Sculu Sports Blogs

Airbrushed Fridays: 2011 Topps #512

CardsOnCards — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:36:19 +0000

Octavio Dotel Week continues here at Cards on Cards with his second obviously airbrushed card in the past year. This one isn’t quite as bad as last year’s Topps Update card, which had so many things going wrong with it that it probably deserves another post of its own.

Octavio Dotel is a right-handed reliever who was most recently with the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. He became a heavily relied upon piece of Tony La Russa’s bullpen down the stretch and on into the playoffs where the Cardinals pulled off quite a stunning run.

Why did Topps airbrush Octavio’s photo? Dotel, who has now been with 10 teams since 2005, was signed by the Blue Jays in the offseason. Dotel first made appearances with Toronto at the beginning of April, but apparently Topps took their sweet time in finding a current photo of him.

What’s wrong with this picture, anyway? Dotel didn’t wear #35 with the Jays (he wore #29) and the whole logo and number have that weird fake wrapping effect to them. Also, I think the single stripe look to his black sleeves is more of a Rockies thing than a Blue Jays thing.

If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here, please send me an e-mail. If you have a card you would like to nominate for Airbrushed Fridays, please get in touch as well. I will require that I am able to see the card in person, either on loan or as a donation, so that I can examine the card and experience it in all its cruddiness. Also, if you are reading this in the middle of the night because you’re participating in some Black Friday shenanigans, you may want to seriously reconsider your priorities.

I Traded Anything

CardsOnCards — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:36:19 +0000

Trade Me Anything is an annual October tradition over at Thorzul Will Rule. Thorzul buys a bunch of the new Topps Update and trades off the unwanted extras to others who feel like being adventurous. You can see what I sent here. (Hint: I try to keep things at least somewhat “anything”.)

Allen Craig’s card is a bit on the strange side, especially in that he’s not actually playing the outfield. With Tony La Russa’s retirement (that seems so weird to type, much less say), we’ve probably seen the last of the Craig At 2nd Experiment. It was fun while it lasted! I’m not so sure that he enjoyed it, however.

The kids affectionately call these abominations “liquorfractors”. I will stick to my assessment that they look like pure vomit. And yet, I find myself compelled to collect them if Cardinals are involved.

We just learned today that with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement rules in place, the Cardinals will receive a supplemental draft pick as compensation for Octavio Dotel’s departure even if they don’t offer him arbitration. I wouldn’t mind seeing him come back, however. He was certainly the one who came to embrace the high socks look the most.

Good Luck Ducks, Week 12: Danger!

CardsOnCards — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:36:18 +0000

Ah, USC, we meet again. Sadly, one of the negative aspects of the new conference alignment is that Oregon will only host the Trojans every 4 years, as they alternate seasons between playing UCLA and USC. The Trojans can really go for broke in tonight’s game as they really have nothing to lose. They are still on probation, which means no postseason play, no Pac-12 South title… it’s just this game and the UCLA game left for Lane Kiffin and his annoying marching band.

USC has a lot of offensive weapons, and now that Oregon has conquered Stanford all the focus seems to be headed towards Matt Barkley. I don’t really get that, personally. Didn’t Stanford and USC play to a virtual dead heat this season? Isn’t Andrew Luck still the proverbial Man? Unfortunately, despite any accolades you feel like throwing towards the Trojans, a win over USC tonight will not mean as much in the polls and to the computers as the win over Stanford.

Still, this is the best opponent Oregon will face until their bowl game. I am confident that Oregon will not be looking past this game. USC is very dangerous, and it could easily be a much closer game than last week’s. Oregon must again play mistake free football and keep the offense moving in order to keep pace with the dangerous Trojans team. Autzen Stadium will be loud tonight.

Above footage from the 2010 Oregon/USC game in LA.

Game time is 5:00 PST with regional coverage on ABC. Go Ducks!

Airbrushed Fridays: 1978 Topps #539

CardsOnCards — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:36:18 +0000

I can barely contain my rage at the way Bud Selig is intent on ruining MLB. The moving of the Astros nonsense is bad enough, but I can’t believe the 1-game playoff idea is going forward, perhaps as soon as next season. Interleague play every day? Is there any major professional sport worth watching anymore?

Vic Davalillo was an All-Star outfielder turned utility player and defensive specialist who spent 15 seasons in the majors, logging 5 postseason appearances with 3 teams. He became such a prolific pinch-hitter in later seasons that he actually set a National League record with 24 pinch hits in 1970 with St. Louis.

Why did Topps airbrush Vic’s photo? Vic spent three years in the Mexican League leading up to his return to the majors with the Dodgers late in the 1977 season, as he was acquired for their stretch run to the playoffs. This likely dates the photo used on this card back to 1974 or before.

What’s wrong with this picture, anyway? Well, it looks like Davalillo’s shirt was used as an experimental painting canvas. The LA logo on his cap isn’t the worst I’ve seen, but there’s a really goofy electric blue halo on his head.

Getting Current

CardsOnCards — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:36:15 +0000

I’m about as close to being caught up with trades (and trade posts) as I have been in months, and that’s exciting news to me. It also means that I just might be ready to take on some more trades, although I’m going to have to choose wisely and carefully the ones I accept. I haven’t purchased many cards lately, so it’s becoming more difficult to find things that other people might want. (I wish that meant that I’m clearing up storage space and reducing my cardboard inventory, but it’s not really the case.) I did pick up an Allen & Ginter blaster tonight and knocked off quite a few things off my want list, so that’s a good thing. It’s updated now if you’re interested.

This post is about the package I got from the once and former (and now current) Potch Wheeler and The Cardboard Heroes. Allen & Ginter was once again on the menu, and this package was certainly full of heroes (and not too many zeroes.)

Rafael Furcal apparently is looking for a multi-year deal, which certainly is within his right. However, with the money he’s asking and the fragility he’s dealt with in recent years, it seems decreasingly likely that he’ll remain a Cardinal. It’s too bad, because he had the greatest impact on the team’s overall turnaround that eventually led to their stunning playoff run. The Cards have some infield depth and, if John Mozeliak is to be believed, are set to pencil in Tyler Greene on many lineup cards next year. That could be interesting.

The pride of Madras, Oregon… which is kind of in the middle of nowhere. As most of you know, I am an Oregonian, which I guess is the only thing that keeps me from despising Jacoby Ellsbury like I do the rest of the Boston roster. He’s far from a player I really like, though, but I guess it’s kind of cool to see your home state on a card.

Somehow I let on that I like the Cardinals, so a few St. Louis cards found their way into the package. Donruss had a few oddball releases in the ’80s that I am not familiar with, so I usually enjoy receiving these kinds of cards in trades.

Birthday Box: Packs 17-24

CardsOnCards — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:36:11 +0000

And here we have the frighteningly uneventful conclusion of the 2009 Heritage High Series box. With pictures!

Pack 17:

552 - Daniel Schlereth (Son of Stink)

603 - Jody Gerut

643 - Mike Carp (Mike Carp debuted in the majors in 2009 and then disappeared for awhile, only to reemerge this past season as one of the few reliable offensive options in the Mariners lineup.)

UH158 - Wilson Valdez

UH38 - Justin Upton All-Stars

505 - Adam Everett

564 - Emilio Bonifacio

588 - Jake Fox

Pack 18:

507 - John Smoltz (It’s already weird to see Smoltz in a Cards uni. Did that really happen?)

547 - Craig Stammen

587 - J.P. Howell (Howell has some temper on him.)

UH175 - Jody Gerut

UH174 - Omar Vizquel

719 - Ricky Romero

627 - Kyle Farnsworth

650 - Jim Thome (Thome fits the Everyone Eventually Plays For The Dodgers theory, even if he only got a few lousy at-bats.)

Pack 19:

520 - Bobby Scales

679 - Scott Downs

UH166 - Mike Redmond

UH17 - Derek Jeter / David Wright Classic Combos Checklist

TN-1 - Roger Maris / Dustin Pedroia Then and Now

658 - Pat Burrell

630 - LaTroy Hawkins

Pack 20:

644 - Mike Hampton

672 - Aubrey Huff

529 - Brett Cecil

UH103 - Evan Longoria All-Stars

UH9 - Jonathan Broxton (Can broken closers ever be fixed?)

CHR131 - Brandon Wood Chrome 0501/1960

580 - Graham Taylor

541 - Clayton Mortensen (Former Cardinal who departed in the Matt Holliday trade.)

Pack 21:

622 - Kevin Gregg

664 - Randy Wells

683 - Bill Hall

UH161 - Andrew Bailey All-Stars

UH111 - Livan Hernandez

CHR165 - Matt LaPorta Chrome 0505/1960 (If any of these Chrome cards catch your eye, just let me know. I only collect them if they’re Cardinals.)

511 - Andrew Bailey

591 - Felipe Lopez

Pack 22:

628 - Landon Powell

581 - Gregg Zaun

542 - Clayton Richard

UH206 - Chris Burke

UH294 - Josh Anderson

711 - Trevor Cahill (Here’s another SP. Do I have it? I’ll have to consult the want list.)

615 - Juan Rivera

585 - J.A. Happ

Pack 23:

503 - Aaron Poreda

666 - Rich Hill

655 - Omir Santos

UH185 - Kevin Correia

UH156 - Heath Bell All-Stars

FB-06 - Albert Pujols Flashback (I definitely needed this one!)

673 - Yuniesky Betancourt

661 - Freddy Sanchez

Pack 24:

506 - Adam Kennedy

565 - Endy Chavez

589 - Jamey Carroll (Ahh! Demon!)

UH148 - Jason Bay All-Stars

UH78 - LaTroy Hawkins

CHR158 - Jeff Francoeur Chrome 0474/1960 (Like I said… lots of Chrome.)

554 - David Eckstein

524 - Brad Penny (A couple of ex-Cards round out the box.)

Heritage Overload

CardsOnCards — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:36:00 +0000

The only thing I regret about coming around to the idea of collecting baseball cards again was that I did it so late in the game, and only because I missed out on some not very affordable sets that I still covet. Precisely, any Topps Heritage prior to 2007, the first two Allen & Ginter (retro) sets and the 2005-06 Turkey Red set will always be just out of reach to me. I rarely see anything from any of those sets in unopened form, and when I do it’s usually too cost prohibitive for me to even entertain the idea. Fortunately, Robert from $30 a Week Habit backed a truckload of 2003 and 2004 Heritage cards up to my front door and unloaded a bunch of them on me. Here’s just a few images highlighting a mammoth sized package.

Shin-Soo Choo is another case study in my ongoing You Can Make An All-Star Team Out Of Ex-Mariners project.

This is kind of a goofy card. Did anyone know that there was a Jake Mauer? Are his parents proud of him, or do they just say that they are?

When this card came out, Jamie Moyer was already 40.

As Big Papi prepares to possibly move on from Boston, it might seem strange that the former David Arias actually spent 6 seasons in another uniform other than a Red Sox one.

Jimmy! The only bittersweet thing about the Cards winning the World Series this year was that Edmonds almost was part of it all. Of course, who can say what a different player would add to the mix of a championship team that only made the postseason by a hair and was down to their last strike in the World Series multiple times.

They named a street in Seattle after this man. Put him in the Hall! I may not have much respect for the designated hitter “position”, but he was the best there was at what he did.

This is a pretty cool “old logo” variation. Unfortunately, there were a lot of variations in the earlier Heritage sets.

Hey, it’s the new White Sox manager. Is there some rule that states that every player that plays for more than a couple of franchises must be a Dodger at some point?

Sadly, one can only drool at the idea of a Wainwright/Carpenter/Haren/Garcia rotation, with insert-your-favorite-young-prospect taking the 5th turn.

Thanks again to Robert for the huge haul! If anyone out there knows about any deals on any pre-2007 Heritage cards, please let me know.

Birthday Box: Packs 9-16 (The Hit)

CardsOnCards — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:35:48 +0000

This post is about the second group of packs from the 2009 Heritage High Series box I first posted about last week. This is the “middle row”, if you will. As suggested by the title, the hit came in this section.

Pack 9:

626 - Tim Redding

651 - Nick Green

501 - Shane Robinson (Robinson has received a few call-ups in his Cardinals career, but has largely been invisible.)

UH70 - Wilkin Ramirez

UH227 - Edwin Jackson All-Stars

RP-09 - Chris Coghlan Rookie Performers (It seems like Coghlan is one of those one-year wonders.)

642 - Micah Owings

684 - Sean O’Sullivan

Pack 10:

550 - Daniel Bard

582 - Homer Bailey

UH7 - Brayan Pena (I wonder how you say his name… Bray-N?)

UH54 - Gerardo Parra Season Highlights

695 - Elvis Andrus (So many Rangers in this set.)

CHR128 - Vin Mazzaro Chrome Refractor 468/560 (Shiny.)

577 - Adam LaRoche

611 - Victor Martinez

Pack 11:

614 - Josh Outman (Great name for a pitcher. It’s a good thing he didn’t decide to play first base or something.)

641 - Micah Hoffpauir

657 - Vin Mazzaro

UH249 - Brian McCann All-Stars

UH270 - David Ortiz / Alex Rodriguez Classic Combos Checklist

CHR136 - Ryan Garko Chrome 0829/1960

675 - Ryan Garko (Ugh, again?)

654 - Omar Vizquel

Pack 12:

671 - Ross Gload

659 - Rafael Soriano

616 - Juan Uribe

UH41 - Xavier Paul

UH240 - Jason Marquis All-Stars

688 - Andrew McCutchen (Anyone need this short print?)

612 - Jose Contreras

595 - Jason Kubel

Pack 13:

586 - J.J. Putz

555 - David Freese (I hear this newly minted media darling is going to make an appearance on some new ABC sitcom at some point. Sounds hilariously awful!)

525 - Braden Looper (Looper is a reminder of the dark years between the recent Cardinals World Series wins.)

UH56 - Wes Helms

UH126 - Matt Tolbert

TN-6 - Roger Maris / Grady Sizemore Then and Now (One held the single season home run record for decades while the other is a free agent just looking for a second chance.)

560 - Derek Holland (Pre ’stache days… teenstache, that is.)

531 - Brett Hayes (Who is?)

Pack 14:

640 - Melky Cabrera

685 - Sean West

537 - Chris Gimenez

UH2 - Felipe Lopez

UH50 - Gary Sheffield

CHR185 - Jerry Hairston Jr. Chrome 1314/1960

513 - Andruw Jones

519 - Bud Norris (The bane of the Cardinals existence.)

Pack 15:

556 - David Hernandez

590 - Jarrett Hoffpauir

UH233 - Ramon Santiago

UH266 - Jonathan Broxton All-Stars

CCDR-PM - Jorge Posada / Mickey Mantle Clubhouse Collection Dual Jersey 32/60 (Did you forget that I mentioned “hit”? Wow, how did this happen? I was expecting something more along the lines of a plain white Adam Dunn jersey card, or at best a piece of plastic shaved from a chair at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. I suppose there are better Yankees that could have appeared with Mantle, but this is still great. I have no idea what’s up with the ultra fuzzy Posada swatch, though.)

583 - Garrett Jones

575 - Scott Rolen

Pack 16:

617 - Julio Borbon

638 - Matt Maloney

636 - Orlando Cabrera

UH127 - Shane Robinson

UH271 - Frank Catalanotto

693 - Chris Coghlan (Another short print here.)

636 - Ben Francisco

605 - Alex Gonzalez

I’ll be back later this week with the anticlimactic conclusion.

Your New Cardinals Manager

CardsOnCards — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:35:43 +0000

Congrats to Mike Matheny, who was an excellent Gold Glove catcher and a favorite of mine in his playing days. He will be named the Cardinals manager tomorrow.

It will be interesting to see how this affects the Albert Pujols negotiations, if at all. I think there was probably some truth to the idea that promoting Jose Oquendo to head skipper would have increased Albert’s chances of returning, but I can’t disagree with this move. His lack of experience may be worrying to some, but considering the recent successes of this team, if this all goes south I won’t be too upset. In any case, I am glad that the Cards will be managed by someone with strong ties to the team.

New! Shiny! Bowman somethingorothers…..

Waxaholic — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:35:40 +0000

at last weekend’s card show, I picked up a couple of new shiny Braves from on of Bowman’s latest releases.

The first, of pitcher Arodys Vizcaino is a very shiny die-cut thingie. I have no idea what insert set this is from. It’s number is 10.

Cool despite not knowing where it came from. Or why the really odd die-cut shape.

The second was a shiny J-Hey. This one was a little easier figuring out where it came from.

Nice.
Not bad for a hockey show in the Great White North.