held in the warehouse ("in portfolio," as they were called).

I ended up selling much of my portfolio in bits and pieces, as I recall. I had all the Indians I owned sent to my house, along with several other cards. The other cards were then included in various giveaways, random packs, etc.

Though I haven't actively participated in eTopps over the past couple of years, I am sad to see the program disappear. eTopps cards, for me anyway, were a much better quality card - thick stock, shiny coating, unique items. I'll miss eTopps cards. That reminds me - I need to head online and check the prices for Indians eTopps cards from the past couple years. I need them for my Tribecards collection.

ANOTHER player from Prescott, AR!

2012-01-10T21:24:00.001-06:00

When I told my son and wife that Mark Aubrey had found Chuck Tompkins' Washington and Lee yearbook photos*, my son said, "Who? Floyd Robinson?" I said, "No. Tompkins. Who is Robinson?" He tells me, "He's the only MLB player from here (Prescott) that I know of."

Well, based on my previous post, he was one that I did NOT know about! How cool!?

What's even cooler? Jim from Downingtown did an entire post about Robinson in 2010!

Thanks to my son for bringing this guy to light and to Jim for the write-up on him. That's three MLB players that I know of now, born in our little town of Prescott.

*Thanks to Mark for correcting me on the source of the photos. And for also telling me to update the post.

Prescott, Arkansas and the Indians

2012-01-09T22:32:00.002-06:00

After posting about Travis Jackson, I thought it would be fun to see if any baseball players came from the town where I now make my home: Prescott, Ark. Not only did Prescott generate TWO pro ball players, one of them actually donned a Tribe uniform! Wahoo!

I'll start with the non-Triber who happened to play for the "other" Ohio team: Chuck Tompkins. Tompkins (shown below in the only image I could find of him) was born in 1889 and played for the Reds in 1912. He pitched in one game. He pitched three innings. He gave up 5 hits and 1 run, yet netted a 0.00 ERA. I don't know enough to understand how that happens. In any case, he lived to be 86 years old and happens to be buried in the same local cemetery as my Dad.

Chuck Tompkins

The second person to come out of Prescott and find his way to the Bigs was Jim Moore (shown below in White Sox garb). He was born in Prescott in 1903 and played for the Indians from 1928-1929 then played for the White Sox from 1930-1932. He played in three games with the Tribe. In his debut, he pitched a complete game giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 errors with 5 batters walked. He netted an ERA of 2.00. The next season, he pitched in 2 games for 5.2 innings in which he gave up 6 runs on 6 hits, 6 errors, a homer, and 4 walks. Ouch. That bit of pitching garnered a 9.53 ERA - the worst of his career. He died in Seattle and is buried in Colorado.

Jim Moore

I was excited to find this small town bred TWO major league players! I was ECSTATIC to discover one of them was a Triber!

Larkin gets the call to the Hall

2012-01-09T15:50:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Barry Larkin - the only player chosen by the Writers to be elected to the BBHOF this year! If you read my predictions/picks for the Hall, you are well aware of just how badly I did compared to the Big Boys. Ah well, I think Larkin deserves the nod. He was certainly one of my favorite players during my earlier collecting years. That is, before I dropped out and then dropped back in again.

Travis Jackson comes to mind

2012-01-07T20:20:00.002-06:00

I live in southern Arkansas (or Lower Arkansas, aka LA), and for a time drove through Waldo, Arkansas, on my way to work every day. At the time, I was a computer tech for Southern Arkansas University. When coming back home after work, there was sign that always caught my attention:

I passed by that sign every workday. I meant to look into who Jackson was, but never seemed to remember by the time I got home. The sign is long gone now. For no known reason I can come up with, Jackson's name popped in my head today. And, so, I Googled him.

According to BBHOF:

Travis Jackson was the hustling captain and clutch-hitting shortstop on John McGraw's Giants teams of the 1920s, playing through the mid-1930s. His outstanding arm, exceptional range and quick release earned him great respect in the field. Nicknamed Stonewall, after the Civil War general and for the wall of defense he supplied at shortstop, he also hit 135 home runs and compiled six .300-or-higher seasons at the plate. Rogers Hornsby praised Jackson by saying, "In all the years I watched him, playing with him and against him, I never saw him make a mistake."

He was so good at stopping the ball, he was actually given the nickname "Stonewall." Nice!

I did not know that he passed away in 1987 until I started looking in to his information. That's at least three years before I came to Arkansas. He was inducted in 1982, five years before his passing. I would have liked to have met him.

After checking out Jackson, I decided to see what other Arkansans are in the BBHOF. Turns out, there are at least SEVEN members with Arkansas ties! How cool!

Bill Dickey, Lou Brock, Dizzy Dean, Brooks Robinson, George Kell, and "Arky" Vaughan round out the rest of the boys from Arkansas.

Jackson was born in Waldo and he died in Waldo. Between the two, he managed to set himself apart from other baseball players during the "Roaring 20's" playing for the NY Giants. That's a pretty good life in my book.

Christmas Cards

2011-12-31T13:21:00.000-06:00

I always put "Packs of Baseball Cards" on my Christmas Wish List. Every year, my family asks, "Well, what kind of baseball cards?" My response: "Any kind!" I don't care if they are the latest wax packs or a discount piece-together - I'll take baseball cards for Christmas any way, shape or form.

This year, I received several packs of cards and a "Big Pack" blaster box. The scans are some of the hits from all the cards that came out of those. I use the term "hits" in two ways: First, Tribers and cards that catch my eye. Second, inserts, parallels, etc.

Let's kick things off with the Tribers in the bunch: Jason Kipnis, Lou Marson, Alex White, and Chris Perez:

I chose the following for specific reasons. Topps photography was better for the 2011 set than I have seen in years. The quality, the action, the overall presentation. Finally, some decent work. First, we have Dustin Moseley in mid air, about to kick Drew in the head. Okay, not exactly, but dang close enough that Drew is ducking out of the way! Derek Jeter is, well, Derek Jeter. And Derrick Lee is signing autographs along with other players in the background. That is a great "fan-reach" photo right there.

And speaking of reaching, how about a laid out Nyjer Morgan with the ball just at glove's tip from this angle. This is a great in-the-moment photo! Does he make the catch? Is the ball too far out of reach? Excellent!

The next three cards feature ToppsTown versions of Joe Mauer, Mark Reynolds, and Kevin Youkilis:

Serially numbered gold cards have become an annual Topps standard, and I snagged two of them: Troy Polomalu, er, Tulowitzki, and Aaron Harang. Why is it that #/2011 should sound like a very limited run, yet feels like an overproduction!? Ah well, in any case:

I also managed a handful of shiny/sparkly Diamond Anniversary cards. Some are silver and some are gold, or bronze, or something other than silver, which is actually probably supposed to be platinum. As you see, my terminology among inserts/parallels/etc is not up to par. I got Michael Dunn, Deavid Eckstein, Hunter Pence, Zach Duke, and Nick Blackburn:

Among the cards in packs and boxes, I also found a handful of mini Champions cards! I like these a lot, and the player selection ain't bad, either! How about recent HOFer Bert Blyleven!? Yeah, buddy! Oh, and then Paul Molitor! He's probably one of the few Brewers I could name off the top of my head without thinking. Arkansas native Cliff Lee joins the group followed by Mike Stanton. I like that Lee is pictured in a Philles hat, yet the 'sketch' at the bottom is clearly an Indians uniform.

I pulled three Topps60 cards: Lou Gehrig, Joe Mauer, and George Sisler. Nice trio, if I must say. And, of course, I must!

These next two are blue-bordered. I have no idea why. I should feel ashamed at my lack of hobby-related knowledge. But, I don't. So, I present Juan Uribe (No, Run your own eBay!) and George Sherrill. I friend Amy with the same last name as George - I wonder if they are related...

I got one "60 Years of Topps" card, and it is Curt Shilling on a 1990 Topps layout. I also got a "Before There Was Topps" card of American Tobacco 1911: T201. I also received a "Diamond Duos" card featuring A-Rod and E-Long. See what I did there?

The next card actually came out of pack of cards, and not the big blaster, which I found quite surprising. Why? I've actually talked to the guy who restocks the cards at our local Wally World and it is quite evident that he collects the 'hits' from packs he receives. I figured the chances of ever pulling a material card from a pack there were just about zero. And, thus, here is my "just about" card: All-Star game-worn workout jersey (really? a workout jersey??) of Paul Konerko:

Not to be outdone, my mother-in-law snuck a pack of football cards into my stocking (for the Christmas record, she makes up stockings for everyone in the family each year. She is not stepping on ol' Santa's toes with this). When I opened the pack of Score cards, Big Ben was staring me in the face! Hey, if you're gonna get me football cards, pulling a pack with a Steeler in it is a sure-fire way to win me over! I also got a "Millennium Men" insert of Antonio Gates and Jake Long card (among other cards). Why post the Jake Long? Because it features James Harrison, of course.

I love that my family supports my cardboard habit! As a matter of note, I also received several other 'hobby-related' items including Indians shirts and shorts, "The Perfect Game" on DVD, and "The Funniest Baseball Book Ever" in paperback. I'm sure there were other things, too. I just can't remember them now that it's been almost a week.

Topps 2012 Series 2 on Facebook

2011-12-30T10:05:00.001-06:00

Topps released pics/mock-ups of their 2012 Series 2 line for next year. I made comments on each and every one of them as a way to provide customer feedback, and because I generally can't keep my mouth shut about anything these days, it seems.

My number one complaint: stickered autographs. Oh, I know, to some collectors, just having an autograph is fantastic in and of itself. For me, though, an actual on-card auto far outweighs the coolness factor of signed sticker. Why? Because with an on-card auto, you know the player actually touched the card in order to get the auto on there. With a sticker, it just seems... I dunno... removed somehow.

My other issue is the large 1-of-1 letter patch cards and the 'retro-look' cards. Come on. Using designs from past sets is played out. Has been for years. Collectors want something new, fresh.

I actually like the designs of the base set for 2012 on the vertical cards. The design, to me, does not work at all on horizontal versions. Why not? The "swoop/swish" thing takes up too much room. On a vertical card, there is still plenty of space for the player photo. On a horizontal card, though, that same element squeezes the player's photo.

By far, my favorite styles for the 2012 Series 2 are the Team Ring cards and the Gold Futures Coins. I think they should do a "coins" version for HOFers/Legends though. Nice.

There are lots of additional pictures on their Facebook page (link below). Topps has their version of "Upper Deck X" as well. It's a so-so design, but looks far too much like "X" for my liking. I mean, sure I liked "X" die cuts and all, but once again - played out. What I'd really like to see if the return of Pacific-style die cuts. I mean, if we're going to do die cuts, let's get wild with them: Christmas tree ornaments, baseballs, whatever!

*The 2012 Series 2 album is here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150491772684594.388265.340373399593&type=1

Merry Christmas, Tribecards style

2011-12-24T10:10:00.001-06:00

(okay, so I am repurposing last year's Christmas post. does that count as regifting if it's a gift I gave twice?)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I hope you and your family have a WONDERFUL Christmas full of little bits of cardboard goodness!

2012 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot/thoughts

2011-12-21T07:41:00.000-06:00

This is my first foray into picking HOFer, er potential ones anyway, as a member of the BBA. I will probably match many of my fellow bloggers on most things, given the players listed for 2012. But, if you've been reading along at all, you know I have some pretty weird quirks and I'm sure some of those will find their way into my decision making. My criteria for choosing certain players hinges on one thing - do I think the player is "Hall-worthy."

And, before we get started, let's just clear something up right here: The late-great players that have been in the Hall since its inception (not all, I know!) have been boozers, potheads, schizos, womanizers, whatever. As I read on another post, I'm not looking for players that helped old ladies across the street (though that helps in my book), but players who should be listed in the Hall because they deserve to in the Hall of FAME. Are they baseball-famous? Would a sports fan, possibly even a casual one, know who this person is due to their contribution to baseball? Infamy can work just as well as fame. Well, maybe. Sometimes not so much.

Naturally, these are not sorted in any form or fashion. However, I will list my top 5 or 10 or whatever at the end.

Barry Larkin - One of my favorite players during the height of my early collecting years. HOFer? Maybe. He's a cusp vote in my book. Vote: MAYBE

Jack Morris - Another cusp vote. Hard to say outright, but with the other names on here, I don't see him making it. Fair or not, that's the way it happens. Vote: MAYBE

Juan Gonzalez - How is he not already in? Seriously. He'd get a yes from me. Vote: YES

Lee Smith - Without looking up any numbers whatsoever, I don't recall much about Smith. I'll say no based on that alone. Vote: NO

Jeff Bagwell - Of course. Bagwell, for me, is synonymous with the Astros and a name that stands out among the others. Er, well, some of the others. Enough to get my vote. Vote: YES

Tim Raines - How is he not already in? Yes, it is time to put Tim Raines in the HOF. Vote: YES

Edgar Martinez - Mariners perennial. As soon as I see the name, I think of a kickin' 3rd baseman that I watched play for many years. A career Seattle player that ought to be in the Hall. Vote: YES

Alan Trammell - I know the name instantly. Is he Hall-worthy, though? Not that I can think of. Maybe his numbers say something else, but not off the top of my head. Vote: NO

Larry Walker - Like Trammel, I know the name, but can't see him in the Hall. Sorry, guy. Vote: NO

Mark McGwire - Ah, the steroids poster boy. Here's the thing: Pete Rose is booted for life because he got caught betting on baseball, as a MANAGER. McGwire used 'roids as a PLAYER. The "Pete Rose Barometer" needs to be abolished. He and Sosa should be in Hall. Period. Steroids or not, a player still has to hit a ball coming at them at 95+ miles per hour. Steroids or not, I can't do it. Can you? Oh, I know, the argument is more about the distance, power, etc. Whatever. You could walk up to just about anyone on the street and mention his name and people will know who he is. Vote: YES

Fred McGriff - The Crime Dog! Of course he goes in the Hall! DUH! Vote: YES

Don Mattingly - How in the heck is DON "FREAKIN" MATTINGLY not already in the baseball Hall of Fame!? Seriously. Don Mattingly!? Hello, people! Vote: YES

Dale Murphy - Refer to comment above. It is DALE "FREAKIN" MURPHY here, folks! Come on. How do people like Murphy not get into the Hall on the first ballot!? The system, my friends, is broken. Vote: YES

Rafael Palmeiro - Ah, yes, another 'besmirching' name for the Hall. Like McGwire, I would venture that even non-fans know his name, probably would say he was an Oriole (without even knowing who the Orioles were), and would say, "Isn't he in the Hall with Babe Ruth?" Well, okay, maybe a stretch there at the last, but you get my point. Vote: YES

Bernie Williams - I could see him in. I could see him not in. Another cusp player for me. Vote: MAYBE

Vinny Castilla - Probably not. I have no reason other than my gut telling me no. Vote: NO

Javy Lopez - I don't know why, but I think he should be in there. For me, Javy is one of those players that immediately brings baseball to mind. And for that alone, I'll say yes. Vote: YES

Ruben Sierra - Meh. Like several others, I know the name but very little about his career or his contributions to baseball as a whole. For that, I say maybe. Vote: MAYBE

Jeromy Burnitz - I can't think of why he would be in the Hall. Vote: NO

Tim Salmon - Nothing jumps out at me here. Vote: NO

Tony Womack - Never heard of him. Vote: NO

Phil Nevin - I actually thought he was a pitcher. Turns out he was an infielder. There's all I need to vote. I didn't remember anything about him. Vote: NO

Brian Jordan - Okay, another name that rings no bells whatsoever. Vote: NO

Eric Young - Hmmm... Trying to recall... Nope. Nada. Sorry, man. Vote: NO

Bill Mueller - Again, nothing rings a bell. In fact, I'm starting to get cobwebs up there. Vote: NO

Terry Mulholland - Ah, pitcher. A name I know. Not sure Hall-worthy, though. He's probably cusp for me at best. Vote: MAYBE

Brad Radke - Another name I know, but not sure if he is Hall material. Let him ride the fence. Vote: MAYBE

So, let me review my picks (in order of appearance, not my voting order):
Juan Gonzalez, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Edgar Martinez, Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro, Javy Lopez

And now, let's put them in order of my vote:
Dale Murphy
Don Mattingly
Jeff Bagwell
Juan Gonzalez
Edgar Martinez
Tim Raines
Javy Lopez
Fred McGriff
Rafael Palmeiro
Mark McGwire

And, lookie there, I ended up with exactly ten names. Without even trying. I guess things just have a way or working out, eh. Feel free to comment. Have fun!

2003 Post, Upper Deck, EA Sports, RealOne CDs

2011-12-20T21:49:00.001-06:00

Remember when Topps cards appeared on the bottom of Hostess boxes or were included in boxes of cereal? Well, in 2003, Post teamed up with Upper Deck, RealOne Networks, America Online, and EA Sports to bring collectors a look into the "21st Century Collection." What did these new-fangled collections come on? CD-ROM, of course!

I recently found a stash of the discs in a pile of other ancient games and CD's, and realized I never completed the set. Heck, I'm not sure until today I even ever opened a single disc. I did not have AL Central in my stash, so I found a seller on eBay, bid and bought it.

There were six discs in all, one for each division. According to the promo video that plays, if you collected all six discs you could order a real set of cards from UD. More on that in a moment.

Surprisingly, the CDs still play on a Windows 7 machine, though there are some weird glitches. If you plan to pick these up, I suggest you run them in the Windows XP Mode download from Microsoft. The install puts RealOne on your computer if you don't already have RealPlayer. Not sure what it does if you *do* have RealPlayer already.

The promotion was officially called "Three Ways to Score" and featured the title screen below. One could run a demo of EA Sports MVP 2003 Home Run game where you face off against another player (human or computer) and you have to hit enough home runs to accumulate 5,280 feet (a mile). I played as Jim Thome against the computer as Sammy Sosa. Let's just say I have to practice on timing.

The other options from the title screen are to watch "Huge Home Runs" - a video collection featuring homers from the teams featured on the particular disc. You could also view you virtual trading cards. You may recall my post about CyberAction collectible trading cards. These were the the-modern day version. We'll see those in a bit.

Right now, check out the screenshot from the "Huge Home Runs" video of the Indians. The video can be played full screen, but by today's standards, the quality doesn't even rival YouTube low quality. It's a bit rough to watch outside of the default size (my guess about 320x240 maybe). You can't see it in my screenshot, but the bottom half of the layout has icons of the teams to choose from. When you pick one for the first time, the program copies the videos to your computer.

The last option on the title screen is to view your collection. This actually two parts to it: the virtual cards and a checklist system for UD's MVP series for 2002. Why? I have no idea. The cool thing, though, about the checklist: you get a front and back view of each card.

Next, we get to the virtual cards. First, we see a checklist of the cards available on THIS disc. You have to insert the right CD to view the right cards. That is sooo 2003... So is telling people to click on the HIGHLIGHTED names. Because, you know, we were so dumb in '03 we didn't understand hyperlinks and all that fancy web-page stuff.

The cards themselves are actually kinda cool, for digital cards that is. Again, the resolution of today's computers make reading these a bit rough. However, you get the general idea:

I will have to see if I can find the actual card that goes along with Thome's virtual one. I don't think I ever knew they had physical counterparts. That's actually a very clever idea, Upper Deck.

Since I am only missing #'s 3 and 5, I may hit the 'Bay and snag them up - or a full set, probably cheaper.

Packs to be mailed

2011-12-18T12:27:00.001-06:00

Hey all, just thought I'd drop a quick line to let you know that I am still here at Tribecards. Been offline from the site a bit as life has taken me away from blogging about my beloved Tribe here lately. Hopefully, that will turn around before too long.

In the meantime, I have several packs of cards I'll be sending out this week: some folks are still awaiting their "Starter Packs" from the Topps Hobby box I opened many moons ago and I have random packs of kindness that I will be shipping out. Eric S's was sent to an old address, returned, and then promptly placed on a shelf to be mailed out, which never happened - D'OH!

In the meantime, I hope everyone has a VERY Merry Christmas and a happy off season! :-)

Jim Thome Baseball Game

2011-12-05T20:24:00.001-06:00

Evidently, in 1997, Jim Thome was asked to put his name and likeness on a dice/board baseball game. I had never seen nor heard of this beast until I saw a recent post on OldTimeFamilyBaseball.com. From there, I just had to look around. Sure enough, there are several on eBay... I may have to add this to my Christmas wish list, just for kicks.

For those who enjoy "airburshing," you can see this game is NOT licensed by the MLB in any form or fashion. Sure, he may be wearing an Indians uniform in these images, but you're not supposed to know he is... Based on the work done, it probably would have been cheaper to get the rights than pay the person to airbrush the images. Then again, I know several of you could whip that out pretty quickly.

My Two Cents: Looking at the Indians Off Season

2011-12-04T21:41:00.001-06:00

As part of the three-part assignment given by Bill Ivie at BaseballDigest.com, my off-season outlook appears on the BBD site here: http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/12/01/bd-off-season-outlook-cleveland-indians/

The third article in the series will appear in the spring as I'll take a look at the upcoming season based on the players ready to take the field at the time.

For this most recent writing, however, I believe Beau Mills has the highest potential impact for the team, presuming he'll come up from the minors to help out at first. As I state in the piece, he could actually take the first base position depending on what the Tribe does there. I think he has been flying just under the radar but is about to bust loose. Whether for the Tribe or not, Mills is one to watch in 2012.

Under the generosity of Mr. Ivie, the writers participating in this 3-part project have also been invited to write other guest pieces for BaseballDigest Online. As always, if something I write gets published there, I'll be sure to share!

As seen in the Little Rock airport

2011-11-30T09:31:00.001-06:00

It's not everyday you get to see anything related to the Tribe in Arkansas, so I was happy to see this ad!

Cards from The Readerman

2011-11-26T22:02:00.001-06:00

A few days ago, perhaps a tad longer than that, I received a bubbleope from Rod "Readerman" Richards. When I picked it up, I heard a bit of rattling around in there, so my curiosity was certainly raised a bit.

When I opened the package, I tilted it a little and sliding out came four small buttons. Rod loves to read and to post his reviews and thoughts about the books he reads on readerman.net. as you may recall, he recently reviewed my debut novel (I got a well-deserved "B" with tips on making into an "A"). The buttons each contained literary references:

My favorite of the lot, of course, "I'm Bringing Paperback." Even my daughter "got" the joke! Excellent stuff!

Of course, what I really wanted to get after: the cards! Send in the cards! (Okay, bad parody of a line from "Die Hard," but what can I say?)

First up: 2011 Heritage Clubhouse Collection Relic Arodys Vizcaino, 2011 A&G Chris Perez, and 2011 A&G Carlos Santana. I had to look up Vizcaino because I am not familiar with him. Turns out, he is a Braves "future star" that ultimately figures in to the Derek Lowe deal with the Tribe. How? Well, I figure if he stays up in the majors (he saw some time last year evidently), he may show that getting rid of Lowe was the best move more the Braves. I can't say I disagree. I can't I agree with the Tribe getting Lowe, though. I digress. The card itself is Heritage classic: wood grain background, washed-out/faded image, nice sturdy card stock. The Allen & Ginters are VERY nice this year! I know, not everyone is a fan, but I am. I love the trim/border and the colored logo area. Great stuff. And, I get Perez and Santana to boot! Wahoo!

Next up, a trio of 1988 Score cards: Cory Snyder, Carmen Castillo, and John Farrell. Synder, of course, is one of the Indians all-time fan favorites. He played nearly every day, every chance he got. He wasn't "Hall of Fame" level, but he was "Get in there and get to work" level. And, in Cleveland, that's what matters. Carmen Castillo didn't play as often as Synder, but still managed to hold his own with an AVG that mirrored Synder's as well as an OBP that was about the same as well. John Farrell served as part of the Indians starting rotation through the late 80's into 1990, then made a brief return in '95. I'm not crazy about the purple borders on these, and the double border design seems to shrink the photo even more than it already is. In any case, I love getting Tribers from days gone by!

The next cards include 2008 UD First Edition Update Jhonny Peralta, 2008 UD First Edition Update Paul Byrd, 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects Kyle Blair. I love these UD First Edition cards. Large photos with text that doesn't overtake the card and they are borderless. Nice stuff here! The Bowman Chrome makes the photo look like it was tacked on as an afterthought - so small... So small... (Okay, that double "so small" is a reference to Stephen King's short "The Man in the Black Suit."). The Kyle Blair card threw me a bit because the auto doesn't say "Kyle Blair." There's a good reason for that: his name is actually Blair Kyle Carson, and the auto is, of course, his legal, contract-binding name. So, mystery solved. Is he likely to see The Bigs in 2012. I'll vote yes.

The next three Tribecards are 2011 Topps Lineage Grady Sizemore, 2011 Topps Lineage Cy Young, and 2011 Topps Mitch Talbot. I think I've said this before, but I love the look of the Lineage cards! They are, how do you say, "modern retro." Haha, something like that. And, I also happen to like the 2011 base product design as well. Grady Sizemore is coming back to the Tribe for another year of "maybe he'll play today, maybe he won't." Cy Young. Perhaps you've heard of him? There's some kind of pitching award handed out with his name on it. You didn't know? Yeah, he was one of the best freaking pitchers out there. Yeah, he played for the Indians! In his pitching debut (for then Cleveland Spiders), he pitched a 3-hitter. Just sayin. Talbot has elected free agency and might be picked up by someone - if they overlook his horrid 6 gazillion ERA. Ouch.

So, check these bad boys out: 2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary Gold Sparkly Kosuke Fukudome (yes, that's what I'm calling it, got a problem with that?), 2011 Gypsy Queen Carlos Santana, and a 2011 Topps Update (or something or other) Lonnie Chisenhall. The gold sparkly ROCKS! Man, that is one sweet card!The Gypsy Queen is an interesting fella. The border is a bit big, but I can't help but like the text on it and the weird cell-shading effect of the player. Cool card. Chisenhall was gonna save the team. That's a lot to ask of a kid. Just ask Sizemore. Overall, though, a sweet triplet.

The last three cards feature a 2011 Topps Lineage Albert "freakin" Belle, 2011 Bowman Platinum Moments Carlos Santana, and a 2011 Topps Jeanmar Gomez. Any time someone sends me a player like Albert Belle, I go bananas. I know, I know, he had his "moments" on and off the field, but you cannot dent his on-field awesomeness. Flat out rockin. The Bowman Santana card is something to behold. Man, this is one fantastic card! THIS is what chrome/foil/shiny should have been all along. Thick card stock, great photo and color, and even the text/logo scream "class." One of my favorite styles yet. Topps did something right with this set! Gomez looks like he is pitching in the desert. Wait, this was probably taken in Goodyear. (Ah, I hear the calls of "NO S***, SHERLOCK!" now)

I want to thank Rod for a VERY cool surprise package!! These are some great Tribers and a handful of cool literary buttons to boot!! Not often those two worlds collide for me, and it's nice to see they make a neat pair! In fact, I think it's time to sit down and start a baseball-related novel. I mean writing one, not reading one, although there may be some of that too.

Add "BaseballDigest Online" Contributor to the list!

2011-11-23T09:34:00.001-06:00

A couple weeks ago, Bill Ivie of BaseballDigest asked for folks to submit a "Report Card" for their favorite team(s). I volunteered to take an honest, hard look at the Indians. Let me assure you, it may not be easy reading if you are the type of fan who only sees the team through red-and-blue-colored spectacles.

The Indians finished 2nd in their division in 2011, which is great. But, they also finished just south of .500, which is basically average. Well, in my book, it is average. Mind you, the writers were not given any kind of rubric with which to base their findings, so I made up my own. Namely, I see a .500 season as "average." After all, a 1.000 season would be an A+, a .750 would equal a "B", a .500 is a "C", a .250 a "D" and anything short of .250 is failing. I may very well be the only writer to evaluate their team that way, but, as I said, I made it up. Feel free to agree or disagree.

So, overall, the Indians were a "C-/D+" team in my opinion. And, after reading about injuries and lack of player continuity at just about any given position, hopefully you will see why I graded the way I did.

I love the Indians, and have for a long, long time. I outgrew the "blinders-on" fandom back in the 80's. I want to see the Indians do well, play hard, stay healthy, and make good, solid management decisions. Looking back on a season with extreme highs and devastating lows, I believe I have provided a solid representation of my beloved Indians in 2011.

And so, without further delay, I present my 2011 Cleveland Indians Report Card: http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/11/23/bd-report-card-cleveland-indians/

Seriously. Let him go.

2011-11-19T11:40:00.001-06:00

Ah, yes, word on the street is that the Indians and Grady Sizemore's people are close to a 1-year deal to bring him back to Cleveland. Am I the only Tribe fan that sees this as a horrible, horrible thing to do?? He was once a great outfielder. There is no doubt about that. He even did "okay" last year for a guy who was plagued by the same injury-proneness that has followed him for years. And, therein lies the rub: he cannot stay in a playable condition.

Please, let the man go. Let some other team deal with injuries and rumor and speculation of playability. We need new, healthy players in the Tribe clubhouse. We have got to look FORWARD with both eyes instead of glancing forward while keeping our team's head turned to the past.

The Indians management needs to grow a pair and cut loose that which drags the team down. At the same time, quit pulling in players that only serve to increase the average player age of the team. Age and experience can be good things. No doubt there. But, sometimes, you have to just keep swimming. Keep moving forward. It's worked pretty well for Disney. Let's try it in Cleveland.

Here's the MLB article regarding the deal as of Friday.

Tribecards and Alaska

2011-11-13T19:15:00.001-06:00

About a week or so ago, Jesse from 49thstatehardball.com asked for volunteers to participate in a project he was developing. So, a few days ago, he dropped me a line to ask for my input regarding a few ex-Alaska League players who are part of the Indians organization. Admittedly, I had not really heard of the players since I don't generally follow the prospect scene. But, I agreed to the project because I thought it would be a fun challenge. It was!

I did as much research on each player as I could, then culled together my thoughts based on stats, info, and general "gut feelings." I guess we'll see how close I come when the Tribe take the field in 2012.

You can check out the article (which is really a Q&A) on the site: http://49thstatehardball.com/2011/11/qa-with-david-henderson.html

Wherefore art thou, Tribecards?

2011-11-12T09:30:00.001-06:00

Oh, I know, you think I fell off the face of the Earth after posting how I was going to write more and do better. Evidently, I am not a very good steward of the Tribecards name, especially in the off season.

Well, as a teaser, I can tell you that I have been working on a series of articles for Baseball Digest Online (along with a slew of other folks) that recaps the 2011 baseball season, looks at the team's off season, and then looks ahead to next year.

Once my article has been edited, approved and posted, I'll share it with you, along with additional thoughts that didn't make the summary. I have a feeling my submitted piece will get cut a bit as I wrote a tad more than double the requested word count. And, I didn't even digress in it!

I suppose that comes from my MA in BS...

A most EPIC adventure - vicarious living!

2011-11-01T11:53:00.002-05:00

So, you had to watch Game 7 of the World Series on TV with the majority of folks (including myself)? What if... Just, what if... You and two of your buddies decided to hop in a car and head to Game 7 without any tickets and not really much of a plan?

Well, follow along with these three guys as they did just that! I had a BLAST reading along* as they spelled out each part of their trip. In fact, I see a movie deal in the making with this one. So, like most of us, I am living vicariously through the awesomeness that is DiamondHoggers:

http://diamondhoggers.com/2011/11/01/the-ups-and-downs-of-an-epic-last-minute-trip-to-st-louis-for-game-7-of-the-world-series/

*Note: I **DID NOT** go on this trip. I am merely sharing an incredible tale! Heck, I don't even know the guys involved. And, even if I did, I'd probably have to claim I didn't after their adventure anyway for legal reasons!