TTM: Bernie Carbo

Did you know that Bernie Carbo was selected before Johnny Bench by the Reds in the 1965 draft?

TTM: Jim Merritt

Did you know that Jim Merritt led the league with 15 successful bunts in 1969?

Billy Martin...crude but amazing!

This is the second Billy Martin card to call my collection home. The first is his 1960 Topps Reds card that is nestled among my other 1960 Reds in my team binder and this 1972 Topps card has now taken up residency in my Album of Amazing. Billy was one of those ballplayers that had no problem letting profanities fly freely from his mouth and, according to this card, had no problem flipping the bird as well - although in a much subtler manner. This card does go nicely with the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken that I also have.

Cards and Comics

I'm not a fan of Alex Rodriguez. Never have been, never will be. I am, however, a huge fan of Cal Ripken Jr! I spotted this card a few weeks ago and knew I had to add this to my Album of Amazing project. I dabbled a bit in comics back in the early 1990s when DC decided to kill off Superman. I'm still thinking about possibly chasing the Death of Superman, Funeral for a Friend and Reign of the Supermen series because I loved reading that storyline. Anyway, I digress. This card hails from the 1997 Score Pitcher Perfect set. There are a total of 15 cards in this set and this is by far my favorite. It's nice having a card depicting one of my favorite non-Reds players reading a comic I enjoyed back when I was a teenager. Cards and comics, a perfect combination every time.

1989 Pro Cards Keith Comstock

Today was my first day back to work from vacation. A vacation in which I spent the entire week babysitting contractors who were working on tiling my bathroom and replacing an old cast iron tub. Anyway, I think this cards sums things up nicely when I get the final bill later this week, as well as how I feel about being back at work at the total implosion of the Reds the second half of this season. It does make for a great entry into my Album of Amazing.

1949 Bowman

Over the past few weeks I've picked up a half dozen 1949 Bowman Reds cards. Even though this set wasn't on my list of collecting goals for this year, the price was too good to pass up on these. Not only that, but I now have some 1940s cards in my collection. The pictures on the cards are a little bland, and these cards are tiny (same size as the 1950 Bowmans) but I do like the player write-ups on the back of the cards. These cards look like they belong in the 40s and that's ok because that's exactly what I want when I buy vintage baseball cards. The more I look at vintage cards the more I yearn for the day when companies only released a hand full of products that didn't have jersey swatches, sticker autographs and parallels that would make a crayola 64 count box blush.

Tom Glavine is AMAZING!!!

I completely forgot that the recent Hall of Fame inductee was featured playing hockey back in 1992. I was able to grab this card with some credits I had on COMC. It's a very cool card to add to my Album of Amazing project.

I Struck Gold!!!

It's been awhile since I've been able to add any cards to my 2013 Topps Joey Votto rainbow project. This mini gold is numbered 62/62 and leaves me with just the pink and black versions to pick up for the minis. I know a lot of Reds fans have been upset with Votto's performance this year, but I'm holding out hope that he bounces back next year. I still think he's one of the best overall hitters in the majors but just hit a rough patch this season.

A Mike Piazza Card for the Album of Amazing!

What better way to say Happy Birthday to Mr. Piazza than showcasing the latest entry into my Album of Amazing project. This is from the 1996 Upper Deck V.J. Lovero Showcase. If only we could know what cereal Mike is pouring into his bowl. Wheaties perhaps?

Mr. Redlegs All-Star Edition!

When I first heard that the Reds were giving away a bobblehead commemorating the 2015 All-Star game that's to be hosted at Great American Ballpark next year, I was a bit skeptical but when I saw that it was none other than Mr. Redlegs himself I knew I had to have one of these for my collection. I spent $35 on this exquisite nodder that was given out to the first 25,000 fans on August 23 of this year when the Reds hosted the Braves. The Reds won that game 1-0 if you're interested. The base shows the various years that the All-Star game was hosted in Cincinnati. There were no corporate sponsors for this bobblehead, which I'm happy with since I think a Coca-Cola, Cincinnati Bell or Kroger logo would ruin it. I'm still debating on whether or not I should attend the All-Star game next year. It's nice that it's only 4 hours south of me and since it's almost been 30 years since the last All-Star game in Cincinnati, I would be pushing 70 if it took another 30 years to make its way back to the Queen City.