Cincinnati Reds Baseball Card Collector

Do Stadium Giveaways Take Away from the Ballgame?

2012-06-01T10:55:00.003-07:00

Who doesn't like to get free stuff? Whether it's free food, a free ticket to a game, free baseball cards...I could go on. Every year I make it a point to go on a pilgrimage to Cincinnati to catch a Reds game. On occasion I'll buy a ticket to a particular game when I know that they're giving away a bobblehead of someone I don't yet have in my collection. I love my bobbleheads as they sit there on the bookcase in my yet unfinished Reds Man Cave, but I have begun to wonder...is it really worth it for the game to have all of these promotions? It seems like we've become a society in which we're always asking "What's in it for me?" Have we reached a point where we refuse to spend an evening at the ballpark rooting for our team because they weren't giving something out at the game? Better yet, why do most stadiums have a cheer team that come out every few innings to shoot a cheap two dollar t-shirt into the stands so that we can hit, kick, or shove other people out of the way for a measly piece of cotton? Maybe someone pissed in my Wheaties this morning but, in my own humble opinion, if you need to get something to venture out to the ballpark you're not a fan of the game. In fact, your time would be better spent scrounging supermarkets for free samples. Then again, that's just my humble opinion.

HEY...THERE'S A CONTEST!!!!

2012-06-01T05:50:00.004-07:00

Great Googley Moogley! It's like having my own Card Shop is having a contest with some sweet prizes. Go check it out here http://betterthanbeckett.blogspot.com/

Piedmont, anyone?!

2012-05-29T05:51:00.002-07:00

Last week I was debating if I should knock out some of the cards I need from my vintage Topps Reds team sets. Lately I've been focusing all my energy (and money) on the 55 and 56 sets. I've also been pulled by the desire of getting a few more bobbleheads that have been given out at Great American Ballpark the past few years that I need for that collection. But something happened last week that threw me for a loop. While I was browsing on ebay I came across this little gem. I've always wanted a t206 Reds tobacco card, but they've always been a little too pricey for me to pull the trigger. $40+ is a little hard to swallow, but I know that if I want some of the Hall of Famers like Clark Griffith I'll have to ante up eventually. So anyway, when I saw this Bob Spade card for $25.99 I couldn't resist. I received the card in the mail this past Saturday and it was like Christmas when I opened the envelope. I'm so excited to add this card to my collection. This Spade is now the oldest card I have in my collection and it's the first card that my wife thought was "cool"! So there's one more item to mark off on my 2012 collecting goals. Onward and upward!

1992 Bowman

2012-05-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

Today I'm taking a look at another 90s set that's on my wantlist (and one that I hope to knock off by the end of 2013) the 1992 Bowman set. I remember when this came out and all the hype surrounding it...as well as the price. I know I spent $5 for a pack of Stadium Club in 1991 but that was only because those were the coolest cards I had ever seen and I desperately wanted to build that set. I didn't show that much love for 92 Bowman simply because I put it on par with 1992 Topps, sure it was a good set with a crisp white border, but that was it. Over the years though, the set has grown on me and I have come to learn to appreciate everything that it has to offer. The rookie class in this set is mind boggling! The use of gold-foil, ingenious! The sheer amount of stats listed on the back of each and every card, CRAPTASTIC! I know there's a lot of people out there that are Bowman haters, I being one of them. But in 1992 they did it right by having a simple and elegant design that incorporated a lot of the things we find commonplace on today's baseball cards. So far I only have two cards from this set, one being Barry Larkin, but hey...it's a start!

First Ballgame of the 2012 Season

2012-05-23T08:19:00.001-07:00

I went to my first ballgame of the 2012 season last night. Last week I won a pair of vouchers to be used by May 31st for a game at Progressive field. I was limited in my selection to either Mezzanine or Lower Reserved. So I asked my buddy (who's a Detroit fan) if he would be interested in going to Tuesday night's game. I was able to score a pair of Row A Mezzanine tickets and watch a great game...that is if you're a Tribe fan. The seats were actually pretty descent and in my opinion there's really not a bad seat at Progressive Field.

We were actually right above the visiting team bullpen, which I thought was cool since we could watch pitchers warm up and then jog out onto the field when they received the call. Very sweet!

I was a little worried yesterday since it was overcast all day in Cleveland and wasn't sure if it was going to rain on the game. However, by the time we showed up at the ballpark around 6:30 last night, the sky had cleared out and it was a nice cool evening to catch a ballgame. On top of that I was able to watch a Tribe victory over the Tigers. Sure it wasn't a Red's game, but I do have plans later this year to head down and watch my team as well as take a road trip one Sunday and catch a Tiger's game in Detroit. Here's hoping those games are just as nice as what I witnessed last night.

1955 Topps

2012-05-15T10:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I received seven of the twelve 1955 Topps Reds cards and I wasn't disappointed with what I saw. Although I don't like the 1955 Topps as much as the 1956 Topps, it's still a nice set to look at. The horizontal design along with the portrait and action photos and the facsimile autograph make for a classy card. The only complaint I have about the cards are the bold background colors. Yellow seems to be the favorite for Reds cards in the set (with a few reds sprinkled in), but if it were any different I guess it would be a duplicate of the 56 Topps set. My favorite Reds card from this set would have to be the Chuck Harmon card. Chuck was the first African-American player for the Reds. While he didn't put up the numbers Frank Robinson did with his stint in Cincinnati, Chuck was able to steal 9 bases in 1955 putting him on par with Gene Baker, Ernie Banks and Duke Snider. Not too shabby.

Setting Myself Up For Failure?

2012-05-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Sure, I like to collect Reds cards. Not sure if you knew that or not, but I just wanted to make that clear. But what you might not know is that I'm also an avid set collector. Prior to my return to collecting baseball cards I concentrated on collecting Topps sets (flagship and updates). I had a nice collection prior to 1993 when I had the complete Topps run from 1981 to 1993, but when I decided to sell everything in 1997 to help pay for my wife's engagement ring. Since returning to the hobby I've decided to be a little bit more selective on the sets that I chase. I've made it a rule to only collect one set from a given year. I've also decided that if a particular year doesn't have anything that interests me, I won't chase a set just for the sake of having something from that year. Finally, I won't duplicate a manufacturer and set EVER. For example, if I have 2005 Donruss Studio set I won't get a 2001 Donruss Studio set even if that means I don't have any sets from 2001 AND I like the 2001 Donruss Studio set. Fairly straightforward right? Anyway, a few weeks back I saw a post from Night Owl about finally completing his 1971 Topps set. I had always loved the 71 set and when I started poking around to see who was in the set I was completely blown away: Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Joe Morgan, Hank Aaron, Steve Carlton, Red Schoendienst, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins, Leo Durocher, Don Sutton, Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry, Juan Marichal, Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Bunning, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Carl Yastrzemski, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Sparky Anderson, Bob Lemon, Ted Williams, Al Kaline, Phil Niekro, Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew and Thurman Munson. I'm sure I missed a hall of famer or two but that's still an impressive list. So I've decided to add the 1971 Topps set to my chase. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to complete it, but the who's who of baseball past that's in this set will have this as the pinnacle of my set collection. Sure I could fail trying to put this together, but I'm definitely going to try!

Contest over at 30-Year Old Cardboard

2012-05-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

He's giving away some great stuff. Check it out here.

1956 Topps

2012-05-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

I'm halfway through my 1956 Topps Reds (Redlegs) team set, so I guess you could say that I'm excited and frustrated at the same time. It's been a few months since I've crossed anything off my 2012 goals list and it probably will be a few more months until I do. Anyway, I like the 1956 Topps set. The oversized cards from 1952 to 1956 are something that I truly treasure. While I know there are many bloggers out there that like minis...I'm all about jumbo! I also like the fact that this set was also painted and didn't have the actual photos. I think Topps hit a home run when they had a portrait photo AND an action shot on these cards. Very nice. And the cherry on top...the comics on the back of the card. My favorite card of this set would have to be the Ray Jablonski card. I love seeing the dirt fly with the slide into third base. Such a nice scene. That's gritty baseball for you right there!

What brought you back?

2012-04-26T10:09:00.002-07:00

This is a question I love to hear answered by many in the sports card community. I was a collector from 1986 to 1993. I decided to get out of the hobby in the fall of 1993 after graduating from high school and my time was monopolized with college and work. Anyway, when I moved with my wife from southwest Ohio to northeast Ohio in the fall of 2001 I was bit by the baseball card bug once more after watching the 2001 World Series between the Yankees and Diamondbacks. There were a couple of card shops close (3 to be exact) so I decided to stop in and see what was there. Since I had collected the Topps flagship sets growing up I decided to get a few packs of 2002 Topps Series 1. Once I opened them I was instantly hooked once more. It doesn't matter how many times I open a pack of cards, it always seems like the first time and I'm always reminded of the first time I opened a pack of 1986 Topps my Mom brought picked up for me from a small hole in the wall convenient store in Point Pleasant, Ohio. Memories...that's what brought me back to the hobby. What about you?

Swinging for the Fences

2012-04-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Reading through a lot of the other card collecting blogs out there I come across the same scenario... guys getting started in the hobby, they leave the hobby for a period of time, then they come back. Glad to see I wasn't the only one. While I was on hiatus from the hobby from the mid 90s to 2001, due to my disgruntles with the 1994 players strike and college and getting married and relocating from Cincinnati to Cleveland, I never really gave much thought to what I had missed during those years where trillions and zillions of product were produced all in the name of separating the collector from his cold hard cash... that is until now. Some of the stuff I missed out on was truly amazing. The 1996 Circa set that was recently highlighted in a group break over at Nachos Grande is a beautiful set. I love the team logos in the background as well as the one liners on the card front. So I've decided to add this set to my wantlist. But that's nothing compared to my new favorite set of the 1990s. While it's an insert set, I'm going to consider it a set since it's larger than the actual set it accompanied. I've always wanted a complete set of autograph cards and so I'm going to chase the 1997 Donruss Signature Millennium Marks set. This is a phenomenal set. I love the design and the players found in this set. Will Clark, Sandy Alomar Jr, Ryne Sandberg, Pedro Martinez, Frank Thomas and Barry Larkin to name of the stars that grace this set. I'm sure it'll take me years to complete this set, but that will be half the fun of putting this thing together. I can't wait to get started.

The Joy and Heartache of Collecting Vintage

2012-04-18T09:55:00.003-07:00

As I slowly whittle away at my overly ambitious 2012 collecting goals I decided to post some of my thought on my vintage collecting since that's what I've been concentrating on this past year. I love vintage cards. I don't know why, but there's just something about them that evoke the glory days of baseball when titans like Aaron, Mantle, Mays, Robinson (Frank that is), Banks, and Williams (of the Red Sox variety) graced us with their presence on the diamond. When these stars appear on the cardboard, along with a background of ballparks that are long gone and belong to the ages, it's like you're staring at a window looking back through the sands of time at a game that truly was the national pastime. Trying to collect Reds cards from the 1950s and 1960s has proven rewarding, but difficult at the same time. While I love adding these pieces of history to my binder, it's a grueling process since I only have a monthly budges of around fifty dollars and since I'm a stickler for condition, I want my cards to be free of creases, marks, and paper loss... something that's not easy when it comes to paper that's more than a half century old. Anyway, while it's painfully slow and time consuming to collect vintage cards, there's nothing more rewarding in the hobby than to look down at your binder and see a completed page staring up at you.

1958 Topps

2012-04-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

So when it comes to completing a team set from a particular year, I have the attention span of a gnat. I always try to finish a year before I start on another one, but when I was surfing ebay the other day I came across a crazy good find of 12 1958 Topps Reds cards for $32.99 that included shipping. While I'm not a huge fan of the 1958 topps set, particularly the Reds with the nasty yellow background that's present on most of their cards, I do like the vintage sets and the Mr. Redlegs image that's on most of the older sets. Another gripe I have with this set is that most of the cards are portrait shots with only a few action shots sprinkled in. Such a disappointment, but oh well. Anyway, getting back to my find on ebay...while the combined lot amounted to a little less than $3 a card, what made this find truly amazing was the fact that this card was included...a second year Frank Robinson card. How sweet is that? I was a little disappointed when I received the package and found that one of the cards (Dutch Dotterer) had a big crease down the middle of the card, but the others were in great shape. So ultimately I got 11 1958 Topps Reds cards for $3 a piece. Can't complain for getting a second year Robinson for $3 can I?

I've Decided to Create My Own Card

2012-03-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

So I've been tossing around the idea of creating my own baseball card. Not the kind that depicts players or mascots, but rather stadiums. I always thought a set that featured all baseball stadiums past and present would be such a cool idea. Imaging a set that had the Polo Grounds, Shibe Park, Comiskey Park, Coors Field, Progressive Field...or in the case of me being a Reds fan... Palace of the Fans, Crosley Field, Riverfront Stadium and Great American Ballpark. While the cards would feature pictures of both the outside and inside of the stadiums, it would have information about the stadium on the back of the card as well as a little factoid that's unique to each stadium. Anyway, I decided to give it a try. Let me know what you think and how I could make the design better.

What Reds Fan Wouldn't Like to Have This?

2012-03-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

In addition to collecting cards, I'm slowly building up a collection of memorabilia to display in my, as of yet unstarted, Cincinnati Reds Man Cave. Most of the things I have can be found on my Memorabilia page of this blog. Probably one of my most favorite items I have is a pair of seats from Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field that my wife and I received as a Christmas gift back in 2002 from my mother-in-law after the stadium was torn down. There's still one seat that I would like to have for my Man Cave, but the possibility of me obtaining this is the near future is highly unlikely...a figural seat from Crosley Field. These seats are amazing! Unfortunately, there amazingly expensive as well. A recent search on ebay has one listed for $1,499.99 which is a little too rich for my blood at this time. But maybe someday.

I'm up to 10

2012-02-29T10:11:00.001-08:00

Ten followers that is! Sure, it's not a lot....but it's a start. Thanks you to all who are following my blog. On another note, I signed up for Yahoo Sport's Fantasy Baseball today. Here's hoping to a great season. Baseball is just around the corner!

Two More in the Can

2012-02-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

Today I knocked out two more of my 2012 collecting goals. I grabbed the last two 1993 Flair Wave of the Future insert cards that I needed AND I finally completed my 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen set. I was able to grab the last five short print cards, but wasn't too thrilled that I had to spend $7.50 for the Chase Utley card. Those things are almost impossible to find so I decided to bite the bullet and shell out the money before they were nowhere to be found. Anyway, with those two sets complete, I'll be spending the next month or two trying to complete my 61 and 62 Topps Reds team sets. The one card I'm not looking forward to trying to get is the 1962 Topps #594. While it is the rookie card of Red's catcher Don Pavletich...it's also the rookie card of Bob Uecker!!! Ouch!

Ryan Braun Suspension Overturned...WTF?!

2012-02-24T08:20:00.002-08:00

So as most of you know, or at least should know by now if you're a true baseball fan, the reigning National League MVP's fifty game suspension was overturned. It's not that I don't like Mr. Braun...in fact I have no opinion of him whatsoever. Being a Red's fan I know I should despise this Brewer, but I don't. What I do despise is the technicality for which the suspension was overturned. As far as I'm concerned, Shyam Das has done a great disservice to MLB players who strive to do their best legally without the use of performance enhancing supplements. I'll be completely honest, if the shoe was on the other foot and Joey Votto or Brandon Phillips or any other Reds player had tested positive, then I would have the same opinion as I do regarding Braun.....suspend them. They don't put up with this crap in the Olympics (sure it's a poor choice for comparison) but baseball is still trying to wipe the tarnish off from the steroid era. While random drug testing helped to add accountability to the players, this ruling completely flies in the face of what needs to be done in baseball.

1993 Flair

2012-02-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

I decided to get started on another collecting goal for 2012. Today I purchased a mostly complete set of 1993 Fleer Flair. To me, this is the best set that was released in 1993. While some will argue that Topps Finest is by far a better product I would have to respectfully disagree. While I'm not a huge fan of Fleer products, next to Authentix, this is a gorgeous set that's under appreciated by many. The thick card stock, UV coating on BOTH sides of the card, gold foil and supreme photography makes this set a winner in my book. As for the "Wave of the Future" insert set that Fleer included, while it is a little hokey, I like the idea behind it. I just wish they didn't have a huge crashing wave in the background. To me that's just totally stupid. But like I've said before in the past, no product is truly perfect.

Thinking of starting a PC

2012-02-02T11:38:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months I've been debating about starting a PC of my second favorite Red (my wife's all time favorite Red). While I know it won't be an easy task, especially coming across those impossible 1/1, I think that once I finish up a few of my 2012 collecting goals then I'll dive into it. So, who is it I'll be collecting? None other than 2012 Hall of Famer Barry Larkin! On a different note, yesterday marked my 100th post on the Reds Card Collector blog! Good job me :)

1961 Topps

2012-02-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

What to say about this set when there's really nothing to say about it. I'm not a fan of 1961 Topps. It's probably the most poorly designed set that Topps released in the 1960s. To say that this set is nothing more than a plain Jane would be a compliment. Even calling it an Ugly Betty would be too kind. I just want to know what happened Topps? The 1960 set was nice with the horizontal layout with two pics used on the front. Did you just decide to let two year old little Billy down the street make the call on this? Disappointing. Unfortunately, the only joy I get from this set are the comics on the back.

2005 Studio

2012-01-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

While I've been busy trying to knock out my 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen set, I've started on another set endeavor, the 2005 Studio set. I was a big fan of Studio when it came out in 1991 and while it held a special place in my collecting heart, I couldn't put in on the same pedestal as the 1991 Topps Stadium Club set. When I started dabbling in the hobby again in 2002 I was disappointed with what had happened to Studio. I wasn't impressed with their designs and was sad at what had become of this novelty set. However, in 2005 that changed when I saw what Donruss released. The card backgrounds are fantastic with the city skylines that are used on most of the cards in this set. In addition, I like how Donruss decided to use a sepia style in this design as compared to standard color photography. If I had one gripe with the set, it would be that I miss how Donruss didn't have the player's hobbies and interest or their hero. It's that quirky stuff besides a player's stats that I'm able to connect with.

Finding Time to Blog Again

2012-01-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

The past twelve days have been the most difficult I've ever had to go through. On January 11 at around 10:30 pm I received a call from my Mom in Cincinnati telling me that my Dad passed away a few hours earlier. While my Dad wasn't in the greatest of health the past few years, it was still a shock considering that when I saw him over New Year's weekend everything seemed OK. So while I've spent almost an entire year blogging about my passion for cards, I've had the opportunity to reflect on what's important in life.....family and friends. While I will continue to blog about baseball cards, it won't occupy as much time for me as it had in the past as I devote more time to family and less toward a hobby. My Dad left for me a legacy that treasures family above any material possession and I hope to do the same with my own family as well. Baseball will still play into my family as I hope to take my daughter and foster son to games to chat about what's going on in their life. But baseball is just a game that lasts for nine innings. Family lasts for all eternity.

2003 Fleer Authentix

2012-01-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

While this isn't on my list of things to do for 2012, I would like to eventually finish my 2003 Fleer Authentix set. When I first saw this I was just amazed by the design of these cards. I've always been a team logo fan, and to put them behind every player photo was sweet. I also like the idea of making a baseball card resemble a game ticket. Genius! Sure, I'm not a big Fleer fan...in fact I hated most of the product they ever released, but this set (along with 1993 Flair) was different. My favorite cards in this set would have to be the Ticket to the Majors cards. Very cool to include a replica hometown ticket on those player's cards. If I had one gripe with the set it would have to be the back of the cards. How difficult would it have been to show the actual stadium on the back of the card instead of some generic stadium drawing. Not that hard in my opinion and it's the voice of the collector that should matter most to card manufacturers. After all, we're the one's buying the product! Anyway, if I can't get around to completing this set later in the year, it'll definitely be on my list of things to do next year.

1990 Leaf

2012-01-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I was able to complete one of my 2012 Collecting Goals. I picked up a 1990 Leaf set for $26.48 that included the complete 528 card set AND puzzle! Sweet. I remember when this set first came out in 1990 and how freakin expensive the packs were...especially for a teenager. This set has always had a special place in my heart, not so much for who's in the set, although that helps, but for the design. Silver ink...that's unpossible! Yes, you heard me correctly...unpossible! Never before had something like that been tried in the hobby and leaf capitalized on that. Going back to who's in this set: Frank Thomas, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, TWO Nolan Ryans, Ryne Sandberg, Ricky Henderson, Ozzie Smith, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs...and on and on! Talk about Hall of Fame set! Of course my favorite card in the set would have to be the Larkin card. Here's hoping he gets the call to Cooperstown today. Sure, the 1990 Leaf set has come down in price since it first came out, but when it comes to collecting it's not about money but for love of the game!