6th Entry into the Album of Amazing

It's been a while since I've posted on the blog. Part of that is laziness, and the other part is that I've been busy this past week earning more credit on COMC. Now that it's Friday, I need to put something up on the blog and what better way than to show off my latest addition to the album. I'm not a Yankee fan in the least, but this card was too good to pass up and so now it resides in the album. Three things make this card great: Derek Jeter whiffing, Mickey Mantle smiling about it in the dugout, and George W. Bush waving to the camera. What more could you ask for on a piece of cardboard?

Red Surge!

I just picked up another card for my 2013 Topps Joey Votto rainbow, a chrome red refractor numbered 23/25. This marks my 22nd card in my Votto rainbow and the pickings are starting to get slim. I would really like to grab pink and black versions of the base set by the end of the year, but I haven't been successful in finding any thus far.

Jay Bruce Trifecta

This past week I was able to complete my latest collecting trifecta. I would have to put this Jay Bruce trifecta at the top of my list for all trifectas that I have completed thus far. All three of these cards look amazing, and while it wasn't cheap, I will say that I'm happy with the end result. The following cards make up this Bruce trifecta: a 2008 eTopps Jay Bruce, a 2013 Bowman Jay Bruce Yellow Printing Plate, and a 2008 Topps Red Hot Rookies Jay Bruce autograph. This complements my Aroldis Chapman and Johnny Cueto trifectas nicely.

A Kluszewski Glove for the Collection

My latest and last glove purchase for my collection is this Draper and Maynard Ted Kluszewski trapper glove model DG957. The first time I spotted one of these gloves was a little over a year ago when I was just browsing ebay for vintage baseball gloves. I wasn't able to find one at the time for the price I was willing to pay since the gloves I found were priced at $50 and above. A little too rich for me. Finally, last weekend I was able to grab one well below that price. Patience does pay off. I've mentioned before in previous posts my affection for vintage sports equipment and this glove fits the bill nicely. I hope to start working on a display soon that will house my autographed bats as well as these gloves. Once I wrap up that project I'll be sure to share the pics with all of you.

5th Entry into the Album of Amazing

Another great card to add to my binder is this 2010 Topps Prince Fielder. It appears that Fielder's teammates are completely blown away by the awesomeness that is Cecil Fielder's son. I'm not a Milwaukee fan and I would have preferred that the Brewers had moved back to the American League instead of the Astros, but I guess I can complain all I want to no avail. I guess I could also say that I'm totally blown away (like the Brewers players in the card) at the unimaginable start they've had this season. Seriously, they need to start losing some games.

4th Entry into the Album of Amazing

The 1993 Topps Stadium Club card shows Oscar Azocar loving his bat as much as I love this project. Not much else to say about this card considering that I think it speaks volumes on its own. Four down, eighty six to go.

Contest Time Over at Play at the Plate!

In celebration of his 2000th post, Play at the Plate is giving away a hobby box of 2014 Bowman courtesy of the folks at Topps. Click the link to enter. http://playattheplatedude.blogspot.com/2014/05/im-back-with-post-2000-and-biggest.html

3rd Entry into the Album of Amazing

No matter how many times I look at this card I just have to laugh. Two things always piqued by interest in this card: could you actually play baseball with that thing and how exactly did that photo come about. While I can't answer the first question, I did find some information regarding the second. If you want to read about it just click the link. It's definitely a great story. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24407057/just-because-mickey-hatchers-giant-glove-baseball-card With this addition I'm now down to 87 cards I need to fill my album. I do have a couple more cards in the queue, but you'll just have to wait to see them.

The Grass is Always Greener....

When you have a Jim Greengrass Wilson Ball Hawk Signature Series glove! I picked this up last week on ebay for a decent price and I've very happy to add this to the man cave. I picked up a Wilson Smoky Burgess catcher's mitt a few months back and now I'm down to just one more glove I would like to add to my collection. I've always been a fan of old ball gloves for many reasons. The styles are very desirable to me because of their simplicity and they age very nicely. Just like baseball cards, each time I look at a vintage glove I wonder about it's previous owner(s) and everything it's been through. The countless sandlot games that it was a part of or perhaps it accompanied it's owner to games at a historic stadium, such as Crosley or Shibe or Ebbets, that no longer stands. Regardless, these gloves are over 50 years old and are great vintage pieces that I'm thrilled to have, and I'd love to hear the stories they could tell.

A Cueto Trifecta

I recently completed my second trifecta, this one involving Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto. The cards that comprise this trifecta include: Johnny's 2008 eTopps card, a 2013 Bowman Platinum Cyan printing plate, and a 2008 Topps Stadium Club certified autograph. I only spent a total of $5 for everything here since I used credits from my COMC challenge to pay for most of this. I will say that my Cueto trifecta looks great next to my Chapman trifecta. I love every single card that makes up this trifecta. Although Cueto spent a huge portion of last year on the DL, he's been absolutely stellar this year. I'm glad I was able to put this together. There are still three more trifectas I'm working on completing for my collection and I'll share those once they're finished.

2nd Entry into the Album of Amazing

Yesterday I mentioned that I had started a new project...my "Album of Amazing". Today I'm going to showcase my second card to gain entrance into the album, a 1993 Topps Kirby Puckett. I was always indifferent of Kirby growing up. I didn't know what to think of him. I guess I always had a "meh" mentality when it came to pulling his baseball cards. 1993 was the last year I really collected before my hiatus from the hobby. As a senior in high school I was preparing to head off to college and cards were starting to lose their luster. Because I was always a Topps kind of guy, I shelled out money for a wax box and was pleasantly surprised when I pulled this card from a pack. To me, that's an amazing card...Kirby sitting there with a big stick. Puckett had power behind the plate and this card goes to show why. Every time I look at this card I'm reminded of Dire Straits "Sultans of Swing". A great song to complement an amazing card.

My latest project...The Album of Amazing!

One thing I've noticed over the past few years is that there are a lot of baseball cards I enjoy that have nothing to do with the Cincinnati Reds. While I have been and always will be a loyal Cincinnati Reds fan, I've begun to have a greater appreciation of cards that haven't typically been part of my pursuit. Therefore, I've decided that I'm going to branch out (just a little) and acquire 90 different baseball cards that I am in awe of. Why 90 you say? Well, it's just the right amount to fill one of those Ultra Pro 10 page albums and it won't become too much of an added burden to my collection. So, without further ado, the first entry into my album of amazing is the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken (non blocked out) card. I always wanted to own a copy of this card growing up just because you don't see that type of language everyday on a baseball card. Sure, I know it's a juvenile excuse, but I would rebuttal that argument by stating that I started collecting cards when I was 11 years old...during the juvenile portion of my life. What's even better about this card is that I paid absolutely nothing for it! I snagged it by using some of my reward points on the CheckOutMyCards challenge. There's a few other cards I plan to showcase in the coming days, but if you have any recommendations for my album, just let me know, I'd love to hear from you. Just leave a comment in the post or on my "Album of Amazing" page, it's in the header under "A of A".