Wrappers from Crinkly Wrappers !

I saw a post over at Crinkly Wrappers.
He had some Australian Baseball League cards.

That was a first for me, I had never seen them before.

Actually, I was intrigued by the wrappers. I wanted one ! After some discussions about Topps stickers, which actually led me to his blog, we had a deal in the works. When his package arrived I couldn't believe all the goodness inside !


Along with the 1993-94 Australian wrapper he also included a Japanese one from 2002. I do have a couple other Japanese wrappers, but not like this one.

Then, carefully protected by heavy cardboard, was this this stack of wax pack wrappers.

My oldest wrapper was a 1981 Fleer. I know have 1978, 1980 and 1981 Topps wrappers ! Also included were Topps wrappers from 1984, '86, '87, '88 and 1990. I have the last four but the '86 and '87 are definitely upgrades from what I have. Also, the 1990 on the bottom of the stack, is slightly mis cut and will be a nice variation.

Next up, a 2008 Upper Deck Sweet Spot wrapper..er..tin ! This was really great, but I don't know how I'm going to get into an album page.

I do have a 5# sledge hammer at work.

Probably not a good idea. It will make a nice display piece.

Ted said he had some Topps stickers I needed. I didn't know he was going to finish off my album ! He didn't really, not quite. But my want list is a whole lot smaller now and need to be seriously revised !

Next is a selection of some of the cards Ted sent.

There was also some very nice Tribe cards in the package including these three parallels. The Santana is my very first 2011 Target throw-back. I'd really love to have all of them !

Then it went from Topps 40th to their 60th anniversary. If someone collected cards in 1991 with the little 40th logo and then got completely away for 20 years, can you imagine what he would think of the 60th celebration !

Now here's a little past, present and future of the Tribe. Although I'd have to check on where Rodriguiz is right now.

These were really nice.

Topps Marquee Carlos Santana.

Bowman Platinum Shin-Soo Choo , base and green.

My whole hearted thanks goes out to Ted at Crinkly Wrappers !

Your return package is in the mail, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do this !

Tomorrow night, more wrappers, from Covered in Wrappers.

Was Night Owl correct about me ? Is it really that simple ?

Everyone is always looking for the answer to life. How do I find that secret way to the land of milk and honey ? to the utopia of Shangri - la ?

Maybe, just maybe, Night Owl discovered the way to find that magical doorway !!

A few weeks ago he made a comment on this post of mine.

One day I nonchalantly picked up one pack of 2011 Allen & Ginter, at a check out at Meijers, and pulled a Cheryl Burke auto redemption card. Night Owl's final words at the end of his comment were "you're living right, man "

Wow ! I didn't even know. He must have me confused with someone else. Could it really be that simple ? And just what is " living right " anyway ?

I believe in God, but I don't go to church every Sunday.
I don't smoke.
(when I was about 8 or 9, I stole a ciggy from a lady who lived down the street.I always played ball with her kids. It was a menthol type, later I lit up and took one puff - never, ever wanted to try one again !!)
I don't drink. (any more)
( went through high school, a tour in the Army and Viet Nam without even a beer. Later started having an occasional drink. 35 years ago I got drunk ONE time, really sick that night, haven't had a drink since !)
I have only been married once.
I have been married almost 32 years, never cheated on my wife.
I never hit my wife or kids.
I always wear my seat belt and almost never go over the posted speed limit.

Is that living right ? I have no idea. I mean, I'm basically a good person, but surely there are those who are better than I.

Well, what ever it is, here's my story tonight !

I've been stopping at Target every day, hoping to find 2012 Topps. I know they are showing up in some places.

I've read many horror stories around the blogs about the new American Pie. Most say,don't waste your money. I've also heard a little about Americana.

No new Topps in Target tonight but I see American Pie. I also check the $1.59 bargain pack box.
I grab one new American Pie and a 2009 Americana bargain pack.

Here's the Americana.


Wow, that's an awfully thick filler card !


The first three cards, boring !!

Michael Madsen. Had no clue until I read he was the hero in 1993's "Free Willy".

George Romero. Familiar name, didn't know why. Oh, his first film 1968. "Night of the Living Dead" I've always liked horror films.

Gerald Okamura. Gee, a genuine ninja ! Had roles in "Power Rangers" and "Hot Shots".



Now these I can relate to.

Erin Moran Little Joanie on "Happy Days" turned into a hottie !

Charlie Daniels The band. "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". He can make that fiddle talk !

Not really too excited about these. Probably aren't any baseball people in the set but I'll check the list.


Oh, wait, the filler card.





There's something I understand. I really don't that movie, but I know the stars. Rosalind Russell had the attention of all the men (and boys !) back in the day!

On the flip side...

A dual swatch card ! " swatches of material cut from authentic items worn by...." . But not necessarily in that movie. We've all seen that before. I still like it though.



Now the American Pie

Will it be sweet apple or sour cherry?

Let's start with the 1950's card. Cool, they're playing Scrabble ! One of my favorite board games. Hit the market in 1955. Didn't realize it was that old.

The 1960's. Charles Schulz. Creator of the comic strip "Peanuts". " A Charlie Brown Christmas" has been on every December since 1965 !

Also a 1960's insert. "Fads and Fashions" I was never impressed with them but we all know where this card is going !!

1980's. The Berlin Wall falls. I don't want to get to political here.I don't claim to be Republican or Democrat but I think the Reagan years were pretty good.

1990's "Titanic" I like that movie. Even if it is a chic flic !



For the final card, we're going back to the 1940's. I saved this for last because it's my favorite from this pack.

Abbott and Costello's " Who's on First "

This is a great card. It will fit right into my baseball collection.

So these two products didn't really seem so bad to me, although I probably won't buy any more of either one. I may check to see if there are any other baseball related cards and go after them, but not by purchasing packs !




One more thing. I've been back to Good Will again.

You know those rectangular shaped plastic, zippered bags that large bedspreads or quilts come in ?

This one was on a shelf in Good Will in Sandusky. Packed full of cards ! 17 1/2 pounds of sports cards ! It turned out to be about 1/3 baseball, 1/3 football and 1/3 basketball with a few hockey and wrestling cards thrown in. There were a few 70's and a lot of early 80's and even some 2011 Topps baseball. No more Ripken rookies though.

But there were two Topps code cards.

I punched in the codes and they were still valid !! I got a couple 1973 cards but no Mantle ring. I've been sitting on 59 rings for like four months.

I guess I'm not living quite "right " enough !!

Trading stack from Fan of Reds

Anyone reading this bottom of the totem pole blog surely knows of Nachos Grande's trade stacks. I've requested two or three of them over the past few months. For him, it is a great way to get rid of some cards and get something he needs for his collection.

For us, it gives a chance to pick out a card we would like to have and get some extra trade bait with it as well !

This is the card that made me pull the trigger on one of his stacks.
Actually it the first card he put up. I figured someone else would want it, but after a while it was still there, so I laid claim !
I'm not a Cincy fan.
I'm not an Aroldis Chapman fan.
I do kind of like sketch cards though.

I like the action shot here but I don't understand why they used a horizontal image on a vertical format card. Sometimes they just don't think about what they are doing !

The other cards will just go into my stock pile of cards to send out to the rest of you !!

Fan of Reds did include a stack of Tribe cards also.


He included a wide variety of years and brands.

Including some '70's and '80's Topps and two mid '80's OPC cards.

I really like the shots of Wright and King as they go into their delivery.

And Cory Snyder as he's about to smack the ball !

Well, thank you very much Chris ! I have a package ready to go out to you tomorrow, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did yours!

League Park to be renovated

League Park.

Home of baseball history in Cleveland.

Babe Ruth hit his 500th HR here.

Cleveland stopped Joe D's hitting streak here.

The Negro League Buckeyes played here.

Louis Sockalexis played here.

The 1920 World Series Champion Cleveland Indians played here.



You can read more about here:

http://news.yahoo.com/league-park-receive-5-million-renovation-city-cleveland-193500293.html

Nap Lajoie

Bill Wambsganss, on left.

Babe Ruth

These, and many more very cool images can be seen here :

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=ush-mailn&va=league+park+cleveland

Awesome Autographs

Now I'm starting to get excited about baseball !

The 2012 Cleveland Indians press tour made a stop at Great Northern Mall last night. Our oldest son, Josh, and I were there.

For those of you not familiar with Cleveland Indians baseball, This is Ketchup.

One of the, "in between innings", festivities is a hot dog race.

This is Onion, another one of the competitors. The third hot dog in the race is Mustard, who was there, but not in a position to where I could get a photo. The three hot dogs have a foot race about half way around the playing field. Sometimes it's more entertaining than the game !

The big smile of Vinny Pistano ! To his right is Jack Hanahan and Josh Tomlin, who ducked back behind Jack just as I took the picture. Manny Acta is seated in the center, just over Vinny's shoulder. Sorry, my photography on this trip was terrible !

The festivities were supposed to start as 7:00 PM so Josh and I got there about 5. There was already about a a dozen fans lined up at the other table, where we wanted to start. so we grabbed a sandwich and got in line.

My blogger friends are probably getting tired of hearing about my Good Will purchases, but they come into play again, here today.


This fanny pack was a give-a-way at "The Jake" at one time. I found this one at Good Will for like $2.00. It was perfect for last night as I could carry my camera, cards and sharpies and have them all right at my fingertips.

We had been standing in line for about an hour when I saw a couple familiar faces roaming through the crowd. I watched, and realized, they were signing for the people in line as we waited.

I wasn't expecting to see these two guys there so I had no cards with me for them to autograph. Then it came to me ! The bag !!

"Super Joe" Charboneau
The 1980 ROY in the American League. He had a terrific year in Cleveland and a great career ahead him, but injuries put and end to that.



Right behind him was Len Barker, who pitched a perfect game in old Municipal Stadium.

These were two autographs were weren't expecting but were very pleased to get !!



Manny Acta, our fearless leader.
When he first came to Cleveland, I had my doubts, but after a few games I really liked what I saw.


Josh Tomlin

Definitely not a power pitcher, but very, very crafty ! I really like to watch him work.

One of the representatives from the Tribe was passing out these magnets to the people in line. As it turned out that was a very good thing as I brought no cards of Vinny Pistano, because he wasn't on the list of players to be there. He signed the magnet on the top. I have no cards of Jack Hanahan so I had got his auto on the bottom. Yes, that does say "Jack Hanahan". He may become a doctor after his baseball days are done.



Jason Donald is one of our younger guys who really plays hard. He is very exciting to watch and should find a spot as a utility infielder.

Whenever Shelley Duncan sees a pitch he likes, he puts a full effort into his swing. I swear he's going to comes out of his spikes one of these days ! He hits the ball very hard and sometimes a very long way !

Duncan is in the middle, Jason Donald on his left and on his right, signing a baseball, is the guy who's autograph we really wanted to get.

Jason Kipnis. He is our hard charging 2nd baseman who seems to have a really great career ahead of him. He had an injury late in the season last year but shows a tremendous amount of talent in the field and at the plate.

Four hours after we arrived, Josh and I left with nine new autographs (the best part, except for the sandwiches, it was all free !) and a real good outlook on the upcomimg season.

I'm ready !!

Bring on Detroit, our lefties will be ready for their right handed rotation !!

Cheryl arrived !!

I was amazed to find Cheryl Burke on our kitchen island tonight !

Well, not literally. That would have been amazing, but my wife would never let that happen !

This is the second time in my collecting career that I have received a redemption card. The last one was in 2001. I received a 2001 Donruss All-Time Diamond King Hank Aaron. It seemed like it took forever for it to arrive. I know it was several months.

That's why I was amazed when Cheryl arrived in only 19 days !

I'm still not sure what I am going to do with her. I don't have any real desire to keep the card, so I will listen to offers if anyone is interested . I know Wicked Ortega, or "The Cardboard Don" as he is now known, was interested.

Anyone else ?

The streak across her chest is just a reflection.

Rookie cards ... at Goodwill ?? Guess who !

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love Goodwill Stores.

But what is Goodwill?
The following two paragraphs came from the Goodwill website.

For nearly 110 years, Goodwill® has been an entrepreneurial leader, environmental pioneer and social innovator of the “reduce, reuse, repurpose” practice.
Goodwill diverts more than two billion pounds of clothing and household goods every year from landfills by recovering the value in people’s unwanted material goods. In the process, we create job-training opportunities as well as entry-level and skilled green-collar jobs for people in need of work.

Founded by Dr. Edgar J. Helms, 1941."Goodwill is simply too powerful an idea to stay within the borders of one country." As a result, there are currently 165 Goodwill organizations in the U.S. and Canada with 14 Goodwill affiliated organizations in other countries around the world.

About three months ago they opened a "second chance" store in downtown Sandusky. Items that don't sell in the regular area stores go there for one last chance at $1.00 each. I asked the store manager what happens then, and he said that any metal or other items that can be, are recycled. Cloth items and clothing are donated to those who need them.

So we donate all we can to to Goodwill and also buy many items that we can use in our daily lives. For me, especially any baseball related items !

Which brings me to my story today.

A week or so ago, I wandered into one of my favorite Goodwill stores. There are three of them right on my way home from work. The book shelves are right on the left as you walk in the door. While I was perusing the titles on the shelves, it seemed like one gentleman was following me. He was, sort of. But as it turned out, he was just looking at the books too. He wandered away and I kept on searching for baseball titles. I did find a book about Clemente and then headed toward housewares.

As I walked past the glass cases near the checkout, there was this same guy, standing there looking through two boxes of baseball cards ! I thought " Oh, crap !" I missed out on that !

I headed on back to look for white, three-ring binders. I need to revamp my Indian cards and spread them out a little. I can usually find some here. Not today though. A quick pass through the toys and games, still looking for baseball puzzles, bobbleheads or what ever I can find. Nothing else today !

I head toward the front of the store to pay and spotted the guy again , now in electronics. He wasn't carrying the boxes of cards though. As we got closer to each other I said something like " No good cards today?". He said he only collects Topps card sets and the boxes were just old Fleer. I had visions of blinding, canary yellow auras lurking inside the boxes. He had no interest. We talked cards for a couple minutes, I told him how to find my blog if he was interested and we parted.

So Rick (I think that was his name, I'm getting really bad that way !) if you are reading this, I'm sorry but you had first dibs !! I left the store that day without even looking at the cards.

A couple days later I wandered in again. You have to go back on a regular basis because it is always changing. I checked out the books again. Nothing. Went past the glass cases and the cards were still there. Now they are in my little baseball cave !

The first box was mostly 1981 Fleer. No yellow !

There were 29 rookie cards in that box. These were the most significant.

The second box was more of mixture of years. There were these from 1982.

And these from 1985.

1989. I never knew Joe was Cubbie !

After sorting the first box, it was a complete 1981 set !

Aside from the rookies, there were a lot of stars and HOF 'ers in these two boxes.

Which, by the way, after a Buckeye card discount (special discount card you receive in Ohio when you turn 60. Discounts at Goodwill, motels, some restaurants and other places.) I only paid $9.00 for both boxes. I felt that was pretty good deal !

Oh, there was one more I almost forgot.

I don't who donated these, but thank you very much !!!!