Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brought you plenty of sports cards this year!

TTM: Sean Casey

Everyone knows that Sean Casey, aka "The Mayor", would engage fellow ballplayers in conversation. But legend has it that he would get offended if a player jolted for second in the middle of a conversation.

TTM: Lou Piniella

Lou Piniella not only managed the Reds to a 1990 World Series championship, but he also holds the record for distance in throwing second base.

TTM: Brandon Phillips

In my opinion, the greatest second baseman to play for the Reds, those who are interested can also follow Brandon Phillips on twitter at DatDudeBP.

TTM: Dave Parker

Who needs Kung Fu Panda when you have Dave Parker...The Cobra!

And the winner is...

There were a total of eight entries for the Holiday Cheer Giveaway I was hosting on my blog. I would like to thank all the participants. I randomized the list eight times to give everyone an equal opportunity to claim the cards. I've posted the rankings from 3 to 1 below. So, without further ado...

Congrats to Hackenbush! Please send me your address and I'll get those cards out to you. Thanks again everyone and have a Merry Christmas!

TTM: Bill Bonham

I did not know that Bill Bonham shares a major league record (with 49 other pitchers) of striking out four batters in the same inning.

TTM: Grady Hatton

Did you know that Grady Hatton was an important contributor to the early years of the Houston Astros? Neither did I. He was also an excellent second/third baseman for the Reds back in the 1940s and 50s.

Some Love from a Phillies Fan

A few weeks back I was lucky enough to win a copy of The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book from Jim over at The Phillies Room. The package arrived last night and I am very excited to dive into the book. I was also blown away by Jim's generosity to see that he enclosed a relic card from a Hall of Famer and member of the Big Red Machine. It's a dual relic card with a piece of lumber and swatch of jersey. A very beautiful card and I'm very appreciative of Jim's generosity.

TTM: Charlie Puleo

Something I did not know, the Mets traded Charlie Puleo to the Reds in 1983 so that they could reacquire Tom Seaver.

TTM: Kurt Stillwell

Kurt Stillwell will always be remembered by Reds fans as the guy who was going to be the next shortstop after Dave Concepcion, until Barry Larkin showed up.

TTM: Merv Rettenmund

Not only did Merv Rettenmund win a world series with the Reds in 1975, he also won a world series with the Orioles in 1970. Not too shabby.

TTM: Jeff Reardon

I will always picture "The Terminator" as an Expo or a Red Sox, but it was great to see Jeff Reardon wearing a Red's jersey in 1993.

When is enough, enough?

For the past month I've been mulling around this question and I've come to the following conclusion. I'm not going to possess every single Reds card that was ever made. Nor am I ever going to have in my possession one set from every manufacturer that has been or will be produced. It's just not possible and as far as I'm concerned that's great. I would never want to undertake such a task that transforms this hobby that I've loved for almost thirty years to a chore. It's just not worth it. Sure, I'll continue to collect baseball cards as long as Topps releases their flagship product so that I can add a Reds team set each year to my binders, but when it comes to adding new sets to my collection I'm finished. What's currently on my want list will be it for me. That will be my enough. As I get older I realize that the hobby for me is the nostalgia, not the latest and greatest product to hit the market. Flipping through a binder of 1991 Stadium Club baseball instantly transports me back to the small card shop I frequented in Cincinnati while my mom was grocery shopping next door. Glancing at a 1989 Score football rookie of Thurman Thomas takes me back to my childhood bedroom I shared with my brother who proudly displayed that card on the entertainment center. I love those memories and I miss those moments. It's amazing to me that these little pieces of cardboard can invoke so much for so many people.

And then there were three

Scratch another goal off my 2012 list. I recently completed my 1961 Topps Cincinnati Reds team set. While this may have seemed like a small goal, to me it was a huge accomplishment. Not only did I acquire my final Frank Robinson card, but I also knocked out the 60s decade as a whole. I know things won't be so easy as I pursue the cards I need from the 1950s...especially since most commons start in the $4-$6 dollar range. Let's not forget also that the 1952 Topps high series will be a killer to the wallet. For now, I'm just going to enjoy the fact that I'm happy that I've wrapped up the 60s and will now be concentrating solely on the 50s. Onward and upward!

Spreading Some Christmas Cheer!

A few weeks back I posted about wrapping up my 1962 Topps Reds team set and if there were any interested parties out there that wanted to make a trade with my duplicates to contact me. Well, needless to say, I haven't heard from anyone. So, I've decided to give away the 29 cards to someone this Christmas season. Here's how this will work: if you follow my blog I'll give you one entry into the drawing and if you give a shout out to this giveaway on your blog then I'll give you an additional entry. The drawing will be closed at 11:59pm on December 16th and I'll announce shortly afterward who will be receiving this package in the mail. Here's a list of the cards that will be given away: 2, 16, 41, 80, 103, 120, 148, 151, 171, 172, 193, 205, 258, 263, 267, 282, 302, 331, 364, 381, 393, 414, 440, 450, 465, 487, 508, 524, 552. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

TTM: Wayne Krenchicki

Wayne Krenchicki - a cool name and a cool photo. For some reason I just like this card. Maybe it's because whenever I look at it I wonder if Krenchicki was thinking to himself "Damn, I'm smooth!" when the photo was being taken.